Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Sh’mot (Exodus) 19:6 – 20:26
You
have seen what I did to the Mizraee; and how I bare you upon the clouds as upon
eagles' wings from Pelusin, to take you to the place of the sanctuary, there to
solemnize the Pascha; and in the same night brought you back to Pelusin, and
from there have brought you near, to (receive) the doctrine of My Law. And now,
if you will truly hearken to My Word and keep My covenant, you will be more
beloved before Me than all the peoples on the face of the earth. And before Me
you will be crowned kings, and sanctified priests, and a holy people. These are
the words you shall speak to the sons of Israel. And Mosheh came that day,
and called the elders of the people, and set in order before them all these
words which the Lord had commanded. And all the people responded together, and
said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.
And
Mosheh carried back the words of the people before the Lord. And the Lord said
to Mosheh, Behold, on the third day I will reveal Myself to you in the depth of
the cloud of glory, that the people may hear while I speak with you, and may
believe in you forever. And Mosheh delivered the words of the people before the
Lord. [JERUSALEM.
4. You have seen what vengeance I have taken of the Mizraee, and (how) I bare
you upon the light clouds as upon eagles' wings, and brought you near to the
doctrine of My Law. And now, if you will truly hearken to the voice of My Word,
and will keep My covenant, you will be unto My Name a distinct people, and
beloved as a precious treasure above all peoples; for all the earth is to the
Name of the Lord. And to My Name will you be kings and priests and a holy
people. These are the words you shall speak. And Mosheh came and called the Sages
of Israel and set in order before them all these words which the Word of the
Lord had commanded him. And all the people answered together in the fullness
of their heart, and said, All that the Word of the Lord hath spoken, we will
do. And Mosheh returned the words of the people in prayer before the Lord.
And the Word of the Lord said to Mosheh, Behold, My Word will be revealed to
you in the thickness of the cloud, that the people may hear while I speak with
you, and may also believe for ever in the words of the prophecy of you, My
servant Mosheh. And Mosheh delivered the words of the people in prayer before
the Lord.]
And
the Lord said to Mosheh on the fourth day, Go unto the people, and prepare them
today and tomorrow; let them wash their garments, and be prepared On the third
day; for on the third day the Lord will reveal Himself to the eyes of all the
people, upon the Mount of Sinai. And you shall set limits for the people that
they may stand round about the mountain, and shall say, Beware that you ascend
not the mountain, nor come near its confines; whoever comes near the mountain
will be surely put to death. Touch it not with the hand; for he will be stoned
with hailstone, or be pierced with arrows of fire; whether beast or man, he
will not live. But when the voice of the trumpet is heard, they may go up
(forwards) towards the mount. [JERUSALEM.
No man shall touch it with the hand; for stoned he will be stoned, or fiery
arrows will flee against him; whether beast or man, he will not live. When the
trumpet sounds, they may go up toward the mountain.] And Mosheh went down that
day to the people, and prepared the people, and they washed their clothes. And
he said to the people, Be ready for the third day; abstain from the marriage‑bed. [JERUSALEM. And he said to
the people, Be ready for the third day; abstain from the marriage‑bed.]
And
it was on the third day, on the sixth of the month, in the time of the morning,
that on the mountain there were voices of thunders, and lightnings, and mighty
clouds of smoke, and a voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people in
the camp trembled. And Mosheh brought forth the people from the camp to meet
the glorious Presence of the Lord; and suddenly the Lord of the world uprooted
the mountain, and lifted it in the air, and it became luminous as a beacon, and
they stood beneath the mountain. And all the mount of Sinai was in flame; for
the heavens had overspread it, and He was revealed over it in flaming fire, and
the smoke went up as the smoke of a furnace, and all the mountain quaked
greatly. [JERUSALEM.
And all mount Sinai sent up smoke, because the glory of the Shekinah of the
Lord was revealed upon it in flame of fire.] And the voice of the trumpet went
forth, and grew stronger: (then) Mosheh spoke, and was answered from before the
Lord with a gracious and majestic voice, and with pleasant and gracious words.
And the Lord revealed Himself on mount Sinai upon the summit of the mountain,
and the Lord called unto Mosheh from the summit of the mount, and Mosheh went
up. And the Lord said to Mosheh, Descend, and warn the people, lest they come
directly before the Lord to gaze, and many of them fall. The priests, also, who
approach to minister before the Lord, must be sanctified, lest the Lord destroy
them. And Mosheh said before the Lord, The people cannot come up to mount
Sinai, because You did instruct us, saying, Make limits to the mount, and
sanctify it. And the Lord said to him, Go down, and then ascend, you and Aharon
with you; but let not the, priests or the people directly come up to gaze
before the Lord, lest He slay them. And Mosheh went down from the mountain to
the people, and said to them, Draw near and hear the Law with Ten Words. [JERUSALEM. And Mosheh
went down from the mountain to the people, and said to them, Draw near and
receive the Ten Words.]
XX.
And the Lord spoke all these words, saying: [JERUSALEM. And the Word of the Lord spoke all
the excellence of these words saying:]
The
first word, as it came forth from the mouth of the Holy One, whose Name be
blessed, was like storms, and lightnings, and flames of fire, with a burning
light on His right hand and on His left. It winged its way through the air of
the heavens, and was made manifest unto the camp of Israel, and returned, and was
engraved on the tables of the covenant that were given by the hand of Mosheh,
and were turned in them from side to side: and then called He, and said:
Sons
of Israel My people, I am
the Lord your God, who brought you out free from the land of Mizraim,
from the house of the bondage of slaves. The second word which came forth from
the mouth of the Holy One, whose name be blessed, was like storms, and
lightnings, and flames of fire. A burning light was on His right hand and on
His left and was borne through the air of the heavens, returned, and was made
manifest unto the camp of Israel; it returned, and was engraved on the tables
of the covenant, and was turned in them from side to side. Then called He, and
said, House of Israel, My people, You will not have other God beside Me. You will
not make to yourselves image or figure, or any similitude of what is in the
heavens above, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. You
will not bow down to them, or worship before them; for I the Lord your God am a
jealous God and an avenger, punishing with vengeance, recording the guilt of
wicked fathers upon rebellious children unto the third and unto the fourth
generation of them who hate Me; but keeping mercy and goodness for thousands of
generations of the righteous who love Me, and who keep My commandments and My
laws.
My
people of the house of Israel,
Let no one of you swear by the name of the Word of the Lord your God in vain;
for in the day of the great judgment the Lord will not hold guiltless any one
who swears by His name in vain.
My
people of the house of Israel,
Remember the day of Shabbat, to sanctify it. Six days you will labor, and do
all your service: but the seventh day is (for) rest and quietude before the
Lord your God: you will not perform any work, you, and your sons, and your
daughters, and your servants, and your handmaids, and your sojourners who are
in your cities. For in six days the Lord created the heavens, and the earth,
and the sea, and whatever is therein, and rested on the seventh day: therefore
the Lord has blessed the day of Shabbat and sanctified it.
My
people, the house of Israel,
Let every man be instructed in the honor of his father and in the honor of his
mother: that your days may be multiplied upon the land which the Lord your God
gives you.
My
people, the sons of Israel,
You. will not be murderers; you will not be companions of or partakers with
murderers: in the congregations of Israel there will not be seen a murderous
people; neither will your sons rise up after you and teach one another to take
part with murderers: for on account of the guilt of murder the sword comes
forth upon the world.
My
people of the house of Israel,
you will not be adulterers, nor companions nor partakers with adulterers: nor
in the congregations of Israel
will there be seen an adulterous people, that your sons may not arise after you
to teach one another to have part with adulterers: for through the guilt of
adultery death comes forth upon the world.
Sons
of Israel My people, You will not be thieves, nor companions nor partakers with
kidnappers: there will not be seen in the congregations of Israel a kidnapping
people; that your sons may not arise after you to teach one another to have
part with kidnappers: for on account of the guilt of kidnapping famine comes
forth upon the world.
Sons
of Israel My people, you will not testify against your neighbors a testimony of
falsehood, nor be companions or partakers with those who bear false witness nor
will there be seen in the congregations of Israel a people who testify a
testimony of falsehood; neither will your sons arise after you to teach one
another to have part with those who testify falsehood: for because of the guilt
of false testimony the clouds go up and the rain comes not down, and drought
comes upon the world.
Sons
of Israel My people, you will not be covetous companions or partakers with the
covetous: nor shall there be seen in the congregations of Israel a covetous
people; that your sons may not arise after you to teach one another to have
part with the covetous: neither shall any among you covet the wife of his
neighbor, nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass nor
anything that belongs to his neighbor; because through the guilt of covetousness
the government breaks in upon the possessions of men to takes them, and the
wealthy are made poor, and slavery comes upon the world.
And
all the people saw the thunders, and were turned back, every one as he heard
them coming forth from the midst of the lights, and the voice of the trumpet
as it will (in the future) raise the dead, and the mountain smoking; and
all the people saw and drew back, and stood twelve miles off. And they said to
Mosheh, You speak with us, and we can hear; but let it not be spoken with us
any more from before the Lord, lest we die. [JERUSALEM. And all the people saw the
thunders and the lights, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain
smoking; and the people saw and trembled, and stood afar off.]
And
Mosheh said to the people, Fear not; for the glory of the Lord is revealed to
try you, whether His fear is before your faces, that you may not sin. And the
people stood twelve miles off; but Mosheh drew near to the height of the
darkness where was the glory of the Lord. And the Lord said to Mosheh, Speak
thus to the sons of Israel: You have seen that from the heavens I have spoken
with you; sons of Israel, My people, you will not make, that you may worship,
the likeness of the sun or the moon or the stars, or the planets, or the angels
who minister before Me; idols of silver, nor idols of gold, ye will not make to
you. An altar of earth you will make to My Name, and sacrifice upon it your
burnt offerings and your sanctified oblations from your sheep and from your
oxen. And in every place where My Shekinah will dwell, and you worship before
Me, there will I send My blessing upon you, and will bless you. But if you will
make an altar of stones unto My Name, you will not build them sculptured; for
if you lift up iron, from which the sword is made, upon the stone, you will
profane it. And you, the priests, who stand to minister before Me, shall not
ascend to My altar by steps, but by (sloping) bridges; that your shame may not
be seen thereupon. [JERUSALEM.
An altar grounded in the earth will you make unto My name, and will offer upon
it your burnt offerings and sacred oblations, your sheep and your oxen. In
every place in which you will memorialize My holy Name, My Word will be
revealed to you, and bless you. But if you make an altar of stones unto My
Name, you will not build it with sculptured ones, because the sword is made of
iron. If you work with iron upon it, you will profane it. You also, the
priests, the sons of Aharon, who stand and minister beside Mine altar, will not
ascend by steps unto Mine altar, lest your shame be disclosed upon it.]
Midrash
Tanhuma Yelammedenu for: Sh’mot (Exodus) 19:6 – 20:26
11.
And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God” (Exod. 20:1). R. Isaac said: All the prophets received the
inspirations for their future prophesies at Mount Sinai.
How do we know this to be so? It is written: But with him that stands here
with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him that is not here
with us this day (Deut. 29:14). That stands here with us this day
refers to those who were already born, and with him that is not here
alludes to those who were to be born in the future. Hence they are not with us
this day. “Not standing here with us this day” is not written in this verse,
but rather Is not here with us this day. This alludes to the souls who
were to be created in the future, since standing here could not be said of
them. They were included in the general statement. And that is why the verse
states: The burden of the Word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi (Mal. 1:1).
It does not say “of Malachi,” but merely by Malachi, indicating that the
prophecy had been transmitted to him previously at Sinai. Similarly Isaiah
said: Come near unto Me, hear this: From the beginning I have not spoken in
secret; from the time that it was, there am I; and now the Lord has sent me,
and His spirit (Isa. 48:16). Isaiah is saying here that at the time the
Torah was given I received the prophecy. Hence it says: from the time that
it (the Torah) was, there am I; and now the Lord God has sent me, and His
spirit, but until now He did not give me permission to prophesy.
Not
only the prophets but also the wise men who were there, and those who were
destined to come, received their inspiration at Sinai, as it is said: These
words the Lord spoke unto all your assembly . . . with a great voice, and it
went on no more (Deut. 5:19). What is meant by a great voice, and it
went on no more? Our sages said: The entire Ten Commandments came forth
from the mouth of the Mighty One in sound. This was an extremely difficult
procedure. No ordinary individual is able to speak in that fashion nor is any human
ear able to endure such a sound. Therefore it is written: My soul failed me
when he spoke (Song 5:6). With a great voice, and it went on no more. The
voice divided itself into seven different sounds, and then turned into seventy
different languages’ (so that all the world’s nations would hear it).
R.
Samuel the son of Nahman stated that R. Jonathan discussed the meaning of the
words The voice of the Lord is powerful (Ps. 29:4). Is it reasonable to
make this statement? No creature is able to endure the sound of the voice of
even a single angel, as it is said: His body also was like the beryl, and
his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as torches of fire, and
his arms and his feet like in color to burnished brass, and the voice of his
words like the voice of a multitude (Dan. 10:6). How much more, then, is
this so of the voice of the Holy One, blessed be He, concerning whom it is
written: Do I not fill heaven and earth? (Jer. 23:24). Was it necessary
for Him to speak in a powerful voice? (No.) Only in a voice that Moses was able
to tolerate.
12.
And God spoke all these words (Exod. 20:1). He spoke them all simultaneously. He causes death and restores life at
the same time; He wounds and He heals simultaneously; He answers a woman in
travail, those who travel on the sea and wander on the desert, and those who are
imprisoned in the east, the west, the north, and south. He forms the light
and creates the darkness, makes peace and fashions evil (Isa. 45:17)—all at
the same time. Dust is turned into man, and man is turned back into dust, as it
is said: And brings on a shadow of death in the morning (Amos 5:8). What
is meant by a shadow of death in the morning? It means that He restores
man to his original state by morning (according to tradition, the soul of a
Jewish person leaves the body when it is sleeping and returns in the morning,
when it awakens).
It
says: And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood
(Exod. 7:20), but later the blood reverted back to water. Living flesh was
turned into rancid flesh, and the dead were restored to life. The staff became
a serpent, and the serpent was converted into a staff again. The sea was
converted into dry land, and later the dry land became a sea once more.
Likewise it says: That calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out
upon the face of the earth; the Lord is His name (Amos 5:8). Thus it is
said: And God spoke all these words.
What
is written prior to this verse? Now Mount Sinai
was altogether on smoke (Exod. 19:18). Altogether is stated, for
otherwise one might believe that only the place where the Glory rested is meant
here. Scripture says: Because the Lord descended upon it in fire
(ibid.). This informs us that the entire Torah (Law) was of fire. It emanated
from fire and it is compared to fire. As in the case of fire, if a man draws
close to it he is warmed, and if he withdraws from it he becomes cold. Thus a
man can warm himself at the fires of the wise Hakhamim.
13.
And the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace (Exod. 19:18). What furnace? Perhaps it is comparable to this
furnace? Therefore Scripture says: And the mountain burned with fire (Deut.
4:11). Why then does Scripture say Of a furnace? It does so only in
order to transmit to the ear that which it can comprehend. Similarly it says: The
lion has roared, who will not fear (Amos 3:8), yet who instilled strength
and power in the lion, if not He? We describe Him by the qualities given
to His creations, so that the ear may hear what it is able to comprehend. Likewise,
Behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the
east; and His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth did shine
with His glory (Ezek. 43:2). Who instilled strength and force into the
waters? Was it not He? Here again we describe Him merely by the qualities
possessed by His creations, so that the ear may comprehend (what it hears).
When
the voice of the horn waxed louder and louder. Normally, if a person blows a horn, the sound becomes
weaker, but in this instance it waxed louder and louder. Why was the
sound soft at first? So that it might (safely) penetrate the ear.
Rabbi
said: At the time that the Israelites stood at Sinai, all agreed with one
accord to receive with joy the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, as it is said: And
all the people answered together and said (Exod. 19:8). And furthermore,
they pledged themselves in behalf of each other. At the time the Holy One,
blessed be He, sought to make a covenant with them concerning the hidden and
revealed matters, they said: We will make a covenant with You concerning the
revealed matters, but not concerning that which is hidden, lest one of us sin
in secret and the entire congregation be held responsible because of him, as it
is said: The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but the things that
are revealed belong unto us (Deut. 29:28), in order that we may perform all
the words of this Law. Therefore, God spoke all these words.
14.
And God spoke (Exod. 20:1). May it
please our master to teach us: What things have their reward in the
world-to-come? Thus do our masters teach us: These are the things whose
interest a man enjoys in this world but whose principal is stored up for him in
the world-to-come: Honoring one’s father and mother, performing good deeds,
advancing the laws of peace between man and his fellow man, and the study of
the Torah, which is equal to all the others.
Observe
that the Law is so precious that the world was created for its sake. Hence it
says: And I have put My words in your mouth, and have covered you in the
shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the
earth, and say unto Zion: “You are My people” (Isa. 51:16).
You
find that when the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to give the Law to Israel, He
offered it first to the nations of the world, but they would not accept it.
Whereupon He determined to return the world to its original state, as it is
said: He stands, and shakes the earth; He beholds, and makes the gentiles to
tremble (Hab. 3:16). But after Israel accepted the Law, the world
was permitted to endure. Therefore, And God spoke.
15.
Another explanation of the verse: And God spoke (Exod. 20:1). Scripture says elsewhere in
reference to this verse: Then did He see it, and declare it; He established
it, yea, and searched it out (Job 28:27), and after that is written: And
unto man He said. The Torah teaches us that if you are a student of the Law,
you must not be so presumptuous as to speak before the congregation until you
have reviewed the matter two or three times.
It
is related that the sexton once called upon R. Akiba to read the Torah before
the congregation, but he was unwilling to ascend (to read). His pupils said to
him: “Our master, did you not teach us that it is your life and the light of
your days? Why then do you refuse to ascend?” He answered: “By the Temple service! I refused
to read the portion only because I have not reviewed the chapter two or three
times, and no one is permitted to recite the words of the Torah until he has
reviewed them two or three times by himself.” And so we find that though the
Holy One, blessed be He, gave the power to respond to all His creatures, and
the Torah was as clear to Him as a single star (or, a single mark), when He was
about to give it to Israel, it is written concerning Him: Then did He see
it, and declare it; He established it (Job 28:27), and after that it is
written: And unto man He said: Similarly it is stated And God spoke all
these words—to Himself. And that is followed by saying.
16.
I am the Lord your God (Exod. 20:1).
May it please our master to teach us: If a fire breaks out in a house in which
there is a scroll of the Torah and other books, may their owner save them from
the fire on the Sabbath? Thus do our masters teach us: All sacred writings must
be saved from fire even on the Sabbath, whether they are being used or not. Why
did they decree that they must be saved? Because of the honor that is due the
laws contained within them. If they were allowed to burn, they would appear to
be valueless.
You
find that when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah, it was entirely of
fire, as it is said: At His right hand was a fiery law unto them (Deut.
33:2). Our sages stated: The law was of fire, the parchment was of fire, its
writings were of fire, the thread was of fire, as it is said: At His right
hand was a fiery law. The face of the agent (Moses) became fiery, as is
said: And they were afraid to come near him (Exod. 34:30). The angels
who descended with it were of fire, as it is said: Who makes winds Your
messengers (Ps. 104:4). The mountain burned with fire (Deut. 4:11),
and it was given within a fire consuming fire, as it is said: For the Lord
your God is a devouring fire (ibid. 4:24). And upon the earth He made
you to see His great fire (ibid., v. 36). The Divine Word also came forth
from the midst of fire. When they beheld the lightning and the burning letters,
the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Do not imagine that they have much
power, and He began to recite the words I am the Lord your God. You will
have no other gods (Exod. 20:2). Why were they described as gods? R. Yosé
said: He did so in order not to give the people of the world the opportunity to
say that they were not called by His name because if He had done so, it would
have acknowledged that they had power. But they were called by His name, and
yet have no power. When were they first called by His name? In the days of
Enoch the son of Seth, as it is said: Then began man to call in the name of
the Lord (Gen. 4:25). It was then that the Mediterranean
Sea rose and inundated a third of the world, and the Holy One, blessed
be He, said: You have done a new thing in calling yourself by My name, and so I
will do something new and call Myself by My name. Therefore Scripture says: That
calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the face of the earth,
the Lord is His name (Amos 5:8).
R.
Eliezer said: They were called other gods because they fashioned new
ones each day. If a man possessed an idol of gold but required the material for
some other purpose, he would make himself one of silver instead. If he required
the silver, he would make one of brass, and if he needed the brass, he would
make one of iron. He would do the same with tin and lead, until he finally
constructed it of wood, as it is said: New gods that came up of late
(Deut. 32:17).
For
the Lord thy God is a devouring fire, a jealous God (ibid. 4:24). A certain philosopher asked R. Gamaliel:
Why does Scripture say: The Lord your God is a jealous God? What power
do idols possess that He should be jealous of them? After all, a powerful man
is jealous only of another powerful man, a wise man of another wise man, a rich
man of another rich man, etc. This subject is discussed in the chapter entitled
Rabbi Ishmael in Tractate Avodah Zarah (chapter 4).
You
will not do with Me as you do with gods of silver (Exod. 20:20). Do not act toward Me as men do toward
those whom they fear. When good fortune comes to them, they honor those they
fear, as it is said: Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and offer unto
their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their food
plenteous (Hab. 1:16). However, when afflictions befall them, they curse
those they fear, as it is said: And it shall come to pass that, when they
shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse by their king and by
their god (Isa. 8:21). However, you will praise Me both for fortune and for
misfortune. Thus David said: I will fill up the cup of salvation, and call
upon the name of the Lord (Ps. 116:13), whether for good or for evil. Then
said his wife unto him: “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Blaspheme
God, and die!” But he said unto her: “You speak as one of the impious
women speaks. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not
receive evil?” (Job. 2:9-10). A man should rejoice over his afflictions
more than over his good fortune. Even if man should enjoy good fortune all his
life, (this merely indicates that) the sins he committed are not being
forgiven. What causes sins to be forgiven? Only suffering.
R.
Eliezer the son of Jacob declared: Scripture says: My son, despise not the
chastening of the Lord, neither spurn His correction; for whom the Lord loves,
He corrects, even as a father the son in whom he delights (Prov. 3:11-12).
What leads a son to please his father? When he chastises him. Hence he said: This
is their chastising.
R.
Meir stated: Scripture says: And you will consider in your heart, that as a
man chastises his son, so the Lord your God chastises you (Deut. 8:5). What
is the meaning of And you will consider in your heart? It means that
your heart should know that the punishment I have inflicted upon you was not
commensurate with the acts you have performed.
R.
Nehemiah held: Punishment is desirable, for just as sacrifices are a means of
atonement, so is chastisement. Concerning sacrifice it is written: And it
shall be accepted for him (Lev. 1:4), and about punishment it is stated: And
they shall be paid the punishment of their iniquity (ibid. 26:43). The fact
is that punishment is more important (for atonement) than sacrifice. For
sacrifices involve property, while punishment involves the body. Thus it says: Skin
for skin, yea, all that a man has will he give for his life (Job. 2:4).
17.
Neither will you go up by steps unto My altar, that your nakedness be not
uncovered thereon (Exod. 20:23). A
logical conclusion may be derived from these words. If in regard to a stone,
which understands neither good nor evil, the Holy One, blessed be He, warns you
not to shame it, how much more (should you not shame) your companion, who is
formed in the likeness of the Holy One, blessed be He. For if you lift up
your tool upon it, you have profaned it (ibid., v. 22). From this verse
they argued that since the altar was created to prolong the life of man, while
the iron blade shortens it, it would not be fitting to use a thing that
shortens life upon that which prolongs it.
R.
Johanan the son of Zakkai said: Scripture states: You will build the altar
of the Lord your God of un-hewn stones (Deut. 27:6), for it will help to
achieve peace between the Israelites and their Father in heaven. A logical
conclusion may be derived from this. If the stones of the altar, which cannot
see or hear or speak, achieve peace between Israel and their Father in heaven,
so that the Torah commands that iron should not be wielded over them, how much
more so, then, should one who promotes peace between husband and wife, or
between a man and his companion, have his days and his years prolonged.
The
Holy One, blessed be He, said: Because of the evil inclination one’s years are
shortened in this world, but in the world-to-come He will swallow up death
forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces (Isa. 25:8).
Ketubim Targum Psalm 56
1.
¶ For praise, concerning the congregation of Israel which is likened to a quiet
dove when they are far from their cities, yet they repeatedly praise the Lord
of the World, like David, humble and innocent, when the Philistines seized him
in Gath.
2.
¶ Have mercy on me, O Ha-Shem God, for a sinful man has crushed me beneath him;
all the day the foeman will overpower me.
3.
My oppressors crush my bones all the day, for many are the oppressors fighting
against me, O God Most High, whose throne is on high.
4. In the day that I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
5.
I will praise the attribute of the justice of God; in the Word of God I will
put my trust, I will not be afraid. What will flesh do to me?
6.
¶ All day on my account they toil; against me all their thoughts are for evil.
7.
They will gather together and they will conceal a trap, they will watch my
tracks; as they have waited, they have done to my soul.
8.
For the lies in their possession, drain them; for the rage of the peoples, make
them poor, O God.
9.
The days of my wandering you have numbered; place my tears in your bottle, O
Ha-Shem; is not the sum total of my humiliation in your record?
10.
Then my enemies will turn, turning around, on the day that I pray. This I know,
for God is my help.
11. In the attribute of justice of God I will give praise in
His Word; in the attribute of mercy of Ha-Shem I will give praise in his Word.
12. In the Word of God I have placed my trust, I will not
fear what a son of man will do to me.
13.
I have taken Your vows upon myself, O God; I will repay sacrifices of
thanksgiving in Your presence.
14.
For You have delivered my soul from being killed, indeed, my feet from bruising,
to walk before Ha-Shem in the light of life. Another Targum: For You have
delivered my soul from the death that the sinful die, indeed, my feet from
stumbling through sin, so that I will walk before Ha-Shem in the Garden of Eden
to behold the light of the righteous.
Ketubim Midrash Psalm 56
I. For the One that triumphed, upon Jonath-elem, rehokim.
A Psalm of David; Michtam; when the Philistines took him in Gath (Ps. 56:1). These words are to be
read in the light of what Scripture says elsewhere: What god is there in
heaven or on earth, that can do according to Your works, and according to Your
mighty acts (Deut. 3:24). Daniel also said: He delivers and rescues, and
He works signs and wonders in heaven and in earth (Dan. 6:28).
According
to R. Phinehas, David said this: “God did more for me than for all others. And
His triumph was greater than all other triumphs.” What did God do for David?
When David was waiting upon Achish, Achish’s body-guard who was a brother of
Goliath the Philistine, brought charges against David. But Achish said: “Your
brother stipulated with David: ‘If he prevails against me, and smites me, etc.’
And the stipulation was met, so that you have no case whatever against David.”
And Achish let David go, and did not have him executed. Now was not that a
great triumph? Therefore David said: For the One that triumphed; upon Jonath-elem.
A speechless dove (Jonathelem), David stood and could give no answer to the
body-guard until the Holy One, blessed be He, put into the mouth of Achish the
argument by which David was delivered from the brother of Goliath the
Philistine. What is meant by rehokim? It means that David’s mighty men
were at that time far (rèhok) from him. And Michtam? Because of
this incident, David became humble (mach) and upright (tam).
David
said: “Now therefore, I pray, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant,
etc., etc., forasmuch as the Lord delivered you into my hand today” (I Sam.
26:19,23). In these words David was alluding to what Moses had taught: If a
thief be found breaking in, and be smitten so that he dies, there shall be no
blood-guiltiness for him (Ex. 22:1), and thus was saying, “You, Saul, are
with me in the cave, and your life is forfeit according to Torah, and your
blood is forfeit.” And David was also alluding to the words You will not
stand idly by the blood of your neighbor (Lev. 19:16)—that is, if a man
comes at you to slay you, and you overcome him, tarry not, and say not, “Shall
I be guilty of his blood?” but taking no counsel of your heart, slay him then
and there. As the proverb says: Slay him before he slays you. And thus in saying,
And some bade me kill you (I Sam. 24:11), David meant: According to the
Torah, it is permitted me to slay you.
But
it spared you (ibid.). By this David
meant: The modesty in you leads me to spare you. For by the word cover
(hasek) in Saul went in to cover his feet (Ibid. 24:4) Scripture
suggests that Saul in relieving himself had arranged his garments about him
like a booth (sukkah).
David
then said: My father, see, yea, see (ibid. 24:12): See what You did
intend for me. Yea, see how I acted toward You.
II. Be merciful unto me, O God, for a man pants after
me (Ps. 56:2). Pants after plainly connotes “oppresses,” for the
verb in the verse Hear this, O you that pant after the needy (Amos 8:4)
is read “that oppress” in the Aramaic Targum. So, too, pant in They that lie in
wait for me pant (Ps. 56:3), is read “oppress” in the Aramaic Targum, which
says, “They that scorn me oppress me.” Thus David was saying: If Saul had not
oppressed me, I would not have had to flee to Achish. Though Great ones
fight against me, O Most High (ibid.), even so, In the day that I am
afraid, I will put my trust in You (ibid. 56:4).
III. In God—I will praise His word (ibid. 5):
herein, God is referred to as He who metes out judgment. Nevertheless,
David goes on to say: In God do I trust, I will not be afraid; What can
flesh do unto me? (ibid.).
They
gather (yaguru) themselves together, they hide themselves (ibid. 7): herein the stem gur is taken as a
form of the verb ‘agar, as in the words gathers (‘agrah) her food in
the harvest (Prov. 6:8).
In
God—I will praise His word—in the Lord—I will praise His word (Ps. 56:2). What is the difference in meaning between
In God and in the Lord? R. Nehorai explained that where God (‘Elohim)
is used, Scripture is speaking of Him as meting out justice, as in the verse You
will not revile God (Ex. 22:27), or, as in the verse The master of the
house shall come near unto God (Ex. 22:8) [in both verses God is understood
to mean “judge”]; but where Lord (YHWH) is used, Scripture is speaking
of Him as meting out mercy, as in the verse The Lord, the Lord merciful and
gracious (ibid. 34:6). Accordingly, David said to the Holy One, blessed be
He: “If You mete out judgment against me, I accept You by saying in God—I
will praise His word; and if You mete out mercy to me, I accept You by
saying in the Lord—I will praise His word.”
IV. Your vows are upon me, O God; I will render
thank-offerings unto You (Ps. 56:13). R. Phinehas taught in the name of R.
Levi, and R. Johanan taught in the name of R. Menahem the Galilean, that in the
time-to-come all prayers will cease except the prayer of thanksgiving, and this
will never cease. And in the time-to-come all offerings will cease except the
thank-offering, and this will never cease. Of this Scripture says, So stood
the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God (Neh.
12:40), the words the two companies of them that give thanks alluding to
the prayer of thanksgiving and to the thank-offering. For You have delivered
my soul from death (Ps. 56:14)—that is, I did not die at the hands of Saul.
Have You not delivered my feet from stumbling? (ibid.) so that I was not
doomed through the counsel of Ahithophel, and so that I may walk before God
in the light of the living (ibid.), in the Land of Israel.
Or, by the light of the living is meant the great light in the Garden of
Eden.
Ordinary Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 61:6 – 62:4
6.
But you will be named the priests of the LORD, men will call you the ministers
of our God; you will eat the wealth of the nations, and in their splendor will
you revel.
7.
For your shame which was double, and for that they rejoiced: 'Confusion is
their portion'; therefore in their land they shall possess double, everlasting
joy will be unto them.
8.
For I Ha-Shem love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them
their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with
them.
9.
And their seed will be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the
peoples; all that see them will acknowledge them, that they are the seed which
Ha-Shem has blessed.
10.
¶ I will greatly rejoice in Ha-Shem, my soul will be joyful in my God; for He
has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe
of victory, as a bridegroom putts on a priestly diadem, and as a bride adorns
herself with her jewels.
11.
For as the earth brings forth her growth, and as the garden causes the things
that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Ha-Shem our GOD will cause victory
and glory to spring forth before all the Gentiles.
1.
¶ For Zion's sake will I not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not
rest, until her triumph go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a torch
that burns.
2.
And the Gentiles will see thy triumph, and all kings your glory; and you will
be called by a new name, which the mouth of Ha-Shem will mark out.
3.
You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Ha-Shem, and a royal diadem
in the open hand of your God.
4.
You will no more be termed Forsaken, neither will your land any more be termed
Desolate; but you will be called, My delight is in her, and your land,
Espoused; for Ha-Shem delights in you, and your land will be espoused.
Special Ashlamatah: Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 1:1 - 2:3
1.
¶ The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in
Anathoth in the land
of Benjamin,
2.
to whom the word of Ha-Shem came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of
Judah,
in the thirteenth year of his reign.
3.
It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto
the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto
the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. {P}
4.
¶ And the word of Ha-Shem came unto me, saying:
5.
Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth out of
the womb I sanctified you; I have appointed you a prophet unto the Gentiles.
6.
Then said I: 'Ah, Ha-Shem GOD! behold, I cannot speak; for I am a child.' {S}
7 ¶
But Ha-Shem said unto me: say not: I am a child; for to whomsoever I will send
you, you will go, and whatsoever I will command you, you will speak.
8
Be not afraid of them; for I am with you to deliver you, says Ha-Shem.
9.
Then Ha-Shem put forth His hand, and touched my mouth; and Ha-Shem said unto
me: Behold, I have put My words in your mouth;
10.
See, I have this day set you over the Gentiles and over their kingdoms, to root
out and to pull down, and to destroy and to overthrow; to build, and to plant.
{P}
11.
¶ Moreover the word of Ha-Shem came unto me, saying: 'Jeremiah, what do you see?'
And I said: 'I see a rod of an almond-tree.'
12.
Then said Ha-Shem unto me: 'You have well seen; for I watch over My Word to
perform it.'{S}
13.
¶ And the Word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying: 'What do you
see?' And I said: 'I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is from the
north.'
14.
Then Ha-Shem said unto me: 'Out of the north the evil will break forth upon all
the inhabitants of the land.
15.
For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, says
Ha-Shem; and they will come, and they will set every one his throne at the
entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round
about, and against all the cities of Judah.
16.
And I will utter My judgments against them touching all their wickedness; in
that they have forsaken Me, and have offered unto other gods, and worshipped
the work of their own hands.
17.
You therefore gird up your loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I
command you; be not dismayed at them, lest I dismay you before them.
18.
For, behold, I have made you this day a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and
brazen walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the
princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the
land.
19.
And they will fight against you; but they will not prevail against you; For I
am with you, says Ha-Shem, to deliver you.' {P}
1.
¶ And the word of Ha-Shem came to me, saying:
2.
Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem,
saying: Thus says Ha-Shem: I remember for you the affection of your youth, the
love of your espousals; how you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land that
was not sown.
3.
Israel
is Ha-Shem’s hallowed portion, His first-fruits of the increase; all that
devour him will be held guilty, evil will come upon them, says Ha-Shem. {P}
Midrash of
Matityahu (Matthew) 10:2-4
2.
¶ Now these are the names of the twelve Sh’likhim [apostles]. Shim’on bar Yonah
(who is called Tsefet) and his brother Adam bar Yonah; Ya’aqov ben Rogaz ben
Zevd’yel, and his brother Yochanan ben Rogaz ben Zevd’yel,
3.
P’resh and Bar Tselem, T’om and Matityahu ben Khalfai Ha-Levi (the former tax
gouger), Ya’aqov ben Khalfai Ha-Levi the Little, and Y’hudah Thaddaeus ben
Ya’aqov.
4.
and Shim’on the trader, and Y’hudah Ish K’riot, who betrayed him (the Master).
Pirqe Abot
“All Israel have a
share in the World to Come, as it is stated: And Your people are all righteous/
charitable; they shall inherit the land forever; they are the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, in
which to glorify Me” (Isaiah 60:21).
Pirqe Abot V:16
Mishnah 16
“Whenever love is dependent upon a specific consideration, when that
consideration vanishes, the love ceases. If, by contrast, it is not dependent
upon a specific consideration, it will never cease. Which is a love that is
dependent upon a specific thing? The love of Amnon and Tamar. And one which is
not dependent upon a specific thing? The love of David and Yonatan.”
"The
love of David and Yehonatan."
(5:16) QUESTION: In his eulogy for Yehonatan, David said, “Your love was more
wondrous to me than the love of women” (II Samuel 1:26). Which women was David
referring to?
ANSWER:
When young David slew Galiat the Philistine, “The rejoicing women called out, ‘Shaul
has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands’” (I Samuel 18:7-9). This
angered Saul very much and he eyed him with suspicion from that day on. At that
time Yehonatan, however, did not forsake David. Moreover, his soul became
attached to him and loved him as himself. And it was Yehonatan who literally
saved David from being killed by his father, Shaul.
David
was saying, “From the fact that your father hated me when the women proclaimed
their love for me, and you did not let it cause any animosity between us but
continued to be attached to me, I can see that your love was wondrous.”
Commentary
From
the fast of the17th of Tammuz, July the 13th last, until the fast 9th of Ab,
evening of the 3rd of August, all Israel
is in a period of mourning for the destruction of Jerusalem
and the Temple.
This is a time of reflection as to what has gone wrong with harvest? What
quenches the fires of revival? Why is it that the fire that started in Shabuot
(Pentecost) at the Temple in Jerusalem almost two thousand years ago, and
lasted for about 300 years until the Roman sword put it out, does not last now
so long?
We
have read that at Sinai we received G-d’s Law amongst the fire and indeed His
Law was/is essentially fire as it is written: “Ha-Shem came from Sinai and rose
up from Seir to them. He shone forth from Mount Paran,
and He came with ten thousands of saints. From His right went a fiery law for
them” (Deut. 33:2). This Law is latter called by Ya’aqov Ha-Tsadiq (James the
Just), the brother of the Master from Nazareth,
who was the chief judge of the Sanhedrin: “the Royal Law” as it is written: “If
you fulfill the Royal Law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself," you do well.” Why is this Law called “fiery” in one
place and then “royal” in another? Because this Law which was given in the
midst of fire, at the same time when fully assimilated and obeyed renders the
person royal as it is written at the beginning of our Torah Seder: “And now if
you will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then you will be a
peculiar treasure to Me above all the nations; for all the earth is Mine. And
you will be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words
which you shall speak to the sons of Israel” (Exodus 19:5-6).
The
implication is simple. If one wants to become the head and not the tail, the
one will gladly receive G-d’s Laws and obey them. In turn G-d will make us
Royal priests and a separate nation. But if we want to be like the Gentiles
then the “fire” of G-d’s Law will flee from us, and we will become slaves
rather than the leaders and priests of humanity.
Some
of course in their disobedience will try to Chase a knife between the fire of
the Law and the fire of the Spirit of Holiness. This is because they hide
behind the many euphemisms and imperfections of our translations. The so called
Holy Spirit (better: Spirit of Holiness) is a spirit
That come from G-d not to render a person or
an object Holy, but rather to make that person or object separate for G-d’s
use. The spirit of holiness is therefore the spirit of separation and that
separation comes by no other means but by G-d’s Laws, who make separate all
those who obey them by virtue of its observance.
And
so, Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) said: “I indeed immerse you in
water to repentance; but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose
sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will immerse you in the spirit of holiness
and fire” (Matityahu 3:11). We could correctly paraphrase the last sentence as:
“He will immerse you in the spirit of being set apart and the Law.” And this is
reality what the so called baptism in the Holy Spirit, according to the
Scriptures is all about – a full immersion into being set apart by means of the
fire of G-d’s Law!
Please
note that Yochana the Immerser is playing the role of Eliyahu (Elijah) of whom
it is written: “Remember the Law of My servant Moses which I commanded him in
Horeb for all Israel,
the statutes and judgments. Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of Jehovah. And he shall turn the
heart of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of the sons to their fathers,
that I not come and strike the earth with utter destruction” (Malachi 4:4-6).
Anything
devoid from the Law’s of G-d is neither G-d’s spirit of holiness, nor the fire
of G-d, but an illusion that pretends to be the genuine article and separates
us not from the world but rather from G-d. When “tongues of fire” fell and on
the disciples heads on the day of Shabuot in the Temple, it was exactly from the same fire
that burnt at Sinai and brought the “fiery law.” These “tongues of fire”
reposing on the heads of the Disciples was a divine manifestation to all in the
Temple that
these men were ordained by G-d to proclaim G-d’s Laws! And so the miracle of
languages occurred as at Sinai, the Laws of G-d were heard again from the Temple in Jerusalem
being proclaimed in the 70 languages of the nations.
May
G-d help us never to quench the power and effects of this fiery Law by our
rebelliousness, disobedience or ignorance, amen ve amen!
Shalom
Shabbat!
Hakham
Dr. Yosef ben Haggai
Esnoga Bet Emunah - 227 Millset
Chase -