R. Eleazar discoursed on the text: How great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, thou hast wrought for them that put their trust in thee, before the sons of men (Ps. 31, 20). He said: ‘God created man in the world and gave him the faculty to perfect himself in His service and to direct his ways so as to merit the enjoyment of that celestial light which God has hidden and reserved for the righteous, as it is written, “Eye has not seen, O Lord, besides thee what thou wilt do for him that waits for thee” (Is. 64, 3).
It is through the Torah that man can make himself worthy of that light. For whoever studies the Torah every day is earning a share in the future world, and is even accounted a builder of worlds, because through the Torah the world has been built and completed; so the Scripture says, “The Lord founded the earth with Wisdom (i.e. the Torah), he established the heavens with Understanding” (Prov. 3, 19), and again, “And I (the Torah) was a craftsman with him, and I was his delight every day” (Ibid. 8, 30). Thus whoever studies the Torah completes the world and preserves it. Further, God made the world through a breath, and through a breath it is preserved-the breath of those who assiduously study the Torah, and still more the breath of school-children, when reciting their lesson.
By “great goodness” in this verse is meant the stored-up blessing, and by “those that fear Thee”, those that fear sin. “Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee”: the implied object of “wrought” is the work of creation.’ R. Abba says, it is the Garden of Eden, which God has cunningly wrought upon the earth after the supernal pattern for the righteous to seize and hold ; hence it is written “before the sons of men”, since this one is in the presence of men, while the other is in the presence of the holy angels. R. Simeon said: ‘The Garden of Eden above is said to be “before the sons of men” because in it are gathered the righteous who perform the will of their Master’.
AND WERE FINISHED: implying that all the work which was to be done, both above and below, was finished. THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH: above and below. R. Simeon said: ‘These words designate the general fabric of the Written Law, and the general fabric of the Oral Law. The words AND ALL THEIR HOSTS designate the details of the Torah, the seventy alternative explanations of the Torah; while the words AND THEY WERE COMPLETED imply that the two Torahs are complementary to one another. Or again, “heaven and earth” may be interpreted as the general and the particular, and “all their hosts” as the inner meanings of the Torah, its rules concerning clean and unclean, etc.
וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכָל צְבָאָם. רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר פָּתַח (תהילים ל״א:כ׳) מָה רַב טוּבְךָ אֲשֶׁר צָפַנְתָּ לִירֵאֶיךָ פָּעַלְתָּ לַחוֹסִים בָּךְ נֶגֶד בְּנֵי אָדָם. תָּא חֲזֵי, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּרָא לְבַר נָשׁ בְּעָלְמָא, וְאַתְקִין לֵיהּ לְמֶהוֵי שְׁלִים בְּפוּלְחָנִיהּ וּלְאִתְתַּקָּנָא אָרְחוֹי, בְּגִין דְּיִזְכֵּי לִנְהוֹרָא עִלָּאָה דְּגָנִיז קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְצַדִּיקַיָּיא כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (ישעיהו ס״ד:ג׳) עַיִן לֹא רָאָתָה אֱלֹהִים זוּלָתְךָ יַעֲשֶׂה לִמְחַכֵּה לוֹ.
R. Eleazar discoursed on the text: How great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, thou hast wrought for them that put their trust in thee, before the sons of men (Ps. 31, 20). He said: ‘God created man in the world and gave him the faculty to perfect himself in His service and to direct his ways so as to merit the enjoyment of that celestial light which God has hidden and reserved for the righteous, as it is written, “Eye has not seen, O Lord, besides thee what thou wilt do for him that waits for thee” (Is. 64, 3).
וּבְמָּה (ס"א זכי בר נש) יִזְכֵּי לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְהַהוּא נְהוֹרָא, בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. דְּכָל מַאן דְּאִשְׁתַּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא בְּכָל יוֹמָא יִזְכֵּי לְמֶהוֵי לֵיהּ חוּלְקָא בְּעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי, וְיִתְחַשֵׁב לֵיהּ כְּאִלּוּ בָאנֵי עָלְמִין, דְּהָא בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא אִתְבְּנֵי עַלְמָא וְאִשְׁתַּכְלַל הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (משלי ג׳:י״ט) יְיָ בְּחָכְמָה יָסַד אֶרֶץ כּוֹנִן שָׁמַיִם בִּתְבוּנָה, וּכְתִיב, (משלי ח׳:ל׳) וָאֶהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ אָמוֹן וָאֶהְיֶה שַׁעֲשׁוּעִים יוֹם יוֹם וְכָל דְּאִשְׁתַּדַּל בָּהּ שַׁכְלִיל עָלְמִין וְקַיִּים לֵיהּ. וְתָּא חֲזֵי, בְּרוּחָא עֲבִיד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלְמָא, וּבְרוּחָא מִתְקַיְימָא, רוּחָא דְּאִנּוּן דְּלָעָאן בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן רוּחָא דְּהֶבֶל דְּרַבְיֵי דְּבֵי רַב.
It is through the Torah that man can make himself worthy of that light. For whoever studies the Torah every day is earning a share in the future world, and is even accounted a builder of worlds, because through the Torah the world has been built and completed; so the Scripture says, “The Lord founded the earth with Wisdom (i.e. the Torah), he established the heavens with Understanding” (Prov. 3, 19), and again, “And I (the Torah) was a craftsman with him, and I was his delight every day” (Ibid. 8, 30). Thus whoever studies the Torah completes the world and preserves it. Further, God made the world through a breath, and through a breath it is preserved-the breath of those who assiduously study the Torah, and still more the breath of school-children, when reciting their lesson.
מָה רַב טוּבְךָ דָּא טוּבָא דְּאִתְגְּנִיז. לִירֵאֶיךָ לְאִנּוּן דַּחֲלֵי חַטָּאָה. פָּעַלְתָּ לַחוֹסִים בָּךְ. מַאי פָּעַלְתָּ דָּא עוֹבָדָא דִּבְרֵאשִׁית. רַבִּי אַבָּא אָמַר דָּא גַּן עֵדֶן, דְּהָא בְּאוּמָנוּתָא עָבִיד לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּאַרְעָא כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָא. לְאִתְתַּקְפָא בֵּיהּ צַדִּיקַיָּיא הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהילים ל״א:כ׳) פָּעַלְתָּ לַחוֹסִים בָּךְ, נֶגֶד בְּנֵי אָדָם, דְּהָא הוּא נֶגֶד (בני) אָדָם. וְאַחֲרָא נֶגֶד עִלָּאִין קַדִּישִׁין. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן גַּן עֵדֶן לְעֵילָא וְנֶגֶד בְּנֵי אָדָם הֲוֵי (ואפילו אחרא נגד בני אדם הוי) לְאִתְכַּנְשָׁא בֵּיהּ צַדִּיקַיָּיא דְּעָבְדֵי רְעוּתָא דְּמָארֵיהוֹן.
By “great goodness” in this verse is meant the stored-up blessing, and by “those that fear Thee”, those that fear sin. “Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee”: the implied object of “wrought” is the work of creation.’ R. Abba says, it is the Garden of Eden, which God has cunningly wrought upon the earth after the supernal pattern for the righteous to seize and hold ; hence it is written “before the sons of men”, since this one is in the presence of men, while the other is in the presence of the holy angels. R. Simeon said: ‘The Garden of Eden above is said to be “before the sons of men” because in it are gathered the righteous who perform the will of their Master’.
וַיְכֻלּוּ, דְּכָלוּ עוֹבָדִין דִּלְעֵילָא וְעוֹבָדִין דִּלְתַתָּא. הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ לְעֵילָא וְתַתָּא. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אָמַר עוֹבָדָא וְאוּמָנוּתָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא שֶׁבִּכְתָב וְעוֹבָדָא וְאוּמָנוּתָא דְּתוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה. וְכָל צְבָאָם אִלֵּין פְּרָטֵי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא אַפִּין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא שִׁבְעִים פָּנִים לַתּוֹרָה. וַיְכֻלּוּ, דְּאִתְקַיְּימוּ וְאִשְׁתַּכְלְלוּ דָּא בְּדָא. שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ פְּרַט וּכְלַל. וְכָל צְבָאָם, רָזֵי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא דַּכְיָאן דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא מְסָאֲבָן דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא.
AND WERE FINISHED: implying that all the work which was to be done, both above and below, was finished. THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH: above and below. R. Simeon said: ‘These words designate the general fabric of the Written Law, and the general fabric of the Oral Law. The words AND ALL THEIR HOSTS designate the details of the Torah, the seventy alternative explanations of the Torah; while the words AND THEY WERE COMPLETED imply that the two Torahs are complementary to one another. Or again, “heaven and earth” may be interpreted as the general and the particular, and “all their hosts” as the inner meanings of the Torah, its rules concerning clean and unclean, etc.