Esnoga Bet Emunah

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

 

Three and 1/2 year Lectionary Readings

Fourth Year of the Reading Cycle

Tebet 27, 5768 – January 4/5, 2008

Seventh Year of the Shmita Cycle

 

Candle Lighting and Havdalah Times

 

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

Friday Jan. 4, 2008 – Candles at 5:31 PM                      Friday Jan. 4, 2008 – Candles at 6:29 PM

Saturday Jan. 5, 2008 – Havadalah 6:28 PM                  Saturday Jan. 5, 2008 – Havadalah 7:27 PM     

 

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.                                                 Singapore, Singapore

Friday Jan. 4, 2008 – Candles at 5:24 PM                      Friday Jan. 4, 2008 – Candles at 6:53 PM

Saturday Jan. 5, 2008 – Havadalah 6:23 PM                  Saturday Jan. 5, 2008 – Havadalah 7:45 PM

 

Cebu, Philippines                                                        Jakarta, Indonesia

Friday Jan. 4, 2008 – Candles at 5:21 PM                      Friday Jan. 4, 2008 – Candles at 5:54 PM

Saturday Jan. 5, 2008 – Havadalah 6:14 PM                  Saturday Jan. 5, 2008 – Havadalah 6:46 PM

 

 

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

 

 

Shabbat Mevar’chim HaHodesh – Sabbath of the Proclamation of the New Moon of Shebat

Monday Jan. the 7th sun down – Tuesday January the 8th sun down

 

 

Shabbat

Torah Reading:

Weekday Torah Reading:

לָאֵלֶּה, תֵּחָלֵק 

 

 

“LaEleh Techaleq”

Reader 1 – B’midbar 26:52-56

Reader 1 – B’midbar 27:15-17

“To these will be devided”

Reader 2 – B’midbar 26:57-59

Reader 2 – B’midbar 27:18-20

“A estos se repartirá”

Reader 3 – B’midbar 26:60-62

Reader 3 – B’midbar 27:21-23

B’midbar (Numbers) 26:52 - 27:14

B’midbar (Numbers) 28:9-15

Reader 4 – B’midbar 26:63-65

 

Ashlamtah: Isaiah 57:13-19 + 58:12-14

I Samuel 20:18,42

Reader 5 – B’midbar 27:1-5

 

 

Reader 6 – B’midbar 27:6-11

Reader 1 – B’midbar 27:15-17

Psalm: 105:12-22

Reader 7 – B’midbar 27:12-14

Reader 2 – B’midbar 27:18-20

 

      Maftir – B’midbar 28:9-15

Reader 3 – B’midbar 27:21-23

N.C.: Matityahu 23:27-28

      Isaiah 57:13-19 + 58:12-14

      I Samuel 20:18,42

 

 

 

 

 

Roll of Honor:

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

This Torah Commentary is dedicated to H.H. Paqid Adon Mikha ben Hillel on occasion of his 22nd Birthday which was on the 2nd of Tebet last. We wish him a very Yom Huledet Sameach (Happy Birthday), long life, good health, copious blessings and prosperity in all of his endeavors, a fine wife, and that his wisdom and knowledge of Torah and Messiah never cease to increase, amen ve amen!

 

 

 

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan

for: B’midbar (Numbers) 26:52 - 27:14

 

RASHI

TARGUM PSEUDO JONATHAN

52. Adonai spoke to Moshe saying.

52. And the Lord spoke with Mosheh, saying:

53. "The land will be apportioned among these, as an inheritance according to the number of names.

53. Unto these tribes will the land be divided by inheritances according to their names.

54. To the large [tribe], increase their inheritance, and to the small, diminish their inheritance; each person, according to his number, will be given his inheritance.

54. To that tribe whose people are many you will make their inheritance large, and to the tribe whose people are few you will give a smaller inheritance; to each his heritage will be given according to the number of his names.

55. Only by lot should the land be divided, according to the names of their fathers' tribes should they inherit it.

55. Yet the land will be divided by lots; according to the names of their father’s tribes they will inherit.

56. By word of the lottery should their inheritance be divided, with regard to whether they are many or few."

56. Their heritage will be divided by lots, whether great or small.

57 These are the numbered ones of the Levites by their families: The Gershonite family of Gershon, the Kehatite family of Kehat, [and] the Merarite family of Merari.

57. But these are the names of the Levites after their families, the families of Gershon, Kehath, Merari.

58. These are the families of Levi: the Livnite family, the Chevronite family, the Machlite family, the Mushite family, and the Korchite family; Kehat's son was Amram.

58. These are the families of the Levites: the family of Lebni, Hebron, Maheli, Mushi, Korach. And Kehath begat Amram;

59. The name of Amram's wife was Yocheved, daughter of Levi, whom [her mother] bore to Levi in Egypt. She bore to Amram, Aharon, Moshe, and their sister Miriam.

59. And the Dame of Amram's wife was Jokebed, a daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi when they had come into Mizraim, within the walls; and she bare to Amram Aharon, and Mosheh, and Miriam their sister.

60. To Aharon were borne, Nadav and Avihu, Elazar and Itamar.

60. And to Aharon were born Nadab and Abihu, Elazar and Ithamar.

61. Nadav and Avihu died when they offered a forbidden fire before Adonai.

61. But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered the strange fire from the hearth‑pots before the Lord.

62. They numbered twenty-three thousand, for all males from one month and older. They were not counted among B’ne Yisrael, since no inheritance was given to them among B’ne Yisrael.

62. And the number of them (the Levites) was twenty three thousand, every male from a month old, and upward; for they were not reckoned among the children of Israel, as no possession was given them among the sons of Israel.

63. This is the census of Moshe and Elazar the Kohen who counted the B’ne Yisrael in the plains of Moav, at Yarden Yereicho.

63. These are the numbers when Mosheh and Elazar the priest numbered the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, (over against) Jericho.

64. Among this [census] there was no man who had been included in the census of Moshe and Aharon the Kohen, who had counted B’ne Yisrael in the wilderness of Sinai,

64. And among them was not a man of the numbers when Mosheh and Aharon the priest took the sum of the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai,

65. because Adonai said to them that they would die in the desert. No one was left with the exception of Kalev, son of Yefuneh and Yehoshua, son of Nun.

65. because the Lord had said that dying they should die in the wilderness; and none of them remained except Kaleb bar Jephunneh, and Jehoshua bar Nun.

 

 

1.  And they approached--- the daughters of Tzelofchad, son of Chefer, son of Gil'ad, son of Machir, son of Menashe, of the families of Menashe the son of Yosef. The names of his daughters were: Machlah, No'ah, Choglah, Milkah and Sirtzah.

1. And the daughters of Zelophehad bar Hepher, bar Gilead, bar Makir, bar Menasheh, of the family of Menasheh bar Joseph, when they heard that the land was to be divided to the males, came to the Beth Din, trusting in the compassions of the Lord of the world. And these are the names of the daughters, Mahelah, Nohah, Hogela, Milchah, and Thirzah.

2. They stood before Moshe and before Elazar the Kohen, and before the princes, and the entire community at the Tent of Meeting entrance, saying:

2. And they stood before Mosheh, after that they had stood before Elazar the priest, the princes, and all the congregation, at the door of the tabernacle of ordinance, saying:

3. "Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among the group that banded together against Adonai, in the company of Korach, but he died because of his own sin without leaving any sons.

3. Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among the congregation who murmured and gathered to rebel against the Lord in the congregation of Korach, but died for his own sin; nor made he others to sin; but he had no male children.

4. Why should the name of our father be omitted from his family because he did not have a son? Give us a possession [of land] among our father's brothers."

4. Why should the name of our father be taken away from among his family because he had not a male child? if we are not reckoned as a son, and our mother claim (or observe) the Jebam, our mother will take the portion of our father and of our father's brother. But if we be reckoned as a son, give us an inheritance among our father's brethren.

5. Moshe brought their case before Adonai.

5. This is one of the four cases of judgment brought before Mosheh the prophet, and which he resolved in the manner above said. Of them some were judgments, etc. And Mosheh brought their cause before the Lord.

6. Adonai spoke to Moshe saying:

6. And the Lord spoke with Mosheh, saying:

7. "Tzelofchad's daughters speak justly, give them a hereditary portion of land among their father's brothers, and transfer the inheritance of their father to them.

7. The daughters of Zelophehad have fitly spoken: this hath been written before Me: but they are worthy that it be said of them, Give them possession and inheritance among the brethren of their father, and make over their father's possession unto them.

8. Speak to B’ne Yisrael and tell them, that if a man dies and has no son, his hereditary property will be transferred to his daughter.

8. And when a son of Israel will speak, and say, A man hath died without having a male child, then you will make over his inheritance to his daughter:

9. If he has no daughter, you will give his hereditary property to his brothers.

9. if he have no daughter, you will give his possession to his brothers:

10. If he has no brothers, you will give his hereditary property to his father's brothers.

10. if he have no brothers, you will give his possession to the brethren of his fattier:

11. If his father had no brothers, you will give his hereditary property to the relative closest to him in his family who will then inherit it. This will remain a decreed law for B’ne Yisrael, as Adonai had commanded Moshe."

11. but if his father had no brothers, then you will give his possession to his kinsman who is nearest to him of his father's family to inherit. And this will be the publication of a decree of judgment to the children of Israel, as the Lord hath commanded Mosheh.

12. Adonai said to Moshe: "Go up this Avarim Mountain and look at the land that I have given to B’ne Yisrael.

12. And the Lord said to Mosheh, Go up to this mount, of Abaraee, and survey the land which I have given to the children of Israel.

13. [After] you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aharon was gathered.

13. And you will see it, but you thyself self will be gathered to thy people, as Aharon thy brother hath been gathered:

14. Because you disobeyed My words in the wilderness of Tzin, when the community quarreled, [you were] to sanctify Me through the water, before their eyes." Those were the waters of dispute at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Tzin.

14. because you were disobedient against My Word in the desert of Zin, in the congregation at the Waters of Strife, to sanctify Me at the waters in their sight: these are the Waters of Strife in the desert of Zin.

 

 

 

 

 

Midrash Rabba for: B’midbar (Numbers) 26:52 - 27:14

 

8. UNTO THESE THE LAND WILL BE DIVIDED (XXVI, 53). And who are these? Those that were present in the plain of Moab. But was not the Land apportioned to those who had come out of Egypt; as it is written, I will give it to you for a heritage (Ex. VI, 8)? [This promise was addressed to the Israelites in Egypt.] Why, then, did He not divide the Land among these? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that ultimately certain families among them were destined to be consumed. Who were they? Those recorded in a previous passage; viz., The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman (Ex. VI, 15). This makes a total of six. But when you read: Of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites, etc. (Num. XXVI, 12) [In a later list of families of the same tribe], Ohad is omitted. It is the same in the case of Benjamin: And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, etc. (Gen. XLVI, 21), making a total of ten. But when you come to count them in the passage: Of Bela, the family of the Belaites, etc. (Num. XXVI, 38), five of the sons are wanting. Thus six families perished because of whoredom as a result of Balaam's counsel; for there is no whoredom that does not produce its disastrous effect. Accordingly the Holy One, blessed be He, said: ‘Why should I divide the Land among people who are destined to die beforehand?’ When, however, Israel arrived at the plains of Moab and stood there safe and sound, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: UNTO THESE THE LAND WILL BE DIVIDED.

 

9. NOTWITHSTANDING THE LAND WILL BE DIVIDED BY LOT (XXVI, 55).) This bears on what Scripture says: The lot causes strife to cease (Prov. XVIII, 18). Although the distinguishing features of each tribe, as received from Jacob, have been recorded, viz. Zebulun will dwell at the shore of the sea (Gen. XLIX, 13); Issachar ... couching down between the sheepfolds (ib. 14); As for Asher, his bread will be fat (ib. 20), you have no right to divide the Land except in accordance with the lot. Miraculous events happened in connection with the lot. Eleazar the son of Aaron was invested with the Urim and Thummim, while the urn for the lots stood before Joshua; as it says, And I will cast lots for you here before the Lord (Josh. XVIII, 6). Before ever the lot came up Eleazar would say, inspired by the Holy Spirit: ‘The lot of such-and-such a tribe is coming up and indicates that he will receive his territory in such-and-such a place.’ Joshua would put out his hand and the said lot would come up; as it says, These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun... distributed (ib. XIX, 51). The following additional miracle happened, namely, that the lot as it came up would cry out: ‘I am the lot of such-and-such a tribe, and have come up to assign to him such-and-such a territory.’ How do we infer that the lot spoke? Because it is written, BY THE MOUTH OF THE LOT WILL THEIR INHERITANCE BE DIVIDED (XXVI, 56).

 

10. THEN DREW NEAR THE DAUGHTERS OF ZELOPHEHAD (XXVII, 1). In that generation the women built up the fences (in the moral sense) which the men broke down. Thus you find that Aaron told them: Break off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives (Ex. XXXII, 2), but the women refused and checked their husbands; as is proved by the fact that it says, And all the people broke off the golden rings which were in their ears (ib. 3), the women not participating with them in making the Calf. It was the same in the case of the spies, who uttered an evil report: And the men... when they returned, made all the congregation to murmur against him (Num. XIV, 36), and against this congregation the decree [not to enter the Land] was issued, because they had said: We are not able to go up (ib XIII, 31). The women, however, were not with them in their counsel, as may be inferred from the fact that it is written in an earlier passage of our section, For the Lord had said of them: They will surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh (ib. XXVI, 65). Thus the text speaks of ’a man’ but not of ‘a woman’. This was because the men had been unwilling to enter the Land. The women, however, drew near to ask for an inheritance in the Land. Consequently the present section was written down next to that dealing with the death of the generation of the wilderness, for it was there that the men broke down the fences and the women built them up.

 

11. Another exposition of the text, THEN DREW NEAR THE DAUGHTERS OF ZELOPHEHAD, etc. (XXVII, 1). It was a distinction to them as well as to their father; it was a distinction also to Machir as well as to Joseph, that such women issued from them (hence their genealogy is recorded). They were wise and righteous/generous women. What shows their wisdom? They spoke at the appropriate moment, for Moses was engaged upon the subject of inheritances, saying: Unto these the land will be divided (Num. XXVI, 53). They said to him: ‘If we have the status of a son let us inherit like a son; if not, let our mother perform the levirate marriage’ (i.e. let her be married to her husband's brother, whose duty it is to rear up children in the name of the deceased. The aim of Zelophehad's daughters was the purely altruistic one of perpetuating the name and property of their departed father). Straightway, MOSES BROUGHT THEIR CAUSE BEFORE THE LORD (XXVII, 5). They were righteous/generous inasmuch as they married none but such as were worthy of them. Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, introduce them to Moses at the end of his career? In order that Moses might not plume himself on having separated from his wife for forty years (owing to his constant communication with God he was required to preserve strict and unbroken holiness). The Holy One, blessed be He, informed him through these [that he had no grounds for such a feeling], saying: ‘Here are women who have not been commanded [to refrain from marital intercourse] and yet only married such as were worthy of them.’

 

12. Now it is written, AND MOSES BROUGHT THEIR CAUSE (XXVII, 5). Some hold that the law was hidden from Moses. There are cases where righteous/generous men have boasted of some matter connected with a precept and the Holy One, blessed be He, weakened their power. You find that David boasts: Your statutes have been my songs (PS. CXIX, 54), as much as to say that they are easy and familiar like songs. Said the Holy One, blessed be He: ‘By your life! You will in the end err in a matter that children read in the Scripture!’ When he brought up the ark he erred and put it on a cart; as it says, And they set the ark of God upon a new cart (II Sam. VI, 3). The ark suspended itself in the air and the cows beneath it slipped. Uzzah drew near to support it, And God smote him there for his error (ib. 7), for an error in learning amounts to presumption (cf. Abot IV, 16). And David was displeased, because the Lord had broken forth upon Uzzah (ib. 8). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: ‘Did you not say, "Your statutes have been my songs"? Have you not learned: But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the holy things belonged unto them: they bore them upon their shoulders (Num. VII, 9)? David began to reflect: The Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought Him not according to the ordinance (I Chron. XV, 13). It was the same with Moses. Because he had boasted: The cause that is too hard for you, you will bring unto me, and I will hear it (Deut. I, 17), He diminished his mental powers. It is like the case of a money-changer who said to his apprentice: ‘If you are brought selaiim to exchange into small coins exchange them, but if pearls come, bring them to me.’ A bead of glass was brought to him and he took it to his master. His master, however, went to consult someone else about it! It is the same here. Moses had said: ’The cause that is too hard for you, you will bring unto me.’ When the daughters of Zelophehad, however, came, He concealed the law from him, AND MOSES BROUGHT THEIR CAUSE BEFORE THE LORD. THE DAUGHTERS OF ZELOPHEHAD SPEAK RIGHT (XXVII, 7). This, He meant, is the law! The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: ‘Did you not say, "The cause that is too hard for you. you will bring unto me"? The law with which you are unacquainted is decided by the women!’ Another exposition of the text, AND MOSES BROUGHT THEIR CAUSE, etc. Resh Lakish says: Moses our Teacher knew this law, but the women came in the first instance before the chiefs of ten who said: ‘This is a case concerning inheritance and is not within our scope. It belongs to our superiors.’ The women came to the chiefs of fifty. Seeing that the chiefs of ten had shown them honor, the chiefs of fifty said: ‘In our case also there are superiors to us.’ The same reply was given by the chiefs of hundreds, by the chiefs of thousands, and by the princes. They all answered them in the same strain, for they were unwilling to begin considering it before their superior. So they went to Eleazar and he told them: ‘Behold, there is Moses our Teacher!’ All parties came before Moses. When Moses saw that each one had shown respect to his superior, he thought: If I tell them the law I will be appropriating all the greatness. So he said to them: ‘I too have a Superior!’ Therefore, MOSES BROUGHT THEIR CAUSE BEFORE THE LORD. The Holy One, blessed be He, answered him: THE DAUGHTERS OF ZELOPHEHAD SPEAK RIGHT. This indicates that the Holy One, blessed be He, acknowledged the justice of their words (i.e. He intended this to be a compliment to the daughters of Zelophehad, not a rebuke to Moses). YOU WILL SURELY GIVE THEM (XXVII, 7).2 Give them, He implied, movables and the share of their father's birthright in the property of Hepher. They took three shares, viz. the share of their father who had been among those who had come out of Egypt, and his share with his brothers in the property of Hepher from which, having been a firstborn, he took two portions. Another exposition: YOU WILL SURELY GIVE THEM implies that after receiving a share on the other side of the Jordan, they drew near before Joshua and Eleazar in the land of Canaan; as it says, And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying: The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance, etc. (Josh. XVII, 4). Jacob our father also foresaw that they would receive portions on this side and that. He said: The daughters stepped over the wall (Gen. XLIX, 22).4 ‘Wall’ alludes to the Jordan which became like a wall to Moses, preventing him from entering into the Land. Jacob says to Joseph: Your daughters will take portions on this side and that. AND YOU WILL CAUSE THE INHERITANCE OF THEIR FATHER TO PASS UNTO THEM (XXVII, 7). In connection with the inheritance of sons it says, You will give (ib. 9 ff.), while in connection with a daughter it says, YOU WILL CAUSE ... TO PASS (ib. 8). This indicates that a daughter can transfer an inheritance from one tribe to another.’ AND IT WILL BE UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL A STATUTE OF JUDGMENT (ib. 11). The expression JUDGMENT implies that inheritance can only change hands through judges.

 

13. AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES: GET YOURSELF UP INTO THIS MOUNTAIN OF ABARIM (XXVII, 12). What reason had He for stating this after the section dealing with inheritance? Only this, that when Moses heard the command: You will surely give unto them (ib. 7), he was under the impression that the Holy One, blessed be He, had been reconciled to him and thought: Behold, I will allot to Israel their inheritance. So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: ‘My decree retains its force; GET YOURSELF UP INTO THIS MOUNTAIN OF ABARIM, etc. AS AARON YOUR BROTHER WAS GATHERED  (ib. 13): You are not better than your brother.

 

 

 

Ketubim: Targum Tehillim (Psalms) 105:12-22

 

JPS Translation

TARGUM

1. O give thanks unto the LORD, call upon His name; make known His doings among the gentiles. 

1. Sing praise in the presence of the Lord, call on His name; tell of His deeds among the Gentiles.

2. Sing unto Him, sing praises unto Him; speak of all His marvelous works.

2. Sing praise in His presence, make music in His presence; speak of all his wonders.

3. Glory in His holy name; let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

3. Sing praise in His holy name; may the heart of those who seek instruction from the presence of the Lord be glad.

4. Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face continually.

4. Seek the teaching of the Lord, and His Torah; welcome His face continually.

5. Remember His marvelous works that He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth;

5. Call to mind the wonders that He has done; His miracles, and the judgments of his mouth.

6. O you seed of Abraham His servant, you children of Jacob, His chosen ones.

6. O seed of Abraham His servant, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones –

7. He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth.

7. He is the Lord our God; His judgments are extended over all the earth.

8. He has remembered His covenant for ever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations; 

8. He remembered His covenant forever; He commanded a word for a thousand generations

9. The covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath unto Isaac;

9. That which He made with Abraham, and His covenant with Isaac.

10. And He established it unto Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant;

10. And He established it for Jacob as a decree, for Israel as a perpetual covenant.

11. Saying: 'Unto you will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance.'

11. Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the lot of your inheritance.”

12. When they were but a few men in number. Yea, very few, and sojourners in it, 

12. When you were a people few in number, like little ones, and dwelling in it.

13. And when they went about from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,

13. And they went from people to people, from one kingdom to another people.

14. He suffered no man to do them wrong, yea, for their sake He reproved kings:

14. He did not allow anyone to oppress them, and He rebuked kings on their account.

15. “Touch not Mine anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.”

15. “Do not come near My anointed ones (Messiah’s), and do no harm to My prophets.

16. And He called a famine upon the land; He broke the whole staff of bread.

16. And He proclaimed a famine against the land; He broke every support of food.

17. He sent a man before them; Joseph was sold for a servant;

17. He sent a wise man before them; Joseph was sold as a slave.

18. His feet they hurt with fetters, his person was laid in iron;

18. They afflicted his feet with chains; a collar of iron went on his soul.

19. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him.

19. Until the time when His word came true; the word of the Lord purified him.

20. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the peoples, and set him free.

20. He sent a king and freed him; a ruler of peoples, and he set him free.

21. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions;

21. He made him master of his house, and ruler of all his property.

22. To bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom.

22. To bind his princes to, as it were, his soul; and he grew wiser than his elders.

 

 

 

 

The Midrash on Psalms (Midrash Tehillim): Psalm 105:12-22 

 

I. O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name … Sing unto Him, sing praises unto Him … Seek His face continually (Ps. 105:1, 2, 4 ). R. Jose bar Halafta said to his son, R. Ishmael: If you would see the face of the Presence in this world, then occupy yourself with Torah in the Land of Israel, for it is said: Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually (Ps. 105:4).

 

Remember His marvelous works that He has done, His wonders, and the judgment of His mouth; O you seed of Abraham His servant (Ps. 105:5-6). R. Azariah taught: It is written In Isaac will seed be called to you (Gen. 21:12) -- that is, any man who acknowledges that there exist two worlds behold, he is like Isaac. R. Yudan said: Not Isaac but in Isaac -- that is, a portion of the seed of Isaac, not all of it.

 

II. He is the Lord our God (Ps. 105:7). He (Hu) is used as an intensive, sometimes to emphasize the degree of goodness, and sometimes to emphasize the degree of wickedness/lawlessness. Thus, it is said He was a mighty hunter before the Lord (Gen. 10:9), He is Esau, the father of the Edomites (Gen. 36:43), These (Hu) are that Dathan and Abirarn who strove against Moses (Num, 26:9), This same (Hu) King Ahaz (2 Chron. 28:22), This (Hu) is Ahasuerus (Esther 1:1): mark that hu in these verses emphasizes the degree of wickedness/lawlessness. And the proof that hu is also used to emphasize the degree of goodness? The verses: The same (Hu) is Abraham (1 Chron. 1:27), These (Hu) are that Aaron and Moses (Ex. 6:26), This (Hu) Ezra went up from Babylon (Ezra 7:6), This same (Hu) Hezekiah also stopped the upper spring of the waters of Gihon (2 Chron. 32:30).

 

R. Berechiah said in the name of the Rabbis: The Holy One, blessed be He, has Himself numbered among the just/generous, for it is said He (Hu) is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth (Ps, 105:7).

 

III. He has remembered His covenant for ever, the word which He commanded to the most excellent (‘elef) of the generation (Ps. 105:8)—commanded His word, R. Hiyya bar Abba taught, to him who was the most excellent of his generation, who was the most exalted of his generation. And who was that? Abraham. ‘Elef is here rendered as in the sentence in the Mishnah, “As regards oil, Tekoa is alpha (‘alef),” by which is meant that the village of Tekoa is first in the excellence of its oil. Thus is to be understood: The word which He commanded to the most excellent (‘elef) of the generation.

 

In a different exposition, the verse is read He remembered His covenant for ever, the word which He commanded to the thousandth generation. R. Levi said in the name of R. Samuel bar Nahmani: Nine hundred and severity four generations which were to have descended from the people of the generation that perished in the flood were wiped out with them. The Holy One, blessed be He, had intended that the Torah be given to the thousandth generation of mankind, but you can count only ten generations from Adam to Noah, ten from Noah to Abraham, and six from Abraham to Moses. Hence it is said The word which He commanded to the thousand generation (ibid.), the word being the Torah, of which it is said And God spoke all these words (Ex. 20:1).

 

IV. When they were but few men in number, yea, very few, and sojourners in it (Ps. 105:12), the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the children of Israel: By little and little I will drive them out from before you when you are increased (Ex. 23:30) to sixty myriads, and then you will inherit the land (ibid.). Therefore, when Simeon and Levi went out and did that deed of theirs in Shechem, their father Jacob said to them: You have troubled me ... being few in number (Gen. 34:30).

 

And when they went about from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people (Ps. 105:13): Here Scripture alludes to Abraham and Sarah, for it is said “And there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there” (Gen. 12:10). Accordingly, man in He suffered no man to do them wrong (ibid. 105:14) alludes to the men of Egypt. And kings in Yea, for their sake He reproved kings (ibid.) alludes to Pharaoh and to Abimelech: of the first it is said “The Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues” (Gen. 12:17), and of the second it i said “For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech” (ibid. 20:i8). Mine anointed ones in Touch not mine anointed ones (Ps. 105:15), according to R. Berechiah, are the Patriarchs; and My prophets in and do My prophets no harm (ibid.) are the Matriarchs who were prophets. For R. Yudan in the name of R. Isaac, in interpreting And what Esau her elder son said in his heart was told to Rebekah (Gen. 27:42), observed: Who could possibly have told Rebekah, if not the Holy Spirit?

 

V. Moreover, He called for a famine upon the land (Ps. 105:16). R, Judah bar Nahmani said in the name of R. Simeon ben Lakish: Jacob had been destined to go down to Egypt in iron chains. But the Hoy One, blessed be He, resorted to many devices to bring Jacob down to Egypt in honor. For example, He called a famine upon the land. Why? So that Israel should go down into Egypt, Jacob should sojourn in the land of Ham (ibid. 105:23).

 

R. Phinehas the Priest bar Hama told a parable of a cow. When they tried to lead her to the place where she was to be slaughtered, she would not be led. What did they do? They led her youngling ahead of her, and she ran after him. Even so, before Jacob went down to Egypt, how many devices were resorted to! The brothers of Joseph were brought to do all that they did so that Joseph had to go down to Egypt, and thereupon Jacob went down after him to Egypt.

 

VI. Concerning Until the time that His word came to pass (Ps. 105:19), R. Hiyya bar Abba and the Rabbis differed. One opinion was that the verse refers to the time when Joseph’s word will come to pass. The other opinion was that it refers to the time when His word, the word of the Holy One, blessed be He, will come to pass. For after Joseph said to the chief butler: Have me in your remembrance when it will be well with you and make mention of me unto Pharaoh (Gen. 40:14), the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Joseph: For having spoken thus, as you live, you will spend two years longer in prison, as is said: And it came to pass at the end of two full years (Gen. 41:1), Hence Until the time that His word came to pass.

 

VII. The king … made him governor of his house (Ps. 105:20, 21). R. Levi taught in the name of R. Berechiah, who taught in the name of R. Johanan ben Saul, that Joseph said to them: Do you think that the Holy One, blessed be He, is not with me? When my grandfather blessed my father Jacob, saying Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you (Gen. 27:29), it was thereby established that Joseph would be governor over the land (Gen. 42:6). Hence it is said [God] the King ... made him governor of his house.

 

To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators a lesson (Ps. 105:22). When Pharaoh sought to make Joseph governor, all his senators protested: “Should a slave be a ruler?” As soon as Joseph began to govern, Pharaoh had the senators seized and bound and then bided his time. When the brothers came and made it known that Joseph was of good stock, Pharaoh had the senators dragged about with ropes.

 

Another comment: To bind his prince(s)—to bind Potiphar, as R. Meir taught: This verse proves that Pharaoh kept Potiphar bound up in chains all his life. Though his prince(s) is pronounced as if written sryw, his princes,’ it is spelled srw, ‘his prince.”

 

 

Ashlamatah I - Isaiah 57:13-19 + 58:12-14

 

13. When you cry, let them that you have gathered deliver you; but the wind will carry them all away, a breath will bear them off; but he that takes refuge in Me will possess the land, and will inherit My holy mountain.

14. And He will say: cast you up, cast you up, clear the way, take up the stumbling-block out of the way of My people. {S}

 

15. For thus says the High and Lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

16. For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit that enwraps itself is from Me, and the souls which I have made.

17. For the iniquity/lawlessness of his covetousness was I wroth and smote him, I hid Me and was wroth; and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.

18. I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will lead him also, and requite with comforts him and his mourners.

19. Shalom, shalom, to him that is far off and to him that is near, says the LORD that creates the fruit of the lips; and I will heal him.

20. But the wicked/lawless are like the troubled sea; for it cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt.

21. There is no Shalom, says my God concerning the wicked/lawless. {P}

 

1. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a horn, and declare unto My people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins.

2. Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways; as a nation that did righteousness/generosity, and forsook not the ordinance of their God, they ask of Me righteous/generous ordinances, they delight to draw near unto God.

3. 'Wherefore have we fasted, and You see not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and You take no knowledge?' - Behold, in the day of your fast you pursue your business, and exact all your labors.

4. Behold, you fast for strife and contention, and to smite with the fist of wickedness/lawlessness; you fast not this day so as to make your voice to be heard on high.

5. Is such the fast that I have chosen? The day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

6. Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the fetters of wickedness/lawlessness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?

7. Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh?

8. Then will your light break forth as the morning, and your healing will spring forth speedily; and your righteousness/generosity will go before you, the glory of the LORD will be thy rearward.

9. Then will you call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry, and He will say: 'Here I am.' If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedness/lawlessness;

10. And if you draw out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then will your light rise in darkness, and your gloom be as the noon-day;

11. And the LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and make strong your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

12. And they that will be of you will build the old waste places, you will raise up the foundations of many generations; and you will be called The repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.

13. If you turn away your foot because of the Sabbath, from pursuing your business on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy of the LORD honorable; and will honor it, not doing your wonted ways, nor pursuing your business, nor speaking thereof;

14. Then will you delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you to ride upon the high places of the earth, and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it. {P}

 

 

 

Ashlamatah II - I Samuel 20:18,42

 

18 And Jonathan said unto him: “Tomorrow is the new moon; and you will be missed, your seat will be empty.”

42 And Jonathan said to David: “Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying: The LORD will be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, for ever.” And he arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.

 

 

 

Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) 23: 27-28

 

  1. Oy for you, painted sages and painted Pharisees (pretenders)! Because you are like whitewashed tombs which, outwardly appear beautiful but in the inside are all full of bones of the dead and all kinds of Tumot (impurities).
  2. Similarly, you also appear outwardly to be a Tsadiq (just and generous person), but inside you are full of pretense and Lawlessness.

 

 

 

The Rabbi’s Private Prophetic Study

 

For those of you, who want to know how this Torah Seder fits into the general architecture of Sefer B’midbar (Book of Numbers) perhaps this small diagram from Prof. Duane L. Christensen (The Unity of the Bible: Exploring the Beauty and Structure of the Bible, New York: Paulist Press, 2003) will help.

 

THE THREE MENOROT [Candelabras] OF SEFER B’MIDBAR

 

Menorah I – Preparing to Enter the Promised Land – Num 1:1 – 12:16

 

A. Military census and arrangement of the wilderness camp – Num. 1:1 – 2:34

B. Census of the Levites – Num. 3:1 – 4:49

C. Purification of the camp – Num. 5:1 – 6:27

X. Offerings from tribal leaders and consecration of the Levites – Num. 7:1- 8:26

C. Second observance of Passover (at Sinai)—the journey begins – Num. 9:1-23

B. Instructions on blowing trumpets to signal Israel is on the march – Num. 10:1-10

A. The trek from Sinai to Kadesh – Num. 10:11 – 12:16

 

Menorah II – From an “Unholy War” to the wars of Ha-Shem – Num. 13:1 – 25:9

 

A. The reconnaissance of Canaan and Israel’s unholy war – Num. 13:1 – 14:45

B. Cultic regulations – Numbers 15:1-41

C. Encroachment on the part of Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On – Num. 16:1-35

X. Aaron’s budding rod—shows special status of his priesthood – Num. 17:1-28

C. Responsibility of Aaronic priesthood and other Levites – Num. 18:1-32

B. Purification from contamination by a corpse – Num. 19:1-22

A. The trek from Kadesh to Shittim and the wars of Ha-Shem – Num. 20:1 – 25:9

 

Menorah III – Preparing for Life in the Promised Land – Num. 25:10 – 36:13

 

A. From sin at Peor to Zelophehad’s daughters (inheritance rights) – Num 25:10 - 27:14

B. Joshua commissioned to succeed Moses for Exodus into Cisjordan – Num. 27:15-23

C. Cultic calendar for life in the land [+ addendum on vows] – Num. 28:1 – 30:16

X. Holy war vs. Midian - cleansing the contamination of Peor – Num. 31:1-54

C. Allotment of land in Transjordan – Num. 32:1-4

B. The trek from Egypt to the Jordan for Eisodus into Cisjordan – Num. 33:1 – 35:34

A. Heiresses must marry within their clan (Zelophehad’s daughters) – Num. 36:1-13

 

 

Our Torah Seder starts by saying:

 

“Adonai spoke to Moshe saying: "The land will be apportioned among these, as an inheritance according to the number of names. To the large [tribe], increase their inheritance, and to the small, diminish their inheritance; each person, according to his number, will be given his inheritance. Only by lot should the land be divided, according to the names of their fathers' tribes should they inherit it. By word of the lottery should their inheritance be divided, with regard to whether they are many or few."

 

And, concludes with:

 

“Adonai said to Moshe: "Go up this Avarim Mountain and look at the land that I have given to B’ne Yisrael. [After] you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aharon was gathered. Because you disobeyed My words in the wilderness of Tzin, when the community quarreled, [you were] to sanctify Me through the water, before their eyes." Those were the waters of dispute at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Tzin.”

 

Therefore all that lies in between these two passages has also to deal with the “land” of Israel. The Midrash Rabba brings here an interesting observation:

 

“AND IT WILL BE UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL A STATUTE OF JUDGMENT (Num. 27:11). The expression JUDGMENT implies that inheritance can only change hands through judges.”

 

In other words, the Torah Judges of Israel have the prerogative to judge who has a rightful claim to inheritance, and where that inheritance will lie. This, of course is easy to understand at a Peshat (simple/literal) level of hermeneutics. But, at the Remes (hint) level of allegorical interpretation we note that the inheritance of the land implies also that it is the Torah Judges of Israel who can determine who is part of the Jewish people and have a right to inheritance in the land and who is not part of Israel and therefore without inheritance rights to the land of Israel. This is implied in our Ashlamatah which states: 

 

“But he that takes refuge in Me will possess the land, and will inherit My holy mountain … Shalom, shalom, to him that is far off (i.e. the yet to be converted gentile) and to him that is near (i.e. the proselyte of the Gate).”

 

At the Drash (explore/ask) level of hermeneutics, the same expression, limits the scope of this judgment, with regards to two special cases. The first one is that of the Levitical tribe which no one can enter into except by being born into a Levitical family, or by marriage to a male Levite. The second, of course has to do with the King’s Household, where it is the King and his advisors who determine who belongs to that household and who does not, and all of its members have a share in the King’s Household. 

 

This last point is an important one, for Nazareans, since it implies that the King of Israel, i.e. the Messiah, and the King’s Royal Counsel, have the right to determine who is and who is not of the King’s household, for the members of the King’s household, do not have an inheritance to the land as is the case with the Levites, but to the estate and income of the Royal Household. And of course, provided that all are faithful to the King and are found to be without pretense and Torah observant, these are counted as Jewish by virtue of belonging to the King’s Household. The judges here are the King (i.e. the Messiah) and his Royal Counselors.

 

I recall that once in what was the Soviet Union a man was going to a Torah study at night and was stopped by two KGB agents who jumped out of an unmarked car. They asked the man, ‘Where are you going at this time of the night?’ And the man politely answered, ‘A friend has passed away, and I am going to the reading of his last will and testament’ to see what is my inheritance.’ This episode has always stuck with me, for in reality the study of Torah is all about knowing exactly what is our exact inheritance.

 

Sandwiched in between this discourse, we have the issue of Zelophehad’s daughters. Here the Midrash makes a most important statement:

“THEN DREW NEAR THE DAUGHTERS OF ZELOPHEHAD, etc. (XXVII, 1). It was a distinction to them as well as to their father; it was a distinction also to Machir as well as to Joseph, that such women issued from them (hence their genealogy is recorded). They were wise and righteous/generous women. What shows their wisdom? They spoke at the appropriate moment, for Moses was engaged upon the subject of inheritances, saying: Unto these the land will be divided (Num. XXVI, 53). They said to him: ‘If we have the status of a son let us inherit like a son; if not, let our mother perform the levirate marriage’ (i.e. let her be married to her husband's brother, whose duty it is to rear up children in the name of the deceased. The aim of Zelophehad's daughters was the purely altruistic one of perpetuating the name and property of their departed father).”

 

It is interesting to note that here we are given a reason as to why certain women are recorded in the genealogy of the Messiah in the book of Matityahu (Matthew). These were no ordinary women, they possessed wisdom – i.e. they were extremely knowledgeable of the Torah, they had Royal manners and were extremely observant of due Royal protocol, and to top it up, they were extremely just and generous. These remarkable women show us the criteria as to who does belong and who does not belong to the Royal Household of the Messiah of Israel. These, therefore are the hallmarks of a member of the Royal Household of Israel:

 

 

Anyone, therefore who claims to be a disciple of the Master of Nazareth will be judged concerning these four essential Royal traits, and whether or not he/she has lived his/her life in accordance with these four life-giving principles throughout their lives. May the Holy One, most blessed be He, grant us to be found faithful in being examples of this precious royal way of life, amen ve amen!

 

Shalom Shabbat!

 

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai