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

 

 

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

 

Roll of Honor:

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

 

His Eminence Rabbi Dr. 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

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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 Yaaqov ben David

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

Her Excellency Giberet Krysta Wallrauch & beloved family

 

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

 

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

 

Blessings Before Torah Study

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

A Prayer for Israel

 

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

 

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

 

Shabbat: “Banim Atem” - “You are children”

 

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·        Against Heathen Rites – Deut. 14:1-2

·        Clean and Unclean Beats, Fishes, and Birds – Deut. 14:3-21

·        Tithes – Deut. 14:22-29

·        The Year of Release (Sabbatical Year) And Debts – Deut. 15:1-6

·        The Israelite is warned against letting the approach of the Year of Release hinder him from helping his needy brother – Deut. 15:7-11

·        The Release of Slaves – Deut. 15:12-18

·        Of Firstlings – Deut. 15:19-23

·        The Three Pilgrimage Festivals – Deut. 16:1-8

·        The Feast of Weeks – Deut. 16:9-12

·        The Feast of Tabernacles – Deut. 16:13-15

·        Conclusion – Deut. 16:16-17

 

Reading Assignment:

 

JPS & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Devarim (Deuteronomy) 14:1 - 16:17‎

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for Devarim 14:1 – 16:17 ‎

 

1 You shall neither cut yourselves Do not make cuts and incisions in your flesh [to mourn] for the dead, in the manner that the Amorites do, because you are the children of the Omnipresent and it is appropriate for you to be handsome and not to be cut or have your hair torn out.

 

[nor make any baldness] between your eyes [i.e.,] near the forehead. Elsewhere, however, it says: “They shall not make their head bald” (Lev. 21:5), to make the entire head like between the eyes (בֵּין עֵינַיִם) [i.e., one must not make bald spots on any part of the head]. - [Sifrei]

 

2 For you are a holy people Your holiness stems from your forefathers, and, moreover, “the Lord has chosen you.”-[Sifrei]

 

3 [You shall not eat] any abomination Anything that I have declared to be an abomination for you—for instance, if he made a slit in the ear of a firstborn [animal], in order to [be permitted to] slaughter it in the country [i.e., outside the Temple walls, where unblemished firstborns must be slaughtered]. This is a thing that I have declared to be an abomination for you, for “no blemish shall be in it” (Lev. 22:21) [meaning that one may not make a blemish on a firstborn or on any sacrificial animal. Our verse] comes to teach here that one may not slaughter [the firstborn] and eat it based on that [deliberately made] blemish. [Another example is] if one cooked meat in milk, which is a thing that I declared an abomination for you; and here Scripture admonishes against eating it. - [Chul. 114b]

 

4-5 This is the animal [which you may eat...] the gazelle, and the deer, and the antelope [Since the verse begins with “This is the animal (בְּהֵמָה) ..." and then goes on to enumerate types of wild beasts (חַיָּה) ,] we learn that the category of wild beasts (חַיָּה) is included in the category of (בְּהֵמָה) , [which usually refers only to domestic animals]. - [Sifrei ; Chul. 71a] We learn also that unclean domestic and wild animals are more numerous than clean [ones] since the less numerous are always enumerated. [Therefore, the clean animals are enumerated here.] - [Sifrei ; Chul. 63a]

 

and the ibex Heb. וְאַקּוֹ . This is rendered by Targum [Onkelos] as יַעֲלָא , [like the Hebrew יָעֵל in the expression] יַעֲלֵי סָלַע (Job 39:1). This is known as estainboc [in Old French, mountain goat.]

 

and the bison Heb. וּתְאוֹ .[Onkelos renders this:] וְתוּרְבָּלָא , [which is the equivalent of] תּוֹר הַיַעַר , “the ox of the forest,” for בָָּאלָא means “forest” in the Aramaic language.

 

6 split Heb. מַפְרֶסֶת , split, as the Targum [Onkelos renders it]. hoof Heb. פַּרְסָה , plante [in French].

 

[and has a hoof] cloven [into two hoof sections] [Hooves] cloven into two “nails,” for there are [animals with hooves] split but not entirely cloven into [two] nails; such animals are unclean.

 

among the animals - [that you may eat] Heb. בַּבְּהֵמָה This [means literally “within the animal”], meaning that anything found inside the beast, you may eat. From here [our Rabbis] said that a fetus becomes permitted to be eaten through the [proper] slaughtering of its mother [without requiring its own slaughtering].-[Chul. 69a]

 

7 the cloven one This is a certain creature that has two backs and two spinal columns (Chul. 60b). Our Rabbis said: Why are [these animals and birds] repeated [here, since they are already mentioned in Lev. 11]? Because of the [animal called] שְׁסוּעָה , and in [the category of] fowl because of the רָאָה , both of which are not mentioned in Torath Kohanim [i.e., Lev.]. - [Chul. 63b]

 

8 nor touch their carcass Our Rabbis explained [that this refers only to] the Festival[s], for a person is obliged to purify himself for the Festival. One might think that [all Israelites] are prohibited [from touching a carcass] during the entire year. Therefore, Scripture states [in reference to the uncleanness of a corpse], “Say to the kohanim... [none shall be defiled for the dead...]” (Lev. 21:1). Now if in the case of the uncleanness caused by a [human] corpse, which is a stringent [kind of uncleanness, only] kohanim are prohibited regarding it but [ordinary] Israelites are not prohibited, then in the case of uncleanness caused by a carcass [of an animal], which is light [i.e., a less stringent uncleanness], how much more so [is the case that ordinary Israelites are permitted to touch these carcasses]!

 

11 You may eat every clean bird ["Every"] comes to include [as permissible to eat] the bird that is set free [in the purification rite] of a metzora (see Lev. 14:7). - [Sifrei; Kid. 57a]

 

12 But these are those from which you shall not eat [The word “which” comes] to forbid [as food] the [bird that is] slaughtered [in the purification rite of a metzora]. - [Sifrei; Kid. 57a]

 

13 the white vulture and the black vulture. רָאָה, אַיָּה and דַּיָּה are [names for] the same [or similar] bird. Why is its name called רָאָה ? Because it sees (רוֹאֶה) very well. And why does [Scripture] admonish you with all its names? In order not to give an opponent any opportunity to disagree, so that the one who wishes to prohibit should not call it רָאָה, and the one who wishes to permit it will say, “This one is named דַּיָּה,” or “This one is named אַיָּה,” and Scripture did not prohibit this one!" And in the case of birds, [Scripture] enumerates the unclean species, to teach that the clean birds are more numerous than the unclean [in contrast with Rashi on verses 4-5, regarding animals]. Therefore, it enumerates the fewer ones. - [Chul. 63b]

 

16 the bat Heb. וְהַתִּנְשֶׁמֶת , calve-soriz [in Old French], bat, [chauve souris in modern French. Note that Rashi on Isa. 2:20 brings this laaz for עֲטַלֵּף , whereas here and in Lev. 11:18, he brings it for תִּנְשֶׁמֶת and does not identify עֲטַלֵּף .

 

17 the cormorant [or the gull] Heb. שָׁלָךְ , [a bird] that draws out (שׁוֹלֶה) fish from the sea. - [Chul. 63b]

 

18 and the hoopoe - וְהַדּוּכִיפַת . The wild rooster, [which is called] in Old French haruppe, and which has a double crest. - [Gittin 68]

 

19 flying insects - שֶׁרֶץ . These are the lowly [creatures] that swarm on the ground: flies, hornets, and the unclean species of locusts. [All these] are called שֶׁרֶץ .

 

20 You may eat every clean fowl But not the unclean ones. Here [Scripture] comes to attach a positive commandment to the negative commandment. Similarly, in the case of [clean] animals, it says: “that you may eat” (verse 6), [but] not the unclean ones. A prohibition inferred from a positive commandment [is regarded as] a positive commandment, so that one [who eats such food] transgresses a positive and a negative commandment.

 

21 You shall not eat any carcass. [You may give it] to the stranger who is within your cities [i.e.,] a resident alien (גֵּר תּוֹשָׁב) , who has accepted upon himself not to worship idols, but he eats carcasses [animals not ritually slaughtered]. - [Sifrei]

 

for you are a holy people to the Lord Sanctify yourself with that which is permitted to you; i. e., there are things which are technically permissible, but which some people treat as forbidden. In the presence of these people, do not treat those things as permissible. -[Sifrei]

 

You shall not cook a kid [in its mother’s milk] [This is stated] three times [here, in Exod. 23:19, and in Exod. 34:26], to exclude wild animals, fowl, and unclean animals [from the prohibition of cooking meat in milk]. - [Chul. 113a]

 

22 You shall tithe [all the seed crop] What has one matter to do with the other [i.e., the prohibition of cooking a kid, and tithing]? The Holy One, blessed is He, said to Israel: Do not cause Me to destroy the [developing] kernels (גְּדָיִים) of grain, while they are yet in their “mother’s womb” [i.e., in the husks], for if you do not tithe your produce properly, when it is near ripening I will bring forth an easterly wind, which will blast them, as it is said, “and blast before becoming standing grain” (II Kings 19:26) (Tanchuma). [And just as cooking the kid in its mother’s milk and the tithes are juxtaposed,] so is the topic of the first fruits (בִּכּוּרִים) [juxtaposed to cooking the kid in its mother’s milk (see Exod. 23:19, 34:26), to teach us that, if you do not bring your first fruits to the Temple as commanded, your fruit produce will whither].

 

[You shall tithe...] year by year From here, we derive [the ruling] that one may not give tithes from the new [crop] for the old [i.e., from this year’s crop for last year’s]. - [Sifrei]

 

23 And you shall eat [before the Lord your God, in the place He chooses... the tithes of your grain...- This refers to ma’aser sheini , “the second tithe,” for we have already learned to give ma’aser rishon, “the first tithe,” to the Levites, as it is said, “[Speak to the Levites...] when you take from the children of Israel [the tithe]... ” (Num. 18:26), and it gives them permission to eat it anywhere [not only in Jerusalem], as it is said, “and you may eat it in any place” (Num. 18: 31). Thus, you must conclude that this one [which may be eaten by its owners and must be eaten in Jerusalem,] is another tithe [namely, the second tithe].

 

24 For [the Lord your God] will bless you so that your produce will be too much to carry.

 

26 [And you will turn that money] into whatever your soul desires This is a כְּלָל , a general statement [not limited to anything in particular. Whereas the next expression,]

 

cattle, or sheep, new wine or old wine [represents a] פְּרָט , a “specification” [that is, it details particular things, limiting the matter to those things. After this, the verse continues,]

 

or whatever your soul desires [The verse] again reverts to a כְּלָל , a “general statement.” [Now we have learned that when a verse expresses a כְּלָל , a פְּרָט , and then a כְּלָל again, as in this case, we apply the characteristics of the פְּרָט to the whole matter. That is,] just as the items listed in the פְּרָט 1) are products of things themselves produced by the earth [e.g., wine comes from grapes], and 2) are fitting to be food for man, [so must the money replacing them be used to purchase such products]. - [Eruvin 27a]

 

27 And [as for] the Levite... - you shall not forsake him By not giving him the first tithe.

 

for he has neither portion nor inheritance with you This excludes gleanings (Lev. 19:9), forgotten sheaves (Deut. 24:19), the end of the field (Lev. 19:9), [all of which are left for the poor,] and ownerless things, for the Levite does have a portion in these things, just as you do, and [consequently,] they are not subject to tithing.

 

28 At the end of three years [you shall take out all the tithe of your crop in that year] This comes to teach us that if one kept his tithes from the first and the second year of the shemitah [cycle], he has to remove them from his house in the third [year].

 

29 And the Levite... will come And take the first tithe.

 

and the stranger, and the orphan... [will come] And take the second tithe, which this year [the third in the seven-year cycle], belongs to the poor, and you [yourself] may not eat it in Jerusalem, in the manner you were required to eat the second tithe in the [first] two years [of this cycle].

 

will come and eat and be satisfied Give them enough to satisfy them. From here [our Rabbis] said: One must not give the poor from the threshing floor less [than half a kav of wheat, or a kav of barley] (Sifrei). And you go up to Jerusalem with the [second] tithe of the first and the second years which you have delayed [to bring], and you shall confess: “I have removed the sanctified things from the house” (see Deut. 26:13), as is stated in [the section beginning with] “When you have finished tithing...” (Deut. 26:12).

 

Chapter 15

 

1 At the end of seven years [you shall make a release] One might think that this means seven years [starting from the transaction] of each loan. Scripture, therefore, states, “The seventh year [i.e., the year of release] has approached...” (verse 9). But if you say [that] “seven years” [means] for each loan, after each individual loan, how has it approached? [No loan was yet transacted.] Consequently, you learn [that Scripture means] seven years according to the counting of the Shemitha [cycle]. - [Sifrei]

 

2 to release the hand of every creditor Heb.שָׁמוֹט כָּל־בַּעַל מַשֵּׁה יָדוֹ , [lit. to release every master the loan of his hand, which makes no sense. Therefore, Rashi interprets the verse to mean] to release the hand of every creditor [from reclaiming the loan].

 

3 From the foreigner you may exact This is a positive command (See Ramban.). -[Sifrei]

 

4 However, there will be no needy among you But further on it says, “For there will never cease to be needy [within the land]” (verse 11). [These two verses seem to contradict each other. However, the explanation is:] When you perform the will of the Omnipresent, there will be needy among others but not among you. If, however, you do not perform the will of the Omnipresent, there will be needy among you. -[Sifrei]

 

needy Heb. אֶבְיוֹן , [denoting someone who is] poorer than an עָ נִי . The term אֶבְיוֹן means “to yearn for” (תָּאֵב) , i.e., one who yearns for everything [because he has nothing]. - [Vayikra Rabbah 34:6, see B.M. 111b]

 

5 However, if you hearken [to the voice of the Lord, your God] then “there will be no needy among you” (verse 4).

 

you hearken Heb. שָׁמֽעַ תִּשְׁמַע . [The repetition of the verb form suggests:] If one listens a little, he will be granted the opportunity to listen much [i.e., he will be taught much Torah as a reward]. - [Sifrei]

 

6 [For the Lord, your God, has blessed you,] as He has spoken to you And where did He speak about this? “Blessed are you in the city...” (Deut. 28:3). -[Sifrei]

 

and you will lend Heb. וְהַעֲבַטְתָּ . Whenever an expression denoting lending refers to a lender [of money], it adopts the hiph’il [causative] form. For example, וְהִלְוִיתָ , or וְהַעֲבַטְתָּ , you will lend. However, if it would have said וְעָבַטְתָּ ,[in the kal, simple conjugation,] it would be referring to the borrower, like וְלָוִיתָ , you will borrow.

 

and you will lend to [many] nations One might think that you will borrow from this one and lend that one. Therefore, Scripture states, “but you will not borrow.”

 

and you will rule over many nations One might think that [at the same time] other nations will rule over you. Therefore, Scripture states, “but they will not rule over you.”- [Sifrei]

 

7 If there will be among you a needy person The most needy person has priority. -[Sifrei]

 

from one of your brothers Your brother on your father’s side has priority over your brother on your mother’s side. -[Sifrei]

 

[in one of] your cities The poor of your city have priority over the poor of another city. -[Sifrei]

 

you shall not harden [your heart] Some people suffer [as they deliberate] whether they should give [to the needy] or they should not give; therefore, it says: “you shall not harden [your heart].” Some people stretch out their hand [to give], but then close it; therefore, it says: “nor close your hand.”-[Sifrei]

 

[nor close your hand] from your needy brother If you do not give him, you will ultimately become a “brother of the needy” [i.e., becoming needy yourself]. - [Sifrei]

 

8 [Rather] you shall open [your hand] Even many times.

 

[Rather] you shall open [your hand] Heb. כִּי־פָתֽחַ תִּפְתַּח . Here, the word כִּי has the meaning of “rather” [whereas in verse 7 it means “if,” and in verse 10, “because”].

 

and you shall lend If he does not want [your money] as a [charitable] gift, give it to him as a loan. - [Sifrei; Keth. 67b]

 

[lend him] sufficient for his needs However, you are not commanded to make him wealthy. -[Sifrei]

 

[sufficient for his needs,] what he is lacking Even a horse to ride on and a servant to run before him [if he is accustomed to this type of lifestyle]. - [Sifrei; Keth. 67b]

 

he [is lacking] Heb. יֶחְסַר לוֹ , lit. what is lacking for him. This refers to a wife [i.e., you should help him marry a wife]. Similarly, it is stated: “I shall make for him (לוֹ) a helpmate opposite him” (Gen. 2:18). - [Keth. 66b]

 

9 and he will cry out [to the Lord] against you One might think this is a requirement [namely, that this poor man is obliged to "cry out... against you"]. Therefore, Scripture says, “[On his day you shall give him his payment...] so that he will not cry against you [to the Lord]” (Deut. 24:15). - [Sifrei 15:138]

 

and it will be a sin to you in any case, even if he does not cry [against you]. If so, why does it say, “and he will cry out... against you?” [It means that God says:] I hasten to punish in response to the one who cries out more than to the one who does not cry out. - [Sifrei]

 

10 You shall surely give him Even a hundred times. - [Sifrei]

 

him [meaning] between him and you [i.e., privately]. -[Sifrei]

 

for because of this thing Heb. דָָּבָר , lit. word. Even if you said [i.e., gave him your “word”] that you would give, you will receive a reward for the saying along with the reward for the deed. - [Sifrei]

 

11 Therefore Heb. עַל־כֵּן , here meaning מִפְּנֵי כֵן , [i.e.,] “because of this,” or “therefore.”

 

saying I offer you advice for your own good. - [Sifrei]

 

[You shall surely open your hand] to your brother, to your poor one To which brother? To your poor one.

 

to your poor one Heb. לַעֲנִיֶּךָ , [spelled] with one “yud,” [singular form,] means one poor person, but עֲנִיֶּיךָ with two "yud"s [the second “yud” denoting the plural form,] means two poor people. [Here, since it is written with one “yud,” meaning one poor person, thus modifying אָחִיךָ , your brother, which is in the singular]. See Yosef Hallel, Leket Bahir, Chavel.

 

12 If [your brother...] is sold to you By others [but not one who sells himself because of poverty]. Scripture is speaking here of one whom the court sold [for a theft that he had committed]. But has it not already been stated, “If you buy a Hebrew servant” (Exod. 21:2) and there, too, Scripture is referring to one whom the court sold (Mechilta)? Nevertheless, [it is repeated here] because of two points which are new here: The first is that it is written [here] “or a Hebrew woman,” that she, too, [like a manservant,] goes free at the end of six [years]. This does not mean a woman whom the court has sold, for a woman is not sold [by the court] on account of a theft, since it is stated [that the thief will be sold] “for his theft” (Exod. 22:2), not for her theft. Thus, [we are referring here to] a minor whom her father sold [as a handmaid], and it teaches you here that if six years terminate before she shows signs [of puberty], she goes free (Exod. 21:7-11). The second new point here is: “You shall surely provide him.”

 

14 You shall surely provide him Heb. הַעֲנֵיק תַּעֲנִיק . [The root ענק ] denotes an ornament worn high [on the upper portion of the body] within view of the eye. [Thus, this verse means that you should give him] something through which it will be recognized that you have benefited him. Others explain [the word הַעֲנֵיק ] as an expression of loading on his neck [meaning that you should load him with gifts].

 

[You shall surely provide him] from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your vat One might think that I must [give him] only these things [listed in the verse here]. Therefore, Scripture states, “from what the Lord, your God, has blessed you,” meaning, from everything with which your Creator has blessed you. Then why are these mentioned? Just as these particular things are within the realm of blessing, so too, you should provide him only with what falls within the realm of blessing. This [therefore] excludes mules, [which are sterile, and are thus not considered within the realm of blessing] (Kid. 17a). In tractate Kiddushin (17a) our Rabbis derived by means of a gezerah shavah how much one must give the servant of each kind.

 

15 And you shall remember that you were a slave [in the land of Egypt] And I loaded you up [with booty], and then did so a second time, from the spoil of Egypt and from the spoil at the Sea [of Reeds]; so too should you load him up, and then do so a second time. - [Sifrei]

 

17 [And he shall be] a servant [to you] forever Heb. לְעוֹלָם . One might think that [ לְעוֹלָם , “forever”] is to be interpreted literally. Therefore, Scripture states: “[And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It will be a Jubilee for you;] and you shall return, every man to his property, and you shall return, every man to his family” (Lev. 25:10). Consequently, you learn that the term לְעוֹלָם here can mean only the period until the Jubilee. [This period is also called לְעוֹלָם .] - [Mechilta 21:6]

 

and also to your maidservant you will do likewise to provide her. One might think that Scripture includes her concerning the piercing [of the ear] as well. Therefore, it states, “And if the manservant (הַָעֶבֶד) will clearly say, [I love my master... then...his master shall bore his ear with an awl]” (Exod. 21:5-6); [i.e.,] a manservant (עֶבֶד) must have his ear pierced, but not a maidservant. - [Sifrei]

 

18 for twice as much as much as a hired servant From here our Rabbis said: A Hebrew slave serves both by day and by night, and that is double the amount of labor of a man hired only for day work. And what is his service during the night? That his master gives him a Canaanite maidservant [as a wife], and the [resultant] children [belong] to the master. - [Sifrei, Kid. 15a]

 

19 Every firstborn male... you shall sanctify [to the Lord] But elsewhere (Lev. 27:26) it says, “[But the firstborn which will be a firstborn for the Lord of the livestock,] no man shall sanctify it.” How is this [reconciled]? [The verse in Leviticus means that] one may not sanctify [the firstborn] to be another sacrifice [but only as a firstborn sacrifice]. And our verse here teaches us that it is a duty to proclaim [over the firstborn animal], “You are hereby sanctified as a firstborn.” Another explanation: It is impossible to say “sanctify [this firstborn animal],” because [Scripture] already says, “no man shall sanctify it” (Lev. 27:26). And yet it is impossible to say that we shall not sanctify it, for [here] it already says, “you shall sanctify.” So how [can these two verses be reconciled]? [The answer is that we are dealing with an indirect sanctification, namely:] One may sanctify the value of the privilege [i.e., the owner of the firstborn animal has the privilege of choosing to which kohen he will give it. This privilege has a market value, namely how much an Israelite will pay so that the owner of the firstborn will give it to his grandson who is a kohen. The verse, therefore, means:] one may dedicate the value of this privilege according to its benefit and give it to the Temple [treasury]. - [Ar. 29a]

 

You shall neither work with the firstborn of your ox, nor shear [the firstborn of your flock] The Rabbis derived that also the converse [i.e., shearing your ox and working the flock] is prohibited. Scripture is merely speaking [here] of the usual manner [in which these animals are used]. - [Bech. 25a]

 

20 You shall eat it before the Lord, your God [Scripture] is addressing the kohen, for we have already found [a statement to the effect] that it [the firstborn] is part of the dues given to kohanim, whether the animal is unblemished or whether it is blemished. For it is stated, “and their flesh [i.e., of the firstborn animals] shall be yours [i.e., the kohen 's]” (Num. 18:18). - [Bech. 28a] [In both cases, the kohen is entitled to eat the entire animal. The difference between the blemished and the unblemished animals is that the blemished animal is slaughtered outside the Temple, and its flesh may be eaten anywhere by anyone invited by the kohen. The unblemished animal, however, must be slaughtered in the Temple courtyard, its blood dashed on the altar, and its fat burned on the altar. The flesh must be eaten by the kohen and his household within the time allotted for eating it.] [

 

You shall eat it before the Lord...] year by year From here we derive the law that one should not delay it [i.e., from sacrificing it] beyond its first year (Bech. 28a). [If so, however,] one might think that it becomes unfit [as a sacrifice] when the first year has elapsed. [Therefore, the Torah tells us that] it [the firstborn animal] has already been compared to ma’aser [sheini], as it is said, “And you shall eat before the Lord, your God... the tithes of your grain, your wine, and your oil, and the firstborn of your cattle and of your sheep” (Deut. 14:23). Just as ma’aser sheini does not become unfit [when it is left over] from one year to the next, neither does the firstborn animal become unfit. However, [this verse means] that the proper way to fulfill this commandment [of the firstborn animal] is during its first year.

 

year by year If one slaughtered it at the end of its first year [on the last day], he may eat it on that day and one day of the next year. This teaches [us] that it [a firstborn animal] may be eaten for two days and one [intervening] night. - [Bech. 27b]

 

21 [And if there be any] blemish [in it] [This is] a כְּלָל , a general statement [not limiting itself to anything in particular].

 

lame, or blind [This is] a פְּרָט , particular things, [limiting the matter to these things].

 

any ill blemish [Once again the verse] reverts to כְּלָל , a general statement. [Now we have learned that when a verse expresses a כְּלָל , then a פְּרָט , and then a כְּלָל again, just as in this case, we apply the characteristics of the פְּרָט to the whole matter.] Just as the blemishes detailed [lame or blind] are externally visible blemishes that do not heal, so too, any externally visible blemish that does not heal [renders a firstborn animal unfit for sacrifice and may be eaten as ordinary flesh]. - [Bech. 37a]

 

23 However, you shall not eat its blood [Although eating the blood of any animal is prohibited, this prohibition is mentioned here] so that you should not say: "Since this [blemished firstborn animal] is entirely permitted [to be eaten now after its blemish, even though] it started out from a forbidden status, since it was sanctified, [and now it is permitted] for it is slaughtered outside [the Temple] without having to be redeemed, and [it may be] eaten. I might [therefore] think that its blood is permitted as well!" Therefore, Scripture states, "However, you shall not eat its blood."

 

Chapter 16

 

1 Keep the month of spring Heb. אָבִיב . Before it [Nissan] arrives, watch that it should be fit for the אָבִיב , ripening [capable of producing ripe ears of barley by the sixteenth of the month], to offer up in it the omer meal offering. And if not, proclaim it a leap year [thereby enabling you to wait another month, until the barley ripens]. - [San. 11b]

 

[for in the month of spring the Lord, your God, brought you] out of Egypt at night But did they not go out by day, as it is said, “on the morrow of the Passover the children of Israel went out...” (Num. 33:3)? However, since during the night Pharaoh gave them permission to leave, as it is said, “So he called for Moses and Aaron at night [and said, ‘Rise up, go out from among my people...]’” (Exod. 12:31), [therefore, here it says “at night”]. - [Ber. 9a]

 

2 You shall slaughter the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, your God, [of the] flock As it is said, “You may take [it] either from the sheep or from the goats” (Exod. 12:5).

 

and... cattle These are slaughtered as the chagigah [Festival offering]. If a large group was formed for the Passover offering, they bring a Festival offering along with it, so that the Passover sacrifice will be eaten [after a sufficient meal, and therefore] after the required satiation. [Everyone had to designate himself to a particular company of people, which was then relevant to one particular Passover offering (Pes. 69a- 70b).] Our Rabbis also derived many other things from this verse. - [Sifrei; Pes. 70a]

 

3 the bread of affliction [I.e.,] bread that brings to mind the affliction they suffered in Egypt. - [Sifrei]

 

for in haste you went out of the land of Egypt And the dough [that you had prepared for eating] did not have time to become leavened, so this [matzah] will be for you as a reminder. And the haste [here] is not on your part, but on the part of the Egyptians, for so it says, “So the Egyptians took hold of the people [to hasten to send them out of the land]” (Exod. 12:33). - [Sifrei; Ber. 9a] so that you shall remember By eating the Passover sacrifice and the matzah, the day you went out [of the land of Egypt].

 

4 neither shall any of the flesh you slaughter on the preceding day in the afternoon, remain all night until the morning This is an admonition regarding leaving over the flesh of the Passover sacrifice, offered up by future generations, because [so far this prohibition] had been mentioned only with regard to the Passover sacrifice offered in Egypt (see Exod. 12:10). And יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן stated here is the fourteenth of Nissan [the preceding day, and not the fifteenth, which is the first day of Passover], just as it says: “but on the preceding day (בַּיוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן) you shall clear away leaven from your houses” (Exod. 12:15). Now since Scripture digressed from the subject of the Passover sacrifice and began to speak of the rules pertaining to the seven days [of the Festival]-such as, “seven days you shall eat with it matzoth ” (verse 3); “And no leaven shall be seen with you within all your border for seven days” (verse 4)—it was necessary to specify to which slaughtering [Scripture] is admonishing. For had it written only “neither shall any of the flesh you slaughter in the afternoon, remain all night until the morning” [without saying “the preceding day”], I might have thought that the peace offerings slaughtered during all the seven days are also subject to [the prohibition of] “And you shall not leave any of it until the morning,” (Exod. 12:10), and may be eaten only for [one] day and a night. Therefore, it is written: “on the preceding day in the evening,” [thereby clarifying that the verse is referring to the Passover sacrifice]. Another explanation: Scripture is referring to the Festival offering brought on the fourteenth of Nissan [and not to the specific Passover sacrifice], and it teaches with reference to it that it may be eaten for two days [and the intervening night]. Now the רִאשׁוֹן mentioned here [according to this explanation], is the first day of the Festival [i.e., the fifteenth of Nissan, rather than the preceding day]. And this is the meaning of the verse: The flesh of the Festival offering, which you slaughtered in the afternoon, shall not remain overnight after the first day of the Festival until the morning of the second day [the sixteenth of Nissan], but rather, it is to be eaten on the fourteenth and the fifteenth [and the intervening night]. And thus, it is taught in tractate Pes. (71b).

 

6 in the afternoon, as the sun sets, at the appointed time that you went out of Egypt [In this verse,] three separate times are specified: 1)"in the afternoon," [i.e.,] from the sixth [seasonal] hour [not clock-hours, but rather the twelve equal divisions of the time between dawn and dusk, each one known as a שָׁעָה זְמַנִּית , a “seasonal hour”]. From this time onward [afternoon], you shall slaughter it (זְבָחֵהוּ) “as the sun sets,” you shall eat it (תּֽאכְלֵהוּ) ; and 3)"at the appointed time that you went out [of Egypt]," you must burn it (שוֹרְפֵהוּ) . I.e., [at the beginning of the morning of the first day of Passover, whatever is left over from the Passover sacrifice] becomes נוֹתָר , left over, and must be burned [on the next day]. - [Sifrei; see Ber. 9a]

 

7 And you shall roast [it] Heb. וּבִשַּׁלְתָּ . [Here] this term means “roasted in fire” (צְלִי אֵשׁ) (see Exod. 12:9), for roasting is also included in the general term of בִּשּׁוּל , “cooking.”

 

and you shall turn away in the morning [and go to your dwellings] [i.e.,] the morning of the second day [of Passover]. This teaches that [the pilgrim] is required to remain [in Jerusalem] the night when the Festival terminates. - [Sifrei; Pes. 95b; Chag. 17a-b]

 

8 For six days you shall eat matzoth But elsewhere it says, “For seven days [you shall eat matzoth]!” (Exod. 12:15). [The solution is:] For seven days you shall eat matzoth from the old [produce] and six days [i.e., the last six days, after the omer has been offered] you may eat matzoth prepared from the new [crop]. Another explanation: It teaches that the eating of matzoh on the seventh day of Passover is not obligatory, and from here you learn [that the same law applies] to the other six days [of the Festival], For the seventh day was included in a general statement [in the verse “For seven days you shall eat matzoth,” but in the verse: “Six days you shall eat matzoth ”] it has been taken out of this general [statement], to teach us that eating matzoh [on the seventh day] is not obligatory, but optional. [Now we have already learned that if something is singled out of a general statement, we apply the relevant principle not only to itself but to everything included in the general category. Thus, the seventh day] is excluded here not to teach regarding itself, rather to teach regarding the entire generalization [i.e., the entire seven days of the Festival]. Just as on the seventh day the eating of matzah is optional, so too, on all the other days, the eating of matzah is optional. The only exception is the first night [of Passover], which Scripture has explicitly established as obligatory, as it is said, “in the evening, you shall eat matzoth” (Exod. 12:18). - [Mechilta on Exod 12:18; Pes. 120a]

 

[and on the seventh day there shall be] a halt to the Lord your God - עֲצֶרֶת . Keep yourself back from work. Another explanation: [ עֲצֶרֶת means] a gathering for eating and drinking, as the expression, “Let us detain (נַַעַצְרָה) you” (Judg. 13:15).

 

9 from [the time] the sickle is first put to the standing crop, [you shall begin to count seven weeks] [I.e.,] from the time the omer is harvested [on the sixteenth of Nissan], which is the beginning of the harvest. - [see Lev. 23:10, Sifrei; Men. 71a]

 

10 the donation you can afford to give [I.e.,] sufficient generous donation from you; according to the blessing [that God bestows upon you], bring peace offerings of happiness [these are extra peace offerings in addition to the Festival offerings] and invite guests to eat [with you].

 

11 the Levite... the stranger, the orphan, and the widow [God says:] These are My four, corresponding to your four, [namely,] “Your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant.” If you shall gladden Mine, I will gladden yours. - [Midrash Aggadah, Midrash Hagadol. Compare Tanchuma 18, Pesikta d’Rav Kahana p.100a. Note that in incunabula editions, this comment of Rashi is connected to the preceding one: and invite guests to eat [with you]: the Levite... the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. [God says:] These are My four...]

 

12 And you shall remember that you were a slave [in Egypt] On this condition did I redeem you [from Egypt], that you keep and perform these statutes.

 

13 You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth...] when you gather in [the produce]- [i.e.,] at the time of the ingathering, when you bring the summer fruits into the house. Another explanation: “when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat” וּמִיִּקְבֶךָ) (בְּאָסְפּ;ְךָ מִגָּרְנְךָ teaches that we should cover the sukkah [only] with the waste products that come from the threshing floor and the vat [i.e., with things that have grown from the ground, have become detached, and are not susceptible to ritual uncleanness. Since they are not foods and are not vessels, they are not susceptible to spiritual uncleanness. - R.H. 13a; Suk. 12a]

 

15 and you will only be happy According to its simple meaning, this is not an expression denoting a command, but rather an expression of an assurance [i.e., I promise you that you will be happy]. But according to its oral interpretation, [our Rabbis] learned from this to include the night before the last day of the Festival for the obligation of rejoicing. - [see Suk. 48a; Sifrei]

 

16 and he shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed But bring burnt-offerings of appearance (עוֹלוֹת רְאִיָּה) [which are obligatory when appearing before the Lord in Jerusalem on the Festivals] and Festival peace-offerings. - [Chag. 8b]

 

17 [Every] man [shall bring] as much as he can afford One who has many eaters [i.e., a large family] and many possessions should bring many burnt-offerings and many peace- offerings. - [Sifrei; Chag. 8b]

 

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) ‎119:97‎-120

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Tehillim (Psalms) ‎119:97-120‎

 

98 Each of Your commandments makes me wiser than my enemies Concerning Doeg and Ahithophel they [the Rabbis] said that their final conclusions did not agree with adopted practice. The secret of the Torah is in my hands forever, for I gained understanding from all my teachers; I learned a little from this one and I learned a little from that one (after I learned from my distinguished teacher).

 

99 are my conversation All my conversation was about them.

 

101 I restrained my feet Heb. כלאתי , I restrained, as (I Sam. 25:33): “who have restrained me (כלתני) this day from coming into bloodshed.”

 

105 Your words are a lamp for my foot When I come to promulgate a decision of law, I look in the Torah and it separates me from [transgressing] the prohibition, like a lamp which saves a man from [falling into] the pits.

 

107 I have been... humbled Heb. נעניתי , I have been made poor and humble, like (Exod. 10): “to humble Yourself from before Me”; (Hos. 5:5), “And the pride of Israel shall be humbled before them,” which Jonathan renders: וימאךְ . And a poor man is accounted as dead. Therefore, revive me according to Your words.

 

I have been... humbled Heb. נעניתי . This is a sickness that deranges the mind, and it is called עֲוִית convulsion, in the language of the Mishnah (Chul. 60b).

 

108 The freewill offering of my mouth Words of appeasement that my mouth offers You. Every נדבה , is an expression of appeasement.

 

109 My soul is constantly in my hand I have very often been in serious danger, close to death, but nonetheless, I have not forgotten Your Torah (following the pattern of “Whoever has a headache should engage in the Torah”).

 

112 forever on their paths On their paths and their roads.

 

113 I hate those who harbor iniquitous thoughts Those who think thoughts of iniquity, like (Job 20:2): “Therefore, my thoughts (סעפי) answer me”; (I Kings 18:21), “between two ideas (הסעפים) .” When you read סְעִפִים , it concerns the thought, but when you read סֵעֲפִים , the language refers to those who think it.

 

117 and I shall constantly engage in Your statutes Heb. ואשעה , and I shall engage, like (Exod. 5:9): “and let them not engage (ישעו) in useless things.” Another explanation: [It is] an expression of telling and reciting, as we translate (Deut. 28:37): “and a recitation (ולשועין) .”

 

118 You trampled Heb. סלית , You trampled; You made them a thing trampled on, like (Lam. 1:15): “The Lord trampled (סלה) all my mighty men.”

 

120 bristles Heb. סמר , like (Job 4:15): “it made the hair of my flesh stand on end (מסמר) ,” as a person whose hair stands on end, harizer in Old French, se herisser in modern French, to bristle.

 

and I dread Your judgments The retribution for Your decrees.

 

Meditation on Tehillim (Psalms) ‎‎119:97-120

By Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

 

I am repeating my introduction from the first part of this psalm for continuity.

 

The life of King David was devoted to the attainment of self-perfection in the service of God. Every action and every step in David’s life was calculated to bring him closer to this lofty goal. In this psalm of one hundred seventy-six verses, the lengthiest in the Book of Tehillim, David painstakingly charts the progressive stage of his determined ascent toward spiritual perfection. The psalm follows the sequence of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet; eight verses begin with א, aleph, the next eight with ב, beit, and so on, because this psalm embodies an orderly program for achieving personal perfection. The Talmud^[1] refers to this psalm a תמניא אפין, the repetition of eight. Whereas the number seven symbolizes the power of This World, which was created in seven days, eight symbolizes release from the desires of the mundane work which distract a person from his spiritual aspirations.^[2]

 

In these verses David describes the many obstacles and danger that confronted him in his lifetime. Yet his spirit refused to be overwhelmed by sorrow, for he embraced the fount of joy, the Torah. As David followed the guiding light of G-d’s Torah, his lips burst forth in these ecstatic verses of praise for G-d’s salvation. This psalm opens with the statement: Praiseworthy are those whose way is wholesome, who walk with the Torah of HaShem. It goes on to cite scores of examples of how David strived to walk with G-d. In conclusion David declares: ‘I have attempted to follow You all my life HaShem. If I have failed, I beseech You not to abandon me! I have strayed like a lost sheep; seek out Your servant, I have not forgotten Your commandments’.^[3]

 

There is a most fascinating pasuk (verse) that has greatly inspired me.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp (ner - נֵר) unto my feet, and a light (ohr - אוֹר) unto my path.

 

Let’s explore some of the nuances of this pasuk (verse) and take a midrashic look at some implications. Hakham Hirsch gives us a nice introduction.

 

“The meaning of the menorah in the Sanctuary would seem obvious. Light symbolizes knowledge, and the candlestick, especially by virtue of its place opposite the table in front of the Ark of the Covenant would signify that spiritual enlightenment which, together with the table, the symbol of material prosperity, would symbolize the Jewish national life that stems from G-d’s law and remains consecrated to the law forever. However, through study of the pertinent Scriptural passages reveals a deeper meaning beyond this basic interpretation of the menorah.”

 

“True, ner and ohr, lamp and light, are not uncommon metaphors in Scripture for the source and giver of spiritual enlightenment. There is the term HaE'er, to give light, to denote the granting of light, enlightenment, and insight.”

 

Mishlei (Proverbs) 6:23 For the Commandment is a lamp and the Teaching a light.

Tehillim (Psalms) 19:9 The Commandment of G-d is clear, enlightening the eyes.

Tehillim (Psalms) 119:130 The opening of His word gives light, affording insight to the most inexperienced.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 42:6 G-d has called Israel in righteousness, has taken it by the hand and preserved you and destined you for a covenant of the peoples, for a light of the nations.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 2:5 O House of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of G-d.

 

“Yet, equally beyond any doubt, and even much more frequently, Scripture uses "NER" and "OHR," lamp and light, as metaphors for the source of growth and life, of unfolding and flowering, of undisturbed progress and happiness, joy and felicity. Job laments:

 

Iyov (Job) 29:2-3 Would that I had again the months of old, the days when G-d protected me, when his lamp shown above my head, and I walked through darkness by his light.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 132:17 There will I cause the horn of David to grow; there have I ordered a lamp for my anointed.

 

Thus we note the extinguishing of a lamp as a metaphor for the end of happiness.^[4] Conversely, light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.^[5] The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.^[6] The light of the eyes gladdens the heart.^[7] Light is sweet.^[8] Job had looked for good, but evil came, waited for light but there came darkness.^[9] For the Jews there was light and joy, gladness and honor.^[10] G-d delivers from the path to the grave him who mends his ways, so that his soul may yet look into the light, that he may yet be enlightened by the light of life.^[11] Your dead will come alive again, My corpses shall rise awake and rejoice, O sleepers in the dust! For the dew of light is your dew, while the earth will cast down the deceased.”^[12]

 

If we summarize the symbolic significance of light in Jewish thought, we will note that to define light as representing merely enlightenment or perception would be a partial presentation of the over-all concept of light in the Biblical text. The other essential component in the symbolism of light is movement, which must be joined to perception in order to achieve the desired effect and thus also to realize more fully the idea for which light stands. Movement in this context does not carry the purely mechanical connotation of a change of physical location. It is movement in that organic connotation which characterizes all processes of organic, vital, and spiritual development. Light illuminates life and also activates it; these two functions make light the metaphor of both cognition and the pulsating joy of living. For joy is essentially the feeling of awareness of blossoming life.”

 

With Hakham Hirsch’s introduction, let’s begin with stating that the Hebrew word mitzva, normally translated as commandment, means connection! Performing the mitzvot connects us with HaShem and His transcendent world. If we do not DO the mitzvot, then the consequence is that we do NOT have a connection with HaShem or with a transcendent world. It is not a punishment; it is a consequence. If we do not turn the lights on, then we remain in darkness. This is the secret of Chanukah. During Chanukah we turn on the lights. During Chanukah we kindle an increasing number of lights on the Chanukiah, each night. We light one light the first night, two lights the second night, three lights the third night, and we continue this process until we have lit all eight lights on the eighth night. We will thus kindle a total of thirty-six lights on the eight nights of Chanukah. Both the number eight and the number thirty-six are extremely significant to our connection.

 

Let’s examine some aspects of this Chanukiah: The oil, the wick, and the flame. To understand these, we need to start with a bit of background. Man has five levels of the soul and a connection of that soul to HaShem. The five levels of the soul of man are:

 

 

 

 

The nephesh, נפש, is the name of first of the five levels of the soul. The nephesh is the cli, the container that contains the others, the place where the connection is made. A human being is the only creature with a nephesh and a ruach, a higher and a lower soul. Animals have a nephesh and no ruach. Angels have a ruach and no nephesh. Only in man do these parts come together.

 

 

Let’s look at what each of these represent.

 

Flame:  Ner נר: Flame = nun resh = nephesh and ruach. These are the two levels of the soul where the soul connects. There are five levels of the soul. We will look at just two of these. The Nefesh is where the soul connects with the body, while the movement of air or energy from the higher world is through the ruach. When these two meet, a flame is struck. This is the glowing of the spiritual world.

 

Wick: p’tilah פתילה: The physical human body is the physical element. The only part that actually burns. It is never consumed until there is no oil. The wick, the human body, is just a medium to convey the oil. Our wick burns down at the end of our life. The wick is just a medium to draw the oil.

 

Olive Oil: Shemen שמן: Is always the symbol of connection. The oil connects the flame and the wick. This is important! Let me repeat that: The oil is ALWAYS the symbol of connection. The Jewish people are likened to oil. Oil always floats above water. If oil is mixed with other liquids, it always separates itself out from the others. Oil burns and gives a very bright hot flame.

 

We get olive oil by squeezing the olive. The best oil seeps out with just the pressure of the other olives. Like the neshama, the soul, olive oil is something that exists below the surface, and seems non-existent until some sort of process is performed to reveal it. Just like the olive must be squeezed to produce light-giving oil from a seemingly bitter olive, so too must the body be "squeezed" before the light of the soul can be revealed. This is the role of a mitzva, which creates a spiritual crisis of sorts to draw the soul out of the person and make them "shine." This is the oil used for the menorah in the Holy place. Oil connects the wick to the flame. Let’s look at this connection in a little more detail.

 

HaShemen השמן is Hebrew word for “the oil”. If you rearrange the letters, it spells neshama (soul) נשמה. The neshama is the body’s connection to the higher world. If you rearrange these letters again, they spell Mishna משנה, the essence of the Torah SheBaal Peh, the Oral Torah. The Mishna is the connection between this world and the higher world. If we rearrange the letters, they spell Shemone שמנה, the number eight. Eight is the connection between the natural world of seven (seven colors in the rainbow and notes in music spectrum) and the higher mystical worlds. The eighth day is always miraculous, that is why a brit takes place on the eighth day as we help the body to transcend this world. That is also why Chanukah is eight days. That is why the Chanukah miracle relates to the oil. This is the feast that transcends this world. If you rearrange the letters again, they spell Menashe מנשה, Yosef HaTzadik’s son who provided the light of Torah in Egypt.

 

Nefesh = cli or vessel. Nefesh is spelled: Nun pey shin, and it is an acronym for: Ner P’tilah Shemen, which means: The flame, the wick, and the oil. The connection of the nefesh with a candle is given in:

 

Mishlei (Proverbs) 20:27 The soul of man [is] the flame of HaShem, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

 

These three elements, the flame, the wick, and the oil are indicative of a connection. Three is always indicative of a connection. These three stand for a higher part, a lower part, and a connection. Consider the following: A candle melts the wax and makes oil which then burns. This is why candles are kosher for use in the Chanukiah.

 

The Chanukiah, the Chanukah lights, are placed outside the front door of your house, on the left-hand side, opposite the mezuzah. It literally marks the beginning of the public domain. The “public domain” (reshut ha-rabim, literally, “the domain of the many”) suggests the idea of multiplicity or lack of unity; and the “left-hand side” is the name for the source of that life in which there is separation and disunity. "Public domain" and “left-hand side” are therefore related by being symbolic names for the dimension of division and alienation from HaShem. The Chanukah light is of an infinite kind, because it brings light to the “left-hand side” and the “public domain” – both symbols of impurity and alienation from HaShem. One can therefore readily understand why we put the symbol of connection in such a place.

 

Mashiach – The Anointed One

 

Jewish kings are inaugurated by having the prophet pour a large quantity of oil on their head. Jewish kings are anointed with oil to indicate their connection with the higher world. The oil is poured on the King’s head, the highest part of a man. The place of the crown. Oil is always a symbol of connection.

 

Shemot (Exodus) 29:4-7 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. 5 And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, , and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: 6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. 7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.

 

And Mashiach is one who has oil poured on his head. We learn this from the very name Mashiach. This word means The Anointed One. He will be the one who makes the connection between us and the higher world. That is why He is anointed with oil.

 

1 Shmuel (Samuel) 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, HaShem sent me to anoint thee [to be] king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of HaShem.

 

1 Shmuel (Samuel) 16:1 And HaShem said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

 

1 Melachim (Kings) 1:39 And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, G-d save king Solomon.

 

Why do Jews, alone, make their kings by pouring oil on them? Shemen, oil, is always the symbol of connection to a higher being. When a man reaches an exalted status relative to other men, the prophet pours oil on the head which is a symbol of the higher world. The head is also a symbol of connection. This oil is the Jewish crown! The ultimate king has the title of Anointed One, He is called The One who has oil poured on his head - Mashiach. The Mashiach is the ultimate connection between us and the higher world.

 

This idea of a connection is why Yochanan calls Mashiach The Word:

 

Yochanan (John) 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with G-d, and the Word was a god. The same was in the beginning with G-d.

 

Things and words are the same Hebrew word. Words are the way a soul communicates within the world. That is why words are formed and pronounced by organs in the center of the body. The center of the body only contains organs which are used for connecting. The mouth, for example, is used for three functions: Eating, kissing, and talking. If one fails to eat at the proper time, one feels faint as the soul begins to separate from the body. If he keeps from eating long enough, the soul completely separates from the body and the body dies. Food, therefore, is what keeps the soul connected with the body. This, by the way, is why the Korbanot, the sacrifices are called HaShem’s food. These Korbanot are what keeps HaShem’s soul connected with the earth.

 

Vayikra (Leviticus) 3:11 And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: [it is] the food of the offering made by fire unto HaShem.

 

The second function of the mouth is for talking. Talking is the only way a soul can connect and communicate with the world.

 

The third function of the mouth is for kissing. Kissing is how two souls connect in love.

 

With the mouth as an example, one can quickly grasp how the other organs in the center of the body are used for connecting.

 

The Beit HaMikdash, the Temple, is the connection between Heaven and Earth. That is why HaShem commanded that Korbanot not be brought to any altar, but only to the altar at HaMakom,^[15] The Place of connection.

 

There is a special connection between the Chanukah and the chanukat ha'mizbei'ach, the inauguration of the altar, which took place in the desert when the Israelites were traveling from Egypt to Eretz Yisrael. The construction of the Mishkan, the desert Sanctuary, was completed on the 25th of Kislev but the Mishkan was not actually put up until the month of Nisan. (The Mishkan was a 'pre-fabricated' building which was designed to be easily torn down and put up so that it could travel with the Israelites in the desert. The actual parts of the Mishkan were completed but they were not assembled till Nisan.) The Midrash says that HaShem said, "I am obligated to pay [the month of] Kislev back." HaShem paid Kislev back by having the re-dedication of the Temple by the Chashmonaim, the Maccabees, occur in its time.

 

Again, we see that Chanukah is the Yom Tov, the festival, of the connection to HaMakom (The Place – another of HaShem’s names).

 

The Hebrew word for the intimate connection between husband and wife is Daat, knowledge:

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 4:1 And Adam knew (daat) Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from HaShem.

 

Daat, knowledge, is achieved when we connect with a person or a piece of information. Daat is not merely collecting facts, it is an intimate connection with them. Daat always means an intimate connection which produces fruit. Intimate relations between husband and wife, takes place in an inner chamber of the home, just as the Bet HaMikdash^[16] has an inner chamber. As husband and wife embrace in the inner chamber, so too, do the male and female Cherubim, in the Holy of Holies, embrace in love. When HaShem talks about His Beloved, He uses the terms of marriage and of intimate relations (Yehezechel, Ezekiel).

 

At Chanukah, the Torah readings concern the individual offerings brought by each of the tribal Princes, at the inauguration of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. The Mishkan is HaMakom, The Place of connection. One can also readily understand why each of the tribal Princes saw fit to include oil as part of his offering. This passage in Bamidbar (Numbers) chapter 7 describes the conception of HaMakom, The Place of connection, and the gifts used for the Korbanot, the food of connection in HaMakom.

 

Notice that the tribe of Levi, and therefore Aaron, has no gift for the altar, in Bamidbar chapter seven. The Sages tell us that this so bothered Aaron that he grew weak. HaShem reassured Aaron of his part in the conception of HaMakom, in that his descendants would renew the dedication of the altar, in the days of the Maccabees, at Chanukah. Everything goes after the moment of conception. This inauguration of the Mishkan was a cosmic event! The conception is everything since all things proceed according to their beginnings. Chanukah is a step in the process of the inauguration of the connection. This inauguration was equivalent to the creation of the world. It was truly cosmic!

 

Chanukah is the last of the festivals and the only festival, which is entirely rooted in the Torah SheBeal Peh, the Oral Torah (Remember the word Mishnah that we looked at earlier? This is the essence of the Oral Torah). The Torah SheBeal Peh is the oral Word, the oracles of HaShem. Remember that the essence of words is the connection. Words connect us. It is therefore no accident that the festival which celebrates our connection with HaShem, revolves around a miracle of oil, the symbol of connection, and the Torah SheBeal Peh, the connection of The Word.

 

Aaron wanted a part in lighting the light. He wanted a part in the conception of the connection. But, according to Bamidbar (Numbers) chapter seven, he did not. Nevertheless, Aaron’s descendants, the Kohanim, The Priests, would play a pivotal role in the relighting of the oil at a time when the light was dangerously low. The Kohanim would renew the oily connection. It is therefore understandable why the primary function of the Kohanim is to teach The Word to the people. They are to maintain the light of Torah even as they maintain the oil and lights of the Menorah. Aaron’s sons would make Chanukah! The Kohanim would be responsible for relighting the light at a time when the light was dangerously low. The Kohanim would institute Chanukah. The light of Chanukah has kedusha, holiness. With it we light up the night of exile.

 

Chazal teach us that the proper time for marital intimacy is at night.^[17] Further, the most desirable time, according to the Gemara, is at night on Shabbat.^[18] This is Oneg Shabbat, the joy of the Sabbath.

 

Nidah 17a R. Hisda ruled: A man is forbidden to perform his marital duty in the daytime, for it is said, But thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But what is the proof? — Abaye replied: He might observe something repulsive in her and she would thereby become loathsome to him. R. Huna said, Israel are holy and do not perform their marital duties in the daytime. Raba said, But in a dark house this is permitted; and a scholar may darken a room with his cloak and perform his marital duty.

 

Thus, even though it is permitted to have relations at whatever time one wants, the Jewish People are holy and don't have relations during the daytime hours.^[19] We know, from experience, that night is the time for dreams. Why is night the time for dreams?

 

From these two activities we can begin to understand that night is the time for the daat to function. It can only function when the rational mind is not focused on it. As soon as we employ the outer eye (the rational mind), the inner eye (daat) is disabled, and vice versa. We dream when the daat is being used, at night, as the rational mind is sleeping. A dream is a taste of the next world. It is an experience of connecting with the next world. Daat, is normally translated knowledge. However, it is the knowledge of marital relations, it is the knowledge of connection! Since Shabbat is the day of connection it makes sense that connecting with one’s spouse (daat) would be most appropriate on the day (Shabbat) of connection at the time (night) of connection.

 

Gematria Connections

 

Gematria reveals hidden wisdom. Words which are translated according to the rules of Gematria will always have the same meaning. Gematria involves a translation to numbers and also to various technical translations. ATBASH is one of these technical translations. In ATBASH, whenever we encounter a letter, it is swapped with the opposite corresponding letter according to the chart on the next page.

 

ATBASH

 

ATBASH is a letter substitution cipher. In this form of Gematria, we take, for example, a male letter and substitute it for the corresponding female letter, and vice versa. In ATBASH, if a word contains a ת tav, we substitute it for the corresponding male letter so that the ת tav becomes an א aleph. Similarly, a ב beit becomes a ש shin. This ATBASH device is to be found in the Book of Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) where in 25:26 and 51:41 the word “Sheshach” is an ATBASH for “Bavel”, and in 51:1 “Lebkamai” is an ATBASH for “Kasdim” (Chaldea). It appears that the Psalmist of chapters 25 and 34, having omitted the ו vav, now compensate for this omission by concluding with a פ peh, which is, of course, a ו vav in the language of ATBASH!

 

The male and female letters act the same way that male and female human beings work. The male (the man) gives the flash of inspiration that it is concretized in a tiny speck of seed. The seed is analogous to the blueprints which are used to construct the building. There is no substance, yet it contains everything to show what the building will become. In the same way, the female (the woman) takes the male seed and builds it into reality. This is analogous to the builders who build the building based on the blueprints. The most male part is the flash of inspiration. The most female part is the completed baby or building.

 

To repeat, ATBASH is a letter substitution cipher. In this form of Gematria, we take, for example, a male letter and substitute it for the corresponding female letter, and vice versa.

 

Male     = The letters of Genesis or beginning.

Female = The letters of building or construction.

 

The following chart shows this relationship in detail:

 

 

נפש (nephesh - soul) is an ATBASH of תוב (tov - good). So, in HaShem’s world, the male world of creation, you have tov, good. This intangible male word is given concrete, female, reality in the nephesh, the soul of man. A nephesh, a soul, is the ability to connect, as we have seen before. That nephesh which connects with HaShem is tov, is good. That soul which burns and makes the connection, is tov, is good. This נר, ner, this flame, this nephesh ruach, when it becomes lit up, it becomes tov, good. Where does the flame of connection between us and HaShem burn? It burns in the Bet HaMikdash, HaMakom, The Place of connection. Thus, our nephesh connects with HaShem in The Place of Daat, the place of connection. That is what the menorah signifies! This menorah connection is a permanent connection in that the western lamp of the menorah miraculously burned continuously, as the Talmud details:

 

Shabbath 22b Said Rab: That was the western branch [of the candelabrum] in which the same quantity of oil was poured as into the rest, and yet he kindled [the others] from it and ended therewith.

 

Aleph is the most male of the letters. It is the most potent letter of creation. It is so high that it is silent, it has not yet condensed into the world. Aleph, in Hebrew, means to teach, to raise to a higher spiritual level. Elef means 1000, the highest letter of the number system. Aluf is the highest rank. All of the aleph words are words of elevation. Aleph is two yuds with a vav, which is equal to 10 + 10 + 6 = 26 = yud (10) hay (5) vav (6) hay (5), the tetragrammaton, the name of HaShem. An aleph is the ultimate letter of connection. A yud י coming down from the higher world, a yud י going up from the lower world, and a vav ו, a hook, connecting them. These three pieces form a connection, as we have spoken about earlier. Aleph also has a Gematria of one, it is a unity, a total unity. When HaShem came down on har Sinai, His first word was anoki, I am, which begins with an aleph.

 

The Bet, the number two, means fragmentation. That is why creation begins with a Bet (bara – “created”). Then the letters break down into more detail.

 

The female letters start with detail and builds to unity, just the opposite of the male letters. The female brings reality into the world. She catches the male spark and produces real fruit in the world. Male and female are always opposites. The female always starts with detail and works towards totality. The male always starts with totality and works down to detail. Architect’s plans, for example, are very much a male thing, because they start with the totality of the building and lead to the detail of where each brick will go. The female, on the other hand, starts with the bricks and works towards the building. This explains why women are always so concerned with the detail and have very little interest in the big picture. Male and female are always opposites, but you knew that. J

 

We build a physical building, by starting with a brick. Bringing to physical reality is the female side. Conceiving the building is the male side. The four letters at the middle of the aleph bet, the yud י, kaf כ, lamed ל, and mem מ, are the letters where male and female come together. A כלים (kaf lamed yud mem) kalim, is the Hebrew word for tools. Tools are the connection between plans and the building.

 

When Yaakov Avinu had his vision of a ladder going up to heaven and angels ascending and descending, he had that vision at Bet El (the House of G-d), the Beit HaMikdash (The House of the Holy One), the Temple.

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 28:11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put [them for] his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

 

Then he said something very strange:

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 28:17 And he was afraid, and said, How awesome [is] this place! this [is] none other but the house of G-d, and this [is] the gate of heaven.

 

The Hebrew word for “awesome”, נורא nora, can be rearranged to spell ארון aron, The ark of the covenant. The Sages therefore understand that the place where Yaakov Avinu slept, was the place of connection, the place where the ark of the covenant would be placed!

 

When Yaakov Avinu picked up the stones from under his head and returned them in the morning, he found a stone that had a jar of oil in it, and he used it to pour on the top stone (of the monument he built). When it refilled itself, Yaakov knew it was set aside for HaShem. He said, “It's not right to leave this here...”^[20] This was the jar he returned for, in Beresheet (Genesis) 32:23. This jar is why he wrestled with an angel! (This happened at the beginning of an exile that would last thirty-six years, the number of candles we light over the eight days of Chanukah.)

 

Hmmmm. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Oil that replenishes itself. In fact, the above Midrash continues by telling us that this same oil lasted throughout the generations and was even used to anoint the Mishkan in Moshe's day, hundreds of years later, and it never lost a drop, but constantly replenished itself. (twelve logs of oil, one for each of the twelve rocks he slept on)! By the way, this jar of oil also explains another mystery:

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 32:22-24 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two women-servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

 

These verses refer to Yaakov's return to Canaan in advance of his confrontation with Esau. On his way back from Padan Aram and all his years with his uncle Lavan, he had to cross the Yavok (Jabbok) river. Person by person, piece by piece, Yaakov moved each from one side of the river to the other. However, nightfall caught him on the "wrong" side of the river, where he fought with the "stranger" whom the Midrash identifies as Esau’s angel. What had caused him to be there at that time? The Talmud tells us:

 

Chullin 91a And Jacob was left alone.^[21] Said R. Eleazar: He remained behind for the sake of some small jars.^[22] Hence [it is learnt] that to the righteous their money is dearer than their body; and why is this? Because they do not stretch out their hands to robbery.

 

The Midrash tells us his reward for going back for those “small jars”:

 

Midrash Tzeida Laderech HaShem said to Yaakov, “For endangering yourself for a small container, I Myself will repay your children with a small container to the Chashmonaim.”^[23]

 

What made Yaakov so conscientious that, after a full day of traveling and moving, he went back for those little containers. The truth is, the jars Yaakov returned for was no ordinary jars, nor were they empty. These jars contained the oil from Bet El!^[24]

 

We are the נר, the ner, the nephesh ruach, the flame. Our job is to kindle that flame and put it into the window so that it can be seen:

 

Matityahu 5:14-16 Ye are the light (flame) of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

The miracle must be shown, it must be made public. We make the connection between this world and the higher world. We are responsible for lighting the flame, HaShem will keep it going. We must do our part. We must kindle that one small flame.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp (ner - נֵר) unto my feet, and a light (ohr - אוֹר) unto my path.

 

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) ‎119:121-152‎

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Tehillim (Psalms) 119:121-152

 

122 Be surety Heb. ערב, garantis in French, to vouch for. Be a guarantor for me against the evil (i.e., be a guarantor that I keep Your precepts).

 

123 and for the word of Your righteousness The promise that You promised me.

 

125 revive me according to Your word Just as You promised me good, through Nathan the prophet.

 

126 A time to do for the Lord, etc. This goes back to the verse preceding it: Enable me to understand, and I shall know Your testimonies, to know a time to do for Your name. What should they do, those who made Your Torah void, to find good will and forgiveness, and that You should be found by them, and I will do so for every transgression that I have committed? Our Rabbis, however, derived from it [from this verse] that we may transgress the words of the Torah in order to make a fence and a wall [a safeguard] for Israel, e.g., Gideon and Elijah on Mount Carmel, who sacrificed on high places (Ber. 63a). I saw [it] further expounded upon in the Aggadah (Yerushalmi Ber. 9:4, Mid. Sam 1:1) as meaning: A person who is idle and leisurely, who devotes [only occasional] times to his Torah, makes void the covenant, for an idle person must toil in the Torah all hours of the day.

 

127 Because I loved Heb. על־כן . Because I loved Your commandments, it is fitting that You teach me a time of good will, and what I should do for You that You should accept me. There are many [instances of] על־כן that are to be interpreted as “because”; e.g., (Gen. 33:10): “because (כי על־כן) I have seen your face”; (Num. 10:33). “because (כי על־כן) you know our encampment”; (Isa. 15:7), “Because of (כי על־כן) the many things they did.”

 

128 Because I considered all precepts of all things upright All precepts, everything that You commanded in your Torah.

 

I considered upright Heb. ישרתי . They were upright in my eyes, and I said about them that they are upright. Because of this, I deserve that You forgive me and favor me.

 

129 Your testimonies are hidden They are covered, and your testimonies are hidden from the sons of men. There are easy commandments for which He gave a large reward, such as sending away the nest.

 

therefore, my soul kept them All of them because it is not known which is better.

 

130 The commencement of Your words enlightens The beginning of your words enlightened the heart of Israel, that You understated the simple, by Your statement (Exod. 20:2): “I am... Who took you out.” You let them know the favor that You did for them that You acquired them from the house of bondage to know that You are their Master, and they should accept Your kingdom upon themselves. (Exod. 20:3): “You shall not have another god, etc.” and afterwards You made Your decrees (Cf. Mechilta ad loc.). Another explanation:

 

The commencement of Your words enlightens The beginning of Your words in the Creation was (Gen. 1:3): “Let there be light.”

 

You make the simple understand From there, everyone will understand and will commence with words of Torah. Tanchuma (Vayakhel 6).

 

131 and panted Heb. ואשאפה , an expression of swallowing, as (Jer. 2:24): “snuffs up (שאפה) the wind.”

 

134 Redeem me from the oppression of man From the evil inclination, which oppresses the people (from the good path Parshandatha). In other commentaries I found:

 

Redeem me from the oppression of man Redeem me so that no man oppress me.

 

139 My zeal incenses me Heb. קנאתי . The zeal with which I am zealous for Your name against those who forget Your words, cuts me and incenses me against them.

 

141 I am young and despised As it is stated (I Sam. 17:14): “And David was the youngest.” I am despised to the extent that I humble myself beside those who engage in the Torah, to learn, for I have not forgotten Your precepts; [nor have I refrained] from searching and debating with them about Your righteousness that is within them [the precepts], which is righteousness and truth to eternity; and even though troubles have befallen me, they were my occupation. And forever enable me to understand their righteousness and I shall live by them (Deut. 30:20): “for it [the Torah] is your life and the length of your days.”

 

146 and I shall keep (The acronym of, עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ is דמה בן פֶרֶץ ; the “vav” is vowelized with a “holam,” but in the other instances, it is עֵדֽתֶיךָ ; the “daleth” is vowelized with a “holam.”)

 

148 watches Half the night, two watches, and according to one who says that the night consists of three watches, David would rise from bed at the first third of the night and engage in Torah until midnight, as it is said: “to speak of Your word.” From midnight on, he would engage in songs and praises, as it is said (verse 62): “At midnight, I rise to give thanks to You.”

 

150 Pursuers of lewdness have drawn near a counsel of sins. They follow the counsel of their sins and distance themselves from your Torah to draw near to the counsel of their evil.

 

151 You are near to these faraway people, who distance themselves from Your Torah, if they repent of their way.

 

152 From before, I knew from Your testimonies Before the thing came about, I knew it from Your testimonies. Before they inherited the land, You commanded them about the first fruits, heave offerings, and tithes, and before You gave them rest from their enemies, You commanded them (Deut. 25:19): “And it will be, when the Lord Your God gives you rest, etc.” to appoint a king, to annihilate Amalek, and to build the Temple.

 

 

Meditation on Tehillim (Psalms) ‎119:121–152

By Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

 

I am repeating my introduction from the first part of this psalm for continuity.

 

The life of King David was devoted to the attainment of self-perfection in the service of God. Every action and every step in David’s life was calculated to bring him closer to this lofty goal. In this psalm of one hundred seventy-six verses, the lengthiest in the Book of Tehillim, David painstakingly charts the progressive stage of his determined ascent toward spiritual perfection. The psalm follows the sequence of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet; eight verses begin with א, aleph, the next eight with ב, beit, and so on, because this psalm embodies an orderly program for achieving personal perfection. The Talmud^[25] refers to this psalm a תמניא אפין, the repetition of eight. Whereas the number seven symbolizes the power of This World, which was created in seven days, eight symbolizes release from the desires of the mundane work which distract a person from his spiritual aspirations.^[26]

 

In these verses David describes the many obstacles and danger that confronted him in his lifetime. Yet his spirit refused to be overwhelmed by sorrow, for he embraced the fount of joy, the Torah. As David followed the guiding light of G-d’s Torah, his lips burst forth in these ecstatic verses of praise for G-d’s salvation. This psalm opens with the statement: Praiseworthy are those whose way is wholesome, who walk with the Torah of HaShem. It goes on to cite scores of examples of how David strived to walk with G-d. In conclusion David declares: ‘I have attempted to follow You all my life HaShem. If I have failed, I beseech You not to abandon me! I have strayed like a lost sheep; seek out Your servant, I have not forgotten Your commandments’.^[27]

 

The very first pasuk of our portion of Psalms chapter 119 contains an idea, regarding justice, that I would like to explore further. We will explore the epitome of justice and its consequences.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 119:121 AIN. I have done justice and righteousness; leave me not to mine oppressors.

 

In this study I would like to understand more about “givers”, those who are generous with their time, wealth, and material possessions. In the process we will also have to learn a bit about “receivers”, those who benefit from the those who give. I am doing this study because I have noticed that “givers” and “receivers” are not just people. For example, HaShem is the ultimate “giver” and the people in this world are the “receivers” of HaShem’s giving.

 

The Hebrew word for charity, generous “giving”, is “tzedaka - צְדָקָה”. This word is derived from the Hebrew root Tzade-Dalet-Qof (צדק), meaning righteousness, justice, or fairness. Doing tzedaka, often translated as “justice” or “charity”, is incumbent on all Jews according to the Torah. Usually doing tzedaka involves putting a few coins in a tzedaka box. Chazal, our Sages, teach us that there is a lot more to this mitzva^[28] than meets the eye.

 

Let’s start by looking at the first place where the Torah uses the word tzedaka because this is where tzedaka, righteousness / generosity, was actually created.

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 15:6 And he (Abraham) believed in HaShem; and he counted it to him for righteousness (צְדָקָה).

 

Chazal teach that Abraham’s attribute was chesed, unlimited giving within his control and limited by what HaShem wanted. We can learn about chesed by studying Avraham’s life, but that will have to wait for another time. To expose the insights into this mitzva of tzedaka, let’s take a look at a very poor person who had fallen from her place as a princess and was reduced to gleaning in order to survive:

 

Ruth 2:19 “Where did you glean today?” her mother-in-law asked her. “Where did you work? May the one that took (such generous] notice of you be blessed. “So, she told her mother-in-law by whom she had worked, and said, “The name of the man by whom I worked today is Boaz.”

 

In this pasuk, passage, we are eavesdropping on a conversation between Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth. Ruth, the daughter of the king of Moab, has just returned from her first day of gleaning in the field of Boaz. The wording of the above pasuk suggests that Boaz was helped more by giving tzedaka to Ruth, than Ruth was helped by Boaz’s tzedaka.

 

The Sages of the Midrash discuss the unusual wording of this passage:

 

Midrash Rabbah Ruth V:9 AND HER MOTHER-IN-LAW SAID UNTO HER: WHERE HAST THOU GLEANED TO-DAY? (ib. 19). It was taught in the name of R. Joshua: More than the householder does for the poor man, does the poor man do for the householder, for Ruth said to Naomi: THE MAN’S NAME FOR WHOM I WROUGHT TO-DAY. She did not say, ‘who wrought for me,’ but FOR WHOM I WROUGHT. I wrought him many benefits in return for the one morsel of food which he gave me. R. Jose said: ya’an ubeya’an; the word ya’an (because) has the same letters as ‘ani (a poor man). R. Shiloh of Noveh said: Your wealth depends upon the poor man. R. Nahman said: It is written, Because that (bigelal) for this thing the Lord thy God will bless thee in all thy work: (Deuteronomy XV, 10) it [poverty] is a wheel (galgal) which comes round to all in the world, like the wheel of a pump which empties that which is full and fills that which is empty. Bar Kappara said: There is no man who does not come to this state [poverty], and if he does not his son does, and if not his son, his grandson. It was taught: R. Eliezer b. Jacob said: The vengeance taken of the idolatrous nations will be on account of Israel, while the vengeance taken of Israel will be on account of their poor. The vengeance taken of the idolatrous nations will be on account of Israel, as it is said, And I will lay My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel (Ezek. XXV, 14); the vengeance taken of Israel will be on account of their poor, as it is said, And he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin in thee (Deuteronomy XV, 9). R. Abun said: The poor man stands at your door, and the Holy One, blessed be He, stands at his right hand. If you give unto him, He who stands at his right hand will bless you, but if not, He will exact punishment from you, as it is said, Because He standeth at the right hand of the needy (Psalm CIX, 31). R. Abbahu said: We should be grateful even to the impostors among them. It has been stated: R. Johanan and Resh Lakish went down to bathe in the public baths of Tiberias, and a poor man accosted them. He said to them, ‘Give me something.’ They answered, ‘When we come out, we will give it.’ When they came out, they found him dead. They said: ‘Since we did not assist him during his life, let us attend to him after his death.’ When they arose from washing his body, they found a purse of dinars by him, and they said: ‘It is well.’ Whereupon R. Abbahu said: ‘We should be grateful even to the impostors among them, for were it not for the impostors among them, were a man to see a beggar begging alms and refuse him, he would be punished with death immediately.’

 

This brief conversation between Ruth and Naomi teaches us two important lessons. First, when we give tzedaka or deal with those less fortunate than us, we have to be fully cognizant that someone is hurting because they are in need. It is a very humbling experience to be so poor that we have to accept tzedaka. We have to try and minimize this pain to whatever extent we can, so that those who are poor can maintain their dignity and pride and avoid despair. Second, Ruth is a shining example of one who can see reality and accentuate the positive. Even at one of the lowest moments in her life, a time when she may have rightfully become sad, depressed, and possibly lose faith in HaShem, she managed to turn this depressing experience into one which reflected the true reality and revealed her insight. Ruth knew that it was important to preserve her dignity, and by viewing her situation in a positive light, showing us reality, and revealing the secret of tzedaka, she proved herself worthy of the title Chazal bestowed upon her, The Mother of Royalty.^[29]

 

Boaz provided Ruth with a significant amount of food that might last Ruth and Naomi a week or more, but Ruth provided Boaz with a mitzva and its consequent eternal reward. Thus, we can see that Ruth gave much more to Boaz than he gave to her.

 

Because Boaz gave Ruth tzedaka,^[30] he became a tzaddik.^[31] In the process he received an eternal reward for the temporal benefit he had given to Ruth.

 

Boaz was justified by his emunah, his faithful obedience to HaShem and His Torah, as we read in the Nazarean codicil:^[32]

 

Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Yeshua Mashiach: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

 

My Teacher, Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai, has translated this passage in a very poignant manner:

 

Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being made charitable by faithful obedience, let us have Shalom with G-d by (the example of) our Master Yeshua the Mashiach;2 By him we have been brought by faithful obedience into his grace (the Torah) wherein we stand, and are proud of the hope of the shekinah of G-d.

 

Now we can understand the words of Rambam in his commentary to the Mishna in:

 

Pirkei Avot 3:19 All is judged according to the number of deeds.

 

Rambam explains that it is better to give one dollar of charity one hundred times, than one hundred dollars one time. The more times a person acts in a way that is meritorious and like HaShem, the more he conditions himself to the performance of mitzvot and purifies his neshama. Tzedaka is not performed for the poor person’s sake, but rather to enable the giver to emulate HaShem and merit the Olam HaBa^[33] and the rewards that belong to the one who gives tzedaka.

 

Justification

 

The KJV uses the word “justification” and “justify” to translate the Hebrew word tzedek and its highest attainment: tzedaka.

 

“Tzedaka” is the Hebrew word normally translated as “charity” in English, but the connotation of the two words are very different. “Charity” suggests magnanimity, a generous act by those who have, which benefits those who do not have. “Tzedaka”, on the other hand, comes from the Hebrew root, “tzedek”, which means justice or fairness. Giving to the poor is not viewed in Judaism as an altruistic, generous act. It is instead seen as an act of justice and righteousness; doing one’s duty by giving to the poor what is due to them. We understand that the reason I have more than I need, is because HaShem gave me the poor man’s money to hold until the need was revealed. Therefore, when the need is revealed, justice requires me to give the poor man HIS money that was entrusted to me.

 

It is every Jew’s obligation to give “Tzedaka”, to give to the poor and to support community institutions. The spiritual benefit of giving to the poor is so great that the poor person actually does the giver a great kindness by giving him a chance to do this mitzva. Thus, does Ruth state:

 

Ruth 2:19 And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought today is Boaz.

 

There is a folk saying that goes: “A fool gives, and a wise man takes”. A fool who gives tzedaka thinks that he is giving, while a wise man who gives realizes that he is taking, he is the one who benefits the most from his act of giving.

 

The word tzedaka comes from the Hebrew root tzedek, “justice”, according to Strong’s Concordance. Tzedaka, the Hebrew word for helping the poor, strangers, widows, and orphans is often translated as “charity.” However, the Hebrew root tzedek should be translated as “justice” or “fairness”. What is the connection between giving to the poor and justice? To begin to answer this question, let’s examine what the Torah teaches us about how we are to give charity to the poor. The Torah also teaches us the reason why we are obligated to give.

 

Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:9-10 And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and stranger; I am the Lord your God.

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 4:19-22 When you cut down your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to fetch it; it shall be for the stranger, for the orphan, and for the widow; that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands... And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore, I command you to do this thing.

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 15:7-9 If there shall be a needy person among you, any of your brethren in any of your cities, in the Land that HaShem, your God, gives you, you shall not harden your heart or close your hand against your destitute brother. Rather, you shall open your hand to him; you shall lend him his requirement, whatever is lacking to him. Beware lest there be a lawless thought in your heart, saying, “The seventh-year approaches, the remission year”, and you will look malevolently upon your destitute brother and refuse to give him - then he may appeal against you to HaShem, and it will be a sin upon you.

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 19:28-29 At the end of three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your produce in that year and shall lay it up inside your gates... and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are inside your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

 

Thus, we see that tzedaka is an obligation, not an option! We can also see that charity is but a particular application of justice. From Judaism’s perspective, therefore, one who gives tzedaka is acting justly; One who doesn’t, is acting unjustly. And Torah views this lack of justice as not only mean-­spirited but also illegal.

 

Every person is required to give tzedaka according to his ability. Even a poor person who is himself supported by tzedaka, must give tzedaka. A person who can only give a little should not hesitate to give, because a little from him is like a great deal from a wealthier person. We are all obligated to seek justice! Justice is sorely lacking in our world.

 

According to Maimonides, in his seminal work, the Mishne Torah, Zerayim, Laws of Contributions to the Poor, Chapter 10:7-14, there are eight levels of Tzedaka, each one higher than the other. Maimonides’ eight levels of giving arranged from best to least good:

 

1. Give the recipient the wherewithal to become self-supporting. The highest one of all is when one takes the hand of one from Israel and gives him a gift or a loan, or engages him in a partnership, or finds him work by which he can stand on his own and not require any charity. Thus, it is written: “And you strengthened the stranger who lives with you.” i.e., strengthen him so he won’t fall and need your help.
2. Neither the donor nor the recipient knows the other.
3. The donor knows the recipient, but the recipient is unaware of the donor.
4. The recipient knows the donor, but the donor does not know the recipient.
5. The donor gives without being solicited.
6. The donor gives after being solicited.
7. The donor gives less than he should but does so cheerfully.
8. The donor is pained by the act of giving.

 

Performing tzedaka, deeds of justice, is the most important obligation that HaShem imposes on His people, as we can see from the following pasukim:

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16:20 Tzedek (justice), tzedek (justice) you shall pursue,

 

The Sages of the Talmud also taught this understanding:

 

Bava Batra 9b “Tzedaka is equal to all the other commandments combined”

 

From the Torah’s perspective, therefore, one who gives tzedaka is justified and has justification. Without tzedaka one is not justified, and he has not obtained justification. Justification is what happens when we do the right thing. Justification is rendered by the judge when he determines that an individual has done the right thing and acted justly. Giving tzedaka is the highest form of “doing the right thing”.

 

It is also possible to perform charity in order to receive forgiveness for sin. This is an effective method of repentance (provided one abandons one’s sins as well), and is noted by the prophet:

 

Daniel 4:27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by doing righteousness (tzedaka), and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor, if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility.

 

Now, let’s take what we have learned and attempt to understand the following pasuk:

 

Galatians 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Yeshua Mashiach might be given to them that believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Mashiach, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

 

What does this mean? I suggest the following:

 

Galatians 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faithful obedience of Yeshua Mashiach might be given to them that believe the Torah. 23 But before faithful obedience came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faithful obedience which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Mashiach, that we might stand before the judge and shown to be just because of our faithful obedience. 25 But after we were faithfully obedient, we no longer require a schoolmaster to force us to be obedient.

 

An incident recorded in the Torah shows us how potent it is for us to understand that tzedaka benefits the giver more than the receiver^[34]:

 

Shemot (Exodus) 25:2 “Take for Me an offering”

 

The donations requested of Bne Israel for the construction of the Mishkan are described as being taken rather than given. Moreover, HaShem is the Master of the Universe and all that it contains. Did He need contributions and materials from human beings to construct His Mishkan? The purpose of the contributions was to enable Bne Israel to participate in the construction of the Mishkan. Thus, the giving was in fact a receiving. That is why HaShem said, “Take for me an offering”.

 

The Nesi’im, the princes of the tribes, responded to the call for contributions for the Mishkan by declaring that they would donate whatever was still needed after the rest of Bne Israel gave all that they could. In the end, all that was left to bring were the precious stones for the Ephod and the Choshen,^[35] the oil and the spices for the incense and the Menorah.^[36] The Nesi’im were admonished for conducting themselves in this manner and the yud (י) was removed their title in:

 

Shemot (Exodus) 35:27 And the Nesi’im brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate.

 

The Nesi’im misunderstood the purpose of the giving. There was no deficit to be made up. HaShem has no deficit. The giving was an opportunity for self-development, the purification of one’s soul through attachment to a holy undertaking. Approaching the mitzva as if HaShem needs our contributions was ludicrous. In this light, we can appreciate the significance of the deletion of the “yud” from the title of the Nesi’im. With a “yud”, the word Nesi’im denotes “those that carry”. Without the “yud”, the vowels can be rearranged to read “Nis’aim”- those that are carried. The “yud” was removed to instruct them that, though they viewed themselves as making up the shortfall, they were in reality being carried by the merit of the mitzva!

 

This principle is further illustrated in the carrying of the holy ark in the wilderness. The staves with which the holy ark was carried, represent the supporters of Torah, those who give tzedaka. They are an intrinsic part of the Torah community, inseparable from the Torah scholars, just as the staves could not be removed from the ark. But the Levites, of the house of Kohath, who carried the ark were miraculously lifted off the ground and literally carried by the ark itself!!! Their apparent support was in reality that which supported them. Thus, we see in the following Midrash:

 

Sotah 35a When the last of the Israelites ascended from the Jordan, the waters returned to their place; as it is said: And it came to pass, when the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord were come up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up unto the dry ground, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and went over all its banks, as aforetime. Consequently, the ark and its bearers and the priests were on one side [of the Jordan] and the Israelites on the other! The ark carried its bearers and passed over [the river]; as it is said: And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. On that account was Uzza punished, as it is said: And when they came unto the threshing-floor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, ‘Uzza, [the ark] carried its bearers; must it not all the more [be able to carry] itself!’

 

The following true story makes our point in an especially poignant manner:

 

After his marriage, Rabbi Eliezer Gordon, the founder of the Telshe Yeshiva, was supported by his father-in-law, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Neviezer, so that he could devote himself fully to Torah learning and develop into a gadol. As his family began to grow, and he was offered various rabbinical positions, Reb Eliezer sought to relieve his father-in-law of this financial burden. He asked his permission to accept a rabbinical position and begin to support himself. Despite difficult financial times, Reb Avraham Yitzchak refused to permit him to do so. When Reb Avraham Yitzchak’s wife asked him how long he intended to support their daughter and son-in-law’s family, he responded, “My dear wife, who knows who is supporting whom...” Finally, the prestigious rabbinical position in Eisheshok was offered to Reb Eliezer, and his father-in-law could no longer detain him. The day after the Gordon family left for Eisheshok, Reb Avraham Yitzchak died. It then became clear who had been supporting whom.

 

Chazal^[37] tell us that we will be redeemed through the merit of tzedaka. May we recognize the great opportunity offered us when we are called upon to support Torah institutions, Torah scholars, and the poor, and thereby merit redemption!

 

Givers and Receivers

 

Giver:                The wealthy.^[38]

Receiver:           The poor.^[39]

 

Note: Boaz gained more from Ruth in spiritual terms, for through her he had a charitable act to his name. All told, Ruth had done more for Boaz than Boaz for Ruth. Now we should have no problem in understanding why the verse has, which ‘I’ have done for ‘him.’ The word vag (to do or create), is employed because, as a result of the good deed an angel was created.

 

We have discussed these givers and receivers extensively in this study already, but there are more “givers”:

 

Giver:                HaShem.

Receivers:         All people.

 

Giver:                Heaven.

Receiver:           Earth.

 

Man wants control over the heavens because it is the heavens that provide the inputs, he requires to enrich his earthly life. The essence of belief in HaShem, is the knowledge that it is HaShem who is the source of all being and energy. A created world is not assembled out of pre-existing materials. It is fashioned out of Divine energy. Even the “natural processes” of such a world must all be fueled by fresh inputs of Divine energy. This constant input of Divine energy is called the “heavens” in the very first verse in Genesis:

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

 

“Heavens” is the generic term used by the Torah to express the idea of “giver” (or energy source), whereas the “earth” is the generic term for the idea of “receiver.”

 

Giver:                Males

Receiver:           Females

 

The above example can be clarified by examining the act of marriage (sexual intercourse). In this act the man gives sperm to the woman who receives it and nourishes it until a child is born.

The idea of a male being the “giver” helps us understand why the Torah always refers to HaShem in the masculine. Clearly, HaShem receives nothing from us while He gives us everything. Thus, we understand that we are not being sexist when we speak of HaShem as a male, rather we are expressing the direction of the giving.

 

Wickedness

 

Now that we understand the definition of righteousness, let’s examine the opposite of righteousness, which is ‘wickedness’.

 

The one who is wicked will always take from others. In some cases, this is obvious. For example, a man who commits murder has taken another man’s life. A thief takes another man’s property. There are other forms of wickedness that are not so obvious but are still extremely wicked. Consider the one who sees the preparations for the Passover seder yet remains seated and does not help out. This one has taken the labors and time of others. He has literally stolen a part of their lives. In this way we can understand that a lazy person is killing people in a very subtle manner.

 

If you examine every sin in the scriptures, you will find that at their root they are all ‘taking’ from either HaShem or from others. It is no exaggeration to say that those who do not give are wicked. To put it another way: The definition of wickedness is the taking of time, material, and the labors of others.

 

Failure to give is the very definition of evil!

 

Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 63:8-16 + 65:9

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 63:8-16 + 65:9

 

Chapter 63

 

1 Who is this coming from Edom The prophet prophesies concerning what the Holy One, blessed be He, said that He is destined to wreak vengeance upon Edom, and He, personally, will slay their heavenly prince, like the matter that is said (supra 34:5), “For My sword has become sated in the heaven.” And afterward, (ibid.) “it shall descend upon Edom,” and it is recognizable by the wrath of His face that He has slain [them with] a great massacre, and the prophet is speaking in the expression of the wars of human beings, dressed in clothes, and when they slay a slaying, the blood spatters on their garments, for so is the custom of Scripture; it speaks of the Shekhinah anthropomorphically, to convey to the ear what it can hear. Comp. (Ezek. 43:2) “His voice is like the voice of many waters.” The prophet compares His mighty voice to the voice of many waters to convey to the ear according to what it is possible to hear, for one cannot understand and hearken to the magnitude of the mighty of our God to let us hear it as it is.

 

Who is this coming from Edom Israel says, “Who is this, etc.?” And He is coming with soiled garments, colored with blood, and anything repugnant because of its smell and its appearance fits to the expression of חִמּוּץ , soiling.

 

from Bozrah Our Rabbis said (see Makkoth 12a): “The heavenly prince of Edom is destined to commit two errors. He thinks that Bozrah is identical with Bezer in the desert, which was a refuge city. He will also err insofar as it affords refuge only for inadvertent murder, but he killed Israel intentionally.” There is also an Aggadic midrash (see above 34:6) that because Bozrah supplied a king for Edom when its first king died, as in Gen. (36:33), “And Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his stead,” and Bozrah is of Moab, according to the matter that is stated (Jer. 48:24): “Upon Kerioth and upon Bozrah.”

 

this one who was stately in His attire, צֽעֶה , and girded with the greatness of His strength. And the Holy One, blessed be He, replies to him, ‘It is I, upon Whom the time has come to speak of the righteousness of the Patriarchs, and of the righteousness of the generation of religious persecution, and My righteousness, too, is with them, and I have revealed Myself as being great to save.’ And they say, ‘Why is your clothing red? Why are your garments red?’

 

3 and from the peoples, none was with Me standing before Me to wage war.

 

and their lifeblood sprinkled Heb. נִצְחָם , Their blood, which is the strength and victory (נִצָּחוֹן) of a man.

 

I soiled Heb. אֶגְאָלְתִּי . Comp. (Lam. 4:14) “They were defiled (נִגּֽאֲלוּ) with blood.”

 

5 And I looked, and there was no one helping Israel. and I was astounded An expression of keeping silent, and I have already explained it above (57:16): “And He was astounded for there was no intercessor.”

 

and My fury that supported Me My fury that I have against the heathens (the nations [mss. and K’li Paz]), for I was a little wrath with My people, and they helped to harm them. That strengthened My hand and aroused My heart to mete recompense upon them although Israel is not fit and worthy of redemption.

 

6 And I trod Heb. וְאָבוּס . An expression of wallowing in blood and treading with the feet. Comp. (Ezekiel 16:6) “wallowing (מִתְבּוֹסֶסֶת) in your blood.” Comp. also (Jer. 12:10): “They trod (בּֽסְסוּ) My field.” their power Heb. נִצְחָם , the might of their victory.

 

7 The kind acts of the Lord I will mention The prophet says, I will remind Israel of the kind acts of the Lord.

 

and much good I will remind Israel of what He bestowed upon the house of Israel with His mercies.

 

8 They are but My people Although it is revealed before Me that they would betray Me, they are, nevertheless, My people, and they are to Me like children who will not deal falsely.

 

9 In all their trouble that He would bring upon them.

 

He did not trouble [them] He did not trouble them according to their deeds, that they deserved to suffer, for the angel of His presence i.e., Michael the prince of the Presence, of those who minister before Him saved them always as an agent of the Omnipresent.

 

10 But they rebelled Heb. מָרוּ . They angered. Comp. (Deut. 9:7) “You were rebellious (מַמְרִים) .”

 

11 And His people remembered the days of old, [the days of] Moses The prophet laments and says in an expression of supplication, Today in exile, His people remembers the days of old, the days of Moses, and in its trouble, it says, Where is Moses our shepherd, who drew us up from the Reed Sea?

 

[like] a shepherd his flock Compared to a shepherd who brings up his flock. Where is he who placed within Israel the Holy Spirit of the Holy One, blessed be He, and taught us statutes and ordinances?

 

12 He led at Moses’ right the arm of His glory The Holy One, blessed be He, led at Moses’ right the arm of His might. Every time he required the aid of the Holy One, blessed be He, His arm was ready at his right.

 

13 like a horse in the desert which does not stumble since it is smooth land, so they did not stumble in the deep.

 

14 As animals that spread in the valley, and a valley is a smooth land, where there is no obstacle, campagne in French, open country.

 

spread out Heb. תֵרֵד , spread out. Comp. (supra 45:1) “to flatten (לְרַד) nations before him.” So did the spirit of the Lord guide them to the deep and make therein a paved road.

 

so You guided Your people So was everything as we said; You guided Your people.

 

15 where are Your zeal Your early zeal.

 

the yearning of Your heart [Lit. the stirring of Your innards,] that were wont to stir concerning us, like the matter that was stated (Jer. 31:19), “Therefore, My heart yearns for him.” And the stirring of your first mercies toward us have been restrained now. They have been restrained from stirring over us as from then.

 

are restrained Heb. הִתְאַפָּקוּ . Comp. (Gen. 43:31) “And he restrained himself and said, Put down food.” He restrained himself, and they did not recognize that his mercies were stirred toward his brother.

 

16 For You are our father and it is incumbent upon You to look and see our troubles.

 

for Abraham did not know us in the trouble of Egypt.

 

neither did Israel recognize us in the desert, for they had already passed away from the world.

 

but You, O Lord, are our father In all of them, You became our father. And our Rabbis expounded this as they expounded in Tractate Shabbath (89b).

 

17 Why do You lead us astray Since You have the power to remove the evil inclination, as it is said (Jer. 18:6): “Like clay in the potter’s hand.” Scripture states elsewhere (Ezekiel 36:26): “And I will remove the heart of stone, etc.”

 

You harden Heb. תַּקְשִׁיחַ , an expression of hardening the heart.

 

18 For [but] a short time, Your holy people inherited They had their greatness and their inheritance for a short time.

 

trampled [The term בוססו denotes] trampled underfoot.

 

19 We were now like a people whom You did not choose ever to rule over them, and it is as though Your name was not called upon them.

 

had You rent the heavens and descended to save us now as You descended to save us from the hand of the Egyptians, then, mountains would drip from before You with fear and quaking.

 

Chapter 65

 

1 I allowed Myself to be sought by those who did not ask The Holy One, blessed be He, replies to him, It is impossible not to avenge Myself on them, for I allowed Myself to be sought by them by reproving them through My prophets, but they did not ask.

 

I said, “Here I am; here I am!” Return to Me, and I am ready to accept you.

 

to a nation not called by My name That did not wish to be called by My name.

 

2 I spread out My hands in order to accept them with repentance.

 

contrary Heb. סוֹרֵר , turning away from the road.

 

3 those who sacrifice in gardens They erect idols in their gardens, and there they burn incense on the bricks.

 

4 They sit among the graves so that a spirit of defilement of demons should rest upon them.

 

and with corpses Heb. וּבַנְּצוּרִים . They are the bodies of the dead, who are as placed in a siege (מָצוֹר) , unable to get out.

 

and broth of abominations Heb. מְרַק , despicable broth. Comp. (Jud. 6:20) “And the broth (הַמָּרָק) pour out.”

 

5 Those who say to the righteous, קְרַב אֵלֶיךָ , “Keep to yourself and do not come near me.”

 

for I am holier than you Heb. כִּי קְדַשְׁתִּיךָ . For I am holier and purer than you. In this manner Jonathan renders.

 

these abominations that they committed are as smoke, wrath in My nostrils.

 

6 Behold it is inscribed Their sin is inscribed before Me, and their sentence has already been decreed and sealed.

 

7 Your iniquities Yours and your forefathers’ together I will recompense you.

 

8 As when wine is found in the cluster Jonathan renders: As Noah was found innocent in the generation of the Flood.

 

the wine This is Noah, who was sweet.

 

in the cluster Heb. בָּאֶשְׁכּוֹל . In the bereft (הַמְשֻׁכָּל) generation. This may also be interpreted according to its apparent meaning.

 

for the sake of My servants For the sake of every righteous man found among them.

 

10 the Sharon The name of a region in the land of Israel.

 

and the Valley of Achor As its apparent meaning.

 

11 who forsake the Lord The wicked of Israel who adopted paganism and died in their wickedness.

 

who set a table for Gad The name of a pagan deity on the name of the zodiac, and in the language of the mishnah, (Shabbath 67b) “May my fate be lucky גַּדִּי) (גָד and not fatigued.”

 

for a number Heb. לַמְנִי . According to the number of the computation of the priests, they would fill basins of mingled wine.

 

mingled wine Heb. מִמְסָךְ , wine mingled with water as was customary. Comp. (Prov. 23:30) “To search for mingled wine (מִמְסָךְ) .” Also (ibid. 9:2), “She mingled (מָסְכָה) her wine.” Some interpret לַמְנִי , to the pagan deities that you appointed (מִנִּיתֶם) over yourselves, but וּמָנִיתִי אֶתְכֶם , which is not punctuated וּמִנִּיתִי with a ‘dagesh,’ indicates that it is an expression of counting.

 

Commentary on the Ashlamatah of Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 63:8-16 + 65:9

By: H.Ex. Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

 

Our reading begins by introducing the theme of HaShem’s steadfast covenant love and compassion; this theme is illustrated through events in the history of Israel. The children of Israel recall HaShem’s past acts, and thereby they have assurance that he will deliver them again just as he did when he delivered them out of Egypt and from the Sea. The Children of Israel were first recognized as HaShem's people in Egypt. (v.8) Pharaoh said, The people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us;^[40] and shortly thereafter, HaShem acknowledged them as ‘his people’, when he said: ‘I have surely seen the affliction of My people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their pains. (Exo.3:7) Here is a central theme of Judaism: HaShem relates to Israel’s travails as if they are his own. Their oppression is his oppression, and in (v.9) we are told that ‘their affliction or trouble is his affliction or trouble.’ The Sages even go as far as to state, “HaShem is compared to Israel as a twin.” It has been noted that, with some twins, when one encounters pain, then the other feels that pain also.’[41] Herein lies a great understanding, Israel’s suffering and HaShem’s suffering and how they are interwoven in scripture. In Hebrew, this introductory verse (7) begins and ends with hesed. The word ḥesed is the Lord’s pledged love for his people; here plural, to intensify and amplify, a love that never changes and that contains to the full every ingredient of true love.^[42]

 

It is recognized that our text, 63:7 to about 64:11, is a communal complaint. It is spoken by the nation and addressed to HaShem. It also features lines spoken by HaShem, which is typical for a lament, and follows similar patterns found in the Psalms.[43] One outline of Isaiah labeled this section as the prayer of the remnant, and another writer summed it up as all those who acknowledge their sin, repent, and trust in HaShem will be delivered. I would suggest this is a conversation, as it were, between two who have a very strong commitment and relationship. Like with all long-term relationships, there are highs and lows, times of disappointment and heights of great joy and oneness. In biblical language, the relationship between HaShem and Israel is often described using familial or marital imagery. Israel is depicted as HaShem’s bride, emphasizing intimacy and commitment. The prophets frequently use this metaphor. For instance, Hosea portrays HaShem as a faithful husband and Israel as an unfaithful wife, highlighting divine loyalty despite human shortcomings. As Isaiah 54:5 states: ‘For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name.”[44]

 

We have a story where Israel was ‘severely distressed’[45] in Judges 10:9ff. The people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” In (10:6), Israel had been making her rounds with five different Baals and Ahtaroths. Now that she’s in trouble, she calls on her Baali[46] to come and rescue her. Naturally, he responded that he had already rescued or saved them five or seven times before, and since they were so ungrateful toward him, he was not going to save them again. Even telling Israel, “go to the gods you have chosen over me and let them save you.” But the people of Israel pleaded with Him and confessed their sin and said, “Do whatever seems good to you, just deliver us today”. So, they straightened up their act and put away their foreign gods (lovers) and turned back to HaShem, and he became impatient or could not bear the miseries of Israel, and he “saved them”. [47]

 

The prophet Samuel comes along sometime later and tells them the same lesson, If you return unto the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts unto the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you. (1Sam.7:3) This seems to be the same eternal message for every generation; it is a small minority of humanity that latches onto this ideal, scripture calls them a remnant. Duties of the Heart tells us, The main thing of all - is to complete the conditions of servanthood and to designate G-d alone with masterhood - that all this be wholeheartedly and faithfully, and through this one's love of G-d will be wholehearted and likewise will be HaShem’s love towards him, as written "You have declared the L-ord this day to be your G-d... And the L-ord has declared you this day to be His treasured people" (Devarim 26:17-18), and "to make you supreme, above all the nations that He made" (Devarim 26:19), and "Then all the peoples of the earth will see that the name of the L-ord is called upon you…[48] If Israel, as the teacher, lacks trust and faithfulness to HaShem, it has an effect not only on the Jewish world but also on the Gentile world.

 

Israel is as HaShem’s twin, as the Sages teach. Close relatives sometimes feel each other’s distress, and a married couple can experience the same. HaShem reacts to Israel the same way. Because they are My people; they are My children. He not only feels for Israel the way one feels for a friend, but rather, He is equally hurt, so to speak, by our pain.[49] In all their affliction, He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them.[50] In His love and in His pity, He redeemed them; and He bore them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved His holy spirit; therefore, He was turned to be their enemy, and He Himself fought against them. (9-10) The Masoretic text and cantillation notes suggest a reading that refers to HaShem who “was their Deliverer” and which then says that “In all their troubles He [lo, according to the keri, or text as traditionally “read”] was troubled” (vv. 8b–9a). After this are two apparently contradictory remarks: first, that “the angel of His Presence delivered them,”[51] and then, that HaShem “Himself redeemed them” (v. 9).^[52] By contrast, the Septuagint version reflects a Hebrew text that reads verses 8b–9a as a continuous thought: “He was their Deliverer in all their troubles; no [reading lo’][53] angel or messenger [was with Him], [but] His own Presence delivered them.” As this commentator points out, this verse is characterized by a clear stylistic structure. Note that the first and last phrases are correlated through the noun moshiʿa (Deliverer) and the verb hoshiʿam (“delivered them”); while the middle two phrases echo each other through the verb tzaratam (their troubles) and (presumably) the noun tzir (angel; instead of the vocalization tzar, “was troubled,” found in the Masoretic version).^[54] He continues that there is a singular emphasis on HaShem’s exclusive deliverance, with no reference to the intermediate activity of an angel. This theology is similar to that found in the Passover Haggadah and the statement there that HaShem alone delivered the nation from Egypt—“I and no angel, I and no messenger.” ^[55] Is there a disagreement in who the redeemer is, or is the disagreement in our understanding of the theological context and how HaShem communicates and deals with his people? HaShem delivered the Children of Israel from Egypt, yet he sent Moses to show them the way out.

 

In Jewish sources, the phrase "angel of his Presence" (Malakh HaPanim in Hebrew) (mal'akh panav) is found in Isaiah 63:9 and is subject to many interpretations. Classical commentaries often view this "angel" as a representation of HaShem Himself or a very high-ranking angel, such as Metatron, who acts as a direct emissary of the divine. Jewish commentaries offer a few main perspectives on the identity of this "angel of His presence":

 

• A Manifestation of HaShem: Many classical Jewish commentators, such as Rashi and Ibn Ezra, interpret the "angel of His presence" as a direct reference to HaShem Himself, not a separate created being. The term "angel" (malakh) in Hebrew can mean "messenger," and here it implies that HaShem is His own messenger or acts directly, without an intermediary, out of His great love and pity for Israel.

 

• A High-Ranking Angel (Metatron): In some mystical and midrashic traditions (e.g., the Talmud and Kabbalah), the angel is identified as Metatron. Metatron is a powerful archangel who is said to sit in the immediate divine presence, serving as a celestial scribe and the mediator of HaShem’s presence to the world. He is sometimes called the "Prince of the Countenance" or "Prince of the Presence" (Sar HaPanim).

 

• The Shekhinah: Other interpretations connect the "angel of His presence" with the Shekhinah, which is the term for the manifest presence of HaShem in the physical realm. This suggests that the divine presence itself accompanied and saved the people. 

 

The law of first mention points us to the concept of a special "angel" or divine presence leading Israel. It first appears in the Book of Exodus, where HaShem promises: "Behold, I send an angel before you to keep you by the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared." (Exodus 23:20) And later, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." (Exodus 33:14) These earlier references lay the groundwork for this mention in Isaiah. The consistent theme in Jewish writings is that the salvation and redemption of the people came directly from HaShem, either through His personal manifestation or a unique, high-level emissary who embodies His presence.

 

Another interesting point of observation is on (v.8), “my people, children who will not deal falsely.” [56] Students of the bible have noticed these same words – ‘deal falsely’ are used in Psa.44:17. This psalm is perhaps the clearest example of a search for some other cause of the national disaster than guilt and punishment. This Psalm is a cry of a nation in distress and not a personal lament. The nation declares they have been faithful to HaShem, but suffer a great defeat and question why they suffer for his sake.[57] Scholars have difficulty placing this psalm in a historical time frame, and opinions range from the Davidic period all the way to the time of the Maccabean crisis. The best guess is that it was written during the time of Hezekiah, at the invasion and destruction of Israel, and in that case, it fits in with Isaiah chapters 46 – 48.[58] It is generally thought of in three parts or sections. First, a confidence in the future because of HaShem’s dealings with the nation in the past, a historical faith of the nation (1–8). Secondly, a stricken, painful cry that HaShem’s present dealings are in awful contrast with those of the past, and now a humiliating defeat of the nation. This section carries a sense of the painful cry of a woman rejected, abandoned, and estranged from her husband, I would suggest. (v.9–16 or 22). And thirdly, as a desperate prayer for help and pleading for the protection of their innocence. Though the nation was seemingly rejected by HaShem and had apparently lost a battle (even though she had been faithful), she has not lost the war; she wholeheartedly trusted in HaShem to redeem her. (17 or 23–26).^[59]

 

Psalms 44:17-22 is heart-searching; the writer protests that the children of Israel had been faithful to HaShem. In their distress, they questioned the whys of life and the tribulation and suffering they were subjected to. From time to time, this seems to be our heart's cry when, as HaShem’s children, we experience life’s troubles and distress. If we read this as an ongoing conversation between a husband and wife, both are trying to maintain the relationship, and it seems they are not quite in step with each other. Surely HaShem, our beloved, could fix all our woes at any time, but he chooses not to. Sometimes he draws near, and others he pulls back. At times in our spiritual journey, one can feel such oneness with their Beloved, and at other times, a sense of a great distance between us, and the heavens are as brass.

 

Have we been forsaken? We question! Why is the onslaught of the enemy coming, wave after wave? We express our doubts, we question if this relationship will endure, and just as we attempt to walk away, something changes, and we decide to stay, and the closeness returns, and for a brief time, one basks in the warmth of HaShem's divine love. Every child of God, I’m convinced, walks a similar road with their parent questioning their love and wondering why things go as they do. Why can't I have the things I want? Why do I have to go through this when I have done nothing wrong? I’ve done all I know to do, and still, everything works against me. As King David tells us in the 23^rd Psalm, HaShem is our shepherd. And as Jacob acknowledged, the God who had been my shepherd all my life long. (Gen 48:15) Beside still waters, our soul is restored. When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God comforts me. The Hebrew here has nothing to do with death per se, but speaks of a place of ‘deep gloom’ where HaShem comforts us and restores us.[60] In Psalm 89, we are told of the steadfast love and faithfulness of HaShem to his children and specifically to “my chosen one – David my servant.” Midway through the Psalm, the writer wrestles with the apparent contradictions between HaShem’s promises and Israel’s suffering, asking why it seems HaShem has abandoned his covenant with the anointed people (v.38-45). This reflects the tension between promise and reality and the continuing human struggle in times of crisis. The children’s hearts cry out; Awake! O LORD. Why are you sleeping? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust, our belly clings to the ground. Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love! ^[61] In the context of a marital love affair, reference note five above.

 

In verse 10, they rebelled and distressed his Holy Spirit, so he charged towards them as into an enemy and he fought with them. When Israel is worthy, God fights on their behalf, and when they're not worthy, he fights against them.[62] and (v.11) they remember the days of old and repented, and they question where is the one who infused his Holy Spirit who calls his splendid arm to go at Moses's right side. In other words, why does Hashem not remove the stubborn inclination of our hearts and replace it with his spirit as he did in the days of Moses, when we, too, would mend our ways.[63] In the context of this passage, the questioning and yearning is for HaShem, but it seems there is also an underlying cry for that anointed One who leads the people out of Egypt and through the sea as referenced by Moses. Moses and Aaron are in the people’s minds as they look back to the exodus experience, when it was easier to see and experience the presence of Hashem.

 

In the second part of this paragraph, in (63:11), a second act of remembering is mentioned (“and he remembered”), at first, it appears to refer to HaShem himself remembering. Nevertheless, it is clear from 63:11b–14 that these are remembrances about what HaShem did. Some suggest the text is a plural “they remembered,” but Israel is often treated as a single individual body. The Israelite community is remembering key spiritual things about Moses and his people that happened innumerable days ago (“forever” ʿôlām).^[64]

 

The people implore him to look down from heaven, and see, even from Thy holy and glorious habitation, where are Thy zeal and thy mighty acts, the yearning of Thy heart and Thy compassions, now restrained toward me? For Thou art our Father; for Abraham knoweth us not, and Israel doth not acknowledge us; Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer from everlasting is Thy name. O Lord, why dost Thou make us to err from Thy ways, and harden our hearts from Thy fear? Return for Thy servants’ sake, the tribes of Thine inheritance. (Isa. 63:15-17) HaShem's faithfulness screams out to us, I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains; and Mine elect shall inherit it, and My servants shall dwell there. (Isa.65:9) HaShem’s covenant love is steadfast and empathetic. Israel’s suffering is His suffering. Though His people falter, He redeems them again and again, not because of their perfection but because of His eternal fatherhood and unbreakable bond, and because of his faithfulness. Salvation is HaShem’s own act; it’s rooted in love, lament, and renewal. Despite despair, and the troubles of life Psalm 89 ends with a declaration of trust: “Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and Amen” (v.52). This teaches us that even in doubt, the psalmist clings to HaShem’s ultimate sovereignty, STEADFAST LOVE(Hasid) and faithfulness (63:7) and we would do well as his servants to practice the same.

 

JPS and Targum Pseudo Yonaton for: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 61:1-2

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 61:1-2

 

1. since the Lord anointed me. This anointing is nothing but an expression of nobility and greatness.

 

to declare freedom for the captives. That is to say, to bring them the tidings of the redemption.

 

to free from captivity. Heb. פְּקַח קוֹחַ. Open their imprisonment and their captivity and release them.

 

2. a year of acceptance. A year of appeasement and good will.

 

Commentary on the Ashlamatah

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 61:1-2

By: H.Ex. Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

 

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 61:1-2: The prophet Isaiah tells us that the Spirit of the LORD GOD (HaShem Elohim) was upon me. He anointed me. This word anointed^[65] is used for the prophetic office and divine message Isaiah was to deliver as (1 K 19:16), yet the mission and outcome were different for the office of the King versus the office of the Prophet. Ibn Ezra says the interpretation here is that ‘he was anointed to deliver a message to the people.’^[66] The mission here spoken of (Isa. 61:1-2) is identical with the mission of the Servant as Isaiah already indicated earlier: to bind up (42:3,7), and, again, proclaim liberty (49:9). This phrase is taken from the law of the year of jubilee (Lev 25:8–10). Yeshua applies the passage to the beginning of His own work in (Lk 4:16-21), and it is in this spirit and understanding that Yeshua was operating. He was chosen from birth, similar to the Prophet Samuel. Although Isaiah was called later in life, he was given a divine mission and message that had to be delivered to the people. There is a tradition that Isaiah was the son of the prophet Amos, and he was of the tribe of Judah. He lived in a very critical and pivotal period of Jewish History.^[67] Yeshua was also chosen to live in such a time of critical importance for the Jewish nation. The people of Israel and Yeshua, as an anointed servant, both serve in the role as a witness, and this witness was to be to the nations.

 

The Jewish writers describe Eretz Yisrael as uniquely receptive to God’s presence, the place of his divine abode. Deuteronomy 11:12 — “The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it. Talmud (Ketubot 110b–111a) — Living in the land is spiritually superior; the Shechinah is more manifest there. Even the Midrash Tanchuma (Re’eh 8) — says Prophecy flows primarily in the land. We can conclude that the land is not just geography—it is a spiritual ecosystem. Judaism is not only a religion of individuals; it is a national covenant. Exodus 19:6 — Israel is to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Deuteronomy 4:5–8 — The laws are meant to be seen by other nations, and they are to learn from them as expressed in Isaiah 2:2–4 — The nations stream to Zion to learn God’s ways. The Jewish commentators (Rambam, Abarbanel, Malbim) all agree: Israel’s ethical, social, and spiritual model must be lived out as a society, and that requires a land.

 

Why is the Land so paramount, and why is it the Arena for the Mitzvot? Many commandments can only be fulfilled in Eretz Yisrael: Shemitah,^[68] Yovel,^[69] Terumot,^[70] and Ma’asrot Bikkurim^[71] Pe’ah^[72]and Leket^[73] (in their full biblical form)—and others, such as the judicial system tied to the Sanhedrin, National offerings and festivals centered on the Temple. The Sifrei (Eikev 43) teaches that mitzvot outside the land are like “practice,” so Israel will not forget how to perform them when they return. The full Implication is that the Torah must have the land to operate correctly as HaShem designed: The Torah’s full system is designed to operate in the land. Outside the land, Israel can survive; but inside the land, Israel can fulfill its mission for both itself and for the nations that stream to it to learn the Torah.

 

Isaiah's mission, according to Classical Jewish commentators (Radak, Malbim), is seen as the redemption of Israel and the renewal of covenantal life, not a break from the Torah but its fulfillment in history. And with this comes Liberation: good news to the poor(humble), binding of wounds, release to captives, (Liberty-Jubilee), and the opening of eyes. The ‘humble’ is a term often used to denote the faithful minority in Israel who remained faithful in obedience.^[74] The term ‘Liberty’ is used with the Jubilee, as in (Lev. 25:10), and the “opening of eyes” is understood to be able to see clearly as contrasted with the gloom of a prison.^[75] A Jubilee-like restoration: “year of God’s favor,” on his people, a social and spiritual reset. And a day of vengeance on his enemies and the enemies of his people. Some commentators place this all as speaking to Israel, but I understand it speaking more broadly to Israel's mission, and therefore it applies to all people who “mourn for Zion”. This seems to be the way Yeshua’s first-century followers took it. It would seem Yeshua was in complete agreement with the Classical Jewish commentators (Radak, Malbim, and others), who saw this liberation and the opening of the prison house and the proclaiming the year of the LORD’s favor (Jubilee) as the redemption of Israel and the renewal of covenantal life, not a break from the Torah but its fulfillment in history. Looking back two thousand years, we can see where the process began, and today we are living in the time of its soon completion.

 

The theme of the first fruits in our opening passage is for the priest. Because the priest has no inheritance in the land, their inheritance is in / is HaShem, and this creates a very unique relationship between the Priest and God. For the first fruit to be brought and presented to HaShem, the people, and the Priest, Israel must be in the land. The (bikkurim) as understood in Zohar, Lurianic Kabbalah, and Chassidut is a cosmic principle, not just an agricultural ritual. It is the first stirring of consciousness toward God. The earliest spiritual energies that must be elevated or the highest point of the soul, and it's spoken of as the cosmic repair of the “first sparks” that fell in creation.^[76]  Etz Chaim in Sha’ar HaMitzvot, Parashat Ki Tavo in the commentary on the mitzvah of bikkurim. Explains that elevating the first elevates the whole (root–branch principle).

 

James, the brother of Yeshua in (1:18), spoke of being a kind of first fruit of all of HaShem’s creatures. His remarks are spoken to the nation of Israel, his brethren, and the twelve tribes of the dispersion. John, in the book of Revelation, uses images from the Tanakh, one from the Passover (Exo. 12:1-13) showing those sealed, protecting them from the judgment, and the second is from Ezekiel (9) showing those sealed in their foreheads against the coming judgment. John goes on to mention the 144,000 sealed from among mankind, as first fruits for God and the Lamb. (14:1-4) Paul (Rabbi Saul) has both Israel and Gentile believers (those coming from the nations) in view and all in relation to the full repentance and restoration of the tribes of Israel. (Rom. 11:16) No one claims to fully understand who these numbers represent. They are a large group of people who have the name of Yeshua and the Father written on their foreheads. They are introduced in (Rev. 7:4) as being sealed from all the tribes of Israel, showing their special status and protection during the tribulation. They are portrayed as standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion, symbolizing their victory and role in the eschatological events of the end time. Just as all of the tribes of Israel were present in Jerusalem (the last stand of Judaism before the exile) were included then, so all of the tribes of humanity will be included in the end. The 12 X 12 X 1000 (editors note: The word ‘thousand’ is a plural word and should be understood as ‘thousands’.) stresses the completeness of this number; all of God’s servants from all of humanity are sealed. The purpose of their sealing is to protect them not from temptation or martyrdom, but from the judgment of God. ^[77] As James surmised, “all good things come from the father of lights….  as a kind of first fruits of all God's creatures.”

 

As we have come to learn, the time for bringing the Bikkurim is between Shavuot and Sukkot, a most pivotal time on God's calendar, and having just passed through this time of first fruits, may this entire new year be animated with the spiritual sparks that the bikkurim symbolize. “I am HaShem, in its time I will hasten it.” (Isa 60:22)

 

Verbal Tallies

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 14:1 – 16:17

Tehillim (Psalms) 119:97-120 + 119:121-152

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 63:8-16 + 65:9

 

Looking at the Hebrew of Devarim 14:1 and Isaiah 63:8, what is the verbal tally (all words) that connects these two passages?

 

The two passages, Deuteronomy 14:1 and Isaiah 63:8, are connected by the shared Hebrew word for "children" or "sons," which defines Israel's covenant relationship with HaShem.

The word that appears in both verses is: בָּנִים

 

Verses with Hebrew Tally (JPS Translation)

 

Deuteronomy 14:1 Ye are the בָּנִים (Sons/Children, H1121) of HaShem your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

 

Isaiah 63:8 For He said: 'Surely, they are My people, בָּנִים (Children/Sons, H1121) that will not deal falsely'; so He was their Saviour.

 

* * *

 

What is/are the thematic connection(s) between Devarim (Deuteronomy.) 14:1 – 16:17, and Tehillim (Psalms) 119:97-120 + 119:121-152?

 

The primary thematic connections between Deuteronomy 14:1–16:17 and Psalms 119:97–152 center on Divine Election and Torah as the Exclusive Rule of Life, especially under duress.

 

1. Holiness and Separation (The Call to Obedience)

 

Deuteronomy (The Mandate): This section outlines practical laws on holiness, emphasizing separation from the nations (Deut 14:1-2, 14:21). The laws concerning diet (clean/unclean foods), tithing, debt release, and festivals (Deut 14:3–16:17) are all concrete expressions of Israel being a "holy people" chosen by HaShem.

 

Goal: To establish Israel's distinct identity through strict adherence to HaShem's statutes and commandments.

 

Psalms (The Response): This section of Psalm 119 expresses the commitment to this separated life. The Psalmist declares his intense love for and constant meditation on the Torah (Ps 119:97), acknowledging that HaShem's precepts give him more understanding than his teachers or the elders (Ps 119:99-100).

 

Goal: To maintain purity and avoid the "path of the false" (Ps 119:104, 128) by embracing HaShem's teaching as the only source of truth.

 

2. Reliance on HaShem’s Word in Affliction (Persecution and Hope)

 

Deuteronomy (The Context): The commands are given to a people about to enter a hostile land, where they will face challenges to their identity and covenant fidelity. The text anticipates the need for unwavering adherence to the Law as the basis for the promised blessing.

 

Psalms (The Prayer): A major theme in this section is the Psalmist's affliction and persecution by the arrogant and the proud (Ps 119:107, 121, 150, 157). The Torah is not just a guide but a source of comfort and life when enemies threaten him. The Psalmist prays for HaShem to redeem him and judge his persecutors according to His righteous ordinances (Ps 119:121, 149-150).

 

Connection: Both texts frame the keeping of the Torah as the non-negotiable condition for survival and blessing in a world that opposes HaShem's people.

 

* * *

 

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

 

What is the eschatological message of Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 63:8-16 + 65:9?

 

The eschatological message of Isaiah 63:8-16 and 65:9, as understood in Jewish tradition, is a fervent declaration of HaShem’s final, irreversible redemption of Israel, accomplished through the preservation of a righteous remnant, despite the nation's historical failings.

 

The passages shift from a lamenting prayer (63:8–16) to HaShem’s definitive response of promise (65:9).

 

1. The Lament and the Appeal to Divine Fatherhood (63:8–16)

 

This section serves as a powerful appeal to HaShem’s historical role as Redeemer, linking past deliverance (the Exodus) to future salvation:

 

Recognition of the Covenant (v. 8–9): The passage begins by recalling HaShem’s initial choice of Israel as His "children" (Banim, H1121) and His role as their Savior. The prophet emphasizes that HaShem was afflicted with Israel in all their distress, reflecting HaShem’s deep, paternal connection.

 

The Problem of Rebellion (v. 10): The present state of suffering and exile is attributed directly to Israel's rebellion, which "grieved His Holy Spirit" (Ruach Kodsho, H6944), causing HaShem to become their enemy.

 

The Plea for Renewal (v. 15): The prophet implores HaShem to look down from heaven and unleash His compassion (Rachamim) and power (Gevurot) as He did in the days of Moses.

 

Ultimate Paternal Claim (v. 16): The highest appeal is made by declaring: "You, O LORD, are our Father. Though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not recognize us, You are our Redeemer from of old." This establishes HaShem’s fatherhood as eternal and unconditional, transcending the merits of even the patriarchs.

 

2. The Final Eschatological Promise (65:9)

 

This verse is HaShem’s direct and absolute assurance that the covenant will be fulfilled, irrespective of the wicked among the people.

 

The Remnant and Inheritance: HaShem promises, "I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains." This declares that the future inheritance of the Holy Land is guaranteed to the faithful few.

 

The Elect: The promise specifies: "My chosen ones shall inherit it, and My servants will dwell there." This is the fundamental eschatological principle: the final redemption and dwelling in the Land is reserved for a spiritually purified remnant who remain faithful and serve HaShem, inheriting the blessings that the faithless forfeit.

 

Thematic Conclusion

 

The eschatological message is the Certainty of Israel's Redemption—not based on current merit, but on the enduring, paternal nature of HaShem’s relationship with the righteous remnant who will inherit a transformed land and receive the full scope of the covenant promises.

 

 

Nazarean Talmud

Sidra of “Devarim” (Deuteronomy) “14:1 – 16:17”

 “Sabbath “Banim Atem”- “You are children”

By: Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

 

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

 

Dt 14:1-16:17, Ps 119:97-152, Isa 63.8-16 + 65.9, Isa 29;19, Mordechai 14:43-65, 1 Luqas 22:47-62

 

Commentary on Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

 

I. Covenant Fidelity in the Torah Portion of Devarim 14:1–16:17

 

The seder of Devarim 14:1–16:17 establishes a covenantal architecture in which Israel is shaped into a nation of disciplined holiness. Every line trains the nation to stand as children of G-d whose purity, discernment, ethical clarity, and covenantal loyalty announce the identity of the Holy People. The laws of kashrut refine appetite; the laws of tithes refine economic desire; the laws of the Sabbatical year refine the social order; the laws of release and generosity refine the heart; the laws of the pilgrimage festivals refine collective ascent and spiritual rhythm. The entire pericope shapes Israel into a vessel ready to encounter the Presence. Israel learns to distinguish, to separate, to elevate, and to approach. The Torah portion, therefore, builds an identity of disciplined fidelity, covenantal consciousness, and unwavering allegiance to G-d. The essence is loyalty in action, loyalty in thought, and loyalty in sacrifice.

 

II. Inner Devotion in Tehillim 119:97–152

 

Tehillim 119:97–152 intensifies this theme by revealing the interior world of the one who clings to the Torah with love. The psalmist’s soul burns with attachment to the commandments; the heart meditates on the mitzvot at all hours; the path of life is defined by statutes that bring wisdom, stability, preservation, and rescue. This section of Tehillim reveals that loyalty to the Torah is not merely a national duty; it is existential joy, spiritual intimacy, and the inner posture of the righteous. The soul declares that the Torah is its delight, its anchor, its shield, its architect, and its sanctuary. The psalmist becomes the living embodiment of what Devarim commands. The Torah portion sets the covenantal requirements; Tehillim reveals the heart that fulfills them.

 

III. Divine Compassion and Human Frailty in the Ashlamata (Yeshayahu 63:8–16; 65:9)

 

The Ashlamata from Yeshayahu 63:8–16 and 65:9 binds these two frames by revealing the divine perspective on Israel’s loyalty and disloyalty. Yeshayahu recalls that Adonai declared Israel His people, His children who would not deal falsely. Israel received compassion, deliverance, and accompaniment in its afflictions. Even so, the prophet cries out to the Redeemer who remains the Father of Israel, the One whose everlasting compassion upholds the covenant even when Israel falters. The prophetic voice acknowledges both covenantal expectation and human weakness, showing that divine discipline and divine mercy operate together. The continuation in 65:9 announces that a holy remnant will emerge—a seed that carries the covenant forward in purity. The Ashlamata, therefore, reveals the spiritual stakes of loyalty: G-d calls Israel to walk in covenant faithfulness, and the divine compassion upholds the nation when it fails. Thus, this prepares the ground for understanding the events portrayed in the Nazarean Codicil.

 

IV. The Nazarean Codicil as Living Covenant Drama (Mark 14:43–65; Luqas 22:47–62)

 

Mark 14:43–65 and Luqas 22:47–62 enter this landscape with prophetic precision. The Nazarean Codicil does not sit beside the Torah; it enters into the Torah’s demands, the psalmist’s devotion, and the prophet’s lament. The arrest of the Master, the actions of Yehudah Ish Keriyoth, and the denial of Hakham Tsefet reveal the whole drama of covenantal fidelity under pressure. The Master stands as the embodiment of the Torah of Devarim: disciplined, loyal, undeflected, and wholly aligned with the will of G-d. His fidelity remains absolute as the forces of betrayal and false accusation gather around Him. His obedience mirrors the absolute devotion of Tehillim 119, for He lives every word as holiness made flesh. His endurance under testing reflects the prophetic remnant of Yeshayahu 65:9, for He alone stands unbroken within a generation filled with confusion, fear, and duplicity.

 

V. Yehudah Ish Keriyoth and the Fracture of Covenant Loyalty

 

Yehudah Ish Keriyoth represents the human element described in Yeshayahu 63:10, where Israel rebelled and grieved the divine Presence. His act of handing over, while fulfilling prophecy, stands as the mirror of disloyalty that Devarim warns against. The Torah portion stresses that Israel must imitate holiness, hold firm in allegiance, and guard its heart from divided loyalties. Yehudah’s act reveals what occurs when the heart fractures from hesed. The legal and ethical structures of Devarim describe the world that loyalty sustains; the act of Yehudah describes the collapse that occurs when loyalty dissolves.

 

VI. Hakham Tsefet and the Mystery of Collapse and Return

 

Hakham Tsefet’s three denials, narrated with painful realism, reveal that covenantal weakness can arise even in the greatest of Israel’s leaders. The Torah calls for fidelity; the psalmist models fidelity; the prophet laments the absence of fidelity; the Nazarean Codicil exposes the place where fidelity fails under pressure. The weeping of Hakham Tsefet reveals the remnant promise of Yeshayahu 65:9. The seed that remains shapes itself in return. The Torah portion’s rhythms of release, forgiveness, and renewed ascent into the Presence appear subtly in the arc of Hakham Tsefet’s restoration. The Nazarean narrative, therefore, becomes the human illustration of the interplay between loyalty, frailty, repentance, and renewal.

 

VII. The Master as the Living Torah of Fidelity

 

The Master’s silence before false witnesses, His restraint before violence, His unwavering commitment to the will of G-d, and His acceptance of the unfolding covenantal path reveal the fullness of Devarim’s vision. Thus, the Torah calls Israel to become a holy nation shaped by discipline, generosity, justice, remembrance, and pilgrimage. The Master embodies all of these qualities simultaneously. The Torah portion teaches Israel to rise three times a year to appear before Adonai; the Master rises in this moment to appear before the corrupt earthly court as the innocent vessel of heavenly justice. The Torah Portion calls Israel to offer sacrifices of presence, obedience, and joy; the Master offers Himself in obedience. And, it calls Israel to guard (Shomer) its heart from idolatry; the Master guards His heart unto death. Devarim therefore calls Israel to care for the poor, the weak, and the stranger; the Master cares for His talmidim even as the net tightens around Him. And it calls Israel to rejoice in holiness; the Master’s countenance remains marked by serene fidelity.

 

VIII. Unified Revelation Across Torah, Psalm, Prophet, and Codicil

 

The marriage between the Torah portion, the psalm, the prophet, and the Nazarean Codicil is therefore total. Devarim establishes the covenantal demands. Tehillim reveals the interior devotion required to walk in those demands. Yeshayahu reveals the divine sorrow and divine compassion surrounding Israel’s struggle to uphold those demands. The Nazarean Codicil reveals the living enactment of those demands in the Master and the painful failure to defend them in the disciples. The four readings converge to form a single revelation: covenantal loyalty is the essence of holiness, the test of discipleship, the measure of righteousness, and the battlefield of the human heart. The Master stands as the perfect embodiment of the loyalty that the Torah commands, the psalm exalts, the prophet longs for, and the narrative reveals.

 

A Deeper Look

 

I. The Foundation beneath Devarim 14:1–16:17

 

The Sodic current running beneath Devarim 14:1–16:17 forms the matrix through which the betrayal in Mark 14:43–65 and Luqas 22:47–62, which we understand. The Torah portion constructs the identity of Israel as banim la-Adonai Eloheikhem, children belonging to the Presence, a term whose resonance extends far beyond covenantal privilege. It establishes the metaphysical truth that Israel exists as the earthly expression of fidelity to Adonai. The laws of separation, elevation, generosity, release, and pilgrimage do not merely order national life; they shape the soul to become a vessel that mirrors heavenly loyalty. Every distinction in the Torah portion teaches Israel to hold itself in alignment with the divine presence. Every boundary becomes a symbolic affirmation: fidelity to Adonai is the essence of holiness.

 

II. The Betrayal of the Master as Covenant Rupture

 

Against this backdrop, the betrayal of the Master stands not as an isolated moral failure but as a rupture in the very principle the Torah portion builds. The covenant shapes Israel to be a nation that refuses treachery; Yehudah Ish Keriyoth manifests the fracture that occurs when the vessel of covenantal identity cracks from within. His act exposes a cosmic truth: infidelity to the Master reveals infidelity to Adonai, for the Master stands as the embodiment of covenantal obedience. In Sod, the betrayal reveals the depth of the spiritual war against fidelity itself.

 

III. Tehillim 119 as the Antidote to Betrayal

 

Tehillim 119:97–152 intensifies this tension, for the psalmist describes the profound love and joy of one who clings to Torah with passion. This interior devotion establishes the soul as a sanctuary where betrayal cannot take root. The psalmist’s heart burns with loyalty. His mind meditates on the mitzvot without interruption. The decrees of Adonai secure his path. In a spiritual sense, this devotion functions as the antidote to betrayal, the spiritual fragrance that binds Israel to its source. The betrayal of the Master, therefore, appears as an anti-psalm, a mirror in which the absence of devotion manifests as fracture. In the heart of one who has not absorbed the Torah into the depths of his being, the shadow of paradidomi (to hand over,” or “to deliver) emerges.

 

IV. The Prophetic Lament of Yeshayahu and the Divine Wound

 

The Ashlamata from Yeshayahu 63:8–16 and 65:9 reveals the divine side of this fracture. The prophet recalls the declaration that Israel would not deal falsely, yet Israel rebelled and grieved the Divine Presence. This prophetic lament reveals that betrayal is a grief inflicted upon the spiritual world. In Sod, the betrayal of the Master becomes a reenactment of Israel’s primordial rebellion. The one who should stand as a symbol of the convert’s fidelity instead mirrors the nation’s historical breach. The convert from Keriyoth Moab becomes the embodiment of the wound inflicted upon the Presence when loyalty dissolves.

 

V. Betrayal as Metaphysical Disruption and Shevirah

 

The deeper Sodic current reveals that betrayal has a metaphysical architecture rooted in the structure of creation. When the Torah portion teaches Israel to distinguish, to separate, and to elevate, it teaches the soul to move in alignment with the divine order. Betrayal is the undoing of that order, a descent from distinction into confusion, from elevation into collapse, from loyalty into fragmentation. In the language of the Sages, betrayal echoes the primordial shevirah, the shattering of vessels. In the betrayal of the Master, this shattering becomes personal, embodied, historical, and cosmic simultaneously.

 

VI. The Master as the Axis of Unbroken Fidelity

 

The Master stands at the center of this tension as the one who remains faithful even when surrounded by infidelity. His stillness, restraint, and unwavering alignment with G-d render Him the perfect vessel of covenantal integrity. He embodies the ideal Israel portrayed in Tehillim 119, the remnant promised in Yeshayahu 65:9, and the covenantal son envisioned in Devarim. His fidelity becomes the axis around which the entire drama turns. While betrayal fractures, fidelity anchors. The betrayal of Yehudah Ish Keriyoth becomes the backdrop against which the Master’s loyalty glows with unbroken radiance. His silence before false witnesses reveals the Sodic bond between the faithful servant and the will of Adonai.

 

VII. Hakham Tsefet and the Sod of Collapse and Return

 

Hakham Tsefet’s denial deepens this mystery. His threefold renunciation is not merely fear; it reveals that even the strongest vessels in Israel may tremble under the weight of destiny. His weeping restores the prophetic remnant. His tears become the river through which fidelity returns. This dynamic—betrayal, collapse, and return—mirrors the entire history of Israel in the Ashlamata. It becomes the Sodic pattern of exile and redemption. His denial reveals the human condition; his repentance reveals the mercy of Adonai.

 

VIII. Free Will, Descent, and the Necessity of Contrast

 

In a spiritual sense, the betrayal of the Master participates in the cosmic choreography. The Torah portion describes the ascent through obedience; the betrayal introduces the descent that reveals the potency of free will. The possibility of infidelity gives fidelity its radiance. The tension of betrayal unveils the spiritual weight of loyalty. The betrayal becomes the shadow that provides depth for the light of obedience.

 

IX. The Master, the Torah, and the Metaphysical Chain of Fidelity

 

The deeper association between betrayal of the Master and betrayal of Adonai lies in reflection. The Master embodies the Torah. His words, actions, silence, and endurance manifest the commandments. To betray Him is to betray the Torah. To betray the Torah is to betray Adonai. The chain is unbroken. The act of Yehudah Ish Keriyoth becomes a microcosm of spiritual infidelity, revealing the human capacity to reject the Presence while standing within the circle of holiness. In Sod, betrayal arises not from the fringes but from the inner court.

 

X. The Moab Polarity: Descent and Ascent

 

Keriyoth Moab carries its own Sodic resonance. Its association with Moab, the land of ancient judgment, gives the narrative archetypal depth. Ruth ha-Moabiyyah reveals the ascension from Moab into the Davidic line. Yehudah Ish Keriyoth reveals the descent. One becomes the mother of kings; the other becomes the agent through whom the King suffers. The polarity reveals the range of human freedom. The convert may rise above the limitations of origin; the convert may fall beneath them. The spiritual inheritance of Moab becomes the testing ground of fidelity.

 

XI. A Sodic Mirror Held before Israel

 

The betrayal becomes a commentary on the call of Devarim. The Torah portion, therefore, summons Israel to uphold the covenant with undivided loyalty. The convert from Moab is invited into that call yet fails to maintain it. His failure reveals the depth of Torah’s demand and the peril of human desire. In Sod, the betrayal becomes a mirror Israel must continually examine. It exposes the ease with which the heart can fracture under secrecy, greed, fear, or misunderstanding.

 

XII. The Contrast of Yehudah and Hakham Tsefet as Israel’s Dual Faces

 

The presence of Hakham Tsefet alongside Yehudah intensifies this polarity. One betrays; one denies; one returns; the other collapses. Israel manifests both movements. The Torah portion demands holiness; the Psalm models it; the prophet grieves its absence; the Nazarean Codicil reveals its struggle in time. The Master remains the unbroken center around which these movements turn. Betrayal reveals human frailty; fidelity reveals divine steadfastness.

 

XIII. Betrayal as the Gateway to Mercy and Redemption

 

The spiritual implications show that the moment of betrayal becomes a gateway. It allows judgment to arise so that mercy may triumph. The traitorous kiss becomes the descent into the valley where the offering is prepared. The hands that seize the Master become instruments in the sanctified drama. The false witnesses become the world’s confusion; the silence of the Master becomes heaven’s clarity. Every detail participates in the cosmic liturgy.

 

XIV. Restoration, Ascent, and the Remnant Principle

 

The shame of Hakham Tsefet becomes the planting of the remnant promised in Yeshayahu. His denial yields repentance; his repentance yields leadership; his leadership strengthens the brothers. The Torah portion teaches Israel to ascend three times a year to appear before Adonai; Hakham Tsefet ascends through tears and restoration. The spiritual architecture remains consistent.

 

XV. The Sod of Covenant Fidelity Revealed in One Narrative

 

Betrayal and infidelity toward the Master uncover the ancient wound of infidelity toward Adonai. Fidelity toward the Master reveals the corrective path. The tableau becomes the Sod of covenantal loyalty. The Torah portion forms the frame; the psalm forms the inner sanctuary; the prophet reveals divine grief; the Nazarean Codicil manifests the human struggle.

 

XVI. Fidelity as the Radiant Center

 

The shadow of betrayal becomes the canvas upon which fidelity shines. The Master stands radiant within the fracture. His fidelity remains absolute. His soul remains aligned with Adonai. His path remains steady. His silence reveals the most profound truth: covenantal loyalty stands even when surrounded by collapse.

 

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,

 

Next Shabbat: Kislev 16, 5786

 

Shabbat “Shof’tim V’Shot’rim” - “Judges and Officers”

 

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·        Judges – Deuteronomy 16:18-19

·        Justice, justice will you follow – Deuteronomy 16:20

·        Against Idolatrous worship – Deuteronomy 16:21 – 17:7

·        The Supreme Court – Deuteronomy 17:8-13

·        The King – Deuteronomy 17:14-17

·        The King – Deuteronomy 17:14-20

·        Priests and Levites – Deuteronomy 18:1-8

·        Prophets – Deuteronomy 18:9-19

 

Reading Assignment:

 

 

 

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

Edited by HH 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.