The elder son of the man then discoursed thus: And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went unto Haran. ‘Jacob’, he said, ‘acted in conformity with the verse: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife” (Gen. 2, 24). Or again, his action may be regarded as symbolical of a later time when Israel left the Sanctuary and were driven into exile among the nations, as described in the text: “And gone is from the daughter of Zion all her splendour” (Lam. 1, 6), as well as ill the passage, “Judah is gone into exile because of affliction” (Ibid. 3).’
The younger son then began to discourse thus: And he lighted upon the place, and tarried there all night, etc. ‘Even a king,’ he said, ‘when he desires to visit his consort, should coax her and use words of endearment, and not treat her as a mere chattel; and though he should have a golden couch with embroidered coverings in a grand palace, and she prepares for him a bed on the floor of stones with a straw mattress, it is incumbent on him to leave his own couch and lie down on hers, so as to give her satisfaction, and so that their hearts may be united, without any constraint. We learn this lesson from this text, which tells us that when Jacob went unto her, he “took from the stones of the place… and lay down in that place to sleep”, showing that he loved even the stones of that place.’
R. Isaac wept for joy, and said: ‘Seeing that such pearls are in your possession, how can I help following you?’ The man said to him: ‘You must leave us, as we have to go to the town to celebrate the wedding of this my son.’ R. Isaac then said: ‘I must then needs go my own way.’1The English passage from the beginning of the page until “Said R. Isaac” is not found in our Hebrew text. He then went and repeated the expositions he had heard to R. Simeon, who remarked: ‘They indeed spoke well, and all they said about God has been affirmed by us. Moreover, these expositions come from the mouths of the descendants of R. Zadok the invalid. He was called invalid because he fasted forty years, praying that Jerusalem should not be destroyed in his life-time. He used to discover within each word of the Torah profound lessons, from which he deduced the proper rules for the conduct of life.’
Said R. Isaac: ‘Not many days elapsed before I again met that man, accompanied by his younger son. I said to him: “Where is your other son?” He said: “I had him married, and he is with his wife.” Then, recognising me, he said: “I swear to you that I refrained from inviting you to the marriage of my son for three reasons: first, because I did not know you, and, since the style of an invitation must accord with the rank of the recipient, I was afraid lest you might happen to be a great man and I should unwittingly offend your dignity; secondly, I thought you might be in a hurry, and so I did not wish to inconvenience you; and thirdly, I did not wish to put you to shame in the presence of the company of guests, as it is a custom with us that whoever sits at table with the bride and bridegroom gives them presents and gifts.” I said to him: “God give you credit for your good intentions.” I further asked him his name, and he said: “Zadok the Little.” On that occasion I learnt from him thirteen profound lessons in the Torah, and from his son I learnt three, one concerning prophecy, one concerning dreams, and one concerning the difference between prophecy and dreams.
פָּתַח חַד בְּרֵיהּ וְאָמַר, (בראשית כ״ח:י׳) וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע וַיֵּלֶךְ חָרָנָה, הַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית ב׳:כ״ד) עַל כֵּן יַעֲזָב אִישׁ אֶת אָבִיו וְאֶת אִמּוֹ וְדָבַק בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ. דָבָר אַחֵר וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע וַיֵּלֶךְ חָרָנָה, רָמַז כַּד נָפְקוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִבֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא, וְאִתְגָּלוּ בֵּינֵי עַמְמַיָא, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (איכה א׳:ו׳) וַיֵּצֵא מִן בַּת צִיּוֹן כָּל הֲדָרָהּ, וּכְתִיב גָּלְתָה יְהוּדָה מֵעוֹנִי וְגו'.
The elder son of the man then discoursed thus: And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went unto Haran. ‘Jacob’, he said, ‘acted in conformity with the verse: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife” (Gen. 2, 24). Or again, his action may be regarded as symbolical of a later time when Israel left the Sanctuary and were driven into exile among the nations, as described in the text: “And gone is from the daughter of Zion all her splendour” (Lam. 1, 6), as well as ill the passage, “Judah is gone into exile because of affliction” (Ibid. 3).’
פָּתַח אָחֳרָא זְעֵירָא וְאָמַר, (בראשית כ״ח:י״א) וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם וַיָּלֶן שָׁם כִּי בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְגו', מַאי (מ"ט ע"ב) וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם, לְמַלְכָּא דְּאָזִיל לְבֵי מַטְרוֹנִיתָא, בָּעֵי לְמִפְגַע לָהּ וּלְבַסְּמָא לָהּ בְּמִלִּין, בְּגִין דְּלָא תִשְׁתַּכַּח גַּבֵּיהּ כְּהֶפְקֵירָא. וְלָא עוֹד, אֶלָּא דְּאָפִילּוּ אִית לֵיהּ עַרְסָא דְדַהֲבָא, וּכְסוּתוּתֵי מְרַקְמָאן בְּאַפְלַטְיָיא, לְמֵיבַת בְּהוּ. וְאִיהִי מְתַקְּנָא עַרְסֵיהּ בְּאַבְנִין (פנחס רכ"ג ע"א, רמ"ג ע"ב) בְּאַרְעָא, וּבְקִיסְטְרָא דְּתִיבְנָא. יִשְׁבּוֹק דִּידֵיהּ, וְיָבִית בְּהוּ לְמֵיהַב לָהּ נַיְיחָא, וּבְגִין דִּיהֵא רְעוּתָא דִלְהוֹן כְּחֲדָא, בִּדְלָא אֲנִיסוּ. כְּמָה דְאוֹלִיפְנָא הָכָא, דְּכֵיוָן דְּאֲזַל לְגַבָּהּ מַה כְּתִיב, (וילן שם כי בא השמש לאחזאה דאסיר ליה לבר נש לשמשא ערסיה ביומא) (בראשית כ״ח:י״א) וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם וַיָּשֶׂם מֵרַאֲשׁוֹתָיו (שם) וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא, בְּגִין לְמֵיהַב לָהּ נַיְיחָא, דְּאָפִילּוּ אַבְנֵי בֵיתָא, רְחִימִין קַמֵּיהּ, לְמֵיבַת בְּהוּ. (ס"א דכתיב וישכב במקום ההוא)
The younger son then began to discourse thus: And he lighted upon the place, and tarried there all night, etc. ‘Even a king,’ he said, ‘when he desires to visit his consort, should coax her and use words of endearment, and not treat her as a mere chattel; and though he should have a golden couch with embroidered coverings in a grand palace, and she prepares for him a bed on the floor of stones with a straw mattress, it is incumbent on him to leave his own couch and lie down on hers, so as to give her satisfaction, and so that their hearts may be united, without any constraint. We learn this lesson from this text, which tells us that when Jacob went unto her, he “took from the stones of the place… and lay down in that place to sleep”, showing that he loved even the stones of that place.’
בָּכָה רִבִּי יִצְחָק, (ד"א ל"ג וחייך) וְחָדֵי, אָמַר מַרְגְּלָאן אִלֵּין תְּחוֹת יְדַיְיכוּ, וְלָא אֵזִיל בַּתְרַיְיכוּ. אָמְרוּ לֵיהּ אַתְּ תֵּזִיל לְאוֹרְחָךְ, וְאֲנַן נֵיעוּל לְמָתָא לְהִלּוּלָא דְהַאי בְּרִי. אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק, הַשְׁתָּא אִית לִי לְמֵהַךְ לְאָרְחִי. אָזִיל לֵיהּ, וְסִדֵּר מִלִּין קַמֵּיהּ דְּרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן. אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן וַדַּאי שַׁפִּיר קָאֲמְרוּ, וְכֹלָּא בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְּמָר. אָמַר, מִלִּין אִלֵּין, מִבְּנֵי בְּנוֹי דְּרִבִּי צָדוֹק חֲלָשָׁא נִינְהוּ. מַאי טַעְמָא אִקְּרֵי חֲלָשָׁא, בְּגִין דְּאַרְבָּעִין שְׁנִין אִתְעַנֵּי עַל יְרוּשְׁלֵם, דְּלָא יִתְחְרַב בְּיוֹמוֹי, וְהֲוָה פָּרִישׁ עַל כָּל מִלָּה וּמִלָּה דְאוֹרַיְיתָא, רָזִין עִלָּאִין, וְיָהִיב בְּהוּ אָרְחָא לִבְנֵי עָלְמָא, לְאִתְנַהֲגָא בְּהוּ.
R. Isaac wept for joy, and said: ‘Seeing that such pearls are in your possession, how can I help following you?’ The man said to him: ‘You must leave us, as we have to go to the town to celebrate the wedding of this my son.’ R. Isaac then said: ‘I must then needs go my own way.’1The English passage from the beginning of the page until “Said R. Isaac” is not found in our Hebrew text. He then went and repeated the expositions he had heard to R. Simeon, who remarked: ‘They indeed spoke well, and all they said about God has been affirmed by us. Moreover, these expositions come from the mouths of the descendants of R. Zadok the invalid. He was called invalid because he fasted forty years, praying that Jerusalem should not be destroyed in his life-time. He used to discover within each word of the Torah profound lessons, from which he deduced the proper rules for the conduct of life.’
אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק, לָא הֲווּ (אלא) יוֹמִין זְעִירִין, עַד דְּאָעַרְעָנָא בְּהַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ וּבְרֵיהּ זְעֵירָא עִמֵּיהּ. אֲמִינָא לֵיהּ, אָן הוּא בְּרָךְ אָחֳרָא. אָמַר לִי, עֲבִידְנָא לֵיהּ הִלּוּלָא וְאִשְׁתָּאַר בִּדְבִיתְהוּ. כֵּיוָן דְּאִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע בִּי, אָמַר לֵיהּ חַיֶּיךָ, דְּלָא זְמִינְנָא לָךְ לְהִלּוּלָא דִבְרִי, בְּגִין תְּלַת מִלִּין. חַד, דְּלָא יְדַעְנָא בָּךְ וְלָא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדָעְנָא לָךְ, דְּהָכִי מְזַמְּנִין לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ כְּפוּם יְקָרֵיהּ, וְדִילְמָא אַנְתְּ גַּבְרָא רַבָּא, וְאַפְגִים יְקָרָךְ. וְחַד, דִּילְמָא אַנְתְּ אָזִיל בְּאָרְחָךְ בִּבְהִילוּ, וְלָא אַטְרַח עֲלָךְ. וְחַד, דְּלָא תַכְסִיף קַמֵּי אֱנָשֵׁי דְּחֲבוּרָא. דְּאוֹרְחָא דִילָן, דְּכָל אִינוּן דְּאָכְלֵי לִפְתוֹרָא דְחָתָן וְכַלָּה, כֻּלְּהוּ יַהֲבֵי נְבַזְבְּזָן וּמַתְּנָן לוֹן. אֲמִינָא לֵיהּ, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יָדִין לָךְ לְטַב. אֲמִינָא לֵיהּ, מַה שְּׁמָךְ, אָמַר לֵיהּ צָדוֹק זוּטָא. בְּהַהוּא שַׁעְתָּא, אוֹלִיפְנָא מִנֵּיהּ, תְּלֵיסַר (נ"א תריסר) רָזִין עִלָּאִין בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּמִן בְּרֵיהּ תְּלַת, חַד בִּנְבוּאָה, וְחַד (נ"א ותרין) בְּחֶלְמָא.
Said R. Isaac: ‘Not many days elapsed before I again met that man, accompanied by his younger son. I said to him: “Where is your other son?” He said: “I had him married, and he is with his wife.” Then, recognising me, he said: “I swear to you that I refrained from inviting you to the marriage of my son for three reasons: first, because I did not know you, and, since the style of an invitation must accord with the rank of the recipient, I was afraid lest you might happen to be a great man and I should unwittingly offend your dignity; secondly, I thought you might be in a hurry, and so I did not wish to inconvenience you; and thirdly, I did not wish to put you to shame in the presence of the company of guests, as it is a custom with us that whoever sits at table with the bride and bridegroom gives them presents and gifts.” I said to him: “God give you credit for your good intentions.” I further asked him his name, and he said: “Zadok the Little.” On that occasion I learnt from him thirteen profound lessons in the Torah, and from his son I learnt three, one concerning prophecy, one concerning dreams, and one concerning the difference between prophecy and dreams.