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

 

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

 

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.

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

 

Shabbat: “Vayiqach Korach” – “And now Korach”

 

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·        Rebellion of Korach, Dathan, Abiram, and On– Numbers 16:1-15

·        Korah and His Company Accept Moses’ Challenge – Numbers 16:16-19

·        Moses’ Intercession – Numbers 16:20-24

·        Destruction of the Rebels – Numbers 16:25-34

·        The Brazen Censers – Numbers 17:1-5

·        Israel’s Disaffection with Moses – Numbers 17:6-15

 

Reading Assignment:

 

 

 

Welcome to the World of P’shat Exegesis

 

In order to understand the finished work of the P’shat mode of interpretation of the Torah, one needs to take into account that the P’shat is intended to produce a catechetical output, whereby a question/s is/are raised and an answer/a is/are given using the seven Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel and as well as the laws of Hebrew Grammar and Hebrew expression.

 

The Seven Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel are as follows:

[cf. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=472&letter=R]:

 

1. Ḳal va-ḥomer: "Argumentum a minori ad majus" or "a majori ad minus"; corresponding to the scholastic proof a fortiori.

2. Gezerah shavah: Argument from analogy. Biblical passages containing synonyms or homonyms are subject, however much they differ in other respects, to identical definitions and applications.

3. Binyan ab mi-katub eḥad: Application of a provision found in one passage only to passages which are related to the first in content but do not contain the provision in question.

4. Binyan ab mi-shene ketubim: The same as the preceding, except that the provision is generalized from two Biblical passages.

5. Kelal u-Peraṭ and Peraṭ u-kelal: Definition of the general by the particular, and of the particular by the general.

6. Ka-yoẓe bo mi-maḳom aḥer: Similarity in content to another Scriptural passage.

7. Dabar ha-lamed me-'inyano: Interpretation deduced from the context.

 

Welcome to the World of Remes Exegesis

 

Thirteen rules compiled by Rabbi Ishmael b. Elisha for the elucidation of the Torah and for making halakic deductions from it. They are, strictly speaking, mere amplifications of the seven Rules of Hillel, and are collected in the Baraita of R. Ishmael, forming the introduction to the Sifra and reading as follows:

 

1. Ḳal wa-ḥomer: Identical with the first rule of Hillel.
2. Gezerah shawah: Identical with the second rule of Hillel.
3. Binyan ab: Rules deduced from a single passage of Scripture and rules deduced from two passages. This rule is a combination of the third and fourth rules of Hillel.
4. Kelal u-Peraṭ: The general and the particular.
5. u-Peraṭ u-kelal: The particular and the general.
6. Kelal u-Peraṭ u-kelal: The general, the particular, and the general.
7. The general which requires elucidation by the particular, and the particular which requires elucidation by the general.
8. The particular implied in the general and excepted from it for pedagogic purposes elucidates the general as well as the particular.
9. The particular implied in the general and excepted from it on account of the special regulation which corresponds in concept to the general, is thus isolated to decrease rather than to increase the rigidity of its application.
10. The particular implied in the general and excepted from it on account of some other special regulation which does not correspond in concept to the general, is thus isolated either to decrease or to increase the rigidity of its application.
11. The particular implied in the general and excepted from it on account of a new and reversed decision can be referred to the general only in case the passage under consideration makes an explicit reference to it.
12. Deduction from the context.
13. When two Biblical passages contradict each other the contradiction in question must be solved by reference to a third passage.

 

Rules seven to eleven are formed by a subdivision of the fifth rule of Hillel; rule twelve corresponds to the seventh rule of Hillel, but is amplified in certain particulars; rule thirteen does not occur in Hillel, while, on the other hand, the sixth rule of Hillel is omitted by Ishmael. With regard to the rules and their application in general. These rules are found also on the morning prayers of any Jewish Orthodox Siddur.

 

Torah & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Bamidbar (Numbers) 16:1 – 17:15

 

JPS	Targum
1. Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi took [himself to one side] along with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, descendants of Reuben.	1. But Korach bar Tizhar bar Kehath, bar Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On bar Peleth, of the Beni-Reuben, took his robe which was all of blue,
2. They confronted Moses together with two hundred and fifty men from the children of Israel, chieftains of the congregation, representatives of the assembly, men of repute.	2. and rose up boldly, and in the face of Mosheh appointed a (different) observance in the matter of the blue. Mosheh had said, I have heard from the mouth of the Holy One, whose Name be Blessed, that the fringes are to be of white, with one filament of blue; O but Korach and his companions made garments with their fringes altogether of blue, which the LORD had not commanded; and two hundred and fifty men of the sons of Israel, who had been made leaders of the congregation at the time when the journeys and encampments were appointed, by expression of their names, supported him.
3. They assembled against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire congregation are all holy, and the Lord is in their midst. So why do raise yourselves above the Lord's assembly?"	3. And they gathered together against Mosheh and Aharon, and said to them: Let the authority you have (hitherto had) suffice you, for all the congregation are holy, and the LORD's Shekinah dwells among them; and why should you be magnified over the congregation of the LORD?
4. Moses heard and fell on his face.	4. And Mosheh heard, as if every one of them was jealous of his wife, and would have them drink of the trial-water on account of Mosheh; and he fell on his face for shame.
5. He spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, "In the morning, the Lord will make known who is His, and who is holy, and He will draw [them] near to Him, and the one He chooses, He will draw near to Him.	5. And he spoke with Korach and all the company who supported him, saying: In the morning the LORD will make known to him whom He has approved, and has consecrated to approach unto His service, and who it has pleased Him should come near in ministering, unto Him.
6. Do this, Korah and his company: Take for yourselves censers.	6. Do this: Let Korach and all the company of his helpers take censers,
7. Place fire into them and put incense upon them before the Lord tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses he is the holy one; you have taken too much upon yourselves, sons of Levi."	7. put fire in them, and lay incense upon them before the LORD, tomorrow; and the man whom the LORD will make known, he it is who is consecrated. Let it suffice to you, sons of Levi.
8. Moses said to Korah, "Please listen, sons of Levi.	8. And Mosheh said to Korach and his kindred: Hear now, you sons of Levi:
9. Is it not enough that the God of Israel has distinguished you from the congregation of Israel to draw you near to Him, to perform the service in the Mishkan of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?	9. Is it too little for you that the God of Israel has set you apart from the congregation of Israel to draw near to do His service to fulfill the ministry of the LORD's tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?
10. He drew you near, and all your brothers, the sons of Levi with you, and now you seek the kehunah as well?	10. But so has he brought near you and all the sons of Levi with you and now do you demand the high-priesthood also?
11. Therefore, you and your entire company who are assembled are against the Lord, for what is Aaron that you should complain against him?"	11. Therefore are you and all the company of your helpers gathered together against the Word of the LORD: and Aharon, what is he, that you murmur against him?
12. Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, "We will not go up.	12. And Mosheh sent men to summon Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, to the house of the great judgment; but they said, We will not come up.
13. Is it not enough that you have brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert, that you should also exercise authority over us?	13. Is it a little thing, that you have brought us from Mizraim, a land that produces milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that ruling you may domineer over us?
14. You have not even brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey, nor have you given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Even if you gouge out the eyes of those men, we will not go up."	14. Neither have you brought us into the land producing milk and honey to give us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you blind the eyes of the men of that land, that you may overcome them? We shall not go up thither.
15. Moses was exceedingly distressed, and he said to the Lord, "Do not accept their offering. I have not taken a donkey from a single one of them, and I have not harmed a single one of them."	15. And Mosheh was very wroth, and said before the LORD: I beseech you, look not upon their offering, the portion of their hands; for not an ass have I taken from one of them, nor to any of them done an injury,
16. Moses said to Korah, "You and your entire congregation should be before the Lord you, they, and Aaron tomorrow.	16. And Mosheh said to Korach, you, and all the company of your helpers, come together to the house of judgment before the LORD tomorrow, you, they, and Aharon.
17. Let each man take his censer and place incense upon it, and let each man present his censer before the Lord; [there will thus be] two hundred and fifty censers, and let you and Aaron each [take] his censer.	17. And take every one his censer, and put incense upon them; and let each offer his censer before the LORD, two hundred and fifty censers; you also, and Aharon, each man his censer.
18. So each man took his censer, and they put fire upon it and placed incense upon it, and they stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron.	18. And they took every one his censer, and put fire in them and sweet incense with it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle of ordinance on one side; but Mosheh and Aharon on the other side.
19. Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord appeared before the entire congregation.	19. And Korach gathered to them the whole congregation at the door of the tabernacle. And he had brought forth, from his riches, two treasures which he had found among the treasures of Joseph filled with silver and gold, and sought with them to drive the riches of Mosheh and Aharon out of the world; but the glory of the LORD revealed itself to all the congregation.
20. The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron saying,	20. And the LORD spoke with Mosheh and Aharon, saying:
21. "Dissociate yourselves from this congregation, and I will consume them in an instant.	21. Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may destroy them quickly.
22. They fell on their faces and said, "O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, if one man sins, shall You be angry with the whole congregation?"	22. But they bowed down upon their faces in prayer, and said: El Elohim, who has put the spirit of life in the bodies of the children of men, and from whom is given the spirit of all flesh, - if one man has sinned, wilt You be angry with all the congregation
23. The Lord spoke to Moses saying,	23. And the LORD spoke with Mosheh, saying:
24. "Speak to the congregation saying, 'Withdraw from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.'"	24. I have accepted your prayer for the congregation. Now speak you with them, saying: Remove away from the tents of Korach, Dathan, and Abiram.
25. Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.	25. And Mosheh arose, and went to remonstrate with Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed.
26. He spoke to the congregation saying, "Please get away from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything of theirs, lest you perish because of all their sins.	26. And he said to the congregation, Remove now away from the tents of these men of sin, who have been worthy of death from (the days of) their youth in Mizraim, for they betrayed my secret when I slew the Mizraite; they provoked the LORD at the sea; at Alush they profaned the Sabbath, and now are they gathered together against the Word of the LORD; and therefore is it fit that their wealth should be scattered abroad and destroyed. Touch not, then, anything that is theirs, nor be smitten on account of their sins.
27. So they withdrew from around the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and Dathan and Abiram went out standing upright at the entrance of their tents together with their wives, their children, and their infants.	27. And they went apart from the tents of Korach, Dathan, and Abiram round about. But Dathan and Abiram came out, with reviling words, and arose and provoked Mosheh at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.
28. Moses said, "With this you shall know that the Lord sent me to do all these deeds, for I did not devise them myself.	28. And Mosheh said, By this you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, and that (I do them) not from the thoughts of my heart.
29. If these men die as all men die and the fate of all men will be visited upon them, then the Lord has not sent me.	29. If these men die after the manner of dying in which all men die, and the (common) account of all men be accounted upon them, the LORD has not sent me.
30. But if the Lord creates a creation, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that is theirs, and they descend alive into the grave, you will know that these men have provoked the Lord."	30. But if a death which has not been created since the days of the world be now created for them, and if a mouth for the earth, which has not been made from the beginning, be created now, and the earth open her mouth and swallow them and all they have, and they go down alive into Sheol, you will understand that these men have provoked the LORD to anger.
31. As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the earth beneath them split open.	31. And it came to pass, when he had finished speaking these words, the earth beneath them clave asunder;
32. The earth beneath them opened its mouth and swallowed them and their houses, and all the men who were with Korah and all the property.	32. and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and the men of their houses, and all the men who adhered to Korach, and all their substance.
33. They, and all they possessed, descended alive into the grave; the earth covered them up, and they were lost to the assembly.	33. And they went down with all that they had alive into Sheol; and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from the midst of the congregation.
34. All the Israel who were around them fled from their cries, for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up [too]!"	34. And all Israel who were round about them fled from the terror of their voice, as they cried and said, Righteous is the LORD, and His judgment is truth, and the words of His servant Mosheh are truth; but we are wicked who have rebelled against him: and the children of Israel fled when they heard; for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up.
35. A fire came forth from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who had offered up the incense.	35. And a fire came out in wrath from before the LORD, and devoured the two hundred and fifty men who offered the incense.
1. The Lord spoke to Moses saying:	1. And the LORD spoke with Mosheh, saying:
2. Say to Eleazar the son of Aaron the kohen that he should pick up the censers from the burned area (but throw the fire away), because they have become sanctified,	2. Bid Elazar bar Aharon the priest to take away the censers from among the burnings, and scatter the fire hither and thither; for the censers of these guilty men who have been punished by the destruction of their lives are consecrated;
3. the censers of these who sinned at the cost of their lives, and they shall make them into flattened out plates as an overlay for the altar, for they brought them before the Lord, and have [therefore] become sanctified, and they shall be as a reminder for the children of Israel.	3. and make of them broad plates for the covering of the altar, because they bare them before the LORD, therefore they are consecrate; and they shall be for a sign to the children of Israel.
4. So Eleazar the kohen took the copper censers which the fire victims had brought, and they hammered them out as an overlay for the altar,	4. And Elazar the priest took the brazen censers which they who had been burned had carried, and beat them out for a covering for the body of the altar, as they had before used them for the service of the altar:
5. as a reminder for the children of Israel, so that no outsider, who is not of the seed of Aaron, shall approach to burn incense before the Lord, so as not to be like Korah and his company, as the Lord spoke regarding him through the hand of Moses.	5. for a memorial to the sons of Israel, that no common man, who is not of the sons of Aharon, may offer incense before the LORD; and that no man should behave himself factiously to obtain the priesthood, as did Korach and the company of his helpers; and whose end would be to perish, not (indeed) with a death like that of Korach and his company, by being burned by fire, and being swallowed up by the earth, but punished with leprosy: as when the LORD said to Mosheh, Put your hand into your bosom, and his hand was stricken with leprosy; so would it be with him.
6. The following day, the entire congregation of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron saying, "You have killed the people of the Lord."	6. But on the following day the whole congregation murmured against Mosheh and Aharon, saying: You have been the occasion of the judgment of death against the people of the LORD.
7. It came to pass while the congregation were assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned to the Tent of Meeting, and behold, the cloud had covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.	7. And it was, that when the congregation had gathered against Mosheh and Aharon to kill them, they looked towards the Tabernacle of Ordinance, and, behold, the Cloud of the Glory of the Shekinah covered it, and the Glory of the LORD was revealed there.
8. Moses and Aaron came to the front of the Tent of Meeting.	8. And Mosheh and Aharon went from the congregation to the door of the tabernacle.
9. The Lord spoke to Moses saying:	9. And the Lord spoke with Mosheh, saying:
10. Stand aside from this congregation, and I shall consume them in an instant." They fell on their faces.	10. Separate from the midst of this congregation, and I will consume them at once. But they bowed themselves on their faces in prayer.
11. Moses said to Aaron, "Take the censer and put fire from the altar top into it. Then take it quickly to the congregation and atone for them, for wrath has gone forth from the Lord, and the plague has begun."	11. And Mosheh said to Aharon, Take the censer, put fire in it from the altar, and sweet incense on the fire; bear it quickly into the congregation, and make atonement for them: for a destruction like that which consumed them in Horeb, whose name is Burning, has begun by commandment to kill, from the presence of the LORD.
12. Aaron took [it], just as Moses had said, and he ran into the midst of the assembly, and behold, the plague had begun among the people. He placed the incense on it and atoned for the people.	12. And Aharon took, as Mosheh had said, and ran into the midst of the congregation, and, behold the destructive burning had begun to destroy the people: but he put on incense, and made atonement for the people.
13. He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague ceased.	13. And Aharon stood in the midst, between the dead and the living with the censer, and interceded in prayer; and the plague was restrained.
14. The number of dead in the plague was fourteen thousand, seven hundred, besides those who died because of the matter of Korah.	14. But the number who had died by the plague was fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside those who had died in the schism of Korach.
15. Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and the plague was checked.	15. And Aharon returned to Mosheh at the door of the tabernacle; and the plague was stayed.

 

Rashi Commentary for: ‎ Bamidbar (Numbers.) 16:1 – 17:15

 

1 Korah... took This portion is beautifully expounded on in the Midrash of R. Tanchuma, [as follows]:

 

Korah... took He took himself to one side to dissociate himself from the congregation, to contest the [appointment of Aaron to the] kehunah. This is what Onkelos means when he renders it וְאִתְפְּלֵג, “and he separated himself.” He separated himself from the congregation to persist in a dispute. Similarly, מַה־יִּקָּחֲךָ לִבֶּךָ, “Why does your heart take you away?” (Job 15:12) meaning, it removes you, to isolate you from others (Midrash Tanchuma Korach 2). Another explanation: He attracted the heads of the Sanhedrin among them with amicable words. Similarly, “Take Aaron [with words]” (20:25); “Take words with you” (Hosea 14:3) (Midrash Tanchuma Korach 1). -[Num. Rabbah 18:2]

 

the son of Izhar the son of Kohath the son of Levi [The verse] does not mention, “the son of Jacob,” because he [Jacob] prayed not to be mentioned in connection with their quarrel, as it is stated, “my honor, you shall not join their assembly” (Gen. 49:6). And where is his name mentioned in connection with Korah? In (I) Chron. (6:22, 23), where their genealogy is traced for the service of the Levites on the platform [in the Temple], as it says, “the son of Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.” - [Midrash Tanchuma Korach 4, Num. Rabbah 18:5]

 

Dathan and Abiram Since the tribe of Reuben was settled in the south when they camped, thus being neighbors of Kohath and his children who were also camped in the south, they joined with Korah in his rebellion. Woe to the wicked, and woe to his neighbor! Now what made Korah decide to quarrel with Moses? He envied the chieftainship of Elizaphan the son of Uzziel whom Moses appointed as chieftain over the sons of Kohath by the [Divine] word. Korah claimed, “My father and his brothers were four [in number]” as it says, “The sons of Kohath were...” (Exod. 6:18). Amram was the first, and his two sons received greatness—one a king and one a kohen gadol. Who is entitled to receive the second [position]? Is it not I, who am the son of Izhar, who is the second brother to Amram? And yet, he [Moses] appointed to the chieftainship the son of his youngest brother! I hereby oppose him and will invalidate his word (Midrash Tanchuma Korach 1, Num. Rabbah 18:2). What did he do? He went and assembled two hundred and fifty men, heads of Sanhedrin, most of them from the tribe of Reuben, his neighbors. These were Elitzur the son of Shedeur and his colleagues, and others like him, as it says, “chieftains of the congregation, those called to the assembly.” And further it states, “These were the chosen ones of the congregation” (1: 16). He dressed them with cloaks made entirely of blue wool. They came and stood before Moses and asked him, “Does a cloak made entirely of blue wool require fringes [’tzitzith’], or is it exempt?” He replied, “It does require [fringes].” They began laughing at him [saying], "Is it possible that a cloak of another [colored] material, one string of blue wool exempts it [from the obligation of techeleth], and this one, which is made entirely of blue wool, should not exempt itself? -[Midrash Tanchuma Korach 2, Num. Rabbah 18:3]

 

descendants of Reuben Dathan and Abiram and On the son of Peleth.

 

3 You take too much upon yourselves You took by far too much greatness for yourselves.

 

are all holy All of them heard [the] words [of the commandments] at Sinai from the mouth of the Almighty. -[Midrash Tanchuma Korach 4]

 

So why do you raise yourselves If you have taken kingship for yourself, you should not have chosen kehunah for your brother. Not only you heard at Sinai, “I am the Lord, your God”; the entire congregation heard it. -[Midrash Tanchuma Korach 4]

 

4 and fell on his face because of the rebellion, for this was already their fourth offense. [When] they sinned with the calf, “Moses pleaded” (Exod. 32:11); by the episode of the complainers, “Moses prayed” (11:2); with the spies, “Moses said to God, ‘But the Egyptians will hear...’” (14:13), but now, at Korah’s rebellion, he became disheartened [literally, his hands were weakened]. This is comparable to a prince who sinned against his father, and his [father’s] friend placated the king on his behalf, once, twice, and three times. When he offended the fourth time, the friend became disheartened, and he said, “How much more can I trouble the king? Perhaps he will no longer accept my petition.” - [Midrash Tanchuma 4, Num. Rabbah 18:6]

 

5 In the morning, the Lord will make known Night is a time of drunkenness for us, and it is improper to appear before Him. His real intention was to delay, with the hope that they might retract [their opposition]. - [Midrash Tanchuma 5]

 

In the morning, the Lord will make known who is His For the Levitic services.

 

and who is holy For the kehunah.

 

and He will draw them...

 

near to Him Heb. וְהִקְרִיב אֵלָיו. And the Targum [Onkelos] proves this [that it is referring to both the Levites and the kohanim], for he renders the first phrase, “He will bring them close to Him” [and the second phrase] “He will bring into His service.” The Midrashic interpretation of בּֽקֶר, morning, [rather than מָחָר, tomorrow] is: Moses said to him [Korah], The Holy One, blessed is He, assigned boundaries to His world. Are you able to transform morning into evening? That is how possible it is for you to undo this, as it says, “It was evening and it was morning... and He separated (וַיַּבְדֵּל)” (Gen. 1:5, 7); similarly, “Aaron was set apart (וַיִּבָּדֵל) to sanctify him...” (I Chron. 23:13). - [Midrash Tanchuma Korach 3, Num. Rabbah 4]

 

6 Do this!...Take for yourselves censers Why did he see fit to speak to them thus? He said to them, "Among the nations, there are various forms of worship and many priests, and they do not all gather in one temple. We, however, have only one God, one ark, one Torah, one altar, and one kohen gadol, but you two hundred and fifty men are all seeking the kehunah gedolah! I too would prefer that. Here, take for yourselves the service most dear—it is the incense, more cherished than any other sacrifice, but it contains deadly poison, by which Nadab and Abihu were burnt. Therefore, he warned them, “and it will be the one whom the Lord chooses—he is the holy one” [meaning,] that he is already in his [state of] holiness. Is it not obvious that [the one] who is chosen is the holy one? Rather, Moses told them, “I am telling you this so that you should not be found guilty. For the one He chooses will survive, and the rest of you will perish.” - [Mid. Tanchuma 5, Bamidbar Rabbah 18:8]

 

censers - מַחְתּוֹת, vessels used for stoking (חוֹתִין) coals, which have a handle.

 

7 you have taken too much upon yourselves, sons of Levi Heb. רַב לָכֶם בְּנֵי לֵוִי , [interpreted Midrashically as:] I have told you a very great thing. Were they not fools? For he warned them about it and they [still] took upon themselves to offer [the incense]. They sinned at the cost of their lives, as it says, “the censers of these who sinned at the cost of their lives” (17:3). But what did Korah, who was astute, see [to commit] this folly? His vision deceived him. He saw [prophetically] a chain of great people descended from him: Samuel, who is equal [in importance] to Moses and Aaron. He [Korah] said, "For his sake I will be spared. [He also saw] twenty-four watches [of Levites] emanating from his grandsons, all prophesying through the holy spirit, as it says, “all these were the sons of Heman” (I Chron 25:5). He said, “Is it possible that all this greatness is destined to emanate from me, and I should remain silent?” Therefore, he participated [in the rebellion] to reach that prerogative, for he had heard from Moses that they would all perish and one would escape [death]: “the one whom the Lord chooses—he is the holy one.” He erred in thinking that it referred to him. He, however, did not “see” properly, for his sons repented [and thus did not die at that time]. Moses, however, foresaw this. - [This is found in Mid.] Tanchuma [Korach 5, Num. Rabbah 18:8]

 

you have taken too much upon yourselves [The simple interpretation is:] You have taken too great a task upon yourselves, to rebel against the Holy One, blessed is He.

 

8 Moses said... He began to speak softly to him, but when he saw that he [Korah] was adamant [lit., stiff-necked], he [Moses] thought, “Before the other tribes [other versions: the rest of the tribe] join him and perish with him, I will speak to all of them as well.” He then began exhorting them [saying,], “Listen to me, sons of Levi.” - [Midrash Tanchuma Korach 6, Num. Rabbah 18:9]

 

9 and to stand before the congregation to sing on the platform.

 

10 He drew you near to that service from which he has distanced the rest of the congregation of Israel.

 

11 Therefore Because of this, “you and your entire company who are assembled” with you “are against the Lord,” for I acted as His messenger to give the kehunah to Aaron, and this rebellion is not with us [but with the Lord]. - [Midrash Tanchuma Korach 6, Num. Rabbah 18:9]

 

12 Moses sent From here we derive that one should not persist in a dispute, because Moses sought them out to conciliate them with peaceful words. - [Mid. Tanchuma Korach 10, Sanh. 110a]

 

We will not go up Their own mouths caused them to stumble, [to say] that they would have only a downfall. - [Mid. Tanchuma Korach 6, Num. Rabbah 10]

 

14 nor have you given us This statement refers to the word “not” stated above; meaning, You have not brought us up, and You have not given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. You said to us, “I will bring you up from the affliction of Egypt to a good land...” (Exod. 3:10). You did bring us out of there, but you have not brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey. Instead, you have decreed upon us to kill us in the desert, as you said to us, “your corpses shall fall in this desert” (14:29).

 

Even if you gouge out the eyes of those men... Even if you send [messengers] to gouge out our eyes if we do not go up to you, we will not go up.

 

those men Like a person who attributes his own curse to his fellow.

 

15 Moses was exceedingly distressed Heb. וַיִּחַר לְמשֶׁה מְאֽד, he was very grieved, [not that he was angry].

 

Do not accept their offering According to its simple meaning, [Moses said,] Do not accept the incense that they will sacrifice before You tomorrow. According to its Midrashic interpretation, he said: I know that they have a portion in the daily communal offerings. Let their portions not be accepted favorably before You. Let the fire leave it and not consume it. -[Midrash Tanchuma Korach 7, Num. Rabbah 10]

 

I have not taken a donkey from a single one of them I did not take a donkey from any one of them. Even when I went from Midian to Egypt, and I placed my wife and sons on a donkey to ride, and I should have taken that donkey from their property, I took only from my own property (Tanchuma Korach 7, Num. Rabbah 10). Onkelos renders it as שְׁחָרִית, ‘expropriated.’ In Aramaic, the king’s service is called שַׁחְוַור.

 

16 they Your company.

 

17 and let each man present his censer before the Lord... The two hundred and fifty men among you.

 

19 Korah assembled... against them with words of mockery. All that night, he went to the tribes and enticed them [saying,] “Do you think I care only for myself? I care for all of you. These [people] come and take all the high positions: the kingship for himself and the kehunah for his brother,” until they were all enticed. - [Midrash Tanchuma Korach 7, Num. Rabbah 10]

 

and the glory of the Lord appeared He came in a pillar of cloud.

 

22 O God, the God of the spirits [God Who] knows the thoughts [of every man]. Your attributes are not like those of earthly beings. A mortal king against whom part of his country transgresses does not know who the sinner is, and, therefore, when he is angry, he metes out punishment upon them all. But as for You, all thoughts are revealed before You, and You know who the sinner is. - [Midrash Tanchuma Korach 7, Num. Rabbah 11]

 

if one man [If one man] is the sinner, shall You be angry with the whole congregation? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “You have spoken well. I know and will make known who sinned and who did not sin.” - [Midrash Tanchuma Korach 7, Num. Rabbah 11]

 

24 Withdraw Heb. הֵעָלוּ , as the Targum [Onkelos] renders: Withdraw from around Korah’s tent.

 

25 Moses arose He thought they would show him respect, but they did not. - [Midrash Tanchuma Korach 8, Num. Rabbah 12]

 

27 went out standing upright Heb. נִצָּבִים, with a haughty bearing, to curse and to blaspheme, as in, “he stationed himself (וַיּתְיַצֵּב) [in an arrogant manner] for forty days” (I Sam. 17:16), said in reference to Goliath. - [Mid. Tanchuma Korach 3, 8, Num. Rabbah 12]

 

their wives, their children, and their infants Come and see the severity of dispute. The earthly courts do not punish until [an accused] has two [pubic] hairs, and the heavenly court does not punish until one reaches the age of twenty, but here even nursing babes were punished. - [Midrash Tanchuma Korach 3]

 

28 to do all these deeds That I did by the word of God: to give Aaron the kehunah gedolah, his sons the deputy kehunah, and Elizaphan the chieftainship of the Kohathites.

 

29 the Lord has not sent me But I did everything on my own, and he [Korah] is in the right for opposing me. - [Mid. Tanchuma Korach 8, Num. Rabbah 12]

 

30 But if... a creation A new one.

 

the Lord creates to kill them through a death by which no man has died until now. And what is this creation? “And the earth will open its mouth and swallow them up.” Then you will know that they have provoked the Holy One, blessed is He, and I [Moses] have spoken by Divine word. Our Rabbis interpret it: If there was a mouth already created to the earth from the time of the six days of Creation, well and good, but if not, let God create [one now]. - [Mid. Tanchuma Korach, Sanh. 110a]

 

34 fled from their cries Because of the sound that emanated when they were swallowed up.

 

Chapter 17

 

2 but... the fire that is in the censers.

 

throw... away [the fire] on the ground, off the censers.

 

because they have become sanctified I.e., the censers [have become sanctified], and it is forbidden to derive personal benefit from them since they made them into service vessels.

 

3 these who sinned at the cost of their lives They have become willful sinners against their own lives for they opposed the Holy One, blessed is He.

 

flattened out Heb. רִקֻּעֵי, thinned out.

 

plates metal sheets beaten flat; in old French, tenves, thinned out, flattened.

 

an overlay for the altar For the copper altar.

 

and they shall be as a reminder A remembrance so that people will say, “These [plates] are from those who disputed the kehunah and were burnt.”

 

4 and they beat them out In Old French, estendre, to extend, to spread, [in modern French &? tendre].

 

5 so as not to be like Korah Heb. וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה כְקֽרַח, lit. and there shall not be like Korach. In order that there shall not be like Korah.

 

as the Lord spoke regarding him through the hand of Moses [The word לוֹ literally means ‘to him.’ Here it] means ‘about him,’ that is, about Aaron, He spoke to Moses that he and his sons would be kohanim. Therefore, no outsider, who is not of the seed of Aaron, shall draw near.... Similarly, every time it says, לִי , לוֹ, or לָהֶם in connection with the verb דִּבּוּר, ‘speech,’ it means ‘regarding.’ Its Midrashic interpretation is that לוֹ refers to Korah. So what is [the meaning of] "by the hand of Moses"? Why not just simply "to Moses"? It alludes to those who rebel against the kehunah. They are stricken with tzara’ath, as it says, “and he [Moses] took it out, and behold, his hand was ‘leprous,’ like snow” (Exod. 4:6). For this reason, Uzziah was stricken with tzara’ath. - [Midrash Tanchuma Tzav 11]

 

11 and atone for them This secret was given over to him by the angel of death when he went up to heaven, that incense holds back the plague... as is related in Tractate Shabbath (89a).

 

 

 

Commentary on the Torah of Bamidbar (Numbers) 16:1 - 17:15

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

 

I would like to take a deeper look at the intriguing story of Korach.

 

(Korach’s rebellion (Numbers 16) took place on Sivan 1.)

 

Korach was a very great man, though one must read carefully to appreciate this fact. The name of this Torah reading, Korach, provokes an obvious question: Why is this portion named after a man who appears to be very wicked? It is written:

 

Proverbs 10:7 The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.

 

To understand the answer to this question, we must remember that Korach’s identity is perpetuated forever, since the Torah is eternal.

 

From a mystical perspective,[1] it is explained that Korach’s desires reflected the spiritual heights to be reached in the era of the redemption. Korach’s problem was a problem with timing. He was ahead of his time. Unfortunately, this bad timing also manifested a split in the congregation. Thus, we see that Korach was appropriately named, for the Hebrew root word Korach means “division” or “split”,[2] and Chazal, Our Sages,[3] associate Korach, not only in fact, but also in essence, with the cause of a division. The Targum Onkelos tells us that Korach made a ‘division’.

 

Targum Onkelos to Numbers 16:1 But Korach bar Izhar bar Kahath bar Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On bar Pelath of the Beni Reuben, made a division.

 

In the Messianic age, the Levites (Korach’s tribe) will be elevated to the station of priests, and the entire Jewish people will reach pinnacles of spiritual experience, as we read in the Prophet Yoel:

 

Yoel 3:1-2 And it shall come to pass afterward, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 2 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

 

Now that we realize that Korach was a great man, we can begin to understand his sin.

 

The commentators explain that Korach’s sin was an infraction, for which there is no room for forgiveness. First, his declaration that Moshe had no right to lead a nation in which everybody was holy, contradicts the order of creation. The world was created upon the principle of a mashpia[4] [משפיע] (giver), one who influences, who inspires others, and on a mekabel[5] [מקבל] (receiver), one who is influenced, who accepts from him. This is the relationship of male and female, heaven and earth, rebbe and talmid, teacher and student. Just as there is nothing on this physical world that is not in some way connected to the spiritual world from which it receives its sustenance, so, too, is everything in this world sustained through the mashpia/mekabel process. Korach wanted to exist beyond the parameters that HaShem set for this world. He wanted everyone to be equal. This indicated rebellion against HaShem’s course of directing the world.

 

The Jewish Encyclopedia, in the article “Sun“, we read the following:

 

The sun and the moon are employed as symbols in the Kabbala. Generally, the sun is masculine and represents the principal or independent—technically it is the “giver” (“mashpia’”); Abraham is the sun; so is Samuel, because he was independent, accepting no gift or fee from any one.[6] The moon is feminine, and represents the secondary or dependent—technically the “receiver” (“mekabel”). Thus the sun means the father; the moon, the mother. Moses and Aaron; the rich man and the poor man; the Torah and the Talmud; Rabbi and Rabina (or R. Ashi), are respectively the sun and the moon (Heilprin, “‘Erke ha-Kinnuyim,” s.v. המה). Samson’s name denotes “sun,” as he, likewise, was independent. The initial letters of the names Samuel, Moses, and Samson spell “Shemesh” (= “sun”). The Messiah is the sun: “And his throne as the sun before me”.[7]

 

1. How do we understand this dispute? What was the root reason behind this dispute?

 

The root reason is that Korach believed that they had already entered the Messianic age. He disputed that he had to be a receiver. It was Korach’s understanding that he had become a giver, along with the other two-hundred and fifty men. They believed that they no longer needed to be receivers. There was no more rebbe and talmid. We are all holy, we are all Shabbat, we are all the sun, we are all givers. The Maharal of Prague[8] explains that while all Jews are holy, not all are vessels for the same function. Just as different limbs of the body serve different purposes, so too within the communal body of Israel, there are distinct roles. To deny this is to deny the wisdom of the Divine Architect. Korach failed to recognize that even though a vessel is mekabel, it is still essential for the flow of blessing.

 

The face of Moshe was like the face of the sun, where the face of Joshua was like the face of the moon.[9]

 

The Hebrew word for afternoon is צוהריים tzoharayam, this word has the same gematria as Moshe = 345. The value is equal because the afternoon is when the sun is shining the brightest, and Moshe is the sun.

 

Not all those who were in Korach’s company were enticed:

 

Sanhedrin 109b  Rab said: On, the son of Peleth, was saved by his wife. Said she to him, ‘What matters it to thee? Whether the one [Moses] remains master or the other [Korah] becomes master, thou art but a disciple.’ He replied, ‘But what can I do? I have taken part in their counsel, and they have sworn me [to be] with them.’ She said, ‘I know that they are all a holy community, as it is written, seeing all the congregation are holy, everyone of them. [So,]’ she proceeded, ‘Sit here, and I will save thee.’ She gave him wine to drink, intoxicated him and laid him down within [the tent]. Then she sat down at the entrance thereto and loosened her hair. Whoever came [to summon him] saw her and retreated. Meanwhile, Korah’s wife joined them [the rebels] and said to him [Korah], ‘See what Moses has done. He himself has become king; his brother he appointed High Priest; his brother’s sons he hath made the vice High Priests. If terumah is brought, he decrees, Let it be for the priest; if the tithe is brought, which belongs to you [i.e., to the Levite], he orders, Give a tenth part thereof to the priest. Moreover, he has had your hair cut off, and makes sport of you as though ye were dirt; for he was jealous of your hair.’ Said he to her, ‘But he has done likewise!’ She replied, ‘Since all the greatness was his, he said also, Let me die with the Philistines. Moreover, he has commanded you, Set [fringes] of blue wool [in the corners of your garments]; but if there is virtue in blue wool, then bring forth blue wool, and clothe thine entire academy therewith.’ Thus it is written, Every wise woman buildeth her house — this refers to the wife of On, the son of Peleth; but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands — to Korah’s wife.

 

HaShem clearly delineates the positions, rights, and duties of priests and Levites; He quickly rejects Korach’s impressive, but premature, attempt to establish a Messianic democracy. The wicked both quickly flourish and quickly wither:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 92:7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed forever… 12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

 

The final letters of that verse’s last three words TSADIK KATAMAR YIFRACH spell Korach-- in the end of days, his egalitarian vision will indeed prevail.[10]

 

“Korach was such an intelligent person. How could he have made such a colossal blunder [and rebel against Moshe]?” This is the question that our Sages pose.[11] They answer that he misinterpreted the information that he had. Korach knew prophetically that he would have extremely great descendants. The prophet Samuel, equal in stature to Moshe and Aharon, was one of them. Korach reasoned that the merit and service of his future offspring were so great that it had to be he that would prevail in the rebellion.

 

The problem is that Korach did not hear that this greatness would be due to his sons, not to his own actions. Korach’s sons, Assir, Elkanah, and Avaisaph, saints and prophets, repent before it’s too late, and they survive;[12] they’re the first of forty-eight prophets succeeding Moshe.[13] They authored Tehillim (Psalms) 42, 44-49, 84-85, 87-88. In Kabbalistic terms, the sons of Korach’s psalms represent a tikkun (rectification) of their father’s rebellion. By submitting as mekabel to HaShem’s order, they restored the proper flow of divine energy that Korach had sought to disrupt.

 

Korach was the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi. We do not mention that he was the son of Yaakov.

 

Rashi introduces our Parasha with the statement: “This Parasha is explained nicely in the midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma”. Rashi quoted the midrash Tanchuma, that the Patriarch Yaakov had pleaded not to have any share in the rebellion of Korach. For that reason, Korach’s genealogy stops before mentioning Yaakov:

 

Rashi:  the son of Izhar the son of Kohath the son of Levi [The verse] does not mention, “the son of Jacob,” because he [Jacob] prayed not to be mentioned in connection with their quarrel, as it is stated, “my honor, you shall not join their assembly” (Gen. 49:6). And where is his name mentioned in connection with Korah? In (I) Chron. (6:22, 23), where their genealogy is traced for the service of the Levites on the platform [in the Temple], as it says, “the son of Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel”.[14]

 

The Midrash Rabbah adds additional insight:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XVIII:5 NOW KORAH, THE SON OF IZHAR, THE SON OF KOHATH, THE SON OF LEVI... TOOK. Why is it not written, ‘The son of Jacob’ or ‘The son of Israel’? This bears on the text, Let my soul not come into their council (Gen. XLIX, 6), namely that of the spies; Unto their assembly let my glory not be united (ib.), namely to that of Korah. Jacob said to the Holy One, blessed be He: ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Let not my name be mentioned with those wicked people, either in connection with the spies or in connection with Korah’s quarrel. When then should my name be mentioned? When they trace their pedigrees to take their stand upon the dais; and so it says, The son of Tahlath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.[15]

 

2. Why didn’t Yaakov want to have his name associated with the sin of Korach, as opposed to the golden calf or the sin of the spies?

 

Yaakov was the ultimate receiver. Yaakov is represented by the moon. In Kiddush Levanah (the moon blessing) we face the moon and we say:

 

The first letter of each word spells: יעקב - Yaakov. The “man in the moon”, the face, is the face of Yaakov. This explains why he did not want to be associated with a receiver who had failed.

 

Korach went around “all night” according to the Midrash:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XVIII:10 NEITHER HAVE I HURT ONE OF THEM (XVI, 15). By this Moses meant: I did not condemn the innocent nor acquit the guilty. When Moses saw that they persisted in their haughtiness, he said to them: BE THOU AND ALL THY CONGREGATION BEFORE THE LORD... TOMORROW (ib. 16) Korah went about all that night and misled the Israelites. He said to them: ‘What do you suppose? That I am working to obtain greatness for myself? I desire that we should all enjoy greatness in turn, not like Moses who has appropriated the kingship to himself and has given the High Priesthood to his brother!’ And so he went about winning over each tribe with arguments suited to that particular tribe, until they made common cause with him. How is this inferred? From the text, AND KORAH ASSEMBLED ALL THE CONGREGATION AGAINST THEM  (ib. 19). They approached Moses, all speaking as Korah did. Instantly, THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES AND UNTO AARON, SAYING: SEPARATE YOURSELVES FROM AMONG THIS CONGREGATION, AND THEY FELL UPON THEIR FACES  (ib. 20 f.).

 

3. Why does the Midrash stress that Korah sought support all night?

 

Korach did his work of gaining support at night, because subconsciously he knew that he did his best work at night. Korach is the night man. The night is the receiver in the same way Korach was a receiver.

 

Rashi tells us about Korach’s nighttime work:

 

Rashi: 19 Korah assembled... against them with words of mockery. All that night, he went to the tribes and enticed them [saying,] “Do you think I care only for myself? I care for all of you. These [people] come and take all the high positions: the kingship for himself and the kehunah for his brother,” until they were all enticed.[16]

 

Moses says that “in the morning” HaShem will reveal His will. The Midrash lends us some additional insight:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XVIII:4 Said He: In the morning the Lord will show who are His (Num. XVI, 5). What is the reason why He chose such a time? R. Nathan explained: The Holy One, blessed be He, said: ‘If all the magicians of the world were to assemble and try to turn the morning into evening, they would not be able to do so, and as I made a partition between light and darkness, so have I set Aaron apart to sanctify him as most holy.’

 

4. Why does Moses wait till the morning to resolve this issue? Why not resolve it now?

 

Moshe procrastinated till the morning because he is the sun the daytime. Korach is the moon; he is the night. Therefore, Moshe wanted to wait until his time, his turf had arrived. Moshe wanted Korach to see that this is the reality, that Korach is the receiver.

 

Rashi alludes to this:

 

Rashi: near to Him Heb.וְהִקְרִיב אֵלָיו . And the Targum [Onkelos] proves this [that it is referring to both the Levites and the kohanim], for he renders the first phrase, “He will bring them close to Him” [and the second phrase] “He will bring into His service.” The Midrashic interpretation ofבּֽקֶר , morning, [rather thanמָחָר , tomorrow] is: Moses said to him [Korah], The Holy One, blessed is He, assigned boundaries to His world. Are you able to transform morning into evening? That is how possible it is for you to undo this, as it says, “It was evening and it was morning... and He separated (וַיַּבְדֵּל) “(Gen. 1:5, 7); similarly, “Aaron was set apart (וַיִּבָּדֵל) to sanctify him...”[17].[18]

 

Rashi also tells us why Moshe put the decision off till the morning:

 

Rashi: 5 In the morning, the Lord will make known Night is a time of drunkenness for us, and it is improper to appear before Him. His real intention was to delay, with the hope that they might retract [their opposition].[19]

 

The rebels weren't a unified group. Korach, a Levite, felt he deserved the High Priesthood over Aaron. Dathan and Abiram, from the tribe of Reuben (Yaakov's firstborn), believed they should hold political leadership. The 250 prominent men who joined them were upset that the privilege of service to HaShem had shifted from the firstborn to the Levites after the Golden Calf incident. This suggests a calculated political alliance driven by individual grievances.

 

Midrashim relate that Korach’s 250 men donned solid blue four-cornered garments (talit) and ridiculed Moshe’s ruling, that they still needed the blue string, amidst the other fringes, at each corner of the garment. The Midrash Rabba offers further insight:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XVIII:3 NOW KORAH... TOOK. What is written in the preceding passage? Bid them that they make them... fringes... and that they put with the fringe of each corner a thread of blue (Num. XV, 38). Korah jumped up and asked Moses: ‘If a cloak is entirely of blue, what is the law as regards its being exempted from the obligation of fringes? ‘Moses answered him:’ It is subject to the obligation of fringes. ‘Korah retorted:’ A cloak that is entirely composed of blue cannot free itself from the obligation, yet the four blue threads do free it! If,’ he asked again, ‘a house is full of Scriptural books, what is the law as regards its being exempt from the obligation of mezuzah?’ He answered him: ‘It is under the obligation of having a mezuzah.’ ‘The whole Torah,’ he argued, ‘which contains two hundred and seventy-five sections, cannot exempt the house, yet the one section in the mezuzah exempts it! These are things,’ he continued, ‘which you have not been commanded, but you are inventing them out of your own mind!’

 

The Keli Yakar quotes the above Midrash. At the end of the previous Parasha (Shelach), we were informed of the mitzva of tzitzith. Korach “took” the Parasha of tzitzith and challenged Moshe in the realms of Halacha. If a garment is completely made of techelet, does it need tzitzith of techelet on its’ fringes? Moshe replied in the affirmative. Korach challenged the answer given by Moshe.

 

Rashi gives us a similar response:

 

Rashi:  Dathan and Abiram Since the tribe of Reuben was settled in the south when they camped, thus being neighbors of Kohath and his children who were also camped in the south, they joined with Korah in his rebellion. Woe to the wicked, and woe to his neighbor! Now what made Korah decide to quarrel with Moses? He envied the chieftainship of Elizaphan the son of Uzziel whom Moses appointed as chieftain over the sons of Kohath by the [Divine] word. Korah claimed, “My father and his brothers were four [in number]” as it says, “The sons of Kohath were...” (Exod. 6:18). Amram was the first, and his two sons received greatness—one a king and one a kohen gadol. Who is entitled to receive the second [position]? Is it not I, who am the son of Izhar, who is the second brother to Amram? And yet, he [Moses] appointed to the chieftainship the son of his youngest brother! I hereby oppose him and will invalidate his word.[20] What did he do? He went and assembled two hundred and fifty men, heads of Sanhedrin, most of them from the tribe of Reuben, his neighbors. These were Elitzur the son of Shedeur and his colleagues, and others like him, as it says, “chieftains of the congregation, those called to the assembly.” And further it states, “These were the chosen ones of the congregation” (1:16). He dressed them with cloaks made entirely of blue wool. They came and stood before Moses and asked him, “Does a cloak made entirely of blue wool require fringes [‘tzitzith’], or is it exempt?” He replied, “It does require [fringes].” They began laughing at him [saying], “Is it possible that a cloak of another [colored] material, one string of blue wool exempts it [from the obligation of techeleth], and this one, which is made entirely of blue wool, should not exempt itself?[21]

 

If one thread of techelet can be used to exempt a garment of tzitzith, then surely a garment of techelet would not require tzitzith?

 

5. Why does Korach choose tzitzith (fringes) for his argument as opposed to the Parah Adumah or another chok?[22]

 

The word tzitzith, fringes, is related to that which bursts forth with life from seemingly dead earth and trees; this week, after Korach’s debacle, we read that only Aharon’s rod flowered, “Vayatzetz Tzitz”, and put forth buds.[23] The garment, begged, represents external physical reality, the illusory world of the senses, limited by its four corners, unless one progresses to the transcendental world of truth and eternity, via the mitzvot, linking every aspect of mundane life to HaShem, it’s represented by the blue string.

 

We are to see the tzitzith. If we wear a talit at night, we do not need tzitzith. They only need tzitzith by day so that we can see them. Thus, we understand that the reason Korach chose to dispute this mitzva was due to his perspective. He was coming from the perspective of night! And from his perspective, he was right!

 

Moshe took his perspective of the sun, of daytime. The talit requires tzitzith during the day.

 

Korach’s eye mislead him. Korach saw that Shmuel the prophet would be his descendant. He sought leadership because he saw how great his descendants would be, even though the one not chosen would die. The Midrash confirms this:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XVIII:8 Now Korah, who was a clever man--what reason had he for such folly? His mind’s eye misled him. He foresaw that a long and distinguished progeny would emanate from him, particularly Samuel, whose importance would equal that of Moses and Aaron; as may be inferred from the text, Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His Name,[24] and that from among his descendants there would be formed twenty-four Levitical divisions all of whom would prophesy under the influence of the Holy Spirit; as it says, All these were the sons of Heman.[25] He argued: ‘Is it reasonable that, since such greatness is destined to emanate from me, I should keep silent?‘ He did not, however, foresee accurately. In fact his sons repented, and it was from them that the distinguished progeny was to emanate. Moses, however, did foresee it. The reason then why Korah was foolish enough to risk that danger was because he heard from Moses that they would all perish and one of them would escape; as it says, AND IT SHALL BE THAT THE MAN WHOM THE LORD DOTH CHOOSE, HE SHALL BE HOLY.

 

Rashi also tells us about these great descendants:

 

Rashi:  7 you have taken too much upon yourselves, sons of Levi Heb.רַב לָכֶם בְּנֵי לֵוִי , [interpreted Midrashically as:] I have told you a very great thing. Were they not fools? For he warned them about it and they [still] took upon themselves to offer [the incense]. They sinned at the cost of their lives, as it says, “the censers of these who sinned at the cost of their lives” (17:3). But what did Korah, who was astute, see [to commit] this folly? His vision deceived him. He saw [prophetically] a chain of great people descended from him: Samuel, who is equal [in importance] to Moses and Aaron. He [Korah] said, “For his sake I will be spared. [He also saw] twenty-four watches [of Levites] emanating from his grandsons, all prophesying through the holy spirit, as it says, “all these were the sons of Heman” (I Chron 25:5). He said, “Is it possible that all this greatness is destined to emanate from me, and I should remain silent?” Therefore, he participated [in the rebellion] to reach that prerogative, for he had heard from Moses that they would all perish and one would escape [death]: “the one whom the Lord chooses—he is the holy one.” He erred in thinking that it referred to him. He, however, did not “see” properly, for his sons repented [and thus did not die at that time]. Moses, however, foresaw this.[26]

 

6. If Korach had prophecy, why did Korach’s eye not see that the descendant’s greatness was due to his children’s merit, not his?

 

Because in order to hear a prophecy in its entirety, one must learn how to listen, how to be a receiver. Without this skill, Korach did not hear the whole prophecy. Korach wanted to give; therefore, he missed the part that comes from a giver. Moshe, on the other hand, had perfected the art of hearing by being the receiver from HaShem. He had perfected the art of hearing.

 

7. Why did Dathan and Abiram say that they will not come even if Moses would pull their eyes out of their sockets? Why eyes?

 

The eyes see during the day. We need light to see. Dathan and Abiram said they were givers, men of the day, and they did not need to see, because eyes receive whilst we are givers now. Light will come from our eye sockets, we are givers now. They had bought into Korach’s arguments.

 

8. Why did HaShem open the ground to kill Korach and his followers, as opposed to plague or some other way?

 

The ground “received” Korach to indicate that Korach and his followers were receivers. This was HaShem’s last message to Korach. The ground formed a mouth which receives, and the mouth swallowed Korach. When the earth swallowed Korach and his company, it was a symbolic act of ultimate rejection. They, who sought to be mashpia in an unauthorized manner, were consumed by the very mekabel they sought to bypass. They disrupted the flow, and thus the container itself turned against them. Their spiritual vessels were shattered.

 

9. Why did HaShem have to prove that Aharon was the man with the sprouting rods? Why not use a bat kol?

 

Aharon was the giver in the area of the priesthood. Aharon represented the sun, too. Obviously, Aharon’s staff was still connected to its source. It produced fruit because it is still connected to its source. Aharon was therefore the source – the giver. Everyone else is the receiver that had cut themselves off from Aharon the giver.

 

10. In Tehillim 92:13, it says: צדיק כתמר יפרח - The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: – the last letters spell Korach’s name. The Arizal says that Korach was a צדיק - Tzadik.

 

Korach was wise and there will be a time when he is a giver. Unfortunately, his timing was way off. Korach was trying to assume the role of a giver at a time when HaShem still had him as a receiver. But the letters of Korach’s name appear at the end of the words to indicate that in the end Korach will be a Tzadik, not now. As the Zohar teaches, "It is the nature of the Giver to give, but if there is no receiver, there is no giving".[27]

 

11. Why was Joshua punished by having laws removed from his memory?

 

Moshe receives Torah from HaShem and then he turns around and becomes the rebbe, the teacher, giving Torah to Joshua and the people. Joshua later turns around and becomes the giver. However, because he assumes the role of the giver a minute early, his punishment is to forget what he received, because he is still supposed to be a receiver! Joshua said that he had never left Moshe’s side, therefore he had received everything, yet it was not yet his time to be a giver.

 

In each generation there is a Torah teacher who is the giver of his generation.

 

One day the world will be filled with the knowledge of HaShem. We will all be filled to capacity. Thus, we learn that this current situation where we have a rebbe and a talmid, is a temporary situation. It will not always be this way.

 

12. In the Song of Shabbat, Psalm 92, the first letters of each word spell Moshe, thus Moshe is Shabbat. Moshe was called Shabbat. How can this be?

 

Only Shabbat has sanctity, the six days have no inherent sanctity, but rather they receive their sanctity from Shabbat. That is why we begin Shabbat early on the sixth day and extend Shabbat into the first day of the week. We are injecting the sanctity of Shabbat into the six work days by affecting the first and the last of those six days.

 

In the same way, Moshe was holy and was giving that holiness to the people. He was giving the Torah and they were receiving it. Moshe is the sun, he is Shabbat, he is the giver. Korach and the people are the moon, they are the six work days, they are the receivers.

 

On the fourth day, HaShem created the two great luminaries, later it calls them a greater and a lesser luminary. This is because the sun and the moon were equal, later the moon was diminished.

 

Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh: This represents a fusion of opposites. Shabbat is associated with the weekly cycle of the sun, whereas Rosh Chodesh is associated with the lunar cycle. The two reflect the difference between a mashpia (giver) and a mekabel (receiver). This very differentiation, however, also implies that a connection is established between them; the mashpia and the mekabel are united.

 

The concepts of mashpia and mekabel are reflected in Parshat Korach. Korach appreciated the positive quality of the recipients. Thus, he asked Moshe:

 

Bamidbar (Numbers) 16:3 “Why do you raise yourself above the congregation of G-d?”

 

This was a mistake. Although the recipients have great positive qualities, these qualities are revealed when they submit themselves to the guidance of the mashpia.

 

13. Why can’t there be two kings with the same crown? Why can’t both the moon and the sun be equal?

 

Everything that HaShem created is a pair: Heaven and earth, sun and moon, Adam and Chava, man and woman, this world and the next world, givers and receivers, Rebbe and talmid, Shabbat and the six work days. However, HaShem is One and He is unique, He is NOT a pair.

 

Everything in this world works as either a giver or a receiver. These pairs define everything in this world. A man gives and a woman receives. Though on occasion they assume opposite roles, never the less, they are primarily in these roles.

 

Thus, the sun is the giver and the moon is the receiver.

 

14. Why did HaShem create them equal and then later diminish one?

 

The world operates with givers and receivers now, but that was not how it was in the beginning, nor is it how we will function in the end.[28] When Mashiach comes, there will be a drastic change when everyone will become a giver.

 

Kiddush Lavanah – Fill the lacking of the moon that there be no diminishing of the moon and that its light be equal to the sun as it was in the beginning. One day we will all be able to give, even as the moon will be able to give its own light.

 

15. Why did Cain kill Abel, from a deeper perspective?

 

Because Abel was the giver of his generation and Cain was the receiver. Abel was to be the disseminator of the Torah he received from his father, Adam, who in turn received it from HaShem. They each started out a receiver and then turned around to become the giver.

 

Abel was the rebbe of that generation. Cain murdered Abel because he claimed that they had already entered the Messianic age and that he, and everyone else, was not a rebbe, a giver.

 

Cain responded, “Am I my brother’s guardian (HaShomer)”?

 

Yaakov guarded (shomer) the words of the prophecy of Yosef. He was waiting for it to occur according to Rashi.

 

Cain no longer wanted to guard the words of Abel.

 

Korach was a gilgul of Cain. Moshe was a gilgul of Abel. Thus, we see that the confrontation between Moshe and Korach was supposed to be the tikkun (correction) of the confrontation between Cain and Abel. Yet, we see that Korach repeated the sin of Cain. Cain brought his first fruit offering on Nisan 15, yet the Torah teaches that the first of the firstfruit offerings cannot be brought before Nisan 16. Thus, we see that his timing was off. In the same way, Korach would have been correct in the Messianic age, but alas, he was not in that age and instead sinned a very great sin. Korach said that they were all holy, he wanted to be a giver because he thought that they had entered the Messianic age. Korach had the same message as Cain, and Moshe had the same message as Abel.

 

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 102:24-29

 

Rashi	Targum
1. A prayer for a poor man when he enwraps himself and pours out his speech before the Lord.	1. The prayer for the poor man, for he is weary, and will speak his prayer in the presence of the LORD.
2. O Lord, hearken to my prayer, and may my cry come to You.	2. O LORD, accept my prayer, and let my entreaty come before You.
3. Do not hide Your countenance from me; on the day of my distress extend Your ear to me; on the day I call, answer me quickly.	3. Do not remove Your presence from me in the day of my distress; incline Your ear unto me; in the day that I call, hasten, answer me.
4. For my days have ended in smoke, and as a hearth my bones are dried up.	4. For my days are consumed like smoke; and my limbs burn like an oven.
5. Beaten like grass and withered is my heart, for I have forgotten to eat my bread.	5. My heart is smitten like grass and will dry up; for I have forgotten the Torah of my instruction.
6. From the sound of my sigh my bones clung to my flesh.	6. Because of the sound of my groaning, my bones have clung to my flesh.
7. I was like a bird of the wilderness; I was like an owl of the wasteland.	7. I have become like a marsh-bird in the wilderness; I have become like an owl in the parched land.
8. I pondered, and I am like a lonely bird on a roof.	8. I stay awake all night, and I have become like a bird that flutters and wanders by itself on the roof.
9. All day long my enemies revile me; those who scorn me swear by me.	9. All the day my enemies will jeer at me; those who mock me have sworn by my word in vain.
10. For ashes I ate like bread, and my drinks I mixed with weeping.	10. For I have supped on ashes like food, and prepared my drink in weeping.
11. Because of Your fury and Your anger, for You picked me up and cast me down.	11. Because of your anger and rage, for you have lifted me up and cast me down.
12. My days are like a lengthening shadow, and I dry out like grass.	12. My days are like a shadow that lengthens; and I will wither like grass.
13. But You, O Lord, will be enthroned forever, and Your mention is to all generations.	13. But You, O LORD, Your dwelling place is eternal, in heaven You will dwell, and Your memorial is to every generation.
14. You will rise, You will have mercy on Zion for there is a time to favor it, for the appointed season has arrived.	14. You will arise, You will pity Zion, for it is time to have compassion on her, for the season has come.
15. For Your servants desired its stones and favored its dust.	15. For Your servants have desired her stones, and they will have mercy on her dust.
16. And the nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Your glory.	16. And the peoples will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth Your glory.
17. For the Lord has built up Zion; He has appeared in His glory.	17. For the city of Zion was built by the command of the LORD, He was revealed in glory.
18. He has turned to the prayer of those who cried out, and He did not despise their prayer.	18. He turned to the prayer of those who were made desolate, and did not despise their prayer.
19. Let this be inscribed for the latest generation, and a [newly] created people will praise Yah.	19. Let this prayer be written for a later generation, and the people yet to be created will praise Yah.
20. For He has looked down from His holy height; the Lord looked from heaven to earth,	20. For He watched from the high heavens of His holiness; the LORD looked from heaven to earth.
21. To hear the cry of the prisoner, to loose the sons of the dying nation;	21. To hear the cry of the prisoners; to set loose the children of those handed over to death.
22. To proclaim in Zion the name of the Lord and His praise in Jerusalem.	22. To tell in Zion the name of the LORD, and His praise in Jerusalem.
23. When peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to serve the Lord.	23. When peoples are gathered together, and kingdoms to worship in the presence of the LORD.
24. He has afflicted my strength on the way; He has shortened my days.	24. My strength is harmed by the weariness of the path of exile; my days are shortened.
25. I say, "My God, do not take me away in the middle of my days, You Whose years endure throughout all generations.	25. I will say in the presence of my God, "Do not remove me from the world at the halfway point of my days; bring me to the world to come, because Your years are throughout generations of generations."
26. In the beginning You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.	26. In the beginning when all creatures were created, You founded the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hand.
27. They will perish but You will endure, and all of them will rot away like a garment; like raiment You will turn them over and they will pass away.	27. They will perish but You will endure; and all of them like a garment will wear out; like a mantle You will change them and they will pass away.
28. But You are He, and Your years will not end.	28. And You are He who created them; and Your years do not come to an end.
29. The children of Your servants will dwell, and their seed will be established before You."	29. The sons of Your servants will abide in the land; and their offspring will be established in Your presence.

 

Rashi’s Commentary to Tehillim (Psalms) 102: 24-29

 

24 He has afflicted my strength on the way He returns to his original complaint, “for You picked me up and cast me down. My days are like a lengthening shadow.” My enemy afflicted my strength on the way.

 

25 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”

 

do not take me away in the middle of my days Do not take us away to destroy us from the earth in the hands of our enemies in the middle of our days. And what are our days? All the days of all generations, of Your years, You promised to keep us alive before You, as he says at the end of the psalm, “and Your years do not end...and their seed will be established before You.”

 

26 In the beginning Heb. לפנים, from the beginning.

 

27 like raiment You will turn them over like a person who turns his garment inside out to take it off.

 

28 But You are He Who stands and exists.

 

Meditation from the Psalms

Psalms ‎‎102:24-29

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

 

As we look at the third portion of Psalm 102, I will repeat my introduction from the last two weeks to maintain continuity.

 

David composed this psalm to express the feelings of the poor man enveloped in misery. In a deeper sense these verses describe the tragic state of Israel in exile, impoverished and downtrodden. The nation is poor both financially and spiritually.^[29]

 

Another aspect of Israel’s poverty in exile is the poor response which their prayers receive from heaven. In better days HaShem responded generously and in abundance, but now the blessings are meager and few.^[30] Similarly we lament:^[31] Though I would cry out and plead, He shut out my prayer. Rav Eliezer said: From the day the Temple was destroyed the gates of prayer have been locked tight.^[32]

 

However, this chapter of Psalms ends with a prophecy of hope and redemption. Prosperity will return to Israel when they return to their permanent homeland to serve HaShem eternally. Your servants’ children shall be settled, and their children will be steadfast before You.^[33]

 

Our chapter of Psalms contains an interesting pasuk:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 102:26 Of old Thou didst lay the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.

 

I’d like to explore the ‘heavens’ that are the work of His hands. This will give us some sense of where we have been and how HaShem previously treated us. At the same time, it will also show what awaits us when HaShem restores all things.

 

Let’s start with Rashi’s insight into the beginning of ‘heaven’.[34] In the beginning of God’s creation - Rashi explains that if you wish to explain it according to its simple meaning, explain it thus: “At the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth, the earth was astonishing with emptiness, and darkness...and God said, ‘Let there be light.’”

 

Rashi explains that Pshat of the verse as follows: “In the beginning of God’s creation of the heaven and the earth, the earth was astonishing with emptiness.” This is based on a linguistic analysis of the word “Bereshit,” which does not mean “In the beginning”, but “In the beginning of...” ^[35]

 

Now let’s examine this in light of the drash:  Rashi states that there is a philosophical idea alluded to in the word “Bereshit.” The world was created for the sake of Torah which is called “reshit,” and for the Jewish people who are also referred to as “reshit”. Both are “firsts” in terms of their centrality in the purpose of Creation. This teaches us that the heaven and the earth are intrinsically related to the Torah.

 

This word ‘shamayim’, is interesting in several regards. At the beginning of Parashat Genesis, Rashi explains the meaning of the word “shamayim” (heavens) is that it is made up of the words esh (fire) and Mayim (water).

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 1:8 And God called the firmament ‘shamayim’… – He mixed together fire (esh) and water (mayim), forming from them the ‘shamayim’.

 

Since the Torah is given “from the shamayim”, it too contains both an element of fire and an element of water, and these are combined and interwoven. We learn that the Torah was given at Mt. Sinai amidst fire:

 

And he said: The LORD came from Sinai, And rose from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, And He came from the myriads holy, At His right hand was a fiery law unto them.

 

in the book of Judges, we find that it was also given in water:

 

Shoftim (Judges) 5:4-5 Lord, when You emerged from Seir, when You marched out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, also the heavens dripped; also the clouds dripped water. The mountains melted from before the Lord, even Sinai, before the Lord God of Israel.

 

Fire and water, in many respects, possess opposite characteristics, but they share in common the fact that they are the sources of the greatest physical power in the universe. The main sources of energy in the physical world are from fire and water. At the same time, both of these terms have been used in the Rabbinic writings to symbolize moral and ethical values - water as the symbol of Torah and fire as the symbol of moral passion, or, sometimes, fire as the symbol of the quality of justice and water as the symbol of the quality of mercy. These ideas have great implications for the human race.[36]

 

We should also note that shamayim is plural word: Heavens. In the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), Moshe tells the Jewish people, “You have been shown in order to know that HaShem, He is the G-d! There is none beside Him” (4:35). Rashi once more quotes a Rabbinic teaching, this time to explain what it means, ‘that the Jews were shown in order to know’: “When the Holy One, Blessed be He, gave the Torah, He opened for them the seven heavens; and just as He split the upper [regions], so He split the lower, and they saw that He was alone.” In other words, the Children of Israel were shown at Sinai a glimpse of the inner mechanics of the entire universe--from subatomic particles to black holes and beyond, presumably--so that they would know for certain that HaShem is the sole Ruler of all of this vast Creation.

 

The Tanach implies the existence of multiple heavens in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 10:14; Tehillim (Psalms) 148:4 and this is certainly taught in Ephesians 4:10 and 2 Corinthians 12:2, which mentions “the third heaven”. The Talmud teaches the existence of seven heavens.

 

The Tanach has seven different designations for heaven; therefore, there must be Seven heavens.[37] However, the drash is of more interest to us as we explore Psalms chapter 102.

 

Midrash Rabbah - Bereshit (Genesis) XIX:7 AND THEY HEARD THE VOICE OF THE LORD GOD TRAVELLING IN THE GARDEN TOWARD THE COOL OF THE DAY (III, 7). R. Halapay said: We know [from here] that a voice may travel, but we do not yet know that ‘traveling’ can apply to fire; and whence do we know that? From a verse elsewhere: And the fire traveled down upon the earth (Shemot IX, 23). R. Abba b. Kahana said: Not mehallek but mith-hallek is written here, which means that it [repeatedly] leaped and ascended. The real home of the Shechinah was in the nether sphere; when Adam sinned it departed to the first rakia’ [firmament]; when Cain sinned, it ascended to the second rakia’; when the generation of Enosh sinned, it ascended to the third; when the generation of the Flood sinned, to the fourth; with the generation of the separation [of tongues], to the fifth; with the Sodomites, to the sixth, with the Egyptians in the days of Abraham, to the seventh. But as against these there arose seven righteous men: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Moses, and they brought it down again to earth. Abraham [brought it down] from the seventh to the sixth, Isaac from the sixth to the fifth, Jacob from the fifth to the fourth, Levi from the fourth to the third, Kohath from the third to the second, Amram from the second to the first, while Moses brought it right down below. R. Isaac said: It is written, The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell (wayyishkenu) therein forever (Tehillim XXXVII, 29): then what are the wicked to do-are they to range in the air! What it means is that the wicked did not permit the Shechinah to dwell on earth.

 

Seven Heavens are Vilon, Raki’a, Shehakim, Zebul, Ma’on, Machon, Araboth

 

1)   Vilon -וילון,  Isaiah 40:22 Vilon is the name of Jalon extrapolated unto Isaiah 40:22

2)   Rakia - רקיע, Genesis 1:6-8, Genesis 1:17, Genesis 1:20, and Psalm 19:1-2, Psalm 150:1, Ezekiel 1:22-23

3)   Shehakim - שחקים,  Deut 33:26, 2 Samuel 22:12, Psalms 18:11-12, 36:5-6, 57:10-11, 77:17-18, 78:23, 89:37-38, 108:4-5, Proverbs 8:28, Job 35:5, Job 36:28, Job 38:37

4)   Zebul - זבול,  Isaiah 63:15, 1-Kings, 8:13, 2 Chronicles 6:2

5)   Ma’on - מעון, Deuteronomy 26:15,  Psalm 26:8 Psalm 71:3, Psalm 90:1, and Zechariah 2:17 { Zechariah 2:13}

6)   Makon  - מכון  Deuteronomy 28:12, 1 Kings 8:39, 2 Chronicles 6:30, Psalm 89:14-15, Psalm 97:2, Isaiah 4:5

7)   Araboth - ערבות, Psalm 68:4-5

 

Now, in order to give the Torah, HaShem brought His abode, shamayim, down to the earth. When He did, monumental changes were observed on earth. It was as though an encounter with HaShem brought us to the place where we longed to be.

 

Shemot (Exodus) 19:16-19 On the third day, as morning dawned, there was thunder and lightning, and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the horn; and all the people who were in the camp trembled. Moses led the people out of the camp toward God, and they took their places at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for the Eternal had come down upon it in fire; the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently. The blare of the horn grew louder and louder. As Moses spoke, God answered him in thunder.

 

At Mt. Sinai in the days of Moshe, HaShem gave His Torah to the Children of Israel. According to the Sages, when HaShem gave the Torah all of nature stood still. The sea did not roar. No birds sang. No creature stirred or made so much as a peep. Not even a leaf fell from the trees. In short, there was no movement whatsoever! The Midrash put it like this:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXIX:9  What is the meaning of, The Lord God hath spoken; who can but prophesy? (Amos III, 8). Said R. Abbahu in the name of R. Johanan: When God gave the Torah no bird twittered, no fowl flew, no ox lowed, none of the Ophanim stirred a wing, the Seraphim did not say ‘Holy, Holy’, the sea did not roar, the creatures spoke not, the whole world was hushed into breathless silence and the voice went forth: I AM THE LORD THY GOD. So it says, These words the Lord spoke unto all your assembly... with a great voice, and it went on no more’.[38]

 

The lack of movement at Sinai suggests that there were no needs during this period. At Sinai we lacked nothing, therefore, we had no need to move.

 

Lack of movement is an indication that there is no force moving it out of position.

 

The Mekubalim[39] explain that seeing is much higher than hearing; the next world is a world which is seen, in this world one must hear. The depth of this idea is that this is a world of process, of movement towards. Eretz, the Hebrew word for ‘land’, comes from a root which means to move. This is why the mystics say that this world, eretz, is the world of movement. This world is constantly moving towards shamayim, heaven. Shamayim is the place of the infinite. Shamayim comes from the root shammin[40] which means “there”.[41] There, there is no movement because everything has arrived where it should be. The word for heaven indicates where that running ends, the destination and result of all movement. The higher dimension is all “there”, no “going towards” is possible there (relatively speaking) because that is the tachlit (תכלית)[42] or ultimate purpose, that is having arrived! This world is all movement towards, the next is all goal; this world moves through time since it is all process, the next world is beyond time because all is one there.

 

Eyes see things outside of oneself. Seeing is like an instantaneous picture. We perceive everything at once, but is stillness. We need multiple seeings to perceive movement. Seeing is the modality of the next world. We see in the light. We see a world of stillness. We have a proverb which says, “Seeing is believing”. Because we see all at once and there is no assembling necessary, what we see is considered a proof. That is why seeing and proof both come from the same Hebrew root.

 

Seeing is the modality of the Zohar and the other mystical writings. In these writings it says, “Come and see”. Here are a few examples:

 

Yochanan (John) 1:46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

 

Yochanan (John) 11:34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

 

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 38b (Ps. 139:I3). Nothing so miraculous was witnessed since the creation of the world. ‘Come and see,’ he said, ‘it is written: “It is a night (leyl) of observations unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt; this is that night (ha-layla) of the Lord, observations to all the children of Israel” (Ex. XII, 42). Now, why “observations” in plural, and “night” first in the masculine gender (layiil), and then in the feminine (layla)? To indicate the union which took place on that night between the Masculine and Feminine aspects in the Divine attributes, and also the same union which will take place in the future Redemption: “As in the days of thy coming out of Egypt will I show unto him marvellous things”.[43]

 

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. Here are a couple of examples:

 

Luqas (Luke) 21:9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end [is] not by and by.

 

Berachoth 2b They pointed to a contradiction [from the following]: From what time may one begin to recite the Shema[44] in the evening? From the time that the people come [home] to eat their meal on a Sabbath eve. These are the words of R. Meir. But the Sages say: From the time that the priests are entitled to eat their terumah. A sign for the matter is the appearance of the stars. And though there is no real proof of it, there is a hint for it. For it is written: So we wrought in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rise of the dawn till the appearance of the stars. And it says further: That in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labour in the day. (Why this second citation? — If you object and say that the night really begins with the setting of the sun, but that they left late and came early, [I shall reply]: Come and hear [the other verse]: ‘That in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labour in the day’). Now it is assumed that the ‘poor man’ and ‘the people’ have the same time [for their evening meal.] And if you say that the poor man and the priest also have the same time, then the Sages would be saying the same thing as R. Meir? Hence you must conclude that the poor man has one time and the priest has another time? — No; the ‘poor man’ and the priest have the same time, but the ‘poor man’ and the ‘people’ have not the same time.

 

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 mystical writings of the Nazarean Codicil also speak of the time When HaShem and shamayim will intersect Eretz:

 

Revelation 21:1-4 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

 

When we arrive there, then we will perceive reality as starkly as those who awake from a dream. Then we will realize that Eretz is the illusion and shamayim is the reality. There, we will no longer have needs that force us to move. There, we will no longer move because all of our needs will be met.

 

The Revelation at Mount Sinai was an awe-inspiring, and frightening experience. All of creation, our Sages say, shook with the piercing sound of the ram’s horn. The thunder was seen, and the lightning heard. Then – silence --. Not a dog barked, nor a bird sang. No creature spoke. The seas did not stir. Even the angels ceased to fly, as The Voice was heard: “I am HaShem your G-d ...” Thus, did G-d give the Jewish People the Torah - we had arrived!

 

We will again have silence at the end of the age.

Revelation 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

 

Hearing is a sense which requires us to assemble the sounds from another person, into a cohesive picture. Thus, we would say that hearing is the forming of disparate parts into a single picture. Literally we make many into one. Hearing is the mode of this world. Seeing is the mode of the next world.

 

The shema, which is uttered twice a day by every observant Jew, is an interesting perspective into hearing. Shema is normally translated as hear. Chazal[45] teach us that shema literally means the gathering of many and making them into one.[46] 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.

 

The Shema contains 245 words (in the first verse “Shema Israel ...” and the three words that precede them), in order to complete a total of 248 words corresponding to the members of the human body. This connection to the human body should alert us to the fact that the shema is associated with our bodies.

 

Twice a day, the HaShem’s people cover their eyes, meditate on the unity of the Creator and intone, “Shema Israel - Hear! O Israel, HaShem our God, HaShem is One!” The Shema is the basic credo of the Jew, his first declaration of HaShem’s unity and the last words to leave his mouth when he passes from this world.

 

Why is it that we say “Hear! O Israel?” Why don’t we say “Look! O Israel?”

 

Hearing is the modality of this world.

Seeing is the modality of the Olam Haba, the next world.

 

Hearing requires us to work. Seeing requires no work. That is why seeing is believing. In the Olam Haba reality will be instantly apparent. The Olam HaBa is seeing.

 

Shemot (Exodus) 20:15 “And all the Nation saw the voices and the flames, and the sound of the Shofar,[47] and the mountain smoking, and the nation was afraid, and they trembled, and they stood far away.”

 

When the Bne Israel stood at Mt. Sinai, the Torah records that we saw the voices. We saw something that is normally heard.[48] Our Sages teach that when HaShem is manifest, then we see everything as it really is. We see reality, even if it is normally heard, because there are no broken pieces to assemble when everything is one with HaShem. Since there are no broken pieces to assemble, the Torah calls that seeing.

 

Hearing and seeing are the only senses associated with beauty. We see and hear beautiful things. This makes hearing and seeing intimately associated because they both have this modality.

 

When the Jewish People stood at Sinai to receive the Torah, they underwent an experience which was literally out of this world. When HaShem spoke, the Torah writes that the Jewish People “saw the voices.” There was a dislocation of the natural perception of the senses. What does it mean to see sound?

 

There is a fundamental difference between the two senses. With sight, we perceive a complete whole instantaneously. The essence of vision is an instantaneous whole. Sound, on the other hand, is assimilated as a collection of sounds. We order these separate pieces of information, giving them substance and definition, and in the process, we understand what it is we are hearing. This process of assembly is not instantaneous. Our brain takes time to balance and evaluate what it is hearing. In the end, we have assembled the pieces into a single unified picture.[49]

 

The reason we say “Hear! O Israel” is that, in this world, you cannot see HaShem. You have to “hear” Him. You have to take the disparate, seemingly random elements of this world, and assemble them into a cogent whole.

 

There was only one time in history that you didn’t have to hear HaShem’s Unity; one moment when you could actually see it, and this was at Mount Sinai. There the Jewish People saw the voices. They saw with an incontrovertible clarity those things that usually need to be heard. Seeing is more than believing. When you see, you have to believe. It’s in front of your eyes.

 

Hearing takes place inside of a person. It requires interpretation by the person doing the hearing. This is in contrast to seeing which is external to a person and does not need interpretation, the sight speaks for itself.

 

The ears provide two essential services for the body:

1. They allow us to hear and
2. The provide balance for the body.

 

Since we have one organ, our ears, that provides two different functions, we understand that these “two” functions MUST really be just one function.[50] The Hebrew word for “ear” (ozen - אוזן) comes from the same root as “balance” (izzon). The root of both words uses the consonants Aleph (א), Zayin(ז), and Nun (נ), which could be read by their spiritual concepts: G-d nurtures the soul. What is the connection between these two words (hearing & balance)? Balance is taking two legs and bonding them into oneness, just as hearing bonds multiple words into one thought or idea. Just as walking is impossible without two legs, so hearing is impossible without the gathering and assembling of pieces.

 

We began this shiur with the pasuk:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 102:26 Of old Thou didst lay the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.

 

Let’s conclude this shiur with:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 102:27 They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall pass away;

 

Just as Hashem endures, so also will His words of Torah. I encourage y’all to fill yourselves up with enduring things, whether by seeing or hearing. Let’s cause heaven and earth to kiss.

 

Ashlamatah: Hoshea (Hosea) 10:2-12

 

Rashi	Targum
1. Israel is a vine devoid of fruit fitting for it. When I increased their good, they increased for the altars; when I increased for their land, they increased pillars.	1. Israel is a ravaged vine, although it was a choice vine when it fulfilled the Law, the fruits of their deeds have caused them to be exiled. When I increased their harvests they increased the worship at their heathen altars, when I brought goodness to their land, they improved their cult pillars.
2. Their heart has parted; now they shall be desolate. That shall demolish their altars, plunder their pillars.	2. Their heart is separated from the Law, now they will feel their guilt. Now I will bring an enemy against them, who will shatter their heathen altars, and plunder their cult pillars.
3. For now they shall say, "We have no king, for we did not fear the Lord; now what shall the king do for us?	3. For lo now they say, "We have no king, for we are not afraid before the Lord, and the king, what can he do for us?"
4. They spoke words, swearing falsely, forming a covenant, and judgment shall spring up like hemlock on the furrows of the field.	4. They speak words of violence, they swear falsely, they make empty covenants. Now I will bring against them, like the poison of venomous serpents, judgment for their falsehood on the boundaries of the fields.
5. Because of the calves of Beth-aven, the neighbors in Samaria shall be frightened, for its people shall mourn over it, and its priests, would rejoice over it, because of its glory, for it has been exiled from it.	5. Because they worshipped the calves in Bethel, a king will come up against them with his army and will exile them. They will take the calf of Samaria from them.  For its people and worshippers who rejoiced over it will mourn for its glory, for it has departed from it.
6. That too shall be carried off to Assyria, a gift to King Yareb; Ephraim shall take shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his counsel.	6. It too they shall bring to Assyria as tribute to the king who will come to take revenge for them. O prophet. say to them, "The house of Ephraim will receive shame, and the house of Israel will be dismayed because of the counsels of their advisers."
7. The king of Samaria is silenced and is like foam on the surface of the water.	7. Samaria will be ashamed of her king like foam on the surface of the water.
8. The high places of Aven are destroyed, the sin of Israel; thorns and thistles shall come up on their altars, and they shall say to the mountains, "Cover us up," and to the hills, "Fall upon us."	8. The high places of Bethel will be desolate; the sins of Israel have caused them to be exiled. Thorns and thistles will grow over their heathen altars. Now I will bring on them such distress that they will be as if mountains covered them or hills fell upon them.
9. Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel! There they remained; the battle against the haughty did not overtake them in Gibeah.	9. From the days of Gibea the people of the house of Israel have sinned. There they arose and rebelled against My Memra, by appointing a king over them but they were not worthy that the kingship should be established for them in Gibeah. There warriors came against them for slaughter; fathers with sons went up.
10. With My will, I chastised them, and nations shall gather about them, when they bind them to their two eyes.	10. By my Memra I brought punishment on them and gathered the Gentiles against them and they exercised dominion over them as one ties a yoke of oxen to its two rings.
11. And Ephraim is a goaded heifer that loves to thresh, and I passed over her fair neck; I will cause Ephraim to ride, Judah shall plow, Jacob shall break his clods.	11. The congregation of Israel is like a heifer which they teach to plough but it does not learn; she loves to follow her own desires. For I delivered them from the servitude of Egypt; I removed the strong yoke from their necks; I caused the house of Israel to dwell on the fortified land of the Amorites, conquering before them. As for those of the house of Judah, I gave them the inheritance which I promised their father Jacob.
12. Sow righteousness/generosity for yourselves, reap according to loving-kindness, plow yourselves a plowing, and it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and instructs you in righteousness/generosity.	12. O house of Israel, perform acts of goodness, walk in the path of righteousness/generosity, establish for yourselves instruction in the Law. Behold, the prophets say to you at all times, “Return to the service of the Lord." Now he will be revealed and bring righteous/ generous deeds for you.
13. You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice, you have eaten fruit of lies, for you have relied on your way, on the abundance of your mighty men.	13. You have devised oppression, you have done wickedness, you have received the punishment for your deeds, because you have trusted in your ways, in your many warriors.
14. And a tumult shall rise in your peoples, and all your fortresses shall be plundered, as the plunder of a peaceful people by an ambush on a day of war; the mother with the children was dashed to pieces.	14. But the tumult of war will arise among your people, and all your fortified cities will be plundered, as the peaceful are plundered in an ambush" on the day of battle, when mothers and children are killed.
15. So has Bethel done to you because of the evil of your wickedness; at dawn, the king of Israel has been silenced.	15. This is what the sins you committed in Bethel have brought you, because of the wickedness of your deeds. Finally, at dawn; the king of Israel will be shamed and humiliated.

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Hoshea (Hosea) 10:2-12

 

2 Their heart has parted from Me.

 

now they shall be desolate. That is the thing that shall demolish (וְעָרְפוּ) their altars, i.e., it will destroy them. This is an expression similar to (Deut. 21: 4) “and they shall behead (יַעֲרֹף)”; (Ex. 13:13) “and you shall behead it (וְעֲרַפְתּוֹ).” He will break their neck. Another explanation according to Midrash Aggadah: Peace is great, for, even if Israel worships idols, but there is peace among them, Satan does not bring charges against them, as it is said: (above 4:17) “Ephraim is joined: although he worships idols, let him alone.” Strife, however, is hated, as it is said: “Their heart has parted; now they will be guilty.” Satan can open his mouth to bring charges. [from unknown Midrashic source]

 

3 For now when evil befalls them.

 

they shall say, We have no king, Our king, upon whom we relied, saying, “He will go forth at our head and will wage our wars,” is of no avail to us.

 

4 swearing falsely Heb. אָלוֹתשָוְא, swearing falsely. אָלוֹת is, in construction, like כָּרֹת, a present tense.

 

forming a covenant with pagan worship. Therefore, judgment of torments and retribution shall spring up upon them.

 

like hemlock which is a bitter grass, springing up on the furrows of the field. And Jonathan renders:

 

on the furrows of the field for the iniquity that they move back the boundaries of the field.

 

the furrows Heb. תַּלְמֵי. The furrow of a plowshare is called תֶּלֶם. Another explanation:

 

on the furrows of the field where they erect their altars, as it is said (below 12: 12): “like heaps on the furrows of the field.” There the judgment for their iniquity shall spring up on them. Another explanation:

 

swearing falsely Every covenant they form with one another they break.

 

and... shall spring up like hemlock which springs up on the furrows of the field, which is a bitter grass, so do their judgments spring up and bitterness grows for the poor and needy. Amos, too, says: (6:12) “For you have turned judgment into hemlock.”

 

5 Because of the calves of Beth-aven etc. Because of the retribution destined to befall the calves in Bethel, called Beth-aven in the Book of Joshua (7:2).

 

shall be frightened Heb. יָגוּרוּ. Its neighbors who were in Samaria shall be frightened over it. Why? For its people mourn over it, and its priests, who would constantly rejoice over it will not mourn over its glory, for it has been exiled.

 

6 That too shall be carried off to Assyria This took place in the twelfth year of Ahaz, “And the Lord (sic) aroused the desire of Pul king of Assyria...and they exiled the Reubenites and the Gadites etc.” (I Chron. 5:26), and he took the golden calves that were in Bethel and went away, to fulfill what was said: “That too shall be carried off to Assyria.” [from Seder Olam ch. 22]

 

a gift to King Yareb This is Sennacherib.

 

Ephraim shall take shame Heb. בָּשְׁנָה. Jeroboam, who was from the tribe of Ephraim, shall take shame for himself, that he erected this calf for a deity.

 

and Israel shall be ashamed of that counsel that they took counsel to make them, as it is said: (I Kings 12:28) “The king took counsel and made two golden calves.”

 

7 The king of Samaria is silenced Heb. נִדְמֶה. The king of Samaria is silenced, and he is like foam on the surface of the water, which is eskoume (ecume) in Old French.

 

8 The high places of Aven i.e., the high places of Bethel.

 

thorns and thistles shall come up on their altars for their worshippers have gone into exile, and no one turns to them anymore.

 

and they shall say i.e., Israel shall say.

 

to the mountains, Cover us up lest our enemies see our shame.

 

9 Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel! Heb. חָטָאתָ. This word חָטָאת is punctuated weakly, since it is of the feminine gender and of the past tense. Comp. (Lev. 25:21) וְעָשָת, “and it shall produce”; (Gen. 16:8) בָאת, “have you come”; (Deut. 32:36) אָזְלַת, “their power is gone.” From the days of Gibeah of Benjamin, Israel sinned. Since the incident of the concubine in Gibeah (Jud. 19) took place during the time of Othniel the son of Kenaz, who was the first of the judges, at the time of Cushan-rishathaim, and in whose time the image of Micah existed, and all this we find in Seder Olam (ch. 12).

 

There they remained They adhered to that trait since then.

 

the battle...did not overtake them in Gibeah Since the iniquity of idolatry was with them and they were not concerned about it, they were not victorious in the battle of Gibeah against the Benjaminites. Scripture calls them בְּנֵי עַלְוָה, lit. sons of haughtiness, who made themselves superior (עֶלְיוֹנִים) and did not heed their brethren to deliver the people of Gibeah. Jonathan, however, translates this in reference to their request for a king and their crowning Saul. However this does not appear to me to follow the Hebrew wording. Moreover, the context fits the former interpretation.

 

10 With My will, I chastised them According to My will, I always chastised them from judge to judge, and I delivered them into the hands of their plunderers.

 

and nations shall gather about them, when they bind them to their two eyes Since Hosea compares them to a heifer as stated further: “Ephraim is a goaded heifer,” he, therefore, compared their chastisement to a cow, which they tire with plowing and they bind it to the yoke of the plowshare, and the pegs of the yoke penetrate it, [i.e., they penetrate the yoke,] one on this side and one on that side, next to the ox’s two eyes. And so did Jonathan render: as one hinds a “padna” on its two eyes. “Padna” is a yoke of oxen.

 

11 And Ephraim is a goaded heifer Heb. מְלֻמָּדָה, porpojjnte in O.F. punctured, wounded in many places with the oxgoad, which is called agojjlon in O.F. I.e., many chastisements have I brought upon her, yet she has not humbled herself, and he always loves to thresh the grain in a place of food and fat, and she did not subject herself to be plowing, i.e., they did not subject themselves to My Torah, but follow the vision of their heart.

 

that loves Heb. אֹהַבְתִּי. The “yud” is superfluous. Comp. (Gen. 31:39) “stolen by day (גְּנֻבְתִי).”

 

and I passed over her fair neck Therefore, I bring upon them kings who will weaken their strength.

 

I will cause Ephraim to ride, Judah shall plow etc. If you wish that I would cause Ephraim to ride upon the nations, Judah shall plow, and Jacob יְשַּׂדֶד, shall break his clods with a plowing of good deeds, as Hosea explains and says: plow yourselves a plowing etc.

 

12 Sow righteousness for yourselves But you have plowed wickedness etc.; therefore, a tumult shall rise in your people.

 

plow yourselves a plowing Engage in the Torah and from there you will learn to go on the good way, to overpower temptation, like a person who plows the field to turn over the roots of grasses which sap the strength of the grain in the summer many days prior to sowing, and you shall set aside a time to seek the Lord, i.e., for the study of the Torah.

 

until He comes and instructs you in righteousness/generosity When you toil in it, He will give you to understand to let you know its secrets with righteousness/generosity. Another explanation:

 

Plow yourselves a plowing Do good deeds before oppression comes upon you, and that will cause for you that your prayer will be accepted in time of necessity, and then it will be a time fit for you to seek the Holy One, blessed he He, for all your necessities, for then your cry will be heard, and He will cast down (יוֹרֶה) charity to you; i.e., He will rain down charity to you. Comp. (Ex. 15:3) “He cast (יָרָה) into the sea.”

 

Commentary on the Ashlamatah of  Hosea 10:2-12

By: H.Ex. Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

 

The background of the book of Hosea doesn't offer much help in informing us about the prophet himself or his early years and ministry.  The only thing we know is that he lived and worked during the last years of the northern Kingdom of Israel, which was up to about the time of the capture of Samaria. It’s believed he was closely connected with the Levitical movement in the northern Kingdom. Scholars have noted there's a big difference between Hosea the prophet and others like Amos and Isaiah. Hosea is the only prophet who wrote specifically to the northern Kingdom. One of the most prominent features of the book of Hosea is that the prophet has relatively larger sections that are more uniform in subject matter than his contemporaries, Isaiah and Amos. Scholars have suggested that through deep study of the text, the impression they get is that Hosea was a man of extremely strong emotions, and his preaching was governed by his personal emotions of love, anger, disappointment, and even ambivalence to some of the daily happenings.[51]

 

Hosea ministers to the Northern Kingdom of Israel only. Ephraim is the largest tribe in the Northern Kingdom; therefore, the kingdom is referred to as Ephraim. Hosea’s career spanned about 45 years, from about 755 B.C. to about 710 B.C. The Book of Hosea covers approximately 40 years of his prophetic ministry. Hosea was a younger contemporary of Amos and was a contemporary of the two Southern Kingdom prophets: Isaiah and Micah. He utters approximately 150 statements concerning the sins of Israel. More than half of them deal with the sin of idolatry.   Along with the corrupt political situation, a central target of Hosea’s invective is the prevalence of Baal worship, or a baalized form of Hashem worship, in Israel.^[52]  Hosea prophesied during the period of the first temple. The Talmud and Midrash have many references to Hosea, although in the text of the Bible, he is only mentioned here. He is spoken of as the greatest of the prophets of his prophetical contemporaries.[53] Hosea became a prophet in order to denounce the unfaithfulness of Israel towards God. Hosea warned that the faithlessness of the people would not go unpunished. God’s demand was not sacrifice and rituals but a piety which expresses itself in love and loyalty. Like Amos [765-750.b.c.e] Hosea prophesied [760-720 B.C.E.] and elevated the religion of Israel to the altitude of ethical monotheism, emphasizing the moral and holy aspect of the divine being.[54]

 

Hosea uses a metaphor of a vine to represent Israel. Hashem planted Israel as a vine in the land of Canaan. As she prospered, she attributed her success to the false gods that she was surrounded by, those of her neighbours. The opening verse in this chapter paints the picture of Israel's situation.  Hosea ministers to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, all the tribes are included, but specifically the northern kingdom is addressed in this parsha.  Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars.[55] (Hos.2:8)    Our parsha opens with a statement,  Their heart is divided; [between the worship of God and Baal][56] now shall they bear their guilt; He will break down their altars,[57] He will spoil their pillars[58].- ^[59]  Rashi goes on to cite Midrash Aggadah: great is peace, for even when Israel worships idols, if there is peace among them, Satan cannot prosecute against them, as it is stated in (Hos 4:17).  Malbim, then tells us, the prophet refers to the citizens of the ten tribes as Ephraim because the kingdom was called in the name of its founder, Jeroboam ben Nabot, from the tribe of Ephraim.[60]

 

The more God blesses Israel, even after they pull away from Judah, the more they follow their own ways instead of God's ways.  Their divided heart causes them to combine the worship of Hashem with the worship of Baal. The more lies they told and the false covenants they made, the more the seed of judgments was sown, and these seeds of unrighteousness turned into hemlock in the furrows in their field. The analogy refers to poisonous weeds(hemlock) sprouting up in a field and choking out the crops. In this same way, God’s judgment would replace His blessings.  Amos, a contemporary prophet with Hosea, said the same thing (Amos 6:12) only in different words. Can a horse gallop up a rock-faced hill? When man deifies the laws of nature and goes against what God has said, his unrighteous deeds and actions turn into poisonous weeds. Justice and righteousness are the pillars of a society or civilization, and when these are turned on their head, only poisonous weeds and destruction can follow. The natural fruit of justice and righteousness is peace, prosperity, and all that is good.  I am not suggesting a literal breaking of the neck and destruction of Israel, the northern tribes. For this to happen, Hashem would have to go back on his word and break his covenant with Israel. What I am suggesting is that God will continue to discipline Israel until, as Paul (Saul) said, “all Israel shall be saved. (Rom 11:26) We must remember this prophecy of Hosea is in operation today as much as it was 2500 years ago. Mankind may not know where the ten tribes are, but Hashem does, and he’s working to bring them back to his teachings (Torah) and leveling the way for them to walk in righteousness. When one looks at the message of this chapter and the situation of Ephraim as a nation, it seems this same process is being played out in our lives today. If one were to juxtapose America and Israel of Hosea’s day, the similarities are easy to see. If one were to spiritualize Ephraim into the nation of Christians, it would become apparent that the sins of the people today are the same as in the days of Hosea. Which begs the question, what will be the corrective measures Hashem will take against people today, in order to correct our behaviors?

 

Hosea’s prophecies are against Israel, the northern tribes. He condemns the lawlessness of society, with its widespread deceit, brutality, murder, stealing, rampant adultery, and immorality. The world of nature also suffers because of human sin. Hosea singles out the priests and condemns their corrupt leadership and influence. He criticizes the rituals at the ancient pilgrim sites of Gilgal and Bethel. The sacrifices and words of faith are just a shallow, hypocritical sham. The people are going through the religious motions, but their hearts are not with Hashem.  In (v.5), the priests tremble due to the situation. The word for priest is not the usual kohanim but one used for the idolatrous priests (Komer), as in (Zeph 1:4).  The people and the priests mourn as they see the “glory depart”. This battle between the Mosaic faith and Baal worship at the level of both the local sanctuaries and the official bull cult was introduced into the northern kingdom by Jeroboam. Whatever its original intention, it must certainly have fostered syncretism (1 Ki. 12:26-33). Furthermore, the priests had failed in their duty of instructing the people; they were themselves greedy and corrupt (4:4–9; 6:9). The situation, as Hosea saw it, was a total departure from faithfulness to Hashem.^[61]

 

Hosea sarcastically renames Bethel (‘house of God’) as ‘Beth Aven’ (‘house of wickedness’). For Hosea, a real knowledge of the Lord is everything. He pokes fun at their cheap and cheerful repentance of the people, as they say, ‘Come, let us return to the Lord.’  Isa 29:13, And the Lord said: Forasmuch as this people draw near, and with their mouth and with their lips do honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment of men learned by rote.  In God’s sight, their devotion is as fleeting as the morning mist. In the Nazarene Codicil (NT) Matt 15:8 and Mark 7:6 record that Israel is back in the same dire situation they were in in Hosea's day, 750 years earlier, and I suggest we are now in a similar situation and are due to reap what we have sown for the last several hundred years.

 

When the people’s idols of gold were carried away, they realized the stupidity of believing in the efficacy of idols, Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his counsel (v6). Samaria’s king, who brought the idols to the people, will be cut off as chips of wood or foam upon the water which will be carried away and vanish (v.7). and not only to be dissipated as bubbles or foam on the water but exiled and strewn across the face of the earth.[62]   It’s important to our argument that the focus is not to be on the temporal ruler of the city but the calf-deity, called the Inhabitant of Samaria in (v. 5) [what] is [to be] being destroyed^[63] Joel alludes to this in (1:6-7) with Abarbanel seeing Babylon as the conqueror referred to, and the vines and fig trees are symbolic of the people of Israel.[64]  Babylon in biblical imagery is that which stands and fights in opposition to all that is of God (Hashem).  Lest these lessons be misapplied, it needs to be clearly stated that the city itself is not inherently evil or good, for the biblical image displays both dimensions. If cities like Sodom, Tyre, and Babylon represent people in community against God, the OT (Hebrew Bible) Jerusalem and the New Jerusalem of the Apocalypse (NT Christian Bible) picture the ideal of people in unity with each other and God.^[65] So if the city itself is neither good nor evil, what is being focused on in this passage? Is it not the syncretism of the worship of the false Gods with the One God of Israel that was revealed at Mt. Sinai?  Many in the Abrahamic religions look down on Judah, never realizing or able to come to terms with the idolatry they are involved with while they are in their wilderness (exile) journey.

 

The high places also of Aven (house of wickedness) shall be destroyed, even the sin of Israel. The thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; (just as the turning away from Gods instructions in the Garden, sin brought thorns and thistle so will the sin and iniquity of Israel bring thorns and thistle) and they shall say to the mountains: ‘Cover us’, and to the hills: ‘Fall on us.’ We are reminded of Gen 3:18, and a parallel may be drawn between the ground cursed by God because of Adam’s disobedience and the fate of Israel.[66]  

 

If Israel in this context applies to the Northern tribes, did their sin stop and disappear when they were driven into exile? We know that Judah, after coming out of Babylon, did not have a problem with Idolatry anymore.  Do the northern tribes still have a problem with Idols? In (v.5) above, we see the association of Bethel with the pejorative of Beth Aven (interpreted to mean the city of Iniquity). In the biblical context, cities represent more than physical locations; they embody the cultural, social, and spiritual aspects of the people.  A city’s development requires social and religious ties to create a combination of political, social, and religious unity and not just a tribal entity. The intertwining of religion and culture is reflected in what a people(city) practice and believe about themselves and their relationship to their deity.  The Bible uses the imagery of the city to teach us moral and spiritual lessons. The first mention of a city is found in Genesis 4:17, where it is reported that Cain named a city Enoch after his firstborn son (whose name may mean “to dedicate”).  The intention of the builders of Babel (both the city and the tower, Gen 11:4) is twofold: to reach heaven with their temple/tower and to make a name for themselves. Early in Genesis, we see that it establishes a general worldview in which the image of the city is an anti-God state of affairs that attempts to thwart God’s rule over the world. It is a place where culture subverts religion for its purposes rather than advancing the glory of God.^[67]  When Hashem revealed himself to the children of Israel, he did so in the wilderness and not in a city.

 

The split of the twelve tribes of Israel into two kingdoms—Judah and Israel—was primarily due to political and religious tensions following King Solomon's reign. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 102a) and Midrash (Pesikta Rabbati 15:7) discuss how Solomon's introduction of idolatry angered God, leading to a prophecy that his kingdom would be divided. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 102a) discusses the division of the twelve tribes of Israel, attributing it to King Solomon's introduction of idolatry, which led to divine punishment. The rabbis interpret this as a consequence of Israel straying from God's commandments, resulting in the split between the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah. The Book of Kings (I Kings 11:29-40) describes how the prophet Ahijah foretold that Jeroboam would rule over ten tribes, while Rehoboam, Solomon's son, would retain only Judah and Benjamin. When Rehoboam ascended the throne, the people requested relief from the heavy Labor and taxation imposed by Solomon. Instead of listening to the elders, Rehoboam followed the advice of his younger advisors and threatened to increase the burden. This led to a revolt, and the ten northern tribes rejected Rehoboam's rule, making Jeroboam their king. The division was not only political but also religious. Jeroboam established alternative worship centres in Bethel and Dan to prevent his people from returning to Jerusalem, further deepening the divide.

 

In Deuteronomy 12, Moses anticipates in the future when Hashem will choose a city where God's presence will be uniquely manifested. The instruction in this chapter tells all Israel (12 tribes) what they are to do when they come into the land, and all the days they are to live on the earth. Can we safely say, regardless of where on Earth you worship me (Hashem), you are to worship the same as here in the land?   In (Deut.12:4), you shall not worship the Lord your God in that way. In what way? The way the nations do with their carved images of their gods, under every green tree on every high hill, and all their established articles and forms of worship are to be destroyed.  This city that Hashem is giving to you and that you’re looking for will not glorify the name of a human, but will be the place where God’s name will dwell.  Deuteronomy 12 goes on to say; Do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? —that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods.  Israel was scattered to the ends of the earth for their idolatry. They took on the practices of the nations and commingling[68] those practices and beliefs into the teachings and worship of Hashem.  One might ask, were the nations not worshipping God? If there is only one God, as the Jews teach, would not these different nations be acceptable in their worship of that one God, regardless of how they approached him? Modern man might think such inclusive thinking would be correct. According to the Bible, if one wants to worship God as revealed in the Bible, then there is a revealed way to do that, and it is the only way of worship that Hashem will accept from his children. The nations worship their gods, and they, too, as it were, are children of Hashem, with their own moral and ethical teachings, but they were not worshiping the way Israel was told to worship. The sin of the Northern kingdom was their Idolatry and the blending of the pagan nation’s religious practices into the worship of Hashem. It has been said that Idolatry is making God after / or in our / own image (or the image of something else) /and trying to approach God on our / own terms. This is similar to the golden calf in the wilderness.

 

Obedience to God’s commands in these matters is the principal prerequisite of blessing. This interspersing of exhortation with divine commands is quite characteristic of Deuteronomy. The comment is that it will go well with Israel and her descendants when she does what is good and right in the sight of Hashem.  Notice what one Bible exegete states: “While there is no longer any specific application of the injunctions of chapter 12 for the Christian, there is a significant principle involved. The one center for true worship is not a place but a Person (John 4:19–26). - [In my view, this writer has distorted this passage in John to support his form of worship, in opposition to the form of worship laid down by God, and in doing so misunderstands both the passage in Deuteronomy and John.]- In the Person of Jesus Christ the Christian finds the venue for true worship. The teaching of Deuteronomy on the one center of true worship is limited, although the principle enunciated is correct.”^[69]  This verse is sometimes misappropriated to support the mistaken idea that the Torah is inferior or is no longer in force, having been replaced by worship “in spirit and in truth” (the literal rendering of spiritually and truly). But spiritual and true worship is not to be set alongside or compared with the Torah. Rather, true, spiritual worship is God’s universal standard, which he also commands in the Torah itself.  The Torah opposes legalism and the mere performance of acts and routines without true spiritual involvement.^[70] It is interesting to note that although people in the first century believed Yeshua of Nazareth was a king or messiah or even the Christ, the only witness I could find where Jesus himself declared he was the messiah was a declaration to the Samaritan woman in John 4:19-26.  According to the prophets, the true worship of God is going back to being centered at the temple on Mt. Zion. 

 

Deuteronomy 12 is a foundational text for defining proper worship and maintaining the unique covenantal relationship between Israel and God. This chapter can be summarized in the following key points:

 

1. Elimination of Pagan Worship: The Israelites are commanded to destroy all local shrines and altars associated with the idolatrous practices of the nations they will dispossess. This decisive action is meant to prevent the contamination of Israel’s worship and to ensure that the community does not imitate the false and morally degrading practices of its neighbors.

 

2. Centralization of Worship: God instructs that all worship, sacrifices, tithes, and offerings are to be brought to a single, divinely chosen location. This central sanctuary—a precursor to what later becomes the Temple in Jerusalem—is intended to foster unity, proper ritual practice, and an undivided focus on the one true God.[71]

 

3. Regulation of Sacrificial and Communal Practices: While the sanctuary system is being established, the chapter delineates how proper offerings are to be made. This includes clear instructions that, although there may be local adaptations during periods of wandering in the land, all religious observances must adhere to the centralized model.

 

4. Warning Against Syncretism: A theme throughout the chapter is the warning not to inquire into or mimic the religious rituals of the people residing in the land. The Israelites (Judah) are to be vigilant against any form of idolatry or syncretism that might compromise their exclusive devotion to God. This warning underscores the requirement for absolute loyalty and adherence to the commandments.[72]

 

5. Call to Unquestioning Obedience: Moses concludes with an exhortation to observe all of God’s commandments without addition or subtraction. The chapter lays the foundation for a lifestyle and a religious system that are distinct from all other nations—a community that finds its identity in complete obedience to the divine law.

 

From the days of Gibeah thou hast sinned, O Israel. (v.9) Gibeah is understood as an allusion to the act of disloyalty to God, when Israel demanded a king and Saul was appointed. Israel's sin is understood as Idolatry by Rashi. The Targum interprets this reference to Gibeah as alluding to his demanding a King like the nations, with Rashi and Radak both contending that this understanding does not sit well with the literal meaning of the text.[73]  In the rabbinic tradition, both the idolatry seen in the episode of Micah (Judges 17–18) and the heinous abuse and death of the concubine in Gibeah (Judges 19–21) are understood as symptoms of a deeper moral and spiritual collapse in Israel. The Torah and the later rabbinic commentaries repeatedly note that “in those days there was no king in Israel”—a condition that permitted and exacerbated Israel’s descent into practices that compromised its covenantal relationship with God. Without a divinely sanctioned leadership to enforce ethical and religious standards, the people drifted into both the syncretistic idolatry of Micah and the brutal lawlessness demonstrated at Gibeah. In this view, the society’s gradual tolerance of idolatrous practices eroded core values and ultimately weakened the moral fabric of the nation, setting the stage for extreme transgressions such as the abuse and killing of the concubine.[74]

 

The Midrash and later haggadic literature draw a clear connection between these episodes. The idolatry episode—though controversial—is at times treated by the sages with a measure of irony, as it represents a kind of “everyday” syncretism that was pervasively tolerated in a decentralized society. In stark contrast, the atrocity in Gibeah shocked even a people already steeped in compromised standards because it represented not merely a religious deviation, but a total collapse into moral anarchy. The brutal treatment of the concubine and the subsequent civil strife that nearly annihilated a whole tribe underscore how far the people had fallen when the purity of the worship of God was supplanted by a mixture of pagan practices and moral indifference.[75] 

 

Jewish commentators have long stressed that the acceptance or passive tolerance of idolatry helped create an environment in which other grievous sins could flourish. When the normative benchmarks of behavior—the laws of Torah and the ethical imperatives of monotheism—are watered down, it is not surprising that heinous acts like the one at Gibeah arise. In effect, idolatry is symptomatic of a much wider apostasy: one that not only estranges the people from God but also from one another. The catastrophic response to the Gibeah incident—a civil war pitting nearly all the tribes against Benjamin—is itself read by the rabbis as a divine reaction to a society in which the “alteration” of true worship had already produced dire human consequences. Therefore, the killing of the concubine at Gibeah should not be seen as an isolated moral failing. Rather, it is integrally linked to the broader process of idolatry and moral disintegration that occurred in an era lacking centralized, righteous leadership. The juxtaposition of these two narratives serves as a timeless warning: when a community compromises its exclusive devotion to God through seemingly “lesser” syncretistic practices, it risks paving the way for even greater acts of human cruelty and social disintegration.[76]

 

We learn that God is just, and his justice must play out and correct the sinner. God does not desire the ruin of sinners, but he does desire their chastisement as correction for their sin. Hosea gives us further understanding in his juxtaposition of judgment and salvation. Hashem's dealings with Israel seem at times to be something like an educative plan aimed at setting the erring ones on the right path by depriving them of certain things and circumscribing their actions. This leads to a rational balance between God’s action in judgment and his action in salvation. the children of Israel shall sit many days without king, without a prince, and without sacrifice, without pillar, and without ephod or teraphim; afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall come trembling unto the Lord and to His goodness in the end of days. (Hos.3:4ff)  Rashi tells us that Judah will plow, and Ephraim will harrow the field, and together they will continue the process of filling the land (earth) with righteousness and justice.[77]  The Rabbis teach,  if you till the ground by studying Torah, you will learn how to follow in the proper path and overcome the evil inclination.[78]   Malbim says, by directing their ears and hearts to heed God’s dictates, they will come to sow the seeds of righteousness with their good deeds.  God can only bless Judah and Israel in direct proportion to their deeds of righteousness and justice. We must come to understand that Hosea teaches, we will reap just what we sow, as individuals and as a nation, and this is not a convoluted prosperity message. But, in honoring God and following his ways, one will find blessings poured out on them and their children.   Sow to yourselves according to righteousness, reap according to mercy, break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and causes righteousness to rain upon you. (v.12) Rashi and Metzudos David tell us to designate a set time for the study of Torah, rather than merely learning whenever the chance arises. He (Hashem) will guide your understanding and teach you the secrets of his Torah with righteousness, which shall, in turn, bring forth good fruits.[79]

 

Verbal Tallies and Connections

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

 

Numbers 16:1 (JPS): “Now [עַתָּה H6258] Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men;”

 

Hosea 10:2 (JPS): “Their heart is divided; now [עַתָּה H6258] shall they bear their guilt; He will break down their altars, He will spoil their images.”

 

Shared Hebrew Words:

• עַתָּה  (attah, H6258): “now” – Indicates immediacy of action (rebellion in Numbers, judgment in Hosea).

 

Context: Numbers chapter 16 introduces Korah’s rebellion against Moses. Hosea condemns Israel’s divided loyalty. עַתָּה  ties the urgency of both situations.

 

Tally: 1 word (עַתָּה, H6258).

 

* * *

 

The thematic connections between Bamidbar (Numbers) 16:1–17:15 and Tehillim (Psalms) 102:24–29, based on Jewish sources, are:

 

1. Divine Authority and Judgment:
• Bamidbar 16:1–17:15: Describes Korah’s rebellion against Moses and Aaron, with God’s judgment (earth swallowing rebels, fire consuming others, Aaron’s rod budding) affirming divine authority and chosen leadership (Rashi on 16:5; Numbers Rabbah 18:2).

 

• Tehillim 102:24–29: The psalmist acknowledges God’s eternal sovereignty and unchanging nature amidst human frailty, affirming divine judgment and permanence (Ibn Ezra on Psalms 102:25).

 

• Connection: Both passages emphasize God’s supreme authority to judge rebellion and uphold His chosen order.

 

2. Human Transience vs. Divine Eternity:
• Bamidbar: The rebels’ destruction (16:31–35) and the transient nature of their challenge contrast with God’s enduring choice of Aaron (17:10; Radak on Numbers 17:10).

 

• Tehillim: Human life is fleeting (“my days are consumed,” 102:24), but God’s existence is eternal (“Thou art the same,” 102:27; Rashi on Psalms 102:27).

 

• Connection: Both highlight the impermanence of human rebellion or suffering against God’s eternal rule.

 

3. Hope Amid Judgment:
• Bamidbar: Despite rebellion, God preserves Israel through Aaron’s priesthood, symbolized by the budding rod (17:10–13; Numbers Rabbah 18:23).

 

• Tehillim: The psalmist prays for restoration, with hope in God’s unchanging promise to renew Zion (102:28; Midrash Tehillim 102:16).

 

• Connection: Both offer hope of divine restoration or preservation after judgment, rooted in God’s eternal covenant.

 

* * *

 

The connection between the Torah seder and the Ashlamata, though seemingly strictly verbal, is in addition eschatological.[80] The messianic kingdom, rather than the related contents of the Torah lesson, is the dominant theme of the Ashlamata.

 

The eschatological message of Hosea 10:2–12, based on Jewish sources, centers on Israel’s spiritual failure, divine judgment, and the potential for redemption through repentance. Using the JPS Tanakh and insights from Jewish commentators like Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and Radak, the passage conveys:

 

1. Israel’s Sin and Judgment (10:2–10):
• Divided Heart and Idolatry: Hosea 10:2 criticizes Israel’s insincere worship and idolatry (e.g., calves of Beth-aven). Rashi explains their “divided heart” as hypocrisy, leading to God’s judgment—destruction of altars and exile (10:6, 10:8). Ibn Ezra sees the “tumult” (10:14) as Assyrian conquest, an eschatological precursor to divine reckoning.

 

• Failed Leadership: Verses 10:3–7 highlight Israel’s reliance on ineffective kings, likened to “foam” (Radak: transient and worthless). This reflects a collapse of national stability, signaling end-time judgment.

 

2. Call to Repentance (10:12):
• Hosea urges Israel to “sow righteousness” and “seek the LORD” to receive “righteousness” (10:12). Rashi interprets this as a call to teshuvah (repentance), promising divine mercy if Israel returns to God. Radak sees this as an eschatological hope: sincere repentance can avert destruction and bring renewal, akin to messianic restoration.

 

3. Eschatological Hope:
• The passage warns of judgment but offers redemption. The Talmud[81] connects Hosea’s call to seek God with messianic expectations, where genuine teshuvah leads to divine “rain” of righteousness, symbolizing spiritual and national restoration in the end of days.

 

Summary: Hosea 10:2–12 warns of judgment for Israel’s idolatry and hypocrisy but holds out hope for redemption through repentance, aligning with Jewish eschatology’s emphasis on teshuva as a path to messianic renewal.

 

Nazarean Talmud

Sidra of B’midbar (Numbers)

"Vayiqach Qorach,” "And now Qorach"

By: Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

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

Commentary to Hakham Tsefet's School of Peshat

 

The Disciples Who Can Stand: Establishing Souls in the Mystery of Amad and Kun

 

Yeshua’s poignant encounter with the rich man in Mark 10:21, often narrowly interpreted through the lens of suffering and self-sacrifice ("take up your cross"), actually harbors a far more profound and interesting invitation. When Yeshua urges the rich man, "then come, stand, and walk as I walk, accepting your responsibility, " he is not simply commanding an act of endurance but calling for a deeper state of being: to עמד (amad) and to כון (kun). This is an invitation to genuinely "stand" in spiritual fortitude and to "be established" as an independent, responsible soul capable of navigating the complexities of Divine service with inner equilibrium.

 

This call to עמד (amad) and כון (kun) resonates deeply within the Jewish tradition, revealing the very mechanisms of divine manifestation and human spiritual development. The ability to stand firm, to endure all trials and external pressures without being swayed, is rooted in Endurance or Victory. Endurance represents the dynamic force of perseverance, the power to overcome, allowing one to maintain one's spiritual posture against any opposition. It is the very essence of עמד (amad), the capacity to remain upright and unwavering in one's path.

 

Yet, mere endurance is insufficient without a solid spiritual foundation. However, when כון (kun) enters, it is intrinsically linked to the Foundation of fidelity. Therefore, this is the channel through which divine Shefa (abundance) flows into Malchut (Kingdom or Manifestation). It represents the foundation of truth, covenant, and inner integrity. To be established (kun) means to have built one’s spiritual house upon a firm, unchanging bedrock, a foundation that can truly support the full weight of divine purpose and personal responsibility. It is the anchoring principle, ensuring that one's standing is not precarious but profoundly rooted in Emet (Truth).

 

The culmination of עמד (amad) in endurance and כון (kun) in Yesod finds its ultimate expression in the Kingdom of G‑d. When a soul is truly capable of standing with unwavering endurance and is deeply established upon a spiritual foundation, it can then fully manifest G-d’s will in the lower worlds. This is the essence of responsible discipleship: not a passive reception of commands but the active, independent manifestation of divine consciousness within the realm of human experience. The disciple who embodies amad and kun becomes a living expression of Malchut, a true steward of the Kingdom.

 

This profound mystery is exquisitely woven into the very fabric of the Jewish calendar, particularly resonating with the month of Sivan. It is in Sivan that the Torah was received at Mount Sinai, a pivotal moment in the establishment of the entire people of Israel. Spiritually, this event parallels the establishment of the inner "Tablets" of G‑d’s Torah within the soul of each Talmid. At Sinai, the nation of Israel was commanded to stand at the foot of the mountain, signifying their readiness, their inner fortitude, and their collective establishment as a nation prepared to receive the divine instruction that would forever establish their path. The Torah is not an external legal code; it is the blueprint for the establishment of the soul, guiding one in how to stand in alignment with G‑d's true will. Thus, Yeshua’s call is a recapitulation of Sinai’s timeless message: to receive the inner Torah, to stand firm, and to be established in preparation for manifesting the divine in every facet of one's being.

 

Lexical-Spiritual Foundation: Amad and Kun in the Hebrew Bible

 

The Hebrew roots amad (עמד) and kun (כון) form a foundational pair in the spiritual architecture of discipleship. Far more than functional verbs, these roots convey ontological postures—mystical stances of the soul before G-d. Together, they map the inner pathway from presence to permanence, from the immediate experience of the Divine to the cultivation of enduring spiritual maturity.

 

Amad, often rendered as “to stand,” encompasses an extensive semantic range that extends beyond mere physical uprightness. In D’barin – Deuteronomy 5:5, Moshe says, “I stood between the Lord and you at that time,” indicating amad as priestly mediation and sacred positioning. In Shemot – Exodus 19:17, the people stand at the foot of Sinai—an emblematic moment of covenantal readiness. To stand in these contexts is to be present, receptive, and spiritually alert. This notion is deepened through the spiritual lens: standing represents a state of ontological exposure before the Divine, where the soul is not cloaked in defense but transparent and willing to receive.

 

Therefore, spiritually, amad evokes the vision of the angels in Yechezkel – Ezekiel 1 who “stand” before the Divine Throne. They are motionless yet filled with fire, paradoxically still and ablaze—capturing the spiritual tension of awe-filled surrender and inner elevation. This same posture is mirrored in tefillah (prayer), where the Amidah (literally “the Standing”) signals a direct audience before the King. In true discipleship, to stand is to internalize this readiness—to be ever positioned in alignment with the Divine Will, irrespective of circumstances.

 

This standing is not passive. Hoshea 10:2 uses the imagery of stone pillars—omedim—as symbols of resilience. These pillars do not crumble under pressure but endure, unmoved by surrounding collapse. Spiritually, they represent disciples who face both internal doubt and external opposition yet remain rooted. A disciple shaped by amad has not simply learned the truth but has become the kind of soul who holds it unwaveringly.

 

If amad is presence, kun is permanence. The root "kun" means to be established, set in place, or prepared. In Psalm 93:1, the world is said to be kun—firm, unmoved, made enduring by Divine decree. This establishment is not only external; it is the inner stability of a life grounded in truth. In 2 Samuel 7:16, G-d promises David that his throne will be kun, a covenantal guarantee of continuity—an echo of legacy, not just presence.

 

Therefore, kun is often aligned with understanding and harmony, indicating that actual establishment flows from integration—when wisdom shapes one’s internal architecture, and harmony governs one’s actions. Kun is not raw potential but shaped readiness —the kind of spiritual structure that can discern, judge, and sustain.

 

Psalm 102:29 captures the heart of this: “The children of Your servants shall dwell, and their seed will be established before You.” This verse paints the transmission of legacy as a process of making the next generation kun—capable of standing in G-d’s presence not just today but forever. Thus, kun completes amad: from the initial standing to the permanent establishment of the soul as a sanctuary of discernment, strength, and sacred readiness.

 

Yeshua and the Call to Stand: Exegesis of Mark 10:21 and Luke 18:22

 

The encounter between Yeshua and the wealthy young man in Mark 10:21 and Luke 18:22 is often oversimplified into a commentary on materialism or sacrifice. Yet within the fabric of these verses lies a deeper spiritual challenge: the invitation to a posture of authentic discipleship formed by the inner qualities of amad (standing) and kun (being established). This passage is not a rejection of wealth per se, nor a demand for external deprivation, but a summons into maturity, volitional readiness, and sacred embodiment.

 

Does the man approach Yeshua with sincerity, even urgency? He kneels, he inquires, he seems to show a heart inclined toward righteousness. He has obeyed the mitzvoth – commandments from his youth. However, in spiritual terms, he remains unformed. He has not stood in the sense of amad—he has not fully presented himself with inner presence before the Divine. Nor has he been kun—established, structured, and harmonized from within. He embodies the externally righteous but internally unresolved disciple. Yeshua’s response is not one of judgment. The text says, “He looked at him and loved him.” This gaze of love is revelatory. It sees the dormant configuration of the soul still waiting to be activated. What Yeshua loves is not only the man’s obedience but his potential for transformation—his latent capacity to truly stand and walk.

 

It is at this point that Yeshua utters his directive, not as a command of loss, but as an awakening: “Then come, stand, and walk as I walk, accepting your responsibility.” This translation reframes the traditional reading, aligning it more closely with Hebraic consciousness. “Come” signals movement into intimacy and immediacy. “Stand” invokes amad—not mere vertical posture, but the soul’s readiness to appear before G-d, to be fully present, undivided. And “walk as I walk” echoes halakhah, the Jewish concept of a path rooted in sacred movement through life. To “accept your responsibility” is to activate kun—to be established internally with wisdom, prepared to embody discernment, and to bear the weight of sacred tasks with intentionality.

 

The Greek verb ἵστημι (histēmi), translated here as “stand,” substantiates this layered instruction. In both its lexical usage and its parallels in the Septuagint, histēmi carries meanings of causing to stand, being set, appointed, and made firm—mirroring the resonance of amad and kun. It frequently appears in moments of covenantal readiness and divine commissioning. Thus, Yeshua’s words, far from evoking suffering, form a seamless Hebraic idiom of spiritual preparedness and vocational alignment.

 

In this light, Yeshua is not demanding renunciation but the integration of being. He calls the man into a radical presence—not to escape his world, but to re-enter it transformed. The disciple is to stand as the angels stand, walk as the prophets walk, and be established as a vessel prepared to receive and transmit truth. The path of discipleship is not a flight from responsibility but its full acceptance of wisdom, structure, and love. Through this, the soul transitions from seeking to embodying—from merely following commandments to becoming a sanctuary that walks with G-d.

 

Scriptural Case Studies of Standing and Establishment

 

The spiritual principles of amad (to stand) and kun (to be established) are not theoretical abstractions but deeply embodied realities found throughout Scripture. They surface repeatedly in the narratives and prophetic teachings of the Tanakh, offering portraits of true discipleship and divine formation. Through a focused examination of B‘midbar – Numbers 16–17, Tehillim – Psalm 102:24–29, and Hoshea 10:2–12, we see the contrast between those who merely present themselves and those who are divinely established. These passages form an experiential framework for understanding how disciples must be trained—not just in action or knowledge, but in spiritual stability and the cultivation of silent fruit-bearing.

 

In B‘midbar – Numbers 16–17, the rebellion of Korach stands as a negative embodiment of amad. Korach and his followers “stood” before Moshe—not as disciples in reverence, but as rivals in ego. This was a counterfeit standing, one rooted in pride, entitlement, and self-promotion. The Hebrew text explicitly uses forms of עמד to describe their physical and spiritual posture: they positioned themselves as if they were equals to the divinely appointed leadership, yet they lacked the internal structure (kun) that would have validated their role. Their amad was self-generated, unsupported by heaven, and thus unsustainable.

 

In contrast, the episode concludes with the miracle of Aaron’s rod. When placed before the Ark alongside the rods of the other tribal leaders, only Aaron’s rod blossoms—producing buds, blossoms, and almonds. This rod becomes a symbol of true kun—that which is silently chosen, divinely empowered, and fruitful without self-assertion. The rod’s growth is not loud or rebellious; it is an expression of inner alignment with Divine will. Just as Aaron is confirmed as the priest not through argument but through silent blossoming, so the disciple is recognized by his fruit, not his claims. Yeshua, too, is portrayed in this light—the rod that blossoms. He models a discipleship of internal priesthood, not performance. He trains others not to stand in defiance but in emunah, rootedness, and silent offering.

 

Tehillim – Psalm 102:24–29 expands this vision through the lens of time. It introduces the principle of spiritual transference: that the children (disciples) of G-d’s servants “will be established before You.” This is not a one-generation revelation. The seed must be trained to stand in presence and to be established in endurance. Here, discipleship is revealed not in charisma but in continuity—what remains standing after the teacher has passed on. True kun is generational, not momentary. The Hebrew pattern emphasizes not what one teaches but what is transferred and sustained in the next generation. The test of discipleship is legacy.

 

Hoshea 10:2–12 adds the layer of adversity and divine cultivation. The prophet critiques Israel’s fleeting altars—ephemeral expressions of worship without inner anchoring. In stark contrast, he refers to stone pillars, figures of amad, standing firm through drought and siege. These are symbolic of disciples who have passed through divine plowing—the painful but necessary tilling of the soul. Hosea’s call to “break up your fallow ground” is a direct challenge to the heart (lev), which must be broken open to receive Divine order. From a Kabbalistic lens, this is tikkun ha-lev, the “rectification of the heart’s” inner soil. Only then can the soul become kun, prepared and aligned with Divine flow.

 

Verse 12, “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap kindness, break up your fallow ground,” distills the process of spiritual establishment. Righteousness is not imposed externally; it must be sown from within. The heart must be disrupted, restructured, and re-seeded. The fruit of discipleship is not performative but cultivated through an interior transformation. Thus, amad and kun emerge as postures of the soul in proper relation to G-d—not just standing in position but being shaped to remain through time, adversity, and sacred continuity.

 

Messianic Implications: Yeshua as Archetype of the Standing Soul

 

Yeshua is not only a Rabbi of Amad and Kun—he is their embodiment. He stands as the Ish HaOmed, the archetypal soul who has achieved the posture of unwavering presence before G-d and has become fully established in His purpose. In Zechariah 1:8, the prophet sees “a man standing among the myrtles.” Rabbinic and mystical sources often associate this vision with the Messiah—a figure rooted in Divine authority who stands in intercession, judgment, and readiness. The myrtles, fragrant and low to the ground, symbolize humility and hidden virtue. The one who stands among them is not aloof but deeply embedded in the world’s suffering and yearning.

 

Yeshua’s messianic role is not that of one who demands from afar but one who enables others to stand. His very presence inspires others to adopt structure and resolve. He heals the lame, raises the fallen, and calls disciples to kunam al ragleihem—"to be established on their own feet,” spiritually, morally, and covenantally. His mission is not just to walk ahead but to awaken the capacity of each soul to walk alongside, upright and rooted.

 

In this light, his final acts must be reinterpreted through the sacred idiom of amad. Rather than viewing the crucifixion through a lens of suffering alone, it becomes the supreme act of standing—standing for truth, justice, compassion, and obedience to the Divine will, even unto death. This is not passive victimhood, but an active offering: the posture of a soul that refuses to retreat from its mission. In mystical terms, it is amidah be-emet, the unwavering stance of truth.

 

Resurrection, then, reveals the fulfillment of kun. It is the Divine confirmation that Yeshua was not only willing to stand but was truly established. His rising is not simply the return of breath but the cosmic re-establishment of the Divine image within creation. It signifies that the soul, which has been fully aligned with the will of G‑d cannot be uprooted. Through Him, the pattern is set: the disciple is called not only to admire but to imitate—to become one who stands (omed) and who is established (kun) in service, endurance, and Divine presence. In Yeshua, amad becomes the seed, and kun its blossoming.

 

Discipleship Praxis: How to Train a Soul to Stand

 

Training a soul to stand in the scriptural and spiritual sense requires more than education or moral guidance. It demands interior formation—a cultivation of sacred posture, readiness, and rootedness. The path of amad and kun is not theoretical but practical, embedded in discipline, encounter, and repetition. Discipleship is not about passive learning but the gradual shaping of a soul that can bear presence and responsibility.

 

To cultivate amad, the disciple must enter the terrain of inner silence and stability. Silence is not the absence of speech but the preparation of the inner space to receive truth. Stillness teaches the body and spirit not to flee from discomfort but to remain present. This is the foundation of tefillah—not only verbal prayer, but the inner alignment that makes the soul receptive. Amad also grows through confronting fear. When a disciple is taught to stand before that which he would rather avoid—whether shame, uncertainty, or spiritual confrontation—he begins to develop a posture of inner endurance. Standing becomes the measure of spiritual maturity, the ability to remain faithful and conscious when the world is on the verge of collapse.

 

For kun, the practices shift from posture to structure. Establishment involves the repeated embedding of truth in the soul until it becomes a reflexive understanding. The disciple must anchor Torah in memory, not merely through rote recitation, but through reflective integration. Torah must become the scaffolding of the inner life, shaping instinct, emotion, and judgment. Trust in Divine providence must be tested in real moments of uncertainty. The soul that can act with discernment under pressure reveals that it has been kun—prepared, harmonized, and made firm. Trials are not interruptions but essential terrains where kun is formed.

 

The role of the Rabbi in this journey is crucial but paradoxical. The Rabbi is not to be blindly clung to or mimicked. A true guide awakens the student’s independence, inner compass, and trust in the still voice of G-d. The goal is not for the disciple to remain leaning but to rise upright, to become one who stands, who can speak, decide, lead, and bear weight. A Rabbi’s success is measured by the spiritual spine of the talmid.

 

Synthesis and Call to Action

 

At the heart of discipleship is a transformation—an exodus from external obedience to internal rootedness. Every soul is called to cross from being one who asks “what must I do?” to one who stands and walks with presence, discernment, and divine intimacy. This is the great arc of spiritual growth: from dependence to embodiment, from following rules to becoming a vessel of Torah.

 

Yeshua’s words in Mark 10:21—“then come, stand, and walk as I walk, accepting your responsibility”—form the sacred roadmap of this transformation. First comes the relinquishing of false security: “sell all you have.” This is not just material but spiritual surrender—a letting go of control, unexamined assumptions, and inherited identity. Then the invitation: “Come.” Not to observe from afar, but to step close, to be seen and to see. Next, the call to “stand”—to awaken amad, the presence and willingness to appear before G-d without disguise. Finally, “walk as I walk”—the way of halakhah, lived wisdom, Torah-in-motion, and kun, the internal establishment of a self that can navigate the world in truth.

 

This journey is not optional for those seeking the eternal Torah. Only those who have learned to stand and to be established can carry wisdom that does not decay. Omed and kun become the twin gates through which the disciple enters the realm of permanence, where Divine insight is not merely glimpsed but lived. The Torah of eternity is not memorized—it is embodied and personified. It is entrusted only to those who have become vessels strong enough to hold it.

 

Thus, every soul is summoned. The question is not whether we are worthy but whether we are willing—to stand, to be shaped, to rise. This is the call of Yeshua, the Ish HaOmed, to each would-be disciple: "Come, and let yourself be formed until you can walk in My ways, not as a shadow, but as a soul established in truth."

 

Some Questions to Ponder:

 

1. From all the readings for this week, which particular verse or passage caught your attention and fired your heart and imagination?
2. In your opinion, and taking into consideration all of the above readings for this Sabbath, what is the prophetic message (the idea that encapsulates all the Scripture passages read) for this week.

 

Blessing After Torah Study

 

Barúch Atáh Adonai, Elohénu Meléch HaOlám,

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

Barúch Atáh Adonái, Notén HaToráh. Amen!

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

 

Next Shabbat:

Shabbat: “V’qach Meitam Mateh” – “And get from them a rod”

&

Shabbat Mevar’chim HaChodesh; Proclamation of the New Moon of Tammuz

(Rosh Chodesh Tammuz - Wednesday Evening June 25 – Friday Evening June 27, 2025)

 

 

Contents of Next Week’s Torah Seder

 

·        Vindication of Aharon– Numbers 17:16-28

·        Duties and Emoluments of Priests and Levites– Numbers 18:1-7

·        Dues of the Priests from the People – Numbers 18:8-14

·        Disposal of Firstlings – Numbers 18:15-18

·        Heave Offerings and Covenant of Salt – Numbers 18:19-20

·        Dues of Levites from the People – Numbers 18:21-24

·        The Dues of the Priests from the Levites – Numbers 18:26-32

 

Next week’s Reading Assignment:

 

 

 

 

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

Edited by His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham

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