Esnoga Bet Emunah

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Three and 1/2 year Lectionary Readings

Second Year of the Reading Cycle

Tammuz 28, 5767 – July 13/14, 2007

Fifth Year of the Sh’mita Cycle

 

Candle Lighting and Havdalah Times

 

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

Friday, July, 13, 2007 – Candles at: 8:18 PM                  Friday, July 13, 2007 – Candles at: 4:51 PM

Saturday, July 14, 2007 – Havdalah 9:16 PM                  Saturday, July 14, 2007 – Havdalah 5:47 PM

 

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.                                                 Singapore, Singapore

Friday July 13, 2007 – Candles at 8:32 PM                     Friday, July 13, 2007 – Candles at: 6:58 PM

Saturday, July 14, 2007 – Havdalah 9:32 PM                  Saturday, July 14, 2007 – Havdalah 7:49 PM

 

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

 

Shabbat Shim’ú D’var Ha-Shem – Sabbath of “Hear the Word of Ha-Shem”

2nd Penitential Sabbath

Shabbat M’varechim HaChodesh Ab – Sabbath of the Proclamation of the New Moon of the Hebrew month of Ab

Sunday 15th – Monday the 16th of July

 

Coming Fast: 9th of Ab [23rd – 24th of July]

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

 

Shabbat

Torah Reading:

Weekday Torah Reading:

אִישׁ, כִּי יַפְלִא נֶדֶר

 

 

“Ish, Khi Yaf’li Neder”

Reader 1 – Vayikra 27:1-4

Reader 1 – B’midbar: 1:1-6

“A man when makes a difficult vow”

Reader 2 – Vayikra 27:5-8

Reader 2 – B’midbar: 1:7-12

“Cuando un hombre haga un voto difícil”

Reader 3 – Vayikra 27:9-12

Reader 3 – B’midbar: 1:13-19

Vayikra (Lev.) 27:2-34

B’Midbar (Num.) 28:9-15

Reader 4 – Vayikra 27:13-15

 

Ashlamatah: Judges 11:30-40

Reader 5 – Vayikra 27:16-21

 

Special Ashlamatah: Jer 2:4-28 + 4:1-2

Reader 6 – Vayikra 27:22-34

Reader 1 – B’midbar: 1:1-6

Psalm 89:39-53

Reader 7 – Vayikra 27:31-34

Reader 2 – B’midbar: 1:7-12

 

      Maftir – B’Midbar 29:9-15

Reader 3 – B’midbar: 1:13-19

N.C.: Matityahu 18:21- 35

                   Jer 2:4-28 + 4:1-2

 

 

 

Roll of Honor:

 

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

 

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

 

 

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for:

Vayikra (Leviticus) 27:1-34

 

RASHI

TARGUM PSEUDO JONATHAN

1. Adonai spoke to Moshe, saying;

1. And the Lord spoke with Mosheh, saying:

2. Speak to B’ne Yisrael and say to them; when a person [orally] expresses a vow pledging valuation of souls, to Adonai.

2. Speak with the children of Israel, and say to them: When a man wills to set apart the separation of a vow, in the valuing of the life unto the name of the Lord,

3. The valuation for a male will be, from twenty years of age to sixty years of age your valuation will be fifty holy silver shekalim.

3. then his valuation for a male from twenty years old unto sixty years, fifty shekels, in the shekel of the sanctuary, will be his valuation:

4. If it be a female, the valuation will be thirty shekalim.

4. but if for a female, his valuation will be thirty shekels.

5. If from five years of age to twenty years of age the valuation for a male will be twenty shekalim, and for a female, ten shekalim.

5. And if it be a child from five years until twenty years, his estimation for a male will be twenty shekels; and for a female, ten shekels.

6. If from one month of age to five years of age the valuation of a male will be five silver shekalim and the valuation for a female is three silver shekalim.

6. But for a child of a month old until five years, his estimation for a male will be five silver shekels; and for a female, three silver shekels.

7. If from sixty and above, if he is a male the valuation will be fifteen shekalim and for a female, ten shekalim.

7. Moreover, for a man of sixty years and upwards, his estimation will be fifteen shekels; and for a female, ten shekels.

8. If he is [too] poor to pay the valuation he will set him[self] [=he will be presented] before the Kohen, and the Kohen will determine his valuation. According to the means of the one who vowed the Kohen will determine his valuation.

8. But if he be too poor for (such) a rate of his estimation, he will stand before the priest; and the priest will make an estimation for him, according to the ability of his hand, so will the priest estimate for him.

9. If [it is] an animal which can be brought as an offering to Adonai, any of it that he will give to Adonai will become sacred.

9. And if it be an animal, of such as are offered as an oblation before the Lord, whatever he gives of it before the Lord will be sacred.

10. He will not exchange it [with another's animal] and he will not change it [with his own animal] whether it be a good one for a worse one [or] a bad one for a better one. If he did exchange one animal for another animal, then both it and its replacement will be sacred.

10. He will not alter it nor change it, that which is perfect for that which has blemish, or that in which there is blemish for the perfect: but if by changing he will exchange animal for animal, both that and the one that is changed will he consecrate. [JERUSALEM. And he will not change it, good for bad, or bad for good: but if changing he will exchange animal for animal, both that and his changed one will be sacred.]

11. If it is any unclean (blemished) animal which cannot be offered to Adonai, he will present the animal to the Kohen.

11. But if it be an unclean animal, of such as are not offered as an oblation before the Lord, he will make the animal stand before the priest. [JERUSALEM. And if it be some unclean animal of such as are not offered as an oblation to the name of the Lord, let the priest order it,]

12. The Kohen will determine its value whether it is good or bad as the Kohen determines its value for you, so will it be.

12. And the priest will value it, whether good or bad; as the priest will value, so will it be. [JERUSALEM. whether good or bad; according to the priest's valuation will it be.]

13. If he will indeed redeem it he will add on one fifth to its valuation.

13. But if he would redeem it, let him add a fifth of its price upon that of its valuation.

[JERUSALEM And let him add a fifth of its price above its valuation.]

14. If a man will consecrate his house as being sacred to Adonai, the Kohen will determine its value, whether it is good or bad; as the Kohen determines its value, so will it be established.

14. When a man would consecrate his house, as a consecrated thing before the Lord; the priest will value it, whether good or bad; according as the priest will estimate, so will it stand. [JERUSALEM. A sanctified thing unto the name of the Lord: then the priest will order: as the priest has ordered it will be.]

15. If he who consecrated [his house] wishes to redeem his house, he will add one fifth to its valuation money in addition to [the valuation], and [then] it belongs to him.

15. And if he who has consecrated would redeem his house, let him add a fifth of the price of its valuation thereunto, and it will be his. [JERUSALEM. And if he who has made sacred....a fifth of the price of its valuation upon it, and it will be his.]

16. If from his ancestral field a man will consecrate to Adonai its valuation will be according to the measure of its seed; [at the rate of] one chomer of barley seed per fifty silver shekalim.

16. And if a man would dedicate (a portion) of the field of his inheritance before the Lord, the valuation of it will be according to the measure of its seed: a space on which may be sown a kor (seventy‑five and a half pints) of barley (will be considered) worth fifty shekels of silver. [JERUSALEM. And if a man would separate (a portion) of a field of his inheritance unto the Name of the Lord, its valuation will be according to its sowing, a chomer of barley seed.]

17. If immediately after the jubilee year he consecrates his field it will be established according to its valuation.

17. If he will dedicate the ground from the year of Jubilee, it will stand according to its valuation.

[JERUSALEM And if he separate his field from the year of Jubilee, according to its value it will stand.]

18. If after the jubilee he consecrates his field, then the Kohen will calculate the money [due] according to the remaining years until the jubilee year, and its valuation should be reduced accordingly.

18. But if he will dedicate his field after the year of Jubilee, the priest will compute with him the sum of the money according to the proportion of years that remain unto the next Jubilee year, and will abate it from the valuation.

19. If he will [indeed] redeem the field, he who consecrated it, will add one fifth to its monetary valuation, and it is then established as his.

19. And if he would redeem the field that he had consecrated, let him add one fifth of the money upon its valued price, and it will be confirmed to him. [JERUSALEM. And if he would redeem that field which had been consecrated, let him add a fifth of the silver shekels above its estimation, and it will be his.]

20. If he does not redeem the field and if he sells the field to another person, it will not longer be redeemable.

20. But if he will not redeem the field, but sell it to another man, it will not be redeemed again:

21. When the field is then released by the jubilee it becomes sacred to Adonai, just as a field that was consecrated, it will belong to the Kohen, [as] his possession.

21. the field, when it goes out at the Jubilee, will be sacred before the Lord; as a field separated for the priest it will be his inheritance. [JERUSALEM. It will be a sanctified thing unto the Lord, as a field of separation.]

22. If it is a field that he purchased, that is not his ancestral field, [that] he consecrates to Adonai.

22. And if he would consecrate before the Lord a field which he hath bought, and which is not of the land of his inheritance,

[JERUSALEM. And if he would consecrate a purchased field unto the Name of the Lord,]

23. The Kohen will calculate for him the amount of its valuation until the jubilee year, and on that day he will give its valuation as something sacred to Adonai.

23. then the priest will compute with him the amount of the price of its valuation until the year of Jubilee; and he will give its value on that day, as a consecrated thing before the Lord.

[JERUSALEM. Then the priest will compute with him the value of the separation unto the year of Jubilee, and he will give the separation of the value on that day, a holy thing unto the Name of the Lord.]

24. In the jubilee year the field will revert to him from whom it was purchased; to him whose ancestral land it is.

24. In the year of Jubilee the field will return to him from whom he bought it, to him who had the inheritance of the land.

[JERUSALEM At the year of Jubilee the field will revert to him from whom he had bought it, to him who had the inheritance of the land.]

25. All of your valuations will be in holy shekalim; the shekel will be twenty geirah.

25. And every valuation will be in shekels of the sanctuary twenty mahin are a shekel.

[JERUSALEM And every estimation will be according to the shekels of the sanctuary.]

26. However, a firstling [animal] that is born first will belong to Adonai [as a sacrifice] from among the domestic animals; a man will not consecrate it [for any other purpose] whether it is an ox or a lamb, it belongs to Adonai.

26. Moreover, the firstling among cattle which is separated to the Name of the Lord, whether ox or lamb, a man cannot separate (as a votive gift), because it (already belongs) to the Name of the Lord. [JERUSALEM. But the firstling among cattle, whether ox or lamb, which is separated before the Lord, belongs (already) to the Name of the Lord.]

27. If it is of an unclean animal, he will redeem it based on the valuation, and add a fifth to [that amount]. If it is not redeemed, it will be sold according to the valuation.

27. And if it be an unclean animal, then he will redeem it according to its valuation, and add a fifth of the price to it; but if he will not redeem it, then it will be sold at the price of its valuation.

[JERUSALEM. But if it be of an unclean animal, then let him redeem it according to its valuation, and add a fifth of its price unto it. And if it be not redeemed, it will be sold according to its value.]

28. However, any dedication that a man will dedicate to Adonai from any of his belongings be it people (slave), or animal, or of the field of his ancestral land, [none of these] can be sold or redeemed. Everything that is dedicated is most holy, unto Adonai.

28. Nevertheless, no devoted thing which a man will separate before the Lord of anything that is his, of man, or beast, or of his inheritance, will be sold or redeemed; every (devoted) separation is most sacred before the Lord. [JERUSALEM. Only no devoted thing that a man will separate to the Name of the Lord of anything, that he has of child or cattle; every separation is most sacred to the Name of the Lord.]

29. Any dedication that a man will dedicate, regarding a man [due to be put to death] cannot be redeemed, he will surely be put to death.

29. Every separation which will be separated of man will not be redeemed with money, but with burnt offerings, and with sanctified victims, and with supplication for mercy before the Lord, because such are to be put to death. [JERUSALEM. Every one of the children of men set apart (or devoted) will not be redeemed; dying, he will be put to death.]

30. All tithes of the land; whether of the seeds [crops] of the land or of the fruit of the tree, belongs to Adonai, it is sacred to Adonai.

30. And all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the ground, or the fruits of the tree, is the Lord's, and is most sacred before the Lord.

[JERUSALEM. It pertains to the Name of the Lord; it is holy unto the Name of the Lord.]

31. If a man wishes to redeem of his tithe, he will add a fifth to [the amount].

31. But if a man will redeem any (part) of his tithes, he will add a fifth part of its value thereunto.

[JERUSALEM. But if a man will redeem any portion of his tithe, let him add upon, it a fifth part of its price;]

32. All tithes of cattle and sheep, anything that passes under the rod, the tenth one will be sacred to Adonai.

32. And every tithe of oxen and sheep, whatever passes under the (tithing) rod, the tenth will be consecrated before the Lord.

[JERUSALEM. and every tithe of ox and sheep, whatever passes under the rod, a tenth will be holy Unto the Name of the Lord.]

33. He will not make a distinction between better or worse [animals] and he will not exchange it. If he exchanges one for another, then [both] it and its replacement will be sacred and it cannot be redeemed.

33. He will not scrutinize between the good and the bad, nor exchange it; but if changing he will exchange it, both it and that for which it is changed will be sacred, and not be redeemed.

[JERUSALEM. He will not scrutinize between good and bad, nor exchange it; but if he will change it, then will both it and that for which it is changed be sacred, and not be redeemed.]

34. These are the commandments which Adonai commanded Moshe for Bnei Yisroel on Mount Sinai.

34. These are the precepts which the Lord prescribed unto Mosheh, and of which not one must be trifled with (or, innovated upon); and He prescribed them to be shown unto the children of Israel at Mount Sinai.

[JERUSALEM. These are the Commandments.]

 

 

 

Midrash Tanhuma (Lev.) 27:1-34

 

10.6 Leviticus 27:1 ff, Part I

 

(Lev. 27:1-2) THEN THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING: SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL [AND SAY UNTO THEM]: WHEN ANYONE EXPLICITLY VOWS TO THE LORD THE VALUE (rt.: ‘RK) OF HUMAN BEINGS (NPShWT). This text is related (to Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHO IN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE (rt.: RK) TO THE LORD, [is LIKE THE LORD AMONG THE CHILDREN OF GODS]? The Holy One said: Whoever performs deeds like Mine will be like Me. R. Levi said: <The matter> is comparable to a king who built a city and lit two lanterns within it. The king said: When anyone lights two Lanterns like these, I will call him Augustus and not be jealous of him. Similarly, the Holy One created the heavens and set in them [two lanterns, to give light to the world], the sun and the moon, as stated (in Gen. 1:17): AND GOD SET THEM IN THE FIRMAMENT OF THE HEAVENS TO GIVE LIGHT UPON THE EARTH. The Holy One said: Whoever makes <lights> like these will be equal to Me. Thus it is stated (in P5. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHO IN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE (rt.: RK) TO THE LORD? These words can only be words <referring to> light, since it is stated (in Lev. 24:4): HE SHALL SET (rt.: RK) UP <THE LAMPS> UPON THE UNALLOYED LAMPSTAND, Ergo (in Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHO IN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE (rt.: ‘RK) TO THE LORD, IS LIKE THE LORD AMONG THE CHILDREN OF GODS? That is what it is written (in Is. 40:25): THEN UNTO WHOM WILL YOU LIKEN ME THAT I SHOULD BE EQUAL? SAYS THE HOLY ONE. <The term> HOLY is applied to him just as HOLY is applied to me.

 

Another interpretation (of Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHO IN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE (ya’arok) TO THE LORD? R. Abbin Berabbi the Levite said: Who like You enlightens the eyes of those in the dark, as it is stated (in Lev. 24:4): HE SHALL SET (ya’arok) UP <THE LAMPS> UPON THE UNALLOYED LAMPSTAND. Ergo (in Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHO IN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE (ya’arok) TO THE LORD? R. Abbin said: Who like you clothes the naked, as stated (in Jud. 17:10): A SUIT (rt.: RK) OF CLOTHES AND YOUR MAINTENANCE? Ergo (in Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHO IN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE (rt.: RK) TO THE LORD?

 

Another interpretation (of Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR ‘WHO IN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE TO THE LORD? R. Abbin said: Who like you sets battles in order? IS COMPARABLE (rt.: ‘RK) can only refer to warfare, since it is stated (in Gen. 14:8): AND THEY ENGAGED (rt.: ‘RK) THEM IN WARFARE, Ergo (in Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHO N THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE TO THE LORD (in warfare)?

 

Another interpretation (of Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHOIN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE TO THE LORD? R. Abbin said: Who like you feeds the hungry? IS COMPARABLE (rt.: ‘RK) can only refer to the hungry, since it is stated (in Lev. 24:8-9): HE WILL ARRANGE (rt.: ‘RK) IT (i.e., the showbread) BEFORE THE LORD REGULARLY ON EVERY SABBATH DAY, AS AN EVERLASTING COVENANT FROM THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. AND IT WILL BELONG TO AARON AND HIS CHILDREN, WHO WILL EAT IT IN A HOLY PLACE. Ergo (in Ps. 89:7 [61): FOR WHO IN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE TO THE LORD (in feeding the hungry)?

 

Another interpretation (of Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHO EN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE TO THE LORD? When the Holy One wanted to create Adam, the ministering angels said to the Holy One (in Ps. 8:5 [4]): WHAT ISA HUMAN THAT YOU ARE MINDFUL OF HIM AND A CHILD OF ADAM THAT YOU SHOULD THINK OF HIM? What do you want from this human? The Holy One said to them: Who is to fulfill My Torah and My commandments? They said to him: We will fulfill Your Torah, He said to them: You are unable. They said to him: Why? He said to them: It is written in <Torah> (in Numb. 19:14): <THIS IS THE TORAH:>‘WHEN A PERSON DIES IN HIS TENT, but there are none among you who die. It is written in <Torah> (in Lev. 12:2): WHEN A WOMAN EMITS HER SEED AND BEARS A MALE, but there are none among you who bear <children>. It is written in <Torah> (in Lev. 11:21): THESE YOU MAY EAT, but in your case there is no eating among you. Ergo, the Torah is not going forth to you, as stated (in Job 28:13): NOR IS <WISDOM> FOUND IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING. Rather when the Holy One said to Israel that they should make a tabernacle for him and <when> they had made it, they began to build the altar of burnt offering, the altar of incense, and to offer sacrifice within it. <Then> the Holy One began to give them several commandments. These commands concerned every single thing, and they carried them out. The Holy One began to say to the ministering Angels: Who among you would prepare (rt.: ‘RK) <everything> for Me just as Israel prepares (rt.: ‘RK) for Me? Now you were saying to Me (in Ps. 8:5 [4]): WHAT IS A HUMAN THAT YOU ARE MINDFUL OF HIM ... ? They prepare (rt.: ‘RK) sacrifices for Me, just as stated (in Lev. 1:12): AND THE PRIEST WILL ARRANGE (rt.: ‘RK) THEM. They set (rt.: RK) tables for me, just as stated (in Lev, 24:8): HE WILL ARRANGE (rt.: a) IT (i.e., the showbread) BEFORE THE LORD REGULARLY ON EVERY SABBATH DAY. They prepare (rt.: ‘RK) human beings for Me, just as stated (in Lev. 27:2): WHEN ANYONE EXPLICITLY VOWS TO THE LORD THE VALUE (rt.: ‘RK) OF HUMAN BEINGS (NFShWT). Ergo (in Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHO IN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE (rt.: ‘RK) TO THE LORD (i.e., is capable of making preparations for the Lord)?]

 

 

10.7 Leviticus 27:1 ff, Part II

 

Another interpretation (of Lev. 27:2:) WHEN ANYONE EXPLICITLY VOWS This text is related (to Prov. 11:30): THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS/GENEROUS IS A TREE OF LIFE, [BUT A WISE PERSON ACQUIRES LIVES (NFShWT)) This refers to the Torah, because when one is a Torah Scholar (literally: child of Torah), he learns how one acquires lives (NFShWT), as stated (ibid): BUT A WISE PERSON ACQUIRES LIVES. And so you find in the case of Jephthah the Gileadite, because he was not a Torah scholar, he forfeited his daughter. When? In the time that he fought with the children of Ammon and made a vow, as stated (in Jud. 11:30-31): THEN JEPHTHAH MADE A VOW TO THE LORD, <AND SAID: IF YOU INDEED GIVE THE CHILDREN OFAMMON INTO MY HAND,> THEN IT WILL BE THAT WHATEVER COMES FORTH ..., <WILL BELONG TO THE LORD AND I WILL OFFER IT UP AS A BURNT OFFERING>. At that time the Holy One was angry with him. The Holy One said: If there had come out from his house a dog, a pig, or a camel, he would have offered it to Me. The Holy One summoned his daughter to him, as stated (in Jud. 11:34-35): AND THERE WAS HIS DAUGHTER COMING OUT TO MEET HIM > AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN HE SAW HER, <THAT HE RENT HIS CLOTHES ...> But was not Phinehas there [As a high priest he could have annulled the vow, as explained in Eccl.. R. 10:15:1, as well as in Gen. R. 60:5 and Lev. R. 37:4]? Still he said (in vs. 35): AND I CANNOT RETRACT. However, Phinehas had said: I am a high priest and the son of a high priest. Shall I humble myself and go to an ignoramus ‘Am Ha’A’arets)? But Jephthah said: I am head of the tribes of Israel and head of the magistrates. Shall I humble myself and go to a commoner [Greek: Idiotes]? Between the two of them that poor woman perished; so the two of them were liable for her blood. In the case of Phinehas, the Holy Spirit left him In the case of Jephthah, his bones were scattered, as stated (in Jud. 12:7): AND HE WAS BURIED IN THE CITIES OF GILEAD.” His daughter had said to him: My Father, is it ever written in the Torah: They offer the lives (NFshWT) of their Sons upon the altar? And is it not written (in Lev. 1:2): [WHEN ONE OF YOU PRESENTS AN OFFERING TO THE LORD FROM THE CATTLE] <YOU WILL PRESENT YOUR OFFERING> FROM THE HERD OR FROM THE FLOCK, <i.e.,> from the cattle and not from the children of Adam? He said to her: My daughter, I made a vow (in Jud. 11:31): THEN IT SHALL BE THAT WHATEVER COMES FORTH ... [She said to him:] When our father Jacob made a vow (in Gen. 28:22): AND OF ALL THAT YOU GIVE ME, I WILL SURELY SET ASIDE A TITHE FOR YOU, and when the Holy One gave him twelve tribes, did he ever offer up one of them as a sacrifice? [Moreover, does not Hannah <do likewise>, when she makes a vow and says (in I Sam. 1:11): THEN I WILL GIVE HIM TO THE LORD ALL THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE. Did she ever offer up her son as a sacrifice to the Holy One?] All these things she said to him, but he did not heed her. She said to him: Let me go to a court of Law. Perhaps one of them will find a loophole for your words. Thus it is stated (in Jud. 11:37): LEAVE ME ALONE FOR TWO MONTHS, [So THAT I MAY GO AND COME DOWN TO THE MOUNTAINS]. R. Levi ben Berekhyah said: Is there anyone who comes down to the mountains? Does not one go up to the mountains? So what is the meaning of AND COME DOWN TO THE MOUNTAINS? These represent the Sanhedrin, as in the usage (of Micah 6:2): HEAR, O MOUNTAINS THE LAWSUIT OF THE LORD. [She went to them, but they did not find a loophole for undoing his vow. So it is with reference to him that the Scripture has said (in Prov. 28:3): A POOR MAN WHO EXPLOITS THE INDIGENT IS A TORRENTIAL RAIN WHICH LEAVES NO BREAD. A POOR MAN: This is Jephthah, since he was poor in the Torah. He was a <mere> sycamore shoot [The metaphor designates one who is poor]. (Prov. 28:3, cont.:) WHO EXPLOITS THE INDIGENT, since he exploited the indigent, when he said (in Jud. 12:6): SAY: SHIBBOLETH; AND HE SAID SIBBOLETH. Then he slaughtered him. Therefore, he is (according to Prov. 28:3, cont.) A TORRENTIAL RAIN, AND THERE IS NO BREAD, in that he had someone who would undo his vow; however (ibid., cont): THERE IS NO BREAD, in that the Holy One had taken away the Halakhah from them, so that they would not find [a loophole] for undoing his vow. When they did not find [a loophole] for undoing his vow, he went up and slaughtered her before the Holy One. Then the Holy Spirit proclaimed: Did I desire you to sacrifice lives (NFShWT) to Me, <lives> (according to Jer. 19:5), WHICH I NEVER COMMANDED, NEVER SPOKE FOR, AND WHICH NEVER ENTERED MY MIND. WHICH I NEVER COMMANDED Abraham, that he slaughter his son. Instead I said to him (in Gen. 22:12): DO NOT RAISE YOUR HAND AGAINST THE LAD. ... <It was> in order to make known to you how Abraham carried out my will, when the nations of the world were saying: Why does the Holy One love Abraham so much? For that reason He said to him (in Gen. 22:2): PLEASE TAKE YOUR SON ... Ergo (in Jer. 19:5): WHICH I NEVERCOMMANDED Abraham, certainly not to slaughter his son, NEVER SPOKE FOR to Jephthah to offer up his daughter as a sacrifice to Me, AND WHICH NEVER ENTERED) MY MIND, that the king of Moab would fall into the hand of the King of Israel and offer up his firstborn son to Me as a sacrifice, as stated (in II Kings 3:27): SO HE TOOK HIS FIRSTBORN SON, WHO WOULD BECOME KING IN HIS STEAD, AND OFFERED HIM UP AS A BURNT OFFERING UPON THE WALL.] Who caused Jephthah to forfeit his daughter? <He himself> because he had not studied the Torah; for if he had studied the Torah, he would not had forfeited his daughter, since it is written (in Lev. 27:2, 4): WHEN ANYONE EXPLICITLY VOWS <TO THE LORD THE VALUE OF HUMAN BEINGS (NFShWT)>… AND IF IT ISA FEMALE <...> Ergo (in Prov, 11:30): THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS?GENEROUS IS A TREE OF LIFE, <BUT A WISE PERSON ACQUIRES LIVES (NFShWT)>.

 

 

10.8 Leviticus 27:l ff, Part III

 

[Another interpretation] (of Lev. 27:2:) WHEN ANYONE EXPLICITLY VOWS. The Gentiles say (in Micah 6:6-7): WITH WHAT SHALL I COME BEFORE THE LORD, BOW MYSELF BEFORE GOD ON HIGH? […] DOES THE LORD WANT THOUSANDS OF RAMS [. . .? SHALL I GIVE MY FIRSTBORN FOR MY TRANSGRESSION, THE FRUIT OF MY BELLY FOR THE SIN OF MY SOUL?] The Ho[y One said to them: Do you want to offer your children to Me? Neither your children nor your sacrifices do I want. For My children I have given a parashah on values (in Lev. 27:1-8) and a parashah on sacrifices, <i.e.> which of your offerings are acceptable to Me (in Lev. 1). And so it says (in Ps. 37:16): BETTER IS THE LITTLE THAT THE RIGHTEOUS/GENEROUS ONE HAS. You yourself know what is at the beginning of the book (in 1:2): SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND SAY UNTO THEM]: WHEN ONE OF YOU PRESENTS AN OFFERING, <i.e.> OF YOU, and not “of the nations.” Then at the end of the book <one finds> (in Lev. 27:2): SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AND SAY UNTO THEM: WHEN ANYONE EXPLICITLY VOWS.... It also says (in Ps. 147:19): HE DECLARES HIS WORDS TO JACOB … The Holy One said to Israel: If you bring before me your value equivalents, I will ascribe it to you as if you had offered up your lives before Me. It is therefore stated (in Lev. 27:2): WHEN ANYONE EXPLICITLY VOWS TO THE LORDTHE VALUE

OF HUMAN BEINGS. ... The Holy One said: By virtue of the value equivalents (rt.: ‘RK) I am saving you from the <fiery> preparation (rt.: RK) of Gehinnom, as he has written about it (in Is. 30:33): FOR TOPHETH HAS BEEN PREPARED (rt.: ‘RK) FROM OF OLD; and I will prepare a table before you, just as David has stated (in Ps. 23:5): YOU PREPARE A TABLE BEFORE ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES; YOU ANOINT MY HEAD WITH OIL; MY CUP OVERFLOWS.

 

The End of the Book of Leviticus

 

 

 

Ketubim Targum Tehillim (Psalms) 89:39-53

 

JPS Translation

TARGUM

39. But You have cast off and rejected, You have been wroth with Your Messiah [anointed].

39. But You have forsaken and rejected, grown angry with your Messiah.

40. You have abhorred the covenant of Your servant; You have profaned his crown even to the ground.

40. You have changed the covenant with Your servant; You have profaned his crown to the earth.

41. You have broken down all his fences; You have brought his strongholds to ruin.

41. You have forced all his strongholds, You have made his open villages a ruin.

42. All that pass by the way spoil him; he is become a taunt to his neighbors.  

42. All who pass on the road have trampled him; he has become a disgrace to his neighbors.

43. You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all his enemies to rejoice.

43. You have raised the right hand of his oppressors; You have gladdened all his enemies.

44. Yes, You turn back the edge of his sword, and has not made him to stand in the battle.

44. Also You will turn aside his sword and You have not supported him in battle.

45. You have made his brightness to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.

45. You have abolished the priests who sprinkle [blood] on the altar and cleanse his people, and You have cast to the ground his royal throne.

46. The days of his youth have You shortened; You have covered him with shame. Selah

46. You have cut short the days of his young men; You have covered him with shame and disgrace forever.

47. How long, O LORD, wilt You hide Yourself for ever? How long will Your wrath burn like fire?

47. How long, O Lord, will You remove your presence forever? [How long] will Your rage burn like fire?

48. O remember how short my time is; for what vanity have You created all the children of men!

48. Remember that I was created from dust; why have You created all the sons of men for vanity?

49. What man is he that lives and will not see death, that will deliver his soul from the power of the grave? Selah

49. Who is the man who will live and not see the angel of death, who will deliver his soul from his hand, and not go down to his grave forever?

50. Where are Your former mercies, O Lord, which You did swear unto David in Your faithfulness?

50. Where are Your favors which were from the beginning, O Lord, which You swore to David in your faithfulness?

51. Remember, Lord, the taunt of Your servants; how I do bear in my bosom the taunt of so many peoples;

51. Remember, O Lord, the disgrace of Your servant; I have borne in my bosom all the insults of many peoples.

52. Wherewith Your enemies have taunted, O LORD, wherewith they have taunted the footsteps of Your Messiah [anointed].

52. For Your enemies have scorned, O Lord, for they have scorned the delay of the footsteps of Your Messiah, O Lord.

53. Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.

53. Blessed be the name of the Lord in this age, amen and amen. Blessed be the name of the Lord in the age to come, amen and amen.

 

 

 

 

 

The Bible Psalms with The Jerusalem Commentary

(By: R. Amos Hakham, Jerusalem: Mosad HaRav Kook, 2003, pp. 326-

 

 

v. 39 But You, The vav of V’Attah, means “but” rather than “and.” The meaning is that God’s actions

are the opposite of His promise.

 

Have cast off. .Another instance of “zanachta,” is found in Psalm 44:10: But You have abandoned us [zanachta] and put us to shame.” You have not fulfilled Your promise, mentioned in verse 22, of providing ready assistance.

 

And rejected him. You have ceased to show love, and no longer treat the king descended from the House of David as Your “chosen one” (verse 4). The root “M’AS,” ‘to reject,” and “BChR,” “to choose,” are opposites. They appear together in Psalm 78:67: “And He abhorred [vayim’as] the tent of Joseph, and He did not choose [vachar] the tribe of Ephraim.”

 

You have been angry with Your anointed, You have acted with “‘evrah,” “anger,” toward the king whom You anointed with Your holy oil (verse 21), and You have not shown him fatherly mercy, despite the fact that he said: “You are my Father!” (verse 27). Another example of the verb “L’Hit’abber,” is found in Deuteronomy 3:26: “But the Lord was angry [vayit’abber] with me [Bi] for your sakes.” There the verb is followed by a prepositional “bet,” here it is followed by the preposition “Im,” “with.” The expression, “Your anointed,” is also linked to the first half of the verse, so that the full meaning of the verse is: “You have cast off, rejected, and been angry with Your anointed.” The “anointed” here is the king regarding whose downfall the psalmist is complaining. The reference may be to David himself, since when God is angry with a descendant of David, it is as though He is angry with David himself. [At all events, the meaning of the word “anointed” in our verse is not like its meaning in Rabbinic literature: the messianic who will reign at the End of Days.]

 

v. 40. You have renounced the covenant of Your servant. You have ceased to uphold the covenant that You made with Your servant, and You have not fulfilled: “I will not profane My covenant” (verse 35). The verb “Ne’artah,” “You have renounced,” in this context means: “You have rejected and distanced Yourself” as in Lamentations 2:7: “The Lord has cast off Hs altar, He has renounced [Ni’er] His sanctuary” The source of the root “N’AR,” remains unclear, as does its precise meaning.

 

You have profaned his crown to the ground. You have made his “nezer,” literally, “crown,” fall to the ground, thereby profaning his holiness and annulling what You said (verse 21): “With My holy oil I have anointed him.” Nezer, “crown,” here serves a double function, meaning not only a royal crown, but also the holy oil poured on the king’s head. We find this second meaning also in Leviticus 21:12: “For the crown  [Nezer] of the anointing oil of his God is upon him.” it is because of this connotation of holy oil that the psalmist says: “You have profaned.”

 

v. 41. You have broken down all his fences. You have allowed his enemies to breach all his fences, the walls defending his land. You have brought his strongholds to ruin. You have allowed his enemies to destroy his strongholds and to turn them into ruins. The noun “M’chittah,” means “downfall and ruin,” as in Isaiah 54:14: Keep far away from oppression, then you will not fear, and from ruin [M’chittah], then it will not come near you.” The psalmist is saying: There has been no fulfillment for us of the words: “Indeed, You are the glory of their strength” (verse 18).

 

v. 42 All who pass by the way plunder him, All who pass by the place where he lives plunder his property, for his fences have been breached (verse 41) The probable intention here is that desert nomads have entered the Land of Israel and they are plundering it, yet the king is unable to drive them away. Hence the psalmist charge is. You have not fulfilled. “Nor will the son of wickedness/lawlessness afflict him (verse 23)

 

He has become a taunt to his neighbors. His neighbors, the surrounding nations, taunt and denigrate him over his downfall. The psalmist point is: You have not fulfilled: “I too, will make him firstborn, supreme over the kings of the earth” (verse 28)

 

43. You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries. You have allowed his enemies to overcome him, and there has been no fulfillment for him of “And I will crush his foes out of his sight” (verse 24), or of “I have exalted a chosen one from the people” (verse 20), nor have we seen any fulfillment of’ “Your hand is strong, Your right hand is high (verse 14), or of’ ‘Through Your righteousness/generosity they are exalted (verse 17), or of “By Your will our stature is exalted” (verse 18)

 

You have made all his enemies rejoice. You have caused events to take place in such a way that his enemies rejoice over his downfall, There has been no fulfillment for him of, “The enemy will not destroy him” (verse 23), nor any fulfillment for us of: “In Your name they rejoice all the day” (verse 17) On the contrary it is the enemies who rejoice [Hismachta], “You have made rejoice.” in the hif’il is like “Simmachta,” in the pi’el, a form which appears in Psalm 30:2: “You have not made my enemies rejoice [Simmachta] over me.”

 

v. 44. You have also turned back the edge of his sword. You have also done something else, O Lord: You have caused his harsh sword to turn back without striking the enemy [tzur]. literally “rock,” here serves a poetic expression for the hard edge of the sword, because in ancient times the edge of the sword was made of rock, as in Joshua 5:2 “Make for yourself flint [tzurim] knives.” “Tzur, is a hard rock, as it is said (Ezekiel 3 9) “Like impenetrable stone, harder than flint [tzor] have I made your forehead.” Tzur, with a shuruk is like Tzor with a cholam. A hard sword is the best type, as it is said (Isaiah 27.1) “On that day the Lord with His hard,`great and strong sword will punish the leviathan.” “Af,” “also,” serves here for stress and emphasis Not only have You “exalted the right hand of his enemies” (verse 43) but You have even removed from him the power to smite his enemies

 

And You have not raised him up in battle, You have not given him the strength to rise up, to stand firm, in battle. These words may also mean: You have made him fall, or You have not allowed him to recover after his downfall, and there has been no fulfillment for him of the promise mentioned in Psalm 20:9 (which is also in essence a promise to the king): “But we have risen and overcome.” In any event, the complaint, “You have not raised him up in battle,” hints that he has not seen the fulfillment of the promise from verse 22: “My arm, too, will strengthen him.”

 

v. 45. You have caused his brightness to cease. In other words, You have taken away from him his glory and his royal majesty. “Hishbatta,” means: “You have annulled,” as in Leviticus 2:13: “You will not omit [Tashbit] the salt of the covenant of your God.” “Tohar,” “brightness,” here means light, luster, glory and majesty, as in Exodus 24:10: “Like the very heaven for majesty [LaTohar].”

 

And You have cast his throne to the ground. In other words, You have annulled his kingdom, so that he has not experienced the fulfillment of Your promise, mentioned in verse 30: “And will make his throne as the days of the heavens.” “Migartah,” means: You have cast down and shattered,” and is found nowhere else in biblical Hebrew.

 

v. 46. You have shortened the days of his youth. You have shortened the days of his might and his power. The psalmist may possibly be referring to the Davidic dynasty in general, which only remained at the height of its power for a few years. At the end of Solomon’s reign, the signs of increasing weakness were already recognizable. Another possibility is that the psalmist is referring to a specific king whose rule ended while he was still young, such as Josiah, who was killed at the age of thirty-nine, or his son Jehoiachin, who reigned for only three months when he was an eighteen-year-old youth.

 

You have clothed him in shame. Another example of this imagery is found in Psalm 109:29: “Let my adversaries be clothed [Yilb’shu] in shame, and let them cover themselves [V’ya’atu] with their disgrace, as with a cloak.” Shame is described as a garment that envelops a person, because shame changes one’s appearance. What is more, in ancient times it was customary to wear special clothing in times of joy and special clothing in times of sorrow. “Bushah,” “shame,” in biblical Hebrew includes all the emotions of disappointment, sorrow, and bitterness over failure and downfall. For that reason, the psalmist ends his elaboration of the evils that befell the House of David with the trait of “Bushah,” “shame.”

 

v. 47. Until when, O Lord, will You hide Yourself totally? This is a cry worded as a question in which the psalmist calls out to God. Until when, O Lord, will You be as if entirely concealed from us, as if You do not see our troubles and are not coming to save us? “Ad-Mah” – literally, “until what?” – here means “Ad-Matai,” “until when.” Another interpretation “To what extent” “LaNetzah” which usually means “forever,” here means “totally” Another interpretation You have already been concealed for a very long time, and how much longer will You remain so?

 

Will Your wrath bum like fire? Until when will Your wrath burn like fire? In other words, how long will You conduct Yourself toward us with great anger and fierce wrath? “Chemah,” means “wrath,” and it is compared to a burning liquid.

 

v. 48 Remember how short my lifetime is. Literally: Remember (O Lord)! I, what is (my) lifespan?  “Chaled,” is the number of years of a person life. Another example of the use of this word is found in Psalm 39:6 “Behold, You have made my days like handbreadths, and my age [Cheldi] is a nothing before You.” The psalmist is saying “Remember, O Lord how short my life is!” This cry completes the cry uttered in the previous verse: “Until when, O Lord, will You hide Yourself eternally?” applying the more common translation of “Lanetzah.” “Cheled,” “lifespan,” is the opposite of “netzah,” “eternity.” You are concealed Forever, whereas I — what is my life span?

 

For what falseness have You created all the sons of man? Here the psalmist in his great bitterness and despair utters harsh words again God He cries out “Why did You engage in the purposeless [Shav] creation of all mankind whose lives have no reason or purpose” The psalmist hints at a similar complaint in the Hallel prayer, Psalm 116.11 “I said in my haste: The whole of man is delusive [Kozev].” “Shav,” and “Kazav,” are synonyms (Ezekiel 136-9 and many other places). “Ani,” “I,” in the first half of the verse parallels “all the sons of man” in the second half, to inform us that the psalmist is talking about himself as a representative of all mankind. Another interpretation of this verse is as follows: When I remember and reflect upon the shortness of my life, I become bitter and cry out: “For what falseness have You created all the sons of man?” According to this Interpretation, “Z’khor – Ani” means “When I remember” Possibly, however, the verse can be interpreted like “Z’khor Ani Va’Attah,” in II King 9 25. “You and I remember.”

 

v. 49 Who is the man who will live and not see death? Who is the man destined to live forever and never to die? This is a question expecting a negative answer. There is no man not destined to die hence man’s creation was false, as the psalmist said in the previous verse. By “seeing death” the psalmist was referring to “being in the state of the dead,” just as in Lamentations 3:1, the expression ‘I have seen affliction” means “I have been afflicted.” “Gever,” is a poetic synonym for “man.” The word may also contain an allusion to “G’vurah,” “might,” thus stating that there is no mighty man who can defeat death.

 

Who will deliver his soul from the band of the underworld? Who is the man who will deliver his soul from the hand of the under world, who will save his life and will not descend into underworld? This is a question expecting a negative answer and it parallels the question in the first half of the verse. “Y’malet,” means “will save” as in Psalm 41:2 “The Lord will deliver him [Y’mal’tehu] on the day of evil.” “Naf’sho,” literally, “his soul,” means “himself” or “his life.” “Mi-Yad-Sh’ol, “from the hand of the underworld” is a figurative expression meaning simply “from the underworld” A similar usage is found in Isaiah 47:14 “They will not deliver themselves from the hand of [MiYad] the flame.”

 

50 Where are Your former loving-kindnesses, O Lord? After sinking into thoughts of despair regarding death and the underworld, the psalmist now remembers that God’s loving-kindness is stronger than the underworld, and that God redeems His pious ones from the underworld, as it is said (Psalm 49:16) “But God will redeem my soul from the hand of the underworld” and (Psalm 16.10). “For You will not abandon my soul to the underworld. You will not allow Your pious one to see the pit.” The psalmist therefore takes up his previous complaints that God does not conduct Himself in accordance with His loving-kindness: “Where are Your former loving-kindnesses?” In other words, where are the promises that You promised in the early days? Why do You not fulfill them?

 

Which You swore to David in Your faithfulness? In Your oath You swore to uphold Your loving-kindness, and You cited Your faithfulness, as in Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant and loving-kindness.” The expression, “which You swore to David in Your faithfulness,” hints at God’ words quoted earlier in this psalm “I am swearing to David My servant” (verse 4), “but My faithfulness and My loving-kindness will be with him” (verse 25), “I will not be false to My faithfulness” (verse 34), and “I have sworn one thing by My holiness, that I will not lie to David” (verse 36).

 

51. Consider, Lord, the insult of Your servants. Please, O Lord, observe and consider the insult that covers Your servants. This recalls verse 46: You have clothed him in shame [Bushah].” “Cherpah,” is synonymous with “Bushah,” as in Psalm 71:13: “Let those who hate my soul be disappointed [Yevoshu], and consumed. Let those who seek my harm be covered with reproach [Cherpah] and humiliation [K’limah].” “Z’khor,” which usually means “remember,” here means “consider” or “ponder,” as in Lamentations 5:1: ‘Consider [Z’khor] You, O Lord, what has come upon us. Observe and see our disgrace.” The psalmist uses the word “Avadekha,” “Your servants,” in the plural, and he is referring to all Israel, for the downfall of the kingdom of the House of David constitutes a disgrace for all Israel. The cry: “Consider, Lord, the insult of Your servants,” follows the cry: “Where are Your former loving-kindnesses?” The point of this sequence is to hint that the insult to the servants is an insult to their Master, and if God does not act for the sake of His people. He should act for the sake of His name, lest it be profaned by the insults of the enemies. God’s name is written in the Hebrew form indicating Lordship [Adonai], and it may correspond to the use of the expression “Your servants” to make the point that we are God’s servants and God is our master.

 

What I bear in my bosom of all the many peoples. The full meaning of these words is: Consider how I bear in my bosom the insult of all the many peoples. In other words, consider that all the great, strong, and mighty peoples insult me, and I bear their insult, and it is as though all their insults have fallen upon me and I bear them with me in my bosom. The “Cheiq,” “bosom,” is the hollow between a person’s folded arms and his chest, or between his belt and his body. It can also mean the pockets sewn into the belt. The psalmist is comparing the insults to arrows or to stones that the enemies throw at him, which he gathers up and places in his bosom. In the first half of the verse, he calls the insult the “insult of Your servants,” whereas in the second half of the verse he speaks of bearing all the insult upon himself, in the singular. The point is that the psalmist, praying on behalf of the entire nation, feels as though he is personally bearing all the insults heaped upon Israel by the Gentiles. A similar image is found in Psalm 69:10: “The taunts of those who taunt You have fallen upon me.” Another interpretation of “what I bear in my bosom” is that this is a description of the Gentiles’ insult to Israel, that they subjugate Israel and force the princes of Israel to be nursemaids to their children, and to “bear them in their bosom.” A similar expression is found in the Torah (Numbers 11:12): “Carry them in your bosom [Sa’ehu V’Cheikehha] as a nursing father carries the sucking child.” Another interpretation of “what I bear in my bosom” is that it is not a description of the insult, but a description of the former greatness of the House of David, when it “bore in its bosom” many nations, ruling over them and supervising the supply of their needs. The meaning of “carry them in your bosom,” regarding Moses (Numbers 11:12), is the same. According to this interpretation, the psalmist is talking in the name of the Davidic dynasty and is crying sorrowfully: “Indeed, previously I used to bear many nations in my bosom, and now I have been humiliated and disgraced.” The expression “Rabbim ‘Ammim,” “many peoples,” is used here with the adjective preceding the noun, rather than the expected “‘Ammim Rabbim.” It is possible that the word “Rabbim,” “many,” precedes its noun here in the same way that the word “M’at,” “a little,” can precede the noun it modifies.

 

v. 52.With which Your enemies have insulted, O Lord. This is linked to “the insult of Your servants” in the previous verse: “Consider the insult with which Your enemies have insulted Your servants, O Lord.” The psalmist is thus hinting that the enemies who insult Israel are the enemies of God, and their insults to Israel are insults to God as well. This is why the vocative, “O Lord,” is placed after “Your enemies.” Some commentators interpret “Your enemies” not as the subject, but as part of a respectful reference to God, the meaning of the verse then being: “Which have insulted You, O Lord” A similar usage is found in II Samuel 12:14: “You have greatly blasphemed the Lord [“Oyvei Ha-Shem,” literally, ‘the enemies of the Lord’].

 

With which they have insulted the footsteps of Your anointed. The full meaning of this is: Consider the insult with which they have insulted the footsteps, the ways, of Your anointed. “Footsteps of the anointed” can mean either the king of the House of David and the practices of his government, or the people who follow in the ways of their king. The first half of the verse says that the enemies have insulted God, and the second half says that they have insulted God’s anointed. This implies that their insulting of God led them also to insult God’s anointed, the king of Israel. We find the same regarding Pharaoh. Through his denial of God, he ultimately mistreated Israel (Exodus 5:2): “I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” We find the same pattern in Psalm 2:2: “The kings of the earth assemble.., against the Lord and against His anointed.” “Your anointed” here refers to the king of the House of David, about whose downfall the psalmist is complaining, as he did in verse 39: “. You have been angry with Your anointed.”

 

v. 53. Blessed be the Lord forever. The psalmist ends with a blessing for God, in contrast to the words of the enemies who insult God, as mentioned in the previous verse. He says: “Blessed be the Lord forever,” just as he began the psalm with: “I will sing of the loving-kindness of the Lord forever” (verse 2). Thus the third part of the Book of Psalms ends with a blessing, like the blessings that ended the first and second parts (at the end of Psalms 41 and 72, and see the conclusion to our own psalm).

 

Amen and amen. The psalmist ends with the response “Amen and amen,” in the same way as he ended the first and second parts. As we said there. “Amen and amen” may be a response to the blessing: “Blessed be the Lord forever,” it may constitute a response to the praises and requests of our psalm, and it may also constitute a response to all the psalms in the third part of the Book of Psalms.”

 

Here ends the third book of Psalms.

 

 

 

Ashlamatah: Judges 11:30-40

 

30. And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said: 'If You will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,

31. then it will be, that whatsoever comes forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it will be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering.' {P}

 

32. So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hand.

33. And he smote them from Aroer until you come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto Abel-cheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. {P}

 

34. And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances; and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

35. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said: 'Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are become my troubler; for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.'

36. And she said unto him: 'My father, you have opened your mouth unto the LORD; do unto me according to that which has proceeded out of your mouth; forasmuch as the LORD has taken vengeance for thee of your enemies, even of the children of Ammon.'

37. And she said unto her father: 'Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.'

38. And he said: 'Go.' And he sent her away for two months; and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

39. And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed; and she had not known man. And it was a custom in Israel,

40. that the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. {P}

 

 

 

Special Ashlamatah: Jeremiah 2:4-28 + 4:1-2

 

4. Hear you the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel;

5. Thus says the LORD: What unrighteousness/injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they are gone far from Me, and have walked after things of nought, and are become nought?

6. Neither said they: ‘Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt; that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?’

7. And I brought you into a land of fruitful fields, to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof; but when you entered, you defiled My land, and made My heritage an abomination.

8. The priests said not: ‘Where is the LORD?’ And they that handle the law knew Me not, and the rulers transgressed against Me; the prophets also prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

9. Wherefore I will yet plead with you, says the LORD, and with your children's children will I plead.

10. For pass over to the isles of the Kittites, and see, and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there has been such a thing.

11. Has a nation changed its gods, which yet are no gods? But My people has changed its glory for that which does not profit.

12. Be astonished, O you heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be you exceedingly amazed, says the LORD.

13. For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

14. Is Israel a servant? Is he a home-born slave? Why is he become a prey?

15. The young lions have roared upon him, and let their voice resound; and they have made his land desolate, his cities are laid waste, without inhabitant.

16. The children also of Noph and Tahpanhes feed upon the crown of your head.

17. Is it not this that does cause it unto you, that you have forsaken the LORD your God, when He led you by the way?

Jer 2:18  And now what have you to do in the way to Egypt, to drink the waters of Shihor? Or what have you to do in the way to Assyria, to drink the waters of the River?

19. Your own wickedness/lawlessness will correct you, and your backslidings will reprove you: know therefore and see that it is an evil and a bitter thing, that you have forsaken the LORD your God, neither is My fear [reverence] in you, says the Lord GOD of hosts.

20. For of old time I have broken your yoke, and burst your bands, and you said: ‘I will not transgress;’ upon every high hill and under every leafy tree you did recline, playing the harlot.

21. Yet I had planted you a noble vine, wholly a right seed; how then are you turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto Me?

22. For though you wash yourself with nitre, and take for yourself much soap, yet your iniquity/lawlessness is marked before Me, says the Lord GOD.

23. How can you say: ‘I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baalim?’ See your way in the Valley, know what you have done; you are a swift young camel traversing her ways;

24. A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffs up the wind in her desire; her lust, who can hinder it? All they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they will find her.

25. Withhold your foot from being unshod, and your throat from thirst; but you said: ‘There is no hope; no, for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.’

26. As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets;

27. Who say to a stock: ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone: ‘You have brought us forth,’ for they have turned their back unto Me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say: ‘Arise, and save us.’

28. But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble; for according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah. {S}

 

1. If you will return, O Israel, says the LORD, yea, return unto Me; and if you will put away your detestable things out of My sight, and will not waver;

2. And will swear: ‘As the LORD lives’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness/generosity; then will the Gentiles bless themselves by Him, and in Him will they glory. {S}

 

 

 

Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) 18:21-35

 

  1.   Then Shimon HaTsefet Bar Yonah having come near to Yeshuah, said, “Master, how often will my brother sin against me and I must bear him? Will I forgive him unto seven times?”
  2. Yeshuah answered him, “I do not tell you only until seven times, but rather unto seventy times seven.
  3. On account of this, the Kingdom (Government) of the heavens has become like a man who is a king, who wished to tally the statements [of account] with his slaves and ministers.
  4. Having begun to tally, a debtor of hundreds of millions of Shekelim was presented to him.
  5. Not having [it] to pay [the debt], the master ordered him to be sold – woman, children, and all, as much as he had – and [the debt] paid.
  6. Then, having fallen [down], this slave paid homage to him saying, ‘Master be slow-tempered toward me and I will pay you in full.’
  7. Then the master of that slave had compassion on him, released him and financed [the] debt [himself].
  8. Having gone out, that slave found one of his fellows who was indebted to him for several hundred Shekelim. Having taken hold of him, he choked [him] saying, ‘Pay up! You owe me!’
  9. Then, his fellow, having fallen [down], requested forbearance of him saying, ‘Be slow-tempered toward me and I will pay you.’
  10. Then he, [who had been let go of the debt for tens of millions of Shekelim], wished not to [let the slave indebted to him for several hundred Shekelim go]. Rather, having gone out, he threw [the slave indebted for several hundred Shekelim] into the dungeon until he should pay in full that which he was indebted.
  11. Then his fellow-slaves, having seen what had become, were greatly distressed. Having come, they made it thoroughly clear to their master all that had taken place.
  12. Then his master, having called him near, said to him, ‘Evil slave, I bore all that debt for you because you requested forbearance of me.
  13. Wasn’t it also needful for you to have absolved your fellow-slave, as I also absolved you?’
  14. Then, being angry, his master delivered him over to those who assay as by a touchstone until he should complete payment of all that which was indebted to him.
  15. Thus will my Father of the heavens also do to each of you unless, with a complete heart, you bear your brother.”

 

 

 

The Rabbi’s Private Prophetic Study

 

This commentary is dedicated to Her Honor Giberet Zahavah bat Sarah on occasion of her birthday. Wishing her much happiness, long-life, good health and many happy returns!

 

The readings for this Sabbath are evidently crafted to be related to each other in a most elegantly and harmonious manner. We learn from Midrash Tanhuma that our regular Ashlamatah and our Psalm (Ps. 89) are related to our Torah Seder. This is one more piece of evidence of the accuracy and robustness of the Septennial Torah cycle of readings, as it is logical to assume that in ancient times our Torah Seder was read in conjunction with Psalm 89 and our Ashlamatah of Judges 11:30-40! 

 

Last week we ended with the last portion of the Holiness Code in Leviticus, and this week we end with the last chapter of Sefer Vayikra (the Book “And He called” – i.e. Leviticus). In order to give our readers an idea of where we are in Sefer Vayiqra (Book of Leviticus) and where our present Torah Seder fits in, here is a small summary of the whole book of Leviticus.

 

·       Laws regarding the regulations for different types of sacrifice (Leviticus 1-7):

§  Burnt-offerings, meat-offerings, and thank-offerings (Leviticus 1-3)

§  Sin-offerings, and trespass-offerings (Leviticus 4-5)

§  Priestly duties and rights concerning the offering of sacrifices (Leviticus 6-7)

 

·       The practical application of the sacrificial laws, within a narrative of the consecration of Aaron and his sons (Leviticus 8-10)

§  Aaron's first offering for himself and the people (Leviticus 8)

§  The incident in which "strange fire" is brought to the Tabernacle by Nadab and Abihu, leading to their death directly at the hands of God for doing so (Leviticus 9-10)

 

·       Laws concerning purity and impurity (Leviticus 11-16)

§  Laws about clean and unclean animals (Leviticus 11)

§  Laws concerning ritual cleanliness after childbirth (Leviticus 12)

§  Laws concerning tzaraath of people, and of clothes and houses, often translated as leprosy, and mildew, respectively (Leviticus 13-14)

§  Laws concerning bodily discharges (such as blood, pus, etc.) and purification (Leviticus 15)

§  Laws regarding a day of national atonement, Yom Kippur (Leviticus 16)

 

o  Holiness Code (Leviticus 17-26)

§  Laws concerning idolatry, the slaughter of animals, dead animals, and the consumption of blood (Leviticus 17)

§  Laws concerning sexual conduct (including some that are often interpreted as referring to male homosexuality), sorcery, and moloch (Leviticus 18, and also Leviticus 20, in which penalties are given)

§  Laws concerning molten gods, peace-offerings, scraps of the harvest, fraud, the deaf, blind, elderly, and poor, poisoning the well, hate, sex with slaves, self harm, shaving, prostitution, sabbaths, sorcery, familiars, strangers, and just weights and measure (Leviticus 19)

§  Laws concerning priestly conduct, and prohibitions against the disabled, ill, and superfluously blemished, from becoming priests, or becoming sacrifices, for descendants of Aaron, and animals, respectively (Leviticus 21-22)

§  Laws concerning the observation of the annual feasts, and the sabbath, (Leviticus 23)

§  Laws concerning the altar of incense (Leviticus 24:1-9)

§  The case law lesson of a blasphemer being stoned to death, and other applications of the death penalty (Leviticus 24:10-23), including anyone having "a familiar ghost or spirit", a child insulting its parents (Leviticus 20), and a special case for prostitution (burning them alive) (Leviticus 21)

§  Laws concerning the Sabbath and Jubilee years (Leviticus 25)

§  A hortatory conclusion to the section, giving promises regarding obedience to these commandments, and warnings and threats for those that might disobey them, including sending wild animals to devour their children. (Leviticus 26:22)

 

o  Laws concerning the commutation of vows (Leviticus 27)

 

 

The Torah Seder and our reading of Psalm 89 are related with regards to the theme of our Torah Seder – “the commutation of vows.” The Ashlamatah follows the same subject, and our Midrash of Matityahu pursues the same theme again. In Matityahu the theme reaches its climax by pointing out that he who has a vow commuted or forgiven, is in the obligation to commute or forgive the vows also made to him by others.

 

In Psalm 89:39 and subsequent verses, R. Amos Hakham, in his most wonderful and learned commentary on the Books of Psalms states:

 

“You have been angry with Your anointed. … The “anointed” here is the king regarding whose downfall the psalmist is complaining. The reference may be to David himself, since when God is angry with a descendant of David, it is as though He is angry with David himself. [At all events, the meaning of the word “anointed” in our verse is not like its meaning in Rabbinic literature: the messianic who will reign at the End of Days.]”

 

Respectfully I must disagree with this comment. The Psalm complains that the promises made to King David seem to have not been fulfilled. And whilst this seems obvious when we look at the Davidic dynasty, reaching its heights with Messiah King David, and his son Messiah King Shlomoh, and then progressively falling apart in subsequent generations, we find the same phenomenon with Messiah King Yeshuah, where the Nazarean movement reached its heights from circa year 33 – 100, and then a dramatic and lethal apostasy took place for which we have yet to see any good and strong signs of recovery. The same frustration expressed by the Psalmist is ours as well, as we find difficult to fathom how “the Tabernacle of David which is fallen down” (2 Luqas 15:16; Amos 9:11-12) has remained so for over the last 1,900 years approximately.

 

Whilst it is true that at times it is difficult to understand the mind of G-d in these matters, nevertheless it is demanded of us by the Holy writ “to build again the ruins thereof, and make it ready to be set up once more.” It is incumbent of us to make a Tikun (reparation) for this tragic disaster due to the apostasy that took place almost 1,900 years ago, and go on to restore “the Tabernacle of David which is fallen down.”

 

It is in this context that this second penitential Sabbath before the Fast of the 9th of Ab takes a very special significance for us. We mourn the fallen Temple of living stones, and above all, we mourn for the destruction of the Tabernacle of David. This mourning serves to awaken our souls from slumber and motivate us to do the work of Tikun (reparation and restoration) to the best of our abilities. If we faith, then we are not worthy of being called followers of the Master of Nazareth, and the spirit of G-d is not in us, but rather a spirit of slumber causing a slow death to overtake us.

 

Surely, each one of us is a very special and most precious creature before G-d, but we can only occupy this status as long as we are doing what we were chosen and commanded to do even before the creation of the world! Such is our most precious and serious call and responsibility before our Maker, and Master of the universe.  

 

On this second penitential Sabbath who by reason of the special Ashlamatah being read on it is called “Shabbat Shim’ú D’var Ha-Shem” – Sabbath of “Hear the Word of Ha-Shem” we need to head the counsel of Jeremiah 4:1-2:

 

1. If you will return, O Israel, says Ha-Shem, return to Me. And if you will turn away from your hateful idols out of My face and will not waver,

2. and you will swear, As Ha-Shem lives, in truth, in justice, and in righteousness/generosity; even the Gentiles will bless themselves in Him, and in Him they will glory.

 

The return of all righteous/generous Gentiles to Ha-Shem, and of all Israel inter-mixed with the Gentiles to Ha-Shem and to the Jewish Emunah as taught and practiced by our Sages is the only way to bring Tikun for that great apostasy that took place almost 1,900 years ago, which caused great damage to the Tabernacle of David that was being restored. There is no need for the creation of a new religion or religious denomination, our efforts need to concentrate in obtaining a good understanding and interpretation of the Nazarean Codicil in its Jewish Rabbinical context while at the same time bring those righteous/generous Gentilesm, and all Israel that is mixed amongst the Gentiles back under the leadership and obedience to the Yokes of the Torah and of the kingship of His Majesty King Yeshuah the Messiah of Israel. May this be fulfilled soon and speedily in our generation, amen ve amen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shalom Shabbat!

 

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai