Esnoga Bet Emunah
7104 Inlay St. SE, Lacey, WA 98513
Telephone: 360-584-9352 - United States of America
© 2009
E-Mail: gkilli@aol.com
Triennial
Cycle (Triennial Torah Cycle) / Septennial Cycle (Septennial Torah Cycle)
|
Three and 1/2 year
Lectionary Readings |
First Year
of the Reading Cycle |
|
Ellul 16, 5769 – Sept. 04/05
, 2009 |
First Year
of the Shmita Cycle |
Candle Lighting
and Havdalah Times:
|
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 7:42 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 8:36 PM |
San Antonio, Texas, U.S. Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 7:35 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 8:28 PM |
|
Baton Rouge & Alexandria, Louisiana, U.S. Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 7:07 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 8:00 PM |
Sheboygan
& Manitowoc, Wisconsin US Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 7:05 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 8:05 PM |
|
Bowling Green & Murray, Kentucky, U.S. Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 6:53 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 7:49 PM |
Brisbane, Australia Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 5:17 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 6:11 PM |
|
Chattanooga,
& Cleveland Tennessee, US Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 7:47 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 8:42 PM |
Bucharest, Romania Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 7:31 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 8:31 PM |
|
Miami, Florida, US Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 7:20 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 8:11 PM |
Jakarta, Indonesia Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 5:34 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 6:23 PM |
|
New London, Connecticut USA Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 6:52 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 7:50 PM |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 6:59 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 7:48 PM |
|
Olympia, Washington, U.S. Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 7:29 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 8:31 PM |
Manila
& Cebu, Philippines Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 5:49 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 6:38 PM |
|
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania USA Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 7:11 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 8:08 PM |
Singapore, Singapore Friday Sept. 04, 2009 – Candles at 6:52 PM Saturday Sept. 05, 2009 – Havdalah 7:41 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 and
beloved family,
His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann and
beloved family,
His Excellency Adon John Batchelor and
beloved wife,
His Excellency Adon Ezra ben Abraham and
beloved wife HE Giberet Karmela bat Sarah,
Her Excellency Giberet Alitah bat Sarah
His Excellency Adon Stephen Legge and
beloved wife HE Giberet Angela Legge
His Excellency Adon Tracy Osborne and
beloved wife HE Giberet Lynn Osborne
His Excellency Rev. Dr. Adon Chad Foster and
beloved wife HE Giberet Tricia Foster
His Excellency Adon Fred Dominguez and
beloved wife HE Giberet Elisheva bat Sarah
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!
Shabbat Nachamu VI:
6th Sabbath of the
Seven Sabbaths of the Consolation of Israel
|
Shabbat |
Torah Reading: |
Weekday Public Torah Reading: |
|
וַיִּקְרָא
יַעֲקֹב |
|
|
|
“Vayiq’ra Ya’aqob” |
Reader
1 – B’Resheet 49:1- 4 |
Reader
1 – B’Resheet 49:27-29 |
|
“And Jacob called” |
Reader
2 – B’
Resheet 49:5-7 |
Reader
2 – B’Resheet 49:29-31 |
|
“Y llamó Jacob” |
Reader
3 – B’
Resheet 49:8-12 |
Reader
3 – B’Resheet 49:31-33 |
|
B’Resheet (Gen.) 49:1-26 |
Reader
4 – B’
Resheet 49:13-15 |
|
|
Ashlamatah: Isaiah 43:22 –
44:2 + 6 |
Reader
5 – B’
Resheet 49:16-18 |
|
|
Special: Isaiah 60:1-22 |
Reader
6 – B’
Resheet 49:19-21 |
Reader
1 – B’Resheet 49:27-29 |
|
Psalm 40:1-18 |
Reader
7 – B’
Resheet 49:22-26 |
Reader
2 – B’Resheet 49:29-31 |
|
N.C.: Mark 5:25-34 |
Maftir : B’ Resheet 49:24-26 |
Reader
3 – B’Resheet 49:31-33 |
|
Pirke Abot: III:10 |
Isaiah 60:1-22 |
|
Rashi
& Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: B’Resheet (Genesis) 49:1-26
|
RASHI |
TARGUM PSEUDO
JONATHAN |
|
1.
Ya’aqob called for his sons and said, "Gather around and I will tell you
what will happen to you in the end of days. |
1.
And Jakob called his sons and said to them, Purify yourselves from
uncleanness, and I will show you the hidden mysteries, the ends concealed,
the recompense of reward for the righteous/generous, the retribution of the
wicked/lawless, and the bower of Eden, what it is. And the twelve tribes of
Israel gathered themselves together around the golden bed whereon he
reclined, and where was revealed to him the Shekina of the Lord, (though) the
end for which the king Mashiah is to come had been concealed from him. |
|
2.
Come together and listen, sons of Ya’aqob; listen to Yisrael, your father. |
2.
Then said he, Come, and I will declare to you what will befall you at the end
of the days. Gather yourselves together and hear, you sons of Jakob, and
receive instruction from Israel your father. |
|
3.
Reuben, you are my firstborn, you are my strength, and the beginning of my
manhood; superior in rank and superior in power. |
3.
Reuben you are my firstborn, the beginning of the strength of my generation,
and the chief event of my thoughts To you belonged the birthright, and the
high priesthood, and the kingdom: |
|
4.
Unstable as water, you will no longer be superior, for you have gone up your
father's bed. You profaned my couch by going up. |
4.
But because you have sinned, my son, the birthright is given to Joseph, and
the, kingdom to Jehuda, and the priesthood to Levi. I will liken you to a
little garden in the midst of which there enter torrents swift and strong,
which it cannot bear, but is overwhelmed. Be repentant then, Reuben my son,
for you have sinned, and add not; that wherein you have sinned it may be
forgiven to you; for it is reckoned to you as if you went in to have to do
with the wife of your father at the time that you did confound my bed upon
which you went up. |
|
5.
Shimon and Levi are brothers. Instruments of violence are their wares. |
5.
Shimeon and Levi are brothers of the womb; their thoughts are of sharp
weapons for rapine. |
|
6.
My soul will not enter their secret council, let my honor not be identified
with their assembly. For in their anger they killed a man, and through their
wilfulness they maimed an ox. |
6.
In their counsel my soul has not had pleasure, and in their gathering against
Shekem. to destroy it mine honour was not united; for in their anger they
slew the prince and his ruler, and in their ill will they demolished the wall
of their adversary. |
|
7.
Cursed be their anger for it is powerful, and their fury for it is cruel. I
will disperse them throughout Ya’aqob and scatter them throughout [the land
of] Israel. |
7.
And Jakob said, Accursed was the town of Shekem. when they entered within it
to destroy it in their violent wrath; and their hatred against Joseph, for it
was relentless. If, said Jakob, they dwell together, no king nor ruler may
stand before them. Therefore will I divide the inheritance of the sons of
Shimeon into two portions; one part shall come to them out of the inheritance
of the sons of Jehuda, and one part from among the rest of the tribes of
Jakob; and the tribe of Levi I will disperse among all the tribes of Israel. |
|
8.
Yehudah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your
enemies. Your father's sons will prostrate themselves to you. |
8.
Jehuda, you did make confession in the matter of Tamar: therefore will your
brethren confess you, and will be called Jehudim from your name. Your hand
will avenge you of your adversaries, in throwing arrows upon them when they
turn their backs before you; and the sons of your fathers will come before
you with salutations. |
|
9.
Yehudah is like a young lion. You have risen above plunder my son. He
crouches, rests like a lion, like an awesome lion, who will rouse him? |
9.
I will liken you, my son Jehuda, to a whelp, the young of a lion; for from
the killing of Joseph my son you did uplift your soul, and from the judgment
of Tamar you were free. He dwells quietly and in strength, as a lion; and as
an old lion when he reposes, who may stir him up? |
|
10.
The rod will not depart from Yehudah, nor a law-enforcer from between his
feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be an assembly of nations. |
10.
Kings will not cease, nor rulers, from the house of Jehuda, nor sopherim
(scribes) teaching the Law from his seed, till the time that the King the
Mashiah, will come, the youngest of his sons; and on account of him will the
peoples flow together How beauteous is the King, the Mashiah who will arise
from the house of Jehuda! |
|
11.
He loads his young donkey with grapes of a vine, and his she-donkey's foal
with a vine-branch. He washes his clothes in wine, and his cloak in the blood
of grapes. |
11.
He has girded his loins, and descended, and arrayed the battle against his
adversaries, Slaying kings with their rulers; neither is there any king or
ruler who will stand before him. The mountains become red with the blood of
their slain; his garments, dipped in blood, are like the pressed juice of grapes.
|
|
12.
His eyes are red from wine, and his teeth are white [from an abundance of]
milk. |
12.
How beautiful are the eyes of the king Mashiah, as the pure wine! He cannot
look upon what is unclean, nor on the shedding of the blood of the innocent;
and his teeth, purer than milk, cannot eat that which is stolen or torn; and
therefore his mountains are red with wine, and his hills white with corn, and
with the cotes of flocks. |
|
13.
Zebulun will settle on seashores, he will be a harbor for ships; his border will
reach to Sidon. |
13.
Zebulon will dwell upon the banks of the sea, and have dominion over the
havens he will surmount the breakers of the sea with ships and his border
extend unto Zidon. |
|
14.
Yissachar is a bony donkey, crouching between the borders. |
14.
Issakar is an ass in the Law; a strong tribe, knowing the order of the times;
and he lies down between the, limits of his brethren. |
|
15.
He saw that rest is good, and that the land is pleasant; he bent his shoulder
to bear the burden; and became a servant to pay the tribute. |
15.
And he saw the rest of the world to come that it is good, and the portion of
the land of Israel that it is pleasant; therefore bowed he his shoulders to
labour in the Law, and unto him will come his brethren bearing presents. |
|
16.
Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. |
16.
From the house of Dan there is to arise a man who will judge his people with
the judgment of truth. All the tribes of Israel will hearken to him together.
|
|
17.
Dan will be a serpent on the road, a viper on the path, that bites the
horse's heel so that the rider falls backward. |
17.
A chosen man will arise from the house of Dan, like the basilisk which lies
at the dividing of the way, and the serpent's head which lurks by the way,
that bites the horse in his heel, and the master from his terror is thrown
backward. Even thus will Shimshon bar Manovach slay all the heroes of
Philistia, the horsemen and the foot; he will hamstring their horses and hurl
their riders backwards. |
|
18.
For your deliverance, I wait, Adonai. |
18.
When Jakob saw Gideon bar Joash and Shimshon bar Manovach, who were
established to be deliverers, he said, I expect not the salvation of Gideon,
nor look I for the salvation of Shimshon; for their salvation will be the
salvation of an hour; but for Your salvation have I waited, and will look
for, O Lord; for Your salvation is the salvation of eternity. |
|
19.
Gad will be an assailing troop; he will be a troop at their heels. |
19.
The tribe of Gad with the rest of the tribes will, armed, pass over the
streams of Arnona and subdue before them the pillars of the earth, and armed
will they return into their limits with much substance and dwell in peace
beyond the passage of Jordan; for so will they choose, and it will be to them
to receive their inheritance. |
|
20.
From Asher will come rich food, he will provide delicacies for the king. |
20.
Happy is Asher whose fruitage is plenteous, and whose land abounds in balsams
and costly perfumes. |
|
21.
Naftali is a gazelle-like messenger, he delivers pleasant sayings. |
21.
Naphatali is a swift messenger, like a hind that runs on the tops of the
mountains, bringing good tidings: he it was who announced that Joseph was
living; he it was who hastened to go into Mizraim, and bring the contract of
the double field in which Esau had no portion; and when he will open his
mouth in the congregation of Israel to give praise, he will be the chosen of
all tongues. |
|
22.
A fruitful son is Yosef, a fruitful son at the well [source]. Daughters tread
on the wall. |
22.
Joseph, my son, you have become great; Joseph, my son, you have become great
and mighty; the end (determined) on you was (that you should) be mighty,
because you did subdue your inclination in the matter of your mistress, and
in the work of your brethren. You will I liken to a vine planted by fountains
of water, which sends forth her roots, and overruns the ridges of stone, and
covers by her branches all unfruitful trees; even so did you my son Joseph
subject by your wisdom and your good works all the magicians of Mizraim; and
when, celebrating your praises, the daughters of princes walking on the high
places cast before you bracelets and chains of gold, that you should lift up
your eyes upon them, your eyes you would not lift up on one of them, to
become guilty in the great day of judgment. |
|
23.
They made him bitter and quarrelled with him. Expert bowmen with hatred made
him their target. |
23.
And all the magicians of Mizraim were bitter and angry against him, and
brought accusations against him before Pharaoh, expecting to bring him down
from his honour. They spoke against him with the slanderous tongue which is
severe as arrows. |
|
24.
His bow remained in strength, his arms were bedecked with gold, by the hand
of Mighty One of Ya’aqob; from there he became the shepherd [the provider],
the stone of Israel. |
24.
But he returned to abide in his early strength, and would not yield himself
unto sin, and subdued his inclinations by the strong discipline he had
received from Jakob, and thence became worthy of being a ruler, and of being
joined in the engraving of the names upon the stones of Israel. |
|
25.
From the Almighty of your father He will help you, and Shaddai Who will bless
you with the blessings of heaven from above, blessings of the depths that lie
below, blessings of breasts and womb. |
25.
From the Word of the Lord will be your help; and He who is called the All-Sufficient
will bless you with the blessings which descend with the dew of heaven from
above, and with the good blessing of the fountains of the deep which ascend
and clothe the herbage from beneath. The breasts are blessed at which you
were suckled, and the womb in which you did lie, |
|
26.
The blessings that your father [received] are stronger than the blessings my
forebears [received] even to the boundaries of the eternal hills; they shall
be on Yosef's head, on the crown of him who is a Nazirite among his brothers. |
26.
The blessings of your father be added to the blessings wherewith my fathers
Abraham and Izhak have blessed me, and which the princes of the world Ishmael
and Esau and all the sons of Keturah have desired: let all these blessings be
united, and form a diadem of majesty for the head of Joseph, and for the brow
of the man who became chief and ruler in Mizraim, and the brightness of the
glory of his brethren. |
|
|
|
Reading
Assignment:
Torah
With Targum Onkelos and Rashi’s Commentary – Vol. 1
The
Book of Genesis: Hebrew/English
By:
A.M. Silberman & M. Rosenbaum
Published
by: BN Publishing (2007)
pp.
243-252.
The
Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez - Vol IIIa: The Twelve Tribes
By:
Rabbi Ya’aqob Culi
Published
by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1988)
Vol.
IIIb – “Joseph in Egypt,” pp. 513-536.
Welcome to the World of P’shat
Exegesis
In
order to understand the finished work of the P’shat mode of interpretation of
the Torah, one needs to take into account that the P’shat is intended to
produce a catechetical output, whereby a question/s is/are raised and an
answer/s is/are given using the seven Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel and as well
as the laws of Hebrew Grammar and Hebrew expression.
The
Seven Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel are as follows
[cf.
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=472&letter=R]:
1.
Ḳal va-ḥomer:
"Argumentum a minori ad majus" or "a majori ad minus";
corresponding to the scholastic proof a fortiori.
2.
Gezerah shavah:
Argument from analogy. Biblical passages containing synonyms or homonyms are
subject, however much they differ in other respects, to identical definitions
and applications.
3.
Binyan ab mi-katub eḥad: Application of a provision found in one passage
only to passages which are related to the first in content but do not contain
the provision in question.
4.
Binyan ab mi-shene ketubim:
The same as the preceding, except that the provision is generalized from two
Biblical passages.
5.
Kelal u-Peraṭ and Peraṭ u-kelal: Definition of the general by the
particular, and of the particular by the general.
6.
Ka-yoẓe bo mi-maḳom aḥer: Similarity in content to another
Scriptural passage.
7.
Dabar ha-lamed me-'inyano:
Interpretation deduced from the context.
Ashlamatah: Isaiah 43:22 – 44:2 + 6
22
Yet you have not called upon Me, O Jacob, neither have you wearied yourself about
Me, O Israel.
23
You have not brought Me the small cattle of your burnt-offerings; neither have
you honoured Me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with a
meal-offering, nor wearied you with frankincense.
24
You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, neither have you satisfied Me with
the fat of your sacrifices; but you have burdened Me with your sins, you have
wearied Me with your iniquities/ lawlessness.
25
I, even I, am He that blots out your transgressions for Mine own sake; and your
sins I will not remember.
26
Put Me in remembrance, let us plead together; declare you, that you may be
justified.
27
Your first father sinned, and your intercessors have transgressed against Me.
28
Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and I have given Jacob
to condemnation, and Israel to reviling. {P}
1
Yet now hear, O Jacob My servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen;
2
Thus says the LORD that made you, and formed you from the womb, who will help
you: Fear not, O Jacob My servant, and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water upon the
thirsty land, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour My spirit upon your seed,
and My blessing upon your offspring;
4 And they will spring up among
the grass, as willows by the watercourses.
5 One will say: “I am the LORD’S;”
and another will call himself by the name of Jacob; and another will subscribe
with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel. {P}
6
Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer the LORD of hosts: I
am the first, and I am the last, and beside Me there is no God.
Special Ashlamatah: Isaiah
60:1-22
1
Arise, shine, for your light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon
you.
2
For, behold, darkness will cover the earth, and gross darkness the Gentiles;
but upon you the LORD will arise, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.
3
And Gentiles will walk at your light, and kings at the brightness of your
rising.
4
Lift up your eyes round about, and see: they all are gathered together, and
come to you; your sons come from far, and your daughters are borne on the side.
5
Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will throb and be enlarged;
because the abundance of the sea will be turned unto you, the wealth of the
Gentiles will come unto you.
6
The caravan of camels will cover you, and of the young camels of Midian and
Ephah, all coming from Sheba; they will bring gold and incense, and will
proclaim the praises of the LORD.
7
All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together unto you, the rams of
Nebaioth will minister unto you; they will come up with acceptance on Mine
altar, and I will glorify My glorious house.
8
Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their cotes?
9
Surely the isles will wait for Me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your
sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, for the name of the LORD your
God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because He has glorified you.
10
And aliens will build up your walls, and their kings will minister unto you;
for in My wrath I smote you, but in My favour have I had compassion on you.
11
Your gates also will be open continually, day and night, they will not be shut;
that men may bring unto you the wealth of the Gentiles, and their kings in
procession.
12
For that nation and kingdom that will not serve you will perish; yea, those
nations will be utterly wasted.
13
The glory of Lebanon will come unto you, the cypress, the plane-tree and the
larch together; to beautify the place of My sanctuary, and I will make the
place of My feet glorious.
14
And the sons of them that afflicted you will come bending unto you, and all
they that despised you will bow down at the soles of your feet; and they will
call you The city of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15
Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no man passed through you, I
will make you an eternal excellence, a joy of many generations.
16
You will also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and will suck the breast of kings;
and you will know that I the LORD am your Saviour, and I, the Mighty One of
Jacob, your Redeemer.
17
For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood
brass, and for stones iron; I will also make your officers peace, and righteousness/generosity
your magistrates.
18
Violence will no more be heard in your land, desolation nor destruction within your
borders; but you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.
19
The sun will be no more your light by day, neither for brightness will the moon
give light unto you; but the LORD will be unto you an everlasting light, and your
God your glory.
20
Your sun will no more go down, Neither will your moon withdraw itself; for the
LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be
ended.
21
Your people also will be all righteous/generous, they will inherit the land for
ever; the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, wherein I glory.
22.
The smallest will become a thousand, and the least a mighty nation; I the LORD
will hasten it in its time. {S}
Mishnah Pirke Abot: III:10
Rabbi
Dosa ben Harkinas said: Sleep in the morning, wine at midday, childish chatter
and sitting in the synagogues of ignorant people can drive a man out of the
world.
Abarbanel on Pirke Abot
By: Abraham Chill
Sepher Hermon Press, Inc. 1991
ISBN 0-87203-135-7
(pp. 182-184)
In
the previous Mishnah, Rabbi Hanina attached a great deal of significance to the
relationship between a person's acceptance as a sincerely righteous Jew by the
community as a pre-requisite for his acceptance by God. Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas
in this Mishnah qualifies that criterion. According to Abarbanel, Rabbi Dosa
believes that there are occasions when a person will find great favour in the
eyes of his fellow men, yet be disgraced and offensive in the eyes of God.
There
are four such occasions: The first is when a person sleeps late in the morning
and misses the service in the synagogue and does not recite the Shema or pray
the Amidah immediately they are permitted, i.e., at sunrise. Furthermore, the
early hours are usually the time for conjugal relations, and although he will
find approval in the eyes of his wife, he is driving himself out of his
spiritual world and that is certainly not approved of by God. Furthermore, a
person who is concerned with his spiritual wellbeing, should rise in the
stillness of the night to study Torah without any hindrance or interference.
The man who “sleeps in” is intentionally destroying himself. Time is our most
preci ous possession. He who does
not use it to advantage is guilty of blasphemy.
Secondly,
drinking wine in the afternoon. Wine is usually imbibed during a meal to make
it more palatable and more pleasurable. When one seeks out a coterie of
drinkers who are gathered for the sole purpose of drinking after the meal, he
will be approved of by that society of drinkers, but it is behaviour contrary
to God's wish. Under those circumstances, a person is simply intent on
destroying himself. He could spend his time in a better manner and in better
places.
The
third occasion that can contribute to the destruction of a man's life is acting
immaturely and irresponsibly. When a grown man is addicted to childish banter,
he may meet with the approval of his childish friends, but he does not have
God's approval, because he is misusing the tools God gave him to study Torah.
This is what the Talmud (Shabbat 33a)
meant when it said that he who demeans his talk will find the pit of purgatory
deepening for him. God created man and endowed him with the organs of his body
in order to serve Him. (The hands
with which to give charity; the eyes with which to see only the good; the feet
to walk in the ways of God; the mouth to speak words of Torah.) To exploit any
one of these limbs for another purpose is to defy the expressed will of God. A person who does this is
doomed.
Lastly,
Rabbi Dosa warns us against spending time in the company of people who are
ignorant of Torah, although they may be well versed in matters of a secular
nature such as political, economic and social subjects. Those people will
approve of their new friend, but God will be dissatisfied
because this type of a person is wasting his time which should be devoted to
Torah study.
In
summation, the common denominator of all four of Rabbi Dosa's dicta is that the
behaviour described is destructive in that it implies that Torah is only of
secondary importance, and therefore will drive a man out of the world of his
spiritual perfection.
Miscellaneous Interpretations
Rashbatz:
The
first impression one gets is that there is a sharp difference of opinion
between Rabbi Dosa of our Mishnah and Rabbi Yehoshua (Chapter II, mishnah 10).
There, the sage also spoke about three things that will put a man out of this
world - the evil eye, the evil inclination and misanthropy. Here, Rabbi Dosa
speaks about other activities which will drive a man out of this world morning
sleep, midday wine, children's talk and sitting in assemblies of the ignorant.
Rashbatz
finds no conflict between these two Mishnayot. Rabbi Yehoshua's dictum deals
with personal harm that eventually will destroy a person. The evil eye and the
evil inclination are consuming fires of jealousy and lust that bore into the
heart of a man and destroy him. Misanthropy, too, is equated by Rashbatz with
melancholia. All the habits enumerated in our Mishnah, however, are pleasant
and delightful to the body - what Rabbi Dosa is teaching is that they are
harmful to the soul:
Morning
sleep
prevents a man from developing the proper mood for prayer. Midday wine
inevitably leads to drunkenness and will prevent a person from reading the
Scriptures. In addition, he will get into the habit of visiting pubs. Children's
talk may be entertaining, but it is a cause for bitul Torah. Sitting in
synagogues of the ignorant will result in socializing with ignorant people.
Midrash
Shemuel: There
are three parts to the day and in each the rabbis instituted a set of prayers
which are intended to elevate the Jew to a higher spiritual plateau. In fact,
the three daily prayer services were instituted by the greatest spiritual
personalities in Jewish history: Abraham instituted the morning service; Isaac,
the afternoon service; and Jacob, the evening service. It is inconceivable that
a Jew should allow himself to waste these precious occasions on inconsequential
matters. When one continues to sleep although it is time to recite the Shema -
the proclamation of the unity of God; when, due to late sleep, one permits
himself to engage in the pursuit of food and drink in the afternoon when there
are more serious matters that should occupy him; and when in the evening one
follows this pattern and squanders his time chattering even in the synagogue in
the company of the lowest element of society - this type of person cannot
expect to be awarded a share in the World to Come.
Rabbi
Moshe Alshakhar:
The admonitions of Rabbi Dosa in this Mishnah can be correlated with the life
span of man. Morning refers to his youth; afternoon, to middle age; evening, to
old age.
According
to Alshakhar, Rabbi Dosa is impressing upon us that the morning of one's life,
when energies abound, a young man should be on the alert to overcome any evil
proclivities that may be developing in him. In the afternoon of his life he
should be sufficiently sober to be serious and dedicated to values that will
bring him spiritual gains. In the evening of his life he should act maturely
and not idle away his days in futile pursuits. There is precious little time
left for him.
What Say the Nazarean Hakhamim?
1Ti 3:2 Then it behoves the
overseer [Rosh Paqid] to be blameless, husband of one wife, temperate,
sensible, well-ordered, hospitable, apt at teaching;
1Ti 3:3 not given to too much
wine, not a contentious one, not money-loving, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not
avaricious;
1Ti 3:8 Likewise, deacons
[Paqidim] are to be reverent, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine,
not greedy of ill gain,
1Ti 3:9 holding the secret of the
faithful obedience with a pure conscience (motive).
1Th 5:6 So then, we should not
sleep, as the rest also do, but we should watch and be sober.
1Th 5:7 For those sleeping sleep
by night, and those having been drunk are drunk by night.
1Th 5:8 But we being of day
should be sober, “having put on the breastplate” of faithful obedience and
love, and the hope of “salvation as a helmet;” (cf. Isaiah 59:17)
Rom 10:3 For being ignorant of
the justice of God, and seeking to establish their own justice, they did not submit
to the justice of God.
Rom 10:4 For the goal of Messiah
[is] the Law for justice to everyone that faithfully obeys [the Law] (cf.
Isaiah 42:21).
Mark (Mordechai) 5:25-34
Delitzsch
Hebrew Rendition
25וְאִשָּׁה
הָיְתָה
בְּזוֹב
דָּמֶיהָ
שְׁתֵּים
עֶשְׂרֵה
שָׁנָה׃
26וְהִיא
נַעֲנָה
הַרְבֵּה
תַּחַת יְדֵי
רֹפְאִים
רַבִּים
וְהוֹצִיאָה
אֶת־כֹּל
אֲשֶׁר־לָהּ
וְלֹא
לְהוֹעִיל
כִּי אִם
כָּבְדָה
מַחֲלָתָהּ
מְאֹד׃
27וַיְהִי
כְּשָׁמְעָהּ
אֶת־שֵׁמַע
יֵשׁוּעַ
וַתָּבוֹא
בְּתוֹךְ
הֲמוֹן הָעָם
מֵאַחֲרָיו
וַתִּגַּע
בְּבִגְדוֹ׃
28כִּי
אָמְרָה אַךְ
אֶגַּע
בִּבְגָדָיו
וְאִוָּשֵׁעָה׃
29וַיִּיבַשׁ
מְקוֹר
דָּמֶיהָ
פִּתְאֹם וַתָּבֶן
בִּבְשָׂרָה
כִּי
נִרְפָּא
נִגְעָהּ׃
30וּבְרֶגַע
יָדַע
יֵשׁוּעַ
בְּנַפְשׁוֹ
כִּי
גְּבוּרָה
יָצְאָה
מִמֶּנּוּ
וַיִּפֶן
בְּתוֹךְ
הָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר
מִי נָגַע
בִּבְגָדָי׃
31וַיֹּאמְרוּ
אֵלָיו
תַּלְמִידָיו
הִנְּךָ
רֹאֶה
אֶת־הֶהָמוֹן
דּוֹחֵק
אֹתְךָ וְאָמַרְתָּ
מִי־נָגַע
בִּי׃
32וַיַּבֵּט
סָבִיב
לִרְאוֹת
אֶת־אֲשֶׁר
עָשְׂתָה
זֹּאת׃
33וְהָאִשָּׁה
יָרְאָה וְחָרְדָה
כִּי יָדְעָה
אֶת־אֲשֶׁר
נַעֲשָׂה לָהּ
וַתָּבֹא
וַתִּפֹּל
לְפָנָיו
וַתַּגֶּד־לוֹ
אֵת כָּל
הָאֱמֶת׃
34וַיֹּאמֶר
אֵלֶיהָ
בִּתִּי
אֱמוּנָתֵךְ
הוֹשִׁיעָה
לָּךְ לְכִי
לְשָׁלוֹם
וְחָיִית
מִנִּגְעֵךְ׃
Murdoch’s Peshitta Translation
25
And a woman who had had a defluxion of blood twelve years,
26
And who had suffered much from many physicians, and had spent all she
possessed, and was not profited, but was even the more afflicted;
27
when she heard of Jesus, came behind him in the press of the crowd, and touched
his garment
28
For she said: If I but touch his garment, I will live.
29
And immediately the fountain of her blood dried up; and she felt in her body
that she was healed of her plague.
30
And Jesus at once knew in himself, that virtue had issued from him: and he
turned to the throng, and said: Who touched my clothes?
31
And his disciples said to him: “You see the throngs that press upon you; and you
say, ‘Who touched me’”?
32
And he looked around, to see who had done this.
33
And the woman, fearing and trembling, for she knew what had taken place in her,
came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34
And he said to her: “My daughter, your faith has made you live: go in peace;
and be you healed of your plague.
Etheridge’s Peshitta Translation
25
But a certain woman, who had a defluxion of blood twelve years,
26
Who much had suffered from many physicians, and had spent all whatever she had,
and was nothing helped, but also the more afflicted,
27
Having heard of Jeshu, came in the press of the crowd behind him, and touched
his vestment.
28
For she said, If I but touch his vestment, I will live.
29
And immediately the fountain of her blood was dried; and she felt in her body
that she had been healed from her plague.
30
But Jeshu at once knew within himself that power had gone forth from him, and
he turned to the crowd, and said, “Who touched my garments?”
31
His disciples said to him, “You see the crowds that oppress you, and you say, ‘Who
touched me’”? 32 And he looked round to see who this had done. But the woman
herself, fearing and trembling, because she knew what had been done for her,
came, fell before him, and told him all the truth.
34
But he said to her, “My daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace, and be
healed from your plague.”
Hakham’s Rendition:
25.
And a certain woman, having an [ongoing] issue of blood [for] twelve years,
26.
And many things having suffered under many physicians, and having spent all
that she had, and having profited nothing, but rather having come to the worse;
27.
Having heard about Yeshua, having come in the multitude behind, she touched his
Tsitsit,
28.
For she said [to herself], “If even his Tallit I may touch, I will be cured;”
29.
And immediately was the fountain of her blood dried up, and she knew in
the body that she had been healed of the plague.
30.
And immediately Yeshua having known in himself that out of him
ceremonial cleanliness had gone forth, having turned about to the congregation,
[and] said, “Who did touch my Tsitsit?”
31.
And his disciples said to him, “You see the congregation thronging [on] you,
and you say, ‘Who did touch me’?
32.
And he was looking around to see the one who did this,
33.
And the woman, being afraid, and trembling, knowing what was done to her, came,
and fell down before him, and told him all the truth,
34.
And he said to her, “Daughter, your faithful obedience has healed you; go away
into Shalom, and be whole from your plague.”
Commentary:
As
we have explained last week, this new section of Mordechai is in fact the
second of two sections which are intertwined and interrupt one another to
circumvent a problem posed by ceremonial uncleanness. Logically, each section
would be as follows:
- The Transformation of the
Synagogue Leader’s daughter – Mark 5:21-24 + 5:35-43; and
- The Transformation of the
Woman with an Issue of Blood – Mark 5:25-34
Nevertheless,
for Lectionary and didactic purposes we have three sections:
- The Transformation of the
Synagogue Leader’s daughter: Part I – Mark 5:21-24
- The Transformation of the
Woman with an Issue of Blood – Mark 5:25-34
- The Transformation of the
Synagogue Leader’s daughter: Part II - Mark 5:35-43
Therefore,
this Sabbath, we are looking at: “The Transformation of the Woman with an Issue
of Blood (Mark 5:25-34)” in the context of our Torah Seder of Beresheet (Gensesis 49:1-26).
v.
25 - And a certain woman, having an [ongoing] issue of blood [for] twelve
years. - There are two tractates in the Mishnah dealing with
two categories of ceremonial uncleanness, the first being women menstruation
(Heb. Nidda), and the second dealing with men and women with unusual fluid
discharges (Heb. Zaba – literally “oozer”). In this case, it appears that the
woman is treated by the Law as in a perpetual state of menstrual uncleanness.
This does not necessarily mean that she was bleeding everyday, but rather that
she could not attain to a period of cleanness after her menstruation (that is,
her bleeding was more regular than the normal menstruation cycle), and
therefore had been in a perpetual state of ceremonial uncleanness for 12 years.
Please keep in the back of your mind this number: 12
years, for in the next narrative we will find that Yair’s daughter was also 12
years old (cf. Mordechai 5:42). This is to teach that a person who is sick for
a long time is as if he/she be dead. And surely this woman deprived of social
intercourse due to her uncleanness was as good as dead.
v.
26 - And many things having suffered under many physicians, and having spent
all that she had, and having profited nothing, but rather having come to the
worse. - There
are some that believe that here Mordechai expresses the Jewish Nazarean
sentiment that physicians increase suffering rather than alleviate it. This is
not true. Surely medical treatments in antiquity and even today are not
perfect. But this verse is not rejecting the proposition that if anyone is sick
he/she should seek medical advice, but rather that there certain conditions for
which even today’s modern sophisticated medicine knows no cure, and for those
in this condition they become good targets of unscrupulous physicians and other
charlatans.
What this verse is saying is that like
in ancient times as today medicine has its limitations and there are a number
of ailments for which we still have no effective treatment or cure. And this is
the substance of this verse. That is, that this woman had an affliction for
which no known cure was available at that time, and therefore she had become
the target of many unscrupulous doctores and charlatans who had ruined her
financially. One could well summarize the psychological condition of this woman
as being in much distress and desperate.
v.
27 - Having heard about Yeshua, having come in the multitude behind, she
touched his Tsitsit. - In the previous verse we
were left with the understanding that this woman had become
quite desperate, and so now she hears that a great Rabbi is in town, so in
desperation she violates the laws of seclusion, and runs to the crowd pressing
the Master, and as the opportunity presents, she grabs and takes hold of the
Masters Tsitsit (one of the four fringes with special knots, representing the
name of Ha-Shem, as well as the 613 commandments of Scripture on the four
corners of the prayer mantle used by male Jews).
As a side note, last week we learned that Ya’aqob
passed on to his son the Tallit (Jewish prayer mantle) of Adam to his son
Yosef. The Master representing Messiah ben Yosef was using this precious
mantle, one that was apparently so valuable that the Roman Centurions cast lots
amongst them as to who would become its possessor. I also velieve that the last
man to wear this special Tallit, was Hakham Shaul where this is insinuated in 2
Timothy 4:13 – “When you come, bring the Tallit [cloak] which I left in Troas
with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchment scrolls.”
v. 28 - For she said [to herself], “If even his Tallit
I may touch, I will be cured.” - Here Christian exegetes from all persuasions seem to
have great fun in producing much fiction and adding their own fanciful
speculations without respecting the Jewish context of where this took place.
But of course, considering that Yeshua was a Jewish Rabbi is too much to ask to
those bent in sanitizing as much as possible the Nazarean Codicil writings from
any vestige of Judaism.
In the book of Malachi, we read:
“But to
you who fear My Name the sun of righteousness/generosity will arise with
healing in His wings.” (Malachi 3:20 or 4:2)
Many Christians accurately see a reference to the
Messiah in this verse. Judaism also recognizes this as a messianic prophecy:
“Moses
asked: ‘Will they remain in pledge for ever?’ God replied: ‘No, only until the
sun appears’, that is, till the coming of the Messiah; for it says, But unto
you that fear My name will the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its
wings.” (Exodus Rabbah 31:10, Soncino Press Edition)
Examining Malachi 3:20 in Hebrew, is most interesting,
for there we read:
“But to
you who fear My Name the sun of righteousness/generosity will arise with
healing in His wings (kanaf).”
In the books of Bamidbar (Numbers) and Debarim
(Deuteronomy), the Torah uses the word “kanaf” for the commandment of
the tzitzit (fringes):
Again
Ha-Shem spoke to Mosheh, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to
make צִיצִת
עַל-כַּנְפֵי tassels
(tzitziyot) on the corners (kanaf) of their garments throughout their generations, and
to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners.” (Bamidbar 15:38, Debarim
22:12)
The “kanaf” of a garment was the corner, edge,
or “hem.” The Strong's Concordance defines kanaf as:
כּנף Kanaf (kaw-nawf');
Noun
Feminine, Strong #: 3671
Wing,
extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt
- Wing
- Extremity skirt, corner (of garment)
The Greek word for “border” is κράσπεδον
kraspedon, corresponding to the Hebrew word “kanaf,” as
Strong's Concordance notes:
κράσπεδον
Kraspedon (kras'-ped-on)
Noun
Neuter, Strong #: 2899
The extremity or prominent part of a thing, edge,
skirt, margin
- The
fringe of a garment
- In the
NT a little appendage hanging down from the edge of the mantle or cloak, made
of twisted wool
- A
tassel, tuft: the Jews had such appendages attached to their mantles to remind
them of the law
I know that the Greek word at Mark is ἱματίων
– IMATION αὐτοῦ AUTU. The Greek word IMATION
(Strong’s # 2440) has the following meanings: a dress (inner or outer): -
apparel, cloke, clothes, garment, raiment, robe, or vesture. Luke 8:44 explains
to us what really did this woman touched. There we read: “τοῦ (TU = The) κρασπέδου (KRASPEDU =
his Tsitsit) τοῦ (TU = The) ἱματίου (IMATIU =
Tallit) αὐτοῦ (AUTU = of his).”
Therefore Mark 5:28 has: “If even his Tallit
I may touch" and Dr. Luke being more precise states: "touched
the Tsitsit of his Tallit.” We see then that “IMATION” and “KRASPEDON” are
synonymous, the difference being only with regards to specification.
It is unfortunate that the great Christian Hebraist
Delitzsch missed this point in his translation of the Nazarean writings into
Hebrew.
A question for many arises as to why this woman was
intent in taking hold of the Tsitsit of the Tallit of the Master and just touch
him. With regards to this question Marcus[1]
comments:
“… the
woman touches only Jesus’ garment in order to avoid passing her ritual impurity
to him. But although impurity contracted through contact with clothes is less
serious that impurity contracted through contact with flesh (cf. Leviticus
15:7), it is still defiling; otherwise the instruction to wash one’s clothes
would be senseless (cf. Lev. 15:11, 21-22. Etc.; cf. Mishnah Kelim 27-28 on the
impurity of clothes).”
This is in part true. First, any unclean person
touching the Tsitsit of a Tallit does not render the Tallit unclean for greater
is the holiness of the Tallit than any uncleanness it can come into contact
with. The only way to tamper with the holiness of the Tallit is to destroy or
cut its Tsitsit. Nevertheless, if an unclean person touches the Tsitsit of a
person wearing it, the Tallit remains ceremonially clean but the person wearing
it looses his ceremonial status as clean.
And this is exactly what we are being told in v.30!
v.
29 - And immediately was the fountain of her blood dried up, and she
knew in the body that she had been healed of the plague.
Rabbis
and Paidim, like all human beings are full of imperfections and even sin.
Nevertheless, in general, Rabbis and Paqidim do sacrifice much in the pursuit
of Torah justice and for the good of others, and do take much care to remain
relatively in a state of cleanliness (physically and spiritually). Further, as
we have seen from the rationale of the lady in question the aim was to touch
the Tsitsit of a great rabbi, the primary emphasis being the Tsitsit rather
than the “great rabbi.” So, if we match the holiness of the Tsitsit with the
living holiness of the Master we have a most powerful healing combination.
The
result was evident: the lady not only was healed but she felt in herself that
she was healed from this malady that had afflicted her for the past 12 years.
The efficacy of the state of ritual cleanliness of the Master in combination
with the holiness power of the Tsitsit in which the name of G-d is inscribed by
means of knots causes an “immediate” healing reaction.
Further,
all Orthodox Jews during the recitation of the Shema twice a day (morning and
evening) do kiss their four Tsitsiyot at certain points when reciting this key
prayer of our sacred liturgy. Why? At least for three important reasons, (a) as
a sign of respect and devotion for the name of G-d and what it represents, (b)
for the healing and spiritual cleanliness of the person praying and that of his
dependents, and (c) to become a conduit of G-d’s power for the healing of this
world.
In
this regard it is important to remember the statement of Zechariah the Prophet,
when he said in the name of Ha-Shem, most ble He:
“Thus says the LORD of
hosts: In those days it will come to pass, that ten men will take hold, out of
all the languages of the Gentiles, will even take hold of the Tsitsit of him
that is a Jew, saying: ‘We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with
you.’” (Zec 8:23)
There is a note of
humour in this verse of Zechariah. It says that the Gentiles will state: “we have
heard that God is with you.” But the Jew does not need to speak and tell
anyone that “G-d is with him,” for he constantly wears a Tallit Qatan (Small
Tallit) that has four knotted fringes which numerically spell G-d’s Holy Name!
It would have been more appropriate for the Gentiles to have said “for we see
that G-d is with you (i.e. you wear the Name of G-d in your Tsitsit)”!
Nevertheless, the verse is correct and G-d does not make errors! The Gentiles
in this verse probably came to this conclusion after reading the Bible or
hearing some say that G-d, the Creator of the universe is to be found with and
amongst His Jewish people!
Let me reiterate that wearing a Tallit is
something very serious. For not only one has pledged unconditional and absolute
loyalty to G-d and His people, but one also has pledged to unconditionally bring
healing to this world. This last pledge is well expressed in the prayer of St.
Francis of Assisi:
Ha-Shem, make me an
instrument of your Shalom,
Where there is hatred,
let me sow concord;
where there is injury,
pardon;
where there is doubt
and disobedience, trust and faithful obedience;
where there is
despair, hope;
where there is
darkness, light;
where there is
sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant
that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to
understand;
to be loved as to
love.
For it is in giving
that we receive;
it is in pardoning
that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying every
day that we are born every day to eternal life.
v.
30 - And immediately Yeshua having known in himself that out of him
ceremonial cleanliness had gone forth, having turned about to the congregation,
[and] said, “Who did touch my Tsitsit?”
As we mentioned before the Tallit and its Tsitsit
remain in a state of cleanliness but the wearer looses his state of
cleanliness. Perhaps here we have an allusion to a similar phenomenon we
encounter with the sprinkling of the waters of the ashes of the red heifer,
where the Kohen (Priest) sprinkling being clean becomes unclean and the unclean
being sprinkled becomes clean. This is yet another of this examples of
transference we have been reading throughout this Chapter 5 of Mordechai.
Here we find also that the Master becomes immediately
aware that he has lost his ritual state of cleanliness and has become impure.
Now this presents a legal problem. The Master was on his way to heal Yair’s
daughter who was dying, and required for him to lay ritually clean hands, but
now by the healing of this lady he has become ritually impure and therefore
seemingly unable to heal Yair’s young daughter. This fact and the multitude
thronging towards the Master explains the question raised by his Talmidim in
the next verse.
v.
31 - And his disciples said to him, “You see the congregation thronging [on]
you, and you say, ‘Who did touch me’? -
What
the Talmidim are trying to convey is not a disrespectful statement, but rather
with pressing congregation around the Master hurrying towards the home of Yair
it would be impossible to know who had touched him, and further it was taken
for granted that all who were with him were ceremoniously clean, otherwise they
would not be circulating amongst the congregation. Their words, however do
contrast the special keen awareness of the Master and the total unawareness of
his Talmidim.
v.
32 - And he was looking around to see the one who did this. – Observe that the
Master had a keen gift of clairvoyance, and could have pointed as to who
precisely had touched him, yet he also was possessed like any good Jew with a
belief that if given an opportunity all people have the potential to be truthful
and acknowledge their deeds. He gives the woman time to come forth rather than
point at the woman. We surely need to learn well this lesson of noble
Jewish/Israelite behaviour, and rather than point fingers give people a chance
either to come with the truth or to make amends for their wrongs.
v.
33 - And the woman, being afraid, and trembling, knowing what was done to her,
came, and fell down before him, and told him all the truth, - Fear and trembling, is
an acknowledgement that we are indeed before the very presence of G-d even when
amongst G-d’s people. This is not to say that the woman thought or believed
that the Master was G-d, but rather that she immediately became aware that
G-d’s Presence rests in the mist of G-d’s judges, and amongst the congregation
of Israel, wherever they may be. This awareness of G-d’s Presence in the midst
of a congregation of Israel prompts the person to be truthful, which was indeed
the reaction of this woman.
We
live today in a world which has numbed down completely our sense of awareness.
This is because we have lost the fear of G-d, and we devote little time to the
study of Torah, as our Mishnah from Pirke Abot for this Sabbath explains. We
also have lost this awareness of the Presence of G-d wherever a Hakham is or
wherever Hakhamim congregate. Something is very wrong when we stand in front of
a Torah Scroll or a Hakham or a Minyan of ten Jewish Torah Observant men and do
not become aware of the awesome salvific and healing Presence of Ha-Shem, most
blessed be He!
v.
34 - And he said to her, “Daughter, your faithful obedience has healed you; go
away into Shalom, and be whole from your plague.” Again, note that there is no
reprimand for having rendered the Master in a state of ritual uncleanness; but
on the contrary, he commends her trust in G-d and her faithful obedience. The
address of any woman irrespective of her social position or age as “daughter”
by a Rabbi is customary amongst the Jewish people, and one not need to imagine
any extra theological speculation as Christian interpreters do.
The
Master states: “your faithful obedience has healed you.” What did she do
to get this credit? The answer is given to us at the end of this verse: “be
whole from your plague.” In other words, the affliction that this woman had
was of a miraculous nature and had happened to her because of her lack of trust
in G-d and disobedience of His commandments. By taking hold of the Tsitsit of
the Master she signified that she was willing to trust G-d again, and return to
Him in perfect obedience and in submission to the Jewish Rabbis to perform all
the Mitzvoth (commandments) incumbent on her and serve fellowman. Therefore the
Master said: “your faithful obedience has healed you.”
In
the next section of this chapter of Mordechai we will see how the Master find
opportunity rather than defeat when things do not go as we want them to go. A
Nazarean Jew is a creative person by nature and tries his/her utmost to see an
opportunity for good when everyone sees all doors closed.
As we review this section please notice the contrast
of the protagonists of the previous narrative that we read last week, with the
narrative for this week:
- Yair is a prestigious male leader of a Jewish synagogue, here we
encounter a nameless lady;
- Yair is a synagogue official, here we find a ritually unclean woman
excluded by her plague from her religious community;
- Yair, has a family and a household, this lady lives in isolation
because of her condition;
- Yair is relatively rich, she is in total financial ruin because of
paying fees to her physicians.
The contrast is obvious and yet
these readings are thematically and intrinsically related via the subject of
the Holiness of the Tsitsit.
Some Questions to Ponder:
1. What question/s were asked of Rashi regarding
Genesis 49:1?
2. What question/s were asked of Rashi regarding
Genesis 49:3?
3. What question/s were asked of Rashi regarding
Genesis 49:4?
4. What question/s were asked of Rashi regarding
Genesis 49:7?
5. What question/s were asked of Rashi regarding
Genesis 49:8?
6. What question/s were asked of Rashi regarding
Genesis 49:9?
7. What question/s were asked of Rashi regarding
Genesis 49:10?
8. What question/s were asked of Rashi regarding
Genesis 49:11?
9. What question/s were asked of Rashi regarding
Genesis 49:12?
10. How are each of the readings for this Shabbat
anticipating and announcing that the festival of Rosh HaShannah (New
Year/Trumpets) is near?
11. WhatMessianic aspects did Ya’aqob revealed to his
sons in Gene. 49:1-26?
12. After the statement in Gen. 49:1-2 of Ya’aqob what
was the response of the sons of Ya’aqob and why this response?
13. When the Master was ministering around the Kineret
(Sea of Galilee) in which lands was he ministering (i.e. to which tribes did
the lands belonged)?
14. What was the
nature of the close partnership between Issachar and Zebulun?
15. What
word/words/part or concept of the Torah Seder fired the imagination of our
Psalmist?
16. How is our
regular Ashlamatah of Isaiah 43:22 – 44:2 + 6 related to
our Torah via verbal tally?
17. How is Pirqe
Abot III:10 related to all of our readings for this Shabbat?
18. What
word/words/part or concept of the Torah Seder, Psalm and Isaiah 43:22 ff. fired
the imagination of Mordechai (Mark) in chapter 5:25-34?
19. In your
opinion what is the point being made in Mordechai 5:25-34?
20. In your
opinion, and taking into consideration all of the readings for this Shabbat,
what is the prophetic statement for this coming week?
Coming Festival:
Rosh HaShannah (New Year) 5970
(Evening Friday September 18 – Evening Sunday
September 20)
For further study and informations please see:
http://www.betemunah.org/teruah.html; http://www.betemunah.org/shofar.html & http://www.betemunah.org/knowday.html
Next Shabbat: Shabbat Nachamu VII:
7th Sabbath of the
Seven Sabbaths of the Consolation of Israel
|
Shabbat |
Torah Reading: |
Weekday Public Torah Reading: |
|
בִּנְיָמִין
זְאֵב |
|
|
|
“Binyamin Z’ev” |
Reader
1 – B’Resheet 49:27-30 |
Reader
1 – Shemot 1:1-4 |
|
“Benjamin is a wolf” |
Reader
2 – B’
Resheet 49:31-33 |
Reader
2 – Shemot 1:5-7 |
|
“Benjamín es un lobo” |
Reader
3 – B’
Resheet 50:1-3 |
Reader
3 – Shemot 1:8-11 |
|
B’Resheet (Gen.) 49:27 –
50:26 |
Reader
4 – B’
Resheet 50:4-8 |
|
|
Ashlamatah: Zechariah 14:1-11
|
Reader
5 – B’
Resheet 50:9-13 |
|
|
Special: Isaiah 61:10 – 63:9 |
Reader
6 – B’
Resheet 50:14-18 |
Reader
1 – Shemot 1:1-4 |
|
Psalm 41:1-13 |
Reader
7 – B’
Resheet 49:19-23 |
Reader
2 – Shemot 1:5-7 |
|
N.C.: Mark 5:35-43 |
Maftir : B’ Resheet 49:24-26 |
Reader
3 – Shemot 1:8-11 |
|
Pirke Abot: III:11 |
Isaiah 61:10 – 63:9 |
|
Reading
Assignment:
Torah
With Targum Onkelos and Rashi’s Commentary – Vol. 1
The
Book of Genesis: Hebrew/English
By:
A.M. Silberman & M. Rosenbaum
Published
by: BN Publishing (2007)
pp.
249-256.
The
Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez - Vol IIIa: The Twelve Tribes
By:
Rabbi Ya’aqob Culi
Published
by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1988)
Vol.
IIIb – “Joseph in Egypt,” pp. 536 - 594.
Please
always remember:
The
above questions are not about how many you can answer right or wrong, or how
many you have answered at all, that is NOT the purpose of this exercise! The
REAL merit is in making an effort to attempt to answer them as best as you can!
We run no competitions here! The competition if any is a matter between you and
Ha-Shem, most blessed be He! The questions are given to help you grasp the
mechanics of the Peshat level of Hermeneutics and to help you understand
Scripture from a legitimate Jewish perspective. So far, only few brave souls
have attempted to answer the questions posed. For those who have not yet jumped
into the pool of the brave, why not give it a try, even if you answered a few
questions that would be great and most encouraging for you and the honourable
members of this list!
Shalom
Shabbat!
Hakham
Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
Paqid
Mikha ben Hillel