Esnoga Bet Emunah

1101 Surrey Trce. SE, Tumwater, WA 98501

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

Three and 1/2 year Lectionary Readings	Third Year of the Reading Cycle
Tebet 18, 5771 – December 24/25, 2010	Third Year of the Shmita Cycle

Candle Lighting and Havdalah Times:

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

Fri. Dec. 24, 2010 – Candles at 5:16 PM

Sat. Dec. 25, 2010 – Havdalah 6:16 PM

Brisbane, Australia

Fri. Dec. 24, 2010 – Candles at 6:25 PM

Sat. Dec. 25, 2010 – Havdalah 7:23 PM

Bucharest, Romania

Fri Dec. 24, 2010 – Candles at 4:22 PM

Sat. Dec.25, 2010 – Havdalah 5:30 PM

Chattanooga, & Cleveland, TN, U.S.

Fri. Dec. 24, 2010 – Candles at 5:17 PM

Sat. Dec. 25, 2010 – Havdalah 6:17 PM

Jakarta, Indonesia

Fri. Dec. 24, 2010 – Candles at 5:49 PM

Sat. Dec. 25, 2010 – Havdalah 6:41 PM

Manila & Cebu, Philippines

Fri. Dec. 24, 2010 – Candles at 5:15 PM

Sat. Dec. 25, 2010 – Havdalah 6:08 PM

Miami, FL, U.S.

Fri. Dec. 24, 2010 – Candles at 5:18 PM

Sat. Dec. 25, 2010 – Havdalah 6:14 PM

Olympia, WA, U.S.

Fri. Dec. 24, 2010 – Candles at 4:08 PM

Sat. Dec. 25, 2010 – Havdalah 5:19 PM

Murray, KY, & Paris, TN. U.S.

Fri. Dec. 24, 2010 – Candles at 4:24 PM

Sat. Dec. 25, 2010 – Havdalah 5:26 PM

Conroe, TX, U.S.

Fri. Dec. 24, 2010 – Candles at 5:18 PM

Sat. Dec. 25, 2010 – Havdalah 6:16 PM

Sheboygan & Manitowoc, WI, US

Fri. Dec. 24, 2010 – Candles at 4:00 PM

Sat. Dec. 25, 2010 – Havdalah 5:07 PM

Singapore, Singapore

Fri. Dec. 24, 2010 – Candles at 6:47 PM

Sat. Dec. 25, 2010 – Havdalah 7:39 PM

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

Roll of Honor:

This Torah commentary comes to you courtesy of:

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

His Honor Paqid Adon Mikha ben Hillel

His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham

Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah & beloved family

His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann & beloved family

His Excellency Adon John Batchelor & beloved wife

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

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

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

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

Her Excellency Giberet Laurie Taylor

His Excellency Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Dr. Elisheba 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 and her Torah Scholars, amen ve amen!

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

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Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
אִם-בְּחֻקֹּתַי
“Im-B’Chuqotai”	Reader 1 – Vayiqra 26:3-5	Reader 1 – Vayiqra 26:27-29
“In My statutes”	Reader 2 – Vayiqra 26:6-8	Reader 2 – Vayiqra 26:30-32
“En Mis estatutos”	Reader 3 – Vayiqra 26:9-13	Reader 3 – Vayiqra 26:33-35
Vayiqra (Lev.) 26:3-26	Reader 4 – Vayiqra 26:14-16
Ashlmt. Isaiah 1:19-20, 24-28, 31, 2:1, 5	Reader 5 – Vayiqra 26:17-19
	Reader 6 – Vayiqra 26:20-22	Reader 1 – Vayiqra 26:27-29
Psalm 89:16-38	Reader 7 – Vayiqra 26:23-26	Reader 2 – Vayiqra 26:30-32
	Maftir: Vayiqra 26:24-26	Reader 3 – Vayiqra 26:33-35
N.C.: 2 Peter 3:11-16	Isaiah ‎1:19-20, 24-28, 31, 2:1, 5‎

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan

for: Vayiqra (Leviticus) ‎‎26:3-26‎

Rashi	Targum Pseudo Jonathan
3. If you follow My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them,	3. If you will go forward in the statutes of My law, and keep the orders of My judgments, and perform them,
4. I will give your rains in their time, the Land will yield its produce, and the tree of the field will give forth its fruit.	4. then will I give you the rains for your lands in your seasons, the early and the late, and the land will yield the fruits of increase, and the tree on the face of the field will be prosperous in its fruit.
5. Your threshing will last until the vintage, and the vintage will last until the sowing; you will eat your food to satiety, and you will live in security in your land.	5. And with you the threshing will reach to the vintage, and the vintage unto the springing of the seed, and you will eat your bread and be satisfied, and dwell securely in your land.
6. And I will grant peace in the Land, and you will lie down with no one to frighten [you]; I will remove wild beasts from the Land, and no army will pass through your land;	6. And I will give peace in the land of Israel, that you may repose, and there be none to disturb; and I will make the power of the wild beast to cease from the land of Israel, and the unsheather of the sword will not pass through your land.
7. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you;	7. And you will chase your adversaries, and they will fall before you broken with the sword.
8. Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.	8. And five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you put a myriad to flight, and your adversaries will fall before you, broken with the sword.
9. I will turn towards you, and I will make you fruitful and increase you, and I will set up My covenant with you.	9. For I will turn from the wages of the Gentiles, to fulfill to you the recompense of your good works, and I will strengthen you, and multiply you, and establish My covenant with you.
10. You will eat very old [produce], and you will clear out the old from before the new.	10. And you will eat the old that is old without having the corn-worm, and the old from before the new produce will you turn out of your barns.
11. And I will place My dwelling in your midst, and My Spirit will not reject you;	11. And I will set the Shekinah of My Glory among you, and My Word will not abhor you,
12. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.	12. but the Glory of My Shekinah will dwell among you, and My Word will be to you for a redeeming God, and you will be unto My Name for a holy people.
13. I am the Lord, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt from being slaves to them; and I broke the pegs of your yoke and led you upright.	13. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out redeemed from the land of Mizraim, that you should not be bondmen to them, and brake the yoke of their bondage from off you, and brought you out from among them, the children of liberty, and led you forth with an erect stature.
14. But if you do not listen to Me and do not perform all these commandments,	14. But if you will be unwilling to hear the instructions of the doctrine of My Law, and to perform all these precepts with your free choice;
15. and if you despise My statutes and reject My ordinances, not performing any of My commandments, thereby breaking My covenant	15. and if you despise My statutes, and hate in your soul the orders of My judgments, to do not all My precepts, but your purpose be to abolish My covenant;
16. then I too, will do the same to you; I will order upon you shock, consumption, fever, and diseases that cause hopeless longing and depression. You will sow your seed in vain, and your enemies will eat it.	16. this also will I do to you: I will draw out against you the smiting pestilence, the flame and the fever, to consume your eyes, and to exhaust life; and you will sow your seed in vain, for it will not spring up, and that which grows of itself will your enemies devour.
17. I will set My attention against you, and you will be smitten before your enemies. Your enemies will rule over you; you will flee, but no one will be pursuing you.	17. And I will appoint a reverse to your affairs, and you will be broken before your foes, and they who hate you will rule over you; and you will flee when no one pursues you.
18. And if, during these, you will not listen to Me, I will add another seven punishments for your sins:	18. And if after these chastisements you be not willing to obey the doctrines of My Law, I will add to punish you with seven plagues, for the seven transgressions with which you have sinned before Me.
19. I will break the pride of your strength and make your skies like iron and your land like copper.	19. And I will break down the glory of the strength of your sanctuary, and will make the heavens above you obdurate as iron, to yield no moisture, nor send you dew or rain, and the ground beneath you to be like brass to put forth (only) to destroy its fruit.
20. Your strength will be expended in vain; your land will not yield its produce, neither will the tree of the earth give forth its fruit.	20. And your strength will be consumed in vain, for your land will not yield what you bestow upon it, and the tree upon the face of the field will drop its fruit.
21. And if you treat Me as happenstance, and you do not wish to listen to Me, I will add seven punishments corresponding to your sins:	21. And if you still walk perversely with Me, and will not hearken to the doctrine of My Law, I will add to bring upon you (yet) seven plagues, for the seven transgressions with which you have sinned before Me;
22. I will incite the wild beasts of the field against you, and they will bereave you, utterly destroy your livestock and diminish you, and your roads will become desolate.	22. and I will send against you the strength of the wild beast, to make you childless, and to destroy your cattle without, and to diminish you within, and your highways will be desolate.
23. And if, through these, you will still not be chastised [to return] to Me, and if you [continue to] treat Me happenstance,	23. And if by these chastisements you will not be corrected before Me, but will walk before Me perversely,
24. Then I too, will treat you as happenstance. I will again add seven punishments for your sins:	24. I will Myself also remember you adversely in the world, and will destroy you, even I, with seven plagues, for seven transgressions with which ye have sinned before Me.
25. I will bring upon you an army that avenges the avenging of a covenant, and you will gather into your cities. I will incite the plague in your midst, and you will be delivered into the enemy's hands,	25. And I will bring against you a people unsheathing the sword to take vengeance upon you, for that you will have abolished My covenant; and when you are gathered together from the wilderness into your cities, I will send the pestilence among you, or deliver you to die by the hand of your adversaries.
26. when I break for you the staff of bread, and ten women will bake your bread in one oven, and they will bring back your bread by weight, and you will eat, yet not be satisfied.	26. And when I will have broken for you the staff of all the subsistence of food, then ten women may bake your bread in one oven on account of its scarcity, and measure and divide it to you diminished in weight, and you will eat and not be satisfied.

Welcome to the World of P’shat Exegesis

In order to understand the finished work of the P’shat mode of interpretation of the Torah, one needs to take into account that the P’shat is intended to produce a catechetical output, whereby a question/s is/are raised and an answer/a is/are given using the seven Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel and as well as the laws of Hebrew Grammar and Hebrew expression.

The Seven Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel are as follows

[cf. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=472&letter=R]:

1. Ḳal va-ḥomer: "Argumentum a minori ad majus" or "a majori ad minus"; corresponding to the scholastic proof a fortiori.

2. Gezerah shavah: Argument from analogy. Biblical passages containing synonyms or homonyms are subject, however much they differ in other respects, to identical definitions and applications.

3. Binyan ab mi-katub eḥad: Application of a provision found in one passage only to passages which are related to the first in content but do not contain the provision in question.

4. Binyan ab mi-shene ketubim: The same as the preceding, except that the provision is generalized from two Biblical passages.

5. Kelal u-Peraṭ and Peraṭ u-kelal: Definition of the general by the particular, and of the particular by the general.

6. Ka-yoẓe bo mi-maḳom aḥer: Similarity in content to another Scriptural passage.

7. Dabar ha-lamed me-'inyano: Interpretation deduced from the context.

Reading Assignment:

The Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez - Vol 12: Holiness

By: Rabbi Yitzchaq Magriso

Published by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1990)

Vol. 12 – “Holiness,” pp. 289-309.

Rashi Commentary for: Vayiqra (Leviticus) ‎‎26:3-26‎

3 If you follow My statutes I might think that this refers to the fulfillment of the commandments. However, when Scripture says, “and observe My commandments,” the fulfillment of the commandments is [already] stated. So what is the meaning of "If you follow My statutes"? It means that you must toil in the study of Torah [for the word for “follow” here, תֵּלֵכוּ , literally means “walk,” which is a strenuous activity (Gur Aryeh)].-[Torath Kohanim 26:2]

and observe My commandments You shall toil in the study of Torah in order to observe and fulfill [the commandments (Torath Kohanim 26:2). This is similar to, “[Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances...] and learn them, and keep in mind to do them” (Deut. 5:1) [i.e., learn the Torah in order to keep them in your heart and perform them].-[Sifthei Chachamim]

4 [I will give your rains] in their time at a time when people do not usually go out, for example, on Sabbath Eve.-[Ta’anith 23a]

the tree of the field This refers to trees [planted in the field, as opposed to the orchard,] that do not bear fruit, but are destined to bear fruit in the future.-[Torath Kohanim 26:5]

5 Your threshing will last until the vintage [and the vintage will last until the sowing] For the threshing will be so plentiful that you will be occupied with it until the vintage, and you will occupied with the vintage until the sowing season.-[Torath Kohanim 26:6]

you will eat your food to satiety One will eat only a little [food], but it will become blessed in one’s innards.-[Torath Kohanim 26:6]

6 And I will grant peace You might say, “Here is food, and here is drink, but if there is no peace, there is nothing!” Scripture, therefore, states, after all this [blessing], “I will grant peace in the Land.” From here, [we learn] that peace is equal to everything else. And so, [this is illustrated in our morning prayers,] when we say: “[Blessed are You, O Lord...] Who... makes peace and creates everything” [a paraphrase of the verse] (Isaiah 45:7). -[see Ber. 11b; Torath Kohanim 26:7]

and no army will pass through your land It is unnecessary to state that they will not come to wage war, but [they will not come] even to pass through your land from one country to another.- [Torath Kohanim 26:9]

7 [And they will fall] by the sword before you each man [falling] by the sword of his fellow.-[Torath Kohanim 26:9]

8 of you will pursue [It will require only five] of your weakest [to pursue a hundred enemies], and not of your strongest [i.e., מִכֶּם means “the weakest (מָךְ) of you.”]-[Sifthei Chachamim ; Torath Kohanim 26:10]

Five... will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand But is this calculation correct? [Since five will pursue a hundred, this means that each Jew will pursue twenty enemies;] therefore, should Scripture not have written here: "and a hundred of you will pursue two thousand"? But, [the Torah teaches us that] there is no comparison between a few who fulfill the Torah and many who fulfill the Torah [and thus, here, the larger the group of pursuers, the higher proportionately is the number pursued].-[Torath Kohanim 26:10]

and your enemies will fall [by the sword before you] [This promise, already stated in verse 7, is repeated here to teach us (Torath Kohanim 26:10)] that the enemy will fall before you, not in the usual manner [i.e., that many of them will fall by the hand of only a few.-[Rash MiShantz ad loc.]

9 I will turn towards you -"I will turn away (אֶפְנֶה) from all My affairs to pay your reward." To what may this be compared? To a king who hired some workers [only one of whom worked for him for a long time, while all the others did not. When they presented themselves to receive payment, the king quickly paid the others a small amount, while to the one who had worked long, he said, “They worked merely a little for me, but with you, I must now turn my attention to calculate the substantial amount that I owe you.” Likewise, God will quickly pay the nations the small amount He owes them for their little good deeds, and then He will turn His attention, as it were, to the Jewish people, to calculate their great reward,] as is taught in Torath Kohanim 26:11.]

and I will make you fruitful [Unlike the usual expression of פִּרְיָה וְרִבְיָה in Scripture, here, the two parts of this expression are separated by the word אֶתְכֶם (Sifthei Chachamim quoting Maharai). The first part, וְהִפְרֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם , refers to the blessing of] being fruitful and multiplying.-[Torath Kohanim 26:12] [while the second part,] וְהִרְבֵּיתִי אֶתְכֶם [refers to the blessing of having]dignity of stature [ (הִתְרַבְרְבוּת) i.e., being able to hold one’s head up high due to dignity].-[Mizrachi ; Torath Kohanim 26:12]

and I will set up My covenant with you a new covenant, not like the first covenant, which you broke, but a new covenant, which will not be broken, as it is said, “I will form a new covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah—not like the covenant [that I formed with their forefathers... that they broke]” (Jer. 31:30-31). - [Torath Kohanim 26:12]

10 You will eat very old [produce] [But what blessing is it to eat old food? The Torah, means, however, that] the produce will remain well preserved, growing mellow with age, so that very old produce from three years ago will be better to eat than that of last year.-[B.B. 91b]

and you will clear out the old from before the new The threshing floors will be full of new [grain, which would decay if left there, and, therefore, must be stored]. The storehouses, however, will be filled with the [abundant] old produce. Therefore, you will have to remove what is in the storehouses and take it elsewhere [in your house], in order to put the new produce into them. -[Sifthei Chachamim and see preceding Rashi ; B.B. 91b]

11 And I will place My dwelling This is the Holy Temple.-[see Er. 2a and Rashi there; Torath Kohanim 26:14]

and My Spirit will not reject you My Spirit will not be disgusted with you. Every [expression of] גְּעִילָה is an expression of the purging of something that had been absorbed by something else, as in the verse, “For there, the shield of the mighty was rejected (נִגְעֲל) ,” (II Sam. 1:21), it did not accept that anointment, that [warriors] used to anoint their leather shields with cooked fat, in order to have attacking arrows or spears glide off it, rather than pierce the leather.

12 I will walk among you [God promises a blessing of special spiritual quality, involving intimate knowledge of Him (Zeidah Laderech):] “I will stroll with you in the Garden of Eden, as if I were one of you, and you will not be terrified of Me.” Now, one might think that you will not fear Me [under such “familiar” circumstances]. Scripture, therefore, says here, “and be your God.”-[Torath Kohanim 26:15]

13 I am the Lord, your God, [Who took you out of the land of Egypt] It is worthwhile for you to believe Me that I can do all these things, for indeed “I took you out of the land of Egypt” and performed great miracles for you.-[Torath Kohanim 26:16]

the pegs [A plowing yoke consists of a bar that is placed over the animal’s neck and reins that are placed under its neck and threaded through two holes at each end of the bar. This term מוֹט refers to] a type of peg, which is inserted into the two [holes at the] ends of the yoke. [These pegs therefore jam the reins tightly through the holes,] preventing the reins from coming off the ox’s head and [preventing the] undoing of the knot. [The term is] as [it appears] in the verse, “Make yourself reins and yoke-pegs (מֽטוֹת) ” (Jer. 27:2); cheville in French.

upright Erect in stature [due to relief from bondage].-[Torath Kohanim 26:17]

14 But if you do not listen to Me to toil in [the study of] Torah in order to know the exposition of the Sages [corresponding to verse 3]. I might think that this refers to fulfilling the commandments. When Scripture says, “and you do not perform all these commandments,” the fulfillment of commandments is [already] stated. So what is the meaning of "if you do not listen to Me"? To toil in [the study of] Torah. And what is the meaning of "to Me"? This is speaking only about someone who knows his Master, and yet willfully rebels against Him (Sanh. 109a). Likewise, regarding Nimrod [whom Scripture calls], “a powerful hunter before the Lord ” (Gen. 10:9), [it means that] he recognized God but intentionally rebelled against Him; likewise, regarding the people of Sodom, [referred to as], “very evil and sinful against the Lord ” (Gen. 13:13)—[it means that] they recognized their Master but intentionally rebelled against Him.-[Torath Kohanim 26:18]

and do not perform If you do not learn [the Torah], you will not perform. Scripture hereby enumerates two transgressions [namely, (a) not learning the Torah and therefore (b) not fulfilling its commandments properly].-[Torath Kohanim 26:18]

15 and if you despise My statutes [This refers to one who] despises others who perform [the commandments];-[Torath Kohanim 26:18]

and reject My ordinances [refers to one who] hates the Sages -[Torath Kohanim 26:18]

not performing [refers to someone who] prevents others from fulfilling [the commandments];-[Torath Kohanim 26:18]

any of my commandments [refers to one who] denies that I [God,] commanded them. This is why the verse says “any of My commandments” and “not any of the commandments.”-[Torath Kohanim 26:18]

thereby breaking My covenant [This refers to one who] denies the main tenet [of Judaism, namely, that God is the Omnipotent Creator of all existence (Torath Kohanim 26:18).] Hence, [this verse has enumerated] seven sins, the first leading to the second, and so on, until the seventh, [and the process of degeneration is] as follows: [First, a person] does not learn [the Torah]; then, he [subsequently] does not fulfill [the commandments]; he then despises others who do [fulfill them]; then, he hates the Sages, prevents others from fulfilling [the commandments], denies the [authenticity of the] commandments and [finally] denies the very omnipotence of God.

16 I will order I will order upon you.

consumption This is a disease that consumes the flesh; anpoles in Old French, blisters. [The afflicted] appears like one who has had swellings and whose swellings have abated, thereby causing a sad appearance to his face [due to the stretched skin sagging after the swellings have abated].

fever Heb. קַדַּחַת , an illness that makes the body feverish, heating it up and making it burn, like, “For a fire blazed (קָדְחָה) in My wrath” (Deut. 32:22).

that cause hopeless longing and depression Heb. מְכַלּות עֵינַיִם וּמְדִיבֽת נֶפֶשׁ . The eyes (עֵינַיִם) look with anticipation, longing (כָּלוֹת) to see that the illness will abate, and he will recover, but, he eventually does not recover, and depression (מְדִיבֽת נֶפֶשׁ) falls upon his family members when he dies. Any desire that is not realized or some prolonged yearning [for something], is termed עֵינַיִם כִּלְיוּן .

You will sow [your seed] in vain [and your enemies will eat it] You will sow, but it will not grow, and if it does grow—"your enemies will eat it."

17 I will set my attention [The word here פָנַי , means] My leisure. [Thus, God is saying here:] “I will turn (פּוֹנֶה) away from all My affairs, to harm you.”

Your enemies will rule over you Heb. וְרָדוּ . [This expression is to be understood] literally, namely, [that they] will rule over you. Now, the Aggadic explanation of this passage (beginning from verse 16), as taught in Torath Kohanim (26:19-24), is as follows: [16]

Then I too, will do the same-Heb., אַף אֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה זּֽאת . I will speak only out of wrath (אַף) . Likewise, וְהָלַכְתִּי אַף אֲנִי עִמָּכֶם בְּקֶרִי (verse 24 below);

I will order upon you Heb., וְהִפְקַדְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם . The plagues will address (פּוֹקְדוֹת) you one immediately after the other; i.e., the first plague will not have even finished, when I will bring the next one upon you, right next to it.

shock Heb., בֶּהָלָה . This is a plague that shocks (מַבְהֶלֶת) people. And what is this? A plague [whose cure is anxiously] awaited, [and when the afflicted dies suddenly, people are (נִבְהָלִים) shocked];

Consumption... — Heb. מְכַלּות עֵינַיִם וּמְדִיבֽת נֶפֶשׁ אֶת הַשַּׁחֶפֶת וְאֶת הַקַדַּחַת . Sometimes, a person is sick and lies in bed, but his flesh is well preserved on him—therefore, Scripture states, שַׁחֶפֶת , [a disease that] consumes the flesh. Or occasionally, a person may be worn away [from disease], but is comfortable in that he has no burning fever. Therefore, Scripture states, וְאֶת הַקַדַּחַת , which teaches us that [the afflicted] will be burning with fever. Or sometimes, a person may be burning with fever, but he himself believes that he will survive. Therefore, Scripture states, “[and diseases] that cause hopeless longing” [explained above in Rashi to mean that he will not recover]. Or, although he himself does not believe that he will survive, nevertheless, others may believe that he will. Therefore, Scripture states, מְדִיבוֹת נֶפֶשׁ [explained above in Rashi to mean that the family members of the afflicted will be depressed due to his death];

You will sow your seed in vain You will sow your seed, but it will not grow. If this is the case, though, what would your enemies come and eat, that the verse should then state, "and your enemies will eat it"? What circumstance are we speaking about here? You will sow your seed one particular year, and it will not grow [then]; in the following year, however, it will grow, but then, your enemies will come and find the produce for the time of the siege. Thus, those inside [the besieged cities] will be dying of starvation, because they had not gathered in produce from the previous year. Another explanation of “You will sow your seed in vain” is that Scripture here is alluding to sons and daughters, namely, that you will invest hard work in your children, rearing them, but [the punishment of your] sin will come and consume them, as the verse says, “Those whom I have reared and brought up—my enemy has consumed” (Lam. 2:22). [17]

I will set My attention against you Just as it is said regarding the good, “I will turn towards you” (verse 9), so it is said regarding the bad, “I will set My attention [against you.” Our Sages] drew a parable to a king, who said to his servants [when they had not obeyed him]: “I am now turning my attention away from all my affairs, and I am occupying myself with you, to do [you] harm!”

and you will be smitten before your enemies Heb. וְנִגַּפְתֶּם , [lit., “and you will fall by the plague before your enemies,”] that the deathly plague will kill you inside [the besieged cities] while your enemies surround you from the outside [and rejoice that you are dying off within, from the plague];-[Sifthei Chachamim]

Your enemies will rule over you Heb. וְרָדוּ בָכֶם . I will make your enemies stem from within your very own people. For at the time that the nations stand up against Israel, they seek out only what is visible, as it is said, “And it happened, when Israel sowed, that Midian, Amalek, and the children of the East came up... and they camped against them and destroyed the Land’s produce” (Jud. 6:3-4). However, when I will set up [enemies] against you from within your very own camp, they will seek out your hidden treasures [within]. Thus, says the verse, “who ate the flesh of My people and flayed their skin from upon them [and opened their bones and broke them” (Micah 3:3)—the metaphor of breaking the bone to get to the marrow within, alluding to the enemy seeking out the hidden treasure within (Yosef Hallel)].

you will flee out of fright,

but no one will be pursuing you for lack of strength [left to pursue you.] -[Torath Kohanim 26:24] [This is the end of the Aggadic explanation given by Torath Kohanim. Now Rashi resumes his commentary, although sometimes quoting Torath Kohanim.]

18 And if, during these Heb. וְאִם־עַד־אֵלֶּה , [equivalent to:] וְאִם־בְּעוֹד־אֵלֶּה , lit., “and if, while (עוֹד) these [are transpiring], you [still] will not listen to Me.”

I will add more sufferings of a different [nature].

another seven... for your sins Seven retributions for your seven sins that have been enumerated earlier [not sevenfold for your sins].-[see Rashi verse 15 above; Torath Kohanim 26:26]

19 I will break the pride of your strength This is the Temple, and so Scripture says, “Behold I profaning My Sanctuary, the pride of your strength” (Ezek. 24:21). -[Torath Kohanim 26:27]

and make your skies like iron and your land like copper This is more severe than that of Moses, for there he says, “And your sky above you will be [like] copper and the earth beneath you (like) iron” (Deut. 28:23), that the sky will sweat as copper sweats, and the earth will not sweat, just as iron does not sweat, and therefore, [the earth] will preserve [any of] its [existing] fruit. Here, however, [in this harsher curse, pronounced by God Himself,] the sky will not sweat, just as iron does not sweat, and therefore, there will be drought in the world, while the earth will sweat, just as copper sweats, thus causing its fruits to rot [through its dampness].-[Torath Kohanim 26:28]

20 Your strength will be expended in vain In the case of a man who did not toil, not having plowed, sown, weeded, cut off [the thorns], or hoed—at the time of harvest, if blight comes and ruins everything [that others worked on], it does not affect him at all. However, a man who did toil, who plowed, sowed, weeded, cut off [the thorns], and hoed—if blight comes and ruins everything, this man’s teeth become blunt [i.e., his spirit will surely be broken]! [Thus is the force of the retribution described here].-[Torath Kohanim 26:28]

your land will not yield its produce [Heb. יְבוּלָה . Even [that quantity of seed] that you “bring forth (מוֹבִיל) ” to [the field] at the time of sowing.- Torath Kohanim 26:29]

and the tree of the earth [will not give forth its fruit] [Why the expression "tree of the earth"? It means that] the trees will be smitten even from the earth, for they will not be able to put forth their fruits in the season when fruits sprout forth. [The production of fruit originates from the earth in which the tree is rooted. The tree will blossom, but the earth will have no power to bring forth fruit.] -[Sefer Hazikkaron ; Torath Kohanim 26:29]

will not give forth [This phrase comes after “the tree of the land” and before “its fruit” and must be understood here to] refer to both that [phrase] which is before it and that which comes after it, the trees and the fruits [and therefore, there are two separate retributions specified here (see next Rashi)].

will not give forth its fruit i.e., if a tree will produce any fruit (Mizrachi), they will drop off (Torath Kohanim 26:29). Thus, this [clause, “the tree of the land will not give forth its fruit”] represents two separate curses and [by so identifying them as two separate curses here, Rashi has shown that verses 19-20 have] now enumerated seven retributions here (see Rashi on verse 18) [namely: (a) Breaking the pride of your strength, (b) making your skies like iron, and (c) your land like copper, (d) that your strength will be expended in vain, (e) your land will not yield its produce, (f) trees will not be able to give forth their fruits altogether (see preceding Rashi), and (g) any fruit produced will drop off the tree]. [Torath Kohanim ]

21 And if you treat me as happenstance Heb. קֶרִי . Our Rabbis said that [this word means] temporary, by chance (מִקְרֶה) , something that happens only sometimes. Thus, [our verse means:] “If you treat the commandments as happenstance, a temporary concern.” Menachem [Ben Saruk], (Machbereth, p. 1158) however, explains [קֶרִי] as refraining. Similar is, “hold back (הֽקֵר) your steps” (Prov. 25:17), and also, “he who keeps back (יְקַר) his breath” (Prov. 17:27). And this explanation [of לָלֶכֶת עִמִּי קֶרִי ] resembles Onkelos’s translation, namely, denoting hardness (קשִׁי) , i.e., [those who commit the sin of לָלֶכֶת עִמִּי קֶרִי ] harden (מַקְשִׁין) their hearts to refrain from coming close to Me.

I will add seven punishments corresponding to your sins Seven other punishments, with the number seven, corresponding to your sins. -[Torath Kohanim 26:30]

22 I will incite Heb. הִשְׁלַחְתּי , an expression of inciting.

and they will bereave you [From this verse,] I know only that wild beasts will bereave you, for this is their nature. How do I know that domestic animals, which are not accustomed [to kill people, that they too, will kill]? Therefore, Scripture says, “I will incite the teeth of livestock upon them” (Deut. 32:24). Thus, there are two [punishments—both wild beasts and domestic animals attacking people]. How do I know that they will kill through their bite? Because that verse continues, "with the venom of the creatures that slither in the dust"—just as those [snakes] kill through their bite, these also will kill through their bite, and indeed, there were years in the Land of Israel, when [domestic] donkeys used to bite and kill, wild donkeys bit and killed.-[see Rashi Deut 32:24.; Torath Kohanim 26:31] [Be’er Mayim Chayim writes that the wild donkey is basically a domestic animal, but, as Leket Bahir comments, it lives in the wilderness and is therefore considered a wild animal. See also Sefer Hazikkaron. Extant editions of Torath Kohanim read: Donkeys would bite and kill; oxen would bite and kill.]

and they will bereave you these are the young children.

utterly destroy your livestock from outside [your city].

and diminish you from within [your city].

and your roads will become desolate The major trails and the minor trails. Here you have seven punishments: 1) the teeth of domestic animals, 2) the teeth of wild animals, 3) the venom of the crawling things of the dust, 4) and they will bereave [you], 5) utterly destroy [you], 6) and diminish [you], 7) and [your roads] will become desolate.

23 you will not be chastised to Me to return to Me.

25 the avenging of a covenant [Since] there is also an avenging which is not of the covenant [i.e., not stated here in the Torah, such as those] in the manner of other avengings and this is the blinding of the eyes of Zedekiah (see II Kings, 25:7) [i.e., blinding is not one of the punishments enumerated here]. Another explanation of “the avenging of a covenant”: The avenging [here] will be because you broke My covenant [namely, the Torah] (Sifthei Chachamim and Onkelos ; Shab. 33a). Wherever the expression of “bringing חֶרֶב ” appears in Scripture, it refers to a war of enemy armies.

and you will gather [into your cities] from the outside, to the inside of the cities, due to the siege.-[Torath Kohanim 26:33]

I will then incite the plague in your midst [and you will be delivered into the enemy’s hands] Through this plague, you will be delivered over to the hands of your enemies who are besieging you (see preceding Rashi); because since one may not allow a dead person to remain [unburied] overnight in Jerusalem (B.K. 82b), when they bring out their dead for burial, they will then be “delivered into the enemy’s hands.”-[Torath Kohanim 26:33]

26 the staff of bread Heb. מַטֵּה . [This expression] denotes [a source of] “support” [namely, food or bread, just as a staff (מַטֵּה) supports a person (Mizrachi)], similar to “staff (מַטֵּה) of strength” (Jer. 48:17).

When I break for you the staff of bread I will break every support of bread that you have.-[Torath Kohanim 26:34] This refers to “the arrows of hunger” (see Ezek. 5:16 where both of these expressions appear, and Redak identifies the “arrows of hunger” as blight, mildew, and locusts, which destroy some or most of the grain).

and ten women will bake your bread in one oven because of lack of wood.-[Torath Kohanim 26:34]

and they will bring back your bread by weight The grain will rot, and the bread will become crumbly, breaking apart inside the oven. The women, therefore, will sit and weigh the broken pieces, to divide them among themselves.-[Torath Kohanim 26:34]

and you will eat, yet not be satisfied This describes a curse within the intestines. [Once again,] seven retributions [are enumerated here (verses 25-26) corresponding to the seven sins (see Rashi on verses 15, 18, 20 and 22 above)], namely: (a) the attacking armies, (b) the siege, (c) the plague, (d) the destruction of food supply, (e) a lack of wood, (f) crumbly bread and (g) a curse in the intestines. The clause, “you will be delivered [into the enemy’s hand]” (in verse 25), does not count [as a separate retribution because it] is [part of] the attacking armies.

Tehillim - Psalm 89:16-38

Rashi	Targum
1. A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.	1. A good lesson uttered by Abraham, who came from the east.
2. The kindnesses of the Lord I shall sing forever; to generation after generation I shall make known Your faithfulness, with my mouth.	2. I will praise the kindness of the LORD forever; from generation to generation I will make known Your truth with my mouth.
3. For I said, "Forever will it be built with kindness; as the heavens, with which You will establish Your faithfulness."	3. For I said, "The world will be built by kindness; You will establish Your truth in the heavens."
4. I formed a covenant with My chosen one; I swore to David My servant.	4. I made a covenant with Abraham My chosen; I confirmed it with My servant David.
5. Until eternity, I shall establish your seed, and I shall build your throne for all generations forever.	5. I will establish your sons forever; and for every generation I will build your royal throne forever.
6. And the heavens acknowledge Your wonder, O Lord, also Your faithfulness in the congregation of holy ones.	6. And the heavens will confess Your wonders, O LORD; also Your truth in the assembly of the holy ones.
7. For who in the heavens is equal to the Lord? [Who] resembles the Lord among the sons of the mighty?	7. For who in the clouds can be set beside the LORD? Who resembles the LORD in the multitudes of messengers?
8. God is revered in the great council of the holy ones and feared by all around Him.	8. God is mighty in the mysteries of the holy ones; sitting on the throne of glory, great and fearsome over all the angels who stand around Him.
9. O Lord, God of Hosts, who is like You, O Yah, Who are mighty? And Your faithfulness surrounds You.	9. O LORD God above the hosts of the height, who is like You in strength, O LORD? And Your truth is around You.
10. You rule over the pride of the sea; when it raises its waves, You humble them.	10. You rule over the pride of the sea; when its waves increase and become high, You will subdue them.
11. You crushed Rahab like one slain; with the arm of Your might You scattered Your enemies.	11. You have crushed Rahab, that is, wicked/Lawless Pharaoh, like one slain by the sword; with the might of Your strong arm You have scattered Your enemies.
12. The heaven is Yours, even the earth is Yours; the inhabited earth and the fullness thereof-You founded them.	12. Yours is the heaven, yea, Yours is the earth; You have founded the world and all its contents.
13. North and south-You created them; Tabor and Hermon sing praises in Your name.	13. The deserts in the north and those who dwell in the south, You created them; Tabor in the west and Hermon in the east sing praise in Your name.
14. You have an arm with might; Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is high.	14. Yours is the arm with strength; Your hand will be strong to redeem Your people; Your right hand will be raised to perfect Your sanctuary.
15. Righteousness and judgment are the basis of Your throne; kindness and truth come before Your countenance.	15. Righteousness/generosity and justice are the dwelling place of Your glorious throne; favor and truth go before Your face.

16. Fortunate is the people that know the blasting of the shofar; O Lord, may they walk in the light of Your countenance.	16. Happy the people who know to please their Creator with a shout; O LORD, in the splendid light of Your countenance they will walk and be acquitted in judgment.
17. With Your name they rejoice every day, and with Your righteousness they are exalted.	17. In Your name they will rejoice all day, and by Your righteousness/generosity they will be exalted.
18. For You are the glory of their might, and with Your favor our horns will be raised.	18. For You are the splendor of their strength, and by Your will their horn is exalted.
19. For our shield is [devoted] to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.	19. For our shields belong to the LORD, and our king belongs to the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
20. Then You spoke in a vision to Your pious ones, and You said, "I placed help on a mighty man; I lifted up a chosen one from the people.	20. Then You spoke in a vision to Your pious ones, and You said, "I have set up a helper for My people by the hand of one mighty in Torah; I have set apart a youth from among the people."
21. I found David My servant, I anointed him with My holy oil.	21. I have found David My servant, with the holy oil I anointed him.
22. With whom My hand will be established, even My arm will strengthen him.	22. Whom My hands are ready to help; truly My arm will strengthen him.
23. No enemy will exact from him, neither will an unjust person afflict him.	23. The enemy will not make him go astray; the son of wickedness/lawlessness will not afflict him.
24. And I shall crush his adversaries from before him, and I shall strike his enemies.	24. And I will crush his oppressors before him, and I will smite his foes.
25. My faithfulness and My kindness will be with him, and with My name his horn will be raised.	25. And My truth and goodness are with him; in the name of My Word his glory will be exalted.
26. I shall place his hand over the sea, and his right hand over the rivers.	26. And I will place his dominion at the harbors of the sea, and the might of his right hand on those who dwell by the rivers.
27. He will call to Me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.'	27. He will call to Me, "You are my Father (abba), my God, and the strength of my redemption."
28. I, too, shall make him a firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.	28. Also I will make him first-born of the kings of the house of Judah, the highest of the kings of the earth.
29. I will forever keep My kindness for him, and My covenant will remain true to him.	29. I will preserve My goodness to him forever; and My covenant is constant for him.
30. And I shall make his seed endure forever, and his throne as the days of the heavens.	30. And I will set up his sons forever, and his throne for as many days as the heavens will last.
31. If his sons forsake My Torah and do not walk in My judgments,	31. If his sons abandon My Torah, and do not walk in My judgments,
32. If they profane My statutes and do not keep My commandments,	32. If they violate My covenant, and do not keep My commandments,
33. I shall punish their transgression with a rod, and their iniquity with stripes.	33. Then I will punish their rebellions by means of the rod of the wicked/Lawless, and their iniquities by the demons that plague them.
34. But I shall not cancel My kindness from him, and I shall not betray My faith.	34. But My goodness I will not revoke from him, and I will not be false to My faithfulness.
35. I shall not profane My covenant, neither shall I alter the utterance of My lips.	35. I will not violate my covenant, and the utterance of My lips I will not change.
36. One thing have I sworn by My holiness, that I will not fail David.	36. Once I have sworn by My holy name: "I will not lie to David."
37. His seed will be forever and his throne is like the sun before Me.	37. His sons will exist forever, and his throne is bright as the sun before Me.
38. Like the moon, which is established forever, and it is a witness in the sky, eternally true."	38. Like the moon that is set for an eternal sign, and a faithful witness in the sky forever.

Rashi’s Commentary for: Psalm 89:16-38

16 that know the blasting of the shofar Who know how to appease their Creator on Rosh Hashanah with the blasts, upon which they arrange the blessings of “malchuyoth” (manifestations of God’s dominion), “zichronoth” (remembrances), and “shofaroth.”

18 and with Your favor that You are appeased by them (apayement in Old French), propitiation.

20 to Your pious ones Nathan the prophet and Gad the seer.

“I placed help” on David, to help him constantly.

23 No enemy will exact from him No enemy will overwhelm him to become as his creditor.

28 shall make him a firstborn I shall make him great.

33 I shall punish their transgression with a rod So did Nathan the prophet say to him concerning Solomon (II Sam. 7: 14): “so that when he goes astray, I will chasten him with the rod of men.” This refers to Rezon the son of Eliada, who rose up as an adversary to him: “and with the stripes of the sons of Adam.” This refers to Ashmadai, according to the Sages of blessed memory.

36 that I will not fail David Heb. אכזב , an expression of (Isa. 58:11): “whose water does not fail (יכזבו) ,” faliance in Old French, failure; possibly from the Latin fallera, deception.

38 and it is a witness in the sky, true The moon and the sun are witnesses to him that as long as they exist, his kingdom will exist, as it is written (Jer. 33:20f.): “If you break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, etc. Also My covenant with David will be broken.”

Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) ‎1:19-20, 24-28, 31, 2:1, 5‎

Rashi	Targum
18. ¶ Come now, let us debate, says the Lord. If your sins prove to be like crimson, they will become white as snow; if they prove to be as red as crimson dye, they shall become as wool.	18. Then, when you return to the Law, you will beseech before Me, and I will carry out your request, says the LORD: though your sins are scarlet like dyed cloth, they will be white like snow; though they are red like crimson, they will become like pure wool.
19. If you be willing and obey, you shall eat the best of the land.	19. If you are willing to attend to My Memra, you will eat of the good of the land.
20. But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword, for the mouth of the Lord spoke. {P}	20. But if you refuse and do not attend to My Memra, by the adversary’s sword you will be killed; for by the Memra of the LORD it has so been decreed.
21. How has she become a harlot, a faithful city; full of justice, in which righteousness would lodge, but now murderers.	21. How the faithful city’s deeds have turned to become as [those of] a harlot, she that was full of those who perform judgment! Truth was done in her, and now they are killers of souls!
22. Your silver has become dross; your wine is diluted with water.	22. Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water.
23. Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes and runs after payments; the orphan they do not judge, and the quarrel of the widow does not come to them.{S}	23. Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. All of them love to accept a bribe, saying – a man to his neighbour – assist me in my case, so that I will repay you in your case. They do not defend the fatherless and the complaint of the widow does not come before them.
24. "Therefore," says the Master, the Lord of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, "Oh, I will console Myself from My adversaries, and I will avenge Myself of My foes.	24. Therefore, the LORD of the world says, the LORD of hosts, the Strong One of Israel: “The city of Jerusalem I am about to comfort, but woe to the wicked/ Lawless when I am revealed to take just retribution from the enemies of the people, and I will return vengeance to the adversary.
25. And I will return My hand upon you and purge away your dross as with lye, and remove all your tin.	25. And I will turn the stroke of My might upon you and I will separate, as those who purify with lye, all your wicked/Lawless and I will remove all your sinners.
26. And I will restore your judges as at first and your counselors as in the beginning; afterwards you shall be called City of Righteousness, Faithful City.	26. And I will appoint in you true judges, steadfast as at the first, and your counsellors as at the beginning. Afterwards you will be called the city of truth, the faithful city.
27. Zion shall be redeemed through justice and her penitent through righteousness/generosity.	27. Zion will be redeemed when judgment is performed in her, and the ones who have performed the Law will return to her in righteousness/generosity.
28. And destruction shall come over rebels and sinners together, and those who forsake the Lord shall perish.	28. But rebels and sinners will be shattered together, and those who have forsaken the Law of the LORD will be consumed.
29. For they shall be ashamed of the elms that you desired, and you shall be humiliated because of the gardens that you chose.	29. For you will be ashamed of the oaks of the idols in which you delighted; and you will be humiliated for your groves of the idols in which you assemble.
30. For you shall be like an elm whose leaves are wilting, and like a garden that has no water.	30. For you will be like a terebinth when its leaves fall, and like a channelled garden without water.
31. And the[ir] strength shall become as tow, and its perpetrator as a spark, and both of them shall burn together, with no one to extinguish [the fire]. {P}	31. And the strength of the wicked/Lawless will become as a tow of flax, and the deed of their hands as a spark of fire; as when they are brought near to each other and both of them burn together, so will the wicked/Lawless come to an end, they and their wicked/Lawless deeds, and there will be no pity for them.

1. The word that Isaiah, son of Amoz, prophesied concerning Judah and Jerusalem.	1. The Word of prophecy which Isaiah the son of Amoz prophesied concerning the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
2. And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills, and all the nations shall stream to it.	2. And it will come to pass in the end of days that the mountain of the Sanctuary of the LORD will be established at the head of the mountains, and raised above the hills; and all kingdoms will turn to worship upon it.
3. And many peoples shall go, and they shall say, "Come, let us go up to the Lord's mount, to the house of the God of Jacob, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths," for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.	3. And many peoples will come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Sanctuary of the LORD, to the house of the Shekhinah of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us ways that are correct before Him and that we might walk in the teaching of His Law.” For out of Zion will go forth the Law, and the teaching of the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4. And he shall judge between the nations and reprove many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.{P}	4. And He will judge between kingdoms, and will reprove many peoples, and they will beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; people will not take up a weapon against people, neither will they learn war anymore.
5. "O house of Jacob, come and let us go in the light of the Lord."	5. Those of the house of Jacob will say, “Come, and let us walk in the teachings of the Law of the LORD.”
6. For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, for they are full of [witchcraft] from the East and soothsayers like the Philistines, and with children of gentiles they please themselves.	6. For you have forsaken the fear of the Strong One, who was your Saviour, you of the house of Jacob, because your land is filled with idols as from the east, and soothsayers like the Philistines, and they go in the customs of the Gentiles.
7. And his land became full of silver and gold, without end to his treasures; and his land became full of horses, without end to his chariots.	7. And their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to his treasures; and their land is filled with horses and there is no end to his chariots.
8. And his land is full of idols; to the work of his hands he prostrates himself, to that which his fingers made.	8. And their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to that which their fingers have prepared.
9. And man has become bowed down, and man has become humble, and You shall not forgive them.	9. So man is humbled, and men’s strength faints – and You will not forgive them!
10. Come into the rock and hide in the dust, because of fear of the Lord and because of the splendor of His pride.	10. They will enter to flee in flight in the caves of the rocks, and to hide in the dust from the Fearful One, the LORD, and from the brilliance of His Glory.
11. The haughty eyes of man will be humbled, and the height of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted on that day. {P}	11.The haughty looks of man will be humbled and men’s strength will faint; and the LORD alone is strong in that time.

Correlations

By H.H. Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David

& Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat Sarah

Vayiqra (Leviticus) 26:3-26

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 1:19-20, 24-28, 31, 2:1, 5

Tehillim (Psalm) 89:16-38

2 Peter 3:11-16

The verbal tallies between the Torah and the Ashlamata are:

Walk / Come - ילך, Strong’s number 03212.

Land - ארץ, Strong’s number 0776.

The verbal tallies between the Torah and the Psalm are:

Walk / Come - ילך, Strong’s number 03212.

Statutes - חקה, Strong’s number 02708.

Keep - שמר, Strong’s number 08104.

Commandment - מצוה, Strong’s number 04687.

Make / Yield - נתן, Strong’s number 05414.

Land - ארץ, Strong’s number 0776

Vayiqra (Leviticus) 26:3-4 If ye walk <03212> (8799) in my statutes <02708>, and keep <08104> (8799) my commandments <04687>, and do them;

4 Then I will give <05414> (8804) you rain in due season, and the land <0776> shall yield <05414> (8804) her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield <05414> (8799) their fruit.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land <0776>:

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 2:5 O house of Jacob, come <03212> (8798) ye, and let us walk in the light of HaShem.

Tehillim (Psalm) 89:27 Also I will make <05414> (8799) him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth <0776>.

Tehillim (Psalm) 89:28 My mercy will I keep <08104> (8799) for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.

Tehillim (Psalm) 89:30 If his children forsake my law, and walk <03212> (8799) not in my judgments;

Tehillim (Psalm) 89:31 If they break my statutes <02708>, and keep <08104> (8799) not my commandments <04687>;

Hebrew

Hebrew	English	Torah Seder	Psalms	Ashlamatah
אָב	father, forefather	Lev. 26:39	Ps. 89:26
אָבָה	unwilling, consent	Lev. 26:21		Isa. 1:19
אָז	then	Lev. 26:34	Ps. 89:19
אֶחָד	one, once	Lev. 26:26	Ps. 89:35
אַחַר	after	Lev. 26:33		Isa. 1:26
אָיַב	enemies	Lev. 26:7	Ps. 89:22	Isa. 1:24
אַיִן	has no, has none	Lev. 26:6		Isa. 1:30
אָכַל	eat, ate	Lev. 26:5		Isa. 1:19
אִם	if	Lev. 26:3	Ps. 89:30	Isa. 1:19
אָמַן	faithful, confirmed		Ps. 89:28	Isa. 1:26
אָמַר	saying, said	Lev. 27:1	Ps. 89:19
אַף	turn, also	Lev. 26:16	Ps. 89:21
אֶרֶץ	land, earth	Lev. 26:4	Ps. 89:27	Isa. 1:19
אֲשֶׁר	who, which, whom	Lev. 26:13	Ps. 89:21	Isa. 2:1
בֵּן	son	Lev. 26:29	Ps. 89:22	Isa. 2:1
בְּרִית	covenant	Lev. 26:9	Ps. 89:28
דָּבַר	speak, spoke	Lev. 27:1	Ps. 89:19	Isa. 1:20
הַיָּה	becomes	Lev. 26:33	Ps. 89:36
הָלַךְ	walk, come	Lev. 26:3	Ps. 89:30	Isa. 2:5
זֶרַע	time	Lev. 26:5	Ps. 89:29
חֻקָּה	statues	Lev. 26:3	Ps. 89:31
חֶרֶב	sword	Lev. 26:6		Isa. 1:20
יָד	hands	Lev. 26:25	Ps. 89:21	Isa. 1:25
יהוה	LORD	Lev. 26:13	Ps. 89:18	Isa. 1:20
יוֹם	day	Lev. 26:34	Ps. 89:16
יַעֲקֹב	Jacob	Lev. 26:42		Isa. 2:5
יִשְׂרָאֵל	Israel	Lev. 26:46	Ps. 89:18	Isa. 1:24
כֹּל	all	Lev. 26:14	Ps. 89:16	Isa. 1:25
כָּלָה	waste away	Lev. 26:16		Isa. 1:28
לֹה	no, nor	Lev. 26:6	Ps. 89:22
מִנִּי	because	Lev. 26:10	Ps. 89:23
מִצְוָה	commandments	Lev. 26:3	Ps. 89:31
מִשְׁפָּט	ordinances	Lev. 26:15	Ps. 89:30	Isa. 1:27
נָגַף	struck down	Lev. 26:17	Ps. 89:23
נָקַם	execute	Lev. 26:25		Isa. 1:24
נָתַן	give, yield	Lev. 26:4	Ps. 89:27
עֶבֶד	servant, slave	Lev. 26:13	Ps. 89:20
עָוֹן	iniquity	Lev. 26:39	Ps. 89:32
עֹז	power	Lev. 26:19	Ps. 89:17
עַל	over, against	Lev. 26:16		Isa. 1:25
~[i	against	Lev. 26:21	Ps. 89:38
~ynIP'	before	Lev. 26:7	Ps. 89:23
פָּקַד	appoint	Lev. 26:16	Ps. 89:32
צְדָקָה	righteousness		Ps. 89:16	Isa. 1:27
קָרָא	cry		Ps. 89:26	Isa. 1:26
רִאשׁוֹן	first, ancestors	Lev. 26:45		Isa. 1:26
שׁוּב	bring back	Lev. 26:26		Isa. 1:25
שָׁמַיִם	heaven, sky	Lev. 26:19	Ps. 89:29
שָׁמַע	obey	Lev. 26:14		Isa. 1:19
שָׁמַר	keep	Lev. 26:3	Ps. 89:28
שָׂנֵא	hate	Lev. 26:17	Ps. 89:23
תּוֹרָה	law	Lev. 26:46	Ps. 89:30
sa;m'	reject	Lev. 26:15	Ps. 89:38
bz"['	abandoned	Lev. 26:43	Ps. 89:30	Isa. 1:28
ry[i	cities	Lev. 26:25		Isa. 1:26
~[;	people	Lev. 26:12	Ps. 89:19
rr'P'	break	Lev. 26:15	Ps. 89:33
rc;	adversaries		Ps. 89:23	Isa. 1:24

Greek

Greek	English	Torah Seder Lev 26:3-27:1	Psalms Ps 89:16-38	Ashlamatah Isa 1:19-20, 24-28, 31 + 2:1, 5	NC 2 Pe 3:11-16

ἅγιον	holy, holies	Lev 26:31	Ps 89:18		2Pe 3:11
ἀδελφός	brother, brethren	Lev 26:37			2Pe 3:15
γῆ	land, earth	Lev 26:4	Ps 89:27	Isa 1:19	2Pe 3:13
δίδωμι	given, give	Lev 26:4			2Pe 3:15
δικαιοσύνη	righteousness		Ps 89:16	Isa 1:26	2Pe 3:13
εἰρήνη	peace	Lev 26:6			2Pe 3:14
εὑρίσκω	found		Ps 89:20		2Pe 3:14
ἡμέρα	day	Lev 26:34	Ps 89:16		2Pe 3:12
θεός	GOD	Lev 26:12	Ps 89:26		2Pe 3:12
κατοικέω	dwell, inhabited	Lev 26:5			2Pe 3:13
κύριος	LORD	Lev 26:13	Ps 89:18	Isa 1:20	2Pe 3:15
λαλέω	speaking, saying	Lev 27:1	Ps 89:19	Isa 1:20	2Pe 3:16
οὐρανός	heaven	Lev 26:19	Ps 89:29		2Pe 3:12
πᾶς	every, all	Lev 26:15		Isa 1:25	2Pe 3:11
περί	concerning			Isa 2:1	2Pe 3:16
πυρόω	fire. Purify			Isa 1:25	2Pe 3:12
σωτηρία	deliverance		Ps 89:26		2Pe 3:15
τήκω	melted away	Lev 26:39			2Pe 3:12

2 Tsefet (Peter) ‎3:11-16

CLV[1]	Magiera Peshitta NT[2]	Greek[3]	Delitzsch[4]
11. At these all, then, dissolving, to what manner of men must you belong in holy behaviour and devoutness,	11. Since therefore all these [things] will be dissolved, how ought you to be in your conduct? [You should be] holy [ones] and with reverence for God,	11. τούτων οὺν πάντων λυομένων ποταποὺς δεῖ ὑπάρχειν ὑμᾶς ἐν ἁγίαις ἀναστροφαῖς καὶ εὐσεβείαις	11 וְעַתָּה אִם־כָּל־אֵלֶּה יָמוּגוּ מַה־מְּאֹד עֲלֵיכֶם לְהִתְהַלֵּךְ בִּקְדוּשָּׁה וּבַחֲסִידוּת׃
12. hoping for and hurrying the presence of God's day, because of which the heavens, being on fire, will be dissolved, and the elements decompose by combustion!"	12. while you expect and you desire the coming of the day of God, in which the heaven[s], being tried by fire, will be dissolved and the elements, while burning, will melt.	12. προσδοκῶντας καὶ σπεύδοντας τὴν παρουσίαν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμέρας δι ἣν οὐρανοὶ πυρούμενοι λυθήσονται καὶ στοιχεῖα καυσούμενα τήκεται	12 וּלְחַכּוֹת לְיוֹם־יְהֹוָה שֶׁיָּבֹא וּלְהָחִישׁ אֹתוֹ אֲשֶׁר בּוֹ הַשָּׁמַיִם יָמוּגוּ בָאֵשׁ וְהַיְסֹדוֹת יְבֹעֲרוּ וְנָמַסּוּ׃
13. Yet we, according to His promises, are hoping for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness is dwelling."	13. But we expect a new heaven and a new earth, according to his promise, in which justification will live.	13. καινοὺς δὲ οὐρανοὺς καὶ γῆν καινὴν κατὰ τὸ ἐπάγγελμα αὐτοῦ προσδοκῶμεν ἐν οἷς δικαιοσύνη κατοικεῖ	13 וַאֲנַחְנוּ כְּפִי הַבְטָחָתוֹ מְחַכִּים לְשָׁמַיִם חֲדָשִׁים וּלְאֶרֶץ חֲדָשָׁה אֲשֶׁר־צֶדֶק יָלִין בָּם׃
14. Wherefore, beloved, hoping for these things, endeavor to be found by Him in peace, unspotted and flawless."	14. Because of this, my beloved [ones], while you expect these [things], be diligent to be found by him without spot and without blemish in peace.	14. Διό ἀγαπητοί ταῦτα προσδοκῶντες σπουδάσατε ἄσπιλοι καὶ ἀμώμητοι αὐτῷ εὑρεθῆναι ἐν εἰρήνῃ	14 עַל־כֵּן חֲבִיבַי הַמְחַכִּים לָאֵלֶּה שִׁקְדוּ לְהִמָּצֵא לְפָנָיו בְּשָׁלוֹם נְקִיִּם וְזַכִּים מִפָּשַׁע׃
15. And be deeming the patience of our Lord salvation, according as our beloved brother Paul also writes to you, according to the wisdom given to him,	15. And you should consider the long-suffering of the LORD [as] redemption, even as also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom that was given to him.	15. καὶ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν μακροθυμίαν σωτηρίαν ἡγεῖσθε καθὼς καὶ ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἡμῶν ἀδελφὸς Παῦλος κατὰ τὴν αὐτῷ δοθεῖσαν σοφίαν ἔγραψεν ὑμῖν	15 וְאֶת־אֹרֶךְ רוּחַ אֲדֹנֵינוּ תַּחְשְׁבוּ לִתְשׁוּעָה כַּאֲשֶׁר גַּם־אָחִינוּ הָאָהוּב פּוֹלוֹס כָּתַב אֲלֵיכֶם כְּפִי הַחָכְמָה הַנְּתוּנָה לוֹ׃
16. as also in all the epistles, speaking in them concerning these things, in which are some things hard to apprehend, which the unlearned and unstable are twisting, as the rest of the scriptures also, to their own destruction."	16. As in all his letters, he speaks in them about these [things] (in which there are some [things] hard to understand) that those who are without instruction and are unstable pervert, as they also [pervert] the writings of the rest to their own loss.	16. ὡς καὶ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς λαλῶν ἐν αὐταῖς περὶ τούτων ἐν οἷς ἐστιν δυσνόητά τινα ἃ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς καὶ ἀστήρικτοι στρεβλοῦσιν ὡς καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς γραφὰς πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν αὐτῶν ἀπώλειαν	16 וְכֵן בְּכָל־אִגְּרוֹתָיו בְּדַבְּרוֹ־שָׁם עַל־אֵלֶּה וּבָהֶן יֵשׁ דְּבָרִים קָשִׁים מֵהָבִין וְהַבֹּעֲרִים וְהַפְּתָאִים יַהַפְכוּ אֹתָם כַּאֲשֶׁר גַּם־יַעֲשׂוּ בְּיֶתֶר הַסְּפָרִים לְאָבְדַן נַפְשָׁם׃

Hakham’s & Dr. Adon Eliyahu’s Rendition

Last week’s:

8. ¶ Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice (remain hidden), because one day is contrasted [against] a thousand years and a thousand years against one day (Psalm 90:4).

9. The LORD does not delay the proclamation as some consider delay, but ruling patiently, not wanting to cut off anyone, but making room for everyone to convert.

10. But the “Day of the LORD” will come as a thief ‎ in the night in which the ‎heavens, with a rushing sound ‎[of the shofar] will be passed over and a burning heat ‎will dissolve the elements bringing to an end the earth and its works ‎totally incinerating them.‎

This week’s:

11. ¶ All these things being in the process of ‎dissolution, what country (people) must you ‎belong to, and what sort of acts of piety (should) ‎‎(your) holy conduct (produce),

12. [while] waiting ‎for the “Day of God,” (Elohim the Judge) by whom ‎the heavens and elements will dissolve with great ‎heat.

13. But looking for new heavens and [a new] earth ‎according to His declaration (prophecy)‎ in which ‎righteousness/generosity dwells.

14. Therefore, beloved look ‎forward [to] these (things) endeavouring [to be] ‎found spotless, without blame in peace (Heb. ‎Shalom).

15. And the LORD delays His wrath ‎ having ‎dominion over deliverance as our beloved brother ‎Hakham Shaul has given his wisdom in [his] ‎writings for us.

16. And as in all [his] letters, telling ‎in them [things] concerning [things] difficult to ‎understand (from a P’shat/literal perspective). [For] those who are ‎unlearned (not schooled in Remez hermeneutics) [they] pervert ‎‎[the truth of] the rest of the Scriptures to their ‎own destruction.‎

Commentary:

v.11 ¶ All these things being in the process of ‎dissolution, what country (people) must you ‎belong to, and what sort of acts of piety (should) ‎‎(your) holy conduct (produce),

Last week’s pericope of Hakham Tsefet is intimately connected to this week’s (of course, following the principle of contiguity), by means of two phrases:

a) but making room for everyone to convert (verse 9), and

b) what country (people) must you ‎belong to, and what sort of acts of piety (should) ‎‎(your) holy conduct (produce) (verse 11)

Most Christians today, ask people to accept Yeshua King Messiah as their saviour, and that is all to it. The reason for this, is their inherit anti-Semitism, and their trying to separate themselves as far as possible from anything Jewish. However, for those who believe that the whole of Scripture should be their rule of faith and practice, they have an example of what is required for conversion in the book of Ruth.

This is the declaration of conversion that Ruth makes to her mentor Naomi:

“And Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave you, and to return from following after you [as your disciple]; for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people will be my people, and your God [and His appointed King Messiah] my God [and my God’s appointed King Messiah], where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried; the LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death part you and me.’” (Ruth 1:16,17)

Let us examine now the basic elements of this declaration of faith and conversion into its constituent parts.

Entreat me not to leave you, and to return from following after you [as your disciple] – The first and most elementary step in any conversion process is to find a qualified Torah teacher, and let him be your mentor, teacher and master for life.

For where you go, I will go – The second step in this discipleship[/conversion process is for the convert to acknowledge that his/her place is beside his/her teacher at all times, and to stay with him through both thick and thin. He or she will also allow his/her Torah Teacher to decide what is the best course to follow in life matters.

This also intimates, that the disciple will accept the Torah teachings, and traditions of his/her Master as is stated by Hakham Tsefet: “and what sort of acts of piety (should) ‎‎(your) holy conduct (produce).”

And where you lodge, I will lodge – The discipleship process is not one where the disciple tells the Master to come to him or her, but it is otherwise, the disciple always following after the Master. This also means that true and genuine disciples should live with the Master or in close proximity to him. For, true learning about the way is 50% by osmosis – i.e. imitating the Master/Torah Teacher.

Your people will be my people – This means that the convert will accept the nationality of his/her Master. In this case, since the convert will be pledging allegiance to Yeshua King Messiah and to his/her Torah teacher, both being Jewish, it becomes clear that now the convert desires with all of his/her heart and mind to accept all of the Jewish people as his/her people, and to love each Jew as his/her own brother and sister.

This is what Hakham Tsefet means in this first verse of our pericope, when he states: “what country (people) must you ‎belong to.”

5. And your God [and His appointed King Messiah] my God [and my God’s appointed King Messiah] – This entails the taking upon oneself the yokes of the commandments and of the kingdom without any reservation whatsoever. The disciple is swearing before G-d, most blessed be He, to be faithful in the observance of the commandments as taught by our Sages, and to accept the rulership of the appointed King Messiah over all Israel as his/her supreme authority.

6. Where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried – This is the ultimate declaration of fellowship and loyalty from a disciple to his/her Master/Torah Teacher.

The LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death part you and me. – Here the disciple swears by G-d Almighty, most blessed be He that all the statements made above be so throughout the disciples life, and if not let G-d come and execute His justice for breach of faithfulness.

A proper constituted Rabbinic tribunal accepts the convert as a proselyte of righteousness/justice into the people of Israel.

If this is the Scriptural procedure to be followed for conversion, and as agreed upon by Hakham Tsefet, one of the principal disciples of the Master Yeshua King Messiah, why do his supposed followers find it repugnant to follow this Scriptural procedure? Surely, one day, many will have much to answer for before the throne of Judgment of the Almighty G-d. May G-d have mercy upon his creation!

If one adheres and swears loyalty to His Majesty King Yeshua the Messiah, the King of the Jewish people, should not one also swear loyalty to his people and to the laws and officers of that kingdom? Therefore Hakham Tsefet follows true logic when he states: “All these things being in the process of ‎dissolution, what country (people) must you ‎belong to, and what sort of acts of piety (should) ‎‎(your) holy conduct (produce),”

If a person has genuinely experienced the goodness and mercy of G-d, most blessed be He, by being bon-again from the heavens, but has not undergone the eight steps mentioned above, his/her experience has not yet reached its full potential, and therefore awaits its logical conclusion. This is not said in judgment of anyone or anybody, but it is rather a call to maturity and to reach and materialize the full potentials and calling that G-d has bestowed upon those who unselfishly love Him and do those things that please Him according to His Word.

Interestingly, Prof. Scot McKnight[5] in his sociological interpretation of conversion, divides this phenomenon at grosso modo into the following five stages:

Apostasy – Most kinds of conversion are either apostasies from something or someone else. After all, that is what conversion is: leaving one group/ideology or people/nation or social identity for another.
Intensification – an awakening intensified experience which demands full integration into the new group or people or social identity.
Affiliation – whereby a person becomes a member in good standing of a new group or nation.
Institutional Transition – This is the outcome from the previous step. In our case it would be the transition from Church/Christian institutions to Synagogal/Jewish structures and polity.
Tradition Transition – New traditions and customs are adopted in order to demonstrate one’s genuine affiliation to the new group, people, or social identity.

These five elements from a sociological perspective dovetail with the eight steps outlined in Ruth’s confession of faith and practice.

v.12 [while] waiting ‎for the “Day of God,” (Elohim the Judge) by whom ‎the heavens and elements will dissolve with great ‎heat. – This is the same as the “Day of the LORD” in v.10. However, here Hakham Tsefet wants to make a distinction between “Yom Ha-Shem” and “Yom Ha-Elohim.” The term “Ha-Shem” for G-d is used normally used to describe Him in His attribute of mercy, whilst the term “Elohim” for G-d is used normally to describe Him in His attribute for rigorous justice. Here Hakham Tsefet uses the term “Yom Ha-Elohim” to denote that this day will be characterized by the execution of G-d’s most rigorous justice. So rigorous justice will be applied to this day that “the heavens and elements will dissolve with great heat.”

v.13 But looking for new heavens and [a new] earth ‎according to His declaration (prophecy)‎ in which‎ righteousness/generosity dwells. – Here, Hakham Tsefet is alluding to two specific pericopes of the prophet Isaiah – i.e. Isaiah 65:13-25 and Isaiah 66:15-24, which read:

¹³ ¶ Assuredly, thus said the Lord GOD: My servants will eat, and you will hunger; My servants will drink, and you will thirst; My servants will rejoice, and you will be shamed;

¹⁴ My servants will shout in gladness, and you will cry out in anguish, howling in heartbreak.

¹⁵ You will leave behind a name by which My chosen ones will curse: "So may the Lord GOD slay you!" But His servants will be given a different name.

¹⁶ For whoever blesses himself in the land will bless himself by the true God; and whoever swears in the land will swear by the true God. The former troubles will be forgotten, will be hidden from My eyes.

¹⁷ For behold! I am creating a new heaven and a new earth; the former things will not be remembered, they will never come to mind.

¹⁸ Be glad, then, and rejoice forever in what I am creating. For I will create Jerusalem as a joy, and her people as a delight;

¹⁹ And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in her people. Never again will be heard there the sounds of weeping and wailing.

²⁰ No more will there be an infant or graybeard who does not live out his days. He who dies at a hundred years will be reckoned a youth, and he who fails to reach a hundred will be reckoned accursed.

²¹ They will build houses and dwell in them, they will plant vineyards and enjoy their fruit.

²² They will not build for others to dwell in, or plant for others to enjoy. For the days of My people will be as long as the days of a tree, My chosen ones will outlive the work of their hands.

²³ They will not toil to no purpose; they will not bear children for terror, but they will be a people blessed by the LORD, and their offspring will remain with them.

²⁴ Before they pray, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will respond.

²⁵ The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and the serpent's food will be earth. In all My sacred mount nothing evil or vile will be done -- said the LORD. {S} (Isa 65:13-25 TNK)

And:

¹⁵ ¶ See, the LORD is coming with fire -- His chariots are like a whirlwind -- To vent His anger in fury, His rebuke in flaming fire.

¹⁶ For with fire will the LORD contend, With His sword, against all flesh; And many will be the slain of the LORD.

¹⁷ Those who sanctify and purify themselves to enter the groves, imitating one in the center, eating the flesh of the swine, the reptile, and the mouse, will one and all come to an end -- declares the LORD.

¹⁸ For I know their deeds and purposes. The time has come to gather all the nations and tongues; they will come and behold My glory.

¹⁹ I will set a sign among them, and send from them survivors to the nations: to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud -- that draw the bow -- to Tubal, Javan, and the distant coasts, that have never heard My fame nor beheld My glory. They will declare My glory among these nations.

²⁰ And out of all the nations, said the LORD, they will bring all your brothers on horses, in chariots and drays, on mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem My holy mountain as an offering to the LORD -- just as the Israelites bring an offering in a pure vessel to the House of the LORD.

²¹ And from them likewise I will take some to be Levitical priests, said the LORD.

²² For as the new heaven and the new earth which I will make will endure by My will -- declares the LORD -- So will your seed and your name endure.

²³ And new moon after new moon, And Sabbath after Sabbath, All flesh will come to worship Me -- said the LORD.

²⁴ They will go out and gaze on the corpses of the men who rebelled against Me: Their worms will not die, nor their fire be quenched; They will be a horror to all flesh. And new moon after new moon, And Sabbath after Sabbath, all flesh will come to worship Me -- said the LORD. {P} (Isa 66:15-24 TNK)

Notice that while these two pericopes of the Prophet Isaiah are not Ashlamatot for this Sabbath, they in fact have numerous thematic correlations and verbal tallies to the five pericopes of Isaiah assigned for this Shabbat (cf. Isaiah 1:18-20; Isaiah 1:21-23; Isaiah 1:24-31; Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 2:5-11). These two allusions to Isaiah, must have been part of the homily for this Shabbat and tied into the Ashlamatah and Torah Seder for this Shabbat.

v.14 Therefore, beloved look ‎forward [to] these (things) endeavouring [to be] ‎found spotless, without blame in peace (Heb. ‎Shalom). – Hakham Tsefet commends us to look forward to the fulfilment of this prophecy in our time, but knowing this that if we do look forward to its fulfilment, we are indebted to G-d and His King Messiah to be “found spotless, without blame and in Shalom” as an integral part of His people and faithful in the observance of Israel’s commandments. Otherwise, we will be part of that condemnation of eternal burning (cf. Isaiah 66:24).

15. And the LORD delays His wrath ‎ having ‎dominion over deliverance as our beloved brother ‎Hakham Shaul has given his wisdom in [his] ‎writings for us. – Here Hakham Tsefet describes the contents of the Letters of Hakham Shaul as an explanation for “the delay of G-d’s wrath.” Further, this verse implies that Hakham Tsefet was aware of the contents of most of the letters of Hakham Shaul, and this before his death. Whilst many unlearned point to the Epistle to the Galatians as evidence of a rift between Hakham Shaul and Hakham Tsefet, this is not so, G-d forbid! In fact, based only upon the rules of discipleship as we described above, Hakham Shaul owed Hakham Tsefet an enormous debt to him, for Hakham Tsefet was the chief master and disciple of Hakham Shaul, who transmitted to him the traditions of the teachings of His Majesty King Yeshua the Messiah of Israel.

v.16 And as in all [his] letters, telling ‎in them [things] concerning [things] difficult to ‎understand (from a P’shat/literal perspective). [For] those who are ‎unlearned (not schooled in Remez hermeneutics) [they] pervert ‎‎[the truth of] the rest of the Scriptures to their ‎own destruction.‎ - This verse at the end of Hakham Tsefet's Epistle should be normative in understanding any of Hakham Shaul's letters. It is obvious that the key to interpret rightly the writings of the Nazarean Codicil, depend much on an excellent mastery not only of Hebrew and Greek languages, but also of PaRDeS Rabbinic Hermeneutics. Any deviation from these rules of Hermeneutics produce nothing but false and heretic doctrines. One of the great misfortunes of Christianity is the abandonment of these Jewish rules of Hermeneutics, a self inflicted mortal wound.

However, those that are trully called by the spiurit of G-d, who are responsive to G-d's call, no matter what be that needs to be done or sacrificed, much like our Patriarch Abraham, whose life was characterised by his constant response to G-d "Hineni!" (Here I am to obey You, and do as I am told!), will be guided sooner or later into all truth. Therefore, we pray for Christians to be led into all truth, and we pray that in the coming of G-d's Messiah they will be found faithfully observing the Laws of G-d and of Israel, and be one with all our most beloved and noble Jewish people, amen ve amen!

Some Questions to Ponder:

1. From all the readings for this Shabbat, what verse or verses touched your heart and fired your imagination?

2. How is Variqra 26:3 related to Vayiqra 26:25-26?

3. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Leviticus 26:3?

4. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Leviticus 26:8?

5. What question was asked of Rashi regarding Leviticus 26:9?

6. What question was asked of Rashi regarding Leviticus 26:14?

7. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Leviticus 26:15?

8. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Leviticus 26:16?

9. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Leviticus 26:17?

10. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Leviticus 26:20?

11. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Leviticus 26:22?

12. What questions were asked of Rashi regarding Leviticus 26:26?

13. On reading the Torah Seder for this week what touched the heart and fired the imagination of the Psalmist‎ in Psalm 89:16-38‎?

14. On reading the Torah Seder for this week what touched the heart and fired the imagination of the prophet Isaiah 1:19 – 2:5‎?

15. How is the reading of Hakham Tsefet (2 Peter 3:11-16) related to the readings for this Shabbat?

16. In your opinion, what is the chief purpose that Hakham Tsefet wants to address in 2 Peter 3:11-16?

17. Explain how Hakham Tsefet derived all of his material in 2 Peter 3:11-16 from the Torah Seder for this Shabbat, Psalm 89:16-38, and ‎ Isaiah 1:19 – 2:5?

18. How are the readings for this Shabbat communicating that the people of G-d (particularly Nazarean Jews) must be a separate people not imitating any of the traditions, laws and customs of the Gentiles but should be faithful to observe the commandments of the Sages?

19. Why doesn’t the Torah explicitly reveal the reward for the commandments in the next world?

20. What are the seven progressive sins and their explanations as well as their punishments as derived from Vayikra 26:18?

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

Next Shabbat:

Tebet 25, 5771 – December 31/January 1, 2011

Shabbat: V’Im B’Zot Lo Tishm’u” &

Shabbat Mevar’chim HaChodesh Shebat

Sabbath of the Proclamation of the New Moon for the month of Shebat

Wednesday January 5 – Thursday January 6, 2011

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
וְאִם-בְּזֹאת--לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ
“V’Im B’Zot Lo Tishm’u”	Reader 1 – Vayiqra 26:27-29	Reader 1 – Vayiqra 27:1-3
“And if you will not listen to Me for this”	Reader 2 – Vayiqra 26:30-32	Reader 2 – Vayiqra 27:4-6
“Y si con esto no me oyereis”	Reader 3 – Vayiqra 26:33-35	Reader 3 – Vayiqra 27:6-8
Vayiqra (Lev.) 26:27-46 B’Midbar (Num.) 28:9-15	Reader 4 – Vayiqra 26:36-38
Ashlmt. Isaiah 1:19-20, 24-28, 31 + 2:1, 5	Reader 5 – Vayiqra 26:39-41
	Reader 6 – Vayiqra 26:42-44	Reader 1 – Vayiqra 27:1-3
Psalm 89:16-38	Reader 7 – Vayiqra 26:44-46	Reader 2 – Vayiqra 27:4-6
	Maftir: B’Midbar 28:9-15	Reader 3 – Vayiqra 27:6-8
N.C.: 2 Peter 3:11-16	Isaiah ‎1:19-20, 24-28, 31, 2:1, 5‎

Shalom Shabbat !

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David

HE Dr. Adon Eliyahu ben Abraham

[1] CLV (Concordant Literal Version) as found in Rick Meyers (2009) E-Sword v. 9.5.1 - http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html

[2] Magiera, J.M. (2009), Aramaic Peshitta New Testament: Vertical Interlinear, Light of the Word Ministry, Vol. III.

[3] Greek New Testament (Stephanus Text) as found in Rick Meyers (2009) E-Sword v. 9.5.1 - http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html

[5] McKnight, S. (2002). Turning to Jesus: The Sociology of Conversion in the Gospels, Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, pp. 115-122.