Esnoga Bet Emunah

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

E-Mail: gkilli@aol.com

 

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

 

Three and 1/2 year Lectionary Readings

Fourth Year of the Reading Cycle

Kislev 14, 5768 – Nov. 23/24, 2007

Seventh Year of the Shmita Cycle

 

Candle Lighting and Havdalah Times

 

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

Friday Nov. 23, 2007 – Candles at 5:18 PM                   Friday Nov. 23, 2007 – Candles at 6:04 PM

Saturday Nov. 24, 2007 – Havadalah 6:14 PM                           Saturday Nov. 24, 2007 – Havadalah 7:09 PM      

 

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.                                                 Singapore, Singapore

Friday Nov. 23, 2007 – Candles at 5:13 PM                   Friday Nov. 23, 2007 – Candles at 6:34 PM

Saturday Nov. 24, 2007 – Havadalah 6:10 PM               Saturday Nov. 24, 2007 – Havadalah 7:25 PM

 

Cebu, Philippines                                                        Jakarta, Indonesia

Friday Nov. 23, 2007 – Candles at 5:06 PM                   Friday Nov. 23, 2007 – Candles at 5:34 PM

Saturday Nov. 24, 2007 – Havadalah 5:58 PM               Saturday Nov. 24, 2007 – Havadalah 6:25 PM

 

 

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

 

 

Coming Festival: Chanukah

25th of Kislev – 3rd of Tebet 5768 – December 5-12, 2007

For further study see: http://www.betemunah.org/chanrabn.doc

http://www.betemunah.org/connection.doc; and http://www.betemunah.org/chanukah.doc

 

 

Shabbat

Torah Reading:

Weekday Torah Reading:

זֹאת חֻקַּת

 

 

“Zot Chuqat”

Reader 1 – B’midbar 19:1-3

Reader 1 – B’midbar 20:14-17

“This is the statute”

Reader 2 – B’midbar 19:4-6

Reader 2 – B’midbar 20:18-21

“Este es el estatuto”

Reader 3 – B’midbar 19:7-10

Reader 3 – B’midbar 20:22-29

B’midbar (Numbers) Num. 19:1 – 20:13

Reader 4 – B’midbar 19:11-16

 

Ashlamtah: Judges 11:1-11

Reader 5 – B’midbar 19:17-22

 

 

Reader 6 – B’midbar 20:1-6

Reader 1 – B’midbar 20:14-17

Psalm 104:1-9

Reader 7 – B’midbar 20:7-11

Reader 2 – B’midbar 20:18-21

 

      Maftir – B’midbar 20:11-13

Reader 3 – B’midbar 20:22-29

N.C.: Matityahu 22: 34-46

                   Judges 11:1-11

 

 

 

 

 

Roll of Honor:

 

This Torah commentary comes to you courtesy of His Honor Paqid Adon Hillel ben David and most beloved family, and that of Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah and beloved family, as well as that of His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann and beloved family and that of His Excellency Adon John Batchelor and beloved wife, and that of His Excellency Adon Ezra ben Abraham and his beloved wife Giberet Karmela bat Sarah. For their regular and sacrificial giving, providing the best oil for the lamps, we pray that G-d’s richest blessings be upon their lives and those of their loved ones, together with all Yisrael, amen ve amen! Also a great thank you to all who send comments to the list about the contents and commentary of the weekly Seder.

 

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

 

 

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan

for: B’midbar (Numbers) ) 19:1 – 20:13

 

RASHI

TARGUM PSEUDO JONATHAN

1. Adonai spoke to Moshe and Aharon, saying.

1. AND the Lord spoke with Mosheh and Aharon, saying:

2. This is the statute of the Torah which Adonai commanded, saying; speak to B’ne Yisrael that they will take to you a red, perfect cow without a blemish, upon which no yoke was laid.

2. This is the decree, the publication of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying; Speak to the sons of Israel, that they bring to you from the separation of the fold a red heifer, two years old, in which there is neither spot nor white hair, on which no male has come, nor the burden of any work been imposed, neither hurt by the thong, nor grieved by the goad or prick, nor collar (band) or any like yoke.

3. Give it to Elazar the Kohen; he will take it outside the camp, and someone will slaughter it in his presence.

3. And you will give her unto Elazar, the chief of the priests, who will lead her alone without the camp, and set round about her a railing (border) of the branches of fig trees; and another priest will slay her with the two signs before him, after the manner of other animals, and examine her by the eighteen kinds of divisions.

4. Elazar the Kohen will take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle it directly facing the Tent of Meeting, some of its blood seven times.

4. And Elazar, in his priestly dress, will take of her blood with the finger of his right hand, without (first) containing it in a vessel, and will sprinkle the border of fig branches, and (afterwards) from the midst of a vessel on one side towards the tabernacle of ordinance, with one dipping, seven times (will he sprinkle).

5. Someone will burn the cow in his presence; its skin, flesh, blood, with its waste (that are in its intestines) will be burned.

5. And they will bring her out from the midst of the railing and another priest, while Elazar looks on, will burn the heifer, her skin, flesh, and blood, with her dung will he burn.

6. The Kohen will take a piece of cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson wool, and throw them into the burning of the cow.

6. And another priest will take a piece of cedar wood and hyssop, and (wool) whose color has been changed to scarlet, and throw them into the midst of the burning of the heifer; and he will enlarge the burning, that the ashes may be increased. [JERUSALEM. And throw into the midst of the ashes of the burning heifer.]

7. Then the Kohen will wash his garments and bathe his body in water, and afterwards he may enter the camp; [however,] the Kohen will be impure until the evening.

7. And the priest who slew the heifer will wash his dress in forty satas of water, and afterwards he may go into the camp; but the priest before his ablution will be unclean until the evening

8. Also, the one who burns it must wash his garments and bathe his body in water; he will remain unclean until the evening.

8. And the priest who was employed in the burning will wash his dress in forty satas of water, and his flesh in forty satas, and before his ablution will be unclean until the evening.

9. A ritually clean person will gather the cow's ashes and place [it] outside the camp in a clean place; it will remain a keepsake for the community of B’ne Yisrael for sprinkling water for purification.

9. And a man, a priest who is clean, will gather up the ashes of the heifer in an earthenware receptacle, its opening covered round about with clay; and will divide the ashes into three portions, of which one will be placed within the wall (of Jerusalem), another in the Mount of Olives, and the third portion be in the custody of the Levites; and it will be for the congregation of Israel, for the Water of Sprinkling: it is the heifer (immolated) for the remission of sins.

10. The one who gathers the cow's ashes will wash his garments, and remain unclean until the evening; it will be for B’ne Yisrael and for the proselyte who lives among them an eternal statute.

10. And the priest who gathered up the ashes of the heifer will wash his clothes, and before his ablution be unclean till the evening. And this will be for the cleansing of the children of Israel, a statute for ever.

11. One who touches the corpse of any [human] soul will become unclean for seven days.

 

11. Whoever touches the body of a dead man, or of a child of some months old, either his body or his blood, will be unclean seven days.

12. He will cleanse himself with it on the third day and on the seventh day, so that he may become clean; if he does not have himself cleansed on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean.

12. He will sprinkle himself with this water of the ashes on the third day, and on the seventh day he will be clean. But if he sprinkle not himself on the third day, his uncleanness will remain upon him, and he will not be clean on the seventh day.

13. Whoever touches a corpse of a [human] soul, who died and does not have himself cleansed defiles the Mishkan of Adonai (if he enters it), that soul will be cut off from Yisrael; because the sprinkling water was not sprinkled on him, he will be impure his impurity remains.

13. Whoever has touched the body of a dead man, or of a child nine months old, either the body or the blood, and will not sprinkle himself, he has defiled the tabernacle of the Lord, and that man will be cut off from Israel; forasmuch as the water of sprinkling is not sprinkled upon him, he is unclean, his uncleanness is yet on him, until he will sprinkle himself; yet may he sprinkle and make ablution on the seventh evening.

14. This is the law [regarding] a person who dies in a tent; anyone who enters the tent and everything that is in the tent will be unclean for seven days.

14. This is the indication of the law concerning a man when he has died under the outspread tent every one who enters into the tent by the way of the door, but not from its side, when its door is open, (or when one has opened its door,) and whatever is in the tent, its floor, stone, wood, and vessels, will be unclean seven days.

15. Any open utensil that has no cover fastened to it, will be unclean.

15. And every earthen vessel which has no covering fastened upon its mouth, which would have kept it separate from the uncleanness, is defiled by the uncleanness of the air which touches its mouth, and its interior, and not the outside of it (only). [JERUSALEM. And every open vessel which has no covering of stone upon it will be unclean.]

16. Anyone who touches, in an open field, one slain by the sword, a corpse, human bone, or grave, will be unclean for seven days.

16. And whoever will touch not one who has died in his mother's womb, but who has been slain with the sword on the face of the field, or the sword with which he was slain, or the dead man himself, or a bone of his, or the hair, or the bone of a living man which has been separated from him, or a grave, or a shroud, or the bier, will be unclean seven days.

17. They will take for the unclean person of the ashes from the burnt purification-offering and he will place upon them living [spring] water in a vessel.

17. And for him who is unclean, they will take of the ashes of the burnt sin offering, and put spring water upon them in an earthen vessel.

18. He will take hyssop and dip it into the water; [this is done by] a ritually clean person, he will sprinkle it on the tent, on all the utensils and people that were there, and on anyone who touched the bone, murder victim, corpse, or grave.

18. And let a man, a priest, who is clean, take three branches of hyssop bound. together, and dip (them) in the water at the time of receiving the uncleanness, and sprinkle the tent and all its vessels, and the men who are in it, or upon him who has touched the bone of a living man that has been severed from him, and has fallen, or him who has. been slain with the sword, or has died by the plague, or a grave, or a wrapper, or a bier.

19. The ritually clean person will sprinkle upon the unclean person on the third day and on the seventh day; he will purify him on the seventh day when he must wash his garments and bathe in water, and then he becomes clean in the evening.

19. And the priest who is clean will sprinkle upon the unclean man on the, third day, and on the seventh day, and will make him clean on the seventh day; and he will sprinkle his clothes, and wash himself with water, and at eventide be clean.

20. A person who became ritually unclean [and enters the Sanctuary] without purifying himself, that soul will be cut off from the community; for he defiled the Sanctuary of Adonai, the sprinkling water was not sprinkled upon him, he remains unclean.

20. But the unclean man who will not be sprinkled, that man will be cut off from among the congregation, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord; the water of sprinkling has not been sprinkled upon him, he is unclean.

21. This will be the statute for all times; one who sprinkles the sprinkling waters will wash his garments, and one who touches the sprinkling waters will remain unclean until the evening.

21. And it will be unto you an everlasting statute. The priest, also, who sprinkles the water of sprinkling will sprinkle his clothes, and he who touches the water of sprinkling will be unclean until evening.

22. Anything which the unclean person touches, will become unclean; and anyone touching him will be ritually unclean until the evening.

22. And whatever the unclean person has touched, though he carry it not, will be unclean; and the clean man who touches him will be unclean till evening.

 

 

1. The entire community of B’ne Yisrael came to the wilderness of Tzin, in the first month. The people settled in Kadesh, and Miriam died and was buried there.

1. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel came to the desert of Zin on the tenth day of the month Nisan. And Miriam died there, and was buried there.

2. There was no water for the community, and they assembled against Moshe and Aharon.

2. And as on account of the innocence of Miriam a well had been given, so when she died the well was hidden, and the congregation had no water. And they gathered against Mosheh and Aharon,

3. The people quarreled with Moshe and said, "Would that we had died by our brothers' death before Adonai.

3. and the people contended with Mosheh, and said, Would that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!

4. Why did you bring the congregation of Adonai into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die there?

4. And why hast you brought the congregation of the Lord into this desert, that we and our cattle may die here?

5. Why did you take us out of Egypt and bring us to this terrible place? It is not a place of seed, figs, grapes, or pomegranates; and there is no water to drink"!

5. And why didst you make us come up out of Mizraim., to bring us to this evil place, a place which is not fit for sowing, or for planting fig trees, or vines, or pomegranates, and where there is no water to drink?

6. Moshe and Aharon moved away from the assembly to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and fell on their faces; the glory of Adonai appeared to them.

6. And Mosheh and Aharon went from the face of the murmuring congregation to the door of the tabernacle of ordinance, and bowed upon their faces, and the Glory of the Lord's Shekinah was revealed to them.

7. Adonai spoke to Moshe, saying.

7. And the Lord spoke with Mosheh, saying:

8. "Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aharon your brother, and speak to the rock in their presence that it may give forth its water; you will then bring forth for them water from the rock, and give drink [to] the community and their livestock."

8. Take the rod of the miracles, and gather the congregation, you, and Aharon thy brother, and both of you adjure the rock, by the Great and manifested Name, while they look on, and it will give forth its waters: but if it refuse to bring forth, smite you it once with the rod that is in thy hand, and you wilt bring out water for them from the rock, that the congregation and their cattle may drink.

9. Moshe took the staff from before Adonai, as He instructed him.

9. And Mosheh took the rod of the miracles from before the Lord, as he had commanded him.

10. Moshe and Aharon assembled the community before the rock; [Moshe] said to them, "Listen, you rebels! Can we extract water from this rock for you"?

10. And Mosheh and Aharon gathered the congregation together before the rock. And Mosheh said to them, Hear now, rebels: is it possible for us to bring forth water for you from this rock?

11. And Moshe raised his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice; water rushed out abundantly, and the community and their livestock drank.

11. And Mosheh lifted up [JERUSALEM. And Mosheh lifted up] his hand, and with his rod struck the rock two times: at the first time it dropped blood; but at the second time there came forth a multitude of waters. And the congregation and their cattle drank.

12. Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, "Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me in the presence of B’ne Yisrael; therefore, you will not bring this congregation into the land that I have given them."

12. But the Lord spoke to Mosheh and Aharon with the oath, Because ye have not believed in My Word, to sanctify Me in the sight of the children of Israel, therefore you will not bring this congregation into the land that I will give them.

13. They are the waters of dispute where B’ne Yisrael contended with Adonai, and He was sanctified through them.

13. These are the Waters of Contention, where the sons of Israel contended before the Lord on account of the well that had been hidden; and He was sanctified in them, in Mosheh and Aharon, when (the waters) were given to them.

 

 

 

 

Midrash Rabba for: B’midbar (Numbers) 19:1 – 20:13

 

1. THIS IS THE STATUTE OF (XIX, 2). It bears on the text, Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? is it not One? (Job XIV, 4). For example, Abraham out of Terah; Hezekiah out of Ahaz; Josiah out of Amon; Mordecai out of Shimei; Israel out of the idolaters; the future world out of this world. Who did this? Who commanded this? Who decreed this? Was it not the world's Only One? We have learned elsewhere: If there is a bright spot of the size of a bean in a man he is unclean; if it breaks forth on the whole body he is clean. Who did this? Who commanded this? Who decreed this? Was it not the world's Only One? We have learned elsewhere: In the case of a woman whose infant has died in the womb, if the midwife puts out her hand and touches it, the midwife is unclean for seven days, while the woman is clean until the embryo comes out. When the dead body is in the house, the house is clean, but when it comes out it is unclean. Who did this? Who commanded this? Who decreed this? Was it not the world's Only One? We have learned elsewhere: The persons engaged in any part of the preparation of the Red Heifer from beginning to end defile garments, while the Heifer itself makes garments ritually clean. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: ‘I have laid down a statute; I have issued a decree! You cannot transgress My decree (though you see no logical explanation for its enactment).’

 

2. THIS IS THE STATUTE OF THE LAW (XIX, 2). It says, The words of the Lord are pure words (Ps. XII, 7). R. Joshua b. Levi expounded: We find that the Holy One, blessed be He, used a circumlocution of two or three words in the Torah in order not to allow an unclean word to pass from His mouth. Thus: Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean (Gen. VII, 8); And of the beasts that are not clean  (ib. 2). R. Judan remarked: Even when He was about to introduce the marks of the unclean beasts, He began with the marks of the clean beasts; thus in regard to the camel (Lev. XI, 4) it does not say first, Because he parts not the hoof, but Because he chews the cud (ib.). In regard to the hare (ib. 6) also, it does not say first, Because it parts not the hoof, but Because she chews the cud (ib.). In regard to the swine (ib. 7) it is not written first, Because he chews not the cud, but Because he parts the hoof (ib.). R. Joshua of Siknin said in the name of R. Levi: The children who lived in the days of David, even before they knew the taste of sin (while still very young), were able to expound the Torah in such a way as to provide forty-nine different reasons for declaring an object unclean and forty-nine for declaring the same object clean. David prayed for them, saying: You will keep them, O Lord (Ps. XII, 8), meaning, ‘keep their learning in their hearts!’; You will preserve them from this generation for ever (ib.). Yet after all this glory, when Israel went out to war, they fell (the merit of the children could not save them from defeat). The reason was because there were informers among them. This is what David referred to when he said: My soul is among lions, I do lie down among them that are aflame (ib. LVII, 5). ’My soul is among lions’ alludes to Abner and Amasa who were lions as regards knowledge of Torah. ‘I do lie down among them that are aflame (lohatim)’ refers to Doeg and Ahitophel who burnt to spread slander. And their tongue a sharp sword (ib.) alludes to the Ziphites, of whom it says, When the Ziphites came and said to Saul: Does not David hide himself with us? (ib. LIV, 2). At that instant David exclaimed Be You exalted, O God, above the heavens (ib. LVII, 6). By this he meant: ‘Take Your Divine Presence away from their midst!’ The generation of Ahab, however, were all idolaters, yet because there were no informers among them, when they went out to war they were victorious. It was this that Obadiah meant when he said to Elijah: Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred men of the Lord's prophets... and fed them with bread and water (I Kings XVIII, 13). If he tells him that he gave them bread, what need has he for telling him also about the water? It teaches that the water was more difficult for him to get than the bread, yet, though Elijah proclaims on Mount Carmel: I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord (ib. 22), and the whole people knew it, they did not inform the king. R. Samuel b. Nahmani said: The serpent (symbol of slander) was asked: ‘Why are you generally found in fences?’ He replied: ‘I have made a breach in the fence of the world’ (figurative: I have made man sin), ‘And why do you move along with your tongue slavering?’ ‘Because that led me to commit the crime.’ ' Why is it that when any other animal bites it does not kill, while when you bite you kill? Said he: ’If the serpent bite is it without a whisper? The owner of the tongue has no advantage (Eccl. X, 11). Is it conceivable, he said, ‘that I should do something that I was not ordered to do from on high?’ ‘How is it that when you bite one limb all the other limbs feel the pain?’ Said he: ‘Do you ask me this question? Ask the Master of the tongue (i.e. a talebearer),  who dwells here yet slays in Rome!’ Why is slander (another name for the serpent) called third? (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan renders rakil (talebearer, Lev. XIX, 16): ‘the third tongue.’) Because it kills three: the one who speaks it, the one who listens to it, and the one about whom it is spoken. In the days of Saul it slew four: (1) Doeg, who spoke it; (2) Saul, who listened to it; (3) Abimelech, about whom it was spoken, and (4) Abner the son of Ner. Why was the latter slain? R. Joshua b. Levi says: Because he gave precedence to his own name over the name of David. Thus it is written, And Abner sent messengers to David straightway, saying: Whose is the land (II Sam. III, 12); he wrote: From Abner to David (Instead of, presumably: To David from Abner). Resh Lakish says that it was because he used the blood of young people for sport; as it says, And Abner said to Joab: Let the young men, I pray thee, arise and play before us (ib. II, 14). Our Rabbis say that it was because he did not allow Saul to be reconciled with David; as may be inferred from the text, Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of your robe (I Sam. XXIV, 12). Abner said to Saul: ‘What would you of your cloak? It was removed by a thorn.’ When David came to the ring formed by the wagons round the camp, he said to him: ’Answer you not Abner? (ib. XXVI, 14). In the case of the skirt you said that it had been removed by a thorn. Have the spear and the cruse also been removed by a thorn? ' Others say it was because he could have protested against the treatment of Nob and did not protest. R. Hanan b. Pazzi expounded the verse (Ps. XII, 17, cited at the beginning of the section, which ends: Refined seven times) as applying to the Biblical section dealing with the Red Heifer, which contains seven mentions of seven things; namely, seven mentions of a heifer, seven of burning, seven of sprinkling, seven of washing, seven of uncleanness, seven of cleanness, and seven of priests. If any one should say to you that there are only five (references to priests), tell him that Moses and Aaron must be included; for its says, AND THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES AND UNTO AARON SAYING: THIS IS THE STATUTE OF THE LAW (XIX, 1 f.).

 

3. THIS IS THE STATUTE OF THE LAW, etc.  (ib. 2). R. Isaac opened his discourse with the verse, All this have I tried by wisdom; I said: I will get wisdom; but it was far from me (Eccl. VII, 23). It is written, he said, And God gave Solomon wisdom... even as the sand that is on the sea-shore (I Kings V, 9). What is the implication of the expression ’as the sand’? Our Rabbis say it implies that He gave him as much wisdom as all Israel; as may be inferred from the text, Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, etc. (Hos. II, 1). As the sand, said R. Levi, is a wall to the sea, so was wisdom a wall to Solomon (i.e. acting as a check on his passions). There is a popular proverb: If you lack knowledge, what have you acquired? If you have acquired knowledge, what do you lack? Like a city broken down and without a wall, so is he whose spirit is without restraint (Prov. XXV, 28). And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east (I Kings V, 10). What was the wisdom of the children of the east? They knew augury and were skilled therein. R. Simeon b. Gamaliel said: There are three things I like in the children of the east: (1) They do not kiss except on the back of the hand; (2) they do not cut meat except with a knife; (3) they do not take counsel except in the field. And all the wisdom of Egypt (ib.). What was the wisdom of Egypt? You find that when Solomon wished to build the Temple he sent to Pharaoh Necho and said to him: 'Send me craftsmen to work for me for a wage, for I wish to build the Temple.’ What did Pharaoh do? He assembled all his astrologers and these gazed into the future and saw the people who were destined to die in that year. These he sent to Solomon. When they came to Solomon he foresaw by the Holy Spirit that they would die that same year, so he gave them shrouds and sent them back to Pharaoh, with this message: 'You apparently had no shrouds in which to bury your dead; I send you herewith both the victims and their shrouds!’ For he was wiser than all Adam (ib. 11). What was the nature of Adam's wisdom? You find that when the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to create man, He took counsel with the ministering angels. He said to them: ‘Let us make man in our image’ (Gen. I, 26). Said they to him: ‘What is man, that You are mindful of him’ (Ps. VIII, 5)? He answered them: ' The man whom I desire to create will possess wisdom that will exceed yours.’ What did He do then? Assembling all the cattle, beasts, and fowl, He made them pass before them, and asked them: 'What are the names of these? ' They did not know. When, however, He created man and, making them pass before him, asked him what the names of these were, he replied: 'This should fittingly be called an ox; that, a lion; that, a horse; that, an ass; that, a camel, and that, an eagle’; as may be inferred from the text, And the man gave names to all cattle, etc. (Gen. II, 20). Then He asked him: 'And you, what will be your name?’ He answered: 'Adam.’ 'Why?' 'Because I have been created from the ground  (adamah).’ The Holy One, blessed be He, asked him: 'And I, what is My name?' Said he: 'Lord.’ 'Why?' 'Because You are the Lord over all created beings.’ Hence it is written, I am the Lord, that is My name (Isa. XLII, 8). It means: That is the name by which Adam called Me; it is the name which I have accepted for Myself; and it is the name on which I have agreed with My creatures. Then Ethan the Ezrahite (I Kings V, 11); ’Ethan’ is Abraham; as may be inferred from the text, Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite (Ps. LXXXIX,1). And Heman (I Kings loc. cit.) is Moses; as may be inferred from the text, My servant Moses is not so; he is trusted (ne'eman), etc. (Num. XII, 7). And Calcol (I Kings loc. cit.)2 is Joseph; as is borne out by the text, And Joseph sustained (wayyekalkel), etc. (Gen. XLVII, 12). The Egyptians argued: 'Has this slave become our ruler for any other reason than because of his wisdom?' What then did they do? They brought seventy tablets and, inscribing them with seventy languages, cast them before him, and he read every one in the original tongue. In addition he also spoke in the Holy Tongue, a language which they had not the ability to understand; as is borne out by the text, He appointed it in Joseph for a testimony... The speech of one that I knew not did I hear (Ps. LXXXI, 6). Darda (I Kings loc. cit.) is the generation of (dor) the wilderness who were possessed of knowledge (dea’). The sons of Mahol (ib.). They were so called in allusion to the fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, pardoned  (mahal) them for the incident of the Calf. And he spoke three thousand proverbs (ib. 12). R. Samuel b. Nahmani remarked: We have been through all the Scriptural texts and have found that Solomon uttered prophetically not quite eight hundred verses. The inference must be that every verse which he uttered bears two or three interpretations; as is borne out by the text, As an ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover (Prov. XXV, 12). Our Rabbis, however, say: There were three thousand proverbs on each and every verse, and one thousand and five interpretations to each and every proverb. The text does not write: ‘And his songs (shiraw)’ but, ’And his song (shiro)’; this implies the song pertaining to each proverb. And he spoke with the trees (I Kings V, 13). But can a man speak with trees? No; but what it means is that Solomon reasoned thus: On what account is a leper cleansed with the aid of the tallest of tall trees and with the lowest of low ones, namely, with the cedar tree and the hyssop? He had been punished with leprosy owing to his having exalted himself like the cedar tree. Having humbled himself like the hyssop he was healed by the aid of a hyssop. He spoke also with the beasts, and with the fowl (ib.). But can a man speak with beasts and with fowl? No; what it means is that Solomon argued: What is the reason why a beast has been permitted as food only through [the cutting of] both organs [of the throat – i.e. the gullet and the windpipe], while a fowl requires [the cutting of] one only? Because the beast was created out of dry land, while in the case of the fowl, one text says that it was from the ground – as it is written, And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air (Gen. II, 19)--and another text says, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures and let fowl fly (ib. I, 20) [Now cattle require the cutting of both organs, while fish do not require ritual slaughter at all. Therefore the fowl, since it partakes of the nature of both occupies an intermediate position, and requires the cutting of one organ only]. Bar Kappara says: They were created from the alluvial mud in the sea. R. Abin in the name of R. Samuel says: Nevertheless a cock's feet resemble [as to their covering] the scale-covered skin of the fish. And with the creeping things (I Kings loc. cit.). But can a man speak with creeping things? No; it means that Solomon argued: Why is it that in the case of the eight creeping things recorded in the Torah any one who catches them or inflicts a wound upon them incurs guilt, while in the case of other creeping things he is exempt? Because these former have skins. And with the fishes (ib.). But can such a thing be said? The implication is: Why should cattle, beast and fowl require ritual slaughtering while fishes do not require it? Because of the following text: If flocks and herds be slain for them, will they suffice them? Or if all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, etc.? (Num. XI, 22). Jacob of Kefar Nibburaya gave a decision in Tyre that fish require ritual slaughtering. R. Haggai heard it and sent for him to come. He said to him: 'Whence did you derive your decision?' The other replied: 'From the following: Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly (Gen. I, 20). As fowls, I argued, require ritual slaughter, so should fishes require ritual slaughter.’ Said R. Haggai to them [his assistants]: 'Lay him down to be flagellated.’ The other objected: 'Will a man who has uttered words of Torah be flagellated?’ ‘You have not given a fitting decision,’ said R. Haggai. 'Whence do you say so?' asked the other. He answered him: ‘From the following: "If flocks and herds be slain for them... or if all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them. " This shows that the former have to be slaughtered and the latter have to be gathered.’ The other said: 'Proceed with your beating, for there is benefit in taking it.’ Jacob of Kefar Nibburaya gave a decision at Tyre concerning the son of an Israelite who had cohabited with a heathen woman and begotten a son by her, that the latter must be circumcised even on the Sabbath (If that happens to be the eighth day after birth, as is the case with a true-born Israelite). When R. Haggai heard it he sent and fetched him. 'Whence did you derive this ruling?' he asked him. The other replied: 'From the fact that it is written, And they declared their pedigrees after their families, by their fathers’ houses’ (Num. I, 18). Said R. Haggai to them [his attendants]: ‘Lay him down to be flagellated.’ The other objected: 'Will a man who has uttered words of Torah be flagellated?’ R. Haggai said to him: ‘You have not given a fitting decision.’ ‘Whence can you prove it to me?’ asked the other. R. Haggai answered: ‘If a gentile should come to you and say: "I want to become a Jew on condition that I will be circumcised on the Sabbath day or on the Day of Atonement," would you desecrate the Sabbath on his account or not? Surely, the Sabbath must not be desecrated for such a man, for that can be done only for the son of a daughter of Israel alone! ' ‘And whence,’ the other asked him, 'do you infer this?' R. Haggai replied: ‘It is written, Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of the Lord’ (Ezra X, 3). 'Would you,' the other objected, 'flagellate me on the strength of a post-Mosaic text?’ ‘It is written,’ replied R. Haggai, ‘And let it be done according to the Torah’ (ib.). ‘And what,’ asked the other, ‘is the text of this Torah?’ He replied: You may know it from what R. Johanan said in the name of R. Simeon b. Yohai: It is written, Neither will you make marriages with them (Deut. VII, 3). Why is that? For he will turn away your son from following Me (ib.). Thus, a son of yours who issues from an Israelite woman is called "your son", but a son who issues from a Cuthean is not called your son but hers.’ The other said to him: ‘Proceed with your beating, for there is benefit in taking it.’ Solomon meant: All these I have fully comprehended, but as regards the section dealing with the Red Heifer, I have investigated and inquired and examined: ‘I said: I will get wisdom; but it was far from me.’ (Eccl. VII, 23).

 

4. Who is as the wise man? and who knows the interpretation of a thing (ib. VIII, 1). The expression ’Who is as the wise man?’ applies to the Holy One, blessed be He, of whom it is written, The Lord by wisdom founded the earth (Prov. III, 19). ’And who knows the interpretation of (pesher) a thing’ also applies to the Holy One, blessed be He, who explained (perash) the Torah to Moses. A man's wisdom makes his face to shine (Eccl. loc. cit.). R. Judan observed: Great is the power of the prophets, inasmuch as they compare the likeness of the Almighty on high to the form of man; as it says, And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai (Dan. VIII, 16). R. Judah b. R. Simon infers it from the following: And upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above (Ezek. I, 26). And the boldness of his face is changed (Eccl. loc. cit.). This implies that He changes from an attitude of justice to one of mercy towards Israel. R. Joshua of Siknin, quoting R. Levi, said: In connection with all the various laws [of defilement] which the Holy One, blessed be He, communicated to Moses, He told him the mode both of defilement and of purification. When He reached the section, Speak unto the priests (Lev. XXI,1) Moses said to him: 'Sovereign of the Universe! If a priest is defiled what will be his mode of purification?’ He did not answer him. At that moment the face of Moses turned pale. On reaching the section dealing with the Red Heifer the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: 'On that occasion when I told you, "Speak unto the priests" and you asked Me: "If a priest is defiled what will be his mode of purification?" I did not answer you. This is his mode of purification: And for the unclean they will take of the ashes of the burning of the purification from sin’ (Num. XIX, 17)

 

5. R. Joshua of Siknin in the name of R. Levi said: There are four laws which the Evil Inclination criticizes [as irrational], and in connection with which Scripture uses the expression ’statute’ [A term denoting a command demanding implicit obedience, though the human mind may not comprehend its reason], viz. the law of (1) a brother's wife, (2) mingled kinds, (3) the scapegoat, and (4) the Red Heifer. A brother's wife: for it is written, You will not uncover the nakedness of the brother's wife, etc. (Lev. XVIII, 16). Yet when her husband dies without children, Her husband's brother will go in into her (Deut. XXV, 5)! And in regard to intercourse with a brother's wife it is written, You will therefore keep all My statutes (Lev. XX, 22). Mingled kinds: It says, You will not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together (Deut. XXII, 11), yet a linen cloak with woolen fringes is permitted! And the expression ’statute’ is used in connection with this, viz., You will keep My statutes (Lev. XIX, 19). The scapegoat: for it is written, And he that lets go the goat for Azazel will wash his clothes (ib. XVI, 26), yet the goat itself atones for others! And it is written of it, This will be an everlasting statute unto you (ib. 34). Whence do we know it of the Red Heifer? From what we have learned: All those who take any part in the preparation of the Red Heifer from beginning to end have their garments defiled, but the Heifer itself makes garments ritually clean. And the expression ’statute’ is applied to the Heifer: THIS IS THE STATUTE OF THE LAW.

 

6. THAT THEY BRING YOU A RED HEIFER (XIX, 2). R. Jose b. Hanina expounded: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: ‘To you I will disclose the reason for the Heifer, but to anybody else it is a statute.’ For R. Huna said: It is written, When I take the appointed time, I Myself will judge with equity (Ps. LXXV, 3) [Revealing the reason for My laws. In this world, however, some are inexplicable statutes], and it is also written, And it will come to pass in that day, that there will not be light, but heavy clouds and thick--vekippa'on (Zech. XIV, 6). The written form is ’yekippa'on’, as much as to say: The things that are concealed from you in this world, you will see in the World to Come, like a blind man who regains his sight; as it is written, And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not... I will make darkness light before them (Isa. XLII, 16), and it is written, These things, I have done them, and I have not left them undone (ib.). It is not written ' I will do ' but ’I have done them’, as much as to say: I have already done them, namely, to R. Akiba and his colleagues [who unraveled the mysteries of the Torah which Moses had received in general outline]. Matters that had not been disclosed to Moses were disclosed to R. Akiba and his colleagues. And his eye sees every precious thing  (Job XXVIII, 10) applies to R. Akiba and his colleagues. R. Jose b. R. Hanina said: He hinted: All other heifers will one day disappear, but yours will endure [i.e. that the heifer which Moses prepared was used for the sanctification of all subsequent heifers and was divinely stored away for use in the time to come].

 

7. R. Aha in the name of R. Hanina said: When Moses ascended into heaven [to receive the Torah] he heard the voice of the Holy One, blessed be He, as He sat studying the section dealing with the Red Heifer, and quoting the law in the name of its author; thus: R. Eliezer says: The broken-necked Calf (Deut. XXI,1 ff.) must be a year old while the Red Heifer must be two years old. Said Moses to Him: 'Sovereign of the worlds! May it please You that this scholar will issue from my loins!’ Said He to him: ‘By your life! He will come out of your loins!’ Hence it is written, And the name of the one was Eliezer (Ex. XVIII, 4), as much as to say: the name of that gifted one (an allusion to the future R. Eliezer).

 

8. An idolater asked R. Johanan b. Zakkai: ‘These rites that you perform look like a kind of witchcraft. You bring a heifer, burn it, pound it, and take its ashes. If one of you is defiled by a dead body you sprinkle upon him two or three drops and you say to him: "You are clean!"’ R. Johanan asked him: ‘Has the demon of madness ever possessed you?’ ‘No,’ he replied. ‘Have you ever seen a man possessed by this demon of madness?’ ‘Yes,’ said he. 'And what do you do in such a case?' 'We bring roots,’ he replied, ‘and make them smoke under him, then we sprinkle water upon the demon and it flees.’ Said R. Johanan to him: ‘Let your ears hear what you utter with your mouth! Precisely so is this spirit (resting on the defiled person) a spirit of uncleanness; as it is written, And also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land (Zech. XIII, 2). Water of purification is sprinkled upon the unclean and the spirit flees.’ When the idolater had gone R. Johanan's disciples said to their master: 'Master! This man you have put off with a mere makeshift but what explanation will you give to us?’ Said he to them: ‘By your life! It is not the dead that defiles nor the water that purifies! The Holy One, blessed be He, merely says: "I have laid down a statute, I have issued a decree. You are not allowed to transgress My decree"; as it is written, This is the statute of the law’ (Num. XIX, 2). Why are all the [communal] sacrifices male and this one a female? R. Aibu explained: This may be illustrated by a parable. A handmaiden's boy polluted a king's palace. The king said: 'Let his mother come and clear away the filth.’ In the same way the Holy One, blessed be He, said: ‘Let the Heifer come and atone for the incident of the Calf!’

 

9. TAKE THE ROD... SO YOU WILL GIVE THE CONGREGATION AND THEIR CATTLE DRINK (XX, 8). From this it may be inferred that the Holy One, blessed be He, has a care for Israel's property. AND MOSES AND AARON GATHERED THE ASSEMBLY TOGETHER BEFORE THE ROCK (XX, 1). This teaches that each individual Israelite felt himself standing before the rock [The inference is from the literal meaning of BEFORE, and shows that a miracle happened, for otherwise so vast a throng could not all have stood in front of the comparatively small rock]. In the same strain it says, And assemble you all the congregation at the door of the tent of meeting (Lev. VIII, 3). So also when they crossed the Jordan, all Israel entered into the space between the two staves of the ark; as it says, And Joshua said unto the children of Israel: Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord (Josh. III, 9).3 In the present instance also all Israel stood there and saw the numerous miracles in connection with the rock. They began saying: ‘Moses knows the natural properties of this particular rock! (i.e. that if it is struck water flows). If he wishes [to prove his miraculous powers], let him bring out water for us from this other one! ‘Moses found himself placed in a dilemma. ‘If I listen to them,’ he thought, ‘I will disregard the words of the Omnipresent.’ The Holy One, blessed be He, however, Takes the wise in their own craftiness (Job V, 13). For Moses had been guarding himself during all those forty years of wandering against losing his temper with them, as he was afraid of the oath which the Holy One, blessed be He, had sworn, saying, Surely there shall not one of these men... see the good land (Deut. I, 34) [Moses feared that this might include himself, if he gave the least cause]. The Israelites said to him: ‘Here is a rock; just as you wish to bring out the water from another rock, bring it out of this one!’ He cried to them: ‘Hear now, ye rebels--hammorim’ (Num. XX, 10)! ‘Hammorim’ bears many interpretations. It may mean ‘rebels’. It may mean ‘fools’, for in the seaport towns they call fools morim. It may signify ‘teachers’, trying to teach their instructors. It may denote ‘archers’. as in the texts, And the archers (hammorim) overtook him (I Sam. XXXI, 3, and I Chron. X, 3).2 AND MOSES LIFTED UP HIS HANDS AND SMOTE THE ROCK (XX, 11). He struck it once and small quantities of water began to trickle from the rock; as it says, Behold, He smote the rock, that waters issued (Ps. LXXVIII, 20); it was like a man having an issue which comes out in single drops. They said to him: ‘O son of Amram! Is this water for sucklings, or babes weaned from milk?’ He instantly lost his temper and struck the rock TWICE; AND WATER CAME FORTH ABUNDANTLY (XX, 11), overwhelming all those who had railed at them (Moses and Aaron); as it says, And streams overwhelmed (Ps. loc. cit.). Yet, for all that, Moses wrought his miracle on none other than the rock of which the Holy One, blessed be He, had told him. How can we infer that from the rock of which Israel had spoken, and from each and every rock and pebble that happened to be in that locality, there gushed forth water? Because it says, He cleaved rocks in the wilderness, etc.  (ib. 15). Why was Aaron made responsible, as it says, AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES AND AARON: BECAUSE YE BELIEVED NOT IN ME (XX, 12)? This may be illustrated by a parable. A creditor came to take away a debtor's granary and took both that and the one belonging to his neighbor. Said the debtor to him: ‘If I am guilty, what crime has my neighbor committed? 'So also did Moses our teacher say: 'I lost my temper, but what crime did Aaron commit?' For this reason Scripture praises Aaron, saying, And of Levi he said: Your Thummim and your Urim be with Your holy one, whom You did prove at Massah, with whom You did strive at the waters of Meribah (Deut. XXXIII, 8).

 

10. BECAUSE YE BELIEVED NOT IN ME (XX, 12). But had not Moses previously said something that was worse than this? For he said: If flocks and herds be slain for them, will they suffice them? Or if all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, will they suffice them? (Num. XI, 22). Faith surely was wanting there too, and to a greater degree than in the present instance. Why then did He not make the decree against him on that occasion? Let me illustrate. To what may this be compared? To the case of a king who had a friend. Now this friend displayed arrogance towards the king privately, using harsh words. The king, however, did not lose his temper with him. After a time he rose and displayed his arrogance in the presence of his legions, and the king passed sentence of death upon him. So also the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: ‘The first offence that you committed was a private matter between you and Me. Now, however, that it is done in the presence of the public it is impossible to overlook it’; as it says, To SANCTIFY ME IN THE EYES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL (XX, 12).

 

11. BECAUSE YE BELIEVED NOT IN ME, etc. (XX, 12), This bears on the text, There is a vanity which is done upon the earth: that there are righteous/generous men, unto whom it happens according to the work of the wicked/lawless; again, there are wicked/lawless men, to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous/generous--I said that this also is vanity  (Eccl. VIII, 14). You find that when He cursed the serpent and said to him: Cursed are you, etc. (Gen. III, 14), He did not allow him to offer any plea. For the serpent could have said to the Holy One, blessed be He: ‘You have told the man: "Do not eat," and I told him: "Eat"; why do You curse me?’ [Curse rather the man for listening to me ant not to You!] He did not, therefore, allow him to offer any plea. Now Aaron could have argued: ‘I have not transgressed Your commandment, why should I die?’ [Yet he, though righteous/generous, was punished like the wicked serpent].

 

12. THEREFORE YOU WILL NOT BRING (XX, 12). This may be illustrated by a parable. To what is the matter like? To the case of two women who were about to be flagellated in court, one having acted immorally and the other having eaten some unripe figs of the Sabbatical year [In the Sabbatical year figs may not be eaten until they are fully ripe]. Said she who had eaten the unripe figs of the Sabbatical year to the members of the court: ‘I pray you, let people know why I am being flagellated, so that they will not suppose that I also have acted immorally.’ They brought some unripe figs of the Sabbatical year and hung them upon her, saying: ‘That woman is being flagellated for having acted immorally, and this one is being flagellated for having eaten unripe figs of the Sabbatical year.’ So also did Moses our Teacher say: ‘Behold, You have decreed that we should die in the wilderness with this generation who have provoked You’; as it says, How oft did they rebel against Him in the wilderness, and grieve Him in the desert! (Ps. LXXVIII, 40). ‘And now, future generations will say that I was like them. Let the reason why I have been punished be recorded about me.’ Accordingly He wrote: BECAUSE YOU BELIEVED NOT IN ME.

 

13. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: 'With what countenance do you request to enter the Land?’ This may be illustrated by a parable. It is like the case of a shepherd who went out to feed the king's flock. The flock was carried off as booty. When the shepherd sought to enter the royal palace, the king said to him: ‘If you come in now, what will people say? That it was you who have caused the flock to be carried off!’ So in the present case also the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: ‘Your glory is that you have taken out of bondage sixty myriads of people. But you have buried them in the wilderness and will bring into the land a different generation! This being so, people will think that the generation of the wilderness have no share in the World to Come! No, better be beside them, and you will in the time to come enter with them’; as it says, For there the portion of the law-giver is hidden, that he might come at the head of the people. He executed the righteousness/generosity of the Lord (Deut. XXXIII, 21). Therefore it is written, YOU WILL NOT BRING THIS ASSEMBLY but the one that had come out [of Egypt] with you.

 

14. THESE ARE THE WATERS OF MERIBAH (XX, 13). From this (i.e. from the expression THESE, which implies something well known long since) you learn that it was ordained from of old that Moses should be punished on account of water, for see what is written in Scripture: And they turned back, and came to En-mishpat--the same is Kadesh--and smote all the country of the Amalakites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazazon-tamar (Gen. XIV, 7). ‘En-mishpat’ signifies the fountain of the judgment (‘en mishpato) of Moses [And Kadesh (sanctification) alludes to the second part of the verse vayyikkadesh, ‘and He was sanctified’]. THESE ARE THE WATERS OF MERIBAH. This may be illustrated by the case of a son of kings who took a stone and blinded his eye therewith. His father used to say of every stone: ‘This is the one that blinded my son's eye.’ For this reason it says: THESE ARE THE WATERS OF MERIBAH.

 

 

 

Ketubim Targum Tehillim (Psalms) 104:1-9

 

JPS Translation

TARGUM

1. Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with glory and majesty. 

1. Bless, O my soul, the name of the Lord. O Lord my God, You are greatly exalted; You have put on praise and splendor.

2. Who covers Yourself with light as with a garment, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain;

2. Who wraps himself in light like a sheet, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain.

3. Who lays the beams of Your upper chambers in the waters, who makes the clouds Your chariot, who walks upon the wings of the wind;

3. Who covers his chambers with water like a building with beams; who placed His chariot, as it were, upon swift clouds; who goes on the wings of an eagle.

4. Who makes winds Your messengers, the flaming fire Your ministers.

4. Who made His messengers as swift as wind; His servants, as strong as burning fire.

5. Who did establish the earth upon its foundations, that it should not be moved for ever and ever;

5. Who lays the foundation of the earth upon its base, so that it will not shake for ages upon ages.

6. You did cover it with the deep as with a vesture; the waters stood above the mountains.

6. You have covered over the abyss as with a garment; and the waters split on the mountains, and endure.

7. At Your rebuke they fled, at the voice of Your thunder they hasted away -

7. At Your rebuke, they will flee, flowing down; at the sound of Your shout, they will be frightened, pouring themselves out.

8. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down - unto the place which You had founded for them;

8. They will go up from the abyss to the mountains, and descend to the valleys, to this place that You founded for them.

9. You did set a bound which they should not pass over, that they might not return to cover the earth.

9. You have placed a boundary for the waves of the sea that they will not cross, lest they return to cover the earth.

 

 

 

 

The Midrash on Psalms (Midrash Tehillim): Psalm 104:1-9 

 

I. Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God; You are very great; You are clothed with glory and majesty (Ps. 104:1). Elsewhere, this is what Scripture says: Your’s, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory ... Your’s is the kingdom, O Lord, and in it the head is exalted above all (I Chron. 29:11). R. Huna asked: Who is referred to by the head? You find that all things offer praise to the Holy One, blessed be He, as is said From the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof the Lord’s name is praised (Ps. 113:3), yet to the Holy One, blessed be He, no praise means more than the praise offered by Israel, The people which I formed for Myself, that they might tell of My praise (Isa. 43:21). This you can see for yourself from the preceding Psalm, where it is written Bless the Lord, you angels of His, you mighty in strength, that do His word, hearkening unto the voice of His word (Ps. 103:20). One would expect the verse to put hearkening unto the voice of His word before that do His word,’ for ordinarily a man must first hearken to word of what he is to do before he does it. Why, then, does the verse read this way? Because it is speaking of the people of Israel who stood at Sinai, willing to do the will of God even before hearkening to word of what they were to do, for they said: All that the Lord hath spoken we will do, and then hearken (Ex. 24:7). After Israel offer praise, the angels follow them in offering praise, as is evident from the next verse in the Psalm, Bless the Lord, all you His hosts (Ps. 103:21), these being the angels, of whom it is said “The Lord will punish the host of the high heaven on high” (Isa. 24:21). Hence the head in Your’s is the kingdom … and in it the head is exalted above all is none other than Israel, of whom it is said “You exalt the head, the children of Israel” (Ex. 30:52); in the same way, holiness is none other than Israel, as in the verse “Israel is holiness Unto the Lord” (Jer.2:3).

 

II. In another comment, the verse is read And You are exalted as head above all (I Chron. 29:11). R. Simon taught: As the head is above the body, so are You above all the praises wherewith men exalt You; You are high above every blessing and every praise, as is said Who can express the mighty acts of the Lord? (Ps. 106:2)—that is, “Who can declare the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He?” If a man endeavor to speak of all the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, he will forfeit his life. As Elihu said: If a man speak, surely he will be destroyed (Job 37:20). You can see for yourself that all His glory cannot be expressed. Even after David had composed one hundred and forty-seven Psalms of praise, he said that he had still to speak the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, for he said: My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord (Ps. 145:21).

 

The essence of all praise is David’s praising of God with the two hundred and forty-eight parts of the body, as is said All my bones will say: “Lord, who is like unto You?” (Ps. 35:10). David did not leave out a single part of the body: there was not one with which he did not praise the Holy One, blessed be He. Yet David said to all the parts: Do you think that in exalting the Holy One, blessed be He, with all these praises I have touched upon even one tiny portion of the multitudes of myriads of the glories of the Holy One, blessed be He? At this moment I am only at the beginning of my praise of Him: A Psalm of praise; of David. I will extol You, my God, O King (Ps. 145:1).

 

Rabbi taught: Even if the mouths of righteous/generous men were changed into springs ceaselessly pouring out praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, do you suppose that then they could pour forth His glory, the whole of it? Never! For it is written They will pour forth the memory of Your great goodness (Ps. 145:7): It is not written “They poured forth,” but They will pour forth —that is, they will have to go on pouring forth praise like a spring which gushes up more and more. Hence You are exalted as head above all. David also said: O Lord my God, You art very great (Ps. 104:1).

 

III. Another comment on Bless the Lord, O my soul. Elsewhere, this is what Scripture says: The Lord will command the blessing with you in your barns (Deut. a8:8). You will find it true that every single thing has an angel in charge of it. When a man proves worthy, angels of peace are assigned to be with him; but when a man proves unworthy, angels of destruction are assigned to be with him. Hence it is said The Lord will command the blessing with you in your barns—if you have separated your tithes in the field, My blessing will be with you: Blessed will you be in the city, and blessed will you be in the field (ibid. 28:3).

 

R. Ze’era taught: Even the common talk of Israel is worthy of study. In proof, consider the common saying: It depends on you, who is assigned to be with you.

 

R. Meir observed: Which is the greater, he who is borne up by another or he who bears another up? Admit that it is he who is borne up. Again, which is the greater, He who watches over another, or he that is watched over by another? Admit that it is he who is watched over. Why? Because if he did not have good works, he would not be borne up, or watched over, for it is said He will give His angels charge over you, to watch over you in all your ways. They will bear you upon their hands (Ps. 91:11-12). When a man is worthy, ministering angels go with him and watch over him so that no evil thing will befall him, as is said There will no evil befall you (ibid. 91:10). When David saw that the presence of angels was so precious and beautiful a blessing, with his soul and with all the parts of his body he blessed, in return, the Holy One, blessed be He, as is said Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name (Ps. 103:1).

 

IV. In further exposition of Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are very great (Ps. 104:1), R. Berechiah said in the name of R. Eleazar and also in the name of R. Joshua: You were great in the world before the world was created. But after You did create Your world, it is written You are very great. You were great before the children of Israel went forth out of Egypt. But after they went forth out of Egypt, it is written You are very great. You were great before the Prophets offered praise to You. But after the Prophets offered praise to You, it is written You are very great.

 

You are clothed with glory and majesty (ibid.). R. Simeon ben Jehozadak interrogated R. Samuel bar Nahmani, saying: “How did the Holy One, blessed be He, create the light?” R. Samuel bar Nahmani replied: “God covered Himself with a white garment and suffused the world with His light.” But since R. Samuel bar Nahmani gave his reply in a whisper, R. Simeon ben Jehozadak pressed him further: “Is this not said outspokenly in the verse Who covers Yourself with light as with a garment (ibid. 104:2)?” Thereupon R. Samuel bar Nahmani said to him: “As in a whisper I received this tradition, so in a whisper I answered you.”

 

R. Berechiah said: Had I not heard that R. Isaac expounded this verse in public, I, too, would not expound it in public.

 

And whence did the Holy One, blessed be He, diffuse the light? R. Berechiah said In the name of R. Isaac, God diffused it from the Holy Temple, as is said And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east … and the earth’s light came from His glory (Ezek. 43:2).

 

V. Another exposition of You are clothed with glory and majesty. A mortal, when he is strong, is not beautiful, and when beautiful, is not strong. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is both strong and beautiful, for He has the two attributes of glory and majesty. God gave glory to Moses, as is said And you will put some of your glory upon him (Num. 27:20); and God gave majesty to Joshua, of whom it is said His firstling bullock, majesty is his (Deut. 33:17). God also gave glory to Solomon, as is said And the Lord ... bestowed upon him such royal glory as had not been on any king before him in Israel (I Chron. 29:25).

 

The Holy One, blessed be He, said: In the time-to-come, I will give glory and majesty to the king Messiah, as is said For You meet him with choicest blessings ... Glory and majesty do You lay upon him (Ps. 25:4,6). And God gives glory and majesty not only to the king Messiah, but also to every man who labors diligently in the Torah. For in the verse The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein (Ps. 111:2), the works of the Lord means the Torah, as it is said “And the tables were the work of God” (Ex. 32:16). And what is to be the wage of the man who labors diligently in the Torah? His wage is glory and majesty (Ps. 151:3). Hence You are clothed with glory and majesty.

 

VI. Who makes of water the roof beams of His upper chambers (Ps. 104:3). R. Phinehas taught in the name of R. Meir: The marvelous heavens—are they made of such chemicals as natron, or lixivium? Indeed, you would have no way of knowing what they are made of, but because Scripture says, Who makes of water the roof beams of His upper chambers, you must conclude that the heavens are made of water.

 

Who makes the clouds His chariot (ibid.). The Holy One, blessed be He, came on two clouds for the sake of Israel. On one cloud God came unto Egypt, as is said Behold, the Lord rides upon a swift cloud, and comes unto Egypt (Isa. 59:1). And on the other cloud God came unto Sinai, as is said “Lo, I come unto you in a thick cloud” (Ex. 19:9).

 

Who walks upon the wings of the wind (Ps. 104:3). R. Huna bar Papa taught: A mortal—him, his chariot carries; but the Holy One, blessed be He, He carries His chariot. A mortal—his chariot carries him, his chariot being a material thing; but the Holy One, blessed be He, walks upon the wings of the wind.

 

VII. Who makes His angels winds (Ps. 104:4). R. Johanan taught: The angels were created on the second day. Angels that serve as messengers, they are made of wind. Angel, in fact, means “messenger,” as is said And Israel sent messengers (Num. 21:21). And angels that serve as ministers, they are made of fire, for the verse concludes His ministers a flaming fire (Ps. 104:4).

 

VIII. On You did cover the deep as with a vesture (Ps. 104:6), R. Judah and R. Nehemiah differed. R. Judah maintained: The earth, what does it stand upon? Upon the waters, for it is said To Him that stretched out the earth upon the waters (Ps. 136:6); and the waters stand upon pillars of mountains, as is said The waters stood above the mountains (Ps. 104:6); the pillars of mountains stand upon the wind, as is said He that forms the mountains, and creates the wind (Amos 4:13); and the wind stands upon the storm, as is said Stormy wind, sustaining His word (Ps. 148:8). R. Nehemiah taught: The earth is upon the waters, and the waters are upon pillars of mountains, as is said The waters stood above the mountains (Ps. 104:6); and, as it is also written, The waters ... go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which You have founded for them (ibid. 104:8). And by Unto the place which You have founded for them is meant the Ocean.

 

IX. You have set a bound that they may not pass over … He sends the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills ... Above them the inhabitants of the sky have their dwelling place (Ps. 104:9, 10, 12). R. Ishmael and R. Akiba differed. R. Akiba maintained that springs refers to pools of water out in the valleys. In these pools lepers (whose presence under a roof brings the degree of uncleanness that a dead body brings) are required to immerse themselves when they are healed; and the inhabitants of the sky are the ministering angels hovering above [when the lepers are healed]. But R. Ishmael said to R. Akiba: You ought to give up this kind of exegesis, and turn to study of the treatises “Signs of Leprosy” and “Tents.”

 

Then R. Ishmael said: The inhabitants of the sky are the fowl of heaven which make their habitation among the trees, and from the midst thereof their praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, rises up, as is said From among the branches (‘afayim) they give voice to a song (Ps. 104:12). R. Ishmael added—some say, that R. Yudan said it in the name of R. Ishmael: the uncommon word ‘afayim means “branches,” as in The branches (‘afyeh) thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much (Dan. 4:9).

 

Samuel said: I stand stock-still at three sounds, not knowing what they signify: the sound of a tent-peg being driven into the ground; the sound a horse gives off when it gets heated in its galloping; the sound of the winds when among branches they make a sound.

 

X. In a different exposition, the verse is read Upon them the fowl of the heaven make their habitation (Ps. 104:12)—that is, [heathen] nations of the earth, like birds of prey, gather against the children of Israel and work upon them, trying to make them forsake the Holy One, blessed be He. Nevertheless, the children of Israel do not forsake God, as is said: From among the weary ones they give voice to a song (ibid.) – that is, twice daily the children of Israel voice the unity of the Holy One, blessed be He, saying, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One (Deut. 6:4).

 

 

Ashlamatah: Judges 11:1-11

 

1. Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah.

2. And Gilead's wife bore him sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah, and said unto him: ‘You will not inherit in our father's house; for you are the son of another woman.’

3. Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob; and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him. {P}

 

4. And it came to pass after a while, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

5. And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob.

6. And they said unto Jephthah: ‘Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.’

7. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead: ‘Did you not hate me, and drive me out of my father's house? And why are you come unto me now when you are in distress?'

8. And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah: ‘Therefore are we returned to you now, that you may go with us, and fight with the children of Ammon, and you will be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.’

9. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead: ‘If you bring me back home to fight with the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, I will be your head.’

10. And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah: ‘The LORD will be witness between us; surely according to your word so will we do.’

11. Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the LORD in Mizpah. {P}

 

 

 

Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) 22: 34-46

 

  1. ¶ And having heard that he had muzzled those from the [Greco-Roman oriented] Sadducees, those of the painted Pharisees joined in.
  2. And one of them questioned him, testing him,
  3. “Rabbi which is the greatest Mitzvah (commandment) in the Torah?”
  4. And Yeshuah said to him, [Deut. 6:5]: “You will love Ha-Shem your Elohim with all of your heart and with all of your psyche, and with your very all.
  5. This is the great and first Mitzvah (commandment).
  6. The second is like it [Lev. 19:18]: “You will love your companion as yourself.”
  7. On these two Mitzvoth (commandments) hangs all the Torah and the Prophets.”

 

  1. ¶ Now while the painted Pharisees were still assembled there, Yeshuah questioned them saying:
  2. “What do you suppose concerning the Messiah … whose son will he be?” They said to him, “The son of David.”
  3. He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit [of prophecy], call him “Adon” saying [Psalm 110:1]:
  4. “Ha-Shem says to my Adon, ‘You sit at My right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’”     
  5. If David calls him “Adon,” then how is “Adon” the son of David?
  6. And no one was able to reply to him with a saying – nor did anyone dared to question him from that day forward.

 

 

 

The Rabbi’s Private Prophetic Study

 

For those of you, who want to know how this Torah Seder fits into the general architecture of Sefer B’midbar (Book of Numbers) perhaps this small diagram from Prof. Duane L. Christensen (The Unity of the Bible: Exploring the Beauty and Structure of the Bible, New York: Paulist Press, 2003) will help.

 

THE THREE MENOROT [Candelabras] OF SEFER B’MIDBAR

 

Menorah I – Preparing to Enter the Promised Land – Num 1:1 – 12:16

 

A. Military census and arrangement of the wilderness camp – Num. 1:1 – 2:34

B. Census of the Levites – Num. 3:1 – 4:49

C. Purification of the camp – Num. 5:1 – 6:27

X. Offerings from tribal leaders and consecration of the Levites – Num. 7:1- 8:26

C. Second observance of Passover (at Sinai)—the journey begins – Num. 9:1-23

B. Instructions on blowing trumpets to signal Israel is on the march – Num. 10:1-10

A. The trek from Sinai to Kadesh – Num. 10:11 – 12:16

 

Menorah II – From an “Unholy War” to the wars of Ha-Shem – Num. 13:1 – 25:9

 

A. The reconnaissance of Canaan and Israel’s unholy war – Num. 13:1 – 14:45

B. Cultic regulations – Numbers 15:1-41

C. Encroachment on the part of Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On – Num. 16:1-35

X. Aaron’s budding rod—shows special status of his priesthood – Num. 17:1-28

C. Responsibility of Aaronic priesthood and other Levites – Num. 18:1-32

B. Purification from contamination by a corpse – Num. 19:1-22

A. The trek from Kadesh to Shittim and the wars of Ha-Shem – Num. 20:1 – 25:9

 

Menorah III – Preparing for Life in the Promised Land – Num. 25:10 – 36:13

 

A. From sin at Peor to Zelophehad’s daughters (inheritance rights) – Num 25:10 - 27:1

B. Joshua commissioned to succeed Moses for Eisodus into Cisjordan – Num. 27:12-23

C. Cultic calendar for life in the land [+ addendum on vows] – Num. 28:1 – 30:16

X. Holy war vs. Midian - cleansing the contamination of Peor – Num. 31:1-54

C. Allotment of land in Transjordan – Num. 32:1-4

B. The trek from Egypt to the Jordan for Eisodus into Cisjordan – Num. 33:1 – 35:34

A. Heiresses must marry within their clan (Zelophehad’s daughters) – Num. 36:1-13

 

 

We read this week in the Midrashic commentary of Midrash Rabba B’Midbar:

 

“R. Joshua of Siknin in the name of R. Levi said: There are four laws which the Evil Inclination criticizes [as irrational], and in connection with which Scripture uses the expression ‘statute’ [A term denoting a command demanding implicit obedience, though the human mind may not comprehend its reason], viz. the law of (1) a brother's wife, (2) mingled kinds, (3) the scapegoat, and (4) the Red Heifer.”

 

To this, the Master of Nazareth adds a fifth one:

 

“Then how does David in the Spirit [of prophecy], call him “Adon” saying [Psalm 110:1]: “Ha-Shem says to my Adon, ‘You sit at My right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’” If David calls him “Adon,” then how is “Adon” the son of David?”

 

For of the Messiah, in Psalm 2:7 it is stated:

 

“I will tell of the statute [Hebrew: “Choq”]: the LORD said unto me: ‘You are My son, this day have I begotten you.”

 

The concept and person of the Messiah is too complex to logically comprehend, even though there be many who think they have a very good idea about him, yet he exists and he demands implicit obedience, since he is the Torah tabernacling in the flesh (John 1:14 – “And the Torah was made flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled) among us). And it is he who embodies the four laws which in the Torah are called “Chuqim” (statutes).

 

Concerning the ashes of the red Heifer, Hakham Shaul writes:

 

But Messiah having appeared as a High Priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, nor through the blood of goats and of calves, but through his own blood, he entered once for all into the Holy of Holies, having procured everlasting redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats, and ashes of a heifer sprinkling those having been defiled, sanctifies to the purity of the flesh, how much more the blood of Messiah (who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God), will purify your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God! And because of this he is mediator of the new covenant, so that, death having occurred for redemption of transgressions under the first covenant, those being called might receive the promise of the everlasting inheritance.” (Bereans (Hebrews) 9:11-15).

 

If Yeshuah is the mediator of the New Covenant, which he is, then it means that whoever adheres to him must observe the Law as a means to sanctification for it is stated:

 

“Behold, the days come, says Ha-Shem, that I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I cut with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt (which covenant of Mine they broke, although I was a husband to them, says Ha-Shem). But this will be the covenant that I will cut with the house of Israel: After those days, declares Ha-Shem, I will put My Law in their inward parts, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And they will no longer each man teach his neighbor, and each man his brother, saying, Know Ha-Shem. For they will all know Me, from the least of them even to the greatest of them, declares Ha-Shem. For I will forgive their iniquity/lawlessness, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

 

Therefore it is clear from this foundational text, that if a person claims that he or she has entered the New Covenant, it automatically means that G-d has put his Law/Torah (not a new Law, but the old/ancient Law/Torah) in his/her inward parts, and written it into his/her heart. Again please note that what is NEW is the mode of writing and the medium in which the Torah is written, and NOT a new Torah/Law! How Christians theologians can twist Scripture to conform to their vain imaginations is utterly inexplicable.

 

Let us make this perfectly clear that the person who has entered into the New Covenant is a person who will naturally be inclined and predisposed to observe the Torah, for it is “in his/her inward parts” and “written on his/her heart”! And it is because of this, that such a person can claim that the G-d of Israel is his/hers and that he/she is part of G-d’s people! And to such a person it is a waste of time to tell him/her to know G-d, because G-d can only be known by means of His Torah/Law.

 

May we remain faithfully in this glorious New Covenant and may we be privileged to bring many men and women of good will into it, through the Messiah of Yisrael, amen ve amen!

 

 

Shalom Shabbat!

 

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai