Esnoga Bet Emunah

227 Millset Chase - San Antonio, Texas 78253

Telephone: (210) 277 8649 - United States of America © 2007

E-Mail: gkilli@aol.com

 

Three and 1/2 year Lectionary Readings

Second Year of the Reading Cycle

Adar 6, 5767 – February 23/24, 2007

Fifth Year of the Sh’mita Cycle

 

Candle Lighting and Havdalah Times

 

San Antonio, Texas, U.S.                                            Brisbane, Australia:

Friday, Feb. 23, 2007 – Candles at: 6:11 PM                    Friday, Feb. 23, 2007 – Candles at: 6:09 PM

Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007 – Havdalah 7:05 PM                  Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007 – Havdalah 7:01 PM

 

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.                                                             Singapore, Singapore

Friday Feb. 23, 2007 – Light Candles at 6:10 PM Friday, Feb. 23, 2007 – Candles at: 7:03 PM

Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007 – Havdalah 7:07 PM                  Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007 – Havdalah 7:52 PM

 

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

 

Adar 11, 5767 – Feb. 28/March 1- Fast of Esther

Next Shabbat: Shabbat Zachor – Remembering Amalek

 

Shabbat

Torah Reading:

Weekday Torah Reading:

תּוֹרַת הַמְּצֹרָע

 

 

“Torat HaM’tsora”

Reader 1 – Vayikra 14:1-4

Reader 1 – Vayikra 14:33-35

“Law of the leper”

Reader 2 – Vayikra 14:5-8

Reader 2 – Vayikra 14:36-38

“la ley del leproso”

Reader 3 – Vayikra 14:9-11

Reader 3 – Vayikra 14:39-41

Vayikra (Lev.) 14:1-32

Reader 4 – Vayikra 14:12-16

 

Ashlamatah: Isaiah 57:17-19 + 58:8-14

Reader 5 – Vayikra 14:17-20

 

 

Reader 6 – Vayikra 14:21-23

Reader 1 – Vayikra 14:33-35

Psalms 78:40-55

Reader 7 – Vayikra 14:24-32

Reader 2 – Vayikra 14:36-38

 

      Maftir – Vayikra 14:30-32

Reader 3 – Vayikra 14:39-41

N.C.: Matityahu 13:47-58

                   Isaiah 57:17-19 + 58:8-14

 

 

 

Roll of Honor:

 

This Torah commentary comes to you courtesy of His Honor Paqid Adon Hillel ben David and most beloved family, and that of Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah and beloved family, as well as that of His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann and beloved family and that of His Excellency Adon John Batchelor and beloved wife, and that of His Excellency Adon Ezra ben Abraham and his beloved wife Giberet Karmela 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, amen ve amen! Also a great thank you to all who send comments to the list about the contents and commentary of the weekly Seder.

 

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 ravybh@optusnet.com.au with your E-Mail or the E-Mail addresses of your friends. Toda Rabba!

 

 

 

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Vayikra (Lev.) 14:1-32

 

RASHI

TARGUM PSEUDO JONATHAN

1 ¶ And Adonai spoke to Moshe, saying:

1 And the Lord spoke with Mosheh, saying,

2 This will be the law regarding the person with tzara'at on the day of his purification, he will be brought to the kohen.

2 This shall be the law for the leper: on the day of his purification he will be brought to the priest.

3 The kohen will go out beyond the encampment. The kohen will see; and behold! the skin-eruption of tzara'at has healed from the person with tzara'at.

3 And the priest will go forth out of the camp, and look, and behold, the leper has been healed of his leprosy.

4 The kohen will command to take for the person undergoing purification two live, pure [kosher] birds, cedar wood, crimson thread and hyssop.

4 Then the priest will direct that he who is to be cleansed take two birds, alive and clean, and wood of the cedar, and scarlet (wool), and hyssop.

5 The kohen will command to slaughter the one bird in an earthenware vessel, over running water.

5 And the priest will instruct the killer to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel with spring water.

6 [As for] the living bird, he will take it; and the cedar wood, the crimson thread and the hyssop and immerse them and the live bird in the blood of the slaughtered bird, over the running water.

6 Let him take the living bird with the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that had been killed, and in the spring water.

7 He will sprinkle on the person undergoing purification from the tzara'at, seven times and make him pure; and send the live bird into the open field.

7 And let him sprinkle it upon the face of him who is to be cleansed of the leprosy seven times, and cleanse him; and send forth. the living bird over the face of the field. And it will be that if that man is again to be stricken with leprosy, the living bird will come back to his house on that day, and may be held fit to be eaten. But the bird that had been killed the priest will bury in the presence of the leper.

8 The person undergoing purification will wash his garments, and shave off all of his hair, and bathe in water, and he will become purified. After [this], he may come into the encampment. He must remain, outside of his tent, for seven days.

8 And he who is cleansed will wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, and be clean; and afterward he may enter the camp, but will dwell without his tent, the house of his habitation, and come not to the side of his wife for seven days.

9 It will be, that on the seventh day, he will shave off all of his hair, [that of] his head, his beard and his eyebrows; he will shave off all of his hair. He will wash his garments, and bathe his body in water and become purified.

9 And on the seventh day he will again shave off all the hair of his head, of the beard, and of the eyebrows, even all his hair will he shave, and dip his clothes, and wash his flesh in water, and he is clean.

10 On the eighth day, he will take two unblemished lambs and one ewe in her first year, unblemished, and three tenths fine flour, for a meal-offering, mixed with oil and one log of oil.

10 And on the eighth day let him take two lambs unblemished, and one ewe lamb of the year unblemished; and three‑tenths of flour for the mincha mingled with olive oil, and one log of olive oil.

11 The kohen doing the purification, will place the man undergoing the purification and the [aforementioned] items, before Adonai, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

11 And the priest who purifies the man who is to be cleansed will make him stand with the lambs before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of ordinance.

12 The kohen will take one lamb and bring it as a guilt-offering, and (with) the log of oil and wave them as a wave-offering before Adonai.

12 And the priest will take one lamb, and offer him as an oblation for trespass, with the log of oil, and uplift them all elevation before the Lord.

13 He will slaughter the lamb in the place where he slaughters the sin-offering and the burnt-offering, in the sacred place; for, just as the sin-offering--- is the guilt-offering; it belongs to the kohen, it is most holy.

13 And the slayer will kill the lamb in the place where the sin offering is killed, and the burnt offering, in the holy place; because, as the sin offering, so the trespass offering is the priest's; it is most sacred.

14 The kohen will take from the blood of the guilt-offering and the kohen will put it on the middle ridge of the right ear of the person being purified, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

14 And the priest will take of the blood of the trespass offering, and will put it upon the middle point of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and upon the middle joint of his right hand, and on the middle joint of his right foot.

15 The kohen will take from the log of the oil and he will pour it onto the kohen's left palm.

15 And the priest, with his right hand, will take (some) from the log of oil, and pour it upon the priest's left hand;

16 The kohen will immerse his right finger in some of the oil that is on his left palm and he will sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before Adonai.

16 and the priest will dip his right hand finger in the oil which is in his left hand, and sprinkle the oil with his finger seven times.

17 From the remaining oil that is on his palm, the kohen will put on the middle ridge of the right ear of the person being purified, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot; on [over] the blood of the guilt-offering.

17 And of what remains of the oil that is in his hand the priest will put some upon the cartilage of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and upon the middle finger of his right hand, and on the middle toe of his right foot upon the spot whereon he had first put the blood of the trespass offering.

18 Whatever oil remains that is on the palm of the kohen, he will put on the head of the person undergoing purification. The kohen will atone for him before Adonai.

18 And that which yet remains of the oil that is in the priest's hand he will put upon the head of him who is to be cleansed, and the priest will make atonement for him before the Lord.

19 The kohen will do (offer) the sin-offering and atone for the person undergoing purification from his impurity and afterwards he will slaughter the burnt-offering.

19 And the priest will perform the oblation of the sin offering, and make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his defilement; and afterwards will he kill the burnt offering.

20 The kohen will raise up the burnt-offering and the meal-offering onto the altar and the kohen will atone for him and he will be purified.

20 And the priest will offer the burnt offering with the mincha at the altar, and the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be clean.

 

 

21 ¶ If he is poor and his means are not sufficient, he will take one lamb as a guilt-offering, for a wave-offering to atone for him and one tenth fine flour mixed with oil, as a meal-offering and a log of oil.

21 But if he be a poor man, and his hand have not sufficiency, let him take one lamb for the trespass offering to be an elevation to make atonement for him, and one tenth of flour mingled with olive oil for the mincha, and a log of olive oil.

22 And two turtledoves or two young pigeons such as his means suffice. One will be for a sin-offering and one will be for a burnt-offering.

22 And two large turtle doves, or two young pigeons, of the sufficiency of his hand, and let one be for the sin and one for the burnt offering.

23 He will bring them on the eighth day of his purification, to the kohen, to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, before Adonai.

23 And he will bring them on the eighth day for his purification unto the priest, at the door of the tabernacle of ordinance.

24 The kohen will take the guilt-offering sheep and the log of oil and the kohen will wave them as a wave-offering before Adonai.

24 And the priest will take the lamb for the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and uplift them, an elevation before the Lord.

25 He will slaughter the guilt-offering lamb. The kohen will take some blood of the guilt-offering and put it on the middle ridge of the right ear of the person undergoing purification, and on the thumb of his right hand and the big toe of his right foot.

25 And the slayer will kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest will take the blood of the trespass offering, and. put it upon the middle cartilage of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the middle joint of his right hand, and on the middle joint of his right foot.

26 The kohen will pour some of the oil onto the kohen's left palm.

26 And the priest will pour some of the oil with his right hand into the priest's left hand,

27 The kohein will sprinkle, with his right finger, some of the oil that is on his left palm, seven times before Adonai.

27 and the priest with the finger of his right hand will sprinkle of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the Lord.

28 The kohen will put some of the oil that is on his palm, on the middle ridge of the right ear of the person undergoing purification, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the guilt-offering.

28 And the priest will put of the oil that is in his hand on the middle cartilage of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the middle joint of his right hand, and on the middle joint of his right foot, upon the spot whereon he first put the blood of the trespass offering.

29 What remains of the oil that is on the palm of the kohen, he will put on the head of the person undergoing purification, to achieve his atonement before Adonai.

29 And what remains of the oil that is upon the priest's hand he will put upon the head of him who is to be cleansed, to atone for him before the Lord.

30 He will do (offer) one of the turtledoves or of the young pigeons, from that which his means suffice,

30 And the priest will perform (the offering of) one of the large turtle doves, or of the pigeons of which his hand had sufficiency.

31 that for which his means are sufficient, one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering with the meal-offering. The kohen will atone for the person undergoing purification before Adonai.

31 That which his hand was sufficient to bring, let him bring, one for the sin, and one for the burnt offering, with the oblation of the mincha, and let the priest make atonement for him who is to be cleansed before the Lord.

32 This is the law of whoever has the skin-eruption of tzara'at whose means are not sufficient in his purification.

32 This is the decree of instruction for him in whom is the plague of leprosy. If there be not sufficiency in his hands to bring the greater oblations, let him bring of these oblations which are easier (and) which are here explained, on the day of his purification.

 

 

 

 

Midrash Tanhuma Vayikra (Lev.) 14:1-32

 

5.1 Leviticus 14:lff., Part I

 

(Lev. 14:2:) THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER. Let our master instruct us: How many children of Adam have no share in the world to come? Thus have our masters taught (in Sanh. 10:1—2): THESE ARE THEY WHO HAVE NO SHARE IN THE WORLD TO COME. . . . THREE KINGS AND FOUR COMMONERS HAVE NO SHARE IN THE WORLD TO COME. THE THREE KINGS ARE JEROBOAM, AHAB, AND MANASSEH. R. Judah ben Shallum the Levite said: The sages of the Mishnah wanted to teach that there were four kings and reckon Solomon with them; however, a heavenly voice (bat qol) came forth and said (in the words of Ps. 105:15): TOUCH NOT MY ANOINTED. Nevertheless they returned one day to teaching <as before>. Fire from the heavens came and destroyed their benches. <The heavenly voice> returned and said (according to Job 34:33): SHOULD HE REPAY AS YOU WOULD, WHEN YOU HAVE REFUSED? All the same, why did they so teach? Because it is written (in I Kings 11:1, 6): NOW KING SOLOMON LOVED MANY FOREIGN WIVES <....> AND SOLOMON DID WHAT WAS EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD. (Sanh. 10:2, at the end:) THE FOUR COMMONERS ARE BALAAM, DOEG, AHITHOPHEL AND GEHAZI. You find that these were condemned to Gehinnom on account of the words of their mouths. In the case of Balaam, he was driven into Gehinnom because of his speech, as stated (in Numb. 23:7): FROM ARAM HAS BALAK BROUGHT ME, THE KING OF MOAB <FROM THE HILLS OF THE EAST: COME, CURSE JACOB FOR ME. . . . >‘ <He said:> I was one of the exalted ones; I was one of the division of <the> patriarchs. BALAK BROUGHT ME (yanheni) and cast me into Gehinnom, Now BROUGHT ME (yanheni, rt.: NHH) can only imply Gehinnom, since it is stated (in Ezek. 32:18): SON OF ADAM, BRING (rt.: NHH) THE MASSES OF EGYPT AND CAST THEM DOWN ... <UNTO THE LOWEST PART OF THE NETHER WORLD ALONG WITH THOSE WHO GO DOWN TO THE PIT>. So also was Doeg banished because of his speech. When? When David fled to Nob, the city of priests {to Ahimelech}, where Ahimelech received him, Saul noticed and gathered all his servants. He said to them: A fine way you are treating me! For David does whatever he wishes, and not one of you has put a word in my ear. It is so stated (in I Sam. 22:8): IS THAT WHY ALL OF YOU HAVE CONSPIRED [AGAINST ME? FOR NO ONE IS PUTTING A WORD IN MY EAR] <WHEN MY SON IS MAKING A DEAL WITH THE SON OF JESSE> ... Doeg began to utter evil speech, as stated (in vs. 9): THEN DOEG THE EDOMITE, WHO WAS STANDING AMONG THE SERVANTS OF SAUL, <ANSWERED AND SAID: I SAW THE SON OF JESSE COME TO NOB ... > It was also by his hand that eighty-five priests who wear the ephod and the high priest Ahimelech were slain. And he smote Nob the city of priests with the edge of the sword. So also was Ahithophel banished because of his speech. Thus it is stated (in II Sam. 17:23): SO WHEN AHITHOPHEL SAW THAT HIS COUNSEL WAS NOT HEEDED ... THEN HE SET HIS HOUSE IN ORDER AND HANGED HIMSELF. Gehazi also was banished on account of his speech. When Naaman became leprous and was healed at the hands of Elisha, Naaman began to give silver, gold and gifts to Elisha, but he did not want to accept them. Now Gehazi was ministering to Elisha. He saw the silver, the gold, and the clothes; so he said (in II Kings 5:20, 21, 27): MY LORD HAS SPARED <THAT ARAMEAN> NAAMAN ... <THEN GEHAZI CHASED AFTER NAAMAN ...> THEREFORE THE LEPROSY OF NAAMAN [SHALL CLEAVE TO YOU AND TO YOUR SEED FOREVER]. Why? Because it is stated (in Deut. 13:18): AND LET NOTHING CLEAVE TO YOUR HAND OF THAT WHICH IS DEVOTED. Now Naaman and the king of Aram served idols; and it is written (in Deut. 7:26): DO NOT BRING AN ABOMINATION UNTO YOUR HOUSE ... Since you said (in II Kings 5:20): AND I WILL ACCEPT SOMETHING FROM {HIS HAND} [HIM], by your life, you shall <also> take his deformity. Thus it is stated (in vs. 27): THEREFORE THE LEPROSY OF NAAMAN SHALL CLEAVE TO YOU. R. Pedat said: The Holy One has made a covenant with the world that anyone who utters evil speech receives leprosy. Where is it shown? From what is written on the matter (in Lev. 14:2): THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER (hametsora’), <i.e.> the one who proclaims evil (hamotsi’ ra) .

 

 

5.2 Leviticus 14:lff., Part II

 

[(Lev. 14:2:) ThIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER.] Our masters have said: Plagues only affect a person on account of the evil speech which comes out of his mouth. So the Holy Spirit cries out (in Eccl. 5:5 [6]): DO NOT LET YOUR MOUTH CAUSE YOUR FLESH TO SIN, <i.e.> to afflict your body. [(Ibid., cont.:) AND DO NOT SAY BEFORE THE ANGEL THAT IT WAS A MISTAKE,] <i.e.> and do not say before the angel who is appointed over you: By mistake I brought forth the word from my mouth; for every word which issues from your mouth, whether good, evil, by mistake, or on purpose, is written in a book (cf. Matthew 12:36-37; cf. James 1:26). Where is it shown that it is so? Where it is stated (in Mal. 3:16): THEN THOSE WHO FEARED THE LORD SPOKE WITH ONE ANOTHER [THE LORD HAS HEARKENED AND LISTENED, AND A BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE HAS BEEN WRITTEN BEFORE HIM....] And so when in severe trouble, David said (in Ps. 139:2, 4): YOU KNOW WHEN I SIT DOWN AND WHEN I STAND UP.... <FOR THERE IS NOT A WORD ON MY TONGUE, BUT THAT YOU, O LORD, KNOW IT FULLY.> Job also said (in Job 13:27): YOU LOOK CLOSELY OVER MY FOOTSTEPS (Eccl. 5:5 [6], cont.:) WHY SHOULD GOD BE ANGRY OVER YOUR VOICE AND DESTROY THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS? These are the hands and the body when they are afflicted by leprosy.

 

 

5.3 Leviticus 14:lff., Part Ill

 

Another interpretation (of Eccl. 5:5 [6]): DO NOT LET YOUR MOUTH <CAUSE YOUR FLESH TO SIN>. The Torah has spoken to you euphemistically. If your wife has told you that she is menstruating, do not cause your body to sin by touching her. (Ibid., cont.:) DO NOT SAY BEFORE THE ANGEL who is appointed over the formation of the fetus: I made a mistake and did not know. (Ibid., cont.:) WHY SHOULD GOD BE ANGRY OVER YOUR VOICE AND DESTROY THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS? This refers to the children who are afflicted with leprosy. R. Aha said: If a man has intercourse with his wife when she is menstruating, the children will be afflicted with leprosy. How? <If> he has intercourse on the first day of her menstruation, the child which is born shall be afflicted after ten years. <If> he has intercourse with her on the second day, it shall be afflicted after twenty years. On the third day it shall be afflicted after thirty years. On the fourth day it shall be afflicted after forty years. On the fifth day it shall be afflicted after fifty years. On the sixth day it shall be afflicted after sixty years. On the seventh day it shall be afflicted after seventy years, corresponding to the seven days of her menstruation. Moreover, he shall not depart from the world before he has seen his fruit spoiled. Now the days of a person’s life are only seventy years, for so David says (in Ps. 90:10): THE DAYS OF OUR LIFE COMPRISE SEVENTY YEARS.

 

And if one is successful, <then> eighty, as stated (ibid., cont.): AND IF ONE HAS STRENGTH, <THEN> EIGHTY YEARS. Therefore if a man has intercourse with a menstruating woman on the seventh day, the fetus is afflicted at seventy years of age, so that he does not depart from the world until he has seen his fruit spoiled. This punishment, as it were, does not come from me? I have already testified to you and told you (in Lev. 14:2:) THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER.

 

Another interpretation (of Eccl. 5:5 [6]): DO NOT LET YOUR MOUTH <CAUSE YOUR FLESH TO SIN, AND DO NOT SAY BEFORE THE ANGEL (mal’akh) THAT IT WAS A MISTAKE>. If you have acted with malice aforethought and led astray a high priest, who is called an angel (mal’akh), as stated (in Mal. 2:7): FOR THE LIPS OF A PRIEST PRESERVE KNOWLEDGE, AND THEY SHOULD SEEK TORAH FROM HIS MOUTH; FOR HE IS THE MESSENGER (mal’akh) OF THE LORD OF HOSTS; then do not say: I sinned by mistake, <i.e.> (in Eccl. 5:5 [6]): DO NOT SAY BEFORE THE ANGEL (i.e., before the high priest) THAT IT WAS A MISTAKE. Why? You are leading yourself astray. You are afflicting yourself. The voice which you send forth from your mouth will destroy the work of your hands. (Eccl. 5:5 [6]:) WHY SHOULD GOD BE ANGRY OVER YOUR VOICE [AND DESTROY THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS]? This refers to the children who are afflicted with leprosy. Thus it is stated (in Lev. 14:2:) THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER.

 

 

5.4 Leviticus 14:lff., Part IV

 

[(Lev. 14:2:) THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER.] This text is related (to Prov. 18:21): DEATH AND LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE. Everything depends on the tongue. <If> one is acquitted, he is acquitted for life; <if> one is not acquitted, he is condemned to death. <If> one is engaged in Torah with his tongue, he is acquitted for life, inasmuch as the Torah [is called life, according to what is stated] (in Prov. 3:18): <WISDOM> IS A TREE OF LIFE TO THOSE WHO TAKE HOLD OF IT. It (i.e., the Torah) is also one’s healing for the evil tongue (i.e., slander), as stated (in Prov. 15:4): A HEALING TONGUE IS A TREE OF LIFE But if one is occupied with slander, his soul is condemned to death, since slander is more harmful than the shedding of blood. Thus whoever kills takes only one life, but the one who speaks slander kills three people: the one who tells it, the one who accepts it, and the one about whom it is told. Doeg spoke slander against Ahimelech; and he (i.e., Ahimelech) was killed, [as stated] (in I Sam. 22:16): BUT {SAUL} [THE KING] SAID: YOU SHALL SURELY DIE, AHIMELECH. Saul also was killed, [as stated] (in I Chron. 10:13): <SO SAUL DIED> FOR THE TREACHERY WHICH HE HAD COMMIYFED AGAINST THE LORD. And thus did Saul say (in II Sam. 1:9, to a young man): PLEASE STAND OVER ME AND SLAY ME, FOR DEATH THROES HAVE SEIZED ME. <The young man was> the accuser of Nob, the city of priests. Now DEATH THROES (ShBTs) can only denote priesthood, since it is stated (in Exod. 28:13 with reference to high-priestly dress): AND YOU SHALL MAKE GOLD BROCADE (rt.: ShBTs). Doeg also was uprooted (shRh) from the life of this world and from all life in the world to come. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 52:7 [5]): GOD WILL ALSO TEAR YOU DOWN FOR EVER; HE WILL SEIZE YOU, TEAR YOU AWAY FROM YOUR TENT, AND UPROOT (shRsh) YOU FROM THE LAND OF THE LIVING. SELAH. <I.e., he will uproot you> from life in the world to come. Who is more severe? One who smites with the sword or <one who> smites with the dart? [Say: The one who smites with the dart.] The one who smites with the sword is only able to kill his companion if he draws near to him and touches him; but in the case of one who smites with the dart, it is not so. Rather one throws the dart wherever he sees him. Therefore, one who speaks slander is comparable to the dart, as stated (in Jer. 9:7 [8]): THEIR TONGUE IS A SHARPENED DART; IT SPEAKS DECEIT. It also says (in Ps. 57:5 [4]): THE CHILDREN OF ADAM, WHOSE TEETH ARE SPEARS AND DARTS, [AND WHOSE TONGUE A SHARP SWORD]. See how harmful slander is, in that it is more harmful than adultery, blood shedding, and idolatry. Of adultery it is written (in Gen. 39:9, where Joseph is addressing Potiphar’s wife): THEN HOW SHALL I DO THIS GREAT EVIL AND SIN AGAINST GOD? Of blood shedding it is written (in Gen. 4:13): AND CAIN SAID TO THE LORD: MY SIN IS GREATER THAN I CAN BEAR. Of idolatry it is written (in Exod. 32:31, with reference to the golden calf): ALAS, THIS PEOPLE HAS SINNED A GREAT SIN. But when it (i.e., Scripture) mentions slander, it does not say “great” (in the masculine singular, as in Gen. 4:13), “great” in the feminine singular, as in Gen. 39:9 and Exod. 32:31), but “great” (in the feminine plural). Thus it is written (in Ps. 12:4 [3]): THE LORD SHALL CUT OFF ALL FLATI’ERING LIPS, <EVERY> TONGUE SPEAKING GREAT THINGS (in the feminine plural). It is therefore stated (in Prov. 18:21): DEATH AND LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE.

 

[Another interpretation (of Prov. 18:21): DEATH AND LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE.] Do not say: Since I have license to speak, I am therefore speaking whatever I want. See, the Torah has already enlightened you (in Ps. 34:14 [13]): KEEP YOUR TONGUE FROM EVIL [AND YOUR LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT]. Perhaps you will say that you are suffering a loss. Are you not profiting instead? So the Holy Spirit proclaims (in Prov. 21:23): THE ONE WHO GUARDS HIS MOUTH AND HIS TONGUE GUARDS HIS SOUL FROM TROUBLE (tsarot). Do not read this. Instead <read>, “Guards his soul from leprosy (tsar’at) .“

 

 

5.5 Leviticus 14: 1ff., Part V

 

Another interpretation (of Prov. 18:21): DEATH AND LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE. Slander is so harmful that one does not produce it from his mouth without denying the root (i.e., the existence of the Holy One). Thus it is stated (in Ps. 12:5 [4]): THOSE WHO SAY: BY OUR TONGUES WE SHALL PREVAIL. OUR LIPS ARE WITH US. WHO IS TO BE OUR LORD? The Holy One, as it were, cried out against those who speak slander (in Ps. 94:16): WHO WILL STAND FOR ME AGAINST EVILDOERS ...? Who can stand against them? And who will stand against them? Gehinnom? But Gehinnom also cries out: I am unable to stand against them. <Then> the Holy One said: I <will come at them> from above and you (Gehinnom), from below. I will hurl darts from above; and you will turn on them with burning coals from below. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 120:3-4): <WHAT SHALL BE GIVEN TO YOU, AND WHAT SHALL BE YOUR GAIN, YOU DECEITFUL TONGUE?> SHARP DARTS OF THE WARRIOR ALONG WITH BURNING COALS OF BROOM WOOD. The Holy One said to them (i.e., to Israel): Do you want to be delivered from Gehinnom? Keep yourselves far away from the deceitful tongue. Then you will be acquitted in this world and in the world to come. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 34:13 [121): WHO IS THE ONE WHO DESIRES LIFE AND LOVES <MANY> DAYS <IN WHICH> TO EXPERIENCE <WHAT IS> GOOD. WHO DESIRES LIFE, concerns this world; LOVES <MANY> DAYS, refers to the world to come. It is therefore stated (in vs. 14 [13]): KEEP YOUR TONGUE FROM EVIL <AND YOUR LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT>. Our masters have said: There is a story about a certain peddler who went around in the villages. Now he would call out and say: Who wants the elixir of life? The daughter of R. Jannay heard him. She said to her father: A certain peddler is going around and saying: Who wants the elixir of life? He said to her: Go and call him. She went and called him to R. Jannay. He said to him: Which elixir of life is it that you are selling? That peddler said to him: Pray, do not you know what this elixir is? He said to him: Even so, you inform me. He said to him: Bring me the book of Psalms. He brought it to him, and he unrolled it. Then he showed him what David had said (in Ps. 34:13-14 [12-13]): WHO IS THE ONE WHO DESIRES LIFE... ? KEEP YOUR TONGUE FROM EVIL. . . . What did R. Jannay do? He gave him six sela’im. His disciples said to him: Rabbi, did you not know this verse? He said to them: Yes, but this one came and explained it to me. {Therefore leprosy comes upon whoever speaks slander. (Lev. 14:2:) THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER.} <This story is> to teach you that one who speaks slander will have plagues come upon him. Thus it is stated (in Lev. 14:2): THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER (metsora’), <i.e.> the one who proclaims evil (motsi’ ra’).

 

 

5.6 Leviticus 14: 1ff., Part VI

 

[(Lev. 14:2:) THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER. Whoever speaks slander concerning his fellow will have leprosy come upon him. From where have you learned it? From Miriam.] See what is written about Miriam (in Numb. 12:1): THEN MIRIAM AND AARON SPOKE AGAINST MOSES. Therefore (in vs. 10): THEN AARON TURNED UNTO MIRIAM, AND THERE WAS [MIRIAM] WITH LEPROSY LIKE THE SNOW. What is written elsewhere (in Deut. 24:9)? REMEMBER WHAT THE LORD YOUR GOD DID TO MIRIAM. And what did she say against Moses? She said: Moses took (natal) a wife but ceased (batel) from being fruitful and multiplying. What did the Holy One do to them? He appeared to them, and they needed an immersion. Thus it is stated (in Numb. 12:4): THEN THE LORD SUDDENLY SPOKE UNTO MOSES, UNTO AARON, AND UNTO MIRIAM. What is the meaning of SUDDENLY? That when he appeared unto them, they had need for water SUDDENLY. He spoke to them, and thus they had need for water. And I am speaking with you. Immediately Miriam became stricken with leprosy, as stated (in Numb. 12:10): AND THERE WAS [MIRIAM] WITH LEPROSY LIKE THE SNOW. Moreover, are not <these> words an argument a fortiori (qal wahomer)? For if Miriam had this happen, when she only spoke against her beloved brother when he was absent and was only intending to return him to his wife, how much the more so in the case of one who utters slander against his colleague? What is written above on the matter (in Deut. 24:8)? TAKE CARE WITH THE PLAGUE OF LEPROSY <TO WATCH DILIGENTLY AND DO ACCORDING TO ALL THAT THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES SHALL TEACH... .> So the hand of the Holy One also afflicted Aaron with it, when he was high priest. Thus it is stated (in Numb. 12:9): AND THE ANGER OF THE LORD WAS KINDLED AGAINST THEM, <i.e.> against Aaron and against Miriam. Aaron, however, was healed immediately; but Miriam, after seven days, as stated (in Numb. 12:15): SO MIRIAM WAS SHUT UP [OUTSIDE OF THE CAMP] FOR SEVEN DAYS. Ergo (in Lev. 14:2): THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER (metsora’). The one who proclaims evil (motsi’ ra’) is the one who finds evil (motse’ ra’).

 

 

5.7 Leviticus 14: 1ff., Part VII

 

[(Lev. 14:2:) THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER.] And thus you find with the primeval serpent, because he spoke slander <to Eve> against his creator, for that reason he became leprous. What did he say? R. Joshua ben Levi said (citing Gen. 3:5): FOR GOD KNOWS THAT ON THE DAY THAT YOU EAT FROM IT, <YOUR EYES SHALL BE OPENED> [....] He said to her: Every artisan hates his fellow <artisan> Now when <the Holy One> wanted to create his world, he ate from this tree. So he created his world. You <two> also eat from it. Then you will be able to create like him. The Holy One said to <the serpent>: You have spoken slander. Your end is to be stricken with leprosy. It is so stated (in

Gen. 3:14): SO THE LORD GOD SAID UNTO THE SERPENT: <BECAUSE YOU HAVE DONE THIS, MORE CURSED SHALL YOU BE THAN ALL THE CATTLE, THAN ALL THE BEASTS OF THE FIELD. . . .> With what did he curse him? With leprosy. Now a curse (‘arirah) can only be leprosy, since it is stated (in Lev. 13:52): FOR IT IS A MALIGNANT (mam’eret) LEPROSY. R. Huna of Sha’av said [in the name of] R. Joshua ben Levi: The scales {i.e., the colors} which are on the snake are his leprosy. And not only that, but when all the deformed are cured in the world to come, the snake shall not be cured. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 3:14): MORE CURSED SHALL YOU BE THAN ALL THE CATTLE, <THAN ALL THE BEASTS OF THE FIELD>. What is the meaning of THAN ALL? That they all shall be healed, but <the serpent> shall not be healed. The children of Adam shall be healed, as stated (in Is. 35:5-6): {THEN THE LAME SHALL LEAP LIKE A HART. . . } THEN THE EYES OF THE BLIND SHALL BE OPENED... . [THEN THE LAME SHALL LEAP LIKE A HART. ... ] It is also written about the wild beasts and the cattle (in Is. 65:25): THE WOLF AND THE LAMB SHALL FEED TOGETHER, <AND THE LION LIKE THE OX SHALL EAT STRAW>; but the snake shall not have healing, since it is stated (ibid., cont.:) BUT THE SERPENT’S FOOD SHALL BE DUST. R. Helbo said:

Even though he may eat all the delicacies in the world, to him they only taste like dust. Moreover, it shall also be like this in the world to come. (Is. 65:25): BUT THE SERPENT’S FOOD SHALL BE DUST, for he shall have no healing, because he <was the one who> brought mortals down to the dust. And what caused him to have <this punishment>? <It happened> because he had spoken slander. Ergo (in Lev. 14:2:) THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER. In this book there are a lot of laws. {(Lev. 7:1:) THIS IS THE LAW OF THE GUILT OFFERING] (Lev. 6:2 [9]:) THIS IS THE LAW OF THE BURNT OFFERING. [(Lev. 7:1:) THIS IS THE LAW OF THE GUILT OFFERING.] Lev. 7:11:) THIS IS THE LAW OF THE SACRIFICE FOR PEACE OFFERINGS. And here also (in Lev. 14:2) I have established the law of the leper: THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER....

 

 

5.8 Leviticus 14: 1ff., Part VIII

 

(Lev. 14:2:) [THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER:] IN THE DAY OF HIS CLEANSING. With what? With (according to vs. 4) TWO LIVE CLEAN BIRDS. How is his offering different from all <other> offerings? It is simply that he has spoken slander; therefore, the text says, BIRDS, because they (like slanderers) carry their utterance, as stated (in Eccl. 10:20): FOR A BIRD OF HEAVEN MAY CARRY THE UTTERANCE.

 

(Lev. 14:4, cont.:) CEDAR WOOD. In the case of the cedar, no tree is taller (gevolia) than that one; so because <the leper> has exalted (gevoha) himself like a cedar, <he has had> the leprosy come upon him. Thus Simeon ben Eleazar has said: Leprosy comes on account of haughtiness, for so you find in the case of Uzziah (in II Chron. 26:16, 19): BUT WHEN HE WAS STRONG, HE GREW SO ARROGANT THAT HE {ACTUALLY} ACTED CORRUPUY AGAINST THE LORD [HIS GOD] <....> BUT DURING HIS ANGER WITH THE PRIESTS, LEPROSY APPEARED ON HIS FOREHEAD.

 

(Lev. 14:4, cont.:) AND WITH HYSSOP. Among the trees there is none [as short] as the hyssop. Because <the leper> has humbled himself, <leprosy> is therefore cured through the hyssop

.

(Lev. 14:5:) <THEN THE PRIEST SHALL GIVE A COMMAND> TO KILL ONE BIRD. Why kill one and release one? It is simply that, if he has repented, you (sic) should not see <the leprosy> again; but if you do not repent (hozer), the leprosy shall return (hozer) upon you, just as the live bird can return. Therefore (in vs. 7): AND HE SHALL SEND THE <LIVE> BIRD OUT <OVER THE OPEN COUNTRY>

 

(Lev. 14:2:) <THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER IN THE DAY OF HIS CLEANSING:> HE SHALL BE BROUGHT UNTO THE PRIEST. What is the meaning of HE SHALL BE BROUGHT (rt.: BW’). He comes (rt.: BW’). Why? Because everything is far off from him, for so David says (in Ps. 38:12 [11]): MY FRIENDS AND COMPANIONS {ARE FAR FROM ME THEY} STAND ALOOF FROM MY AFFLICTION, AND MY KINFOLK STAND FAR OFF. So also it says (in Lev. 13:46): HE SHALL DWELL ALONE; HIS DWELLING SHALL BE OUTSIDE THE CAMP. It is therefore stated (in Lev. 14:2): HE SHALL BE BROUGHT (rt.: BW’).

 

 

5.9 Leviticus 14: 1ff., Part IX

 

(Lev. 14:2:) THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER. <The verse> speaks about Israel, when they were in Jerusalem and when Jeremiah said; Repent; but they did not repent. So what did the Holy One do? He afflicted them with leprosy, as stated (in Is. 3:17): THEREFORE THE LORD WILL SMITE WITH SORES (SPH) THE SCALPS OF THE DAUGHTERS OF ZION. SMITE WITH SORES (sPH) can only refer to leprosy, since it is stated (in Lev. 13:2): <WHEN ANYONE HAS ON THE SKIN OF HIS FLESH> A SWELLING OR A SORE (SPH).

 

(Lev. 14:3:) AND THE PRIEST SHALL LOOK. This <priest> is Jeremiah, of whom it is stated (inJer. 1:1): ONE OF THE PRIESTS THAT WERE IN ANATHOTH

 

(Lev. 14:3, cont.:) AND BEHOLD, THE PLAGUE OF LEPROSY IS HEALED IN THE LEPER, when he had exiled them to Babylon. After they had gone into exile, Nebuchadnezzar said to them that they should bow down to the image, as stated (in Dan. 3:6): AND WHOEVER DOES NOT FALL DOWN AND PAY HOMAGE <SHALL IMMEDIATELY BE THROWN INTO A BURNING FIERY FURNACE>. They said to him (in vs. 18): WE WILL NOT SERVE YOUR GODS <NOR PAY HOMAGE TO THE IMAGE OF GOLD WHICH YOU HAVE SET UP>. What did he do? AND (according to Numb. 19:6) THE PRIEST SHALL TAKE CEDAR WOOD, CRIMSON STUFF, AND HYSSOP, i.e., Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, AND CAST THEM INTO THE MIDST OF THE BURNING HEIFER; for <Nebuchadnezzar> did cast them into the fire, as stated (in Dan. 3:21): AND THEY WERE CAST INTO THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE. The Holy One said to them: In this world on account of sins you have been afflicted, been purified, repented, and have <again> been afflicted. In the world to come I am the one who will cleanse you from on high. It is so stated (in Ezek. 36:25): I WILL SPRINKLE PURE WATER UPON YOU, AND YOU SHALL BE PURE; I WILL PURIFY YOU FROM ALL YOUR UNCLEANNESSES AND FROM ALL YOUR IDOLS.

 

 

 

Ashlamatah: Isaiah 57:17-19 + 58:8-14

 

17 For the iniquity/lawlessness of his covetousness was I wroth and smote him, I hid Myself and was wroth; and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.

18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will lead him also, and requite with comforts him and his mourners.

19 Peace, peace, to him that is far off and to him that is near, says the LORD that creates the fruit of the lips; and I will heal him.

20 But the wicked/lawless are like the troubled sea; for it cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt.

21 There is no peace, says my God concerning the wicked/lawless. {P}

 

1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a horn, and declare unto My people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways; as a nation that did righteousness/generosity, and forsook not the ordinance of their God, they ask of Me righteous/generous ordinances, they delight to draw near unto God.

3 'Wherefore have we fasted, and You see not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and You take no knowledge?'--Behold, in the day of your fast you pursue your business, and exact all your labors.

4 Behold, you fast for strife and contention, and to smite with the fist of wickedness/lawlessness; you fast not this day so as to make your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is such the fast that I have chosen? the day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the fetters of wickedness/lawlessness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?

7 Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? when you see the naked, that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh?

8 Then will your light break forth as the morning, and your healing will spring forth speedily; and your righteousness/generosity will go before you, the glory of the LORD will be your rearward.

9 Then will you call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry, and He will say: 'Here I am.' If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedness/lawlessness;

10 And if you draw out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then will your light rise in darkness, and your gloom be as the noon-day;

11 And the LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and make strong your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

12 And they that will be of you will build the old waste places, you will raise up the foundations of many generations; and you will be called The repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.

13 If you turn away your foot because of the Sabbath, from pursuing your business on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy of the LORD honorable; and will honor it, not doing your wonted ways, nor pursuing your business, nor speaking thereof;

14 Then will you delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you to ride upon the high places of the earth, and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it. {P}

 

 

Ketubim Targum Tehillim (Psalms) 78:40-55

 

40. How they would rebel against Him in the wilderness! They would cause anger in His presence in a desolate place.

41. And they turned and tempted God, and brought regret to the Holy One of Israel.

42. They did not remember His miracle, and the day that He redeemed them from the oppressor.

43. Who set out His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Tanis.

44. And He turned their canals to blood, and they could not drink from their streams.

45. He will incite against them a mass of wild animals, and exterminate them; likewise frogs, and He will slaughter them.

46. And He gave and handed over their grain to the grasshopper, and their toil to the locust.

47. And He stripped their vines with hail, and their sycamores with locusts.

48. And He handed over their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to sparks of fire.

49. He will incite against them two hundred and fifty plagues in the harshness of His anger, in wrath, and in hostility, and in woe; which are sent in due time by evil messengers.

50. He will travel on the path of His harshness, not keeping their soul from death, and handing over their cattle to the plague.

51. And He slew all the firstborn in Egypt, the beginning of their sorrow in the tents of Ham.

52. And He led his people like a flock, and guided them like a sheep flock in the wilderness.

53. And He settled them securely, and they did not fear; and the sea covered their enemies.

54. And He brought them into the territory of the site of the Temple, the same mountain that His right hand created.

55. And He drove out the Gentiles before them, and settled them in the lot of His inheritance, and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

 

 

 

Ketubim Midrash Tehillim (Psalms) 78:40-55

 

How oft did they provoke Him in the wilderness, and grieve Him in the desert! (Ps. 78:40) with their demands for manna, for quail, for water from the well, and with other provocations. And what was to be their end? In this wilderness they will be consumed, and there will they die (Num. 14:35). But even as they were consumed in the wilderness, so will they be comforted in the wilderness, for it is said Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness and speak comfortably unto her (Hos. 2:16).

 

9. And though they still again tried God, they set bounds for (hitwu) the Holy One of Israel (Ps. 78:45). R. Hanina taught that the children of Israel said to the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, do You punish us like a man who says, “I myself will strike my son!” Let not children of men have power over us. Hence set bounds for (hitwu) the Holy One of Israel is to be read “longed for” (hi’awwu)—that is, they longed for God’s power alone over them.

 

In a different exposition, the verse is read And when they still again tried God, they were marked (hiwu) by the Holy One of Israel—that is, the marks of the plagues were imprinted upon their bodies. Hitwu has the sense of “marked” as indicated by the verse And set a mark (taw) (Ezek. 9:4).

 

In another exposition the verse is read And they still again tried God, and brought vexation (hitwu) to the Holy One of Israel. Hitwu is also a term for vexation and disquiet, tiwha being the Aramaic word for “disquiet.”

 

The verse How He set His [monitory] signs in Egypt, and His deceptions in the field of Zoan (Ps. 78:43) means that [the intervals between the] plagues raised false hopes in the Egyptians. R. Joshua ben Karha taught in the name of R. Simeon ben Yohai and in the name of the Rabbis: A limit of a month was set for each plague in Egypt. How reckoned? For seven days God warned the Egyptians of the coming of the plague, and for twenty-three days the plague itself served as a warning to them. Then there was a respite of seven days between one plague and the next, as it is said And seven days were fulfilled, after that the Lord had smitten the river (Ex. 7:25). Hence He set His [monitory] signs in Egypt.

 

10. And turned their rivers into blood, and their streams so that they could not drink (Ps. 78:44). At first, the Egyptians and the Israelites filled their jugs at the same time, and the jug of the Israelite filled up with water, while the jug of the Egyptian filled up with blood. Then together they tried filling basins, and the basin of the Israelite filled up with water, while the basin of the Egyptian filled up with blood. Then the Egyptian turned and said to the Israelite: “Let us fill, you and I, one basin and drink out of the one basin.” So the two of them, at the same time, bent their heads and mouths to the basin, and still the Israelite drank water, while the Egyptian drank blood.

 

R. Abin taught: All the water which the Egyptians drank they bought at great cost from the children of Israel and there from the children of Israel grew rich. But R. Jose said that they grew rich because every woman was told to ask of her neighbor jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment . . . and spoil the Egyptians (Ex. 3:22).

 

11. He sent swarms (‘arob) among them, which devoured them (Ps. 78:45). Of ‘arob, R. Judah said: God sent birds of prey among the Egyptians. R. Nehemiah said: ‘Arob means beasts of the earth: bears, lions, wolves, and leopards. And R. Nathan said: ‘Arob means both birds of prey—eagles, kites, ravens, and vultures, and beasts of the earth—lions, bears, wolves, and leopards.

 

Both R. Hama and R. Joshua said: The ‘arob was a kind of wild beast called “panther”—some say that it was called kamlanit which the Holy One, blessed be He, sent among the Egyptians. R. Josiah said: ‘Arob means that God darkened the lights of heaven over the Egyptians.

 

R. Simeon ben Lakish taught that the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke thus to Pharaoh: You did seek to confound the seed of My beloved Abraham, so I will confound you out of the world, as is said He sent confusion among them. And God sent not only confusion among the Egyptians, but He also sent frogs which destroyed them (Ps. 78:45).

 

R. Yochanan taught: Wherever any one of them sat down, there a frog was made to appear. But what of the houses of marble and houses of stone which the Egyptians owned? How did the frogs get into them? The way they would break into and get inside them was by saying, “We are the emissaries of Him who spoke, and the world came into being”; thereupon the marble and the stone slabs would split open before them.

 

R. Judah said in the name of Rabbi: The story of the frogs is one of a number of instances when God gave mastery to the frail over the tough. The other instances are these: The mice of the Philistines, of whom it is said The hand of the Lord ... smote them with mice (I Sam. 5:6); even if a Philistine squatted to ease himself in a copper vessel, a mouse would spring up, the vessel would split open of itself, and the mouse would leap up and pull out the Philistine’s bowels. And the hornets; whenever the Amorites came out of hiding and drew themselves up against the children of Israel, the hornets would strike each Amorite, one hornet in one eye, and another hornet in the other eye, as is said Moreover the Lord your God will let loose the hornet at them (Deut. 7:20). And the arrow of Naaman; it smote Ahab and penetrated between his armor and wounded him, as is said And a certain man drew his bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the lower armor and the breastplate (I Kings 22:34). And the stone which David threw, wedging it in the forehead of the Philistine Goliath; the stone penetrated of itself until it sank into his forehead, as is said The stone sank into his forehead (I Sam. 37:49). And the roots of a fig tree which, though tender, break through rocks and stones. R. Berechiah bar Hanina bar Ika said in the name of R. Judah: Wheat roots break down through the earth for fifty cubits, and so do the tender roots of the fig tree for fifty cubits.

 

R. Judah bar Hiyya said: And lions’ teeth—what does Scripture say of these? Those men that had accused Daniel . . . the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces (Dan. 6:25). And the Shamir; looked like a kernel of barley and was kept in a leaden vessel filled with lint, but when it was put even on the top of a mountain or upon cliffs, it would cut down through until it reached the base. Solomon cut all the stones for the Temple with it, for the Torah says, You will lift up no iron tool upon them (Deut. 27:5).

 

And who brought the Shamir to Solomon? The eagle fetched it from the Garden of Eden, for Solomon . . . spoke also to beasts and to birds (I Kings 5:33) saying: “Where is the Shamir hidden away?” and the eagle went and fetched it. There are some who say that it was not the eagle, but the hoopoe, that fetched the Shamir.

 

12. Solomon said: I got me men-singers and women-singers (Eccles. 2:8) for divers kinds of music; and delights of the sons of men (ibid.), such as pools and baths; and siddah and siddot (ibid.): here in Babylonia these words are translated “a male and a female demon,” but in the west, they are taken to mean “coaches and carriages.” (R. Johanan said: I know there are three hundred siddin [demons] in Shihin, but what a siddah is, I do not know!) It was asked: Demons? For what purpose did Solomon get them? Because it is said For the house, when it is in building, is to be built of stone made ready before it is brought thither: so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron will be heard in the house, while it is in building (I Kings 6:7). Solomon asked the Rabbis: “Then how can it be built?” They said to him: “You could build it if you had the Shamir, wherewith Moses cut the stones for the Ephod.” Solomon asked: “Where is the Shamir to be found?” They replied: “Get a male and a female demon, and put them to the torture. If they know, they will tell you.” So Solomon went and got them. But the demons said to him: “We do not know. Perhaps Ashmedai, king of the demons, knows.” Solomon asked them: “Where is he?” They answered: “He is in such-and-such a mountain, where he has dug himself a pit, has filled it with water, covered it with a stone, and sealed it with his signet. Every day Ashmedai goes away to the heavenly council. When the heavenly council ends, he comes down to the earth, and as soon as the earthly council ends, he comes out, examines his seal, opens the pit and drinks from it; then he covers it again, seals it, and goes on his way.”

 

At once Solomon sent for Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, chief of the Sanhedrin, and gave him a signet-ring on which the Ineffable Name was engraved and also a chain on which the Ineffable Name was engraved. He also gave him a wool fleece and a jug of wine.

 

Thereupon Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, went and dug a ditch from below to Ashmedai’s pit and let the water out. Then he stopped up the ditch with the wool fleece. Above the pit he dug another ditch into which he poured the wine. He covered both ditches with earth, looked his work over, and then hid himself in a tree.

 

When Ashmedai came, he examined the seal, opened the pit, and found wine. He said: “It is written Wine is a mocker, strong drink is riotous; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise (Prov. 20:3); and again it is written Harlotry, wine, and new wine take away the heart” (Hos. 4:11). And so he did not drink. But when he grew very thirsty he could no longer restrain himself, and quoting Wine ... makes glad the heart of man (Ps. 104:15), he drank, became drunk, and fell asleep. Then Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, came down and threw over him the chain on which the Ineffable Name was engraved. When Ashmedai woke up and began to struggle madly, Benaiah said, “The name of your Master is upon the chain,” and took hold of him. But although Benaiah kept his hold on him, yet when Ashmedai came to a tree he rubbed himself against it and threw it down, and when he came to a house he overturned it. When he reached the hut of a widow, she came out and begged mercy of him, whereupon he jerked his bulk away so abruptly that he broke a bone. Then he said: “This bears out the verse A soft tongue breaks the bone” (Prov. 25:15). When he saw a wedding procession on its merry way, he wept. When he saw a blind man wandering off the path, he brought him back. When he saw a drunken man staggering of the path, he brought him back. When he heard a man say to a shoemaker: “Make me a pair of shoes which will last seven years,” he laughed. When he saw a diviner practicing divination upon a loaf of bread, he laughed.

 

After they arrived in [Jerusalem], Ashmedai was not taken before Solomon for three days. On the first day, he asked: “Why does the king not wish to see me?” and when he was told, “Drink has overcome the king,” he picked up a brick and placed it upon another. When this was reported to Solomon, he said: “By this Ashmedai meant that you are to give me more wine to drink.” The next day Ashmedai asked: “Why does the king not wish to see me?” and when he was told, “Too much food constrains the king,” he took the brick and set it back on the ground. When they came and reported this to Solomon, he said: “Ashmedai meant that you are to take away my food.”

 

At the beginning of the third day, when Ashmedai was taken before Solomon, he measured off four cubits on a reed, and throwing it before Solomon, said: “You know that even a man like you will own no more than four cubits [of earth] when he dies: yet having subdued the whole world, you were not satisfied until you did subdue me also.” Solomon replied: “I want nothing at all that is yours. But because I desire to build the Temple, I need the Shamir.” Ashmedai said to him: “The Shamir was not given to me! It was given to the Prince of the Sea, and he gave sole charge of it to the wild cock, who is entrusted on his oath with the Shamir. You know what he does with it? He takes it to an uninhabited mountain, and he sets it down upon the peak of the mountain. The Shamir makes a split in the mountain, and the wild cock gathers seeds, takes them aloft and puts them to sprout in the split where he also builds his nest.” Hence the Aramaic Targum calls the wild cock the “carpenter of the mountains.”

 

They sought out the nest of a wild cock with fledglings in it, and covered the nest with a white glass. The wild cock came and tried to get into the nest, but could not. He went and fetched the Shamir and was about to set it down upon [the glass-plate covering the nest. At that moment they made a loud noise so that the wild cock dropped the Shamir. When they took it away, the wild cock went and strangled himself, because he had not kept his oath.

 

After the Shamir was brought in, Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, said to Ashmedai: “Tell us about the puzzling things which you did on the way hither! When you saw the blind man wander off the path, why did you bring him back?” Ashmedai replied: “Because in heaven it was proclaimed of the blind man that he was a completely righteous/generous man, and that whoever did him a kindness would, upon dying, merit life in the world-to- come.”

 

“And when you saw the drunken man stagger off the path, why did you bring him back?” Ashmedai replied: “Because in heaven it was proclaimed that he was a completely wicked/lawless man, and so I helped him enjoy life in this world.”

 

“And when you saw the wedding procession, why did you weep?” Ashmedai replied: “Because the husband was to die within thirty days, and the wife would wait thirteen years before the husband’s [infant] brother would be able to marry her.”

 

“And when you saw the diviner, why did you laugh?” Ashmedai replied: “He was sitting over a king’s royal treasure, and since he had no notion of what was beneath him, how could he have any notion of other things?”

 

“And when you saw the man say to the shoemaker: ‘Make me shoes that will last seven years,’ why did you laugh?” Ashmedai replied: “The man did not have seven days to live, and he wanted shoes for seven years!”

 

Ashmedai stayed with Solomon while the Temple was being built. One day as Ashmedai sat alone, Solomon said to him: “In the verse He has for His purposes rocs and reems (Num. 24:8), we take rocs to refer to the ministering angels, and reems to refer to demons. But show me in what way you are superior to us mortals.” Ashmedai answered: “Remove my chains and give me your ring.” Solomon removed the chains and gave him the ring. Ashmedai swallowed it, and setting one wing down upon the earth and the other wing in the sky, he hurled Solomon a distance of four hundred parasangs, and then went and sat himself down on the throne in the guise of the king.

 

In the meantime, wherever Solomon went he would declare, I, Koheleth, was king over Israel in Jerusalem (Eccles. 1:12). Said the Rabbis: “A madman does not hold fast to one discourse. What kind of man is this person?” And so they went to Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, and asked him: “Does the king summon you?” and he said: “No!” They sent to the queens: “Does the king come to you?” They replied: “Yes; but he comes to us with socks on his feet and demands all the wives of Solomon, and even Bathsheba, his mother.”

 

They brought Solomon back and gave him a ring on which the Name was engraved. As soon as Solomon came in, Ashmedai saw him and fled. Even so, there remained a fear of him in Solomon, as is said Behold his bed which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it, the valiant of Israel (Song 3:7).

 

[Concerning Solomon’s restoration to the throne] Rab and Samuel differed, one saying that Solomon was first king and then commoner, the other that Solomon was first king, then commoner, then again king.

 

13. He sent . . . a frog which destroyed them (Ps. 78:45). A frog means that there was only one frog, for it is said And the frog came up (Ex. 8:2)—that is, the frog, breaking through the ground, came up to carry out its mission. Hence He sent . . . a frog which destroyed them. And what does destroyed them mean? It means that the frog castrated them, as is said Because their destruction works within them, there is a blemish in them (Lev. 22:25).

 

He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore-trees with locust (bahanamal) (Ps. 78:47). R. Huna said in the name of R. Simeon ben Lakish: The hail came down like an axe and cut down all the trees.

 

R. Johanan observed: Out of the teaching of R. Simeon ben Lakish, a second thing is learned: bahanamal is to be read as made up of the words ba’, “he came,” ban, “he encamped,” and mal, “he cut down.”

 

14. He shut up their cattle over against the hail (Ps. 78:48). When the time came for the plague of hail, Moses said to Pharaoh: Send therefore now, and gather your cattle (Ex. 9:19). Pharaoh replied: “Need we now go to obey the oracles of the son of Amram? This is the last plague, and as the herdsmen say, ‘He who has but a single stick finds it soon broken.’” When the hail came, it looked like a wall over against Pharaoh’s cattle, as is said He shut up their cattle over against the hail. And when the cattle would not move, every Egyptian said: “Woe is me! What am I to do?” He took hold of his cattle to kill them and feed his young ones with the meat. After he killed his cattle, he heaved the meat onto his shoulder, but the birds came down upon his shoulder and devoured the meat, as is said And their herds to the birds (rès’afim) (ibid.); this reading of rès’afim is paralleled in the verse As birds (resef) which fly upward (Job 5:7).

 

15. He sent forth upon them the fierceness of His anger (Ps. 78:49). R. Jose the Galilean taught: The Egyptians were smitten with ten plagues in Egypt, for it is said This is the finger of God (Ex. 8:15); and accordingly, they were smitten with fifty plagues at the sea, for a hand has five fingers, and Scripture says And Israel saw that great hand which the Lord did upon the Egyptians (Ex. 14:31).

 

R. Eliezer taught: Each plague consisted of four plagues, for it is said This is the finger of God, and a finger is four-sided. Accordingly, since the Egyptians were smitten ten times by each side of the finger of God, behold, there were forty plagues in Egypt. And, on the sea, the Egyptians were smitten with two hundred plagues, for in the verse He sent forth upon them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, a sending of messengers of evil (Ps. 78:49), wrath refers to one plague, indignation refers to a second plague, trouble refers to a third plague, and a sending of messengers of evil refers to a fourth plague. Behold then! There were two hundred plagues wherewith the Egyptians were smitten at the sea, as can be reckoned from the verse And Israel saw that great hand which the Lord did upon the Egyptians (Ex. 14:31).

 

R. Akiba taught: Each plague consisted of five plagues, and the Egyptians were smitten ten times by each side of the finger of God so that behold, there were fifty plagues in Egypt, for it is said This is the finger of God, and a finger is five-sided, its tip being counted as a side. Behold then! The ten plagues were actually fifty plagues wherewith they were smitten in Egypt. And on the sea, the Egyptians were smitten with two hundred and fifty plagues, for in the verse He sent forth upon them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, a sending of messengers of evil (Ps. 78:49), fierceness of His anger refers to one plague; wrath, to a second plague; indignation, to a third plague; trouble, to a fourth plague; and a sending of messengers of evil, to a fifth plague.

 

16. He determined a path for His anger (Ps. 78:50). R. Huna said in the name of R. Abin: Each plague which came upon the Egyptians, came upon them in determined measure and weight.

 

He spared not their soul from death (ibid.). R. Joshua ben Levi taught: With every plague that came upon the Egyptians, the plague of pestilence also flooded over them, for the verse concludes He . . . gave their life over to the pestilence (ibid.).

 

17. And smote all the first-born in Egypt (Ps. 78:51). R. Abba bar Aha said: God smote the male first-born, the female firstborn, the first-born of cattle, the first-born of every living thing. And if there were no first-born in a house, then the steward of the household died, for it is said There was not a house where there was not one dead (Ex. 12:30).

 

But He made His own people to go forth like sheep (Ps. 78:52): like sheep, for whom no stores of food are laid up, so were the people of Israel, of whom it is said The people will go out and gather a day’s portion every day (Ex. 16:4); and like sheep who, when they destroy trees, are not held to account by their masters, so were the people of Israel. But sheep—their shearings, both wool and hair, belong to their masters! Is it so with Israel? No, for in the name of R. Jose the Galilean, R. Johanan interpreted the verse And you My sheep, the sheep of My pasture are men (Ezek. 34:35) as meaning that God said of Israel: Punished like sheep, rewarded like men.

 

R. Simeon ben Hanan taught in the name of R. Jose ben Kesarta, and R. Yudan taught in the name of R. Joshua ben Levi: Like what sheep? Like the sheep of Jethro. Like what flock? Like the flock of Jethro. Like the flock and the sheep of Jethro that were led out of inhabited country into the wilderness, so was Israel led out.

 

Another comment. Like sheep that are drawn after their masters, so the people of Israel were drawn after Moses and Aaron, as is said And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness (Ex. 15:22).

 

18. In the verse And He brought them to the border of His sanctuary, to this mountain which His right hand had gotten (Ps. 78:54), sanctuary refers to the Holy Temple. He drove out the nations before them, and allotted them for an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents (Ps. 78:55)—that is, in the tents of the thirty-one kings of Canaan.

 

He forsook the Tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which He placed among men (Ps. 78:60). Both R. Eleazar and R. Jose bar Hanina taught the following: Since one verse speaks of The Tabernacle of Shiloh, the TENT which He placed among men, while another verse speaks of it as The HOUSE of the Lord in Shiloh (I Sam. 1:24), therefore, the lower portion of the sanctuary in Shiloh must have been built of stones with coverings or goats’ hair for a roof. According to R. Ze’era, the lower portion of the sanctuary in Shiloh was built of boards, since it is called the Tabernacle of Shiloh.

 

 

 

Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) 13:47-58

 

  1. ¶ “Once again, the kingdom (government) of the heavens is like a dragnet thrown into the sea and caught all kinds of fish.
  2. When it was full, they dragged it up on the shore. Having sat down they gleaned the good fish into baskets, and the bad ones they threw out.
  3. This is how it will be at the conclusion of the age. The messengers will go forth and separate the wicked/lawless from the righteous/generous and will (Daniel 3:6) ‘throw them into the midst of a furnace of burning fire.’ There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
  4. “Have you related to all these things?” Yeshuah asked. “Yes,” they replied.
  5. He said to them, "On account of this, every Sopher (scribe) who has become a Talmid (Disciple) to the kingdom (government) of the heavens is like a man who is a father of children, who brings forth out of his treasure new things and old."
  6. When Yeshuah finished speaking these parables, he crossed Yam Kineret from the northwest shore near Ginnosar to the north shore.

 

  1. ¶ Coming to his hometown K’far Nakhum, he and his brothers and his Talmidim, and he was teaching the local synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where does this one get his logic and charisma?” they asked.
  2. “Isn't he the son of a blacksmith? Isn't his mother Miriam, and aren't his brothers Ya’aqov ben David, Yoseph ben David, Shimon ben David and Yehudah ben David?
  3. Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did he become acquainted with all of this logic?”
  4. Yeshuah replied and said to them, “The Navi (prophet) is not slighted (spoken evil of) except in his home-town and in his own house.”
  5. Therefore he did not do many great deeds there.

 

 

 

The Rabbi’s Private Prophetic Study

 

 

One of the strengths of Judaism is its emphasis on the sin of “Lashon Hara” (Heb. “Evil Tongue” – i.e. slander), with books being published on the severity of this plague/sin expounded in various volumes in each and every generation. Thanks to this emphasis, we have been able to subsist miraculously through many vicissitudes along thousands of years as a distinct people. Our Sages make the point that “Lashon Hara” is a greater criminal offence than adultery, murder, and idolatry thrown together in one singular act. In fact, they go on to say that the gross sin of Lashon Hara is an obvious confession and denial that G-d is. No other religion to my knowledge has depicted this sinister sin along these terms!

 

Why? In part, because of ignorance, and in part because “Lashon Hara” (slander) is at the root of their religious beliefs. Take for example the treatment of the Jewish people by the so called Church Fathers, Reformers, and even to this day in a great number of so called Christian circles. To them we are a depraved race, worse than pagans, who have no right to exist because, according to them they have supplanted us as the “real” Israel. Not to mention, of course, what Islam has to say about us!

 

These people though not noticeable to the naked eye are plagued in their spirits and minds by a miraculous form of leprosy that afflicts those who utter Lashon Hara. In fact Hakham Shaul has this to say concerning these people and the modern equivalent to the miraculous leprosy of Temple times:

 

“For the mystery of lawlessness already is working, only he is holding back now, until it comes out of the midst. And then “the Lawless One” will be revealed, whom the Lord “will strike with the rod of His mouth, and He will cause the wicked/lawless to die with the breath of His lip” (Isa. 11:4) His coming is according to the working of Satan in all power and miraculous signs and lying wonders, and in all deceit of injustice in those being lost, because they did not receive the love of the truth (Torah – cf. Psalm 119:42) in order for them to be saved. And because of this, God will send to them strong delusion, for them to believe a lie, that all may be judged, those not believing (adhering to) the truth (Torah – cf. Psalm 119:42), but who have delighted in injustice.  (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12).

 

In other words, instead of leprosy we have today the plague of “strong delusion” which causes people to believe a lie - i.e. the Law has been done away by Messiah, and therefore causing and making others to cause great injustices (particularly against the Jewish people). What a great piece of teaching of Hakham Shaul which explains human history over the last almost 1900 years. “The mystery of lawlessness (anomie – Greek: Anomias; A = No + Nomos = Law) was already at work in Hakham Shaul’s day, but whilst the Temple stood this evil energy was held back. Once the Holy Temple was destroyed, then this evil energy of lawlessness was brought forth in full force before all men. One only has to peruse any of the treatises of the so called early and later Church Fathers to see how these men were truly infected with this evil energy.

 

The Master of Nazareth equally teaches this week that Lashon Hara (i.e. slander) is bread when there is over-familiarity. That is why the Hakhamim of our Spanish/Portuguese tradition favored the use of titles, such as His/Her Excellency, His/Her Honor and His Eminence, to remind everyone that even if familiarity does exist because of continual proximity or relationship, yet proper respect must be given to whom it is due.

 

The prophet Yeshayahu points out this week to other reasons for the plague of leprosy – “For the iniquity/lawlessness of his covetousness was I wroth and smote him, I hid Myself and was wroth; and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.” And all of this, of course culminated in a lack of generosity and the non observance of the Holy Sabbaths.

 

Now, when analyzes what causes a person to speak Lashon Hara – i.e. slander, one has to agree with the prophet Yeshayahu that at the root of it all is the sin of “covetousness,” the sin of an “arrogant heart/mind” and the sin of “lack of generosity” or “stinginess.” In fact when I speak with people who think of me or mine as a plague, and a bit lower than pagans it is easy to see these three roots of bitterness and evil fully dwelling in their hearts and minds, and what is even more blasphemous, all in the name of the Jewish Messiah!

 

The seriousness of Lashon Hara – i.e. slander, against any human being and in particular against any Jew or the Jewish people because of doctrinal differences is something that should never be underestimated or made of little importance, for when this is done we have another holocaust or persecution against Jewish people at our door. The lessons of the Holocaust should be repeated often and we will have a good reminder of this next Shabbat – Shabbat Zakhor – The Sabbath of remembering Amalek.

 

If you value your relationship with G-d, then measure it in terms of how you relate to the Jewish people G-d places in your path. If you value your salvation the work on it every day with fear and trembling as you measure it against your love and support of the Torah as well as the Jewish people G-d places in your midst, and above all flee from the most ugly sin of “Lashon Hara” for as it is said it is a worse offense than adultery, murder and idolatry put together.

 

May Ha-Shem, most blessed be He, purify our mouths, hearts and minds and give us vigorous strength to flee from this great evil of “Lashon Hara” so that we and all of our most beloved and noble people of Israel, may be found pleasing Him at all times, amen ve amen!

 

 

Shalom Shabbat!

 

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai