It is written: “Lift up your eyes on high, and see: who hath created these? He that bringeth out their hosts by number…. Not one faileth” (Isa. 40, 26). Are we to imagine from this that by lifting his eyes upwards a man can know and see what is not permitted to know and see?
No. The true meaning of the passage is that whoever desires to reflect on and to obtain a knowledge of the works of the Holy One, blessed be He, let him lift his eyes upwards and gaze on the myriads of the hosts and legions of existences there, each different from the other, each mightier than the other. Then will he, while gazing, ask, “Who created these?” Indeed, as has already been expounded elsewhere, “Who created these?” amounts to saying that the whole of creation springs from a region that remains an everlasting “Who?” (Mi?), in that it remains undisclosed.
“He that bringeth out their host by number”, for inasmuch as that region is undisclosed it brings forth everything by means of the sound that issues from the trumpet, the sound that constitutes the “number” of all the celestial hosts and the sum of the whole of creation; and from thence also proceeds the mystery of sublime faith through all the supernal “sides”, and then extending in grade after grade downwards, and widening out into numerous hosts after their kinds, all of whom are numbered, and “He calleth them all by name.” The verse continues, “By the greatness of his might’,-an allusion to the “right side”, “for that he is strong in power” -alluding to the “left side”, “no one faileth”, this in allusion to the forces emanating from the two sides.
According to an alternative interpretation, the verse, “Lift up your eyes on high, and see: who hath created these?” contains an allusion to the erection and completion of the Tabernacle. For whoever then looked at the Tabernacle saw in it an epitome of the upper world and the lower; for all the works of the universe were contained in the equipment of the Tabernacle. Thus whoever gazed with attention at the clasps of the Tabernacle saw in their gleam the radiance of the stars, inasmuch as they were disposed in the same way as the stars in heaven.
R. Simeon discoursed on the verses: “Hallelukah. Praise ye the Lord from the heaven… Praise him, ye heavens of heavens… Praise the Lord from the earth…” (Ps. 148, 1-8). ‘This psalm’, he said, ‘was indited by David in honour of the mystery of the Divine Name, which is the supreme object of praises. There are two all-embracing songs of praise: this one, and the one contained in the last psalm, commencing: “Hallelukah. Praise God in his sanctuary” (Ibid. 150, 1-6). The latter psalm, however, contains a tenfold praise, alluding to ten musical instruments, but this one is a sevenfold hymn. The two, nevertheless, dwell on one and the same mystery, that of the Divine Name.
כְּתִיב (ישעיהו מ׳:כ״ו) שְׂאוּ מָרוֹם עֵינֵיכֶם וּרְאוּ מִי בָרָא אֵלֶּה וְגוֹ'. הַאי קְרָא אוּקְמוּהָ, אֲבָל תָּא חֲזֵי, וְכִי בְּגִין דְּיִסְתָּכַּל בַּר נָשׁ עֵינוֹי לְעֵילָּא, וְזָקִיף לוֹן לְעֵילָּא, יָכִיל לְמִנְדַּע וּלְאִסְתַּכְּלָא בְּמָה דְּלָא אִתְּרָשׁוּ לְמִנְדַּע וּלְמֶחמֵי.
It is written: “Lift up your eyes on high, and see: who hath created these? He that bringeth out their hosts by number…. Not one faileth” (Isa. 40, 26). Are we to imagine from this that by lifting his eyes upwards a man can know and see what is not permitted to know and see?
אֶלָּא שְׂאוּ מָרוֹם עֵינֵיכֶם, מַאן דְּבָעֵי לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא וּלְמִנְדַּע בְּעוֹבָדוֹי דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, יִזְקוֹף עֵינוֹי לְעֵילָּא, וְיֶחְמֵי כַּמָה חַיָּילִין, וְכַמָּה מַשִׁרְיָין, עוֹבָדִין מְשַׁנְיָין דָּא מִן דָּא, רַבְרְבִין אִלֵּין מֵאִלֵּין. וּכְדֵין תֶּחמוּן וְתִשְׁאֲלוּן וְתֵימְרוּן, מַאן בָרָא אִלֵּין. מִי בָּרָא אֵלֶּה, הָא אוֹקִימְנָא רָזָא דְּמִי, בָרָא אֵלֶּה. דְּהוּא אֲתָר דְּקַיְּימָא מָרוֹם וְגָנִיז וְסָתִים וְלָא יְדִיעַ, (צ"ב ע"א, קס"ח ע"ב) וְקַיְּימָא תָּדִיר לִשְׁאֵלָה, בְּגִין דְּלָא אִתְגַּלְיָיא לְהַהוּא אֲתָר. (בראשית ב' ע"א)
No. The true meaning of the passage is that whoever desires to reflect on and to obtain a knowledge of the works of the Holy One, blessed be He, let him lift his eyes upwards and gaze on the myriads of the hosts and legions of existences there, each different from the other, each mightier than the other. Then will he, while gazing, ask, “Who created these?” Indeed, as has already been expounded elsewhere, “Who created these?” amounts to saying that the whole of creation springs from a region that remains an everlasting “Who?” (Mi?), in that it remains undisclosed.
הַמּוֹצִיא בְּמִסְפָּר צְבָאָם, מַאי הַמּוֹצִיא. אֶלָּא בְּגִין דְּהַהוּא אֲתָר דְּאִיהוּ טָמִיר וְגָנִיז, אִיהוּ אַפִּיק כֹּלָּא, בְּרָזָא דְּקוֹל דְּנָפִיק מִשּׁוֹפָר. וְהַהוּא קוֹל, אִיהוּ מִסְפָּר דְּכָל חֵילִין עִלָּאִין, וְחוּשְׁבָּנָא דְּכֹלָּא. וּמִתַּמָּן אִשְׁתְּכַח רָזָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא עִלָּאָה, בְּכָל אִינּוּן סִטְרִין עִלָּאִין, עַד דְּנַגְדִּין דַּרְגִּין, וְאִתְמַשְּׁכָאן לְתַתָּא, וְאִתְפָּרְשָׁאן כַּמָה (ק"מ) חֵילִין לְזִנַּיְיהוּ, וְכֻלְּהוּ קַיְימָן בְּחוּשְׁבָּנָא, וְאִקְרוּן בִּשְׁמָא. מֵרוֹב אוֹנִים, דָּא סִטְרָא דִּימִינָא. וְאַמִּיץ כֹּחַ, דָּא סִטְרָא דִּשְׂמָאלָא. אִישׁ לא נֶעְדָּר, סִטְרִין דְּנַגְדִּין מִתְּרֵין עֲבָרִין.
“He that bringeth out their host by number”, for inasmuch as that region is undisclosed it brings forth everything by means of the sound that issues from the trumpet, the sound that constitutes the “number” of all the celestial hosts and the sum of the whole of creation; and from thence also proceeds the mystery of sublime faith through all the supernal “sides”, and then extending in grade after grade downwards, and widening out into numerous hosts after their kinds, all of whom are numbered, and “He calleth them all by name.” The verse continues, “By the greatness of his might’,-an allusion to the “right side”, “for that he is strong in power” -alluding to the “left side”, “no one faileth”, this in allusion to the forces emanating from the two sides.
דָּבָר אַחֵר שְׂאוּ מָרוֹם עֵינֵיכֶם וּרְאוּ מִי בָרָא אֵלֶּה, הַאי קְרָא כַּד אִתְּקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא. וַהֲוָה אִתְתָּקַּן, כָּל מַאן דְּחָמֵי לֵיהּ לְמַשְׁכְּנָא, אִסְתָּכַּל בֵּיהּ לְעֵילָּא וְתַתָּא, וְכֹלָּא חָמֵי בֵּיהּ בְּמַשְׁכְּנָא. בְּגִין דְּכָל עוֹבָדִין דְּעָלְמָא עִלָּאָה וְתַתָּאָה, כֻּלְּהוּ אִתְתָּקָנוּ בֵּיהּ בְּמַשְׁכְּנָא, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא, כָּל מַאן דְּחָמֵי אִינּוּן קְרָסִים בְּמַשְׁכְּנָא, וְאִסְתָּכַּל בְּהוּ, הֲוָה מִסְתָּכַּל בִּנְהִירוּ דִּלְהוֹן, בִּנְהִירוּ (רכ"ט ע"א) דְּכֹּכָבַיָּא, בְּגִין דְּהָכִי קַיְימָן כֹּכָבַיָא בִּרְקִיעָא.
According to an alternative interpretation, the verse, “Lift up your eyes on high, and see: who hath created these?” contains an allusion to the erection and completion of the Tabernacle. For whoever then looked at the Tabernacle saw in it an epitome of the upper world and the lower; for all the works of the universe were contained in the equipment of the Tabernacle. Thus whoever gazed with attention at the clasps of the Tabernacle saw in their gleam the radiance of the stars, inasmuch as they were disposed in the same way as the stars in heaven.
פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (תהילים קמ״ח:א׳) הַלְלוּיָהּ הַלְלוּ אֶת יְיָ' מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם וְגוֹ', תָּא חֲזֵי תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דָּא אָמַר דָּוִד, לָקֳבֵל רָזָא דִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא, דְּאִיהוּ כְּלָלָא דְּתוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דְּכֹלָּא. תְּרֵין תּוּשְׁבְּחָן אִינּוּן, כְּגַוְונָא דְּרָזָא דִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא עִלָּאָה, דְּאִיהוּ כְּלָלָא דְּתוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דְּכֹלָּא. וְאִינּוּן: דָּא, וְתוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא בַּתְרָאָה, דְּאִיהִי כְּלָלָא דְּתוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דְּכֹלָּא, דִּכְתִּיב, (תהילים ק״נ:א׳) הַלְלוּיָהּ הַלְלוּ אֵל בְּקָדְשׁוֹ וְגוֹ'. אֲבָל דָּא הֲוָה, עַל עֶשֶׂר מִינִים. וְדָא הוּא עַל שֶׁבַע, וְכֹלָּא רָזָא חֲדָא בִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא.
R. Simeon discoursed on the verses: “Hallelukah. Praise ye the Lord from the heaven… Praise him, ye heavens of heavens… Praise the Lord from the earth…” (Ps. 148, 1-8). ‘This psalm’, he said, ‘was indited by David in honour of the mystery of the Divine Name, which is the supreme object of praises. There are two all-embracing songs of praise: this one, and the one contained in the last psalm, commencing: “Hallelukah. Praise God in his sanctuary” (Ibid. 150, 1-6). The latter psalm, however, contains a tenfold praise, alluding to ten musical instruments, but this one is a sevenfold hymn. The two, nevertheless, dwell on one and the same mystery, that of the Divine Name.