Esnoga Bet Emunah
1101 Surrey Trace SE, Tumwater, WA 98501
Telephone:(360) 584-9352 - United States of America © 2011
E-Mail: gkilli@aol.com
Triennial Cycle (Triennial Torah Cycle) /
Septennial Cycle (Septennial Torah Cycle)
|
Three and
1/2 year Lectionary Readings |
Second Year of the Reading
Cycle |
|
Iyar 10, 5771 – May 13/14, 2011 |
Second Year of the Shmita
Cycle |
Candle Lighting and Habdalah Times:
|
Conroe &
Austin, TX, U.S. Fri. May
13, 2011 – Candles at 7:58 PM Sat. May
14, 2011 – Havdalah 8:56 PM |
Brisbane,
Australia Fri. May
13, 2011 – Candles at 4:51 PM Sat. May
14, 2011 – Havdalah 5:45 PM |
Bucharest,
Romania Fri May
13, 2011 – Candles at 8:15 PM Sat. May
14, 2011 – Havdalah 9:25 PM |
|
Chattanooga, & Cleveland, TN, U.S. Fri. May
13, 2011 – Candles at 8:18 PM Sat. May
14, 2011 – Havdalah 9:19 PM |
Jakarta,
Indonesia Fri. May
13, 2011 – Candles at 5:27 PM Sat. May
14, 2011 – Havdalah 6:17 PM |
Manila & Cebu, Philippines Fri. May
13, 2011 – Candles at 5:58 PM Sat. May
14, 2011 – Havdalah 6:50 PM |
|
Miami,
FL, U.S. Fri. May
13, 2011 – Candles at 7:40 PM Sat. May
14, 2011 – Havdalah 8:36 PM |
Olympia,
WA, U.S. Fri. May
13, 2011 – Candles at 8:19 PM Sat. May
14, 2011 – Havdalah 9:33 PM |
Murray,
KY, & Paris, TN. U.S. Fri. May
13, 2011 – Candles at 7:35 PM Sat. May
14, 2011 – Havdalah 8:38 PM |
|
Sheboygan & Manitowoc, WI, US Fri. May
13, 2011 – Candles at 7:49 PM Sat. May
14, 2011 – Havdalah 8:58 PM |
Singapore,
Singapore Fri. May
13, 2011 – Candles at 6:48 PM Sat. May
14, 2011 – Havdalah 7:39 PM |
St.
Louis, MO, U.S. Fri. May
13, 2011 – Candles at 7:45 PM Sat. May
14, 2011 – Havdalah 8:49 PM |
For other places see: http://chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting.asp
Roll of Honor:
This
Torah commentary comes to you courtesy of:
His Honor
Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David and beloved wife HH Giberet Batsheva bat Sarah
His Honor
Paqid Adon Mikha ben Hillel
His Honor
Paqid Adon David ben Abraham
Her
Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah & beloved family
His Excellency
Adon Barth Lindemann & beloved family
His Excellency
Adon John Batchelor & beloved wife
His
Excellency Adon Ezra ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Karmela bat Sarah,
His
Excellency Dr. Adon Yeshayahu ben Yosef and beloved wife HE Giberet Tricia
Foster
His
Excellency Adon Yisrael ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Elisheba bat
Sarah
His
Excellency Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Vardit bat
Sarah
Her
Excellency Giberet Laurie Taylor
His Honor
Paqid Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat
Sarah
Her
Excellency Prof. Dr. Conny Williams & beloved family
Her
Excellency Giberet Gloria Sutton & beloved family
For their regular and sacrificial giving, providing the
best oil for the lamps, we pray that G-d’s richest blessings be upon their
lives and those of their loved ones, together with all Yisrael and her Torah
Scholars, amen ve amen!
Also a
great thank you and great blessings be upon all who send comments to the list
about the contents and commentary of the weekly Torah Seder and allied topics.
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|
Shabbat |
Torah Reading: |
Weekday Torah Reading: |
|
עַד-אָנָה
יְנַאֲצֻנִי |
|
|
|
“Ad Anah
Y’na’atsuni” |
Reader 1 – B’Midbar 14:11-14 |
Reader
1 – B’Midbar 15:1-3 |
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“Until when will despise Me” |
Reader 2 – B’Midbar 14:15-20 |
Reader
2 – B’Midbar 15:4-6 |
|
“¿Hasta cuándo me
desdeñará” |
Reader 3 – B’Midbar 14:21-25 |
Reader
3 – B’Midbar 15:7-11 |
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B’Midbar (Num.) 14:11-45 |
Reader 4 – B’Midbar 14:26-30 |
|
|
Ashlamatah:
Isaiah 52:5-12 + 54:7-8 |
Reader 5 – B’Midbar 14:31-34 |
|
|
|
Reader 6 – B’Midbar 14:35-38 |
Reader
1 – B’Midbar 15:1-3 |
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Psalm
101:1-8 |
Reader 7 – B’Midbar 14:39-45 |
Reader
2 – B’Midbar 15:4-6 |
|
Pirqe Abot IV:16 |
Maftir: B’Midbar
14:43-45 |
Reader
3 – B’Midbar 15:7-11 |
|
N.C.:
Mordechai 11:12-14 |
- Isaiah 52:5-12 + 54:7-8 |
|
Blessing Before Torah Study
Blessed are You, Ha-Shem our G-d, King of the universe, Who
has sanctified us through Your commandments, and commanded us to actively study
Torah. Amen!
Please Ha-Shem, our G-d, sweeten the words of Your Torah in
our mouths and in the mouths of all Your people Israel. May we and our
offspring, and our offspring's offspring, and all the offspring of Your people,
the House of Israel, may we all, together, know Your Name and study Your Torah
for the sake of fulfilling Your desire. Blessed are You, Ha-Shem, Who teaches
Torah to His people Israel. Amen!
Blessed are You, Ha-Shem our G-d, King of the universe, Who
chose us from all the nations, and gave us the Torah. Blessed are You, Ha-Shem,
Giver of the Torah. Amen!
Ha-Shem spoke to Moses, explaining a Commandment.
"Speak to Aaron and his sons, and teach them the following Commandment:
This is how you should bless the Children of Israel. Say to the Children of
Israel:
May Ha-Shem bless you and keep watch over you; - Amen!
May Ha-Shem make His Presence enlighten you, and may He be
kind to you; - Amen!
May Ha-Shem bestow favor on you, and grant you peace. –
Amen!
This way, the priests will link My Name with the Israelites,
and I will bless them."
These are the Laws for which the Torah did not mandate
specific amounts: How much growing produce must be left in the corner of the
field for the poor; how much of the first fruits must be offered at the Holy
Temple; how much one must bring as an offering when one visits the Holy Temple
three times a year; how much one must do when doing acts of kindness; and there
is no maximum amount of Torah that a person must study.
These are the Laws whose benefits a person can often enjoy
even in this world, even though the primary reward is in the Next World: They
are: Honoring one's father and mother; doing acts of kindness; early attendance
at the place of Torah study -- morning and night; showing hospitality to
guests; visiting the sick; providing for the financial needs of a bride;
escorting the dead; being very engrossed in prayer; bringing peace between two
people, and between husband and wife; but the study of Torah is as great as all
of them together. Amen!
Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan
for:
B’Midbar (Num.) 14:11 – 14:45
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
11. The
Lord said to Moses, "How long will this people provoke Me? How much
longer will they not believe in Me after all the signs I have performed in
their midst? |
11. And
the LORD said to Mosheh, How long will this people provoke Me to anger? How
long will they disbelieve in My Word, for all the signs I have wrought among
them? |
|
12. I will
strike them with a plague and annihilate them; then I will make you into a
nation, greater and stronger than they." |
12. I will
strike them with deadly plague and destroy them, and will appoint you for a
people greater and stronger than they. |
|
13. Moses
said to the Lord, "But the Egyptians will hear that You have brought
this nation out from its midst with great power. |
13. But
Mosheh said, The children of the Mizraee, whom You did drown in the sea, will
hear that You did bring up this people from among them by Your power, |
|
14. They
will say about the inhabitants of this land, who have heard that You, O Lord,
are in the midst of this people; that You, the Lord, appear to them eye to
eye and that Your cloud rests over them. And You go before them with a pillar
of cloud by day and with a pillar of cloud by night, |
14. and
will say with exultation to the people of this land, who have heard that You
are the LORD, whose Shekinah dwells among this people, in whose eyes, O LORD,
the Glory of Your Shekinah appeared on the mountain of Sinai, and who there
received Your Law; Your Cloud has shadowed, that neither heat nor rain might
hurt them; and whom in the pillar of the Cloud You have led on by day, that
the mountains and hills might be brought low, and the valleys lifted up, and
have guided in the pillar of Fire by night: |
|
15. and if
You kill this nation like one man, the nations who have heard of Your
reputation will say as follows: |
15. and
after all of these miracles will You kill this people as one man? Then the
nations who have heard the fame and of Your power will speak saying: |
|
16. 'Since
the Lord lacked the ability to bring this nation to the Land which He swore
to them, He slaughtered them in the desert.' |
16. Because
there was no (more) strength with the LORD to bring this people into the land
which swearing He a promised to them, He has killed them in the wilderness! |
|
17. Now,
please, let the strength of the Lord be increased, as You spoke, saying. |
17. And
now, I beseech You, magnify Your power, O LORD, and let mercies be fulfilled
upon us, and appoint me for (this) great people, as You have spoken, saying: |
|
18. 'The
Lord is slow to anger and abundantly kind, forgiving iniquity and
transgression, Who cleanses [some] and does not cleanse [others], Who visits
the iniquities of parents on children, even to the third and fourth
generations.' |
18. The
LORD is longsuffering, and near in mercy, forgiving sins and covering
transgressions, justifying such as return to His Law though them who turn not
He will not absolve, but will visit the sins of wicked/ Lawless fathers upon
rebellious children unto the third and fourth generation. |
|
19. Please
forgive the iniquity of this nation in accordance with your abounding
kindness, as You have borne this people from Egypt until now." |
19. Pardon
now the sin of this people according to Your great goodness, even as You have
forgiven them from the time that they came out from Mizraim until now. |
|
20. And the
Lord said, "I have forgiven them in accordance with your word. |
20. And the
LORD said, I have forgiven, according to your word. |
|
21. However,
as surely as I live, and as the glory of the Lord fills the earth... |
21. Nevertheless,
by oath have I sworn that the whole earth will be filled with the glory of
the LORD. |
|
22. that
all the people who perceived My glory, and the signs that I performed in
Egypt and in the desert, yet they have tested me these ten times and not
listened to My voice, |
22. Because
all the men who have beheld My glory, and My signs, which I have wrought in
Mizraim and in the Desert, have tempted Me now ten times, and have not obeyed
(received) My Word: |
|
23. if they
will see the Land that I swore to their fathers, and all who provoked Me will
not see it. |
23. by oath
have I said this, That they will not see the land which I covenanted to their
fathers; and the generation which has been provokeful before Me will not
behold it. |
|
24. But as
for My servant Caleb, since he was possessed by another spirit, and he
followed Me, I will bring him to the land to which he came, and his
descendants will drive it[s inhabitants] out. |
24. But My
servant, Kaleb, because there is in him another spirit, and he has entirely
followed (in) My fear, him will I bring into the land to which he went, and
his children will possess it. |
|
25. The
Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley. Tomorrow, turn back and
journey into the desert toward the Red Sea." |
25. But the
Amalekites and Kenaanites dwell in the valley: tomorrow turn you and go into
the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea. |
|
26. The
Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, |
26. And
the LORD spoke with Mosheh and Aharon, saying: |
|
27. "How
much longer will this evil congregation who are causing to complain against
Me [exist]? The complaints of the children of Israel which they caused them
to complain against Me, I have heard. |
27. How
long (will I bear with) this evil congregation who gather together against
Me? The murmurs of the sons of Israel which they murmur against Me are heard
before Me. |
|
28. Say to
them, 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'if not as you have spoken in My ears, so
will I do to you. |
28. Say
to them, By oath I decree that according to (what) you have spoken, so will I
do to you. |
|
29. In this
desert, your corpses shall fall; your entire number, all those from the age
of twenty and up, who were counted, because you complained against Me. |
29. In this
wilderness your carcasses will fall, the whole number of all who were counted
from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against Me. |
|
30. You
shall [not] come into the Land concerning which I raised My hand that you
would settle in it, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of
Nun. |
30. By a
fast oath (have I sworn) that you will not enter into the land which I
covenanted in My Word to give you to inhabit, except Kaleb bar Jephunneh and
Jehoshua bar Nun. |
|
31. As for
your infants, of whom you said that they will be as spoils, I will bring them
[there], and they will come to know the Land which You despised. |
31. But
your children, who you said would be a prey, them will I bring in, and they
will know the land which you rejected; |
|
32. But as
for you, your corpses shall fall in this desert. |
32. but
your carcasses will fall in this wilderness. |
|
33. Your
children shall wander in the desert for forty years and bear your defection
until the last of your corpses has fallen in the desert. |
33. Yet
your children will have to wander in this wilderness forty years, and bear
your sins until the time that your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. |
|
34. According
to the number of days which you toured the Land forty days, a day for each
year, you will [thus] bear your iniquities for forty years; thus you will
come to know My alienation. |
34. According
to the number of the days in which you were exploring the land, forty days, a
day for a year, a day for a year, you will receive for your sins, forty
years, and will know (the consequence) of your murmuring against Me. |
|
35. I, the
Lord, have spoken if I will not do this to the entire evil congregation who
have assembled against me; in this desert they will end, and there they will
die. |
35. I the
Lord have decreed in My Word, - if I have not made a decree in My Word
against all this evil congregation who have gathered to rebel against Me in
this wilderness, that they will be consumed and die there. |
|
36. As for
the men whom Moses had sent to scout the Land, who returned and caused the
entire congregation to complain against him by spreading [a slanderous]
report about the Land" |
36. But the
men whom Mosheh had sent to explore the land, and who returning had made the
whole congregation murmur against him, by bringing forth an evil report of
the land, |
|
37. the men
who spread an evil report about the Land died in the plague, before the Lord. |
37. (even
those) men who had brought forth the evil of the report of the land died, on
the seventh day of the month of Elul, with worms coming from their navels,
and with worms devouring their tongues; and were buried in death from before
the LORD. |
|
38. But
Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive of the
men who went to tour the Land. |
38. Only
Jehoshua bar Nun and Kaleb bar Jephunneh survived of those men who had gone
to explore the land. |
|
39. Moses
related all these words to the children of Israel, and the people mourned
greatly. |
39. And
Mosheh spoke these words with all the sons of Israel, and the people mourned
greatly. |
|
40. They
arose early in the morning and ascended to the mountain top, saying, "We
are ready to go up to the place of which the Lord spoke, for we have
sinned." |
40. And
they arose in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain., saying:
Behold, we will go up to the place of which the LORD has spoken; for we have
sinned. |
|
41. Moses
said, "Why do you transgress the word of the Lord? It will not succeed. |
41. But
Mosheh said, Why will you act against the decree of the Word of the LORD? But
it will not prosper with you. |
|
42. Do not
go up, for the Lord is not among you, [so that] you will not be beaten by
your enemies. |
42. Go not
up, for the LORD's Shekinah dwells not among you; and the ark, the
tabernacle, and the Cloud of Glory proceed not; and be not crushed before
your enemies. |
|
43. For the
Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you will fall by the
sword. For you have turned away from the Lord, and the Lord will not be with
you. |
43. For the
Amalekites and Kenaanites are there prepared for you, and you will fall
slaughtered by the sword. For, because you have turned away from the service
of the LORD, the Word of the Lord will not be your Helper. |
|
44. They
defiantly ascended to the mountain top, but the Ark of the Covenant of the
Lord and Moses did not move from the camp. |
44. But
they armed themselves in the dark before the morning to go up to the height
of the mountain: but the ark, in which was the covenant of the LORD, and
Mosheh, stirred not from the midst of the camp. |
|
45. The
Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived on the mountain came down and smote
them and crushed them [pursuing them] until Hormah. |
45. And
the Amalekites and Kenaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and
slaughtered and destroyed them, and drove them hard to destruction. |
|
|
|
Reading Assignment:
The Torah Anthology: Yalkut
Me’Am Lo’Ez - Vol 13: Numbers – I – First Journeys
By: Rabbi Yitzchaq
Magriso
Published by: Moznaim
Publishing Corp. (New York, 1990)
Vol. 13 – “Numbers
– I – First Journeys,” pp. 362-374.
Welcome to the World of P’shat Exegesis
In order to understand
the finished work of the P’shat mode of interpretation of the Torah, one needs
to take into account that the P’shat is intended to produce a catechetical
output, whereby a question/s is/are raised and an answer/a is/are given using
the seven Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel and as well as the laws of Hebrew
Grammar and Hebrew expression.
The Seven Hermeneutic
Laws of R. Hillel are as follows
[cf. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=472&letter=R]:
1. Ḳal va-ḥomer: "Argumentum a
minori ad majus" or "a majori ad minus"; corresponding to the
scholastic proof a fortiori.
2. Gezerah shavah: Argument from
analogy. Biblical passages containing synonyms or homonyms are subject, however
much they differ in other respects, to identical definitions and applications.
3. Binyan ab mi-katub
eḥad:
Application of a provision found in one passage only to passages which are
related to the first in content but do not contain the provision in question.
4. Binyan ab mi-shene
ketubim:
The same as the preceding, except that the provision is generalized from two
Biblical passages.
5. Kelal u-Peraṭ
and Peraṭ u-kelal:
Definition of the general by the particular, and of the particular by the general.
6. Ka-yoẓe bo
mi-maḳom aḥer:
Similarity in content to another Scriptural passage.
7. Dabar ha-lamed
me-'inyano:
Interpretation deduced from the context.
Rashi
Commentary for: B’Midbar
(Num.) 14:11 – 14:45
11 How
long Until when.-[Onkelos]
provoke
Me Heb. יְנַאֲצֻנִי , anger me. -[Onkelos]
after all
the signs After all the miracles I performed for them, they
should have believed that I am capable of fulfilling My promises.
12 and
annihilate them Heb. וְאוֹרִשֶׁנּוּ . As the Targum [Onkelos] renders, a term denoting
destruction [rather than inheritance]. You might ask, What will become of the
oath I made to the patriarchs? “I will make you into a great nation,” for you
are descended from them. -[Mid. Tanchuma Shelach 13]
13 But
the Egyptians will hear They will hear that You killed them.
that You
have brought up Heb. כִּי . This כִּי is used in the sense of אֲשֵׁר , “that.” And they saw that You brought them up
from among them with Your great might, and when they hear that You killed them,
they will not assume that they sinned against You, but they will say that
against them You were able to fight, but against the inhabitants of the Land
You were unable to fight; this is [the meaning of the following verse]:
14 They
will say about the inhabitants of this Land Heb. אֶל , like עַל , concerning the inhabitants of this Land. What
will they say about them? What is stated at the end of the passage (verse 16),
“Since the Lord lacked the ability....” Because they heard that You, O Lord,
dwell among them, and You reveal Yourself to them eye to eye in an affectionate
manner, and until now they had not realized that Your love for them had been
withdrawn,
15 and if
You kill this nation like one man suddenly, consequently, the nations who have
heard....
16 Since
the Lord lacked the ability Because the inhabitants of the Land are strong and
powerful. Pharaoh cannot be compared to thirty-one kings. They will say this
about the inhabitants of this land, "Since [the Lord] is
incapable"—Because He did not have the ability to bring them, He
slaughtered them. ability Heb. יְכֽלֶת . This is a noun form.
17 Now,
please, let the strength of the Lord be increased By
implementing Your word.
as You
spoke, saying What was the statement?
18 The
Lord is slow to anger [both] towards the righteous and towards the wicked.
When Moses ascended on high, he found the Holy One, blessed is He, sitting and
writing, “The Lord is slow to anger.” He said to Him, “Towards the righteous?”
The Holy One, blessed is He, answered him, “Even toward the wicked” He [Moses]
said to Him, “Let the wicked perish!” He said to him, "By your life, you
will have need for this [patience for the wicked]. When Israel sinned at [the
incident of] the [golden] calf and at the [time of the] spies, Moses prayed
before Him [making mention of] “slow to anger.” The Holy One, blessed is He,
replied to Him, Did you not tell me "Toward the righteous"? He
[Moses] responded, But did You not reply to me, "Even toward the
wicked"? -[Sanh. 111a]
cleanses those
who repent. -[Yoma 86a]
does not
cleanse those who do not repent. - [Yoma 86a]
20 in
accordance with your word Because of what you said, namely, “They might say
that God lacks the ability...”
21
However Heb. אוּלָם like אֲבָל , but this will I to do them.
as surely
as I live A term expressing an oath. Just as I live and My
glory fills the entire earth, so will I fulfill regarding them, “that all the
people who perceived...If they will see the Land.”
22 have
tested Me This is to be understood literally.
these ten
times Twice at the [Red] sea, twice with the manna, twice with the quails...,
as is stated in Tractate Arachin (15a).
23 (If
they will see the Land This verse is transposed. [It should be understood as
follows:] As surely as I live, that all these men, if they see the
Land...[i.e., they will not see the land] yet My glory shall fill the entire
earth, so that My Name shall not be desecrated through this plague by [people]
saying “Since God lacked the ability to bring them.” For I shall not kill them
suddenly, as one man, but gradually, over a period of forty years.)
if they
will see They will not see it.
will not
see it They will not see the Land.
24
another spirit Two spirits, one [which he spoke] with the mouth, and
one [he concealed] in his heart. He told the spies, “I am with you in your plot,”
but in his heart he intended to say the truth. Because of this, he was able to
silence them, as it says, “Caleb silenced...” (13:30), for they thought that he
would concur with them. This is what is stated in the Book of Joshua (14:7),
"I [Caleb] brought back word to him [Moses] as it was in my
heart"—but not according to what I had said. -[Mid. Tanchuma Shelach 10]
and
followed Me Heb. וַיְמַּלֵא אַחֲרָי , lit., he filled after Me. He followed Me
wholeheartedly [lit., he filled his heart after Me]; this is an elliptical
verse [since the word לִבּוֹ , “his heart,” is missing but implied].
to which
he came Hebron shall be given to him.
will
drive it[s inhabitants] out Heb. יוֹרִשֶׁנָּה , as the Targum [Onkelos] renders, “They will
drive out.” They will expel the giants and the people who dwell in it. But it
[the word יוֹרִשֶׁנָּה ] is not be rendered as “will inherit it” unless
the text has יִירָשֶׁנָּה .
25 The
Amalekites If you go there [to the valley] they will kill you,
since I am not with you.
Tomorrow,
turn back Turn around and travel [back to the desert].
27 this
evil congregation This refers to the spies; [we derive] from here that
a congregation numbers [a minimum of] ten.-[Meg. 23b]
who are
causing the Israelites... to complain against Me. The
complaints of the children of Israel which they the spies...
caused
them to complain against Me, I have heard.
28 As I
live A term denoting an oath. “If not...so will I do” [i.e., if I do not do
as you have spoken into My ears] it is as if I do not live, as it were.
as you
have spoken that you requested from Me, “or if only we had died in
this desert” (verse 2).
29 your
entire number, all those...who were counted All those counted in any
census which was numbered, for example going to or returning from war,
contributing shekels; all those listed in those tallies will die. They are: All
those from the age of twenty and up, excluding the tribe of Levi, who were not
counted from the age of twenty [but from the age of one month].
32 But as
for you, your corpses As the Targum renders: וּפִגְרֵיכוֹן
דִילְכוֹן , and your corpses of yours. Since [in the
previous verse] He spoke about bringing the children into the Land, and now He
wants to say, But as for you, you shall die, it is appropriate to use the term אַתֶּם [literally “you”].
33 forty
years Not one of them died before the age of sixty. This is why forty [years]
was decreed, so that those who were twenty years old would reach the age of
sixty. The first year was included although it preceded the dispatching of the
spies. For from the time they made the [golden] calf, this decree had been in
[God’s] mind, but He waited until their measure [of wickedness] was filled.
This is what is stated, "But on the day I make an accounting"—at the
time of the spies—"I shall reckon their sin" (Exod. 32:34). Here too,
it says, “you will bear your iniquities” [in the plural, indicating] two
iniquities: the [one of the] calf and the [one of] the complaint. In
calculating their ages, Scripture considers part of a year like a whole year,
and when they their sixtieth year, those who had been twenty years old
[now] died. -[Midrash Tanchuma Shelach 13]
and bear
your defection As the Targum renders, “They will endure your guilt.”
34 My
alienation Heb. תְּנוּאָתִי , that you alienated your hearts from following
Me. [The word] תְּנוּאָה denotes ‘removal,’ as in, “for her father
obstructed [in the sense of removed] (הֵנִיא) her” [from her vow] (30:6).
36 who
returned and caused... to complain against him When
they returned from scouting the Land, they caused the entire congregation to
complain against him by spreading slander—those men died. The expression הוֹצָאַת
דִבָּה implies instructing to speak, for they ply the tongue of a man
to speak about something, as in, “making the lips of the sleeping speak (דּוֹבֵב) ” (Song 7:10). It may be for either good or bad, and that is
why it says here (verse 37), “who spread an evil report about the Land” because
a ‘report’ (דִבָּה) can [also] be good.
report Heb. דִבָּה , parleriz or parlediz in Old French, talk, gossip.
37 in the
plague before the Lord Through that death which was fitting for them—measure
for measure; they had sinned with the tongue and now [in retribution] their
tongues extended to their navels. Worms came out from their tongues and entered
their navels. This is why Scripture says, “in the plague,” rather than “in a
plague,” and this is also the meaning of "before the Lord"—in that
plague which was fitting for them according to the methods of the Holy One,
blessed is He, [namely] that He metes out measure for measure. -[Sotah 35a]
38 But
Joshua...and Caleb...remained alive... What does Scripture mean by
saying, "remained alive of the men"? It teaches that they took the
spies’ portion in the Land, and replaced them in life, as it were. [B.B. 118b]
40 to the
mountain top That is the route leading up to the Land of Israel.
We are
ready to go up to the place To the Land of Israel.
of which
the Lord spoke to give to us; let us go up there.
for we
have sinned By saying, “Is it not better for us to return to
Egypt?” (verse 3).
41 It
will not succeed What you are doing will not succeed.
43 For
you have turned away That is to say: This will happen to you because you
have turned away etc...
44 They
defiantly ascended Heb. וַיַעְפִּלוּ , a term connoting insolence; similarly (Hab.
2:4), “behold, it is insolent (עֻפְּלָה) ,” in old French, engres, a term denoting
arrogant boldness. Similarly, “the tower (עֽפֶל) of the daughter of Zion” (Mic. 4: 8); “rampart (עֽפֶל) and tower” (Isa. 32:14). The Midrash Tanchuma (Buber Shelach
addendum 19) interprets it as a term denoting darkness (אֽפֶל) ; they [the Israelites] went in darkness, without
permission.
45 and
crushed them Heb. וַיַּכְּתוּם , as in, “and I crushed (וָאֶכּוֹת) it, grinding it” (Deut. 9: 21), [implying] blow
after blow.
until
Hormah The name of the place [which means destruction] commemorates the event
which took place there.
Ketubim:
Psalm 101:1-8
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
1. Of
David, a song. I shall sing of kindness and judgment; to You, O Lord, I shall
sing. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
1. Composed
by David, a psalm. Whether You show mercy to me or treat
me with justice, for both of them I will sing praise; in Your
presence, O LORD, I will make music. |
|
2. I shall
concern myself with the way of integrity. When will it come to me? I shall
walk with the innocence of my heart within my house. |
2. God
said, "I will make you wise in the perfect way; when will you
come unto Me?" David said, "I will walk in the perfection of
my heart within my house of instruction." |
|
3. I do
not place before my eyes any base thing; I hate doing wayward deeds; it does
not cling to me. |
3. I will
not set upon my heart the word of the wicked man, the ones who
do evil; and those who wander from the commandments I hate, they
will not follow me. |
|
4. A
perverse heart turns away from me; I know no evil. |
4. Let the
twisted heart pass from me; I will not know the evil impulse. |
|
5. He who
slanders his neighbor in secret, I cut him down; one whose eyes are raised up
high and his heart is expansive, I cannot tolerate him. |
5. He who
relates slander against his fellow him will I overturn; and he who
walks with haughty eyes will be stricken with leprosy; with him I
will never dwell. |
|
6. My eyes
are upon the faithful of the land to dwell with me; he who goes on the way of
the innocent, he will serve me. |
6. My eyes
are on the honest of the land, to dwell in the precincts of the
righteous/generous; he who walks perfect on the way he will stand
among My ministers. |
|
7. He will
not dwell within my house; he who practices deceit, who speaks lies, will not
be established before my eyes. |
7. He who
acts guilefully will not dwell in the midst of My sanctuary; he who
speaks lies has no right to stand before My eyes. |
|
8. Betimes
I cut down all the wicked of the earth; to cut down from the city of the Lord
all workers of violence. |
8. In the age
to come, which is likened to the light of morning, I will overturn all
the wicked of the earth, to destroy from Jerusalem, the city of the
LORD, all those who work deceit. |
|
|
|
Rashi’s Commentary to Psalm
101:1-8
1 I shall sing of kindness
and judgment when You bestow kindness upon me, I will praise you
[with the blessing:] “Blessed be He Who is good and does good,” and when You
perform judgment upon me, I will sing, “Blessed be the true Judge.” In either
case, to You, O Lord, I shall sing.
2 I shall concern myself I shall
direct my thoughts to the way of integrity.
When will it come to me The
straight path, to walk upon it, and I shall walk with the integrity of my heart
even within my house, in private as well as in public.
3 wayward Heb. סטים , an expression of (Num. 5:12): “whose wife strays (תשטה) from the right path,” to turn away from the road, destolemant
in Old French, to swerve.
4 I know no evil I love no
[evil] (Another explanation: [Shem Ephraim]) I recognize no evil thing.
5 I cannot tolerate him that he
should be my friend, lest I learn from his deeds.
8 Betimes I cut down Every day,
I cut down the wicked of Israel little by little, those who are condemned to
death.
Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 52:5-12
+ 54:7-8
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
4. For so
said the Lord God, "My people first went down to Egypt to sojourn there,
but Assyria oppressed them for nothing." |
4. For
thus says the LORD God: My people went down at the first to Egypt to
sojourn there, and the Assyrian robbed him for nothing. |
|
5. "And
now, what have I here," says the Lord, "that My people has been
taken for nothing. His rulers boast," says the Lord, "and
constantly all day My name is blasphemed. |
5. Now
therefore I am about to save, says the LORD, seeing that My people are
sold for nothing. The peoples that rule over them boast, says
the LORD, and continually all the day they incite to anger over against
the service of My name. |
|
6. Therefore,
My people shall know My name; therefore, on that day, for I am He Who speaks,
here I am." {S} |
6. Therefore
My name will be exalted among the peoples; therefore in that time
you will know that it is I who speak; and My Memra endures." |
|
7. How
beautiful are the feet of the herald on the mountains, announcing peace,
heralding good tidings, announcing salvation, saying to Zion, "Your God
has manifested His kingdom." |
7. How
beautiful upon the mountains of the land of Israel are the feet of him
who announces, who publishes peace, who announces good tidings, who publishes
salvation, who says to the congregation of Zion, "The kingdom
of your God is revealed." |
|
8. The
voice of your watchmen- they raised a voice, together they shall sing, for
eye to eye they shall see when the Lord returns to Zion. |
8. The
voice of your guardians, who lift up their voice, together they
sing for joy; for with their eyes they will see the prodigies which
the LORD will do when He will return his Shekhinah to
Zion. |
|
9. Burst
out in song, sing together, O ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has consoled
his people; He has redeemed Jerusalem. |
9. Shout
and sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the LORD is about
to comfort His people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. |
|
10. The
Lord has revealed His holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all
the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. {S} |
10. The
LORD has disclosed His holy arm to the eyes of all the Gentiles; and
all those at the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. |
|
11. Turn
away, turn away, get out of there, touch no unclean one; get out of its
midst, purify yourselves, you who bear the Lord's vessels. |
11. Separate,
separate, go out thence, draw near no unclean thing; go out
from the midst of her, purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the
sanctuary of the LORD. |
|
12. For not
with haste shall you go forth and not in a flurry of flight shall you go, for
the Lord goes before you, and your rear guard is the God of Israel.
{S} |
12. For you
will not go out in haste from among the Gentiles, and you will not be
brought in flight to your land, for the LORD leads before
you, and the God of Israel is about to gather your exiles. |
|
|
|
|
1. "Sing
you barren woman who has not borne; burst out into song and jubilate, you who
have not experienced birth pangs, for the children of the desolate one are
more than the children of the married woman," says the Lord. |
1. Sing, O
Jerusalem who was as a barren woman who did not bear; shout in
singing and exult, [you who were] as a woman who did not become
pregnant! For the children of desolate Jerusalem will be more than
the children of inhabited Rome, says the LORD. |
|
2. Widen
the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your
habitations, do not spare; lengthen your cords and strengthen your
stakes. |
2. Enlarge
the place of your camping, and cause the cities of your land
to be inhabited; hold not back, increase the people of your
armies and strengthen your rulers. |
|
3. For
right and left shall you prevail, and your seed shall inherit nations and
repeople desolate cities. |
3. For you
will be strengthened to the south and to the north, and
your sons will possess the Gentiles and will cause desolate
cities to be inhabited. |
|
4. Fear
not, for you shall not be ashamed, and be not embarrassed for you shall not
be put to shame, for the shame of your youth you shall forget, and the
disgrace of your widowhood you shall no longer remember. |
4. Fear
not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be put
to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproaches of
your widowhood you will remember no more. |
|
5. For
your Master is your Maker, the Lord of Hosts is His name, and your Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel, shall be called the God of all the earth. |
5. For
your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and the Holy One
of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called. |
|
6. For,
like a wife who is deserted and distressed in spirit has the Lord called you,
and a wife of one's youth who was rejected, said your God. |
6. For the
Shekhinah of the LORD has summoned [you] like a wife forsaken and distressed
in spirit, like a wife of youth who is cast off, says your God. |
|
7. "For
a small moment have I forsaken you, and with great mercy will I gather you. |
7. "In
a little anger I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring
your exiles near. |
|
8. With a
little wrath did I hide My countenance for a moment from you, and with
everlasting kindness will I have compassion on you," said your Redeemer,
the Lord. {S} |
8. In a brief
hour, for a time, I took up the face of My Shekinah from you, but
with everlasting benefits which do not cease, I will have
compassion on you, says the LORD, your Redeemer. |
|
|
|
Verbal Tallies
By: HH Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben
David
& HH Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat Sarah
B’Midbar (Numbers) 14:11-45
Yeshayahu (Isaiah)
52:5-12 + 54:7-8
Tehillim (Psalm)
101:1-8
Mark 11:12-14
The verbal tallies between the
Torah and the Ashlamata are:
LORD - יהוה, Strong’s number 03068.
Said / Saith - אמר, Strong’s
number 0559.
Provoke / blasphemed - , Strong’s
number 05006.
Great - גדול, Strong’s number 01419.
Nation - גוי, Strong’s number 01471.
The verbal tallies between the
Torah and the Psalm are:
LORD - יהוה, Strong’s number 03068.
Faithful - אמן, Strong’s number 0539.
Work / show - עשה, Strong’s
number 06213.
Within / among - קרב, Strong’s
number 07130.
B’Midbar (Numbers) 14:11 ¶ And the LORD
<03068> said <0559> (8799) unto Moses, How long will this people
<05971> provoke <05006> (8762) me? and how long will it be ere they
believe <0539> (8686) me, for all the signs which I have shewed
<06213> (8804) among <07130> them?
12 I will smite them with
the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make <06213> (8799) of thee
a greater <01419> nation <01471> and mightier than they.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 52:5 Now therefore,
what have I here, saith the LORD <03068>, that my people <05971> is
taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the
LORD <03068>; and my name continually every day is blasphemed <05006>
(8711).
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 52:7 How beautiful
upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that
publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth
salvation; that saith <0559> (8802) unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 52:10 The LORD
<03068> hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations
<01471>; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our
God.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:7 For a small
moment have I forsaken thee; but with great <01419> mercies will I gather
thee.
Tehillim (Psalm) 101:1 A Psalm of
David. I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD <03068>, will
I sing.
Tehillim (Psalm) 101:2 I will behave
myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk
within <07130> my house with a perfect heart.
Tehillim (Psalm) 101:3 I will set no
wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work <06213> (8800) of them
that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
Tehillim (Psalm) 101:6 Mine eyes shall
be upon the faithful <0539> (8737) of the land, that they may dwell with
me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
Ps 101:3 I will set
<07896> (8799) no wicked <01100> thing <01697> before mine
eyes <05869>: I hate <08130> (8804) the work <06213> (8800)
of them that turn aside <07750>; it shall not cleave <01692>
(8799) to me.
Hebrew:
|
Hebrew |
English |
Torah Seder Num 14:11-45 |
Psalms Psa 101:1-8 |
Ashlamatah Isa 52:5-12 + 54:7-8 |
|
אָמַן |
faithful, believe |
Num. 14:11 |
Ps. 101:6 |
|
|
אָמַר |
said |
Num. 14:11 |
||
|
אֶרֶץ |
land, earth, ground |
Isa. 52:3 |
||
|
בּוֹא |
come, bring |
Num. 14:16 |
Ps. 101:2 |
|
|
בֹּקֶר |
morning |
Num. 14:40 |
Ps. 101:8 |
|
|
גָּדוֹל |
great |
Num. 14:12 |
Isa. 54:7 |
|
|
גּוֹי |
Nations/Gentiles |
Num. 14:12 |
Isa. 52:10 |
|
|
דָּבַר |
declared, speak |
Num. 14:17 |
Ps. 101:7 |
|
|
דָּבָר |
words |
Num. 14:20 |
Ps. 101:3 |
|
|
דֶּרֶךְ |
way |
Num. 14:25 |
Ps. 101:2 |
|
|
הָלַךְ |
walk, go |
Num. 14:14 |
Ps. 101:2 |
Isa. 52:12 |
|
הִנֵּה |
here |
Num. 14:40 |
Isa. 52:6 |
|
|
הַר |
hill, mountain |
Num. 14:40 |
Isa. 52:7 |
|
|
יָדַע |
know |
Num. 14:31 |
Ps. 101:4 |
Isa. 52:6 |
|
יהוה |
LORD |
Num. 14:11 |
Ps. 101:1 |
Isa. 52:3 |
|
יוֹם |
day |
Num. 14:34 |
Isa. 52:5 |
|
|
יָכֹל |
could, endure |
Num. 14:16 |
Ps. 101:5 |
|
|
יָצָא |
bringing, go |
Num. 14:36 |
Isa. 52:11 |
|
|
יָשַׁב |
inhabitants, dwell |
Num. 14:14 |
Ps. 101:6 |
|
|
יִשְׂרָאֵל |
Israel |
Num. 14:27 |
Isa. 52:12 |
|
|
כֹּל |
all |
Num. 14:11 |
Ps. 101:8 |
Isa. 52:5 |
|
כֵּן |
so |
Num. 14:28 |
Isa. 52:6 |
|
|
לֹה |
no, none, without |
Num. 14:18 |
Ps. 101:3 |
Isa. 52:3 |
|
מָה |
what, why |
Num. 14:41 |
Isa. 52:5 |
|
|
מָתַי |
how, when |
Num. 14:27 |
Ps. 101:2 |
|
|
נְאֻם |
says, declares |
Num. 14:28 |
Isa. 52:5 |
|
|
נָאַץ |
spurn, blasphemed |
Num. 14:11 |
Isa. 52:5 |
|
|
נָשָׂא |
forgiving, lift |
Num. 14:18 |
Isa. 52:8 |
|
|
שׂוּר |
depart |
Ps. 101:4 |
Isa. 52:11 |
|
|
עַיִן |
eye |
Num. 14:14 |
Ps. 101:3 |
Isa. 52:8 |
|
עַתָּה |
now |
Num. 14:17 |
Isa. 52:5 |
|
|
פָּנֶה |
before |
Num. 14:14 |
Isa. 52:12 |
|
|
קוֹל |
voice |
Num. 14:22 |
Isa. 52:8 |
|
|
קֶרֶב |
midst, within |
Num. 14:11 |
Ps. 101:2 |
|
|
רָאָה |
see, seen |
Num. 14:14 |
Isa. 52:8 |
|
|
שׁוּב |
turn, return |
Num. 14:36 |
Isa. 52:8 |
|
|
שָׁם |
there |
Num. 14:35 |
Isa. 52:4 |
|
|
שָׁמַע |
hear |
Num. 14:13 |
Isa. 52:7 |
|
|
ds,x, |
Loving-kindness |
Num. 14:18 |
Ps. 101:1 |
Isa. 54:8 |
|
~[; |
people |
Num. 14:11 |
Isa. 52:4 |
|
|
hf'[' |
preformed, work |
Num. 14:11 |
Ps. 101:3 |
|
Greek:
|
Greek |
English |
Torah Seder Num 14:11-45 |
Psalms Psa 101:1-8 |
Ashlamatah Isa 52:5-12 +
54:7-8 |
NC Mk 11:12-14 |
|
ἀκούω |
heard, hear |
Num 14:13 |
Mar 11:14 |
||
|
εἴδω |
behold |
Num 14:23 |
Mar 11:13 |
||
|
ἐξέρχομαι |
go forth, come
forth |
Isa 52:11 |
Mar 11:12 |
||
|
ἔπω |
said |
Num 14:11 |
Isa 54:8 |
Mar 11:14 |
Mishnah Pirke Abot IV:16
Elisha ben Avuyah said: He
that teaches Torah to a child, to what can it be compared? To ink written on
new paper. He that teaches Torah to an old man, to what can he be compared? To
ink written on paper that has been [used before and] erased.
Rabbi Yosi ben Yehudah of
Kefar ha-Bavli said: He that learns from the young, to what can he be compared?
To one who eats unripe grapes and drinks wine [straight] from his winepress. .
And he that learns from the aged, to what can he be compared? To one who eats
ripe grapes and drinks old wine.
Rabbi Meir said: Do not look at
the container but at what is in it; there may be a new container that is full
of old wine and an old one in which there is not even new wine.
Abarbanel on Pirke Abot
By: Abraham Chill
Sepher Hermon Press, Inc. 1991
ISBN 0-87203-135-7
(pp. 285-288)
This Mishnah was
included in this chapter because of its relevance to the study of Torah. Almost
from the very start of this chapter, every Mishnah has dealt with the centrality of
Torah study in Judaism, hence the compiler of the Mishnayot considered it germane
to incorporate these dicta here.
The three sages
mentioned in this group of Mishnayot intend to teach us a lesson in education:
at what age to start formal studies and how to select the proper instructors. Elisha
ben Avuyah believed that a young child, who has not yet been occupied with the
problems and vicissitudes of life, will absorb his studies much more successfully than an
adult. He is compared to a fresh, clean sheet of paper on which the writing is
clear and unblemished. An older person who has been through the mill is comparable to
a sheet of paper which has been written on many times and the writing erased.
The new writing is blurred and unclear.
Abarbanel calls our
attention to the phraseology of the Mishnah and makes us aware that when the
sage is speaking about the youngster he uses the word "a new sheet of paper." When
dealing with the older student the word MACHUQ (erased) is used. Should not
Elisha ben Avuyah have used the antonym to new - old? The message is that the
older student's mind is jumbled with a collage of experiences. Even if he
should attempt to eradicate all those experiences and thoughts in order to clear his
mind, he will not succeed. His new learning must of necessity mix with his old
encounters. The sheet is smudged. It is for this reason, reflects Abarbanel, that an
older person will remember what happened to him as a youngster many years
before, but cannot remember what occurred just recently. A man's early
experiences were written on new paper, but the recent ones were written on
erased paper.
Another interpretation
by Abarbanel: A fresh sheet of paper will remain in its state of readability
for a long time; a youngster with a clean, open mind has a long future ahead of him as a
teacher. For the older student, the days of his educational pursuits are
meagre, and he will not be able to train many disciples.
What must be made
clear is that Elisha ben Avuyah is not demeaning the mature student, but merely
arguing that it is preferable to start a child's education at an early age, which is why the
sages ruled that one should begin teaching his son Bible at the age of five.
On the other hand,
Rabbi Yosi ben Yehudah deals with the selection of an instructor and is
persuaded that an older person is preferable to a younger one. The young tutor is likened to
unripe grapes and unfermented wine because his thinking and analytical
abilities are not developed. In the vastness of Torah culture and learning, the
young man is still
unsure of himself. An experienced teacher is like old wine, clear and
untainted; his reasoning is strong and convincing.
In this context we can
appreciate the rabbinic statement, "One who has studied a subject one
hundred times cannot be compared to one who studied it one hundred and one times"
(Hagigah 9b). Thus, Elisha ben Avuyah addressed himself to the student and
Rabbi Yosi bar Yehudah of Kfar ha-Bavli faced up to the question of instructors. The
former stressed the importance of youth; the latter underscored the advantage
of age.
Rabbi Meir proposes a
realistic approach to the question of education. He contends that there is no
final and unequivocal rule to this subject. Oft times, we discover young people who excel
and are like a new decanter filled with old, seasoned wine. This youngster is
naturally and intrinsically a brilliant student. This was the case with Rabbi Elazar ben
Azaryah, who at the tender age of eighteen, became the head of the Yeshivah.
Also, the case of Rabba bar Nahmani demonstrates the same point. It is related that he
was head of the Academy for a period of 22 years and he died at the age of 40.
Finally, Abarbanel
musters a Scriptural verse (Numbers 27:16), where Moshe asks God to choose his
successor and “The LORD said to Moshe, 'Take Joshua, the son of Nun.' ....” He did
not choose one of the elders, but rather the talented, though younger, Joshua.
Miscellaneous
Interpretations
Rashbatz (R. Shimon
ben Tzemah Duran, 1361-1444, Majorca (Spain) & Algiers) begins by relating
some of the biographical facts about this sage. Elisha ben Avuyah was one the
four scholars who became involved in the study of esoteric mysticism. In the
words of the rabbis (Hagigah 15b) “He cut down the shoots,” meaning that he
became an apostate. He was shunned by all his colleagues with exception of Rabbi Meir, who was
admonished for his association with the heretic. Rabbi Meir replied that he
compared Elisha to a pomegranate from which he extracted the juicy kernels and discarded
the peel.
In rabbinic literature
Elisha is usually was called Aher, “the other one.” When he left the Jewish
fold he propositioned a harlot for her favours. Recognizing the illustrious rabbi, she said to him
"Are you not the famous Elisha ben Avuyah?" The Talmud (ibid) relates
that he tore a radish from the garden patch on Shabbat and gave it to her as her price.
Whereupon, she exclaimed, "No, you are another person."
The comparison of
youth and old age with new and used paper is the result of the notion that when
one studies as a youngster, it as though he was inscribing his knowledge on a rock;
it will remain with him forever. When one learns while he is an old man, it is
like an inscription on sand. Like used paper, the letters and words will soon fade.
However, Rashbatz is
quick to add that the elderly student should not abandon hope. There are two
aspects to Torah study: the mitzvah of Talmud Torah and the element of achievement. If the
older person cannot achieve very much, he does receive a reward for his study.
Commenting on the
Mishnah of Rabbi Yosi that taking instruction from a youngster is like drinking
wine straight from the wine-press, Rashbatz gives us the rationale. Freshly pressed wine
contains many foreign substances that have to be strained and purified before
the wine can be consumed. A young man is subject to doubts, paradoxes and
contradictions. Scholarly as he may be, he is not fully self-assured. The more
mature scholar has already passed these experiences and his thinking is clear, lucid and
confident.
Rashbatz is equally
unequivocal when he asserts that the rule of Rabbi Yosi is not inflexible.
There are occasions when the brilliance of a young person is far superior to the mediocrity of
older scholars. Rabbi Meir is firm in this Mishnah that it is not age that
counts but the scholarly level of the person. In fact one outstanding sage
called his young son, "A
lion, the son of a fox."
Rabbenu Yonah (R.
Yonah ben Abraham Gerondi, c. 1200-1236, Barcelona, Spain) offers a novel
interpretation on having a young scholar as a teacher as contrasted with an
older one. The latter, because of his experience, is most probably more original
than the younger man.
Rabbenu Yonah, like
many other commentators, makes the observation that at first glance there may
be a conflict between Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yosi. Rabbenu Yonah argues that Rabbi Yosi
was dealing with a situation where both young and old scholars are on a par as
far as their scholarship is concerned, In that case he advises us to choose the older scholar
as a teacher. Rabbi Meir, on the other hand, argues that if the younger scholar
is more competent than the senior scholar, we must not think in terms of the
container, but rather of the contents.
Midrash Shemuel (R.
Shemuel ben Yitzchaq de Uceda, 1540-?, Safed, Israel): If one studies during
childhood, he will gain the wisdom that comes with old age, He will have the
benefit of the years of study during his youth. However, when one only begins to
study in old age, he has no background and finds it most difficult to attain
any measure of scholarship.
Another interpretation
by Midrash Shemuel: One who teaches a youngster will find his absorptive
capacity enormous and the master will not be compelled to repeat his lesson over and over
again. The opposite is true when teaching an older person.
Rabbi Moshe Almosnino
(c. 1515-c.1580, Salonika)
reflects that the reason why one who is taught by an adolescent is compared to
one who eats unripe grapes is that the inexperienced scholar has not had ample
opportunity to ingest the vast stores of Torah literature and is not ready to
stand firm on his thinking; in the case of the veteran teacher it is different because he has
probably become erudite and can make a significant contribution.
An Anonymous
Commentator The
concept of examining the contents of a container and not its outer appearance
can be interpreted as an exercise in mussar (discipline). The soul of a person is encased
in his body. The message is: Do not be concerned with the needs of the body as
much as with the progress of your spirituality.
What say the Nazarean Hakhamim?
1Ti 4:11 These things
command and teach.
1Ti 4:12 Let no
man despise your youth; but be an example to the believers, in word, in
conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faithfulness, and in purity.
1Ti 4:13 Till I come,
give attendance to the [public] reading [of the Torah], to exhortation, and to
the Oral Torah.
1Ti 5:1 Rebuke not an
elder, but entreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;
1Ti 5:2 The elder
women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.
1Ti 5:17 Let the
elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who
labour in the [written] Word and in the Oral Torah.
N.C.: Mark 11:12-14
|
CLV[1] |
Magiera
Peshitta NT[2] |
Greek[3] |
Delitzsch[4] |
|
12. And on the morrow, at their
coming out from Bethany, He hungers." |
12. And on the next day,
when he went out from Bethany, he was hungry. |
12. Καὶ
τῇ ἐπαύριον
ἐξελθόντων
αὐτῶν ἀπὸ
Βηθανίας ἐπείνασεν
|
|
|
13. And perceiving one fig tree
from afar having leaves, He came, if, consequently, He will be finding
anything on it. And coming to it, He found nothing except leaves, for it was
not the season of figs." |
13. And he saw a certain
fig tree from a distance that had leaves on it. And he came to it [to see] if
he could find anything on it. And when he arrived, he did not find [anything]
on it except leaves, for the time of figs had not [yet] come. |
13. καὶ
ἰδὼν συκῆν μακρόθεν
ἔχουσαν φύλλα
ἦλθεν εἰ
ἄρα εὑρήσει
τι ἐν αὐτῇ
καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐπ
αὐτὴν οὐδὲν
εὗρεν εἰ
μὴ φύλλα· οὐ
γὰρ ἦν καιρὸς
σύκων |
|
|
14. And answering, He said to
it, "By no means may anyone still be eating fruit of you for the eon. And
His disciples heard." |
14. And he said to it,
"Now and forever man will not eat fruit from you." And his
disciples heard [it]. And they came to Jerusalem. |
14. καὶ
ἀποκριθεὶς
ὁ Ἰησοῦς
εἶπεν αὐτῇ
Μηκέτι ἐκ
σοῦ εἰς τὸν
αἰῶνα μηδεὶς
καρπὸν φάγοι
καὶ ἤκουον
οἱ μαθηταὶ
αὐτοῦ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
HH Paqid Dr. Adon Eliyahu’s
Rendition
12 And on the morrow,
they [were] going out from Bet Chanan, (and) he [Yeshua] was hungry.
13 And seeing a fig
tree from a distance having leaves, he went toward it, if perhaps he would find
anything on it. And coming on (to) it, he found nothing except leaves, for it
was not yet the season of figs.
14 And Yeshua
responding, said to it, Let no one eat of your fruit any more to the (in this)
age (or, for this generation). And His disciples heard.
Hakham’s Commentary
12 And on the morrow,
they [were] going out from Bet Chanan, (and) he [Yeshua] was hungry.
And on the morrow – Greek: Καὶ τῇ ἐπαύριον – KE TI EPAURION –
appears to be an allusion to the counting of the Omer – cf. Leviticus 23:15.
Bet Chanan – בית־חנן – popularly
known as Bethany. The town lied about 3 kms. East of Yerushalayim close to Har
Zeytim (Mt. of Olives). At the end of the fourth century c.e., the Byzantines
built a church and adjoining monastery at Bet Chanan, and which was renovated a
century later. It was named after Elazar (pop. Lazarus). From this comes the
current name of the village in Arabic Al-Azaria. There are five references to
Bethania in the Talmud Babli, which shows this place name spelled בית־היני – (Bet Hini),
a meaningless phrase – cf. Pesachim 53a (twice), and Baba Metsia 88a. The other
two references spell this place name בית־יוני (Bet Yavani)
– “Hellenic House” – Erubim 28b (twice). This refers to the bazaars of stores
set up on the Mount of Olives for the supply of doves and other commodities
required for sacrifices, and owned by the powerful priestly family Chanan to
whom they proved a source of wealth. Perhaps the Chanan family had become one
of the Hellenizing “wicked priests.” The name in Talmud Yerushalmi (Jerusalem
Talmud) is Bet
Chanan – בית־חנן – (House of Chanan). Chanan
was the family name of a priestly family mentioned in Jeremiah 35:4.
he [Yeshua] was hungry
- Marcus[5]
proposes that here we have an allusion to Messiah King David who also hungered,
and at the same time he notes a diversion in the narrative where Messiah King
David’s hunger “is assuaged by a friendly High Priest, but Yeshua goes hungry
and curses a fig tree.”
13 And seeing a fig
tree from a distance having leaves, he went toward it, if perhaps he would find
anything on it. And coming on (to) it, he found nothing except leaves, for it
was not yet the season of figs.
And seeing a fig tree
from a distance having leaves – The fig tree in Judaism has always been taken as an
analogy for “the coming of the Messiah”[6]
(cf. Midrash Songs. R. ii. 13). In the non-canonical Apocalypse of Peter, Peter
discusses the significance of the fig tree with Yeshua, who says the fig tree
represents "the house of Israel.” In support for this latter position see:
“I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness, I saw
your fathers as the first-ripe in the fig-tree at her first season; but so soon
as they came to Baal-peor, they separated themselves unto the shameful thing,
and became detestable like that which they loved.” (Hos. 9:10)
It is obvious that
many in ignorance get carried away from the simple/literal/Peshat mode of
interpretation and want to read in here some symbolical figures. It is enough
for us to be in the Peshat and follow its rules of Hermeneutics. One such law
is called: Dabar ha-lamed me-'inyano: Interpretation deduced from the
context, (cf. p.6 of this document), being its seventh Law. Therefore, we must
ask, what is the essential context of this pericope? And the answer should be
the Torah Seder of B’Midbar (Num.) 14:11-45!
Following this
elemental principal of context, we must therefore say that the "fig tree" is an analogy of the leadership of Israel (i.e.
the princess, or spies that went to spy the land and brought an evil report), whether they be good or bad, whether they be faithfully obedient to G-d or not. And in this
leadership of Israel it is contained the coming of the Messiah, or the delay of the coming
of the Messiah.
And coming on (to) it,
he found nothing except leaves, for it was not yet the season of figs.
To this day a vexing
question remains in the minds of many Christian Scholars as to why if it was
not yet the season for figs, the Master got angry with the fig tree, as if the
fig tree is expected to produce fruit in all seasons? The best answer so far to
this question is to be found in the following explanation by F. F. Bruce et al.[7]
“Was it not unreasonable to curse the tree for being
fruitless when, as Mark expressly says, "it was not the season for
figs"? The problem is most satisfactorily cleared up in a discussion
called "The Barren Fig Tree" published many years ago by W. M.
Christie, a Church of Scotland minister in Palestine under the British
mandatory regime. He pointed out first the time of year at which the incident
is said to have occurred (if, as is probable, Jesus was crucified on April 6th,
A.D. 30, the incident occurred during the first days of April).
"Now," wrote Christie, "the facts connected with the fig tree
are these. Towards the end of March the leaves begin to appear, and in about a
week the foliage coating is complete. Coincident with [this], and sometimes
even before, there appears quite a crop of small knobs, not the real figs, but
a kind of early forerunner. They grow to the size of green almonds, in which
condition they are eaten by peasants and others when hungry. When they come to
their own indefinite maturity they drop off." These precursors of the true
fig are called taqsh in Palestinian Arabic. Their appearance is a harbinger of
the fully formed appearance of the true fig some six weeks later. So, as Mark
says, the time for figs had not yet come. But if the leaves appear without any
taqsh, that is a sign that there will be no figs. Since Jesus found
"nothing but leaves" — leaves without any taqsh — he knew that
"it was an absolutely hopeless, fruitless fig tree" and said as much.”
Another explanation can be
derived from an episode in the Talmud Babli Ta’anit 24a:
R. Yosé bar Abin was regularly in the presence of R.
Yosé of Deroqeret. He left him and came before R. Ashi. ] One day he heard him
reciting the tradition, “Said Samuel, ‘He who nets a fish from the sea on the
Sabbath, once it has dried off to the extent of a sela’s space, is liable for
violating the Sabbath].’” [Yosé bar Abin] said to him, “Will the master add,
‘[a spot] between the fins’?” He said to him, “But does the master not concur
that R. Yosé bar Abin said that?” He said to him, “I am he [I am Yosé].” [Ashi]
said to him, “But were you not regularly in the presence of R. Yosé of
Deroqeret?” He said to him, “Yup.” He said to him, “And why did the master
leave him and come here?” He said to him, “A man who had no mercy for his son
and for his daughter — was he going to treat me mercifully?”
What’s the story involving his son? One day he had
day laborers working in a field. At night fall they didn’t bring them bread.
They said to his son, “We are hungry.” They were sitting under a fig tree. He
said, “Fig tree, fig tree, bring out your fruit so [that my] father’s workers
may eat!” The tree produced fruit and they ate. In the interim the father came.
He said to them, “Don’t be grieved with me; the reason I’m late is that I was
doing a religious duty, and it kept me busy until now.” They said to him, “May
the All-Merciful satisfy you as your son has satisfied us.” He said to them, “With what?” They said to
him, “Thus and so is what happened.” He said to him, “My son, you have troubled
your Creator to have the fig bring forth its fruit not in its proper season.
May he [you] be gathered in not in his [your] proper time.”
In other words, since
the Messiah was G-d’s helper in the creation (cf. Prov. 8:22), the fig tree in
this episode alike the leadership in Israel at that time, could not recognize
the Messiah and therefore were not able to produce fruit “not in its proper
season” as in the case above. Therefore, there is an expectation on the
leadership of Israel, alike a fig tree [which recognizes its maker], to produce
fruit even out of season.
Even further, we may
posit that the “fig tree” is an analogy for the Halakha which produces fruit in
season and out of season. The Temple Priesthood, and the puppet leadership in
Israel under the Roman authorities in Israel at that time failed to recognize
the Messiah when he entered Jerusalem. Why? Because they had corrupted the
Halakha.
14 And Yeshua
responding, said to it, Let no one eat of your fruit any more to the (in this)
age (or, for this generation). And His disciples heard.
That generation of
Priesthood, and civil leadership in Israel, at that time, would not produce any
fruit in terms of Halakha. It took a generation later of Sages to come with the
Mishnah and the Tosefta, and later the Jerusalem Talmud (a Remes commentary to
the Mishnah) and much later the Babylonian Talmud (also a Remes commentary to the
Mishnah). The Mishnah like a supernatural fig tree, produces wholesome fruit
even to this very day, in its season, as well as out of season! Implied in this
was a change from rulership in Israel via Priests and Kings to rulership in
Israel via Torah Judges and Torah courts of Law, and which is the case to this
very day.
This is not to be
understood as a curse upon Israel for all time, as many Christian commentators
seem to delight in interpreting, but to a single generation, one which lost the
Temple and the Holy Land. Again, the rule of Dabar ha-lamed me-'inyano:
Interpretation deduced from the context, demands that the chastisement does not
go above a period of 40 years – i.e. a generation. If these events took place
around the year 30 c.e., plus or minus, the events of 70 c.e. and subsequent
immediate years, mark then the end of that generation. Thus, the Torah
prophesied with the punishment of the 40 year wandering the events that
overtook Israel in the year 70 c.e. and immediate subsequent years.
Some Questions to Ponder:
- From
all the readings for this Shabbat, which reading touched your heart and
fired your imagination?
- What
question/s were asked of Rashi in B’Midbar 14:11?
3.
What question/s were asked of
Rashi in B’Midbar 14:12?
4.
What question/s were asked of
Rashi in B’Midbar 14:13?
5.
What question/s were asked of
Rashi in B’Midbar 14:15?
6.
What question/s were asked of
Rashi in B’Midbar 14:17?
7.
What question/s were asked of
Rashi in B’Midbar 14:18?
8.
What question/s were asked of
Rashi in B’Midbar 14:21?
9.
What question/s were asked of
Rashi in B’Midbar 14:22?
10.
What question/s were asked of
Rashi in B’Midbar 14:24?
11.
What question/s were asked of
Rashi in B’Midbar 14:33?
12.
What question/s were asked of
Rashi in B’Midbar 14:40?
13.
What question/s were asked of
Rashi in B’Midbar 14:44?
14.
How is B’Midbar 14:11 related to
B’Midbar 14:45?
15.
In your opinion what is the
intent of Hakham Tsefet’s pericope by the hand of his scribe Mordechai (Mark)
for this Shabbat?
16.
How is Hakham Tsefet pointing us
to the fact that this is the month of Nisan or Iyar?
17.
What part of the Torah Seder
fired the heart and imagination of the Psalmist for this week?
18.
What part of the Torah Seder
fired the heart and the imagination of the prophet Yeshayahu this week?
19.
What part/s of the Torah Seder,
Psalm, and the prophets fired the heart and the imagination of Hakham Tsefet
for this week?
20.
After taking into consideration
all the above texts and our Torah Seder, what would you say is the general
prophetic message from the Scriptures for this coming week?
Blessing After Torah Study
Barúch Atáh Adonai, Elohénu Meléch HaOlám,
Ashér Natán Lánu Torát Emét, V'Chayéi Olám Natá B'Tochénu.
Barúch Atáh Adonái, Notén HaToráh. Amen!
Blessed is Ha-Shem our God, King of the universe,
Who has given us a teaching of truth, implanting within us
eternal life.
Blessed is Ha-Shem, Giver of the Torah. Amen!
“Now unto Him who is able to preserve you faultless, and
spotless, and to establish you without a blemish,
before His majesty, with joy, [namely,] the only one God,
our Deliverer, by means of Yeshua the Messiah our Master, be praise, and
dominion, and honor, and majesty, both now and in all ages. Amen!”
Counting of the Omer
http://www.betemunah.org/omer.html
Sundown Friday May the
13th – 2011 – “Today is twenty five days of the counting of the
Omer”
Sundown Saturday May
the 14th – 2011 – “Today is twenty six days of the counting of the
Omer”
Sundown Sunday May the
15th – 2011 – “Today is twenty seven days of the counting of the
Omer”
Sundown Monday May the
16th – 2011 – “Today is twenty eight days of the counting of the
Omer”
Sundown Tuesday May
the 17th – 2011 – “Today is twenty nine days of the counting of the
Omer”
Sundown Wednesday May
the 18th – 2011 – “Today is thirty days of the counting of the Omer”
Pesach Sheni (Second
Passover) - http://www.betemunah.org/sheni.html
Sundown Thursday May
the 19th – 2011 – “Today is thirty one days of the counting of the
Omer”
Sundown Friday May the
20th – 2011 – “Today is thirty two days of the counting of the Omer”
Sundown Saturday May
the 21st – 2011 – “Today is thirty three days of the counting of the
Omer”
LAG BA’OMER - http://www.betemunah.org/lgbomer.html & http://www.betemunah.org/ephesians.html
Sundown Sunday May the 22nd – 2011 –
“Today is thirty four days of the counting of the Omer”
Next Shabbat: Shabbat “Ki Tavo’u El
Eretz”
|
Shabbat |
Torah Reading: |
Weekday Torah Reading: |
|
כִּי
תָבֹאוּ, אֶל-אֶרֶץ |
|
|
|
“Ki Tavo’u
El Eretz” |
Reader 1 – B’Midbar 15:1-7 |
Reader
1 – B’Midbar 16:1-3 |
|
“When you come into the land” |
Reader 2 – B’Midbar 15:8-16 |
Reader
2 – B’Midbar 16:4-7 |
|
“Cuando entréis en
la tierra” |
Reader 3 – B’Midbar 15:17-21 |
Reader
3 – B’Midbar 16:8-11 |
|
B’Midbar (Num.) 15:1-41 |
Reader 4 – B’Midbar 15:22-26 |
|
|
Ashlamatah:
Is. 56:3-8+57:15-16,18-19 |
Reader 5 – B’Midbar 15:27-31 |
|
|
|
Reader 6 – B’Midbar 15:32-36 |
Reader
1 – B’Midbar 16:1-3 |
|
Psalm
102:1-12 |
Reader 7 – B’Midbar 15:37-41 |
Reader
2 – B’Midbar 16:4-7 |
|
Pirqe Abot IV:17 |
Maftir: B’Midbar
15:37-41 |
Reader
3 – B’Midbar 16:8-11 |
|
N.C.:
Mordechai 11:15-19 |
- Is. 56:3-8 + 57:15-16, 18-19 |
|
Shalom Shabbat !
Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
HH Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben
David
HH Paqid
Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham