“Seventh Day of Pesach - Yom Tov”

(Tuesday Evening April 7, 2026)

 

This is a Yom Tov, we treat this as a Sabbath except that we can cook.

 

Evening: Counting of the Omer Day 6

 

Today is six days of the Omer.

The Merciful One, may He return the service of the Temple to its place, speedily in our days, Amen!

 

Then read the following:

 

 

Ephesians 1:15-17 Therefore, when I heard of your faithful obedience in union with the Master Yeshua (HaMashiach) and your love (care/charity)^[1] for the Tsadiqim (saints) I have not stopped^[2] giving thanks and mentioning you in my prayers, (asking) that the God of our master Yeshua HaMashiach, the Father of dignity^[3] grant you the power to comprehend through the Oral Torah,^[4] and His agents Chochmah, Binah and Da’at.

 

“Seventh Day of Pesach”

(Wednesday Morning April 8, 2026)

Morning Service

 

 

Torah Reading: Shemot (Exodus) 13:17 – 15:26

Reader 1: Shemot 13:17-22

Reader 2: Shemot 14:1-8

Reader 3: Shemot 14:9-14

Reader 4: Shemot 14:15-26

Reader 5: Shemot 14:26 – 15:26

Maftir: B’Midbar (Numbers) 28:18-25

Tehillim (Psalms) 18

Ahlamatah: II Samuel 22:1-51

Nazarean Codicil: Revelation 2:1-7

 

 

Blessing Before Torah Study

 

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

 

Please Ha-Shem, our G-d, 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 G-d, 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."

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·        The Passage of the Red Sea – Exodus 13:17 – 14:31

·        The Song at the Red Sea – Exodus 15:1-21

·        The Journey to Sinai – Exodus 15:22-26

 

JPS & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Shemot (Exodus) 13:17 – 15:26

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: ‎ Shemot (Exodus) 13:17 – 15:26

 

17 It came to pass when Pharaoh let...that God did not lead them Heb. וְלֽא-נָחָם, and did not lead them, similar to “Go, lead(נְחֵה)  the people” (Exod. 32:34) [and] “When you walk, it shall lead (תִּנְחֶה)  you” (Prov. 6:22).

 

for it was near-and it was easy to return by that road to Egypt. There are also many aggadic midrashim [regarding this].

 

when they see war For instance, the war of “And the Amalekites and the Canaanites descended, etc.” (Num. 14:45). If they had gone on a direct route, they would have returned. Now, if when He led them around in a circuitous route, they said, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt” (Num. 14:4), how much more [would they have planned to do this] if He had led them on a direct route? [According to the sequence of the verse, the headings appear to be transposed. See Mizrachi, Gur Aryeh, and Minchath Yehudah for a correct solution of this problem.]

 

Lest...reconsider They will have [second] thoughts about [the fact] that they left Egypt and they will think about returning.

 

18 led...around He led them around from a direct route to a circuitous route.

 

the Red Sea Heb. סוּף יַם-, like לְיַם-סוּף, to the Red Sea.סוּף  means a marsh where reeds grow, similar to “and put [it] into the marsh (בַּסוּף)” (Exod. 2:3); “reeds and rushes (וַסוּף)  shall be cut off” (Isa. 19:6). armed Heb. חֲמֻשִׁים .וַחֲמֻשִׁים [in this context] can only mean “armed.” (Since He led them around in the desert [circuitously], He caused them to go up armed, for if He had led them around through civilization, they would not have [had to] provide for themselves with everything that they needed, but only [part,] like a person who travels from place to place and intends to purchase there whatever he will need. But if he travels a long distance into a desert, he must prepare all his necessities for himself. This verse was written only to clarify the matter, so you should not wonder where they got weapons in the war with Amalek and in the wars with Sihon and Og and Midian, for the Israelites smote them with the point of the sword.) [In an old Rashi]) And similarly [Scripture] says: “and you shall cross over armed (חֲמֻשִׁים)” (Josh. 1:14). And so too Onkelos rendered מְזָרְזִין  just as he rendered: “and he armed (וְזָרֵיז)  his trained men” (Gen. 14:14). Another interpretation: חֲמֻשִׁים means “divided by five,” [meaning] that one out of five (חֲמִֽשִִִֵָה)  [Israelites] went out, and four fifths [lit., parts of the people] died during the three days of darkness [see Rashi on Exod. 10:22].-[from Mechilta, Tanchuma, Beshallach 1]

 

19 for he had adjured-Heb. הַֽשְבֵּעַ הִֽשְבִּיעַ. [The double expression indicates that] he [Joseph] had made them [his brothers] swear that they would make their children swear (Mechilta). Now why did he not make his sons swear to carry him to the land of Canaan immediately [when he died], as Jacob had made [him] swear? Joseph said, “I was a ruler in Egypt, and I had the ability to do [this]. As for my sons-the Egyptians will not let them do [it].” Therefore, he made them swear that when they would be redeemed and would leave there [Egypt], they would carry him [out].-[from Mechilta]

 

and you shall bring up my bones from here with you-He made his brothers swear in this manner. We learn [from this] that the bones of all [the progenitors of] the tribes they brought up [out of Egypt] with them as it is said “with you”-[from Mechilta]

 

20 They traveled from Succoth on the second day, for on the first day they came from Rameses to Succoth.

 

21 to cause it to lead them on the way Heb. לַנְחֽתָם. [The “lammed” is] vowelized with a “pattach,” which is equivalent to לְהַנְחֽתָם, like “to show you(לַראֽתְכֶם)  on the way on which you shall go” (Deut. 1:33), which is like לְהַרְאֽתְכֶם. Here also, [it means] to cause to lead you(לְהַנְחֽתָם)  through a messenger. Now who was that messenger? [It was] the pillar of cloud, and the Holy One, blessed be He, in His glory, led it before them. In any case, it was the pillar of cloud that He prepared so that they could be led by it, for they would travel by the pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud was not [meant] to provide light but to direct them [on] the way.

 

22 He did not move away [I.e.,] the Holy One, blessed be He, [did not move away] the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire at night. [This verse] tells that the pillar of cloud transmitted [its light to] the pillar of fire, and the pillar of fire transmitted [its light to] the pillar of cloud, for while one had not yet set, the other one would rise.-[from Shab. 23b]

 

Chapter 14

 

2 and let them turn back to their rear. They approached nearer to Egypt during the entire third day in order to mislead Pharaoh, so that he would say, “They are astray on the road,” as it is said: “And Pharaoh will say about the children of Israel...” (Exod. 14:3).

 

and encamp in front of Pi- hahiroth That is Pithom [one of the cities built by the Israelites, Exod 1:11], but now it was called Pi-hahiroth, since there they [the Israelites] became free men (בְּנֵי חוֹרִין). They [the Hiroth] are two high upright rocks, and [because there is] the valley between them [this] is called the mouth (פִּי)  of the rocks.-[from Mechilta]

 

in front of Ba’al Zephon [Only] this was left from all the Egyptian deities in order to mislead them [the Egyptians], so they would say that their deity is powerful. Concerning this [tactic] Job explained: “He misleads nations and destroys them” (Job 12: 23).-[from Mechilta]

 

3 And Pharaoh will say when he hears that they [the Israelites] are turning back.

 

about the children of Israel Heb. יִשְׂרָאֵל לִבְנֵי, concerning the children of Israel. And so [the “lammed” is understood similarly in the phrase] "The Lord will fight for you (לָכֶם) (verse 14), on your behalf; [and similarly,] “say about me (לִי)” (Gen. 20:13), [which signifies] concerning me.

 

They are trapped Heb. נְבֻכִים, locked in and sunk, and in French serrer, [meaning] press, tighten, or squeeze, like “in the deep (הַבָּכָא)  valley” (Ps. 84:7); [and like] “the depths of (מִבְּכִי)  the rivers” (Job 28:11); [and likewise] “the locks of  (נִבְכֵי) the sea” (Job 38:16). [In his commentary on this verse, Rashi follows Menachem (Machbereth Menachem, p. 45). Rashi on Psalms and Job 28:11, however, interprets those verses as expressions of weeping, from the root בכה. See Judaica Press commentary digest on Job 28:11.]

 

They are trapped They are locked in the desert, for they do not know how to get out of it and where to go.

 

4 and I will be glorified through Pharaoh-When the Holy One blessed be He wreaks vengeance upon the wicked, His name becomes magnified and glorified. So it [Scripture] says: “And I will judge against him, etc.” and afterwards [the prophet says], “And I will magnify and sanctify Myself and I will be known, etc.” (Ezek 38:22, 23) And [Scripture similarly] says: “There he broke the arrows of the bow,” [which refers to Sennacherib’s defeat,] and afterwards [i.e., the result of that], “God is known in Judah” (Ps. 76:2,4) And [Scripture similarly] says: “The Lord is known for the judgement that He performed” (Ps. 9:17).-[from Mechilta]

 

through Pharaoh and through his entire force He [Pharaoh] initiated the sinful behavior, and [thus] the retribution started with him.-[from Mechilta]

 

And they did so [This is stated] to tell their praise, that they obeyed Moses and did not say, “How will we draw near to our enemies [by returning in the direction of Egypt]? We have to escape.” Instead, they said, “All we have are the words of [Moses] the son of Amram.” [I.e., we have no other plan to follow, only the words of the son of Amram.]-[from Mechilta]

 

5 It was reported to Pharaoh He [Pharaoh] sent officers with them, and as soon as the three days they [the Israelites] had set to go [into the desert] and return had elapsed, and they [the officers] saw that they were not returning to Egypt, they came and informed Pharaoh on the fourth day. On the fifth and the sixth [days after the Israelites’ departure], they pursued them. On the night preceding the seventh, they went down into the sea. In the morning [of the seventh day], they [the Israelites] recited the Song [of the Sea (Exod. 15:1-18)]. Therefore, we read [in the Torah] the Song on the seventh day, that is the seventh day of Passover.

 

had a change He [Pharaoh] had a change of heart from how he had felt [previously], for he had said to them [the Israelites], “Get up and get out from among my people” (Exod. 12:31). His servants [also] had a change of heart, for previously they had said to him, “How long will this one be a stumbling block to us?” (Exod. 10:7). Now they had a change of heart to pursue them [the Israelites] on account of the money that they had lent them.-[based on Mechilta]

 

from serving us Heb. מֵעָבְדֵנוּ, from serving us.

 

6 So he [Pharaoh] harnessed his chariot He [did so] personally.-[from Mechilta]

 

and took his people with him He attracted them with [his] words, "We suffered, they took our money, and [then] we let them go! Come with me, and I will not behave with you as do other kings. With other kings, it is customary that their servants precede them in battle, but I will precede you," as [indeed] it is said: “Pharaoh drew near” (Exod. 14:10). [This means that Pharaoh] himself drew near and hastened before his armies. "It is customary for other kings to take plunder at the beginning, as much as he [the king] chooses. [But] I will share equally with you," as it is said: “I will share the booty” (Exod. 15:9).

 

7 select Heb. בָּחוּר, chosen. [This is] a singular expression, [meaning that] every single chariot in this number was [a] chosen [chariot].

 

and all the chariots of Egypt And with them, all the rest of the chariots. Now where did all these animals come from? If you say [that they belonged] to the Egyptians, it says already: “and all the livestock of the Egyptians died” (Exod. 9:6). And if [you say that they belonged] to the Israelites, does it not say: “also our cattle will go with us” (Exod. 10:26). Whose were they [from if that was the case]? They [belonged] to those who feared the word of the Lord [i.e., to those who drove their servants and their livestock into the houses as in Exod. 9:20]. From here Rabbi Simeon would say, "[Even] the best of the Egyptians --[you must] kill; [even] the best of the serpents-[you must] crush its head."-[from Mechilta]

 

with officers over them all Heb. וְשָׁלִשִׁם, officers over the legions, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders.

 

8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh Because he vacillated about whether to pursue [the Israelites] or not. [So] He hardened his heart to pursue [them].-[from Mechilta]

 

and the children of Israel were marching out triumphantly Heb. בְּיָד רָמָה, lit., with a high hand. With lofty and openly displayed might.

 

10 Pharaoh drew near Heb. וּפַרְעֽה הִקְרִיב, lit., and Pharaoh brought near. It [the verse] should have said: קָרַב. What is the meaning of הִקְרִיב? He [Pharaoh] drew himself near and strove to go before them [his army], as he had stipulated with them.-

 

the Egyptians were advancing after them Heb. נֽסֵעַ  [in the singular]. With one accord, like one man. Alternatively, [in the singular it means that] and behold, Egypt was advancing after them, [denoting that] they [the Israelites] saw the heavenly prince of Egypt advancing from heaven to aid the Egyptians. [From] Tanchuma.

 

cried out They seized the art of their ancestors [i.e., they prayed]. Concerning Abraham, it [Scripture] says: “to the place where he had stood before the Lord” (Gen. 19:27). 2 Concerning Isaac, [it is stated] “to pray in the field” (Gen. 24:63). Concerning Jacob, “And he entreated the Omnipresent” (Gen. 28:11). (See Judaica Press comm. digest on that verse.)-[from Mechilta; Tanchuma Beshallach 9]

 

11 Is it because there are no graves Heb. הֲמִבְּלִי אֵין קְבָרִים. Is it because of the want? Namely that there are no graves in Egypt in which to be buried, that you have taken us out of there? Si por falyanze de non fosses in Old French [i.e., Is it for lack, that there are no graves?].

 

12 Isn’t this the thing [about] which we spoke to you in Egypt When had they said [this]? "And they said to them, “May the Lord look upon you and judge’ ” (Exod. 5:21). [from Mechilta]

 

than die Heb. מִמֻּתֵנוּ, than we should die. If it [מִמֻּתֵנוּ] were vowelized with a “melupum” (i.e., a “cholam,” [מִמּוֹתֵנוּ] as it is known that the grammarians called a “cholam” a “melupum.” See Rashi below on Exod. 19:24), it would be explained as: “than our death.” Now that it is vowelized with a “shuruk” [מִמֻּתֵנוּ], it is explained as “than we should die.” Likewise [in the verse], “If only we had died (מּוּתֵנוּ)” (Exod. 16:3), [means] that we would die. [Similarly,] “If only I had died (מּוּתֵי)  instead of you” (II Sam. 19:1), referring to Absalom [means, I should have died]; [And מּוּתִי  is similar to (קוּמִי)  in the verse:] “for the day that I will rise up (קוּמִי)” (Zeph. 3:8); [and also similar to (ֽשוּבִי) in the verse] “until I return (ֽשוּבִי)  in peace” (II Chron. 18:26), [which mean respectively] that I rise up, that I return.

 

13 for the way you have seen the Egyptians, etc. The way you have seen them—that is only today. It is [only] today that you have seen them, but you shall no longer continue [to see them].

 

14 The Lord will fight for you Heb. לָכֶם, for you, and similarly [the “lammed” in the verse], “because the Lord is fighting for them (לָהֶם)” (verse 25), and similarly [in the verse] “Will you contend for God (לָאֵל) ?” (Job 13:8). And similarly, "and Who spoke about me (לִי)  (Gen. 24:7), and similarly, “Will you contend for the Baal (לַבַּעַל)?” (Jud. 6:31).

 

15 Why do you cry out to Me [This verse] teaches us that Moses was standing and praying. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “This is no time to pray at length, when Israel is in distress.” Another explanation [of God’s question (Why do you cry out to me?) implies]: “The matter depends on Me and not on you,” as it is said further [in Scripture]: “Concerning My children and the work of My hands do you command Me?” (Isa. 45:11).-[from Mechilta, Exod. Rabbah 21: 8]

 

Speak to the children of Israel and let them travel They have nothing to do but to travel, for the sea will not stand in their way. The merit of their forefathers and their own [merit], and the faith they had in Me when they came out [of Egypt] are sufficient to split the sea for them.-[from Mechilta, Exod. Rabbah 21:8]

 

19 and went behind them to separate between the Egyptians’ camp and the Israelites’ camp and to catch the arrows and the catapult stones of the Egyptians. Everywhere it says: “the angel of the Lord (ה'),” but here [it says]: “the angel of God (אֱלֽהִים).” Everywhere [in Scripture] אֱלֽהִים  denotes [God’s attribute of] judgment. This teaches that at that moment, the Israelites were being judged whether to be saved or to perish with the Egyptians.

 

and the pillar of cloud moved away When it became dark, and the pillar of cloud delivered the camp to the pillar of fire, the cloud did not go away as it would customarily go away completely in the evening, but it moved away and went behind them [the Israelites] to make it dark for the Egyptians.

 

20 And he came between the camp of Egypt This can be compared to a person walking along the road with his son walking in front of him. [When] bandits came to capture him [the son], he [the father] took him from in front of him and placed him behind him. A wolf came behind him; so, he put him [his son] in front of him. [When] bandits came in front of him and wolves behind him, he put him [his son] on his arms and fought them off. Similarly [the prophet depicts the angel protecting Israel when they drew near to the Red Sea], “But I sent to train Ephraim, he took them on his arms” (Hos. 11:3).-[from Mechilta]

 

and there were the cloud and the darkness for the Egyptians.

 

and it illuminated [I.e.,] the pillar of fire [illuminated] the night for the Israelites, and it went before them as it usually went all night long, and the thick darkness [from the cloud] was toward the Egyptians.

 

and one did not draw near the other [I.e., one] camp to [the other] camp.- [from Mechilta, Jonathan]

 

21 with the strong east wind [I.e.,] with the east wind, which is the strongest of the winds. That is the wind with which the Holy One, blessed be He, visits retribution upon the wicked, as it is said [in the following verses]: “With an east wind I will scatter them” (Jer. 18:17); “an east wind shall come, a wind of the Lord” (Hos. 13:15); “the east wind broke you in the heart of the seas” (Ezek. 27:26); “He spoke with His harsh wind on the day of the east wind” (Isa. 27:8).-[from Mechilta]

 

and the waters split All the water in the world.-[from Mechilta Exod. Rabbah 21:6]

 

23 all Pharaoh’s horses Heb. כּֽל סוּס פַּרְעֽה, lit., in the singular. Now was there only one horse? This informs us that they [the horses] are all considered by the Omnipresent as one horse.-[from Mechilta Shirah 2]

 

24 It came about in the morning watch Heb. בְּאַֽשְמֽרֶת. The three parts of the night are called, אַשְׁמוּרוּת, watches (Ber. 3b), and the one [watch] before morning is called אַשְׁמֽרֶת הַבּֽקֶר, the morning watch. I say that because the night is divided into the watches of the songs of the ministering angels, one group after another into three parts, it is called אַשְׁמֽרֶת, watch. This is what Onkelos [means when he] renders מַטְּרַת.

 

looked down Heb. וַיַּשְׁקֵף, looked, that is to say that He turned toward them to destroy them, and the Targum [Onkelos] renders: וְאִסְתְּכֵי. This too is an expression of looking, like “to the field of seers” (Num. 23:14), [which Onkelos renders:] לַחֲקַל סָכוּתָא

 

through a of fire and cloud The pillar of cloud descends and makes it [the earth] like mud, and the pillar of fire boils it [the earth], and the hoofs of their horses slip.-[from Mechilta]

 

and He threw the Egyptian camp into confusion Heb. וַיָּהָם, an expression of confusion, estordison in Old French. He confused them; He took away their intelligence. We learned in the chapters of Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Yose the Galilean [not found in our edition] [that] wherever it says מְהוּמָה  {confusion], it means a tumultuous noise. And the “father” of them all, [the best example of the use of מְהוּמָה, is [in the verse:] “and the Lord thundered with a loud noise, etc., on the Philistines and threw them into confusion (וַיְהוּמֵּם)” (I Sam. 7:10).

 

25 And He removed the wheels of their chariots With the fire the wheels were burned, and the chariots dragged, and those sitting in them were moved to and fro, and their limbs were wrenched apart.-[from an unknown source, similar to Mechilta]

 

and He led them with heaviness In a manner that was heavy and difficult for them. [This punishment was] in the measure that they [the Egyptians had] measured [to the Israelites], namely “and he made his heart heavy, he and his servants” (Exod. 9:34). Here too, “He led them with heaviness.”-[from an unknown source, similar to Mechilta]

 

is fighting for them against the Egyptians Heb. בְּמִצְרָיִם, [is like] against the Egyptians. Alternatively:  בְּמִצְרָיִם[means] in the land of Egypt, for just as these [Egyptians] were being smitten in the sea, so were those remaining in Egypt being smitten.-[from Mechilta]

 

26 and let the water return [I.e., the water] that is standing upright like a wall [will] return to its place and cover up the Egyptians.

 

27 toward morning Heb. לִפְנוֹת בּֽקֶר, at the time the morning approaches [lit., turns (פּוֹנֶה)  to come].

 

to its strength Heb. לְאֵיתָנוֹ. To its original strength.-[from Mechilta]

 

were fleeing toward it Because they were confused and crazed and running toward the water.

 

and the Lord stirred Heb. וַיְנַעֵר. As a person stirs (מְנַעֵר)  a pot [of food] and turns what is on the top to the bottom and what is on the bottom to the top, so were they [the Egyptians] bobbing up and down and being smashed in the sea, and the Holy One, blessed be He, kept them alive to bear their tortures.-[from Mechilta] stirred Heb. וַיְנַעֵר. [Onkelos renders it] וְֽשַנִּיק, which means stirring in the Aramaic language, and there are many [examples of this word] in aggadic midrashim.

 

28 and covered the chariots...the entire force of Pharaoh Heb. לְכֽל חֵיל פַּרְעֽה  So is the custom of Scriptural verses to write a superfluous “lammed,” such as in “all (לְכָל)  its utensils you shall make copper” (Exod. 27:3); and similarly, “all (לְכֽל)  the utensils of the Tabernacle for all its services” (Exod. 27:19); [and in the phrase] “their stakes and their ropes, along with all (לְכָל)  their utensils” (Num. 4:32), and it [the “lammed”] is [used] merely to enhance the language.

 

30 and Israel saw the Egyptians dying on the seashore For the sea spewed them out on its shore, so that the Israelites would not say, "Just as we are coming up on this side [of the sea], so are they coming up on another side, far from us, and they will pursue us."-[from Mechilta and Pes. 118b]

 

31 the great hand The great mighty deed that the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, had performed. Many meanings fit the term יָד, and they are all expressions derived from an actual hand, and he who interprets it must adjust the wording according to the context.

 

Chapter 15

 

1 Then...sang Heb. אָז יָשִׁיר. [The future tense presents a problem. Therefore, Rashi explains:] Then, when he [Moses] saw the miracle, it occurred to him to recite a song, and similarly, “Then Joshua spoke (אָז יְדַבֵּר יְהשֻׁעַ)” (Josh. 10:12); and similarly, “and the house [which] he would make (יַעֲשֶׂה)  for Pharaoh’s daughter” (I Kings 7:8), [which means] he decided to make it for her. Here too, יָשִׁיר  [in the future tense means that] his heart dictated to him that he should sing, and so he did, “and they spoke, saying, I will sing to the Lord.’ ” Likewise, with [the above reference to] Joshua, when he saw the miracle [of the defeat of the Amorite kings (Josh. 10:11)], his heart dictated to him that he speak [praises to God], and so he did, “and he said in the sight of Israel” (Josh. 10:12). Likewise, the song of the well, with which [Scripture] commences: “Then Israel sang (אָז יָשִׁיר)” (Num. 21:17), it explains after it, “Ascend, O well!, sing to it.” [I.e., in these three instances, the “yud” of the future tense denotes the thought, and after each one, Scripture continues that the thought was brought to fruition.] “Then did Solomon build (אָז יִבְנֶה)  a high place” (I Kings 11:7); the Sages of Israel explain that he sought to build [it] but did not build [it] (Sanh. 91b). We [thus] learn that the “yud” may serve to indicate a thought. This is to explain its simple meaning, but the midrashic interpretation is [as follows]: Our Rabbis of blessed memory stated: From here is an allusion from the Torah to the resurrection of the dead (Sanh. 91b, Mechilta), and so it is [i.e., the future tense is used] with them all, except that of Solomon, which they explained as [implying] “he sought to build but did not build.” One cannot say and explain this form like other words written in the future, but which mean [that they occurred] immediately, such as “So would Job do (וָעֲשֶׂה)” (Job 1:5); “by the command of the Lord would they encamp (יַחֲנוּ)” (Num. 9:23); “And sometimes the cloud would be (יִהְיֶה)” (Num. 9:21), because that is [an example of] something that occurs continually, and either the future or the past is appropriate for it, but that which occurred only once [i.e., the song that was sung], cannot be explained in this manner.-

 

for very exalted is He Heb. גָאֽה גָאָה, [to be interpreted] according to the Targum [He was exalted over the exalted, and the exaltation is His]. Another explanation: [The] doubling [of the verb] comes to say that He did something impossible for a flesh and blood [person] to do. When he fights with his fellow and overwhelms him, he throws him off the horse, but here, “a horse and its rider He cast into the sea,” [i.e., with the rider still on the horse]. Anything that cannot be done by anyone else is described as exaltation (גֵּאוּת), like “for He has performed an exalted act (גֵּאוּת)” (Isa. 12:5). Similarly, [throughout] the entire song you will find the repetitive pattern, such as: “My strength and my praise are the Eternal, and He was my salvation” (verse 2); “The Lord is a Master of war; the Lord is His Name,” (verse 3); and so on, all of them (in an old Rashi). Another explanation: גָאֽה גָאָה  means for He is exalted beyond all songs, [i.e.,] for however I will praise Him, He still has more [praise]. [This is] unlike the manner of a human king, who is praised for something he does not possess.-[from Mechilta]

 

a horse and its rider Both bound to one another, and the water lifted them up high and brought them down into the depths, and [still] they did not separate.-[from Mechilta]

 

He cast Heb. רָמָה, [meaning] He cast, and similarly, “and they were cast (וּרְמִיו)  into the burning, fiery furnace” (Dan. 3:21). The aggadic midrash, however, [states as follows]: One verse (verse 1) says: רָמָה בַיָם, [derived from רוּם, meaning “to cast up,”] and one verse (verse 4) says: יָרָה בַיָם  [meaning “to cast down”]. [This] teaches us that they [the horse and rider] went up and [then] descended into the deep, [i.e., they were thrown up and down]. [The meaning of יָרָה  is here] similar to: “who laid (יָרָה)  its cornerstone” (Job 38:6), [which signifies laying the stone] from above, downward.-[from Mechilta, Tanchuma, Beshallach 13]

 

2 The Eternal’s strength and His vengeance were my salvation Heb. עָזִי וְזִמְרָת יָ-ה. Onkelos renders: My strength and my praise, [thus interpreting] עָזִי  like עֻזִי  [my strength] with a “shuruk,” and וְזִמְרָת like וְזִמְרָתִי  [my song]. But I wonder about the language of the text, for there is nothing like it [the word עָזִי] in Scripture with its vowelization except in three places [i.e., here and in Isa. 12:2 and Ps. 118:14], where it is next to וְזִמְרָת, but [in] all other places, it is vowelized with a “shuruk" [now called a "kubutz"], [e.g., in the phrase] "O Lord, Who are my power (עֻזִי) and my strength” (Jer. 16:19); “[Because of] his strength (עֻזוֹ), I hope for You” (Ps. 59:10). Likewise, any word [noun] consisting of two letters, vowelized with a “melupum,” [i.e., a "cholam,"] when it is lengthened by [the addition of] a third letter, and the second letter is not punctuated with a “sheva” the first [letter] is vowelized with a “shuruk,” e.g., עֽז strength, becomes עֻזִי, my strength, spittle (Job 30:10), רֽק  becomes רֽקִי, my spittle (Job 7:19). allotment (Gen. 47:22), חֽק  becomes חֽקִי, my allotment (Prov. 30:8). עֽל, yoke (Deut. 28:48), becomes עֻלוֹ, his yoke, “shall be removed...his yoke עֻלוֹ” (Isa. 10:27). כּֽל, all (Gen. 21:12), becomes כֻּלוֹ, all of it, “with officers over them all כֻּלוֹ” (Exod. 14:7). But these three [examples of the phrase], עָזִי וְזִמְרָת, [namely] the one [written] here, the one [written in] Isaiah (12:2), and the one [written in] Psalms (118:14) [all examples of the word עָזִי  [are vowelized with a short “kamatz.” Moreover, not one of them [i.e., of these examples] is written וְזִמְרָתִי  but וְזִמְרָת, and next to each of them it says וַיְהִי-לִי לִיֽשוּעָה, were my salvation. Therefore, in order to reconcile the language of the text, I say that עָזִי  is not like עֻזִי, nor is וְזִמְרָת  like וְזִמְרָתִי, but עָזִי  is a noun [and the final “yud” is only stylistic], like [the final “yud” in these examples:] “You Who dwell (הַישְׁבִי)  in heaven” (Ps. 123:1); “who dwell (שֽׁכְנִי)  in the clefts of the rock” (Obad. 1:3); “Who dwells (שֽׁכְנִי)  in the thorn bush” (Deut. 33:16). And this is the praise [that Moses and the Israelites sing to God]: The strength and the vengeance of the Eternal--that was my salvation. [In brief, the “yud” at the end of the word is a stylistic suffix, which has no bearing on the meaning.] And the word וְזִמְרָת is connected to the word denoting the Divine Name, like “to the aid of (לְעֶזְרַת)  the Lord” (Jud. 5:23); [and like the word בְּעֶבְרַת  in] “By the wrath of (בְּעֶבְרַת)  the Lord” (Isa. 9:18); [and the word דִבְרַת  in:] “concerning the matter of (דִבְרַת)” (Eccl. 3:18). [In brief, the ַת  or, ָת  denotes the construct state of a feminine noun.] The expression וְזִמְרָת is an expression related to “and your vineyard you shall not prune (א תִזְמֽר)” (Lev. 25:4); “the downfall of (זְמִיר)  the tyrants” (Isa. 25:5), an expression denoting mowing down and cutting off. [Thus, the phrase means:] The strength and the vengeance of our God was our salvation. Now [since this is the meaning of the phrase,] do not be puzzled about the expression וַיְהִי, [i.e.,] that it does not say הָיָה  [without a “vav” since this is the verb following עָזִי וְזִמְרָת  and does not begin a clause as the conversive “vav” usually does], for there are verses worded this way, and this is an example: “[against] the walls of the house around [both] the temple and the sanctuary, he made (וַיַּעַשׂ)  chambers around [it]” (I Kings 6:5). It should have said עָשָׂה, “chambers around [it]” [instead of וַיַּעַשׂ]. Similarly, in (II) Chron. (10:17): “But the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah-Rehoboam reigned (וַיִמְלֽךְ)  over them.” It should have said: “Rehoboam (מָלַךְ)  over them.” [Similarly,] “Because the Lord was unable...He slaughtered them (וַיִשְׁחָטֵם)  in the desert” (Num. 14:16). It should have said: שְׁחָטָם. [Similarly,] “But the men whom Moses sent...died (וַיָמוּתוּ)” (Num 14:36, 37). It should have said: מֵתוּ. [Similarly,] “But he who did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left  (וַיַעֲזֽב)” (Exod. 9:21). It should have said: עָזַב.

 

this is my God He revealed Himself in His glory to them [the Israelites], and they pointed at Him with their finger [as denoted by זֶה, this]. By the sea, [even] a maidservant perceived what prophets did not perceive.-[from Mechilta]

 

and I will make Him a habitation Heb. וְאַנְוֵה. Onkelos rendered it as an expression of habitation (נָוֶה) [as in the following phrases]: “a tranquil dwelling (נָוֶה)” (Isa. 33: 20); “a sheepfold (נְוֵה)” (Isa. 65:10). Another explanation: וְאַנְוֵהוּ  is an expression of beauty (נוּ). [Thus, the phrase means] I will tell of His beauty and His praise to those who enter the world, such as: [When Israel is asked:] "How is your beloved more than another beloved...? [Israel will say] My beloved is white and ruddy..." and the entire section [of Song of Songs] (Song of Songs 5:9, 10).-[from Mechilta]

 

the God of my father is this One, and I will exalt Him.

 

the God of my father I am not the beginning of the sanctity [i.e., I am not the first to recognize His sanctity], but the sanctity has been established and has remained with me, and His Divinity has been upon me since the days of my forefathers.-[from Mechilta]

 

3 The Lord is a Master of war Heb. אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה, lit., a man of war, [which is inappropriate in reference to the Deity. Therefore,] Rashi renders: Master of war, like “Naomi’s husband (אִישׁ נָעֳמִי)” (Ruth 1:3) and so, every [instance in the Torah of] אִישׁ, husband, and אִישֵׁךְ, your husband, is rendered: בַּעַל, master. Similarly, “You shall be strong and become a man (לְאִישׁ)” (I Kings 2:2), [meaning] a strong man.-

 

the Lord is His Name His wars are not [waged] with weapons, but He wages battle with His Name, as David said [to Goliath before fighting him], “[You come to me with spear and javelin] and I come to you with the Name of the Lord of Hosts” (I Sam. 17:45). Another explanation: The Lord י-ה-ו-ה, denoting the Divine Standard of Clemency,] is His Name--Even when He wages war and takes vengeance upon His enemies, He sticks to His behavior of having mercy on His creatures and nourishing all those who enter the world, unlike the behavior of earthly kings. When he [an earthly king] is engaged in war, he turns away from all his [other] affairs and does not have the ability to do both this [i.e., wage war] and that [other things].-[from Mechilta]

 

4 He cast into the sea Heb. יָרָה בַיָם. [Onkelos renders:] שְׁדִי .שְׁדִי בְיַמָּא  is an expression of casting down (יָרָה), as [Scripture] says: “or shall surely be cast down (יָרֽה יִיָָּרֶה)” (Exod. 19:13), which Onkelos renders: אִשְׁתְּדָאָה יִשְׁתְּדִי. The “tav” serves in these [forms] in the hithpa’el form.

 

and the elite of Heb. וּמִבְחַר, a noun, like מֶרְכָּב, riding gear (Lev. 15:9); מִשְׁכָּב, bed (Lev. 15:23); מִקְרָא קֽדֶשׁ, holy convocation (Exod. 12:16, Lev. 23:3).

 

sank Heb. טֻבְּעוּ. The term טְבִיעָה  [for sinking] is used [in the Tanach] only [when referring] to a place where there is mud, like “I have sunk (טָבַעְתִּי)  in muddy depths” (Ps. 69:3); “and Jeremiah sank (וַיִּטְבַּע)  into the mud” (Jer. 38:6). This informs [us] that the sea became mud, to recompense them [the Egyptians] according to their behavior, [namely] that they enslaved the Israelites with [work that entailed] clay and bricks.-[from Mechilta]

 

5 covered them Heb. יְכַסְיֻמוּ, like יְכַסוּם. The “yud” in the middle of it is superfluous. This is, however, a common biblical style [to add an additional “yud”], like “and your cattle and your flocks will increase (יִרְבְּיֻן)” (Deut. 8:13); “They will be sated (יִרְוְיֻן)  from the fat of Your house” (Ps. 36:9). The first “yud,” which denotes the future tense, is to be explained as follows: They sank in the Red Sea, so that the water would return and cover them up. There is no word in Scripture similar to יְכַסְיֻמוּ  in its vowelization. It would usually be vowelized יְכַסְיֻמוּ  with a “melupum.” [Here too it is obvious that Rashi means a “cholam,” as I explained above (Exod. 14:12).]

 

like a stone Elsewhere (verse 10), it says, “they sank like lead.” Still elsewhere (verse 7), it says, “it devoured them like straw.” [The solution is that] the [most] wicked were [treated] like straw, constantly tossed, rising and falling; the average ones like stone; and the best like lead-[i.e.,] they sank immediately [and thus were spared suffering].-[from Mechilta]

 

6 Your right hand...Your right hand twice. When the Israelites perform the will of the Omnipresent, [even] the left hand becomes a right hand.-[Rashi from Mechilta]

 

Your right hand, O Lord, is most powerful to save Israel, and Your second right hand crushes the foe. It seems to me, however, that that very right hand [also] crushes the foe, unlike a human being, who cannot perform two kinds of work with the same hand. The simple meaning of the verse is: Your right hand, which is strengthened with might--what is its work? Your right hand, O Lord, crushes the foe. There are many verses resembling it [i.e., where parts of the verse are repeated]: “For behold Your enemies, O Lord, for behold Your enemies will perish” (Ps. 92:10); “How long will the wicked, O Lord, how long will the wicked rejoice?” (Ps. 94:3); “The rivers have raised, O Lord, the rivers have raised their voice” (Ps. 93:3); “Not for us, O Lord, not for us” (Ps. 115:1); “I will answer, says the Lord; I will answer the heavens” (Hos. 2:23); “I to the Lord, I shall sing” (Jud. 5:3); “Had it not been for the Lord, etc. Had it not been for the Lord Who was with us when men rose up against us” (Ps. 124:1, 2); “Praise! Praise! Deborah. Praise! Praise! Utter a song” (Jud. 5:12); “A foot shall trample it, the feet of a poor man” (Isa. 26:6); “And He gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to Israel His people” (Ps. 135:12).

 

is most powerful Heb. נֶאְדָּרִי The “yud” is superfluous, like “populous (רַבָּתִי עָם)...princess (שָׂרָתִי)  among the provinces” (Lam. 1:1); “what was stolen by day” (גְּנֻבְתִי)  (Gen. 31: 39).

 

crushes the foe Heb. תִּרְעַץ, [which means] it constantly crushes and breaks the foe. Similar to this, “And they crushed (וַיִרְעֲצוּ)  and broke the children of Israel,” in Jud. (10:8). (Another explanation: Your right hand, which is strengthened with might-it breaks and strikes the foe.)

 

7 And with Your great pride -(If the hand alone crushes the foe, then when it is raised with its great pride, it will [definitely] tear down those who rise up against Him. And if with His great pride alone His foes are torn down, how much more so, when He sends upon them His burning wrath, will it consume them.)

 

You tear down You always tear down those who rise up against You. And who are those who rise up against Him? These are the ones who rise up against Israel, and so does he [the Psalmist] say, “For behold, Your enemies stir.” And what is that stirring? “Against Your people they plot cunningly” (Ps. 83:3, 4). For this reason, he calls them the enemies of the Omnipresent.-[from Mechilta]

 

8 And with the breath of Your nostrils Breath which comes out of the two nostrils of the nose. Scripture speaks anthropomorphically about the Shechinah, on the model of a mortal king, in order to enable the ears of the people to hear it [to understand God’s anger] as it usually occurs [in humans], so that they should be able to understand the matter. [Namely that] when a person becomes angry, wind comes out of his nostrils. Likewise, “Smoke went up from His nostrils” (Ps. 18:9), and similarly, “and from the wind of His nostrils they will be destroyed” (Job 4:9). And this is what it [Scripture] says: “For the sake of My Name, I defer My anger” (Isa. 48:9) [lit., I lengthen the breath of My nose]. [This means that] when his [a person’s] anger subsides, his breath becomes longer, and when he becomes angry, his breath becomes shorter; [the verse continues:] “and for My praise I restrain My wrath (אֶחֱטָם) for you” (Isa. 48:9). [I.e.,] I put a ring (חֲטָם)  into My nostrils in front of the anger and the wind, [so] that they should not come out. “For you” means “for your sake.” [The word] אֶחֱטָם  is like [the expression in the Mishnah:] “a dromedary with a nose ring” (בַּחֲטָם)  in tractate Shabbath (51b). This is how it appears to me. And concerning every [expression of] אַף and חָרוֹן  in the Bible [which are expressions of anger] I say this: [The expression] חָרָה אַף, anger was kindled, is like [the word חָרָה  in:] “and my bones dried out (חָרָה)  from the heat” (Job 30:30); חָרָה is an expression of fire and burning, for the nostrils heat up and burn at the time of anger. חָרוֹן  (burning) is from the root חרה  (to burn) just as רָצוֹן  (will) is from the root רצה  (to desire). And likewise, חֵמָה  is an expression of heat (חֲמִימוּת). Therefore, it [Scripture] says: “and his anger (וַחֲמָתוֹ)  burnt within him” (Esther 1:12), and when the anger subsides, we say, “His mind has cooled off (נִתְקָרְרָה דַעְתּוֹ).”

 

the waters were heaped up --Heb. נֶעֶרְמוּ. Onkelos rendered [this word] as an expression of cunning (עַרְמִימוּת). According to the clarity of Scripture, however, it is an expression related to “a stack (עֲרֵמַת)  of wheat” (Song of Songs 7:3), and [the phrase that follows:] “the running water stood erect like a wall” proves this.

 

the waters were heaped up From the heat of the wind that came out of Your nose, the water dried up, and it became like piles and heaps of grain stacks, which are tall.

 

like a wall Heb. כְמוֹ-נֵד, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders: כְּשׁוּר, like a wall.-

 

wall Heb. נֵד, an expression of heaping and gathering, like “a heap (נֵד)  of harvest on a day of sickness” (Isa. 17:11); “He gathers (כּֽנֵס)  as a mound כַּנֵד” (Ps. 33:7). It does not say, “He brings in as a flask כַּנּֽאד,” but כַּנַּד. Now if כַּנַּד  were the same as כַּנּֽאד, and כּֽנֵס  were an expression of bringing in, it should have said, “He brings in as into a flask (  מַכְנִיס  כִּבְנֽאד) the waters of the sea.” Rather, כּֽנֵס  is an expression of gathering and heaping, and so, “shall stand in one heap (נֵד)”; “stood in one heap (נֵד).” (Josh. 3:13, 16); and the expression of rising and standing does not apply to flasks, but to walls and heaps. Moreover, we do not find נּֽאד, meaning a flask, vowelized [with any vowel] but with a “melupum,” (meaning a “cholam,”) like [in the phrases:] “place my tears into Your flask (בְּנּֽאדֶךָ)” (Ps. 56: 9); “the flask of נּֽאד  milk” (Jud. 4:19).

 

congealed Heb. קָפְאוּ, like “and curdle me (תַּקְפִּיאֵנִי)  like cheese” (Job 10:10). [I.e.,] that they [the depths] hardened and became like stones, and the water hurled the Egyptians against the stone with [all its] might and fought with them [the Egyptians] with all kinds of harshness.

 

in the heart of the sea Heb. בְּלֶב יָם, in the strongest part of the sea. It is customary for the Scriptures to speak in this manner, [for instance:] “until the heart of (לֵב)  the heavens” (Deut. 4:11); in the heart of (בְּלֵב)  the terebinth" (II Sam. 18:14). [The heart in these examples is] an expression denoting the root and the strength of anything.-

 

9 [Because] the enemy said --to his people, when he enticed them with [his] words, "I will pursue, and I will overtake them, and I will share the plunder with my officers and my servants."

 

will be filled from them Heb. תִּמְלָאֵמוֹ, equivalent to תִּמְלָא מֵהֶם, will be filled from them.

 

my desire --Heb. נַפְשִׁי, lit., my soul, my spirit, and my will. Do not be surprised at [one] word speaking for two [words]; i.e., תִּמְלָאֵמוֹ, instead of תִּמְלָא מֵהֶם, because there are many such words [in Tanach like this], e.g., “you have given me (נְתַתָּנִי)  dry land” (Jud. 1:15), [which is] like נָתַתָּ לִי  “and they could not speak with him (דַּבְּרוּ)  peacefully” (Gen. 37:4), [which is] like דַּבֵּר עִמוֹ “my children have left me (יְצָאוּנִי) ” (Jer. 10:20), [which is] like יָצְאוּ מִמֶנִי  “I will tell him (אַגִּידֶנּוּ) ” (Job 31:37), [which is] like אַגִיד לוֹ. Here too, תִּמְלָאֵמוֹ  is equivalent to תִִִּמְלָאֵמוֹ נַפְשִׁי מֵהֶם.

 

I will draw my sword Heb. אָרִיק חַרְבִּי, lit., I will empty my sword. I will draw, and because one empties the sheath by drawing it [the sword], and it remains empty, an expression of emptying is appropriate, like “And it came to pass that they were emptying (מְרִיקִים)  their sacks” (Gen. 42:35); “and they shall empty (יָרִיקוּ)  his vessels” (Jer. 48:12). Do not say that the expression of emptiness [in these examples] does not apply to what comes out [of its container] but [instead applies] to the sheath, the sack, or the vessel from which it came out, but not to the sword or the wine, and [thus] to force an interpretation of אָרִיק חַרְבִּי  like the language of “and he armed (וַיָרֶק)  his trained men” (Gen. 14:14), [claiming that its] meaning [is] "I will arm myself with my sword.” [To this I answer that] we find the expression [of emptying] also applied to that which comes out, e.g., “oil poured forth (תּוּרַק) ” (Song of Songs 1:3); “and he has not been poured (הוּרַק)  from one vessel to another vessel” (Jer. 48:11). It is not written: “the vessel was not emptied (הוּרַק)” but “the wine was not poured (הוּרַק)  from one vessel to another vessel.” Similarly, “and they will draw (וְהֵרִיקוּ)  their swords on the beauty of your wisdom” (Ezek. 28:7), referring to Hiram [the king of Tyre]- [following Onkelos, Jonathan].

 

my hand will impoverish them Heb. תּוֹרִישֵׁמוֹ, an expression of poverty (רֵישׁוּת)  and destitution, like “The Lord impoverishes (מוֹרִישׁ)  and makes rich” (I Sam. 2:7).

 

10 You blew Heb. נָשַׁפְתָּ, an expression of blowing, and likewise: “and also, He blew (נָשַׁף)  on them” (Isa. 40:24).

 

they sank Heb. צָלֲלוּ, [which means] they sank; they went down to the depths, an expression of מְצוּלָה, deep.

 

like lead-Heb. כַּעוֹפֶרֶת, plomb in French, lead.

 

11 among the powerful Heb. בָּאֵלִם, among the strong, like “and the powerful (אֵילֵי)  of the land he took away” (Ezek. 17:13); “my strength אֱיָלוּתִי, hasten to my assistance” (Ps. 22:20).

 

Too awesome for praises [You are] too awesome for [one] to recite Your praises, lest they fall short, as it is written: “Silence is praise to You” (Ps. 65:2).

 

12 You inclined Your right hand When the Holy One, blessed be He, inclines His hand, the wicked perish and fall, because all are placed in His hand, and they fall when He inclines it. Similarly, it [Scripture] says: “and the Lord shall turn His hand, and the helper shall stumble, and the helped one shall fall” (Isa. 31:3). This can be compared to glass vessels placed in a person’s hand. If he inclines his hand a little, they fall and break.-[based on Mechilta]

 

the earth swallowed them up From here [we deduce] that they merited to be buried as a reward for saying, “The Lord is the righteous One” (Exod. 9:27).-[from Mechilta]

 

13 You led Heb. נֵהַלְתָּ, an expression of leading. Onkelos, however, rendered [it as] an expression of carrying and bearing, but he was not exact in explaining it in accordance with the Hebrew. [I.e., he explained the sense of the verse, but he did not translate the word literally.]

 

14 they trembled Heb. יִרְגָזוּן, [which means] they tremble.

 

the inhabitants of Philistia [They trembled] since they slew the children of Ephraim, who hastened the end [of their exile] and went out [of Egypt] forcibly, as is delineated in (I) Chronicles (7:21). And the people of [the town of] Gath slew them [the children of Ephraim].-[from Mechilta]

 

15 the chieftains of Edom...the powerful men of Moab Now they had nothing to fear at all, because they [the Israelites] were not advancing upon them. Rather, [they trembled] because of grief, that they were grieving and suffering because of the glory of Israel.

 

melted Heb. נָמֽגוּ, [as in the phrase] “with raindrops You dissolve it (תְּמֽגְגֶנָּה)” (Ps. 65:11). They [the inhabitants of Canaan] said, “They are coming upon us to annihilate us and possess our land.”-[from Mechilta]

 

16 May dread...fall upon them Heb. אֵימָתָה, upon the distant ones.-[from Mechilta]

 

and fright Heb. וָפַחַד. Upon the nearby ones, as the matter that is stated: “For we have heard how the Lord dried up [the water of the Red Sea for you, etc.]” (Josh. 2:10).[from Mechilta]

 

until...cross over, until...crosses over As the Targum [Onkelos] renders.

 

You have acquired Heb. קָנִיתָ. [I.e., whom] You loved more than other nations, similar to an article purchased for a high price, which is dear to the person [who purchased it].

 

17 You shall bring them Moses prophesied that he would not enter the land [of Israel]. Therefore, it does not say: “You shall bring us.” (It appears that it should read “that they would not enter the land, etc.” Indeed, this is the way it is stated in Baba Bathra 119b and in Mechilta: The sons will enter but not the fathers. Although the decree of the spies had not yet been pronounced, he [Moses] prophesied, not knowing what he was prophesying.-[Maharshal])

 

directed toward Your habitation The Temple below is directly opposite the Temple above, which You made.-[from Mechilta]

 

the sanctuary Heb. מִקְּדָשׁ. The cantillation sign over it is a “zakef gadol,” to separate it from the word ה' following it. [The verse thus means:] the sanctuary which Your hands founded, O Lord. The Temple is beloved, since, whereas the world was created with “one hand,” as it is said: “Even My hand laid the foundation of the earth” (Isa. 48:13), the sanctuary [will be built] with “two hands.” When will it be built with "two hands"? At the time when “the Lord will reign to all eternity” [verse 18]. In the future, when the entire ruling power is His.-[from Mechilta and Keth. 5a]

 

18 to all eternity Heb. לְעֽלָם וָעֶד. [This is] an expression of eternity, and the “vav” in it is part of the root. Therefore, it is punctuated with a “pattach.” But in “and I am He Who knows, and [I am] a witness וָעֵד” (Jer. 29:23), in which the “vav” is a prefix, it is punctuated with a “kamatz.”

 

19 When Pharaoh’s horses came Heb. כִּי בָא  When they came.

 

20 Miriam, the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took When did she prophesy? When she was [known only as] “Aaron’s sister,” before Moses was born, she said, “My mother is destined to bear a son” [who will save Israel], as is found in Sotah 12b, 13a). Another explanation: [It is written] Aaron’s sister since he [Aaron] risked his life for her when she was afflicted with zara’ath; [thus] she is called by his name (Mechilta).

 

a timbrel Heb. הַתּֽף, a type of musical instrument.

 

with timbrels and with dances The righteous women of that generation were [so] certain that the Holy One, blessed be He, would perform miracles for them, they took timbrels out of Egypt.-[from Mechilta]

 

21 And Miriam called out to them Moses said the Song to the men, and they answered after him, and Miriam said the song to the women [and they too repeated it].-[from Mechilta]

 

22 Moses led Israel away lit., made Israel journey. He led them away against their will, for the Egyptians had adorned their steeds with ornaments of gold, silver, and precious stones, and the Israelites were finding them in the sea. The plunder at the sea was greater than the plunder in Egypt, as it is said: “We will make you rows of gold with studs of silver” (Song of Songs 1:11). Therefore, he had to lead them against their will.-[from Tanchuma Buber, Beshallach 16, Mechilta, Exod. 12:35, Song Rabbah 1:11]

 

23 They came to Marah Heb. מָרָתָה, like לְמָרָָה. The “hey” at the endמָרָתָה  is instead of a “lammed” [prefix] at the beginning [of the word], and the “thav” is instead of the “hey” [that is part] of the root in the word מָרָָה. But when a suffix is added, when it is attached to a “hey” that replaces a “lammed,” the “hey” of the root is transformed into a “thav.” Similarly, every “hey” that is part of the root of the word is transformed into a “thav” when a suffix is added, like “I have no wrath (חֵמָה) ” (Isa. 27:4), [becomes] “and his wrath (וַחֲמָתוֹ)  burnt within him” (Esther 1:12). Note that the “hey” of the root is transformed into a “thav” when it is placed next to the added “vav.” Likewise, “bond servants and handmaids  (וְאָמָה)“ (Lev. 25:44), [becomes] and "Here is my handmaid (אֲמָתִי)  Bilhah” (Gen. 30:3); “a living (חַיָה)  soul” (Gen. 2:7), [becomes] “and his living spirit (חַיָתוֹ)  causes him to abhor food” (Job 33:20); “between Ramah (הָרָמָה)” (Jud. 4:5), [becomes] “And his return was to Ramah (הָרָמָתָה)” (I Sam. 7: 17).

 

24 complained Heb. וַיִנוּ. This is in the niph’al conjugation. [In this case, the niph’al denotes the reflexive, as we see further in Rashi.] Likewise, in the Targum [Onkelos], it is also a niph’al expression: וְאִתְרַעֲמוּ. The nature of the term denoting complaint תְּלוּנָה  [is that it] reverts to the person [complaining], מִתְלוֹנֵן  [complains] or מִתְרוֹעֵם  [storms], but one does not say לוֹנֵן or רוֹעֵם  [Hebrew]. The Frenchman also says, “Decomplenst sey.” He reverts the statement to himself when he says, “Sey.”

 

25 There He gave them In Marah, He gave them some sections of the Torah so that they would busy themselves with them, namely [they were given the laws governing] the Sabbath, the red cow, and laws of jurisprudence.-[from Mechilta and Sanh. 56b]

 

and there He tested them [He tested] the people and saw how stiff-necked they were, that they did not consult Moses with respectful language, “Entreat [God to have] mercy upon us that we should have water to drink,” but they complained.-[from Mechilta]

 

26 If you hearken This is the acceptance [of the law] that they should accept upon themselves.

 

and you do --This means the performance [of the commandments].

 

and you listen closely [This means that] you [should] incline your ears to be meticulous in [fulfilling] them.

 

all His statutes Things that are only the decree of the King, without any [apparent] rationale, and with which the evil inclination finds fault, [saying,] “What is [the sense of] the prohibition of these [things]? Why were they prohibited?” For example, [the prohibitions of] wearing shatnes [a mixture of wool and linen] and eating pork, and [the ritual of] the red cow and their like.-[based on Yoma 67b]

 

I will not visit upon you And if I do bring [sickness upon you], it is as if it has not been brought, “for I, the Lord, heal you.” This is its midrashic interpretation (see Sanh. 101a, Mechilta). According to its simple meaning, [we explain:] “for I, the Lord, am your Physician” and [I] teach you the Torah and the mitzvoth in order that you be saved from them [illnesses], like this physician who says to a person, “Do not eat things that will cause you to relapse into the grip of illness.” This [warning] refers to listening closely to the commandments, and so [Scripture] says: “It shall be healing for your navel” (Prov. 3:8).-[from Mechilta]

 

JPS & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:18-25‎

 

 

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 18:1-51

 

JPS Rashi		Targum
1. For the conductor; of the servant of the Lord, of David, who spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord saved him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.		1. For praise. About the miracles that occurred to the servant of the LORD, David, who sang in prophecy in the presence of the LORD the words of this song about all the days that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the sword of Saul.
2. And he said, "I love You, O Lord, my strength.		2. And he said: I will love you, O LORD, my strength.
3. O Lord, my rock and my fortress and my rescuer; my God, my rock, I will take refuge in Him; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my refuge.		3. O LORD, my strength and my security and the one who delivers me; the God who has chosen me has brought me near to fear Him; my shield, from whose presence is given me strength and redemption over my enemies; my security.
4. With praise I call to the Lord, and from my enemies I will be saved.		4. David said in praise: "I pray in the LORD's presence, and from my enemies He redeems me."
5. Bands of death have encompassed me, and streams of scoundrels would affright me.		5. Distress has surrounded me, like a woman who sits on the birth stool and has no strength to give birth and so is in danger of death; a band of abusive men has terrified me.
6. Bands of the nether world have surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.		6. Armies of sinners have surrounded me; those armed with deadly weapons have confronted me.
7. When I am in distress, I call upon the Lord; yes, I cry out to my God; out of His temple He hears my voice, and my cry comes before Him in His ears.		7. When I am in distress, I pray in the presence of the LORD; and in the presence of my God I make supplication; and He accepts my prayer from His temple, and my petition in His presence is received by his ears, and is granted.
8. The earth shook and quaked, the foundations of the mountains did tremble; and they were shaken when He was angered.		8. The earth trembled and shook and the foundations of the mountains tottered, and split, for He was angry with it.
9. Smoke went up in His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth did devour; coals flamed forth from Him.		9. The arrogance of Pharaoh went up like smoke; then He sent his anger like a burning fire that consumes before Him; His rebuke burns at His utterance like coals of fire.
10. And He bent the heavens, and He came down, and thick darkness was under His feet.		10. And He bent down the heavens, and His glory was manifested, a dark cloud a path before Him.
11. And He rode on a cherub and did fly; He swooped on the wings of the wind.		11. So He was manifested in His strength over swift cherubs; and He proceeded in might on the wings of the storm-wind.
12. He made darkness His hiding-place about Him as His booth; the darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.		12. And He made His presence dwell in the mist, and surrounded Himself with the clouds of His glory as a covering; and He made favorable rains to fall on His people, and mighty waters from the massed clouds of darkness on the wicked from the eternal heights.
13. From the brightness before Him, His thick cloud passed, hail and coals of fire.		13. From the splendor of His glory the clouds of heaven passed by in rebuke like the coals of fire and burning hail from His word.
14. The Lord thundered from Heaven; and the Most High gave forth His voice with hail and coals of fire.		14. And the LORD gave a shout from heaven, and the Most High raised up His utterance; He cast hail and coals of fire.
15. And He sent out arrows and He scattered them; He shot lightning and He discomfited them.		15. And He sent His word like arrows, and scattered them; He sent many lightning bolts, and confounded them.
16. And the depths of the water appeared; the foundations of the world were laid bare by Your rebuke, O Lord, by the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.		16. And the depths of the sea became visible, and the pillars of the world were uncovered at the rebuke of the LORD, from the utterance of Your mighty wrath.
17. He sent forth from on high [and] He took me; He drew me out of many waters.		17. He sent his prophets, He who is a mighty king who reigns in strength; he took me and delivered me from many Gentiles.
18. He delivered me from my mighty enemy, and from those that hated me, for they were too powerful for me.		18. He delivered me from my enemies, for they are strong; from my foes, for they prevailed against me.
19. They confronted me on the day of my calamity, but the Lord was a support to me.		19. They confronted me in the day of my wandering; but the word of the LORD was my support.
20. And He brought me forth into a wide space; He delivered me because He took delight in me.	20. And He brought me out to a broad place, He delivered me because He was pleased with me.
21. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He recompensed me.		21. The LORD will requite me according to my merit; according to the cleanness of my hands He will answer me.
22. For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from [the commandments of] my God.		22. For I have kept the proper ways in the LORD's presence; and I have not walked in evil before the LORD.
23. For all His ordinances were before me; and His statutes I will not remove from myself.		23. For all His judgments are revealed in my sight, to do them; and His covenants I will not remove from me.
24. And I was single-hearted with Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.		24. And I was blameless in fear of Him; and I kept my soul from sins.
25. And the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands before His eyes.		25. And the LORD rewarded me according to my merit; according to the cleanness of my hands in the presence of His word.
26. With a kind one, You show Yourself kind, with a sincere man, You show Yourself sincere.		26. With Abraham, who was found pious in your presence, You showed much mercy; with his seed, Isaac, who was complete in fear of You, you completed Your favorable word.
27. With a pure one, You show Yourself pure, but with a crooked one, You deal crookedly.		27. With Jacob, who was pure in Your presence, You chose his sons from all the Gentiles, and separated his seed from all that is unfit; but with Pharaoh and his seed, and the Egyptians who thought evil thoughts against Your people, You confounded them in their thoughts.
28. For You deliver a humble people, and You humble haughty eyes.		28. Because You are going to redeem the people, the house of Israel, who are esteemed among the peoples in exile; and by Your word You will abase the mighty nations who prevail over them.
29. For You light my lamp; the Lord, my God, does light my darkness.		29. For You will light the lamp of Israel that was extinguished in the exile, for You are the lord of the light of Israel. The LORD my God will bring me out of darkness into light; He will show me His eternal consolation which is to come to the righteous/generous.
30. For by You I run upon a troop, and by my God I scale a wall.		30. For by Your word I will pass through armies; and by the word of my God I will subdue mighty citadels.
31. [He is] the God Whose way is perfect; the word of the Lord is refined; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.		31. God is he whose ways are true; the Torah of the LORD is pure; he is a shield to all who trust in him.
32. For who is God save the Lord? And who is a Rock, save our God?		32. For because of the miracle and deliverance that You will perform for your Messiah, and for the remnants of Your people who will remain, all the Gentiles, nations, and tongues will confess and say, There is no God but the LORD, for there is none besides You; and Your people will say, There is none mighty except our God.
33. The God is He Who girds me with strength; and He makes my way perfect.		33. God, who girds on me a belt in strength, and makes blameless my way.
34. He makes my feet like hinds, and sets me upon my high places.		34. Who makes my feet like hinds'; and He will sustain me in my stronghold.
35. He trains my hands for war so that a copper bow is bent by my arms.		35. Who teaches my hands to do battle, and who makes my arms as strong as a bronze bow.
36. You have given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has supported me, and You have treated me with great humility.		36. And you have given me strength and redemption; and Your right hand will help me; and by Your word You have multiplied me.
37. You have enlarged my step[s] beneath me, and my ankles have not slipped.		37. You have broadened my steps in my place, and my knee has not buckled.
38. I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them, never turning back until they were consumed.		38. I will pursue my enemies; now have I destroyed them, and I did not return until I finished them off.
39. I have crushed them so that they cannot rise; yea, they are fallen under my feet.		39. I will destroy them, and they are unable to rise; and the slain have fallen under the soles of my feet.
40. For You have girded me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those that rose up against me.		40. And you have girded me with strength as a belt to do battle; You have defeated beneath me the Gentiles who rise up to do me harm.
41. And of my enemies, You have given me the back of their necks; those that hate me, that I may cut them off.		41. And my foes You have broken in my presence; You have made them turn tail; thus my enemies I will destroy.
42. They pray but no one saves them; [even] to the Lord, but He answered them not.		42. They seek help, but they have no redeemer; they pray in the presence of the LORD, but He does not accept their prayer.
43. Then I ground them as dust before the wind; as the mud in the streets I did pour them.		43. I have crushed them like clods of earth before the storm-wind; and like the mud of the streets I have trodden them.
44. You allowed me to escape from the contenders of the people; You shall make me the head over nations; may a people that I do not know serve me.		44. You will deliver me from the discords of the Gentiles; you will keep me by my destiny a benefactor at the head of the Gentiles; a people that I did not know shall worship me.
45. As soon as they hear they shall obey me; foreigners shall lie to me.		45. At the hearing of the ear, they will obey me; the sons of the peoples will desert in my presence.
46. Foreigners shall wither, and they shall fear their imprisonments.		46. The sons of the peoples above will perish, and will go into exile from their palaces.
47. The Lord lives, and blessed be my Rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation.		47. The LORD lives, and blessed is the mighty one; for from His presence strength and redemption are given to me; and exalted is God, the strength of my redemption.
48. The God Who grants me vengeance and destroys peoples instead of me.		48. It is God who works retribution for me, and defeats beneath me the Gentiles who arise to do me harm.
49. Who delivers me from my enemies; even above those that rise against me You have lifted me; from the violent man You deliver me.		49. He delivers me from my foes; indeed against those who arise to do me harm You will make me prevail; You will deliver me from Gog and the armies of rapacious Gentiles with him.
50. Therefore, I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the nations, and to Your name I will sing praises.		50. Because of this, I will give praise in Your presence among the Gentiles, O LORD; and I will sing praises to Your name.
51. He gives great salvations to His king, and He performs kindness to His anointed; to David and to his seed forever.		51. He works abundant redemption with His king, and shows favor to his Anointed (Messiah), to David and his seed forever.

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Tehillim (Psalms) ‎18:1-51

 

1 on the day the Lord saved him etc. When he became old and all his troubles had already passed over him and he was saved from them.

 

and from the hand of Saul Was not Saul included? But [he is mentioned specifically] because he was the harshest to him and pursued him more than all of them. Similarly, you say (in Josh. 2:1): “see the land and Jericho.”

 

2 I love You Heb. ארחמך , I love You, as the Targum renders (Lev. 19:18): “and you shall love your neighbor,” ותרחם .

 

3 my rock For You saved me at the Rock of the Divisions (I Sam. 23:28), when I was trapped between Saul and his men, to be caught, as it is stated (in I Sam. 23:26): “but Saul and his men were encircling to David and his men etc.”

 

and my fortress Heb. ומצודתי , an expression of a fortress.

 

my rock Heb. צורי , an expression of a rock.

 

I will take refuge Abrier in French (to protect, cover; cf. Rashi to Isa. 30:2, Joel 4:16).

 

I will take refuge in Him I will take shelter in His shade, as the matter is stated (in Job 24:8): “and without shelter (מחסה) they embrace the rocks,” because the rocks are a shelter and a shield for the travelers from the winds and from the downpour of rains.

 

4 With praise I call to the Lord With praises I call Him and pray before Him constantly, i.e., even before the salvation I praise Him, because I am confident that I will be saved from my enemies.

 

5 Bands of death have encompassed me On many occasions wicked men have surrounded me. אפפוני is like סבבוני . Similarly (below 40:13), “For countless evils...have encompassed (אפפו) me.”

 

Bands of death Heb. חבלי , camps of enemies, as (in I Sam. 10:5): “a band (חבל) of prophets.” But Jonathan renders: as a woman who sits on a birthstool, an expression of the pangs (חבלי) of a woman in confinement.

 

and streams of scoundrels That too is an expression of troops that flood like a stream.

 

6 Bands of the nether world Like “bands of death,” camps of wicked men, and I - what did I do?

 

7 When I am in distress, I call I would always call upon the Lord.

 

8 The earth shook and quaked This is not connected to the preceding verse, but its beginning is connected to its end; i.e., when He was angered, the earth shook and quaked. [The word] כי   is used as an expression of “when.” When He was angered and came to wreak the vengeance of His people, His servants, on Pharaoh and his people, the earth shook and quaked.

 

9 Smoke went up in His nostrils (En ses nariles in Old French, in his nostrils.) So is the custom of every anger, to cause smoke to ascend from his nostrils.

 

10 And He bent the heavens, and He came down to pass through the land of Egypt. “He came down” is to be understood in its simple meaning. Another explanation is “i atonvit” in Old French, to flatten, as (in Exod. 39:3), and the radical is רדד .

 

11 He swooped Heb. וידא , He flew, as (in Deut. 28:49), “as the eagle swoops (ידאה) .”

 

12 the darkness of waters that are in the thick clouds of the skies are the darkness that is about Him. Lest you say that within the darkness there is no light, Scripture tells us: From the brightness before Him, and from within His partition, His thick clouds that are about Him are split, and hail and coals of fire pass through them.

 

13 passed Heb. עברו , trepasant in Old French, passed. The hail split and passes through onto the Egyptians at the Sea of Reeds.

 

16 And the depths of the water appeared when the sea split.

 

the foundations of the world were laid bare for all the waters in the world split.

 

by the blast from the blowing.

 

17 He sent forth from on high His angels to save Israel from the sea and from the Egyptians.

 

He drew me out Heb. ימשני , an expression of drawing out, as (in Exod. 2: 10), “I drew him out (משיתהו) of the water.”

 

19 They confronted me My enemies would hasten and attack me early on the day of my calamity, but the Lord was, etc.

 

21 according to my righteousness According to the righteousness of my following Him in the desert.

 

according to the cleanness Heb. כבד , an expression of cleanness, as (below 24: 4), “and pure of heart.” Another explanation: He sent forth from on high [and] He took me. [David] said this about himself, concerning the angel who came to the Rock of the Divisions (I Sam. 23:27) to turn Saul away from him, as it is stated: “And an angel came to Saul, etc.”

 

according to my righteousness that I did not slay him when I sliced off the skirt of his coat. [Obviously, Rashi explains verses 8-17 as referring to Israel’s departure from Egypt. Only in verse 17 does he suggest the explanation that David refers to his own experiences.]

 

23 For all His ordinances were before me I always placed them before my eyes.

 

26 With a kind one, You show Yourself kind Because so are His ways, to pay a measure for a measure. Kind...sincere...pure, corresponding to the three patriarchs.

 

27 With a pure one a faithful one.

 

but with a crooked one alluding to Pharaoh.

 

29 For You light my lamp when he fought at night with the Amalekite troop that attacked Ziklag, as it is stated (in I Sam. 30:17): “And David smote them from evening until evening to their morrow.”

 

30 For by You By Your assurance.

 

and by my God I scale a wall When he came to wage war against Jebus, and he said (in I Chron. 11:6): “Whoever smites the Jebusites, etc. shall be a leader and a prince.” Joab brought a green juniper tree, bent it over, suspended himself on it, and scaled the wall. Said David (in Ps. 141:5): “May a righteous man smite me with loving-kindness,” and the Holy one, blessed be He, lowered the wall, and he scaled it (Mid. Ps. 18:24).

 

31 refined Pure. He promises and He does.

 

33 and He makes my way perfect He removed all obstacles from my way until it became perfect and paved.

 

34 He makes my feet like hinds The feet of the females stand straighter than those of the males.

 

35 so that a copper bow is bent by my arms Heb. ונחתה , an expression of treading the bow, as (below 38:3): “Your arrows were driven (נחתו) into me.” Its radical [or its active voice] is נחת . When it is used in the passive voice, a dagesh comes and causes the “nun” to drop out. Hence נחתה is derived from ננחתה  as (below 69:4): “My throat is dried (נחר) ,” derived from ננחר  as (in Jer. 6:29): “The bellows is heated (נחר) ”;נדף , rattling (in Lev. 26:36) is derived from ננדף ; “My eyes stream (נגרה) ” (in Lam. 3:49), is like ננגרה ; “was given (נתנה) ” (Gen. 38:14) is like ננתנה ; “they were smitten (נגף) ” (II Sam. 10:15) is derived from ננגף. We cannot interpret it as being of the radical חתת , for then it would say נחתתה , as [it says] נעשתה , was done, from עשה ; נענתה , was answered, from ענה . Another explanation: and a copper bow is bent by my arms: חית is an expression of treading a bow, as (below 38:3): “Your arrows were driven (נחתו).” The “nun” is not of the radical but it is like נחלו “gave for inheritance” (in Jos. 14:1), and the copper bow was bent by my arms. Copper bows were hanging in David’s house. The kings of the nations would see them and say to each other, “Do you think that David has the strength to bend them? This is only to frighten us.” But he would hear [them] and bend the bows before them.

 

36 and You have treated me with great humility You have dealt with me with great humility.

 

37 You have enlarged my step[s] beneath me One who widens his steps does not fall easily. Similarly, Scripture states (in Prov. 4:12): “When you walk, your steps will not be hampered (יצר) .”

 

slipped Heb. מעדו  aluverjert in Old French, to slip.

 

my ankles Heb. קרסלי . They are the feet from the ankle which is called keville (cheville) in Old Frenchand below [to the heel].

 

41 You have given me the back of their necks They would turn the back of their necks to me and flee.

 

42 They pray to their idols.

 

but no one saves them Because it [their prayer] has no power, and they return and call upon the Lord, but He does not answer them.

 

43 Then I ground them Heb. ואשחקם , an expression of crushing.

 

44 You allowed me to escape from the contenders of the people so that I should not be punished according to Jewish law, for perverting justice or for subjugating an Israelite more than is permitted.

 

You shall make me the head over nations for whom there is no punishment.

 

45 As soon as they hear Even in my absence, as long as they hear my message.

 

they shall obey me They shall give heed to my bidding and obey my orders.

 

shall lie to me out of fright.

 

46 shall wither Heb. יבלו. They shall become weary, as (in Exod. 18:18): “you shall surely wither (נבל תבל),” which the Targum renders: you shall surely weary. Menachem (Machbereth p. 45) explains it as (in Gen. 18:12): “after I have become old (בלתי),” and he explained נבל תבל in the same manner.

 

and they shall fear Heb. ויחרגו, an expression of fear; (in Deut. 32:25) “and terror from within,” the Targum renders: חרגת, fear of death.

 

their imprisonments Because of the tortures of the imprisonments in the dungeon where I imprison them and where they torture them. Menachem (p. 94) interprets it as an expression of loosening the girdle, and so he explains it: and they will be loosened of their girdles [meaning they will be frightened or weakened]. Dunash interprets ויחגרו ממסגרותיהם, and they will be lamed from their shackles, which are placed on their feet. The meaning of ויחגרו is: they will become lame, as the Aramaic for a lame person is חגר .

 

47 The Lord lives He Who does all this for me.

 

48 Who grants me vengeance Who gives me strength to avenge myself upon my enemies.

 

and destroys Heb. וידבר, and He slew, an expression of דבר, pestilence. Another explanation: as (in Exod. 3:1): “and he led (וינהג),” which is translated into Aramaic as וּדְבַר. Menachem (p. 61) too associated it in this manner. Likewise, he associated (below 47:4), “He leads (יַדְבֵּר) peoples under us.”

 

instead of me Heb. תחתי, in my place and in my stead, as the matter is stated (in Isa. 43:4): “and I give men in your stead (תחתיך), (verse 3), “I have given Egypt as your ransom. [Cush and Seba in your stead (תחתיך)].”

 

Ashlamatah: Shmuel bet (II Samuel) 22:1-51

 

 

Rashi’s commentary for Shmuel bet (II Samuel) 22:1-51

 

1 In the day that the Lord delivered him. In his later years when all his troubles had passed over him and he had been saved from them all.

 

and out of the hand of Saul. But is not Saul included [among his enemies]? However he was his enemy and pursuer to a greater degree than all the others [and was therefore cited separately]. Similarly [we find]: “nineteen men and Asahel” (above 2:30). Similarly, “And King Solomon loved foreign women, and the daughter of Pharoah” (I Kings 11:1).

 

2 my rock and my fortress. Heb. סלעי ומצדתי. They are expressions of strength; סלעי, rock, requires no explanation; מצדתי, fortress refers to the fortresses of the forests which are called pleisiz in French. This is an allusion to the miracle which was performed on his behalf at the rock of Machloketh (I Sam. 23:28), and at the fortresses at Harsha (I Sam. 23:15 19).

 

and a rescuer to me.. [He was] my rescuer [when I was] together with the army of Israel engaged in battle. On occasions, [however,] he rescued me when I was alone, as from Ishbi in Nob (Above 21:16).

 

3 my rock. Heb. צורי, synonymous with סלע. [He was his rock] since the rock protects travelers from the [force of] the rain and the wind, abriemant in French.

 

under whom I take cover. Heb. אחסה, an expression of covering; I would cover myself waiting for [His] aid.

 

my support. Heb. משגבי, my support.

 

and my refuge. For I would run to Him for aid.

 

4 With praise I call to the Lord. Just as its Targum. Upon calling Him I [already] praise Him, for I am confidant that I will be saved. It is also plausible to interpret it: ‘I call and I am saved,’ in present sense.

 

5 have encompassed me. Heb. אפפני, have encompassed me.

 

pains of death. As its Targum: ‘Like a woman who sits on the travailing chair.’ This (משבר) is the term for the stone seat on which a woman gives birth.

 

streams of scoundrels. Armies that overflow like a stream.

 

6 bands. Heb. חבלי, as its Targum: Bands, similar to: “Bands of prophets (חבל נביאים)” of I Sam. 10:10.

 

confronted me. came before me.

 

7 I call upon… He hears. Heb. וישמע lit. He heard. That is the nature of the present tense, it speaks in past and future tense simultaneously.

 

8 the earth shook, etc.. Not in reference to the miracles that took place on his own behalf was this said, but in reference to the miracles that were performed on behalf of all Israel. Now the beginning of the verse is connected to the end.

 

when He was angered. [The word] כי is used here as ‘when’ with the following interpretation: Now when He was angered by those that rouse His temper, the earth shook and quaked… and the very foundations of the earth did tremble.

 

9 smoke went up in His nostrils. So it is with one who is angry, smoke comes forth from his nostrils. Similarly: “These are a smoke from My nostrils” (Isa 65:5). Now this is always the meaning of the term חרון אף; the nose snorts and raises up vapors.

 

and fire out of His mouth did devour. Due to the command from His mouth, a fire consumed the wicked.

 

10 and He bent the heavens. To avenge Himself of His enemies; i.e., from Egypt and Pharoah.

 

12 And he fixed darkness, etc.. As a booth, just as it stated: “and the cloud and darkness separated between the Egyptians and Israelites!” (Ex 14:20).

 

gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies. Now from where did this darkness emanate? There were thick clouds of the skies that would distill water upon the earth.

 

gathering. Heb. חשרת, synonymous with כברה [a sieve] since it distills [the water] onto the earth drop by drop. And so it is stated in numerous aggodot: “They [the clouds] distill it [the rain] as a sieve (חושרין אותו ככברה)” Gen. R. 13:10. It is further possible to interpret it as ‘a knotting,’ since the skies become knotted with clouds on account of the water similar to וחשוריהם mentioned in reference to the wheels of the bases (I Kings 7: 33), which are wooden spokes that fasten and join its rings together.

 

13 from the brightness before Him. In order that one not [be led to] say that He dwells in darkness [for] there is a brightness from within the partition [of the cloud] and from this brightness that is before Him flame forth coals of fire, which were sent as arrows upon the Egyptians.

 

16 and the depths of the sea appeared. The very interior of the earth split. For when the Sea of Reeds split, all the waters of the world [simultaneously] split.

 

the blast of the breath. From the force of wind blowing from His nostrils.

 

18 For they were too powerful. When they were too powerful.

 

21 according to the righteousness. When they went out after Him into the desert and relied on His promise.

 

26 kind… upright… pure. [The three expressions] represent the three forefathers to whom the Holy One, Blessed be He, had paid the reward for their righteousness to their children.

 

27 But with a perverse one. Pharoah.

 

crookedly. Heb. תתפל. Its meaning is crooked and perverse [compare to Deut. 32:5]. Now in the book [of Psalms 18:27] it is written תתפתל. An alternate explanation is: He sent from on High, He took me He said it regarding himself when he was rushing to escape from Saul at Sela Hamachlekoth and was nearly captured, an angel came to Saul saying: “Make haste and go, for the Philistines have spread out, etc.” (I Sam. 23:27). And recompensed me according to my righteousness for I did not kill him [Saul] when I severed the skirt of his coat (I Sam. 24:5).

 

31 The word of the Lord. The word of the Lord is pure; He promises and performs.

 

33 He looseth perfectly my path. From every stumbling block, from every sin, and from every fence until it is perfect and paved.

 

35 do bend a brass bow. And a brass bow was bent by my hands for I possess the strength to bend it. David had bows hanging in his palace and foreign kings would come and see them and say to each other: Do you suppose that he can actually bend them? They are merely intended to frighten us. And David would overhear and would take them [the brass bows] and crush them before their eyes (sic). Now נחת  is an expression of bending. And so we find “Your arrows were flung [by bending the bow] into me” (Ps. 38:3).

 

36 and You have increased your modesty for me. You have increased for me Your trait of humility.

 

37 enlarged my steps beneath me. When a man keeps his feet one next to the other it is easy [for him] to fall. And so it is written: “When you walk, your steps shall not be narrow” (Prov. 4:12).

 

ankles. heels.

 

42 They looked about but there was none to save them. This is a transposed verse: “They look to the Lord but He answered them not, there was none to save him,” similar to: “man looks towards his Creator (ישעו אדם אל עשתו)” of Isa 17:7 [where it is so be taken as] similar to יפנה, to turn towards. Now Menahem has associated it with וישע ה׳ אל הבל interpreting it as ‘entreaty.’ Now this term is applicable to both the beseecher and the beseeched, as in “And Isaac beseeched the Lord (ויעתר יצחק אל ה׳) ”; “and the Lord hearkened to him (ויעתר לו ה׳)” of Gen. 25:21. Here too ישעו ואין מושיע refers to the beseecher, while וישע ה׳ (Gen. 4:4) refers grammatically to the one who is being beseeched.

 

43 stamp them down. Heb. ארקעם. Now it is found numerous times in Ezekiel: “and stamp (ורקע) with your foot” (Ezek. 6:11), [and] “and you have stamped (ורקעך) with your feet” (Ezek. 15:6).

 

44 contenders. From Doeg, Ahithophel, Saul, and the Ziphites.

 

shall keep me as head of nations. You have preserved me for this. Now the Midrash Aggadah [interprets it]: Said David, Lord of the Universe, spare me from the judgment of Israel, for if I err or force the Israelites into my service I shall be punished. Place me instead as head of the Philistines for they will serve me and for them I shall not be punished.

 

45 deceive me. Because of their fear, they lie to me.

 

as soon as their ears hear, they obey me. Though they are not before me, they fear me. Hence from the moment their ears hear they turn to obey my command.

 

46 will wilt. Heb. יבלו. Its usage is as: “and the leaf wilts (נבל)” (Jer. 8:13); pleistre in French.

 

shall become lame. ויחגרו, an expression meaning lame.

 

shall become lame. ויחגרו, an expression meaning lame.

 

47 the Lord lives. The One who performs all this for me.

Nazarean Codicil: Revelation 2:1-7

Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham & Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai’s Rendition

 

¹And to the angel of the congregation in Ephesus, write, 'So says he who holds the seven stars in his hand, he who walks among the Menorot (seven branched candlesticks) of gold.

² I know your works and your labor and your endurance and that you are not able to bear evil [ones]. And you have tested those who say about themselves that they are to be Sh’liachim (apostles) and are not and you have found them [to be] liars.

3 And you have endurance, and you bear a burden because of my name (or, authority) and you have not become weary.

4 But I have [something] against you, because you have left your first love.^[5]

5 Remember from where you came and do the former works, but if not, I will come to you and I will remove your Menora (candelabra – i.e., the seven ministers of the congregation), unless you repent.

6 But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans (i.e., Oppressors of the Laity), that I also hate.'

7 He who has ears should hear what the Spirit says to the congregations. And to him who overcomes, I will allow [him] to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of PaRDeS (paradise) of Ha-Shem."

 

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!”

 

(Wednesday Evening April 8, 2026)

(Seventh Day of the Counting of the Omer)

 

Evening: Counting of the Omer Day 7

 

Today is seven days of the Omer which is one week.

Then read the following:

 

 

Ephesians 1:18-23 The eyes of your understanding^[6] (Binah)^[7] being enlightened^[8], that you may see (have direct knowledge) what is the confidence^[9] of his (Messiah) mission, and what is the wealth of splendor of his inheritance^[10] in union^[11] with the Tsadiqim (saints). And what is the excellent magnitude of His (God’s) power working in us, the faithfully obedient who operate according to His majestic strength and cosmic power. This power He (God) worked in Messiah by raising him from the dead, and He seated him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principalities (Hokhmah) and authorities (Binah) and power (Da’at) and dominion (G’dolah),^[12] and every authority^[13] being named, not only in this present age, but also in the World ever Coming. And He (God) has subjected all things under his (Messiah’s) authority^[14] and gave him to be head over all things to the Esnoga (Synagogue), which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything (with the presence, power, agency, and riches of God).

 

Eighth Day of Pesach - Yom Tov

(Thursday Morning April 9, 2026) - Morning Service & Yizkor

 

Shabbat	Torah Reading:
עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר
“A’asher T’Asher”	Reader 1 – Devarim 15: 19-23
“Surely you will tithe”	Reader 2 – Devarim 16:1-4
“Indispensablemente diezmarás”	Reader 3 – Devarim 16:5-8
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 15:19 – 16:17 Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:18-25	Reader 4 – Devarim 16:9-12
Tehillim (Psalms) 136	Reader 5 – Devarim 16:13-17
Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 10:32 – 12:6	Maftir – Bamidbar 28:18-25
Nazarean Codicil:  Revelation 2:1-7

 

Blessings Before Torah Study

 

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

 

Please Ha-Shem, our G-d, 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 desire. Blessed are You, Ha-Shem, Who teaches Torah to His people Israel. Amen!

 

Blessed are You, Ha-Shem our G-d, 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 doing 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!

 

JPS & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Devarim (Deuteronomy) ‎15:19 – 16:17‎‎

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: ‎ Devarim (Deuteronomy) ‎15:19 – 16:17‎‎

 ‎‎

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Chapter 16

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

so that you shall remember By eating the Passover sacrifice and the matzah, the day you went out [of the land of Egypt].

 

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

 

6 there you shall slaughter the Passover offering] in the afternoon, 2) as the sun sets, at the appointed time that you went out of Egypt [In this verse,] three separate times are specified: 1)"in the afternoon," [i.e.,] from the sixth [seasonal] hour [not clock-hours, but rather the twelve equal divisions of the time between dawn and dusk, each one known as a שָׁעָה זְמַנִּית , a “seasonal hour”]. From this time onward [afternoon], you shall slaughter it (זְבָחֵהוּ) “as the sun sets,” you shall eat it (תּֽאכְלֵהוּ) ; and 3)"at the appointed time that you went out [of Egypt]," you must burn it (שוֹרְפֵהוּ) . I.e., [at the beginning of the morning of the first day of Passover, whatever is left over from the Passover sacrifice] becomes נוֹתָר , left over, and must be burned [on the next day]. - [Sifrei; see Ber. 9a]

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

JPS & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:18-25‎

 

 

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 136-1-26

Hallel HaGadol (הַלֵּל הַגָּדוֹל), literally "The Great Hallel," is the title given to Psalm 136.

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Tehillim (Psalms) ‎‎136:1-26

 

4 To Him Who performs great wonders alone In the beginning, no angel was created when He made the wonders: the heaven, the earth, the sun, and the moon.

 

10 To Him Who smote the Egyptians with their firstborn It does not say, “their firstborn,” but “with their firstborn.” The firstborn arose and beat their fathers’ legs because they detained Israel, when they heard about the tenth plague from Moses.

 

13 asunder In twelve pieces for the twelve tribes.

 

17 great kings Here he alluded to the thirty-one kings, and he compared for them Pharaoh and his host and the plagues of Egypt to mighty kings, harsher than they. Sihon was equal to all of them, [and Og was equal to all of them (Machzor Vitry)], each one individually, and so did he explain above (135:11): “Sihon the king of the Amorites and Og the king of Bashan and all the kingdoms of Canaan.” So, it is in the Aggadah.

 

23 Who remembered us in our humble state In Egypt, He remembered us.

 

24 And He rescued us from their midst and performed all these wonders for us.

 

25 Who gives bread He alludes here to kindness (to all creatures).

 

26 Gives thanks to the God of heaven Who prepares therein food for every creature. The expression, “for His kindness is eternal,” appears twenty-six times in this psalm, corresponding to the twenty-six generations that the world was without Torah and existed through the kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He.

 

Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 10:32 – 12:6‎‎

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 10:32 – 12:6‎‎

 

32 Still today, [he intends] to stand in Nob. All this way he hastened, in order to stand in Nob while it is still day, since his stargazers told him, If you attack it today, you will conquer it. And, when he stood in Nob and saw that Jerusalem was small, he did not heed the words of his stargazers and began to wave his hand arrogantly: For a city like this have I mustered all these armies? Stay here overnight, and tomorrow, each one will cast his stone upon it.

 

33 Behold the Master. on that night.

 

lops off the branches with a saw. Shall lop off its branches, the root of the branches of his trees. ([Mss. read:] Uproots the branches of his trees.) ([Other mss. read:] Cuts off the branches of his trees.)

 

with a saw. Heb. בְּמַעֲרָצָה, with a saw that cuts the boughs. This [word פֻּארָה] is not an expression denoting a winepress, for it is not spelled with a ‘vav,’ like (infra 63:3) “A winepress (פּוּרָה) I trod,” and like (Haggai 2:16) “To draw off fifty measures from the winepress (פּוּרָה) ,” but with an ‘aleph,’ like (Ezekiel 31:5) “And its boughs became long (פֹּארֹתָיו).” מְסָעֵף is an expression of cutting off branches [esbranchier in O.F.], like (infra 27:10) “And he will destroy its branches (סְעִיפֶיהָ),” and (infra 17:6) "On its branches (בִּסְעִיפֶיהָ) the fruitful one."

 

with a saw. Heb. בְּמַעֲרָצָה, with an implement of destruction, which breaks them.

 

and those of lofty height. [This alludes to] the heroes.

 

are hewn down. The expression of hewing is apropos only to trees and hard things.

 

34 And… shall be cut off. Heb. וְנִקַּף. This, too, is an expression of cutting, as (ibid.) “Like one who cuts off olives (כְּנֹקֶף).” ואךדרְנִקַּף is in the passive voice.

 

the thickets of the forests. The prominent branches, symbolizing the heroes.

 

and the Lebanon. The thickness of his forest and his stately forest. They are the multitudes of his armies.

 

shall fall through a mighty one. Through an angel they shall fall. Alternatively, through a mighty one, in the merit of Hezekiah who is the mighty one and the rulers of Israel, as it is said (Jer. 30:21): “And their leader shall be of themselves.”

 

CH 11

 

1 And a shoot shall spring forth from the stem of Jesse. And if you say, ‘Here are consolations for Hezekiah and his people, that they shall not fall into his hands. Now what will be with the exile that was exiled to Halah and Habor, is their hope lost?’ It is not lost! Eventually, the King Messiah shall come and redeem them.

 

a shoot. [This is symbolic of] the royal scepter.

 

and a twig. an expression of a sapling.

 

and a twig shall sprout from its roots. and the entire section, and at the end (v. 11), "And it shall come to pass, that on that day, the Lord shall apply His hand again…[from Assyria]… Hence, [it is obvious] that this prophecy was said to console those exiled to Assyria.

 

3 And he shall be animated by the fear of the Lord. He shall be filled with the fear of the Lord. [ed enos mera il luy in O.F., and he shall be enlivened.]

 

and neither with the sight of his eyes shall he judge. For, with the wisdom of the Holy One, blessed be He, which is within him, will he know and understand who is innocent and who is guilty.

 

4 with equity. This is an expression of mildness and tenderness.

 

and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth. As the Targum states: And he shall smite the sinful of the earth.

 

and with the breath of his lips. Jonathan [renders:] And with the speech of his lips.

 

5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins. Jonathan [renders:] And the righteous shall surround him; i.e., they will cleave to him like a girdle.

 

6 and a fatling. a fattened ox [following Jonathan].

 

8 shall play. Heb. וְשִׁעֲשַׁע, shall play.

 

over the hole of an old snake. over a hole in the ground in which the snake makes its nest [krot in O.F.], a cave. an old snake פֶּתֶן. A snake, when it ages, becomes deaf and is called פֶּתֶן. From then on, it cannot be charmed; as it is said (Psalms 58:6): “Who will not hearken to the voice of charmers.”

 

and over the eyeball of a venomous snake. Jonathan renders: the eyeballs of venomous snakes [מְאוּרַת from אוֹר, light]. Menahem (Machbereth Menachem p. 32) interpreted it as an expression of a hole, namely holes in the ground. Comp. (Gen. 11:28) “The valley of the Chaldees (אוּר);” (infra 24:15) “In the valleys (בָּאוּרִים) honor the Lord.”

 

a weaned child. a child weaned from his mother’s breasts.

 

shall stretch forth his hand. Heb. הָדָה. Jonathan renders: shall stretch forth his hands (sic). Comp. (Ezekiel 7:7) “The joyful call (הֵד) of the mountains, also (infra 16:9)” The cry (הֵידָד)," which is an expression of raising the voice. This, too, is an expression of raising, and the final [letter] ‘heh’ appears in it as a radical which sometimes falls out, like עָשָׂה  (made), בָּנָה  (built), קָנָה  (acquired). 

 

9 knowledge of the Lord. [lit.] to know the Lord.

 

10 as a banner for peoples. that peoples should raise a banner to gather to him.

 

11 a second time. Just as he acquired them from Egypt, when their redemption was absolute, without subjugation, but the redemption preceding the building of the Second Temple is not counted, since they were subjugated to Cyrus.

 

and from the islands of the sea. the islands of the Kittim, the Romans, the descendants of Esau.

 

12 And he shall raise a banner. Perka, perche in O.F. [i.e., the verse is literally referring to the pole upon which the banner is attached.] And it shall be for a sign to gather to him and to bring the exiles of Israel to Him as a present.

 

13 Ephraim shall not envy Judah. The Messiah, the son of David, and the Messiah, the son of Joseph, shall not envy each other.

 

14 And they shall fly of one accord against the Philistines in the west. Heb. בְכָתֵף. Israel will fly and run of one accord against the Philistines who are in the west of Eretz Israel and conquer their land. [כָּתֵף, lit. a shoulder, is used in this case to denote unity. The word שֶׁכֶם, also lit. a shoulder, is used in a similar sense.] Comp. (Hoshea 6:9) “They murder on the way in unison (שֶׁכְמָה);” (Zeph. 3:9) “One accord (שְׁכֶם אֶחָד).” And so did Jonathan render it: And they shall join in one accord to smite the Philistines who are in the west.

 

and the children of Ammon shall obey them. As the Targum states: Will hearken to them. They will accept their commandments over them.

 

15 And… shall dry up. [lit. shall cut off] to dry it, so that the exiles of Israel will pass through it from Egypt.

 

over the river. The Euphrates River, for the exiles from Assyria to cross.

 

with the strength of His wind. Heb. בַּעְיָם. This is hapax legomenon in Scripture, and according to the context it can be interpreted as “with the strength of His wind.”

 

into seven streams. into seven segments, for the aforementioned seven exiles: from Assyria and from Egypt, etc. Those from the islands of the sea are not from that side.

 

and He shall lead. the exiles within it.

 

with shoes. on dry land.

 

16 And there shall be a highway. in the midst of the water for the remnant of His people.

 

CH 12

 

1 And you shall say. when you see the nations being sentenced to disgrace and abhorrence.

 

I will thank You, O Lord, for you were wroth with me. and You exiled me, and my exile atoned for me, and now, amends have been made for my iniquity. May Your wrath turn away and may You comfort me. Jonathan renders: I will confess before You, O Lord, that I sinned before You, and, therefore, You were wroth with me, and were it not for Your mercy, I would not be worthy to have Your wrath turn away and comfort me, and behold, Your wrath has turned away from me.

 

2 for the strength and the praise of the Eternal the Lord. The strength and the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, that was my salvation. We cannot, however, explain עָזִּי, like עֻזִּי, my strength, for we do not find in Scripture עָזִּי vowelized with a short ‘kamatz,’ but with a ‘shuruk,’ reading עֻזִּי, with the exception of three places where it is accompanied by וְזִמְרָת. Also, וְזִמְרָת cannot be explained like וְזִמְרָתִי, my praise, but we are forced to say that וְזִמְרָת is connected to the word following it. Therefore, I say that the ‘yud’ of עָזִּי is merely like the ‘yud’ of (Deut. 33:16) סְנֶה שׁוֹכְנִי, “He Who dwells in the thornbush.”

 

the Eternal the Lord. Until now His Name was divided, and with the downfall of Amalek, it became whole, and so Scripture states (Exodus 17: 16): “For the hand is on the throne of the Eternal (כֵּס יָהּ),” implying that the throne is incomplete and the Name is incomplete until the Lord wages war against Amalek.

 

was my salvation. Heb. וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה, like הָיָה לִי לִישׁוּעָה, was to me for a salvation, and it is customary for Scripture to speak in this manner. Comp. (Exodus 9:21) “And he who did not heed the word of the Lord, left (וַיַּעֲזֹב) his slaves and his cattle;” also, in II Chronicles (10:17): “And the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned (וַיִּמְלֹךְ) over them.” It should say, עֲלֵיהֶם מָלַךְ.

 

3 And you shall draw water. You shall receive a new teaching [from Targum].

 

from the fountains of the salvation. For their heart will be dilated through the salvation that came to them, and secrets of the Torah that have been forgotten during the exile, because of the troubles, will be revealed to them.

 

4 His deeds. Heb. עֲלִילוֹתָיו, similar to מַעֲלָלָיו.

 

keep it in remembrance. to praise [His Name,] for it is exalted.

 

Nazarean Codicil: Revelation 2:1-7

Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham & Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai’s Rendition

 

¹And to the angel of the congregation in Ephesus, write, 'So says he who holds the seven stars in his hand, he who walks among the Menorot (seven branched candlesticks) of gold.

² I know your works and your labor and your endurance and that you are not able to bear evil [ones]. And you have tested those who say about themselves that they are to be Sh’liachim (apostles) and are not and you have found them [to be] liars.

3 And you have endurance, and you bear a burden because of my name (or, authority) and you have not become weary.

4 But I have [something] against you, because you have left your first love.^[15]

5 Remember from where you came and do the former works, but if not, I will come to you and I will remove your Menora (candelabra – i.e., the seven ministers of the congregation), unless you repent.

6 But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans (i.e., Oppressors of the Laity), that I also hate.'

7 He who has ears should hear what the Spirit says to the congregations. And to him who overcomes, I will allow [him] to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of PaRDeS (paradise) of Ha-Shem."

 

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 Sabbath:

Shabbat: “Tol’dot Adam” – “The Generations of Adam”

 

 

Contents of Next Week’s Torah Seder

 

 •  The generations of Adam – Genesis 5:1-31

 •  The causes of the flood. – Genesis 6:1-8

 

Next Week’s Reading Assignment:

 

 

 

 

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

Edited by His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham