|
Esnoga Bet Emunah 4544 Highline Dr. SE Olympia, WA 98501 United States of America © 2013 E-Mail: gkilli@aol.com |
|
Esnoga Bet El 102 Broken Arrow Dr. Paris TN 38242 United States of America © 2013 E-Mail: waltoakley@charter.net |
Triennial Cycle (Triennial
Torah Cycle) / Septennial Cycle (Septennial Torah Cycle)
|
Three and 1/2 year
Lectionary Readings |
Second Year of the
Triennial Reading Cycle |
|
Kislev 06, 5774 –
November 08/09, 2013 |
Fifth Year of the Shmita
Cycle |
Candle Lighting and Habdalah Times:
|
Conroe & Austin, TX, U.S. Fri. Nov 08 2013 – Candles at 5:21 PM Sat. Nov 09 2013 – Habdalah 6:15 PM |
Brisbane, Australia Fri. Nov 08 2013 – Candles at 5:53 PM Sat. Nov 09 2013 – Habdalah 6:49 PM |
Chattanooga, & Cleveland, TN,
U.S. Fri. Nov 08 2013 – Candles at 5:23 PM Sat. Nov 09 2013 – Habdalah 6:20 PM |
|
Jakarta, Indonesia Fri. Nov 08 2013 – Candles at 5:29 PM Sat. Nov 09 2013 – Habdalah 6:20 PM |
Manila & Cebu, Philippines Fri. Nov 08 2013 – Candles at 5:08 PM Sat. Nov 09 2013 – Habdalah 5:59 PM |
Miami, FL, U.S. Fri. Nov 08 2013 – Candles at 5:17 PM Sat. Nov 09 2013 – Habdalah 6:10 PM |
|
Olympia, WA, U.S. Fri. Nov 08 2013 – Candles at 4:28 PM Sat. Nov 09 2013 – Habdalah 5:33 PM |
Murray, KY, & Paris, TN. U.S. Fri. Nov 08 2013 – Candles at 4:33 PM Sat. Nov 09 2013 – Habdalah 5:30 PM |
San Antonio, TX, U.S. Fri. Nov 08 2013 – Candles at 5:25 PM Sat. Nov 09 2013 – Habdalah 6:19 PM |
|
Sheboygan &
Manitowoc, WI, US Fri. Nov 08 2013 – Candles at 5:16 PM Sat. Nov 09 2013 – Habdalah 5:17 PM |
Singapore, Singapore Fri. Nov 08 2013 – Candles at 6:32 PM Sat. Nov 09 2013 – Habdalah 7:22 PM |
St. Louis, MO, U.S. Fri. Nov 08 2013 – Candles at 4:36 PM Sat. Nov 09 2013 – Habdalah 5:34 PM |
For other places see: http://chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting.asp
Roll of Honor:
This Torah
Commentary Comes to You Courtesy of:
His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David and beloved wife HH Giberet
Batsheva bat Sarah
His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham
Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah & beloved family
His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann & beloved family
His Excellency Adon John Batchelor & beloved wife
His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Karmela
bat Sarah,
Her Excellency Giberet Laurie Taylor
His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham and beloved wife HH
Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat Sarah
Her Excellency Prof. Dr. Conny Williams & beloved family
His Excellency Adon Yoel ben Abraham and beloved family
His Excellency Adon Tsuriel ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Gibora
bat Sarah
For their regular and sacrificial
giving, providing the best oil for the lamps, we pray that G-d’s richest
blessings be upon their lives and those of their loved ones, together with all
Yisrael and her Torah Scholars, amen ve amen!
Also a great thank you and great blessings be upon all who send comments
to the list about the contents and commentary of the weekly Torah Seder and
allied topics.
If you want to subscribe to our list and ensure that you never lose any of
our commentaries, or would like your friends also to receive this commentary,
please do send me an E-Mail to benhaggai@GMail.com with your
E-Mail or the E-Mail addresses of your friends. Toda Rabba!
Shabbat “Vayiqrá” – “And called”
|
Shabbat |
Torah Reading: |
Weekday Torah Reading: |
|
וַיִּקְרָא |
|
Saturday
Afternoon |
|
“Vayiqrá” |
Reader
1 – Vayiqra 1:1-9 |
Reader 1 – Vayiqra 4:1-3 |
|
“And
called” |
Reader
2 – Vayiqra 1:10-13 |
Reader 2 – Vayiqra 4:4-6 |
|
“Y
llamó” |
Reader
3 – Vayiqra 1:14-17 |
Reader 3 – Vayiqra 4:7-10 |
|
Vayiqra (Lev.) 1:1 – 3:17 |
Reader
4 – Vayiqra 2:1-16 |
|
|
Ashlamatah: Micah
6:9-16 + 7:7-8 |
Reader
5 – Vayiqra 3:1-5 |
Monday & Thursday Mornings |
|
|
Reader
6 – Vayiqra 3:6-11 |
Reader 1 – Vayiqra 4:1-3 |
|
Psalm 73:1-28 |
Reader
7 – Vayiqra 3:12-17 |
Reader 2 – Vayiqra 4:4-6 |
|
|
Maftir – Vayiqra 3:15-17 |
Reader 3 – Vayiqra 4:7-10 |
|
N.C.: 1 Pet 1:1-12;
Luke 9:51-62; Acts 19:1-20 |
Micah
6:9-16 + 7:7-8 |
|
Blessings Before
Torah Study
Blessed are You, Ha-Shem our G-d,
King of the universe, Who has sanctified us through Your commandments, and
commanded us to actively study Torah. Amen!
Please Ha-Shem, our G-d, sweeten the
words of Your Torah in our mouths and in the mouths of all Your people Israel.
May we and our offspring, and our offspring's offspring, and all the offspring
of Your people, the House of Israel, may we all, together, know Your Name and
study Your Torah for the sake of fulfilling Your desire. Blessed are You,
Ha-Shem, Who teaches Torah to His people Israel. Amen!
Blessed are You, Ha-Shem our G-d,
King of the universe, Who chose us from all the nations, and gave us the Torah.
Blessed are You, Ha-Shem, Giver of the Torah. Amen!
Ha-Shem spoke to Moses, explaining a
Commandment. "Speak to Aaron and his sons, and teach them the following
Commandment: This is how you should bless the Children of Israel. Say to the
Children of Israel:
May Ha-Shem bless you and keep watch
over you; - Amen!
May Ha-Shem make His Presence
enlighten you, and may He be kind to you; - Amen!
May Ha-Shem bestow favor on you, and
grant you peace. – Amen!
This way, the priests will link My
Name with the Israelites, and I will bless them."
These are the Laws for which the
Torah did not mandate specific amounts: How much growing produce must be left
in the corner of the field for the poor; how much of the first fruits must be
offered at the Holy Temple; how much one must bring as an offering when one
visits the Holy Temple three times a year; how much one must do when doing acts
of kindness; and there is no maximum amount of Torah that a person must study.
These are the Laws whose benefits a
person can often enjoy even in this world, even though the primary reward is in
the Next World: They are: Honouring one's father and mother; doing acts of
kindness; early attendance at the place of Torah study -- morning and night;
showing hospitality to guests; visiting the sick; providing for the financial
needs of a bride; escorting the dead; being very engrossed in prayer; bringing
peace between two people, and between husband and wife; but the study of Torah
is as great as all of them together. Amen!
Contents of the
Torah Seder
·
Summary The Burnt
Offering – Leviticus 1:1-2
·
From the Herd –
Leviticus 1:3-9
·
From the Flock –
Leviticus 1:10-13
·
Meal Offering of Fine
Flour – Leviticus 2:1-3
·
Meal Offering of
Cooked Flour – Leviticus 2:4-10
·
Leaven, Honey and Salt
– Leviticus 2:11-13
·
Of First Fruits –
Leviticus 2:14-16
·
The Peace Offering
from the Herd – Leviticus 3:1-5
·
The Peace Offering
from the Flock – Leviticus 3:6-17
Reading Assignment:
The Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez - Vol.
XI: The Divine Service
By: Rabbi Yaaqov Culi & Rabbi Yitschaq
Magriso, Translated by: Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan
Published by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New
York, 1989)
Vol. 11 – “The Divine Service,” pp.
1-82
Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan
for: Vayiqra (Leviticus) 1:1 –
3:17
|
RASHI |
TARGUM
PSEUDO JONATHAN |
|
1.
He called to Moses, and the Lord spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting,
saying, |
1.
And it was when Mosheh had completed to erect the tabernacle that Mosheh
reasoned and judged in his heart, and said: To Mount Sinai, whose excellency
is the excellence only of an hour and its holiness the holiness but of three
days, I could not ascend till the time that the word was spoken to me; but
the excellence of this the tabernacle of ordinance is an eternal excellency,
and its holiness an everlasting holiness; therefore is it right that I should not enter within it
until the time that I am spoken with from before the LORD. Then
did the word of the LORD call unto Mosheh and the Word of the LORD spoke with
him from the tabernacle of ordinance saying: JERUSALEM:
And it was when Mosheh had completed to erect the tabernacle to anoint it,
and sanctify it, and all its vessels, that Mosheh reasoned in his heart, and
said: Within Mount Sinai, whose majesty was the majesty of an hour, and its
holiness the holiness of an hour, I might not ascend till the time which was
bidden me from before the LORD; nor into the tabernacle of ordinance, whose
majesty is an eternal majesty, and its holiness an everlasting holiness, is it right for me to enter
till the time that I am bidden from before the LORD. And the Word
of the LORD called to Mosheh; for the Word of the LORD was altogether with
him, from the tabernacle of ordinance, saying: |
|
2. Speak to the children of
Israel, and say to them: When a man from [among] you brings a sacrifice to
the Lord; from animals, from cattle or from the flock you shall bring your
sacrifice. |
2. Speak with the sons of
Israel, and say to them: If a man of you, - but not of the rebellious
worshippers of idols, - bring an oblation before the LORD, (it must be) from
the clean cattle, from the oxen or from the sheep; but not from the wild
beasts may you offer your oblations. |
|
3. If his sacrifice is a burnt offering from
cattle, an unblemished male he shall bring it. He shall bring it willingly to
the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, before the Lord. |
3. If his oblation be a burnt offering of oxen, he
will bring a male unblemished to the door of the tabernacle of ordinance, and
offer him to be accepted for himself before the LORD. |
|
4. And he shall lean his hand [forcefully] upon
the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted for him to atone for
him. |
4. And he will lay his right hand with firmness
upon the head of the sacrifice, that it may be acceptable from him to
propitiate on his behalf. |
|
5. And he shall slaughter the young bull before
the Lord. And Aaron's descendants, the kohanim, shall bring the blood, and
dash the blood upon the altar, around [the altar] which is at the entrance of
the Tent of Meeting. |
5. And the slayer will kill the ox at the place of
slaughter before the LORD, and the sons of Aharon the priest will bring the
blood in vessels, and sprinkle the blood which is in the basins round about
the altar that is at the door of the tabernacle of ordinance. |
|
6. And he shall skin the burnt offering, and cut
it into its [prescribed] sections. |
6. And he will take away the skin from the
sacrifice, and divide him according to his members. JERUSALEM:
And he will skin the holocaust, and divide him by his members. |
|
7. And the descendants of Aaron the kohen shall
place fire on the altar, and arran9. ge wood on the fire. |
7. And the sons of Aharon the priest will put fire
upon the altar, and lay wood in order upon the fire; |
|
8.
And Aaron's descendants, the kohanim, shall then arrange the pieces, the head
and the fat, on top of the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. |
8.
and the priests the sons of Aharon will lay the members in order and the
heart and the covering of the fat upon the wood that is on the fire upon the
altar. |
|
9. And its innards and its legs, he shall wash
with water. Then, the kohen shall cause to [go up in] smoke all [of the
animal] on the altar, as a burnt offering, a fire offering, [with] a pleasing
fragrance to the Lord. |
9. And he will wash the inwards and his legs with
water; and the priest will offer the whole upon the altar of burnt offering
an oblation to be accepted with grace before the LORD. |
|
10. And if his offering is [brought] from the flock
from sheep or from goats as a burnt offering he shall sacrifice it an
unblemished male. |
10. And if his oblation be of the flock, whether of
the lambs or of the young goats, he will bring a male unblemished. |
|
11. And he shall slaughter it on the northern side of the
altar, before the Lord. And Aaron's descendants, the kohanim,
shall dash its blood upon the altar, around. |
11. And the slayer shall kill it at the foot of the altar on
the north side, before the LORD, and the priests the sons of
Aharon will sprinkle the blood that is in the basins upon the altar round about. |
|
12. And he shall cut it into its [prescribed]
sections, with its head and its fat, and the kohen shall arrange them on top
of the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. |
12. And he will divide it by its members, its head and
its body, and the priest will set them in order on the wood which is upon the
fire on the altar. |
|
13.
And the innards and the legs, he shall wash with water. Then, the kohen shall
offer up all [of the animal], and cause it to [go up in] smoke on the altar.
It is a burnt offering, a fire offering [with] a pleasing fragrance to the
Lord. |
13.
And the inwards and his legs he will wash with water, and the priest will
offer the whole and burn it at the altar of burnt sacrifice; it is an
offering to be received with grace before the LORD. |
|
14. And if his sacrifice to the Lord, is a burnt
offering from birds, he shall bring [it] from turtle doves or from young
doves. |
14. And if his oblation before the LORD be of birds
he will bring his oblation from the turtle doves or the young Of pigeons; but
of the turtle doves he will bring the largest, and of the pigeons the young
ones. |
|
15. And the kohen shall bring it near to the altar,
and nip off its head, and cause it to [go up in] smoke on the altar, and its
[the bird's] blood shall be pressed out upon the wall of the altar. |
15. And the priest will offer it upon the altar,
and will wring off its head, and burn upon the altar, and press out its blood
at the side of the altar. |
|
16. And he shall remove its crop along with its
entrails, and cast it next to the altar on the east side, to the place of the
ashes. |
16. And he will remove its gullet and the contents
thereof, and throw it by the eastern side of the altar in the place where
they burn the cinders. JERUSALEM:
And the priest will bring it to the side of the altar, and twist off its
head, and lay it in order upon the altar, and press out its blood at the
bottom of the altar. And he will remove its ventricle with the dung, and
throw it by, on the east of the altar at the place where the cinders are
emptied. |
|
17. And he shall split it open with its wing
feathers [intact], but he shall not tear it completely apart. The kohen shall
then cause it to [go up in] smoke on the altar, on top of the wood which is
on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a fire offering [with] a pleasing
fragrance to the Lord. |
17. And he will cut it between its wings, but not
to sever the wings from it; and the priest shall burn it at the altar upon
the wood which is on the fire: it is a sacrifice, an oblation to be received
with favor before the LORD. JERUSALEM:
And he will cut it through its wings, but not to dissever; and the priest will
lay it in order upon the, altar, on the wood that is upon the fire. |
|
|
|
|
1. And if a person brings a
meal offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour
oil over it and place frankincense upon it. |
1. But when a man will offer the oblation of mincha before
the LORD, his oblation will be of flour, and he will pour oil upon it, and
put incense thereon, |
|
2. And he shall bring it to Aaron's descendants,
the kohanim, and from there, he [the kohen] shall scoop out his fistful of
its fine flour and its oil, in addition to all its frankincense. Then, the
kohen shall cause its reminder to [go up in] smoke on the altar; [it is] a
fire offering [with] a pleasing fragrance to the Lord. |
2. and bring it to the priests the sons of
Aharon; and he will take from thence his hand full of the meal and of the
best of the oil, with all the frankincense; and the priest will burn the
goodly memorial at the altar, an oblation to be accepted with grace before
the LORD. |
|
3. And what remains of the meal offering shall
belong to Aaron and to his descendants; [it is] holy of holies from the fire offerings of the
Lord. |
3. And what remains of the mincha will be
Aharon's and his sons, most
holy among the oblations of the LORD. |
|
4. And if one brings a meal offering baked in an
oven, it shall consist of [either] unleavened loaves [made] of fine flour
mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. |
4. And when you will offer the oblation of a
mincha of that which is baked in the oven, it will be cakes of flour,
unleavened and mixed with oil, and wafers unleavened, which are anointed with
oil. JERUSALEM: And wafers unleavened. |
|
5. And if a meal offering on a pan is your
sacrifice, it shall be [made] of fine flour, mixed with oil; it shall be
unleavened. |
5. And if your oblation of a mincha be from the
pan, it will be of flour mingled with oil, unleavened will it be. |
|
6. Break it into pieces, and you shall [then] pour
oil over it. It is a meal offering. |
6. He will break it in pieces, and pour oil
thereupon. It is a mincha. JERUSALEM: And he will break it in
pieces, and pour oil thereon. |
|
7. And if your sacrifice is a meal offering [made]
in a deep pot, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. |
7. And if your oblation be a mincha from the
gridiron, it will be made of flour broiled with oil. |
|
8. Thus you shall bring the meal offering which
shall be made from these [types], to the Lord. And he shall bring it to the
kohen, and he shall bring it close to the altar. |
8. And the mincha which has been made with the
flour and the oil you will bring in before the LORD, and the man who brings it
will present it to the priest, and the priest will take it to the altar. |
|
9. And the kohen shall lift out, from the meal
offering, its reminder and cause it to [go up in] smoke on the altar; [it is]
a fire offering [with] a pleasing fragrance to the Lord. |
9. And the priest will separate from the mincha
a memorial of praise, and burn it at the altar, an oblation to be accepted
with grace before the LORD. |
|
10.
And what remains of the meal offering shall belong to Aaron and his
descendants; [it is] holy of holies from the fire offerings of the Lord. |
10.
And what remains of the
mincha will be for Aharon and his sons, it is most holy among the oblations
of the LORD. |
|
11. No meal offering that you sacrifice to the Lord
shall be made [out of anything] leavened. For you shall not cause to [go up in] smoke any
leavening or any honey, [as] a fire offering to the Lord; |
11. But no mincha which you offer to the LORD
will you make with leaven; for neither leaven nor honey may you offer as an oblation before the
LORD. |
|
12.
[However,] you shall bring them as a first [fruit] offering to the Lord;
nevertheless, they shall not go up on the altar as a pleasing fragrance to
the Lord. |
12.
When you offer an
oblation of first fruits before the LORD, the bread of the first fruits you
may bring leavened, and the dates in the season of first fruits, and the
fruit with its honey you may bring, and the priest may eat them; but they will
not burn them at the altar as an oblation to be received with favour. |
|
13.
And you shall salt
every one of your meal offering sacrifices with salt, and you
shall not omit the salt of your God's covenant from [being placed] upon your
meal offerings. You shall offer salt on all your sacrifices. |
13.
And
every oblation of your mincha you will salt with salt; you will not withhold the salt of the covenant
of your God from your mincha, because the twenty and four gifts of the priests are appointed with a
covenant of salt; therefore salt will you offer with all your
oblations. |
|
14. When you bring a meal offering of the first
grains to the Lord, you shall bring your first grain meal offering [from
barley], as soon as it ripens, parched over the fire, kernels full in their
husks, [ground into] coarse meal. |
14. And if you will present a mincha of first
fruits before the LORD, (ears of wheat) roasted by fire, roasted flour and
meal of barley will you offer as a mincha of your first fruits. |
|
15. And you shall put oil on it, and place
frankincense upon it. It is a meal offering. |
15. And you will put olive oil upon it, and lay
frankincense thereon; it is a mincha. |
|
16.
Then, the kohen shall cause its reminder to [go up in] smoke, [taken] from
its coarse meal and from its oil, with all its frankincense; [it is] a fire
offering to the Lord. |
16.
And the priest will
burn its memorial of praise from the meal and from the best of the oil, with
all the frankincense, an oblation before the LORD. |
|
|
|
|
1. If his sacrifice is a peace offering, if he
brings it from cattle, whether male or female, unblemished he shall bring it
before the Lord. |
1. And if his oblation be of the sanctified
victims, if from your cattle he offer, whether male or female, he will offer
it perfect. |
|
2. And from the peace offering, he shall bring a
fire offering to the Lord [comprised of]: the fat covering the innards and
all the fat that is on the innards, |
2. And he will lay his right hand firmly on the
head of his oblation, and the slayer will kill it at the door of the
tabernacle of ordinance, and the priests the sons of Aharon will sprinkle the
blood upon the altar round about. |
|
3. And from the peace offering, he shall bring a
fire offering to the Lord [comprised of]: the fat covering the innards and
all the fat that is on the innards, |
3. And of the sanctified victim, his oblation
before the LORD, he will offer the covering of fat which covers the inwards,
even all the fat which is upon the inwards. JERUSALEM:
And the fat and the entire breast to the chine he will remove, and the fat
which covers the inwards. |
|
4. and the two kidneys [along] with the fat that
is upon them which is over the flanks. And he shall remove the diaphragm with
the liver, along with the kidneys. |
4. And the two kidneys, and the fat which is upon
them, that is, upon the folding and the caul that is upon the liver with the
kidneys, he will remove. |
|
5. And Aaron's descendants shall cause it to [go
up in] smoke on the altar, apart from the burnt offering, which is on top of
the wood that is on the fire; [it is] a fire offering [with] a pleasing fragrance
to the Lord. |
5. And the sons of Aharon will offer it on the
altar with the sacrifice that is on the wood which is upon the fire, an oblation
to be received with favor before the LORD. |
|
6. And if his sacrifice for a peace offering to
the Lord is from the flock, whether male or female, unblemished he shall
bring it. |
6. And if his oblation of a consecrated offering
before the LORD be from the flock, whether male or female, his oblation will
be perfect. |
|
7. If he brings a sheep as his sacrifice, then he shall
bring it before the Lord. |
7. If he present a lamb for his oblation, he will
bring it before the LORD; |
|
8.
And he shall lean his hand [forcefully] upon the head of his sacrifice, and
slaughter it before the Tent of Meeting. And Aaron's descendants shall dash
its blood upon the altar, around. |
8.
and lay his right hand firmly on the head of his oblation, and the slayer will
kill it before the tabernacle of ordinance, and the sons of Aharon will
sprinkle its blood upon the altar round about. |
|
9. And from the peace offering, he shall bring a
fire offering to the Lord [comprised of] its choicest part the complete tail,
which he shall remove opposite the kidneys, and the fat covering the innards
and all the fat which is on the innards, |
9. And of the offering of his consecrated oblation
he will offer the best of its fat, and remove the whole of the tail, close to
the spine, the covering of fat which covers the inwards, even all the fat
that is upon the inwards. |
|
10. and the two kidneys [along] with the fat that
is upon them, which is over the flanks. And he shall remove the diaphragm
with the liver, along with the kidneys. |
10. And the two kidneys and the fat which is upon
them, upon the foldings, and the caul that is over the liver, together with
the kidneys, he will take away. |
|
11. And the kohen shall cause it to [go up in]
smoke on the altar, as food for the fire, to the Lord. |
11. And the priest will sacrifice it at the altar,
the meat of an oblation before the LORD. |
|
12. And if his sacrifice is a goat, he shall bring
it before the Lord, |
12. And if his oblation be from the young goats, he
will bring it before the LORD, |
|
13. and he shall lean his hand [forcefully] upon
its head and slaughter it before the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron's descendants
shall dash its blood upon the altar, around. |
13. and lay his right hand upon its head, and the
slayer will kill it before the tabernacle of ordinance, and the sons of
Aharon will sprinkle its, blood upon the altar round about. |
|
14.
And from it, he shall bring his offering a fire offering to the Lord
[comprised of] the fat covering the innards, and all the fat which is on the
innards, |
14. And of his oblation before the LORD he will
offer the covering of fat which covers the inwards, even all the fat that is
upon the inwards. |
|
15. and the two kidneys with the fat that is upon
them, which is over the flanks. And he shall remove the diaphragm with the
liver; along with the kidneys he shall remove it |
15. And the two kidneys and the fat which is upon
them (and) on the foldings, and the caul which is over the liver, along with
the kidneys, he will take away. |
|
16. And the kohen shall cause it to [go up in]
smoke on the altar, consumed as a fire offering, [with] a pleasing fragrance.
All [sacrificial] fat belongs to the Lord. |
16. And the priest will sacrifice them at the
altar, the meat of an oblation to be received with favor. All the fat (will
be offered) before the LORD. |
|
17. [This is] an eternal statute for all your generations,
in all your dwelling places: You shall not eat any fat or any blood. |
17. It is an everlasting statute unto all your generations,
that neither the fat nor the blood will be eaten in any of your dwellings,
but upon the back of the altar it will be sacrificed unto the Name of the
LORD. |
|
|
|
Welcome to the World of P’shat Exegesis
In order to understand the finished work of
the P’shat mode of interpretation of the Torah, one needs to take into account
that the P’shat is intended to produce a catechetical output, whereby a
question/s is/are raised and an answer/a is/are given using the seven
Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel and as well as the laws of Hebrew Grammar and
Hebrew expression.
The Seven Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel are as
follows
[cf. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=472&letter=R]:
1. Ḳal va-ḥomer: "Argumentum a minori ad majus" or
"a majori ad minus"; corresponding to the scholastic proof a
fortiori.
2. Gezerah shavah: Argument from analogy. Biblical passages containing
synonyms or homonyms are subject, however much they differ in other respects,
to identical definitions and applications.
3. Binyan ab mi-katub eḥad: Application of a provision found in one
passage only to passages which are related to the first in content but do not
contain the provision in question.
4. Binyan ab mi-shene ketubim: The same as the preceding, except that the
provision is generalized from two Biblical passages.
5. Kelal u-Peraṭ and Peraṭ
u-kelal: Definition of the
general by the particular, and of the particular by the general.
6. Ka-yoẓe bo mi-maḳom aḥer: Similarity in content to another Scriptural
passage.
7. Dabar ha-lamed me-'inyano: Interpretation deduced from the context.
Rashi’s Commentary for: Vayiqra (Leviticus) 1:1 – 3:17
Chapter 1
1 And
He called to Moses Every [time God communicated with Moses, whether it was
represented by the expression] וַיְדַבֵּר, “And He spoke,” or וַיֹּאמֶר; “and He said,” or וַיְצַו, “and He commanded," it was always
preceded by [God] calling [to Moses by name] (Torath Kohanim 1:2-3). [קְרִיאָה] is an expression of affection, the [same]
expression employed by the ministering angels [when addressing each other], as
it says, “And one called (וְקָרָא) to the other…” (Isa. 6: 3). To the prophets
of the nations of the world, however, He revealed Himself through expressions
denoting coincidence and impurity, as the verse says, “and God happened to
[meet] (וַיִּקָּר) Balaam" (Num. 23:4). -[Bemidbar Rabbah
52:5] [The expression וַיִּקָּר has the meaning of a coincidental happening,
and also alludes to impurity. [See Deut. 23:11, regarding the expression מִקְרֵה
לַיְלָה.]
And He called to Moses The [Divine] voice
emanated and reached Moses’ ears, while all [the rest] of Israel did not hear
it. One might think that for each new section [representing a new topic], there
was also [such] a call. Scripture, therefore, states, “and [the Lord] spoke (וַיְדַבֵּר) [to him],” [denoting that] only for speech,
[i.e., when God “spoke” to Moses, or “said” to him, or “commanded” him,] was
there a call, but not at the subsections. [For when these expressions are
employed, they demarcate the beginning of major sections, i.e., when God first
called to Moses and then proceeded with the prophecy at hand, unlike the
beginning of each separate subsection, when God simply continued His
communication to Moses without “calling" him anew. Now, if each subsection
in the Torah does not represent a new beckoning from God to Moses, ushering in
a new prophecy, then] what is the purpose of these subsections? To give Moses a
pause, to contemplate between one passage and the next, and between one subject
and another. [And if this pause for contemplation was given to the great Moses
when being taught by God, then] how much more [necessary is it] for an ordinary
man learning [Torah] from another ordinary man [to be allowed pauses between
sections and subjects, to carefully contemplate and understand the material
being learned].-[Torath Kohanim 1:3]
to him Heb. אֵלָיו [That is, God spoke only to Moses. This
phrase comes] to exclude Aaron. Rabbi Judah [Ben Betheira] says: “Thirteen
times in the Torah, God spoke (וַיְדַבֵּר) to both Moses and Aaron together, and,
corresponding to them were thirteen [other] occasions [when God spoke only to
Moses] precluding [Aaron], to teach you that they were not said [directly] to
Aaron, but to Moses, that he should say them to Aaron. These are the thirteen
cases where [Aaron was] precluded: (1) “To speak with him…,” (2) “…speaking to
him…,” (3) “…and He spoke to him” (Num. 7:89); (4) “I will meet with you [there
at set times], etc. …” (Exod. 25:22) All of them can be found [in the above
dictum of Rabbi Judah] in Torath Kohanim (1:4). Now, [even though it was Moses
who exclusively heard the prophecies,] one might think that they [i.e., the
rest of Israel, nevertheless] heard the sound [of God] “calling" [to Moses
preceding the prophecy]. Scripture therefore, says: [not “He heard] the voice
[speaking] to him (לוֹ)," [but] “[he heard] the voice [speaking
right up] to him (אֵלָיו)” (Num. 7:89). [This verse could have used
the word לוֹ, “to him,” rather than such an exclusive
expression as אֵלָיו, “right up to him.” However, it uses this
expression in order to teach us that only] Moses heard [the Divine voice
calling him], while all [the rest] of Israel did not hear [it].-[Torath Kohanim
1:4]
from the Tent of Meeting This teaches us that
the [Divine] voice stopped and did not project itself beyond the Tent [of
Meeting]. One might think that this was because the voice was low. Scripture
therefore says, “[And when Moses came into the Tent of Meeting, he heard] the
voice” (Num. 7:89). What is the meaning of “the voice” [with the definite
article]? It is the voice referred to in Psalms (29:4-5): “The voice of the
Lord is in strength; the voice of the Lord is in beauty. The voice of the Lord
breaks cedars.” If so, why does it say, “[and the Lord spoke to him] from the
Tent of Meeting”? [To inform us] that the [Divine] voice stopped. A case
similar to this [where a powerful sound uttered within the Holy Temple was not
heard outside,] is: “And the sound of the cherubim’s wings was heard up to the
outer courtyard…” (Ezek. 10:5). One might think that the sound was low.
Scripture therefore states [further in that verse]: “…as the voice of the
Almighty God when He speaks!” Why then does the verse say, “[the sound…was
heard] up to the outer courtyard” [and not further, if this sound was indeed so
mighty]? Because when it reached there, it stopped.-[Torath Kohanim 1:5]
[And the Lord spoke to him] from the Tent of Meeting, saying One might think [that God spoke to Moses] from the entire house
[that is, that the Divine voice emanated from the entire Tent of Meeting].
Scripture therefore states, “[and he heard the voice speaking to him] from
above the ark cover” (Num. 7:89). [If so,] one might think [the voice emanated]
from the entire ark cover. Scripture therefore states [further in that verse],
“from between the two cherubim.”-[Torath Kohanim 1:5]
saying [God told Moses:] Go forth
and say to them [the children of Israel] captivating words, [namely:] “For your
sake God communicates with me. ” Indeed, we find this is so for all the
thirty-eight years that the Israelites were in the desert, placed under a ban,
[i.e.,] from the incident involving the spies and onwards, the [Divine] speech
was not addressed especially to Moses, for it says, “So it was, when all the
men of war had finished dying from among the people, that the Lord spoke to me
saying …” (Deut. 2:16-17). [Only then was] the Divine speech [again] addressed
specifically to me. Another explanation [of לֵאמֹר is that God says to Moses]: “Go forth and
tell them My commandments, and bring Me back word whether they will accept
them," as the verse says, “and Moses reported the words of the people back
to the Lord” (Exod. 19:8). -[Torath Kohanim 1:6]
2. When a man from [among] you brings a sacrifice Heb. כִּי
יַקְרִיב, when he brings. [That is, Scripture is not
dealing here with an obligatory sacrifice, in which case it would have said, “a
man shall bring ….” Rather,] Scripture is speaking here of voluntary sacrifices
[and thus says, “When a man …brings a sacrifice”].-[Torath Kohanim 1:12]
a man Heb. אָדָם. Why is this term used here [as opposed to “
אָדָם ”]? [It alludes to Adam, the first man on
earth, and teaches us:] Just as Adam, the first man, never offered sacrifices
from stolen property, since everything was his, so too, you must not offer
sacrifices from stolen property.-[Vayikra Rabbah 2:7]
animals Heb. מִן
הַבְּהֵמָה. One might think that wild beasts are also
included [since sometimes wild beasts are included in this term, and therefore
may be offerd up as sacrifices]. Scripture therefore states [here], “from
cattle or from the flock.”-[Torath Kohanim 1:16]
from animals—but not all of them. [The
phrase therefore comes] to exclude the case of animals that have cohabited with
a human, as an active or a passive party. -[Torath Kohanim 1:17]
from cattle Heb. מִן הַבָּקָר [The phrase “from cattle” comes] to exclude
an animal that has been worshipped [as a deity].
or from the flock Heb. וּמִן הַצֹּאן [This phrase comes] to exclude an animal set
aside [i.e., designated for sacrifice to pagan deities].-[Torath Kohanim 1:18]
or from the flock [The extra “vav” at the
beginning of this phrase comes] to exclude the case of a goring animal that has
killed [a man]. Now, when [Scripture] states below (verse 3): מִן הַבָּקָר, “of cattle,” [the word מִן]
need not have been used, since Scripture has already [taught us the exclusions
here. Therefore, this extra word comes] to exclude a טְרֵפָה [an animal with a terminal disease or
injury]. -[Torath Kohanim 1:17]
you shall bring Heb. תַּקְרִיבוּ[The plural form of the verb] teaches [us]
that two people may donate a voluntary burnt offering in partnership.-[Torath
Kohanim 1:19]
your sacrifice Heb. קָרְבַּנְכֶם [The plural form] teaches us that [a burnt
offering] may also be offered as a voluntary gift from the community (Torath
Kohanim 1:20). This sacrifice was called עוֹלַת
קַיִץ
הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, “the burnt-offering which was provision for
the altar.” [Every year, each twenty-year old male was taxed to give a silver
half-shekel for communal sacrifices. See Exod. 30:11-16. This voluntary
sacrifice] was purchased with any money remaining [from the previous year’s
collection of half-shekels, and was offered as a communal burnt offering when
there were no individual offerings brought, in order to prevent the altar from
being bereft of sacrifices. Thus, the name “provision for the altar”].-[Shev.
12a].
3. male—but not a female. When
Scripture repeats later (verse 10) [that the burnt-offering must be] “a male
[animal],” it appears unnecessary to state that [since Scripture has already
taught us that it must be a male animal and not a female. Therefore, this
repetition of the word “male,” comes to teach us that a sacrifice must consist
of a completely] male [animal], not an animal of indeterminate gender or a hermaphrodite.-[Bech.
41b]
unblemished Heb. תָּמִים, perfect, without a blemish.
[He shall bring it …] to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting He [himself] must attend to bringing it up to the courtyard [of
the Temple] (Torath Kohanim 1:24). Why does the verse repeat the word “bring”
here [when it says, “he shall bring…He shall bring it”? This repetition teaches
us that] even in the case of Reuben’s burnt offering [animal] being mixed up
with Simeon’s burnt offering [animal, and the animals cannot be identified],
nevertheless, each one of them must be offered up in the name of [its rightful
owner] whoever that may be. Similarly, if [an animal designated for] a burnt
offering has been mixed up with non-consecrated animals, the non- consecrated
animals must be sold to those who need burnt offerings, and thus all of these
animals are now [designated to become] burnt offerings. [Accordingly] each
animal is now brought in the name of [its rightful owner] whoever that may be.
Now, one might think that this must be done even if [an animal designated to
become] a burnt offering became mixed up with animals unfit for sacrifice or
with [animals designated to become] different kinds of sacrifices [e.g., a sin
offering, a guilt offering, etc.]. Scripture therefore says here: יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ, [meaning, “he must bring it.” This teaches
us that only an animal fit for and specifically designated as a burnt offering
must be brought here].- [Torath Kohanim 1:25]
He shall bring it [This clause] teaches us
that the person is coerced [to bring the offering if he is remiss in bringing
the sacrifice he had promised]. One might think that this means that they
should force him against his will [to bring the offering]! Scripture therefore
says: “[He shall bring it] willingly (לִרְצֹנוֹ).” How is this possible [that on one hand he
should be forced, yet on the other, he must bring the offering willingly? The
explanation is that] they must coerce him until he says “I am willing.”-[R.H.
6a, Torath Kohanim 3: 15] 3-4.
Before the Lord…And he shall lean [The procedure of] leaning [the hands upon sacrifices] does not
apply to a high place [a private altar. These high places were permitted to be
used before the permanent Temple was built when the Mishkan was in Gilgal, Nob,
and Gibeon. Certain sacrifices could be offered up on them. We learn this from
the continuity of these two verses that only “before the Lord”—that is, in the
sanctuary precincts—one “should lean his hand upon” the head of sacrifices, but
not on a high place outside the sanctuary precincts.]-[Torath Kohanim 1:27].
4. upon the head of the burnt offering [The text could have simply said “upon its head.” However, it
adds “burnt offering”] to include [any sacrifice that is called a “burnt
offering,” namely,] (1) an obligatory burnt offering, that it too requires סְִמִיכָה [leaning the hands on its head. Since this
section deals with voluntary burnt offerings, this case requires an extra word
to include it. See commentary on verse 2]; also included is (2) a burnt
offering from the flock [that it too must have סְִמִיכָה, for this is not specified in the verses
dealing with the burnt offering from the flock. See verses 10-13].-[Torath
Kohanim 1:30]
the burnt offering [The use of the definite
article here teaches us that the verse is referring to “the” burnt offering,
i.e., the one mentionebd earlier, where it says, “from cattle or from the
flock” (verse 2). Thus] excluding the burnt offering from birds.-[Torath
Kohanim 1:30]
and it will be accepted for him For which [sins]
will [the sacrifice] be accepted for him [thereby atoning for them]? If you say
that [the offering is accepted and thereby the person is atoned for] sins which
incur the penalty of excision, the death penalty through the court, the death
penalty through the heaven[ly court], or lashes, their punishments are
[expressly] stated, [and thus, the person must undergo the respective
punishment to receive atonement for those sins]. Thereby, we determine that it
is accepted only for [failure to perform] a positive commandment [for which the
punishment is not expressly stated in the Torah, or [violation of] a negative
commandment that is attached to a positive commandment. [I.e., some negative
commandments are attached to a positive commandment that relates to the same
matter. An example of this is the law of the Passover lamb. The Torah states:
“And you shall not leave over any of it until morning, and whatever is left
over of it until morning, you shall burn in fire” (Exod. 12:10). Here, the
negative commandment is “attached” to the positive commandment. How so? If
someone has transgressed the negative commandment and left over some of the
Passover lamb until the following morning, he may exonerate himself from the
punishment he has just incurred by fulfilling the positive commandment
attached, namely by burning the remainder in fire. That is an example of “a
negative commandment that is attached to a positive commandment.” See Mak.
4b.]-[Torath Kohanim 1:31].
5. And he shall slaughter…And…the kohanim shall bring [the blood] [Since the word kohanim is
mentioned only in reference to receiving the blood, and not before, we learn
that all procedures in a sacrifice] from receiving [the blood in a vessel] and
onwards are the duty of the kehunah [as opposed to non- kohanim]. This teaches
regarding the slaughtering [which precedes receiving the blood], that it is
valid [even if performed] by a stranger [i.e., a non- kohen].-[Zev . 32a]
before the Lord in the courtyard [of the
Holy Temple].
and […the kohanim] shall bring [the blood] [Although וְהִקְרִיבוּ literally means “bringing,” here,] it means
“receiving” [the blood in a vessel], which is the first [procedure immediately
following the slaughtering]. However, it literally means “bringing” [the blood
to the altar]. [Consequently,] we learn that both these procedures are the
duties of Aaron’s descendants [i.e., the kohanim].-[Chag. 11a]
Aaron’s descendants One might think
[that these duties may be performed as well by Aaron’s descendants who are] חֲלָלִים, kohanim whose lineage invalidates them for
kehunah [e.g., if the mother was divorced before marrying the kohen]. Scripture
therefore adds: “the kohanim ” [indicating that these duties may be performed
only by kohanim].-[Torath Kohanim 1:38]
[The kohamin, shall bring] the blood, and dash the blood Why does Scripture say, “blood, blood” here twice? To include
[the cases of blood from a burnt offering,] that was mixed up with the same
type [of blood, i.e., the blood of burnt offerings from two different people
being mixed up, and [blood from a burnt offering] that was mixed up with a
different type [of blood, i.e., from another type of sacrifice]. One might
think that this would also include [the case that the blood was mixed up with
blood of] an unfit sacrifice, or [blood from] inner sin offerings [the blood of
which is to be sprinkled on the inner altar] or [blood from] outer sin
offerings [the blood of which is to be sprinkled on the outer altar] even
though [the latter, have their blood dashed] above [the chut hasikra, the red
line, of the altar], while this [the burnt offering has its blood dashed] below
[the chut hasikra of the altar]. Scripture [therefore] states [regarding a
burnt offering] in another place: “its blood” (verses 11 and 15). [This expression
teaches us that only cases in which the blood of a burnt offering is mixed up
with the blood of another sacrifice which is also to be dashed below the chut
hasikra on the altar, no problems arise, and these bloods can both be dashed at
that level of the altar. This excludes the case of inner sin offerings whose
blood is sprinkled inside and outer sin offerings whose blood must be dashed
above the chut hasikra].-[Torath Kohanim 1:39]
And […the kohanim,shall…] dash [the blood…around]-[The kohen] must stand below [i. e., on the ground], and dash
[the blood] from the vessel [in which it was received] onto the wall of the
altar below the chut hasikra, towards the corners [of the altar. Meaning, from
the ground he approaches the northeastern corner of the altar and dashes some
of the blood from its receptacle onto the corner ridge where the northern wall
and the eastern wall of the altar meet, below the red line. In this way, the
blood dashes onto both the northern and eastern sides of the altar with one motion
by the kohen. That motion is thus referred to as “one application (of blood)
which is two,” i.e., one dashing motion, which applies the blood to two faces
of the altar. The kohen then proceeds to the southwestern corner of the altar
and again performs this procedure, thereby applying the blood to both the
southern and western walls of the altar in one motion. Thus, in a total of two
dashing motions, the blood has been applied to the four faces of the altar.
These dashes are referred to as “two applications (of blood) which are four.”]
Therefore, it says “around,” namely that [with these prescribed dashing
motions] the blood is to be applied to the four sides of the altar. Now, one
might think that [when the verse says that the kohen must dash the blood around
the altar, this means that] he must encircle it [the altar with blood] like a
thread. Scripture therefore says: “[the kohanim] shall…dash [the blood],” and
it is impossible to apply it [as a continuous line] around the altar through a
“dashing” motion. Alternatively, one might think that “shall…dash” refers to
one dashing motion. Scripture therefore says: “around” [and it is impossible to
apply the blood all around the altar with one dashing motion]. How then [should
the blood be applied to the altar]? The kohen must make “two applications,
which are four.”-[Torath Kohanim 1:40]
[the altar] which is at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting But not when [the Tent of Meeting] is disassembled [even though
the altar itself may be standing, since at such a time the altar is not “at the
entrance of the Tent of Meeting”].-[Torath Kohanim
6. And he shall skin [the burnt offering] Why does the verse say “the burnt offering” ? To include every
[kind of] burnt offering [not just this one in the procedure of] skinning and
cutting up [in the prescribed manner].-[Torath Kohanim 1:45]
its [prescribed] sections [The verse does not
state that the animal is cut into pieces, but rather “into its pieces,”
implying that it must be cut into specific prescribed pieces] and not [to cut]
its [prescribed] pieces into [smaller] pieces.-[Torath Kohanim 1:47; Chul.
11a].
7. shall place fire [on the altar] Even though the fire descended [miraculously] from heaven [onto
the altar, to consume the sacrifices], it was [nevertheless] a mitzvah for a
mortal to bring [his fire to the altar.-[Torath Kohanim 1:49; Zev. 18a]
the descendants of Aaron the Kohen [But we know that Aaron was a Kohen Gadol ! So what does “the
Kohen ” come to teach us? It teaches us that the Kohen Gadol may perform the
sacrificial service only] when he is [invested] in his kehunah [i.e., wearing
the proper eight garments of the Kohen Gadol]. If, however, he officiated
wearing the raiment of an ordinary
8 Aaron’s
descendants, the kohanim [But we know that Aaron’s descendants are kohanim
! So what does “the kohanim ” come to teach us?] The [ordinary] kohanim must be
functioning in their kehunah [i.e., the proper four garments of the ordinary
kohanim]. If an ordinary kohen officiated wearing the “eight garments” [of a
Kohen Gadol], however, his service is rendered invalid.
the pieces, the head Since the head is not
included in the skinning and cutting up [procedures], since it was was detached
by the slaughtering, the Torah had to count it individually [to inform us that
it was to be placed on the altar as it is, even though it is not skinned.]
-[Chul. 27a]
and the fat Why is [the fat] mentioned
[separately]? To teach you that the kohen must bring it up [onto the altar
together] with the head, and that with it he covers the area where [the animal]
was slaughtered. This was done in deference to the honor of God on high
[because the cut throat is soiled with the blood of the head] (Rashi, Yoma
26a). -[Chul. 27a]
[the wood] which is on the altar The logs of wood
must not project beyond the [area of the arranged] woodpile [constituting one
square cubit. This is so that the kohanim would not be disturbed by protruding
pieces of wood when they go around the altar].-[Torath Kohanim 1:54]
9 as a burnt offering [I.e., the kohen]
must burn the animal with the [specific] intention that it is a burnt
offering.-[Torath Kohanim 1:58]
a fire offering Heb. אִשֵּׁה. When he slaughters [the animal], he must
slaughter it with the [specific] intention [to burn it completely in] fire.
Every [instance of the word] אִשֶּׁה in Scripture, is an expression related to
[the word] אֵשׁ, “fire,” foyere in Old French.
pleasing Heb. נִיחוֹחַ [This word stems from the same root as the
expression רוּחַ
נַחַת, “contentment.” God says: “This sacrifice]
gives Me contentment, for I said [My commandment], and My will was fulfilled!”
10 And
if…from the flock The “vav” [meaning “and” here demonstrates that this
section concerning voluntary burnt offerings from the flock] is a continuation
from the previous subject [those from cattle, and is thereby connected in that
the laws of each are common to both]. But why was it separated [by a
paragraph]? In order to give Moses a pause, so that he could contemplate
between one passage and the next.-[Torath Kohanim 1:59]
from the flock…from sheep…from goats [The word “from” tells us that one cannot take all the animals of
these classes, rather only “from” them, thereby disqualifying certain animals
from being brought for a sacrifice.] These [three mentions of the word “from”]
are three exclusions [from being offered as a sacrifice], excluding an aged
[animal], a sick [animal] and a foul smelling [animal].-[Torath Kohanim 1:
60]
11 on
the…side of the altar Heb. יֶרֶךְ
הַמִזְבֵּחַ, “on the…side of the altar.”
[And he shall slaughter it] on the northern [side of the altar],
before the Lord [The law of] slaughtering on the
northern side does not apply [when sacrificing an animal] on a high place [See
above on verse 4].-[Torath Kohanim 1:27] [We learn this from this verse that a
burnt offering must be slaughtered “on the northern side of the altar” only if
it is “before the Lord,” i.e., in the sanctuary precincts, but not outside
them.]
14 from birds But not all birds. Since it
is stated: “an unblemished male, from cattle, from sheep, or from goats” (Lev.
22:19), [denoting that the requirement of] perfection and maleness apply [only]
to animals, but [the requirement of] perfection and maleness does not apply to
birds. One might think that even a bird that lacks a limb [may be brought for
this offering]. Scripture, therefore, says [here]: “from birds” [but not all
birds, excluding a bird lacking a limb].-[Torath Kohanim 1:71]
turtle-doves [Because the verse
specifies “young” doves, whereas it simply says “turtle-doves” without stating
“young, ” it must refer to] adult ones [only that may be offered], and not
young ones.
young doves young ones [only may be
offered], and not adult ones. -[Torath Kohanim 1:74]
from turtle- doves or from young doves [The word “from” occurring twice in this verse comes] to exclude
[birds] whose feathers have just begun to become reddish in both species, that
they are unfit [for sacrifice], for they are too old to be qualified as “young
doves,” and they are too young to be qualified as [adult] “turtle-
doves.”-[Torath Kohanim 1:75].
15 shall
bring it One may bring even a single bird. -[Torath Kohanim 1:77] the kohen shall …
nip off The nipping [of the bird’s
head] must not be done with anything but with the body of kohen. He would cut
with his [thumb]nail adjacent to the back of the head, cutting right through
its spine, until he reached the simanim [literally, “the signs”; in the context
of slaughtering, this refers to the esophagus (gullet) and the trachea
(wind-pipe)], and cuts through them [see Rashi on Lev. 5:8].
and its [the bird’s] blood shall be pressed out [The word וְנִמְצָה] an expression similar to “the pressing out (מִיץ) of wrath” (Prov. 30:33); and, “for the
milking (הַמֵּץ) has come to an end” (Isa. 16:4). He presses
the slaughtering area [of the bird’s neck] against the wall of the altar, and
thereby, the blood is pressed out and runs down [the wall].
and cut…and cause it to go up in smoke…shall be pressed out [According to the sequence of these terms, one would think that
Scripture is commanding the kohen to first cut the bird’s neck, send the bird
up in smoke, and only then to press out its blood. But] is it possible to
suggest this? Since [the kohen] has already caused the bird to go up in smoke,
he presses its blood out? Rather, [the meaning is clearly not so, and the
procedure of causing the bird to go up in smoke appears in the verse after that
of nipping off the head, to teach us that] just as with the procedure of
causing it to go up in smoke, the bird’s head [is smoked] separately and its
body separately, so is it with the procedure of nipping [the bird’s head, i.e.,
the head is cut at the neck, to become virtually separate from its body-even
though it is still attached to the body by the skin] (Torath Kohanim 1:81).
According to the simple meaning of the verse, it is transposed [and is to be
understood as]: and nip off its head, and cause it to [go up in] smoke on the
altar, and its [the bird’s] blood shall already have been pressed out.
16 its crop Heb. מֻרְאָתוֹ, the place of the רְעִי, the digested food or waste, i.e., the crop,
[known in the Talmud as זֶפֶק The word מֻרְאָתוֹ stems from רְאִי, which is equivalent to רְעִי, since an “aleph” is sometimes
interchangeable with an “ayin.”]-[Torath Kohanim 1:84]
with its entrails Heb. בְּנֹצָתָהּ, with its entrails (Zev. 64b). The word נוֹצָה denotes something disgusting, as [in the
verse], “for they are foul (נָצוּ), even slipping” (Lam. 4:15). And this is
what Onkelos means [when he translates this word as]: בְּאוּכְלֵיהּ, “with its digested food” [i.e., the
excrement found in its entrails]. This is the explanation given by Abba Yose
ben Hanan, who states: The kohen removes the gizzard with it. But our Rabbis,
of blessed memory, [understanding נוֹצָה to mean “feathers,”] explain [the verse as
follows]: With a knife, he cuts an opening around the crop, like a window, and
takes it [together] with the feathers (נוֹצָה) that are on the skin (Zev. 65a). In the case
of the burnt offering of an animal, which eats exclusively from the feeding
trough of its owner, it says, “And the innards and the legs, he shall wash with
water. … and cause it to [go up in] smoke [on the altar]” (verse 13). However,
regarding birds, which feed themselves on things stolen [from other people’s property],
the verse says here, “And he shall [remove its crop]…and cast” the entrails,
which ate from stolen property.-[Vayikra Rabbah 3:4]
next to the altar on the east side At the eastern side of the כֶּבֶשׁ [the ramp leading up to the altar].-[Torath
Kohanim 1:86]
to the place of the ashes I.e., the place
where each morning they deposit the ashes removed [from the outer altar], and
the ashes removed from the inner altar and the menorah. All these were
[miraculously] absorbed there in their place.-[Yoma 21a].
17 And
he shall split it open Heb. וְשִׁסַּע. The term שִׁסּוּעַ refers only to [splitting open] with the
hand. Similarly, [Scripture] says regarding Samson: “and he split it open (וַיְשַׁסְּעֵהוּ) as he would have split open (כְּשַׁסַּע) a kid” (Jud. 14:6). -[Zev. 65b]
with its wing feathers [I.e.,] with its
wings; he need not pluck out its wing feathers.
with its wing feathers [Lit., “its wings.”
Here, it refers to] the actual feathers [of its wings]. But surely you will not
find even the simplest of people [i.e., even a person who is not particular,]
who, when smelling the odor of burnt feathers, does not find it repulsive. Why
then does Scripture command us to send [the feathers] up in smoke? [The
feathers are left intact] so that the altar should appear sated and adorned
with the sacrifice of the poor man [who could afford only a bird].-[Vayikra
Rabbah 3:5]
but he shall not tear it completely apart [Although the kohen splits open the bird,] he must not tear it
apart completely into two [separate] pieces. Rather, he must tear it along its
back. Now, regarding a bird [offering], it says here: “a pleasing fragrance [to
the Lord],” and regarding animals, it says, “a pleasing fragrance [to the
Lord]” (verse 9) [as well. From here we see that both in the case of a large
animal or a small bird, the fragrance is pleasing to God]. This teaches us:
Whether one offers much or little, [it is equally pleasing to God,] provided
that he directs his heart to Heaven.-[Toroth Kohanim 1:91]
Chapter
2
1 And if a person brings [literally, “And if a
soul brings.”] Regarding all the sacrifices which were donated voluntarily, the
only instance where Scripture states the word נֶפֶשׁ “soul” is in the case of the
meal-offering. Now, who usually donates a meal-offering? A poor man [because
flour is less expensive than birds or animals]. [Hence,] the Holy One Blessed
is He, says: “I account if for him as if he has sacrificed his very
soul!”-[Men. 104b]
his
offering shall be from fine flour If a person says, “I
hereby take upon myself to bring a meal- offering,” without specifying which
type of meal-offering, then he shall bring מִנְחַת
סֹלֶת, a meal-offering of fine flour, which is the first of the
meal-offerings [mentioned in this chapter] (Men. 104b), and קֹמֶץ [fistful of the offering] is scooped out
while it is [still in the form of] flour, as is explained in this passage.
Since five kinds of meal-offerings are enumerated here, all of which had to be
brought ready-baked before the קְמִיצָה [scooping took place], with the exception
of this one, it is, therefore, called מִנְחַת
סֹלֶת, “a meal-offering of fine flour.”
fine
flour - סֹלֶת. [The term] סֹלֶת always denotes [fine flour of] wheat, as
the verse says, “fine flour (סֹלֶת) of wheat” (Exod. 29:2). -[Torath Kohanim
2:96] No meal- offering consists of less than one עִשָּׂרוֹן [“one tenth” of an ephah of flour], as it
is said, “one tenth measure for a meal-offering (עִשָּׂרוֹן)” (Lev.14:21), [implying that] one tenth
measure [shall be used] for each meal-offering.-[see Men. 89a]
He
shall pour oil over it Over all of it.
[However,]
and
place frankincense upon it Upon part of it; the
kohen places a fistful of frankincense upon it at one side [of the offering].
Now what makes you say this? Because an inclusion after an inclusion in the
Torah means only to exclude. [Now, here, the expression עָלֶיהָ, upon it or over it, is inclusive in
nature, for its assumed meaning is “upon all of it,” i.e., the kohen shall pour
the oil over all of the offering. In the continuation of the verse, “and place
frankincense upon it (עָלֶיה),” however, the second mention of the word עָלֶיה represents a רִבָּוי after a רִבָּוי, and so, the second עָלֶיה becomes preclusive, meaning that the
frankincense is to be placed only upon part of the offering.] Another
explanation: Oil [is poured] over all of it, because it [the oil] has to be
mixed with it and scooped with it, as it is said, “[scoop out a fistful] from
its fine flour and its oil.” However, the frankincense because it is neither mixed
nor scooped with it, as it is said, “in addition to] all its frankincense”
(verse 2), for, after he has completed the קְמִיצָה procedure, he collects all the
frankincense from the meal-offering and makes it go up in smoke.-[Torath
Kohanim 2:98] He shall pour [oil]…and place [frankincense] …and he shall
bring [it to…the kohanim] -[Because Scripture mentions the “pouring” of the
oil before the individual “brings” it to the kohanim,] this teaches [us] that
pouring and mixing may be performed [even] by a non- kohen. [And how do we know
this concerning the mixing? Because in verses 5-6 below, Scripture states of a
meal-offering, “mixed with oil,” before the pouring procedure is to take place,
thus, if pouring may be performed by a non- kohen, then mixing, which precedes
pouring, may surely be performed by a non- kohen
2 [And
he shall bring it to…] the kohanim, and he [the kohen] shall scoop out From the קְמִיצָה scooping procedure and onwards, it is
exclusively the priesthood who is commanded [to perfo rm these remaining
procedures].- [Torath Kohanim 2:100]
And
from there, he [the kohen] shall scoop out [From where?] From the place where the feet of the non- kohen were
standing.- [Torath Kohanim 2:104] This teaches us that scooping may be
performed any place within the courtyard of the Holy Temple, even within the
eleven cubits [span of courtyard grounds] in which ordinary Israelites [i.e.,
non- kohanim were permitted] to walk.-[Yoma 16b]
his
fistful One might think [that
the fistful may be] full to overflowing, bursting through his fist and coming
out on every side! Scripture, therefore, states in another passage, “And from
it, he shall lift up in his fist” (Lev. 6:8), [i.e., only what is contained
within his fist is valid to be burnt]. But since [we now know that the amount
shall be only] what is contained within his fist, one might suggest that it
means less than a fistful. Scripture, therefore, states here, מְלֹא, “full” [i.e., it shall be a full fist].
How then [does the kohen scoop out exactly a fistful, not more and not less]?
He covers the palm of his hand with his three fingers, [and then, with the
remaining thumb from above and little finger from below, he levels off any
overflowing mixture, so that exactly a full measure of “three fingers” is attained].-[Torath
Kohanim 2:105; Men. 11a] This is the definition of קֹמֶץ, a “fistful” in the Hebrew language [while
in other languages, a “fistful” of something might mean four fingers full of
something].
in
addition to all its frankincense In addition to all the
frankincense, the fist shall be full.
its
frankincense. Then, [the kohen] shall cause…to [go up in] smoke- The frankincense is also to be burnt.-[Torath
Kohanim 2:107]
his
fistful of its fine flour and its oil but if he scooped, and a
grain of salt or a particle of frankincense went up into his hand, it is unfit.
-[Torath Kohanim 2:107]
its
reminder The fistful offered up
to the Most High [God], is the “reminder” of the meal-offering, because through
it, its owner [who brought that sacrifice] is remembered for the good, [causing
G-d] contentment.
3 to Aaron and his descendants The Kohen Gadol
[signified by “Aaron” here,] takes a portion [of what remains of the
meal-offering] first, without having to take part in the equal division of the
meal offering, while [after this,] the ordinary kohen [signified by “and his
descendants” here,] takes his share in the equal division of the
meal-offering.-[Torath Kohanim 2:112]
[it
is] holy of holies for the Kohanim.
from
the fire-offerings of the Lord They may take their
share in it only after the offerings to the fire [i.e., only after the fistful
has been scooped out and burnt, thereby becoming a fire-offering to God. Before
this, however, they may not partake of the meal-offering].-[Torath Kohanim 2:
113]
4 And
if you bring [a meal-offering which was baked in an oven] [Namely: If a person] said, “I hereby take upon
myself to bring a meal-offering baked in an oven.” Scripture teaches [us] that
he may bring either loaves or wafers.- [Torath Kohanim 2:115] The loaves are to
be mixed up (בְּלוּלֹת) [with olive oil], while the wafers are to
be anointed (מְשֻׁחִים) [with olive oil].-[Torath Kohanim 2: 117;
Men. 74b] Now, our Rabbis (Men. 75a) differ regarding the anointing procedure (מְשִׁיחָה) [for the wafers]: Some say that one must
anoint them and again anoint them until all the oil in the log [a volume of
liquid] has been used up, for all meal-offerings require one log of oil [each].
Others say that [some of] the oil was smeared [on the wafer] in the form of a
Greek “chi” [shaped like the Hebrew נ,
see Rashi Exod. 29:2], while the remaining oil was eaten separately by the
kohanim. [Now, the verse here says, “mixed with oil…anointed with oil.”] What
does the repetition of the word “oil” come to teach us? [It teaches us that for
meal-offerings, oil used need not be only from the initial extract from the
olives, but] may also be from the second and third extract out of the olives.
The only case where the initial extract of oil is required, is the menorah,
because regarding it, Scripture says (Exod. 27:20), שֶׁמֶן
זַיִת זָךְ, “clear olive oil.”-[Torath Kohanim 2:118]
And we learned in Men. (76a): All meal-offerings baked before the קְמִיצָה [scooping out] procedure, and consequently
whose קְמִיצָה is performed by breaking the offering into
pieces (see verse 6), all shall be offered in [parcels of] ten loaves
[regarding those about which Scripture says חַלֹּוֹת, “loaves,” and parcels of] ten wafers, for
those offerings about which Scripture says רְקִיקִין, “wafers.”
5 And if a meal-offering on a pan [is your
sacrifice] - מִנְחָה
עַל
הַמַּחֲבַתNamely:
If one said, “I hereby take upon myself to bring מִנְחַת
הַמַּחֲבַת, a pan- fried meal offering.” [מַחֲבַת] was a vessel in the Holy Temple, in which
[certain] meal-offerings were baked in oil upon the fire. This vessel is not
deep, but shallow. And therefore, meal-offerings made in it were hard, for
since the pan was shallow, [the oil spread thin and consequently,] the fire
consumed the oil [causing the product to become hard].-[Men. 63a] And all
[meal-offerings] require three applications of oil: יְצִיקָה [pouring], בְּלִילָה [mixing] and placing oil in the vessel
before their preparation.-[Torath Kohanim 2:121, Men. 75a]
fine
flour, mixed with oil [This] teaches [us] that
he must mix them while they are [still] fine flour [and not mixing the oil with
the already-fried cakes].-[Torath Kohanim 2: 122]
6
Break it into pieces, […It is a meal-offering] [The clause at the end of this verse, “It is a
meal-offering,” appears superfluous. However, it] comes to include all
meal-offerings baked before the קְמִיצָה procedure, to [have their קְמִיצָה performed by] פְּתִיתָה, breaking them into pieces.-[Men. 75a]
and
you shall [then] pour oil over it. It is a meal-offering This includes all meal-offerings for יְצִיקָה, “pouring of the oil.” One might think
that this applies also to a meal- offering baked in an oven. Scripture,
therefore, says, “[You shall then pour oil] עָלֶיהָ, over it, ” [but not over that baked in an
oven.] Perhaps we should exclude חַלֹּות, loaves [of oven-baked meal-offerings
only], while not excluding the רְקִיקִיןwafers
[of oven baked meal-offerings]? Scripture, therefore, says, הִיא [i. e., “It,” to have both cases of loaves
and wafers of an oven-baked meal-offering excluded from יְצִיקָה].-[Men. 75a].
7
[made] in a deep pot - מַרְחֶשֶׁת. This was a deep vessel in the Temple. And
since it was deep, its oil gathered together, and the fire did not burn it.
Consequently, meal-offerings made in it, vibrate (רוֹחֲַשִׁין) (Torath Kohanim 2:127), [as] anything
which has become softened through a liquid, [like in the case of deep-frying מִנְחַת
מַרְחֶשֶׁת appears to vibrate (רוֹחֵשׁ) and wiggle.
8
which shall be made from these [types] [literally, “which shall
be made from these,” meaning a meal-offering] which shall be made from one of
these types [of meal-offerings mentioned, namely, fine flour baked in an oven,
pan-fried or that made in a deep pot].
And he
shall bring it i.e., its owner [shall
bring it] to the kohen.
and he
shall bring it close [I.e.,] the kohen [shall
bring it close].
to the
altar He shall bring it close to the
south-western corner of the altar.-[
9 its reminder This is קֹמֶץ, [the fistful scooped out of the
meal-offering].
11 or any honey Any sweet fruit extract is
called honey.
12 [However,] you shall bring them as a first
[fruit] offering What can you bring from leaven and honey? A first [fruit]
offering, namely, a) the שְׁתֵּי
הַלֶּחֶם, the two loaves [of bread] brought on Shavuoth, which come from
leaven, as it is said: “they shall be baked leavened” (Lev. 23:17), and b) The בִּכּוּרִים, “first fruits” which [contain] דְּבַשׁ, honey, e.g., the first fruits of figs and
dates.-[Men. 58a]
13 the
salt of [your God’s] covenant for there was a covenant
made with salt since the six days of Creation, in that the lower waters were
promised that they would be offered on the altar. [And how were they offered?
In the form of] salt [which comes from water,] and in the water libations on
the Festival [of Succoth].
[You
shall offer salt] on all your sacrifices [including] burnt-offerings from animals and birds, and the אֵימוּרִים, the portions of the sacrifices offered up
on the altar, from all holy sacrifices.-[Men. 20a]
14 When you bring Heb. וְאִם
תַּקְרִיב Now, the word אִם [here] has the meaning of כִּי, “when,” because this is not optional, for Scripture is
referring to the הָעֹמֶר
מִנְחַת [the omer meal-offering, a community sacrifice brought on the
sixteenth of Nissan,] which is obligatory. [Thus, the verse reads: “When you
bring…”].- [Torath Kohanim 2:148] Likewise, “And when (וְאִם) the Jubilee…will be” (Num. 36:4), [and not
“if the Jubilee…will be”].
a meal
offering of the first grains Scripture is referring
here to the מִנְחַת
הָעֹמֶר, the “omer meal-offering,” which is to be offered אָבִיב, meaning, as soon as the grain has
ripened, and it comes from barley. [And how do we know that it comes from
barley?] For here in our verse, it says, אָבִיב, and in an earlier verse, it says (Exod.
9:31), כִּי
הַשְּׂעֹרָה
אָבִיב, “for the barley was ripened (אָבִיב)”.-[Torath Kohanim 2:149; Men. 68b]
parched
over the fire For they dry the grain
over a fire, in a roasting pipe [Rashi explains in Tractate Men., אָבִיב refers to a vessel used by those selling
roasted seeds].-[Torath Kohanim 2:150] [And they had to do this to the grain,]
for otherwise, it could not be ground up, because it is moist.
kernels
full in their husks, [ground into] coarse meal Heb. גֶּרֶשׂ
כַּרְמֶל “Broken up while still moist (כַּרְמֶל).”
coarse
meal Heb. גֶּרֶשׂ, an expression denoting breaking up or
grinding with grit millstones, and likewise, “Indeed, He has made [my teeth]
grind (וַיַּגְְרֵס) on gravel” (Lam. 3: 16), and similarly in
the verse, “My soul is crushed (גָּרְסָה)” (Ps. 119:20).
full
in their husks Heb. כַּרְמֶל, [an acronym of כַּר, husk, and מָלֵא, full. Thus, it means: The grain is ground up] while the husk (כַּר) is still full (מָלֵא) (Men. 66b), i.e., when the produce is
still fresh and full in its stalks; hence, fresh ears of grain are called כַּרְמֶל, and similarly, “and sheaves of fresh
grain (כַּרְמֶל) in their shells” (II Kings 4: 42).
Chapter 3
1 peace-offering
Heb. שְׁלָמִים. [So named] because they instill peace (שָׁלוֹם) in the world. Another explanation: [They are
called שְׁלָמִים because they bring about harmony (שָׁלוֹם), [since some portions of the sacrifice go]
to the altar, to the Kohanim and to the owner [of the sacrifice].-[Torath
Kohanim 3:156].
3 and all the fat [This expression] comes to
include the fat that is on the maw [the lowest stomach and all the more so, the
fat upon the intestines]: These are the words of Rabbi Ishmael. Rabbi Akiva,
however, says: [It comes to include only] the fat upon the intestines.-[Torath
Kohanim 3:168, Chul. 49].
4 the flanks Heb. הַכְּסָלִים, flancs in Old French. For, in the case of a
live animal, the fat that is on the kidneys, is situated at the height of the
flanks, and they [the flanks] are situated below. This is the fat beneath the
loins, which is called lonbels in Old French, the white fat visible above, upon
the height of the flanks, while on the lower part of the flanks, [this fat is
not visible, because] the flesh covers it.- [Chul. 93a, and Rashi there]
the diaphragm This is the dividing wall
[separating the thoracic cavity (breathing organs) from the abdominal cavity
(organs of digestion)], which is called ebres in Old French. In the Aramaic
language it is called חַצְרָא
דְּכַבְדָא, the yard of the liver.
with the liver Along with the diaphragm
[which covers the liver], he must take a small amount of the liver. [The fact
that some of the liver must be taken is illustrated] in another verse, where
[regarding the same matter], Scripture says (Lev. 9:10), וְאֶת
הַיֹּתֶרֶת
מִן הַכָּבֵד, “and the diaphragm from the liver”.-[Torath
Kohanim 3:172]
the liver along with the kidneys - עַל הַכָּבֵד
עַל
הַכְּלָיוּת. In addition to the liver and in addition to
the kidneys, he shall remove this.
5 In addition to the burnt offering Heb. עַל
הָעֹלָה, in addition to the burnt- offering. [From
here,] we learn that the daily burnt-offering precedes any other sacrifice upon
the woodpile [of the altar].
7 If [he brings] a sheep Since among the
sacrificial portions of the sheep there is something that is not among the
sacrificial portions of the goat, namely that the tail of a sheep is offered up
[on the altar], these two [namely sheep and goats] were divided into two
sections.-[Torath Kohanim 3:185].
8 And [Aaron’s descendants] shall dash [its blood] Two applications [of blood were required], which were [counted
as] four (see Rashi above, Lev. 1:5). The Kohen must dash [the blood] by means
of a vessel. He does not apply [the blood] with his finger except [in the case
of] a sin-offering.-[Zev. 53b].
9 the choicest part Heb. חֶלְבּוֹ.[Usually, its fat. Here it means] its
choicest part. And what is this? The complete tail.
opposite the kidneys Heb. הֶעָצֶה, above the kidneys, which give counsel (הַיּוֹעֲצוּת).
11 as food for the fire, to the Lord Food for the fire, in the Name of the most High [God].
food Heb. לֶחֶם, an expression meaning food [in general, not
only bread]. Similarly, we find in the verse, “Let us destroy his food (בְּלַחְמוֹ) with wood” (Jer. 11:19); and, “made a great
feast (לְחֵם)” (Dan. 5:1), and, “On joyous occasions, a
feast (לֶחֶם) is made” (Eccl. 10:19).
17 [This is] an eternal statute This entire verse is explained very clearly in Torath Kohanim
(3:189).
Welcome to the
World of Remes Exegesis
Thirteen
rules compiled by Rabbi Ishmael
b. Elisha for the elucidation of the Torah and for making
halakhic deductions from it. They are, strictly speaking, mere amplifications
of the seven Rules
of Hillel, and are collected in the Baraita
of R. Ishmael, forming the introduction to the Sifra and reading a
follows:
Ḳal
wa-ḥomer: Identical with the first rule of Hillel.
Gezerah shawah:
Identical with the second rule of Hillel.
Binyan
ab: Rules deduced from a single passage of Scripture and
rules deduced from two passages. This rule is a combination of the third and
fourth rules of Hillel.
Kelal
u-Peraṭ: The general and the particular.
u-Peraṭ
u-kelal: The particular and the general.
Kelal
u-Peraṭ u-kelal: The general, the particular, and the general.
The
general which requires elucidation by the particular, and the
particular which requires elucidation by the general.
The particular
implied in the general and excepted from it for pedagogic purposes elucidates
the general as well as the particular.
The
particular implied in the general and excepted from it on
account of the special regulation which corresponds in concept to the general,
is thus isolated to decrease rather than to increase the rigidity of its
application.
The
particular implied in the general and excepted from it on
account of some other special regulation which does not correspond in concept
to the general, is thus isolated either to decrease or to increase the rigidity
of its application.
The
particular implied in the general and excepted from it on
account of a new and reversed decision can be referred to the general only in
case the passage under consideration makes an explicit reference to it.
Deduction
from the context.
When two
Biblical passages contradict each other the
contradiction in question must be solved by reference to a third passage.
Rules
seven to eleven are formed by a subdivision of the fifth rule of Hillel; rule
twelve corresponds to the seventh rule of Hillel, but is amplified in certain
particulars; rule thirteen does not occur in Hillel, while, on the other hand,
the sixth rule of R. Hillel is omitted by R. Ishmael. These rules are found
also on the morning prayers of any Jewish Orthodox Siddur together with a brief
explanation for each one of them.
Ramban’s Commentary for: Vayiqra (Leviticus) 1:1 – 3:17
1:1. AND HE CALLED UNTO MOSES; AND THE
ETERNAL SPOKE UNTO HIM. Scripture
states [the fact that G-d called to Moses] here and not in other places,
because Moses was not able to enter
into the Tent of Meeting,[1] and
to draw near the place where G-d was,[2] except
through G-d calling him [to come into the Tent of Meeting]. For Moses had
already been told, and I will speak
with you from above the ark-cover;[3] where I will meet with you.[4] Since
he knew that the Eternal that sits
upon the cherubim[5]
was there, Moses was afraid to come into the Tent at all until He called
him, just as it was at Mount Sinai where it is said, and on the seventh day He called unto Moses out of the midst of the
cloud.[6]
Or it may be that Moses did not know that the Glory of G-d was in the Tent
and that the communication to him would be from there,[7]
since the cloud did not cover the Tent of Meeting until the eighth day of the
installation according to the opinion of our Rabbis;[8]
and after this call Moses came into the innermost part of the Tent [i.e., the
Holy of Holies], just as the Rabbis have interpreted:[9]
"Aaron was not to enter [the Sanctuary except at the prescribed time],
but Moses was not included in this command." This is the plain meaning of
this verse. I have explained it already above.[10]
But our Rabbis have said[11]
that "all communications [that came to Moses], whether they are introduced
by the word daber (speak), or
by emor (say), or tzav (command), were
preceded by a call," that is to say, G-d said to him, 'Moses, Moses' and he answered, 'Here am I.' [12] This
was a way of expressing affection and encouragement to Moses.[13]
Now according to this opinion, Scripture mentioned the expression [And
He called unto him . . . ] here, because it was the first communication
communication that came to Moses
from the Tent of Meeting, thus teaching us concerning all the other
communications that such was His procedure with him all the time and with the
whole Torah. The expression out of the Tent of Meeting refers according
to the Rabbis to the preceding words, [the interpretation of the verse thus
being]: "and He called unto him out of the Tent of Meeting; and the
Eternal spoke to him in the Tent," for Moses was already there [in the
Tent].44 The explanation of the verse according to its plain meaning
and sense is: "and the Eternal called unto Moses and spoke unto him, out
of the Tent of Meeting."
By way of the Truth, [the mystic
teachings of the Cabala], this verse is like, And unto Moses He said: 'Come up unto the Eternal.'[14]
Its secret is known from the Revelation on Mount Sinai[15]
and the Ten Commandments. I have alluded to it already.[16]
2.
WHEN ANY MAN BRINGS OF YOU AN OFFERING UNTO THE ETERNAL OF THE CATTLE. The meaning of this verse is as
follows: "when any man of you brings from the cattle an offering to the
Eternal, of the herd or of the flock you will bring it." The reason for
this command is that since He commanded afterwards concerning fowl-offerings[17] and
meal-offerings,[18]
He said here that when a man brings an offering of cattle, he must bring it of
one of these two kinds [herd and flock], but not a wild beast nor any other
cattle. Thus he who offers a beast [as an offering to G-d], violates a
prohibition which is derived from a positive commandment [and carries the force
of a positive commandment], just as the Rabbis have said in the third chapter
of Tractate Zebachim:[19]
"Rabbi Yochanan said: one who offers the limbs of a [kosher] beast [upon
the altar of G-d] transgresses a positive commandment."
"'TAKRIVU'
(YOU WILL BRING).
This teaches that two [or more] persons may bring a freewill burnt-offering in
partnership. YOUR OFFERING. This
teaches that a burnt-offering may be brought as a freewill offering of the
[entire] public [not only of groups of individuals]. This refers to the
burnt-offering of the altar's summertime[20]
which was supplied from the surplus [of the half-shekels of the past
year]." This is Rashi's language.
The meaning of the Rabbi's interpretation
is thus to state that if many persons voluntarily offer to bring a
burnt-offering, it thereby becomes a burnt-offering of partners, for what
difference is there between two persons who combine to bring an offering, and
ten or a thousand who associate to do so? But the burnt-offering for the
altar's summer-time which is supplied from the surplus [of the previous year's
half-shekels], is deemed a "burnt-offering of the public" because the
authorities [of the Sanctuary who receive the donations for the offerings] do
so with the implied condition [that they may spend them at their discretion,
and the burnt-offering of the public is distinguished in certain respects from
a burnt-offering of partners]. Thus according to Rashi all burnt-offerings that
are brought by many persons — except those which come from the surplus of the
half-shekels — have the law of burnt-offerings of partners, and they all
require the laying of [their owners'] hands upon the offering,[21]
and the libations connected with them[22]
are taken from the owners [while "burnt-offerings of the public" need
no laying of hands, and the libations are supplied by the Temple treasury].
Perhaps according to the opinion of Rashi it is permitted for the general
public to offer [money] beforehand in order to bring a burnt-offering of fowls,
which may be brought as a freewill offering by two [or more] persons but may
[never] come as a freewill offering of the public, and similarly they [may
combine to bring] a peace-offering, concerning which the Sages have said[23]
that it may be brought by partners as a freewill offering but may not be
brought by the public[24] —
and in that case it is called "a burnt-offering of partners," or
"a peace-offering of partners." They [i.e., the burnt-offering of
fowls and the peace-offering], were only excluded in that they cannot be
brought from the [money of the] baskets [containing the surplus of half-shekels
which were already donated by the public for the general upkeep of the
offerings, and not specifically donated for a burnt-offering or
peace-offering].
We may possibly say that if the
public wanted originally to set aside a fund for freewill offerings, and they
collected it [for that purpose] as they collected the shekalim for the
Daily [public] Offerings and the Additional Offerings [of Sabbaths and
festivals], that there may then be a freewill public-offering of the cattle,[25]
and it will not require the laying of hands on it, being that it is included in
this verse [as a public offering]. As long as it is the majority of Israel who
donated money to that end, the offering is called "a freewill offering of
the public." [This rule applies only to the freewill burnt-offering of the
cattle] but does not apply to the burnt-offering of fowls, nor to the peace-offering.
But if a minority of the people donated towards the freewill burnt-offering,
[even if they are a large group], they are deemed as individuals [who bring
such an offering in partnership, which would thus require the laying on it of
the owners' hands, and the libations would have to be supplied by the owners].
This is the correct explanation.
4.
AND HE SHALL LAY HIS HAND.
This means his two hands, for we find it stated: and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the
bullock;[26]
and Aaron and his sons shall lay their
hands upon the head of the ram,[27]
and the Rabbis interpreted it to mean: "the hands of each and every
individual."[28]
Thus [it is clear that] both hands were required for it. In the case of the
goat designed to be sent [to Azazel] it is expressly stated, And Aaron will lay both his hands upon
the head of the live goat.[29]
If so, I do not know why Scripture wrote "his hand" [in the singular] in all other cases of the
laying of hands. Perhaps it is for the purpose of deriving therefrom what the
Rabbis have interpreted:[30] "His hand — and not
the hand of his proxy." For had it been written "his hands" [in the plural we would have interpreted it]
to require the laying of both hands, and we would not have been able to exclude
the proxy. But now that [we derive from other verses that] both hands must be
laid upon the offering, [we must conclude that] He only wrote the singular [indicating
the hands of only one person], to exclude a proxy, for although a man's proxy
is like the man himself[31]
in all other places, we should not consider him so in the case of the laying of
hands. In Torath Kohanim we find:[32] "And Aaron shall lay both his hands.[33]
This teaches that the laying of hands upon the offering
must be done with both hands, and forms the general rule for all cases of
laying of hands, that they be done with both hands."
AND
IT WILL BE FAVORABLY ACCEPTED FOR HIM TO MAKE ATONEMENT FOR HIM. "For what kind of sins does
[the freewill burnt-offering] effect atonement for the person that brings it?
Should you say, for sins [where
punishment if willfully committed] is excision, or any of the [four] deaths
imposed by the court, or death by the hands of Heaven, or stripes, the
punishment for all these sins is already stated, [and atonement is affected by
those punishments, and therefore not by this offering]! You must conclude that
[the freewill burnt-offering] effects atonement only for transgression of a
positive commandment,[34]
and for the violation of a negative commandment that is juxtaposed to a
positive commandment."[35]
This is Rashi's language, and it is a Baraitha[36]
in Torath Kohanim.[37]
But I wonder! Where is "the
punishment" for these sins already stated, since offerings only effect atonement
for unwillful violations?[38]
Now we could say that [the freewill burnt-offerings] atone for those unwillful
sins which the penalty [if committed willfully] is death by the hands of
Heaven, or stripes, or any of the [four] deaths imposed by the court, in such
cases that do not obligate one to bring a sin-offering,[39]
such as smiting one's father or mother, or cursing them,[40]
just as the sin-offering atones for the unwillful sins for which the penalty
[if committed willfully] is excision. But perhaps it appeared to the Sages that
since Scripture expressly states the punishment for both the willful and
unwillful commission of sins punishable by death imposed by the hands of the
court or by excision, [stating that if committed willfully, the sinner is
liable to one of the above punishments, and if committed unwillfully, he must
bring a sin-offering], and it further set forth the punishment of those liable
to death by the hands of Heaven or stripes for certain sins, if committed
willfully, but did not mention in these [last two categories] any punishment if
the sins are committed unwilfully — therefore it appeared [to the Sages] that
Scripture had completely set forth their case.[41]
For why should Scripture have explained the punishment of some sins if
committed either willfully or unwilfully, and explained the punishment for
other sins [only] if committed willfully, but not if committed unwilfully, and
did not say that he is obligated to bring a burnt-offering? Therefore the Sages
concluded that in the case of those sins for which one is liable to death by
the hands of Heaven or stripes, they are only punishable if committed willfully,
as explained in Scripture, but if committed unwilfully there is no burden of
sin at all and they do not need any atonement. This is the meaning of the
saying of the Rabbis [in the Torath Kohanim[42]
mentioned by Rashi]: "their punishment has already been stated,"
meaning that Scripture had already stated the whole punishment that G-d desired
to impose on them. But for the willful transgression of a positive commandment[43]
and for the violation of a
negative commandment that
is juxtaposed to a positive commandment,[44]
where Scripture mentioned no punishment whatever, and it is impossible that no
penalty should be inflicted for them at all, in these cases the sinner is
atoned for by this burnt-offering, if he brought it of his own freewill.
It is possible to say that
because He did not use in the case of the freewill offerings[45]
the expression: "to make atonement for him concerning the error which he
committed," as He said with reference to the offerings brought for sins committed
unwillfully,[46]
and instead He said, and it will be
favorably accepted, it appeared to our Rabbis that the meaning
thereof is that [the burnt-offering] effects atonement for those who willfully
commit certain sins, seeing that these persons are not [hitherto] favorably
accepted by Him. For he who commits a sin unwillfully is yet, in spite of his
sin, considered favorably accepted by G-d. If so, it is impossible that the
burnt-offering effect atonement for willful sinners except for those who
transgress a positive commandment or a negative commandment that is juxtaposed
to a positive commandment, in which cases no punishment has been mentioned in
Scripture, but they are not pleasing to G-d because they violated His
commandment. With what can these men become favorably accepted by their Master?[47]
With this gift!
I have seen in the Agadah,[48]
in Vayikra Rabbah:[49]
"Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught: The burnt-offering only comes to effect
atonement for sinful thoughts of the heart. Said Rabbi Levi: It is a clear
Biblical text: 'V'ha'olah al ruchachem'[50]
(And that which cometh into your mind)
will not be at all [51]
— the olah (burnt-offering)
effects atonement for those things which come into your mind. Similarly it says
of Job: and he offered
burnt-offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, 'It may be
that my sons have sinned, and blasphemed G-d in their hearts,'?[52]
This proves that the burnt-offering only comes to effect atonement for
sinful thoughts of the heart." The reason why [the burnt-offering was
singled out for this purpose] is because it is a sin that no one recognizes
except G-d [Who knows our secret thoughts]; therefore it is wholly burnt to
G-d.
The expression u'nirtzah lo[53]
refers back to the Glorious Name
mentioned [in the preceding verse: to
the door of the Tent of Meeting he will bring it for his acceptance before the
Eternal], meaning that he should be favorably accepted by Him
through this offering which effects atonement for him. This is similar in
expression to these verses: for
wherewith should this fellow 'yithratzeh' (reconcile himself) unto his lord?;[54]
and the light of Your countenance because 'r'tzitham' (You were favorable to
them),[55]
and many others. It is possible that v'nirtzah.
is a by-word for the sin, meaning that the sin is finished for him, so that
he may now be forgiven, similar to these expressions: 'ki nirtzah avonah' (that her guilt is paid off);[56]
until the land 'rotz'thah' (had been
paid) her Sabbaths;[57]
and they 'yirtzu' (will be paid) the
punishment of their iniquity[58]
- all these being expressions of completion. It is further possible to say
in line with the first interpretation, that the sin will be as if it were
"agreeable" [not objectionable before G -d], meaning that His anger
will no longer be kindled against him.
5.
AND HE WILL SLAUGHTER THE BULL BEFORE THE ETERNAL. AND THE PRIESTS, AARON'S
SONS, WILL OFFER THE BLOOD.
"All acts from receiving [the blood in a vessel] onwards are the duty of
the priests. This teaches that the slaughtering [of the offering] is valid if
performed by a zar (non-priest). 'V'hikriou'
(and they will offer ... ) - this refers to 'receiving' [the blood],
and the sense thereof is the bringing [of the blood to the altar]. Thus we
learn that both of them [receiving the blood and bringing it to the altar], are
to be done by Aaron's sons." This is Rashi's language.
But it is not correct.[59]
Instead, the Midrash of our Rabbis states:[60] "V'hikrivu - this is
the receiving of the blood." For the term v'hikrivu does not mean the bringing of the blood
near to the altar, namely the holachah
(carrying of it). Instead, v'hikrivu
is an expression similar to the word korban
(offering) and it signifies receiving [of the blood in a vessel] and
sprinkling it upon the altar. Thus He mentioned bringing it [to the door of the
Tent of Meeting], laying hands on it, and slaughtering it with reference to the
owner of the offering, and after the slaughtering He immediately mentioned the
sons of Aaron. It accordingly follows that receiving the blood is in itself a
duty to be performed by the priests, and may only be done by a qualified priest
and with vessels dedicated to the Temple Service; and [it follows] all the more
that bringing it to the altar and sprinkling it [can be done only by a
qualified priest]. Moreover, even carrying of the limbs to the ramp [leading to
the altar] is invalid if done by a non-priest, for so the Rabbis interpreted:[61] "And the priest will offer it all,
and cause it to ascend in fumes upon the altar"[62]
- this refers to carrying of the limbs to the ramp." If so, carrying
the blood to the altar also maybe done only by a priest with all the conditions
of priesthood.
6.
AND HE WILL FLAY THE BURNT-OFFERING.
He is commanded to flay it while it is whole and afterwards he sever it. The
expression and he will flay ... and
he will sever refers to the owner of the offering [even if he is
a non-priest], just as He said, and
he will lay his hand ... [63] and he will slaughter [64]
[which may also be done by a zar
- a non-priest], for flaying and severing are not functions relating to the
actual offering and are therefore valid if done by a zar. This is why [in the following verse] He says
again, And the sons of Aaron [the
priest will put fire upon the altar].[65]
Similarly, it is valid that the washing of the inwards be done by a zar. Hence He says, But its inwards and its legs he wll wash
in water,[66]
that is, the owner of the offering, and afterwards, and the priest will cause all to ascend in fumes.[67]
He states it in the plural, and
they will put . . .[68]
and they will set the pieces,[69]
because all duties performed by the priests are commanded in this form,
since there are many priests gathered in the House of G-d to attend to the
burnt-offerings, and in the multitude
of the people is the King's glory,[70]
but it is not indispensable, since further on He taught, and the priest will set them in order[71]
[thus showing that even a single priest may perform all the acts].[72]
AND
HE WILL FLAY . . . AND HE WILL SEVER . . . AND THE SONS OF AARON THE PRIEST
WILL PUT FIRE UPON THE ALTAR.[73]
This is not the correct order of these actions, for the right way is that the
priests should first put fire upon the altar, and only then should they sever
the limbs. Such indeed was the order of the arrangement of the Daily Offering.[74]
Similarly, the verse stating, And the
priests, Aaron's sons, will set the pieces, the head and the fat, in order upon
the wood that is on the fire,[75]
and afterwards, But its inwards
and its legs he will wash in water[76]
— does not mean to command that it be done in that order, for "the
setting" [mentioned in Verse 8] refers to "the burning" of the
pieces which He commanded further on [in Verse 9]: and the priest will cause all to ascend in fumes. If
so, the correct order of performance cannot be that he should bring up the
pieces, and the head and the fat, and set them upon the fire that is upon the
altar, and only afterwards should he wash the inwards and the legs and burn
them! Rather, he first severed it and washed it, and then he brought everything
up and set them on the fire to be burnt. The reason [for the order] of the
verses is thus as follows: First He mentioned the sprinkling of the blood[77]
in order to teach that this comes before everything else. Then He gave the commandment
concerning the burning of the limbs, stating [in Verse 6 before us] that he
should flay [the animal] and sever it in order to set the pieces upon the fire
after washing the inwards and the legs, and then he should burn them all at one
time, this being the sense of the expression and the priest will cause 'all' to ascend in fumes.[78]
The reason why Scripture repeated [the commandment] concerning the limbs,
stating, and they will set them.
..upon the fire,[79]
and the priest will cause all to ascend
in fumes,[80]
is in order to teach us that after he arranges them upon the fire, he
should not depart until the fire has taken hold of them and consumed them so
that the fumes thereof ascend. Similarly, the reason why He preceded to mention
the flaying and severing to that of making the fire, is in order to teach us
that in a freewill burnt-offering [discussed in this section], there is no
obligation to set the fire upon the altar before [these activities] as is the
case with the Daily Offering, concerning which we were commanded, and the priest will kindle wood on it
every morning,[81]
this being the first thing of all that was done in everything that pertains to the altar[82]
as is explained in Tractate Yoma.[83]
8.
'V'ETH HAPADER.'
Onkelos translated it: tarba
(fat), and this is also the consensus of opinion of all commentators, the
word (pader) having no
companion in the Hebrew language. In my opinion the word is not a generic term
for all kinds of fat, but signifies specifically the thin layer of fat which
spreads over and divides between the inwards, and the word pader is one of those
terms whose letters are interchangeable, thus: pader — pared (division), [and is so called] since it
divides between the upper and the lower inwards. That is why our Rabbis have
said[84]
that [when the limbs are taken up to the altar] the pader is spread over the throat of the animal at the
place where the act of slaughter was performed, for this is considered regard
for Him Who is on high, since that fat is fit to be spread and serve as a
cover. It is also customary among the nobility of nations to spread it over a
roast. If, however, the word pader
is indeed a generic term for all kinds of fat, [it is my opinion that] fat
is so called because it is the greasy substance which is "separated"
from the flesh, and such in fact is the term used as an equivalent for fat by
students of nature, as I will mention.[85]
9.
A BURNT-OFFERING.
"[He will burn it] with the intention that it should be a burnt-offering
[and not an offering of another category], ISHEIH'
(A FIRE-OFFERING). When he slaughters it he should slaughter it with the
intention of [burning it by] fire, [as will be explained further on]. Wherever
the word isheih occurs,
it is an expression of fire. PLEASING
- it is pleasing to Me that I have commanded and My will was done." This
is the language of Rashi.
Now the Rabbi did not explain
what is meant by "the intention of [burning it by] fire." In the
Gemara[86]
the Rabbis have said: "this is to exclude kabobo, which may not be done." Now the
commentators[87]
explained this to mean that he should slaughter it with the intention of
placing it on flames burning the pile of wood upon the altar, and not of
placing it upon dying coals which are in the process of being extinguished. To
me it appears that the intention he needs to have is that the fire should burn
it completely, and not that it should just be roasted there a little, the word kabobo being similar to
the expression of the Rabbis in the chapter entitled "A stubborn and
rebellious son:" [88]
"k'basar kiba (like
partly-roasted meat) which thieves eat." In Tractate Erubin we also find:[89] "v'nichbeiv (let him
roast it) and eat it." Now some books have a reading in Tractate Zebachim:[90]
"this is to exclude gabobo
(straw), which may not be done." Accordingly the meaning thereof is
that he should have the intention to put it on a fire of wood, as it is
written, on the wood that is on the
fire,[91]
and he should not intend to put it upon a fire made of stubble and straw,
similar to that which we have been taught [in a Mishnah]:[92]
"If a double-stove had been heated with stubble and gabobo."
Now this verse mentions a reason
for the offerings, namely, that they are a
fire-offering, of a pleasing odor unto the Eternal. The Rabbi
[Moshe ben Maimon] wrote in the Moreh Nebuchim[93]
that the reason for the offerings is because the Egyptians and the Chaldeans in
whose lands the children of Israel were strangers and sojourners, used always
to worship the herd and the flock, the Egyptians worshipping the sheep and the
Chaldeans worshipping the demons whom they imagined as assuming the form of
goats. To this day men of India never slaughter the herd. It was for this
reason that He commanded [Israel] to slaughter these three species [of cattle:
the herd, the flock, and the goats], to the Revered Name, so that it be known
that the very act which the idol-worshippers considered to be the utmost sin
[i.e., slaughtering the above species], that same act should be done as an
offering before the Creator, and through it Israel's sins would be forgiven.
For such is the way to cure people of false beliefs, which are the diseases of
the human soul, for all diseases and sicknesses are healed by medicines which
are antithetical to them. These are the words [the Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon], and
he expounded them at great length.
But these words are mere
expressions, healing casually a severe wound[94]
and a great difficulty, and making the
table of the Eternal polluted,[95]
[as if the offerings were intended only] to remove false beliefs from the
hearts of the wicked and fools of the world, when Scripture says that they are the food of the offering made by fire,
for a pleasing odor.[96]
Moreover, [if the offerings were meant to eliminate] the foolish [ideas] of
the Egyptians, their disease would not thereby be cured. On the contrary, it
would increase the cause of sorrow, for since the intention of the
above-mentioned wicked ones was to worship the constellations of the sheep and
the ox, which according to their opinion possess certain powers [over human
affairs], and which is why they abstain from eating them in deference to their
power and strength, then if these species are slaughtered to the Revered Name,
it is a mark of respect and honor to [these constellations]. These worshippers
themselves were in the habit of so doing, as He has said, And they will no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto the satyrs,[97]
and those who made the [golden] calf sacrificed to it.[98]
Now the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] mentions108 that the
idol-worshippers used to sacrifice to the moon on the days of new-moon, and to
the sun when it rose in a particular constellation known to them from their
books. The disease of idolatry would surely have been far better cured if we
were to eat [these animal-deities] to our full, which would be considered by
them forbidden and repugnant, and something they would never do!
Furthermore, when Noah came out
of the ark with his three sons, there were as yet no Chaldeans or Egyptians in
the world, yet he brought an offering, which was pleasing to G-d, as concerning
it Scripture says, And the Eternal
smelled the pleasing odor,[99]
and on account of it He said in
His heart, I will not again
curse the ground any more for man's sake.'[100]
Abel likewise brought of the firstborn
of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Eternal had regard unto Abel and
to his offering.[101]
Yet there was as yet not the slightest trace at all of idol-worship in the
world! Balaam said, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a
bullock and a ram on every altar.[102]
His
intent[103]
then was not to eradicate from [Balak's mind] evil beliefs, nor was he
commanded to bring the offerings. Instead, Balaam did so in order to approach
G-d so that he would be reached by His communication. The Scriptural
expression concerning the offerings is, My
food which is presented unto Me for offerings made by fire, for a pleasing odor
unto Me.[104]
Far be it that they should have no other purpose and intention except the
elimination of idolatrous opinions from the minds of fools![105]
It is far more fitting to accept
the reason for the offerings which scholars[106]
say, namely that since man's deeds are accomplished through thought, speech and
action, therefore G-d commanded that when man sins and brings an offering, he
should lay his hands upon it in contrast to the [evil] deed [committed]. He
should confess his sin verbally in contrast to his [evil] speech, and he should
burn the inwards and the kidneys [of the offering] in fire because they are
the instruments of thought and desire in the human being. He should burn the
legs [of the offering] since they correspond to the hands and feet of a person,
which do all his work. He should sprinkle the blood upon the altar, which is
analogous to the blood in his body. All these acts are performed in order that
when they are done, a person should realize that he has sinned against his G-d
with his body and his soul, and that "his" blood should really be
spilled and "his" body burned, were it not for the loving-kindness of
the Creator, Who took from him a substitute and a ransom, namely this offering,
so that its blood should be in place of his blood, its life in place of his
life, and that the chief limbs of the offering should be in place of the chief
parts of his body. The portions [given from the sin-offering to the priests],
are in order to support the teachers of the Torah, so that they pray on his
behalf. The reason for the Daily public Offering is that it is impossible for
the public [as a whole] to continually avoid sin. Now these are words which are
worthy to be accepted, appealing to the heart as do words of Agadah.
By way of the Truth, [the mystic
teachings of the Cabala], there is a hidden secret contained in the offerings.
You may be introduced to it by that which our Rabbis have said in the Sifre[107]
and.at the end of Tractate Menachoth:[108]
"Shimon ben Azai said: Come and see what is written in the section of the
offerings! It does not say with reference to them El (G-d), nor Elokecha
(your G-d), nor Elohim
(G-d), nor Shadai (Almighty),
nor Tzebaoth (G-d of
'Hosts'), but only, Yod Hei
-the Proper name of G-d [the Tetragrammaton - 'Eternal'] - in order not to
give an opponent [i.e., a believer in plurality] an occasion for a point of
attack.[109]
Perhaps you might say that He is in need of food, Scripture therefore says, If I were hungry, I would not tell thee;
for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.[110]
I have only commanded you to bring the offerings in order that My Will
should be said and fulfilled." In the beginning of Torath Kohanim we also
find:[111]
"Rabbi Yosei says: Wherever an offering is mentioned by Scripture,
the Tetragrammaton is used, in order not to give an opportunity for heretics to
rebel" [by finding pluralistic allusions against the principle of Unity].
These are the words of the Rabbis of blessed memory.
Now it is true that in the
section of the Torah where the offerings are commanded it does not say El or Elohim (G-d). But
we do find [elsewhere in Scripture] verses as follows: and you will offer burnt-offerings thereon unto the Eternal Elohecha'
(your G-d);[112]
the bread of 'Elohehem' (their G-d),
they do offer;[113]
you will sanctify him [the
priest], for he offers the bread of
'Elohecha' (your G-d).[114]
In the psalm mentioned above it is written, Offer unto 'Elohim' (G-d) the offering of thanksgiving.[115]
It is further written: For our
fathers have acted treacherously, and done that which was evil in the sight of
the Eternal our G-d, and have forsaken Him . . .Also they have closed the doors
of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered
burnt-offerings in the holy place unto 'Elohei' (the G-d of) Israel.[116]
But the whole subject is
explained in the Torah [itself], as it is said, My offering, My bread Tishai' (for My fire-offerings)[117] and it is said, the food of 'isheh'
(the fire offering),[118]
meaning that the offerings are the food of isheh, and from it they are for the ishim — the word isheh being an expression
for "fire." Now Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that isheh is an adjectival
noun, meaning "a fire-offering," qualifying the word "all" [and the priest will cause 'all' to
ascend in fumes];[119]
and in the case of the meal-offering where it says, and the priest shall cause to ascend in fumes the memorial-portion
of it upon the altar, 'isheih'(a fire offering), of a pleasing odor unto the Eternal,[120]
[the word isheh] is adjectival to the word kometz ["handful"
- mentioned in the first part
of the verse]. But this is not so. Rather, the word isheh is a noun like eish (fire), and olah
isheh [mentioned in Verse 9 before us] is like olath eish (a
burnt-offering of fire), of a
pleasing odor unto the Eternal, and so are all similar
expressions, their meaning being like lechem
isheh (the food of the fire-offering).[121]
The reason, however, why He did not say eish
but said isheh [comprised
of the letters: alef shin, hei]
is [to allude to] the plain meaning thereof, as it has been shown to you in the mount [122]
at the Giving of the Torah, which refers to the offering in
the attribute of justice. The slaughtering [of the offering] must be
to the Name of the Eternal alone, meaning that [he who slaughters it] must have
no intention to do so to anything else in the world, save unto the Name of the
Eternal only, this being the meaning of the expression 'olah hu . . . isheh hu' (it is a burnt-offering ... a fire-offering).
. .[123]
That is why the verse says, For the
'ishe' (fire-offerings) of the Eternal, the bread of their G-d, they offer, and
they will be holy,[124]
for the offering of their G-d is unto the 'ishe
of the Eternal; and therefore the Rabbis have said[125]
that in [the sections of the Torah giving] the commands for the offerings, it
does not mention El or
Elohim (G-d),[126]
but a fire-offering unto the Eternal,[127]
a pleasing odor unto the Eternal,[128]
for the intention must be unto the Eternal alone, and he
who performs the acts of offering it up should have no other intent or thought
save only to the Proper Name [i.e., the Tetragrammaton]. This is the
sense of the saying of the Sages:[129]
"Scripture has ordered all these Services to be devoted to the Proper
Name."
And in the Torath Kohanim[130]
it is said: "Unto the Eternal
— unto Him Who created the world." It is this which the psalm states: Offer unto G-d the offering of
thanksgiving, and pay your vows unto the Most High;[131]
For the Eternal is the Most High,
Fearful, a Great King over all the earth.[132]
The vow [to bring the offering] may also only be taken unto the Proper Name. It
is this which the psalm states, G-d, your
G-d, am I. I will not reprove you for your offerings,[133]
just as He said, I am the Eternal your G-d.[134]
This is the sense of the whole psalm wherein it says, El Elohim Hashem' (G-d, G-d, the Eternal) has spoken, and called the
earth etc.,[135]
using the full Divine Name[136]
in reference to the world,[137]
and mentioning therein the offerings. It is with reference to this too that it
is said [speaking of the offerings], They
will come up with acceptance on Mine altar, and I will glorify My glorious
house,[138]
meaning to say that the offerings will be brought for acceptance,
which is upon His altar, and He will then glorify His glorious house when they
go up for a pleasing odor, the word nicho'ach
(pleasing) being derived from the expressions: 'nachah' (there rests) the spirit of Elijah on Elisha;[139]
'vatanach' (and there rested) the spirit
upon them.[140]
Likewise all terms of korban
(offering) [from the root 'karav,
near] are expressions of approaching, and unity. Therefore, it says, Nor did they offer burnt-offerings in
the holy place unto the G-d of Israel,[141]
for the burnt-offering in the holy place is to the G-d of Israel. The angel
taught Manoah the concept of the offerings when he said, Though you detain me, I will not eat of your bread,[142]
meaning that if Manoah were to make him food he would not accept it from
him, as it would be unfit and an offering which is an abomination to G-d. But if you will make ready a burnt-offering,
unto G-d alone you
must offer it.[143]
Then will it be for acceptance as the fire-offerings of the Eternal, as
indeed the angel of the Eternal
ascended in the flame of the altar.[144]
Thus is the subject [of the offerings] explained and clarified. May the good LORD pardon![145]
10.
AND IF HIS OFFERING BE OF THE FLOCK.
This section deals with the burnt-offering of the flock, and the law thereof is
in every detail like that of the burnt-offering of the herd. That is why He
shortened here the command, and did not mention "and he will lay his
hands" [upon the offering], nor "and it will be acceptable" [as
mentioned above]. He said here in addition, however, that it be slaughtered on the side of the altar, northward
before the Eternal,[146]
in order to explain that the expression before the Eternal[147]
mentioned in connection with the bullock means the side of the altar
northward. The meaning of yerech [of
the altar] is "the side" of the altar, and in the
northerly direction. The verse thus teaches that the ramp of the altar was on
the south side, where the front of the altar was, concerning which it is said,
before the Eternal, in front of the
altar.[148]
I have already explained the reason why the slaughtering was to be done on
the north side.[149]
Scripture states without specification, round
about the altar,[150]
for the reference is to the altar mentioned above, that is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.[151]
It does not state [in this section] and
he will flay it, since it has already been mentioned [in the
preceding section].[152]
It states and the priest will set
them in order,[153]
to teach us that it is sufficient if one priest attends [to all the
acts of the offering of the burnt-offering brought by an individual] as I have
explained,[154]
for the sections on the offerings complement each other, the points not
mentioned in one being explained in the other.
14.
OF TURTLEDOVES OR OF YOUNG PIGEONS.
Scripture chose these two species [of birds] because they are accessible and
can be more easily caught than other [birds], just as our Rabbis have mentioned[155]
with reference to any of the sheep,
and any of the goats,[156]
that [Scripture chose these species so that] a person should be able to
bring an offering from those animals that feed at his crib, and should not have
to take his weapons, quiver and bow, to
go out on the hunt to bring it.[157]
He chose grown-up turtledoves[158]
because they abstain [from pairing with strangers] and attach themselves only
to their mates, and once they lose their companions they never associate with
others. So Israel cleave to the Eternal their G-d,[159]
and never attach themselves to another deity, Pigeons, on the other hand, are
very jealous and as a result of their jealousy they part [from their previous
mates] and take on other mates. Therefore He chose them [as offerings] only
when they are young, before their mating begins, for as long as the pigeon is
young it is attached with greater love to the nest where it is reared than are
all other fowls. Our Rabbis have mentioned[160]
that if a person touches the nest of all other fowls to take therefrom the
young ones or the eggs, they leave it and never nest therein again, but the
pigeon never abandons it under any condition. And so is [the people of] Israel.
They will never exchange their Creator and His Torah, but "either Jews or
nailed to the stake." He did not choose cocks [as offerings although they
are readily accessible] because of their inclination to lewdness.
Now the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon]
wrote in the Moreh Nebuchim[161]
that the reason for choosing grown-up turtledoves and young pigeons as
offerings is that these are the best of their species, since old pigeons are
less tasty. But this is not true, for young pigeons are almost inedible as a
result of their excessive moistness. If, however, we are to take into
consideration their natural tendencies as far as eating them is concerned, it
is possible that they were chosen for their special qualities; for turtledoves
have a propensity to sharpening of the mind, and young pigeons have a
propensity to benefit greatly those who are not fully-matured physically, such
as youths in the intermediate stage between boyhood and maturity, and the like.
15.
AND THE PRIEST WILL BRING IT UNTO THE ALTAR. This "bringing"
means bringing it up onto the altar, signifying that the priest is to bring up
the bird onto the altar and nip off its head there, as the nipping off may only
be done on top of the altar.[162]
It is for this reason that the Rabbis interpreted:[163] "And the priest will bring it . . .
Could you possibly think that a non-priest could come near the altar?
If so, why does it say the priest . .
. will nip off? It is to teach us that the nipping off be done
[not with an instrument but] only by the priest himself." "And he will nip off. . . and cause
it to ascend in fumes . and the blood thereof will be wrung out. Is
it possible to say that after he has burnt it, he should squeeze the blood out?
But [the order of the wording] is to teach us that just as the burning of the
head is to be done separately [as is indicated here in the verse, and he will nip off its head, and cause
it to ascend in fumes], and that of the body is to be done
separately [as is stated further on in Verse 17: and he will cleave it . . . and cause it to ascend in fumes],
so also the nipping off has to be done in this way, the head separately and
the body separately. The plain meaning of the verse, however, is that the wording
is to be inverted: and he will nip off and cause it to ascend in fumes, and before
the burning its blood will have been wrung out." This is Rashi's language.
Now it is impossible to say [that
the order of the verse can be explained to mean] that he should nip off its
head and burn it, and afterwards wring the blood of the body on the wall of the
altar and then burn the body, since no limbs of any offering may ever be burnt
[on the altar] before the sprinkling of the blood, the principle for it is the blood that makes atonement
by reason of the life[164]
applying to all offerings. Therefore the Rabbis interpreted the verse [to
mean] that Scripture intended only to liken the nipping off to the burning, so
that in both cases the head should be treated by itself and the body by itself.
The plain sense of the verse, however, is that "he should nip off its head
in order to burn it on the altar," thus teaching that the nipping off
should be done in order to burn the head [separately, and not dispose of it
otherwise], just as he will burn the body, concerning which He said, and the priest will cause it to ascend
in fumes,[165]
for such is Scriptures' way of speaking about all offerings, as I have
explained in connection with the severance into pieces of the burnt-offering.[166]
However, Scripture states here, and
the priest will cause it to ascend in fumes,[167]
and did not say "and he will cause all to ascend" [as it said above in Verse 9, in the
case of the burnt-offering of the herd], because [here in the case of the
burnt-offering of the fowl] the burning thereof was done in two separate
stages: first he burnt the head, and then he removed the crop [from the body],
and cleft it by the wings, and then he burnt the body, as we have been taught
in Tractate Zebachim.[168]
16.
AND HE WILL REMOVE ETH MURATHO B'NOTZA-THAH.' "Muratho
refers to the place of the digested food, namely 'its crop.' B'notzathah means
'together with its entrails.' The word notzah
is a term for anything which is loathsome. Similarly: for 'natzu' (they are become loathsome) and are wandered away.[169]
That is what Onkelos intended in translating 'b'notzathah' as b'uchleih
(with its digested food). This is also the interpretation of Aba Yosei ben Chanan
who said[170]
that he removes the stomach together with it [i.e., the crop]. But our Rabbis
have said:[171]
he cuts out with a knife an opening around the crop like a flap, and removes it
together with the feathers [on the skin]." This is Rashi's language.
But it is not correct. For the
word notzah in all places
only means actual feathers. Similarly, for
'natzu' and are wandered away[172]
means that they have acquired feathers [wings] to fly away from their
places and go into exile, and there too they will [constantly] wander, not
finding a resting-place. Similarly: for
'natzoh' (she must fly away) and get away.[173]
The Jerusalem Targum rendered [the above-mentioned verse: for 'natzu' and are wandered away]:
"for they are 'quarrelsome' and have also wandered away." The
Targum thus derived the word natzu
from the expression, when men
'yinatzu' (strive) together,[174]
and the verse is thus stating that "they strive with all the nations
and wander away from them, and do not continue to live among them." This
is a correct interpretation. But the word notzah
in the sense of "loathsome" as the Rabbi [Rashi] has it, is not
found. The interpretation of Aba Yosei which made it incumbent upon the priest
to take also the stomach with the crop, is [not because he considers the word b'notzathah to mean "the
place of its entrails," as Rashi understood him, but rather] because the
crop and the gullet together with the stomach, comprising the organs for the
digestion of food [in the bird], are all included in the term muratho, because in the
stomach the food turns into r'ie
(dung). Aba Yosei thus does not differ at all with the First Sage who says
that he should take it with the feathers," for we have been taught in a
Mishnah of the sixth chapter of Tractate Zebachim[175]
[with reference to the order of the burnt-offering of the bird]: "He [i.e.
the priest] came then to the body, and removed the crop and the feathers and
the entrails that came forth with the crop, and cast them on the place of
ashes." This Mishnah is in accordance with the teaching of Aba Yosei[176]
and yet it mentions "the feathers!" [177]
Onkelos' opinion [in translating b'notzathah as b'uchleih, is not because
he considered this to be the Aramaic rendition of the word b'notzathah, so that you might think that he is of
the opinion that the Hebrew word means "the place of its digested
food," as Rashi thought, but rather Onkelos' opinion] is like that of the
Sages, that he removed only the crop and its feathers together with the food
therein which is the mur'ah
[but he did not remove its entrails]. Since the priest takes hold of the
crop and removes the food therein with it, therefore Onkelos rendered it: "and he will remove yath zfokeih
b'uchleih," the expression being as if it had said: "and he will remove uchleih bi-zfokeih,"[178]
for uchleih [according
to Onkelos] is the Aramaic for the Hebrew muratho
[as muratho is
associated with the word r'ie
— "dung," and "food" turns into dung], whereas zfokeih is the translation
for the Hebrew b'notzathah
[as will be explained]. The verse [according to Onkelos] thus means as
follows: he should remove the mur'ah,
which is the food, with the plumage upon it, meaning that he takes the crop
with its skin and the feathers upon it. In a similar way Onkelos
translated [the Hebrew 'ki sh'mi b'kirbo' — for My Name is in him[179]]:
arei bishmi meimreih ("for in My Name is his word"),[180]
which, according to the Hebrew, he should have rendered into Aramaic as
follows: arei sh'mi b'meimreih (for My Name is in his word).
But Onkelos changed the order of the wording because of a certain reason known
to him.[181]
So also he translated the verse: And
the two ends of the two wreathen chains[182]
— "and the two wreathen chains of the two ends." There are many
other such cases.
17.
AND HE WILL REND IT 'BICHNAFAV
- "together with its feathers. He need not pluck out the feathers of its
plumage. Knafav means the
actual feathers [not the wings]." This is the language of Rashi. But it is
not correct, for if so, then Scripture does not mention from which place he is
to rend [the bird], whether from its front or back. Rather, the meaning thereof
is as follows: "he will rend it at the place of its wings," for the
letter beth [in the
word bichnafav] serves
here as "the beth of
apparatus," [teaching that the rending is to be done from the back of the bird
where "the wings" are, for knafav,
as will be explained, means "its wings," and not "its
feathers" as Rashi explained]; similar to the expression, ba'aron, (in the ark), ba'bayith, (in the
house), or ba'sadeh (in
the field). Knafav does
not mean "feathers" [as Rashi wrote], but is similar to all
expressions of knafaytm mentioned
in Scripture [which mean wings]: every
bird, whatever has 'kanaf (wings); [183]
and he stretches 'knafav'(his wings)
towards the south.[184]
Similarly, 'bichnaf (the skirt)
of his robe.[185]
Notzah is the down [the soft under-plumage] on the body of
birds, something like that which is written, a great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of 'hanotzah'
(down).[186]
Similarly we have learned [in the Mishnah]:[187]
"Large feathers and down are both capable of contracting uncleanness and
conveying uncleanness, and join together [with the flesh to make up the
required size that is needed to convey uncleanness]." The Rabbis have also
said:[188]
"excepting the beak and claws, the large feathers and the
down."
1.
AND HE WILL POUR OIL UPON IT AND PUT FRANKINCENSE THEREON. 2. AND HE WILL
BRING IT TO AARON'S SONS.
"This teaches that the pouring of the oil and the mingling of it together
with the flour [of the meal-offering] is valid if done by a non-priest. TO AARON'S SONS THE PRIESTS; AND HE WILL
TAKE OUT HIS HANDFUL. From the taking of the handful [for the altar] and
onwards is the duty of the priests." This is the language of Rashi. Now we
have to explain that the duty of the priests does not begin with the taking of
the handful, for bringing the meal-offering near [to the altar] precedes the
taking of the handful, and that too is invalid when done by a non-priest, as He
said, and he will present it unto the
priest, and he will bring it near unto the altar,[189]
and afterwards it says, and the
priest will remove from the meal-offering the memorial-part thereof
[190]
which is the handful. Thus you see that it is the priest who brings the
meal-offering near the altar, to the south-west corner thereof,[191]
and after that he removes the handful [to be burnt on the altar]. So also we
have learned [in the Mishnah]:[192] "The acts of laying hands upon the offering, the wavings,[193]
bringing [the meal-offering] near [to the altar], and removing the handful are
performed by men and not by women." In explanation thereof the
Rabbis said [there in the Gemara]:[194] "bringing near [can be performed only by men] because it is
written, And this is the law of the meal-offering: the sons of Aaron will
bring it [195]
— the sons of Aaron but not the daughters of Aaron." This
being the case, the bringing near [of the meal-offering to the altar] is the
duty of the sons of Aaron. But the intention of the Sages in saying: "From
the taking of the handful and onwards is the duty of the priests" [as
quoted by Rashi above], is to say that from this taking of the handful
mentioned in this verse and onwards, is the duty of the priests, but not these
things which Scripture mentioned here as preceding the taking of the handful,
since He mentioned already in this section pouring the oil [and mingling it
with the flour], putting the frankincense thereon and bringing it to the
priest, and [the priest's] removing the handful. However, bringing it near to
the altar is not mentioned here, [but is stated further on in Seder Tzav 6:7]
that all those things stated here before the taking of the handful — namely,
pouring the oil and mingling it with the flour, and bringing it to the priest —
are valid if done by a non-priest.
11.
NO MEAL-OFFERING, WHICH YOU WILL BRING UNTO THE ETERNAL, WILL BE MADE WITH
LEAVEN. Here He
prohibited the bringing of a meal-offering in leaven form. After that He said, You will not 'thahtiru' (cause to ascend
in fumes) either any leaven or honey, in order to prohibit the
leavening of the handful and burning it upon the altar, this being included in
the expression you will not cause to
ascend in fumes . . . All terms of haktarah are expressions of burning aromatics, for
druggists say[196]
that honey would have been appropriate for the incense,[197]
but the Torah prohibited it.[198]
Scripture states any of it
in order to prohibit [leaven or honey] even as a part of it, that is to
say, even in one half of the handful. Similarly, one is liable to the
punishment of stripes for mixing [leaven or honey with the handful in such a
way that it is not recognized], because Scripture included it in saying, for you will not cause to ascend in
fumes 'any' leaven or 'any' honey, as is explained in Tractate
Menachoth[199]
and in Tractate Pesachim.[200]
The reason why Scripture mentions
here minchah hi [201]
[in the feminine] while it is written hu
[in the masculine], and similarly in all places,[202]
[will be understood][203]
from the section, Behold, I send a
messenger before you.[204]
So also 'ha'ishah hahi' (that
woman)[205]
[is written hahu in
the masculine, while it is read hahi
in the feminine], because the feminine is potentially included in the
masculine.
It is possible that the reason why we
are forbidden to bring leaven and honey [upon the altar] is as the Rabbi [Moshe
ben Maimon] states in the Moreh Nebuchim,[206]
where he says that he found it written in their books that the custom among the
idolaters was to offer all their meal-offerings only in leavened form, and to
season all their sacrifices with honey; therefore He forbade bringing them on
His altar. Our
Rabbis have similarly said with reference to monuments [of one stone raised in
order to sacrifice on it], that this was a favored mode of worship in the days
of the patriarchs,[207]
and afterwards G-d hated it[208]
because [the Canaanites] had made it an ordinance of an idolatrous
character, as He said, which the
Eternal your G-d hates.[209]
Concerning the reason why we were
commanded to offer salt with every offering,[210]
[Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon] also said209 that it is because the
idolaters rejected it and did not offer it at all to their idols; [therefore He
commanded us to have salt in every offering]. It is possible that [we are
commanded to offer salt because] it is not respectful that the food which is offered
up to G-d should have no flavoring, being without salt,[211]
similar to that which is written, Present
it now unto your governor; will he be pleased with you?[212]
That is why the Sages excluded wood and blood[213]
from the requirement of being offered with salt [since they are not edible]. Or
it may be that there is in all these matters some secret hidden from us.
In the case of leaven and honey
Scripture speaks in the plural [for
you will not cause to ascend in fumes, either any leaven or honey] because
it speaks to Aaron and his sons. After that it says, And every meal-offering of 'your’s' will 'you' season with salt,[214]
because it refers to him who brings the meal-offering, concerning whom it
said at the beginning of the section, And
if your offering be a meal-offering of the stewingpan;[215]
and the reason [why it refers to salting by the person who brings the offering,
is because] it is valid if done by a non-priest,[216]
just as pouring the oil and mingling it with the flour are [as explained above
in Verse 2]. Upon all your 'offering'
you will offer salt [217]
means "upon all thine offerings" [in the plural], for all
offerings have to be offered with salt, just as the meal-offering.
13.
NEITHER WILL YOU SUFFER THE SALT OF THE COVENANT OF YOUR G-D TO BE LACKING FROM
YOUR MEAL-OFFERING.
"For a covenant was established with salt as far
back as the six days of Creation, for the lower waters [i.e., those of the
oceans] were promised that they would be offered upon the altar in the form of
salt, and [also as water] at the libation of water, on the Festival of
Tabernacles."[218]
This is Rashi's language, and it is a homiletic exposition of the Sages.[219]
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra interpreted it in line with the plain meaning of
Scripture as follows: "I have brought you into a covenant and made you
swear that you would not offer a saltless offering, nor will it [i.e., a
saltless offering] be eaten,[220]
because it is a mark of contempt." Now since salt is the covenant of the
offerings, Scripture made this accord the pattern for all such agreements, saying of the gifts given to priests and the dynasty of David that they
are [an everlasting] covenant of salt,[221] meaning
that they are as everlasting as the covenant of salt of the offerings. There,
however, Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained:[222] "A covenant of salt —
a covenant decreed, it being of the root, a
fruitful land into a salt waste,[223]
since a salt waste is as if it has been decreed [upon it that nothing
should grow therein]." [224]
But there is no sense to his words.
Now it seems to me that since
Scripture here states, the covenant
of your G-d, and does not say "the covenant of the
Eternal," which would have been in consonance with the language of the
section and the way all the offerings are mentioned [throughout Scripture], or
did not say, "the covenant of the Eternal your G-d" - that the reason
for this is because salt is derived from water, and it is through the power of
the sun which shines upon it that it becomes salt. Now the nature of water is
that it soaks into the earth and makes it bring forth and bud; but after it
becomes salt it destroys every place and burns it, that it is not sown, nor bears.[225]
Since a covenant is inclusive of all attributes, water and fire come into
it, and unto her shall come
the former dominion[226]
— the Kingdom of G-d, just like salt which seasons all foods and helps to
preserve them, but destroys them when they are over-saturated with it. Thus salt is like the covenant. It is for this reason that
Scripture states, Ought you not to
know that the Eternal, the G-d of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David
forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt [227]
forever? For this too is the attribute of David. Therefore He says in
connection with the offerings, it is an
everlasting covenant of salt,[228]
for the covenant is "the salt of the world,"
and by virtue of it [the world] exists or may be destroyed. I have
already taught you to understand from our words in other places the meaning of
these three words, brith olam hi
(it is a perpetual covenant).[229]
14.
V’IM (AND IF) YOU BRING A MEAL-OFFERING OF FIRST-FRUITS. "The word im (if) here has the meaning of ki (when), for the
bringing [of this meal-offering of the first-fruits] is not a voluntary matter,
since Scripture speaks here of the meal-offering of the new barley, which is
obligatory.[230]
Similarly, 'Vim' (and if) the Jubilee
of the children of Israel will be [231]
[means 'when' the Jubilee will be — for it is bound to come]." This is
Rashi's language.
The correct interpretation is
that He used the expression im
(if) because He is not commanding the performance now of this precept
[namely bringing the meal-offering of the new barley], and He is thus saying:
"When you offer a meal-offering baked on the griddle[232]
you will do it in such-and-such a way; and if you offer a meal-offering of the
stewing-pan,[233]
you will make it in another way; and if the meal-offering you will bring will
be the one of first-fruits, you should do it in this manner." Thus the
word im is here to be
understood in its literal sense [namely, "if']. Then the meaning of the
verse, 'V'im' the Jubilee of the
children of Israel shall be[234]
is as follows: [The heads of the fathers' houses of the tribe of Manasseh]
said to Moses: "Even 'if the children of Israel will inherit the Land
forever, and will be privileged to sanctify the year of the Jubilee, the
inheritance [of Zelophahad] will not return to us" [because his daughters
might marry men from other tribes, which would cause the land to be transferred
to other tribes].
It is also possible that He is
stating: "And if you bring a meal-offering of the first-fruits, you will
do it in this prescribed way," as if He were to say, "if the Eternal
your G-d will bring you into the Land, and you will reap the harvest thereof
and bring the meal-offering of the first-fruits, you will do it in
such-and-such a manner;" for G-d always mentions the inheritance of the
Land to them conditionally, just as He said, For if you will diligently keep all this commandment . . . then
will the Eternal drive out all these nations from before you,[235]
and so also in many places.
3:1.
AND IF HIS OFFERING BE A SACRIFICE OF PEACE-OFFERINGS: IF HE OFFER OF THE HERD,
WHETHER MALE OR FEMALE.
The reason why the burnt-offering may only be male,[236]
whereas in the case of the peace-offering it can be male or female, and the
sin-offering must only be female,[237]
is very clear, since the olah (the
burnt-offering) is as its name indicates, [i.e., "ascension" — being
that it reaches above all Divine attributes], whilst sh'lamim (the peace-offering) is of the expressions: and all My pleasures 'yashlim' (he will
perform — literally: he will "perfect");[238] 'avanim sh'leimoth' (whole
stones).[239]
The sin-offering is in order to appease Him with the present that goes before[240]
Him. I have already written on this matter.[241] The guilt-offering must be a male,[242]
because the sin-offering is brought for those transgressions [for which, if committed
willfully, the sinner] incurs the penalty of excision, in order that the
spirit return unto G-d who gave it,[243] but
the guilt-offering is not brought for those transgressions for which [if
committed willfully] one incurs excision, and therefore it is as if it were for
a pleasing odor just like the burnt-offering.[244]
The sin-offering of the prince is a he-goat,[245]
because the prince is the sovereign unto whom judgment [rightfully] belongs,[246]
and he fights the battles of G-d and lives by his sword;[247]
therefore his offering is the same as the he-goat brought in case of
idol-worship [by the congregation].[248]
5.
AND AARON'S SONS WILL CAUSE IT TO ASCEND IN FUMES. This is like His saying further
on, And the priest will cause them to
ascend in fumes[249]
for there He alludes to all those portions of the offering which are burnt
on the altar, [hence He refers to them in the plural, while here He alludes to
the offering as such, and therefore He speaks of it in the singular]. The
interpretation [of the Rabbis] on it is as follows:[250] "And Aaron's sons will cause it to
ascend.[251]
And the priest will cause it to ascend.[252]
And the priest will cause them to ascend.[253]
Why are all these verses mentioned? And
Aaron's sons will cause it to ascend[254]
— only if the offering is acceptable, but not if it has become
disqualified. And the priest will
cause it to ascend[255]
— [this teaches] that he should not mix the fats of one offering with those
of another [even though they are both of the flock]. And the priest will cause them to ascend — [this
teaches] that he should burn them aft at one time."
9.
CHELBO' (THE FAT THEREOF) 'HAALYAH TH'MIMAH' (THE FAT TAIL ENTIRE). The term chelev (fat) in the Sacred Language indicates that
part of the fat which is separate from the meat and not joined to it. Shuman, on the other
hand, is that fat which is intertwined with the meat and cannot be separated
from it, something like that which Scripture states: 'Vayishman Yeshurun' (But Jeshurun waxed fat);[256]
so they did eat, and were filled
'vayash-minu (and became fat);[257]
'hashmein' (make fat) the heart of this
people;[258]
and my flesh is lean 'mishamen' (and has
no fatness):[259]
and it will be rich 'v'shamein' (and fat);[260]
my soul is satisfied as with marrow 'vadeshen' (and fatness),[261]
and similarly in all places. But
cheilev is the fat which is separate from the meat and covered by a membrane,
and is easily peeled off. The Hebrew language never interchanges these terms
[cheilev and shuman] in any place. Thus we say,
basar shamen (fat meat), but not
basar chelev [since chelev, as explained, is the fat
which is separate and distinguished from the meat]. Similarly in languages of
other nations these terms are separate. The term chelev is sometimes used metaphorically, as is written, when you set apart 'chelbo' (the best
thereof) from it,[262]
since the good part of the produce which is taken up [to be given to the
priest], Scripture figuratively calls chelev,
just as the chelev is set
apart in the offerings. 'Cheilev
kilyoth' (the kidney-fat) of wheat[263]
-Scripture here compares wheat to the kidneys and the fat therein, just as
it states, and of the blood of the
grape you drank foaming wine,[264]
although wine is not blood [hence we must conclude that Scripture only uses
these terms figuratively]. And you
will eat the 'chelev' (fat) of the land [265]
means that they will eat the best of the bullocks, sheep, and goats and all
animals. Such is the usage of this figure of speech.
Now the tail does not contain any
chelev at all,[266]
but rather has in it shuman
(fat) which is not separate from the meat thereof, just as there is in every good piece, the thigh and the
shoulder.[267]
This is confirmed by doctors who in their studies of nature have
established the fact that chelev
[fat which is separate from the meat], is never to be found [in the animal]
near the hide, nor in a limb which is always in movement [such as the tail].
The doctors have further said that the nature of shuman found in the ribs, sides and tail, which is
not separate from the meat, is warm and moist, whilst that fat which can be
separated from the meat, such as that which is upon the kidneys, is cold and
moist, thick and coarse; it is difficult for the stomach to digest it fully,
and it easily spoils; it also increases the white fluid[268]
and constipates.
If so, the verse stating, Eat not any 'chelev' (fat) nor blood,[269]
does not include the shuman
(fat) which is upon the tail, for that is not chelev by name or nature. If all fat were to come
under the term chelev, then
all fat in an animal — on the shoulders and sides — would not be allowed to be
eaten! For Scripture does not say: "All fat which is offered unto G-d you
will not eat" [so that you would include in this prohibition the fat of
the tail, since it is offered as a fire-offering on the altar]. Rather, He
states that "the chelev
(fat) of all cattle which are brought as offerings upon the altar, must not
be eaten." [270] It
is indeed impossible to say that He prohibited all these fats of the animal
which are offered on the altar, for if so the kidneys and the lobe above the
liver would be forbidden to be eaten [since they are offered on the altar]![271]
Rather, whatever fat comes under the term chelev
[as explained above], is forbidden to be eaten, even though it is not
brought on the altar, such as the fat on the spleen; and that which is not
called chelev may be eaten even though it is
offered on the altar, such as the [fat of the] kidneys and the lobe above the
liver, and similarly also that of the tail [which even though it is brought on
the altar, may be eaten because it is shuman
and not chelev]. Similarly,
Scripture states in connection with the command of the installation of the
priests, And you will take of the ram
'ha'chelev' (the fat) and the tail;[272]
and at the performance thereof it is written, And he took the fat, and the tail,[273]
for the tail is not chelev.
Now this verse [before us] which states 'chelbo ha'alyah th'mimah', means that he will offer
up [from the peace-offerings] the fat thereof, together with the entire fat
tail, meaning that when he removes the "entire fat tail" until the
rump-bone, he must take with it much fat that is attached to it on the inside.
Thus the Rabbis have said in Torath Kohanim:[274]
"This tells us that he must also take the fat near the tail, which is the
fat between the sinews [in the loins]."
In my opinion the purport of this
verse is also like that of the other verse: And he will offer of it all 'chelbo' (the fat thereof): 'ha'alyah'
(the fat tail), and the fat that covers the inwards.[275]
So here likewise He says, And He
will offer of the sacrifice of peace-offerings all the fat
thereof. In these two verses [just quoted], He first makes a general statement,
that [the priest] should offer all the fat thereof, and then He mentions in
detail all the parts that he should offer [namely, the fat tail entire . . . and the fat that covers the inwards . . .
and the two kidneys, and the fat
upon them . . . and the lobe
above the liver . . . ]. Now not everything that is mentioned
here is chelev [fat forbidden
to be eaten], for the two kidneys [themselves] and the lobe above the liver are
not at all included in the term chelev.
Thus He stated in the section of Bayom
Ha'shemini:[276]
And 'ha 'chelev'(the fat), and the
kidneys, and the lobe of the liver,[277]
mentioning the chelev by
itself and then the other inwards by themselves, even as He said, And you will take of the ram 'ha'chelev'
and the tail.[278]
If so, the reason why the tail is offered [on the altar] is not because it
is included here in Verse 9] in the term chelbo.
Rather, He states here that the priest should burn [on the altar] from the
peace-offerings all the fat thereof, and then He proceeds to explain all the
inwards [which he should offer], some being chelev and some not. The meaning of the verse in the
case of the sin-offering stating, And
all the fat thereof he will take away, as 'chelev' (the fat) is taken away from
off the sacrifice of peace-offerings,[279]
is not to refer only to that which is strictly speaking chelev, for if that were
so, the kidneys and the lobe on the liver [which are not chelev] would not be offered up in the case of the
sin-offering. Rather, the intention of the verse is that he is to take away the
chelev together with
all the things that are removed from the peace-offerings. Similarly, [the verse
stating in the case of the she-lamb brought as a sin-offering], And all the fat thereof will he take
away, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the
peace-offerings,[280]
means that he is to take away as he had done in the case of the peace-offerings,
meaning everything that he had taken away there, including the tail with its
fat. Similarly, And they put the
'chalavim' (fats) upon the breasts, and he caused the fats to ascend in fumes[281]
means [the chelev] together with all that is
removed from them.
I have had to discuss this point
at length in order to shut up the mouths of the Sadducees,[282]
may their name be erased [from memory], for in matters of Torah it has been
said, Answer a fool according to his
folly,[283]
and the Rabbis have also said,[284]
"Be diligent in learning Torah, in order to[285]
be able to answer the unbeliever."
The Gaon Rav Saadia[286]
explained it to them,[287]
by saying that chelbo ha'alyah
is missing a connective vav,
which would make it: chelbo
veha'alyah - (its fat "and" the tail) [thus clearly
meaning that the tail is not included in the chelev]. But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra refuted Rav
Saadia Gaon by saying [that "from a grammatical point of view this could
not be possible, for if so] it should have said chelbo elyato[288]
or hachelev ha'alyah."[289]
But Ibn Ezra's refutation is not valid, for we find [Scripture stating], And all Israel and their elders, and
officers, and their judges][290]
I will yet mention[291]
a great mistake which Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra made in his arguments with them
[i.e., the Karaites], in which he spoke more wrongly than they.[292]
However, the Gaon's interpretation is not correct,[293]
and surely it is not an argument sufficiently persuasive to permit the eating
[of the tail because of it]. But the interpretation which our Rabbis advanced[294]
on the verse, You will eat no fat, of
ox, or sheep, or goat,[295]
that He prohibited only [that kind of fat like] the fat of the ox which is
common to all [i.e., the sheep and the goat, thus excepting the fat of the tail
of the sheep, which is not found in the ox], that is a proper interpretation
[from which we may clearly know that the tail is permitted to be eaten]! But
in order not to give contestants an occasion to dispute [the tradition of the
Rabbis], we have had to bring the [other] proofs and arguments which we have
written.
12.
AND IF HIS OFFERING BE A GOAT.
He mentions here the species, thus meaning, "if of the species of goats is
his offering," [and thus includes male and female]. This is like the
opinion of Onkelos who translated: "and if of the 'bnei (species of) the goats is his offering."
Similarly, that which He said in connection with the burnt-offering, whether of the sheep, or of the goats,[296]
also means of their species [for since the male of the goats is called tayish, the verse there
which speaks of a burnt-offering which can be only a male, must perforce mean
"the species of the goats," which automatically includes the males].
In my opinion[297]
the Sacred Language is not particular as to the names of animals, for the
majority of them have the same name for both male and female, such as camel,
ass, rock-badger, hare, and swine, and among the birds the young pigeon and the
turtle-dove. Even among the species which do have different names for the male
and female — such as shor and
parah (ox and cow), kesev, kisbah (he-lamb, ewe-lamb),
tayish and eiz (he-goat and
she-goat) — Scripture is not particular, and will sometimes say seh and shor of the female, similar to
that which is written, 'V'shor o seh'
[literally: "and ox or lamb] you
will not kill it and its young both in one day,[298]
which applies only to the dam and the lamb [it being permissible to
slaughter the male parent and its young in one day], in accordance with the
opinion of the Sage who says[299]
that [in animals] one does not take into consideration the seed of the male
parent. Similarly, of 'ha'izim' (the
goats) for a burnt-offering, he will offer it a male without blemish,[300]
means of the t'yashim
(the he-goats). And if his
offering be an 'eiz' (a goat)[301]
means a male or female [since a peace-offering, which is the subject of
this verse, can be brought either from the male or the femals]. So also, And if his means suffice not for a 'seh'
(lamb)[302]
means a ewe-lamb or a
she-goat [as is expressly stated there in the preceding verse].[303]
Ketubim:
Tehillim (Psalms) 73:1-28
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
1. A song of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to
the pure of heart.
|
1. A psalm composed by Asaph. Truly God is good to
Israel, to the pure of heart. |
|
2. But as
for me, my feet had almost turned away, in an instant my steps would have
been swept away. |
2. But my feet had almost slipped; my steps had all but faltered. |
|
3. For I
envied the perverse; I would see the tranquility of the wicked. |
3. For I became jealous of the mockers whenever I would see the
welfare of the wicked. |
|
4. For
there are no fetters to their death, and their health is sound. |
4. For they
are not dismayed and daunted by the day of their death; their opinions are
sought out, and their heart is fat and strong. |
|
5. In the
toil of mortal man they are not, neither are they plagued with mankind. |
5. They do
not toil with the toil of men who are occupied with Torah; and they are not
smitten with the righteous/generous sons of men who endure sufferings. |
|
6. Therefore,
they wear pride as a necklace; the robbery that they commit envelops their
hips. |
6. Because of this, pride has adorned them, a crown that they place on
their heads because of their rapacity. |
|
7. Because
of their fat, their eyes bulge; they surpassed the imaginings of their heart. |
7. Their
faces are distorted by fat; their carvings have transgressed, the heart is
ashamed. |
|
8. They consume, and speak wickedly about oppression; they speak about
the Most High. |
8. They
will decay because of fatness; and they will speak to cause harm and to
oppress; they will speak from the arrogance of their heart. |
|
9. They have set their mouth against Heaven, and their tongue walks
through the earth. |
9. They
have set their mouth against the holy ones of heaven; and their tongue flares
against the holy ones of the earth. |
|
10. Therefore, His people will return here, and the waters of the full
[stream] are drain water to them. |
10. Then he
turns against the people of the LORD, to rule them; and they will smite them
with hammers, and cause many tears to flow from them. |
|
11. And
they say, "How does God know, and
is there knowledge in the Most High?" |
11. And
they will say, "How then does God
know, and is there knowledge in the Most High?" |
|
12. Behold these are wicked, yet they are tranquil in the world and
have increased wealth. |
12. Behold,
these are the wicked who dwell securely in this age; they have acquired
property, they have procured wealth. |
|
13. But for nought I cleansed my heart and bathed my hands with
cleanliness. |
13. Truly
in vain have I purified my heart, and washed my hands in purity. |
|
14. And I was plagued all the days, and my chastisement was every
morning. |
14. And I have been smitten all the day; and my admonition has come
with every dawn. |
|
15. If I said, "I shall tell it as it is," behold I have
made the generation of Your children into traitors. |
15. If I
said, "I will talk like them" behold, I would have done evil to the
generation of Your children. |
|
16. And
when I ponder to know this, it is iniquity in my eyes. |
16. And I
thought to know this, but it is a weariness in my sight. |
|
17. Until I came to the sanctuaries of God, and I understood their
end. |
17. Until the time of redemption, when I come to the sanctuaries of
God, I will understand their fate. |
|
18. Only in
slippery places do You set them; You cast them down to ruin. |
18. Truly You
have placed them in dark places, You have thrown them into the wasteland. |
|
19. How they became desolate instantly! They were completely consumed
by terrors. |
19. How
they have become a desolation in a moment! They are finished, destroyed
because of chaos. |
|
20. As a dream without awakening; O Lord, in the city You will despise
their form. |
20. Like a
dream of a man who awakes: the LORD in the great day of judgment, when they
awake from their graves; in anger You will despise their likeness. |
|
21. For my heart was in ferment, and my mind was on edge. |
21. For my
heart will feel pain, and my kidneys burn like fire. |
|
22. But I was brutish and I did not know; I was [as] a beast with You. |
22. And I am a fool, and I do not know; I was reckoned as a beast with
You. |
|
23. Yet I
was constantly with You; You grasped my right hand. |
23. But I am continually with You; You have grasped my right hand. |
|
24. With Your counsel You led me, and after[wards], You took me [for]
glory. |
24. You will guide me by Your counsel; and after the glory that You
commanded to come upon me is complete, You will take me. |
|
25. For
whom do I have in heaven, and I desired no one with You on earth. |
25. Who,
like You, is mine in heaven, but You? And besides You I desire no friend on
earth. |
|
26. My flesh and my heart yearn; God is the rock of my heart and my
portion forever. |
26. My body and my heart are destroyed; God is the Mighty One who
tries my heart and my portion forever. |
|
27. For behold, those who have distanced themselves from You will
perish; You have cut off anyone who strays from You. |
27. For behold, the wicked who are far from You will perish; You have
destroyed all who stray from the fear of You. |
|
28. But as for me-God's nearness is my good; I have
placed my refuge in the Lord God, to tell all Your mission. |
28. But to be near to the LORD is good to me; I have placed my confidence
in the LORD God, to tell to all the righteous/generous the commandments of
Your charge. |
|
|
|
Rashi’s Commentary for: Psalms
73:1-28
1 A song of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, etc. Since the topic of this psalm deals with the troubles that befall
Israel, he commences it in this manner. And this is the meaning: Although I cry
out and am dismayed at Israel’s troubles, I knew that the Holy One, blessed be
He, is good to them, and that He brings evil upon them for their own good, in
order to give them merit in the life of the world to come.
2 But as for me before I laid this to my
heart.
my feet had almost turned away and my steps swep
3 For I envied the perverse Those who pervert
their ways, whose tranquility I would see.
the perverse Heb. בהוללים, mixed, as (Isa. 1:22): “your wine is
diluted (מהול) watter.”
4 For there are no fetters to their death Heb. חרצבות, an expression of tying, as (Isa. 58:6): “to
undo the fetters (חרצבות) of wickedness,” meaning the locks of the
fetters with which they bind the poor. Here, too, there are no pains to their
death. Those who die among them die healthy, [strong as] a palace, without
pains. But our Rabbis explained חַרְצֻבּוֹת as an abbreviation, meaning that they are
not (שאין) frightened (חרדין) or saddened (עצבין) by the day of death (Shab. 31b). Another
explanation: that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not delay (מאחר)their desire (צביונם).
6 Therefore, they wear pride as a necklace Because of this, pride adorns them as a necklace, insofar as it
ascends upon his neck.
the robbery that they commit envelopes their hips The robbery they commit makes them fat, enveloping their buttocks
and hips with th
7 Because of their fat, their eyes bulge Their eyes bulge because of the abundant fat, for in an emaciated
person, the eyes are sunken.
they surpassed the imaginings of their heart More than what their heart hopes for and awaits, came to them. In
the attainment of their hand, they surpassed the desire of their heart.
8 They
consume their neighbors.
and speak wickedly about oppression To oppress the needy.
they speak about the Most High e.g. Pharaoh,
Sennacherib, and Nebuchadnezzar. [Pharaoh said] (Exod. 5:2): “Who is the Lord
that I should obey Him?” [Sennacherib said] (Isa. 36:20), “Who are they among
all the gods of the lands...?” [Nebuchadnezzar said] (Isa. 14:14), “I will
ascend above the heights of the clouds.” That is the meaning of: “They have set
their mouth against Heaven.”
10 Therefore, His people will return here Since His people sees that the way of the wicked prospers, they
will return on the way of the wicked, to adopt their ways.
here Heb. הלם, as (Jud. 18:3): “Who brought you here (הלום)?” [Equivalent to] פֹּה.
and the waters of the full are drain water to them And the waters of the full streamthey are words of Torahare
considered by them as water that drains out, an
11 And they say, “How does God know” How can we say that there is knowledge in the Holy One, blessed
be He, and that His Torah is true?
12 Behold these are wicked They [are wicked]
and transgress His Torah; yet they are tranquil in the world and increase power
and wealth.
they are tranquil in the world An expression of
tranquility.
have increased Heb. השגו, have increased. Menachem (p. 72) explains: יָשוּב עַמוֹ
הֲלוֹם, the wicked will return to crush (להלם) the people of the Holy One, blessed be He.
The first interpretation I learned from the words of Rabbi Meir the son of
Isaac, the cantor, may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing.
13 But
for nought I cleansed my heart All this refers back to: “And they say, ‘How
does God know?’ “ They also say, “But for nothing and in vain we keep the
commandments of the Holy One, blessed be He, for behold, we are plagued all the
days.”
14 and my chastisement appears all day;
constantly, from morning to morning, new troubles are renewed.
15 If I said, “I shall tell it as it is” Said Asaph, “If I said in my heart to tell everything as it is,
all that His people say about this.”
behold I have made the generation of Your children into traitors That is to say that I would make them into traitors and wicked
men.
16 And when I ponder in my heart.
to know this what the manner of the Holy
One, blessed be He, is.
So it is iniquity in my eyes. This manner
appeared to me as iniquity and not justice.
17 Until
I came to the sanctuaries of God, which are in Jerusalem, and saw what happened
to Sennacherib. Then I understood the end of the wicked, that it is to
destruction. Then I said, “All the good that comes to them is only slippery
places; for the Holy One, blessed be He, makes their way slippery, that it
should be easy and smooth, so that they should not put their heart to return to
Him, and they should perish.”
18 Only in slippery places do You set them All the goodness that comes to them, for ultimately, You cast
them down to ruin.
19 by
terrors By demons.
20 As a dream without awakening As a sleep without
end (without awakening), which is an eternal sleep, so did they have (Isa.
37:36): “And an angel of the Lord went forth and slew...of the camp of
Assyria.”
O Lord, in the city You will despise their form In Jerusalem, with which they dealt evilly, there the form of
their image was despised, and they were all burnt.
21 For my heart was in ferment Before I saw this
downfall with the holy spirit, my heart was in ferment because the way of the
wicked prospered, and my mind was on edge (אשתונן), an expression of a sharpened sword (שנון). When it is reflexive, the “tav” is placed
in the middle of the radical, as is the case of every word whose radical
commences with “shin.”
22 But
I was brutish, and I did not know what this manner was, and I was as a
beast with You.
23 Yet I Although I saw all this
constantly, I was with You, and I did not move from fear of You.
You grasped my right hand to strengthen me in
Your fear when my feet are about to turn from Your way, as it is stated above
(verse 2): “my feet had almost turned away.”
24 You
led me Heb. תנחני, [like] נחיתני, You led me.
and after[wards], You took me [for] glory If the cantillation sign were on כָּבוֹד, its interpretation would be: After You
bestowed upon Sennacherib all the glory You had allotted to him, You will take
me to You. You have performed wondrous miracles for Israel and have destroyed
Sennacherib. Now that the cantillation sign is on ואחר, this is its interpretation: (and
afterwards,) You took me to glory; You drew me to You for glory and
beauty.
25 For
whom do I have in heaven [Was there] any angel that I chose for me as a
god? I chose only You.
26 My flesh...yearn My flesh and my
heart yearn for You. yearn Heb. כלה,
an expression of desire, as (119:81): “My soul yearned (כלתה) for Your salvation.”
27 who
strays from You Who separates himself from You.
28 Your
mission Your message; the holy spirit that comes into my heart to say it.
Meditation from the Psalms
Psalms 73:1-28
By: H.Em. Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben
David
The
third book of Tehillim[304]
begins with this psalm. Whereas the
first two books of Psalms are
dedicated primarily to specific, personal events in the lives of individuals,
the last two books concern general, universal themes which demonstrate God’s
goodness. The introductory verse of this psalm is a resounding declaration of
faith which eloquently sets the tone for the ensuing compositions: Truly
God is [naught but] good to
Israel!
The
psalmist surveyed Jewish history, past, present, and future, and beheld only
misery and travail for the Jews, while evil men flourished. Countless other
observers have had their faith weakened by the same gnawing question: Why does they way of the wicked
prosper.[305]
The
superscription of our psalm ascribes authorship to Assaf.[306] Assaf
addresses those plagued by indecision and doubt. ‘Do not be troubled by seeming
inconsistencies’, he counsels, ‘for everything God does to Israel is good. He
causes you to suffer now, so that the fruits of your good deeds may be
preserved for the future world of reward’.[307]
Remember this and no complaints will
ever escape your lips; instead, your heart will overflow with endless hymns of
gratitude.[308]
Our
psalm, and Ashlamata, are all about a famous question asked by the Prophet:
Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 12:1 Right would You be, HaShem, were I
to contend with You, yet will I reason with You: Why do the wicked prosper?
Wherefore are all they secure that deal very treacherously?
We
touched briefly on this subject when we looked at Psalms chapter 12. However,
because our psalmist devoted this entire psalm to this question, and it is the
subject of our Ashlamata, I would like to examine this question in greater
depth.
This
famous question needs to be answered in order that we should begin to
understand the ways of HaShem. This question is especially important at Rosh
HaShana (Yom Teruah).[309]
In
various places, the Torah compares a person to a tree:
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 20:19
A person is like the tree of a field...
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 65:22
For as the days of a tree will be the days of my people.
Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 17:8
He will be like a tree planted near water...
All
men enter the world with their tree planted on the middle line between good and
evil. Their branches hang on both sides and they will bear fruit on both sides.
HaShem will bring mitzvot and sins in order that they should test them. Most
(99.99%) all people will remain firmly planted and will never move their tree
off that middle line.
In
Beresheet (Genesis) 3:9, Adam and Chava had just eaten some fruit from the
forbidden tree and, sensing HaShem’s presence in the Garden of Eden, they hid
among the trees. While they were hiding, HaShem asked Adam a one-word question.
In Hebrew that word is ayeka?
In English it means, “Where are you”?
This question continues to reverberate through time to confront every man:
Where are you?
Each
man has the power of choice, and is able to choose either side, knowingly and
willingly, as well as to possess whichever one he wishes. Man was therefore
created with both a good inclination (yetzer
tov) and an evil inclination (yetzer
hara). He has the power to incline himself in which ever direction he
desires.[310]
Therefore,
the physical world was made neutral,
left for man to determine how it would be used. One world, two possibilities,
and man is the one to determine whether or not he walks that path, or stumbles
it in. But, try it he must, for that is what he was created to do.
Those
who are righteous/generous, the tzaddikim, in this world have made a conscious,
decision to plant their tree on the side of righteousness/generosity. Those who
are wicked, in this world, have made a decision to plant their tree on the side
of wickedness. Yet, most people never make a decision to move their tree one
way or the other, and thus they remain in the middle, balanced between good and
evil, they are still firmly straddling the line, a very bad position to be in.
They fail to do what they were created to do.
Rosh
HaShanah is a day tailor made by HaShem, for planting one’s tree on the side of
righteousness/generosity. We were born to choose life. We were born to become
tzaddikim!
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record
this day against you, that I
have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose
life, that both you and your seed may live: 20 That you may love the HaShem your
G-d, and that you may obey His
voice, and that you may cleave unto Him: for He is your life, and the length of your days: that you may dwell in
the land which HaShem sware unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob, to give them.
The
type of choices that are able to accomplish an attachment to HaShem, are those
choices taken for the express purpose of attaching to life, and to good,
instead of what is temporary, and therefore to the evil.
These
kinds of choices are made in the context of confronting moral dilemmas when we
are torn in two directions, and we do not have a powerful inner program
instilled by heredity or environment pointing us in the right direction. We
desire one thing, but we know that the right decision is in the other
direction, not because of our inner program but because HaShem told us in the
Torah that that is the way to go. It is in these sorts of situations that
present us with the opportunity of attaching ourselves to righteousness/generosity,
to life.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 30:15-19 Look, I have placed before you today the life and the good, and the
death and the evil, that which I command you today, to love HaShem your LORD,
to walk in His ways, to observe His commandments, His decrees, and His
ordinances ... But if your heart will stray and you will not listen, and you
are led astray, and you prostrate yourselves to strange gods and serve them, I
tell you today that you will surely be lost ... I have placed life and death
before you, blessing and curse; and you will choose life so that you will live,
you and your offspring...
Now,
lets look at the implications that can be derived from the fact that our tree
will always have some branches on the other side of this line, no matter which
decision we have made. The Midrash provides a perfect introduction to this
subject as it states the way HaShem acts in a very succinct way:
Midrash PESIQTA deRAB KAHANA Pisqa Nine IX:I [Concerning
the verse: When a bull or sheep or goat is born, it will remain seven days with
its mother; and from the eighth day on it will be acceptable as an
offering by fire to the Lord (Lev. 22:27)]: Your
righteousness/generosity is like the mountains of God, Your judgments are like
the great deep; [man and beast You save, O LORD]
(Ps. 36:6). R.
Ishmael and R. Aqiba: R. Ishmael says, “With the righteous/generous, who carry
out the Torah, which was given from the mountains of God the Holy One,
blessed be He, does righteousness/generosity
like the mountains of God. Your righteousness/generosity is like the
mountains of God. But
with the wicked, who do not carry out the Torah, which was given ‘from the
mountains of God,’ the Holy One, blessed be He, seeks a strict accounting,
unto the great deep. Your judgments are like the great deep. R. Aqiba
says, “All the same are these and those: the Holy One, blessed be He, seeks a
strict accounting with [all of] them in accord with strict justice. He seeks a
strict accounting with the righteous/generous, collecting from them the few bad
deeds that they do in this world, in order to pay them an abundant reward in the
world to come. And He affords prosperity to the wicked and gives them a full
reward for the minor religious duties that they successfully accomplished in
this world, in
order to exact a full penalty from them in the world to come.”
Now
that we have succinctly seen how HaShem works, let us examine this concept in
more detail. We shall continue to use the metaphor of the tree to help explain
how HaShem works.
If
we have made a conscious decision to move our tree to the side of righteousness/generosity,
then we are on the road to becoming a great Tzaddik. Nevertheless, we will
still have some branches which hang over the side of wickedness. HaShem, in His
mercy, will assist us in either moving our tree more, or in pruning the
branches which are on the side of wickedness. The pruning of the branches is
what we see as the tribulations that the righteous/generous encounter in their
walk with HaShem. The sufferings and trials of the righteous/generous are
simply the pruning of their wayward branches. These branches are the sins which
the righteous/generous commit. Since evil is temporary, it’s reward (punishment) is paid out in this
world. HaShem can see that this tree will be with Him in the Olam HaBa, the
world to come. In that world of clarity, there will be no sin and no ambiguity.
Therefore the sins of the righteous/generosity must receive their reward (correction) in this world,
because in the Olam HaBa there is only righteousness/generosity.
People
who have attached themselves to the Eternal, even if they have only done so
once in their lives, will make it to the Olam HaBa eventually, in spite of the
multitude of their transgressions. Nevertheless, those transgressions must be
corrected in this world.
But
what about that person’s past transgressions? His transgressions are a barrier
to the enjoyment of the Olam HaBa and
consequently they must be dealt with and purified. Consequently, the
transgressions of such a person must be dealt with either in this world or in Gehinom (hell). But once again
utilitarian considerations mandate that the necessary purification be
accomplished in this world. Therefore, anyone who belongs in the Olam HaBa but is blemished by
transgressions, as most of us are, this world can logically be expected to be a
vale of tears.
Jewish
tradition teaches that HaShem’s policy is never to allow a person’s mitzvot (commandments)
to be cancelled by his transgressions. Therefore, if a person performed his
mitzvot with the type of dedication that is required to attach himself to
HaShem and to eternal life, this act altered his inner reality permanently. He
is now a person who is attached to the Olam
HaBa once and for all and he will eventually enjoy that life.
We
certainly do not want to think of ourselves as wicked. But most of us know that we are not tzaddikim gemurim, “totally righteous/generous
people” either. If so, we will make it to the Olam HaBa with HaShem’s help, as
all people in general do except for the wicked.
But this means that something has to be done to cleanse us of our
many evil deeds. This can either be done by the means of hardships that we
suffer in this world, or by subjecting us to the tortures of Gehinom or hell after we die.
As
the tortures of hell are infinitely more painful than any tribulation we might
experience in this world, we ought to prefer to complete our purification in
this one. So why, on Rosh HaShana, are we asking HaShem for an easy year? And
how could the decree of a good year possibly be considered a favorable
judgment?
Shabbath 104a If one comes to cleanse himself, he
is helped by HaShem.
There
is an additional component that we need to be aware of. The righteous/generous
is seeking an eternal reward and is not interested in a temporary reward, and
because HaShem has promised an eternal reward, the ONLY reward is the reward in
the Olam HaBa, the world to come. Because the righteous/generous man has not
attached himself to the temporary
world, any reward in this world becomes unavailable to him. He is not attached
to this world.
On
the other hand, if we have made a conscious decision to move our tree to the
side of wickedness, then we are on the road to becoming a great rasha, a
wicked/mean person. Nevertheless, we will still have some branches which hang
over the side of righteousness/generosity. Even the most wicked/mean person
does some mitzvot, some kindness in this world. HaShem, in His mercy, will
assist the rasha in either moving his tree more, or in pruning the branches
which are on the side of righteousness/generosity. The pruning of the branches
is what we see as the prosperity that the wicked encounter in this world. The
prosperity of the wicked is simply the pruning of their wayward branches. These
branches are their mitzvot. HaShem can see that this tree will NOT be with Him
in the Olam HaBa, the world to come. In that world of clarity there can be no
sin and no ambiguity. Therefore the mitzvot of the wicked must receive their
“reward” (blessing) in this world, because in the Olam HaBa there is only
righteousness/generosity. In the Olam HaBa, the world of clarity, the wicked/mean
will simply not exist.
Reward
in this world is mainly distributed to those who cannot receive their reward in
the Olam HaBa because they simply won’t make it there. (The exceptions are too
complicated to explain in the context of this essay.) But even such people,
known as reshaim gemurim, or
“totally evil/mean”, have many good deeds to their credit. They may have been
good fathers or husbands, they may have helped people when they felt the urge,
and consequently they need to be rewarded.
Of
course, it is impossible for us to grasp how such people with all these good
deeds to their credit can be considered reshaim
gemurim without appreciating how evil is to be understood, according to
Jewish tradition.
Nevertheless,
Jewish tradition dictates that it is impossible to receive the reward for any
mitzva (good deed) in this world:
Kiddushin 39b Yet is it a fact that he who
performs one precept in addition to his [equally balanced] merits is rewarded?
But the following contradicts it: He whose good deeds outnumber his iniquities
is punished, and is as though he had burnt the whole Torah, not leaving even a
single letter; while he whose iniquities outnumber his good deeds is rewarded,
and is as though he had fulfilled the whole Torah, not omitting even a single
letter! — Said Abaye: Our Mishnah means that a festive day and an evil day are
prepared for him, Raba said: This latter agrees with R. Jacob, who said: There
is no reward for precepts in this world.[311]
For it was taught: R. Jacob said: There is not a single precept in the Torah
whose reward is [stated] at its side which is not dependent on the resurrection
of the dead. [Thus:] in connection with honouring parents it is written, that
thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee. In reference to
the dismissal of the nest it is written, that it may be well with thee, and
that thou mayest prolong thy days. Now, if one’s father said to him, ‘Ascend to
the loft and bring me young birds,’ and he ascends to the loft, dismisses the
dam and takes the young, and on his return falls and is killed — where is this
man’s happiness and where is this man’s prolonging of days? But ‘in order that
it may be well with thee’, means on the day that is wholly good; and ‘in order
that thy days may be long’, on the day that is wholly long.
The
commentators explain that it would be utterly cruel of HaShem to reward any
good deed in this world when the option exists to reward it in the next. The
reward for any good deed performed by someone with a share in the Olam HaBa, the world to come, should
automatically be received later on simple utilitarian grounds. The payoff in
this world is incomparably less, and rewarding the good deed here would be an
unconscionable waste of a valuable resource.
The
truth is that the reward of a mitzva simply doesn’t fit into this world. If you
lined up the pleasure felt by all human beings from the beginning of the world
to the present and squeezed it into a single moment, it would still not equal a
moment’s pleasure in the Olam HaBa.
Nachmanides
explains that the word tov[312]
or “good”, refers to something “everlasting”, and that the word ra or “evil” refers to something
“temporary”. This view is intuitively sensible as well, HaShem wants the good
to last forever, whereas evil is clearly a temporary phenomenon. According to
this perception, a rasha is not
necessarily an evil/mean person in the common sense of the word; rather, he is
a person who is attached only to the temporary and transient and has never
connected himself to the everlasting.
As
Nachmanides explains: Life and good and death and evil are not different things
but synonymous; the good is life everlasting, and the evil is death because it
is temporary. This passage states that life is gained through choice: choose life so that you will live.
The rasha is not evil in
the common sense; he is merely a person who chooses the temporary and the
short-lived rather than the everlasting.
For
the rasha who has failed to
attach himself to the eternal even once in his life, but who has performed many
good deeds which must be rewarded, this world is the only place where such
rewards can be made available, he does not exist in the Olam HaBa! As the
rewards of mitzvot are so incomparably large, we would expect him to have a
wonderful life in this world. Thus the wicked prosper in this world, but they
do not exist in the Olam HaBa.
Further,
the wicked does not believe in an eternal existence and would not want his
reward in the next world. He wants his reward in this world, and he wants it
NOW! Therefore, HaShem must pay him in this world. He would not want any other
reward.
In
the end of days, HaShem will reveal Himself and say just two words: “Ani HaShem - I am HaShem,” and
all will become crystal clear to us. Everything will make sense; it will all
fit. We’ll see that there was a divine scheme. A sequence of events had to take
place the way it did for our ultimate benefit. And we will see clearly that
even what seemed bad and unjust was, without a doubt, orchestrated by HaShem
for our benefit.
This
world and what happens in it is not about reward and punishment. As we have
explained, reward and punishment become a part of our world due to purely
secondary considerations. This world is a workplace. The Divine policies that
apply here are generated primarily by concerns over maximizing production, just
as you would expect in any industrial setting. After all, the product of this
world is the manufacture of eternal life. Practically speaking, this means that
the creation of a place in Olam HaBa
for all of us is the focus of Hashgacha
Pratit, Divine Providence.
There
are three primary factors involved: We all must be placed into a situation that
will force us to produce. For example, suppose A is sent into the world to correct the character trait of arrogance
and cruelty. The extent of the correction achieved will determine A’s place in the Olam HaBa. Providence
will have determined that A must be born rich or become wealthy early in his
adult life. Such a life situation will guarantee that he will always contend
with the character traits he was sent to correct. People will constantly ask
him for help, and with each instance he will have confront his streak of
cruelty/meanness. The very fact that everyone will always be asking him for
help and attempting to curry favor with him will ensure that he has to confront
his trait of arrogance.
On
the other hand, B is sent to the
world to correct the trait of self-pity and to demonstrate the cheerful
acceptance of one’s lot. Providence will arrange for B to be poor, as his poverty will automatically force him to
contend with the very problems he was sent into the world to work on. If A were poor and B were rich neither would automatically be forced to do their jobs,
and their productivity would be entirely dependent on their inner motivation, a
very inefficient policy in terms of assuring maximum productivity. As they say,
necessity is the mother of invention. No one has ever come up with a better
motivator. A’s wealth and B’s poverty thus have zero relationship
with reward and punishment. The determination is based on purely utilitarian
considerations.
The
second function of Providence is to provide help. As the Talmud states “someone
who seeks to make himself spiritually impure, they open the way for him, and if
someone desires to purify himself, heaven assists him[313]“.
Providence is always there to provide assistance; how much assistance, and what
sort will be available, is again based on considerations of productivity.
Rabbi
Moshe Chaim Luzatto in “Derech HaShem”, “The Way of God”, explains that there
are three levels of assistance in either direction. The person who begins on
the path towards the Olam HaBa, the world to come, automatically receives some
assistance. The person who is firmly set on his way gets more; his assistance
comes in the form of redefining his job so that it is easier to complete. The
person who has already gone most of the way gets the most assistance; HaShem
provides him with whatever it takes to guarantee that he successfully completes
his job.
But
if we want HaShem to help us and lead us away from the wrong choice and along
the path of life and goodness, then we have to do something equal and similar
to deserve it. We have to go out onto the roads, where the roads are forked and
there is a choice that needs to be made, and we have to stand there and tell
other Jews, which way they should go, we have to go out there and scream “go in
the right path, go in the path of goodness, away from the avenger, the Satan,
away from the yetzer hara, the evil inclination”.
For
the rasha who is headed in the
opposite direction there are also three levels of “assistance”. Someone who has
begun on the path away from the Olam HaBa loses the assistance he could have
received and is left to his own devices, but Divine Providence doesn’t hinder
him from turning back to face the right direction either. On the other hand,
for the person who is well on his way on the road that leads away from the Olam
HaBa is positively hindered from turning back. Divine Providence places him in
a situation that makes it difficult for him to change directions, while the
confirmed rasha is placed in a
life situation that renders a change in direction next to impossible.
Luzatto
provides a practical example to bring this down to earth. Changing one’s
direction in life requires introspection, self-criticism and thought. These in
turn require opportunity and motivation. Thus the rasha may be so loaded down with the trials and cares of poverty
and ill health that his daily struggles make it impossible for him to enjoy the
peace of mind that is required to really look closely at his life and figure
out that he is headed in the wrong direction. Or Divine Providence may decide
to bless the rasha with great
wealth which will remove his motivation to indulge in searching self-criticism.
Why rock the boat when everything is going well? The method selected by the
Providence will depend on whether the rasha
needs to be rewarded for his good deeds in this world or not.
This
determination of Divine Providence, of how much positive help a person
deserves, or how many obstacles should be placed in his path, is a function of
judgment. This is what the judgment of Rosh HaShana is about.
Let
us return to our examples A and B.
A, the
wealthy man who was sent into the world to struggle with arrogance and cruelty
has been doing a poor job. He hasn’t been at all charitable and he has become
unapproachable and haughty. He knows about the workings of Providence that we
have just described and stands before HaShem on Rosh HaShana, desperately
afraid. His wealth was given to him only to ensure a productive struggle with
his negative character traits. As he is losing the struggle and not being
productive, if he were HaShem, at this point he would decide to take his wealth
away as a means of making the task of reaching his objective more cumbersome
and difficult.
What
can he do about it? He should say to HaShem that he realizes that until now he
has been deficient in his task but from now on he intends to fully engage in
the activities for which he was born. If he can persuade HaShem of his
sincerity, he will not lose his wealth.
B, also
stands before HaShem knowing that his poverty is a result of the workings of
Providence. But he has done an excellent job and worked on his self-pity and
has tried to accept his situation with good cheer. He tells HaShem that he has
struggled hard and long and been productive and now he would like some help. He
would like his task made easier and therefore there is no more need for him to
be poor. Let HaShem consider what he has accomplished as enough and let him
contend with other character traits such as arrogance and cruelty. Let
Providence place him in a life situation that would make him productive in
these new tasks. Let Providence make him rich.
Rosh
HaShana is indeed about judgment. The judgment doesn’t concern ultimate rewards
but is about the availability of Divine assistance. Unlike the ultimate rewards
which are the direct results of the inner transformations accomplished by the
person himself and therefore cannot be awarded but must be chosen, assistance
is a variable commodity whose availability is never absolutely fixed. Like
everything else in this world it is relative rather than absolute, and human
beings can employ their creative ingenuity to increase it.
The
wicked/mean prosper because they have chosen evil and death. They are receiving
the reward for their mitzvot in a temporary world because they are attached to
temporary things only.
The
idea that certain things receive their due in this world and others in the next
world, is clearly spelled out in the remes of the Nazarean Codicil:
Luqas (Luke) 16:19-31 There was a certain rich man, which
was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And
there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of
sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s
table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass,
that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the
rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being
in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he
cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may
dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in
this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime
receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is
comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you
there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you
cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore,
father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren;
that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear
them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the
dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
This
passage warns us to hear and heed the law of Moshe. This is just another way of
warning us to choose life! Choosing life is nothing more than moving your tree.
After all, moving our tree to the side of righteousness is the ultimate choice
for life.
The
physical world was made neutral, left for man to determine how it would be
used. One world, two possibilities, and man is the one to determine whether or
not he walks that path, or stumbles it in. But, try it he must, for that is
what he was created to do.
The
Worm on the Hook of Reality
It
is possible to believe that our prosperity is due to our own hard work and wisdom.
When we believe this, we must also believe that HaShem does not control His
world. Nevertheless, it is easy to deceive ourselves and believe in our own
abilities.
Hard
work does not bring prosperity; HaShem brings prosperity. When people work hard
and prosper, they can fool people into believing that they achieved their own
prosperity. We must constantly acknowledge that HaShem is in control of our
prosperity and all of our circumstances, and we must verbalize this to others.
If we fail to alert others to HaShem’s total control, then we become the worm
on the hook of reality. We deceive others into imitating us so that they can
achieve what we achieved. We become like the wicked who believe in their own
hard work, looks, wisdom, etc. and that those are what brought our success.
Do not become the worm on the hook
of reality!
Ashlamatah: Micah 6:9-16 + 7:7-8
|
Rashi |
Targum |
|
1. ¶ Hear
now what the Lord says; Rise; contend with the mountains, and may the hills
hear My voice. |
1. ¶ Hear now what the LORD is saying: Rise up, contend with the
mountains and let the hills hear your voice. |
|
2. Hear ye, O mountains, the controversy of the Lord; and you mighty
ones, the foundations of the earth; for the Lord has a controversy with His
people, and with Israel He shall contend. |
2. Hear the LORD’s case, you mountains, and you roots of the
foundations of the earth, for there is a case before the LORD against His people,
and against the house of Israel He is conducting a suit. |
|
3. O My
people, what have I done, and how have I wearied you? Testify against Me. |
3. My
people, what good have I said that I would do to you and I have not done it? Or
what severe hardship have I increased against you? Testify before me. |
|
4. For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from
the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. |
4. For I
brought you up from the land of Egypt and rescued you from the house of
bondage; and I sent before you my three prophets. Moses to teach the
tradition of judgments, Aaron to atone for the people. and Miriam to instruct the women. |
|
5. My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab planned, and what
Balaam the son of Beor answered him. From Shittim to Gilgal, may you
recognize the righteous deeds of the Lord. |
5. My
people, remember what Balak king of Moab advised and what Balaam son of Beor
answered him. Were mighty deeds not done to you from the valley of' Shittim
to the house of Gilgal so that you might know the righteous/generous deeds of
the LORD? |
|
6. With what shall I come before the Lord, bow before the Most High
God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves? |
6. With what will I worship before the LORD, or do homage to God whose
Shekinah is in the high heavens? Will I worship before Him with burnt
offerings, with calves a year old? |
|
7. Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with myriad
streams of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of
my body for the sin of my soul? |
7. Will the
LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with tens of thousands of streams of
oil? Will I give my first-born for my transgressions, the loved one of my
body for my own sins? |
|
8. He has told you, O man, what is good, and what
the Lord demands of you; but to do justice/charity, to love loving-kindness,
and to walk discreetly with your God. {S} |
8. It has been told to you, o man, what is good.
and what does the LORD seek from you, except to carry out true justice and to
love acts of kindness. You will be modest by walking in the fear of your God. {S} |
|
9. The
voice of the Lord calls out to the city, and the wisdom of the Torah, the one
who sees Your name; hearken to the staff and Who appointed it. |
9. With a cry the prophets of the LORD call out of the city, and the
teachers fear Your name, Hear O king and prince, and the rest of the people
of the land, |
|
10. Does the house of the wicked last long, [or do] the treasures of
wickedness? And an ephah of leanness is condemned. |
10. Are there still in the house of the wicked man storehouses of
wickedness and fraudulent measures bringing a curse? |
|
11. Will I merit with scales of wickedness or with a bag of deceitful
weights? |
11. Can they be acquitted despite wicked scales and a bag in which
there are greater and smaller weights? |
|
12. For the wealthy thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants
thereof speak lies, and their tongue is guile in their mouth. |
12. Whose
rich men fill their storehouses by violence, and whose inhabitants speak
falsehood, with deceitful tongues in their mouths. |
|
13. Therefore I, too, will smite you with sore wounds and make [you]
desolate because of your sins. |
13. I for My part have brought upon you sickness and plague and I have
made you desolate because you have sinned. |
|
14. You shall eat and not be sated, and it shall bend you over in your
innards; and you shall overtake, but you shall not rescue, and those whom you
rescue I will deliver to the sword. |
14. You will
eat, but not be satisfied; and there will be sickness in your insides. You will
obtain, but not carry off, and what you do carry off I will deliver to the
sword. |
|
15. You
shall sow, but you shall not reap; you shall tread the olives, but you shall
not anoint yourself with oil; and the must; but you shall not drink wine. |
15. You will sow but not reap, you will tread the olives, but not anoint
yourself with oil; you will press grapes, but not drink wine. |
|
16. And the statutes of Omri shall be observed, and every deed of the
house of Ahab; and you shall walk in their counsels, in order that I make you
an astonishment, and its inhabitants a hissing; and the disgrace of My people
you shall bear. {P} |
16. For you
have kept the decrees of the house of Omri and you have performed the
practices of the house of Ahab, and you have followed their laws so that they
might deliver you to desolation and her inhabitants to devastation. You will
receive the scorn of My people. {P} |
|
|
|
|
1. Woe is
to me, for I am as the last of the figs, like the gleanings of the vintage;
there is no cluster to eat; the first ripe fig my soul desires. |
1. The prophet said,' Woe is me! because I have become like one of the
good taken away, in the time when the pious vanished from the land like late
summer fruit, like gleanings after the vintage. There is not a man who has
good works I desire the good. |
|
2. The pious have perished from the land, and there is no upright
among men; they all lurk for blood; each one hunts his brother with a net. |
2. The
pious have vanished from the land; there is none upright among men. All of them
lie in wait to shed innocent blood, they deliver one another to destruction. |
|
3. [In
return] for the evil of their hands, do they expect that He will benefit
them? The prince asks, and the judge is in the payment, and the great man
speaks what is in his heart-and they weave the web. |
3. They do
evil with their hands and do not do good. The ruler asks, and the judge says, Act for
me that I might reward you; and the great man expresses the desires of his
heart. Woe to them because they have corrupted it. |
|
4. The best
of them is like a brier, the most upright, [worse] than a thorn hedge. The
day to which you look forward-your visitation-shall come; now will be their
perplexity. |
4. It is as difficult for the good among them to get away from his
power as from a thornbush, and for the upright among them as from a thorny
hedge. Evil is the day in which you hoped for good; the time of the
punishment for your wickedness has arrived. Now their confusion will come to
pass. |
|
5. Believe not a friend; trust not a prince; from her who lies in your
bosom guard the openings of your mouth. |
5. Do not rely on a friend, do not trust an intimate. Guard the words
of your mouth from the wife of your covenant. |
|
6. For a
son disgraces his father; a daughter rises up against her mother; a
daughter-in-law, against her mother- in-law; a man's enemies are the members
of his household. |
6. For in that time a son will spurn his father, a daughter will
quarrel with her mother, a daughter-in-law with her mother-in-law with
contempt, a man's own household will be his enemies. |
|
7. But I
will hope in the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God shall
hearken to me. |
7. But I
will rejoice in the Memra of the LORD, I will exult in the God who
accomplishes my salvation; my God will hear my prayer, |
|
8. Rejoice not against me, my enemy; although I
have fallen, I will rise; although I will sit in darkness, the Lord is a
light to me. {P} |
8. Do not rejoice over me, O Rome my enemy; though I have fallen, I will
rise, though I have sat as in darkness, the LORD will shine upon me. {P} |
|
|
|
Rashi’s Commentary to: Micah 6:9-16 + 7:7-8
1 with the mountains -with the Patriarchs.
the
hills -the
Matriarchs.
3
what have I done for you
-Put your heart to recognizing what benefit I have done for you.
and
how have I wearied you
-with My worship?
Testify
against Me Heb. עֲנֵה בִּי
4
For I brought you up
-Although I bestowed all this benefit upon you, I did not weary you with much
worship or with large sacrifices.
Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam
- Jonathan paraphrases: Moses to
teach the transmission of the laws, Aaron to atone for the people, and Miriam
to instruct the women.
5
and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him -(Num. 23:8) “How shall I be angry if God is not
angry?” for I did not become angry all those days. [from Berachot 4a]
from
Shittim -where
you sinned before Me. You should recognize My righteous deeds, for I did not
withhold My kindness and My assistance from you until I brought you to Gilgal,
and I conquered the land before you.
6 bow I will be humbled.
7 streams of oil -for meal offerings.
Shall
I give my firstborn?
-as a sacrifice for my transgression.
8
He has told -The
Holy One, blessed be He, has told you what is good for you to do.
and
to walk discreetly
- Jonathan renders: Walk discreetly
in the fear of your God. Another explanation: And walk discreetly. The standard
of flesh and blood is not like the standard of the Holy One, blessed be He. The
standard of flesh and blood is: If one man embarrasses his fellow and comes to
placate him, the fellow says to him, “I will not accept your apology until so
and so and so and so, before whom you disgraced me, come.” But the Holy One,
blessed be He, desires only that the man’s return to Him be between the two of
them. [from Pesikta d’Rav Kahana
163b]
9
The voice of the Lord calls out in the city -The voice of the prophets of the Lord calling out,
calling them [the people] to repentance. [from Jonathan]
and
the wisdom of the Torah, the one who sees Your name -The prophet who sees Your name
calls out the wisdom of the Torah; i.e., the one who puts his heart to
contemplate and to see your ways. The word וְתוּשִׁיּה refers to the verse above it.
hearken
to the staff and Who appointed it
-Bend your ears, and hearken to the staff of retribution that will punish you,
concerning which the prophets warn you; and hearken to who it is Who appointed
that retribution, whether He has the ability to fulfill what He decreed. But Jonathan did not render in this manner.
and
the wisdom of Torah, the one who sees Your name From here we deduce that whoever
recites daily a verse beginning [with the letter] and ending [with the letter]
as his name begins and ends, the Torah saves him from Gehinnom.
10 Does the house of the wicked last long, [or do] the treasures of
wickedness? -The “hey” of הַאִשׁ is vowelized with a “pattach” [not a kamatz] because it denotes
a question. And this is its meaning: עוֹד is an expression of longevity. הַאִשׁ is like הֲיֵשׁ, is there.
In I Chronicles (2:13) we find: “Ishai the father of David,” instead of
“Yishai.” Here, too, is אִשׁ instead of יֵשׁ. And so in II Samuel (14:19):
“If anyone can (אִשׁ) turn to the
right or to the left.” [This is identical to] “If anyone can (יֵשׁ) turn to the right or to the left.” So did Jonathan render it: Is there. Will it enter your mind that the
house of the wicked will last long, and the treasures of wickedness?
And
an ephah of leanness is condemned
-A small measure with which your wealthy deceive the poor and bring them to
leanness - that is condemned by the wrath of the Holy One, blessed be He.
13
I will smite you with sore wounds
-I have made your wounds sore - strong and ill and incurable.
and
make [you] desolate
Heb. הַשְׁמֵם, to make you desolate because of your
14
and it shall bend you over in your innards Heb. וְיֶשְׁחֲךָ. The food that you eat - I will bring a curse into it within
your intestines, and it will cause you illness, that you will be ill and walk
bent over. So it is explained in Sifre:
How do we know that, even within the intestines? Scripture states: “And it
shall bend you over in your innards.” In the parashah of Ekev, in expounding
(Deut. 11:12) “The eyes of the Lord your God are upon it,” Jonathan, too, renders [our verse] in this manner: And it shall be
to you for illness and a wound in your intestines.
and
you shall overtake
-your enemies who lead your sons and daughters away, into captivity; but you
shall not rescue them, and if you rescue them, their end will be to the sword.
In the name of Rabbi Menahem I heard: You shall gain your desire for sexual
intercourse, but you shall not ejaculate. You shall not have the strength to
ejaculate semen; and, if you do ejaculate them [and beget children], their end
will be that I will deliver them to the sword [of the enemy].
16 And the statutes of Omri shall be observed -I know that you will
not obey Me, but through you and your children will all the statutes of Omri
and Ahab [the evil kings of Israel] be observed.
and
the disgrace of My people you shall bear -You shall bear the iniquity for the disgrace that
the peoples of the world deride My people, for the Torah admonished them
concerning (Deut. 25: 14): “You shall not have in your house two kinds of
ephah,” but they do not keep it.
Chapter
7
1 Woe is to me -The prophet laments over himself, “Woe is to me that
I was appointed a prophet at this time, when there are no righteous people in
the generation.”
as
the last of the figs
Heb. כְּאָסְפֵּי. This is vowelized with a “chataf kamatz” because it is not a
verb in the present tense, like:, יוֹשֵב, sits, and אוֹמֵר, says; rather, it is a gerund, as in (Isa. 33:4): “The
gathering of (אֹסֶף) the
locusts”; like the gathering of קַיִץ. These are the last figs, which are inferior. And so did Jonathan render: as the late figs of the
summer.
as
the gleanings of the vintage
- As the gleanings after the vintage. [from Jonathan]
there
is no cluster to eat
-As the Targum renders: There is no
man who has good deeds.
a
first ripe fig my soul desires
-A good fig, which ripens in its time, as the Targum renders: My soul desired the good ones.
2 and there is no upright among men -There is no upright man among
men.
each
one hunts his brother with a net
-They hunt with their net and with their trap.
3
[in return] for the evil of their hands, do they expect that He will benefit
them? -Do you
expect that He will benefit you as the reward for the evil of your hands?
the
prince asks -for
a bribe.
and
the judge -who
judges the case is also in the payment. When he is a robber and is liable
according to law, he says to his fellow judge, “Do me a favor in this case, and
I will vindicate you in another case.”
and
the great man speaks what is in his heart -The king or the prince states in the case what his
heart desires.
what
is in his heart
Heb. הַוַּתנַפְשׁוֹ. He speaks what is (הוֶֹה) to his will
and to his desire. Cf.(Jer. 15:1) “I have no desire for this people.” And so
did Jonathan render: The desires of
his heart.
and
they weave the web
-They made it into a rope of sin amongst the three of them. As the cart ropes,
so is the sin, for a rope is braided of three strands. So have I found in the
Jerusalem Talmud (Taanith 2:1): We
made it like a web of sins.
4
The best of them is like a brier
-The best among them - it is as hard to extricate oneself from his hand as from
a brier (Targum Jonathan). It is as
hard to extricate oneself from their hand as [it is to extricate] the briers
that are entangled in wool.
the
most upright, [worse] than a thorn hedge -The most upright among them is worse than a thorn
hedge.
than
a thorn hedge
Heb. מִמְּסוּכָה. Cf. (Isa. 5:5) “Remove its hedge (מְשׂוּכָּתוֹ).”
the
day to which you look forward
-On the day to which you look forward for good, your visitation shall come.
their
perplexity Heb. מְבוּכָתָם. [Jonathan renders:] עֲרָבוּלָהוֹן. Cf. (Ex. 14:3) “They are entangled (נְבֻכִים)
5
Believe not a friend
[This is to be understood] according to its apparent meaning. But our Sages
explained it as referring to the Most High. Do not sin and say that the Holy
One, blessed be He, is our Friend, and He will forgive us. [from Hagiga 16a]
from
her who lies in your bosom
-Your soul will testify against you.
the
openings of your mouth
Heb. פִּתְחֵי. The words of your mouth, the openings of your mout
7 But I will hope in the Lord -The prophet is saying so.
8 Rejoice not... my enemy -Babylon and the wicked city of Rome.
Verbal Tallies
By: H. Em. Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben
David
& HH Giberet Dr. Elisheba
bat Sarah
Vayikra (Leviticus) 1:1 – 3:17
Micah 6:9-16 + 7:7-8
Tehillim (Psalms) 73
1 Pet 1:1-12,
Lk 9:51-62, Acts 19:1-20
The verbal tallies between the Torah and the Ashlamata
are:
LORD
- יהוה, Strong’s number 03068.
Called
/ Cries - קרא, Strong’s number 07121.
Spoke
/ Spoken - דבר, Strong’s number 01696.
The verbal tallies between the Torah and the Psalm
are:
Spoke
/ Spoken / Speak - דבר, Strong’s number 01696.
Saying
/ Say - אמר, Strong’s number 0559.
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 1:1 And the LORD <03068>
called <07121> (8799) unto Moses, and spake <01696> (8762) unto him out of the
tabernacle of the congregation, saying <0559>
(8800),
Micah 6:9 The LORD’S <03068> voice cries
<07121> (8799) unto the city, and the man of wisdom will see your name:
hear you the rod, and who has appointed it.
Micah 6:12 For the
rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken <01696> (8765) lies, and their tongue
is deceitful in their mouth.
Tehillim
(Psalms) 73:8 They are corrupt, and speak <01696> (8762) wickedly concerning oppression: they
speak loftily.
Tehillim
(Psalms) 73:11
And they say <0559> (8804), How does
God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
Nazarean Talmud
Sidrot of
Vayikra (Lev.) 1:1 – 3:17
“Vayiqrá” “And called”
By: H. Em
Rabbi Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham &
H. Em.
Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
|
School of
Hakham Shaul Tosefta Luqas
(Lk) 9:51 – 56 & 9:57 - 62 Mishnah א:א |
School of
Hakham Tsefet Peshat 1 Tsefet
(Pet.) 1:1 – 2 & 1:3 - 12 Mishnah א:א |
|
¶ And now it happened that when the days were
approaching for him to be taken up, he (Yeshua) determined to appear
in Yerushalayim. And he sent messengers ahead of him, and as they went they entered
into a village of the Shomron in order to prepare for him. And they did not accept him because
he was determined to go to Yerushalayim. Now when his talmidim
Ya’aqob and Yochanan saw it, they said, “Master, do you want us to call fire
to come down from the
heavens and consume them?” But he turned around and rebuked
them, and they proceeded to another village. ¶ And as they were traveling on the
road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go!” And Yeshua
said to him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests,
but the Son of Man has no permanent place to lay
his head.” And he said to another, “Follow me!” But he said, “Master, allow
me to first go and bury my father.” But he said to him, “Leave the dead to
bury their own dead! But you go and proclaim the kingdom –governance, (sovereignty
through the bate Din and Hakhamim) of God.” And another person also said, “I will follow you, Master,
but first allow me to say farewell to those in my house.” But Yeshua said,
“No one who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom –governance, sovereignty
(through the bate Din and Hakhamim) of God!” |
Tsefet, a Shaliach (apostle – emissary)[314]
of Yeshua HaMashiach, to the
predetermined[315]
sojourners of the Diaspora of Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and of Bithynia, according to the
foreknowledge[316]
of G-d the Father, in the Ruach HaKodesh (breath of
holiness). Setting you apart to obedient compliance (of the Torah), made ritually clean[317]
through the life and teachings of
Yeshua HaMashiach. May chesed (loving-kindness) and shalom (peace – wholeness) be multiplied to you. ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of
our Master Yeshua HaMashiach, who according to His (God’s) great chesed (loving-kindness) has renewed a living hope to us through the resurrection of Yeshua
HaMashiach from the dead, to an incorruptible inheritance,[318]
undefiled, and unfading, reserved for you in the heavens. Who by the virtuous
power of G-d, having been kept through faithfulness to redemption ready to be
revealed in these last days.[319]
In which you should greatly
rejoice, for yet a little while,
if need be, grieving in the greatest manifold testing’s of your faithful obedience.[320]
So that the testing’s of your trustworthiness being much more precious than that of gold that perishes, but being
purified by fire, similarly that you
might be found worthy of praise and honor and glory at the unveiling of
Yeshua HaMashiach. Even though you have
not seen him, you love him; whom you do not see at
the present, but being faithfully
obedient to him you exult with unspeakable joy, and having been glorified,
obtaining the goal of your faithful obedience, to the redemption of your
souls. ¶ Concerning this redemption the
prophets sought and carefully investigated it, prophesying about the
loving-kindness that is to be yours; seeking to know when, or what manner of
season, the Ruach HaMashiach made clear to them, testifying beforehand of the
sufferings of Mashiach, and the glories that should follow. It was not
revealed to them, but to us, they for whom they ministered the things, which
are now reported to you by those who have handed down the Mesorah to you in
the Ruach HaKodesh, breathings
of the Oral Torah sent from the
Heavens; which things the holy messengers desired to understand. |
|
School of
Hakham Shaul Remes 2 Luqas
(Acts) 19:1 – 12 & 19:13 - 20 Mishnah א:א |
|
|
¶ And now it happened that while Apollos was
in Corinth, Hakham Shaul traveled through the highlands country and came to Ephesus. There
he met some talmidim[321] preparing
for conversion. And he said to them, “Did you receive
(Heb. kibal)[322] the Oral Torah
(Orally breathed Torah [Ruach HaKodesh]) when you dedicated[323] yourselves
to accept the Torah?” And they said to him, “We have not even heard[324] of the Mesorah yet!” And he said, “Were you immersed?”[325]
And they said, “we have been immersed with Yochanan’s immersion
of repentance (in preparation for the coming of the kingdom/governance
[sovereignty] of God
through the Hakhamim and Bate Din.”[326]
And Hakham Shaul said, “Yochanan immersed with an immersion of repentance,
telling the people that they should become faithfully obedient to the one who
was to come after him—that is, Yeshua.” And when they heard this, they were
immersed on the authority of the Master Yeshua. And when Hakham Shaul laid hands on them,[327]
the Nefesh
Yehudi came upon them and they began to speak in different languages and to prophesy. Now the total number of men was about twelve. ¶ And he entered into the Synagogue[328] of
the Tz’dukim and was speaking with
great authority for three months,[329]
discussing with
them the advancement[330] of the kingdom/governance sovereignty of God
through the Hakhamim and Bate Din.[331]
But when they became stubborn and rebellious, speaking
negatively of the Way (Derekh
HaShem through the Mesorah) before the congregation, he
departed from them and took away the talmidim, and
began guiding them through daily lectures in the school[332] of Tyrannus (meaning: “Sovereign”). ¶ And now it happened that this continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word (Mesorah) of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. And God
was performing many virtuous acts through the hands of Hakham Shaul, so that even kippot[333]
and talitoth[334] that he
had made
were carried away to those who were weak (in
Torah observance), and their defects and shedim departed from them.[335] ¶ But some traveling Jewish exorcists also attempted to invoke the name of the Master Yeshua over
those who had shedim, saying, “I adjure you by Yeshua whom Hakham Shaul preaches!” (Now Sheba
B’ne Sheba (seven sons
of a certain Sheba), a Jewish (Levitical) priest,[336]
were doing this.) But the shadé answered and said to them, “Yeshua I know, and Hakham Shaul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man who had the shadé leaped on
them, overpowered all (seven) of them, and
prevailed over them, so that they ran away from that house naked and wounded. And
this became known to all who lived in Ephesus,[337]
both Jews and Greeks, and fear fell upon them all, and the authority of the Master Yeshua was exalted. ¶ And many of those who had faithfully
obeyed came, confessing and disclosing their practices, and many of those who
practiced idolatry brought together their books and burned them up in the sight of
everyone. And they counted up their value and found it was fifty thousand
silver coins. In this way the word (Mesorah) of the Lord continued to increase and prevailed mightily. |
|
Nazarean Codicil
to be read in conjunction with the following Torah Seder
|
*Lev 1:1 – 3:17 |
Ps 73 |
Micah 6:9-16 + 7:7-8 |
1 Pet 1:1-2, 3-12 |
Lk 9:51-56, 9:57-62 |
Acts 19:1-12, 19:13-20 |
Commentary to Hakham Tsefet’s School
of Peshat
The Chosen
In a manner of speaking 1st Tsefet (Pet)
1:1 begins very much like Mordechai (Mark) 1:1. Mordechai begins with the
Hebrew words “Resheet.” Resheet speaks of the principle thing of importance,
the chief etc. 1st Tsefet (Pet) 1:1 speaks of the elect, chosen or
first ordained.
Hakham Tsefet’s idea of being “chosen” best being
understood when we dissect the Greek word
ἐκλέγομαι – eklegome. This Greek word is a compound word
comprised of two Greek words ἐκ and “lego” from its root
is “logos” – meaning “a word spoken.” When applied contextually we see
that Hakham Tsefet is speaking to the
ἐκλέγομαι – eklegome
“the chosen,” or “elect” in the Diaspora. This means that Hakham Tsefet is
speaking to the B’ne Yisrael who are the chosen throughout the Diaspora.
Therefore, we understand that out of the endless stream of
Adam’s seed, G-d chose the B’ne Yisrael to be His special people. The prefix of
our Greek word,
ἐκλέγομαι – eklegome
is ἐκ or
ἐξ – ek ex, meaning “out of.” However,
ἐκ or ἐξ – ek ex, contextually means
that this selecting “out of” occurred before the foundation of the earth.
Ephesians
1:3 – 6 To be read on Nisan 18,
connecting Chesed coupled with prophecy
Let the God and Father of our master Yeshua HaMashiach be
Blessed[338],
having blessed[339]
us in Messiah with every spiritual[340]
blessing[341]
in the heavens,[342] even as He (God)
has elected[343] (separated)[344] us[345]
(the Jewish people) to be in union with him[346]
Messiah before the foundation of the world[347]
to be Tsadiqim (a-gios) and
blameless in His God's presence in love. He God appointed us as His chief/principle[348]
adoption[349]
as His own (children) through Yeshua
HaMashiach according His desire and good will to the praise of the honour of His chesed
(loving-kindness), in which He has made
us accepted as the one beloved.
In concise terms, Hakham Tsefet and Hakham Shaul[350]
show us that the selection of the B’ne Yisrael took place before the foundation
of the earth. Because this is a Peshat commentary, we understand that the
phrase “before the foundation of the earth” means before B’resheet (Gen) 1:1.
When speaking in Remes this phrase means, before the events of Har Sinai i.e.
since Abraham. This tells us that the Matan HaTorah is the “foundation of the
earth.” Jewish Scholars have suggested that this is the day, “The earth stood
still.”[351]
The Peshat interpretation of ἐκλέγομαι
– eklegome would them mean that before time, or the foundation of
the earth G-d dictated (logos) the mission of each soul to him before he was
created, or before the earth was created. Because there is no such thing as a
single independent soul in Judaism, we must understand the idea to mean that
G-d dictated to the B’ne Yisrael their mission in the earth before there was a
cosmos.
How are we to understand this from Peshat?
The earth/cosmos is built on the structure of the
orally breathed Torah, i.e. the “Oral Torah.” It was the Oral Torah, breathed
out of the mouth of G-d, which caused the cosmos to begin its assembly. This is
self-evident when reading B’resheet (Genesis). The repeated refrain “and G-d said,”
is G-d’s recital of the Oral Torah, the “foundation of the world.” Not only is
the Oral Torah the “foundation of the world,” it is the oral account of the
history of the heavens and earth as well. This means that the history of the
world/cosmos is wrapped up in the Oral Torah. To find one’s place in history is
to find his place in the Oral Torah. To reject the Oral Torah is to nullify
one’s place in history and more specifically the Olam HaBa. If the Torah – nomos[352]
is the structure of the universe, we must opine that the Oral Torah is the
structure both of the Y’mot HaMashiach (Days of Messiah) and the Olam HaBa (the
ever coming world). We further state that Halakhic application of the Oral
Torah is a means for the restoration of Gan Eden (Paradise).
The Oral Torah is the
providence of G-d’s “foreknowledge”
The written Torah is wound in a spiraling scroll.
The Oral Torah is a scroll that contains the history of the cosmos written on
its leaves. As such, the foreknowledge of G-d is recorded on the pages of the
Oral Torah. The foreknowledge[353]
of G-d the Father, is breathed out
in the Ruach HaKodesh (breath of holiness) setting you, the B’ne Yisrael apart. The breathing of G-d was the
recital of the Oral Torah used in the creating of the cosmos. Herein the Keri’at
Shema – recital of the Shema, becomes an essential part of Jewish life.
“Hear O Yisrael,” the words of the “orally breathed Torah” with the mission and
agenda of Jewish life that are uttered each day as the infrastructure of the
cosmos.
Abot 6:2 Every day a Heavenly voice issues forth from Mount Horeb
(Sinai) to proclaiming: "Woe to humankind for their contempt of the
Torah" and whoever is not occupied with the Torah is rebuked, as it is
said – “As a golden rings in a swine’s snout, so is a beautiful woman who deviates
from discretion” (Mishle/Proverbs 11:22) And it is said – And the Tablets are
the work of God and the writing is God’s writing engraved upon Tablets” (Shemot
32:16) Read not engraved [charuth]
but freedom [cheruth], for there is
no one free save one who is occupied with Torah study. And anyone who is
occupied with Torah study will become exalted, as it said – “From God’s gift
[Mattana] to God’s heritage [Nachaliel] and from God’s heritage [Nachaiel] to
the high places [Bamoth]” (B’midbar 21:19).
Adam and Havah experienced this voice on a daily
basis.
B’resheet
3:8 “They (Adam and Havah) heard the voice of halakhah (i.e. walking) from the Breath of the Lord God in the garden.”
Do we need to return to the Garden to hear the
voice that Adam and Chavah heard daily? NO! G-d has given us living voices from
which we hear the daily breathed Torah just as it was uttered in Gan Eden
(Garden of Eden). Every day we can hear the voice of the Ruach HaKodesh (breath of
holiness – the breathing of the Oral Torah) breathed
through the mouths of the Hakhamim in their lessons of theTorah.
Ritual Purity and Messiah
Hakham Tsefet stealthily places his subtle allusion
to the defunct Levitical Priesthood in his opening pasuk (verse). We have
translated the allusion as “Setting you
apart to obedient compliance (of the Torah), made ritually clean[354]
through the life and teachings of
Yeshua HaMashiach.” The obvious thing we should see from this pasuk is that
Messiah functioned as Kohen (Priest). However, he is referred to as a Kohen
Gadol in Hakham Shaul’s letter to the Bereans (Hebrews). This “Priesthood” is
not from the Levitical line. This priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek.
The Priesthood of Melchizedek is the priesthood of the firstborn. As we will
see in the Remes commentary below, Yeshua restored the Priesthood of the
firstborn through his life of sacrificial righteous/generosity. The purity we
now experience is through the washing of the Torah.
Ephesians
5:25-27 Husbands, love[355]
your wives,[356]
even as Messiah also loved the Esnoga and gave himself for it,[357]
that he might sanctify (set apart) and cleanse[358]
it with the washing of
water[359]
by the Torah,[360]
that he cause it to stand by[361]
himself as the glorious Esnoga/Congregation, without spot or wrinkle or any
such things,[362]
but that it should be holy and without blame.[363]
The Torah is a cleansing agent that supersedes the
“mayim chayim” (living waters). How can water that only touches the body
cleanse the soul? The Living Torah, i.e. the Oral Torah has the ability to
reach into the deepest recesses of the soul and cleanse even the darkest
places. The Neshamah then exudes the energy/power of G-d that ritually cleanses
the whole being.
For those who may not realize what has happened
with the readings of Mordechai (Mark) and 1st Tsefet (Pet) being
exchanged, Hakham Tsefet intentionally makes this exchange. His allusion points
to the fact that the Levitical Priesthood is now defunct and that the
Priesthood of the firstborn is now reinstated.
Commentary to Hakham Shaul’s School
of Remes
We now begin the investigation of the most
fascinating pericopes of 2 Luqas (Acts). The events at hand are filled with a
number of nuances and allegorical hints (Remes). Therefore, we would remind the
readers that Remes means that we will be embracing non-literal events to teach
spiritual truths. The actors on the stage are not literal and the stories
haggadic in nature. Hakham Tsefet’s ingenuity has passed to his talmid Hakham
Shaul who carefully lays out the events before us.
The case of the missing
Hakham
Hakham Shaul “coincidentally” happens to meet 12
“talmidim.” Interestingly these “talmidim” have no mentioned Hakham. Obviously,
Hakham Shaul did not intend for us to know those circumstances. We must unravel
the allegory with the present materials. What seems also evident is that these
“talmidim” are not full converts yet. They have “dedicated themselves to Torah
observance.” The idea of dedication to the Torah is an underlying idea in the
Greek word πιστεύω – pisteuo, which
we usually translate as “faithfulness” or faithful obedience.” In the present
case, we can determine that these “talmidim” are dedicated to becoming Jewish.
The question that we might place in Hakham Shaul’s
mouth with regard to the “talmidim” as an interpretative key is, “where are you
in the process of conversion”? Have you received (Heb. kibal) the Mesorah
(Orally breathed Torah – from a Hakham) yet? Their response might have been “we
do not have, or know what a Hakham is, nor do we understand what the Mesorah
(spirit/breath of holiness) is.” In reading and interpreting the scenario, in
our pericope, we would not expect anything different. Why not? If the reader
looks on Carefully it will become self-evident what has happened
to these poor lost talmidim. “And he entered into the Synagogue[364] of the Tz’dukim (Sadducees) and was speaking with great authority.” One would not expect these talmidim to know
anything about the Mesorah/Oral Torah if they attended a Synagogue of the
Tz’dukim. We can state with confidence that this was most likely a Synagogue of
Tz’dukim – Sadducees. The Tz’dukim accepted only the Written Torah.
Likewise, they leaned towards the side of being epicurean. Consequently, they
related to the more influential upper class.[365]
The “sola scriptura” mentality originated with the Tz’dukim (Sadducees). These
Tz’dukim do not have “Hakhamim” per se. They have soferim (scribes) but not
Sages/Hakhamim. Furthermore, they would not have known anything about the Oral
Torah.
A Prelude to Ephesians a
Prelude to the Revelation
The present pericope sets the stage for the book of
Ephesians. Not only does it set the stage for Hakham Shaul’s letter to the Ephesians
it lays the foundation for the “Revelation” of Messiah.
Revelation 2:1 ¶ “To
the Sh’l'ach Tzibbur (Hazzan) of the
Synagogue in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in his right
hand, the one who walks among the seven golden meneroth, says this: I know your
works and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men.
You put to those to the test who call themselves Sheliachim, and they are not,
and you found them to be false. And you have perseverance and have
endured for my authority’s sake, and have not grown weary. 'But I have this against you, that you have left the first love,[366]
the B’ne Yisrael. 'Remember
therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the principal works
again; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your menorah (i.e. Seven
Paqidim) out of its place -- unless you
repent.
The interpretative key to the above So’od is found
in Revelation 1:20.
Revelation
1:20 "As for the So’od of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand,
and the seven golden meneroth: the seven stars are the Sheliachim Tzibbur (Hazzan) of the Synagogue of the seven
congregations (Synagogues), and the seven meneroth are the seven Congregations
(Synagogue).
Where would Hakham Yochanan get the idea to pen
these words?
2 Luqas 19:9
But when they (the Tzdukim
– Sadducees) became stubborn and rebellious, speaking negatively of the Way (Derekh HaShem through the Mesorah) before the congregation,
he departed from them
and took away the talmidim, and began guiding
them through daily lectures in the school[367] of the Sovereign (Tyrannus).
Hakham Shaul followed the idea that is presented in
the book of Revelation (which was held in oral form at this point in time)..
The rest of the present pericope will reveal the
Remes foundation for the Letter to the Ephesians.
Before we endeavor to elucidate the reason for the
Letter to the Ephesians, we need to look at the great cover up. The usual
translation of the present pericope says that Hakham Shaul’s “headband” (where
he perspired during his labor) and “apron” were distributed to heal those who
touched them. Baloney! Is our translation a denial of the supernatural
power of G-d? Heaven forbid! Interestingly the Greek text borrows two Latin
words to describe these “handkerchiefs and aprons.” Something smells like a
Monk that has been monkeying with the text! The Latin words are a subtle hint
that someone altered the text.
Therefore, what is the true meaning of
“handkerchiefs and aprons?” Hakham Shaul was not in the business of a
stonemason. His occupation was that of manufacturing ritual items like Kippot
and Tallitoth (katanot in the present case). It is amazing that the blatant
truth is right before our eyes and we miss what is being said. Ok, so they
altered the text and you need to read Greek.
The usual translation reads, “And God was
performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul.” The Greek word for
these “extraordinary” virtuous acts is τυγχάνω – tugchano that has a literal meaning of “hitting the mark.” This is
actually a synonym for obedience to the Torah, which among other things means
to hit the mark. The Hebrew word for sin (chattath)
means to miss the mark i.e. disobedience to the Torah. Hakham Shaul is in the
business of helping talmidim stand, i.e. be able to hit the mark. The sicknesses
are REMES – referring to something other than Peshat! These diseases are the
plagues of the soul, which are healed through Torah observance!
A Case for Ephesians
We have seen above how the present pericope is
related to the Ephesians. What we do not see are minor Remes details. The
subtle hint will elude the reader who hurries through his lesson. Hakham Shaul
is a well-trained Sage. He has covered every aspect of the four levels of
hermeneutic in these few pasukim (verses). He begins a narrative about Sheba
B’ne Shaba. Firstly, let us reiterate that the Remes text here shows us the
failure of seven sons of a Priest named Sheba. The text reads “High Priest.”
The difficulty here is that he is not a “High Priest.” However, most scholars
agree that he is of the true Levitical line. Therefore, this subtle reference
demonstrates that the Priest and his sons are failures without any spiritual
power or authority of their own. In fact, they know this and try to use the
authority of the Master. Again, we reiterate what we have stated above, the
Levitical Priesthood was transferred to the Priest of the Firstborn when
Yochanan stated “I must decrease and you must increase.” The words Yochanan
spoke, “I need to be immersed by you” shows Levitical concession to the
Priesthood of the firstborn.
Sheba B’ne Sheba
Most of our readers will know that we have
inaugurated a new translation of Ephesians concording it to the counting of the
Omer. Furthermore, the sections are concorded to match the custom of
associating each day with one of the seven lower sefirot which can be found in
almost any Siddur. These seven sefirot
represent one of the seven Paqidim governing the congregation.
1 Masoret Loving-kindness
2 Sheliah (Hazzan) Strength (Din – Judgment)
3 Darshan (Prophet) Compassion (Beauty)
4 Parnas #1– Pastor Virtue
– Confidence, Victory
5 Parnas #2 – Pastor (f.) Sincerity (Glory)
6 Parnas #3 - Pastor Foundation Emet – Truth
7 Moreh – Teacher The Kingdom
Hakham Shaul subtly shows the Remes text of his
letter to the Ephesians that it is based on the principle of counting of the
Omer.
For those who are not familiar with the Hebrew
titles Sheba B’ne Sheba we will translate. Sheba is the number seven, and
therefore we have a play on the number seven. The non-literal Remes would allow
us to say that we have seven times seven, for the 49 days of counting the Omer.
The seven sons refer to the seven lower sefirot. Consequently, Hakham Shaul
gives us a hint (Remes) that he would write a semi-acrostic styled letter to
the Ephesians based on this criterion.
Why does Hakham Shaul say that he spent 24 months
(2 years) speaking with authority in that place. The subtlety is amazing “the
first mention of 24 is with regard to the “DEDICATION” of the Mishkan.”[368]
However, the Remes continues when we realize that there are 24 books to the
Tanakh. Hakham Shaul stayed long enough to marry the Oral Torah to the written
Torah and to witness the demise of the Tz’dukim (Sadducees). Furthermore, the
connection to the Kohanim is with regard to the 24 courses of Mishmarot. Again,
this shows that the Levitical line is defunct and that the Firstborn are
reinstated to their orinial vocation/call of being the Priests.
Amen Vamen
Questions for Reflection
- From all the readings for this week, which particular verse or
passage caught your attention and fired your heart and imagination?
- In your opinion, and taking into consideration
all of the above readings for this Sabbath, what is the prophetic message
(the idea that encapsulates all the Scripture passages read) for this
week?
Blessing After Torah Study
Barúch
Atáh Adonai, Elohénu Meléch HaOlám,
Ashér
Natán Lánu Torát Emét, V'Chayéi Olám Natá B'Tochénu.
Barúch
Atáh Adonái, Notén HaToráh. Amen!
Blessed
is Ha-Shem our God, King of the universe,
Who
has given us a teaching of truth, implanting within us eternal life.
Blessed
is Ha-Shem, Giver of the Torah. Amen!
“Now
unto Him who is able to preserve you faultless, and spotless, and to establish
you without a blemish,
before
His majesty, with joy, [namely,] the only one God, our Deliverer, by means of
Yeshua the Messiah our Master, be praise, and dominion, and honor, and majesty,
both now and in all ages. Amen!”
Next Shabbat:
Shabbat “Nefesh Ki Techetá” – “When
a person sins”
|
Shabbat |
Torah Reading: |
Weekday Torah Reading: |
|
נֶפֶשׁ
כִּי-תֶחֱטָא |
|
Saturday
Afternoon |
|
“Nefesh Ki Techetá” |
Reader
1 – Vayiqra 4:1-4 |
Reader 1 – Vayiqra 5:1-3 |
|
“When a person sins” |
Reader
2 – Vayiqra 4:5-7 |
Reader 2 – Vayiqra 5:4-6 |
|
“Cuando
alguna persona pecare” |
Reader
3 – Vayiqra 4:8-12 |
Reader 3 – Vayiqra 5:7-9 |
|
Vayiqra (Lev.) 4:1-35 |
Reader
4 – Vayiqra 4:13-21 |
|
|
Ashlamatah: Ezekiel
18:4-13, 32 |
Reader
5 – Vayiqra 4:22-26 |
Monday & Thursday Mornings |
|
|
Reader
6 – Vayiqra 4:27-31 |
Reader 1 – Vayiqra 5:1-3 |
|
Psalm 74:1-23 |
Reader
7 – Vayiqra 4:32-35 |
Reader 2 – Vayiqra 5:4-6 |
|
|
Maftir – Vayiqra 4:32-35 |
Reader 3 – Vayiqra 5:7-9 |
|
N.C.: 1 Pet 1:13 - 2:3;
Luke 10:1-12; Acts 19:21-41 |
Ezekiel
18:4-13, 32 |
|
Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David
Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham