AND JOSEPH REMEMBERED THE DREAMS WHICH HE DREAMED OF THEM, ETC. R. Hiya quoted here the verse: Rejoice not when thy enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth (Prov. 24, 17). ‘God’, he said, ‘created man in order that he should make himself worthy of His glory and always serve Him and be occupied in the Torah day and night. For God takes pleasure in the Torah and gave it to Adam and taught it to him, so that he should know its ways.
So it is written: “Then did he see it, and declare it; he established it, yea, and searched it out. And unto Adam he said: Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28, 27-28). Adam, however, though he inquired into it, did not keep it, and transgressed the command of his Master and was punished for his sin.
Similarly, all those who transgress one precept of the Torah are held to account for it. King Solomon, the wisest of men, transgressed one precept of the Torah, and for that he was dethroned and his son’s inheritance was divided. What, then, must be the consequences of the transgression of the whole Torah!
Now, since Joseph knew the Torah, having learnt it from his father, why when his brethren fell into his hands did he put them through all those ordeals? Far be it from us to think that it was out of a spirit of revenge that he heaped on them accusations: his only purpose was to make them bring with them his brother Benjamin, for whom his heart was longing; and, moreover, he did not let them come to grief, as we read later: “Then Joseph commanded them to fill their vessels with corn, etc.”
R. Judah said: ‘After God created the moon He had her constantly before His eyes (Deut. 11, 12). In regard to this it is also written: “Then did he see it, and declare it (vayesaprah); he established it, yea, and searched it out” (Job 28, 27). “He saw it” means that through His providence the sun is reflected in it. The term vayesaprah we may translate, “he made it like sapphire”.
“He established it” so that it should fall properly into twelve divisions,1i.e. the division of the Holy Land according to the twelve tribes. and be further distributed among seventy kingdoms,2Corresponding to the seventy nations or languages among which the world was divided according to the enumeration given in Genesis, chap. x supported by seventy3The editions read “seven”. celestial pillars,4i.e. the seventy chieftains presiding over the seventy kingdoms of the world. that it might be perfectly illumined. “And searched it out”: to guard it with an eternal and neverceasing vigilance.
And then He gave a warning to man, as we read further: “And unto man he said: Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Ibid. 28, 28), since wisdom is the means to attain to the fear of the Holy One, and understanding is the power by which to separate and keep away the refuse, and thus attain to a knowledge of and an insight into the glory of the Most High King.’
R. Jose once rose in the night to study the Torah, when there happened to be a certain Judean with him in the house. R. Jose began to expound the verse: Treasures of wirkedness profit nothing; but righteousness delivereth from death (Prov. 10, 2). ‘There is no profit’, he said, ‘to those men who do not occupy themselves with the study of the Torah and follow only worldly affairs in order to amass treasures of wickedness, of which it is written: “And those riches perish by evil adventure” (Eccl. 5, 2).
But “righteousness delivereth from death” those who occupy themselves with the study of the Torah and know its ways; for the Torah is called the tree of life and is also called righteousness, as we read: “And it shall be righteousness unto us” (Deut. 6, 25). The word zedaqah (righteousness) here may also have its literal meaning of “charity”. The two meanings, Torah and charity, are however, in essence identical.’
The Judean remarked: ‘It bears also the meaning of peace.’ R. Jose replied: ‘Assuredly it is so.’ The Judean then joined him and began to discourse on the text: He that tilleth the ground shall have plenty of bread; but he that followeth after vain things shall have poverty enough (Prov. 33, 19). ‘This verse’, he said, ‘presents a difficultv. For can it be supposed that King Solomon, the wisest man in the world, would have said that it behoves a man to devote himself to the tilling of the ground and to neglect the life everlasting?
But there is an inward meaning therein.’ The Judean then cited the verse: “And he put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and keep it” (Gen. 2, 15). ‘This sentence, as has been explained,’ he said, ‘contains an allusion to the sacrifices, the object of the verb “to dress” being the higher King, and of “to keep” the lower King, the one embracing the upper world, the other the lower world, the one esoterically referred to in “remember”, the other in “observe”1An allusion to the two variants, “remember,” and “observe”, in the text of the fourth Commandment, in Exodus and Deuteronomy.
Hence the “ground” here is an allusion to the Garden of Eden, which it behoves man to dress and to till so as to cause to flow upon it blessings from on high, whereby he himself will receive blessings along with it. Observe that the priest who blesses the people is blessed himself, as it says: “and I will bless them”1i.e. the priests. (Num. 6, 27). Hence, “He that tilleth the ground shall have plenty of bread”, to wit, heavenly food, but “he that followeth after vain things”, namely, he that cleaves to the other side, shall have poverty enough, assuredly.’ R. Jose remarked: ‘Happy art thou to be able to give such an exposition.’
The Judean then followed with a discourse on the verse: A faithful man shall abound with blessings (Prov. 28, 20). ‘This speaks of the man’, he said, ‘who puts his trust in God, like R. Jesse the elder, who, although he had food for the day, would not prepare his meal before he had prayed for his daily bread to the Holy King; and he used to say, “We shall not eat before we obtain permission from the King.”
“But he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be unpunished” (Ibid.), because he refuses to devote himself to the Torah, which constitutes the life of this world and the life of the world to come. It being now the time to occupy ourselves with the study of the Torah, let us do so,’ he said.
Further, one ought to remember a good dream, because, although there is no forgetfulness before the Holy One, yet if the man forgets the dream he also will be forgotten.
A dream that is not remembered might as well not have been dreamt, and therefore a dream forgotten and gone from mind is never fulfilled. Joseph therefore kept his dream fresh in his memory, never forgetting it, so that it should come true, and he was constantly waiting for its fulfilment. AND HE SAID TO THEM: YE ARE SPIES. Although he remembered his dream, he did not mention it to them, but only said, “Ye are spies.”
R. Jose discoursed on the verse: For a dream cometh through a multitude of business; and a fool’s voice through a multitude of words (Eccl. 5, 2). ‘It has already been explained’, he said, ‘that dreams are under the charge of a hierarchy of custodians, so that some dreams are altogether true and others are a mixture of true and false. But to the truly righteous no false messages are ever communicated, but all they are told is true.
Observe that of Daniel it is written: “Then to Daniel, in a vision of the night, the secret was revealed” (Dan. 2, 19), also: “Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed; then he wrote the dream” (Ibid. 7, 1). Had tie dream contained falsehood, it could not have been written down in the Scriptures. When the souls of the truly righteous ascend, nothing comes in contact with them save holy beings that communicate to them words of truth, words that can be relied upon never to prove false.
There is, it is true, a tradition that King David never saw a happy dream, from which we should conclude that he was shown false things in his dreams. The truth is, however, that David was all his life engaged in making war, in shedding blood, and hence all his dreams were of misfortune, of destruction and ruin, of blood and shedding of blood, and not of peace.
You may possibly also wonder how it is that a good man is often shown a bad dream. The explanation is that what he sees in such dreams is the evil that is to cleave to those who transgress the commands of the Torah and the punishments which will be meted out to them in the other world; and the good man sees all these in his dreams in order that the fear of his Master may constantly be upon him. So it says: “and God hath made it, that man should fear before him” (Eccl. 3, 14), which has been explained to refer to bad dreams. This, then, is the reason why the righteous man is made to see a bad dream.
We have learned that when a man has had a dream, he should unburden himself of it before men who are his friends so that they should express to him their good wishes and give utterance to words of good omen. Desire, which is Thought, is the beginning of all things, and Utterance is the completion; and so a deep symbolism will in this way have been effected, and all will have been made good. Thus a man’s friends should affirm the good interpretation, and so all will be well.
We see, then, that God communicates to each man by means of dreams of the degree and shade of colour conformable to the degree and shade of colour of the man himself.’ The Judean remarked: ‘Assuredly, it is only the good man that is made to see true dreams.
When a man is in bed asleep, his soul leaves him and roams to and fro towards the upper world and enters as far as she can, and numerous bands of pure spirits who are traversing the world meet her. If she be worthy, she ascends on high and sees notable things, but if not, she falls into the hands of the other side, who communicate to her lying things, or things which are about to happen shortly. And when the man awakes, the soul communicates to him what she saw.
The unjust man is thus shown a happy dream, but an untruthful one, so as to make him go further astray from the path of truth. For since he turned aside from the right path they defile him the more, as whoever sets out to purify himself is purified from above, and whoever sets out to defile himself is similarly defiled from above. This has already been expounded elsewhere.’
Thus R. Jose and the Judean discoursed until the morning dawned. R. Jose then remarked: ‘Assuredly the reason that Joseph’s name is not mentioned in connection with the standards of the tribes (v. Num. III) is that he exalted himself over his brethren.’
Said the Judean: ‘I have heard it said that Joseph derived from the world of the Male, whereas his brethren derived from the world of the Female; and it is for this reason that he was not included with them.
It is thus written: WE ARE ALL ONE MAN’S SONS, where the word for “we” (anahnu) is written defectively nahnu, without the letter aleph. The aleph is the image of the male principle as against the beth, which is the image of the female principle; and since the brothers did not exhibit the symbolism of the covenant, the aleph was removed from them and they were left, as it were, of the female aspect in the company of the Shekinah.
Afterwards, however, they said: “We are upright men” (Gen. 42, 31), using the full form anahnu (we), containing the aleph, and without knowing it they were right, since Joseph was present with them. This view is further supported by the passage: “And they said: We thy servants are twelve brethren” (Ibid. 13): here clearly Joseph was included within the number twelve, and hence they similarly made use of the full form for “we are”, namely anahnu, not the defective form nahnu.’
R. Jose remarked: ‘AII these expositions we have just now given must be pleasing to God, since the Shekinah did not depart from here in accordance with the verse: “Then they that fear the Lord spoke one with another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name” (Malachi, III, 16). ‘
וַיִּזְכּוֹר יוֹסֵף אֶת הַחֲלוֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר חָלַם לָהֶם וְגו'. רִבִּי חִיָּיא פָּתַח וְאֲמַר, (משלי כ״ד:י״ז) בִּנְפוֹל אוֹיִבְךָ אַל תִּשְׂמַח וּבִכָּשְׁלוֹ אַל יָגֵל לִבֶּךָ. תָּא חֲזֵי, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עֲבַד לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ, דְּיִזְכֵּי לִיקָרָא דִילֵיהּ, וּלְשַׁמָּשָׁא קַמֵּיהּ תְּדִירָא, וּלְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא יְמָמָא וְלֵילֵי. בְּגִין דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרָעֵי בָּהּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא תָּדִיר.
AND JOSEPH REMEMBERED THE DREAMS WHICH HE DREAMED OF THEM, ETC. R. Hiya quoted here the verse: Rejoice not when thy enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth (Prov. 24, 17). ‘God’, he said, ‘created man in order that he should make himself worthy of His glory and always serve Him and be occupied in the Torah day and night. For God takes pleasure in the Torah and gave it to Adam and taught it to him, so that he should know its ways.
וְכֵיוָן דְּבָרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאָדָם, יָהַב קַמֵּיהּ אוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאוֹלֵיף לֵיהּ בָּהּ לְמִנְדַע אָרְחָהָא. מְנָלָן, דִּכְתִיב, (איוב כ״ח:כ״ז-כ״ח) אָז רָאָהּ וַיְסַפְּרָהּ הכִינָהּ וְגַם חֲקָרָהּ. וּלְבָתַר, וַיֹּאמֶר לָאָדָם הֵן יִרְאַת יְיָ הִיא חָכְמָה וְסוּר מֵרָע בִּינָה. כֵּיוָן דְּאִסְתַּכַּל בָּהּ וְלָא נָטִיר לָהּ, עֲבַר עַל פִּקּוּדָא דְמָארֵיהּ וְאִתְפַּס בְּחוֹבֵיהּ.
So it is written: “Then did he see it, and declare it; he established it, yea, and searched it out. And unto Adam he said: Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28, 27-28). Adam, however, though he inquired into it, did not keep it, and transgressed the command of his Master and was punished for his sin.
וְכָל אִינוּן דְּעָבְרוּ עַל מִלָּה חָדָא דְאוֹרַיְיתָא, אִתְּפָסוּ בָהּ. שְׁלמֹה מַלְכָּא דְּאִתְחַכַּם עַל כָּל בְּנֵי עַלְמָא, עֲבַר עַל מִלָּה חָדָא דְאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְגָרִים לֵיהּ לְאִתְעֲבָרָא מַלְכוּתֵיהּ מִנֵּיה, וּלְאִתְפַּלְּגָא מַלְכוּתָא מִן בְּנוֹי. מַאן דְּאַעֲבַר עַל אוֹרַיְיתָא עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה.
Similarly, all those who transgress one precept of the Torah are held to account for it. King Solomon, the wisest of men, transgressed one precept of the Torah, and for that he was dethroned and his son’s inheritance was divided. What, then, must be the consequences of the transgression of the whole Torah!
וְיוֹסֵף דְּהֲוָה יָדַע אוֹרַיְיתָא, וַאֲחוֹי נָפְלוּ בִּידֵיהּ, אַמַּאי גִּלְגֵּל עֲלַיְיהוּ כָּל גִּלְגּוּלָא דָא. וְהָא אִיהוּ יָדַע אוֹרַיְיתָא דְּאוֹלִיף לֵיהּ אֲבוֹי. אֶלָּא, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם דְּיוֹסֵף גִּלְגֵל עֲלַיְיהוּ גִּלְגּוּלִין לְנַקְמָא מִנַּיְיהוּ. אֶלָּא כָּל דָּא לָא עֲבַד, אֶלָּא לְאַיְיתָאָה לַאֲחוּהָ בִּנְיָמִן לְגַבֵּיהּ, דְּתִאוּבְתֵּיהּ הֲוָה לְגַבֵּיה. וְאִיהוּ לָא שָׁבַק לַאֲחוֹי לְמִנְפַּל, דְּהָא כְּתִיב, וַיְצַו יוֹסֵף וַיְמַלְּאוּ אֶת כְּלֵיהֶם בָּר וְגו', וְכָל דָּא בְּגִין דְּלָא יִנְפְּלוּן.
Now, since Joseph knew the Torah, having learnt it from his father, why when his brethren fell into his hands did he put them through all those ordeals? Far be it from us to think that it was out of a spirit of revenge that he heaped on them accusations: his only purpose was to make them bring with them his brother Benjamin, for whom his heart was longing; and, moreover, he did not let them come to grief, as we read later: “Then Joseph commanded them to fill their vessels with corn, etc.”
רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר, כַּד בְּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְסִיהֲרָא, הֲוָה אִסְתַּכַּל בָּהּ תָּדִיר, כְּדִּכְתִיב, (דברים י״א:י״ב) תָּמִיד עֵינִי יְיָ אֱלהֶיךָ בָּהּ, אַשְׁגָּחוּתָא דִילֵיהּ בָּהּ תָּדִיר, וּכְתִיב אָז רָאָהּ, דְּהָא שִׁמְשָׁא בְּאַשְׁגָּחוּתָא דִילֵיהּ בָּהּ, אִתְנְהִיר. וַיְסַפְּרָהּ, מַאי וַיְסַפְּרָהּ, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (איוב כ״ח:ו׳) מְקוֹם סַפִּיר אֲבָנֶיהָ.
R. Judah said: ‘After God created the moon He had her constantly before His eyes (Deut. 11, 12). In regard to this it is also written: “Then did he see it, and declare it (vayesaprah); he established it, yea, and searched it out” (Job 28, 27). “He saw it” means that through His providence the sun is reflected in it. The term vayesaprah we may translate, “he made it like sapphire”.
הֱכִינָהּ, דְּאִיהִי יָתְבָא בְּתִקּוּנָא, בִּתְרֵיסַר תְּחוּמִין, מִתְפַּלְּגָא (שמות נח ב) בְּשִׁבְעִין קְסִירִין. אַתְקִין לָהּ בְּשִׁבְעָה סַמְכִין עִלָּאִין, לְאִתְנַהֲרָא וּלְיַתְבָא עַל שְׁלִימוּ. וְגַם חֲקָרָהּ, לְאַשְׁגָּחָא עֲלָהּ תָּדִיר, זִמְנָא בָּתַר זִמְנָא, דְּלָא פָּסִיק לְעָלְמִין.
“He established it” so that it should fall properly into twelve divisions,1i.e. the division of the Holy Land according to the twelve tribes. and be further distributed among seventy kingdoms,2Corresponding to the seventy nations or languages among which the world was divided according to the enumeration given in Genesis, chap. x supported by seventy3The editions read “seven”. celestial pillars,4i.e. the seventy chieftains presiding over the seventy kingdoms of the world. that it might be perfectly illumined. “And searched it out”: to guard it with an eternal and neverceasing vigilance.
וּלְבָתַר אַזְהַר לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ, וְאֲמַר וַיֹּאמֶר לָאָדָם הֵן יִרְאַת יְיָ הִיא חָכְמָה וְסוּר מֵרָע בִּינָה. דְּהַאי מִתְעַטְּרָא עַל תַּתָּאי, לְדַחֲלָא וּלְמִנְדַע לֵיהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּגִינָהּ. וְסוּר מֵרָע בִּינָה, בְּרִירוּ מִפְּסָלוּתָא, דְּלָא לְמִקְרַב בַּהֲדֵיהּ. וּכְדֵין אַשְׁגָּחוּתָא (נ"א אשכחותא) דְבִינָה, לְמִנְדַע וּלְאִסְתַּכְּלָא בִּיקָרָא דְמַלְכָּא עִלָּאָה.
And then He gave a warning to man, as we read further: “And unto man he said: Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Ibid. 28, 28), since wisdom is the means to attain to the fear of the Holy One, and understanding is the power by which to separate and keep away the refuse, and thus attain to a knowledge of and an insight into the glory of the Most High King.’
רִבִּי יוֹסֵי קָם בְּלֵילְיָא חַד לְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְהֲוָה תַּמָּן עִמֵּיהּ חַד יוּדָאי, דְּאָעֳרַע בֵּיהּ בְּהַהוּא בֵיתָא. פָּתַח רִבִּי יוֹסֵי וְאֲמַר, (משלי י׳:ב׳-ג׳) לֹא יוֹעִילוּ אוֹצְרוֹת רֶשַׁע וּצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוֶת. לֹא יוֹעִילוּ אוֹצְרוֹת רֶשַׁע, אִלֵּין אִינוּן דְּלָא מִשְׁתַּדְּלֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאָזְלֵי בָּתַר מִלֵּי דְעַלְמָא, וּלְמִכְנַשׁ אוֹצְרִין דְּחִיּוּבָא. מַה כְּתִיב, וְאָבַד הָעשֶׁר הַהוּא בְּעִנְיַן רָע. בְּגִין דְּאִינוּן אוֹצְרוֹת רֶשַׁע.
R. Jose once rose in the night to study the Torah, when there happened to be a certain Judean with him in the house. R. Jose began to expound the verse: Treasures of wirkedness profit nothing; but righteousness delivereth from death (Prov. 10, 2). ‘There is no profit’, he said, ‘to those men who do not occupy themselves with the study of the Torah and follow only worldly affairs in order to amass treasures of wickedness, of which it is written: “And those riches perish by evil adventure” (Eccl. 5, 2).
וּצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוֶת, אִלֵּין דְּמִשְׁתַּדְּלֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְיָדְעִין אוֹרְחָהָא לְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא (לאסתכלא) בָהּ. דְּהָא אוֹרַיְיתָא עֵץ חַיִּים אִקְרֵי, וְאִתְקְרִיאַת צְדָקָה. דִּכְתִיב, וּצְדָקָה תִּהְיֶה לָנוּ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, וּצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוֶת, דָּא צְדָקָה מַמָּשׁ, וּבִתְרֵין גְּוָונִין אִיהוּ, וּבִתְרֵין סִטְרִין. קָרֵי בֵּיהּ אוֹרַיְיתָא, וְקָרֵי בֵּיהּ צְדָקָה, וְכֹלָּא חַד.
But “righteousness delivereth from death” those who occupy themselves with the study of the Torah and know its ways; for the Torah is called the tree of life and is also called righteousness, as we read: “And it shall be righteousness unto us” (Deut. 6, 25). The word zedaqah (righteousness) here may also have its literal meaning of “charity”. The two meanings, Torah and charity, are however, in essence identical.’
אָמַר הַהוּא יוּדָאי, וְקָרֵי בֵּיהּ שָׁלוֹם. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי דְאִקְרֵי שָׁלוֹם. קָם הַהוּא יוּדָאי, וְאִשְׁתַּתַּף בַּהֲדֵיהּ, פָּתַח הַהוּא יוּדָאי וְאֲמַר, (משלי כ״ח:י״ט) עוֹבֵד אַדְמָתוֹ יִשְׂבַּע לָחֶם וּמְרַדֵּף רֵקִים יִשְׂבַּע רֵישׁ. הַאי קְרָא קַשְׁיָא, וְכִי שְׁלֹמֹה מַלְכָּא דְּאִיהוּ חַכִּים מִכָּל בְּנֵי עַלְמָא, הֵיךְ אָמַר דְּיִשְׁתָּדַּל בַּר נָשׁ לְמִפְלַח אַרְעָא וּלְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא אֲבַתְרֵיהּ, וְיִשְׁבּוֹק חַיֵּי עָלְמָא.
The Judean remarked: ‘It bears also the meaning of peace.’ R. Jose replied: ‘Assuredly it is so.’ The Judean then joined him and began to discourse on the text: He that tilleth the ground shall have plenty of bread; but he that followeth after vain things shall have poverty enough (Prov. 33, 19). ‘This verse’, he said, ‘presents a difficultv. For can it be supposed that King Solomon, the wisest man in the world, would have said that it behoves a man to devote himself to the tilling of the ground and to neglect the life everlasting?
אֶלָּא רָזָא אִיהוּ. פָּתַח וְאֲמַר, (בראשית ב׳:ט״ו) וַיִּקַּח יְיָ אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָדָם וַיַּנִּיחֵהוּ בְגַן עֵדֶן לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ, וְאוּקְמוּהָ בְּרָזָא דְקָרְבָּנִין אִיהוּ. תָּא חֲזֵי, לְעָבְדָהּ, דָּא מַלְכָּא עִלָּאָה. וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ, דָּא מַלְכָּא תַּתָּאָה. עַלְמָא עִלָּאָה, וְעַלְמָא תַּתָּאָה. לְעָבְדָהּ (דדכורא) בְּרָזָא דְזָכוֹר, וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ בְּרָזָא דְשָׁמוֹר.
But there is an inward meaning therein.’ The Judean then cited the verse: “And he put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and keep it” (Gen. 2, 15). ‘This sentence, as has been explained,’ he said, ‘contains an allusion to the sacrifices, the object of the verb “to dress” being the higher King, and of “to keep” the lower King, the one embracing the upper world, the other the lower world, the one esoterically referred to in “remember”, the other in “observe”1An allusion to the two variants, “remember,” and “observe”, in the text of the fourth Commandment, in Exodus and Deuteronomy.
וּבְּגִין כָּךְ, עוֹבֵד אַדְמָתוֹ, דָּא גַן עֵדֶן. דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לְמֶעְבַּד וּלְמִפְלַח, וּלְאַמְשָׁכָא לָהּ בִּרְכָאן מִלְּעֵילָא. וְכַד אִתְבָּרְכָא וְאִתְמַשְּׁכָא לָהּ בִּרְכָאן מִלְּעֵילָא, אִיהוּ נָמֵי אִתְבָּרֵךְ בַּהֲדָהּ. תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּכַהֲנָא דִּמְבָרֵךְ, מִתְבָּרֵךְ. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (במדבר ו׳:כ״ז) וַאֲנִי אֲבָרַכֵם. וּבְגִין כָּךְ, עוֹבֵד אַדְמָתוֹ יִשְׂבַּע לָחֶם, דָּא הוּא מְזוֹנָא דִלְעֵילָא. וּמְרַדֵּף רֵקִים, מַאן דְּיִתְדַּבַּק בְּסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא, דְּאִיהוּ מְרַדֵּף רֵקִים. יִשְׂבַּע רֵישׁ ודַּאי. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, זַכָּאָה אַנְתְּ, דְּזָכִית לְהַאי מִלָּה.
Hence the “ground” here is an allusion to the Garden of Eden, which it behoves man to dress and to till so as to cause to flow upon it blessings from on high, whereby he himself will receive blessings along with it. Observe that the priest who blesses the people is blessed himself, as it says: “and I will bless them”1i.e. the priests. (Num. 6, 27). Hence, “He that tilleth the ground shall have plenty of bread”, to wit, heavenly food, but “he that followeth after vain things”, namely, he that cleaves to the other side, shall have poverty enough, assuredly.’ R. Jose remarked: ‘Happy art thou to be able to give such an exposition.’
תוּ פָּתַח וְאָמַר קְרָא אֲבַתְרֵיהּ, (משלי כ״ח:כ׳) אִישׁ אֱמוּנוֹת רַב בְּרָכוֹת, דָּא הוּא בַּר נָשׁ דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בֵּיהּ, כְּגוֹן רִבִּי יֵיסָא סָבָא. דְּאַף עַל גַּב דְּהֲוָה לֵיהּ מֵיכְלָא דְהַהוּא יוֹמָא לְמֵיכַל, לָא הֲוָה מַתְקִין לֵיהּ עַד דְּשָׁאִיל מְזוֹנֵיהּ קַמֵּי מַלְכָּא קַדִּישָׁא. לְבָתַר דְּצַלֵּי צְלוֹתֵיהּ וְשָׁאִיל מְזוֹנֵיהּ קַמֵּי מַלְכָּא, כְּדֵין הֲוָה מְתַקִּין. וְהֲוָה אָמַר תָּדִיר, לָא נְתַקִּין, עַד דְּיִנָּתְנוּן מִבֵּי מַלְכָּא.
The Judean then followed with a discourse on the verse: A faithful man shall abound with blessings (Prov. 28, 20). ‘This speaks of the man’, he said, ‘who puts his trust in God, like R. Jesse the elder, who, although he had food for the day, would not prepare his meal before he had prayed for his daily bread to the Holy King; and he used to say, “We shall not eat before we obtain permission from the King.”
וְאָץ לְהַעֲשִׁיר לֹא יִנָּקֶה, בְּגִין דְּלָא בָּעָא לְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּאִיהִי חַיִּין דְּעַלְמָא דֵין, וְחַיִּין דְּעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי. הַשְׁתָּא דְאִיהִי שַׁעְתָּא לְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, נִשְׁתַּדֵּל.
“But he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be unpunished” (Ibid.), because he refuses to devote himself to the Torah, which constitutes the life of this world and the life of the world to come. It being now the time to occupy ourselves with the study of the Torah, let us do so,’ he said.
פָּתַח הַהוּא גַבְרָא בְּרָזָא דְחֶלְמָא וְאֲמַר, וַיִּזְכּוֹר יוֹסֵף אֶת הַחֲלוֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר חָלַם לָהֶם וְגו'. וַיִּזְכּוֹר יוֹסֵף אֶת הַחֲלוֹמוֹת, וְכִי יוֹסֵף אַמַּאי (נ"א אמר או) אַדְכַּר לוֹן אִינוּן חֲלוֹמוֹת דְּחָלַם לְהוּ. וּמַה סַגְיָא לֵיהּ אִלּוּ לָא אַדְכַּר לְהוּ, דְּהָא יוֹסֵף חַכִּים הֲוָה, וּכְתִיב, כָּל עָרוּם יַעֲשֶׂה בְדָעַת וּכְסִיל יִפְרֹשׂ אִוֶּלֶת.
He then began to discourse on the subject of dreams. ‘We read, he said: AND JOSEPH REMEMBERED THE DREAMS WHICH HE DREAMED OF THEM.’
אֲבָל, כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא דְאִינוּן אָתּוּ, וְסָגְדֵי לֵיהּ אַפִּין עַל אַרְעָא. כְּדֵין אִדְכַּר מִמַּה דְּחָלַם לְהוּ, כַּד הֲוָה עִמְּהוֹן. דִּכְתִיב, וְהִנֵּה קָמָּה אֲלֻמָּתִי וְגַם נִצָּבָה וְהִנֵּה תְסֻבֶּינָה אֲלֻמּוֹתֵיכֶם וַתִּשְׁתַּחֲוֶינָה לַאֲלֻמָּתִי. אֲמַר יוֹסֵף בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְחָמָא דְּכָרְעִין אֲחוֹי קַמֵּיהּ. דִּכְתִיב, וַיָּבֹאוּ אֲחֵי יוֹסֵף וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לוֹ אַפַּיִם אַרְצָה, כְּדֵין וַיִּזְכּוֹר יוֹסֵף אֶת הַחֲלוֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר חָלַם. דְּהָא חָמָא דְּהֲווּ קָיְימֵי (מתקיימי).
That is, when he saw them bowing to him, he called to mind his dream about their sheaves bowing to his sheaf.
תוּ, וַיִּזְכּוֹר יוֹסֵף אֶת הַחֲלוֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר חָלַם, אַדְכַּר לוֹן. בְּגִין דְּלֵית נַשְׁיוּ קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּהָא חֶלְמָא דְּאִיהוּ טָבָא, בָּעֵי בַר נָשׁ לְאַדְכָּרָא לֵיהּ דְּלָא יִתְנְשֵׁי, וּכְדֵין אִתְקְיַּים. דְּהָא כְּמָה דְאִתְנְשֵׁי קַמֵּיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ, הָכִי אִתְנְשֵׁי עֲלֵיהּ.
Further, one ought to remember a good dream, because, although there is no forgetfulness before the Holy One, yet if the man forgets the dream he also will be forgotten.
תָּא חֲזֵי, חֶלְמָא דְּלָא אִתְפַּשַּׁר, כְּאִגַּרְתָּא דְּלָא מִתְקַרְיָא, וְתָּא חֲזֵי, בְּגִין דְּלָא אִדְכַּר, כְּמַאן דְּלָא יָדַע לֵיהּ. וְעַל דָּא, מַאן דְּאִתְנְשֵׁי מִנֵּיהּ חֶלְמָא וְלָא יָדַע לֵיהּ, לָא קָיְימָא עֲלֵיהּ לְאִתְקָיְימָא. וּבְגִין דָּא יוֹסֵף הֲוָה דָּכִיר חֶלְמֵיהּ, בְּגִין לְאִתְקַיְּימָא. בְּגִין דְּלָא יִתְנְשֵׁי חֶלְמָא מִנֵּיהּ לְעָלַם, וְהֲוָה מְחַכֶּה לֵיהּ תָּדִיר. וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם מְרַגְּלִים אַתֶּם, אִיהוּ דָּכִיר חֶלְמָא. אֲבָל מִלָּה לָא אָמַר לוֹן, אֶלָּא מְרַגְּלִים אַתֶּם.
A dream that is not remembered might as well not have been dreamt, and therefore a dream forgotten and gone from mind is never fulfilled. Joseph therefore kept his dream fresh in his memory, never forgetting it, so that it should come true, and he was constantly waiting for its fulfilment. AND HE SAID TO THEM: YE ARE SPIES. Although he remembered his dream, he did not mention it to them, but only said, “Ye are spies.”
פָּתַח רִבִּי יוֹסֵי וְאֲמַר, (קהלת ה׳:ב׳) כִּי בָא הַחֲלוֹם בְּרוֹב עִנְיָן וְקוֹל כְּסִיל בְּרוֹב דְּבָרִים. כִּי בָא הַחֲלוֹם בְּרוֹב עִנְיָן, הָא אוּקְמוּהָ. דְּכַמָּה אִינוּן סְמִיכִין בְּחֶלְמָא, וּמְמַנָּן דַּרְגִּין עַל דַּרְגִּין. עַד דְּחָלְמִין מִנְהוֹן קְשׁוֹט כֻּלְּהוּ, וּמִנְּהוֹן דְּאִית בְּהוֹן קְשׁוֹט וּכְדִיבוּ. אֲבָל לְאִינוּן זַכָּאֵי קְשׁוֹט, לָא אִתְגְּלִי לוֹן מִלִּין כְּדִיבָן כְּלוּם, אֶלָּא כֻּלְּהוּ קְשׁוֹט.
R. Jose discoursed on the verse: For a dream cometh through a multitude of business; and a fool’s voice through a multitude of words (Eccl. 5, 2). ‘It has already been explained’, he said, ‘that dreams are under the charge of a hierarchy of custodians, so that some dreams are altogether true and others are a mixture of true and false. But to the truly righteous no false messages are ever communicated, but all they are told is true.
תָּא חֲזֵי, דָּנִיֵּאל מַה כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ, (דניאל ב׳:י״ט) אֱדַיִן לְדָנִיֵּאל בְּחֶזְוָא דִי לֵילְיָא רָזָא גַּלֵּי. וּכְתִיב, (דניאל ז׳:א׳) דָּנִיֵּאל חֵלֶם חֲזָה וְחֶזְוֵי רֵאשֵׁהּ עַל מִשְׁכְּבֵיהּ בֵּאדַיִן חֶלְמָא כְתַב. וְאִי אִית בֵּיהּ מִלִּין כְּדִיבָן, אַמַּאי אִיכְתִּיב בֵּין כְּתוּבִים. אֶלָּא אִינוּן זַכָּאֵי קְשׁוֹט, בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּנִשְׁמַתְהוֹן סָלְקִין. לָא מִתְחַבְּרָן בְּהוּ, אֶלָּא מִלִּין קַדִּישִׁין. דְּאוֹדְעִין לֵיהּ מִלֵּי דִקְ שׁוֹט, מִלִּין קָיְימָן דְּלָא מְשַׁקְרָן לְעָלְמִין.
Observe that of Daniel it is written: “Then to Daniel, in a vision of the night, the secret was revealed” (Dan. 2, 19), also: “Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed; then he wrote the dream” (Ibid. 7, 1). Had tie dream contained falsehood, it could not have been written down in the Scriptures. When the souls of the truly righteous ascend, nothing comes in contact with them save holy beings that communicate to them words of truth, words that can be relied upon never to prove false.
וְאִי תֵימָא, הָא תְּנַן דְּדָוִד מַלְכָּא לָא חָמָא חֶלְמָא טָבָא. הָא אִשְׁתְּמַע דְּהֲוָה חָמֵי דָּוִד מִלִּין דְּלָא קְשׁוֹט. אֶלָּא וַדַּאי, כָּל יוֹמוֹי הֲוָה מִשְׁתַּדֵּל לְאוֹשְׁדָא דָמִין, וְאַגַּח קְרָבִין, וְכָל חֶלְמוֹי לָא הֲווּ אֶלָּא חֶלְמִין בִּישִׁין. חוּרְבָא וְשׁוֹמְמוּתָא וְדָמָא וְאוֹשִׁידוּ דְּדָמִין, וְלָא חֶלְמָא דִשְׁלָם.
There is, it is true, a tradition that King David never saw a happy dream, from which we should conclude that he was shown false things in his dreams. The truth is, however, that David was all his life engaged in making war, in shedding blood, and hence all his dreams were of misfortune, of destruction and ruin, of blood and shedding of blood, and not of peace.
וְאִי תֵימָא, לְבַר נָשׁ טַב אַחֲזִיאוּ לֵיהּ חֶלְמָא בִּישָׁא, הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי. כָּל אִינוּן בִּישִׁין דְּזַמִּינִין לְאִתְדַּבְּקָא עַל אִינוּן דְּעָבְרֵי עַל פִּתְגָמֵי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאִינוּן עוֹנָשִׁין דְּזַמִּינִין לְאִתְעֲנָשָׁא בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא, כֻּלְּהוּ חָמֵי. בְּגִין דְּכָל שַׁעְתָּא יְהֵא דְחִילוּ דְמָרֵיהּ עֲלֵיהּ, וְהָא אִתְעָרוּ. דִּכְתִיב, (קהלת ג׳:י״ד) וְהָאֱלהִים עָשָׂה שֶׁיִּירְאוּ מִלְפָנָיו, זֶה חֲלוֹם רָע. וְעַל דָּא, לְהַהוּא זַכָּאָה, אַחֲזִיוּ לֵיהּ חֶלְמָא בִּישָׁא, כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר.
You may possibly also wonder how it is that a good man is often shown a bad dream. The explanation is that what he sees in such dreams is the evil that is to cleave to those who transgress the commands of the Torah and the punishments which will be meted out to them in the other world; and the good man sees all these in his dreams in order that the fear of his Master may constantly be upon him. So it says: “and God hath made it, that man should fear before him” (Eccl. 3, 14), which has been explained to refer to bad dreams. This, then, is the reason why the righteous man is made to see a bad dream.
תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּהָא תָּנִינָן, דְּהַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ דְּחָמֵי חֶלְמָא, בָּעֵי לֵיהּ לְמִפְתַּח פּוּמֵיהּ בֵּיהּ קַמֵּי בְּנֵי נָשָׁא דְּרַחֲמֵי לֵיהּ. בְּגִין דְּיִסְתַּלַּק רְעוּתָא דִלְהוֹן לְגַבֵּיהּ לְטַב, וְיִפְתְּחוּן פּוּמַיְיהוּ לְטַב, וְיִשְׁתַּכַּח רְעוּתָא וּמִלָּה כֹּלָּא לְטַב. רְעוּתָא דְאִיהִי מַחֲשָׁבָה, שֵׁרוּתָא דְכֹלָּא, וּמִלָּה דְאִיהִי סִיּוּמָא דְכֹלָּא. וְעַל דָּא אִשְׁתַּכַּח דְּהָא שְׁלִימוּ אִיהוּ בְּרָזָא עִלָּאָה. וּבְגִין כָּךְ אִתְקְיַּים כֹּלָּא, וּבְעִינָן רְחִימִין דְּבַר נָשׁ (נ"א רחימין עליה דבר נש בגין) לְאִתְקַיְּימָא בְּהַהוּא פִּשְׁרָא טָבָא, וְכֹלָּא אִיהוּ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת.
We have learned that when a man has had a dream, he should unburden himself of it before men who are his friends so that they should express to him their good wishes and give utterance to words of good omen. Desire, which is Thought, is the beginning of all things, and Utterance is the completion; and so a deep symbolism will in this way have been effected, and all will have been made good. Thus a man’s friends should affirm the good interpretation, and so all will be well.
וּבְּגִין כָּךְ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אוֹדַע לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ, כָּל חַד וְחַד, בְּהַהוּא דַרְגָּא דִילֵיהּ, כְּמָה דְאִיהוּ. וּבְהַהוּא גַוְונָא דְּכָל חַד וְחַד, אָמַר דִּיהֵא חֶלְמָא. אָמַר הַהוּא יוּדָאי, וַדַּאי דְחֶלְמָא לָאו אִיהוּ אֶלָּא לְבַר נָשׁ זַכָּאָה, דְּאִיהוּ חָמָא חֶלְמָא כְּדְקָא חָזֵי.
We see, then, that God communicates to each man by means of dreams of the degree and shade of colour conformable to the degree and shade of colour of the man himself.’ The Judean remarked: ‘Assuredly, it is only the good man that is made to see true dreams.
וְתָּא חֲזֵי, דְּכַד בַּר נָשׁ נָאִים עַל עַרְסֵיהּ, נִשְׁמָתֵיהּ נָפְקָא וְשַׁטְיָא בְּעַלְמָא לְעֵילָא, וְעָאלַת בְּאַתְרָא דְּעָאלַת. וְכַמָּה חֲבִילֵי טְהִירִין, קָיְימִין וְאָזְלִין בְּעַלְמָא, וּפָגְעִין בָּהּ בְּהַהִיא נִשְׁמָתָא. אִי זַכָּאָה הִיא, סַלְקָא לְעֵילָא וְחָמַאת מַה דְּחָמַאת. וְאִי לָאו, אִתְאַחֲדַת בְּהַהוּא סִטְרָא, וּמוֹדִיעִין לָהּ מִלִּין כְּדִיבָן, אוֹ מִלִּין דְּזַמִּינִין לְמֵיתֵי לִזְמַן קָרִיב. וְכַד אִתְעַר הַהִיא נִשְׁמָתָא דְּבֵיהּ, אִיהִי מוֹדְעָא לֵיהּ מַה דְּחָמַאת.
When a man is in bed asleep, his soul leaves him and roams to and fro towards the upper world and enters as far as she can, and numerous bands of pure spirits who are traversing the world meet her. If she be worthy, she ascends on high and sees notable things, but if not, she falls into the hands of the other side, who communicate to her lying things, or things which are about to happen shortly. And when the man awakes, the soul communicates to him what she saw.
וְעַל דָא, לְבַר נָשׁ דְּלָאו אִיהוּ זַכָּאָה, מוֹדִיעִין לֵיהּ חֶלְמָא טָבָא דְּלָאו אִיהוּ קְשׁוֹט. כֹּלָּא בְּגִין לְאַסְטָאָה לֵיהּ מֵהַהוּא אֹרַח קְשׁוֹט. כֵּיוָן דְּאִיהוּ אַסְטֵי אוֹרְחֵיהּ מֵאֹרַח קְשׁוֹט, מְסָאֲבִין לֵיהּ. דְּכָל מַאן דְּאָתֵי לְאִתְדַּכָּאָה, מְדַכְּאִין לֵיהּ. וּמַאן דְּאָתֵי לְאִסְתַּאֲבָא, מְסָאֲבִין לֵיהּ. הָא וַדַּאי אִתְּמָר הָכִי.
The unjust man is thus shown a happy dream, but an untruthful one, so as to make him go further astray from the path of truth. For since he turned aside from the right path they defile him the more, as whoever sets out to purify himself is purified from above, and whoever sets out to defile himself is similarly defiled from above. This has already been expounded elsewhere.’
יָתְבוּ עַד דְּסָלִיק צַפְרָא, אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, וַדַּאי לָא זָכַר שְׁמֵיהּ דְּיוֹסֵף בְּאִינוּן דְּגָלִים. דִּכְתִיב, (במדבר ב׳:י״ח) דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה אֶפְרַיִם, וְלָא כְּתִיב דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה יוֹסֵף. בְּגִין דְּאִתְגָּאֵי עַל אֲחוֹי, וְהָא אִתְּמָר.
Thus R. Jose and the Judean discoursed until the morning dawned. R. Jose then remarked: ‘Assuredly the reason that Joseph’s name is not mentioned in connection with the standards of the tribes (v. Num. III) is that he exalted himself over his brethren.’
אָמַר הַהוּא יוּדָאי, וַדַּאי שְׁמַעְנָא דְּיוֹסֵף אִיהוּ בְּעַלְמָא דִּדְכוּרָא, וְכֻלְּהוּ שִׁבְטִין בְּעַלְמָא דְנוּקְבָא אִינוּן. וְעַל דָּא לָא אִתְכְּלִיל יוֹסֵף עִמְּהוֹן, בְּגִין דְּאִיהוּ בְּעַלְמָא דִּדְכוּרָא עִמְּהוֹן (נ"א ל"ג עמהון).
Said the Judean: ‘I have heard it said that Joseph derived from the world of the Male, whereas his brethren derived from the world of the Female; and it is for this reason that he was not included with them.
מַה כְּתִיב, כֻּלָּנוּ בְּנֵי אִישׁ אֶחָד נָחְנוּ. נָחְנוּ, אֲנַחְנוּ מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. אַמַּאי חָסֵר א'. אֶלָּא, בְּגִין דְּרָזָא דִבְרִית לָא אִשְׁתַּכַּח עִמְּהוֹן, אִסְתַּלַּק מִתַּמָּן א'. דְּהָא א' דְּכוּרָא אִיהוּ. וְעַל דָּא ב' אִיהִי נוּקְבָא, א' דְּכוּרָא. וּבְגִין דָּא אִסְתַּלַּק א' מִתַּמָּן, וְאִשְׁתָּאֲרוּ אִינוּן נוּקְבֵי לְגַבֵי שְׁכִינְתָּא.
It is thus written: WE ARE ALL ONE MAN’S SONS, where the word for “we” (anahnu) is written defectively nahnu, without the letter aleph. The aleph is the image of the male principle as against the beth, which is the image of the female principle; and since the brothers did not exhibit the symbolism of the covenant, the aleph was removed from them and they were left, as it were, of the female aspect in the company of the Shekinah.
וּלְבָתַר אָמְרוּ, כֵּנִים אֲנַחְנוּ, אִתּוֹסַף א'. אָמְרוּ וְלָא יָדְעֵי מַה קָאֲמְרוּ. בְּגִין דְּיוֹסֵף אִשְׁתַּכַּח תַּמָּן, וְאַשְׁלִימוּ מִלָּה, וְאָמְרוּ אֲנַחְנוּ. מְנָלָן, דִּכְתִיב וַיֹּאמְרוּ שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר עֲבָדֶיךָ אַחִים אֲנָחְנוּ, וְיוֹסֵף אִיהוּ בְּחוּשְׁבָּנָא, כַּד עָאל בְּחוּשְׁבָּנָא, אָמְרוּ אֲנָחְנוּ. וְכַד לָא עָאל בְּחוּשְׁבָּנָא, אָמְרוּ נָחְנוּ.
Afterwards, however, they said: “We are upright men” (Gen. 42, 31), using the full form anahnu (we), containing the aleph, and without knowing it they were right, since Joseph was present with them. This view is further supported by the passage: “And they said: We thy servants are twelve brethren” (Ibid. 13): here clearly Joseph was included within the number twelve, and hence they similarly made use of the full form for “we are”, namely anahnu, not the defective form nahnu.’
אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, כָּל הָנֵּי מִלִּין דְּקָאֲמָרָן הָכָא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרָעֵי בְּהוּ, דְּהָא שְׁכִינְתָּא לָא אַעֲדֵי מֵהָכָא. כְּדִכְתִיב, (מלאכי ג׳:ט״ז) אָז נִדְבְּרוּ יִרְאֵי יְיָ אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ וַיַּקְשֵׁב יְיָ וַיִּשְׁמָע וַיִּכָּתֵב סֵפֶר זִכָּרוּן לְפָנָיו לְיִרְאֵי יְיָ וּלְחוֹשְׁבֵי שְׁמוֹ:
R. Jose remarked: ‘AII these expositions we have just now given must be pleasing to God, since the Shekinah did not depart from here in accordance with the verse: “Then they that fear the Lord spoke one with another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name” (Malachi, III, 16). ‘