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

Targum Pseudo Jonathan for:

Sh’mot (Exodus) 11:1 – 12:28

XI. And the LORD spoke unto Mosheh, Yet one stroke will I bring upon Pharaoh and upon the Mizraee, which shall be greater than all, and afterward will he send you hence: when he releases, there shall be to himself an end: driving, he will Chase you forth from hence. Speak now in the hearing of the people, That every man shall demand from his Mizraite friend, and every woman of her Mizraite friend, vessels of silver and vessels of gold. And the LORD gave the people favor before the Mizraee; also the man Mosheh was very great in the land of Mizraim before the servants of Pharoh and before his people.

And Mosheh spoke (or, had spoken) to Pharaoh, Thus says the LORD, At this hour of the following night will I be revealed in the midst of the Mizraee, and every firstborn in the land of Mizraim shall die: from the firstborn of Pharoh who should sit upon the throne of his kingdom, unto the firstborn son of the humblest mother in Mizraim who grinds behind the mills, and all the firstborn of cattle. And there will be a great cry in all the land of Mizraim, because like the plague of this night there has not been, and like the plague of this night there never will be one. But any of the children of Israel a dog shall not harm by lifting up his tongue against either man or beast; that they may know that the LORD makes distinction between the Mizraites and the sons of Israel. And you shall send down all your servants to me, coming and beseeching me, saying, Go forth, you and all the people who are with you; and afterwards I will go. And he went out from Pharaoh in great anger. But the LORD said to Mosheh, Pharaoh will not hearken to you; that I may multiply My wonders in the land of Mizraim. And Mosheh and Aharon did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the LORD strengthened the design of Pharoh's heart, and he would not release the sons of Israel from his land.

XII. And the LORD spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon in the land of Mizraim, saying, This month is ordained to be to you the beginning of the months; and from it you shall begin to number for festivals, and times, and cycles; it shall be to you the first of the number of the months of the year. Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, In the tenth of this month, whose time is appointed for this time (occasion), and not for (coming) generations, they shall take to them a lamb for the house of a family, and, if many in number, they shall take a lamb for a house: but if the men of the house are fewer than ten in number, in proportion to a sufficient number to eat the lamb, he and his neighbor who is nearest to his house shall take according to the number of souls: each man according to the sufficiency of his eating shall be counted for the lamb. The lamb shall be perfect, a male, the son of a year he shall be to you; from the sheep or from the young goats you may take. And it shall be bound and reserved for you until the fourteenth day of this month, that you may not know the fear of the Mizraee when they see it; and you shall kill him according to the rite of all to congregation of the assembly of Israel, between the suns. And you shall take of the blood and set it upon the two posts and upon the upper board outside of the houses in which you eat and sleep. And you shall eat the flesh on that night, the fifteenth of Nisan, until the dividing of the night roasted with fire, [JERUSALEM. Roasted,] without leaven, with horehound and lettuce shall you eat it. Eat not of it while living, neither boiled in wine, or oil, or other fluids, neither boiled in water, but roasted with fire, with its head, and its feet, and its inwards. Nor shall any be left of it till the morning; but what may remain of it in the morning you shall cover over, and in the daylight of the sixteenth day burn with fire; for you may not burn the residue of a holy oblation on the feast day. And according to this manner you shall eat it, this time, but not in (other) generations: your loins shall be girded, [JERUSALEM. Bound by the precepts of the law,] your shoes on your feet, and your staves in your hands; and you shall eat in the fear of the majesty of the LORD of the world; because mercy has been shown to you from before the LORD. And I will be revealed in the land of Mizraim in the majesty of My glory this night, and with Me ninety thousand myriads of destroying angels; and I will slay all the firstborn in the land of Mizraim, of man and of beast, and against all the idols of the Mizraee I will execute four judgments: the molten idols shall be melted, the idols of stone be broken, the idols of clay shall he shattered, and the idols of wood be made dust, that the Mizraee may know that I am the LORD. And the blood of the paschal oblation, (like) the matter of circumcision, shall be a bail for you, to become a sign upon the houses where you dwell; and I will look upon the worth of the blood, and will spare you; and the angel of death, to whom is given the power to destroy, shall have no dominion over you in the slaughter of the Mizraee. And this day shall be to you for a memorial, and you shall celebrate it a festival before the LORD in your generations; by a perpetual statute shall you solemnize it. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread: in the dividing of the day which precedes the feast you shall put away leaven from your houses; for whosoever eats what is leavened, from the first day of the feast until the seventh day, that man shall be destroyed from Israel. And on the first day there shall be a holy congregation, and on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy congregation. No work shall be done among you, only that which must be done for every one's eating may be done by you. And you shall observe the feast of the unleavened bread, because in this same day the LORD will bring out your hosts free from the land of Mizraim; and you shall observe this day in your generations, a statute for ever. In Nisan, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall kill the Passover, and at evening on the fifteenth you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first of the month. On the evening of the twenty-second you may eat leavened bread. For seven days leaven shall not be found in your houses; for whosoever eats of leaven, that man shall perish from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger or home-bred in the land. Any mixture of leaven you shall not eat; in every place of your habitation you shall eat unleavened bread.

And Mosheh called all the elders of Israel, and said to them, Withdraw your hands from the idols of the Mizraee, and take to you from the offspring of the flock, according to your houses, and kill the paschal lamb And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the earthen vessel, and upon the upper bar without and upon the two posts you shall sprinkle of the blood which is in the earthen vessel, and not a man of you must come forth from the door of his hour till the morning. For the Glory of the LORD will be manifested in striking the Mizraee, and He will see the blood upon the lintel and upon the two posts, and the Word of the LORD will spread His protection over the door, and the destroying angel will not be permitted to enter your houses to smite.

And you shall observe this thing for a statute to you and to your sons for a memorial for ever. And it shall be when you are come into the land that the LORD will give to you, as He has spoken, that from the time of your coming you shall observe this service. And it shall be that when at that time your children shall say to you, What is this your service? you shall say, It is the sacrifice of mercy before the LORD, who had mercy in His Word upon the houses of the sons of Israel in Mizraim, when He destroyed the Mizraee, and spared our houses. And when the house of Israel heard this word from the mouth of Mosheh, they bowed and worshipped. And the sons of Israel went and did as the LORD commanded Mosheh and Aharon, so did they hasten and do.

And it was in the dividing, of the night of the fifteenth, that the Word of the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Mizraim, from the firstborn son of Pharoh, who would have sat upon the throne of his kingdom, unto the firstborn sons of the kings who were captives in the dungeon as hostages under Pharoh's hand; and who, for having rejoiced at the servitude of Israel, were punished as (the Mizraee): and all the firstborn of the cattle that did the work of the Mizraee died also.

And Pharoh rose up in that night, and all the rest of his servants, and all the rest of the Mizraee; and there was a great cry, because there was no house of the Mizraee where the firstborn was not dead. And the border of the land of Mizraim extended four hundred pharsee; but the land of Goshen, where Mosheh and the sons of Israel were, was in the midst of the land of Mizraim; and the royal palace of Pharoh was at the entrance of the land of Mizraim. But when he cried to Mosheh and to Aharon in the night of the Pascha, his voice was heard unto the land of Goshen; Pharoh crying with a voice of woe, and saying thus: Arise, Go forth from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel ; and go, worship before the LORD, as you have said; your sheep also take, and whatever of mine you have spoken about, and go; and nothing ask I of you except that you pray for me that I may not die. When Mosheh and Aharon, and the sons of Israel, heard the voice of Pharoh's weeping, they were not mindful, until he came himself, and all his servants, and all the Mizraee, and urged all the people of the house of Israel, that they might hasten to send them forth from the land; For, said they, if they prolong here one hour more, behold, we are all dead. [JERUSALEM. For, said the Mizraee, if Israel delay one hour (longer), behold, all Mizraim dies.]

And the people carried their dough upon their beads, being unleavened, and what remained to them of the paschal cakes and bitter things they carried, bound up with their raiment, upon their shoulders. And the sons of Israel did according to the word of Mosheh, and asked of the Mizraee vessels of silver and vessels of gold. And the LORD gave the people favor and compassion before the Mizraee, and they brought forth to them, and they emptied the Mizraee of their riches.

And the sons of Israel moved forth from Pilusin towards Succoth, a hundred and thirty thousand, protected there by seven clouds of glory on their four sides: one above them, that neither hail nor rain might fall upon them, nor that they should be burned by the heat of the sun; one beneath them, that they might not be hurt by thorns, serpents, or scorpions; and one went before them, to make the valleys even, and the mountains low, and to prepare them a place of habitation. And they were about six hundred thousand men, journeying on foot, none riding on horses except the children five to every man; and a multitude of strangers, [JERUSALEM. A mixed multitude,] two hundred and forty myriads, went up with them, and sheep, and oxen, and cattle, very many. And they divided the dough which they brought out of Mizraim, which they had carried on their heads, and it was baked for them by the heat of the sun, (into) unleavened cakes, because it had not fermented; for the Mizraee had thrust them out, neither could they delay; and it was sufficient for them to eat until the fifteenth of the month Iyar; because they had not prepared provision for the way.

And the days of the dwelling of the sons of Israel in Mizraim were thirty weeks of years, (thirty times seven years,) which is the sum of two hundred and ten years. But the number of four hundred and thirty years (had passed away since) the LORD spoke to Abraham, in the hour that He spoke with him on the fifteenth of Nisan, between the divided parts, until the day that they went out of Mizraim. And it was at the end of thirty years from the making of this covenant, that Izhak was born; and thence until they went out of Mizraim four hundred (years), on the selfsame day it was that all the hosts of the LORD went forth made free from the land of Mizraim.

Four nights are there written in the Book of Memorials before the LORD of the world. Night the first,--when He was revealed in creating the world; the second,--when He was revealed to Abraham; the third,--when He was revealed in Mizraim, His hand killing all the firstborn of Mizraim, and His right hand saving the firstborn of Israel; the fourth,--when He will yet be revealed to liberate the people of the house of Israel from among the gentiles. And all these are called Nights to be observed; for so explained Mosheh, and said thereof, It is to be observed on account of the liberation which is from the LORD, to lead forth the people of the sons of Israel from the land of Mizraim. This is that Night of preservation from the destroying angel for all the sons of Israel who were in Mizraim, and of redemption of their generations from their captivity.

[JERUSALEM. TARGUM. It is a night to be observed and celebrated for the liberation from before the LORD in bringing forth the sons of Israel, made free from the land of Mizraim. Four nights are there written in the Book of Memorial. Night first; when the Word of the LORD was revealed upon the world as it was created; when the world was without form and void, and darkness was spread upon the face of the deep, and the Word of the LORD illuminated and made it light; and he called it the first night. Night second; when the Word of the LORD was revealed unto Abraham between the divided parts; when Abraham was a son of a hundred years, and Sarah was a daughter of ninety years, and that which the Scripture says was confirmed,--Abraham a hundred years, can he beget? and Sarah, ninety year old, can she bear? Was not our father Izhak a son of thirty and seven years, at the time he was offered upon the altar? The heavens were (then) bowed down and brought low, and Izhak saw their realities, and his eyes were blinded at the sight, and he called it the second night. The third night; when the Word of the LORD was revealed upon the Mizraee, at the dividing of the night; His right hand slew the firstborn of the Mizraee, His right hand spared the firstborn of Israel; to fulfill what the Scripture hath said, Israel is My firstborn son. And he called it the third night. Night the fourth; when the end of the age will be accomplished, that it might be dissolved, the bands of wickedness destroyed and the iron yoke broken. Mosheh came forth from the midst of the desert; but the King Mashiach (comes) from the midst of Roma. The Cloud preceded that, and the Cloud will go before this one; and the Word of the LORD will lead between both, and they shall proceed together. This is the night of the Pascha before the LORD, to be observed and celebrated by the sons of Israel in all their generations.]

A sojourner or a hired stranger shall not eat thereof. In his own company he shall eat. You shall not carry any of the flesh out of the house from (your) company, nor send a gift one mail to his neighbor; and a bone of him shall not be broken for the sake of eating that which is within it. [JERUSALEM. A sojourning man and a hireling born of the Gentiles shall not eat of it.] All the congregation of Israel shall mix together, this one with that, one family with another, that they may perform it. And if a proselyte sojourn with you, and would perform the pascha before the LORD, let every male belonging to him be circumcised, and so be made fit to perform it; and he shall be as the native of the land: but no uncircumcised one of the sons of Israel shall eat thereof. One law shall there be as to appointments for the native and for the proselyte who sojourns among you. And all the sons of Israel did as the LORD had commanded Mosheh and Aharon, so did they. And it was on that same day that the LORD brought forth the sons of Israel from the land of Mizraim, with their hosts.

Midrash Tanhuma-Yelammedenu for Sh’mot (Exodus) 11:1 – 12:28

5. And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying (Exod. 12:1). Is it not a fact that He spoke only to Moses? Why, then, does the Scripture say unto Moses and Aaron? To indicate that just as Moses was included in the revelation, so too was Aaron. Where do we learn that He did not speak to Aaron? From the verse: And it came to pass on the day that the LORD spoke unto Moses in the land of Egypt (Exod. 6:28), that is, to Moses and not to Aaron. Similarly in the above verse He spoke to Moses but not to Aaron. Why did He not speak to Aaron? In order (to enhance) Moses’ honor. However, if that were so, would not Aaron’s honor be diminished? No. For they were equals. You find that whenever two things are mentioned together they are of equal importance. On that day the heaven and the earth were finished (Gen. 2:1), and they are equal. Honor your father and mother (Exod. 20:12), and they are equal. Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh (Num. 14:38), and they were equals. Similarly, Moses and Aaron were equals.

In the land of Egypt refers to the territory outside of the cap ital of Egypt. You find that the Shekhinah does not appear in the capital city of Egypt, for it is stated: And Moses said unto him: ‘As soon as I am out of the city, I will spread forth my hand” (Exod. 9:29). Why was it necessary to specify all the land of Egypt? Because all of Egypt was filled with idols. Hence it is written in the land of Egypt and not simply “in Egypt.”

Why did the Shekhinah appear in the land of Egypt? To teach us that prior to the selection of the land of Israel, all lands merited the revelation of the Holy One, blessed be He, but that after the land of Israel was selected, all other lands were disqualified. Similarly, before Jerusalem was chosen, the entire territory of Israel merited the revelation of the Divine Word, but after Jerusalem was selected, the Divine Word forsook the remainder of the land. Likewise, before the Temple was designated, the city of Jerusalem was considered suitable for the words of the Shekhinah, but after the establishment of the Temple, it removed itself from the rest of Jerusalem, as it is written: For the LORD has chosen Zion, He hat desired it for His habitation (Ps. 132:13). And it says also: That is My resting place forever; here will I dwell; for I have desired it (ibid., v. 14). Prior to the selection of Aaron, every Israelite merited priesthood, as it is said: It is an everlasting covenant of salt (Num. 18:19), but after he was selected the other Israelites were deemed unfit for priesthood, as it is said: And it shall be unto him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an ever lasting priesthood (ibid. 25:13). Before David was chosen, all Israelites were eligible for kingship, but after the selection of David, all Israelites lost the right of kingship, as it is said: You have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord, the God of Israel (Ezra 4:3).

Why did He speak to the prophets outside the land of Israel? Because of the merit of the patriarchs, as it is stated: A voice is heard in Ramah (Jer. 31:15). And after that it is written: Thus says the LORD: “Refrain your voice from weeping” (ibid., v. 16). Even outside the land (however), He spoke to the prophets only in places that were ritually clean, as in the case of Daniel: As I was by the side of the great river which is Tigris (Dan. 10:4), and also: And I was by the stream Ulai (ibid. 8:3). Ezekiel said to Him: As I was among the captives by the river Chebar (Ezek. 1:1). This was the Tigris. When did He speak to him? Outside the land only after He had previously spoken to him in the land, as it is said: Rise, go forth into the plain, and I will there speak with you (ibid. 3:22).

6. This month shall be unto you (Exod. 12:1). R. Ishmael said: He showed him the moon during night and said: Like this shall you examine the new moon; this shall be the law for future generations. Teach them the time of the new moon. He said to them: Until now I intercalated the year (adding an additional month in leap years), but now I turn this responsibility over to you. From now on you shall count (the days and designate the time) for the appearance of the new moon. This month. This is Nisan, and there is no other (i.e., no intercalated second Nisan to serve as the first month). With regard to Tishri it is written: And the feast of ingathering (Sukkot) at the turn of the year (the autumnal equinox) (Exod. 34:22). This teaches us that the month in which the festival called the feast of the ingathering at the turn of the year occurs in the month in which the year actually changes. However, Tishri is called the seventh month only because it comes seven months after Nisan. This month refers to Nisan. A hint of this (is the fact that it is the only month that is spoken of as the first month [Nisan begins the religious year and therefore is counted as the first month. It marks the anniversary of the deliverance from Egyptian bondage. It is the month in which the reigns of Jewish kings begins, and the months from which the festivals are instituted.], as Scripture states: In the first month, which is the month of Nisan (Esther 3:17), first for months, and first for festivals, since (Passover) is written first: The festival of Passover, the festival of Shabuot, the festival of Sukkot.

Ashlamatah: Ezekiel 45:16 - 46:18

18 Thus says the Lord GOD: In the first month, in the first day of the month, you shall take a young bullock without blemish; and you shall purify the sanctuary.

19 And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering, and put it upon the door-posts of the house, and upon the four corners of the settle of the altar, and upon the posts of the gate of the inner court.

20 And so you shall do on the seventh day of the month for every one that errs, and for him that is simple; so shall you make atonement for the house.

21 In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, you shall have the Passover; a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.

22 And upon that day shall the prince (King Messiah/Chief Judge/Rabbi) prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin-offering.

23 And the seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt-offering to the LORD, seven bullocks and seven rams without blemish daily the seven days; and a he-goat daily for a sin-offering.

24 And he shall prepare a meal-offering, an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and a hin of oil to an ephah.

25 In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, in the feast, shall he do the like the seven days; to the sin-offering as well as the burnt-offering, and the meal-offering as well as the oil. {S}

1 Thus says the Lord GOD: The gate of the inner court that looks toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.

2 And the prince (King Messiah/Chief Judge/Rabbi) shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate; then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.

3 Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of that gate before the LORD in the Sabbaths and in the new moons.

4 And the burnt-offering that the prince (King Messiah/Chief Judge/Rabbi) shall offer unto the LORD shall be in the Sabbath day six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish;

5 and the meal-offering shall be an ephah for the ram, and the meal-offering for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah. {S}

6 And in the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish; and six lambs, and a ram; they shall be without blemish;

7 and he shall prepare a meal-offering, an ephah for the bullock, and an ephah for the ram, and for the lambs according as his means suffice, and a hin of oil to an ephah.

8 And when the prince (King Messiah/Chief Judge/Rabbi) shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof.

9 But when the people of the land shall come before the LORD in the appointed seasons, he that enters by the way of the north gate to worship shall go forth by the way of the south gate; and he that enters by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate; he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth straight before him.

10 And the prince (King Messiah/Chief Judge/Rabbi), when they go in, shall go in, in the midst of them; and when they go forth, they shall go forth together.

11 And in the feasts and in the appointed seasons the meal-offering shall be an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah. {P}

12 And when the prince (King Messiah/Chief Judge/Rabbi) shall prepare a freewill-offering, a burnt-offering or peace-offerings as a freewill-offering unto the LORD, one shall open for him the gate that looks toward the east, and he shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, as he does on the Sabbath day; then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate.

13 And you shall prepare a lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt-offering unto the LORD daily; morning by morning shall thou prepare it.

14 And you shall prepare a meal-offering with it morning by morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of a hin of oil, to moisten the fine flour: a meal-offering unto the LORD continually by a perpetual ordinance.

15 Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meal-offering, and the oil, morning by morning, for a continual burnt-offering. {S}

16 Thus says the Lord GOD: If the prince (King Messiah/Chief Judge/Rabbi) give a gift unto any of his sons, it is his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. {S}

17 But if he give of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty; then it shall return to the prince (King Messiah/Chief Judge/Rabbi); but as for his inheritance, it shall be for his sons.

18 Moreover the prince (King Messiah/Chief Judge/Rabbi) shall not take of the people's inheritance, to thrust them wrongfully out of their possession; he shall give inheritance to his sons out of his own possession; that My people be not scattered every man from his possession.'

PARASHAT HACHODESH

HACHODESH HAZEH LAKHEM

By: Hakham Yitzchak Etshalom

http://www.torah.org/advanced/mikra/5757/va/dt.57.3.02.html

I. KIDDUSH HACHODESH (Sanctification of the New Moon): AN "ERETZ-YISRA'ELI MITZVAH" (A commandment of the Land of Israel)

The Babylonian Talmud in Tractate Berakhot relates the following story:

...when Hanina the nephew of R. Yehoshua went to the Golah (Babylonia) he proceeded to fix the calendar and declare the new month in Hutz La'Aretz (outside of the Land of Israel). They sent after him two scholars: R. Yosi b. Kifer and the grandson of Zekhariah b. K'vutal. When he saw them coming, he asked Why do you come here? They responded: To study Torah have we come. He [Hanina] declared: These men are the giants of the generation... [they entered the academy and] Whenever he would aver "Impure", they would claim "Pure", if he would allow, they would prohibit. He then declared: These men are worthless. They responded: You have already built up [our reputation] , you can no longer tear down... He said: Why did you constantly contradict me? They answered: Because you are fixing the calendar and declaring the new month in Hutz la'Aretz (outside the land of Israel). He responded: Did not Akiva b. Yosef do likewise? They answered: Leave Akiva be, for he did not leave an equal in Eretz Yisra'el (the land of Israel). He added: So it is with me. They disagreed: "The kids you left have become goats with strong horns and they sent us after you and commanded us to tell you in their name [to cease fixing the calendar in Hutz La'Aretz – outside the land of Israel]; if you listen, fine. If not, you will be excommunicated. They further commanded us: Tell our brothers in the Golah; if they listen, fine. If not, let them go up on the mountain; let Ahiyah build an altar, Hananyah play the harp and let them all deny God and declare that they have no portion with the God of Israel. Everyone immediately cried out: God forbid, of course we have a portion with the God of Israel. Why such extreme measures? Because it states (Yeshaya [Isaiah] 2:3): For out of Tziyon (Zion) comes Torah, and the Word of YHVH from Yerushalayim (B.T. Berakhot 63a-b)

The Rabbis in Eretz Yisra'el (Land of Israel) were concerned about Hanina's usurpation of Yerushalayim as the worldwide center of Torah and Halakhah (legislation). The story begs a question: Why did they react so strongly to Hanina's fixing of the calendar? Were there not other Rabbis making Halakhic decisions outside of the Land at that time? Were there not Bate-Din (Jewish courts of law) outside of Eretz Yisra'el which legislated new Halakhot while great scholars resided in the Land? Furthermore, how is R. Akiva's behavior excused with "he left no equal in Eretz Yisra'el"? Akiva's scholastic supremacy does not make Babylonia any more a Tziyyon (Zion) than does Hanina's more limited scholarship.

II. KIDDUSH HACHODESH: A REFLECTION OF MAN'S PARTNERSHIP WITH GOD

The Mitzvah of Kiddush haChodesh (sanctifying the New Moon) is strange and unique. Man is commanded to establish the seasons and to decide the dates of the festivals (except Shabbat). Not only is God willing us to be partners in the sanctification of Holidays, He even accepts our declaration when it proves to be in error; and even if the error was deliberately perpetrated (BT Rosh Hashana 25a; MT Kiddush haChodesh 2:10). Our liturgy reflects this sanctification: The signature of the blessing during the Holidays is M'kaddesh Yisra'el vehaZemanim - (Who sanctifies Israel and the Appointed Times); i.e. God sanctifies Israel who sanctify the seasons. (BT Berakhot 49a; BT Betza 17a)

III. THE MANDATE OF THE BET-DIN HAGADOL

A Court operates, generally speaking, on one of two levels: social and historic. When the Court deals with an actual situation which has been presented before it, it is concerned with the social ramifications of its deliberations. If the need arises, a municipal ordinance ("Takkana") can be implemented; if necessary, the Court can punish those wrongdoers who have escaped the law on a technicality. (B.T. Sanhedrin 81b) The Court's mandate is the protection of society and the maintenance of sanctity within that society.

Occasionally, the Court operates on a wholly different stratum. When a new reality presents itself to the Court, whether as a result of technological progress or spiritual regress, the Court must respond dynamically with the Torah-true approach. Whether in an issue of pure legalism or in a more spiritually oriented matter, the Court must speak in the name of Torah. The Divine Mandate which validates the Court accepts no less.

When the Court is protecting and maintaining society, it represents that society. If it is the society of a small community, it represents that community. If the Court operates on behalf of an entire country, it represents that country. The Court which responds historically is, contradistinctively, representative of the Torah and of the entire nation of Israel. It is the Torah's interests which are being adapted to the new situation - that is within the purview of the entire community of Am Yisra'el (the people of Israel).

IV. THE HISTORIC MISSION OF THE BET-DIN

The Court which sanctifies the New Moon is operating on behalf of the entire nation in the most historic sense possible. This Court is the direct descendant of Mosheh and Aharon's Court which sanctified that Aviv moon in Egypt; that selfsame moon which heralded Israel's deliverance (see BT Rosh haShanah 22a).

A Court operating on the historic level must be able to lay a claim as an authorized representative of the nation. As such, it must be able to show its spiritual and historic bond with Mosheh's Court.

Mosheh was, first and foremost, the Gadol haDor - the Scholar Supreme of his (and every succeeding) generation. Wherever such a Gadol is, there rests the Historic Court of Mosheh (see BT Rosh haShanah 25b Yeruba'al bedoro...) Beyond Mosheh's supremacy was his centrality in the collective of the nation. That centrality is expressed, from the moment that Yehoshua's Kohanim uprooted their feet from the Jordan (Yeshoshua 4:15-18), in the Land of Israel. Our dream and destiny is to establish our own center in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem); it is this vision of Isaiah that has Chasen us back to Tziyyon (Zion). The same centrality which typified Mosheh's Court can only be established in Israel.

The anger which motivated the scholars of Eretz Yisra'el is now understood: Failing an Akiva-like scenario, the only locale which can honestly lay claim to the representative court of Am Yisra'el (the people of Israel) is Eretz Yisra'el (the land of Israel) [see Sefer HaMitzvot, M.A. 153]. Anyone attempting to disrupt the fulfillment of this Prophetic vision is truly one who can claim no portion with the God of Israel - he serves a personal God while ignoring the national relationship and destiny with our God.

Commentary

For more information about the New Moon celebration see:

http://www.betemunah.org/chodesh.html

In the commentary above, for Shabbat HaChodesh (Sabbath “This Month”), Hakham Yitzchak Etshalom, may G-d, most blessed be He grant him and loved ones to have a long and prosperous life, writes about the importance of the declaration of the New Moon and who can do this. In recent times, many that are unlearned and puffed up with an excess of pride have taken to themselves to differ from the times when K’lal Yisrael (the Congregation of Israel) celebrates the New Moons and festivals, and pass themselves as great rabbis, speaking on behalf of all Israel (what a blasphemy!)

It is important to note, that the Torah Seder for this week starts by saying: And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying … (Exodus 12:1). We further read in the Mishnaic treatise of Marqos (Gospel of Mark), chapter six and verse seven:

“And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits.”

In other words, when someone comes in the name of the Messiah he must come with his colleague, and when someone speaks on behalf of G-d or Israel, it must be two or three speaking as it is written in the Midrash of Matitayhu (Gospel of Matthew) 18:19-20 -

“Again, I say to you, that, if two of you (Hakhamim/Rabbis) may agree on the earth concerning anything, whatever they may ask -- it shall be done to them from my Father Who is in the heavens, for where there are two or three (Hakhamim/Rabbis) gathered together (as a Bet Din) – in/under my authority, there am I (the King Messiah of Israel) in the midst of them.”

The Messiah clearly speaks through a properly set up court of justice composed of two or three Judges (Hakhamim/Rabbis) who speak in the name of G-d, most blessed be He and under the authority of the Messiah King of Israel, and thus also speak on behalf of Israel. If this is not the case, then he who speaks has no authority given to him either by G-d, most blessed be He, nor has power been given unto him by the King Messiah of Israel.

Anyone who therefore changes the times or decrees any other times in which to celebrate the New Moons, months, or festivals of G-d, contrary to how K’lal Yisrael (the congregation of Israel) does is indeed blaspheming, speaking in the name of G-d, when he/she was never commanded to do so, and usurping the authority of His Majesty King Yeshuah the Messiah of Israel. Of such it is written: And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints (Pharisees) of the Most High, and think to change times and laws (Daniel 7:25).

This principle that G-d speaks today not through one man but through a group of learned men on behalf of the scientific community is common practice in science, where for example articles in scientific journal are peer reviewed, else they are not published at all. I find it amazing the arrogance of men who purport to speak in the name of G-d, most blessed be He, and under the authority of King Messiah without being subject to others in an open court of Torah Justice. The Prophet Micah has stated:

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

Is it too much to ask that those that speak in the name of G-d, most blessed be He, and under the authority of the Messiah, speak on behalf of all Israel and through a legitimate court of Law composed at least of two or three Hakhamim?

THE POWER GAME

In the reading of The Prophet Yechzkel (Ezekiel) for this Shabbat HaHChodesh we find:

“And the prince (King Messiah/Chief Judge/Rabbi) shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate; then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.” (Ezekiel 46:2)

Let us supply a bit of background material for this verse.

The Torah provides for a dual leadership in Israel. The Kohen Gadol, or High Priest, was the spiritual leader and directed the service in the Temple. The king, as the political and judicial leader, headed the government and the courts of Law. As might be expected, at times there was an unwanted friction between these two leaders.

For example, in Ezekiel 21:31 the prophet reprimands the king:

"So has Ha-Shem the Lord said: will you remove the mitznefet (the High Priest's headpiece) and raise up the crown [of the king]? This [the crown] and not that [the mitznefet]? ... Then this [the crown] too will not endure."

In other words, the king is accused of usurping the power which rightfully belonged to the High Priest. Compare this with the image depicted in the Book of Zachariah of the mutual relationship which the two will enjoy in time to come:

"Behold, a man [the Messiah] ... he will build the Temple of Ha-Shem ... and he will sit and reign on his throne, and the Priest will be on his throne, and there will be an understanding of peace between the two." (Zach. 6:12)

This is the backdrop for our own verse in this week's Ashlamatah.

On the Sabbath day and on the Day of the New Moon, the king will go to the Temple and there he will publicly offer certain prescribed sacrifices. He will remain "standing at the doorpost" while inside the Temple the priests will offer his sacrifices at the Altar.

This posture of the king is a critical point here.

The king of Israel holds a position of great importance. But in time to come, he will understand also where his authority ends. In contrast to the practice of some Israelite kings of the past, who attempted to whittle away from the authority of the priesthood, the future king will recognize that at the gateway of the Temple even he must surrender his exalted status whilst in the presence of the Temple and its service. What a great lesson of humility!

KING MESSIAH’S ORDINACE

Again, in the Mishnaic treatise of Marqos (Gospel of Mark), chapter six and verse seven it is said:

“And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits.”

Notice the juxtaposition of “being sent forth by two and two” and “gave them power over unclean spirits.” According to Jewish Biblical hermeneutics therefore the meaning of this passage is that a person that speaks for himself rather than on behalf of his peers when teaching in the authority of G-d, most blessed be He, and His Messiah, is like one who has an “unclean spirit” – and for this reason we read that King Messiah sent his Talmidim forth “by two and two” so that these two could form a small local court of justice. In the English language we call a person who speaks of himself without regard to the learned opinions of a body or tribunal as “self opinionated,” and this is exactly what it means to be possessed by an unclean spirit!

When a man speaks on behalf of the G-d of Israel, most blessed be He, he speaks under the authority of the King Messiah of Israel, and thus also on behalf of all Israel, and not on behalf of himself, a minority in Israel, or his self-made doctrines or delusions of grandeur. For Hakham Shaul has stated:

“Wherefore, remember, that you [were] once of the gentiles in the flesh, who are called un-circumcision by that called circumcision, that you were at that time apart from King Messiah, having become aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope, and without God in the world; and now, in Yeshuah the Messiah, you being once afar off (from Israel) have become near (to Israel) by the life of the Messiah.”

Thus, then he who speaks under the authority of King Messiah of Israel must speak also under the authority of the commonwealth of Israel.

May G-d help us on this Shabbat HaChodesh to learn from the meekness of King Messiah and his messengers and learn to work with others in a team, and flee from being a power/control freak and self-opinionated, amen ve amen!

Shabbat:	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
הַחֹדֶשׁ
“HaChodesh”	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 11:1-3	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 4:18-23
“This month”	Reader 2 – Sh’mot 11:4-10	Reader 2 – Sh’mot 4:24-26
“Este mes”	Reader 3 – Sh’mot 12:1-5	Reader 3 – Sh’mot 4:27-31
Sh’mot (Exodus) 11:1 – 12:28 B’midbar (Num.) 28:9-15	Reader 4 – Sh’mot 12:6-10
Ezekiel 45:16 - 46:18	Reader 5 – Sh’mot 12:11-13
	Reader 6 – Sh’mot 12:14-17	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 5:1-4
	Reader 7 – Sh’mot 12:18-20	Reader 2 – Sh’mot 5:5-9
	Maftir – B’midbar 28:9-15	Reader 3 – Sh’mot 5:10-13
N.C. Colossians 2:16-23	Ezekiel 45:16 - 46:18