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Targum Pseudo Jonathan for:

B’resheet 37:1-36

And Jacob dwelt in peace in the land of the sojourning of his fathers, in the land of Kenaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph was a son of seventeen years. He had come forth from the school, and was a youth brought up with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpha his fathers wives. And Joseph brought their evil report; for he had seen them eat the flesh that had been torn by wild beasts, the ears and the tails; and he came and told it to his father. And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because the likeness of Joseph resembled his own, and he made him a figured robe. [JERUSALEM. A figured robe.] And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, and they cherished enmity against him, and were unwilling to speak peacefully with him.

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and declared it to his brethren, and they added yet to keep enmity against him. And he said to them, Hear now this dream which I have dreamed. Behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, and lo, my sheaf arose, and stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves surrounded and bowed to my sheaf. [JERUSALEM. Were binding sheaves.] And his brothers said to him, Art you thinking to reign over us, or do you expect to have rule over us? And they added yet to keep enmity against him, for his dream and for his words.

And he dreamed again another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream, and lo, the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars, bowed to me. And he related it to his father and to his brethren: but his father rebuked him, and said to him, What dream is this that you have dreamed? Shall I, and your mother, and your brethren, really come and bow before you to the ground? And his brothers envied him; yet his father kept the saying in his heart.

And his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shekhem. And it was at the time of days that Israel said to Joseph, Do not your brethren feed in Shekhem? But I am afraid lest the Hivaee come and smite them, because they smote Hamor and Shekhem and the inhabitants of the city. Come now; and I will send you to them And he said, Behold me. And he said, Go, see the welfare of your brethren, and the welfare of the flock, and return me word to the deep counsel. But he sent him according to the deep counsel which was spoken to Abraham in Hebron; for on that day began the captivity of Mizraim.

And Joseph arose, and came to Shekhem. And Gabriel in the likeness of a man found him wandering field. And the man asked him, saying, What do you seek? And he said, I seek my brothers; show me, pray, where they feed. And the man said, They have journeyed hence: for I heard beyond the Veil, that behold from today would begin the servitude to the Mizraee; and it was said to them in prophecy, Hivaee would seek to set battle in array against them. Therefore said they, we will go unto Dothan.

And Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan. And they saw him from afar, before he had come nigh to them, and plotted against him to kill him. And Shimeon and Levi, who were brothers in counsel, said each man to his brother, Behold, this master of dreams comes. And now come let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits and say that an evil beast has devoured him; arid we shall see what will be the interpretation of his dreams.

And Reuben heard, and delivered him from their hands, and said, We will not kill him nor become guilty of his blood. And Reuben said, Let us not shed innocent blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but the hand of the slayer stretch not forth against him; because he would deliver him from their hand, and restore him to his father.

And when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his garment, the figured garment that was on him, and took and threw him into the pit; but the pit was empty, no water was therein, but serpents and scorpions were in it. And they sat around to eat bread. And they lifted up their eyes, and looked, and behold a band of Arabians [JERUSALEM. A band of Saracens] were coming from Gilead with their camels, carrying wax, resin, balsam and stacte, proceeding to go into Mizraim. And Jehuda said to his brethren, What profit of mammon should we have if we killed our brother, and covered his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Arabians, and our hands shall not be upon him to kill him; for our brother is our own flesh. And his brethren agreed. And the Midianite men, masters of business, passed by; and they drew and brought up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Arabians for twenty mahin of silver; and they bought sandals of them. And they brought Joseph to Mizraim.

And Reuben returned to the pit; for he had not been with them to assist when they sold him, because he had sat fasting on account that he had confounded the couch of his father; and he had gone and sat among the hills, that he might return to the pit and bring him up for his father, if haply he might avert his anger. But when he had returned, and looked, and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit, he rent his clothes, and returned to his brethren, and said, The youth is not; and I, whither shall I go, and how shall I see the look of my father's face? But they took the garment of Joseph, and killed a kid of the goats, because his blood is like the blood of a man, and they dabbled the garment in the blood. And they sent it by the hand of the sons of Zilpha and of the sons of Bilhah the figured garment; and they brought it to their father, and said, This have we found; know now, whether it be your son's garment, or not. And he recognized it and said, It is my son's garment: a beast of the wilderness has not devoured him, neither has he been slain by the hand of man; but I see by the Holy Spirit, that an evil woman stands against him. [JERUSALEM. And he discerned it and said, It is my son's garment: yet a wild beast has not devoured him, neither is my son Joseph slain; but I see by the Spirit of the sanctuary, that an evil woman stands against him. And Jacob rent his clothes, and wrapped sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all the men of his house arose and went to console him; but he refused to receive consolation, and said, For I will go down to my son mourning to the house of the grave. And Izhak his father also wept for him. But the Midianites sold him in Mizraim to Potiphar a captain of Pharoh, a captain of the guards. [JERUSALEM. To Potiphar an officer of Pharoh, a captain of the guards.

Midrash Tanchuma Yelammedenu

B’resheet 37:1-36

1. And Jacob sat in the land (Gen. 37:1). Whenever Scripture uses the expression and he sat (also translated "and he dwelt"), it connotes misfortune: And Israel sat in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, ... and the time drew near that Israel must die (Gen. 47:29); And the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to make merry (Exod. 32:37); And there fell of the people on that day three thousand men (Exod. 38:28); And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites (Gen. 37:25); And Judah and Israel sat safely (I Kings 5:5); And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon (ibid. 11:14); And Israel sat among the cedars, etc., and the people began to commit harlotry (Num. 25:1). You may explain every other use of "and he sat" with this negative implication. In this instance “And Jacob sat is followed by and Joseph brought evil report of them unto his father (Gen. 37:2).

What is written prior to this episode? These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau: ... the chief of Lotan, the chief of Magdiel ... These are the chiefs of Edom (ibid. 36:15-43). When Jacob saw the chiefs of the sons of Esau, he was terrified. "Who will be able to withstand these chiefs?" he exclaimed. To what may this be compared? It may be compared to many camels laden with flax (in a certain place), and a blacksmith standing nearby asked in amazement: "Where will it be possible to store all this flax?" An observer responded: "Why do you wonder about that? After all, a single spark from your forge can consume it all." Similarly, when our patriarch Jacob became terrified at the sight of Esau and the chiefs, and cried out: "Who will be able to assist me against them?" The Holy One, blessed be He, answered: A spark from you will consume them. And Joseph was that spark, as it is said: And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them (Obadiah 19). Therefore it is written: And Jacob sat ... these are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, etc.

Another explanation. Why did Scripture concern itself with the genealogy of the chiefs? Did the Holy One, blessed be He, have nothing else to write about other than the chief of Timna, the chief of Lotan, etc.? He did so to teach us that from the very beginning of the creation of the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, concerned himself with the genealogies of the idolatrous nations so that it would not be left to them to describe for mankind their sterility and their degeneracy. How did He do that? When He came to the genealogy of the sons of Ham, He said: The sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim ... and Cush begot Nimrod (Gen. 10:6-8); thus He indicated that they had become defiant, as it is said: He began to be a mighty one in the earth (ibid., v. 8). Similarly, when He said: And Mizraim begot Ludim ... whence went forth (ibid., vv. 13-14), He did not say "he bore him" but he went forth, thereby informing us that he was the product of an incestuous relationship.

He concerned Himself also with the genealogy of Esau's sons in the chapter These are the generations of Esau to disclose their degeneracy. You find that they too were the offspring of incestuous relations. Scripture states in one place: And the children of Elephaz were: Teman, and Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz. And Timna (ibid. 36:11), and elsewhere it states: And Timna was concubine to Elephaz (ibid., v. 12). This clearly informs us that Elephaz had sexual relations with his own daughter. How did that occur? He had sexual relations with Seir's wife first and made her pregnant and begot Timna. Later he married Timna, as though she were Seir's daughter, when in fact she was his own. That is why it says: And the children of Seir: Lotan ... and Timna was Lotan's sister (I Chron. 1:38-39). She was Lotan's sister by her mother, but not by his father; Elephaz was her father, and Timna became the concubine of Elephaz the son of Esau.

You find likewise (that the expression sat also alludes to) the degeneracy of the descendants of Seir, since it is written: These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who sat on the land: Lotan and Shobal and Zibeon and Anah (Gen. 36:20). However, Anah is elsewhere called the son of Zibeon: And these are the children of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah (ibid., v. 24). We learn from this that Zibeon had sexual relations with his own mother, and conceived and begot Anah by her. Consequently, (Anah) was both (Zibeon's) brother and his son. Later he had intercourse with his daughter-in-law, the wife of Anah, and Oholibamah was their child, as it is said: And these were the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife (ibid., v. 14), and Esau took her as a wife. Inasmuch as they were all products of incestuous relations, Scripture mentions them only to disclose their degeneracy.

The Holy One, blessed be He, however, befriended Israel and called them His possessions, inheritance, (and) portion, as it is said: For the portion of the Lord is His people Jacob, the lot of His inheritance (Deut. 32:9); and ye shall be Mine own treasure among all the peoples (Exod. 19:5); and I have planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed (Jer. 2:21). Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, concern Himself from the very beginning of time with the genealogies of the nations? This may be likened to a king who dropped a pearl into sand and pebbles. The king was compelled to search the sand and the pebbles to recover the pearl. As soon as he recovered the pearl, however, he discarded the sand and the pebbles, for he was only interested in retrieving the pearl.

Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, devoted Himself superficially to the earlier generations, and then ignored them. He mentioned Adam, Seth, Enoch, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, etc. (I Chron. 1:1-2), and also the second ten generations, Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, etc. (ibid. 1:24), so that a child could take the Bible and read about the ten generations from Adam to Noah at a single sitting, and also about the ten generations from Noah to Abraham at one time. But when he reached the section dealing with the pearls, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he would have to apply himself diligently in reading about them. That is why the section on Elephaz the son of Esau is included in this chapter.

Another comment on These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph, etc. (Gen. 37:2). Was not Reuben actually the firstborn? He was, but since he defiled his father's couch (I Chron. 5:1), his birthright was given to the descendants of Joseph, the descendants of Israel. However, they are not actually accounted as the firstborn in the genealogy of the people.

Another explanation: These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph. You find that Joseph resembled his father in every way, and that everything that happened to Jacob also happened to Joseph. Jacob's brother was envious of him, and Joseph's brothers were envious of him; Jacob was exiled to Haran, and Joseph was exiled to Egypt; Jacob said: Whether stolen by day or stolen by night (Gen. 31:39), and Joseph said: For indeed, I was stolen away (ibid. 40:15).

2. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age (Gen. 37:3). The "son of his features" (ikunim, playing on zikunim, "old age"), for he resembled his father very closely. R. Ishmael said: He was called the son of his old age because Joseph sustained his father and his brethren (ibid. 47:12). That is, he fulfilled a son's obligation to his aged father. Because Joseph foresaw in his dream that he was destined to rule, and related this fact to his father, his brothers were incensed at him.

And Joseph brought an evil report of them to his father (ibid. 37:2). He told his father: "My brothers eat the limbs of living animals." The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: Be assured, you will be suspected of committing the very act you accused them of committing: And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians that did eat with him (ibid. 43:32). Because he spoke slander against them, his brothers became embittered, and set in motion the chain of events that resulted in the descent of our ancestors to their bondage in Egypt for four hundred years.

And Jacob said to him: "Go now, see whether it is well with thy brethren ... and he came to Shechem (ibid. 37:14). This place had previously been designated for punishment. Dinah was dishonored in Shechem, Joseph was sold in Shechem, and David's kingdom was divided at Shechem: Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (I Kings 12:25). And a certain man found him (Gen. 37:15). The man referred to is none other than (the angel) Gabriel, as it is said: The man Gabriel (Dan. 9:21). And they saw him from afar ... and they took him, and cast him into the pit (Gen. 37: 18, 24). The pit was empty of water, but it contained snakes and scorpions. What did Reuben do? He remained upon one of the hills nearby in order to rescue Joseph during the night. However, the nine other brothers stayed together in another place, all in agreement that he should die.

When a group of Ishmaelites passed by, they said to each other: Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites (ibid., v. 27). They took him to the edge of the desert, where they sold him for twenty pieces of silver. Each one obtained, thereby, two pieces of silver with which to purchase a pair of shoes. If you are surprised that a youth as handsome as he was sold for merely twenty pieces of silver, remember that when he was hurled into the pit, he was so fearful of the snakes and scorpions within it that his features were altered. The blood rushed from him, and his countenance turned pale. Therefore, they were forced to sell him for twenty pieces of silver, the value of a pair of shoes for each of them.

Then they decided: "Let us make a vow of excommunication among ourselves, lest one of us be tempted to tell our father, Jacob." Whereupon Judah said: "Reuben is not here, and a vow of excommunication cannot be executed unless ten witnesses are present." What did they do? They included the Holy One, blessed be He, in their pact of excommunication (by which they agreed) not to tell their father what had transpired.

When Reuben descended to the pit during the night to rescue his brother, and found that Joseph was no longer there, he tore his clothing and wept. He returned to his brothers and told them: The child is not; and as for me, whither shall I go? (ibid., v. 30). They related to him what had transpired and told him about the pact they had entered into. And he remained silent. Though it is written about the Holy One, blessed be He: He declareth His word to Jacob (Ps. 147:19), He did not disclose this matter to him because of the pact of excommunication. That is why Jacob said: Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces (Gen. 37:33). R. Mana maintained: The tribes were punished because they sold Joseph, and their sin was not forgiven until they died. Hence Scripture says of them: Surely, this iniquity shall not be expiated by you until you die (Isa. 22: 17).

It was because of this episode that a famine befell Canaan, compelling Joseph's ten brothers to descend to Egypt to buy grain, where they discovered that Joseph was still alive. (Only then) did they abrogate the pact of excommunication and Jacob learned that Joseph was alive. It is written about him: The spirit of Jacob their father revived (Gen. 45:27). Had his spirit actually died? No! His spirit was revived from the despair that resulted from the vow of excommunication they had entered into, and the Holy Spirit had departed from him because of it, but now it hovered over him once again.

R. Akiba declared: A pact of excommunication and an oath are actually one and the same. You learn this from Joshua, who placed Jericho under a ban. Achan was burned to death when he violated the ban by taking things from Jericho and hiding them in his tents. These (things) were the cloaks and the golden tongues from inside the mouths of the idols at Jericho, upon which an unclean (i.e., idolatrous) name had been engraved. Because he violated the pact of excommunication, thirty-six Israelites perished, and Joshua rent his clothes and prostrated himself upon the ground before the ark. And the Lord said unto Joshua: "Get thee up; wherefore, now, art thou fallen upon thy face? Israel hath sinned; yea, they have even transgressed My covenant which I commanded them; yea, they have even taken of the devoted thing; and have also stolen, etc. (Josh. 7:10). Why is the word gam (variously translated "yea" and "also" in the preceding passage) repeated five times in this verse? To teach us that whosoever violates a vow of excommunication is considered to be transgressing against the Five Books of Moses. For all other sins, the guilty one is punished, but for the violation of an oath of excommunication the transgressor and all mankind are punished, as it is said: Therefore does the land mourn, and everyone that dwells therein does languish (Hos. 4:3), and elsewhere it states: Therefore, has a curse devoured the land, and they that dwell therein are found guilty (Isa. 24:6). Similarly, you find that it is said about Achan: Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass against the banned things, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And that man perished not alone in his iniquity? (Josh. 22:20).

When the Holy One, blessed be He, told Joshua that Israel had sinned, he asked: "Who is the culprit? Am I an informer? He replied. Draw lots to discover the guilty one. Whereupon he drew lots and the lot fell up Achan. Achan cried out: "You decided that I was guilty simply by drawing lots, but if you had drawn lots between yourself and Elazar the priest, then one of you would have been proven guilty.” Then Joshua glanced at the twelve stones on the ephod that was suspended over the heart of the high priest, and observed that the stone of the tribe of Judah had grown dim. The stones always rendered their verdict in this way. When a tribe performed a meritorious deed, its stone would sparkle and glow brightly, but if a tribe transgressed, its stone grew dim. When Joshua saw this, he said to Achan: My son, give, I pray, glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and make confession unto Him (Josh. 7:19). Immediately Achan answered and said: "Of a truth I have sinned." And Joshua said: "Why have you troubled us? The Lord shall trouble you this day" (Josh. 7:25); that is to say, on this day you will be troubled, but you will have a share in the world-to-come.

A proof of the power of excommunication is indicated by what occurred to the tribes that became incensed over what had happened to a single concubine at Gibeah but were not aroused by the idols made by Micah. Many thousands of the tribe of Benjamin were slain on three different occasions but after they repented and prostrated themselves before the Ark, the Holy One, blessed be He, became reconciled with them. Thereupon they made a pact of excommunication, that every Israelite from the youngest to the oldest should come to the Lord (by doing good deeds), as it is said: For they made a great oath concerning him that came not unto the Lord to do good deeds, saying: He shall surely be put to death (Judg. 21:5). Though an oath was taken there, it was called a pact of excommunication to teach us that an oath and a ban of excommunication are identical. Because the men of Jabesh Gilead did not come unto the Lord, they were sentenced to death.

Furthermore, you may learn this as well from Saul the son of Kish, who said: Cursed be the man that eats any food until it be evening, and I be avenged on my enemies (I Sam. 14:24). No one was to taste any food, but Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath; and he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it into the honeycomb (ibid., v. 27). When Saul realized that the Philistines were overpowering the Israelites, he understood that someone had violated the oath. He examined the ephod and discovered that the stone of the tribe of Benjamin had grown dim. He cast lots between himself and his son Jonathan, and the lot indicated that Jonathan was responsible. He grasped his sword to slay him, as it is said: (Saul said:) "God do so and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan." And the people said unto Saul: "Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel?" (ibid., vv. 44-45).

The Cuthites are not counted among the seventy nations of the world, for they are considered to be a remnant of one of the five nations that the king of Asshur had settled upon the land, as it is said: And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and Placed them in the cities of Samaria (II Kings 17:24). R. Yose stated: He added four additional peoples to them, thus making nine nations in all: The Dinites, and the Apharsattechites, the Tarpelites, the Apharesites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites ... who were brought over (Ezra 4:9).

After the Israelites were expelled from Samaria, Sennacherib stationed his officers there to collect taxes for his government from those he had settled there. The Holy One, blessed be He, sent lions among them, as it is said: Therefore the Lord hath sent lions among them, which killed some of them (II Kings 17:25). The tax collectors sent a message to him, saying: The nations which you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, and behold, they slay them (ibid., vv. 26-27). Whereupon he summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them: "During the years in which you dwelt in your land, wild beasts never devoured you; why is this happening now?" They whispered to each other: "Let us all give the same answer and perhaps he will permit us to return." They told him: "That land welcomes no one who does not occupy himself with the Torah and is uncircumcised." "Then select two men from among you," he replied, "to go there and instruct them." Since a king's command may not be rescinded, they sent R. Dostai the son of Yannai and R. Sabaya there. They taught them the written Torah in abbreviated form.

Even though the inhabitants of Samaria feared God, they also worshipped their own gods. They did so until Ezra returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his officers to build the Temple, as it is said: Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Sheatiel, and Jeshua the son of jozadak, and began to build (Ezra 5:2). Soon thereafter, one hundred and eighty thousand Samaritans attacked them. Were they actually Samaritans? Indeed not. They were, in fact, Cuthites, who were called Samaritans only because they lived in Samaria. Furthermore, they conspired to kill Nehemiah, as it is said: Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of One (Neh. 6:2). They halted the work of rebuilding the Temple of the Holy One, blessed be He, for two years, as is said: Then ceased the work of the House of God that was in Jerusalem; and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia (Ezra 4:24).

What did Ezra, Zerubbabel, and Jeshua do? First, they summoned the entire community to the House of the Lord. They brought there three hundred priests, three hundred books of the law, three hundred shofars, and three hundred children. The children blew the shofars, and the Levites chanted and sang. After that, they proclaimed the ban, the curse, and the excommunication against the Samaritans with the secret of the ineffable Name and the writing used on the tablets (of the Decalogue), and the excommunication of the heavenly and earthly courts, so that no Israelite would henceforth eat the bread of a Cuthite. As a result of this episode, our sages said that anyone who ate the bread of a Cuthite would be considered as eating the meat of a pig, and that no Cuthite could be admitted into the ranks of Israel, nor could they participate in the resurrection of the dead, as it is said: It is not for you, but for us, to build the house of God (Ezra 4:3), And ye have no portion, no right, no memorial in Jerusalem (Neh. 2:20). They wrote out the ban, sealed it, and sent it to the Israelites who were in Babylon, and these added other decrees against them. King Cyrus also established an everlasting ban against them, as is said: May the God who has caused His name to dwell there overthrow all kings and peoples that shall put forth their hand to alter the same (Ezra 6:12).

Ashlamatah:

Isaiah 32:18 – 33:6 + 15

18 And my people shall abide in a peaceable habitation, and in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.

19 And it shall hail, in the downfall of the forest; but the city shall descend into the valley.

20 Happy are you that sow beside all waters, that send forth freely the feet of the ox and the ass.

1 ¶ 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 shall be spoiled; and when you are weary with dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with you.

2 O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for You; be You their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

3 At the noise of the tumult the peoples are fled; at the lifting up of Yourself the nations are scattered.

4 And Your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap do they leap upon it.

5 The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

6 And the stability of your times shall be a hoard of salvation—wisdom and knowledge, and the fear of the LORD which is His treasure.

7 Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.

8 The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases; he has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, he regards not man.

9 The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is ashamed, it withers; Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel are clean bare.

10 Now will I arise, says the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift Myself up.

11 You conceive chaff, you shall bring forth stubble; your breath is a fire that shall devour you.

12 And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime; as thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.

13 ¶ Hear, you that are far off, what I have done; and, you that are near, acknowledge My might.

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the ungodly: ‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?’

15 He that walks righteously, and speaks uprightly; he that despises the gain of oppressions, that shakes his hands from holding of bribes, that stops his ears from hearing of blood, and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;

16 He shall dwell on high; his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks; his bread shall be given, his waters shall be sure.

Ketubim

Targum Psalm 30

1. A praise song for the dedication of the sanctuary, Of David.

2. I will praise You, O Lord, for You made me stand erect, and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.

3. O Lord my God, I prayed in Your presence and You healed me.

4. O Lord, You raised my soul out of Sheol; You preserved me from going down to the pit.

5. Sing praise in the Lord’s presence, you his devotees; and give thanks at the invocation of his Holy One.

6. For his anger is but a moment; eternal life is his good pleasure. In the evening one goes to bed in tears, but in the morning one rises in praise.

7. And I said when I dwelt in trust, I will never be shaken.

8. O Lord, by Your will You prepared the mighty mountains; You removed Your presence, I became afraid.

9. In Your presence, O Lord, I will cry out; and to You, O my God, I will pray.

10. (And I said,) What profit is there in my blood, when I descend to the grave? Can those who descend to the dust praise You? Will they tell of Your faithfulness?

11. Accept, O Lord, my prayer, and have mercy on me; O Lord, be my helper.

12. You turned my lament into my celebration; You loosened my sackcloth and girded me with joy.

13. Because the nobles of the world will give You praise and not be silent, O Lord my God, I [too] will give You praise.

Ketubim

Midrash Psalm 30

1. A Psalm and song at the dedication of the house of David (Ps. 30:1). R. Hisda said: There is no difference of opinion that the sanctuary below is the counterpart of the sanctuary above, for in the verse You, Lord, have made it a place (mkon) for Your dwelling (Ex. 15:17), you are to read not mkon "a place for," but mekuwwan "a counterpart of."

Because the two are counterparts, said R. Aha, debir in the verse When I lift up my hands toward Your holy oracle (debir) (Ps. 28:2), means literally "the place out of which revelations (dibberot) go forth to the world," as is said Out of Zion shall go forth the law (Micah 4:2).

R. Hinena said: Literally, debir means the place out of which God's edicts (dibbur) go forth to the world, and mortals say in awe, Awesome is God out of thy holy places (Ps. 68:36).

2. Another comment on A Psalm and song at the dedication of the house of David. These words are to be considered in the light of the verse Whatever act of coming to Me a man begins, I complete (Job 41:13). If ever a man considered doing a commandment for My sake, did I not stand behind him? Who would perform a circumcision had I not first given him a son? Who would display fringes had I not first given him a mantle? Who would build a parapet about his roof had I not first given him a house? If ever a man thought in his heart to do a commandment and was constrained from doing it, did I not reckon him as having done it? Thus David had only to think of building the sanctuary, and it was called by his name, as it is said A Psalm and song at the dedication of the house of David.

3. Another comment on A Psalm and song at the dedication of the house of David ... O Lord, You have brought up my soul from the nether-world ... Sing unto the Lord, O you His holy ones (Ps. 30:1, 4-5a). The last verse in this passage is to be considered in the light of what Scripture says elsewhere: Let the holy ones be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud upon their beds (Ps. 149:5). R. Hiyya the Elder taught: When the righteous leave this world, three companies of angels join them, one saying He shall enter into peace, another They shall rest in their beds, and still another Each one shall walk in his uprightness (Isa. 57:2); and then these angels go ahead of the righteous, [leading them to the Garden of Eden].

R. Judah, in the name of R. Simon, citing R. Josiah, said: If one dare speak thus of the Holy One, blessed be He, He Himself says to the righteous: "May your coming be in peace." And the proof? From what is said of the wicked, There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked (Isa. 57:21). If God says to the wicked There is no peace, then how much more likely is He to say to the righteous "Come in peace!" Indeed the Holy One, blessed be He, says of the righteous: "Let him come in peace." Accordingly, in Let the holy ones be joyful in glory (Ps. 149:5), what sort of glory is meant? The glory that the Holy One Himself, blessed be He, receives the righteous, so that at the very moment of leaving this world they break forth in joyous praise of the Holy One, blessed be He.

R. Hiyya bar Jose taught: There is no difference between the righteous who are alive and the righteous who are dead except that the living have the power of speech. The dead, nevertheless, are able to sing praise to the Holy One, blessed be He, for He binds their souls in the bundle of life, as Abigail said: The soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life by the Lord your God (I Sam. 25:29). And so Let them sing aloud upon their beds clearly denotes a song of praise, as in The voice of singing at salvation is in the tents of the righteous (Ps. 118:15).

R. Johanan said: Whenever an elder expounding from a teacher's chair says that "Thus such-and-such a master taught," the lips of the master move and give utterance in the grave, for it is said The speech of your mouth is like the best wine ... moving the lips of those that are asleep (Song 7:10). What is meant by the words moving the lips of those that are asleep? They mean that of themselves the lips of those in the grave give utterance, just as of itself a mass of grapes gives forth its juice. Hence it is said Let them sing aloud upon their beds.

David said this: Let me dwell in Your tent for ever (Ps. 61:5). Could the thought have come into David's mind that he would live for ever? If not, what is meant by for ever? According to R. Judah, it means that David prayed: "For ever may my Psalms be sung in houses of prayer and in houses of study." The Holy One, blessed be He, replied: Though you will die, your name shall never move from within My house, for Psalms beginning Psalm of David shall be sung in your name at every sacrifice. Nay more: Because you did consider building a sanctuary, which Solomon your son shall build, I shall write its dedication in your name, as is said A Psalm and song at the dedication of the house of David not "of Solomon," says Scripture, but of David.

4. Another comment on A Psalm and song at the dedication of the house of David. These words are to be considered in the light of the verse Also unto You, O Lord, belongs mercy, for You render to every man according to his work (Ps.62:13). R. Judah and R. Nehemiah took this verse to mean that the measure of God's punishment is barren and bears no evil fruit, but that the measure of God's goodness bears fruit, as is said Sow to yourselves according to righteousness, then reap according to mercy (Hos. 10:12). What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He makes a man pay but once for his iniquities, but He returns again and again to reward him for his good deeds.

The Rabbis taught: When He makes a man pay for his iniquities, God does not make him pay in full, as is said You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities warrant, and has left us a remnant such as this (Ezra 9:13).

R. Eleazar and R. Jose bar R. Hanina differed. R. Eleazar said: When the pans of a scale balance exactly with the evil deeds on one side and the good deeds on the other, what does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He tips the scale toward mercy, as is said Toward You, O Lord, mercy (Ps. 62:13). R. Jose bar R. Hanina said: What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He snatches a writ of debt out of the evil deeds, and instantly the scale inclines toward the good deeds, for it is said Who is a God like unto You, who in lifting the iniquity passes over transgression? (Micah 7:18).

R. Nehemiah taught: When a man considers committing a sin, the Holy One, blessed be He, imputes no sin to him until he commits it; but when a man considers doing a good deed and finds himself unable to do it, the Holy One, blessed be He, writes it down even without the doing, as though he had done it, for it is said The Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name (Mal. 3:15). But a heathen-even if he merely considers doing wickedness, though he has not done it, the Holy One, blessed be He, imputes the wickedness to him as if he had done it. Thus of Laban; it is said An Aramean wrought destruction upon my father (Deut. 26:5): but did Laban wreak destruction upon Jacob? No, but because Laban considered wreaking destruction upon Jacob, the Holy One, blessed be He, imputed it to him as if he had wrought the destruction. When a heathen considers doing a good deed, however, God does not write it down until he has done it. Thus of Darius, it is said The king ... labored till the going down of the sun to rescue him (Dan. 6:15) - that is, although the king considered saving Daniel, nevertheless, it was not imputed a good deed to the king by the Holy One, blessed be He, until the king had accomplished it. But a Jew, when he considers committing a sin, the Holy One, blessed be He, imputes no sin to him until he commits it, for it is said Woe unto them that consider iniquity, and also work evil upon their beds (Micah 2:1).

R. Huna taught: In saying When I had regarded iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not hear (Ps. 66:18), David meant that whenever he considered doing a good deed, even though he had not been able to do it, the Holy One, blessed be He, imputed it to him, as if he had done it. You can see for yourself that this is true. David but considered starting the building of the sanctuary, and though he was unable to build it, its dedication was written in his name, for it is said A Psalm and song at the dedication of the house of David.

Hence whenever a man suffers for a cause, it is called by his name. We find that this was true of Moses. He suffered grief for the Law, as it is said And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread nor drink water (Ex. 34:28), and the Law came to be called by his name, as is said Remember the Law of Moses My servant (Mal. 3:22). It was true of David. He suffered grief for the sanctuary, having sat for its sake in the dust of the earth, as is said Surely I will not come into the tent of my house ... I will not give sleep to mine eyes ... until I find out a place for the Lord (Ps. 132:3-5); and the sanctuary was called by his name, as is said A Psalm and song at the dedication of the house of David.

5. Another comment. Consider what Scripture says elsewhere: Then when they that feared the Lord submitted (nidberu) the one to the other, the Lord hearkened (Mal. 3:16). R. Hiyya taught in the name of R. Abba: When Sages in seats of authority submit to one another's words - here nidberu comes from the same stem as yadber in the verse "He subdues (yadber) peoples under us" (Ps.. 47:4) - the Holy One, blessed be He, gives heed to their words, as it is said Then when they that feared, the Lord submitted the one to the other, the Lord hearkened and heard.

R. Jacob bar Zabda added in the name of R. Abbahu: Not only this, but the Holy One, blessed be He, corrects their errors for them.

R. Abba observed: Therefore the Sages say, "Thus says the Master." With these words they also call upon the Holy One, blessed be He, who is the Master of the universe, who throws light on their errors for them, and corrects their errors. Hence it is said When they that feared the Lord submitted the one to the other, the Lord hearkened and heard.

6. Another comment: The Psalm beginning A Psalm; a Song at the dedication of the house [applies to Israel]. Thus Psalm alludes to the dedication of the sanctuary in the time of Solomon. Song alludes to the building of the second sanctuary in the time of Ezra. I will extol You, O Lord, for You have brought me up (dillitani) (Ps. 30:2) out of exile in Babylon - the word dillitani being read as in the verse "An Egyptian brought up (dalah) ... water for us" (Ex. 2:19). [You] have not made my foes to rejoice over me (Ps. 30:2b) in Media and Persia. O Lord my God, I cried unto You in my exile in Greece; and You did heal me (ibid. v. 3) through the Hasmonean and his sons O Lord ... You have restored me to life from among them that go down to the pit (v. 4) - restored me despite the many decrees imposed upon me to bring me down into the pit of Gehenna. Sing praise unto the Lord, O ye saints of His (v. 5a) - that is, ye sons of Mattathias [the Hasmonean]. For His anger is but for an instant (v. 6a): The knowledge of the Holy One, blessed be He, is nothing else than instantaneous. And in His favor is life (ibid.) - life for ever and ever and ever. Weeping may tarry for the night alludes to Mordecai at the time Zeresh said to Haman, "Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak thou unto the king that Mordecai be hanged thereon" (Esther 5:14), and all Israel spent the night in weeping and wailing. But joy comes in the morning (Ps. v. 6b) alludes to the verse "So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai" (Esther 7:10), and also to the verse "The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor" (ibid. 8:16).

As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved (Ps. 30:7). The congregation of Israel said: When I lived in my prosperity in the Land of Israel, I was wont to say, "I shall never be moved." Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong (v. 8). But as soon as I sinned, You did at once remove Your presence. You didst hide Your face, and I was troubled (ibid.).

I cried unto You, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication (v. 9) out of exile, when I said: What profit is there in my blood? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me (v. l0-11). And You have sent Your good word: You have turned for me my mourning into dancing (v. 12), as when at first "There was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping and wailing, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes" (Esther 4:3), but finally there came "A day of gladness and feasting, and a good day" (Esther 9:19). .

All this happened To the end that glory may sing praise to You (v. 12a), for You did give a part of Your glory to Israel.

Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) 5:21-26

21. You have heard that the Law says “You will not murder” (Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17), and “He that fatally strikes a man shall be liable to the [Halakhic] death sentence (Ex. 12:12; Lev. 24:17)

22. And I tell you that everyone who provokes his brother is liable to the adjudication of the Oral Law. And whosoever calls his brother “useless” is liable to the Beth Din. And whoever calls his brother “insane fool” will be liable to the fire of Gehinom.

23. Therefore, if you are about to offer your qorban (sacrifice) at the Mitsbeach (altar) in the Bet HaMiqdash (Temple), and there you remember that your associate is bringing litigation against you,

24. leave your qorban (sacrifice), right there, and go and do your very best to reconcile with your associate. Then, having done this, offer your qorban.

25. Be quick in working things out with your legal opponent whilst you are on the way to court with him, lest your legal opponent delivers you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be thrown into gaol.

26. Amen, I tell you, there is no way that you will come out from there until you make payment of the last agorah.

Commentary

This week our Seder deals with jealousy, the intention to murder and final sale of Yosef by his brothers. Appropriately the Midrash of Matityahu deals also with the same topic as well as with other forms of violence/abuse against the brethren. This shows how Matityahu is paying careful attention to each of the readings in the three and a half year lectionary in order to fit in the teachings of the Master of Nazareth as an appropriate commentary.

The Psalmist this week looks at deeds and how these are accounted in G-d’s terms for the Jews and for the Gentiles. It is most interesting to hear why we read and say the “Torah of Moses” or “Mosaic Law,” when in fact it was G-d’s Law! The explanation that the Midrash on Psalm 30 provides is most inspiring and helps us to understand how precious is our calling indeed in the eyes of G-d and how majestic is this work, and those who put in their share of help and/or work and desires in it.

We need to know at all times whom we serve. For what we have here no matter how real it may seem is just but an illusion and as our Ashlamatah states: “And the stability of your times shall be a hoard of salvation—wisdom and knowledge, and the fear of the LORD which is His treasure.” Our “real” stability is not predicated upon material things, nor upon circumstances, be they good or bad, but rather on the acquisition of a heart full of wisdom, knowledge and the fear of Ha-Shem – which is G-d’s treasure for the righteous.

Let us have a good look at the Seder this week and find Yosef one day dressed with an impressive robe of many colours, the beloved of Ya’aqov, and the next day he is in the pit awaiting to be killed and finally sold in slavery. Circumstances can change really fast, in the twinkle of an eye. But character, nobility, wisdom and knowledge of the Torah, and our love of G-d and fellow Jew, these will remain forever and will surely accompany us in the world to come. May we be found always full of these, amen ve amen!

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

Marqos 1:1-2

In our ground breaking paper entitled “The Mishnah of Marqos: A Commentary (Part I)”[1] we arrived at the conclusion that Marqos 1:1-2 forms a single organic unit separate from the next verses, and that the statement in Marqos 1:1 follows the same architecture as that in Proverbs 1:7a and 9:10a. The question now before us, noting that Marqos is written in the Peshat genre or rabbinic literature, is what precepts if any are contained in the statements made in Marqos 1:1-2, which read:

“The chief part (beginning) of the M’sorah (Oral Torah) [is] Yeshuah the Messiah, ‘son of G-d’ (King/Judge). As it is written in the Prophets, Behold I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare the way (Halakhah) before you.” – Marqos 1:1-2

This statement seems to corroborate the Peshat sense of Matityahu’s Midrash in 5:17-19, which reads:

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

Whilst in this Midrash there are some more commands contained in the statement, here is not the place to analyze this text, but this we shall do later on as we progress through the literature of the Nazarean Codicil. What is important to note is the convergence of thought between the statements of Matityahu 5:17 and of Marqos 1:1-2.

Both statements demand the following actions:

That we must believe that the Master of Nazareth was/is the living embodiment of both the Written and Oral Torah, and thus whomsoever is functioning as a king, judge or messenger amongst the Jewish people and amongst those “afar off” are also called to be living embodiments of the Written and Oral Torah of the Jewish people, this more the so amongst those who call themselves to be followers of the Master of Nazareth.

This command seems to be included under Maimonides’[2] positive precept # 6: “cleaving to G-d”; positive precept # 173: “appointing a king”; and positive precept # 176: “appointing judges and officers of the court.”

That as we have detailed in our introduction (part I), the Jewish people are called up to in every generation to elaborate afresh a code of law restating with precision those behaviors that we are called to be engaged in and also those from which we are to restrain from doing, in order to comply with the injunction of “preparing the way.” This is intimated in the Psalm of David (78:5), where it is said: “For He (G-d) established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children.” This obligation is even more pressing for whosoever claims to be a follower of the Master of Nazareth needs to clearly articulate what a Nazarean is precisely commanded to do or abstain from doing, so that confusion, disorder, chaos and opportunism may be held in check.

This command seems to be included under Maimonides’ positive precept # 17: “a king to write a scroll of law”; precept # 18: “acquiring a scroll of law”; and precept # 174: “obeying the Great Court.”

With these obligations in mind we can now better appreciate why Marqos under the direction of Hakham Tsefet (Peter) chose to start his summary of Nazarean Halakhah the way he did. Marqos and Hakham Tsefet were no ignorant Galilean fishermen cum revolutionaries, but as we can see their degree of Torah learning and rabbinic sophistication was quite profound indeed. The Halakhic Code of Marqos starts with a simple enunciation of who the Master of Nazareth was/is and goes on to detail his chief preoccupation and goal. However, in doing so, he also lays down two key obligations for the Jewish people and for everyone who claims to be a “genuine” follower of the Master of Nazareth.

The beauty, simplicity and grandeur of the scheme outlined in the fist two verse of Marqos is indeed awe-inspiring and majestic. Two simple obligations herein contained but with so much depth of meaning and implications. In truth, the generation in which the Master of Nazareth lived was as King David explains: “Such is the generation of them that seek after Him, that seek Your face, even Jacob. Selah” (Psalms 24:6). And thus Marqos and his master Hakham Tsefet, emissaries of the Master of Nazareth, with these two key obligations summons us to join with them in “such a generation.” May it be said, G-d willing, of this generation of “genuine” followers of the Master of Nazareth: “A seed shall serve Him; it shall be told of the Lord unto the next generation” (Psalms 22:31) – may it be so, amen ve amen!

Shalom Shabbat!

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

[2] See: Maimonides, (1967) “The Commandments,” Translated and commented by Charles B. Chavel, 2 vols., New York: The Soncino Press.

Shabbat:	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
וישב
“Vayeshev”	Reader 1 – B’resheet 37:1-3	Reader 1 – B’resheet 38:1-4
“And dwelled”	Reader 2 – B’resheet 37:4-8	Reader 2 – B’resheet 38:5-8
“Y habitó”	Reader 3 – B’resheet 37:9-11	Reader 3 – B’resheet 38:9-11
B’resheet (Genesis) 37:1-36	Reader 4 – B’resheet 37:12-17
Isaiah 32:18 – 33:6 + 15	Reader 5 – B’resheet 37:18-22
	Reader 6 – B’resheet 37:23-27	Reader 1 – B’resheet 38:12-14
Psalm 30	Reader 7 – B’resheet 37:28-36	Reader 2 – B’resheet 38:15-18
	Maftir – B’resheet 37:34-36	Reader 3 – B’resheet 38:19-23
N.C.: Matityahu 5:21-26	Isaiah 32:18 – 33:6 + 15