R. Abba discoursed here on the Psalm commencing: “A song, a psalm of the sons of Korah” (Ps. XLVIII). ‘This psalm’, he said, ‘surpasses all the other hymns of praise, sung by the sons of Korah, being hymn upon hymn, a hymn with two facets, song and psalm.
It was sung in praise of the Community of Israel. Wherein lies this praise? In the words, “Great is the Lord and highly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain”. For when is the Holy One, blessed be He, called great? When the Community of Israel is with Him; He is great “in the city of our God”.
We learn from this that the King without the Matrona is no king, nor is He great nor highly praised. Hence, whoever being male is without his female is bereft of all his praises and is not included in the category of “man”, nor is he even worthy to be blessed.
(So in the book of Rab Hamnuna the Elder we find it stated that Job was called “great” (Job 1, 3) only because of his wife, who was God-fearing like himself.)
The praise of their espousals is contained in the next words, “Beautiful in elevation”, the one referring to the Holy One, blesssed be He, and the other to the Zaddik, this union being “the joy of the whole earth”.
“God hath made himself known in her palaces for a refuge”: these are Nezah and Hod, in which all blessings and joy are stored up, and from whence they issue through the agency of that grade which is called Zaddik. “For lo, the kings assembled themselves, they passed by together” these are all the crowns of the King together; and from this point the Psalm has a different reference.
When a man rectifies his actions by means of the offering, all is firmly established and knit together in complete unity, as it is written, “when a man brings near“, that is, unites what should be WHEN ANY MAN OF YOU OFFERETH.
רִבִּי אַבָּא פָּתַח, (תהילים מ״ח:א׳) שִׁיר מִזְמוֹר לִבְנֵי קֹרַח. הַאי שִׁיר תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא מְעַלְיָא הוּא, עַל כָּל שְׁאָר תּוּשְׁבָּחִין, דְּזָכוּ לְשַׁבְּחָא לֵיהּ בְּנֵי קֹרַח. שִׁיר מִזְמוֹר: תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא עַל תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא. תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דְּאִתְפְּלַג לִתְרֵין תּוּשְׁבְּחָן.
R. Abba discoursed here on the Psalm commencing: “A song, a psalm of the sons of Korah” (Ps. XLVIII). ‘This psalm’, he said, ‘surpasses all the other hymns of praise, sung by the sons of Korah, being hymn upon hymn, a hymn with two facets, song and psalm.
וְזָכוּ בְּנֵי קֹרַח לְשַׁבְּחָא לָהּ לִכְנְסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּשְׁבָחָא דִּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל קָא אַמְרֵי. וּמַאי הוּא. דִּכְתִּיב, (תהילים מ״ח:ב׳) גָּדוֹל יְיָ' וּמְהֻלָּל מְאֹד בְּעִיר אֱלֹהֵינוּ הַר קָדְשׁוֹ. אֵימָתַי אִקְרֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא גָּדוֹל, בְּזִמְנָא דִּכְנְסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אִשְׁתְּכָחַת עִמֵּיהּ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (שמות רל"א) בְּעִיר אֱלהֵינוּ, הוּא גָּדוֹל בְּעִיר אֱלֹהֵינוּ, עִם עִיר אֱלֹהֵינוּ.
It was sung in praise of the Community of Israel. Wherein lies this praise? In the words, “Great is the Lord and highly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain”. For when is the Holy One, blessed be He, called great? When the Community of Israel is with Him; He is great “in the city of our God”.
אָמַר לֵיהּ רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, אֱלהֵינוּ מַאי בָּעֵי הָכָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ הָכִי הוּא ודַּאי, הַאי עִיר דְּחָלָא אֱלהֵינוּ, (ס"א חילא) וְתוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא. מַאי מַשְׁמַע. אִשְׁתְּמַע, דְּמַלְכָּא בְּלָא מַטְרוֹנִיתָא, לָאו הוּא מַלְכָּא, וְלָאו הוּא גָּדוֹל, וְלָא מְהוּלָּל. וּבְגִין כַּךְ, כָּל מַאן דְּלָא אִשְׁתְּכַח דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָּא, כָּל שְׁבָחָא אַעְדּוֹי מִנֵּיהּ, וְלָאו הוּא בִּכְלָלָא דְּאָדָם. וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא דְּלָאו אִיהוּ כְּדַאי לְאִתְבָּרְכָא.
We learn from this that the King without the Matrona is no king, nor is He great nor highly praised. Hence, whoever being male is without his female is bereft of all his praises and is not included in the category of “man”, nor is he even worthy to be blessed.
כְּתִיב (איוב א׳:ג׳) וַיְהִי הָאִישׁ הַהוּא גָּדוֹל מִכָּל בְּנֵי קֶדֶם, תָּנֵינָן בְּסִפְרָא דְּרַב הַמְנוּנָא סָבָא, דְּבַת זוּגוֹ בִּדְחִילוּ דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הֲוַת כְּוותֵיהּ, וּמִסִּטְרָא דְּאִתְּתֵיהּ אִקְרֵי גָּדוֹל. אוּף הָכָא, גָּדוֹל יְיָ' וּמְהֻלָּל מְאֹד, וּבְמַּה הוּא גָּדוֹל. הָדָר וְאָמַר, בְּעִיר אֱלֹהֵינוּ הַר קָדְשׁוֹ.
(So in the book of Rab Hamnuna the Elder we find it stated that Job was called “great” (Job 1, 3) only because of his wife, who was God-fearing like himself.)
וּבְגִין כַּךְ, תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דָּא בַּשֵּׁנִי. וְאִי תֵּימָא אֲמַאי לָא כְּתִיב כִּי טוֹב בַּשֵּׁנִי. בְּגִין דִּזְמִינִין לְאִתְפָּרְשָׁא. וְרָזָא דְּמִלָּה (בראשית ב׳:י״ח) לֹא טוֹב היוֹת הָאָדָם לְבַדּוֹ, בְּזִמְנָא דְּאִיהוּ לְבַדּוֹ לֹא טוֹב כְּתִיב. וְעַל דָּא לָא כְּתִיב כִּי טוֹב בַּשֵּׁנִי.
גָּדוֹל ה' וּמְהֻלָּל כִּדְקַאמְרָן. יְפֵה נוֹף מְשׂוֹשׂ כָּל הָאָרֶץ, תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דְּזִוּוּגָא דִּלְהוֹן. יְפֵה נוֹף, דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְדָא צַדִּיק, מְשׂוֹשׂ כָּל הָאָרֶץ, כְּדֵין הוּא חֶדְוותָא דְּכֹלָּא, וּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִתְבָּרְכָא.
The praise of their espousals is contained in the next words, “Beautiful in elevation”, the one referring to the Holy One, blesssed be He, and the other to the Zaddik, this union being “the joy of the whole earth”.
אֱלֹהִים בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ נוֹדַע לְמִשְׂגָּב וְגוֹ', אִלֵּין אִינּוּן נֶצַ"ח וְהוֹ"ד, דְּתַמָן כְּנִישׁוּתָא דְּכָל בִּרְכָאן, כְּנִישׁוּתָא דְּחֶדְוְותָא. מִתַּמָּן נָפְקָא עַל יְדֵי דְּהַאי דַּרְגָּא דְּאִקְרֵי צַדִּיק, וְתַמָּן אִתְכְּנָשׁוּ בִּרְכָאן, לְבַסְּמָא לְהַאי עִיר קַדִּישָׁא, וּלְאִתְבָּרְכָא מִתַּמָּן. כִּי הִנֵּה הַמְּלָכִים נוֹעֲדוּ. אִלֵּין כָּל כִּתְרֵי מַלְכָּא בִּכְלָלָא חֲדָא, וְלַאֲתַר אָחֳרָא מִלִּין אִלֵּין סַלְּקִין.
“God hath made himself known in her palaces for a refuge”: these are Nezah and Hod, in which all blessings and joy are stored up, and from whence they issue through the agency of that grade which is called Zaddik. “For lo, the kings assembled themselves, they passed by together” these are all the crowns of the King together; and from this point the Psalm has a different reference.
תָּא חֲזִי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּבַר נָשׁ מְתַקֵּן עוֹבָדוֹי עַל יְדֵי דְּקָרְבְּנָא, כֹּלָּא אִתְבְּסָם וְאִתְקְרַב, וְאִתְקְשָׁר דָּא בְּדָא, בְּיִחוּדָא שְׁלִים. הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם. כִּי יַקְרִיב לְקַשְּׁרָא מִלִּין כַּדְקָא חֲזֵי.
When a man rectifies his actions by means of the offering, all is firmly established and knit together in complete unity, as it is written, “when a man brings near“, that is, unites what should be WHEN ANY MAN OF YOU OFFERETH.