פָּתַח רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְאָמַר (שיר השירים ג׳:ו׳) מִי (קע"ו ב) זֹאת עוֹלָה מִן הַמִּדְבָּר וְגו', מִי זֹאת, כְּלָלָא דִּתְרֵין קִדּוּשִׁין (קדישין) דִּתְרֵין עָלְמִין בְּחִבּוּרָא חֲדָא וְקִשּׁוּרָא חֲדָא. עוֹלָה מַמָּשׁ לְמֶהוֵי קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁין. דְּהָא קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁין מִ"י. וְאִתְחַבְּרָא בְּזֹא"ת. בְּגִין לְמֶהֱוֵי (זאת) עוֹלָה דְּאִיהִי קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁין. מִן הַמִּדְבָּר דְּהָא מִן הַמִּדְבָּר יָרְתָא לְמֶהֱוֵי כַלָּה וּלְמֵיעַל לְחֻפָּה. R. Eleazar then opened his discourse thus: Who is this that cometh up (‘Olah) out of the wilderness? (S. S. 3, 6). The words Mi (Who?) and zoth (this) denote the separate holinesses of the two worlds joined in firm bond and union; and this union is said to be ‘olah (a burnt-offering), and so holy of holies. For Mi is holy of holies, and zoth through its union with this becomes a burnt-offering (‘olah), which is holy of holies. “Out of the wilderness,’: because she had to come forth from there in order to become the heavenly bride and to enter under the nuptial canopy. Further, the term midbar (wilderness) signifies speech, as we read, “and thy speech (oumidbarekh) is comely” (Ibid. 4, 3): by that midbar which is the utterance of the lips she goes up.
תּוּ מִן הַמִּדְבָּר אִיהִי עוֹלָה כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שיר השירים ד׳:ג׳) וּמִדְבָּרֵךְ נָאוֶה בְּהַהוּא מִדְבָּר דִּלְחִישׁוּ בְּשִׂפְוָון אִיהִי עוֹלָה. וְתָנִינָן מַאי דִכְתִיב, (שמואל א ד׳:ח׳) הָאֱלֹהִים הָאַדִּירִים הָאֵלֶּה אֵלֶּה הֵם הָאֱלהִים הַמַּכִּים אֶת מִצְרַיִם בְּכָל מַכָּה בַּמִּדְבָּר. וְכִי כָּל דְּעֲבַד לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בַּמִּדְבָּר הֲוָה, וְהָא בְּיִשּׁוּבָא הֲוָה. אֶלָּא בַּמִּדְבָּר, בְּדִבּוּרָא, כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שיר השירים ד׳:ג׳) וּמִדְבָּרֵךְ נָאוֶה. וּכְתִיב, (תהילים ע״ה:ז׳) מִמִּדְבַּר הָרִים. אוּף הָכִי עוֹלָה מִן הַמִּדְבָּר, מִן הַמִּדְבָּר וַדַּאי. בְּהַהִיא מִלָּה דְּפוּמָא אִיהִי סַלְקָא וְאָעֳלַת בֵּין גַּדְפֵי דְּאִמָּא, וּלְבָתַר בְּדִבּוּרָא נַחְתָא וְשַׁרְיָא עַל רֵישַׁיְהוּ דְּעַמָּא קַדִּישָׁא. Further, we have been taught as follows: It is written “these mighty gods; these are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all manner of plagues in the wilderness” (bamidbar) (I Sam. 4, 8). What does this verse mean? Was it only in the wilderness that the Lord showed them all His great deeds, and not in inhabited country? Not so, only the term bamidbar means “by means of the word”, analogous to the expression “and thy speech (oumidbarekh) is comely” (S. S. 4, 3), or to the expression “and from the word (oumimidbar) did the mountains arise” (Ps. 70, 7). Similarly here, “she rises up out of the word”, that is, by means of uttered words she mounts up and nestles between the wings of the Mother, and then by the same means she descends and rests on the heads of the holy people.
הֵיךָ סַלְקָא בְּדִבּוּרָא. דְּהָא בְּשֵׁירוּתָא כַּד בַּר נָשׁ קָאִים בְּצַפְרָא אִית לֵיהּ לְבָרְכָא לְמָארֵיהּ. בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּפָקַח עֵינוֹי הֵיךְ מְבָרֵךְ. הָכִי הֲווּ עַבְדֵי חֲסִידֵי קַדְמָאֵי, נַטְלָא דְמַיָיא הֲווּ יַהֲבֵי קָמַייְהוּ, וּבְזִמְנָא דְּאִתְעָרוּ בְּלֵילְיָא אַסְחָן יְדַיְיהוּ. וְקָיְימֵי וְלָעָאן בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וּמְבָרְכֵי עַל קְרִיאָתָהּ (וכו'). תַּרְנְגוֹלָא קָרֵי וּכְדֵין פַּלְגוּת לֵילְיָא מַמָּשׁ, וּכְדֵין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא (ס' ב) אִשְׁתַּכַּח עִם צַדִּיקַיָיא בְּגִנְתָא דְעֵדֶן, וְאַסִּיר לְבָרְכָא בִּידַיִן מְסוֹאָבוֹת וּמְזְהָמוֹת. (ומברכין). וְכֵן כָּל שַׁעֲתָא. Her ascent is effected thus. At the beginning of the day, when a man rises in the morning, it is his duty to bless his Master as soon as he opens his eyes. The pious men of old used to have by them a cup of water, and when they awoke in the night they washed their hands and rose and occupied themselves in the study of the Torah, having first pronounced the appropriate blessing. When the cock crows it is precisely midnight, and at that moment the Holy One, blessed be He, is to be found in company with the righteous in the Garden of Eden (Gan-Eden). It is therefore proper then to pronounce the benediction and study the Torah; but one may not pronounce the benediction with unclean hands. So, too, at any time that one rises up from his sleep.
בְּגִין דִּבְשַׁעֲתָא דְּבַר נָשׁ נָאִים, רוּחֵיהּ פָּרְחָא מִנֵּיהּ. וּבְשַׁעֲתָא דְּרוּחֵיהּ פָּרְחָא מִנֵּיהּ, רוּחָא מְסָאָבָא זַמִּין וְשָׁרְיָא עַל יְדוֹי וּמְסָאַב לוֹן וְאַסִּיר לְבָרְכָא בְּהוּ בְּלָא נְטִילָה. וְאִי תֵימָא אִי הָכִי הָא בִּימָמָא דְּלָא נָאִים וְלָא פָּרַח רוּחֵיהּ מִנֵּיהּ וְלָא שַׁרְיָא עֲלֵיהּ רוּחָא מְסָאֲבָא וְכַד עָאל לְבֵית הַכִּסֵּא לָא יְבָרֵךְ וְלָא יִקְרָא בַּתּוֹרָה אֲפִלּוּ מִלָּה חָדָא עַד דְּיִסְחֵי יְדוֹי. וְאִי תֵימָא בְּגִין דִּמְלוּכְלָכִים אִנּוּן, לָאו הָכִי הוּא, בַּמֶּה אִתְלַכְלְכוּ. For whilst a man is asleep his soul departs from him and an impure spirit comes forth and settles on his hands and defiles them: hence one may not pronounce a blessing without first washing them. Why then, one may ask, is it forbidden, after one has been in a privy, to pronounce a blessing or to read even one word of the Torah, even in the daytime, without washing the hands, although one has not been asleep, so that one’s soul did not depart, and one’s hands have not been defiled by an evil spirit? Why is it forbidden even if one’s hands are quite clean?
אֶלָּא וַוי לִבְנֵי עָלְמָא דְּלָא מַשְׁגִּיחִין וְלָא יַדְעִין בְּיִקְרָא דְמָארֵיהוֹן וְלָא יָדְעֵי עַל מַה קָּיְימָא עָלְמָא. רוּחָא חֲדָא אִית בְּכָל בֵּית הַכִּסֵּא דְּעָלְמָא דְּשַׁרְיָא תַּמָּן וְאִתְהַנִּי מֵהַהוּא לִכְלוּכָא וְטִנּוּפָא וּמִיָּד שָׁרֵי עַל אִנּוּן אֶצְבְּעָן דִּידוֹי דְּבַר נָשׁ. The answer is: woe to those who pay no heed to the majesty of their Master, and do not realise on what this world is founded. There is in every privy a spirit which feasts on filth and excrement, and settles forthwith on the fingers of a man’s hands.