(א) וַיַּ֣רְא בִּלְעָ֗ם כִּ֣י ט֞וֹב בְּעֵינֵ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ לְבָרֵ֣ךְ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְלֹא־הָלַ֥ךְ כְּפַֽעַם־בְּפַ֖עַם לִקְרַ֣את נְחָשִׁ֑ים וַיָּ֥שֶׁת אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר פָּנָֽיו׃ (ב) וַיִּשָּׂ֨א בִלְעָ֜ם אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שֹׁכֵ֖ן לִשְׁבָטָ֑יו וַתְּהִ֥י עָלָ֖יו ר֥וּחַ אֱלֹהִֽים׃ (ג) וַיִּשָּׂ֥א מְשָׁל֖וֹ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר נְאֻ֤ם בִּלְעָם֙ בְּנ֣וֹ בְעֹ֔ר וּנְאֻ֥ם הַגֶּ֖בֶר שְׁתֻ֥ם הָעָֽיִן׃ (ד) נְאֻ֕ם שֹׁמֵ֖עַ אִמְרֵי־אֵ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר מַחֲזֵ֤ה שַׁדַּי֙ יֶֽחֱזֶ֔ה נֹפֵ֖ל וּגְל֥וּי עֵינָֽיִם׃ (ה) מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (ו) כִּנְחָלִ֣ים נִטָּ֔יוּ כְּגַנֹּ֖ת עֲלֵ֣י נָהָ֑ר כַּאֲהָלִים֙ נָטַ֣ע יְהֹוָ֔ה כַּאֲרָזִ֖ים עֲלֵי־מָֽיִם׃
(1) Now Balaam, seeing that it pleased יהוה to bless Israel, did not, as on previous occasions, go in search of omens, but turned his face toward the wilderness. (2) As Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the spirit of God came upon him. (3) Taking up his theme, he said:
Word of Balaam son of Beor,
Word of the man whose eye is true,
(4) Word of one who hears God’s speech,
Who beholds visions from the Almighty,
Prostrate, but with eyes unveiled:
(5) How fair are your tents, O Jacob,
Your dwellings, O Israel!
(6) Like palm-groves that stretch out,
Like gardens beside a river,
Like aloes planted by יהוה,
Like cedars beside the water;
וּמֵהֵיכָן הָיוּ הַקְּרָשִׁים? יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ נָטַע אוֹתָם בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁיָּרַד לְמִצְרַיִם. אָמַר לְבָנָיו: בָּנַי, עֲתִידִים אַתֶּם לְהִגָּאֵל. מִכָּאן, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עָתִיד לוֹמַר לָכֶם מִשֶּׁאַתֶּם נִגְאָלִין, שֶׁתַּעֲשׂוּ לוֹ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, אֶלָּא עִמְדוּ וְנִטְעוּ אֲרָזִים מֵעַכְשָׁו, שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה שֶׁיֹּאמַר לָכֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, יִהְיוּ הָאֲרָזִים מְתֻקָּנִים לָכֶם. מִיָּד עָמְדוּ וְנָטְעוּ וְעָשׂוּ כֵּן.
(טו) אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: וְהַבְּרִיחַ הַתִּיכֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַקְּרָשִׁים, יָרַד בְּיַד יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ לְמִצְרַיִם, שֶׁהָיָה קָשֶׁה שֶׁיְּשַׁמֵּשׁ מִן הַקָּצֶה אֶל הַקָּצֶה. וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא שֶׁאוֹתָן הָאֲרָזִים הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים שִׁירָה לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. הֵיאַךְ שִׁירָה אוֹמְרִים? שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אָז יְרַנְּנוּ עֲצֵי הַיָּעַר מִלִּפְנֵי ה'. וְאֵין אָז אֶלָּא שִׁירָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אָז יָשִׁיר מֹשֶׁה (שמות טו, א). וְאֵימָתַי? כְּשֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה מֵהֶן הַמִּשְׁכָּן. כְּשֶׁאָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה עַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן, אָמַר לוֹ: וְעָשִׂיתָ אֶת הַקְּרָשִׁים לַמִּשְׁכָּן עֲצִי שִׁטִּים עֹמְדִים (שמות כו, טו). וְעָשִׂיתָ קְרָשִׁים לֹא נֶאֱמַר, אֶלָּא וְעָשִׂיתָ אֶת הַקְּרָשִׁים, אוֹתָן שֶׁהִתְקִין לָהֶן יַעֲקֹב אֲבִיהֶם. עֹמְדִים, אוֹתָן שֶׁהֻעְמְדוּ קֹדֶם לָכֵן.
Where did the cedar beams come from? Jacob our patriarch planted them at the time he descended to Egypt. He told his children: My sons, ultimately you will be redeemed from this place, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will say to you: “You will be redeemed,” so that you may build a Sanctuary for Him. Therefore, go plant cedar trees now so that when He commands you to erect a Sanctuary for Him, beams of cedar will be available. Forthwith they arose and planted as he had commanded them to do.
(15) Our sages of blessed memory said: And the middle bar in the midst of the boards (ibid., v. 28). They went down to Egypt with Jacob our patriarch, for it was difficult for them to bolt the boards from end to end. Furthermore, these cedars intoned a song before the Lord. Whence do we know that they sang a song? Because it is written: Then shall all the trees of the world sing for joy before the Lord (Ps. 96:12). The word then is employed in reference to a song, as is said: Then sang Moses (Exod. 15:1). When did that occur? At the time the Sanctuary was erected from them. The Holy One, blessed be He, commanded Moses concerning the Tabernacle: And thou shalt make the boards for the Tabernacle of acacia wood, standing up (ibid. 26:15). “Thou shalt make boards” is not written here, but rather Thou shalt make the boards standing, that is, they should use those boards that their fathers had previously prepared for them. The word standing refers to the boards that were already in existence.