חַיָּב אָדָם לְבָרֵךְ עַל הָרָעָה כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהוּא מְבָרֵךְ עַל הַטּוֹבָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ו) וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ. בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ, בִּשְׁנֵי יְצָרֶיךָ, בְּיֵצֶר טוֹב וּבְיֵצֶר רָע. וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ, אֲפִלּוּ הוּא נוֹטֵל אֶת נַפְשֶׁךָ. וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ, בְּכָל מָמוֹנֶךָ. דָּבָר אַחֵר בְּכָל מְאֹדֶךָ, בְּכָל מִדָּה וּמִדָּה שֶׁהוּא מוֹדֵד לְךָ הֱוֵי מוֹדֶה לוֹ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד. לֹא יָקֵל אָדָם אֶת רֹאשׁוֹ כְּנֶגֶד שַׁעַר הַמִּזְרָח, שֶׁהוּא מְכֻוָּן כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית קָדְשֵׁי הַקָּדָשִׁים. לֹא יִכָּנֵס לְהַר הַבַּיִת בְּמַקְלוֹ, וּבְמִנְעָלוֹ, וּבְפֻנְדָּתוֹ, וּבְאָבָק שֶׁעַל רַגְלָיו, וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂנּוּ קַפַּנְדַּרְיָא, וּרְקִיקָה מִקַּל וָחֹמֶר. כָּל חוֹתְמֵי בְרָכוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ בַמִּקְדָּשׁ, הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים מִן הָעוֹלָם. מִשֶּׁקִּלְקְלוּ הַמִּינִין, וְאָמְרוּ, אֵין עוֹלָם אֶלָּא אֶחָד, הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהוּ אוֹמְרִים, מִן הָעוֹלָם וְעַד הָעוֹלָם. וְהִתְקִינוּ, שֶׁיְּהֵא אָדָם שׁוֹאֵל אֶת שְׁלוֹם חֲבֵרוֹ בַּשֵּׁם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (רות ב) וְהִנֵּה בֹעַז בָּא מִבֵּית לֶחֶם, וַיֹּאמֶר לַקּוֹצְרִים יְיָ עִמָּכֶם, וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ, יְבָרֶכְךָ יְיָ. וְאוֹמֵר (שופטים ו) יְיָ עִמְּךָ גִּבּוֹר הֶחָיִל. וְאוֹמֵר (משלי כג) אַל תָּבוּז כִּי זָקְנָה אִמֶּךָ. וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים קיט) עֵת לַעֲשׂוֹת לַייָ הֵפֵרוּ תוֹרָתֶךָ. רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר, הֵפֵרוּ תוֹרָתֶךָ עֵת לַעֲשׂוֹת לַייָ:
One must bless the L-rd for the ill just as he does for the good. [When he blesses "dayan ha'emeth" for the ill, he must do so with joy and with goodness of heart, just as he does when he blesses "hatov vehametiv' for the good], viz. (Deuteronomy 6:5: "And you shall love the L-rd your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your might." "with all your heart" — with both of your inclinations, the good and the evil." "and with all your soul" — even if he takes your soul. "and with all your might" — with all your wealth. Another interpretation: "with all your might [meodecha]" — For every measure (middah) that He metes out (moded) to you, [whether for good or for ill] thank Him (modeh lo) exceedingly (me'od me'od). One may not deport himself light-headedly opposite the eastern gate (of the Temple) [outside the Temple Mount, in the lower wall at the foot of the Temple to the east], for it is aligned with the holy of holies. [All of the gates were aligned with one another: the eastern gate, the gate of the ezrath nashim, the gate of ezrath Yisrael, the entrance of the Ullam, the sanctuary, and the holy of holies — in the days of the first Temple.] One may not enter the Temple Mount with his staff, his shoe, his punda [a hollow belt where money is kept. Another interpretation: a garment worn on one's flesh to absorb sweat so that it not soil his other garments. It is demeaning for one to go out in that garment alone.], and with the dust on his feet. And he should not make it kapandaria [to go in by that entrance and to come out by the opposite one, thereby shortening the distance. "kapandaria" - "ademakifna dari, a'ol beha," i.e., "Instead of circuiting rows of houses, I shall (shorten my walk and) enter here."] And spitting [is forbidden in the Temple Mount] a fortioti [from shoes, viz.: If the wearing of shoes, which is not a demeaning act, is forbidden there, how much more so, spitting, which is a demeaning act!] All (prayer leaders) in the Temple would close blessings with "from the world" [The prayer leader says at the end of every blessing: "Blessed is the L-rd the G-d of Israel from the world until the world, the Bestower of knowledge"; and so with all. And the answerers say: "Blessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom forevermore." For "Amen" is not answered after every blessing in the Temple, it being written (Nechemiah 9:5): "Arise and bless the L-rd your G-d from the world until the world," and, afterwards (Ibid.): "And they shall bless the name of Your glory." That is, they answer: "Blessed is the name of the glory of His kingdom forevermore." And we are apprised here that in the first Temple they said only: "Blessed is the G-d of Israel from the world," and not more. They did not say: "until the world."] When the heretics, [who do not believe in the resurrection] distorted this, [saying: There is no world but this one], they [Ezra and his beth-din] instituted that they say: "from the world until the world" [i.e., there are two worlds, this world and the world to come.] And they instituted that one greet his fellow in the name [of the L-rd, this not being regarded as denigrating the honor of the L-rd for the honor of men, "taking" the name of the L-rd for their sake]. For it is written (Ruth 2:4): "And, behold, Boaz came, of Bethlehem, and he said to the harvesters: 'The L-rd be with you,' and they said to him: 'The L-rd bless you,'" and (Judges 6:12): "And he (the angel) said to him (Gideon): 'The L-rd be with you, O man of valor!'" and (Proverbs 23:22): "Do not scorn ki zakna imecha," and (Psalms 119:126): "It is time to act for the L-rd; they have voided your Torah," which R. Nathan expounded: "They have voided your Torah at a time of acting for the L-rd." [If it be contended that Boaz used this blessing of his own volition and that this cannot be taken as a precedent, this is negated by the angel saying to Gideon: "The L-rd be with you, O man of valor." And if it be contended that the angel is not saying this by way of greeting, but apprising him by the L-rd's embassy, that the Shechinah is with him, so that it, too, cannot serve as a precedent — this is countered by: "Do not scorn ki zakna imecha," viz.: Do not scorn Boaz, saying that he acted of his own volition; but learn miziknei umathecha ("the elders of your people"). He has authority to reply upon, viz.: "It is time to act for the L-rd; they have voided your Torah," which R. Nathan interpreted, etc., i.e.: Sometimes words of Torah are voided in order to act for the L-rd. — as in the instance of one greeting his fellow (in the name of the L-rd). This, indeed, is the will of the L-rd, viz. (Psalms 34:15): "Seek peace and pursue it." It is permitted to "void" Torah and to do something which seems forbidden.]
Ruth Rabbah
“Behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem” – Rabbi Tanḥuma said in the name of the Rabbis: There are three matters that the earthly court decreed and the supernal court agreed with them, and these are: To greet another with the name of God, the Scroll of Esther, and tithes. Greeting others, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “That think to cause My people to forget My name” (Jeremiah 23:27). When did they think to do so? It was during the days of Atalyahu. The Rabbis say: It was during the days of Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya. Rabbi Ḥananya said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon: It was during the days of Mordekhai and Esther. But Boaz and his court had arisen and instituted to greet another with the name of God, as it is stated: “Behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and he said to the reapers: May the Lord be with you.” Likewise, the angel said to Gideon: “The Lord is with you, mighty man of valor” (Judges 6:12).
The Scroll of Esther, from where is it derived? Rabbi Yirmeya said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Yitzḥak: What did Mordekhai and Esther do? They wrote letters and sent them to all the residents of the Diaspora: Do you accept upon yourselves “to observe these two days” (Esther 9:27)? [The residents of the Diaspora] sent and said [in response]: Are our problems with Haman not enough, that you impose upon us to observe these two days?154They were afraid that their celebration would arouse the ill will of the gentiles. They said to them: If you are afraid of this matter, it is written among the volumes, as it is stated: “[All the acts of his power and his might, and the full account of the greatness of Mordekhai, how the king advanced him,] are they not written in the book of chronicles [of the kings of Media and Persia]?” (Esther 10:2). What did they do? They wrote a second letter and sent it to them, “this second letter of Purim” (Esther 9:29).
Rabbi Ḥelbo said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: There were eighty-five elders, among them thirty-plus prophets who were distressed over this verse: “These are the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses” (Leviticus 27:34) – “these” [indicates that] one may not add and one may not subtract, and a prophet is not permitted to introduce anything new from now on; and Mordekhai and Esther are asking us to take upon ourselves something new? [They were distressed] until the Holy One blessed be He enlightened them and they found it written in the Torah, in the Prophets, and in the Writings:155They found an allusion to the writing of the book of Esther, and therefore were no longer concerned that the observance of Purim was considered a forbidden addition to the Torah. In the Torah, as it is written: “Write this as a memorial in the book” (Exodus 17:14). In the Prophets, as it is written: “They who feared the Lord spoke one with another; and the Lord heeded, and heard, and it was written in the book [of remembrance]” (Malachi 3:16). In the Writings, as it is written: “Are they not written in the book of chronicles” (Esther 10:2). Rav, Rabbi Ḥanina, Rabbi Yonatan, bar Kappara, and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: This scroll was not stated by the court,156It was not the court in the time of Mordekhai and Esther that first introduced the book of Esther. but rather was stated at Sinai, but there is no chronological order to the Torah.157Therefore, it does not appear in writing until the book of Esther. From where is it derived that the Holy One blessed be He agreed with them? Rav said: “The Jews fulfilled and received [vekibbelu]” (Esther 9:27), vekibbelu (pl.) is not written, vekibbel (sing.) is written; the master of the Jews received it.158The word vekibbelu is written without the concluding vav, such that it can be read in the singular. This is an allusion to the fact that Moses received it at Sinai.
Tithes, from where are they derived? It is as Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Keritzeppa: Due to the sin of [failing to separate] teruma and tithes, they were exiled. Shimon bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: When they were exiled they were exempted, and they obligated themselves. What did the members of the Great Assembly do? They wrote a scroll159Stating that they were obligating themselves to separate teruma and tithes even though they were exempt by Torah law. and unfurled it in the Temple courtyard, and in the morning they found it signed; that is what is written: “For all this we make a covenant, and write it, and it is signed” (Nehemiah 10:1). One verse says: “It is signed [al heḥatum (sing.)]” (Nehemiah 10:1), and one verse says: “It is signed [al haḥatumim (pl.)]” (Nehemiah 10:2). How so? Rather, al heḥatum is the supernal court, and al haḥatumim is the earthly court. Some say, the proscription of Jericho as well:160Following the capture of Jericho, Joshua declared all its spoils proscribed. So said the Holy One blessed be He to Joshua: “Israel has sinned [and they have even transgressed My covenant; they have also taken from the proscribed spoils]” (Joshua 7:11). Was it not Joshua who issued the decree? This teaches that the Holy One blessed be He, too, agreed with him.161When one of the Israelites took from the spoils, God said that they had “transgressed My covenant.”