THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN. R. Simeon spoke in connection with this on the passage: “And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the house?” (2 Kings 4, 2). ‘What Elisha meant’, said he, ‘was: “Hast thou nothing upon which the Divine blessing could rest?” For there is a dictum that it is prohibited to say grace after meals over an empty table, because the supernal blessing cannot rest on an empty place.
It is therefore necessary to put a loaf or two on the table before saying grace, or at least the remnants of the former meal, in order that the blessing should not, as it were, be uttered “in emptiness”.
But when the woman said: “Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil” (Ibid.), the prophet replied: “Verily, this is fitted to receive a perfect blessing, as it is written: ‘The good name (of God) can issue forth from good oil”’ (Eccl. 8, 1). For the Holy Name comes forth from “oil”, to bless and to kindle new lights. What is this “oil”?’ Said R. Isaac: ‘It represents the same “good oil upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard” (Ps. 133, 2, the symbol of blessing, the instrument of which was the high priest).’ R. Eleazar held that it represents the supernal mountains of pure balsam.
R. Simeon interpreted the verse of Ecclesiastes thus: ‘How good is the celestial name of the supernal holy lights, when they all radiate from the “good oil” we have mentioned! It is a sin to mention the Name of the Holy One in vain, in emptiness. A man who does that were better not to have been born.’
According to R. Eleazar, this also means that one should not utter the Holy Name by itself, but only after a preceding word, as in the Torah it only occurs for the first time after two words: Bereshit barah Elohim (In the beginning God created).
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רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אָמַר, לָא אִדְכַּר שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא, אֶלָּא עַל עוֹלָם שָׁלֵם. דִּכְתִּיב, (בראשיתב) בְּיוֹם עֲשׂוֹת יְיָ' אֱלֹהִים אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם. מִכָּאן, דְּלָא לְאַדְכְּרָא שְׁמֵיהּ קַדִּישָׁא בְּרֵיקַנְיָּא. וּכְתִיב לא תִשָּׂא אֶת שֵׁם יְיָ' אֱלהֶיךָ לַשָּׁוְא. (ס"א כתיב לא תשא את שם יי אלהיך לשוא דלא לאדכרא שמא קדישא בריקנייא אלא בברכתא או בצלותא ומאן דאדכר שמא קדישא בריקנייא דלא בברכתא או בצלותא כה נשמתיה נפקא מיניה זמינין לאתפרעא מיניה ולנקמא מיניה נוקמין דכתיב כי לא ינקה יי את אשר ישא את שמו לשוא)
Said R. Simeon: ‘In the Torah the Holy Name is mentioned only in connection with a completed world: “On the day when TETRAGRAMMATON Elohim made the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 2, 4).’ From all this it follows that one should not mention the Holy Name in vain, that is, in “emptiness”. One should utter the Holy Name only within a blessing or a prayer. But he who takes the Name in vain, neither in a benediction nor in a prayer, will be punished when his soul will be leaving him: “for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain”.
R. Jose further remarks in our Mishnah: ‘What is the nature of blessing? It is the presence of the Holy Name in the blessing which makes it so significant, for this Name is the source of blessing to the whole universe. Therefore: “Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.” ‘
(שמות כ) לא תִשָּׂא אֶת שֵׁם וְגוֹ'. ר' שִׁמְעוֹן פָּתַח, (מלכים ב ד׳:ב׳) וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ אֱלִישָׁע מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה לָךְ הַגִּידִי לִי מַה יֵשׁ לָךְ בַּבָּיִת. אָמַר לָהּ אֱלִישָׁע, כְּלוּם אִית לָךְ עַל מַה דְּתִשְׁרֵי בִּרְכָתָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּתָנֵינָן אָסוּר לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ, לְבָרְכָא עַל פָּתוֹרָא רֵיקָנַיָּא. מַאי טַעְמָא. מִשּׁוּם דְּבִרְכָּתָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, לָא שַׁרְיָא בַּאֲתָר רֵיקָנַיָּא.
THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN. R. Simeon spoke in connection with this on the passage: “And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the house?” (2 Kings 4, 2). ‘What Elisha meant’, said he, ‘was: “Hast thou nothing upon which the Divine blessing could rest?” For there is a dictum that it is prohibited to say grace after meals over an empty table, because the supernal blessing cannot rest on an empty place.
וּבְגִינֵי כַּךְ, בָּעֵי בַּר נָשׁ לְסַדְּרָא עַל פָּתוֹרֵיהּ, חַד נַהֲמָא, אוֹ יַתִּיר, לְבָרְכָא עֲלוֹי. וְאִי לָא יָכִיל, בָּעֵי לְשַׁיְּירָא מֵהַהוּא מְזוֹנָא דְּאָכַל, עַל מַה דִּיבָרֵךְ. וְלָא יִשְׁתְּכַּח דִּיבָרֵךְ בְּרֵיקַנְיָּא.
It is therefore necessary to put a loaf or two on the table before saying grace, or at least the remnants of the former meal, in order that the blessing should not, as it were, be uttered “in emptiness”.
כֵּיוָן דְּאָמְרָה, אֵין לְשִׁפְחָתְךָ כֹל בַּבַּיִת כִּי אִם אָסוּךְ שָׁמֶן. אָמַר וַדַּאי הָא בִּרְכָתָא שְׁלֵימָתָא בְּהַאי, דִּכְתִּיב, (קהלת ז׳:א׳) טוֹב שֵׁם מִשֶּׁמֶן טוֹב. דִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא מִשֶּׁמֶן נָפְקָא, לְאִתְבָּרְכָא, לְאַדְלְקָא בּוּצִינִין קַדִּישִׁין. מַאי (ט' ע"א) שֶׁמֶן דָּא. (כמה דאת אמר בראשית ב׳:י׳ ונהר יוצא מעדן להשקות את הגן) ר' יִצְחָק אָמַר, כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר, (תהילים קל״ג:ב׳) כַּשֶּׁמֶן הַטּוֹב עַל הָרֹאשׁ וְגוֹ'. ר' אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר, אִלֵּין טוּרֵי דְּאֲפַרְסְמוֹנָא דַּכְיָא.
But when the woman said: “Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil” (Ibid.), the prophet replied: “Verily, this is fitted to receive a perfect blessing, as it is written: ‘The good name (of God) can issue forth from good oil”’ (Eccl. 8, 1). For the Holy Name comes forth from “oil”, to bless and to kindle new lights. What is this “oil”?’ Said R. Isaac: ‘It represents the same “good oil upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard” (Ps. 133, 2, the symbol of blessing, the instrument of which was the high priest).’ R. Eleazar held that it represents the supernal mountains of pure balsam.
אָמַר ר' שִׁמְעוֹן, טוֹב שֵׁם, כַּמָּה טָבָא שְׁמָא עִלָּאָה, דְּבוּצִינִין עִלָּאִין קַדִּישִׁין, כַּד כֻּלְּהוּ נַהֲרִין מִשֶּׁמֶן טוֹב, כְּמָה דַּאֲמֵינָא. וְאָסִיר לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ, לְאַדְכְּרָא שְׁמֵיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּרֵיקַנְיָּא. דְּכָל מַאן דְּאִדְכַּר שְׁמָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּרֵיקַנְיָּא, טָב לֵיהּ דְּלָא אִתְבְּרֵי.
R. Simeon interpreted the verse of Ecclesiastes thus: ‘How good is the celestial name of the supernal holy lights, when they all radiate from the “good oil” we have mentioned! It is a sin to mention the Name of the Holy One in vain, in emptiness. A man who does that were better not to have been born.’
ר' אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר, לָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְמִדְכַּר שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא אֶלָּא בָּתַר מִלָּה. (כלומר עלמלה) דְּהָא שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא, לָא אִדְכַּר בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, אֶלָּא בָּתַר תְּרֵין מִלִּין, דִּכְתִּיב בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים.
According to R. Eleazar, this also means that one should not utter the Holy Name by itself, but only after a preceding word, as in the Torah it only occurs for the first time after two words: Bereshit barah Elohim (In the beginning God created).
רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אָמַר, לָא אִדְכַּר שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא, אֶלָּא עַל עוֹלָם שָׁלֵם. דִּכְתִּיב, (בראשיתב) בְּיוֹם עֲשׂוֹת יְיָ' אֱלֹהִים אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם. מִכָּאן, דְּלָא לְאַדְכְּרָא שְׁמֵיהּ קַדִּישָׁא בְּרֵיקַנְיָּא. וּכְתִיב לא תִשָּׂא אֶת שֵׁם יְיָ' אֱלהֶיךָ לַשָּׁוְא. (ס"א כתיב לא תשא את שם יי אלהיך לשוא דלא לאדכרא שמא קדישא בריקנייא אלא בברכתא או בצלותא ומאן דאדכר שמא קדישא בריקנייא דלא בברכתא או בצלותא כה נשמתיה נפקא מיניה זמינין לאתפרעא מיניה ולנקמא מיניה נוקמין דכתיב כי לא ינקה יי את אשר ישא את שמו לשוא)
Said R. Simeon: ‘In the Torah the Holy Name is mentioned only in connection with a completed world: “On the day when TETRAGRAMMATON Elohim made the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 2, 4).’ From all this it follows that one should not mention the Holy Name in vain, that is, in “emptiness”. One should utter the Holy Name only within a blessing or a prayer. But he who takes the Name in vain, neither in a benediction nor in a prayer, will be punished when his soul will be leaving him: “for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain”.
וְתָנֵינָן, אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסִי, מַהוּ בְּרָכָה. שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא. בְּגִין דְּמִינֵיהּ מִשְׁתְּכַח בִּרְכְתָא, לְכָל עָלְמָא. וּבִרְכְתָא לָא אִשְׁתְּכַח עַל אֲתָר רֵיקָנַיָּא, וְלָא שַׁרְיָיא עֲלוֹי, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב לא תִשָּׂא אֶת שֵׁם יְיָ' אֱלהֶיךָ לַשָּׁוְא.
R. Jose further remarks in our Mishnah: ‘What is the nature of blessing? It is the presence of the Holy Name in the blessing which makes it so significant, for this Name is the source of blessing to the whole universe. Therefore: “Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.” ‘