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

His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Karmela bat Sarah,

His Honor Paqid Adon Tzuriel ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Gibora bat Sarah

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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.

 

                                                          

Friday Evening May 2, 2025

Evening: Counting of the Omer Day 20

 

Evening Counting of the Omer Day 20.

Then read the following:

 

 

There is one^[1] body^[2] and one soul (spirit),^[3] even as you are called^[4] in one hope^[5] of your calling, one Master,^[6] one assurance,^[7] one (initial)^[8] immersion, one G-d^[9] and Father of all, who is above all and through^[10] all and in you all.

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!

 

 

Shabbat: “A’aseh L’kha Sh’tei Chatsots’rot” – “Make yourself two trumpets”

 

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·        Trumpets of Silver – Numbers 10:1-10

·        The Departure from Sinai – Numbers 10:11-28

·        Hobab – Numbers 10:29-32

·        On the Journey – Numbers 10:33-34

·        Invocation Prayers – Numbers 10:35-36

·        At Taberah – Numbers 11:1-3

·        The Graves of Lust – Numbers 11:4-9

·        Moses’ Discouragement and Complaint – Numbers 11:10-15

 

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) 10:1 – 11:15

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: Bamidbar (Numbers) 10:1 – 11:15

 

2 Make yourself So they should blow before you like a king, as it says, “There was a king among in Jerushun” [Deut. 33:5].

 

Make yourself From your own resources.

 

Make yourself You make them and use them, but no one else. -[from Midrash Rabbah])

 

To summon the congregation When you wish to speak with the members of the Sanhedrin court and the rest of the people, and you summon them to gather before you, convene them with the trumpets.

 

And to announce the departure of the camps At the time the camps are due to depart, blow on them as a signal. It follows that they traveled at the behest of three—at God’s bidding, by the word of Moses and by the call of the trumpets.

 

Beaten It should be made out of a single block, by banging it with a hammer.

 

3 When they blow on them With both of them; it is a signal for the congregation to assemble, as it says, “the entire congregation shall assemble to you, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.”

 

4 If they blow one of them It is a signal for the princes to assemble, as it says, “the princes...shall assemble to you.” Their meeting point was also at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. This is derived by the Sifrei from the rule of inference.

 

5 When you blow a teruah [a series of short blasts] The signal for the camps to travel was a tekiah, a teruah and a tekiah. The Sifrei derives this from redundant verses.

 

7 But when assembling the congregation Because it says, “they shall be used by you to summon the congregation and to announce the departure of the camps” (verse 2). Just as summoning the congregation is done by two priests, and with both trumpets as it says, "they shall blow with them"—so the traveling of the camps was with both of them. I might think that just as [with] the departure of the camps he blows a tekiah, teruah, tekiah, so when summoning the congregation, he blows a tekiah, teruah, tekiah, and now there would be no difference between [the signal for] summoning the congregation and [the signal for initiating] the departure of the camps. Scripture therefore teaches, “But when assembling the congregation...” indicating that no teruah is blown to summon the congregation, and the same applies for [convening] the leaders. So, there is a signal for all three: Summoning the congregation was with two, and [convening] the princes with one and neither of them included a teruah. Initiating the camps departure was with both—with a teruah and a tekiah.

 

8 The descendants of Aaron...shall blow for these summoning’s and journeyings.

 

10 For your ascent-offerings The verse speaks of communal offerings. - [from Sifrei]

 

I am the Lord your God From here we learn that [on the New Year Festival (Rosh HaShanah)] the verses proclaiming God’s kingship (מַלְכִיוֹת) [are recited] with [verses of] remembrances (זִכְרוֹנוֹת) and [verses] relating to the shofar (שׁוֹפְרוֹת) , for it says, "You shall blow"—this refers to the שׁוֹפְרוֹת ; "a remembrance"—this refers to זִכְרוֹנוֹת ; "I am the Lord your God"—this refers to מַלְכִיוֹת . - [from Sifrei]

 

11 Of the second month Hence, you say that they spent twelve months minus ten days at Horeb, for on the first day of [the month of] Sivan, they encamped there, and did not travel until the twentieth of Iyar of the following year.

 

12 On their journeys In accordance with the regulations set down for the traveling of their banners which should be first and which should be last.]

 

In the desert of Paran Kivroth HaTa’avah was in the desert of Paran, and that is where they camped after this journey.

 

17 The Tabernacle was dismantled Once the banner of Judah had set out, Aaron and his sons went in, took down the parocheth curtain and covered the Ark with it, as it says, “When the camp is about to travel, Aaron and his sons shall come” (4:5). The sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari dismantled the Tabernacle and loaded it on wagons. The Ark and the holy utensils, which were carried by the sons of Kohath, stood covered and were placed on poles, until the banner of the camp of Judah set out. Following this, “the Kohathites... set out” (verse 21).

 

21 Carried the holy They carried the sacred equipment.

 

And they had erected the Tabernacle The sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who had preceded them [the Kohathites] by the departure of two banners [their own and Reuben’s], erected the Tabernacle as soon as the cloud settled. The signal for camping was seen in the camp of Judah, and when they encamped, the sons of Kohath were still traveling behind them, with the last two banners [Ephraim and Dan]. The sons of Gershon and Merari erected the Tabernacle so that when the sons of Kohath arrived, they found it set up. They brought in the Ark, the Table, the Candelabrum, and the altars. This is the meaning of the verse: Those who erected the Tabernacle erected it עַד , [that is,] before the arrival of the Kohathites.

 

25 The collector for all the other camps The Jerusalem Talmud [states]: Because the tribe of Dan was numerous, they traveled last, and if anyone had lost anything, they would [find it and] return it to him. There is an opinion that they traveled in box-like formation, and he derives this from the [the words], “Just as they camp so shall they travel” (2:17). Another opinion is that they traveled in the form of a beam, and he derives this from [the words], “collector for all the camps.”

 

28 These are the travels This is the order in which they traveled.

 

And then they traveled On that day they set out.

 

29 Hobab This is Jethro, as it says, “Of the children of Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses” (Jud. 4:11). So what does Scripture mean by saying, “They [the daughters of Jethro] came to their father Reuel” (Exod. 2:18)? It teaches that children call their grandfather, ‘father.’ He had many names: 'Jethro’—because through him a portion was added (יֶתֶר) to the Torah; 'Hobab’—because he loved (חֽבָב) the Torah, etc.... [see commentary to Exodus 18:1].

 

We are traveling to the place Immediately, within three days, we will enter the Land. For on this first journey, they traveled with the intention of entering the Land of Israel, but [because] they sinned at the episode of the complainers [they were punished and did not enter the Land until much later]. Why did Moses include himself with them [if he wasn’t going to enter the Land]? Because the decree against him [entering the Land] had not yet been issued, and [at that time] he thought he would enter.

 

30 To my land and my birthplace Whether for the sake of my possessions or for the sake of my family.

 

31 Please don’t leave us The word נָא is an expression denoting a request. [He made] this [request] as he didn’t want people to say: “Jethro did not convert out of commitment [for Judaism]; rather, he [thought that proselytes have a portion in the Land. Now that he realizes that they have no portion, he has forsaken them and gone his own way.” - [from Sifrei]

 

For because you are familiar with our encampments in the desert It is fitting for you to do this [i.e., remain with us] since you are familiar with the places in which we will camp in the desert, and you saw the miracles and wonders done for us.

 

For because you are familiar... [The expression... כִּי עַל כֵּן ] has the meaning of עַל אֲשֶׁר יָדַעְתָּ , [because you know], as in, “because כֵּן) (כִּי עַל I did not give her to my son Shelah” (Gen. 38:26); “for because (כִּי עַל כֵּן) you passed by” (ibid. 18:5); “for because (כִּי עַל כֵּן) they came [under the shade of my roof]” (ibid. 19:8); “for because (כִּי עַל כֵּן) I have seen your face” (ibid. 33:10).

 

You will be our guide The verse has the past tense, [and] as the Targum renders, [it means: all the wonders wrought for us, you have seen with your eyes.] Another explanation: [It is in] the future tense—If anything should be hidden from our eyes, you shall enlighten us [with your guidance]. A further interpretation: You shall be as beloved to us as the pupils of our eyes, as it says, “You shall love the proselyte” (Deut. 10:9).

 

32 Then we will bestow on you the good What good did they actually bestow upon him? They said, When Israel apportioned the Land, there was a fertile area of Jericho measuring five hundred by five hundred cubits, and they refrained from allocating it. They said, The one in whose portion the Temple will be built shall take it. Meanwhile, they gave it to the descendants of Jethro, to Jonadab the son of Rehab, as it says, “The sons of Keini, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the city of dates [namely, Jericho]” (Jud. 1:16). - [from Sifrei]

 

33 A distance of three days They completed a distance of three days travel in one day, for the Holy One wanted to bring them to the Land immediately. - [from Sifrei]

 

The Ark of the Lord’s covenant traveled three days ahead of them This was the Ark that accompanied them in battle. The broken pieces of the [first set of] Tablets lay in them. It preceded them by three days of travel to prepare for them a place to encamp. - [from Sifrei]

 

34 The cloud of the Lord was above them Seven clouds are recorded in the account of their travels: four from the four sides, one above, one below, and one in front of them which would flatten the high land, raise the hollows and destroy snakes and scorpions - [from Sifrei].

 

From the camp From the place where they encamped.

 

35 So it was, whenever the ark set out He made marks for it [this passage], before it and after it, as if to indicate that this is not its proper place [in Scripture]. So why was it written here? To make a break between one punishment and the next... as it is stated in [chapter 16 of Talmud Shabbath, commencing with the words] “All the Sacred Scriptures.”

 

Rise, O Lord Because He had preceded them by a distance of three days travel, Moses says, Stop and wait for us do not move on any further. [I found this] in the Midrash Tanchuma, Vayyakhel.

 

May Your enemies be scattered Those [enemies] who are assembled [for battle]. - [from Sifrei]

 

Those who hate You Those who hate Israel, for anyone who hates Israel hates the One Who spoke, and the world came into being, as it says, “Those who hate you have raised their heads” (Ps. 83:3). Who are they? Those who “plot deviously against Your nation” (ibid. 4). - [from Sifrei]

 

36 Repose, O Lord Menachem renders [the word שׁוּבָה ] as an expression of rest. Similarly, “In rest (בְשׁוּבָה) and tranquility you shall be saved” (Isa. 30:15).

 

The myriads of thousands of Israel This teaches us that the Divine Presence does not rest on Israel if they number fewer than twenty-two thousand.

 

Chapter 11

 

1 The people were looking to complain Heb. הָעָם . [The word] הָעָם , the people, is used only in reference to the wicked. Similarly, it says, “What shall I do about this people (הָעָם)?” (Exod. 17:4), and it says, “this evil people (הָעָם) ” (Jer. 13:10). But when they are virtuous, they are called עַמִּי , My people, as it says, “Send forth My people (עַמִּי)” (Exod. 8:16); “My people (עַמִּי), what have I done to you?” (Mic. 6:3). - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:1]

 

were looking to complain [The term] מִתְאוֹנְנִים denotes a pretext. They were seeking a pretext to turn away from the Omnipresent. Similarly, it says regarding Samson, “that he sought a pretext (תֽאֲנָה)” (Jud. 14:4)

 

evil in the ears of the Lord A pretext that was evil in God’s ears, for they intended that it should reach His ears and provoke Him (Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:1). They said, Woe is to us! How weary we have become on this journey! For three days we have not rested from the fatigue of walking. - [Midrash Aggadah]

 

His anger flared [He said,] I meant it for your own good—that you should be able to enter the Land immediately. - [Midrash Aggadah]

 

the extremes of the camp Heb. בִּקְצֵה הַמַּחֲנֶה . Those untouchable because of their baseness—these were the mixed multitude (See Exod. 12:36). R. Simeon ben Menassia says, The most distinguished (קְצִינִים) among them and the prominent ones. - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:1]

 

2 The people cried out to Moses This can be compared to a mortal king who became angry with his son. That son went to his father’s close friend and said to him, Go and ask [forgiveness] on my behalf from Father. - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:2]

 

and the fire died down It sank in its place into the earth, for had it turned along one of the sides [of the camp], it would have gradually rolled along that entire side [and caused more destruction]. - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:2]

 

4 But the multitude Heb. וְהָאסַפְסֻף , lit., the gathering. These were the mixed multitude, which had attached themselves to Israel when they left Egypt (see Exod. 12:36). -[Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:4, Midrash Aggadah]

 

[The children of Israel] once again... The children of Israel also wept again together with them. - [Midrash Aggadah]

 

Who will feed us meat? Did they not have meat? Does it not say, “Also a great mixed multitude went up with them, and flocks and cattle” (Exod. 12:38)? You might argue that they had already eaten them. But when they were about to enter the Land, is it not written that, “the children of Reuben had much cattle” (Num. 32:1)? The answer is that they were seeking a pretext. - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1: 42:4]

 

5 which we ate in Egypt free of charge If you say that the Egyptians gave them fish free of charge, does it not already say, “Straw shall not be given to you” (Exod. 5:18)? Now if straw was not given free of charge, was fish given to them free of charge? So, what does “free of charge” mean? Free from [the burden of] precepts. - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:5]

 

the cucumbers R. Simeon says: Why did the manna change into everything except these? Because they are harmful for nursing mothers. We tell a [nursing] woman, "Do not eat any garlic or onion, for the baby’s sake. This can be compared to a king [who gave his son over to a teacher. He sat down and ordered him and said to him, "See that he does not eat any harmful food and does not drink any harmful drink. Because of this, the son complained about his father, saying, “Not because he loves me, but because he does not want me to eat,”] as it is written in the Sifrei (Beha’alothecha 1:42:5).

 

the cucumbers Heb. הַקִּשֻׁאִים . In old French, cocombres.

 

watermelons Heb. אֲבַטִּחִים . In old French, bodekes.

 

leeks Heb. הֶחָצִיר , leeks, [In old French], porels. Targum [Onkelos] renders, “the cucumbers etc.”

 

6 we have nothing but manna to look at Manna in the morning, manna in the evening. - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:5]

 

7 Now the manna was like coriander seed The one who said this [verse] did not say that. The Israelites said, “We have nothing but manna to look at,” whereas the Holy One, blessed is He, inscribed in the Torah, “the manna was like coriander seed...” as if to say, “See, all you who inhabit the world, what my children are complaining about—the manna is excellent in so many ways!”- [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:1]

 

like coriander seed Heb. כִּזְרַע־גַּד הוּא , round like coriander, seed of coliandre [in French]. - [Yoma 75a]

 

crystal Heb. בְּדֽלַח , the name of a precious stone, [in French,] cristal.

 

8 walked about [The expression] שַׁיִט denotes nothing but taking a stroll; [in old French,] esbaneyr, [walking] without exertion.

 

ground it in a mill [The manna] did not actually enter the mill, the pot, or the mortar, but its taste changed to [that of] ground, crushed, or cooked food. - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:8]

 

in a pot Heb. בַּפָּרוּר , a pot.

 

oil cakes Heb. לְשֶׁד הַשָּׁמֶן , the moisture of oil. This is how Donash (Teshuvoth Donash p. 14) explains it. Similar to this is: “ My freshness (לְשַׁדִּי) was transformed as in the droughts of summer” (Ps. 32:4), in which the “lamed” [of לְשַׁדִּי ] is part of the root, [meaning] “My freshness (לְשַׁדִּי) was transformed as in the droughts of summer.” [First edition of Rashi reads: and he (Donash) compares to this... (See Yosef Hallel).] Our Sages (Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:8), however, explained it as a term meaning “breasts” (שָׁדַיִם) , but what have breasts to do with oil? It is impossible to say that לְשֶׁד הַשָּׁמֶן is related to the expression וַיִשְׁמַן יְשֻׁרוּן , “Jeshurun grew fat” (Deut. 32:15) [and thus, the meaning would be “the taste of a fat breast”], for if that were the case, the “mem” [in the word הַשָּׁמֶן ] would be vowelized with a minor “kamatz” [known as “tzeireh”], and the accent would be at the end of the word, under the “mem,” [reading הַשָּׁמֶן ]. Now, however, that the “mem” is vowelized with a minor “pathach” [known as “segol”] and the accent is under the “shin,” it means “oil.” The “shin” is vowelized with a major “kamatz” הַשָּׁמֶן and not with a minor “pathach” הַשֶּׁמֶן because it is the last word in a verse. Another interpretation: לְשַׁד is an acronym standing for לִישׁ שֶׁמֶן דְּבַשׁ , kneaded with oil and honey, like a dough kneaded with oil and coated with honey. The rendering of Onkelos who renders: דְּלִישׁ בְּמִשְׁחָא , kneaded with oil, which leans toward the interpretation offered by Donash, since dough kneaded with oil contains the moisture of oil.

 

10 weeping with their families Families gathered in groups weeping so as to publicize their grievance. Our Sages say that the meaning is: “concerning family matters,” that is, because intermarriage among family members was forbidden to them. - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1: 42:10, Yoma 75a]

 

12 that You say to me Heb. כִּי־ תֽאמַר אֵלַי , that You say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom.’ When did He tell him this? “Go, lead the people” (Exod. 32:34), and it says, “He commanded them concerning the children of Israel” (ibid. 6:13)—even if they stone you or insult you. - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:10]

 

to the Land You promised their forefathers You tell me to carry them in my bosom. [This phrase is connected to that clause, not to “as the nurse carries the suckling,” which immediately precedes this phrase.]

 

15 If this is the way You treat me Moses’ strength became weak like a woman’s when God showed him the punishment, He was going to bring upon them. Because of this, he said to Him, “Kill me first....” - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:14]

 

so that I not see my misfortune Scripture should have written, “their misfortune,” [or “Your misfortune,” according to Divrei David] but it euphemizes. This is one of the scribal emendations in the Torah, [such as writers make] for the purpose of modifying and adjusting the text. - [Midrash Tanchuma Beshallach 16; Mechilta Beshallach, parashah 6]

 

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 98:1-9

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary to Tehillim (Psalms) 98:1-9

 

1 Sing to the Lord All these are for the future.

 

8 Rivers will clap hands The prophets spoke in a language that the ear can hear; not that the rivers have a hand, but it is an expression of joy and gladness.

 

Meditation from the Psalms

Tehillim (Psalms) ‎‎98:1-9

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

 

Ibn Yachya explains that Moses dedicated this psalm to the tribe of Naftali, whom he blessed in:

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 33:23 Naftali satisfied with favor and full of HaShem’s blessing.

 

The contentment of Naftali describes the universal abundance and peace which will envelop the earth in the Messianic era. The Children of Israel will then merit special tranquility and peace of mind, which will prompt them to sing to HaShem. The Midrash0F^[11] states that it is because of Abraham’s unshakeable faith in HaShem that his descendants will be privileged to sing this song, for nothing could disturb Abraham’s serene trust in HaShem, and his descendants inherited this sublime faith. King Solomon taught that faith is the prime ingredient of song, as we see in:

 

Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) 4:8 You shall sing from the heights of faith.1F^[12]

 

The messianic aspect of our psalm is emphasized in the key words found in the psalm. The key word in each of the first three pesukim of our psalm contain the word ישוע (salvation).2F^[13] In the first pasuk it appears as causative: הוֹשִׁיעָה-לּוֹ; in v.2 as a noun: יְשׁוּעָתוֹ and in v.3 as an expanded version of the same word יְשׁוּעַת אֱלֹהֵינוּ.

 

Indeed, the theme of this first stanza is HaShem’s salvation. The psalmist describes, in the past tense, an event of global magnitude that he anticipates will have taken place when the “new song” is sung. The ‘time’ of this “new song” is described in the book of Revelation:

 

Revelation 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

 

Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

 

Yet, that future event is described in terms evocative of salvations with which we are already familiar. יְמִינוֹ - His right hand, reminds us of the Song at the Sea;3F^[14] זְרוֹעַ – arm - again takes us back to Egypt,4F^[15] whereas HaShem’s remembering His kindness for the Beit Israel immediately brings to mind the conclusion of Yirmiyahu first prophecy to mind:

 

Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 2:2-3 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus said HaShem; I remember you, the devotion of your youth), your love like a bride, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.

 

Our Sages teach5F^[16] that Mashiach is/was born on Tisha b’Ab.6F^[17] This is not merely a description of past history. On the contrary, the intent is that every year, Tisha B’Ab generates a new impetus for the coming of the Redemption.

 

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations I:51 R. Judan said in the name of R. Aibu: His name is ‘Comforter’; as it is said, THE COMFORTER IS FAR FROM ME. R. Hanina said: They do not really differ, because the numerical value of the names is the same, so that ‘Comforter’ is identical with ‘Shoot ‘.

The following story supports what R. Judan said in the name of R. Aibu: It happened that a man was ploughing, when one of his oxen lowed. An Arab passed by and asked, ‘What are you?’ He answered, ‘I am a Jew.’ He said to him, ‘Unharness your ox and untie your plough’ [as a mark of mourning]. ‘Why?’ he asked. ‘Because the Temple of the Jews is destroyed’. He inquired, ‘From where do you know this?’ He answered, ‘I know it from the lowing of your ox.’ While he was conversing with him, the ox lowed again. The Arab said to him, ‘Harness your ox and tie up your plough, because the deliverer of the Jews is born.’ ‘What is his name?’ he asked; and he answered, ‘His name is “Comforter”.’ ‘What is his father’s name?’ He answered, ‘Hezekiah’. ‘Where do they live?’ He answered, ‘In Birath Arba7F^[18] in Bethlehem of Judah.’

 

The Midrash8F^[19] relates that on the same day the Holy Temple9F^[20] was destroyed, Mashiach was born. The Midrash goes so far to tell us his name: Menachem - Comforter. The Rebbe clarified the exact meaning of this: “Our Sages explain that this cannot refer to Mashiach’s actual birth, because Mashiach will not be an infant when he redeems our people. But rather, it refers to a strengthening of his influence. For our Sages refer to a birthday as a day when ’the spiritual source of one’s soul shines powerfully’. On the day when Mashiach’s spiritual source is powerfully revealed, there is a unique potential for the Redemption to come.

 

The Rambam, writing about the requirement to be Mashiach,10F^[21] makes no mention about being born on Tisha B’Ab. This suggests that the above statement of Chazal is not to be taken literally. This concord well with our understanding that the Midrash is written on the Drash level as is our psalm.

 

I would like to suggest, at this point, that Yeshua ben Yosef, The Mashiach ben Yosef, is also the perfect picture of the Temple that was destroyed on Tisha B’Ab. To help us understand this, let’s examine some of the connections.

 

The Temple mystically conformed to the image of a man. The Holy of Holies, containing the Holy Ark, the source of Torah wisdom, corresponds to the human mind. The Menorah, a source of light, symbolizing enlightenment, corresponds to the right eye. The Shulchan, the table which held the showbread representing material sustenance, corresponds to the left eye. The Golden Altar, upon which incense was offered, representing pleasantness in relationships, corresponds to the nose. The entrance way to the Heichal, where the Kohanim stood to give the blessing, represents the mouth. And it might be added that the outer Mizbeach, the Altar upon which offerings were burnt, corresponds to the stomach of a man.

 

Jewish tradition relates that the Temple site was the starting point of Creation. Adam HaRishon was created from the matter of The Place11F^[22] where the Temple altar would be built, according to our Sages.12F[23] In a manner of speaking Adam was a “lively stone”. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Temple is symbol of Adam HaRishon and the Last Adam.

 

It is well known that the Temple was built of magnificent stones:

 

I Melachim (Kings) 5:17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, [and] hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.

 

These stones are nothing more than mineral dust formed into stones. Since Adam was made from the same material it is fitting that the Temple should be a symbol of Mashiach, the last Adam.

 

The Sages make an amazing statement in the Midrash:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus VII:2 The other said: Whence do we know that if a man repents it is accounted unto him as if he had gone up to Jerusalem and built the Temple and the altars and offered thereon all the sacrifices ordained in the Torah? -From these verses: ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, etc.’

 

It seems that when we fix up ourselves, we are also building the Temple. The Sages see that man and the Temple are intrinsically linked.

 

Does HaShem have an arm? Surely one must answer yes to this question! Moshe wrote of this arm:

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 11:2-3 And know ye this day: for [I speak] not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of HaShem your G-d, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched-out arm, and his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land.

 

What is the difference between HaShem’s arm and your arm?

 

Surely you must say that the arm of HaShem is REAL whilst your arm is merely PHYSICAL. With His arm, HaShem can move the heart of man. We cannot do this with our arm.

 

The Mishkan and the Temple were physical buildings which explain and demonstrates reality, in the same way that my physical arm helps me to understand the real arm of HaShem.

 

This concept is required in order to understand the concept that HaShem is NOT concerned about physical stones. HaShem is concerned about His people. A “stone” is simply an allusion to man, and a Temple is just an allusion to man becoming a fit habitation where HaShem can dwell.

 

The dwelling place of HaShem began with the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. In fact, the beginning of the Temple was the Mishkan, the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Let us therefore begin by looking at the Mishkan.

 

On the face of it, building the Mishkan is a strange thing to do. HaShem, who is transcendent, certainly has no need of a “dwelling” and it would be a mistake to understand the Divine decree, to build the Mishkan, as an attempt to find haven for the ineffable transcendent One. A careful reading of the text indicates the objective of the construction:

 

Shemot 25:8-9 (TORAH) Ve’asu [and let them make] li [for me / me for] mikdash [a sanctuary] veshachanti [that I may dwell] betocham [in their midst]. Kekhol [according to all] asher [which] ani [I am] mar’eh [going to reveal] otcha [to you] et tavnit [the plan of] haMishkan (the Ten Sefirot) [the tabernacle] ve’et [and] tavnit [the plan of] kol-kelav [all its vessels] vechen [and so] ta’asu [you will do].

 

TARGUM And they shall make a Sanctuary to My Name, that My Shekinah may dwell among them. According to all that I show thee, the likeness of the tabernacle and the likeness of all its vessels, so shalt thou make.

 

The verse describes the result of the building of the Mishkan: HaShem will live within the Jewish nation, “I will dwell in them”, rather than the more obvious result of HaShem “residing” in the Sanctuary. Clearly, the objective of the building was not to provide HaShem with shelter, but to provide an avenue for man to take HaShem into his life.

 

Notice that HaShem has commanded His people to build a Mishkan and then instead of saying that He would “dwell in it”, He says He will “dwell in their midst”. This verse suggests that HaShem will dwell in the midst of His people. This could be a physical building, but it also implies that He will dwell in His people. This concept becomes more understandable if we recall that the body of Mashiach includes all of the righteous.13F^[24] This body is called “the bride”.14F^[25] HaShem will dwell with His bride. This is exactly the same terminology which is applied to a normal bride and groom.

 

At the wedding ceremony the bride, while under the Chuppah, makes seven trips around her husband. She surrounds him seven times in order that she should become his “house”, his place. Throughout the Torah and Rabbinic literature, a wife is called a “house”. She is the house that her husband, and children, dwell(s) in.

 

From the marriage ceremony we can see that when HaShem dwells with us that He dwells as a husband dwells with his wife. The husband dwells in his wife.

 

The Beit HaMikdash, the Temple, contains two chambers, the Kodesh, and the Kodesh ha-Kodashim. In fact, almost every home has at least two rooms: a living room or reception area, where guests enter and where meals are held, and a bedroom, whose door is generally kept closed and where only those to whom the bedroom belongs may enter.

 

The Mishkan and the Beit HaMikdash are built according to a similar pattern. There is an outer chamber (Kodesh) where the Kohanim, the priests, may enter, arrange the bread on Shulchan before HaShem and kindle the lights in His “home.” At the same time there is an inner chamber where no-one may enter, a chamber concealed behind a closed door (the parochet, the curtain). This is the inner chamber of “He Who sits with the Keruvim”.15F^[26]

 

This suggests that the inner room is a place of intimacy. This also suggests that HaShem will dwell in us with the same intimacy that exists between a husband and a wife.

 

The Prophets also spoke of this Temple:

 

Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 66:1-2 Thus said HaShem: The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool; what house could you build for me, and what place could be My resting place? My hand created all these things and thus all these things came into being – the word of HaShem – but it is to this that I look: to the poor and broken-spirited person who is zealous regarding My word.

 

As Yeshayahu spoke of the stone Temple, he said it could not contain The Infinite One. Then he alludes to the true dwelling place for HaShem: His righteous ones.

 

The Nazarean Codicil speaks very forthrightly on this subject and declares:

 

2 Luqas (Luke) 17:24 “G-d, who made the world and all things therein, he being Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands.”

 

Even in the mystical writings we see that the body of Mashiach, the righteous with Mashiach as the head, IS the Temple:

 

Revelation 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord G-d Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

 

The Prophets had also seen this corner / foundation stone. They too understood that it was the essence of the Temple:

 

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 8:14 And he shall be for a sanctuary [Hebrew: mikdash]; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin [trap] and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

 

1 Tsefet (Peter) 2:4-8 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord [is] gracious. To whom coming, [as unto] a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of G-d, [and] precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to G-d by Yeshua Mashiach. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

 

Once we understand this basic concept, we can see it throughout the Nazarean Codicil. Let’s begin with a “sod” level verse:

 

Yochanan (John) 2:19-21 Yeshua answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.

 

This passage, when properly understood, suggests several things:

 

Y Yeshua is referring back to something that “was”, and He is referring forward to something that “will be”.

 

Y This passage has nothing to do with a Temple made of stone. Yet, it is dealing with a “dwelling”. We learn about this true Temple by understanding the Temple of Stone in Jerusalem.

 

Y This passage is speaking of something that can be “awakened”, that is, a living organism that was “sleeping”.

 

Ephesians 2:21 In whom all the building (a feminine structure) fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple (“We”) in the Lord (Mashiach):

 

Ephesians 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of G-d (HaShem) through the Spirit.

 

In this passage, Hakham Shaul is describing a “Temple” composed of the congregation of Israel, which is led by the ten men of the synagogue, and Mashiach. These two are formed into a single entity called Mashiach.

 

The “feminine structure” alludes to the bride who is a “house” to her husband even as the Temple is a House of the Holy One.

 

Again, we see that we are not speaking of a Temple of stone but rather a Temple composed of LIVING stones. It is this “Lively” Temple that will be a fitting habitation for HaShem:

 

Shemot (Exodus) 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell in them.

 

1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of G-d, and [that] the Spirit of G-d dwelleth in you)?

 

1 Corinthians 3:17 If any man defile the temple of G-d, him shall G-d destroy; for the temple of G-d is holy, which [temple] ye are.

 

This passage spells out clearly that the righteous ARE the stones of the Temple. The congregation of Israel represents, therefore, the completed Temple where the individual is likened to a stone. These individuals are the lively stones:

 

1 Tsefet (Peter) 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to G-d by Yeshua Mashiach.

 

The righteous are being built into a dwelling place for HaShem.

 

2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of G-d with idols? for ye are the temple of the living G-d; as G-d hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their G-d, and they shall be my people.

 

Most people’s vision of the Temple includes the colossal stones. These massive stones really do catch our attention. As such, they clearly play a role in our vision of what the Temple truly represents.

 

Stones (אבן - even) are always in the feminine gender in Hebrew. אבן, even, can be separated into two words: אב, Av = Father, and בן, ben = Son. Where these two, אב and בן, intertwine, אבן, we have the feminine stone, the woman.

 

1 Melachim (Kings) 5:17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, [and] hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.

 

1 Melachim (Kings) 7:8-12 And his house where he dwelt [had] another court within the porch, [which] was of the like work. Shlomo made also an house for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken [to wife], like unto this porch. All these [were of] costly stones, according to the measures of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and [so] on the outside toward the great court. And the foundation [was of] costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits. And above [were] costly stones, after the measures of hewed stones, and cedars. And the great court round about [was] with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of HaShem, and for the porch of the house.

 

By their nature, stones play no active role, they play a passive or feminine role. They are cut in a very uniform shape and then placed into position. These characteristics suggest that the stones are the Bne Noach and the common Jew, the common people. These are those who have, by desire or circumstances, not made themselves into more refined vessels. These stones did not spend a lot of time perfecting themselves in the Torah and mitzvot.

 

Let’s look at some of the references that suggest that the stones also represent the righteous of HaShem:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXXVII:1 AND BRING THOU NEAR UNTO THEE AARON THY BROTHER (XXVIII, 1). Thus it is written, Out of them shall come forth the corner-stone, out of them the stake, out of them the battle bow.16F^[27] Observe now that when the peoples of antiquity wished to appoint a king over them, they used to bring one from any place and then appoint him over them, as it says, And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; and the name of his city was Dinhabah,... and Joab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead, etc.17F^[28] With Israel, however, it was different, for they produced from their own midst their leaders, kings, priests, prophets, and princes, as it says, ‘Out of them shall come forth the corner-stone.’ This refers to king David, for it says, the stone which the builders rejected is become the chief corner-stone.18F^[29]

 

The corner or foundation stone is clearly a very important part of this magnificent edifice – the body of Mashiach. Some have suggested that the “Chief cornerstone” is the capstone on a pyramid. This suggests that it is the culmination of all four corners. However, I understand that we are referring to the foundation stone. This is the stone that HaShem began with when He created the world. The rest of the world was formed from this stone. Anyone who has visited the mosque on the Temple mount has seen a small part of this foundation stone. Notice how the Midrash equates the “Cornerstone” and the “Foundation stone” in this next midrash:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus XVII:7 What is the meaning of ‘babi’ah’? R. Aha said: [It means] Baya, baya [i.e. Woe, woe], the lodger is turning out the Master of the house! R. Berekiah said: It is written, For the bed is too short for one to stretch oneself-- histarea’19F^[30] [which means], The bed is not able to hold a woman and her husband and her friend (rea’); And the covering is too narrow (zarah) when one gathers (kanas) himself up (ib.) means, You have caused great anguish (zarah) to Him of whom it is written, He gathereth (kanas) the waters of the sea together as a heap.20F^[31] AND THE PRIEST SHALL COMMAND THAT THEY EMPTY THE HOUSE.21F^[32] [This is an allusion to], And he [i.e. Shishak, king of Egypt] took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, etc.22F^[33] AND HE SHALL BREAK DOWN THE HOUSE (XIV, 45) alludes to And he [i.e. Nebuchadnezzar] destroyed this house--i.e. the Temple.23F^[34] AND THEY SHALL POUR OUT THE DUST THAT THEY HAVE SCRAPED OFF WITHOUT THE CITY24F^[35] alludes to, And the people he carried away to Babylon.25F^[36] In case one might have thought [that would be] forever, Scripture tells us, AND THEY SHALL TAKE OTHER STONES, AND PUT THEM IN THE PLACE OF THOSE STONES,26F^[37] as it is said, Therefore thus saith the Lord G-d: Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation stone, a tried stone, a costly corner-stone of sure foundation; He that believeth shall not make haste.27F^[38]

 

Even the dust of the stones is understood by this midrash to refer to people.

 

Prior to the fall we know that Adam was a spiritual being, and to give him form HaShem used dust to mold him. He breathed life into him. Now we can see from this that the Beit HaMikdash was made of stone which really is nothing other than the same elements as dust. The Shechinah dwelt in the Beit HaMikdash (breath of HaShem). So, if the body of Adam had life, the Temple had life.

 

The prophets also spoke of a “heart of stone” and a “heart of flesh”:

 

Yehezkel (Ezekiel) 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

 

So, this idea of a “stony” man and “fleshly” Beit HaMikdash comes alive in the Tanach.

 

The Children of Israel are called rocks and stones:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Esther VII:10 R. Simeon b. Jose b. Lakunia said: In this world Israel are likened to rocks, as it says, For from the top of the rocks I see him;28F^[39] Look unto the rock whence ye were hewn.29F^[40] They are compared to stones, as it says, From thence the shepherd of the stone of Israel;30F^[41] The stone which the builders rejected.31F^[42] But the other nations are likened to potsherds, as it says, And He shall break it as a potter’s vessel is broken.32F^[43] If a stone falls on a pot, woe to the pot! If a pot falls on a stone, woe to the pot! In either case, woe to the pot! So, whoever ventures to attack them receives his deserts on their account. And so, it says in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, Thou sawest that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, and the clay.33F^[44]

 

When the Bne Israel returned from Babylon, they found the Temple, walls, and city in ruins. When they rebuilt the Temple, they had no ark to put in the Holy of Holies. In its place there was a very special stone:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XII:4 Of the wood of Lebanon signifies that the building of the world commenced from the spot on which the Temple was to stand. R. Jose b. Ilalafta said: Why was it called Foundation Stone? Because thereon began the foundation of the world. Hence it is written, Out of Zion the perfection of beauty, God hath shined forth.34F^[45] He made the pillars thereof of silver--kesef.

 

Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus XX:4 After the disappearance of the ark there was a foundation stone in its place. Why was it so called? R. Jose son of R. Halafta said it was because from it the foundation of the world was constructed.

 

Thus, we see that the ark in the first Temple sat on the stone that was the foundation of the world. The Midrash, though, paints an even more surprising picture of the foundation of the world:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis LXXV:11 He [David] said to Him: ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Hadst Thou been wroth and forsaken and not helped Jacob, who was a pillar and a foundation of the world, as it says, But the righteous is the foundation of the world:

 

Mishlei (Proverbs) 10:25 As the whirlwind passeth, so [is] the wicked no [more]: but the righteous [is] an everlasting foundation.

 

The Midrash clearly indicates that Jacob (who is also called Israel) is a foundation of the world. Additionally, the righteous are the foundation of the world just as the foundation stone was the foundation of the world. There is yet more to this foundation:

 

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord HaShem, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner [stone], a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

 

And Yeshua was the Temple:

 

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

 

Thus, we understand that the Temple, The Mashiach, and the Bne Israel are intertwined into the same entity which is the residence that HaShem desires.

 

The Temple = Yeshua = Israel

 

On Tisha B’Ab we mourn because HaShem has no dwelling in His People. We lament that we are not “The House” fit for HaShem. We do not mourn for dead stones, rather we mourn because the lively stones are not yet a house, a bride fit for HaShem to dwell in. We must make it our goal to return to the ideal HaShem created at Gan Eden. We must become a part of the Last Adam. We must become a part of the body of Mashiach. It is only when we become a part of the Last Adam that we will become a fit house for the dwelling of HaShem! This is the message of Psalms chapter 98.

 

Some psalms of praise are clearly of an eschatological nature: The call to praise HaShem is explained by HaShem’s appearance at the end of days to redeem His people and to judge all the nations. This is the case in Psalm 98, where in the first half the call to sing to HaShem is explained: “The Lord has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His love and His truth towards the house of Israel; all the ends of earth have seen the salvation of our God” (vv. 2-3). In the second half, the call to make joyful noise to HaShem is explained: “For He comes to judge the earth; with righteousness shall He judge the world, and the peoples with equity” (v. 9).

 

Finally, the Midrash Tanchuma enumerates nine songs:

 

(1) The song the Jews sang in their homes on the first night of Passover when they were about to leave Egypt;

(2) The Song of the Sea, when the waters split to allow Israel to cross, and then drowned the Egyptians;35F^[46]

(3) The song the Jews sang in praise of Miriam’s well;36F^[47]

(4) The song of Haazinu - Moses’ final song before his death;37F^[48]

(5) Joshua’s song of victory;38F^[49]

(6) Deborah’s song of victory;39F^[50]

(7) King David’s song of salvation from his enemies and other troubles;40F^[51]

(8) King David’s song for the inauguration of the Holy Temple;41F^[52]

(9) King Solomon’s Song of Songs.

 

The Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 23:11) points out that throughout Scripture, the Hebrew word for song is shirah (which is the feminine form), whereas the new song of the future is referred to as shir (which is the masculine form).

 

Rashi, in his commentary to Arachin 13b, explains that in this world of struggle and hardship, every brief period of triumph and song is followed by a new tragedy, and, as such, is tinged with a measure of sadness. As this pattern resembles the female cycle of pregnancy and childbirth followed by subsequent pregnancy and childbirth, song takes the feminine form.

 

(As an aside, songs in the Tanach are written in a ‘brick work’ pattern as illustrated above.)

 

However, the song the Jewish people will sing in the future is in the masculine form because it describes the Messianic song of ultimate triumph after which no further calamities will be born.

 

May it be G-d’s will that we all merit to be there when the Messiah ben David finally arrives, and His people get to sing their final song.

 

Ashlamatah for: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 27:13 – 28:8, 16

 

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 27:13 - 28:8, 16

 

13 those lost in the land of Assyria Since they were scattered in a distant land, within the Sambatyon River, he calls them, ‘lost.’

 

Chapter 28

 

1 the drunkards of Ephraim who would become intoxicated with the wine of the state of Prugitha, as (the Rabbis) stated (Shabbath 147b): The water of Damascus and the wine of Prugitha robbed away the ten tribes.

 

and the young fruit of an inferior fig is the position of his glory And the position of the planting of his glory - the young fruit of his blossom shall be

 

inferior figs (נֹבֵל) They are the spoiled figs, as we learned in Berachoth (40b): For noveloth. And our Sages explained: Burned by the heat.

 

young fruit (צִיץ) synonymous with נֵץ, as the Targum renders: (Num. 27:13) וַיָּצֵץצִיץ, “and it produced young fruit,” as וְאָנֵץנֵץ.

 

which is planted.

 

at the head of a valley of fatness That is Kinnereth, whose fruits are sweet, and there they crush themselves with wine.

 

crushed with wine הֲלוּמֵי יַיִן. This may also be interpreted as follows: תפארתו אשר על ראש וכו' צבי, (his glorious beauty, which is, etc.): His glorious beauty, which is on the head of the ten tribes, anointed with pride with the best oils, as it is said (Amos 6:6): “With the best oils they anoint themselves.” גֵּיא is an expression of pride, as (supra 16:6): “Moab, they have become very proud.” (And that blossom will be like a wilting blossom) crushed by wine. So he calls them because of their drunkenness, and it is said concerning them (Amos 6:6): “Those who drink with basins of wine.”

 

2 Behold The Lord has a strong and powerful wind, which is like a downpour of hail and a storm of קֶטֶב מְרִירִי, bitter destruction.

 

He lays it on the land with [His] hand He shall place it on their land with His strong hand and cast down the inferior figs from fig trees.

 

4 as a fig that ripens before the summer like the ripening of the young fruits of an inferior fig.

 

before the summer the time of the ripening of other figs, which, because of its early ripening, he pounces on it and swallows it while it is still in his hand. So (Dan. 9:14), “He hastened the evil and brought it upon us.”

 

5 On that day When the transgressors are destroyed.

 

for a crown of beauty for the remaining righteous men among them.

 

6 And for a spirit of justice will the Holy One, blessed be He, be, i.e., to teach justice, to him who sits in judgment.

 

and for might will He be for those who bring back the war, the war of Torah.

 

7 These too who sit in judgment and return the war in this generation, i.e., the best and most esteemed among them, erred because of wine, for now there is no good in them. t

 

They erred against the seer They mocked the words of the prophets. Jonathan renders: with eating delicacies, which they saw as a pleasure to them.

 

they caused justice to stumble (פָּקוּ פְּלִילֶיהָ), they caused justice to stumble. פָּקוּ is an expression similar to (Nahum 2:11), “The stumbling (פִּיק) of knees”; (I Sam. 25:31) “A stumbling block (פּוּקָה).”

 

8 For all tables I.e., all their tables are of sacrifices for the dead, i.e., the pagan deities, which are like vomit and ordure.

 

without a place (I.e.) the mind cannot tolerate them.

 

16 Behold, I have laid a foundation This is the past tense. Comp. (Esther 1:8) “For so had the king established (יִסַּד).” And so must it be interpreted: Behold, I am He Who has already laid [a stone in Zion. Already] a decree has been decreed before Me, and I have set up the King Messiah, who shall be in Zion as an אֶבֶן בּוֹחֵן, a fortress stone, an expression of a fortress and strength. Comp. (infra 32:14) “A tower and a fortress (וּבֹחֵן).” Comp. also (supra 23:13) “They erected its towers (בַּחוּנָיו).”

 

a foundation well founded (מוּסַד מוּסָּד). The first one is voweled with a pattah because it is in the construct state, a foundation of a foundation, which is a solid foundation.

 

the believer shall not hasten Whoever believes this word shall not hasten it. He shall not say, “If it is true, let it come quickly.”

 

Commentary on the Ashlamatah of Yeshayah (Isaiah) 27:13 – 28:8 & 16

By: H.Ex. Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

 

Our opening verse 13 seems to be an interpretation and amplification of the previous verse.    And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great horn shall be blown; and they shall come that were lost in the land of Assyria, and they that were dispersed in the land of Egypt; and they shall worship the Lord in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.^[53]  The shofar or ram’s horn is blown as a signal for the assembly of Israel as a nation and for a return to God.  Isaiah begins our reading with the theme of Redemption; one by one, the children of Israel will be gathered. (v.12) But in their gathering up, there is also a threshing as one would beat the olive for it to release its fruit or the beating of wheat for it to release its grain.[54] The word “Lost” in the above translation gives us the wrong sense or idea. Hashem has never lost anything, he knows exactly where all his children are. In Hebrew, our word is better understood as to wander, as in (Deut 26:5).^[55] ‘A wandering Aramean was my father.

 

The Rabbis teach us that Assyria and Egypt are mentioned here as metaphorically speaking of those cast away, as both far and near, and after experiencing the exile, the people of God will experience the redemption from both far and near. The people of Ephraim experienced great wealth, which is a test of their faith. When people have a material advantage, they are tempted by the pleasures offered by their wealth, and all too often, we children fail to make room for spiritual pursuits. But when the shofar sounds, both the children of Israel and of Judah will surge to serve Hashem.[56]  The connection between the Torah and the Ashlamatah, though seemingly strictly verbal, is, in addition, eschatological. The messianic kingdom, rather than the related contents of the Torah lesson, is the dominant theme of the Palestinian haftaroth.  Therefore, we should be asking the question. "What is the messianic message of the Prophet"?

 

The first six verses of chapter 28 deal with the Northern Kingdom and are dated before the fall of Samaria in 722 b.c.e.  God’s message through Isaiah is contrasted with the foolish plans of the Judean politicians. Isaiah counsels allegiance and loyalty to Assyria and warns of the fatal consequences of an alliance with Egypt.[57]  Our prophecy begins by looking at the future fate of Israel's enemies and the Jews before the redemption, and then shifts back to address his generation of the ten tribes that are soon to be exiled.[58]  Ephraim was living in Samaria, which is believed to have been a beautiful city, fat with the riches of fertility; their beauty was fading as a flower, and their leaders were likened to drunken leaders.   The people indulged themselves in their Hedonism and forgot God and his commandments, says Radak. The Talmud in Shabbos 147a, tells us that the ten tribes’ excessive involvement in material pleasures is what led to their exile.[59]   The king of Assyria, as the appointed agent of God, was against Samaria and Ephraim. (v.2) A strong and mighty one, a tempest of destruction, with violence metaphorically described the Assyrian invasion. (v.3) Not only is Assyria coming, but they will come swiftly and suddenly, as a man picks and swallows the first ripe fig of the season. Isaiah has warned Ephraim that their doom is imminent, and Hashem is ready to exact retribution from the ten tribes for their sins.

 

After addressing Ephraim and the ten tribes, Isaiah turns to his own tribe of Judah and its ally Benjamin. Although they will survive the threat of Sennacherib, they are still in need of repentance. Hezekiah instituted a spiritual revolution that spared the people some of the pain Ephraim suffered.[60]  Our first four verses speak of doom and woe (v.1-4) and these next few speak of restoration and redemption (v.5-13)  In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of His people;   And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn back the battle at the gate.  I am not so sure we can understand “in that day” as a twenty-four-hour day, and maybe the more correct way would be in the prophetic or biblical sense of at least 1,000 years or more.  A further possibility is that the phrase “in that day” is intended to be understood eschatologically so that the prophet’s thought overleaped many intervening centuries unto the last days.^[61]  

 

In our opening verse, we see both a gathering and a threshing and beating out to separate.  Then on the day the pride of Ephraim is toppled, we see them wearing a crown of delight or “Hashem, Master of Legions will be the crown of delight and diadem of glory.” This reminds us of the silver and golden crowns given to the priest in our Zechariah 4 passage in the previous week or so.  In Zech.6:11-12 the crown is not a silver crown for the priest nor a gold crown for the King, but one of a mixture of both. We are taught that Hashem will be a source of strength to all who fight the battles of Hashem to attain Torah Knowledge and a knowledge of him.  I wonder if by the mixing of this silver and gold, we are not in some fashion the recipient of the spirit of both the priestly and Messianic line, that supports us and helps those who seek after God, endure the trials of the exile. The Targum refers to the Messianic period on this verse (v.5-6) and reveals that Hashem will be a crown on the head of each righteous person.  Radak says this “crown[62] of delight and diadem of glory” is the reward that is destined for those who do his will and await his coming glory.[63]  

 

As hinted at in Zechariah, I wonder if this mixed crown is a mixture of the priest as a fixture in the physical world but reaching into the spiritual world in order to bring it down and the King (Messiah) being a fixture in the spiritual world working to lift his people upward toward new spiritual heights.  If we are correct in our speculations, during this time of exile, this mixed crown is what gives us the spiritual strength to succeed in our walk with Hashem. In other words, this mixed crown is a symbol of divine blessings. The same metaphor is pictured in Isa.62:3, Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem[64] in the open hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken, neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate; but thou shalt be called, my delight is in her, and thy land, Espoused.

  

Rashi mentions in (v.7) that even those righteous ones of the generations who sat in judgment and waged the battle of the Torah, the best and most worthy of people, fell prey to the intoxication of the time.[65]  Although wine and strong liquor may have played a part, I’m inclined to think this intoxication is the same as spoken of in the Nazarene Codicil of people being caught up and intoxicated on the cares of life.  Human nature seems to deceive us into giving all our attention and efforts to the things of this world instead of focusing on the things of Hashem. The people around us and the communities we live in cause us to stagger in our walk and to lose sight of the vision of God. (Luk 8:14; 21:34; Mak 4:19; Matt 13:22)

 

The next and last part of this chapter builds upon the first and is directed against Israel’s corrupt spiritual leaders, the priests and prophets, who are unable to make wise decisions and thus lead the people into error. The location of these leaders, whether they be in Israel, Judah, or both, is unclear.  Iben Ezra puts the blame on both the Kohen, who is the teacher, and the prophet, the one who admonishes the people.  They both have erred in vision and perverted justice. The tables are full of vomit, and there is no clean place.  The sages interpret this (v.8): When three people are gathered to eat and do not relate words of Torah, it is as if they ate offerings of the dead. Because they ate as if without God, and Abarbanel adds that they ate without blessing God before and after eating.[66]

 

Therefore, thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a costly cornerstone of sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste. (v.16) This stone, which God sets in Zion and upon which they should rely, is described as a foundation stone that has already been laid. The Targum, Iben Ezra, Radak, and Rashi all agree that this verse is in the past tense. The Dead Sea Scrolls interrupt it as “I am laying.”[67] This suggests the question: when was this stone laid, and who or what might this stone represent?  We see in the Nazarene Codicil Rom. 9:33; 10:11; 1 Pet. 2:6, where Isa. 28:16 is applied to Yeshua. The Targum Isaiah 28:16 identifies the stone with the messiah.^[68]    According to Isa 28:16,(MT), the stone laid by Hashem in Zion (the eastern hill of Jerusalem on which the Temple was built) was a symbol of salvation for those who trusted in him (Hashem) and not in the arrogant rulers of Jerusalem.^[69]  Yeshua in Matthew 21:42 and Luke 20:17 applies this to himself as he sees himself as the Son of the owner of the vineyard in the parable.  The Qumran sect also applied Isa 28:16 to itself, looking on its community as a temple: “This is the tested wall, the precious cornerstone; its foundations will not tremble; it will not shake from its place” (1QS 8:7–8).^[70]  Paul goes on to tell his gentile audience in Eph 2:20ff that the household of God was built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets with Messiah Yeshua as the cornerstone.  All this together in my mind points back to the foundation that has been laid in Torah and the Prophets and it all points to the cornerstone, the Messiah that is to bring all those that are joined together into the holy temple of the Lord, into the dwelling place for God, by the work of the spirit of Hashem.  Isaiah 28:16 tells us that the LORD God is the one who laid (DSS I am laying) the foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. Could the answer for when the stone was laid be answered by the reference “the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the earth?  In this physical reality, it was laid by King Solomon, and in a spiritual sense, it is being laid and built up even while we are still in exile.  The foundation was laid in Zion, and just as the Nazarene Codicil suggests, those gathered into or unto Messiah are part of the “stone” and the building of the Temple, which will be revealed in the days of Messiah. (Joh17:24; 1Pet.1:20; Rev 13:8)

 

This stone has been described as a tested [bōḥan, ‘proven’; occurs only here] stone;[71] and a precious cornerstone [ a ‘corner’] for a sure foundation ( ‘firmly established’), one that is secure.  In Isaiah 28:16, the stone is verified in that it has been tested and proven.  Our word מוּסָד mûsāḏ: A masculine singular noun meaning foundation, or foundation laid or being laid. Its only occurrences are in Isaiah 28:16 and 2 Chronicles 8:16, which refer to the foundations of Zion and the Temple, respectively.^[72]  In our (2Chr.8:16) passage  Solomon offers up the burnt offerings even as the duty of every day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the appointed seasons, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles. And he appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise, and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required; the doorkeepers also by their courses at every gate; for so had David the man of God commanded.

 

Here is a direct connection to the foundation stone, past, present, and future. Scholars have metaphorically identified the stone as the coming righteous reign of God, or as God himself, or as the belief in God, and lastly as faith in God. We can see that maybe the best answer would be a combination of all these ideas. Yet there is a message of hope: God will establish his kingdom (i.e., a precious cornerstone) in Zion. Those who rely on him will take part in this kingdom and enjoy security, while the rest will suffer his punishment.^[73]  The tension in these verses is between the corrupt rulers of the day and those who put their faith and trust in them, and the God behind those rulers; it is he who rules.

 

The punishment and judgment that came from the Assyrians came at the hand of God due to Ephraim and Judah’s sin. The theme or central issue in our Parsha is the question of where true security is to be found. That true security is to be found in Hashem. Isaiah the Prophet sums it up well when he proclaims, “Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and as for princes, they shall rule in justice.” It has been said that the Book of Psalms (122:3) describes the Temple and Jerusalem as places of “joining.” The Temple is a place that “joins” heaven and earth, physical and spiritual, and the actual world with the ideal world. In the words of the 13th-century Spanish sage, Rabeinu Bachya (Commentary on Numbers 19:13), “Jerusalem derives its sanctity because it is a city joined with its counterpart, i.e., celestial Jerusalem. This is the mystical dimension of the very word Yerushalayim (transliteration of the Hebrew pronunciation) which, because of its plural ending (yim), indicates a dual city, one terrestrial, the other celestial.” The Temple was the interface between the spiritual and the physical, like a wormhole in space that allows travel to other galaxies and other dimensions of existence.[74]  

 

Our messianic and prophetic message is as described by Isaiah (2:4) : “For from Zion shall come forth the Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”   The final result of these prophecies of Isaiah in the end of days will be twofold: the enemies of God will experience terror and judgment, and the people of God will experience restoration back to the land they were exiled from. The other people of the world will experience seeing the restoration of the Temple and the restoration of the worship of Hashem there, as was foreseen in the prophecy of King Solomon on the day he laid the foundation stone. (1ki 8:22-60)   And ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste’ (in the sense of disturbed, agitated, or unstable). (Isa 32:1)

 

Verbal Tallies

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Bamidbar (Numbers) 10:1 – 11:15; Tehillim (Psalms) 98; Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 27:13 – 28:8, 16

 

Based on the Hebrew text of Bamidbar (Numbers) 10:2 and Isaiah 27:13 (JPS translation), the verbal tally that connects these two passages is through the root verb היה (hayah), meaning "to be" or "to become".

 

In Bamidbar 10:2, the form וְהָיוּ (vehayu - "and they shall be") from the root היה (Strong's H1961) appears.

 

In Isaiah 27:13, the form וְהָיָה (vehayah - "and it shall come to pass" or "and it shall be") from the root היה (Strong's H1961) appears.

 

While both verses refer to sounding instruments (trumpets in Numbers 10:2 - חֲצֹצְרֹת H2689; ram's horn/shofar in Isaiah 27:13 - שֹׁופָר H7782), different Hebrew nouns are used. There are no other words connecting these two specific verses.

 

Thematic connection

 

The thematic connection between Bamidbar (Numbers) 10:2 and Tehillim (Psalms) 98:1-9 lies in the symbolic use of trumpets/horns and their association with divine action and the gathering or assembly of people in relation to God's presence and purposes.

 

• In Bamidbar 10:2, the silver trumpets are commanded to be made for the practical purpose of calling the congregation and directing the journeying of the camps under God's guidance in the wilderness.

 

• In Tehillim 98:1-9, trumpets and the horn (shofar) are called upon as instruments of universal praise (v. 6) to shout before the King, the LORD (v. 6) who has brought salvation and is coming to judge the earth (v. 9).

 

The theme connects the physical use of trumpets to assemble and guide Israel (Bamidbar) with the metaphorical or eschatological sounding of the horn/trumpets to gather creation for praise and announce God's final judgment and reign (Psalms). Both passages use the powerful sound of these instruments to mark significant moments of divine interaction and the response or assembly of those under His purview.

 

The connection, though seemingly strictly verbal, is in addition eschatological.[75] The messianic kingdom, rather than the related contents of the Torah lesson, is the dominant theme of the Ashlamata.

 

The passage of Isaiah 27:13 – 28:8, 16, interpreted through Jewish sources, conveys a complex eschatological message centered on future redemption, the gathering of exiles, divine judgment and protection, and the role of a sure foundation.

 

Isaiah 27:13 sets the stage for the eschatological ingathering. Commentaries like Rashi and Ibn Ezra understand the "great ram's horn" (shofar) to symbolize a future divine summons, not merely the historical return from Babylonian exile, but a final, complete gathering of the dispersed from lands like Assyria and Egypt. This event signifies the end of exile and their return to worship HaShem in Jerusalem on the holy mountain. This is a key component of the messianic era.

 

Isaiah 28:5-6 shifts focus to the remnant of Israel in that future day. Rashi interprets this as referring to the kingdom of Judah after the destruction of the northern kingdom. HaShem Himself will be their "crown of glory" and "diadem of beauty," signifying divine presence and protection as their ultimate source of strength and honor. He will also be a "spirit of justice" to their leaders and "strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate," indicating renewed righteous governance and military prowess in the messianic age.

 

Isaiah 28:7-8 provides a stark contrast and a warning. Despite the glorious future promised, the prophet highlights the current spiritual failings, particularly the drunkenness and misguided judgment of the priests and prophets. This serves as a reminder that the path to redemption requires a turning away from corruption and a return to righteousness. This passage, interpreted by commentators, emphasizes that even in the lead-up to the messianic era, there will be those who fail to grasp or adhere to divine instruction due to their moral failings.

 

Isaiah 28:16 introduces the critical element of the "tested stone" laid in Zion. Jewish commentaries, including Rashi, connect this stone to the concept of the Messiah (Moshiach) or the firmly established presence of God in Jerusalem. This cornerstone represents a sure foundation for those who believe and trust in it. The message is that in the face of turmoil and uncertainty (alluded to in the preceding verses about judgment), reliance on this divine foundation ensures stability and prevents panic or shame. This stone is the basis for the renewed Jerusalem and the security of those gathered there in the eschatological future.

 

In summary, the eschatological message of this passage, according to Jewish sources, is a promise of a future time when:

1. The scattered exiles of Israel will be miraculously gathered from across the world (27:13).
2. God Himself will be the ultimate source of glory, justice, and strength for the restored remnant (28:5-6).
3. This future is contrasted with the present failings that hinder redemption, emphasizing the need for moral rectitude (28:7-8).
4. A central element of this future security and stability is a divine "cornerstone" in Zion, often understood as the Messiah or God's established presence, in which the faithful will trust (28:16).

 

The passage thus weaves together themes of exile and return, divine sovereignty and protection, human accountability, and the foundational element of messianic hope or divine establishment in Jerusalem as integral parts of the eschatological vision.

 

 

Nazarean Talmud

Sidrot of B’midbar (Numbers) 10:1 – 11:15

“A’aseh L’kha Sh’tei Chatsots’rot” “Make yourself two trumpets”

By: H. Em Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

Hakham Shaul’s School of Tosefta Luqas (Lk)

Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat 2 Tsefet (2 Pet)

¶ And he also told this parable to some who were obedient only to themselves thinking that they were righteous/generous, and looked down on everyone else: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one Bet Shammai and the other a tax collector. The one from Bet Shammai stood and prayed these things with reference to himself: ‘God, I give thanks to you that I am not like other people—swindlers, unrighteous/stingy people, adulterers, or even like this tax collector! I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far away, did not want even to raise his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than that one! For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Consequently, beloved be forewarned to keep guard in order not to (fall into) lawless deceit[76] (opposite of truth - truth less) withdrawing from your own ordination[77] (Heb. סמךְ)[78] But increasing in generosity and intimate knowledge of our Master and redeemer Yeshua HaMashiach. To him (be) honor[79] now and unto that day which is eternal[80] (eternity - hidden),[81] amen!

 

 

 

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

 

 

Commentary to Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

 

The Hidden Day?

 

The concluding phrase of Hakham Tsefet’s pericope has been interpreted and translated in several different ways. Some translations suggest that he is speaking of a “Hidden Day.” Others suggest that the “day” is an “eternal day.” We have translated it as “unto that day which is eternal (eternity - hidden).” This translation fits the context of the continuing argument Hakham Tsefet has been making over the past few pericopes.

 

We have seen that the “thousand years” that is like a day refers to Shabbat. Thus, Shabbat has been modeled as the prototype for all festival days. Therefore, even the “Festivals “Days” are a picture of that thousand-year period we refer to as Y’mot HaMashiach – the Days of Messiah. Interestingly, Hakham Tsefet refers to the thousand-year period as a “day.” Of course, this is a cryptic way of saying that the thousand years is not actually a thousand years in the literal sense of the word.

 

As such, if Hakham Tsefet is saying that the “day” in the present pericope is a “hidden day” we would be somewhat perplexed. However, there is a “day” that would fit this translation and interpretation. Rosh HaShanah is the day that no one knows when it will begin per se. However, ἡμέραν αἰῶνος[82] translates as a very long time, a very long day, eternity. Perhaps the simplest way to translate the phrase “ἡμέραν αἰῶνος” is a very long day or an eternal day. I a precious pericope Hakham Tsefet refers to τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμέρας the “Day of G-d” and, as we have briefly discussed before the day that is like a thousand years, or even the day that is a thousand years long.

 

It would appear that Hakham Tsefet is speaking about the Y’mot HaMashiach, the Days of Messiah. Perhaps, we could say that this period will be a string of eternal days. Therefore, the day that is as a thousand years, the day which is eternal (eternity -  hidden) and the day which will initiate these events or stings of days is τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμέρας the “Day of G-d.”

 

The context of this pericope as well as the past two deals with the Days of Messiah. But Hakham Tsefet is trying to tell us that the “Thousand years is only a figure of speech. Thus, the thousand years are like an eternal Shabbat. Or, an eternal festival day. But, the things that we should see is that Hakham Tsefet is using different figures to try to explain that the period of Y’mot HaMashiach is an indefinite period impossible to capture in Peshat vocabulary. But, we can learn the following things about that period from this Igeret (letter - Epistle) …

 

·        The “Thousand Years” will be like a Shabbat or Festival Day

·        It will be an indefinite period,

·        It will be eternal, that day which is eternal (eternity - hidden),

·        It will most likely begin with τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμέρας the “Day of G-d” which will be a day of judgment

 

Rev 3:12 He who overcomes (is victorious), I will make him a pillar (Hakham – Sage) in the sanctuary of My God; he will never be put out of it or go out of it, and I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My G-d, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down from My G-d out of heaven, and my own new authority. [Isa. 62:2; Ezek. 48:35.]

 

Rev. 21:2 And I Yochanan saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

 

These two verses tell us of a time when the Kingdom/Governance of G-d through the Bate Din, as opposed to human kings has been handed over to HaShem. Messiah will have conquered the entire creation and will hand over the “Kingdom” to HaShem. We will have ruled and reigned with Messiah, bringing all things into subjection to the eternal plan of G-d. At that time the eternal day or the day of eternity will become the Olam HaBa the coming day of eternity. This process is a process of marrying the temporal earth, making is a new earth to the eternal dimension of the “ever coming” world. 

 

We understand that these words cannot fully explain differing parts of events that will take place such as the great Judgment and the resurrection. Nevertheless, as we enter the day of eternity, we will undoubtedly experience all those events. Yet the final point waits to be made. We will have experienced the process of transforming ourselves into an authentic spiritual being through the countless days of Torah Study. We will be the Kallah (Bride) of Messiah.

 

Do we Jews wait for a special time when the Messiah will arise and catch us away into the realms of the supernal? YES! But we call it Shabbat, not “the rapture,” yet we are in fact “raptured.”^[83] As we receive (Kibal) the Neshama Yetera, the Sabbath Bride in the Garden (Gan Eden), the timeless dimension of Shabbat. The reception of Shabbat enraptures the soul and we are carried away into the spiritual confines of indescribable Sabbath joy. With the reception of this joy, these men all hurry home to greet their bride (the Sabbath Kallah), reciting Eshet Hayil and entering into the rapturous garden of family, which then leads to marital intimacy.

 

I have posted on Torah Focus the nuanced version of the theme “That Day,” which echoes the resonance of Yesha’Yahu 27:13, and 28:5. Click [here]

 

The So’odic Interpretation of Yochanan 12:36b

This week I want to offer a connection between Yesha’Yahu 27:13, 28:5 and 2 Tsefet 3L17-17 which anchor the So’odic section that we have not included before. The weekly Torah Seder could include Yochanan 12:36b-40.

 

Yochanan 12:36

“These things spoke Yeshua, and he departed and was hidden from them.”

 

The term “hidden” here points to a deeply layered mystical reality far beyond mere physical absence. The insinuation is that he disappeared into the hidden realms of the spirit. This is also pictured in his ascent after his resurrection. Strangely, the Tanakh says that David also ascended this mountain, and both David and Yeshua disappeared. In the original Greek, the word used is ekrybē (ἐκρύβη), from the root kryptō (κρύπτω), meaning “to conceal,” “to veil,” or “to be hidden from view.” This root idea shares a profound affinity with key mystical terms in Hebrew thought.

 

2 Samuel 15:30

So David went up by the Ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered and went barefoot. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went up.

 

The corresponding deep mystical word in Hebrew would be nistar (נִסְתָּר), meaning “hidden,” “concealed,” or “withdrawn.” The verb stem satar (סָתַר) means “to hide” or “to be hidden.”

 

In advanced Kabbalistic language, nistar is associated with the concealment of Divine Light (Ohr – Shefa) from the lower worlds to allow free will, repair, and ultimate rectification (Tikkun). When Yeshua is said to have been hidden, this is not merely a physical disappearance but an enactment and resonation of Hester Panim (הֶסְתֵּר פָּנִים) — the “concealment of the Face” of the Divine Presence.

 

Deep Mystical Layer:

When Yochanan 12:36 describes that he “was hidden,” it reflects that the Shekhinah — through him — entered a phase of intentional withdrawal to allow the drama of redemption to unfold. In mystical terms:

 

– The Ohr Elyon (Upper Light) contracts.

– The Panim (Face) of Divine clarity is veiled.

– The soul and world enter a liminal space where judgment and mercy are tested.

– Redemption is not abrogated but shielded temporarily under a covering (kelipah) to allow purification through suffering, choice, and longing.

 

Thus, the “hiding” corresponds to the secret action of Nistarut (נִסְתָּרוּת), the veiled operations of Divine Providence, often associated with the Sefirah of Binah when it draws inward and the worlds descend into a period of seeming abandonment — but actually preparing for greater revelation.

 

I find the resonance between Nistarut and Natzaret (נָצְרֶת) not to be a superficial phonetic echo; it is a profound mystical correspondence rooted in the hidden architecture of redemption itself. In Hebrew, the root Natzar (נָצַר) carries the meaning of guarding, preserving, and carefully watching over something of precious value. Nistarut (נִסְתָּרוּת), derived from the root satar (סָתַר), means the realm of that which is hidden, concealed from the lower worlds and veiled even from the higher intelligences unless Adonai chooses to reveal it. Both concepts describe an active, deliberate concealment, not a passive absence. It is the concealment of the future within the womb of the present, preserving the Messianic seed within the chaotic soil of history.

 

In this framework, Natzaret becomes more than a mere geographical location; it symbolizes the cosmic preservation chamber where the hidden work of redemption is shielded from premature exposure. It is the orchard where the unseen branches of Divine promise grow silently, nourished away from the corrupting gaze of the world. In the same way that the Netzer — the branch — described in Yesha’Yahu 11:1 springs forth from the stump of Yishai, unseen until its appointed time, the Hidden Light of Redemption also germinates beneath layers of concealment. The hidden branches (netzarim) are guarded within Nistarut, the secret place of Divine preparation, invisible to the eyes of flesh but known fully to the supernal realms.

 

The mechanism of Nistarut is intimately tied to the phenomenon of Hester Panim, the concealment of the Face of Adonai. And in one sense, those who are created in the image of the Divine conceal the face of Adonai (צֶלֶם אֱדוֹןָי). And when Adonai hides His Face, He withdraws the obvious markers of His providence from history, creating an environment where faithfulness and longing must grow without the constant reassurance of visible intervention. Yet this concealment is not abandonment. It is the protective womb of spiritual gestation, ensuring that the nascent redemption is neither corrupted by premature revelation nor destroyed by the forces of evil that still roam freely during the long exile. In the absence of open revelation, the righteous are trained to see with the eyes of the Neshamah, perceiving the Divine workings in the hidden folds of time. This action in Hebrew is called “Shefa.” In simplistic terms, it is the revelation of the Ohr HaGanz, which is received only through contemplative meditation, i.e., DEEP TORAH STUDY. 

 

This pattern of concealment awaiting revelation is mirrored precisely in the eschatological phrase “That Day” (BaYom Hahu) found in the prophetic and Nazarean Codicil. In 2 Tsefet 3:17–18, the faithful are warned to remain steadfast, not to be led astray, because “that day” will arrive like a thief in the night — sudden, disruptive, and world-reversing. Yesha’Yahu 27:13 speaks of “that day” when the great shofar will be sounded, summoning the scattered exiles back to the Holy Mountain to worship Adonai in clarity and fullness. Yesha’Yahu 28:5 also speaks of “that day” when Adonai will be a crown of beauty for the surviving remnant, those who withstood the trials of hiddenness and temptation. The hidden work of Nistarut, guarded through the epochs of darkness, will erupt in revelation at the appointed time. That Day is the bursting forth of the concealed Light, the lifting of the veil that has wrapped the world in partial blindness.

 

The deep mystical connection here is that the soul is patterned after this cosmic cycle of hiddenness and revelation. Every Neshamah descending into the world carries a hidden Divine potential, a spark of the infinite Light that must be guarded within vessels of mortality and frailty. The world, with its chaos, distractions, and pain, is the field where the hidden seed struggles to grow. In the concealed branches of history — in the secret faithfulness of the humble, the unknown acts of mercy, the unnoticed sacrifices of the righteous — the Divine plan advances quietly, invisibly, yet inexorably.

 

In the So’odic structure of the worlds, Nistarut resides primarily within the level of Binah — the supernal understanding that receives the Light of Hokhmah but does not immediately release it into the lower worlds. Binah compresses, incubates, and veils the Light, much like a mother’s womb hides and nourishes the child until birth. Natzaret, understood in this light, is not merely a place on earth but a microcosmic reflection of Binah’s womb-like concealment: a place where Messiah is prepared in secret, guarded from the corruptions of history until the fullness of time. Thus, he remains “hidden in Rome.”

 

The branching imagery further intensifies the mystery. In mystical tradition, branches represent offspring and pathways of influence, channels through which Divine energy and purpose flow into the lower worlds. The hidden branches of Natzaret are not merely future historical events; they are living pathways of Divine will that have been laid down secretly across generations. They interlace hidden networks of righteousness and generosity, unseen lines of holy influence weaving through the broken fabric of history, preserving the vitality of Adonai’s covenant through unseen victories. Thus, we must remember that the Neshamah was created “A-temporal” from the fabric of Kedusha.” And when time passes through the Neshamah, it is sanctified and elevated during its season, i.e., moedim.

 

At the final unveiling, “That Day,” these hidden branches will manifest openly. The concealed roots of mercy and justice, long cultivated under the surface of human history, will break through the soil in an explosion of Light. The world will finally recognize that the unseen “hand of Adonai,” a synonym for Messiah, was never absent, only hidden. The faithful remnant will be crowned not because they wielded worldly power, but because they carried hidden fidelity through the long night of concealment. Therefore, this is the whole theme of Pesach and counting of the Omer, that destroys the ego through our hiddenness.

 

In this light, Natzaret and Nistarut (shefa) become twin keys to understanding the inner mechanics of redemption. The true triumph is prepared not in palaces, not in centers of visible power, but in hidden places — hearts that preserved fidelity, communities that guarded the Torah under oppression, sparks that refused to be extinguished even when no earthly hope remained.

 

The spiritual imperative for the righteous/generous in this age, then, is to live in alignment with Nistarut: to cultivate hidden holiness, to grow branches of righteousness in secret, to nurture Divine sparks even when the heavens (upper spiritual realms) are silent. For the time will come, as the prophets and Shel’achim declare, when the concealment will be ripped away, when the hidden branches will bear visible fruit (Rev 22), and when Adonai will be revealed in glory.

In the fullness of this So’odic mystery, we see that concealment was never separation; it was always preservation.

 

What seemed forsaken was being fashioned into vessels capable of bearing the overwhelming Light of the World to Come, “Sown for the righteous.”

 

Thus, when “That Day” arrives, it will not merely mark the end of exile and corruption; it will be the bursting forth of every guarded spark, every hidden act of faith, every secret yearning, into an eternal revelation of the infinite glory of Adonai.

Boi Kallah!

P’ne Shabbat N’kabb’lah!

 

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?

 

2. 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!”

 

 

Next Shabbat: “Esfah-Li” – “Gather unto Me”

 

 

Contents of Next Week’s Torah Seder

 

·        The Seventy Elders (The Sanhedrin) – Numbers 11:16-22

·        G-d responds to the people – Numbers 11: 18-20

·        Mosheh asks How shall I give them meat? – Numbers 11:21-22

 

Next Week’s Reading Assignment:

 

 

Saturday Evening: Counting of the Omer Day 21

Today is twenty-one days, which is three weeks of the Omer.

Malchut ShebeTiferet

Then read the following:

 

 

But to every one of us is given loving-kindness (chesed) according to the measure of the gift of Messiah.^[84] Therefore, He (God) says, "When he ascended^[85] up on high, ^[86] he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men You have received gifts among men, yes, among the rebellious also, that the Lord God might tabernacle – Shakhan there." (Ps. 68:18).

 

Sunday Evening: Counting of the Omer Day 22

Today is twenty-two days, which is three weeks and one day of the Omer.

 

Then read the following:

 

 

And truly he (Messiah) gave some to be^[87] Masoretim^[88] (catechists/evangelists), and some to be Chazanim (Cantors – Apostles of the congregation), and some to be prophets (Darshanim/Magidim),^[89] and some to be pastors (Parnasim), and some to be [school] teachers/translators)^[90] - (Moreh/Meturgeman), for the perfecting (making stand)^[91] of the saints/Tsadiqim^[92], for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the congregation of Messiah. And this until we arrive all into the unanimity of faithful obedience and of the intimate knowledge (Da’at) of the son of G-d,^[93] to a royal man/woman of complete maturity,^[94] to the measure of the stature of the fullness^[95] of Messiah (of becoming in complete unity with Messiah); so that we no longer may be infants, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind^[96] (fashion) of teaching, in the dishonesty of men, in cunning craftiness, leading to the scheming of deception.^[97]

 

Monday Evening: Counting of the Omer Day 23

Today is twenty-three days, which is three weeks and two days of the Omer.

Then read the following:

 

Day of the Omer	Ministry	Date	Ephesians	Attributes
23	Parnas 1/Chazan	Iyar 8	4:15-16	Confidence united with Reverential Awe

 

But that you, teaching the Torah with loving-compassion, may grow up (mature) in every way being in union with him who is the head (chief)^[98], even Messiah and his Hakhamim; from whom the whole congregation (body), fitted together^[99] and being united by the support of every joint, each member working properly in their measure to produce the growth of the congregation (body) to the building up of itself in loving-compassion (ahavah – charity).^[100]

 

 

 

Tuesday Evening: Counting of the Omer Day 24

Today is twenty-four days, which is three weeks and three days of the Omer.

Then read the following:

 

 

Now I say this, and testify in the Master, that from now on you cannot walk^[101] as (some) other Gentiles do (walk), devoid of truth (Torah) in their mind,^[102] having a mental disposition full of darkness,^[103] alienated^[104] (cut off) from the life of God,^[105] their ignorance is due to an unyielding obstinacy of mind.^[106] For they, being desensitized, have given themselves up to apostasy,^[107] (and) to every kind of impurity.^[108]

 

 

Wednesday Evening: Counting of the Omer Day 25

Today is twenty-five days, which is three weeks and four days of the Omer.

 

 

Then read the following:

 

 

Ephesians 4:20-24 Your lessons on Messiah have taught you better than this,[110] assuming you have paid attention to our teachings[111] about him.[112] Just as this instruction is the truth in (the Torah[113] concerning) Yeshua.[114] For you ought to put off[115] the old man,[116] (your previous way of living) which is destroyed by deceitful passions, and be renewed[117] in the spirit of your mind.^[118] And you should put on the Nefesh Yehudi (new man),^[119] having been created after God’s likeness in righteousness/generosity and true holiness.

 

Thursday Evening: Counting of the Omer Day 26

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

 

Then read the following:

 

Ephesians 4:25-27 Therefore putting away falsehood,^[120] let each man speak^[121] honestly (in sincerity) with his neighbor,^[122] for we are one, and members of one congregation.^[123] Be angry,^[124] and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down upon your anger,^[125] neither give place to the adversary (devil).^[126]

 

Friday Evening: Counting of the Omer Day 27

Today is twenty-seven days, which is three weeks and six days of the Omer.

Yesod ShebeNetzach

Then read the following:

 

 

Let him who stole^[127] steal no more, but rather let him labor,^[128] doing honest (beneficial) work with his own

hands so that he may have something to share ^[129] with anyone who is in need.^[130]

 

 

 

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