פָּתַח רַבִּי יוֹסִי וְאָמַר, (משלי ו׳:כ״ג) כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר וְדֶרֶךְ חַיִּים תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר. כִּי נִר מִצְוָה, כָּל מַאן דְּאִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, בְּאִינּוּן פִּקּוּדִין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, אִתְסָדַר קָמֵיהּ בְּכָל פִּקּוּדָא וּפִקּוּדָא חַד שַׁרְגָּא, לְאַנְהָרָא לֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא. וְתוֹרָה אוֹר, מַאן דְּאִתְעַסָּק בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, זָכֵי לְהַהוּא נְהוֹרָא עִלָּאָה, דְּאַדְלִיקַת שַׁרְגָּא מִנֵּיהּ, דְּהָא שַׁרְגָּא בְּלָא נְהוֹרָא לָא כְּלוּם. נְהוֹרָא בְּלָא שַׁרְגָּא, אוּף הָכִי לָא יָכִיל לְאַנְהָרָא. אִשְׁתְּכַח דְּכֹלָּא דָּא לְדָא אִצְטְרִיךְ. אִצְטְרִיךְ עוֹבָדָא לְאַתְקְנָא שַׁרְגָּא. וְאִצְטְרִיךְ לְמִלְעֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, לְאַנְהָרָא שַׁרְגָּא. זַכָּאָה אִיהוּ מַאן דְּאִתְעַסָּק בָּהּ בִּנְהוֹרָא וּבְשַׁרְגָּא. R. Jose began by speaking on the words: For the commandment is a lamp, and the Torah is a light, and reproofs of instruction are the way oflife (Prov. 6, 23). ‘This means’, he said, ‘that whoever endeavours to keep the commandments in this world will have a lamp lighted for him in the other world through each commandment which he fulfils, and he who studies the Torah will merit the supernal light from which that lamp is lit. For a lamp unlit has no value, and light without a lamp cannot shine, so the one has need of the other. The religious act is necessary to prepare the lamp, and study of the Torah is necessary to light the lamp. Blessed is he who takes it in hand both with light and lamp!’

וְדֶרֶךָ חַיִּים תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר, אֹרַח חַיִּים לְאָעָלָא בֵּיהּ לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, אִינּוּן תּוֹכָחוֹת, דִּמְקַבֵּל בַּר נָשׁ לְאַעֲדָאָה גַּרְמֵיהּ מֵאֹרַח בִּישׁ, וּלְמֵיהַךְ בְּאָרְחָא טָבָא. תּוּ וְדֶרֶךְ חַיִּים, אִינּוּן תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר, דְּאַיְיתֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלֵיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ, לְדַכְּאָה לֵיהּ מֵחוֹבוֹי בְּאִינּוּן תּוֹכָחוֹת. זַכָּאָה אִיהוּ מַאן דְּקַבִּיל לְהוּ בִּרְעוּ דְּלִבָּא. “And reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” The way of life by which man enters into the world to come consists in the reproofs and instructions which he receives in order that he may learn to keep away from the evil path and walk in the good way; or, again, we may translate, “reproofs of chastisement”, which the Holy One brings upon man to purify him from his sins. Blessed is he who accepts them with gladness!

דָּבָר אַחֵר כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה, (תקונא דשרגא) דָּא שַׁרְגָּא בּוּצִינָא דְּדָוִד, דְּאִיהוּ נִר מִצְוָה אוֹרַיְיתָא דִּבְעַל פֶּה, דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לְאִתְתָּקְנָא תָּדִיר, וְאִיהִי לָא נַהֲרָא אֶלָּא מִגּוֹ תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב, דְּהָא אוֹרַיְיתָא דִּבְעַל פֶּה לֵית לָהּ נְהִירוּ, אֶלָּא מִגּוֹ תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב, דְּאִיהִי אוֹר לְאַנְהָרָא. Another interpretation of this verse is as follows: “The lamp of the commandment” is the lamp of David, that is, the Oral Torah. This is like a lamp which has continually to be trimmed and attended to in order to receive light from the Written Torah. For the Oral Torah (tradition) has no light in itself except that which it receives from the Written Torah, which is an actual source of illumination.’

אַשְׁגַּח אֲבַתְרֵיהּ, וְחָמָא בְּרָתֵיהּ דְּאוּשְׁפִּיזָא קַיְּימָא אֲבַתְרַיְיהוּ, אָמַר כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה, מַאי נֵר. דָּא נֵר דְּאִיהִי מִצְוָה דְּנָשִׁין זַכְיָין בֵּיהּ, וְאִיהִי נִר דְּשַׁבָּת, דְּאַף עַל גַּב דְּנָשִׁין לָא זָכָּאן בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, הָא גּוּבְרִין זַכְיָין בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְנָהֲרִין לְהַאי שַׁרְגָּא, דְּנָשִׁין מְתַּתְקְנָן בְּהַאי מִצְוָה. נָשִׁין בְּתִקּוּנָא דְּהַאי נֵר. גּוּבְרִין בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, לְאַנְהָרָא לְהַאי נֵר, תִּקּוּנָא דְּמִצְוָה דְּנָשִׁין אִתְחָיְיבוּ בְּהוּ. When R. Jose had thus spoken, he turned round and caught sight of the innkeeper’s daughter standing there behind them. He continued: ‘ “For the commandment is a lamp.” What sort of a lamp? The lamp which is the women’s mitzvah (precept), the Sabbath light. For, although women have not the privilege of studying the Torah, men who have this privilege give that light to the lamp which it is the women’s duty to light. To women goes the merit of preparing the lamp; to men, by the study of the Torah, the merit of supplying the light for the lamp.’

שַׁמְעָת הַהִיא אִתְּתָא וּבָכָאת, אַדְּהָכִי קָם אֲבוּהָ דְּאִתְּתָא, דַּהֲוָת תַּמָּן, וְעָאל בֵּינַיְיהוּ, וְחָמָא בְּרָתֵיהּ קַיְּימַת אֲבַתְרַיְיהוּ וּבָכָאת, שָׁאִיל לָהּ אֲבוּהָ. סָחַת לֵיהּ (רבי אבא) עוֹבָדָא. שָׁאֲרִי אֲבוּהָ דְּאִתְּתָא אוּף אִיהוּ וּבָכָה. אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי יוֹסִי, דִּילְמָא חֲתָנָךְ בַּעְלָהּ דִּבְּרָתִיךְ, לָא זָכָה בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ וַדַּאי הָכִי הוּא, וְעַל דָּא וַדַּאי בָּכִינָן, אֲנָא וּבְרָתִי תָּדִיר. When the woman heard these words she broke into sobs. In the meantime her father had also risen and come to join the company. Seeing his daughter in tears he inquired the reason. She told him what she had heard, and he too began to weep. Then said R. Jose to them: ‘Thy son-in-law, the husband of this thy daughter, is, perchance, an ignorant man?’ And he replied: ‘Indeed, that is so. Therefore it is that my daughter and I must constantly weep.

וּבְגִין דַּחֲמֵינָא, לֵיהּ יוֹמָא חַד, דְּדָלִּיג מֵאִגְרָא דָּא, לְמִשְׁמַע קַדִּישׁ בַּהֲדֵי צִבּוּרָא, סָלִיק בִּרְעוּתָא דִּילִי, לְמֵיהַב לֵיהּ בְּרָתִי, וְתֵּכֶף דְּנַפְקוּ צִבּוּרָא מִבֵּי כְּנִישְׁתָּא, יָהִיבְנָא לֵיהּ בְּרָתִי. דַּאֲמֵינָא בְּדִלוּגָא דָּא דְּאָתָא לְמִשְׁמַע קַדִּישׁ, גַּבְרָא רַבָּא לִיהֲוֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ רַבְיָא, וְלָא יְדַעְנָא בֵּיהּ מִקַּדְמַת דְּנָא. וְהַשְׁתָּא אֲפִילּוּ בִּרְכַּת מְזוֹנָא לָא יָדַע, וְלָא יָכִילְנָא בַּהֲדֵיהּ לְמִלְעֵי בֵּין חַבְרַיָּיא, דְּיוֹלִיף קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, אוֹ בִּרְכַּת מְזוֹנָא. Once I observed him leap down from a high roof only that he might be present to hear the Kaddish prayer together with the congregation. Then it was that the thought entered my mind to give him my daughter to wife. This I did immediately after the congregation had left the synagogue that day. For, said I to myself, judging from the eager manner in which he leapt from the roof in order to hear the Kaddish, he will surely become one day a great scholar; although at that time he was but a youth and I had not known him before. But, in fact, he does not even know how to say Grace after meals. Even the recitation of the Shema I could not teach him.’

אָמַר לֵיהּ אַעְבָּר לֵיהּ בְּאַחֲרָא, אוֹ דִּלְמָא בְּרָא יוֹלִיד דְּלִהוֵי גַּבְרָא רַבָּא. אַדְּהָכִי קָם אִיהוּ, וְדִלֵג עֲלַיְיהוּ וְיָתִיב לְקָמַיְיהוּ. אִסְתָּכַּל בֵּיהּ רַבִּי יוֹסִי, אָמַר, וַדַּאי אֲנָא חֲמֵינָא בְּהַאי רַבְיָא, דִּנְהוֹרָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא יִפּוּק לְעָלְמָא מִנֵּיהּ. אוֹ בְּרָא דְּיוֹקִים מִנֵּיהּ. חָיִּיךָ הַהוּא רַבְיָא, וְאָמַר, רַבּוֹתַי אֵימָא קָמַיְיכוּ חַד מִלָּה. R. Jose said to him: ‘Make a change and take some other man as a husband for your daughter. Or perhaps he may yet have a son who will be a scholar.’ The young man had also by this time got up, and now leapt into the room and seated himself at the feet of the Rabbis. R. Jose looked on him long and earnestly, then said: ‘I most certainly see that the light of the Torah will emanate into the world, either from this young man or from his descendants.’ The young man smiled and said: ‘My masters, may I be allowed to say a few words in your presence?’

פָּתַח וְאָמַר (איוב ל״ב:ו׳) צָעִיר אֲנִי לְיָמִים וְאַתֶּם יְשִׁישִׁים עַל כֵּן זָחַלְתִּי וָאִירָא מֵחַוֹת דֵּעִי אֶתְכֶם. הַאי קְרָא אִתְּעָרוּ בֵּיהּ עַמּוּדֵי עָלְמָא. אֲבָל אֱלִיהוּא דִּכְתִּיב בֵּיהּ מִמִשְׁפַּחַת רָם, אִתְעָרוֹ, דְּהָא מִזַּרְעָא דְּאַבְרָהָם קָאֲתָא. וְשַׁפִּיר. אֲבָל אֱלִיהוּא כַּהֲנָא הֲוָה, וּמִזַּרְעָא דִּיְחֶזְקֵאל נְבִיאָה הֲוָה, כְּתִיב הָכָא בֶן בַּרַכְאֵל הַבּוּזִי, וּכְתִיב הָתָם (יחזקאל א׳:ג׳) יְחֶזְקֵאל בֶּן בּוּזִי הַכֹּהֵן. Then he began: ‘I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion (Job 32, 6). The pillars of the world have commented on these words. Elihu, who uttered them, was of the family of Ram (Ibid. 2), and it is said that he was a descendant of Abraham; and this is correct. He was also a priest and a descendant of the prophet Ezekiel, for of Elihu it says that he was the son of Barachel the Buzite (Ibid.), and of Ezekiel also it says he was “the son of Buzi the priest” (Ezek. 1, 1).