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

 

 

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

 

Roll of Honor:

This Commentary comes out weekly and on the festivals thanks to the great generosity of:

 

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

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His Excellency Adon Shlomoh ben Abraham

His Excellency Adon Ya’aqob ben David

 

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

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.

 

 

A Prayer for Israel

 

Our Father in Heaven, Rock, and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the first manifestation of the approach of our redemption. Shield it with Your lovingkindness, envelop it in Your peace, and bestow Your light and truth upon its leaders, ministers, and advisors, and grace them with Your good counsel. Strengthen the hands of those who defend our holy land, grant them deliverance, and adorn them in a mantle of victory. Ordain peace in the land and grant its inhabitants eternal happiness.

 

Lead them, swiftly and upright, to Your city Zion and to Jerusalem, the abode of Your Name, as is written in the Torah of Your servant Moses: “Even if your outcasts are at the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather you, from there He will fetch you. And the Lord your God will bring you to the land that your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it, and He will make you more prosperous and more numerous than your fathers.” Draw our hearts together to revere and venerate Your name and to observe all the precepts of Your Torah, and send us quickly the Messiah son of David, agent of Your vindication, to redeem those who await Your deliverance.

 

A Prayer for our Beloved Hakhamim

 

We would like to ask for prayers on behalf of our three Hakhamim, Hakham Dr. Yoseph ben Haggai, Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David, and Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham for their health, as well as for this work, that it may prosper, be of great benefit to all, and that it may be well supported, and we all say, Amen ve Amen!

 

 

Blessings Before Torah Study

 

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

 

Please Ha-Shem, our GOD, sweeten the words of Your Torah in our mouths and in the mouths of all Your people Israel. May we and our offspring, and our offspring's offspring, and all the offspring of Your people, the House of Israel, may we all, together, know Your Name and study Your Torah for the sake of fulfilling Your delight. Blessed are You, Ha-Shem, Who teaches Torah to His people Israel. Amen!

 

Blessed are You, Ha-Shem our GOD, King of the universe, Who chose us from all the nations, and gave us the Torah. Blessed are You, Ha-Shem, Giver of the Torah. Amen!

 

Ha-Shem spoke to Moses, explaining a Commandment. "Speak to Aaron and his sons, and teach them the following Commandment: This is how you should bless the Children of Israel. Say to the Children of Israel:

 

May Ha-Shem bless you and keep watch over you; - Amen!

May Ha-Shem make His Presence enlighten you, and may He be kind to you; - Amen!

May Ha-Shem bestow favor on you and grant you peace. – Amen!

 

This way, the priests will link My Name with the Israelites, and I will bless them."

 

These are the Laws for which the Torah did not mandate specific amounts: How much growing produce must be left in the corner of the field for the poor; how much of the first fruits must be offered at the Holy Temple; how much one must bring as an offering when one visits the Holy Temple three times a year; how much one must do when performing acts of kindness; and there is no maximum amount of Torah that a person must study.

 

These are the Laws whose benefits a person can often enjoy even in this world, even though the primary reward is in the Next World: They are: Honoring one's father and mother; doing acts of kindness; early attendance at the place of Torah study -- morning and night; showing hospitality to guests; visiting the sick; providing for the financial needs of a bride; escorting the dead; being very engrossed in prayer; bringing peace between two people, and between husband and wife; but the study of Torah is as great as all of them together. Amen!

 

 

Tebet 18, 5784, December 29/30, 2023

Shabbat: “Ma-Titsa’aq Elai” – “Wherefore do you cry unto Me?”

 

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·        No Time to Pray but to Go Forward – Exodus 14:15-18

·        The Pillar of Cloud blinds the Egyptians – Exodus 14:19-20

·        The Sea Splits – Exodus 14:21-31

·        The Song by the Sea – Exodus 15:1-19

·        The Women Sing – Exodus 15:20-21

·        Israel Tests G-d – Exodus 15:22-26

·        Arrival at Elim (Teberinths) – Exodus 15:27

·        The children of Yisrael complain – Exodus 16:1-3

 

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Shemot (Exodus) 14:15 – 16:3

 

 

Reading Assignment

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Welcome to the World of Remes Exegesis

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

12. Deduction from the context.

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

 

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

                                                 

Rashi’s Commentary for: Shemot (Exodus) 14:15 – 16:3

 

15 Why do you cry out to Me [This verse] teaches us that Moses was standing and praying. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “This is no time to pray at length, when Israel is in distress.” Another explanation [of God’s question (Why do you cry out to me?) implies]: “The matter depends on Me and not on you,” as it is said further [in Scripture]: “Concerning My children and the work of My hands do you command Me?” (Isa. 45:11).-[from Mechilta, Exod. Rabbah 21: 8]

 

Speak to the children of Israel and let them travel They have nothing to do but to travel, for the sea will not stand in their way. The merit of their forefathers and their own [merit], and the faith they had in Me when they came out [of Egypt] are sufficient to split the sea for them.-[from Mechilta, Exod. Rabbah 21:8]

 

19 and went behind them to separate between the Egyptians’ camp and the Israelites’ camp and to catch the arrows and the catapult stones of the Egyptians. Everywhere it says: “the angel of the Lord (ה'),” but here [it says]: “the angel of God (אֱלֽהִים).” Everywhere [in Scripture] אֱלֽהִים denotes [God’s attribute of] judgment. This teaches that at that moment, the Israelites were being judged whether to be saved or to perish with the Egyptians.

 

and the pillar of cloud moved away When it became dark, and the pillar of cloud delivered the camp to the pillar of fire, the cloud did not go away as it would customarily go away completely in the evening, but it moved away and went behind them [the Israelites] to make it dark for the Egyptians.

 

20 And he came between the camp of Egypt This can be compared to a person walking along the road with his son walking in front of him. [When] bandits came to capture him [the son], he [the father] took him from in front of him and placed him behind him. A wolf came behind him; so he put him [his son] in front of him. [When] bandits came in front of him and wolves behind him, he put him [his son] on his arms and fought them off. Similarly [the prophet depicts the angel protecting Israel when they drew near to the Red Sea], “But I sent to train Ephraim, he took them on his arms” (Hos. 11:3).-[from Mechilta]

 

and there were the cloud and the darkness for the Egyptians.

 

and it illuminated [I.e.,] the pillar of fire [illuminated] the night for the Israelites, and it went before them as it usually went all night long, and the thick darkness [from the cloud] was toward the Egyptians.

 

and one did not draw near the other [I.e., one] camp to [the other] camp. - [from Mechilta, Jonathan]

 

21 with the strong east wind [I.e.,] with the east wind, which is the strongest of the winds. That is the wind with which the Holy One, blessed be He, visits retribution upon the wicked, as it is said [in the following verses]: “With an east wind I will scatter them” (Jer. 18:17); “an east wind shall come, a wind of the Lord” (Hos. 13:15); “the east wind broke you in the heart of the seas” (Ezek. 27:26); “He spoke with His harsh wind on the day of the east wind” (Isa. 27:8).-[from Mechilta]

 

and the waters split All the water in the world. - [from Mechilta Exod. Rabbah 21:6]

 

23 all Pharaoh’s horses Heb. כּֽל סוּס פַּרְעֽה, lit., in the singular. Now was there only one horse? This informs us that they [the horses] are all considered by the Omnipresent as one horse. -[from Mechilta Shirah 2]

 

24 It came about in the morning watch Heb. בְּאַֽשְמֽרֶת. The three parts of the night are called, אַשְׁמוּרוּת, watches (Ber. 3b), and the one [watch] before morning is called אַשְׁמֽרֶת הַבּֽקֶר, the morning watch. I say that because the night is divided into the watches of the songs of the ministering angels, one group after another into three parts, it is called אַשְׁמֽרֶת, watch. This is what Onkelos [means when he] renders מַטְּרַת.

 

looked down Heb. וַיַּשְׁקֵף, looked, that is to say that He turned toward them to destroy them, and the Targum [Onkelos] renders: וְאִסְתְּכֵי. This too is an expression of looking, like “to the field of seers” (Num. 23:14), [which Onkelos renders:] לַחֲקַל סָכוּתָא

 

through a of fire and cloud The pillar of cloud descends and makes it [the earth] like mud, and the pillar of fire boils it [the earth], and the hoofs of their horses slip.-[from Mechilta]

 

and He threw the Egyptian camp into confusion Heb. וַיָּהָם, an expression of confusion, estordison in Old French. He confused them; He took away their intelligence. We learned in the chapters of Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Yose the Galilean [not found in our edition] [that] wherever it says מְהוּמָה [confusion], it means a tumultuous noise. And the “father” of them all, [the best example of the use of מְהוּמָה, is [in the verse:] “and the Lord thundered with a loud noise, etc., on the Philistines and threw them into confusion (וַיְהוּמֵּם)” (I Sam. 7:10).

 

25 And He removed the wheels of their chariots With the fire the wheels were burned, and the chariots dragged, and those sitting in them were moved to and fro, and their limbs were wrenched apart.-[from an unknown source, similar to Mechilta]

 

and He led them with heaviness in a manner that was heavy and difficult for them. [This punishment was] in the measure that they [the Egyptians had] measured [to the Israelites], namely “and he made his heart heavy, he and his servants” (Exod. 9:34). Here too, “He led them with heaviness.”-[from an unknown source, similar to Mechilta]

 

is fighting for them against the Egyptians Heb. בְּמִצְרָיִם, [is like] against the Egyptians. Alternatively:  בְּמִצְרָיִם[means] in the land of Egypt, for just as these [Egyptians] were being smitten in the sea, so were those remaining in Egypt being smitten. - [from Mechilta]

 

26 and let the water return [I.e., the water] that is standing upright like a wall [will] return to its place and cover up the Egyptians.

 

27 toward morning Heb. לִפְנוֹת בּֽקֶר, at the time the morning approaches [lit., turns (פּוֹנֶה) to come].

 

to its strength Heb. לְאֵיתָנוֹ. To its original strength. - [from Mechilta]

 

were fleeing toward it Because they were confused and crazed and running toward the water.

 

and the Lord stirred Heb. וַיְנַעֵר. As a person stirs (מְנַעֵר) a pot [of food] and turns what is on the top to the bottom and what is on the bottom to the top, so were they [the Egyptians] bobbing up and down and being smashed in the sea, and the Holy One, blessed be He, kept them alive to bear their tortures.-[from Mechilta]

 

stirred Heb. וַיְנַעֵר. [Onkelos renders it] וְֽשַנִּיק, which means stirring in the Aramaic language, and there are many [examples of this word] in aggadic midrashim.

 

28 and covered the chariots...the entire force of Pharaoh Heb. לְכֽל חֵיל פַּרְעֽה So is the custom of Scriptural verses to write a superfluous “lammed,” such as in “all (לְכָל) its utensils you shall make copper” (Exod. 27:3); and similarly, “all (לְכֽל) the utensils of the Tabernacle for all its services” (Exod. 27:19); [and in the phrase] “their stakes and their ropes, along with all (לְכָל) their utensils” (Num. 4:32), and it [the “lammed”] is [used] merely to enhance the language.

 

30 and Israel saw the Egyptians dying on the seashore For the sea spewed them out on its shore, so that the Israelites would not say, "Just as we are coming up on this side [of the sea], so are they coming up on another side, far from us, and they will pursue us."-[from Mechilta and Pes. 118b]

 

31 the great hand the great mighty deed that the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, had performed. Many meanings fit the term יָד, and they are all expressions derived from an actual hand, and he who interprets it must adjust the wording according to the context.

 

Chapter 15

 

1 Then...sang Heb. אָז יָשִׁיר. [The future tense presents a problem. Therefore, Rashi explains:] Then, when he [Moses] saw the miracle, it occurred to him to recite a song, and similarly, “Then Joshua spoke (אָז יְדַבֵּר יְהשֻׁעַ)” (Josh. 10:12); and similarly, “and the house [which] he would make (יַעֲשֶׂה) for Pharaoh’s daughter” (I Kings 7:8), [which means] he decided to make it for her. Here too, יָשִׁיר [in the future tense means that] his heart dictated to him that he should sing, and so he did, “and they spoke, saying, I will sing to the Lord.’ ” Likewise, with [the above reference to] Joshua, when he saw the miracle [of the defeat of the Amorite kings (Josh. 10:11)], his heart dictated to him that he speak [praises to God], and so he did, “and he said in the sight of Israel” (Josh. 10:12). Likewise, the song of the well, with which [Scripture] commences: “Then Israel sang (אָז יָשִׁיר)” (Num. 21:17), it explains after it, “Ascend, O well!, sing to it.” [I.e., in these three instances, the “yud” of the future tense denotes the thought, and after each one, Scripture continues that the thought was brought to fruition.] “Then did Solomon build (אָז יִבְנֶה) a high place” (I Kings 11:7); the Sages of Israel explain that he sought to build [it] but did not build [it] (Sanh. 91b). We [thus] learn that the “yud” may serve to indicate a thought. This is to explain its simple meaning, but the midrashic interpretation is [as follows]: Our Rabbis of blessed memory stated: From here is an allusion from the Torah to the resurrection of the dead (Sanh. 91b, Mechilta), and so it is [i.e., the future tense is used] with them all, except that of Solomon, which they explained as [implying] “he sought to build but did not build.” One cannot say and explain this form like other words written in the future, but which mean [that they occurred] immediately, such as “So would Job do (וָעֲשֶׂה)” (Job 1:5); “by the command of the Lord would they encamp (יַחֲנוּ)” (Num. 9:23); “And sometimes the cloud would be (יִהְיֶה)” (Num. 9:21), because that is [an example of] something that occurs continually, and either the future or the past is appropriate for it, but that which occurred only once [i.e., the song that was sung], cannot be explained in this manner.-

 

for very exalted is He Heb. גָאֽה גָאָה, [to be interpreted] according to the Targum [He was exalted over the exalted, and the exaltation is His]. Another explanation: [The] doubling [of the verb] comes to say that He did something impossible for a flesh and blood [person] to do. When he fights with his fellow and overwhelms him, he throws him off the horse, but here, “a horse and its rider He cast into the sea,” [i.e., with the rider still on the horse]. Anything that cannot be done by anyone else is described as exaltation (גֵּאוּת), like “for He has performed an exalted act (גֵּאוּת)” (Isa. 12:5). Similarly, [throughout] the entire song you will find the repetitive pattern, such as: “My strength and my praise are the Eternal, and He was my salvation” (verse 2); “The Lord is a Master of war; the Lord is His Name,” (verse 3); and so on, all of them (in an old Rashi). Another explanation: גָאֽה גָאָה means for He is exalted beyond all songs, [i.e.,] for however I will praise Him, He still has more [praise]. [This is] unlike the manner of a human king, who is praised for something he does not possess. - [from Mechilta]

 

a horse and its rider Both bound to one another, and the water lifted them up high and brought them down into the depths, and [still] they did not separate. - [from Mechilta]

 

He cast Heb. רָמָה, [meaning] He cast, and similarly, “and they were cast (וּרְמִיו) into the burning, fiery furnace” (Dan. 3:21). The aggadic midrash, however, [states as follows]: One verse (verse 1) says: רָמָה בַיָם, [derived from רוּם, meaning “to cast up,”] and one verse (verse 4) says: יָרָה בַיָם [meaning “to cast down”]. [This] teaches us that they [the horse and rider] went up and [then] descended into the deep, [i.e., they were thrown up and down]. [The meaning of יָרָה is here] similar to: “who laid (יָרָה) its cornerstone” (Job 38:6), [which signifies laying the stone] from above, downward. - [from Mechilta, Tanchuma, Beshallach 13]

 

2 The Eternal’s strength and His vengeance were my salvation Heb. עָזִי וְזִמְרָת יָ-ה. Onkelos renders: My strength and my praise, [thus interpreting] עָזִי like עֻזִי [my strength] with a “shuruk,” and וְזִמְרָת like וְזִמְרָתִי [my song]. But I wonder about the language of the text, for there is nothing like it [the word עָזִי] in Scripture with its vowelization except in three places [i.e., here and in Isa. 12:2 and Ps. 118:14], where it is next to וְזִמְרָת, but [in] all other places,it is vowelized with a “shuruk" [now called a "kubutz"], [e.g., in the phrase] "O Lord, Who are my power (עֻזִי) and my strength” (Jer. 16:19); “[Because of] his strength(עֻזוֹ), I hope for You” (Ps. 59:10). Likewise, any word [noun] consisting of two letters, vowelized with a “melupum,” [i.e., a "cholam,"] when it is lengthened by [the addition of] a third letter, and the second letter is not punctuated with a “sheva” the first [letter] is vowelized with a “shuruk,” e.g., עֽז strength, becomes עֻזִי, my strength, spittle (Job 30:10), רֽק becomes רֽקִי, my spittle (Job 7:19). allotment (Gen. 47:22), חֽק becomes חֽקִי, my allotment (Prov. 30:8). עֽל, yoke (Deut. 28:48), becomes עֻלוֹ, his yoke, “shall be removed...his yoke עֻלוֹ” (Isa. 10:27). כּֽל, all (Gen. 21:12), becomes כֻּלוֹ, all of it, “with officers over them allכֻּלוֹ” (Exod. 14:7). But these three [examples of the phrase], עָזִי וְזִמְרָת, [namely] the one [written] here, the one [written in] Isaiah (12:2), and the one [written in] Psalms (118:14) [all examples of the word ]עָזִי are vowelized with a short “kamatz.” Moreover, not one of them [i.e., of these examples] is written וְזִמְרָתִי butוְזִמְרָת, and next to each of them it says וַיְהִי-לִי לִיֽשוּעָה, were my salvation. Therefore, in order to reconcile the language of the text, I say that עָזִי is not like עֻזִי, nor is וְזִמְרָת like וְזִמְרָתִי, but עָזִי is a noun [and the final “yud” is only stylistic], like [the final “yud” in these examples:] “You Who dwell (הַישְׁבִי) in heaven” (Ps. 123:1); “who dwell (שֽׁכְנִי) in the clefts of the rock” (Obad. 1:3); “Who dwells (שֽׁכְנִי) in the thorn bush” (Deut. 33:16). And this is the praise [that Moses and the Israelites sing to God]: The strength and the vengeance of the Eternal--that was my salvation. [In brief, the “yud” at the end of the word is a stylistic suffix, which has no bearing on the meaning.] And the word וְזִמְרָת is connected to the word denoting the Divine Name, like “to the aid of (לְעֶזְרַת) the Lord” (Jud. 5:23); [and like the word בְּעֶבְרַת in] “By the wrath of (בְּעֶבְרַת) the Lord” (Isa. 9:18); [and the word דִבְרַת in:] “concerning the matter of (דִבְרַת)” (Eccl. 3:18). [In brief, the ַת or, ָת denotes the construct state of a feminine noun.] The expression וְזִמְרָת is an expression related to “and your vineyard you shall not prune (א תִזְמֽר)” (Lev. 25:4); “the downfall of (זְמִיר) the tyrants” (Isa. 25:5), an expression denoting mowing down and cutting off. [Thus the phrase means:] The strength and the vengeance of our God was our salvation. Now [since this is the meaning of the phrase,] do not be puzzled about the expression וַיְהִי, [i.e.,] that it does not say הָיָה [without a “vav” since this is the verb following עָזִי וְזִמְרָת and does not begin a clause as the conversive “vav” usually does], for there are verses worded this way, and this is an example: “[against] the walls of the house around [both] the temple and the sanctuary, he made (וַיַּעַשׂ) chambers around [it]” (I Kings 6:5). It should have said עָשָׂה, “chambers around [it]” [instead of וַיַּעַשׂ]. Similarly, in (II) Chron. (10:17): “But the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah-Rehoboam reigned (וַיִמְלֽךְ) over them.” It should have said: “Rehoboam (מָלַךְ) over them.” [Similarly,] “Because the Lord was unable...He slaughtered them (וַיִשְׁחָטֵם) in the desert” (Num. 14:16). It should have said: שְׁחָטָם. [Similarly,] “But the men whom Moses sent...died (וַיָמוּתוּ)” (Num 14:36, 37). It should have said: מֵתוּ. [Similarly,] “But he who did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left (וַיַעֲזֽב)” (Exod. 9:21). It should have said: עָזַב.

 

this is my God He revealed Himself in His glory to them [the Israelites], and they pointed at Him with their finger [as denoted by זֶה, this]. By the sea, [even] a maidservant perceived what prophets did not perceive. - [from Mechilta]

 

and I will make Him a habitation Heb. וְאַנְוֵה. Onkelos rendered it as an expression of habitation (נָוֶה) [as in the following phrases]: “a tranquil dwelling (נָוֶה)” (Isa. 33: 20); “a sheepfold (נְוֵה)” (Isa. 65:10). Another explanation: וְאַנְוֵהוּ is an expression of beauty (נוּ). [Thus, the phrase means] I will tell of His beauty and His praise to those who enter the world, such as: [When Israel is asked:] "How is your beloved more than another beloved...? [Israel will say] My beloved is white and ruddy..." and the entire section [of Song of Songs] (Song of Songs 5:9, 10). -[from Mechilta]

 

the God of my father is this One, and I will exalt Him.

 

the God of my father I am not the beginning of the sanctity [i.e., I am not the first to recognize His sanctity], but the sanctity has been established and has remained with me, and His Divinity has been upon me since the days of my forefathers.-[from Mechilta]

 

3 The Lord is a Master of war Heb. אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה, lit., a man of war, [which is inappropriate in reference to the Deity. Therefore,] Rashi renders: Master of war, like “Naomi’s husband (אִישׁ נָעֳמִי)” (Ruth 1:3) and so, every [instance in the Torah of] אִישׁ, husband, and אִישֵׁךְ, your husband, is rendered: בַּעַל, master. Similarly, “You shall be strong and become a man (לְאִישׁ)” (I Kings 2:2), [meaning] a strong man. -

 

the Lord is His Name His wars are not [waged] with weapons, but He wages battle with His Name, as David said [to Goliath before fighting him], “[You come to me with spear and javelin] and I come to you with the Name of the Lord of Hosts” (I Sam. 17:45). Another explanation: The Lord י-ה-ו-ה, denoting the Divine Standard of Clemency,] is His Name--Even when He wages war and takes vengeance upon His enemies, He sticks to His behavior of having mercy on His creatures and nourishing all those who enter the world, unlike the behavior of earthly kings. When he [an earthly king] is engaged in war, he turns away from all his [other] affairs and does not have the ability to do both this [i.e., wage war] and that [other things].-[from Mechilta]

 

4 He cast into the sea Heb. יָרָה בַיָם. [Onkelos renders:] שְׁדִי .שְׁדִי בְיַמָּא is an expression of casting down (יָרָה), as [Scripture] says: “or shall surely be cast down (יָרֽה יִיָָּרֶה)” (Exod. 19:13), which Onkelos renders: אִשְׁתְּדָאָה יִשְׁתְּדִי. The “tav” serves in these [forms] in the hithpa’el form.

 

and the elite of Heb. וּמִבְחַר, a noun, like מֶרְכָּב, riding gear (Lev. 15:9); מִשְׁכָּב, bed (Lev. 15:23); מִקְרָא קֽדֶשׁ, holy convocation (Exod. 12:16, Lev. 23:3).

 

sank Heb. טֻבְּעוּ. The term טְבִיעָה [for sinking] is used [in the Tanach] only [when referring] to a place where there is mud, like “I have sunk (טָבַעְתִּי) in muddy depths” (Ps. 69:3); “and Jeremiah sank (וַיִּטְבַּע) into the mud” (Jer. 38:6). This informs [us] that the sea became mud, to recompense them [the Egyptians] according to their behavior, [namely] that they enslaved the Israelites with [work that entailed] clay and bricks. -[from Mechilta]

 

5 covered them Heb. יְכַסְיֻמוּ, like יְכַסוּם. The “yud” in the middle of it is superfluous. This is, however, a common biblical style [to add an additional “yud”], like “and your cattle and your flocks will increase (יִרְבְּיֻן)” (Deut. 8:13); “They will be sated (יִרְוְיֻן) from the fat of Your house” (Ps. 36:9). The first “yud,” which denotes the future tense, is to be explained as follows: They sank in the Red Sea, so that the water would return and cover them up. There is no word in Scripture similar to יְכַסְיֻמוּ in its vowelization. It would usually be vowelized יְכַסְיֻמוּ with a “melupum.” [Here too it is obvious that Rashi means a “cholam,” as I explained above (Exod. 14:12).]

 

like a stone Elsewhere (verse 10), it says, “they sank like lead.” Still elsewhere (verse 7), it says, “it devoured them like straw.” [The solution is that] the [most] wicked were [treated] like straw, constantly tossed, rising and falling; the average ones like stone; and the best like lead-[i.e.,] they sank immediately [and thus were spared suffering].-[from Mechilta]

 

6 Your right hand...Your right hand twice. When the Israelites perform the will of the Omnipresent, [even] the left hand becomes a right hand. -[Rashi from Mechilta]

 

Your right hand, O Lord, is most powerful to save Israel, and Your second right hand crushes the foe. It seems to me, however, that that very right hand [also] crushes the foe, unlike a human being, who cannot perform two kinds of work with the same hand. The simple meaning of the verse is: Your right hand, which is strengthened with might--what is its work? Your right hand, O Lord, crushes the foe. There are many verses resembling it [i.e., where parts of the verse are repeated]: “For behold Your enemies, O Lord, for behold Your enemies will perish” (Ps. 92:10); “How long will the wicked, O Lord, how long will the wicked rejoice?” (Ps. 94:3); “The rivers have raised, O Lord, the rivers have raised their voice” (Ps. 93:3); “Not for us, O Lord, not for us” (Ps. 115:1); “I will answer, says the Lord; I will answer the heavens” (Hos. 2:23); “I to the Lord, I shall sing” (Jud. 5:3); “Had it not been for the Lord, etc. Had it not been for the Lord Who was with us when men rose up against us” (Ps. 124:1, 2); “Praise! Praise! Deborah. Praise! Praise! Utter a song” (Jud. 5:12); “A foot shall trample it, the feet of a poor man” (Isa. 26:6); “And He gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to Israel His people” (Ps. 135:12).

 

is most powerful Heb.  נֶאְדָּרִיThe “yud” is superfluous, like “populous (רַבָּתִי עָם)...princess (שָׂרָתִי) among the provinces” (Lam. 1:1); “what was stolen by day” (גְּנֻבְתִי) (Gen. 31: 39).

 

crushes the foe Heb. תִּרְעַץ, [which means] it constantly crushes and breaks the foe. Similar to this, “And they crushed (וַיִרְעֲצוּ) and broke the children of Israel,” in Jud. (10:8). (Another explanation: Your right hand, which is strengthened with might-it breaks and strikes the foe.)

 

7 And with Your great pride - (If the hand alone crushes the foe, then when it is raised with its great pride, it will [definitely] tear down those who rise up against Him. And if with His great pride alone His foes are torn down, how much more so, when He sends upon them His burning wrath, will it consume them.)

 

You tear down You always tear down those who rise up against You. And who are those who rise up against Him? These are the ones who rise up against Israel, and so does he [the Psalmist] say, “For behold, Your enemies stir.” And what is that stirring? “Against Your people they plot cunningly” (Ps. 83:3, 4). For this reason, he calls them the enemies of the Omnipresent. - [from Mechilta]

 

8 And with the breath of Your nostrils Breath which comes out of the two nostrils of the nose. Scripture speaks anthropomorphically about the Shechinah, on the model of a mortal king, in order to enable the ears of the people to hear it [to understand God’s anger] as it usually occurs [in humans], so that they should be able to understand the matter. [Namely that] when a person becomes angry, wind comes out of his nostrils. Likewise, “Smoke went up from His nostrils” (Ps. 18:9), and similarly, “and from the wind of His nostrils they will be destroyed” (Job 4:9). And this is what it [Scripture] says: “For the sake of My Name, I defer My anger” (Isa. 48:9) [lit., I lengthen the breath of My nose]. [This means that] when his [a person’s] anger subsides, his breath becomes longer, and when he becomes angry, his breath becomes shorter; [the verse continues:] “and for My praise I restrain My wrath (אֶחֱטָם) for you” (Isa. 48:9). [I.e.,] I put a ring(חֲטָם) into My nostrils in front of the anger and the wind, [so] that they should not come out. “For you” means “for your sake.” [The word] אֶחֱטָם is like [the expression in the Mishnah:] “a dromedary with a nose ring” (בַּחֲטָם) in tractate Shabbath (51b). This is how it appears to me. And concerning every [expression of]אַף and חָרוֹן in the Bible [which are expressions of anger] I say this: [The expression] חָרָה אַף, anger was kindled, is like [the word חָרָה in:] “and my bones dried out (חָרָה) from the heat” (Job 30:30); חָרָה is an expression of fire and burning, for the nostrils heat up and burn at the time of anger. חָרוֹן (burning) is from the root חרה (to burn) just as רָצוֹן (will) is from the root רצה (to desire). And likewise, חֵמָה is an expression of heat (חֲמִימוּת). Therefore, it [Scripture] says: “and his anger (וַחֲמָתוֹ) burnt within him” (Esther 1:12), and when the anger subsides, we say, “His mind has cooled off (נִתְקָרְרָה דַעְתּוֹ).”

 

the waters were heaped up --Heb. נֶעֶרְמוּ. Onkelos rendered [this word] as an expression of cunning (עַרְמִימוּת). According to the clarity of Scripture, however, it is an expression related to “a stack (עֲרֵמַת) of wheat” (Song of Songs 7:3), and [the phrase that follows:] “the running water stood erect like a wall” proves this.

 

the waters were heaped up from the heat of the wind that came out of Your nose, the water dried up, and it became like piles and heaps of grain stacks, which are tall.

 

like a wall Heb. כְמוֹ-נֵד, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders: כְּשׁוּר, like a wall. -

 

wall Heb. נֵד, an expression of heaping and gathering, like “a heap (נֵד) of harvest on a day of sickness” (Isa. 17:11); “He gathers (כּֽנֵס) as a mound כַּנֵד” (Ps. 33:7). It does not say, “He brings in as a flask כַּנּֽאד,” but כַּנַּד. Now if כַּנַּד were the same as כַּנּֽאד, and כּֽנֵס were an expression of bringing in, it should have said, “He brings in as into a flask (מַכְנִיס כִּבְנֽאד) the waters of the sea.” Rather, כּֽנֵס is an expression of gathering and heaping, and so, “shall stand in one heap (נֵד)”; “stood in one heap (נֵד).” (Josh. 3:13, 16); and the expression of rising and standing does not apply to flasks, but to walls and heaps. Moreover, we do not find נּֽאד, meaning a flask, vowelized [with any vowel] but with a “melupum,” (meaning a “cholam,”) like [in the phrases:] “place my tears into Your flask (בְּנּֽאדֶךָ)” (Ps. 56: 9); “the flask of נּֽאד milk” (Jud. 4:19).

 

congealed Heb. קָפְאוּ, like “and curdle me (תַּקְפִּיאֵנִי) like cheese” (Job 10:10). [I.e.,] that they [the depths] hardened and became like stones, and the water hurled the Egyptians against the stone with [all its] might and fought with them [the Egyptians] with all kinds of harshness.

 

in the heart of the sea Heb. בְּלֶב יָם, in the strongest part of the sea. It is customary for the Scriptures to speak in this manner, [for instance:] “until the heart of (לֵב) the heavens” (Deut. 4:11); in the heart of (בְּלֵב) the terebinth" (II Sam. 18:14). [The heart in these examples is] an expression denoting the root and the strength of anything. -

 

9 [Because] the enemy said --to his people, when he enticed them with [his] words, "I will pursue, and I will overtake them, and I will share the plunder with my officers and my servants."

 

will be filled from them Heb. תִּמְלָאֵמוֹ, equivalent to תִּמְלָא מֵהֶם, will be filled from them.

 

my desire --Heb. נַפְשִׁי, lit., my soul, my spirit, and my will. Do not be surprised at [one] word speaking for two [words]; i.e., תִּמְלָאֵמוֹ, instead of תִּמְלָא מֵהֶם, because there are many such words [in Tanach like this], e.g., “you have given me (נְתַתָּנִי) dry land” (Jud. 1:15), [which is] like נָתַתָּ לִי “and they could not speak with him (דַּבְּרוּ) peacefully” (Gen. 37:4), [which is] like דַּבֵּר עִמוֹ “my children have left me (יְצָאוּנִי) ” (Jer. 10:20), [which is] like יָצְאוּ מִמֶנִי “I will tell him (אַגִּידֶנּוּ) ” (Job 31:37), [which is] like אַגִיד לוֹ. Here too, תִּמְלָאֵמוֹ is equivalent to תִִִּמְלָאֵמוֹ נַפְשִׁי מֵהֶם.

 

I will draw my sword Heb. אָרִיק חַרְבִּי, lit., I will empty my sword. I will draw, and because one empties the sheath by drawing it [the sword], and it remains empty, an expression of emptying is appropriate, like “And it came to pass that they were emptying (מְרִיקִים) their sacks” (Gen. 42:35); “and they shall empty(יָרִיקוּ) his vessels” (Jer. 48:12). Do not say that the expression of emptiness [in these examples] does not apply to what comes out [of its container] but [instead applies] to the sheath, the sack, or the vessel from which it came out, but not to the sword or the wine, and [thus] to force an interpretation of אָרִיק חַרְבִּי like the language of “and he armed (וַיָרֶק) his trained men” (Gen. 14:14), [claiming that its] meaning [is] "I will arm myself with my sword.” [To this I answer that] we find the expression [of emptying] also applied to that which comes out, e.g., “oil poured forth (תּוּרַק) ” (Song of Songs 1:3); “and he has not been poured(הוּרַק) from one vessel to another vessel” (Jer. 48:11). It is not written: “the vessel was not emptied (הוּרַק)” but “the wine was not poured (הוּרַק) from one vessel to another vessel.” Similarly, “and they will draw (וְהֵרִיקוּ) their swords on the beauty of your wisdom” (Ezek. 28:7), referring to Hiram [the king of Tyre]- [following Onkelos, Jonathan].

 

my hand will impoverish them Heb. תּוֹרִישֵׁמוֹ, an expression of poverty (רֵישׁוּת) and destitution, like “The Lord impoverishes (מוֹרִישׁ) and makes rich” (I Sam. 2:7).

 

10 You blew Heb. נָשַׁפְתָּ, an expression of blowing, and likewise: “and also He blew (נָשַׁף) on them” (Isa. 40:24).

 

they sank Heb. צָלֲלוּ, [which means] they sank; they went down to the depths, an expression of מְצוּלָה, deep.

 

like lead-Heb. כַּעוֹפֶרֶת, plomb in French, lead.

 

11 among the powerful Heb. בָּאֵלִם, among the strong, like “and the powerful (אֵילֵי) of the land he took away” (Ezek. 17:13); “my strength אֱיָלוּתִי, hasten to my assistance” (Ps. 22:20).

 

Too awesome for praises [You are] too awesome for [one] to recite Your praises, lest they fall short, as it is written: “Silence is praise to You” (Ps. 65:2).

 

12 You inclined Your right hand When the Holy One, blessed be He, inclines His hand, the wicked perish and fall, because all are placed in His hand, and they fall when He inclines it. Similarly, it [Scripture] says: “and the Lord shall turn His hand, and the helper shall stumble, and the helped one shall fall” (Isa. 31:3). This can be compared to glass vessels placed in a person’s hand. If he inclines his hand a little, they fall and break. -[based on Mechilta]

 

the earth swallowed them up from here [we deduce] that they merited to be buried as a reward for saying, “The Lord is the righteous One” (Exod. 9:27). - [from Mechilta]

 

13 You led Heb. נֵהַלְתָּ, an expression of leading. Onkelos, however, rendered [it as] an expression of carrying and bearing, but he was not exact in explaining it in accordance with the Hebrew. [I.e., he explained the sense of the verse, but he did not translate the word literally.]

 

14 they trembled Heb. יִרְגָזוּן, [which means] they tremble.

 

the inhabitants of Philistia [They trembled] since they slew the children of Ephraim, who hastened the end [of their exile] and went out [of Egypt] forcibly, as is delineated in (I) Chronicles (7:21). And the people of [the town of] Gath slew them [the children of Ephraim]. - [from Mechilta]

 

15 the chieftains of Edom...the powerful men of Moab Now they had nothing to fear at all, because they [the Israelites] were not advancing upon them. Rather, [they trembled] because of grief, that they were grieving and suffering because of the glory of Israel.

 

melted Heb. נָמֽגוּ, [as in the phrase] “with raindrops You dissolve it (תְּמֽגְגֶנָּה)” (Ps. 65:11). They [the inhabitants of Canaan] said, “They are coming upon us to annihilate us and possess our land.”-[from Mechilta]

 

16 May dread...fall upon them Heb. אֵימָתָה, upon the distant ones. - [from Mechilta]

 

and fright Heb. וָפַחַד. Upon the nearby ones, as the matter that is stated: “For we have heard how the Lord dried up [the water of the Red Sea for you, etc.]” (Josh. 2:10). [from Mechilta]

 

until...cross over, until...crosses over As the Targum [Onkelos] renders.

 

You have acquired Heb. קָנִיתָ. [I.e., whom] You loved more than other nations, similar to an article purchased for a high price, which is dear to the person [who purchased it].

 

17 You shall bring them Moses prophesied that he would not enter the land [of Israel]. Therefore, it does not say: “You shall bring us.” (It appears that it should read “that they would not enter the land, etc.” Indeed, this is the way it is stated in Baba Bathra 119b and in Mechilta: The sons will enter but not the fathers. Although the decree of the spies had not yet been pronounced, he [Moses] prophesied, not knowing what he was prophesying. -[Maharshal])

 

directed toward Your habitation The Temple below is directly opposite the Temple above, which You made. -[from Mechilta]

 

the sanctuary Heb. מִקְּדָשׁ. The cantillation sign over it is a “zakef gadol,” to separate it from the word ה' following it. [The verse thus means:] the sanctuary which Your hands founded, O Lord. The Temple is beloved, since, whereas the world was created with “one hand,” as it is said: “Even My hand laid the foundation of the earth” (Isa. 48:13), the sanctuary [will be built] with “two hands.” When will it be built with "two hands"? At the time when “the Lord will reign to all eternity” [verse 18]. In the future, when the entire ruling power is His. -[from Mechilta and Keth. 5a]

 

18 to all eternity Heb. לְעֽלָם וָעֶד. [This is] an expression of eternity, and the “vav” in it is part of the root. Therefore, it is punctuated with a “pattach.” But in “and I am He Who knows, and [I am] a witness וָעֵד” (Jer. 29:23), in which the “vav” is a prefix, it is punctuated with a “kamatz.”

 

19 When Pharaoh’s horses came Heb. כִּי בָא When they came.

 

20 Miriam, the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took When did she prophesy? When she was [known only as] “Aaron’s sister,” before Moses was born, she said, “My mother is destined to bear a son” [who will save Israel], as is found in Sotah 12b, 13a). Another explanation: [It is written] Aaron’s sister since he [Aaron] risked his life for her when she was afflicted with zara’ath; [thus] she is called by his name (Mechilta).

 

a timbrel Heb. הַתּֽף, a type of musical intrument.

 

with timbrels and with dances The righteous women of that generation were [so] certain that the Holy One, blessed be He, would perform miracles for them, they took timbrels out of Egypt. -[from Mechilta]

 

21 And Miriam called out to them Moses said the Song to the men, and they answered after him, and Miriam said the song to the women [and they too repeated it].-[from Mechilta]

 

22 Moses led Israel away lit., made Israel journey. He led them away against their will, for the Egyptians had adorned their steeds with ornaments of gold, silver, and precious stones, and the Israelites were finding them in the sea. The plunder at the sea was greater than the plunder in Egypt, as it is said: “We will make you rows of gold with studs of silver” (Song of Songs 1:11). Therefore, he had to lead them against their will. -[from Tanchuma Buber, Beshallach 16, Mechilta, Exod. 12:35, Song Rabbah 1:11]

 

23 They came to Marah Heb. מָרָתָה, like לְמָרָָה. The “hey” at the end מָרָתָה is instead of a “lammed” [prefix] at the beginning [of the word], and the “thav” is instead of the “hey” [that is part] of the root in the word מָרָָה. But when a suffix is added, when it is attached to a “hey” that replaces a “lammed,” the “hey” of the root is transformed into a “thav.” Similarly, every “hey” that is part of the root of the word is transformed into a “thav” when a suffix is added, like “I have no wrath (חֵמָה) ” (Isa. 27:4), [becomes] “and his wrath (וַחֲמָתוֹ) burnt within him” (Esther 1:12). Note that the “hey” of the root is transformed into a “thav” when it is placed next to the added “vav.” Likewise,"bond servants and handmaids  (וְאָמָה)“ (Lev. 25:44), [becomes] and "Here is my handmaid (אֲמָתִי) Bilhah” (Gen. 30:3); “a living (חַיָה) soul” (Gen. 2:7), [becomes] “and his living spirit (חַיָתוֹ) causes him to abhor food” (Job 33:20); “between Ramah (הָרָמָה)” (Jud. 4:5), [becomes] “And his return was to Ramah (הָרָמָתָה)” (I Sam. 7: 17).

 

24 complained Heb. וַיִנוּ. This is in the niph’al conjugation. [In this case, the niph’al denotes the reflexive, as we see further in Rashi.] Likewise, in the Targum [Onkelos], it is also a niph’al expression: וְאִתְרַעֲמוּ. The nature of the term denoting complaint תְּלוּנָה [is that it] reverts to the person [complaining], מִתְלוֹנֵן[complains] or מִתְרוֹעֵם [storms], but one does not say לוֹנֵן or רוֹעֵם [Hebrew]. The Frenchman also says, “Decomplenst sey.” He reverts the statement to himself when he says, “Sey.”

 

25 There He gave them In Marah, He gave them some sections of the Torah so that they would busy themselves with them, namely [they were given the laws governing] the Sabbath, the red cow, and laws of jurisprudence.-[from Mechilta and Sanh. 56b]

 

and there He tested them [He tested] the people and saw how stiff-necked they were, that they did not consult Moses with respectful language, “Entreat [God to have] mercy upon us that we should have water to drink,” but they complained.-[from Mechilta]

 

26 If you hearken This is the acceptance [of the law] that they should accept upon themselves.

 

and you do --This means the performance [of the commandments].

 

and you listen closely [This means that] you [should] incline your ears to be meticulous in [fulfilling] them.

 

all His statutes Things that are only the decree of the King, without any [apparent] rationale, and with which the evil inclination finds fault, [saying,] “What is [the sense of] the prohibition of these [things]? Why were they prohibited?” For example, [the prohibitions of] wearing shatnes [a mixture of wool and linen] and eating pork, and [the ritual of] the red cow and their like. -[based on Yoma 67b]

 

I will not visit upon you And if I do bring [sickness upon you], it is as if it has not been brought, “for I, the Lord, heal you.” This is its midrashic interpretation (see Sanh. 101a, Mechilta). According to its simple meaning, [we explain:] “for I, the Lord, am your Physician” and [I] teach you the Torah and the mitzvoth in order that you be saved from them [illnesses], like this physician who says to a person, “Do not eat things that will cause you to relapse into the grip of illness.” This [warning] refers to listening closely to the commandments, and so [Scripture] says: “It shall be healing for your navel” (Prov. 3:8). - [from Mechilta]

 

27 twelve water fountains Corresponding to the twelve tribes, were prepared for them. - [from Mechilta] 

and seventy palms Corresponding to the seventy elders. - [from Mechilta, Jonathan]

 

Chapter 16

 

1 on the fifteenth day the day of this encampment is stated because on that day the cakes that they had taken out of Egypt were depleted, and they needed manna. We learn [from this] that they ate of the remaining dough (or from the remaining matzoth) sixty- one meals. And the manna fell for them on the sixteenth of Iyar, which was a Sunday, as appears in tractate Shabbath (87b). -[from Mechilta]

 

2 complained Because the bread [they had taken out of Egypt] was depleted.

 

 

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 53:1-7

 

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: Tehillim (Psalms) 53:1-7

 

1 on machalath the name of a musical instrument. Another explanation: concerning the malady (מחלתן) of Israel when the Temple will be destroyed. He already recited another psalm resembling this one (above 14): “The fool said in his heart, ‘there is no God, etc.’ “, One relates to the destruction of the First Temple and this one, to the Second Temple.

 

2 The fool said in his heart This is Titus; when he cut into the curtain and his sword was dripping with blood, he said that he had killed [God] Himself.

 

4 dross Heb. סג, an expression of סיגים, dross.

 

not even one of all His armies will protest against His deeds.

 

5 Did not Should not those who devour My people like a meal of bread, and who did not call upon the Lord, know that ultimately, they will experience there a great fear at the end of days?

 

6 there was never such fear This fear was not like the first fear that came over Belshazzar, for in this redemption the Holy One, blessed be He, scattered the bones of חוֹנָךְ, those who camp around you, Jerusalem, as the matter that is stated (Zech. 14:12): “His flesh will waste away, etc.” Menachem (p. 91) interpreted it that way, but Dunash (pp. 63f.) interpreted it as (Prov. 22:6): “Train (חנך) a child according to his way”; the “chaph” of חוֹנָךְ is a radical as the “chaph” of חֲנֽךְ, train.

 

 

Meditation from the Psalms

Tehillim (Psalms) ‎‎53:1-7

By: H.Em. Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David

 

Psalms chapter 53 is almost an exact replica of Psalm 14. Both compositions speak of the exile and the future redemption. However, the earlier work focuses on the destruction of the First Temple at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, whereas this chapter of Psalms describes the destruction of the Second Temple by Titus.^[1] David composed this psalm and dedicated it to the destruction of the second Temple. Psalms chapter 14 also composed by David, which is dedicated to the destruction of the first Temple. In Psalms chapter 14 the use of ‘HaShem’^[2] predominates whereas in our current chapter of psalms the name ‘Elohim’^[3] predominates.

 

Radak^[4] and Meiri^[5] explain that this position in the Book of Tehillim was chosen with great care in order to emphasize its theme.

 

The founding of the royal house of David met with fierce opposition from those who denied David’s right to rule. They resorted to the most devious and treacherous means to prevent David’s ascent to the throne. In Psalms chapter 52, we read of Doeg’s evil machinations and slander. In Psalms chapter 54, we learn of the Ziphites^[6] who mercilessly betrayed David to Saul. In both cases, G-d foiled the plots of those who attempted to disrupt the establishment of David’s reign.

 

Psalms chapter 53 depicts the climax and the conclusion of the Davidean line, which will occur with the advent of Messiah, who will end the exile and clear the ruins of the Second Temple by dedicating the Third. Like his ancestor David, Messiah will suffer persecution at the hands of sceptics and scoffers, who will refuse to recognize his sovereignty and will scheme to assassinate him to destroy his monarchy. Furthermore, throughout Jewish history, we will be threatened by wicked men, such as Titus, who will attempt to destroy Israel, the nation of David. However, all of these villains will share the fate of Doeg and the Ziphites: utter failure and terrible misfortune.^[7]

 

There is another reason why David composed this psalm and placed it here, between the matter of Doeg^[8] and the matter of the Ziphites,^[9] both of whom conspired against him. It teaches us that what happened to David will also happen to the entire Jewish people. David aspired to kingship and his enemies plotted his death, so G-d paid them back in kind. The same is true of Israel who are set upon in every generation, marked for destruction. We are vilified for looking forward to the coming of the Messiah son of David. The nations tell us that our own sovereign kingship will never come into being, and in the future they will also set forth against the Messiah himself. But it will not help them.^[10]

 

V.2 of our psalm tells us something very profound that we need to learn and focus on:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 53:2 The fool hath said in his heart: ‘There is no God’; they have dealt corruptly, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none that doeth good.

 

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis 34:10 The wicked are possessed by their hearts, and the righteous possess their hearts. The wicked are possessed by their hearts, as it says: “The villain has said in his heart”; “Said Esau in his heart”;^[11] “And Jeroboam said in his heart”.^[12] It says בלבו, “in his heart,” they inquire of their hearts to tell them. But the righteous possess their hearts, as it says: “Now Hannah spoke to her heart”;^[13] it says לבה על,^[14] indicating that the righteous dominate and are in command of the heart.^[15] This begs a question:  Do we dictate to our heart, or does are heart dictate to us? This is a critical question because on Shavuot HaShem commanded us to write the Torah on our hearts. This is only possible if we are in control of our own heart.

 

The last verse of our psalm (above) has a curious phrase: let Yaaqob rejoice, let Israel^[16] be glad. This begs the question:  What is the difference between Yaaqob and Israel that they should be mentioned together?

 

Throughout the Torah, and particularly in Bereshit, there is great deal of significance associated with names. A name is not merely a way to call someone but, rather, it encapsulates the essence of the individual.

The meaning: He was called Yaaqob (derived from ‘heel’) because when he was born, his hand was holding Esau’s heel.^[17] He was also called Israel (meaning ‘head’ or ‘exalted one’) because he had triumphed over an angel.^[18] Thus his original name connotes a lowly, subservient nature while the one given him later in life implies strength and victory. Torah uses both names interchangeably. Throughout the Torah the names Yaaqob and Israel are used intermittently.

 

Malbim says that the name Yaaqob always describes the Jewish masses, the common-folk. However, Israel denotes the elite, the scholars and saints who guide the mas­ses.

 

All of them together will rejoice at the final redemption. The great men, Israel, never ceased to trust in the future redemption. To them it was always a definite reality, a tangible fact of life. When the redemption occurs, it will not at all take them by surprise, for they have been waiting. Not so Yaaqob, the unlearned masses who lacked this clear faith. The redemption will burst upon them like a sudden thunderbolt and they will be overwhelmed with ecstasy and elation. However, Israel will take it all in stride and continue with their constant serene state of gladness and joy.

 

From a more rational or scientific point of view we may detect a distinct pattern in the Torah sometimes choosing to refer to Yaaqob by his original name and sometimes by his additional name. The name Yaaqob applies to the physical part of Yaaqob’s personality, matters connected to his terrestrial existence, whereas the name Israel refers to spiritual aspects of his personality, matters connected to his eternal existence in celestial regions. When Yaaqob had first been given the name “Yaaqob” the Torah stated that this reflected his holding on to the heel of his brother Esau.^[19] We find the name Israel first used in connection with Yaaqob having successfully contended with the celestial force representing his brother Esau.^[20] It is therefore clear that the additional name Israel was intended principally to reflect Yaaqob’s spiritual accomplishments. Seeing that it is impossible for a human being while part of a body to divest himself totally of bodily needs and concerns, we can appreciate what our Sages said that, contrary to the name Avraham which replaced the name Avram, the name Israel did not replace the name Yaaqob. It reflected the fact that this Yaaqob had attained an additional dimension in his personality development, according to Kli Yakar, as reflected in the Talmud:

 

Berachoth 13a GEMARA. It has been taught: Ben Zoma said to the Sages: Will the Exodus from Egypt be mentioned in the days of the Messiah? Was it not long ago said: Therefore behold the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say: As the Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, As the Lord liveth that brought up and that led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country and from all the countries whither I had driven them?^[21] They replied: This does not mean that the mention of the exodus from Egypt shall be obliterated, but that the [deliverance from] subjection to the other kingdoms shall take the first place and the exodus from Egypt shall become secondary. Similarly you read: Thy name shall not be called any more Yaaqob, but Israel shall be thy name.^[22] This does not mean that the name Yaaqob shall be obliterated, but that Israel shall be the principal name and Yaaqob a secondary one. And so it says: Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old^[23]. ‘Remember ye not the former things’: this refers to the subjections to the other nations; ‘Neither consider the things of old’: this refers to the exodus from Egypt.

 

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XLVI:8 NEITHER SHALL THY NAME ANY MORE BE CALLED ABRAM, BUT THY NAME SHALL BE ABRAHAM (XVII, 5). Bar Kappara said: Whoever calls Abraham ‘Abram’, violates a positive commandment. R. Levi said: A positive commandment and a negative commandment. NEITHER SHALL THY NAME ANY MORE BE CALLED ABRAM--that is a negative command; BUT THY NAME SHALL BE ABRAHAM--that is a positive command. But surely the men of the Great Assembly called him Abram, as it is written, Thou... who didst choose Abram.^[24] There it is different, as it means that He chose him while he was yet Abram. Then, by analogy, does one who calls Sarah ‘Sarai’ infringe a positive command? No, for only he [Abraham] was enjoined respecting her. Again, by analogy, if one calls Israel, ‘Yaaqob’, does one infringe a positive command? [No, for] it was taught: It was not intended that the name Yaaqob should disappear, but that ‘Israel’ should be his principal name, while ‘Yaaqob’ should be a secondary one. R. Zebida interpreted in R. Aha’s name: At all events, Thy name is Yaaqob, save that, But Israel [too] shall be thy name:^[25] ‘Yaaqob’ will be the principal name, while ‘Israel’ will be an additional one.

 

The name Yaaqob henceforth became subordinate to that of Israel. The use of these names teaches amongst other matters that if someone makes his spiritual dimension subordinate to his physical, terrestrial concerns this “kills” him, leads to his death sooner or later. This is what David had in mind when he said:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 22:30 all those who in full vigor shall eat and prostrate themselves, all those at death’s door whose spirit lag, shall bend the knee before Him.

 

David refers to people who make a point of first tasting all the pleasures of terrestrial life before prostrating themselves before HaShem as having their priorities reversed. As a result, such people experience death in a very real sense of the word. In the verse we just quoted the word “they will bend the knee” does not refer to something similar to “prostrating” oneself before HaShem; rather, it is similar to Tehillim (Psalms) 20:9. In that psalm it is used as meaning falling down and not rising up again. This is the punishment for having had one’s priorities mixed up. When the people mentioned in Psalm 22 finally decide to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s”,^[26] i.e. to also make an obeisance to HaShem as an afterthought, it is too late. They had not lifted a finger to secure their share in eternity while there was time.

 

Upon closer examination you will find that when the Torah employs the name Yaaqob to describe our patriarch it refers to his terrestrial concerns, the feminine attribute, concerns which are indispensable for any human being, whereas when it switches by calling him Israel it refers to his spiritual concerns, matters which are largely abstract. This is what the prophet had in mind when he said:

 

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 43:1 who created you O Yaaqob, who formed you O Israel?

 

In connection with the name Yaaqob, the prophet only mentioned the word “Bara – Created”, a primitive kind of creation, whereas in connection with spiritual parts of man the prophet speaks of a more sophisticated product, one that has undergone an advanced stage of formation. You will note that at the revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai HaShem says to Moses:

 

Shemot (Exodus) 19:3 So shall you say to the house of Yaaqob and relate to the children of Israel.

 

The name Yaaqob referred to the women, the word Israel to the men. [Perhaps the fact that Adam had described Eve as “bones of my bones and flesh of my flesh,” but not as “spirit of my spirit”,^[27] is the reason that woman symbolizes primarily the physical part of the human being. Yeshayahu had something similar in mind when he wrote:

 

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 43:22 But you have not worshipped Me, O Yaaqob, that you should be weary of me O Israel.

 

He meant that while you Yaaqob were concerned with your terrestrial matters you did not really worship Me, even if you paid lip-service. As to worshipping Me as Israel, you indicated that it was too wearisome for you.

 

When a parsha commences by referring to Yaaqob’s existence on earth by calling him Yaaqob, twice in Bereshit 47:28, this is in keeping with what we have explained. In Bereshit 47:29 however, when the Torah commences to speak of death of the body, it switches to using the name Israel seeing that the death of a righteous person is but the necessary preamble to his taking his place in eternal life. Whenever preparations for death are described, including the very mention of the bed on which Yaaqob lay sick, the Torah describes him as Israel. As soon as the Torah finishes describing his preparations for the life in the hereafter by blessing Yoseph and his brothers, it reverts to the use of the name Yaaqob. The Torah never describes Yaaqob as having died. Only Israel is described as having died. The embalmers are described as embalming Israel.^[28] As soon as Yaaqob had made the physical preparations for death, i.e. “he gathered in his feet to the bed,” the Torah calls him Israel again. As of that moment he had entered eternal life. When we find, in Bereshit 49:1, that the Torah refers to Yaaqob suddenly again as Yaaqob, the reason is that at that moment HaShem withheld from him the visions of the redemption and what precedes it which he had intended to reveal to his sons. In other words, at that moment he had become primarily physical, his spiritual dimension having temporarily become subordinate. There is another instance where we could question why the Torah suddenly reverts to the use of the name Yaaqob. This is, in Bereshit 48:3, where he explains to Joseph where and when he had his first communication from HaShem, i.e. at Luz. The reason that the Torah calls him Yaaqob at that point in our chapter is because he referred to a time in his life prior to his having the name Israel added to his regular name. in other words, we detect the following pattern. When the Torah indicates that Yaaqob had not yet established mutual communication with HaShem he is called Yaaqob. When, even after he had established such communication, this channel of communication had been interrupted, he is also called Yaaqob instead of Israel.

 

No more clearly do we see this than in the chapter of the Blessings. In that chapter the verse says:^[29]

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 27:9 Go please to the flocks.

 

The Midrash says Rivka is hinting “Go take care of the needs of the nation, which is compared to sheep.”

 

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis LXV:14 AND REBEKAH SPOKE UNTO YAAQOB HER SON... BRING ME VENISON... NOW THEREFORE, MY SON, HEARKEN TO MY VOICE... GO NOW TO THE FLOCK (XXVII, 6-9). R. Levi said: [She bade him], ‘Go and anticipate [the blessings on behalf of] the people that is compared to a flock,’ as you read, And ye My sheep, the sheep of My pasture (Ezek. XXXIV, 31).

AND FETCH ME FROM THENCE TWO GOOD KIDS OF THE GOATS (ib.). R. Helbo said: [She said thus to him]: ‘If thou findest [of thy father’s], ‘tis well; if not, bring them to me out of my dowry.’ For R. Helbo said that he [Isaac] had engaged to provide her with two kids daily. GOOD: R. Berekiah commented in R. Helbo’s name: They are good for thee and good for thy descendants. Good for thee, since thou wilt receive the blessings through them; and good for thy descendants, who will be pardoned through them on the Day of Atonement, as it is written, For on this day shall atonement be made for you, etc. (Lev. XVI, 30).2

 

Performing this masquerade and deceitful act sets the stage. The actions of the forefathers foreshadow the actions of the children. Your children, Rivka says, are sometimes going to have to deal with the more powerful Esav, with the Roman Empire, with the nations of the world. Sometimes, as a nation, we will have to resort to surreptitious types of acts. Why? Because the Torah tells us that there are times when that has to use the behavior of Yaaqob.

 

But, points out Rav Elie Munk, Yaaqob undergoes two name changes in the Torah. First, Yaaqob is changed to Israel. Rashi, over there, says that ‘Yaaqob’ refers to a person who waits in ambush, but there will come a time when you will be called ‘Israel’, connoting an officer and a prince. You will then be able to deal with Esav, no longer surreptitiously, but as an equal.

 

However, we find, that even after Yaaqob was called Israel, the Torah still, sometimes refers to him as ‘Yaaqob’ and sometimes refers to him as ‘Israel.’ Why? Because Yaaqob can not yet totally abandon the practices of ‘Yaaqob’. Throughout Jewish history, there were times when we as a people had to fall back on the tactics of ‘Yaaqob’ and could not go with the name ‘Israel.’ When we are surrounded by 140 million people wishing to destroy us, we cannot always go with the ‘high-road’ behavior. We have to come back to the practices of ‘Yaaqob.’

 

In the End of Days, however, our Sages tell us that Yaaqob will go from the name of Yaaqob and Israel to the name of Yeshurun, meaning straight.^[30] When the nations of the world will finally come to recognize the greatness of Israel, then Yaaqob can be transformed into the name Yeshurun and will no longer have to deal with Esav with deceit and tricks.

 

This is what Yeshayahu HaNavi means when he says:

 

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 40:4 ... and the crooked will be made straight...

 

Rav Munk says this refers to the name Yaaqob becoming the name Yeshurun. We will abandon the practices which were forced upon us, those of ‘Yaaqob’ and will strictly conduct ourselves according to the practices of ‘Yeshurun’ (straightness).^[31]

 

The names “Yaaqob” and “Israel” are used to refer to the entire Jewish people; each of the two terms emphasizes a particular characteristic of the Jewish nation. According to Chasidic philosophy, “Yaaqob” and “Israel” symbolize two levels in the Jew’s relationship with HaShem.

 

Jews are referred to as both servants of HaShem and as HaShem’s sons. As “servants,” they are called “Yaaqob”--”Hearken unto Me, Yaaqob my servant.” As “sons,” they are called “Israel”--”My son, My firstborn, Israel.”

 

The difference between a servant and a son is obvious. When a son fulfills his father’s wishes, he does so happily and out of love. A servant, however, is not necessarily overjoyed at the opportunity to carry out his master’s command, quite frequently doing so only because he has no choice in the matter.

 

Both situations apply to our own lives, in our own personal service of HaShem. A Jew can pray, learn Torah, observe the mitzvot and serve his Father like a son, or he can perform the very same actions without joy, like a servant serves his Master. When a Jew stands on the level of “Israel,” he willingly fulfills his Father’s commands, experiencing no inner conflict with the Evil Inclination. When, however, a Jew is on the level of “Yaaqob,” it means he is forced to grapple with the Evil Inclination in order to properly fulfill his Master’s command, quite frequently doing so only out of a sense of obligation and submission.

 

Obviously, the level of “Israel” is the one toward which we all strive, yet one cannot reach this level without first passing through the level of “Yaaqob”. If a Jew is not always enthusiastic in his service, sometimes finding it difficult to serve HaShem properly, he should know that this is only natural when one embarks upon a new course. The Evil Inclination is not vanquished all at once, and it takes time to transform the will of HaShem into one’s own personal will. At first (and this stage may last for years!), the Evil Inclination howls in protest, attempting to divert the Jew. But when a Jew consistently stands up for what is right and refuses to despair, the Evil Inclination is eventually conquered.

 

When we put all of the pieces together we understand that what makes Israel an Ish, a man of nobility, is his attachment to HaShem and the spiritual world.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 53:7 says, “Yaaqob will rejoice, Israel will be glad”. Now we just learned that the men of stature and enlightenment are “Israel”, and the ordinary masses of the people are “Yaaqob”. But our verse goes on to give us a tremendous insight: “Rejoicing” (גילה) pertains to that which is novel, and “gladness” (שמחה) is said of the commonplace. Accordingly, the scripture says: “Yaaqob will rejoice, Israel will be glad”. What in the eyes of the masses will be a novelty that calls for rejoicing, will in the eyes of enlightened men be a source of gladness. For they had expected and were always looking forward to God’s deliverance.^[32]

 

Will you be rejoicing, or will you be glad? It all depends on what we do with the Torah, specifically the oral Torah.

 

 

Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 65:24 – 66:2 + 66:5-10

 

 

Rashi’s comments on: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 65:24 – 66:2 + 66:5-10

 

25 shall eat straw: and will not have to destroy animals.

 

and a serpent: Indeed, dust is his food, which is always available for him. And the Midrash Aggadah explains: And a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw. Since we find that Esau will fall into the hands of the sons of Joseph, as it is said (Obadiah 18): “The house of Esau shall become stubble, and the house of Joseph a flame etc.” But [that they should fall] into the hands of the remaining tribes, who were compared to beasts, we do not find. It is, therefore, stated: “And a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw.” Those tribes that were compared to a lion, such as Judah and Dan, like Joseph, who was compared to an ox, shall devour Esau who was compared to straw.

 

66:2 And all these: The heavens and the earth, and for this reason I confined My Shechinah among you when you obeyed Me, for so is My wont, to look at one poor and of crushed spirit, who hastens to do My bidding. But now, I have no desire for you, for whoever slaughters an ox, has smitten its owner and robbed him of it. Therefore, whoever slaughters a lamb seems to Me as one who beheads a dog, and whoever offers up a meal offering is before Me like swine blood, and מַזְכִּיר, he who burns incense. Comp. (Lev. 5:12) “its memorial part (אַזְכָּרָתָהּ).” Also (ibid. 24:7), “and it shall be for the bread as a memorial (לְאַזְכָּרָה).”

 

66:5 who quake at His word: The righteous who hasten with quaking to draw near to His words.

 

Your brethren… said: The transgressors of Israel mentioned above. Another explanation:

 

Your brethren… who cast you out, said: Who said to you (Lam. 4:15), “Turn away, unclean one.”

 

who hate you, who cast you out: Who say (supra 65:5), “Keep to yourself, do not come near me.” [Because of the confusion, we quote other readings. Some manuscripts, as well as K’li Paz, read:]

 

For the sake of my name, the Lord shall be glorified: With our greatness, the Holy One, blessed be He, is glorified, for we are closer to Him than you are.

 

but we will see your joy: The prophet says, But it is not so as their words, for “we will see your joy, and they shall be ashamed.” Why? For sound a sound of their stirring has come before the Holy One, blessed be He, from what they did in His city, and a sound emanates from His Temple and accuses those who destroyed it, and then the voice of the Lord, recompensing His enemies.

 

7 When she has not yet travailed: When Zion has not yet travailed with birth pangs, she has borne her children; that is to say that her children will gather into her midst, which was desolate and bereft of them, and it is as though she bore them now without birth pangs, for all the nations will bring them into her midst.

 

she has been delivered of a male child: Heb. וְהִמְלִיטָה. Any emerging of an embedded thing is called הַמְלָטָה. And הַמְלָטָה is esmoucer, or eschamocier in O.F., to allow to escape.

 

8 Is a land born in one day?: Can a pain come to a woman in confinement to bear a land full of sons in one day?

 

9 Will I bring to the birth stool and not cause to give birth: Will I bring a woman to the birth stool and not open her womb to bring out her fetus? That is to say, Shall I commence a thing and not be able to complete it? Am I not the One Who causes every woman in confinement to give birth, and now will I shut the womb? This is a question.

 

 

Correlations

By: H.Em. Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David

& H.H. Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat Sarah

 

Shemot (Exodus) 14:15 – 16:3

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 65:24 – 66:2 + 66:5-10

Tehillim (Psalms) 53

Mk 6:45-52

 

The verbal tallies between the Torah and the Psalm are:

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

Children - בן, Strong’s number 01121.

Israel - ישראל, Strong’s number 03478.

 

The verbal tallies between the Torah and the Ashlamata are:

LORD - יהוה, Strong’s number 03068.

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

Speak - דבר, Strong’s number 01696.

Children - בן, Strong’s number 01121.

Hand - יד, Strong’s number 03027.

Go / Came - בוא, Strong’s number 0935.

 

Shemot (Exodus) 14:15 And the LORD <03068> said <0559> (8799) unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak <01696> (8761) unto the children <01121> of Israel <03478>, that they go forward:

16  But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand <03027> over the sea, and divide it: and the children <01121> of Israel <03478> shall go <0935> (8799) on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 53:1 To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David. » The fool hath said <0559> (8804) in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

Tehillim (Psalms) 53:2 God looked down from heaven upon the children <01121> of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.

Tehillim (Psalms) 53:6 Oh that the salvation of Israel <03478> were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel <03478> shall be glad.

 

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 65:24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking <01696> (8764), I will hear.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith <0559> (8804) the LORD <03068>.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand <03027> made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD <03068>: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came <0935> (8799), she was delivered of a man child.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children <01121>.                        

 

Hebrew:

 

 

Greek:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nazarean Talmud

Sidra of Shmot (Exodus) 14:15 -16:3

“Mah Titsa’aq Elai” - “Why do you cry to Me”

By: H. Em Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat Mordechai (Mk) 6:45-52 Mishnah א:א

And he immediately[33] made[34] his talmidim get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side,[35] to Bet Tsaida, while he himself dismissed[36] (set at liberty)[37] the congregation. And after he had separated[38] (himself) from them, he went away to the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea and he was alone on the land. And he saw them only making headway with great effort because the wind was against them. Around the fourth watch of the night, he came to them, walking on the sea, and he was wanting to pass by (over) them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought that it was a phantom, and they cried out.[39] For they all saw him and were disturbed.[40] But immediately he spoke with them and said to them, “Have courage, it is me! Do not be afraid!” And he went up with them into the boat, and the wind abated. And they were awestruck within themselves, because they did not understand concerning the loaves, but their hearts were blind[41].

 

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

 

 

Commentary to Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

 

Again, we do not need great help realizing that the present Marqan pericope of Hakham Tsefet’s Peshat is anchored firmly in the present Torah Seder.

 

And he immediately made his talmidim get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side…

 

The subtlety of the text does not tell us why the talmidim were “made” to get into the boat and begin their journey to the “other side.” However, we can easily note that the language shows a bit of hesitancy on the part of the talmidim. This may have been because they were awestruck by the miracle of loaves and fishes. Nevertheless, the Marqan phrase “immediately” (εὐθέως) again shows a moral expediency. Scholars want to dismiss the expediency here and fail to understand the immediacy.^[42] Likewise, they fail to understand the gravity of the whole scenario as posited alongside the Torah Seder where the B’ne Yisrael is while crossing the Yam Suf. However, the whole pericope is laced with this immediacy. While the Midrash of Matityahu posits another “Midrashic” scenario, the Peshat of Hakham Tsefet shows the immediacy of the B’ne Yisrael as they are wedged between the immediacy of the water and the army of Paro (Pharaoh).

 

Having participated in the miracle of “loaves and fishes,” Yeshua’s talmidim must have experienced an overwhelming of their souls. The talmidim were overwhelmed and at a loss to explain what they had just experienced. Yeshua’s forceful “making” his talmidim leave with this immediacy shows his Hokhmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding) of the forces of nature, i.e., the spheres, their duties, and their Moedim.^[43] Their movement is the cause of all natural events, which appears to be supernatural. The etymology of the word “supernatural” is “supra” meaning above and “natura” referring to nature. However, the spheres are the complex infrastructure of the cosmic universe as G-d has created it. Consequently, these forces/spheres, which influence the cosmos with what would appear as “supernatural,” are in fact only themselves the natural cause of ostensible miraculous events.

 

The “miracle” of the loaves and fishes has subliminal insinuation that the B’ne Yisrael placed their complete trust in HaShem. This is determined by the fact that they embarked on this spiritual quest with only a few unleavened cakes in their sacks. What would 600,000 Jewish pilgrims eat as they journeyed towards the land that flowed with milk and honey?

 

Get in the Boat Now!

 

By analogy, we are presented with the question of how Yeshua’s talmidim in a boat is in any way associated with the B’ne Yisrael’s crossing the Yam Suf. 

 

Rabbi Yaakov Culi answers our question for us. Hakham Culi tells us that there were 50 miracles that occurred at the Yam Suf. He first cites the “Seven Ananei HaKabod” as being enveloped in the Shekinah (Divine Presence) by seven clouds that coalesced into one solid cloud.  “They were protected from the weather, snakes, and scorpions on all sides.” Citing Shemot Rabbah, Culi states, “The clouds carried them day and night [as if] they were in a huge ship.”^[44] Therefore, Hakham Tsefet’s analogy of a boat with “twelve” talmidim becomes clear. The “twelve” tribes traveled day and night in the massive ship of G-d’s Kabod – glory, which is always associated with a cloud. Perhaps this imagery initiated the Christian falsehood of the afterlife where they are to float on the clouds while the angels feed them grapes.

 

Hakham Shaul must be referring to the “Seven Ananei HaKabod” when he states…

 

1 Co. 10:2 And were all immersed in Moshe in the cloud and in the sea;

 

While he himself dismissed^[45] (set at liberty)^[46] the congregation…  

 

This sentence may also be read that Yeshua himself “set the congregation free.” This play on the name “Yeshua” has over thirty definitions, all of which deal with the idea of tikun and redemption. This is Hakham Tsefet’s way of showing us our place in the schedule of the Septennial Torah readings. Consequently, Hakham Tsefet has shown us the contiguity of Shabuoth and the crossing of the Yam Suf.  However, the key point we are to derive from this statement by way of analogy is that the B’ne Yisrael are “set free” from the tyrannical bondage of Mitzrayim.

 

And after he had separated^[47] (himself) from them…

 

Again, by way of analogy, Hakham Tsefet refers to the splitting of the Yam Suf. Here at the Yam Suf a new revelation of HaShem unfolded. The previous 10 plagues had shown G-d as the personification of strict justice. At the Yam Suf the B’ne Yisrael experienced the compassionate loving-kindness of HaShem. 

 

Around the fourth watch of the night, he came to them, walking on the sea, and he was wanting to pass by (over) them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought that it was a phantom, and they cried out.

 

Before we pass judgment on Yeshua’s talmidim, we should consider what it would be like to be in their situation. They are amid a storm-tossed sea and suddenly the see a man walking on water? It would have been a most remarkable situation. However, we note here the same phrase that we find in the Torah Seder. The talmidim “cried out.” Just as Moshe had “cried out” to G-d, so did the talmidim. In both cases, the frightened parties are comforted by the reassurance that G-d is in control.

 

In both scenarios, we have an overwhelming voice to tell us that we must trust in HaShem. In the Torah Seder, we see a congregation going into the desert with little provisions and are wedged between Paro (Pharaoh) and the Yam Suf. However, we must commend their faithful obedience in striking out. They did not stop to make sure that they had enough to eat and that they had everything that they needed for the journey. In similar fashion, those who followed Yeshua into the deserted place did not stop to pack a lunch. In the So’od commentary of Yochanan, we see that a “lad” who did pack his lunch.^[48] This “lunch” was the source of blessing for the whole congregation. Interestingly, it was Hakham Tsefet’s brother, Adam bar Yona (Andrew) who knew where that lunch was and exactly what was in the “sack.”

 

After reviewing the miracles of feeding multitudes and walking on the water, we are left with the question as to what all of this means.

 

In brief, we suggest that the Master’s feeding the multitude is a message to his talmidim, “body” that it is their responsibility to feed the multitudes both spiritually, with the Mesorah and to feed them physically as well. Yeshua represents the entire body. Therefore, the whole body must be involved in feeding those in need. In a manner of speaking, the opening phrase of the Torah Seder applies to us as His (G-d’s) servants. We cry to G-d saying the people are hungry. G-d’s reply is, why come to me “feed my sheep”!

 

 

Some Questions to Ponder:

 

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

 

Blessing After Torah Study

 

Barúch Atáh Adonai, Elohénu Meléch HaOlám,

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

Barúch Atáh Adonái, Notén HaToráh. Amen!

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

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

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

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

 

Next Shabbat:

Tebet 25, 5784, January 5/6, 2024

Shabbat: “Hin’ni Mam’tir” – “Behold [I will cause to] rain”

 

 

 

Reading Assignment for next Shabbat

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David

Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

 

Edited by His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham

A special thank you to HH Giberet Giborah bat Sarah for her diligence in proof-reading every week.