R. Simeon said: ‘The world is created and established on the basis of a covenant, as it is written, “If not for my covenant with the day and night, I had not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth” (Jer. 33, 25).This covenant is the Zaddik (righteous one), the foundation of the world, and therefore the world is established on the covenant of day and night together, as stated in our text, the “ordinances of heaven” being those which flow and issue forth from the celestial Eden.’
R. Simeon discoursed here on the text: From the (place of) the voice of those who mediate between the water drawers, there they shall rehearse the kindnesses of the Lord, etc. (Judges 5, 11). ‘This voice’, he said, ‘is the voice of Jacob, which rests between those who draw waters from on high, and takes hold of both sides and unites them in itself.
“There they shall rehearse the kindnesses of the Lord”: i.e. there is the place for faith to cleave fast; there the kindnesses of the Lord draw sustenance. The verse proceeds: “The kindnesses of him who is generous to Israel.” This is the “Righteous One of the world”, who is everlasting and holy, and who draws in to Himself the stream of the Whole and disperses the supernal waters into the great sea. “In Israel”: because Israel inherited this covenant, and God gave it to them for an everlasting inheritance.
When Israel deserted it through performing the ceremony of circumcision without drawing back the flesh, there was applied to them the verse, “then the people of the Lord went down to the gates” (Ibid.): these are the gates of righteousness in which they sat without entering further. Of that time it is written, “and the children of Israel forsook the Lord” (Judges 2, 12), until Deborah came and restored the proper performance of the ceremony.
Hence Deborah speaks of herself as a “mother in Israel”, to indicate that she brought down the supernal waters from above to establish both worlds through Israel, thus showing that the world rests only on this covenant.
We see from all this how three issue from one and one is established on three; one enters between two, two give suck to one, and one feeds many sides, and so all are one. Hence it is written, “and there was evening and there was morning one day”, i.e. a day that embraces both evening and morning, thus indicating the covenant of day and night and rendering the whole a unity.’
רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אָמַר עַל בְּרִית עָלְמָא אִתְבְּרֵי וְאִתְקַיָּים דִּכְתִיב, (ירמיהו ל״ג:כ״ה) אִם לא בְרִיתִי יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה חֻקּוֹת שָׁמַיִם וְאָרֶץ לֹא שָׂמְתִּי. מָאן בְּרִית דָּא צַדִּיק יְסוֹדָא דְעָלְמָא דְּאִיהוּ רָזָא דְּזָכוּר. וְעַל דָּא עָלְמָא קַיְימָא בִּבְרִית יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה כְּחֲדָא דִּכְתִיב אִם לא בְרִיתִי יוֹמָם וְלַיְלָה חֻקּוֹת שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ לא שָׂמְתִּי. חֻקּוֹת שָׁמַיִם דְּנַגְדִין וְנָפְקִין מֵעֵדֶן עִלָּאָה.
R. Simeon said: ‘The world is created and established on the basis of a covenant, as it is written, “If not for my covenant with the day and night, I had not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth” (Jer. 33, 25).This covenant is the Zaddik (righteous one), the foundation of the world, and therefore the world is established on the covenant of day and night together, as stated in our text, the “ordinances of heaven” being those which flow and issue forth from the celestial Eden.’
פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (שופטים ה׳:י״א) מִקּוֹל מְחַצְצִים בֵּין מַשְׁאַבִּים שָׁם יְתַנּוּ צִדְקוֹת ה' וְגו'. מִקּוֹל מְחַצְצִים דָּא קוֹל יַעֲקֹב. מְחַצְצִים כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שמואל א י״ז:ד׳) אִישׁ הַבֵּינַיִם. בֵּין מַשְׁאַבִּים דְּאִיהוּ יָתִיב בֵּין אִנּוּן דְּשָׁאֲבִין מַיָּא מִלְּעֵילָא וְהוּא נָטִיל בִּתְרֵין סִטְרִין וְכָלִיל לְהוֹן בְּגַוֵּיהּ.
R. Simeon discoursed here on the text: From the (place of) the voice of those who mediate between the water drawers, there they shall rehearse the kindnesses of the Lord, etc. (Judges 5, 11). ‘This voice’, he said, ‘is the voice of Jacob, which rests between those who draw waters from on high, and takes hold of both sides and unites them in itself.
שָׁם יְתַנּוּ צִדְקוֹת יְיָ. תַּמָּן הוּא אֲתַר מְהֵימְנוּתָא לְאִתְדַּבָּקָא. שָׁם יְתַנּוּ צִדְקוֹת יְיָ. תַּמָּן יָנְקִין צִדְקוֹת יְיָ וְשָׁאֲבִין. צִדְקוֹת פִּרְזוֹנוֹ (בישראל) דָּא צַדִּיק דְּעָלְמָא דְּאִיהוּ קַיָּים וְקָדִישׁ, וְאִיהוּ שָׁאִיב וְנָטִיל כֹּלָּא וּמְפַזֵּר לְגַבֵּי יַמָּא רַבָּא אִנּוּן מַיִין עִלָּאִין. בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל יָרְתוּ קַיָּים דָּא. וְיַהֲבֵיהּ לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יְרוּתַת עָלְמִין.
“There they shall rehearse the kindnesses of the Lord”: i.e. there is the place for faith to cleave fast; there the kindnesses of the Lord draw sustenance. The verse proceeds: “The kindnesses of him who is generous to Israel.” This is the “Righteous One of the world”, who is everlasting and holy, and who draws in to Himself the stream of the Whole and disperses the supernal waters into the great sea. “In Israel”: because Israel inherited this covenant, and God gave it to them for an everlasting inheritance.
כֵּיוָן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל שָׁבְקוּ לֵיהּ דְּהֲווּ גָּזְרִין וְלָא פָּרְעִין. מַה כְּתִיב, (שופטים ה׳:י״א) אָז יָרְדוּ לַשְּׁעָרִים עַם יְיָ. יָרְדוּ לַשְּׁעָרִים, אִנּוּן שַׁעֲרֵי צֶדֶק הֲווּ יָתְבִין לְתַרְעֵי וְלָא עָאלִין לְגוֹ. וּבְהַהוּא זִמְנָא כְּתִיב, (שופטים ב) וַיַּעְזְבוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת יְיָ וְגו'. עַד דְּאֲתַת דְּבוֹרָה וּנְדִיבַת לוֹן בְּהַאי כְּמָה דִכְתִיב, (שופטים ה׳:ב׳) בִּפְרוֹעַ פְּרָעוֹת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וְגו'.
When Israel deserted it through performing the ceremony of circumcision without drawing back the flesh, there was applied to them the verse, “then the people of the Lord went down to the gates” (Ibid.): these are the gates of righteousness in which they sat without entering further. Of that time it is written, “and the children of Israel forsook the Lord” (Judges 2, 12), until Deborah came and restored the proper performance of the ceremony.
וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב חָדְלוּ פְּרָזוֹן בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. חָדְלוּ פְּרָזוֹן, דָּא הוּא פִּרְזוֹנוֹ דְּקָא אֲמָרָן. חָדְלוּ פְּרָזוֹן, קַיָּים קַדִּישָׁא דְּלָא אִתְפָּרְעוּן. (שופטים ה׳:ז׳) עַד שַׁקַּמְתִּי דְבוֹרָה שַׁקַּמְתִּי אֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. מַאי אֵם. אֶלָּא אֲנָא נְחָתִית מַיִין עִלָּאִין מֵעֵילָא לְקַיְּימָא עָלְמִין, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל סְתָם לְעֵילָא וְתַתָּא, לְאַחֲזָאָה דְּעָלְמָא לָא אִתְקַיָּים אֶלָּא עַל קְיָימָא דָא. וְרָזָא דְּכֹלָא (משלי י׳:כ״ה) וְצַדִּיק יְסוֹד עוֹלָם כְּתִיב, (לך לך עז ע"א).
Hence Deborah speaks of herself as a “mother in Israel”, to indicate that she brought down the supernal waters from above to establish both worlds through Israel, thus showing that the world rests only on this covenant.
תְּלַת נַפְקֵי מֵחַד. חַד בִּתְלַת קַיְימָא עָאל בֵּין תְּרֵין. תְּרֵין יַנְקִין לְחַד, חַד יָנִיק לְכַמָּה סִטְרִין. כְּדֵין כֹּלָּא חַד. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד יוֹם דְּעֶרֶב וָבֹקֶר כָּלִיל כְּחֲדָא. הַיְנוּ רָזָא דִבְרִית יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה וּבֵיהּ כֹּלָּא חָד:
We see from all this how three issue from one and one is established on three; one enters between two, two give suck to one, and one feeds many sides, and so all are one. Hence it is written, “and there was evening and there was morning one day”, i.e. a day that embraces both evening and morning, thus indicating the covenant of day and night and rendering the whole a unity.’
תּוֹסֶפְתָּא תָּנִינָן מָל ולֹא פָּרַע אֶתּ הַמִּילָה כְּאִילוּ לֹא מָל. בְּגִין דִּתְּרֵין דַּרְגִּין אִנּוּן מִילָה וּפְּרִיעָה. זָכוֹר ושָׁמוֹר. צַּדִּיק וצֶּדֶק. דְּכַר ונוּקְבָא. אוֹתּ בְּרִיתּ דָּא יוֹסֵף וּבְרִיתּ דָּא רָחֵל. ואִצְּטְרִיךָ לְחַבְּרָא לוֹן. וּבְמָּה מְחַבֵּר לוֹן. כַּד אִיהוּ גָּזִיר וּפָּרִיעַ. וּמָאן דְּגָזִיר וְלֹא פָּרִיעַ כְּאִלּוּ עָבְדוּ בֵּינַיְיהוּ פִּרוּדָא, (עד כאן תוספתא)