2^nd Day Morning Service – Tuesday June 3, 2025 – Sivan 7, 5785

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
שָׁבוּעוֹת		Saturday Afternoon
Shabuot	Reader 1 – Devarim 15:19-23	Reader 1 – Bamidbar 15:1-7
Weeks	Reader 2 – Devarim 16:1-3	Reader 2 – Bamidbar 15:8-15
Debarim (Deuteronomy) 15:19-16:17	Reader 3 – Devarim 16:4-8	Reader 3 – Bamidbar 15:1-15
Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:26-31	Reader 4 – Devarim 16:9-12
Ashlamatah: Habakkuk 2:20-3:19	Reader 5 – Devarim 16:13-17	Monday & Thursday Mornings
Tehillim (Psalms) 29:1-11	Maftir – Bamidbar 28:26-31	Reader 1 – Bamidbar 15:1-7
		Reader 2 – Bamidbar 15:8-15
Ruth 3:8 – 4:22		Reader 3 – Bamidbar 15:1-15

Contents of the Torah Seder

· Firstborn cattle – Deuteronomy 15:19-23

· Passover requirements – Deuteronomy 16:1-7

· Shavuot requirements – Deuteronomy 16:8-17

Reading Assignment:

The Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez By: Rabbi Shemuel Yerushalmi, Translated and edited by M. and S. Sprecher, with assistance by Rabbi Matis Blum Published by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1990) Vol.17 – “Deuteronomy – III – Gratitude & Discipline” pp. 177-190

Ramban: Deuteronomy Commentary on the Torah Translated and Annotated by Rabbi Dr. Charles Chavel Published by Shilo Publishing House, Inc. (New York, 1975) pp. 184 - 191

Blessings Before Torah Study

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Devarim (Deuteronomy) 15:19 - 16:17

Rashi	Targum Pseudo-Jonathan
19. Every firstborn male that is born of your cattle or of your flock you shall sanctify to the Lord, your God. You shall neither work with the firstborn of your ox, nor shear the firstborn of your flock.	19. ¶ Every firstling male that comes of your herd and flock you will consecrate before the LORD your God. You will not work with the firstlings of your herd, nor shear the firstlings of your flocks;
20. You shall eat it before the Lord, your God, year by year, in the place the Lord chooses-you and your household.	20. you will eat thereof before the LORD your God from year to year, in the place which the LORD will choose, you and the men of your houses.
21. And if there be any blemish in it, whether it be lame, or blind, or any ill blemish, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord, your God.	21. But if there be any spot in it, if it be lame or blind, or have any blemish, you will not sacrifice it before the LORD your God:
22. You shall eat it within your cities, the unclean and the clean together, as the deer, and as the gazelle.	22. you may eat it in your cities; he who is unclean, (so) that he may not approach to holy things, and he who being clean may approach the holy, may alike (eat), as the flesh of the antelope or hart.
23. However, you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground, as water.	23. Only you will not eat the blood; you will pour it out upon the ground like water.
1. Keep the month of spring, and make the Passover offering to the Lord, your God, for in the month of spring, the Lord, your God, brought you out of Egypt at night.	1. ¶ Be mindful to keep the times of the festivals, with the intercalations of the year, and to observe the rotation thereof: in the month of Abib to perform the pascha before the LORD your God, because in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Mizraim; you will eat it therefore by night.
2. You shall slaughter the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, your God, [of the] flock, and [the Festival sacrifices of the] cattle, in the place which the Lord will choose to establish His Name therein.	2. But you will sacrifice the pascha before the LORD your God between the suns; and the sheep and the bullocks on the morrow, on that same day to rejoice in the feast at the place which the LORD will choose to make His Shekinah to dwell there.
3. You shall not eat leaven with it; for seven days you shall eat with it matzoth, the bread of affliction, for in haste you went out of the land of Egypt, so that you shall remember the day when you went out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.	3. You will not eat leavened bread with the pascha; seven days you will eat unleavened bread unto His Name, the unleavened bread of humiliation; for with haste, you went forth from the land of Mizraim; that you may remember the day of your outgoing from the land of Mizraim all the days of your life.
4. And no leaven shall be seen with you within all your border for seven days; neither shall any of the flesh you slaughter on the preceding day in the afternoon, remain all night until the morning.	4. Take heed that in the beginning of the pascha there be no leaven seen among you within all your borders for seven days; and that none of the flesh which you sacrifice in the evening of the first day remain till the morning.
5. You shall not sacrifice the Passover offering within any of your cities, which the Lord, your God, is giving you.	5. It will not be allowed you to eat the pascha in (any) one of your cities which the LORD your God gives to you;
6. Except at the place which the Lord, your God, will choose to establish His Name-there you shall slaughter the Passover offering in the afternoon, as the sun sets, at the appointed time that you went out of Egypt.	6. but in the place which the LORD your God will choose to make His Shekinah to dwell, there will you sacrifice the pascha; and in the evening at the going down of the sun you may eat it until the middle of the night, the time when you began to go out of Mizraim.
7. And you shall roast [it] and eat [it] in the place which the Lord, your God, will choose, and you shall turn away in the morning and go to your dwellings.	7. And you will dress and eat it in the place which the LORD your God will choose, and in the early morn (if need be) you may return from the feast, and go to your cities.
8. For six days you shall eat matzoth, and on the seventh day there shall be a halt to the Lord, your God. You shall not do any work [on it].	8. On the first day you will offer the omer, and eat unleavened cakes of the old grain; but in the six remaining days you may begin to eat unleavened cakes of the new grain, and on the seventh day you will assemble with thanksgiving before the LORD your God; no work will you perform.
9. You shall count seven weeks for yourself; from [the time] the sickle is first put to the standing crop, you shall begin to count seven weeks.	9. ¶ Seven weeks number to you; from the time when you begin to put the sickle to the harvest of the field after the reaping of the omer you will begin to number the seven weeks.
10. And you shall perform the Festival of Weeks to the Lord, your God, the donation you can afford to give, according to how the Lord, your God, shall bless you.	10. And you will keep with joy the Festival of Weeks before the LORD your God, after the measure of the freewill offerings of your hands, according as the LORD your God will have blessed you.
11. And you shall rejoice before the Lord, your God, -you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite who is within your cities, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are among you, in the place which the Lord, your God, will choose to establish His Name therein.	11. And you will rejoice with the joy of the feast before the LORD your God, you and your sons, your daughters, your servants and handmaids, the Levites who are in your cities, and the stranger, the orphan, and the widow who are among you, at the place which the LORD your God will choose where to make His Shekinah to dwell.
12. And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall keep and perform these statutes.	12. Remember that you were servants in Mizraim; so, will you observe and perform these statutes.
13. You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.	13. ¶ The Feast of Tabernacles you will make to you seven days, when you will have completed to gather in the grain from your threshing floors, and the wine from your presses.
14. And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities.	14. And you will rejoice in the joy of your feasts with the clarinet and flute, you and your sons and daughters, your handmaids, the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, who are in your cities.
15. Seven days you shall celebrate the Festival to the Lord, your God, in the place which the Lord shall choose, because the Lord, your God, will bless you in all your produce, and in all the work of your hands, and you will only be happy.	15. Seven days you will keep the feast before the LORD your God in the place which the LORD will choose, because the LORD your God will have blessed you in all your provision, and in all the work of your hands, and so will you be joyful in prosperity.
16. Three times in the year, every one of your males shall appear before the Lord, your God, in the place He will choose: on the Festival of Matzoth and on the Festival of Weeks, and on the Festival of Sukkoth, and he shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.	16. ¶ Three times in the year will all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place that He will choose; at the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; nor must you appear before the Lord your God empty of any of the requirements;
17. [Every] man [shall bring] as much as he can afford, according to the blessing of the Lord, your God, which He has given you.	17. every one after the measure of the gifts of his hands, according to the blessing which the LORD your God has bestowed upon you.

Rashi’s Commentary on 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 (נַַעַצְרָה) you” (Judg. 13:15).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:26-31

Rashi	Targum Pseudo-Jonathan
26. On the day of the first fruits, when you offer up a new meal offering to the Lord, on your festival of Weeks; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall not perform any mundane work.	26. Likewise on the day of your firstlings, when you offer the gift from the new produce before the LORD in your ingatherings, after the seven weeks are completed, you will have a holy convocation, no servile work will you do;
27. You shall offer up a burnt offering with a spirit of satisfaction to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs in the first year.	27. but offer a burnt sacrifice to be received with favour before the LORD, two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs of the year;
28. Their meal offerings [shall be] fine flour mixed with oil; three tenths for each bull and two tenths for the ram.	28. also their mincha of wheaten flour mingled with olive oil, three tenths for each bullock, two tenths for the ram,
29. One tenth for each lamb, for all seven lambs.	29. a tenth to a lamb; so, for the seven lambs
30. One young male goat to atone for you.	30. one kid of the goats to make an atonement for you;
31. You shall offer this up besides the continual burnt offering and its meal offering they shall be unblemished for you, as well as their libations.	31. beside the perpetual burnt offering you will make these; they will be unblemished, with their libation of wine.

Rashi Commentary for: Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:26-31

26 On the day of the first fruits. The festival of Weeks [Shavuoth] is called the first fruits of the wheat harvest, because of the two loaves, which were the first of the wheat offerings to be brought from the new [crop]. — [Men. 84b]

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 29:1-11

Rashi’s Translation	Targum
1. A song of David. Prepare for the LORD, [you] sons of the mighty; prepare for the LORD glory and might.	1. A psalm of David. Give praise in the presence of the LORD, O bands of angels; give glory and might in the LORD’s presence.
2. Prepare for the LORD the glory due His name; prostrate yourselves to the LORD in the place beautified with sanctity.	2. Give the glory of His name in the presence of the LORD; bow down before the LORD in the splendour of holiness.
3. The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD is over the vast waters.	3. The voice of the LORD is heard above the waters; in His glorious might the LORD called out over many waters.
4. The voice of the LORD is in strength; the voice of the LORD is in beauty.	4. The voice of the LORD is heard in strength; the voice of the LORD is heard in splendour.
5. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars, yes, the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.	5. The voice of the LORD shatters cedars; the word of the LORD has shattered the cedars of Lebanon.
6. He causes them to dance like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.	6. And He made them jump like a calf – Lebanon, and the Mount of Noisome Fruit, like the young of oxen.
7. The voice of the LORD cleaves with flames of fire.	7. The voice of the LORD splits flames of fire.
8. The voice of the LORD causes the desert to quake; the LORD causes the desert of Kadesh to quake.	8. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the Word of the LORD shakes the wilderness of Rekem.
9. The voice of the LORD will frighten the hinds and strip the forests, and in His Temple everyone speaks of His glory.	9. The voice of the LORD impregnates the hinds, and makes the beasts of the forest give birth; and in His sanctuary above, all His servants say, “Glory,” in His presence.
10. The LORD sat [enthroned] at the flood; the LORD sat as King forever.	10. In the generation of the Flood, the LORD sat on His throne of judgment to take vengeance on them; and the LORD sat on the throne of mercy and saved Noah; and He reigns over His children forever and ever.
11. The LORD will grant strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.	11. The LORD gave the Torah to His people; the Lord will bless His people in peace.

Rashi’s Commentary on Tehillim (Psalms) 29:1-11

29:1 Prepare for the Lord Heb. הָבוּ. Prepare for the Lord and prepare for Him, you sons of the mighty of the land. From here we derive the ruling that [for the first blessing of the Amidah prayer] we should say the blessing ABOT, the Patriarchs (Meg. 17b, R.H. 32b, Mid. Ps. 29:2). But Menachem (p. 68) associated הָבוּ as an expression of giving.

mighty Heb. אֵלִים, princes.

prepare for the Lord glory and might From here we derive that [for the second blessing of the Amidah prayer] we should say the blessing of G’BUROT, mighty deeds.

2 the glory due His name This is the blessing of the sanctity of the Name [the third blessing of the Amidah]. In this psalm, there are eighteen mentions of God’s name, and corresponding to them, they instituted eighteen blessings.

3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters Upon the Sea of Reeds, “The Lord thundered from heaven” (above 18:14).

thunders Heb. הִרְעִים, tormanta in Old French.

4 The voice of the Lord is in strength At the time of the giving of the Torah, He moderated His voice according to the strength of Israel, as it is said (Exod. 19:19): “and God would answer him with a voice,” with Moses’ voice.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars The kings of the nations, as the matter that is written (in I Sam. 7:10): “and the Lord thundered with a loud noise etc. upon the Philistines”; (in Isa. 30:31): “For from the Lord’s voice Assyria will be broken.” And at the time of the giving of the Torah (Deut. 5:23): “For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speak out of the fire as we have and remained alive?” You heard and remained alive, but the nations of the world would hear it and die.

6 He causes them to dance like a calf The cedars and the mountains that came to hear the giving of the Torah.

Lebanon and Sirion The names of mountains.

7 cleaves with flames of fire taylont in Old French, to cut. Our Sages (Mechilta ibid.) explained that the utterance of the Decalogue emanated from His mouth with a flame of fire and was engraved on the tablets according to their form.

8 causes the desert to quake Heb. יָחִיל, an expression of (Jer. 6:24), “pain (חִיל) as a woman in travail.”

the Lord causes the desert of Kadesh to quake That is the desert of Sinai, as our Sages said in Tractate Shabbath (89a): It was called by five names: the desert of Sinai, the desert of Zin, the desert of Kadesh, the desert of Kedemoth, the desert of Paran. [It was called] the desert of Kadesh because Israel was sanctified on its account.

9 The voice of the Lord will frighten the hinds In the future, it will frighten the nations of the world and cause [them] to quake, those who are now standing firmly like hinds, as the matter that is stated (above 18:34): “He makes my feet like hinds.” Said Rabbi Phinehas: It does not say, “like harts,” but “like hinds,” like the females, because the feet of the females stand straighter than those of the males (Mid. Ps. 22:1). Another explanation: יְחוֹלֵל is kria in Old French, to create, as (in Prov. 8:25), “before the hills, I was created (חוֹלָלְתִּי).”

and strip the forests Like (Gen. 30:37), “by uncovering (מַחְשֹׂף) the white.” He will strip the forest trees, i.e., he will strip the nations, compared to forest trees, of their glory, as is stated (in Amos 2:9): “whose height is as the height of the cedar trees.”

and in His Temple which will be built.

everyone speaks of His glory Everyone will praise Him there and say...

10 The Lord sat [enthroned] at the flood alone in His greatness, and now also, the Lord sits alone forever, “but the idols will completely pass away,” (as in Isa. 2:18), yet to His people He will give strength and a blessing of peace. Our Sages, however, expounded upon it in Midrash Psalms (29:2) that the nations became frightened and startled, and they came to Balaam and said to him, “What is the sound of the stirring that we heard? Is He going to bring a flood upon the world?” He replied to them, “He already swore that He would not bring a flood. Rather, the sound of the stirring that you heard is that the Holy One, blessed be He, is giving a Torah to His people.”

Meditation from the Psalms

Tehillim (Psalms) 29:1-12

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

This psalm is related to the preceding one in which David vowed to thank God for giving him might, 'HaShem is my might and my shield ... and from my songs I shall give him thanks'.^[1] Rashbam^[2] maintains that this magnificent psalm was composed to fulfill that vow. It also serves as an introduction to the following one which is dedicated to 'The inauguration of the House [i.e. the Temple] to David.'

The words of this Psalm bear a striking resemblance to the songs which David sang as he transferred the Holy Ark from its temporary shelter in the house of Oved Edom to its permanent abode in Jerusalem. At that time, he sang: “Give unto HaShem, ye kindreds of the people, give unto HaShem glory and strength. Give unto HaShem the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship HaShem in the beauty of holiness”.

Compare the following pesukim:

I Divre HaYamim (Chronicles) 16:28-29 Give unto HaShem, ye kindreds of the people, give unto HaShem glory and strength. 29  Give unto HaShem the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship HaShem in the beauty of holiness.

Tehillim (Psalm) 29:1 « A Psalm of David. » Give unto HaShem, O ye mighty, give unto HaShem glory and strength. 2  Give unto HaShem the glory due unto his name;^[3] worship HaShem in the beauty of holiness.

Those words are almost an exact replica of the first two verses of this Psalm. This strongly implies that this Psalm was sung when the ark traveled to Jerusalem in preparation for the inauguration of the Temple.^[4]

The superscription of this psalm attributes authorship to David.

The name of ‘HaShem’^[5] is repeated eighteen times in this psalm. Because of this, Rashi says that the Rabbis made the Shemone Esrei (Amida)^[6] to have eighteen benedictions.^[7] We also learn something of the order of the blessings of the Amida from the Talmud:

Megillah 17b Our Rabbis taught: Whence do we derive that the blessing of the Patriarchs^[8] should be said? Because it says, Ascribe unto the Lord, O ye sons of might.^[9] And whence that we say the blessing of mighty deeds?^[10] Because it says, Ascribe unto the Lord glory and strength.^[11] And whence that we say sanctifications?^[12] Because it says, Ascribe unto the Lord the glory due unto His name, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.^[13] What reason had they for mentioning understanding^[14] after holiness? Because it says, They shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and shall stand in awe of the God of Israel,^[15] and next to this, They also that err in spirit shall come to understanding. What reason had they for mentioning repentance^[16] after understanding? Because it is written, Lest they, understanding with their heart, return and be healed.^[17] If that is the reason, healing should be mentioned next to repentance?^[18] — Do not imagine such a thing, since it is written, And let him return unto the Lord and He will have compassion upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.^[19] But why should you rely upon this verse? Rely rather on the other! — There is written another verse, Who forgiveth all thine iniquity, who healeth all thy diseases, who redeemeth thy life from the pit,^[20] which implies that redemption and healing come after forgiveness. But it is written, ‘Lest they return and be healed’? That refers not to the healing of sickness but to the healing [power] of forgiveness. What was their reason for mentioning redemption in the seventh blessing?^[21] Raba replied: Because they [Israel] are destined to be redeemed in the seventh year [of the coming of the Messiah],^[22] therefore the mention of redemption was placed in the seventh blessing. But a Master has said, ‘In the sixth year will be thunderings, in the seventh wars, at the end of the seventh the son of David will come’? — War is also the beginning of redemption. What was their reason for mentioning healing in the eighth blessing? — R. Aha said: Because circumcision which requires healing is appointed for the eighth day, therefore it was placed in the eighth blessing. What was their reason for placing the [prayer for the] blessing of the years ninth? R. Alexandri said: This was directed against those who raise the market price [of foodstuffs], as it is written, Break thou the arm of the wicked; and when David said this, he said it in the ninth Psalm.^[23]

Further the Sabbath Musaf Amida has only seven benedictions which the Talmud teaches us that this comes from the seven ‘voices’ recorded in this psalm.

Berachoth 29a To what do the seven blessings said on Sabbath^[24] correspond? — R. Halefta b. Saul said: To the seven voices mentioned by David [commencing with] ‘on the waters’.

The following paper is an excerpt from a letter that Hakham Dr. Joseph ben Haggai received from one of his talmidim. In this paper, the Hakham teaches us that the so called Lord’s prayer is a memory aid to remember the order of the blessings^[25] of the Amida (Shemone Esrei). This is the standing prayer that is the central part of all Jewish prayer services. With this introduction, let us look at the Rabbi’s letter:

Greetings my friend, the Rabbi!  In continued pursuit of my short course on Yeshua that we've discussed I've come across another area that I need rabbinic advice.  In Lutheran churches (and Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican) the so-called "Lord's Prayer" is very sacred.  It is said at every service done and it is said privately and personally throughout the day by the more pious souls.  Hence, it is a perfect teaching tool. I've encountered a rabbi who has told me that the "Lord's Prayer" is "as Jewish a prayer one could find" and that if you could find a Jew who did not know the words were attributed to Yeshua, that it would certainly pass as a Jewish prayer with any Jew.

This is absolutely true. I do not know the name of the Rabbi, nor the Rabbi he has asked, but his answers is most accurate.

It seems there is some kind of link between the Amidah and the "Lord's Prayer."  Is it possible when Yeshua disciples asked him to teach them to pray that his response was an abbreviated version or shortened version of the Amidah?  Can you give me some insight (including scholarly, worthy of footnoting in a manuscript/lecture) as to the Jewish nature of the "Lord's Prayer"?  I wish to show that the prayer Yeshua gave wasn't some new thing he invented in Galilee while fishing with the boys.  I wish to show the "Lord's Prayer" shows how Jewish that Yeshua was.

Back some time ago,^[26] when in the lectionary we reached the so called Master’s Prayer, or even better, an abbreviated version of the Amida, I wrote the following:

Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) 6:9-13 After this manner therefore you must pray: Our Father Who sits in the heavens, May You and Your Name be hallowed (sanctified).

10. May Your government come. May Your will be done in the heavens and in the land.

11. Give us of Your bread from day to day.

12. And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those that sin against us.

13. And do not bring us into the hand of testing, but watch over and guard us from all evil: For Yours is the government, and all the power, and all the glory, forever, and ever. Amen!

Commentary

In that week, in the Midrash of Matityahu,^[27] the Master of Nazareth goes on to provide for us a summary of what is known as the main and central prayer of a Jewish service: The Amida. He is not making a new prayer to substitute for the Amida, but rather he is indicating that our chief prayer three times a day should be the Amida – the heart of a Jewish prayer service.

Roughly, the full Amida, rendered into English reads as follows:

Patriarchs

1. Blessed art You, HaShem our God and God of our Patriarchs, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob. The great, mighty and awesome God, God Supreme Who extends loving kindness and is Master of all, Who remembers the gracious deeds of our forefathers, and Who will bring a Redeemer with love to their children’s children^[28] for His name’s sake. King, Helper, Savior, and Protector, blessed are You, HaShem, shield (Protector) of Abraham.

Power of God

2. Your might is eternal, O HaShem, who revives the dead, powerful in saving, who makes the wind to blow and the rain to fall, who sustains the living with loving kindness, who revives the dead with great mercy, who supports the falling, heals the sick, frees the captive, and keeps faith with the dead; who is like You, Almighty, and who resembles You, O King who can bring death and give life.

Holiness of God

3. You are holy, and Your name is holy, and those who are holy shall praise You every day.  Blessed art You, HaShem, the holy God.

Discernment

4. You grant knowledge to man, and teach understanding to humans; from Your own self, favor us with knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Blessed are You, HaShem, giver of knowledge.

Repentance - Returning

5. Return us, our Father, to Your Torah, and draw us closer, our King, to Your worship, and bring us back before You in complete repentance.  Blessed are You, HaShem, who desires repentance.

Forgiveness

6. Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned, pardon us, our King, for we have transgressed, for You are a pardoner and forgiver. Blessed are You, HaShem, gracious One who forgives abundantly.

Redemption

7. Look upon us in our suffering, and fight our struggles, redeem us speedily, for Your name’s sake, for You are a mighty Redeemer.  Blessed are You, HaShem, Redeemer of Israel.

Healing

8. Heal us, O HaShem, and we shall be healed, save us and we shall be saved, for You are our glory.  Send complete healing for our every illness, for You, Divine King, are the faithful, merciful Physician.  Blessed are You, HaShem, who heals the sick of His people Israel.

For bounty and prosperity

9. Bless this year for us, O HaShem our God, and all its varied produce that it be for good; provide (dew and rain as a) blessing on the face of the earth, satisfy us with Your goodness, and bless this year like the good years.  Blessed are You, HaShem, who blessed the years.

Return of the exiles

10. Sound the great shofar (to proclaim) our freedom, lift up a banner for the ingathering of our exiles, and bring us together from the four corners of the earth.  Blessed art You, HaShem, Who gathers together the dispersed of His people Israel.

Justice

11. Restore our judges as at first, and our counselors as in the beginning, removing from us sorrow and sighing;  rule over us, You alone, O HaShem, with kindness and mercy, and vindicate us in the judgment.  Blessed are You, HaShem, King, who loves righteousness and judgment.

Against slanderers and heretics

12. For slanderers let there be no hope, and let all wickedness instantly perish. May all Your enemies be quickly cut off; and as for the malicious, swiftly uproot, break, cast down, and subdue quickly in our day.  Blessed are You, HaShem, who breaks the power of His enemies and subdues the malicious.^[29]

For the righteous

13. On the righteous and the saintly, on the elders of Your people, the house of Israel, and on their surviving scholars, on the true proselyte and on ourselves, let Your compassion flow, O HaShem our God.  Grant a good reward to all who sincerely trust in Your name; place our lot with them forever and let us not be shamed, for in You do we trust.  Blessed are You, HaShem, the support and security of the righteous.

For Yerushalayim (Jerusalem)

14. To Jerusalem Your city, return with compassion, and dwell within it as You promised; rebuild it soon in our day, an everlasting structure; and speedily establish in its midst the throne of David.  Blessed art You, HaShem, builder of Jerusalem.

Davidic (Messiah’s) Reign

15. The offspring of Your servant David, quickly cause to flourish, and lift up his power by Your deliverance; for Your deliverance do we constantly hope. Blessed are You, HaShem, Who makes the glory of deliverance to flourish.

Acceptance of prayer

16. Hear our voice, O HaShem our God, show compassion and mercy to us, accept our prayers with mercy and favor, for You are a God Who hears prayers and supplications.

Restoration of the Temple

17. Favorably receive, O HaShem our God, Your people Israel and their prayer, restore the worship to Your Temple in Zion, receive with love and favor the offerings of Israel and their prayer, and may the worship of Your people Israel always be favorably received by You, may our eyes behold Your return to Zion in mercy.  Blessed art You, HaShem, Who restores His Divine Presence to Zion.

Thanksgiving

18. We give thanks unto You Who are the HaShem our Go-d and God of our fathers for all eternity.  You are the strength of our lives, the shield of our deliverance.  In every generation, we shall thank You and declare Your praise for our lives that are entrusted in Your hand, and for our souls that are in Your care, and for Your miracles that are daily with us, and for Your wondrous deeds and goodness that occur at all times, evening, morning, and noon.  You are the Benevolent One, for Your mercies are never ended.  The Compassionate One, for Your deeds of kindness do not stop, always have we placed our hope in You.  For all this, O our King, may Your name be always blessed and exalted forever and ever.  All the living will forever thank You and praise Your name in truth, O God, our eternal salvation and help.  blessed art You, HaShem, Whose name is goodness; it is pleasing to give thanks to You.

For peace

19. Establish peace, well-being, blessing, grace, loving kindness, and mercy upon us and upon all Israel, Your people for by the light of Your presence have You given us, O HaShem our God, a Torah of life, love of kindness, justice, blessing, compassion, life, and peace, and it is good in Your sight to bless Your people Israel at all times and in every hour with Your peace.  Blessed are You, HaShem, Who blessed His people Israel with peace.

Now, compare this with the Master’s prayer:

States of Master’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)[30]	Shemoneh Esrei
1. Worship (vs. 9) Our Father Who sits in the heavens, May You and Your Name be hallowed (sanctified).	1. God as the protector of the Forefathers 2. God as the power that makes for salvation 3. God as the source of holiness 4. For knowledge
2. Repentance (vs. 12) And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those that sin against us.	5.    For the strength to repent 6.    For forgiveness
3. Requests (vs. 11) Give us of Your bread from day to day.	7.    For relief from affliction 8.    For healing 9.    For bounty and material prosperity 10.  For the ingathering of the exiles
4. Restoration (vs. 10) May Your government come. May Your will be done in the heavens and in the land.	11.  For the establishment of the reign of true justice 14.  For the rebuilding of Jerusalem 15.  For the coming of the Messiah 16.  For the acceptance of our prayers 17.  For the restoration of the Sanctuary
5. Protection for righteous  (vs. 13a) And do not bring us into the hand of testing, but watch over and guard us from all evil:	12.  Against slanderers and heretics. 13. For the support and protection of the righteous
6. Thanksgiving (Praise) vs. 13b) For Yours is the government, and all the power, and all the glory, for ever, and ever. Amen!	18. Gratitude as man’s response to God’s work in the world 19.  For peace

The first three blessings of praise appeal to God as the protector of our forefathers, and extol His powers and holiness. The blessings of petition ask for six personal needs: knowledge, repentance, forgiveness, redemption, health and economic prosperity. They also plead for six needs of the Jewish people: ingathering of the exiled, restoration of justice, destruction of Israel's enemies, reward for the righteous, restoration of Jerusalem, and the coming of the Messiah. The final supplication asks God to hear our prayers. The closing three blessings speak of the hope of return to Temple worship, thanksgiving to God, and a prayer for peace. In summary:

As can be seen, the Master’s Model prayer was not intended to be repeated verbatim as Christianity does but is given in the Midrashic style of literature as an obvious reference to the Amida, which is to be recited standing three times a day.

I have never made a trace to see if someone before me has discovered this, or has variants on what I see in the architecture of the Master’s Prayer. I have also not seen any Jewish Book or Journal article dealing with the Master’s Prayer in this manner. The scheme described above is completely the product of my own understanding and he can quote me for it, as I have never come across any piece of Jewish literature relating the so-called Master’s Prayer to the Amidah. As to Christian or Messianic literature on the subject, as I said I have never made a trace on this, as it sufficed for me to express my own understanding. If someone anticipated me on this, great! And if not, well here is a piece of my mind. Perhaps he who is more acquainted with Christian books and journals can do a trace and let me know of the results on this. I would be very interested in reading whatever literature there is in Christianity or Messianics with regards to the relationship between the Amida and the so-called Master’s Prayer.

There is an interesting Jewish principle of Hermeneutics called “Sevarah”,^[31] which means “Logical Deduction.” In this principle one does not necessarily need to quote sources, although it is always nice if one knows to attribute the idea to the person one has heard it from. As far as I am concerned the words of our Master in the so called Master’s Prayer is a case of abbreviation of the Amida as per Sevarah. And this kind of argument I believe it is very hard to find fault with.

* * *

In line with what His Eminence said, let me finish by quoting from the Talmud regarding a shortened form of the Amida:

Berachoth 29a ‘AN ABBREVIATED EIGHTEEN’? Rab said: An abbreviated form of each blessing; Samuel said: Give us discernment, O Lord, to know Thy ways, and circumcise our heart to fear Thee, and forgive us so that we may be redeemed, and keep us far from our sufferings, and fatten us in the pastures of Thy land, and gather our dispersions from the four corners of the earth, and let them who err from Thy prescriptions be punished,^[32] and lift up Thy hand against the wicked, and let the righteous rejoice in the building of Thy city and the establishment of the temple and in the exalting of the horn of David Thy servant and the preparation of a light for the son of Jesse Thy Messiah; before we call mayest Thou answer; blessed art Thou, O Lord, who hearkenest to prayer.

Finally, lets wrap our heads around ‘why’ Chazal instituted eighteen (18) benediction for the Shemone Esrei:

QUESTION: The Gemara describes three reasons why the Hakhamim instituted eighteen blessings in the Shemone Esrei.

(a) They correspond to the eighteen times that the name of HaShem is mentioned in Tehillim 29.

(b) They correspond to the eighteen times that the name of HaShem is mentioned in the three paragraphs of Shema.

(c) They correspond to the eighteen vertebrae of the spine. Is there anything common to these three groups of eighteen?

ANSWER: The SEFER HA’IKRIM (1:5) says that the three main tenets of Jewish belief are that:

(a) HaShem created the world;

(b) HaShem gave us the Torah and commanded us to follow the Mitzvot;

(c) HaShem sees and knows all of man’s actions and will reward and punish appropriately in the World to Come.

It could be that these three tenets are included in the Shemone Esrei according to the three reasons given for why the Hakhamim instituted eighteen blessings.

(a) The verses of Shema declare HaShem as the One and Only Creator.

(b) Tehillim 29 describes the events of the giving of the Torah, and therefore represents our belief that HaShem gave us the Torah.

(c) The spine represents the knowledge that HaShem sees all of our actions, because the spine is the part of the central nervous system that directs every action and movement that a person makes, which are being watched by HaShem. In addition, HaShem will take one vertebrae from the spine and rebuild the body from it at the time of the resurrection. The spine therefore alludes to the belief that HaShem will give eternal life to those who follow His ways^[33].

These three illustrations appear to correspond to the three parts of man’s Soul; the vertebrae [Nefesh - physicality]; the Keriat Shema [Ruach - Spirit, with which we praise HaShem]; “Havu la’Shashem B’nei Eilim” (which refers to Matan Torah) [Neshama - the most spiritual of the three Souls]. This teaches us that, when we stand before HaShem, we must pray to him at all three levels.

And there are eighteen benedictions in the Shemone Esrei, according to Rashi, because we find the word ‘HaShem’ eighteen times in the eleven pasukim of our chapter of the Psalms! Who knew so much could be learned by simply counting words.  J

Ashlamatah: Habakkuk 2:20-3:19

Rashi	Targum
15. ¶ Woe to him who gives his friend to drink, who adds Your venom and also makes him drunk in order to gaze upon their nakedness.	15. ¶ Woe to him who gives his friend to drink and pours out in anger so that he may drink and become intoxicated, and his shame be revealed.
16. You have become sated more from disgrace than from honor. You, too, drink and become clogged up. The cup of the right hand of the Lord shall be turned upon you, and disgrace upon your glory.	16. You are sated with shame rather than honour. Drink you too and uncover yourself. The cup of malediction from the LORD will turn back upon you, and shame will come upon your glory.
17. For the violence of the Lebanon shall cover you, and the plunder of cattle shall break them, because of the blood of man and the violence of the land, a city, and all its inhabitants.	17. For the violence done to the Sanctuary will cover you and the spoiling of its people will destroy you, on account of men's blood and the violation of the land of Israel, the city of Jerusalem and all who dwell in it.
18. What did a graven image avail that its maker has graven it? A molten image and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusted in it to make dumb idols. {S}	18. What does an image profit that its maker molds it, a molten image, and an idol of deceit that the heart of its maker trusts in it so as to make idols in which there is no profit? {S}
19. Woe to him who says to the wood, "Awaken!"; to the dumb stone, "Arise!" Shall it teach? Behold it is overlaid with gold and silver, and no spirit is within it.	19. Woe to him who says to an image of wood, "Arise" and to an idol of stone, "Rouse yourself!" - but it is silent and dumb. He calls out. behold, he covers it with gold and silver and there is no breath at all within it!
20. But the Lord is in His Holy Temple. Silence the whole earth before Him. {S}	20. But the LORD has chosen to make His Shekinah dwell in His holy temple; all the idols of the earth will perish before Him. {S}
1. A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet concerning the errors.	1. The prayer which Habakkuk the prophet prayed when it was revealed to him concerning the extension of time which He gives to the wicked, that if they return to the Law with a perfect heart they will be forgiven and all their sins which they have committed before Him will be as sins of ignorance.
2. O Lord, I heard a report of You; I feared, O Lord, Your deed. In the midst of the years, revive it; in the midst of the years, let it be known. In anger You shall remember to have mercy.	2. LORD, I have heard the report of Your strength and I was afraid O LORD, your works are great for You grant an extension of time to the wicked to see if they will return to your Law; but they have not returned and they provoke before You in the midst of the years in which You have given them. Therefore, You will display Your might in the midst of the years, for You have promised to renew the world, to take vengeance on the wicked who have disregarded your Memra: but in the midst of Your anger, You will remember in mercy the righteous/generous who do Your will.
3. God came from Teman; yea, the Holy One from Mt. Paran, with everlasting might. His glory covered the heavens, and His splendour filled the earth.	3. When He gave the Law to His people God revealed Himself from the south, even the holy One from Mount Paran with everlasting strength, the heavens were covered with the brightness of His glory, and the earth was full of those speaking His praise.
4. And there was a brightness like the light; they had rays from His hand, and there was His strength hidden.	4. And the splendour of His glory was revealed like the splendour of Creation, and sparks issued from His glorious chariot. There He revealed His Shekinah which was hidden from the sons of men in the high fastness.
5. A pestilence went before Him, and sparks went out at His feet.	5. The angel of death was sent from before Him and went forth in a flame of fire from His Memra."
6. He stood and meted out to the earth; He saw and caused nations to wander. And the everlasting mountains were shattered; the everlasting hills were humbled. The procedures of the world are His.	6. He revealed Himself and shook the earth and brought the flood upon the people of the generation which disregarded His Memra and again, moreover, when they sinned before Him with their sins, He then confounded the nations, and the mountains which were from of old were torn apart, the ancient hills sank low. Everlasting strength belongs to Him!
7. Because of iniquity I saw the tents of Cushan; the curtains of the land of Midian quaked.	7. When the house of Israel served idols, I gave them into the hand of Cushan the Wicked, and when they returned to keep the Law, I performed signs and mighty acts for them, I delivered them from the power of the Midianites by the hand of Gideon son of Joash.
8. Was the Lord angry with the rivers? Is His wrath against the rivers, or His fury against the sea? Only that You rode on Your steeds with Your chariots of salvation.	8. Was there anger from before You. O LORD, against kings and their hosts which were numerous as the waters of a river? Indeed, Your anger was against the kings, and in the sea, You showed them Your mighty retribution when You revealed Yourself upon Your glorious chariot. Your Shekinah was strength and salvation to Your people.
9. Your bow revealed itself; The oaths to the tribes were a perpetual statement; You split the earth into rivers.	9. You did indeed reveal Yourself in Your strength on account of Your covenant which was with the tribes. Your Memra endures forever. For them You cleft strong rocks, rivers flooding the ground issued forth,
10. Mountains saw You and quaked. A stream of water passed. The deep gave forth its voice. The heaven raised up its thanks.	10. When You revealed Yourself upon Mount Sinai they beheld Your glory, the mountains quaked, the rainclouds passed on, the deep lifted up its voice, the hosts on high were amazed and stood still.
11. The sun and the moon stood in their dwellings; to the light of Your arrows, they go to the brightness of the lightning of Your spear.	11. Moreover, when You performed signs for Joshua in the plain of Gibeon, the sun and moon stood still in their spheres, Your people were strengthened by Your Memra, by the strength of Your victorious might.
12. With fury You tread the earth; with wrath You trample nations.	12. When You brought a curse upon the enemies of your people, when You revealed yourself to destroy the wicked of the earth; You slew nations in your anger.
13. You went forth to rescue Your people, to rescue Your anointed. You have crushed the head of the house of the wicked, uncovering it from the foundation to the neck-forever. {P}	13. You revealed Yourself' to deliver Your people, to deliver Your anointed (Messiah); You destroyed kings from before them and princes from their palaces; You drove out the wicked, You destroyed their hosts, the feet of Your people were upon the necks of their enemies, Your Memra endures forever. {P}
14. You pierced the heads of his villages with his war clubs. They storm to scatter me. Their joy was when they could devour a poor one in secret.	14. You cleft the sea by Moses' rod, and the mighty men, the captains of Pharaoh's armies who fabricated plots against Your people, You pursued with whirlwinds. You drowned them in the Red Sea because they oppressed and enslaved Your people and gave, counsel in secret to destroy them.
15. You trampled in the sea with Your steeds, a heap of many waters.	15. You revealed Yourself upon the sea in Your glorious chariot, in the heap of great waters.
16. I heard, and my inward parts trembled; my lips quivered at the sound. Decay entered my bones, and I quaked in my place, that [the time] I would rest is destined for a day of trouble-to bring up a people that will troop back.	16. Babylon said, "I heard and my kings trembled at the judgement with which the Egyptians were judged; at the sound of these words my lips trembled, fear took hold of my wise men and I trembled in the place where I dwell' because He abandoned me to the day of trouble; at the time of bringing up the exiles of His people from me, He will destroy me.
17. For a fig tree shall not blossom; neither is there produce on the vines. The labor of the olive tree shall fail, and the grain field shall not produce food. The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no cattle in the stalls.	17. For the kingdom of Babylon will not endure nor exercise suzerainty over Israel, the kings of Media will be killed, and the warriors from Greece will not prosper; the Romans will be destroyed and will not collect tribute from Jerusalem.
18. Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be jubilant in the God of my salvation.	18. Therefore they will give praise for the sign and deliverance which You will perform for Your anointed One (Messiah) and for the remnant of Your people who are left, saying, "The prophet said, 'And I will rejoice in the Memra of the LORD, I will exult in God who brings about my deliverance.
19. God the Lord is my strength. He made my feet [as swift] as the hind's, and he guides me on my high places. To the conductor [to play] with my melodies! {P}	19. God the LORD who supports me with strength and makes my feet swift as hinds and makes me stand upon my stronghold, to whom belong victories and mighty deeds - before Him I am playing in my songs of praise." {P}

Rashi’s Commentary on Habakkuk 2:20-3:19

15 Woe to him who gives his friend to drink wine; and into that drink he adds and gathers his venom upon him, and also makes him [his friend] drunk with his venom. All this he does...

in order to gaze upon their nakedness Upon their exposure, to see their nakedness. This is the wicked Nebuchadnezzar, who would give the kings wine to drink, intoxicate them, and practice pederasty upon them, as we state in Tractate Shabbath (149b). Another explanation.

Woe to him who gives his friend to drink In Seder Olam, it [this verse] is expounded regarding Belshazzar, who gave the princes to drink with the vessels of the Temple, because of which they were smitten with zaraath and intoxicated by the wrath of the Holy One, blessed be He. On that night he [Belshazzar] was slain.

upon their nakedness So that their disgrace be revealed, and their enemies see their disgrace.

16 and become clogged up The “he” serves in this word as an expression of the reflexive, as in (Deut. 32:50) “And you shall be gathered to your people.” Here, too, הֵעָרֵל - you shall become clogged up with bewilderment and with astonishment of heart. Every expression of עָרְלָה is an expression of clogging, like (Jer. 6:10) “Their ear is clogged” and (Ezek 44:7) “Of clogged heart and of uncircumcised flesh.”Jonathan rendered: And become naked, an expression of (ibid. 16:7) “Naked and bare.”

17 the violence of the Lebanon the Temple.

and the plunder of cattle The plunder of your cattle, and your hordes that plundered My people Israel, shall break you.

because of the blood of man Because of the violence done to the blood of Israel.

and the violence of the land The land of Israel.

a city Jerusalem.

18 What did a graven image avail Babylon?

that the maker of his work trusted The man who formed it, who is the maker of this god of his.

in it He trusts in this creation of his, that it assists him, so he comes to make dumb idols.

19 Shall it teach? This is a question.

20 But the Lord is in His Holy Temple ready to exact retribution.

Silence the whole earth before Him הַס is an expression of silencing and the silence of destruction.

Chapter 3

1 concerning the errors This may be interpreted according to the Targum. However, according to the apparent meaning, Habakkuk is begging for mercy for himself because he spoke rebelliously: (1:4) “Therefore Torah is slackened,” and (verse 14) “You have made man like the fish of the sea.” He criticized the Divine standard of justice.

2 I heard a report of You that from days of yore You always inflicted retribution upon those who provoked You, yet You tolerate this wicked man.

I feared I said, “How has the Divine standard of justice changed because of Israel’s iniquity?”

Your deed. In the midst of the years Your original deed, that You would wreak vengeance for us upon our enemies in the midst of the years of trouble in which we are found.

revive it Awaken it and restore it.

in the midst of the years And in the midst of these years let it be known.

In anger In the anger that You will vent upon the wicked, You will remember to have mercy.

to have mercy like לְרַחֵם, to have mercy.

You shall remember You shall remember to have mercy on Israel. 3 God The prophet now mentions before God His original deed, which he begs Him to revive - the deed of the love of Israel and the retribution of the first generations: When You came to give the Torah, You went around to Esau and Ishmael, and they did not accept it.

Teman Esau.

Paran Ishmael, as Scripture states (Gen. 21:21): “And he dwelt in the desert of Paran.”

His glory covered the heavens at Sinai for Israel.

4 And there was a brightness on that day.

like the light Like the special light of the seven days of Creation. So did Jonathan render it.

rays The expression of a light, which, when piercing and shining through a hole, appears like protruding horns. Similarly, (Ex. 34:29) “For the skin of his face shone.”

from His hand From the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, they came to them.

and there was His strength hidden As the Targum renders: There His strength, which had previously been hidden, was revealed in the secret place of the Most High.

5 A pestilence went before Him I found in a Midrash Aggadah: At the time the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah to Israel, He drove away the Angel of Death to divert him to other things, lest he stand to accuse and say, “You are giving the Torah to a nation that is destined to deny you at the end of forty days?”

and sparks went out at His feet Fiery angels came with Him to Sinai.

6 He stood and meted out to the earth He waited to examine minutely the case of the generation of the Flood, to mete out to them a measure for a measure, and He meted it out. “He stood” is to be understood in the sense of (Isa. 3: 13) “The Lord stands to plead, and He stands to judge the peoples.” He waits and examines their case minutely.

and meted out to the earth They sinned with heat, and they were judged with boiling water.

He saw the generation of separation, who, since they were of one language, all came upon the plan, as it is written (Gen. 11:1): “And all the earth was of one language.”

and caused nations to wander He caused them to jump into seventy languages as it is said (Lev. 11:21): “To jump with them on the earth,” and (Job 37:1) “My heart trembles and jumps from its place.”

the everlasting mountains The heavenly princes of the nations.

the procedures of the world are His He demonstrated to them that all the procedures of the world are His.

7 Because of iniquity that was found in Israel.

I saw the tents of Cushan standing in the open and inflicting injury upon Israel, and when they humbled themselves before you...

the curtains... quaked All is to be understood according to the Targum.

8 Was... with the rivers? Some questions are in the affirmative. Have we seen that He performed all these? The explanation of the verse is according to the Targum.

Your chariots were salvation for us.

9 Your bow revealed itself Your might was revealed.

the oaths to the tribes The oaths that You swore to the tribes.

perpetual statement A statement that is to last forever. אֽמֶר is vowelized with a “pattah,” [meaning a “seggol”] and the accent is on the first syllable, making it a noun.

You split the earth into rivers According to the Targum.

10 Mountains saw You and quaked The mountains of the streams of Arnon that cleft to one another.

A stream of water passed When they crossed the Jordan, the water was “completely cut off,” and the flow of the stream of water passed downstream; the water “which came down from above stood and rose up.”

The deep gave forth its voice The inhabitants of the land praised Him.

The heaven raised up its thanks The host of the heaven thanked Him.

11 stood in their dwellings in their dwellings. In every word that requires a “lammed” at the beginning - Scripture placed a “he” at the end [meaning “to”]. They explained the phrase as referring to the war of Gibeon, as the Targum paraphrases it.

to the light of Your arrows they go Israel.

12 With fury You tread the earth to drive out the seven nation [the heathens of Canaan].

13 to rescue Your anointed Saul and David.

uncovering it from the foundation The walls of their enemies.

to the neck The height of the walls and the towers.

14 You pierced the heads... with war clubs Sennacherib and his company.

the heads of his villages The heads of his towns and his castles, as in (Deut. 3:5) “The open towns” and (Zech. 2:8) “Jerusalem shall be inhabited without walls.”

they storm Who were storming with a tempest to scatter me. [Sennacherib] was the staff with which you chastised the nations. When he came and stormed to scatter me, You pierced the heads of his troops with his staffs, with which he had come to chastise me.

their joy was when they could...

devour a poor one in secret Israel, known as a poor people.

15 You trampled in the sea You trampled upon [Sennacherib’s] hordes, which were as heavy as the sand by the sea.

a heap of many waters Jonathan renders. upon a heap, an expression of (Exod. 8:10) “many heaps.”

16 I heard, and my inward parts trembled Jonathan rendered. Said Babylon, “I heard, and the kings trembled before the judgement meted out upon the Egyptians.”

my lips quivered at the sound At the sound of the report, trembling took hold of me until my lips knocked one against the other and their sound was heard.

quivered An expression of (Zech. 14:20) “The bells of the horses.” Tentir in O.F., to tinkle.

and I quaked in my place In my place, I quake.

that [the time] I would rest is destined for a day of trouble That this tranquility of mine is destined for a day of trouble.

to bring up a people that will troop back For the day that He said to bring up from there the people that He will cause to troop back, to return with its troops to its land.

17 For a fig tree shall not blossom As the Targum renders. However, the phrase may be interpreted according to its simple meaning: From now on, none of Babylon’s deeds shall succeed.

the grain field a white field.

from the fold a stall for sheep.

18 Yet I the nation of Israel, will rejoice in the Lord.

19.To the conductor [to play] with my melodies To the Levite who conducts the music in the Temple. I will compose for him [the Levites’ conductor] with my melodies, and the Levite[s] will accompany him with musical instruments.

To the conductor As it is stated (Ezra 3:8) “... appointed the Levites from twenty years old and upward to superintend the work of the house of the Lord.”

with my melodies This is an expression of a vocal melody to raise and lower, orgenedors in O.F.

2^nd Day Afternoon Service – Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Ruth 3:8 – 4:22 &

Azharoth: The Prohibitions

RELATIONS WITH GOD

You will have no other gods before God. You will make no idolatrous images nor set them up. Build no idolatrous pillar or stone image and plant no Asherah. Bring no idol into your dwelling; covet not the silver of other gods and take not their names on your lips. Deal not with God as other people do with their idols.

Take not God's name in vain, profane not his name, and blaspheme and curse Him not. Do not try God. Resort not to spiritualism, witchcraft, enchantments, or charmers, and let no witch be allowed to live, nor harlot nor sodomite. Forget not God and stray not after your heart and your eyes.

PERSONAL ETHICS

Believe not in falsehood. Be not stiff-necked. Take no false oaths, break no vows, and delay not to pay your vows. Do not muzzle the threshing-ox nor harness an ox and an ass together to the plough. Do not take from the nest the mother bird with the young. A woman may not wear man's clothing nor may a man wear woman's clothing. Let there be no bestiality nor sodomy among you. Nor may you hybridize your fields with seeds of diverse kinds.

FAMILY RELATIONS

Neither curse nor strike parents. The gluttonous drunken son will not be allowed to live.

The sexually injured may not marry. You will not commit adultery.

Spread no evil reports about your wife, and you can never divorce a wife whom you have falsely accused. You may not take again your divorced wife who has remarried. A childless widow may not be married to another man so long as her brother-in-law may marry her. While his wife is living a man may not marry her sister. You will not commit adultery or incest, and the one born of incest may not enter the community of Israel.

Forbidden in sex relations are one's wife during her uncleanness, one's mother, stepmother, mother-in-law, and mother of one's mother-in-law or of one's father-in-law; aunt; sister, stepsister, or sister-in-law; daughter, stepdaughter, granddaughter, or daughter-in-law; a woman and her daughter, or a woman and her granddaughter. Nor may one have sex relations with a betrothed maiden or with an idolatress. Nor may one allow one's daughter to be a harlot.

JUSTICE

In matters of justice fear no individual, respect no person, and show no favour to great or small. Neither show favour to the poor nor pervert the cause of the poor, the orphan, the widow, and the alien. Revile not the judges. Do not refuse to accept the judgment. Parents will not be put to death for children, nor children for parents. You may not stand idly by the blood of your fellow man. The malicious false witness will not live. Put not the innocent to death. None may be put to death on the word of but one witness. Have no fellowship with evildoers as witnesses. Take no bribe and accept no ransom for murder. Let not corporal punishment be more than forty lashes.

BUSINESS

Do not defraud. Have no undersized weights, or weights and measures of diverse standards. Do not make dishonest measurements of land.

Do not exact usury, nor give food at interest. And do not exact payment of debt from your fellow Jew in the year of release.

LABOUR RELATIONS

Do not overburden your bondman with work, nor deal harshly with a freeborn Jew. It is forbidden to steal a Jew into slavery, nor may a Jew be sold into servitude. Let it not be hard for you to give freedom to your Jewish bondman at the end of his term of service; withhold not that which is due to him and send him away well laden. A hired labourer may not be oppressed, nor must his pay be held back overnight. Hand not back to his master a runaway bondman.

The Jewish bondwoman may not be sold, and for personal injury she is indemnified but not automatically freed. If her master will not marry her, he must let her be redeemed at her true value; he may not sell her into bondage. And if he marry another, he may not lessen the allowance of food and clothing and the conjugal rights of his espoused bondwoman.

RELATIONS WITH THE POOR

Harden not your heart against the poor and shut not your hand against him. Do not gather for yourself the gleanings of your vineyard, or the droppings or single grapes of your vintage, the last olives from your trees, the forgotten sheaf, or gleanings of your harvest, and that which grows in the corner of your field. All these must be left for the poor. Take it not hard when you give to the poor; charge him no interest and be not as a moneylender to him. Oppress not the orphan. Do not take in pledge the upper or the nether millstone or the widow's garment, or charge interest on food, and judge not unjustly when a pledge is involved.

The Levites may not sell their allotted lands.

RELATIONS WITH YOUR FELLOW MAN

Hate not and harbour no hates. Bear no grudge and take no vengeance.

Do not loathe even the Edomite or the Egyptian who comes as a proselyte. Do not oppress the alien or any fellow man. Forsake not the Levite. Steal not and steal no fellow man. Do not deal falsely. Be not dishonest with one another. Covet not, nor covet that which is stolen, and do not remove the landmark set of old. Take up no false report or slander, nor bear false witness against your neighbour. Curse not the deaf. Place no stumbling-block before the blind and lay no snare for anyone. Hide not yourself from helping the fallen animal of your neighbour or from restoring his animal that is straying. Do not defile your land by bloodshed. You will not murder, nor incur bloodguilt through leaving your roof unguarded by a parapet.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION

Your king may not be one who is not an Israelite. Let his heart not be uplifted; let him not multiply wives, or horses and chariots, nor let him take his people back to Egypt. Curse not a ruler of your people.

Do not hearken to a false prophet or seducing leaders, nor allow those to live who teach apostasy to idolatry and let not the land sink into lewdness.

Do not walk in the ways of the idolatrous heathen nor do as they do.

You will not allow them to live in your land, nor will you marry them. Do not allow the Ammonite and the Moabite to enter the community of Israel and return not to the land of Egypt.

WAR

Make no peace with the seven corrupt peoples of Canaan or with their gods. Spare them not but wipe them out. Seek no peace with Ammon or Moab. Spare not the religiously apostate city, take for yourself none of its spoil, and never let it be rebuilt. When laying siege to a city cut not down its fruit trees. Do not disregard the proclamation of the officer of war and the priest anointed for war.

RITUAL PURITY

Those who are polluted and unclean will not remain within the camp, nor may they come to the Temple.

The Nazirite will not partake of wine or of any produce of the grape.

Nor will he cut his hair or defile himself with the dead body of his kin.

DIETARY REGULATIONS

Animals and fish that have not the specified characteristics may not be eaten, nor may the prohibited birds. You will eat no blood nor designated fat, nor the flesh of an animal that has died of itself or was torn, nor the flesh of a goring ox that was stoned, nor of an animal sacrificed to an idol. You will not eat the hindquarter sinew, nor a kid seethed in its mother's milk, nor will you defile yourself by eating loathsome living things. Nor will you kill the dam and her young on the one day.

You will not eat the fruit brought forth in the first three years, nor before you have brought the sheaf-offering (Omer) of the first of the harvest shall you eat of the new corn, whether as ears, parched corn, or bread. You will not eat of the second tithe when in mourning, or when you or it may be unclean, nor will you eat of the sacrifices when you are ritually unclean, nor will you eat of that which has not been tithed.

CEREMONIAL

You will not shave the corner of your beard, nor cut the corners of the hair of your head as do idolatrous priests. In mourning make no baldness on your head nor gash your flesh. Tattoo not your flesh. Wear no garment of mixed wool and linen.

THE RELIGIOUS CALENDAR

Do no work on the Sabbath, nor on the holy days of Passover, the Festival of Weeks, the New Year, the Day of Atonement, and the Festival of Booths. On the Sabbath kindle no fire, and do not go beyond the limits of a Sabbath day's journey. Profane not the Sabbath under the penalty of death.

On the festivals do not appear empty before God. On the Passover eat nothing that is leavened and allow no leaven to remain or be seen in your habitations during the Passover week. Let there be no leaven with the Passover sacrifice. Do not offer the Passover sacrifice half-cooked or boiled and break no bone of it. Let it not be slain in any of your places except the Holy City. Let none of it be taken outside or left over until the next day and let no stranger or uncircumcised or sojourning alien or hired worker partake of it.

On the Day of Atonement neither eat nor work.

In the seventh and jubilee years do no sowing or other field work, and in the jubilee, year do not harvest that which grows by itself.

THE TEMPLE RITUAL OF SACRIFICE

The altar may not be built of hewn stones. Offer no sacrifices to idols, nor pass your son through the fire to Molech, and give not of the tithe as an offering to the dead. Offer no sacrifice outside of the Temple in Jerusalem. Let there not be eaten within your home gates the first-born of cattle, your heave-offering of first fruits, that which you have vowed, and the tithe of your wine, your corn, and your oil.

Do not work with first-born animals or shear the first-born lamb, since they have to be devoted to God. Delay not to bring your offering of the tithe of your fruit and your wine. Bring not the blind or the maimed as burnt offerings, and let no defective sacrifice be accepted from one who is not of Israel. Eat not before the daily continual-offering has been brought, and do not leave beyond their due time the fat of the sacrifices and the peace-offerings and festival-offerings. Consume not as a sacrifice any flesh contaminated by unclean contact. The hire of a prostitute or harlot may not be brought as a sacrifice. No animal may be substituted for one that has been designated for sacrifice. Rejected flesh must be burned on the altar; it may not be eaten. You may not eat that which is left over of the sacrifice, nor of a grain-offering baked in the oven, nor that which is dressed in the stewing-pan and on the griddle. Neither the ritually unclean nor the stranger may eat of the heave-offering. There may be no frankincense in the barley-offering of purgation of jealousy, nor may date-honey or leaven be brought as an offering on the altar, nor bread nor wine on the inner altar before the Ark.

THE PRIESTHOOD

No priest with physical defects may serve in the Temple. The priest may not officiate except in all sobriety after he has washed himself with the water of the laver, is ritually clean, and has covered his head. He may not marry a divorced woman, an immoral woman, or one profaned, and in addition the high priest may not marry a widow. The High Priest may not profane his seed and the sanctuary by a prohibited marriage. He may not allow himself to become ritually unclean, nor may he go out of the Temple to defile himself. He may not defile himself by contact with the dead, even for a parent, except for a Jew who has no one else to bury him. In bereavement he may not let his hair loose nor rend his garments.

When in a condition of ritual impurity, he may not minister nor remove the tithe.

The priest may not offer as sacrifice an animal with a blemish. He may not make the incense for other uses, nor make anything resembling the incense. Nor may he use for others, the priests' oil of anointing. The priest may not go up the altar on steps, nor minister after taking intoxicating drink.

He may not eat of the sin-offering, the blood of which has to be sprinkled within the Temple, nor may he eat the grain-offering which has to be burned. Nor may he completely pinch off the head of a dove offered for sacrifice. He may not remove the ephod from the breastplate, nor let the fire go out on the altar.

Non-priests may not exercise priestly functions, nor eat of the portions consecrated to the priests, nor may the hired man or guest of the priest. Nor may the priest's daughter so long as she is married to one who is not a priest. And the priest may not defile himself by contact with the dead. No non-priest or one who is unclean may be present when the holy things are covered.

The Levite may not officiate after he has reached the age of retirement from service.

THE TORAH

Forget not the Torah that has been revealed to you. Add not to it nor diminish from it, and let not its words depart from your heart.

Afternoon Meditation

2^nd Day Tuesday Afternoon June 3, 2025 – Sivan 7, 5785

Readings: 2 Lukas (Acts) 2:1-47 & Revelation 2:12-17 

Revelation 2:12-17 ¹² "And to the angel (chief of the seven ministers) of the Esnoga in Pergamum write: "This is what the one (Messiah) who has the sharp double-edged sword (Oral and Written Torah) says: ¹³ 'I know where you dwell, where the throne of Ha-Satan is. And you held fast to my authority and did not deny your faithful obedience to me, even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where HaSatan dwells. ¹⁴ But I have a few things against you: that you have there, those who hold fast to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat food sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. ¹⁵ So likewise you also have those who hold fast to the teaching of the Nicolaitans (those who oppress the (Jewish) people). ¹⁶ Therefore return! But if you do not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword (Written and Oral Torah) from my mouth. ¹⁷ The one who has an ear, let him hear what the orally breathed Torah says to the congregations. To the one who conquers, I will give to him some of the hidden (So’od) manna, and I will give to him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, that no one knows except the one who receives it.'

The Significance of the Number Eighteen

By Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)

In this study I would like to examine the significance of the number eighteen (18).

According to the gematria, the Rabbinic system of numerical symbolism, each letter of the Hebrew alphabet represents a number. The word chai חי meaning life consists of two Hebrew letters het - ח equivalent to the number eight, and yud - י is equivalent to the number ten which together add up to 18.

ח – 8

י  - 10

-------

Total = 18

The main thing that we can learn from 18, Chai, is the fulfillment of Torah and commandments (mitzvot), as in the verse:

Vayikra (Leviticus) 18:5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them (mitzvot): I HaShem.

Eighteen means your performance, the full extension. Eighteen is life!

Eighteen represents a basic structure of life.

Matza and Eighteen

Both bread and Matza are flour mixed with water, then kneaded into a dough and baked. What is the difference between them? The difference is that bread dough has sat unattended for eighteen minutes and becomes leavened (bread). The Matza which we eat on Passover has been baked quickly.

Eighteen is the amount of time it takes to turn matza dough into chametz (leaven). It is the difference between being cut off from the those who live (keret), during Pesach, and those who actually live.

The spelling of “Matza” is similar to “mitzva:” Just as we shouldn’t delay in the making of Matza, so too we shouldn’t procrastinate in performing a mitzva. The lesson of Matza is to seize the moment. Delaying even one second can mean the difference between an opportunity gained or lost.

Why eighteen minutes? Because the number eighteen is the numerical value of “Chai,” meaning “life.” They say that “baseball is a game of inches”. Actually, life itself is a game of seconds. The Talmud tells of people who had sunk to the depths of humanity, and then in one moment of insight reversed their lives for all eternity. More than just the difference between Matza and bread, the Seder teaches us the difference between life and death.

Eighteen In Our Prayers

Eighteen is the number of times HaShem’s name is mentioned in shema[34]. When we declare the unity of HaShem we are connecting to The Source of life.

The number eighteen is prominent in the eighteen blessings of the Shemone Esreh. The Shemone Esreh is called The Prayer, The standing prayer. It is the quintessential service of life. We live to serve HaShem.

The number eighteen is prominent in the song sung by the Jewish People after the splitting of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1-19).

Midrash B’Midbar Rabba to Numbers  2:1-34 AND THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES AND UNTO AARON, SAYING (Num. II, 1). In eighteen passages you find Moses and Aaron placed on an equal footing (i.e. the divine communication was made to both alike); to this the Eighteen Benedictions correspond (the reason, was that Moses and Aaron were both instruments of Israel’s deliverance, which would not have been effected without their prayers, hence the daily Prayer was likewise divided into Eighteen Benedictions.). From the three Patriarchs you derive the fixed ritual of praying three times a day. Abraham instituted morning prayer, as it is said, And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood, etc. (Gen. XIX, 27), and ‘standing’ signifies prayer, as it is said, Then stood up Phinehas, and prayed [English Version: ‘wrought judgment’] (Ps. CVI, 30). Isaac instituted afternoon prayer, as it is said, And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide (Gen. XXIV, 63), and ‘meditation’ signifies prayer; as it is said, A prayer of the afflicted, when he faints, and pours out his meditation (E.V.: complaint) before the Lord (Ps. CII, I). Jacob instituted evening prayer, as it is said, And he lighted (wayyifga’) upon the place, etc. (Gen. XXVIII, 11), and pegi’ah signifies prayer, as it is said, Therefore pray not you for this people ... neither make intercession (tifga’ - all three are from the root paga’) to Me (Jer. VII, 16). In eighteen passages Moses and Aaron are conjoined, thus giving a hint for the Eighteen Benedictions which correspond to the eighteen references to the Divine Name occurring in the shema’ and in [the Psalm commencing,] A Psalm of David: Ascribe unto the Lord, O you sons of might (Ps. XXIX, 1). The three Patriarchs, then, introduced the custom of praying three times a day, while from Moses and Aaron and from the above-mentioned references to the Divine Name we infer that eighteen benedictions [must be said].

Chazal instituted Eighteen Benedictions of the Prayer (the Tefillah), corresponding to the Eighteen mentions [of the divine Name] in the Reading of the Shema, and also in [Psalm 29], Ascribe to the Lord, O you sons of might (Psalm 29):

Tehillim (Psalms) 29:1 <<A Psalm of David.>> Give unto HaShem, O ye mighty, give unto HaShem glory and strength. 2  Give unto HaShem the glory due unto his name; worship HaShem in the beauty of holiness. 3  The voice of HaShem is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: HaShem is upon many waters. 4  The voice of HaShem is powerful; the voice of HaShem is full of majesty. 5  The voice of HaShem breaketh the cedars; yea, HaShem breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. 6  He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. 7  The voice of HaShem divideth the flames of fire. 8  The voice of HaShem shaketh the wilderness; HaShem shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. 9  The voice of HaShem maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory. 10  HaShem sitteth upon the flood; yea, HaShem sitteth King for ever. 11  HaShem will give strength unto his people; HaShem will bless his people with peace.

* * *

-Said R. Hiyya b. Abba: [The eighteen times ‘command’ are counted] only from “And with him was Oholiav, the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan.” (Exodus 38:23) until the end of the Book.

The phrase “as HaShem had commanded Moses,” appears eighteen times in Torah portion Pekudei. The Talmud[35] asks the following question: Why do we say eighteen blessings in the daily Shemoneh Esrei prayer? Some of the answers the Talmud records are as follows: “Rabbi Shimon says that the eighteen blessings correspond to the eighteen discs in one’s spinal chord. Rabbi Chaninah says in the name of Rabbi Pinchas that the eighteen blessings correspond to the eighteen times that our forefathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) are mentioned together in the Torah. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani says in the name of Rabbi Yochanan that the eighteen blessings correspond to the eighteen times the phrase ‘as HaShem had commanded Moses’ appears in the Torah portion of Pekudei.”

All of the reasons mentioned above can be combined into one central idea: One of the things that differentiates man from animal is the fact that he is able to walk upright, that he has a spine full of vertebrae. The mark of someone who is a ba’al ga’ava, a haughty person, is that he walks with a straight spine, upright, in a way which shows that he feels greater than everyone else. A humble person, however, tends to walk more bent over, in a submissive manner, realizing his lowliness in comparison to his Creator.

One foundation of prayer is for us to realize that we are totally subjugated to HaShem; only He can give us what we need and has given us what we have. Three times a day during our recital of the Shemoneh Esrei prayer we bow to HaShem as we say the words “Baruch ata -- blessed are you.” We then stand upright when we say “HaShem”, recognizing the blessing HaShem provides man by straightening the bent. A Jewish king is required to recite the entire Shemoneh Esrei prayer while on his knees, to show himself and the entire Jewish people that even the king is totally subjugated and dependent on HaShem.

Another foundation of prayer is zechut avot, the merit of our righteous forefathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Their deeds and self-sacrifice are the only reason we have the opportunity to stand before HaShem. Without them, we would be like any other nation, devoid of the special relationship our forefathers achieved to connect to the Infinite.

The central idea which connects the reasons of the bent spine and our forefathers’ righteousness can be found in the third reason mentioned above as to why we recite eighteen blessings in the daily Shemoneh Esrei: “as HaShem had commanded Moses,” the phrase which is repeated eighteen times in this week’s Torah portion. Moses did just as HaShem commanded him, and so did our forefathers. We, too, because of their merit, are able to serve HaShem by bowing our spine and subjugating ourselves to His will, as we do every time we recite the Shemoneh Esrei prayer.

Berachoth 28b GEMARA: On what are these “Eighteen Blessings” based? Rabbi Hillel the son of Rabbi Shmuel Bar Nachmani says that they’re indicated by the eighteen times the name of God is mentioned in Psalm 29, “Bring to God, you sons of the mighty”. Rabbi Joseph bases it on the eighteen times God’s name is mentioned in the Shema. Rabbi Tanchum said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levy that the eighteen blessings correspond to the eighteen major vertebrae in the human spine.

Many attempts to uncover the underlying structure of the Amida are predicated on the significance of the number eighteen in the “Eighteen Blessings.” These attempts include the drawing of correlations between the eighteen blessings and the eighteen vertebrae of the spine, eighteen matters of the Sanctuary, eighteen pivotal events in Jewish history, or eighteen select biblical texts. R. Saadya Gaon came up with twelve different reasons for this number of blessings.

3) THREE REASONS FOR THE EIGHTEEN BLESSINGS OF SHEMONEH ESREH

QUESTION: The Gemara describes three reasons why the Hakhamim instituted eighteen blessings in the Shemoneh Esreh.

(a) They correspond to the eighteen times that the name of HaShem is mentioned in Tehilim 29.

(b) They correspond to the eighteen times that the name of HaShem is mentioned in the three paragraphs of Shema.

(c) They correspond to the eighteen vertebrae of the spine. Is there anything common to these three groups of eighteen?

ANSWER: The SEFER HA’IKRIM (1:5) says that the three main tenets of Jewish belief are that

(a) HaShem created the world;

(b) HaShem gave us the Torah and commanded us to follow the Mitzvot;

(c) HaShem sees and knows all of man’s actions and will reward and punish appropriately in the World to Come.

It could be that these three tenets are included in the Shemone Esreh according to the three reasons given for why the Hakhamim instituted eighteen blessings.

(a) The verses of Shema declare HaShem as the One and Only Creator.

(b) Tehilim 29 describes the events of the giving of the Torah, and therefore represents our belief that HaShem gave us the Torah .

(c) The spine represents the knowledge that HaShem sees all of our actions, because the spine is the part of the central nervous system that directs every action and movement that a person makes, which are being watched by HaShem. In addition, HaShem will take one vertebrae from the spine and rebuild the body from it at the time of the resurrection. The spine therefore alludes to the belief that HaShem will give eternal life to those who follow His ways[36].

These three illustrations appear to correspond to the three parts of man’s Soul; the vertebrae [Nefesh - physicality]; the Keriat Shema [Ruach - Spirit, with which we praise HaShem]; “Havu la’Shashem B’nei Eilim” (which refers to Matan Torah) [Neshama - the most spiritual of the three Souls]. This teaches us that, when we stand before HaShem, we must pray to him at all three levels.

The Hallel and Eighteen

Ta’anith 28b R. Johanan said in the name of R. Simeon ben Jehozadok: “Eighteen times during the year an individual may recite the whole Hallel, and they are:

On the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles,

on the eight days of the Feast of Dedication (Chanukah),

on the first day of the Passover, and

on the day of Pentecost.

While in exile, however, one may recite it twenty-one times during the year, namely: On the nine days of the festival of Tabernacles, on the eight days of Chanukah, on the first two days of Passover, and on the two days of Pentecost.”

Eighteen in the Mishkan

If we would list the materials for the offering for the Mishkan, there would be eighteen different items:

Shemot (exodus) 25:1-7 And this [is] the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ [hair], And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.

Said R. Samuel b. Nachman in the name of R. Nathan: Eighteen times is [‘As the Lord did] command’ written in the section of the Tabernacle:  Exodus 37:22; Exodus 38:1, 5, 7, 21, 26, 29, 31, 32, 42, 43; Exodus 40: 16, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 32.

The Ba’al HaTurim[37] points out the seemingly redundant repetition of the phrase, “As HaShem commanded Moshe” after each item for the Mishkan was constructed. He explains that as a reward for Moshe’s pleading for the Jews after the sin of the Golden Calf, when he said, “Please erase me from your book”, HaShem constantly repeats Moshe’s name in this portion. The Ba’al HaTurim notes further that the phrase “As HaShem commanded Moshe” appears eighteen times in this portion, corresponding to the eighteen blessings of the weekday Amida. The phrase, “As HaShem commanded, so they did” appears once, and corresponds to the additional nineteenth blessing against heretics. How are these three ideas - Moshe’s pleading, the Amida, and the construction of the Mishkan - related?

The Torah repeats the phrase, “As HaShem commanded Moshe” eighteen times, to show that the Mishkan was constructed with the same selflessness which Moshe embodied. The only purpose was to fulfill the will of HaShem. Similarly, in prayer, we should strive for this commitment to serving HaShem. We do not make requests of HaShem for our own pleasure, but so that we will be better able to perform the will of our Creator.

Oftentimes a good way to get to know someone or something is to investigate its name. The Gemara jumps in to do just that. Rabbi Hillel the son of Rabbi Shmuel notices that the Divine name is mentioned eighteen times in the 29th Psalm, most often related to Kaballat Shabbat (Welcoming the Sabbath) and reading to Torah. In other words, he’s telling us that our daily prayer corresponds on a very deep level to both the Shabbat and to the Torah. Rav Yosef brings us a new connection, this time with the Shema which also contains eighteen repetitions of the Divine Name. The Shema, as we already know, is the central declaration of the Unity of All. Thus in this prayer we approach all that there is which is now further linked with the realm of Shabbat and with the Torah.

Eighteen In The Body

Rabbi Tanchum, in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levy, points out another occurrence of “eighteen” in the primary vertebrae as seen in medieval anatomy (in fact there are additional cervical and tail vertebrae, but the largest set actually does contain eighteen!). The spine! The structure that stands us upright, makes us, in a certain way, human. The spine also represents the vav in the Divine Name, the connector between the upper and the lower realms. The prayer of Eighteen engages us in the ultimate service of life: Bowing to HaShem in prayer.

The spine represents the knowledge that HaShem sees all of our actions, because the spine is the part of the central nervous system that directs every action and movement that a person makes, which are being watched by HaShem. In addition, HaShem will take one vertebrae (the luz bone) from the spine and rebuild the body from it at the time of the resurrection. The spine therefore alludes to the belief that HaShem will give eternal life to those who follow His ways.

Zohar 821 Lulav is Righteous One, NAMELY, YESOD, for the Lulav is like the spinal chord that contains eighteen vertebrae, corresponding to the eighteen shaking movements with the Lulav. And they correspond to the eighteen blessings of the Amidah prayer, and they correspond to the eighteen mentions, NAMELY, THE NAMES OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, in “Ascribe to HaShem, O you mighty” (Tehillim 29:1), and the eighteen times that the Divine Name is mentioned in the recital of the Shema. And the Lulav is shaken in six directions: SOUTH, NORTH, EAST, UP, DOWN AND WEST, which makes six, and it is shaken three times in each direction, MAKING a total of eighteen.

Eighteen and the Menorah

Bamidbar (Numbers) 1:1 has eighteen words in Hebrew. These resonate with the fact that the Menorah was to be eighteen handbreadths in height:

Menachoth 28b Samuel said in the name of an old scholar, The height of the candlestick was eighteen handbreadths: three handbreadths for the base and the flower upon it, two handbreadths plain, one handbreadth for cup, knop and flower, again two handbreadths plain, one handbreadth for a knop out of which two branches come forth, one on each side, extending and rising to the same height as the candlestick, then one handbreadth plain, one handbreadth for a knop out of which two branches come forth, one on each side, extending and rising to the same height as the candlestick, then again one handbreadth plain, and one handbreadth for a knop out of which two branches come forth, one on each side, extending and rising to the same height as the candlestick, and then two handbreadths plain; there now remained three handbreadths, in which space were three cups, a knop and a flower.

The same may be learned from the cleansing procedure. The cleaning could have been done without recourse to a set of steps, because the Menorah was only eighteen tefachim (approximately five and one-quarter feet) high. If we could rely on presumptions and evaluations, a cleaning done from ground level would allow us to confidently say the Menorah is perfectly clean and ready. But we may not rely on anything, and we must know absolutely, by looking downwards into the lamps, that they are perfectly clean and ready. Similarly, when we teach others to avoid sin and develop good character traits, we must do so fastidiously and with perfectionism.

Marriage At Eighteen

The Mishna indicates that 18 is the age for marriage:

Pirkei Avot 5:21

At five [one begins the study of] the Bible.

At ten the Mishnah. At thirteen [one takes on] the [responsibility for] the mitzvot.

At fifteen [one begins the study of] the Talmud.

At eighteen [one is ready for] marriage.

At twenty to pursue [a livelihood].

At thirty [one attains full] strength.

At forty [one gains] understanding.

At fifty [one gives] counsel.

At sixty [one reaches] old age.

At seventy [one reaches] the fullness of age.

At eighty [one reaches] strong old age.

At ninety [one is] bent.

And at one hundred, it is as if one had already died and passed from the world”.

Thus, at eighteen we are ready to marry and beget life.

* * *

18 laws of treife (unkosher food) were taught to Moshe.

The Talmud (Chullin 42a–57b) and later codifications like the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 29–60) enumerate eighteen specific conditions that render an animal treife, even if it is from a kosher species (e.g., cattle, sheep, or goats) and properly slaughtered. These defects, primarily identified in the lungs and other vital organs, indicate that the animal would not have survived long-term, making it unfit for consumption. The eighteen tereifot, as summarized from rabbinic sources, are:

1. Punctured Esophagus (Drusat HaVeshet): A hole or tear in the esophagus.
2. Severed Trachea (Nekuvah BaKaneh): A perforation or cut in the windpipe.
3. Punctured Brain Membrane (Nekuvah BaKarkeshet Shel Moach): A hole in the membrane covering the brain.
4. Defective Heart (Nekuvah BaLev): A perforation in the heart or its major vessels.
5. Punctured Lung (Nekuvah BaRe’ah): A hole in the lung, often checked for adhesions or lesions.
6. Missing Lung Lobe (Chasair BaRe’ah): Absence of one of the lung lobes.
7. Severed Spinal Cord (Chot HaShidra): A break or severance of the spinal cord.
8. Severed Liver (Nekuvah BaKaved): A perforation or significant damage to the liver.
9. Punctured Gallbladder (Nekuvah BaMarah): A hole in the gallbladder.
10. Punctured Stomach (Nekuvah BaKeiva): A perforation in the stomach (rumen).
11. Punctured Intestines (Nekuvah BaDakin): A hole in the small intestines.
12. Punctured Reticulum (Nekuvah BaBeit HaKose): A hole in the reticulum (second stomach chamber).
13. Punctured Omasum (Nekuvah BaHemes): A hole in the omasum (third stomach chamber).
14. Punctured Abomasum (Nekuvah BaKeves): A hole in the abomasum (fourth stomach chamber).
15. Missing Limb (Chasair Eiver): Absence of a limb (e.g., a leg) that affects survival.
16. Broken Bones (Shvurat Eiver): Multiple broken bones (e.g., most ribs) impairing function.
17. Fallen Animal (Nefilah): An animal that fell from a significant height, causing internal damage.
18. Torn by Beasts (Tereifah): An animal attacked by a predator, causing significant injury (the origin of the term "treife").

These defects are inspected by a trained shochet (ritual slaughterer) or bodek (inspector) after shechitah (kosher slaughter). If any of these conditions are present, the animal is deemed treife and cannot be consumed by Jews. This list is rooted in the Talmud (Chullin 3:1ff) and is considered a cornerstone of kashrut, ensuring that only healthy animals are consumed, aligning with the spiritual and ethical dimensions of the dietary laws.

* * *

Lag BaOmer is the 18th of Iyar.

Shabbat candles are lit and a blessing is recited no later than eighteen minutes before sunset.

An old tradition maintains that in every generation, there are thirty-six hidden righteous people (two times eighteen) for whom the world continues.

Zevachim 88b Our Rabbis taught: The robe [me’il] was entirely of blue, as it is said, And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. How were its skirts [made]? Blue [wool], purple wool and crimson thread, twisted together, were brought, and manufactured into the shape of pomegranates whose mouths were not yet opened and in the shape of the cones of the helmets on children’s heads. Seventy two bells containing seventy two clappers were brought and hung thereon, thirty six on each side. R. Dosa said on the authority of Rabbi Judah: There were thirty six, eighteen on each side.

King Solomon and the Messiah.

The involvement with the nations of the world, their wisdom and their art, requires extreme caution. King Solomon’s desire or “passion”[38] to rectify worldly art and science—his attraction to the culture and aesthetic of the nations—so overtook that it adversely affected his devoted obedience to the law of the Torah. The Torah permits a king to marry eighteen wives; in attempt to elevate all of the beauty and wisdom unrectified of the nations (embodied in the princess of each nation) King Solomon married a thousand wives: “King Solomon loved many foreign women, and he had many wives, that numbered seven hundred, and three hundred concubines.[39]

Sanhedrin 21a Whence do we deduce the number eighteen? — From the verse, And unto David were sons born in Hebron; and his first-born was Ammon of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second, Chileab of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; the third Absalom the son of Maacah; and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shefatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream of Eglah, David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron. And of them the Prophet said: And if that were too little, then would I add unto thee the like of these, [Ka-hennah] and the like of these, [we-kahennah], each ‘kahennah’ implying six, which, with the original six, makes eighteen in all.

* * *

A Sabbath day’s journey is two thousand cubits. This is generally regarded as an eighteen minutes’ walk.

Rosh HaShana 18a The Rabbis taught: There was a family in Jerusalem the members of which used to die at the age of eighteen. They came and told Rabban Johanan b. Zaccai. He said to them, Perhaps you are of the family of Eli, to whom it was said, and all the increase of thy house shall die young men. Go and study the Torah and you may live. They went and studied the Torah and lived, and they used to call that family the family of Rabban Johanan after his name.

Rosh HaShana 20b R. Zera said in the name of R. Nahman: The moon is invisible for twenty-four hours [round about new moon]. For us [in Babylon] six of these belong to the old moon and eighteen to the new; for them [in Palestine] six to the new and eighteen to the old. What is the practical value of this remark? — R. Ashi said: To confute the witnesses.

Yoma 9a ‘The fear of the Lord prolongeth days’ refers to the first Sanctuary, which remained standing for four hundred and ten years and in which there served only eighteen high priests. ‘But the years of the wicked shall be shortened’ refers to the second Sanctuary, which abided for four hundred and twenty years and at which more than three hundred [high] priests served . Take off therefrom the forty years which Simeon the Righteous served, eighty years which Johanan the high priest served, ten, which Ishmael b. Fabi served, or, as some say, the eleven years of R. Eleazar b. Harsum. Count [the number of high priests] from then on and you will find that none of them completed his year [in office].

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!”

Chag Shabuoth Sameach!

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

Next Shabbat:

Shabbat: “Ki Tavou, El-Erets” – “When you enter into the land”

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
כִּי תָבֹאוּ, אֶל-אֶרֶץ		Saturday Afternoon
“Ki Tavou, El-Erets”	Reader 1 – B’Midbar 15:1-7	Reader 1 – B’Midbar 16:1-4
“When you enter into the land”	Reader 2 – B’Midbar 15:8-16	Reader 2 – B’Midbar 16:5-7
“Cuando entren en la tierra”	Reader 3 – B’Midbar 15:17-21	Reader 3 – B’Midbar 16:8-11
B’midbar (Numbers) 15:1-41	Reader 4 – B’Midbar 15:22-26
Ashlamatah: Is 56:3-8 + 57:15-16, 18-19	Reader 5 – B’Midbar 15:27-31	Monday & Thursday Mornings
	Reader 6 – B’Midbar 15:32-36	Reader 1 – B’Midbar 16:1-4
Tehillim (Psalms) 102:13-23	Reader 7 – B’Midbar 15:37-41	Reader 2 – B’Midbar 16:5-7
N.C.: Mk 10:13-16; Lk 18:18-23	Maftir – B’Midbar 15:37-41	Reader 3 – B’Midbar 16:8-11

Contents of Next Week’s Torah Seder

· Meal Offerings and Libations – Numbers 15:1-16

· Challah – Numbers 15:17-21

· Sin Offering for Unintentional Sins – Numbers 15:22-29

· Blaspheming the LORD – Numbers 15:30-31

· The Sabbath-Breaker – Numbers 15:32-36

· Tzittzit – Numbers 15:37-41

Next week’s Reading Assignment:

The Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez By: Rabbi Yaakov Culi, Translated by Dr. Tzvi Faier Published by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1990)  Vol.13 – “Numbers I- First Journeys” pp. 375-417

Ramban: Numbers Commentary on the Torah Translated and Annotated by Rabbi Dr. Charles Chavel Published by Shilo Publishing House, Inc. (New York, 1975) pp. 148 - 157

Edited by His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham

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

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[1] Tehillim (Psalms) 28:7

[2] Samuel ben Meir (Troyes, c. 1085 – c. 1158) after his death known as "Rashbam", a Hebrew acronym for: Rabbi Shmuel Ben Meir, was a leading French Totafist and grandson of Shlomo Yitzhaki, "Rashi."

[3] One of the verbal tally connections to the Torah seder. Name - שם, Strong’s number 08034.

[4] haMikra V'haMesora 5

[5] HaShem is a substitute for the yod-hay-vav-hay name.

[6] Shemone Esrei literally means “eighteen”. Amida means “standing”.

[7] Ibid. 1

[8] The first blessing, containing the words, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’. For the ‘Amidah prayer v. P.B. pp. 44ff.

[9] Tehillim (Psalm) 29:1. ‘Sons of might’ is taken as a description of the Patriarchs. The Talmud renders: ‘Mention before the Lord the sons of might’, i.e., the Patriarchs.

[10] The second blessing, mentioning the ‘mighty deed’ of the resurrection.

[11] Tehillim (Psalm) 29:1.

[12] The third blessing beginning, ‘Thou art holy’.

[13] Tehillim (Psalm) 29:2.

[14] In the fourth blessing, beginning, ‘Thou grantest to man understanding’.

[15] Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 29:23ff.

[16] In the fifth blessing, commencing, ‘Bring us back, O Father’.

[17] Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 6:10.

[18] Whereas in fact it comes in the next blessing but one, ‘redemption’ being interposed.

[19] Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 55:7.

[20] Tehillim (Psalm) 103:3f.

[21] Concluding, ‘Blessed art thou, O Lord, who redeemest Israel’.

[22] Sanhedrin 97a.

[23] In our books it is the tenth (v. 15), because the Talmud reckoned the first and second Psalms as one.

[24] Tehillim (Psalm) 29:3.

[25] One of the verbal tally connections between our psalm and Torah seder. Bless - ברך, Strong’s number 01288.

[26] Tebeth 28, 5766

[27] Matityahu (Matthew) 6:9-13

[28] This is our verbal tally between the Torah and the Psalm:  Children / Mighty - בן, Strong’s number 01121. This word is used in Tehillim (Psalms) 29:1 and in Bereshit (Genesis) 33:19.

[29] According to the Talmud in Berachot 28b, this blessing was added in the days of Rabban Gamliel in response to an increase in heretics. According to Rashi there, “minim” (heretics) refers to those who deny the Divine origin of the Torah. The term minim is commonly, though not exclusively, used by the Talmud to refer to early Christian sects, who were more comparable to today’s “Messianic Jews” than to modern Christianity. (That is, they identified as Jews, albeit with ideas anathema to Jewish thought, rather than as a fully-independent religion.) Since this philosophy posed a threat to the nation, the bracha was instituted as an anti-missionary move. It refers, however, to any individual or group espousing heretical ideas within the community, such as the Sadducees. (In fact, it is the Sadducees who are mentioned by name in the Talmud where Rabban Gamliel requests that such a bracha be composed, though this may be a later edit.). Despite the addition of this nineteenth bracha, the prayer is still called “Shemone Esrei” from a desire that this blessing be rendered unnecessary and removed, restoring our daily prayers to the originally-intended eighteen.

[30] The above table is a brief outline of the Amida and is in part taken from the book: “Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts” by Barry W. Holtz, pg. 41, Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition, 1986. Please, also note that there are variations in the Amida for the morning, afternoon and evening services, as well as on Shabbats and Festivals.]

[31] see Rabbi Nathan T. Lopes Cardozo, in: The Written and Oral Torah: A Comprehensive Introduction, pp. 123-131, 132, 136-137

[32] Rashi, following Halakhoth Gedoloth emends, Let those who err in judgment, judge according to Thy word.

[33] M. Kornfeld

[34] Berachot 28b

[35] Yerushalmi Tractate Berachot 4:3

[36] M. Kornfeld

[37] commentary on Exodus 40: 33

[38] 1 Kings 9:1

[39] ibid. 11:1-3