Friday, June 13, 2014

Midrash Rabbah Shemot on God's Inseparability from the Torah

"Is there any acquisition in which the seller himself is sold along with the acquired item? The Holy One, blessed is He, said to Israel, 'I sold you my Torah, and as it were, I Myself was sold along with it', as it is stated, 'And let them take for Me a portion' (Exodus 25:2).

"This can be illustrated by a parable. It can be compared to a king who had an only daughter. One of the other kings came and took her as a wife. Subsequently, he sought to return to his land and to take his wife with him. The father-in-law king said to him, 'My daughter whom I have given you is an only daughter, thus I am unable to part from her. But I am equally unable to tell you, Do not take her to your land. Rather, do this favor for me: Any place that you go, prepare a room for me so that I may dwell near you. For I am unable to leave my daughter.

"So too, did the Holy One, blessed is He, say to Israel, 'I have given you the Torah. I am unable to part from it, but I am also unable to tell you, Do not take it. Rather, do this favor for Me: Any place that you go, prepare a house for Me that I may dwell therein.' As it is stated, 'They shall make for me a Sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them' (Exodus 25:8)."

-- Midrash Rabbah Shemot, 33.1

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