Torah Seder Kislev 7, 5768

Esnoga Bet Emunah

227 Millset Chase - San Antonio, Texas 78253

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

Three and 1/2 year Lectionary Readings	Fourth Year of the Reading Cycle
Kislev 7, 5768 – Nov. 16/17, 2007	Seventh Year of the Shmita Cycle

Candle Lighting and Havdalah Times

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

Friday Nov. 16, 2007 – Candles at 5:21 PM Friday Nov. 16, 2007 – Candles at 5:59 PM

Saturday Nov. 17, 2007 – Havadalah 6:16 PM Saturday Nov. 17, 2007 – Havadalah 6:55 PM

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Singapore, Singapore

Friday Nov. 16, 2007 – Candles at 5:16 PM Friday Nov. 16, 2007 – Candles at 6:33 PM

Saturday Nov. 17, 2007 – Havadalah 6:13 PM Saturday Nov. 17, 2007 – Havadalah 7:24 PM

Cebu, Philippines Jakarta, Indonesia

Friday Nov. 16, 2007 – Candles at 5:06 PM Friday Nov. 16, 2007 – Candles at 5:31 PM

Saturday Nov. 17, 2007 – Havadalah 5:58 PM Saturday Nov. 17, 2007 – Havadalah 6:23 PM

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

Coming Festival: Chanukah

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

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

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

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
וְקַח מֵאִתָּם מַטֶּה
“V’Qach Meitam Mateh”	Reader 1 – B’midbar 17:16-24	Reader 1 – B’midbar 18:25-27
“And take from each of them a rod”	Reader 2 – B’midbar 17:25-28	Reader 2 – B’midbar 18:28-30
“y toma de ellos una vara por cada casa”	Reader 3 – B’midbar 18:1-7	Reader 3 – B’midbar 19:30-32
B’midbar (Numbers) 17:16 – 18:32	Reader 4 – B’midbar 18:8-10
Ashlamtah: Isaiah 11:1-10	Reader 5 – B’midbar 18:11-16
	Reader 6 – B’midbar 18:17-20	Reader 1 – B’midbar 18:25-27
Psalm 103	Reader 7 – B’midbar 18:21-24	Reader 2 – B’midbar 18:28-30
	Maftir – B’midbar 18:21-24	Reader 3 – B’midbar 18:30-32
N.C.: Matityahu 22:23-33	Isaiah 11:1-10

Barukh Dayan Emet! (Blessed be the true/faithful Judge!)

This Torah Seder Commentary is dedicated n loving memory of Her Excellency Giberet Elizabeth Lindemann (nee Schnell), beloved mother of His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann, who passed away last Shabbat. May her memory be for blessing! May His Excellency and loved ones be comforted and consoled as he mourns his great loss together with all those that mourn in Zion, amen ve amen!

Roll of Honor:

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

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

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan

for: B’midbar (Numbers) ) 17:16 – 18:32

RASHI	TARGUM PSEUDO JONATHAN
16. Adonai spoke to Moshe, saying:	16. And the Lord spoke with Mosheh, saying:
17. "Speak to B’ne Yisrael and take from among them a staff, a staff for each father's [tribal] house, from all the leaders according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs; and you will write each man's name on his staff.	17. Speak with the sons of Israel, and take of them severally a rod, according to the house of their fathers; twelve rods; and upon each rod you will inscribe its (tribe) name.
18. You will write the name of Aharon on the staff of Levi, for, [there is] one staff for the head of their fathers' house.	18. But on the rod of Levi you will write the name of Aharon: for there is but one rod for each head of their father's house.
19. You will leave them inside the Tent of Meeting before the testimony where there I meet you.	19. And you will lay them up in the tabernacle before the testimony, where My Word is appointed to meet you.
20. It will be that the man whom I choose, his staff will blossom; and I will abate from Myself the complaints of B’ne Yisrael that they complain against you."	20. And the man whose rod germinates will be he whom I approve to minister before Me; and I will make the murmurings of the sons of Israel with which they have murmured against you to cease from Me.
21. Moshe spoke to B’ne Yisrael and all the leaders gave to him a staff for each leader; a staff for each leader, according to their fathers' house, twelve staffs, and the staff of Aharon [was] among their staffs.	21. Mosheh spoke, therefore, with the sons of Israel, and the chiefs of them gave him severally their rods, according to the house of their fathers, twelve rods; and Aharon's rod was among theirs.
22. Moshe placed the staffs before Adonai in the Tent of the Testimony.	22. And Mosheh laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of ordinance.
23. It was on the next day, Moshe came inside the Tent of the Testimony, and behold! The staff of Aharon blossomed for the house of Levi, a blossom came forth, and bloomed buds and bore ripe almonds.	23. And it came to pass, the day after, when Mosheh went into the tabernacle of the testimony, that, behold, the rod of Aharon had germinated; it had shot forth branches, blossomed with flowers, and, in the same night, produced and ripened almonds. [JERUSALEM. And the day following Mosheh went into the tabernacle of testimony, and, behold, the rod of Aharon, of his house of Levi, had germinated, put forth buds, bloomed with flowers, and ripened almonds, the fruit of the almond.]
24. Moshe then brought out all the staffs from before Adonai to all B’ne Yisrael, and each (man) saw, and retrieved his staff.	24. And Mosheh brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the sons of Israel, who recognised and took severally their rods.
25. Adonai said to Moshe, "Return the staff of Aharon before the (Ark of) Testimony to be preserved as a symbol to the rebellious people, so that their complaint against me will end and they not die."	26. And the Lord said to Mosheh, Take back the rod of Aharon, before the testimony, to be kept for a sign for the rebellious children, that their murmurings may cease from before Me, lest they die.
26. Moshe did (this), as Adonai commanded him--- so he did.	26. And Mosheh did so; as the Lord commanded so did he.
27. B’ne Yisrael said [the following] to Moshe: "Behold, we perish, we are lost--- we are all lost.	27. And the sons of Israel spoke with Mosheh, saying: Behold, some of us have been consumed with the flaming fire; some of us have been swallowed up by the earth, and have perished! Behold, we are accounted as if all of us are to be destroyed. [JERUSALEM. And the sons of Israel spoke, saying: Behold, we are consumed, and are all of us as if destroyed. Some of us have died of the plague, and some of us the earth, opening her mouth, hath swallowed up.]
28. Anyone approaching, who comes close to the Mishkan of Adonai will die--- have we been consigned to die?"	28. Any one who approaches the tabernacle must die: are we not doomed to destruction?

1. Adonai said to Aharon: "You, your sons, and your father's house with you will bear the sin of the Sanctuary, and you, and your sons with you will bear the sin of your kehunah.	1. And the Lord said unto Aharon, You, and your sons, and the house of your fathers with you, will bear the iniquity of the consecrated things, when you nave not been heedful in offering them; and you and your sons with you will bear the iniquity of your priesthood, when you have not been heedful of their separations.
2. Also, your brothers, the tribe of Levi--- the tribe of your father--- bring to you, and they will join you, and serve you, you and your sons with you, before the Tent of Testimony.	2. And your brethren also of the tribe of Levi, who are called by the name of Amram your father, will you bring near to you, that they may consociate with and minister to you. But you, and your sons with you, (only) will stand before the tabernacle of the testimony
3. They will guard their duties to you and all the duties of the Tent, but to the holy furniture or to the Altar they must not approach, that neither they, nor you, will die.	3. And they will keep your charge, and have charge of all the tabernacle; yet to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar they are not to come near, lest both they and you die.
4. They will join you and guard the duties of the Tent of Meeting--- all the service of the Tent, but a commoner, [a non-Kohen] should not approach you.	4. And they will have appointment from you without, and keep charge of the tabernacle of ordinance for all its service; and a stranger will not come near you.
5. You will discharge the sacred duties and the duties of the Altar, so that there will be no more wrath on B’ne Yisrael.	5. And you will keep the charge of the sanctuary and of the altar, that there may be no more the wrath that hath been upon the children of Israel.
6. Behold, I have brought your brothers the Levites from among B’ne Yisrael, given to you as a gift---for Adonai--- to perform the work of the Tent of Meeting.	6. And, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the sons of Israel; to you they are given, a gift before the Lord, to perform the work of the tabernacle of ordinance.
7. You and your sons with you will guard your kehunah [duties] regarding the Altar and all that is within the Curtain--- you will serve--- the service, as a gift, I give the kehunah to you, and the commoner who approaches will be killed."	7. But you, and your sons with you, will keep the charge of your priesthood in all things that pertain to the altar, and (those) within the veil, and will minister by lots, according to the service. So, provision of food have I given you, on account of the anointing of your priesthood; and the stranger who comes near will die.
8. Adonai spoke to Aharon: "Behold I have given you the guarding of my terumah-gifts, and all the hallowed things of B’ne Yisrael, to you and your children I give them for consecration, as a portion forever.	8. And the Lord said to Aharon, And I have been pleased to give you the charge of My separated offerings; the cakes of the firstfruits, and all the consecrated things of the children of Israel, to you have I given them, on account of the anointing, and to your sons, by an everlasting statute.
9. This is yours from the most holy from the fire, [of] all their sacrifices--- their minchah-offerings, their sin-offerings and their guilt-offerings which they return to Me will be most holy to you and your sons.	9. They will be to you most sacred; whatsoever remains of the sheep offered by fire, all their oblations, of all their minchas, of all their sin offerings, and of all their trespass offerings which they present before Me, they are most sacred for you and for your sons.
10. You will eat it in the supremely holy (place), every male may eat it--- it will be holy to you.	10. You may eat it in the sanctuary; every male may eat thereof; on account of the holy anointing it will be yours.
11. Their terumah-gift is yours, of all of the wave-offerings of B’ne Yisrael I give to you and to your sons and daughters that are with you as an everlasting portion; all those ritually pure in your house may eat it.	11. And this is what I have set apart to you of their separated minchas, and of all the uplifted things of the sons of Israel, to you have I given them, and to your sons and your daughters with you by an everlasting statute. Whoever is clean in your house may eat of it.
12. The best of the oil, and the best of the wine and grain--- their terumah-gift that they present to Adonai--- I have given to you.	12. All the best of the olive oil, of the grape wine, and of the wheat of their firstfruits which they present before the Lord, I have given unto you. [JERUSALEM. All the best of the wheat, of the wine, and of the oil of their firstfruits.]
13. The first fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring before Adonai, will be yours; all those ritually pure in your house may eat it.	13. The firsts of all the trees of their ground which they present before the Lord will be yours; every one who is clean in your house may eat them.
14. Everything consecrated in Israel will be yours	14. Every devoted thin, in Israel will be yours.
15. Every firstling of every being which they offer before Adonai--- man or beast---will be yours; but you must redeem the firstborn of man and redeem the firstborn of unclean beasts.	15. Whatever opens the womb, of all flesh among animals which they offer before the Lord, as the regulation concerning men, so the regulation concerning cattle, it is to be yours: only you art to redeem the firstborn of man by the five shekels, and the firstlings of the unclean animal you will redeem with lambs.
16. Its redemption--- from a month old you should redeem them--- the valuation is five silver sela'im of holy silver shekalim which is twenty gerah.	16. And the redemption of a man child of a month old you will make, according to your estimation of him, by five shekels of silver in the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty meahs.
17. However, a firstborn ox, a firstborn sheep or firstborn goat do not redeem because they are holy; sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fats as a fire-offering as a pleasing fragrance to Adonai.	17. But the firstlings of oxen, of sheep, or of goats you mayest not redeem, for they are sacred; but you will sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and burn their fat for an oblation to be accepted before, the Lord.
18. Their flesh is yours; like the breast which is waved and like the right thigh--- it will be yours	18. And their flesh will be yours, for food; as the breast of the elevation, and as the right shoulder, it will be yours.
19. All of the sacred terumah-gifts that B’ne Yisrael offer to Adonai, I have given to you, your sons and daughters with you as an everlasting portion; an eternal covenant of salt before Adonai to you and your children that are with you."	19. Every thing set apart of the sacred things which the sons of Israel consecrate to the Lord have I given to you, to your sons and your daughters with you, by a perpetual statute not to be abolished; as the salt which seasons the flesh of the oblation, because it is an everlasting statute before the Lord, so will it be for you and for your children.
20. Adonai said to Aharon: "You will have no inheritance in their land, and you will not have a share among them; I am your inheritance and portion among B’ne Yisrael.	20. And the Lord said to Aharon, You wilt not receive a possession in their land as the rest of the tribes, nor wilt you have a portion among them: I am your Portion and your Inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel.
21. Behold, I have given to the sons of Levi all the tithes in Israel for an inheritance in return for their service which they perform--- the service of the Tent of Meeting.	21. And, behold, I have given to the sons of Levi all the tenths in Israel for a possession, on account of their service with which they serve in the work of the tabernacle of ordinance.
22. B’ne Yisrael will no longer approach the Tent of Meeting, to become guilty and die.	22. And the sons of Israel will no more come near the tabernacle to incur the sin unto death;
23. The Levi[tes]---[they] will perform the service of the Tent of Meeting and they will bear their guilt; it is an everlasting decree--- throughout your generations--- among B’ne Yisrael they (the Levites) will have no inheritance.	23. but the Levites will minister in the work of the tabernacle, and will bear their sin if they be not diligent in their work. It is an everlasting statute for your generations; but among the sons of Israel they will have no possession.
24. For the tithe of B’ne Yisrael which they must set aside to Adonai as a terumah-gift I gave to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore, I told them: 'among B’ne Yisrael they will have no inheritance.' "	24. Therefore the tenths of the children of Israel, which they set apart for a separation before the Lord, have I given to the Levites for a possession, because I have said to them that among the sons of Israel they will possess no inheritance.
25. Adonai spoke to Moshe, saying:	25. And the Lord spoke with Mosheh, saying:
26. "Speak to the Levites and say to them: 'When you take the tithe from B’ne Yisrael, which I gave you from them for your inheritance, set aside from it the terumah-gift of Adonai, a tithe of the tithe.	26. Speak to the Levites, and bid them take from the sons of Israel the tenth which I have given them for their possession; and (then) will you separate from it a separation before the Lord, a tenth from the tenth;
27. Your terumah-gift will be considered the same as grain from the granary and [wine and oil of] fully ripened fruit from the cistern.	27. and your separation will be reckoned to you as the corn from the threshing floor, and as the wine from the fullness of the winepress:
28. So must you, too, set aside the terumah-gift of Adonai from all your tithes which you take from B’ne Yisrael; give from them the terumah-gift of Adonai to Aharon the Kohen.	28. so will you set apart your separation before the Lord from all your tenths, which you may receive from the sons of Israel, and give thereof a separation before the Lord unto Aharon the priest.
29. From all your gifts you must set aside all of the terumah-gifts of Adonai; from each thing---its finest part--- the part that is to be consecrated.'	29. Of all your gifts you will set apart a separation before the Lord, of all the finest and the best therein.
30. Say to them: 'When you set aside the finest part of it, it will be considered for the Levites like the produce of the granary and the produce of the cistern.	30. And say you to the priests, When you have set apart the finest and the best of it and in it, then will it be reckoned to the Levites as the setting apart of corn from the threshing‑floor, and of wine from the wine-press.
31. You may consume it anywhere--- you and your household; since it is the reward for your service in the Tent of Meeting.	31. And you may eat it, you, the priests, in any place, you and the men of your house; for it is your remuneration for your service in the tabernacle of ordinance.
32. You will not bear a sin because of it, when you separate its best part; but sacred things of B’ne Yisrael you must not profane, and you will not die.' "	32. And you will not contract guilt by it, at what time you set apart the finest and best of it, by any one eating of it who is unclean; neither will you profane the consecrated things of the children of Israel, lest you die.

Midrash Rabba for: B’midbar (Numbers) 17:16 - 18:32

22. Blessed be the name of the supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, who created His world in wisdom and understanding. His wonders are unfathomable and His greatness cannot be told; as it is written, He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses (Ps. XXXIII, 7). What is to be understood by the expression, ’He gathers... as a heap’? When the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world He said to the Prince of the sea: 'Open your mouth and swallow all the waters of creation.’ Said the Prince to Him: 'Sovereign of the Universe! It is sufficient for me to retain what I already have,’ and he began to weep. The Holy One, blessed be He, kicked him and killed him; as may be inferred from the text, He stirs up the sea with His power and by His understanding He smites through Rahab (Job XXVI, 12); you find that the Prince of the sea is named Rahab. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do then? He squeezed the waters together and trod them down until the sea took them in; as it says, And treads upon bamothe arez (Amos IV, 13) [English: ‘The high plates of the earth’. Cf. Gen R. XXIII, 7, where the ocean is said to be higher than the rest of the world. It is therefore aptly called bamothe arez]. Then He put the sand about them as a bolt and gates; as it says, Who shut up the sea with doors (Job XXXVIII, 8), and this is supported by the text, Fear you not Me? says the Lord; will you not tremble at My presence? Who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea (Jer. V, 22), and it is also written, Thus far will you come, but no further (Job XXXVIII, 11). Said the sea to Him: ‘Master! In that event my sweet waters will mingle with the salt water!' Said He to it: ' No, each kind will have a storehouse for itself;’ as it says, ‘He lays up the deeps in storehouses.’ If you should think that it is a great marvel that all the waters of the sea do not mingle, reflect that the face which the Holy One, blessed be He, created in man, though only the size of a hassit [A span. The distance between the tip of the thumb and of the index finger when fully stretched apart], contains many fountains, yet they do not mingle with one another. The water of the eyes is salty, that of the ears greasy, of the nose foul and of the mouth sweet. Why is the water of the eyes salty? Because if a man wept for the dead continually his eyes would soon be blinded. Owing, however, to the fact that the water is salty, he stops and weeps no more. Why is the fluid of the ears greasy? Because, when a person hears bad news, if he retained it in his ears it would form a thick substance and he would die. Owing, however, to the fact that it is greasy, he takes the news in at one ear and lets it out at the other. Why is the water of the nose foul? Because when a person inhales an evil odor, if it had not been for the foul water of the nose which arrests it, he would instantaneously die. Why is the water of the mouth sweet? Sometimes a man eats food that does not agree with him and if the water of the mouth were not sweet he would never recover. Moreover, since he reads the Torah, of which it is written, Sweeter also than honey (Ps. XIX, 11), the water of the mouth is therefore sweet. Now, have we not here ground for an instructive inference? If a space of the size of a hassit contains so many fountains, how much more so the great sea, of which it says, Yonder sea, great and wide, therein are creeping things innumerable (ib. CIV, 25). All this serves to teach you that in all places the Holy One, blessed be He, carries out His purpose, and that He has not created a single thing in vain. Sometimes He achieves his purpose by means of a frog, sometimes by means of a hornet, and sometimes again by means of a scorpion. R. Hanin of Sepphoris said: An incident is related of a scorpion that went to perform a mission for the Holy One, blessed be He, on the other side of the Jordan. The Holy One, blessed be He, put in its way a frog, on the back of which it crossed over, and it then went and stung the man [that had to be stung]. There is another incident related of a certain reaper who was binding sheaves and reaping in the valley of Beth-Tofeth. When the heat came on he took some grass and tied it on his head. A big serpent came to attack him and he rose and killed it. A snake-charmer passed by and, seeing a dead serpent, asked the reaper: ‘Who slew this serpent?’ ‘I,’ he answered. He noticed the grass on his head and said to him: 'If you lift the grass off your head it will be better for you.’ He did so and drew near to the serpent. As soon as he touched it, he fell to pieces limb by limb. R. Jannai once sat and studied at the entrance of his city. He observed a snake approaching the city, hissing as it went. If the snake was stopped from proceeding in one direction it went in another direction, and if it was stopped from proceeding in that direction it moved in another. The snake, thought R. Jannai, is on its way to carry out its mission. When he entered the city the report spread in town: ' So-and-so the son of So-and-so has been bitten by a snake and is dead.’ R. Isaac b. Eleazar once took a walk on a cliff at Caesarea and found a thigh-bone dropped on the road. He hid it away in one place and found it again in another. ' It appears to me,’ he said, ' that this object is reserved for the purpose of carrying out a mission.’ After some days a royal courier passed that way and, stumbling over it, fell and died. They searched him and found in his possession letters containing harsh decrees against the Jews. An incident is related of two people who were walking on the way. One had his eyesight and the other was blind. They sat down to eat. Putting out their hands to a herb in the field, they ate. The one who had been able to see turned blind, and the one who had been blind regained his sight. When about to depart the one who had been supporting the other now leaned upon the one whom he had previously supported. There is also an incident related of a certain man who was going from the Land of Israel to Babylon. While he was eating some bread he observed two birds quarrelling with one another. One of them killed the other, then went and fetched some herb and, placing it on its mouth, brought it back to life. The man went and, taking that same herb which had fallen from the bird, set out to resuscitate the dead therewith. On reaching the Ladder of Tyre he found a prostrate lion lying dead. He placed the herb on his mouth and brought him back to life. The lion rose and devoured him. There is a proverb which people quote: ‘Do no good to the evil and no evil will befall you.’ An incident is related of a certain blind man at Shihin who went down into the water to bathe. He came across Miriam's well and bathed in it and was healed. The wicked Titus entered the interior of the Holy of Holies, blaspheming and reviling. He stood up and slashed the veil. He took a Scroll of the Law and spread it out. Then he brought two harlots and committed a transgression on it. He drew his sword and hacked the Scroll of the Law. A miracle was wrought and blood began to well forth. He began to boast, saying that he had killed Himself. He went along, growing bolder and bolder. When he reached the sea, a tempest was raging thereon. Said he: ‘The God of these people is powerful only at sea. If He likes, let Him come up on the dry land and we shall see who will be victorious.’ The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: 'O villain, son of a villain! I will send against you a minute creature, the least of all My creatures, to remove you from the world!’ A mosquito entered into his nose and he died a violent death. Why is it called a minute creature? Because it takes in food but does not excrete it. Sometimes God accomplishes His purpose by means of the hornet; as it says, I will send the hornet (Ex. XXIII, 28). Our Rabbis said: When the Holy One, blessed be He, sent the hornet before Israel to slay the Amorites - see what is written about these people! Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, etc. (Amos II, 9)--it would enter into a person's right eye and distil its poison, and the man would burst and drop dead. This is indeed the way of the Holy One, blessed be He: to achieve His purpose by means of small things! Against all who displayed pride towards Him He sent a tiny creature to inflict punishment upon them, so that you may know that their strength is not real. In the time to come the Holy One, blessed be He, will punish the nations by means of small things; as it says, And it will come to pass on that day that the Lord will hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria (Isa. VII, 18).

23. AND THE STAFF OF AARON (XVII, 21). Some say that it was the staff which had been in the hand of Judah, in regard to which it says, And your staff that is in your hand (Gen. XXXVIII, 18). Others say that it was the staff that had been in the hand of Moses. It budded of its own accord; as it says, And, behold, the rod of Aaron... was budded (Num. XVII, 23). Others again say that Moses took a beam and, cutting it into twelve planks, said to the princes: ‘Take your sticks every one of you from the same beam.’ Why did he do this? Because It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife; but every fool will be snarling (Prov. XX, 3).

He did it in order that they should not say that Aaron's rod was fresh and that this was the reason why it budded. The Holy One, blessed be He, decreed that on the staff should be found the Ineffable Name that was on the plate (ziz), as may be inferred from the text, And put forth buds, and bloomed blossoms--ziz (Num. XVII, 23). It budded on the same night and yielded fruit. AND BORE RIPE (VAYYIGMOL) ALMONDS (SHEKEDIM) (ib.). VAYYIGMOL SHEKEDIM implies that He requited (gamal) all those who had been watchful (shoked) to harm the tribe of Levi. Why almonds and not pomegranates, or nuts? Because Israel was compared to the two latter. That same staff was held in the hand of every king until the Temple was destroyed, and then it was [divinely] hidden away. That same staff also is destined to be held in the hand of the King Messiah (may it be speedily in our days!); as it says, The staff of your strength the Lord will send out of Zion: Rule you in the midst of your enemies (Ps. CX, 2).3

Ketubim Targum Tehillim (Psalms) 102: 13-29

JPS Translation	TARGUM
1. A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name.	1. Composed by David, spoken in prophecy. Bless, O my soul, the name of the Lord, and let all my viscera bless His holy name.
2. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits;	2. Bless, O my soul, the name of the Lord, and do not forget all His nourishment, for He made breasts for your mother instead of insight.
3. Who forgives all your iniquity/lawlessness; who heals all Your diseases;	3. Who forgives all your iniquities/lawlessness, who heals all your diseases.
4. Who redeems Your life from the pit; who encompasses you with loving-kindness and tender mercies;	4. Who redeems your life from Gehinnom, who crowned you with kindness and mercy.
5. Who satisfies your old age with good things; so that Your youth is renewed like the eagle.	5. Who satisfies the days of your old age with goodness, and in the age to come, your youth will be renewed like the eagle of the canopy.
6. The LORD executes righteousness/generosity, and acts of justice for all that are oppressed.	6. The Lord does acts of righteousness/generosity, and judgments for all the oppressed.
7. He made known His ways unto Moses, His doings unto the children of Israel.	7. He revealed His ways to Moses, His deeds to the children of Israel.
8. The LORD is full of compassion and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.	8. The Lord is merciful and compassionate; He loathes anger and does many deeds of goodness and truth.
9. He will not always contend; neither will He keep His anger for ever.	9. He will not quarrel always, nor will He retain hostility forever.
10. He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor requited us according to our iniquities/lawlessness.	10. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor has He repaid us according to our iniquities/lawlessness.
11. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.	11. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His goodness to those who fear Him.
12. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.	12. As far as the east is from the west, thus far has He removed from us our transgressions.
13. Like as a father has compassion upon his children, so has the LORD compassion upon them that fear Him.	13. As a father (abba) who loves the children, so the Lord loves those who fear Him.
14. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.	14. For He knows our evil impulse that makes us sin; in His presence it is remembered, for we are from dust.
15. As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.	15. The days of a son of man are like grass; like a blossom of the field, so will he bloom.
16. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof knows it no more.	16. For a storm-wind has blown on him and he is no more; and he no longer is aware of his place.
17. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness/generosity unto children's children;	17. But the favor of the Lord is upon those that fear Him, from this age to the age to come; and His generosity is for the children of [their] children.
18. To such as keep His covenant, and to those that remember His precepts to do them.	18. For those who keep His covenant, and for those who remember His commandments to do them.
19. The LORD has established His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom rules over all	19. The Lord has established His throne in the highest heavens; and his kingdom rules over all.
20. Bless the LORD, you angels of His, you mighty in strength, that fulfill His word, hearkening unto the voice of His word.	20. Bless the name of the Lord, O His angels, who are mighty in power, who do His word, to obey the sound of His word.
21. Bless the LORD, all you His hosts; you ministers of His, that do His pleasure.	21. Bless the name of the Lord, all His hosts, His ministers who do His will.
22. Bless the LORD, all you His works, in all places of His dominion; bless the LORD, O my soul.	22. Bless the name of the Lord, all His works, His dominion is in every place. Bless, O my soul, the name of the Lord.

The Midrash on Psalms (Midrash Tehillim): Psalm 103

I. A Psalm of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name (Ps. 103:1). Elsewhere, this is what Scripture says: I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works; and that my soul knows right well (Ps. 139 :14).

R. Abdimi bar Nehunya taught: Some things are bad for the liver, but good for the windpipe; and some things are bad for the windpipe, but good for the liver.

There are ten things within a man: the windpipe for voice, the gullet for [swallowing] food, the liver for anger, the lung for drink, the gall for jealousy, the maw [when full] for sleep, the first stomach to grind the food, the spleen for laughter, the reins for counsel, and the heart for decision. Therefore David offered praise with the words I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works; and that my soul knows right well. Therefore also, it is said Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

II. In a different exposition of Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name (Ps. 103:1), R. Levi said in the name of R. Hama: A sculptor makes a statue; the sculptor dies, but his sculpture endures. But with the Holy One, blessed be He, it is not so. For the Holy One, blessed be He, made man, and man dies, but the Holy One, blessed be He, lives and endures. This neither the sculptor nor the silversmith can do. The silversmith casts an image: the silversmith dies; the casting endures. But the Holy One, blessed be He, made man, and it is man who dies; it is the Holy One, blessed be He, who lives and endures for ever and ever.

Another comment: A mortal king—he eats, but an image of him does not eat. Not so the Holy One, blessed be He: His image [man] eats, but He does not eat, as is said You are the Lord, even You alone ... You have made ... the earth, and all the things that are therein ... and You preserves them all (Neh. 9:6).

Another comment. A sculptor makes a statue, but cannot make a soul or vital organs. But the Holy One, blessed be He, made a statue, man, and within him, made a soul and vital organs. Therefore David offered praise: Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

III. Bless the Lord, O my soul. R. Joshua ben Levi said: Five times are the words Bless the Lord, O my soul written here—and five are the books of Moses: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name (Ps. 103:1), Bless the Lord, O my soul; and forget not all His benefits (ibid. 103:2), Bless the Lord, all you His works ... Bless the Lord, O my soul (ibid. 103:22), Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are very great (Ps. 104:1), Sinners will cease out of the earth Bless the Lord, O my soul (ibid. 104:35).

According to R. Johanan, David saw five worlds. He saw the world within his mother’s womb, and he said: Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless Hiss holy name (Ps. 103:1). He saw the world as he was being born, and he said: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits [in our infancy] (ibid. 103:2). What benefits, in particular? To this, R.

Abbahu answered: Close to the heart, which is the seat of understanding, God set the breasts. Why? So that the infant does not see his mother’s private parts. But R. Mattena said: So that he does not take his nourishment from a place soiled with excretion. He saw the world, as he went forth into the light of day and traveled here and there, and he said: in all places of His dominion; Bless the Lord, O my soul (ibid. 103:22). He saw the world, as he was about to depart from the earth, and beholding the Presence, he said: Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are very great (Ps. 104:5). He saw the world-to-come, and he said: Sinners will cease out of the earth, and let the wicked/lawless be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Hallelujah (ibid. 104:35).

IV. Another comment on Bless the Lord, O my soul. Why did David command his soul to offer praise to the Holy One, blessed be He? The Rabbis said: As the soul sustains the body, so the Holy One, blessed be He, sustains His world; and as the soul is unique in the body, so the Holy One, blessed be He, is unique in His world; and as the soul does not eat and does not drink, so the Holy One, blessed be He, does not eat and does not drink; and as the soul, because it comes from above, stays pure in the body, so the Holy One, blessed be He, exalted above the world, is pure; and as the soul sees, though it is not seen, so the Holy One, blessed be He, sees and is not seen. Accordingly David said: Let the soul, possessed of all these attributes, come and give thanks and offer praise to the Holy One, blessed be He, who possesses all these attributes.

V. Another exposition of Bless the Lord, O my soul: The soul —no man knows where its place is; even so, the Holy One, blessed be He—no man knows where His place is. Not even the sacred creatures that carry the throne of glory know where God’s place is, or in what place God sits. Therefore, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place (Ezek. 3:12) is as much as they can say. Accordingly David said: Let the soul, whose place no man knows, nor knows the place where it is set, come and offer praise to the Holy One, blessed be He, who is above His world and whose place no man knows.

It happened that a certain man asked Rabban Gamaliel in what place the Holy One, blessed be He, sits, and Rabban Gamaliel replied: “I do not know.” And the man said: “Is this your prayer and your wisdom, you who pray to God every day, and yet do not know where His place is?” Thereupon Rabban Gamaliel replied: “Behold, you ask me about something which is a thirty-five hundred years’ journey away from me. Now I will ask you about something which sits with you day and night, and do you tell me where its place is.” The man asked: “And what is that?” And Rabban Gamalici replied: “It is the soul which sits within you. Tell me in what place it is set.” And when the man said: “I do not know,” Rabban Gamaliel replied: “May the breath of life blow out of this man! Although you know not the place of something which sits within you, yet you ask me about something which is a thirty-five hundred years’ journey away from me!” The man went on to say to Rabban Gamaliel: “We do well to bow down to the work of our hands, which we can always look upon.” Rabban Gamaliel answered: “You see the work of your hands, but it cannot see you. The Holy One, blessed be He, sees the work of His hands, but the work of His hands cannot see Him, as is said Man will not see Me, not even a sacred creature will (Ex. 33:20). You can see for yourself that this is so: it is clearly stated by Ezekiel that when he saw the likeness of God, he fainted away. Of this it is written And when I saw it, I fell upon my face (Ezek. 1:28).”

VI. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits (Ps. 103:2). R. Abba bar Kahana said: If a man lifts up a vessel filled with water and turns its mouth downward, he pours out what it contains. And if a man Lifts up a money-bag and turns its mouth downward, the money falls onto the ground. But a woman walks about with the mouth of her womb downwards, and yet the embryo in her womb stays as secure as a man carried in a litter. [Unlike] an animal that walks on all fours, a pregnant woman walks about upright, yet the embryo stays secure in her womb.

R. Simon taught: A woman is made up of cell upon cell and coil upon coil, so that if she were delivered abruptly, she would die. However, one by one each band is loosed, each cell is loosed, each coil is loosed. Hence Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.

VII. Who forgives all your iniquity/lawlessness; who heals all your diseases (Ps. 103:3). After recovery from an illness, R. Yannai would wear his Tefihlin continually for three days. He said that Tefihlin require a clean body like that of Elisha, the man who always kept his hands ritually dean. (Why was Elisha called the man of wings? Because once when wicked/lawless Rome decreed that any man who wore Tefillin would have his head smashed in, Elisha continued to wear his Tefillin. When a quaestor saw him, Elisha took up the Tefillin in his hands and ran from him. But the quaestor pursued him and caught up with him, and asked: “What’s that in your hand?” Elisha said: “The wings of a dove.” And the quaestor found that it was as Elisha said. Therefore, he was called Elisha, the man of wings.) Once a man recovers from an illness, his body is clean. But after three days, R. Yannai would no longer wear his Tefiuin continually. He said: For more than three days, I cannot keep myself completely clean. But R. Johanan would wear his Tefillin day after day, citing the verse The Lord ... forgives all your iniquity/lawlessness.

VIII. Bless the Lord ... who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies (Ps. 103:4). R. Johanan held that this verse referred to Sinai: When Israel received the Torah, there came down sixty myriads of ministering angels, who set crowns upon the heads of the children of Israel. R. Abba bar Kahana maintained in the name of R. Johanan, that there came down one hundred and twenty myriads of ministering angels, and as one angel set a crown upon the head of an Israelite, another angel would gird him with a weapon.

R. Yudan said: God clothed the children of Israel with royal purple, as is said I clothed you also with richly woven work (Ezek. 16:10). R. Huna of Sepphoris said: God girded the children of Israel about with aprons of linen, as is said I girded you about with fine linen (ibid.). R. Simeon ben Yohai maintained that God gave to the children of Israel a weapon upon which the Ineffable Name was written. Hence Bless the Lord ... who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies.

Who satisfies your old age with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle (Ps. 103:5). R. Yudan held that the latter part of this verse referred to Job to whom it was said Gird up now your loins like a cock-eagle (Job 38:3)—that is, like an eagle who has lighted upon a dung-heap and shakes itself clean, so Job shook himself free of suffering and was renewed. Hence: So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

IX. The Lord executes righteous/generous acts (Ps. 103:6). R. Isaac taught: All good things in plenty, as is said The Lord executes righteous/generous acts. Pardons come in plenty, as is said And to our God, for He will plentifully pardon (Isa. 55:7). Redemption comes in plenty, as is said And with Him is plenteous redemption (Ps. 130:7). R. Samuel bar Nahmani said: Deliverance also comes in plenty, as is said God is unto us a God of deliverances (Ps. 68:21).

X. He made known His ways unto Moses, His doings unto the children of Israel (Ps. 103:7). R. Berechiah said in the name of R. Abba bar Kahana: Moses sat down and reckoned Israel’s redemption from the time that the tribes of Israel came down into Egypt. However, the Holy One, blessed be He, also reckons and counts, and now, the furrow of the lash being long upon Israel and they growing weary, behold, He reckons redemption from the time that Isaac was born, so that we are closer to being free of the lash. Hence it is said And God saw the children of Israel, and God took cognizance of them (Ex. 2:25)

Now Moses was keeping the flock (Ex. 3:1). When Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He: “Master of the universe, Show me now Your ways, that I may know You (Ex. 33:53),” the Holy One, blessed be He, answered: Do you seek to know My ways? As you live, I will make them known to you. Hence He made known His ways unto Moses. As for His [beneficent] doings unto the children of Israel (Ps. 503:7), how unlike the man of whom it is said If any man take a wife ... and hate her, and impute wanton doings to her (Deut. n:14).

R. Samuel bar Nahmani exclaimed: O son of man, let your doings be merciful, so that mercy will also be shown to you.

XI. The Lord is full of compassion and gracious, long suffering and plenteous in mercy (Ps. 503:8). R. Samuel bar Nahmani said: God prolongs His patience with the wicked/lawless and rewards them for the few good deeds they have done in this world; God delays His mercy towards the righteous/generous and punishes them for the few wicked/lawless deeds they have done in this world, but then returns and rewards them with plenteous peace.

R. Aba said in the name of R. Tanhum: God prolongs His patience, but once He begins to make a man pay, He makes him pay in full.

XII. Not for the sake of victory does He chide (Ps. 103:9). God said: Did I not long ago make use of chiding against the generation that perished in the flood and against the generation that saw the dispersion of the races of men? Though I won a victory over them, yet I lost them. And did I not long ago make use of chiding against the men of Sodom? Though I won a victory over them, yet I lost them. But when Moses, on Israel’s behalf, won a victory over Me, it was to My profit in the world. Hence, Not for the sake of victory does He chide, for He does not wish to stay angry at the world (ibid.).

XIII. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Ps. 103:12). R. Jeremiah observed: A man should not say: “May the Merciful One remove us from transgression.” Instead, he should say “May the Merciful One remove transgression from us,” as it is said He removed our transgressions from us.

XIV. Like as a father has compassion upon his children, so has the Lord compassion upon them that fear Him (Ps. 103:13)—that is, said R. Hiyya, like him who was the most compassionate of the fathers. And who was that? R. Judah the Prince taught: It was Abraham who, in seeking compassion from the Holy One, blessed be He, for the men of Sodom, said: Will You in anger sweep away the righteous/generous with the wicked/lawless? (Gen. 18:23). R. Berechiah, however, maintained: Compassionate like Jacob, our father, of whom it is written And he himself passed over before them (Gen. 33:3), saying: It is better that Esau smite me than that he smite my children. Hence Like as a father has compassion upon his children ... for He knows our imagination (Ps. 103:13-14).

Abba Jose ben Dosta’i, citing the verse For He knows our imagination (Ps. 103:14), quoted R. Hiyya’s comment thereon: “Alas for the dough that the baker himself admits is bad.”

XV. For a spirit passed through him, and it is gone (Ps. 103:16). Does this verse mean that the dead will not be resurrected? Not at all. It means that the Inclination-to-evil, a spirit which accompanies a man through life, will not return with him [at the Resurrection]. And the place thereof will know it no more (ibid.), it referring to the Inclination-to-evil.

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him (Ps. 103:17). R. Johanan taught in the name of R. Levi: The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting, but His righteous/generous punishment lasts only for three generations, for the verse ends And His righteousness/generosity unto children’s children (ibid.).

To such as keep His covenant, and to those that remember His precepts to do them (Ps. 103:18). R. Tanhuma told a parable of a widow who had an only son. All the while that her son had not taken a wife, he cleaved to her. But when he took a wife, his mother said: “I know that you will not cleave to me as heretofore; but do you remember me.” So, too, all the while that the children of Israel were in the wilderness, the manna came down for them and the well brimmed up for them, they having been such as keep His covenant; because God abode with them and cleaved closely to them, they were able to keep the covenant of the Torah and to labor diligently in it; and even now when men cleave to earning a living, His mercy extends To those that remember His precepts to do them.

XVI. The Lord has prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom is exalted over all (Ps. 103:19). R. Berechiah said in the name of R. Abbahu: You will find there are four rulers in the world who are proud because they are exalted over all others, but the Holy One, blessed be He, is exalted even over these four. This is how: The bullock is proud in his rule of cattle, the lion in his rule of wild, beasts, the eagle in his rule of creatures that fly. But who in his rule is prouder than all of these? Man, of whom it is said Let them have rule over the fish of she sea, and over the fowl of the air, etc. (Gen. 5:26). What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do with these four? The lion, the bullock, the eagle, and man, who are proud in their rule on earth, He set into the throne of glory, as is said As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle (Ezek. 1:10). For the Holy One, blessed be He, declared: They, to be sure, arc exalted, but I am exalted over them, as is said He is highly exalted (Ex. 15:1), implying that He is exalted high over all exalted ones. Hence The Lord has prepared His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom is exalted over all.

R. Berechiah concluded: The Lord has prepared His throne in the heavens—that is, because He has set into His throne the four who are proud in their rule, we know that His kingdom is exalted over all.

XVII. Bless the Lord, you angels of His (Ps. 103:20). Can this verse be speaking of heavenly creatures, if the next verse goes on to say Bless the Lord, all you His hosts (ibid. 103:21)? It must be speaking of earthly creatures. And the proof that earthly creatures are called angels? The verse, He ... sent an angel, and brought us forth out of Egypt (Num. 20:16). Was it an angel? Was it not Moses? Yes, but Scripture implies in this verse that the Prophets were called angels. So, too, Scripture says, Then spoke Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying (Haggai 1:13). R. Judah bar Simon quoted: And the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal (Judg. 2:1)—it was actually Phinehas [rather than an angel] who came up. The Rabbis quoted: A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of the angel of God, very terrible (Judg. 13:6). You thus learn that the Prophets were called angels.

XVIII. R. Huna explained in the name of R. Aba that this verse refers to those who stood at Sinai: You mighty in strength, that do His word, before hearkening unto the voice of His word (Ps. 103:20): You were willing to do, even before hearkening to word of what you were to do, for you said, All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and then hearken (Ex. 24:7).

R. Isaac said that the verse speaks of those who observe the seventh year of release. Ordinarily, a man observes a religious precept for an hour, or for a day. But is it likely that he will observe it for a whole year? Yet the children of Israel observe it for a whole year, for in the verse, And this (zeh) is the manner of the release (Deut. 15:2), the numerical value of the letters in zeh is twelve, the same as the number of months in the year.

R. Tanhum bar Hanilai expounded: Have you ever in all your life seen a burden too heavy for ten men, but easy for one man? Yet after the children of Israel had said: If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we will die (Deut. 5:22), it is written Go you near, and hear all that the Lord our God may speak unto you (ibid. 5:24)—that is, what sixty myriads could not bear to hear, Moses heard by himself. Moreover, the very word of the Lord called to Moses, as is said And It called unto Moses (Lev. 1:1), but Moses was not harmed. This teaches you that righteous/generous men are greater than the ministering angels. For the ministering angels cannot bear to hear God’s voice, but stand terrified and all righted, whereas righteous/generous men can bear to hear God’s voice, as is said And the Lord gives forth His voice far in advance of His army, even though His camp is very great (Joel 2:11)—that is, far in advance of the ministering angels of whom it is said “This is God’s camp” (Gen. 32:3) and of whom it is also said “Thousand thousands ministered unto Him” (Dan. 7:10). Who, then, can bear to hear God’s voice? He is mighty that executes His word (Joel 2:11), the mighty being the righteous/generous man that executes His word and thereby is greater than the ministering angels. And who is this mighty man? Moses, who heard the sound of the word of the Lord, as is said And It called unto Moses (Lev. 1:1). Hence it is said You mighty in strength that fulfill His word, hearkening unto the voice of His word.

Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 11:1-10

1. And there will come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch will grow forth out of his roots.

2. And the spirit of the LORD will rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

3. And his delight will be in the fear of the LORD; and he will not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears;

4. But with righteousness/generosity will he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the land; and he will smite the land with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips will he slay the wicked/lawless.

5. And righteousness/generosity will be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

6. And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child will lead them.

7. And the cow and the bear will feed; their young ones will lie down together; and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8. And the sucking child will play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child will put his hand on the basilisk's den.

9. They will not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

10. And it will come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that stands for an ensign of the peoples, unto him will the Gentiles seek; and his resting-place will be glorious.

Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) 22: 23-33

During that day, some of the Greco-Roman oriented Ts’dokim (Sadducees), [who say there is no resurrection from the dead] came near to him and questioned him saying,
“Rabbi, Moshe said (Deut. 25:5), ‘When brothers dwell together and one of them dies having no son, … the Y’vamah will come upon her and take her to him for a woman and Yiyb’mah.’
Now there were seven brothers amongst us, the first married and died without having a son and left his wife to his brother.
Likewise also the second and the third … unto the seventh.
And last of all, the woman died.
So, since she has already been with all of them, whose wife will she be in the resurrection?”
And replying, Yeshuah said to them, “Seeing neither the Scriptures nor the power of Elohim, you wander off [in all directions].
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are they married, but rather they are as the messengers of Elohim in the heavens.
And concerning the resurrection from the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by Ha-Shem, saying (Exodus 3:6),
‘I am the Elohim of your father, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Yitschaq, and the Elohim of Ya’aqob?’ He is not the Elohim of the dead, but rather of the living!”
And having hear, the congregations were [gladly] astonished at his teaching.

The Rabbi’s Private Prophetic Study

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

THE THREE MENOROT [Candelabras] OF SEFER B’MIDBAR

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

B. Cultic regulations – Numbers 15:1-41

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Both the Psalmist and Hakham Matityahu find in the budding of the Staff of Aharon a metaphor for the resurrection of the dead. Not only of the physically dead but also of the spiritually dead. The Torah which is embodied by the Messiah is then the instrument that revives the dead.

To be near to the Messiah means therefore to be near to the Torah by observing its precepts and commandments with our very best and to the best of our possibilities with great nobility and joy even if the commandment before us seems trivial and of little importance, for G-d has not revealed which commandments carry more or lesser reward. It is therefore a total absurdity to say that men have been freed from the commandments by the Messiah of Israel. Quite the contrary, it is stated “If you love me you will perform my commandments!”

Shalom Shabbat!

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai