Esnoga Bet Emunah

7104 Inlay St. SE, Lacey, WA 98513

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

Three and 1/2 year Lectionary Readings	First Year of the Reading Cycle
Iyar 08, 5769 – May 01/02, 2009	First Year of the Shmita Cycle

Candle Lighting and Havdalah Times:

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 8:02 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 9:01 PM

San Antonio, Texas, U.S.

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 7:52 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 8:48 PM

Baton Rouge & Alexandria, Louisiana, U.S.

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 7:24 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 8:21 PM

Sheboygan & Manitowoc, Wisconsin US

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 7:35 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 8:42 PM

Bowling Green & Murray, Kentucky, U.S.

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 7:16 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 8:17 PM

Brisbane, Australia

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 4:59 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 5:52 PM

Chattanooga, & Cleveland Tennessee, US

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 8:08 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 9:08 PM

Bucharest, Romania

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 8:01 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 9:08 PM

Miami, Florida, US

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 7:34 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 8:28 PM

Jakarta, Indonesia

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 5:29 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 6:19 PM

New London, Connecticut USA

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 7:19 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 8:23 PM

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 6:59 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 7:49 PM

Olympia, Washington, U.S.

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 8:03 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 9:14 PM

Manila & Cebu, Philippines

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 5:55 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 6:46 PM

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 7:36 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 8:39 PM

Singapore, Singapore

Friday May 01, 2009 – Candles at 6:49 PM

Saturday May 02, 2009 – Havdalah 7:38 PM

For other places see: http://chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting.asp

Roll of Honor:

This Torah commentary comes to you courtesy of:

His Honor Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David and

beloved wife HH Giberet Batsheva bat Sarah,

His Honor Paqid Adon Mikha ben Hillel

His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham,

Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah and

beloved family,

His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann and

beloved family,

His Excellency Adon John Batchelor and

beloved wife,

His Excellency Adon Ezra ben Abraham and

beloved wife HE Giberet Karmela bat Sarah,

Her Excellency Giberet Sandra Grenier

His Excellency Adon Stephen Legge and

beloved wife HE Giberet Angela Legge

His Excellency Adon Tracy Osborne and

beloved wife HE Giberet Lynn Osborne

His Excellency Rev. Dr. Adon Chad Foster and

Beloved wife HE Giberet Tricia Foster

For their regular and sacrificial giving, providing the best oil for the lamps, we pray that G-d’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.

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Shabbat וַיְהִי בַּשָּׁנָה – VaY’hi BaShanah – And it came to pass in the year

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב
“VaYitsa Ya’aqob”	Reader 1 – B’Resheet 28:10-15	Reader 1 – B’Resheet 29:31-33
“And went out Jacob”	Reader 2 – B’Resheet 28:16-22	Reader 2 – B’Resheet 29:33-35
“Y salió Jacob”	Reader 3 – B’Resheet 29: 1-3	Reader 3 – B’Resheet 29:31-35
B’Resheet (Gen.) 28:10 – 29:30	Reader 4 – B’Resheet 28: 4-9
Ashlamatah: Hos. 12:13-13:5+14:9-10	Reader 5 – B’Resheet 28:10-12
Special: Ezekiel 20:1-20	Reader 6 – B’Resheet 28:13-17	Reader 1 – B’Resheet 29:31-33
Psalm 23	Reader 7 – B’Resheet 28:18-30	Reader 2 – B’Resheet 29:33-35
N.C.: Jude 8-10	Maftir : B’Resheet 29:27-30	Reader 3 – B’Resheet 29:31-35
Pirke Abot: II:7	Ezekiel 20:1-20

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan

for: B’Resheet (Genesis) 28:10 - 29:30

RASHI	TARGUM PSEUDO JONATHAN
10. Yaakov left Beer Sheva and went toward Charan.	10. Five miracles were wrought for our father Jakob at the time that he went forth from Beersheba. The first sign: the hours of the day were shortened, and the sun went down before his time, forasmuch as the Word had desired to speak with him. The second sign: the four stones which Jakob had set for his pillow he found in the morning, had become one stone. Sign the third: the Stone which, when all the flocks were assembled, they rolled from the mouth of the well, he rolled away with one of his arms. The fourth sign: the well overflowed, and the water rose to the edge of it, and continued to overflow all the days that he was in Haran. The fifth sign: the country was shortened before him, so that in one day he went forth and came to Haran. [JERUSALEM. Five signs were wrought for our father Jakob at the time he went forth from Beersheba to go unto Haran. The first sign: the hours of the day were shortened for him, and the sun was hidden from him before its time, because His Word had desired to speak with him. The second sign: after our father Jakob had lifted up his feet from Beersheba, the country was shortened before him, and be found himself sitting in Haran. The third sign: the stones which Jakob our father had taken in the evening, and set as the resting-place of his head, when he had risen in the morning be found had all become one stone; and that is the stone which he set up in the first covenant, pouring oil upon the top of it. The fourth sign : when all the shepherds had gathered together at the stone to roll it from the mouth of the well, and could not, then came our father Jakob and lifted it with one hand, and watered the flock, of Laban his mother's brother. The fifth sign: after our father Jakob had lifted the stone from the mouth of the well, the well overflowed, and was overflowing twenty years; all the days that our father Jakob dwelt in Haran. These five signs were wrought for our father Jakob in the time when he departed from Beersheba to go to Charan.
11. He reached the place and spent the night there because the sun had set. He took some of the stones of that place, and arranged them around his head, and lay down [to sleep] in that place.	11. And he prayed in the place of the house of the sanctuary, and lodged there, because the sun had gone down. And he took four stones of the holy place, and set his pillow, and slept in that place.
12. He dreamed, and behold a ladder was set up on the earth and the top of it reached toward heaven; and behold angels of Elohim were ascending and descending on it.	12. And he dreamed, and, behold, a ladder was fixed in the ground, and the top of it reached to the height of heaven. And, behold, the two angels who went unto Sedom, and who had been expelled from the midst of them, because they had revealed the secrets of the Lord of the world; and being cast forth they had walked till the time that Jakob went out from the house of his father, and had accompanied him with kindliness unto Bethel, in that day had ascended to the high heavens, and said, Come, see Jakob the pious, whose likeness is inlaid in the throne of glory, and whom you have so greatly desired to behold. Then the rest of the angels of the holy Lord descended to look upon him. [JERUSALEM. And he dreamed, and, behold, a ladder was fixed in the earth, and the summit of it reached to the height of heaven. And, behold, the angels who had accompanied him from the house of his father, ascended to make known to the angels on high, saying, Come, see Jakob the pious, whose likeness is in the throne of glory, and whom you have been desirous to see! And, behold, the holy angels from before the Lord ascended and descended, and looked upon him.]
13. And behold Adonai stood above it, and said, “I am Adonai, G-d of Avraham, your father, and G-d of Yitzchaq. The land upon which you are lying, I will give to you and to your descendants.	13. And, behold, the Glory of the Lord stood above him, and He said to him, I am the Lord the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Izhak, The land on which you are lying I will give to you and to your sons.
14. Your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth. You shall spread to the west, to the east, to the north and to the south. Through you shall be blessed all the families of the earth, and through your descendants.	14. And your sons will be many as the dust of the earth, and will become strong on the west and on the east, on the north and on the south: and all the kindreds of the earth will through your righteousness/generosity and the righteousness/ generosity of your sons be blessed.
15. Behold, I am with you, and I will guard you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not forsake you until I have done that which I have spoken to you.”	15. And, behold, My Word is for your help, and will keep you in every place where you will go, and will bring you (again) to this land; for I will not leave you until the time when I have performed all that I have told you.
16. Yaakov awoke from his sleep, and said, “In truth, Adonai is in this place, and I did not know it.”	16. And Jakob awoke from his sleep, and said, Verily the Glory of the Lord's Shekinah dwells in this place, and I knew it not.
17. He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of El-him, and this is the gate of heaven.”	17. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful and glorious is this place! This place is not common, but the sanctuary of the Name of the Lord, the proper spot for prayer, set forth before the gate of heaven and founded beneath the throne of glory.
18. Yaakov rose early in the morning and took the stone that he had placed at his head; and he set it as a monument, and poured oil on its top.	18. And Jakob arose in the morning, and took the stone which he had placed for his pillow, and set it standing, and poured oil on the top of it.
19. He named that place Bet El, but Luz was the original name of the city.	19. And he called the name of that place Beth El; but Luz was the name of the city at the first.
20. Yaakov made a vow, saying, "If Elohim will be with me, and guards me on this path that I am going, and gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear;	20. And Jakob vowed a vow, saying, If the Word of the Lord will be my Helper, and will keep me from shedding innocent blood, and from strange worship, and from impure converse, in this way that I am going; and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to wear,
21. And if I return in peace to my father's house, and Adonai will be my G-d;	21. and will bring me back in peace to my father's house; the Lord will be my God:
22. [Then] this stone which I have set [as] a monument will become a House of G-d, and of all that You give, I will surely give a tenth to You.	22. and this stone which I have set (for) a pillar will be ordained for the house of the sanctuary of the Lord, and upon it will generations worship the Name of the Lord; and of all that You may give me, the tenth will I separate before You.
-
1. Yaakov [then] lifted his feet and went toward the land of the people of the East.	1. And Jakob lifted up his feet lightly to proceed, and he came to the land of the children of the East.
2. He looked and [saw] a well in the field; and behold there were three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for from that well the flocks were watered. There was a large stone over the mouth of the well.	2. And he looked and saw, and behold (there was) a well in a field, and behold there three flocks of sheep lying near it; because from that well they watered the flocks; and a great stone was laid upon the mouth of the well.
3. When all the flocks were gathered, [the shepherds] would roll the stone from the well's mouth, and water the sheep. They would [then] return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.	3. And they gathered the flocks there, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and set the stone on the mouth of the well in its place.
4. Yaakov said to them, "My brothers, from where do you come?" They said, "We are from Charan."	4. And Jakob said to them, My brethren, whence are you ? And they said, From Haran are we.
5. He said to them, "Do you know Lavan, the son of Nachor?" They said, "We know him."	5. And he said to them, Know you Laban bar Nachor? And they said, We know.
6. He said to them, "Is he doing well?" They said, "He is doing well. Behold Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep."	6. And he said, Has he peace? And they said, Peace; and, behold, Rachel his daughter comes with the sheep.
7. He said to them, "The day is yet long, it is not yet time for the sheep to be gathered, water the sheep and go pasture them."	7. And he said, Behold, the time of the day is great; it is not time to gather home the cattle; water the sheep, and let them go (again) to pasture. [JERUSALEM It is not time to gather.]
8. They said, "We cannot [do so] until all the flocks have gathered and [the shepherds] roll the stone from the mouth of the well. Then we can water the sheep."	8. And they said, We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and we roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep.
9. While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.	9. While they were speaking with him, Rachel came with her father's sheep; for she was a shepherdess at that time, because there had been a plague from the Lord among the sheep of Laban, and but few of them were left, and he had dismissed his shepherds, and had put the remaining (flock) before Rachel his daughter.
10. When Yaakov saw Rachel, the daughter of Lavan, his mother's brother, with the sheep of Lavan, his mother's brother, he stepped near and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well. He then watered the sheep of Lavan, his mother's brother.	10. And it was when Jakob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother that Jakob went near, and rolled the stone with one of his arms from the mouth of the Well; and the well uprose, and the waters ascended to the top of it; and he watered the sheep of Laban his mother's brother; and it uprose for twenty years.
11. Yaakov kissed Rachel and cried in a loud voice.	11. And Jakob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.
12. Yaakov told Rachel that he was a relative of her father, that he was the son of Rivkah. She ran and told her father.	12. And Jakob told unto Rachel, that he was come to be with her father to take one of his daughters. And Rachel answered him you can not dwell with him, for he is a man of cunning. And Jakob said to her, I am more cunning and wiser than he; nor can he do me evil, because the Word of the Lord is my Helper. And when she knew that he was the son of Rivekah, she ran and made it known to her father.
13. When Lavan heard the news of Yaakov, his sister's son, he ran to greet him. He embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. [Yaakov] told Lavan all that had happened.	13. And it was when Laban heard the account of the strength and piety of Jakob the son of his sister; how he had taken the birthright and the order of blessing from the hand of his brother, and how the Lord had revealed Himself to him at Bethel; how the stone had been removed, and how the well had up-flowed and risen to the brink; he ran to meet him and embrace him, and kissed him and led him into his house; and he related to Laban all these things.
14. Lavan said to him, "Nevertheless, you are my bone and flesh." [Yaakov] lived with him for a month.	14. And Laban said to him, Truly you are my near one and my blood; and he dwelt with him a month of days.
15. Lavan said to Yaakov, "Just because you are my relative, must you work for me without pay? Tell me, [what should] your wages [be]?"	15. And Laban said to Jakob, Though you are reputed my brother, should you serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will be your wages?
16. Lavan had two daughters. The name of the older one was Leah, and the name of the younger one was Rachel.	16. And Laban had two daughters, the name of the elder Leah, and the name of the younger Rachel.
17. The eyes of Leah were tender. Rachel was of beautiful form and of beautiful appearance.	17. And the eyes of Leah were moist, (or dropping, running,) from weeping and praying before the Lord that he would not destine her for Esau the wicked/Lawless; and Rachel was beautiful in appearance, and of a fair countenance. [JERUSALEM. And the eyes of Leah were tender, for she had wept and prayed that she might not be brought up in the lot of Esau; and Rachel was beautiful in appearance, and of fair countenance.]
18. Yaakov loved Rachel. and he said, "I will work for you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."	18. And Jakob loved Rachel; and he said, I will serve you seven years for Rachel your Younger daughter.
19. Lavan said, "Better that I give her to you than I should give her to another man. [Remain] living with me."	19. And Laban said with deceit, It is better that I give her to you, than to another man abide with me.
20. Yaakov worked seven years for Rochel, but they seemed to him like a few days, so much did he love her.	20. And Jakob served for Rachel seven years; and they seemed in his eyes as a few days, because he loved her.
21. Yaakov said to Lavan, "Give me my wife, for my term is completed; and thus I will consummate the marriage with her."	21. And Jakob said to Laban, Give me my wife: for the days of my service are completed, and I will go in with her.
22. Lavan gathered all the local people and he made a [wedding] feast.	22. And Laban gathered all the men of the place, and made them a feast. Answering he said to them, Behold, seven years since Jakob came to us the wells have not failed and the watered places are multiplied: and now come, let us counsel against him cunning counsel, that he may remain with us. And they gave him cunning counsel that he should take Leah to him instead of Rahel. [JERUSALEM. And Laban gathered all the people of the place, and made a feast. And Laban answered and said to them, Behold seven years are from the coming of this just man to us; our waterings have not failed, and our springs are many: and now come, give me counsel how we may settle (or subject) him among us yet seven years. And they gave him cunning counsel to take Leah to him instead of Rahel.]
23. When it was evening, he took Leah, his daughter, and brought her to him [Yaakov]. He consummated the marriage with her.	23. And it was in the evening that he brought Leah his daughter, and introduced her to him, and he went in with her.
24. Lavan gave Zilpah, his servant to her, to Leah, his daughter as a handmaid.	24. And Laban gave to him Zilpha his daughter, whom his concubine had borne to him, and he delivered her to Leah his daughter to be her handmaid.
25. When it was morning, behold it was Leah! He [Yaakov] said to Lavan, "What have you done to me? Did I not work with you for Rachel? Why did you deceive me?"	25. And it was the time of the morning and he saw her, and behold, she was Leah, whom all the night he had thought to be Rachel; because Rachel had delivered to her all the things with which Jakob had presented her. But when he saw this, he said to Laban, what is this that you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why have you deceived me?
26. Lavan said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger [daughter in marriage] before the firstborn."	26. And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the elder.
27. "Complete the [marriage] week for this one. We will then give you the other also--- in return for the work that you will do with me for another seven years."	27. Fulfil now the seven days of the feast of this, and I will give you also that for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years. [JERUSALEM. Fulfil the seven days of this feast of Leah, and I will give.]
28. Yaakov did so, and he completed the [marriage] week for this one [Leah]. He [Lavan] then gave Rachel, his daughter to him as a wife.	28. And Jakob did so, and fulfilled the seven days of the feast of Leah, and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife.
29. To his daughter, Rachel, Lavan gave his servant Bilhah, to be her handmaid.	29. And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, whom his concubine bare him, and he delivered her unto her to be her handmaid.
30. He [Yaakov] also consummated his marriage with Rachel. He loved Rachel more than Leah, and he worked with [Lavan] another seven years.	30. And he went in also unto Rachel; and he loved Rachel also more than Leah. And he served with him for her yet seven other years.

Reading Assignment:

Torah With Targum Onkelos and Rashi’s Commentary – Vol. 1

The Book of Genesis: Hebrew/English

By: A.M. Silberman & M. Rosenbaum

Published by: BN Publishing (2007)

pp. 131-138.

The Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez - Vol II: The Patriarchs

By: Rabbi Ya’aqob Culi

Published by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1988)

Vol. IIIa, pp. 3-62.

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/s 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.

Rashi Commentary for: B’Resheet (Genesis) 28:10 - 29:30

10 And Jacob left Because, it was due to the fact that the daughters of Canaan were displeasing in the eyes of his father Isaac, that Esau went to Ishmael, Scripture interrupted the account dealing with Jacob and it is written (above verse 6): “When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed [Jacob], etc.” And as soon as Scripture finished [the account of Esau’s marriage], it returned to the previous topic.

And Jacob left - Scripture had only to write: “And Jacob went to Haran.” Why did it mention his departure? But this tells [us] that the departure of a righteous/generous man from a place makes an impression, for while the righteous/generous man is in the city, he is its beauty, he is its splendor, he is its majesty. When he departs from there, its beauty has departed, its splendor has departed, its majesty has departed. And likewise (Ruth 1:7): “And she went forth from the place,” stated in reference to Naomi and Ruth. -[From Gen. Rabbah 68:6]

and he went to Haran He left in order to go to Haran.-[From Gen. Rabbah 68:8,]

11 And he arrived at the place Scripture does not mention which place, but [it means] the place mentioned elsewhere, which is Mount Moriah, concerning which it is said (Gen. 22:4): “And he saw the place from afar.” [From Pes. 88a]

And he arrived Heb. וַיִּפְגַּע, as in (Josh. 16:7): “and it reached (וּפָגַע) Jericho”; (ibid. 19:11): “and it reached (וּפָגַע) Dabbesheth.” Our Rabbis (Gen. Rabbah 88:9, Ber. 26b) interpreted it [the word וַיִּפְגַּע] as an expression of prayer, as in (Jer. 7:16): “And do not entreat (תִּפְגַּע) me,” and this teaches us that he [Jacob] instituted the evening prayer. [Scripture] did not write VIYITPALEL, [the usual expression for prayer], to teach that the earth sprang toward him [i.e. the mountain moved toward him], as is explained in the chapter entitled GID HA-NASHEH (Chullin 91b).

because the sun had set Heb. כִּי-בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ [Scripture] should have written [in reverse order]: “And the sun set (VAYAVO), and he stayed there overnight.” [The expression] כִּי-בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ implies that the sun set suddenly for him, not at its usual time, so that he would have to stay there overnight. [From Gen. Rabbah 68:10, Chullin 91b]

and placed [them] at his head He arranged them in the form of a drainpipe around his head because he feared the wild beasts. They [the stones] started quarreling with one another. One said, “Let the righteous/generous man lay his head on me,” and another one said, “Let him lay [his head] on me.” Immediately, the Holy One, blessed be He, made them into one stone. This is why it is stated (verse 18): “and he took the stone [in the singular] that he had placed at his head.” [From Chullin 91b]

and he lay down in that place [The word הַהוּא] is a restrictive expression, meaning that [only] in that place did he lie down, but during the fourteen years that he served in the house of Eber, he did not lie down at night, because he was engaged in Torah study. [From Gen. Rabbah 68:11]

12 ascending and descending Ascending first and afterwards descending. The angels who escorted him in the [Holy] Land do not go outside the Land, and they ascended to heaven, and the angels of outside the Holy Land descended to escort him.[From Gen. Rabbah 68:12]

13 And behold, the LORD was standing over him to guard him.

and the God of Isaac Although we do not find in Scripture that the Holy One, blessed be He, associates His name with that of the righteous/generous during their lifetimes by writing “the God of so-and-so,” for it is said (Job 15:15): “Lo! He does not believe in His holy ones,” [i.e., God does not consider even His holy ones as righteous/generous until after their deaths, when they are no longer subject to the evil inclination,] nevertheless, here He associated His name with Isaac because his eyes had become dim, and he was confined in the house, and he was like a dead person, the evil inclination having ceased from him (Tanchuma Toledoth 7).

upon which you are lying -(Chullin ad loc.) The Holy One, blessed be He, folded the entire Land of Israel under him. He hinted to him that it would be as easily conquered by his children (as four cubits, which represent the area a person takes up [when lying down]). [From Chullin 91b]

14 and you shall gain strength Heb. וּפָרַצְתָּ, “and so did they gain strength” (Exod. 1:12). [after targumim]

15 And behold, I am with you [God promised Jacob this] because he was afraid of Esau and Laban.

until I have done - אִם is used in the sense of KI, [meaning that].

I have spoken concerning you Heb. לָךְ, for your benefit and concerning you. What I promised to Abraham concerning his seed, I promised in reference to you and not in reference to Esau, for I did not say to him, “for Isaac will be called your seed,” [which would signify that all of Isaac’s descendants would be regarded as Abraham’s] but “for in Isaac,” [meaning part of Isaac’s descendants] but not all [the descendants] of Isaac (Nedarim 31a). Likewise, wherever LI, LO, LAKH and LAHEM are used in conjunction with a form of the verb “speaking” (DIBUR) they are used in the sense of “concerning.” This [verse] proves it, because heretofore, He had not spoken to Jacob.

16 and I did not know [it] For had I known, I would not have slept in such a holy place. [from Beresheet Rabbathi, attributed to Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan]

17 than the house of God Said Rabbi Eleazar in the name of Rabbi Jose ben Zimra: This ladder stood in Beer-sheba and the middle of its incline reached opposite the Temple, for Beer-sheba is situated in the south of Judah, and Jerusalem [is situated] in its north, on the boundary between Judah and Benjamin, and Beth-el was in the north of the territory of Benjamin, on the boundary between Benjamin and the sons of Joseph. Consequently, a ladder whose foot is in Beer-sheba and whose top is in Beth-el-the middle of its slant is opposite Jerusalem. This accords with what our Sages said, that the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “This righteous man has come to My lodging place [i.e., the Temple Mount]. Shall he leave without lodging?” And furthermore, they said: Jacob called Jerusalem Beth-el. But this place [which he called Beth-el] was Luz, and not Jerusalem. So, from where did they learn to say this? [i.e., that Luz was Jerusalem.] I believe that Mount Moriah was uprooted from its place, and it came here, [to Luz, i.e., at that time, Luz, Jerusalem and Beth-el were all in the same place], and this is the “springing of the earth” mentioned in Tractate Chullin, i.e., that the [site of the] Temple came towards him until Beth-el. This is the meaning of mewna rbtie “And he met the place.” Now if you ask, “When Jacob passed by the Temple, why did He not detain him there?” [The answer is:] If he did not put his mind to pray in the place where his forefathers had prayed, should they detain him from heaven? He went as far as Haran, as it is stated in the chapter entitled, “Gid HaNasheh” (Hullin 91b), and the text, “and he went to Haran” (verse 10) supports this. When he arrived in Haran, he said, “Is is possible that I have passed the place where my forefathers prayed, and I did not pray there?” He decided to return, and he went back as far as Beth-El, and the earth “sprang toward him.” [This Beth-El is not the one near Ai, but the one near Jerusalem, and because it was the city of God, he called it Beth-El, the house of God, and that is Mount Moriah where Abraham prayed, and that is the field where Isaac prayed, and so did they say in Sotah (sic.) (Pes.88a) [concerning the verse] (Micah 4:2): “Come, let us go up to the Mount of the Lord, to the House of God of Jacob.” [It is] not [called] as did Abraham, who called it a mountain, and not as did Isaac, who called it a field, but as did Jacob, who called it the House of God. An exact edition of Rashi.

How awesome The Targum renders: How awesome (D’CHILU) is this place! D’CHILU is a noun, as in (Targum Exodus 31:3): “understanding” SUK’LATANU; (below verse 20): “a garment (UK’SU) to wear.”

and this is the gate of heaven A place of prayer, where their prayers ascend to heaven (Pirke d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 35). And its midrashic interpretation is that the Heavenly Temple is directed exactly towards the earthly Temple. [From Gen. Rabbah 69:7]

20 If God will be with me If He keeps these promises that he promised me to be with me, as He said to me, “And behold, I am with you.” [from Gen. Rabbah 70:4]

and He will guard me As He said to me, “and I will guard you wherever you go.”

and He will give me bread to eat As He said, “for I will not forsake you,” for if one must seek bread, he is called “forsaken,” as it is said, (Ps. 37:25): “and I have not seen a righteous/generous man forsaken and his seed seeking bread.” [from Gen. Rabbah 69:6]

21 And if I return As He said to me, “and I will restore you to this land.”

in peace Perfect from sin, that I will not learn from the ways of Laban.

and the Lord will be my God that His name will rest upon me from beginning to end, that no disqualification should be found among my seed, as it is written: “[I will do] that which I have spoken concerning you.” And this promise He promised to Abraham, as it is said (17:7): “to be a God to you and to your seed after you.” (“Your seed” [means that they should be] of pure lineage, that no disqualification should be found in him.) [from Sifrei Va-etchanan 31]

22 Then this stone Heb. וְהָאֶבֶן הַזֹּאת, lit., and this stone. This “vav” of וְהָאֶבֶן is to be explained as follows: If You will do these things for me, I too will do this: “And this stone, which I have placed as a monument, etc.” As the Targum paraphrases: “I will worship upon it before the Lord.” And so he did when he returned from Padan-aram, when He said to him, (35:1): “Arise, go up to Beth-el.” What is stated there? (ibid. verse 14): “And Jacob erected a monument, etc., and he poured a libation upon it.” [from Mishnath Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 14]

1 Now Jacob lifted his feet As soon as he was given the good tidings that he was assured protection, his heart lifted his feet, and he became fleet- footed. So it is explained in Gen. Rabbah (70:8).

2 they would water the flocks The shepherds would water the flocks. The verse is elliptical.

3 would gather there They were accustomed to gather because the rock was huge.

and they would roll Heb. וְגָלְלוּ [like] V’GOL’LIM. The Targum renders: UM’GAN’DIRIN, and they would roll. Every present tense [i.e. every verb expressing continuous action] changes to speak [sometimes] in the future tense and [sometimes] in the past tense, because everything that occurs constantly has already transpired and is destined to transpire [again].

and [then] they would return Heb. וְהֵשִׁיבוּ, which the Targum renders: UM’TIVIN, and they would return.

6 is coming with the sheep Heb. בָּאָה. The accent is on the “aleph,” and the Targum renders AT’YA. [In verse 9,] “and Rachel came בָּאָה,” the accent is on the first syllable, on the “beth,” and the Targum renders. The former is in the present tense, whereas the latter is in the past tense.

7 The day is yet long Since he saw them lying down, he thought that they wished to gather the livestock to return home and that they would no longer graze. So he said to them, “The day is yet long,” i.e., if you have been hired for the day, you have not completed the day’s work, and if the animals are yours, it is, nevertheless, not the time to take in the livestock, etc. (Gen. Rabbah 70:11).

8 We cannot water [them] because the stone is huge.

and they will roll Heb. וְגָלְלוּ. This is translated, “and they will roll,” because it is the future tense.

10 that Jacob drew near and rolled As one who removes the stopper from a bottle, to let you know that he possessed great strength (Gen. Rabbah 70:12).

11 and wept Since he foresaw with the holy spirit that she (Rachel) would not enter the grave with him. Another explanation: Since he came empty-handed, he said, “Eliezer, my grandfather’s servant, had nose rings, and bracelets and sweet fruits in his possession, and I am coming with nothing in my hands. [He had nothing] because Eliphaz the son of Esau had pursued him to kill him at his father’s orders; he (Eliphaz) overtook him, but since he had grown up in Isaac’s lap, he held back his hand. He said to him (Jacob), “What will I do about my father’s orders?” Jacob replied, “Take what I have, for a poor man is counted as dead.”- [from Beresheet Rabbathi by Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan]

12 that he was her father’s kinsman Heb. אֲחִי אָבִיהָ, lit., her father’s brother. Related to her father, as (above 13:8): “we are kinsmen” (Pirke d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 36). Its midrashic interpretation is: If he (Laban) comes to deceive me, I, too, am his brother in deception, and if he is an honest man, I, too, am the son of his honest sister Rebecca. [from Gen. Rabbah 70: 13]

and told her father Since her mother was dead, she had no one to tell but him.[from Gen. Rabbah 70:13]

13 that he ran towards him He thought that he (Jacob) was laden with money, for the servant of the household (Eliezer) had come here with ten laden camels.[from Gen. Rabbah 70:13]

and he embraced When he (Laban) did not see anything with him (Jacob), he said, “Perhaps he has brought golden coins, and they are in his bosom.” [from Gen. Rabbah 70:13]

and he kissed him He said, “Perhaps he has brought pearls, and they are in his mouth.” [from Gen. Rabbah 70:13]

He told Laban that he had come only because he was compelled to do so because of his brother (Esau), and that they had taken his money from him.-[from Gen. Rabbah 70:13]

14 Indeed, you are my bone and my flesh -“In view of this, I have no reason to take you into the house, because you have nothing. Because of kinship, however, I will put up with you for a month’s time.” And so he did, but this too was not gratis, for he (Jacob) pastured his sheep.-[from Gen. Rabbah 70:14]

15 Because you are my kinsman Heb. הֲכִי, an interrogative expression: Because you are my kinsman, should you work for me gratis?-[from Targum Onkelos]

should you work for me Heb. וַעֲבַדְתַּנִי like V’TA’AV’DENI, and likewise, any word that is in the past tense, [Scripture] prefixes to it a “vav,” which converts the word to the future tense.

17 tender Because she expected to fall into Esau’s lot, and she wept, because everyone was saying, “Rebecca has two sons, and Laban has two daughters. The older [daughter] for the older [son], and the younger [daughter] for the younger [son]" (B.B. 123a).

features Heb. תֹּאַר. That is the form of the countenance, an expression similar to (Isa. 44:13) “he fixes it (יְתָאֲרֵהוּ) with planes (בַשֶּׂרֶד),” conpas in Old French, outline, shape.

complexion That is the shine of the countenance.

18 I will work for you seven years -(Gen. Rabbah 67:10, 70:17) They are the few days of which his mother said, “And you shall dwell with him for a few days.” (27:44 above) You should know that this is so, because it is written: “and they appeared to him like a few days.” (verse 20)

for Rachel, your younger daughter Why were all these signs necessary? Since he (Jacob) knew that he (Laban) was a deceiver, he said to him, “I will work for you for Rachel,” and lest you say [that I meant] another Rachel from the street, Scripture states: “Your daughter.” Now, lest you say, “I will change her name to Leah, and I will name her (Leah) Rachel,” Scripture states: “[your] younger [daughter].” Nevertheless, it did not avail him, for he (Laban) deceived him.-[from Gen. Rabbah 70:17]

21 for my days are completed [The days] of which my mother told me. Moreover, my days are completed, for I am already eighty-four years old. When will I raise up twelve tribes? This is what he [meant when he] said, “that I may come to her.” Now, isn’t it true that even the most degenerate person would not say this? But he (Jacob) meant [that he intended] to beget generations.-[from Gen. Rabbah 70:18]

25 And it came to pass in the morning, and behold she was Leah But at night, she was not Leah, because Jacob had given signs to Rachel, but when she saw that they were bringing Leah, she (Rachel) said, “Now, my sister will be put to shame. So she readily transmitted those signs to her.”-[from Meg. 13b]

27 Complete the [wedding] week of this one Heb. שְׁבֻעַ. This is the construct state, because it is vocalized with a chataf (a sheva), [and means] the week of this one, which are the seven days of feasting [celebrated by a newly wedded couple]. [This appears in the] Talmud Yerushalmi, Mo’ed Katan (1:7). It is impossible to say [that it means] really a week [in the absolute state and should be rendered: this week,] because, if so, the “shin” would have to be vowelized with a “patach,” (he means to say a “kamatz”). Furthermore, שׇׁבֻעַ is in the masculine gender, for it is written: (Deut. 16:9) “You will count seven weeks (שִׁבְעָה שָׁבֻעֹת).” Therefore, it does not signify a week but seven [days], septaine in Old French.

and we will give to you [This is] a plural expression, similar to (above 11;3,7), “Let us descend and confuse”; “and let us fire them.” This, too, is an expression of giving.

this one too immediately after the seven days of feasting, and you will work after her marriage.-[from Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 36]

30 yet another seven years -(Gen. Rabbah 70:20) Scripture compares the other ones to the first ones. Just as [he worked for him during] the first ones faithfully, so [did he work for him during] the other ones faithfully, although he (Laban) had dealt with him deceitfully.

Note: the following two web pages should be read in conjunction with this Commentary:

http://www.templesecrets.info/ & http://www.templesecrets.info/jacob.html

Ketubim: Targum Tehillim (Psalms) 23:1-6

JUDAICA PRESS TRANSLATION	TARGUM
1. A song of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I will not want.	1. A psalm of David. It is the LORD who fed His people in the wilderness; they did not lack anything.
2. He causes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.	2. In a place of thirst He will settle me in pleasant grass; He led me to the waters of rest.
3. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness/generosity for His name's sake.	3. He will restore my soul with manna; He led me in the paths of righteousness/generosity for the sake of His name.
4. Even when I walk in the valley of darkness, I will fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff-they comfort me.	4. Indeed, when I go into exile by the plain of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Your Word is my help, Your straight staff and Your Torah, they will comfort me.
5. You set a table before me in the presence of my adversaries; You anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.	5. You have set before me a high table of manna in front of my oppressors; You have fattened my body with stuffed fowl, and with anointing oil [You have fattened] the heads of my priests; my goblet is wide.
6. May only goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for length of days.	6. Indeed grace and favour will follow me all the days of my life, while I sit in the sanctuary of the LORD for length of days.

Rashi’s Commentary for: Psalm 23:1-6

1 A song of David The Rabbis said: Wherever it says: “A song of David,” he would play [his musical instrument] and afterwards the Shechinah would rest on him. It is a song to bring the holy spirit upon David. And, wherever it says: “Of David, a song,” the Shechinah rested on him [first] and then he recited a song.

The Lord is my shepherd In this desert where I am going, [therefore] I am confident that I will lack nothing.

2 in green pasture In grassy pastures. Since he commences to compare his sustenance to the pasture of an animal by saying, “The Lord is my shepherd,” “green pastures” is appropriate for the expression, “the Lord is my shepherd.” David recited this psalm in the forest of Hereth (I Sam. 22:5). Why was it called Hereth? Because it was as dry as a potsherd and the Holy One, blessed be He, moistened it with the good of the world to come (Mid. Ps. 23:6).

3 He restores my soul My spirit, which has been weakened by troubles and haste, He will restore to its previous status.

in paths of righteousness In straight paths, so that I should not fall into the hands of my enemies.

4 in the valley of darkness Heb. צַלְמָוֶת, in a land of darkness. He alludes to the desert of Ziph (I Sam. 23:13 28). Every [mention of] צַלְמָוֶת is an expression of darkness. Dunash ben Labrat defined it [in this manner].

Your rod and Your staff The pains that came upon me, and the support, that I rely upon Your loving kindness both of them will comfort me, for they will serve to expiate my iniquity/Lawlessness, and I am confident that You will set a table before me. That is the throne.

5 You anointed my head with oil I have already been anointed king by Your orders.

my cup overflows Heb. רְוָיָה, an expression of fullness.

Ashlamatah: Hos. 12:13-13:5+14:9-10

13. And Jacob fled into the field of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.

14. And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel up out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he kept.

15. Ephraim has provoked most bitterly; therefore will his blood be cast upon him, and his reproach will his Lord return unto him.

1. When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he became guilty through Baal, he died.

2. And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, according to their own understanding, even idols, all of them the work of the craftsmen; of them they say: ‘They that sacrifice men kiss calves.’

3. Therefore they will be as the morning cloud, and as the dew that early passes away, as the chaff that is driven with the wind out of the threshing-floor, and as the smoke out of the window.

4. Yet I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; and you know no God but Me, and beside Me there is no saviour.

5. I did know you in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.

6. When they were fed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten Me.

7. Therefore am I become unto them as a lion; as a leopard will I watch by the way;

8. I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the enclosure of their heart; and there will I devour them like a lioness; the wild beast will tear them.

9. It is your destruction, O Israel, that you are against Me, against your help.

10. Ho, now, your king, that he may save you in all your cities! And your judges, of whom you said: ‘Give me a king and princes!’

11. I give you a king in Mine anger, and take him away in My wrath. {P}

12. The iniquity/Lawlessness of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is laid up in store.

13. The throes of a travailing woman will come upon him; he is an unwise son; for it is time he should not tarry in the place of the breaking forth of children.

14. Will I ransom them from the power of the nether-world? Will I redeem them from death? Ho, your plagues, O death! Ho, your destruction, O nether-world! Repentance be hid from Mine eyes!

15. For though he be fruitful among the reed-plants, an east wind will come, the wind of the LORD coming up from the wilderness, and his spring will become dry, and his fountain will be dried up; he will spoil the treasure of all precious vessels.

1. Samaria will bear her guilt, for she has rebelled against her God; they will fall by the sword; their infants will be dashed in pieces, and their women with child will be ripped up.

2. Return, O Israel, unto the LORD your God; for you have stumbled in your iniquity/Lawlessness.

3. Take with you words, and return unto the LORD; say unto Him: ‘Forgive all Lawlessness, and accept that which is good; so will we render for bullocks the offering of our lips.

4. Asshur will not save us; we will not ride upon horses; neither will we call any more the work of our hands our gods; for in You the fatherless finds mercy.’

5. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; for Mine anger is turned away from him.

6. I will be as the dew unto Israel; he will blossom as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

7. His branches will spread, and his beauty will be as the olive-tree, and his fragrance as Lebanon.

8. They that dwell under his shadow will again make corn to grow, and will blossom as the vine; the scent thereof will be as the wine of Lebanon.

9. Ephraim will say: ‘What have I to do any more with idols?’ As for Me, I respond and look on him; I am like a leafy cypress-tree; from Me is your fruit found.

10. Whosoever is wise, let him understand these things, whosoever is prudent, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the just/generous do walk in them; but transgressors do stumble therein. {P}

Special Ashlamatah: Ezekiel 20:1-20

1. And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.

2. And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

3. ‘Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them: Thus says the Lord GOD: Are you come to inquire of Me? As I live, says the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.

4. Will you judge them, son of man, wilt you judge them? Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers;

5. and say unto them: Thus says the Lord GOD: In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up My hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up My hand unto them, saying: I am the LORD your God;

6. in that day I lifted up My hand unto them, to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had sought out for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the beauty of all lands;

7. and I said unto them: Cast away every man the detestable things of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.

8. But they rebelled against Me, and would not hearken unto Me; they did not every man cast away the detestable things of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt; then I said I would pour out My fury upon them, to spend My anger upon them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

9. But I wrought for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, among whom they were, in whose sight I made Myself known unto them, so as to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt.

10. So I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.

11. And I gave them My statutes, and taught them Mine ordinances, which if a man do, he will live by them.

12. Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them (set them apart).

13. But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they walked not in My statutes, and they rejected Mine ordinances, which if a man do, he will live by them, and My sabbaths they greatly profaned; then I said I would pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

14. But I wrought for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.

15. Yet also I lifted up My hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the beauty of all lands;

16. because they rejected Mine ordinances, and walked not in My statutes, and profaned My Sabbaths - for their heart went after their idols.

17. Nevertheless Mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make a full end of them in the wilderness.

18. And I said unto their children in the wilderness: Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols;

19. I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them;

20. and hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.

Mishnah Pirke Abot: II:7

Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai had five disciples: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus; Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananyah; Rabbi Yosi ha-Kohen; Rabbi Shimon ben Netanel; and Rabbi Elazar ben Arokh. He used to describe their qualities thus: Eliezer ben Hyrcanus is a plastered cistern which does not lose a drop; Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananyah - happy is she who bore him; Yosi ha-Kohen is a hasid; Shimon ben Netanel fears sin; Elazar ben Arokh is an overflowing spring.

He used to say: If you were to put all the sages of Israel on one pan of the scale and Eliezer ben Hyrcanus on the other, he would outweigh them all.

Abba Shaul used to say in his [Rabban Yochanan’s] name: if you were to put all all the sages of Israel on one pan of the scales, even with Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, and Elazar ben Arokh on the other, he would outweigh them all.

Abarbanel on Pirke Abot

By: Abraham Chill

Sepher Hermon Press, Inc. 1991

ISBN 0-87203-135-7

(pp. 121-124)

Abarbanel begins his exposition of this Mishnah by pointing out several difficulties. With regard to none of the other sages mentioned in Pirqe Abot are we told explicitly who their disciples were. Hillel, for instance, had 80 disciples, of whom Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was the most junior, yet this information is not given in the Mishnayot citing Hillel. Why then was Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai singled out? Furthermore, the Mishnah states he had five disciples, but he most certainly had more than that. When Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai lists the distinguishing intellectual features of the five, he summarily defines those of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananyah as, “Happy is she who bore him.” Are the mothers of the other four disciples not to be praised for giving birth to such scholars? Why only the mother of Yehoshua ben Hananyah? In this and the following Mishnayot, the disciples are variously mentioned with the title Rabbi and without. There must be some reason for this inconsistency. Lastly, it is simply untenable that in the same Mishnah two versions should prevail: Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai is reported to have said that Eliezer ben Hyrcanus was the greatest of all the sages, whereas Abba Shaul reports him as saying that Elazar ben Arokh was the star.

Abarbanel solves these difficulties in the following manner. Unwilling to relinquish his opinion that there is a basic difference between Rabbi Yehudah Ha-Nasi and Rabban Gamliel whether Torah alone is sufficient to enhance the life of the Jew, or whether Torah with derekh eretz is the paradigm of Jewish conduct, Abarbanel is convinced that the disciples in this Mishnah tend to side with Rabban Gamliel. The five disciples were not listed in this Mishnah to sing their praises or the praises of their teacher. They were cited by the redactor of the Mishnah only for the purpose of showing that they supported the view of Rabban Gamliel against Rabbi Yehudah Ha-Nasi, and, incidentally, against their own teacher, Rabban Yohanan, and against Hillel and Shammai. The redactor, therefore, wished to stress that these five disciples were sages of the first rank, in proof of which he cited Rabban Yohanan's praise of them. Furthermore, apparently only these five said anything which can be construed as support for Rabban Gamliel's view and that is why they were singled out from Rabban Yohanan's other disciples. When the Mishnah mentions them in relation to Rabban Yohanan, it omits the title, Rabbi, because Rabban Yohanan certainly did not address them with it. When, however, they are cited for what they themselves said, they are given their due title.

All the pronouncements of the disciples in the following Mishnayot are remarkably devoid of any mention of Torah studies. All they speak about are social and emotional attitudes in choosing a proper way of life - not a word about the study of Torah. Against this background we can understand why Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai chose to single out these five disciples, although he had a host of others.

As stated above, in order to stress that these five were sages of the highest calibre, the Mishnah reports Rabban Yohanan's praise of their talents, which he bestowed in order to encourage others to try to emulate them. He begins with Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, who is known in Talmudic literature as “The Great Rabbi Eliezer,” who had an almost perfect memory, which was no doubt cultivated by his diligence in study. Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai describes him as a plastered cistern which does not lose a drop. The Talmud (Sukkah 27b) relates that in his long life, Rabbi Eliezer never gave a pronouncement unless he had heard it from his teacher at one point in his lifetime.

Concerning Yehoshua ben Hananyah, of whom Rabban Yohanan said, “Happy is she who gave birth to him,” Abarbanel infers that he was so congenial, supportive and sympathetic to his peers that everyone lauded him with that accolade. Other commentaries, cited by Abarbanel, refer to the story told by the sages that when Yehoshua's mother was pregnant she made the rounds of all the synagogues and academies praying that the child that she was carrying should become a great Talmudic scholar. Hence, when eventually Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananyah became the outstanding luminary, people declared, “Happy is his mother in that the Almighty heard her prayers.”

Rabbi Yosi Ha-Kohen was described as a Hasid. What is a Hasid in the view of Abarbanel? One who goes beyond the accepted norms in performing the positive Mitzvoth such as charity. Parenthetically, Abarbanel identifies Yosi Ha-Kohen with the famous Yosef ben Gurion who was a disciple of Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai at the end of the Second Commonwealth. In reference to Shimon ben Netanel, we are told that he feared sin. According to Abarbanel, this means that he was meticulous in his observance of negative mitzvoth, the prohibitions. The term, Hasid is associated with positive commandments and the term Yerei Shamayim (Fearer of Heaven) refers to the negative commandments.

Finally, he assesses Rabbi Elazar as a spring which steadily increases its flow, which implies that he possessed a phenomenal talent for innovative thinking. In short, each one of these five students was, in his own singular, inimitable ability, superior to the others.

According to the first part of the Mishnah, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai was of the opinion that Eliezer ben Hyrcanus was the best of them and said that he outweighed all the other sages of Israel. In the second part, however, Abba Shaul is quite certain that the master valued Rabbi Elazar ben Arokh over the others and believed that he outweighed all the sages put together and including Eliezer ben Hyrcanus. To Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, Elazar ben Arokh, with his sharp, incisive mind, was the epitome of a scholar. Rabbenu Yonah sees no clash between the two parts of the Mishnah because one was superior in overall knowledge; the other in depth and penetration.

Abarbanel apparently accepts Rabbenu Yonah's interpretation, but also propounds his own thinking on the conflict between the two parts of our Mishnah. With simple logic he asserts that when Yohanan ben Zakkai said that Eliezer ben Hyrcanus outweighed all the other sages of Israel, none of the other four were included, since he, their teacher, would hardly call his disciples “sages of Israel.” Rabbi Eliezer would outweigh the other sages because of the breadth of his erudition and knowledge. There is no contradiction between that and Aba Shaul's statement, because Elazar ben Arokh was not included in the other pan of the scale. In his incisiveness and depth of thinking Elazar ben Arokh outweighed them all, including Eliezer ben Hyrcanus. In this critical evaluation, the other three disciples were not mentioned since their greatness was not in the field of scholarship, but rather in morals and ethics.

Miscellaneous Interpretations

Midrash Shemuel first inquires into the accuracy of the statement that Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai had five students. It is known that he had a host of others. The answer lies in the superfluity of the phrase “Hayu Lo” in the Hebrew text of the Mishnah, which can be translated literally as “There were five disciples (to him) to Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai.” The message is that from these five disciples

Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai himself received something - increased knowledge that he would not have had without them. Indeed, he had many other students, but these five were the ones that contributed to his additional erudition.

In evaluating the attributes of the five, he begins with Eliezer ben Hyrcanus and describes him as a plastered cistern which does not lose a drop. Although a plastered cistern has an unpleasant aspect in that elements of the plaster mix with the water, in the case of Eliezer ben Hyrcanus the waters of Torah were not affected by any strange philosophies, and yet he retained everything he learned.

Yehoshua ben Hananyah was described as one whose mother should be blessed, probably because of the extensiveness of his dedication to the mitzvah of “Honor your father and your mother.”

Rabbi Shimon ben Netanel was termed, “One who feared sin” because he acted with restriction even in matters that were permissible. He feared that if he did not bridle his actions he would plunge into sin.

Midrash Shemuel considers the virtue of Shimon ben Netanel to be on a higher level than that of Yosi Ha-Kohen who was described as a Hasid. It is possible that one veers to Hasidut because he has an innate tendency towards it. It did not require too much effort on his part; the one who fears sin however, needs to be ever on the alert and prepared to do battle with the evil inclination.

Elazar is compared to a spring that gathers force because of his extraordinary and unmatched ability in the exercise of pilpul. The words “extraordinary” and “spring” must be taken together. By the laws of nature, a spring is an extension of a larger body of water. The further the waters of the spring travel, the force of the torrent becomes weaker. The phenomenon in the case of Rabbi Elazar ben Arokh was that he was like fresh spring water whose flow never wanes and

Jude 8-10

Delitzsch Hebrew Rendition:

8וְכֵן בַּעֲלֵי הַחֲלֹמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה מְטַמְּאִים אֶת־הַבָּשָׂר וְאֶת־הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה יְנָאֲצוּ וְאֶת־הַשְּׂרָרוֹת יְחָרֵפוּ׃

9וּמִיכָאֵל שַׂר הַמַּלְאָכִים בְּהִתְוַכְּחוֹ עִם־הַשָּׂטָן וַיָּרֶב אִתּוֹ עַל־אֹדוֹת גְּוִיַּת מֹשֶׁה לֹא־מְלָאוֹ לִבּוֹ לַחֲרֹץ מִשְׁפַּט גִּדּוּפִים כִּי אִם־אָמַר יִגְעַר יְהוָֹה בָּךְ׃

10וְאֵלֶּה מְחָרְפִים אֶת־אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדָעוּ וּבַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר יָבִינוּ מֵחָק־טִבְעָם כַּבְּהֵמוֹת הַסְּכָלוֹת בָּהֵמָּה יַשְׁחִיתוּ אֶת־נַפְשָׁם׃

Murdoch’s Rendition from the Aramaic:

8. In the same manner, too, these sensual dreamers defile the flesh and despise authority, and revile excellency.

9. But Michael the archangel, who, in debate with the Accuser, contended about the body of Moses, did not venture to bring against him a reviling declaration; but said, The Lord (Ha-Shem) will rebuke you.

10. But these [men] revile things which they do not understand; and in the things of which they have a natural persuasion as animal beings, in these they corrupt themselves.

Etheridge’s Rendition from the Aramaic:

8. In this manner also (will perish) those who, in sleep imagining, defile the flesh, but contemn government, and blaspheme majesty.

9. Yet Mikael, chief of angels, when, with the accuser speaking, he contended on account of the body of Moshe, dared not bring against him a reviling judgment, but said, The Lord (Ha-Shem) rebuke you.

10. But these the things which they know not revile; but through those by which naturally as the beasts they are swayed, they are corrupted.

Hakham’s Rendition

8. In like manner, nevertheless, those (the false teachers of v.4) having dreams also the flesh indeed do defile, and lordship they put away, and dignities they speak evil of,

9. Yet Michael, the chief messenger, when, with Ha-Satan contending, he was disputing about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring up an evil-speaking judgment, but said, “The Lord (Ha-Shem) rebuke you!”

10. And these, as many things indeed as they have not known, they speak evil of; and as many things as naturally (as the irrational beasts) they understand, in these they are corrupted;

Comments:

v.8 – Having dreams – (Heb. הַחֲלֹמוֹת) – here in this verse the dreams are of a perverse sexual nature rather than of a spiritual kind. This is to be contrasted with the dreaming of Ya’aqob which in Gen. 28:12 we read: וַיַּחֲלֹם – “And he dreamed.”

The false teachers (cf. v.4) not only have perverse sexual dreams (which indicates their fixation or main preoccupation) but consequently also despise wholeheartedly and form of authority over them, indeed the idea of subjection to authority is totally repugnant to them. And of course, the bi-product of this is the speaking evil of “dignities” (any person in authority).

v.9 – Some say that this a quote from the Apocrypha, hover in Targum Pseudo Jonathan this issue is mentioned [find quote- I recall not long ago H.E. Adon Barth Lindemann pointed this out].

v.10 – As Koheleth (Ecclesiastes) 1:9 writes: “That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.” So these false preachers who reject the teaching of Jewish Rabbis, despise being subject to their authority, “speaking evil of things they do not know” because of the corruption in their minds. Anything new under the sun?

Some Questions to Ponder:

1. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Genesis 28:10?

2. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Genesis 28:11?

3. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Genesis 28:12?

4. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Genesis 28:13?

5. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Genesis 28:15?

6. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Genesis 28:17?

7. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Genesis 28:20?

8. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Genesis 28:22?

9. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Genesis 29:3?

10. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Genesis 29:11?

11. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Genesis 29:13?

12. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Genesis 29:17?

13. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Genesis 29:27?

14. Why on this Shabbat we read the special Ashlamatah of Ezekiel 20:1-20?

15. Why is it a great loss for a place when a Tsadiq leaves it?

16. What do we learn from the evening service at the Esnoga about Ya’aqob?

17. How is the Ashlamatah of Hos. 12:13-13:5+14:9-10 related to our Torah Seder and the other readings for this Shabbat?

18. How is Psalm 23 related to our Torah Seder and the other readings for this Shabbat?

19. How is Jude 8-10 related to our Torah Seder and the other readings for this Shabbat?

20. His is Pirke Abot II:7 related to our Torah Seder and the other readings for this Shabbat?

21. In your opinion, taking into consideration the contents of our Torah Seder, Psalm, Ashalamatah, Special Ashlamatah, Pirke Abot II:7, and Jude 8-10, what is the prophetic message for this week?

Pesach Sheni – Second Passover

Iyar 14, 5769 – Evening Thursday May 7 – Evening Friday May 8, 2009

For further study see: http://www.betemunah.org/sheni.html

Next Shabbat:

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
וַיַּרְא יְהוָה
“VaYar Ha-Shem”	Reader 1 – B’Resheet 29:31-33	Reader 1 – B’Resheet 30:22-24
“And Ha-Shem saw”	Reader 2 – B’ Resheet 29:34 – 30:2	Reader 2 – B’Resheet 30:25-27
“Y vió Ha-Shem”	Reader 3 – B’ Resheet 30:3-5	Reader 3 – B’Resheet 30:28-30
B’Resheet (Gen.) 29:31 – 30:21	Reader 4 – B’ Resheet 30:6-8
Ashlamatah: Isaiah 60:15-22 + 61:8-9	Reader 5 – B’ Resheet 30:9-13
	Reader 6 – B’ Resheet 30:14-16	Reader 1 – B’Resheet 30:22-24
Psalm 24	Reader 7 – B’ Resheet 30:17-21	Reader 2 – B’Resheet 30:25-27
N.C.: Jude 11-13	Maftir : B’ Resheet 30:19-21	Reader 3 – B’Resheet 30:28-30
Pirke Abot: II:8	Isaiah 60:15-22 + 61:8-9

Counting of the Omer

Evening Friday May the 1^st – Today is the 23^rd day of the counting of the Omer

Evening Saturday May the 2^nd – Today is the 24^th day of the counting of the Omer

Evening Sunday May the 3^rd – Today is the 25^th day of the counting of the Omer

Evening Monday May the 4^th – Today is the 26^th day of the counting of the Omer

Evening Tuesday May the 5^th – Today is the 27^th day of the counting of the Omer

Evening Wednesday May the 6^th – Today is the 28^th day of the counting of the Omer

Evening Thursday May the 7^th – Today is the 29h day of the counting of the Omer

Evening Friday May the 8^th – Today is the 30^th day of the counting of the Omer

Evening Saturday May the 9^th – Today is the 31^st day of the counting of the Omer

Evening Sunday May the 10^th – Today is the 32^nd day of the counting of the Omer

Evening Monday May the 11^th – Today is the 33^rd day of the counting of the Omer – Lag BaOmer! –

Hakham’s 59^th Birthday, Yes!