Triennial Cycle (Triennial Torah Cycle) / Septennial Cycle (Septennial Torah Cycle)

 

 

Candle Lighting and Habdalah Times: https://www.chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting.htm

 

Roll of Honor:

This Commentary comes out weekly and on the festivals thanks to the great generosity of:

His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David and beloved wife HH Giberet Batsheva bat Sarah

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His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham

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His Excellency Adon Yaaqov ben David

His Excellency Adon Bill Haynes and beloved wife HE Giberet Diane Haynes

Her Excellency Giberet Krysta Wallrauch & beloved family

 

For their regular and sacrificial giving, providing the best oil for the lamps, we pray that GOD’s richest blessings be upon their lives and those of their loved ones, together with all Yisrael and her Torah Scholars, amen ve amen!

 

Also, a great thank you and great blessings be upon all who send comments to the list about the contents and commentary of the weekly Torah Seder and allied topics.

 

                                                                            

 

Blessings Before Torah Study

 

Blessed are You, Ha-Shem our GOD, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us through Your commandments, and commanded us to actively study Torah. Amen!

 

Please Ha-Shem, our GOD, sweeten the words of Your Torah in our mouths and in the mouths of all Your people Israel. May we and our offspring, and our offspring's offspring, and all the offspring of Your people, the House of Israel, may we all, together, know Your Name and study Your Torah for the sake of fulfilling Your delight. Blessed are You, Ha-Shem, Who teaches Torah to His people Israel. Amen!

 

Blessed are You, Ha-Shem our GOD, King of the universe, Who chose us from all the nations, and gave us the Torah. Blessed are You, Ha-Shem, Giver of the Torah. Amen!

 

Ha-Shem spoke to Moses, explaining a Commandment. "Speak to Aaron and his sons, and teach them the following Commandment: This is how you should bless the Children of Israel. Say to the Children of Israel:

 

May Ha-Shem bless you and keep watch over you; - Amen!

May Ha-Shem make His Presence enlighten you, and may He be kind to you; - Amen!

May Ha-Shem bestow favor on you and grant you peace. – Amen!

 

This way, the priests will link My Name with the Israelites, and I will bless them."

 

These are the Laws for which the Torah did not mandate specific amounts: How much growing produce must be left in the corner of the field for the poor; how much of the first fruits must be offered at the Holy Temple; how much one must bring as an offering when one visits the Holy Temple three times a year; how much one must do when performing acts of kindness; and there is no maximum amount of Torah that a person must study.

 

These are the Laws whose benefits a person can often enjoy even in this world, even though the primary reward is in the Next World: They are: Honoring one's father and mother; doing acts of kindness; early attendance at the place of Torah study -- morning and night; showing hospitality to guests; visiting the sick; providing for the financial needs of a bride; escorting the dead; being very engrossed in prayer; bringing peace between two people, and between husband and wife; but the study of Torah is as great as all of them together. Amen!

 

A Prayer for Israel

 

Our Father in Heaven, Rock, and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the first manifestation of the approach of our redemption. Shield it with Your lovingkindness, envelop it in Your peace, and bestow Your light and truth upon its leaders, ministers, and advisors, and grace them with Your good counsel. Strengthen the hands of those who defend our holy land, grant them deliverance, and adorn them in a mantle of victory. Ordain peace in the land and grant its inhabitants eternal happiness.

 

Lead them, swiftly and upright, to Your city Zion and to Jerusalem, the abode of Your Name, as is written in the Torah of Your servant Moses: “Even if your outcasts are at the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather you, from there He will fetch you. And the Lord your God will bring you to the land that your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it, and He will make you more prosperous and more numerous than your fathers.” Draw our hearts together to revere and venerate Your name and to observe all the precepts of Your Torah, and send us quickly the Messiah son of David, agent of Your vindication, to redeem those who await Your deliverance.

 

We pray for his Honor Adon Tzuriel ben Avraham. Mi Sheberach…He who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, may He bless and heal His Honor Paqid Tzuriel ben Avraham, May the Holy One, Blessed is He, be filled with compassion for him to restore his health, to heal him, to strengthen him, and to revivify him. And may He send him speedily a complete recovery from heaven, among the other sick people of Yisrael, a recovery of the body and a recovery of the spirit, swiftly and soon, and we will say amen ve amen!

 

Friday Evening May 23, 2025

Evening: Counting of the Omer Day 41

 

Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha’Olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tizivanu al sefirat ha’omer.

 

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to count the omer.

 

Today is forty-one days, which is five weeks and six days of the Omer.

Yesod ShebeYesod

Then read the following:

 

 

Ephesians 6:1-4 Children, obey your parents^[1] in the Lord,^[2] or this is right (just)^[3] . “Honor your father and mother, (which is the first mitzvah in the Decalogue which has a promise),^[4]  so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.” ^[5] And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, ^[6] but bring them up in the discipline^[7] (Mesorah – Oral) Torah and instruction^[8] of the Lord.^[9]

The “salvific” role of the husband and Messiah is that of guardianship. As guardian/savior, the husband Messiah is the source of halakhic information and instruction for the family. Messiah is the source of the Mesorah for the Esnoga establishing a model for the husband at home.

 

Shabbat: “Sh’lach L’kha” – “Send out for yourself”

& Shabbat Mevarchim

(Proclamation of the New Moon for the Month of Sivan)

(Evening Tuesday 27^th of May – Evening Wednesday 28^th of May)

 

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·        The Mission of the Spies – Numbers 13:1-24

·        The Report of the Spies – Numbers 13:25-33

·        Panic, Wailing and Rebellion – Numbers 14:1-10

 

Reading Assignment:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the World of P’shat Exegesis

 

In order to understand the finished work of the P’shat mode of interpretation of the Torah, one needs to take into account that the P’shat is intended to produce a catechetical output, whereby a question/s is/are raised and an answer/a is/are given using the seven Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel and as well as the laws of Hebrew Grammar and Hebrew expression.

 

The Seven Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel are as follows:

[cf. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=472&letter=R]:

 

1. Ḳal va-ḥomer: "Argumentum a minori ad majus" or "a majori ad minus"; corresponding to the scholastic proof a fortiori.

2. Gezerah shavah: Argument from analogy. Biblical passages containing synonyms or homonyms are subject, however much they differ in other respects, to identical definitions and applications.

3. Binyan ab mi-katub eḥad: Application of a provision found in one passage only to passages which are related to the first in content but do not contain the provision in question.

4. Binyan ab mi-shene ketubim: The same as the preceding, except that the provision is generalized from two Biblical passages.

5. Kelal u-Peraṭ and Peraṭ u-kelal: Definition of the general by the particular, and of the particular by the general.

6. Ka-yoẓe bo mi-maḳom aḥer: Similarity in content to another Scriptural passage.

7. Dabar ha-lamed me-'inyano: Interpretation deduced from the context.

 

Welcome to the World of Remes Exegesis

 

Thirteen rules compiled by Rabbi Ishmael b. Elisha for the elucidation of the Torah and for making halakic deductions from it. They are, strictly speaking, mere amplifications of the seven Rules of Hillel, and are collected in the Baraita of R. Ishmael, forming the introduction to the Sifra and reading as follows:

 

1. Ḳal wa-ḥomer: Identical with the first rule of Hillel.
2. Gezerah shawah: Identical with the second rule of Hillel.
3. Binyan ab: Rules deduced from a single passage of Scripture and rules deduced from two passages. This rule is a combination of the third and fourth rules of Hillel.
4. Kelal u-Peraṭ: The general and the particular.
5. u-Peraṭ u-kelal: The particular and the general.
6. Kelal u-Peraṭ u-kelal: The general, the particular, and the general.
7. The general which requires elucidation by the particular, and the particular which requires elucidation by the general.
8. The particular implied in the general and excepted from it for pedagogic purposes elucidates the general as well as the particular.
9. The particular implied in the general and excepted from it on account of the special regulation which corresponds in concept to the general, is thus isolated to decrease rather than to increase the rigidity of its application.
10. The particular implied in the general and excepted from it on account of some other special regulation which does not correspond in concept to the general, is thus isolated either to decrease or to increase the rigidity of its application.
11. The particular implied in the general and excepted from it on account of a new and reversed decision can be referred to the general only in case the passage under consideration makes an explicit reference to it.
12. Deduction from the context.
13. When two Biblical passages contradict each other the contradiction in question must be solved by reference to a third passage.

 

Rules seven to eleven are formed by a subdivision of the fifth rule of Hillel; rule twelve corresponds to the seventh rule of Hillel, but is amplified in certain particulars; rule thirteen does not occur in Hillel, while, on the other hand, the sixth rule of Hillel is omitted by Ishmael. With regard to the rules and their application in general. These rules are found also on the morning prayers of any Jewish Orthodox Siddur.

 

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Bamidbar (Numbers) 13:1 – 14:10

 

Rashi	Targum
1. The Lord spoke to Moses saying,	1. AND the LORD spoke with Mosheh, saying:
2. "Send out for yourself men who will scout the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel. You shall send one man each for his father's tribe; each one shall be a chieftain in their midst."	2. Send you keen-sighted men who may explore the land of Kenaan, which I will give to the children of Israel; one man for each tribe of their fathers, you will send from the presence of all their leaders.
3. So Moses sent them from the desert of Paran by the word of the Lord. All of them were men of distinction; they were the heads of the children of Israel.	3. And Mosheh sent them from the wilderness of Pharan, according to the mouth of the Word of the LORD; all of them acute men, who had been appointed heads over the sons of Israel.
4. These are their names: For the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zakkur.	4. And these are the names of the twelve men, the explorers: the messenger of the tribe of Reuben, Shamua bar Zakkur;
5. For the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.	5. of the tribe of Shemeon, Shaphat bar Hori;
6. For the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jepphunneh.	6. for Jehudah, Kaleb bar Jephunneh;
7. For the tribe of Issachar, Yigal the son of Joseph.	7. for Issakar, Yiggeal bar Joseph;
8. For the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.	8. for Ephraim, Hoshea bar Nun;
9. For the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.	9. for Benjamin, Palti bar Raphu;
10. For the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.	10. for Zebulon, Gadiel bar Zodi;
11. For the tribe of Joseph, the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.	11. for Menasheh, Gaddi bar Susi;
12. For the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.	12. for Dan, Ammiel bar Gemmalli;
13. For the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.	13. for Asher, Sether bar Michael;
14. For the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.	14. for Naphtali, Nachbi bar Vaphsi;
15. For the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.	15. and for Gad, Geuel bar Machi
16. These are the names of the men Moses sent to scout the Land, and Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.	16. These are the names of the men whom Mosheh sent to explore the land; and when Mosheh saw his humility, he called Hoshea bar Nun Jehoshua.
17. Moses sent them to scout the Land of Canaan, and he said to them, "Go up this way in the south and climb up the mountain.	17. And Mosheh sent them to survey the land of Kenaan, and said to them, Go up on this side by the south, and ascend the mountain,
18. You shall see what [kind of] land it is, and the people who inhabit it; are they strong or weak? Are there few or many?	18. and survey the country, what it is, and the people who dwell in it; whether they be strong or weak, few or many;
19. And what of the land they inhabit? Is it good or bad? And what of the cities in which they reside are they in camps or in fortresses?	19. what the land is in which they dwell, whether good or bad; what cities they inhabit, whether they live in towns that are open or walled;
20. What is the soil like is it fat or lean? Are there any trees in it or not? You shall be courageous and take from the fruit of the land." It was the season when the first grapes begin to ripen.	20. and what the reputation of the land, whether its productions are rich or poor, and the trees of it fruitful or not. And do valiantly, and bring back some of the fruit of the land. And the day on which they went was the nineteenth of the month of Sivan, (about) the days of the first grapes.
21. So they went up and explored the land, from the desert of Zin until Rehov, at the entrance to Hamath.	21. They went up, therefore, and explored the country, from the wilderness of Zin, unto the roads by which you come unto Antiochia.
22. They went up in, the south, and he came to Hebron, and there were Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of the giant. Now Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan of Egypt.	22. They went up from the side of the south and came to Hebron, where were Achiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, sons of Anak the giant Now Hebron was built seven years before Tanis in Mizraim.
23. They came to the Valley of Eshkol, and they cut a branch with a cluster of grapes. They carried it on a pole between two [people] and [they also took] some pomegranates and figs.	23. They came then to the stream of the grapes (or bunches, ethkala), and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and carried it on a staff on the shoulders of two of them, and also took they of the pomegranates and the figs.
24. They called that place the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster [eshkol] the children of Israel cut from there.	24. Now that place they call the stream of the cluster, from the branch which the sons of Israel cut down there; and wine was dropping from it like a stream.
25. They returned from scouting the Land at the end of forty days.	25. And they returned from exploring the land on the eighth day of the month Ab, at the end of forty days.
26. They went, and they came to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the desert of Paran, to Kadesh. They brought them back a report, as well as to the entire congregation, and they showed them the fruit of the land.	26. And they came to Mosheh and Aharon, and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the wilderness of Pharan, at Rekem, and returned them word, to them and the whole congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
27. They told him and said, "We came to the land to which you sent us, and it is flowing with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.	27. And they recounted to him and said: We went into the country to which you did send us; and it indeed produces milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it.
28. However, the people who inhabit the land are mighty, and the cities are extremely huge and fortified, and there we saw even the offspring of the giant.	28. But the people who inhabit the country are strong, and the fortified cities they inhabit very great; and we saw also there the sons of Anak the giant.
29. The Amalekites dwell in the south land, while the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountainous region. The Canaanites dwell on the coast and alongside the Jordan."	29. The Amalekites dwell in the south, the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites in the mountains; but the Kenaanites dwell by the sea, and by the bank of the Jordan.
30. Caleb silenced the people to [hear about] Moses, and he said, "We can surely go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed overcome it."	30. And Kaleb stilled the people, and made them listen to Mosheh, and said: Let us go up and possess it, for we are able to take it.
31. But the men who went up with him said, "We are unable to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.	31. But the men who had gone up with him said, we are not able to go up to the people, for they are stronger than we.
32. They spread an [evil] report about the land which they had scouted, telling the children of Israel, "The land we passed through to explore is a land that consumes its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of stature.	32. And they brought out an evil report about the land which they had surveyed, to the sons of Israel, saying, the country through which we have passed to explore it is a land that kills its inhabitants with diseases; and all the people who are in it are giants, masters of evil ways
33. There we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, descended from the giants. In our eyes, we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes.	33. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, of the race of the giants; and we appeared to ourselves to be as locusts; and so we appeared to them.
1. The entire community raised their voices and shouted, and the people wept on that night.	1. And all the congregation lifted up and gave forth their voice, and the people wept that night: and it was confirmed (as a punishment) that they should weep on that night in their generations.
2. All the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the entire congregation said, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this desert.	2. And all the sons of Israel murmured against Mosheh and Aharon and said: Would that we had died in the land of Mizraim, or that we may die in this wilderness!
3. Why does the Lord bring us to this land to fall by the sword; our wives and children will be as spoils. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?"	3. Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword of the Kenaanaah, and our wives and little ones to become a prey? Will it not be better to return into Mizraim?
4. They said to each other, "Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt!"	4. And one man said to his brother, Let us appoint a king over us for a chief, and return to Mizraim.
5. Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the entire congregation of the children of Israel.	5. And Mosheh and Aharon bowed upon their faces before all the congregation of the sons of Israel;
6. Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had scouted the land, tore their clothes.	6. and Jehoshua bar Nun and Kaleb bar Jephunneh of the explorers of the land rent their clothes,
7. They spoke to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "The land we passed through to scout is an exceedingly good land.	7. and spoke to the congregation, saying: The land we went to see is an exceedingly good land.
8. If the Lord desires us, He will bring us to this land and give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.	8. If the LORD has pleasure in us, He will bring us into this land, and give it us, a land producing milk and honey.
9. But you shall not rebel against the Lord, and you will not fear the people of that land for they are [as] our bread. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not be fear them."	9. Only do not rebel against the commandments of the LORD, and you need not fear the people of the land, for they are delivered into our hands; the strength of their power has failed from them, but the Word of the LORD will be our helper; fear them not.
10. The entire congregation threatened to pelt them with stones, but the glory of the Lord appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the children of Israel.	10. But all the congregation said they would stone them with stones. And the glorious Shekinah of the LORD was revealed in bright clouds at the tabernacle.

 

 

Rashi Commentary for: ‎ Bamidbar (Numbers.) 13:1 – 14:10

 

2 Send for yourself men Why is the section dealing with the spies juxtaposed with the section dealing with Miriam? Because she was punished over matters of slander, for speaking against her brother, and these wicked people witnessed [it], but did not learn their lesson. - [Midrash Tanchuma Shelach 5]

 

Send for yourself According to your own understanding. I am not commanding you, but if you wish, you may send. Since the Israelites had come [to Moses] and said, “Let us send men ahead of us,” as it says, “All of you approached me...” (Deut. 1:22), Moses took counsel with the Shechinah. He [God] said, “I told them that it is good, as it says, ‘I will bring you up from the affliction of Egypt...’ (Exod. 3:17). By their lives! Now I will give them the opportunity to err through the words of the spies, so that they will not inherit it.” - [Midrash Tanchuma 5]

 

3 by the word of the Lord With his consent; He did not stop him.

 

All of them were men of distinction Whenever [the word] אֲנָשִׁים [is used] in Scripture, it denotes importance. At that time, they were virtuous. - [Mid. Tanchuma 4]

 

16 And Moses called Hoshea... He prayed on his behalf, “May God save you from the counsel of the spies.” [The name יְהוֹשֻׁעַ is a compounded form of יָהּ יוֹשִׁיעֲךָ , May God save you.] - [Sotah 34b]

 

17 Go up this way in the south This was the inferior part of the Land of Israel. This is the custom of merchants; they show their inferior goods first and afterward display their best. - [Midrash Tanchuma 6]

 

18 what [kind of] land it is Some countries rear strong people, and some countries rear weak [people]; some produce large populations and some small populations. - [Mid. Tanchuma 6]

 

are they strong or weak He gave them a sign. If they live in open cities [it is a sign that] they are strong, since they rely on their might. And if they live in fortified cities [it is a sign that] they are weak. - [Mid. Tanchuma 6]

 

19 are they in camps Heb. הַבְּמַחֲנִים , as the Targum [Onkelos] renders, הַבְּפַצְחִין , cities which are exposed and open, unwalled.

 

is it good possessing springs and other good and healthy water sources.

 

20 does it have trees Heb. הֲיֵשׁ בָּהּ עֵץ , lit, does it have a tree. Does it have a worthy man who will protect them with his merit. - [B.B. 15a]

 

when the first grapes begin to ripen The season in which the grapes begin to ripen, in their first stage of growth.

 

21 from the desert of Zin until Rehov at the entrance to Hamath They walked along the length and width of its borders, [so that their path looked] like a [Greek] gamma Γ. They walked along the side which was the southern border, from the eastern corner to the western corner, as Moses had directed them: "Go up this way in the south"—by way of the southeastern border until the sea, for the sea was its western border. From there they turned and walked along the entire western border, which is the coast, until the entrance to Hamath, which is near Mount Hor, in the northwestern corner, as is described in the borders of the Land in the portion [beginning with the words,] “These are the travels” (34:6).

 

22 and he came to Hebron Caleb went there alone [hence the singular “he came”] to prostrate himself on the graves of the patriarchs [in prayer] that he not be enticed by his colleagues to be part of their counsel. Thus, it says, “I will give him [Caleb] the land on which he has walked” (Deut. 1:36), and it is written, “They gave Hebron to Caleb” (Jud. 1:20). - [Sotah 34b]

 

had been built seven years Is it possible that Ham built Hebron for Canaan, his youngest son, before he built Zoan for Mizraim, his eldest son? Rather, it was stocked with everything good, seven times more than Zoan. The intention is to inform you of the excellence of the Land of Israel, for there is no place in the Land of Israel rockier than Hebron, which was why it was designated for a burial ground. And there is no country in the world as excellent as Egypt, as it says, “it was like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt” (Gen. 13:10). Zoan is the best part of Egypt, for the residence of the kings is situated there, as it says, “for his princes were in Zoan” (Isa. 30:4). Yet Hebron was superior to it seven times over. - [Sotah 34b]

 

23 a branch A vine branch with a cluster of grapes hanging on it.

 

They carried it on a pole between two [people] From the implication of what it says “they carried [in the plural] it on a pole” do I not know that it was [carried] by two? So what does “[between] two” tell us? [The answer is:] With two poles. How was it done? Eight of them took a cluster [of grapes], one took a fig and one took a pomegranate. Joshua and Caleb did not take anything, for the intention of the others was to present a slanderous report, [namely,] just as its fruit is extraordinary, so its people are extraordinary. If you wish to know how much one of them carried, go forth and learn from the stones they set up at Gilgal: Each man carried on his shoulder one stone [from the Jordan] and set it up at Gilgal. The Sages weighed them [and determined that] each stone weighed forty seah, and it is a fact that the load a person can carry on his shoulders is only a third of the weight of the load he can carry when others help him lift it. - [Sotah 34b]

 

25 They returned from scouting the Land at the end of forty days But does not the Land measure four hundred parasangs by four hundred parasangs [a parasang is equivalent to about three- and-a-half miles in length], and an average person’s daily traveling distance is ten parasangs? Thus, it takes forty days to walk from east to west, and they traversed its length and its breadth? However, since it was revealed before the Holy One, blessed is He, that He would sentence them with a year for every day, he shortened the way [so they covered ground more rapidly]. - [Mid. Tanchuma 8]

 

26 They went, and they came What is meant by "They went"? [It says already that they returned.] To compare their going with their coming. Just as their return was with evil intent, so was their departure [on the journey] with evil intent. - [Sotah 35a]

 

They brought them back a report To Moses and Aaron.

 

27 flowing with milk and honey Any lie in which a little truth is not stated in the beginning cannot be maintained in the end. - [Sotah 35a]

 

28 fortified Heb. בְּצֻרוֹת , an expression denoting strength. The Targum [Onkelos], however, renders, כְּרִיכָן , a term meaning circular fortresses; in Aramaic כְּרִיךְ means “circular.” - [See Aruch, first definition of כרךְ ]

 

29 The Amalekites dwell Since they had already been “burnt” by Amalek [as it were,] the spies mentioned it in order to frighten them. - [Mid. Tanchuma 9]

 

and alongside the Jordan Heb. וְעַל יַד הַיַּרְדֵּן . [The word] יַד is [used] in its literal sense, next to the Jordan, so that you will be unable to cross.

 

30 Caleb silenced Heb. וַיַּהַס , he silenced them all [the spies so that the people could hear what he was going to say].

 

to Moses to hear what he would say about Moses. He cried out, “Is this the only thing the son of Amram has done to us?” Anyone listening might have thought that he intended to disparage him, and since there was [resentment] in their hearts against Moses because of the spies’ report, they all became silent so they could hear his defamation. But he said, “Didn’t he split the sea for us, bring down the manna for us and cause the quails to fly down to us?”-[Sotah 35a]

 

We can surely go up even to heaven; if he tells us, “Make ladders and go up there,” we will succeed in whatever he says. - [Sotah 35a]

 

silenced Heb. וַיַּהַס , a term denoting silence; similarly, “Silence (הַס) all flesh” (Zech. 2:17); “’Still (הַס)! This is for not mentioning [the Lord’s Name]’” (Amos. 6:10). Similarly, it is the custom for someone who wants to silence a group to say, “Shhh!”

 

31 for they are stronger than we Heb. מִמֶּנּוּ , [which may also be interpreted as, they are stronger than he.] They said this in reference to the Most High, as it were, [as if to say that the people are stronger than He. - [Sotah 35a]

 

32 consumes its inhabitants Wherever we passed, we found them burying dead. The Holy One, blessed is He, intended this for good, to keep them occupied with their mourning so they should not notice them [the spies]. - [Sotah 35a]

 

men of stature Big and tall, those to whom measurements are attributed [because of their unusual size], such as Goliath [about whom it says] “his height was six cubits and a span” (I Sam. 17:4); similarly, “a man of great stature (מָדוֹן) ” (II Sam. 21:20); “a man of stature (מִדָּה)” (I Chron. 11: 23).

 

33 the giants Heb. נְפִילִים , giants, descended from Shamhazai (Nidah 61a) and Azael (Yoma 67b), who fell (שֶׁנָּפְלוּ) ) from heaven in the generation of Enosh.

 

and so we were in their eyes We heard them telling each other, “There are ants in the vineyard who look like people.” - [Sotah 35a]

 

Anak [The name עֲנָק is given] because the sun was draped around the neck [מַעֲנִיקִים] because of their height. - [Sotah 34b]

 

Chapter 14

 

1 The entire community The members of the Sanhedrin. - [Mid. Tanchuma Shelach 13]

 

2 If only we had died Heb. מַתְנוּ לוּ־ . We wish that we would have died. - [Targum Onkelos]

 

4 Let us appoint a leader Heb. נִתְּנָה־רֽאשׁ . As the Targum renders, “Let us appoint a head.” Let us appoint a king over us. Our Sages, however, explained this as a term referring to idolatry. - [Mechilta Beshallach (Vayassa 1:22), Othioth d’Rabbi Akiva p. 398, Midrash Tannaim p. 2, Midrash Lekach Tov]

 

9 you shall not rebel And consequently, “You will not fear....”

 

for they are [as] our bread We will consume them like bread.

 

Their protection is removed from them Their shield and strength, their virtuous ones have died—[namely,] Job, who protected them [See Rashi on Sotah 35a, B.B. 15a]. (Another interpretation: The shade [protection] of the Omnipresent has departed from them.)

 

10 to pelt them [I.e.,] Joshua and Caleb.

 

the glory of the Lord The cloud descended there. - [Mid. Tanchuma Shelach 12]

 

 

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 101:1-8‎

 

Rashi	Targum
1. Of David, a song. I shall sing of kindness and judgment; to You, O Lord, I shall sing.	1. Composed by David, a psalm. Whether You show mercy to me or treat me with justice, for both of them I will sing praise; in Your presence, O LORD, I will make music.
2. I shall concern myself with the way of integrity. When will it come to me? I shall walk with the innocence of my heart within my house.	2. God said, "I will make you wise in the perfect way; when will you come unto Me?" David said, "I will walk in the perfection of my heart within my house of instruction."
3. I do not place before my eyes any base thing; I hate doing wayward deeds; it does not cling to me.	3. I will not set upon my heart the word of the wicked man, the ones who do evil; and those who wander from the commandments I hate, they will not follow me.
4. A perverse heart turns away from me; I know no evil.	4. Let the twisted heart pass from me; I will not know the evil impulse.
5. He who slanders his neighbor in secret, I cut him down; one whose eyes are raised up high, and his heart is expansive, I cannot tolerate him.	5. He who relates slander against his fellow him will I overturn; and he who walks with haughty eyes will be stricken with leprosy; with him I will never dwell.
6. My eyes are upon the faithful of the land to dwell with me; he who goes on the way of the innocent, he will serve me.	6. My eyes are on the honest of the land, to dwell in the precincts of the righteous/generous; he who walks perfect on the way he will stand among My ministers.
7. He will not dwell within my house; he who practices deceit, who speaks lies, will not be established before my eyes.	7. He who acts guilefully will not dwell in the midst of My sanctuary; he who speaks lies has no right to stand before My eyes.
8. Betimes I cut down all the wicked of the earth; to cut down from the city of the Lord all workers of violence.	8. In the age to come, which is likened to the light of morning, I will overturn all the wicked of the earth, to destroy from Jerusalem, the city of the LORD, all those who work deceit.

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary to Tehillim (Psalms) 101:1-8

 

1. I shall sing of kindness and judgment when You bestow kindness upon me, I will praise you [with the blessing:] “Blessed be He Who is good and does good,” and when You perform judgment upon me, I will sing, “Blessed be the true Judge.” In either case, to You, O Lord, I shall sing.

 

2. I shall concern myself I shall direct my thoughts to the way of integrity.

 

When will it come to me The straight path, to walk upon it, and I shall walk with the integrity of my heart even within my house, in private as well as in public.

 

3. wayward Heb. סטים , an expression of (Num. 5:12): “whose wife strays (תשטה) from the right path,” to turn away from the road, destolemant in Old French, to swerve.

 

4. I know no evil I love no [evil] (Another explanation: [Shem Ephraim]) I recognize no evil thing.

 

5. I cannot tolerate him that he should be my friend, lest I learn from his deeds.

 

8. Betimes I cut down Every day, I cut down the wicked of Israel little by little, those who are condemned to death.

 

Meditation from the Psalms

Tehillim (Psalms) 101:1-8

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Bamidbar (Numbers) 13:1 – 14:10

Joshua 2:1-9, 23-24

 

The Sages of the Talmud^[10] teach us that in most instances, David elevated himself to the level of Divine exultation upon the wings of his own song. In such cases the psalm is superscribed, a song [first, and then inspiration came] to David.

 

In a few instances, however, David achieved a pitch of rapture and ecstasy without prior preparation through song. He secluded himself and immersed his entire being in intense meditation. Oblivious to his surroundings, David contemplated the wonders of HaShem as demonstrated in history and in nature. The result of this forceful encounter of faith was a psalm of praise introduced as, To David, a song, for inspiration first came to David through meditation, and the result was a song.

 

This psalm describes how David secluded himself:^[11] I will walk wholeheartedly within my home; and how he yearned for the truth of Divine revelation: I will discern the way of wholesomeness O when will You come to me?^[12]

 

Throughout the psalm David reiterates his hatred for evil and his sincere love of strict justice. Thus, for him Divine kindness and justice are one and the same. David loves HaShem unswervingly no matter how the Almighty treats him; therefore, he can sing at all times, to You HaShem will I sing praise.^[13]

 

Some say that David composed this psalm when he asked HaShem to let him build the Temple. Earlier he had already made the necessary preparations to become worthy of this privilege. Clearly, our psalm speaks of those who dwell in HaShem’s house.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 101:7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house; he that speaketh falsehood shall not be established before mine eyes.

 

With this connection before us, let’s examine an aspect of the Temple that is not well known.

 

Six (people) were called by their names before they were created,^[14] and they are: Isaac, Ishmael, Moses,^[15] Solomon, Josiah, and King Messiah.^[16] Let’s look at these individuals and what connects them together.

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 16:11 And the angel of HaShem said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because HaShem hath heard thy affliction.

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 17:19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

 

1 Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 22:9 But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Shlomo, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign.

 

1 Melachim (Kings) 13:2 And he cried against the altar in the word of HaShem, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith HaShem; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.

 

The Midrash also tells us about three of these men.

 

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XLV:8 AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD SAID UNTO HER: BEHOLD, THOU ART WITH CHILD, etc. (XVI, 1). R. Isaac said: Three were called by their names before they were born, Isaac, Shlomo, and Josiah. What is said in the case of Isaac? And God said: Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac (Gen. XVII, 19). In the case of Shlomo? Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for his name shall be Shlomo (I Chron. XXII, 9). In the case of Josiah? And he cried against the altar by the word of the Lord: O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord: Behold, a son shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name (I Kings XIII, 2). Some add Ishmael among the nations [i.e. non-Jews]: BEHOLD, THOU ART WITH CHILD, AND SHALT BEAR A SON; AND THOU SHALT CALL HIS NAME ISHMAEL.

 

Each of these men is intimately associated with the Temple. Let’s look at each of these men and their contribution to the Temple.

 

Yitzchak, Isaac

 

Pirke D’Rabbi Eliezer 32 How do we know (this with reference to) Isaac? Because it is said, “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac”.^[17] Why was his name called Isaac?^[18] Because Yad (the first Hebrew letter of Isaac indicates) the ten trials^[19] wherewith our father Abraham was tried; and he withstood them all. Zaddi (the second letter indicates) the ninety (years), for his mother was ninety years (at the birth of Isaac), as it is said, “And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?”^[20] Cheth (the third letter points to) the eighth (day), for he was circumcised on the eighth day, as it is said, “And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac, being eight days old”.^[21] Kuf (the fourth letter of the name marks) the hundred (years), for his father was an hundred years old (at Isaac’s birth), as it is said, “And Abraham was an hundred years old”.^[22]

 

Yitzchak Avinu built the initial manifestation of the Beis HaMikdash as the place of service to Hashem, of sacrifices, in the most powerful way: he became a korban, a sacrifice, himself. He was bound on the altar built on the site that would later become the Temple. He laid the foundation of the function of the Beis HaMikdash, the function of service and sacrifice, with his own being. Long before the physical structure of the Beis HaMikdash was built, its inner essence was being constructed.^[23]

 

Yitzchak, Isaac, was THE sacrifice on THE altar in THE place of the Temple:

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 22:9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

 

Thus, we see that even the animal sacrifices are the physical items that mirror the spiritual reality.

 

Isaac, Yitzchak, in the Hebrew, means “laughter”. Now laughter is what happens when two opposite things come together. For example: when the arrogant stumble. The Temple is likewise, a place where two opposites come together: HaShem (The infinite Spirit) and man (the physical and finite).

 

Shlomo HaMelech, Solomon The King

 

King Shlomo, built the Temple, designed by David, for HaShem.

 

Pirke D’Rabbi Eliezer 32 Whence do we know concerning Solomon? Because it is said, “Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest, for his name shall be Solomon”.^[24] Why was his name called Solomon? Because his name was called Solomon in the Aramaic language, as it is said, “I will give peace (Shalom) and quietness unto Israel in his days”.^[25]

 

II Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 7:11-12 When Shlomo had finished the temple of HaShem and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of HaShem and in his own palace, HaShem appeared to him at night and said: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.

 

Thus, we see that there were three phases in the building of the Temple, first, its essence in spirit was brought into being by Yitzchak. Its innate holiness was made manifest by that Patriarch of the Jewish people who himself was bound on the altar. Next, its physical building was completed by Shlomo. And thus, it must be: first, the soul or essence must be brought into existence, and only then can the material manifest. Yitzchak prepared the essence, the neshama,^[26] and Shlomo gave that essence, that ‘soul’, expression in a physical structure.^[27]

 

What is most interesting is how HaShem had King Shlomo build hidden subterranean tunnels beneath the Temple, AS PART OF THE ORIGINAL DESIGN. This suggests that these chambers were an integral part of the Temple structure. This is the deeper significance of the fact that King Shlomo built the Holy Temple “knowing that it was destined to be destroyed” and incorporated into it a hiding place for the Ark for that eventuality. Had the Temple not been initially constructed with the knowledge of, and the provision for, what was to happen on the ninth of Av, no mortal could have moved a single stone from its place. In the day of King Yoshiyahu, Josiah, these hidden chambers would house the Ark of the Covenant. The very essence of the Temple!

 

These hidden chambers suggest that there is a hidden and a revealed Temple. The hidden Temple still contains the Aron, the Ark of the Covenant. This most important furnishing contains the essence of the Temple. The fact that it has been a part of the site of both Temples suggests that it is the essence! When the third Temple is built and the Aron is moved from its hidden chamber to its “revealed” chamber, then we will recognize this essence.

 

King Shlomo’s Temple held the ark in the Holy of Holies. The second Temple had an empty spot in the Holy of Holies because the ark was still hidden underground.

 

The final Temple will again have the ark in its rightful place. It will no longer be hidden and unavailable. Thus, this structure will simply be a continuation of the presence of HaShem, because its essence has always been in this place.

 

This is the Temple that HaShem really desires, the Temple He modeled in stone so that we could see the reality:

 

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:1-2 Thus saith HaShem, The heaven [is] my throne, and the earth [is] my footstool: where [is] the house that ye build unto me? and where [is] the place of my rest? For all those [things] hath mine hand made, and all those [things] have been, saith HaShem: but to this [man] will I look, [even] to [him that is] poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

 

The name “Shlomo” means peaceful according to Strong’s.

 

Shlomo HaMelech was responsible for a kingdom at peace. His father had waged the wars and the struggles to prepare the kingdom for his son. In the same way, we must struggle and build in this world, but in the coming world we will have peace and no more kingdom building. We will be at peace in Messianic times, to work on ourselves, to build ourselves into a dwelling fit for HaShem, even as Shlomo HaMelech was at peace when he built the Temple of stone. We must always look for the reality and not get distracted by the physical. We must use the physical to understand the reality. Once the reality is understood, then we will not lose our focus. With a correct focus we will not be distracted in the laying of stone cornerstones. Instead, we will be engaged in building up the lively stones.

 

The Temple is the place of peace because it is also the Prince of Peace. The Temple is “The Body of Mashiach”.

 

Yoshiyahu, Josiah - The Aron Kodesh – The Holy Ark

 

Pirke D’Rabbi Eliezer 32 Whence do we know about Josiah? Because it is said, “Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name”,^[28] Why was his name called Josiah? (Because he was as acceptable)^[29] as an offering upon the altar; she^[30] said: A worthy offering let him be before Thee.^[31] Therefore was his name called Josiah, as it is said, “And he cried against the altar”, etc.^[32]

 

Yoshiyahu, Josiah, was responsible for the preservation and renovation of the Temple, which was completed in 3303AM. It was Josiah who hid the Aron Kodesh (the Holy Ark), and the other essential Temple furniture, in the subterranean tunnels built by King Shlomo:

 

Yoma 52b GEMARA. To what are we referring here? If it be the first Sanctuary, was there then a curtain?^[33] Again, if it is to the second Sanctuary, was there then an Ark? Surely it has been taught: When the Ark was hidden, there was hidden with it the bottle containing the Manna,^[34] and that containing the sprinkling water,^[35] the staff of Aaron,^[36] with its almonds and blossoms, and the chest which the Philistines had sent as a gift to the God of Israel, as it is said: And put the jewels of gold which you return to Him for a guilt-offering in a coffer by the side thereof and send it away that it may go.^[37] Who hid it? — Josiah hid it. What was his reason for hiding it? — He saw the Scriptural passage: The Lord will bring thee and thy King whom thou shalt set over thee,^[38] therefore he hid it, as it is said: And he said to the Levites, that taught all Israel, that were holy unto the Lord: Put the holy ark into the house which Shlomo, the son of David, King of Israel did build. There shall no more be a burden upon your shoulders now. Serve now the Lord your God and His people Israel.^[39]

 

Divrei HaYamim Bet (II Chronicles) 35:1-4 Moreover Josiah kept a Passover unto HaShem in Jerusalem: and they killed the Passover on the fourteenth [day] of the first month. And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of HaShem, And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto HaShem, Put the holy ark in the house which Shlomo the son of David king of Israel did build; [it shall] not [be] a burden upon [your] shoulders: serve now HaShem your God, and his people Israel, And prepare [yourselves] by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Shlomo his son.

 

King Shlomo brought the ark into the Temple for the first time. Now four hundred years later Yoshiyahu, Josiah, is bringing it in again? Yes, here is where he is bringing it for the first time into its hidden chambers.

 

The name “Josiah” means “founded by HaShem, according to Strong’s.

 

In preserving the essential furniture of the Temple, King Josiah insured that the furniture would be preserved for the day of restoration. He also insured that the furniture would not be desecrated or abused by the Gentiles.

 

The Sages teach that just as the western lamp of the menorah burned miraculously and did not go out during the day, so too is the western lamp, and its reality, are still burning in its hidden place.

 

There is another stage, in the process of building, since essence and outer form are not enough. If that which is being built is to be part of the real world, it requires one more component, it must be given eternity. The Temple stood, it was alive with inner essence contained in an outer form, but it was to be destroyed. And in order to ensure that the destruction would be only outward, to ensure that the essence would remain alive even when the outer form lies in ruins, the heart was to be hidden. If the Aron^[40] is hidden beneath the site of the Temple when above it the Temple burns and collapses, the meaning is that this is not a destruction, it is only a retreating into the unrevealed.

 

Just as Yitzchak prepared what was needed for King Shlomo to complete, King Shlomo prepared what was needed for Yoshiyahu to complete. And just as King Shlomo in fact completed his share in building, Yoshiyahu completed his share in hiding. That hiding was in a very deep sense a building. Yitzchak brought the heart to the world; King Shlomo gave that heart a body; and Yoshiyahu secreted that same heart away so that it remains pulsating and alive in hiding while awaiting its final revelation for eternity. Yitzchak built the neshama, King Shlomo built the body, and Yoshiyahu ensured that those two would never be permanently separated.

 

Ishmael

 

Pirke D’Rabbi Eliezer 32 Whence do we know about Ishmael? Because it is said, “And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child,^[41] . . . and thou shalt call his name Ishmael”.^[42] Why was his name called Ishmael?^[43] Because in the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will hearken to the cry^[44] of the people arising from (the oppression) which the children of Ishmael will bring about in the land in the last (days);^[45] therefore was his name called Ishmael.^[46]

 

But what has Ishmael to do with the Temple Mount? Rashi gives us one very clear connection. On the verse “Sarah saw Hagar’s son ... playing”,^[47] Rashi comments that Ishmael was involved in idolatry, incest, and murder. These are the very anti-thesis of the Temple and what it stood for. Precisely from the exile of Ishmael will there sprout forth salvation as described in:

 

Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer chapter 30 R. Ishmael says: “They (Ishmaelites) will do fifteen things at the end of days:

 

1.  Measure the Land;
2.  Make of the cemetery a holding pen for cattle;
3. They will measure from them and by them on the mountain tops;
4. Lies will increase
5. The truth will disappear;
6. The Law will be distanced from the Jews;
7. There will be an increase in crime in the Jewish people;
8. The paper and quill will wrinkle;
9. The rock of the Kingdom will spoil;
10. They will rebuild the ruined cities;
11. They will plant orchards and fields;
12. They will close the gaps in the walls of the Temple;
13. They will construct a building on the site of the Temple;
14. Two brothers will be their elders;
15.  And in those days there will rise Tzemach (flower) - the son of David (i.e. Mashiach).

 

Another connection of Ishmael to the Temple: Ishmael’s descendants built the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.

 

Preceding Names in the Nazarean Codicil

 

In the Nazarean Codicil we find two more individuals who were called by name before they were born:

 

Luqas (Luke) 1:13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name Yochanan (John).

 

Matityahu (Matthew) 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

 

Yochanan (John) and Yeshua were also connected with the Temple. Yochanan (John) was the one who prepared the way for Yeshua, the Greater Temple. He did this by preparing the “living stones”: ^[48]

 

Matityahu (Matthew) 11:10 This is the one about whom it is written: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’

 

The name “Yochanan (John)” means “Favored of HaShem” according to Strong’s”.

 

Yeshua

 

Pirke D’Rabbi Eliezer 32 Whence do we know concerning King Messiah? Because it is said, “His name shall endure for ever. Before the sun his name shall be continued (Yinnon)”.^[49] Why was his name called Yinnon? For he will awaken^[50] those who sleep at Hebron out of the dust of the earth, therefore is his name called Yinnon, as it is said, “Before the sun his name is Yinnon”.^[51]

 

Sanhedrin 98b The school of R. Shila said: The messiah’s name is ‘Shiloh’, as it is stated, Until Shiloh come,^[52] where the word is spelt Shlh. The School of R. Hanina said: His name is ‘Haninah’, as it is stated, I will not give you Haninah.^[53] The School of R. Jannai said: His name is ‘Yinnon’; for it is written, E’er the sun was, his name is Yinnon (Ps. LXXII, 17). R. Biba of Sergunieh said: His name is ‘Nehirah’, as it is stated, And the light (nehorah) dwelleth with Him,^[54] where the word is spelt nehirah.

The Vilna Gaon says that these four opinions are one since the initials of Menachem, Shiloh, Yinnon, and Haninah make up the word Mashiach. The Gemara tells us that Moshe Rabbenu and King Solomon had many names. Similarly, the Messiah has many names.

 

And Yeshua was the Temple:

 

Revelation 21:22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

 

The name “Yeshua” means “HaShem Saves”^[55] according to Strong’s.

 

Everything that His Majesty King Yeshua did was to turn His people from their sins. It was their repentance which would allow HaShem to save them. The Temple was The Place where HaShem put His name and it was The Place where HaShem drew near to His people. The vehicle that HaShem used to draw us near was His Torah, His Mashiach.

 

Thus, we can see that HaShem had a clear plan to build a Temple that was guided by those He named before they were born. This Temple was to be a place where men were to draw near to HaShem. In fact, the Hebrew word for sacrifice is Korban, which means “to draw near”. The ultimate way to draw near is to offer your whole body to HaShem as Isaac did. As a wife offers her body to her husband, so too will the Body of Mashiach, the bride, be offered to HaShem.

 

Now what does this have to do with names? A name is an expression of essence. In Torah, a name describes reality in the most exact way; it is in fact a non-tangible representation of that which it describes. A person’s name is the most compressed expression of the essence of that person; it holds the secrets of that individual’s existence and destiny. It is the core; in a sense it is the neshama.

 

The meaning of a name which is given before birth is this: when people are born into the world and then named, which is the usual order of things, the idea is that their essence begins to be manifest when they arrive in the world. They appear, and then a name must be found which is fitting. First there is the person, and then there is an expression of that person’s nature and purpose. But when a name is given before birth, when HaShem names a person before He brings that person into the world, the meaning is that such a person is already defined in essence, nature and purpose before his physical arrival. Such a person’s physical nature and material life in the world are destined to be perfectly matched with his inner being if he performs his work well. After all, that inner level is clear and revealed even before he begins his task in life.

 

First named and then born; such a personality will be one who most perfectly fits his spiritual identity. Such people must be very close to perfection in terms of carrying out their duty in the world; they are challenged with building that which most closely reveals its spiritual source. Their essence is clear; they must reveal it in perfect loyalty to its genuine identity, and therefore their work is to reveal all inner essence in perfect reflection in the world.

 

And that is the nature of the Temple. As we have attempted to understand, the Temple represents the perfect meeting between inner and outer worlds. It is the demonstration of harmony between inner and outer. This is the place which most clearly represents the indivisible bond between soul and body, spirit and matter. This is the physical place and structure which is in perfect harmony with its non-physical core. This is where HaShem’s Name is spoken, and this is where it is revealed.

            

At a deeper level, we say that HaShem and His Name are fitting: Your Name is fitting for You, and You are fitting for Your Name.” This is the way it is at the Source, and in depth this is the way it must always be; the name must be fitting.

            

Yitzchak, Shlomo, Yoshiyahu, and Yeshua; four who were superlative in their Divine service and who merited to reveal and eternalize the place of Divine service to the world. Yitzchak was a pure servant of HaShem, a pure burnt offering. Shlomo, whose name means wholeness and completeness and who reigned for forty years of near-perfect closeness between the Jewish people and HaShem. Yoshiyahu, about whom Scripture states: “And before him there never was a king who returned to HaShem with all his heart, with all his soul and with all his might according to the entire Torah of Moshe, and after him there never arose one like him”.^[56]

            

Three who were close to being perfectly fitting for their names; Three who revealed HaShem’s Name in the place which is most fitting for Him. ^[57]

 

And Yeshua, whose name means salvation, who offered himself as an atonement for the Gentiles, and as Mashiach ben Yosef, His body epitomized the Temple as the head of the body.^[58]

 

Our Ashlamata speaks of HaShem’s name and our psalmist recalled that HaShem put His name in His Temple. The folks whose names were given to the world before they were born are precisely the folks spoken of when He speaks of His watchmen.

 

 

 

Ashlamatah: Yehoshua (Joshua) 2:1-9, 23-24

 

Rashi	Targum
1. And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men out of Shittim to spy secretly, saying, Go see the land and Jericho. And they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and they lay there.	1. And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men from Shittim, as spies in secret, saying “Go, look at the land and Jericho.” And they went and entered the house of the harlot woman, and her name was Rahab; and they slept there.
2. And it was told to the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, men have come here this night from the children of Israel to search the land.	2. And it was told to the king of Jericho, saying: "Behold men came here by night from the sons of Israel to spy out the land."
3. And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, bring forth the men who have come to you, that have entered your house, for they have come to search out the entire land.	3. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying: "Bring forth the men who came unto you, who entered your house, for they came to spy out all the land."
4.  Now the woman had taken the two men, and had hidden them, and she said, Indeed the men came to me, but I did not know from where they were.	4. And the woman took the two men and hid them. And she said: "In truth' the men came unto me, and I did not know where they were from.
5. And it was time to close the gate, at darkness, that the men went out. I do not know where they went. Pursue after them quickly, for you will overtake them.	5. And it was time to close the gate at dark, and the men went forth. I do not know where the men went. Pursue after them quickly, for you will overtake them."
6. And she had brought them up to the roof, and she hid them with the stalks of flax, that she had laid arranged upon the roof.	6. And she brought them up to the roof and hid them in the loads of flax that were arranged for her on the roof.
7. And the men pursued them in the direction of the Jordan, to the fords; and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, they shut the gate.	7. And the men pursued after them by way of the Jordan to the fords. And they closed the gate after the pursuers went forth after them.
8. And before they were asleep, she came up to them upon the roof.	8. And when they had not yet fallen asleep, she came unto them to the roof.
9. And she said to the men, I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away because of you.	9. And she said to the men: "I know that the LORD has given to you the land, and that fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are shattered before you
10. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you completely destroyed.	10. For we heard that the LORD was drying up the water of the Red Sea before you when you were going forth from Egypt and what you did to the two kings of the Amorite who were across the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom you destroyed utterly.
11. And as soon as we heard, our hearts melted, nor did there remain anymore spirit in any man because of you, for the Lord your God He is God in heaven above and on the earth below.	11. And we heard, and our heart was melted, and there was no spirit left in any man before you, for the LORD your God is the God whose Shekinah is in the heavens above and is powerful over the earth below.
12. And now, I pray, swear to me by the Lord, since I have showed you kindness, that you will also show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token.	12. And now swear now for me by the Memra of the LORD for I have acted kindly with you, and you will also act kindly with the house of my father. And you will give to me a sign of truth.
13. And you shall preserve alive my father, and my mother, and my brothers and my sisters, and all that they have, and you shall deliver our lives from death.	13. And you will let live my father and mother and my brothers and my sisters and everything that is theirs. And you will save our lives from death."
14. And the men answered her, our life for yours, if you will not tell this our discussion. And it shall be, when the Lord gives us the land, that we will deal with you with kindness and truth.	14. And the men said to her: "Our lives are handed over in place of your lives to die. If you do not tell this affair of ours, then when the LORD will give us the land, we will do goodness and truth with you."
15. And she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was in the town wall and she dwelt in the wall.	15. And she let them down by rope from the window, for her house was in the city wall and in the wall she was living.
16. And she said to them, go to the mountain lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days until the pursuers return, and afterwards you will go your way.	16. And she said to them: "Go to the hill country, lest the pursuers happen upon you; and hide yourselves there three days until the pursuers return. And afterwards you will go on your way."
17. And the men said to her, we will be blameless of this your oath which you made us swear;	17. And the men said to her: "We are innocent regarding this oath of yours that you swore upon us.
18. Behold when we come into the land, you shall bind this line of scarlet thread in the window by which you let us down; and you shall bring your father and your mother, and your brothers and all your father's household home to you.	18. Behold we are entering the land. This band of red cord you will tie in the window, by which you let us down. And your father and your mother and your brothers and all the house of your father will gather unto you to the house.
19. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of your house outside, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be blameless, and that whosoever shall be with you in the house, his blood shall be upon our head if any hand be upon him.	19. And everyone who will go forth out from the doors of your house to the outside, the guilt of his killing will be on his own head; and we will be innocent. And everyone who will be with you in the house, the guilt of his killing will be on our head, if the hand of a man will be on him.
20. And if you tell this our discussion, then we will be blameless of your oath which you have made us swear.	20. And if you tell this affair of ours, we will be innocent of the oath that you swore upon us."
21. And she said, according to your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed; and she bound the scarlet line in the window.	21. And she said: "According to your words, so it is." And she sent them away, and they went, and she tied a band of red on the window.
22. And they went, and came to the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned; and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but they did not find them.	22. And they went and entered the hill country and dwelt there three days until the pursuers returned. And the pursuers searched on all the way and did not find (them).
23. And the two men returned and descended from the mountain and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun and told him all that had happened to them.	23. And the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came unto Joshua the son of Nun. And they told him everything that happened to them.
24. And they said to Joshua, -For the Lord has delivered into our hands all the land; and also, the inhabitants of the country have melted away because of us.	24. And they said to Joshua that "the LORD has given into our hands all the land," and that "all the inhabitants of the land are shattered before us."

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Yehoshua (Joshua) 2:1-9, 23-24

 

1 And Joshua [the son of Nun]sent [two men out of Shittim to spy] Against my will I must say that he dispatched them during Moses’ mourning period, for after three days following the termination of Moses’ mourning period, they crossed the Jordan, for thence we deduced that Moses died on Adar 7 by counting back thirty-three days from the day they came up from the Jordan, namely, the tenth day of the first month. Now, of necessity, from the time the spies were dispatched, they did not cross the Jordan until the fifth day, as it is stated: and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. On that night they crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and Joshua rose up early in the morning, and they moved from Shittim, here is a fourth day. And they lodged there before they crossed over. Hence, they did not cross until the fifth day.

 

secretly So did Jon. render it. He said to them: Disguise yourselves as deaf-mutes (חרשים) so that they will not conceal their affairs from you. Another explanation is: חרש [with a “shin”] is like חרש [with a “sin” or “samech,” namely pottery.] Load yourselves with pots so that you appear as potters.

 

and see the land and Jericho Now, was Jericho not included in the generalization? Why, then, is it specified? Because it was as strong as all of them [the cities combined], it was situated on the boundary. Similarly, and there were missing of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel. Now, was Asahel not included in the generalization? Why, then, was he specified? Because he was as strong as all of them [combined]. Similarly, and King Solomon loved many foreign wives and Pharaoh’s daughter. Now, was Pharaoh’s daughter not included in the generalization? Why, then, was she specified? Because he loved her as much as all of them [combined]. And regarding the sin, since she caused him to sin more than all of them. This was taught in Sifrei.

 

harlot זונה. Targum Jon. renders: Innkeeper, one who sells various foodstuffs (מזונות).

 

2 to search לחפר [lit. to dig,] to spy. And similarly: Thence he sought (חפר) food.

 

4 and had hidden them [lit. "and had hidden him."] Some Scriptural passages treat the plural as singular. [In this case,] because she hastened to hide them, and [she hid them] in a narrow place as though they were one man. The Agadic Midrash of Rabbi Tanhuma states: They were Phinehas and Caleb, and Phinehas stood before them, yet they did not see him because he was like an angel. Another explanation is: And she hid him, [i.e.,] each one by himself. And we have found the like thereof: Oil and incense make joyful the heart. (ישמח לב), sing. form.) And it is not written לב ישמחו (plural form), [implying that each one makes the heart joyful.]

 

6 with the stalks of flax With their capsules.

 

7 to the fords the place for crossing the water, for they thought that they had turned back towards the Plains of Moab, and the Jordan stood in between.

 

they shut the gate [I.e.,] the gatekeepers.

 

11 nor did there remain (or arise) anymore spirit And there did not remain anymore spirit, even to lie with a woman. [This was evident to Rahab] because, as the Rabbis said: There was neither prince or ruler who had no relations with Rahab the harlot. She was ten years old when the Israelites departed from Egypt, and she practiced harlotry for forty years.

 

12 a true token That you will make, so that when you come and conquer the city, that you will recognize the sign and let me live.

 

15 And she let them down by a rope through the window [lit., by] the [rope.] By this very rope and window the sinners would ascend to her. She said: “O Lord of the universe! With these I have sinned. With these forgive me.”

 

16 until the pursuers return There sprouted in Rahab an expression of Divine Spirit that they would return at the end of three days.

 

17 We will be blameless We are making this matter dependent upon you to make this sign.

 

18 line of scarlet thread תקות - an expression of a line (קו) or rope.

 

19 his blood shall be upon his head The guilt of his slaying will be upon his own head, for he will have caused his own death.

 

his blood shall be upon our head The guilt of his slaying will be upon us.

 

23 and crossed over the Jordan.

 

Commentary on Joshua (Yehoshua) 2:1-9, 23-24

By: H.Ex. Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

 

Joshua, the son of Nun, sent out two spies secretly. Saying go view the land and Jericho. The first observation, taken note of by Abarbanel[59] and the Ralbag,[60] is to question why Yehoshua sent spies to view the land if he trusted in the word of God? They reasoned it was not to see if God was able to keep his word, but to strengthen the hearts of the people. Moses had sent spies out earlier to look over the land of Canaan.  Me’am Lo’ez suggests that both groups of spies were sent to check out the land and review its resources and to plan the best options to engage the enemy. However, the first group of twelve spies went without faith, and on their return, they slandered the land and lost their lives through a plague. (Numb.13-14) Whereas Joshua and Caleb, with faith and a positive report, were the only two of the twelve to live from that generation. When Yehoshua (Joshua) sent the spies to determine a strategy of attack, he followed the lead of Moses as was done at the city of Jazer, which lay halfway between Moab and Ammon. (Numb.21:21ff) The city of Jazer became a Levitical city—a city of refuge—in the territory of the tribe of Gad (Josh 21:38–40).[61] 

 

Malbim comes to answer the question of how Yehoshua sent spies[62] after he saw the evil caused by the mission of the spies in the days of Moshe, and he answers that there were five differences between Yehoshua's spies and Moshe's spies. 1) The spies that Moshe sent were in accordance with the people's question, as it is written (Deuteronomy 1:22), "And you all came near to me and said, 'We have sent men before us,' and therefore; when they returned and brought out the slander, the people relied on them, but here Yehoshua sent them of his own accord and not of the people's knowledge." 2) Moshe sent from the wilderness of Paran,[63] which was far from the land, and they were satisfied with the essence of the land and their ability to conquer it, but Yehoshua sent from Shittim,[64] which was on the border of the land, not to satisfy whether he would enter or not, but only to seek a convenient place to conquer. 3) Moshe sent twelve spies, and Yehoshua sent two men-spies. He stated, there’s a difference; one seeks the good, if the land is good and its people are mighty, and so on, and other spies ask and seek the nakedness of the land, the convenient place to attack and conquer it from.  Malbim then goes on to say:  I have explained that there are two kinds of missions: if the people send messengers to see the good or the bad [which means whether they should fight for it or not], they will send a prince from each tribe, for they will not rely on lesser people, and no tribe will rely on the messenger of another tribe, for they will send a man, whose heart relies on him to give up, if the land is fit before his tribe and his business, according to if he works the land or shepherds or trades or on ships. It was with this intention that Moshe sent a prince from each tribe not to be a spy, and therefore; he sent a prince from each tribe, and therefore; this great obstacle was removed from their mission.

 

Malbim continues on: This is not the case if a spy is sent, and that is, if they agree to conquer it and send to see the nakedness of the land from which place they will easily conquer it, they will send one or two men from a multitude of people, because he will only send the commander of the army who wants to know from which place he will fight, and therefore, Yehoshua sent only two and not twelve, and only people from the crowd that are not princes, and only spies… (looking with an eye to invade.) 4) He fought silently, and instructed the spies for no one to know about it except him.[65] 5) To say, "Go and see the land and Jericho," for the essence of the mission was on Jericho and the land around it, through which they came and wanted to know how they would enter and conquer it.[66]   Regardless, if there is a connection, it is interesting to note that the word for Spies in (v.1) has three associated meanings: to explore, to slander, and to teach to walk. They were sent in Secret to explore, slander, and to teach to walk?^[67]  Rabbi Akiva taught the importance of an אֵת (ʾēṯ) located in the text as a sign to look deeper.^[68]

 

Rashi tells us, just after Moses dies[69], Joshua sent the spies out of Shittim into Jericho. Literally, from the valley of acacias. This place is where the Israelites had sojourned for some time (see Num. 25:1) and to have been “in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, opposite Jericho.” The Acacia wood was often used in construction, and is a very hard, dark wood, which was used in the tabernacle and in the construction of many pieces of its furniture. (Exod. 25,26) Shittim was the staging area where the children of Israel camped as they made battle preparations and plans to enter Canaan.  When comparing Moses at Paran and Joshua at Shittim (Num 25:1-9). Imagine if all the twelve spies sent from Paran spoke like Joshua and Caleb, would we have entered the land and conquered it completely at that time, to never experience exile?  According to Malbim above, the first spy mission to view the land by a prince of each tribe was to see if the children of Israel were going to undertake the mission to conquer the land, part of that review was answering the question, Is the land worth the effort? Yes, they agreed it was, but their lack of faith and slander against the land cost them (current generation) their lives, and then the second spy mission under Yehoshua showed them the way the land was to be conquered.

 

Notice in Numbers 25 passage the same word form used to describe Rahab in v.1 is used to describe the people of Israel, in numbers it’s in its verb form and Joshua 2:1 it’s in the noun form which is translated as armor by some translators as in (1Kgs.22:38) and in Hosea 6:10 it is used furtively in reference to Ephraim’s whoredom.  Strongs # 2181. זָנָה zānāh,  זוֹנָה zônāh,  זֹנָה zōnāh: A verb meaning to fornicate, to prostitute. It is typically used for women and only twice in reference to men (Num. 25:1). As a verb it occurs in connection with prostitution (Lev. 21:7  זֹנָה zōnāh) its simple meaning here is one not able to marry a priest and figuratively, Israel’s improper relationships with other nations (Isa. 23:17  זוֹנָה zônāh).^[70]  Ezek. 23:30 uses זְנוּנִים  z^enûniym to describe the whoreing or harlotry that brought about their nakedness, which is a word that is most often used in reference to a figurative nakedness. Nah. 3:4, the same word is used for the whoreing of the prostitute [ Zonah ]. It is used as a description of Assyria attacking other nations because of its wanton lust or as a description of Assyria under attack as a judgment for its wanton lust^[71] The three-letter root or Lemma [ זָנַח ] is used of other gods (Ex. 34:15) and as a metaphor, it describes Israel’s breach of the Lord’s covenant relationship.  Judah’s daughter-in-law Tamar was accused of prostitution (Gen. 38:24 זוֹנָה zônāh -noun form) to act unfaithfully and “she is pregnant by immorality” - the accusation is  זְנוּנִים z^enûniym – noun form.

 

This word Zonah in its noun form can and is also used to describe cities like Nineveh (Nah. 3:4). It means to act unfaithfully or treacherously, to act or be conceived of as living as a prostitute, commit fornication, be unfaithful, or abandon someone to fornication.^[72]   The first occurrence of our word זָנַח Zo-na(h) is found in Genesis 34:31 when Simeon and Levi replied to their father that the Canaanite Shechem should not / Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?  In Genesis 38:15 the second time it is used as a noun. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. When translators translate the Hebrew into any other language, it is important that the correct word is used, otherwise a wrong impression and connotation is set going forward.[73] When Judah sent his pledge back to Tamar by the hand of his friend, the word [ קְדֵשָׁה q^eḏēšāh ] used is different, a word used for cultic temple prostitutes.[74]  At any rate, the root word is associated with sex, being unfaithful, and even Ahab’s armor.  Figuratively it’s applied to people, places and whole cities and the children of Israel and it is also used of people who are set apart for whatever the reason for their set-apartness.  In Judges 16:1 when Samson visits a prostitute / harlot, it tells us he went in to her and used a form of the same word and the next word implies something else was going on, with Samson operating as a client. This client relationship is not implied with Phinehas and Calab with Rahab.

 

Interpreters throughout history have tended to treat Rahab very favorably. According to the Talmud and Midrash, she became Joshua’s wife (b. Megillah 14b; compare Matt 1:5), had legendary beauty, and was the mother of prophetesses, prophets, and priests (Midr. R. Ruth 2.1, b. Megillah 14b).^[75]   Josephus portrays Rahab as an innkeeper. He might have chosen an alternate interpretation of the Hebrew term זנה (zonah), which is most frequently translated as “prostitute” or “harlot.” On the other hand, he may have deliberately glossed over the issue of her profession (Antiquities 5.6–30). In either case, her “house” may indeed have functioned as an inn.   In comparison, the Septuagint and the authors of the Hebrews and James passage, all use the Greek word πόρνη (pornē, “prostitute”) – again, the importance of choosing the correct word in translation when moving from one language group to another.

 

Many commentators have striven to show that this word simply means an innkeeper, an office which, as Dr. Adam Clarke[76] proves at length, was often filled by a woman. It has been derived from זוּן to nourish, a root also found in the Syriac. The Chaldee paraphrase and many Jewish and Christian interpreters have adopted this interpretation, in order, as Rosenmüller remarks, “to absolve her (virgin Mary) from whom Christ had His origin from the crime of prostitution.”^[77]  Clarke continue on to say; Besides, there is more than presumptive proof that this custom obtained among the Israelites themselves, even in the most polished period of their history; for it is much more reasonable to suppose that the two women, who came to Solomon for judgment, relative to the dead child, (1 Kings 3:16) were inn-keepers, than that they were harlots. It is well known that common prostitutes, from their abandoned course of life, scarcely ever have children; and the laws were so strict against such in Israel, (Deut. 23:18,) that if these had been of that class it is not at all likely they would have dared to appear before Solomon. All these circumstances considered, I am fully satisfied that the term זונה zonah in the text, which we translate harlot, should be rendered tavern or inn-keeper, or hostess.^[78] 

 

Sifrei Bamidbar 78 seems to understand this title of 'zonah' in a different way: Rabbi Eliezer says this is Rachav (Rahab) the 'Zonah' that was busy and engaged with an inn. Here in this context, the Sifrei chooses to understand 'zonah' from the word 'mazon', to provide food (restaurant entrepreneur). Therefore, as an innkeeper, she earned the means to support herself and feed her family. And so, she was referred as Rachav 'the feeder' and that is what 'zonah' means.  Tze'enah Ure’enah, a 17^th century Yiddish work said, “The two spies came to the house of Rahab the Zonah. She kept an inn in which guests stayed. [79]

 

Malbim seems to understand it both literally as a prostitute or seller of food, according to the context.  Zonah like its literal sense [a prostitute]; or a seller of food, like the Targum Yonatan has it [pundakita], and that is with [the same] inflections as tovah. But the true opinion of Yonatan is that it is an actual prostitute. As such is his way, in some places, to translate zonah as pundakit. And so "two women who were zonot" (I Kings 3:16), [is translated in Targum Jonathan as] pundakan [even though it is obvious that they were prostitutes]. And this is even though he translated some of them as nafkat bara [a woman who goes out]. But his opinion is that [this word is used] because a zonah is like a seller of food, in that she makes herself available to all.[80]   Radak and Rashi both comment, according to Targum Yonasson, A lady innkeeper who sold various kinds of foodstuffs.^[81]  Now we come to the question of why all these different opinions and positions? Are we dealing with bad translations, nuances of the text that are being missed in the original language? Is it as simple as reading the text with a Literal (Pshat) or figurative (Sod) approach?  When one looks at all the ink spilled on this subject, one quickly realizes Grandma Moses was right,” to many cooks spoil the stew”.[82]  Scholars have to prove their suppositions, I just believe there are treasures hidden in this second chapter of Joshua.

 

Two women are mentioned in Torah using our descriptive noun the word Zonah: Tamar, who was guilty of incest; [according to some interpreters] Rahab, the harlot; [according to some interpreters].  Ruth, the Moabitess. [although, not called a prostitute by translators, she is still from those who have been separated from the people of Israel]. Rahab had been “devoted to destruction” but later all three of these women are understood to be included in the Messianic line of King David. His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Hillel Ben David has pointed out how in the story of Lot as he “was enjoying a Purim Seudah and a Pesach seder while feeding two angels. Lot a very great man. He was great enough that in his merit he and his entire family were extracted before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra. Thus, we find Mashiach in Sodom. HaShem extracted the messianic sparks from the Goyim (Gentiles) and built them into the Mashiach”.[83]    I believe we have the same thing happening in our story here with Rahab and her family.

 

The Hebrew term זֹנָה (zonah) in the Tanach generally translates as a harlot or prostitute; its meaning can vary depending on the context. It is derived from the root זָנָה (zanah), which means to commit fornication or to be unfaithful. In many cases, zonah refers to a common prostitute, and in others, it indicates cultic prostitution, which was associated with pagan religious practices. The distinction between the two depends on the surrounding text and context. For example, in Leviticus 19:29, the warning against prostitution is linked to religious defilement which pollutes the land. When moving from the Hebrew to the Greek the Hebrew in the Septuagint (LXX) is render by πόρνη.[Greek word  (pornē, “prostitute”] John Calvin calls the interpretation “innkeeper” a “presumptuous wresting of Scripture.” others also rejects the interpretation “innkeeper,” and maintains the right of the spies, who, he says, were no doubt chosen by Joshua for their good moral character, to enter a wicked woman’s house for a good purpose.^[84]  -   Rahab seems to play a very important part in God’s plan. Just like Ruth, another of the most important women listed in scriptures.  It’s worth meditation as to why this descriptive word that describes a lifestyle used of Rahab is also used of Israel? Isaiah 1:21 How the faithful city has become a whore! She was full of justice, righteousness lodged in her— but now murderers!   At one time Jerusalem was faithful like a devoted wife. Now, however, the city has become a harlot. The imagery of prostitution is common in the prophetic books (esp. Jeremiah and Hosea). This figure is based on the ideal that in marriage, as in the relationship between God and Israel, a covenant was made. When a person becomes a prostitute, he or she taints the marriage covenant. In the same way when a person left the true God for idols, they marred their covenant with the Lord^[85]   they (the two spies) went, and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lay there.^[86]  What is the purpose of defaming a person’s character just to inform us they lodged /stayed the night at a woman’s house? Is the implication important to the story? The King sent men to have Rahab turn over these men of Isreal, who came to spy or search out the land, saying: ‘Bring forth the men that are come to thee, that are entered into thy house; for they are come to search out all the land.’ And the woman [Rahab] took the two men and hid them.  Do we have another story where a King searches for a new arrival visiting his land?

 

The majority of commentators are of the opinion that here, we must render by the plural-perfect. The word וַתִּצְפְנוֹ [translated hidden] is singular, but the verse is said regarding the two men and should be plural. There are scriptural verses that speak of the plural as if it were singular. Since she was in a hurry to hide them and she hid them in a narrow place. She hid them in a place that normally would have sufficed for one person. It was as though they were one person. The Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma states ‘That these two men were Pinchos(Phinehas) and Caleiv (Caleb)[87]   and she said: ‘Yea, the men came unto me, but I knew not whence they were [from] and it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; whither the men went I know not; pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.’ As a side note, Catholic commentaries seem to focus on the ‘Prostitution and Protestant commentaries seem to focus more on understanding how Rahab could have lied and the moral and ethical implications. Is it ok to hide spies and illegals to protect them from the King? But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had spread out upon the roof.  The word עָרַך, which signifies laying in a row, and is used of the wood on the altar in Gen. 22:9, and of the shew-bread in Lev. 24:6, here we have a hint to both the altar of Isaac and the temple?  We just learned these two men are hid as a singular, though they are plural (two) and now in the laying of the wood on the altar for Isaac do we have a messianic connection and with the twelve loafs of bread representing the 12 tribes or in the Nazarene Codicil (NT) the 12 disciples or Apostles (The elected, called out ones).

 

And the men pursued after them the way to the Jordan unto the fords; and as soon as they that pursued after them were gone out, the gate was shut and before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; and she said unto the men: ‘I know that the LORD [Adonai] hath given you the land. How did Rahab know Hashem had given the land to the Israelites?[88]  Rahab’s faith is shown by the words in her expression.  What God had willed she regarded as already done, and to speak of the future as of a past already fulfilled is the language of the Hebrew prophets.[89]  and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.[Literally, melt; as in (Exod.15:15-16; 23:27), which is thus shown to be not poetic license, but sober fact. For we may take the future in the passage just cited as a present, and translate, “All the inhabitants of Canaan melt away; fear and dread are falling upon them” (Deut. 2:25; 11:25).^[90] Not when is this going to happen, but when is it completed?

                                      

What events happened that put fear and terror into the hearts of this woman, who had the house where the two spies stopped for the night? It was news that we are to learn affected all the men of the city and some Rabbis see in a midrash that this terror was so great that it stopped the men’s physical and sexual libidos.  The next few verses after our reading fill in the details and set up the conclusion in (v.23-24).  For we have heard how the LORD [Adonai] dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan, unto Sihon and to Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. Whom ye utterly destroyed. Literally, devoted to utter destruction as in (Josh. 6:21ff). Rahab seems to have been aware that the extermination of these nations was in fulfilment of a Divine judgement, prophecy, or sentence.

 

Rahab goes on to recount;  As soon as we had heard it, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more spirit in any man, because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath  Here Rahab states the same proclamation of faith that the Hebrew prophets coming hundreds of years later will state, when they speak of the nation’s turning to Israel and telling Israel, we know, your God is God and we want to go with you. (Zech.8:23) Sounds like Rahab had been reading the Torah (Deut 4:39), Isaiah 45, and attending Sabbath studies. Rahab came to understand there was one God in heaven and the same God in the earth and everything in between was controlled by him. Solomon repeats the same ideals in his prayer of dedication of the temple. (I Kings 8:22ff) The power and display of Israel’s God had parted the Red Sea and slayed the Egyptians for all the surrounding nations to witness and from where Rahab stood it had been almost 40 years since the Red sea, and more recently God gave the Israelites victories over Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan (Num. 21:21–35). Now that same God was closing in on them and she knew they were next to be “devoted to destruction” and they could not possibly win the battle.

 

We see in the story of Rahab the motif of faith as the people (Israel) approached. (v.9) This faith and belief transpired in the life of this Gentile Canaanite. And we can see a foretelling of a future prophecy, where God said he would take. “Two from a city, one from a family.” Rahab is afterwards said to become the wife of Joshua of the tribe of Ephraim and the Nazarene writers connects her with being the wife of Salmon, a prince of the tribe of Judah, as the genealogy in  Matthew 1:1-6 tells us.[91] The Tanakh calls her a zonah, generally translated as “harlot”, but many of our Sages interpreted the term in the sense that she actually had a bakery and provided mazon, “sustenance”. In Yalkut Shimoni (on Yehoshua 9) it is said that she really was a harlot (from the age of ten, no less) and finally gave up her sinful ways at the age of fifty, inspired by the Israelites' arrival. She repented so thoroughly that the mighty Joshua himself married her, and from them descended eight great prophets and priests of Israel: Jeremiah and his father Hilkiah, Seraiah, Baruch and his father Neriah, Hanamel, and Shallum (see also Megillah 14b. [92] 

 

Between Joshua and Boaz, there were three generations or more. Boaz, when he married Ruth, was an old man (Ruth 3:10).  We may be sure, from the fact that she was chosen to be a “mother in Israel,” that she forsook the sins of her country and her people and joined with the people of Israel. Rahab is mentioned in the Nazarene Codicil in (Heb. 11:31, James 2:25). From there we learn she was remembered for her faith, just as the children of Israel who cross the Red Sea and thus “she did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.”  James, Yeshua’s brother, remembers her for the same motif /reason.  Abraham believed God, it was counted to him as righteousness,”— and he was called a friend of God. (Isa.41:8) You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers (two spies) and sent them out by another way. When Rahab asked for kindness (v.12) to be shown to her family, she used a significant and meaningful word. Found about 250 times in the Tanach, ḥeseḏ means loyal, steadfast, or faithful love based on a promise, agreement, or covenant. Sometimes the word is used of God’s covenant-love for His people, and sometimes, as here, of relationships on the human level. Rahab’s request was that the spies make a ḥeseḏ agreement with her and her father’s family, just as she had made a ḥeseḏ agreement with them by sparing their lives.^[93]  

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Joshua 2:1 And Joshua [the son of Nun]sent [two men out of Shittim to spy] Against my will I must say that he dispatched them during Moses’ mourning period, for after three days following the termination of Moses’ mourning period, they crossed the Jordan, for thence we deduced that Moses died on Adar 7 by counting back thirty-three days from the day they came up from the Jordan, namely, the tenth day of the first month. Now, of necessity, from the time the spies were dispatched, they did not cross the Jordan until the fifth day, as it is stated, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. On that night, they crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and Joshua rose early in the morning, and they moved from Shittim, here is a fourth day. And they lodged there before they crossed over. Hence, they did not cross until the fifth day. Nisan, as we know, is the month we celebrate the time of release, deliverance, salvation, freedom, and liberation.

 

Nisan 8 - Joshua secretly sends two spies to Jericho. Day 1 in hiding in the hills of Jericho.  Josh. 2:1-23

Nisan 9 - Joshua secretly sends two spies to Jericho. Day 2 in hiding in the hills of Jericho.  Josh. 2:1-23

Nisan 10 - Joshua's secret spies return from Jericho. Day 3 in hiding in the hills of Jericho.  Josh. 2:1-23

Nisan 12 - Abraham and Isaac set out to offer Isaac (Akeida).  Gen. 22:1-18 (see the Zohar on Gen. 28:11)

Nisan 13 - HaShem and the angels visit Abraham, three days after his circumcision - 2048.  Genesis 18:1ff Bava Metzia 86b

Nisan 14 - Og comes to Abram and relates the capture of Lot. Targum Pseudo Yonatan to Bereshit 14

Nisan 15 - Joshua and the Israelites celebrate Pesach at Gilgal.  Josh. 5:10. Then Joshua and the Israelites besiege Jericho and march around the city – day 1.  Joshua 6:1ff

Nisan 21 - Moses saw the burning bush in 2447 – Day 7 of 7. Exodus 3:2, Bachya, Bo, Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus XI:6.  - Joshua and the Israelites march around Jericho – day 7. Jericho’s walls recede. Jericho is destroyed.  Joshua 6:1ff

Reviewing the date of Nisan 15 and the days before and the days just after it, one comes to realize this is probably one of, if not the most important, time periods on God's calendar.[94] Many events have happened in this two-week period, and the themes and connections are too many to ignore as happenstance.  Rahab reached a conclusion, made a commitment, and then made a life-altering decision. Canaan represents the good land God is giving to his people and claiming as his own. There is an opinion that Israel, the land of Canaan, will one day spread out and encompass the whole earth.[95] Jericho is a city northwest of the Dead Sea area that Israel first conquered at their entrance into the land of Canaan. Jericho, the capital of its day, the place where it was happening, a modern cosmopolitan city, the seat of power where even the King lived. The city was not following after God, and when attacking a beast, you start with its head. This area of Jericho is so important that it was where Elijah used his cloak to part the Jordan and go catch his heavenly chariot. (1 Ki. 2)  When looking at our reading this week a connection between the Torah and Ashlamata portions is the theme of spying out and reviewing the land. From the many hints one can see, there is no doubt Rahab has been chosen from the nations to become a part of Israel and a “mother” in the messianic line. Rahab chose her association with Israel. As long as one maintains his affiliation with K’lal Yisrael, Israel as a whole, has a collective share in Olam Haba, but not the gentile nations. There are righteous gentiles who have a share, too, but this is only on an individual basis as connected to Israel. (Rambam, Teshuvah 3:5).

 

Special Ashlamata for Shabbat Mevarchim

 

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Shmuel alef (I Samuel) 20:18-42

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: Shmuel alef (I Samuel) 20:18-42

 

18 Tomorrow is the new moon: and it is the custom of all those who eat at the king’s table to come on the festive day to the table.

 

and you will be remembered: My father will remember you, and ask where you are.

 

for your seat will be vacant: for your seat in which you sit, will be vacant, and so did Jonathan render: and you will be sought, for your seat will be vacant.

 

and you will be remembered: [ונפקדת is] an expression of remembering.

 

will be vacant: [יפקד is] an expression of lacking.

 

19 And for three days you shall hide very well: And you shall triple the days, and then you shall descend very much, i.e., when the third day arrives, you shall descend into a secret place, and hide very well, for then they will seek you. And you shall come to this secret place, wherein you are hiding today, which is a workday. And so did Jonathan render: on the weekday, for he hid on that day, as it is stated: (infra v. 24) “And David hid in the field;” immediately, “and it was the new moon” on the morrow.

 

the travelers’ stone: (Heb. ‘even-ha azel,’ lit., the going stone, i.e.) a stone which was a sign (a landmark) for travelers.

 

Ha-azel: those who go on the road. And so did Jonathan render: even atha, the stone which was a sign.

 

20 to the side, I shall shoot: This is not a ‘mappiq-heh’ (aspirate ‘heh’).צדה is to be interpreted like לצד, to a side, for every word which requires a ‘lamed’ as a prefix, the Scripture gives a ‘he’ as a suffix. (Jeb. 13b) At the side of that stone, I shall shoot arrows to a mark, so that the youth will not understand, and this sign shall be for you to divine whether you must flee.

 

21 And behold, I shall send, etc.: And it is customary for one who seeks an arrow which has been shot, to go to the place where he sees the arrow flying, but he cannot ascertain exactly. Sometimes he searches for it, and the arrow is beyond him, and sometimes he goes beyond the arrow and searches for it, and you shall have this sign.

 

If I say to the youth… take it and come: you yourself emerge from your hiding place, and take it, and come to me, for you have not to fear, for it is well with you. The Holy One Blessed be He, desires that you be here, and even if I have heard evil from Father.

 

22 But, if I say thus… Go! For the Lord has sent you away: The Holy One Blessed be He tells you to flee and escape.

 

23 And concerning the matter which we have spoken: the covenant which we made together.

 

behold, the Lord is between me and you: as Witness concerning that matter.

 

25 the seat by the wall: at the head of the couch beside the wall.

 

and Jonathan arose: He got up from his place, since it is not proper for a son to recline beside his father. Since their custom was to eat reclining on couches and David would recline between Jonathan and Saul, now that David did not come, Jonathan did not recline until Abner sat down beside Saul, and afterwards, Jonathan sat beside Abner. And if you say that he did not sit at all, the Scripture states: (infra v. 34) “And Jonathan arose from the table,” implying that he had been sitting.

 

26 It is an incident: He has experienced a seminal emission.

 

he is not clean: and he has not yet immersed himself, for had he immersed himself for the uncleanness of his emission, he would not have to wait until sunset in order to eat ordinary food.

 

for he is not clean: This clause gives the reason for the matter; i.e., since he is not clean, he, therefore, did not come, lest he contaminate the feast.

 

27 on the morrow of the new moon: on the morrow of the renewal of the moon.

 

the second: on the second day of the month.

 

29 and he, my brother, commanded me: The eldest of the house, commanded me that I be there. And he is my brother Eliab.

 

let me slip away: ‘Escamoter’ in French. I shall go away for one day and come back.

 

30 a straying woman, deserving of punishment: (בן נעות המרדות) An expression of straying and wandering, נע ונד, a gadding woman. Just as you say זעוה from זע, and the ‘tav’ is for the construct state, for it is connected to the word המרדות.

 

deserving of punishment: (Heb. המרדות), who deserves to be chastised and disciplined. Another explanation is as follows: When the men of Benjamin grabbed the girls of Shiloh, who came out to dance in the vineyards (Jud. 21:21), Saul was bashful, and did not want to grab [a girl], until she came herself, behaving insolently, and pursued him.

 

straying woman: because of the vineyards. And that is a winepress, like (the Talmudical passage): Purge the winepress (which was used for forbidden wine) (Ab. Zarah 74b); His winepresses will drip with wine (Targum Onkelos, Gen. 40:12) …. (The last three words of Rashi are incomprehensible, and are probably erroneous. The correct version is unknown to us.)

 

34 he was grieved (lit.) to David: concerning David.

 

for his father had put him to shame: concerning David.

 

35 at David’s appointed time: at the time which David had set for him.

 

36 to cause it to go beyond him.: The arrow went beyond the boy.

 

41 from a place toward the south: (lit., from by the south. Jonathan renders:) from the side of the travelers’ (or sign) stone which was toward the south.

 

until David exceeded: He cried more.

 

42 Go in peace: And the oath which we have sworn, may the Lord be witness thereon forever.

 

 

Verbal Tallies and Connections

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

 

Based on the JPS translation and the underlying Hebrew, the main verbal connections between Bamidbar 13:2 and Joshua 2:1 are:

 

• שָׁלַח (shalach - H7971): The verb meaning "to send" or "sent," used in both passages regarding dispatching individuals.

 

• אֲנָשִׁים (anashim - H376): The noun meaning "men," present in the Hebrew of both verses (translated as "men" in Num 13:2 and as part of "two men, spies" in Josh 2:1 Hebrew, though JPS translates "two spies").

 

• אֶרֶץ (eretz - H776): The noun meaning "land," appearing multiple times in both passages concerning the territory being investigated.

 

While both describe an intelligence-gathering mission, the specific Hebrew root for "to spy out" or "to view" differs between the verses (תּוּר - H8446 in Bamidbar 13:2 vs. רָגַל - H7272/H7270 in Joshua 2:1).

 

* * *

 

The thematic connection between Bamidbar 13:1 – 14:10 , and Tehillim (Psalms) 101:1-8 lies in the contrast between the failure resulting from faithlessness and wickedness in Bamidbar 13:1-14:10 (the scouts' bad report and the people's rebellion leading to God's judgment and wandering) and the principles for righteous living and governance in Tehillim 101:1-8 (the psalmist's commitment to integrity, justice, and rejecting wickedness to ensure a godly community). Both passages underscore the significance of faithfulness and righteousness in contrast to wickedness and deceit, and their direct impact on individuals and the community's destiny in relation to God.

 

* * *

 

Rahab, Spies, and Future Hope: Eschatological Threads in Joshua 2

 

Who is Rahab's husband and what happened to her descendants?

 

According to Jewish sources, after Rahab converted to Judaism, she married an Israelite. Some traditions state she married Joshua, while others say she married Salmon (often identified as a leader from the tribe of Judah). Her descendants are said to have included prominent prophets and prophetesses in Israel, such as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Huldah.

 

The narrative of the spies in Jericho and Rahab's role in Yehoshua (Joshua) 2:1-9, 23-24, while primarily historical, carries significant theological weight that resonates with eschatological themes in both Jewish and Christian thought.

 

Jewish Interpretation:

 

While not always explicitly eschatological in the sense of end-times prophecy, Jewish tradition often views the entry into the Promised Land as a paradigm for future redemption. Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute who recognizes God's power and aligns herself with Israel, represents the possibility of inclusion and salvation for righteous gentiles who fear God and aid His people. Her deliverance with her household amidst the destruction of Jericho foreshadows a future time when those outside of Israel who cleave to God will be saved. The fear of the Canaanites mentioned in the spies' report (2:24) signifies the fulfillment of God's promises and serves as a foretaste of the ultimate recognition of God's sovereignty by all nations in the messianic era.

 

Christian Interpretation:

 

Christian perspectives often see stronger eschatological and messianic connections. Rahab is highlighted in the New Testament (Matthew 1:5, Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25) as an example of faith and is included in the lineage of Yeshua, signifying God's grace extends beyond ethnic boundaries and includes unlikely individuals in His redemptive plan. Her salvation through faith and the scarlet cord (2:18, 21), which some interpretations connect symbolically to the blood of Christ, are seen as foreshadowing salvation from divine judgment for those who believe. The conquest of Jericho and entry into the Promised Land prefigure the ultimate victory of God's kingdom and the entrance of believers into their eternal inheritance. Rahab's inclusion in the community of Israel through faith points towards the eschatological ingathering of believers from all nations into the church.

 

Concise Thematic Connections:

 

Both traditions find in this passage themes of:

 

• Salvation for those who fear God: Rahab's deliverance demonstrates God's willingness to save those who acknowledge His power and align with His purposes, regardless of their background.

 

• Inclusion of outsiders: Rahab's integration into Israel foreshadows a future ingathering that extends beyond the initial covenant community.

 

• Triumph over opposition: The impending fall of Jericho represents God's power to overcome obstacles and fulfill His promises.

 

Key Distinctions:

 

Christian interpretation explicitly links Rahab and the events to Yeshua HaMashiach as the means of salvation and the ultimate fulfillment of the promises in the eschatological age, emphasizing the inclusion of Gentiles in the church. Jewish interpretation focuses more on Rahab as a model of a righteous gentile and the entry into the land as a pattern for future national redemption and the recognition of God's sovereignty by the nations.

 

 

Nazarean Talmud

Sidrah of Bamidbar (Numbers) 13:1 – 14:10

“Sh’lach L’kha” “Send out for yourself”

By: Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

 

Nazarean Codicil to be read in conjunction with the following Torah Seder

 

 

Commentary to Hakham Tsefet’s School of Pshat

 

Where's the Mossad? The Blundering Spies and the Illusion of "Mission Impossible"

 

The opening verses of Bamidbar (Numbers) 13:1-14:10 contrast the ethos of the modern Israeli intelligence agency, the Mossad. While the Mossad, whose very name playfully alludes to being the "fly on the wall," subtly and relentlessly achieves its objectives with an almost preternatural ability to overcome obstacles, the spies sent to scout the Land of Israel displayed a profound lack of the very qualities that define successful intelligence operations. Their mission, intended to be a fact-finding endeavor to pave the way for Israel's inheritance, devolved into a catastrophic failure of perception, analysis, and ultimately, faith.

 

Unlike their contemporary counterparts in the Mossad, these ancient emissaries allowed fear and subjective interpretation to overshadow objective reality and the overarching divine mandate completely. Instead of embodying the Mossad's spirit of resourceful determination and unwavering commitment to mission success – the understanding that for those truly dedicated, "mission impossible" is merely a temporary challenge – these spies succumbed to a narrative of insurmountable obstacles. Their report, dripping with apprehension and exaggeration, actively suppressed the truth of the land's bounty and, more critically, G-d's omnipotent power to deliver it. They focused on the perceived strength of the inhabitants and the fortifications of their cities, failing to internalize the fundamental principle that no earthly power can prevail with Divine backing.

 

The Mossad, renowned for its ingenuity and ability to navigate seemingly impenetrable situations, operates on the bedrock of meticulous intelligence gathering, strategic thinking, and an unshakeable belief in its capacity to achieve its goals. Had these ancient spies possessed even a fraction of the Mossad's tenacity and operational acumen, they would have undoubtedly found a way to present a balanced and ultimately encouraging assessment of the land. They might have identified vulnerabilities, strategic advantages, and pathways to successful integration, rather than succumbing to paralyzing fear and disseminating a report that undermined the very foundation of Israel's faith and its claim to its divinely promised inheritance. Their failure was not merely a misreading of the terrain; it was a profound failure of intelligence, a testament to their inability to see beyond their own anxieties and embrace the possibility of divinely ordained success. Consequently, this act of collective faithlessness, fueled by their flawed intelligence gathering and fear-based reporting, tragically jeopardized that generation's legitimacy to inherit the Land, a far cry from the Mossad's unwavering dedication to ensuring the success of its missions, no matter the apparent odds.

 

In the wake of Masada and this biblical account, the Israelites have determined “never again.” But this doesn’t mean the same type of spies could not resurface. I pray, “never again!”

 

How the Mossad Gets the "Mission Impossible" Done: Rahab's Paradigm of Courageous Truth

 

In stark contrast to the blundering of the earlier spies, the narrative of Rahab in Yehoshua (Joshua) 2:1-9, 23-24 embodies the very spirit and operational brilliance that allows the Mossad to consistently achieve what others deem "mission impossible." Rahab, an inhabitant of Jericho – a city slated for destruction due to its opposition to the divine will – exemplifies the crucial intelligence asset who, through keen discernment and courageous action, turns the tide of events. Like a seasoned katsa (case officer) identifying a critical point of leverage, Rahab recognized the undeniable truth of the Israelite G-d's power and the inevitability of their victory. This clear-sighted assessment, unclouded by the prevailing sentiment of her own people, mirrors the Mossad's ability to penetrate enemy lines and glean crucial intelligence, seeing beyond superficial appearances to the underlying realities.

 

Rahabs’ belief is readily stated. "I know that the L-rd has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the L-rd dried up the water of the Sea of Reeds before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the L-rd your G-d, he is G-d in the heavens above and on the earth beneath."

 

Her words clearly indicate that the reputation and the fear of the Israelite nation, fueled by the miracles G-d performed for them during the Exodus and their victories over the Amorite kings, had already preceded their arrival in Canaan. The inhabitants of Jericho were well aware of their impending approach and were gripped by terror.

 

Driven by this profound understanding, Rahab took decisive and daring action, bravely sheltering the Israelite spies and actively defying the authority of her own city. This act of profound courage, rooted in truth and a willingness to risk everything for a higher purpose, is the hallmark of a successful Mossad operation. Just as Mossad agents often operate in hostile environments, relying on their wits and unwavering commitment to their objective, Rahab navigated treacherous circumstances to facilitate the Israelite mission. Her reward was not merely personal safety; remarkably, her actions paved the way for her integration into the very fabric of Israel, even leading to the lineage of King David. This outcome underscores the Mossad's strategic brilliance – turning potential adversaries into invaluable assets and achieving long-term objectives through calculated risk and unwavering resolve. The fate of the inhabitants of Jericho, who clung to their false sense of security and resisted the undeniable truth, serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of failing to recognize and adapt to the prevailing reality. Rahab's story, therefore, is not just a historical anecdote; it is a timeless paradigm of how courage, truth, and decisive action – the very cornerstones of the Mossad's operational success – can transform seemingly "impossible" missions into triumphant realities, conferring legitimacy and shaping the course of history.

 

The Bonds of Truth: Legitimate Kinship in the Face of Injustice

 

The intricate relationship between David and Jonathan, as depicted in Shmuel Alef (I Samuel) 20:18-42, provides a poignant exploration of legitimate kinship and unwavering loyalty in the face of blatant injustice and the intentional suppression of truth. Jonathan, the heir apparent to the throne, recognizes the divine favor bestowed upon David and the inherent legitimacy of his future kingship, even as his father, King Saul, is consumed by jealous rage and actively seeks to undermine David. Jonathan's commitment to truth and justice compels him to forge a deep and enduring covenant with David, a bond built on mutual respect and a shared understanding of spiritual reality. He consistently protects David from Saul's malicious intentions, even at significant personal risk, demonstrating where his true allegiance and sense of legitimacy lie – not merely in blood ties but in alignment with righteousness. Saul, blinded by his insecurities and actively suppressing the truth of David's divinely ordained destiny, progressively forfeits his own moral and spiritual legitimacy. His reign becomes increasingly characterized by paranoia and injustice, a stark contrast to the integrity and truthfulness that define the bond between David and Jonathan, representing a far deeper and more legitimate form of kinship.

 

The Foundation of Righteous Rule: Upholding Truth and Eradicating Deceit

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 101:1-8 offers a powerful articulation of the principles that underpin just and legitimate governance. Attributed to King David, this psalm serves as a personal declaration of his commitment to tzedakah (righteousness) and mishpat (justice) as the cornerstones of his reign. David vows to cultivate an environment where truth prevails and deceit is actively eradicated from his inner circle and his kingdom. He explicitly states his intention to distance himself from those who engage in slander, pride, and falsehood, recognizing that such individuals actively suppress the truth and undermine the foundations of a legitimate and righteous society. This psalm underscores the profound connection between truthfulness and legitimate authority. A ruler who embraces truth and actively combats its suppression creates a stable and just realm. At the same time, one who tolerates or engages in deceit inevitably erodes the very basis of their legitimacy. David's commitment serves as a timeless model for leadership, emphasizing that true authority is inextricably linked to an unwavering dedication to truth and the active rejection of its subversion.

 

Restoring Legitimate Unions: The Truth of Divine Mercy in Marriage

 

Finally, when we approach Mark 10:1-9 and Luke 16:18 through the interpretive lens you have illuminated, prioritizing the Pshat and Tosefta and acknowledging the potential limitations of the Greek translations, a profound understanding of legitimacy within the context of marriage and divorce emerges. The act of a man "sending away" his wife without the formal and legally binding “get” is not merely a social inconvenience but a fundamental injustice that undermines the legitimacy of the separation and any subsequent unions. It represents a unilateral act that disregards the divinely ordained process for dissolving a marriage, a process rooted in G-d's own understanding of human fallibility and the need for compassionate release in situations of irreconcilable differences. To rigidly interpret the concept of "what G-d has joined" as an absolute and unbreakable bond, without acknowledging the provision for divorce within the Torah, is to intentionally suppress the truth of G-d's mercy (Middat HaRachamim) operating within the framework of His justice (Middat HaDin). Such a harsh and inflexible stance, akin to the hardheartedness you attribute to the Shammaites, can lead to immense suffering and the creation of illegitimate situations, trapping individuals in loveless and potentially destructive unions. The true intent, as you articulate, is to foster legitimate and honorable relationships that bear positive spiritual and physical fruit. When a marriage deteriorates to the point of irreparable breakdown, the provision of the get serves not as a negation of the initial union but as a means of restoring legitimacy and allowing individuals to move forward in a just and righteous manner. The intentional withholding of a get, therefore, becomes an act of injustice that actively suppresses the truth of G-d's compassionate will and undermines the potential for legitimate new beginnings.

Here, G-d Himself is the “fly on the wall” watching and ensuring justice.

 

Some Questions to Ponder:

 

1. From all the readings for this week, which particular verse or passage caught your attention and fired your heart and imagination?
In your opinion, and taking into consideration all of the above readings for this Sabbath, what is the prophetic message (the idea that encapsulates all the Scripture passages read) for this week.

 

 

Blessing After Torah Study

 

Barúch Atáh Adonai, Elohénu Meléch HaOlám,

Ashér Natán Lánu Torát Emét, V'Chayéi Olám Natá B'Tochénu.

Barúch Atáh Adonái, Notén HaToráh. Amen!

 

Blessed is Ha-Shem our GOD, King of the universe,

Who has given us a teaching of truth, implanting within us eternal life.

Blessed is Ha-Shem, Giver of the Torah. Amen!

 

“Now unto Him who is able to preserve you faultless, and spotless, and to establish you without a blemish,

before His majesty, with joy, [namely,] the only one GOD, our Deliverer, by means of Yeshua the Messiah our Master, be praise, and dominion, and honor, and majesty, both now and in all ages. Amen!”

 

Count 42 days on Saturday night, May 24, 2025

 

Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha’Olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tizivanu al sefirat ha’omer.

 

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to count the omer.

 

Today is forty-two days, which is six weeks of the Omer.

Malchut ShebeYesod

Then read the following:

 

 

Ephesians 6:5-8 Bondservants,^[99] follow the direction of your masters^[100] according to the flesh, with reverential awe (fear and trembling), in purity of motive (singleness of your heart), as if it (your service) were to Messiah; not with the intent of making false impressions, as men-pleasers, but as the bondservants of Messiah, doing the will of God from the true understanding (motive – neshamah), with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men knowing that the Lord rewards midda kneged midda (measure for measure), whether he is a bondservant or a freeman.

 

Count 43 days on Sunday night, May 25, 2025

 

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to count the omer.

 

Today is forty-three days, which is six weeks and one day of the Omer.

Chesed ShebeMalchut

Then read the following:

 

 

Ephesians 6:9 And masters, do the same things to them^[101] the (bondservants),^[102] setting aside any coercion (threats), knowing^[103] that your Master also is in the heavens.^[104] There is no partiality^[105] with him.

 

 

Count 44 days on Monday night, May 26, 2025

 

Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha’Olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tizivanu al sefirat ha’omer.

 

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to count the omer.

 

Today is forty-four days, which is six weeks and two days of the Omer.

Gevurah ShebeMalchut

Then read the following:

 

 

Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally,^[106] my brothers, be clothed^[107] (strong)^[108] in the Lord and in the strength^[109] of His might.^[110] Put on^[111] the whole armor of God^[112] so that you may be able to stand against the deceits^[113] (methods) of the adversary.^[114] For we do not wrestle^[115] against flesh and blood,^[116] but^[117] against principalities,^[118] against authorities,^[119] against the rulers of the cosmos,^[120] ruling the present age of darkness,^[121] against spiritual wickedness among the heavenly spheres.^[122]

Count 45 days on Tuesday night, May 27, 2025

 

Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha’Olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tizivanu al sefirat ha’omer.

 

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to count the omer.

 

Today is forty-five days, which is six weeks and three days of the Omer.

Tiferet ShebeMalchut

Then read the following:

 

 

Ephesians 6:13-15 Therefore,^[123] take upon yourselves^[124] the whole armor of God,^[125] that you may be able to withstand in the evil day,^[126] and having done all, to stand. Therefore stand, being equipped with the knowledge (Da’at) truth,^[127] being clothed about with a breastplate of righteousness/generosity^[128] and your walk^[129] ordered^[130] by the restorative^[131] Mesorah. In all circumstances, take upon yourselves the shield of faithful obedience, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming darts of the Yetser HaRa (evil inclination).

 

Count 46 days on Wednesday night, May 28, 2025

 

Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha’Olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tizivanu al sefirat ha’omer.

 

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to count the omer.

 

Today is forty-six days, which is six weeks and four days of the Omer.

Netzach ShebeMalchut

Then read the following:

 

 

Ephesians 6:17-18 And take the head-covering^[132] of atonement,^[133] and the circumcision knife^[134] of the Oral Torah,^[135] which is the Torah of God,^[136] praying always the prayer (i.e. Amidah) and supplication in accordance to the Siddur,^[137] and guarding this very thing with all reverence^[138] and supplication for all Tsadiqim.^[139]

 

 

Count 47 days on Thursday night, May 29, 2025

 

Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha’Olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tizivanu al sefirat ha’omer.

 

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to count the omer.

 

Today is forty-seven days, which is six weeks and five days of the Omer.

Hod ShebeMalchut

Then read the following:

 

 

Ephesians 6:19-20 And pray for me, that words may be given to me,^[140] that I may open my mouth^[141] and speak freely^[142] to make known the mystery^[143] (Sod) of the Mesorah,^[144] for which I am an imprisoned ambassador; so that in it I may speak freely, as I ought to speak.^[145]

 

Count 48 days on Friday night, May 30, 2025

 

Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha’Olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tizivanu al sefirat ha’omer.

 

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to count the omer.

 

Today is forty-eight days, which is six weeks and six days of the Omer.

Yesod ShebeMalchut

Then read the following:

 

 

Ephesians 6:21-22 But, so that you also may know^[146] my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithfully obedient servant in the Lord (God), will reveal to you everything,^[147] who I have sent^[148] to you for the same purpose, that you might know our affairs and that he might comfort your hearts.

 

Next Shabbat:

Shabbat: “A’ad-Anah Y’na-atsuni” – “How long will”

 

 

Contents of Next Week’s Torah Seder

 

·        The Divine Wrath and the Intercession of Moses – Numbers 14:11-25

·        The Punishment of the People – Numbers 14:26-39

·        Detour Back to Egypt – Numbers 14:40-45

 

Next week’s Reading Assignment:

 

 

 

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

Edited by His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham

A special thank you to HH Giberet Giborah bat Sarah and Giberet Sarai bat Sarah for their diligence in proof-reading