וְאֶת יְהוּדָה שָׁלַח לְפָנָיו. יְלַמְּדֵנוּ רַבֵּנוּ, אֵימָתַי מְבָרְכִין עַל הַנֵּר בְּמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת. כָּךְ שָׁנוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, אֵין מְבָרְכִין עַל הַנֵּר עַד שֶׁיֵּאוֹתוֹ לְאוֹרוֹ. וּמִנַּיִן לָמְדוּ, מִן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב, וְאַחַר כָּךְ וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ (בראשית א, ד). רַבִּי זְעִירָא בַּר אַבָּהוּ אָמַר, מִכָּאן שֶׁמְּבָרְכִין עַל הַנֵּר בְּמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת מִשֶּׁיֵּאוֹתוֹ לְאוֹרוֹ. And he sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:28). May our master teach us: When is the blessing over the light offered at the expiration of the Sabbath? Thus do our masters teach us: The blessing over the light (i.e., the Havdalah ceremony) is not pronounced until one benefits from the light (for reading). Whence do we learn this? From the Holy One Himself, blessed be He, as is said: And God saw that the light was good (Gen. 1:4). After that Scripture states: And God divided the light from the darkness (ibid.). R. Ze’era the son of Abahu said: Thus we learn that we do not bless the light at the expiration of the Sabbath until one can benefit from the light.
אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַאי, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הֱיוּ מְכַבְּדִין אֶת הַמִּצְוֹת, שֶׁהֵן שְׁלוּחַי, וּשְׁלוּחוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם כְּמוֹתוֹ. אִם כִּבַּדְתָּ אוֹתָן, כְּאִלּוּ לִי כִבַּדְתָּנִי. וְאִם בָּזִיתָ אוֹתָן, כְּאִלּוּ לִכְבוֹדִי בָזִיתָ. אֵין לְךָ אָדָם שֶׁכִּבֵּד אֶת הַמִּצְוֹת וְעָשָׂה אֶת הַתּוֹרָה כְּיַעֲקֹב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְיַעֲקֹב אִישׁ תָּם ישֵׁב אֹהָלִים (בראשית כה, כז), וְנִתְיַסֵּר בִּבְנוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, חַיֶּיךָ, אִבַּדְתָּ אֶחָד, תִּמְצָא שְׁלֹשָׁה, יוֹסֵף מְנַשֶּׁה וְאֶפְרָיִם. כֵּיוָן שֶׁבָּאוּ, בִּשְּׂרוּ אוֹתוֹ שֶׁיּוֹסֵף חָי. שָׁלַח יְהוּדָה פְּרוֹזְבָּטִים אֶצְלוֹ. R. Simeon the son of Yohai declared: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: Honor the commandments, for they are My emissaries, and a man’s emissary must be honored no less than the man himself. If you honor them, it is as though you honor Me, and if you are disrespectful toward them, it is as though you are disrespectful toward Me. No man revered the commandments and fulfilled the law as meticulously as Jacob, as it is said: And Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents (Gen. 25:27), yet he was visited with trials through his son. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Be assured, you will lose one son, but you will acquire three: Joseph, Manasseh, Ephraim. When they brought him the news (that) “Joseph liveth,” he sent Judah before him as his emissary.
וְאֶת יְהוּדָה שָׁלַח לְפָנָיו. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: הַמְשֵׁל וָפַחַד עִמּוֹ עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו (איוב כה, ב). הַמְשֵׁל, זֶה מִיכָאֵל. וָפַחַד, זֶה גַבְרִיאֵל. מִיכָאֵל מִן הַמַּיִם וְגַבְרִיאֵל מִן הָאֵשׁ, וְהֵן עוֹמְדִין לִפְנֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה וְאֵינָן מַזִּיקִין זֶה אֶת זֶה. הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר, עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו. And he sent Judah before him. Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: Dominion and fear are with Him; He maketh peace in His high places (Job 25:2). In this instance, dominion refers to Michael, and fear alludes to Gabriel.9Michael is the announcing angel, Gabriel, the prince of angels. Though Michael was fashioned from water, and Gabriel was formed out of fire, when they stood in the presence of the Holy Spirit they did not affect each other adversely. Hence it says: He maketh peace in His high places.
אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, כָּל הָרָקִיעַ שֶׁל מַיִם וְהַמַּלְאָכִים שֶׁל אֵשׁ וּמְשָׁרְתָיו אֵשׁ לֹהֵט, וְאֵין הַמַּיִם מְכַבִּין אֶת הָאֵשׁ וְלֹא הָאֵשׁ שׂוֹרֵף אֶת הַמָּיִם. יְהוּדָה וְיוֹסֵף, זֶה אֲרִי וְזֶה שׁוֹר. אֶתְמוֹל מִתְנַגְּחִין זֶה עִם זֶה, וְעַכְשָׁו הוּא מְשַׁלְּחוֹ אֶצְלוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְאֶת יְהוּדָה שָׁלַח לְפָנָיו. הֱוֵי, עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו. R. Simeon maintained that though the entire firmament is composed of water and the angels are of fire, The flashing fire, My ministers (Ps. 104:4), the water does not extinguish the fire, and the fire does not cause the water to evaporate. Similarly, though Joseph and Judah, the lion and the ox, had previously gored each other, now he (Jacob) sent him to Joseph, as it is said: He sent Judah before him. Hence, He maketh peace in His high places.