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

 

 

Candle Lighting and Havdalah 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

His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat Sarah

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

Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah & beloved family

His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann & beloved family

His Excellency Adon John Batchelor & beloved wife

His Excellency Adon Yehoshua ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Rut bat Sarah

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Her Excellency Giberet Prof. Dr. Emunah bat Sarah & beloved family

His Excellency Adon Robert Dick & beloved wife HE Giberet Cobena Dick

His Excellency Adon Ovadya ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Mirit bat Sarah

His Excellency Adon Shlomoh ben Abraham

His Excellency Adon Ya’aqob ben David

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

Her Excellency Giberet Krysta Wallrauch & beloved family

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

Blessings Before Torah Study

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

A Prayer for Israel

 

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

 

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

 

We pray for his Eminence Hillel ben David. Mi Sheberach…He who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, may He bless and heal his Eminence Hillel ben David, 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!

 

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: “Eleh Tol’dot Noach” – “These are the Generations of Noach”

 

 

Contents of Week’s Torah Seder

 

·        The Building of the Ark – Genesis 6:9-22

·        Entering the Ark – Genesis 7:1-9

·        The Windows of Heaven Were Opened – Genesis 7:10-24

 

 Reading Assignment:

 

 

 

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for:  Bereshit (Genesis) 6:9 – 7:24

 

JPS & Keter Crown Bible - Chorev	Targum Pseudo Jonathan	Targum Neofiti 1
9. This is the history of Noach. Noach was a righteous/generous man, flawless in his generation; Noach walked with Elohim. 9. These are the descendants of Noach; Noach was a righteous, wholehearted man in his generations, and Noach walked with GOD.	9. These are the genealogies of the race of Noah. Noah was a just man, complete in good works in his generation, (and) in the fear of the Lord walked Noah.	9. This is the genealogical pedigree of Noah: Noah was a just man. He was perfect in good works in his generations;'' Noah served before the LORD in truth.
10. Noach fathered three sons, Shem, Cham, and Yafet. 10. Noach fathered three sons: Shem, Cham and Yephet.	10. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Cham, and Japheth.	10. And Noah begot three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11. The earth was corrupt before Elohim, and the earth was filled with violent crime. 11. The earth was corrupted before God and the earth was filled with violence.	11. And the earth was corrupted through the inhabitants thereof, who had declined from the ways of righteousness/generosity before the Lord; and the earth was filled with rapine. [JERUSALEM. And the earth was filled with violence and frauds.]	11. And the inhabitants of the earth had corrupted their works before the LORD, and the earth was filled with deeds of violence and with robbers.
12. Elohim saw the earth and beheld that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth. 12. God saw the earth and indeed, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.	12. And the Lord beheld the earth; and, lo, it was corrupt; for all flesh had every one corrupted his way upon the earth.	12. And the earth was manifest before the LORD and behold it had become corrupted, because all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.
13. Elohim said to Noach, The end of all flesh has come before Me. The earth is filled with violent crime because of them, and so, I will destroy them with the earth. 13. GOD said to Noach, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, because the earth was filled with violence on account of them, so I will now destroy them with the earth.	13. And the Lord said to Noah, The end of all flesh cometh before Me, because the earth is filled with rapine by their evil works; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.	13. And the LORD said to Noah: “The outcry of all flesh has come up before Me, because the earth has become filled with violent men and robberies before them. Behold I am going to destroy both themselves and the earth.
14. Make for yourself an ark of cedar wood. Make the ark into compartments and caulk the inside and outside with tar. 14. Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; make the ark with rooms and seal it with pitch on the inside and on the outside.	14. Make for yourself an ark of the wood of cedars; and you will protect it within and without with pitch.	14. Make an ark (of) timbers of cedar, you will make the ark as having compartments, and plaster it inside and outside with asphalt.
15. This is how you should make it; the ark's length shall be three hundred amot, its width fifty amot and its height thirty amot. 15. This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark, three hundred cubits; its breadth shall be fifty cubits and its height, thirty cubits.	15. a hundred and fifty cells will you make to the ark in its left side, and thirty and six in its breadth; and ten cabins in the midst, to lay up in them provision; and five repositories on the right, and five on the left.	15. According to this plan will you make it: the length of the ark will be three hundred cubits, fifty cubits its breadth, and thirty cubits the measure of its height.
16. Make a skylight for the ark and finish it to one amah at the top. Place the opening of the ark in its side. Make a lower deck, a second and a third deck. 16. Make a light-source for the ark, taper it to a cubit from above, and place the entrance to the ark in its side; make it with a lower floor, second floor and third floor.	16. Go you unto Phison, and take from thence a precious stone, and fix it in the ark to illuminate you: with the measure of a cubit (or span) will you complete it above. And a door will you set in the side of the ark; and with dwelling-places, inferior, second, and third, will you make it.	16. 16. You shall make a window for the ark; and you shall bring it to completion to the distance of one cubit from above, and you shall put the door of the ark at the side. You will make it with a ground story, a second, and a third one.
17. Behold I am bringing the flood waters on the earth, to destroy all flesh in which there is the breath of life, from under the heavens. Everything that is on the land will perish. 17. As for Me, I am bringing the flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which there is a spirit of life beneath the skies; all that is in the earth will expire.	17. And I, behold, I bring a flood of waters upon the earth to swallow up all flesh which has in it the spirit of life from under the heavens: whatever is upon the earth will be swept away.	17. And behold, I am bringing the flood of waters upon the earth to destroy from under the heavens all flesh in which there is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth will be blotted out.
18. I will establish my covenant with you. You shall go into the ark, you, your sons, your wife and your son's wives, with you. 18. I will establish My covenant with you; you will enter the ark: you, your sons, your wives and your son’s wives with you.	18. But I will establish my covenant with you; and you will go into the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife, and the wives of your sons with you.	18. And I will establish My covenant with you and you will enter the ark: you and your wife and the wives of your sons.
19. From all living things, from all flesh, two of each shall you bring to the ark, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 19. You shall bring two of each from all that lives, from all flesh, into the ark to preserve alive with you; they shall be male and female.	19. And of all that lives of all flesh, two of every (kind) will go into the ark, to be preserved alive with you: male and female will they be.	19. You will cause to enter the ark with you, to survive with you, from all living creatures, from all flesh, two from each (species); they will be male and female;
20. From the birds of their kind, from the animals of their kind, from every creeping thing of the earth of its kind, two of each will come to you to be kept alive. 20. From the birds according to its kind, from the beasts according to its kind, from every crawling thing upon the earth according to its kind, two of each shall come to you to be kept alive.	20. Of the fowl after its kind, and of all cattle after its kind, and of every reptile of the earth after its kind, two of every (sort) will enter to you by the hand of the angel, who will take and cause them to enter to you, to be preserved.	20. from the birds of the air according to their species, and from the cattle according to their species, and from every creeping thing of the earth according to its species, two of each shall go in to you so as to survive.
21. You shall take for yourself from all [the] foods that are eaten, and gather it to yourself, and it will be food for you and for them. 21. As for you, take for yourself from all food that is eaten and gather [it] to you, that there may be for you and for them to eat.”	21. And you, take to yourself of all food that is eaten, and let it be to you and to them for food.	21. And, as for you, take to yourself of all the food that can be eaten, and gather (it) to you so that it may serve you and them as food.”
22. Noach did so. All that he was commanded by El-him, he did. 22. Noach did so; he did in accordance with everything that GOD had commanded him.	22. And Noah did according to all that the LORD had instructed him.	22. And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him. Thus he did.
1. Adonai said to Noach, Come into the ark, you and your household, for I have seen that you are righteous/generous before Me, in this generation. 1. The LORD said to Noach, “You and all your household enter the ark; for I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.	1. And the Lord said to Noah, Enter, you, and every one of your house, into the ark; for you have I seen righteous/generous before Me in this generation.	1. And the LORD said to Noah: “Go into the ark, you and the men of your house, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
2. Of every [ritually] clean animal, take to yourself seven pairs, male and its mate. Of every animal that is not clean, [take] two, the male and its mate. 2. From every [kind of] pure animal take seven [and] seven, male and female, and from the beast that is not pure, two: male and female.	2. Of all clean cattle take you seven by seven, male and female, and of all cattle not clean, two (and two), male and female.	2. You shall take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, male and female and two of all the animals that are not clean, male and female;
3. Also of the birds of the heaven, [take] seven pairs, male and female; to keep seed alive upon the face of the earth. 3. Also from the bird of the skies, seven [and] seven, male and female, to maintain offspring on the face of the entire earth.	3. But of birds of the heaven, seven by seven, male and female, to preserve from them seed upon the earth.	3. also seven pairs of the birds of the birds of the heaven, male and female, to keep     alive on the face of the earth.
4. Because in another seven days I will bring rain on the earth [and it will rain] forty days and forty nights, and I will obliterate every living substance that I have made, from the face of the earth. 4. For in another seven days I will rain down on the earth for forty days and forty nights; I will obliterate all the living things that I made from upon the face of the earth.”	4. For, behold, I give you space of seven days; if they will be converted, it will be forgiven them; but if they will not be converted, after a time of days yet seven, I will cause rain to come down upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and will destroy all bodies of man and of beast upon the earth.	4. For, behold, after seven days I am going to make rain fall on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out from the face of the earth all its creatures which I have created.”
5. Noach did all that Adonai commanded him. 5. Noach did everything that the LORD had commanded him.	5. And Noah did according to all that the LORD had commanded him.	5. And Noah did everything that the LORD commanded him...
6. Noach was six hundred years old when the flood waters were on the earth. 6. Noach was six hundred years old, and the flood came as water upon the earth.	6. And Noah was the son of six hundred years when the deluge of waters was upon the earth.	6. And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood—the waters—came upon the earth.
7. Noach went in, and his sons, his wife, and his son's wives, with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the Flood. 7. Noach entered with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives into the ark, because of the floodwaters.	7. And Noah entered, with his sons and his wife and the wives of his sons with him, into the ark, from before the waters of the deluge.	7. And Noah and his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, entered the ark from the waters of the flood.
8. Of the [ritually] clean animals, and the animals that are not [ritually] clean, of the birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth. 8. From the pure animals and from the animals that are not pure; from the birds and all that creeps upon the earth.	8. Of all cattle clean, and of cattle unclean, of birds, and of whatever creeps upon the earth,	8. Of the animals that are clean, and of the animals that are not clean, and of the birds and of everything that creeps upon the earth,
9. Two by two they came to Noach into the ark, male and female, as Elohim had commanded Noach. 9. Two by two they came to Noach into the ark, male and female, as God commanded Noach.	9. two and two they entered unto Noah into the ark, male and female, as the Lord had instructed Noah.	9. two pairs entered into the ark with Noah, male and its mate, as the LORD had commanded Noah.
10. Seven days had passed, and the flood waters were on the earth. 10. And after seven days, the floodwaters came upon the earth.	10. And it was at the time of seven days after the conclusion of the mourning for Methushelach, that the Lord beheld, and, lo, the sons of men had not turned. And the waters of the deluge came down hotly from the heavens upon the earth.	10. And at the end of seven days of the mourning of Methusaleh the waters of the flood came upon the earth.
11. In the six hundredth year of Noach's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day, all the wellsprings of the great deep, burst open, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 11. In the six hundredth year of Noach’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day, all the springs of the great deep burst open and the floodgates of the heavens opened.	11. In the six-hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, which was the month of Marcheshvan, for hitherto the months had been numbered from Tishri which was the beginning of the year at the completion of the world, in the seventeenth day of the month, in that day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up. And the giants were gathered there together with their sons and perturbed them, and afterwards the windows of heaven were opened. [JERUSALEM. And the windows of heaven were opened.]	11. And at the end of six hundred years of the life of Noah, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that very day, all the spring of the great abyss were rent, and the apertures of the heavens were opened.
12. There was rain on the earth forty days and forty nights. 12. The rain was upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.	12. And the rain came down upon the earth forty days and forty nights.	12. And the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.
13. On that very day, Noach came along with Shem, Cham, and Yafet, the sons of Noach; Noach's wife and the three wives of his sons, with them, into the ark. 13. On that same day Noach, and the sons of Noach: Shem, Cham and Yephet, Noach’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark.	13. In that same day entered Noah, and Shem, and Cham, and Yapheth, the sons of Noah, and the wife of Noah, and the three wives of his sons with him, into the ark:	13. And on the very same day, Noah and Shem, Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and the wife of Noah, and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark,
14. They, and every beast of its kind, and every animal of its kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth of its kind; and every flying creature of its kind, every bird, every winged creature. 14. They, with every wild beast according to its kind, every domesticated animal according to its kind, every crawling thing that creeps upon the earth according to its kind, and every bird according to its kind, every bird of every sort.	14. they, and every animal after his kind, and all cattle after their kind, and every reptile that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after its kind, every bird which flieth.	14. they and every beast according to its species, and all the cattle according to their species, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth according to its species, and all the birds according to their species, and everything that flies and everything that hovers.
15. They came to Noach, to the ark, two by two of all the flesh in which there was a breath of life. 15. They came to Noach into the ark, two by two of every flesh in which there is a living spirit.	15. And they entered to Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh in which was the breath of life.	15. They went into the ark with Noah, two pairs of all flesh in which there is the breath of life.
16. Those that came were male and female, of all flesh they came, as Elohim had commanded him. Adonai then [protectively] shut him in [the ark.] 16. Those coming in were male and female from every flesh, as GOD had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.	16. And they coming entered, male and female, of all flesh unto him, as the Lord had instructed him; and the Word of the Lord covered over the door of the ark upon the face thereof. [JERUSALEM. And the Word of the Lord was merciful upon him.]	16. And they that went in, male and female from all flesh, went in as the LORD had commanded him and the LORD protected him in His good mercies.
17. There was a Flood on the earth for forty days. The waters increased and lifted the ark, and it rose [high] above the earth. 17. The flood was upon the earth for forty days; the water increased and lifted the ark so that it was raised from the earth.	17. And there was a flood forty days upon the earth, and the waters were multiplied and bare up the ark, and it was lifted from the earth.	17. And for forty days the flood was upon the earth; and the waters increased and bore the ark and it rose high above the earth.
18. The waters were powerful and increased greatly over the earth, and the ark moved on the surface of the waters. 18. The waters grew higher and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water.	18. And the waters waxed mighty and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark went floating upon the face of the waters.	18. And the waters grew strong and increased greatly upon the earth and the ark moved on the surface of the waters.
19. The waters were very powerful over the earth, and they covered all the high mountains which were under all the heavens. 19. The waters became very, very high over the earth and they covered all the high mountains that are beneath all the heavens.	19. And the waters prevailed greatly upon the earth, and all the high hills which were under the heavens were covered:	19. And the waters grew so strong upon the surface of the earth that all the high mountains that are under all the heavens were covered.
20. Fifteen amot above them [the mountains] did the waters prevail, and they covered the mountains. 20. The waters rose fifteen cubits high, and the mountains were covered.	20. fifteen cubits higher did the waters prevail, and the mountains were covered.	20. The waters increased fifteen cubits higher and covered the mountains.
21. All flesh that moved on the earth perished; birds, animals, beasts, and all creeping creatures that creep on the earth and every man. 21. All flesh creeping upon earth perished — fowl, domesticated animal, wild beasts, and every swarming thing that swarms upon earth — and all mankind.	21. And all flesh expired which moves upon the earth; of fowl, and of cattle, and of wild beasts, and every moving thing that moves upon the earth, and all the sons of men, --	21. And an end to all flesh that creeps upon the earth: birds, cattle, all wild beasts, all creeping things that creep upon the earth and all the sons of man.
22. All that has a breath of the spirit of life--- everything on dry land---died. 22. All which had the breath of a living spirit in its nostrils, everything on dry land, died.	22. everything in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all on the dry land, died.	22. Everything that had the breath of life in its nostrils, from among whatsoever was on the dry land, died.
23. [He] obliterated every being that was on the surface of the ground; from man to animals, to creeping creatures, and to the birds of the heaven. They were obliterated from the earth. Only Noach and those with him in the ark survived. 23. He obliterated all the living things that were on the face of the earth, from man to beast, to crawling creatures, and to the birds of the skies—they were obliterated from the earth; only Noach and those with him in the ark remained.	23. And all the bodies of men and of beasts upon the face of the earth, from man to cattle, to creeping thing, and to the fowl which wings in the air of heaven, perished from the earth; and Noah only was left, and they who were with him in the ark.	23. And he blotted out all the creatures that were on the face of the earth, from the sons of man to beasts, the creeping things, and the birds of the heavens; they were blotted out from the earth and Noah alone was left, and whoever was with him in the ark.
24. The waters prevailed over the earth for one hundred and fifty days. 24. The water rose over the earth for one hundred and fifty days.	24. And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.	24. And the waters swelled strong above the earth for one hundred and fifty days.

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for:  Bereshit (Genesis) 6:9 – 7:24 ‎ ‎

 

9 These are the generations of Noah—Noah was a righteous man. Since Scripture mentions him, it tells his praise, as it is said (Prov. 10:7): “The mention of a righteous man is for a blessing.” - [Pesikta Rabbathi 12]. Another explanation [for why the names of the children are not mentioned immediately following “These are the generations of Noah”]: To teach you that the main generations [progeny] of the righteous are good deeds. — [Mid. Tan. Noah 2]

 

in his generations. Some of our Sages interpret it [the word בְּדֹרֹתָיו] favorably: How much more so if he had lived in a generation of righteous people, he would have been even more righteous. Others interpret it derogatorily: In comparison with his generation he was righteous, but if he had been in Abraham’s generation, he would not have been considered of any importance. — [Sanh. 108a, Gen. Rabbah 30:9, Tan. Noach 5]

 

Noah walked with God. But concerning Abraham, Scripture says (below 24:40): “[the Lord] before Whom I walked.” Noah required [God’s] support to uphold him [in righteousness], but Abraham strengthened himself and walked in his righteousness by himself. — [Tan. Noach 5]

 

walked. (הִתְהַלֶּךְ) is here in the past tense. The following is the usage of the “lammed”: in the “heavy” (כָּבֵד) form [this refers to conjugations with a dagesh in one of the root letters, in this case, in the lammed], one form can be used [both] for the future [really the imperative] and the past tense. For example, (Gen. ibid. 13): “Rise, walk (הִתְהַלֵּךְ)” is the future (i.e., imperative). “Noah walked (הִתְהַלֶּךְ)” is the past. (I Sam. 12:19): “Pray (הִתְפַּלֵּל) for your servants” is future (i.e., imperative), and (I Kings 8:42) “and he will come and pray (וְהִתְפַּלֵּל) toward this house” is past, only that the “vav” at the beginning converts it to the future. — [as explained by Mizrachi]

 

11 was corrupt. Heb. וַתִּשָּׁחֵת is an expression of immorality and idolatry. (other editions add: immorality, “for all flesh had corrupted (הִשְׁחִית) its way,” and idolatry), as in (Deut. 4:16): “Lest you deal corruptly (תַּשְׁחִיתוּן).” - [Sanh. 56b, 57a]

 

and the earth became full of robbery. Heb. חָמָס, robbery. (other editions add: as it is said (Jonah 3:8): “and of the dishonest gain (הֶחָמָס) which is in their hands.”) - [Sanh. 108a]

 

12 for all flesh had corrupted. Even cattle, beasts, and fowl would mate with those who were not of their own species. — [from Tan. Noach 12]

 

13 The end of all flesh. Wherever you find promiscuity (and idolatry), a pestilence comes upon the world and kills both good and bad alike. — [from Gen. Rabbah 26:5] Note that parenthetic words do not appear in Gen. Rabbah, Lev. Rabbah, or in early mss. and printed editions of Rashi. We have translated אַנְדְרוֹלוּמוּסְיָה as pestilence, following Aruch. See below.

 

for the earth has become full of robbery. Their verdict was sealed only because of robbery. — [from Sanh. 108a]

 

from the earth. [אֶת הָאָרֶץ] is similar מִן הָאָרֶץ: “from the earth.” Similar to this is (Exod. 9:29): “When I go the city” [meaning] “from” the city; (I Kings 15:23): “He was stricken his feet” [meaning] “from” his feet (i.e, he suffered from a foot ailment). Another explanation: אֶת הָאָרֶץ means “together with the earth,” for even the three handbreadths of the depth of the plowshare were blotted out and obliterated.

 

14 Make for yourself an ark. Many ways to bring relief and rescue are available to Him; why, then, did He burden him with this construction? In order that the people of the Generation of the Flood should see him occupying himself with it for one hundred twenty years and ask him, “For what do you need this?” And he would say to them, “The Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to bring a flood upon the world.” Perhaps they would repent. - [Aggadath Bereishith 1:2, Tan. Noach 5, Tan. Buber Bereishith 37, Gen. Rabbah 30:7]

 

gopher wood. That is its name. Now why from this species (גֹפֶר)? Because of sulphur (גָפְרִית) with which it was decreed upon them to be blotted out. — [from Bereishith Rabbathi p. 66]

 

compartments. individual dwellings for each domestic animal and wild beast. — [from Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer ch. 23]

 

with pitch. Heb. כֹּפֶר This is זֶפֶת in Aramaic, and we find in the Talmud (Shab. 67a, b, Ned. 51a, Git. 69b, B.M. 23b, 40a, 70a, Ar. 19a) the word כּוּפְרָא [meaning pitch]. In Moses’ ark [i.e., the ark in which Moses was placed in the Nile], since the water was calm, it was enough to have mud on the inside and pitch on the outside. Another reason: so that this righteous man [Moses] should not smell the bad odor of pitch. But here, because of the force of the water, he caulked it with pitch both inside and outside. — [from Gen. Rabbah 31:10, Sotah 12a]

 

16 a skylight. Heb. צֹהַר, lit. light. Some say [that it was] a window, and some say [that it was] a precious stone, which gave them light. — [Gen. Rabbah 31:11]

 

and to a cubit you shall finish it to the top. Its covering slanted upwards until it narrowed at the top to one cubit (Gen. Rabbah 31:11), so that the rain should run down (the following does not appear in certain editions) (from both sides) (Sanh. 108b, Maharsha).

 

you shall place in its side. so that the rains should not fall into it.

 

bottom [compartments], second-story [compartments], and third-story [compartments]. three stories, one above the other; the upper compartments were for people, the middle ones for [animal] dwellings, and the bottom ones for waste matter. — [from Sanh. 108b]

 

17 And I, behold I am bringing. Behold, I am ready to agree with those [angels] who urged Me long ago (Ps. 8:5): “What is man that You should remember him?” - [Gen. Rabbah 31:12]

 

the flood. Heb. הַמַּבּוּל: that wore out (בִּלָּה) everything; that mixed up (בִּלְבֵּל) everything; that transported (הוֹבִיל) everything from the high [ground] to the low [ground]. This [the last interpretation] is [the basis for] the rendering of Onkelos: טוֹפָנָא, a flood [from טוּף, to float], because it caused everything to float and brought them down to Babylon, which is deep, and this is why it was called Shinar, because all those who died in the Flood were shaken out (נִנְעֲרוּ) there. — [Yer. Ber. 4:1, Gen. Rabbah 37:4]

 

18 And I will set up My covenant with you. A covenant was necessary for the fruits, so that they should not rot and become putrid, and so that the wicked of the generation should not kill him. — [from Gen. Rabbah 31:12]

 

you and your sons, and your wife. the men separately and the women separately. From here, we deduce that they were prohibited to engage in marital relations [in the ark]. — [Sanh. 108b]

 

19 And of all living things. Even demons. — [Gen. Rabbah 31:13]

 

two of each. Of the least [numerous] of them, there were no less than two, one male and one female.

 

20 Of the fowl after its kind. (Gen. Rabbah) [Note that this derash is not found in Gen. Rabbah, but in Tan. Noach 12] Those that mated with their kind, and did not corrupt their way, and came by themselves, and all that the ark accepted, [i.e., the ark repulsed the unfit animals and did not let them enter], he brought into it. — [Sanh. 108b, Tan. ad loc., Zev. 116a, Gen. Rabbah 32:8 from 7:16; Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer ch. 23 from ibid. 15; only Mid. Hagadol from this verse]

 

22 And Noah did. This refers to the building of the ark. — [Gen. Rabbah 31:14]

 

7:1 for it is you that I have seen as a righteous man before Me. But it does not say: “a righteous man, perfect” [as it does in 6:9]. From here [we deduce] that we tell part of a person’s praise in his presence and all of it in his absence. — [Gen. Rabbah 32:3]

 

2 Of all the clean animals. that are destined to be clean for Israel. We learn [from here] that Noah studied the Torah. — [Zev. 116a]

 

seven pairs. in order that he might offer up some as a sacrifice upon leaving [the ark]. — [Tan. Vayakhel 6]

 

3 Also, of the fowl of the heavens, etc.. Scripture speaks of the clean [fowl], and we learn that which is not explicit from that which is explicit. [i.e., Just as in the case of the animals, seven pairs of clean ones were to be brought into the ark, so was it in the case of the fowl, that seven pairs of clean ones were to be brought in, while of the unclean species, only one pair was to be saved.]

 

4 For in another seven days. (Sanh. 108b) These are the seven days of mourning for the righteous Methuselah, for the Holy One, blessed be He, had consideration for his honor, and delayed the retribution. Go and calculate the years of Methuselah and you will find that they ended in the six-hundredth year of Noah’s life.

 

For in another seven days. What is the meaning of “another” ? A [period of] time following a [period of] time; this [period] was added to the one hundred and twenty years. — [See Rashi 6:14]

 

forty days. Corresponding to the [time required for the] formation of the fetus, for they sinned by burdening the One Who formed them, by fashioning the forms of mamzerim (children born of incestuous and forbidden unions). - [Gen. Rabbah 32:5]

 

5 And Noah did. This refers to his entrance into the ark.

 

7 And Noah…and his sons. The men separately and the women separately, because they were prohibited from engaging in marital relations since the world was steeped in pain. — [Tan. 11]

 

because of the flood waters. Noah, too, was of those who had little faith, believing and not believing that the Flood would come, and he did not enter the ark until the waters forced him to do so. — [Gen. Rabbah 32:6]

 

9 they came to Noah. By themselves. — [Tan. Noach 12]

 

two by two. They were all equal in this number; the smallest number was two.

 

11 in the second month. Rabbi Eliezer says: This refers to Marheshvan; Rabbi Joshua says: this refers to Iyar. — [Seder Olam Rabbah, ch. 4]

 

were split. to emit their waters.

 

the great deep. Measure for measure. They sinned with [Gen. 6:5] “the evil of man was great,” and they were punished with “the great deep.” - [Sanh. 108a]

 

12 And the rain was upon the earth. And further (verse 17) Scripture says: “Now the Flood was [upon the earth].” But when He brought them [the rains] down, He brought them down with mercy, so that if they would repent, they would be rains of blessing. When they did not repent, they became a flood. — [Midrash Hane’elam, Zohar Chadash 28a]

 

forty days, etc.. The first day does not count because its night was not included with it, [i.e., on the night preceding it, no rain fell] for it is written (verse 11): “on this day, all the springs were split.” The result is that the forty days ended on the twenty-eighth of Kislev, according to Rabbi Eliezer. For the months are counted according to their order, one full [composed of thirty days], and one defective [composed of twenty-nine days], leaving twelve days of Marcheshvan and twenty-eight of Kislev [totaling forty].

 

13 On this very day. Scripture teaches you that the people of his generation were saying, “If we see him going into the ark, we will break it and kill him.” Said the Holy One, blessed be He, “I will bring him in before the eyes of all, and we will see whose word will prevail!” - [Sifrei Ha’azinu 337]

 

14 bird of every wing. It [the word צִפּוֹר is in the construct state [meaning]: “birds of every type of wing,” to include locusts. (The word כָּנָף means feather, as (Lev. 1:17):“And he shall split it apart with its feathers (בִכְנָפָיו)” for even its feathers were included in the burnt offering. Here too, [the meaning is] any bird with any kind of appearance of feathers). [Chul. 139b]

 

16 and the Lord shut him in. He protected him (Targum Onkelos) that they should not break it; He surrounded the ark with bears and lions, and they killed some of them (Tan. Buber Noach 10). The simple meaning of the verse is that He closed [the ark] in front of him against the water. Likewise, every בְּעַד in Scripture is an expression of “in front of.” (Below 20:18): “in front of (בְּעַד) every womb”; (II Kings 4:4): “in front of you (בַּעֲדֵךְ) and in front of (וּבְעַד) your sons”; (Job 2:4): “skin in front of (בְּעַד) skin” ; (Ps. 3:4): “a shield in front of me (בַּעֲדִי)”; (I Sam. 12:19): “Pray בְּעַד your servants,” meaning “in front” [on behalf] of your servants.

 

17 and it rose off the earth. It was submerged in the water eleven cubits like a loaded ship, which is partially submerged in the water, and the following verses prove this. — [from Gen. Rabbah 32:9] See Rashi below 8:3.

 

18 became powerful. By themselves.

 

20 Fifteen cubits above. Above the peaks of all the mountains, after the waters were equal to [at the same level as] the mountain peaks. — [from Gen. Rabbah 32:11]

 

22 the breath of the spirit of life. Heb. נִשְמַת, the breath (נְשָמָה) of the spirit of life [and not “soul”].

 

that were on the dry land. But not the fish, which were in the sea. — [Sanh. 108a]

 

23 And it blotted out. Heb. וַיִּמַח is in the וַיִּפְעַל form, the active voice, and not in the וַיִּפָּעֶל form, the passive voice. And this is of the form of וַיִּפֶן, he turned, וַיִּבֶן, he built. Every word [i.e., verb] whose root ends with a “hey,” e.g., בנה, to build, מחה, to erase, קנה, to acquire—when you prefix it with a “vav” and a “yud,” it is vowelized with a “chirik” under the “yud.” [Rashi teaches us that the meaning of the verse is not “and all beings were blotted out,” but “and it”—meaning the Flood—“blotted out all beings.”]

 

and only Noah…survived. אַךְ means “only” Noah. This is its simple meaning, but the Midrash Aggadah (Tan. Noach 9) [states]: He was groaning and spitting blood because of the burden [of caring for] the cattle and the beasts, and some say that he delayed feeding the lion, and it struck him, and concerning him it is said (Prov. 11:31): “Behold a righteous man is requited [for his sins] in this world.” - [Tan. Noach 9]

 

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 4:1-9

 

JPS & Keter Crown Bible - Chorev	Targum
1. To the conductor with melodies, a song of David. 1. For the conductor, on the stringed instruments, a psalm by David.	1. For praise, with melodies. A hymn of David.
2. When I call, answer me, O God of my righteousness; in my distress You have relieved me, be gracious to me and hearken to my prayer. 2. When I call, answer me, O GOD of my vindication. You have relieved me in my distress; be gracious to me and hear my prayer.	2. At the time of my prayer, accept it from me, O God of my righteousness/generosity; at the time of distress, You relieved me; pity me and accept my prayer.
3. Sons of man, how long will my honor be disgraced? [How long] will you love futility? [How long] will you constantly seek lies? 3. O sons of great men, how long more will you put my honor to shame, love vanity and seek deception?	3. O sons of men, why is my glory for humiliation? You will love vanity; you will seek falsehood forever.
4. You shall know that the Lord has set apart the pious man for Himself; the Lord shall hear when I call out to Him. 4. Be aware that the LORD has set aside the devout one for Himself; the LORD will hear when I call to Him.	4. And they will know, for the LORD has separated the righteous/generous man for Himself; the LORD will accept the prayer of David when He calls to him.
5. Quake and do not sin; say [this] in your heart on your bed and be forever silent. 5. Tremble and do not sin; reflect in your hearts while on your beds, and be utterly silent, always.	5. Tremble for Him, and do not sin; utter your petition with your mouth and your request in your heart; and pray upon your beds and remember the days of death forever.
6. Offer up sacrifices of righteousness and trust in the Lord. 6. Slaughter offerings of righteousness, and trust in the LORD.	6. Subdue your impulses and it will be reckoned to you as a righteous/generous sacrifice; and hope in the LORD.
7. Many say, "Who will show us goodness?" Raise up over us the light of Your countenance, O Lord. 7. Many say, Who will show us good? Let the light of Your face shine upon us, O LORD.	7. Many say, "Who will show us good?" Lift on us the light of Your countenance, O LORD.
8. You gave joy into my heart from the time that their corn and their wine increased. 8. But You put gladness in my heart that is greater than theirs at the time that their grain and wine abound.	8. You have placed joy in my heart when their grain and their wine has increased.
9. In peace together, I would lie down and sleep, for You, O Lord, would make me dwell alone in safety. 9. I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O LORD, will make me dwell secure.	9. In peace I both lay down and sleep, because You alone are the LORD; in security You will make me dwell.

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Tehillim (Psalms) 4:1-9

 

1 To the conductor with melodies David established this psalm so that the Levites who conduct the melodies when singing on the platform should recite it. The expression of נצוח denotes those who apply themselves to the service, as the matter is stated (Ezra 3:8): “and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and upwards to conduct the work of the house of the Lord.”

 

2 in my distress You have relieved me in the days that have passed over me. From now on, be gracious to me and hearken to my prayer.

 

3 Sons of man The sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are called man. About Abraham it is stated (in Gen. 20:7): “Restore the man’s wife.” About Isaac it is stated (ibid. 24: 65): “Who is that man...?” About Jacob, it is stated (ibid. 25:27): “and Jacob was a plain man.”

 

how long will my honor be disgraced How long will you disgrace me? (I Sam. 20:30): “that you choose the son of Jesse”; (ibid. 22: 8), “when my son made a covenant with the son of Jesse”; (ibid. verse 9), “I saw the son of Jesse”; (ibid. 25: 10), “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse?” I have no name.

 

will you constantly seek lies Will you chase to find lies, e.g., the Ziphites, who inform on me, yet show me friendliness, and other informers like them who were in Saul’s time (I Sam. 23:19): “Is David not hiding...in the hill of Hachilah?” And so, many.

 

4 has set apart Heb. הפלה , has separated.

 

5 Quake Tremble before the Holy One, blessed be He, and do not sin.

 

say [this] in your heart on your bed and be forever silent Bring back to your heart [the thought] that the Holy One, blessed be He, admonished [you] concerning that.

 

6 Offer up sacrifices of righteousness Perform righteous deeds, and it will be as if you are offering up sacrifices.

 

and trust in the Lord to lavish upon you goodness, and do not sin against Him for money, in the hope that you will be rewarded by Saul.

 

7 Many say, “Who will show us goodness?” There are many Jews who see the nations of the world in wealth and tranquility, and say, “Who will show us goodness,” to be wealthy and achieve desires like these people?

 

Raise up over us Heb. נסה Raise up over us for a banner the light of Your countenance, an expression of (Isa. 62:10): “lift up a banner (נס) ”;(ibid. 49:22), “I will raise My standard (נסי) .” Another interpretation: נסה  is reflordir(?) (resplendir) in Old French, gleam, as (Zech. 9:16), “crown stones gleam (מתנוססות) .” But I do not envy them, for joy has been given into my heart from the time that the corn and the wine of the nations have increased. I am confident that if those who anger Him [have] such [tranquility], how much more will those who perform His will have it in the future, which is the day of the reception of their reward!

 

9 In peace together, I would lie down and sleep If Israel were in peace together with me, I would lie down and sleep in confidence, and I would not fear any adversary or enemy.

 

alone in safety As (in Deut. 33:28): “secure and alone, the fountain of Jacob.” It is an expression of safety and tranquility, that he need not station troops with him.

 

Meditation from the Psalms

Tehillim (Psalms) 4:1-9

By H. Em. Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David

 

David composed this psalm, too, as he fled from Avshalom.^[1] In the previous psalm, David called to God for salvation, but in this psalm he addressed his enemies, lecturing them to improve their morals and ethics. In v. 5, he tells his adversaries that it is the Evil Inclination who is the real enemy, not he. In verses 6 and 7, he rips away the false masks of Avshalom's followers, declaring that not one is motivated by true loyalty to the young upstart. Avshalom is really no more than a puppet, a tool in their selfish hands. His supporters merely exploit the opportunity to elevate themselves at David's expense.

 

The Yalkut^[2] tells us that the most flagrant example of this selfish opportunism was Avshalom's staunchest supporter, Achitophel. This eminent counselor had a dream wherein he saw that royalty was destined to emanate from him. He interpreted this to mean that he would someday sit on the throne.

 

In truth, the dream meant that royalty would come from his seed by way of his granddaughter, Bat Sheba, wife of David and mother of Solomon. In order to realize his ambitions, Achitophel urged Avshalom to publicly violate his father's ten concubines. Then he advised him to pursue and slay the king. Achitophel intended to display 'righteous zeal' by bringing Avshalom to court for his atrocities. Then after disposing of Avshalom, he would be free to take the vacant throne.

 

All this David sees clearly, and he implores these men to save themselves from disaster through repentance. He displays the great generosity of his being: instead of seeking ruthless revenge from his enemies, he prefers reconciliation, and offers to guide them to true fortune and happiness.^[3]

 

Psalm four is the first of fifty-seven psalms which will be introduced by the phrase ‘for the conductor’. This means that these psalms were recited by the Levites, in the Temple, with a specific tune, while the sacrificial service was being offered.^[4] A tune elevates the status of a prayer. Radak writes:

 

“It seems that the conductor^[5] was the one in charge of the singers, and all the psalms were recited and chanted as directed by the conductor.”

 

When the conductor read this psalm, one of the things he would note is that v.2 uses the word “Shema”. This pasuk asks that HaShem would hear his prayer. When the Bne Israel say the Shema, they are asking that they themselves would ‘hear’. The Talmud teaches that this psalm, in v.5, contains a hint to the bedtime Shema:

 

Berachot 4b R. Joshua b. Levi says: Though a man has recited the Shema’ in the synagogue, it is a religious act to recite it again upon his bed. R. Assi says: Which verse [may be cited in support]? Tremble and sin not; commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still, Selah.^[6]

 

The Targum echoes this connection in v.2:

 

Tehillim (Psalm) 4:2 At the time of my prayer, accept [it] from me, O God of my righteousness / generosity; at the time of distress, You relieved me; pity me and accept my prayer.

 

Now let’s examine our Torah portion in light of our psalm. Let’s see King David’s thoughts on our Torah portion. To accomplish this, we need to first examine the overall structure of Beresheet.

 

The Structure of Beresheet as defined by the Toledot, generations.

 

 

From this structure we can see that each of these Toledot, these generations are handled by a separate septennial Torah Seder. We can also see that the Toledot seem to be progressing from highest to lowest. The world, and the men in it, are diminishing in stature and are heading for destruction by the deluge. The contraction of the world, in our current seder, is focused on Adam and his direct progeny. Adam was to be the pinnacle of creation. Yet, by the time of our seder he has already been diminished substantially because of his sin. His progeny have continued in Adam’s path, and they are corrupting the world. His progeny have already committed murder and are going to diminish to the point of destruction. It is to this sad state of affairs that King David pens the following words:

 

Tehillim (Psalm) 4:3 O you sons of men, how long will my glory be put to shame, in that you love vanity, and seek after falsehood? Selah

 

As the text of our seder mentions many of the men in this Toledot with the briefest of words, so we realize that these men’s deeds were not only insufficient, but in many ways detrimental. Their mention in our seder sounds like we are reading the epitaph’s of most folks on their gravestones. They lived, had progeny, and died. Not much of a life. Yet, we do find a few who are raised above the others by their walk with HaShem. Since they are few, I will mention them: Chanoch and Noach. It is to these righteous/generous men that King David looks as he penned the following words.

 

Tehillim (Psalm) 4:4 But know that HaShem has set apart the godly man as His own; HaShem will hear when I call unto Him.

 

Thus, our seder repeats itself to tell us of the wickedness that prevailed at the end of our seder and the one man (Noach) who stands apart and thereby finds favor in the sight of HaShem. It is this Toledot, this generation, that has reached the time of the bedtime Shema. It is Noach alone who says the final words of our psalm:

 

Tehillim (Psalm) 4:9 In peace will I both lay me down and sleep; for You, HaShem, make me dwell alone in safety.

 

It is Noach alone who is capable of saying the bedtime Shema.

 

In our next seder we will see how Noach is set apart from the other men of this Toledot. In fact, we will see that Noach gets his own Toledot. It is as though Adam has been given a second chance to start over, through Noach.

 

Finally, some have observed that two of the three blessings of the Aaronic benediction are found in this psalm. In v.7 we see the two blessings found in the Aaronic benediction.^[7]

 

Aaronic Benediction	Psalm 4
May HaShem bless you and keep you.
May HaShem make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.	7. Many there are that say: ‘Oh that we could see some good!’
May HaShem lift up His countenance upon you and give you His peace!	7. HaShem, lift You up the light of Your countenance upon us.

 

What is conspicuously missing is any reference to the first blessing. To help understand this omission we need to understand a bit about the priests who say this blessing. The first use of the word ‘priest’ is found in:

 

Beresheet (Genesis) 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

 

In the pasuk above we see a reference to Melchizedek whom our Sages tell us that he is Noach’s son Shem.

 

Nedarim 32b R. Zechariah said on R. Ishmael's authority: The Holy One, blessed be He, intended to bring forth the priesthood from Shem, as it is written, And he [sc. Melchizedek] was the priest of the most high God.

 

The first use of ‘Shem’ is found in our Torah portion in Beresheet (Genesis) 5:32. I believe that this explains why King David gave us a hint to the Priestly Blessing. Perhaps the absence of the first blessing is related to the fact that the priesthood was taken from Shem and the firstborn at the incident of the golden calf. In the end of our Torah portion, we see HaShem’s decision to obliterate the wicked of the world. In the same way, Moshe called for the destruction of those who worshipped the golden calf, when he took the priesthood from the firstborn and gave it Aaron and his sons.

 

Now I would like to examine the idea of sin since our psalms makes it a central point:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 4:5 Tremble, and sin not; commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still. Selah

 

I would like to explore the issue of sin in greater detail.

 

The first use of sin (chatta’ah) is found in:

 

Beresheet (Genesis) 4:3-7 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to HaShem. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock^[8]. HaShem looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So, Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then HaShem said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

 

So, shortly after Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden, Cain is warned that he will sin if he does not do what is right. This, in my mind, presumes that he knows what is right. Since we are 2500 years before Sinai, HaShem must have communicated His laws to man even though that communication is not recorded in the Tanach.

 

Israel’s first king, Saul, defined sin for us in:

 

I Shmuel (Samuel) 15:1-3 Shmuel (Samuel) said to Saul, “I am the one HaShem sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so, listen now to the message from HaShem. This is what HaShem Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites, and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels, and donkeys.’” . . .

 

I Shmuel (Samuel) 15:24-25 Then Saul said to Shmuel (Samuel), “I have sinned. I violated HaShem’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship HaShem.”

 

In this quote we have Saul acknowledging his sin of not obeying what Samuel verbalized, from HaShem. In this case, his sin was disobeying HaShem’s oral word. Daniel also defined sin for us in:

 

Daniel 9:8-11 O Lord, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; We have not obeyed HaShem our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore, the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you.

 

Daniel is acknowledging, here, that He, and all Israel, have failed to obey HaShem’s written word given at Sinai. James also defined sin for us in:

 

Yaaqov (James) 2:8-10 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

 

James is acknowledging that the law is more than the letter. He calls “favoritism” sin. So, we sin if we do not also keep the spirit of the law. The word he uses for “law” is “nomos” which is the ordinary way of referring to the law of Moses. To further belabor the point: John defined sin as:

 

I Yochanan (John) 3:4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is the transgression of the law.

 

Again, the word he uses for “law” is “nomos” which is the ordinary way of referring to the law of Moses.

 

So, sin is defined as being disobedient to HaShem, whether He delivered His command in person (as He did with Cain), verbally through His prophets (as He did with Saul), or His written word as delivered on Mt. Sinai. HaShem also made it clear that we sin when we do not keep the “spirit” of the law. Mashiach also illustrated this point in:

 

Matityahu (Matthew) 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

 

And again, He said:

 

Matityahu (Matthew) 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

 

We have already seen that sin is not just the transgression of the written law of Moses (Torah). I would like to look at a few more scriptures that emphasize that point.

 

The Tanach, the Old Testament, also emphasizes that Gentiles are responsible for their sin, even before the law of Moses was given:

 

Beresheet (Genesis) 15:12-16 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then He said to him, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

 

From this we learn that HaShem’s standards apply to Israel and to Gentiles, and that sin existed before the written Torah was given.

 

Mashiach also indicates that sin does not just involve transgressions against HaShem:

 

Matityahu (Matthew) 6:14-15 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

 

HaShem does not forgive us if we do not forgive our brother. So, when we transgress the Torah, we must hasten to repent and to beg our brother for forgiveness before we beg HaShem for forgiveness.

 

Joseph lived two generations before Sinai. He talks of sin in:

 

Beresheet (Genesis) 39:6-9 So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, And after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”

 

Here Joseph calls adultery sin two generations before the giving of the Torah!

 

Sin applies to all who disobey HaShem’s commands. HaShem does not show partiality to the great:

 

Shemot (Exodus) 10:13-17 So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and HaShem made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts; They invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail--everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against HaShem your God and against you. Now forgive my sin once more and pray to HaShem your God to take this deadly plague away from me.”

 

So, Pharaoh knew what sin (chatta’ah) was months before the Torah was given. It is also clear that HaShem punished his sin.

 

Some folks have said that we no longer need to obey HaShem’s written law, the law of Moses (Torah). Their argument is based on:

 

Galatians 3:21-25 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faithful obedience in Yeshua Mashiach, might be given to those who believe. Before this faithful obedience came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faithful obedience should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Mashiach that we might be justified by faithful obedience. Now that faithful obedience has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

 

and:

 

Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

 

There are several other passages that are used to “prove” that we do not need to obey the law. I would like to focus on the above two passages to illustrate the relationship we have to the law since we have already seen what sin is.

 

In the Galatians 3 passage, we see that we are prisoners of sin and that we are held prisoners by the law. This illustrates the relationship between the two. Further, we see that the issue is “life”, or justification. So, being under the supervision of the law will not bring life, only faithful obedience will bring life. It is also plain that we require the law to lead us to Mashiach. This assumes that you are following the law before you receive Mashiach by faithful obedience.

 

To examine Galatians 5, we will need to put this passage in context:

 

Galatians 5:13-23 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So, I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; Idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions And envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

 

First, I would like to point out that law and sin are both prominent in this passage. Since we already know that disobeying the law is sin; it is obvious that the “acts of the sinful nature” are acts which are contrary to the law. I doubt that many of HaShem’s people would see these acts as something that they should do. So, whatever “under the law” means, it obviously does not mean that we are free to commit the “acts of the sinful nature”. Most commentators agree that the entire book of Galatians is concerned with justification by faithful obedience and not by the works of the law. This simply means that the law cannot save us, only the right faithful obedience can save us.

 

The same man who wrote Galatians also wrote Romans (Paul). If we look at Romans, Paul will give us more insight into “under the law”:

 

Romans 2:12-15 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, Since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)

 

Paul also confirms what we learned previously, that we know what HaShem’s law is whether we have the written, and oral, Torah or not. Paul also shows that HaShem will hold us accountable for sin, which is disobeying HaShem. We can see clearly that the issue is sin, not the law of Moses. The law of Moses is but one definition of sin. Sin also defines who will perish. All who sin, without faithful obedience, will perish. Paul also shows that only those who obey the law will be declared righteous. This seems to assume that we obey because of our faithful obedience.

 

Paul, in Romans chapter six, goes on to further refine “under the law”:

 

Romans 6:11-18 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Mashiach Yeshua. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

 

Here, Paul indicates that being “under the law” implies that sin is your master. This use of the phrase, “under the law”, seems to show that obeying the law is different than being “under the law”. Sin, which is disobedience to the law, is not to be our master. Sin should not be a part of the life of HaShem’s people. Paul commands us not to sin. To put it another way, Paul is commanding us to obey the law!

 

Paul is a deep theological thinker. His words are HARD to understand. Peter tells us this in:

 

II Tsefet (Peter) 3:15-17 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.

 

Peter specifically mentions that Paul’s words are misunderstood by those men who sin (lawless). The error is to not obey the law!

 

Paul makes a big deal, in his writings, of the importance of the law.

 

Romans 3:29-31 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, Since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faithful obedience and the uncircumcised through that same faithful obedience. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faithful obedience? Not at all! Rather, we establish the law.

 

Paul emphasizes the law because it is one of the fundamental definitions of sin. We are constantly encouraged to avoid sinning. This means that we are being encouraged to obey the law. Consider:

 

I Shmuel (Samuel) 14:34 Then he said, “Go out among the men and tell them, ‘Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against HaShem by eating meat with blood still in it.’” So everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there.

 

Those who sin and teach others to sin will be called least in the kingdom of heaven:

 

Matityahu (Matthew) 5:17-19 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

 

The Bottom Line:

 

HaShem’s people ought not to sin. If they sin, they will be punished. HaShem’s people ought to obey HaShem’s law so that they do not sin. Disobeying HaShem is sin.

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 4:5-9 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as HaShem my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the HaShem our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today? Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

 

Ashlamata: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:9-17 + 55:5‎

 

JPS	Targum
1. ¶ "Sing you barren woman who has not borne; burst out into song and jubilate, you who have not experienced birth pangs, for the children of the desolate one are more than the children of the married woman," says the Lord.	1. ¶ ‎54.1 Sing, 0 Jerusalem who was as a barren woman who did not bear; shout in singing and exult, [you who were] as a woman who did not ‎become pregnant! For the children of desolate Jerusalem will be more than the children of inhabited Rome, says the LORD.
2. Widen the place of your tent and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations, do not spare; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.	2. Enlarge ‎the place of your camping and cause the cities of your land to be inhabited; hold not back, increase the people of your armies and ‎strengthen your rulers.
3. For right and left shall you prevail, and your seed shall inherit nations and repeople desolate cities.	3. For you will be strengthened to the south and to the north, and your sons will possess peoples and will cause ‎desolate cities to be inhabited.
4. Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed, and be not embarrassed for you shall not be put to shame, for the shame of your youth you shall forget, and the disgrace of your widowhood you shall no longer remember.	4. Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be put to shame; for you will ‎forget the shame of your youth, and the reproaches of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5. For your Master is your Maker, the Lord of Hosts is His name, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, shall be called the God of all the earth.	5. For your Maker is your husband, ‎the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.
6. For, like a wife who is deserted and distressed in spirit has the Lord called you, and a wife of one's youth who was rejected, said your God.	6. For the Shekhinah ‎of the LORD has summoned [you] like a wife forsaken and distressed in spirit, like a wife of youth who is cast off, says your God.
7. "For a small moment have I forsaken you, and with great mercy will I gather you.	7. In ‎a little anger I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring your exiles near.
8. With a little wrath did I hide My countenance for a moment from you, and with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on you," said your Redeemer, the Lord. {S}	8. In a ‎ brief hour. for a time. I took up the face of my Shekhinah from you, but with everlasting benefits which do not cease I will have ‎compassion on you, says the LORD, your Redeemer. {S}
9. "For this is to Me [as] the waters of Noah, as I swore that the waters of Noah shall never again pass over the earth, so have I sworn neither to be wroth with you nor to rebuke you.	9. This is like the days of Noah before Me: as I swore by My Memra that the ‎waters of the flood which were in the days of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that my anger will not turn upon ‎you and I will not rebuke you.
10. For the mountains shall depart and the hills totter, but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace totter," says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.  {S}	10. For the mountains may pass and the hills be split, but my goodness will not pass from you. ‎Jerusalem. and My covenant of peace will not be cast away, says He who is about to have compassion on you, says the LORD. {S}
11. O poor tempestuous one, who was not consoled, behold I will set your stones with carbuncle, and I will lay your foundations with sapphires.	11. ‎‎O needy one, suffering mortification, city concerning which the peoples say it will not be comforted, behold I am setting your pavement ‎stones in antimony, and I will lay your foundations with good stones.
12. And I will make your windows of jasper and your gates of carbuncle stones, and all your border of precious stones.	12. I will make your wood as pearls and your gates of ‎carbuncles, and all your border of precious stones.
13. And all your children shall be disciples of the Lord, and your children's peace shall increase.	13. All your sons will be taught in the law of the LORD, and great will be the ‎prosperity of your sons.
14. With righteousness shall you be established, go far away from oppression, for you shall not fear, and from ruin, for it will not come near you.	14. In innocence you will be ‎ established; be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and from breaking, for it will not come to you.
15. Behold, the one with whom I am not, shall fear, whoever mobilizes against you shall defect to you.	15. Behold, the exiles of ‎your people will surely be gathered to you at the end; the kings of the peoples who are gathered to distress you, Jerusalem, will be ‎cast in your midst.
16. Behold I have created a smith, who blows on a charcoal fire and produces a weapon for his work, and I have created a destroyer to destroy [it].	16. Behold, I have created the smith who blows fire in coals and produces a vessel for its worth. I have also ‎created the destroyer to destroy;
17. Any weapon whetted against you shall not succeed, and any tongue that contends with you in judgment, you shall condemn; this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their due reward from Me, says the Lord. {S}	17. no weapon that is prepared against you, Jerusalem, will prosper, and you will declare a sinner ‎every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their innocence before Me, says ‎the LORD."  {S}
1. Ho! All who thirst, go to water, and whoever has no money, go, buy and eat, and go, buy without money and without a price, wine and milk.	1. ‎"Ho, everyone who wishes to learn, let him come and learn; and he who has no money, come, hear, and learn! Come, hear, and learn, ‎without price and not with mammon, teaching which is better than wine and milk.
2. Why should you weigh out money without bread and your toil without satiety? Hearken to Me and eat what is good, and your soul shall delight in fatness.	2. Why do you spend your money for that which ‎is not to eat, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Attend to My Memra diligently, and eat what is good, and your soul shall ‎delight itself in that which is fat.
3. Incline your ear and come to Me, hearken and your soul shall live, and I will make for you an everlasting covenant, the dependable mercies of David.	3. Incline your ear, and attend to my Memra; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with ‎you an everlasting covenant, the sure benefits of David.
4. Behold, a witness to nations have I appointed him, a ruler and a commander of nations.	4. Behold, I appointed him a prince to the peoples, a king and a ruler over ‎all the kingdoms.
5. Behold, a nation you do not know you shall call, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, for the sake of the Lord your God and for the Holy One of Israel, for He glorified you.  {S}	5. Behold, people that you know not will serve you, and people that knew you not will run to offer tribute to you, ‎for the sake of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. {S}
6. Seek the Lord when He is found, call Him when He is near.	6. Seek the fear of the LORD while you live, beseech before Him while you live;
7. The wicked shall give up his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts, and he shall return to the Lord, Who shall have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.	7. let the wicked forsake his wicked way and man who robs his conceptions: let ‎him return to the service of the LORD, that He may have mercy upon him, and to the fear of our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," says the Lord.	8. For not as my thoughts are your thoughts, neither are your ways correct as the ways of my goodness, says the LORD.
9. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts [higher] than your thoughts.	9. 55.9 For just ‎as the heavens, which are higher than the earth, so are the ways of My goodness more correct than your ways, and My thoughts prove ‎‎(to be) better planned than your thoughts.
10. For, just as the rain and the snow fall from the heavens, and it does not return there, unless it has satiated the earth and fructified it and furthered its growth, and has given seed to the sower and bread to the eater,	10. For as the rain and the snow, which come down from the heavens, and it is not ‎possible for them that they should return thither, but water the earth, increasing it and making it sprout, giving seeds, enough for the ‎sower and bread, enough for the eater,
11. so shall be My word that emanates from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, unless it has done what I desire and has made prosperous the one to whom I sent it.	11. so is the word ‎ of my goodness that goes forth before me; it is not possible that it will return before Me empty, but accomplishes that which I please, and ‎prospers in the thing for which I sent it
12. For with joy shall you go forth, and with peace shall you be brought; the mountains and the hills shall burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap hands.	12. For you will go out in joy from among the Gentiles. and be led in peace to your land; the ‎mountains and the hills before you will shout in singing, and all the trees of the field will clap with their branches.
13. Instead of the briar, a cypress shall rise, and instead of the nettle, a myrtle shall rise, and it shall be for the Lord as a name, as an everlasting sign, which shall not be discontinued." {P}	13. Instead of the ‎wicked will the righteous/generous be established; and instead of the sinners shall those who fear sin be established; and it will be before the ‎LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign which will not cease." ‎ {P}

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) ‎54:9-17 + 55:5‎‎

 

Chapter 54

 

1 Sing, you barren woman Jerusalem, who was as though she had not borne.

 

you who have not experienced birth pangs Heb. חָלָה , an expression of childbirth, for the woman in confinement gives birth with pains and writhing.

 

for the children of the desolate one The daughter of Edom.

 

2 and let them stretch forth far off.

 

lengthen your cords These are thin ropes that hang at the bottom of tents, and that are tied to stakes called ‘chevills’ in French, which are thrust into the ground.

 

3 shall you prevail Heb. תִּפְרֽצִי , shall you prevail.

 

4 your youth Heb. עֲלוּמַיִךְ , your youth.

 

6 who was rejected When she is rejected at times that her husband is a little wroth with her.

 

8 With a little wrath Heb. שֶׁצֶף . Menahem (Machbereth p. 179) interprets this as, “with kindling of wrath,” and Dunash (Teshuvoth p. 20) states, “with a little wrath,” paralleling “For a small moment have I forsaken you,” and so did Jonathan render.

 

and with everlasting kindness that will exist forever.

 

9 For this is to Me [as] the waters of Noah [i.e.,] it is an oath in My hand, and He proceeds to explain His words, “as I swore that the waters of Noah shall never again pass over the earth, etc.”

 

10 For the mountains shall depart Even if the merit of the Patriarchs and the Matriarchs is depleted, My kindness shall not depart from you.

 

11 tempestuous one whose heart storms with many troubles.

 

I will set with carbuncle I pave your floor with carbuncle stones.

 

12 jasper Heb. כַּדְכֽד , a kind of precious stone.

 

your windows Jonathan renders: your woodwork, and Menahem associated it with (Dan. 7:10): “ministered to Him (יְשַׁמְּשׁוּנֵהּ) .” (Menahem, apparently renders: your utensils, i.e., the vessels that serve you.) And some interpret it as an expression of a sun (שֶׁמֶשׁ) , windows through which the sun shines, and they make opposite it a barrier of kinds of colored glass for beauty, and Midrash Psalms interprets שִׁמְשׁוֹתַיִךְ as well as שֶׁמֶשׁ וּמָגֵן (Ps. 84:12) as “the pinnacles of the wall.”

 

of carbuncle stones Heb. אֶקְדָּח . Jonathan renders: of gomer stones. Gumrin is the Aramaic translation of גֶּחָלִים , coals. He interprets אֶקְדָּח as an expression similar to (supra 50:11) “who kindle (קֽדְחֵי) fire,” and they are a type of stones that burn like torches and that is the carbuncle (karbokle in O.F.), an expression of a coal. Others interpret it as an expression of a drill, i.e., huge stones of which the entire opening of the doorway is drilled, and the doorposts, the threshold, and the lintel are all hewn from the stone.

 

of precious stones Desirable stones [from Jonathan].

 

14 go far away from oppression [Although grammatically this is the imperative, here it is the future,] like (supra 52:2) “Shake yourself from the dust.” You will be far away from those who oppress you. Printed editions of Rashi contain the following addendum:

 

(go far away from oppression You will stay far from oppressing other peoples in the manner the wicked do, that they accumulate money through robbery, but you will not need to rob, for you will not fear poverty or straits, or ruin, for it shall neither come nor shall it approach you. [Abarbanel])

 

(With righteousness that you will perform, you will be established with an everlasting redemption, and you will be far from people’s oppression for you will not fear; you will not even have terror or fear of them, and you will be far from ruin, for it will not come near you. [Ayalah Sheluchah])

 

15 Behold, the one with whom I am not, shall fear Heb. גּוֹר יָגוּר . Behold, he shall fear and dread evil decrees, he with whom I am not, i.e., Esau. ([Mss. read:] the wicked Esau and his ilk.)

 

whoever mobilizes against you Heb. גָר . Whoever mobilizes against you for war. Alternatively, מִי גָר [means:] whoever contends with you (וְנִתְגָּרֶה) . And our Rabbis explained it as referring to the proselytes (גֵּרִים) , [i.e.,] to say that we will not accept proselytes in Messianic times. And even according to the simple meaning of the verse it is possible to explain: whoever became sojourners with you in your poverty, shall dwell with you in your wealth. Comp. (Gen. 25:18) “In the presence of all his brethren he dwelt (נָפָל) .”

 

16 Behold I am He Who created a smith who devises a weapon, and I am He Who has created a destroyer that destroys it. That is, to say: I am He Who incited the enemy against you; I am He Who has prepared retribution for him.

 

and produces a weapon for his work For necessity. He completes it according to all that is necessary.

 

17 Any weapon whetted against you Any weapon that they will whet and sharpen for you, i.e., to battle with you. whetted Heb. יוּצַר , an expression similar to (Jos. 5: 2) “sharp knives (חַרְבוֹתצֻרִים) ,” also (Ps. 89:44) “You have also turned the edge of his sword (צוּר חַרְבּוֹ) .”

  

Chapter 55

 

1 Ho! All who thirst Heb. הוֹי . This word הוֹי is an expression of calling, inviting, and gathering, and there are many in Scripture, [e.g.,] (Zech. 2:10) “Ho! Ho! and flee from the north land.”

 

go to water to Torah.

 

buy Heb. שִׁבְרוּ . Comp. (Gen. 42:3) “To buy (לִשְׁבּֽר) corn,” buy.

 

wine and milk Teaching better than wine and milk.

 

2 Why should you weigh out money Why should you cause yourselves to weigh out money to your enemies without bread?

 

3 the dependable mercies of David For I will repay David for his mercies.

 

4 a witness to nations A prince and a superior over them, and one who will reprove and testify of their ways to their faces. ([Mss., however, read:] One who reproaches them for their ways to their faces.)

 

5 Behold, a nation you do not know you shall call to your service, if you hearken to Me, to the name of the Lord that is called upon you.

  

6 when He is found Before the verdict is promulgated, when He still says to you, “Seek Me.”

 

8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts Mine and yours are not the same; therefore, I say to you, “The wicked shall give up his way,” and adopt My way...

 

“and a man of iniquity his thoughts” and adopt My thoughts, to do what is good in My eyes. And the Midrash Aggadah (Tanhuma Buber, Vayeshev 11 explains:)

 

For My thoughts are not, etc. My laws are not like the laws of man [lit. flesh and blood]. As for you, whoever confesses in judgment is found guilty, but, as for Me, whoever confesses and gives up his evil way, is granted clemency (Proverbs 28:13).

 

9 As the heavens are higher, etc. That is to say that there is a distinction and a difference, advantages, and superiority in My ways more than your ways and in My thoughts more than your thoughts, as the heavens are higher than the earth; you are intent upon rebelling against Me, whereas I am intent upon bringing you back.

 

10 For, just as the rain and the snow fall and do not return empty but do good for you.

 

11 so shall be My word that emanates from My mouth to inform you through the prophets, will not return empty, but will do good to you if you heed them.

 

12 For with joy shall you go forth from the exile.

 

the mountains and the hills shall burst into song before you for they will give you their fruit and their plants, and their inhabitants shall derive benefit. ([Some editions read:] And their inhabitants shall sing.)

 

13 Instead of the briar, etc. Our Rabbis expounded [Targum Jonathan]: Instead of the wicked, righteous people shall arise.

 

briar...and... nettle They are species of thorns, i.e., to say that the wicked will be destroyed, and the righteous will take their rule.

 

Commentary on the Ashlamatah of Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:9-17 + 55:5

By: H.Ex. Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

 

We begin our reading with the promise: HaShem has sworn not to cover the earth with water again as he did in Noah’s day (54:9), and through the Messiah, he made a way for those to escape the coming wrath if they so choose. Isaiah was speaking to the children of Israel, but he also knew that the children of Israel would have to open up the tent and broaden the house due to the influx of the children of Zion that was coming, and in this “bursting forth,” it would flow out to engulf the whole world.  One day, the knowledge of HaShem and its blessing will cover the earth. The wrath that accompanies the blessing if one refuses or simply fails to uphold their responsibility will flow out to all nations. We are living in a time when HaShem is long-suffering, as he was in the days before the flood of Noah. For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall My covenant of peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath compassion on thee.^[9] The present-day troubles are soon to cease, and when this happens, Jerusalem will be at peace and never to be destroyed again. One translation says, O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,^[10]  Zion is being addressed and the coming return of the Exiles, the beginning of the return we have witnessed for the last 75 years, since 1948. The prophet paints a picture of a desolate City which is going to be built with a set of fair colors. Foundations with sapphires and Rubies, gates, and walls with all kinds of precious stones and gems. And all your children shall be taught of the Lord, and great will be their peace. They will become disciples of HaShem. (v.13) This speaks of that soon coming day when Zion’s suffering and humiliation will be forgotten in the glorious and amazing future that is coming.

 

The backdrop to our text (v.8), in a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. The Lord had turned his back toward his people for a short while, for just a brief moment, and even to the point of hiding his face. (Deut. 31:18, Isa 8:17, 59:2, Mic 3:4) Isaiah and other prophets had given the reason for it several times: because of the nation’s sins and God’s commitment to His word. But because of HaShem's compassion (54:7) and kindness (ḥeseḏ, “loyal love,” (v. 8), “unfailing love” in (v.10), he will restore the nation to Himself. Some commentators have suggested Isaiah was speaking of the return from Babylon, but many years later, we now realize the restoration from Babylon has only happened in part, and the greater restoration still lies in the future, which is fast approaching. And even if the entire world could be punished again as in the Flood, God’s love (ḥeseḏ) (v.8) and compassion for his creation and for Israel will never cease. After the Flood, God makes a brit with Noach and all flesh (Gen. 9), signified by the rainbow; Chazal (Berakhot 59a) treat the rainbow as a visible reminder that total destruction is off the table. The covenant of peace mentioned here and in (Ezek. 34:25; 37:26) refers to this promise that God had just made. God will give His people lasting peace, health and healing, prosperity, and security, and HaShem will restore us to our land. (Isa. 9:7; 32:17–18; 54:13; 66:12; Jer. 30:10; 46:27). Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. And this city shall be to me a name of joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it. ^[11]

 

The prophet Isaiah, here in the fifty-fifth chapter, turns his speech to a more general nature of describing the coming redemption. The language of exile and traveling through a desert place gives way to a plea for people to abandon their sinful behavior. Radak and Iben Ezra see the call for all “who are thirsty to come to the water.” ^[12] (v.1) as a plea to all people, not just Israel. Isaiah tells his listeners to Incline your ear and come… Listen, and your souls will be rejuvenated…  I will make an eternal covenant with you, the enduring kindnesses of David…. I have appointed him (Messiah)^[13] as a witness to the people^[14] (v.3-5) In 2 Samuel 7, David wanted to build a house for Hashem, and through the prophet Nathan, he was told that after you're gone, one of your offspring will build a house for my name, and this/his kingdom will endure forever.

 

A central theme in the Bible, and the most frequent one to appear, is not God’s testimony, but rather the other way around: the “people of Israel” serving as a living testimony, witnesses to the nations of the existence of HaShem. This recurring theme finds its most explicit expression in the repeated utterances of the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of nations” (Isa. 55:4). “You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no deliverer. I have declared, and have saved, and I have announced, and there was no strange god among you: therefore, you are my witnesses, says the Lord, and I am God. Yea, from the first I am he; and none can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall reverse it?” (Isa. 43:10–13). ^[15]

 

In the future days, as the nations go to worship God, they will recognize HaShem’s “splendor and glory.” Which also encompasses his people (35:2; 46:13; 49:3; 60:9, 21; 61:3; 62:3). Salvation is available to all who call upon his (HaShem's) name. Seeking and calling upon HaShem means turning from one's former evil ways and thoughts. By turning to the Lord, one receives mercy and pardon, and forgiveness for one's past transgressions. In every age, HaShem has required the same thing for salvation: trust in Him and faithfulness to his commandments. In man’s legal system, the one who confesses is found guilty, but in God’s system, one who confesses his sins and forsakes them is granted mercy.^[16]

 

Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and a nation^[17] that knew not thee (Israel) shall run unto thee (Israel); because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel, for He hath glorified thee. Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near; Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have compassion upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. (55:5-7) For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. For the Lord has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. For a brief moment, I deserted^[18] you, but with great compassion, I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment, I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer. (54:5-8) For several hundred, if not thousands of years, religious people of the world have tried to divorce God from his people as if God practiced 20th-century divorce standards. However, Isaiah 54:5-8 tells us and supports Jeremiah 3:14 that HaShem is Israel's husband and will gather and assemble his children. The return of HaShem to Zion (the return of a husband to a wife), after his period of estrangement, will be such an earth-changing event, and from that day forth, the world as we know it will be no more. Although in one way the day after will be like the day before, yet in another way, the return of the bridegroom changes everything. A picture is also given in (Hos 2:19): “And I will espouse you forever… with goodness and with love.” Our reading is also an echo found in (Isa. 60:10): “For in anger I struck you down, but in favor I take you back in love.”  It is important to notice that HaShem, in bringing together, restoring, and returning his wife, the people of Israel, to their home, is based not so much on their regret, but on His promises, faithfulness, and steadfast love.^[19]  

 

Can we even imagine what will happen when our LORD and Master, HaShem of all the earth, reveals his face to us, and he, in all his glory, is NOT hidden from Israel and mankind any longer? Israel need not fear, because her husband, the ‘God of the whole earth, has called her.’  He calls for her the way a wronged spouse calls out to his wife, pleading for repentance, faithfulness, commitment, and reconciliation. “He called,” like a husband, when his wife left, and grieved in spirit, like a wife of one’s youth when she was rejected. (54:6) Israel is “אשת נעורים” and “עֲזוּבָה וַעֲצוּבַת רוּחַ” [like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit] ^[20] —a forsaken wife whom God now takes back. Rashi: This is Jerusalem/Israel, abandoned in exile and now recalled. Although he turned away from her because of her sin and rejection of His love and faithfulness, that very same “love and faithfulness” to her allows HaShem to not ‘forsake,’ or ‘abandon’ her. He has turned away from her because of her shameful past deeds; he has not divorced her in a modern sense of the word. He understands a wife must choose to love her husband and, in contrition and repentance, decide to return to him. Israel, as a wife, cannot or will not remain defiant. As scriptures teach in so many places, “there is always a remnant.”  When she becomes grieved in spirit over the situation, Israel will come to the place where she wants the separation to end. (49:14-21).

 

This situation parallels Hosea 2–3, where HaShem wins Israel back, and she wants the joy of marriage and family restored to her.^[21]  Isaiah speaks of vast numbers of returning children. Look up all around you and see they are all assembled, they are coming to you, as I live declares HaShem. (49:18) For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love (חֶסֶד ḥeseḏ) shall not depart from you. (Isa.54:10) The antisemites(anti-Israel) who attack the bride will not go unpunished, regardless of whether the attack takes the form of hateful words and increased hatred, or all the way to physical attacks and actions! None of the weapons or political strategies that Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, or anyone else may dream up will ever succeed in dislodging Israel from the palms (Isa.49:16) of HaShem's hands or from their God-given land. The covenant between Israel and God is of mutual obligation: the allusion to Noah recalls the notion of grace, which God unilaterally grants to all human beings. Noah was the first man favored by HaShem, or one whom HaShem is said to have shown Grace toward. ^[22]                          

 

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 6:8:1 says GRACE. (Chen) means mercy. From it we get the word techinnah (supplication). Chen follows the paradigm of ketz (end); both have roots whose second and third letters are the same. The meaning of found grace (mercy or pity) in the eyes of the Lord is like No eye pitied thee (Ezek. 16:5). The Ramban says, when “NOAH FOUND GRACE IN THE EYES OF THE ETERNAL. The meaning thereof is that all his deeds were pleasing and sweet before Him. Similarly, Moses and the people of Israel were told of this Grace (chen-favor), for thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name. (Exo.33:12-20) This is like the verses: And He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. (Gen 39:21) And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who looked upon her. (Esther 2:9-17) Scripture mentions this in contrast to what it said concerning his [Noah’s] generation, namely, that all their deeds brought grief before Him, blessed be He. But of Noah it says that he found grace in His eyes, and afterwards it tells why he was pleasing before G-d: because he was a perfectly righteous man.”^[23]

 

The day of wrath that is coming at God’s appearance, part of that wrath will be directed at those who so foolishly stand between the ‘Master of Legions,’ the God of the whole earth, and his bride. In verse eight, we see a contrast between the “slight wrath” experienced by Israel in the past and the “eternal kindness” they shall experience in the near future. For like the waters of Noah, this shall be to me. The Targum and Iben Ezra point out that this phrase should be rendered as Yeshua did in Luke 17:26ff, Matt. 24:37ff. “As in the days of Noah, ‘the waters of Noah’ מֵי־נֹ֛חַ. And in the latter day, the wicked will suddenly be swept away by judgment when God will set up His theocratic kingdom of blessing on the earth. (Matt. 24:36–39). When the time arrived to judge the earth, and the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,^[24] The flood came and removed the wicked, the unrighteous people. The people in the day of Noah, as in the days of Yeshua and in our day, are invited to come into the ark: Metaphorically, our personal “arks” are our periods of Torah study and prayer. Just as Noah and his family were protected by the ark from the flood that raged outside it, just as we can “enter” the world of Torah study and prayer to be protected from the “flood” of worldly concerns that threatens to inundate us.^[25]

 

The Rabbis teach that the implication is that if Noah had prayed for those of his day, the destruction would have been less, and they bring the example of Abraham praying for Sodom and Moses praying for Israel.^[26]  “When Moses, whose soul included the souls of all Jews, said that he wished to be erased from the Torah if the Jewish people were wiped out, he used the word  מְחֵ֣נִי ‘erase me’, which  contains the same letters as ‘waters of Noah’ (Exo.32:32). By offering his soul to save the Jewish people he rectified the soul of Noah, who did not pray for the people of his generation.”^[27] In 1 Peter 3:20ff, we see the same connection regarding Yeshua giving his life to save the unrighteous. For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall My covenant of peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath compassion on thee.^[28] Radak says the kindness and the covenant of HaShem are everlasting and immutable.

 

As we have seen, Israel had already received this divine favor (chen), and with Yeshua, all the nations are shown divine favor (chen) and allowed to come into the ark. We see the same expression in Isaiah chapters 49-53, in the servant passages, moving from the general to the specific, from the whole community of servants to the particular individual servant. Just as we saw in the lectionary reading of Joshua chapter 22 a few months ago. The one is responsible to, or responsible for the whole community, and this relationship is reciprocal; the individual and the community share a responsibility to each other. If one takes this idea and broadens it outward to the ends of the earth, the Messianic idea is that the Messiah (servant) has a responsibility to the whole human community, and the whole community has a responsibility back to the Messiah servant. Specifically, this speaks of the community of the nation of Israel, but since Israel is a part of the whole community of mankind, they have a responsibility to their brothers, and this is the purpose of the exile to gather up the lost members (souls) of their nation and any others that wish to accept HaShem's grace (chen) toward them.

 

Peter used the same text as the Prophet Isaiah to support his teaching. Christ (Messiah) died for sins (2:21-24). The phrase “for sins” (peri hamartiōn) is used in the Septuagint regarding the sin offering for atonement. The substitutionary nature of the Messiah’s death is shown by the phrase the righteous for the unrighteous (1Pet.3:18) (dikaios hyper adikōn). Messiah the “righteous One” (dikaios), uniquely qualified to die as the substitute for (hyper, “for,” “in place of,” or “instead of”) the “unrighteous ones” (adikōn). The divine purpose of Christ’s (Messiah’s) sacrificial death was man’s reconciliation, to bring people to God.^[29] Yeshua “trusted in him who judges justly” (1 Pet. 2:23). Can we do anything less but to follow the Master's example?

 

HaShem swore not to cover the earth with water again as he did in Noah’s day (54:9), and through the Messiah, he made a way for those to escape the coming wrath if they so choose. Isaiah was speaking to the children of Israel, but he also knew that the children of Israel would have to open up the tent and broaden the house due to the influx of the children of Zion that was coming, and in this “bursting forth,” it would flow out to engulf the whole world one day. The flood is known as ‘the waters of Noah,’ and only by the merit of Noah was the destruction of the world prevented.^[30]  With the knowledge of HaShem comes its blessing and the wrath that comes if one refuses or simply fails to uphold their responsibility to God. Isaiah 54:13 begins and ends with the word בניך, forming a literary inclusio.^[31]  There are two sides to a covenant, and both parties are responsible to the other per the terms of the agreement. This seems to be just what Tsefat (Peter) is teaching. In the coming of the “son of man,” it will be as in the days of Noah, there will be those who do not come to HaShem in repentance and faith, Emunah (faithful obedience),^[32] and they will receive destruction. But we are to remain steadfast, walking in God’s ways. When mankind acts in accordance with God's laws and imitates God's attribute of justice, this is our part in pursuing justice and working to bring light and establish justice on the earth. In sync with the rebuilding of Jerusalem, there shall be a spiritual renewal among Jerusalem’s inhabitants, as in Isaiah 59:21: “And this shall be My covenant with them, said the Lord: My spirit that is upon you, and the words that I have placed in your mouth, shall not be absent from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your children, nor from the mouth of your children’s children—said the Lord—from now on, for all time.”  Compare this observation regarding the double entendre with b. Ber. 64a: “Rabbi Eleazar said in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina: ‘The disciples of the sages proliferate peace in the world’, as it is said: [this verse is cited here]. Do not read, your children (בניך),’ but ‘your builders (בוניך).’ ^[33]  How many times have we heard people say that since they turned from other religious systems and toward Israel and the study of Torah, they find an inner peace that they never found in other religions or other spiritual belief systems? When we looked at the previous verse in Isaiah 59:21, we see that HaShem's spirit and words have been given to Israel, not only once but for all time. Sure, there is always the disobedient, but just as in Elijah's day, God always has 7,000 that are faithful and obedient servants. Israel is the ‘nation-prophet’ as in Isaiah 51:15-16, and these students of Torah and the faithful servants of HaShem are the builders of the world.

 

"Behold, they may well gather (GOR YA-GUR) together, but not by Me: whoever shall gather (GAR) together against you shall fall for your sake" (v.15). According to this simple rendering of the verse, God is promising that even if the nations gather to make war against Israel, they will fall. An interesting comment on verse.15. They who assemble against you. An alternative reading is that they will assemble with you. Those nations that have previously been without me and far from me, but who now assemble to be with me/you? They shall fall^[34] and come to you and share in your lot, finding their inner peace with you.^[35]  whoever mobilizes against you: Heb. גָר. Whoever mobilizes against you for war. Alternatively, מִי גָר [means:] whoever contends with you (וְנִתְגָּרֶה). And our Rabbis explained it as referring to the proselytes (גֵּרִים), [i.e.,] to say that we will not accept proselytes in Messianic times. And even according to the simple meaning of the verse, it is possible to explain that whoever becomes a sojourner with you in your poverty shall dwell with you in your wealth. Comp. (Gen. 25:18) “In the presence of all his brethren he dwelt (נָפָל).” ^[36]

 

The nation of Israel can only be built upon the foundation of good and right conduct. God said in (v.16) that he created the smith who blows upon the coals and brings forth the weapon. God is the very creator of both the instrument and the destruction it brings forth, and along with the man who created it and who uses it. Neither the instrument nor the man can act against God's will. When man allows his emotions to overrule him, then the very forces created by God, to be used by man to help elevate us, are turned against us. It is within man's power to control these forces. All creation is truly for man's good, and it is only man who can transform them from good into evil or from evil back into good. HaShem tells us to never fear for our safety nor our prosperity. Discovering that no weapon formed against thee shall prosper brings peace to us in this world of chaos.^[37]  In Galatians chapter 5, Paul spoke of the natural outcome of following after the Messiah, and the things of God. The things that will follow if you study Torah and lead a life of obedience to the commandments and ordinances of HaShem, he refers to as the fruit of the spirit, and those things that follow a life lived in opposition to HaShem's commands are called the works of the flesh. One brings blessing, the other brings the curse and wrath.

 

Me’am Lo’ez tells us that after the turmoil of the pre-messianic times, mankind will thirst for God. They will thirst for His word (Torah). As one thirsts for water and hunger as one hungers for food. Then God's Word will quench and satiate them. God says, if you incline your ears and you prepare your hearts to receive, then you shall receive. In This World, we are on a continuing journey toward God. Have any of us arrived? I would think not! However, I do believe we must be in a continual process of moving forward in our walk with HaShem. The sacrifice God wants of us is to sacrifice our lives, our wills, and egos to his service. Every man is a servant of God, and the only difference is whether we are an honorable servant in submission to the Father's will or a rebellious servant, in desperate need of correction and repentance. As we learn in 1 Samuel 2:35, HaShem wants a faithful and enduring servant who does his will and his purpose.

 

The Targum refers to this (v.17) as the war of Gog and Magog at the end of days. However, the Talmud interprets the same Hebrew words of the verse differently, citing it as the scriptural basis for its teaching that "converts will not be accepted in the days of Mashiach, just as converts were not accepted in the days of David and Solomon" (Yevamot 24b). The reason for this is that Israel's great status in those times would give the Gentiles ulterior, impure motives for converting. The DRASH is based on the threefold appearance in the verse of the root GAR, which not only means "gather" but also has the connotation of "dwell", and a GER is a convert who comes to "dwell" with Israel. Rashi (on Yevamot) explains the Midrashic meaning of the verse as: "'One who comes to convert should dwell without Me' - i.e., during the time when I am not yet with you, i.e., during the exile. 'Only he who dwells with you.' - i.e., in your time of lowliness - ‘. shall rest (YIPOL, cf. Gen. 25:18)^[38] with you, i.e., in the world to come."  And "No weapon that is formed (or fashioned or devised) against you shall prosper." (v 17). ^[39]

 

On our last verse. You shall call a nation you did not know. A nation that shall not (did not) run to you. For the sake of Hashem, your God. The Holy One of Israel (55:5). And this translation is interpreted as being of / speaking to the Jewish people. We, the Jewish people, are to go and call the nations to serve God, and the nations on their part will come running to do so out of a newfound awareness of God.  Those coming have not yet completed the journey to where they are going. The nations are searching, and God is leading. The nations have begun to move, not everyone in a nation, but those that God has called will hear his voice. So, how fast will their journey be compared to ours? That we do not know, but we rest assured that HaShem will gather all his sheep, and in time, he will come to each of them.

 

We have come full circle from where our reading started. The mountains may be moved, and the hills may falter (or fall, be shaken), but my loving kindness shall not be removed from you, and my covenant of peace shall not falter (or fall, be shaken), said the one who shows you mercy, HaShem.(54:10-11)  Our Torah reading and the corresponding ashlamatah show us our responsibilities while we wait for the restoration of the Kingdom. The returning soldiers of Reuben and Gad soon left with six solemn exhortations by Joshua ringing in their ears and we are left with the same: (a) be very careful to keep the commandment and the Law, (b) love the Lord your God, (c) walk in all His ways, (d) obey His commands, (e) hold fast to Him, and (f) serve Him with all your heart and all your soul….^[40]  When in our darkest night, it seems all has collapsed, and chaos is on every hand. While it may appear that we are all alone in our journey, our guarantee is that God’s kindness has not been removed from us, and we are to imitate and act like our Father in heaven and cleave to acts of kindness toward our fellow man.^[41]  

 

 

Nazarean Talmud Sidra Of  Bereshit (Genesis) 6:9 -7:24  “Tol’dot Noach” “The generations of Noach” By: H. Em. Rabbi Dr.  Eliyahu ben Abraham
School of Hakham Shaul Tosefta (Luke 4:1-13)	School of Hakham Tsefet Peshat (Mark 1:12-13)
א Yeshua was full[42] of the Ruach HaKodesh (breath of holiness – i.e. Mesorah) returning from the Yarden was led by the Ruach into the wilderness (desert), where he was tempted by the adversary (the Yetser HaRa) for forty days.[43] And he ate nothing for those days, and when those (days) were accomplished he was hungry. And the adversary (the Yetser HaRa)[44] said to him, “If you are the Son of G-d (Messiah the King of Yisrael), command this stone to become bread.” And Yeshua answered[45] (from hermeneutic) “it is written – And He humbled you, and suffered you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you did not know (understand), neither did your fathers know; that He might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD does man live. (De 8:3)[46] And (then) the adversary (the Yetser HaRa) led him to a high mountain bringing to his (Yeshua’s) attention all the kingdoms of the entire earth (governed by human kings and intermediaries) in an instant of time. And the adversary (the yester hara) said to him (Yeshua), “I will give you their glory and all this authority; for all authority has been given to me[47] and I can give to whoever I desire. If you will submit to me, all this will be yours.” And Yeshua replied “You will fear the LORD your God, and serve Him, and will swear by His name (De 6:13).” Then the adversary (yester hara) took him to Yerushalayim and stood him on the peak of the Temple (referring to the southeast corner of the Temple), saying to him (Yeshua) “If you are the Son of G-d (Messiah the King of Yisrael), throw yourself down from here, for it is written “For He will give His angels (messengers) charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (Psa 91:11-12).” And Yeshua answered saying, “You will not tempt the LORD your God, as you tempted him in Massah. (De. 6:16).” When the adversary (the Yester HaRa) completed every test, he (the Yester HaRa) no longer hindered him (Yeshua) waiting (for a more opportune) time.	And immediately[48] the [Holy] Spirit (breath of holiness – the Mesorah) drives[49] him (Yeshua) out into the wilderness (desert), And he (Yeshua) was there in the wilderness (desert) forty days, being tested by the adversary (the Yetser HaRa); and he (Yeshua) was with the animals[50] of the wilderness, and the messengers ministering to him.

Commentary to Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

As we have been aptly taught by the Hakhamim, the key to understanding Scripture is through questions. Without a question, there is no כלי (keli – vessel) to receive the answer. The present material, therefore, begins not with explanation, but with inquiry, for inquiry binds the mind to the Mesorah and establishes the conditions under which Torah may be properly apprehended. As it is stated, “Turn it and turn it, for everything is in it” (m. Avot 5:22), indicating that Torah unfolds through disciplined engagement rather than passive reception.

 

The central question emerges immediately: how does the Mesorah become a force that drives the Master into the wilderness? The Sifrei on Deut. 6:6 teaches that the words of Torah must be “upon the heart,” meaning that they must govern internal life rather than remain external knowledge. When Torah reaches this state, it is no longer advisory; it becomes directive. It compels movement, determines response, and establishes reflex. The Master is therefore not reacting to circumstance; He is being moved by the fully internalized Mesorah.

 

“And immediately the [Holy] Spirit (breath of holiness – the Mesorah) drives him (Yeshua) out into the wilderness (desert).”

 

The immediacy reflects completion. The Greek πλήρης (plērēs) denotes saturation—total occupation of the vessel. As the Gemara teaches, “In the path a man desires to go, he is led” (b. Makkot 10b). Here, desire is indistinguishable from Torah. The רוח (ruaḥ – breath/spirit) is not an external force but the living continuity of Sinai within the האדם (adam – human being). Therefore, the wilderness is not incidental; it is the necessary arena in which the integrity of that internalization is revealed.

 

The wilderness (midbar) functions as a מקום בירור (makom birur – place of clarification or refinement). In a structured society, the individual is supported by communal rhythms, halakhic enforcement, and visible order. In the wilderness, these supports are removed. The Hakhamim associate Sinai with hostility toward idolatry (b. Shabbat 89a-b) precisely because revelation in such a מקום exposes false dependencies. Without structure, the soul stands without concealment.

 

This exposure parallels the generation of Noach. The Ramban on  Bereshit 6:13 identifies robbery and injustice as the defining corruption. These are not isolated sins; they are violations of restraint. The 365 negative mitzvot function as boundaries that contain the Yetser HaRa. When those boundaries collapse, the Yetser expands unchecked, leading to the dissolution described in Gen 7:12. The flood represents the undoing of differentiation—order returning to chaos.

 

The Master’s forty days must be read as the inverse of this collapse. Where the flood dissolves, the wilderness reconstructs. The number forty signifies transformation, as seen in Moshe’s ascent (De 9:9) and Eliyahu’s journey (1Ki 19:8). The Maharal explains that forty represents gestation—the formation of a new reality. The Master’s testing, therefore, constitutes the formation of a perfected human vessel capable of sustaining Torah without external reinforcement.

 

“And he was there in the wilderness forty days, being tested by the adversary (the Yetser HaRa).”

 

The Yetser HaRa must be understood with precision. As the Hakhamim state in b. Yoma 69b, without it, the world would cease to function. It is not an evil entity but a source of כוח (koach – force). The 248 positive mitzvot direct this force toward construction, while the 365 negative mitzvot restrain its destructive potential. The wilderness removes external enforcement, leaving only internal governance. Testing, therefore, reveals whether Torah has penetrated to the level of instinct.

 

This aligns with Deut. 8:2: “to know what was in your heart.” The Hakhamim clarify that this knowledge is for the individual. The Master demonstrates complete integration—the Mesorah governs Him even under maximum internal pressure.

 

The presence of the animals confirms this alignment. In b. Sanhedrin 38b, Adam’s original authority over creation is described as harmonious. The Master’s coexistence with the animals indicates that the תיקון (tikkun – rectification) of Adam is operative. Creation responds to alignment without hostility.

 

“And the messengers ministered to him.”

 

The ministry of the Malakhim reflects cosmic alignment. As it is written, “He will give His angels charge over you” (Ps 91:11). The Zohar (I, 151a) teaches that when the lower world is aligned, the upper worlds respond accordingly. The Malakhim function as extensions of divine order, not independent agents.

The first test must be treated as a question of jurisdiction.

 

“If you are the Son of G-d… command this stone to become bread.”

 

Hunger is legitimate. The issue is the method. The Master responds with De 8:3, establishing that sustenance derives from the word of HaShem. The Sifrei explains that the manna trained Yisrael to depend on divine provision rather than human control. To transform stone into bread would bypass this order. The refusal is therefore halakhic, not ascetic. This aligns with m. Avot 4:5: Torah may not be used as a tool for personal gain. The Hakhamim reinforce this in b. Nedarim 62a, where misuse of Torah is said to uproot the world. Authority does not legitimize its own use. The Master establishes that power must remain subordinate to command.

 

The second test introduces the distortion of authority.

 

“All this authority I will give you…”

 

The Rambam (Hilchot Avodah Zarah 1:1–2) describes the origin of idolatry as the misattribution of power to intermediaries. The offer presented to the Master is participation in a system of authority divorced from its proper source. His response from Deut 6:13 restores exclusive allegiance. The Sifrei expands this verse to encompass all forms of service—political, economic, and spiritual. Authority accepted from an improper source constitutes idolatry at the level of governance. The Master refuses, establishing the boundary that authority must be received through obedience, not seized through compromise.

 

The third test addresses the misuse of Scripture.

 

“For it is written…”

 

The adversary cites Ps 91:11–12, attempting to justify reckless action. The Master responds with Deut 6:16: “You will not test the LORD your God.” In b. Ta’anit 9a, the Hakhamim prohibit forcing divine intervention. Fidelity cannot be converted into leverage. This establishes a hermeneutic boundary: Scripture must be interpreted within the totality of Mesorah. The principle of binyan av mi-katub eḥad operates within the framework of Torah, not against it. Isolated verses cannot override covenantal structure. The completion of testing establishes mastery, yet the Yetser HaRa remains active. As taught in b. Sukkah 52a, it renews itself daily. Mastery is therefore continuous.

The implications for leadership are immediate.

 

In b. Horayot 10a, a leader’s sin affects the entire community. Authority amplifies consequence. The generation of Noach serves as the negative model: legal distortion led to total collapse. The Ramban emphasizes that corruption began with the failure of justice. Once the courts were compromised, the structure dissolved. The Master’s testing addresses this at its root. He refuses even minor misuse, establishing a zero-tolerance boundary. This produces a governing principle:

 

Authority in Yisrael is validated through restraint before it is expressed through action.

 

The concept of the Governance of G-d being “at hand” must now be defined. The Greek ἐγγίζω corresponds to קָרַב (qarav – to draw near), indicating authorized approach. The use of καιρός corresponds to מוֹעֵד (moed – appointed time). Governance is accessible, but only within proper alignment and at the appointed moment.

 

The Master emerges from the wilderness as one who is both tested and authorized. The Mesorah that drove Him into the wilderness now establishes Him as a vessel capable of transmitting governance without distortion.

This establishes the pattern:

 

• The one who governs must first be governed.
• The one who teaches must first be tested.
• The one who leads must first refuse.

 

The Hakhamim model this pattern, and the Master perfects it.

 

This pattern must now be integrated with the wider scriptural framework.

 

Tehillim 5 establishes the internal posture of the righteous: “Give ear to my words… consider my meditation” (Ps 5:1). The Master’s responses in the wilderness are not spontaneous; they are meditations formed within Mesorah. Trust (bitachon) is expressed through restraint, as seen in Ps 5:11. Yeshayahu 54 recalls the waters of Noach: “This is like the waters of Noah to Me” (Isa 54:9). The covenant prevents recurrence of destruction, yet the potential for corruption remains. The Master internalizes this covenant, restraining the forces that once led to the flood. “No weapon formed against you shall prosper” (Isa 54:17) includes the weaponization of false counsel. The adversary’s words in the wilderness are such weapons. They fail because the Master remains aligned with Mesorah. The extension to the nations in Isa 55:5 depends on this integrity. Governance may expand only when its source is purified.

 

The halakhic synthesis is now complete.

 

The Hakhamim teach that the world stands on Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Chasadim (m. Avot 1:2). The wilderness testing integrates all three: Torah governs response, Avodah is expressed through submission, and Chasadim emerges in the preservation of communal order.

 

The Yetser HaRa remains the operative force within this system. Its strength corresponds to the individual (b. Sukkah 52a). The Master’s victory demonstrates that even the greatest כוח can be governed through Mesorah.

This governance stabilizes leadership.

 

When leaders maintain alignment, the community remains ordered. When they fail, the errors of Noach’s generation re-emerge. The Hakhamim warn that proximity to corruption leads to participation (b. Avodah Zarah 17a). The Master’s refusals establish necessary distance.

He refuses the provision obtained improperly.

 

• He refuses authority granted illegitimately.
• He refuses protection demanded presumptuously.
• Each refusal defines a boundary.

 

The final synthesis may now be stated:

 

The Mesorah drives the individual into the wilderness so that the wilderness does not later consume the community.

 

• Through testing, alignment is revealed.
• Through alignment, authority is established.
• Through authority, governance is manifested.

 

The cycle is complete.

 

The Master stands as the perfected embodiment of this structure. The Hakhamim transmit it. Yisrael lives within it.

The wilderness is therefore not an interruption of order but its foundation. Through it, the failures of the past are rectified, the present is stabilized, and the future is secured within the covenant of HaShem.

 

In the Wilderness

 

The consolidation of the wilderness testing now requires further penetration into the mechanics of transmission, for the Master does not remain an isolated perfected vessel. The function of the Mesorah demands continuation, extension, and guarded transmission. What has been proven in the wilderness must now be preserved against distortion as it moves outward into the structure of Yisrael.

 

The Hakhamim establish that Torah is not merely learned; it is handed over (mesirah). As recorded in m. Avot 1:1, “Moshe received Torah from Sinai and transmitted it…” This chain is not symbolic—it is structural. Each link must preserve integrity under pressure. The wilderness testing, therefore, serves as a filtration point. Only that which survives confrontation with the Yetser HaRa in isolation is fit to be transmitted in ציבור (tzibbur – community).

 

This introduces a critical boundary:

 

Unproven Torah cannot be entrusted with public consequence.

 

The Master’s responses in the wilderness are not novel teachings; they are precise applications of existing Torah. This establishes that authority does not innovate outside Mesorah—it reveals the depth of what has already been given. As the Hakhamim teach in b. Megillah 19b, even that which a seasoned student will one day teach was already given at Sinai. The Master operates within this principle, demonstrating that true authority lies in accurate application rather than creative departure.

 

The testing also clarifies the relationship between knowledge and embodiment.

 

In b. Kiddushin 40b, the Hakhamim debate whether study or action is greater, concluding that study is greater because it leads to action. The wilderness reveals the completion of this movement. The Master’s study has reached the level where action is governed without hesitation. There is no gap between knowledge and response. This integration is the necessary condition for leadership within Yisrael.

 

The danger emerges when this integration is absent.

 

The Hakhamim warn in b. Yoma 72b, that one whose inside is not like his outside is unfit for Torah leadership. The generation of Noach exemplifies this failure. Their external structure remained while their internal restraint collapsed. The result was not immediate destruction, but progressive distortion that culminated in the flood.

 

The Master’s testing closes this gap entirely. What is internal governs what is external without contradiction. This produces stability.

 

This stability must now be connected to the function of judgment.

 

The Bate Din operates as the mechanism through which Torah is applied to communal life. The Hakhamim teach in b. Sanhedrin 6b, that justice must be both true and peace-producing. This requires judges who are not influenced by personal inclination. The wilderness testing establishes that the Master’s Yetser HaRa does not distort judgment, even under extreme conditions. This qualifies Him as a trustworthy arbiter of Torah.

 

The failure of this qualification produces systemic corruption.

 

As the Ramban emphasizes, the generation of Noach collapsed because justice was no longer upheld. The courts failed to restrain wrongdoing. Once the guardians of Torah became compromised, the structure of society disintegrated. This establishes that leadership failure is not contained; it is expansive.

 

The Master’s refusals, therefore, function as preventative measures.

 

He refuses to:

• alter provision for personal need
• accept authority from improper channels
• manipulate divine promise for assurance

 

Each refusal eliminates a pathway through which corruption could enter.

 

This must now be extended into the concept of יראה (yirah – reverence/fear).

 

The response from De 6:13 establishes that service is rooted in יראה. The Hakhamim teach in b. Berakhot 33b that everything is in the hands of Heaven except fear of Heaven. This means that the internal posture of reverence determines the outcome of all external actions. The Master’s responses demonstrate perfect יראה—He does not act outside the will of HaShem, even when the capacity exists.

 

This produces a second governing principle:

 

Capacity without authorization remains forbidden.

 

The Yetser HaRa often operates through capacity—presenting what can be done rather than what should be done. The Master rejects this framework entirely. He does not evaluate action based on ability but on alignment.

This distinction must now be pressed into the realm of communal influence.

 

The Hakhamim warn in b. Sotah 47b, that when leaders pursue honor, the community becomes degraded. Honor pursued through Torah constitutes a distortion of its purpose. The Master’s refusal to act for self-benefit preserves the integrity of Torah as a covenantal system rather than a personal tool.

 

The structure of influence must therefore be purified.

 

Influence in Yisrael is not derived from charisma, power, or display. It is derived from alignment with the Mesorah under testing. This aligns with the teaching in b. Eruvin 13b, where the halakhah follows Beit Hillel because of humility and disciplined transmission. Authority flows through restraint, not assertion.

 

The wilderness also establishes the proper relationship between man and divine protection.

 

The adversary’s misuse of Ps 91:11–12 attempts to convert promise into entitlement. The Master’s response from De 6:16 reasserts that divine protection operates within obedience, not outside it. The Hakhamim in b. Shabbat 32a warns against placing oneself in danger and relying on miracles. This establishes that trust must not override responsibility.

 

This produces a third governing principle:

 

A promise does not suspend an obligation.

 

The covenant provides assurance, but it does not remove the requirement of obedience. The Master embodies this balance perfectly.

 

The integration of Tehillim and Yeshayahu must now be tightened.

 

In Tehillim 5, the righteous is characterized by ordered speech and disciplined orientation. The Master’s responses mirror this pattern. His words emerge from meditation, not reaction. This indicates that Mesorah has structured its internal world completely.

 

In Yeshayahu 54, the covenant following the waters of Noach establishes that destruction will not recur in the same manner. However, the responsibility for maintaining order is transferred to the human vessel. The Master fulfills this responsibility by internalizing restraint.

 

The extension to the nations in Isa 55:5 depends on this internalization. Expansion without integrity would reproduce the errors of Noach’s generation on a larger scale. The wilderness testing ensures that expansion proceeds from a purified source.

 

The final dimension to be addressed is continuity.

 

The Master’s testing is not an endpoint. It establishes a pattern that must be maintained across generations. The Hakhamim emphasize in b. Avot 2:4, “Do not trust yourself until the day of your death.” This reflects the continuous presence of the Yetser HaRa. Stability is maintained through ongoing vigilance.

 

This returns the discussion to the initial premise:

 

The Mesorah drives the individual into the wilderness because only through confrontation with the Yetser HaRa can alignment be proven.

 

• What is proven becomes stable.
• What is stable becomes trustworthy
• What is trustworthy becomes transmissible.

 

This chain ensures that Torah remains intact across generations.

 

The final articulation must therefore be made with precision:

 

• The wilderness is the crucible in which Torah becomes inseparable from the האדם.
• The Mesorah transforms knowledge into governance.
• Governance establishes authority without corruption.

Authority preserves the covenant within Yisrael and beyond.

 

This completes the structure.

 

The Master stands as the perfected demonstration of this process. The Hakhamim transmit it. The community lives within it.

 

Through this system, the failures of Noach are not merely remembered—they are prevented. The covenant is not merely declared—it is sustained. The Torah is not merely studied—it is embodied.

 

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?

 

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!”

 

 

Note: Upcoming Festival Pesach Sheini Iyar14, 5786

(Second Pesach)

 

 

Next Shabbat: Iyar 15, 5786

Shabbat “Vayizkor Elohim Et Noach” – “And G-d remembered Noah”

 

 

Contents of Next Week’s Torah Seder

·        The Diminution of Waters – Gen. 8:1-5

·        The Raven and the Dove – Gen. 8:6-14

·        Leaving the Ark and Building an Altar – Gen. 8:15-22

 

Next Week’s Reading Assignment:

 

 

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

Edited by His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham

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