The Day of His Wedding and the Joy of Jerusalem Restored

"On the day of his wedding" (Song of Songs 3:11) refers to the sea; "and on the day of the gladness of his heart" refers to Jerusalem. Another interpretation: "on the day of his wedding" refers to Sinai; "and on the day of the gladness of his heart" refers to the days of consecration of the Tabernacle. David said, "Beautiful in elevation, the joy of all the earth" (Psalms 48:3) like a fig tree, which is narrow below and wide above, as it is said, "and it widened and wound about higher and higher" (Ezekiel 41:7). "Beautiful in elevation [nof]" Rabbi Levi said: it is lovely in itself, for it winnows [menifah] the nations of the world, as it is said, "to winnow the nations with the sieve of emptiness" (Isaiah 30:28). Another interpretation, what is "beautiful nof"? In its waving [hanafah], as it is said, "and Aaron waved" (Numbers 8:11), "and he shall wave the omer" (Leviticus 23:11). "The joy of all the earth" Rabbi Jonathan ben Elazar said: it happened that a certain merchant went to the Land of Israel to sell pepper. He went and sat and did not sell. He said, "This is what they mean by 'the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, the far north' (Psalms 48:3)." In a single hour he sold all the merchandise he had in hand. He said, "Surely this is the joy of all the earth." And all this praise is because she is "the city of the great King" (ibid.). Once Jerusalem was destroyed, "all joy has reached its eventide, the gladness of the earth has gone into exile" (Isaiah 24:11). What is "reached its eventide [arvah]"? It became dark and dim, as you say, "and it was evening [erev]." In this world the joy of all the earth has ceased; when the Holy One, blessed be He, returns and rebuilds Jerusalem, He restores the joy, as it is said, "For the LORD comforts Zion, He comforts all her ruins, and He makes her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the LORD; gladness and joy shall be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of song" (Isaiah 51:3). "And Moses blessed them" he said to them, "May it be His will that the Divine Presence rest upon the work of your hands." Rabbi Yose says: thus he said to them, "May the LORD, the God of your fathers, add to you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you" (Deuteronomy 1:11). He said to them, "Just as you have merited the work of the Tabernacle, so may you merit to build for yourselves the eternal House, within which the Divine Presence is destined to dwell," as it is said, "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 25:8).