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

Three and 1/2 year Lectionary Readings	Second Year of the Reading Cycle
Tishri 08, 5770 – Sept. 25/26 , 2009	Second Year of the Shmita Cycle

Candle Lighting and Havdalah Times:

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 7:13 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 8:07 PM	San Antonio, Texas, U.S. Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 7:10 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 8:02 PM
Baton Rouge & Alexandria, Louisiana, U.S. Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 6:40 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 7:33 PM	Sheboygan & Manitowoc, Wisconsin US Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 6:26 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 7:25 PM
Bowling Green & Murray, Kentucky, U.S. Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 6:21 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 7:16 PM	Brisbane, Australia Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 5:20 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 6:14 PM
Chattanooga, & Cleveland Tennessee, US Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 7:17 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 8:11 PM	Bucharest, Romania Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 6:51 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 7:51 PM
Miami, Florida, US Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 6:57 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 7:48 PM	Jakarta, Indonesia Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 5:31 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 6:19 PM
New London, Connecticut USA Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 6:16 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 7:13 PM	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 6:50 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 7:39 PM
Olympia, Washington, U.S. Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 6:47 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 7:48 PM	Manila & Cebu, Philippines Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 5:33 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 6:22 PM
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 6:36 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 7:33 PM	Singapore, Singapore Friday Sept. 11, 2009 – Candles at 6:42 PM Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 – Havdalah 7:30 PM

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

Roll of Honor:

This Torah commentary comes to you courtesy of:

His Honor Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David and

beloved wife HH Giberet Batsheva bat Sarah

His Honor Paqid Adon Mikha ben Hillel

His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham

Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah & beloved family,

His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann & beloved family,

His Excellency Adon John Batchelor & beloved wife,

His Excellency Adon Ezra ben Abraham and

beloved wife HE Giberet Karmela bat Sarah,

Her Excellency Giberet Alitah bat Sarah

His Excellency Adon Stephen Legge and

beloved wife HE Giberet Angela Legge

His Excellency Adon Tracy Osborne and

beloved wife HE Giberet Lynn Osborne

His Excellency Rev. Dr. Adon Chad Foster and

beloved wife HE Giberet Tricia Foster

His Excellency Adon Fred Dominguez and

beloved wife HE Giberet Elisheva bat Sarah

Her Excellency Giberet Laurie Taylor

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

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.

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Shabbat Shuvah – Sabbath of Returning

For further study see: http://www.betemunah.org/awesome.doc

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת
“V’Eleh Sh’mot”	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 1:1–7	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 3:1-3
“And these are the names”	Reader 2 – Sh’mot 1:8-12	Reader 2 – Sh’mot 3:4-6
“Y estos son los nombres”	Reader 3 – Sh’mot 1:13-22	Reader 3 – Sh’mot 3:7-10
Shemot (Exodus) 1:1 – 2:25	Reader 4 – Sh’mot 2:1-4
Ashlamatah: Isaiah 27:6-13 + 28:1,5	Reader 5 – Sh’mot 2:5-10
* Special Ashlamatah: Hosea 14:2-10; Micah 7:18-20	Reader 6 – Sh’mot 2:11-15	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 3:1-3
Psalm 42:1-12	Reader 7 – Sh’mot 2:16-25	Reader 2 – Sh’mot 3:4-6
	Maftir – Sh’mot 2:23-25	Reader 3 – Sh’mot 3:7-10
N.C.: Mark 6:1-6a	Hosea 14:2-10; Micah 7:18-20*

* This Ashlamatah should be read by the greatest Torah Scholar available to the congregation.

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Sh’mot (Exodus) 1:1 – 2:25

RASHI	TARGUM ONKELOS	TARGUM PSEUDO JONATHAN
1. These are the names of the B'ne Yisrael who came to Egypt. Each man with his household who came with Ya’aqob.	1. AND these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Mizraim with Jakob; (each) man with the men of his house they came in:	1. AND these are the names of the sons of Israel who went into Mizraim with Jakob, each with the men of his house entered in:
2. Reuven, Shimon, Levi and Yehudah.	2. Reuben, Shimeon, Levi and Jehudah,	2. Reuben, Shimeon, Levi, and Jehudah;
3. Yissachar, Zevulun, and Binyamin.	3. Issakar, Zebulon and Benyamin,	3. Issakar, Zebulon, and Benjamin;
4. Dan, Naftali, Gad and Asher.	4. Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.	4. Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.
5. All the souls that emanated from the loins of Ya’aqob, [numbered] seventy souls, [including] Yosef who was [already] in Egypt.	5. And all the souls that came forth from the thigh of Jakob were seventy souls, with Joseph who was in Mizraim.	5. And the number of all the souls coming from the thigh of Jakob, seventy souls, with Joseph and his sons, who were in Mizraim.
6. Yosef died. All his brothers and all that generation [also died.]	6. And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation;	6. And Joseph died, and after him died all his brethren, and all that generation.
7. The B'ne Yisrael were fruitful and prolific, and their population multiplied. They were exceedingly mighty, and the land was filled with them.	7. but the sons of Israel increased and propagated, and became great and very mighty, and the land was filled with them.	7. And the souls of Israel increased, and multiplied children, and became strong, and prevailed greatly, and the land was filled with them.
8. A new king came into power over Egypt, who did not know Yosef.	8. But a new king arose over Mizraim who did not hold valid (or confirm) the decree of Joseph.	8. And there arose a new king (other) than he who was formerly over Mizraim, who took no knowledge of Joseph, and walked not in his laws. [JERUSALEM TARGUM. And a king arose (different from him who was) formerly over Mizraim, who took no knowledge of Joseph, and walked not in his laws.]
9. He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the B'ne Yisrael are becoming too numerous and strong for us.	9. And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we:	9. And he said to his people, Behold now, the people of the house of Israel are many, and are stronger than we.
10. Come let us deal wisely with him. Lest he increase so much, that, if there is war, he will join our enemies and fight against us, driving us from the land.	10. come, let us deal wisely by them, lest they multiply, and it be that should war happen to us they join themselves with our enemies, and break forth in the war against us, and go up from the land.	10. Come, let us take counsel against them in these matters, to diminish them that they multiply not, so as that, should war be arrayed against us, they be not added to our adversaries, and destroy us that not one of us be left, and they afterward go forth from the land. [JERUSALEM. And they kill us, and go up in peace from the land.]
11. They appointed conscription officers over him to oppress him with their burdens. He [B'ne Yisrael] built supply cities for Pharaoh, Pisom and Ramses.	11. And they appointed over them evildoing governors (shiltonin) to afflict them in their labours. And they built cities of treasure houses for Pharaoh, Pithom, and Raamsas.	11. And they set over them work-masters to afflict them in their servitude; and they built walled cities to become Pharaoh's treasure-places, Tanis and Pilusin. [JERUSALEM. Tanis and Pilusin.]
12. But the more [the Egyptians] oppressed him, the more [the B'ne Yisrael] increased and spread. [The Egyptians] came to loathe the B'ne Yisrael.	12. But by as much as they afflicted them, so they increased and waxed strong, and the Mizraee had vexation on account of the sons of Israel;	12. But as much as they depressed them, so much they multiplied, and so much they prevailed, and the Mizraee were troubled in their lives before the sons of Israel.
13. The Egyptians enslaved the B'ne Yisrael, with body-breaking labor.	13. and the Mizraee made the sons of Israel serve with rigour,	13. And the Mizraee enslaved the sons of Israel,
14. They made their lives bitter with harsh labor involving mortar and bricks, and all kinds of work in the fields. All the work they made them do [was intended] to break them.	14. and embittered their lives with hard labour, in clay and in brick, and in all labour of the field, -all the work which they wrought, they made them do with hardship.	14. and made their lives bitter by hard service in clay and bricks, and all the labour of the face of the field; and in all the work which they made them do was hardness.
15. The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives. The name of one of them was Shifrah, and the name of the other was Puah.	15. And the king of Mizraim spoke to the midwives of Jewesses, (Yehuditha,) of whom the name of the one was Shiphra, and the name of the second Puvah;	15. And Pharaoh told that he, being asleep, had seen in his dream, and, behold, all the land of Mizraim was placed in one scale of a balance, and a lamb, the young of a sheep, was on the other scale; and the scale with the lamb in it overweighed. Forthwith he sent and called all the magicians of Mizraim, and imparted to them his dream. Immediately Jannis and Jambres, the chief of the magicians, opened their mouth and answered Pharoh, A certain child is about to be born in the congregation of Israel, by whose hand will be destruction to all the land of Mizraim. Therefore did Pharoh, king of Mizraim, give counsel to the Jehudith midwives, the name of one of whom was Shifra, who is Jokeved, and the name of the other Puvah, who is Miriam her daughter. [JERUSALEM. And the king of Mizraim told the Hebrew midwives, the name of the first of whom was Shifra, and she was Jokeved, and the name of the second Puvah, she was Miriam.]
16. He said, "When you deliver Hebrew women, you must look at the birth-stool. If it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live."	16. and he said, When you do the office of the midwife among the Jewish women, and you look upon the childbirth, if it be a son, you shall kill him; but if a daughter, let her live.	16. And he said, When you attend Jehudith women, and see them bear, if it be a male child, you shall kill him; but if a daughter, you may let her live.
17. The midwives [however] feared Elohim and did not do as the Egyptian king had told them, and they kept the infant boys alive.	17. But the midwives feared before the Lord, and did not act as the king of Mizraim had bidden them, but preserved the sons alive.	17. But the midwives feared before the Lord, and would not do according to what the king of Mizraim had said to them, but they saved the children.
18. The king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why did you do this? You let the infant boys live."	18. And the king of Mizraim called the midwives	18. And the king of Mizraim called the midwives, and said to them, Why have you done this thing, and have saved the children?
19. The midwives said to Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptians. They know how to deliver. Even before a midwife gets to them, they have already given birth."	19. and they said to Pharaoh, It is because the Jewesses are unlike the Mizraite women; they are cunning, and give birth before the midwives come to them.	19. And the mid-wives said to Pharaoh, The Jehudith women are not as the Mizraite, for they are sturdy (or, courageous) and wise-minded: before the midwife comes to them they lift up their eyes in prayer, supplicating mercy before their Father who is in heaven, who hears the voice of their prayer, and at once they are heard, and bring forth, and are delivered in peace. [JERUSALEM. Because they are vivacious, and before the midwife comes to them they pray before their Father who is in heaven, and He answers them, and they bring forth.]
20. Elohim was good to the midwives, and the people increased and were very mighty.	20. And the Lord did good to the midwives; and the people multiplied and became strong.	20. And the Lord did good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and prevailed greatly.
21. Because the midwives feared G-d, He gave them houses.	21. And because the midwives feared before the Lord He made for them houses.	21. And forasmuch as the midwives feared before the Lord, they obtained for themselves a good name unto the ages; and the Word of the Lord built for them a royal house, even the house of the high priesthood. [JERUSALEM … Because the midwives feared before the Lord, they obtained for themselves a good name in the midst of the ages, and made unto themselves houses, the house of the Levites and the house of the high priesthood.]
22. Pharaoh then commanded all his people, saying, "Every boy who is born must be thrown into the river; but every girl will be allowed to live."	22. But Pharoh commanded all his people, saying, Every son who is born to the Jews you shall throw into the river, and every daughter you shall keep alive.	22. But when Pharoh saw this, he commanded all his people, saying, Every male child that is born to the Jehudaee you shall cast into the river; but every daughter you may spare.
1. A man of the house of Levi went and married the daughter of Levi.	1. And a man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi (to wife).	1. And Amram, a man of the tribe of Levi, went and returned to live in marriage with Jokeved his wife, whom he had put away on account of the decree of Pharaoh. [JERUSALEM. And there went a man of the tribe of Levi and took Jokeved, who was beloved of him, (or, who was related to him,) to wife.]
2. The woman conceived and bore a son. She saw that he was [exceptionally] good, and she kept him hidden for three months.	2. And the woman conceived, and bare a son; and she saw that he was good, and concealed him three months.	2. And she was the daughter of a hundred and thirty years when he returned to her; but a miracle was wrought in her, and she returned unto youth as she was, when in her minority she was called the daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and bare a son at the end of six months; and she saw him to be a child of steadfastness, (or, of steadfast life,) and hid him three months, which made the number nine.
3. When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus box and coated it with clay and tar. She placed the child in it, and placed it in the reeds near the bank of the river.	3. But not being able to hide him longer, she took an ark of reed, and covered it with bitumen and pitch, and laid the child within it, and set it in the river upon the brink of the stream.	3. But she could conceal him no longer, for the Mizraee had become aware of him. And she took an ark of papyrus, (tunes,) and coated it with bitumen and pitch, and placed the child within it, and laid him among the reeds on the bank of the river.
4. [The child's] sister stood herself at a distance to see what would happen to him.	4. And his sister stationed herself at a distance, to know what would be done to him.	4. And Miriam his sister stood at a distance to take knowledge of what would be done to him.
5. Pharaoh's daughter went down to bathe by the river, while her maids walked along the river's edge. She saw the box among the reeds and sent her maid and she fetched it.	5. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash at the river, and her damsels walked on the river’s bank; and she saw the ark in the flood, and reached out her arm and took it.	5. And the Word of the Lord sent forth a burning sore and inflammation of the flesh upon the land of Mizraim; and the daughter of Pharaoh came down to refresh herself at the river. And her handmaids, walking upon the bank of the river, saw the ark among the reeds, and put forth the arm and took it, and were immediately healed of the burning and inflammation.
6. She opened it and saw the child, and behold a boy was crying. She took pity on it, and said, "This is one of the Hebrew boys."	6. And opening, she saw the child; and, behold, the infant wept. And she had compassion on him and said, This is one of the children of the Jehudaee.	6. And she opened, and saw the child, and, behold, the babe wept; and she had compassion upon him, and said, This is one of the children of the Jehudaee.
7. [The infant's] sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call to you a nursing [mother] from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"	7. Then spoke his sister to the daughter of Pharaoh, Shall I go and call a nurse-woman of the Jehudaee who will suckle the child for you?	7. And his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, May I go and call for you a nursing woman from the Jehudaee, to suckle the babe for you?
8. "Go," said Pharaoh's daughter to her. The young girl went and called the child's mother.	8. And the daughter of Pharaoh said to her, Go; and the maiden went, and called the child’s mother.	8. And Pharaoh's daughter said, Go; and the damsel went and called the child's mother.
9. Pharaoh's daughter said to her [the child's mother], "Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your fee." The woman took the child and nursed it.	9. And Pharoh’s daughter said to her, Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your recompense. And the woman took the child and suckled him.	9. And the daughter of Pharaoh said, Take this child and suckle it for me, and I will give you your wages And the woman took the child and suckled him.
10. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moshe, for she said, "I drew him from the water."	10. And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharoh’s daughter, and he became to her a son, and she called his name Mosheh, saying, Because I drew him out from the water.	10. And the child grew, and was brought to Pharaoh's daughter, and he was beloved by her as a son; and she called his name Mosheh, Because, said she, I drew him out of the water of the river. [JERUSALEM. I uplifted him.]
11. It was in those days when Moshe was grown that he [began] to go out to his brethren, and he saw their burdens [hard labor]. [One day] he saw an Egyptian beating one of his Hebrew brethren.	11. And it was in those days when Mosheh had grown that he went out to his brethren and beheld their servitude. And he saw a Mizraite man smite a man, a Jehudai, (one) of his brethren.	11. And in those days when Mosheh was grown up, he went forth to his brethren, and saw the anguish of their souls, and the greatness of their toil. And he saw a Mizraite man strike a Jewish man of his brethren;
12. He [Moshe] looked all around and [when] he saw that no man was there [watching], he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.	12. And he turned this way and that, and saw that there was no man; and smote the Mizraite, and buried him in the sand.	12. and Mosheh turned, and considered in the wisdom of his mind, and understood that in no generation would there arise a proselyte from that Mizraite man, and that none of his children's children would ever be converted; and he smote the Mizraite, and buried him in the sand. [JERUSALEM. And Mosheh, by the Holy Spirit, considering both the young, men, saw that, behold, no proselyte would ever spring from that Mizraite; and he killed him, and hid him in the sand.]
13. He went out the next day, and behold two Hebrew men were quarreling. And he said to the wicked one, "Why are you beating your friend?"	13. And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men, Jehudaeen contended. And he said to the guilty one, Why did you strike your companion?	13. And he went out the second day, and looked; and, behold, Dathan and Abiram, men of the Jehudaee contended; and seeing Dathan put forth his hand against Abiram to smite him, he said to him, Wherefore do you smite your companion?
14. He [the wicked one] said, "Who made you a man, officer and judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Moshe was frightened, and he said, "So the matter is known."	14. But he said, Who set you a chief man and judge over us? Will you who speak so kill me, as you killed the Mizraya? And Mosheh was afraid, and said, Surely the thing is known.	14. And Dathan said to him, Who is he who has appointed you a chief man and a judge over us? Will you kill me, said he, as you did the Mizraite? And Mosheh was afraid, and said, Verily, the thing has become known.
15. Pharaoh heard about the matter, and he planned to kill Moshe. Moshe fled from Pharaoh, and resided in the land of Midian, and he sat [lived] near the well.	15. And Pharaoh heard that thing, and sought to kill Mosheh; and Mosheh fled from before Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian.	15. And Pharaoh heard this thing, and sought to kill Mosheh; and Mosheh escaped before Pharaoh, to dwell in the land of Midian. And he sat by a well.
16. The priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water [from the well] and fill the troughs to water their father's sheep.	16. And he sat by a well; and the prince (rabba) of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.	16. And the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew, and filled the watering-troughs, to give drink to the flocks of their father.
17. Then the shepherds came and chased them away. Moshe got up and came to their aid, and then watered their sheep.	17. But the shepherds came and drove them away; and Mosheh arose and rescued them, and watered the flock.	17. But the shepherds came and drove them away. And Mosheh arose in the power of his might, and rescued them, and gave the flocks drink.
18. When they came to Reu'el, their father, he said [to them], "How did you get to come [home] so early today?"	18. And they came to Reuel their father; and he said, What is this, that ye have come so quickly to-day?	18. And they came to Reuel, their grandfather, who said to them, How is it that you are come (so) early to-day?
19. They said, "An Egyptian rescued us from the hand of the shepherds; and he also drew [water] for us, and watered the sheep."	19. And they said, A man, a Mizraya, delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and also drew for us and watered the flock.	19. And they replied, A Mizraite man not only delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, but also himself drawing drew and watered the flock.
20. He said to his daughters, "And where is he? Why did you abandon the man? Call him and let him eat bread."	20. And he said to his daughters, And where is he? Wherefore have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.	20. And he said to his son's daughters, And where is he? Why did you leave the man? Call him, and let him eat bread. But when Reuel knew that Mosheh had fled from before Pharaoh he cast him into a pit; but Zipporah, the daughter of his son, maintained him with food, secretly, for the time of ten years; and at the end of ten years brought him out of the pit. And Mosheh went into the bedchamber of Reuel, and gave thanks and prayed before the Lord, who by him would work miracles and mighty acts. And there was shown to him the Rod which was created between the evenings, and on which was engraven and set forth the Great and Glorious Name, with which he was to do the wonders in Mizraim, and to divide the sea of Suph, and to bring, forth water from the rock. And it was infixed in the midst of the chamber, and he stretched forth his hand at once and took it.
21. Moshe agreed to reside with the man, and he gave Moshe his daughter Tzipporah.	21. And Mosheh was willing to dwell with the man; and he gave Zipporah his daughter unto Mosheh.	21. Then, behold, Mosheh was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave Zipporah, the daughter of his son, to Mosheh.
22. When she gave birth to a son, he named him Gershom, for he said, "I have been a foreigner in a strange land."	22. And she bare a son; and he called his name Gershom; for, said he, I am a stranger in a foreign land.	22. And she bare him a male child, and he called his name Gershom, Because, said he, a sojourner have I been in a strange land which is not mine.
23. A long time passed and the king of Egypt died. The B'ne Yisrael moaned because of their enslavement, and they cried. Their plea about their enslavement went up to G-d.	23. And it was after many of those days: and the king of Mizraim died. And the sons of Israel groaned with the hard service which was upon them; and the cry rose up before the presence of the Lord, form their labour.	23. And it was after many of those days that the king of Mizraim was struck (with disease), and he commanded to kill the firstborn of the sons of Israel, that he might bathe himself in their blood. And the sons of Israel groaned with the labour that was hard upon them; and they cried, and their cry ascended to the high heavens of the Lord.
24. Elohim heard their groaning and Elohim remembered His covenant with Avraham, with Yitzchaq and with Ya’aqob.	24. And their appeal was heard before the Lord; and the Lord remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Izhak, and with Jakob.	24. And He spoke in His Word to deliver them from the travail. And their cry was heard before the Lord, and before the Lord was the covenant remembered which He had covenanted with Abraham, with Izhak, and with Jakob.
25. Elohim saw the B'ne Yisrael, and Elohim took knowledge of them.	25. And the servitude of the sons of Israel was know before the Lord, and the Lord said in His Word, that He would deliver them.	25. And the Lord looked upon the affliction of the bondage of the sons of Israel; and the repentance was revealed before Him which they exercised in concealment, so as that no man knew that of his companion.

Reading Assignment:

The Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez - Vol IIIa: The Twelve Tribes

By: Rabbi Ya’aqob Culi

Published by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1988)

Vol. IIIb – “Joseph in Egypt,” pp. 536 - 594.

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/s 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.

Rashi’s Commentary for: Sh’mot (Exodus) 1:1 – 2:25

1 And these are the names of the sons of Israel Although [God] counted them in their lifetime by their names (Gen. 46:8-27), He counted them again after their death, to let us know how precious they are [to Him], because they were likened to the stars, which He takes out [From beyond the horizon] and brings in by number and by name, as it is said: who takes out their host by number; all of them He calls by name (Isa. 40:26). [From Tanchuma Buber, Shemot 2; Exod. Rabbah 1:3]

5 and Joseph, [who] was in Egypt Now were not he and his sons included in the seventy? What then does this teach us? Did we not know that he was in Egypt? But [this clause comes] to inform you of Joseph’s righteousness/generosity. He, the Joseph who tended his father’s flocks, is the same Joseph who was in Egypt and became a king, and he retained his righteousness/generosity. [From Sifrei, Ha’azinu 334]

7 and swarmed They bore six children at each birth.

8 A new king arose [There is a controversy between] Rav and Samuel. One says: He was really new, and the other one says: His decrees were new. [From Sotah 11a, Exod. Rabbah 1:8] Since the Torah does not say: The king of Egypt died, and a new king arose, it implies that the old king was still alive, only that his policies had changed, and he acted like a new king. [Rashi on Sotah 11a]

and who did not know [means that] he acted as if he did not know about him.

10 Get ready, let us deal shrewdly with them Heb. הָבָה. Every הָבָה [found in the Torah] is an expression of preparation and readiness. That is to say: Prepare yourselves for this.

let us deal shrewdly with them With the people [of Israel]. Let us act shrewdly regarding what to do to them. Our Rabbis, however, interpreted [that Pharaoh said], Let us deal shrewdly with the Savior of Israel [thus interpreting לוֹ as to him] by afflicting them [to die] with water, for He has already sworn that He would not bring a flood to the world. (But they [the Egyptians] did not understand that upon the whole world He would not bring [a flood] but He would bring it upon one nation. In an old Rashi manuscript.) from Sotah 11a.

and depart from the land against our will. Our Rabbis, however, interpreted [i.e., depicted Pharaoh] as a person who curses himself but ascribes his curse to others. And it is as if it were written: and we will depart from the land, and they will take possession of it. [From Sotah 11a]

11 over them Over the people.

tax collectors Heb. שָׂרֵי מִסִּים, lit., tax officers. מִסִּים denotes an expression of a tax (מַס), [so מִסִּים denotes] officers who collect the tax from them. Now what was the tax? That they build store cities for Pharaoh.

to afflict them with their burdens [I.e., with the burdens] of the Egyptians.

store cities Heb. עָרֵי מִסְכְּנוֹת. As the Targum renders: QIRVEI BET OTSARA, cities of storehouses], and similarly, Go, come to this treasurer (הַסֹּכֵן) (Isa. 22:15), to the treasurer appointed over the storehouses. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:10]

Pithom and Raamses which were originally unfit for this, and they strengthened them and fortified them for storage.

12 But as much as they would afflict them In whatever [way] they set their heart to afflict [them], so was the heart of the Holy One, blessed be He, to multiply [them] and to strengthen [them].

so did they multiply and so did they gain strength Heb. כֵּן יִרְבֶּה וְכֵן יִפְרֹץ, lit., so will they multiply and so will they gain strength. [It means, however,] so did they multiply and so did they gain strength. Its midrashic interpretation is, however: The Holy Spirit says this: You [Pharaoh] say, Lest they multiply, but I say, So will they multiply. [From Sotah 11a]

and they were disgusted They were disgusted with their lives. (Others explain: And the Egyptians were disgusted with themselves, and it is easy to understand why.) Our Rabbis, however, interpreted it to mean that they [the Israelites] were like thorns in their eyes -[from Sotah 11a].

13 with back-breaking labor Heb. בְּפָרֶךְ. With hard labor that crushes the body and breaks it.

15 to the midwives Heb. לַמְיַלְּדֹת. This is an expression similar מוֺלִידוֺת, [meaning] causing to give birth, but there is a light form and there is a heavy form, similar to שׁוֺבֵר, breaks, and מְשַׁבֵּר, shatters, דּוֺבֵר, says, and מְדַבֵּר, speaks. So are מוֺלִיד and מְיַלֵּד. Rashi classifies the Hebrew conjugations, those that have a dagesh in the second root letter, and those that do not. Of the seven conjugations, three have a dagesh, and four do not. Since it is more difficult to pronounce the letters with the dagesh, those conjugations are referred to as the heavy form, and those without the dagesh are referred to as the light (קַלִּים) [Sefer Hazikkaron]

Shifrah This was Jochebed, [called Shifrah] because she beautified [מְשַׁפֶּרֶת] the newborn infant. [From Sotah 11b]

Puah This was Miriam, [called Puah] because she cried (פּוֺעָה) and talked and cooed to the newborn infant in the manner of women who soothe a crying infant. פּוֺעָה is an expression of crying out, similar to “Like a travailing woman will I cry (אֶפְעֶה) " (Isa. 42:14). Rashi on Sotah 11b explains that she played with the infant to soothe and amuse him.

16 When you deliver Heb. בְּיַלֶּדְכֶן, like בְּהוֺלִידְכֶן. See Rashi on preceding verse.

on the birthstool Heb. הָאָבְנָיִם, the seat of the woman in childbirth, but elsewhere (Isa. 37:3) it is called מַשְׁבֵּר Similar to this, [we find] who does work on the אָבְנָיִם (Jer. 18:3), the seat [i.e., place] of the tools of a potter. (Compare commentary digest in Judaica Press Jer. 18.3.)

if it is a son, etc. Pharaoh cared only about the males, because his astrologers told him that a son was destined to be born who would save them. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:18]

she may live Heb. וְאִם-בַּת הִוא וָחָיָה, she may live.

17 but they enabled the boys to live They provided water and food for them. [From Sotah 11b] [The word וַתְּחַיֶּיןָ is found in verse 17 and again in verse 18.] The first is translated V’QAYAMA, and they enabled to live, and the second V’QAYEM’TIN, and you enabled to live, because in Hebrew, for the feminine plural, this word and others like it are used as the third person past tense and the second person past tense, e. g. “And they said (וַתֹּאמַרְןָ), ‘An Egyptian man (אִישׁ מִצְרִי) ’”(Exod. 2:19), the past tense, like VAYOM’RU for the masculine plural; you have spoken (וַתְּדַבֵּרְנָה) with your בְּפִיכֶם (Jer. 44:25), an expression like וַתְּדַבֵּרְנָה, the equivalent of DIBARTEM for the masculine plural. Similarly, You have profaned (וַתְּחַלֶּלְנָה) Me before My people (Ezek. 13:19), the past tense, an expression like CHILALTEM, the equivalent of וַתְּחַלּלוּ for the masculine plural. If it was necessary to supply the infants with food, Ohr Hachayim asks why the midwives did not do it prior to Pharaoh’s decree. He answers that the Torah means that despite Pharaoh’s decree, the midwives continued their previous practice, that is, supplying needy children with nourishment. He suggests further that they particularly sustained the male children lest one die and they be suspected of being responsible for his death. Rashi explains that in the Hebrew, there is a conversive vav, (turning past into future and future into past). Therefore, since the future forms of the feminine plural, both in the second person and in the third person, are identical, the same is true for the past forms with the conversive vav. [Mizrachi] In Aramaic, however, since there is no conversive vav, the two past forms are different. [Divrei David]

19 for they are skilled as midwives Heb. חָיוֹת, as skillful as midwives. The Targum M’YALDOT is CHAIYATA Our Rabbis (Sotah 11b), however, interpreted it to mean that they [the Israelite women] are compared to beasts (CHAYOT) of the field, which do not require midwives. Now where are they compared to beasts? A cub [and] a grown lion (Gen. 49:9), a wolf, he will prey (Gen. 49:27), His firstborn bull (Deut. 33:17), a swift gazelle (Gen. 49:21). Whoever [was not compared to a beast as above] was included by Scriptures in [the expression] and blessed them (Gen. 49:18). Scripture states further: How was your mother a lioness? (Ezek. 19:2). [From Sotash 11b]

20 God benefited Heb. וַיֵּיטֶב, bestowed goodness upon them. This is the difference in a word whose root is two letters and is prefixed by “vav yud”: When it is used in the causative sense, the “yud” is vowelized with a “tzeirei,” which is a “kamatz katan” (or with a “segol,” which is a “pattach katan”), e.g., God benefited (וַיֵּיטֶב) the midwives ; and He increased (וַיֶּרֶב) in the daughter of Judah (Lam. 2:5), He increased pain; And he exiled (וַיֶּגֶל) the survivors (II Chron. 36:20), referring to Nebuzaradan, he exiled the survivors; and turned (וַיֶּפֶן) tail to tail (Jud. 15:4), he turned the tails one to another. All these are the causative conjugation [lit., causing others to do]. When it is used in the simple, kal conjugation, however, the “yud” is vowelized with a “chirik,” e.g., and it was pleasing (וַיִּיטַב) in his eyes (Lev. 10:20), an expression meaning that it was good; and similarly, and the people multiplied (וַיִּרֶב) (Exod. 1:20), the people increased; And Judah went into exile (וַיִּגֶל) (II Kings 25:21), Judah was exiled; He turned (וַיִּפֶן) this way and that way (Exod. 2:12), he turned here and there.

God benefited the midwives What was this benefit?

21 He made houses for them The houses of the priesthood, the Levitical family, and the royal family, which are called houses, as it is written: And he built the house of the Lord and the house of the king, (I Kings 9:1) [sic] 5, the priesthood and the Levitical family from Jochebed and the royal family from Miriam, as is stated in tractate Sotah (11b).

22 all his people He issued this decree upon them as well. On the day Moses was born, his astrologers told him [Pharaoh], Today the one who will save them has been born, but we do not know whether from the Egyptians or from the Israelites, but we see that he will ultimately be smitten through water. Therefore, on that day he issued a decree also upon the Egyptians, as it is said: Every son who is born, and it does not say: who is born to the Hebrews. They did not know, however, that he [Moses] would ultimately suffer because of the water of Meribah (Num. 20:7-13) [i.e., that he would not be permitted to enter the Holy Land]. [From Sotah 12a, Exod. Rabbah 1:18, Sanh. 101b]

1 and married a daughter of Levi He was separated from her because of Pharaoh’s decree (and he remarried her. This is the meaning of went, that he followed [lit., he went after] his daughter’s advice that she said to him, Your decree is harsher than פַּרְעֹה. Whereas Pharaoh issued a decree [only] against the males, you [issued a decree] against the females as well [for none will be born]. This [comment] is found in an old Rashi), and he took her back and married her a second time. She too was transformed to become like a young woman [physically], but she was [actually] 130 years old. For she was born when they came to Egypt between the חוֺמוֺת and they stayed there 210 years. When they left, Moses was 80 years old. If so, when she conceived him, she was 130 years old, yet [Scripture] calls her a daughter of Levi. [From Sotah 12a, Exod. Rabbah 1:19]

2 that he was good When he was born, the entire house was filled with light. [From Sotah 12a, Exod. Rabbah 1:20]

3 [When] she could no longer hide him because the Egyptians counted her [pregnancy] from the day that he [Amram] took her back. She bore him after [only] six months and one day (Sotah 12a), for a woman who gives birth to a seven-month child may give birth after incomplete [months] (Niddah 38b, R.H. 11a). And they searched after her at the end of nine [months].

reed Heb. גֹּמֶא, GIMI in the language of the Mishnah, and in French jonc, reed grass. This is a pliable substance, which withstands both soft [things] and hard [things]. [From Sotah 12a]

with clay and pitch Pitch on the outside and clay on the inside so that the righteous/generous person [Moses] should not smell the foul odor of pitch. [From Sotah 12a]

and put [it] into the marsh Heb. וַתָּשֶׂם בַּסּוּף. This is an expression meaning a marsh, rosei(y)l, in Old French [roseau in modern French], reed. Similar to it is reeds and rushes (קָנֶה וָסוּף) shall be cut off (Isa. 19:6). [From Sotah 12b]

5 to bathe, to the Nile Heb. עַל-הַיְאֹר. Transpose the verse and explain it: Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe in it.

along the Nile Heb. עַל-יַד הַיְאֹר, next to the Nile, similar to: See, Joab’s field is near mine (רְאוּ חֶלְקַת יוֹאָב אֶל-יָדִי) (II Sam. 14:30). יָדִי is a literal expression for hand, because a person’s hand is near himself. [Thus, the word יָדִי denotes proximity.] Our Sages said (Sotah 12b): הֺלְכֺת is an expression of death, similar to: Behold, I am going (הוֹלֵךְ) to die (Gen. 25:32). They [her maidens] were going to die because they protested against her [when she wanted to take the basket]. The text supports them [the Sages], because [otherwise] why was it necessary to write: and her maidens were walking?

her maidservant Heb. אֲמָתָהּ, her maidservant. Our Sages (Sotah 12b), however, interpreted it as an expression meaning a hand. [The joint from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger is known as אַמָּה, hence the cubit measure bearing the name, אַמָּה, which is the length of the arm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger.] Following [the rules of] Hebrew grammar, however, it should have been vowelized אֲמָּתָהּ, with a dagesh in the mem. They, however, interpreted אֶת-אֲמָתָהּ to mean her hand, [that she stretched out her hand,] and her arm grew many cubits (אַמוֺת) [so that she could reach the basket]. [From Sotah 12b, Exod. Rabbah 1:23]

6 She opened [it], and she saw him Whom did she see? The child. Its midrashic interpretation is that she saw the Shechinah with him. [From Sotah 12b, Exod. Rabbah 1:23]

and behold, he was a weeping lad [Even though he was an infant] his voice was like that of a lad. [From Sotah 12b]

7 from the Hebrew women This teaches [us] that she had taken him around to many Egyptian women to nurse, but he did not nurse because he was destined to speak with the Shechinah. [From Sotah 12b, Exod. Rabbah 1:25].

8 So the girl went Heb. הָעַלְמָה. She went with alacrity and vigor like a youth. [From Sotah 12b]

9 Take Heb. הֵילִיכִי. She prophesied but did not know what she prophesied. [She said,] This one is yours. [From Sotah 12b, Exod. Rabbah 1:25]

10 For I drew him from the water Heb. מְשִׁיתִהוּ. The Targum renders: SH’CHALTEI, which is an Aramaic expression of drawing out, similar to [the expression] SHENETA MECHALAVA MASH’CHEL, like one who draws a hair out of milk (Ber. 8a). And in Hebrew, מְשִׁיתִהוּ is an expression meaning I have removed (משׁ), like shall not move away (לֹא-יָמוּשׁ) (Josh. 1:8), did not move away (לֹא-מָשׁוּ) (Num. 14:44). Menachem classified in this way [i.e., under the root משׁ in Machbereth Menachem, p. 120]. I say, however, that it (מְשִׁיתִהוּ) does not belong in the classification of מָשׁ and לֹא-יָמוּשׁ, but [it is derived] from the root מָשֺׁה, and it means taking out and similarly, He drew me out (יַמְשֵׁנִי, מִמַּיִם רַבִּים) of many waters (II Sam. 22:17). For if it were of the classification of [the word] מָשׁ, it would be inappropriate to say מְשִׁיתִהוּ, but הֲמִישִׁוֺתִהוּ, as one says from קָם (to rise), הֲקִימוֺתִי (I set up), and from שָׁב (to return), הֲשִׁיבוֺתִי (I brought back), and from בָּא (to come), הֲבִיאוֺתִי (I brought). Or מַשְׁתִיהוּ, like and I will remove (וּמַשְׁתִּי) the iniquity of that land (Zech. 3:9). But מָשִׁיתִי is only from the root of a word whose verb form is formed with a “hey” at the end of the word, like מָשָׁה, to take out בָּנָה, to build; עָשָׂה, to do; צִוָּה, to command; פָּנָה, to turn. When one comes to say in any of these [verbs] פָּעַלְתִּי, I did, [i.e., first person past-tense], a “yud” replaces the “hey”: עָשִׂיתִי, I did; בָּנִיתִי, I built; פָּנִיתִי, I turned; צִוִּיתִי, I commanded.

11 Moses grew up Was it not already written: The child grew up? Rabbi Judah the son of Rabbi Ilai said: The first one (וַיִּגְדַּל) [was Moses growth] in height, and the second one [was his growth] in greatness, because Pharaoh appointed him over his house. [From Tanchuma Buber, Va’era 17]

and looked at their burdens He directed his eyes and his heart to be distressed over them. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:27]

an Egyptian man He was a taskmaster appointed over the Israelite officers. He would wake them when the rooster crowed, [to call them] to their work. [From Exod. Rabbah 1: 28]

striking a Hebrew man He was lashing and driving him, and he [the Hebrew man] was the husband of Shelomith the daughter of Dibri [who was mentioned in Lev. 24:10], and he [the taskmaster] laid his eyes on her. So he woke him [the Hebrew] at night and took him out of his house, and he [the taskmaster] returned and entered the house and was intimate with his wife while she thought that he was her husband. The man returned home and became aware of the matter. When that Egyptian saw that he had become aware of the matter, he struck [him] and drove him all day [From Exod. Rabbah 1:28]

12 He turned this way and that way He saw what he [the Egyptian] had done to him [the Hebrew] in the house and what he had done to him in the field (Exod. Rabbah 1:28). But according to its simple meaning, it is to be interpreted according to its apparent meaning, i.e., he looked in all directions and saw that no one had seen him slay the Egyptian.

and he saw that there was no man [I.e., he saw that] there was no man destined to be descended from him [the Egyptian] who would become a proselyte [i.e., a convert]. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:29]

13 two Hebrew men were quarreling Dathan and Abiram. They were the ones who saved some of the manna [when they had been forbidden to leave it overnight, as in Exod. 16: 19, 20]. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:29]

quarreling Heb. נִצִּים, fighting.

Why are you going to strike Although he had not struck him, he is called wicked for [merely] raising his hand [to strike him]. [From Sanh. 58b]

your friend A wicked man like you. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:29]

14 Who made you a man You are still a youth. [From Tanchuma, Shemoth 10]

Do you plan to slay me lit., Do you say to slay me. From here we learn that he slew him with the ineffable Name. [From Tanchuma, Shemoth 10]

Moses became frightened [To be explained] according to its simple meaning [that Moses was afraid Pharaoh would kill him]. Midrashically, it is interpreted to mean that he was worried because he saw in Israel wicked men [i. e.,] informers. He said, Since this is so, perhaps they [the Israelites] do not deserve to be redeemed [from slavery]. [From Tanchuma, Shemoth 10]

Indeed, the matter has become known [To be interpreted] according to its apparent meaning [that it was known that he had slain the Egyptian]. Its midrashic interpretation, however, is: the matter I was wondering about, [i.e.,] why the Israelites are considered more sinful than all the seventy nations [of the world], to be subjugated with back-breaking labor, has become known to me. Indeed, I see that they deserve it. [From Exod. Rabbah 1: 30]

15 Pharaoh heard They informed on him.

and he sought to slay Moses He delivered him to the executioner to execute him, but the sword had no power over him. That is [the meaning of] what Moses said, “and He saved me from Pharaoh’s חֶרֶב” (Exod. 18:4). [From Mechilta, Yithro 1, Exod. Rabbah 1:321]

He stayed in the land of Midian Heb. וַיֵּשֶׁב, he tarried there, like Jacob dwelt וַיֵּשֶׁב (Gen. 37:1).

and he sat down by a well Heb. וַיֵּשֶׁב, an expression of sitting. He learned from Jacob, who met his mate at a well. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:32, Tanchuma, Shemoth 10] [The comment on the sentence He stayed in the land of Midian does not appear in some editions of Rashi. Therefore, it is enclosed within parentheses. The first sentence of the second paragraph does not appear in the Mikraoth Gedoloth. It does, however, appear in all other editions of Rashi. Perhaps it was unintentionally omitted. Rashi intends here to differentiate between the first וַיֵּשֶׁב and the second וַיֵּשֶׁב He explains that the first וַיֵּשֶׁב means staying, residing, or tarrying, signifying that Moses resided in Midian. The second וַיֵּשֶׁב denotes, literally, sitting, meaning that Moses sat down by a well. The Sages of the midrashim teach us that Moses sat there intentionally, for he expected to meet his mate, just as Jacob had met Rachel and Eliezer had met Rebecca when he sought a mate for Isaac. Otherwise, Moses would not have sat by the well simply to watch how the flocks were being watered.]

16 Now the chief of Midian had Heb. וּלְכֹהֵן מִדְיָן, i.e., the most prominent among them. He had abandoned idolatry, so they banned him from [living with] them. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:32, Tanchuma, Shemoth 11]

the troughs Pools of running water, made in the ground.

17 and drove them away because of the ban. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:32, Tanchuma, Shemoth 11]

20 Why have you left the man He recognized him [Moses] as being of the seed of Jacob, for the water rose toward him. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:32, Tanchuma Shemoth 11]

and let him eat bread Perhaps he will marry one of you, as it is said: except the bread that he ate (Gen. 39:6) [alluding to Potiphar’s wife]. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:32, Tanchuma, Shemoth 11]

21 consented Heb. וַיּוֹאֶל, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders: (UTS’VI), and similar to this: Accept (הוֹאֶל) now and lodge (Jud. 19:6); Would that we had been content (הוֹאַלְנוּ)(Josh. 7:7); Behold now I have desired (הוֹאַלְתִּי) (Gen. 18:31). Its midrashic interpretation is: וַיּוֹאֶל is] an expression of an oath (אלה), he [Moses] swore to him that he would not move from Midian except with his consent. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:33, Tanchuma, Shemoth 12]

23 Now it came to pass in those many days that Moses sojourned in Midian, that the king of Egypt died, and Israel required a salvation, and Moses was pasturing, and a salvation came through him. Therefore, these sections were juxtaposed [i.e., the section dealing with the king of Egypt’s affliction, and that dealing with Moses pasturing flocks]. [From an old Rashi]

that the king of Egypt died- He was stricken (נִצְטָרַע), and he would slaughter Israelite infants and bathe in their blood. [From Exod. Rabbah 1:34]

24 their cry Heb. נַאֲקָתָם, their cry, similar to From the city, people groan (יִנְאָקוּ) (Job 24:12).

His covenant with Abraham Heb. אֶת-אַבְרָהָם, the equivalent of אַבְרָהָם עִם, with Abraham.

25 He focused His attention [lit., He set His heart] upon them and did not conceal His eyes from them.

Ketubim: Targum Tehillim (Psalms) 42:1-12

Judaica Press	Targum on the Psalms
1. For the conductor, a maskil of the sons of Korah.	1. For praise, with good discernment, by the sons of Korah.
2. As a hart cries longingly for rivulets of water, so does my soul cry longingly to You, O God.	2. As the deer that longs for streams of water, thus my soul longs for You, O Lord.
3. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when will I come and appear before God?	3. My soul is thirsty for You, for the mighty, living, and enduring God. When will I enter and see the splendour of the presence of the Lord?
4. My tears were my bread day and night when they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"	4. My tears have become my sustenance day and night, because the enemy says to me all day, “Where is your God?”
5. These things I will remember, and I will pour out my soul [because of the pain which is] upon me, how I passed on with the throng; I walked slowly with them until the house of God with a joyful shouting and thanksgiving, a celebrating multitude.	5. These miracles I remember; and I will pour out the thoughts of my soul whenever I pass beneath the shelter alone; I will be strong in the camps of the righteous/generous, [who are going] to the sanctuary of the Lord with a voice of petition and praise, a tumult of peoples coming to keep festival in Jerusalem.
6. Why are you downcast, my soul, and why do you stir within me? Hope to God, for I will yet thank Him for the salvations of His presence.	6. Why will you be lowly, O my soul, and [why] will you rage against me? Wait for God, for again I will praise Him for the redemption that is from His presence.
7. My God, my soul is downcast upon me; therefore, I will remember You from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from the young mountain.	7. O God, my soul will be for me lowly, therefore I will remember You [among] those who dwell yonder in the land of Jordan, and those who dwell on the mountains of Hermoni, and the people who accepted the Torah on mount Sinai, which is lowly and small.
8. Deep calls to deep to the sound of Your water channels; all Your breakers and waves passed over me.	8. The upper deep calls to the lower deep, at the sound of the pouring of spouts – thus all Your breakers and waves passed over me at the time we came forth from Egypt.
9. By day, may the Lord command His kindness, and at night, may His resting place be with me, a prayer to the God of my life.	9. By day the Lord will command His goodness, and by night His praise is with me, a prayer to the God who preserves my life.
10. I will say to God, my Rock, "Why have You forgotten me? Why should I walk in gloom under the oppression of the enemy?"	10. I will say to God my trust, “Why have You neglected me, why do I go about in darkness in the oppression of the enemy?”
11. With murder in my bones, my oppressors have reproached me by saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?"	11. Because they kill my bones whenever my oppressors mock me, when they say to me every day, “Where is your God?”
12. Why are you downcast, my soul, and why do you stir within me? Hope to God, for I will yet thank Him for the salvations of my countenance and my God.	12. Why will you be lowly, O my soul, and [why] will you rage against me? Wait for God, for again I will praise Him for the redemption that comes from His presence, for He is my God.

Rashi’s Commentary for: Psalm 42:1-12

1 of the sons of Korah Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaf. At first, they were in their father’s counsel, but at the time of the controversy they parted, and when all those around them were swallowed up, and the earth opened its mouth, their place was left within the mouth of the earth, as the matter that is stated (Num. 26:11): “But the sons of Korah did not die.” There they uttered a song, and there they composed these psalms. [Then] they ascended from there, and the holy spirit rested on them, whereupon they prophesied concerning the exiles, the destruction of the Temple, and the Davidic dynasty.

2 As a hart cries longingly for rivulets Heb. תַּעֲרֹג. The expression of ערג applies to the voice of the hart as the expression of נהם, roaring, applies to a lion; שׁקוק, growling, to a bear; געה, lowing, to oxen, and צפצוף chirping, to birds. [See Teshuvoth Dunash, p. 18.] Our Sages said: The hind is the most pious of the beasts. When the beasts are thirsty for water, they gather to her so that she should raise her eyes to heaven. And what does she do? She digs a pit and thrusts her antlers into it and lows. Thereupon, the Holy One, blessed be He, has compassion on her and the deep brings up water for her.

As a hart cries longingly “As a hind cries longingly” is not stated, nor, “As a hart cries longingly (יערג) [in the masculine].” Only, “As a hart cries longingly.” Scripture speaks of [both] a male and a female. The male cries longingly for water, as we explained, and the female when she kneels to give birth, [because] her womb is narrow. [When] she cries out, the Holy One, blessed be He, is compassionate and prepares a serpent, which bites her on her birth canal, whereupon her womb opens. Menachem (p. 138) connects תַּעֲרֹג with (Song 5:13): “His cheeks are like a bed of (כַּעֲרוּגַת) spice,” but his view is impossible. Dunash (p. 18) too explained it as the sound of the hart.

3 when will I come and appear before God? to make the pilgrimages on the festivals. Here he prophesied concerning the destruction of the Temple. “Why are you downcast?” is stated here three times, corresponding to the three kingdoms destined to curtail the Temple service, and Israel will cry out and be redeemed: the kingdoms of Babylon, Greece, and Edom.

My soul thirsts The people of Israel say this in the Babylonian exile.

4 My tears were my bread From here we derive that distress satiates a person, and he does not seek to eat. Similarly, Scripture states regarding Hannah (I Sam. 1:7): “and she wept and did not eat.”

5 These things I will remember, etc., how I passed on with the throng Pasoye in Old French. I remember this, and my soul pours out when I remember the festive pilgrimage, how I would pass on with the throngs of people and walk slowly with them until the House of God. סָּךְ is an expression of a number. Another explanation: סָּךְ is an expression of a human barrier. Another explanation: סָּךְ is an expression of a covering and a booth, meaning covered wagons. סָּךְ is an expression relating to צָב (Num. 7:3), “covered wagons” (שֵׁשׁ-עֶגְלֹת צָב).

I walked slowly with them I walked slowly with them, as (Shab. 128b): “We may make calves and foals walk (מדדים) ,” and, “A woman may make her child walk (מדדה). This word serves in place of two words: עמהם אדדה, I walked with them, etay amu semble in Old French, to move together. Menachem (p. 62) associated it as an expression of affection (ידידות), as (Jer. 12:7): “I have delivered My soul’s beloved (יְדִדוּת) into the hand of her enemies.” But Dunash (p. 27) interpreted אדדם as an expression of silence (דממה), and likewise (above 37: 7): “Wait (דּוֹם) for the Lord, etc.” Accordingly, the interpretation of אֶדַּדֵּם is: “I will be dumb,” and I was silent until I came to the House of God with shouts of joy, as (above 39:2): “I will guard my mouth [as though with] a muzzle, etc.” and as (above 38:14): “But I am like a deaf man, I do not hear, and like a mute, etc.” דם is the radical of אֶדַּדֵּם I would walk with them, as (Gen. 37:4): “And they could not speak with him in peace.”

a celebrating multitude who were going to celebrate, and on this the liturgical poet (in the morning service of Parashat Shekalim, in the Yotzer of [the prayer] “Ayleh Ezcherah”): “A vast celebrating multitude, flooding like a river.” According to the Midrash Aggadah (Mid. Ps. 42: 4), it is Greek, because they call a pool of water “chogegin.”

6 are you downcast Heb. תִּשְׁתּוֹחֲחִי, an expression of (below 44:26): “For our soul is cast down (שָׁחָה) to the dust.” When שָׁח is used in the reflexive (מתפעל), the “tav” separates the radicals in the manner of every word whose root begins with “shin.”

Hope Wait and look forward to the redemption.

7 I will remember You from the land of Jordan From what You did for us in the Jordan and the peaks of Hermon; after all the provocation with which we provoked You in Shittim, You dried the Jordan for us.

from the young mountain From Mount Sinai, which is younger than other mountains; after we provoked You there with the episode of the [Golden] Calf, You forgave our iniquities and went with us. All these I remember in my exile, when You have refrained from doing good for me, and Your decrees are being renewed one after the other.

8 Deep calls to deep One trouble calls the next one.

to the sound of Your water channels (Tes canals in Old French, canaux in modern French) which spray retribution upon me like flooding waters, until all Your breakers and waves have passed over me. “Your breakers” is an expression of the waves of the sea, because the waves of the sea ascend, break, and fall.

9 By day, may the Lord command His kindness May the light of the redemption come, and may the Lord command His kindness to us.

and at night In the darkness of the exile and the troubles.

may His resting place be with me Heb. שִׁירֹה. May His resting place be in our midst. שִׁירֹה is an expression of camping, as we translate (II Sam. 17:26): “And Israel encamped.” I learned this from the Great Masorah, which associates this [word] with (I Kings 5:12): “And his songs (שִׁירוֹ) were a thousand and five,” in the “aleph-beth” of two words with different meanings (homonyms). This taught [me] that this is not an expression of song, but the Midrash Aggadah does interpret it as an expression of song, interpreting in this manner: Israel says to the Holy One, blessed be He: “We remember what You did for us in Egypt. You commanded us one commandment by day on the eve of the Passover, and we observed it, and at night, You redeemed us and we sang Hallel before You. But now we keep many commandments, yet You do not redeem us. Because of this, I will say to God, my Rock, ‘Why have You forgotten me?’”

10 in gloom Heb. קֹדֵר, an expression of blackness, as (Micah 3:6): “and...shall be darkened (וְקָדַר) about them.”

11 With murder in my bones, my oppressors have reproached me It seemed to me as though they were killing me, so confined within my bones was that with which my oppressors provoke and reproach me.

12 my countenance and my God The Holy One, the light of my countenance, my God I still have hope in Him. Why, then, should you stir?

Ashlamatah: Isaiah 27:6-13 + 28:1,5

1 On that day, the Lord will visit with His hard and great and strong sword on leviathan the bar-like serpent, and upon leviathan the crooked serpent, and He will slay the dragon that is in the sea.

2 On that day, "A vineyard producing wine," sing to it.

3 I, the Lord, guard it, every moment I water it; lest He visit upon it, night and day I guard it.

4 I have no wrath; would that I were thorns and brier against the [objects of My] war! I would tread upon it and ignite it together.

5 If they would grasp My fortress, they would make peace for Me, they would make peace for Me.

6 Those who came, whom Jacob caused to take root, Israel flourished and blossomed and they filled the face of the world with fruitage. {P}

7 Like the smiting who smote him did He smite him: like the slaying of his slain ones, was he slain?

8 In that measure, when they sent them out, it strove with it; He spoke with His harsh wind on the day of the east wind.

9 Therefore, with this will Jacob's iniquity be atoned for, and this is all the fruit of removing his sin; by making all the altar stones like crushed chalkstones; asherim and sun-images will not rise.

10 For a fortified city is solitary, a dwelling is forsaken and abandoned like a pasture; there a calf will graze, and there he will lie and consume its branches.

11 When its branches dry out, they will be broken; women will come and ignite it, for it is not a people of understanding; therefore, its Maker will not have compassion on it, and He Who formed it will not grant it favor. {P}

12 And it will come to pass on that day, that the Lord will gather from the flood of the river to the stream of Egypt, and you will be gathered one by one, O children of Israel. {P}

13 And it will come to pass on that day, that a great Shofar will be sounded, and those lost in the land of Assyria and those exiled in the land of Egypt will come and they will prostrate themselves before the Lord on the holy mount in Jerusalem. {P}

1 Woe is to the crown of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim and the young fruit of an inferior fig is the position of his glory, which is at the end of a valley of fatness, crushed by wine.

2 Behold God [has] a strong and powerful [wind], like a downpour of hail, a storm of destruction, like a stream of powerful, flooding water, He lays it on the land with [His] hand.

3 With the feet, they will be trampled, the crown of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim.

4 And his glorious beauty will be the young fruit of an inferior fig, which is on the head of the valley of fatness; as a fig that ripens before the summer, which, if the seer sees it, he will swallow it while it is still in his hand. {S}

5 On that day, the Lord of Hosts will be for a crown of beauty and for a diadem of glory, for the rest of His people.

6 And for a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and for might for those who bring back the war to the gate. {S}

Special Ashlamatah: Hosea 14:2-10; Micah 7:18-20*

2 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity/lawlessness.

3 Take words with yourselves and return to the Lord. Say, "You will forgive all iniquity/lawlessness and teach us [the] good [way], and let us render [for] bulls [the offering of] our lips.

4 Assyria will not save us; we will not ride on horses, nor will we say any longer, our gods, to the work of our hands, for in You, by Whom the orphan is granted mercy."

5 I will remedy their backsliding; I will love them freely, for My wrath has turned away from them.

6 I will be like dew to Israel, they will blossom like a rose, and it will strike its roots like the Lebanon.

7 Its branches will go forth, and its beauty will be like the olive tree, and its fragrance like the Lebanon.

8 Those who dwelt in its shade will return; they will revive [like] corn and blossom like the vine; its fragrance will be like the wine of Lebanon.

9 Ephraim; What more do I need the images? I will answer him and I will look upon him: I am like a leafy cypress tree; from Me your fruit is found.

10 Who is wise and will understand these, discerning and will know them; for the ways of the Lord are straight, and the righteous/generous will walk in them, and the rebellious will stumble on them. {P}

14 Lead Your people with Your rod-the flock of Your inheritance who dwell alone, a forest in the midst of a fruitful field-and they will graze in Bashan and Gilead as in days of yore.

15 As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders.

16 Nations will see and be ashamed of all their might - they will place a hand upon their mouth; their ears will become deaf.

17 They will lick the dust as a snake, as those who crawl on the earth. They will quake from their imprisonment; they will fear the Lord, our God, and they will fear you.

18 Who is a God like You, Who forgives iniquity/lawlessness and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not maintain His anger forever, for He desires loving-kindness.

19 He will return and grant us compassion; He will hide our iniquities/lawlessness, and You will cast into the depths of the sea all their sins.

20 You will give the truth of Jacob, the loving-kindness of Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from days of yore. {P}

* This Ashlamatah should be read by the greatest Torah Scholar available to the congregation.

Rashi on Hosea 14:2-10; Micah 7:18-20

1 Samaria will be accounted guilty From now on, her guilt will be revealed.

and their pregnant women Heb. וְהָרִיּוֹתָיו. The pregnant women in its midst.

2 Return, O Israel You, who are in the land of Judah, lest what happens to Samaria happens to you. Therefore, the topics are juxtaposed. This can be compared to a king against whom a province rebelled. The king sent a general and commanded him to destroy it. That general was expert and deliberate. He said to them, “Take for yourselves days (sic); otherwise, I will do to you as I have done to such-and-such a province and to its allies, and to such-and-such a prefecture and to its allies.” Therefore it says, “Samaria will be accounted guilty,” and then Scripture says: “Return, O Israel.” As is found in Sifrei in the section commencing. (Num. 25:1), “And Israel abode in Shittim.”

to the Lord your God One taught in the name of Rabbi Meir: Return, O Israel, while He is still יְהוָה, with the Divine Attribute of Mercy; otherwise, He is אֱלֹהִים with the Divine Attribute of Justice, before the defense becomes the prosecution. [from Pesikta d’Rav Kahana, p. 164a]

for you have stumbled in your iniquity Obstacles have come to you because of your iniquity/lawlessness.

3 You will forgive all iniquity Heb. כָּל-תִּשָּׂא עָוֹן. Forgive all our iniquities/lawlessness.

and teach [us the] good [way] Heb. וְקַח-טוֹב. And teach us the good way. Another explanation: The few good deeds in our hands take in Your hand and judge us accordingly. And so does David say (Psalms 17:2): “Let my sentence come forth from before You, may Your eyes behold the right.” Another explanation: And accept good And accept confession from us, as it is said (Psalms 92:2): “It is good to confess to the Lord.”

and let us render [for] bulls that we should have sacrificed before you, let us render them with the placation of the words of our lips.

4 Assyria will not save us Say this also before Him, “We no longer seek the aid of man, neither from Assyria nor from Egypt.”

we will not ride on horses This is the aid from Egypt, who would send them horses, as they said to Isaiah (30:16), “No, but on horses will we flee... And on swift steeds will we ride.”

nor will we say any longer to the work of our hands that they are our gods.

for in You alone will our hope be, You Who grant mercy to the orphans.

5 I will remedy their backsliding Said the prophet: So has the Holy Spirit said to me. After they say this before Me, I will remedy their backsliding, and I will love them with My charitable spirit. Although they do not deserve the love, I will love them charitably since My wrath has turned away from them.

6 and it will strike I.e. the dew will strike its roots and cause them to prosper.

like the Lebanon like the roots of the trees of the Lebanon, which are large.

7 Its branches will go forth Sons and daughters will increase.

and it will be Their beauty will be like the beauty of the menorah of the Temple, and their fragrance like the fragrance of the incense.

like the Lebanon Like the Temple.

8 Those who dwelt in its shade will return Those who already dwelt in the shade of the Lebanon, to which He compared Israel and the Temple, and now were exiled there from, will return to it.

its fragrance will be like the wine of Lebanon Jonathan renders: Like the remembrance of the blasts of the trumpets over the old wine poured for libations in the Temple. For they would blow the trumpets over the libations when the Levites would recite the song.

9 Ephraim will say, “What more do I need to follow the images?” And they will turn away from idolatry.

I will answer him I will answer him from his trouble.

and I will look upon him I will look upon his affliction.

I am like a leafy cypress tree I will bend down for him to hold his hand on Me as the leafy cypress which is bent down to the ground, which a man holds by its branches; i.e., I will be accessible to him.

from Me your fruit is found Am I not He? For all your good emanates from Me.

10 Who is wise and will understand these Who among you is wise and will ponder to put his heart to all these and return to Me?

and the rebellious will stumble on them i.e., because of them, because they did not walk in them (G-d’s commandments). Jonathan renders in this manner.

= = =

20 You will give the truth of Jacob - Jonathan paraphrases: You will give the truth of Jacob to his sons, as You swore to him in Bethel; the loving-kindness of Abraham to his seed after him, as you swore to him ‘between the parts.’ You will remember for us the binding of Isaac, etc. Give us the truth that You promised Jacob. Cause to come true Your Word that You promised Jacob (Gen. 28:15): “For I will not forsake you.”

the loving-kindness of Abraham The reward for the loving-kindness of Abraham, [out of] which he commanded his sons to keep the way of the Lord: to perform righteousness/generosity and justice. Therefore, it does not say, “And the loving-kindness,” but “the loving-kindness.” The truth - that You will make come true the promise to Jacob - that will be the payment of the reward for Abraham’s loving-kindness.

which you swore -at the binding of Isaac, (Gen 22:16) “I swore by Myself, says the Lord, that because you did this thing, etc.”

Mark (Mordechai) 6: 1-6a

Delitzsch Hebrew Rendition

1וַיֵּצֵא מִשָּׁם וַיָּבֹא אֶל־אַרְצוֹ וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרָיו תַּלְמִידָיו׃

2וַיְהִי בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת וַיָּחֶל לְלַמֵּד בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ רַבִּים וַיִּשְׁתּוֹמֲמוּ וַיֹּאמְרוּ מֵאַיִן לָאִישׁ הַזֶּה כָּאֵלֶּה וּמַה הַחָכְמָה הַנְּתוּנָה לוֹ עַד־אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשׂוּ גְּבוּרוֹת כָּאֵלֶּה עַל־יָדָיו׃

3הֲלֹא הוּא הֶחָרָשׁ בֶּן־מִרְיָם וַאֲחִי יַעֲקֹב וְיוֹסֵי וִיהוּדָה וְשִׁמְעוֹן וַהֲלֹא אַחְיוֹתָיו אִתָּנוּ פֹה וַיְהִי לָהֶם לְמִכְשׁוֹל׃

4וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם יֵשׁוּעַ אֵין הַנָּבִיא נִקְלֶה כִּי אִם־בְּאַרְצוֹ וּבֵין קְרוֹבָיו וּבְבֵיתוֹ׃

5וְלֹא יָכֹל לַעֲשׂוֹת שָׁם כָּל־גְּבוּרָה רַק חַלָּשִׁים מְעַטִּים שָׂם יָדָיו עֲלֵיהֶם וַיִּרְפָּאֵם׃

6וַיִּתְמַהּ עַל־חֶסְרוֹן אֱמוּנָתָם ׃

Murdoch’s Peshitta Translation

1 And Jesus departed from there and came to his own city, and his disciples attended him.

2 And when the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. And many who heard [him] were astonished, and said: Whence has he obtained these things? And, what wisdom is this, which is given to him! And that such mighty works are done by his hands!

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and of Joses and of Judas and of Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were stumbled in him.

4 And Jesus said to them: There is no prophet who is little, except in his own city, and among his kindred, and at home.

5 And he could not there do even one mighty work, except that he laid his hand on a few sick, and healed them.

6a And he wondered at the defect of their faith.

Etheridge’s Peshitta Translation

1. AND Jeshu went forth from thence, and came to his city; and his disciples adhered to him.

2. And when it was Shabat, he began to teach in the house of the congregation: and many who heard wondered, and said, Whence to him are these? And what is this wisdom which has been given him, that miracles such as these by his hands should be done?

3. Is not this the carpenter, the son of Miriam, and the brother of Jacob, and of Josi, and of Jehuda, and of Shimon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended with him.

4. And Jeshu said to them, No prophet is despised, unless in his own city, and among his kinsfolk, and in his own house.

5. And he could not do there any miracle, except that upon a few sick he laid his hands, and healed them

6a. And he wondered at the defectiveness of their faith.

Hakham’s Rendition:

1 And he went out from there, and came to his own city, and his disciples were following [attending to] him.

2 And a Sabbath having come, he began in the synagogue to teach. And hearing, many were amazed, saying, “From where came these things to this man? What wisdom has been given to him! And even such [miraculous] works of power come about through his hands!

3 Is not this the son of Yosef the carpenter [mason], and the brother of Ya’aqob, and Yosef, and Yehudah, and Shim’on? And are not his sisters here with us?”

4 And Yeshua said to them: “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his kindred, and in his own house;”

5 And he was not able there to do any mighty work, except on a few infirm people having put [his] hands [on them] he did heal them;

6a And he wondered at their lack of EMUNAH (faithful obedience).

Commentary:

With chapter six we start a whole new section/division (the second one of four) in the Mishnaic treatise of Mordechai/Yehudah/1 & 2 Tsefet (Peter). This becomes quite clear as we examine the start of the first verse of this second division. In the first division we read about the nature of the Master’s wisdom, and in this chapter we will deal with how his close circle of friends, family, colleagues and disciples grapple with the recognition that Yeshua is the Wisdom of the Torah both Written and Oral.

v. 1 - And he went out from there, and came to his own city, and his disciples were following [attending to] him. – A marker of distance is placed at the beginning of the sentence to signify a change of scenery, and from a lectionary purpose the transition to the second book of the Torah. Marcus,[1] puts it:

“Having returned to Jewish Galilee from the Gentile Decapolis in 5:21, and after performing a notable double miracle in 5:21-43, Jesus now comes home to Nazareth, the city where he was raised.”

The Greek has: εἰς τὴν πατρίδα αὐτοῦ - (EIS TIN PATRIDA AUTU). The word PATRIDA means literally in Greek: “Fatherland.” However, the Peshitta has לַמדִינתָּא “LaM’din’ta” and which is equivalent in Hebrew to לְעִירוֺ “L’Iro” and which we have translated as “to his own city,” and Marcus[2] renders it “to his hometown.” Sabin,[3] prefers to adhere to the Greek and renders it “to his native place,” and Delitzsch has אֶל־אַרְצוֹ “El Ar’tso” – (“to his land/country”). The problem here is that at the ned of chapter five he was already in Jewish territory and therefore “his country.” So, it seems more logical that this new place is not only his country but rather “his city” or “his hometown.”

and his disciples were And hearing, many were amazed, saying, “From where came these things to this one? And what is the wisdom given to him, that even such [miraculous] works of power come about through his hands? – The Greek has here ἀκολουθοῦσιν – AKALUTHUSIN (Strong’s # G190). According to Thayer the Greek verb ἀκολουθέω - AKALUTHEO has the following two basic meanings:

1) to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him, or

2) to join one as a disciple, become or be his disciple

Whilst many translate as “following him” a great point is missed here about what it means in the Hebraic mindset “to be a disciple of a Hakham/Rabbi.” In a most wonderful work, Prof. Young[4] describes in the following words what it meant in Yeshua’s time to be a disciple. He states:

“When we read the word "disciple" in the Synoptic tradition - found in the first three gospels of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, and Luke - we are dealing with the ancient world of late Second Temple period Judaism and in that world talmidim (disciples) clung to their teacher, whom they called “rabbi”, and meaning “my master teacher of great learning.” The sage was known as one who could answer a question in any area because he had complete knowledge of the Bible, as well as the Oral Torah. The disciple was known as one who could answer any question relating to his specific area of study in the oral tradition: “a disciple is an individual who when asked a question of religious law related to his studies is able to answer it” (b. Ta’anit 10b). So while the sage had achieved a mastery understanding of all aspect of Jewish teachings, the disciple could interact with questions connected to his research.

The disciple is willing to endure hardship for his learning experience. Jesus’ disciples speak about their commitment: they leave families and businesses in order to follow Jesus (Matt 19:27; Mark 10:28; Luke 18:28). In rabbinic literature the disciples of the sages neglect their business and sacrifice much to acquire Torah learning. The disciple is expected to serve his master teacher in caring for personal needs. By serving the master the disciple learns how to conduct his affairs in everyday life situations. He listens to his master’s teaching while doing menial chores to assist his mentor. Because a disciple should have broad knowledge, he would usually study with one rabbi for a number of years and then go study under another sage. The master teacher was a mentor whose purpose was to raise up disciples who would not only memorize his teachings but also live out the teachings in practical ways. The Halakha describes how a disciple walks. As we have seen, Torah learning is evidenced in behaviour and a rich spiritual life. The disciple walks with God by living out in practice the teaching of his rabbi.

The Mishnah also illustrates the sacrifice required to be a disciple. The rabbis reason that although a man's father brings him into the world, his teacher who instructs him in God's wisdom from Torah brings him into the world to come. Therefore, the ties between a teacher and student assume precedence over the ties between a father and son (m. Baba Metzi’a 2:11). The language of the period also reflects these values. Disciples were called banim, “sons” or “children.” For example, Jesus refers to disciples of the Pharisees as “children” in Luke 11:19. He also warns that a person cannot be his disciple without first hating his or her parents, spouse, children, and siblings (Luke 14:26). The manner in which “hating” is used in this verse represents a Hebrew idiom that does not mean literally “to hate” but employs comparative language. Disciples are to be so committed to learning from their masters that love of parents is like hatred. In the Matthean parallel (Matt 10:37), the evangelist renders the idiom more dynamically as “love less.” This saying of Jesus shares the same hierarchy of values as the mishnaic passage: family relationships take a secondary role to the relationship between a teacher and his disciple. In rabbinic literature the disciple is obligated to honor his master-teacher above his own father, even though the Ten Commandments teach honor of parents. Perhaps considered dysfunctional by twenty-first-century standards, this sort of thinking prevailed in Jesus’ day. To become a disciple of a respected teacher represented a great honor, so the family and community rallied to help a young man realize his aspiration.”

Therefore whilst translating “following him” we also have placed in brackets what this meant – i.e. “attending to him.” For me, this piece of information is central to the narrative of Mark 6:1-6a. For, as we shall later see the picture provided by the Master’s Talmidim “following [attending to] him” will be contrasted with another important word in the Hebrew vocabulary: “EMUNAH” (Mark 6a).

v. 2 - And a Sabbath having come – Most Christian commentators would say that the Sabbath in question was a normal ordinary Sabbath. However, we know that the writers of the Nazarean Codicil were very aware of the triennial Lectionary requirements, and therefore here it is not the case of an ordinary weekly Sabbath, but rather of a very particular Sabbath in the year. I thus advance the proposition that the Sabbath in this verse is alluding to Shabbat Shuva (Sabbath of Returning/ Repentance). This becomes clear as we read through the following verses.

he began in the synagogue to teach. – And what would be the matter at hand that he taught on this particular Sabbath, may we ask? Well, since very ancient times we have a tradition for the greatest Torah Scholar available to a local congregation to read the Special Aslamatah (Special Prophetic Lesson) for this Sabbath – i.e. Hosea 14:2-10; & Micah 7:18-20, and give the congregation a small homily on the meaning of Teshuva (returning/repentance) in the context of these twn days in which are at present.

And hearing, many were amazed, saying, “From where came these things to this man? What wisdom has been given to him! And even such [miraculous] works of power come about through his hands! - Sabin[5] sees this response of the people of the Master’s hometown as central to this pericope of Mordechai. She states:

“At the beginning of chapter 6, Mark … constructs a scene in which the people in Jesus’ hometown find him too familiar to teach them anything. The questions that Mark quotes them as asking are typical of all people who expect (or want) their encounter with the divine to be unusual and spectacular.

Since Mark has been presenting Jesus to his readers as Wisdom herself, there is particular irony in their question: “What kind of wisdom has been given him?” (6:2). With further irony, Mark uses their questions to set up Jesus’ Wisdom-saying, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house” (6:4). In this pithy observation, Mark shows Jesus also hinting at the destiny of his disciples.”

Sabin is correct, that the people of his own city, like many people today, understand discipleship as an encounter with G-d in an unusual and spectacular manner, rather than seeing discipleship as the path of Wisdom, which requires the disciple to study, obey, and serve his/her master for a number of years at great cost and sacrifice.

The statements made in this verse by the people at the Esnoga in the Master’s hometown in their English translation seem to be somewhat derogatory of the Master, but this is not the case! In fact, in their words we find two important doctrinal statements. First, Marshall[6] points out that:

“The passive form of the word for “given” (δοθεισα – DOTHEISA – Strong’s # G1325) and the phrase “by/through his hands” suggest that the townspeople think that Jesus’ talents do not have their origin on the human level, i.e. that he is being used as a channel for some supernatural power.”

This is extremely important since his own folk and townspeople never saw or thought of him as a god in human form, but rather as a channel by which G-d’s Wisdom/Torah was re-manifested. Once at Sinai to seal the Written Torah, and now in the land of Israel to seal the Oral Torah.

The second important observation is made by Marcus[7] is that Mark 6:2-3, as a whole present a positive description of the Master. This he does by contrasting the verbal tallies between Mark 1:21-28 with Mark 6:1-6 as follows:

Mark 1:21-28	Mark 6:1-6
1:21 - And they went on to K’far Nachum (Capernaum), and immediately, on the Sabbath, having gone into the synagogue, he was teaching,	6:2a - And a Sabbath having come, he began in the synagogue to teach.
1:22a - And they were amazed at his teaching	6:2b - And hearing, many were amazed,
1:27a - They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A renewed teaching with authority!	6:2c - saying, “From where came these things to this man? What wisdom has been given to him!
1:27b - He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!”	6:2d - And even such [miraculous] works of power come about through his hands!

He further comments:

“The Nazarenes’ reaction has been described with the verb “to be amazed” (ἐκπλήσσω - EKPLISSO), which preciously (1:22) and subsequently in the Gospel (7:37; 10:26; 11:18) is always a positive term. They have, moreover, referred to Jesus’ teaching as a demonstration of wisdom, which hardly seems like a negative characterization. Even the mention of Jesus’ family members in the first part of 6:3 could easily fit into a positive evaluation of him: “This kid has grown up right here in Nazareth, under our very noses, in a family we all knew – and we never guessed what fantastic things he was capable of!”

The problem of course rises at the end of 6:3. But for now, let us say that there is nothing offensive, derogatory or ironic in these statements.

v.3 - Is not this the son of Yosef the carpenter [mason], and brother of Ya’aqob, and Yosef, and Yehudah, and Shim’on? And are not his sisters here with us?” – As can be seen I disagree with all manuscripts in the Greek or in Aramaic in the translation of the first clause of this verb. The reason for this, is that for Gentiles there is no offense in saying “the son of Miryam,” but in Hebrew or Jewish Aramaic as distinct from Christian Aramaic this expression is most offensive and is tantamount to calling a person a literal bastard and his mother a woman of loose morals. In my opinion this is a Christian scribal error that was perpetuated ever since the destruction of the Hebrew originals of this work. Apart from being a most offensive statement for any Jew, and more so considering that we are speaking about the King of Israel, there are other important reasons that show that this has been a Christian tampering with the text.

First, Marcus[8] notes the following:

“In Jewish sources the father’s name is normally used to identify the son even when the father is dead (see e.g. Do’eg son of Joseph in b. Yoma 38b and Jesus sons of Jesus in the Babatha archive, cf. Ilan[9], “Man,” 23 n.3). Contrary to this custom, Jesus is designated by his mother’s name rather than his father’s. Both Matthew and Luke revert to the usual pattern, Luke 4:22 reading: “the son of Joseph” (cf. John 6:42) and Matthew 13:55: “the son of the carpenter.” Some manuscripts of our passage, such as p⁴⁵, conflate our text with Matthew’s to produce “the son of the carpenter, the son of Mary,” but the external evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of the reading “the carpenter, the son of Mary.”

Why then does Mark choose to identify Jesus by a matronymic rather than a patronymic? Ilan (“Man”) has shown that a matronymic could be used when the mother's pedigree was superior to the father's, but that can scarcely be the case here, since Davidic descent was the most important of all, and Jesus was a Davidide on his father's side (see the genealogies in Matthew and Luke and early passages such as Rom 1:3), a fact of which Mark himself seems to be aware (see 10:48; 11:10; cf Bauckham[10], "Brothers” 698-99). Bauckham thinks that “son of Mary” distinguishes Jesus from his “brothers,” who in Bauckham's view are sons of Joseph by a previous wife, but in that case the brothers' mother would need to be specified too; lacking such an identification, the natural assumption is that the men listed after Jesus have the same mother as he does. Freedman[11] suggests that perhaps they did all have the same mother, Mary, but that Joseph had a previous or subsequent marriage and that Jesus and his brothers (and sisters) therefore needed to be distinguished from the children of Joseph's other wife or wives. But in that case Mary should be mentioned alongside of Joseph, not instead of him.

These alternate theories being found wanting, and given the hostile nature of the confrontation, it is likely that the use of Jesus' mother's name is a slur against his legitimacy, as Stauffer[12] ("Jeschu") and S. Wilson[13] (Strangers, 188) among others argue. This aspersion would correspond to the tendency in later Jewish traditions to portray Jesus as a bastard (see e.g. Origen Against Celsus 1.28-32, 39, 69; b. Sanh. 67a), a pattern that may already be reflected in John 8:41. Ilan, though disagreeing with this exegesis, cites an interesting parallel, the derogatory designation of Titus as "the son of Vespasian's wife" in 'Abot R. Nat. 7 (B), which implies that he is illegitimate (see Ilan, "Man," 42-43 n. 86, and cf. Saldarini[14], Fathers, 68 n. 15). McArthur[15] ("Son of Mary") argues against the implication of illegitimacy in Mark 6:3 that “son of Mary” is an informal reference, not a formal genealogical expression, and that there is nothing necessarily unusual or derogatory about an identification by the mother's name in such informal contexts (cf. e.g. 1 Kgs 17:17; Acts 16:1). But Mark 6:3 comes closer to being a genealogical formula than the parallels cited because of the extensive list of other male family members. McArthur's theory, moreover, does not explain the apparent embarrassment of Matthew and Luke at Mark's term or reckon with the hostile context of our passage and the evidence for a trajectory of Jewish aspersions against Jesus' birth.

The church's eventual response to the charge of illegitimacy was the assertion of Jesus' virginal conception (cf. esp. Matt 1:18-20; Luke 1:34-35), so that God became, in a more or less literal sense, his father. Mark, however, gives no explicit indication of knowing this tradition.” (Emphasis mine)

Second, if one observes the logical sequence of the words, one finds that something is problematic, at least from a Hebraic perspective. Note that the Greek has: “Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary …?” But wait a minute, was his father not a carpenter as well? So, since as the Master himself explained the common Jewish practice “The son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do” (John 5:19) – i.e. the obligation of the first born son to follow in the trade of his father. The text therefore originally probably had: “Isn’t this the son of Yosef the carpenter?”

Third, the next clause of this verse shows another Christian interpolation that does not belong to the text, and in fact totally disrupts the train of thought. Allow me to paraphrase this verse as is in the Greek and in the Christian Aramaic to demonstrate how ridiculous this sounds to a Jew:

“Is not this the carpenter, the bastard son of Mary the woman of loose morals, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at/by him.”

Question 1 – For a less offence against the Master it is reported that Tsefet the Talmid Hakham of the Master, took up his sword and cut of an ear of a Temple guard. What would have been the reaction of Yeshua’s Talmidim (disiciples) when they heard this supposed insult?

Question 2 – What would have been the reaction of his brothers and sisters at this great insult?

Question 3 – The previous verse says that he was allowed to teach at the Esnoga. How can a Mamser (a Bastard) be a Rabbi and is allowed to teach at the Esnoga where everyone knew who he was?

Question 4 – We noted that in the previous verse that the many Jewish congregants were laudatory of the Master, and here without any explanation whatsoever we read that they called him a bastard and a son of a woman with loose morals in front of his brothers and sisters and that they were offended at/by him. Something is not adding up.

It is obvious therefore that this verse has been heavily tampered with, and that the sentence: (And they were being stumbled in him) was added later in order to paint the Jewish people in a bad light. Verses two and three which in reality should be one verse, should read:

² And a Sabbath having come, he began in the synagogue to teach. And hearing, many were amazed, saying, “From where came these things to this man? What wisdom has been given to him! And even such [miraculous] works of power come about through his hands! ³ Is not this the son of Yosef the carpenter [mason], and the brother of Ya’aqob, and Yosef, and Yehudah, and Shim’on? And are not his sisters here with us?”

Lastly, we have the Lectionary consideration. Since this Pericope of Mark is a Mishnaic commentary on the Torah Seder of Exodus 1:1 – 2:25, and one of the key statements of this Seder is: “A new king came into power over Egypt, who did not know Yosef” (Exodus 1:8) or as Targum Pseudo Jonathan renders it: “And there arose a new king (other) than he who was formerly over Mizraim, who took no knowledge of Joseph, and walked not in his laws,” it would be strange that Yosef would not be mentioned in our Pericope of Mark.

In fact, it is ironic that if we read Mark 6:2-3 as the Christian Greek and Aramaic has it:

² And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? ³ "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?" And they took offense at Him. [NASB]

The same could be said of these Christian scribes who tampered with the original text: “who did not know Yosef” or, “who took no knowledge of Joseph, and walked not in his laws”! And further, they were so ignorant of the quirks of our language that they did not know they were writing a most offensive statement to any Jew conversant with Hebrew or Jewish Aramaic. This also shows, that the Peshitta exhibits the same tampering as the Greek text, the only thing going for the Peshitta text in Christian Aramaic is that the language is of the same family as Hebrew and therefore more difficult to tamper with, and the errors and tampering are more glaring than in Greek or any other language.

Delitzsch and all modern translators of the so called New Testament to Hebrew have basically translated the Greek verbatim into Hebrew: הֲלֹא הוּא הֶחָרָשׁ בֶּן־מִרְיָם without thinking about the grossly offensive implications of this statement. Further, the so called new Messianic translations from the Peshitta also fail to recognize this problem raised by Ilan[16] and Marcus (see above verbatim quote), as for example James Trimm’s “The Hebraic Roots Version Scriptures: Revised E-Book Version” (2009) renders:

² And when the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many who heard were amazed and were saying, Where [did] this man [get] these things? And what is [this] wisdom which was given to Him, that miracles such as these might be done by His hand? ³ Is this not the carpenter--the son of Miriam, and the brother of Ya’akov, and of Yochanan, and of Y’hudah, and of Shim’on: and behold, are not His sisters here with us? And they were offended at Him.

I suppose that we will never know when Scholars will end up parroting things without questioning their logic or authenticity. We can only pray that they experience true repentance/returning!

v.4 - And Yeshua said to them: “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his kindred, and in his own house;” v.5 - And he was not able there to do any mighty work, except on a few infirm people having put [his] hands [on them] he did heal them; v.6a - And he wondered at their lack of EMUNAH (faithful obedience).

The words of his own townsfolk were very nice, but these words presumed that since he was their own, they needed not to exercise EMINAH in order for the Master to perform “such [miraculous] works of power coming about through his hands.” Here the popular aphorism, “familiarity breeds contempt” is appropriate. This is like the son of a rich man, who thinks that because his father is rich he can do whatever he likes with total impunity. These people thought that because they somehow had a relationship with the Master they were entitled to spectacular miracles.

Here the Master contrasts the difference between being a mere “follower” and a genuine “Talmid” (disciple). However, the Master said that he came to make disciples, not followers! And he gave command to his disciples to make Talmidim (Rabbinic disciples) from all the Gentiles they came across (cf. Matityahu 28:19-20). Being a “follower” requires little sacrifice and little faithfulness. But being a disciple in the true meaning of the word is something precious, and very costly. It requires many sacrifices, and much Torah study, and above all constant EMUNAH – faithful obedience day after day and throughout all of one’s life.

So much was the lack of EMUNAH among these “followers” that the text says: “And he was not able there to do any mighty work, except on a few infirm people having put [his] hands [on them] he did heal them.” What a difference between these hangers on and Yair the President of an Esnoga, or the woman that had an issue of blood for 12 years!

As we encounter this Sabbath of Repentance/Returning, we need to ask ourselves whether indeed we are followers of the Master, or are we prepared and determined to be Talmidim (Rabbinic disciples). What kind of commitment do we have to the Master and his work in this world? Returning is not so much about crying, shedding tears, and feeling remorse, but rather about turning around one’s life and become thoroughly apprenticed to His Majesty King Yeshuah, under the hands of a wise Hakham. This is the salient issue on this Shabbat Shuvah, and much in our lives will depend on what we faithfully start doing from this great Shabbat Shuvah onwards. We can surely chose life or death, living for the Master or dying in the pursuit of our own lawless desires and piped dreams. Above all, this is the Sabbath where we have the opportunity to come face to face with the living G-d, most blessed be He, and start turning our lives, so that when it is time for us to depart from this world, we can hear the sweet and most wonderful words uttered: “Well done you faithful servant!” Amen ve amen!

Coming Festival: Yom HaKippurim

(Next coming Sunday evening the 27^th of September – Monday evening the 28^th of September)

For further study see: http://www.betemunah.org/kippur.html ;

http://www.betemunah.org/awesome.html ; http://www.betemunah.org/kohen.html; &

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

The Torah Seder Commentary for Yom HaKippurim will be on your E-Mail this coming Sunday September 27 about lunch time!

May you and your loved ones be all sealed in the Heavenly Book of Life for a good and sweet year as authentic Talmidim of the great Master His Majesty King Yeshua the Messiah of all Israel, amen ve amen!

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

Paqid Adon Mikha ben Hillel

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[1] Marcus, J. (2000), The Anchor Bible: Mark 1-8 – A New Translation With Introduction and Commentary, New York: Doubleday, p. 377.

[2] Ibid. p. 373.

[3] Sabin, M. N. (2006), New Collegeville Bible Commentary: The Gospel According to Mark, Collegeville, Minnesotta: Liturgical Press, p. 54.

[4] Young, B.H. (2007), Meet The Rabbis: Rabbinic Thought and the Teachings of Jesus, Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendriksen Publishers, Inc. pp. 30-31.

[5] Sabin, M. N. (2006), New Collegeville Bible Commentary: The Gospel According to Mark, Collegeville, Minnesotta: Liturgical Press, pp. 54-55.

[6] Marshall, C.D. (1989) Faith as a Theme in Mark’s Narrative: Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 64, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[7] Marcus, J. (2000), The Anchor Bible: Mark 1-8 – A New Translation With Introduction and Commentary, New York: Doubleday, p. 378.

[8] Marcus, J. (2000), The Anchor Bible: Mark 1-8 – A New Translation With Introduction and Commentary, New York: Doubleday, pp. 374-375.

[9] Ilan , T. (1992), “Man Born of Woman … ‘ (Job 14:1): The Phenomenom of Men Bearing Metronymes at the Time of Jesus” Novum Testamentum 34:23-45.

[10] Bauckham , R. (1994), "The Brothers and Sisters of Jesus: An Epiphanian Response to John P. Meir," Catholic Biblical Quarterly 56:698-99.

[11] Freedman, D. N. (1992), The Anchor Bible Dictionary, 6 vols., New York:Doubleday.

[12] Stauffer, E. (1969), “Jeschu ben Miryam. Kontroversgeschichtliche Ammerkungen zu Mk 6:3” In Neotestamentica et Semitica: Studies in Honor of Matthew Black, ed. E. E. Ellis and M. Wilcox, 119-28, Edinburgh: T & T Clark.

[13] Wilson, S. G. (1995), Related Strangers: Jews & Christians 70-170 CE, Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

[14] Saldarini, A. J. (1975), The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan (Abot de Rabbi Natan) Version B: Studies in Judaism in Late Antiquity 11, Leiden Brill.

[15] McArthur, H. K. (1971), “Son of Mary,” Novum Testamentum 15:38-58.

[16] Ilan , T. (1992), “Man Born of Woman … ‘ (Job 14:1): The Phenomenom of Men Bearing Metronymes at the Time of Jesus” Novum Testamentum 34:23-45.