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

 

 

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

 

Roll of Honor:

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

 

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

His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham

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Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah & beloved family

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

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

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His Excellency Adon Shlomoh ben Abraham

His Excellency Adon Yaaqov ben David

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

Her Excellency Giberet Krysta Wallrauch & beloved family

 

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

 

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

 

 

Blessings Before Torah Study

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

A Prayer for Israel

 

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

 

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

 

Shabbat: “Atem Nitsavim” -” You stand”

 

 

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·        Introduction to Third Discourse of Moses– Deut. 29:9-12

·        Israel: Past, Present & Future Is a Unity – Deut. 29:13-28

·        Conclusion To Third Discourse: Deut. 30:1-20

·        Appointment of Joshua – Deuteronomy 31:1-8

·        Public Reading of the Torah – Deuteronomy 31:9-13

 

Reading Assignment:

 

 

 

 

 

 

JPS & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Devarim (Deuteronomy) ‎‎‎29:9 – 31:13‎

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for Devarim (Deuteronomy) 29:9 – 31:13

 

9 You are all standing [The verse says, “this day,” which] teaches us that on the day of his death, Moses assembled Israel in the presence of the Holy One, Blessed is He, to bring them into [His] covenant.

 

the leaders of your tribes Heb. רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם , [lit., “your leaders, your tribes,” referring to two separate entities, which does not make sense here because “your tribes” includes the leaders. Rather, this means here:] “The leaders of your tribes.”

 

your elders and your officers [We learn from the order in this verse that] the more distinguished ones were mentioned first, and after this: “every man of Israel.”

 

10 both your woodcutters [and your water drawers] [The mention of these people separate to the main community of Israel] teaches us that in the days of Moses, Canaanites came to convert [to Judaism], just as the Gibeonites came [to convert] in the days of Joshua. This is the meaning of the verse regarding the Gibeonites, “And they also acted cunningly...” (Josh. 9:4), [i.e., pretending that they had come from a faraway country. When they were discovered, Joshua made them woodcutters and water drawers for Israel (see Josh. 9:3-27). Likewise, here, the Canaanites attempted to deceive Moses, but they did not succeed, and Moses did not accept them to be Jews. Rather,] Moses made them woodcutters and water drawers [i.e., slaves for Israel]. - [Tanchuma 2; Yev. 79a; see Rashi Gittin 23b]

 

 that you may enter Heb. לְעָבְרְךָ [Meaning,] “That you may pass through [i.e., enter] the covenant.” One should not understand this verb [to be in the causative conjugation,] to mean “to cause you to pass through,” [but rather, the verb is in the simple conjugation, and means that you yourselves will pass through]. This is similar to the expression, לַעֲשׂתְכֶם , “that you [yourselves] should do them” (Deut. 4:14).

 

that you may enter into the covenant [lit.] “that you may pass through the covenant.” This was the method of those who made covenants: They would set up a demarcation on one side and a demarcation on the other, and [the respective parties of the covenant] “passed through” between [these partitions], as the verse says, “[when] they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts” (Jer. 34:18).

 

12 in order to establish you this day as His people [Why does God here warn Israel against idolatry by making such grave oaths and severe curses, unlike other commandments where He would simply make a warning and attach a punishment if the commandment was transgressed?] He goes to so much trouble here, for the purpose of keeping you as His people. [Since He promised not to exchange you for another people (see the following Rashi), He must ensure your faithfulness to Him.

 

and that He will be your God Since God has given you His word and [also] sworn to your forefathers not to exchange their offspring for another nation, therefore, He [ensures your faithfulness to Him by] binding you through these oaths, so as not to provoke Him to anger, because He cannot separate Himself from you. Until here, I have explained this passage according to its simple sense. The homiletic explanation is as follows: Why is parashath נִצָּבִים juxtaposed to the curses [in parashath כִּי תָבֽא ]? Because when Israel heard these ninety-eight curses [delineated in כִּי תָבֽא , besides the forty-nine [curses] stated in Leviticus (26:14- 38), they turned pale, and said, “Who can possibly endure these?” [Thereupon,] Moses began to appease them [as follows]:

 

You are... standing this day You have provoked the Omnipresent to anger many times, yet He has not made an end to you. Indeed, you still exist before Him ["standing... before the Lord"]. - [Tanchuma 1]

 

this day [You exist now] Just as this day exists. For [although] it becomes dark [for a period, nevertheless] it shines [again]. So too, here, God has made light for you, and He will again make light for you in the future. And the curses and sufferings preserve you and enable you to stand before Him [the curses, by preventing you to stray from serving Him, and the sufferings, by cleansing you of your sins]. Similarly, in the previous parashah [of כִּי תָבֽא , Moses spoke] words of conciliation, [e.g.,] “You have seen all that the Lord did...” (Deut. 29:1). Another explanation of "You are... standing": Because the Israelites were now passing from one leader to the next—i.e., from [the leadership of] Moses to [that of] Joshua. Therefore, Moses made them stand [in assembled ranks], in order to encourage them. Joshua did the same [when he was about to die (Josh. 24:1)]. Also, Samuel [did likewise], when Israel passed from his leadership to that of Saul, [as the verse says,] “Stand now, and I will reason with you before the Lord...” (I Sam. 12: 7). -[Tanchuma 1]

 

14 and [also] with those who are not here also with future generations. - [Tanchuma 3]

 

15 For you know [Verses 15-17 are understood as follows:] Since you saw the idolatrous nations, perhaps one of you was enticed to follow their ways, and “perhaps there is among you...” (verse 17), therefore, I must place you under an oath [because you are in this position of extra susceptibility].

 

16 you saw their abominations Heb. שִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם . [Their idols are so termed] because they are disgusting, like creeping, crawling insects (שְׁקָצִים) .

 

their repugnant idols Heb. גִּלֻּלֵיהֶם . - [Their idols, thus termed] because they are putrid and disgusting like dung (גָּלָל) .

 

wood and stone You saw those [idols] made of wood and stone out in the open, because the heathen [who owned them, did not mind leaving them outside, since he] did not fear that they would be stolen. [Thus, regarding these idols, the verse says, "And you saw their... idols... (of) wood and stone."] However, [regarding the idols made] of “silver and gold,” they “were with them,” in the [confines of their private] treasure chambers, because [their heathen owners] were afraid that these [expensive idols] might be stolen. -[Tanchuma 3]

 

17 Perhaps there is among you - פֶּן־יֵשׁ בָּכֶם [This phrase, meaning,] “Perhaps there is among you,” [is repeated twice in this verse. Rashi explains here that there might be two levels of disobeying God. A person might serve other deities, or he is one...]

 

whose heart strays this day from accepting upon himself the covenant.

 

a root that produces hemlock and wormwood [This refers to] a root that produces a bitter herb, like giddin, which are bitter [see Targum Jonathan on Lam. 3:19]. Here, then, the verse means: “[Someone who] produces and increases evil among you.”

 

18 that he will bless himself in his heart Heb. וְהִתְבָּרֵךְ בִּלְבָבוֹ [the word וְהִתְבָּרֵךְ stems from] the word for “blessing” (בָּרֵךְ) . [The verse means:] “In his heart, [this man] will imagine a blessing of peace for himself, saying: These curses will not come upon me. I will have only peace!" וְהִתְבָּרֵךְ Bendira soy in Old French [i.e., the verb is in the reflexive conjugation], like” וְהִתְגַּלָּח , And he shall shave himself" (Lev. 13:33), “ וְהִתְפַּלֵּל , and he will pray” (I Kings, 8:42), [which employs the reflexive form of the root פלל ].

 

 I follow my heart’s desires Heb. בִּשְׁרִירוּת לִבִּי אֵלֵךְ [Meaning, “If I follow] what my heart beholds,” as in [the verse], “I behold it (אֲשׁוּרֶנּוּ) , but it is not near” (Num. 24:17). That is to say [the verse means]: “[Even if I go in the way] that my heart sees [fit] to do.”

 

in order to add the [punishment for the] unintentional sins [of this man] - לְמַעַן סְפוֹת הָרָוָה - Because I will add to him the punishment for what he heretofore committed unintentionally, which I would have overlooked, but now, he has caused that I combine them with the intentional sins and punish him for everything. Similarly, Onkelos renders [the verse here as]: בְּדִיל לְאוֹסָפָא לֵיהּ חֶטְאֵי שָׁלוּתָא עַל זְדָנוּתָא , [meaning,] That I shall add for him the [punishment incurred for the] unintentional sins to [that of] the intentional sins. הָרָוָה [lit., “drunk.” Here, as explained, the word] refers to unintentional [sins], which [a man] commits as if in a drunken state, that is, unknowingly. הַצְּמֵאָה [lit., “thirsty.” Here, as explained, the word refers to intentional sins, that is] when [a man] commits [a sin] knowingly and out of lust.

 

19 The Lord’s fury... will fume [The image is as follows:] Through anger, the body [of a person] becomes heated up, and fumes are emitted from the nose. Similarly, [referring to God,] the verse says, “Smoke rose up in His nose” (II Sam. 22:9). Now, although this is inappropriate for the Omnipresent [since He has no physical form; nevertheless], Scripture describes [this concept] to the human ear in the manner to which it is accustomed and able to understand, according to the [natural] ways of the world. [Thus, the verse here is figuratively denoting God’s fuming anger.]

 

and His zeal Heb. וְקִנְאָתוֹ [This is] a term denoting [burning] fury, enprenemant [in Old French, zealous anger], firmly keeping hold of the trait of vengeance, without giving in whatsoever.

 

20 that is written in this book Heb. בְּסֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזֶּה , “written in this Torah scroll.” [Here, the word for “this” (הַזֶּה) is in the masculine form. However,] earlier, the verse says, “And also every sickness and plague... in this Torah scroll בְּסֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזּאֽת ” (Deut. 28:61), [where the word for “this” (הַזּאֽת) , appearing in the identical phrase, is in the feminine form. How do we explain the difference of gender for the same word, appearing in an identical phrase in Scripture? The answer is that there in Deut. 28:61,] the הַזּאֽת , which is in the feminine form, qualifies the word הַתּוֹרָה , “Torah” [which is in the feminine form]. And [here in our verse,] the word הַזֶּה , which is in the masculine form, qualifies the word סֵפֶר , “scroll” [which is in the masculine form. How do we know that each respective mention of the word “this” is qualifying the particular word described, and not otherwise? Because in these two verses,] the cantillation symbols punctuate the words [of the phrase “this Torah scroll”] in two different ways, [as follows]: In the passage [describing] the curses [i.e., in Deut. 28:61], the [cantillation symbol called] tipcha is placed under the word בְּסֵפֶר , [thus separating it from the next words הַתּוֹרָה הַזּאֽת ,] while [the words], הַזּאֽת הַתּוֹרָה are attached to each other [also by virtue of the cantillation symbols]. Hence, [the verse] employs the הַזּאֽת [for the word “this,” because it clearly is qualifying the word “Torah,” which is in the feminine form]. However, here [in our verse], the tipcha is placed under the word הַתּוֹרָה [Thus, together with its previous conjunctive symbol, the meircha placed under the word בְּסֵפֶר , it] joins these two words, בְּסֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה , into one attached [expression]. Accordingly, the word ["this"] qualifies the [first word in the expression, namely,] "scroll,"[the direct object in the expression" Torah scroll," and since the word “scroll”] is in the masculine form [thus, the qualifying word הָזֶה takes on the masculine form here].

 

25 which they had not known In which they had never recognized any divine power.

 

and which He had not apportioned to them Heb. וְלֹא חָלַק לָהֶם [Meaning, “God] had not allotted them” [these deities] to be their [Israel’s] portion. Onkelos, however, renders: “and which did not grant them any good.” [Here,] the expression וְלֹא חָלַק is [understood to mean]: “that deity which they would choose for themselves did not apportion to them any inheritance or any portion.”

 

27 And the Lord uprooted them Heb. וַיִּתְּשֵׁם ה' , as rendered by the Targum: וְטַלְטְלִינוּן , “and He drove them out.” Similarly, “Behold, I uproot them (נוֹתְשָׁם) from upon their land” (Jer. 12:14).

 

28 The hidden things belong to the Lord, our God Now, you might object [to God, saying]: "But what can we do? You punish the entire community because of the sinful thoughts of an individual, as Scripture says, ‘Perhaps there is among you a man...’ (verse 17 above), and after this, Scripture continues, ‘Seeing the plagues of that land [and the diseases with which the Lord struck it]’ (verse 21) [which seems to indicate that for the sinful thought of even one individual, the whole land would be struck down with plagues and diseases]. But surely no man can know the secret thoughts of his fellow [that we could somehow prevent this collective punishment!" In answer to this, God says:] “I will not punish you for the hidden things!” [I.e.,] because “[The hidden things] belong to the Lord, our God,” and He will exact punishment upon that particular individual [who sins in secret]. However, “the revealed things apply to us and to our children” [that is, we are responsible for detecting the sins committed openly in our community, and] to eradicate any evil among us. And if we do not execute judgment upon these [open transgressions, over which we do have control,], then the whole community will be punished [because they would be remiss in their responsibility]. There is a dot placed over [each letter of] the words לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ here, to teach us homiletically that even for open sins [which were not brought to judgment, God] did not punish the whole community—until Israel crossed the Jordan. For then, they accepted upon themselves the oath at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, and thereby [formally] became responsible for one another (Sanh. 43b). [When dots are placed over letters of the Torah, this denotes an exclusion of some sort. In our context, our Rabbis teach us that the exclusion refers to the period prior to the crossing of the Jordan.]

 

Chapter 30

 

3 The Lord, your God, will bring back your exiles Heb. וְשָׁב , lit., The Lord, your God, will (Himself) return (with) your exiles. [That is, the verb שָׁב is in the simple conjugation. Now, since we understand the verse to mean:" The Lord your God will bring back your exiles,"] Scripture should have written, וְהֵשִׁיב ה' אֶתשְׁבוּתְךָ [with the verb וְהֵשִׁיב being in the causative conjugation, meaning “to bring back”]. But [although the meaning of the verse is indeed, “The Lord, your God, will bring back your exiles,”] our Rabbis learned from [the simple conjugation of the verb] here [which alludes to God Himself returning], that the Shechinah resides among Israel, as it were, in all the misery of their exile, and when the Jews are redeemed [from their exile], God writes [in Scripture an expression of] redemption for Himself [to allude to the fact that He has also been redeemed, as it were,] so that He Himself returns along with Israel’s exiles (Meg. 29a). A further [lesson] may be learned [from the unusual form of the verb which expresses “to bring back the exiles”]: The day on which Israel’s exiles will be gathered is so monumental and [this ingathering] will be such a difficult [procedure, as it were], that it is as though God Himself must literally take each individual Jew with His very hands, [taking him] out of his place [in exile. We see] the same concept [brought up in Scripture,] when the verse says, “And you will be gathered up, one by one, O children of Israel” (Isa. 27:12). [That verse refers to the ingathering of Israel’s exiles from Babylon. However,] we find this [idea] also regarding the [ingathering of] exiles from the other nations, as the verse says, “And I shall bring back the exiles of Egypt (וְשַׁבְתִּי שְׁבוּת מִצְרַיִם) ” (Ezek. 29: 14).

 

 

11 is not concealed from you - לֹא־נִפְלֵאת . It is not concealed from you, just as it is said: "כִּי יִפָּלֵא" (Deut. 17:8), [which the Targum renders as:] אֲרִי יִתְכְּסֵי [lit., “(If the matter) is concealed”]; similarly, the verse, "וַתֵּרֶד פְּלָאִים" (Lam. 1:9), [which means,] “she went down into concealment,” [i.e.,] she was covered and considered [as if] hidden.

 

12 It is not in heaven for if it were in heaven, you would have to climb up after it [in order] to learn it. - [Eruvin 55a]

 

14 Rather, [this] thing is very close to you The Torah was given to you in writing and [accompanied by an] oral [explanation].

 

15 life and good Each one [life or death,] is dependent upon the other: If you do good, you will be granted life, while if you do evil, you will receive death. The verse now proceeds to explain how this is so [as follows]:

 

16 Inasmuch as I am commanding you this day to love [the Lord your God] This is “good” [referred to in the verse 15]; and upon this, is dependent:

 

so that you will live and increase This is “life” [referred to in the verse 15. After this, the verse continues]:

 

17 But if your heart deviates This is “evil” [referred to in verse 15. The verse continues]:

 

18 that you will perish This is “death” [referred to in verse 15].

 

19 This day, I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses For the heaven and earth exist for ever, and when the evil befalls you, they will be witnesses that I had warned you regarding all of this. Another explanation of “I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses, etc.”: The Holy One, Blessed is He, said to Israel, "Look at the heavens which I created to serve you. Have they ever changed their ways? Has the sphere of the sun ever failed to rise from the east to illuminate the entire world, as it is stated, ‘The sun rises, and the sun sets’ (Ecc. 1:5)? Look at the earth which I created to serve you. Has it ever changed its ways? Have you ever sown [in] it that it did not grow? Or have you ever sown wheat and it yielded barley? Now, they [heaven and earth] were created with neither reward nor loss in mind—for if they are meritorious [by fulfilling their purpose for which I created them], they nevertheless do not receive reward [for this]; and if they sin, they are not punished. And yet [even with this lack of incentive], they have never changed their ways! So you, who will receive reward if you are meritorious and who will be punished if you sin—how much more so [should you fulfill My will]!"- [Sifrei 32:1]

 

you shall choose life [God says: “Even though you have free choice, nevertheless,] I instruct you to choose the portion of life.” It is like a man who says to his son, “Choose for yourself a fine portion of my estate,” and then directs him to the best portion, saying to him, “This [is the portion which] you should choose for yourself!” And regarding this, the verse says, “The Lord is my allotted portion and my cup; You guide my destiny” (Ps. 16:5). [The last clause, אַתָּה תּוֹמִיךְ גּוֹרָלִי , literally means “You laid upon my lot.” That is to say:] "You laid my hand upon the good lot, saying, ‘Take this for yourself!’ "

 

Chapter 31

 

1-2 Moses went...I can no longer go or come One might think [this means] that Moses’ strength had ebbed [and that is why he could no longer go or come]. Scripture [however] states [regarding Moses], “His eye had not dimmed, nor had he lost his [natural] moisture” (Deut. 34:7) [which teaches us that his powers were intact even on the day of his passing]. So, what then is [the meaning of] "I can no longer"? [Here it means:] “I am not permitted,” because authority was taken from him and granted to Joshua.

 

and the Lord said to me This is the meaning of “I can no longer go or come,” because “the Lord said to me....”

 

Today I am [one-hundred and twenty years old] [That is to say,] today [is the exact day that] my days and my years have become complete; on this very day [the seventh of Adar] I was born, and on this day I will die.-[Sotah 13b] Another interpretation of “[I can no longer] go or come” is: [I can no longer figuratively go and come, i.e., I can no longer negotiate] in matters of Torah. This teaches us that the channels of transmission and the well-springs of wisdom were closed up from him [i.e., from Moses on that day]. - [Sotah 13b] That is the order of the early editions and should be preserved. Rashi means that, [According to the first interpretation, that God did not permit him to go and come before the people, we do not explain the beginning of the verse to mean that Moses’ days were completed, but that God had taken away the authority from Moses. According to the Talmud, which states that Moses’ days were completed, we explain that he could not go and come in matters of Torah, and according to that interpretation, we do not explain that “the Lord said to me,” as the meaning for “I can no longer go or come,” but another reason for Moses’ inability to cross the Jordan.]

 

He will neither fail you Heb. יַרְפְּךָ לֹא . [The word יַרְפְּךָ stems from the root רפה , meaning “weak.” Thus, the expression here means:] God will not give you [cause for] weakness [resulting] from your being forsaken by Him.

 

7 for you shall come with this people Heb. כִּי אַתָּה תָּבוֹא אֶת־הָעָם הַזֶּה [as the Targum renders:] “For you shall come with this people,” [hence, the אֶת here means “with.” Accordingly, Moses’ statement of leadership role to Joshua can be understood as follows]: Moses said to Joshua, “The elders of the generation will be with you, [for] everything should be done according to their opinion and counsel.” In contrast, however, the Holy One, Blessed is He, said to Joshua, “For you shall bring (תָּבִיא) the children of Israel to the land which I have sworn to them” (verse 23). [God’s statement of leadership role to Joshua here means:] "You shall bring them [even if it is] against their will! Everything depends [only] upon you; [if necessary,] you must take a rod and beat them over their heads! There can be [only] one leader for a generation, not two leaders for a generation."- [Sanh. 8a]

 

9 And Moses then wrote [this Torah] and gave it [to the kohanim] When it was entirely completed, he gave it to the members of his tribe [i.e., Levi. The verse here is referring to the entire Torah as we know it. Compare Rashi on verse 11].

 

10 At the end of [every] seven years [When the verse says “end,” it refers to] the first year of the [recurring, seven-year] Shemittah [cycle, which is, effectively, the “end” of the previous cycle]. This is the eighth year [of the cycle] (Sotah 41a). [Now, only the seventh year of each cycle is actually called the Shemittah year, so] why is [this eighth year] referred to [here in the verse] as " Shemittah "? Because the [laws of the] seventh year still apply to it, in that the harvest [of the produce] at the end of the seventh year extends into the year following the seventh. Therefore, all the laws pertaining to the seventh year apply to this produce, even though the eighth year has already begun. - [R.H. 12b]

 

11 you shall read this Torah The king [of Israel] would read from the beginning of “These are the words...” (Deut. 1:1), as we find in tractate Sotah (41a). [Thus, in contrast to verse 9, the expression, “this Torah” refers to just the book of Deuteronomy. See Rashi on verse 9. When reading the book of Deuteronomy to the people at that appointed time, the king would sit] upon a wooden platform that was erected in the courtyard [of the Temple].

 

12 The men [were to be there, in order] to learn [the words of the Torah being read];

 

the women [were to be present, in order] to listen [to those words];

 

the children Why did they come? So that a reward would be given to those who bring them along. - [Chag. 3a]

 

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 140:1-144:15

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Tehillim (Psalms) ‎‎140:1-144:15

 

Chapter 140

 

3 every day they gather to wage war There will be wars in their dwellings and in their settlements.

 

4 the venom of a spider Heb. חמתעכשוב . חמת is an expression of venom, as (Deut. 32:33): “the venom of (חמת) dragons is their wine,” for if you interpret it as an expression of wrath, does an expression of wrath fit with wine? Rather, it is an expression of venom, venimos in Old French. Similarly, here the term venom relates to “under the lips.”

 

a spider Heb. עכשוב , a spider, araignee in French.

 

6 and [with] ropes they spread a net It is customary to tie a long rope to the end of a net, and when the hunter sees the birds resting under the net, he draws the rope, and the net falls on the birds. beside [my] path Beside my paths and my steps.

 

beside Heb. ליד , like (II Sam. 14:30): “See, Joab’s field is near mine (ידי) .”

 

9 the desires of the wicked The wicked Esau.

 

for they are constantly haughty Heb. ירומו סלה , because they are arrogant always. Our Rabbis, however (Gen. Rabbah 75:9) explained זממוֹ as an expression of a bit that muzzles the camel, and it is a mishnaic expression.

 

do not take out Heb. אל תפק , Do not take it out of his jaws.

 

10 The numbers of those who surround me Armies of the number of the troops of Esau who plan to surround me, may the lies of their lips cover them. (I found.)

 

11 descend May the coals descend on them. Let them lie upon them until they sink and become extinguished by themselves. The body will thus disintegrate and disappear.

 

He will cast them into fire He Who casts and avenges [will cast them] into the fire of Gehinnom.

 

in wars He will cast them so that they will no longer rise.

 

in wars Heb. במהמרות , in wars and strife, an expression of (Deut. 9:4): “You have been rebellious (ממרים) .”

 

12 A slanderer Esau, who would trap with his mouth.

 

will trap him The evil that he does will trap him.

 

13 I know that ultimately the Lord will perform the judgment of a poor man, and He will avenge the vengeance of His servants.

 

14 But May he hasten and do it so that the righteous will thank His name.

 

Chapter 141

 

2 the lifting of my hands What I lift up my hands to You.

 

3 O Lord, place a guard for my mouth when I pray before You, that I should speak poetically, that it should be acceptable.

 

the portal of my lips That is the upper lip (like portals of my lips).

 

4 Do not incline my heart May my heart not be inclined toward evil.

 

and may I not partake of their feasts And I shall not sit at their feasts.

 

5 May a righteous man strike me with kindness and reprove me It is better that a true and righteous prophet reprove me and chastise me, for all his blows and his reproof are kindness.

 

may the oil of the anointment of my head not turn my head away The royal oil that was poured onto my head, as it is said (above 23:5): “You anointed my head with oil,” should not turn my head away from the reproof of the righteous man, to go and eat bread with the workers of iniquity. for as long as For as long as my prayer is in my mouth, it is about the evils of the workers of iniquity, that I should not stumble on them.

 

6 Their judges were led astray by [their hearts of] stone For the judges and leaders of these [people] have been led astray from the good way by the evil inclination and the heart of stone, and it is as hard as a rock.

 

although they heard my words [my] pleasant [words], which I speak of the commandments, and they do not repent of their evil way. Our Rabbis in the Baraitha of Sifrei (Deut. 3:23) interpreted it concerning Moses and Aaron, but I cannot reconcile the end of the verse with its beginning. I can perhaps reconcile it and say that in stubbornness, these people equal the stubbornness of those through whom Moses and Aaron died through the rock, for these too heard the pleasant words but do not repent.

 

7 As one who chops wood.

 

and splits on the ground So were our bones scattered to reach the entrance of death because of the evils of the transgressors.

 

Chops Heb. פלח , an expression of splitting, as (Job 16:13): “He splits my kidneys.”

 

8 For to You, etc., are my eyes This goes back to the above verses (3f.): Place a guard for my mouth...Do not incline...for to You...are my eyes, etc.

 

do not cast out my soul Heb. אל תער . Do not cast me from before You, like (Gen. 24:20): “and emptied (ותער) her pitcher into the watering trough.”

 

10 May the wicked fall...into his nets May the wicked man himself fall into his nets that he spreads at my feet.

 

Chapter 142

 

1 in the cave where he severed the skirt of Saul’s robe.

 

4 and You know my path how many snares are in it.

 

5 no one recognizes me Among all of Saul’s servants, there is no one who protests against him.

 

8 because of me the righteous will crown You Because of me, the righteous will crown You and give thanks to Your name, for You support those who fear You.

 

Ch 143

 

1 with Your faith to realize the promise that You promised me.

 

3 For an enemy pursued my soul That is to say: If I have sinned before You, behold, I have suffered. This psalm was recited as referring to all of Israel in Babylon.

 

4 is appalled Heb. ישתומם, an expression of daze and astonishment, like (Ezek. 3:15): “and I remained there overwhelmed (משמים) among them seven days.” Also (II Sam. 13:20): “and Tamar sat, overwhelmed (ושוממה) .”

 

5 I remember the days of yore when You performed for us many wondrous miracles.

 

6 like a weary land in exile.

 

7 my spirit pines If one longs and does not attain, it is called the pining of the eyes and the pining of the spirit.

 

8 in the morning When the redemption sprouts. (I found.)

 

let me know the way in which I am to go; I lift up my soul that You accept my request.

 

9 to You I have hidden My tribulations I conceal from all men to tell them to You.

 

Chapter 144

 

2 Who flattens peoples beneath me Who flattens and spreads out my people to rest in its place, as (Job 12:23): He spreads out (שוטח) the nations.” He makes them great. רוֹדֵד is the Aramaic translation of רוֹקַע, as the Targum renders (Exod. 39:3): וַיְרַקְעוּ , and they spread out; וְרַדִּידוּ . Others interpret הרודד , Who weakens peoples under me. But in an accurate revised version, [the reading is]: עמי , upon which the Masorah states: In three cases, the meaning is עמים , peoples, but the reading is עמי , and on תחתי , it says: the reading is תחתיו , under Him.

 

3 what is man What are Persia [Esau, acc. to mss.] and Ishmael before You that You know them to lavish greatness upon them?

 

4 his days are as a fleeting shadow Solomon said (Ecc. 6:12): “that he do them like a shadow,” but he did not explain whether [this refers to] the shadow of a palm or the shadow of a wall, which are permanent. His father already explained, “as a fleeting shadow,” the shadow of a flying bird.

 

7 deliver me פצני , take me out. That is an expression of saving, and so is (verse 10): “Who delivers (הפוצה) David His servant.” (I found.)

 

8 Whose mouth speaks vanity, etc. Scripture connects vanity with the mouth and falsehood with the right hand. When they come to tell with their mouth, they invent exaggerations of vanity, even to misrepresent what is known. If they come to stretch forth their right hand to swear, they refrain from vanity, lest they be caught as thieves, but they do swear falsely, for so is their lot.

 

10 Who gives salvation to kings This speaks about the Rock of the Divisions, when David was close to being seized by Saul (I Sam. 23:27): “A messenger came to Saul, saying, ‘Make haste and go, etc.’” He saved Saul from shedding innocent blood, and David from being killed.

 

11 Deliver me and rescue me As You delivered me then, so shall You deliver me now.

 

12 For our sons are, etc. That is to say that now too this generation is righteous.

 

our sons are like saplings which have no blemish, so pure are they from sin. (I found.)

 

grown up in their youth with this good name, that they are like saplings in their youth, growing all their lives; and this praise cannot be substantiated except in the generation of Hezekiah.

 

our daughters are of tall, beautiful stature like the cornerstones of a stone house, in which the cornerstones are placed exactly one opposite the other, and it ascends upward until the corners are even.

 

praised as the form of the Temple Praised by those who see them and compare them to the form of the height of the Temple. Our Rabbis, however, explained:

 

Our daughters are like corners Full of desire as the corners of the altar are full of blood, but they are intimate only with their husbands.

 

13 Our corners are full The corners of our storehouses are full of goodness.

 

supplying from harvest-to-harvest Supplying food from year to year.

 

from harvest to harvest Heb. מזן אל זן , from the time of the ingathering of this year’s food until the time of the ingathering of next year’s food. זַן is gouvernayl in Old French, food, provisions.

 

produce thousands, yea, ten thousands They produce offspring of thousands and ten thousands.

 

14 Our princes are borne The great princes among us are borne by those smaller than they, for the small ones obey the greater ones, the result being that there is no breach among us.

 

nor rumor going out No bad news goes far away.

 

nor is there a cry There is no sound of the confusion of war.

 

15 Praiseworthy is the people that has this That has all this good.

 

Meditation on Tehillim (Psalms)

Psalms 140:1-144:15

By Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

 

Psalms chapter 140 reflects David’s dark and lonely feelings in the bitter period of his life when he was a fugitive from King Saul and other malicious enemies.[1] Had David merely been a commoner the situation would have been difficult enough, but he had already been anointed for monarchy by the prophet Samuel. Thus, David knew that he was HaShem’s chosen leader and that his pursuer, King Saul, had been rejected. David knew that all who opposed him were in effect opposed to HaShem Who chose him. How difficult this period was for David! He was so close to leading the people of HaShem, yet the Jewish people refused to recognize him.

 

Sforno comments that this difficult period in David’s life will be repeated on a larger scale at the advent of David’s scion, the Messiah.[2] The Messiah, a descendant of the House of David, will be Divinely chosen, and the scattered Jews will gather around his banner. Yet the enemies of Israel will ignore him and defy HaShem’s will. They will attack Israel in the awesome War of Gog and Magog in which they will meet their final defeat. At that time, the prophetic words of the Psalmist will be fulfilled: For I know that HaShem will act on the poor man’s claim, the judgment of the destitute. None but the righteous will thank Your Name, the upright will dwell in Your Presence.[3]

 

In this psalm, David asks that HaShem hear the sound of his petition, using the phrase ‘give ear’.[4] This is in contrast to our Torah portion where we are commanded to hear the word of HaShem. In this psalm, we hear David’s prayer that evil will come upon those who speak Lashon HaRa. In the next psalm, we will see that the ketoret is the atonement for those who speak Lashon HaRa that they may sit before HaShem in the land of the living.

 

This psalm concludes with the first glimmer of the ultimate good that the righteous will see, as explained by the Targum:

 

Tehillim (Psalm) 140:13 Then it is manifest before Me; for HaShem will work justice for the poor, justice for the needy. 14. Truly the righteous/generous will give thanks to Your name; the upright will sit to pray before You.

 

David composed Psalms chapter 141 as he fled from King Saul. David realized that לשון הרע, evil speech, had aroused Saul’s terrible jealousy and provoked him to violence. Here David pleads for Divine protection by virtue of his personal effort to guard his own lips from evil and slander.[5]

 

This psalm describes David’s experiences when, during his flight,^[6] Saul fell into his grip and he prayed that he should not be confronted by an urge to kill him.^[7]

 

Thus, David’s prayers resemble ketoret - קטרת, incense,[8] for the Talmud[9] teaches that the offering of incense is an atonement for slander. Incense is offered in relative privacy, on the golden altar which is accessible only to the priests, therefore it atones for slander whispered in secrecy.[10]

 

Exodus 30:34-36, 7-8 HaShem said to Moses: Take yourself spices — balsam, onycha, and galbanum — spices and pure frankincense; they are all to be of equal weight. You are to make it into Ketoret (incense), a spice-compound, the handiwork of an expert spice-compounder, thoroughly mixed, pure and holy. You are to grind some of it finely and place some of it before the Testimony in the Tent of Appointment, where I shall designate a time to meet you; it shall be a holy of holies for you.

 

The ketoret consisted of eleven spices. Ten of the spices were sweet smelling and very pleasant. The eleventh spice, the galbanum, was very foul smelling. Since the ketoret represented the prayers of Israel, the galbanum reminds us that Israel is not complete unless we include the sinner into our minyan. The ketoret teaches us how our community is to function. We are not to be looking to exclude the sinner, but rather to be inclusive in order to present the sweet savor that HaShem desires from our minyan. Our goal is to seek the lost and bring them into our midst in order that our prayers should be acceptable to HaShem.

 

The ketoret, as we explained earlier, is the atonement for Lashon HaRa. In this psalm, King David is seeking HaShem’s help in restraining his lips from Lashon HaRa, even as he strives to guard his own lips. He begs HaShem to hear his prayer as though it were ketoret.

 

Slander is a form of self-righteous arrogance, for the slanderer deems himself worthier than his victim. Incense, which is made of crushed spices and fragrances, is a symbol of self-effacement and humility.[11] Furthermore, the incense offering was composed of eleven ingredients, one of them of foul odor. The inclusion of a foul-smelling spice alludes to the idea that all Jews must unite together in prayer, righteous and sinner alike.[12] We should not allow haughtiness to erect barriers that divide us.

 

The root of Ketoret, קטרת, is קטר, the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew קשר, binding, knot. When Jews cease to be divided by slander, they will be bound together by a knot of love, which will link them with HaShem. The wicked that refuse to join this bond will fall into their own nets, and the righteous will pass through safely.[13]

 

Psalms chapter 142

This psalm tells us that it was written by King David. At the conclusion of Psalms chapter 141, David prayed, Protect me from the snare they laid for me and from the traps of those who practice iniquity.[14] None of David’s enemies had come as close to trapping him as did King Saul, who pursued David to his remote mountain hideaway. Surrounded on all sides, David and his tiny band retreated to their last hideout, deep in a dark cave.[15] At that terrible moment of despair, David saw himself on the brink of death. He composed this prayer to HaShem, pleading for a last-minute reprieve.[16]

 

Ibn Yachya comments that David’s hazardous situation was a precursor of the desperate plight which the Jews will face during their exile among the nations. There, too, the tiny nation will be surrounded by hostile enemies and the Jews will eventually come to realize that their only path of escape is prayer to HaShem and that they will gain their freedom only by rededicating themselves to HaShem. As the Psalmist concludes, Release my soul from confinement to thank Your Name.[17]

 

Again, in this psalm, David asks that HaShem hear his prayer for deliverance, using the phrase, ‘give ear’.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 140:7 I have said unto HaShem: ‘Thou art my God’; give ear (הַאֲזִינָה), HaShem, unto the voice of my supplications.

 

Let’s take some time to examine ‘hearing’ and its relationship with the ear.

 

Ears hear things inside of oneself. The way we hear is one sound at a time. By the time we hear the second sound, the first sound is just a memory. And so it goes with each subsequent sound. We then combine the sounds to make syllables inside our head. Our brain then assembles the syllables into words and the words into sentences, the sentences are assembled into paragraphs and the paragraphs are assembled into the final picture. By the time we have assembled the whole picture, there is no more sound. All of the sounds are just a memory. Since sounds must be assembled by the hearer, hearing is very much a subjective art. Hearing depends on the person and his background. No two persons build the same picture from the words of a speaker. We hear in the darkness. Sound characterizes this world, the world of movement.

 

In this world we struggle to develop the art of hearing. Those who wrestle with the Gemara are trying to reconstruct the fractured pieces of this world. For this reason, the Gemara often says, “Come and hear”. The Gemara wants us to take the broken pieces and reconstruct them in the same way that we reconstruct another person’s speech.

 

This world is all hearing. We do not see things as they are, we merely “hear” small pieces. If we pay attention and work diligently to make sense out of the “sounds”, then we can assemble a fractured picture.

 

The Olam HaBa, the next world, is a world of seeing. We will see things as they are. Everything will be apparent all at once. We will not have to struggle to reassemble the pieces.

 

Now we can understand what the Torah meant when it said:

 

Shemot (Exodus) 19:19-20 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And HaShem came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and HaShem called Moses [up] to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

 

When HaShem came down to Mt. Sinai, it means that shamayim, there, intersected, here, with this world. The world of sight intersected with the world of hearing. When this happened, we read of something very unusual:

 

Shemot (Exodus) 20:18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw [it], they removed, and stood afar off.

 

Now we can understand why the Torah says that we saw the thunder. We perceived the Olam HaBa. We were endowed with the modality of the next world. We no longer heard, we saw. We were a part of the Olam HaBa.

 

No wonder we had no movement. We had entered another dimension where we perceived that we had arrived at a place where there were no more needs. We lacked nothing, therefore there was no movement. Eretz (earth) became shamayim (heaven). Here became there!  We had arrived at the place we had been moving towards, when we arrived where we were supposed to be, we no longer moved, we had arrived!

 

It should be obvious now why the Sages said that HaShem had suspended Mt. Sinai over our heads and told us to accept Torah or be buried:

 

Shemot (Exodus) 19:17 “They stood on the bottom of [lit. under] the mountain.”

 

Shabbath 88a  And they stood under the mount: R. Abdimi b. Hama b. Hasa said: This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, overturned the mountain upon them like an [inverted] cask, and said to them, ‘If ye accept the Torah, ‘tis well; if not, there shall be your burial.’ R. Aha b. Jacob observed: This furnishes a strong protest against the Torah. Said Raba, Yet even so, they re-accepted it in the days of Ahasuerus, for it is written, [the Jews] confirmed, and took upon them [etc.]: [i.e.,] they confirmed what they had accepted long before.

 

This midrash means we had no free choice. We were seeing, and seeing is believing! This is the coercion implied by suspending the mountain over our heads.

 

When shamayim intersected eretz for a brief time, the nature of things changed. That brief moment was a fore-taste of the Olam HaBa. The Sages discussed this in:

 

Sukkah 5a and it has been taught, R. Jose stated, Neither did the Shechinah ever descend to earth, nor did Moses or Elijah ever ascend to Heaven, as it is written, ‘The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth hath He given to the sons of men’. But did not the Shechinah descend to earth? Is it not in fact written, And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai? — That was above ten handbreadths [from the summit]. But is it not written, And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives? — That will be above ten handbreadths. But did not Moses and Elijah ascend to Heaven? Is it not in fact written, And Moses went up unto God.? — [That was] to a level lower than ten [handbreadths from heaven]. But is it not written, And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.? -[That was] to a level lower than ten handbreadths. But is it not written, He seizeth hold of the face of His throne, and He spreadeth His cloud upon him, and R. Tanhum said: This teaches that the Almighty spread some of the radiance of his Shechinah and his cloud upon him? — That was at a level lower than ten handbreadths. But in any case is it not written, ‘He seizeth hold of the face of His throne’? — The throne was well lowered for his sake until [it reached a level] lower than ten handbreadths [from Heaven] and then hell seized hold of it.

 

The “ear, אוזן - ozen”, is an organ with two intrinsic functions:  Hearing and “balance, איזן – izun”. Since Hebrew is a Holy Language, every word is self descriptive. The word “ear-אוזן” is of the same root as “balance-איזן”. Now, Chazal teach us that if we have a single organ with multiple functions, then the all of its functions must, at its root, be a single function. The linguistic parallels merely reinforce this idea. What do you suppose is the connection between balance and hearing? Balance is taking two legs and bonding them into oneness, just as hearing bonds multiple words into one thought or idea. Balance is an absolutely stupendous feat that robots have had great difficulty achieving.

 

As an aside, in law, a hearing is a proceeding before a court which uses a set of balances as its symbol. The Hebrew word Moznayim represents “the scales”. Moznayim (מאזנים), from the word oznayim (ears), implies equilibrium and balance (the inner and outer sense of the ears).

 

Rav Yitzchak Hutner’s[18] begins, his explanation of the putting an awl through the servant’s ear, by quoting the Rabbenu Yonah who says that the ear is unique among the senses/organs because it is the only one that receives but does not emit. Seeing/the eyes receive visual stimuli but also “look”, convey emotion. The nose/smelling accepts scents and also acts, through blowing the nose, breathing, ...; so too for touch/hands, and taste/tongue. The ear is the quintessential receiver. Similarly, the servant’s identity is completely subsumed by hearing instructions from his master. This understanding is supported by a halachah in the laws of evaluating worth. In ancient times, when damage was done to an organ of the body, financial compensation was required. How was damage assessed? The beit din would take the person to the slave market and determine how much he would be worth without that limb. The incredible idea is that for damage to the ear, the perpetrator must pay the full worth of the individual! The ear is worth more than any other sense organ. This notion is incredible for it contradicts the Talmudic reference which suggests that blindness is the worst curse a person could bear. The ear is essential for a servant for it represents his entire personality. The servant must listen to his master at all times. That is why the servant is exempt from positive time bound commandments.

 

What does shema - שמע – ‘hear’ mean? The word Shema means to hear, but it can also mean to gather.[19] Our Sages teach us that shema literally means the gathering of many and making them into one (inside of us).[20] The appropriateness of this definition is brought into sharp distinction when we see that the goal of the shema is that HaShem should be one and His name One. A more mystical way of putting it is to gather the scattered dimensions of our soul and unify them with HaShem such that we ‘know’ that HaShem is one and there is nothing else besides him.[21]

 

When we “hear”, we are really assembling syllables of sound coming from the speaker, into words. In turn, we assemble the words into sentences and paragraphs, and finally we assemble the paragraphs into a ‘picture’ of the idea of the speaker. The result of this long process, of hearing, is that we have hopefully formed a ‘picture’, in our own mind, of the speaker’s ‘picture’ in his own mind. Since the Tower of Bavel,[22] the ‘picture’ heard never matches the speaker’s picture. The goal, of course, is to have the ‘pictures’ match. This is not an easy task. The ultimate goal is to make one ‘picture’ and to share that one picture between the speaker and the ones hearing the speaker.

 

The reason that The Shema begins with this word is to remind us that our ultimate goal in ‘oneness’. Our Torah portion and our psalms are focused on having Israel assemble the pieces into a cohesive understanding, and then use that understanding as ‘marching orders’ to go and DO the work of HaShem in the world. Whether we are diligently assembling to the blessings and curses of our Torah portion into an action plan, or assembling the troubles of King David into a model for our own lives, both portions are calling for us to make a cohesive picture that describes the will of HaShem for our lives.

 

The human body is a mashal, an analogy, about HaShem’s oneness. This mashal is based on our observation of the world. Our observation is that this world is composed of differentiated parts. We observe this same differentiation when we observe other human beings. They seem to be composed of parts: Head, hands, legs, etc. This is analogous to this world which seems to be composed of parts. Further, HaShem seems to be composed of parts. Yet, we know that HaShem is ONE. That is our declaration in the Shema: HaShem is one! To understand this paradox, HaShem gives us a mashal in our own bodies that will help us understand this paradox.

 

When others observe us, they see parts. When we observe ourselves externally, we see parts. However, when we grasp ourselves internally, we see only the totality. We do not grasp ourselves, internally, as a collection of parts. We see only… ourselves! When we use our intellect, or our creativity, we do not have the sensation of moving to another part. We have only the sensation of ourselves as a unity. Our awareness of ourselves is always in totality. We grasp ourselves as a unity, not a collection of parts.

 

From this mashal we learn how to view HaShem as one. Since the whole world is nothing more than a manifestation of HaShem, we learn that despite the appearance of parts, this world is one as HaShem is one. Thus, we can begin to understand a bit about the unity of HaShem by observing how we are unified to ourselves.

 

Malchut - Kingship

 

One of the important functions of the Shema is to make HaShem our King. The Rambam taught this concept:

 

“The Second Mitzva is the commandment in which we are commanded regarding knowledge of the Oneness [of G-d], namely, that we should know that the Creator of Existence and its Primary Cause is One, as He stated, “Understand, O Israel, HaShem is our G-d, HaShem is One”.[23] In many midrashim you will find the Sages saying, “Al menas le’yached es Shemi” (“for the purpose of unifying My Name”) and “Al menas le’yachdeini” (literally, “for the purpose of unifying Me” - obviously, we cannot take this literally), and the like. Their intent in this statement is that the only reason He took us out of slavery and acted kindly and benevolently with us was in order that we should be a state of knowledge of [His] Oneness, for we are obligated in this. In many places this mitzva is referred to as “the mitzva of Oneness.” This mitzva is also called “Malchut”, as the Sages say, “To accept upon oneself the yoke of the Malchut Shamayim”, which means recognition and knowledge of [His] Oneness”.

 

Thus, we see that according to Chazal, the idea of “Malchut HaShem” (Kingship of HaShem) is the same as the idea of “Yichud HaShem”, the seclusion of HaShem.  With this idea, the Adon Olam prayer makes sense. To say that HaShem was Melech (King) before any form was created is to say that He was One before He created the universe. Likewise, to say that HaShem will be Melech (King) after everything ceases to exist is to say that His Oneness will not be affected in any way when the universe ends. Lastly, we can understand the tenth pasuk of Malchiyot (Kingship). Even though the Shema doesn’t mention any form of the word “Melech” (King) it is nevertheless the perfect expression of Malchut HaShem (Kingship of HaShem), for it explicitly states that HaShem is One.

 

There is one more question we must answer: How is Malchut (Kingship) a metaphor for oneness? The Rambam may have supported his statement from the words of Chazal, but what were Chazal thinking when they decided to refer to the idea of Yichud HaShem (the seclusion of HaShem) by the analogy of Malchut?

 

Before we answer this question, let us briefly review the idea of HaShem’s Existence and HaShem’s Oneness. The Rambam writes: 

 

“The First Fundamental Principle is the Existence of the Creator, praised is He. Namely, that there Exists an Existence which is perfect in all manners of existence, and this Existence is the cause of the existence of all other existences, and through Him their existence is established, and their existence stems from Him. And if one could entertain the thought of the removal of His Existence, the existence of every other existence would be nullified and they would not remain in existence. And if one could entertain the thought of the removal of all existence besides Him, then His Existence, may He be exalted, would not be nullified, and would not lack, for He, may He be exalted, does not need the existence of any other . . . all of them are dependent on His Existence. And this first fundamental principle is that which is indicated by the statement, “I am HaShem your G-d”.

 

HaShem refers to Himself as “Eheyeh Asher Eheyeh”, the Existing Being Who Is the Existing Being, or the Inherently Existent Being. In other words, our existence is a contingent and accidental existence; at one point in time, we did not exist, and sooner or later, we shall cease to exist; we do not have to exist, but rather, we exist because HaShem wills it. HaShem’s existence, on the other hand, is independent and essential; He always existed, exists now, and will always exist; unlike us, HaShem must exist. To suggest that HaShem could cease to exist is as absurd as the notion that water could cease to be wet. It is the nature of water to be wet, and it is the nature of HaShem to Exist, as it were.

 

“The Second Fundamental Principle is His Oneness, may He be exalted. Namely, that this Cause of everything is One, not like the oneness of a species and not like the oneness of a class, and not like one unified composite, which can be divided into many unities, and not one like a simple body, which is one in number but is subject to division and subdivision ad infinitum, but He, may He be exalted, is One, a Oneness unlike any other oneness in any way.”

 

HaShem is One, and Only One. If our conception of HaShem’s oneness contains any plurality whatsoever, then it must be incorrect. If our conception of HaShem’s oneness is comparable in any way whatsoever to the oneness of anything else, it must be incorrect. HaShem’s oneness is absolute, unshared by and incomparable to any other oneness. Oneness means that there is nothing else except HaShem (ein od milvado)!

 

Thus, Malchut HaShem is not a metaphor for HaShem’s rulership over His creations. Rather, it is a metaphor for His Absolute Uniqueness, Oneness which is unlike any other. He is one and there is nothing besides HaShem. To say that HaShem is Melech (King) is to say that HaShem’s existence and oneness are completely superior and utterly different than the existence and oneness of any of His subjects.

 

Rebbi formulated the idea in an eloquent, easy-to-remember expression: Malchut does not refer to HaShem’s KingSHIP, but HaShem’s KingNESS. It is not a metaphor for His rulership over His creations, for HaShem was King before the universe existed. Rather, Malchut is a metaphor for His uniqueness, distinctness, and utter superiority of existence to all other beings.

 

Mashiach

 

In the shema, HaShem commands us to love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. If you will search the Tanach,[24] diligently, you will find only one individual who ever loved HaShem with all his might. This amazing individual could have been Mashiach except the people were not yet ready. King Yoshiyahu (Josiah) was the last righteous king before the captivity in Babylon. Note what the Tanach says about this great man:

 

II Melachim (Kings) 23:24-25 Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of HaShem. 25 And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to HaShem with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.

 

When we begin looking for the Mashiach, what should we be looking for? How will we recognize this individual? I believe that we should study the life of King Yoshiyahu to find the traits of the Mashiach.

 

Now that we understand hearing and how the ear processes both words and balance, we can begin to understand what David is asking when he beseeches HaShem to hear his prayer for deliverance, using the phrase, ‘give ear’.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 140:7 I have said unto HaShem: ‘Thou art my God’; give ear (הַאֲזִינָה), HaShem, unto the voice of my supplications.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 141:1 A Psalm of David. HaShem, I have called Thee; make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I call unto Thee.

 

In Psalms chapter 140, David has multiple ‘supplications’ which HaShem is to assemble into a single, balanced response, which is to bring retribution to the wicked.

 

In Psalms chapter 141, David is asking that HaShem hear his ‘voice’, not his words. Voice cannot deceive. A voice contains the raw message of the heart. And yet again, David wants HaShem to assemble the sounds of his voice and restore balance to the world.

 

Ashlamatah: Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:1-8 + 12-13

 

JPS	Targum
1. ¶ And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and he called the elders of Israel, and their heads, and their judges, and their officers; and they presented themselves before God.	1. ¶ And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and he called to the elders of Israel and to its heads and to its judges and to its leaders, and they presented themselves before the LORD.
2. And Joshua said to the whole nation, "Thus said the Lord God of Israel, 'Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the river from earliest time, Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor; and they served other gods.	2. And Joshua said to all the people: "Thus said the LORD the God of Israel: 'Your fathers dwelt across the Euphrates from of old - Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor; and they worshipped the idols of the Gentiles.'
3. And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the river, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.	3. And I took your father Abraham from across the Jordan. and I led him into all the land of Canaan, and I multiplied his sons, and I gave to him Isaac.
4. And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau; and I gave to Esau Mount Seir to inherit it; and Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.	4. And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau, and I gave to Esau Mount Seir to inherit it, and Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
5. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued the Egyptians, according to that which I did in their midst; and afterward I brought you out.	5. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck down the Egyptians as I did in their midst, and afterward I brought you out.
6. And I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.	6. And I brought out your fathers from Egypt, and you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and with horsemen to the Red Sea.
7. And they cried to the Lord, and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon him, and it covered him. And your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt. And you sojourned in the wilderness many days.	7. And they cried out before the LORD, and He put darkness between you and between the Egyptians, and He made the sea come over them and covered them. And your eyes saw what I did among the Egyptians, and you dwelt in the wilderness for many days.
8. And I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they waged war with you; and I delivered them into your hand, and you inherited their land; and I destroyed them from before you.	8. And I brought you into the land of the Amorite who dwells across the Jordan, and they waged battle with you, and I gave them in your hand, and you took possession of their land and finished them off from before you.
9. Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and he sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.	9. And Balak the son of Zippor the king of Moab arose and waged battle against Israel. And he sent and called to Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.
10. And I did not want to hearken to Balaam, and he blessed you; so, I delivered you out of his hand.	10. And I was not willing to listen to Balaam, and he blessed you with a blessing, and I saved you from his hand.
11. And you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the inhabitants of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.	11. And you crossed the Jordan, and you came to Jericho, and they waged battle against you - the inhabitants of Jericho, the Amor­ites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Girgashites, the Hivvites and the Jebusites; and I gave them in your hand.
12. And I sent the hornet before you, and it drove them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; not with your sword, nor with your bow.	12. And I sent before you the hornet, and I drove them out from before you - the two kings of the Amorites, not by your sword and not by your bow.
13. And I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you have settled in them; of the vineyards and olive yards which you did not plant, you eat.	13. And I gave to you the land in which you did not toil; and the cities which you did not build, you dwell in them; and the vineyards and the olive groves that you did not plant, you are eating.
14. And now fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; and remove the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.	14. And now fear from before the LORD, and worship before Him in integrity and in truth. And put away the idols that your fathers worshipped across the Euphrates and in Egypt, and worship before the LORD,
15. And if it displeases you to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell, but as for me and my household, we shall serve the Lord." {P}	15. And if it is evil in your eyes to worship before the LORD, choose for yourselves this day before whom you will worship - if it be the idols which your fathers who were across the Euphrates worshipped, or the idols of the Amorites in whose land you are dwelling. But I and the men of my house we will worship before the LORD." {P}

Rashi’s Commentary on Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:1-8 + 12-13

 

3 and multiplied his seed Heb. וְאַרְבֶּה . defective הא (וְאַרְבּ) [from the root ריב to quarrel] How many quarrels and tests did I cause him to endure before I gave him seed.

 

7 and brought the sea upon him i.e., upon each individual among them, for if one escaped entering into the sea, a wave of the sea would pursue him and overtake him.

 

Commentary on the Ashlamatah of (Yehoshua) Joshua 24:1-8, 12 -13

By: H.Ex. Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

 

Joshua summoned all the tribes together and gave his farewell message to the Israelites, similar to what Moses did, and this concludes Joshua’s leadership, with his final address to the Israelites. He reviews the salvation God has provided and the goodness He has bestowed upon his people. Joshua gives instructions as to how the people should act in the future and warns them to follow the Torah. Their future would be decided by whether they would remain loyal to HaShem’s service or follow the worship of the deities of the peoples whom they had dispossessed.[25] The book of Joshua, the first book of Prophets, deals primarily with the process of Israel’s inheritance of the land of Canaan, from the crossing of the Jordan until the completion of Israel’s conquest of the land and its division among the tribes. Despite the myriad details enumerated, some relating to the actions of the people and some listing names and locations, there is a single theme running through our reading and our parsha in the torah, both texts mark a transitional moment where Israel is asked to recommit to the covenant, or shall we say a new covenant, or renewing of the covenant. Joshua cut a covenant with the people on that day, and he sent the children of Israel away‎, and they each went to their inheritance and to their cities.[26]‎‏ ‏

 

And it came to pass in those days, ‎when the children of Israel dwelt securely in their cities, that they buried the coffins of the ‎fathers of their tribes, which they had brought up with them from Egypt; every one of the ‎twelve sons of Jacob was buried by the children of Israel in the inheritance of his children. The bones of Joseph were buried in Shechem, in the ‎portion of the field which Jacob had bought from Hamor, and which became the inheritance of ‎the children of Joseph. And Benjamin, they buried in Jerusalem, opposite the Jebusite, which ‎was given unto the children of Benjamin; thus, the children of Israel buried their ancestors, ‎everyone in the city of their children. And at the end of two years, Joshua died one hundred and ‎ten years of age, and he judged the children of Israel for twenty-eight years, and Israel served ‎the Lord through all the days of Joshua's life. [27]

 

Joshua gathered the nation together for an assembly two different times. The first was to admonish the people to finish the conquest of the land and not mix with the Canaanites. The second time was to make a new covenant with them, or better, to renew the covenant with them and to reaffirm their loyalty to God and their dedication to the Torah, and to purify themselves of all idolatry.^[28]  Joshua first addresses the leaders of the people and reminds them of God’s kindness. He warns them not to depart from His ways and to maintain the uniqueness of their religious system by not assimilating with the surrounding nations. The first gathering was at Shiloh.[29] This second was at Shechem, where the Israelites had gathered when they first entered the land to declare the blessings and the curses at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. This area of Shechem is also the place where Jacob commanded his family to rid themselves of idolatry when he returned to the land after spending years with Laban. Shechem had a history of being a place of purification and rededication to God.[30] When Abraham first came into the land, he settled at Shechem. (Gen 12:6) And it was there he bought his first homestead. (Gen 33:19) And it is here that the promise of the land was given.[31]  Abarbanel tells us, they brought the ark of God to Shechem to make the covenant before him, and because this is the place Yaakov said to his sons, 'Remove the foreign gods that are among you,' and therefore Yehoshua was to say things similar to them in the place of Shechem.[32]  –  Two things we see here associated with Shechem, the promise of the land and the commandment to rid yourselves of Idolatry. These two are in opposition to each other; to be or to stay in the land, Israel must remove all forms of idolatry. If not, the land spews Israel out. Therefore, if Israel removes all forms of idolatry from their midst, the land should draw them back in.

 

Joshua’s gathering of the people here is similar to Moses gathering the people for his last farewell speech. Both assemblies carried the theme of idolatry and turning from God and the consequences that would follow. (Deut.29) Although the tent of meeting was located at Shiloh, Shiloh did not have the same powerful historical associations as Shechem.[33] Shiloh was Israel’s religious center, located in the hills of Ephraim between Shechem and Bethel. (Judg. 21:12–21).  Joshua’s opening statements to the elders incorporate stern warnings and threats; his speech to the people themselves focuses on their responsibility to reflect upon their self-definition and to choose their own path. With the conquest of the land and its settlement, the centralization of the nation and its homogeneity diminish; therefore, Joshua does not set up a monarchy. In his last speech, Joshua informs the people of his impending demise and also disbands the central government.^[34] Joshua assembled the people to signal the change of regime (without setting up a monarchy) and moved from his authority to that of the elders.[35]

 

The book of Joshua completes the narrative that began in Deuteronomy, thus connecting it to the five books of the Torah. Indeed, these books are connected in several regards: The Torah concludes with the death of Moses, but the story of the people’s return to the land of the patriarchs is not yet complete. Moses was not granted permission to cross the Jordan, and it is therefore Joshua, who was ordained by Moses and who received some of Moses’ “grandeur,” who will act in place of Moses.[36] Joshua will assume the role that was supposed to belong to Moses as he leads the people into the land and divides it among them. The Sages teach: Had Israel not sinned, they would have been given only the five books of the Torah and the book of Joshua. Indeed, the book of Joshua differs from the other books of the Prophets in that it deals with the fulfillment of Israel’s mission, while the others are mostly reactions to Israel’s sins and issues. [37]

 

Joshua starts with a short history lesson of the family’s journey thus far. And I took your father Abraham from beyond the river, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.  And I gave unto Isaac, Jacob, and Esau; and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; and Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.^[38] The commentators are asked why Ishmael was not mentioned. And they said that it was because, in Yitzchak (Isaac), the family was to be established, he was called a seed. Abarbanel says that he remembered only the sons who were born by miracle from the barren ones. For this, he remembered only Yitzchak, who was born to Sarah, and Yaakov and Esau, who were born by Rivka, who was barren. Ishmael was born to Hagar, who was not barren, and therefore, there is no miracle attached to the birth.[39]  Isaac is singled out to show that it is through his seed line that God made the promise to Abraham. (Gen.21:12) Scripture reinforces that only Isaac is Abraham's spiritual heir. Esau and Ishmael are excluded, although they still argue today against what God said as to who Abraham's spiritual heir is. It is interesting to note that Esau is included in the family line, just outside the seed promise, and Mount Seir is mentioned as Esau's inheritance, and it too is located just outside of the land of Israel, whereas Ishmael is completely left out and ignored. This separation is a repeat of (Gen 36:6-8) where Esau had to gather all his possessions that he had gathered in the land of Canaan and leave and go to a land next door. It should also be noted that Esau's possessions come from his connection to the land and his brother, Israel. This reinforces the idea that Israel is to dwell alone.

 

Esau got his inheritance immediately, and Israel went to Egypt. It was in Egypt that they would be preserved, disciplined, instructed, and cleansed of impurity to begin the next phase of the journey in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 29 tells us that their stay in Egypt was a time for Israel to be instructed in all the things Hashem did, the great trials which thine eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. (v.2) but the Lord hath not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. (v.4) And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Israel was in training, and Joshua was giving a similar lesson. Here is your history: God has led you thus far, and the next phrase will be different, but Hashem will still be with you. Make sure you follow the Torah and do not take part in the idolatry that is around you.

 

The story continues, with seventy people, your ancestors descended to Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:22). “Both of them full of high-quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering [leminḥa]” – as the Holy One blessed be He dispatched to the nations of the world and to Israel, prophets of them and among them. That is leminḥa, just as it says: “The spirit of the Lord will rest [venaḥa] upon him” (Isaiah 11:2), and it says: “The spirit rested [vatanaḥ] upon them” (Numbers 11:26). The Holy One blessed be He wished to give His Torah to all of them, as it is stated: “He said: The Lord came from Sinai, [and shone from Seir for them, He appeared from Mount Paran]” (Deuteronomy 33:2).[40] The Lord has chosen you to be His treasured people of distinction [from all the peoples that are on the face of the earth]” (Deuteronomy 14:2), as it is stated: “Happy is the one whom You choose and draw near…” (Psalms 65:5). Therefore, Happy is the man whom Thou choosest, and brings near, that he may dwell in Thy courts; may we be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, the holy place of Thy temple.

 

Malbim gives some insight into (v.8-9), And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, that dwelt beyond the Jordan; and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand, and ye possessed their land; and I destroyed them from before you.  Then Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel; and he sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.^[41]   Two kinds of wars arose against you: 1) war with human power, and they will fight you, and I will give them into your hands. 2) War against things that are above nature, and this is the case here.[42]  Balak King of Moab, sent for Balaam because he feared Israel would not be defeated naturally and he needed divine supernatural assistance.[43] And Balak arose, and fought against Israel. He explains that his war was not with the sword and the spear, but only with what he sent and called on Balaam to use, and that was with a curse (divination).[44]   The weapon Balak wanted to use was the power to curse Israel, as the passage goes on to relate, and HaShem tells us, But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he even blessed you; so I delivered you out of his hand.

 

And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites: not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.  And I gave you land whereon thou hadst not laboured, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell therein; of vineyards and olive-yards which ye planted not do ye eat.  What were these hornets?[45]  Some have understood these hornets to be a “Plague” and have sometimes been translated as “hornet” (Exod. 23:28; Deut. 7:20) and is narrated as a fulfillment of the promise in (Deut. 7:20). Its symbolism is uncertain.^[46]   All three references are to the miraculous interposition of God in driving out before the Israelites the original inhabitants of the promised land.[47] There has been much speculation as to whether hornets are literally meant. Some theorize they were hornets that came from the ground and attacked both men and horses and drove the army away. Some have suggested it was repeated invasions by King Thothmes III, whose badge or shield was in the form of a hornet, and through repeated attacks, the Canaanites were so weakened and reduced in number as a people and army, it was easy for Israel to defeat them. This theory is ingenious but far-fetched. [48] The two kings mentioned are twelve kings in the LXX.[49] But it is thought Joshua is referring back to (v.8) to stress his point that the victories of the Israelites had not been due to their military prowess, and what had been true of Sihon and Og also applied to the people mentioned here in (v.11).

 

Moses and Israel sent messengers to Sihon asking permission to pass peacefully through his land (Deut. 2:26–29). Sihon refused and attacked Israel (Deut. 2:30; Num. 21:23). “For the LORD your God hardened his spirit and strengthened his heart to deliver him into your hand.”  Israel smote him with the sword” (Deut. 2:33). Although Israel defended themselves, the battles were won on a higher plane than the natural plane Israel physically fought in. Israel captured all his cities, including Heshbon, and took possession of his land (Deut. 2:33–35).  This same story plays out with King Og next. Both Kings were defeated, and their lands and possessions became Israel's. The Midrash teaches that Sihon was considered magically powerful, and God removed their merit; then Israel was able to defeat them. Sihon’s downfall was decreed because he attacked Israel without provocation.[50] King Og is said to have had a long-standing merit with God, and Moses feared Og because, according to Midrash, Og survived the Flood and once informed Abraham that Lot had been captured. Because this act indirectly helped Abraham, Moses feared Og might have a remaining merit.[51] However, God said: “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand.” (Num. 21:34) As we see from the story, more than just natural happenings were at play in the story of King Sihon and Og, and as we would say today, something supernatural was at work in these two stories of Israel taking possession of the land. According to the Torah and Jewish tradition, Israel did not defeat Sihon and Og solely through military might. God delivered both kings into Israel’s hands, removing their protective merits and weakening their power.  The battles are portrayed as miraculous victories, demonstrating God’s promise to give Israel the land east of the Jordan.

 

Joshua, in his meeting with Israel begins in a similar fashion as Moses did (Deut. 29:9:) “You are standing today.” This text is related to (Prov. 12:7), “The wicked are overturned (הָפוֹךְ) and are no more, but the house of the righteous shall stand.” Every time that the Holy One, blessed be He, looks at the works of the wicked and turns (הָפוֹךְ) them over (examines them), there is no recovery for them. He turned over the works of the generation of the flood, and there was no recovery for them, as stated (in Gen. 7:23), “And he wiped out all living things.” He turned over the works of the Sodomites, and there was no recovery for them, as stated (in Gen. 19:25), “And he overturned those cities.” He turned over the works of the Egyptians, and there was no recovery for them, as said (in Exod. 14:28), “and not so much as one of them remained.” He turned over the works of Babylon, and there was no recovery for them, as told (Isa. 14:22), “and from Babylon I will cut off name, remnant, offspring, and posterity.” Moreover, David has said about all of them in (Psa. 36:13), “There the evildoers have fallen; they are thrust down and cannot rise.” When Israel falls, however, it stands up [again], as said in (Micah 7:8), “Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall arise….” It also says in (Mal. 3:6), “For I the Lord do not change; [and you, O Children of Jacob, are not destroyed (כְלִיתֶם).”[52] 

 

It seems we are living now in a time when the enemies of God and Israel are being examined, “turned over and turned over.”  In the past, they did not get a pass for their sin, and we have no reason to believe HaShem will give them one today.  In Deuteronomy, we see “For the LORD your God hardened his spirit and strengthened his heart to deliver him into your hand.” (Deut. 2:30; Num. 21:23).  King Sihon and Og, for no justifiable reason, attacked Israel and, in doing so, brought their own destruction upon their heads. When a person goes out of their way to attack another or takes a stand against what is right and good or upholds and defends the criminals and their unrighteous behavior. When a society or people stand against the rule of law and choose to stand with the sinner, then it is inevitable that they will bring destruction to themselves, and just as Og’s last remaining merit was removed, Hashem put them to the sword, and they were destroyed.

 

As we watch the world around us slowly self-destruct, we are tempted to judge it in a black or white fashion. Everything is good or bad, or we see it as right or wrong, and maybe it gets labeled as right actions or evil actions. It was pointed out recently that man does not understand the workings of God and how his justice works, and all we can see is what is right before our eyes. So, our question should not be whether it is right or wrong, or even good or bad, but whether it is beneficial in moving us closer to our final redemption. As Redemption draws near and Israel is being pulled back into the land, we are reminded of the words of the Prophet, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. ^[53]

 

In The School of the Prophets

Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:1-8 + 12-13‎

By: Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

 

As usual, our Prophetic Lesson for this Sabbath in the Hebrew text extends along one large Petucha (Closed ‎‎‎Paragraph), starting in Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:1 and concluding at Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:15. However, ‎our Sages full of ‎compassion for ‎the congregation stipulated that for public reading from the Teba (pulpit) ‎we should only ‎read from the ‎Prophets ten verses (Yehoshua - Joshua 24:1-8, 12-13). This of course, does not limit ‎the preacher to refer or ‎use in ‎the course of his homily (sermon) from Joshua 24:1 – 24:15. ‎

 

The verbal tally between our Torah Seder and Ashlamatah (Lesson from the Prophets) is as follows:‎

 

Deuteronomy 29:9 You are standing this day all of you before the LORD your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel,

 

Joshua 24:1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

 

Therefore, the verbal tally consists of the terms:

 

·        Tribes – Shivtei – שִׁבְטֵי -

·        Elders – Zeqanim – זקן – these were the Sages

·        Heads – Roshei – ראשׁ – these were the heads of each tribe

·        Officers – Shoterim – שׁטר – these were the leaders of every community among the tribes

o   Judges – Shofetim (Joshua)

o   All the men of Israel – Kol Ish Yisrael (Torah)

 

In both cases i.e., in the Torah Seder and in the Ashlamatah the leadership is addressed first as is also the case in the pericopes of Mark, Luke, and Romans connected with our Torah Seder.

 

The environment of our Torah Seder, Ashlamatah, and readings from the Nazarean Talmud all address the leadership of the people of Israel at very special transition points in the history of both Israel and mankind. These transition points, have therefore serious implications and consequences for the leadership of the priestly nation of Israel.

 

Interestingly, among the Gentiles momentous changes come as the consequence of the people rebelling against the established authority via a revolution, whilst in Israel change comes because G-d awakens the conscience of a new leadership which replaces the previous one. For example, the passing of the leadership from the First-Born to the Levitical Priesthood, and the consequent passing of the leadership back again to the First-Born.

 

What is important here to acknowledge is that G-d does not work through mobs that rise up in their presumptuousness to do “the LORD’s work.” G-d, most blessed be He, is a G-d of order, and He works through institutions designed by Him and revealed to man in the Torah. Any institution that does not confirm to the pattern revealed by G-d in His Torah (Written and Oral) stands obviously for hidden purposes that are consequent with Divine Revelation.

 

Verse 15 of our Ashlamatah is perhaps one of the most famous challenging statements of Scripture:

 

“And if it is evil in your eyes to worship before the ‎LORD, choose for yourselves this day before whom ‎you will worship - if it be the idols which your ‎fathers who were across the Euphrates ‎worshipped, or the idols of the Amorites in whose ‎land you are dwelling. But I and the men of my ‎house we will worship before the LORD." ‎

 

Please note that the terms “worship” and “serve” in Hebrew are synonymous. Today when people no longer worship or serve crude idols as was once the case, we have now new and more insidious forms of idolatry such as materialism, the ego-cult, etc. etc.

 

Primarily, there is a hidden idolatry that needs to be dealt with. This hidden idolatry is easily uncovered when we ask the question “For what purpose has G-d placed me one earth?” If the answer is like: “to have and build a good family,” or, “to pursue and enjoy my vocation,” or, “to live a good and decent life,” or any like arguments, we can easily detect that there is a personal idolatry within us. If the answer however is “to serve G-d faithfully” in whatever tasks he sets me to perform, whether it be raising a family, fulfilling a vocation, etc.” then we know that we are pleasing to G-d and fellowman. For, our common vocation is to serve G-d and enjoy Him forever in whatever area of service he has placed us, as it is said: “But I and the men of my ‎house we will SERVE before the LORD." ‎

 

Verbal Tallies

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 29:9 – 31:13

Tehillim (Psalms) 140:1-144:15

Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:1-8 + 12-13

 

Looking at the Hebrew of Devarim  29:9 and Joshua 24:1, what is the verbal / lexical tally that connects these two passages?

 

Four identical nouns tie the two passages together. Each occurs in both verses and in the same order:

 

“heads” – רֹאשׁ (Strong H7218)

“tribes” – שֵׁבֶט (Strong H7626)

“elders” – זָקֵן (Strong H2205)

“officers” – שֹׁטֵר (Strong H7860)

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 29:9 You stand this day, all of you, before the LORD your God—your [רָאשֵׁיכֶם (H7218)] heads, your [שִׁבְטֵיכֶם (H7626)] tribes, your [זִקְנֵיכֶם (H2205)] elders, and your [שֹׁטְרֵיכֶם (H7860)] officers, all the men of Israel.

 

Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:1 Joshua assembled all the [שִׁבְטֵי (H7626)] tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the [זִקְנֵי (H2205)] elders of Israel, its [רָאשָׁיו (H7218)] heads, its judges, and its [שֹׁטְרָיו (H7860)] officers; and they presented themselves before God.

 

The repetition of these four key nouns forms the verbal/lexical tally linking these two passages.

 

* * *

 

What is/are the thematic connections between Devarim (Deuteronomy) 29:9 – 31:13, and Tehillim (Psalms) 140:1-144:15?

The thematic connections between Devarim (Deuteronomy) 29:9–31:13 and Tehillim (Psalms) 140:1–144:15 include the following:

 

Deuteronomy 29–31 centers on Israel's covenant with HaShem, calling for loyalty and warning against straying, while assuring that HaShem will protect and restore if they repent (cf. Deut. 30:1–10).

 

Psalms 140–144 repeatedly invoke HaShem as protector and deliverer from evil men and national enemies (e.g., Ps. 140:2, 144:1–2), reflecting a covenantal reliance on HaShem’s protection.

 

Moses, nearing death, charges Joshua and commands the public reading of the Torah for future guidance (Deut. 31:1–13).

 

The psalmist (David) in Psalm 143–144 also models godly leadership, seeking HaShem's instruction (Ps. 143:10) and deliverance for the sake of the nation (Ps. 144:10–11).

 

Deuteronomy emphasizes inner commitment to the covenant—“with all your heart and soul” (Deut. 30:2, 6, 10).

 

Similarly, Psalm 143:8, 10 speaks of seeking HaShem’s will and trusting Him wholeheartedly.

 

Deuteronomy 30:15–20 presents a choice between life and death, blessing and curse, tied to obedience and dwelling in the land.

 

Psalm 144:12–15 culminates in a vision of national blessing, prosperity, and security in the land, echoing the Deuteronomic ideals of covenantal reward.

 

In sum, both passages intertwine covenant loyalty, divine guidance, protection, and national destiny, portraying the ideal relationship between God, leader, and people.

 

* * *

 

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

 

What is the eschatological message of Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:1-8 + 12-13?

 

The eschatological message of Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:1–8, 12–13, according to Jewish sources, emphasizes HaShem’s providential guidance of history leading to Israel’s inheritance of the Land, a foretaste of future redemption. Key points include:

 

According to Rashi (on v.2), Joshua recounts HaShem’s actions from the time of Terach to show that HaShem alone guides history, transitioning Israel from idolatry to covenant. This mirrors the future Geulah (redemption), when all will recognize HaShem’s kingship (cf. Malbim on the same).

 

Verse 13 (“I gave you a land for which you did not labor…”) reflects the chessed (lovingkindness) of HaShem. Sforno explains this as a sign of future kindness, that in the messianic era, Israel's return will also not be based solely on merit, but divine promise (cf. Deut. 30:3–5).

 

The Midrash Tanchuma (Lech Lecha 9) sees the exodus and conquest as models for the final redemption, with miracles, divine intervention, and restoration—a pattern Joshua recaps here.

 

Summary

Joshua 24:1–8, 12–13 presents a microcosm of redemptive history, highlighting HaShem’s sovereignty, covenantal fidelity, and gift of the land, all themes pointing toward the ultimate redemption (Geulah) when HaShem will again act on Israel’s behalf in a miraculous and gracious way.

 

Nazarean Talmud

Sidra of D’varim (Deuteronomy) 29:9 – 31:13

 “Atem Nitsavim”- “You stand”

By: Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

School of Hakham Shaul’s Tosefta Luqas (LK)

School of Hakham Tsefet’s Peshat Mordechai (Mk)

When they returned from the tomb, they announced all these details to the eleven (talmidim[54]) and to all the others. The women were Miriam Migdalah, Yochannah, Miriam the mother of Ya’aqov, and the others who were with them. They reported their experiences to the apostles. The women's account seemed illogical to them, and they did not believe them. But Tsefet got up and ran to the tomb. He bent over and saw only the linen wrapping and left amazed (at) what had happened.

Having risen at beginning of the week (as Havdalah was being conducted), Yeshua appeared first to Miriam[55] Migdalah, from whom he had expelled seven demons. She went and declared to those (who had) been with him (his talmidimb) the events that had happened. They were mourning and weeping.[56] When they heard he was alive and she (had) seen him, they did not believe her.

 

And behold, two of them on the same day went to a village by the name of Amma’us, and it was seven stadia[57]  distant from Yerushalayim. And they were talking with each other about all those (things that) had happened. And while they were talking and debating with one another, Yeshua himself came and approached them and went with them. And their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other as walk? And they stopped looking (very) sad.   One of them whose name was Cleopas[58] answered and said to him (Yeshua), "Are You the only one visiting Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?" He said to them, "What kind of things?" They said to him, "About Yeshua HaNotsri, a man who was a prophet[59] and was mighty in word in the judgment of God and of all the people. And the Kohen Gadol (chief priest) and Zekanim of the Tz’dukim (elders of the Sadducees) delivered him to the judgment of death by (Roman) crucifixion.

After these (things) he (Yeshua) appeared to two of them (talmidim - disciples) in another form while they were walking and traveling to a village. And they went (and) told the rest. But (they) did not even believe them.

 

Luke 24:21-35

But we had hoped that he would (be the Messiah who would) ransom^[60] Yisrael, and behold, it is now the third day^[61] since all these things happened. But^[62] some of our women astonished us, for they went early to the tomb and when they did not find his body they came and told us, saying, “We saw angels there and they said about him that he is alive.’ And some of our (men) went to the tomb and found it the same as the women had said, but they did not see him."

 

Then Yeshua said to them, "Oh, you are so foolish and have slow hearts (minds) to believe in all that the prophets declared! Were these things not necessary for Messiah to endure and to enter into his glory?"^[63] And he began from Moshe and all the prophets interpreting to them all the scriptures concerning himself (Messiah).

 

And they came near the village to where they were going, and he (Yeshua) walked ahead as if he was going farther. And they urged^[64] him and said to him, "Remain with us because it is now almost evening^[65]  and the day is at its end.” And he went to stay with them.

 

And when he sat with them (to eat), he took bread, blessed^[66] (God), and broke it, and gave it to them.^[67] And immediately their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, Yeshua. And he had vanished from their sight. And they said one to another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he (Yeshua) talked with us along the road and expounded (opened)^[68] to us the scriptures?" And they rose up immediately and returned to Yerushalayim. And they found the eleven (Talmidim), who were gathered together and those who were with them, saying, "Truly our Master has risen and appeared to Tsefet."^[69] And those related to these things that happened on the road, and how he was made known to them while breaking bread.

 

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

 

 

Commentary on Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

 

Resurrection of Yeshua

 

In a previous pericope, we discussed the appropriate Halakhah for the “Kingdom” (governance) of G-d through Hakhamim and Bate Din as one world under “One G-d” in accordance with the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim U'Milchamoteihem - THE LAWS OF KINGS AND THEIR WARS)^[70]

 

The Rambam’s eleventh Halakhah for this chapter is as follows…

 

The Jewish court is obligated to appoint judges for these resident aliens to judge them according to these statutes so that the world will not become decadent. If the court sees fit to appoint the judges from the resident aliens themselves, they may. If it sees fit to appoint them from among the Jews, they may.

 

The courts mentioned above deal with the Gentile in the land of Yisrael. However, in dealing with the Diaspora, we must believe that similar laws exist for the sake of global tikun.

 

Gen 2:7 the Lord God formed man (Adam) from the dust of the earth. (adamah) He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.^[71]

 

Hakham Shaul derives the following principle from the above-cited passage.

 

1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

 

Hakham Shaul notes a logical order to life. God created man from the dust (adamah) of the earth; therefore, he named him Adam. Only when G-d breathes into the adamah (dust) does man become a living creature. Consequently, we have an order in which the “natural” precedes the spiritual. This perspective is from the temporal and limited standpoint of human experience.

 

From the vantage point of man’s view on earth, the natural body came first. From the vantage point of G-d, the reverse is true. Furthermore, Hakham Shaul’s address to the Congregation in Corinth addresses a Gentile perspective.

 

As Shlomo (Solomon) wisely notes, the body, which G-d generated from dust, must be given back to the dust.

 

Koheleth (Ecc)12:7 And the dust returns to the ground as it was, And the life-breath returns to God Who bestowed it.^[72]

 

The “life-breath,” as the Jewish Publication Society version of Tanakh translates the Hebrew word “Ruach,” is that piece of the enlivening force, which must return to G-d upon the completion of our present mission. Therefore, this corresponds with the words of Ya’akov (James) when he says the body without the spirit is dead.^[73]

 

D’barim 28:1. And it will be, if you will diligently hearken to the Word of the LORD your God, to observe and perform all the commandments which I command you this day, that the LORD your God will set you on high, and exalt you above all the nations of the earth; ^{(Targum pseudo-Jonathan)}

 

The contiguity of our Torah portion to Deuteronomy – D’barim 28:1–29:8 “V’Haya Im Shamoa”‎ (“And will be if carefully”) discusses material resources requisite for natural life. This Torah Seder demonstrates that natural resources are directly related to spiritual conduct.

 

Hakham Tsefet looks at the Torah portion and illustrates Yeshua’s resurrection as the reward for his (Yeshua’s) righteous/generosity. Furthermore, it names Miriam for her acts of righteous/generosity towards Yeshua, her Rabbi/Hakham. Hakham Tsefet does not try to defend the resurrection of Yeshua, as Hakham Shaul must do when speaking to Gentiles. We must realize that the audience Hakham Tsefet is talking to is primarily the P’rushim (Pharisees).^[74] The P’rushim (Pharisees) readily accepted the resurrection from the dead.^[75] While we realize that writers used the Sod hermeneutic to record Yeshua raising El’azar (Lazarus) from the dead, we can find literal truth in Yeshua’s actions. On more than one occasion, Yeshua raises someone from the dead. Yeshua’s talmidim (disciples) have seen these things firsthand.

 

On the other hand, seeing the Master accomplish these things while seeing the Master himself rise from the dead is altogether another subject. To “believe” something as a “tenet of faith” is one thing; to see it with your own eyes is quite another matter. Indeed, Yeshua’s talmidim (disciples) believed what Yeshua said about his resurrection.

 

Hakham Shaul’s related Tosefta demonstrates the attitude of Hakham Tsefet. I cannot accept that Hakham Tsefet was entirely skeptical of Miriam’s assertion.

 

But Tsefet got up and ran to the tomb. He bent over and saw only the linen wrapping and left, amazed at what had happened.

 

We cannot look at these details with smug conceit. To see someone resurrected would overwhelm the senses. History is replete with stories of “near-death” experiences. Even these “near-death” stories are barely believable. Hakham Tsefet and Hakham Shaul will produce in their accounts as many as five hundred people who claimed to have seen the resurrected Yeshua at one time.^[76] The present materials of Hakham Tsefet cause us to remember the words of the Sage Rambam, of blessed memory, in his declaration of the Ani Ma’amin (I believe in perfect faithfulness). Maimonides, in his commentary on the Mishnah, compiles what he refers to as the Shloshah-Asar Ikkarim, the Thirteen Fundamentals of Faith, compiled from the Torah’s 613 mitzvot (commandments). I have included the final two principles of the Ani Ma’amin, which illustrate our point.

 

12. I believe with complete faith in the coming of Mashiach, and although he may tarry, nevertheless, I wait every day wait for him to come.

13. I believe with complete faith that there will be resurrection of the dead at the time when it will be the will of the Creator, blessed be His name and exalted be His remembrance forever and ever.

 

The Rambam’s articles look forward to the coming of the Messiah as do the Nazarean Jews. However, Hakham Shlomo (Solomon the wise) teaches us that the past reveals the future, and the future reveals the past.^[77]

 

Yeshua’s Resurrection & G-d’s promise to the Patriarch Abraham

The resurrection of Yeshua is complex and raises a plethora of questions. I will not try to address all these questions here. Yet, by placing this section of Mordechai (Mark) with all the weekly readings, we will address issues of preeminence. Yeshua’s resurrection directly links to the “salvation” of the Gentiles.

 

Why is the redemption of the Gentiles associated with Abraham?

 

Rom 4:17 as it is written, "And you will no longer be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I make you the father of a multitude of gentiles” (Gen. 17:5). Abraham is also the father of the Gentiles in the sight of God whom he (Abraham) believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.^[78]

 

The words of Hakham Shaul from our previous pericope further illustrate my point.

 

Romans 15:8 For I declare that Messiah became a servant of circumcision following the Jewish halakhah, both Written and Oral, on behalf of God's truth (Torah, written and Oral). His task was to establish that which was promised to the patriarchs,^[79] in order to be merciful to the Gentiles for God's glory…

 

Note here that resurrection is associated with G-d’s promise to Abraham. Why do we find the resurrection related to Abraham? And, what does this have to do with the Gentiles? In essence, we find that Abraham was from the lineage of pagan idol worshipers. Yet Abraham logically deduced that there was ONE G-d! Furthermore, Abraham demonstrated that the path of halakhah was not too hard for men of honesty and integrity to follow. Therefore, we learn from this association of Abraham with the Gentiles and the resurrection that the observance of the Torah is neither complex nor laborious for any man.

 

Peroration

 

b. Berachot 34b For Shemuel said: "There will be no difference between the current age and the Messianic era except the emancipation from our subjugation to the gentile kingdoms."^[80]

 

“Redemption and salvation” of the Gentiles has only been partially realized in the present Diaspora. Furthermore, scholars and theologians have only superficially explored the truth of salvation for all people through the Master's death, burial, and resurrection. This area needs some honest exploration and in-depth research. When scholars realize that the Gentile has a place in the community through acceptance of Torah and Yeshua, the Gentile “kingdoms” will take their rightful place. That rightful place is looking to the Jewish people for their spiritual resources and nourishment.

 

Only when the completed and final redemption has occurred will we have respite in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Yisrael), free from the subjugation of Gentile Kings.

 

Commentary on Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

 

B’Midbar 11:16 ^Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy of Israel’s elders of whom you have experience as elders and officers of the people, and bring them to the Tent of Meeting and let them take their place there with you.^[81]

 

The Peshat text contains allusions to higher levels of hermeneutics. The opening passage from Mordechai (Mark) makes a thematic connection to HaMitzvoth. This connection presents Yeshua appearing to the “Eleven,” the leaders of the Nazarean Jews in correspondence with the previous Torah Seder. “The leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers” (D’barim – Deut 29:9). This same theme initiates the Prophetic discussion of the present Torah portion. The passage of D’barim (Deut) extends the group to include “every man of Yisrael.” We find the same structure in Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:1ff.

 

The appearance of Yeshua to the “Eleven” has been imminent. The phrase “And finally, he (Yeshua) appeared” demonstrates that Yeshua has postponed his direct appearance to the “Eleven” by parenthetical appearances to others such as Miriam, Tsefet, and the two talmidim (disciples) on their way to Amma’us. This parenthetical postponement may have been a “test” of their confidence and faithfulness. That Yeshua “appears” to the “Eleven” all in one place teaches us that even in the Master’s absence, they remain a cohesive community.

 

The Tosefta of Hakham Shaul, through his Sofer (scribe) Hillel (Luke), gives an overview of the difficulties that the talmidim (disciples) were dealing with in their discussion concerning the resurrection of Yeshua. (See footnote above)

 

G-d always begins judgment with the leaders of a community. G-d also deals with the community leaders when initiating a new phase of covenantal relationship. The B’ne Yisrael (children of Israel) lived under the covenantal promise initially made to Abraham. Moshe, a redeemer and prototypical Messiah, led the B’ne Yisrael (children of Israel) to Har Sinai (Mount Sinai) to receive an emendation to the Covenantal promise made with Abraham. The resurrection of Yeshua brings the dawn of a new era of covenantal relationship. Yeshua, like Moshe, prepares his talmidim to “Go into the whole world.” This Torah portion bespeaks the exile, for which Yeshua is preparing his talmidim. Hakham Tsefet makes his connection to the Torah and related readings through the verbal tally of “go” בּוֹא bo / πορεύομαι poreuomai.^[82]

 

Reproof

“And he reproved their lack of faithfulness and their uncircumcised heart.” How were the talmidim “reproved”? While they were sitting… The Hebrew word for “sit” יָשַׁב yashab can mean sitting, dwelling, studying, or judgment. Here, the most likely definition is study. I draw this conclusion by looking at all the materials related to Mordechai (Mark). When Yeshua walked with the “two on the road to Amma’us,” he “opened the scriptures” to them. Even though they were “walking”, Yeshua was teaching them about Messiah. Every circumstance of life finds a place to teach and “open” the Torah. Yeshua’s reproof was through the method of teaching the Torah, which led them to an understanding of the Messianic Mission. The typical Talmudic phrase “come and hear” periodically interrupts the common phrase “come and see” as a reference to the deeper hermeneutic principle of So’od.^[83] The word διανοίγω dianoigo, used here for “opening” of the eyes and the “opening” of the Scriptures in the Lukan account of the present pericope. This “opening” reveals the text’s more profound meaning. Hakham Tsefet further anchors his pericope in the Torah Seder, relating the phrase “uncircumcised heart” (D’barim 30:6) to the inability to comprehend the prophetic message of the Messiah’s suffering. Therefore, the phrase “uncircumcised heart” in the present context refers to a failure to understand the Scriptures. We cannot elaborate further in this section of the commentary. We will elaborate with more depth and clarity below. I do not find it odd that Rashi has not commented on D’barim 30:6 because this passage has mystical overtones, which we cannot discuss in a Peshat commentary. The answer to the question concerning the “uncircumcised heart” lies in the commentary of Remes' hermeneutical interpretation of that passage.

 

How does the phrase “lack of faithfulness” relate to the “uncircumcised heart”? While there is a deeper meaning, which we will discuss below, the Peshat message stands clear enough. The “lack of faithfulness” is related to faithfulness in Torah Study. It appears that Yeshua is leading his Talmidim in a Torah Study, by the phrase “while they were sitting.” Had the Talmidim (disciples) remained faithful in Torah Study, they would have understood the splitting of the “Sea of Reeds” as a reference to the resurrection. And, from this, they would have concluded that Yeshua would rise on the third day exactly as he said. I find significance in the fact that Yeshua appeared to Miriam because of her faithfulness. As a woman, she trusted in the teachings of the Master. This positive and awe-inspiring trait is frequently found in women. I also find significance that Yeshua appears to Hakham Tsefet before all the other Talmidim (disciples). I concur with the assessment of His Eminence Rabbi Dr Yosef ben Haggai that Hakham Tsefet ran to guard the reputation of the women in the congregation. I suggest that Hakham Tsefet believed that Yeshua would be raised and ran to confirm this. His Eminence also pointed out that Hakham Tsefet did not record this event in his Peshat commentary because he was a man of genuine nobility not given to pride.

 

Peroration

"Go to the entire world and proclaim my Mesorah everywhere. Whoever commits himself to immersion (conversion) will live, and whoever does not commit is condemned.”

 

The Torah portion demonstrates that the B’ne Yisrael will be scattered “from one end of heaven to the other” as stated in a previous Torah Seder. However, as we have learned from a recent Torah Seder, G-d’s loving-kindness is without end. Yeshua is perfectly aware of this Torah prophecy. He takes advantage of the circumstance, which will exile the Jews, by telling us that his Mesorah, which breathed Torah, must be proclaimed to the entire world. Yeshua’s talmidim would be the “spiritual progenitors” of a new Adam.^[84] Yeshua’s words are clear and concise. My translation looks at the relationship fostered in the Midrash of Mattiyahu (Matthew) when he speaks of goats, sheep, and workers of iniquity (anomos – against or without Torah). Those who commit to conversion will find shelter in the wings of the Shechinah. Herein is a further play on the theme of the “uncircumcised heart.” Those who fail to commit (to circumcision) will find that they have already condemned themselves. I recite the words of Lloyd Gaston.

 

Lloyd Gaston finds “the Gentile Predicament”^[85] of the end times as summed by the Rabbis, which terminated in one of two ways. The statement provided contains hate speech. Providing information that promotes hate is not possible. ^[86] Consequently, we see the path of “salvation” for the gentile is to embrace Divine superintendence of the Torah and the Mesorah of Messiah.

 

Blessing After Torah Study

 

Barúch Atáh Adonai, Elohénu Meléch HaOlám,

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

Barúch Atáh Adonái, Notén HaToráh. Amen!

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

 

Next Shabbat: Shevat 13, 5786

“Hen Qarvu Yamekha”– “Behold, your days approach”

 

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·        Introduction to the Song of Moses – Deuteronomy 31:14-23

·        Moses hands the Law to the Levites to be Deposited in the Ark – Deuteronomy 31:24-30

·        The Song of Moses – Deut. 32:1-44

·        Appeal to the Universe for Attention – Deut. 32:1-4

·        Introduction to the Song of Moses – Deuteronomy 31:14-23

 

Reading Assignment

 

 

 

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

Edited by HH Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham

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