“And you shall command,” that is what is written: “You would call and I would answer You, You would yearn [tikhsof] for Your handiwork” (Job 14:15). Regarding four matters the Holy One blessed be He longed for his handiwork. “Tikhsof” is nothing other than longing, as it is stated: “Because you longed [nikhsof nikhsafta]” (Genesis 31:30); “My soul longs [nikhsefa], indeed it pines” (Psalms 84:3). These are the four matters: The Holy One blessed be He bears [sovel] His world, as it is stated: “I have done and I will carry, I will bear [esbol] and I will rescue” (Isaiah 46:4), yet He commanded the sons of Kehat to bear Him, as it is stated: “But he did not give to the sons of Kehat, because the sacred service is upon them; they shall bear on the shoulder” (Numbers 7:9).
Know, that, as it were, He bore them when they came to the Jordan, as it is stated: “The Jordan was overflowing all its banks” (Joshua 3:15), and the sons of Kehat were unable to cross. What did the Holy One blessed be He do? He bore them, as it is stated: “It shall be as the soles of the feet of the priests will rest” (Joshua 3:13). Rabbi Berekhya said: The Ark bears its bearers.
The priests did not bear it, but rather, it bore them, as it is stated: “The soles of the feet of the priests were drawn up [onto dry ground]” (Joshua 4:18). The Holy One blessed be He guards [meshamer] His world, as it is stated: “Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. The Lord is your Guardian” (Psalms 121:4–5). And He said to Israel that they should guard Him, as it is stated: “And those encamped in front of the Tabernacle, to the east, in front of the Tent of Meeting: [Moses, and Aaron, and his sons, keeping [shomrim] the commission of the Sanctuary]” (Numbers 3:38).
He illuminates the world, as it is written: “The earth shone with His glory” (Ezekiel 43:2). And He said of Israel: “They shall bring you pure olive oil.” That is, “yearn for Your handiwork.” 21