Esnoga Bet Emunah

7104 Inlay St. SE, Lacey, WA 98513

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

Three and 1/2 year Lectionary Readings	Second Year of the Reading Cycle
Adar 13, 5770 – February 26/27 , 2010	Second Year of the Shmita Cycle

Candle Lighting and Havdalah Times:

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 6:13 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 7:09 PM

Baton Rouge & Alexandria, LA., U.S.

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 5:43 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 6:38 PM

Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S.

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 5:18 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 6:16 PM

Brisbane, Australia

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 6:06 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 6:58 PM

Bucharest, Romania

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 5:40 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 6:43 PM

Chattanooga, & Cleveland, TN, U.S.

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 6:16 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 7:12 PM

Jakarta, Indonesia

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 5:55 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 6:44 PM

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 7:10 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 7:59 PM

Manila & Cebu, Philippines

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 5:45 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 6:35 PM

Miami, FL, U.S.

Fri, Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 6:02 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 6:55 PM

New London, CT, U.S.

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 5:09 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 6:09 PM

Olympia, WA, U.S.

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 5:34 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 6:39 PM

Murray, KY, & Paris, TN. U.S.

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 5:27 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 6:25 PM

Philadelphia, PA, U.S.

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 5:30 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 6:30 PM

San Antonio, TX, U.S.

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 6:13 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 7:07 PM

Sheboygan & Manitowoc, WI, US

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 5:17 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 6:19 PM

Singapore, Singapore

Fri. Feb. 19, 2010 – Candles at 7:02 PM

Sat. Feb. 20, 2010 – Havdalah 7:51 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 Yoel ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Miryam bat Sarah

His Excellency Dr. Adon Yeshayahu ben Yosef and beloved wife HE Giberet Tricia Foster

His Excellency Adon Yisrael ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Elisheba bat Sarah

Her Excellency Giberet Laurie Taylor

His Excellency Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat Sarah

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

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.

If you want to subscribe to our list and ensure that you never lose any of our commentaries, or would like your friends also to receive this commentary, please do send me an E-Mail to benhaggai@GMail.com with your E-Mail or the E-Mail addresses of your friends. Toda Rabba!

This Torah Seder is dedicated in honor of Her Excellency Giberet Karmelah bat Sarah’s birthday on March the 1st. We wish her a Yom Huledet Sameach, may she have a long life full of good health, much shalom, and great blessings, together with many opportunities to perform many great deeds of loving-kindness, amen ve amen!

Shabbat Zakhor

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
זָכוֹר
“Zakhor”	Reader 1 – Debarim 24:19-22	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 26:31-33
“Remember”	Reader 2 – Debarim 25:1-4	Reader 2 – Sh’mot 26:34-36
“Acuérdate”	Reader 3 – Debarim 25:5-7	Reader 3 – Sh’mot 26:35-37
Debarim (Deut.) 24:19 – 25:19	Reader 4 – Debarim 25:8-10
Ashlamatah: I Samuel 15:1-34	Reader 5 – Debarim 25:11-13
	Reader 6 – Debarim 25:14-16	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 26:31-33
Psalm 2:1-12	Reader 7 – Debarim 25:17-19	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 26:34-36
	Maftir – Debarim 25:17-19	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 26:35-37
N.C.: Rev. 13:11 – 14:12; 15:2-4	I Samuel 15:1-34

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan

for: D’barim (Deut.) 24:19 – 25:19

RASHI	TARGUM PSEUDO JONATHAN
19. When you reap your reaping in your field, and you forget a sheaf in the field, you may not return to take it; for the proselyte, for the orphan, and for the widow let it be; in order that Adonai, your G-d, will bless you in all your endeavours.	19. When you have reaped your harvests in your fields, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you will not return to take it; let it be for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, that the Word of the Lord your God may bless you in all the works of your hands.
20. When you harvest your olive tree, you may not strip it of its glory behind you, for the proselyte, for the orphan, and for the widow let it be.	20. When you beat your olive trees, you will not search them after (you have done it); for the stranger, the orphan, and widow, let it be. [JERUSALEM. When you beat your olive trees, search them not afterward; let them be for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow.]
21. When you harvest your vineyard you may not harvest pygmy vines behind you; for the proselyte, for the orphan, and for the widow let it be.	21. When you gather in your vineyard, you will not glean the branches after you; they will be for the stranger, the orphan, and widow. [JERUSALEM. When you gather your vines, search not their branches afterwards let them be for the stranger and the widow.]
22. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; that is why I am commanding you to do this thing.	22. So remember that you were bondservants in the land of Mizraim; therefore I command you to do this thing.

1. If a quarrel should occur among men and they bring it to court and they judge them and they determine who is righteous/generous and they convict the villain.	1. If there be a controversy, between two men, then they will come to the judges, and they will judge them, and give the decision (or outweighing of) righteousness/generosity to the innocent, and of condemnation to the guilty.
2. Should the wicked/lawless one deserve flogging, the judge will incline him and have him flogged before him in the amount befitting his crime, with the number near.	2. And if the wicked/lawless deserve stripes, the judge will make him lie down, and they will scourge him in his presence by his judgment, according to the measure of his guilt. [JERUSALEM. And if it be needful to scourge the guilty, the judge will make him lie down, and they will smite him in his presence, according to the measure of his guilt, by number.]
3. Forty is he to have him flogged, he may not add; lest he additionally flog him over these, a great flogging, when your brother will be slighted before you.	3. Forty (stripes) may be laid upon him, but with one less will he be beaten, (the full number) will not be completed, lest he should add to smite him beyond those thirty and nine, exorbitantly, and he be in danger ; and that your brother may not be made despicable in your sight.
4. You may not muzzle an ox while it threshes.	4. You will not muzzle the mouth of the ox in the time of his treading out; [JERUSALEM. Sons of Israel, My people, you will not muzzle the ox in the hour of his treading;] nor the wife of the (deceased) brother, who would be mated with one smitten with an ulcer, and who is poorly related, shalt thou tie up with him.
5. If brothers reside together, and one of them dies having no son, let the wife of the dead man not marry outside [the family] to a strange man; her brother-in-law will consummate with her thus marrying her to be his wife, and perform levirate marriage with her.	5. When brethren from the (same) father inhabit this world at the same time, and have the same inheritance, the wife of one of them, who may have died, will not go forth into the street to marry a stranger; her brother-in-law will go to her, and take her to wife, and become her husband.
6. It shall be that the firstborn, when she is capable of bearing children, shall be established in place of his deceased brother, so that his name may not be obliterated from Yisrael.	6. And the first-born whom she bears will stand in the inheritance in the name of the deceased brother, that his name may not be blotted out from Israel.
7. But if the man will not want to marry his sister-in-law; his sister-in-law must go up to the portal, to the judges, and say, "My brother-in-law refuses to establish for his brother a name in Yisrael; he is unwilling to do perform levirate marriage with me."	7. But if the man be not willing, to take his sister-in-law, then will his sister-in-law go up to the gate of the bet din before five of the sages, three of whom will be judges and two of them witnesses, and let her say before them in the holy language: My husband's brother refuses to keep up the name of his brother in Israel, he not being willing to marry me.
8. The judges of his city will call him and converse with him. He shall stand and say, "I do not want to marry her."	8. And the elders of his city will call him and speak with him, with true counsel; and he may rise up in the house of justice, and say in the holy tongue, I am not willing to take her.
9. And his sister-in-law will approach him in the sight of the judges, and she will remove his shoe from upon his foot, and spit before him; and she will say aloud, "This is done to the man who will not build his brother's family."	9. Then will his sister-in-law come to him before the sages, and there will be a shoe upon the foot of the brother-in-law, a heeled sandal whose lachets are tied, the latchets at the opening of the sandal being fastened; and he will stamp on the ground with his foot; and the woman will arise and untie the latchet, and draw off the sandal from his foot, and afterward spit before him, as much spittle as may be seen by the sages, and will answer and say, So is it fit to be done to the man who would not build up the house of his brother.
10. And it will be entitled in Yisrael, the house of the divestiture of the shoe.	10. And all who are standing there will exclaim against him, and call his name in Israel the House of the Unshod. [JERUSALEM. And his name in Israel will be called the House of him whose shoe was loosed, and who made void the law of Yeboom. ]
11. If men engage in an altercation, a man and his brother, and the wife of one approaches to save her husband from his assailant, and she puts out her hand and grasps his genitals,	11. While men are striving together, if the wife of one of them approach to rescue her husband from the hand of him who smites him, and putting forth her hand lays hold of the place of his shame, [JERUSALEM. If she put forth her hand, and lay hold by the place of his shame.]
12. You shall sever her hand; you are not to have compassion.	12. you will cut off her hand; your eyes will not pity.
13. You are not to have for yourself in your pouch varying weight-stones, large and small.	13. You will not have in your bag weights that are deceitful; great weights to buy with, and less weights to sell with.
14. You shall not have in your house varying measures, large and small.	14. Nor will you have in your houses measures that deceive; great measures to buy with, and less measures to sell with. [JERUSALEM. You will not have in your houses measures and measures; great .ones for buying with, and small ones to sell with.]
15. A fully accurate, just weight, you shall have, you are to have whole and honest measures; in order that you live long on the land that Adonai, your G-d, is giving you.	15. Perfect weights, and true balances shalt thou have, perfect measures and scales that are true will be yours, that your days may be multiplied on the land which the Lord your God gives you.
16. Because Adonai, your G-d's abomination, are all who do these [things]; all who do falsehood.	16. For whosoever commits these frauds, every one who acts falsely in trade, is an abomination before the Lord.
17. Remember what Amalek perpetrated against you on the way when you were going out of Egypt.	17. Keep in mind what the house of Amalek did unto you in the way, on your coming up out of Mizraim;
18. When they chanced upon you en route struck down your appendage--- all the feeble ones behind you--- and you were exhausted and wearied, and they had no fear of G-d.	18. how they overtook you in the way, and slew every one of those among you who were thinking to go aside from My Word; the men of the tribe of the house of Dan, in whose hands were idols (or things. of strange worship), and the clouds overcast them, and they of the house of Amalek took them and mutilated them, and they were cast up: but you, O house of Israel, were faint and weary from great servitude of the Mizraee, and the terrors of the waves of the sea through the midst of which you had passed. Nor were the house of Amalek afraid before the Lord. [JERUSALEM. Who overtook you in the way, and slew among you those who were thinking to desist from My Word, the cloud overcast him, and they of the house of Amalek took him and slew him. But you, people of the sons of Israel, were weary and faint; nor were they of the house of Amalek afraid before the Lord.]
19. When Adonai, your G-d, has given you repose from all your enemies around, in the land that Adonai, your G-d, is giving you as territory to inherit, you shall obliterate the memory of Amalek from beneath the sky; do not forget.	19. Therefore, when the Lord has given you rest from all your enemies round about in the land that the Lord Your God gives you to inherit for a possession, you will blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens; but of the days of the King Messiah you will not be unmindful.

Welcome to the World of P’shat Exegesis

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

The Seven Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel are as follows

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rashi Commentary for: ‎D’barim (Deut.) 24:19 – 25:19

19 and forget a sheaf but not a stack. [That is, if someone forgot a stack of grain, he may go back to retrieve it.] (Sifrei 24:149). Hence, [our Rabbis] said: (Pe’ah 6:6) A sheaf containing two se’ah, which someone forgot, is not considered שִׁכְחָה [that is, the harvester is permitted to go back and retrieve it].

[When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf] in the field [Why the repetition of the word "field"? This comes] to include שִׁכְחָה of standing grain, part of which the harvester had forgotten to reap, [not only bound up sheaves standing in the field]. -[Sifrei 24:149]

you shall not go back to take it From here, [our Rabbis] said: Whatever is behind him is considered שִׁכְחָה , “forgotten” [and may not be retrieved]. Whatever is in front of him, is not considered “forgotten” [and may still be retrieved], since it does not come under the law of “you shall not go back to take.” - [Pe’ah 6:4]

so that [the Lord, your God,] will bless you Although [the forgotten sheaf came into his hand without intention [of the owner]. How how much more so [will one be blessed] if he did it liberately! Hence, you must say that if someone dropped a sela, and a poor man found it and was sustained by it, then he [who lost the coin] will be blessed on its account.-[Sifrei 24:149]

20 you shall not deglorify it [by picking all its fruit] after you Heb. לֹא־תְפַאֵר , [This word is derived from פְּאֵר or תִּפְאֶרֶת , “glory.” The “glory” of an olive-tree is its fruit. Thus, the meaning is: “You shall not take its glory” (תִּפְאֶרֶת) from it. [I.e., do not remove all its fruit.] Hence, [our Rabbis derive that [in addition to the harvest of grain and produce, in fruit-bearing trees also], one must leave behind פֵּאָה , [fruits at the end of the olive harvest].-[Chul. 131b]

after you This refers to שִׁכְחָה , forgotten fruit [in the case of a fruit-bearing tree, that one must leave the forgotten fruit for the poor to collect].-[Chul. 131b]

21 [When you pick the grapes of your vineyard,] you shall not glean i.e., if you find עוֹלְלוֹת , small clusters therein, you shall not take them. Now what constitutes עוֹלְלוֹת [thus necessitating them to be left for the poor]? Any cluster of grapes which has neither a כָּתֵף , “shoulder” or a נָטֵף , “drippings.” But if it has either one of them, it belongs to the householder.-[Pe’ah 7:4] I saw in the Talmud Yerushalmi (Pe’ah 7:3): “What is a כָּתֵף , shoulder?” It is [a cluster of grapes] in which the sprigs of grapes pile one on top of the other [at the top of the cluster, together taking on the shape of a shoulder. And what is] a נָטֵף , “drippings?” These are the grapes suspended from the central stalk [of the cluster, as though dripping down].

Chapter 25

1 If there is a quarrel they will eventually go to court. We learn from this, that peace cannot result from quarrel. [Just think,] what caused Lot to leave the righteous man [Abraham] (Gen. 13:7-12)? Clearly, it was quarrel.-[Sifrei 25:152]

and condemn the guilty one [Since the next verse continues, "the judge shall... flog him,"] one might think that all those convicted by the court must be flogged. Therefore, Scripture teaches us, “and it shall be, if the guilty one has incurred [the penalty] of lashes...” (verse 2). [From here, we see that] sometimes [a convicted party] is given lashes, and sometimes he is not. Who receives lashes is derived from the context, as follows: [Some negative commandments are mitigated by positive commandments which relate to the same matter, for example, the law of sending away the mother bird (Deut. 22:6-7). Scripture (22:6) states the negative commandment: “you shall not take the mother upon the young,” and immediately, Scripture (22:7) continues to state the positive commandment of: “You shall send away the mother.” Here, the negative commandment is mitigated by the positive commandment. How so? If someone transgressed the negative commandment and took the mother bird from upon her young, he may clear himself of the punishment he has just incurred, by fulfilling the positive commandment of sending the mother bird away from the nest. This is an example of “a negative commandment mitigated by a positive commandment.” (see Mishnah Mak. 17a) Now, in our context, immediately after describing the procedure of flogging in court, the next verse (4) continues with the negative commandment of:] “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is threshing [the grain],” a negative commandment which is not mitigated by a positive one. [Therefore, from the very context of these verses, we learn that only for transgressing a “negative commandment which is not mitigated by a positive commandment,” is one punished by lashes.]-[see Mak. 13b]

2 the judge shall make him lean over This teaches [us] that they [the judges] do not flog [the guilty party while [the latter is] standing or sitting, but, [when he is] leaning over.-[Mak. 22b]

[The judge shall... flog him] in front of him, commensurate with his crime Heb., כְּדֵי רִשְׁעָתוֹ [singular—meaning one punishment before him -] and behind him twice that number. From here they [the Rabbis] said: “They must give him two thirds [of his lashes] behind him [i.e., on his back], and one third in front of him [i.e., on his chest]” (Mak. 22b)

in number Heb. בְּמִסְפָּר , but it is not vowelized בַּמִּסְפָּר , in the number. This teaches us that the word בְּמִסְפָּר is in the construct state, [qualifying the word following it which is the first word of the next verse, namely, אַרְבָּעִים ], to read: בְּמִסְפָּר אַרְבָּעִים , that is, “[and flog him...] the number of forty,” but not quite a full quota of forty, but the number that leads up to the full total of forty, i.e., “forty-minus-one.”-[Mak. 22b]

3 He... shall not exceed From here, we derive the admonition that one may not strike his fellow man. - [Keth. 33a, San. 85a]

and your brother will be degraded All day [that is, throughout the entire procedure], Scripture calls him רָשָׁע , “wicked,” but, once he has been flogged, behold, he is “your brother.”-[Sifrei 25:153]

4 You shall not muzzle an ox Scripture is speaking here in terms of what usually occurs [i.e., one usually uses an ox for threshing grain]. However, the law applies equally to any species of domestic animal, non-domesticated animal, or bird, and in any area of work in the process of preparing food. If so, why does Scripture specify an ox? To exclude man [from this law. That is, if it is a human who is performing the work, his employer is permitted to “muzzle” him, that is, to prevent the worker from eating from the produce. Nevertheless, it is a mitzvah to allow him to eat from the employer’s produce.]-[Sifrei 25:154]

when it is threshing [the grain] One might have thought that it is permissible to muzzle the animal outside [the work area, i.e., before it starts threshing]. Therefore, Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox!"—i.e., at any time [even before the actual threshing] (see B.M. 90b). Why then, is threshing mentioned? To tell you that, just as threshing [has two specific features]: a) It is a thing that does not represent the completion of its process [rendering the product liable for tithing and challah], and b) it [namely, grain] grows from the ground, likewise, any [work] which resembles it [in these two features, is included in this law]. Thus, excluded [from this prohibition] is the labor of milking, cheese-making, or in churning [milk, to produce buttermilk], all of which deal with an item that does not grow from the ground. Also excluded is the labor of kneading [dough], or in rolling out the dough to shape, for these procedures do in fact complete the process, rendering the product liable for challah to be taken. A further exclusion to this prohibition is the labor of separating dates and figs [that is, when spreading out dates and figs on a roof or the like, so that they dry, the fruit may adhere into one mass. Here, the procedure is to separate individual dates or figs from the mass, a procedure] which completes the preparation process, rendering the fruit liable for tithing.-[B.M. 89a]

5 If brothers reside together [meaning] that they were both alive at the same time, [lit. that they had one dwelling in the world]. It excludes the wife of his brother who was no longer in the world [when he was born]. [This means as follows: If a man dies, and his brother is born after his death, his widow may not marry the brother of her deceased husband.] -[Sifrei 25:155, Yev. 17b]

together [This law applies only to brothers] who share in the inheritance “together” [namely, paternal brothers]. This excludes maternal brothers. -[Sifrei 25:155, Yev. 17b]

having no son Heb. וּבֵן אֵין־לוֹ [Literally, “and he has no son.” Here, the word אֵין can be read also as עַיִן , meaning to “investigate,” because an א is interchangeable with an ע (see Yev. 22b). Thus, the verse also teaches us:] Investigate him [if he has progeny of any sort]—whether he has a son or a daughter, or a son’s son or a son’s daughter, or a daughter’s son or a daughter’s daughter. [And if he has any of these, the law of יִבּוּם does not apply.]

6 the eldest brother Heb. הַבְּכוֹר , [literally “the firstborn.” However, here it means that] the eldest brother [of the deceased] should perform the levirate marriage with the widow.-[Sifrei 25:156, Yev. 24a]

she [can] bear Heb. אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵד [literally, “who will give birth.”] This excludes a woman incapable of conception. - [Sifrei 25:156, Yev. 24a]

will succeed in the name of his deceased brother [literally, “will rise in the name of his brother.”] The one who marries his wife, is to take the share of his deceased brother’s inheritance of their father’s property [in addition to his own share]. -[Yev. 24a]

so that his name shall not be obliterated This excludes [from the obligation of יִבּוּם ] the wife of a eunuch whose name [was already] obliterated. -[Yev. 24a]

7 to the gate [Not to the gate of the city, but,] as the Targum [Onkelos] renders it: to the gate of the court.

8 and he shall stand up [He must make this declaration] in a standing position. -[Sifrei 25:158] and say in the Holy Language. She too shall make her statement in the Holy Language.-[Yev. 106b]

9 And she shall spit before his face on the ground, [not in his face].-[Yev. 106b]

[Thus shall be done to the man] who will not build up [his brother’s household] From here, [we learn] that one who has undergone the rite of chalitzah [described in these verses], cannot change his mind and marry her, for it does not say, “[Thus will be done to that man] who did not build up [his brother’s household],” but,"who will not build up [his brother’s household]." Since he did not build it up [when he was obliged to do so], he will never again build it up.-[Yev. 10b]

10 And his name shall be called [in Israel] It is the duty of all those standing there to proclaim: חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל - “you, who have had your shoe removed!”-[Yev. 106b]

11 If... men... are fighting together they will eventually come to blows, as it is said: “[to rescue her husband] from his assailant.” [The moral here is:] Peace cannot result from strife.-[Sifrei 25:160]

12 You shall cut off her hand [This verse is not to be understood literally, but rather, it means:] She must pay monetary damages to recompense the victim for the embarrassment he suffered [through her action. The amount she must pay is calculated by the court,] all according to the [social status] of the culprit and the victim (see B.K. 83b). But perhaps [it means that we must actually cut off] her very hand? [The answer is born out from a transmission handed down to our Rabbis, as follows:] Here, it says לֹא תָחוֹס , “do not have pity,” and later, in the case of conspiring witnesses (Deut. 19:21), the same expression, לֹא תָחוֹס , is used. [And our Rabbis taught that these verses have a contextual connection:] Just as there, in the case of the conspiring witnesses, [the literal expressions in the verse refer to] monetary compensation (see Rashi on that verse), so too, here, [the expression “You must cut off her hand” refers to] monetary compensation.-[Sifrei 25:161]

13 two different weights [This term is not to be understood literally as “stones,” but rather, it refers to specific stones, namely:] weights [used to weigh merchandise in business].

one large and one small [literally, “big and small.” This means:] the big stone “contradicts” [i.e., is inconsistent with] the small one. [That is to say, you must not have two weights which appear to be the same, but in fact, are unequal, allowing you] to purchase goods with the larger weight [thereby cheating the purchaser], and to sell with the smaller one [thereby cheating the buyer].-[Sifrei 25:162]

14 You shall not keep Heb. לֹא־יִהְיֶה לְךָ , literally, “You will not have.” That is, the verse literally reads: “If you keep... two different weights, you will not have.” This teaches us that] if you do this, You will not have anything! -[Sifrei 25:162] [However,]

15 you shall have a full and honest weight [Literally, “If you keep a full and honest weight, you will have.” That is to say,] if you do this, you will have much.-[Sifrei 25:162]

17 You shall remember what [Amalek] did to you [The juxtaposition of these passages teaches us that] if you use fraudulent measures and weights, you should be worried about provocation from the enemy, as it is said: “Deceitful scales are an abomination of the Lord” (Prov. 11:1), after which the [next] verse continues, “When willful wickedness comes, then comes disgrace.” [That is, after you intentionally sin by using deceitful scales, the enemy will come to provoke you into war, and this will be a disgraceful matter to you].-[Tanchuma 8]

18 how he happened upon you on the way Heb. קָרְךָ , an expression denoting a chance occurrence (מִקְרֶה) . -[Sifrei 25:167] Alternatively, an expression denoting seminal emission (קֶרִי) and defilement, because Amalek defiled the Jews by [committing] homosexual acts [with them].-[Tanchuma 9] Yet another explanation: an expression denoting heat and cold (קוֹר) . He cooled you off and made you [appear] tepid, after you were boiling hot, for the nations were afraid to fight with you, [just as people are afraid to touch something boiling hot]. But this one, [i.e., Amalek] came forward and started and showed the way to others. This can be compared to a bathtub of boiling water into which no living creature could descend. Along came an irresponsible man and jumped headlong into it! Although he scalded himself, he [succeeded to] make others think that it was cooler [than it really was].-[Tanchuma 9]

and cut off [The word וַיְזַנֵּב is derived from the word זָנָב , meaning “tail.” Thus, the verse means: Amalek] “cut off the tail.” This refers to the fact that Amalek cut off the members [of the male Jews,] where they had been circumcised, and cast them up [provocatively] towards Heaven [exclaiming to God: “You see! What good has Your commandment of circumcision done for them?”]-[Tanchuma 9]

all the stragglers at your rear Those who lacked strength on account of their transgression. [And because these Jews had sinned,] the cloud [of glory] had expelled them [thereby leaving them vulnerable to Amalek’s further attack]. -[Tanchuma 10]

you were faint and weary faint from thirst, as it is written, “The people thirsted there for water” (Exod. 17:3), and [immediately] afterwards it says, “Amalek came [and fought with Israel]” (verse 17:8). -[Tanchuma 10]

and weary from the journey. -[Tanchuma 10]

He did not fear [God] i.e., Amalek did not fear God [so as to refrain] from doing you harm.-[Sifrei 25:167]

19 you shall obliterate the remembrance of Amalek Both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep [camel and donkey] (God’s command to King Saul: see I Sam. 15: 3), so that the name of Amalek should never again be mentioned (נִזְכָּר) , from the word (זֵכֶר) , even regarding an animal, to say: “This animal was from Amalek.”-[Midrash Lekach Tov]

Pisqa Three

Remember [what the Amalekites did to you on your way out of Egypt, how they met you on the road when you were faint and weary and cut off your rear, which was lagging behind exhausted; they showed no fear of God. When the Lord your God gives you peace from your enemies on every side, in the land which he is giving you to occupy as your patrimony, you shall not fail to blot out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven] (Deut. 25:17-19).

III:I

“Remember [what the Amalekites did to you on your way out of Egypt, how they met you on the road when you were faint and weary and cut off your rear, which was lagging behind exhausted; they showed no fear of God. When the Lord your God gives you peace from your enemies on every side, in the land which he is giving you to occupy as your patrimony, you shall not fail to blot out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven]” (Deut. 25:17-19). “May the sins of his forefathers be remembered [and his mother’s wickedness/lawlessness never be wiped out! May they remain on record before the Lord but may He extinguish their name from the earth]” (Ps. 109:14-15). [Since Ps. 109:17 refers to one’s not delighting in the blessing, and since, as we shall see, Amalek is identified with Esau, we assume that the cited passage refers to Esau, who rejected the birthright, and so ask:] now were the forebears of Esau wicked/lawless? Were they not utterly righteous/generous? Abraham, after all, was his grandfather, Isaac his father, and yet you say, May the sins of his forefathers be remembered! But [the sense is,] the sin that he committed was against his forefathers. And what is the sin that he committed against his forefathers? You find that Isaac represented Abraham. Now Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years, while Abraham lived only one hundred seventy-five years. [We shall now see that the loss of those five years to Abraham’s loss is attributed to the behavior of Esau.] R. Yudan in the name of R. Aibu, R. Phineas in the name of R. Levi: ‘In the five years that were withheld from the life of Abraham, Esau, that wicked man, committed two severe transgressions. He had sexual relations with a betrothed maiden, and he committed murder.’ [Abraham then was taken away five years earlier than he should have been, so that he would not have to witness these sins, and Isaac suffered in like manner on that same account.] That is in line with this verse: “Esau came from the field” (Gen. 25:29), and the word “field” stands only for a betrothed maiden, as it is said, “and f it is in the field that the man found the betrothed maiden” (Deut. 22:25). “And he was tired” (Gen. 25:29), and. the word tired stands only for murder, as it is said, “For my soul is tired like the soul of a murderer” (Jer. 4:31). R. Zakkai the Elder says, ‘He also had stolen.’ Said the Holy One, blessed be He, I promised Abraham, “And you will come to your fathers in peace” (Gen. 15:15). Would it be a good old age for this man to see his son’s son fornicating, murdering, and stealing? Is that good old age? It is better for that righteous/generous man to be gathered up in peace: “For your loving-kindness is better than life” (Ps. 63:4). And what is the sin that he committed against his father? He caused his eyes to weaken. On the basis of that case, they have said: ‘Whoever brings up a wicked/lawless son or a wicked/lawless disciple in the end will suffer from weak eyes.’ The case of the wicked/lawless son derives from our father, Isaac: “And when Isaac got old, his eyes grew so weak that he could not see” (Gen. 27:1). Why? Because he had raised a wicked/lawless son, Esau. The rule of the wicked/lawless disciple comes from the case of Ahiah the Shilonite: “And Ahiah the Shilonite could not see, because his eyes had grown weak on account of old age” (1 Kgs. 14:4). Why? Because he had raised a wicked/lawless disciple. And who was it? It was Jeroboam son of Nabat, who committed sin and who caused the Israelites to sin. Therefore his eyes grew dim.

What was the sin that he committed against his mother [to whom reference is made in the intersecting-verse, . ..and his mother’s wickedness never be wiped out]? R. Tanhum bar Abun and R. Judah and R. Nehemiah and rabbis: R. Judah says, When he was coming out of his mother’s womb, he cut off her uterus, so that she should not give birth again. That is in line with this verse of Scripture [in the translation of Braude and Kapstein]: “Because he pursued his brother with a sword, he destroyed the womb whence he came” (Amos 1:11). Said R. Berekhiah, You should not conclude that it was merely [adventitious, that is,] because he was coming forth from his mother’s womb, but as he was coming out of his mother’s womb, his fist was [deliberately] stretched out toward [his brother, and this was intentional]. What verse of Scripture so indicates? [In the translation of Braude and Kapstein:] “The wicked have a fist from the womb, liars go astray as soon as they are born” (Ps. 58:4). R. Nehemiah says, “He caused her not to produce the twelve tribes. For R. Huna said, Rebecca was worthy of producing all the twelve tribes, a fact indicated by this verse: And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb” (Gen. 25:23). Lo, there are two. “And two peoples will separate from your belly” (Gen. 25:23), thus four. “One people shall be stronger than the other” — so six; “the elder shall serve the younger” — eight; “And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold there were twins in her womb,” then ten; “And the first came forth. ...and after that came forth his brother...” — twelve in all.” There are those who prove the same proposition from this verse of Scripture: “If this is the way my childbearing is to go, why should I bear this” (Gen. 25:22). The word for this is composed of the letters Z and H, the numerical value of which is seven and five, respectively, thus twelve. And rabbis say, [Esau] caused her bier not to be carried out in public. You find that when Rebecca died, people said, ‘Who is going to go forth before the bier? Abraham is dead, Isaac is blind and stays at home, Jacob has fled before Esau. Will the wicked Esau be permitted to go forth before her bier?’ People will say, ‘Cursed be the teats that suckled that one.’ What did they do? They brought out her bier by night [without public display]. Said R. Yose bar Haninah, And since her bier was not carried out in public, Scripture too dealt with her death only obliquely: “Deborah, Rebecca’s nurse died. ...and was buried below Beth-el under the oak, which was called allon-bacuth [bacuth being understood to mean weeping] (Gen. 35:8).” What is the meaning of allon? R. Simeon bar Nahman in the name of R. Jonathan, It is a word in Greek, meaning, another. [Hence the sense of the name of the oak is, another weeping. The first, then, was for Rebecca. So it is only obliquely that we learn that she had died, as is made clear in the immediately-following verse of Scripture.] While Jacob was sitting and observing the lamentation for his nursemaid, news came to him about his mother: “God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram and blessed him” (Gen. 35:9). What is the blessing that he bestowed on him? R. Aha in the name of R. Jonathan, It was the blessing that is bestowed upon mourners.

Said the Holy One, His father could have paid him back with evil, his mother could have paid him back with evil, his brother [Jacob] could have paid him back with evil, his grandfather could have paid him back with evil. Now you [Israel] pay him back with evil, so will I pay him back with evil. You make mention of his name down below, and I will wipe out his name up above: May they remain on record before the Lord but may He extinguish their name from the earth. “Remember what the Amalekites did to you.”

III:II

R. Tarthum bar Hanilai opened [discourse by citing the following intersecting-verse]: “Your memorials will be like unto ashes, your eminences to eminences of clay” [New English Bible: “your pompous talk is dust and ashes, your defenses will crumble like clay”] [Braude and Kapstein, p. 46: Your acts of remembering Amalek, followed by repentance for your sins, will be like ‘ashes,’ but when you deserve visitation [for sin], visitation in ‘clay’ will be your punishment] (Job 13:12). Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Israel [with reference to the verse’s statement about memorials, that is, acts of remembering], As to those two acts of remembrance that I inscribed for you in Scripture, be meticulous about them: “Blot out the memory of Amalek” (Deut. 25:19), “For I shall certainly blot out the memory of Amalek” (Ex. 17:14). “...will be like unto ashes:” that is, are comparable to ashes. If you have acquired merit, lo, you are the children of Abraham, the one who compared himself to ashes: “For I am dust and ashes” (Gen. 18:27). And if not: “your eminences to eminences of clay,” that is, prepare yourselves for the subjugation of Egypt. For what is written with respect to Egypt: “They embittered their lives with hard work in clay” (Ex. 1:14).

III:III

R. Judah in the name of R. Aibu opened discourse by citing the following verse of Scripture: Do not behave like horse or mule, unreasoning creatures, whose course must be checked with bit and bridle. [Many are the torments of the ungodly; but unfailing love enfolds him who trusts in the Lord] (Ps. 32:9-10). Six matters have been stated with reference to a horse: it eats a lot, excretes a little, loves fornication, loves war, despises sleep, and displays arrogance. And some say, “In battle it also kills its owner.” Do not behave like horse: as to a horse, when you bridle it, it kicks, when you pat it, it kicks, when you ornament it, it kicks, when you feed it barley, it kicks If you do not get near it, it kicks. You should not be like that. Rather, be conscientious about responding to good with good, and responding to evil with evil. Paying back good with good: “You will not abominate the Edomites” (Deut. 23:8). Paying back evil with evil: “Remember what Amalek did to you” (Deut. 25:17).

III:IV

R. Banai in the name of R. Huna commenced discourse by citing the following verse: “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord [but a just weight is his delight. When pride comes, then comes disgrace] (Prov. 11:1-2).” Said R. Banai in the name of R. Huna, If you have seen a generation, the measures of which are perverted, know that the government is going to come and declare war against that generation. What verse of Scripture so indicates? “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord.” And what is written immediately following? “When pride comes, then comes disgrace” [Braude and Kapstein: “The insolent (kingdom) will come and bring humiliation (to Israel)”].

R. Berekhiah in the name of R. Abba bar Kahana, “It is written: “Will I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights” (Micah 6:11). “Will I acquit the man with wicked scales:” is it possible even to imagine that God would acquit one with perverted scales? But: “a bag of deceitful weights” [means, even in your own bag, they will remain deceitful weights].

Said R. Levi, So Moses gave an indication to Israel in the Torah: “You will not have in your bag a large stone and a small one, you will not have in your house two ephah-measures, one large, one small” (Deut. 25:13-14). If you have done so, know that the government is going to come and declare war against that generation. What verse of Scripture so indicates? “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord.” And what is written immediately following [Deut. 25:13-14]? “Remember what Amalek did to you” (Deut. 25:17).

III:V

R. Levi commenced discourse by citing the following verse of Scripture: “You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked/lawless, You have blotted out their name forever and ever (Ps. 9:5): “You have rebuked the nations” refers to Amalek, concerning whom it is written: “Amalek was the first of the gentiles” (Num. 24:20). “...You have destroyed the wicked/lawless,” refers to the wicked/lawless Esau, concerning whom it is written, “Edom will be called the border of wickedness/lawlessness” (Mal. 1:4). If one would say to you, even Jacob is covered by that statement, say to him, “You have destroyed the wicked/lawless,” [which cannot possibly speak of Jacob, for] what is written is not wicked/lawless ones, in the plural, but the wicked/lawless one, in the singular, which refers to the wicked/lawless Esau. “...You have blotted out their name forever and ever:” [this speaks of Amalek, as it is said,] “Blot out the remembrance of Amalek” (Deut. 25:17).

III: VI

“Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted You, O Lord (Ps. 79:12): R. Judah bar Guria said, Let what they did to us in respect to the circumcision, which was assigned to the bosom of Abraham, be remembered against them. This accords with that which R. Hinenah bar Silqah, R. Joshua of Silchnin, and R. Levi in the name of R. Yohanan said, What were the members of the household of Amalek doing? They cut off the circumcised penises of the Israelites and tossing them upward, saying. ‘Is this what you have chosen? Here is what you have chosen!’

And R. Joshua b. Levi: Let what they did to us with respect to the Torah be remembered against them. For concerning the Torah it is written: “It is refined seven times” (Ps. 12:7). So: “Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted You, O Lord” (Ps. 79:12).

Rabbis say, Let what they did to us with regard to the sanctuary, which is set in the bosom of the world, be remembered against them [for they razed the Temple to its foundations, which are at the bosom of the earth (Braude and Kapstein, p. 48). For R. Huna said, From the bottom of the ground (bosom of the earth, to the lower settle will be two cubits” (Ez. 43:14).

Now Samuel came along and paid them back: “Samuel cut Agag apart before the Lord in Gilgal” (1 Sam. 15:33). What did he do to him? R. Abba bar Kahana said, He chopped off his flesh in small bits, the size of an olive’s bulk, and fed it to the ostriches: “Pieces of his body will be devoured, yes, the firstborn of death shall devour pieces of his flesh” (Job 18:13). He chose for him a bitter form of death. And rabbis say, He set up four stakes in the ground and tied him on them. [Agag] was saying, “Surely the most bitter of deaths is at hand” (1 Sam. 15:32). Do people put princes to death in such a way, with so harsh a form of death?

R. Samuel bar Abidimi said, They judged him in accord with the law of the nations of the world, that is, without appropriately cross-examined testimony of witnesses, and without an admonition in advance. R. Isaac said, They castrated him: Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women” (1 Sam. 15:33), reading the word for mother as if the letters meant penis, hence, the penis of that man [shall not produce children].

Said R. Levi, So in the Torah Moses gave an indication of the same matter to Israel: When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, then you shall cut off her hand; your eye shall have no pity (Deut. 25:11-12). What is written thereafter: “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt” (Deut. 25:17).

III: VII

“Remember [what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt]” (Deut. 25:17): Said R. Berekhiah, You say to us, “Remember!” You do the remembering. For we are often forgetful, but You, who are never forgetful, You are the one to do the remembering “of what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt” (Deut. 25:17).

“[Remember] what [Amalek] did to you [on the way as you came out of Egypt]” (Deut. 25:17): Said R. Isaac, Did he do it to us and not to You? “Remember, O Lord, against the children of Edom, the day of Jerusalem [the day they said, raze it, raze it]” (Ps. 137:7).

“[Remember, O Lord, against the children of Edom, the day of Jerusalem the day they said,] raze it, raze it” (Ps. 137:7): R. Abba bar Kahana said, The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “raze it” follows the sense of the same word as it occurs in the following verse: “The broad walls of Babylon will be utterly razed” (Jer. 51:58). R. Levi said, The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “raze it” should be rendered as “empty it, empty it,” for it follows the sense of the same word as it occurs in the following verse: “She hastened and emptied her pitcher into the trough” (Gen. 24:20). In the view of R. Abba bar Kahana, who holds that the word means “raze it, raze it,” the sense is that they went down to the very foundations, to the base. In the view of R. Levi, who holds that the word means, “empty it out, empty it out,” the sense is that they cut away the foundations, taking them away.

III: VIII

“[Remember what] the Amalekites [did to you on your way out of Egypt, how they met you on the road when you were faint and weary and cut off your rear, which was lagging behind exhausted; they showed no fear of God. When the Lord your God gives you peace from your enemies on every side, in the land which he is giving you to occupy as your patrimony, you shall not fail to blot out the memory of the Amalekires from under heaven]” (Deut. 25:17-19): The word for “Amalek” is to be divided into two components, bearing the meanings “am” = people, and “yeleq,” = locust. It flew down like the zahla-locust. Another interpretation: the nation of Amalek came down to lick up the blood of Israel like a dog.

R. Levi in the name of R. Simeon b. Halapta: To what may Amalek be compared? To a fly that was lusting for an open wound. So Amalek was lusting after Israel like a dog.

It was taught in the name of R. Nathan, Four hundred parasangs did Amalek leap in coming to make war against Israel at Rephidim.

III:IX

“Remember [what the Amalekites did to you] on your way out of Egypt, how they me: you on the road when you were faint and weary and cut off your rear, which was lagging behind exhausted; they showed no fear of God. When the Lord your God gives you peace from your enemies on every side, in the land which he is giving you to occupy as your patrimony, you shall not fail to blot out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven]” (Deut. 25:17-19): Said R. Levi, They came against you on the way like highwaymen. The matter may be compared to the case of a king who had a vineyard, and he surrounded it with a wall and the king put in the vineyard a vicious dog. Said the king, The dog will bite anyone who comes and breaks through the wall. Then the son of the king came along and broke through the wall, and the dog bit him. Whenever the king wanted to remind the son about the sin that he had committed in the vineyard, he said to him, Remember how the dog bit you. So whenever the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to remind the Israelites of the sin that they had committed in Rephidim, saying, “Whether God is in our midst or not” (Ex. 17:7), He says to them, “Remember what Amalek did to you” (Deut. 25:17).

III:X

III:XI

“Remember (what the Amalekites did to you on your way out of Egypt, how they met you on the road when you were faint and weary] and cut off your rear, which was lagging behind exhausted; they showed no fear of God. When the Lord your God gives you peace from your enemies on every side, in the land which he is giving you to occupy as your patrimony, you shall not fail to blot out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven]” (Deut. 25:17-19): [The word, “how he cut off your rear,” means] how we smote you with a blow to the “tail” [penis]. This accords with that which R. Hinenah bar Silqah, R. Joshua of Sikhnin, and R. Levi in the name of R. Yohanan said, What were the members of the household of Amalek doing? They cut off the circumcised penises of the Israelites and tossing them upward, saying, ‘Is this what you have chosen? Here is what you have chosen!’ For the Israelites did not know about the character of the “branch”: Lo, they put the branch to their nose (Ez. 8:17). When Amalek came along, he taught it to them. From whom had he learned it? From our forefather Esau: “Is he not rightly named Jacob” (Gen. 27:36). He cleared his throat and produced the “branch” [penis, as a gesture of disrespect].

III:XII

Another interpretation of the clause: “... [when you were faint and weary and cut off your rear,] which was lagging behind exhausted:” Said R. Isaac, All those who were whispering in Your rear [against You, that is, against God, as will now be spelled out].

R. Judah, R. Nehemiah, and Rabbis: R. Judah said, They said, ‘If He is the lord of all His works as He is lord over us, we will worship Him, and if not, we will rebel against Him.’ R. Nehemiah said, They said, ‘If He provides our food the way a king does in his capital, so that the city lacks nothing, we shall worship Him, and if not, we shall rebel against Him.’ And rabbis say, They said, ‘If we reflect in our hearts and He knows what we are thinking, we shall serve Him, and if not, we shall rebel against Him.’

R. Berekhiah in the name of R. Levi: In their hearts they would reflect, and the Holy One would give them what they wanted. What verse of Scripture shows it? “And in their hearts they tested God, asking food for their soul” (Ps. 78:18). What then is written there? “And they ate and were most sated because He brought them what they craved” (Ps. 78:29).

III:XIII

“Remember [what the Amalekites did to you on your way out of Egypt, how they met you on the road] when you were faint and weary [and cut off your rear, which was lagging behind exhausted; they showed no fear of God. When the Lord your God gives you peace from your enemies on every side, in the land which he is giving you to occupy as your patrimony, you shall not fail to blot out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven]” (Deut. 25:17-19): “faint:” from thirst. “and weary:” from the journey.

“they showed no fear of God:” R. Phineas in the name of R. Samuel bar Nahman, There is a tradition concerning the narrative that the seed of Esau will fall only by the hand of the sons of Rachel. “Surely the youngest of the flock shall drag them” (Jer. 49:20). Why does he refer to them as “the youngest of the flock”? Because they were the youngest of all the tribes. [Now we shall see the connection to the downfall of Esau=Amalek=Rome:] This one is called “a youth,” and that one is called “young.” This one is called “a youth:” “And he was a youth” (Gen. 37:2). And that one is called “young:” “Lo, I have made you the youngest among the nations” (Ob. 1:2). This one [Esaul grew up between two righteous/generous men and did not act like them, and that one [Joseph] grew up between two wicked/lawless men and did not act like them. Let this one come and fall by the hand of the other. This one showed concern for the honor owing to his master, and that one treated with disdain the honor owning to his master. Let this one come and fall by the hand of the other. In connection with this one it is written, “And he did not fear God” (Deut. 25:18), and in connection with that one it is written, “And I fear God” (Gen. 42:18). Let this one come and fall by the hand of that one.

III:XIV

“...When the Lord your God gives you peace from your enemies on every side, in the land which he is giving you to occupy as your patrimony, you shall not fail to blot out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven” (Deut. 25:17-19): R. Azariah, R. Judah bar Simon in the name of R. Judah bar Ilai: When the Israelites entered the Land, they were commanded in three matters: to appoint a king, to build the chosen house, “And they shall make me a sanctuary” (Ex. 25:8), and to wipe out the memory of Amalek.

III:XV

R. Joshua b. Levi in the name of R. Alexandri: One verse of Scripture says, “You will not fail to blot out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven” (Deut. 25:17-19), and another verse of Scripture says, “For I will surely wipe out the memory of Amalek” (Ex. 17:14). How can both verses be carried out? [Either Israel will do it or God will do it.] Before Amalek laid his hand on God’s throne [with reference to And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord is My banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord. The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Ex. 17:15-16)], “You will not fail to blot out the memory of the Amalekites.” Alter he had laid hands on God’s throne, For “I will surely wipe out the memory of Amalek” [God is victim of Amalek, as much as Israel is.] Now is it really possible for a mortal to lay hands on the throne of the Holy One, blessed be He? But because he was going to destroy Jerusalem, concerning which it is written, “At that time Jerusalem will be called the throne of the Lord” (Jer. 50:17), therefore: “For I will surely wipe out the memory of Amalek” (Ex. 17:14).

III:XVI

“[And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord is my banner,] saying, A hand upon the throne of the Lord. The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Ex. 17:15-16): It was taught in the name of R. Ilai: The Holy One, blessed be He, took an oath: ‘By my right hand, by my right hand, by my throne, by my throne, if proselytes come from any of the nations of the world, I will accept them, but if they come from the seed of Amalek I will never accept them.’ And so was the case with David: “And David said to the youth who told him [that Saul and Jonathan had died], Where do you come from? And he said, I am the son of an Amalekite convert” (2 Sam. 1:13). Said R. Isaac, He was Doeg the Edomite. “And David said to him, Your blood be upon your own head” (2 Sam. 1:16). Said R. Isaac, What is written is, “your bloods,” meaning, he said to him, ‘You [Doeg] have shed much blood in Nob, city of the priests.’

“...from generation to generation” (Ex. 17:15-16): Said the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘From one generation to the next I am after him, for generations.’

R. Eliezer, R. Joshua, and R. Yose: R. Eliezer says, It was from the generation of Moses to the generation of Samuel [but not beyond that point]. R. Joshua says, It was from the generation of Samuel to the generation of Mordecai and Esther. R. Yose says, ‘It was from the generation of Mordecai and Esther to the generation of the Messiah-King, which is three generations.’ And how do we know that to the generation of the Messiah-King it is three generations? As it is written, “They will fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, a generation, generations” (Ps. 72:5). A generation — one, then generations — two, lo, three in all.

R. Berekhiah in the name of R. Abba bar Kahana: So long as the seed of Amalek endures in the world, it is as if a wing covers the face [of God]. When the seed of Amakk perishes from the world, Your teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your teacher (Is. 30:20).

R. Levi in the name of R. Huna bar Hanina: So long as the seed of Amalek endures in the world, the Name of God is not whole, and the throne is not whole. When the seed of Amalek perishes from the world, the Name of God is whole, and the throne is whole. What verse of Scripture indicates it? “The enemy have vanished in everlasting ruins, their cities you have rooted out, the very memory of them has perished” (Ps. 9:6). What is written immediately therefore: “But the Lord sits enthroned for ever, He has established His throne for judgment, [and He judges the world with righteousness/generosity, He judges the peoples with equity]” (Ps. 9:7-8).

Ketubim: Targum Tehillim (Psalms) 2:1-12

Rashi	TARGUM
1. Why have the Gentiles gathered and [why do] kingdoms think vain things?	1. Why are the Gentiles disturbed, and the nations murmuring vanity?
2. Kings of a land stand up, and nobles take counsel together against the LORD and against His Messiah?	2. The kings of the earth arise and the rulers will join together to rebel in the LORD’s presence, and to strive against His Anointed (Messiah).
3. “Let us break their bands and cast off their cords from us.”	3. They say, “Let us break their bonds, and let us throw off their chains from us.”
4. He Who dwells in Heaven laughs; the LORD mocks them.	4. The one who sits in heaven will laugh; the Word of the LORD will mock at them.
5. Then He speaks to them in His wrath; and He frightens them with His sore displeasure.	5. Then He will speak to them in his strength, and in His wrath he will frighten them.
6. "But I have enthroned My king on Zion, My holy mount."	6. I have anointed my king, and appointed him over My sanctuary.
7. I will tell of the decree; The LORD said to me, “You are My son; this day have I begotten you.	7. I will tell of the covenant of the LORD. He said: “You are as dear to me as a son to a father (abba), pure as if this day I had created you.”
8. Request of Me, and I will make the Gentiles your inheritance, and the ends of the earth your possession.	8. Ask me and I will give the riches of the Gentiles as your inheritance, the rulers of the ends of the earth as your holding.
9. You will break them with an iron rod; like a potter's vessel you shall shatter them.”	9. You will shatter them as with a rod of iron, like a potter’s vessel you will break them.
10. And now, [you] kings, be wise; be admonished, [you] judges of the earth.	10. And now, O kings, grow wise; accept discipline, O princes of the earth.
11. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.	11. Worship in the presence of the LORD with fear, and pray with trembling.
12. Arm yourselves with purity lest He become angry and you perish in the way, for in a moment His wrath will be kindled; the praises of all who take refuge in Him.	12. Accept instruction lest He be angry, and you lose your way; for His wrath will tarry a little. Happy all who trust in His Word!

Rashi Commentary for: Psalm 2:1-12

1 Why have nations gathered Our Sages (Ber. 7b) expounded the passage as referring to the King Messiah, but according to its apparent meaning, it is proper to interpret it as referring to David himself, as the matter is stated (II Sam. 5:17): “And the Philistines heard that they had anointed David as king over Israel, and all the Philistines went up to seek, etc.,” and they fell into his hands. Concerning them, he says, “Why have nations gathered,” and they all gathered.

and kingdoms think vain things in their heart.

and kingdoms Heb. וּלְאֻמִּים. Menachem interprets לְאֻמִּים, אמות, and גוֹיִם as all closely related.

2 Kings of a land stand up and nobles take counsel, etc. Heb. רוֹזְנִים, senors (seigneurs) in Old French, lords.

take counsel Heb. נוֹסְדוּ, an expression of counsel (סוד), furt konsilez in Old French (furent conseilles), they hold counsel (see below 55:15). And what is the counsel?

3 Let us break their bands Deronproms lor koyongles in Old French (as in Jer. 27:2). These are the bands with which the yoke is tied.

their cords Heb. עֲבֹתֵימוֹ, lor kordes (leur cordes) in Old French.

4 laughs...mocks...speaks They are meant as the present tense.

5 Then He speaks to them Heb. אֵלֵימוֹ, like אליהם. And what is the speech?

6 But I have enthroned My king Why have you gathered together? I have appointed this one for Me to govern and to reign on Zion, My holy mount.

7 I will tell of the decree Said David, “This is an established decree, and [one] that I have received to tell this and to make known.”

The Lord said to me through Nathan, Gad, and Samuel.

You are My son The head over Israel, who are called “My firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22). And they will endure through you, as is stated concerning Abner (II Sam. 3:18): “for God said, etc., ‘By the hand of My bondsman David will I deliver ... Israel.’” And for their sake, you are before Me as a son because they are all dependent upon you.

this day have I for I have enthroned you over them.

begotten you to be called My son and to be beloved to Me as a son for their sake, as it is stated (II Sam. 7:14) concerning Solomon: “I will be to him a father, and he will be to Me a son.” We find further concerning David (Ps. 89:27) “He will call Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’”

8 Request of Me Pray to Me whenever you come to battle your enemies.

9 You will break them Heb. תְּרֹעֵם.

with an iron rod That is the sword.

you will shatter them Heb. תְּנַפְּצֵם, you will break them, and that is the expression of נפוץ throughout the Scriptures, a potsherd that is broken into fine pieces.

10 And now, [you] kings, be wise The Jewish prophets are merciful people. They reprove the heathens to turn away from their evil, for the Holy One, blessed be He, extends His hand to the wicked/Lawless and to the righteous/generous.

11 and rejoice with quaking When the quaking, about which it is written (Isa. 33:14): “Trembling seized the flatterers,” comes, you will rejoice and be happy if you have served the LORD.

12 Arm yourselves with purity Arm yourselves with purity of the heart. Some explain נַשְּׁקוּ as garnimont in Old French, equipping. (This is from the verb, garnir. Garnimont means to provide, as in Gen. 41:40). Menachem (p. 179) interprets it as an expression of desire, as (in Gen. 3:16): “Your longing (תְּשׁוּקָתֵךְ) will be for your husband.”

lest He become angry Heb. יֶאֱנַף, lest He become angry.

and you perish in the way Like the matter that is stated (above 1:16): “but the way of the wicked/Lawless will perish.”

for in a moment His wrath will be kindled For in a short moment His wrath will suddenly be kindled against them, and at that time, the praises of all those who take refuge in Him will be discerned, the praises of all who take refuge in Him.

Ashlamatah: I Samuel 15:1-34

1 And Samuel said unto Saul: 'The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over His people, over Israel; now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. {S}

2 Thus says the LORD of hosts: I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt.

3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.' {S}

4 And Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

5 And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.

6 And Saul said unto the Kenites: 'Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt.' So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

7 And Saul smote the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, that is in front of Egypt.

8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, even the young of the second birth, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but every thing that was of no account and feeble, that they destroyed utterly. {P}

10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying:

11 'It repents Me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he is turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.' And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and it was told Samuel, saying: 'Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he is setting him up a monument, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.'

13 And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said unto him: 'Blessed be you of the LORD; I have performed the commandment of the LORD.'

14 And Samuel said: 'What means then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?'

15 And Saul said: 'They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.' {P}

16 Then Samuel said unto Saul: 'Stay, and I will tell you what the LORD has said to me this night.' And he said unto him: 'Say on.' {S}

17 And Samuel said: 'Though you be little in your own sight, art you not head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel;

18 and the LORD sent you on a journey, and said: Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

19 Wherefore then did you not hearken to the voice of the LORD, but did fly upon the spoil, and did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD?' {S}

20 And Saul said unto Samuel: 'Yes, I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice unto the LORD your God in Gilgal.' {S}

22 And Samuel said: 'Has the LORD as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in hearkening to the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.' {S}

24 And Saul said unto Samuel: 'I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and your words; because I feared the people, and hearkened to their voice.

25 Now therefore, I pray, pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD.'

26 And Samuel said unto Saul: 'I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.' {S}

27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his robe, and it rent. {S}

28 And Samuel said unto him: 'The LORD has rent the kingdom of Israel from you this day, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, that is better than you. {S}

29 And also the Glory of Israel will not lie nor repent; for He is not a man, that He should repent.'

30 Then he said: 'I have sinned; yet honor me now, I pray, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD your God.'

31 So Samuel returned after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD. {S}

32 Then said Samuel: 'Bring hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.' And Agag came unto him in chains. And Agag said: 'Surely the bitterness of death is at hand.' {S}

33 And Samuel said: As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. {S}

34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeath-shaul.

35 And Samuel never beheld Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel mourned for Saul; and the LORD repented that He had made Saul king over Israel. {P}

Revelation 13:11 – 14:12, 15:1-4

11. ¶ And I saw another beast coming up out of the land, and it had two horns, like a lamb, and it was speaking as a dragon,

12. And all the authority of the first beast does it do before it, and it makes the land and those dwelling in it that they will bow before the first beast, whose deadly stroke was healed,

13. And it does great signs, that fire also it may make to come down from the heaven to the earth before men,

14. And it leads astray those dwelling on the land, because of the signs that were given it to do before the beast, saying to those dwelling upon the land to make an image to the beast that has the stroke of the sword and did live,

15. And there was given to it to give a spirit to the image of the beast, that also the image of the beast may speak, and that it may cause as many as will not bow before the image of the beast, that they may be killed.

16. And it makes all, the small, and the great, and the rich, and the poor, and the freemen, and the servants, that it may give to them a mark upon their right hand or upon their foreheads,

17. And that no one may be able to buy, or to sell, except he who is having the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18. Here is the wisdom! He who is having the understanding, let him count the number of the beast, for the number of a man it is, and its number is six hundred and sixty six.

1. ¶ And I saw, and lo, a Lamb having stood upon the mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty-four thousands, having the name of his Father written upon their foreheads;

2. And I heard a voice out of the heaven, as a voice of many waters, and as a voice of great thunder, and a voice I heard of harpers harping with their harps,

3. And they sing, as it were, a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures, and the elders, and no one was able to learn the song except the hundred forty-four thousands, who have been bought from the earth;

4. These are they who with women were not defiled, for they are virgin; these are they who are following the Lamb whithersoever he may go; these were bought from among men--a first-fruit to God and to the Lamb--

5. And in their mouth there was not found guile, for unblemished are they before the throne of God.

6. ¶ And I saw another messenger flying in mid-heaven, having good news eternal to proclaim to those dwelling upon the earth, and to every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people,

7. Saying in a great voice, ‘Fear God, and give to Him glory, because come did the hour of His judgment, and bow before Him who did make the heavens, and the land, and sea, and fountains of waters.’

8. And another messenger did follow, saying, ‘Fall, fall, did Babylon, the great city, because of the wine of the wrath of her prostitution she has given to all Gentiles to drink.’

9. And a third messenger did follow them, saying in a great voice, ‘If any one does bow before the beast, and his image, and does receive a mark upon his forehead, or upon his hand,

10. He also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, that has been mingled unmixed in the cup of His anger, and he will be tormented in fire and brimstone before the holy messengers, and before the Lamb,

11. And the smoke of their torment does go up to eternity; and they have no rest day and night, who are bowing before the beast and his image, also if any does receive the mark of his name.

12. Here is [the] endurance of the saints: here are those keeping the commands of God, and the faith of Yeshua.'

1. ¶ And I saw another sign in the heaven, great and wonderful, seven messengers having the seven last plagues, because in these was completed the wrath of God,

2. And I saw as a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who do gain the victory over the beast, and his image, and his mark, and the number of his name, standing by the sea of the glass, having harps of God,

3. And they sing the song of Moses, servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and wonderful are Your works, O LORD God, the Almighty, righteous/generous and true are Your ways [Halakhot], O King of saints (Tsadiqim],

4. Who may not fear You, O LORD, and glorify Your name? Because You alone are kind, because all the Gentiles will come and bow before You, because Your righteous/generous acts were manifested.’

Commentary:

For further study on this section of the Book of Revelation please see:

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

Purim – Adar 14, 5770

Saturday Evening Feb. 27 – Sunday Evening Feb. 28, 2010

Torah Reading: Exodus 17:8-16

Reader 1 – Exodus 17:8-10

Reader 2 – Exodus 17:11-13

Reader 3 – Exodus 17:14-16

The Book of Esther

For further study see: http://www.betemunah.org/esther.html; http://www.betemunah.org/allegories.html; http://www.betemunah.org/purim.html; & http://www.betemunah.org/r2r.html

Next Shabbat: Shabbat Parah

(Adar 20, 5770):

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
פָרָה אֲדֻמָּה
“Parah Adumah”	Reader 1 – B’Midbar 19:1-3	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 26:31-33
“a red heifer”	Reader 2 – B’Midbar 19:4-6	Reader 2 – Sh’mot 26:34-36
“una vaca bermeja”	Reader 3 – B’Midbar 19:7-10	Reader 3 – Sh’mot 26:35-37
B’midbar (Numbers) 19:1 – 20:13‎	Reader 4 – B’Midbar 19:11-16
Ashlamatah: Ezekiel 36:16-38‎	Reader 5 – B’Midbar 19:17-22
	Reader 6 – B’Midbar 20:1-6	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 26:31-33
Psalm 110:1-7	Reader 7 – B’Midbar 20:7-13	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 26:34-36
	Maftir – B’Midbar 20:7-13	Reader 1 – Sh’mot 26:35-37
N.C.: Bereans (Hebrews) 8:1 – 9:14‎	Ezekiel 36:16-38

Shabbat Shalom and have a happy Purim!

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

Paqid Adon Mikha ben Hillel