Regarding what the verse said: “Happy is the person who heeds me, [to persist at my gates daily, to protect the doorposts of my entrances]” (Proverbs 8:34), what is “happy is the person who heeds me”? The Holy One blessed be He said: Happy is the person whose Torah discourse is for My sake.6The verse is ordinarily read as referring to wisdom or Torah, but the midrash reads it as referring to God. What is, “to persist at my gates” (Proverbs 8:34)?
The Holy One blessed be He said: If you go to pray inside the synagogue, do not stand near the outer entrance to pray there; rather, intend to enter an entrance within an entrance;7Meaning, if there are two doors with a small hall between them, do not stay in the small hall, enter through the second door to the large chamber. it is not written, “to persist at my gate,” but is written “at my gates” – two gates.
Why is it so? It is because the Holy One blessed be He counts your strides and gives you reward.8You receive a reward for taking the extra steps to enter into the synagogue and not stay in the entranceway. What is “to protect the doorposts [mezuzot] of my entrances” (Proverbs 8:34)? Rabbi Yehuda bar Sima said: Is there a mezuza in synagogues?9It is stated in the Gemara (Yoma 11b) that according to the Sages, synagogues are exempt from the mitzva of mezuza.
Rather, just as the mezuza does not move from the entrance, so too, you will not move from synagogues and study halls. The Holy One blessed be He said: If you do so, know that you will receive the Divine Presence. What is written thereafter? “For one who finds Me finds life” (Proverbs 8:35).
The Holy One blessed be He said: Who is it who came to the synagogue and did not find My glory there? Rabbi Aivu said: Moreover, when you stand in the synagogue, the Holy One blessed be He stands over you. From where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “God stands in the assembly of the Almighty” (Psalms 82:1).
The Holy One blessed be He said: It is not only that you receive the Divine Presence in the synagogue, but you emerge from there laden with blessings. From where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “For one who finds Me finds life, and generates favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 8:35). That is, “it will be if you will heed…”