1. "And Hashem spoke to Moses saying, Speak to the children of Yisrael, saying, If a woman has conceived seed, and born a male child..." (Vayikra 12:2). Rabbi Elazar opened with, "By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loves" (Shir Hashirim 3:1). HE ASKS, It says, "on my bed," while it should have said, "in my bed," why "on my bed?" AND HE ANSWERS, The Congregation of Yisrael spoke before the Holy One, blessed be He, and beseeched him concerning the exile, because she is sitting among the other nations with her children, and lying in the dust. And since she is lying in another, defiled land, she said, "on my bed" I beseech, since I am lying in exile, AND EXILE IS CALLED 'NIGHTS.' Therefore, "I sought him whom my soul loves," to take me out of it.
1. וַיְדַבֵּר יְיָ' אֶל מֺשֶׁה לֵאמֺר אִשָּׁה כִּי תַזְרִיעַ וְיָלְדָה זָכָר וְגוֹ.' ר' אֶלְעָזָר פָּתַח, עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי בַּלֵּילוֹת בִּקַּשְׁתִּי וְגוֹ.' עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי, בְּמִשְׁכָּבִי מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, מַהוּ עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי. אֶלָּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אָמְרָה קָמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וּבָעָאת מִנֵּיהּ עַל גָּלוּתָא, בְּגִין דְּהִיא יָתְבָא בֵּין שְׁאָר עַמִּין עִם בְּנָהָא, וּשְׁכִיבַת לְעַפְרָא, וְעַל דְּהִיא שְׁכִיבַת בְּאַרְעָא אָחֳרָא מִסְאֲבָא, אָמְרָה, עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי בָּעֵינָא, דְּשָׁכִיבְנָא בְּגָלוּתָא, וְעַל דָּא, בִּקַּשְׁתִּי אֵת שֶׁאָהֲבָה נַפְשִׁי וּלְאַפָּקָא לִי מִנֵּיהּ.