R. Jose then discoursed on the verse: “My heart is towards the governors of- Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people, bless ye the Lord” (Judges 5, 9). ‘If a man’, he said, ‘desires earnestly to pray that blessings should be poured on earth from above, he should concentrate his mind on that recondite Stream, the deepest recess of all, where is the very beginning of the union of Father and Mother (Hokmah and Binah). So it says here, “My heart is to the governors of Israel”, to wit, to those, the Father and Mother, who trace out laws for the Holy Israel who flows out from between them.
“That offer themselves willingly (mithnadevim) among the people”: these are the Fathers who are called nedivim. Then, “bless ye the Lord”, that blessings may flow from him below and fill the world. Happy are Israel that God pours down blessings upon them and listens to their prayer; of them it is written, “He hath regarded the prayer of the destitute and hath not despised their prayer” (Ps 102, 18).
פָּתַח רִבִּי יוֹסֵי ואָמַר, (שופטים ה׳:ט׳) לִבִּי לְחוֹקְקֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמִּתְנַדְּבִים בָּעָם בָּרַכוּ יְיָ'. תָּא חֲזִי, כָּל רְעוּתָא, וְכָל לִבָּא, דְּבָעֵי בַּר נָשׁ לְאַרְקָא בִּרְכָאן מֵעֵילָּא לְתַתָּא, לְיַחֲדָא שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא. לִבְעֵי בִּצְלוֹתָא לְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּרְעוּתָא וּבְכַוָנָה דְּלִבָּא, לְנַגְדָּא מֵהַהוּא נַחֲלָא עֲמִיקָא, כְּמָה דִּכְתִּיב, (תהילים ק״ל:א׳) מִמַּעֲמַקִּים קְרָאתִיךָ יְיָ', דְּתַמָּן עוּמְקָא דְּכֹלָּא, בַּעֲמִיקֵי עִלָּאֵי, דְּאִינּוּן שֵׁירוּתָא עִלָּאָה, דְּאַבָּא וְאִימָא מִזְדַוְּוגִין. אוּף הָכָא לִבִּי לְחוֹקְקֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, מַאן חוֹקְקֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. לָא כְּתִיב חָקוּקֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶלָּא לְחוֹקְקֵי. אִלֵּין אַבָּא וְאִימָא, דְּאִינּוּן מְחֹקְקֵי לְיִשְׂרָאֵל קַדִּישָׁא, דְּאִיהוּ נָגִיד מִבֵּינַיְיהוּ.
R. Jose then discoursed on the verse: “My heart is towards the governors of- Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people, bless ye the Lord” (Judges 5, 9). ‘If a man’, he said, ‘desires earnestly to pray that blessings should be poured on earth from above, he should concentrate his mind on that recondite Stream, the deepest recess of all, where is the very beginning of the union of Father and Mother (Hokmah and Binah). So it says here, “My heart is to the governors of Israel”, to wit, to those, the Father and Mother, who trace out laws for the Holy Israel who flows out from between them.
הַמִּתְנַדְּבִים בָּעָם, אִלֵּין אִינּוּן אֲבָהָן, דְּאִקְרוּן נְדִיבִים, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (תהילים מ״ז:י׳) נְדִיבֵי עַמִּים נֶאֱסָפוּ עַם אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם. כְּדֵין בָּרַכוּ יְיָ', לְנַגְדָּא מִנֵּיהּ בִּרְכָאן לְתַתָּא, וְיִשְׁתַּכְחוּן בִּרְכָאן בְּעָלְמָא כֻּלְּהוּ, דְּכַד הָכָא מִשְׁתַּכְּחִין בִּרְכָאן מִלְעֵילָּא כֹּלָּא הוּא בְּחֶדְוָותָא כֹּלָּא הוּא בִּשְׁלִימוּ. זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מֵרִיק עֲלֵיהוֹן בִּרְכָאן, וְצַיִית צְלוֹתְהוֹן, וְעָלַיְיהוּ כְּתִיב, (תהילים ק״ב:י״ח) פָּנָה אֶל תְּפִלַּת הָעַרְעָר וְלֹא בָזָה אֶת תְּפִלָּתָם וְגוֹ'.
“That offer themselves willingly (mithnadevim) among the people”: these are the Fathers who are called nedivim. Then, “bless ye the Lord”, that blessings may flow from him below and fill the world. Happy are Israel that God pours down blessings upon them and listens to their prayer; of them it is written, “He hath regarded the prayer of the destitute and hath not despised their prayer” (Ps 102, 18).