Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Vigil (August 14, 2021) Luk 11:27-28

True Blessedness

27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”

28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

Most blessed of women be Jael,

the wife of Heber the Kenite,

of tent-dwelling women most blessed. JDG 5:24

Horayot 10b:15

And Ulla says: Tamar engaged in licentiousness withJudah (see Gen 38), and Zimri engaged in licentiousness with Cozbi (see Num 25:6-9). Tamar engaged in licentiousness, and kings and prophets emerged from her. Zimri engaged in licentiousness, and tens of thousands from the Jewish people fell. Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak says: A transgression performed for the sake of heaven is greater than a commandment performed not for its own sake, as it is stated: “Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women most blessed” (Jdg 5:24). Who are these “tent-dwelling women”? They are Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah, and Jael is more blessed than they are. Apparently, a commandment performed not for its own sake is a negative phenomenon.

Nazir 23b:6

Rather, one must emend the above statement and say as follows: A transgression for the sake of heavenis equivalent to a commandment not for its own sake. The proof is as it is written: “Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women she shall be blessed” (Jdg 5:24), and it is taught: Who are these “tent-dwelling women?” They are Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah. Jael’s forbidden intercourse with Sisera for the sake of heaven is compared to the sexual intercourse in which the Matriarchs engaged.

Rashi

Of tent-dwelling women—Heb. אֹהֶל. Referring to Sarah of whom it is said (Gen 18:9), “She is in the tent,” Rebekah of whom it is said (ibid. 24:67), “Then Isaac brought her into the tent,” and Rachel and Leah of whom it is said (ibid 31:33), “And he went out of Leah’s tent and he entered Rachel’s.”

Of tent-dwelling women most blessed—(Referring to) Jael, because they bore and raised children, but if not Jael, this evil one (i.e., Sisera) would have come and destroyed them. Another interpretation is that Jael also dwelt in tents (above 4:18), therefore she was mentioned in the blessing of tents.

48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed . . . LUK 1:28, 42, 48

And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” 1SA 1:11

Berakhot 31b:6

Incidental to this discussion of Hannah’s prayer, the Gemara explores related topics. In her prayer, Hannah said: “And she swore an oath and said, ‘Lord of hosts [Tzeva’ot], if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall be no razor come upon his head” (1Sa 1:11). Rabbi Elazar said: From the day that the Holy One, blessed be he, Lord of hosts until Hannah came and called him Lord of hosts. This is the first time in the Bible that God is referred to by this name.

Berakhot 31b:14

In the oath/prayer uttered by Hannah, she refers to herself as “your servant” [amatekha] three times: “The affliction of your servant . . . and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant” (1Sa 1:11).

Nazir 66a:10

MISHNA: The tractate concludes with an aggadic statement about Nazirites. Samuel the prophet was a Nazirite, in accordance with the statement of Rabbi Nehorai, as it was stated that when Hannah, his mother, prayed for a son, she vowed: “And no mora shall touch his head” (1Sa 1:11). How is it derived that mora is an expression of Naziriteship? It is stated with regard to Samson: “No razor [mora] shall shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God” (Jdg 13:5), and it is stated: “And no mora,” with regard to Samuel. Just as the term “mora” that is stated with regard to Samson means that he was a Nazirite, so too the term “mora”that is stated with regard to Samuel indicates that he was a Nazirite.

Rashi

O Lord of hosts—Why was this name designated here? She said before him, “Lord of the universe, you created two hosts in your world. The heavenly beings neither multiply nor do they die; the earthly beings both multiply and die. If I am of the earthly beings, let me multiply, and if I am of the heavenly beings, let me not die.” I found this explanation in the Aggadah of R. Jose the Galilean. Our rabbis in tractate Berakhot 31b, expounded what they expounded: Until then, there was no person who called the Holy One, blessed is he, hosts. She said thus before him; “Lord of the universe, of all the hosts which you created in your world, is it difficult for you to grant me one son?”

If you will . . . look—In tractate Berakhot, our sages expounded what they expounded.

Your servant—Which is stated three times in this verse, corresponding to the three precepts which a woman is commanded to observe.

A son—(Lit., seed of men, meaning) righteous men, as it is written (1Ki 2:32): “Two righteous men.” אנשים also means important men, as it is written (Deu 1:13): wise and known men.

Then I will give him to the Lord—That he be fit to be given to the Lord.

And no razor shall touch his head—Targum Jonathan renders: and the fear of man will not be upon him.

28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

John Gill

But he said—Christ said “to the woman,” Persic version reads, as correcting her, though not denying it, nor reproving her for it, but improving upon it:

Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it—Intimating, that though his mother was happy in bearing and suckling such a son, yet it was a far greater happiness to hear the word of God; meaning either himself, the eternal “Logos,” so as to embrace him, believe on him, and have him formed in the heart; or the gospel preached by him, so as to understand it, receive it as the ingrafted word, and bring forth fruit, and act in obedience to it, observe it, and abide by it, and never relinquish it. This is a greater happiness than to be related to Christ in the flesh, though ever so nearly. The Ethiopic version reads, “who hear the word of God and believe and keep it”: for faith comes by hearing, and shows itself in doing. Barely to hear the word, and even give an assent to it, will be of little avail, unless what is heard and believed is put in practice.

The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked

1 Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

Avodah Zarah 18b:5

The Sages taught: With regard to one who goes to stadiums [le’itztadinin] where people are killed in contests with gladiators or beasts, or to a camp of besiegers [ulkharkom] where different forms of entertainment are provided for the besieging army, and he sees there the acts of the diviners and those who cast spells, or the acts of the clowns known as bukiyon, or mukiyon, or muliyon, or luliyon, or belurin, or salgurin, this is categorized as “the seat of scoffers”; and with regard to such places the verse states: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord” (Psa 1:1-2). You learn from here that these matters bring a person to dereliction of the study of the law, since had he not sat in “the seat of scoffers,” he would delight in the study of the law.

Avodah Zarah 18b:11

Apropos the earlier discussion of the evils of scornfulness, the Gemara cites several statements that criticize such behavior. Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi taught: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers” (Psa 1:1)? Since he did not walk in the counsel of the wicked, how could he stand with them? And since he did not stand, how could he sit with them? And since he did not sit with them, how could he have scorned? Since he never joined the company of the wicked, he would have no reason to be involved with them in any manner.

Kiddushin 41a:1

has managed to acquire only anger, i.e., nothing beneficial comes through anger; in the end he is left with nothing but the anger itself. And a good person is given the fruit of his actions to taste. And with regard to any person who does not engage in the study of Bible, nor the study of Mishna, nor the desired mode of behavior, one should vow to not derive benefit from him, and one should have no contact with him, as it is stated: “Nor sits in the seat of scoffers” (Psa 1:1). The seat of this person is certainly the seat of scoffers, as he is engaged in nothing but idle matters.

Rashi

Blessed is the man—Heb. אשרי les felicements(?) in Old French. The praises of a man, and these are the praises of a man who walks not, because since he walks not, he did not stand, and since he did not stand, he did not sit.

Blessed is the man—This book was composed with ten expressions of song: 1) with conducting, 2) with melody, 3) with musical accompaniment, 4) with song, 5) with praise, 6) with prayer, 7) with blessing, 8) with thanksgiving, 9) with praises, and 10) with “Praise God.” These correspond to the ten men who composed them: 1) Adam, 2) Melchizedek, 3) Abraham, 4) Moses, 5) David, 6) Solomon, 7) Asaph, and 8-10) the three sons of Korah. Concerning Jeduthun, there is a dispute. Some say that Jeduthun was a man, as is written in Chronicles. Others maintain that Jeduthun mentioned in this Book means nothing else but the ordinances and laws of the decrees that were passed over him and over Israel.

Scoffers—(Old French, gabors.)

2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

Rashi

But his delight is in the law of the Lord—Hence you learn that the seat of scoffers brings one to neglect the study of the law.

And on his law he meditates—In the beginning, it is called the law of the Lord, and after he has toiled to master it, it is called his own law.

He meditates—Heb. יהגה. Every expression of הגה refers to the heart, as you say (below 19:15): “and the meditation (והגיון) of my heart”; (Isa 33:18), “Your heart will muse (יהגה) on the terror”; (Pro 24:2), “For their hearts devise (יהגה) violence.”

3 He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers. PSA 1:1-3

Rashi

Planted—Heb. שתול, plonte in Old French (plante).

Streams—Ruyseys in Old French, (ruisseaux), brooks (as in Eze 32:6).

And its leaf does not wither—Even the inferior part of it serves a purpose. The conversation of law scholars is essential and requires study.

Does not wither—Heb. יבול, an expression of wilting, fleistre in Old French.