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Three and 1/2 year Lectionary Readings

Tebeth 21, 5766 – January 20/21, 2006

 

First Year of the Reading Cycle

Fifth Year of the Shemittah Cycle


 

Texas Candle lighting times

 

Friday, January 20, 2006 Light Candles at: 5:43 PM

Saturday, January 21, 2006 – Havadalah 6:40 PM

 

For other places see: http://chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting.asp

 

Week Thirty-eight of the Cycle

 

For further information on the life of Yosef see:

http://www.betemunah.org/joseph.html

 

 

Shabbat:

Torah Reading:

Weekday Torah Reading:

וְאֶת-יְהוּדָה שָׁלַח

 

 

“V’Et Y’hudah Shalach”

Reader 1 – B’resheet 46:28-34

Reader 1 – B’resheet 48:1-4

“And he apostled Judah

Reader 2 – B’resheet 47:1-4

Reader 2 – B’resheet 48:5-7

“Y él apostoló a Judá”

Reader 3 – B’resheet 47:5-7

Reader 3 – B’resheet 48:1-7

 B’resheet (Genesis) 46:28 – 47:31

Reader 4 – B’resheet 47:8-10

 

Malachi 2:4-10 + 3:1-4

Reader 5 – B’resheet 47:11-13

 

 

Reader 6 – B’resheet 47:14-19

Reader 1 – B’resheet 48:8-10

Psalm 38

Reader 7 – B’resheet 47:20-28

Reader 2 – B’resheet 48:11-13

 

      Maftir – B’resheet 47:26-28

Reader 3 – B’resheet 48:14-16

N.C.: Matityahu 6:7-8

                   Malachi 2:4-10 + 3:1-4

 

 

 

 

Roll of Honor:

 

This Torah commentary comes to you courtesy of His Honour Paqid Adon Hillel ben David and beloved family, as well as that of His Excellency Adon John Batchelor and beloved family and that of Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah and beloved family. For their regular and sacrificial giving, we pray G-d’s richest blessings upon their lives and those of their loved ones, together with all Yisrael, amen ve amen!  Also a great thank you to my son H.E. Adon Ariel ben Yosef for making available at short notice scanning and computing facilities to produce this week’s Torah Commentary.

 


Targum Pseudo Jonathan for:

B’resheet (Gen.) 46:28 – 47:31

 

And he sent Jehuda before him to Joseph to indicate the way before him, to subdue the pillars of the earth, and to provide him a house of dwelling in Goshena. And they came to the land of Goshen. [JERUSALEM. To prepare him a place of habitation in Goshena.]

 

And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen; and his father, before he recognized him, worshipped him, and thus became liable to be shortened (or cut off) in his years. And he wondered, and beheld him, and fell upon his neck, and wept still upon his neck, because he had worshipped him. And Israel said to Joseph, If at this time I die, I am comforted: for with the death that the righteous die shall I die, after seeing your face, because you are yet alive.

 

And Joseph said to his brethren and his father's house, I will go up and tell Pharoh, and say to him, My brethren and my father's house from the land of Kenaan have come to me. The men are pastors of sheep; for they are men, the masters of flocks; and their sheep and oxen and all which they have, they have brought. And it must be, when Pharoh calls you, and says, Tell me, what is your work? You must say, Your servants have been masters of flocks from our youth until now: that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; because the Mizraee reject all shepherds.

 

XLVII. And Joseph came and informed Pharoh, and said, My father and my brethren, with their sheep all oxen and all that they have, are come from the land of Kenaan, and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. And from the extreme of his brethren he took five men, Zebulon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, and presented them before Pharoh. And Pharoh said to Joseph's brethren, What is your work? And they said to Pharoh, Your servants are pastors of sheep, both we and our fathers. And they said to Pharoh, To dwell in the land are we come, because there is no place of pasture for your servants' sheep, for the famine has prevailed in the land of Kenaan; let your servants therefore now dwell in the land of Goshen.

 

And Pharoh spoke to Joseph, saying, Your father and your brethren have come to you. The land of Mizraim is before you. In the fairest part of the land make your father and your brethren to dwell: let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any among them men of ability, appoint them masters over my flocks.

 

And Joseph brought Jakob his father, and presented him before Pharoh. And Jakob blessed Pharoh, and said, May it please the Almighty that the waters of the Nilos may be replenished, and may the famine pass away from the world in your days! And Pharoh said to Jakob, How many are the days of the years of your life? And Jakob answered Pharoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life; for in my youth I fled before Esau my brother, and sojourned in a land not my own; and now in the time of my old age have I come down to sojourn here. And my days have not reached the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. And Jakob blessed Pharoh, and went out from before Pharoh.

 

And Joseph brought his father and brethren to dwell, and gave them a possession in the land of Mizraim, in a goodly part of the country, in the country of Pilusin, as Pharoh had commanded. [JERUSALEM. Pelusim.] And Joseph sustained his father and his brethren and all his father's house with bread, according to the need of their families. But there was no bread (grown) in all the land, because the famine prevailed greatly, and the inhabitants of the land of Mizraim failed, and the dwellers in the land of Kenaan, in presence of the famine. And Joseph collected all the money which was found in the land of Mizraim, and in the land of Kenaan, for the corn which he sold to them; and Joseph brought the money into the treasure-house of Pharoh. And the money was finished from the land of Mizraim, and from the land of Kenaan; and the Mizraee came to Joseph, saying, Give us bread; why should we die before you? For all our money is finished. [JERUSALEM. And has failed.] And Joseph said, Give your flocks, and for your flocks I will give you provisions, if the money be consumed. And they brought their cattle to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread for their horses, and for the flocks of sheep, the oxen, and the asses; and he sustained them with bread for all their flocks for that year And that year being ended, all the Mizraee came to him, in the second year, and said to him, We will not hide it from my lord, that the money is finished and my lord has the flocks of cattle: there is nothing left us before my lord except our bodies, and our land. Why should we die and your eye seeing (it), both we and our land also? Buy us, and our land, for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharoh, and give the seed of corn, that we may live and not die, and the land be not desolated. And Joseph bought all the land of Mizraim for Pharoh; for the Mizraee sold every man his portion, because the famine prevailed over them, and the land became the property of Pharoh. And the people of a province be removed to a city, and the people of the city he removed to a province, for the sake of the brethren of Joseph, that they might not be called wanderers: therefore he made them migrate from one end of Mizraim to the other. [JERUSALEM. And the people who were dwelling in the province he removed into the city; and the people who dwelt in the city he removed into the province, that they might not deride the sons of Jakob, and call them Galilean (wandering) guests.] Only the land of the priests he bought not because they had considered him innocent at the time when his master was seeking to put him to death, and they had delivered him from the judgment of death: and besides he had said that a portion should be given them from Pharoh. So they ate the portion which Pharoh gave them, and sold not their land.

 

And Joseph said to the people, Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharoh: behold, (I give) you seed corn to sow the land; and at the time of the ingathering of your produce you shall give the fifth part to Pharoh, and four parts shall be yours, for the seeding of your land, and for food and for provision for your houses and little ones. And they said, You have preserved us: let us find favor in the eyes of my lord, and we will be Pharoh's servants. And Joseph established it a law unto this day over the land of Mizraim to take to Pharoh a fifth part of the produce, except only the land of the priests which was not Pharoh's.

 

And Israel dwelt in the land of Mizraim, and they built there schools and mansions in the land of Goshen, and inherited therein fields and vineyards; and they increased and multiplied greatly.

 

 

Midrash Tanhuma Yelammedenu

B’resheet (Gen.) 46:28 – 47:31

 

6. And he sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:28). May our master teach us: When is the blessing over the light offered at the expiration of the Sabbath? Thus do our masters teach us: The blessing over the light (i.e., the Havdalah ceremony) is not pronounced until one benefits from the light (for reading). Whence do we learn this? From the Holy One Himself, blessed be He, as is said: And God saw that the light was good (Gen. 1:4). After that Scripture states: And God divided the light from the darkness (ibid.). R. Ze'era the son of Abahu said: Thus we learn that we do not bless the light at the expiration of the Sabbath until one can benefit from the light.

 

R. Simeon the son of Yohai declared: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: Honor the commandments, for they are My emissaries (apostles), and a man's emissary (apostle) must be honored no less than the man himself. If you honor them, it is as though you honor Me, and if you are disrespectful toward them, it is as though you are disrespectful toward Me. No man revered the commandments and fulfilled the law as meticulously as Jacob, as it is said: And Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents (Gen. 25:27), yet he was visited with trials through his son. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Be assured, you will lose one son, but you will acquire three: Joseph, Manasseh, Ephraim. When they brought him the news (that) 'Joseph lives," he sent Judah before him as his emissary (apostle).

 

And he sent Judah before him. Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: Dominion and fear are with Him; He makes peace in His high places (Job 25:2). In this instance, dominion refers to Michael, and fear alludes to Gabriel. Though Michael was fashioned from water, and Gabriel was formed out of fire, when they stood in the presence of the Holy Spirit they did not affect each other adversely. Hence it says: He makes peace in His high places.

 

R. Simeon maintained that though the entire firmament is composed of water and the angels are of fire, The flashing fire, My ministers (Ps. 104:4), the water does not extinguish the fire, and the fire does not cause the water to evaporate. Similarly, though Joseph and Judah, the lion and the ox, had previously gored each other, now he (Jacob) sent him to Joseph, as it is said: He sent Judah before him. Hence, He makes peace in His high places.

 

 

7. And Joseph made ready his chariot (Gen. 46:29). R. Yudan said in the name of R. Aibu: Two men were accorded more homage than any other men in all the world; they were Jethro and Jacob. It is written that when Jethro came to Moses, Moses went out to meet his father-in-law (Exod. 18:7). Who would imagine Moses going out and other people not going out with him? Would not the leaders of the thousands and the hundreds go out, and would not the seventy elders and Aaron, the high priest, go out? Indeed, if he went out, would not all Israel go out with him to meet Jethro? Similarly, when Jacob came to live with Joseph, it is written: Joseph made ready his chariot and went out. Who, upon observing Joseph going out to meet his father, would fail to accompany him? Would not Pharaoh's servants go out, would not the elders of his household and the elders of Egypt go out? He went out to fulfill the verse The wise (Hebrew: Hakhamim) shall inherit honor (Prov. 3:35).

 

The Holy One, blessed be He, said: In this world I have allotted honor to the elders, but in the future world: Before His elders shall be glory (Isa. 24:23).

 

 

8. And he sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:28). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: The wolf and the lamb shall feed together (Isa. 65:25). Observe that whomever the Holy One, blessed be He, afflicts in this world, He heals in the world-to-come. The blind, for it is written: The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of deaf shall be unstopped (Isa. 35:5); the lame: Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall speak (ibid., v. 6). In the same way all others shall be healed.

 

And furthermore, just as a man departs this world he will return. If he departs lame, he will return lame; if he departs deaf, he will return deaf; if he departs blind, he will be resurrected blind. Thus everyone returns as he departed.

 

Those who depart clothed will return clothed, as it is said: It is changed as clay under the seal; and they stand as a garment (Job 38:14). Come and learn from Samuel. When Saul caused him to be brought up (by the witch of Endor), he said to the woman: "What does he look like?" And she answered: An old man comes up; and he is covered with a robe (I Sam. 28:14). And Scripture states elsewhere: Moreover, his mother made him a little robe (ibid. 2:19). This teaches us that just as one departs (this life), so he will return. The reason for this is that the wicked should not say: "Some He puts to death, and others He restores to life." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let them arise just as they departed, and then I will heal them. Why so? To confirm the verse Before Me there was no God formed, neither shall any be after Me (Isa. 43:10).

 

After that the animals will also be healed, as it is said: The wolf and the lamb shall feed together ... and dust shall be the serpent's food (ibid. 65:25). But the serpent shall not be healed. And why not? Because it was responsible for mankind being brought down to the dust.

 

Another comment on The wolf and the lamb shall feed together. The wolf refers to Benjamin, as it is said: Benjamin is the wolf that ravens (Gen. 49:37), and the lamb alludes to the tribes, as is said: Israel is a scattered sheep (Jer. 50:17).

 

Shall feed together. When did that occur? When Benjamin descended with his brothers. Though Jacob had said: My son shall not go down with you (Gen. 42:38), yet when the time for departure came, he did descend with them. They placed him between themselves and guarded him. And thus it says: Joseph lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother's son (Gen. 43:29).

 

And the lion shall eat straw like the ox (Isa. 65:25). "The lion" refers to Judah, as it is said: Judah is a lion's whelp (Gen. 49:9), and like the ox alludes to Joseph, as is said: His firstling bullock, majesty is his (Deut. 33:17). Finally however, all of them ate together, as it is said: And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright (Gen. 43:33). And it is also written: And portions were taken unto them (ibid., v. 3). Hence Scripture states: And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

 

 

9. And he sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:28). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: The envy also of Ephrairn shall depart ... Ephraim shall not envy Judah (Isa. 11:13). Jacob our patriarch sent Judah before him because he believed that Judah had killed Joseph at the time he brought him the coat of many colors, as it is said: And he knew it, and said: "It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him" (Gen. 37:33). An evil beast refers to Judah, since it is said: Judah is a lion's whelp. And Jacob said to Judah: "You are the one who has rent him asunder." Whereupon Jacob rent his garments ... and all his sons and daughters rose up to comfort him (ibid., vv. 34-35).

 

What is meant by the words Nay, but I will go down to the grave to my son mourning (ibid.)? Jacob said: "Surely I shall die the death of a wicked man in the world-to-come. The Holy One, blessed be He, promised me twelve tribes, and now one of them has been torn asunder. Perhaps I was not worthy of them, and I shall perish in both worlds." That is why he said: I will go down to the grave to my son mourning. You know this to be so from the fact that when he saw that Joseph was alive, he exclaimed: Now let me die (Gen. 46:30). When did he say Now let me die? He said to himself: "When my sons came to me, and told me that Joseph was dead, I cried out: 'I am destined to die twice,' but now that I see that you are alive, I am assured that I did not die, but only now will I die." Hence he said: Now let me die.

 

And his father wept for him. After that Scripture states: The Midianites sold him into Egypt (Gen. 37:36). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Judah: Until now you had no sons, and did not experience the grief caused by sons, but since you tormented your father, and deceived him with the words Joseph is without doubts torn to pieces (ibid., v. 33), by your life, you shall wed, bury your children, and suffer the grief that comes with children." What is written after this verse? Judah went down from his brethren ... and he took her ... and bore a son (ibid. 38:1-2). This teaches us that Judah became separated from his brothers. If at the time he had said to them: Come, let us sell him (ibid. 37:27), he had said instead: "Come, let us return him (to father)," they would have listened to him. Therefore, Judah went down. That is, he was deposed from his role as leader.

 

And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite (ibid. 38:2). She bore him two sons, Er and Onan, and both of them died. During the years in which Joseph was separated from his father, Jacob was convinced that Judah had killed him. Whence do you learn this? From the episode dealing with Benjamin: Whereas Judah said to Joseph: "For your servant is surety for the youth" (ibid. 44:32). It was only after he announced that he had pledged himself for Benjamin that Joseph disclosed his identity and Judah was exonerated from guilt in this matter. Therefore And the envy of Ephraim was turned (Isa. 11:13). Hence, Scripture states: And he sent Judah before him.

 

 

10. And he sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:28). Scripture states elsewhere: Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall clear the way before Me (Mal. 3:1). Observe that every misfortune that occurred to Joseph likewise befell Zion. It is written of Joseph: and Israel loved Joseph more than all his chil­dren (Gen. 38:3), and of Zion it is written: God loves the gates of Zion (Ps. 87:2). Concerning Joseph it is stated: And they hated him (Gen. 37:8), and about Zion: She has uttered her voice against Me, therefore I have hated her (Jer. 12:8). With reference to Joseph it is said: For behold, we are binding sheaves (Gen. 37:7), and in regard to Zion: You shall come home with song, bear­ing sheaves (Ps. 126:6). It is written of Joseph: Shall you indeed rule over us? (Gen. 36:8), and of Zion: That says unto Zion: "Your God reigns" (Isa. 52:7). Joseph: And Joseph dreamed a dream (Gen. 37:5), and Zion: When the Lord brought back those that returned to Zion, we were like unto them that dream (Ps. 126:1). Joseph: Shall I and your mother and your brethren indeed come to bow down to you? (Gen. 37:10), Zion: They shall bow down to you with their face to the earth (Isa. 49:23). Joseph: And his brothers envied him (Gen. 37:11), Zion: I am jealous of Zion with great jealousy (Zech. 8:2). Joseph: Go now, see whether it is well with your brethren (Gen. 37:14), Zion: Seek the peace of the city (Jer. 29:7). Joseph: They saw him from afar off (Gen. 37:18), Zion: Remember the Lord from afar off (Jer. 51:50). Joseph: And before he came near unto them they conspired (Gen. 37:18), Zion: They hold crafty converse against the people (Ps. 83:4). Joseph: And they stripped Joseph of his coat (Gen. 37:23), Zion: They shall strip you of your clothes (Ezek. 23:26). Joseph: They took him and cast him into the pit (Gen. 37:24), Zion: They have cut off my life in the dungeon (Lam. 3:53). Joseph: And the pit was empty (Gen. 37:24), Zion: And in the pit there was no water (Jer.  38:6). Joseph: And they sat down to eat bread (Gen. 37:25), Zion: We have given the hand to Egypt, and to Assyria, to have bread enough (Lam.  5:6). Joseph: And they drew near and lifted up Joseph (Gen. 37:28), Zion: Ebed-Melech the Cushite drew him up (Jer. 38:13). Joseph: And Jacob rent his garments (Gen. 37:34), Zion: And in that day did the Lord, the God of hosts, call to the weeping (Isa. 22:12). Joseph: All his sons and all his daughters rose to com­fort him (Gen. 37:35), Zion: Strain not to comfort me (Isa. 22:4). Joseph: And the Midianites sold him into Egypt (Gen. 37:36), Zion: The children also of Jerusalem have you sold unto the sons of the jevanim (Joel 4:6).

 

Everything fortunate that occurred to Joseph likewise hap­pened to Zion. It is written of Joseph: And Joseph was of beau­tiful form and fair to look upon (Gen. 39:6), and of Zion it is stated: Fair in situation, the joy of the whole earth (Ps. 48:3). Con­cerning Joseph it is written: He is not greater in this house than I (Gen. 39:9), and of Zion: The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former (Hag. 2:9). Joseph: The Lord was with him (Gen. 39:2), Zion: And My eyes and My heart shall be there (II Chron. 7:15). Joseph: And showed kindness unto him (Gen. 39:21), Zion: I remember for you the affection of your youth (Jer. 2:2). Joseph: And he shaved himself and changed his raiment (Gen. 41:14), Zion: And the Lord shall have washed away (Isa. 44:4). Joseph: Only in the throne will I be greater than you (Gen. 41:40), Zion: At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord (Jer. 3:17). Joseph: And arrayed him in vestures of fine linen (Gen. 41:42), Zion: Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments (Isa. 52:1). Joseph: He sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:29), Zion: Behold, I send My messenger (Mal. 3:1).

 

 

11. And he sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:28). Jacob sent Judah before him to establish an academy wherein he might teach the Torah as he had previously done for the tribes. You know that he taught his sons earlier from the fact that Jacob remembered the chapter of the Torah that Joseph was studying with him at the time of his disappearance. When Joseph's brothers returned and told him: "Joseph is yet alive" ... his heart fainted, for he believed them not (Gen. 45:26). Jacob recalled the chapter of the Torah that Joseph was studying at the time of his departure, and he said to himself: "I know that he was studying the portion devoted to the beheaded heifer" (Deut. 21:1-9). Whereupon he turned to them and said: "If he gave you something to indicate the chapter he was studying when he departed from here, I will believe you." Joseph had also remembered the chapter he was studying when he was separated from his father. What did Joseph do? He gave them wagons (ibid., v. 21). When Jacob saw the wag­ons ('agalot), the spirit of their father revived forthwith (word-play relating 'agalot ("wagons") to kelayot ("kidneys"), stated in the next paragraph to be the organ through which Abraham learned and retained the law). This teaches us that wherever Joseph went, he devoted himself to the law, as his ancestors had done before him, even though the Torah itself had not yet been given. And thus it is writ­ten: Because that Abraham hearkened to My voice and kept My laws (Gen. 26:5).

 

From what source did Abraham learn the law? R. Simeon the son of Yohai declared: His two kidneys (kelayot) became like two pitchers filled with water, from which the law flowed forth, as it is said: In the night season my kidneys instruct me (Ps. 16:7). R. Levi maintained: He studied the law by himself, as it is said: The dissembler from his heart shall have his fill from his own ways; and a good man shall be satisfied from himself (Prov. 14:14). He taught the law to his sons, as it is said: For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children (Gen. 18:19).

 

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Him: You have taught your sons the law in this world, but in the world-to-come I shall teach them the law, as Scripture states: And all your children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children (Isa. 54:13).

 

 

And the time drew near that Israel must die (Gen. 47:29). It is stated in Scripture in reference to this verse: For we are strangers before You, and sojourners, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no hoping (I Chron. 29:15). Our days are as a shadow. Would that they were as the shadow of a wall (that our days might be as permanent as a wall) or a tree, but the fact is that they are as the shadow of a bird, as it is said: His days are as a shadow that passes away (Ps. 144:14).

 

And there is no hoping implies that there is no one who can hope to escape death. All (our patriarchs) realized this and announced their deaths with their own mouths. Abraham said: I go hence childless (Gen. 15:2); Isaac declared: May my soul bless You before I die (ibid. 27:4); and Jacob said: When I sleep with my fathers (ibid. 47:30). When did he say this? When he was about to die. Thus it is written: And the time drew near that Israel must die.

 

 

And the time drew near that Israel must die (Gen. 47:29). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: There is no man that has power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither has he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in war; neither shall wickedness deliver him that is given to it (Eccles. 8:8). R. Joshua of Sikhnin declared in the name of R. Levi: Prior to the death of Moses, the Holy One, blessed be He, hid the shofars that Moses had fashioned in the wilderness, lest some person (Moses) might blow upon them and cause all the Israelites to assemble before him (in an attempt to postpone his death. Some copies of the parallel pas­sage Beresheet Rabbah 96:3 imply that the subject of "should not blow them" is Moses). He did this to ful­fill the verse Neither has he power over the day of death.

 

Another comment on Neither has he power over the day of death. What is written after Zimri committed his heinous deed [Zimri took Cozbi the Midianite into his tent and had sexual relations with her (see Num. 25)]? And he (Phinehas) went after the man of Israel into the chamber (Num. 25:8). Where was Moses at that time that Phinehas should speak in his stead [he was permitted to act as if he were in command even though Moses still lived]? He did so to confirm what is written in the verse Neither has he power over the day of death. Death is an expression that implies being humbled. He elevated Phinehas, while Moses was humbled.

 

Similarly, concerning King David it is written: Now King David was old (I Kings 1:1). When he drew near to death, it is written about him: Now the days of David drew near that he should die (ibid. 2:1).

 

So too Jacob, when he drew near to death, began to hum­ble himself before Joseph. He said to him: "If now I have found favor in your sight" (Gen. 48:29). When? When he was approaching death, as it is said: And the time drew near that Israel must die.

 

R. Simeon the son of Lakish said: The Holy One, blessed be He, told him: Be assured, you will be removed from this world but you shall not die (i.e. he would live in the future world).

 

What is the meaning of And drew near? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: The day cries out against you, saying that it would stand still, just as a man might say: "So-and-so complains against his neighbor in order to attack him." Hence Scripture says: And drew near.

 

And drew near. Our sages maintained that everyone about whom it is written drew near to die failed to attain his father's age. Drew near is written with regard to David, as it is said: Now the days of David drew near that he should die (I Kings 2:1), and he failed to reach the age of his forebears: Obed, Boaz, and Jesse. Our sages said: The sum of their ages was more than four hundred years, while David lived only seventy years. Hence he did not attain the years of his forebears. Therefore it is written about him: Drew near that he should die (ibid.).

 

Amram lived one hundred and thirty-seven years, while Moses lived only one hundred and twenty. Hence it is writ­ten about him: Behold, thy days draw near that thou must die (Deut. 31:24). And drew near is written with reference to Jacob, and he did not attain the age of his forebears. Abra­ham lived one hundred and seventy-five years, and Isaac lived one hundred and eighty years, while Jacob lived only one hundred and forty-seven years. Hence drew near is writ­ten concerning him: And the days of Israel drew near that he should die.

 

 

3. And he called his son Joseph (Gen. 47:29). Why did he not summon Reuben or Judah? After all, Reuben was the firstborn, while Judah was a king. He ignored them and called Joseph instead. He did so to teach us that one must pay homage to the person who is in power at the moment; moreover, Joseph had the power to fulfill his desires. And he said to him: "If now I have found favor in your sight ... bury me not, I pray, in Egypt (Gen. 47:29). It was for your sake that I descended to Egypt, and it was because of you that I said: Now let me die. Even the soul of a man who dies on shipboard joins his fathers, and so when I sleep with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying-place (ibid., v. 30)." They cherished their burial place. The grave that I have digged (ibid. 50:5). And deal kindly and truly with me (ibid. 47:29). Is there false kindness that he should say to him kindly and truly? The proverb says: When your friend's son dies, share his sorrow; but when your friend dies, cast off your sorrow [A cynical proverb. Console him on the death of his son, for he will con­sole you if your son dies. However, if he dies, cast off your sorrow, for his son will not be concerned about you or your sympathy]. He said to him, in other words: "If you are kind to me after my death, that will be true kindness. Bury me not in Egypt, for it will eventually be smitten with vermin, and they will swarm over me." Hence it says: Bury me not, I pray, in Egypt.

 

Another explanation as to why Jacob did not want to bur­ied in Egypt. He was afraid that the Egyptians might use him as an object of idolatrous worship. Just as punishment is exacted from the worshipper of an idol, so is it exacted from the (idol) which is worshipped, as it is written: And against all the gods of Egypt will I execute judgment (Exod. 12:12). Similarly, you find that after Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream: Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and wor­shipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an offering and sweet odors unto him (Dan. 2:46). Daniel would not allow it. And why not? For just as the idolaters would be punished, so too would he be. You find this illustrated in what is writ­ten about Hiram, king of Tyre. After he proclaimed himself a god: Because your heart is lifted up, and you have said: I am a god (Ezek. 28:2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Art you wiser than Daniel"? (ibid., v. 3). When Nebuchadnezzar decreed that offerings should be brought to him, he (Daniel) would not permit it, yet you call yourself a god. And so it is written there: / have cast you to the ground, I have laid you before kings, that they may gaze upon you (ibid., v. 17).

 

Another explanation is that Jacob said: "Perhaps the Egyp­tians will be redeemed through me." They are compared to asses, as it is said: Whose flesh is the flesh of asses (ibid. 33:20), and I am likened to a sheep, as is said: Israel is a scattered sheep (Jer. 50:17). And it is written elsewhere that The firstling of an ass you shall redeem with a sheep (Exod. 34:20). Hence, (Bury me not in Egypt) lest the Egyptians be redeemed through me. Therefore Bury me not, I pray, in Egypt.

 

Why were the patriarchs anxious to be buried in the land of Israel? R. Eliezer said: There is a reason for this. R. Hanina said: There is a reason for this; and R. Joshua the son of Levi said: There is a reason for this. What did they mean by "There is a reason for this"? It is written: I shall walk before the Lord in the land of the living (Ps. 116:9). However, our sages said in the name of R. Helbo that there were two reasons why the patriarchs longed to be buried in the land of Israel: The dead in the land of Israel would be the first to be resur­rected in the Messianic age, and they would be the first to enjoy the years brought by the Messiah.

 

R. Hanina said: Whoever dies outside of the land of Israel and is buried there experiences two deaths, as it is written: And you, Pashhur, and all that dwell in your house shall go into captivity; and you shall come to Babylon, and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried (Jer. 20:6). Hence he experienced two deaths [They suffer both the pain of death and the pain of interment outside the Holy Land]. That is why Jacob said to Joseph: Bury me not, I pray, in Egypt. R. Simon argued: If that is so, do not the righ­teous who are buried outside the land of Israel suffer because of that? What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He constructs subterranean passages through which they revolve until they reach the land of Israel. When they reach the land, the Holy One, blessed be He, instills within them the breath of life and they rise, as it is said: Behold, I have opened your graves, and I caused you to come up out of your graves, O My people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel (Ezek. 37:12), and after that is written: I will put My spirit in you, and you will live (ibid., v. 14). R. Simeon the son of Lakish said: The following verse teaches explicitly that when the righ­teous reach the land of Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, instills the breath of life in them: He that gives breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein (Isa. 42:5).

 

Rabbi (Judah the Prince) and R. Eliezer, while strolling outside the gates of Tiberias, saw a coffin being borne for burial in the land of Israel. Rabbi said to R. Eliezer: How does this one, who died outside the land, benefit from being brought into the land of Israel for burial? I apply to him the verse: You made My heritage an abomination (Jer. 2:7). During your lifetime you did not go up to the land, But when you entered you defiled My land (ibid.). R. Eliezer replied: Since he is now to be buried in the land of Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, will forgive him, as it is said: The land makes atonement for His people (Deut. 32:43).

 

When R. Yohanan was about to leave this world, he said to those who were to arrange his funeral: Bury me in colorful garments that are neither wholly white nor black, so that if I should stand among the righteous I shall not be humiliated, and if I stand among the wicked I shall not be embarrassed. When R. Josiah was about to depart from this world, he told those standing at his side: Summon my disciples. He said to them: Bury me in white garments, for I am not ashamed to stand before my Maker for any act that I have committed. It is told that when our holy Rabbi was about to depart from this world, he left three instructions. He told them: Do not move my widow from my home, do not permit eulogies to be recited in the cities of the land of Israel, and do not permit a stranger to bear my coffin. Permit only the ones who attended me in my lifetime to attend to me when I die. Dur­ing his lifetime, he resided for seventeen years in Sepphoris. He applied to himself the verse And Jacob lived in Egypt seven­teen years, and "(I,) Judah, lived in Sepphoris seventeen years."

 

Our saintly Rabbi suffered from a toothache for thirteen years, and during that time no woman in the land of Israel died in childbirth or had a miscarriage [because his suffering warded off death and miscarriages in Israel]. At the end of the thirteenth year, Rabbi became angry with R. Hiyya the elder.

 

Elijah, of blessed memory, visited our Rabbi in the guise of R. Hiyya and touched his aching tooth. He was cured imme­diately. The following day, when R. Hiyya visited him, he asked: "How is your tooth?" He answered: "From the moment you touched it yesterday, it was cured." Then R. Hiyya cried out: "Woe unto you, O pregnant woman in the land of Israel, woe unto you O pregnant woman in the land of Israel." When R. Hiyya told him: "I did not touch your tooth," our Rabbi realized that it was Elijah, of blessed mem­ory, who had done so. From that moment on he began to pay homage to R. Hiyya.

 

But when I sleep with my fathers (Gen. 47:30). Jacob said to Joseph: "If you will do as I have asked, well and good, but if not, my soul shall depart at once." "I shall do it," he answered. "Swear unto me," said Jacob. And he swore unto him. And Israel bowed down before the Shekhinah that hov­ered over him. What is written after he passed away? His sons did unto him as he commanded them (ibid. 50:12). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Death does not permit man to rejoice in this world, but in the world-to-come He will swallow up death forever (Isa. 25:8). When He does swallow up death, then I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying (Isa. 65:19).

 

 

Ashlamatah:  Malachi 2:4-10 + 3:1-4

 

4 Know then that I have sent this commandment unto you, that My covenant might be with Levi, says the LORD of hosts.

5 My covenant was with him of life and peace, and I gave them to him, and of fear, and he feared Me, and was afraid of My name.

6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and did turn many away from lawlessness.

7 For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

8 But you are turned aside out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble in the law; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts.

9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as you have not kept My ways, but have had respect of persons in the law. {P}

 

10 Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers?

11 Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the holiness of the LORD which He loves, and has married the daughter of a strange god.

12 May the LORD cut off to the man that does this, him that calls and him that answers out of the tents of Jacob, and him that offers an offering unto the LORD of hosts. {P}

 

13 And this further you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with sighing, insomuch that He regards not the offering any more, neither receives it with good will at your hand.

14 Yet you say: 'Wherefore?' Because the LORD has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion, and the wife of your covenant.

15 And not one has done so who had exuberance of spirit! For what seeks the one? a seed given of God. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

16 For I hate putting away, says the LORD, the God of Israel, and him that covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts; therefore take heed to your spirit, that you deal not treacherously. {P}

 

17 You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say: 'Wherein have we wearied Him?' In that you say: 'Every one that does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them; or where is the God of justice?'

 

1 Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall clear the way before Me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you delight in, behold, he comes, says the LORD of hosts.

2 But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap;

3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver; and there shall be they that shall offer unto the LORD offerings in righteousness.

4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.

 

 

Ketubim Targum Psalm 38

 

1. A psalm of David. A handful of incense, a good memorial for Israel.

2. O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, and do not punish me in your wrath.

3. For your arrows have descended on me, and the blow of your hand rests upon me.

4. There is no healing in my body because of your anger, no health in my limbs because of my sin.

5. For my sins have mounted past my head; like a heavy burden, they were too heavy for me.

6. My wounds stank, they decayed, because of my foolishness.

7. I am bent over, I am greatly bowed down; all the day I have gone about in gloom.

8. For my loins are filled with burning, and there is no healing in my body.

9. I have become faint and I have been humbled greatly; I moaned because of the groaning of my heart.

10. O Lord, before you is all my desire; and my sighing is not hid from you.

11. My heart has become hot; my strength has left me, and the light of my eyes – even they are not with me.

12. My friends and companions stood away from the sight of my plague; and my relatives stand far off.

13. And those who seek my life have made traps; and those who seek my ruin have uttered lies, and they murmur deceit all the day.

14. But I am like a deaf man, I will not hear, like a mute who does not open his mouth.

15. And I have become like a man who has never heard, and there is no rebuke in his mouth.

16. For in your presence, O Lord, have I prayed; you will accept [my prayer], O Lord my God.

17. For I said, “Lest they rejoice over me.” When my foot stumbled, they vaunted themselves over me.

18. For I am prepared for disaster, and my pain is before me always.

19. For my sin I will relate, I will be troubled by my sin.

20. But my enemies, alive, have grown strong; those who hate me through deceit are numerous.

21. And those who repay evil for good oppose me, because I have pursued good.

22. Do not forsake me, O Lord; my God, do not be far from me.

23. Hasten to my aid, O Lord, my redemption.

 

 

Ketubim Midrash Psalm 38

 

1. A Psalm of David to bring [suffering to] remembrance. O Lord, rebuke me not in Your wrath; neither chasten me in Your hot displeasure (Ps. 38:1-2). These words are to be considered in the light of what Scripture says elsewhere: O Lord, chasten me only in measure; not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing (Jer. 10:24). It is not written here "O Lord, chasten me in measure," but 0 Lord, chasten me only in measure—that is, ''O Lord, chasten me only with moderate punishments." So, too, it is written Chasten your son, that there be hope (Prov. 19:18), as if to say, Chasten him, but not unto death. Take care that in chastening you do not destroy him: only set not your heart on his destruction (ibid.). Hence David said: Rebuke me not in Your wrath. A rebuke is good—it is said Whom the Lord loves, He rebukes (Prov. 3:12)—but only when the rebuke is not given in wrath. Therefore David said: O Lord, rebuke me not in Your wrath. He also said: Chastisement is good—as Scripture says, Blessed is the man, whom You chastise, O Lord (Ps. 94:12) — but we cannot long suffer it. Therefore David said to the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, we have sinned, and You are angry, and so we are not saved, as it is said Behold, You are angry, for we have sinned: in them have we been of long time; and shall we be saved? (Isa. 64:4). Subdue us little by little, as it is written He will turn again, He will have com­passion upon us as He subdues our iniquities (Micah 7:19). Hence it is said O Lord, rebuke me not in Your wrath; neither chasten me in Your hot displeasure.

 

A weaver, when he is sure that the frame stands fast, goes ahead with vigor, but when he is sure that the frame does not stand fast, does not strike with vigor: We are the web, and You are the weaver. We cannot endure Your wrath or hot displeasure. As Scripture says, Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak (Ps. 6:3). For if You are upon me with hot displeasure or wrath, I shall die at once. And What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? (Ps. 30:10).

 

He who is not skilled in giving lashes, after binding a man, strikes him upon the head or between the eyes with a stick; but he who is skilled in giving lashes, after binding a man, strikes him upon the back, not upon the head or between the eyes; in order not to blind the man's eyes, he strikes him upon a part of the body where there is no danger. Thus Scripture says, What are these wounds between your hands? And he will answer: "Those with which I was wounded in the house of my Friend" (Zech. 13:6). That is, if one be asked "What are these wounds between your hands?" he will answer: "They are the result of being be­friended by the Holy One, blessed be He."

 

2. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger ... For mine iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy bur­den they are too heavy for me (Ps. 38:43,5). The children of Israel used to say, Our iniquities are increased over our head (Ezra 9:6). R. Isaac told a parable of a man with a burden on his head who was crossing a river, his feet sinking deep in the water. He was told: "Put the burden away from you, and you wilt be able to lift up your feet." Likewise, the Holy One, blessed be He, asked Israel: Wherefore do you say, For mine iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me (Ps. 38:5)? Let the wicked forsake his way (Isa. 55:7): That is, "Put away your evil deeds, and I shall have mercy upon you"; as Scripture says, Let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him (ibid.).

 

R. Hinena bar Papa said: Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which You have done, and Your thoughts which are to us-ward (Ps. 40:6)—many were all the wondrous works and thoughts which You did conceive to make Abraham choose the yoke of the kingdoms for himself; the words to us-ward show that he did so for our sake, that we might endure in this world.

 

R. Simeon bar Abba taught in the name of R. Johanan, that the Holy One, blessed be He, let Abraham see four things: Torah, the yoke of the kingdoms, Gehenna, and offerings. Of Torah, it is written a torch of fire (Gen. 15:17), and elsewhere "Is not My word like as fire?" (Jer. 23:29); torch means Torah, as in the words "All the people perceived the thunderings and the torches" (Ex. 20:15). Of Gehenna it is written behold a smoking furnace (Gen. 15:17), by which is meant Gehenna, as in the words "Be­hold, the day comes, it burnes as a furnace" (Mal. 3:10). Of offerings, it is said Take Me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old (Gen. 15:9). Of the yoke of the kingdoms, it is written Lo, a dread, even a great darkness fell upon him (ibid. 15:12).

 

 

Midrash of  Matityahu (Matthew) 6:7-8

 

7. So you, when you pray (add individual prayers in the silent recitation of the Amida) do not multiply words as the heretics do, who think that by their multitude of words they will be heard.

8. Do you not see that your Father who is in the heavens knows your words before you ask from Him?

 

 

Commentary

 

The Torah Seder for this week explains the reunion of Yosef with his father Ya’aqob, how he enables his brothers and father to stand before Pharaoh as royalty from a neighboring country, as well as the request of Ya’aqob to Yosef to burry him in the land of Israel and his subsequent death.

 

Our Midrash Yelammedenu, does not see things in this neat thematic order, but chooses to focus on the first words of our Seder: “And he (Ya’aqob) sent (apostled) Judah before him unto Joseph” (Genesis 46:28) to connect it to our Ashlamatah – “Know then that I have sent (apostled) this commandment unto you …” (Malachi 2:4). The word “sent” in both verses in the Hebrew is “SHALACH” and from where we also derive the Hebrew word “SHALIAACH” which means “apostle.” Yehudah (Judah) is the apostle (agent) of Ya’aqob (Jacob) in our Torah Seder, and in the Ashlamatah (reading from the Prophets) G-d says that His commandments are His apostles (agents). Perhaps now in this context we can get a better idea of what is an “apostle” as frequently found in the pages of the Nazarean Codicil. In this context, an “apostle” seems to be a commissioned agent of Israel (i.e. Ya’aqob) that embodies G-d’s commandments.

 

Now in our Ashlamatah, in Malachi 3:2 we read: “But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire …” Now we may ask, what is a “refiner’s fire”? There is no better object to illustrate what a “refiner’s fire” end-product looks like than the candle used for Havdalah (the closing ceremony of the Sabbath). This special candle consist of intertwined candles each with its own wick to produce one single light to serve and enlighten human beings – one of the key purposes of Sabbath observance. 

 

The “refiner’s fire” had to intervene to make individual candles into a braded single unit to produce a light that symbolizes the Sabbath’s multiple benefits to Israel and humanity. Thus our Midrash Tanchuma Yelammedenu starts its commentary with the words:

 

“May our master teach us: When is the blessing over the light offered at the expiration of the Sabbath? Thus do our masters teach us: The blessing over the light (i.e., the Havdalah ceremony) is not pronounced until one benefits from the light (for reading).”

 

Similarly a Shaliach (apostle) – a commissioned agent of Israel that embodies the commandments is like the Havdalah candle that is made to stand to minister unto the congregation of Israel and humanity (cf. Numbers 16:9 and compare with Malachi 2:6).

 

But there is also another interesting twist about the mentioning of the term “SHALIACH” (apostle) in this context which is brought to our attention in the Midrash Yelammedenu. He who rejects an apostle (commissioned agent) ipso facto also rejects he who sent the apostle (commissioned agent). Thus he who rejects G-d’s commandments to study them and to practice them also rejects G-d who authored them, and he who rejects being part of Judah (i.e. the Messiah) also rejects ipso fact being part of Ya’aqob (i.e. Israel) as Hakham Shaul teaches:

 

Remember that at that time you (Gentiles) were without Messiah, being aliens (non-citizens) from the commonwealth (nation) of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without G-d in the world: But now in Yeshuah the Messiah you who sometime were far off are brought near by the life of Messiah. ... So then you are no longer strangers and aliens (non-citizens), but you are fellow citizens (of Israel) with the saints (Hebrew: Tsadiqim), and are of  the household of G-d. [Ephesians 2:12-13,19]

 

This is also most splendidly expressed in our next Torah Seder, in Genesis 48:5 where Israel (i.e. Ya’aqov) states that Mashiach ben Yosef’s children are also his sons and to be counted as part of the 12 tribes). There we read:

 

“And now your two sons, who were born unto you in the land of Egypt before I came unto you into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine.”

 

Thus our Torah Seder and our Ashlamatah for this week brings together the idea that he who studies and practices the commandments as taught by our Sages places him/herself under the sovereignty of G-d, and those who reject to study and practice the commandments as taught by our Sages has in fact rejected G-d. Equally he who accepts the Messiah so as to become fully obedient to him, must also become as a mater of fact a citizen of the nation of Israel – ie. A fellow Jew. He/she who rejects to become obedient to the Messiah of Israel, also rejects the command to become a fellow Jew. The four concepts (G-d, commandments, Messiah, and being a Jew) are braided together like the Havdalah candle to form one single light for the benefit of Israel and humanity. What a great principle!

 

 

“What shall we then do?” – Towards a Nazarean Halakhic Code

Marqos 1:29-31

 

1:29 And at once He left the synagogue and went into the house of Shimon Ha-Tsefet [Peter] and Aharon [Andrew], accompanied by Ya’aqov [James] and Yochanan [John].

1:30 Now Shimon's mother-in-law had for some time been lying sick with a fever, and at once they told him [Yeshuah] about her.

1:31 And he [Yeshuah] went up to her and took her by the hand and made her stand; and the fever left her, and she began to wait on them.

 

This is a great passage indeed for it encapsulates the key work which the Master of Nazareth was engaged and the one which all of his Talmidim (disciples) are commanded to be engaged in – to make people stand – i.e. understand, believe wholeheartedly and recite the Amida (Jewish prayer of the 18 benedictions said standing three times a day). This prayer was shortened for didactic purposes by the Master of Nazareth and is widely known as the Master’s prayer (Matityahu 6:9-13).

 

Another way to understand this great commandment of “making people stand” is found for example in the book of B’midbar (Numbers) 16:9 where we read about Mosheh Rabbenu speaking to the Levites:

 

[Seems it but] a small thing unto you, that the G-d of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to be made to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?

 

The Hebrew words used here for “to be made to stand” is “V’LaAmod” from the root verb “Amad” (and from where we get the Hebrew word Amida). Notice the contrasts in this verse:

 

Separated you                        from the congregation of Israel 

To bring you near                   to Himself

To be made to stand              to minister unto them (congregation of Israel)

 

 

“To be made to stand” in this case, as in the paragraph of Marqos above must be understood as a process starting with “being made separate from the rest,” progressing with “being brought near to Ha-Shem”, and concluding with “being equipped and made to minister to the congregation of Israel. This is indeed very much the case in this paragraph of Marqos where we find:

 

1. Separated you -                  Now Shimon's mother-in-law had for some time been lying

sick with a fever,

 

2. To bring you near -            And he [Yeshuah] went up to her     

 

3.  To be made to stand -       and took her by the hand and made her stand … and she

began to wait on (serve) them

 

This command is also found in the Mishnaic treatise of Pirke Abot 1:1, where we read:

 

Moshe received the Torah from Sinai and gospelled it to Yehoshua; Yehoshua to the Elders; the Elders to the Prophets; and the Prophets gospelled it to the Anshe Knesset HaGedolah (Members of the Great Assembly). They made three statements (taught three things): Be deliberate (patient and restrained) in judgment; establish (i.e. make to stand) a large cadre of disciples; and construct a fence  around the Torah.

 

The number three includes the point, the counterpoint, and the midpoint. (Thesis, antithesis, synthesis, if you will.) Our Sages want to lead us to perfection by focusing on improving an element at one extreme, then on the opposite extreme, and finally focusing on perfect balance in the middle. This can be understood by the fact that there were three Patriarchs of the Jewish people: Avraham, Yitschaq (Isaac), and Ya’aqob (Jacob). Each one had a unique characteristic with which he endowed the Jewish people. Avraham is known to have been unique in the characteristic of "chesed" - altruistic and unbounded giving; always giving and doing MORE than is required. Yitschaq had the opposite characteristic, "din" (justice) which is strict precision and structure, doing exactly what is required, with no deviation in any direction. Ya’aqob was the balance of these two characteristics, "tiferet," glory, or "emet" - the point of truth, which synthesized both chesed (mercy/charity) and din. (justice).

 

Thus we have:

 

JUSTICE                    GLORY/TRUTH                   MERCY/CHARITY

   Point                                  midpoint                                 counterpoint

  Thesis                      synthesis                                    antithesis

         Separated you               To be made to stand                To bring you near

         to minister

 

 

Like a parent, we have been given the most noble command to enable, help, nurse, instruct, and make to stand any person of good will in the Torah for service to mankind. Is there any more truthful and glorious deed that a human being can do for another than to make able to stand the other for service? Is this not the greatest deed of truth that can be expressed towards another fellow human being? Is there any thing more meaningful for a person descended from a fallen Adam to be made to stand in the Torah before G-d in the image of the Prototype Adam – the Messiah himself? What a great and glorious task indeed we have been allotted!

 

Thus, from this paragraph of the Mishnaic treatise of Marqos we learn: 

 

  1. That Nazarean Jews are commanded to enable (make) to stand all those persons of Jewish descent (whether established or in doubt), as well as all those persons of good will, following the three steps of separation, bringing near to G-d, and being made to stand, so that they may be able to serve G-d, Israel and humanity.

 

  1. That Nazarean Jews are under the obligation to meaningfully and intentionally recite the Amida as formulated by our Sages of blessed memory, three times a day preferably with a quorum of ten men.

 

  1. That all persons of good will, are commanded to spend as much time, energies, effort, devotion, and moneys, to earn the right to be made to stand to minister (serve), according to individual, gifts and capabilities, and G-d’s commandments.

 

 

Shalom Shabbat!

 

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai