Our Gd and Gd of our Fathers, renew upon us this Month of ____ for good and for blessing, for
joy and for gladness, for salvation and for consolation, for good life and for peace. And may all
the days of this Month, which is the Month of ____, be for blessing, goodness, and sweetness,
and grace us with wisdom, understanding and knowledge from Yourself, and let us cling to the
learning of Torah , and send blessing and success and comfort in all of our actions. Open for us
and for all Yisrael our brothers: Gates of light, love and brotherhood, blessing, understanding,
greatness, joy, knowledge, glory and majesty, comfort and success, good meeting, complacency,
merit, happiness, wisdom, forgiveness, good life, grace and kindness, goodness, salvation,
sustenance, learning Torah for its own sake, good nourishment, donation, pleasantness, support,
help, wealth, redemption, good livelihood, charity, success, blossoming, upstanding, glowing
faces, complete health, desire, mercy, peace, tranquility, return, Torah, prayer, salvation, “You
will make known to me the path of life, the fullness of joys in Your Presence, the delights that
are in Your right hand for eternity.”
Good peace to You Head/Beginning of the month! Good peace to the day of the holy moon!
Good peace to the day of the Malkut! Good peace to the day of the Matron! Good peace to the
day of the mainstay of the house! Good peace to the day of the revealed world!
O Head/Beginning of the month–how beloved and precious are you! On you the Holy Malkut
returns to the place of Atzilut. On you two kings serve with one crown, and they are called two
great luminaries. On you much is added to the Holy Matron to receive her blessings through you.
On you His Shekhinah elevates, as it says, “The stone the builders despised has become the
cornerstone.” On you there is extra joy for the women of the holy nation. On you Yisrael eats a
festive meal on which is poured blessings from His Shekhinah.
On you is the joy of the holy nation, and the bad maidservant remains in darkness. On you the
fire of Gehennom is quieted, and it does not rule. On you Yisrael is happy, for Yisrael is joined
with the moon, and it evolves with the Supernal sun. It unites in the place where it is illuminated
by the Supernal sun, and clings in it, as it is written, “You who cling to Hashem your Gd, all are
alive today”
On you the moon becomes close to the sun. On you the moon is illuminated by the sun in the joy
of Atika above. On you it is written, “And it shall be that at every New Moon and on every
Shabbat ..” and both are balanced together, and all elevate together as one grade, for they couple
together, and they are joyful together.
On you the holy sun is in holiness, and it illuminates the moon which joins with the sun. On this
it is written, “Thus said the Lrd Hashem/Elokim, the gate of the inner courtyard that faces
eastward shall be closed during the six days of labor, but on the Shabbat, it shall be opened and
on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened.” It is opened on the day of Shabbat and on Rosh
Hodesh, to nourish the world with holiness. On you is opened the supernal Rose to receive the
sweet fragrance, to give as an inheritance souls and delight to the holy children.
On you is connected the soul of the righteous in a knot of smell which is the sweet fragrance of
the Garden of Eden in the world. And from there it comes forth with the spirit in the souls which
are bound in the bundle of life. From there too is prepared precious instruments from all sides, as
it is written, “Hashem will guide you always,” and on this too it is written, “He will sate your
soul in times of drought.” One drought is connected with the spirit of the Garden below to flood
the drought, just as the souls above are bound in the bundle of life.
On you the holy nation is joyous, and they read the Hallel. On you they read from the Torah and
they add an extra aliyah to the regular weekday three readersfor the sake of adding light to the
moon. On you the holy nation adds the prayer of Musaf. On you the Holy One blessed be He
supervises upon Yisrael, and he gazes on his pledge from above, which he strongly desires. And
Yisrael the holy nation is joyous on you, as it says, “This is the day Hashem has made; let us
rejoice and be glad on it”
After this we say Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael, whose initial letters are RaHeL (who stands for the
Moon) with praises that follow the Alef Bet:
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael...Mighty and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael...Strong and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael... Loved and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael Bless and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael...Choice and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael...Great and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael....Elevated and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael...Majestic and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael...Faithful one and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael...Meritable and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael...Beloved and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael...Good and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael...Pure and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael...Pretty and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael...Inclusive and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael Cordial and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael....Shield and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael....Pleasant and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael....Supported and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael....Supernal and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael....Open and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael.....Righteous and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael.....Glowing and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael.....Holy and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael.....Many and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael.....Complete and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael.....Guarded and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael.....Great and blessed
Rosh Hodesh LeYisrael......Sincere and blessed
This next step can be performed either during the day or in the evening.
It is highly recommended as a ritual to perform on Rosh Chodesh to speak the Names of the Tzadikim who left during that month. Here is a link to the Hilula page for Adar. Speak these Names as they are closer to HaShem than you are and will help you cleanse yourself in anticipation of the energy of the new moon. After all, they chose to leave during this month.
Nissan Tzadikim
Here are verses translated from the Zohar - Not the Sulam Commentary - In time we will have these same verses from the Sulam Commentary
The balance of this page is not yet completed.
The Mashiah starts crying again till a supernal voice emerges and mixes with the Voice
and it rises up. And it is delayed there until the beginning of the month, when it
descends and it brings down many lights and emanations that shine upon all the
chambers. It also brings remedy and light to those killed and those ailing and with pains
who suffer with Mashiah.
Woe to those who leave this world. Who shall ask about them and plead for them
when they are turned over to hands of Dumah, and are in the burning fire, which they
can leave only on the first day of the month and on the days of Shabbat? As it is
written: "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another and from one
Shabbat to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, says Hashem" (Yeshayah
66:23). When they are over, an announcer from the north says, "The wicked shall be
turned back to Sh'ol" (Tehilim 9:18). Angels of destruction then gather and attack them
with four burning winds of fire in the valley of Ben Hinnom.
This scapegoat is like the sin offering of the he-goat on the first day of the month. ,
the face lights up. And this is how all Yisrael find mercy in the eyes of the Holy One,
blessed be He, and how the sins of Yisrael are removed. But there is one secret, he told
them, that may not be revealed, except to exceedingly wise, saintly, and pious men.
Rabbi Yosi asked him: And what is that secret? So he answered: I have not yet checked
you out, so I cannot tell whether you are fit to hear this secret. They proceeded on
their way, and after a while he said: When the moon, approaches the sun,then the
Holy One, blessed be He, stirs up the northern side and He grasps her lovingly and
draws her toward Himself. And then the southern side, is aroused from the other side.
And eventually the moon, rises and joins the east. Thus, She draws sustenance from
both sides, and receives the blessing, in silence. And now the moon is blessed and
filled as a woman approaches her husband.
ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE LUNAR MONTH, then the moon is purified . She then
climbs up and clings above in order to be blessed. While before, when She was below
She was dark, now her face lights up.
Come and see [with your inner vision the Template of the Tree of Life]: every
first day of the month, when the Moon renews herself, Then, the 'End of all Flesh' is
given an extra portion which is added to the sacrifices. Thus, he is occupied by it and
uses his portion.. Hence, the side of Yisrael remains for them alone so that it can unify
with its King. This is why Hairy' (Se'ir), because it belongs to the part of Esav, who is
described as being hairy, as it is written: "Esav my brother is a hairy man" (Beresheet
27:11). Thus, it replenishes from his part while Yisrael replenishes from its side to us,
as it is written: "For Yah has chosen Ya'akov to Himself, and Yisrael for His treasure"
(Tehilim 135:4)
And it dwells there some time, sitting and clothing itself in the image of this world. And
on the first day of the month and on Shabbat, when it wants to rise, the righteous
men who are in the Garden of Eden give it a letter as a sign. And it ascends through
that same pillar, where it meets the watchmen of the walls of Jerusalem. If it is
meritorious, they open the gate and it enters. If not, they take the letter away and
throw it out. As it is written: "The watchmen that go about the city found me...the
keepers of the walls took away my veil from me" (Shir Hashirim 5:7). This is the letter
given as a sign, which has been taken away from it, by the watchmen of the walls of
Jerusalem.
And the Holy One, blessed be He, goes with the soul on the first day of every
month. And when the soul sees the glory of the mirror, which is the Shekhinah of the
Master, the soul praises Him and bows down in front of the Holy One, blessed be He.
This is “"Bless Hashem, my soul.” Rabbi Akiva said: The Holy One, blessed be He,
stands over and the soul begins by saying: "Hashem my Elohim, You are very great...",
continuing with all the verses to the end, as the passage reads, "Let the sinners be
consumed out of the earth..." (104 35)
Rabbi Akiva continued: As well as this, it praises the Holy One, blessed be He, thanks
Him for the body that is left in this world, and says: "Bless Hashem, my soul, and all
that is within me, bless His Holy Name.”
So when this image exists above, it then comes on every first day of the month to
bow before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written: "And it shall come to pass,
that from one new moon to another..." (Yeshayah 66:23). And He says to it: "At the
time appointed I will return to you," to the time when He shall resurrect the dead in the
future, when it will be visited, as was promised. And this is why it is written: "And
Hashem visited Sarah, as He had said." This is the day when the Holy One, blessed be
He, shall rejoice with His creations, as it is written: "Hashem shall rejoice in His works"
(Tehilim 104).
This is the purpose of offering the goat on the first day of the month, when no
blessings dwell upon the second field, as it is separated from the holy king. When that
field is tilled, then it is written: "For he found her in the field," (Devarim 22:27), the
field is as has been explained.
Rabbi Yehuda said that three classes of ministering angels appear at the beginning of
every month and on every Shabbat to escort the soul to its place of ascension. What
does the verse, "And at our gates are all manner of choice fruits," refer to? Rabbi
Yehuda said: These are bodies standing at the openings of the graves to receive their
souls. And Dumah offers a note of reckoning, and proclaims: Master of the Universe,
"old and new," those who were buried long ago, and those buried not so long ago, all
these "I have laid up for you," to take them into account.
After twelve months everybody rests. The body reposes in the dust and the Nefesh is
bound and enlightened by the Ruach, which in its garment is satisfied in the Garden of
Eden. The Neshamah ascends to the bundle of life, the greatest pleasure of all. All of
them are attached to each other at certain times like, the first day of the month.
The entire Garden is surrounded by many Chariots of the righteous, and Messiah stands
over them and over many hosts and camps of souls of the righteous who are there. And
Messiah enters that place on the first day of the month and festivals and Shabbatot,
to delight in all these chambers.
Come and see [with your inner vision the Template of the Tree of Life]: During a
time of duress, when a portion is given to this Side with which to occupy itself, it goes
away by following it entirely. Similarly, a he-goat is sacrificed on the first day of the
month and on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).in order that it shall be occupied, and
so leave Yisrael in their kingdom. The time had arrived to take this portion from the
whole seed of Abraham the Other Side, as was written: "Behold Milkah, she also has
born...Utz his firstborn..." (Beresheet 22:21)..
Then that spirit alighted on the ships that sail in that great Sea ,accepted him in order
to raise him to the King. She gave him weapons from there with which to smite Pharaoh
and his whole land. And on Shabbat and the first day of the month, She elevates him
to the King. Then his name is expressed in these letters that we etched.
Come and see [with your inner vision the Template of the Tree of Life], the spirit
of a righteous man is crowned with an image in the lower Garden of Eden. On every
Shabbat, holiday and first day of the month, the spirits are crowned and take off ,
and rise up. Just as the Holy One, blessed be He, does to the holy soul above, so He
does with this spirit below in the lower Garden of Eden that rose before Him. He says,
this is the spirit of the body of so and so. Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He
crowns that spirit with many crowns and delights in it.
But we learned that whoever seizes and takes first the possessions of a convert gets
them. Here too, all these holy supernal souls that the Holy One, blessed be He,
summons to come down as we said, emerge in specific times like Shabbat, Yom Tob,
and the first day of the month, to enjoy in the Garden of Eden where they meet the
souls of the converts. Whichever of the souls they take, they merit and clothe
themselves with it and rise. They all remain in that garment and descend into the
Garden of Eden in that garment, since all those who stay there do so only in a garment.
As long as the bones are in the grave, that Nefesh is present there. And here is the
secret for those who know the true way, for those who fear sin. At the time that the
Neshamah is adorned above in the Holy Crown, the Ruah is standing in the supernal
Light during Shabbat, the first day of the month and Festivals. When the Ruah
descends from the supernal Light to dwell in the Garden of Eden and illuminates and
sparkles, the Nefesh stands in the grave and is attired in the form that the body had
originally. All the bones take that form and praise and acknowledge the Holy One,
blessed be He, as written: "All my bones shall say, 'Hashem, who is like You'" (Tehilim
35:10). It does not write 'say,' but rather "shall say" .
Oh, if permission would be given to the eye to see, it could see the like of forms on the
graves that acknowledge and praise the Holy One, blessed be He, on the eve of the
commencement of the Shabbat and the night of the first day of the month and
Festivals. But the foolishness of man prevents them. They do not know and do not pay
attention to what is existent in this world. They do not bother to observe the honor of
the supernal King in this world, and most certainly to observe the honor of that World,
and upon what it is based, and how the things are explained.
On Shabbat, the first day of the month, festivals and holy days, the fire in that place
abates and they are not punished. But they do not go out from there like the other
wicked ones who have rest. All those who desecrate Shabbat and Festivals and do not
care about the honor of their Master at all, to observe them, but rather desecrate them
publicly, just as they do not keep Shabbat and Festivals in this world, so they are not
kept in that world and have no rest.
The Faithful Shepherd opened the discussion with: The following commandment is to
sanctify the month. The holy moon is the bride that becomes hallowed by the Court of
Law, which is Gevurah as are the Levites. For it is said of them, 'And you shall hallow
the Levites.' And afterwards, when the moon is visible and we can enjoy its light,, we
bless it, 'Blessed are You, Hashem our Elohim, King of the Universe, With His utterance
He created the heavens, and with the breath of His mouth, all their hosts.' And with
what is it hallowed and blessed? It is with Tiferet, because it is glory to those born by
Him from birth.
On the day of the new month, one person is added to the three readers because at
that time the sun shines upon the moon. This is the secret of the Musaf. Upon reading
the Torah only one voice and speech ought to be heard
Such a man, w ith every new moon, becomes defective and she never gives up
with him. With the renewal of the moon, Lil-- goes out, visits all in her care and jests
with them. That person is then defective at that time. Fortunate are the just, who
sanctify themselves with the sanctity of the King. About them, it is written, "And it shall
come to pass, that every new moon, and every Shabbat..." (Yeshayah 66:23).
In the seventh month, on the first day of the month" (Vayikra 23:24). This
commandment is to blow the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah, which is Judgment day to the
world as we explained. We explained the words, "Blow a Shofar at the new moon, at
the full moon (or: 'covering') on our feast day" (Tehilim 81:4). We learned that this
day is a day when the moon is covered and the world is under judgment. For
the prosecutor covers and hides and locks the entrance to the King,a place where
judgment abides to demand justice from the world .
Although He exhorted them about that in Egypt, He commanded them a second time in
the place where all the commandments and laws of the Torah were given. Therefore, it
says "in...the second year..." What is the meaning of: "in the first month of the
second year"? This is a lofty secret that which is referred to as a year,that which is
referred to as a month. What is the difference between this and that? Month is the
moon,, while a year is the sun,which illuminates the moon. This was during the time
that all the commandments of the Torah were passed on to them,
Come and see [with your inner vision the Template of the Tree of life]: If Adam
would not have sinned, he would not have tasted the taste of death in this world during
his passing into the other realms. However, due to his sinning, he does taste the taste
of death prior to entering into these realms. The spirit gets divested from this body and
leaves it in this world. The spirit gets cleansed in the River Dinur to receive its
punishment and then enters in to the Garden of Eden on this earth. Another vessel of
light that is precisely similar to the form of the body which he previously had on this
world is ready for it. It vests and prepares itself in it and there, is its permanent
residence. On the first of each month and Shabbat, the spirit connects to the soul and
ascends and crowns itself higher and higher. This is what is written: "And it shall
come to pass, that every new moon" (Yeshayah 66:23).
“That every new moon": Why? The secret of the matter is due to the renewal of the
moon that gets adorned to illuminate from the sun at that time, Similarly on "every
Shabbat," "every" is the moon, and "Shabbat" is the sun,, since the light comes to her
from Him. Therefore, it is all the same thing. That is the clear definition of this matter,
except for the sinners who are sentenced to death in all the realms, which means being
cut off from all the realms and losing all if they have not come to repentance. Rabbi
Yehuda said: Blessed is the All Merciful that I asked and gained these, and came to
understand.
It is a commandment to offer the afternoon sacrifice each day, and the additional
sacrifice on the Shabbat. And after it, to arrange the showbread and the frankincense
and the additional sacrifice on the first of the month. holy luminary, each day a gift
has to be sent to the King, to in the hands of the Queen. And if she is in her husband's
domain a supplement has to be given, namely the additional sacrifice of the Shabbat,
the first of each month and of all the festivals.
Furthermore, the one lamb and "two lambs of the first year without blemish"
(Bemidbar 28:9) correspond to the three Sefirot. Seven lambs of the first year
correspond to the seven. The seven lambs are seven days the moon,, for they are "of
the first year ( 'sons of a year')," namely, the sons of the moon which is called 'a year',
this being one of those primordial years
"And in the beginnings ( 'heads') of your new moons" (Bemidbar 28:11). How
many heads does the moon have, since there exists no head to the moon, but the sun,
, that is a head for it? There are two heads in every month, namely, Jacob and Joseph,
and they are renewed to the moo,. And it has, therefore, to be renewed,
"Two young bullocks" (Bemidbar 28:11): These are they about whom the moon said:
How can two use one crown? So then it contracted itself beneath them. "And one
ram" refers to the ram of Isaac, Where did Abraham go? It is because Esau awoke
there. And who is that? That is the he-goat (seir) of the new moon as Esau Therefore
Abraham, , was gathered up, that he should not be seen. Isaac,was there because his
love for him was as wine with its sediment-- Esau. Jacob, was there in order to cancel
the face of Esau. Joseph which is the ox was for Rachel.
"And in the beginnings (lit. 'heads') of your new moons" (Bemidbar 28:11). And
referring to Jacob and Joseph: "These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph..."
(Beresheet 37:2) that renew the moon.. I have found in the Book of Enoch that he
said that just as on the first day of the month, the moon,, is purified to come close
to her husband so must one portion be given to the Other Side and from the same
type; so also the woman when she is purified for her husband, one portion must be
given to the Other Side, and from its own type. And what is that portion ?It is the
fingernails with their dirt and a little of the ends of her hair, for she has to comb her
head and tie her hair together, and then that Evil Side will not go after her to harm her,
but will leave her alone from all sides. And what does she do with those hairs and nail
clippings? After she has bound them together, she has to place them where people do
not pass by, or in holes in the bottom of the yard, and conceal them there.
Again: "And in the beginnings of your new moons." The sages of the Mishnah
said: When the new moon used to be sanctified according to the court, flares used to
be kindled on the tops of the mountains and they used to say: Thus has He seen it, and
sanctified it. The moon would be shaped thus , sometimes with the horns facing
upwards, and sometimes so , facing downwards, sometimes to the east thus , and
sometimes to the west, thus sometimes to the south and sometimes to the north. And
this is its facing in six directions that Tiferet, which is a large Vav, encompasses, which
are Greatness, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzah, Hod, and Yesod.
The point that is drawn out of the moon, from the inside, is Hokhmah, and the line
that circumvents the moon is Keter. That point, is sometimes a crown, and sometimes
a throne to sit upon, and at yet other times a footstool for His feet.
Why is it called 'moon' ('levanah /white')? It is named after the clarification
(whitening) of the Halakhah, is from within: "The king's daughter is all glorious within"
(Tehilim 45:14) and it is whitened in the fire of Binah that descends upon it. And the
secret of the matter is to be found in the verse: "though your sins be like scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow" (Yeshayah 1:18). And whereas it was called 'Adonai', whose
letters spell 'Dina' ('Judgment'), which is red with Gevurah, where Binah is, it becomes
whitened by the side of Hesed where Hokhmah is, and returns to the Yud Hei Vav Hei.
And what is the cause of the moon’s changing from Judgment to Mercy? This is the
completely righteous, for the moon, is from the side of the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil. Its Klipah is darkness, if it is a bright black spot, which is the Evil
Inclination, which is a handmaid, "and it be lower...but be somewhat dimmer" (Vayikra
13:21). And it has nothing of its own, but only that thread that gives it light. For it
accompanies it during the night-time, which is the Exile and leaves it during the day,
which is is the next world, in which "But to you who fear My name the sun of
righteousness shall arise with healing in its wings" (Malachi 3:20).
But that point that is within the moon,, that is from the side of the Tree of Life, and is
as a never-ceasing spring, and about which it is written: "like a spring of water, whose
waters fail not" (Yeshayah 58:11), and it is called 'a loving hind' ‘from the side of
Hesed this being as is written: "I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore I
have remained true to you" (Yirmeyah 31:2); and it has two beams from the light,
thus: and sometimes "but one was higher than the other" thus: (Daniel 8:3), and at
other times they are equal.
"And on...the first month" (Bemidbar 28:16). Rabbi Aba opened, "As the hart pants
after the water brooks, so pants my soul after You, Elohim" (Tehilim 42:2). We have
already learned this verse, and although it contains masculine and feminine it is all
one, for the word Heb. ayil (. 'hart') is masculine, while the verb ta'arog (l 'she pants')
is feminine, and although the subject and the verb should agree in gender, ya'arog (.
'he pants') is not written because it is all one.'.
And then: "Draw out" as it is written "On the tenth day of this month" (Shemot 12:3),
That the holy moon, is joined to the sun,, about which it is said: "For Hashem Elohim
is a sun and a shield" (Tehilim 84:12). And whereas Malkut was a small point, she
filled out as the full moon, and then the month is full the moon, is full, and she
is: "the whole earth is full of His glory." Initially she was lacking, but now she is
complete.
Mishmeret Hodesh (Ben Ish Hai) p. 130
Rabbi Shimon was on his way to Tiberias when Elijah met him and said, Greetings, sir.
Rabbi Shimon said to him: With what is the Holy One, blessed be He engaged in the
firmament? Elijah replied: He is occupied with the sacrifices, and saying new things in
your name. Happy are you! And I came to welcome you with greetings, and there is
one thing that I wanted to ask you to settle for me. A question has been asked in the
academy of the firmament: In the next world there is no eating and drinking, yet it is
written: "I am come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh
with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey..." (Shir Hashirim 5:1).
Would one for whom there is no eating nor drinking say: "I have eaten my honeycomb
with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk?"
Said Rabbi Shimon: And what did the Holy One, blessed be He, reply to them? Elijah
answered: The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'There is the son of Yochai. Let him tell
you! So I came to ask you. Rabbi Shimon said: In what great affection did the Holy
One, blessed be He, hold the Congregation of Yisrael, and out of the intense love with
which He loved it, He altered his deeds from the way He had been Y doing. For,
although He does not usually eat and drink, because of the love of it, He ate and
drank. Since He had come to her, He did as she wanted. If a bride just entering the
wedding canopy wants to eat, does it not follow that her bridegroom will eat with her,
even if he is not used to doing so? This is what is written: "I have come into my
garden, my sister, my bride." Since I have come to her, to go with her into the
wedding canopy, "I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine
with my milk."
And we can learn this also from David, who invited the Holy One, blessed be He, and
changed his actions from the way the Holy One, blessed be He, was accustomed, and
the Holy One, blessed be He, accepted it and did as he wanted, for he (David) invited
the King, together with the Queen, as it is written: "Arise, Hashem, to Your resting
place; You and the ark of Your strength" (Tehilim 132:8), namely the King together
with the Queen. And in order not to make any separation between them, he changed
the vessels, and he altered the deeds of the King.
This is what is written: "Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness; and Your pious
ones shout for joy. For Your servant David's sake, turn not away the face of Your
anointed" ( verse 9). It should have said: 'Let Your Levites be clothed with
righteousness', and not: "Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness," since
righteousness is from the side of the Levites. Similarly, it should have said: 'and Your
Levites shout for joy', and not: "and Your pious ones shout for joy," since joyous
melody and song are from the side of the Levites. But he changed things and said:
"Your priests" and "Your pious ones," who are from the right side.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: 'David, this is not the way I do things.'
David replied: "For Your servant David's sake, turn not away the face of Your anointed"
(Tehilim 132:10). Do not alter the correction that I have instituted. He said to him,
'David, since you have invited Me, I have to do what you want and not what I want.'
From this we learn that if one invites another, the guest has to do as the host wishes,
even if that is not his usual way.
Thus: "And he took of the stones of the place" (Beresheet 28:11). When the
bridegroom comes to the bride, although it is not his custom to lie down without
pillows and cushions, when she gave him stones to lie on, he accepts it all willingly, as
it is written: "and lay down in that place" on those stones, although that was not what
he was used to.
This same applies in our case: "I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey." Although
this was not His way because of love of the bride. And this happens in the house of the
bride and not anywhere else. In His own place He neither eats nor drinks, but in her
place He both eats and drinks, as it is written: "I have come into my garden," the
angels whom the Holy One, blessed be He, sent to Abraham neither ate nor drank in
their own place, but for the sake of Abraham they both ate and drank. He said to
him: Master, upon your life! The Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to relate this
matter, but in order not to pay Himself a compliment before the Congregation of
Yisrael He raised it to you. Happy are you in this world, that your Master on high is
praised through you. About you is it written: "just, ruling in the fear of Elohim" (II
Shmuel 23:3).
