Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon began: “God settles the individuals in a home” (Psalms 68:7) – a noblewoman asked Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta, she said to him: ‘In how many days did the Holy One blessed be He create His world?’' He said to her: ‘In six days, as it is written: “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth”’ (Exodus 20:11). She said to him: ‘From that time until now, what has He been doing?’
He said to her: ‘He is sitting and matchmaking; the daughter of so-and-so to so-and-so, the wife3Referring to someone who has been widowed or divorced. of so-and-so to so-and-so, the property of so-and-so to so-and-so.' She said to him: ‘That is his vocation. I, too, can do so. I have several slaves and I have several maidservants and I can make matches between them in a single moment.’
He said to her: ‘If it appears simple in your eyes, before the Holy One blessed be He, it is as difficult as the parting of the Red Sea.’ Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta went on his way. What did she do? She took one thousand slaves and one thousand maidservants and stood them in several lines.
She said: ‘So-and so-man shall marry so-and-so woman, and so-and-so woman shall marry so-and-so man.’ She made matches between them in one night. The next day, they came to her. This one, his head was wounded, this one, his eye was gouged, this one, his leg was broken.
She asked them ‘What do you want?’ This one said: ‘I do not want that one.’ That one said: ‘I do not want this one.’ Immediately, she sent and brought Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta.
She said to him: ‘There is no God like your God. Your Torah is True, [it is] fine and praiseworthy, You spoke well.’ He said to her: ‘Is that not what I said to you? If it appears simple in your eyes, before the Holy One blessed be He it is as difficult as the parting of the Red Sea.’
What does the Holy One blessed be He do for them? He matches them against their will, not to their liking,4They marry appropriate spouses even though they are not aware of that at the time of the wedding. as it is stated: “God settles the individuals in a home; He liberates prisoners in chains [bakosharot]” (Psalms 68:7). What is “bakosharot”? It is with weeping [bekhi] and with song [veshirot].
One who is willing, with song, and one who is unwilling, weeps. Rabbi Berekhya said: In this language, Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta answered her: ‘The Holy One blessed be He sits and crafts ladders, and humbles this one and raise that one, lowers this one and elevates that one.’ As it says: “But it is God who is the Judge; He humbles this one and raises that one” (Psalms 75:8). There are instances where one goes to his match and there are instances where one’s match comes to him.
Isaac, his match came to him, as it is stated: “Isaac went out walking in the field…[Behold, he saw camels coming]” (Genesis 24:63). Jacob went to his match, as it is written: “Jacob departed from Beersheba.”