Esnoga Bet Emunah
7104 Inlay St. SE, Lacey, WA 98513
Telephone: 360-584-9352 - United States of America © 2010
E-Mail: gkilli@aol.com
Triennial Cycle (Triennial Torah Cycle) /
Septennial Cycle (Septennial Torah Cycle)
|
Three and
1/2 year Lectionary Readings |
Second Year of the Reading
Cycle |
|
Sivan 23, 5770 – June 04/05, 2010 |
Second Year of the Shmita
Cycle |
Candle Lighting and Havdalah Times:
|
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Fri. June 04, 2010 – Candles at 8:26 PM Sat. June 05, 2010 – Havdalah 9:28 PM |
Brisbane, Australia Fri. June 04, 2010 – Candles at 4:43 PM Sat. June 05, 2010 – Havdalah 5:38 PM |
Bucharest, Romania Fri June 04, 2010 – Candles at 8:37 PM Sat. June 05, 2010 – Havdalah 9:50 PM |
|
Chattanooga, &
Cleveland, TN, U.S. Fri. June 04, 2010 – Candles at 8:33 PM Sat. June 05, 2010 – Havdalah 9:36 PM |
Jakarta, Indonesia Fri. June 04, 2010 – Candles at 5:27 PM Sat. June 05, 2010 – Havdalah 6:18 PM |
Manila & Cebu,
Philippines Fri. June 04, 2010 – Candles at 6:05 PM Sat. June 05, 2010 – Havdalah 6:58 PM |
|
Miami, FL, U.S. Fri. June 04, 2010 – Candles at 7:51 PM Sat. June 05, 2010 – Havdalah 8:48 PM |
Olympia, WA, U.S. Fri. June 04, 2010 – Candles at 8:43 PM Sat. June 05, 2010 – Havdal. 10:02 PM |
Murray, KY, & Paris, TN. U.S. Fri. June 04, 2010 – Candles at 7:52 PM Sat. June 05, 2010 – Havdalah 8:57 PM |
|
San Antonio, TX, U.S. Fri. June 04, 2010 – Candles at 8:12 PM Sat. June 05, 2010 – Havdalah 9:11 PM |
Sheboygan & Manitowoc, WI,
US Fri. June 04, 2010 – Candles at 8:10 PM Sat. June 05, 2010 – Havdalah 9:22 PM |
Singapore, Singapore Fri. June 04, 2010 – Candles at 6:50 PM Sat. June 05, 2010 – Havdalah 7:42 PM |
For other places see: http://chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting.asp
Roll of Honor:
This
Torah commentary comes to you courtesy of:
His Honor
Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David and beloved wife HH Giberet Batsheva bat Sarah
His Honor
Paqid Adon Mikha ben Hillel
His Honor
Paqid Adon David ben Abraham
Her
Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah & beloved family
His Excellency
Adon Barth Lindemann & beloved family
His Excellency
Adon John Batchelor & beloved wife
His
Excellency Adon Ezra ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Karmela bat Sarah,
His
Excellency Dr. Adon Yeshayahu ben Yosef and beloved wife HE Giberet Tricia
Foster
His
Excellency Adon Yisrael ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Elisheba bat
Sarah
Her
Excellency Giberet Laurie Taylor
His
Excellency Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Dr.
Elisheba bat Sarah
For their
regular and sacrificial giving, providing the best oil for the lamps, we pray
that G-d’s richest blessings be upon their lives and those of their loved ones,
together with all Yisrael and her Torah Scholars, amen ve amen!
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|
Shabbat |
Torah
Reading: |
Weekday
Torah Reading: |
|
אֵלֶּה
פְקוּדֵי |
|
|
|
“Eleh
P’qude” |
Reader 1 –
Sh’mot
38:21-23 |
Reader
1 – Sh’mot 39:33-35 |
|
“These [are the] accounts” |
Reader 2 –
Sh’mot
38:24 – 39:1 |
Reader
2 – Sh’mot 39:36-39 |
|
“Estas son las
cuentas” |
Reader 3 –
Sh’mot
39:2-7 |
Reader
3 – Sh’mot 39:40-43 |
|
Sh’mot (Exodus)
38:21 – 39:32 |
Reader 4 –
Sh’mot
39:8-14 |
|
|
Ashlamatah: Jer. 30:18-25
+ 31:7-8 |
Reader 5 –
Sh’mot
39:15-21 |
|
|
|
Reader 6 –
Sh’mot
39:22-26 |
Reader
1 – Sh’mot 38:33-35 |
|
Psalm 71:1-24 |
Reader 7 –
Sh’mot
39:27-32 |
Reader
2 – Sh’mot 38:36-39 |
|
Pirqe Abot IV:4 |
Maftir – Sh’mot 39:30-32 |
Reader
3 – Sh’mot 38:40-43 |
|
N.C.: I Tsefet (Peter) 2:4-8 |
Jer. 30:18-25
+ 31:7-8 |
|
Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan
for: Shemot (Exodus) 38:21 – 39:32
|
RASHI |
TARGUM
PSEUDO JONATHAN |
|
21. These are the numbers of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of
the Testimony, which were counted at Moses' command; [this was] the work of
the Levites under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the Kohen. |
21. These are the
sums, weights, and numbers of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, which were
counted by the word of the mouth of Mosheh. But the service of the Levites
was by the hand of Ithamar bar Aharon the priest. |
|
22. Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,
had made all that the Lord had commanded Moses. |
22. And Bezalel bar
Uri bar Hur, of the tribe of Jehudah, made all that the Lord had commanded
Mosheh; |
|
23. With him was Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of
Dan, a craftsman and master weaver, and an embroiderer in blue, purple, and
crimson wool and in linen. |
23. and with him,
Ahaliab bar Achisamak, of the tribe of Dan, a worker in wood, and an
artificer, and an embroiderer in hyacinth, and in purple, and in crimson, and
in fine linen. |
|
24. All the gold that had been used for the work in all the
work of the Holy the gold of the waving was twenty nine talents, seven
hundred and thirty shekels, accord ing to the holy shekel. |
24. All the gold
that was used in making the whole work of the sanctuary, and it was the
amount of the gold of the oblation, (was) twenty and nine talents, and seven
hundred and thirty shekels, in the shekel of the sanctuary. This was the gold
of the oblation, which every man of the sons of Israel, whose heart was
willing, had offered as a separation. |
|
25. The silver of the community numbers was one hundred
talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy five shekels, according to
the holy shekel. |
25. And the silver
of them who were numbered of the sons of Israel, who gave at the time when
Mosheh numbered them, every one for the redemption of his soul, a hundred
talents, and a thousand and seven hundred and seventy and five shekels, of
the shekel of the sanctuary. |
|
26. One bekka per head; [that is,] half a shekel according
to the holy shekel for each one who goes through the counting, from twenty
years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand, five hundred and fifty
[people]. |
26. A drachma for
(each) head, a half shekel of the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one who
passed to the numberments, from twenty years and upwards, for six hundred and
thirty thousand and five hundred and fifty (men). |
|
27. One hundred talents of the silver were used for casting
the sockets of the Holy and the sockets of the dividing curtain; one hundred
sockets out of one hundred talents, one talent for each socket. |
27. And there were a
hundred talents of silver for casting the bases of the sanctuary, and the
bases of the veil, a hundred bases, answering to the talents, a talent for a
base. |
|
28. And out of the one thousand seven hundred and seventy
five [shekels] he made hooks for the pillars, and he covered their tops and
banded them. |
28. And with the
thousand and seven hundred and seventy and five shekels, he made hooks for the
pillars, and the overlaying of their capitals and their rods. |
|
29. The copper of the waving was seventy talents and two
thousand four hundred shekels. |
29. And the brass of
the oblation was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels. |
|
30. From that he made the sockets of the entrance to the
Tent of Meeting, the copper altar, the copper grating upon it, and all the
implements of the altar, |
30. And he made with
it the bases of the gate of the tabernacle of ordinance, and the brasen
altar, and the brasen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar. |
|
31. and the sockets of the courtyard all around and the
sockets of the gate to the courtyard, all the pegs of the Mishkan and all the
pegs of the courtyard all around. |
31. And the bases of
the court round about, and the bases of the gate of the court, and all the
pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about. |
|
|
|
|
1. And out
of the blue, purple, and crimson wool they made the meshwork garments to
serve in the Holy, and they made Aaron's holy garments, as the Lord had
commanded Moses. |
1. And of the
hyacinth, and purple, and crimson, they made the vestments of ministration,
to minister in the sanctuary. And they made the holy vestments of Aharon the
priest, as the Lord had commanded Mosheh. |
|
2. And he
made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine
linen. |
2. And he made the
ephod of gold, hyacinth, and purple, and fine linen twined. |
|
3. They
hammered out the sheets of gold and cut threads [from them] to work [the
gold] into the blue wool, into the purple wool, into the crimson wool, and
into the fine linen, the work of a master weaver. |
3. And they beat out
the plates of gold, and cut them into threads to in-work with the hyacinth,
and the purple, and the crimson, and the fine linen, the work of the
artificer. |
|
4. They
made connecting shoulder straps for it at both its ends, it was entirely
connected. |
4. Shoulder-pieces
made they for it conjoined; upon its two sides were they conjoined. |
|
5. And its
decorative band, which is above it, [emanated] from it, of the same work:
gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen as the Lord had
commanded Moses. |
5. And its ordered
band that was upon it was of the same; it was according to its work, of gold,
hyacinth, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen twined, even as the Lord
had commanded Mosheh. |
|
6. And
they prepared the shoham stones, enclosed in gold settings, engraved [similar
to] the engravings of a seal, with the names of the sons of Israel. |
6. And they wrought
the jewels of onyx, enchased, set, inwrought, graved with graven writing,
setting forth the names of the sons of Israel. |
|
7. And he
put them upon the shoulder straps of the ephod [as] stones of remembrance for
the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses. |
7. And he set them
on the shoulders of the ephoda, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel,
as the Lord commanded Mosheh. |
|
8. He made
the choshen, the work of a master weaver like the work of the ephod, of gold,
blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen. |
8. And he made the
Breastplate, the work of the artificer, according to the work of the ephoda,
of gold, hyacinth, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen twined. |
|
9. It was
square [and] they made the choshen doubled its length one span and its width
one span, doubled. |
9. Foursquare was
it; doubled they made the breastplate, a span its length, and a span its
breadth. [JERUSALEM. A palm
its length, and a palm its breadth, doubled.] |
|
10. And
they filled into it four rows of stones. One row: odem, pitdah, and bareketh,
the one row. |
10. And they filled
it with four rows of precious gems, (margalyan,) corresponding with the four
corners of the world. The first row, carnelian, topaz, and carbuncle, row
one: and upon them were engraven and expressed the names of three tribes,
Reuben, Shimeon, and Levi. |
|
11. And the
second row: nofech, sappir, and yahalom. |
11. And the name of
the second row, smarag, and sapphire, and chalcedony: and upon them was
inscribed and set forth the name of three tribes, Jehudah, Dan, and Naphtali.
|
|
12. And the
third row: leshem, shevo, and achlamah. |
12. And the name of
the third row, ligure, agate, and amethyst: and upon them inscribed and set
forth the name of three tribes, Gad, Asher, and Issakar. |
|
13. And the
fourth row: tarshish, shoham, and yashpheh; enclosed in gold settings in
their fillings. |
13. And the name of
the fourth row, chrysolite, and onyx, and jasper: and upon them inscribed and
set forth the name of three tribes, Zebulon, Joseph, and Benjamin: enchased
and set in gold in their infillings. |
|
14. And the
stones were for the names of the sons of Israel twelve, corresponding to
their names; [similar to] the engravings of a seal, every one according to
his name, for the twelve tribes. |
14. And the gems
were according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to their
names; the writing engraven, inscribed, and set forth as the engraving of a
ring; each man's gem according to his name in the twelve tribes. |
|
15. For the
choshen they made chains at the edges, of cable work, of pure gold. |
15. And they made
upon the breastplate wreathen chains, entwined work, of pure gold. |
|
16. They
made two golden settings and two golden rings, and they placed the two rings
on the two ends of the choshen. |
16. And they made
two sockets of gold, and two golden rings, and set the two rings on the two
sides of the breastplate. |
|
17. And
they placed the two golden cables on the two rings, at the ends of the
choshen. |
17. And they put the
two entwinements of gold within the two rings upon the two sides of the
breastplate, |
|
18. And the
two ends of the two cables they placed upon the two settings, and they placed
them upon the shoulder straps of the ephod, on its front part. |
18. and the two
chains that were arranged on the two sides they fastened upon the two
sockets, and set them on the shoulders of the ephod, toward its front. |
|
19. And
they made two golden rings and placed them on the two ends of the choshen, on
its edge that faced the inner side of the ephod. |
19. And they made
two golden rings and set them upon the two sides of the breastplate, upon its
edge, that was on the border of the ephod inward. |
|
20. And
they made two golden rings and placed them on the two shoulder straps of the
ephod, from below, toward its front, adjacent to its seam, above the band of
the ephod. |
20. And they made
two golden rings, and arranged them upon the two shoulders of the ephod
below, toward its front, over against the place of conjoinment above the band
of the ephod, |
|
21. And
they fastened the choshen by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord
of blue wool, so that it could be upon the band of the ephod, so that the
choshen would not move off the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses. |
21. and fitted the
breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod by a ribbon of hyacinth,
that it might adhere to the band of the ephod, and that the breastplate be
not loosened from being upon the ephod, as the Lord commanded Mosheh. |
|
22. And he
made the robe of the ephod, the work of a weaver, completely of blue wool. |
22. And he made the
mantle-robe, a work of the weaver, of twined thread of hyacinth. |
|
23. And the
opening of the robe was turned inward like the opening of a coat of armor;
its opening had a border around it so that it should not be torn. |
23. And the aperture
of the upper robe (was) double in the midst, like the opening of a piece of
armour, with a border round about its edge, that it might not be torn. |
|
24. And
they made on the bottom hem of the robe pomegranates of blue, purple, and
crimson wool, twisted. |
24. And they made
upon the bottom of the upper robe pomegranates of hyacinth, and purple, and
crimson, and (fine linen) entwined. |
|
25. And
they made bells of pure gold, and they placed the bells in the midst of the
pomegranates all around on the bottom hem of the robe, in the midst of the
pomegranates. |
25. And they made
golden bells, and set the bells among the pomegranates upon the border of the
mantle‑robe, round about
among the pomegranates; |
|
26. A bell
and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around on the bottom hem of
the robe, to serve as the Lord had commanded Moses. |
26. a bell and a
pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all of them seventy upon the bottom of
the upper robe round about to minister in; as the Lord commanded Mosheh. |
|
27. And
they made the linen tunics, the work of a weaver, for Aaron and for his sons, |
27. (not extant) |
|
28. and the
cap of linen, and the glorious high hats of linen, and the linen pants of
twisted fine linen, |
28. (not extant) |
|
29. and the
sash of twisted fine linen, and blue, purple, and crimson wool, of embroidery
work as the Lord had commanded Moses. |
29. (not extant) |
|
30. And
they made the showplate, the holy crown, of pure gold, and they inscribed
upon it an inscription like the engravings of a seal: "Holy to the
Lord." |
30. And they made
the plate of the crown of holiness of pure gold, and wrote upon it,
inscribed, engraven, and set forth, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. |
|
31. And
they placed upon it a cord of blue wool to place over the cap, from above as
the Lord had commanded Moses. |
31. And they set
upon it a twined ribbon of hyacinth, to put it upon the tiara above the
forehead; as the Lord commanded Mosheh. |
|
32. All the
work of the Mishkan of the Tent of Meeting was completed; the children of
Israel had done [it]; according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so
they had done. |
32. And all the work
of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of ordinance, was completed: and the sons
of Israel did as the Lord commanded Mosheh, so did they. |
|
|
|
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.
Reading
Assignment:
The Torah Anthology,
Volume 10, Sin and Reconciliation, pp. 249-282
By: Hakham Yitschak
Magrisso
Translated by Rabbi
Aryeh Kaplan
Moznaim Publishing
Corporation, 1991
Rashi’s Answers
to Questions Raised
On Shemot (Exodus) 38:21 – 39:32
21 These are the numbers In this
parsha, all the weights of the donations for the Mishkan were counted -[that]
of silver, of gold, and of copper. And all its implements for all its work were
[also] counted.
the Mishkan, the Mishkan
Heb. הַמִּשְׁכָּן
מִשְׁכַּן [The word מִשְׁכָּן is written] twice. This alludes to the Temple,
which was taken as security (מַשְׁכּוֹן) by the two destructions, for Israel’s iniquities
[The Temples were taken as a collateral for Israel’s sins. When Israel fully
repents, the Third Temple will be built]. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 2, Exod.
Rabbah 51:3]
the Mishkan of the Testimony
[The Mishkan] was testimony for Israel that the Holy One, blessed is He,
forgave them for the incident of the calf, for He caused His Shechinah to rest
among them [in the Mishkan]. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 2]
the work of the Levites The
numbers [i.e., the accountings] of the Mishkan and its furnishings [which] is
the work given over to the Levites in the desert—to carry, to dismantle, and to
set up, each person on his burden upon which he is assigned, as is stated in
parshath Nasso (Num. 4:24-28, 31-33).
under the direction of
Ithamar He was appointed over them, to deliver to each
paternal family the work incumbent upon it. [Each Levite family was assigned a
specific job in the sanctuary.]
22 Bezalel, the son of Uri…
had made all that the Lord had commanded Moses “That
Moses had commanded him is not written here, but all that the Lord had
commanded Moses,” [meaning that] even [in] things that his master [Moses] had
not said to him, his [Bezalel’s] view coincided with what was said to Moses on
Sinai. For Moses commanded Bezalel to first make the furnishings and afterwards
the Mishkan. (Rashi is not referring to the command to donate [the materials for
the Mishkan and its furnishings], since, on the contrary, the Holy One, blessed
be He, commanded the opposite in parshath Terumah. [I.e.,] first [God commanded
them to make] the furnishings: the table, the menorah, the curtains, and
afterwards [He gave] the command to make the planks [i.e., the Mishkan,
whereas] the command of our teacher, Moses, may he rest in peace, at the
beginning of Vayakhel (Exod. 35:11-19) lists first the Mishkan and its tent,
and afterwards the furnishings. Rather, Rashi is referring to the command to
the worker, [i.e.,] in what order he should work. You will find in the parsha
of Ki Thissa [where God commanded concerning the order of the Mishkan’s
construction]: “See, I have called by name Bezalel…” (Exod. 31:2-11), that
first the Tent of Meeting is mentioned and afterwards the furnishings. As far
as [the command in Terumah] to donate, to prepare what they would require [for
the Mishkan and its furnishings], what difference does it make what they
donated first? [Thus the order of the furnishings listed there is irrelevant.]
See Tosafoth in the chapter entitled הָרוֹאֶה (Ber. 55a): If you ask, how do we know that our
teacher, Moses, may he rest in peace, commanded Bezalel to do the opposite [of
what God had commanded him? Since it is not found in the text that Moses
commanded Bezalel to construct first the furnishings and then the Mishkan], we
may reply that it is written in parshath Vayakhel (Exod. 36:2): “And Moses
called Bezalel and Oholiab…”. [There] the Torah is very brief in explaining
what he [Moses] said to them. From this verse (38:22), which is worded, “all
that the Lord commanded Moses,” we see that he [Moses] commanded them in the
opposite manner. [Therefore the text here does not state “that Moses had
commanded him.”] Study this well.) Bezalel responded, “It is common practice to
first make a house and then to put furniture into it.” He said to him, “This is
what I heard from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed is He.” Moses said to him
[Bezalel], “You were in the shadow of God [ בְּצֵל אֵל , which is the meaning of Bezalel’s name. I.e.,
you are right], for surely that is what the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded
me.” And so he did: [Bezalel] first [made] the Mishkan, and afterwards he made
the furnishings. -[from Ber. 55a]
24 talents Heb. כִּכָּר , sixty manehs. The maneh of the Holy was double [the normal
maneh]. Hence, the talent [mentioned here] was [i.e., equaled] one hundred
twenty [ordinary] manehs [twice the normal talent], and the maneh was
twenty-five selas. Thus, a talent of the Holy was three thousand shekels.
Therefore, [the text] counted out in detail all the shekels that were less than
three thousand, since they did not amount to a talent [and thus they had to be
enumerated separately]. -[from Bech. 5a]
26 bekka Heb. בֶּקַע , lit., a split. This is the name of the weight of a
half-shekel.
for six hundred three
thousand, etc. This is how many the Israelites were. Their number
equaled this [too] after the Mishkan was erected, [as appears] in the Book of
Numbers [Num. 1:4]. Now too, when they donated to the Mishkan, this is how many
they were. The number of the half-shekels of 600,000 [people] equals one
hundred talents, each one the equivalent of three thousand shekels. How so? Six
hundred thousand halves [of a shekel] equal three hundred thousand wholes,
which equal one hundred talents. The [additional] 3,550 halves equal 1,775
shekels.
27 for casting Heb. לָצֶקֶת , as the Targum [Onkelos] renders: לְאַתָּכָא , lit., to pour.
the sockets of the Holy [I.e.,
the sockets] of the planks of the Mishkan, which were forty-eight planks, which
had ninety-six sockets, in addition to the four sockets of the dividing curtain,
equaling one hundred [were silver]. But for all the rest of the sockets, the
Torah prescribed that they be made of copper.
28 and he covered their tops [i.e.,
the tops] of the pillars with them [i.e., with the remaining shekels], for
concerning all of them, it is written: “And he covered their tops, and their
bands were silver.”
Chapter 39
1 And out of the blue,
purple… [Since] linen is not mentioned here, I conclude from
here that these בִגְדֵי-שְׂרָד were not the garments of the kehunah, for in [all]
the kohanim’s garments there was linen [used]. Instead I believe they were the
garments with which they [the kohanim] covered the holy furnishings at the time
they withdrew [these furnishings] to [take on their] journeys, [garments] in
which there was no linen.
3 They hammered out Heb. וַיְרַקְּעוּ , like “To Him Who spread out (לְרוֹקַע) the earth over the water” (Ps. 136:6), as the
Targum [Onkelos] renders: וְרַדִידוּ , they hammered thin plates out of the gold,
estendre in Old French [etendre in modern French, meaning] to extend into thin
sheets. Here [the text] teaches you how they spun the gold [together] with the
[wool] threads. They would hammer [the gold into] thin sheets and cut threads
out of them along the length of the sheet, [in order] to work those threads by
combining them with each kind [of colored material] in the choshen and in the
ephod, about which gold is mentioned [to be included with them [i.e.,] one
thread of gold [was intertwined] with six threads of blue wool, and similarly
with each kind [of wool], for each kind had threads of six strands, and the
gold was the seventh thread with each one. -[from Yoma 72a]
28 and the glorious high
hats Heb. פַּאֲרֵי הַמִּגְבָּעֽת , the glory of the high hats, [i.e., meaning] the
glorious high hats.
31 to place over the cap, from
above And by means of the threads, he would place them (sic) over the cap like
a sort of crown. It is impossible to say that the showplate was over the cap,
because in “Shechitath Kodashim” (Zevachim 19a) we learned: His [the Kohen
Gadol’s] hair was visible between the showplate and the cap, where he would
place the tefillin, and the showplate was placed on the [Kohen Gadol’s]
forehead. Hence, the cap was above, and the showplate was below, so what is the
meaning of: “over the cap, from above”? Additionally, I found a problem in this
[matter, namely that] here the text states, “And they placed upon it a cord of
blue wool,” and in the section dealing with the command (Exod. 28:37) it says,
“And you shall place it upon a cord of blue wool.” Therefore, I say that this
cord of blue wool was composed of threads with which to tie it [the showplate]
to the cap since the showplate extended only from ear to ear. Thus how should
he [the Kohen Gadol] tie it onto his forehead? Threads of blue wool were
fastened to it [to the showplate] at both its ends and at its center, with
which he would tie it [the showplate] and hang it upon the cap when it was on
his head. Two threads were at each end, one above [the showplate] and one below
[it] toward his forehead, and similarly at its center, for it is easy to tie it
in this way, and it is not customary to tie with fewer than two threads.
Therefore, it says: “upon a cord of blue wool,” and “upon it a cord of blue
wool,” and he would tie their [the threads’] two ends [one from above and one
from below the showplate], all of them together behind him, opposite his nape,
and he would place it [the showplate] upon the cap. Do not be astonished that
it does not say, “cords (פְּתִילֵי) of blue wool” [i.e., in the plural], since they
were many [threads, i.e., three threads], because we find in regard to the
choshen and the ephod: “And they shall fasten the choshen by its rings to the
rings of the ephod with a blue cord” (Exod. 28:28). [There] we are forced [to
explain] that there were no fewer than two [threads even though the text states
“cord” in the singular] because the two rings of the choshen were on the two
ends of the choshen, and the two rings of the ephod were on the two shoulder
straps of the ephod opposite them, and according to the [usual] way of tying
[rings together], there were four threads [one for every ring]. In any case,
fewer than two [threads] is impossible.
32 the children of Israel
had done the work; according to all that the Lord had
commanded, etc..
Ketubim:
Psalm 71:1-24
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
1. In You,
O Lord, have I taken refuge; let me never be ashamed. |
1. In Your Word, O
Lord, I have put my trust; I will never be disappointed. |
|
2. With
Your charity, You shall save me and rescue me; extend Your ear to me and save
me. |
2. In Your
generosity deliver me and save me; incline Your ear to me and redeem me. |
|
3. Be for
me a sheltering rock in which to enter continually; You commanded [others] to
save me because You are my rock and my fortress. |
3. Be a strong
mighty rock for me always to come to; You have given commandment to redeem
me, for You are my strength and my stout fortress. |
|
4. My God,
rescue me from the hands of the wicked, from the palm of him who treats
unjustly and robs. |
4. O God, save me
from the hand of the wicked/Lawless man, from the hand of the wrongdoer and
the predator. |
|
5. For You
are my hope, O Lord God, my trust since my youth. |
5. For You are my
hope, O Lord; my God, my confidence from my youth. |
|
6. I
relied on You from birth; from my mother's womb You drew me; my praise is
always in You. |
6. I have relied on
You from the womb; You bring me out of the bowels of my mother; my psalm is
always of Your Word. |
|
7. I was
an example for the multitude, but You were my strong shelter. |
7. I have became
like a portent for many; and You are my confidence and my strength. |
|
8. My
mouth will be filled with Your praise, all the days with Your glory. |
8. My mouth will be
filled with Your praise, with Your splendor every day. |
|
9. Do not
cast me away at the time of old age; when my strength fails, do not forsake
me. |
9. Do not cast me
away at the time of old age; when my vigor ceases, do not forsake me. |
|
10. For my
enemies said of me, and those who watch for my soul took counsel together, |
10. For my enemies
have spoken evil about me, and those who watch my soul have conspired
together. |
|
11. Saying,
"God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is no
rescuer." |
11. Saying, “God has
forsaken him; pursue and catch him, for there is no one to deliver [him].” |
|
12. O God,
do not distance Yourself from me; my God, hasten to my assistance. |
12. O God, do not be
far from me; O my God, hasten to my aid. |
|
13. The
adversaries of my soul will be shamed and will perish; enwrapped in
humiliation and disgrace will be those who seek to harm me. |
13. Let those who
oppose my soul be disappointed [and] destroyed; let those who seek my ruin be
covered with disgrace and dishonour. |
|
14. As for
me, I shall constantly hope, and I shall add to all Your praise. |
14. And I will
always wait, and I will add to all Your praise. |
|
15. My
mouth will recite Your righteousness, all the days Your salvation, for I do
not know their number. |
15. My mouth will
tell of Your generosity, of Your redemption every day, for I do not know
their number. |
|
16. I shall
come with the mighty deeds of the Lord God; I shall mention Your
righteousness alone. |
16. I will enter in
the strength of the Lord God; I will remember Your righteousness/generosity
alone. |
|
17. O God,
You have taught me since my youth, and until now I shall recite your wonders. |
17. O my God, You
have taught me by miracles from my youth; and to this very time I will tell
of Your marvels. |
|
18. And
even until old age and hoary hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I tell
[of] Your strength to the generation, to everyone who comes-Your might |
18. And moreover, O
God, do not forsake me at the time of old age and gray hair, until I may tell
of the strength of Your arm to every generation, of Your mighty strength to
all who will come. |
|
19. And
Your charity, O God, [which is] up to the heights, for You do great things. O
God, who is like You? |
19. Your
righteousness/generosity, O God, [reaches] to the highest heaven, for You
have done great things; O God, who is like You? |
|
20. That
You showed me great and evil troubles, You will revive me again, and from the
depths of the earth You will again raise me up. |
20. You who have
shown me great and evil troubles, make us live again; and bring us up again
from the deepest depths. |
|
21. You
will increase my greatness, and You will turn and comfort me. |
21. You will
increase my greatness, and You will turn and comfort me. |
|
22. I too
shall thank You with a stringed instrument for Your truth, my God; I shall
play music to You with a harp, O Holy One of Israel. |
22. Also I will give
thanks in Your presence with instruments of song, and the lyre; I will tell
of Your truth, O my God, I will sing praise in Your presence with the harp,
Holy One of Israel. |
|
23. My lips
will sing praises when I play music to You, and my soul, which You redeemed. |
23. My lips will
rejoice, for I will give praise in Your presence, and [also] my soul that You
have redeemed. |
|
24. Also my
tongue will utter Your righteousness all the days, for those who seek my harm
are shamed, yea, for they are disgraced. |
24. Also my tongue
every day will repeat Your generosity, for those who seek my ruin have been
disappointed, they have been put to shame. |
|
|
|
Rashi’s Answers
to Questions Raised
On Psalm 71:1-24
3 in which to enter
continually into that shelter, to save myself within it from the
pursuer.
You commanded to save me You
saved me many times through Your messengers.
4 and robs Heb. וחומץ , like וחומס . Similarly (Isa. 1:17): “strengthen the robbed (חמוץ) ”; the robbed.
6 You drew me You drew
me and caused me to pass, as (Num. 11:31): “and drove up (ויגז) quails”; (below 90:10), “for it is cut off (גז) swiftly and we fly away.”
7 I was as an example for
the multitude Many saw my troubles and worried lest an example of
my trouble befall them; lest I be an example for them: “just as happened to
this one, so will happen to us.” As the matter is said (Ezek. 24:24): “and
Ezekiel will be an example to you.”
9 at the time of old age If I have
aged with sins, meaning, I have sinned exceedingly.
10 For my enemies said of me My
enemies said of me, and took counsel together, saying, “God has forsaken him.”
We shall not be punished because of him since he has already stumbled in sin.
14 As for me, I shall
constantly hope for Your salvation, and when You save me, I will add
to Your praise.
15 I do not know their
number of the righteousness and the salvations that You have
done for me. 16 I shall come to thank and praise for Your mighty deeds.
17 and until now Until
this day, with what passed over me, and until old age and hoary hairwhen I
reach sixty and seventydo not forsake me.
18 to everyone who comes
Your might To everyone who approaches me, I will tell of Your
might.
19 And Your charity, O God which is
up to the heights. The two verses are connected by “I shall tell [of] Your
strength to the generation.”
23 My lips will sing praises with the
music of the harp when I play to You on the harp.
Ashlamatah: Jer. 30:18-25 + 31:7-8
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
18. ¶ So said
the Lord: Behold I am returning the captivity of the tents of Jacob, and his
dwellings I will pity, and the city shall be built on its mound and the
palace on its proper site shall be established. |
18. Thus says the
LORD, Behold I will bring back the exile of the land of Jacob, and will have
mercy on his cities, and the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt in her place,
and the house of the sanctuary will be completed as is fitting for it. |
|
19. And
thanksgiving and the voice of those making merry shall proceed from them, and
I will multiply them, and they shall not be diminished, and I will increase
them, and they shall not become few in number. |
19. And those who
bring up thank-offerings will be many in them, and the sound of those who
praise, and I will increase them, and they will not diminish, and I will
strengthen them, and they will not be weak. |
|
20. And
their children shall be as of old, and their congregation shall be
established before Me, and I will visit [evil] upon all their oppressors. |
20. And their
children will increase as formerly, and their assemblies will be established
before Me, and I will visit evil upon all those who press them. |
|
21. And
their prince shall be from them, and their ruler shall emerge from their
midst, and I will bring him near, and he shall approach Me, for who is it who
pledged his heart to approach Me? says the Lord. |
21. And their king
will be anointed from them, and their Messiah will be revealed from among
them, and I will bring them near, and they will assemble to My worship. For
who is he whose heart delights to draw near to My worship, says the LORD? |
|
22. And you
shall be My people, and I will be your God. {S} |
22. And you will
become a people before Me, and I will be your God. |
|
23. ¶ Behold
a storm from the Lord has gone forth [with] fury, yea a settling storm; on
the head[s] of the wicked it shall rest. |
23. Behold, the
rebuke from before the LORD goes forth in anger, the whirlwind gathers, over
the head of wicked/Lawless men it will hover. |
|
24. The
kindling of the Lord's anger shall not return until He has executed it, and
until He has fulfilled the plans of His heart. At the end of the days you
shall consider it. |
24. The power of the
LORD’S anger will not return until He perform and until He establish the
thoughts of His good pleasure, at the end of days you will understand it. |
|
25. At that
time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and
they shall be My people. {S} |
1. At that time,
says the LORD, I will be God for all the seed of Israel, and they will become
a people before Me. |
|
|
|
|
1. ¶ So says
the Lord: In the wilderness, the people who had escaped the sword found
favor; He [therefore] went to give Israel their resting place. |
2. Thus says the
LORD, who gave mercy to the people Whom He brought up from Egypt supplying
their needs in the wilderness when they were there, when they were fleeing
from before those who kill with the sword, leading them by His Memra to make
them dwell in a place of ease, even Israel. |
|
2. From
long ago, the Lord appeared to me; With everlasting love have I loved you;
therefore have I drawn you to Me with loving-kindness. |
3. Jerusalem said,
from of old the LORD was revealed to our fathers. O, prophet, say to them,
Behold, I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have led you
with good things. |
|
3. Yet
again will I rebuild you, then you shall be built, O virgin of Israel; yet
again shall you be adorned with your tabrets, and you shall go out with the
dances of those who make merry. |
4. Again I will set
you up, and you will be established. O assembly of Israel, again you will
adorn yourself with your ornaments, and will go forth with the company of
those who praise. |
|
4. Yet
again shall you plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria, indeed planters
shall plant [them] and redeem [them]. |
5. Again you will
plant vineyards on the mountain of Samaria, plant the plants and eat them as
common produce. |
|
5. For
there is a day, the watchers shall call on the mountains of Ephraim; Rise!
Let us go up to Zion, to the Lord, our God. {P} |
6. For there is
length of days and much goodness which is about to come for the
righteous/generous who have kept My Law from of old; their portion is in the
land of Israel because they were longing for the years of consolations which
are coming, saying: When will we arise and go up to Zion, and appear before
the LORD our God? |
|
6. ¶ For so
says the Lord to Jacob, "Sing [with] joy and shout at the head of the
nations, make it heard, praise, and say, 'O Lord, help Your people, the
remnant of Israel!' " |
7. For thus says the
LORD, Give praise O you of the house of Jacob, with rejoicing and dance, with
uncovered head in the sight of all the Gentiles, tell the good news, give
praise and say, The LORD has redeemed His people, the remnant of Israel. |
|
7. Behold
I bring them from the north country and gather them from the uttermost ends
of the earth, the blind and the lame amongst them, the woman with child and
she who travails with child all together; a great company shall they return
there. |
8. Behold, I am
bringing them suddenly from the land of the north, and will gather them from
the ends of the earth, those who were blind and lame among them; the pregnant
women and those giving birth all together will increase among them; they will
return hither in many troops. |
|
8. With
weeping will they come, and with supplications will I lead them, along brooks
of water will I make them go, on a straight road upon which they will not
stumble, for I have become a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.
{S} |
9. When they were
exiled, when they were weeping, they were taken into exile; but on their
return from among the exiles I will bring them near with great mercies. I
will lead them to streams of water by a straight road: they will not stumble
on it, for My Memra will be like a father for Israel, and Ephraim is beloved
before Me. |
|
|
|
1 Tsefet (Peter) 2:4-8
|
CLV[1] |
A,E.N.T’s Version[2] |
Greek[3] |
Delitzsch[4] |
|
4. Whom approaching,
a living Stone, having been rejected indeed by men, yet chosen by God, held
in honor, |
4. To whom you have
come because he is a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but with Elohim elect
and precious. |
4. πρὸς
ὃν
προσερχόμενοι,
λίθον ζῶντα,
ὑπὸ
ἀνθρώπων
μὲν
ἀποδεδοκιμασμένον,
παρὰ δὲ
Θεῷ ἐκλεκτὸν,
ἔντιμον,
|
4 אֲשֶׁר
נִגַּשְׁתֶּם
אֵלָיו
אֶל־אֶבֶן
חַיָּה
אֲשֶׁר
מָאֲסוּ־בָהּ
בְּנֵי־הָאָדָם
וְהִיא
נִבְחָרָה
וִיקָרָה
לֵאלֹהִים׃ |
|
5. you, also, as
living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, into a holy priesthood,
to offer up spiritual sacrifices, most acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ. " |
5. And you also, as
living stones, are built and become spiritual temples and Set Apart priets
for the offering of spiritual sacrifices, acceptable before Elohim through
Y’shua the Mashiyach. |
5. καὶ
αὐτοὶ ὡς
λίθοι
ζῶντες
οἰκοδομεῖσθε
οἶκος
πνευματικὸς,
ἱεράτευμα ἅγιον,
ἀνενέγκαι
πνευματικὰς
θυσίας
εὐπροσδέκτους
τῷ Θεῷ
διὰ ᾿Ιησοῦ
Χριστοῦ· |
5 וְגַם־אַתֶּם
כַּאֲבָנִים
חַיּוֹת
נִבְנֵיתֶם
לְמִשְׁכַּן
הָרוּחַ
לִכְהֻנַּת
קֹדֶשׁ
לְהַעֲלוֹת
זִבְחֵי־רוּחַ
לְרָצוֹן לֵאלֹהִים
בְּיֵשׁוּעַ
הַמָּשִׁיחַ׃ |
|
6. Because of this
it is included in the scripture: Lo! I am laying in Zion a corner capstone,
chosen, held in honor, and he who is believing on it may by no means be
disgraced." |
6. For it is said in
the Scripture, “Behold, in Tsiyon I lay a chosen and precious stone for the
head of the corner; and whoever believes in him will not be ashamed.” |
6. διότι
περιέχει ἐν
γραφῇ·
ἰδοὺ
τίθημι ἐν
Σιὼν λίθον
ἀκρογωνιαῖον,
ἐκλεκτὸν, ἔντιμον,
καὶ ὁ
πιστεύων ἐπ᾿
αὐτῷ οὐ
μὴ
καταισχυνθῇ. |
6 וְזֶה
הוּא
שֶׁאָמַר
הַכָּתוּב
הִנְנִי יִסַּד
בְּצִיּוֹן
אֶבֶן
פִּנָּה
אֶבֶן בֹּחַן
וִיקָרָה
וְהַמַּאֲמִין
בָּהּ לֹא
יֵבוֹשׁ׃ |
|
7. To you, then, who
are believing, is the honor, yet to the unbelieving: "A Stone which is
rejected by the builders, this came to be for the head of the corner, |
7. On you therefore
who believe, is this honor conferred, but to them who do not believe: |
7. ὑμῖν
οὖν ἡ τιμὴ
τοῖς
πιστεύουσιν,
ἀπιστοῦσιν
δὲ λίθον ὃν
ἀπεδοκίμασαν
οἱ
οἰκοδομοῦντες,
οὗτος
ἐγενήθη
εἰς κεφαλὴν
γωνίας |
7 לָכֵן
לָכֶם
הַמַּאֲמִינִים
הִיא אֶבֶן
הַיְקָר
אֲבָל
לַסּוֹרֲרִים
הָאֶבֶן
אֲשֶׁר מָאֲסוּ
הַבּוֹנִים
הָיְתָה
לְרֹאשׁ
פִּנָּה
וּלְאֶבֶן
נֶגֶף
וּלְצוּר
מִכְשֹׁל׃ |
|
8. and a stumbling
stone and a snare rock; who are stumbling also at the word, being stubborn,
to which they were appointed also." |
8. “he is a stone of
stumbling and a rock of offense.” And they stumble at it because they believe
not the Word from where they were appointed. |
8. καὶ
λίθος
προσκόμματος
καὶ πέτρα
σκανδάλου· οἳ
προσκόπτουσι
τῷ λόγῳ
ἀπειθοῦντες,
εἰς ὃ καὶ
ἐτέθησαν· |
8 וְהֵם
נִכְשְׁלוּ
יַעַן לֹא
שָׁמְעוּ
לַדָּבָר
וְלָזֹאת
גַּם־נוֹעָדוּ׃ |
|
|
|
|
|
Hakham’s
Rendition
4. ¶ The one to whom you are continuously
drawn [or proselytized] is the living stone, that men have continuously
rejected (disapproved), yet (on the other hand), [is] chosen and
honoured with God.
5. And you (yourselves) as
living stones, [are] continuously being erected (built up), [as] a spiritual
Temple/Tabernacle, into a priesthood set-apart (holy) to offer spiritual sacrifices
(offerings) acceptable before God by way
of Yeshua the Messiah.
6. For it is contained in the Scripture
(Isaiah 28:16): “Consider (Behold; Look)!
I am setting (placing; laying) within Zion a chosen (elect),
precious (held in honour and value) foundation stone (corner-stone)
and the one faithfully obeying (relying upon; believing in) him may [by
no means] be disgraced (or brought to shame).”
7. To you, those faithfully
obeying, [is] this honour (preciousness) [given]. Yet for those unfaithful (or: being
habitually disobedient): “The stone which the builders rejected is become the
chief corner-stone” (Psalm 118:22),
8. and, “a stone of stumbling and
for a rock of offence” (Isaiah 8:14), [to the ones] who are repeatedly
stumbling [because of] habitually being disobedient to the Torah, into which
[situation] they were appointed.
Commentary
The Textus Receptus of the
pericope for this week is a bit disappointing, as it implies that 1 Tesfet
(Peter) 2:4 is a continuation of v.3, and therefore the ASV renders:
3.
if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious:
4.
unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect,
precious,
The Catholic New Jerusalem Bible,[5]
starts a new paragraph at 1:13 – 2:21, and then one at 1:22 – 2:3, and finally
one from 2:4-10.Whilst their division of paragraphs is different from ours,
nevertheless, we agree that with 2:4 a new paragraph is opened. This Bible
translation is also somewhat confusing as it places verse 3 in italics (meaning
that in their view this has been a later scribal addition. Therefore they
render 2:1-4 as follows:
1.
Rid yourselves, then, of all spite, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and carping
criticism.
2.
Like new born babies all your longing should be for milk – the unadulterated
spiritual milk which will help you grow up to salvation,
3.
at any rate if you have tasted that the Lord is good
4.¶
He is the living stone rejected by human beings but chosen by God and precious
to Him.
As can be seen, the authors of
the Jerusalem Bible found that with verse 4 of Chapter 2, there starts a new
pericope (paragraph), and whilst there is a an obvious relationship to matters
discussed in the previous pericope, nevertheless, in v. 4 we are introduced to
a new subject or idea.
As you probably know, I reject
fully the idea that the Master King Yeshua the Messiah spoke Aramaic with his
Talmidim, family and friends, or that his disciples wrote their materials in
Aramaic. The general Scholarly consensus at this point is that Yeshua spoke
Aramaic to his Talmidim, family and friends, and that his Talmidim (Rabbinic
Disciples) rejected the Masoretic Text in favour of the Septuagint and wrote
their materials in Greek.
This has been the scholarly
status since the year 300 to 400 c.e. However, this Chrsitian fabrication was
totally debunked when amongst the Scrolls at the Dead Sea were found letters of
Bar Kochba in perfect Hebrew of the time, and not in Aramaic. Further, it is
nature of Kings to speak in the official language of the nation, and one would
expect that the King of the Jewish people would speak Hebrew fluently in all of
his communications to family, friends and Talmidim alike, as was the case with
Bar Kochba. Finally, when our Sages of blessed memory decided that because of
the imminent danger of the exile, the Oral Torah would be forgotten, that the
Oral Torah in the Peshat in the form of the Mishnah needed to be set in written
form (circa 100 c.e.), they did not set it in Aramaic, but in the Hebrew of
their time. Therefore, it is our conclusion that the Rabbinic Disciples of the
Master assembled their writings in Mishnaic Hebrew (the Hebrew of their time)
which were later translated to Greek, and later re-translated to Aramaic. This
Greek translation was later revised before the year 400 to accommodate for the
doctrinal positions taken by Christianity.
Thus, when we look at the
Peshitta (the Aramaic version of the Nazarean Codicil) what we have is the
Aramaic translation of the old Greek translation of the Hebrew original
writings of the Disciples of the Master. In this vein, Dr. George Lamsa[6]
renders 1 Tsefet (Peter) 2:2-4 as follows:
2. And become like
newborn babes, and long for the Word, as for spure and spiritual milk, that you
may grow to salvation by it.
3. If you have tasted
and found out that the LORD is good.
4. The one to whom you
are coming is the living stone, whom men have rejected, and yet he is chosen
and precious with God.
There are two points that we want
to touch upon regarding this translation. First, that our hermeneutic rule that
unless the writer is trying to make a point as per the rendition of a certain
Targum (Septuagint included in this category), all Scriptural quotations from
the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures) must conform to the letter of the Masoretic
text. The Peshitta in 2:3 as against the Received Text quotes directly from the
Masoretic text. The Textus Receptus has at 2:3
“ειπερ {IF INDEED} εγευσασθε {YOU DID TASTE} οτι
{THAT
[IS]} χρηστος {GOOD} ο {THE} κυριος {LORD.}”
The Masoretic text has in Psalm 34:9a:
טַעֲמוּ
וּרְאוּ,
כִּי-טוֹב
יְהוָה – Ta’amu
(Consider) UR’u (And see/prophesy) Ki-Tov (That good/beneficial) [is] Adonai
(the LORD).
The Peshitta in Aramaic has:
אִן טעֶמתּוֹן וַחֲוַיתּוֹן דּטָב הוּ מָריָה
“Since
you have considered and seen/prophesied that good is the LORD
Consequently, Magiera[7]
translates:
“Since
you have tasted and seen that THE LORD IS GOOD.”
And Dr. Lamsa[8]
translates:
“If
so you have tasted and found out that the LORD is good.”
This means that the ancient Greek
manuscript/s before they were reformed (and which were rendered into the
Aramaic) contained an almost literal rendering of the Masoretic text of Psalm 34:9a.
Note that the Textus Receptus only has “tasted” but the Peshitta together with
the Masoretic text has both “tasted/considered” and “and seen/found.”
Therefore, here we have a strong case/indication that the original Hebrew
Manuscript containing the first Epistle of Hakham Tsefet (Peter) quoted
verbatim from the Masoretic text Psalm 34:9a. This, therefore confirms our
hermeneutic rule that unless the writer is trying to make a point as per the
rendition of a certain Targum (Septuagint included in this category), all
Scriptural quotations from the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures) must conform to the
letter of the Masoretic text.
The Hebrew word טַעֲמוּ – Ta’amu
(Strong’s
# 2938) from the root טעם means
literally “to taste” and figuratively it is used to mean “to perceive or to
consider.” Thus, the Peshitta rendition is not at variance with a literal
reading of Psalm 34:9a of the Masoretic text. Nevertheless, as His Excellency
Dr. Eliyahu laboured to explain on last week’s notes, G-d can not be tasted
since He is incorporeal, therefore the text itself leaves us no other option
but to see this “tasting” as figurative, and thus by translating “to consider”
the problem is obviated, as well as better capturing the intent of the author.
But many Christian editions prefer “tasting” in order to relate this to their
“eucharist” whereby it is posited that they are “eating and drinking G-d” – G-d
forbid! From this perspective it is clear why Christians chose to translate
“taste” rather than “consider.”
Our second point, is that the
rendition of the Peshitta of 1 Tefet 2:3-4 does not show an easy transition as
the Textus Receptus does, but it presents rather an abrupt demarcation of
ideas, as can be seen in the following renditions by the ASV and the Peshitta
by both Dr. Lamsa and Magiera:
ASV 3. if ye have tasted that the Lord
is gracious:
4. unto whom coming, a living stone,
rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious,
PESH
Lamsa 3. If you have tasted and
found out that the LORD is good.
4. The one to whom you
are coming is the living stone, whom men have rejected, and yet he is chosen
and precious with God.
PESH
Magiera 3. Since you have tastedand
seen that THE LORD IS GOOD.
4. The one to whom you
are drawn is the living stone that men have rejected, yet with God [is] chosen
and honoured.
It is obvious then that according
to the Peshitta (an Aramaic translation of the ancient Greek translation of the
original Hebrew manuscript of Hakham Tsefet’s Epistle) verse 4 starts a new
pericope with a new subject being introduced.
v. 4. ¶ The one to whom you are
continuously drawn [or proselytized] is the living stone, that men have
continuously rejected (disapproved), yet (on the other hand), [is]
chosen and honoured with God.
Now Hakham Tsefet explains to the
converts to Nazarean Judaism why they maintain that Yeshua is the Messiah and
find it impossible to deny him. He states that this is because these converts
find themselves “continuously drawn (proselytized)” by the
Master. Further, the Master is identified as an אֶבֶן
חַיָּה –
Eben Chayah (a
living stone). The Hebrew word Eben in the majority of cases is either
used to mean “a precious stone/gem” (cf. Gen. 2:12 and Ex. 39:6, 10, 14), or a normal
stone used for building (cf. Gen. 11:3). The meaning here in 1 Tsefet 2:4 in my
opinion includes both meanings of precious stone/gem, and building stone.
Hakham Tsefet continues stating
that this Eben Chayah is to this very day “being continuously rejected”
by the majority of בְּנֵי־הָאָדָם – B’ne HaAdam (sons of Adam). Note that he is not
accusing the Israelite people (B’ne Yisrael) of being the ones rejecting
the Master but rather the “Sons of Adam.” On our comments on 1 Tsefet 1:1 we
noted that the address of this Epistle were converts to Nazarean Judaism. Michaels[9]
states regarding this:
“The
heart of vv. 4-10 is a Midrash based primarily on Isaiah 28:16 and secondarily
on several other Biblical texts. Its effect is to assign to the Gentile
community to which Peter is writing an essentially Jewish identity and
responsibility. Their identity is not defined as it is in Paul over against
those who are literally Jews (i.e. “Israel according to the flesh”) but over
against those who have always been the enemies of the Jews themselves: i.e. the
unbelieving Gentiles who comprise pagan society both in Rome and in Asia Minor
(vv 7b-8). Peter sees his readers not as claimants to the status of “Israel” or
“people of G-d,” standing in some sort of rivalry with those who were born
Jewish, but purely and simply as “Israel” or as the “people of G-d.” How their
status relates to that of the actual Jewish communities in Asia Minor or Rome
is a question he does not even begin to address.”
Before we comment further on the
audience of Hakham Tsefet it is interesting to note that the Textus Receptus
starts with the words: πρὸς ὃν
προσερχόμενοι
– PROS
= To/Towards, ON = Whom, PROSERCHOMENOI = Coming. On this phrase, Elliott[10]
comments:
“However,
the verb PROSERCHOU also is linguistically related to the Greek term for
“proselyte,” PROSELYTOS (one who has approached or drawn near to a group in
order to join it or one who “has drawn near to G-d”). In this light the term
appropriately describes the continued solidarity of Christian converts and
proselytes with their Lord as the precondition for communal consolidation and
action (2:5, 9).”
Although we disagree with the
last sentence in both quotes, we agree that Hakham Tsefet (Peter) considers his
audience proselytes (full converts) to Judaism, and within Judaism to the sect
of Pharisaic Nazareans. Thus to correct Michael’s[11]
quote we say: “Peter sees his readers not as claimants to the status of
‘Israel’ or the ‘people of G-d,’ standing in some sort of rivalry with or
substituting those who were born Jewish, but purely and simply as a legitimate
part and parcel of “Israel” or as part and parcel of the “people of G-d”
together with those who were born Jewish.”
Verse 4 seems to be alluding to
Psalm 34:5-6 which the Masoretic text renders as:
5.
I sought Ha-Shem, and He answered me, and from all my fears did deliver me.
6.
They looked expectantly unto Him, and they became bright, and their faces are
not ashamed.
And the Septuagintal Targum[12]
(33:4-5) renders:
4.
I sought the LORD and He hearkened to me, and from all my sojourning He
rescued me.
5.
Come to Him and be enlightened, and your faces will never be put to
shame.
In the previous verse (1 Tsefet
2:3) we had a verbatim quote from the Masoretic text of Psalm 34:9a, and here
in v. 4 and allusion to 34:5-6. In 34:9a we are asked to “consider and
see/prophesy that good/beneficial is the LORD” and here in v.4 we are told that
we are continuously drawn by the Master to “seek Ha-Shem” and to “come to Him.”
It is also important to note here
that Hakham Tsefet makes his introduction in v.4 and proceeds through the rest
of the pericope to construct a Peshat argument based on the fourth rule of R.
Hillel - 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. Notice the repeated use of Eben
(Stone) and the three different words being used.
Isaiah
28:16 – אָבֶן –
Aben – (Strong’s
H68) a stone;
פִּנַּת –
Pinat – (Strong’s
H6438) corner-stone
Psalm
118:22 – אֶבֶן –
Eben – (Strong’s
H68) a stone;
פִּנָּה – Pinah
–
(Strong’s H6438) corner-stone
Isaiah
8:14 – אֶבֶן –
Eben – (Strong’s
H68) a stone;
צוּר – Tsur
– (Strong’s
H6696/6697) a big rock or boulder
v. 5 - And you (yourselves)
as living stones, [are] continuously being erected (built up), [as] a spiritual
Temple/Tabernacle, into a priesthood set-apart (holy) to offer spiritual sacrifices
(offerings) acceptable before God by way of Yeshua the Messiah.
The message is clear, just as
Messiah is a living stone in Ha-Shem’s Temple/Household so are those who adhere
to him, and by virtue of this they are obliged to bring “spiritual offerings –
i.e. prayers, Torah study, charity and tithes. Nevertheless, in consonance with
the first phrase in v. 4, this is all done through and because of Yeshua the
Messiah!
6. For it is contained in the
Scripture (Isaiah 28:16): “Consider (Behold; Look)! I am setting (placing; laying) within Zion a
chosen (elect), precious (held in honour and value) foundation
stone (corner-stone) and the one faithfully obeying (relying upon;
believing in) him may [by no means] be disgraced (or brought to
shame).”
7. To you, those faithfully
obeying, [is] this honour (preciousness) [given]. Yet for those unfaithful (or: being
habitually disobedient): “The stone which the builders rejected is become
the chief corner-stone” (Psalm 118:22),
8. and, “a stone of stumbling and
for a rock of offence” (Isaiah 8:14), [to the ones] who are repeatedly
stumbling [because of] habitually being disobedient to the Torah, into
which [situation] they were appointed.
Now an important question should
be asked: Is it necessary for Hakham Tsefet to quote a Targum of the Tanakh in
order to make his rhetorical point, or would a verbatim quotation of the
Masoretic text suffice?
Let us examine each of the
quotes. The first quote is prefaced “as is contained in the Scripture” and
comes from Isaiah 28:16 – both the Masoretic textand the Septuagint has:
Masoretic- “Therefore thus
saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried
stone, a costly corner-stone of sure foundation; he that believeth shall not
make haste.”
Septuagint – “Therefore thus
says the LORD, See I will lay for the foundations of Zion a precious, choice
stone, a highly valued corner-stone for its foundations, and the one who
believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Interestingly, the Targum to
Isaiah reads:
“Therefore
thus says the LORD G-d, “Behold, I am appointing in Zion a king, a strong,
mighty and terrible king. I will strengthem him and harden him,” says the
Prophet, “and the righteous who believe in these things will not be shaken when
distress comes.”
It appears then, that the Septuagintal
Targum of Isaiah 28:16 best fits the rhetorical point being made by Hakham
Tsefet, and should be quoted verbatim from it, understanding that the word
“believing” and “obeying” in Hebrew are synonymous. Perhaps both Hakham Tsefet
an the Torah Scholars who translated the Torah to Greek found that Psalm 34:6 –
“They looked expectantly unto Him, and they became bright, and their faces are
not ashamed,” correlated to our text Isaiah 28:16, and thus “make haste” was
better rendered as “will not be put to shame.”
The second quote, that of Psalm
118:22 reads in the Masoretic text, and in the Septuagint Targum:
Masoretic: “The stone which the
builders rejected is become the chief corner-stone.”
Septuagint: “A stone which the
builders rejected, this one became the chief corner-stone.”
Interestingly the Targum to the
Psalms, reads:
“The
child the builders abandoned was among the sons of Jesse; and he
was worthy to be appointed king and ruler.”
It seems to me, that a verbatim
quote of the Masoretic text suffice to make Hakham Tesefet’s point without a
need to recourse to any Targum.
The third quote is from Isaiah
8:14, and again the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint Targum reads:
Masoretic: “And He will be for
a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the
houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”
Septuagint: “If you trust in Him
He will become your holy precinct, and you will not encounter Him as a stumbling
caused by a stone nor as a fall caused by a rock, but the house of Jacob is in
a trap, and those who sit in Jerusalem are in a pit.”
The Targum of Isaiah renders this
verse as:
“And
if you do not attend, His Memra will become among you an avenger, and a stone
of smitting and a rock of stumbling to the two houses of the princes of Israel,
a breaking and stumbling, because those of the house of Israel have been
divided against those of the house of Judah that dwell in Jerusalem.”
It becomes obvious that Hakaham
Tsefet intended to quote verbatim the second phrase of Isaiah 8:14 verbatim
from the Masoretic text.
We see then that the congregation
of converts to Nazarean Judaism being addressed in this Responsa of Hakham
Tsefet is concerned with the idea that these coverts take to heart not only
their privileges but also their responsibilities as part and parcel of the
Household of Israel, where there is no Jew nor Israelite but twelve tribes of
Israel under the kingship of Messiah, just as we read in our Torah Seder that
the twelve stones in the Ephod of the High Priest signalled that Israel is one!
Mishnah Pirke
Abot: IV:4
Rabbi Yochanan ben
Berokah said: “Whoever profanes the Name of Heaven in secret, will be made to
pay for it in public; ignorance and wilfulness are the same as far as the
profanation of the Name of Heaven is concerned.”
Abarbanel on Pirke Abot
By: Abraham Chill
Sepher Hermon Press, Inc. 1991
ISBN 0-87203-135-7
(pp. 239-241)
Rabbi Yochanan finds a flaw in
Rabbi Levitas's axiom of the previous Mishnah that one should practice humility
and self-effacement. According to Rabbi Yochanan this can lead to
misrepresentation and the misreading of one's character. How can we assess one
who denies the omniscience of God and puts on a facade of modesty when, in
truth, his behaviour is intended to fool his fellow-man. In the view of Rabbi
Yochanan, this type of individual is guilty of hillul ha-Shem, desecration of
the Name of God.
Abarbanel goes even further. He
attacks hypocrites who behave humbly and mask their inner motivation which is
the pursuit of honour and self-endearment. Thus the term "in secret"
in the Mishnah also refers to the secret inner recesses of a person's heart.
What disturbs Abarbanel in our Mishnah
is the question of how Rabbi Yochanan can equate a sin committed unwittingly
and one that was committed intentionally.
Almost every commentator asks
this question and practically all resort to the thesis of Rambam: Hillul
ha-Shem is so severe a sin that the penalty will be administered in the open in
order to demonstrate to all what the nature of the sin was. In other words,
when people observe that a person is being punished severely, they will
understand that God's Name had been desecrated - intentionally or inadvertently.
But what constitutes hillul
ha-Shem? If a rabbi takes meat from a butcher, and does not pay for it at once
he will be suspected of showing undue leniency in the kashrut of the meat. He
is, therefore, guilty of hillul ha-Shem, even though the suspicions are
unfounded. A person who does not wear a tallit katan, is also guilty of hillul
ha-Shem and such secretive behaviour will lead to unpleasant exposure. Yet
another instance of hillul ha-Shem is when a person eats secretly on a fast
day, when the community is fasting and in a state of mourning. The penalty is
public embarrassment and disgrace.
Abarbanel adds an item of his own
in defining hillul ha-Shem: An acknowledged Torah scholar who, by his personal
behaviour, evokes a great deal of criticism on the part of the community, is
guilty of desecrating God's Name.
Abarbanel then takes up the
matter of unintentional and deliberate sin. Rambam explains the equating of
ignorance and wilfulness as referring to the fact that punishment will be made
in public. He claims, however, that the punishment for deliberate hillul
ha-Shem will not be the same as that for accidental hillul ha-Shem. Other
commentators, however, argue that just as public and secret hillul ha-Shem are
considered equal, so are deliberate and accidental hillul ha-Shem: Thus,
according to them, hillul ha-Shem is different from all other sins, where an
unintentional transgression can be atoned for by bringing a sacrifice. With
regards to profaning God's Name, no man can claim that he did not know it was
forbidden or that he forgot that it was forbidden. Abarbanel is, in fact,
arguing, that as far as hillul ha-Shem is concerned there is no such thing as
unintentional transgression.
Miscellaneous
Interpretations
Rashbatz: What is the meaning
of hillul ha-Shem (desecration of God's name)? Rashbatz gives an example. When
a Jew is not prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to avoid forced
apostasy. Even if Jews who are accustomed to tie their shoes with white laces
are compelled, as an act of apostasy, to use black laces, they must sacrifice
their lives rather than comply. If a Jew does comply he is guilty of hillul
ha-Shem.
Rabbenu Yonah: To give full meaning
to the concept of profaning the name of God, Rabbenu Yonah invokes the three
capital sins in Judaism: idolatry. licentiousness and murder. These are the
three transgressions that the Jew must avoid even at the cost of his life. Yet,
Rabbenu Yonah would have us know, the sin of hillul ha-Shem, such as
worshipping an idol covertly, is far more severe than any of the three
mentioned above.
Why should the un-calculating
sinner be punished the same as one who commits a sin overtly? Shogeg should not
be put in the same category as meizid. Rabbenu Yonah takes the position that
the shogeg, too, is held accountable in the area of the profanation of God's
name because he should have been extra careful and not become vulnerable to
this sin.
Midrash Shemuel: Despite the fact that
the three major inequities mentioned above call for the harshest penalty, Rabbi
Yohanan ben Berokah meant to expound the theme that hillul ha-Shem is not a
misconduct in itself; every wrongdoing a Jew commits contains an element of
hillul ha-Shem.
What
Say the Nazarean Hakhamim?
Mat 12:31 “Therefore I say to you,
every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against
the Spirit of Ha-Shem will not be forgiven unto men.”
Mat 12:32 And whoever says a word
against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the
Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the coming
one.
Rev 22:18 I testify to everyone
hearing the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, may God
add to him the plagues having been written in this book.
Rev 22:19 And if anyone takes
away from the words of the book of this prophecy, may God take away his part
from the tree of Life, and from the holy city, and from the things having been
written in this book.
Questions for Reflection:
1.
After diligently reading and
studying the different readings for this Shabbat what reading especially
touched your heart and fired your imagination?
2.
What questions were asked of
Rashi regarding Shemot 38:21?
3.
What questions were asked of
Rashi regarding Shemot 38:22?
4.
What questions were asked of
Rashi regarding Shemot 38:26?
5.
What questions were asked of
Rashi regarding Shemot 39:3?
6.
What questions were asked of
Rashi regarding Shemot 39:28?
7.
What questions were asked of
Rashi regarding Shemot 39:31?
8.
What captivated the mind of the
Psalmist of our Torah Seder for this Shabbat?
- How
is our Ashlamatah of Jer. 30:18-25 +
31:7-8
related
to our Torah Seder?
10.
How is the pericope of I Tsefet (Peter)
2:4-8 related to
our Torah Seder, Psalm and Ashlamatah?
11.
In your opinion what questions
were asked of Hakham Tsefet in I Tsefet (Peter) 2:4-8?
12.
In your opinion what are the main
teachings of Hakham Tsefet in 1
Tsefet (Peter) 2:4-8?
13.
In your opinion, and taking
altogether our Torah Seder, Psalm, Ashlamatah, Pericope of 1 Tsefet for this
Shabbat and Pirke Abot 4:4, what do you think is the prophetic statement for this week?
Next
Shabbat: Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
Sabbath
of the New Moon for the Hebrew Month of Tammuz
|
Shabbat: |
Torah Reading: |
Weekday Torah Reading: |
|
יִפְקֹד ה' |
|
|
|
“Shabbat Rosh Chodesh” |
Reader 1 –
B’midbar 27:15-17 |
Reader 1 –
Sh’mot 39:33-35 |
|
“Sabbath of the New Moon |
Reader 2 –
B’midbar 27:18-20 |
Reader 2 –
Sh’mot 39:36-39 |
|
“Sábado del
Novilunio |
Reader 3 –
B’midbar 27:21-23 |
Reader 3 –
Sh’mot 39:40-43 |
|
B’midbar
(Num.) 27:15-28:25 |
Reader 4 –
B’midbar 28:1-9 |
|
|
Yeshayahu
(Isaiah) 66:1-24 |
Reader 5 –
B’midbar 28:10-14 |
|
|
|
Reader 6 –
B’midbar 28:15-18 |
Reader 1 –
Sh’mot 39:33-35 |
|
Proverbs
7:1-27 |
Reader 7 –
B’midbar 28:19-25 |
Reader 2 –
Sh’mot 39:36-39 |
|
Pirke
Abot 4:5 |
Maftir – B’midbar 28:23-25 |
Reader 3 –
Sh’mot 39:40-43 |
|
N.C.:
Col. 2:16-23 |
Yeshayahu 66:1-24 |
|
Shalom Shabbat !
Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David
Dr. Adon
Eliyahu ben Abraham