Esnoga Bet Emunah - 227 Millset Chase - San Antonio, Texas 78253

Telephone: (210) 277 8649 - United States of America © 2006

 

Three and 1/2 year Lectionary Readings

First Year of the Reading Cycle

Ab 18, 5766 – August 11/12, 2006

Fifth Year of the Shemittah Cycle

 

Texas, U.S. – Candle lighting times:             Friday, August 11, 2006 – Light Candles at: 8:01 PM

Saturday, August 12, 2006 – Havdalah 8:55 PM

 

Brisbane, Australia – Candle lighting times: Friday, August 11, 2006 – Light Candles at: 5:06 PM

Saturday, August 12, 2006 – Havdalah 6:00 PM

 

Singapore, Singapore – Candle lighting times           Friday, August 11, 2006 Light Candles at: 6:57 PM

Saturday, August 12, 2006 – Havdalah 7:46 PM

 

For other places see: http://chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting.asp

 

Shabbat Nachamu 2 - Second Sabbath of the Consolation of Israel

 

Shabbat

Torah Reading:

Weekday Torah Reading:

וְאֶת-הַמִּשְׁכָּן

 

 

“V’Et Ha-Mishkan”

Reader 1 – Sh’mot 26:1-6

Reader 1 – Sh’mot 26:31-33

“And the Tabernacle”

Reader 2 – Sh’mot 26:7-9

Reader 2 – Sh’mot 26:34-37

“Y el Tabernáculo”

Reader 3 – Sh’mot 26:10-14

Reader 3 – Sh’mot 26:31-37

Sh’mot  (Exodus) 26:1-30

Reader 4 – Sh’mot 26:15-17

 

Ashlamatah: Isaiah 66:1-10

Reader 5 – Sh’mot 26:18-21

 

Special: Isaiah  49:14 – 51:3

Reader 6 – Sh’mot 26:22-25

Reader 1 – Sh’mot 27:1-3

Psalm 60

Reader 7 – Sh’mot 26:26-30

Reader 2 – Sh’mot 27:4-8

Pirke Abot 5:20

      Maftir – Sh’mot 26:28-30

Reader 3 – Sh’mot 27:1-8

N.C.: Matityahu 10:21-31

                    Isaiah 49:14 – 51:3

 

 

 

Roll of Honor:

 

This Torah commentary comes to you courtesy of His Honour Paqid Adon Hillel ben David and most beloved family, and that of Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah and beloved family, as well as that of His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann and beloved family and that of His Excellency Adon John Batchelor and beloved wife, and that of His Excellency Adon Ezra ben Abraham and his beloved wife Giberet Karmela bat Sarah. For their regular and sacrificial giving, we pray G-d’s richest blessings upon their lives and those of their loved ones, together with all Yisrael, amen ve amen! Also a great thank you to all who send comments to the list about the contents and commentary of the weekly Seder. If you want to subscribe to our list and ensure that you never loose any of our commentaries, or would like your friends also to receive this commentary, please do send me an E-Mail, with your E-Mail or the E-Mail addresses of your friends.

 

 

 

Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Sh’mot (Exodus) 26:1-30

 

XXVI. And the Tabernacle you will make with ten curtains of fine linen twined, and hyacinth, and purple, and crimson, with figures of kerubin; with the work of the artificer will you make them. The length of one curtain twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits; the measure of one will be that of all the curtains. Five curtains will be coupled one with another, and five other curtains coupled one with another. And you will make loops of hyacinth upon the edge of one curtain at the side in the place of coupling, and so will you do in the edge of the second curtain in the place of conjoinment. Fifty loops will you make in one curtain, and fifty loops will you make in the side of the second curtain in the place of conjoinment, so that the loops may answer one to the other. And you will make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains one with another with the taches, and the Tabernacle will be conjoined to be one.

 

And you will make curtains of goats' hair to extend over the tabernacle: twelve curtains you will make them. The length of one curtain thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits; and the measure of one (will be that of each) of the eleven (other) curtains. And you will conjoin five curtains together, corresponding with the five books of the Law; and six curtains together, corresponding with the six orders of the Mishna; and will fold the sixth curtain over the front of the tabernacle. And you will make fifty loops upon the edge of one curtain at the side of the place of coupling; and fifty loops in the edge of the second curtain at the place of coupling. And you will make taches of brass, fifty, and put the taches into the loops, and conjoin the tabernacle, that it may be one.

 

And the surplus which remains of the curtains of the Tabernacle, the half curtain which remains, you will spread over the hinder part of the Tabernacle. [JERUSALEM. And the surplus.] And the cubit here and the cubit there, of that which remains in the curtains of the tabernacle, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle here and there, to cover it. And you will make a covering for the tabernacle of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of purple skins above. And you will make the boards of the tabernacle of sittin woods; they will stand up, after the manner of their plantation. [JERUSALEM. Slabs.] Ten cubits the length of the board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of one board. Two tenons to one board, each in its side answering to the other: so will you do for all the boards of the tabernacle. And you will make the boards of the tabernacle, twenty boards towards the wind on the south side. And you will make forty bases of silver [JERUSALEM. Bases of silver.] beneath the twenty boards; two bases beneath one board with its two tenons, and two bases under the other board with its two tenons. And for the second side of the tabernacle towards the north wind twenty boards, and their forty bases of silver; two bases under one, and two bases under the other board. And for the side of the tabernacle westward you will make six boards. And two boards will you make at the corners of the tabernacle at their ends. And they will be conjoined beneath, and in one manner will be conjoined at their heads, with one ring; so will it be with them both; for the two corners will all they be. And there will be eight boards and their silver bases; sixteen bases; two bases under one board, and two bases under another board. And you will make bars of sittin woods, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the side of the tabernacle at their extremity towards the west, [JERUSALEM. And five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle stretching to the west.] And the middle bar in the midst of the boards passing from end to end will be from the tree which Abraham planted in Beara of Sheba: for when Israel had crossed the sea, the angels cut down the tree and cast it into the sea, and it floated on the face of the waters. And an angel proclaimed, and said, This is the tree which Abraham planted in Beara of Sheba, and prayed there in the name of the Word of the Lord. And the sons of Israel will take and make thereof the middle bar, seventy cubits in length, and with it will wondrous things be done: for when they have reared up the tabernacle, it will go round it like a serpent among the boards of the tabernacle and when they take it down, it will become straight as a rod. And the boards you will overlay with gold, and make of gold their rings for the place of the bars, and will overlay the bars with gold. And you will rear the tabernacle according to the manner showed you in the mountain.

 

 

Midrash Tanhuma Yelammedenu  for: Sh’mot (Exodus) 26:1-30

 

9. And you will make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent (Exod. 26:7). Scripture says elsewhere in allusion to this verse: I have loved you, says the Lord, yet you say: “Wherein have You loved us?” (Mal. 1:2). Malachi uttered this verse in rebuking Israel. He said to them: Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me (ibid. 3:8). And they replied: Wherein have we robbed you? (ibid.). Our sages declared: Malachi rebuked his generation, but they replied to him: Wherein have we robbed You?

 

What is the meaning of Wherein have we robbed You? R. Levi stated: It is an Arabic expression. Whenever an Arab argues with his neighbor and says to him, “What are you stealing from me?” the other responds, “What are you stealing from me?” Hence, in response to Wherein have we robbed You, He replied: You robbed Me of the tithe and the offering that you failed to bring Me from your own tithes and offerings, as is proper. And then He said to them: I have loved you. And they retorted: Wherein have You loved us? Whereupon He answered: Was not Esau Jacob’s brother, yet He loved only Jacob. He permitted him to eat in this world and to inherit the world-to-come.

 

Normally, if a man has twins, and one is firstborn, the other is considered just another child. Who receives two portions? The firstborn. However Esau was the firstborn, as it is said: And the first came forth ruddy (Gen. 25:25), and was entitled to a double portion, but I did not do that. Instead, Jacob received two portions. That is why, when Esau said to Jacob: Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before you (ibid. 33:12), Esau was saying to him: “Let us go together.” Jacob replied: Take your possessions and go forth [He was fearful that Esau would take revenge for his stealing the birthright], as it is said: Let my lord, I pray, pass over before his servants, and I will journey on gently according to the pace of the cattle that are before me, and according to the pace of the children, until I come unto my Lord, unto Seir (ibid., v. 14).

 

R. Jacob BeRabbi said: I have searched the entire Scripture and have found no statement that Jacob went to Seir. When did he go there? After he departed for the hereafter, as it is said: And a savior shall come up on Mount Zion (Obad. 21); Therefore, And he loved Jacob suggests that though he associates with Esau and partakes of the pleasures of this world, in the world-to-come, He spreads abroad his wings, bears them upon his pinions . . . the Lord alone did lead him (Deut. 32:11-12). And so, Solomon said: Let them be your own, and not strangers’ with you (Prov. 5:17).

 

I have loved you (Mal. 1:2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: See how much I love you. The distance of the earth to the firmament is a distance of five hundred years’ journey, and the distance from the first firmament to the second firmament is also a distance of five hundred years’ journey, and the distance from each firmament to the next is another five hundred years’ journey, making the total distance through the universe a seven thousand years’ journey [The seven firmaments plus the intervening areas total a distance of seven thousand walking years]. And the step of the beasts [The legendary beast that draws the Divine Chariot (Hagigah l3a)] is a distance of five hundred and fifteen years’ journey, and there is no need to estimate the distance above the hoofs of the beasts to the heavenly throne! And the Throne is above them all.

 

Yet see how much I love you that I leave all of this because of my love for you to tell you: And you will make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent (Exod. 26:7). Make for Me curtains of goats’ hair that I may come to dwell among you.

 

For a tent (ibid.). I made clouds that sheltered you like a tent, as it is written: He spread a cloud for a screen (Ps. 105:39). And you will also make the screen for the door of the tent (Exod. 39:39).

 

R. Joshua the son of Levi declared: If the gentiles had known how important the Tabernacle and the Sanctuary were to them, they would have encircled them with tents and forts to protect them. Even before the Tabernacle was erected, the Word of God had gone forth into the homes of the idolatrous people and caused them to become panic- stricken. Whence do we know this? It is written: For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire, as we have, and lived? (Deut. 5:23). You hearkened to His voice and have survived, but the idolatrous people, on hearing (His voice), became panic-stricken within their tents and perished.

 

You must not say that the Sanctuary alone was precious to them, for the Temple was also precious. How do we know this? Solomon indicated it in his prayer: Moreover concerning the stranger that is not of Your people Israel, when he will come out of a far country for Your name’s sake—for they will hear of Your great name, and of Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm—when he will come and pray toward this house, hear You in heaven Your dwelling-place, and do according to all that the stranger calls to You for; that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to fear You, as does Your people Israel, and that they may know that Your name is called upon this house which I have built (I Kings 8:41—43). However, when an Israelite prays before You in this Temple, Grant him all that his heart seeks, for You alone know what is in the heart of every man (ibid., v. 39). But if he should ask for children, and You know that they will provoke You to anger, do not give them to him. Similarly, if he desires property, and You know that in the future he will rebel against You because of it, do not give it to him, but for the non-Jew: Do according to all that the stranger calls to You for that all the people of the earth may know, etc. Israel, however, is aware of Your name and Your glory, and You can foresee at the beginning what will finally happen, for You are God, and whatever You desire, You can do.

 

Do not say that the Temple alone was important to them (the peoples of the world), for Israel is also important to them. Were it not for Israel, the rain would never descend and the sun would never shine. It is on their account that the Holy One, blessed be He, causes the sun to shine in this world. In the future the idolatrous gentiles will recognize that the Holy One, blessed be He, is attached to Israel, and they, too, will come to cleave to Israel, as it is said: We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you (Zech. 8:23).

 

R. Samuel the son of Nahman said: Prior to the erection of the Temple, the world rested on a foundation of two pillars, but after it was built the world became firmly established and He stood in His dwelling place. How do we know this? (That is what the Holy One, blessed be He, told Gad the prophet when He said: Go and tell My servant David: “Thus says the Lord: Will you build for Me a house for Me to dwell in?” [II Sam. 7:5]. However, following that it is written: Nevertheless, you will not build the house, but your son that will come out of your loins, he will build the house for My name [I Kings 8:19]. But if you should build it, then, as it is said:) I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant it, that they may dwell in their own place (II Sam. 7:10). “I will plant them” is not written in this verse, but rather plant it, indicating that the world would then be firmly established.

 

Before the Temple was established the world rested on a foundation of two pillars, but after the Temple was erected, the world became firmly established. You should not assert that the Temple alone made the world secure, for the Sanctuary was also vitally important to the nations of the world. Why was that? Prior to the erection of the Temple, the idolatrous nations, upon hearing the voice of the Lord, became panic-stricken within their tents. The Holy One, blessed be He, therefore, said to Moses: Make Me a Sanctuary, that I may speak with you in it. Furthermore, I am anxious to dwell among My children. When the ministering angels heard that, they began to cry out: Master of the Universe, why do You leave the heavenly spheres in order to descend to the lower spheres? O Lord, our God, how glorious is Your name in all the earth! Whose majesty is rehearsed above the heavens (Ps. 8:2). Such is Your glory that You should remain in heaven. Whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, replied: Be assured, I am doing what you told Me. Habakkuk said: God comes from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise (Hab. 3:3).

 

At first, His glory extended over the heavens, but later the earth was full of His praise. David said to them: He mocks you, for His praise extends over the earth, as it is said: Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven (Ps. 148:13). The Holy One, blessed be He, continued: Why do you wonder about this? Observe how very much I love the earthly beings that I shall descend and dwell behind a curtain of goats’ hair for their sake. As it is said: You will make curtains of goats’ hair (Exod. 26:7).

 

R. Judah and R. Nehemiah discussed this matter. R. Judah was of the opinion that the animal from which they made the curtain was a large, pure animal that roamed the desert. R. Nehemiah maintained that it was a miraculous event. It was created for that articu1ar moment, and then it disappeared. You may know that this is so from the scriptural verse: And you will make curtains of goats’ hairs and the length of each curtain will be thirty cubits (ibid., v. 8). How else could one possibly obtain a curtain thirty cubits in length (other than from a miraculous creation)? From this you learn that it must have been as R. Nehemiah stated. However, you must not be of the opinion that the curtains alone came from a miraculous event, for the cedar beams did likewise. Where did the cedar beams come from? Jacob our patriarch planted them at the time he descended to Egypt. He told his children: My sons, ultimately you will be redeemed from this place, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will say to you: “You will be redeemed,” so that you may build a Sanctuary for Him. Therefore, go plant cedar trees now so that when He commands you to erect a Sanctuary for Him, beams of cedar will be available. Forthwith they arose and planted as he had commanded them to do.

 

Our sages of blessed memory said: And the middle bar in the midst of the boards (ibid., v. 28). They went down to Egypt with Jacob our patriarch, for it was difficult for them to bolt the boards from end to end. Furthermore, these cedars intoned a song before the Lord. Whence do we know that they sang a song? Because it is written: Then will all the trees of the world sing for joy before the Lord (Ps. 96:12). The word then is employed in reference to a song, as is said: Then sang Moses (Exod. 15:1). When did that occur? At the time the Sanctuary was erected from them. The Holy One, blessed be He, commanded Moses concerning the Tabernacle: And you will make the boards for the Tabernacle of acacia wood, standing up (ibid. 26:15). “You will make boards” is not written here, but rather You will make the boards standing, that is, they should use those boards that their fathers had previously prepared for them. The word standing refers to the boards that were already in existence.

 

R. Samuel the son of Nahman held: There are twenty-four varieties of cedar, but only seven were selected, as it is said: I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia tree, and the myrtle, and the oil-tree; I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane tree, and the larch together (Isa. 41:19). The cypress refers to the fir tree; the plane tree to the maple; the larch to the boxwood tree. It was called te’ashur (“larch”) because it was the most fortunate (me’ushar) of all cedars. From among them all only the acacia tree was selected, as it is said: The Tabernacle of acacia-wood. Why did He call them shittim (“acacia”)? He did so in order to offset what would ultimately transpire at Shittim (i.e., Israel’s sin), as it is said: And Israel abode in Shittim (Num. 25:1) [where they engaged in harlotry with the Moabites – cf. Num. 25]. You must not believe that only the Tabernacle made by Moses was constructed with acacia-wood. Indeed, every ark that the people of Israel constructs must have boards of acacia-wood in it.

 

Another explanation. They sinned at Shittim, they were smitten at Shittim, and they were healed by means of Shittim. They sinned at Shittim; as it is said: And Israel abode in Shittim (Num. 25:4); they were smitten at Shittim, as it is said: And those that died by the plague (ibid., v. 9); and they were healed by means of Shittim, as it is said: Boards of acacia (shittim) wood. You find that they did not leave that place until Phinehas arose and turned away His wrath, as it is said: Phinehas the son of Eleazai the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the children of Israel (ibid., v. 11). The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: In the world-to-come I will heal at Shittim, as it is said: And it will come to pass in that day, that the mountains will drop down sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah will flow with waters, and a fountain will come forth of the house of the Lord, and will water the valley of Shittim (Joel 4:18).

 

 

 

Ketubim Targum Psalm 60

 

1. For praise. Concerning the ancient testimony between Jacob and Laban. A copy made by David, for instruction.

2. When David had gathered troops and passed by the Heap of Witness and fought with Aram-on-the-Euphrates and Aram Zobah, and afterwards Joab returned and smote the Edomites in the Plain of Salt, and twelve thousand from the army of David and Joab fell.

3. David said, “O God, You have abandoned us, You have attacked us in fierce anger; return to us in Your glory.”

4. You shook the land of Israel, You made it quake and You flayed it; heal its wounds, for it has become unsteady.

5. You made your people see hardship, You made us drink the wine of execration.

6. You have given those who fear You a sign to be lifted up by, because of the honesty of Abraham forever.

7. Because of the merit of Isaac, those who love You will be delivered; redeem with Your right hand because of the piety of Jacob, and accept my prayer.

8. God speaks in His sanctuary: I will be glad, for those of the house of Israel will prevail; I will divide the spoil with the sons of Joseph who dwell in Shechem, and in the plain of Succoth I will measure the measure and divide the booty.

9. My people were of the house of Gilead, and my people were of the house of Manasseh; and the warriors of the house of Ephraim are the strength of my head, and those of the house of Judah are the scribes of my school.

10. I trampled on the Moabites, my feet were dipped in the blood of their warriors as in my washing-basin; on the nape of the neck of the warriors of Edom I set my shoe; shout over the Philistines, O congregation of Israel.

11. Who is he that led me to the ruined city of Tyre? Who is he that guided me to Edom?

12. Is it not You, O Lord? You have abandoned us; and You will not go out, O God, with our forces.

13. Give us help against the oppressor, for in vain is the redemption of a son of man.

14. By the Word of the Lord we will exercise might, and He will subdue our oppressors.

 

 

 

Ketubim Rashi Psalm 60

 

1 on shushan eduth, a michtam of David, to teach (Addendum: Michtam is an expression of (Song 5:11), “as finest gold,” a coveted thing. Our Sages, however, expounded this as referring to David, who behaved as a humble and innocent man, even when he occupied the throne. Another Aggadah explains that his wound was perfect, i.e., he was born circumcised (Sotah 10b). Michtam of David concerning the testimony of the Sanhedrin, who were compared to a rose, as it is stated (Song 7:3): “Your navel is like a round basin, etc., fenced in with roses,” when he required that they teach him what to do. When he fought with Aram Naharaim and sent Joab against them, they said to Joab, “Aren’t you of the sons of Jacob? Where is the oath that he swore to Laban, ‘this pile is a witness’” (Gen. 31:52)? And he did not know what to answer. He came to David and said to David, “This is what the Arameans said to me.” They went and asked the Sanhedrin, [who] replied to them, “Did they not transgress the oath first, as it is stated (Num. 23:7): ‘From Aram has Balak king of Moab brought me’? Moreover, Cushan-Rishathaim was an Aramean.”

2 and Joab returned and smote of Edom, etc. [of] the eighteen thousand stated in Scripture (II Sam. 8:13, I Chron. 18:12), Abishai slew six thousand the first time, and Joab slew twelve thousand when he returned from battling Aram. When he fought as (Num. 26:9): “when they quarreled with the Lord,” that he fought with them because they aided the Ammonites.

3 You have forsaken us; You have breached us When Edom fell into his hand, he foresaw with the holy spirit that they are destined to rule over Israel and to levy evil decrees upon Israel. He stood up and begged for mercy on account of the subjugation of the exile. “We suffered many troubles in the time of the Judges from the enemies around us.” You were angry You were angry with us. From now on, restore Your goodwill upon us.

4 You caused...to quake our land, with many troops. You split it You broke it. I saw in Dunash’s writings (p. 68) that it is Arabic, but he did not explain it. In the works of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan, he explains it as an expression of tearing and cites evidence for that assertion (from Jer. 22:14): “And he cuts out windows.” heal its breaches for it has faltered Heb. an expression of healing. Although it is spelled with a “hey,” many words are used in this manner. for it has faltered An expression of lowliness.

5 wine of bewilderment Heb. [Wine] that stops up the heart and envelops it. It is an expression of envelopment, as (Nahum 2:4): “and the cypresses are enwrapped,” and the language of the Mishnah (Shab. 6: 6): “Median women shawled.”

6 You have given those who fear You trials Trials of many troubles. to be tested With which to be tested whether they would stand [steadfast] in awe of You. in order to beautify forever To beautify Your standards in the world, so that when You give them goodness, the gentiles will not criticize You, but they will beautify Your judgments and say that He justly did good to them because they passed many tests for Him.

7 should be rescued Should be saved from harm. save Your right hand which You brought back so that their enemies should overpower them. and answer me For, if You answer me, they will be rescued, because I fight against them [the enemies] for them [Israel].

8 God spoke in His Sanctuary that He would gather the exiles and his [David’s] seed would rule over them. Another explanation: God spoke in His Sanctuary [saying] that I would be king over them. I will exult in His salvation. In another explanation, I found: God spoke in His Sanctuary to help me, as it is written (II Sam. 3:18): “For (sic) by the hand of My bondsman David shall I deliver My people Israel.” I will divide a portion I will divide for them a portion of the property of their enemies. and I will measure the valley of Succoth I do not know of what nation this Succoth is, and I do not know where the Succoth is that Israel came to when they traveled from Rameses. In other commentaries I found (this is not in all editions): I will divide ShechemI will restore to them the heritage of their father Jacob. Another explanation: And I will measure the valley of Succoth when I divide it for Israel. Shechem and Succoth were at the edge of the land of Canaan, as we find Jacob’s entry to the land through Succoth and Shechem. Another explanation: and I will measure the valley of Succoth Succoth is an expression of shapes and imaginations, as is written (II Kings 17:30): “Succoth-Benoth.” I will measure I measure their form, as is written (II Sam. 8:2): “two cord-lengths to put to death and one full cord-length to keep alive.”

9 Gilead is mine to reign over them. my lawgiver My ministers is an expression of administration, that he makes the law and sends scrolls and commands, as (Gen. 49:10): “The scepter will not turn away from Judah, nor the lawgiver from between his feet.”

10 Moab is my washbasin I will use them as a copper pot prepared for washing therein. my lock Heb. my imprisonment. join me Join my kingdom to be subordinate to me, for Gath, and also Gaza, which David vanquished, are of the land of the Philistines.

11 Who will bring me to a fortified city then to a fortified city, to conquer the city of Rome; if You will not help me against the fortress of Edom, who will bring me and who will lead me upon them? (Shem Ephraim suggests this emendation: If You will not help me now to conquer Edom, upon which You have now led me.) In other commentaries, I found as follows: upon the fortresses of Edom, upon whom You have led me now.

12 and [Who does] not go forth and You do not go forth.

14 will trample [as translated.]

 

 

 

Ketubim Midrash Psalm 60

 

I. For the leader; upon Shushan Eduth; Michtam of David, to teach (Ps. 60:1). The phrase Shushan Eduth (“Lily of Testimony”) is to be read in the light of the verse He is near that justifies me; who will contend with me? (Isa. 50:8). To what time do the words He is near that justifies me refer? To the time after the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah to the children of Israel, the Torah wherefrom they could draw testimony against all the nations. When he strove with Aramnaharaim and with Aram-zobah (Ps. 60:2)—that is, when Joab went to make war with Aram—the Arameans said to him: Are you not Jacob’s descendant? And therefore, does not a covenant exist between us? For Laban, our forbear, said: “Now come, let us make a covenant, I and you” . . . And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar . . . And Laban said: “This heap is witness between me and you this day” (Gen. 35 :44, 45, 48). When Joab heard this, he knew not how to contend with it, and he came to David and said: “Aram spoke thus-and-thus to me.”

 

At once, David assembled the Sanhedrin to whom Solomon alluded in the verse Your belly is like a heap of wheat set about with lilies (Song 7:3). The Sanhedrin declared: Our fathers made two covenants. Abraham made one of the two, as is said And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech . . . spoke unto Abraham:”. . . Now therefore swear unto me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me” . . . So they made a covenant (Gen. 21 :22, 23, 32). Now when the children of Israel were about to enter the land of the Philistines, it was said to them: “Are you not sons of Abraham? And will you not keep the obligations of the covenant which Abraham made with Abimelech?” The children of Israel replied: “Indeed we would keep the covenant. But you are not Philistines, for the Philistines have long since departed. The testimony of Scripture in the verse The Avvim … dwelt in villages as far as Gaza, but the Caphtorim, that came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them (Deut. 2:23), proves that you invalidated the oath.” Thereupon, the children of Israel entered the land of the Philistines, and possessed it.

 

So, too, when the Arameans say to Joab: “Are you not of the Sons of Jacob? And did not Aram make a covenant with Jacob when Laban said, ‘This heap be witness, and the pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me for harm’(Gen. 31:52)?” Joab is to reply: But were not the Arameans first to pass over this pillar with intent to harm? Indeed, [on his way to curse Israel] Balaam admitted: Balak, the king of Moab, brings me from Aram (Num. 23:7). And this was not the only time that the Arameans passed over this pillar with intent to harm, for Scripture’s testimony of the days of Cushan-rishathaim is that The children of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim, king of Aram-naharaim (Judg. 3:8). Thus Aram condemns itself by two iniquities: one of the time of Balaam, and one of the time of Cushan-rishathaim.

 

After they of the Sanhedrin taught him this, David said: To the Eternal; in praise of the Lily of Testimony (Shushan Eduth); Michtam of David for the teaching [of the Sages] (Ps. 60:1).

 

Behassoto Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah (Ps. 60:2a). What is meant by the word behassoto? It means that Joab set Aram on fire. Or it may mean that he riddled it with arrows. Again, it may mean that he took up the people of Aram-naharaim and set them in Aram-zobah, and that he set the people of Aramzobah in Aram-naharaim.

 

And Joab returned and smote ... Edom (ibid. 60:2b). This verse teaches that he came back a second time and breached its walls. The first time he had said: “If I destroy Edom now, I shall not find food or drink on my return from Aram. But I shall let Edom’s people be until I have smitten Aram, and then come back to attack them.” So when he returned, he smote the people of Edom, as is said And Joab returned and smote . . . Edom.

 

II. O God, You have cast us off, You have broken us down; You have been angry; O restore us again (Ps. 60:3). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I cast you off because you cast Me off. As Scripture says, Israel has cast off that which is Good; the enemy will pursue him (Hos. 8:3). But though You have been angry with me, turn and come back to me, as is said Though You were angry with me, let Your anger be turned away, and do You comfort me (Isa. 12:1).

 

You have made the land to shake; You have cleft it (Ps. 60:4). When Joab said: O God, You have cast us off, etc., the earth shook. Because it was cleft and rolling under his feet, Joab found himself unable to continue fighting. Thereupon David stood up and prayed: Heal the breaches thereof; for it totters (ibid.).

 

What is the literal meaning of pesamtah (“You have cleft it”)? It means that You have split apart the doors of the earth. Thus in Aramaic the word for sections in the verse When Jehudi had read three or four sections (Jer. 36:23), is pesimin (“splittings”). Our Masters also speak of “a potsherd big enough to place between one split board (pesim) and another.”

 

You have made Your people to see hard things; You have made us to drink the wine of astonishment (tar’elah) (Ps. 60:5). How is tar elah read literally? It is read as tar ‘to tear’ and ‘olah “its yoke,” and thus intimates that through the drinking of wine the yoke of Torah has been torn from us.

 

III. You have given a banner to them that fear You, that it may be displayed (Ps. 60:6). On what account was it given? For the sake of arrow-straight going, that is, for the sake of the truth, for ever (ibid.). That Your beloved may be delivered, save with Your right hand, and answer me (Ps. 6o :7). The phrase With Your right hand alludes to the Torah which was given with God’s right hand, as is said From His right hand went a fiery law for them (Deut. 33:2). The Hoiy One, blessed be He, said: Do you seek this hand? I will give it to you again, as Scripture says, And it will come to pass in that day that the Lord will set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people (Isa. 11:11).

 

Gilead is Mine (Ps. 60:9). God said: “I am He who wrought a miracle for Jephthah the Gileadite, and I am also He who wrought a miracle for Gideon the son of Joash of the tribe of Manasseh. His deliverance was deliverance for only an hour, but in the everlasting time-to-come I will deliver you through the Messiah the son of Ephraim, and through the Messiah the son of David of the tribe of Judah.”

 

Ephraim also is the strength of My beginning (ibid.): The Messiah, the son of Ephraim, will be the first to take upon himself the yoke of kingship; but Judah is My sceptre (ibid.), that is, the Messiah, the son of David [will finally rule]. Moab is my wash pot (Ps. 60:10), as it is said “And they will fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines on the west; together they will spoil the children of the east; they will put forth their hand upon Edom and Moab” (Isa. 11:14). Hence the words Moab is My wash pot mean: “Moab is like a pot which a man pushes away after he has washed his feet in it.”

 

Upon Edom do I cast My shoe (Ps. 60:10) to trample it under foot, as is said The foot will trample it down (Isa. 26:6). This is the foot of the Holy One, blessed be He, for Scripture says, “Yea, I trod them in Mine anger, and trampled them in My fury” (Isa. 63:3). Even the feet of the poor (Isa. 26:6): that is, the king Messiah, “poor, and riding upon an ass” (Zech. 9:9), will trample Edom down, and so, too, will The steps of the needy (Isa. 26:6), that is, the steps of Israel of whom it is said “And Israel was greatly impoverished” (Judg. 6:6).

 

Philistia, hitro’a’i’ because of Me (Ps. 60:10). Some take hitro’a’i to mean “be broken,” as in the verse “The earth is broken, broken down” (Isa. 24:19); but others take hitro’a’i to be a war-cry.

 

The words Who will bring me into the fortified city? (Ps. 60:11) allude to the war against Rome. The words Who will lead me unto Edom? (ibid.) allude to the war against Constantinople; at that time the children of Israel will find themselves in great trouble, and will pray, Will not You, O God, which has cast us off, and You, O God, which did not go out with our armies, give us help from trouble? (Ps. 60:12-13a). And when they see Nehemiah, the son of Hushiel, dead before the gates of Jerusalem they will say, For vain is the help of man. Through God we will do valiantly; for He it is that will tread down our adversaries (Ps. 60:13-14).

 

 

 

Ordinary Ashlamatah:  Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:1-10

 

1 Thus says the LORD: The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool; where is the house that ye may build unto Me? And where is the place that may be My resting-place? 

2 For all these things has My hand made, and so all these things came to be, says the LORD; but on this man will I look, even on him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at My word. 

3 He that kills an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrifices a lamb, as if he broke a dog's neck; he that offers a meal-offering, as if he offered swine's blood; he that makes a memorial-offering of frankincense, as if he blessed an idol; according as they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations; 

4 Even so I will choose their mockings, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear, but they did that which was evil in Mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not. {S} 

 

5 Hear the word of the LORD, you that tremble at His word: Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for My name's sake, have said: 'Let the LORD be glorified, that we may gaze upon your joy', but they will be ashamed. 

6 Hark! an uproar from the city, Hark! it comes from the temple, Hark! the LORD renders recompense to His enemies. 

7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child. 

8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Is a land born in one day? Is a nation brought forth at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. 

9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? says the LORD; Shall I that cause to bring forth shut the womb? says your God. {S} 

 

10 Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you that love her; rejoice for joy with her, all you that mourn for her;

 

 

 

Special Ashlamatah:  Yeshayahu (Isaiah)  49:14 – 51:3

 

49:14 But Zion said: 'The LORD has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.' 

15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, these may forget, yet will not I forget you. 

16 Behold, I have graven you upon the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me. 

17 Your children make haste; your destroyers and they that made you waste shall go forth from you. 

18 Lift up your eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live, says the LORD, you will surely clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament, and gird yourself with them, like a bride. 

19 For your waste and your desolate places and your land that has been destroyed--surely now will you be too strait for the inhabitants, and they that swallowed you up will be far away. 

20 The children of your bereavement will yet say in your ears: 'The place is too strait for me; give place to me that I may dwell.' 

21 Then will you say in your heart: 'Who has begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro? And who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?' {P}

 

22 Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will lift up My hand to the gentiles, and set up Mine ensign to the peoples, and they will bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters will be carried upon their shoulders.

23 And kings will be your foster-fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers; they shall bow down to you with their face to the earth, and lick the dust of your feet; and you will know that I am the LORD, for they will not be ashamed that wait for Me. {S}

 

24 Will the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of the victorious be delivered? {S}

 

25 But thus says the LORD: Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away, and the prey of the terrible will be delivered; and I will contend with him that contends with you, and I will save your children.

26 And I will feed them that oppress you with their own flesh; and they will be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine; and all flesh will know that I the LORD am your Savior, and Your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. {S}

 

50:1 Thus says the LORD: Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, wherewith I have put her away? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities were you sold, and for your transgressions was your mother put away. 

2 Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is My hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; their fish become foul, because there is no water, and die for thirst. 

3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering. {P}

 

4 The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of them that are taught, that I should know how to sustain with words him that is weary; He wakens morning by morning, He wakens mine ear to hear as they that are taught.

5 The Lord GOD has opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward.

6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my checks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

7 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore have I not been confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

8 He is near that justifies me; who will contend with me? let us stand up together; who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.

9 Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that will condemn me? Behold, they all will wax old as a garment, the moth will eat them up. {S}

 

10 Who is among you that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of His servant? though he walks in darkness, and has no light, let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. {S}

 

11 Behold, all you that kindle a fire, that gird yourselves with firebrands, be gone in the flame of your fire, and among the brands that you have kindled. This will you have of My hand; you will lie down in sorrow. {S}

 

51:1 Hearken to Me, you that follow after righteousness/charity, you that seek the LORD; look unto the rock whence you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence you were dug. 

2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bore you; for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him, and made him many. 

3 For the LORD has comforted Zion; He has comforted all her waste places, and has made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. {S}

 

 

 

Midrash of Matityahu  (Matthew)  10:21-31

 

21. ¶ Brother will betray brother bringing about his death, and a father his son; and sons will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.

22. All men will hate you on account of my name. Whoever stands firm to the end will certainly be saved.

23. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24.  There is no Talmid greater than his Rabbi, and no servant is greater than his master.

25. It is enough for the Talmid that he become like his Rabbi, and the servant like his master. If the Ba’al (head) of the house has been called Ba’al Z’vul, how much more the members of his household!

26. So do not be in awe of them, for there is nothing that won’t be seen and it has never been concealed.

27. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.

28. Do not revere those who kill the body but have no power to kill the soul. Rather, revere the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 

29.  Are not two sparrows sold only for half an hour’s pay? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

30. Are not even the very hairs of your head all numbered?

31. So do not fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.

 

 

 

Pirqe Abot

 

“All Israel have a share in the World to Come, as it is stated: And Your people are all righteous/ charitable; they shall inherit the land forever; they are the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, in which to glorify Me” (Isaiah 60:21).

 

 

Pirqe Abot V:20

 

Mishnah 20

 

Yehudah ben Teima says: "Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and strong as a lion, to carry out the will of your Father in Heaven."

 

He used to say: "The brazen is headed for Gehinom, but the shamefaced for Gan Eden.”

 

"May it be Your will, G-d our G-d and G-d of our fathers, that the Bet Hamikdash be rebuilt speedily in our days, and grant us our portion in Your Torah."

 

"Be bold as a leopard." (5:20) QUESTION: What lesson can be learned from the boldness of the leopard?

 

ANSWER: The leopard is not as strong as many other beasts, but it is very bold and fearless, and it frequently seems to exceed its apparent strength and agility. Likewise man should not hesitate undertaking spiritual endeavors that seem beyond his capabilities. Rather, a person should be bold and fearless like a leopard and assume spiritual duties beyond his perceived capabilities. When a sincere effort is made, Ha-Shem will grant the strength to make the seeming impossibility a reality.

 

"Light as an eagle." (5:20) QUESTION: Why is the eagle called "nesher" in Hebrew?

 

ANSWER: King David says of Ha-Shem, "Who satisfies your mouth with goodness so that your health is renewed like the eagle's" (Psalms 103:5). Rashi explains that this is a reference to the fact that the eagle sheds its feathers annually and replaces them with new ones, which is an example of renewed youth.

 

The Radak (Rabbi David Kimchi) sees this as an allusion to the legendary eagle which flies higher than all other birds and comes close to the solar fire, which generates tremendous heat. Because of the great heat, the eagle plunges into the sea and dies, whereupon it is renewed of limb, returning to its youthful vigor. This rite of renewal occurs once every ten years throughout the eagle's lifespan of one hundred years. When the eagle reaches one hundred years of age, it soars to the sun and hurls itself into the sea for the last time.

 

The Hebrew word for eagle is "nesher," which means "shedding off" (see Erubin 39b) The Hebrew name is very appropriate because of the eagle's characteristic of shedding feathers and also of shedding its old age and returning to its youth.

 

In light of the above, it can be argued that the one hundred year lifespan of the eagle, which is broken up in ten year cycles, is a metaphor for the one hundred year life span of man, which is also divided into ten cycles later in this chapter of Pirqe Abot (5:23). The idea of shedding the feathers and renewing its strength is an allusion to the concept of teshuvah — repentance/ returning. Ha-Shem has given every Jew the method of repentance/returning, through which he sheds and detaches himself from his past and emerges, so to speak, spiritually reborn. Thus, the message of the Mishnah to be "light as an eagle" is to return to Ha-Shem and soar to new spiritual heights.

 

"Light as an eagle." (5:20) QUESTION: What message can be learned from the eagle?

 

ANSWER: Regardless of its weight, the eagle soars very high thanks to its powerful wings. From this one can learn an important lesson. It is the mission of every Jew to fly high, i.e. reach spiritual/intellectual heights. This is accomplished through the performance of mitzvoth (commandments). Generally, mitzvoth are divided into two categories: bein adam lachaveiro — between man and his fellow — and bein adam lamakom — between man and Ha-Shem.

 

For an eagle to fly with the force and precision for which it is known, it has to have powerful, finely developed wings. And to get the most mileage out of those two wings, they need to be of equal strength.

 

The two types of mitzvoth (commandments) which we have been given are also regarded as wings. By observing both kinds of mitzvoth, we can soar to great heights.

 

However, Jewish teachings discourage us from favoring one "wing" over the other. We cannot neglect those mitzvoth between ourselves and Ha-Shem in favor of the interpersonal mitzvoth, nor the reverse, for then we would be like a bird with only one wing.

 

"Swift as a deer." (5:20) QUESTION: What lessons should be learnt from the deer?

 

ANSWER: A deer runs swiftly and does not tire. Likewise, a Jew should not claim that he is too tired to do a mitzvah. Alternatively, a deer runs to flee the hunter, likewise, one should run from the endeavors of the yetzer hara — evil inclination — to capture him in his net.

 

Alternatively, according to the Midrash (Song of Songs 8:14, Targum) when a deer runs, it constantly looks backward to see if anyone is chasing after him. From this one should learn that although it is human nature to endeavor to go forward and make progress in life, a Jew must always look back and constantly check if he is properly attached to our source — Torah and mitzvoth (commandments). Unfortunately, there are those who, while running forward, run so far away that they lose their entire connection to our beautiful heritage. However blessed one may be, he must always "look back," i.e. see to it that his life and all his business activities are in the spirit of the authentic Torah tradition.

 

Alternatively, the analogy to a swift deer, whose nature is to look behind him while he runs, is a message to parents. There are many parents who themselves are immersed in Torah and mitzvoth (commandments). Many are immersed totally in acts of kindness helping worthy institutions and individuals. These parents may be swift in their progress and accomplishment, but they must also look back and see what is happening with their own children. The Mishnah is thus saying, "Do not suffice with just improving yourself, but take your children along with you and inculcate in them the same love as you have for Torah and mitzvoth."

 

"The brazen is headed for Gehinom, but the shamefaced for Gan Eden." (5:20) QUESTION: Why did he single out brazenness and shamefacedness; any averah (sin) can lead one to Gehinom, and any mitzvah (commandment) can earn one Gan Eden?

 

ANSWER: Unfortunately, many who violate Torah do it boldly and without any shame, while there are fine Jews who follow a Torah way of life but are bashful and apologetic about it. Though they do mitzvoth, they are ashamed to do them publicly out of fear that they will be labeled as antiquated or fanatic Jews.

 

The Mishnah is lamenting this common phenomenon by saying, "Az panim L’Gehinom" — the things which lead one to Geihinom — i.e. averot — transgressions — are done blatantly with boldness and much audacity. "Uboshet panim L’Gan Eden" — the things which earns one Gan Eden — i.e. mitzvoth — are done with shamefacedness, bashfulness, and apologetically. The Mishnah is thus urging the righteous to learn from the wicked's enthusiasm to serve Ha-Shem proudly and vigorously as King David says, "Your mitzvoth (commandments) made me wiser than my enemies" (Psalms 119:98).

 

Ya’aqov, in preparation to meet his brother Esav, dispatched messengers to tell him, "Im Lavan garti" — "I have sojourned with Lavan" (Beresheet 32:5). Rashi comments: "The letters of 'garti' correspond numerically to 613, that is, 'I sojourned (garti) with Lavan the wicked, but I observed the 613 (taryag) Commandments, and I did not learn from his evil deeds.' " Rashi's words, "I did not learn from his evil deeds," are seemingly redundant. If he observed 613 mitzvoth, is it not obvious that Lavan had no influence over him? Yaakov was not expressing satisfaction for not learning from Lavan's evil deeds. On the contrary, he was expressing his dissatisfaction with himself and frustration.

 

Yaakov sent a message to Esav: "I lived in the home of Lavan for twenty years, during which I observed how enthusiastically he performed his sins. Now, though I fulfilled 613 mitzvoth, I did not apply his level of excitement to my Torah and mitzvoth." Thus, Ya’aqov was humbly saying "If only I would have performed mitzvoth with the excitement and vigor with which he performed his sins!"

 

"May it be Your will." (5:20) QUESTION: Pirqe Abot is not a prayer book. Why was this tefillah (prayer) placed here?

 

ANSWER: Yehudah ben Tema taught that at times a Jew should be bold as a leopard and fight with the ferocity of a lion. Then the Mishnah goes on to warn that unbridled boldness can be very dangerous, and ferociousness, too, may not be used indiscriminately. Therefore he concludes with a short prayer that the Bet Hamikdash (Temple) be rebuilt. When that happens, the Holy Presence will again dwell within the midst of the Jewish people. This spiritual influence will remove the evil inclination from us, making it unnecessary for us to acquire these potentially destructive traits.

 

Alternatively, the Talmud (Sotah 49b) provides signs to identify the period prior to Mashiach's arrival. One of them is, "chutzpah yasgeh" — "insolence will increase." It is likely that Yehudah ben Tema spoke about "az panim" because it was rampant then. Consequently, he prayed for the speedy rebuilding of the Bet Hamikdash, since in view of the abundance of brazenness, it was/is high time for Mashiach to come.

 

We also pray, "And grant us our portion in Torah," so that we should use our boldness solely for the study of Torah; we must be bold to ask our teachers questions when we do not fully comprehend and request that the lesson be repeated if we do not understand.

 

 

 

Weekly Nazarean Commentary

 

"They shall make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell in their midst" (Exodus, 25:8). How could He command the making of the Tabernacle so that He could reside in it? He is not a corporeal being that can be confined to a certain space or place. The heavens are His throne and the earth is His footstool so what of manner of house can humans build for Him? King Solomon said when building the Temple, “The heavens and the heavens above them cannot contain You, how much less this house that I have built” (1Kings, 8:27). Therefore there would seem to be a contradiction in the building of the Tabernacle.

 

The Tabernacle and its vessels were meant to in-plant, through their sanctity and preparation, the glory of the Shekhinah in the hearts and minds of Israel, so that the evil thoughts of helplessness and futility fostered by the vastness of the desert in which they wandered for 40 years, would not affect them spiritually. Rather, thereby they would constantly be aware of Divine Providence and of His Protection. Since humans are bodily and their needs are material and physical, it is easy for them to err and to think that He who has no body or material form cannot be aware of their desires and needs. In the same way, they think that He does see and know all their actions and their deeds, and therefore does not reward or punish them. So Mankind looks at their pettiness, weaknesses and frailty, and are convinced that Ha-Shem is so great and powerful that His Glory and Majesty are so distant and far from them, that He is not aware of them, their fears or their needs. Then they despair of being able to reach Him, praise Him or receive His protection. The Tabernacle was therefore needed to show Israel that unlike the gods of all the other nations, He was always close by and protective of them; indeed, a personal G-d as well as an All Powerful G-d, despite His being without form or body.

 

The Tabernacle and its vessels, the nature of their construction and the sites of their placements all come to teach this truth through symbolism and by allusion, according to the science and nature of reality. [We must remember that all the classical Torah scholars of the Sephardi world, like many of the Tannaim and Amoraim, were well versed in the natural sciences of their time and make constant allusions to their laws throughout their commentaries and books].

 

First they were commanded to make the Aaron (ark) which was the whole purpose of the work of the Tabernacle, to teach Israel that the Torah, its study and observance were the sole aim and value of Mankind, but also the secret of all their successes and achievements. Therefore, its making was commanded, even before the making of the Tabernacle, which would have been the logical beginning since it housed everything. However, the Tabernacle symbolizes all the material activities, strivings and quarrels of Mankind, and this is not the purpose and the salvation of Mankind.

 

Then followed the Shulchan (Table) and the Menorah (Candelabra) that are to teach that all the plenty and the successes, whether they be material-symbolized by the Shulchan (Table) and the Lechem Hapanim (bread of the proposition), or spiritual-symbolized by the Menorah and its light, have but one source. That source is solely the Aaron-Torah and all that it entails and means.

 

The table for the showbread also has cosmological significance according to Philo’s interpretation.  The table was situated on the north side, with the showbread that was placed on it representing the winds of the north that provide food with the help of the rain that descends from heaven to earth. Every seventh day the loaves of bread were laid out on the table, and the total number of loaves equaled the number of months of the year. The bread was laid out in two arrays, six in each array, with each array paralleling two important seasons of the year:  spring, when the trees begin to produce their fruit, and fall, when the fruits ripen and sowing is begun again. Hence the two arrays of bread placed on the table symbolized nature proceeding through its yearly cycle and providing its gifts to mankind.

 

Now comes the commandment to make the Tabernacle itself, together with its coverings, staves and curtains. As these involve agricultural husbandry as well as all the various crafts, technical skills and artisans that men need and use, they symbolize the creation of wealth and its accumulation, and the power and honor that men desire and seek. Therefore the Tabernacle came after the Aaron (ark), Shulchan (table) and the Menorah (candelabra), so that Israel may learn that without the wisdom and spiritual plenty that come from them, the pursuit of material things and the turning them into the purpose of life, will only lead to considering them the primary aim and essence of life. In the headlong rush after the pleasures and material things of the Olam Hazeh (present age), there will be a distancing from Ha-Shem and thereby also from His Providence and material Blessings. So mention is made of the Parochet (curtain) after the Tabernacle but immediately following it, that divides the Kodesh Hakadoshim (Hloly of Holies) from the Holy Place. The mizbeach haolah (Brazen Altar), that represents the destructive burning of the desires and lusts of men for material things and pleasures and the curtain, symbolize the same distancing from Ha-Shem whenever there is the pursuit of materialism at the expense of Torah-the Aaron and the blessings thereof- the Shulchan (Table of Bread) and the Menorah (Candelabra).

 

Furthermore, the measurements of the Tabernacle teach us the various periods and stages of our lives. The 100 amot of the Chatzer's length are the maximum allotted years of adulthood while the 20 of the amudim are the years of our youth, while the 50 amot width symbolizes the 50 first years of life that are the best years, since after them a person begins to age and deteriorate. However, the stability bars represent the urging, desires and the sockets with which one should, both in youth and in old age, seek to draw close to and cleave to Ha-Shem.

 

 

“And you will set up the tabernacle according to the fashion which you were shown in the mountain.” (Exodus 26:30) This is the third time that this is observed to Moses in the account of the Tabernacle; which shows how punctually G-d would have the pattern observed that He had given him, and that all things might be particularly and exactly done according to it. Hakham Shaul (Paul) comments with regards to this verse in Bereans (Hebrews) 8:4-5 as follows:

 

“For if indeed he were on earth, he would not even be a priest, there being those priests offering gifts according to the Law, who serve the pattern of and shadow of heavenly things, even as Moses was divinely warned, being about to make the tabernacle: For He says, “See that you make all things according to the pattern being shown to you in the mount.”

 

This commends us as with what great care and exactitude should we observe as we go about assembling the Tabernacle of lively stones, exactly according to the pattern shown to us in the Torah – no more, no less! May Ha-Shem, most blessed be He, help us to go about with great care and exactitude in our study, teaching, and sharing of Torah teaching, amen ve amen!

 

Shalom Shabbat!

 

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

 

 

 

From: P'shuto shel Mikra

By: Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom

Seven Haftarot of Consolation (II)

http://www.torah.org/advanced/mikra/hagim.htm

 

 

PERSONAL AND NATIONAL CONSOLATION

 

Tish'ah b'Av can never violate the redemptive and other-worldly reality of Shabbat - if need be, it is postponed until Sunday. How can one mourn the terrible distance between the nation and our G-d on a day in which His presence is immanent? (Interested readers are encouraged to pay close attention to the interwoven themes present in L'kha Dodi.) Conversely, consolation belongs primarily to the realm of Shabbat. As such, the process of national consolation begins on the Shabbat following Tish'ah b'Av and

continues, each new step introduced on the successive Shabbat. Just as it is the N'vi'im (prophets) who warned us of impending disaster if we don't mend our ways and repair our relationship with G-d and each other, similarly it is their task to console us and assure us of a speedy and safe return to our Land, to our G-d and to our prior glory.

 

This process, following the lead laid out above, is also modeled after the stages of interpersonal consolation. Therefore, it should not be surprising that the consolation is presented to us in seven steps - much as the mourner experiences seven days of (the primary level of) Avelut (mourning). I will demonstrate that each of the Haftarot, in succession, mirrors one of the days (read: stages) in consolation with which the Menahamim (consolers) console the mourner.

 

 

SHABBAT 1: BURIAL AND KADDISH

 

What is curious about the first Haftarah (Yeshayahu 40:1-26) is that after the first command to the prophet to comfort the people, the theme of consolation - which we would expect to be the leitmotiv in the entire passage - disappears. In its place stands a beautiful testament to G-d's everlasting greatness against which man's temporary and paltry existence is measured. Here are a few selections from the passage:

 

1. Comfort My people, comfort them, says your God.

2. Speak lovingly to Yerushalayim, and cry to her, that her fighting is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from Ha-Shem's hand double for all her sins...

6. The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all its grace is as the flower of the field;

7. The grass withers, the flower fades; when the breath of Ha-Shem blows upon it; surely the people is like grass...

21. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22. It is He who sits upon the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are as grasshoppers; Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in;

23. Who brings princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth as vanity.

24. Scarcely are they planted; scarcely are they sown; scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth; and He merely blows upon them, and they wither, and the stormy wind takes them away as stubble.

25. To whom then will you liken Me, that I should be his equal? said the Holy One.

26. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold Who has created these things; Who brings out their host by number, He calls them all by names by the greatness of His might, and because He is strong in power not one is missing.

 

Wherein lies the consolation here?

 

Returning to the process of personal mourning and consolation, we see, at least, the template upon which this selection can be understood.

 

The first day of Avelut (mourning) is the day of burial - from the completion of burial until the end of the day. As soon as the grave is filled in, the assembled become Menahamim, (consolers) form two lines and, as the mourners pass between them, recite the familiar formula mentioned above. During the burial itself, there are three critical passages which are said:

 

1) “El Melekh Rachamim” – acknowledging the death and asking God to protect the soul of the deceased;

 

2) “Tsiduq Ha-Din” - accepting the truth of God's judgment (the verses which are included in the “Tsiduq Ha-Din” extol not only God's greatness, but the wispy existence of every man.)

 

3) “Qadish” – an expanded version which is said only at graveside (and at the celebration of the conclusion of a book of Talmud - notice again how the rebuilding of Yerushalayim is inextricably tied into the powerful moments of personal mourning).

 

This is the necessary prerequisite of consolation. Once the mourner has accepted the reality of his tragic loss (El Melekh Rachamim), he must realize the "bigger picture" (Qadish) and even if he cannot internalize it as yet, G-d's greater "view" (Tsiduq Ha-Din), it needs to be stated. Similarly, Yerushalayim will begin to take solace once it realizes in Whose hands its fate rests and that all men wither and blow away as the grass. As the mighty Bavel rested on its ugly laurels, taunting the Levites to sing to us of the songs of Tziyyon (T'hillim 137:3), we remembered that all men have their limited time to crest (see Eikhah 4:21) and that G-d's will is unstoppable.

 

 

SHABBAT 2: BEGINNING OF CONSOLATION

 

One of the overwhelming feelings that the Avel (mourner) feels once the first day - with all of its "reality therapy" - has gone, is that of isolation. After all of the hustle of the burial, the first meal (brought by others) etc., he finally sits alone (even if there are other mourners!), lower than everyone else, silent and desolate. This mirrors the tragic picture of the first chapter of Eikhah (Lamentations) - all of my friends

have betrayed me... The necessary consolation for this step is to show the mourner that he is yet surrounded by friends; if he can not see it now, he must think back to those glory days of the past and take solace in their memory.

 

Note how the second Haftarah (49:14-51:3) follows and responds to these sentiments:

 

14: But Tziyyon says, Ha-Shem has forsaken me, and Ha-Shem has forgotten me.

15. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, even they may forget, but I will not forget you.

16. Behold, I have engraved you upon the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before me...

18. Lift up your eyes around, and behold; all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live, says Ha-Shem, you shall surely dress yourself with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on you, as a bride does....

51:2. Look to Avraham your father, and to Sarah who gave birth to you; for he was only one when I called him, and blessed him, and increased him.

51:3. For Ha-Shem shall comfort Tziyyon; He will comfort all her ruins; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Ha-Shem; joy and gladness shall be found in there, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

 

Note the unique reference (not found in any of the other Haftarot in this series) to Avraham and Sarah. The father of our people, the archetype of the isolated hero, enjoyed the blessing (realized only generations later) of a tribe more numerous than the stars in the heaven. What powerful solace for the city in mourning - her children will, as promised in v. 18, return to her and adorn her as an ornament. The bright future is, however, presented in broad strokes, utilizing vague terms to paint a glorious picture which is, as yet, unanchored in specific reality.

 

 


 

The Rabbi’s Private Prophetic  Study

for the Week of August 6 – August 11, 2006

 

 

Sunday August 6, 2006                    Torah Reading: Exodus 26:31 – 27:19

 

After the instructions as to the furniture (except the altar of incense, 30:1-10), come the precise details needed for the Tabernacle itself.

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·         vv. 31-35 – The Inner Veil, Separating the Holy from the Most Holy Place

·         vv. 36-37 – The Outer Veil at the entrance of the Tabernacle

·         vv. 1-8 – The Brazen Altar

·         vv. 9-18 – The Court

·         v. 19 – The Vessels

 

Questions for study and analysis:

 

1.      Sh’mot (Exodus) 26:31 starts by saying: “And you will make a veil of blue and purple and crimson, and twined linen.” What was the purpose of this veil and what is the significance of its colors?

 

2.      Both the alatr and the ark were made of Shittim wood. What does this indicate?

 

3.      What was the purpose or role of the horns in the Brazen Altar?

 

4.      Exodus 27:19 states: “As to all the vessels of the tabernacle, in all its service, and all its pins, and all the pins of the court, they will be bronze.” Why bronze? Why not gold or silver or copper?

 

5.      In the gifts that G-d has bestowed to His congregation what role has the “Inner Veil”? And why is this necessary?

 

 

Monday August 7, 2006                  Tehillim Reading: Psalm 61                       

 

Contents of the Psalm                                

 

A Prayer in Exile

 

·         v. 1 – Introduction

·         vv. 2-4 – Appeal for Help

·         vv. 5-6 – Confidence in G-d

·         vv. 7-8 – Hopes for the King’s Future

·         v. 9 – His Gratitude to G-d

 

This psalm (title) is inscribed “To the chief Musician upon Neginah.” On the meaning of the expression, “To the chief Musician,” see Psalm 4:1-8, where also we have the following word in another form, - “on Neginoth” - the plural, instead of the singular. The word means a stringed instrument; and the idea is, that the psalm was committed to the leader of those who played on stringed instruments in the sanctuary. The psalm is ascribed to David, but the occasion on which it was composed is not specified. From the psalm itself it is evident that it was composed by one who was in exile Psalm 61:2, and by one who was a king Psalm 61:6. The supposition which best agrees with all the circumstances alluded to in the psalm is, that it was composed by David when he was Chasen into exile on the rebellion of Absalom, and that it was composed when he was still beyond the Jordan 2Samuel 17:22, and when his life was yet in danger. Psalm 42:1-11 and Psalm 43:1-5 refer to the same period, and have the same general characteristics.

 

Questions for study and analysis:

 

1.      R. Cohen in the Soncino’s Commentary on Psalms, states concerning v.3 – “From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart faints; Oh lead me to the Rock that is higher than I” – “The Psalmist does not mean that he finds himself in a remote spot far away from his home. But Jerusalem, the dwelling-place of G-d, is for him the center of the earth. He measures his distance from it not by miles but by the intensity of his yearning to be there, in the place where the invisible pledges of G-d’s Presence were to be found.” On the other hand, the Talmud states that the most Holy Place on earth today is where men sit to study Torah and issue Halakha (Berakhot 8a).

 

a)     What implications, therefore does this verse of Psalm 61 has for us today?

b)     Where should be the centre of the earth for us today and why?

c)     In the context of this Psalm who is “the Rock that is higher than I”?

 

2.      Psalm 61:3 starts by saying “For You have been” and it is immediately followed in v. 4 by: “I will.” Observe how the Psalmist brings the changes in the verb tenses, “You have been,” and “I will.” Is it possible that experience is the nurse of faithful obedience and that from the past we gather arguments for present confidence? And what can we say about those who lack present confidence?

 

3.      Our Psalmist Messiah King David has obviously meditated upon our Torah Seder of Exodus 26:31 – 27:19. This leads him to state: “I will dwell in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.”

 

a)     The word “forever” here means “perpetually.” Now David is speaking as the Messiah of Israel, what then is the relationship between the Tabernacle and Messiah?

 

b)     As we said before the Talmud states that the most Holy Place on earth today is where men sit to study Torah and issue Halakha (Berakhot 8a). What does this have to say as to where the Messiah and G-d’s Shekhinah (Presence)can be found?

 

4.      In Psalm 61:7 we read: “He (the Messiah/King of Israel) will abide forever before God; appoint mercy and truth to preserve him.”

 

a)     Barnes comments on this verse: “That is, perpetually; without danger of change, or of being Chasen into exile. This may allude, however, to the hope which David had that he would always live with God in a higher world - a world where there would be no danger of change or banishment. His restoration to his home, to his throne, and to the privileges of the sanctuary, he may have regarded as an emblem of his ultimate reception into a peaceful heaven, and his mind may have glanced rapidly from the one to the other.” Is it possible that Messiah King David was realizing that the Tabernacle was merely a reproduction of a heavenly reality which is the “real thing” and thus uses the word “forever-perpetually”?

 

b)     In Ephesians 2:6 Hakham Shaul writes: “and raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenlies in Yeshuah the Messiah.” How is this verse from Hakham Shaul related to Psalm 61:7? And therefore, what are the implications of Messiah King David’s statement in Psalm 61:7?

 

c)     Psalm 61:7 concludes with the statement: “appoint mercy and truth to preserve him.” “Chessed” (Mercy) and “Emet” (Truth – an euphemism for the Law, cf. Psalm  119:142) are the key ingredients for the preservation of Messiah and those that are his true disciples. What does this statement has to say about how we are to go about tabernacle building – an earthly reproduction of a heavenly reality?

 

 

Tuesday August 8, 2006                   Ordinary Ashlamatah Reading: Ezekiel 16:10-19, 60

 

Questions for study and analysis:

 

1.      Ezekiel 16:10-12 describe the construction of the Tabernacle as portraying the relationship between Israel and G-d, that we have examined in the Torah Sidrot for the this and last two Shabatot.

 

a)     What are “bracelets on your hands” (v.11) alluding to? The Targum interprets this of the ornament of the Words of the Law (see Proverbs 1:8). Is this all, or is there more to it?

b)     What does “and a chain on your neck” (v.11) alludes to?

c)     “And I put a ring on your nose” (v.12) – The Targum  interprets: “"and I put the ark of My covenant among you.” What made the Targum interpret the “ring on your nose” to be the “Ark of the Covenant” in the Tabernacle?

 

2.      “Fine flour and honey and oil you ate” (v.13). The Targum explains that this speaks of the manna with which the Lord fed the Israelites in the wilderness. Why does the Targum interpret these three substances to allude to Manna?

 

3.      Ezekiel 16:60 in the Young’s Literal Translation reads: “And I--I have remembered My covenant with you, In the days of your youth, And I have established for you a covenant age-during (i.e. everlasting).” According to this translation, G-d’s covenant (i.e. “My Covenant”) = “a covenant age-enduring.” That is, the Prophet is speaking of the same covenant throughout all this verse. If G-d has only one covenant what are the implications of this for Jews and for Gentiles who turn away from serving idols?  And is the “New Covenant” any different from this  “My covenant with you, In the days of your youth”?

 

 

Wednesday August 9, 2006            Special Ashalamatah Reading:  Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:11 - 55:5

 

This special prophetic lesson is being read because this coming Sabbath marks the seven week period of readings for the consolation of Israel prior to the Jewish New Year or festival of Trumpets.

 

Contents of the Ashlamatah:

 

·         The desolate city will be invincible (Isa 54:11-17)

·         Come you thirsty and hungry, be satisfied (Isa 55:1-5).

 

Questions for study and analysis:

 

1.      In Isaiah 54:11 we read: “O afflicted, storm-tossed, not comforted, Lo, I am laying with cement your stones, and have founded you with sapphires,”

 

a)     “O afflicted, storm-tossed, not comforted” – How is this precisely applicable particularly to present-day Nazarean Jews?

b)     “I am laying with cement your stones” -  How is this precisely applicable particularly to present-day Nazarean Jews?

c)     “And have founded you with sapphires” -  How is this precisely applicable particularly to present-day Nazarean Jews?

 

2.      In Isaiah 54:12 we read: “And I will make your windows of jasper, and your gates of carbuncles, and all your borders of pleasant stones.”

 

a)     “And I will make your windows of jasper” (cf. Rev. 21:11). How is this precisely applicable particularly to present-day Nazarean Jews?

b)     “and your gates of carbuncles” (cf. Rev. 21:21). The phrase is said to signify that in the latter days the ministrations of Nazarean Courts will be very clear and bright, and be greatly owned, and be very successful. What things are required for us Nazarean Jews to arrive at the point signaled by this prophecy?

c)     “and all your borders of pleasant stones” – compare with “You will arise, and have compassion upon Zion; for it is time to be gracious unto her, for the appointed time is come. For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, and love her dust” (Psalm 102:14-15). Who are these stones and why are they used to make borders? (cf. Rev.  21:18)

 

3.      In Isaiah 54:13 the Young Literal Translation reads:  “And all your sons are taught of Ha-Shem, And abundant is the shalom of your sons.”

 

a)     Xtians believe that this particular verse speaks about/of them. Why is such statement a misinterpretation of the text?

b)     Taking into account the context, to who is this verse legitimately addressed?

c)     “And all your sons are taught of Ha-Shem” – Does this mean that there is/will be no need of teachers? Why is such an interpretation dangerous and flawed?

 

 

Thursday August 10, 2006    Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) 10:32-33

 

Rabbi’s translation:

 

32. ¶ "Every man who will reveal me before men, I will also reveal him before my Father who is in the heavens.

33. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father who is in the heavens.

 

Questions for study and analysis:

 

1.      What caught the eye of Matityahu in our Torah Seder of Exodus 26:31 – 27:19, as well as in Psalm 61, Ezekiel 16:10-19, 60, and Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:11 - 55:5, that found it appropriate to write this statement as a Midrashic commentary to the above readings?

 

2.      The Amplified Bible translates “Whoever acknowledges me before men,” the KJV translates: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men;” however, the Hebrew Matityahu has “Every man who will reveal me before men.”

 

a)     What are the differences in connotation of the verses when each of the three different terms are used?

b)     What does it mean for Messiah to reveal in intimacy to G-d who are his genuine Talmidim?

c)     Why is disowning the Master so costly particularly to those who have known him? And what does this have to say about how we are to be as Nazarean Jews and deal with those that betray the Master for the sake of some gain of public recognition?  

 

 

Friday August 11, 2006                     Tying All Ends Together – The Prophetic Statement

 

1.      What is the common thread that binds  our Torah Seder of Exodus 26:31 – 27:19, with Psalm 61, Ezekiel 16:10-19, 60, Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:11 - 55:5, and Matityahu 10:32-33?

 

2.      What prophetic statement is common to all of these readings? And how is that prophetic statement applicable to us today?

 

 

Now we are ready for G-d to speak to us this coming Shabbat at the congregational level and as individual families. May we be good hearers of G-d’s Word, and thorough doers of it. Amen ve amen!

 

 

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; those who love you shall prosper.

Peace be within your walls; prosperity in your towers.

Because of my brothers and my companions, I will now say, Peace be in you.

Because of the house of Ha-Shem, our God, I will seek your good.”

Psalm 122:6-9