WHEN EITHER MAN OR WOMAN SHALL CLEARLY UTTER A VOW, ETC. R. Eleazar began a discourse on the verse: “Wherefore, when I came, was there no man?” etc. (Isa. 50, 2). ‘How beloved’, he said, ‘are Israel before the Holy One, blessed be He, in that wherever they dwell He is found among them, for He never withdraws His love from them. We find it written: “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 25, 8). That is, any sanctuary whatever, inasmuch as any Synagogue, wherever situated, is called sanctuary, and the Shekinah hastens to the Synagogue (before the worshippers).
Happy is the man who is of the first ten to enter Synagogue, since they form something complete, and are the first to be sanctified by the Shekinah. But it is necessary that the ten should come together at the same time and not in sections, so as not to delay the completion of the body in its members. So did the Holy One, blessed be He, make man all at one time, and establish all his members in one act. So we read: “Hath he not made thee and established thee?” (Deut. 32, 6).
So when the Shekinah goes early to the Synagogue she desires ten to be there at the same time so that a completed body should be formed with every member in its place. Those that come later are the mere “adornments of the body”.
But when the people do not arrive together the Holy One, blessed be He, exclaims: “Wherefore, when I came, was there no man?”1v. T. B. Berachoth, 6b. For inasmuch as the single members are not together there is no complete body, and so that is “no man”. Observe that the moment the body is made complete here below a supernal holiness comes and enters that body, and so the lower world is in truth transformed after the pattern of the upper world. Thus it is incumbent on all not to open their mouths to talk of worldly matters, seeing that Israel then are at their completest and holiest. Happy is their portion!
(במדבר ו׳:ב׳) אִישׁ כִּי יַפְלִיא לִנְדּוֹר וְגוֹ'. רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר פָּתַח, (ישעיהו נ׳:ב׳) מַדוּעַ בָּאתִי וְאֵין אִישׁ וְגוֹ'. מַדוּעַ בָּאתִי. כַּמָה חֲבִיבִין אִינּוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דִּבְכָל אֲתָר דְּאִינּוּן שַׁרְיָין, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִשְׁתְּכַח בֵּינַיְיהוּ, בְּגִין דְּלָא אַעְדֵי רְחִימוּתָא דִּילֵיהּ מִנְּהוֹן, מַה כְּתִיב, (שמות כ״ה:ח׳) וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם. וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ סְתָם, דְּכָל בֵּי כְּנִישְׁתָּא דְּעָלְמָא מִקְדָּשׁ אִקְרֵי. וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ. וּשְׁכִינְתָּא אַקְדִימַת לְבֵי כְּנִישְׁתָּא.
WHEN EITHER MAN OR WOMAN SHALL CLEARLY UTTER A VOW, ETC. R. Eleazar began a discourse on the verse: “Wherefore, when I came, was there no man?” etc. (Isa. 50, 2). ‘How beloved’, he said, ‘are Israel before the Holy One, blessed be He, in that wherever they dwell He is found among them, for He never withdraws His love from them. We find it written: “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 25, 8). That is, any sanctuary whatever, inasmuch as any Synagogue, wherever situated, is called sanctuary, and the Shekinah hastens to the Synagogue (before the worshippers).
זַכָּאָה הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ דְּאִשְׁתְּכַח מֵאִינּוּן עַשְׂרָה קַדְמָאָה בְּבֵי כְּנִישְׁתָּא, בְּגִין דִּבְהוּ אִשְׁתְּלִים מַה דְּאִשְׁתְּלִים, וְאִינּוּן מִתְקַדְּשֵׁי בְּקַדְמִיתָא בִּשְׁכִינְתָּא. וְהָא אִתְּמַר. וְהָא בַּעְיָא דְּיִשְׁתְּכָחוּ עַשְׂרָה בְּזִמְנָא חֲדָא בְּבֵי כְּנִישְׁתָּא. וְלָא יֵיתוּ פִּסְקֵי פִּסְקֵי, דְּלָא יִתְעַכֵּב שְׁלִימוּ דְּשַׁיְיפִין, דְּהָא בַּר נָשׁ בְּזִמְנָא חַד עָבֵד לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְאַתְקִין לֵיהּ כַּחֲדָא כָּל שַׁיְיפֵי, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (דברים ל״ב:ו׳) הוּא עָשְׂךָ וַיְכוֹנֲנֶךָ. (חסר וזהו הוא)
Happy is the man who is of the first ten to enter Synagogue, since they form something complete, and are the first to be sanctified by the Shekinah. But it is necessary that the ten should come together at the same time and not in sections, so as not to delay the completion of the body in its members. So did the Holy One, blessed be He, make man all at one time, and establish all his members in one act. So we read: “Hath he not made thee and established thee?” (Deut. 32, 6).
תָּא חֲזֵי, כֵּיוָן דְּבַּר נָשׁ אִשְׁתְּלִימוּ שַׁיְיפוֹי, בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא אִתְתָּקַּן לְכָל שַׁיְיפָא וְשַׁיְיפָא כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת. כְּגַוְונָא דָּא, כֵּיוָן דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא אַקְדִּימַת לְבֵי כְּנִישְׁתָּא, בַּעְיָין עַשְׂרָה דְּיִשְׁתַּכְּחוּן תַּמָּן כַּחֲדָא, וְיִשְׁתְּלִים מַה דְּיִשְׁתְּלִים. וּלְבָתַר דְּאִתְתְּקַן כֹּלָּא. וּבְמָּה הִיא תִּיקוּנָא דְּכֹלָּא. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (משלי י״ד:כ״ח) בְּרָב עָם הַדְרַת מֶלֶךְ, וְעַל דָּא עַמָּא דְּאַתְיָיאן לְבָתַר כֵּן, כֻּלְּהוּ תִּיקוּנָא דְּגוּפָא.
So when the Shekinah goes early to the Synagogue she desires ten to be there at the same time so that a completed body should be formed with every member in its place. Those that come later are the mere “adornments of the body”.
וְכַד אָתַת אַקְדִּימַת שְׁכִינְתָּא, וּבְנֵי נָשָׁא לָא אַתְיָיאן כַּחֲדָא כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת. קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא קָארֵי, מַדוּעַ בָּאתִי וְאֵין אִישׁ. מַאי וְאֵין אִישׁ. דְּלָא מִתְתַּקְּנֵי שַׁיְיפֵי, וְלָא אִשְׁתְּלִים גּוּפָא. דְּכַד גּוּפָא לָא אִשְׁתְּלִים, אֵין אִישׁ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ, וְאֵין אִישׁ דַּיְיקָא. וְתָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּגוּפָא אִשְׁתְּלִים לְתַתָּא, קְדוּשָׁה עִלָּאָה אַתְיָא וְעָאל בְּהַאי גּוּפָא, וְאִתְעָבִיד תַּתָּאָה, כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא מַמָּשׁ. וּכְדֵין, כֹּלָּא בַּעְיָין דְּלָא יִפְתְּחוּן פּוּמָא בְּמִילֵּי דְּעָלְמָא. בְּגִין דְּהָא קַיְימֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּשְׁלִימוּ עִלָּאָה, וּמִתְקַדְּשֵׁי בִּקְדוּשָּׁה עִלָּאָה, זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהוֹן.
But when the people do not arrive together the Holy One, blessed be He, exclaims: “Wherefore, when I came, was there no man?”1v. T. B. Berachoth, 6b. For inasmuch as the single members are not together there is no complete body, and so that is “no man”. Observe that the moment the body is made complete here below a supernal holiness comes and enters that body, and so the lower world is in truth transformed after the pattern of the upper world. Thus it is incumbent on all not to open their mouths to talk of worldly matters, seeing that Israel then are at their completest and holiest. Happy is their portion!