30. "And I will set My Tabernacle among you" (Vayikra 26:11). The Tabernacle is the Shechinah. "My Tabernacle," means My pledge, as THE SHECHINAH was pledged because of the sins of Yisrael AND WENT INTO EXILE WITH THEM. "And I will set My Tabernacle," My pledge, surely. This is like the fable about a man who loved his neighbor. He said to him: 'I have the highest regard for you and wish to dwell with you.' HIS FRIEND said: 'How can I be sure you shall live with me?' He took all the delightful objects of his house and brought them to him. He said: 'Here is my pledge that I will never part from you.'
30. וְנָתַתִּי מִשְׁכָּנִי בְּתוֹכְכֶם וְגוֹ.' וְנָתַתִּי מִשְׁכָּנִי, דָּא שְׁכִינְתָּא. מִשְׁכָּנִי: מַשְׁכּוֹנָא דִּילִי. דְּהִיא אִתְמַשְׁכְּנָא בְּחוֹבַיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. וְנָתַתִּי מִשְׁכָּנִי, מַשְׁכּוֹנִי וַדַּאי. מְתַל לב"נ דַּהֲוָה רְחִימָא לְאָחֳרָא, אָ"ל וַדַּאי בִּרְחִימוּתָא עִלָּאָה דְּאִית לִי גַּבָּךְ, בָּעֵינָא לְדַיְּירָא עִמָּךְ. אָמַר הֵיךְ אֶנְדַּע דְּתֵידוּר גַּבַּאי, נָטַל כָּל כִּסּוּפָא דְּבֵיתֵיהּ, וְאַיְיתֵי לְגַבֵּיהּ, אָמַר הָא מַשְׁכּוֹנָא לְגַבָּךְ, דְּלָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ מִנָךְ לְעָלְמִין.
31. Likewise, the Holy One, blessed be He, wished to dwell among Yisrael. What did He do? He took His precious delight, THE SHECHINAH, and brought it down to Yisrael. He said to them: 'Here I give you My pledge, so that I will never part from you.' Though the Holy One, blessed be He, has gone away from us, He left the pledge in our hands, AS THE SHECHINAH IS WITH US IN EXILE, and we keep His delight. When He asks for His pledge, He will come to dwell with us. Hence, IT IS WRITTEN: "And I will set My Tabernacle (Heb. mishkan) among you," meaning I will give a pledge (Heb. mashkon) in your hands that I will dwell with you. And though Yisrael are now in exile, they have the pledge of the Holy One, blessed be He, and they never left Him.
31. כַּךְ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בָּעָא לְדַיְּירָא בְּהוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, מָה עֲבַד, נָטַל כִּסּוּפָא דִּילֵיהּ, וְנָחִית לְהוּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. אָמַר לוֹן, יִשְׂרָאֵל, הָא מַשְׁכּוֹנָא דִּילִי גַּבַּיְיכוּ, בְּגִין דְּלָא אֶתְפְּרַשׁ מִנַּיְיכוּ לְעָלְמִין. ואע"ג דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרְחִיק מִינָן, מַשְׁכּוֹנָא שָׁבִיק בִּידָן, וַאֲנָן נַטְרִין הַהוּא כִּסּוּפָא דִּילֵיהּ, מַאן דְּיִבְעֵי מַשְׁכּוֹנֵיהּ יֵיתֵי לְדַיְּירָא גַּבָּן בְּג"כ וְנָתַתִּי מִשְׁכָּנִי בְּתוֹכְכֶם, מַשְׁכּוֹנָא אֶתֵּן בִּידַיְיכוּ, בְּגִין דְּאֵדּוּר עִמְּכוֹן. ואע"ג דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל הַשְׁתָּא בְּגָלוּתָא, מַשְׁכּוֹנָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הוּא גַּבַּיְיהוּ. וְלָא שָׁבְקוּ לֵיהּ לְעָלְמִין.
32. "...And My Spirit shall not abhor you" (Ibid.). This is likened to a man who loved his friend and wished to dwell with him. What did he do? He took his own bed, brought it to his house and said: 'Here is my bed in your house, so that I shall not go away from you, your bed and your possessions.' So did the Holy One, blessed be He, say: '"And I will set My Tabernacle among you: and My soul shall not abhor you." Behold My bed, THE SHECHINAH, in your house. Now that My bed is with you, know that I shall not be separated from you.' Therefore, "and My soul shall not abhor you;" I WILL NOT GO AWAY FROM YOU.
32. וְלֹא תִגְעַל נַפְשִׁי אֶתְכֶם, לב"נ דְּרָחִים לְחַבְרֵיהּ, וּבָעָא לְדַיְּירָא עִמֵּיהּ, מַה עֲבַד, נָטַל עַרְסָא דִּילֵיהּ וְאַיְיתִי לְבֵיתֵיהּ. אָמַר דָּא עַרְסָא דִּילִי בְּבֵיתָיךְ, בְּגִין דְּלָא אַרְחִיק מִינָךְ, עַרְסָךְ, וּמָאנָךְ. כַּךְ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָמַר, וְנָתַתִּי מִשְׁכָּנִי בְּתוֹכְכֶם וְלֹא תִגְעַל נַפְשִׁי אֶתְכֶם, הָא עַרְסָא דִּילִי בְּבֵיתַיְיכוּ, כֵּיוָן דְּעַרְסָא דִּילִי עִמְּכוֹן, תִּנְדְּעוּן דְּלָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ מִנַּיְיכוּ, ובג"כ וְלֹא תִגְעַל נַפְשִׁי אֶתְכֶם.
39. Rabbi Yitzchak opened the discussion and said: "My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart: behold, he..." (Shir Hashirim 2:9). Happy are Yisrael who have merited this pledge of the most High King. And though they are in exile, the Holy One, blessed be He, comes every new moon, every Shabbat, and every holiday, to look in at them and observe His pledge, His delight, that is with them.
39. פָּתַח רִבִּי יִצְחָק וְאָמַר דּוֹמֶה דּוֹדִי לִצְבִי אוֹ לְעוֹפֶר הָאַיָּלִים הִנֵּה זֶה וְגוֹ.' זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּזָכוּ דְּמַשְׁכּוֹנָא דָּא לְמֶהֱוֵי גַּבַּיְיהוּ, מִן מַלְכָּא עִלָּאָה. דְּאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִינּוּן בְּגָלוּתָא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָתֵי בְּכָל רֵישׁ יַרְחֵי וְשַׁבַּתֵּי וּזְמַנֵי, לְאַשְׁגְּחָא עָלַיְיהוּ, וּלְאִסְתַּכְּלָא בְּהַהוּא מַשְׁכּוֹנָא דְּאִית לֵיהּ גַּבַּיְיהוּ, דְּאִיהוּ כִּסּוּפָא דִּילֵיהּ.