Targum
Pseudo Jonathan for:
Sh’mot
(Exodus) 16:4-27
XVI. And the whole congregation
of Israel journeyed from
Elim, and came to the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the
fifteenth day of the month of Iyar, the second month from their going forth
from the land of Mizraim. And on that day the bread which
they had brought out of Mizraim was finished. And all the sons of Israel
grumbled against Mosheh and against Aharon in the desert. And the sons of Israel said to them, Would that we had died by
the Word of the Lord in the land
of Mizraim, when we sat by
the cisterns of meat, and ate bread and had enough! Why have you brought us out
into this wilderness to kill all this congregation with hunger? And the Lord
said to Mosheh, Behold, I will cause the bread which has been laid up for you
from the beginning to descend from heaven: and the people shall go out and
gather the matter of a day by the day, that I may try them whether they will
keep the commandments of My law or not. And on the sixth day they shall prepare
what they set before them to eat on the day of the Sabbath; and they shall mix
in the houses and communicate in their dwellings, so that by carrying this to
that, they may have double of that which they gather from day to day.
And Mosheh and Aharon said to all
the sons of Israel, At
evening you shall know that the Lord has brought you out free from the land of Mizraim; and in the morning will be
revealed to you the glory of the Shekinah of the Lord; and we, what are we
accounted, that you complain against us? [JERUSALEM.
And we, what are we accounted?] And Mosheh said, By this you shall know, when
the Lord prepares you at evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to
satisfy, that your complaints wherewith you complain against Him are heard
before the Lord. And we, what are we accounted? Your complaints are not against
us, but against the Word of the Lord. Mosheh said to Aharon, Bid all the
congregation of the sons of Israel
draw near before the Lord; for your murmuring are heard before Him.
And it was while Aharon was
speaking with all the congregation of Israel that they turned towards the
desert, and, behold, the glory of the majesty of the Lord was revealed in the
cloud of glory. And the Lord spoke to Mosheh, saying: Hearing I have heard the
murmurings of the sons of Israel before Me. Speak with them, saying, Between
the evenings (suns) you shall eat flesh, and in the morning shall you eat
bread, and shall know that I am the Lord your God.
And it came to pass, that in the
evening the pheasants came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there
was a fall of holy dew, prepared as a table, round about the camp: and the
clouds ascended and caused manna to descend upon the dew; and there was upon
the face of the desert a minute (substance) in lines, minute as the hoar frost
upon the ground. [JERUSALEM.
As hoar frost.] And the sons of Israel
beheld, and wondered, and said, a man to his companion, Man Hu? for they knew
not what it was. And Mosheh said to them, It is the bread which has been laid
up for you from the beginning in the heavens on high, and now the Lord will
give it you to eat. This is the word which the Lord has dictated: You are to
gather of it, every man according to the number of your souls; every man
according to the mouth of the number of the persons of his tabernacle, are you to
take. And the sons of Israel
did so, and gathered manna said to them, Let no man make a reserve of it till
the morning. But (some of them) hearkened not to Mosheh: Dathan and Abiram, men
of wickedness, did reserve of it till the morning; but it produced worms and
putrefied; and Mosheh was angry with them. And they gathered from the time of
the dawn until the fourth hour of the day, every man according to his eating;
but at the fourth hour, when the sun had waxed hot upon it, it liquefied, and
made streams of water, [JERUSALEM.
Became as streams,] which flowed away into the Great
Sea; and wild animals that were clean,
and cattle, came to drink of it, and the sons of Israel hunted, and ate them. And it
came to pass on the sixth day they gathered double bread, two homers a man; and
all the princes of the congregation came and told Mosheh. And Mosheh said to
them, This which the Lord has told you, do. Tomorrow is the rest of the holy
Sabbath before the Lord: That which is needful to have to bake for tomorrow, bake
today; and what is needful to boil for tomorrow, boil today: and all whatever
remains of that which on eat today lay it up, and it shall be preserved until
the morning. And they laid it up until the morning, as Mosheh had directed
them; and it did not corrupt, and no worm was in it. And Mosheh said to them,
Eat today, because this is the Sabbath day before the Lord. This day you will
not find any in the field. Six days you shall gather, but on the seventh day,
which is the Sabbath, no manna will come down. And it was that on the seventh
day some of the wicked people went forth to gather manna, but they found none.
Midrash Tanhuma Yelammedenu
for: Sh’mot (Exodus) 16:4-27
20.
Then the Lord said unto Moses: "Behold, I will cause to rain bread from
heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every
day, that I may prove them whether they will walk in My law, or not"
(Exod. 16:4).
R.
Simeon the son of Gamliel said: Observe how dearly the Holy One, blessed be He,
loved Israel
that He altered, for their sake, the natural order of things. The Holy One,
blessed be He, made the heavenly spheres become like the lower spheres, and the
lower spheres to become like the upper spheres, for their sake. Previously,
bread came from the earth and water descended from heaven, but now He caused
bread to descend from the heavens and water to come out of the earth, as it is
said: Behold, I will cause to rain bread for you, and when the layer of dew
was gone up (Exod. 16:14). be
Let
them go and gather straw for themselves (ibid. 5:57). They did not merely go
out to the courtyard to gather (the straw) but into the wilderness. A day's
portion every day. He who created the day created sustenance for
that day. R. Eleazar of Modi'im stated because of this: Anyone who has sufficient
food for the day and yet asks "What shall I eat tomorrow?" lacks
faithful obedience. That I may prove them whether or not they will
follow My Law (ibid. 16:4). R. Joshua held: If a man studies two
laws in the morning and two in the evening, even though he is occupied with his
labors throughout the rest of the day, they consider him as fulfilling the
entire Torah: That you shall meditate therein day and night (Josh. 1:8). R.
Simeon the son of Joshua observed from this verse that the Torah was given for
study to those who have sufficient manna to eat, since they are not compelled
to work or engage in business. Indeed, how can a man sit and study when he
does not know where he will obtain his food and drink, garments and covering?
Hence, the Torah was given for study to those who possessed manna. This is
equally true of those who eat the terumah (since the priest devotes himself to
fulfilling G-d’s Laws, he receives the Terumah offering brought by the people).
Ketubim Targum Psalm 53
1. For praise; on the punishment
of the wicked who profane the name of the Lord; good teaching composed by
David.
2. The fool said in his heart,
“There is no God taking retribution”; because of this the wicked have corrupted
their ways; they have become estranged from goodness, for iniquity is found in
them; there is none that does good.
3. Yet God looked down from
heaven on the sons of men to see whether there is one who will grow wise in the
Torah, seeking instruction from the presence of the Lord.
4. All of them alike have turned
aside; they have fouled themselves, there is none that does good, not even one.
5. Do not all the doers of lies
know that food is given from His presence? And why then have the eaters of my
people dined on bread, [but] not blessed the name of the Lord?
6. There they were greatly afraid
of their idols, in whom is nothing to fear, for God scatters the might of the
army of sinners; You put them to shame, because the Word of the Lord abhors
them.
7. Who is it who gives the redemption
of Israel from Zion but the Lord? When
the Word of the Lord brings back the exiles of HHhhhHHHis people, those of the house of Jacob will be
glad, those of the house of Israel
will rejoice.
Ketubim Midrash Psalm 53
I.
To the Eternal God; upon Mahalath. Maschil of David. Nabal has said in
his heart (Ps. 53:1). The word Mahalath is to be read in the light
of the verse Whosoever finds a wife finds a great good (Prov. 18:22).
Endless is the good of a good woman. And even as the good of a good woman is
endless, so the evil of an evil woman is endless, as is said I find more
bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets (Eccles. 7:26).
R. Samuel taught: Abigail did
more good for David than all the sacrifices in the world. For had David done
that deed which he thought to do upon Nabal, then, even if David had brought
all the sacrifices in the world, they would not have atoned for him. But
Abigail came to him and saved him. What she did for him is implied in To the
Eternal God; upon Mahalath: even as sacrifices bring about forgiveness,
Abigail brought about forgiveness [mehilah] for David.
The Holy One, blessed be He,
said: A good woman comes to belong to a good man; an evil man dies in his
evil,' as is said It came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote
Nabal, so that he died (1 Sam. 25:38).
What caused his death? His hand
was niggardly in deeds of charity. Hence Abigail said to David: Let not my
lord, 1 pray thee, regard this base fellow (1 Sam. 25:25). What did she
mean by base fellow? That Nabal had an evil eye, as is said "Beware
that there be not a base thought in your heart ... and your eye be evil"
(Deut. 15:9). She also said: "My lord David, could you not have learned
what he is from his name? Churl (Nabal) is his name; he acts churlishly
and speaks churlishly."
R. Simon taught: Nabal and Laban
were alike, and the letters of their names are alike. Even as Laban was a
deceiver, so Nabal was a deceiver. And since both were deceivers, Solomon said:
"I speak of these two in sayings Deceit is in the heart of them that
devise evil; but to the counselors of peace is joy" (Prov. 12:20). And
who are they that enjoy peace? The children of Israel upon whom peace was
bestowed, as is said The Lord will give strength unto His people; the Lord
will bless His people with peace (Ps. 29:11).
Abigail said to David: "My
lord king, if the following case were brought to you, what would you do? A poor
man goes to his master and says: `Show mercy unto me. Give me a morsel of
bread. But the master feels no obligation toward him [and refuses his plea], so
the poor man falls upon him and kills him. Now if such a case were brought to
you for judgment, what wouldst you do? You wouldst feel as if gagged and would
be unable to utter your judgment, for men would say `Did not David do just such
a thing to Nabal?"' When Scripture says, Let this not be unto you a gag
(1 Sam. 25:31), it means that Abigail said: "Do not put a gag in your
mouth. Do not say, `Because I am king, no man can rebuke me. Rebuke yourself in
your heart. Let this not be unto you a gag. There is one gag in your mouth
already. Let that one be enough for you. "
What did Abigail mean by the
words Then remember your handmaid (ibid.)? She meant: "Do not
forget me. I shall be in your mind when such a case is brought before you, and
as you judge it, may you say: `Let her who so acted on my behalf that I did not
incur the guilt of blood be remembered for blessing."' David replied:
"Not because of you am I not guilty. The Holy One, blessed be He, sent you
to me, as is said Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this
day to meet me (1 Sam. 25:32). Even so, you are worthy to be blessed, as is
said Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you" (ibid. 25:33).
David escaped from iniquity, but
Nabal entered into it, for, as it is said, Nabal has said in his heart:
"There is no God" (Ps. 53:2). And what was in his heart? Deceit,
as is said Deceit is in the heart of them that devise evil (Prov.
12:20). Nabal, with evil in his heart, claimed not to know David, as is said Who
is David? and who is the son of Jesse? (1 Sam. 25:10). Nabal also claimed
not to know the Holy One, blessed be he, as is said Nabal has said in his
heart: "There is no God." What can the words in his heart mean
except evil thoughts? And the words immediately following, dealt corruptly
(Ps. 53:2), what do they allude to? To the corruption of the generation of the
flood, of whom it is written All flesh had corrupted their way (Gen.
6:12). Like them, this Nabal committed acts of unchastity. These are alluded to
in dealt corruptly. Therefore, Abigail said to David: Let not my
lord, I pray, regard this base fellow (1 Sam. 25:25). Why did she call him
base fellow? Because he committed acts of unchastity. As Scripture says, The
sons of Eli were base men they lay with the women that did service at the door
of the Tent of Meeting (1 Sam. 2:12, 22).
Another comment: What can dealt
corruptly mean except that Nabal meditated idolatry in his heart? For here
the verse says dealt corruptly, and elsewhere Scripture says Lest you
deal corruptly, and make you a graven image (Deut. 4:16). Hence Nabal is
called a base fellow, in the sense in which Scripture uses this phrase in Certain
men, base fellows, are gone out . . . saying:
Let us go and serve other gods
(Deut. 13:14).
II. Every one of them
is as dross (Ps. 53:4). In the similarly worded Psalm, it is written They
are all gone aside (Ps. 14:3)— that is, men who have gone aside from the
road may yet return in repentance; in this Psalm, however, it is written that every
one of them is as dross—that is, everyone of them is debased.
They are altogether become
stinking (Ps. 53:4). They stink from without because they overflow with
wickedness from within.
Another comment on Every one
of them is as dross, they are altogether ne’élahu. They are the men of Sodom who became so
debased as to bring upon themselves their burning like braziers. The word ne’èlahu
is taken as stemming from the word ‘ah as in the verse The brazier (‘ah)
was burning before him (Jer. 36:22). There is none that does good, no, not
the one (Ps. 53:4): Abraham’s name was not included among the men of Sodom;
that Abraham is the one the verse refers to is shown by the words
“Abraham was the one” (Ezek. 33:24). It was then Abraham said: I have
not sat with men of falsehood . . . I hate the gathering of evil-doers, and
will not sit with the wicked (Ps. 26:4-5). Thereupon Abraham journeyed
from thence (Gen. 20:1). These words are to be read in the light of what
Scripture says elsewhere: And surely the mountain falling crumbles away, and
the rock is removed out of his place (Job 14:18). The mountain falling
crumbles away refers to Sodom
and its sister cities; And the rock is removed out of his place refers
to Abraham, for he is the rock of whom it is said “Look unto the rock whence ye
were hewn . . . Look unto Abraham your father” (Isa. 51:1—2). Thereupon Abraham
journeyed from thence (Gen. 20:1), for the Holy One, blessed be He, said:
“Abraham, you have no business with the men of Sodom,” of whom it is said God
looked forth from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any man
of understanding, that did seek after God. Every one of them is unclean
(Ps. 53:3).
Another comment on ne’èlahu.
The word means that the men of Sodom
became familiar in the secret mysteries of other gods. Thereupon the Holy One,
blessed be He, said to the ministering angels: “Go forth and see what the
children of men are doing on earth,” and the ministering angels answered: There
is none that does good (ibid.).
The workers of iniquity who
knew not, they who eat up My people as they eat bread (Ps. 53:5), [knew not
that] Israel
is the Lord’s hallowed portion . . . All that devour him shall be held guilty
(Jer. 2:3).
The iniquitous say: Even when a
good thing comes, the Holy One, blessed be he, is not the one who called it
forth. This is the meaning of [the workers of iniquity] . . . call
not upon God (Ps. 53:5).
There were they in great fear
(ibid. 53:6). The righteous were in fear, for they saw Ahithophel in Gehenna,
and they said: If God deals so with such a righteous man, how much more
strictly will he deal with us! When the Holy One, blessed be He, gave
Ahithophel his punishment, He let the righteous see his deeds and they were
relieved of fear. Hence it is said No fear was (ibid.). And why not? Because
God is with the righteous generation (Ps. 14 :).
Another comment. The Holy One,
blessed be He, said: I declared that the children of Israel shall pay taxes to the
kingdoms, even as the gentiles pay them. By fear I meant that you may
impose the fear of excises upon them, but not that you may impose the fear of
persecution upon them. Yet no fear was, for the children of Israel
surrendered themselves to death, and those who remained were saved through the
merit of those who were slain in the persecution, as is said God is with the
righteous generation.
In the similarly worded Psalm, in
the verse You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted, but the Lord
is his refuge (Ps. 14:6), what is meant by the words the counsel of the
afflicted? R. Judah said: They mean that the Holy One, blessed be He, said
to the nations of the world: You built your houses of idolatry. But when I said
to you: “Let Jerusalem be built” you said Israel is to be
afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not to be comforted (Isa. 54:11). Hence
it is said You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted. And in
this Psalm it is said Have you put them to shame because God hath rejected
them? (Ps. 53:6). That is, “Do you think that the Lord has rejected them?”
But was it not said long ago I will not reject them (Lev. 26:44)?
Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God turns back the captivity of
His people, then shall Jacob rejoice, and Israel shall be glad (Ps.
53:7), but Esau and Ishmael shall be vexed.
Ordinary Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 58:2-11
1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up
your voice like a horn, and declare unto My people their transgression, and to
the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek Me daily, and
delight to know My ways; as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not
the ordinance of their God, they ask of Me righteous ordinances, they delight
to draw near unto God.
3 'Wherefore have we fasted, and
You see not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and You take no
knowledge?'--Behold, in the day of your fast you pursue your business, and
exact all your labors.
4 Behold, you fast for strife and
contention, and to smite with the fist of wickedness; you fast not this day so
as to make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I have
chosen? the day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a
bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a
fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
6 Is not this the fast that I
have chosen? to loose the fetters of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke,
and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal your bread to
the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? When
you see the naked, that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from your
own flesh?
8 Then shall your light break
forth as the morning, and your healing shall spring forth speedily; and your
righteousness/charity shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your
rearward.
9 Then shall you call, and the
LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say: 'Here I am.' If you take away
from the midst of you the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking
wickedness;
10 And if you draw out your soul
to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall your light rise in
darkness, and your gloom be as the noon-day;
11 And the LORD will guide you
continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and make strong your bones; and
you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters
fail not.
Special
Ashlamatah: 1 Samuel 20:18,42
18 And Jonathan said unto him:
'Tomorrow is the new moon; and you will be missed, your seat will be empty.
42 And Jonathan said to David:
'Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD,
saying: The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my seed and your
seed, for ever.'
Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) 9:32-34
32.
As Yeshuah and his Talmidim (Disciples) a man who was demon-controlled and
could not talk was brought to them.
33.
And when the demonic force was Chasen out, the man who had been mute spoke. The
crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.
34.
But the painted Pharisees said: “It is by the prince of demons that he Chases
out demons.”
Pirqe Abot
“All Israel have a share in the World to
Come, as it is stated: And Your people are all righteous/charitable; they shall
inherit the land forever; they are the branch of My planting, the work of My
hands, in which to glorify Me” (Isaiah 60:21).
Pirqe Abot V:7-9
Mishnah 7
Seven things characterize a
stupid person, and seven a wise one. A wise man does not speak before one who
is greater than he in wisdom or in years; he does not interrupt the words of
his fellow; he does not rush to answer; he asks what is relevant to the subject
matter and replies to the point. He speaks of first things first and of last
things last; concerning that which he has not heard, he says, "I have not
heard," and he acknowledges the truth. And the reverse of these
characterize a stupid person.
"A wise man...He does not
rush to answer." (5:7) QUESTION: What wisdom does this show?
ANSWER: There was a simple Jewish
girl who worked in a Jewish home. It was her duty to help out in the kitchen
and prepare dinner for the family. Once she was in a dilemma: She could not
figure out what to prepare for dinner. Suddenly it dawned on her that her
mistress would send her periodically to ask the rabbi she'eilot — questions —
so she would approach the rabbi and seek his help with her problem.
When she arrived at the rabbi's
house, he noticed that she was distressed and inquired as to what was troubling
her. When she told him, he became very serious and told her that this was a
difficult question and told her to come into his study. There he looked into
some books and then asked her what she had prepared during the past three days.
After she replied, he again thought for a short time and told her that for the
main dish she should make what she made three days ago, and for the side dishes
she should make an item similar to one served two nights ago and an item
similar to one served the previous night. The rabbi then gave her his blessing
for success, and she left very relieved and happily.
The rabbi's wife happened to be
observing the entire scene, and after the young girl left, she said to her
husband, "I do not understand you. As rabbi of the community don't you
have better and more important things to do than helping this foolish girl plan
a menu?!"
The rabbi said to her, "You
do not understand what happened. This simple girl is very sincere, and she
knows that whenever there is a difficult question in the kitchen she is sent to
ask me. Therefore, now that she had a question which pertained to kitchen
matters, she came to me. If I would have laughed it off, which perhaps I should
have because of its foolishness, she might decide to take all questions that
may arise in the future very lightly, and when there will be a really difficult
question, she will also not come to ask."
This rabbi was a Hakham (wise
man) and therefore he did not rush to answer. An unwise person might have
answered immediately so that she would have been made aware of her stupidity,
and as a consequence she would have been lost forever.
"Concerning that which he
has not heard he says, 'I have not heard' and the reverse of these characterize
a stupid person." (5:7) QUESTION: (1) What great "wisdom"
does one demonstrate when he says the truth? (2) If the "golam" —
"fool" — claims to have heard even something that he did not hear,
then he is not a fool but a "shakran" — "an outright liar"?
ANSWER: The word "mah"
(what) in Hebrew connotes something of little significance. For example, when
Moshe says "Mah Ha-Shem sho'el mei'imach ki im leyirah" — "What
does Ha-Shem ask of us, only to fear Him" (Debarim 10:12) — the Gemara
observing the word "mah" asks, "Is fearing Ha-Shem a little
thing?" meaning that He is asking a little thing.
When a lengthy lecture is being
delivered the wise man in the audience who does not understand "mah"
— one small point will say "lo shamati" — "I do not understand
the whole thing yet, because as long as I am lacking part of it, apparently I
still do not have proper comprehension of the entire subject." The fool in
the audience is just the opposite: "Al mah sheshama" — when he
understands one little piece of the discourse — immediately he jumps to the
conclusion and conceitedly proclaims that "shamati" — "I
understand it all."
"And he acknowledges the
truth." (5:7) QUESTION: This is a sign of honesty. What sign of wisdom
is in this?
ANSWER: The word
"modeh" does not only mean "acknowledges" but also
"expresses thanks," as in the word "todah." When a wise man
is made aware of his error, he not only acknowledges the truth, but also thanks
the person who alerted him to it. The fool, on the other hand, may reluctantly
acknowledge something, but he does not thank the person for alerting him of the
truth.
Mishnah 8
Seven kinds of punishment
come to the world for seven kinds of transgressions.
If some tithe and some do
not, a famine of [war] panic ensues: some suffer hunger and some have plenty.
If all decide not to tithe,
a famine of drought ensues; and [if they also decide] not to separate the
challah (portion of the Sabbath bread), a famine of destruction ensues.
Pestilence comes to the
world [as retribution for the transgressions which] the Torah mentions that are
punishable by death, but which the court of justice was not empowered to carry
out; and for [making forbidden use of] the fruits of the Sabbatical year.
War comes to the world for
the delay of justice, for the perversion of justice and for rendering a Torah
decision not in accordance with halakhah.
"If [they also decided]
not to separate challah, a famine of destruction ensues." (5:8)
QUESTION: In the tochachah — admonition — which contains the horrendous
punishments that will befall the Jewish people, G-d forbid, for not observing
Torah, it is stated, "Vehifkadeti alechem behalah" — "I will
assign upon you a panic, swelling lesions, and burning fever, which causes eyes
to long and souls to suffer; you will sow your seeds in vain, for your enemies
will eat it" (Vayikra 26:16). The Talmud (Shabbat 32b) says, "Read
not 'behalah' — 'panic' — as it is written, rather read it as if it were
written 'bechallah' — 'on account of challah' — hence, because of not
separating challah" the people will sow their seeds in vain. In addition,
the Gemara interprets the verse's word "vehifkadeti" — in the sense
of diminishing (see Bemidbar 31:49), and the verse is implying that because of
not giving challah, Ha-Shem will diminish that which was already gathered
(Rashi).
"If [they also decided]
not to separate challah, a famine of destruction ensues." (5:8)
QUESTION: "Challah" is spelled with a "chet" and
"behalah" with a "hai." Why is "behalah" —
"panic" — the punishment for non observance of "challah"?
ANSWER: The rabbis have instituted
that a private person give 1/24 of the dough as challah, and a bakery 1/48.
However, according to Biblical law, by separating even a piece as small as a
barley, one has complied with the mitzvah of challah (Rambam, Bikkurim 5:1).
A "chet" is closed
entirely on three sides, and in a "hai" there is an opening between
the left foot and the top. Regardless of how small the opening is, it is a
"hai" and not a "chet."
With the mitzvah of challah the
Torah teaches that a Jew must make a small opening, i.e. not keep all the dough
for himself, but give away something to the Kohen (priest). Thus, the Jew who
insists on keeping the "chet" closed, i.e. he wants everything for
himself and refuses to part with any of it, will end up with "behalah"
— "panic" — (with an open "hai") in lieu of
"bechallah." This will serve as a reminder that in the future he
should open the "chet" of challah — he must give away a portion of
the dough to the Kohen (priest).
Incidentally, there is an opinion
that the Talmud (ibid.) and our Mishnah are talking of different scenarios. The
Mishnah, which gives the punishment of a famine of destruction, refers to a
situation in which everyone decides not to keep the laws of challah. The
Talmud, which talks of a panic caused by fevers, refers to a situation in which
only some had decided not to separate challah.
Mishnah 9
Wild beasts come upon the
world for swearing falsely and profaning the Divine Name. Exile comes to the
world for idolatry, for prohibited sexual relations, for murder, and for not
leaving the earth rest during the Sabbatical year. At four periods [within the
seven-year agricultural cycle] pestilence increases: in the fourth year, in the
seventh year, in the year following the Sabbatical year, and annually at the
conclusion of the festival of Sukkot (tabernacles).
In the fourth year for not
having given the tithe for the poor in the third. In the seventh year for not
having given the tithe for the poor in the sixth. In the year following the
Sabbatical year for [not observing the laws pertaining to] the produce of the
Sabbatical year. Annually, at the conclusion of the festival of Sukkot for
robbing the poor of their [harvest] gifts.
"Wild beasts come upon
the world for swearing in vain and for profaning the Divine Name."
(5:9) QUESTION: Why is an attack by a vicious animal the punishment for
swearing in vain and profaning the Divine Name?
ANSWER: Ha-Shem metes out
punishment midah keneged midah — commensurate to the lawlessness. When one
swears falsely, he mentions Ha-Shem's Name in vain, thereby demonstrating his
lack of recognition for His greatness. Likewise, when one desecrates Ha-Shem's
Name, he obviously is not recognizing His supremacy over all.
Ha-Shem instilled in creation the
law that "Your fear and terror will be upon every wild beast of the
earth" (Beresheet 9:2). When an animal attacks a man, it is because at
that time the man appears in his eyes to be like an animal (Shabbat 151b) and
it is common for an animal to attack one of its own.
Since the person who swore
falsely and desecrated Ha-Shem's Name was not recognizing His supremacy, his
punishment is that animals do not recognize man's supremacy over them and
attack him.
Alternatively, it is incumbent on
man to sanctify the Name of Ha-Shem in this world. One who profanes the Divine
Name is changing the pattern which was set for man. Thus, his punishment is
that the vicious animal, whose place is in the wilderness, changes its pattern
and comes into the inhabited area of the world against its nature.
"For swearing in
vain." (5:9) QUESTION: Why does he say "shevu'at shav" —
"swearing in vain" — and not "shevu'at sheker" —
"swearing falsely"?
ANSWER: A shevu'at shav involves
swearing about something contrary to what is known by all, i.e. swearing that a
piece of wood is not wood but stone. A shevu'at sheker involves swearing
falsely; i.e., one who has eaten swears that has not eaten anything.
The punishment of an attack by
vicious animals is befitting only for swearing in vain and not when swearing
falsely, since in both the sin and the punishment there is a changing of what
is commonly known. The person swearing is proclaiming that what everyone knows
to be wood is stone, and to an attacking animal, the person whom everyone knows
as a man appears as an animal.
"Swearing in vain."
(5:9) QUESTION: The Talmud (Shabu'ot 39a) says the entire world trembled when
Ha-Shem said "You will not take the Name of G-d, your G-d, in vain."
What message was the Torah conveying that caused the entire world to tremble?
ANSWER: A story is told of a
group of brothers who came to America
and went into business together. A few years later they arranged for their
parents to emigrate. The father was a very pious, G-d fearing Jew, with a
beard, peiyot, and black garb. After a short time, the father shaved off his
beard and peiyot and traded his black garb for modern attire. Puzzled by their
father's behavior, the brothers consulted his Rabbi.
When the Rabbi asked the father
why he changed so drastically, he told him the following, "My sons have a
large meat market. They had me sit at a table in the market, and when people
saw me, it encouraged them to make their purchases with confidence that
everything is kosher. However, I soon realized that the meat they were selling
was not kosher and that they were using me to deceive the public. Therefore, I
decided to shave off my beard and peiyot, so that my beard, i.e. Jewishness,
should not help them sell non-kosher meat."
Unfortunately, throughout
history, the gentiles of the world have persecuted and tortured the Jew, with
the excuse that they were doing it for the "sake of Heaven (G-d)."
They have claimed that Jews are to be blamed for society's problems and deserve
oppression. Also, among Jews themselves, it is common for one to hurt another
while claiming that it is a "mitzvah."
Ha-Shem's command "Do not
mention My Name in vain," in a sense means "Do not exploit My 'Name'
— Torah and religion — as a means of justification for your iniquities and
lawlessness. Do not attempt to cover them up with a veil of righteousness and
virtue." This poignant Divine message put a shiver through everyone, and
the entire world trembled in fear.
Commentary
One of the most remarkable and
clear cut distinction between the G-dly and the unG-dly is their attitude to
life and living. The unG-dly are bent always into destroying what others build,
their philosophy in life is totally characterized by complaint and grumbling.
There is not one note of encouragement or positive constructive and edifying
counsel ever to be found in their mouths. And further, when their needs or
wants are met yet they are never satisfied. On the other hand the G-dly have a
drastically different and radical view of life. They feel that they have been
blessed with the gift of life, and that they owe G-d and their fellow
encouragement, and positive, challenging, constructive criticism. They build,
and even when others destroy what they have build they go on to rebuilding
something even better!
The world as it is, is quite a
frightening and dark place, but one full of opportunity awaiting the light of
our enterprising and constructive souls to shine and add a positive
contribution to an otherwise chaos. Every set back, every fall, every moment of
gloom and desperation contains within it a precious seed and target of
opportunity to build better things and to express our divine creativity to the
fullest, for we are, as it has been said, but sparks of the Divine.
Iin the Torah Seder for this week
this becomes very clear the difference between the G-dly, those that say “it
can be done, let us put our heads together and surmount this apparently
impossible challenge” and the unG-dly which continually waste G-d’s precious
time but grumbling and grumbling making sure everyone gets a bit of their miserable
feelings, and tear away at what others build and at what G-d is doing. These
are they that endeavor to quench the precious inner flame of the human spirit.
May G-d help us to be positive
contributors to G-d’s will, building better things for all to enjoy and benefit
from, amen ve amen!
Esnoga Bet Emunah - 227 Millset
Chase -