BLESSED WHEN GOING IN AND WHEN GOING OUT
ו) (דברים כח, בְּצֵאתֶךָ רוּךְ אַתָּה בְּבֹאֶךָ וּבָּרוּךְ אַתָּהבָּ
Blessed are you when you come in and when you go out
Bava Metzia 107a
Just as one enters this world without sin, one should strive to leave this world without sin. The sequence of the verse is out of order (first one leaves and then returns). Thus, this is not a normal blessing on one’s daily activities but this blessing is in regards to the comings and goings of one’s life.
Panim Yafos
Plain meaning of the Pasuk is the one’s entrance in the world is in holiness so is one’s exit.
Targum Yonasan
Just as one is blessed when coming into the Bais Medrash (to be involved in learning or other spiritual matters) so should one be blessed when going out to work (physical matters).
Bava Metzia 107a
Rav interpreted this verse: One should not find one’s wife a sefek (doubtful) nidah (abstaining possibly without cause leaves an opening for sinful thoughts) when coming back from a trip. So one should have a blessing go out from oneself (your prodigy – your children). This is like the saying of Chaza”l (Bava Basra 116b) that one who leaves behind (after death) a son involved in Torah is as if one did not die and is blessed in leaving the world.
Devarim Rabbah
R. Yehuda b. Simon said: This verse speaks about Moshe. ‘When you come in’ refers to when Moses entered this World and he brought close the distant, meaning Batya daughter of Pharaoh. ‘When you depart’ refers to when Moses left this World, and he brought close the distant referring to Reuben. How do I know this? The verse states (Devarim 33,6): ‘Let Reuben live and not die.’
Yismach Moshe
Introduction to commentary on Tanach: How great are the Righteous that they cause the Wicked to return to repentance! I heard from my Master Teacher and father-in-law o.b.m., who heard from his teacher, how one time in the Upper World, Rashi met the holy Rabbi Itzikel from Drahavitch, and Rashi asked R’ Itzikel: What merit and mitzvah does your son, the holy Rabbi R’ Michel, the preacher of Zolochov have? Because [Rashi] heard that the Heavenly Worlds were storming and tumulting over R’ Michel! R’ Itzikel replied to him that his son studies Torah for its own sake. But Rashi was not satisfied [with this explanation]. So R’ Itzikel added that his son takes upon himself much personal suffering, and fasts and undergoes cleansing afflictions, and even with this Rashi was not satisfied. So he told him further how he [R’ Michel] does much kindness and charity, and gives away all of his money to the poor etc., and still Rashi was not satisfied. Finally he told him that he brought back many from sin, and made many baalei teshuva, returnees to Judaism, and this finally calmed and settled Rashi’s mind, and his holy mind finally understood the great spiritual tumult caused in the entire Heavenly Kingdom.
