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

 

 

Candle Lighting and Habdalah Times see: https://www.chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting.htm

 

 

Roll of Honor:

 

His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David and beloved wife HH Giberet Batsheva bat Sarah

His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat Sarah

His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham

His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Karmela bat Sarah,

His Honor Paqid  Adon Yoel ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Rivka bat Dorit

His Honor Paqid Adon Tsuriel ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Gibora bat Sarah

Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah & beloved family

His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann & beloved family

His Excellency Adon John Batchelor & beloved wife

Her Excellency Giberet Leah bat Sarah & beloved mother

Her Excellency Giberet Zahavah bat Sarah & beloved family

His Excellency Adon Yehoshua ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Rut bat Sarah

His Excellency Adon Michael ben Yosef and beloved wife HE Giberet Sheba bat Sarah

Her Excellency Giberet Prof. Dr. Emunah bat Sarah & beloved family

His Excellency Adon Robert Dick & beloved wife HE Giberet Cobena Dick

His Excellency Adon Ya’aqob ben David

His Excellency Adon Ovadya ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Mirit bat Sarah

His Excellency Adon Shlomoh ben Abraham

His Excellency Adon Brad Gaskill and beloved wife Cynthia Gaskill

 

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

 

 

 

We pray for our beloved Hakham His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Yosef ben Haggai. Mi Sheberach…He who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, may He bless and heal the sick person HE Rabbi Dr. Yosef ben Haggai, May the Holy One, Blessed is He, be filled with compassion for him to restore his health, to heal him, to strengthen him, and to revivify him. And may He send him speedily a complete recovery from heaven, among the other sick people of Yisrael, a recovery of the body and a recovery of the spirit, swiftly and soon, and we will say amen ve amen!

 

 

 

Shabbat: “R’u Qara Adonai” – “See, the LORD has called”

 

 

Blessings Before Torah Study

 

Blessed are You, Ha-Shem our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us through Your commandments, and commanded us to actively study Torah. Amen!

 

Please Ha-Shem, our God, 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 delight. Blessed are You, Ha-Shem, Who teaches Torah to His people Israel. Amen!

 

Blessed are You, Ha-Shem our God, 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: Honoring one's father and mother; doing acts of kindness; early attendance at the place of Torah study -- morning and night; showing hospitality to guests; visiting the sick; providing for the financial needs of a bride; escorting the dead; being very engrossed in prayer; bringing peace between two people, and between husband and wife; but the study of Torah is as great as all of them together. Amen!

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

    

• The Appointment of the Artificers of the Sanctuary – Exodus 35:30 – 36:2
• The People’s Liberality – Exodus 36:3-7
• The Curtains – Exodus 36:8-19
• The Wooden Framework – Exodus 36:20-34
• The Veil and the Screen – Exodus 36:35-38

 

 

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Shemot (Exodus) 35:30 – 36:38

 

 

 

Reading Assignment:

 

 

 

Welcome to the World of Pshat Exegesis

 

In order to understand the finished work of the Pshat mode of interpretation of the Torah, one needs to take into account that the Pshat 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.

 

 

Welcome to the World of Remes Exegesis

 

Thirteen rules compiled by Rabbi Ishmael b. Elisha for the elucidation of the Torah and for making halakic deductions from it. They are, strictly speaking, mere amplifications of the seven Rules of Hillel, and are collected in the Baraita of R. Ishmael, forming the introduction to the Sifra and reading as follows:

 

1. Ḳal wa-ḥomer: Identical with the first rule of Hillel.

2. Gezerah shawah: Identical with the second rule of Hillel.

3. Binyan ab: Rules deduced from a single passage of Scripture and rules deduced from two passages. This rule is a combination of the third and fourth rules of Hillel.

4. Kelal u-Peraṭ: The general and the particular.

5. u-Peraṭ u-kelal: The particular and the general.

6. Kelal u-Peraṭ u-kelal: The general, the particular, and the general.

7. The general which requires elucidation by the particular, and the particular which requires elucidation by the general.

8. The particular implied in the general and excepted from it for pedagogic purposes elucidates the general as well as the particular.

9. The particular implied in the general and excepted from it on account of the special regulation which corresponds in concept to the general, is thus isolated to decrease rather than to increase the rigidity of its application.

10. The particular implied in the general and excepted from it on account of some other special regulation which does not correspond in concept to the general, is thus isolated either to decrease or to increase the rigidity of its application.

11. The particular implied in the general and excepted from it on account of a new and reversed decision can be referred to the general only in case the passage under consideration makes an explicit reference to it.

12. Deduction from the context.

13. When two Biblical passages contradict each other the contradiction in question must be solved by reference to a third passage.

 

Rules seven to eleven are formed by a subdivision of the fifth rule of Hillel; rule twelve corresponds to the seventh rule of Hillel, but is amplified in certain particulars; rule thirteen does not occur in Hillel, while, on the other hand, the sixth rule of Hillel is omitted by Ishmael. With regard to the rules and their application in general. These rules are found also on the morning prayers of any Jewish Orthodox Siddur.

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: Shemot (Exodus) 35:30 – 36:38 

 

(There must be some serious secrets in this reading because Rashi’s comments are so sparse.)

 

Chapter 35 

 

30 Hur: He was Miriam’s son. -[from Sotah 11b]

 

34 and Oholiab: of the tribe of Dan, of the lowest of the tribes, of the sons of the handmaidens [Bilhah and Zilpah. Dan was Bilhah’s son]. Yet the Omnipresent compared him [Oholiab] to Bezalel for the work of the Mishkan, and he [Bezalel] was of the greatest of the tribes [Judah], to fulfill what is said: “and a prince was not recognized before a poor man” (Job 34:19). -[from Tanchuma 13]

 

Chapter 36 

 

5 more than is enough for the labor: More than is needed for the labor.

 

6 So the people stopped bringing: Heb. וַיִּכָּלֵא, an expression denoting holding back.

 

7. And the work was sufficient for them for all the work: And the work of bringing was sufficient for all the makers of the Mishkan, for all the work of the Mishkan -[i.e.,] to make it and to leave over.

 

and to leave over: Heb. וְהוֹתֵר, like “and he hardened (וְהַכְבֵּד) his heart” (Exod. 8:11) [lit., “and hardening his heart”]; “and slew (וְהַכּוֹת) the Moabites” (II Kings 3:24) [lit., “and slaying the Moabites”].

 

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 69:14-37

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: Psalms 69:14-37

 

14 But, as for me, may my prayer to You, O Lord, be may the time of my prayer be a desirable time.

 

16 and let not...close And let it not close over me.

 

a well This strange trouble [shall not close] its mouth to swallow me up.

 

close Heb. תאטר, as (Jud. 3:15): “with a shriveled (אטר) right hand” that he does not use it.

 

19 Come close to my soul (Come close to me.)

 

redeem it Heb. גאלה, [equivalent to] גְאוֹל אוֹתָה.

 

21 and I have become ill Heb. ואנושה, I am ailing and sick, as (Micah 1:9): “For she is mortally ill (אנושה) [from] her wounds,” and as (II Sam. 12:15): “and the child (sic) became mortally ill  (ויאנש),” of Bathsheba. Now if you ask how this “aleph” serves as a radical and also as a prefix denoting the first person, this is the way of a word beginning with “aleph.” For example, (Mal. 1:2): “and I loved (וָאֽהַב) Jacob”; (Prov. 8:17), “I will love (אֵהָב) those who love me.” It is equivalent to  וָאֶאֶהַבSimilarly, (Zeph. 1:2): “I will totally destroy (אָסֽף אָסֵף),” like אֶאֶסֽף.

 

for sympathy Heb. לנוד, to shake. That friends should come to me to shake [their heads] over me and to comfort me.

 

22 into my food Heb. בברותי, into my food, as (II Sam. 13:6): “Let my sister Tamar come now, etc., that I may eat (ואברה) from her hand.”

 

23 and for peace When they hope for peace, may their peace be turned into a snare.

 

27 For this nation, which You smote.

 

they pursued For You were a little angry, and they helped cause harm.

 

and about the pain of those whom You wounded they tell their words, to plot: “Let us destroy them while they are in pain.”

 

32 And it will appeal to the Lord My praise to the Lord.

 

more than a young bull that is mature That is the bull sacrificed by Adam, which was created at its height. On the day it was called שּׁוֹר, on that very day, he brought it, for a bull on day of its birth is called שּׁוֹר, as it is said (Lev. 22:27): “A bull (שור), a lamb, or a goat, that is born.” On that very day, it resembled a פַּר, which is a three-year old.

 

with horns and hooves Its horns preceded its hooves, because it was created at its height with its horns, and its head emerged from the ground first; the earth thrust them forth in the manner in which all creatures are born, so that its horns preceded its feet.

 

Meditation from the Psalms

Psalms ‎‎69:14- 37

Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David

 

I am going to repeat the opening from the first part of this chapter of Psalms.

 

The great irony of Jewish history is that our exiled nation has spent more time on foreign soil than in its own homeland. Uprooted violently from their natural setting, the Jewish people have wandered for almost twenty centuries. Our people have not merely survived without a country to call their own, they have even flourished during the exile.

 

The fact of Jewish survival grows even more amazing when one considers the hostile environments into which our people have been thrust. Israel resembles a delicate and vulnerable rose. Just as the rose is protected by its thorns, the Jewish people are protected by the Torah, which fortifies us so that we may endure the hardships and dangers of our exile.^[1] This concept of exile provides the theme of this psalm.

 

Hirsch^[2] observes that the psalmist, David, has a prophetic vision of generations of brave Jews surviving the dark centuries of exile, sustained by the thoughts contained in this chapter of psalms. First, the downtrodden outcasts recount the tragic tale of their wanderings and woes.^[3] Finally however, they draw on the deep reserves of faith which permeate the Jewish heart, and they shout out a triumphant hymn of everlasting devotion to G-d.^[4] Thus, from the crucible of suffering emerges a mold of ironclad faith which has withstood the tests of the ages.

 

Another major theme of our chapter of Psalms is David's ancestry, which can be inferred given that the superscription ascribes authorship to David, and is written in the first person. According to the Talmud this psalm speaks of an incident in David's per­sonal life:

 

Zevachim 54b There was a tradition that the Sanhedrin^[5] should have its locale in Judah's portion, while the Divine Presence^[6] was to be in Benjamin's portion. If then we build it in the highest spot,^[7] [said they,] there will be a considerable distance between them. Better then that we build it slightly lower, as it is written: ‘And He dwelleth between his shoulders’.^[8] And for this Doeg the Edomite^[9] envied David,^[10] as it is written, Because envy on account of Thy house hath eaten me up.^[11] And it is written, Lord, remember unto David all his affliction; how he swore unto the Lord, and vowed unto the Mighty One of Jacob: ‘Surely I will not come into the tent of my house, nor go up into the bed that is spread for me; I will not give sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eyelids; until I find out a place for the Lord, a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of Jacob. Lo, we heard of it as being in Ephrath; we found it in the field of the forest.’^[12] ‘In Ephrath’ means in the Book of Joshua,^[13] who [Joshua] was descended from Ephraim. ‘In the field of the forest’ alludes to [the territory of] Benjamin, as it is written, Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth.^[14]

 

Now that we have reviewed the introduction, lets focus on a pasuk in our chapter of Tehillim that is normally associated with Rosh HaShana:

 

Tehillim Psalms 69:29 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

 

The book of the living, Sefer Ḥayyim - סֵפֶר חַיִּים, is a heavenly book in which the names of the righteous are inscribed. Daniel alludes to this book when he speaks of the coming judgment:

 

Daniel 7:10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

 

The Midrash, at the Drash level, goes on to help us understand the meaning of the above pasuk in Tehillim.

 

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis 24:3 Bar Kappara commenced: Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, etc.:^[15] this means, from the book of the generations below [in this world]; And not be written with the righteous: from the book of the generations above [in the next world]. Bar Kappara taught: Wherever the word 'lived' occurs, it refers to a righteous person; e.g., Shelah lived,^[16] Arpachshad lived. Another interpretation of ‘Let them be blotted out of the book of the living,’ etc.: ‘Of the book of the living’ means of the book of the generations of Adam, as it is written, THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM.

 

The Zohar takes a look at the Book of the Living from a sod perspective and connects it with the “land of the living”:

 

Soncino Zohar, Bereshit, Section 1, Page 69a For when the day comes on which the Holy One, blessed be He, will raise the dead to life, He will physically re-create all those dead who have been buried in strange lands. For if but one bone of them is left in the earth, this will be like the lump of leaven which causes the dough to rise, and on it the Holy One, blessed be He, will build up the whole body. But God will not restore their souls to them save in the land of Israel, as it is written, “Behold I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people, and I will bring you into the land of Israel” (to which they will roll through subterranean passages), and then “I will put my spirit in you and you shall live”.^[17] We see thus that only in the land of Israel will souls be provided for the resurrected. But those will be excluded who defile themselves and defile the earth, and of them it is written, “and they were blotted out of the earth”. The word “earth” we take to mean here “the land of the living” (although some of the ancient sages question this), and the whole expression is analogous to the verse, “let them be blotted out of the book of the living”.^[18] R. Simeon said to him: ‘Undoubtedly they will have no portion in the world to come, since the expression “and they were blotted out of the earth” is the exact opposite of the expression “they shall inherit the land forever”;^[19] but they will be called up for judgement, as it is with reference to them that the Scripture says, “and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence”.^[20]

 

Now, the expression "Book of Life"^[21] appears only once in the Tanach, in our chapter of Tehillim, but a close parallel is found in Isaiah 4:3, which speaks of a list of those "written" for life:

 

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written unto life in Jerusalem…

 

The erasure of a sinner's name from such a register is equivalent to death,^[22] as we can see in:

 

Shemot (Exodus) 32:32-33 Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written.' 33 And HaShem said unto Moshe: 'Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book.

 

Sin leads to death and therefore, sinners are blotted out of the book of the living. This suggests a very powerful idea: Everyone starts out being inscribed in the book of the living. It is the deeds of the wicked which causes HaShem to blot out their names. It is in our own hands whether we are in the book of the living, or whether we are blotted out. This is the focus of both Tehillim 69:29 and Shemot 32:32-33.

 

This metaphor comes to teach us that the righteous are valuable and that their inscription in this book is the result of the judgment of G-d based on the deeds of the righteous.

 

This pasuk points to the fate of the wicked; I would like to look at this in light of our Torah portion. As we examine the connection of the Mishkan to the Book of the Living we will begin to appreciate how far away the wicked are from this ideal. After all, the tablets of the testimony are the focal point of the Mishkan and they contain the words of life. These words have no value until we take them to heart and let them change our lives and bring us to perform the mitzvot as a labor of love.

 

The description of the Mishkan, the tabernacle, outlines for us a labor of love. First, the necessary materials for building the Mishkan were all donated. “From each person whose heart prompts to contribute shall you take My donations for the Mishkan.”^[23] The physical labor and artistic talent involved in building the Mishkan and in fashioning its artifacts were also a labor of love, of voluntary work and wholehearted offering of time and abilities. It was a national project in which all Jews willingly and joyfully participated. 

 

The biggest job the Israelites have ever taken on: the building of the Mishkan, the Israelites’ traveling worship center and G-d’s dwelling place among them. The Mishkan, perhaps painfully boring to us, is an enthusiastic endeavor for the Israelites. In fact, it is their first job, their first work, as a free people. The Mishkan is a symbol of the Israelites’ new freedom, their freedom to worship G-d, their freedom to work with their own hands for their own sakes.

 

The people are so compelled by their enthusiasm for building the Mishkan that they bring more and more and still more materials for its construction. Their enthusiasm is so great and their gifts so plentiful that Moshe must turn them away, saying: don’t bring any more gifts!^[24]

 

The Heavenly Court

 

The Talmud, in Rosh HaShana 16b, says that on Rosh HaShana, G-d inscribes everyone's name into one of three books. The righteous go into the Book of Life, the evil goes into the Book of Death, and those in the in-between book have judgment suspended until Yom Kippur.

 

Rosh HaShana 16b R. Kruspedai said in the name of R. Johanan: Three books are opened [in heaven] on New Year, one for the thoroughly wicked,^[25] one for the thoroughly righteous, and one for the intermediate. The thoroughly righteous are forthwith inscribed definitively in the book of life; the thoroughly wicked are forthwith inscribed definitively in the book of death;^[26] the doom of the intermediate is suspended from New Year till the Day of Atonement; if they deserve well, they are inscribed in the book of life; if they do not deserve well, they are inscribed in the book of death. Said R. Abin, What text tells us this? — Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.^[27] ‘Let them be blotted out from the book — this refers to the book of the wicked. ‘Of life — this is the book of the righteous. ‘And not be written with the righteous’ — this is the book of the intermediate. R. Nahman b. Isaac derives it from here: And if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written,^[28] ‘Blot me, I pray thee’ — this is the book of the wicked. ‘Out of thy book’ — this is the book of the righteous. ‘Which thou has written’ — this is the book of the intermediate.^[29]

 

In the Heavenly Court, they first decide as to which group one belongs: with the tzaddikim^[30] or the Reshaim.^[31] This literally means that they write the tzaddikim in the book of the living. The rasha,^[32] however is pushed aside and written in the Book of the Dead, for a rasha is considered as if he is already dead. The average person is not written down immediately. He is given a chance to do teshuva.^[33] Therefore his judgment is left hanging; he is, literally, standing there hanging and waiting until the final decision on Yom Kippurim. This is our prayer at the beginning of the Amida: write us in the Book of the Living.

 

The Gemara broke this down nicely, but some may miss the beauty of this because the words come tumbling out. Let me break it out and separate it a bit:

 

Rosh HaShana 16b Rav Nahman bar Isaac derived from the words "if not, blot me, I pray, out of Your book that You have written" in Exodus 32:32 that three books are opened in heaven on Rosh Hashanah. Rav Kruspedai said in the name of Rabbi Johanan that on Rosh Hashanah, three books are opened in Heaven — one for the thoroughly wicked, one for the thoroughly righteous, and one for those in between. The thoroughly righteous are immediately inscribed definitively in the book of life. The thoroughly wicked are immediately inscribed definitively in the book of death. And the fate of those in between is suspended from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. If they deserve well, then they are inscribed in the book of life; if they do not deserve well, then they are inscribed in the book of death.

 

Rabbi Abin said that Psalms 69:29 tells us this when it says, "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous."

 

"Let them be blotted out from the book" refers to the book of the wicked.

 

"Of the living" refers to the book of the righteous.

 

"And not be written with the righteous" refers to the book of those in between.

 

Rav Nahman bar Isaac derived this from Exodus 32:32, where Moses told God, "if not, blot me, I pray, out of Your book that You have written".

 

"Blot me, I pray" refers to the book of the wicked.

 

"Out of Your book" refers to the book of the righteous.

 

"That you have written" refers to the book of those in between.

 

Now that we have seen a Remez perspective of the Book of the Living, let’s see how this plays out in our prayers.

 

Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev, the 18th century Chassidic leader, was known as "the defense attorney of the Jewish people," because he constantly beseeched G-d to deal kindly with His people. One year, Rosh HaShana fell out on Shabbat, and Rabbi Levi Yitzhak went to the front of the synagogue to lead the congregation in prayer. Before beginning, he looked heavenward and said:

 

"G-d, today is Shabbat. You taught us in Your holy Torah that Shabbat may only be broken in order to save a life. I demand that you keep the laws which You gave us. Since writing is a prohibited act on Shabbat, You have no right to record anybody in the Book of Death. You may only break Shabbat to record all of mankind in the Book of Life!"

 

Now, this is what I call powerful prayer!

 

You don’t have to be an atheist to be bothered by the Gemara of Rosh HaShana 16b.  It does not describe the reality of the world.  The “good” by no means have a year of life, nor do the wicked get punished.  In fact, that’s one of the most basic teachings of the Torah, many times the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer.  Chazal even told us in Pirke Avot^[34] that we have no way to explain the way punishment and reward is meted out to the righteous and the wicked in our world.

 

So what is Rosh Hashanah about?  On the page of this very Gemara, this question was addressed. Tosafot observes that very often the opposite of the Gemara is true: Sometimes the completely righteous are inscribed for death and the completely wicked are inscribed for life.^[35]

 

Tosafot’s answer is nothing short of shocking.  They explain that the judgement of Rosh HaShana has absolutely nothing to do with one’s coming year!  In fact, it has nothing to do with anything in your life at all.  Tosafot says that the entire judgment of Rosh HaShana is actually about Olam HaBa, the world to come.  We are not judged on Rosh HaShana for what our year will be like. G-d decides each year whether we still merit our portion in the next world.  The Book of Life is for people that do, and the other book is for people that don’t.  That’s why we don’t see this Gemara come to fruition in our world.  It’s not supposed to.^[36]

 

Tosafot in their commentary to Rosh HaShana 16b, explains that the judgments to which the Talmud refers concerns "Olam Haba", the World to Come. In other words, on Rosh Hashanah the totally righteous are inscribed in the Book of Life and the totally wicked are inscribed in the Book of Death in the World to Come. The Vilna Gaon explains that there are two judgments taking place, one regarding this world, the physical/material world, and one regarding the World to Come. Everyone is judged on Rosh Hashanah and their judgment sealed on Yom Kippur with respect to their status in this world. But the difference between the judgment of the righteous, wicked and intermediate person is in regards to their status in the World to Come. The special inserts that we add in the Amida during the ten days of repentance from Rosh HaShana to Yom Kippurim correspond to these two different judgments. In the beginning of the Amida, we ask to be inscribed for life in general. This refers to the life in the World to Come. Towards the end of Amida, we ask for detailed blessings for good livelihood and peace. This refers to the physical world.

 

With the view of Tosafot behind us, it is worth hearing from the Ramban who sees things very differently.

 

Ramban Drasha for Rosh Hashanah (abridged):  But this teaching was taught with wisdom and reason, for it is known by all who understand that there are four types judged in the world, one who does not come before his judgment, the second is a person who comes for judgment but his judgment is never completed, the third is found guilty before the court, and the fourth, whom the court acquits. The first category does not apply in our situation since every person passes before the Holy One Blessed be He, for there is no darkness or shadow before which the sinner can hide. There are, therefore, three categories remaining. All who are acquitted in their judgments are considered totally righteous, all who are found guilty are considered totally guilty. Those whose behavior is balanced, namely, the scales are balanced between sins and merits is called intermediate. If so, the entirely wicked person who worshipped idolatry, practiced sexual immorality and spilled blood but did a single mitzvah, when his judgment comes before the Holy One Blessed be He, he will be rewarded him in this world so that he will live this year. In this case, he was considered totally righteous, since his judgment was justified. And so, the totally wicked – immediately for death refers to even someone who has fulfilled the entire Torah, who one time decided a halacha [improperly] before his teacher and as a consequence, warranted death on account of this act. As a consequence, he is considered totally wicked since he warranted his punishment. And so, everyone written in the book of life merits life until the following Rosh Hashanah, all are to be considered totally righteous in their particular judgments. And all who are written in the book of death, namely, those who will die that year. All were totally wicked in their judgments…

 

So we have two opinions, which one is correct? The answer, of course, is that they are both correct. Each is looking at different aspects. OK, let’s move on…

 

We also encounter this book of the living in our daily and weekly prayers.

 

When we return the Torah to the ark, we proclaim: “Renew our days so that they will be returned to the days of yore”. Are we really asking to be returned to the past? That may be the literal translation, but there is another meaning implicit in that sentence: Renew our days, infuse what we are with the best of “days of yore”. Make us new by helping us remember the past and fusing it with the present.

 

We do the same thing during Yizkor.^[37] It is not an exercise in nostalgia, but a way of changing our very selves, as well as those around us and those who will follow us. The act of remembering changes us and gives life to those who are no long here. The Almighty asks the prophet Yehezchel, “Will these dry bones live again”?^[38] Yehezchel responds: “only You, G-d, know”. Yehezchel was right. So too, today, only G-d knows our ultimate fate. But there is a way we can make dry bones live again. By remembering those who came before us and incorporating the example of their lives into our lives, we can give them life. In so doing we inscribe them in sefer HaChayim, not the Book of Life, but the Book of the Living. They become part of an Etz Hayim,^[39] not just a tree of life but a living tree, one that is replenished by the past and nurtures the future.

 

The future holds a time of trouble when it will be very advantageous to be found written in the book:

 

Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

 

In The Nazarean Codicil

 

The book of the living is referenced multiple times in the Nazarean Codicil. It is worth revisiting these pesukim in order to begin understanding the role of those written this book.

 

Luke 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

 

Philippians 4:3 And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

 

Hebrews 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

 

Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

 

Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [the beast], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

 

Revelation 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

 

As we mentioned earlier, if one has not repented and been written the book of the living, then there will be no Olam HaBa for that person. That wicked on will end up in Gehinnom, as we can see from this next pasuk.

 

Revelation 20:12,15 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works...And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

 

Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

 

It is hard to see what David commentary was focused on, in our Torah portion. However, the building of the walls and of the curtains that surrounded the Mishkan may show what is inside represents the righteous, and what is outside represents the wicked. This idea is reinforced by the following pasuk from our chapter of Psalms:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 69:26 Let their encampment be desolate; let none dwell in their tents.

 

Clearly the Mishkan represents the “tent”, the body of Mashiach and the outer wall represents the skin of the body, to some extent. The wicked clearly are outside and have no portion inside.

 

Ashlamata: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 55:13 – 56:8 + 57:15

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary to: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 55:13 – 56:8 + 57:15

 

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.

 

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 (Tanchuma 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.

 

Chapter 56

 

2 who will do this who observes the Sabbath, etc.

 

3 “The Lord will surely separate me from His people,” Why should I become converted? Will not the Holy One, blessed be He, separate me from His people when He pays their reward.

 

Let not the eunuch say Why should I better my ways and my deeds? I am like a withered tree, for lack of remembrance.

 

4 and hold fast Heb. וּמַחֲזִיקִים, and hold fast.

 

7 for all peoples Not only for Israel, but also for the proselytes.

 

8 I will yet gather of the heathens ([Mss. and K’li Paz:] of the nations) who will convert and join them.

 

(together with his gathered ones In addition to the gathered ones of Israel.)

 

9 All the beasts of the field All the proselytes of the heathens ([Mss. and K’li Paz:] All the nations) come and draw near to Me, and you shall devour all the beasts in the forest, the mighty of the heathens ([Mss. and K’li Paz:] the mighty of the nations) who hardened their heart and refrained from converting.

 

the beasts of the field [The beast of the field is not as strong as the beast of the forest.] The beast of the field is weaker and of weaker strength than the beast of the forest. Since he stated, “I will yet gather others to him,” he stated this verse.

 

10 His lookouts are all blind Since he said, “Seek the Lord,” and the entire section, and they do not heed, he returns and says, Behold the prophets cry out to them ([Mss.:] to you) and announce concerning repentance, so that it will be good for them. Yet their leaders are all like blind men, and they do not see the results, like a lookout appointed to see the approaching army, to warn the people, but he is blind, unable to see whether the army is coming, and dumb, unable to warn the people, like a dog that was appointed to guard the house, but he is dumb, unable to bark. Similarly, the leaders of Israel do not warn them to repent to do good.

 

they lie slumbering Heb. הֽזִים. Dunash (Teshuvoth Dunash p. 24) explained: lying sound asleep, and Jonathan rendered: lying slumbering, and there is no comparable word in Scripture.

 

11 And the dogs are of greedy disposition wanting to fill their stomachs [engrote talent in O.F.], sick with hunger.

 

and they are shepherds Just as the dogs know no satiety, neither do the shepherds know to understand what will occur at the end of days.

 

they all turned to the way of their benefit, each one to his gain, to rob the rest of the people over whom they are appointed.

 

every last one Heb. מִקָּצֵהוּ, [lit. from its end.] Comp. (Gen. 19:4) “all the people from the end (מִקָּצֶה),” from one end of their number until its other end, they all behave in this manner.

 

12 Come, I will take wine So would they say to one another.

 

and tomorrow shall be like this with feasting and drinking.

 

Chapter 57

 

15 “With the lofty and the holy ones” I dwell, and thence I am with the crushed and the humble in spirit, upon whom I lower My Presence.

 

humble...crushed Suffering from poverty and illnesses.

 

16 For I will not contend forever If I bring afflictions upon a person, My contention with him is not for a long time, neither is My anger forever.

 

when a spirit from before Me humbles itself Heb. יַעֲטוֹף. When the spirit of man, which is from before Me, humbles itself, confesses and humbles itself because of its betrayal. Comp. (Lam. 2:19) “humbled (הָעֲטוּפִים) with hunger,” “when the small child and the suckling are humbled (בֵּעָטֵף).” And the souls which I made.

 

when a spirit from before Me Heb. כִּי. This instance of the word כִּי is used as an expression of “when.” Comp. (infra 58:7) “When you see (כִּי תִרְאֶה) ”; (Deut. 26:1) “When you come (כִּי תָבוֹא).” That is to say, when his spirit is humbled, and he is humbled, I terminate My quarrel and My anger from upon him. 

The Rabbi’s Private Prophetic Study

 

At first glance there seems to be little relationship between our Torah Seder for this week and the Midrash commentary of Messiah King David in Psalm 69, not to mention the Ashlamatah and the Midrash of Matityahu. But such careless observation betrays the fact of the profound relationship between these four readings for this week.

 

Messiah King David looks deeply into all the implications of Bezalel a distinguished gentleman from the tribe of Judah, who is put in charge by a direct stamen of G-d to build the “Tabernacle.” He (David) himself longs to do the same all the days of his life – i.e. build the “Temple” in Jerusalem! But if any Psalm does, this one seems to intimate that building the Temple most profoundly conveys the idea of building Israel, for Israel and the Messiah of Israel are the Temple (for further explanation see: http://www.betemunah.org/temple.html#_Toc14262232).

 

When the Master of Nazareth was walking upon this earth, he taught: “You examine the Scriptures carefully because you understand that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that testify about me.” (Yochanan 5:39). If we apply this principle to our Psalm even only from the Peshat we find that four times the name of our Master clearly spelled out and alluded to:

 

v.2 – “הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי אֱלֹהִים” – “Hoshie’eni Elohim” – translated as: “Save me O G-d” – but read: “extend Yeshuah to me O G-d.”

 

v.14 – “עֲנֵנִי, בֶּאֱמֶת יִשְׁעֶךָ” – “A’aneni BeEmet Yishe’ekha” – translated as: “answer me with the truth of Your salvation – but read: “answer me with the truth of Your Yeshua.”

 

v.30 – “יְשׁוּעָתְךָ אֱלֹהִים תְּשַׂגְּבֵנִי” – “Y’shuat’kha Elohim T’sag’veni” – translated as: “let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high” – but read: “Let Your Yeshuah, O G-d set me up on high.”

 

v.36 – “כִּי אֱלֹהִים, יוֹשִׁיעַ צִיּוֹן” – Khi Elohim Yoshia Tsiyon” – translated as: “For God will save Zion” – but read: “For G-d will bring Yeshuah to Zion.”

 

It is no surprise then that this Psalm is perhaps one of the most prophetically Messianic of all the collection of Psalms. The title of the Psalm as translated by the Targum furnishes even with a date in which the prophecies contained in the Psalm would start to be fulfilled: “concerning the removal of the Sanhedrin” – which according to our Sages took place about forty years before the destruction of the temple.

 

The writers of the Nazarean Codicil quote on a number of occasions from this Psalm as in:

 

Psalm 69:4 in the Sod of Yochanan 15:25.

Psalm 69:9 in the Sod of Yochanan 2:17.

Psalm 69:21 in the Midrash of Matityahu 27:34.

Psalm 69:22 in the Remez of Hakham Shaul in Epistle to the Romans 11:9.

Psalm 69:25 in the Remez of Hakham Lukas in his II Lukas (Acts) 1:16.

 

Please note that in no part of the Nazarean Codicil is this Psalm quoted to be interpreted in its literal meaning, but rather its true significance is brought out either in its allegorical, metaphorical, or its metaphysical modes of hermeneutic interpretation. Clearly the Psalm prophesies concerning the Messiah, it past times as well as in future times. The Messiah as new Bezalel (or rather “Betzal El” – “in the shadow of G-d”) paid a heavy price for the redemption of all Israel, and those from among the Gentiles who sincerely love G-d and His Torah. And this Psalm goes on to describe the reconstruction of G-d’s Temple as the reconstruction of all Israel.

 

Another interesting feature of this Psalm is that it not only describes aptly the life of the Master of Nazareth, but also that of his genuine disciples and followers. Such common incidents and feelings described in this Psalm as:

 

v.2 – “for the waters have come to my neck.”

v.3 – “I have sunk into deep mire, where there is no standing. I have come into deep waters, and the flood overwhelms me.”

v.4 – “I am weary with my crying out, my throat is dry, my eyes fail while I wait for my God.”

v.5 – “Those who hate me for no reason are more numerous than the hairs of my head. Those who would destroy me are many, who are wrongfully my enemies. What I did not steal I must restore.”

v.7 – “Let those who trust in You, O Lord God of hosts, not be ashamed for my sake. Let those who seek You, O God of Israel, not be humiliated for my sake.”

v.9 – “I have become a stranger to my brothers and an alien to my mother’s sons.”

v.10 – “Because the zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the taunts of those who taunt You have fallen upon me.

v.11 – “And I weep with fasting over my soul, and that becomes a taunt for me.”

v.12 – “And I make sackcloth my garment, and I have become a proverb to them.”

v.13 – “Those who sit at the gate talk of me, and I am the song of those who drink wine.”

v.21 – “Insult has broken my heart, and I have fallen sick. I hoped for someone to console me, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.”

v.22 – “But they put poison in my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”

v.30 – “But I am afflicted and in pain. Your Yeshuah, O God will protect me.”

 

If these things happen to you because of your study and observance of Torah (Written and Oral) and because of your faithful testimony about Yeshuah, then indeed you are his disciple, and your reward will be great indeed. As a Nazarean you must expect the very worst of man, but at the same time you are rewarded with a closeness to G-d, His Messiah, His spirit, His Shekhinah, His Word, and His Wisdom that is absolutely priceless! There is indeed great advantage in every way to be an active and public disciple of the Master of Nazareth.

 

Nevertheless, our hearts and minds filled with gratitude to G-d’s and with His generosity, we join our voices with Hakham Shaul and without a shadow of shame to exclaim triumphantly from the depths of our soul:

 

“Who will separate us from the love of Messiah? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Even as it has been written, “For Your sake we are killed all the day; we are counted as sheep of slaughter” (44:22). But in all these things we more than conquer through Him (G-d) loving us. For I am fully persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Yeshuah the Messiah, our Master!” [Romans 8:35-39]

 

Now Matityahu, follows carefully on the comment of the Psalmist in 69:31-32 – “I will praise the name of God with song, and I will magnify Him with thanksgiving. And it will please the Lord more than an ox and a bull hat has horns and hooves,” and in the setting of a magisterial lesson on Sabbath observance he goes to emphasize the chief object of the Law: “For I desire kindness rather than sacrifice.” We can, and under certain conditions suspend sacrifice for the sake of kindness, but we surely cannot and under no circumstance suspend kindness for the sake of sacrifice!

 

This is the third Shabbat since the festival of Sukkoth, and the themes of each of them come in a majestic and perfect succession: Gratitude – Generosity – Kindness! And this last topic of kindness, is presented to us at the beginning of our Torah Seder when G-d is not ashamed to publicly state: “And Moses said unto the children of Israel: 'See, the LORD hath called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.”  And why Bezalel? Because as the Midrash teaches “Because his father Hur sacrificed his life for the sake of the Holy One, blessed be He. When the people were eager to make the golden calf, he confronted them and rebuked them. Whereupon they attacked him and killed him. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Be assured, I will reward you.” So G-d. most blessed be He remembered the intense love that Hur had for Him, to the point of giving his life to protect G-d’s kindness to His people, that he showed kindness in abundance to his son Bezalel!

 

May we be filled with a heart and a mind ready to manifest gratitude, generosity and kindness, even at the cost of our own lives, together with all of our most noble people of Yisrael, Amen ve Amen!

 

Shalom Shabbat!

 

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

 

Verbal Tallies

By: H. Em. Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David & HH Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat Sarah

 

Shemot (Exodus) 35:30 – 36:38

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 55:13 – 56:8 + 57:15

Tehillim (Psalms) 69:14-37

Mk 9:9-1339F^[40]

 

The verbal tallies between the Torah and the Psalm are:

See - ראה, Strong’s number 07200.

LORD - יהוה, Strong’s number 03068.

Name - שם, Strong’s number 08034.

Judah - יהודה, Strong’s number 03063.

 

The verbal tallies between the Torah and the Ashlamata are:

Said / Saith - אמר, Strong’s number 0559.

Children / Son - בן, Strong’s number 01121.

Israel - ישראל, Strong’s number 03478.

LORD - יהוה, Strong’s number 03068.

Called - קרא, Strong’s number 07121.

Name - שם, Strong’s number 08034.

 

Shemot (Exodus) 35:30 And Moses said <0559> (8799) unto the children <01121> of Israel <03478>, See <07200> (8798), the LORD <03068> hath called <07121> (8804) by name <08034> Bezaleel the son <01121> of Uri, the son <01121> of Hur, of the tribe of Judah <03063>;

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 69:16 Hear me, O LORD <03068>; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

Tehillim (Psalms) 69:23 Let their eyes be darkened, that they see <07200> (8800) not; and make their loins continually to shake.

Tehillim (Psalms) 69:30 I will praise the name <08034> of God with a song and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

Tehillim (Psalms) 69:35 For God will save Zion and will build the cities of Judah <03063>: that they may dwell there and have it in possession.

 

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 55:13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name <08034>, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 56:1 Thus saith <0559> (8804) the LORD <03068>, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 56:2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son <01121> of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 56:7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called <07121> (8735) an house of prayer for all people.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 56:8 The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel <03478> saith, yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.

 

Hebrew:

 

 

 

Greek:

 

 

 

 

Nazarean Talmud

Sidra of Sh’mot (Exodus) 35:30 – 36:28

“R’u Qara Adonai” “See, the LORD has called”

By: H. Em Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

School of Hakham Tsefet

Pshat

Mordechai (Mk) 9:9-13

Mishnah א:א

 

And when they were coming down from the mountain, he distinctly ordered40F^[41] them (his three chief talmidim) that they should tell no one the things that they had seen until the Ben41F^[42] Adam (Son of Man) had risen from the dead.42F^[43] And they kept (shomer – guarded and held) his saying43F^[44] to themselves, and they discussed (drash) with one another what his, (Ben Adam) rising from the dead would mean.44F^[45]

 

 

Nazarean Codicil to be read in conjunction with the following Torah Seder

 

Commentary to Hakham Tsefet’s School of Pshat

 

This Peshat pericope grapples with two very specific questions.

 

1. What is the “Messianic Secret” and how did it affect Yeshua’s trio of the inner circle?

2. What are we to derive from this pericope’s discussion on the resurrection?

 

The Messianic Secret

 

The footnoted passages deal with the “messianic secret.”52F^[48] Scholars have tried to make heads or tails of the enigma for ages. They are no closer to understanding this great “secret” today than they were yesterday. Why is it that they are unable to discern simple Pshat? They call it a mystery or an enigma. These are not the words of Pshat. As we have recently learned, they “see men as trees.” When you label a Pshat pericope with the title “Mystery,” you have already lost the battle of interpretation. This is tantamount to reading the “Revelation” in Pshat. Furthermore, if it was such a great “secret” why do we know about it? Yes, we perfectly understand that Yeshua expelled shedim, (demons/spirits) from those who were miraculously healed and even his talmidim were warned not to tell the “secret.” In every case where Yeshua commands someone not to tell the secret, they have come in close personal contact with the Master and are perfectly aware of his spiritual identity. Whenever the Master’s identity as Messiah, “G-d’s Anointed King” is revealed he silences the revelation.

 

Scholars erroneously believe that Yeshua told them to be silent as reverse psychology. We cannot accept the thought that the Master would need to stoop to such aberrant means. If we resort to making the Master play mind-games with his talmidim and others we have berated him. Furthermore, we would fall into the trap of not being able to discern his words and true intent.

 

Firstly, the Master was not a petty pseudo-prophet who needed to resort to these devious methods. His commands are sincere. Do not tell anyone in Pshat terms means, “do not tell anyone” not the reverse. As a true Tsaddiq – Hakham his true piety was in his study of the Torah and the traditions passed down by his ancestors. As “Ben HaElohim” (Son of the Judges) his life and mission was the “Sum of the Judges.” In other words, Yeshua could only be what the Sages of blessed memory made of him. His personification of the Torah, specifically the Oral Torah governed every moment of his life. When Hakham Tsefet records that he arose a great while before day53F^[49] to seclude himself in prayer, it was because the Hakhamim ordered him (and all our Jewish brethren) to recite the Shema early in the morning.

 

Mk 1:35-37And early in the morning, long before daylight54F^[50] he (Yeshua) got up55F^[51] and went out to an isolated place and prayed there. And Shim’on (Hakham Tsefet) and those (talmidim) who were with him (Hakham Tsefet) followed56F^[52] him (Yeshua). And having discovered57F^[53] from him [the true halakhic practice concerning the recital morning Shema and Amidah], they said to him, “everyone is searching58F^[54] for you.”

 

m. Ber 1:2 From what time do they recite the Shema in the morning? From the hour that one can distinguish between [the colors] blue and white. R. Eliezer says, “Between blue and green.” And one must complete it before sunrise. R. Joshua says, “Before the third hour. “For it is the practice of royalty to rise [at] the third hour.  [Thus we deem the third hour still to be ‘morning.’]” One who recites later than this [i.e., the third hour] has not transgressed [by reciting a blessing at the wrong time, for he is viewed simply] as one who recites from the Torah.59F^[55]

 

b. Ber 2b It has been taught on Tannaite authority along these same lines:  The old-timers would complete the recitation of Shema exactly at dawn so as to place the prayer for redemption60F^[56] [with which the Shema closes] right next to the Prayer [of supplication], and one will turn out to say the Prayer in daylight.”61F^[57]

 

Consequently, we can see that the Master was the sum of the Hakhamim. To qualify as “Messiah” he must be a walking Torah Scroll. Hakham Tsefet reveals the true crux of the dilemma in saying “everyone is searching62F^[58] for you.” The question is then raised, what or who were they looking for? It was not a man that they were looking for. They were looking for the quintessential expression of the Torah. What does the talmid of the Master want to know the most? What we desire the most is how to fulfill the expectations of G-d as expressed in the Torah. How do we learn to be a living expression of the Torah? By following a Hakham who is a living Torah.

 

We have been reading in the Torah Seder repetitive accounts of the Mishkan’s (Tabernacle) construction. Why does the Torah devote some 50 chapters to tell us about the construction and operation of the Mishkan? The Mishkan is a detailed description of:

 

1. Communion with G-d

2. Abodah – worship and service

3. Halakhah – how we are to walk

 

While we will offer only a partial list of what it means to be in “service” (abodah) to HaShem we will note that these aspects speak of a greater whole.

 

1. Berakhot

2. Birkat Ha-Mazon (Bendigamos)

3. K’riat Shema

 

We have selected these specific items because they represent an organic whole, furthermore they are the beginning point for service as described in the Mishnah. Our fascination is with the K’riat Shema. This because the recital of the Shema is not the simple recital of a few verses of the Torah associated with D’barim (Deut) 6:4. The Shema as an organic whole stands for commitment to the whole of the Torah, Oral and Written and subjection to the Malkuth HaShamayim.63F^[59] Therefore, “K’riat Shema” represents complete commitment to talmud Torah (Torah Study). As an act of worship, K’riat Shema stands for prayer. Therefore, the Shema represents a life that is devoted to talmud Torah and Prayer. Through K’riat Shema and talmud Torah we rectify the damage we have committed against the earth.

 

Arriving at the conclusion that Yeshua is the Messiah is not a great revelation. Those who Yeshua silenced were those who either saw him as a Messianic King, who would overthrow the Roman regime, put an end to the angelic rage and rebellion or be the quintessential Torah Scholar that would bring Y’mot HaMashiach, (the days of Messiah). Interestingly Yeshua was none of the above. He was a Hakham, a living Torah. His Mesorah/message was to emulate his life of Mesorah observance. Through this lifestyle, the world would find healing that would indeed produce the Messianic Age. Yeshua demonstrates a powerful truth. The truth that the Messianic figure we have conjured will not be a “Messiah” to usher in the “Days of Messiah” as we would expect is daunting. While we have oversimplified the whole idea, the title to Rabbi Levine’s books says it all, “there is no Messiah and you’re it.” We are not promoting his work; we are simply stating a powerful truth. Each of us has a seed of Messiah. If we have to cry Messiah with every breath, again we have missed the point. What we need to learn from this thought is that collectively we are Messiah.

 

So, what lesson do we learn from Yeshua silencing those who seem to know who he is? The wrong Messianic picture needs to be hushed.

 

The Resurrection

 

The subtleties of the resurrection have dotted the Peshat narrative from the beginning. Questions of who Yochanan HaMatvil (John the Baptist) is clearly show that the belief in the resurrection was a regular part of Jewish life in the first century.64F^[60] As we will see, it is their concept of the resurrection that the Talmidim struggle with. We must not be confused or entertain Greco-Roman concepts that were present in the diaspora. The Greco-Roman view was more in tune with the idea of dying as humans and being resurrected as gods who could then “float” on the celestial clouds as it were.

 

The complexity of the drash being discussed by the trio of talmidim is confusing at first. Their question does not wholly make sense. This is because Yeshua is not speaking about the “general resurrection.” However, this is exactly what they are talking about. They have not been able to comprehend the idea that a single soul could be resurrected apart from the “general resurrection” or why it should be that way.

 

While we realize that, there are many facets to this problem we must note that the explanation of these “mysteries” cannot be discussed in Pshat. However, it is most interesting that the subject is discussed by Hakham Shaul in the Remes portion of the Nazarean Talmud.

 

Good Talmidim

 

Yeshua’s command not to tell about what they have seen would most likely be for the sake of those who would not be able to grasp what the trio of talmidim saw on the mountain. Yeshua revealed himself to the trio who could differentiate between the varied levels of hermeneutic. In other words, they knew the difference between trees and men, i.e. Peshat and So’od. The key to understanding this pericope is simple. You do not teach talmidim the deeper levels of hermeneutic until they have been properly trained in elementary levels. By holding back, the information that was received (kibal) on the mountain from the other talmidim, Yeshua was actually doing them a favor. Yeshua is not showing preferential treatment to the trio he took with him. Actually, if Yeshua had not taken these three he would have been retarding their spiritual development. It truly takes a Hakham to know and understand when, how and how much to reveal to his talmidim without damaging their souls.

 

These three talmidim discussed (drash) among themselves. The trio knew their Mishnah well.

 

m. Sotah 9:15 R. Pinhas b. Yair says, “Heedfulness leads to cleanliness, cleanliness leads to cleanness, cleanness leads to abstinence, abstinence leads to holiness, holiness leads to modesty, modesty leads to the fear of sin, the fear of sin leads to piety, piety leads to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead, and the resurrection of the dead comes through Elijah, blessed be his memory, Amen.”65F^[61]

 

This Mishnah helps us to reconcile several problems while reading the Nazarean Codicil. Firstly, noting the question that the talmidim posit, why do the soferim (scribes, most likely the “scribes of the P’rushim)66F^[62] say it is necessary for Eliyahu come first? The “soferim” (scribes) in the present context are those who have written down pieces of the Mishnah that were collected by the P’rushim for later generations.67F^[63] Secondly, we note that the idea of the Soferim here should not be viewed in the negative. Thirdly, we note that Yeshua’s talmidim were educated in the Mishnah/Oral Torah. Fourthly, we would also opine that the talmidim were beyond the level of Pshat, i.e. Mishnah. Fifthly, we note that they had this material memorized. Certainly, they were not carrying a copy of the Encyclopedia Judaica up and down the mountain as a reference source, and the first century version of Google Books was a Tanna.68F^[64]

 

We would do well to emulate the talmidim of Yeshua in mastering as much of the master’s material as possible.

 

Amen v’amen!

 

 

Some Questions to Ponder:

 

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

 

2. In your opinion, and taking into consideration all of the above readings for this Sabbath, what is the prophetic message (the idea that encapsulates all the Scripture passages read) for this week.

 

Blessing After Torah Study

 

Barúch Atáh Adonai, Elohénu Meléch HaOlám,

Ashér Natán Lánu Torát Emét, V'Chayéi Olám Natá B'Tochénu.

Barúch Atáh Adonái, Notén HaToráh. Amen!

Blessed is Ha-Shem our GOD, King of the universe,

Who has given us a teaching of truth, implanting within us eternal life.

Blessed is Ha-Shem, Giver of the Torah. Amen!

“Now unto Him who is able to preserve you faultless, and spotless, and to establish you without a blemish,

before His majesty, with joy, [namely,] the only one GOD, our Deliverer, by means of Yeshua the Messiah our Master, be praise, and dominion, and honor, and majesty, both now and in all ages. Amen!”

 

Next Shabbat:

Shabbat: “Vaya’as Betzalel” – “Now Betzalel made”

 

 

 

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David

Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham