Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Sh’mot (Exodus) 22:24 – 24:18
If
you lend money to (one of) My people, to (one of) the humble of My people, you
shall not be to him as an usurer, neither lay it upon him that there shall be
witnesses against him, or that he give pledges, or equivalents, or usury. [JERUSALEM. 24. If you
lend money to My people, to the poor of your people, you shall not be to him an
oppressive creditor, or lay upon him either equivalents or usury.] If you take
(at all) for a pledge the garment of your neighbor, you will restore it to him
before sunset; for it may be his talith which alone covers him; (or) it is his
only garment in which he rests, which falls upon his skin; and if you take the
coverlet of the bed whereon he lies, and he be heard before Me, I will hearken
to his prayer; for I am Elohim the Merciful.
Sons
of Israel
My people, you will not revile your judges, nor curse the rabbis who are
appointed rulers among your people. The firsts of your fruits, and the firsts
of your wine‑press, you will not delay to bring up in their time to
the place of My habitation. The firstlings of your males you will separate
before Me. So will you do with the firstlings of your oxen and sheep; seven
days it shall be suckled by its mother, and on the eighth day you will separate
it before Me. And holy men, tasting unconsecrated things innocently, will you
be before Me; but flesh torn by wild beasts alive you may not eat, but throw it
to the dog as his portion.
XXIII.
Sons of Israel
My people, take not up lying words from a man who accuses his neighbor before
you, nor put your hand with the lawless to become a false witness. Sons of Israel My
people, you will not go after the many to do evil, but to do good; and no one
among you will restrain himself from affirming justly concerning his neighbor
in the judgment, by saying, Behold, the judgment sides with the many. [JERUSALEM. Sons of Israel My
people, you will not go after the multitude to do evil, but to do good; and no
one of you shall restrain himself from setting forth the just cause of his
neighbor in the judgment, nor say in your heart, The judgment sides with the
many.] And to the poor man who is guilty in his cause, you will not be partial
in having compassion upon him; for there must not be respect of persons in
judgment. If you meet the ox of your enemy whom you dislike on account of the
lawlessness which you only know is in him, or an ass that wanders from the way,
you will surely bring it to him. If you see the ass of your enemy whom you dislike
on account of the wickedness which you only know to be in him, lying under his
burden, and you would refrain yourself from going near him, you will relinquish
at once the dislike of your heart against (your enemy), and release and take
care of the ass (or, charge yourself with him).
Sons
of Israel
My people, you will not warp the judgment of the poor in his cause. From a
false matter keep distant. And when one has gone forth from your house of
justice acquitted, and they (afterwards) find out his guilt; or one has been
brought out condemned, and they (afterward) find out his innocence,-you will
not put him to death; for I will not hold (the former) innocent, nor the latter
guilty. And you may not receive a bribe; for a bribe blinds their eyes who have
taken it, and casts down the wise from their seats, and perverts the right words
which are written in the Law, and confounds the words that are in the mouth of
the innocent in the hour of judgment. You will not oppress the stranger; for
you know the sigh of a stranger's soul; because you were sojourners in the land of Mizraim.
Six
years you will sow your land, and gather the produce; but the seventh year you
will exempt it from labor, and give up the fruit of it to be eaten by the poor
of My people; and what they leave shall be eaten by the beasts of the field.
And in like manner will you do with your vine and olive grounds. Six days do your
work, and on the seventh day repose, that your ox and your ass may rest, and that
the uncircumcised son of your handmaid, and the stranger, may rest. And of all
the precepts that I have spoken to you, be careful; and the names of the idols
of the Gentiles remember not, nor let them be heard upon your lips.
Three
times in the year you will keep festival before Me. The feast of unleavened
cakes you will observe. Seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I have
instructed you, in the time of the month of Abib, because in it you came forth
from Mizraim; and you will not appear before Me empty-handed. And the feast of
the harvest’s first‑fruits of the work you did sow in the field; and the
feast of gathering, at the end of the year, when you have gathered in your work
from the field. Three times in the year will all your males appear before the
Lord the Master of the world.
Sons
of Israel
My people, while there is leaven in your houses you may not immolate the bloody
sacrifice of My Pascha; nor will the fat of the sacrifice of My Pascha remain
without the altar until morning, nor of the flesh that you eat in the evening.
The first of the choice fruits of your ground you will bring to the sanctuary
of the Lord your God. My people of the house of Israel, you are not permitted to
dress or to eat of meat and milk mingled together, lest I be greatly
displeased; and I prepare you the wheat and the straw together for your food.
Behold,
I will send an Angel before you, to keep you in the way, and to bring you in to
the place of My habitation which I have prepared. Be circumspect before him,
and obey his word, and be not rebellious against his words; for he will not
forgive your sins, because his word is in My Name. For if you will indeed
hearken to his word, and do all that I speak by him, I will be the enemy of your
enemy, and will trouble them who trouble you. For My Angel will go before you,
and bring you to the Amoraee, and Pherizaee, and Kenaanaee, Hivaee, and Jebusaee;
and I will destroy them. You will not worship their idols, nor serve them, nor
do after their evil works; but you will utterly demolish the house of their
worship, and break the statues of their images. And you will do service before
the Lord our God and He will bless the provision of your food and your drinks,
and remove the bitter plague from among you. None shall be abortive or barren
in your land; the number of the days of your life I will fulfill from day to
day. My terror will I send before you, and will perturb all the peoples to whom
you come, that you may wage battle against them; and I will make all your
enemies turn back before you. And I will send the hornet before you to Chase
out the Hivaee, and Kenaanaee, and Hitaee, from before you. I will not expel
them before you in one year, lest the land become a wilderness, and the beasts
of the field multiply upon you, when they come to eat their carcasses, and
injure you. By little and little I will Chase them out before you, until you
are increased, and inherit the land. And I will set your boundary from the sea of Suph,
to the sea of the Philistaee, and from the desert unto the Pherat; for I will
deliver into your hand all the inhabitants of the land, and you will Chase them
out from before you. You will make no covenant with them, nor with their idols.
You will not let them dwell in your land, lest they cause you to err, and to
sin before Me, when you worship their idols; for they will be a stumbling-block
to you.
XXIV.
And Michael, the Prince of Wisdom, said to Mosheh on the seventh day of the month,
Come up before the Lord, you and Aharon, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the
elders of Israel,
and worship at a distance. And Mosheh alone will approach before the Lord; but
they shall not draw near, nor may the people come up with him.
And
Mosheh came and set before the people all the words of the Lord, and all the
judgments. And all the people answered with one voice, and said, All that
the Lord has spoken we will do. And Mosheh wrote the words of the Lord, and
arose in the morning and built an altar at the lower part of the mountain; and
twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent the firstborn
of the sons of Israel, for until that hour the firstborn had the (office of
performing) worship, the tabernacle of ordinance not (as yet) being made, nor
the priesthood given unto Aharon; and they offered burnt offerings and
consecrated oblations of oxen before the Lord. And Mosheh took half of the
blood of the offering, and put it in basins, and half of the blood of the
offering he sprinkled upon the altar. And he took the Book of the Covenant of
the Law and read before the people; and they said, All the words which the Lord
has spoken we will perform and obey. And Mosheh took half of the blood
which was in the basins, and sprinkled upon the altar, to expiate the people,
and said, Behold, this is the blood of the Covenant which the Lord has made
with you upon all these words.
And
Mosheh and Aharon, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, went
up. And Nadab and Abihu lifted up their eyes, and saw the glory of the God of
Israel; and under the footstool of His feet which was placed beneath His
throne, was like the work of sapphire stone a memorial of the servitude with
which the Mizraee had made the children of Israel to serve in clay and bricks,
(what time) there were women treading clay with their husbands; the delicate
young woman with child was also there, and made abortive by being beaten down
with the clay. And thereof did Gabriel, descending, make brick, and, going up
to the heavens on high, set it, a footstool under the cathedra of the Lord of
the world whose splendor was as the work of a precious stone, and as the power
of the beauty of the heavens when they are clear from clouds. [JERUSALEM. The
footstool of His feet as the work of pure sapphire stones, and as the aspect of
the heavens when they are cleared from clouds.]
But
upon Nadab and Abihu, the comely young men, was the stroke not sent in that
hour, but it awaited them on the eighth day for a retribution to destroy them;
but they saw the glory of the Shekinah of the Lord, and rejoiced that their
oblations were received with favor, and so did eat and drink.
And
the Lord said to Mosheh, Ascend before Me at the mount, and I will there give
you the tables of stone on which I have set forth the rest of the words of the
Law, and the six hundred and thirteen precepts which I have written for their
instruction. And Mosheh arose and Jehoshua his minister; and Mosheh went up to
the mountain on which was revealed the glory of the Shekinah of the Lord. And
to the sages he had said, Expect us here, at the time of our return to you;
and, behold, Aharon and Hur are with you; if there be any matter of judgment,
bring it to them. And Mosheh went up into the mount, and the Cloud of Glory
covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord's Shekinah abode upon the mountain
of Sinai, and the Cloud of Glory covered it six days. And on the seventh day He
called to Mosheh from the midst of the Cloud. And the appearance of the splendor
of the glory of the Lord was as burning fire with flashes of devouring fire;
and the sons of Israel beheld and were awe-struck. And Mosheh entered into the
midst of the Cloud, and ascended the mountain; and Mosheh was upon the mountain
forty days and forty nights, learning the words of the Law from the mouth of
the Holy One, whose Name be praised.
Midrash
Tanhuma Yelammedenu for: Sh’mot (Exodus) 22:24 – 24:18
8.
If you lend money to any of My people (Exod. 22:24).
Scripture
says elsewhere in reference to this verse: There is a grievous evil which I
have seen under the sun, namely riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt;
and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he has forgotten the sun,
there is nothing in his hand (Eccles. 5:12-13). The Holy One, blessed be
He, tests everyone; (with regard to) the wealthy, if they are generous toward
the needy, they enjoy their wealth in this world, and the righteousness they
perform will be rewarded in the world-to-come, as it is said: And your
reward (Isa. 58:8). It says elsewhere: Happy is he that considers the
poor; the Lord will deliver him in the day of evil (Ps. 41:2).
He
likewise tests the poor. If they do not complain in this world, they will
receive their reward in the world-to-come, as is said: For You do save the
afflicted people (Ps. 18:28). Job suffered in this world and was repaid
twofold, as it is said: And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before
(Job 42:10).
However,
a rich man may destroy himself and his wealth in this world, as it is said: And
those rights perish by evil adventure (Eccles. 5:13). Not all who are rich
today will be rich tomorrow, nor will all who are poor today be poor tomorrow,
as it is said: For God is judge; He putts down one and lifts up another (Ps.
75:8).
There
is wealth that is beneficial to its possessor and wealth that is harmful to
him. An example of wealth that was harmful to its possessor was the wealth of
Korah, as it is said: So they, and all that appertained to them, went down
alive into the pit (Num. 16:33). Haman’s riches were also harmful to him,
for though it is said: And Haman recounted unto them the glory of his riches
(Est. 5:11), ultimately: So they hanged Haman (ibid. 7:10). An example
of wealth that was beneficial to its owner was that of Jehoshaphat: Now
Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance (II Chron. 18:1). What
happened to him? Then Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him
(ibid., v. 31).
There
is strength that is beneficial to its possessor and strength that is harmful to
its possessor. Strength that is beneficial was possessed by David, for it is
said: Behold, I have a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is skillful in
playing and a mighty man of valor (I Sam. 16:18). It is also written: Saul
had slain his thousands and David his ten thousands (ibid. 18:7); and: All
Israel and Judah loved David (ibid., v. 6). The strength of Goli‘ath was
harmful to its possessor, for he profaned and blasphemed against God. Goliath
called: Choose a man for you (ibid. 17:8), but in the end, When the
Philistines saw that their mighty man was dead, they fled (ibid., v. 51).
He had been slain with a (single) stone hurled from a sling.
There
is wisdom which is both beneficial and harmful to the one who possesses it
Joshua possessed wisdom that was beneficial, as it is said: Joshua the son
of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom (Deut. 34:9). To what may this be
compared? To a reservoir that supplied an entire city with water. Everyone
praised it, with the exception of one man who advised them to praise the well
that supplied the water (for the reservoir) instead. Similarly, while they were
extolling Joshua for giving drink to Israel through his wisdom, he said to
them: “Praise Moses instead,” for Moses had laid his hands upon him
(ibid.). Balaam had wisdom which was harmful to him, as it is stated: The
saying of him who hears the word of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most
High (Num. 24:23), and finally: Balaam the son of Beor they slew with a
sword (ibid. 31:8).
9.
If thou lend money to any of my people (Exod. 22:24).
Scripture
states elsewhere in reference to this verse: He that puts not out his money
on interest (Ps. 15:5). Come and observe that every wealthy man who gives
charity to the needy and does not lend out his money on interest is considered
to have fulfilled all the commandments, as it is said: He that does these
things will never be moved (ibid.). Who was one such person? Obadiah, the
wealthy overseer of Ahab’s household, as it is said: And Ahab called
Obadiah, who was over the household. Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly (I
Kings 18:3). He fed the prophets out of his own resources during that famine
(which Elijah produced) and even borrowed money on interest from Joram the son
of Ahab to do so. Obadiah fulfilled the verse He that puts not out his money
on interest, but concerning Joram who loaned money on interest, the Holy
One, blessed be He, said: Until now he has survived, but Jehu will come and
slay him, as it is written: He has given forth upon interest, and has taken
increase; shall he then live? (Exod. 18:13). It is also written: And
Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and smote Joram between his arms, and
the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot (II Kings
9:24). This occurred because he had become hard of heart and sought interest.
Thus the prophesy of Ezekiel was fulfilled: He has given forth upon interest
and has taken increase; shall he then live? (Ezek. 18:13).
There
were men in Jerusalem, also, who loaned money on interest, as it is said: Your
silver is become dross (Isa. 1:22). What was their fate? Refuse silver
shall men call them, because the Lord has rejected them (Jer. 6:30).
Therefore Scripture states: Your silver is become dross, It is also
written: They shall cast their silver and their gold into the streets
(Ezek. 7:19). Why? Because they had transgressed the law, as it is said: You
will not give him your money upon interest (Lev. 25:37).
When
Solomon erected the Temple he prayed: Lord of the Universe, if a man should
pray unto You in this Temple for money, and You know that the money will be
harmful to him, do not give it to him, but if You should foresee that the money
will be beneficial to him, fulfill his plea, as it is said: And render unto
every man according to all his ways, whose heart You know - for You, even You
only, know the hearts of the children of men (II Chron. 6:30). Because the
wicked in this world are wealthy and dwell in tranquility, the Holy One,
blessed be He, will reward them only a little for the good deeds they perform
in this world, as it is said: And repays them that hate Him to their face
(Deut. 7:10). But it is also written: When the lawless spring up as the
grass, when all the workers of lawlessness do flourish; it is that they may be
destroyed for ever (Ps. 92:8). However, in the future, the Holy One,
blessed be He, will open his treasure house to his righteous servants in the
Garden of Eden, while the wicked, who have eaten the fruits of interest here,
will consume their own flesh with their teeth and will be confounded, as it is
said: The fool folds his hands together and eats his own flesh (Eccles.
4:5). They will then cry out: Would that we had been workmen and carried
burdens on our shoulders, as it is said: Better is a handful of quietness,
than both the hands full of labor and striving after the wind (ibid., 6).
The
poor are the people of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said: For the
Lord has comforted His people, and has compassion upon His afflicted (Isa.
49:13). The ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, are not like those of man. The
rich man despises his poor relations and is not concerned about them, as it is
said: All the brethren of the poor do hate him; how much more do his friends
go far from him (Prov. 19:7). However, the Holy One, blessed be He, who
owns the source of all wealth and honor, provides for and is merciful to the
poor, as it is said: That the Lord has founded Zion, and in her will the
poor of His people take refuge (Isa. 14:32).
If
you lend money to any of My people
(Exod. 22:24). David said to the Holy One, blessed be He: Lord of the Universe,
May the world be (made equal) before God (Ps. 61:8), that is, make Your
world either rich or poor [i.e. “Make thy world evenly divided (as to property)”].
But He answered: If I do so, Why need I appoint mercy and truth, that they
may preserve him? (ibid.). For if all men are either rich or poor, who will
perform acts of mercy?
You
will not be to him as a creditor
(Exod. 22:24). If you have lent him money, do not press him (for payment). Do
not examine his field or vineyard or house; do not press him and say to him:
“Borrow ten thousand denarii for your business and give me only the mortgage on
your field, or vineyard, or house.” He may eventually suffer a loss in
business, and then you will be depriving him of his vineyard. From this you
learn that anyone who takes interest is not God-fearing, as it is said: Take
not interest of him or increase; but fear your God (Lev. 25:36).
Our
rabbis teach us that the borrower, the guarantor, the witnesses, and the
scribes are all considered culpable, (for without them the moneylender would
not have loaned his money on interest). Therefore, all of them will be
punished. Whence do we learn that the borrower is punished? It is written: You
will not cause your brother to lend upon interest (Deut. 23:20). To what
can interest be likened? To a person who does not feel or notice the bite of a
snake until the swelling appears. Similarly, interest is not felt until it has
increased for the debtor. If you at all take your neighbor’s garment to
pledge (Exod. 22:25). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: If he is in
debt to you, you are also in debt to Me, as it is said: If they sin against
You - for there is no man that sins not (I Kings 8:46).
10.
The two different items that were pledged—habol tahbol. [Though Exod. 22:25 speaks only of night garments,
the repetition of the word haval (havol tahbol) indicates that two
different pledges are referred to, and thus that it also refers to implements
required in the daytime].
The
verse teaches us that if one borrows the pin of a plow, he must return it upon
awakening. In one verse Scripture says: You will restore the garment unto
him before the sun goes down (Exod. 22:25). And another verse states: Neither
will the sun go down (Deut. 24:15). From these verses you can conclude that
just as you must return the garment in which a man sleeps in the evening, as it
is said: When the sun goes down, so you must return the pin of the plow
to him in the morning, before the sun goes down. Furthermore, In the
same day you will give him his hire (Deut. 24:15). Why? Since he is poor.
It states likewise: For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his
skin, wherein will he sleep? (Exod. 22:26). If he does not have his
garment, he will suffer from the cold during the night and will cry unto Me
and I will hear him (ibid.). Two matters, similar to each other, are
treated here, a pledge and a man’s hire.
In
reference to a man’s hire, it is written: In the same day you will give him
his hire. For example, a man walking along the road, followed by his
donkey, bought a sheaf of grain which he carried upon his shoulder. The donkey
followed him, eager to eat the sheaf of grain. What does the owner do? He leads
the donkey to the barn and ties the grain high above his head. Thereupon they
say to him: “You are a miserable creature. He ran after you all the way because
of the grain, and now you do not give it to him.” So too in the case of a hired
man, who labors throughout the day in the hope of receiving his wages, only to
be sent away empty-handed though He sets his heart upon it (Deut.
24:15).
It
is written in Scripture: I will hear; for I am gracious (Exod. 22:26),
and that is followed by: You will not revile God (ibid., v. 27). What
can be the connection between these two verses? Once it happened that a man had
a lawsuit against his companion before a certain judge, and a decision was
rendered in his favor. Whereupon he went about singing the praises of that
judge: “There is not as wise a judge in all the world; he is truly an angel.”
Sometime later, however, he appeared before this same judge and was found
guilty. He began cursing and crying out against him: “There is no fool in the
entire world like this one.” Others said to him: “Yesterday you called him an
angel, and now you call him a fool.” Hence it is written: You will not
revile God.
What
is written following that? You will not delay to offer the fullness of your
harvest (ibid.): That is to say, if you curse the judge, you curse your
harvest, and so you find that whenever judges are cursed, harvests diminish
considerably and famine develops, as it is said: And it came to pass, in the
days when the judges judged, that there was a great famine in the land
(Ruth 1:1). This verse indicates that this must have been a generation that
passed judgment upon its judges. Hence it is said: You will not revile God.
You will not delay to offer of the fullness of your harvest, and of the
outflow of your presses (Exod. 22:28).
11.
If you lend money to any of My people (Exod. 22:24).
The
prophet Jeremiah said: Refuse silver shall men call them (Jer. 6:30).
You find that when Israel was exiled from Jerusalem, they were led out in
chains and the peoples of the world declared: Their God already rejects them,
as it says: Refuse silver shall men call them. But just as silver may be
refined and converted into one vessel and then melted down repeatedly and
fashioned into other utensils, until it crumbles when hammered and is not
suitable for any purpose, so too there was no more hope for Israel’s survival,
since the Holy One, blessed be He, had rejected them. When Jeremiah heard that,
he said unto Him: Master of the Universe, Have You utterly rejected Judah?
Has Your soul loathed Zion? Why have You smitten us, and there is no healing
for us? (Jer. 14:19).
This
may be likened to a king who beats his wife. His best friend says to him: “If you
desire to Chase her away, beat her until she dies, but if you intend to take
her back, why do you punish her so severely?”“Even if my kingdom was to be
destroyed I would not Chase her away,” he replied. So Jeremiah said: If you
desire to Chase us out, smite us until we die, since it is said: You can not
have utterly rejected us, and be exceeding wroth against us! (Lam. 5:22),
but if that is not (Your desire), Why have You smitten us, and there is no
healing for us? (Jer. 14:19). The Holy One, blessed be He, replied: Even if
I were to destroy My entire world, I would not cast off Israel, as it is said: Thus
says the Lord: If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the
earth searched out beneath, then will I also cast off the seed of Israel for
all that they have done, says the Lord (ibid. 31:37). Nevertheless, I have
made an agreement with them that if they should sin, the Temple will be seized
as a pledge on their account, as it is said: And I set My Tabernacle among
you (Lev. 26:11). The word mishkani (“My Tabernacle”) should be read
as mashkoni (“My pledge”). Similarly, Balaam said: How goodly are
your tents (ohalekha), O Jacob, your dwellings (mishkenotekha), O Israel
(Num. 24:5). The tabernacles are called ohalekha (“your tents”), but
when they are demolished they are called mishkonotekha (“your pledges”).
The
Holy One, blessed be He, declared: It is not because I am indebted to the
nations of the world (because of their merit) that I have pledged My Temple to
them, it is only your transgressions that have caused Me to do so, as it is
said: 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” (Isa. 50:1). Similarly, I made an
agreement with Moses concerning them, If you lend money to any of My people.
However, if they transgress these commandments, I shall seize two pledges, as
it is said: If you at all take (habol tahbol) your neighbor’s garment to
pledge (Exod. 22:25). Our master Moses asked: How long shall they remain as
pledges? He answered: Until the sun comes (ibid.) that is, until the Messiah
comes, as it is said: But unto you that fear My name shall the sun of
righteousness arise with healing in its wings (Mal. 3:20).
Even
to the poor with you. Our sages of
blessed memory said: All manner of physical suffering is on one side (of the
scale), while poverty is on the other. At the time that Satan came to denounce
Job, it is said: Then Satan answered the Lord, and said: “Does Job hear God
for nothing?” (Job 1:9). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Job: Which do
you prefer, poverty or suffering? He replied: I willingly accept all the
suffering in the world but not poverty. How can I transact business in the
marketplace without even a perutah in my possession? Satan thereupon departed
from God and afflicted Job with ugly boils from the sole of his foot to his
head. Job cried out: O that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come
even to His seat (Job 23:3), to plead for divine justice. Elijah then said
to him: Why do you complain? Did you not choose suffering in preference to
poverty, as it is said: For this have you chosen rather than affliction
(ibid. 36:21).
12.
If you lend money to any of my people (Exod. 22:24).
Scripture
states elsewhere in reference to this verse: Well is it with the man that
deals graciously and lends, that orders his affairs rightfully, for he shall
never be moved (Ps. 112:5). All of God’s creations borrow from each other;
day borrows from night, and night from day, but they do not bring charges
against each other in court as mortals do, for it is said: Day unto day
utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge; there is no speech,
there are no words (Ps. 19:3).
The
moon and the stars borrow from each other, and when the Holy One, blessed be
He, wills it, they do not go forth, as it is said: Who commands the sun, and
it rises not; and seals up the stars (Job 9:7). The night borrows from the
sun, and the sun from the night, yet it is said: The sun and moon stand
still in their habitation (Hab. 3:1 1). Wisdom borrows from understanding,
and understanding borrows from wisdom, as it is said: Say unto wisdom: “You
are my sister,” and call understanding your kinswoman (Prov. 7:4). Mercy
and righteousness borrow from each other, as it is said: He that follows
after righteousness and mercy (Prov. 21:21). Heaven and earth borrow from
each other, as it is said: The Lord will open unto you His good treasure the
heaven (Deut. 28:12). The Torah and the commandments, likewise, borrow from
each other, as is said: Keep My commandments and live (Prov. 7:2) [The
Torah is a source of life, and so too are the commandments].
All
the creations of the Holy One, blessed be He, borrow from each other yet live
at peace with each other; only man borrows form his fellow man and the lender
seeks to devour the borrower through interest and robbery. One who takes
interest is actually saying to the Holy One, blessed be He: Do You not take
payment from Your world in which Your creatures reside? Payment from the earth
which You water, from the flowers which You cause to grow, from the light You
make shine, from the soul which You breathe (into us), from the body which You
protect? The Holy One, blessed be He, replied: See how much I have loaned, yet
I do not take interest, and see how much the earth has loaned you for which it
does not take interest. I take only the principal which I have loaned, and the
earth takes back only her principal, as it is said: And the dust returns to
the earth as it was, and the spirit returns unto God who gave it (Eccles.
12:7).
What
is written about one who takes interest? He that has given forth upon
interest, and has taken increase; shall he then live? He shall not live
(Exod. 18:13). This may be compared to a king who makes his treasures available
to a certain individual who later begins to oppress the poor, kill the widows,
embarrass the needy, despoil the naked, do violence and theft, indulge in
falsehood, and squander the king’s treasures. Similarly, the Holy One, blessed
be He, opens His treasure to the wealthy, with all that He possesses in it, as
it is said: Mine is the silver and Mine the gold (Hag. 2:8). Then the
rich man begins to loan money on interest. And he starts to taunt the widows
and oppress them with interest, to embarrass the poor, and to humiliate the
naked who seek charity from him, even though the Holy One, blessed be He, had
declared: Whosoever mocks the poor blasphemes his Maker (Prov. 17:5). If
a man’s neighbor is in debt to him for a hundred zuzim, he beats him, strips
him, does violence to him, steals from him, and destroys the pledges he
entrusted to him. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, says: Woe to you that
spoils and you were not spoiled; and deals treacherously, and they dealt not
treacherously with you! When you have ceased to spoil, you will be spoiled
(Isa. 33:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, gave him wealth from His treasure
house, which was a treasure house of truth, and he made it into a treasure
house of falsehood, as it is said: You have plowed wickedness, ye have
reaped lawlessness, you have eaten the fruit of lies, for you did trust
(Hos. 10:13). Hence, when the whirlwind passes, the wicked is not more
(Prov. 10:25). And that is why Solomon proclaimed: Rob not the weak, because
he is weak, neither crush the poor in the gate; for the Lord will plead their
cause (ibid. 22:22).
You
will not revile God (Exod. 22:7).
Observe that the Holy One, blessed be He, warned the people concerning their
judges and their leaders. You find that Korah and his followers would not have
been destroyed had they not embarrassed Moses and Aaron. Similarly, the men of
Jerusalem were stricken only because they despised the words of the prophets,
as it is said: That they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His
words; until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no
remedy (II Chron. 36:16). It is also written: They have made their faces
harder than a rock; they have refused to return (Jer. 5:3). Thus the Holy
One, blessed be He, reminded the Israelites concerning the respect due to
elders, who had warned Israel against idolatry, as it is said: And in all
things that I have said unto you take ye heed; and make no mention of the name
of other gods (Exod. 23:13).
What
is written following this? Three times you will keep a festival unto Me in
the year (ibid., v. 14). The Holy One, blessed be He, established the
festival of unleavened bread, on which He performed miracles in their behalf in
Egypt; the harvest festival (Shabuot), on which He gave them the Torah, the
fruits of which they were to enjoy in this world and their interest in the
world-to-come, as it is said: My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine
gold; and My produce than choice silver (Prov. 8:19); and the feast of
ingathering (Sukkoth), on which the Holy One, blessed be He, fills their homes
with blessings, as is said: Honor the Lord with your substance, and with the
first-fruits of all your increase; so will your barns be filled with plenty,
and your vats will overflow with new wine (Prov. 3:9-10). Thus it is said: The
choicest first-fruits of your land you will bring into the house of the Lord
your God (Exod. 23:19).
13.
If you lend money to any of my people (Exod. 22:24).
Scripture
says elsewhere in reference to this verse: He that has an evil eye hastens
after riches, and he knows not that want shall come upon him (Prov. 28:22).
He that has an evil eye refers to Cain, who sought to possess the entire
world. When was that? When Cain and Abel were (alone) in the world. What was
written concerning them? And it came to pass, when they were in the field
(Gen. 4:8), that He killed Abel because of the dispute over the field.
Cain
said to Abel:24 “Let us divide the world between us. You take the movable
property, and I will take the fields.” He thought that he would thereby be able
to Chase him out of the world. They divided everything between them. Abel took
the movable property, and Cain the fields. Thereafter, wherever Abel went, Cain
ran after him, shouting: “Get off my property.” He fled to the mountains, and
Cain pursued him, shouting: “This too belongs to me.” Finally he turned upon
him, and killed him, as it is said: And Cain rose against Abel his brother
and slew him (ibid.).
And
he knows not that want shall come upon him (Prov. 28:22). What came upon him? A fugitive and a wanderer will
you be in the earth (Gen. 4:12). Wherever he went, the Holy One, blessed be
He, brought evil spirits upon him. They beat him and pursued him until they
drove him from the world. Thus Solomon proclaimed: If a man beget a hundred
children and live many years . . . but his soul have not enough of good, and
moreover he have no burial (Eccles. 6:3). Similarly, whoever lends money to
his friend on interest will ultimately require help from mankind, as it is
said: And he knows not that want shall come upon him (Prov. 28:22).
What
is written above this subject? If you afflict them in any wise—for if they
cry at all unto Me, I will surely hear their cry (Exod. 22:22). All the
words in this verse are repeated in order to teach you that the curtain (for
repentance) is never closed before Him. What is written following this? My
wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with a sword (ibid., v. 23). When
is that? If you lend money to any of My people.
14.
If you lend money to any of My people (Exod. 22:24).
Scripture
states elsewhere: He that augments his substance by interest and increase,
gathers it for Him that is gracious to the poor (Prov. 28:8). How is this
to be understood? An Israelite desired to loan out money and when a gentile
came to him to borrow money he said to himself: “Is it better to loan money to
a non-Jew on interest [Claiming he would then have additional money to aid the
needy. But he did not use his money for that purpose. He became wealthy.] or to
loan it to an Israelite without interest?” He loaned him (the non-Jew) the
money and became wealthy. Therefore Solomon declared concerning him: He that
augments his substance by interest and increase, gathers it for Him that is
gracious to the poor (Prov. 28:8). This verse alludes to Esau. Was Esau
actually gracious to the poor? The fact is that he oppressed the poor, but when
the kings heard that he was taking interest, they waged war against him and
seized his money. With it the king erected public buildings, baths, and
basilicas in the city to provide for the needs of the travelers and the
residents. Hence, Gathers it for Him that is gracious to the poor.
15.
If you lend money to any of My people (Exod.22:24).
R.
Tanhuma began the discussion with the verse: He that is gracious unto the
poor lends unto the Lord. . . He will repay unto Him (Prov. 19:17). What is
meant by The Lord will repay unto him? Is it possible that The Lord lends,
and His good deeds He will repay unto him (ibid.). R. Phinehas the priest,
the son of Hama, said that R. Reuben posed this query: What is the meaning of And
his good deeds He will repay him? One might conclude that if he gave a
perutah to a poor man, the Holy One, blessed be He, will repay him. Indeed not.
The Holy One, blessed be He, says: When the soul of a poor man is struggling to
leave its body because of hunger, and you give him food and help him to live,
be assured that I will repay you soul for soul. In the future, when your son or
daughter becomes deathly ill, I will recall in their behalf the good deed you
performed for the poor man, and I will save them from death. Therefore And
his good deeds will He repay, that is, I will repay you soul for soul.
The
Holy One, blessed be He, said: It is sufficient that you should be spoken of as
one who loans to Me. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: If you lend money to
any of My people (ammi) implies that you will be with Me (immi).
That is, you will merit My area (in heaven).
You
find that the Holy One, blessed be He, sits in judgment upon every
transgression of man, and asks: What decision shall be rendered? Whether the
man is a thief, an adulterer, or a transgressor, the Holy One, blessed be He,
sits in judgment upon him. And so you find that in the time of Ahab, Micah
said: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the hosts of heaven
standing by Him on His right hand and on His left (I Kings 22:19). Is there
a left hand on High, since it is written: Your right hand, O Lord, glorious
in power; Your right hand, O Lord, dashes in pieces the enemy (Exod.
15:16), and also: The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of
the Lord does valiantly (Ps. 118:16)? What, then, is the meaning of on
His right hand and on His left? Those who plead in behalf of a sinner are
called His right hand, and those who argue against him are called His
left.
And
the Lord said: “Who shall entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at
Ramoth-gilead?” (I Kings 22:20). This verse indicates that He discussed the
law with them (the heavenly hosts). One said: On this manner; and another
said: On that manner And there came forth a spirit and stood before the Lord,
and said: “I will entice him” (ibid., v. 20-21). He asked him: “Do you know
the cause of the sin?” And He replied: “Yes.” Then He began to discuss His
decision with them, as it is said: And one said: On this manner; and another
said. On that manner. but in regard to the one who lends money on interest,
the Holy One, blessed be He, does not discuss His decision, for it is said: Has
given forth upon interest, and has taken increase; shall he then live? He shall
not live (Ezek. 18:13). He renders His verdict immediately, and the ministering
angels declare: He has done all these abominations; he shall surely be put
to death, his blood shall be upon him, he shall not live (ibid.). Thus
Moses said: If you lend.
Observe
the difference between the deeds of men and of God. If a man owes his fellowman
a hundred, or two hundred, or three hundred gold dinars, and the latter says to
him: “Pay me what you owe me.” And he replies: “I have nothing,” they quarrel
and abuse each other forthwith. The Holy One, blessed be He, does not act in
that fashion, however. You find that during the summer, in the interval between
Tevet and Tammuz (when the days grow longer and the nights shorter), the day
borrows from the night, and in the interval between Tammuz and Tevet (when the
reverse happens), the night borrows from the day, Yet there is no speech,
there are no words, neither is their voice heard (Ps. 19:4). Thus the Holy
One, blessed be He, warned Moses to tell the Israelites: If you lend money to
one of My people, do not embarrass him, for he is with Me. Even to the poor
with you (Exod. 22:24). Consider yourself as though you were among the poor
of your people. Even to the poor with you. The sages concluded from this
verse that between the poor of your family and the poor of your city, the poor
of your family must take precedence, and between the poor of your city and
another city, the poor of your city must take precedence.
The
R. Nahman BeRabbi said: Observe what is written in this verse: You will
surely give him, and your heart will not be grieved when you give unto him; of
this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work (Deut. 15:10).
It does not say “for the sake of,”“on account of,”“in consequence of,” or
“instead of,” but simply because of this I have made you rich and him poor.
But if you do not give to him, I will reverse the wheel of fortune and make you
poor and him rich. Why is that? Because God is judge; He puts down one, and
lifts up another (Ps. 75:8).
R.
Shila stated: Observe that the verse is written You will not harden your
heart, nor shut your hand from your needy brother (Deut. 15:7). What is the
meaning of your brother? It is not written “from the poor” but rather from
your brother to teach us that the two of you are equal, and that you should
not cause yourself to become like him (poor).
They
say concerning R. Tanhum the son of Hanilai that whenever he brought home some
meat or vegetables or anything else, he would tell the members of his
household: “Set aside a portion for the poor, for I bought one measure of meat
for you and a half-measure for the poor.” In that way He fulfilled the verse In
the day of prosperity be joyful, in the day of adversity consider; God has made
even the one as well as the other, to the end that man should find nothing
after him (Eccles. 7:14). In the day of prosperity be joyful in the good
deeds you perform in behalf of the poor. In the day of adversity consider
indicates that you too are not far removed from poverty, and that there is no
greater misfortune for you than poverty. Thus it says: Even to the poor with
you.
16.
If you at all take your neighbor’s garment to pledge (Exod. 22:25).
The
Holy One, blessed be He, declared: How guilty are your sins before Me, yet I
have been patient with you. And though your soul ascends unto Me at twilight
each day to render an accounting and is found guilty [There is a tradition that
the Jewish soul ascends to heaven while the body is sleeping to give an account
to G-d], nevertheless I return the soul to you. Just as you are obligated to Me,
so also are you obligated to them (the poor). If you at all take your
neighbor’s garment to pledge, you will restore it to him by when the sun goes
down; for that may be his only covering (Exod. 22:25). You have one thing
that belongs to Me, and therefore, if you take your neighbor’s garment to
pledge, and do not return his pledge to him, I will not return your soul to you.
Scripture says of this: Take your neighbor’s garment. And it shall come to
pass, when he cries unto Me that I will hear; for I am gracious (ibid., v.
26). If anyone complains to Me of injustice, saying: “Master of the Universe, I
am a man and he is a man, yet he sleeps on his bed, but where can I sleep?” I
will listen to him for I am gracious. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I pay
attention to the complaints of the lonely ones in this world, but in the day to
come, It shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer (Isa.
56:4). The prophet also said: For O people that dwell in Zion at Jerusalem,
you will weep no more (ibid. 30:19).
17.
Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you (Exod. 23:20).
Scripture
says elsewhere in reference to this verse: But I said: “How would I put you
among the sons, and give you a pleasant land, the goodliest inheritance of the
nations!” And I said: “You will call Me, My father and will not turn away from
following Me” (Jer. 3:19). How would I put you among the sons. R.
Eleazar the son of Pedat stated: The expression put you is employed to
indicate “to be set apart.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said: It is my opinion
that you and I must be together in this world, since I am the Father and you
are My son. Why, then, do you allow other nations to come between us? Hence I
would put you is an expression that indicates “to set apart,” as in the
verse: And put his own droves apart (Gen. 30:40).
R.
Hama the son of Hanina stated: How would I put you among the sons is an
expression that indicates enmity, as in the verse: And I will put enmity
between you and the woman (ibid. 3:15). A great love existed between Me and
you, as it is said: I have loved you (Mal. 1:2), but you have engendered
hatred upon yourselves. R. Joshua the son of Levi said: How would I put you
among the sons implies that though I defended you, you have condemned yourselves,
for the word put you is an expression that indicates guilt, as in the
verse If there is put upon him a ransom (Exod. 21:30). R. Berechiah
argued: Put you is an expression that implies neglect, as in the verse And
I will put it to waste; it shall not be pruned nor hoed, but there shall come
up briars and thorns (Isa. 5:6). You were as precious to Me as a beautiful
vineyard is to the man who plows it, clears it of stones, and hoes it, but then
you declared yourselves free of Me. Wherefore, when I looked at it that it
should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes (ibid., v. 4).
And
give you a pleasant land (Jer. 3:19).
It was a land greatly coveted by all the mighty men of the world. Abraham said
of it: Give me a possession of a burying-place with you (Gen. 23:4). Similarly,
the Holy One, blessed be He, made it precious to Isaac, as it is said: Sojourn
in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you (ibid. 26:3). And
Jacob said: In my grave which I have dug for me in the land of Canaan, there
will you bury me (ibid. 50:5). Hence it says: And give you a pleasant
land, the goodliest heritage of the deer (Jer. 3:19). What is indicated by
the use of the word deer? Just as the flesh of a deer cannot be restored
into its skin when they attempt to recover it after it has been slaughtered and
its skin has been stripped away, so the land of Israel is not able to contain
its fruit (when it is worthy). A proof of this is written in the verse: The
oxen likewise and the young asses that till the ground will eat savory provender,
which has been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan (Isa. 30:24). At
first they winnowed the grain with a shovel, but later they winnowed it with a
fan. Why? because the grain was more plentiful than the straw, though the grain
grows within the straw. Whence do we know this was so? For it is written: Will
eat savory provender. The savory provender was the fruit (of the straw).
Hence, And give you a pleasant land, the goodliest heritage of the deer
indicates that like the deer the land of Israel could not contain its fruits.
Another
explanation of the goodliest heritage of the nations (Jer. 3:19). It was
a land so good that the kings of the world coveted it. It is written: The
king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Beth-el, one; etc.
(Josh. 12:9). Scripture mentions this though the distance between Jericho and
Ai was only three mils (6,000 cubits). It does so to show that every king who
ruled outside of the land of Israel would have not been called a king if he did
not possess a strip of the land of Israel. Why did they covet the land of
Israel? Because of its fruits. Therefore it was The goodliest heritage of
the nations.
R.
Parnakh said in the name of R. Johanan: Observe what is written: When I saw
among the spoil a goodly Shinar mantle (Josh. 7:12). This alludes to the
purple mantle worn by the king of Babylonia when he ruled over Jericho.
Therefore it states: The goodliest heritage of the nations.
Scripture
says also: You will call Me “my Father”; and will not turn away from following
Me (Jer. 3:19). As the father feels constrained to provide for his
daughter’s comfort, so I felt obliged to provide for you, as it is said: Behold,
I will cause bread to rain from heaven for you (Exod. 16:4), and it says: And
when (like a daughter) the layer of dew is gone up (ibid., v. 14). It says:
You will call Me “my Father”; and will not turn away from following Me (Jer.
3:19).
Surely
as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so have you dealt
treacherously with Me, O house of Israel
(ibid., v. 20). R. Judah the son of R. Shalum stated: Israel acted like a woman
who departs treacherously from her husband. While her husband feeds her and
supplies her with drink, she loves him, but when he is less attentive, she
leaves him. Therefore it says: As a wife treacherously departs from her
friend. I did not act toward you in that fashion. Instead manna descended
for you, a well opened up, and you lacked nothing, yet you rebelled against Me.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said: When the nations rebelled against Me, I sent
guardian angels to serve them, but when you did so, I sent an angel to keep
you, as it is said: Behold, I sent an angel before you, to keep you (Exod.
14:20). When you are worthy, and accept the Torah, and fulfill My wishes, I
shall go before you, as it is said: And the Lord went before them by day and
night (Exod. 13:21), but now that you practice idolatry like the other
peoples of the world, I will not go before you but shall send only an angel
before you.
18.
Behold, I sent an angel before you (Exod. 25:20).
The
Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: I will send an angel before you but not
before them. Whereupon Moses replied: If you send it before me alone, I do not
desire it. Rather Let the Lord, I pray, go in the midst of us (Exod.
34:9). Observe the difference between the early generations and the later ones.
When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Behold, I will send an angel
before you, he replied: I desire no one but You, whereas, when Joshua the son
of Nun beheld an angel, he prostrated himself on the ground, as it is said: And
Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down. And he said to him: “Are
you for us, or for our adversaries?” (Josh. 5:13-14).
R.
Isaac queried: What did the angel do when he heard the question: Are you for
us, or for our adversaries? He began to cry out from the nails of his feet
(i.e., to weep uncontrollably), and he said to him: No, I am captain of the
hosts of the Lord; I am now come (ibid.). Twice I have come to lead Israel,
I am he who came in the days of Moses your master, and he rejected me because
he did not wish me to accompany him, and now I have come once again. Forthwith
Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said unto him: What
says my lord unto his servant? (ibid., v. 14). However, though Moses
rejected him, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: I send an angel
before you to keep you by the way (Exod. 23:20), and, as well, before
everyone who observes the Law.
R.
Simeon the son of Lakish stated: It is written: He will cover you with His
pinions, and under His wings will you take refuge; His truth is a shield and a
buckler (Ps. 91:4). He said to him: We will make a shield for you and for
all who observe the Law, since His truth is a shield and a buckler.
Therefore to keep you indicates that He will guard you by means of the Law.
To
keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared (Exod. 23:20). This one verse from Scripture makes it
evident that the earthly Temple corresponds to the heavenly Temple.
Take
heed of him, and hearken unto his voice
(ibid., v. 21). Why? Because you are not worthy to hear My voice. Listen to the
voice of the angel even though he is unable to forgive your transgressions. Why
is he not able to do so? He is of the class (of creatures) that do not sin.
Thus it is written: For he will not pardon your transgressions (ibid.).
Another
explanation of He will not pardon your transgressions. Why not? For he
is only a messenger, and a messenger can only do what he is sent to do. I alone
can lift up countenances (i.e., grant pardon), as it is said: The Lord lift
up His countenance unto you (Num. 6:26). David cried out: Master of the
Universe, you trust us into the keeping of an angel who cannot pardon us, but if
You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who can stand? (Ps. 130:3). If
You should say: Forgiveness is not available to you, For with You there is
forgiveness that You may be feared (ibid., 4), therefore do not place over
us the angel who is guardian of the Inner Sanctum, since it is said: For he
will not pardon your transgressions. Why? For it is said My name is in
him (Exod. 23:2 1) (i.e., he is only my messenger). R. Simeon the son of
Lakish said: The name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is coupled with every
angel, as it is said: For My name is in him.
Moses
declared: I do not wish an angel to accompany us, only You. If You will not
accompany us, we shall not leave this place, as it is said: For wherein now
shall it be known that I have found grace in Your sight, I and Your people? Is
it not in that You go with us? (ibid. 33:16). The Holy One, blessed be He,
replied: Be assured that even if the angel does not accompany you, I shall send
a hornet ahead of you.
How
do we know this? Because the Amorites perished. R. Levi said: The Holy One,
blessed be He, attached two hornets to each of the angels, and they went ahead
and poured poison into the eyes of an Amorite. His eye would split open, and
the man would fall to the ground and die. R. Aha the son of Rab stated: Their
bodies trembled, and they became weak in the presence of the Israelites, who
then slew them. Our sages stated: Their faces turned black as the soot of a
burning furnace, and they became weak in the presence of the Israelites, who
killed them.
R.
Abba the son of Kahana maintained: The Holy One, blessed be He, bound them
before the Israelites, and they attacked and killed them, as it is said: So
the Lord our God delivered into our hand Og (Deut. 3:3). He delivered them
into their hands just as a man binds his son’s enemy and places him before his
son. You should not maintain that the Amorites were small of stature. Observe
what is written about them: Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose
height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I
destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath (Amos 2:9). I
destroyed his fruits from above refers to their guardian angel, and his
roots from beneath alludes to the Arnorites.
And
so He would do in the future, He would punish their guardian angels and then
the kings of the nations, as it is said: And it shall come to pass in that
day, that the Lord will punish the host of the high heaven on high, and the
kings of the earth upon the earth (Isa. 24:21). The Holy One, blessed be
He, said to Israel: In this world I will send an angel to make the peoples of
the world flee from you, but in the future I will lead you and I will send
Elijah before you, as it is said: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord (Mal. 3:24).
19.
Behold I send an angel before you (Exod. 23:20).
Scripture
says elsewhere in reference to this verse: For He will give His angels
charge over you, to keep thee in all your ways (Ps. 91:11). When a man
performs one precept, one angel is assigned to guard him; when he performs two
precepts, two angels are given to him; when he performs all the precepts, many
angels are assigned to him, as it is said: For He will give His angels
charge over you. Who are these angels? They are the beings who will protect
him from demons, as it is said: A thousand may fall at your side, and ten
thousand at your right hand (ibid., v. 7). What is meant by may fall?
It means that they force (their opponents) to surrender to him, as it is said
in the Book of Chronicles: Of Manasseh also there fell away some to David
(I Chron. 12:20), and it is written as well: As he went to Ziklag, there
fell to him of Manasseh (ibid., v. 29).
And
ten thousand at your right hand. Why does
it say a thousand at your left hand, and ten thousand at your right hand?
The left hand does not require as many angels, because the name of the Holy
One, blessed be He, is inscribed on the phylactery which is placed on the left
hand, as it is said: You will bind them for a sign upon your hand (Deut.
11:18).
R.
Hanina said: It is not written “will be at your side,” but rather will fall at your
side, because the left hand, which is not extended in the performance of the
commandments, can make only a thousand demons fall, while the right hand, which
is outstretched in the performance of the precepts, can make ten thousand
demons fall.
R.
Joshua the son of Levi said: What is meant by the words A thousand may fall
at your side? The Holy One, blessed be He, gives to each Israelite ten
thousand angels who guard him and help him on the way. One precedes him,
exclaiming: Pay homage to the likeness of the Holy One, blessed be He. He does
this because the entire world is filled with spirits and demons.
R.
Judah the son of Shalum said in the name of R. Levi: There is not a piece of
ground which supports one roba of seed, in any part of the world, that does not
contain nine hundred kabs of demons. How are they formed? R. Levi said: The
demons wear masks similar to those on a miller’s ass, but when (a man’s) sins
cause the mask to fall off the demon, the man becomes mad (at the sight).
However, as long as the angel cries out, the man is safe; but if he is silent,
the man is affected at once. The angel says: So-and-so must die, as it is said:
Yea, his soul draws near unto the pit, and his life to the destroyers
(Job 33:22). “To death” is not written here, but rather to the destroyers,
namely, to those angels of destruction to whom man is handed over.
From
what source do we know that the angel calls out before him? It is said: If
there be for him an angel, and intercessor, one among a thousand (ibid., v.
23)—if he is one of those thousand, he (the angel) calls out before him to
vouch for a man’s uprightness. At that time He is gracious unto him, and says: “Deliver
him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom” (Job 33:23-24). Thus
if a man fulfills many precepts, ten thousand and a thousand angels guard him,
but if he is perfect in understanding the Torah and in the performance of good
deeds, the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself guards him, as it is said: The
Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade upon your right hand (Ps.
121:5).
This
you find to be so in the case of Jacob, of whom it is written: Jacob was a
perfect man, dwelling in tents (Gen. 25:27). A perfect man in the
performance of good deeds; dwelling in tents devoting himself to the
Torah; and full of precepts— camps of angels were assigned to watch over him,
as it is said: And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And
Jacob said when he saw them: “This is God’s camp.” And he called the name of
that place Mahanaim (Gen. 32:2—3). It says also: And behold, the angels
of God ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood beside him
and said: “. . . And behold, I am with you, and will keep you” (ibid.
28:13—15).
R
Hoshaya declared Happy is the individual born of woman who has the King of
Kings as His attendant, guarding Him and sending angels as His messengers, as
it is said And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau (ibid 32 4) It likewise
says The angel who has redeemed me from all evil (ibid 48:16). Hence
Scripture says: He that walks in his integrity as a just man, happy are his
children after him (Prov. 20:7)
Ketubim Targum Psalm 58
1. For praise; concerning the
distress in the time when David said, “Do no harm”; composed by David, humble
and innocent.
2. In very truth are you silent, O righteous ones, in the
time of strife? It is fitting that you speak righteousness, that you judge
uprightly the sons of men.
3. But, O wicked, wherefore
do you commit iniquity in the heart, wherefore do your hands establish crime on
the earth?
4. The wicked have become
strangers from birth; those who utter falsehood have gone astray from the womb.
5. Poison is theirs like the
poison of the serpent; like the deaf adder that stops up his ears.
6. Lest it should accept the
words of the wizards, the charmers of snakes; he is wiser than those who cast
spells.
7. O God, smash their teeth
in their mouth; and shatter the fangs of the lions’ offspring, O Lord.
8. Let them dissolve in their
sins; like water, let them flow away; and he draws arrows at them, and they
will be cut in pieces.
9. Like the crawling snail
whose path is disgusting, like the abortion and the mole who are blind and have
not seen the sun;
10. Before the soft wicked
become as hard as thorns, while they are moist, while they are like unripe
fruit, may he destroy them by the storm wind.
11. The righteous will
rejoice, for he has seen retribution on them; he will wash his feet in the
blood of the wicked man.
12. And the sons of men will
say, “Truly there is a good reward for the righteous, truly there is a God
whose judgments extend to the earth.”
Ketubim Midrash Psalm 58
I. For the leader; Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David;
Michtam. What is politic for men? Silence, yet speak you righteousness
(Ps. 58:1-2). R. Isaac said: What is good policy for a man in this world? To
make himself out as dumb in a time of conflict. Lest it be thought that a man
should also remain dumb in debate on Torah, the Psalm goes on to say Speak
you righteousness (ibid.). Lest it be thought that he may then become
arrogant towards others, the Psalm goes on to say Debate with kindness the
children of men (ibid.).
In
another comment, the words Al-tashheth, etc. are read You shall not
destroy . . . Shall you indeed be dumb towards righteousness? (Ps. 58:1).
Consider these words in the light of what Solomon says: The way of man is
perverse and strange (Prov. 21:8)—that is, wicked men are perverse, for
they do not stand by what they say; they say a thing and then twist it. So was
Saul perverse. This is the thing he said one night to David, as Scripture
tells: He said to David: “You are a righteous man because of me” (1 Sam.
24:18). What did Saul mean by the phrase because of me? If the wheat is
not bad, then the wheat is thought good; if you are thought a righteous man, it
is because of me. I am he who made you a righteous man, because I went forth to
seek your life. If I had found you, I would have slain you. But because I have
fallen into your hand and you did not slay me, therefore You are a righteous
man because of me.
So,
too, in The righteous is more excellent because of his neighbor (Prov.
12:26), his neighbor is taken to mean Saul to whom Samuel said, “The
Lord . . . has given it to your neighbor, even to David” (1 Sam. 28:17);
and The righteous is taken to mean David to whom Saul said, “Swear
now therefore unto me by the Lord, that you will not cut off my seed after me .
. And David swore unto Saul” (ibid. 24:22—23).
As
soon as Saul departed, his mighty men said: “Is David to be esteemed a
righteous man because he did not slay you in the cave? He knew that if he did
anything to you, we would enter the cave, and at once destroy him; and because
David was aware of this, he was afraid.” When Saul heard these words, he rose
up, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph having three thousand chosen men
of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph (1 Sam. 26:3). Then
David and Abishai came to the people by night; and behold, Saul lay sleeping
within the barricade (1 Sam. 26:7). But do not the words “lay” and
“sleeping” denote the same thing? The use of both words, however, implies that
a sleep like a swoon was cast upon Saul and his people. Thus we read For
they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them
(1 Sam. 26:12). Hence it is said Saul lay sleeping.
Then
said Abishai to David: “God hath delivered up thine enemy into thy hand this
day,” etc. . . . And Dactid said to Abishai: Destroy him not (‘al tashhitehu) (ibid. 26:8—9). Accordingly, Al-tashheth (Ps.
58:1) means, “Destroy not.”
David
said: Destroy him not . . . as the Lord lives, for if not, by the Lord, He will
smite him (1 Sam. 26:10). Why did
David utter the name of the Lord twice? Because he said to Abishai: “As the
Lord lives, do not smite Saul. For if You smite Saul, as the Lord lives, I
shall smite you.”
Another
explanation of the phrase As the Lord lives is that thereby David
adjured Satan and rebuked him.
So
David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul’s head . . And David
cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying: “Answer you not,
Abner?” (ibid. 26:12, 14), by which
he meant: “What have you to answer now? Behold, the night before, you said to
Saul of the events in the cave: ‘If David had done anything to you, we would
have entered the cave and at once destroyed him. Behold now the spear and the
cruse of water! What have you to answer? Will you not answer, Abner?’” And he
was not able to answer. He was as one stricken dumb, and would not admit the
righteousness of David. Therefore David said: Shall you indeed be dumb
towards righteousness? You should have spoken the truth. Instead, you made yourself
out to be dumb and did not declare my righteousness.
Another
explanation of this verse is that David said to them: Have ye pursued me with
justice, as the Torah says, With justice, with justice shall you pursue
(Deut. 16:20)? Or, have you judged me in righteousness, as the Torah says, In
righteousness shall you judge you neighbor (Lev. 19:15)? Have ye acted
thus? Do you judge with equity the sons of men? Hence the Psalm asks: Do
you indeed speak as a righteous company?
II.
Yea, in heart you work wickedness; you weigh out in the earth the violence
of your hands. The wicked are estranged from the womb; the speakers of lies go
astray as soon as they are born (Ps. 58:3-4). David said to them: The heart
of a man was created to speak truth, as it is said “And he speaks truth in
his heart” (Ps. 15:2). But you do not so, for even in heart you work
wickedness. You weigh out in the earth the violence of your hands (Ps.
58:3)—that is, the hands were created to work goodness and justice, but your
hands work violence and robbery. The words The wicked are estranged from the
womb; the speakers of lies go astray as soon as they are born mean that the
righteous are sanctified even in the belly and the womb, as is said Before I
formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb I
sanctified you (Jer. 1:5), and as Isaiah also said: The Lord has called
me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother has He made mention of my name .
. . And He said unto me: “You are My servant” (Isa. 49: 1-3). But the
wicked come estranged and wicked from the wombs of their mothers, as is said The
wicked are estranged from the womb; the speakers of lies go astray as soon as
they are born—that is, the wicked are known from the womb and from the
belly as wicked.
Thus
we know of the wicked Esau that even while he was in the belly of his mother,
he strove with his brother Jacob, as it is said The children struggled
together within her (Gen. 25:22), that is, in the very belly of his mother,
Esau struggled with his brother. Hence David said: You, too, were estranged
from the womb, and you, too, went astray from the belly.
Their
venom is like the venom of a serpent; they are like the deaf asp that stops her
ear; which hearkens not to the voice of charmers, or of the most cunning binder
of spells (Ps. 58:5-6). David said
further to them: Know you not what the Holy One, blessed be He, did to the
serpent? He destroyed his feet and his teeth so that the serpent now eats dust.
Even so will the Holy One, blessed be He, deal with maligners, as the next verse
says, Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth; break out the cheek- teeth
of the young lions, O Lord (ibid. 58:7).
They
melt away as water that runs apace
(ibid. 58:8). David said: As water, when once it is poured out, may not be
gathered together again, but runs off apace, so it is with the maligners’
slander; once they utter their words of slander, the words can never be
confined to speaker and hearer. He aims his arrows (ibid.), said David:
as the arrow, when shot from the bow, smites and kills, so does the evil
tongue, for it is said “Their tongue is an arrow shot out, it speaks deceit”
(Jer. 9:7). Arrows they speak (Ps. 58:8): that is, whenever they speak.
III. They are as a snail
which oozes as it goes its way; and so shall fall into fire and never see the
sun (Ps. 58:9). Like the snail which oozes on its way so that its track is
known, so the evil tongue oozing on its way makes itself known by its slime.
What is the punishment for the evil tongue? It will fall into the fire of
Gehenna, and not see the sun of the world-to-come, for the words and never
see the sun mean that the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Because you speak
slander, you will fall into Gehenna, fire will devour you, and you will not see
the sun of the world-to- come. But it is said of the righteous, Unto you
that fear My name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its
wings (Mal. 3:20).
IV.
A different reading: Like the untimely births (nefel) of a woman that have
not seen the sun (Ps. 58:9). Behold, you will be regarded like the untimely
births a woman lets fall that never see the sun. Nefel is here read in
the sense of “the falling of an untimely birth,” as in the verse Or as a
hidden untimely birth (nefel) I had not been; as infants that never saw light
(Job 3:16).
Another reading: And so
fall below like moles that have not seen the sun. David said: You will fall
below like moles that do not see the sun, but burrow into the earth and there
squat.
Three
creatures—the mole, the snake, and the frog—differ from all other creatures.
The mole: If it could see, no creature could stand against it. The snake: If it
had feet, it could overtake a horse in full stride and kill him. The frog: If
it had teeth, no creature would enter the water for fear of it.
Before
your briar shoots harden into brambles
(Ps. 58:10). David said: The court ought to learn from the workman. When he
finds a briar shoot in a vineyard, he destroys it with his mattock before it
grows up and becomes thorns and brambles. He cuts it down while it is unripe
(ibid.), while the briar is green; and while it is soft (haron) (ibid.),
as soft as fresh bread. Here haron is read like hori in the
phrase Three baskets of fresh bread (hori) (Gen. 40:16).
The
righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance (Ps. 58:11). Only if you are thought worthy by the
Master of the vineyard to destroy the briars in His vineyard, may you, the
righteous, rejoice in their destruction.
Ordinary Ashlamatah: Haggai 2:8-15 + 21-23
8 Mine is the silver, and Mine the gold, says the LORD of
hosts.
9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than
that of the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place will I give
peace, says the LORD of hosts.' {P}
10 ¶ In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in
the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet,
saying:
11 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: Ask now the priests for
instruction, saying:
12 If one bear hallowed flesh in the skirt of his garment,
and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any food,
shall it be holy?' And the priests answered and said: 'No.'
13 Then said Haggai: 'If one that is unclean by a dead
body touch any of these, shall it be unclean?' And the priests answered and said:
'It shall be unclean.'
14 Then answered Haggai, and said: 'So is this people, and
so is this nation before Me, says the LORD; and so is every work of their
hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.
15 And now, I pray you, consider from this day and
forward--before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD,
16 through all that time, when one
came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten; when one came to the
wine-vat to draw out fifty press-measures, there were but twenty;
17 I smote you with blasting and
with mildew and with hail in all the work of your hands; yet you turned not to
Me, says the LORD—
18 consider, I pray, from this day
and forward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the
day that the foundation of the LORD'S temple was laid, consider it;
19 is the seed yet in the barn?
yea, the vine, and the fig-tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive-tree has
not brought forth--from this day will I bless you.' {S}
20 ¶ And the word of the LORD came
the second time unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying:
21 'Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: I will
shake the heavens and the earth;
22 and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will
destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the
chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall
come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
23
In
that day, says the LORD of hosts, will I take you, O Zerubbabel, My servant,
the son of Shealtiel, says the LORD, and will make you as a signet; for I have
chosen you, says the LORD of hosts.' {P}
Special Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 1:1-27
1 ¶ The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw
concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and
Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD has
spoken: Children I have reared, and brought up, and they have rebelled against
Me.
3 The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master's crib;
but Israel does not know, My people do not consider.
4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed
of evil-doers, children that deal corruptly; they have forsaken the LORD, they
have contemned the Holy One of Israel, they are turned away backward.
5 On what part will you yet be stricken, seeing you stray
away more and more? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint;
6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no
soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and festering sores: they have not
been pressed, neither bound up, neither mollified with oil.
7 Your country is desolate; your cities are burned with
fire; your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as
overthrown by floods.
8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a
vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small
remnant, we should have been as Sodom, we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
{P}
10 ¶ Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; give
ear unto the Law of our God, you people of Gomorrah.
11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices
unto Me? says the LORD; I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat
of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of
he-goats.
12 When ye come to appear before Me, who has required this
at your hand, to trample My courts?
13 Bring no more vain oblations; it is an offering of
abomination unto Me; new moon and sabbath, the holding of convocations--I
cannot endure iniquity along with the solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and
your appointed seasons My soul hates; they are a burden unto Me; I am weary to
bear them.
15 And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine
eyes from you; yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are
full of blood.
16 Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your
doings from before Mine eyes, cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed,
judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. {S}
18 ¶ Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD;
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be
red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19 If you be willing and obedient, you will eat the good
of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel, ye will be devoured with
the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. {P}
21 ¶ How is the faithful city become a harlot! She that
was full of justice, righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.
22 Your silver is become dross, your wine mixed with
water.
23 Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves;
every one loves bribes, and follows after rewards; they judge not the fatherless,
neither does the cause of the widow come unto them. {S}
24 ¶ Therefore says the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the
Mighty One of Israel: Ah, I will ease Me of Mine adversaries, and avenge Me of
Mine enemies;
25 And I will turn My hand upon you, and purge away your
dross as with lye, and will take away all your alloy;
26 And I will restore your judges as at the first, and
your counselors as at the beginning; afterward you will be called The city of
righteousness, the faithful city.
27 Zion will be redeemed with justice, and they that
return of her with righteousness.
Midrash of
Matityahu (Matthew) 10:9-16
9. ¶ Do not receive a payment, whatever you received
gratis give gratis. Do not acquire any gold or silver or copper for your money belts;
10. take no suitcase for the journey, or extra tunic,
or sandals or a staff in your hand; for the worker is worth his keep.
11. "Whatever city or suburb you enter, search diligently
for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave.
12. As you enter a house, give them a Shalom! Saying:
“Shalom in this house, Shalom to all who sit in this house.”
13. If the house is indeed worthy, let your Shalom come
upon it; and if it is not worthy, let
your Shalom return to you!
14. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your
words (and obey them), shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house
or city.
15. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the
land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of Halakhic judgment than for that city.
16. Look, I am sending you forth like sheep among
wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as wholesome as doves.
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:18
Mishnah 18
“Whenever a person causes the many to have merit, no sin shall come
through him; but one who causes the many to sin shall not be granted the
opportunity to repent. Moshe was himself meritorious and caused the many to
attain merit, [therefore] the merits of the many are attributed to him, as it
is stated: “He (Moshe) performed the righteousness of G-d and His ordinances
together with Israel.” Yerovam ben Nevat himself sinned and caused the many to
sin, [therefore] the sins of the many are attributed to him, as it is stated: “For
the sins of Yerovam which he sinned and caused Israel to sin.”
“But
the one who causes the many to sin shall not be granted the opportunity to
repent.” (5:18) QUESTION: Why are we so harsh to him?
ANSWER:
When the one who causes others to sin repents, the iniquity that the others
committed through him is not erased. Consequently, due to the gravity of his
sin, he is not granted the opportunity to do teshuvah (returning). This does
not mean, however, that the gates of teshuvah (returning) will be closed before
him. Instead, the intent is that people at large are constantly being
encouraged to do teshuvah (returning) by Ha-Shem, and this positive influence
will be withheld from such an individual. But should he make an effort on his
own, the gates of heaven are open for him and every Jew to enter.
"Yerovam
ben Nevat himself sinned and caused the many to sin." (5:18) QUESTION: Why is Yerovam cited as the example
for one who is not granted the opportunity to repent because he sinned and
caused others to sin?
ANSWER:
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 102a) says of Yerovam, that he was one of the most
outstanding Torah scholars who ever lived. The pasuk “And the prophet Achiya
the Shilonite found him on the way, and he was cloaked in a new robe and the
two of them were alone in the field” (I Kings 11:29) is explained as a metaphor
for his greatness in Torah knowledge. Just as a new robe has no defect, so too,
Yerovam's Torah knowledge had no defect (There was no un-clarity or confusion,
Rashi). Also, the two of them originated Torah insights which no ear had ever
before heard, and all reasons for the commandments of Torah were as revealed to
them as an open field is to an onlooker.
The
message intended by citing Yerovam ben Nevat as an example is that the one who
sinned and caused others to sin is not granted the opportunity to repent
regardless of how great he is in Torah knowledge.
Weekly Nazarean Commentary
We are fast approaching the end of the three weeks of
mourning and this Shabbat is the last one in this period of introspection and
mourning for the destruction of Temple due to our sins. As I have stated many a
time, for us Nazareans this period has even more significance than for anyone
else, as we understand this not only to refer to the actual Temple building,
but to the congregation who met at the Temple building as well as G-d’s
theocratic governance and education from that Temple building. For us this
mourning points to the sad state of affairs amongst Nazareans, our disunity and
errors due to our selfishness and many sins.
Though we profess to adhere to Messiah as King over us,
yet the sad reality is well expressed at the end of the book of Judges – “In
those days there was no king in Israel. Each man did that which was right in
his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Do not read “In those days there was no king in
Israel” but rather “In those days G-d was not King in Israel.” Therefore “Each
man did that which was right in his own eyes.” And why did “each man do that
which was right in his own eyes”? Because no one wanted to heed the Judges that
G-d had bestowed to Israel as gifts of grace. But rather each man set up himself
as a judge. In other words: The people had reviled against G-d (Elohim) – i.e.
G-d’s Judges.
May we have the courage and charity to submit ourselves to
G-d’s Torah Judges knowing that this pleases Ha-Shem very much indeed! May we
also merit each one of us to receive a good vision on this “Shabbat of the
Vision of Isaiah” of the strategic importance and enormous benefits to all of a
good functioning body of Messiah here on earth, and what is our role in it. Amen
ve amen!
Shalom Shabbat!
Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
The Rabbi’s Private Prophetic Study
for the Week of July 30 – August
4, 2006
Sunday July 30, 2006 Torah Reading: Exodus
25:1-40
It
is not coincidental that after three weeks of mourning for the loss of the
Temple, on this coming Shabbat which inaugurates the first of the “Seven
Sabbaths of Consolation” starts with Tabernacle building so that G-d, most
blessed be He may dwell amongst us.
Contents of the Torah
Seder
·
Gifts to the
Tabernacle were invited, and the structure was to be made strictly according to
the pattern shown to Moses by G-d – Ex.
25:1-9
·
The Ark. The
most important feature is described first of all, because it was the symbol of
the approach to G-d. The “testimony” was the Decalogue on the tablets of stone
(Deut. 31:26-27). The “mercy seat” was the place of the “covering” of
forgiveness for sin (Bereans/Hebrews 9:5), the place of propitiation. – Ex.
25:10-22
·
The Show-bread.
The Hebrew is “the bread of the face” or “presence,” meaning that the loeaves
were exhibited to G-d – Exodus 25:23-30
·
The Golden
Menorah (Lamp-stand) – Exodus 25:31-40
Questions for study and
analysis:
1.
Could it be
said that the chief object of G-d is to dwell among men who do His will? (cf. Exodus 25:8; 2 Cor. 6:16; Ephesians
2:22; Rev. 21:3)?
2. In Exodus 25:2 we read: “that they bring Me an
offering.” The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan call it a
"separation": something separated from their substance, and devoted
to the service of G-d, and for the use of the sanctuary to be built. What does
this phrase explains about what an offering should be, and why would G-d ask
for an offering when He owns all of His creation?
3. The same passage continues stating: “of every man
that gives it willingly, with his heart, you will take My offering.” Why does
G-d not specify a certain amount of goods or moneys to be given for the
building of the house of G-d by each Israelite but leaves it to the heart of
each individual to determine? Some have
proposed “that giving to G-d which is
voluntary is always a test of the believer’s sincerity and love for Him.” Is
this correct? (Cf. 2Cor. 8:8-12; 2Cor. 9:1-7).
4. In Sh’mot 25:8 we read: “They shall make for Me a
sanctuary, and I will dwell amidst them.” Note that the verse does not say,
“and I will dwell within it,” but “and I will dwell within them”--within each
and every one of them. What are some important ramifications when constructing
a sanctuary for G-d?
5. In the next verse, Sh’mot 25:9 we read: “According
to all that I show you, the form of the tabernacle, and the form of all its
vessels--so shall you make it.” Why is it so strategically important when
constructing a sanctuary for G-d, even till this very day, that one does not
deviate from the pattern shown to Moses by G-d?
Monday July 31, 2006 Tehillim Reading: Psalm 59
Contents of the Psalm
G-d’s people surrounded by Bloody
Men
The innocent psalmist petitions Ha-Shem on the
basis of His loyal love to set him securely on high above his bloody enemies
and to humiliate these arrogant boasters in such a way that all will know that
Ha-Shem is the One who rules
A.
The psalmist
turns to Ha-Shem to deliver him out of his disparate situation for he is
innocent - vv. 1-5
B.
The psalmist
likens his enemies to ravenous dogs and by quoting them shows them to be ultimately
practical atheists - vv. 6-7
C.
The psalmist
is confident that Ha-Shem who mocks the heathen and loves His own will cause
him to see victory over his enemies - vv. 8-10
D.
The psalmist
petitions Ha-Shem to destroy the arrogant blasphemers in such a way that all
will know that Ha-Shem is the One who rules - vv. 11-13
E.
The psalmist
confidently anticipates singing Ha-Shem's praise in the morning when delivered;
namely His strength, security, and love - vv. 14-17
Questions for study and
analysis:
1. Spurgeon comments on this Psalm that “Whom G-d preserves
Satan cannot destroy. The Lord can even preserve the lives of His prophets by
the very ravens that would naturally pick out their eyes. David always found a
friend to help him when his case was peculiarly dangerous, and that friend was
in his enemy's household; in this instance it was Michal, Saul's daughter (cf.
1Sa. 19:10-11), as on former occasions it had been Jonathan, Saul's son. What
does this has to say about us Nazareans, and where are true friends may lie?
2. The Psalm’s Title is
“Michtam of David” – “A secret treasure of David.” This is the Fifth of the
Golden Secrets of David – i.e. that his best friends would always be found
amongst his enemies, Can you find where the other previous four are located and
what is the nature of the secret treasure – i.e. secret teaching?
3. In view of current events in the news what does
this Psalm has to prophesy over all those who hate and persecute Israel and the
Jewish people represented by King David as the Messiah of Israel? And what does
this Psalm have to say on the statement made by Hakham Shaul (Paul) in Romans
11:17-18 (cf. Psalm 59:13b – “and they shall know that God is ruling in
Jacob, unto the ends of the earth”?
4. What verse/s in our Torah Seder (Exodus 25:1-40)
has caught the attention of Messiah King David when composing this Psalm? Sand
how is this passage/s reflected on this Psalm?
Tuesday August 1, 2006 Ordinary Ashlamatah Reading: Haggai
2:8-15 + 21-23
Contents of the
Ashlamatah:
I.
The
Glory to Come (2:1-9)
A.
A Reminder of
the Past (2:1-3)
B.
The Presence
of the Lord (2:4-5)
C.
Outlook for
the Future (2:6-9)
II.
The
Promised Blessing (2:10-19)
A.
Present
Ceremonial Defilement (2:10-14)
1.
Righteousness
Is Not Contagious (2:10-12)
2.
Wickedness Is
Contagious (2:13-14)
B.
Present
Judgment and Discipline (2:15-19)
1.
The Rebuke of
the People (2:15-17)
2.
The Prospects
of the People (2:18-19)
III.
Zerubbabel
the Chosen One (2:20-23)
A.
Divine
Destruction (2:20-22)
B.
Divine
Deliverance (2:23)
Questions
for study and analysis:
1. In Haggai 2:8 our Ashlamatah starts with the
statement: לִי
הַכֶּסֶף,
וְלִי
הַזָּהָב--נְאֻם,
יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת – “Li Ha-Kesef, V’Li Ha-Zahav N’Um,
Ha-Shem Ts’vaot” – “Mine is the silver,
and Mine the gold, says Ha-Shem of Hosts .”
In light of this verse, what should be our attitude to financial gain?
In light of this verse and in light of our Torah Seder (Exodus 25:1-40) what is
then the chief purpose as to why G-d gives us wealth, and the power to acquire
wealth?
2. Both this Ashlamatah and the Psalm we have studied
yesterday call upon G-d as “Ha-Shem Tz’vaot” (Ha-Shem of Hosts). What
particular attributes or qualities about G-d can be gleaned from this Name of
G-d, and why does both the Psalmist and the prophet use this particular Name of
G-d, what is the connection? How is this Name of G-d related to tabernacle
building?
3. Eugene H. Merrill , M.Phil, Ph.D, comments on
Haggai 2:8-9: “The real glory of the eschatological Temple will not consist of
material things, not even silver and gold. This may, in fact, be the primary thrust
of v. 8 which otherwise appears somewhat disjointed. Rather than suggesting
that the new Temple will be full of silver and gold, since it all belongs to
Ha-Shem anyway, the point may well be that because all such things are His and
are therefore not of value to Him, His own glory that is central. This view
gains strength in light of the fact that the Zerubbabel Temple, a meagerly and
sparsely furnished house of worship to be sure, is nonetheless what is first in
view in the eschatological promise. Ha-Shem, after all, said, “I will delight
in it and be glorified” (Hag. 1:8). Haggai affirms that its glory will consist
not of silver and gold but of His presence (2:4-5), and the glory of that to
come will also be His presence in it and among His people (2:7). The essence of
that divine habitation and its universal expression will be peace or wholeness
(v. 9; cf. Isa. 9:7; 66:12).”
In light of this statement, does this mean that if
the Jewish Nazarean movement were to join forces and become more harmonious the
Glory, power and majesty of G-d in the Tabernacle, and in both Temples would
pale in significance to that amongst us?
4. What remedies does this Chapter of Haggai suggest
we should apply to the Jewish Nazarean movement to make it more cohesive and
effective?
Wednesday August 2,
2006 Special Ashalamatah
Reading: Isaiah 40:1-26
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
Babylonian Exile (39:5-7; 40:27) was a massive crisis for the people of G-d. Our
nation, land, temple, blessing were all taken away. Isaiah prophesied these
things and they happened as he had written. As we read these hard passages we
can feel the pain, abandonment and
dejection in Isaiah 40:27. In anticipation of these things, Isaiah writes.
Remember Isaiah 6, where Isaiah is called to preach a message dominated by
judgment. Chapter 40 serves as a kind of re-commissioning. He is given a new
message – one of hope, comfort and rescue. This is great news – gospel. This
will be no cheap comfort of empty words, but a rich and powerful message
grounded in the heart of G-d.
1.
The gospel of G-d
Firstly,
let’s examine this great news.
(a)
God has not forgotten - G-d’s people
belong to Him. His covenant with Moses and Israel still stands. We remain His
treasured possession. G-d is not indifferent to our plight. In spite of ourr
circumstances God has special plans for us Jews.
(b)
God has forgiven us - The penalty for our
sins has been paid in full. How is this possible? Can 70 years of hard labor
bring atonement? We see how in chapter 53, but for now the great truth is that
we have been forgiven. For a shattered nation under judgment, this brings great
comfort.
(c)
God will bring us home (3-5,10-11) – G-d has forgiven us and He will put His
words into action. He will bring us home – a new exodus [3-5]. As G-d comes, He
brings people with Him [10]. He is awesome and gentle [11]. His glory is also
seen in the rescue of His people [5].
(d)
G-d can be trusted (6-8) - In contrast to people, G-d’s Word stands forever
[6-8]. Isaiah’s new message is of the faithfulness of G-d, who keeps His
promise and rescues His people.
(e)
So, lift up your voice! (9) - All this is very good news. This is the gospel!
So, lift your voice and shout it out! [9] Good news is for passing on, not
keeping to yourself. Here is the message: G-d is coming, in strength and tenderness.
He has not forgotten His people, but has forgiven them and will bring them
home. What a powerful gospel! The reason it is so powerful is that it is the
gospel of G-d [Romans 1:1-2].
2.
The G-d of the gospel
Isaiah
goes on to paint a breathtaking picture of the awesome G-d who brings this
gospel.
(a)
The power of G-d (12-26) - Catalogue the wonderful statements of G-d. There is
no comparison [18,25]; the designer/creator of the universe [12]; who is
infinitely wise [13-14]; untroubled by Israel’s enemies [15-17]; cannot be
represented [19-20]; enthroned over all [22]; and more. The G-d who has given
His word is THIS G-d. There is plenty on the horizontal plain to discourage us,
so we should look to G-d. The danger is not that G-d is inadequate, but that we
will forget whom we serve. They needed reminding and so do we.
Questions for study and
analysis:
1.
According to
Isaiah 40:1-26, what is the basic definition of the Gospel of G-d? And what is
in it for the Jewish people and what is in it for the Gentiles that turn away
from idols to serve the living G-d of Israel?
2.
To whom
specifically is Isaiah 40:1-2 addressed? Who is the audience that is commanded
to comfort the Jewish people? And those
addressed heeding this message today?
3.
According to
the Prophet Isaiah, who owns the “good tidings” and from where do they emanate?
(cf. 40:9)
4.
In Isaiah
40:15-17 we read: “Behold the Gentiles are as a drop of a bucket, and are
counted as the smallest grain of a balance: behold the islands are as a little
dust. And Lebanon shall not be enough to burn, nor the beasts thereof
sufficient for a burnt offering. All the Gentiles are before Him as if they
have no being at all, and are counted to Him as nothing, and vanity.”
a.
What is the
meaning of these three verses?
b.
What are the
implications of these three verses?
c.
If G-d
recognizes the Gentiles “as if they have no being at all, ” what is the merit
of those Gentiles who turn away from Idols to serve the G-d of Israel?
d.
Is there any
future in Gentile Christian religion as we know it?
e.
When are the
Gentiles that turn away from serving idols to serve the G-d of Israel counted
as worthy before Ha-Shem?
Thursday August 3, 2006 Fast of the 9th of Av
Morning Service:
Torah Reading: Devarim (Deuteronomy) 4:25-40
Ashlamatah: Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 8:13 – 9:23 + Book of
Job
Reader 1 – Devarim 4:25-29
Reader 2 – Devarim 4:30-34
Reader 3 – Devarim 4:35-40
Yirmeyahu 8:13 – 9:23 (In
Sephardi Congregations this Haftarah is read in Ladino)
Book of Job is read
Afternoon Service:
Torah Reading: Sh’mot (Exodus) 32:11-14; 34:1-10
Ashlamatah: Hoshea (Hosea 14:2-10 (AV: 14:1-9)
Mikha (Micah) 7:18-20
Reader 1 – Sh’mot 32:11-14
Reader 2 – Sh’mot 34:1-3
Reader 3 – Sh’mot 34:4-10
Hoshea 14:2-10
Mikha 7:18-20
For further study
see: http://www.betemunah.org/tishabav.html
Friday August 4, 2006 Midrah of Matityahu
Reading: Matthew 10:17-20
Rabbi’s translation:
17. ¶ Beware of
(Gentile) men for they will deliver you over to their courts of justice and
flog you in their local synagogues.
18. You will be brought before governors and kings for
my sake, to testify about me among them among the Gentiles.
19. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what
you will say or how to say it, for at
the time you should speak there will be given to you bread from heaven.
20. For you are not the one who will be speaking, but
rather, the Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you.
Questions for study and
analysis:
1.
What does this
passage have to do with tabernacle/temple building? (cf. Amos 9:11-12; II Luqas
(Acts) 15:16-17
2.
How is this
Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) in tune with the special prophetic reading for
the first Sabbath of the Consolation of
Israel?
3.
What does this
reading of the Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) has to say about our Torah Seder
for this week of Exodus 25:1-40
4.
What does this
reading of the Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) has to comment on the reading
from Psalm 59?
5.
What prophetic
message binds these readings altogether?
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
Esnoga Bet Emunah - 227 Millset
Chase -