Remember
Your
Creator
in
the
Days
of
Your
Youth
80.
The
sages
opened
that
verse,
“Remember
your
Creator
in
the
days
of
your
youth,
before
the
days
of
adversity
come.”
That
verse
was
explained
with
regard
to
Israel
when
they
were
in
the
holy
land.
“Remember
your
Creator”
means
remember
all
those
benefits,
and
all
those
signs
and
miracles
that
the
Creator
did
to
you
in
the
first
days,
when
you
were
a
youth
in
faith,
as
it
is
written,
“When
Israel
was
a
child,
I
loved
him.”
81.
“In
the
days
of
your
youth,”
meaning
when
He
chose
you
from
among
all
the
nations
of
the
world.
“Before
the
days
of
adversity
come”
means
the
days
of
old
age,
when
other
nations
governed
you
and
scattered
you
among
the
nations.
82.
“In
the
days
of
your
youth”
means
the
days
of
the
year
that
are
clear
to
you,
and
high
guarding
over
you.
These
are
four
months
in
the
year:
Adar,
Nissan,
Iyar,
Sivan.
There
is
the
miracle
of
Purim
in
them,
the
exodus
from
Egypt,
the
Omer
count,
and
the
giving
of
the
Torah.
These
are
days
when
the
Creator
chose
Israel,
when
He
performed
miracles
with
them,
and
the
assembly
of
Israel,
Malchut,
is
crowned
with
her
husband,
ZA,
and
approaches
him.
83.
“Before
the
days
of
adversity
come,”
the
days
of
old
age,
[the
months
of]
Tammuz,
Av,
Tevet,
in
which
we
torment
ourselves
over
the
ruin
of
the
Temple.
[the
month
of]
Shevat
is
also
days
of
adversity,
although
no
great
adversity
was
revealed
in
it,
as
it
is
written,
“But
a
rod
[Heb:
Shevet,
spelled
like
Shevat]
is
for
the
back
of
him
who
has
no
heart.”
84.
Years
came
when
you
say,
“I
have
no
wish
for
them,”
and
years
came,
the
years
of
exile
when
Israel
walk
shaken.
I
have
no
wish
for
them,
since
in
the
days
of
the
exile,
a
person
will
not
be
able
to
buy
in
the
market,
for
at
that
time,
pennies
will
be
gone
from
the
pockets.
85.
“Until
the
sun
and
the
light
grow
dark,
and
the
moon,
and
the
stars.”
The
sun
is
the
shape
of
the
face
of
the
Shechina
from
above
downward.
From
below,
they
are
the
authors
of
the
Mishnah
who
were
in
the
Land
of
Israel,
the
iron
hammers
shattering
rocks
and
uprooting
the
high
mountains.
86.
The
light
is
the
Jerusalem
Talmud,
which
shines
the
light
of
Torah.
After
it
was
canceled,
it
is
as
though
they
remained
in
the
dark.
It
is
written,
“He
has
made
me
dwell
in
darkness.”
This
is
the
Babylonian
Talmud,
in
which
the
people
of
the
world
walk
in
darkness.
87.
And
the
moon,
the
Braitot
[pl.
of
Braita
(texts
that
are
not
part
of
the
Mishnah)]
that
were
shining
the
light
of
HS.
And
the
stars
are
the
enlightened
ones
who
were
in
the
holy
land,
all
those
Tanaaim
and
Amoraim,
thanks
to
whom
the
world
stands,
since
when
they
stood
together,
a
person
would
say
to
his
friend,
“From
this
word
that
flew
out
of
his
mouth,
I
see
what
will
happen
on
this
day
or
the
next,
this
and
that.”
88.
“Until
the
sun
grows
dark,”
is
the
light
of
the
countenance
of
the
Shechina,
for
whom
ZA
would
shine
each
day,
and
from
that
light
that
existed
in
the
world,
and
Israel
sat
securely
in
the
land.
89.
The
light
is
the
light
that
the
Creator
created
in
the
work
of
creation,
which
shone
from
the
end
of
the
world
to
its
end,
and
was
concealed.
And
the
Creator
would
shine
and
drew
from
it
one
thread
of
His
right,
a
thread
of
grace
of
the
Creator,
and
the
moon
gripped
it.
At
that
time—of
the
ruin
of
the
Temple—it
is
written,
“turned
back
His
right,”
which
is
that
thread
of
grace.
90.
It
is
written
about
the
moon,
Malchut,
“Justice
lodges
in
her.”
Malchut
is
called
“justice,”
and
the
stars,
the
ministering
angels
who
were
coming
in
Malchut
and
were
known
in
her,
and
when
they
came
in
her,
they
would
be
canceled
from
existence.
These
are
“angels
of
peace.”
It
is
written,
“And
the
clouds
returned
after
the
rain,”
as
it
is
written,
“angels
of
peace
cry
bitterly.”
The
clouds
are
the
angels
of
peace,
who
became
clouds
due
to
the
ruin.
The
rain
is
weeping
with
tears.
91.
“In
the
day
when
the
guards
of
the
house
move.”
These
are
three
courthouses
that
were
teaching
Torah
in
the
Chamber
of
Hewn
Stones.
“And
the
strong
men
are
bent”
are
the
big
Sanhedrin
and
the
small
Sanhedrin.
“And
the
grinders
cease”
are
priests
and
Levites,
and
all
the
positions
that
were
in
Jerusalem.
92.
“And
those
who
look
through
the
windows
grow
dim”
are
the
prophets
and
the
watchmen
who
were
seeing
in
prophesy
and
in
the
spirit
of
holiness.
“When
the
doors
are
shut
in
the
streets”
means
that
people
shout
for
redemption
during
prayer,
yet
there
is
no
one
to
answer
them
since
all
the
gates
of
prayer
have
been
locked
since
the
day
when
the
Temple
was
ruined
and
the
work
of
the
house
of
our
God
has
been
canceled.
93.
“And
the
sound
of
grinding
is
low”
are
those
who
batter
the
incense,
who
would
raise
a
voice
each
day
in
its
battering.
The
sound
of
the
grinders,
the
voice
of
the
Shechina,
who
cries
out
each
day,
“Return,
O
wayward
children,”
and
there
is
no
one
to
look
at
her.
94.
“And
all
the
daughters
of
music
are
brought
low”
are
the
Levites
who
climb
up
the
stand
each
day
and
play
a
tune
of
a
song.
“All”
in
the
verse
means
all
the
daughters
of
the
song,
including
the
high
angels
above,
who
were
dividing
into
watches
above
corresponding
to
the
watches
below.
If
those
below
bent
down,
it
is
as
though
the
ones
above
bent
down,
as
well.
“They
are
also
afraid
of
height,”
afraid
of
the
shells
that
destroy
the
Temple.
Although
from
up
high,
they
are
small,
meaning
although
they
are
of
lesser
value
compared
to
the
high
ones,
they
are
nevertheless
afraid.
95.
These
daughters
of
music,
the
Levites,
were
bent
because
the
hands
of
80,000
Levites
were
tied
behind
them,
for
they
were
led
into
Babylon.
When
they
reached
the
rivers
of
Babylon,
they
hung
their
violins
on
the
trees
that
were
there.
They
would
ask
them
to
play,
and
they
would
say,
“How
can
we
sing
the
Lord’s
song
in
a
foreign
land?”
They
would
bite
the
thumbs
of
their
hands
with
their
teeth
and
cut
them
off,
and
they
could
not
play,
and
the
Babylonians
stood
and
killed
them.
96.
“And
of
terrors
in
the
way;
When
the
almond
tree
blossoms,
the
grasshopper
is
a
burden,
and
desire
fails.
For
man
goes
to
his
eternal
home,
and
the
mourners
go
about
the
streets.”
Terrors
in
the
way
are
because
they
were
going
into
exile
with
shackles
on
their
necks,
and
because
of
the
duress
of
the
load,
which
was
hard,
their
fingers
would
fall
off
on
the
way.
Jeremiah
would
collect
them
in
his
garment,
kiss
them,
and
weep
over
them,
and
he
would
tell
them,
“My
children,
did
I
not
tell
you,
‘Give
glory
to
your
God
before
it
grows
dark?’
It
is
written
about
that,
“I
will
take
up
weeping
and
wailing
for
the
mountains,
and
a
lamentation
for
the
pastures
of
the
desert.”
97.
“When
the
almond
tree
blossoms,”
since
from
the
day
when
the
leaves
of
the
almond
tree
begin
to
bud
until
it
bears
fruit,
it
is
twenty-one
days.
Thus,
there
are
twenty-one
days
from
the
seventeenth
of
Tammuz,
when
the
wall
was
broken
down,
to
the
nineth
of
Av,
when
the
Temple
was
ruined.
“I
see
a
branch
of
almond,”
meaning
that
the
judgment
came
upon
them
as
quickly
as
an
almond
tree
that
rushes
to
bear
fruits.
98.
“The
grasshopper
is
a
burden,”
means
that
a
load
was
placed
on
the
shoulders
of
David’s
descendants,
since
“burden”
means
suffering
and
load.
“Grasshopper”
means
David’s
descendants,
after
the
words,
“and
David
was
the
smallest
[youngest],
since
a
grasshopper
is
a
metaphor
for
smallness,
as
it
is
written,
“And
we
were
as
grasshoppers
in
our
own
eyes.”
“And
desire
shall
fail,”
for
the
work
of
the
house
of
our
God
has
been
canceled
since
the
Temple
is
Malchut,
called
“poor
and
meager.”
“For
man
goes
to
his
eternal
home”
is
the
glory,
Malchut,
the
face
of
a
man
who
departed
upward,
and
people
are
crying
out
in
prayer,
and
there
is
no
one
to
look
at
them.
99.
“Remember
your
Creator
before
the
silver
cord
is
loosened,”
meaning
the
place
where
the
priest
burns
incense
on
the
inner
altar,
called
the
“silver
cord.”
“Or
the
golden
bowl
is
broken,”
namely
the
house
of
the
Holy
of
Holies,
where
there
are
the
Cherubim
of
gold.
“Or
the
pitcher
shattered
at
the
fountain”
is
the
kingship
of
the
house
of
David
that
had
been
broken.
100.
“And
the
dust
will
return
to
the
earth
as
it
was,”
meaning
that
the
Temple
will
be
ruined
and
become
as
dust.
“And
the
spirit
will
return
to
the
God
who
gave
it.”
This
is
the
Shechina,
and
the
departure
of
the
spirit
of
prophesy
from
the
world.
101.
“In
the
day
when
the
guards
of
the
house
move”
are
the
Tanaaim
and
Amoraim
who
were
guarding
the
people
in
the
Land
of
Israel,
and
now
have
been
shaken
from
their
place.
102.
“And
the
strong
men
are
bent”
are
the
sons
of
Jacob,
as
it
is
written,
“and
there
are
strong
men
there.”
The
sin
of
the
sons
of
Jacob,
the
selling
of
Joseph,
was
that
they
were
strong
men
but
suffered
from
distortion
of
the
judgment,
as
it
is
written,
“Does
God
pervert
justice.”
These
mighty
men
suffered
from
perverted
justice,
which
is
why
it
is
written
about
them
“And
strong
men
were
bent.”
103.
The
people
of
the
holy
land
sent
to
the
people
of
Babylon,
“It
is
true
that
you
deserve
to
cry,
as
one
who
cries
from
afar,
since
the
mourning
and
the
crying
and
the
lamentation
in
wailing
and
in
bitterness
did
not
come
to
you,
for
you
washed
your
feet,
meaning
repented,
and
you
do
not
want
to
make
them
filthy,
meaning
to
sin
once
more
as
before,
as
it
is
written,
“I
have
washed
my
feet,
how
can
I
make
them
filthy.