AND THE LORD DID UNTO SARAH AS HE HAD SPOKEN. Since the text has already said, “and the Lord visited Sarah”, what need is there to add, “and he did unto Sarah”? The reason is this. It is one of our doctrines that the “fruit of the handiwork” of the Almighty springs from that river which flows forth from Eden. This “fruit of God’s handiwork” is the souls of the righteous, and it is also the allotment (mazzal)1Lit. ‘luck’; also ‘flowing’. from which flow all good fortune and rains of blessing, as it is written, “to water the garden” (Gen. 2, 10), that is, to cause the stream to flow from on high and irrigate and fertilise the world below. For mankind depends on that allotment and not on any other source.
Hence, besides “visiting” Sarah, God also “did” something in the region on high, since everything depends on that. Hence the two stages of “visiting” and “doing”, with the name of “the Lord” mentioned with each, the whole forming one process.’
R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward (Ps. 127, 3). ‘The meaning’, he said, ‘is that children confer on a man the heritage of the Lord, by which he attaches himself to the Lord to all time. For the man who is privileged to have children in this world will through them be worthy to enter “behind the partition”in the world to come; and by leaving a son in this world a man’s merits are enhanced in the world to come, and through him he enters into the “heritage of the Lord”. What is the “heritage of the Lord”? It is the “land of the living”, a name by which the Land of Israel is called,
as is proved from the words of King David, “for they have driven me out this day that I should not cleave unto the heritage of the Lord, saying, Go serve other gods” (I Sam. 26, 19). Hence: “Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord”, that is, it is children who make a man worthy of the heritage of the Lord. “The fruit of the womb is a reward” refers to reward in the next world, for by the fruit of the womb a man merits the world to come.
Again, “a heritage of the Lord are children”, that is, the heritage of the fruit of the works of the Holy One is from above, from the tree of life, for it is from thence that a man is blessed with children, as we read, “From me is thy fruit found” (Hos. 14, 9). “Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be put to shame, etc.” (Ps. 127, 5): happy in this world and happy in the world to come.
“They will not be put to shame when they speak with their enemies in the gate”: who are the “enemies in the gate”? They are the accusing angels. For when a man departs from this world, there are numbers of such accusing angels who try to block his way and prevent him from reaching his place. But he passes through “the gate” because he has left hostages in this world by virtue of whom he is found worthy of a place in the next world. Thus, “they shall not be put to shame when they speak with their enemies in the gate”.’
R. Judah and R. Jose were walking on the road. Said R. Judah to R. Jose: ‘Open thy lips and say something in exposition of the Torah, since the Shekinah is accompanying thee. For whenever the Torah is studied earnestly, the Shekinah comes and joins, and all the more so on the road, where the Shekinah comes in anticipation, preceding those who cleave to their faith in the Holy One, blessed be He.’
וַיַּעַשׂ יְיָ לְשָׂרָה וְגו'. כֵּיוָן דְּאָמַר וַיְיָ פָּקַד אֶת שָׂרָה, מַהוּ וַיַּעַשׂ יְיָ לְשָׂרָה. אֶלָּא הָכִי תָּנִינָן דְּאִיבָּא דְּעוֹבָדוֹי דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מֵהַהוּא נָהָר דְּנָגִיד וְנָפִיק מֵעֵדֶן אִיהוּ, וְאִיהוּ נִשְׁמַתְהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא, וְאִיהוּ מַזָּלָא דְּכָל בִּרְכָאן טָבָאן וְגִשְׁמֵי בִּרְכָאן נָזְלֵי מִנֵּיהּ וּמִתַּמָּן נָפְקֵי, דִּכְתִיב לְהַשְׁקוֹת אֶת הַגָּן, דְּאִיהוּ מַזִּיל וּמַשְׁקֶה מֵעֵילָא לְתַתָּא, בְּגִין דְּבָנֵי (נשא) בְּהַאי (קפא א) מַזָּלָא תַּלְיָין וְלָא בְּאֲתַר אָחֳרָא. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב וַיְיָ פָּקַד אֶת שָׂרָה פְּקִידָה בִּלְחוֹדוֹי.
AND THE LORD DID UNTO SARAH AS HE HAD SPOKEN. Since the text has already said, “and the Lord visited Sarah”, what need is there to add, “and he did unto Sarah”? The reason is this. It is one of our doctrines that the “fruit of the handiwork” of the Almighty springs from that river which flows forth from Eden. This “fruit of God’s handiwork” is the souls of the righteous, and it is also the allotment (mazzal)1Lit. ‘luck’; also ‘flowing’. from which flow all good fortune and rains of blessing, as it is written, “to water the garden” (Gen. 2, 10), that is, to cause the stream to flow from on high and irrigate and fertilise the world below. For mankind depends on that allotment and not on any other source.
וַיַּעַשׂ יְיָ לְשָׂרָה. עֲשִׂיָּיה אִיהוּ לְעֵילָא מֵהַאי דַרְגָא (קיב ב) כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר דְּהָא בְּמַזְּלָא תַּלְיָיא, וְעַל דָּא כָּאן פְּקִידָה וְכָאן עֲשִׂיָּיה. וּבְגִין כָּךְ אָמַר יְיָ וַיְיָ וְכֹלָּא חַד.
Hence, besides “visiting” Sarah, God also “did” something in the region on high, since everything depends on that. Hence the two stages of “visiting” and “doing”, with the name of “the Lord” mentioned with each, the whole forming one process.’
רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר פָּתַח וְאָמַר (תהילים קכ״ז:ג׳) הִנֵּה נַחֲלַת יְיָ בָּנִים שָׂכָר פְּרִי הַבָּטֶן. הִנֵּה נַחֲלַת יְיָ, אַחְסַנְתָּא לְאִתְאַחֲדָא בַּיְיָ דְּלָא יִתְעֲבַר מִינָהּ לְעָלְמִין, דְּבַר נָשׁ דְּזָכֵי לִבְנִין בְּהַאי עַלְמָא זָכֵי בְּהוּ לְמֵיעַל לְפַרְגּוֹדָא בְּעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי. בְּגִין דְּהַהוּא בְּרָא דְּשָׁבִיק בַּר נָשׁ וְזָכֵי בֵּיהּ בְּעַלְמָא דָא, אִיהוּ יִזְכֵּי לֵיהּ לְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי, וְזָכֵי לְאַעָלָא בֵּיהּ לְנַחֲלַת יְיָ. מַאן נַחֲלַת יְיָ, דָּא אֶרֶץ הַחַיִּים. וְהָכִי קָרָא לָהּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּאִיהִי אֶרֶץ הַחַיִּים.
R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward (Ps. 127, 3). ‘The meaning’, he said, ‘is that children confer on a man the heritage of the Lord, by which he attaches himself to the Lord to all time. For the man who is privileged to have children in this world will through them be worthy to enter “behind the partition”in the world to come; and by leaving a son in this world a man’s merits are enhanced in the world to come, and through him he enters into the “heritage of the Lord”. What is the “heritage of the Lord”? It is the “land of the living”, a name by which the Land of Israel is called,
דָּוִד מַלְכָּא (קרא ליה) נַחֲלַת יְיָ דִּכְתִיב, (שמואל א כ״ו:י״ט) כִּי גֵּרְשׁוּנִי הַיּוֹם מֵהִסְתַּפֵּחַ בְּנַחֲלַת יְיָ לֵאמֹר לֵךְ עֲבֹד אֱלהִים אֲחֵרִים, וּבְגִין כָּךְ הִנֵּה נַחֲלַת יְיָ בָּנִים. מַאן אַזְכֵּי לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ. בְּנִין. אִי זָכֵי בְּהוּ בְּהַאי עַלְמָא, שָׂכָר פְּרִי הַבָּטֶן, אַגְרָא וְחוּלָקָא טָבָא בְּהַהִיא עַלְמָא, בְּהַהוּא אִיבָּא דְּמֵעוֹי אִיהוּ דְּזָכֵי בַּר נָשׁ בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא בְּהוּ.
as is proved from the words of King David, “for they have driven me out this day that I should not cleave unto the heritage of the Lord, saying, Go serve other gods” (I Sam. 26, 19). Hence: “Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord”, that is, it is children who make a man worthy of the heritage of the Lord. “The fruit of the womb is a reward” refers to reward in the next world, for by the fruit of the womb a man merits the world to come.
תָּא חֲזֵי, הִנֵּה נַחֲלַת יְיָ בָּנִים. יְרוּתָא וְאַחְסַנְתָּא דְּאִיבִּין דְּעוֹבָדוֹי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִלְּעֵילָא אִיהוּ מֵאִילָנָא דְחַיֵּי, דְּהָא מִתַּמָּן זָכֵי בַּר נָשׁ לִבְנִין כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (הושע י״ד:ט׳) מִמֶּנִּי פֶּרְיְךָ נִמְצָא. מַה כְּתִיב, (תהילים קכ״ז:ה׳) אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר מִלֵּא אֶת אַשְׁפָּתוֹ מֵהֶם לא יֵבוֹשׁוּ וְגו'. אַשְׁרֵי בְּעַלְמָא דֵין וְאַשְׁרֵי בְּעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי.
Again, “a heritage of the Lord are children”, that is, the heritage of the fruit of the works of the Holy One is from above, from the tree of life, for it is from thence that a man is blessed with children, as we read, “From me is thy fruit found” (Hos. 14, 9). “Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be put to shame, etc.” (Ps. 127, 5): happy in this world and happy in the world to come.
לֹא יֵבוֹשׁוּ כִּי יְדַבְּרוּ אֶת אוֹיְבִים בַּשָּׁעַר. מַאן אוֹיְבִים בַּשָּׁעַר. אִלֵּין מָארִיהוֹן דְּדִינִין, דְּכַד נִשְׁמָתָא נָפְקַת מֵהַאי עַלְמָא, כַּמָּה אִנּוּן מָרֵיהוֹן דְּדִינִין דְּזַמִּינִין קַמֵּיהּ, עַד לָא יֵיעוּל לְדוּכְתֵּיהּ בַּשָּׁעַר בְּהַהוּא תַּרְעָא דְּיֵיעוּל תַּמָּן, בְּגִין דְּמַשְׁכּוֹנִין שָׁבִיק בְּהַאי עַלְמָא וּבְגִינֵיהוֹן יִזְכֵּי בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא וְעַל דָּא לא יֵבוֹשׁוּ כִּי יְדַבְּרוּ אֶת אוֹיְבִים בַּשָּׁעַר.
“They will not be put to shame when they speak with their enemies in the gate”: who are the “enemies in the gate”? They are the accusing angels. For when a man departs from this world, there are numbers of such accusing angels who try to block his way and prevent him from reaching his place. But he passes through “the gate” because he has left hostages in this world by virtue of whom he is found worthy of a place in the next world. Thus, “they shall not be put to shame when they speak with their enemies in the gate”.’
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי הֲווּ אָזְלֵי בְּאָרְחָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי יְהוּדָה לְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי פְּתַח פּוּמָךְ וְלָעֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא דְּהָא שְׁכִינְתָּא אִשְׁתַּכְּחַת גַּבָּךְ, דְּכָל זְמַן דִּבְמִלֵּי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא לָעָאן שְׁכִינְתָּא אַתְיָא וּמִתְחַבְּרָא, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן בְּאוֹרְחָא (עט ב דשכינתא קדמא ואתיא ואזלא קמייהו דבני נשא דזכאן במהימנותא דקודשא בריך הוא.)
R. Judah and R. Jose were walking on the road. Said R. Judah to R. Jose: ‘Open thy lips and say something in exposition of the Torah, since the Shekinah is accompanying thee. For whenever the Torah is studied earnestly, the Shekinah comes and joins, and all the more so on the road, where the Shekinah comes in anticipation, preceding those who cleave to their faith in the Holy One, blessed be He.’