AND GOD (Elohim) BLESSED NOAH AND HIS SONS, AND SAID UNTO THEM: BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY, ETC. R. Abba began his discourse with the text: The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and no pain shall be added thereto (Prov. 10, 22). ‘“The blessing of the Lord” is bound up with the Shekinah, as she is in charge of the blessings of the world, and from her flow blessings for all.
Observe that at first (Gen. 7, 1) it was written, AND TETRAGRAMMATON SAID TO NOAH, COME THOU AND ALL THY HOUSE INTO THE ARK, which conforms with what was said before, that the master of the house gave him permission to enter; whereas afterwards it was the wife who speeded him out of the ark, as it is written, AND ELOHIM (=Shekinah) SPOKE UNTO NOAH, SAYING: GO FORTH FROM THE ARK. From here we learn that it is the master of the house that takes in the guest and it is the wife that speeds him forth, but that she may not herself bid him enter.
We learn further from here that it is proper for the guest on departing to leave presents for the mistress of the house, as she is always in the house and supervises it. It is fitting to give her those presents, not in her own hand directly, but through the agency of her husband, so as to enhance their mutual affection. This we deduce from the text: AND HE TOOK OF EVERY CLEAN BEAST AND HE OFFERED BURNT OFFERINGS ON THE ALTAR. These were the presents for her which he gave, as it were, into the hands of the husband in order to enhance his love for his consort. Noah then received a blessing, as it is written, “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, etc.” All this is illustrated by the text, “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich.”
As for the words “and no pain shall be added thereto”, these allude to the pain mentioned in the passage “in pain shalt thou eat of it” (Gen. 3, 17), that is, in pain and perturbation, with sad and gloomy looks, since the moon was darkened, and so blessings were no more. Again “in pain” refers to the side of the impure spirit who kept back blessings from the world. But now “No pain will be added thereto”; the word “add” (yosif) here shows the inner meaning of the words, “I will not again (osif, lit. add) curse the earth any more.”
וַיְבָרֶךָ אֱלֹהִים אֶת נֹחַ וְאֶת בָּנָיו וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וְגו'. רַבִּי אַבָּא פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (משלי י׳:כ״ב) בִּרְכַּת יְיָ הִיא תַעֲשִׁיר וְלא יוֹסִיף עֶצֶב עִמָּהּ. בִּרְכַּת יְיָ דָּא שְׁכִינְתָּא דְּאִיהִי אִתְפַּקְדָא עַל בִּרְכָאן דְּעָלְמָא, וּמִנָּהּ נָפְקֵי בִּרְכָאן לְכֹלָּא.
AND GOD (Elohim) BLESSED NOAH AND HIS SONS, AND SAID UNTO THEM: BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY, ETC. R. Abba began his discourse with the text: The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and no pain shall be added thereto (Prov. 10, 22). ‘“The blessing of the Lord” is bound up with the Shekinah, as she is in charge of the blessings of the world, and from her flow blessings for all.
תָּא חֲזֵי מַה כְּתִיב בְּקַדְמִיתָא וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ לְנֹחַ בֹּא אַתָּה וְכָל בֵּיתְךָ אֶל הַתֵּיבָה וְגו'. כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר דְּמָארֵיהּ דְּבֵיתָא יָהַב לֵיהּ רְשׁוּ לְמֵיעָאל. לְבָתַר אִתְּתָא אָמְרָה לֵיהּ לְנַפְקָא. בְּקַדְמִיתָא עָאל בִּרְשׁוּתָא דְבַעֲלָהּ, לְסוֹף נָפַק בִּרְשׁוּ דְאִתְּתָא. מִכָּאן אוֹלִיפְנָא מָארֵיהּ דְּבֵיתָא יָעִיל וְאִתְּתָא תָּפִיק, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלהִים אֶל נֹחַ לֵאמֹר צֵא מִן הַתֵּבָה. דְּרְשׁוּ הֲוָה בִידָהָא לְאֲפָקָא לֵיהּ לְאוּשְׁפִּיזָא וְלָא לְאַעֲלָא לֵיהּ.
Observe that at first (Gen. 7, 1) it was written, AND TETRAGRAMMATON SAID TO NOAH, COME THOU AND ALL THY HOUSE INTO THE ARK, which conforms with what was said before, that the master of the house gave him permission to enter; whereas afterwards it was the wife who speeded him out of the ark, as it is written, AND ELOHIM (=Shekinah) SPOKE UNTO NOAH, SAYING: GO FORTH FROM THE ARK. From here we learn that it is the master of the house that takes in the guest and it is the wife that speeds him forth, but that she may not herself bid him enter.
כֵּיוָן דְּנָפַק יָהַב מַתְּנָן לָהּ, בְּגִין דְּאִיהִי בְּבֵיתָא וּבֵיתָא בִּידָהָא. וְאִנוּן מַתְּנָן דְּיָהַב לָהּ בְּגִין לְאַסְגָּאָה לָהּ רְחִימוּתָא בְּבַעֲלָהּ. מִכָּאן אוֹלִיפְנָא אוֹרַח אַרְעָא לְאוּשְׁפִּיזָא. (למיהב בידא דבעלה כד נפק יהב מתנן לאתתיה ולא בידה ובגין כך כיון דיהב ליה מתנן) וְעַל דָּא לְבָתַר דְּיָהַב לָהּ מַתְּנָן לְאַסְגָּאָה לָהּ רְחִימוּתָא בְּבַעֲלָהּ (נ"א כיון דנפק יהב מתנן ונבזבזן בידא דבעלה למיהב לאתתיה ולמחדי בה ולאסגאה לה רחימותא בבעלה, הדא הוא דכתיב ויקח מכל וגו' ויעל עולות במזבח, אלין מתנן דיהב בידא דבעלה בגין לאסגאה לה רחימותא בעלמא, ומכאן אוליפנא אורח ארעא לאושפיזא דיהב מתנן בידא דבעלה לאתתיה ולא בידהא, ועל דא ויעל עולות במזבח, קורבנא לדכורא לאסגאה רחימותא בבעלה ברכא ליה) בָּרְכָא לֵיהּ, דִּכְתִיב וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלהִים אֶת נֹחַ וְאֶת בָּנָיו וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וְגו'. וּבְגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב, (משלי י׳:כ״ב) בִּרְכַּת יְיָ הִיא תַעֲשִׁיר. וַדַּאי כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר.
We learn further from here that it is proper for the guest on departing to leave presents for the mistress of the house, as she is always in the house and supervises it. It is fitting to give her those presents, not in her own hand directly, but through the agency of her husband, so as to enhance their mutual affection. This we deduce from the text: AND HE TOOK OF EVERY CLEAN BEAST AND HE OFFERED BURNT OFFERINGS ON THE ALTAR. These were the presents for her which he gave, as it were, into the hands of the husband in order to enhance his love for his consort. Noah then received a blessing, as it is written, “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, etc.” All this is illustrated by the text, “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich.”
וְלֹא יוֹסִיף עֶצֶב עִמָּהּ. רָזָא דִּכְתִיב בְּעִצָּבוֹן תֹּאכֲלֶנָּה. עִצָּבוֹן עֲצִיבוּ וְרוּגְזָא בְּלָא נְהִירוּ דְאַנְפִּין. כַּד אִתְחֲשַׁךְ סִיהֲרָא וּבִרְכָאן לָא מִשְׁתַּכְּחֵי. בְּעִצָּבוֹן סִטְרָא דְרוּחָא אָחֳרָא דְּאִמְנַע בִּרְכָאן מֵעָלְמָא, וּבְגִין כָּךְ וְלֹא יוֹסִיף עֶצֶב עִמָּהּ. וְדָא הוּא רָזָא דִכְתִיב, (בראשית ח׳:כ״א) לא אוֹסִיף לְקַלֵּל עוֹד אֶת הָאֲדָמָה:
As for the words “and no pain shall be added thereto”, these allude to the pain mentioned in the passage “in pain shalt thou eat of it” (Gen. 3, 17), that is, in pain and perturbation, with sad and gloomy looks, since the moon was darkened, and so blessings were no more. Again “in pain” refers to the side of the impure spirit who kept back blessings from the world. But now “No pain will be added thereto”; the word “add” (yosif) here shows the inner meaning of the words, “I will not again (osif, lit. add) curse the earth any more.”