How God Makes Peace Between Fire and Hail, Michael and Gabriel

[3] "Go forth and gaze, O daughters of Zion" (Song of Songs 3:11), the children who are marked out for Me by circumcision, by the shaving of the head, and by fringes. "Upon King Solomon" (there), upon the King to whom peace belongs. Another interpretation: "Upon King Solomon," the King who made His deeds whole with His creatures. He made fire whole for our father Abraham; He made the sword whole for our father Isaac; He made the angel whole for our father Jacob. Another interpretation: "Upon King Solomon," the King who makes peace among His creatures. Rabbi Yohanan said: "Dominion and dread are with Him" (Job 25:2). Rabbi Yaakov of the village of Hanan said: "Dominion," this is Michael; "and dread," this is Gabriel. "With Him" (there), and they make peace with Him, and this one does not harm that one. And Rabbi Yohanan said: From its days the sun has never seen the defect of the moon, nor does one constellation overtake its fellow, nor does a constellation see the one before it. Rabbi said: All of them ascend as one who ascends a ladder backwards. It is written, "He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters," and so forth (Psalms 104:3). Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai taught: The firmament is of water and the stars are of fire, and they dwell one with the other and do not harm one another. The firmament is of water and the angel is of fire, and they dwell one with the other and do not harm one another. Rabbi Avin said: Not only between one angel and another, but even the angel itself is half fire and half water, and He makes peace within it. And it has five faces: "And his body was like beryl," and so forth (Daniel 10:6). And it is written, "And there was hail, and fire," and so forth (Exodus 9:24). Rabbi Yehudah says: a flask of hail full of fire. Rabbi Nehemiah said: fire and hail mixed one within the other. Rabbi Hanin said: The reasoning of Rabbi Yudah is like a pomegranate berry whose seeds can be seen from within. Rabbi Hanin said: The reasoning of Rabbi Nehemiah is like the flame of a lamp in which water and oil are mixed together, and it burns from upon them. "And there was hail, and fire flashing" (there). What is "flashing"? Rabbi Yudah bar Simon said: It was summoned by name to carry out its mission. Rabbi Aha said: It is like a king who had two harsh legions that were at enmity with one another, and when the king's war arrived they made peace between themselves. So too fire and hail were at enmity with one another, and when the war of the Holy One, blessed be He, against Egypt arrived, "there was hail, and fire flashing" (there), a miracle within a miracle. "With the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding" (Song of Songs 3:11). Rabbi Yitzhak said: We searched through all of Scripture and did not find that Bathsheba made a crown for Solomon her son; rather, this is the Tent of Meeting, which is adorned with blue, purple, and crimson. Rabbi Hunia said: Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai asked Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Yose: Is it possible that you heard from your father what is "the crown with which his mother crowned him"? He said to him: It is like a king who had a daughter and loved her exceedingly. He did not cease to cherish her until he called her "my sister"; he did not cease to cherish her until he called her "my mother." So too, at first the Holy One, blessed be He, cherished Israel and called them "My daughter," "Hear, O daughter, and see" (Psalms 45:11). He did not cease to cherish her until He called them "My sister," as it is said, "My sister, my beloved" (Song of Songs 5:2). He did not cease to cherish her until He called them "My mother," as it is said, "Listen to Me, My people, and My nation," and so forth (Isaiah 51:4); and it is written "My nation" in a way that may be read "My mother." Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai arose and kissed him on his head; he said to him: Had I come only to hear this matter, it would have been enough for me. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "Make Me a Tabernacle," he should have brought four poles and stretched the Tabernacle over them. Rather, this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Moses above a red fire, a green fire, a black fire, and a white fire, and said to him, "Make Me a Tabernacle." Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the worlds, from where shall I get a red fire, a green fire, a black fire, a white fire? He said to him, "According to their pattern, which you are shown on the mountain" (Exodus 25:40). Rabbi Berekhiah in the name of Rabbi Levi: It is like a king who was revealed to a member of his household wearing a robe of precious pearls. He said to him, "Make Me one like this." He said to him, "My lord the king, from where do I have a robe of precious pearls?" He said to him, "You with your materials and I with My glory." So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Moses, if you make what is above down below, I will leave My council above and come down and contract My Presence among you below. What is above? "Seraphim standing" (Isaiah 6:2); so too below, "acacia boards standing" (Exodus 26:15). What is above? Stars; so too below, clasps. Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said: This teaches that the golden clasps appeared in the Tabernacle like the stars fixed in the firmament. "On the day of his wedding" (Song of Songs 3:11), there were nuptials. "And on the day of the gladness of his heart" (there), this is the Tent of Meeting. Another interpretation: "On the day of his wedding," this is the Tent of Meeting; "and on the day of the gladness of his heart," this is the building of the eternal House. Therefore it is said, "And it came to pass on the day that Moses finished" (Numbers 7:1).