and at the hour of midnight the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to the Garden of Eden to disport Himself with them. With which of them? R. Jose said, with all: both with those whose abode is in the other world and with those who are still in their dwellings in this world-with all of them God disports Himself at midnight.
For the world on high requires to be stirred by the impulse of the lower world, and so when the souls of the righteous leave this world and mount on high, they all clothe themselves with a supernal light, with a resplendent figure, and God disports Himself with them and delights in them, since they are the fruit of His handiwork, and for this reason Israel who are possessed of holy souls are called sons to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, “Ye are sons to the Lord your God” (Deut. 14, 1), that is, the fruit of His handiwork.’
Said R. Yesa, ‘You say that God disports Himself also with the souls in this world: how is this?’ He answered, ‘At midnight all the truly righteous arise to read the Torah and to sing psalms, and we have learnt that the Holy One, blessed be He, and all the righteous in the Garden of Eden listen to their voices, and in consequence a certain grace is imparted to them by day; so it is written, “The Lord will command his grace in the day-time, and in the night his song shall be with me” (Ps. 42, 9).
Hence it is that the praises which are sung at night constitute the most perfect praise. So when God was slaying the first-born in Egypt, the Israelites in their houses were singing praises and psalms to Him.
See now, King David too used to get up in the middle of the night, as it is written, “At midnight I will rise to give thanks to thee” (Ps. 119, 62). He did not remain sitting or lying in his bed, but he literally rose and stood up to compose psalms and praises.
Therefore it is that King David lives for ever, and even in the days of the King Messiah he will be king, according to the dictum: “If the King Messiah will be from the living, David will be his name, and if he will be from the dead, David will be his name.”
וְכַד אִתְפְּלַג לֵילְיָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָתֵי לְגִנְתָא דְעֵדֶן לְאִשְׁתַּעְשְׁעָא בְּהוּ. בְּמַאן. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּכֻלְהוּ, בֵּין אִנּוּן דִּמְדוֹרֵיהוֹן בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא, בֵּין אִנּוּן דְּיָתְבֵי בִּמְדוֹרֵיהוֹן בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, בְּכֻלְהוּ מִשְׁתַּעֲשַׁע בְּהוּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּפַלְגּוּת לֵילְיָא.
and at the hour of midnight the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to the Garden of Eden to disport Himself with them. With which of them? R. Jose said, with all: both with those whose abode is in the other world and with those who are still in their dwellings in this world-with all of them God disports Himself at midnight.
תָּא חֲזֵי, עָלְמָא דִלְעֵילָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְאִתְעֲרוּתָא דְעָלְמָא תַּתָּאָה, וְכַד נִשְׁמַתְהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָיא נָפְקֵי מֵהַאי עָלְמָא וְסָלְקֵי לְעֵילָא כֻּלְהוּ מִתְלַבְּשֵׁי בִּנְהוֹרָא דִלְעֵילָא בְּדִיוּקְנָא יְקָר, וּבְהוּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִשְׁתַּעֲשַׁע וְתָאִיב לוֹן דְּאִינְהוּ פְּרִי עוֹבָדוֹי, וְעַל דָּא אִקְרוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּאִית לוֹן נִשְׁמָתִין קַדִּישִׁין בְּנִין לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (דברים י״ד:א׳) בָּנִים אַתֶּם לַיְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בָּנִים וַדַּאי אִיבָּא דְּעוֹבָדוֹי.
For the world on high requires to be stirred by the impulse of the lower world, and so when the souls of the righteous leave this world and mount on high, they all clothe themselves with a supernal light, with a resplendent figure, and God disports Himself with them and delights in them, since they are the fruit of His handiwork, and for this reason Israel who are possessed of holy souls are called sons to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, “Ye are sons to the Lord your God” (Deut. 14, 1), that is, the fruit of His handiwork.’
אָמַר רַבִּי יֵיסָא וְאֲפִילּוּ אִנּוּן דִּבְהַאי עָלְמָא (דארעא), הֵיאַךְ. אָמַר לֵיהּ בְּגִין דִּי בְּפַלְגוּת לֵילְיָא כָּל אִנּוּן זַכָּאֵי קְשׁוֹט כֻּלְהוּ מִתְעָרֵי לְמִקְרֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וּלְמִשְׁמַע תּוּשְׁבְּחָן דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְהָא אִתְּמָר דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וְכָל אִנּוּן צַדִּיקַיָא דִּבְגוֹ גִנְתָא דְעֵדֶן כֻּלְהוּ צַיְיתִין לְקָלֵיהוֹן, וְחוּטָא דְחֶסֶד אִתְמְשַׁךְ עֲלַיְיהוּ בִּימָמָא דִּכְתִיב, (תהילים מ״ב:ט׳) יוֹמָם יְצַוֶּה יְיָ חַסְדּוֹ וּבַלַּיְלָה שִׁירֹה עִמִּי.
Said R. Yesa, ‘You say that God disports Himself also with the souls in this world: how is this?’ He answered, ‘At midnight all the truly righteous arise to read the Torah and to sing psalms, and we have learnt that the Holy One, blessed be He, and all the righteous in the Garden of Eden listen to their voices, and in consequence a certain grace is imparted to them by day; so it is written, “The Lord will command his grace in the day-time, and in the night his song shall be with me” (Ps. 42, 9).
וְעַל דָּא תּוּשְׁבְּחָן דְּסָלְקִין בְּלֵילְיָא קַמֵּיהּ דָּא תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא שְׁלִים. תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל הֲווּ סְגִירִין בְּבָתֵּיהוֹן כַּד קָטַל קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּכוֹרֵיהוֹן דְּמִצְרָאֵי, הֲווּ אֲמָרֵי הֲלֵילָא וְתֻשְׁבְּחָן קַמֵּיהּ.
Hence it is that the praises which are sung at night constitute the most perfect praise. So when God was slaying the first-born in Egypt, the Israelites in their houses were singing praises and psalms to Him.
תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּדָוִד מַלְכָּא הֲוָה קָם בְּפַלְגוּת לֵילְיָא, דְּאִי תֵימָא דְּהֲוָה יָתִיב אוֹ שָׁכִיב בְּעַרְסֵיהּ וְהֲוָה אָמַר שִׁירִין וְתוּשְׁבְּחָן, לָא, אֶלָּא כְּמָה דִכְתִיב (תהילים קי״ט:ס״ב) חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה אָקוּם לְהוֹדוֹת לְךָ. אָקוּם וַדַּאי בַּעֲמִידָה לְאִתְעַסְּקָא בְּשִׁירִין וְתוּשְׁבְּחָן דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא.
See now, King David too used to get up in the middle of the night, as it is written, “At midnight I will rise to give thanks to thee” (Ps. 119, 62). He did not remain sitting or lying in his bed, but he literally rose and stood up to compose psalms and praises.
וּבְגִין כָּךְ דָּוִד מַלְכָּא חַי לְעָלְמִין, וְאֲפִילּוּ בְּיוֹמֵי מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא אִיהוּ מַלְכָּא. דְּהָא תְּנַן מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא אִי מִן חַיָּיא הוּא דָּוִד שְׁמֵיהּ וְאִי מִן מֵתַיָיא הוּא דָּוִד שְׁמֵיהּ, וְאִיהוּ הֲוָה אִתְעַר בְּצַפְרָא עַד לָא יֵיתֵי דִּכְתִיב, (תהילים נ״ז:ט׳) עוּרָה כְבוֹדִי עוּרָה הַנֵּבֶל וְכִנּוֹר אָעִירָה שָׁחַר.
Therefore it is that King David lives for ever, and even in the days of the King Messiah he will be king, according to the dictum: “If the King Messiah will be from the living, David will be his name, and if he will be from the dead, David will be his name.”