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

 

 

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

 

Roll of Honor:

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

His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David and beloved wife HH Giberet Batsheva bat Sarah

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

His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham

His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Karmela bat Sarah,

His Honor Paqid Adon Tzuriel ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Gibora bat Sarah

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 Yehoshua ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Rut bat Sarah

His Excellency Adon Michael ben Yosef and beloved wife HE Giberet Sheba bat Sarah

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

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

His Excellency Adon Ovadya ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Mirit bat Sarah

His Excellency Adon Shlomoh ben Abraham

His Excellency Adon Yaaqov ben David

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

Her Excellency Giberet Krysta Wallrauch & beloved family

 

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

 

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

 

                                                                            

 

Blessings Before Torah Study

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

A Prayer for Israel

 

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

 

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

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

 

Shabbat “Va’yeshev Yisra’el”– Sabbath: “Israel settled”

& 1st Sabbath of Penitence

Shabbat Mevar’chim HaChodesh; (Proclamation of the New Moon of Av)

(Evening Thursday 24^th of July – Evening Friday 25^th of July)

 

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·        The Sin of Baal Peor – Numbers 25:1-9

·        Phinehas’ reward – Numbers 25:10-15

·        War declared against the Midianites – Numbers 25:16-18

·        The Second Census – Numbers 25:19 – 26:3

·        Census taken from all the tribes with the exception of Levi – Numbers 26:5-18

 

Reading Assignment:

 

Welcome to the World of P’shat Exegesis

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Welcome to the World of Remez Exegesis

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

JPS & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Bamidbar (Numbers) 25:1 – 26:18

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: ‎ Bamidbar (Numbers) 25:1 – 26:18

 

Chapter 25

 

1 in Shittim That is its name. - [Sanh. 106a]

 

to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab As a result of Balaam’s advice, as is stated in [the chapter entitled] "Cheilek’ (Sanh. 106a).

 

2 and prostrated themselves to their gods When his urge overcame him, and he said to her, “Submit to me,” she took out an image of Peor from her bosom and said to him, “Bow down before this.” - [Sifrei Balak 1]

 

3 Peor [פְּעוֹר was so named] because before it they bared [פּוֹעֲרִין] their anus before it and relieved themselves. This was the manner of its worship. - [Sifrei Balak 1]

 

and the anger of the Lord flared against Israel He sent a plague upon them.

 

4 Take all the leaders of the people to judge those who worshipped Peor. - [Sanh. 35a]

 

and hang them The [idol] worshippers.

 

and hang them Heb.הוֹקַע . This refers to [death by] hanging, as we find with the sons of Saul [where a similar expression is used,] “and we shall hang them (הוֹקַעֲנוּם) for the Lord” (II Sam. 21:6), and there hanging is specifically mentioned. Idolatry is [punishable] by stoning, and all those stoned are also hanged [as is stated in Sanh. 45b according to Rabbi Eliezer].

 

facing the sun for all to see. The Midrash Aggadah (Mid. Tanchuma Balak 19) says: The sun identified the sinners, for the cloud folded back from the area above him and the sun shone on him.

 

5 Each of you shall kill the men Each one of the Israelite judges executed two, and there were eighty-eight thousand Israelite judges, as is stated in Sanhedrin [18a].

 

6 Then an Israelite man came The tribe of Simeon gathered around Zimri, who was their prince, and they said to him, “We have been sentenced to death, yet you sit there [and remain silent] etc.,” as it is related in [the chapter of] Elu hen hanisrafin’ (Sanh. 82a).

 

the Midianite woman Cozbi the daughter of Zur (see verse 15).

 

before the eyes of Moses They said to him, “Moses, is this one forbidden or is she permitted? If you say it is forbidden, who permitted for you the daughter of Jethro...?” as is stated there (Sanh. 82a).

 

while they were weeping The law [that anyone cohabiting with a non-Jewish woman is to be executed by zealots] eluded him. [Therefore,] they all burst out weeping. At the incident of the golden calf Moses [successfully] confronted six hundred thousand as it says, “He ground it until it was powder...” (Exod. 32:20), yet here he appeared so helpless? However, [this happened] so that Phinehas should come and take what was due to him. - [Mid. Tanchuma Balak 20]

 

7 Phinehas...saw He saw the deed and reminded himself of the law. He said to Moses, “I learned from you, ‘If someone cohabits with an Aramean [heathen] woman, zealots have a right to strike him [dead].’ ” He replied to him, “Let the one who reads the letter be the agent to carry it out.” Immediately, “he took a spear in his hand....”-[Sanh. 82a]

 

8 into the chamber Into the tent.

 

through her stomach Heb. קֳבָתָהּ , as in, “the jaw and the maw (וְהַקֵּבָה) ” (Deut. 18:3). He aimed for the male organ of Zimri and her female organs and everyone saw that he had not killed them for nothing. Many miracles happened to him..., as it is related there (Sanh. 82b).

 

11 Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the kohen: Since the tribes were disparaging him, saying, Have you seen the son of Puti, whose mother’s father [Jethro] fattened (פִּטֵּם) calves for idols (See Rashi, Exod. 6:25), and who killed a chieftain of an Israelite tribe? For this reason, Scripture traces his pedigree to Aaron. — [Sanh. 82b, Num. Rabbah 21:3, Mid. Tanchuma Phinehas 2]

 

by his zealously avenging Me: Heb. אֶתקִנְאָתִי בְּקַנְאוֹ, by his avenging My vengeance, by his releasing the wrath that I should have released. The term קִנְאָה always denotes someone motivated to take vengeance for some matter, in old French, enprenemant.

 

12 My covenant of peace: That it should be a covenant of peace for him. Just as a man owes gratitude and favor to someone who did him a favor, so here God expressed to him His feelings of peace.

 

13 It shall be: This covenant of Mine [mentioned in the previous verse] shall be for him.

 

an eternal covenant of kehunah: Although the kehunah had already been given to Aaron’s descendants, it had been given only to Aaron and his sons who were anointed with him, and to their children whom they would beget after their anointment. Phinehas, however, who was born before that and had never been anointed, had not been included in the kehunah until now. And so, we learn in [Tractate] Zevachim [101b], “Phinehas was not made a kohen until he killed Zimri.”

 

for his God: Heb. לֵאלֹהָיו, for the sake of his God, as in (11:29), “Are you zealous for my sake (לִי)?” and (Zech. 8:2), “I am zealous for Zion (לְצִיּוֹן)”-for the sake of Zion.

 

14 The name of the Israelite man: In the place it [Scripture] traces the lineage of the righteous man for praise, it traces the lineage of the wicked man for shame. — [Mid. Tanchuma Phinehas 2, Num. Rabbah 21:3]

 

the chieftain of the Simeonite paternal house: Of one of the five paternal houses belonging to the tribe of Simeon. Another interpretation: To proclaim the praise of Phinehas, for although he [Zimri] was a chieftain, he [Phinehas] did not refrain from acting zealously against a profanation of the Divine Name. This is why Scripture tells us the name of the one who was slain. — [Mid. Aggadah]

 

15 The name of the slain… woman…: To inform you of the hatred of the Midianites [toward Israel], for they submitted a princess to prostitution to entice Israel into sin. — [Mid. Tanchuma Phinehas 2, Num. Rabbah 21:3]

 

a national leader: One of the five Midianite kings: “Evi, Rekem, Zur…” (31:8). He was the most prominent of them all, as it says, “a national leader.” But because he degraded himself by abandoning his daughter, he is listed only as the third [king]. — [Mid. Tanchuma Phinehas 2]

 

a paternal house: There were five paternal houses in Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Elda’ah (Gen. 25:4). This was the king of one of them.

 

17 Distress: Heb. צָרוֹר, like זָכוֹר, ‘remember,’ (Exod. 20:8), and שָׁמוֹר, ‘keep’ (Deut. 5:12); a term describing a continual action [as if to say,] You must [constantly] show hostility toward them.

 

18 For they distress you… in the incident of Cozbi: By submitting their daughters for prostitution so as to entice you to stray after Peor. He did not order the destruction of Moab for the sake of Ruth, who was destined to issue from them, as is stated in [Tractate] Bava Kamma [38b].

 

Chapter 26

 

1 It was after the plague: This can be compared to a shepherd whose flock was intruded by wolves who killed some of them [his sheep]. He counted them to know how many were left. Another interpretation: When they left Egypt and were entrusted to Moses, they were delivered to him with a number. Now that he was close to death and would soon have to return his flock, he returns them with a number. — [Mid. Tanchuma Phinehas 4, Num. Rabbah 21:7]

 

 

2 following their fathers’ houses: Their lineage followed their father’s tribe, not their mother’s. — [B.B. 109b]

 

3 Moses and Eleazar the kohen spoke with them: They spoke with them concerning this, namely that the Omnipresent had commanded to count them.

 

saying: They said to them, “You must be counted.”

 

4 From the age of twenty and upward, as the Lord commanded... that they be counted from the age of twenty and upwards, as it says, “Everyone who goes through the counting, [from the age of twenty and upward]” (Exod. 30:14).

 

5 the family of the Hanochites Heb. מִשְׁפַּחַת הַחֲנֽכִי. Since the nations were denigrating them and saying, "How can they trace their lineage by their tribes? Do they think that the Egyptians did not exploit their mothers? If they mastered their bodies, all the more so [did they exercise authority over] their wives. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed is he, appended His Name to them, the [letter] ‘hey’ to one side and the ‘yud’ to the other side, as if to say, “I bear witness for them, that these are the sons of their fathers.” This is stated explicitly by David, “the tribes of God, (יָהּ) testimony to Israel” (Ps. 122: 4)—this Name (יָהּ) testifies for them regarding their tribes. For this reason, in each of them Scripture writes, הַחֲנֽכִי , הַפַּלֻּאֵי [the Hanochites, the Paluites in which each name begins with a ‘hey’ and ends with a 'yud’] (Song Rabbah 4:12; Pesikta d’Rav Kahana p.82b, 93a), but in the case of Jimnah יִמְנָה , it is unnecessary for it to say [for the family of the Jimnites,] מִשְׁפַּחַת הַיִּמְנִי [only מִשְׁפַּחַת הַיִּמְנָה ], since the Divine Name is already affixed to it—the ‘yud’ at the beginning and the ‘hey’ at the end.- [Mid. Aggadah]

 

9 who incited Israel against Moses and Aaron.

 

when they incited The people against the Lord.

 

incited Heb. הִצּוּ. They enticed Israel to quarrel with Moses, a causative term.

 

10 and they became a sign A sign and a reminder, “so that no outsider, who is not of the seed of Aaron, shall approach” (above 17:5) to dispute the kehunah any more.

 

11 Korah’s sons, however, did not die They were originally involved in the conspiracy, but during the dispute they contemplated repentance; therefore, an elevated area was set apart for them in Gehinnom, and they stayed there. - [Sanh. 110b]

 

13 from Zerah This was Zohar [see Exod. 6:15], a name derived from the word צֽהַר , which means shining [a synonym of זֶרַח, Zerah]. However, the family of Ohad [mentioned in Exodus] died out, as did five from the tribe of Benjamin. For he came to Egypt with ten sons, but only five are listed here. So, it was with Ezbon of the tribe of Gad, so [altogether] seven families [no longer existed]. I found [the reason for this] in the Talmud Yerushalmi [Sotah 1:1]. When Aaron died, the clouds of glory withdrew, and the Canaanites came to fight against Israel. They [the Israelites] set their hearts on returning to Egypt, and they went back eight stages of their journey [compare 21:4], from Mount Hor to Moserah, as it says, “The children of Israel journeyed from the wells of Bene Yaakan to Moserah; there Aaron died” (Deut. 10:6). Now did he not die at Mount Hor? And [furthermore,] going back from Moserah to Mount Hor there are eight stages in the journey! However, they turned back, and the Levites pursued them to bring them back, killing seven of their families. The Levites lost four families [in the battle]: the families of the Shimeites and the Uzzielites, and of the three sons of Izhar, only the family of the Korahites is mentioned. I do not know [the identity of] the fourth one. R. Tanchuma expounds that they [the seven Israelite families] fell in the plague in connection with Balaam [see 25:9] (Mid. Tanchuma Phinehas 5), but [this cannot be, for] according to the number missing from the tribe of Simeon in this census compared with the first census [which took place] in the Sinai desert, it would appear that all twenty-four thousand who fell [in the plague] were from the tribe of Simeon. -[Mid. Tanchuma Vayechi 10]

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 104:19-35

 

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary to Tehillim (Psalms) 104:19-35

 

19. He made the moon for the appointed seasons: To count with it the times and the festivals.

 

the sun knows its setting: But the moon does not know its setting, because sometimes it comes through a long way and sometimes it comes through a short way.

 

20. You make darkness and it is night: Every day You darken and block out the sun and it becomes night, when all the beasts of the forest move about.

 

22. When the sun rises they gather in: into the secret places and hide there from the sons of men; then every man goes forth to his work.

 

24. Your possessions: Heb. קנינך, the acquisition that you have acquired, like (Gen. 14:19): “Owner (קנה) of heaven and earth.” All is acquired by You.

 

25. and wide: Heb. ורחב ידים. Wide of place, large in French, broad.

 

26. with which to sport: three hours during the day. So did our Sages say in tractate Avodah Zarah (3b), and so it is written explicitly in the Book of Job (40:29): “Will you play with him like a bird?”

 

29 You gather in their spirit Heb. תסף, an expression of destruction, as (above 73:19): “They were completely consumed (ספו).”

 

30 You will send forth Your spirit with the resurrection of the dead.

 

32 He touches the mountains and they emit smoke as is depicted of Sinai (Exod. 19:18): “And Mount Sinai was all in smoke.”

 

33 as long as I exist Heb. בעדי, like (Deut. 31:27): “When I am still (בעודני) alive.”

 

35 Sinners will be destroyed Heb. חטאים, sinners [rather than sins, but see Tal. Ber. 10a].

 

Meditation from the Psalms

Tehillim (Psalms) ‎‎104:19-35

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

 

For continuity I am going to redo the opening remarks from the first part of our psalm.

 

This psalm is a continuation of the preceding one and echoes its refrain, Bless HaShem, O my soul! Here, David recounts the wonders of the six days of Creation and describes the splendor of the primeval light, the heaven and earth, the grass, the fish of the sea, the beasts of the field, and, finally, the crowning glory of Creation - man himself.^[1]

 

The Midrash^[2] says: In the Torah, Moses related many events without elaboration. They remained obscure until David came and explained them, as he did here by expanding upon the theme of Creation and illuminating its mysteries.

 

Radak observes that every artist is motivated to produce works of art because he seeks personal acclaim and glory. However, when G-d fashioned the world, His sole concern was man’s welfare. Mere flesh and blood cannot grasp the profound motives of G-d, much less appreciate them. Only the soul can comprehend the altruism and selfless love of its Creator. Thus, the Psalmist calls upon his own spirit, Bless HaShem, O my soul! For none but the soul could compose this blessing.

 

This psalm is the שיר של יום, Song of the Day, for Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the new month. The Tur^[3] explains that the Psalmist alludes to the new month in verse 19, He made the moon for festivals.^[4] The Zohar^[5] says that the souls of the righteous people in Paradise recite this psalm every Rosh Chodesh.^[6]

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 104:19 He made the moon for the appointed seasons; the sun knows its setting.

 

Water and land^[7] are the predominate themes of this week’s psalm portion. In v.13-16, our psalmist speaks of the geshem,^[8] the rain, without ever mentioning the rain by name.^[9] The absence of the word geshem serves to emphasize its presence. Water plays a crucial role in our Torah portion as water forms a focus for Bilaam’s blessing. The waters of Meribah are also a critical element in our Torah portion. Finally, the Bne Israel’s complain over the lack of water also surfaces in our Torah portion. Thus, we realize that water and land form a common theme between our Torah portion and Psalm portion.

 

Life in the Land of Israel has always depended on rain. Agriculture is one of Israel’s main resources and its success largely depends on the rain season. If rain falls, life flourishes and the country enjoys rich soil and abundant crop. If, however rain is withheld, the country goes into a state of drought and famine. This is why the Hebrew word “Geshem” also refers to materiality (as in “Gashmiyut”), i.e. material success in Israel is largely dependent upon rainfall. In fact, according to Kabbalah rain signifies the downpour of material blessings from the spiritual realm to this physical world. Prayer is the appropriate means of requesting material success since all (material) blessings come from HaShem.

 

During Succoth we celebrate water through the Simchat Beit HaShoeva (Celebration of the Water Drawing Ceremony) and we continue recognizing the value of water through tefilat geshem, the beginning of our prayers for rain. The Mishna tells us that on Succoth the world is judged for rain:

 

Rosh HaShana 16a MISHNAH. At four seasons [divine] judgment is passed on the world:^[10] at passover in respect of produce; at Pentecost in respect of fruit; at new year all creatures pass before him [god] like children of maron,^[11] as it says, ‘he that fashioneth the heart of them all, that considereth all their doings’;^[12] and on tabernacles judgment is passed in respect of rain.

 

The prayer for dew is said in the Mussaf Amidah on the first day of Pesach;^[13] the prayer for rain is said in the Mussaf Amidah on Shemini Atzeret,^[14] which is also the last day of Succoth, and also the day on which the stores of dew in heaven were opened.^[15] There is one difference between our prayer for dew and our prayer for rain: We start praying for rain at the end of the holiday of Shemini Atzeret, but for dew at the beginning of the holiday of Pesach. Sephardic practice is a little different. We hesitate to interrupt the Amidah for any purpose, so rain and dew are recited just before the silent Mussaf Amidah. This pattern is norm in Israel for all but Hasidic congregations. Sephardic practice also varies from Ashkenazi by replacing “the rain to fall and the wind to blow” with “You cause the dew to fall” to thank HaShem for dew in summer months.

 

An interesting controversy in the Mishna^[16] both elucidates and confuses things. It goes back to the question of why we insert “You cause the dew to fall” at the beginning of Pesach, but “the rain to fall and the wind to blow” at the end of Succoth. R. Eliezer argued that we should start praying for rain at the start of Succoth, not at the end. R. Joshua retorted that rain would be curse, not a blessing, during Succoth when everyone is supposed to be living out of doors. Eliezer responded that he was not urging that it rain but only praising HaShem for rain. Joshua then got the last word by arguing that, if the words are only a matter of praise, we should say them all the time and not just during the rainy season. We follow Joshua’s view, which explains why we say “rain” at the end of Succoth.

 

In the Mussaf prayer of Shemini Atzeret we begin saying “He causes the wind to blow and the rain to descend”.

 

An allusion to the rain is found in verse 13:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 104:13 He waters the mountains from His upper chambers. The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.

 

Once again in verse 16, we find an allusion to the role of rain: “The trees of the Lord are satisfied”. The satisfaction of the trees is like that of the earth, the earth is satisfied from the fruit of HaShem’s works, that is, from the rain.

 

In truth, however, the rain is the subject of a significant part of our psalm portion. Clearly there is a differentiation and subsequent meeting between the land and the water in this portion. Causing the rain to fall is another and even more important way that HaShem brings land and water together, and the objective of this controlled meeting is also to allow for the maintenance of life on earth.

 

What is the source of the rain? The answer to this question is found at the beginning of the section:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 104:13 He waters the mountains from His upper chambers.

 

We already encountered HaShem’s upper chambers in the first section of our psalm, in verse v.3:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 104:3 Who roofs His chambers with water…

 

The source of the rain is, then, “the water which was above the firmament”, the water that serves as a roof to HaShem’s upper chambers in heaven.^[17]

 

What is the difference between the two ways through which HaShem restores the water to the land, creating springs and causing the rain to fall from His upper chambers? Weiss answers in his article as follows:^[18]

 

HaShem is not only He who “sends the springs into the streams” after having set a boundary for the water. He who “roofs His chambers with water” also “waters the mountains from His upper chambers” (v.13). There is watering from “His upper chambers” – from above; and there is watering from “the springs” – from below. The two are not the same, neither with respect to the doer, nor with respect to the deed. The watering “from His upper chambers” is performed by HaShem (“He waters”), just as according to our psalm in general, He is the doer in all the acts of nature. The watering from “the springs,” on the other hand, is performed by the water (“they water”). This teaches you that not only does the water not cause destruction (“that they would not return to cover the earth”), but rather it gives life (“they water every beast of the field”).

 

The two waterings also differ with respect to the deed. The watering of “the springs” provides the animals with direct benefit (“the wild asses quench their thirst”). The watering “from His upper chambers” benefits the animals only indirectly. In direct fashion, “the earth is satisfied”^[19] and “the trees of HaShem are satisfied”^[20] from it. The water which was above the firmament is first received by the mountains, which are near to it. The earth is “satisfied” because the rain water that watered the mountains also reaches it, and afterwards “the trees of the Lord are satisfied” as well.^[21]

 

We can add a third difference between the two waterings: The watering of the springs is limited to those channels of life through which the spring waters stream; it does not touch upon man’s world or his agricultural endeavors, but only to the wild and natural maintenance of the animal and plant kingdoms. The watering of the rains from HaShem’s upper chambers spreads across the entire earth, and impacts first and foremost upon man, his agriculture and his cattle,^[22] but also upon the plants and animals that are not part of man’s cultured world.^[23]

 

Water Symbolizes Torah as Chazal^[24] understands from:

 

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye for water, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

 

The Talmud explains this as spiritual thirst, all who seek it should drink of Torah’s refreshing teachings:

 

Baba Kama 82a ‘That the law be read [publicly] on Mondays and Thursdays.’ But was this ordained by Ezra? Was this not ordained even before him? For it was taught: ‘And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water,^[25] upon which those who expound verses metaphorically^[26] said: water means nothing but Torah, as it says: Ho, everyone that thirsteth come ye for water.^[27] It thus means that as they went three days without Torah they immediately became exhausted. The prophets among them thereupon rose and enacted that they should publicly read the law on Sabbath, make a break on Sunday, read again on Monday, make a break again on Tuesday and Wednesday, read again on Thursday and then make a break on Friday so that they should not be kept for three days without Torah.’^[28] — Originally it was ordained that one man should read three verses or that three men should together read three verses, corresponding to priests, Levites and Israelites.^[29] Then Ezra came and ordained that three men should be called up to read, and that ten verses should be read, corresponding to ten batlanim.^[30]

 

The Midrash associates rain with Torah:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis VI:5 AND GOD SET THEM IN THE FIRMAMENT OF THE HEAVEN.^[31] R. Jonathan said: Three things were given as a gift to the world, viz., the Torah, the luminaries, and rain. Whence do we know it of the Torah? And He gave unto Moses... the two tables of testimony.^[32] The luminaries? AND GOD GAVE (E.V. ‘SET’) THEM, etc. Rain? Then I will give you rains.^[33]

 

The Midrash^[34] then teaches us several comparisons of water as it relates to Torah.

 

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs I:19 He shall bathe himself in water,^[35] so the Torah cleanses the body, as it says, Thy word is purifying1 to the uttermost.^[36] Just as water covers the nakedness of the sea, as it says, As the waters cover the sea,^[37] so the Torah covers the nakedness of Israel, as it says, Love covereth all transgressions.^[38] Just as rain water comes down in drops and forms rivers, so with the Torah; a man learns two halachot today and two tomorrow, until he becomes like a flowing stream. Just as water has no taste unless one is thirsty, so the Torah has no taste unless one labors at it. Just as water leaves a high place and flows to a low one, so the Torah leaves one whose spirit is proud and cleaves to one whose spirit is lowly. Just as water does not keep well in a vessel of silver or gold but in the commonest of vessels, so the Torah resides only in one who makes himself like a vessel of earthenware. Just as with water a great man is not ashamed to say to a lowly man, ‘Give me a drink of water,’ so with the words of the Torah, a great scholar must not be ashamed to say to a lesser one, ‘Teach me one chapter, or one statement, or one verse, or even one letter.’ Just as with water, if one does not know how to swim in it, he will be drowned, so with the words of the Torah, if one does not know how to thread his way in them and to instruct in accordance with them, he will ultimately come to grief.

 

Thus, we understand why Chazal relates water metaphorically as Torah.

 

In Israel, Shemini Atzeret is celebrated in connection with Simchat Torah. Outside the land, the second day of Shemini Atzeret is also Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah represents the end, and beginning, of the annual cycle of Scripture readings. With the triennial cycle, we celebrate the end, and the beginning, of the cycle every three-and-a-half years.

 

I find it instructive that the prayer for rain comes on a day when there is much rejoicing over the Scriptures. This connection between rain and reading the Scriptures is ancient, for rain serves as a continual reminder of the purpose for the regular reading of HaShem’s Word. 

 

Since water remained the most important variable in the land of Israel, the Tanach reveals that HaShem used the climate to encourage his people to trust and obey him. For obedience HaShem sent rain; for disobedience HaShem sent drought.^[39] Talk about motivation. 

 

The holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah offer complimentary realities. The need for rain illustrates the need for truth, both essential for life. Just as the prayer for rain is cyclical, like the reading of the Torah, it also illustrates a necessary and never-ending dependence on HaShem who gives it. 

 

This leads us to mitzva number 612: The Hakhel - הקהל. The Hakhel (Gathering) has as it’s goal the production of awe of HaShem. The achievement of this purpose involves Torah and the uniting of the Jewish people, the Mashiach, and HaShem. The mitzva (commandment) of Hakhel is found in:

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 31:9-13 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of HaShem, and unto all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, 11 When all Israel is come to appear before HaShem thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Hakhel Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear HaShem your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: 13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear HaShem your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

 

Rav Mordechai Yosef, in the classic sefer Mei HaShiloach, points out that the mitzva of Hakhel occurred only once every seven years, on the first Succoth of the nascent Shmita^[40] cycle. Hakhel, which immediately follows the Shmita year, is but the first of the following six years.

 

The Shmita year prepares for the mitzva of Hakhel in the eighth year, when men, women and children gather in the Beit HaMikdash during the Holiday of Succoth. Shmita serves as a preparation for Hakhel very much like Friday prepares for Shabbat. The Mishna details the procedure for the reading:

 

Sotah 41a MISHNAH. What was the procedure in connection with the portion read by the king? At the conclusion of the first day of the festival [of tabernacles] in the eighth, i.e., the end of the seventh, they erect a wooden dais in the temple court, upon which he sits; as it is said, at the end of every seven years, in the set time etc. The synagogue-attendant takes a torah-scroll and hands it to the synagogue president, and the synagogue-president hands it to the [high priest’s] deputy. He hands it to the high priest who hands it to the king. The king stands and receives it, but reads sitting.

 

It is interesting to note that the Jerusalem Talmud in bringing the same Mishnah has a different version. Instead of stating that the ceremony of the Hakhel should be on the second day of the festival of Succoth, it writes that the Hakhel was on “the day after the end of Succoth”.^[41]

 

The purpose of Hakhel, in the words of the scriptures, is: “In order that you may hear and in order that you may learn to fear the Lord your God”. This, too, is cited as the purpose of Matan Torah^[42], where the entire nation congregated to hear the words of HaShem.

 

Hakhel, is the penultimate mitzva of the taryag mitzvot (number 612),^[43] as counted by the Sefer HaChinuch.^[44] The Sefer HaChinuch also writes, concerning any person who neglects this mitzva (for example a Jew who fails to attend or a King who fails to read the Torah) “...their punishment is very great, for this command is a fundamental pillar of the religion…”

 

The Talmud also speaks of the Hakhel mitzva:

 

Chagigah 3a “‘Assemble the entire nation: men, women, and children’ - men, to learn; women, to hear; and children, to give reward to those who brought them [to the assembly].”

 

The Mishna^[45] establishes that the Torah reading at Hakhel was conducted specifically in Hebrew, by the King, while seated in the courtyard of the women. As we shall see, Hakhel was a reenactment of the Sinai experience. We know that at Sinai, HaShem spoke, simultaneously, in all seventy languages and that the whole world heard HaShem speak. This suggests that Hakhel may have produced a similar experience whereby all those who attend will hear and understand.

 

In general, Talmudic and Midrashic sources^[46] see the magnitude of the expression of the Divine presence as increasing in proportion to the number of Jews gathered. This suggests that as we have a greater attendance of people, we get a greater manifestation of the Divine Presence. Note the following growth in the number of Jews who can attend the Temple services:

 

1. We have all the males commanded to attend on the three pilgrimage festivals.
2. We would expect greater attendance at the pilgrimage festivals during a Shmita year when no one could work the land.
3. We would expect an even greater attendance at the pilgrimage festivals during a Yovel year when no one could work the land for a second year.
4. We see every man, woman, and child commanded to attend Hakhel. (We also saw every man, woman, and child attending at Sinai.)

 

This suggests a form of crescendo which grows throughout the year and throughout the years, whereby the number of Jews increases, which causes a corresponding increase in the Divine presence. We would, therefore, reach the apex at the Hakhel of a Yovel year in the days of Mashiach.

 

The Hakhel was the culmination of seven years of mitzvot which were used as preparation for this final event. To begin to understand how these mitzvot fit into the Hakhel it is necessary to understand that there were three principal parts to the Hakhel:

 

1. The Torah was to be read by the King. The focus is on the head.
2. The Torah was to be heard by every man, woman, and child of the Jews and of those Gerim (proselytes and Noachides) in the land. The focus is on unity.
3. The Torah was to be read in the courtyard of the women, in the Beit HaMikdash, the Temple. The focus was on the nearness to HaShem.

 

With these three parts in mind, let’s examine the other mitzvot which preceded Hakhel and see how they contributed to these three things.

 

In Creation: The mitzva of Hakhel can best be understood by examining the ideal which HaShem created in Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden). Adam HaRishon was a single human composed of male and female parts. In his loins were the souls of every human being who would ever live.

 

Adam HaRishon was created on Tishri 1, Rosh HaShanah. In a sense, the Sinai experience is a recreation of the Gan Eden experience. There are many similarities. Additionally, Gan Eden has always been, and continues to be located on the Temple mount in the place of the Beit HaMikdash.

 

Adam HaRishon^[47] became Adam and Chava. After HaShem separated Chava, Adam and Chava were commanded to unify themselves whilst walking with HaShem in the PaRDeS, the orchard, of Torah.

 

Shabbat: The Shabbat Shacharit (morning) prayers focus on unity of HaShem and our unification in Him. These prayers culminate in the reading of the weekly Torah seder. This Torah seder continually points to the Hakhel at the end of the Shmita cycle.

 

Every seventh day we celebrate Shabbat and are taught to use the “free time” to hear the reading of the weekly portion and to enrich our knowledge of Torah.

 

Purim: The Purim Story in Esther documents the attempt by Haman to destroy every Jew. It also documents the free acceptance of the Torah given at Sinai and the unification of the Jewish people in the performance of teshuva and mitzvot. The three main observances of Purim, all comply with the theme of unity:

 

1. Gathering in synagogues for the reading of Megillat Esther (Torah),

2. Giving charity to the poor, and

3. Exchanging gifts of goodies with relatives, friends, and neighbors.

 

Pesach: The Maharal of Prague teaches that the Pesach offering represents oneness, unity. The Paschal lamb or sheep is a herding animal, an animal which associates with its flock. This one-year-old (signifying unity) animal may only be eaten by one who assigns himself to a group, and only in a single house or location. Even the structure of the meat must be retained, as the meat must be eaten roasted (roasting shrinks and unifies the meat, as opposed to stewing which breaks the meat apart), and a bone must not be broken in the meat, to retain bone structure. Thus, the seder unifies Israel with the Torah when they recount the Haggada.

 

Sefirat HaOmer: The counting of the Omer, is what a Jew does as he counts the day till the receiving the Torah at Sinai. His counting reflects the inner growth of his soul as he actively seeks to join with the Jewish people and with HaShem. For the Omer, we count “seven complete weeks^[48]“ and afterwards celebrate the fiftieth day as a sacred festival.

 

Shavuot: Matan Torah at Shavuot, a unified Israel accepts HaShem as God and receives His Torah. In Shemot (Exodus) 19:2, the Torah uses the singular form of the verb “camped”, rather than the expected plural form. Since our people had risen to the level where they were thus “like one man, with one heart”, the singular form here becomes, for the first time, appropriate.

 

From Sinai onwards, every thought, word, or action in fulfillment of the Torah is both a connection with HaShem and a link with all other Jews. Every time we fulfill a mitzva we are therefore bonding with the Creator and also expressing the inner and eternal unity of the Jewish people.

 

The Rambam^[49] refers to Hakhel as “Yom Hakhel” [The Day of Hakhel]. Rav Hutner^[50] points out that if we take away the vowels of ‘Yom Hakhel’ it is precisely the same letters as ‘Yom HaKahal’ [the Day of the Congregation] which the Torah repeatedly uses^[51] to refer to the standing at Mt. Sinai.

 

At the root of the term “Hakhel” that the Torah employs to describe this mitzva is the word “kahal”. The word kahal is one of several words the Torah uses when discussing various groupings of the Jewish people. The Malbim^[52] and Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch^[53] have inculcated within us the view, that there are no synonyms in Hebrew. It is, therefore, axiomatic, that if the Torah chooses to base the description of this mitzva on the word kahal, that the mitzva be specifically to recreate a kahal.

 

In Devarim (Deuteronomy) 4:10, Moshe Rabbeinu relates that HaShem had commanded him to gather the nation for the giving of the Torah. In Devarim 9:10, Moshe calls the day of the giving of the Torah: “Yom HaKahal.” Obviously, the event of Hakhel is meant to be a re-enactment of the giving of the Torah. This clearly connects the Hakhel to Shavuot. Yet, there is much more to connect these two dates.

 

Rav Hutner says that the essence of the ceremony of Hakhel is supposed to be the reenactment of the standing at Mt. Sinai. It is the reenactment of the giving of the Torah. The Accepting of the Torah is THE seminal event in Jewish History. We are to reenact the giving of the Torah every seven years in order to impress upon the people the importance of what Torah means to the Jewish People. We want the people to feel as though they have experienced another “giving of the Torah”.

 

An even more ambitious attempt to relate the content of the Hakhel reading to the standing at Mt. Sinai theme is undertaken by Menachem Kasdan, in an article on this topic in the journal Gesher,^[54] where he detects a parallel between this reading and the process of conversion. In the Hilchot Isurei Bi’a section of Mishna Torah,^[55] Maimonides outlines the procedure for dealing with a prospective convert. He writes that the Jewish court first attempts dissuading the Gentile, describing to him the persecution historically suffered by the Jewish people, and the hostility and discrimination with which it is often been treated by other nations. If the prospective convert persists, he is informed of the basic tenets of the Jewish faith, particularly the oneness of HaShem and the absolute rejection of pagan beliefs. From there the court proceeds to present the Gentile a sampling of Jewish law, particularly agricultural obligations, such as the required tithes and gifts to the poor. Finally, he is to read the section to which we referred earlier, in which Moshe promises blessing should the people obey the Torah, and calamity should they neglect their religious duties.^[56]

 

A careful look at the sections read at Hakhel, as outlined by Maimonides,^[57] reveals a general correspondence between these sections and the court’s response to a prospective proselyte. The Hakhel reading begins with the opening chapters of the Book of Devarim, which tell of some of Bne Israel’s experiences during their travels in the wilderness. Strong emphasis is placed in these chapters on the hostility displayed towards them by the nations they encountered, Amalek, Edom, the Emorites, and the empire of Bashan. These chapters thus perhaps correspond to the court’s warning to the prospective convert of the animosity historically suffered by the Jewish people. The next sections read at Hakhel are the first two chapters of the Shema service, which, of course, deal with the fundamental Jewish belief of HaShem’s oneness and the disastrous consequences of idolatry. From there the king skips to the section of “Aser Te’aser,” which begins with the laws of tithing and kind treatment to the underprivileged. The king continues with the next several chapters, which introduces numerous mitzvot from across the spectrum of Halacha and concludes with the section of the blessings and curses that Moshe promises will befall the people as a result of their obedience or betrayal, respectively.

 

Quite possibly, then, the Hakhel reading reflects this ceremony’s role as a formal reentry into the covenant with the Almighty. As Maimonides writes a chapter earlier in Hilchot Isurei Bi’a, the conversion process is modeled after the process underwent by Bne Israel at the time of the Exodus from Egypt and at Sinai. A proselyte enters the covenant through a procedure similar to the process required when that covenant was established initially. At Hakhel, we reenact the standing at Mt. Sinai in order to “convert”, to reaffirm and renew our commitment to the covenant with HaShem. The king’s reading of selected portions of the Book of Devarim therefore correspond to the Jewish court’s warnings and instructions to a prospective convert.^[58]

 

Rabbi Mordechai Zaks, in his discussion of this topic,^[59] suggests that the Shmita year generates a sense of national unity that is indispensable for experiencing the revelation at Har Sinai. In one of the most famous passages in his Torah commentary, Rashi^[60] cites the Midrash’s comment that Bne Israel encamped at Sinai “as one person, with one heart”. Bne Israel’s collective acceptance of the Torah and the establishment of a national covenant with the Almighty require a unity of mind and purpose. During the Shmita year, all agricultural activity is forbidden, and landowners must temporarily forfeit ownership over their fields. In effect, then, during the Shmita year, there is no economic competition or even any economic classes. Everyone shares precisely the same assets and fate, withdrawing from agricultural work and spending a year engaged in more spiritual endeavors. The social harmony and elimination of commercial rivalry is a necessary prerequisite to the standing at Mt. Sinai experience which the Hakhel ceremony is intended to replicate.

 

Maimonides^[61] also understands Hakhel as a re-acceptance of the Covenant at Sinai. Hakhel is also linked to Succoth (the Feast of Tabernacles), the most universal of our holidays which concludes the Rosh Hashanah festival period. Hakhel involves not only the Bne Israel but the entire Bnai Noach world as well, the strangers as well as the uncircumcised.

 

This is most reminiscent of the biblical vision of the End of Days, as recorded by the prophet Isaiah:

 

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 2:2-4 “And it shall come to pass in the End of Days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow to it. And many peoples shall go and say, ‘Come you, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the House of the G-d of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem, and He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore”.

 

Hakhel	Har Sinai
“GATHER THE PEOPLE... in order that they may hear and in order that they MAY LEARN, and they WILL FEAR the Lord your God all the days you live on the land....”	“The day on which you stood... at Chorev, when God told me, ‘GATHER THE PEOPLE and I shall make them hear My words, that THEY SHALL LEARN TO FEAR Me all their days which they live on the land, AND THEY SHALL TEACH THEIR CHILDREN.”

 

In addition, the Sinaitic experience is also referred to as “the day of Hakhel”.^[62]

 

Ashlamatah: Yoel (Joel) 4:18-21 + Amos 1:1-8

 

Rashi	Targum
Joel 4:18-21
18. And it shall come to pass on that day that the mountains shall drip with wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the springs of Judah shall flow with water, and a spring shall emanate from the house of the Lord and water the valley of Shittim.	18. And at that time, the mountains shall drip with sweet wine and the hills shall flow with goodness all the watercourses of the house of Judah shall flow with water; and a spring shall come forth from the Sanctuary of the LORD and shall water the Valley of Acacias.
19. And Egypt shall become desolate, and Edom shall be a desert waste, because of the violence done to the children of Judah, because they shed innocent blood in their land.	19. Egypt shall become a desolation, and Edom a desolate wilderness, because of the violence done to the people of Judah in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20. But Judah shall remain forever, and Jerusalem throughout all generations.	20. But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem for generation after generation.
21. Now should I cleanse, their blood I will not cleanse, when the Lord dwells in Zion.	21.  Their blood which I avenged on the nations I will avenge again. says the LORD, who caused his Shekinah to dwell in Zion.   {P}
Amos 1:1-8
1. The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen from Tekoa, who prophesied concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.	1. The words of Amos, who was an owner of herds from Tekoa, which he prophesied concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of the tribe of the house of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the coming of the earthquake.
2. And he said: The Lord shall roar from Zion, and He shall give forth His voice from Jerusalem, and the dwellings of the shepherds shall be cut off, and the choice of the fruitful land shall wither.	2. And he said, “The Lord calls from Zion, and lifts up His Memra from Jerusalem; and the dwellings of the kings shall be made desolate, and their mighty cities shall be destroyed.”
3. So said the Lord: For three transgressions of Damascus, yea for four, I will not return them; Because they threshed the Gileadites with sledges of iron.	3. Thus says the Lord, “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not forgive them; because they threshed the inhabitants of the land of Gilead with threshings sledges of iron.
4. And I will send fire into the house of Hazael, and it shall consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad.	4. So I will send fire upon Hazaell’s house, and it shall destroy the fortresses of Bar Hadad.
5. And I will break the bolt of Damascus, and I will cut off an inhabitant from Bikath- Aven, and one who holds the scepter from Beth-eden, and the people of Aram shall be exiled to Kir, says the Lord.	5. I will destroy the might of Damascus and wipe out the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven and the one who wields power from Beth-ede; and the people of Aram shall be exiled to Cyrene”, says the Lord.
6. So said the Lord: For three transgressions of Gaza, yea for four, I will not return them; Because they carried away captive a whole captivity, to deliver to Edom.	6. Thus says the Lord, “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not forgive them; because they exiled and entire population, which they handed over to Edom.
7. And I will send fire into the wall of Gaza, and it shall consume its palaces.	7. So I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza and it shall destroy its fortresses.
8. And I will cut off an inhabitant from Ashdod and one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon, and I will return My hand upon Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall be lost, says the Lord God.	8. I will wipe out the inhabitants from Ashdod and the one who wields power from Ashkelon; and I will turn the scourge of my power against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish”, says the Lord God.

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Joel 4:18-21 + Amos 1:1-8

 

18 springs. Heb. אֲפִיקֵי, a place of the source of water.

 

and water the valley of Shittim. According to its apparent meaning, and it will water the valley of Shittim (Targum), and, according to its Midrashic meaning, He will atone for the iniquity of Peor.

 

19 Egypt etc. and Edom. He juxtaposed them as regards their retribution. You find that, were it not for Egypt, Edom would not exist, as it is stated: (I Kings 11:16 21) “For Joab and all Israel remained [stationed] there for six months etc. every male in Edom.” And it is stated there: (verse 17) “Adad fled, he and some Edomite men etc. And Hadad pleased Pharaoh very much etc. And Hadad etc. that David slept with his fathers etc.” And, at the end, (verse 25) “And he was an adversary to Solomon (sic).” Said the Holy One, blessed be He: I will destroy both of them.

 

because of the violence done to the children of Judah. Because of the violence they did to the children of Judah, viz., that they shed their blood.

 

21 Now should I cleanse, their blood I will not cleanse. Even if I cleanse them of other sins in their hands, and of the evils they have done to Me, I will not cleanse them of the blood of the children of Judah. When will this come to pass? At the time the Holy One, blessed be He, dwells in Zion.

 

 

Amos 1:1-8

 

1 who was among the herdsmen: Heb. בַנֹּקְדִים. Jonathan renders: who was an owner of livestock. Cf. (II Kings 3:4) “Now Mesha the king of Moab was an owner of livestock (נֹקֵד).”

 

two years before the earthquake: Two years before Uzziah was plagued, the day Isaiah prophesied, as it is stated: (Isaiah 6:4) “And the doorposts quaked,” and it is stated: (Zechariah 14:5) “As you fled before the earthquake.”

 

2 shall roar from Zion: From the Holy of Holies the speech emanates.

 

and the dwellings of the shepherds shall be cut off: Jonathan renders: And the dwellings of the kings shall become desolate, and the strength of their walled cities shall be destroyed.

 

3 For three transgressions of etc.: As it is stated (Job 33:29) “Lo, all these things does God work, twice, yea, thrice, with a man.” But He does not forgive more (according to Shem Ephraim). And here, it is as follows: I have already behaved toward them according to My standard, to forgive them for three transgressions, and if there are more, surely the smaller number is included in the larger amount.

 

yea for four I will not return them: For the fourth transgression, I need no longer return him empty- handed from taking his recompense from Me, and surely since there are many transgressions in their hands; now I will visit upon them the retribution for threshing the inhabitants of Gilead, their neighbors.

 

with sledges of iron: Jonathan renders: morigin of iron. Now that is a sort of file called ‘lime,’ which is made with numerous grooves, and with which they chastise people with tortures, and with them they cut the stubble of the grain to make straw.

 

4 Hazael etc. Ben Hadad: The kings of Aram, and the head of Aram is Damascus.

 

5 from Bik’ath-Aven: That is a place in Aram.

 

and one who holds the scepter: [Jonathan renders:] and one who exercises sovereignty. Cf. (Gen. 49:10) “The scepter shall not turn away from Judah,” since the ruler castigates the people with sticks.

 

from Beth-Eden: A place name.

 

to Kir: A place name, where Sennacherib exiled them during the time of Ahaz, as it is stated: “And he went up to Damascus and seized it, and exiled Aram to Kir.” [see II Kings 16:9, where the wording differs.] All the retribution that the prophets of Israel prophesied concerning the nations - the prophets who preceded Sennacherib, e.g. Isaiah and Amos, prophesied concerning the sword of Sennacherib, and Jeremiah and Ezekiel prophesied concerning the sword of Nebuchadnezzar.

 

6 Gaza: That was a city of the Philistines.

 

a whole captivity: I.e, the captivity of Israel, that the captivity be complete, that no one should escape, for they would stand on the roads and seize those fleeing and deliver them. And so did the people of Tyre, and so to the four sides during the destruction of the Second Temple, as is delineated in the Aggadah of Ha’azinu (Sifre 322), Gaza from the south, Tyre from the north, Damascus from the east, the Arabs from the west, as it is stated: (Isaiah 21: 13) “The harsh prophecy concerning Arabia: In the forest in Arabia did you lodge, on the roads of your cousins.”

 

8 Ashdod… Ashkelon… Ekron -They were the lords of the Philistines.

 

and I will return My hand: I will smite them repeatedly.

 

Commentary on the Ashlamatah of Joel 4:18-21 + Amos 1:1-8

By: H.Ex. Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

 

*** Joel 4:18-21 in most English Bible editions is Joel 3:18-21.

 

Joel was a prophet during the time the temple stood, and not much is known about him. His name means 'Hashem is God.’  He preached during the Persian period of 539-331 B.C.E.  Joel’s historical references do not mention the Assyrians or Babylonians, pointing toward him operating around 400 to 350 B.C.E. Scholars say Joel changed the nature of prophecy when he expanded and focused on its apocalyptic dimensions.^[63]  Joel starts his book off viewing a locust plague which ravaged the countryside as God’s Judgement on his people, and he called for the people to repent (1:13-14). Then in chapter two, the trumpet is blown in Zion to warn the people that the day of the LORD is coming, and it is near. Should we think, this is only referencing the land of Israel and will not affect the rest of the world? I would think not, the trumpet is blown in Zion, but all the inhabitants of the land (earth) tremble.

 

For Joel, the day of the LORD was primarily a reference that applied to the Jews, (3:2,17,19-21) and (Ezek. 39:25-29) and this exile was for Israel to know that the LORD (Hashem) was their God (Elohim) because he sent them into exile and he returned them to their land. Not only is Hashem bringing Israel to a place of knowing him, but he will gather them to their land and not leave any remaining among the nations. (v.28) and then he says, I will not hide my face anymore from them – the House of Israel. (v.29) The last time Hashem did this was at Mt. Sinai when he gave the first two commandments, and the next time, the soon coming “the day of the LORD”, which still lies in the future.

 

The sun and the moon have darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shine, their light. (v.15) The misfortune which befalls those nations will be so overwhelming it will seem as if the stellar bodies have ceased to shed light upon the earth, Malbim goes on to say. The astrological influence of those celestial bodies upon worldly events will be broken or negated to allow for the colossal scale of God's punishment.  Hashem shall roar from Zion and shall emit his voice from Jerusalem. And the heavens and the earth shall tremble. (v.16) This will produce cosmic disorder as the celestial influence is broken. Iben Ezra understands that this great trembling will seize the heavenly princes of all the nations as well as their leaders here on Earth, and Hashem shall be a shelter and a refuge for His people. We have a picture of the masses packed into ‘a valley of decision’. It is a dark place. The sun has not gone out; it has just darkened itself. Nothing new here, it happens every day all around the world, we call it night. The moon even darkens itself; the moon is the lesser light, it marks out the signs, seasons, festivals, days, and months of the year, as well as giving light on the earth. And as if that is not dark enough, the Sun and Moon's little helper, the stars, will all withhold their light. (Gen1:16) I question, could this be speaking of the days we are living in since 1948, when there is not much light of Torah in the world. Although, Torah is more readily available today than it has ever been the nations of the world have not repented and turned to Hashem and therefore, many are in the valley of decision just like they were in the days just before most left Egypt with the children of Israel. (Joel 3:1)

 

Where have we seen this Sun, moon star imagery before? Surely, Hashem is not going to destroy his creation by letting the Sun, Moon, and Stars go dark.  Some have speculated this darkening could be caused by a massive volcano, which would load the atmosphere with millions/billions of tons of ash and debris, which would block out the Sun. Joseph in (Gen 37: liken these three to His father, Jacob, his mother Rachel, and his eleven brothers. But the imagery is not that they go dark, but that these three sources of light bow down to Joseph, which I believe is a prototype of the Messiah.  Joel has these three going dark, and all the nations are gathered in a valley of decision.  The depiction could also reflect the portrayal in Jewish writings of Abraham, Sarah, and their progeny as sun, moon, and stars. ^[64] In Midrash Rabbah, Numbers 2:13, the sun symbolizes Abraham, the moon Isaac, and the stars Jacob and the seed of the patriarchs. Jewish exegetes believed that the sons of Jacob were likened to stars in Genesis 37 to connote the indestructible nature of Israel: as stars appear far from earth and are immune from destruction by any earthly force, so also Israel was ultimately indestructible.^[65]  Similarly, the Israelites are likened to stars to underscore that in the time to come, they will rule and not be ashamed.^[66]

 

So, if those from the nations are being so overwhelmed, that they feel the stars have aligned against them, could we suggest that this “Roar from Zion” which is causing “the Heavens and earth to tremble” is giving those of the nations and opportunity while “under judgement”, in “the Valley of Decision” to seek “refuge and a stronghold” with the people of Israel and their God?  It makes for an interesting proposition: Then could they become a living sacrifice for “the Mighty One, God the LORD” (Psa 50:1) A literal reading tells us there will be a mass destruction of those who fight against Israel and their God. But, while in this valley of decision there is a space to repent if those who hate Israel repent. Those who witnessed the divine retribution, their faith will become perfect, and the divine presence will return to Jerusalem. The people would be fully aware of God's presence. Radak goes on to say, the sanctity of Jerusalem will reach such a high level that it will be off limits to all but the Jewish people, just as the sanctuary of the Temple is prohibited to all but the Kohanim. When Hashem came to the mountain with Moshe, the children of Israel could not approach the mountain. When Hashem returns to Mt. Zion, no foreigners or strangers will be allowed in Jerusalem.  We have seen the nations as a ripe harvest brought into the valley of Judgement and decision and it could be understood the ripe harvest was a time of great prosperity for the nations but also it could be a time of great evil and after the Lord roars from Zion there is a change, and the prophets turns their attention to the glorious future of Judah and Jerusalem.

 

 On that day the mountains shall drip wine, and the hills shall flow with milk.  The streambeds of Judah shall flow with water and a fountain from the house of Hashem, shall flow to the valley of Shittim. (v.18) Radak, as most interpreters, think this verse speaks of a time after the defeat of the enemies of Israel. Without any effort on their part, the mountains and the hills shall surge with wine and milk.^[67] The question before us is what are we to think of the ‘Mountains and hills’ and what does the ‘wine and milk represent’?  Only here in Joel and in Amos 9:13 is this ideal of the mountains and hills flowing with wine mentioned.  Could the mountain and hills represent the land of Israel and the leaders of Israel? Milk is represented as Torah for the children, and the wine represents the deeper more esoteric Torah knowledge.  The Talmud (Eruvin 65a) says, "Nichnas yayin, yatza sod"—"When wine enters, the secret comes out." Kabbalists interpret this to mean that Torah, like wine, reveals its deepest truths when one is spiritually attuned. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (founder of Chabad Hasidism) teaches that studying Torah with depth and sincerity is like drinking wine—it awakens the soul’s hidden love for God. This is called Ahava Rabba (Great Love), a love that transcends intellect and is rooted in the soul itself.^[68]   Therefore we propose that in this regathering of Israel and reestablishing them in their land we should see the Leaders of Israel start to disseminate the milk and the wine of Torah to the masses that are waiting in the valley of decision and this along with the fountain of water from the house of Hashem will flow to the valley of Shittim. Hashem in his mercy will give the people time to correct their behavior and beliefs, but if not judgement will come upon them.

 

Shittim was the last camping place of the Israelite tribes before they crossed the Jordan. (Nu. 25:1) At Shittim “Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor” (25:3), thus giving Balak the results that he had sought by trying to have Balaam curse Israel. (chs. 22–24) At Shittim Moses ordered a census of the people (26:1–4). Subsequently Moses was told to “go up into the mountain of Abarim, and see the land” (27:12–14) and to invest Joshua with some of his authority (vv 18–23) The context suggests a valley in which water would flow away from Jerusalem.^[69] This spring is described in detail in Ezekiel 47:1-12, the Midrash tell us the waters are to atone for the sin of Pe’or per Rashi on Joel 4:18. The valley of Shittim where this water flows from the temple, is understood to be outside of the land of Israel by Mahari Kara,^[70]  and as a metaphor the word of Torah flows from Jerusalem as water to the entire world.

 

The future destruction of Egypt and Edom, they will become desolate and a desert waste because of the robbery of the children of Israel. In the end of days, the Almighty will bring the final destruction upon the Arab world represented by Egypt which was the homeland of the wife of Ishmael who was the mother of the Arab peoples and the Roman nation who descended from Edom. These two nations were the most prominent in the mistreatment of the Jewish people and will therefore be singled out for punishment. Some commentators single out Egypt specifically because they were the first people to enslave the Jewish nation and the Romans Edom where the last ones who brought the final destruction on the Holy Land and for this both the Egyptians and Edom will be destroyed.^[71] It could also correlate to the four kingdoms mentioned in Dan.2:36ff. emphasis being placed on the first and last kingdom.  The first and last Kingdom and all that are in between will be held responsible for the blood of Isreal they have shed.

 

 Judah will exist and be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. As we have seen above, the destruction of Egypt and Edom is contrasted with the eternal existence of Judah and Jerusalem. The shed blood of God's people will be avenged. The nations are summoned to the valley of Judgement and decision, and the cosmos will be disturbed and shaken.  God then demonstrates that he is Israels refuge. When asked when this will take place, Rashi and Radak says, When the Almighty will dwell in Zion, just as Judah shall exist forever, so shall the Divine Presence dwell in Zion (Jerusalem) forever once it returns there with the coming of the Messiah.^[72]

 

Rashi says, “Even if I shall cleanse them of the remaining transgression which is in their hands, and the evil-doing which they have done to me, the blood of the children of Judah I will not cleanse from them;” also in commenting on the same, Kimchi says, “For their silver and their gold which they took I will cleanse the nations, for Israel also shall take from them in the future, and they shall become their spoil; but for their blood which they have shed I will not cleanse them, but life shall be for life—the life of those that shed it, or of their children after them; for all the silver and the gold that is in the world which they shall give as a ransom of their souls they shall not be cleansed of the blood which they have shed;” also, “For the ages of eternity shall his dwelling-place be in Zion, after that it shall return there in the days of the Messiah.”…..   Judah and Jerusalem are types of the kingdom of God, whilst Egypt and Edom are types of the world-powers that are at enmity against God.^[73]  Rashi above says, and I paraphrase, for some of the sins the nations perpetrated against the children of Israel I will forgive and cleanse them, but for the shed blood it shall be ‘life for life’. This is difficult for the modern man to comprehend, but God is the God of Justice and being the true and righteous Judge, all his ways are righteous. Though the idea is difficult, maybe it helps explain why many of those who dwell in the valley of decision will have to pay with their own lives to receive atonement for their sin against the children of Israel.  As we see God’s wrath displayed, Abarbanel said there can be no forgiveness, and the punishment described above will be meted out because of the Jewish blood which these nations have shed as if it were water.^[74]

 

Amos chapter one is a repeat of the last chapter of Joel, showing that both these prophets were in agreement and on the same page with their prophecy. Here, Amos gives a summary of his prior announced judgments and again announces, as Joel had done in (3:16), that the LORD (Hashem) roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem. Although judgment is coming, we can rest assured that there will be mercy in this Judgment.  Joel and Amos show unity and agreement in their prophetic mission, and they warned the Jews that God's punishments were not directed exclusively against the heathen nations. The sages state that during this period, four prophets prophesied: Hosea, Isaiah, Amos, and Micah.^[75] Hosea and Amos directed the majority of their words to the kingdom of Israel (in the north), whereas the other two, Isaiah and Micah, focused on the Kingdom of Judah (the southern Kingdom). Malbim agrees with this, and Alshich contends that the sole subject of the prophecies of Amos is the Northern Kingdom of Israel.^[76]

 

In (v.3-5) the nations that surround Israel are warned of the coming judgement due to their persecution of the Jewish people. Here we learn of Hashem’s long suffering, and these nations rack up many more sins than three or four. Amos is getting his message directly from Hashem and not a messenger.  It has been pointed out that the order of presentation is not geographical but is regulated by each nation’s treatment of Israel and to the degree they have sinned against her.  Malbim and Abarbanel say the sin is that of the three cardinal sins: Idolatry, murder, and adultery.^[77]and they do not mention their other sin.

 

R. Moshe HaKohen^[78] said the prophets refer to biblical times, and the Egyptian nation existing today is not the nation of ancient Egypt.^[79]  Amos foretells the retribution to be exacted from them for their oppression of the Jewish people. Although, those nations of the past are long gone, there descendants and the hatred they exposed against the Jewish people still exist today.  As we see the hatred of the Jewish people increase in our time, we should soon see the Hand of Hashem moving against this hatred to bring justice to the enemies of Israel. Hashems desire shall be fulfilled, and the enemies of Israel have a great debt to repay for the shed blood of the Jewish people. As the Psalmist said in 121:4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleeps.

 

Special Ashlamatah For the first Sabbath of Penitence

Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 1:1 – 2:3

 

Rashi’s Commentary for:  Yirmyahu (Jeremiah) 1:1 – 2:3

 

1  The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah: Let the son of the corrupt woman, whose deeds are proper Jeremiah was descended from Rahab the harlot and let him reprove the son of the righteous woman whose deeds are corrupt these are Israel who corrupted their deeds who are descended from legitimate seed.

 

2  To whom the word of the Lord came: Upon whom the Shechinah commenced to rest at that time.

 

3  And he was in the days of Jehoiakim: And he was a prophet all the remaining days of Josiah, the days of his son Jehoiakim, and the days of his son Zedekiah, until the end of the eleventh year that is the year until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

 

5  When I had not yet formed you in the womb, etc.: Since the days of the first man. The Holy One, blessed be He, showed Adam each generation and its prophets.

 

I… formed you: Heb. אצרך, an expression of צורה, a form.

 

I knew you: connois toi in O.F. Comp. (Exodus 6:3), “I was not known (נודעתּי) to them.”

 

I appointed you: I appointed you for this.

 

a prophet to the nations: To Israel, who behave like the nations. In this manner it is expounded in Sifrei on the verse: “A prophet from your midst, etc.” (Deut. 18:15), will set up for you and not for those who deny the Torah. How then do I fulfill “A prophet to the nations I made you”? To the children of Israel who deport themselves with the customs of the nations. It can further be interpreted: “A prophet for the nations,” like “About the nations,” to give them to drink the cup of poison, to prophesy retribution upon them, as it is said: “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand, you shall give all the nations to drink of it” (infra 25:15). Another explanation of “When you had not yet emerged from the womb I appointed you” is: Concerning you I said to Moses: “I will set up a prophet… like you” (Deut. 18:18). This one reproved them, and this one reproved them. This one prophesied for forty years and this one prophesied for forty years.

 

6  Alas: This is an expression of wailing (konpljjnt in 0.F.).

 

for I am a youth: I am not worthy to reprove them. Moses reproved them shortly before his death, when he was already esteemed in their eyes through the many miracles that he had performed for them. He had taken them out of Egypt, split the Reed Sea for them, brought down the manna, caused the quails to fly, given them the Torah, brought up the well. I come to reprove them at the beginning of my mission.

 

7  wherever I send you: to the heathens.

 

and whatever I command you: to Israel, you shall speak.

 

9  And the Lord stretched forth His hand: Every sending mentioned concerning a hand is an expression of stretching forth. Another explanation is like the Targum: And the Lord sent the words of His prophecy.

 

10  I have appointed you: I have appointed you over the heathens.

 

to uproot and to crush: (depayser in French, to uproot) and over Israel to build and to plant if they heed. So did Jonathan paraphrase it.

 

11  a rod of an almond tree: (amendleer in O.F.) Jonathan, however, renders: A King who hastens to do evil.

 

12  You have seen well: This almond tree hastens to blossom before all other trees. I, too, hasten to perform My word. And the Midrash Aggadah (Ecc. Rabbah 12:8) explains: An almond tree takes twenty-one days from its blossoming until it is completely ripe, as the number of days between the seventeenth of Tammuz, when the city was broken into, until the ninth of Av, when the Temple was burnt.

 

13  a bubbling pot: [lit. blown up,] seething (boillant in French).

 

whose foam: [lit. and its face,] its seething (et ses ondes in O.F.) [and its waves].

 

14  From the north the misfortune will break forth: Babylon is on the north of Eretz Israel.

 

16  And I will utter My judgments against them: I will debate with them, with Judah and Jerusalem.

 

17  And you shall gird your loins: This is an expression of quickening like a man of valor.

 

18  against the Kings of Judah: lit. to the Kings of Judah.

 

19  And they shall fight against you: They shall quarrel and fight against you to refute the words of your prophecy.

 

2:2  I remember to you: Were you to return to Me, I would desire to have mercy on you for I remember the loving kindness of your youth and the love of the nuptials of your wedding canopy, when I brought you into the wedding canopy, and this (כלולתיך) is an expression of bringing in. Your nuptials (Noces in O.F.). Now what was the loving kindness of your youth? Your following My messengers, Moses and Aaron, from an inhabited land to the desert without provisions for the way since you believed in Me.

 

3  Israel is holy: like terumah.

 

the first of His grain: Like the first of the harvest before the Omer, which it is forbidden to eat, and whoever eats it is liable, so will all those who eat him be guilty. So did Jonathan render it.

Commentary on the Ashlamatah of (Yirmiyahu) Jeremiah 1:1-2:3

By: H.Ex. Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

 

Jeremiah lived during the time of destruction of the Temple of Solomon. Jeremiah was one of the major figures of his time he wrestled with the theological problems of the destruction of the nation of Israel. But Jeremiah's work laid the foundation that would bring the restoration in years to come at the end of the exile. Jeremiah was a priest, descended from the high priest Eli of the Temple at Shiloh (1 Sam.1–4). Rabbinic tradition maintains that Jeremiah is also the descendant of the proselyte Rahab from Jericho (Joshua.2; 6) (Sifre Numbers 78; b. Meg. 14b).^[80]

 

Jeremiah told the people of Judah they would have to submit to Babylon or suffer the consequences.  He clearly struggles with God over the nature of his prophetic role and message, he attempts to defend God’s righteousness by arguing the people themselves bring punishment upon themselves by failing to observe God’s torah and God would act to restore Israel to Jerusalem once the punishment was over.  Talmudic tradition claims that the book of Jeremiah is primarily a book of destruction (B. Bat. 14b), but it clearly points beyond the seventy years of punishment (chp. 25) to a time when Jerusalem and the Temple would be rebuilt and the streets of Jerusalem filled with “the sound of mirth and gladness, the voice of bridegroom and bride, the voice of those who cry, ‘Give thanks to the Lord of Hosts, for the Lord is good, for His kindness is everlasting!” (33:11)^[81] Aware of the theological problems posed by the destruction of the Temple and exile of the Jewish people, Jeremiah affirms God’s existence and righteousness in the future of the restored nation of Israel to its land.

 

In Verses 6–8: Like Moses, Jeremiah contends that he is inadequate to the task of prophecy, God overcomes his objections with the assurance, I am with you (Exod. 3:11–12; 4:10–17; cf. Isaiah’s statement in Isa. 6:5–6). In  9–10: As with Isaiah, a divine touch of the mouth prepares Jeremiah for prophecy (cf. Isa. 6:6–7; Ezek. 3:1–3).^[82]  The prophet’s commission to speak includes four verbs of destruction(to uproot, to demolish, to destroy an to raze) and two of restoration ( to build and to plant) signifying that in terms of the themes of his message, destruction would predominate (Jer.12:14–17; 18:5–10; 24:6; 31:28).^[83] Could we see four (4) +(2) in the destruction and (2) + (4) in the restoration?

 

When God ask Jeremiah, what do you see? He answered, an almond tree. God responded; you have seen well. The almond tree is one of the first trees to blossom in the spring, signifying God’s resolve to bring about the divine word concerning Jerusalem and Judah. The Sages point out there are 21 days elapse between an almond tree blossoming and when its fruit first appears. Taken as an indication of the speed of which calamities would soon come upon the Jewish nation. They go on to say there's a parallel to the 21 days between the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem on the 17th of Tammuz and the temples destruction on the 9th of AV. (^[84] and Rashi v.12) Should we look for another 21-day elapse between the almond tree blossoming and the reverse of the destruction of the temple?

 

There is a word pun upon the word “almond v.11 and “watching”. v.12. It is used by Jeremiah, šāqēḏ, שָׁקֵד almond; and šōqēḏ, שָׁקַד to watch over (a verb meaning to guard or watch over).^[85]  The vision of the almond staff/ branch was a hint at God's zealousness and intention to implement judgment and keeping watch over Israel into the future and he would hasten to carry out his word in both judgement and in the restoration. Jer.31:28.

 

We have another pun in v.13-14: a steaming pot (setting simmering) that is tipped and emptied from the north to portray the enemy that will bring judgment to Jerusalem from the north.  It is interesting that this pot is coming from the north, but also tilted toward the north and one would think a pot that is pouring out is titled toward the direction it is pouring? Because biblical Jerusalem was protected by valleys to the east, south, and west, it was most vulnerable to attack from the north where the Temple stood.^[86]   Here we should pause a moment. Babylon is not in or on the north of Jerusalem. But we know trouble comes from the north. We also know God will call his exiles back from the north, so in a sense salvation also comes from the north, when we understand there is no complete redemption until Israel is returned from (the north) exile back to their land.  The north would also be the expected direction of attack from the enemy that is not yet identified, and takes on near-mythological proportions, historically the enemy did attack Israel from the north.  However, the word “Land” v.14 is אֶרֶץ ʾereṣ: A noun meaning the earth, land. It is used almost 2,500 times in the Tanakh it refers to the whole earth under God’s dominion.

 

I see several different things here. Verse 14 says, evil breaks forth on the land/earth. Then all families of the north shall come and sit in judgement on Jerusalem and Judah. V.16 speaks judgement against them for having forsaken him. Historically, was the text speaking of the Israelites or those coming to destroy Jerusalem?  Could the text be speaking of Israel in exile scattered among all the nations of the earth?  Who is it that has forsaken HaShem, Israel or the nations?  Who is HaShem bringing to Israel for divine punishment and death, Israel for their rejection or the nations for their sinat chinam, “baseless hatred”, against Israel? 

 

In Jeremiahs day the prophecies were fulfill, if we read Jeremiah as a history book, we miss the import of the prophecies as they pertain to the future.   Today we see all the families of the earth turning to set in judgement against Israel. The prophet attempts to persuade his audience to repent from their wrongdoing and worship of foreign gods so that they might return to God. Although these chapters are clearly directed to Jerusalem and Judah in their present form (2:1–2; 4:3–6:30), many believe that the oracles in 2:2–4:2 were originally addressed by the prophet to the people of the former Northern Kingdom of Israel^[87]    

    

Israel was scattered some 100 or more years before Jerimiah’s prophecy and today the children of north Israel are so completely mixed among the families of the earth only God himself knows who and where they are. In this calling of all families from the north, I suggest there are two groups or families in this gathering, one being brought home from their exile, and one being brought to judgement.  Those from the north that return and repent. Those who have not repented nor will repent and they will come to persecute Israel and then to receive divine punishment for the way they treated Israel, “God’s separated holy people”, “his bride from their youth,” and “the first fruits of his produce”, Jer.2:1-4. “The apple of his eye”. Deut.32:10, Prov.7:2, Psa.17:8, Zech. 2:8.

 

As we have seen before, what is required of us; to do justice, to love mercy, practice kindness and to walk humbly with our god. Micah 6:8 and what should be our attitude? To Look unto HaShem: I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Mich 7:7 and this week reading we are encouraged to repent and turn from all transgression so your iniquity shall not be our ruin and make you a new heart and new spirit, for why will you die. I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, turn and live. Ezek. 18:30-32.   Next the basket will be gathered and sent to Babylon, justice will be forthcoming.  It has been some 2700 years or so since Israel and Judah were separated and we could be much closer to the end of the 3 days then we imagined and Moshiach should be here very soon. Hosea.6:2.

 

Special Ashlamata for Shabbat Mevarchim:

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Shmuel alef (I Samuel) 20:18-42

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: Shmuel alef (I Samuel) 20:18-42

 

18 Tomorrow is the new moon: and it is the custom of all those who eat at the king’s table to come on the festive day to the table.

 

and you will be remembered: My father will remember you, and ask where you are.

 

for your seat will be vacant: for your seat in which you sit, will be vacant, and so did Jonathan render: and you will be sought, for your seat will be vacant.

 

and you will be remembered: [ונפקדת is] an expression of remembering.

 

will be vacant: [יפקד is] an expression of lacking.

 

19 And for three days you shall hide very well: And you shall triple the days, and then you shall descend very much, i.e., when the third day arrives, you shall descend into a secret place, and hide very well, for then they will seek you. And you shall come to this secret place, wherein you are hiding today, which is a workday. And so did Jonathan render: on the weekday, for he hid on that day, as it is stated: (infra v. 24) “And David hid in the field;” immediately, “and it was the new moon” on the morrow.

 

the travelers’ stone: (Heb. ‘even-ha azel,’ lit., the going stone, i.e.) a stone which was a sign (a landmark) for travelers.

 

Ha-azel: those who go on the road. And so did Jonathan render: even atha, the stone which was a sign.

 

20 to the side, I shall shoot: This is not a ‘mappiq-heh’ (aspirate ‘heh’).צדה is to be interpreted like לצד, to a side, for every word which requires a ‘lamed’ as a prefix, the Scripture gives a ‘he’ as a suffix. (Jeb. 13b) At the side of that stone, I shall shoot arrows to a mark, so that the youth will not understand, and this sign shall be for you to divine whether you must flee.

 

21 And behold, I shall send, etc.: And it is customary for one who seeks an arrow which has been shot, to go to the place where he sees the arrow flying, but he cannot ascertain exactly. Sometimes he searches for it, and the arrow is beyond him, and sometimes he goes beyond the arrow and searches for it, and you shall have this sign.

 

If I say to the youth… take it and come: you yourself emerge from your hiding place, and take it, and come to me, for you have not to fear, for it is well with you. The Holy One Blessed be He, desires that you be here, and even if I have heard evil from Father.

 

22 But, if I say thus… Go! For the Lord has sent you away: The Holy One Blessed be He tells you to flee and escape.

 

23 And concerning the matter which we have spoken: the covenant which we made together.

 

behold, the Lord is between me and you: as Witness concerning that matter.

 

25 the seat by the wall: at the head of the couch beside the wall.

 

and Jonathan arose: He got up from his place, since it is not proper for a son to recline beside his father. Since their custom was to eat reclining on couches and David would recline between Jonathan and Saul, now that David did not come, Jonathan did not recline until Abner sat down beside Saul, and afterwards, Jonathan sat beside Abner. And if you say that he did not sit at all, the Scripture states: (infra v. 34) “And Jonathan arose from the table,” implying that he had been sitting.

 

26 It is an incident: He has experienced a seminal emission.

 

he is not clean: and he has not yet immersed himself, for had he immersed himself for the uncleanness of his emission, he would not have to wait until sunset in order to eat ordinary food.

 

for he is not clean: This clause gives the reason for the matter; i.e., since he is not clean, he, therefore, did not come, lest he contaminate the feast.

 

27 on the morrow of the new moon: on the morrow of the renewal of the moon.

 

the second: on the second day of the month.

 

29 and he, my brother, commanded me: The eldest of the house, commanded me that I be there. And he is my brother Eliab.

 

let me slip away: ‘Escamoter’ in French. I shall go away for one day and come back.

 

30 a straying woman, deserving of punishment: (בן נעות המרדות) An expression of straying and wandering, נע ונד, a gadding woman. Just as you say זעוה from זע, and the ‘tav’ is for the construct state, for it is connected to the word המרדות.

 

deserving of punishment: (Heb. המרדות), who deserves to be chastised and disciplined. Another explanation is as follows: When the men of Benjamin grabbed the girls of Shiloh, who came out to dance in the vineyards (Jud. 21:21), Saul was bashful, and did not want to grab [a girl], until she came herself, behaving insolently, and pursued him.

 

straying woman: because of the vineyards. And that is a winepress, like (the Talmudical passage): Purge the winepress (which was used for forbidden wine) (Ab. Zarah 74b); His winepresses will drip with wine (Targum Onkelos, Gen. 40:12) …. (The last three words of Rashi are incomprehensible, and are probably erroneous. The correct version is unknown to us.)

 

34 he was grieved (lit.) to David: concerning David.

 

for his father had put him to shame: concerning David.

 

35 at David’s appointed time: at the time which David had set for him.

 

36 to cause it to go beyond him.: The arrow went beyond the boy.

 

41 from a place toward the south: (lit., from by the south. Jonathan renders:) from the side of the travelers’ (or sign) stone which was toward the south.

 

until David exceeded: He cried more.

 

42 Go in peace: And the oath which we have sworn, may the Lord be witness thereon forever.

 

Verbal Tallies and Connections

Bamidbar (Numbers) 25:1 – 26:18

By: Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

 

The verbal tally that connects Bamidbar 25:1 and Joel 4:18-21 is the root י.ש.ב  (yashav).

Here it is with the verses:

 

Bamidbar (Numbers) 25:1 (JPS): "While Israel was staying (וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב - vayyeshev) [H3427] in Shittim, the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab."

 

Joel 4:20 (JPS): "But Judah shall be inhabited (תֵּשֵׁ֥ב - teshev) [H3427] for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation."

 

Amos 1:5 (JPS): "And I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant (יוֹשֵׁ֣ב - yoshev) [H3427] from Bikath-aven, and him that holdeth the scepter from Beth-eden; and the people of Aram shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD."

 

Amos 1:8 (JPS): "And I will cut off the inhabitant (יוֹשֵׁב֙ - yoshev) [H3427] from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the scepter from Ashkelon; and I will turn My hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord GOD."

 

The four verses use forms of the root י.ש.ב  (yashav), meaning "to dwell," "to stay," or "to inhabit." In Bamidbar, Israel dwells in Shittim in a state of sin, leading to a plague. In Joel, Judah will dwell (be inhabited) forever in a state of redemption and blessing. In Amos, the "inhabitants" of various cities (Damascus, Ashdod, Ashkelon) are threatened with being "cut off" or destroyed, signifying their removal from their place of dwelling. The shared root highlights the concept of dwelling or inhabitants, often in contexts of either remaining or being removed from a place.

 

* * *

 

The thematic connections between Bamidbar 25:1 – 26:18 and Tehillim (Psalms) 104:19-35, from a Jewish perspective, are rich and revolve around divine judgment, the consequences of human actions, and God's sovereignty over life, death, and the natural order.

 

Here's a breakdown:

 

Bamidbar 25:1 – 26:18: Sin, Plague, and Divine Order

 

This section of Bamidbar (Numbers) narrates:

 

• The Sin of Baal Peor (25:1-5): Israel commits idolatry and harlotry with the Moabite and Midianite women, attaching themselves to Baal Peor.

 

• Phinehas' Zeal (25:6-15): A plague breaks out. Phinehas acts decisively by executing Zimri and Cozbi, stopping the plague and earning an everlasting covenant of peace (priesthood).

 

• Divine Command for Vengeance (25:16-18): God commands Moses to harass the Midianites due to their role in the sin.

 

• The Second Census (26:1-18): Following the plague, God commands a new census of the Israelites. This census marks a new generation, those who will inherit the land, as the previous generation (excluding Caleb and Joshua) perished in the wilderness due to their sins. It reorganizes the people for the conquest.

 

Key Themes in Bamidbar 25-26:

 

• Sin and its Consequences: Idolatry and sexual immorality bring divine wrath and a deadly plague.

 

• Divine Justice and Judgment: God directly intervenes to punish sin.

 

• Zeal for God's Name: Phinehas' action demonstrates righteous zeal that averts further catastrophe.

 

• Transition and Renewal: The census symbolizes the renewal of the covenant and the preparation for entering the Land, but only for those who are worthy (the new generation).

 

• Divine Sovereignty over Life and Death: God brings the plague and God ends it.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 104:19-35: God's Sovereignty in Creation and Sustenance

 

This portion of Psalm 104 is a hymn praising God as the sole Creator and Sustainer of the universe, focusing on:

 

• Cosmic Order (104:19-23): God establishes the moon for seasons, and the sun knows its going down. He brings forth night when wild beasts roam, and then day when humans go to work. This shows God's intricate design for the rhythm of life.

 

• Divine Provision (104:24-28): The psalmist marvels at the abundance of God's works, emphasizing how all creatures look to Him for food and are satisfied by His open hand.

 

• Control over Life and Death (104:29-30): God "hides His face," and creatures are terrified; He "takes away their breath," and they die and return to dust. When He "sends forth His spirit," they are created, and the "face of the earth is renewed." This highlights God's absolute power over life and death.

 

• Enduring Glory and Wish for the Wicked to Perish (104:31-35): The psalm concludes with a wish that God's glory endure and that He rejoice in His works. It expresses a desire for sinners and the wicked to "perish from the earth" while the psalmist praises God.

 

Key Themes in Psalms 104:19-35:

 

• Divine Providence (Hashgacha Pratit): God is actively involved in sustaining every aspect of creation, from the celestial bodies to the smallest creatures.

 

• God's Absolute Sovereignty: He controls life, death, and the natural cycles.

 

• Order in Creation: The world operates according to divine design.

 

• Consequences of Wickedness: The psalm ends with a plea for the removal of the wicked from the earth, implying that their presence disrupts the divine order.

 

Thematic Connections:

 

1. Divine Control over Life and Death / Judgment and Plague:

 

• Bamidbar: God directly inflicts a plague that causes the death of 24,000 Israelites due to their sin (25:9). This is a dramatic manifestation of God's power over life and death as a form of judgment.

 

• Psalms: Explicitly states, "When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust" (104:29). This is the universal principle of divine power over all life. The plague in Bamidbar is a specific instance of this general principle.

 

2. Order and Disorder / Sin and its Disruption of Order:

 

• Bamidbar: The Israelites' sin at Baal Peor represents a profound disruption of the divine order. They abandon God's covenant and embrace chaos (idolatry, harlotry), leading to a breakdown of their community and a deadly consequence. The census that follows re-establishes order and divine structure.

 

• Psalms: Celebrates God's beautiful and established order in creation (moon for seasons, sun's going down, rhythms of day and night, provision for all creatures). The concluding wish for "sinners to vanish" (104:35) implies that sinners are those who disrupt this divine order and harmony. The events of Bamidbar 25 are a clear illustration of what happens when that order is disrupted by human transgression.

 

3. Divine Providence and Justice:

 

• Bamidbar: God's justice is evident in the immediate punishment of the plague and the command to avenge Midian. His providence is seen in Phinehas's zeal which stops the plague, thereby saving the remainder of the people.

 

• Psalms: Emphasizes God's benevolent providence in sustaining all life (104:27-28). The call for the wicked to perish (104:35) is also an act of divine justice, ensuring the ultimate triumph of good and the harmonious continuation of God's creation.

 

4. Renewal and the Continuation of Life:

 

• Bamidbar: After the plague, a new census is taken, marking a new generation that will inherit the land. This signifies renewal and the continuation of God's plan despite sin.

 

• Psalms: "When You send forth Your spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the ground" (104:30). This speaks to God's continuous power of creation and renewal, ensuring life continues and the world is revitalized.

 

In essence, Bamidbar 25-26 provides a concrete historical example of what happens when human beings defy the divine order (sin leading to death and disruption), while Psalm 104:19-35 describes the universal divine principles of creation, sustenance, and ultimate justice that govern all existence, principles which were dramatically demonstrated in the events at Shittim. The psalm highlights the beautiful order God maintains, while Bamidbar illustrates the severe consequences of actively disrupting that order through rebellion.

 

* * *

 

The eschatological messages of Joel 4:18-21 and Amos 1:1-8, 2:1-3, according to Jewish sources (primarily classical commentaries like Rashi, Radak, Ibn Ezra, and Malbim), revolve around themes of:

 

1. Divine Judgment on Nations and Redemption for Israel: Both prophecies speak of a future time when God will intervene directly in world affairs. The judgment is primarily aimed at the nations that have wronged Israel, and this judgment is directly linked to Israel's ultimate redemption and flourishing.

 

2. Physical and Spiritual Restoration of Israel: The prophecies describe a glorious future for Judah and Jerusalem, involving both material abundance and a rectified spiritual state.

 

Joel 4:18-21 (JPS): Eschatological Message (Jewish Sources):

 

• Radak (Rabbi David Kimhi): Interprets this passage as referring to the days of Mashiach (the Messiah), a period of ultimate redemption. The imagery of mountains dripping with wine and hills flowing with milk signifies a time of unparalleled abundance and fertility in the Land of Israel. The fountain from the House of the Lord watering the Valley of Shittim symbolizes a spiritual and physical outpouring of blessing, transforming even barren areas. Radak sees this as a literal fulfillment of prophecy.

 

• Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki): Emphasizes the divine punishment of the nations (Egypt and Edom) that oppressed Israel, particularly for "shedding innocent blood." This is an act of divine justice and retribution.

 

• Ibn Ezra (Rabbi Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra): Similarly views the imagery of abundance as a sign of great blessing in the Messianic era. The desolation of Egypt and Edom is a direct consequence of their historical mistreatment of the Jewish people.

 

• Malbim (Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Weiser): Highlights the contrast: while the nations that persecuted Israel will face desolation, Judah and Jerusalem will be permanently inhabited and dwell securely. The dwelling of God in Zion signifies a restored divine presence and an era of peace and holiness.

 

• The phrase "I will hold as innocent their blood that I have not held as innocent" refers to God avenging the innocent blood shed by the nations against the Jewish people, indicating a final reckoning and vindication for Israel.

 

In essence, Joel 4:18-21 paints a picture of ultimate geopolitical reversal and cosmic restoration. Israel will experience unprecedented prosperity and security under God's direct and permanent dwelling in Zion, while its oppressors will face utter destruction. This is a clear vision of the Messianic Age.

 

Amos 1:1-8, 2:1-3 (JPS): Eschatological Message

 

• Amos's Prophetic Method: Commentators like Radak explain that Amos begins with prophecies against surrounding nations (Damascus/Aram, Philistia, Moab) before turning to Judah and Israel. This serves to establish God's universal sovereignty and justice, showing that all nations are accountable to Him, and building a foundation for the subsequent judgment against Israel. This structure itself points to a universal divine judgment.

 

• The "Day of the Lord" (Amos 1:2): Rashi notes that "The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem" refers to a future revelation of God's power and judgment. This "roaring" is often understood as a prelude to or a characteristic of the "Day of the Lord," a time of divine intervention, judgment for the wicked, and salvation for the righteous. While it had historical fulfillments (e.g., Assyrian and Babylonian conquests), its ultimate and complete fulfillment is eschatological.

 

• Universal Divine Justice: The repeated formula "For three transgressions... yea, for four, I will not reverse it" (Amos 1:3, 6; 2:1) emphasizes God's absolute commitment to justice for various transgressions:

 

• Damascus (Aram): Cruelty in war ("threshing Gilead with threshing-sledges of iron").

 

• Gaza (Philistines): Trafficking in captives, especially selling Jews to Edom. This is a severe crime against humanity and against God's chosen people.

 

• Moab: Desecration of the dead ("burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime") – an act against common decency and human respect.

 

• Consequences for the Nations: The recurring punishment is "fire" (destruction of palaces/fortresses) and the cutting off of "inhabitants" or "judges/princes," signifying utter destruction and the end of their sovereignty. This points to a future where these historical enemies of Israel will no longer be a threat.

 

• Connection to Israel's Future: While these initial chapters focus on Gentile nations, their eschatological significance for Israel is indirect but crucial. The purification of the world from such wickedness sets the stage for Israel's ultimate redemption and the establishment of God's righteous kingdom. The judgments on these nations clear the path for the Messianic era, where Israel will live securely without external threats.

 

In summary, both Joel 4:18-21 and Amos 1:1-8, 2:1-3, through the lens of Jewish commentators, convey an eschatological message of divine judgment on the nations that oppressed Israel, leading to a glorious and permanent redemption and restoration for the Jewish people in the Messianic era, characterized by peace, abundance, and the manifest presence of God in Zion.

 

Rosh Chodesh (New Moon) in the Nazarean Codicil

By Hakham Dr Eliyahu Ben Abraham

 

Colossians 2:16-17 “Do not let anyone (gentile) judge you regarding food or drink (i.e., keeping Kosher), or regarding keeping a festival, a Rosh Chodesh (New Moon), or Sabbaths, which are an allegory of things to come, but their reality is found in Messiah.”

 

It should seem evident to everyone that the talmidim of Yeshua held and observed Orthodox Jewish beliefs and that this belief system dominated how they recorded and transmitted the Scriptures. We should also state that this would have been evident in their writings. The above-cited verses from Hakham Shaul's Igeret to the Colossians are chief among these verses.

 

The insinuations of our text, Being Judged

Contextually, a Jewish Rabbi, i.e., Hakham Shaul, is not going to teach another Jewish person NOT to keep the festivals. He will not tell anyone to violate that moedim (Divine Appointments of G-d) because someone wants to ridicule them for their observant practices. Therefore, if we read these verses thinking Hakham Shaul is loosening the bonds of observing the mitzvot, we should read again and study deeper. And because the Jewish people are smart enough to think for themselves. Now, if we change the possible audience to the Colossians being Gentile the question at hand becomes more complex. Namely, who is permitted to judge who. Thus, the question is who is permitted to judge the Gentiles with regard to Observant Jewish Festivals and Holy Days.  A case precedent for this issue is found in 2 Luqas (Acts) beginning in chapter ten. Cornelius and his family are praying, undoubtedly at his home. Now, we are not told if they are doing it right or wrong. But it would seem from a cursory overview of the Nazarean Codicil that this "G-d Fearing centurion" has been in or around the Jewish community for some time.

 

Luqas - Lk. 7:1-10 After Yeshua finished these Oral Teachings in the presence of the Am HaAretz, "the people of Land" i.e. the uneducated Jews, he entered K’far Nachum (Capernaum – City of Nahum). Now a Roman Centurion stationed there had a servant that he highly valued that was ill and close to death. When the centurion heard about Yeshua, he inquired (sending a messenger) of the Jewish Hakhamim to see if they might ask him to come and heal his servant. When the Jewish Hakhamim came to Yeshua they appealed to him earnestly, saying “He (the Roman Centurion) is worthy of having you do this for him, because he loves the Jewish people, and he built our Esnoga (Synagogue) for us.” And Yeshua went with them (to heal the servant) but when he was close to the Centurion’s house the Centurion sent friends to say to him, “Master do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come into my house; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But if you will only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. Because I am a man under authority, with soldiers under my command; and I say to one “Go” and he goes, and to another “come” and he comes and to my servant “do this” and he does it.” When Yeshua heard this he was awestruck at the Centurion’s understanding of authority, and turning towards the congregation that followed him said “I have not found even in Yisrael one with faithful obedience like this. And when his (the Centurion’s) messengers returned to the house they found that the servant’s health had been restored.

 

While there is no definite way to claim that this is Cornelius, there would seem to be plenty of evidence to "hint" at the possibility. In both Acts and Luke, we see that he has given substantially to the Jewish people. Wow, he even built the Esnoga! However, the point in Acts 10 is that Cornelius needs some information. And he has gained enough merit with G-d to merit sending an angel to call Hakham Tsefet to Cornelius' house and give him instruction. The Jewish standard for this situation seems a living example of precedent. While we do not know what Cornelius was praying about or what he might have asked G-d, we find a couple of interesting points.

 

1. G-d does not answer the Gentile G-d Fearer directly
2. He tells the Centurion to call for a Jewish Hakham to give him instruction.

 

This is strange because Cornelius seems to understand that there is a system for the whole process.

 

Ephesians 2:11-12 Therefore remember, at that time you were Gentiles by birth, who are called uncircumcision by those who are called circumcision, which refers to what Royal men do to their bodies; and that at one time you were without Messiah, being aliens (Gentiles) from the legal administration of Jewish life, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope, and without God and in union with the worldly system.

 

This fits Cornelius perfectly. How?  He says in the cited passage from Luke above, "Because I am a man under authority, with soldiers under my command; and I say to one “Go,” and he goes, and to another “come,” and he comes and to my servant “do this,” and he does it.” Therefore, Cornelius understands authority and knows he has no authority in a Jewish Beit Din, not even with the vast amounts of money he has given the Jewish people. This is indeed a true “G-d Fearer!”

 

Returning to the text we are discussing; we see that the logic is clear. The only authority that allows "anyone" to dictate Jewish Life is a Jewish Beit Din. Thus, Hakham Shaul's text Do not let any one person judge you." now bears the light we need to understand this verse. Therefore, no single person can tell you how to keep the feasts, festivals, Sabbaths, etc. According to Jewish halakhah and Hakham Shaul's interpretation, the only body capable of telling you what to do is the Jewish Beit Din. Now, in brief, when Hakham Tsefet comes to see Cornelius' house he does not decide based on the need for a Beit Din. He assesses the situation, notices some things, and does not make decisions based on the needs of a Beit Din. Later in Acts 15, the Beit Din convenes and makes those decisions. But Hakham Tsefet does not act with independence. Therefore, the Colossians passage means no one is liberated from keeping the Biblical Mitzvot. And no self-respecting Beit Din would ever say differently.

 

Messiah and the Festival of Rosh Chodesh

Hakham Shaul's underlying point seems to be that the festivals, specifically Rosh Chodesh, are personified in Messiah. However, paying special attention to Hakham Shaul's words they tell us of future things "to come." The Festivals (Rosh Chodesh) are obligatory and substantiated in Messiah or the Messianic Era.

  

The Revelation opens, “The Revelation of Yeshua HaMashiach, which God gave unto him (Yeshua), to show to His (God's) servants things which must come to pass suddenly; and he sent and signified (put it in signs and symbols) it by his messenger (Yechezel) who gave it his servant Yochanan. “

 

My thesis, which I hashed out with H.E. Hakham Rabbi Dr. Yosef ben Haggai, may his memory be for blessing, is that G-d gave the Revelation to Yeshua, who gave it to his messenger Yechezel the prophet, is based on Rev 19:10 and 22:8-9.

 

Rev 19:10 And I (Yochanan) fell at his feet to worship him (the messenger). And he said unto me, Do not do this: I am your (brother) fellow servant(s), and one of your brethren who has the testimony (Mesorah) of Yeshua: worship God: for the testimony of Yeshua is the spirit breathing out) of prophecy.

 

Rev 22:8-9  And I Yochanan saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the messenger who showed me these things. ⁹ Then he said to me, see you not do this: for I am your fellow servant, and one of your brethren the prophets, and of them who keep (guard) the words of this book: worship God.

 

His Eminence suggested that the Messenger could be "Daniel," which is a legitimate point. But I pointed out that the greater and most mystical of the two "Prophets" was Yechezel. Secondly, while Daniel is a great prophet, his writings are not found among the Nevi'im "Prophets" in the Tanakh. They are found in the "Ketuvim" (writings). Thus, while still plausible, Daniel does not have the merit of Yechezel, at which His Eminence Rabbi Dr Yosef ben Haggai conceded.

 

Revelation 22:2 – The Moon, the Tree of Life, and the Renewal of Time

“In the middle of the street of the city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month (Rosh Chodesh), and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

 

The twelve Rosh Chodeshim seem to have a very important part of life and celebration during the Messianic Era. The twelve months of the year correspond to twelve fruits produced by the tree, signifying the sanctification of time through the cycles of the Rosh Chodeshim. This connects to Yesha’yahu - Isaiah 66:23, which states that in the future, all nations will worship G-d from Rosh Chodesh to the next.

 

Yechezel - Ezekiel 47:12 – "Their leaf (עָלֵה) will not wither, and their fruit will not fail... their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing."

 

Yechezel is here referring the the scene in Revelation 21-22. This verse directly refers to the Tree of Life in Revelation. (This is another reason to believe that Yechezel was the messenger.) Again, we see that the “leaves” have medicinal value specifically for the "Nations.” Now there is still a mystery wrapped up in an enigma concealed in a conundrum, with the verse cited by Hakham Shaul and trying to pull at the thread that will make it all unravel the mystery.

 

I believe the key is in the Hebrew word עָלֵה "Olah." This word is of such power and importance that it is often misunderstood and overlooked. However, the point of interest I find as I try to unravel the mystical conundrum is that the word has some possible undertones.

 

The Fig leaves, and? Yeshua sees one of his potential Talmidim, Nathanael, sitting under a fig tree. Why does Yeshua select this disciple strictly based on this idea? 

 

Yochanan 1:47-50

"Yeshua saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said concerning him, ‘Behold, a true Yehudi in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?’ Yeshua answered and said to him, ‘Before Peresh called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of G-d; You are the King of Israel!’ Yeshua answered and said to him, ‘Because I said to you, "I saw you under the fig tree," do you believe? You will see greater things than these.’”

 

The Fig Tree as a Symbol of Torah Study

Interestingly, the fig tree pops up everywhere. The Garden of Eden, where Adam and Chavah invented the first-ever camouflage. What an idea, using fig leaves as camouflage while in the middle of a garden of trees. However, one thing stands out in the prophecy…

 

Micah 4:4 But they will sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the mouth of the L-rd of Hosts has spoken.”

 

The fig tree is often used in Jewish literature to symbolize meditation on the Torah (Avot de-Rabbi Natan). Nathanael may have been engaged in Torah study, prayer, or Messianic contemplation under the tree. Yeshua’s statement astonishes Nathanael, suggesting that the fig tree is more than a physical location—it may reference Messianic prophecy or personal revelation (Micah 4:4, Zechariah 3:10). Yeshua may be suggesting that he saw Natanael, studying Messianic prophecy. Maybe even Micah 4 and contemplating the Messianic Era. And given the popularity of the Micah passage, he could have been insinuating that he foresaw Natanael in the Messianic Era. Nathanael is shocked, implying that Yeshua’s vision was beyond human perception, connecting to Divine insight and prophetic awareness. Thus, Yochanan 1:47-50 presents a deeper revelation of Yeshua’s identity, linked to Jewish eschatology and Torah study under the fig tree. Did Adam and Chavah have a deep secret that was not told except to a few? Surely, Adam must have shared this revelation with Micah. Every Jewish schoolboy knows that if he studies the pages of the Torah, he will merit the Messianic Era and the Olam HaBa. Could Adam and have been taught this by HaShem Himself i.e., the Voice (Kol) Himself?  Could they have been trying to hope for the best in this BAD situation? i.e., hoping that they still had a chance at the Y’mot HaMashiach (Days of Messiah) and the Olam HaBa?

 

Jewish literature likens scrolls of wisdom to leaves on a tree, indicating that Divine teachings are like leaves of the Great Book, the Torah. But we have a question left.

 

“In the middle of the street of the city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month (Rosh Chodesh), and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

 

Here we cannot see that tree in any other light than a figurative Etz Chayim (Tree of Life) and synonym for the Torah itself. If the Leaves were “pages of the Torah,” they could well be used to heal the nations. Why is this significant? We, who have made the journey across the river to become the sons of Eber and Shem, know well that our greatest deficiency is our language barrier. We spend countless hours trying to study the Torah only to be confronted with the language barrier. And to make matters worse, the Sages tell us that we are not reading the Torah but a translation. And you have to read the Torah in Hebrew to actually be reading the Torah. It makes a boy want to cry. This is why I love philology (dissecting words) so much. I like to play in the leaves and see all the veins as they wander through the words. But when the illusive thread is found and pulled with great delight (ta'anug), one sees G-d sitting in the heavens, laughing so hard His anthromorphic sides hurt. Finally, the language barrier for the poor Gentiles has been removed as they can now read the leaves and get a real REVELATION OF THE ETERNAL G-D for which they have longed. They can immerse themselves in the celestial River of living water and rid themselves of all their sorrows. Have some more fruit and hand me another leave.

 

Rosh Chodesh Av

 

As we stand at the threshold of Rosh Chodesh Av 1, 5785, the arrival of this new moon stirs within us both dread and hope, for no other month in the sacred calendar is so suffused with paradox. The Sages record in Ta’anit 26b: “Mi-shenichnas Av mema’atin b’simchah”—from the moment Av enters, we diminish our joy. Yet this diminishment, rooted in the legacy of the destruction of both Temples and the grief that envelops Israel, is not a mere negation but the mystical concealment of hope, for as Eicha Rabbah teaches, Av is the womb of consolation; the descent into mourning contains the seed of nechamah. On Rosh Chodesh Av, the moon appears fragile and diminished, reflecting Israel’s own state in exile, yet it is precisely at this nadir that the promise of renewal is encoded, both cosmically and individually. The Sages in Midrash Tehillim teach that just as the moon will be restored to her fullness, so too will the House of David and the Shekhinah rise from exile and be crowned anew. In this sense, Rosh Chodesh Av is not merely a historical commemoration but a perpetual rehearsal for the geulah, the redemption, encoded in the cycles of time. The month opens with contraction but holds within it the secret of the Comforter—the Menachem whose arrival will transform tears to song. To receive Rosh Chodesh Av in 5785 is to acknowledge the presence of loss and fracture, yet also to declare with faith that within the darkest night of the Jewish calendar, the first glimmer of redemption has already begun to dawn.

 

Some Questions to Ponder:

 

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

 

 

Blessing After Torah Study

 

Barúch Atáh Adonai, Elohénu Meléch HaOlám,

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

Barúch Atáh Adonái, Notén HaToráh. Amen!

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

Next Shabbat:    Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Av

Sabbath of the New Moon for the Month of Av

(Thursday Evening July 24th – Friday Evening July 25th, 2025)

& 2nd Sabbath of Penitence

 

Contents of Next Week’s Torah Seder

 

·        Joshua Appointed Successor of Moses – Numbers 27:15-23

·        Daily Offerings – Numbers 28:1-8

·        Additional Offerings for the Sabbath – Numbers 28:9-10

·        New Moon Offerings – Numbers 28:11-15

 

Next week’s Reading Assignment:

 

 

 

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

Edited by HH Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham

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