AND JOSEPH WAS THE GOVERNOR OVER THE LAND, ETC. R. Jesse discoursed on the text: And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me; and I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices with trumpet-sound (Ps. 27, 6). ‘When God’, he said, ‘takes pleasure in a man, he raises him high above all his fellow-men and makes him chief over them all, so that all his enemies are subdued before him.
King David was hated by his brothers and rejected by them, but God raised him high above all men. He had to flee from his father-in-law, but God made him ruler over the latter’s whole kingdom and all knelt and prostrated themselves to him. Joseph, again, was rejected by his brothers, but afterwards they all knelt down and prostrated themselves before him, as we read: “And Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down to him with their faces to the earth.”
Alternatively we may suppose this verse to be spoken by the Community of Israel, whose head will one day be raised above Esau and all his lieutenants. Then Israel will “offer in his tabernacle sacrifices with trumpet-sound”, or, rather, “sacrifices of breaking” (teru’ah) to wit, the broken spirit which is mentioned in the passage: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit” (Ibid. 51, 19), so as to cause severity to be removed from the world; “then I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord”, without ceasing, for evermore.
According to another interpretation, it is the good prompter who says, “and now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me”, to wit, above the evil prompter that surrounds man on every side and is his enemy throughout: “and I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices with trumpet-sound”, alluding to the study of the Torah, which has been given from the side of fire, as we read: “At his right hand was a fiery law unto them” (Deut. 33, 2); for it is through the Torah that his head is lifted up and his enemies are broken before him, as it says: “Thou hast subdued unto me those that rose up against me” (Ps. 18, 40).
According to another explanation it is King David who says, “And now shall my head be lifted up”, namely, to be ranked among the patriarchs, as he had first to join the patriarchs before he became exalted and elevated. “Above mine enemies round about me”: to wit, those on the left side, the accusers who sought to injure him; by his overcoming them the sun formed a junction with the moon, and a unity was effected.
Observe now the passage: AND JOSEPH WAS THE GOVERNOR OVER THE LAND , which, in its deeper meaning, implies that the sun rules over the moon, gives her light and sustains her. We read further: HE IT WAS THAT SOLD TO ALL PEOPLE OF THE LAND. This alludes to the ever-flowing river whence all derive their nourishment and whence the souls of all men emerge. Hence all bow down toward that region, as nothing happens in the world that does not depend on mazzal, as explained elsewhere.
וְיוֹסֵף הוּא הַשַּׁלִּיט עַל הָאָרֶץ וְגו', רִבִּי יֵיסָא פָּתַח וְאֲמַר, (תהילים כ״ז:ו׳) וְעַתָּה יָרוּם רֹאשִׁי עַל אוֹיְבַי סְבִיבוֹתַי וְאֶזְבְּחָה בְּאָהֳלוֹ זִבְחֵי תְרוּעָה אָשִׁירָה וַאֲזַמְּרָה לַיְיָ. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרָעֵי בֵּיהּ בְּבַר נָשׁ, זָקִיף לֵיהּ עַל כָּל בְּנֵי עַלְמָא. וְעָבִיד לֵיהּ רֵישָׁא דְכֹלָּא, וְכֻלְּהוּ שָׂנְאוֹי אִתְכַּפְיָין תְּחוֹתוֹי.
AND JOSEPH WAS THE GOVERNOR OVER THE LAND, ETC. R. Jesse discoursed on the text: And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me; and I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices with trumpet-sound (Ps. 27, 6). ‘When God’, he said, ‘takes pleasure in a man, he raises him high above all his fellow-men and makes him chief over them all, so that all his enemies are subdued before him.
דָּוִד מַלְכָּא, שָׂנְאוּ לֵיהּ אֲחוֹי, דָּחוּ לֵיהּ מִנַּיְיהוּ. קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָרִים לֵיהּ עַל כָּל בְּנֵי עַלְמָא. אֲתָא חֲמוֹי, עָרַק מִקַּמֵיהּ. קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָרִים לֵיהּ עַל כָּל מַלְכוּתֵיהּ, וְכֻלְּהוּ הֲווּ כָּרְעִין וְסָגְדִין קַמֵּיהּ. וְיוֹסֵף דָּחוּ לֵיהּ אֲחוּי, לְבָתַר כֻּלְּהוּ כָּרְעוּ וּסְגִידוּ קַמֵּיהּ. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיָּבֹאוּ אֲחֵי יוֹסֵף וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לוֹ אַפַּיִם אָרְצָה.
King David was hated by his brothers and rejected by them, but God raised him high above all men. He had to flee from his father-in-law, but God made him ruler over the latter’s whole kingdom and all knelt and prostrated themselves to him. Joseph, again, was rejected by his brothers, but afterwards they all knelt down and prostrated themselves before him, as we read: “And Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down to him with their faces to the earth.”
דָּבָר אַחֵר, וְעַתָּה יָרוּם רֹאשִׁי, מַאי וְעַתָּה, כְּמוֹ וְאַתָּה. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר, הָא אִתְּמָר, עֵת דְּאִיהוּ דַרְגָּא עִלָּאָה, וּמַאן אִיהוּ הַהוּא עֵת. דָּא ה"א, וְאִקְרֵי עַתָּה. וְעַתָּה, דָּא אִיהוּ וּבֵי דִינֵיהּ.
יָרוּם רֹאשִׁי, לַאֲרָמָא לָהּ בִּיקָרָא וּמַלְכוּתָא. עַל אוֹיְבַי סְבִיבוֹתַי, אִלֵּין שְׁאָר מַלְכֵי אַרְעָא. וְאֶזְבְּחָה בְּאָהֳלוֹ, דָּא יְרוּשָׁלַ ם. בְּאָהֳלוֹ, דָּא אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד. זִבְחֵי תְרוּעָה, לְמִשְׁמַע כָּל עַלְמָא. אָשִׁירָה וַאֲזַמְּרָה, מֵהַהוּא סִטְרָא דִתְרוּעָה הִיא. דְּהָא מִתַּמָּן, מֵהַהוּא סִטְרָא דִתְרוּעָה, הִיא אַתְיָא שִׁירָה וְתוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא.
דָּבָר אַחֵר, וְעַתָּה יָרוּם רֹאשִׁי, דָּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. עַל אוֹיְבַי סְבִיבוֹתַי, דָּא עֵשָׂו וְכָל אֲפַרְכִין דִּילֵיהּ. וְאֶזְבְּחָה בְּאָהֳלוֹ, אִלֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל. זִבְחֵי תְרוּעָה, דִּכְתִיב, (תהילים נ״א:י״ט) זִבְחֵי אֱלהִים רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה, בְּגִין לְאַעֲבָרָא דִינָא מֵעַלְמָא. אָשִׁירָה וַאֲזַמְּרָה, לְאוֹדָאָה וּלְשַׁבְּחָא לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּלָא פְּסִיקוּ לְעוֹלָם.
Alternatively we may suppose this verse to be spoken by the Community of Israel, whose head will one day be raised above Esau and all his lieutenants. Then Israel will “offer in his tabernacle sacrifices with trumpet-sound”, or, rather, “sacrifices of breaking” (teru’ah) to wit, the broken spirit which is mentioned in the passage: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit” (Ibid. 51, 19), so as to cause severity to be removed from the world; “then I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord”, without ceasing, for evermore.
דָּבָר אַחֵר, וְעַתָּה יָרוּם רֹאשִׁי, בְּכֹלָּא, יֵצֶר טוֹב עַל יֵצֶר רָע. דִּכְתִיב, עַל אוֹיְבַי סְבִיבוֹתַי, דָּא יֵצֶר הָרָע, דְּאִיהוּ סַחֲרָנֵיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ, וְאִיהוּ שָׂנְאֵיהּ בְּכֹלָּא. וְאֶזְבְּחָה בְאָהֳלוֹ זִבְחֵי תְרוּעָה, דָּא אוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּאִתְיְהִיבַת מִסִּטְרָא דְאֶשָּׁא, כְּדִכְתִיב (דברים לג) מִימִינוֹ אֵשׁ דָּת לָמוֹ. דְּהָא בְּגִין אוֹרַיְיתָא, יָרוּם רֵישֵׁיהּ, וְאִתָּבְרוּ כָּל שָׂנְאוֹי קֳדָמוֹי. כְּדִכְתִיב, (תהילים י״ח:מ׳) תַכְרִיעַ קָמַי תַּחְתָּי.
According to another interpretation, it is the good prompter who says, “and now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me”, to wit, above the evil prompter that surrounds man on every side and is his enemy throughout: “and I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices with trumpet-sound”, alluding to the study of the Torah, which has been given from the side of fire, as we read: “At his right hand was a fiery law unto them” (Deut. 33, 2); for it is through the Torah that his head is lifted up and his enemies are broken before him, as it says: “Thou hast subdued unto me those that rose up against me” (Ps. 18, 40).
דָּבָר אַחֵר וְעַתָּה יָרוּם רֹאשִׁי, לְאִתְכְּלָלָא בַּאֲבָהָן, דְּהָא דָוִד מַלְכָּא, אִית לֵיהּ לְאִתְדַּבָּקָא בַּאֲבָהָן, וּכְדֵין יִתְרוֹמֵם וְסָלִיק לְעֵילָא, וְאִיהוּ בְּחַד קִשּׁוּרָא בְּהוּ. עַל אוֹיְבַי סְבִיבוֹתַי, אִלֵּין אִינוּן דְּבִסְטַר שְׂמָאלָא, כֻּלְּהוּ מָארֵי דִינִין, דְּמִתְכַּוְּנִין לְחַבָּלָא. וּכְדֵין שִׁמְשָׁא אִתְחַבַּר בְּסִיהֲרָא, וְהֲוֵי כֹּלָּא חָד.
According to another explanation it is King David who says, “And now shall my head be lifted up”, namely, to be ranked among the patriarchs, as he had first to join the patriarchs before he became exalted and elevated. “Above mine enemies round about me”: to wit, those on the left side, the accusers who sought to injure him; by his overcoming them the sun formed a junction with the moon, and a unity was effected.
תָּא חֲזֵי כְּתִיב, וְיוֹסֵף הוּא הַשַּׁלִּיט עַל הָאָרֶץ, דָּא שִׁמְשָׁא דְּשַׁלִּיט בְּסִיהֲרָא, וְנָהִיר לָהּ וְזָן לָהּ. הוּא הַמַּשְׁבִּיר לְכָל עַם הָאָרֶץ, דְּהָא הַהוּא נָהָר דְּנָגִיד וְנָפִיק, מִנֵּיהּ אִתְזָנוּ כֻּלְּהוּ, וּמִתַּמָּן פָּרְחִין נִשְׁמָתִין לְכֹלָּא. וּבְגִין דָּא, כֻּלְּהוּ סָגְדִין לְגַבֵּיהּ דְּהַהוּא אֲתַר, דְּהָא לֵית לָךְ מִלָּה בְּעַלְמָא, דְּלָא תָּלֵי בְּמַזָּלָא וְאוּקְמוּהָ:
Observe now the passage: AND JOSEPH WAS THE GOVERNOR OVER THE LAND , which, in its deeper meaning, implies that the sun rules over the moon, gives her light and sustains her. We read further: HE IT WAS THAT SOLD TO ALL PEOPLE OF THE LAND. This alludes to the ever-flowing river whence all derive their nourishment and whence the souls of all men emerge. Hence all bow down toward that region, as nothing happens in the world that does not depend on mazzal, as explained elsewhere.