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Pesah (Passover) Lectionary
Nisan 14-22, 5766 –
BS”D
(With the help of Heaven)
First
Year of the
Fifth
Year of the Shemittah Cycle
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PESACH FIRST
DAY – Nisan 15 –
Torah: Sh’mot (Exodus) 12:21-51; B’midbar (Numbers) 28:16-25
Haftarah: Yehoshua (Joshua) 5:2 – 6:1, 27; Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) 1:1-17
Psalm: 107
N.C. Matityahu 26:17-35
Reader 1 - Sh’mot
Reader 2 - Sh’mot
Reader 3 - Sh’mot
Reader 4 - Sh’mot
Reader 5 Sh’mot 12:43-51
Maftir: B’midbar 28:16-25
Joshua 5:2 – 6:1, 27
Song of Songs 1:1-17
PESACH SECOND
DAY – Nisan 16 –
Torah: Vayikra
(Leviticus)
Haftarah: 2 Kings 23:1-9, 21-25; Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) 2:1-17
Psalm: 107
N.C. Matityahu 26:36-68
Reader 1 - Vayikra
Reader 2 - Vayikra 23:4-14
Reader 3 - Vayikra
Reader 4 - Vayikra
Reader 5 Vayikra 23:33-44
Maftir: B’midbar 28:16-25
2 Kings 23:1-9, 21-25
Song of Songs 2:1-17
PESACH SHABBAT INTERMEDIATE – Nisan 17 –
Torah: Sh’mot (Exodus) 33:12 – 34:26; B’midbar (Numbers) 28:16-25
Haftarah: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Shir HaSHirim (Song of Songs) 3:1-11
Psalm: 107
N.C. Matityahu 27:50-66
Reader 1 - Sh’mot 33:12-16
Reader 2 - Sh’mot 33:17-19
Reader 3 - Sh’mot 33:20-23
Reader 4 - Sh’mot 34:1-3
Reader 5 - Sh’mot 34:4-10
Reader 6 - Sh’mot 34:11-17
Reader 7 - Sh’mot 34:18-26
Maftir: B’midbar 28:16-25
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Song of Songs 3:1-11
PESACH INTERMEDIATE
FIRST DAY – Nisan 18 –
Torah: Sh’mot (Exodus) 13:1-16; B’midbar (Numbers) 28:16-25
Haftarah: Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) 4:1-16
Psalm: 107
N.C. Matityahu 26:69 – 27:25
Reader 1 - Sh’mot 13:1-4
Reader 2 - Sh’mot 13:5-10
Reader 3 - Sh’mot
Maftir: B’midbar 28:16-25
Song of Songs 4:1-16
PESACH INTERMEDIATE
SECOND DAY – Nisan 19 –
Torah: Sh’mot
(Exodus)
Haftarah: Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) 5:1-16
Psalm: 107
N.C. Matityahu 27:26-49
Reader 1 - Sh’mot
Reader 2 - Sh’mot
Reader 3 - Sh’mot 23:6-19
Maftir: B’midbar 28:16-25
Song of Songs 5:1-16
PESACH INTERMEDIATE
THIRD DAY – Nisan 20 –
Torah: Sh’mot (Exodus) 34:1-26; B’midbar (Numbers) 28:16-25
Haftarah: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Shir HaSHirim (Song of Songs) 6:1-12
Psalm: 107
N.C. Matityahu 27:50-66
Reader 1 - Sh’mot 34:1-10
Reader 2 - Sh’mot 34:11-17
Reader 3 - Sh’mot 34:18-26
Maftir: B’midbar 28:16-25
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Song of Songs 6:1-12
PESACH SEVENTH
DAY – Nisan 21 –
Torah: Sh’mot
(Exodus)
Haftarah: 2 Samuel 22:1-51; Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) 7:1-14
Psalm: 107
N.C. Matityahu 28:11-15
Reader 1 - Sh’mot
Reader 2 - Sh’mot 14:1-8
Reader 3 - Sh’mot 14:9-14
Reader 4 - Sh’mot
Reader 5 - Sh’mot
Maftir: B’midbar 28:16-25
2 Samuel 1-51
Song of Songs 7:1-14
PESACH EIGHTH
DAY – Nisan 22 –
Torah: Debarim 15:19 – 16:17; B’midbar (Numbers) 28:16-25
Haftarah: Yeshayahu
(Isaiah)
Psalm: 107
N.C. Matityahu 28:16-20
Reader 1 - Debarim
Reader 2 - Debarim 16:1--3
Reader 3 - Debarim 16:4-8
Reader 4 - Debarim 16:9-12
Reader 5 - Debarim
Maftir: B’midbar 28:16-25
Yeshayahu
(Isaiah)
Song of Songs 8:1-14
The Aramaic Targum to Song of Songs
English Translation by Jay C. Treat
Day One
Introduction: The Ten Songs
1:1 Songs and praises which
Solomon the prophet, king of
Ten songs were spoken in this world, this song being the best of them all. The first song Adam spoke at the time his guilt was forgiven him and the Sabbath Day arrived and protected him. He opened his mouth and said, “A Psalm, a Song for the Sabbath Day” (Psalm 92).
The second song Moses said with
the children of
The third song the children of Israel spoke at the time the well of water [note 2] was given to them, as it is written, “Then sang Israel” (Numbers 21:17).
The fourth song Moses, the
prophet, uttered, when his time had come to depart from the world. And by it he
reproved the people of the house of
The fifth song Joshua, son of
Nun, spoke when he waged war in Gibeon, and the sun and moon stood for him
thirty-six hours and they ceased to utter the song [of their praise]. He opened
his mouth and sang the song, as it is written: “Thus sang Joshua before YY”
(Joshua
The sixth song Barak and Deborah said on the day YY delivered Sisera and his camp into the hands of the Children of Israel, as it is written: “Then sang Deborah and Barak, son of Abinoam” (Judges 5:1).
The seventh song Hannah said at the time she was granted a son from before YY, as it is written: “And Hannah prayed in the Spirit of prophecy and said” (1Samuel 2:1).
The eighth song David, king of
The ninth song Solomon, King of Israel, said by the Holy Spirit, before the Master of all the World, YY (Song of Songs).
And the tenth song the children of the Exile are destined to say at the time they are redeemed from Exile, as it is written and explained by the hand of Isaiah the prophet, as it is written: “You shall have this song for joy, as on the night the feast of Passover is sanctified, and for gladness of heart, as the people who go to appear before YY three times a year with varieties of music and the sound of the drum, to come up to the mountain of YY and to worship before YY, the Strength of Israel” (Isaiah 30:29).
Section 1: The Wilderness
1:2 Solomon the prophet said: “Blessed be the name of YY who gave us the Torah by the hand of Moses the great scribe, inscribed on two tablets of stone, and [gave us] six orders of the Mishnah and the Gemara by oral tradition, and conversed with us face to face (as a man who kisses his companion) out of the great love with which He cherished us, more than the seventy nations.
1:3 “At the sound of your miracle and might which you performed for the people, the House of Israel, all the nations who heard the report of your might and good signs trembled; and your Holy Name was heard in all the earth, and it was more choice than the oil of high office with which the heads of kings and priests were anointed. And therefore the righteous loved to follow the path of your goodness in order that they may possess this world and the world to come.”
1:4 When the people of the House
of Israel went out from
1:5 When the House of Israel made the [Golden] Calf, their faces grew dark like the children of Cush [Ethiopians] who dwell in the tents of Qedar. And when they turned in repentance and their guilt was pardoned them, the splendor of their faces’ glory increased like the angels, because they made the curtains for the Tabernacle and the Presence of YY dwelt among them. And Moses their master went up to the Firmament and made peace [note 4] between them and their King.
1:6 The Assembly of Israel said to the nations: “Do not despise me because I am darker than you, because I have done according to your deeds and have bowed down to the sun and the moon. For false prophets caused the powerful fury of YY to be drawn down upon me. They taught me to worship your idols and walk according to your laws. But the Lord of the World, who is my God, I did not serve and did not follow after His laws, nor keep His commands and His Law.”
1:7 When the time came for Moses the prophet to depart from the world, he said before YY: It has been revealed to me that this people will sin and be carried into Exile. Now tell me how they will sustain themselves and live among the nations whose decrees are as strong as the heat of the noonday sun at the summer solstice, and why they will be carried away among the flocks of the children of Esau and Ishmael who treat their idols as Your companions.
1:8 The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses the prophet: “If the Assembly of Israel (which is compared to a beautiful young woman whom my soul loves) wishes to wipe out the Exile, let her walk in the ways of the righteous, let her order her prayers by the mouth of the shepherd’s assistants [note 5] and the leaders of her generation; let her teach her children (which are compared to the kids of goats) to go to the Synagogue and the House of Study and by that merit, they will be sustained in the Exile until the time when I send the King, the Messiah, who will lead them in rest to their dwelling-place, the Temple that David and Solomon, the shepherds of Israel, will build for them.”
1:9 When Israel went out from
1:10 When they went out to the wilderness, YY said to Moses: “How fit is this people to be given the Law’s commands!–which will be like bridles between their jaws so that they do not depart from the good path, just as a horse which has a bridle between its jaws does not depart. And how fit is their neck to bear the yoke of my commands!– which will be on them like a yoke is on the neck of an ox that plows in the field and supports himself and his master.”
1:11 Thus it was said to Moses: “Come up to the Firmament, and I will give you the two tables of stone hewn from the sapphire of My glorious throne, bright as pure gold, arranged in lines, written by My finger, upon which are inscribed the Ten Commandments, refined more than silver purified seven times seven (totalling forty-nine, the number of ways to interpret what is in them), and I will give them by your hand to the people of the House of Israel.”
1:12 And while Moses their rabbi was still in the Firmament to receive the two tablets of stone, the Law and the Ordinance, the wicked of that generation and the mixed multitude among them arose and made the golden calf, and they corrupted their deeds. And they earned a bad reputation in the world. While previously their fragrance had gone forth in the world, after this they smelled like nard, which has a terrible odor, and the plague of leprosy came down upon their flesh.
1:16 The Assembly of Israel replied before the Lord of the World and this is what she said: “How beautiful is your Holy Presence when You dwell among us and receive our prayer with favor, when You cause love to dwell in our bed and many children to dwell on the earth, and we increase and multiply like a tree planted by a spring of water, whose foliage beautiful and whose fruit is plentiful!”
Day Two
2:1 The Assembly of Israel said,
“During the time that the Lord of the World makes His Presence dwell among us,
I am like the narcissus fresh from the Garden of Eden and my actions are
beautiful like the rose in the valley of the Pleasure-Garden of
2:2 “But when I turn from the path which is straight before me, and He removes His Holy Presence from me, I am like the rose that blooms among thorns which pierce and tear her foliage. In the same way, I am pierced and torn by the evil decrees in the Exile among the nations.
2:3 “Just as the citron [note 6] is beautiful and is praised among ornamental trees and all the world acknowledges it, in the same way the Master of the World [note 7] was praised among the angels when He revealed Himself on Mount Sinai, at the time He gave the Law to His people. At that time, I longed to dwell under the shadow of His Presence, and the commands of His Law were like spice to my palate–and the reward for my observances was stored up on my behalf for the world to come.”
2:4 The Assembly of Israel said: “YY brought me into the House of Study at Sinai to learn the Law from the mouth of Moses, the great Scribe. And I received the banner of His commandments over me with love, and I said: ‘All that YY Has commanded I will do and I will obey.’
2:5 “And when I heard the voice of His Word that was speaking from within the flame of fire, I trembled and finally shook from fear. Then I approached Moses and Aaron and I told them, ‘You receive the voice of YY’s words from within the fire. But bring me to the House of Study and sustain me with the words of the Law, upon which the world is based. And put chains upon my neck, explaining the holy words which are sweet to my palate as apples of the Garden of Eden. And I will be occupied with them–perhaps they will heal me, since they have made me lovesick.’”
2:6 While the people of the House of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, four clouds of glory surrounded them from the four winds [i.e., directions] of the earth, so that the Evil Eye had no power over them. Another cloud was above them, so that neither the heat nor the sun, and neither rain nor hail would overcome them. Another was below them, and it carried them as a nursing father carries the infant in his bosom. Another ran before them three days’ journey to level mountains and raise valleys; it killed all the poisonous serpents and scorpions in the wilderness; and it would scout out for them a suitable place for them to rest, so that they could be occupied with instruction in the Law which had been given to them by the right hand of YY.
2:7 After this, Moses was told by
a prophecy from YY to send messengers to spy out the land. When they returned
from spying they brought a bad report about the
2:8 Solomon the king said, “While
the people of the House of Israel were living in
2:9 The Assembly of Israel said,
“At the time when the glory of YY was revealed in
2:10 And at morning time my Beloved answered and said to me, “Arise, O Assembly of Israel, my beloved from of old, beautiful in deeds. Depart, go forth from the slavery of the Egyptians.
2:14 And when wicked Pharaoh
pursued the people of Israel, the Assembly of Israel was compared to a dove
trapped in the clefts of a rock–a snake threatening it from within and a hawk
threatening it from without. In the same way, the Assembly of Israel was
trapped in all four directions: in front of them was the sea, behind them the
enemy pursued, and on either side were wildernesses full of fiery serpents
which wound and kill people with their sting. Then immediately the Assembly
opened her mouth in prayer before YY and an echo [note 9] came from the heaven
above and this is what it said, “You, O Assembly of Israel, who resemble a
dove, pure and hiding in the hiding-place of the clefts of the rocks or in the
hidden places of the stairs: show me your face and your worthy deeds and let me
hear your voice. For your voice is sweet when it prays in the small
2:17 And in a few days, the Children of Israel made the Golden Calf and the cloud of glory which had sheltered them was lifted and they were left exposed and deprived of their weaponry on which was inscribed the great Name interpreted in seventy names. And YY would have wiped them from the world, except that He called to mind the covenant He had sworn by His Word to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob who were swift in worshiping Him as a gazelle or an antelope fawn, And he called to mind that Abraham had offered his son Isaac in sacrifice on Mount Moriah and that he had previously offered his sacrifices there and divided them evenly.
Day Three
3:1 When the people of the House of Israel saw that the clouds of glory been withdrawn from over them and that the crown of holiness which had been given them at Sinai was removed from them, they were left in darkness like the night. And they sought the crown of holiness which had been lifted from them but they did not find it.
3:2 The Children of Israel said to one another, “Let us rise and go and surround the Tent of the Appointed Time which Moses spread outside the camp, and let us request instruction from YY and the Holy Presence which has been removed from us.” Then they went around in the towns, streets, and squares, but they did not find it.
3:3 The Assembly of Israel said, “Moses and Aaron and the Levites, who keep watch over the Word of the Tent of the Appointed Time and who go around it, found me, and I asked them about the Glorious Presence of YY which had been removed from me. Moses, the great Scribe of Israel, answered and this is what he said, ‘I will ascend to heaven on high and pray before YY. Perhaps He will forgive your guilt and make His Presence dwell among you as before.’
3:4 Then after a little time, YY
turned from His fierce anger and He commanded Moses the prophet to make the
Tent of the Appointed Time and the
3:5 When the seven nations heard that the Children of Israel were about to take possession of their land, they rose at once and cut the trees, stopped up the water springs, laid waste their towns and fled. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses the prophet: “I promised the patriarchs of these people to bring up their children to take possession of a land producing milk and honey. But I am bringing their children into a wasted and barren land. I will now detain them forty years in the wilderness, and My Law will be blended into their bodies. And meanwhile these wicked nations will build up what they have destroyed.”
Therefore Moses said to the
Children of Israel, “I adjure you, O Assembly of Israel, by YY of Hosts and by
the Mighty of the Land of Israel, that you do not presume to go up to the land
of the Canaanites until the completion of the forty years and it is the will of
YY to deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hands. And you will cross
the
3:6 When Israel came up from the wilderness and crossed the Jordan with Joshua, son of Nun, the nations of the land said, “What chosen people is this coming up from the wilderness, perfumed with the incense of spices,”–supported by the merit of Abraham, who worshiped and prayed before YY on Mount Moriah–“and anointed with the oil of high office,”–with the righteousness of Isaac, who was bound for sacrifice in the location of the Temple, called the Mountain of Frankincense, “and for whom miracles are performed?”–through the piety of Jacob, with whom an angel wrestled until the break of dawn and who prevailed over him and was spared, both he and twelve tribes.
Section 2: The
3:7 When Solomon, the king of
3:8 And the priests and the Levites, and all the tribes of Israel, all of them are distinguished in the words of the Law (which is compared to a sword) and they swing it and turn it among themselves, as heroes experienced in warfare; and each and every one of them has the seal of circumcision on his flesh, just as the flesh of Abraham their father was sealed, and they are strengthened by it like a hero whose sword is girded on his thigh. And on this account they are not afraid of demons or shades that prowl by night.
3:9 Solomon the King built
himself a holy
3:11 When Solomon the King came to make the dedication of the Temple, the herald went forth with strength and this is what he said, “Inhabitants of the districts of the land of Israel and people of Zion, come and see the crown and diadem with which the people of the House of Israel have crowned King Solomon on the day of dedication of the Temple. And rejoice with the joy of the Feast of Booths!” For at that time King Solomon celebrated the Feast of Booths for fourteen days.
Day Four
4:1 On that day King Solomon sacrificed a thousand burnt offerings on the altar and his offering was accepted with favor by YY. An echo came forth from heaven and this is what it said, “How beautiful you are, O Assembly of Israel, and how beautiful are those leaders of the Assembly and the sages sitting in the Sanhedrin, they who enlighten for ever and ever the people of the House of Israel (who resemble turtledoves, the nestlings of a dove); and even the rest of the members of your Assembly and the people of the land are righteous as the sons of Jacob who gathered stones and made a monument on Mount Gilead. [note 10]
4:2 “How beautiful are the Priests and Levites who bring your offerings and eat the holy meat, the tithe, and the heave-offering, and are untainted by any theft or robbery, just as the flocks of Jacob’s sheep were clean at the time they were shorn and came up from the Jabbok river. For none of them was obtained by theft or robbery. All of them resembled one another, they bore twins every time, and none of them was barren or miscarried.”
4:3 And the lips of the High Priest were uttering prayers before YY on the Day of Atonement, and his words changed the sins of Israel (which resembled a scarlet thread) and made them white as clean wool. [note 11] And the king who was at their head was full of precepts like the pomegranate, not to mention the overseers and rulers who were near the king, who were righteous and in whom there was nothing evil.
4:4 And the head of the Academy, who was master to you, was as mighty in merit and great in good deeds as David the King of Israel, and on the word of his mouth the world was built. And the people of the House of Israel were confident in the teaching of the Law with which he was occupied, and they were victorious in war as if they were holding in their hands all sorts of heroic weapons.
4:5 Your two redeemers who are destined to redeem you, Messiah Son of David and Messiah Son of Ephraim, resemble Moses and Aaron, the sons of Jochebed (who are comparable to two young antelopes, twins of a gazelle). And by their merit they fed the people of the House of Israel for forty years in the wilderness on manna, plump fowl, and the water of Miriam’s well.
4:6 And all the time that the House of Israel held fast to the ways of their righteous fathers, the demons and night-demons and morning-demons and midday-demons [note 12] fled from among them, because the glorious Presence of YY dwelt in the Temple that was built on Mount Moriah, and all the demons and destroyers would flee from the smell of the spice incense.
4:7 And at the time that the people, the House of Israel, did the will of the Lord of the World, He would praise them in heaven above, and this is what He said: “You are all beautiful, O Assembly of Israel, and there is no blemish in you!”
4:8 YY said by His Word, “The
Assembly of Israel (which resembles a chaste bride) will dwell with me, and
with Me they will go up to the
4:9 “Your love is fixed upon the tablet of My heart, O My sister, Assembly of Israel (who are comparable to a chaste bride). Fixed upon the tablet of My heart is the love of the least of your rabbis who is righteous like one of the rabbis of the Sanhedrin and like one of the kings of the House of Judah, upon whose neck was placed the crown of kingship.
4:12 “And your women who are
married to husbands are as chaste as a chaste bride and like the Garden of Eden
which no man is permitted to enter except the righteous whose souls are sent
into it by the hand of the angels. And your virgins are concealed and hidden in
chambers and sealed in this way: like the spring of living water which issued
from
4:15 “And the waters of Siloah flow gently with the rest of the waters that proceed from Lebanon to water the land of Israel for the sake of those occupied with the words of the Law (who are likened to a well of living waters), and by the merit of the oblation of water poured on the altar of the Temple that is built in Jerusalem (which is called Lebanon).”
4:16 And on the northern side was a table and on it were twelve loaves of show-bread; on the southern side was the candlestick to give light; and on the altar the priests offered the sacrifice and on it sent up the spice incense.
The Assembly of Israel said, “Let
God, my Beloved, enter the
Day Five
5:1 Then the Holy One, blessed be
He, said to His people, the House of Israel: “I have come into my
Section 3: Exile
5:2 After all these things, the people of the House of Israel sinned, and YY delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, and he led them into exile. And in the exile they resembled a man who sleeps and cannot be aroused from his sleep. And the voice of the Holy Spirit enlightened them by means of the prophets and She would awaken them from the slumber of their hearts. The Master of All the World answered and this is what He said, “Return in repentance, open your mouth, pray and praise Me, O My sister, My beloved, Assembly of Israel (likened to the dove in the perfection of your works), for the hair of My head is filled with your tears (like a man the hair of whose head is soaked with the dew of heaven) and the locks of My hair are filled with the drops from your eyes (like the man whose locks of hair are filled with drops of rain that fall in the night).”
5:3 The Assembly of Israel answered before the prophets: “Look, I have already removed the yoke of His commandments from myself and have worshipped the idols of the nations. How can I have the face to return to Him?”
The Lord of the World replied to them by the prophets, “And the same for me. Look, I have already lifted My Presence from among you. How then can I return since you have done evil things? I have cleansed my feet of your filth. How then can I let them get dirty among you [note 13] from your evil deeds?”
5:4 When it was made clear before
YY that the people of the House of Israel were not willing to repent and return
to Him, He stretched forth His mighty blow against the tribe of Reu
5:5 When the mighty stroke of YY came down hard on me, I regretted my actions and the priests brought the sacrifice and offered up spice incense but it was not received favorably, because the Lord of the World had shut the doors of repentance in my face.
5:6 The Assembly of Israel said, “I wished to request instruction from YY but he had lifted His Presence from within me. My soul longed for the sound of His Words and I sought the Presence of His Glory, but I did not find it. I prayed before Him, but He covered the heavens with clouds and would not accept my prayer.”
5:7 The Chaldeans, who guard the
roads, overtook me and battered me all around the city of
5:8 The Assembly of Israel said, “I adjure you, O prophets, by the decree of the Word of YY, what if our Beloved is revealed to you? Tell Him that I am lovesick for His love.”
5:9 The prophets answered and said to the House of Israel, “Which God do you wish to serve, O Assembly of Israel, fairest of all the nations? And whom do you wish to revere that you have adjured us in this way?”
5:10 Then the Assembly of Israel began to speak in praise of the Lord of the World, and this is what she said, “The God I desire to worship is that One Who by day is dressed in a robe as white as snow and is occupied with the twenty-four books of the Law, the words of the Prophets, and the Writings; and Who by night is occupied with the six Orders of Mishnah and the glorious splendor of His face blazes like fire from the intense wisdom and judgment–for He innovates new traditions every day and will reveal them to His people on the Great Day. And His banner is over a myriad myriads of angels who minister before Him.
5:12 “His eyes are looking constantly at Jerusalem to do good to her and to bless her, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year (like doves that stand and look at the streams of water) because of the merit of those who sit in the Sanhedrin, occupied with the Law, making justice flow down smoothly like milk, and those who sit in the House of Study and take great care in judgment until they determine to acquit or to condemn.
5:13 “The two stone tablets which He gave to His people were written in ten lines (resembling the lines of the spice garden), multiplying subtleties and reasons as the garden multiplies spices; and the lips of His sages who are occupied with the Law distil reasons on every side and the word of their mouth is like choice myrrh.
5:14 “The twelve tribes of Jacob
his servant were enrolled on the breastplate, the holy golden ornament,
engraved on twelve gems, with the three fathers [note 15], Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. Reu
5:15 “And the righteous are the pillars of the world, resting on bases of pure gold, those words of the Law with which they are occupied and instruct the people of the House of Israel to do His Will. Like an old scholar, He is filled with compassion for them and makes the sins of the House of Israel as white as the snow. And like a young warrior as strong as cedars, He stands ready to make victorious war against the nations who transgress His Will.
Day Six
6:1 When they heard the praise of YY from the mouth of the Assembly of Israel, the prophets posed a question, and this is what they said, “For what sin was the Presence of YY withdrawn from you, whose conduct was more beautiful than that of all nations; and where has your Beloved turned when He left your sanctuary?” The Assembly of Israel said, “For the sins of rebellion and insurrection which were found in me.” The prophets said, “Now return in repentance, and let us rise, both you and us, and let us pray before Him and let us beg mercy together.”
Section 4: The
6:2 And the Lord of the World
received their prayer favorably and went down to Babylon to the Sanhedrin of
sages and gave relief to His people and brought them up from their exile by
means of Cyrus, Ezra, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and the Elders of
the Jews. And they built the
6:3 And in that day I worshiped the Lord of the World, my Beloved. And my Beloved made His holy Presence dwell within me and He fed me with delicacies.
6:4 YY said by His Word, “How
beautiful you are, My Dear, when your desire is to do My Will. Beautiful is the
6:5 “Your rabbis, the sages of
the Great Assembly, surrounded Me completely to receive me, for they
acknowledged My reign during the Exile and they established a House of Study
for the instruction of My Law. And the rest of your students and the people of
the land acknowledged My justice by the word of their mouth, like the sons of
Jacob who gathered stones and made a monument on
6:6 “And the priests and Levites ate of your sacrifices and of the holy tithe and the heave-offering, and were untainted by any theft or robbery, just as the flocks of Jacob’s sheep were clean at the time they came up from the Jabbok river. For none of them was obtained by theft or robbery. All of them resembled one another, they bore twins every time, and none of them was barren or miscarried.
6:7 “As for the reign of the Hasmonean dynasty, they were all filled with [performance of] the commandments as the pomegranate [is filled with seeds]–not to mention Mattathias the High Priest and his sons, who were more righteous than all of them [note 17], and who fulfilled the commandments and words of the Law with thirsty eagerness.”
6:8 At the same time the Greeks arose and gathered sixty kings from the sons of Esau, dressed in ring mail and riding on horses, and horsemen, and eighty commanders [note 18] from the sons of Ishmael, riding on elephants–not to mention the rest of the nations with their innumerable languages, and they appointed Alexander [note 19] as chief over them, and they came to wage war against Jerusalem.
6:9 And at that time the Assembly
of Israel (which resembled a perfect dove) was worshipping the Lord of the
World wholeheartedly and was devoted to the Law, occupied with the words of the
Law with an undivided heart, and her merit was as pure as on the day she came
out of Egypt. Look then, the Hasmoneans and Mattathias and all the people of
6:11 The Lord of the World said, “I have caused my Presence to dwell in the second Temple which was built by the hands of Cyrus, in order to see the good deeds of my people and to see whether perhaps the sages (who are comparable to a vine) were increasing and multiplying their blossoms full of good deeds (like pomegranates).”
6:12 And when it became clear before YY that they were [note 20] occupied with the Law, YY said by His Word, “I will not humiliate them again and I will not exterminate them, but I will consider how to do good to them and to lift them on high in the company of kings, because of the merits of the righteous of the generation, which resemble Abraham their father in their actions.”
7:1 (6:13) [note 21], Return to
Me, O Assembly of Israel, return to Jerusalem, return to the House of
Instruction of the Law, return to receive prophecy from the prophets who
prophesy in the Name of the Word of YY. Why do you false prophets mislead the
people of
Day Seven
7:2 (1) Solomon in the spirit of prophecy said before YY, “How beautiful are the feet of Israel when they go up to appear before YY three times a year in sandals [note 22], bringing their vow offerings and free-will offerings. And the children that come from their loins are as beautiful as the sparkling gems set in the Holy Crown [note 23] that Bezalel the craftsman made for Aaron the priest.
7:3 (2) “The head of your
council, by whose merit the whole world is sustained (as a fetus is sustained
by the navel in the womb of its mother) was as bright with [knowledge of] the
Law as the disk of the moon, when he goes forth to declare pure or impure,
innocent or guilty. The words of the Law are never lacking in his mouth, just
as the water of the great river that emerged from
7:4 (3) “Your two redeemers who are destined to redeem you, Messiah the son of David and Messiah the son of Ephraim, are like Moses and Aaron, sons of Jochebed, who resemble two fawns, twins of a roe.
7:5 (4) “The President of the
Court who adjudicates your lawsuits has power over the people to compel them
and to exact punishment from one who is sentenced by the court, as did King
Solomon, who made an ivory tower, subdued the people of the House of Israel,
and brought them back to the Lord of the World. Your Scribes are full of wisdom
(like water channels), and they know how to calculate [note 24] intercalations
and declare leap years and how to determine the beginnings of months and the
beginnings of years in the gate of the House of the Great Sanhedrin. And the
chief of the family of the House of Judah is like King David, who built the
Citadel of Zion, which is called the
7:6 (5) “The king appointed to be head over you is as righteous as Elijah the prophet, who showed zeal for the Lord of Heaven, slew the false prophets on Mount Carmel, and restored the people of the House of Israel to the fear of YY God. And the lowly of the people who walk with bowed head because they are poor are destined to be clothed in purple, even as Daniel was clothed in the city of Babylon and Mordecai in Susa, on account of the merit of Abraham, who long ago acknowledged the reign of the Lord of the World, through the righteousness of Isaac, whom his father bound in order to sacrifice him, and through the piety of Jacob, who peeled the rods in the watering troughs.”
7:7 (6) King Solomon said, “How beautiful you are, O Assembly of Israel, at the time you bear the yoke of My reign, at the time I chasten you with afflictions for your sin and you receive them with love and they seem in your sight as delights.
7:8 (7) “[How beautiful you are]
at the time the priests spread their hands in prayer and recite the blessing on
their siblings of the house of Israel, the fingers of their hands stretch out
like the branches of a palm tree, their stature are like a date tree, and your
congregations stand facing the priests, their faces
7:9 (8) YY said by His Word, “I will go and test Daniel and see whether he will be able to stand this trial, as Abraham (who resembled a palm branch) stood in ten trials. And I will also test Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah [note 25], whether they are able to stand in their trials. Because of their merit, I will redeem the people of the House of Israel (who are comparable to a cluster of grapes). And the fame of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah will be heard in all the earth and their fragrance will spread like the fragrance of the apples of the Garden of Eden.”
7:10 (9) Daniel and his companions said, “We will take upon ourselves the decree of the Word of YY, as Abraham our father (who was like old wine) took it upon himself. And we will walk in paths that are proper in His sight, just as the prophets Elijah and Elisha walked, by whose merits the dead rose like a man who slumbers; or like Ezekiel, the son of Buzi the priest, by the prophecy of whose mouth the sleeping dead were awakened in the valley of Dura.”
Section 5: The Final Exile,
Redemption, and
7:13 (12) The Children of Israel said one to the other, “Let us get up early in the morning and go to the Synagogue and to the House of Study and search in the Books of the Law and let us see whether the time of Redemption has come for the people of the House of Israel (who are likened to the vine), so that may be redeemed from their Exile. Let us ask the sages whether the merit of the righteous (who are full of precepts like the pomegranate) is revealed before the Lord, and whether the appointed time has come to go up to Jerusalem, in order to give praise there to the God of Heaven, and to bring burnt offerings and holy oblations.”
7:14 (13) And when it will be the Lord’s will to redeem His people from Exile, the King Messiah will be told, “The term of the Exile has already been completed, and the merit of the righteous has released its fragrance before Me like the aroma of balsam, and the sages of the generations have been standing fast at the gates of Study, occupied with the words of the Scriptures and the words of the Law. Now rise! Receive the kingdom that I have reserved for you!”
Day Eight
8:1 At that time when King Messiah is revealed to the Congregation of Israel, they will say to Him, “Come, be as a brother to us and let us go up to Jerusalem, and let us suck with you the judgments of the Law, just as a suckling sucks at his mother’s breast. All the time that I was taken away outside my land, as long as I was mindful of the Name of the Great God and gave up my life for His Divinity, even the nations of the earth would not scorn me.
8:2 “I will lead you, O King
[note 27], and bring you up to my
8:3 The Assembly of Israel will say, “I am the chosen of all nations. I bind tefillin on my left hand and on my head and fix the mezuzah to the right side of my door a third of the height from the lintel so that no demon has power to harm me.”
8:4 King Messiah will say, “I adjure you, my people, House of Israel. Why are you warring against the nations of the earth to leave the Exile [note 28]? Why are you rebelling against the forces of Gog and Magog? Wait a little longer until the nations who come up to make war against Jerusalem are destroyed, and after that the Lord of the World will remember for you the love of the righteous, and let it be His will to redeem you.”
8:5 Solomon the prophet said,
“When the dead will come to life, the Mount of Olives will be split and all the
dead of Israel come forth from
8:6 The Children of Israel on that day will say to their Lord, “We beseech You, set us as the seal of a ring on your heart, as the seal of a ring on your arm, so that we may never again be exiled. For the love of Your Divinity is as strong as death, and the jealousy which the nations harbor against us is as powerful as Gehinnom. The enmity which they harbor against us is like the coals of the fire of Gehinnom which YY created on the second day of the Creation of the World to burn the idolators with it.”
8:7 The Lord of the World says to
His people, the House of Israel, “Even if all the nations (like the waters of
the
8:8 At that time, the angels will say to one another, “We have one people on earth and her merits are clear, but she has no kings or rulers to go forth and wage war against the camp of Gog. What will we do for our sister in the day when the nations speak of going up against her for war?”
8:9 Then Michael, the chief of Israel, will say, “If she is ready like a fortified wall among the nations and gives her silver to purchase [the right to uphold] the uniqueness of the Name of the Lord of the World, then you and I will be with their scribes and surround them like scaffoldings of silver, and the nations will have no power to rule over her, as the serpent has no power to rule over silver. And even even if she is poor in precepts, we will implore mercy on her behalf before YY and He will remember for her the merit of the Law that the young study, which is written upon the tablets of the heart and is ready to oppose the nations like a cedar.”
8:13 At the end of his prophecy, Solomon said, “The Lord of the World is destined to say to the Assembly of Israel at the end of days, ‘You, O Assembly of Israel (like a little garden among the nations), sitting in the House of Study with the members of the Sanhedrin, and the rest of the people who listen to the voice of the head of the academy and learn from his mouth words of the Law: make me hear the sound of your words at the time when you sit to acquit or convict and I will be agreeable to all you do.’
Notes
The Targum to Song of Songs is available in both European and Yemenite manuscripts. The Aramaic text used in this translation is that of Raphael Hai Melamed, “The Targum to Canticles According to Six Yemen Mss. Compared with the ‘Textus Receptus’ (Ed. de Lagarde),” Jewish Quarterly Review, New Series, 10 (1919-20): 377-410, 11 (1920-21): 1-20, and 12 (1921-22): 57-117.
1 (note to 1:1a). The divine name is represented in this way throughout the text. Read it “the Lord” or “the Name.”
2 (note to 1:1d). Another reading: the well of Miriam.
3 (note to 1:4). Throughout this text, the word “Presence” translates the word Shekhinah.
4 (note to 1:5). Shalom, a pun on “Solomon.”
5 (note to 1:8). This word refers to a shepherd’s assistant who gathers the scattered flock, and also to the man who calls the congregation to prayer and leads them in it.
6 (note to 2:3). ethrog.
7 (note to 2:3). Some texts add “was beautiful and” at this point.
8 (note to
9 (note to
10 (note to 4:1). Cf. Gen 31:48.
11 (note to 4:3). Cf. Isa 1:18.
12 (note to 4:6). Cf. Psalm 91:5-6.
13 (note to 5:3). Alternative reading: among the nations.
14 (note to
15 (note to
16 (note to 6:5). Cf. Gen 31:48. Cf. Targum to 4:1.
17 (note to 6:7). Yemenite versions read simply, “who were righteous.”
18 (note to 6:8). Yemenite versions read, “riders.”
19 (note to 6:8). Another reading: Antiochus.
20 (note to
21 (note to 7:1). The numbers in parentheses give the versification used in English translations.
22 (note to 7:2). European versions add a word meaning “of scarlet” or “of badgers” here. See Exodus 25:5; Ezekiel 16:10.
23 (note to 7:2). Exodus 39:30.
24 (note to 7:5). Heshbon can mean “calculation.”
25 (note to 7:9). R. Loewe, “The Targum to the Song of Songs,” 162, points out that Sifra on Leviticus 18:5 applies Song 7:8, “Your eyes are stately as a palm tree,” to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who stood upright like palm trees rather than bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s image (Daniel 3).
26 (note to
27 (note to 8:2). European versions add “Messiah” here.
28 (note to 8:4). Instead of “the
Exile,” Yemenite versions have “
29 (note to 8:5). European versions insert, “as on the day when they came up out of the wilderness into the land of Israel, and who delight themselves with the love of their Lord,” here.
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Their Honors and myself take this opportunity to wish you a great and Kosher Passover!
Shalom ve Chag Pesach Sameach!
Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai