Saturday, March 20, 2021

Basherte means happiness in getting soul-mate?

Vayikra Rabbah (8:1) A Roman lady asked R. Jose b. Halafta: ‘In how many days did the Holy One, blessed be He, create His world?’ He answered: ‘In six days, as it is written, For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, etc.’ (Ex. 31, 17). She asked further: ‘And what has He been doing since that time?’ He answered: ‘He is joining couples proclaiming: "A's wife to be is allotted to A; A's daughter is allotted to B; (So-and-so's wealth is for So-and-so).’’’1 Said she: ‘This is a thing which I, too, am able to do. See how many male slaves and how many female slaves I have; I can make them consort together all at the same time.’ Said he: ‘If in your eyes it is an easy task, it is in His eyes as hard a task as the dividing of the Red Sea.’ He then went away and left her. What did she do? She sent for a thousand male slaves and a thousand female slaves, placed them in rows, and said to them: ‘Male A shall take to wife female B; C shall take D and so on.’ She let them consort together one night. In the morning they came to her; one had a head wounded, another had an eye taken out, another an elbow crushed, another a leg broken; one said: ‘I do not want this one as my husband,’ another said: ‘I do not want this one as my wife.’ Immediately she sent for R. Jose b. Halafta and said to him: ‘Rabbi, your Torah is true, fine and excellent; all you have said was well said.’Said he to her: ‘Have I not told you that if in your eyes it is an easy task, it is in His eyes a task as hard as the dividing of the Red Sea, as it is said, He maketh the solitary to dwell in a house, He bringeth out the prisoners into prosperity-ba-kosharoth (Ps. 68:7)?1 What does "ba-kosharoth" mean?-"Weeping (beki) and singing (shiroth)." He who is pleased with his match utters song, while he who is not pleased weeps. And what does God do when bringing about matches? He pairs them together despite themselves, without their good will.’

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