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

Three- and 1/2-year Lectionary Readings	First Year of the Triennial Reading Cycle
Nisan 3, 5786 - March 20/21, 2026	Fourth Year of the Shmita Cycle

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Roll of Honor:

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

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Blessings Before Torah Study

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Prayer for Israel

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

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

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

Shabbat: “Tol’dot HaShamayim” – “Generations of the Heavens”

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
תוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֵלֶּה		Saturday Afternoon
“Tol’dot Ha-Shamayim”	Reader 1 – Bereshit 2:4-6	Reader 1 – Bereshit 3:22-24
“Generations of the Heavens”	Reader 2 – Bereshit 2:7-14	Reader 2 – Bereshit 4:1-5
“Orígenes de los Cielos”	Reader 3 – Bereshit 2:15-24	Reader 3 – Bereshit 4:5-7
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:4 – 3:21	Reader 4 – Bereshit 2:25 – 3:7
Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 51:6-16	Reader 5 – Bereshit 3:8-12	Monday and Thursday Mornings
	Reader 6 – Bereshit 3:13-16	Reader 1 – Bereshit 3:22-24
Tehillim (Psalms) 1:1– 6	Reader 7 – Bereshit 3:17-21	Reader 2 – Bereshit 4:1-5
N.C.: Mark 1:3-6; Luke 3:1-9	Maftir – B’midbar 28:9-15	Reader 3 – Bereshit 4:5-7

Contents of Next Week’s Torah Seder

 • Beginnings of the Human Race – Genesis 2:4-7

 • The Garden of Eden – Genesis 2:8-17

 • Creation of Woman – Genesis 2:18-25

 • The Trial of Man’s Freedom – Genesis 3:1-8

 • The Sentence – Genesis 3:9-21

Week’s Reading Assignment:

The Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez By: Rabbi Yaakov Culi Translated by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan Published by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1991)  Vol.1 – Genesis – 1 – (Genesis) Vol.1 pp. 218 - 279

Ramban: Genesis Commentary on the Torah Translated and Annotated by Rabbi Dr. Charles Chavel Published by Shilo Publishing House, Inc. (New York, 1971) {Genesis) pp. 64 - 84

JPS & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Bereshit (Gen.) 2:4 – 3:21

JPS	Targum Pseudo Jonathan
4. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, on the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.	4. These are the geneses of the heavens and earth when they were created in the day that the LORD God made the earth and heavens.
5. Now no tree of the field was yet on the earth, neither did any herb of the field yet grow, because the Lord God had not brought rain upon the earth, and there was no man to work the soil.	5. And all the trees of the field were not as yet in the earth, and all the herbs of the field had not as yet germinated, because the LORD God had not made it to rain upon the earth, and man was not there to cultivate the ground.
6. And a mist ascended from the earth and watered the entire surface of the ground.	6. But a cloud of glory descended from the throne of glory, and was filled with waters from the ocean, and afterward went up from the earth, and gave rain to come down and water all the face of the ground.
7. And the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and He breathed into his nostrils the soul of life, and man became a living soul.	7. And the LORD God created man in two formations; and took dust from the place of the house of the sanctuary, and from the four winds of the world, and mixed from all the waters of the world, and created him red, black, and white; and breathed into his nostrils the inspiration of life, and there was in the body of Adam the inspiration of a speaking spirit, unto the illumination of the eyes and the hearing of the ears. JERUSALEM: And Adam became a soul of life.
8. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden from the east, and He placed there the man whom He had formed.	8. And a garden from the Eden of the just was planted by the Word of the LORD God before the creation of the world, and He made there to dwell the man when He had created him.
9. And the Lord God caused to sprout from the ground every tree pleasant to see and good to eat, and the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil.	9. And the LORD God made to grow from the ground every tree that was desirable to behold and good to eat, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, whose height was a journey of five hundred years, and the tree of whose fruit they who ate would distinguish between good and evil.
10. And a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it separated and became four heads.	10. And a river went forth from Eden, to water the garden, and from thence was separated, and became four heads of rivers (or four chief rivers).
11. The name of one is Pishon; that is the one that encompasses all the land of Havilah, where there is gold.	11. The name of the first is Phishon; that is, it which compasseth all the land of Hindiki, where there is gold.
12. And the gold of that land is good; there is the crystal and the onyx stone.	12. And the gold of that land is choice. There is the bedilcha, and the precious stones of byrils.
13. And the name of the second river is Gihon; that is the one that encompasses all the land of Cush.	13. And the name of the second river is Gichon; that is, it which encompasses all the land of Koosh.
14. And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is the one that flows to the east of Assyria, and the fourth river that is the Euphrates.	14. And the name of the third river is Diglath; that is, it which goes to the east of Athoor. And the fourth river is Pherath.
15. Now the Lord God took the man, and He placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to guard it.	15. And the LORD God took the man from the mountain of worship, where he had been created, and made him dwell in the garden of Eden, to do service in the Law, and to keep its commandments. JERUSALEM: And the Lord God took the man and made him dwell in the Garden of Eden; and set him to do service in the Law, and to keep it.
16. And the Lord God commanded man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.	16. And the LORD God commanded Adam, saying, Of every tree of the garden eating you may eat.
17. But of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it, for on the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die."	17. But of the tree of whose fruit they who eat (become) wise to know between good and evil, you will not eat: for in the day that you eat from it you will be guilty of death.
18. And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man is alone; I shall make him a helpmate opposite him."	18. And the LORD God said, It is not right that Adam should be sleeping alone: I will make unto him a wife who may be a helper before him. JERUSALEM: I will make for him a yoke-fellow, going forth with him.
19. And the Lord God formed from the earth every beast of the field and every fowl of the heavens, and He brought [it] to man to see what he would call it, and whatever the man called each living thing, that was its name.	19. And the LORD God created from the earth every beast of the field, and every fowl of the heavens, and brought them to Adam, to see by what name he would call it. And whatever Adam called the living animal, that was its name.
20. And man named all the cattle and the fowl of the heavens and all the beasts of the field, but for man, he did not find a helpmate opposite him.	20. And Adam called the names of all cattle, and all fowl of the heavens, and all beasts of the field. But for Adam was not found as yet a helper before him. JERUSALEM: And for Adam was not found a yokefellow going forth with him.
21. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon man, and he slept, and He took one of his sides, and He closed the flesh in its place.	21. And the LORD God threw a deep slumber upon Adam, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, it was the thirteenth rib of the right side, and closed it up with flesh.
22. And the Lord God built the side that He had taken from man into a woman, and He brought her to man.	22. And the LORD God built the rib which He had taken from Adam into a woman; and He brought her to Adam.
23. And man said, "This time, it is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one shall be called ishah (woman) because this one was taken from ish (man)."	23. And Adam said, This time, and not again, is woman created from man. Thus, because she is created from me, (she is) bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh. This it is fit to call Woman, because from man she was taken.
24. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.	24. Therefore a man will leave and be separate from the house of the bed of his father and of his mother, and will consociate with his wife, and both of them will be one flesh. JERSALEM: Therefore, a man will leave the house of the bed of his father and his mother.
25. Now they were both naked, the man and his wife, but they were not ashamed.	25. And both of them were wise, Adam and his wife; but they were not faithful (or truthful) in their glory. JERUSALEM: And they knew not what is shame.
3:1. Now the serpent was cunning, more than all the beasts of the field that the Lord God had made, and it said to the woman, "Did God indeed say, 'You shall not eat of any of the trees of the garden?'"	3:1. And the serpent was wiser unto evil than all the beasts of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, Is it truth that the LORD God has said, You will not eat of every tree of the garden?
2. And the woman said to the serpent, "Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat.	2. And the woman said to the serpent, From the rest of the fruits of the trees of the garden we have power to eat;
3. But of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God said, "You shall not eat of it, and you shall not touch it, lest you die.'"	3. but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden the LORD has said, You will not eat of it, nor approach it, lest you die.
4. And the serpent said to the woman, "You will surely not die.	4. In that hour the serpent spoke accusation against his Creator, and said to the woman, Dying you will not die; for every artificer hates the son of his art:
5. For God knows that on the day that you eat thereof, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like angels, knowing good and evil."	5. for it is manifest before the LORD, that in the day that you eat of it, you will be as the great angels, who are wise to know between good and evil.
6. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise; so she took of its fruit, and she ate, and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.	6. And the woman beheld Samael, the angel of death, and was afraid; yet she knew that the tree was good to eat, and that it was medicine for the enlightenment of the eyes, and desirable tree by means of which to understand. And she took of its fruit and did eat; and she gave to her husband with her, and he did eat.
7. And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves and made themselves girdles.	7. And the eyes of both were enlightened, and they knew that they were naked, divested of the purple robe in which they had been created. And they saw the sight of their shame, and sewed to themselves the leaves of figs, and made to them cinctures.
8. And they heard the voice of the Lord God going in the garden to the direction of the sun, and the man and his wife hid from before the Lord God in the midst of the trees of the garden.	8. And they heard the voice of the Word of the LORD God walking in the garden in the repose of the day; and Adam and his wife hid themselves from before the LORD God among the trees of the garden. JERUSALEM: Walking in the garden in the strength of the day...
9. And the Lord God called to man, and He said to him, "Where are you?"	9. And the LORD God called to Adam, and said to him, Is not all the world which I have made manifest before Me; the darkness as the light? And how have you thought in your heart to hide from before Me? The place where you are concealed, do I not see? Where are the commandments that I commanded you? JERUSALEM: And the Word of the LORD God called to Adam, and said to him, Behold, the world which I have created is manifest before Me; and how think you that the place in the midst whereof you are, is not revealed before Me? Where is the commandment that I taught you?
10. And he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I am naked; so, I hid."	10. And he said, The voice of Your Word heard I in the garden, and I was afraid, because I am naked; and the commandment which You did teach me, I have transgressed; therefore, I hid myself from shame.
11. And He said, "Who told you that you are naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"	11. And He said, Who showed you that you are naked? Unless you have eaten of the fruit of the tree of which I commanded that you should not eat.
12. And the man said, "The woman whom You gave [to be] with me she gave me of the tree; so, I ate."	12. And Adam said, The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the fruit of the tree, and I did eat.
13. And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent enticed me, and I ate."	13. And the LORD God said to the woman, What have you done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me with his subtlety, and deceived me with his wickedness, and I ate.
14. And the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed be you more than all the cattle and more than all the beasts of the field; you shall walk on your belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.	14. And the LORD God brought the three unto judgment; and He said to the serpent, Because you have done this, cursed are you of all the cattle, and of all the beasts of the field: upon your belly you will go, and your feet will be cut off, and your skin you will cast away once in seven years; and the poison of death will be in your mouth, and dust will you eat all the days of your life.
15. And I shall place hatred between you and between the woman, and between your seed and between her seed. He will crush your head, and you will bite his heel."	15. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between the seed of your son, and the seed of her sons; and it will be when the sons of the woman keep the Commandments of the Law, they will be prepared to smite you upon thy head; but when they forsake the Commandments of the Law, you will be ready to wound them in their heel. Nevertheless, for them there will be a medicine, but for you there will be no medicine; and they will make a remedy for the heel in the days of the King Messiah. JERUSALEM: And it will be when the sons of the woman consider the Law, and perform (its) instructions, they will be prepared to smite you on thy head to kill you; and when the sons of the woman forsake the commandment of the Law, and perform not (its) instructions, you will be ready to wound them in their heel and hurt them. Nevertheless, there will be a medicine for the sons of the woman, but for you, serpent, there will be no medicine: but it is to be that for these there will be a remedy for the heel in the days of the king Messiah.
16. To the woman He said, "I shall surely increase your sorrow and your pregnancy; in pain you shall bear children. And to your husband will be your desire, and he will rule over you."	16. Unto the woman He said, Multiplying, I will multiply your affliction by the blood of your virginity, and by thy conception; in sorrow will you bear children, and to your husband will be your desire, and he will have rule over you unto righteousness/generosity or unto sin.
17. And to man He said, "Because you listened to your wife, and you ate from the tree from which I commanded you saying, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed be the ground for your sake; with toil shall you eat of it all the days of your life.	17. But to Adam he said, Because you have hearkened to the word of your wife, and have eaten of the fruit of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You will not eat of it, accursed is the ground, in that it did not show you your guilt; in labour will you eat (of) it all the days of thy life.
18. And it will cause thorns and thistles to grow for you, and you shall eat the herbs of the field.	18. And thorns and thistles will it put forth and increase on account of you, and you will eat the herb which is on the face of the field. And Adam answered: I pray, through mercies from before You, O LORD, that we may not be accounted as the cattle, to eat the herb of the face of the field. Let us stand up, and labour with the labour of the hands, and eat food of the food of the earth; and thus, let there be distinction before You, between the children of men and the offspring of cattle. JERUSALEM: And thorns and dardareen will it increase to you; and you will eat the herb which is on the face of the field. Adam answered and said, I pray, through mercies from before You, O LORD, that we are not accounted before You as the cattle, to eat the herb which is on the face of the field. Let us now stand up, and labor with the labor of the hands, and eat food of the fruits of the earth; and in these things let there be distinction before You between the children of men and the cattle.
19. With the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, for you were taken therefrom, for dust you are, and to dust you will return."	19. By the labour of your hands you will eat food, until you turn again to the dust from which you were created: for dust you are, and unto dust you will return; for from the dust, it is to be that you are to arise, to render judgment and reckoning for all that you have done, in the day of the great judgment.
20. And the man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all life.	20. And Adam called the name of his wife Hava, because she is the mother of all the children of men.
21. And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife shirts of skin, and He dressed them.	21. And the LORD God made to Adam and to his wife vestures of honour from the skin of the serpent, which He had cast from him, upon the skin of their flesh, instead of that adornment which had been cast away; and He clothed them.

Rashi’s Commentary for: Bereshit (Genesis) 2:4 – 3:21

4 These mentioned above.

when they were created, on the day that the Lord...made This teaches you that they were all created on the first day (Gen. Rabbah 12:4). Another explanation of the word בְּהִבָּרְאָם He created them with the letter “hey,” as it is written (Isa. 26:4): “for in Yah (יָה) , the Lord, is the Rock of eternity.” With these two letters [“yud” and “hey”] of the Name, He fashioned two worlds, and it teaches you here that this world was created with a “hey” (Men. 29b). (Other editions: It intimates that just as the “hey” is open at the bottom, so is the world open for the repentant. The World to Come was created with a “yud,” to tell you that the righteous/generous at that [future] time, will be few as a “yud,” which is the smallest of the letters.) This intimates that the wicked will descend below to see the netherworld, like the [letter] “hey,” which is closed on all sides and open at the bottom, for them [the wicked] to descend through there. - [from Gen. Rabbah 12:10]

5 was yet on the earth Every טֶרֶם in Scripture has the meaning of “not yet,” and it does not mean “before,” and it cannot be made into a verb form, to say הִטְרִים, as one says הִקְדִּים This verse proves this, as well as another verse (Exod. 9:30): “ כִּי טֶרֶם תִּירְאוּן , You will not yet fear.” This verse too should be explained to mean that [no tree] was yet on the earth (Targum Onkelos). When the creation of the world was completed on the sixth day, before man was created, no herb of the field had yet grown. And on the third [day], where it is written: “Let the earth bring forth,” they [the plants] had not yet emerged, but they stood at the entrance of the ground until the sixth day. And why? Because He had not caused it to rain, because there was no man to work the soil, and no one recognized the benefit of rain, but when man came and understood that they were essential to the world, he prayed for them, and they fell, and the trees and the herbs sprouted. - [from Chul. 60b]

the Lord God - יהוה is His name. אֱלֹהִים [means] that He is the Ruler and Judge over the entire world, and so is this defined everywhere according to its simple meaning: the Lord (אֱלֹהִים) , Who is Ruler and Judge (יהוה) .

6 And a mist ascended Concerning the creation of man, He brought up the [waters of the] deep and watered the clouds to soak the earth, and man was created; like the baker, who puts water [into the flour] and afterwards kneads the dough. Here too, “He watered,” and afterwards, “He formed” [man]. - [from Exod. Rabbah 30:113; Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 5]

7 formed [ וַיִּיצֶר , with two “yuds,” hints at] two creations, a creation for this world and a creation for the [time of the] resurrection of the dead, but in connection with the animals, which do not stand in judgment, two “yuds” are not written in [the word וַיִּצֶר describing their creation. - [from Tan. Tazria 1]

dust from the ground He gathered dust from the entire earth, from the four directions, so that wherever he [man] would die, it [the earth] would accept him for burial (Tan. Pekudei 3). Another explanation: He took his dust from the place of which it is said (Exod. 20: 24): “You shall make Me an altar of earth.” If only it would be an atonement for him, so that he might endure! (Gen. Rabbah 14:8)

and He breathed into his nostrils He made him of earthly matter and of heavenly matter: the body of earthly matter the soul of heavenly matter. Because on the first day, heaven and earth were created. On the second day, He created the firmament for the heavenly beings; on the third day [He commanded], “and let the dry land appear,” for the earthly beings; on the fourth day, He created luminaries for the heavenly beings; on the fifth day, [He commanded], “Let the waters swarm,” for the earthly beings; on the sixth day, it became necessary to create for both the heavenly and the earthly beings, for if not, there would be jealousy in the Creation, for these would exceed those by the creation of one day.-[from Gen. Rabbah 12:8]

a living soul Cattle and beasts were also called living souls, but this one of man is the most alive of them all, because he was additionally given intelligence and speech.

8 from the east Heb. מִקֶּדֶם . In the east of Eden, He planted the garden (Midrash Konen). Now if you ask: It has already been stated (above 1:27): “And He created man, etc.!” I saw in the Baraitha of Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Jose the Galilean concerning the thirty-two principles by which the Torah is expounded, and this is one of them [method 13]: A general statement followed by a specific act, the latter constitutes a specific [clarification] of the first [general statement]. “And He created man.” This is a general statement. It left obscure whence he was created, and it left His deeds obscure [i.e., how God created man]. The text repeats and explains: “And the Lord God formed, etc.,” and He made the Garden of Eden grow for him, and He placed him in the Garden of Eden, and He caused a deep sleep to fall upon him. The listener may think that this is another story, but it is only the detailed account of the former. Likewise, in the case of the animal, Scripture repeats and writes (below verse 19): “And the Lord God formed from the ground all the beasts of the field,” in order to explain, “and He brought [them] to man” to name them, and to teach about the fowl, that they were created from the mud.

9 And... caused to sprout Scripture speaks about the Garden. - [from Gen. Rabbah 13:1]

in the midst of the garden i.e., in the middle of the Garden. - [from Targumim]

11 Pishon This is the Nile, the river of Egypt, and because its waters are blessed, and they rise and water the land, it is called Pishon, like (Hab. 1:8): “and their riders shall increase (וּפָשׁוּ) .” (Unknown midrash, quoted by Zeror Hamor, below 41:1, Letters of Rabbi Akiva). Another explanation: [It is called] Pishon because it causes flax (פִשְׁתָן) to grow, as is stated in reference to Egypt (Isa. 19:9): “And those who work at flax (פִּשְׁתִּים) …shall be ashamed” (Gen. Rabbah 16:2).

13 Gihon [It is named thus because] it flowed and roared, and its roaring was very great, like (Exod. 21:28): “If an [ox] gore (יִגַח) ,” for he gores and goes along and roars.

14 Tigris Heb. חִדֶּקֶל , [thus called] because its waters are sharp (חַד) and light (קַל) . - [from Ber. 59b.]

Euphrates Heb. פְרָת [thus called] because its waters are fruitful (פָרִין) and increase abundantly and make people healthy (Bech. 55b, Keth. 77b).

Cush and Assyria These did not exist as yet, and Scripture wrote [their names] based on [the fact that they will exist in] the future. - [from Keth. 10b]

to the east of Assyria Heb. קִדְמַת To the east of Assyria. - [from Targum Onkelos]

that is the Euphrates The most important of all [the rivers] (Gen. Rabbah 16:3), [because it is] mentioned in conjunction with the Land of Israel (Shev. 47b).

15 took He took him with pleasant words and enticed him to enter. -[Gen. Rabbah 16:5]

18 It is not good, etc. - [Gen. Rabbah] Lest they [people] say, “There are two dominions: the Holy One, blessed be He, is alone among the heavenly beings, and He has no mate, and this one [man] among the earthly creatures, has no mate.”

a helpmate opposite him If he is worthy, she will be a helpmate. If he is not worthy, she will be against him, to fight him. - [from Gen. Rabbah 17:3, Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 12. See also Yev. 63a]

19 And God formed from the earth This “forming” is identical with the “making” mentioned above (1:25): “And God made the beasts of the earth, etc.” But it comes here to explain that the fowl were created from the mud, because it stated above that they were created from the water, and here it states that they were created from the earth (Chul. 27b). It also teaches you here that at the time of their forming, immediately on that day, He brought them to man to name them (Avoth d’Rabbi Nathan, ch. 1). And in the words of the Aggadah [Gen. Rabbah 17:4], this יְצִירה has the meaning of domination and conquest, like (Deut. 20:19): “When you besiege (תָצוּר) a city,” meaning that He subjugated them under man’s dominion.

and whatever the man called each living thing. Transpose it and explain it: Every living creature to which man would give a name-that was to be its name forever.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall - [Gen. Rabbah 17:4] When He brought them [the animals], He brought before him of every species, male and female. He (Adam) said, “Everyone has a mate, but I have no mate.” Immediately, “And God caused to fall.”

of his sides Heb. מִצַּלְעֽתיו, of his sides, like (Exod. 25:20): “And for the side (וּלְצֶלַע) of the Tabernacle.” This coincides with what they [the Rabbis] said: They were created with two faces. - [from Gen. Rabbah 8:1] See also Eruvin 18a, Ber. 61a.

and He closed the place of the incision. - [from Ber. 61a, Eruv. 18a]

and he slept, and He took So that he should not see the piece of flesh from which she was created, lest she be repulsive to him. - [from Sanh. 39a]

22 [And He] built [He made her] like a building, broad at the bottom and narrow at the top, so that she can carry a fetus, like a storehouse of wheat, which is broad at the bottom and narrow on top, so that its burden should not weigh on its walls. - [from Ber. 61a, Eruv. 18a]

[And He] built the side...into a woman lit. to a woman, to become a woman, like (Jud. 8:27): “and Gideon made it into an ephod,” to be an ephod.

23 This time This teaches us that Adam came to all the animals and the beasts [in search of a mate], but he was not satisfied until he found Eve. - [from Yev. 63a]

This one shall be called ishah because, from ish One expression coincides with the other [i.e., the words אִישׁ and words אִשָּׁה have the same root]. From here is derived that the world was created with the Holy Tongue. -[from Gen. Rabbah 18:4]

24 Therefore, a man shall leave The Divine Spirit says this, to prohibit forbidden unions to the Noahides. - [from Sanh. 58a] one flesh The fetus is formed by them both, and there [in the child] their flesh becomes one. - [from Sanh. 58a]

25 but they were not ashamed for they did not know the way of modesty, to distinguish between good and evil (Gen. Rabbah) (Targum Yerushalmi), and even though knowledge was granted him to call [all the creatures] names, he was not imbued with the evil inclination until he ate of the tree, and the evil inclination entered into him, and he knew the difference between good and evil (Gen. Rabbah) (Zohar, vol. 1, 36b; Mid. Tadshei 7).

Chapter 3

1 Now the serpent was cunning What is the connection of this matter here? Scripture should have juxtaposed (below verse 21): “And He made for Adam and for his wife shirts of skin, and He dressed them.” But it teaches you as a result of what plan the serpent thrust himself upon them. He saw them naked and engaging in intercourse before everyone’s eyes, and he desired her. - [from Gen. Rabbah 18:6]

cunning, more than all Commensurate with its cunning and its greatness, was its downfall-[it was] cunning, more than all, [and it was] cursed, more than all. - [from Gen. Rabbah 19:1]

Did...indeed say, etc. Did He say to you, “You shall not eat of any, etc.?” Even though he saw them eating of the other fruits, he spoke to her at length in order that she answer him and come to speak of that tree. - [from Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ed. Horowitz, ch. 13; Avoth d’Rabbi Nathan, ch. 1]

3 and you shall not touch it She added to the command; therefore, she came to diminish it. That is what is stated (Prov. 30:6): “Do not add to His words.”- [from Sanh. 29a]

4 You will surely not die He pushed her until she touched it. He said to her, “Just as there is no death in touching, so is there no death in eating” (Gen. Rabbah 19:3).

5 For God knows Every craftsman hates his fellow craftsmen. He [God] ate of the tree and created the world (Gen. Rabbah 19:4).

and you will be like angels Creators of worlds. - [from Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 13]

6 And the woman saw She understood the words of the serpent and they appealed to her; so she believed him (Gen. Rabbah 19:4).

that the tree was good to [cause them to] be like angels.

and that it was a delight to the eyes As he had said to her, “and your eyes will be opened.”

and that the tree was desirable to make one wise As he said to her, “knowing good and evil.”

and she gave also to her husband lest she die, and he live and marry someone else. - [from Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 13] also to include the cattle and beasts - [from Gen. Rabbah 19:5].

7 And... were opened Scripture is referring to wisdom, and not to actual vision, and the end of the verse proves this. - [from Gen. Rabbah 19:7]

and they knew that they were naked Even a blind man knows when he is naked! What then is the meaning of “and they knew that they were naked”? They had one commandment in their possession, and they became denuded of it.

fig leaves That is the tree of which they had eaten. With that which they had sinned, they were rectified, but the other trees prevented them from taking their leaves. - [from Ber. 40a, Sanh. 70b] Now why was the tree not identified? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, does not wish to grieve any creature, so that [others] should not put it to shame and say, “This is [the tree] because of which the world suffered.” (Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma, Vayera 14, Buber 32).

8 And they heard-There are many Aggadic midrashim, and our Sages already arranged them in their proper order in Genesis Rabbah and in other midrashim, but I have come only [to teach] the simple meaning of the Scripture and such Aggadah that clarifies the words of the verses, each word in its proper way.

And they heard What did they hear? They heard the voice of the Holy One, blessed be He, which was going in the garden. - [from Gen. Rabbah 19:7]

to the direction of the sun To that direction in which the sun sets, and this is the west, for toward evening, the sun is in the west, and they sinned in the tenth [hour]. - [from Gen. Rabbah 19:8, Sanh. 38b]

9 Where are you He knew where he was, but [He asked him this] in order to enter into conversation with him, lest he be frightened to answer if He should punish him suddenly (Tanchuma Tazria 9). So, with Cain, He said to him (below 4:9): “Where is your brother Abel?” And so, with Balaam (Num. 22:9): “Who are these men with you?” for the purpose of entering a conversation with them, and so with Hezekiah, in regard to the emissaries of Merodach Baladan (Isa. 39:3) (Gen. Rabbah 19:11).

11 Who told you From where do you know what shame there is in standing naked?

from the tree? Heb. הֲמִן. This is in the interrogative sense.

12 whom You gave [to be] with me Here he [Adam] showed his ingratitude. -[from Avodah Zarah 5b]

13 enticed me Heb. הִשִׁיאַַנִי deceived me, like (II Chron. 32:15): “Let Hezekiah not deceive (יַשִּׁיא) you.”-[from Gen. Rabbah 19:2]

14 Because you have done this From here [we learn] that we may not intercede in favor of one who entices people [to idolatry], for had He asked him, “Why did you do this?” he could have answered, “The words of the master and the words of the pupil-whose words do we obey?” [i.e., Adam and Eve should have obeyed God rather than the serpent!] - [from Sanh. 29a]

more than all the cattle and more than all the beasts of the field If he was cursed more than the cattle [whose gestation period is long], he was surely cursed more than the beasts [whose gestation period is comparatively shorter]. Our Rabbis established this midrash in Tractate Bechoroth (8a) to teach that the gestation period of a serpent is seven years.

you shall walk on your belly It had legs, but they were cut off. - [from Gen. Rabbah 20:5]

15 And I shall place hatred You intended that the man should die when he would eat first, and you would marry Eve, and you came to Eve first only because women are easily enticed, and they know how to entice their husbands. Therefore, “I shall place hatred.”

He will crush your head יְשׁוּפְךָ רֽאשׁ lit. he will crush you the head. He will crush you, like (Deut. 9:21): “And I crushed it,” which is translated by the Targum as וְשָׁפִית יָתֵיהּ

and you will bite his heel Heb. שׁוּפֶנוּ. You will not stand upright, and you will bite him on the heel, and even from there you will kill him. The expression תְשׁוּפֶנוּ is like (Isa. 40:24): “He blew (נָשַׁף) on them.” When a snake comes to bite, it blows with a sort of hiss, and since the two expressions coincide [i.e., they sound alike], Scripture used the expression of נְשִׁיפָה in both of cases.

16 your sorrow This refers to the pain of child rearing. - [from Eruv. 109b]

and your pregnancy This refers to the pain of pregnancy. - [from above source]

in pain you shall bear children This refers to the pain of childbirth. - [from Gen. Rabbah 20:6]

And to your husband will be your desire for intimacy, but, nevertheless, you will not have the audacity to demand it of him with your mouth, but he will rule over you. Everything is from him and not from you. - [from Eruv. ad loc.]

your desire Heb. תְּשׁוּקָתֵךְ, your desire, like: (Ps. 107:9): “a yearning (שׁוֹקֵקָה) soul.”- [after Targum Onkelos]

17 cursed be the ground for your sake It will bring up cursed things for you, such as flies, fleas, and ants. This can be compared to one who falls into evil ways, and people curse the breasts from which he suckled. - [from Gen. Rabbah 20:8]

18 And it will cause thorns and thistles to grow for you The earth—when you sow it with various species of seeds—will sprout thorns and thistles, artichokes, and cardoons, which are edible only after preparation. - [from Gen. Rabbah 20:10. See also Beizah 34a]

“and you shall eat the herbs of the field” Now what [kind of] curse is this? Was it not said to him in the blessing (above 1:29): “Behold I have given you every seed-bearing herb, etc? But what is stated here [refers to] the beginning of the section: “Cursed be the ground for your sake; with toil shall you eat of it,” and after the toil, “And it will cause thorns and thistles to grow for you.” When you sow it with legumes or garden vegetables, it will cause thorns and thistles and other grasses of the field, to grow for you, and you shall have no choice but to eat them.

19 With the sweat of your face After you toil with it very much. - [Mid. Tadshei, Otzar Midrashim]

And the man named Scripture returns to its previous topic (2:20): “And the man named,” and it interrupted only to teach you that through the giving of names, Eve was mated to him, as it is written (above 2:20): “but for man, he did not find a helpmate opposite him.” Therefore, (ibid. 21): “And He caused a deep sleep to fall,” and since Scripture wrote, (ibid. 24): “And they were naked,” it juxtaposed the section of the serpent, to let you know that because he saw her naked and saw them engaging in intercourse, he desired her and came upon them with a design and with guile.

Eve Heb. חַוָּה . This coincides with the expression of חַיָה, living, because she gives life to her offspring, as you say, (Ecc. 2: 22): “For what does a man have (הֽוֶה) ?” with the expression “being” (הֽוֶה) . [i.e., The “vav” and the “yud” are interchangeable.]

21 shirts of skin Some Aggadic works say that they were as smooth as fingernails, fastened over their skin (Gen. Rabbah 20:12), and others say that they were a material that comes from the skin, like the wool of rabbits, which is soft and warm, and He made them shirts from it (Gen. Rabbah ad loc., Sotah 14a).

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 1:1-6

Rashi’s Translation	Targum
1. The praises of a man are that he did not follow the counsel of the wicked, neither did he stand in the way of sinners nor sit in the company of scorners.	1. Happy the man who has not walked in the council of the wicked, or stood in the paths of sinners, or taken a seat in the band of mockers.
2. But his desire is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.	2. Instead his pleasure is in the Law of the LORD, and in his Torah he meditates day and night.
3. He shall be as a tree planted beside rivulets of water, which brings forth its fruit in its season, and its leaves do not wilt; and whatever he does prosper.	3. And he will be like a living tree planted by streams of water, whose fruit ripens in due course, and its leaves do not fall, and all its branches that grow ripen and flourish.
4. Not so the wicked, but [they are] like chaff that the wind drives away.	4. Not so the wicked; instead, they are like the chaff that the storm-wind will drive.
5. Therefore, the wicked shall not stand up in judgment, nor shall the sinners in the congregation of the righteous.	5. Therefore the wicked will not be acquitted in the great day, nor sinners in the band of the righteous/generous,
6. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.	6. Because the path of the righteous/generous is manifest in the LORD's presence, but the paths of the wicked will perish.

Rashi’s Commentary on Tehillim (Psalms) 1:1-6

1 The praises of a man This book was composed with ten expressions of song: 1) with conducting, 2) with melody, 3) with musical accompaniment, 4) with song, 5) with praise, 6) with prayer, 7) with blessing, 8) with thanksgiving, 9) with praises, and 10) with “Praise God.” These correspond to the ten men who composed them: 1) Adam, 2) Malchizedek, 3) Abraham, 4) Moses, 5) David, 6) Solomon, 7) Asaph, and 8-10) the three sons of Korah. Concerning Jeduthun, there is a dispute. Some say that Jeduthun was a man, as is written in Chronicles. Others maintain that Jeduthun mentioned in this Book means nothing else but the ordinances (דתות) and laws of the decrees that were passed over him and over Israel.

The praises of a man Heb. אשרי les felicements(?) in Old French. The praises of a man, and these are the praises of a man: that he did not follow, because since he did not follow, he did not stand, and since he did not stand, he did not sit.

scorners (Old French, gabors.)

2 But his desire is in the law of the Lord Hence you learn that the company of scorners brings one to neglect the study of Torah.

and in his law he meditates In the beginning, it is called the law of the Lord, and after he has toiled to master it, it is called his own Torah.

he meditates Heb. יהגה . Every expression of הגה refers to the heart, as you say (below 19:15): “and the meditation (והגיון) of my heart”; (Isa. 33:18), “Your heart shall meditate (יהגה) in fear”; (Prov. 24:2), “For their heart thinks (יהגה) of plunder.”

3 planted Heb. שתול , plonte in Old French (plante).

rivulets ruyseys in Old French, (ruisseaux), brooks (as in Ezek. 32:6).

and its leaves do not wilt Even the inferior part of it serves a purpose. The conversation of Torah scholars is essential and requires study.

do not wilt Heb. יבול , an expression of wilting, fleistre in Old French.

4 like chaff An expression of straw, come bale in Old French (comme paille), like straw.

5 Therefore, etc. This refers to the verse following it.

6 For the Lord knows the way, etc. Because He knows the way of the righteous, and it is before Him to recognize it constantly; the way of the wicked is hateful to Him, and He removes it from before Him. Therefore, the foot of the wicked will not stand up on the day of judgment, neither shall the sinners be written in the congregation of the righteous.

Meditation from the Psalms

Tehillim (Psalms) 1:1-6

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Psalms chapter 1: Moses presented Israel with the Five Books of the Torah and David presented Israel with the Five Books of Psalms. Moses concluded the Torah with the blessing, ‘How praiseworthy are you, Israel, who can compare to you?’[1] David began his psalms with Moses’ concluding expression, ‘The praises of man’.[2]

“As Moses gave five books of Torah to Israel, so David gave five books of Psalms to Israel,

The Book of Psalms entitled Blessed is the man                Ps. 1

the Book entitled For the leader: Maschil                         Ps. 42

the Book, A Psalm of Asaph                                               Ps. 73

the book, A prayer of Moses                                              Ps. 90

the Book, Let the redeemed of HaShem say                     Ps. 107

G-d created man with this one purpose in mind, that he should enjoy great fortune in this world and the next.[3]

Man need not search far for his fortune; he was created as a model of perfection with the basic components for excellence within himself. For this reason, Mesilat Yesharim[4] observes that the prime duty of man is to protect his inherent goodness from external forces which seek to corrupt it. This is known as ‘watchfulness’. David emphasized this truth by beginning his formula of fortune with a warning to avoid the wicked and the sinners.[5]

The next step on the ‘Path of the upright’ is ‘zeal’ i.e. the performance of G-d’s commandments with fiery passion and enthusiasm. David stresses this in the second verse of this psalm: ‘But his desire is in the Torah of HaShem, and in his Torah he, meditates day and night’.

Finally, the Psalmist assures the person who follows these guidelines that he will surely flourish forever.[6]

The book of Psalms is divided into five sections, known as the five books of Tehillim. According to our liturgical traditions, this corresponds to the five books of the Torah (the “first book”). The five books of the Torah, are the word of G-d which was sent from above and reached down to mankind. Tehillim, Psalms, is the human response to the Creator.

Interesting facts:

Today, a standard edition of Sefer Tehillim has 150 chapters, but Masechet Sofrim (16:11), among other sources, says there are only 147, corresponding to the years of the life of Yaakov Avinu.

Psalm 1 is connected with Adam and contains three verses of the following pericope, viz., Gen. 2.17, 51.16 and 3.3.

Nisan contains the vernal equinox.[7] The 2026 vernal equinox (Tekufah of Nisan is on Nisan 3) occurs on this Shabbat, March 20 at 10:46 a.m. EST,

* * *

G-d created man with this one purpose in mind, that he should enjoy great fortune in this world and the next.[8]

Man need not search far for his fortune; he was created as a model of perfection with the basic components for excellence within himself. For this reason, Mesilat Yesharim[9] observes that the prime duty of man is to protect his inherent goodness from external forces which seek to corrupt it. This is known as ‘watchfulness’. David emphasized this truth by beginning his formula of fortune with a warning to avoid the wicked and the sinners.[10]

The next step on the ‘Path of the upright’ is ‘zeal’ i.e. the performance of G-d’s commandments with fiery passion and enthusiasm. David stresses this in the second verse of this psalm: ‘But his desire is in the Torah of HaShem, and in his Torah he, meditates day and night’.

Finally, the Psalmist assures the person who follows these guidelines that he will surely flourish forever.[11]

Psalms one and two are treated as a single composition.

Berachoth 9b Seeing that this verse, ‘Let the words of my mouth be acceptable etc.’ is suitable for recital either at the end or the beginning [of the tefillah], why did the Rabbis institute it at the end of the eighteen benedictions? Let it be recited at the beginning? — R. Judah the son of R. Simeon b. Pazzi said: Since David said it only after eighteen chapters [of the Psalms],[12] the Rabbis too enacted that it should be said after eighteen blessings. But those eighteen Psalms are really nineteen? — ‘Happy is the man’ and ‘Why are the nations in an uproar’[13] form one chapter.

When King David, the author of Psalms one and two, wanted to show that a composition was particularly dear to him, he opened and concluded it with “happy - Ashre – אשרי”. This teaches us that the beginning of the psalms was very dear To King David, at his coronation (as we shall see), and to the beginning of Adam in our Torah portion.

Berachoth 10a Every chapter that was particularly dear to David he commenced with ‘Happy’ and terminated with ‘Happy’.[14] He began with ‘Happy’, as it is written, ‘Happy is the man’, and he terminated with ‘Happy’, as it is written, ‘happy are all they that take refuge in Him’.[15]

Although our Sages taught that these two psalms describe messianic times, Rashi and Radak suggest that the simple reading of the text lends itself more readily to the events of David’s own career, specifically the time immediately following his coronation, where we read:

2 Shmuel (Samuel) 5:17 But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold.

Just as our psalms relate directly to our Torah portion, so also do they hint to the book following Devarim. This suggests that that we are looking both backwards and forwards with these psalms. They hint to Joshua through the following pasuk:[16]

Yehoshua (Joshua) 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Now compare that with:

Tehillim (Psalm) 1:2 But his delight is in the law of HaShem; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Since Rashi indicates that our chapter of Psalms are connected to the Plishtim (Philistines),[17] I would like to look a bit deeper at the Plishtim from a remez or drashic perspective. In other words, I am going to look at the ancient Plishtim to understand the modern-day Palestinians. This will NOT be a Pshat or literal perspective. For example, the Nazis during World War II acted and displayed the actions of the ancient Amalekites. In the same way I am going to view the Palestinians as Plishtim because their actions mirror each other.

There are a few things that the Plishtim and the Palestinians[18] have in common that beg for us to equate these two peoples:[19]

1. They both inhabited the area around modern-day Gaza[20] – on the south Mediterranean coast of Eretz Israel.

2. They both called themselves Palestinians.[21]

3. They share many of the same behavior patterns.

4. They constantly challenge(d) Israel’s claim to the land, and who were ever in a state of conflict with them, precisely as is the case, today.

5. Both were / are invaders from other lands! To convince Saul to let him fight Goliath, David the shepherd related that he had killed a lion and a bear that threatened his flock.[22] The relevance of this tale in connection with Goliath was that like the lion and the bear, neither Goliath nor the Palestinians belong here.

6. Plishtim were / are the only nation with whom Abraham and Isaac negotiated a peace treaty, but they are also the only nation with whom there was constant enmity. This is eerily similar to modern Palestinians.

7. The Plishtim / Palestinians are not seeking victory! Throughout history, their aim was simply to thwart the rule and sovereignty of Israel. They want to wear them down.

8. Both are bands of marauders who could / can not tolerate the fact of Jewish settlements.

9. David asks: “What shall be done to the man that kills this Philistine, and takes away the taunt from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should have taunted the armies of the living G-d?” In David’s eyes Goliath is the representative of the uncircumcised because he has taunted and shamed the armies of the living G-d. He is a Philistine; whose forefathers came forth from there - once again the theme repeats itself!

10. The Plishtim / Palestinians consistently deny the existence of the G-d of Israel - yet He exists!

Clearly HaShem is calling our attention to the coincidence with the current conflict and begging us to pay attention. So, this study is an attempt to “pay attention”.

Let’s start with a question: Who were the Plishtim,[23] the Philistines,[24] where did they come from? Says the Torah:

Bereshit 10:13-14 Mitzrayim fathered Ludim, Anomim, Lehavim, Naftuchim, Pasrusim, Kasluchim, from which came the Pelishtim and the Kaftorim.[25]

Rashi[26] to Bereshit 1:13-14: PASRUCHIM, KASLUCHIM, FROM WHICH CAME THE PLISHTIM: From the two of them, since the Pasrusim and the Kasluchim used to trade wives with each other and from this came the Plishtim.[27]

In other words, the Plishtim were not from pure stock, but, were the result of an adulterous relationship.[28] This affects the spiritual reality of a people, especially when seen in Bereshit at the beginning, and, might explain why they were such an antagonist in Jewish history.

The special nature of the Philistines is made evident for Rabbi Zvi Tau by the genealogy listed in Bereshit 10. In verses 13 and 14, the Hebrew text sets the Philistines apart: “And Mitzrayim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, and Pathrusim, and Casluhim, out of whom came Pelishtim, and Caphtorim.” “Out of whom came” is a unique parenthetical wording within the long litany of nations, and clearly indicates, according to Rabbi Zvi Tau, that the Pelishtim, the Philistines, were not intended to be “a legal member” in the family of nations. Indeed, he declares, they “were not meant to be, there is no place for them from the outset”. He buttresses his view with an ancient Midrash, cited by Rashi, claiming that the Philistine nation was born out of illegitimate wife-swapping between the Pathrusim and Casluhim.

Rabbi Zvi Tau emphasizes that “Philistine nationhood has no self-contained moral, historical or ideal content in and by itself”. Apart from their supporting role in the founding of a new Kingdom of Israel, “they do not have ideals, a purpose, or a foundation”. That this is true of the Palestinians in our own time is crystal-clear to Rabbi Tau, who finds convenient analogies between their behavior and that of their Philistine forbearers. In the Tanach, the Philistines gloated over the plight of the blinded Samson, betrayed by Delilah: “As their spirits rose, they said, ‘Call Samson here and let him dance for us.’ Samson was fetched from the prison, and he danced for them”.[29] So too, says Rabbi Tau, when an enemy rocket lands on Israel, the Palestinians “mount the rooftops and rejoice, since this is the inner essence of their whole national organization”. Later in the Tanach, when “David’s kingdom reaches Jerusalem, Philistines are at the height of their military success and the height of their strength,” and indeed today, when “the People of Israel return to their land, [and] the State of Israel has been founded at the end of Days, there are Philistines, too”.

Plishtim (etymologically, geographically, and symbolically similar to the Palestinians) in Gerar (Gaza area)

It is also interesting that, after so many years, millennia, in fact, and, at this very late time in Jewish history, that the Jewish people should once again be hounded by the Plishtim. Well, they call themselves “Palestinians,” which, in itself is bizarre considering that it was a name originally applied to non-Arab Israel decades ago. However, the name is very much like “Plishtim”, and, they base themselves in what was once called “Gerar”, but is now called “Gaza.” They certainly are intent on being a thorn in the side of the Jewish nation.[30]

The Plishtim personified over-indulgence in the sensuality of this world. This is alluded to by their name, which is derived from the root pei-lamed-shin, meaning “breaking through” or “overdoing it”.

In Yitzchak’s Time.

Virtually the Torah’s entire discussion of Yitzchak is contained in Parshat Toldot. This is the account of his experiences in the Land of the Plishtim.[31]

Rav Ovadia Sforno’s comments provide an insight that may answer this question. He asks: What was the source of the Plishtim’s jealousy? He explains that the Pelishtim observed that Yitzchak’s agricultural efforts were remarkably successful and their own were correspondingly fruitless.[32]

It is not difficult to identify the message that this phenomenon communicated to the Plishtim: The land responded with abundance to the efforts of Yitzchak and rejected their efforts. This phenomenon communicated an affinity between Yitzchak and the Land of Canaan. It also communicated that the land responded to them as aliens and usurpers. In other words, not only was it clear to the Pelishtim that Yitzchak enjoyed HaShem’s providence, but it was also clear that Yitzchak had a special relationship with the land they regarded as their own!

We can now understand their response of destroying Avraham’s wells and chasing Yitzchak away. These wells represented an inter-generational connection to the land.[33] Before Yitzchak, Avraham had also achieved great success in this land. The wells were a reminder of this inter-generational relationship to the land and the special connection that Avraham and Yitzchak had with the land. The Pelishtim wanted to deny this relationship and destroy any memorial of it. The wells had to be destroyed and it was imperative to drive Yitzchak away. In other words, the Pelishtim were willing to sacrifice their own welfare for a cause that they believed was more important than their immediate well-being. They felt that their claim to the land was at stake. They were determined to undermine and erase any claim that Yitzchak had to the land. In order to accomplish this end, they were willing to sacrifice their own well-being.

Rashi, on the other hand looks at this from a different, but very interesting perspective. The Torah says:

Bereshit (Genesis) 26:14-15 and he (Yitzchak) had flocks and cattle and much possessions and the Philistines were jealous of him. 15 And all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father the Philistines stopped up and filled them with dirt.

Rashi says: 26:15 the Plishtim stopped up Rashi: Because they (Plishtim) said “they are a problem for us because of the armies who come against us”.

The previous verse tells us the Plishtim were jealous of Yitzchak’s wealth. Why isn’t that a good enough reason for them destroying Yitzchak’s wells? Why does Rashi have to offer a different reason?

If jealousy was the motivation of the Plishtim the verse would have stated this somewhat differently. Verse 15, which follows the statement that “the Plishtim’s were jealous of him” should have begun “And they stopped up and filled them with dirt” etc. This would have conveyed the idea that we are talking about cause and effect. Cause = “the Philistine’s were jealous of him”. Rashi, therefore, sought a different reason for the stopping up the wells.

Rashi begins with “Because they said”. “They said” was their public explanation (that foreign armies would use the wells) but the true reason was their jealousy of Yitzchak. But as we think of it, it is truly strange. The Plishtim needed these well themselves. Why destroy them? If they feared foreign armies, they should have protected the wells not totally destroyed them.

Yitzchak grows rich in the area of the Plishtim and they become jealous of him.[34] They (after signing a Covenant between the children and grandchildren already in the second generation (Yitzchak, Abraham’s son) is asked to leave the area, breaking the Covenant again. And then what do the Palestinians do? They destroy the wells, which Abraham dug, even though they needed them themselves.

Do you recall when the Gush Katif families were evicted they were asked to leave intact their productive hothouses, so that the Palestinians could make a living and become self-supporting? What did the Palestinians (Plishtim) do immediately upon taking over that area? They destroyed the Hothouses left for their own benefit! Ma’sei Avot Siman L’banim![35] History repeats itself, to the letter.

It seems that these events are a paradigm and template for current events. The Palestinian rejection of the State of Israel reflects exactly the same attitudes and includes the same measures attributed to the Plishtim. Like the Plishtim, the Palestinians have no reservations against engaging in the most outlandish, self-destructive behaviors. They have ripped up much of the infrastructure left by Israel in its abandonment of Gaza. They needed this infrastructure but they could not tolerate any signs or memorials of Israel’s success in developing this arid, barren land. The Palestinians constantly acknowledge that they can only survive through access to Israel’s economy: Israel’s economy is their only source of jobs and Israel provides a market for any goods that the Palestinians can produce. But despite these compelling reasons to make peace with Israel, the Palestinians sacrifice their children in futile suicide bombings. They use their children and civilian population as human shields. These actions are clearly self-destructive. But they serve the greater end of attempting to wipe out any sign of a Jewish presence in the land.

Bereshit (Genesis) 26:14 also offers important advice regarding how to respond to such attitudes. Yitzchak did succeed in forcing Avimelech to accept him. How did he secure this outcome?

Nachmanides explains that there are two factors that brought about this outcome. First, HaShem provided Yitzchak with His continual support. As a result, Avimelech realized that his best hope was to enter into a treaty with Yitzchak. This treaty would acknowledge Yitzchak’s right to dwell in the land. However, it would also secure the future of Abimelech’s people, Yitzchak would promise not to wage war against them. Second, implicit in Nachmanides’ comments is the observation that Avimelech only entered into this treaty because he knew that there was no alternative. He could never succeed in driving out Yitzchak and his descendants.[36]

This provides us with an important lesson: In order to triumph in our conflict with the Palestinians we must not allow them to have any hope of success. As long as they feel that there is a reasonable chance that we can be driven from the Land of Israel, they will never give up their battle. We must be victorious in every confrontation. This will require Hashem’s help

Israel’s wars are not mere historical events, but cosmic necessities. Peace will come about, not through any diplomatic pacts with the Palestinians, but only when all nations, except for the Palestinians, “shall see how [the Jews] live under the light of the divine idea and the light of the content of Torah, prophecy, and Shechinah, and how these serve to shape the kingdom”.

I will conclude with the Vilna Gaon’s interpretation of a verse of Balaam’s prophecy. The verse reads “And out of Jacob shall one have dominion, and shall destroy the remnant from the city”.[37] According to the Vilna Gaon, this refers to the Philistines, who sought to invalidate the kingdom and sovereignty of Israel, to render them null and void. Their strategy never varies - they never fight a pitched battle, army against army. It’s always a few thousand here, a “remnant” there... They plunder, they maraud, they attack Israel when they plough their fields, when they tend their sheep...

Once Israel lost dominion over their land, through the First and Second Temple eras, the Exile and beyond, there is no more mention of the Philistines. For hundreds of years they had every opportunity to rule and control the country, yet not a word is heard about them. They returned when we returned!

And this is David’s message, which we must always remember: the armies of Israel are the armies of the Lord of hosts. As long as we never lose sight of this, we can contend with “this Philistine” who has always been with us.

Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 51:6-16

JPS	Targum
6. Raise your eyes to heaven and look at the earth from beneath, for the heavens shall vanish like smoke, and the earth shall rot away like a garment, and its inhabitants shall likewise die, and My salvation shall be forever, and My righteousness shall not be abolished. {P}	6. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and consider the earth beneath; for the heavens will pass as the smoke which passes, the earth will wear out as a covering wears out, and they who dwell in it, even they, will die in like manner; but My salvation will be forever, and My virtue will never be checked.
7. ¶ Hearken to Me, you who know righteousness, a people that has My Torah in their heart, fear not reproach of man, and from their revilings be not dismayed.	7. Attend to My Memra, you who know the truth, people in whose heart is the teaching of my Law; fear not from the reproaches of the sons of men, and be not shattered at their self-exaltation.
8. For, like a garment, the moth shall consume them, and like wool, the worm shall consume them, but My righteousness shall be forever, and My salvation to all generations. {S}	8. For [they are] like a garment which the moth eats, and like wool which rot attacks; but My virtue will be forever, and My salvation to all generations.
9. Awaken, awaken, dress yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord, awaken, awaken like days of old, generations of yore; are you not the one that hewed Rahab and slew the sea monster (tanin - תַּנִּין)?	9. Be revealed, be revealed, put on strength, 0 might from before the LORD; be revealed as in the days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not for your sake, congregation of Israel, that I shattered the mighty men, destroyed Pharaoh and his armies, which were strong as the dragon?
10. Are you not the one who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep? Who made the depths of the sea a road for the redeemed ones to pass?	10. Was it not for your sake, congregation of Israel, that I dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep? I made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass through.
11. And the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and they shall come to Zion with song, and [with] everlasting joy on their heads; gladness and joy shall overtake them; sorrow and sighing shall flee. {S}	11. And the ransomed of the LORD will be gathered from among their exiles, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy will be theirs, that does not cease, and a cloud of glory will cover their heads; they will find joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will cease from them. from those of the house of Israel.
12. I, yea I am He Who consoles you; who are you that you fear man who will die and the son of man, who shall be made [as] grass?	12. I, I am He that comforts you; of whom are you afraid, of man who dies, of the son of man who is reckoned as the grass?
13. And you forgot the Lord your Maker, Who spread out the heavens and founded the earth, and you fear constantly the whole day because of the wrath of the oppressor when he prepared to destroy. Now where is the wrath of the oppressor?	13. And you have forgotten the service of the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth, and do you fear continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy. And now, where is the fury of the oppressor?
14. What must be poured out hastened to be opened, and he shall not die of destruction, and his bread shall not be wanting.	14. The avenger will speedily be revealed; the righteous/ generous will not die in destruction, neither will they lack their food.
15. I am the Lord your God, Who wrinkles the sea and its waves stir; the Lord of Hosts is His name.	15. For I am the LORD your God, who rebukes the sea so that its waves roar, - the LORD of hosts is His name.
16. And I placed My words into your mouth, and with the shadow of My hand I covered you, to plant the heavens and to found the earth and to say to Zion [that] you are My people. {S}	16. And I have put the words of My prophecy in your mouth, and protected you in the shadow of My might, to establish the people concerning whom it was said that they would increase as the stars of the heavens and to found the congregation concerning whom it was said they would increase as the dust of the earth, and to say to those who reside in Zion, 'You are my people.’

Rashi’s Commentary for: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 51:6-16

6 the heavens shall vanish like smoke The princes of the hosts of the heathens who are in heaven.

shall vanish Heb. נִמְלָחוּ , shall rot away. Comp. (Jer. 38:12) “Rags and decayed clothing (בְּלוֹאֵי הַסְּחָבוֹת) ,” a decayed garment. Another explanation of נִמְלָחוּ is: shall be stirred. This is an expression similar to “the sailors of (מַלָּחֵי) the sea,” who stir the water with the oars that guide the ship. Comp. also (Ex. 30:35) “Stirred (מְמֻלָּח) , pure, and holy.”

and the earth the rulers of the earth.

and its inhabitants the rest of the people.

and My salvation for My people shall be forever. Another explanation is: [It refers] actually [to] the heavens and the earth, and this is its explanation: Raise your eyes and look at the heaven and at the earth, and see how strong and sturdy they are, yet they shall rot away, but My righteousness and My salvation shall be forever. Hence, My righteousness is sturdier and stronger than they.

8 the moth...the worm They are species of worms. 9 Awaken, awaken This is the prophet’s prayer.

Rahab [lit. pride.] Egypt, about whom it is written (supra 30:7): “They are haughty (רַהַב) , idlers.”

slew Heb. מְחוֹלֶלֶת , an expression of slaying, related to חָלָל .

the sea monster (tanin - תַּנִּין) Pharaoh.

11 And the redeemed of the Lord shall return This is an expression of prayer, and it is connected to “Awaken, awaken.”

12 who are you the daughter of the righteous like you and full of merits, why should you fear man, whose end is to die?

13 And you forgot the Lord your Maker and you did not rely on Him.

the oppressor The rulers of the heathens (the nations of the world [Parshandatha, K’li Paz]) who subjugate you.

when he prepared Prepared himself.

Now where is the wrath of the oppressor Tomorrow comes and he is not here.

14 What must be poured out hastened to be opened Heb. מִהַר צֽעֶה לְהִפָּתֵחַ . Even if his stools are hard, and he must be opened by walking in order to move the bowels in order that he not die by destruction, and once he hastens to open up, he requires much food, for, if his bread is lacking, even he will die. צֽעֶה An expression of a thing prepared to be poured, as he says concerning Moab, whom the prophet compared to wine (Jer. 48:11): “Who rests on his dregs and was not poured from vessel to vessel.” And he says there (v. 12), “And I will send pourers (צֽעִים) upon him and they shall pour him out (וְצֵעֻהוּ) , and they shall empty his vessels.” [This is an illustration of the weakness of man. Consequently, there is no need to fear him.] Another explanation is: מִהַר צֽעֶהThat enemy who oppresses you, who is now with girded loins, girded with strength, shall hasten to be opened up and to become weak. צֽעֶה Girded. Comp. (infra 63:1) “Girded (צֽעֶה) with the greatness of His strength.”

and he shall not die i.e., the one delivered into his hand [shall not die] of destruction. But the first interpretation is a Midrash Aggadah in Pesikta Rabbathi (34:5).

15 Who wrinkles the sea Heb. רֽגַע , an expression similar to (Job 7:5) “My skin was wrinkled (רָגַע) .” Froncir in O.F. [froncer in Modern French, to wrinkle, gather, pucker].

to plant the heavens to preserve the people about whom it was said that they shall be as many as the stars of the heavens [from Jonathan].

and to found the earth And to found the congregation about whom it is said that they shall be as many as the dust of the earth [from Jonathan].

Commentary on the Ashlamatah of Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 51:6-16

By: H.Ex. Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

Here, our theme for this passage is, "I, I am he who comforts you." Previously, God sent his words of comfort through his messenger, the prophet, but now it is I, HaShem, I am the one who comforts you. In answer to the people’s feelings of abandonment and rejection, God reassures his people that their fear of man is misplaced. It is he who comforts and brings healing, and they have not been forsaken. Isaiah closes his book with the promise that it is HaShem who will gather the nations, and they will come and see his glory. It is he who creates the new heaven and earth, and by his will He tells Israel your seed and your name shall endure, new moon after new moon, and sabbath after sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship me, and this is repeated twice in Isaiah 61. Isaiah 51 speaks of consolation, covenant renewal, and eschatological restoration, spoken to people who feel abandoned. Its core message is: Look back to the covenantal origins, trust God’s righteousness, and know that redemption is certain and near.

The Rabbis have consistently read this chapter as a turning point in the Neḥamot (the consolations of Isaiah 40–66), where God anchors Israel’s hope in the Abrahamic covenant (Gen.12:2, 17:5, 24:1ff) and promises a future redemption that reverses Israel’s exile and the primordial exile of all people from the Garden of Eden. Isaiah 51 uses Eden as a thematic theme pointing to a reversal of Genesis 3: curse - exile - restoration - blessing. In Isaiah 51:3,12,19, the word נָחַם nāḥam: comfort is used, and although the root נ־ח־ם does not appear in Genesis 2–3, the concept of comfort after loss appears later in Genesis 5:29 — זֶה יְנַחֲמֵנוּ (Noah brings comfort after the curse on the ground). This is the first explicit biblical “comfort” after Eden’s curse, making Isaiah’s use of נָחַם nāḥam, a deliberate echo of the reversal of primordial loss, and we hear this same echo in this parsha.

The theme expressed in the opening verses of this chapter is that redemption is not new, but a continuation of the Abrahamic covenant and promise God made to Abraham and a reversal of what started it all in Gan Eden. In (v.1-8), there are four brief statements showing why the situation is not hopeless. Each statement opens with an imperative verb showing that God has this situation under control.[38] The nation of Israel began its national existence in the impossible. Abraham and Sarah were old and barren, and if HaShem can create a nation from one old, barren couple, he can certainly redeem it and restore it to its land. (v.2) The Lord will comfort Zion… make her wilderness like Eden (v. 3). The rabbis have linked this back to Genesis 2–3. “Like Eden” means a return to the primordial state of blessing before sin and exile. From Radak, we learn that the comparison to Eden is literal in imagery but metaphorical in meaning—Zion will become a place of abundance, joy, and divine presence. The Prophet Joel compares Judea before its desolation to “the garden of Eden” (2:3). Ezekiel, like Isaiah, prophesies that it shall once more become “like the garden of Eden,” when the exiles have returned to it (Ezk. 36:35) The consolation of Zion is patterned after the original creation; redemption is a form of re‑creation.[39] Redemption reverses the exile from Eden—restoring joy, presence, and harmony —and is anchored in Abraham, including all people of faith who listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, and you who seek the Lord. (51:1) Rabbis and scholars discuss who is spoken to in this passage. This is anchored in Abraham and connected back to the Garden of Eden; then surely the redemption spoken of must somehow encompass all people and nations in their order. ^[40] The writers of the Nazerene codicil [41] linked their message to Abraham; the God of Abraham, the covenant of Abraham, walking in the faith of Abraham and even the good news of Abraham that “in you shall all the nations be blessed.” (Gal.3:8) Initially, God calls a Hebrew audience (“my people,” ʾammî) with two imperative exhortations to “listen” and “hear” what God has promised, just like the call and Mt. Sinai. The Torah (“instruction, law”) that goes forth from Zion in (2:3) is the end goal of God's teaching to people from all the nations. Since the next line refers to God’s justice influencing “the nations,” one would assume that everyone will hear these divine teachings. The establishment of the justice of God throughout the earth will function as a light to the nations (42:6; 49:6); thus, these nations will no longer walk in the darkness of their own understanding.^[42] An interesting note, the first time the Torah went forth, it was sent forth from Mt. Sinai, but this time it goes forth or comes forth from Mt. Zion.

The narrative moves forward with (v. 5)—My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth. The isles shall wait upon me (41:1, 5; 42:4, 10, 12; 49:1; 60:9, 42:4). On mine arm shall they trust. The Isles: or the countries shall wait [43] for his Law; or shall long for his Law. Yâkhal is “to wait longingly.” It is, as Delitzsch observes, “a fact that the cry for redemption runs through the whole human race.^[44] The Rabbis bring down that this is set in the messianic era when the King will instruct all nations in the way of God. His instruction and judgment will bring righteousness and salvation to those who choose to behave by the light of his judgment (Rashi). Here we see God speaks to the nation of Israel. Language that described the prophet Jeremiah in (Jer. 1:9–10; 11:19–21) is applied to the nation of Israel as a whole here. Mahari Kara[45] points out that the term for people is plural, and here Israel is being addressed, God's arm will chastise nations that fail to order their lives after God's will.^[46] And we see the nations being caught up in these verses and addressed as well. For a true restoration of mankind back to Eden, you would need to have all people represented who seek righteousness, pursue justice, and fear HaShem.

The spiritual entities or ministering angels that rule the nations will vanish like smoke, and when they fall, the nations will cease to exist or at least lose their hold over Israel. Rashi notes here that HaShem's salvation for his people exists forever, and this is juxtaposed to the earth and man wearing out like a garment and dying in like manner, yet man's soul is eternal just as God's salvation is eternal. (v.6)

Hearken unto Me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart are My law; fear ye not the taunt of men, neither be ye dismayed at their reviling. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool; but My favour shall be forever, and My salvation unto all generations.^[47] Here, the prophet addresses Israel, those who know righteousness and whose hearts are in tune with my law (teaching Instruction). This is set in opposition to what he said in Isaiah 29:13: Those who outwardly perform and act the part, but whose heart is far from HaShem. This puts me in mind of loving a person, and they say they love you, but all their actions tell you they care less. Loving another person is not limited to a marriage relationship, although that is the biblical model of man's relationship to HaShem, and the other model is that of a father to a child. It has been said that with the current generation so disconnected from their parents and grandparents, although they naturally love their parents, the children do not respect or need their parents' ways, teaching and instructions. The same approach many take with God, they emotionally say they love him, but they do not keep his commandments, ways, or follow his law and instruction. The father gives life and is always standing and reaching toward the child with open arms, but it is the child who has to reach back toward the father to have an enduring relationship.

Here, the righteous man is set in opposition to the other man who reviles and taunts God's people. The word for man is ‘enosh’, which denotes human frailty and here the ungodly. When we look at Psa. 8:4, we see the stark difference between these two groups. What is man[48] that you are mindful of him, and the son of man[49] that you care for him? ^[50] There is a third word for man in the bible which does not refer to a man's frailty. This word is אִישׁ ʾiyš: A masculine noun meaning a man or an individual. ^[51] This word is also used to mean male or husband. This word does not indicate humankind but the male gender in particular. Its feminine counterpart is a woman or wife. In Hosea 2:16[18], this word describes God’s special relationship to Israel. He will be their protective husband, not their master. ^[52] HaShem, as the father of all mankind and creation, is trying to move his children from one place of instruction and learning to another, from one dimension of living to another. From the human side, it takes a heart that seeks and hungers for a relationship with God as one who is not, as a friend, nor as a master, but one in a proper and right relationship, as in a loving marriage or even that of parent and child.

We now come to an interesting text in our Parsha, and if we read our newspaper as we read our Parsha, it seems the world, Israel, is awakening to this very text. Israel must cry out first, as in this prayer, but the righteous from among the nations can join her in calling for HaShem to awake and bring the redemption. The prophet gives forth a prayer unto God to arouse himself and perform as he has in the past. Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord;[53] awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times.[54] [as you did when you dealt with haughty Egypt] Art thou not it that hewed Rahab in pieces, that pierced the dragon? [The sea serpent or dragon is Pharaoh, per Ezek. 29:3][55] Art thou not it that dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; that made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over? [another link back to the exodus from Egypt] And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (v.9-11)[56]

It would seem our passage speaks of all those ransomed who will come to Zion and sing there. R. Meisha and R. Joshua b. Levi said the ‘every man’ (ish ish) refers to everyone who desired and longed to see it (Zion), they will be as one who was born there. Abaye adds, even so, one born there is worth two of us who were not. [57] Believing we are entering into the time of the appearing of the Messiah, we notice this text is remembering the destruction of the Dragon,[58] Pharaoh, the deliverance from Egypt, and associated with these ideals, is the destruction of Babylon and the return to Zion. All themes point to our total redemption. Redemption is not only national but universal — as Torah radiates outward.

In v.12, the people or the faithful remnant are addressed as individuals, comfort you, then collectively as one frightened woman, thou art afraid.^[59] The people are asked, why do you fear the oppressor, although you are bowed down, although Israel may be in bondage, you shall not die and go down to the pit (grave) (v.14). I have put my words in your mouth (59:21), covered you with the shadow of my hand, and established the heavens. Rashi understands here that the oppressor's power and military might will be broken, and you will be quickly released, and their military might will become weak.[60] In the present conflict, Israel and America have joined forces to break the power of Persia (Iran). Two brothers, Jacob and Esau, have joined forces to defeat the enemies of their people. Will we witness the destruction of the Persian power and influence forever, or will it just be a weakening of their military power and might for a short time until they are able to regain that lost power and influence? Although we pray for the former, I'm inclined to believe it will be the latter result that we will soon be living with. ^[61]

God sent his word/Torah to Israel, and they have the message to give to the Nations so that the heavens can be planted in the earth. In the above-referenced verse of Isaiah 59:21, we see where the word of the Lord has been placed in the mouth of Israel. No other nation on earth can claim this promise from HaShem. The Torah will exist with Israel forever, and even if individuals sin, there will always be a remnant and a group of righteous people in Israel. Just as in the parting words of Malachi (3:22), there will always be those “who remember the words of my servant Moses.”

What is to be planted from the Heavens to the Earth? (v.16) The teaching of the principles of truth and justice. A new epoch of morality and righteousness will begin with the destruction of the idolatrous(world) system and the restoration of Israel to its material and spiritual inheritance.[62] Isaiah 51:1, 5, 6, 7, 8 is saturated with the root צ־ד־ק: of Righteousness and justice. The prophets speak of Justice and righteousness raining from heaven and flowing down like mighty streams.[63] Isaiah reframes righteousness as cosmic and eternal, outlasting the heavens (51:6), echoing the moral structure first introduced in Eden.

I laid the foundations of the earth, [The magistrates and judges] know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in the darkness [of complacent satisfaction]; all the foundations of the earth [the fundamental principles upon which rests the administration of justice] are shaking^[64] Psa. 82:5. Human judges under God’s indictment rule the earth without any spiritual or intellectual understanding, and in moral darkness, the foundations of the earth are shaken, that is, law and order are undermined.^[65] HaShem then says to Zion, You are my people. Israel is God’s eternal witness on the earth.

HaShem says, He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. ^[66] mākôn [מָכֹון] 4349 is a noun found in seventeen places with the primary meaning “place,” “dwelling place.” In Ps. 104:5, however, mākôn is used metaphorically to denote the “foundations” of the earth, as set in place by God himself. It also designates “places” as memorials to divine revelation (Gen. 22:14 [“The Lord will provide”]; Gen. 28:19 [Bethel— “house of God”]). See also Gen. 32:30; 35:7. ^[67]

In other significant contexts, māqôm refers to “the place” prepared by God for his people, or the land of Canaan (Exod. 23:20; Deut. 9:7; 12:5,11; 1 Sam. 12:8; 2 Sam. 7:10 Conversely, māqôm also indicates “the place(s)” assigned by HaShem as the setting of Judah’s punishment for their rejection of him—that is, the land of Babylon (Jer. 45:5; Ezek. 34:12). Not only are foreign lands indicated as the “place” of God’s judgment for his people…. The same expression occurs in contexts where Hashem promises to bring his people back from exile, back to “this place” (Jer. 29:10; 32:37).^[68]

 HaShem created the world [the earth] and redeemed Israel, linking creation (Genesis 2) and redemption (Exodus) into a single arc. The moral order was established in Eden, and as Isaiah 1 instructs, wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes, cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. (v.16-17) If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land; But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken. (v.19-20) The prophet Amos says, seek me and live, (v.5), and seek good and not evil, and hate evil and love good. (v.14-15)

Israel is told to Awake, Awake, and stand up, O Jerusalem. (v.17) The end of captivity is coming and the restoration of Zion. Israel has been caught in a snare like an animal not able to free itself, as she drank the cup of HaShem for her sin. But then in (v.21-23) God tells the people that I will take the cup from your hand, and your suffering will be over, but your cup of poison, I will take from you and give to your tormentors and oppressors. Earlier, we saw the Prophet pray for HaShem to Awake, Awake so that the ransom of the LORD return and come with shouting to Zion. (v.9-11) And now the cry of HaShem is for the people to Awake, Awake. (15-17)

Again, Awake, Zion, and put on your splendor, put on your robes of majesty. Rise up, Jerusalem, and shake off the dust and be released from the bonds of your neck. (Isa.52:1ff) God’s name is blasphemed all day long, and his people are mocked at the helplessness of their God to save them. But HaShem says, my people shall know my name, and on that day the feet of the messenger shall bring good tidings over the mountains of Zion, and they shall see eye to eye the LORD returning to Zion. (v.6-9). When HaShem returns to Zion and lays bare his holy arm before the Nations, then all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Verbal Tallies

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Bereshit (Genesis) 2:4 – 3:21

Tehillim (Psalms) 1:1-6

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 51:5-16

Looking at the Hebrew of Bereshit (Genesis) 2:4 and Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 51:6, what is the verbal / lexical tally that connects these two passages? 

The verbal and lexical connection between Bereshit (Genesis) 2:4 and Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 51:6 is found in the specific sequence of the words "Heavens" and "Earth" and their shared destiny in the creative and redemptive cycles.

However, a specific "lexical tally" often noted by scholars involves the Hebrew word כֵּן (Ken), which appears in Isaiah 51:6 to describe the "manner" of death, but is also a root used to describe the "establishing" or "fixing" of the created order (as seen in the "plant/establish" language of Isaiah 51:16, which refers back to the Genesis creation).

In a strictly literal tally of the verses provided, the key connection is the mirror-imaging of the Heavens and the Earth.

Bereshit (Genesis) 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens (שָׁמַיִם — Strong's H8064) and of the earth (אֶרֶץ — Strong's H776) when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth (אֶרֶץ — Strong's H776) and heavens (שָׁמַיִם — Strong's H8064).

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens (שָׁמַיִם — Strong's H8064), and look upon the earth (אֶרֶץ — Strong's H776) beneath; for the heavens (שָׁמַיִם — Strong's H8064) shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth (אֶרֶץ — Strong's H776) shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner (כֵּן — Strong's H3651); but My salvation shall be forever, and My favor shall not be abolished.

The verbal tallies between the Torah and the Ashlamata are “the heavens – הַשָּׁמַיִם “ and “the earth – וְהָאָרֶץ “. The Torah portion and Psalms chapter 1 both focus on ‘trees’; one tree is a man who can have life and the ‘Tree of Life’. Reference Proverbs 3:18, "She is a tree of life to those who hold onto her”. Note that we read these portions close to, or on, Shabbat shuva (the Sabbath of returning) or Shabbat HaGadol (the Sabbath of ‘the great and terrible day of the LORD’).

The Lexical Tally: כֵּן (Ken)

The word כֵּן (Strong's H3651) in Isaiah 51:6 is the tally. While translated as "in like manner" (referring to the inhabitants dying like the decaying earth), it shares a root with the concept of "Right/Established" (as in Genesis 1 where "it was so" — vayehi-ken). Isaiah uses this word to contrast the "so-ness" (the established nature) of the physical world, which will vanish, with the eternal "so-ness" of God's salvation.

* * *

What is/are the thematic connection(s) between Bereshit (Genesis) 2:4 – 3:21, and Tehillim (Psalms) 1? Please be concise.

The thematic connections between the creation/fall narrative of Bereshit 2:4 – 3:21 and Tehillim 1 center on the archetype of the Tree, the Source of Life, and the divergent paths of humanity.

Bereshit: Describes a garden with the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge, sustained by a river flowing out of Eden to water the garden (2:9-10).

Tehillim: The righteous man is compared to a "tree planted by streams of water" (v. 3).

Both texts use the "Tree by the Water" as the ultimate symbol of a life lived in direct proximity to the Divine source.

Bereshit: Adam is presented with a choice: obey the Divine command or follow the counsel of the Serpent. Choosing the latter leads to "withering" (spiritual death and exile).

Tehillim: Contrast the "path of the righteous" with the "counsel of the wicked" (v. 1).

The Psalm provides the "moral formula" for the tragedy of Eden. Adam failed by walking in the "counsel" of the Serpent; the Psalmist instructs how to return to the Garden state by meditating on Torah.

Bereshit: Following the sin, the ground is cursed, producing thorns and thistles (3:18). Adam and Eve eventually "wither" and return to the dust.

Tehillim: The righteous man's "leaf does not wither" (v. 3), whereas the wicked are like "chaff which the wind driveth away" (v. 4).

The "chaff" of the wicked mirrors the "dust" of the cursed ground in Genesis.

Bereshit: God conducts a judicial inquiry ("Where art thou?") and separates man from the Tree of Life by placing Cherubim to guard the way (3:24).

Tehillim: "The wicked shall not stand in the judgment" (v. 5), and the Lord "knoweth the way of the righteous" but the way of the wicked shall perish (v. 6).

Connection: Both emphasize that there is a "Day of Inquiry" where the "way" one chose determines whether they remain in the presence of God or are driven away.

* * *

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) 51:6-16?

Classical Jewish commentators (Rashi, Radak, Malbim), the eschatological message of Isaiah 51:6-16 focuses on the transition from a transient physical reality to an eternal spiritual stability.

The "Heavens" and "Earth" (the current physical laws) are compared to smoke and a decaying garment. Radak explains that while the universe appears permanent, it is provisional. The eschatological goal is to shift our reliance from the "garment" (nature/politics) to the "Salvation" and "Righteousness" of HaShem, which are the only constants. In 2026 terms, this is the "collapsing of the old structures" to reveal the underlying Divine plan.

A plea to the "Arm of the Lord" to awake as in the days of Egypt and Rahab. Rashi identifies the "Arm" as the manifestation of God’s power in history. The message is one of historical continuity: the same force that split the sea will "awake" to bring the ransomed back to Zion with "everlasting joy" (v. 11). This is the "Velocity" of redemption—the sudden acceleration of ancient promises into current events.

"I have put My words in thy mouth... that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion: ‘Thou art My people.’" "Planting the Heavens" refers to establishing the congregation of Israel (who are compared to the stars). "Laying the Foundations of the Earth" refers to the restoration of the Jewish sovereignty in the land. HaShem uses the "Words" (Torah/Prophecy) in the mouth of the people to literally reconstruct reality. The end-times message is that Jewish speech and Torah study are the architectural tools that "plant" the new Messianic heavens and earth. The eschatological message is that the "Fear of Man" (v. 12-13) will be replaced by the "Knowledge of God" (Da'at).

Nazarean Talmud

Sidra of Bereshit (Gen.) 2:4 – 3:21

Sabbath “Tol’dot HaShamayim” – “Generations of the Heavens”

By: Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

Hakham Shaul’s School of Tosefta Luqas (Lk) 3.1-9

Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat Mordechai (Mk) 1:3-6

In the fifteenth year of the governorship of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was procurator of Y’hudah, and Herod [Antipas] was tetrarch of Galil, and Philip his brother was tetrarch of the lands of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Anan and Kayafa, God's word came to Yochanan (John), bar Z’kharyah, while he was in the wilderness [of the Araba]. He went into all the territories surrounding the Yarden, heralding immersion based on Teshuba — for the atonement of sins. He cited the text in the scroll of Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) the prophet: “A voice rings out: Clear in the desert (wilderness) A path for the Lord! Level in the wilderness A highway for our God! Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be made low; and the rugged will be made level, and the rough places a plain; And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” (Is. 40:3-5). ^7 Then he said to those who had assembled to be immersed by him, “You generation of vipers!^[69] Who taught you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore, demonstrate^[70] fruits worthy Teshuba.^[71] Do not begin^[72] saying to yourself, we have Abraham as our father; for I say to you, God is able to rise up children out of these stones. Even now, the axe is laying^[73] against the root of fruit trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear (make) good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

¶ A voice rings out: “Clear in the wilderness, (desert) A path for the Lord! Level in the wilderness A highway for our God!” (Isaiah 40:3). And now it happened Yochanan was immersing in the wilderness, and proclaiming the immersion of Teshuba unto atonement of sins during the Yamim Noraim. And there went out unto him all the country of Y’hudah, and all them from Yerushalayim; and they were immersed of him in the river Yarden, confessing their sins and doing Teshuba. And Yochanan was clothed with a garment Tallit made of camel’s hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist;

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

B’resheet – Gen 2:4 – 3:21

Yeshayahu – Isa 51:6–16

Tehillim - Psa 1:1–6

Mordeqai – Mark 1:3–6;

Luqas – Luke 3:1–9

Commentary on Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

Hakham Tsefet, in establishing the precedential materials of the Master’s Mesorah, establishes protocol for all the materials that will build upon his Mishnaic/Peshat catechetical school. Hakham Tsefet does not always use mechanisms such as “that it might be fulfilled,” as does Matityahu. Yet the words of Hakham Tsefet are permeated with scriptural fulfillment. In many places, Matityahu uses the classic phrase “it is written.” Hakham Tsefet’s references to the Tanakh may open with the phrase “it is written,” or, as in the present case, he assumes that his readers know the Tanakh rather than reminding them of his association with a particular piece of its text. If Hakham Tsefet uses the concept “it is written,” he frequently places these words in the mouth of the Master in the form of a question, “Is it not written?” The opening of Mark 1:1 announces that this Mesorah is to be read with the Triennial Torah reading cycle. As His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Yosef ben Haggai has pointed out, his prophetic textual association with the prophets Malachi and Shemot is common practice. Hakham Tsefet frequently uses the mechanism of quoting two prophets in a single setting. Furthermore, Hakham Tsefet’s mechanisms are highly Mishnaic. His use of Peshat hermeneutic mechanisms demonstrates the Mishnaic association of Yeshua’s teachings with the teachings of the Rabbis from the Mesorah (Oral Torah). The present text assumes that the reader will automatically connect the “voice crying in the wilderness” with Eliyahu, Messiah’s harbinger.

Here, Hakham Tsefet clearly understands the bi-modal aspects of the Septennial Torah reading cycle. While the setting of our present pericope may be that of the month of Elul/Tishri, the relationship between Yochanan, Eliyahu, and Pesach Adar/Nisan remains clearly visible. Also included in the Petrine materials is the διὰτεσσάρων – diatessarōn hermeneutic PaRDeS.

As these coming passages unfold, the Tanakh emerges through a Peshat hermeneutic. Likewise, Hakham Tsefet’s careful engineering of the Nazarean Codicil reveals Messiah from the weekly Torah readings.

While we do not know whether Yochanan himself used the refrain “the voice of one crying in the wilderness,” the Peshat hermeneutic of the Markan text leaves no doubt that those from the surrounding area understood the message, as the text says, “And there went out unto him all the country of Y’hudah, and all them from Yerushalayim; and they were immersed of him in the river Yarden, confessing their sins [and doing Teshuba].” Hakham Tsefet’s use of this prophetic refrain is his way of interpreting Scripture messianically. Consequently, all the writers of the Nazarean Codicil understand the one “crying in the wilderness” to be a reference to Eliyahu. Therefore, the opening of the Markan text clearly depicts Yochanan as Eliyahu, the Kohanic priestly harbinger of Messiah. This harbinger openly announces Yeshua (ben Elohim – son of the King/Judge) as Messiah.

“CLEAR IN THE WILDERNESS (DESERT) A PATH FOR THE LORD!”

To “clear the wilderness” was the occupation of the “cloud” and the “pillar” when the B’ne Yisrael left Mitzrayim (Egypt). These two manifestations of the single entity called the “messenger” went before the B’ne Yisrael to clear and prepare a path for them as they made their trek toward the Promised Land. The “cleared path” gave direction and bearing, expediting the movement of the B’ne Yisrael.

The prophetic voice “rings out”: “Clear in the wilderness (desert), A path for the LORD! Level in the wilderness, A highway for our God!” Scholars suggest that the “voice crying out” echoes the Babylonian exile. Regardless of the original intent of the passage, it remains clear that Yochanan’s immersions drew a substantial number of penitents, establishing the fact that his message was plain to his audience.

The entire scenario depicted in the present text cries out for elucidation. A man, a messenger, in the wilderness, dressed in a tallit made of camel’s hair, cries out for interpretation. The present hermeneutic of Peshat limits the genre of interpretation. Even so, this man in the wilderness depicts a change in social norms. Yochanan in the wilderness cannot eat or act in the same way as those in the city. Terminology such as “wilderness” and “immersion” speaks of Har Sinai and reform.

1st Corinthians 10:1-2 Now, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant, how that all our forefathers were under the cloud (Shekhinah), and all passed through the sea (Yam Suf); And were all immersed to Moshe in the cloud (Shekhinah) and in the sea;

Yochanan cries out for reform. Making things straight and making things level speaks of introspection and restructuring. Furthermore, this “voice in the wilderness” must allude to Har Sinai, where the B’ne Yisrael received the Torah. Likewise, the terminology of immersion and atonement forms a deliberate play on words. Among other things, כָפַר (kapar), “to be atoned for,” carries the sense of being covered, thus alluding to immersion. Therefore, it is plausible that Hakham Tsefet intended to remind his readers of Sinai through his citation of Yeshayahu concerning the prophet in the wilderness. If Hakham Tsefet was so earnest in bringing the Sinai theme before his audience, the lesson to be extrapolated from this material stands before us with force.

SINAI AND MESORAH

The scenario before us is astonishing because it demonstrates how much prophetic insight the P’rushim (Pharisees) possessed in the first century. Yochanan was from the Kohanic priesthood. The legitimate priesthood had become corrupted to such an extent that by the time he became eligible to serve, he was effectively unable to minister as a priest. It would not have been Yochanan’s own desire to forfeit the office of the priesthood. Some might argue that Yochanan could have served as a Kohen when scheduled, and that his time in the wilderness occurred only when he was not serving in the Temple. Such a suggestion remains plausible. Probability points elsewhere. The time in the wilderness would have been near Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, a season that required many local Kohanim because of increased Temple activity.

This indicates that from the time of Yochanan’s conception until the moment we see him preaching in the wilderness, far-reaching changes had already taken place in the offices of the priesthood. The main body of the Nazarean Codicil demonstrates a Sadducean corruption of the priesthood. The Lucan text makes explicit reference to “the high priesthood of Anan and Kayafa.” Their priesthood had become so decadent that by the time we arrive at the crucifixion of Yeshua, they openly conspired to have him crucified in order to satisfy their own agendas. Consequently, the corrupt priesthood relegates Yochanan to the wilderness to preach messages related to the moedim (Divine appointments).

We cannot accept that Yochanan preached only repentance. Yochanan heralded repentance because it was the season of repentance. Yet he also heralded the coming of Messiah and the governance of G-d through the Hakhamim and Bate Din. This formed a vital part of salvaging Judaism from the coming destruction of the Temple and the looming Diaspora. The Nazarean Jews, together with the House of Hillel, saw the approaching demise of the Temple and the dispersion of Eretz Yisrael. Ezra and the Men of the Great Assembly said three things: “Be cautious in judgment, raise up many disciples, and make a fence around the Torah.”

Through these maxims, they salvaged Judaism from falling into idolatry during their generation and sustained it until the generation of Hillel and Yeshua. Judaism then faced another crisis in the first century. Yeshua, the House of Hillel, and Nazarean Judaism addressed the problems of that age and made provision for a Judaism that could endure into the future. Hillel and his talmidim, Yeshua, and Hakham Tsefet each played a vital role in establishing a Judaism that could weather the coming storm of the Temple’s destruction and the imminent Diaspora.

As noted above, the B’ne Yisrael had a “messenger” who went before them in the wilderness.

Ex. 23:20-22 Behold, I send a messenger (Angel) before thee, to keep you in the way, and to bring you into the place (Makom) which I have prepared. 21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, do not provoke him; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my Name is in him (he is an agent of Mine). 22 But if thou will indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries.

Where did Yochanan immerse? The Lucan text tells us, “He went into all the territories surrounding the Yarden.” The exact location is neither divulged nor relevant. The pertinent fact is that Yochanan must have placed himself close to the path of pilgrimage. This positioning maximized his audience.

What was Yochanan promoting? Was he calling only for Teshuba? Or did Yochanan carry a deeper agenda? A simple reading of the text can make him appear superficial or single-minded. Such a reading fails to account for the moment in which he lived. If the priesthood had devolved to the condition portrayed in the Nazarean Codicil, then Yochanan, like Hillel, Yeshua, and others, saw the coming demise of Judaism and the Temple. These men were certainly prophetic, possessing the Ruach HaKodesh, the spirit of prophecy, while also discerning the inevitable signs before them.

CAMEL’S HAIR AND LOCUSTS

Wild locusts of a particular species are acceptable within the kosher diet. That Yochanan eats locusts and is dressed in a camel-hair tallit speaks volumes.

Lev 11:22 These of them you may eat: the locust in its kinds, and the devastating locust in its kinds, and the cricket in its kinds, and the grasshopper in its kinds.

m. Hullin 3:7 And among locusts: Any which has four legs, four wings, and jointed legs [Lev. 11:21], and the wings of which cover the greater part of its body. R. Yose says, “And the name of which is locust.”

As already noted, the imagery is voluminous. It speaks to the senses and cries out for reform. Consequently, Hakham Tsefet’s introduction of Yochanan through this imagery signals that the entire life and ministry of the harbinger announces a radical change about to take place. Furthermore, the fact that this harbinger announces the coming of Messiah speaks of an unexpected Messiah.

Scholars who attempt to deify Messiah often point to the principal phrase, “A path for the LORD!” Their ignorance lies in their failure to apprehend the principle of agency. As stated above in Ex. 23:20–22, the messenger bears the title of the Master whom he represents, that is, “the angel of the LORD.” The messenger is no more G-d than the sun, moon, and stars, which are themselves the LORD’s messengers. Messiah does not need to be G-d in order to accomplish his mission. He bears a heavenly title because he is a heavenly agent. The term “apostle” means “sent one,” and therefore an apostle is an agent of the sender. In the case of the apostles, they are agents of Messiah. Yet they are not Messiah, because Messiah sends them. Yochanan is not G-d because he is a messenger of G-d. Therefore, Yeshua does not require deification in order to qualify for his messianic mission. The Bible is filled with agents and messengers of G-d. None of those agents is thereby turned into a deity. Therefore, Yeshua’s messianic mission stands in full force without recourse to deification.

PERORATION

The wilderness theme, as it unfolds in Scripture, speaks of transition. When Moshe was relegated to the wilderness, his life changed. In a special way, G-d was preparing him for the future trek with the B’ne Yisrael to Har Sinai, where they would receive the Torah. Likewise, in passing through the wilderness, the B’ne Yisrael found transformation in the words spoken at Har Sinai. They entered a unique environment, one that was not merely a “desert” in the ordinary sense that we might imagine or attempt to elucidate within the present genre of Peshat. Yochanan, a prophet in the wilderness, speaks of change. The change already being announced is that the Mesorah is a way of life. Yochanan, Hillel, and Yeshua were preoccupied with the Malkhut Shamayim – the governance of G-d through the Bate Din and Hakhamim, who would use the Mesorah as the fundamental structure for daily life.

In the Wilderness and B’resheet

The wilderness passages of the Nazarean Codicil stand in profound continuity with B’resheet 2:4–5, where the “making” of the heavens and the earth appears in a state awaiting cultivation, an ordered world still marked by uncultivated ground, restrained growth, and the absence of the man whose vocation is to serve and guard what G‑d has formed. In that early scriptural moment, the earth bears the character of a wilderness, not as chaos without purpose, but as creation poised for covenantal activation. The wilderness of Yochanan, therefore, recalls the primordial condition of the world before sacred order is drawn out through obedient human response. His cry in the wilderness becomes a summons to a new beginning, a return to the threshold where creation awaits alignment with the will of G-d. As the first earth awaited the one who would work the ground, so the covenant people in the Nazarean Codicil are summoned in the wilderness to repentance, preparation, and readiness for the advent of Messiah. The wilderness thus becomes the meeting place between unfinished creation and approaching redemption, the arena where the formed world awaits the voice that levels, prepares, and opens the way for divine governance to enter history.

Blessing After Torah Study

Barúch Atáh Adonai, Elohénu Meléch HaOlám,

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

Barúch Atáh Adonái, Notén HaToráh. Amen!

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

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

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

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

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

Next Shabbat: “Hen HaAdam” – “Behold the man”

& “Shabbat Ha-Gadol”

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
הֵן הָאָדָם		Saturday Afternoon
“Hen HaAdam”	Reader 1 – Bereshit 3:22-24	Reader 1 – Exodus 33:12-14
“Behold the man”	Reader 2 – Bereshit 4:1-3	Reader 2 – Exodus 33:15-17
“He aquí, el hombre”	Reader 3 – Bereshit 4:4-7	Reader 3 – Exodus 33:18-20
Bereshit (Genesis) 3:22 – 4:26	Reader 4 – Bereshit 4:8-15
Ashlamatah: Malachi 3:4-24	Reader 5 – Bereshit 4:16-18	Monday and Thursday Mornings
	Reader 6 – Bereshit 4:19-22	Reader 1 – Exodus 33:12-14
Tehillim (Psalms) 2:1-12	Reader 7 – Bereshit 4:23-26	Reader 2 – Exodus 33:15-17
	Maftir – Bereshit 4:23-26	Reader 3 – Exodus 33:18-20
N.C.: Mark 1:7-8; Luke 3:15-18	Ashlamatah: Malachi 3:4-24

Contents of Next Week’s Torah Seder

 •  The Expulsion from Eden – Genesis 3:22-24

 •  Cain and Abel – Genesis 4:1-16

 •  Descendants of Cain – Genesis 4:17-24

 •  Seth – Genesis 4:25-26

Next Week’s Reading Assignment:

The Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez By: Rabbi Yaakov Culi Translated by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan Published by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1991)  (Genesis) Vol.1 pp. 280 - 304

Ramban: Genesis Commentary on the Torah Translated and Annotated by Rabbi Dr. Charles Chavel Published by Shilo Publishing House, Inc. (New York, 1971) {Genesis) pp. 85 - 96

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

Edited by His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham

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

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[1] Devarim (Deuteronomy) 33:29

[2] Midrash Shocher Tov; Yalkut

[3] Sforno

[4] The Way of the Upright

[5] Tehillim (Psalms) 1:1

[6] Tehillim (Psalms) 1:3

[7] The 2026 vernal equinox occurs on March 20 at 10:46 a.m. EST, marking the astronomical start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. It happens when the Sun crosses directly over the Earth’s equator, resulting in nearly 12 hours of day and night globally. The term "vernal" is Latin for spring, and "equinox" stems from Latin words meaning "equal night". Days will continue to get longer after the equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, with the sun rising exactly in the east and setting exactly in the west. The vernal equinox occurs when the Earth's tilt aligns in a way that neither hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the sun, providing equal sunlight coverage to both. This, in turn, results in nearly equal amounts of daytime and nighttime.

[8] Sforno

[9] The Way of the Upright

[10] Tehillim (Psalms) 1:1

[11] Tehillim (Psalms) 1:3, The above section was excerpted an edited from: The ArtScroll Tanach Series, Tehillim, A new translation with a commentary anthologized from Talmudic, Midrashic, and rabbinic sources. Commentary by Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer, Translation by Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer in collaboration with Rabbi Nosson Scherman.

[12] It comes at the end of Psalm 19.

[13] The opening verses of Psalms I and II.

[14] In point of fact this is the only one. V. Tosafot. a.l.

[15] The last verse of Ps. II, which shows that according to R. Johanan Pss. I and II formed one Psalm.

[16] I found this hint in “The Bible – Psalms with the Jerusalem Commentary”, volume one. By Amos Hakham.

[17] The word ‘Philistine’ is derived from the Hebrew word meaning ‘wanderers’ or ‘foreigner’.

[18] The name “Falastin” that Arabs today use for “Palestine” is not an Arabic name. It is the Arab pronunciation of the Roman “Palaestina”. Quoting Golda Meir:

The British chose to call the land they mandated Palestine, and the Arabs picked it up as their nation’s supposed ancient name, though they couldn’t even pronounce it correctly and turned it into Falastin a fictional entity. [In an article by Sarah Honig, Jerusalem Post, November 25, 1995]

[19] The Palestinians are not the offspring, but the heirs of the Philistines.

[20] Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron and Gath.

[21] In Hebrew, the name Palestine (פלשת) and the name Philistine (פלשתי) are pretty much the same, and Philistine literally means One of Palestine.

[22] Shmuel alef (I Samuel) 17:34.

[23] Pelishtim literally means “foreign invaders” or “trespassers”.

[24] The Palestinians of today claim to be descendants of the Philistines.

[25] In several places in Tanach, the Philistines are mentioned as having come from Caphtor (for example, Yirmiyahu 47:4 and Amos 9:7) - the Philistines and the Caphtorim are therefore closely related. It’s uncertain where Caphtor is. R. Aryeh Kaplan zt”l cites sources that it might be either an area in modern Turkey or in Egypt.

[26] Rashi is basing his comments on Midrash Rabbah to Bereshit (Genesis) 37:5.

[27] One verse says the Plishtim came from the Pasursim while the other verse says the Plishtim came from the Casluchim which is it? Were the Plishtim from the Pasrusim or the Casluchim? Rashi simply resolves this using the 2 aspects method: The Pasrusim and Casluchim engaged in wife-swapping. Hence the Plishtim descended from both. Adulterous relations are frequently indicated discretely using the contradiction method. It is interesting that from the word Plishtim comes the word phallic, describing the emphasis and nature of these people.

[28] Pasrusim and Casluchim played wife exchanges. Hence (out of doubt) Philistines are said to descend from both!

[29] Shoftim (Judges) 16:25

[30] The above section is an edited and excerpted portion from a shiur given By Rabbi Pinchas Winston.

[31] Palestine

[32] Rabbenu Ovadia Sforno, Commentary on Sefer Bereshit, 26:14.

[33] RADAK: Commenting on how the Plishtim plugged up Yitzchak’s wells the Radak writes, “All these episodes about digging the wells and giving them names are to tell us that, in the part of Eretz Israel that he had a hold on, he dug wells as he pleased without objections. All this was a forewarning concerning what HaShem had set aside for his descendants. “But the land of the Plishtim, even though it is part of Eretz Israel, was not held in the hands [of the Patriarchs] and therefore [the Plishtim] quarreled with them about the border, and all this was to inform [the Patriarchs’ descendants] that not all [of Eretz Israel] would be held in their hands. Even though it was apportioned, it would not be held until the end, in the days of Mashiach, like the land of the three nations – the Keini, the Knizi and the Kadmoni” (Bereshit 26:23).

[34] Bereshit (Genesis) 26:13ff

[35] A simple translation of that phrase is: “the actions of the fathers are a sign for the children”.

[36] Rabbenu Moshe ben Nachman (Ramban / Nachmanides), Commentary on Sefer Bereshit 26:29.

[37] Bamidbar (Numbers) 24:20

[38] Adele Berlin, Marc Zvi Brettler, and Michael Fishbane, eds., The Jewish Study Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), Pg. 887.

[39] Midrash Tehillim 90.

[40] 51:1 God addresses an audience made up of a group of righteous Hebrews, “those who pursue righteousness” and those who seek HaShem. Commentators connect the righteous people described in 51:1 with the same group referred to in 50:10, but the text is not very clear whether this group in 51:1–8 is a later eschatological group of people who are righteous, or the righteous people in the time of Isaiah. Pursuing righteousness implies a desire to maintain a life characterized by that quality. Pursuing “righteousness” (ṣedeq) in Deut 16:20 is related to acting justly in a court of law; in Prov 21:21, pursuing righteousness is parallel to having a relationship of loving others. The RSV translation “pursue deliverance” (רֹדְפֵי צֶדֶק) gives the term an exilic tone rather than a moral meaning, but this weakens its parallelism with “seek the Lord,” which definitely has a moral and relational aspect of commitment.

[41] Otherwise known as the New Testament writings.

^[42] Gary Smith, Isaiah 40-66, vol. 15B, New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2009),394.

[43] קָוָה qāwāh: A verb meaning to wait for, to look for, to hope for. The Lord will give strength to those who hope in Him (Ps. 27:14, Isa. 40:31). Because He is all-powerful (Jer. 14:22), He will eventually bring His promises to pass (Lam. 3:25). These promises include the establishing of His kingdom on earth (Ps. 37:9, 34; Isa. 25:9[2x]). The word also means to be gathered and refers to the gathering of waters (Gen. 1:9) and of people (Jer. 3:17). The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament (Chatt. TN. AMG Publishers, 2003), 986.

^[44] H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., Isaiah, vol. 2, The Pulpit Commentary (London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1910), 117.

[45] R. Yosef Kara (1060-1130) was an exegete of the bible and lived in France in Rashi’s city of Troyes.

[46] The Prophets Milstein Edition, Isaiah 51. Pg. 389.

^[47] Jewish Publication Society of America, Torah Nevi’im U-Khetuvim. The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text. (Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1917), Is 51:7–8.

[48] 582. אֱנוֹשׁ ʾenôš: A masculine noun meaning man.

[49] 120. אָדָם ʾāḏām: A masculine noun meaning a male, any human being, or generically the human race.

^[50] English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ps 8:4.

^[51] Baker & Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament (Chatt. TN: AMG Publishers, 2003), 46.

^[52] Ibid.

[53] Malbim says "The arm of the Lord" (it is the force that works wonders without the help of the lower ones and without merit, for this is the difference between the arm of the Lord and the hand of the Lord). Sefaria.org. Midrash Tanchuma: The “arm of the Lord” symbolizes God’s revealed might in history. I posit that here we have a move from the hidden miracles to open miracles, where none will be able to deny the works of God.

[54] Referring to the time in Egypt.

[55] Iben Ezra agrees that the dragon speaks of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Luzzatto brings this and connects it to the primeval monster, here in poetic form for Egypt as in Isa. 9:7. R. Steinsaltz connects the dragon here with the sea serpent [Tanin]. The Leviathan, Tannin, and Behemoth are more than just mythical creatures; they are potent symbols in Jewish tradition, representing chaos, opposition to divine order, and the ultimate power of God. The Talmud and Midrash provide rich narratives that enhance our understanding of these monsters, offering insights into the ancient Jewish worldview and its eschatological hopes. --see Ft. note 19 for source. In Psa. 87. We see that those who accepted HaShem and adopted Judaism from the nations are named as part of God's people, as in Isaiah 44:5.

[56] Shadal- AKA Samuel David Luzzatto Jewish Scholar born 22 August 1800 – 30 September 1865) said on Isaiah 51:9:1 All these commandments are not the essence of their matter, but only the future, and so is the way of the prophets to command in their words that such and such should be, and the intention is only to announce that it will be in the future.

[57] Kethuvoth 75a, Taken from The Living Nach, writings of R. Aryeh Kaplan as edited by M.H Myoff, Gavriel Rubin, and Moshe Schapiro, published 1998. Psalms 87, Pg. 164.

[58] The Midrash (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 9) elaborates further, stating that Leviathan was created on the fifth day of creation and that there are two Leviathans, male and female. To prevent them from reproducing and overwhelming the world, God killed the female Leviathan and preserved its flesh for the righteous in the world to come. The bracha upon exiting the sukkah, we reference making a sukkah next year using the skin of the Leviathan and eating the meat, referencing these prophecies of slaying it at the time of Moshiach. The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 21:5) gives an interpretation of the Tanninim as representing powerful nations or forces opposed to Israel, thus giving a political and moral dimension to these creatures. www. judaicapedia.org/lets-take-a-look-at-some-biblical-monsters/

[59] Soncino books of the Bible, Pg. 253

[60] The Prophets Milstein Edition Isaiah 51:14, Pg. 392-393. We wonder if what we see in the current war with Iran, Persia, is that we have come to this time and the fulfillment of this prophecy.

[61] Purim 5786, February 28, 2026, Iran’s War With Israel and the United States | Global Conflict Tracker

[62] Soncino Books of the bible pg.254

[63] Isaiah 1:27 — Isaiah 45:8 — Amos 5:24

^[64] The Amplified Bible (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987), Ps 82:5.

^[65] Allen P. Ross, “Psalms,” in An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 854.

^[66] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 104:5. Ps. 24:2; 89:11-14.

^[67] Stephen D. Renn, ed., “Foundation” in Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Word Studies for Key English Bible Words Based on the Hebrew and Greek Texts (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2005), 412–413.

^[68] Stephen D. Renn, ed., “Place (Noun),” in Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Word Studies for Key English Bible Words Based on the Hebrew and Greek Texts (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2005), 734.

[69] “generation of vipers” – According to Pirqe Abot …

[70] Here the phrase poiēsate finds no parallel in English or Greek. This Greek word ποιέω – poieo is anchored in the two key words of Beresheet, namely בָּרָא and עָשָׂה. Here the use of poiēsate firmly anchors this section of Luqas with Beresheet. Theological dictionary of the New Testament. 1964-c1976. Vols. 5-9 edited by Gerhard Friedrich. Vol. 10 compiled by Ronald Pitkin. (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley & G. Friedrich, Ed.) Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. 6:459

[71] Just as the above term poiēsate anchors Luqas to Beresheet through the idea of בָּרָא and עָשָׂה, we can see contextually the connection between Beresheet 2:4–9 with great ease. Beresheet opens with “no man to till the ground” (bring forth fruit). Likewise, Luqas opens with the concept of “bringing forth fruit.”

[72] ἄρχω archomai from ἀρχή arche the beginning i.e. ἐν ἀρχῇ, in the beginning. Further anchoring this section of Luqas with Beresheet.

[73] κεῖσθαι “to be laid down or given,” “to recline at table.”