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Midrash Tehillim
מדרש תהילים
Midrash מדרש
Midrash Tehellim, Chapter 1, Part 1
1. Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel ( מדרש תהלים פרק א סימן א
דבר של לאמיתוin his truth of word) of the wicked and
finishes. This that is said is written, seek to obtain his . אשרי האיש אשר לא הלך בעצת רשעים וגו׳.א
will (Mishley / Proverbs 11:20-27). Who is he, this is זהו שאמר הכתוב שוחר טוב יבקש רצון )משלי יא
David king of Israel, who diligently seek to do good to שוחר בטובתן, זה דוד מלך ישראל,( מי הוא זה,כ״ז
the children of Israel, to make them twenty four guards
of priests, and twenty and four guards of Levi. Seek להעמיד מהם עשרים וארבעה משמרות,של ישראל
his will. So as to obtain mercy and the Holy Spirit . יבקש רצון. ועשרים וארבעה משמרות לויה,כהונה
dwell upon him, and thus he was able to bless Israel,
where does he bless them? In the words blessed is the
כדי,שהיה מבקש רחמים שתשרה עליו רוח הקודש
man. But he who seeks evil, it will come to him ודורש. באשרי האיש, והיכן ברכן,לברך את ישראל
(Mishley / Proverbs 11:27)that is come to Doeg and to ( זה דואג ואחיתופל,רעה תבואנו )משלי שם י״א כ״ז
Ahithophel (2 Samuel 15:12).
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Midrash Tehillim, Chapter 1, Part 9 mercy, The Lord endow thee with mercy
9. Another word blessed is the man that does not walk,
speaking of Adam, said the fist man blessed is the man
that does not walk in the counsel of a serpent, how
blessed would I have been? Nor stands in the way of the
sinner Adam said blessed if I do not stand in the path of
the ser- pent, how blessed would I have been. Nor sit in
the seat of the scornful Adam said if I do not sit in his
dwelling of the serpent for it is mockery, how blessed
would I have been, rabbi Yehoshua ( )יהושעSakhnin (
)התחתון בגליל ערבי יישובin the name of rabbi Levi ( )לויsaid
the serpent said lashon hara against his Creator, the
serpent asked Chavah (Eve) why do you not eat from this
tree, she said God command- ed me not to eat from it, and
that there would be no weak- ness in him, what did the
serpent do, he picked Chavah (Eve) up and pushed her
against the tree, and she did not die, and in truth the Holy
One blessed be He ( )הקב״הhad only commanded do not
eat from it (Bereshit / Genesis 2:17), and to this
commandment it was Chavah (Eve) that had added the
words neither can you touch it (Bereshit / Genesis 3:3),
the serpent said to her our Creator ate of this tree, and
then created the world and all that is in it, and if you eat
from it, you are able to create a world like him, for it is
written and you will be like God (Bereshit / Genesis 3:5),
But of course every craftsman hates to have a rival in his
craft. It follows from this that the serpent was a scoffer.
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— Tehillim / Psalms 1 | — א תהילים
Midrash Tehillim, Chapter 1, Part 16 מדרש תהלים פרק א סימן טז
זהו שאמר. חפצו16. Another word because in the
בתורת ה׳
Torah ofאם
theכי אחרis his
Lord דברde-.טז
light. Elsewhere this is what
Scripture says Good luck have
you with your honor, ride on
,( ה
because of the Torah of truth,
)מה תהלים וגו׳ רכב צלח
והדרך הכתוב
of meekness, and of righteousness
(Tehillim / Psalms 45:5), את
מקבץ שהוא בשעה חכם
תלמיד הוא הדור
A scholar will prosper in honor
על דבר אמת וענוה אלאheלהחניפם
when החבירים ולא
brings together his
friends, not to flatter them, but
because of the Torah of truth, of
הדורה היא ומשובחת,צדק
decisions שמועתן של ר׳ יוחנן
legal the Therefore righteousness.
,of and meekness
יושבין
great in שהן ,וריש לקיש
ותורך.ומפלפלין בה
) held were Lakish Resh of and
Yochanan rabbi of (יוחנן
honor and received much praise,
ר׳ חייא אומר (.מ״ה תהליםscholars
whenever ימינך )שם נוראות
sat down
to analyze them. Your right hand
will teach terrible things (Te-
אם חפצת בתורה שניתנה
de- take ,בנוראות ונכתבה בימין
Khayya Rabbi ( )חייאyou if said
Psalms / hillim .)45
.מתוכה הוראותlight
ומורה in the Torah, which was given
אתה עתיד שתהא יושב
in a terrifying setting and
ר׳ which was written by God’s right
hand, there will come a time
when you, too from ateachers hand
will render decisions based על
שנקראת סופה בתורה חפצת
אם אומר אבא
אמר ר׳ יודן ובתורת ה׳.שמך
To- the in אלא,אין כתיב כאן
Abba ( )אבאdelight you if taught
Rabbi Torah. the on
rah, the result will be the naming of
כגון,על שמך נקראת יגעת בה
the Torah שאםAnd
after you. ,ובתורתו
rabbi Yudan ( )יודןobserved
scripture does not say here in the
Torah of the Lord does he meditate
day and night, but says in , ושל
t t
h o
e
b
w e
o
r o
d b
s e
y
I e
n d
H a
i t
s
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Copyright © 2012 MATSATI.COM
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Midrash Tehilim, Chapter 1, Part 19.
19. In His torah does he meditate day and night. And
he will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water (Te-
hillim / Psalms 1:2-3). Elsewhere, this is what Scripture
says Wisdom is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon
her (Mishley / Proverbs 3:18). Rabbi Isaac son of Hiyya
taught, wht is the wisdom of Torah called a tree of life?
Because it is as precious as life itself to all living things.
Rabbi Yudan taught Why is Torah likened to the tree of
life? To tell you that as the tree of life is spread out
above all living creatures in the Garden of Eden, so
Torah is spread out above all living creatures and can
bring them into life in the world to come. It is taught
that it takes five hundred years to travel past the trunk of
the tree of life, and that the four rivers (Bereshit /
Genesis 2:10) of the beginning of time separated from
under it. Rabbi Samuel son of rabbi Isaac was in the
habbit of planting himself in one learned company after
another so as to bring to ful- fillment the words I have
more understanding because of an abundance of
teachers (Tehillim / Psalms 119:99). For to what do the
words rivers of water refer? To cities such as Tiberias
with its learned companies, Sepphoris with its learned
companies, Jamnia with its learned companies, and
Lydda with its learned companies. That bring forth his
fruit in his season. Rabbi Hanina taught that a man
ought to divide his hours of study in this way, part of the
time for Scripture, part of the time for Mishnah, and part
of the time for Talmud. His leaf also will not wither, all
men will have need of his small talk as well as of his in-
struction in Torah. And whatsoever he does shall
prosper, the reason all men sought the counsel of a
teacher like rabbi Eleazar son of Arak was that when he
gave counsel it turned out well. People would say to
him, You are a prophet. And he would answer, I am
neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I have the
tradition from my Masters that all counsel given in
God’s name turns out well. Rabbi Menasya said, Is this
not already fully stated in the verse There are many
devices in a man’s heart, nev- ertheless the counsel of
the Lord, that shall stand (Mish- ley / Proverbs 19:21),
that is only such counsel wherein is the word of the Lord
shall stand.
מדרש תהלים פרק א
סימן יט יט .והיה כעץ שתול .זהו שאמר
הכתוב עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בה )משלי ג
יח (,אמר ר׳ יצחק בר חייא למה נקרא דברי
תורה עץ חיים ,שהיא חביבה על כל החיים,
אמר ר׳ יודן למה נמשלה תורה לעץ חיים,
לומר לך מה עץ חיים פורש לכל באי עולם
בגן עדן ,כך תורה פרושה לכל החיים,
ומביאן לחיי עולם הבא] .תנא עץ חיים
מהלך חמש מאות שנה ,וכל מימי בראשית
מתפלגין תחתיו [.ר׳ שמואל ]בר רב
יצחק[ היה שותל עצמו מחבורה לחבורה,
לקיים מה שנאמר מכל מלמדי השכלתי )
תהלים קיט צט] (.על
פלגי מים [.מהו על פלגי מים כגון טברי׳
וחברותיה,
צפורי וחברותיה ,יבנה וחברותיה ,לוד
וחברותיה .אשר פריו יתן בעתו .אלו
תלמידיו של אדם ,שהם
יגיעים בתורה ,ועושים את היום עתים ,עת
למקרא ,עת למשנה ,עת לתלמוד .ועלהו
לא יבול .שהכל
צריכין לשיחתו ולתלמודו .וכל אשר יעשה
יצליח .שהכל צריכין לעצתו ,כגון ר׳ אלעזר
בן ערך שהוא היה יועץ עצות ומתקיימות
ומצליחות ,אמרו לו נביא אתה ,אמר להן לא
נביא אנכי ,ולא בן נביא ,אלא כך מקובלני
מרבותי ,שכל עצה שהיא לשם שמים סופה
להתקיים ,אמר ר׳ מנסיא מקרא מלא הוא,
]רבות מחשבות בלב איש[ ועצת ה׳ היא
תקום )משלי יט כא (,עצה שיש בה דבר ה׳
היא תקום
— Tehillim / Psalms 1 | — א תהילים
Midrash Tehillim, Chapter 1, Part 20 blessed be He, requires it of me, I will return to
20. The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff which the
wind drives away (Tehillim / Psalms 1:4). These words are
to be considered in the light of the verse I am the rose of
Sharon, and the lily of the valleys (Song 2:1). The congre-
gation of Israel said to the Holy One Blessed be He, Master
of the universe I am the beloved, for you have lavished
more love upon me than upon all other peoples. I am the
rose, with the hands of Bezalel I have made for you a
Tabernacle for your shadow, rose is here seen as a
composite of the words for Tabernacle, and shadow, or as a
composite of the words beloved and shadow, of Sharon, I
am the people that at Moshe bidding sang a song unto you.
A different com- ment on I am the rose of Sharon, I am the
beloved which was covered by the shadow of Egypt, but
after the Holy One blessed be He, brought me to Rameses,
through good deeds I freshened as quickly as a rose. Of
Sharon, I am the people which sang a song of triumph to
God, for it is written You will have a song as in the night
when a feast was hallowed (Isaiah 30:29). Rabbi Yohanan
said in the name of rabbi Simeon son of Jehozadak, this
verse is intended to teach that as a song was sung on the
night of Sennacherib’s discomfort (Isaiah 30:31), so a song
is to be sung on the night of the feast celebrating Pharaoh’s
discomfort. Another comment on I am the rose of Sharon, I
am the beloved, the one who was covered by Mountain of
Sinai, for the Lord arched the mount over me as if it were a
vault, as it said And they stood on the nether part of the
mountain (Shemot / Exodus 19:17), and at once my resolve
freshened as does a rose, and I said, All that the Lord has
spoken we will do and obey (Shemot / Exodus 24:7).
Another comment on I am the rose of Sha- ron, I am the
beloved who is covered by the shadow of the gentile
kingdoms, but when the Holy One blessed be He, redeems
me, I will freshen like a rose and sing a song to Him, as is
said O Sing unto the Lord a new song, for he has done
marvelous things (Tehillim / Psalms 98:1). Rabbi
Berechiah taught, it was the wilderness which said I am the
rose of Sharon, I am the beloved by the Holy One blessed
be He, for all the good things of the world are hidden
within me, and God has bestowed His blessing upon me
for He said I will pant in the wilderness the cedar, the
Shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree, I will set in
the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree
together (Isaiah 41:19). And when the Holy One blessed be
He, blessed He requires it of me, I shall return to God what
he laid away with me, and I shall again blossom as the
rose, and will sing a song to Him, for it is said The
wilderness and the parched land will be glad, and the
desert will rejoice, and blossom as the rose (Isaiah 35:1).
The rabbis taught that it was the earth which said I am the
rose of Sharon, I am the beloved one in whose shadows all
the dead of the world are hidden. But when the Holy One
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