Esnoga Bet Emunah - 3711 Medical Drive #1016

Women throughout the world will gather together in small groups to say Tehillim (Psalms) in memory of our Matriarch Rachel. Our Sages in Israel have recommended reciting the following Psalms upon this occasion: 42, 43, 44, 50, 55, 69, 70, 74, 79 & 83. Those who visit Rachel's Tomb should recite those as well as adding Psalm 33.

Targum Pseudo Jonathan for:

B’resheet 35:9 – 36:43

And the Lord revealed Himself to Jakob again on his return from Padan of Aram, and the Lord blessed him by the name of His Word, after the death of his mother. And the Lord said to him, Heretofore was your name Jakob: your name shall be no more called Jakob, but Israel shall be your name. And the Lord said to him, I am El Shadai: spread forth and multiply; a holy people, and a congregation of prophets and priests, shall be from your sons whom you have begotten, and two kings shall yet from you go forth. And the land which I gave to Abraham and to Izhak will I give unto you, and to your son, after you will I give the land.

[JERUSALEM. And Deborah the nurse of Rivekah died, and was buried below Beth El under an oak: and he called the name of it, The Oak of Weeping. The God of eternity, whose name be Blessed for ever and ever, hath taught us precepts which are beautiful and statutes that are comely: He has taught us the blessing of matrimony from Adam and his bride, as the scripture expounds And the Word of the Lord blessed them, and the Word of the Lord said to them, Be strong and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it. He has taught us to visit the afflicted, from our father Abraham the Righteous, when He revealed Himself to him in the plain of Vision, and gave him the precept of circumcision, and made him to sit in the door of his tent in the heat of the day; as the scripture expounds and says, And the Word of the Lord revealed Himself to him in the plain of Vision. And again He has taught us to bless those who mourn, from our father Jakob the Righteous: for He revealed Himself to him on his coming from Padan of Aram, when the way of the world had happened to Deborah, the nurse of Rivkah his mother, and Rahel died by him in the way, and Jakob our father sat weeping and bewailing her, and mourning and crying. Then were You, O Lord of all worlds, in the perfection of Your free mercies revealed to him, and did comfort him, and blessing the mourners did bless him concerning his mother, even as the scripture expounds and says, The Word of the Lord revealed Himself unto Jakob the second time on his coming from Padan Aram, and blessed him.]

And the Shekinah of the Lord ascended from him in the place where He had spoken with him And Jakob erected there a pillar of stone in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone; and he outpoured upon it a libation of wine, and a libation of water, because thus it was to be done at the feast of Tabernacles; and he poured oil of olives thereupon. And Jakob called the name of the place where the Lord bad spoken with him Beth El.

And they proceeded from Beth El; and there was yet much space of provision land in the coming to Ephrath and Rahel travailed, and had hard labor in her birth. And it was in the hardness of her travail that the midwife said to her, Fear not, for this also is to you a male child. And it was in the going forth of her soul, for death came upon her, that she called his name The son of my woe: but his father called him Benjamin [JERUSALEM. And there was a space, as much ground, to come unto Ephrath; and Rahel travailed, and had hard labor in her birth . . . But his father called him in the language of the sanctuary, Benjamin.] And Rahel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jakob erected a pillar over the house of burying: which is the pillar of the tomb of Rahel unto this day.

And Jakob proceeded and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder, the place from whence, it is to be, the King Mashiach will be revealed at the end of the days. And it was while Israel dwelt in this land that Reuben went and confounded the bed of Bilhah the concubine of his father, which had been ordained along with the bed of Leah his mother; and this is reputed with regard to him, as if he had lain with her. And Israel heard it, and it afflicted him, and he said, Alas, that one should have come forth from me so profane, even as Ishmael came forth from Abraham, and Esau from my father! The Spirit of Holiness answered and thus spoke to him: fear not, for all are righteous and none of them is profane!

So, after Benjamin was born, the sons of Jakob were twelve. The sons of Leah, the first-born of Jakob, Reuben, and Shimeon, and Levi, and Jehudah, and Issakar, and Zabulon. The sons of Rahel, Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, the handmaid of Rahel, Dan and Naphtali; and the sons of Zilpha, the handmaid of Leah, Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jakob who were born to him in Padan Aram.

And Jakob came to Izhak his father, at Mamre the city of Arba, which is Hebron, for there Abraham and Izhak had dwelt. And the days of Izhak were an hundred and eighty years. And Izhak expired and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days, and Esau and Jakob his sons buried him.

XXXVI. These are the genealogies of Esau, who is called Edom. Esau took wives of the daughters of Kenaan, Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittah, and Ahalibama the daughter of Ana, the daughter of Sibeon the Hiva, and Basemath the daughter of Ishmael whom Nebaioth her brother gave to him. And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz, and Basemath bare Reuel. And Ahalibama, bare to Esau Jehus, and Jaalam, and Korach. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Kenaan. And Esau had taken his wives and his sons and his daughters, and all the souls of his house, and his flocks and his cattle, and all the substance which he had gotten in the land of Kenaan, and had gone into another land; for there fell upon him a fear of Jakob his brother: for their possessions would be too great for them to dwell together, neither would the land of their sojourning maintain them, on account of their flocks. And Esau dwelt in the mountain of Gabal. He is Esau the prince of the Edomites.

And these are the kindreds of Esau the prince of the Edomites, the place of whose dwelling was in the mountain. of Gabal. These are the names of the sons of Esau, Eliphaz bar Adah, wife of Esau; Reuel bar Basemath, wife of Esau. And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman Omar, Zephu, and Gaatam, and Kenaz, and Timna. And Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz bar Esau, and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek. He is Eliphaz the companion of Job. These are the sons of Adah wife of Esau. And these are the sons of Reuel, Nachath and Zerach, Shammah and Mizzah. These are the sons of Basemath wife of Esau. And these are the sons of Ahalibama the daughter of Anah the daughter of Sebeon wife of Esau; and she bare to Esau, Jehus, and Jaalam, and Korach.

These are the chieftains of the sons of Esau; the sons of Eliphaz, the first‑born of Esau, Rabba Teman, Rabba Omar, Rabba Zephu, Rabba Kenaz, Rabba Korach, Rabba Gaatam, Rabba Amalek: these are the chieftains of Eliphaz, whose habitation was in the land of Edom; they are the sons of Adah. And these are the sons of Reuel bar Esau; Rabba Nachath, Rabba Zerach,, Rabba Shammah, Rabba Mizzah; these are the chieftains of Reuel, whose habitation was in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Basemath wife of Esau. And these are the sons of Ahalibama wife of Esau; Rabba Jeush, Rabba Jaalam, Rabba Korach; these are the chieftains of Ahalibama, daughter of Adah wife of Esau. These are the sons of Esau, and these their chieftains. He is the father of the Edomites.

These are the sons of Gebal, the generations who before that had dwelt in that land: Lotan, and Shobal, and Sebeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Etser, and Dishon. These are the chieftains of the generations of the sons of Gebal, whose habitation was of old in the land of the Edomites. And the sons of Lotan were the Chori and Heman; and the sister of Lotan was Timna. And these are the sons of Shobal, Alvan, and Manachoth, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. And these are the sons of Sebeon, Aja and Anah: he is Anah who coupled the onagers with the she‑asses, and after a time found mules which had come forth from them, when he was tending the asses of Sebeon his father. And these are the children of Anah: Dishon; and Ahalibama was the daughter of Anah. And these are the sons of Dishon, Hemdan, and Jisban, and Jithran, and Keran. These are the sons of Etser, Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan. These are the sons of Dishan, Hutz and Aram. These are the chieftains of the families: Rabba Lotan, Rabba Shobal, Rabba Sebeon, Rabba Anah, Rabba Dishon, Rabba Etser, Rabba Dishan: these are the chieftains of the families, according to their principalities, whose habitation was of old in the land of Gabla.

These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel. In Edom reigned Bileam. the son of Behor, and the name of the city of the house of his kingdom was Dinhaba. And Bela died, and in his stead reigned Jobab the son of Zerach of Botsra. And Jobab died, and in his stead reigned Husham of the South country; and Husham died, and in his stead reigned Hadad the son of Bedad, who slew the Midianites when he arrayed war with them in the fields of Moab, and the name of the city of the house of his kingdom was Avith. And Hadad died, and in his stead reigned Simlah of Masrekah. And Simlah died, and instead of him reigned Shaul, who was of Rohoboth on the Pherat. And Shaul died, and in his stead reigned Baal Hanan bar Akbor. And Baal Hanan bar Akbor died, and instead of him reigned Hadar; and the name of the city of the house of his kingdom was Pahu; and the name of his wife was Mehetabel the daughter of Matred. He was the man who labored with perseverance and vigilance, and who, after he had become wealthy and had gotten riches, turned to become more lofty in his heart, saying What is silver and what is g old? [JERUSALEM. And after him reigned Hadar; and the name of his city was Pahu, andthe daughter of Matred, the daughter of the changer of gold: the man who perseverance all the days of his life; but who, after he had eaten and was satisfied, converted and said, What is gold, and what is silver?]

And these are the names of the chieftains of Esau after their kindreds, after the place of their habitation,with their names Rabba Timna, Rabba Alva, Rabba Jetheth, Rabba Aholibama, Rabba Elah, Rabba Phinon, Rabba Kenaz, Rabba Teman, Rabba Mibzar, Rabba Magdiel, he was called Magdiel from the name of his city whose (migdol ) tower was strong, Rabba Hiram. These are the chieftains of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possessions. He is Esau the father of the Edomites.

Midrash Tanchuma Yelammedenu

B’resheet 35:9 – 36:43

10. And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Padan-aram (Gen. 35:9). May it please our master to teach us: What is the punishment meted out to one who does not permit the poor to glean from his field? Thus do our masters teach us: One who does not allow the poor to glean from his field, or permits one and not another, or assists one of them at the time of reaping or harvesting, is considered guilty of robbing the poor. Concerning this it is said: Remove not the landmark of old ('olam) (Prov. 22:28). This should be read as "landmark of the poor" (olim).

The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I have exalted you and have humbled the poor, - but I am also able to humble you and exalt the poor, for I am the Judge, as it is said: For God is judge; He putts down one and lifts up another (Ps. 75:8).

A lady asked of R. Yose the son of Halafta: "In how many days did the Holy One, blessed be He, create the world?" "In six days," he replied, "as it is written: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth (Exod. 20:1)." "What has He been doing since then?" she asked. "He has been erecting ladders," he answered, "upon which one ascends and another descends; one becomes wealthy and the other poor." You know this to be so from the fact that it is written with reference to Jacob's going to Aram-naharaim: With my staff I passed over this Jordan (Gen. 32:11). And he took one of the stones of that Place and put under his head (ibid. 28: 11). Surely, if he had owned a mattress or a cushion he would have placed them under his head, yet after he joined Laban's household he became wealthy, as is said: And the man increased exceedingly (ibid. 30:43). Why did he become wealthy? Because of the power of the blessings his father had bestowed upon him, as it is said: And give thee the blessing of Abraham (ibid. 28:4). What was Abraham's blessing? And the Lord blessed Abraham in all things (ibid. 24:1). After his return from Laban's house, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Now I must bless him Myself. Immediately, the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared before him and blessed him, as it is said: And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Padan-aram, and blessed him (ibid. 35:9).

And God appeared unto Jacob. Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth (Ps. 25:10). When Moses commanded the Israelites: After the Lord your God shall you walk (Deut. 13:5), he added the words: Walk ever in His ways (ibid. 19:9). "How can one possibly walk in His ways?" they inquired, since it is written: The Lord, in the whirlwind and the storm is His way, and the clouds are the dust of His feet (Neh. 1:3), and Your way was in the sea, and Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps not known (Ps. 77:20), and A fire devours before Him, and round about Him it storms mightily (Ps. 50:3). Moses replied to the Israelites: "Have I not informed you also that His ways are ways of mercy, truth, and loving-kindness," as it is written: All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth (ibid. 25:10).

Deeds of loving-kindness are mentioned at the beginning of the Torah, in its middle, and at its conclusion. At the beginning of the Torah, the naked are clothed, as it is said: The Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin, and He clothed them (Gen. 3:21); in the middle of the Torah, the ailing are visited, as it is said: And God appeared unto him in the grove of Mamre (ibid. 18:1); and at the conclusion of the Torah, the dead are buried, as is said: And he was buried in the valley in the land of Moab (Deut. 34:6). In this way you must walk in the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He.

The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: In this world you sin because of the evil inclination within you, and therefore you are subservient to other nations. Nevertheless, My Shekhinah will not depart from you, as it is said: In all their afflictions He was afflicted (Isa. 63:9). In their rejoicing, He rejoiced, as is said: Because I rejoice in Your salvation (I Sam. 2:1). And He also said: I will rejoice in Jerusalem and rejoice in My people (Isa. 65:49). And it says also: And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you (ibid. 62:5). Hence, all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth.

Ashlamatah:

Isaiah 43:1-7 + 19-21

1 ¶ But now thus says the LORD that created you, O Jacob, and He that formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name, you are Mine.

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle upon you.

3 For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for you.

4 Since you are precious in My sight, and honorable, and I have loved you; therefore will I give men for you, and peoples for your life.

5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather you from the west;

6 I will say to the north: ‘Give up,’ and to the south: ‘Keep not back, bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth;

7 Every one that is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, I have formed him, yea, I have made him.’

8 ¶ The blind people that have eyes shall be brought forth, and the deaf that have ears.

9 All the nations are gathered together, and the peoples are assembled; who among them can declare this, and announce to us former things? Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified; and let them hear, and say: ‘It is truth.’

10 You are My witnesses, says the LORD, and My servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He; before Me there was no God formed, neither shall any be after Me.

11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside Me there is no savior.

12 I have declared, and I have saved, and I have announced, and there was no strange god among you; therefore you are My witnesses, says the LORD, and I am God.

13 Yea, since the day was I am He, and there is none that can deliver out of My hand; I will work, and who can reverse it?

14 ¶ Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and I will bring down all of them as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their shouting.

15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.

16 Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;

17 Who brings forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power—they lie down together, they shall not rise, they are extinct, they are quenched as a wick:

18 Remember you not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now shall it spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

20 The beasts of the field shall honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches; because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, Mine elect;

21 The people which I formed for Myself, that they might tell of My praise.

Ketubim

Targum Psalm 29

1. A psalm of David. Give praise in the presence of the Lord, O bands of angels; give glory and might in the Lord’s presence.

2. Give the glory of his name in the presence of the Lord; bow down before the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

3. The voice of the Lord is heard above the waters; in his glorious might the Lord called out over many waters.

4. The voice of the Lord is heard in strength; the voice of the Lord is heard in splendor.

5. The voice of the Lord shatters cedars; the word of the Lord has shattered the cedars of Lebanon.

6. And he made them jump like a calf – Lebanon, and the Mount of Noisome Fruit, like the young of oxen.

7. The voice of the Lord splits flames of fire.

8. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the word of the Lord shakes the wilderness of Rekem.

9. The voice of the Lord impregnates the hinds, and makes the beasts of the forest give birth; and in his sanctuary above, all his servants say, “Glory,” in his presence.

10. In the generation of the Flood, the Lord sat on his throne of judgment to take vengeance on them; and the Lord sat on the throne of mercy and saved Noah; and he reigns over his children forever and ever.

11. The Lord gave the Torah to his people; the Lord will bless his people in peace.

Ketubim

Midrash Psalm 29

I. A Psalm of David. Lay it upon the Lord, O you bene 'elim (Ps. 29:1). This verse is to be considered in the light of what Scripture says elsewhere: Therefore will I save My flock, and they shall no more be a prey (Ezek. 34:22). "What more am I to do for them?" asked God. "Let My servant David feed them," as is said And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even My servant David (ibid. 34:23). David answered, "You are the deliverer; be You also the shepherd; Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance, feed them also ... and carry them for ever (Ps. 28:9)." The Holy One, blessed be He, asked: "Do I hold them back from salvation that you say unto Me Save Your people? I do not hold them back. They hold themselves back." Then David said: "Lay it upon the Lord, O you bene 'elim." Now what can David have meant by the words bene 'elim except "O you sons (bene), who act as if you are dumb ('illem) and deaf! You who have the right to talk back to the Holy One, blessed be He, not only do you not talk back to Him, but in order to hallow His name you endure the yoke of [hostile] nations!" So also Isaiah said: Who is blind, but My servant? or deaf as My messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is wholehearted, and blind as the Lord's servant? (Isa. 47:19). The same thought is implied in the verse Abraham called the name of that place Adonai-jireh (Gen. 22:14). For what can Abraham have meant by Adonai-jireh, except "O Lord ('Adonai), note (reh) that I have the right to talk back to You. In days gone by, You did say to me It is through Isaac that your name shall be carried on (Gen. 21:12); yet now You say unto me Take now your son, your only son, whom you leve" (Gen. 22:2). (Abraham had asked God: "Which of my sons?" And God had answered: "Your only son!" Abraham had said to God: "This one is an only son to his mother, and that one is an only son to his mother!" And God had answered: "Your son. ... whom you love." Then Abraham had said: "I love both of them." When You said Take now ... Isaac, should I not have talked back to You, recalling Your words My covenant will I establish with Isaac (Gen. 17:21), and should I not have said: What of the covenant? But since I had the right to talk back to You but did not talk back to You, therefore when my children fall into the hands of sin, on their behalf recall this hour. Hence it is said Lay it upon the Lord, O you sons who act as it ye are dumb (bene' elim).

Another reading of bene 'elim is "O you sons of the mighty," as in the verse The mighty ('ele) of the land he took away (Ezek. 17:13).

Another reading of bene' elim is "O you children of those who were ready to be sacrificed like rams (' elim )!" Abraham said: "I am ready to sacrifice," and Isaac replied: "And I am ready to be sacrificed."

2. Ascribe unto the Lord (YHWH) the glory due unto His name (Ps. 29:2) - that is, whenever I breathe His Ineffable Name (YHWH), ye are to Ascribe unto the Lord the glory due unto His name. As Moses said, When I proclaim the name of the Lord, ascribe greatness unto our God (Deut. 32:3) - that is, "Offer prayers to God." Moses upon being asked, "Whence do we know how many prayers we are to offer?" answered: "Mark how many times the Ineffable Name occurs in this Psalm." Told, "Eighteen times," Moses answered: "You must offer Eighteen Benedictions." Hence it is said The glory due unto His name, and hence also the preceding verse conjoins glory and strength. Asked "Whence do we know where to begin?" Moses answered, "Mark the beginning of the Psalm: Ascribe unto the Lord, O you sons of the mighty" - that is, "sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." So you must say in the first benediction: "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And as in the second occurrence of the Ineffable Name it is said Ascribe unto the Lord glory and strength, so you must ascribe unto Him glory and strength with "Blessed art You. ... who quickens the dead." And as in the third occurrence of the Ineffable Name it is said Ascribe unto the Lord the glory due unto His name, so you must bless Him with "Blessed are You. ... the holy God." Next, Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness (v. 2b) that is, worship the Lord who gives knowledge to the holy, for "The knowledge of the holy is understanding" (Prov. 9:10)calls for the benediction "Blessed art Yhou. ... gracious giver of knowledge." Next, The voice of the Lord is upon the waters (v. 3) - that is, upon repentance, which is likened to water in the verse "In repentance, they poured out their hearts before the Lord like water" (I Sam. 7:6) - calls for the benediction "Blessed art You ... who delights in repentance." Next, The Lord is upon the many waters (v. 3c) - that is, "You are a God ... that pardons iniquity. ... You wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:18a, 19) - calls for the benediction "Blessed art You ... who are gracious and does abundantly pardon." Next, The voice of the Lord is powerful (v. 4a) - that is, "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm" (Ex. 6:6), for God is described as "Marching in the greatness of His strength" (Isa. 63:1) in the age-to-come - calls for the benediction "Blessed are You ... the redeemer of Israel." Next, The voice of the Lord is a glorious voice (v. 4b ) - that is," in healing the sick, He restores to them the glory of health - calls for the benediction "Blessed are You ... who heals the sick of Your people Israe1." Next, The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars (v. sa) calls for the benediction "Blessed art You ... who blesses the years." The men who raise prices and give small measure, and the rich men who live in plenty and appear strong as cedars - such men the Lord breaks to bits when He blesses His world by bringing low prices to it, thereby breaking the staff of wickedness. Hence the verse calls for the benediction "Blessed are You ... who blesses the years." Next, The voice of the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon (v. 5b) that is, the Lord breaks in pieces the wicked nations of the earth that stand high as cedars, "whose height is like the height of the cedars" (Amos 2:9), and He will gather the banished from the midst of the nations - calls for the benediction "Blessed are You ... who gathers the banished of Your people Israe1." Next, The voice of the Lord hews out flames of fire (v. 7) - that is, the judgments hewn out of the Lord's word are like flames of fire, for God says "Is not My word like as fire" (Jer. 23:29), and also "By fire will the Lord execute judgment" (Isa. 66:16) - calls for the benediction "Blessed are You ... who loves righteousness and judgment." Next, The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness (v. 5a) - that is, as the wilderness is barren, so wicked men are barren, so barren in good deeds that the Holy One, blessed be He, shakes them to pieces - calls for the benediction "Blessed are You ... who breaks the enemies and humbles the proud." Next, The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh (v. 5b) - that is, the righteous are in an exile which resembles the wilderness of Kadesh where there was no water for the people, as Scripture relates "The people abode in Kadesh" (Num. 20:1) where "There was no water for the congregation" (Num.20:2), and where water returned only because of the merit of Moses and Aaron - calls for the benediction "Blessed are You ... the stay and trust of the righteous." Next, The voice of the Lord brings forth hinds (v. 9a): Deliverers like hinds shall be born to Israel, as is said "My beloved is like a roe or a young hart" (Song 2:9a); "He makes my feet like hinds' feet" (2 Sam. 22:34); and "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings" (Isa. 52:7). The voice of the Lord ... strips the forests bare (v. 9b): The Lord will strip the [hostile] nations of the earth who are like forests of their might, for it is said "The Lord of hosts ... will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron" (Isa. 10:34). And in His Temple does every one speak of His glory (v. 9c): Once the Messiah comes and punishes the wicked nations of the earth, the Temple will be rebuilt forthwith. Hence the benediction "Blessed are You ... God of David who builds Jerusalem."

In another comment, the verse is read The voice of the Lord shakes terebinths ('ayyalot.) (v. 9a): When the Holy One, blessed be He, gives voice, terebinths in the forest are shaken. ('Ayyalot., when vocalized 'e/ot, means trees such as the terebinth or the oak). What follows in the verse is read: The voice of the Lord ... makes [the white] of the trees appear (yebisof) (v. 9b ) - that is, "The Lord makes the leaves of the trees fall, then dries the trees, and makes them shed their bark." Here yeMlof comes from the same stem as mabalof in the verse "Jacob ... made the white appear (mabilof) which was in the rods" (Gen. 30:37).

Next, The Lord sits above the water-flood (v. 10a) - that is, when the Lord sat down [during the deluge] to judge the wicked, He hearkened to the prayers of those who came into Noah's ark, as is said "God remembered Noah, and every living thing ... and the waters assuaged" (Gen. 8:1). Hence the benediction "Blessed art You ... who hearkens unto prayer." Next, The Lord remains a king for ever (v. 10b) - that is, calmed by Noah's offering, the Lord had pity upon the earth, as is said "The Lord smelled the sweet savor; and ... said ... 'Not again will I curse the ground'" (Gen. 8:21) - calls for the benediction "Blessed are You ... for You alone we worship in reverence."

And next, The Lord gives strength unto His people (v. 11a) that is, gives the goodly strength of Torah, of which God said: "I give you good doctrine; forsake not My law" (Prov. 4:2) calls for the benediction "Blessed are You ... whose name is All-good, and unto whom it is becoming to give thanks." And finally, The Lord blesses His people with peace (v. 11b) calls for the benediction "Blessed are You ... who makes peace."

Another comment: To correspond to the eighteen occurrences of the Ineffable Name in the account of the building of the Tabernacle as given in the section entitled These are the accounts of the Tabernacle (Ex. 38:21) - As the Lord commanded, All that the Lord commanded, etc., eighteen occurrences in all - to correspond to these, Eighteen Benedictions which a man is to recite every day were instituted. But not all of them are in praise of the Holy One, blessed be He: Only the first three and the last three are; the other twelve are concerned with the needs of man. And so on the Sabbath we recite not eighteen, but seven Benedictions, corresponding to the seven occurrences of the Ineffable Name in the Sabbath Psalm; only on week-days does a man recite the Eighteen Benedictions.

Otherwise, were there a sick man in his house, the householder would be reminded of him at the reading of "Blessed art You ... who heals the sick" and would be distressed. But the Sabbath is given for delight, for hallowing, and for rest, and not for sorrow. Hence of the Sabbath it is written On the day seven times do I praise You (Ps. 119:164).

Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) 5:17-20

17. ¶ Do not think that I came to curtail or to add to the Law (of Moses) or the Prophets. I did not come to add or to curtail but to reconcile them with the Oral Law of truth.

18. For truly I say to you, that even if heaven and earth would exchange places, not one “Yod” or one tittle will by no means pass from the Oral Law of the Torah of Moses till all of it be fully ratified and adhered to.

19. Whoever therefore deletes even one Oral Law from the Torah, and teaches men so, shall be considered “deleted” in the kingdom of the Heavens; but whoever preserves and teaches them, he shall be called Rabbi in the kingdom of the Heavens.

20. For I say to you, that unless your Tsedaqah (righteousness/charity) exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of the Heavens.

Commentary

Again, we are astonished this week with the precision of the three and a half year Torah reading cycle, as we see Jewish mother’s day in which we honor all Jewish mothers and the memory of our Matriarch Rachel, falling precisely when we read in the Torah about the death of Rachel. We have already at various times pointed out the precision of this Lectionary and will continue doing as we travel Shabbat after Shabbat throughout the whole of the Torah.

In the reading of the Midrash of Matityahu we find three great characteristics or traits that a Jewish mother passes on to her children: (1) a love and passion for the preservation and passing on to the next generation of the written and oral Torah, (2) a love and passion to observe and teach others the written and oral Torah, and lastly (3) a love and passion to exceed others in works of charity and righteousness. These three loves and passions a Jew gets from his mother. Thus, we can understand better now why it is that to be considered a Jew one either is born from a Jewish woman or has G-d miraculously implant in the soul these three passions.

But let it be known that we are not only Jews because we are simply born from a Jewish mother, but we are Jews because our Jewish mothers have given us birth with a very special soul, one which is from birth is wired towards the manifestation of these three cardinal passions.

To all Jewish mothers, we wish you a very happy Jewish Mother’s day this coming Yom Ha Rishon, and may you be greatly blessed for passing unto us these there great loves and passions of the Jewish soul, amen ve amen!

“What shall we then do?” – Towards a Nazarean Halakhic Code

Part II – Methodology and Approach

In our introduction to this subject we went about to describe how the Nazarean Codicil as well as the teachings of the Master of Nazareth and his Talmidim (disciples) presents us with the pressing need to take their writings into consideration and distill from them, in the light of the teachings of our Sages a Code of Laws or of Nazarean Ethics, in which it is listed with precision all the required behaviors whether by way of abstention or execution, observed amongst all those who are “genuine” followers of the Master of Nazareth. What we need now is to describe well the approach to this task, explain its rationale and list the advantages of utilizing such a methodology.

Two great Sages of Israel have in the past used differing methodologies to compile their well known Codes of Jewish Law. In the first instance we have Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides) born on March 30, 1135 in Cordova, Spain and passed away in Fostat, Egypt, on December 13, 1204. He was a Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher who amongst other works wrote the famous “The Mishneh Torah” (also known as "Yad ha-Chazaka"), a comprehensive code of Jewish law. In this code, he not only distilled from the Talmud and other Jewish legal writings the positive and negative obligations or duties of a Jew, but he also showed how these were derived from the Scriptures. He divided his work under 14 separate books each dealing with a specific theme as follows[1]:

Madda' (Knowledge): Jewish principles of faith, the nature of God, the way to study Torah, and the prohibition against idolatry.
Ahavah (Love): the precepts which must be observed at all times if the love due to God is to be remembered continually (prayer, tefillin).
Zemanim (Times): laws which are limited to certain times, such as the Sabbath and the Jewish holidays.
Nashim (Women): laws of marriage, divorce, levirate marriage and conduct between the sexes
Kedushah (Holiness): forbidden sexual relations, forbidden foods, and the method of ritual slaughter
Hafla'ah (Separation): laws of vows and oaths
Zera'im (Seeds): agricultural laws
Avodah (Divine Service): the laws of the Temple in Jerusalem
Korbanot (Offerings): laws for offerings in the Temple, excepting those of the whole community
Tohorah (Cleanness): the rules of ritual purity
Nezikin (Injuries): criminal and tort law
Kinyan (Acquisition): laws of the marketplace
Mishpatim (Rights): civil law
Shofetim (Judges): the laws relating legislators, the Sanhedrin, the king, and the judges.

In the second instance we have Hakham Yosef (Joseph) Ben Ephraim Karo who is one of the most important leaders in the history of halakha (Jewish law). He was born in Spain or Portugal in 1488; and passed away at Safed (Tzefat), Israel, March 24, 1575. He is also known as HaMechaber, Hebrew for "the author [of the Shulkhan Arukh]", his most famous work; and as Maran Beth Yosef, "our master, [the author of] Beth Yosef". Beth Yosef is a commentary on Arba'ah Turim, the current work of Jewish law in his days; and the Shulkhan Arukh, is a condensation of his decisions in Beth Yosef.

The Shulkhan Arukh (and its forerunner Beth Yosef) follow the same structure as Arba'ah Turim. There are four books, subdivided on chapters and paragraphs, as follows[2]:

Orach Chayim - laws of personal behavior, prayer, synagogue, Sabbath, and holidays;
Yoreh De'ah - laws of shechita (killing of animals), kashrut (dietary laws); interest. And religious conversion;
Even HaEzer - laws of marriage, divorce and related issues;
Choshen Mishpat - laws of finance, financial responsibility, damages (personal and financial), and the rules of the Bet Din, as well as the laws of witnesses.

In this great compendium of Jewish Law the objective was to bring together all legal opinions since ancient times to his day in a well reasoned manner discussing the merits or faults in them and destill a final code from all previous rulings since the Mishnah and Talmud. In this great code there is no intention in tracing back the legal decisions and laws back to the Scriptures but rather the goal is distill and set down clearly and concisely what are the obligations and duties that each Jew must follow.

Since the followers of the Master of Nazareth do not have a tradition of writing down codes of law, or of setting tribunals the approach of the Beth Yosef or the Shulkhan Arukh seems to be largely inadequate for us to follow. A variant of this approach would be to find in the Nazarean Codicil justifications for each of the laws elucidated in the Shulkhan Arukh, however such a methodology could be seen as an attempt to justify the Shulkhan Arukh and perhaps the ending of the Nazarean Codicil to agree with the Shulkhan Arukh.

A better methodology would be to use the Maimonidean approach. That is, we should comb the whole Nazarean Codicil for positive and negative obligations, elaborate a list of such obligations and then perhaps list them under each of the Ten Words of the Decalogue. Of course, notations must be made where such obligations are also mentioned and elaborated upon in the Mishneh Torah and the Shulkhan Arukh.

Also, the process by which we derive any obligations must respect the genre of literature in which it is found as well as to the Hebrew laws of hermeneutics particular and applicable to said genre. Distinction also must be made, taking into consideration Maimonides’ list of the 613 precepts of the Torah, as to whether these obligations are repetions or restatements of any of these Torah precepts or are simply restatements of commadments based upon Rabbinic authority.

It is our hope then, that in utilizing this methodology, we may be able to show beyond shadow of doubt that the Master of Nazareth “did not come to curtail or to add to the Law (of Moses) or the Prophets. For he did not come to add or to curtail but to reconcile them with the Oral Law of truth” (Matityahu 5:17). By the grace of G-d, most blessed be He, may it so be!

Shalom Shabbat and Happy Jewish Mother’s Day!

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

[1] As described in wikipedia under the subject “Mishneh Torah”

[2] As described in wikipedia under the subject “Shulkhan Arukh”

Shabbat:	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
וירא אלהים אל יעקב
“Vayera Elohim El Ya’aqob”	Reader 1 – B’resheet 35:9-15	Reader 1 – B’resheet 37:1-4
“And appeared G-d to Jacob”	Reader 2 – B’resheet 35:16-26	Reader 2 – B’resheet 37:5-8
“Y Dio se apareció a Jacob”	Reader 3 – B’resheet 35:27-29	Reader 3 – B’resheet 37:9-11
B’resheet (Genesis) 35:9 – 36:43	Reader 4 – B’resheet 36:1-8
Isaiah 43:1-7 + 19-21	Reader 5 – B’resheet 36:9-19
	Reader 6 – B’resheet 36:20-30	Reader 1 – B’resheet 37:12-14
Psalm 29	Reader 7 – B’resheet 36:31-43	Reader 2 – B’resheet 37:15-18
	Maftir – B’resheet 36:40-43	Reader 3 – B’resheet 37:19-22
N.C.: Matityahu 5:17-20	Isaiah 43:1-7, 19-21