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

Three and 1/2 year Lectionary Readings	Fourth Year of the Reading Cycle
Kislev 07, 5772 – Dec. 02 – Dec. 03, 2011	Fourth Year of the Shmita Cycle

Candle Lighting and Habdalah Times:

Conroe & Austin, TX, U.S. Fri. Dec 02 2011 – Candles at 5:12 PM Sat. Dec 03 2011 – Havdalah 6:09 PM	Brisbane, Australia Fri. Dec 02 2011 – Candles at 6:11 PM Sat. Dec 03 2011 – Havdalah 7:09 PM	Bucharest, Romania Fri. Dec 02 2011 – Candles at 4:19 PM Sat. Dec 03 2011 – Havdalah 5:25 PM
Chattanooga, & Cleveland, TN, U.S. Fri. Dec 02 2011 – Candles at 5:11 PM Sat. Dec 03 2011 – Havdalah 6:10 PM	Jakarta, Indonesia Fri. Dec 02 2011 – Candles at 5:38 PM Sat. Dec 03 2011 – Havdalah 6:30 PM	Manila & Cebu, Philippines Fri. Dec 02 2011 – Candles at 5:07 PM Sat. Dec 03 2011 – Havdalah 5:59 PM
Miami, FL, U.S. Fri. Dec 02 2011 – Candles at 5:11 PM Sat. Dec 03 2011 – Havdalah 6:06 PM	Olympia, WA, U.S. Fri. Dec 02 2011 – Candles at 4:06 PM Sat. Dec 03 2011 – Havdalah 5:15 PM	Murray, KY, & Paris, TN. U.S. Fri. Dec 02 2011 – Candles at 4:20 PM Sat. Dec 03 2011 – Havdalah 5:20 PM
Sheboygan & Manitowoc, WI, US Fri. Dec 02 2011 – Candles at 3:57 PM Sat. Dec 03 2011 – Havdalah 5:02 PM	Singapore, Singapore Fri. Dec 02 2011 – Candles at 6:37 PM Sat. Dec 03 2011 – Havdalah 7:29 PM	St. Louis, MO, U.S. Fri. Dec 02 2011 – Candles at 4:22 PM Sat. Dec 03 2011 – Havdalah 5:23 PM

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

Roll of Honor:

This Torah commentary comes to you courtesy of:

His Honor Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David and beloved wife HH Giberet Batsheva bat Sarah

His Honor Paqid Adon Mikha ben Hillel

His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham

Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah & beloved family

His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann & beloved family

His Excellency Adon John Batchelor & beloved wife

His Excellency Adon Ezra ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Karmela bat Sarah,

His Excellency Dr. Adon Yeshayahu ben Yosef and beloved wife HE Giberet Tricia Foster

His Excellency Adon Yisrael ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Elisheba bat Sarah

His Excellency Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Vardit bat Sarah

Her Excellency Giberet Laurie Taylor

His Honor Paqid Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat Sarah

Her Excellency Prof. Dr. Conny Williams & beloved family

Her Excellency Giberet Gloria Sutton & beloved family

For their regular and sacrificial giving, providing the best oil for the lamps, we pray that G-d’s richest blessings be upon their lives and those of their loved ones, together with all Yisrael and her Torah Scholars, amen ve amen!

Also a great thank you and great blessings be upon all who send comments to the list about the contents and commentary of the weekly Torah Seder and allied topics.

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 Ki Yar’chiv”

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
כִּי-יַרְחִיב
“Ki Yar’chiv”	Reader 1 – D’barim 12:20-22	Reader 1 – D’barim 14:1-3
“When will enlarge”	Reader 2 – D’barim 12:23-25	Reader 2 – D’barim 14:4-6
“Cuando ensanchare”	Reader 3 – D’barim 12:26-28	Reader 3 – D’barim 14:7-9
	Reader 4 – D’barim 12:29 – 13:1
D’barim (Deut.) 12:20 - 13:19	Reader 5 – D’barim 13:2-6
Ashlamatah: Isaiah 54:2-9, 17	Reader 6 – D’barim 13:7-12	Reader 1 – D’barim 14:1-3
Psalm 119: 73-104	Reader 7 – D’barim 13:13-19	Reader 2 – D’barim 14:4-6
	Maftir: D’barim 13:17-19	Reader 3 – D’barim 14:7-9
	- Isaiah 54:2-9, 17
N.C.: Mark 15:1-5

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!

Reading Assignment:

The Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez - Vol 17: Deuteronomy – III – Gratitude & Discipline

By: Rabbi Yitzchaq Behar Argueti & Rabbi Shmuel Yerushalmi

Published by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1992)

Vol. 17 – “Deuteronomy – III – Gratitude & Discipline,” pp. 128-148.

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan

for: D’barim (Deut.) 12:20 - 13:19

RASHI	TARGUM PSEUDO JONATHAN
20. When the Lord, your God, expands your boundary, as He has spoken to you, and you say, "I will eat meat," because your soul desires to eat meat, you may eat meat, according to every desire of your soul.	20. When the LORD your God will have enlarged your border, as He has said unto you; and you say, I would eat flesh, because your soul may desire to eat flesh, you may eat flesh according to all your desire.
21. If the place the Lord, your God, chooses to put His Name there, will be distant from you, you may slaughter of your cattle and of your sheep, which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat in your cities, according to every desire of your soul.	21. But if the place which the LORD your God will have chosen that His Shekinah may dwell there be too far off, then may you eat of your herds and flocks which the LORD your God will give you, as I have commanded you, in your cities you may eat, according to all the desire of your soul:
22. But as the deer and the gazelle are eaten, so may you eat them; the unclean and the clean alike may eat of them.	22. as the flesh of the antelope or hart so may you eat it; he who is unclean that he may not offer holy things, and he who is clean that he may offer them, may eat of it alike.
23. However, be strong not to eat the blood, for the blood is the soul; and you shall not eat the soul with the flesh.	23. Only put a strong restraint upon your desires, that you eat no blood; for the blood is the subsistence of the life. You may not, with the flesh, eat blood, in which is the subsistence of life:
24. You shall not eat it, you shall spill it on the ground, like water.	24. you will not eat it, you will pour it out upon the ground like water:
25. You shall not eat it, in order that it be good for you, and for your children after you, when you do what is proper in the eyes of the Lord.	25. eat it not, that it may be well with you, and with your children after you, while you do that which is right before the LORD.
26. However, your holy offerings which you will have, and your vows, you shall carry, and come to the place that the Lord chooses.	26. Nevertheless, animals which are your consecrated tenths, and your votive offerings, you will take and bring to the place which the LORD will choose;
27. And you shall make your burnt offerings the flesh and the blood upon the altar of the Lord, your God, and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured upon the altar of the Lord, your God, and you shall eat the flesh.	27. and you will do (with them) according to the rite of your burnt offerings, (and offer) the flesh and the blood upon the altar of the LORD your God: the blood of the rest of your holy oblations will be poured out at the altar of the LORD your God, but of the flesh it is lawful to eat.
28. Keep and hearken to all these words that I command you, that it may benefit you and your children after you, forever, when you do what is good and proper in the eyes of the Lord, your God.	28. Observe and obey all these words that I command you, that it may be well with you and with your children after you forever, while you do that which is good and right before the LORD your God.
29. When the Lord, your God cuts off the nations to which you will come to drive them out from before you, and when you drive them out and dwell in their land,	29. When the LORD your God will have cut off the nations among whom you go, and have expelled them from before you, and you inherit and dwell in their land,
30. beware, lest you be attracted after them, after they are exterminated from before you; and lest you inquire about their gods, saying, "How did these nations serve their gods? And I will do likewise."	30. Beware that you stumble not after their idols when they will have been destroyed before you, or lest you seek after their idols, saying, How did these peoples worship their gods, that we may worship as they did?
31. You shall not do so to the Lord, your God; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates, they did to their gods, for also their sons and their daughters they would burn in fire to their gods.	31. So will you not do in serving the LORD your God; for whatever is abominable and hateful to Him have they done to their idols; for even their sons and daughters they have bound and burned with fire unto their idols.
1. Everything I command you that you shall be careful to do it. You shall neither add to it, nor subtract from it.	1. Whatsoever I command you, that will you observe to do; you will not add to it nor diminish from it.
2. If there will arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of a dream, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,	2. When there may arise among you a false prophet or a dreamer of a profane dream, and he give you a sign or a miracle,
3. and the sign or the wonder of which he spoke to you happens, [and he] says, "Let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us worship them,"	3. and the sign or the miracle come to pass, (yet) because he spoke with you, saying, Let us go after the gods of the peoples whom you have not known, and worship them,
4. you shall not heed the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of a dream; for the Lord, your God, is testing you, to know whether you really love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul.	4. you will not hearken to the words of that lying prophet, or him who has dreamed that dream; for the LORD your God (thereby) tries you, to know whether you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
5. You shall follow the Lord, your God, fear Him, keep His commandments, heed His voice, worship Him, and cleave to Him.	5. You will walk after the service of the LORD your God, and Him will you fear, and keep His commandments, hearken to His word, pray before Him, and cleave unto His fear.
6. And that prophet, or that dreamer of a dream shall be put to death; because he spoke falsehood about the Lord, your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and Who redeemed you from the house of bondage, to lead you astray from the way in which the Lord, your God, commanded you to go; so shall you clear away the evil from your midst.	6. And that prophet of lies, or that dreamer of dreams, will be slain with the sword, because he had spoken perversity against the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of the Mizraee, and redeemed you from the house of the affliction of slaves to make you to go astray from the path which the LORD your God has commanded you to walk in: so will you bring down the doers of evil among you.
7. If your brother, the son of your mother, tempts you in secret or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your embrace, or your friend, who is as your own soul saying, "Let us go and worship other gods, which neither you, nor your forefathers have known."	7. When your brother, the son of your mother, when even the son of your father, or your own son or your daughter, or your wife who reposes with you, or your friend who is beloved as your soul, will give you evil counsel, to make you go astray, speaking out and saying, Let us go and worship the gods of the Gentiles, which neither you nor your fathers have known;
8. Of the gods of the peoples around you, [whether] near to you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth;	8. or the idols of the seven nations who are near you round about, or of the rest of the nations who are far away from you, from one end of the earth to the other;
9. You shall not desire him, and you shall not hearken to him; neither shall you pity him, have mercy upon him, nor shield him.	9. you will not consent to them, nor hearken to him, neither will your eye spare him or have compassion, nor will you hide him in secret;
10. But you shall surely kill him, your hand shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.	10. but killing you will kill him; your hand will be the first upon him to slay him, and afterwards the hand of all the people;
11. And you shall stone him with stones so that he dies, because he sought to lead you astray from the Lord, your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.	11. and you will stone him that he die; because he sought to draw them away from the fear of the LORD your God, who brought you out free from the land of Mizraim, from the house of the affliction of slaves.
12. And all Israel shall listen and fear, and they shall no longer do any evil such as this in your midst.	12. And all Israel will hear and be afraid, and never more do according to that evil thing among you.
13. If you hear in one of your cities which the Lord, your God, is giving you to dwell therein, saying,	13. When, in one of your cities which the LORD your God will give you to dwell in, you hear it said
14. "Unfaithful men have gone forth from among you and have led the inhabitants of their city astray, saying, 'Let us go and worship other gods, which you have not known.' "	14. that (certain) men of pride are drawing back from the doctrine of the LORD your God, or that even sages of your rabbis have gone forth and led away the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and worship the gods of the nations which you have not known:
15. Then you shall inquire, investigate, and ask thoroughly, and, behold, it is true, the matter is certain, that such abomination has been committed in your midst:	15. then search you out, and examine with witnesses, and make good inquiry; and, behold, if the thing be true and certain that this abomination has been really done among you,
16. You shall surely strike down the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroy it with all that is in it and its livestock, with the edge of the sword.	16. you will smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, to destroy it utterly and whatever is therein, even its cattle, with the edge of the sword.
17. And you shall collect all its spoil into the midst of its open square, and burn with fire the city and all its spoil, completely, for the Lord, your God; and it shall be a heap of destruction forever, never to be rebuilt.	17. You will gather all its spoil into the midst of the street, and burn the city with fire, together with the whole of the spoil, before the LORD your God; and it will be a desolate heap forever, never to be built again:
18. And nothing that is doomed to destruction shall cling to your hand, so that the Lord may return from His fierce wrath, and grant you compassion, and be compassionate with you, and multiply you, as He swore to your forefathers.	18. that the LORD may be turned from the fierceness of His anger, and may show His mercy upon you, and love you, and multiply you, as He has sworn to your fathers.
19. For you shall hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you this day, to do that which is proper in the eyes of the Lord, your God.	19. So be obedient to the Word of the LORD your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you this day, that you may do what is right before the LORD your God.

Summary of the Torah Seder – D’barim (Deut.) 12:20 - 13:19

· The Slaughter of Animals for Food – Deut. 12:20-22

· Warning Against Blood – Deut. 12:23-28

· Distinctiveness in Worship – Deut. 12:29-31

· Religious Seducers – Deut. 13:1

· A False Prophet – Deut. 13:2-6

· Seducers in One’s Own Family – Deut. 13:7-12

· A City Tainted With Idolatry – Deut. 13:13-19

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 Comments on D’barim 12:20 - 13:19

20 When [the Lord your God] expands [your boundary... and you say, "I will eat meat,"... you may eat meat] The Torah teaches proper conduct, that one should not desire to eat meat unless [one lives] in abundance and wealth.-[Chul. 84a.] [you may eat meat,] according to every desire of your soul In the desert, however, the meat of a non-consecrated animal was forbidden to them, unless one first consecrated it and offered it up as a peace offering.-[Sifrei: Chul. 16b]

21 If the place the Lord, your God, chooses to put His Name there, will be distant from you And you will [consequently] be unable to come and make peace-offerings every day, as [you do] now when the Mishkan goes along with you.

you may slaughter... as I have commanded you We learn [from here] that there is a commandment regarding slaughtering, how one must slaughter. [Since this commandment is not written in the Torah we deduce that] these are the laws of ritual slaughtering given orally to Moses on [Mount] Sinai.-[Sifrei ; Chul. 28a]

22 But as the deer [and the gazelle] are eaten, [so you may eat them] You are not admonished to eat them in a state of ritual purity; if, however, [you will reason:] Just as the fat of the deer and the gazelle is permitted [as food], so too should the fat of non-consecrated animals be permitted. Therefore [to counter this] Scripture says, “but” ( אַךְ .)

23 However, be strong not to eat the blood Since it is stated “be strong” [i.e., resist temptation], you learn that the [Israelites] were inclined to eating blood. Therefore, it is necessary to state, “be strong.” [These are] the words of Rabbi Judah. Rabbi Simeon the son of Azzai, however, says: Scripture comes only to caution you and to instruct you as to what extent you must be steadfast in [fulfilling] the commandments: If regarding blood, which is easy to watch out for, since a person has no desire for it, [the Torah] needed to strengthen you with its admonition, how much more so [must one strengthen oneself] for all other commandments! -[Sifrei]

and you shall not eat the soul with the flesh This is an admonition against אֵבֵר מִן הַחַי , [the eating of] a limb from a live animal.-[Sifrei ; Chul. 102a]

24 You shall not eat it This is an admonition against the eating (דָם הַתַּמְצִית) , (the last blood oozing [from the incision of slaughtering]).-[Ker. 4b]

25 You shall not eat it This is an admonition against the eating of the blood contained in the limbs [of the animal].-[Ker. 4b]

in order that it be good for you... Go forth and learn the [magnitude of] the reward for [observing] the commandments: If [in the case of] blood, which disgusts a person, he who abstains from it earns merit [both] for himself and for his children after him, how much more so [does this apply] to abstaining from theft and immorality, after which man’s soul of does lust.-[Mak. 23b]

26 However, your holy offerings [... you shall carry, and come to the place which the Lord chooses] Although you are permitted to slaughter unconsecrated animals, I did not permit you to slaughter consecrated animals and eat them in your cities without offering [them] up [on the altar]; rather, you must bring them to the Temple.

27 And you shall make your burnt-offerings If [your sacrifices] are burnt-offerings, place the flesh and the blood on the altar [as it says: הַבָָּשָָׂר וְהַדָָּם עַל־מִזְבַּח -"the flesh and the blood on the altar of the Lord," with respect to burnt offerings]. But if they are peace-offerings, “the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured upon the altar” first, and afterwards “you shall eat the flesh.” Our Rabbis further deduced that [the words] “However, your holy offerings... [you shall carry]” (verse 26) come to instruct us regarding consecrated animals that are outside the Land [of Israel], as well as to instruct us regarding animals that have been exchanged for other consecrated animals, and regarding the offspring of consecrated animals, that [all of] these must [also] be offered up [in Jerusalem].-[Sifrei ; Bech. 14b]

28 Keep [and hearken to all these words that I command you] This [term שְׁמֽר , “keep”] refers to the studying of the Oral Law. [Since it is not written down,] you must “guard” it “in your innards,” so that it should not be forgotten, as it is said, “For it is pleasant that you guard them (תִּשְׁמְרָם) in your innards” (Prov. 22:18). And if you studied, you may understand and fulfill [the commandments], but one who is not [immersed] in study, cannot be [immersed] in practice.-[Sifrei]

[Keep...] all these words [that I command you] This means that a light commandment should be as precious to you as a difficult commandment.-[Sifrei]

[That it may benefit you...when you do] what is good in the eyes of Heaven.

and proper in the eyes of man.-[Sifrei]

30 Lest you be attracted Heb. פֶּן־תִּנָּקֵשׁ אַחֲרֵיהֶם Onkelos renders תִּנָּקֵשׁ as an expression of מוֹקֵשׁ , a “snare.” [However,] I say that he was not meticulous in examining the language, for we do not find a “nun” (נ) in [any form of] the verb “to snare,” not even as a root letter that is [sometimes] omitted from it. However, as an expression denoting vehement movement [from place to place] and rattling, we do find a “nun” (נ) , as in “and his knees knocked נָקְשָׁן one against the other [in fear]” (Dan. 5:6). Here, too, I say that פֶּן־תִּנָּקֵשׁ אַחֲרֵיהֶם means “lest you be attracted to them,” i.e., by becoming bound up in what they do. Similarly, “May a creditor search out (יִנָקֵּשׁ) all that he has” (Ps. 109:11)—here David cursed the wicked that he should have many creditors and they should continually go after and be attracted to his money.

Beware, lest you be attracted after them, after they are exterminated from before you [God says:] After you see that I will annihilate them from before you, you ought to consider why these [people] were exterminated; because of the corrupt actions that were in their hands [i.e., that they had committed]. Accordingly, you should not act likewise, lest others come and exterminate you.-[Sifrei 14:54]

How do [these nations] serve [their gods?] [Until now,] the only cases that incurred the [death] penalty for idolatry were slaughtering, causing to go up in smoke, libation, and prostration [before any other god], as it says, “[He who slaughters [a sacrifice] to the gods shall be destroyed] except to the Lord alone” (Exod. 22:19). [This means that the of death punishment is incurred if one commits] things that are done for the Most High [namely the four aforementioned types of worship]. Here [Scripture] teaches you that if it is customary to worship a particular idol by some other rite, such as defacating before [Baal] Peor or casting a stone at Mercurius, this is considered its worship, and [one who performs that form of worship] is liable [to the death penalty]. However, regarding slaughtering, causing to go up in smoke, libation, and prostration, even though it is not customary [for that idol], one is liable [to the death penalty].-[Sanh. 60b]

31 for also their sons [and their daughters they would burn in fire to their gods] The word גַם , “also,” [comes] to include their fathers and mothers [among those they burned]. Rabbi Akiva stated, “I [once] saw a heathen who bound his father before his dog, which then devoured him.” [Sifrei] [The dog represents the idol, either because it was made in the form of a dog, or this is a pejorative. The dog’s eating the father means that the heathen burned his father in fire before the idol (Zedah Laderech).]

Chapter 13

1 Everything [that I command you] the less significant [commandments] as well as more significant ones.-[Sifrei]

that you shall be careful to do [This statement] attaches a negative commandment to the positive commandments mentioned in this parashah, for wherever הִשָּׁמֵר is used, it is an expression of a negative commandment. Lashes, however, are not incurred for [infringement of a prohibition when] the term הִשָּׁמֵר is attached to a positive commandment.

You shall neither add to it [e.g., placing] five chapters in tefillin [instead of four], or [using] five species for the lulav [instead of four], or [reciting] four blessings [instead of three] for the “blessing of the kohanim .”-[Sifrei]

2 [If there will arise among you a prophet...] and he gives you a sign Heb. אוֹת , [meaning a sign] in the heavens, as it is stated in the case of Gideon [who said to the angel]: “then show me a sign (אוֹת) ” (Jud. 6:17), and then it says [further], “let it be dry only upon the fleece [and upon all the ground let there be dew]” (Jud. 6:39).

or a wonder Heb. מוֹפֵת , [meaning a sign] on the earth. (other texts [of Rashi read as follows]:

and he gives you a sign in the heavens, as is written, “and they [i.e., the sun, the moon, and the stars] shall be for signs (לְאֽתֽת) and for seasons” [Gen. 1:14].

or a wonder on the earth, as is written, “If there will be dew on the fleece only, and upon all the ground, dry” [Jud. 6:39]). Even so, you shall not listen to him. But if you say, “Why then does the Holy One, blessed is He, give him the power to perform a sign? [Scripture replies,] "for the Lord, your God, is testing you [... whether you really love the Lord your God]” (verse 4). -[Sifrei ; San. 90a]

5 keep His commandments the Torah of Moses.

heed His voice the voice of the prophets.

worship Him in His sanctuary.-[Sifrei]

and cleave to Him Cleave to His ways: bestow kindness, bury the dead, and visit the sick, just as the Holy One, blessed is He, did.-[Sotah 14a]

6 [Because he spoke] falsehood Heb. סָרָה , lit. something turned away, removed from the world, which neither existed nor was created, and which I never commanded him to say; destodre in Old French, to distort.

and redeemed you from of the house of bondage Even if God had no [other claim] on you other than that He had redeemed you, it would be sufficient [to demand your obedience].-[Sifrei]

7 If [your brother...] tempts you The term הֲסָתָה always denotes inciting as it is said, אִם ה' הֱיסִתְךָ , “If the Lord has incited you against me” (I Sam. 26:19); ametra in Old French, will incite, that he tempts him to do so.

your brother from the father[’s side].

the son of your mother from the mother[’s side].

of your embrace The one that lies in your embrace and is attached (מָחֲקָה) to you; afichiede in Old French, bound, attached (Greenberg), afichier in Old French, to attach (Gukovitzki). This is similar to הָאָרֶץ וּמֵחֵיק (Ezek. 43:14), which refers to the base [of the altar] that is affixed firmly in the ground.

[Or your friend,] who is as your own soul This refers to your father. Scripture enumerates those [persons] who are dear to you; how much more so [must you apply this] to others [and not spare them]!

[If your brother...tempts you] in secret Scripture speaks of what commonly [occurs, but does not exclude the other case, i.e., one who entices publicly], for usually the one who entices speaks clandestinely. Similarly, Solomon [describing an episode of enticement,] says: “In the twilight, in the evening time, in the blackness of night and the darkness” (Prov. 7:9). -[Sifrei]

[Let us go and worship other gods,] which neither you nor your forefathers have known This would be a great disgrace for you, for not even the heathen nations forsake what their forefathers have handed down to them. Yet this [man] says to you, “Abandon what your forefathers have handed down to you!”-[Sifrei]

8 Let us go and worship other gods...] whether near to you or far [from you] Why did [Scripture] specify [gods] that are "near... or far"? Rather, this is what Scripture says: Through [knowing] the character of those [gods] close to you, you learn the character of those far from you; just as those close to you are devoid of substance, so are those far from you devoid of substance.-[San. 61b; Sifrei]

[gods... far from you,] from one end of the earth [to the other end of the earth] This refers to the sun, the moon, and the legion of heavens [i.e., the stars], which extend from one end of the world to the other.-[Sifrei]

9 You shall not desire him Heb. לֽא-תֽאבֶה . You shall feel no longing (תאב) towards him; do not love him תֽאהֲבֶנוּ) (לֹא ). Since it is said, “You shall love your fellow man as yourself” (Lev. 19:18), [therefore it is necessary to tell us that] this person, [however,] you shall not love.

and do not hearken to him when he pleads for his life, that you should pardon him. [It is necessary to state this] because it says, “[If you see the donkey of your enemy] you shall surely help him” (Exod. 23:5); this person, [however,] you shall not help.

neither shall you pity him [It is necessary to state this] because it says, “you shall not stand idly by the blood of your fellow man” (Lev. 19:16). This person [however] you shall not pity.-[Sifrei]

[neither shall you...] have mercy upon him Do not search for merits in his favor.

nor shall you shield him If you are aware of something that will condemn him, you are not permitted to remain silent.-[Sifrei]

10 But you shall surely kill him -(If he has left the court, acquitted, have him returned for conviction;) if [on the other hand,] he has left the court convicted, do not return him for acquittal.-[Sifrei]

Your hand shall be the first against him [to put him to death] The one who was tempted [to idolatry by this person] has the duty to put him to death. [However] if he did not die by his hand, he must die by the hand of others, as is stated (in this verse), “and afterwards the hand of all the people, etc.”-[Sifrei]

13 [If you will hear in one of your cities which the Lord, your God, gives you] to dwell therein [The words “to dwell therein” are added] to exclude Jerusalem, which was not apportioned as a dwelling place [for a particular tribe].-[Sifrei]

If you hear... saying Heb. לֵאמֽר , lit. to say. [If you hear people] saying thus:

14 [Unfaithful] men Heb. בְּנֵי־בְלִיַּעַל —people without a yoke בְּלִי עוֹל , who have thrown off the yoke of the Omnipresent.-[Sifrei]

[Unfaithful] men But not women.

the inhabitants of their city But not the inhabitants of another city. From here [our Rabbis] said: A city is not considered a “wayward city” (עִיר הַנִדַּחַת) unless men (אֲנָשִׁים) lead it astray, and unless those who lead it astray are from within it.-[San. 111b]

15 Then you shall inquire, investigate, and ask thoroughly Heb. וְדָרַשְׁתָּ וְחָקַרְתָּ וְשָׁאַלְתָּ הֵיטֵב . From this verse [in combination with others as explained], our Rabbis learned [the law of] the “seven investigations” [in a court of law], since Scripture uses many expressions [of investigation]. Here there are three expressions: דְרִישָׁה , חֲקִירָה , and הֵיטֵב [i.e., “inquiry,” "investigation," and “thoroughly”]. The term וְשָׁאַלְתָּ , “ask,” is not counted as one [of the seven investigations (חֲקִירוֹת) ] and the the cross-examinations (בְּדִיקוֹת) [regarding accompanying circumstances] are derived from it. [So far, we have three expressions.] And elsewhere [in the case of collusive witnesses,] it says: הַשּׁוֹפְטִים הֵיטֵב וְדָרְשׁוּ , “And the judges shall inquire thoroughly” (Deut. 19:18). [This adds two more expressions, דְרִישָׁה and הֵיטֵב , to make five altogether.] And still elsewhere [in the case of idolatry,] it says: וְדָרַשְׁתָּ הֵיטֵב , “And you shall inquire thoroughly” (Deut. 17:4) [thus adding two more expressions, דְרִישָׁה and הֵיטֵב , to make up a final total of seven investigatory expressions demonstrating the law of “seven investigations”]. And our Rabbis learned a שָׁוָה גְּזֵירָה [i.e., an inference from an identical word in two passages, which teaches us that the laws in one passage apply to the other passage as well] from [the words] הֵיטֵב הֵיטֵב , to place what is stated in one context in the other context. [I. e., it is accounted as if all seven written in the context of the “wayward city,” as well as in the cases of collusive witnesses and individuals who worshipped idols. I.e., all the seven expressions can be connected together to make seven investigations.] - [San. 40a; Sifrei] [The judges would ask the witnesses the following seven questions: 1) In what shemitah cycle was the crime committed? 2) In what year? 3) In what month? 4) In what day of the month? 5) On what day [of the week]? 6) In what hour? 7) In what place? (San. 5:1)]

16 You shall surely strike down Heb. הַכֵּה תַכֶּה . [The double expression is used to explain that] if you cannot execute the death penalty that is prescribed for them, put them to death in some other manner.-[Sifrei ; B.M 31b]

17 [and burn with fire the city...] for the Lord your God [i.e.,] for His Name and for His sake.

18 that the Lord may return from His fierce wrath For as long as idol worship [exists] in the world, the fierce wrath [of God exists] in the world.-[Sifrei ; San. 111b]

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 119:1-24, 25-48. 49-72, 73-104

RASHI	TARGUM
1. ¶ Praiseworthy are those whose way is perfect, who walk with the law of the Lord.	1. ALEPH How happy are the perfect of way, who walk in the Torah of the LORD.
2. Praiseworthy are those who keep His testimonies; who seek Him wholeheartedly.	2. How happy those who keep His testimony; with a whole heart they will seek His instruction.
3. Not only have they committed no injustice, they walked in His ways.	3. Truly they have not acted deceitfully; in His proper ways they have walked.
4. You commanded Your precepts, to keep diligently.	4. You have given your commandments, to keep very much.
5. My prayers are that my ways should be established, to keep Your statutes.	5. It is good for me that my ways are straight, to keep Your decrees.
6. Then I shall not be ashamed when I look at all Your commandments.	6. Then I will not be disappointed when I look to all Your commandments.
7. I shall thank You with an upright heart when I learn the judgments of Your righteousness.	7. I will give thanks in Your presence with uprightness/generosity of heart, when I learn the judgments of Your righteousness/generosity.
8. I shall keep Your statutes; do not forsake me utterly. {P}	8. I will keep Your decrees; do not abandon me utterly.
9. ¶ In what manner should a youth purify his way? To observe according to Your word.	9. BETH In what way will a youth purify his way? To keep [it] as Your words.
10. With all my heart I searched for You; do not cause me to stray from Your commandments.	10. With all my heart I have sought Your teaching; do not let me go astray from Your commandments.
11. In my heart I hid Your word, in order that I should not sin against You.	11. In my heart I have hidden Your Word, that I might not sin in Your presence.
12. Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes.	12. Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me Your decrees.
13. With my lips I recited all the judgments of Your mouth.	13. With my lips I have recounted all the judgments of Your mouth.
14. With the way of Your testimonies I rejoiced as over all riches.	14. In the way of Your testimonies I have rejoiced, as at a stroke of luck.
15. Concerning Your precepts I shall converse, and I shall look at Your ways.	15. I will speak by Your commandments, and I will behold Your ways.
16. With Your statutes I shall occupy myself; I shall not forget Your speech. {P}	16. I will find delight in Your decrees, I will not forget Your utterance.
17. ¶ Bestow kindness upon Your servant; I shall live and I shall keep Your word.	17. GIMEL Requite Your servant with good; I will live, and keep Your words.
18. Uncover my eyes and I shall look at hidden things from Your Torah.	18. Uncover my eyes, and I will behold wonders from Your Torah.
19. I am a stranger in the land; do not hide Your commandments from me.	19. I am a dweller in the land; do not take away Your commandments from me.
20. My soul is crushed from longing for Your judgments at all times.	20. My soul has longed with longing for Your commandments at all times.
21. You shall rebuke cursed willful sinners who stray from Your commandments.	21. You have rebuked the malicious; cursed are all who stray from Your commandments.
22. Remove from me disgrace and contempt, for I kept Your testimonies.	22. Remove from me humiliation and shame; for I have kept Your testimonies.
23. Although princes sat and talked about me, Your servant conversed about Your statutes.	23. For leaders sit speaking against me; Your servant is engaged in instruction of Your decrees.
24. Also, Your testimonies are my affairs, men of my counsel. {P}	24. Also Your testimonies are my delight, the source of my counsel.
25. ¶ My soul clung to the dust; revive me according to Your word.	25. DALET. My soul is joined to the dust; heal me according to Your Word.
26. I told of my ways, and You answered me; teach me Your statutes.	26. I numbered my ways and You received my prayer; teach me Your decrees.
27. Make me understand Your precepts, and I shall speak of Your wonders.	27. Give me insight into the way of Your commandments, and I will speak of Your wonders.
28. My soul drips from grief; sustain me according to Your word.	28. My soul is grieved by weariness; sustain me according to Your Word.
29. Remove from me the way of falsehood, and favor me with Your Torah.	29. Remove from me the path of lies; and [by] Your Torah have compassion on me.
30. I chose the way of faith; Your judgments I have set [before me].	30. I have chosen the faithful path; I have placed Your judgements [with me].
31. I clung to Your testimonies; O Lord; put me not to shame.	31. I have joined myself to Your testimonies, O LORD; do not make me ashamed.
32. [In] the way of Your commandments I shall run, for You will broaden my understanding. {P}	32. I will run in the path of Your commandments, for You will expand my heart/mind.
33. ¶ Instruct me, O Lord, [in] the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it at every step.	33. HAI. Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your decrees, and I will keep it totally.
34. Enable me to understand and I shall keep Your Torah, and I shall keep it wholeheartedly.	34. Give me insight, and I will keep Your Torah, O LORD; and I will keep it with a whole heart.
35. Lead me in the path of Your commandments for I desired it.	35. Make me walk in the course of Your commandments, for I desire it.
36. Extend my heart to Your testimonies and not to monetary gain.	36. Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to money.
37. Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity; with Your ways sustain me.	37. Turn my eyes away from the sight of deceit; by Your Words heal me.
38. Fulfill for Your servant Your word that is for Your fear.	38. Confirm Your Word to your servant, which [leads] to Your worship.
39. Remove my disgrace, which I feared, for Your judgments are good.	39. Take away my reproach, which I fear, for Your judgments are good.
40. Behold, I longed for Your precepts; with Your righteousness sustain me. {P}	40. Behold, I have yearned for Your commandments; in Your generosity heal me.
41. ¶ And may Your acts of kindness befall me, O Lord, Your salvation according to Your word.	41. VAV. And let Your kindness come upon me, O LORD, Your redemption in accordance with Your Word.
42. And I shall answer a word to those who disgrace me, for I trusted in Your word.	42. And I will give answer to those who mock me, for I have trusted in Your Word.
43. And do not take out utterly from my mouth a word of truth, because I hoped for Your words.	43. And do not remove the Word of truth from my mouth utterly, for I have waited long for Your judgments.
44. And I shall keep Your Torah constantly, forever and ever.	44. And I will keep Your Torah always, for ages upon ages.
45. And I shall walk in widely accepted ways, for I sought Your precepts.	45. And I will walk in the wideness of the Torah, for I have sought Your commandments.
46. And I shall speak of Your testimonies in the presence of kings, and I shall not be ashamed.	46. And I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and I will not be ashamed.
47. And I shall engage in Your commandments, which I love.	47. And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love.
48. And I shall lift up my palms to your commandments, which I love, and I shall converse about Your statutes. {P}	48. And I will lift my hands to Your commandments, which I love, and I will speak of Your decrees.
49. ¶ Remember a word to Your servant, through which You gave me hope.	49. ZAYIN Remind your servant of the Word, for You waited long for me.
50. This is my consolation in my affliction, for Your word has sustained me.	50. This is my comfort in my pain, for Your Word has sustained me.
51. Willful sinners derided me greatly; I did not turn away from Your Torah.	51. The malicious mock me greatly; I have not turned away from Your Torah.
52. I remembered Your judgments of old, O Lord, and I was consoled.	52. I remembered Your judgments of old, O LORD, and I was comforted.
53. Quaking gripped me because of the wicked men who abandoned Your Torah.	53. Trembling seized me because of the 54. wicked/lawless who forsake Your Torah.
54. Your statutes were to me as songs in the house of my sojournings.	54. Your decrees became psalms for me in my dwelling place.
55. At night I remembered Your name, O Lord, and I kept Your Torah.	55. I remembered Your name in the night, O LORD, and I kept Your Torah.
56. This came to me because I kept Your precepts. {P}	56. This became merit for me, for I kept Your commandments.
57. ¶ "The Lord is my portion," I said, to keep Your words.	57. HETH My portion is the LORD, I have promised to keep Your words.
58. I entreated You with all my heart; favor me according to Your word.	58. I have prayed in Your presence with a whole heart; have pity on me according to Your Word.
59. I considered my ways, and I returned my feet to Your testimonies.	59. I have thought to improve my way, and I will turn my feet to Your testimonies.
60. I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments.	60. I was eager, and did not delay to keep Your commandments.
61. Bands of wicked men robbed me; I did not forget Your Torah.	61. The band of wicked/lawless men has gathered against me; I have not forgotten Your Torah.
62. At midnight, I rise to give thanks to You for Your just judgments.	62. In the middle of the night I will rise to sing praise in Your presence, for the sake of Your righteous/generous judgments.
63. I am a companion to all who fear You and to those who keep your precepts.	63. I am a companion to all who revere You, and to those who keep Your commandments.
64. O Lord, the earth is full of Your kindness; teach me Your statutes. {P}	64. Your goodness, O LORD, fills the earth; teach me Your decrees.
65. ¶ You have done good with Your servant, O Lord, according to Your word.	65. TET You have shown goodness to Your servant, O LORD, according to Your words.
66. The best of reason and knowledge, teach me for I believe in Your commandments.	66. Teach me good sense and knowledge, for I have believed in Your commandments.
67. Before I recited, I erred, but now I keep Your word.	67. Before I was afflicted, I was in error, but now I have kept Your Word.
68. You are good and You do good; teach me Your statutes.	68. You are good, and do good; teach me Your decrees.
69. Willful sinners have heaped false accusations upon me, but I keep your precepts wholeheartedly.	69. The malicious have shouted me down with lies; I will keep Your commandments with a whole heart.
70. Thick like fat is their heart, but I engage in Your Torah.	70. The impulse of their heart is dulled as with fat; as for me, my delight is Your Torah.
71. It is good for me that I was afflicted, in order that I learn Your statutes.	71. It is good for me, for I was humbled, so that I might learn Your decrees.
72. The instruction of Your mouth is better for me than thousands of gold and silver. {P}	72. Better for me is the Torah of Your mouth, than a thousand talents of gold and silver.
73. ¶ Your hands made me and fashioned me; enable me to understand, and I shall learn Your commandments.	73. IOD. Your hands made me and established me; give me insight and I will learn Your commandments.
74. Those who fear You will see me and rejoice for I hoped for Your word.	74. Those who fear You will see me and be glad; for I have waited long for Your word.
75. I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are just, and in faith You afflicted me.	75. I know, O LORD, for Your judgments are righteous/ generous and You have afflicted me in truth.
76. May Your kindness be [upon me] now to comfort me, as Your word to Your servant.	76. Now let Your kindness be for my comfort, according to Your word to Your servant.
77. May Your mercy come upon me so that I shall live, for Your Torah is my occupation.	77. Let Your mercies come to me and I will live; for Your Torah is my delight.
78. May the willful sinners be shamed for they condemned me falsely; I shall converse about Your precepts.	78. The arrogant will be ashamed, for they twisted a lie against me; I will speak of Your commandments.
79. May those who fear You and those who know Your testimonies return to me.	79. Those who fear You will turn to my teaching, and those who know Your testimonies.
80. May my heart be perfect in Your statutes in order that I not be shamed. {P}	80. Let my heart be without blemish in Your decrees, so that I may not be ashamed.
81. ¶ My soul pines for Your salvation; for Your word I hope.	81. KAPH My soul has yearned for Your redemption; I have waited long for Your word.
82. My eyes pine for Your word, saying, "When will You console me?"	82. My eyes are spent for Your word, saying, "When will You comfort me?"
83. For I have become like a wineskin in smoke; I have not forgotten Your statutes.	83. For I have become like a water-skin that hangs in the smoke; Your decrees I have not forgotten.
84. How many are Your servant's days? When will You execute judgments upon my pursuers?	84. How many are the days of Your servant? When will You pass judgment on my persecutors?
85. Willful sinners have dug pits for me, which is not according to Your Torah.	85. The malicious have dug pits for me, that you have not commanded them in Your Torah.
86. All Your commandments are faithful; they pursued me in vain; help me.	86. All Your commandments are truth; for a lie they persecuted me, help me!
87. They almost destroyed me on earth, but I did not forsake Your precepts.	87. They almost destroyed me in the land; but I have not forsaken Your commandments.
88. According to Your kindness, sustain me, and I shall keep the testimony of Your mouth. {P}	88. Sustain me according to Your kindness, and I will keep the testimony of Your mouth.
89. ¶ Forever, O Lord, Your word stands in the heavens.	89. LAMED Forever, O LORD, Your word endures in heaven.
90. Your faith is to every generation; You established the earth and it endures.	90. Your faithfulness is to every generation; You established the earth and it endures.
91. For Your judgments they stand today, for all are Your servants.	91. This day have they risen for Your judgments, for all of them are Your servants.
92. Were not Your Torah my occupation, then I would have perished in my affliction.	92. Had Your Torah not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction.
93. I shall never forget Your precepts for through them You have sustained me.	93. I will never forget Your commandments, for You have sustained me by them.
94. I am Yours; save me for I sought Your precepts.	94. For I am Yours, redeem me; for I have sought after Your commandments.
95. Concerning me: the wicked hoped to destroy me; I shall ponder Your testimonies.	95. The wicked waited for me to annihilate me; I will contemplate Your commandments.
96. Of every finite thing I have seen the end; Your commandments are very broad. {P}	96. To everything that began and ended I have seen an end; Your commands are very spacious.
97. ¶ How I love Your Torah! All day it is my conversation.	97. MEM How I have loved Your Torah! It is my conversation all day.
98. Each of Your commandments makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always mine.	98. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies; because it is always mine.
99. From all my teachers I gained understanding, for Your testimonies are my conversation.	99. I have understood more than all my teachers; for Your testimonies are my conversation.
100. From the wise elders I gain understanding, for I kept Your precepts.	100. I will have greater insight than the wise, for I have kept Your commandments.
101. From every evil way I restrained my feet in order that I keep Your word.	101. I have kept my feet from every evil way, so that I may keep Your words.
102. From Your judgments I did not turn away, for You guided me.	102. I have not gone away from Your judgments, for You have taught me.
103. How sweet are Your words to my palate, more than honey to my mouth!	103. How sweet to my palate are Your words; sweeter by far than honey to my mouth.
104. From Your precepts I shall gain understanding; therefore, I hate all ways of falsehood. {P}	104. I will gain insight from Your commandments; because of this, I hate every son of man who lies.

Rashi’s Comments on Psalm 119:73-104

74 Those who fear You will see me in prosperity and rejoice, because what was bestowed upon me will be bestowed upon them, for I am among those who fear You, and I hoped for Your word.

75 in faith You afflicted me With justice, You afflicted me.

78 for they condemned me falsely For no reason they condemned me. (I found:) I say that this deals with the embarrassment [of David] when they would say to him, “If one is intimate with a married woman, with what [method] is his death penalty?” when he [David] had not sinned.

79 May those who fear You...return to me For the Sanhedrin separated from him when he became a mezora because of that iniquity [with Bath-sheba]. Even if she was divorced, whoever puts his eyes on her, anyone who touches her, will not be guiltless.

81 pines Heb. כלתה , desires.

82 My eyes pine Heb. כלו , lit. fail. My eyes look constantly until they fail.

83 like a wineskin in smoke Like a flask of skin that dries in smoke.

84 When will You execute that I might see it in my days.

85 Willful sinners have dug pits for me Those who come to disqualify me do not do so according to the Torah.

86 All Your commandments are faithful A Moabite and not a Moabitess; but they pursue [me] to prohibit me [from entering the congregation of the Lord].

they pursued me in vain My enemies pursued me in vain.

87 They almost destroyed me I was on the earth as nothing, but I stood with my strength. Likewise (verse 95): “Concerning me, the wicked hoped to destroy me” from entering the congregation, and so (above 116:16): “You loosed my thongs.”

96 or every finite thing, etc. to search them and to debate about them.

Of every finite thing To every conclusion of a thing there is an end and a boundary, but Your commandments have no end or boundary to their conclusion.

98 Each of Your commandments makes me wiser than my enemies Concerning Doeg and Ahithophel they [the Rabbis] said that their final conclusions did not agree with adopted practice. The secret of the Torah is in my hands forever, for I gained understanding from all my teachers; I learned a little from this one and I learned a little from that one (after I learned from my distinguished teacher).

99 are my conversation All my conversation was about them.

101 I restrained my feet Heb. כלאתי , I restrained, as (I Sam. 25:33): “who have restrained me (כלתני) this day from coming into bloodshed.”

Meditation from the Psalms

Psalm 119:49-72

By: HH Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David

King David begins the tenth part of Psalm 119 with a statement which speaks about his creation:

Psalm 119:73 Your hands made me and fashioned me; enable me to understand, and I shall learn Your commandments.

The body, which HaShem fashioned, has 248 organs which correspond to the 248 positive commandments. The 365 sinews of the body, correspond with the 365 negative commandments.[1] David, with the above statement, is calling attention to the commandments by refering to his body. The purpose of the commandments and the purpose of the body are neatly joined together by Iyov:

Iyov (Job) 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh I see G-d:

Thus we understand that the commandments and the body are both given to use in order that we see G-d. Rabbi Vidal HaTzorfati observes that G-d affected the bulk of creation through intermediate forces, whereas He created man directly and attended to him Himself. Adam was created from the earth of Mount Mriah, the site where the Temple was destined to be built, an allusion to the fact that G-d prepared man to be a dwelling place for His Sacred Presence. This is possible only if man recognizes his potential greatness and lives up to the destiny for which G-d prepared him. ^[2]

The Alshich and Malbim explained that David was was saying the if G-d would grant him insight and understanding, he would be able to study and analyze the spiritual dimensions of his limbs and organs so that he could discover the particular commanment for which each limb was prepared. ^[3]

King David was acknowledging his response to HaShem for his own creation. He understood that he was made by HaShem for a purpose. In the same way, our Torah portion opens with an acknowledgement that HaShem would be enlarging the borders for the Bne Israel. In return, HaShem set down the requirements for keeping the land by performing the commands which would accomplish HaShem’s purpose for the land and His People. David’s gratitude was expressed in his willingness to learn the commandments. The gratitude of the Bne Israel would be expressed by their willingness to learn and carry out the commandments which HaShem formulated for their benefit. It is the performance of the commandments which lead us to cleave to HaShem as the Torah teaches:

Deuteronomy 13:5 You shall follow the Lord, your God, fear Him, keep His commandments, heed His voice, worship Him, and cleave to Him.

As we learned two weeks ago, this word ‘cleave’ is a consistent connection which joins these three sederim together. In addition, the words ‘commandment’, that which ‘HaShem’ ‘said’ to do, form the verbal tallies that connect our Psalm to our Torah portion.

Rashi, commenting in v.85 of our portion of Psalm 119, tells us:

Willful sinners have dug pits for me Those who come to disqualify me do not do so according to the Torah.

This verse neatly sums up our portion from Mordechai. In that portion, The spiritual leaders of the Jews, the chief Priests, Elders, and Scribes conspire with Pilate to have Yeshua condemned to death. In our portion a couple of weeks ago, these leaders held a night time trial, of Yeshua, which was illegal according to the Torah.

Sanhedrin 32a CIVIL SUITS ARE TRIED BY DAY, AND CONCLUDED AT NIGHT. BUT CAPITAL CHARGES MUST BE TRIED BY DAY AND CONCLUDED BY DAY.

Ashlamatah: Isaiah 54:2-9, 17

RASHI	TARGUM
1. ¶ "Sing you barren woman who has not borne; burst out into song and jubilate, you who have not experienced birth pangs, for the children of the desolate one are more than the children of the married woman," says the Lord.	1. ¶ Sing, O Jerusalem who was as a barren woman who did not bear; shout in singing and exult, [you who were] as a woman who did not become pregnant! For the children of desolate Jerusalem will be more than the children of inhabited Rome, says the LORD.
2. Widen the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations, do not spare; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.	2. Enlarge the place of your camping, and cause the cities of your land to be inhabited; hold not back, increase the people of your armies and strengthen your rulers.
3. For right and left shall you prevail, and your seed shall inherit nations and repeople desolate cities.	3. For you will be strengthened to the south and to the north, and your sons will possess peoples and will cause desolate cities to be inhabited.
4. Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed, and be not embarrassed for you shall not be put to shame, for the shame of your youth you shall forget, and the disgrace of your widowhood you shall no longer remember.	4. Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproaches of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5. For your Master is your Maker, the Lord of Hosts is His name, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, shall be called the God of all the earth.	5. For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called.
6. For, like a wife who is deserted and distressed in spirit has the Lord called you, and a wife of one's youth who was rejected, said your God.	6. For the Shekhinah of the LORD has summoned [you] like a wife forsaken and distressed in spirit, like a wife of youth who is cast off, says your God.
7. "For a small moment have I forsaken you, and with great mercy will I gather you.	7. "In a little anger I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring your exiles near.
8. With a little wrath did I hide My countenance for a moment from you, and with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on you," said your Redeemer, the Lord. {S}	8. In a brief hour, for a time, I took up the face of My Shekhinah from you, but with everlasting benefits which do not cease I will have compassion on you, says the LORD, your Redeemer. {S}
9. "For this is to Me [as] the waters of Noah, as I swore that the waters of Noah shall never again pass over the earth, so have I sworn neither to be wroth with you nor to rebuke you.	9. This is like the days of Noah before me: as I swore by My Memra that the waters of the flood which were in the days of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that my anger will not turn upon you and I will not rebuke you.
10. For the mountains shall depart and the hills totter, but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace totter," says the Lord, Who has compassion on you. {S}	10. For the mountains may pass and the hills be split, but my goodness will not pass from you, Jerusalem, and My covenant of peace will not be cast away, says He who is about to have compassion on you, says the LORD. {S}
11. O poor tempestuous one, who was not consoled, behold I will set your stones with carbuncle, and I will lay your foundations with sapphires.	11. O needy one, suffering mortification, city concerning which the peoples say it will not be comforted, behold I am setting your pavement stones in antimony, and I will lay your foundations with good stones.
12. And I will make your windows of jasper and your gates of carbuncle stones, and all your border of precious stones.	12. I will make your wood as pearls and your gates of carbuncles, and all your border of precious stones.
13. And all your children shall be disciples of the Lord, and your children's peace shall increase.	13. All your sons will be taught in the Law of the LORD, and great will be the prosperity of your sons.
14. With righteousness shall you be established, go far away from oppression, for you shall not fear, and from ruin, for it will not come near you.	14. In innocence you will be established; be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and from breaking, for it will not come to you.
15. Behold, the one with whom I am not, shall fear, whoever mobilizes against you shall defect to you.	15. Behold, the exiles of your people will surely be gathered to you at the end; the kings of the peoples who are gathered to distress you, Jerusalem, will be cast in your midst.
16. Behold I have created a smith, who blows on a charcoal fire and produces a weapon for his work, and I have created a destroyer to destroy [it].	16. Behold, I have created the smith who blows fire in coals, and produces a vessel for its worth. I have also created the destroyer to destroy;
17. Any weapon whetted against you shall not succeed, and any tongue that contends with you in judgment, you shall condemn; this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their due reward from Me, says the Lord. {S}	17. no weapon that is prepared against you, Jerusalem, will prosper, and you will declare a sinner every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their innocence before me, says the LORD." {S}
1. Ho! All who thirst, go to water, and whoever has no money, go, buy and eat, and go, buy without money and without a price, wine and milk.	1. "Ho, everyone who wishes to learn, let him come and learn; and he who has no money, come, hear and learn! Come, hear and learn, without price and not with mammon, teaching which is better than wine and milk.
2. Why should you weigh out money without bread and your toil without satiety? Hearken to Me and eat what is good, and your soul shall delight in fatness.	2. Why do you spend your money for that which is not to eat, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Attend to my Memra diligently, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight itself in that which is fat.
3. Incline your ear and come to Me, hearken and your soul shall live, and I will make for you an everlasting covenant, the dependable mercies of David.	3. Incline your ear, and attend to my Memra; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, the sure benefits of David.
4. Behold, a witness to nations have I appointed him, a ruler and a commander of nations.	4. Behold, I appointed him a prince to the peoples, a king and a ruler over all the kingdoms.
5. Behold, a nation you do not know you shall call, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, for the sake of the Lord your God and for the Holy One of Israel, for He glorified you. {S}	5. Behold, people that you know not will serve you, and people that knew you not will run to offer tribute to you, for the sake of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. {S}
6. Seek the Lord when He is found, call Him when He is near.	6. Seek the fear o/the LORD while you live, beseech before him while you live;
7. The wicked shall give up his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts, and he shall return to the Lord, Who shall have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.	7. let the wicked forsake his wicked way and a man who robs his conceptions: let him return to the service of the LORD, that He may have mercy upon him, and to the fear of our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," says the Lord.	8. For not as My thoughts are your thoughts, neither are your ways correct as the ways of My goodness, says the LORD.
9. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts [higher] than your thoughts.	9. For just as the heavens, which are higher than the earth, so are the ways of My goodness more correct than your ways, and My thoughts prove (to be) better planned than your thoughts.
10. For, just as the rain and the snow fall from the heavens, and it does not return there, unless it has satiated the earth and fructified it and furthered its growth, and has given seed to the sower and bread to the eater,	10. For as the rain and the snow, which come down from the heavens, and it is not possible for them that should return thither, but water the earth, increasing it and making it sprout, giving seeds, enough for the sower and bread, enough for the eater,
11. so shall be My word that emanates from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, unless it has done what I desire and has made prosperous the one to whom I sent it.	11. so is the word of My goodness that goes forth before Me; it is not possible that it will return before Me empty, but accomplishes that which I please, and prospers in the thing for which I sent it.
12. For with joy shall you go forth, and with peace shall you be brought; the mountains and the hills shall burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap hands.	12. For you will go out in joy from among the Gentiles, and be led in peace to your land; the mountains and the hills before you will shout in singing, and all the trees of the field will clap with their branches.
13. Instead of the briar, a cypress shall rise, and instead of the nettle, a myrtle shall rise, and it shall be for the Lord as a name, as an everlasting sign, which shall not be discontinued." {P}	13. Instead of the wicked will the righteous/generous be established; and instead of the sinners will those who fear sin be established; and it will be before the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign which will not cease." {P}

Rashi’s Comments on Isaiah 54:2-9, 17

1 Sing, you barren woman Jerusalem, who was as though she had not borne.

you who have not experienced birth pangs Heb. חָלָה , an expression of childbirth, for the woman in confinement gives birth with pains and writhing.

for the children of the desolate one The daughter of Edom.

2 and let them stretch forth far off.

lengthen your cords These are thin ropes that hang at the bottom of tents, and that are tied to stakes called ‘chevills’ in French, which are thrust into the ground.

3 shall you prevail Heb. תִּפְרֽצִי , shall you prevail.

4 your youth Heb. עֲלוּמַיִךְ , your youth.

6 who was rejected When she is rejected at times that her husband is a little wroth with her.

8 With a little wrath Heb. שֶׁצֶף . Menahem (Machbereth p. 179) interprets this as, “with kindling of wrath,” and Dunash (Teshuvoth p. 20) states, “with a little wrath,” paralleling “For a small moment have I forsaken you,” and so did Jonathan render, and with everlasting kindness that will exist forever.

9 For this is to Me [as] the waters of Noah [i.e.,] it is an oath in My hand, and He proceeds to explain His words, “as I swore that the waters of Noah shall never again pass over the earth, etc.”

10 For the mountains shall depart Even if the merit of the Patriarchs and the Matriarchs is depleted, My kindness shall not depart from you.

11 tempestuous one whose heart storms with many troubles.

I will set with carbuncle I pave your floor with carbuncle stones.

12 jasper Heb. כַּדְכֽד , a kind of precious stone.

your windows Jonathan renders: your woodwork, and Menahem associated it with (Dan. 7:10): “ministered to Him (יְשַׁמְּשׁוּנֵהּ) .” (Menahem, apparently renders: your utensils, i.e., the vessels that serve you.) And some interpret it as an expression of a sun (שֶׁמֶשׁ) , windows through which the sun shines, and they make opposite it a barrier of kinds of colored glass for beauty, and Midrash Psalms interprets שִׁמְשׁוֹתַיִךְ as well as שֶׁמֶשׁ וּמָגֵן (Ps. 84:12) as “the pinnacles of the wall.”

of carbuncle stones Heb. אֶקְדָּח . Jonathan renders: of gomer stones. Gumrin is the Aramaic translation of גֶּחָלִים , coals. He interprets אֶקְדָּח as an expression similar to (supra 50:11) “who kindle (קֽדְחֵי) fire,” and they are a type of stones that burn like torches and that is the carbuncle (karbokle in O.F.), an expression of a coal. Others interpret it as an expression of a drill, i.e., huge stones of which the entire opening of the doorway is drilled, and the doorposts, the threshold, and the lintel are all hewn from the stone.

of precious stones Desirable stones [from Jonathan].

14 go far away from oppression [Although grammatically this is the imperative, here it is the future,] like (supra 52:2) “Shake yourself from the dust.” You will be far away from those who oppress you. Printed editions of Rashi contain the following addendum:

go far away from oppression You will stay far from oppressing other peoples in the manner the wicked do, that they accumulate money through robbery, but you will not need to rob, for you will not fear poverty or straits, or ruin, for it shall neither come nor shall it approach you. [Abarbanel])

With righteousness that you will perform, you will be established with an everlasting redemption, and you will be far from people’s oppression for you will not fear; you will not even have terror or fear of them, and you will be far from ruin, for it will not come near you. [Ayalah Sheluchah])

15 Behold, the one with whom I am not, shall fear Heb. גּוֹר יָגוּר . Behold, he shall fear and dread evil decrees, he with whom I am not, i.e., Esau. ([Mss. read:] the wicked Esau and his ilk.)

whoever mobilizes against you Heb. גָר . Whoever mobilizes against you for war. Alternatively, מִי גָר [means:] whoever contends with you (וְנִתְגָּרֶה) . And our Rabbis explained it as referring to the proselytes (גֵּרִים) , [i.e.,] to say that we will not accept proselytes in Messianic times. And even according to the simple meaning of the verse it is possible to explain: whoever became sojourners with you in your poverty, shall dwell with you in your wealth. Comp. (Gen. 25:18) “In the presence of all his brethren he dwelt (נָפָל) .”

16 Behold I am He Who created a smith who devises a weapon, and I am He Who has created a destroyer that destroys it. That is, to say: I am He Who incited the enemy against you; I am He Who has prepared retribution for him.

and produces a weapon for his work For necessity. He completes it according to all that is necessary.

17 Any weapon whetted against you Any weapon that they will whet and sharpen for you, i.e., to battle with you.

whetted Heb. יוּצַר , an expression similar to (Jos. 5:2) “sharp knives (חַרְבוֹתצֻרִים) ,” also (Ps. 89:44) “You have also turned the edge of his sword (צוּר חַרְבּוֹ) .”

Chapter 55

1 Ho! All who thirst Heb. הוֹי . This word הוֹי is an expression of calling, inviting, and gathering, and there are many in Scripture, [e.g.,] (Zech. 2: 10) “Ho! Ho! and flee from the north land.”

go to water to Torah.

buy Heb. שִׁבְרוּ . Comp. (Gen. 42:3) “To buy (לִשְׁבּֽר) corn,” buy.

wine and milk Teaching better than wine and milk.

2 Why should you weigh out money Why should you cause yourselves to weigh out money to your enemies without bread?

3 the dependable mercies of David For I will repay David for his mercies.

The sure mercies of David - That is, says Kimchi, “The Messiah,” called here David; as it is written, “David my servant shall be a prince over you” (Ezekiel 34:23).

4 a witness to nations A prince and a superior over them, and one who will reprove and testify of their ways to their faces. ([Mss., however, read:] One who reproaches them for their ways to their faces.)

5 Behold, a nation you do not know you shall call to your service, if you hearken to Me, to the name of the Lord that is called upon you.

6 when He is found Before the verdict is promulgated, when He still says to you, “Seek Me.”

8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts Mine and yours are not the same; therefore, I say to you, “The wicked shall give up his way,” and adopt My way...

“and a man of iniquity his thoughts” and adopt My thoughts, to do what is good in My eyes. And the Midrash Aggadah (Tanhuma Buber, Vayeshev 11 explains:)

For My thoughts are not, etc. My laws are not like the laws of man [lit. flesh and blood]. As for you, whoever confesses in judgment is found guilty, but, as for Me, whoever confesses and gives up his evil way, is granted clemency (Proverbs 28:13).

9 As the heavens are higher, etc. That is to say that there is a distinction and a difference, advantages and superiority in My ways more than your ways and in My thoughts more than your thoughts, as the heavens are higher than the earth; you are intent upon rebelling against Me, whereas I am intent upon bringing you back.

10 For, just as the rain and the snow fall and do not return empty, but do good for you.

11 so shall be My word that emanates from My mouth to inform you through the prophets, will not return empty, but will do good to you if you heed them.

12 For with joy shall you go forth from the exile.

the mountains and the hills shall burst into song before you for they will give you their fruit and their plants, and their inhabitants shall derive benefit. ([Some editions read:] And their inhabitants shall sing.)

13 Instead of the briar, etc. Our Rabbis expounded [Targum Jonathan]: Instead of the wicked, righteous people shall arise.

briar...and...nettle They are species of thorns; i.e., to say that the wicked will be destroyed and the righteous will take their rule.

In The School of the Prophets

Isaiah 54:2-9, 17

By: Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

Our Ashalamatah for this Sabbath falls into a Petuchah (Pericope) that includes two chapters of Isaiah (i.e. Isaiah 54:1-17 and 55:1-13. However as we have said, whilst for public reading purposes we only read from 54:2-9, 17, yet for homiletic and didactic purposes all verses in the two chapters of Isaiah are open to us.

The verbal tally between the Torah Seder for this Shabbat and our present Ashlamatah is as follows:

Torah: Deut. 12:20 -

כִּי-יַרְחִיב יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת-גְּבֻלְךָ, כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר-לָךְ

When will enlarge (Heb.: Ki-Yar’chiv) Ha-Shem, your G-d, your border as He has promised you ...

Isaiah 54:2 -

הַרְחִיבִי מְקוֹם אָהֳלֵךְ

Make larger (Heb.: HaR’chivi) the place of your tent ...

Taken at face value, the text of Isaiah 54:2 commands the Jewish people to prepare themselves to render hospitality and accommodate large numbers of peoples who are desiring to accept the G-d of Israel, His Commandments and His people as their own..

Thus, in Isaiah 54:3-5 we read:

“³For you will spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; and your seed will possess the Gentiles, and [they] will make [your] desolate cities to be inhabited. ⁴ Fear not, for you will not be ashamed. Neither be you confounded, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood will you remember no more. ⁵ For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth will He be called.”

Again, at face value, the text is implying that the Jewish people at some point in their history will come to the understanding that G-d has prepared a great number of Gentiles to join with the Jewish people in the land of Israel to “repopulate” all the land of what the Scriptures call the promised Land (also known by some as the land of “Greater Israel”).

Some, like Yair Davidiy[4] propose that these Gentiles are none other than the Exiled Israelite Tribes who commixed with the Gentiles and became like the Gentiles. Some, have also found that the Nazarean Codicil supports this argument and cite James 1:1 and possibly I Peter 1:1 as support. Personally, I find the proofs adduced by His Excellency Yair Davidiy to be truthful and most accurate (in contradistinction with the dogmas of British Israel and Messianic Ephraemites). The distinction here is that Yair Davidiy like the Nazarean Codicil and us make the Torah as taught by our Sages and the acceptance of our Sages teachings and authority to be in the end the litmus test of who will be “in” and who will be “out.”

The Psalms this week have also this to say who believe that they may have Jewish blood in them or that they descend from the ancient Israelites:

Psalm 119:74 “Those who fear You will see me [as the Messiah] and rejoice for I hoped for Your word.

Psalm 119:79 “May those who fear You and those who know Your testimonies return to me [and recognize me as their King Messiah].”

Those who are returning, be they descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, or descendants of the Jewish people, need to understand that there is only one door available to all who want tore turn to the covenant. This door consists as our Sages have taught the binding one-self to the yoke of the Kingdom of G-d (i.e. the yoke of King Messiah) and the binding oneself thoroughly to the yoke of the commandments as taught by the Jewish Sages. Without this resolute double binding no one has any authority whatsoever to claim to be a follower or a disciple of the Messiah. Any other ways are defective, and promote nothing more than anarchy and anti-Semitism cloaked in a veneer of pseudo-holiness. Clorfene and Rogalsky[5] in their seminal work on the Seven Laws of Noah make this point perfectly clear, that even to claim one is a “righteous Gentile” or “G-d fearer” one must of necessity accept Rabbinic authority. And if this is so concerning the “Righteous Gentile” how much the more those who claim to be descendants of ancient Israel, or of the Jewish people.

The Torah Seder for this week makes this point also clear when it says:

Deut. 13:5 “After the LORD your God will you walk, and Him will you fear, and His commandments will you keep, and unto His voice will you hearken, and Him will you serve, and unto Him will you cleave.”

Rabbi Dr. Charles B. Chavel[6] notes regarding positive Commandment # 6 – Cleaving to G-d, according to the order of Maimonides;

By this injunction we are commanded to mix and associate with wise men (Hakhamim), to be always in theire company, and to join with them in every possible manner of fellowship: in eating, drinking, and business affairs, to the end that we may succeed in becoming like them in respect of their actions and in acquiring true opinions from their words. This injunction is contained in His words (exalted be He), And to Him will you cleave,[7] which are repeated in the verse And to cleave to Him.[8] The Sifre says: ‘And to cleave unto Him means that we should cleave to wise men (Hakhamim) and to their disciples.’[9]

The Sages also use the words to Him will you cleave as proof that it is one’s duty to marry a wise man’s (Hakham’s) daughter, to give one’s own daughter in marriage to a wise man (Hakham) to confer benefits on wise men (Hakhamim) and to have business relations with them. ‘Is it possible,’ they say, ‘for a man to cleave to the Divine Presence, seeing that it is written, For the LORD your God is a devouring fire?’[10] Hence we must conclude that whoever marries a wise man’s (Hakham’s) daughter [or gives his daughter in marriage to a wise man (Hakham), or confers benefit on a wise man (Hakham) out of his possessions, is to be regarded in the light of this verse as cleaving to the Divine Presence].’[11]

Two important further notes should be mentioned here for the sake of clarity.

First, all returnees whether of Jewish ancestry or ancient Israelite ancestry must clearly note that all present translations of the so called New Testament whether they be from the Greek or the Aramaic Peshitta are all full of errors, because those who made those translations carry in their minds a Christian baggage that will not allow them to objectively see and understand truth in Hebraic terms. For, we must realize as Wittgenstein so aptly stated: “A whole mythology is deposited in the language of the writer.”[12] And thus, a translation of the Nazarean Codicil (so called New Testament) which teachings are not consistent with the 613 commandments of the Torah as taught by our Sages is to be deemed a work of idolatry and a mistranslation of the original intentions of its writers. To our knowledge there is no such translation of the Nazarean Codicil in the market. Their Honours Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David, and Paqid Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham and myself are the only ones who are endeavouring to the best of our abilities to bring such work to light despite the many difficulties and lack of resources, great obstacles which with the generosity of some most wonderful souls and the work of the Ruach HaQodesh are totally surmountable. It is therefore my recommendation to all returnees that they beware of what they are reading or being taught about the Messiah or his Messengers – all must agree with the 613 Commandments of the Torah as taught by our Jewish Sages to be true and acceptable!

This is what Messiah King David and his descendant Messiah King Yeshua latter affirms, when he penned the following injunction:

Psalm 119:79 “May those who fear You and those who know Your testimonies (Heb.: עֵדֹתֶיךָ – Edotekha) return to me [and recognize me as their King Messiah].”

The Hebrew term used here, i.e. Edoth – are according to Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch[13] “the symbolic observances representing truths which form the basis of Israel’s life” such as the prohibition of work on Shabbat (Sabbath), Pesach (Passover), Shavuoth (Pentecost), Sukkoth (Tabernacles), and Shemini Atzereth (Feast of the 8^th Day); the prohibition against the enjoyment, use and possession of Chamets (leavened substances) and the commandment to remove Chametz (leavened substances) for the whole week of Unleavened Bread; the commandments to erect and dwell in the sukkah for seven days during the Festival of Tabernacles, as well as purchasing a Lulav for the Festival of Tabernacles; observance of the Fast Days, Purim and Chanukah, and all of the Rosh Chodashim (New Moons); the commandments concerning the Tsitzith, and Mezuzah, etc., etc. If the Messiah or any of his teachers or followers are not proclaiming these EDOTH as commandments of the Messiah, then what we have is either a false or defective Messiah or teachers who have totally misinterpreted the commandments of the Messiah and of his disciples.

All of this, of course brings us to what Professor Hanson[14] most eloquently and truthfully has enunciated:

“Scripture without an interpretative tradition is dumb and useless. This does not mean that any tradition will do, but that it is a delusion to imagine (as apparently the Reformers did) that Scripture is self-interpreting. Some element of tradition, some theological presuppositions are essential if we are to succeed in interpreting Scripture at all.”

The concept of “Sola Scriptura” invented by the Reformers and the inheritance of all Protestants and Messianics of whatever stripe and colour is a fairy tale, a fable and figment of their imagination that miserably distorts reality. In fact, what the Reformers did was to inject Catholic and Anglo-Germanic values and traditions into their own interpretations of the Scriptures, and pass it on as the true meaning of what the Scriptures literally mean. Unless a returnee whether he/she be a descendant of the lost Ten Tribes of Israel, or a descendant of the Jews, catapults this notion of “Sola Scriptura” to where it belongs, i.e., to the dustbin of pagan fables, and accepts fully and totally the traditions of our Sages and as taught by the Master His Majesty King Yeshua the Messiah, when his words and those of his disciples are translated correctly and in the light of the Torah!

Second, the Torah and the Nazarean Codicil (so called New Testament) can’t cope with the illegitimate Greco-Roman/Christian concept of “personal salvation,” for, in truth, in reality such animal does not exist but again is a figment of Greco-Roman culture and values. “Salvation” in its true meaning must be communal in nature.[15] This sacrosanct concept is embodied in the words that an angel of Ha-Shem spoke to a Righteous Gentile, one of Hakham Tsefet’s first converts to Judaism – “Who will tell you words (or, “commandments”), whereby you and all your household will be saved” (Acts 11:14). Similarly, the Master himself in his abbreviation of the Amidda commands to pray “Our Father” and not “My Father.”

All returnees will do so in community. Therefore, it behoves all those of Israelite or Jewish ancestry to make that return with their family, as well as with others of like-minded persuasion. To this end, therefore returnees should seek to actively participate in a close knit community of like minded persons, dedicated to the observance of the commandments as the Sages have taught, to the adherence and faithfulness of His Majesty King Yeshua the Messiah, and to support fellow Jews in need. Help is available to all those who like our father in the faith, Abraham did and “called upon the name of Ha-Shem” – i.e. had a prayer service and taught the Torah together with his family and together with “the souls that they (Abraham and Sarah) had gotten (i.e. converted) in Haran.”. Unless returnees start creating Torah Observant communities then their faith and observance does not avail much.

This is what the Prophet speaks to all returnees throughout all Diaspora today irrespective of the context of the original words:

Isaiah 54:2 “Widen the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations, do not spare; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.”

That is, start opening your house or some other place to hold prayer or Torah/sharing services/meetings, or join with another group of like minded people in your area to do so. But these prayer services and Torah teachings must be done in accordance with the commandments of the Torah as taught by our Sages and the faithfulness of His Majesty King Yeshua the Messiah. In doing so the prophecy utter by King David the Messiah will surely come to pass:

Psalm 119:79 “May those who fear You and those who know Your testimonies (Heb.: עֵדֹתֶיךָ – Edotekha) return to me [and recognize me as their King Messiah].”

And above all, do not be neglectful of the injunction in our Torah Seder for this week:

Deut. 13:5 “After the LORD your God will you walk, and Him will you fear, and His commandments will you keep, and unto His voice will you hearken, and Him will you serve, and unto Him will you cleave.”

May we all of the House of Israel and of the House of Judah be found doing so with alacrity and style, amen ve amen!

Verbal Connections

By HH Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David & HH Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat Sarah

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 12:20 – 13:19

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:2-9, 17

Tehillim (Psalms) 119:73-104

Mark 15:1-5€

The verbal tallies between the Torah and the Ashlamata are:

LORD - יהוה, Strong’s number 03068.

God - אלהים, Strong’s number 0430.

Enlarge - רחב, Strong’s number 07337.

Say / saith /saying - אמר, Strong’s number 0559.

Place - מקום, Strong’s number 04725.

Name - שם, Strong’s number 08034.

The verbal tallies between the Torah and the Psalm are:

LORD - יהוה, Strong’s number 03068.

Say / saith /saying - אמר, Strong’s number 0559.

Soul - נפש, Strong’s number 05315.

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 12:20-21 When the LORD <03068> thy God <0430> shall enlarge <07337> (8686) thy border <01366>, as he hath promised <01696> (8765) thee, and thou shalt say <0559> (8804), I will eat <0398> (8799) flesh <01320>, because thy soul <05315> longeth <0183> (8762) to eat <0398> (8800) flesh <01320>; thou mayest eat <0398> (8799) flesh <01320>, whatsoever thy soul <05315> lusteth after <0185>. 21 If the place <04725> which the LORD <03068> thy God <0430> hath chosen <0977> (8799) to put <07760> (8800) his name <08034> there be too far <07368> (8799) from thee, then thou shalt kill <02076> (8804) of thy herd <01241> and of thy flock <06629>, which the LORD <03068> hath given <05414> (8804) thee, as I have commanded <06680> (8765) thee, and thou shalt eat <0398> (8804) in thy gates <08179> whatsoever thy soul <05315> lusteth after <0185>.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:2 Enlarge <07337> (8685) the place <04725> of thy tent <0168>, and let them stretch forth <05186> (8686) the curtains <03407> of thine habitations <04908>: spare <02820> (8799) not, lengthen <0748> (8685) thy cords <04340>, and strengthen <02388> (8761) thy stakes <03489>;

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:5 For thy Maker <06213> (8802) is thine husband <01166> (8802); the LORD <03068> of hosts <06635> is his name <08034>; and thy Redeemer <01350> (8802) the Holy One <06918> of Israel <03478>; The God <0430> of the whole earth <0776> shall he be called <07121> (8735).

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:6 For the LORD <03068> hath called <07121> (8804) thee as a woman <0802> forsaken <05800> (8803) and grieved <06087> (8803) in spirit <07307>, and a wife <0802> of youth <05271>, when thou wast refused <03988> (8735), saith <0559> (8804) thy God <0430>.

Tehillim (Psalms) 119:75 I know <03045> (8804), O LORD <03068>, that thy judgments <04941> are right <06664>, and that thou in faithfulness <0530> hast afflicted <06031> (8765) me.

Tehillim (Psalms) 119:81 CAPH. My soul <05315> fainteth <03615> (8804) for thy salvation <08668>: but I hope <03176> (8765) in thy word <01697>.

Tehillim (Psalms) 119:82 Mine eyes <05869> fail <03615> (8804) for thy word <0565>, saying <0559> (8800), When wilt thou comfort <05162> (8762) me?

Hebrew:

Hebrew	English	Torah Seder Deu 12:20-13:18	Psalms Psa 119:73-104	Ashlamatah Isa 54:2-9, 17
bhea'	love	Deut 13:3	Ps 119:97
rm;a'	say	Deut 12:20 Deut 12:30 Deut 13:2 Deut 13:6 Deut 13:12 Deut 13:13	Ps 119:82	Isa 54:6 Isa 54:8
#r,a,	ground, land, earth	Deut 12:24 Deut 12:29 Deut 13:5 Deut 13:7 Deut 13:10	Ps 119:87 Ps 119:90	Isa 54:5 Isa 54:9
hV'ai	wife	Deut 13:6		Isa 54:6
aAB	go, comes	Deut 12:26 Deut 12:29 Deut 13:2	Ps 119:77
vAB	ashamed, shame		Ps 119:78 Ps 119:80	Isa 54:4
yAG	nations	Deut 12:29 Deut 12:30		Isa 54:3
rb'D'	words, matter, things	Deut 12:28 Deut 12:32 Deut 13:3 Deut 13:11 Deut 13:14	Ps 119:74 Ps 119:81 Ps 119:89 Ps 119:101
vr'D'	inquire, investigate, sought	Deut 12:30 Deut 13:14	Ps 119:94
hy"h'	have, become	Deut 12:26	Ps 119:83
qz"x'	sure, strengthen	Deut 12:23		Isa 54:2
dy"	hand	Deut 13:9 Deut 13:17	Ps 119:73
[d'y"	known	Deut 13:2 Deut 13:3 Deut 13:6 Deut 13:13	Ps 119:75 Ps 119:79
~Ay	day, today	Deut 13:18	Ps 119:84 Ps 119:91 Ps 119:97	Isa 54:9
vr'y"	dispossess	Deut 12:29		Isa 54:3
bv;y"	dwell, live, inhabitants, resettle	Deut 12:29 Deut 13:12 Deut 13:13 Deut 13:15		Isa 54:3
laer'f.yI	Israel	Deut 13:11		Isa 54:5
!WK	established, fashioned	Deut 13:14	Ps 119:73 Ps 119:90
aol	no, not, nor	Deut 12:32 Deut 13:6 Deut 13:8 Deut 13:11 Deut 13:16 Deut 13:17	Ps 119:93	Isa 54:4 Isa 54:17
~yIm;	water	Deut 12:24		Isa 54:9
hw"c.mi	commandments	Deut 13:4 Deut 13:18	Ps 119:73 Ps 119:86 Ps 119:96 Ps 119:98
~Aqm'	place	Deut 12:21 Deut 12:26		Isa 54:2
jP'v.mi	judgments		Ps 119:75 Ps 119:84 Ps 119:91 Ps 119:102	Isa 54:17
vp,n<	life, soul	Deut 12:23 Deut 13:3 Deut 13:6	Ps 119:81
db,[,	slavery, servant	Deut 13:5 Deut 13:10	Ps 119:76 Ps 119:84 Ps 119:91	Isa 54:17
~l'A[	forever	Deut 12:28 Deut 13:16	Ps 119:89 Ps 119:93 Ps 119:98	Isa 54:8
!yI[;	sight, eye	Deut 12:25 Deut 12:28 Deut 13:8 Deut 13:18	Ps 119:82
hP,	edge	Deut 13:15	Ps 119:88 Ps 119:103
~ynIP'	before, face	Deut 12:29 Deut 12:30		Isa 54:8
#b;q'	gather	Deut 13:16		Isa 54:7
~Wq	arises	Deut 13:1		Isa 54:17
bx;r'	extends	Deut 12:20		Isa 54:2
~x;r'	have compassion	Deut 13:17		Isa 54:8
~x;r'	mercy	Deut 13:17	Ps 119:77	Isa 54:7
[b;v'	sworn	Deut 13:17		Isa 54:9
bWv	turn	Deut 13:17	Ps 119:79
xk;v'	forget		Ps 119:83 Ps 119:93	Isa 54:4
~ve	name	Deut 12:21		Isa 54:5
rm;v'	careful, keep	Deut 12:28 Deut 12:30 Deut 12:32 Deut 13:4 Deut 13:18	Ps 119:88 Ps 119:101
anEf'	hates	Deut 12:31	Ps 119:104
ds,x,	lovingkindness		Ps 119:76 Ps 119:88	Isa 54:8
arey"	fear	Deut 13:4 Deut 13:11	Ps 119:74 Ps 119:79	Isa 54:4
bz"['	forsake		Ps 119:87	Isa 54:6 Isa 54:7
ry[i	cities	Deut 13:12 Deut 13:13 Deut 13:15 Deut 13:16		Isa 54:3
hf'['	doing, behave	Deut 12:25 Deut 12:27 Deut 12:28 Deut 12:30 Deut 12:31 Deut 12:32 Deut 13:11 Deut 13:14 Deut 13:18	Ps 119:73 Ps 119:84	Isa 54:5
[r'	evil	Deut 13:5	Ps 119:101

Greek:

Greek	English	Torah Seder Deu 12:20-13:19	Psalms Psa 119:73-104	Ashlamatah Isa 54:2-9, 17	NC Mk 15:1-5
ἐπί	upon, over, against, in	Deu 12:24 Deu 12:27 Deu 12:32 Deu 13:8 Deu 13:9		Isa 54:17	Mar 15:1
ἔπω	speak, say, said			Isa 54:6 Isa 54:8 Isa 54:10	Mar 15:2
λέγω	saying, speak	Deu 12:30 Deu 13:2 Deu 13:6 Deu 13:12 Deu 13:13	Psa 119:82	Isa 54:17	Mar 15:2 Mar 15:4
μετά	after, with, behind	Deu 12:23 Deu 12:25 Deu 12:30		Isa 54:7	Mar 15:1
ὅλος	Entire	Deu 13:3	Psa 119:97		Mar 15:1
ποιέω	appointed, making, execute	Deu 12:25 Deu 12:27 Deu 12:28 Deu 12:30 Deu 12:31 Deu 12:32 Deu 13:11 Deu 13:18	Psa 119:73 Psa 119:84	Isa 54:5	Mar 15:1
πόσος	many, much		Psa 119:84		Mar 15:4
πρεσβύτερος	elders		Psa 119:100		Mar 15:1
ὥστε	so as, that	Deu 12:20			Mar 15:5

Mordechai 119d

Mordechai 15:1-5

By: HH Paqid Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham

BESB	GREEK TEXT
Mar 15:1¶And first thing in the morning, the Kohen Gadol held a consultation with the Zekanim and Soferim (of the Tz’dukim) and they, with determination[16] bound Yeshua, [and] led (him) away, and delivered (him) to Pilate.	^1Καὶ εὐθὲως ἐπὶ τὸ πρωῒ συμβούλιον ποιήσαντες οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς μετὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ γραμματέων καὶ ὅλον τὸ συνέδριον δήσαντες τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀπήνεγκαν καὶ παρέδωκαν τῷ Πιλάτῳ
^2 Then Pilate asked him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"[17] He answered and said to him, "(It is as) you say."	^2καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτὸν ὁ Πιλᾶτος Σὺ εἶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτῷ Σὺ λέγεις
^3 And the Kohen Gadol accused him of many things, but he answered nothing.	^3καὶ κατηγόρουν αὐτοῦ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς πολλά
^4 Then Pilate asked him again, saying, "Do you have an answer? See how many things they testify against you!"	^4ὁ δὲ Πιλᾶτος πάλιν ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτὸν λέγων Οὐκ ἀποκρίνῃ οὐδέν ἴδε πόσα σου καταμαρτυροῦσιν.
^5 But Yeshua still said nothing, so that Pilate marveled.	^5ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς οὐκέτι οὐδὲν ἀπεκρίθη ὥστε θαυμάζειν τὸν Πιλᾶτον
Delitzsch Hebrew Translation: וַיְהִי לִפְנוֹת הַבֹּקֶר וַיְמַהֲרוּ רָאשֵׁי הַכֹּהֲנִים וְעִמָּהֶם הַזְּקֵנִים וְהַסּוֹפְרִים וְכָל־הַסַּנְהֶדְרִין לְהִוָּעֵץ וַיַּאַסְרוּ אֶת־יֵשׁוּעַ וַיּוֹלִיכוּהוּ מִשָּׁם וַיִּמְסְרוּהוּ אֶל־פִּילָטוֹס׃ ^2וַיִּשְׁאַל אוֹתוֹ פִּילָטוֹס הַאַתָּה מֶלֶךְ הַיְּהוּדִים וַיַּעַן וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אַתָּה אָמָרְתָּ׃ ^3וְרָאשֵׁי הַכֹּהֲנִים הִרְבּוּ לְשִׂטְנוֹ׃ ^4וַיּוֹסֶף פִּילָטוֹס וַיִּשְׁאָלֵהוּ לֵאמֹר הָאֵינְךָ מֵשִׁיב דָּבָר רְאֵה כַּמָּה הֵם עָנוּ בָךְ׃ ^5וְיֵשׁוּעַ לֹא־הֵשִׁיב עוֹד אַף־דָּבָר אֶחָד וַיִּתְמַהּ פִּילָטוֹס׃

Introduction

May our Master teach us

concerning

false prophets

We must realize that we received the Torah Min HaShamayin (from the heavens) through G-d’s agent, Moshe Rabbenu. Therefore, the fundamentals of our faithful obedience rests on the Torah, Min HaShamayim. Moshe was the quintessential Prophet. ALL subsequent Prophets must agree with the Word and Prophecies of Moshe Rabbanu. Those “prophets” that fail to follow his Torah must be considered false. The three fundamental truths we learn from the Torah are:

1. The resurrection of the dead is derived from the Torah,
2. The Torah is Min HaShamayim (from the Heavens)
3. We must diligently study and apply the Torah to daily life

M. San 10:1 And these are the ones who have no portion in the world to come:

1. He who says, the resurrection of the dead is a teaching, which is not derived from the Torah,
2. and the Torah does not come from Heaven;
3. and An Epicurean.^[18]

From what verse in the Torah can we derive the resurrection of the dead?

D’barim 11:21 in order that your days may increase and the days of your children, on the land which the LORD swore to your forefathers to give them, as the days of heaven above the earth.

Give to them it says… speaking of the forefathers. As we have learned, many of the benefits we now share are the result of “Zechut Abot” as explained in D’barim 9:4-5.

Furthermore, D’barim 4:4 states…

D’barim 4:4 But you who cleave to the LORD your God are alive, all of you, this day.

“All of you this day” indicates that all Israel will have their part in the world to come.

And, who are those who say that the Torah is not from the Heavens?

Those who despise the Word of the L-RD as it says…

B’Midbar 15:31 For he has scorned (despised) the word of the Lord and violated His commandment; that soul shall be utterly cut off for its iniquity is upon it.

The Tannaim interpret this verse to mean that those who “despise the Word of the L-RD” are those who despise the statement^[19]…

Shemot 20:2-3 "I am the Lord, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 You will not have the gods of others in My presence.

The righteous/generous rejoice in the mitzvoth of G-d and the wicked/Lawless despise the Word of the LORD as the Psalmist has said…

Psa. 119:98. Each of Your commandments makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always mine.

And who is an Epicurean?

Psa. 119:78 May the wilful sinners be shamed for they condemned me falsely; I will converse about Your precepts.

How can we determine that the wicked sinners who accuse the Messiah are Epicureans?

The Ramban states…

The Following individuals do not have a portion in the world to come. Rather their [souls] are cut off and they are judged (in Gehinom) for their great wickedness and sin forever:

the Minim, the Epicursim, those who deny the Torah,

those who deny the resurrection of the dead and the coming of the [Messianic] redeemer,

those who rebel [against God], those who separate themselves from the community, those who proudly commit sins in public as Jehoyakim did,

those who betray Jews to gentile authorities,

those who cast fear upon the people for reasons other than the service of God, murderers, slanders, one who extends his foreskin [so as not to appear circumcised.]^[20]

Cleaving to God

Yesha’yahu 54:1 ¶ "Sing you barren woman who has not borne; burst out into song and jubilate, you who have not experienced birth pangs, for the children of the desolate one are more than the children of the married woman," says the Lord.

Who is this “barren one”? Jerusalem, who was as though she had not borne.^[21]

D’barim 13:14. "Unfaithful men have gone forth from among you and have led the inhabitants of their city astray,

Who are these “unfaithful men”?

An Epicurean (apikorus)

Who is an Epicurean?

An Epicurean is one who insults a Torah Scholar as it is written…

B. San 99b AN EPIKOROS. Rab and R. Hanina both taught that this means one who insults a [Torah] Scholar (Hakham).

And How is it that one insults a Torah Scholar (Hakham)?

D’barim 13:5 You will follow the Lord, your God, fear Him, keep His commandments, heed His voice, worship Him, and cleave to Him.

Cleaving to one’s master (Hakham) is to cleave to the LORD as R. Chavel explains:

Scripture provides a perfect example of a disciple cleaving to his master in the constant and reverential attachment of Joshua to Moses: But his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tent (Ex. XXXIII, ii). The Mishnah records the following saying of Jose ben Joezer of Zeredah, one of the early Fathers of the Tradition: `Let your house be a meeting-house for the wise; and sit amid the dust of their feet; and drink in their words with thirst' (Ab. 1, 4). The Talmud abounds in illustrations of disciples going to extreme lengths in their earnest desire to learn the ways and customs, conduct and conversation of the wise men (Ber. 62a). To miss the society of an assembly of the wise men was considered an irretrievable loss: `It is impossible that a gathering of the wise men should take place without their bringing to light some profound and fresh interpretation of the Law' (Hag. 3a).^[22]

Does this apply to the “Kohen Gadol” of Mordechai 15:3?

Mark15:3 And the Kohen Gadol accused him of many things [before Pilate], but he (Yeshua) answered nothing.

Yes, the Kohen Gadol failed to recognize proper authority.

Those who denigrate the Torah and Torah Scholars are called “Apikorus.” This denigration can be in attitude or deed. The Apikorus denies the existence of G-d, the validity of Prophecy and publicly transgresses the precepts in a brazen manner.

The Artscroll Mishnah traces the root of the term “Apikorus” as follows:

The term “apikorus” comes from the root הפקר, hefker, something under no one’s ownership. It is used to denote one who treats the Torah in a cavalier manner, as if it were ownerless property and this subject to abuse.[23]

Rabbi Eliyahu Touger comments that the term hefker means “one who will not recognize authority.” [24] Likewise, this applies to Pilate because he failed to recognize the authority of the Master.

Mark 15:2 Then Pilate asked him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"

“King of the Jews” he asked, failing to acknowledge the Master as his King (Messiah). For it is written that all kings of Israel that are descended from David have the Gentiles as their inheritance, as it is said:

Psalm 2:8 “Ask of Me, and I will give the Gentiles (Heb. Goyim) for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.”

Conclusion

The Sages (Hakhamim) have identified those who have no share in the world to come. The Rambam furthers the definition relative to our pericope with two statements. Those who have no share in the world to come are “those who deny the resurrection of the dead and the coming of the [Messianic] redeemer, those who rebel [against God], those who separate themselves from the community, and those who betray Jews to gentile authorities.”

Those who betrayed the Master to the Gentile/Roman authorities were of the Tz’dukim (Sadducees) who say there is no resurrection. Or, we might say that they said that the resurrection of the dead is not derived from the Torah. Furthermore, they betrayed a righteous Jew, the Master, to their gentile god[25], which was a heinous act of idolatry.

Betrayal to the Gentiles…

The Greek word παραδίδωμι has been used frequently by Hakham Tsefet’s Sofer, Mordechai as “handing over.” However, the word is also used for betrayal. Who is an Epicurean?; those who betray Jews to gentile authorities. What could be more deviant than betrayal of one’s fellow Jew?

The Kohen Gadol could not acknowledge the Master as Messiah because the Tz’dukim did not believe in the resurrection or the Messianic Redeemer, nor could the Gentile procurator who ruled over the Jewish people in the name of Caesar. Neither of the two would acknowledge the rightful place and position of the Master as Messiah. However, we must acknowledge that G-d is not only the Creator; He is also the one who orchestrates the events of history to fulfill His agenda on earth – a concept known as Providence. Thus, we must believe with perfect faith that nothing is able to thwart the plan of G-d, as our Prophet has stated…

Yesha’yahu 55:11 so will be My word that emanates from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, unless it has done what I desire and has made prosperous the one to whom I sent it. ¹² For with joy will you go forth, and with peace will you be brought; the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap hands.

While we may not perfectly understand the death of the Master we must reiterate that his death has produced a reparation (Tikun) that would not have been possible any other way.

Connections to Torah Readings

Torah Seder

The Tz’dukim of our pericope are clearly pseudo-prophets and those who have lead the people of the City astray, Cf. D’barim 13:1-2

Tehillim

Psa 119:85. “Willful sinners have dug pits for me, which is not according to Your Torah,” could easily be seen as a reference to the Kohanim as pseudo-prophets of our present pericope in Mordechai.

Ashlamatah

Rashi comments that Is 54:1 is a reference to Jerusalem. It is the Kohanim who brought the wrath of G-d on the city by their deviant actions.

Mitzvoth From the Torah Seder

Torah Add	M#	Mitzvah	Oral Torah
D’barim 12:21	451	Precept of ritual Shehittah, ritual slaughter	m. B.B, 2:10 Shab, 18:1
D’barim 12:23	452	Not to eat a limb or part taken from a living animal	Hulin t. Zabim 5:12
D’barim 12:26	453	To attend to bring an animal offering from another land to the Sanctuary.	Hulin
D’barim 13:1	454	The Prohibition against adding to the Precepts of the Torah	b. R.H. 16b
D’barim 13:1	455	Not to diminish the Precepts of the Torah in any way	b. R.H. 28b
D’barim 13:4	456	To pay no heed to anyone prophesying in the name of an idol or idolatry	m. Avod Zarah
D’barim 13:9	457	To have no affection for an enticer to idolatry	m. Avod Zarah
D’barim 13:9	458	Not to relinquish hatred for an enticer to idolatry	m. Avod Zarah
D’barim 13:9	459	Not to rescue from death an enticer to idol worship	m. Avod Zarah
D’barim 13:9	460	That someone enticed to idolatry should not speak in favor of an enticer to idolatry	m. Avod Zarah
D’barim 13:9	461	That a person enticed to idol worship should not refrain from speaking out against the enticer to idolatry	m. Avod Zarah
D’barim 13:12	462	Not to entice an Israelite toward idol worship	m. Avod Zarah
D’barim 13;15	463	The Precept of examining a witness thoroughly	m. San
D’barim 13:17	464	The precept of burning a city devoted to idolatry	m. Avod Zarah
D’barim 13:17	465	Not to rebuild a city gone astray into idolatry	m. Avod Zarah Makkot

Endnotes:

[1] Here the Greek text uses “συνέδριον,” which is also the formal title of the Sanhedrin; however, use of συνέδριον does not always mean that there was a formal meeting of the Sanhedrin. We find that the Greek συνέδριον is actually a compound σύν (G4862) and ἑδραι̑ος (G1476). The word ἑδραι̑ος is used sparingly in the Nazarean Codicil. It is most common use is related to being steadfast or determined in a course of action. Hakham Shaul uses the word three times to indicate the walk of the talmidim of Yeshua. Here the context causes us to translate the compound as “with determination.” As we stated previously we cannot believe that the whole Sanhedrin met and accused Yeshua of any crime on the eve of the Sadducean Pesach. We are able to make this determination by facts that governed the meeting times and schedules of the formal Sanhedrin.

m. San. 4:1 In capital cases they come to a final decision for acquittal on the same day, but on the following day for conviction. (Therefore, they do not judge [capital cases] either on the eve of the Sabbath or on the eve of a festival.^[1]

From this we learn:

· Firstly, the Sanhedrin could not meet on the day of or the day before a Festival.

· Secondly, the procedure for capital cases required at minimum a two-day setting of a court of a minimum of 23 judges.

· Therefore, the eve of Pesach for the Tz’dukim and or the P’rushim is disallowed as a possible date for the proper Sanhedrin.

· Furthermore, the men, who sat on the Sanhedrin, must be men who possess a genuine fear of G-d, as it is written:

Exo 18:21 Moreover you will provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. ^JPS

The “council” of our present pericope is not a council of G-d fearing men. These men have an agenda of their own. If we were to use the above-cited passage as a rule, we could dismiss this court on the following three counts.

1. They did not fear G-d

2. They were not men of truth

3. They were not men hating unjust gain

² Pilate is described by Philo as “inflexible, merciless, and obstinate.” He also catalogues here a list of his crimes and excesses Leg. ad Gaium, 38 Why does the conclave carry Yeshua to Pilate? I believe that the crime committed in the judgment against Yeshua demonstrates that this could not have been a legitimate Sanhedrin. While scholars bicker over the idea that the Sanhedrin was dislodged from the “Chamber of Hewn stone,” I believe this action by the Sadducees demonstrates that their court could not have been a genuine Sanhedrin as noted above. My argument is also based on the fact that Pilate makes his claim against the Master from the accusations of the Kohen Gadol. “Are you the Kings of the Jews?” But this is the role of Messiah! Consequently, Yeshua is accused of sedition against Roman authority, and not blasphemy as the Kohen Gadol accused him of in our previous pericope. Perhaps this is, as some scholars suggest because the Jews had no power to sentence a man to death. Regardless, this is NOT a legitimate Sanhedrin. Therefore, the Kohen Gadol must bring charges before Pilate, since Pilate could pronounce the death penalty. Furthermore, Pilate would be in Jerusalem during the Pesach festival. This would be the most opportune time to have Yeshua sentenced to death by the Roman governor.

Some Questions to Ponder:

1. From all the readings for this week, which particular verse or passage fired your heart and imagination?

2. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Deut. 12:20?

3. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Deut. 12:21?

4. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Deut. 12:25?

5. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Deut. 12:28?

6. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Deut. 12:30?

7. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Deut. 13:1?

8. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Deut. 13:2?

9. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Deut. 13:5?

10. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Deut. 13:9?

11. What are the requirements to be a Shochet (ritual slaughterer)?

12. How can we reconcile the blood libel for which Anti-Semites have and still accuse us and kill us with the promise in v. 25, “If you do not eat it (i.e., blood), you and your descendants will have a good life”?

13. What is the principle of Lifnim Meshurat HaDin?

14. What in the Torah Seder this week fired the imagination of the Psalmist as he penned Psalm 119:73-104?

15. What in the Torah Seder this week fired the imagination of the prophet in the Ashlamatah of Isaiah 54:2ff?

16. What in the Torah Seder, Psalm and Prophetic Lesson for this week fired the imagination of Hakham Tsefet as his scribe penned Mark 15:1-5?

17. In your opinion what key message/s did Hakham Tsefet try to convey in Mark 15:1-5?

18. Who is an Apikorus according to our Sages?

19. Why did the Kohen Gadol brought Messiah King Yeshua to be judged by Pilate?

20. In your opinion, and taking into consideration all of the above readings for this Sabbath, what is the prophetic message 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 Sabbath:

“Shabbat Banim Atem”

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
בָּנִים אַתֶּם
“Banim Atem”	Reader 1 – D’barim 14:1-8	Reader 1 – D’barim 15:7-9
“You are children of”	Reader 2 – D’barim 14:9-18	Reader 2 – D’barim 15:9-11
“Hijos sois del”	Reader 3 – D’barim 14:19-21	Reader 3 – D’barim 15:7-11
	Reader 4 – D’barim 14:22-24
D’barim (Deut.) 14:1 - 15:6	Reader 5 – D’barim 14:25-29
Ashlamatah: Is. 63:8-16 + 65:9	Reader 6 – D’barim 15:1-3	Reader 1 – D’barim 15:7-9
Psalm 119: 105-136	Reader 7 – D’barim 15:4-6	Reader 2 – D’barim 15:9-11
	Maftir: D’barim 15:4-6	Reader 3 – D’barim 15:7-11
	- Is. 63:8-16 + 65:9
N.C.: Mark 15:6-15

Coming Festival: Chanukah

December 20-28

For further study see:

http://www.betemunah.org/lapin.html ;

http://www.betemunah.org/connection.html ;

http://www.betemunah.org/chanukah.html ; &

http://www.betemunah.org/lights.html

Shalom Shabbat !

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

HH Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David

HH Paqid Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham

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[1] The ArtScroll Tanach Series, Tehillim, A new translation with a commentary anthologized from Talmudic, Midrashic, and rabbinic sources. Commentary by Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer, Translation by Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer in collaboration with Rabbi Nosson Scherman.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Cf. http://britam.org/Questions/QuesLand.html

[5] Clorfene, C. & Rogalsky, Y. (1987), The Path of the Righteous Gentile: An Introduction to the Seven Laws of the Children of Noah, Feldheim Publishers

[6] Maimonides (1967), Translated by R. Dr. Charles B. Chavel, The Commandments: Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth in 2 Vols, London: Soncino Press, Vol I, p. 9.

[7] Deut. 10:20.

[8] Deut. 11:22 & 13:5.

[9] Ibid. Sifre.

[10] Deut. 4:24.

[11] Ibid., Sifre.

[12] Wittgenstein, L. (1979), Remarks on Frazer’s Golden Bough, ed. Rush Rhees, trans. A. C. Miles, rev. by Rush Rhees, Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press International, p.10e.

[13] Hirsch, S. R. (1962), Horeb: A Philosophy of Jewish Laws and Observances, translated to English from the German edition by Dayan Dr. I. Grunfeld, London: The Soncino Press, p. II, 184.

[14] Hanson, A. T. (1980), The New Testament Interpretation of Scripture, London: SPCK, pp.18ff.

[15] Cf. http://www.betemunah.org/househld.html

[16] See endnote

[17] This is the Roman procurator’s way of asking Yeshua if he was the Messiah.

^[18] Neusner, J. (1988). The Mishnah: A new translation (604). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

[19] Cf. b. San 99a

[20] (Rambam), M. M. (n.d.). Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah (Vol. 1:4). (R. E. Touger, Trans.) Moznaim Publishing Corp. 3:6 p. 68-70

[21] Cf. Rashi Isa 54:1

[22] Cf. (Rambam), M. M. (1967). The Commendments (Vol. 1). (C. B. Chavel, Ed.) The Soncino Press. p. 9-10

[23] Yad Avraham Institute. (2008). The Mishnah, Artscroll Mishnah Series, A New Translation with Commentary Yad Avraham Anthologized from Talmudic Sources and Classic Commentators, (Vol. IIa). (R. Y. Danziger, Ed., & R. M. Roberts, Trans.) Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, ltd. p. 241

[24] (Rambam), M. M. (n.d.). Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah (Vol. 1:4). (R. E. Touger, Trans.) Moznaim Publishing Corp. 3:8 p. 75

[25] Cf. John 19:15.