רב אמר כאילו בנה פלטרין של מעלה ושל מטה שנאמר (ישעיהו נא, טז) ואשים דברי בפיך ובצל ידי כסיתיך לנטוע שמים וליסד ארץ (אמר ריש לקיש) [רבי יוחנן אמר] אף מגין על כל העולם כולו שנאמר ובצל ידי כסיתיך ולוי אמר אף מקרב את הגאולה שנאמר (ישעיהו נא, טז) ולאמר לציון עמי אתה
and by 'alluf' an uncrowned ruler is meant. Desiring to become a proselyte, she went to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but they did not accept her. So she went and became a concubine to Eliphaz the son of Esau, saying, 'I had rather be a servant to this people than a mistress of another nation.' From her Amalek was descended who afflicted Israel. Why so? — Because they should not have repulsed her. And Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest [and found mandrakes in the field]. Raba b. Isaac said in Rab's name: This shews that righteous men do not take what is not theirs.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'stretch forth their hands to theft.' Since Reuben went when the fields had already been reaped, after which it is permissible for all to enter (Rashi). Maharsha explains: The wheat had not yet been harvested, but Reuben was careful to take only mandrakes, to which the owner of the field would not object.
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Or Neerav
The preceding verse states, Wisdom [cries out] in the streets (Prov. 1:20). This verse refers to the recondite secrets of our holy Torah. [Wisdom] states, How long will you simple ones love simplicity? (Prov. 1:22). In other words, you who follow after the simple meaning32Peshat. This refers to the simple, literal meaning of a given text. deceive yourselves with your love of simplicity—the part of the Torah you do believe in—which contains nothing beyond the simple meaning. And scoffers [be eager] to scoff. This has reference to [King] Manasseh [son of Hezekiah], who would expound [difficult haggadot and say, “Did Moses have only to write The sister of Lotan was Timna (Gen. 36:22)]?”33Sanhedrin 99b.
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Da'at Tevunoth
132 And that which applies to His behavior - applies to the creation because the course and murky creations were not created other than through hiding of His countenance, for the face of His holiness was not illuminated for them, and the honorable spiritual ones were created through the illumination of His countenance. And according to these fundamental principles was this connection between the body and the soul; that the soul, its matters in all their ways, come and continue through hiding of his countenance; and the soul and all of its matters - through the illumination of His countenance. And behold that man himself is the rectifier and the rectified, for he himself does he rectify through his service, and this is the subject (Sanhedrin 99b), "And you shall do them.." - it is written and you shall do you (Atem), that was explicated by the sages may their memory be for a blessing, and it is in his power [man's] to strengthen the physical and its ways himself or the spiritual and its ways. For if he goes after the vision of his eyes and the physical path of his heart, behold his soul, in place of that which was appropriate for it to be, to help the body, in order to refine it as we explained, just the opposite, causes loss and great damage to itself, for it is immersed in darkness. And the opposite of this, if he strengthens himself against his inclination and turns away from the path of vanity, in order to travel in the path of the Torah and Mitzvah - the soul will dominate over the body and refine it:
