Esnoga Bet Emunah - 227 Millset Chase# - San Antonio, Texas 78253

Targum Pseudo Jonathan for:

B’ resheet (Genesis) 8:1 – 9:17

VIII. And the Lord in His Word remembered Noah, and all the animals and the cattle which were with him in the ark; and the Lord caused the wind of mercies to pass over the earth, and the waters were dried. [JERUSALEM. And He remembered in His mercies the good which was with Noah. And the Lord caused the wind of mercies.] And the fountains of the deep were shut up, and the windows of heaven, and the rain was forbidden to descend from heaven. And the waters returned from being on the earth, going and returning. And the waters were minished at the end of a hundred and fifty days. And the ark rested in the seventh month, which is the month of Nisan, in the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Qadron; the name of the one mountain is Qardania, and the name of the other mountain Irmenia; and there was builded the city of Armenia in the land of the east. And the waters went and diminished until the tenth month, the month Tammuz. In Tammuz, in the first of the month, the heads of the mountains were seen. And it was at the end of forty days, and Noah opened the aperture of the ark which he had made. And he sent out a raven; and it went forth, going forth and returning, until the waters had dried from the earth. And he sent forth a house-dove from being with him, to see whether the waters were lightened from off the faces of the earth. And the dove found no rest for the sole of the foot, and returned unto him to the ark; and he knew that the waters were (yet) upon the face of all the earth. And he reached out his hand, and took and brought her unto him into the ark. And he prolonged (waited) yet seven days, [JERUSALEM. And he began to number,] and again he sent the dove from the ark. And the dove came to him at the evening time, and, behold, a leaf of olive gathered, broken off, she brought in her mouth, and which she had taken from the Mount of the Meshiha. And Noah understood that the waters had lightened from being on the earth. And he prolonged yet seven days, and added to send forth the dove; but she added not to return to him again. And it was in the six hundred and first year, in Tishri, in the first of the month, in the beginning of the year, that the waters were dried from upon the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark, and saw the faces of the ground to be dried. And in the month Marchesvan, in the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

And the Lord spake with Noah, saying: Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and the wives of thy sons, with thee. Every living animal that is with thee of all flesh, of fowl, of cattle, and of every reptile that creepeth on the earth, bring forth with thee, that they may produce in the earth, and spread abroad and multiply on the earth. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and the wives of his sons, with him. Every animal, every reptile, and every bird, which moveth upon the earth, according to its seed, went forth from the ark.

And Noah builded the altar before the Lord; that altar which Adam had builded in the time when he was cast forth from the garden of Eden, and had offered an oblation upon it; and upon it had Kain and Habel offered their oblations. But when the waters of the deluge descended, it was destroyed, and Noah rebuilded it; and he took of all clean cattle, and of all clean fowl, and sacrificed four upon that altar. And the Lord accepted his oblation with favour: and the Lord said in His Word, I will not add again to curse the earth on account of the sin of the children of men; for the imagination of the heart of man is evil from his youth; neither will I add to destroy whatever liveth as I have done. Until all the days of the earth, sowing in the season of Tishri, and harvest in the season of Nisan, and coldness in the season of Tebeth, and warmth in the season of Tammuz, and summer and winter, and days and nights shall not fail. [JERUSALEM. Until all the days of the earth from now, sowing and reaping, and cold and heat, and days and nights shall not cease.]

IX. And the Lord blessed Noah, and his sons, and said to them, Spread forth and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and on every fowl of the heavens; of all that the earth swarmeth forth, and all the fishes of the sea, into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing which liveth to you shall be for food: as the green herb have I given to you the whole. But flesh which is torn of the living beast, what time the life is in it, or that torn from a slaughtered animal before all the breath has gone forth, you shall not eat. But the blood of your lives I will I require of every animal which hath killed a man, I will require that it be put to death on his account. And from the hand of the human being, from the hand of the man who hath shed the blood of his brother, will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth the blood of man, the judges, by witnesses, shall condemn him unto death; but he who sheddeth it without witnesses, the Lord of the world will bring punishment on him in the day of the great judgment; because in the image of the Lord He made man. And you, spread yourselves abroad and multiply; bring forth in the earth, and increase in it.

And the Lord spake to Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your children after you; and with every living soul that is with you, of birds, and of cattle, and of every beast of the earth that is with you, of all that go forth from the ark, of every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you, and will not again cause all flesh to perish by the waters of a flood; and there shall not again be a flood to destroy the earth.

And the Lord said, This is the sign of the covenant which I establish between My Word and between you and every living soul that is with you, unto the generations of the world. I have set My Bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of the covenant between My Word and the earth. And it shall be that when I spread forth My glorious cloud over the earth, the bow shall be seen in the day (time), while the sun is not sunk (or hidden) in a cloud. And I will remember My covenant which is between My Word and between you and every living soul of all flesh, that there shall not be the waters of a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between the Word of the Lord and every living soul of all flesh that is upon the earth. And the Lord said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant that I have covenanted between My Word and between the word for all flesh that is upon the earth.

Ashlamatah:

Habakkuk 3:2-10, 19

2 O LORD, I have heard the report of Thee, and am afraid; O LORD, revive Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember compassion.

3 ¶ God cometh from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covereth the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise.

4 And a brightness appeareth as the light; rays hath He at His side; and there is the hiding of His power.

5 Before him goeth the pestilence, and fiery bolts go forth at His feet.

6 He standeth, and shaketh the earth, He beholdeth, and maketh the nations to tremble; and the everlasting mountains are dashed in pieces, the ancient hills do bow; His goings are as of old.

7 I see the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian do tremble.

8 Is it, O LORD, that against the rivers, is it that Thine anger is kindled against the rivers, or Thy wrath against the sea? that Thou dost ride upon Thy horses, upon Thy chariots of victory?

9 Thy bow is made quite bare; sworn are the rods of the word. Selah. Thou dost cleave the earth with rivers.

10 The mountains have seen Thee, and they tremble; the tempest of waters floweth over; the deep uttereth its voice, and lifteth up its hands on high.

11 The sun and moon stand still in their habitation; at the light of Thine arrows as they go, at the shining of Thy glittering spear.

12 Thou marchest through the earth in indignation, Thou threshest the nations in anger.

13 Thou art come forth for the deliverance of Thy people, for the deliverance of Thine Messiah; Thou woundest the head out of the house of the wicked, uncovering the foundation even unto the neck. Selah

14 Thou hast stricken through with his own rods the head of his rulers, that come as a whirlwind to scatter me; whose rejoicing is as to devour the poor secretly.

15 Thou hast trodden the sea with Thy horses, the foaming of mighty waters.

16 ¶ When I heard, mine inward parts trembled, my lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entereth into my bones, and I tremble where I stand; that I should wait for the day of trouble, when he cometh up against the people that he invadeth.

17 For though the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no food; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls;

18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will exult in the God of my salvation.

19 God, the Lord, is my strength, and He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and He maketh me to walk upon my high places. For the Leader. With my string-music.

Targum

Psalm 5

1. ¶ For praise, with dancing. A hymn of David.

2. Hear my utterance, O Lord, consider my murmuring.

3. Hear the sound of my petition, my king and God, for I will pray in your presence.

4. O Lord, in the morning hear my voice; in the morning I set myself before you and keep watch.

5. Because you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; evil did not abide with you.

6. Scoffers shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all deeds of falsehood.

7. ¶ You will destroy tellers of lies; the Lord will loath the man who sheds innocent blood and the deceiver.

8. And I, through your great goodness, will enter your house; I will bow down to your holy temple in awe of you.

9. O Lord, guide me by your righteousness; because of my hymn, make firm your paths before me.

10. Because there is no reliability in the mouths of the wicked; their bodies are full of tumult; like Sheol, their throat is open; their tongues flatter.

11. God has accused them; they will be done away with by their counsel; for their great sin he overturned them, for they rebelled against your command.

12. And all who trust in your word will rejoice forever; they will give praise and you will protect them; and those who love your name will rejoice in you.

13. Because you will bless the righteous, O Lord; as with a shield, you will crown him with good will.

Pirqe Abot

“All Israel have a share in the World to Come, as it is stated: And your people are all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever; they are the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, in which to take pride.”

Pirqe Abot I:6

Joshua b. Pera'hia and Nithai the Arbelite received the tradition from them. The former used to say: "Get for yourself a wise teacher, acquire a comrade, and judge every one by his good qualities (i.e., from his favorable side)."

Tosephtha--Aboth of R. Nathan.

"Get for yourself a wise teacher." This means that one should procure a constant teacher of whom he should learn the Scripture, Mishna, Midrash, Halakhoth, and Agadoth. What he has left unexplained in the Scripture, he will finally explain in the Mishna, what is unexplained in the Mishna will be explained in the Halakha, and what is unexplained in the latter will be explained in the Agadah. The consequence of all this is, that one acquires all he desires in his own place and is full of blessings.

R. Meir used to say: One that learns the Torah of one teacher, may be compared to one who has one field, part of which he sowed with wheat and part with barley; in one part he planted olives, and in another fruit-trees. And so this man acquires wealth and blessings. The one, however, who studies under two or three masters is to be compared to one who has many fields: in one he sows wheat, in another barley; in one he plants olives, and in the other fruit-trees. And so this man has to go from place to place in many countries, and has no enjoyment of his wealth.

It is said: "Win a friend." How is a friend won? This is to teach us that a man has to acquire an associate (comrade) with whom he should eat, drink, read, learn, and sleep; to whom he should reveal his secrets, the secrets of the Torah, and the secrets of every-day life. The good to accrue from such an intimacy is that, if one of them should blunder in the recital of a traditional law or in the division of chapters, or one should declare anything which is unclean as clean, and vice versa, and anything which is prohibited as permissible, and vice versa, his associate will correct him. How do we know that, if the associate really turns his attention to the mistake and sets him right, both will be rewarded greatly for their good endeavor? We learn it from the biblical passage which reads [Eccl. iv. 9]: "Two are better than one"; that is to say, the efforts of both will be crowned with success.

When three are sitting and studying the Law together, the Holy One, blessed be His name, accounts it to them as if they had formed a league for His praise, as it is written: "He that buildeth in the heavens his palace and established on earth his tabernacle." From this passage thou art to learn that if three sit and study together it is accounted to them as if they constituted a league to glorify the Holy One, blessed be He.

When two persons are studying the Law together their reward will be received above, as it is written [Mal. iii. 16]: "Then conversed they that fear the Lord one with the other: and the Lord listened and heard it," etc. But what is meant by the words: "They that fear the Lord? That when they have made up their mind to redeem the captives and release the prisoners, and the Holy One, blessed be He, has given them the opportunity to do so, they embrace it at once. What is meant by the words: "And for those who think after his name"? 1 They whose thought of doing the above-mentioned great things never ripens into firm resolution, but are doubtful in the Lord whether they will succeed, and therefore the Lord gives them not the opportunity, and they are lost before doing anything they thought of doing. Also an individual who engages in the study of the Law, his reward is marked in Heaven, as it is written [Lam. iii. 28]: "That he sit in solitude because he hath laid it upon him." This is illustrated by the following anecdote: A man had a little son whom he left alone when he went to attend to some business. The boy, instead of spending his time in play, took a scroll and spread it upon his knees, and thus he sat and studied. When his father returned and found his son in that commendable position, he joyfully said: "See what my little son has done! Left alone, he took to study of his own accord . Even so the Almighty regards an individual who is absorbed in holy thought. His reward is marked in Heaven.

"Judge everyone from his favorable side." It happened that a girl was led in captivity, and two pious men went to redeem her. One of them entered into a house of harlots. When he came out again, he said to his companion: "What were thy suspicions of me (when you saw me enter this house)?" He said: "I thought you went to investigate what sum her ransom would be." He answered: "I assure you that so it was. As thou hast judged me from my favorable side, so may the Lord judge thee in the same manner."

It happened, again, that a maiden was led into captivity, and two pious men went to redeem her. One of them was suspected as a robber, and was confined in prison, and his wife brought him food and water every day. One day he asked her: "Go to my companion and tell him that I am in prison because I went to redeem the maiden in question, and he who intended to take part in it is doing nothing and pays no attention to her." She rejoined: "Thou art in prison, and thou think about foolish things?" She therefore did not listen to him. He again requested her to go and to notify his companion, and finally she did so. What did this man do? He took gold and silver, and, accompanied by other people, came and released them both. When he was released he said: "Let this maiden sleep with me 1 in bed with her clothes on." In the morning he said: "Let me go and dip (in a legal bath), and let her do the same." They did so. He then said to them: "Of what did ye suspect me when I went to dip myself?" They answered: "We thought that in all the days thou wast in prison thou wert hungry and thirsty, and now, when thou hast seen fresh air, thou hast grown hot and perhaps thou hast become Keri." "And what did ye suspect when she was dipped?" They answered: "We thought that in all the time that she was in prison among the idolaters, she was compelled to eat and drink with them, and you therefore ordered her to dip for the purpose of purification." He then rejoined: "I assure you such was the case, and as you have judged me favorably, so may the Lord judge you."

Not only were the upright people of former times themselves very strict and particular, but also their cattle were so. There is a tradition that the camels of Abraham our father never entered a place where there were idols, as it is written [Gen. xxiv. 31]: "While I have cleaned the house, and room for the camels." The first part of this passage relates that he cleared the house from Teraphim; but what is meant by the second part, which seems to be superfluous? Infer from this, that the camels did not enter the abode of Laban the Aramite until all the idols were cleared away.

It happened that the ass of R. Hanina b. Dosa was stolen by robbers. They tied him in the yard, and put straw, barley, and water before him; but he neither ate nor drank. They said then: "If we leave him here, he will die and infect the yard." Therefore they opened the gate and let him out, and he went on rejoicing until he reached the place of R. Hanina b. Dosa.

When the latter's son heard his voice, he said to his father: "Is not the voice of this ass similar to that of ours?" He rejoined: "My son, hasten to open the gate for him, or else he will die of hunger." He did so; he put food and water before him, and he fed and drank. Hence the above saying: "In former times the upright men were pious, so were their cattle."

Matityahu 1:18-23

18. ¶ The birth of Yeshua was this way. His mother Myriam was betrothed to Yosef, and before they set household together, she was found pregnant by the Spirit of Holiness.

19. Yosef was a Tsadik (righteous/generous man), and not wishing to expose her by bringing her to shame, or to bind her over to death, he thought about breaking up with her quietly.

20. Whilst he was thinking on this matter in his heart, behold, Gavriel, the messenger of Ha-Shem appeared to him as in a dream saying: “Yosef ben (son of) David, do not fear to take your wife Myriam, because she is pregnant by the Spirit of Holiness.

21. He will give birth to a son and you will call his name Yeshuah, because YOSHIEH (he will save) his kinsmen from their sins.”

22. All of this was to complete that which was spoken by Ha-Shem through Yeshayahu (Isaiah) the prophet (7:14):

23. “Behold a young woman is pregnant and will bear a son. She shall call his name Emanuel (which is translated “with us is El” – with us is G-d in the attribute of Justice).

Questions For Discussion

The prophet Habakkuk this week, just after we have celebrated Lag BaOmer, starts prophesying “O LORD, I have heard the report of You, and am afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember compassion.” What kind of “work in the midst of the years” is the prophet Habakkuk speaking about? (Hint: relate it to our Torah Seder for this week).

In the context of our Seder what does Matityahu see in the Seder that he speaks of the Master of Nazareth as “Emanuel”?

If Yeshayahu 7:14 is completed in the birth of the Master of Nazareth, why was he called Yeshuah and not Emanuel?

What has King David the Messiah seen in our Seder that makes him write Psalm 5 as its Torah commentary?

According to Pirqe Abot for this week why does G-d rejects the self-made man, and instructs us that there is no greater satisfaction for a man than to say, “I have sat at the feet of His Eminence Hakaham so and so for X number of years” (cf. 2 Lukas (Acts) 22:3)?

What is lacking in a man that has not sat at the feet of wise Master of Torah nor maintained a stable relationship with a comrade for a long period of time?

Why is it that a man who thinks he is righteous if he has no ample generosity will not be accounted as a righteous man before G-d?

It is said that the 7 colors of the rainbow represent the seven days of the week as well as the seven headings of Law in the Noachide Code of Law. How is the Menorah related to the rainbow and to the idea of Emanuel?

Shabbat:	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
ויזכור אלהים את נח
“Vayzkhor Elohim Et Noach”	Reader 1 – B’resheet 8:1-5	Reader 1 – B’resheet 9:18-20
“And God remembered Noah”	Reader 2 – B’resheet 8:6-14	Reader 2 – B’resheet 9:21-24
“Y se acordó Dio de Noé”	Reader 3 – B’resheet 8:15-19	Reader 3 – B’resheet 9:25-29
B’ resheet (Genesis) 8:1 – 9:17	Reader 4 – B’resheet 8:20-22
Habakkuk 3:2-10,19	Reader 5 – B’resheet 9:1-7
	Reader 6 – B’resheet 9:8-11	Reader 1 – B’resheet 10:1-5
Psalm 5	Reader 7 – B’resheet 9:12-17	Reader 2 – B’resheet 10:6-10
	Maftir – B’resheet 9:15-17	Reader 3 – B’resheet 10:11-14
N.C.: Matityahu 1:18-23	Habakkuk 3:2-10, 19