R. Eleazar quoted here the verse: “Wherefore when I came was there no man, when I called was there none to answer?” (Isa. 50, 2). ‘Happy are Israel’, he said, ‘in that wherever they congregate God is among them and takes pride in them, as it says, “Israel in whom I will be glorified” (Ibid. 49, 3).
Nay more, Israel attain to perfect faith on earth and Israel consummate the Holy Name. For when Israel are blameless in their conduct the Holy Name, so to speak, is whole, but when Israel are faulty in their conduct on earth, the Holy Name, if one may say so, is not whole above. For so we have learnt: “One went up and the other went down. The supernal Israel ascended aloft, the Community of Israel came down to earth. So they were parted from one another, and the Holy Name was left incomplete”; and all because the Community of Israel is in exile.
Yet though Israel are in exile, the Holy One, blessed be He, is to be found among them, and precedes them to the synagogue, where he exclaims: “Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings” (Jer. 3, 22). And if none heed, then God says: “Wherefore when I came was there no man, when I called was there none to answer?”
So on the day when the Tabernacle was completed God came at once and rested thereon and straightway “called unto Moses and spake to him from the tent of meeting, saying”. He made known to him how Israel would sin and how this tent of meeting would be “pledged” ‘1A play on the words mischan, “tent”, and mashcen (Aramnaic), “pledge”. for their sins and would not endure. There was, however, a remedy for this: “if a man should bring an offering to the Lord”.’
וַיִּקְרָא אֶל מֹשֶׁה, רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר פָּתַח, (ישעיהו נ׳:ב׳) מַדּוּעַ בָּאתִי וְאֵין אִישׁ קָרָאתִי וְאֵין עוֹנֶה הֲקָצוֹר קָצְרָה יָדִי מִפְּדוּת. זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל, דִּבְכָל אֲתַר דְּאִשְׁתְּכָחוּ, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִשְׁתְּכַח עִמְּהוֹן, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִשְׁתְּכַח בֵּינִיהוֹן, וּמִתְפָּאֵר בְּהוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (ישעיהו מ״ט:ג׳) יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר בְּךָ אֶתְפָּאָר.
R. Eleazar quoted here the verse: “Wherefore when I came was there no man, when I called was there none to answer?” (Isa. 50, 2). ‘Happy are Israel’, he said, ‘in that wherever they congregate God is among them and takes pride in them, as it says, “Israel in whom I will be glorified” (Ibid. 49, 3).
ולֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אַשְׁלִימוּ מְהֵימְנוּתָא בְּאַרְעָא. וְיִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁלִימוּ דִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא אִינּוּן. וְכַד יִשְׂרָאֵל אִשְׁתְּלִימוּ בְּעוֹבָדַיְיהוּ, כִּבְיָכוֹל, שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא אִשְׁתְּלִים. וְכַד יִשְׂרָאֵל לָא אִשְׁתְּלִימוּ לְתַתָּא בְּעוֹבָדַיְיהוּ, וְאִתְחַיְּיבוּ גָּלוּתָא, כִּבְיָכוֹל שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא לָא שְׁלִים לְעֵילָּא. דִּתְנָן דָּא סָלִיק וְדָא נָחִית, יִשְׂרָאֵל דִּלְעֵילָּא סָלִיק לְעֵילָּא. כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל נְחִיתַת לְתַתָּא, אִתְרְחָקוּ דָּא מִן דָּא, כִּבְיָכוֹל אִשְׁתְּאַר שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא בְּלָא שְׁלִימוּ. וְכֹלָּא בְּגִין דִּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגָלוּתָא.
Nay more, Israel attain to perfect faith on earth and Israel consummate the Holy Name. For when Israel are blameless in their conduct the Holy Name, so to speak, is whole, but when Israel are faulty in their conduct on earth, the Holy Name, if one may say so, is not whole above. For so we have learnt: “One went up and the other went down. The supernal Israel ascended aloft, the Community of Israel came down to earth. So they were parted from one another, and the Holy Name was left incomplete”; and all because the Community of Israel is in exile.
ואַף עַל גַּב דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגָלוּתָא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִשְׁתְּכַח בֵּינַיְיהוּ, וְאָתֵי וְאַקְדִּים לְבֵי כְּנִישְׁתָּא, וְקָרֵי ואָמַר, (ירמיהו ג׳:כ״ב) שׁוּבוּ בָּנִים שׁוֹבָבִים אֶרְפָּא מְשׁוּבוֹתֵיכֶם. וְלֵית מַאן דְּאִתְּעַר רוּחֵיהּ, כְּדֵין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָמַר, מַדוּעַ בָּאתִי וְאֵין אִישׁ קָרָאתִי וְאֵין עוֹנֶה. אַקְדָּמִית, ואֵין אִישׁ, ולֵית מַאן דְּיִתְּעַר רוּחֵיהּ.
Yet though Israel are in exile, the Holy One, blessed be He, is to be found among them, and precedes them to the synagogue, where he exclaims: “Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings” (Jer. 3, 22). And if none heed, then God says: “Wherefore when I came was there no man, when I called was there none to answer?”
תָּא חֲזִי, בְּהַהוּא יוֹמָא דְּאִשְׁתַּכְלַל בֵּי מַשְׁכְּנָא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אַקְדִּים וְשָׁארִי בֵּיהּ. מִיַּד, וַיִּקְרָא אֶל מֹשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר יְיָ' אֵלָיו מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר. וַיְדַבֵּר יְיָ' אֵלָיו, וְאוֹדַע לֵיהּ דִּזְמִינִין יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמֵיחַב קַמֵּיהּ, וּלְאִתְמַשְׁכְּנָא הַאי אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד בְּחוֹבַיְיהוּ, ולָא יִתְקְיָים בִּידַיְיהוּ (ס"א בהדייהו), הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיְדַבֵּר יְיָ' אֵלָיו מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר. מַאי אָמַר לֵיהּ. מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, מֵעִסְקֵי אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, דְּזַמִּין לְאִתְמַשְׁכְּנָא בְּחוֹבַיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְלָא יִתְקְיָּים בְּקִיּוּמֵיהּ. אֲבָל אַסְוָותָא לְהַאי, אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קָרְבָּן לַיְיָ'. הֲרֵי לָךְ קָרְבְּנִין דְּאָגִין עַל כֹּלָּא.
So on the day when the Tabernacle was completed God came at once and rested thereon and straightway “called unto Moses and spake to him from the tent of meeting, saying”. He made known to him how Israel would sin and how this tent of meeting would be “pledged” ‘1A play on the words mischan, “tent”, and mashcen (Aramnaic), “pledge”. for their sins and would not endure. There was, however, a remedy for this: “if a man should bring an offering to the Lord”.’