Arvei Nachal
- Vayera.1.46
However the parable is something true. For it is known that holy sparks fell into the husk, and each holy spark is the aspect of a son of the King, so that the holiness of [God’s] essential name is upon it, may He be blessed. However these holy sparks are not protected. As, without this, it is impossible for them to escape on their own and come to their high place, to God. And it is because of this that the content of all of the commandments that we do is to extract the holy sparks from captivity, each and every commandment extracting the sparks connected and relevant to that particular commandment. For it is impossible for the holy sparks that are relevant to this commandment to be extracted by a different commandment, but rather only by this commandment. And then, through this, the holy spark is brought up to the place which was its tent at the beginning, to its high place. And there, a great celebration takes place, and that spark is a complete standing entity; it is called, the son of the King. And this is [the meaning of] that which the sages said (Zohar 3:83b) that a commandment comes before God and says, “Your son, X, made me”; and a holy angel is made from it, and that is this spark.
- Toldot.2.2
"And Yitzchak entreated God regarding his wife, for she was barren, and God was entreated of him..." (Bereishit 25:21). Regarding his wife entirely, and see Rashi on Genesis 25:21 [which says that it means facing his wife]. And we can continue in precision: "for she was barren" has no explanation, and it should have said "And Rivka was barren, and Yitzchak entreated..." And the commentators pose a further problem regarding what Rashi wrote: "[And God was entreated] to him" [Yitzchak] and not to her, because the prayer of a righteous person child of a righteous person isn't similar to the prayer of a righteous person child of a wicked person. And behold, our Sages of blessed memory said (Ta'anit 25b) regarding Rabbi Eliezer who said 24 prayers and was not answered, and Rabbi Akiva was answered -- not because one was greater than the other, but because this one was forgiving (lit. "passed over his traits"). And it was explained regarding this value[?], that it wished to say that since there was a a child of converts and needed to break his nature and traits and look there -- behold, it seems the opposite, that the prayer of a righteous person child of a wicked person is more acceptable! And we can continue in precision with the language of Rashi, who wrote that the prayer of a righteous person child of a righteous person isn't similar, etc. - he should have said the opposite, that the prayer of a righteous person child of wicked person isn't similar to the prayer of a righteous person child of a righteous person, and [the former] is better. And we can further continue in precision with Rashi's conclusion, that "therefore [God was entreated] to him and not to her", that it's an additional lip [?] and doubled language. And we can also be precise with its saying of "and [God] was entreated" [vaye'ater ויעתר], and our Sages of blessed memory said, (Sukkot 14a) "Why is the prayer of the righteous like a pitchfork [עתר 'eter]? Just as a pitchfork turns grain on the threshing floor from place to place, so too the prayer of the righteous turns the mind of the Holy Blessed One from justice to mercy. What is this verse teaching us that this matter is specifically here? Did Avraham and the rest of the righteous not also pray, and it didn't say this language [ie that God was entreated]? And we can be further precise, in her saying "If so, why do I exist?" she was praying regarding children, which seems as though she was choosing childlessness from the pain of the pregnancy - and certainly this righteous one was not considering this!
- Balak.1.46
However that is in the rest of the land of Israel, but it is not the case in Jerusalem. As Tosafot wrote that its sanctity exists permanently. Hence these two things that are in its favor are always present in it, even when it is destroyed. And the reason that Jerusalem is better than all of the land of Israel is because its sanctity is a comprehensive sanctity, since it was apportioned to the tribes. So the congregation of Israel [as a whole] has a portion and a right to Jerusalem, as stated earlier. And behold, there are two reasons why Jerusalem was not apportioned to the tribes: One reason is that the sacrifices and the altar and all of its requirements need to be from the entire Jewish people. Hence it was not apportioned. And also because all of the Jewish people were commanded about the appointment of judges, in all of your gates (Deuteronomy 16:18), which is the appointment of a minor Sanhedrin [local court] in every town. Yet it is found in Sanhedrin that a small town is exempt. And, if so, with what do they fulfill the commandment of “in all of your gates?” [They do so] with the great Sanhedrin that convened in Jerusalem. For it is considered “all of your gates,” since all of the tribes have a portion in it. And this is [the meaning of] that which King David, peace be upon him, said: Jerusalem is always built up, like a city knit together (Psalms 122:3). For there are always these two things in its favor together there. And the reason is that There the tribes used to go up, the tribes of the Lord (Psalms 122:4), since all of the tribes would go up to offer sacrifices there. And also Since set thrones of judgment are there, etc. (Psalms 122:5). And because of that, its sanctity is comprehensive and was sanctified for [all] of the future. As a result, it always has these two virtues.
- Ki Tavo.1.12
"Because you would not serve the LORD your God in joy and gladness over the abundance of everything," (Devarim 28:47) This can be properly explained through the words of the Ikarim (2:15), which briefly explained are as follows. The wise have joy in that they feel the have achieved some of the wholeness of wisdom...and though this joy of necessity has some end limitation, since it is the product of human comprehension which is itself limited, nevertheless it grows continually. This is because anyone who seeks something which is of a limited nature, once they achieve it their desire and joy will cease. However, if that which one desires and seeks has no fundamental limit, then the desire and the comprehension will never cease. This is why the joy of the wise is continual and unceasing, as it is written "...let all who seek the LORD rejoice." (Psalms 105:3) In that God and his perfection are limitless all those who seek God, though they will grasp what they do, nonetheless will be left ever desiring. The joy will never cease, increasing as one comprehends ever more.
Sefaria Community Translation. Via Sefaria (sefaria.org), Sefaria-Export. Version source: https://www.sefaria.org Licence: CC0. Source.