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

 

 

Please go to the below webpage and type your city, state/province, and country to find candle lighting and Habdalah times for the place of your dwelling.

 

See: http://www.chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting.htm

 

Roll of Honor:

 

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

His Eminence Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat Sarah

His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham

His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Karmela bat Sarah,

His Honor Paqid Adon Tsuriel ben Abraham and beloved wife HH Giberet Gibora bat Sarah

Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah & beloved family

His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann & beloved family

His Excellency Adon John Batchelor & beloved wife

Her Excellency Giberet Leah bat Sarah & beloved mother

His Excellency Adon Yehoshua ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Rut bat Sarah

His Excellency Adon Michael ben Yosef and beloved wife HE Giberet Sheba bat Sarah

Her Excellency Giberet Prof. Dr. Emunah bat Sarah & beloved family

His Excellency Adon Robert Dick & beloved wife HE Giberet Cobena Dick

His Excellency Adon Aviner ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Chagit bat Sarah

His Excellency Adon Ovadya ben Abraham and beloved wife HE Giberet Mirit bat Sarah

His Excellency Adon Brad Gaskill and beloved wife Cynthia Gaskill

His Excellency Adon Shlomoh ben Abraham

His Excellency Adon Ya’aqob ben David

Her Excellency Giberet Eliana bat Sarah and beloved husband HE Adon James Miller

 

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!

 

 

Please pray for your local Rabbi and this work that they may be successful touching many lives with the Torah, well financed; and that they may be for much blessing to all concerned. Amen ve Amen!

 

We pray for His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham in Singapore, who is possibly losing his job unless the company that has employed him is not sold. May the King of the universe have mercy on his Honor and preserve his job and his means to sustain himself alive and take care of his elderly father and family. We also pray for his frail health. Mi Sheberach He who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, may He bless and heal His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, be filled with compassion for him to restore his health, to heal him, to strengthen him, to revivify him and take care of his job situation. And may He send him speedily a complete recovery from heaven, among the other sick people of Yisrael, a recovery of the body and a recovery of the spirit and mind, swiftly and soon, and we say amen ve amen!

 

We pray for HE Giberet Pamala bat Noach (the sister of HE Adon Yeshoshua ben Abraham) who is very, very sick - Mi Sheberach – He Who blessed our holy and pure Matriarchs, Sarah, Ribkah, Rachel and Leah, bless Her Excellency Giberet Pamala bat Noach and send her a complete recovery and strengthening of body, mind and soul. Please our G-d heal her, please. Please G-d heal her, please. Please G-d heal her, please. Cure her, strengthen her, make her healthy and return her to her original strength, together with all the sick of Yisrael. And may it be so willed, and we will say, Amen ve Amen!

 

We pray for HE Giberet Vinus Felty bat Noach the daughter of HE Giberet Mirit bat Sarah who is quite sick. Mi Sheberach – He Who blessed our holy and pure Matriarchs, Sarah, Ribkah, Rachel and Leah, bless Her Excellency Giberet Vinus Felty bat Noach and send her a complete recovery and strengthening of body, mind and soul. Please G-d heal her, please. Please G-d heal her, please. Please G-d heal her, please. Cure her, strengthen her, make her healthy and return her to her original strength, together with all the sick of Yisrael. And may it be so willed, and we will say, Amen ve Amen!

 

We pray for HE Giberet Rut bat Sarah who is suffering from migraines, memory problems, and other health problems. Mi Sheberach – He Who blessed our holy and pure Matriarchs, Sarah, Ribkah, Rachel and Leah, bless Her Excellency Giberet Rut bat Sarah and send her a complete recovery and strengthening of body, mind and soul. Please G-d heal her, please. Please G-d heal her, please. Please G-d heal her, please. Cure her, strengthen her, make her healthy and return her to her original strength, together with all the sick of Yisrael. And may it be so willed, and we will say, Amen ve Amen!

 

We pray for HE Adon Ruben Lopez Trevino ben Noach the father of HE Giberet Mirit bat Sarah, who is undergone an successful operation to remove his prostate cancer, Barukh HaShem! He is now recovering from said operation. Mi Sheberach – He who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, may He bless and completely heal the father of HE Giberet Mirit bat Sarah. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, be filled with compassion for him to restore his health, to heal him, to strengthen him, and to revivify him. And may He send him speedily a complete recovery from heaven, among the other sick people of Yisrael, a recovery of the body and a recovery of the spirit and mind, swiftly and soon, and we say amen ve amen!

 

We pray for HE Adon Philippe ben Noach, the husband of HE Giberet Sarai bat Sarah, that the new monthly headache injections that the VA hospital will soon be providing for him will bring relief from the severe headaches that he has been experiencing for many years. Mi Shebarach - He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses and Aharon, David and Solomon, may He bless and heal HE Adon Philippe ben Noach. May the Holy One, Blessed be He,  be filled with compassion to restore his mental and physical health, as well as improving his welfare, to heal him, to strengthen him, and to revivify him, and may He send him speedily a complete recovery from heaven, among the other sick people of Yisrael, a recovery of the body and a recovery of the spirit and mind, swiftly soon, and we pray amen ve amen!

 

We pray for my friend HE Adon Andrew ben Noach who is suffering from bi-polar problems, and currently sleeping in his car, and also has problems with drink and gambling on the stock market and consequently losing money. Mi Shebarach - He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses and Aharon, David and Solomon, may He bless and heal HE Adon Andrew ben Noach. May the Holy One, Blessed be He,  be filled with compassion to restore his mental and physical health, as well as improving his welfare, to heal him, to strengthen him, and to revivify him, and may He send him speedily a complete recovery from heaven, among the other sick people of Yisrael, a recovery of the body and a recovery of the spirit and mind, swiftly soon, and we pray amen ve amen!

 

We also pray for the son of H.E. Giberet Tikiribat bat Noach from Sri Lanka who has had an aortic dissection. He is sufficiently recovered to work on a slow level. He works night shifts. An operation has been discussed by the doctors which is serious, followed by another more difficult surgery in another year or so. Mi Sheberach – He who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, may He bless and heal the son of Her Excellency Giberet Tikiribat bat Noach. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, be filled with compassion for him to restore his health, to heal him, to strengthen him, and to revivify him. And may He send him speedily a complete recovery from heaven, among the other sick people of Yisrael, a recovery of the body and a recovery of the spirit and mind, swiftly and soon, and we say amen ve amen!

 

We pray that by the grace and mercy of G-d towards His people Yisrael, that HE Giberet Leah bat Sarah be allowed speedily soon to sell her properties or rent them at a reasonable price, for the sake of her finances, health, and Torah study schedule amen ve amen!

 

We pray for the son of HE Adon Ya’aqob ben David = HE Adon Aharon ben Ya’aqob who has received his commission as a second lieutenant and has been transferred to South Korea. We pray that G-d. most blessed be He have mercy upon Adon Aharon and protect him from any evil and/or harm and make his assignment very successful and return at the time of G-d’s choosing to his beloved family safe and healthy and with great honor. We also pray for great peace in the hearts and minds of his parents who are sore afraid of the great dangers this assignment represents. May HaShem. Most blessed be He grant peace of mind to HE Adon Aharon’s parents together with faith in  a good outcome, amen ve amen!

 

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

 

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 gkilli@aol.com with your E-Mail or the E-Mail addresses of your friends. Toda Rabba!

 

 

 

Shabbat: “Lekh – L’kha” - “Get up – Get out”

 

 

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 favour 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 doing 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!

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·        The Call of Abraham – Genesis 12:1-9

·        Abram in Egypt – Genesis 12:10-20

·        Abram and Lot – Genesis 13:1-18

 

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan

for: B’resheet 12:1 – 13:18‎

 

Rashi’s Translation	Targum Pseudo Jonathan
1. And the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you.	1. AND the LORD said to Abram, Go from your land; separate yourself from your kindred; go out from the house of your father; go into the land which I will show you.
2. And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and [you shall] be a blessing.	2. And I will make you a great people, and will bless you, and magnify your name, and you will be blessed.
3. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you."	3. And I will bless the priests who will spread forth their hands in prayer, and bless your sons; and Bileam, who will curse them, I will curse, and they will slay him with the mouth of the sword; and in you will be blessed all the generations of the earth.
4. And Abram went, as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him, and Abram was seventy five years old when he left Haran.	4. And Abram went, according as the Lord had spoken with him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was the son of seventy and five years at his going forth from Haran.
5. And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had acquired, and the souls they had acquired in Haran, and they went to go to the land of Canaan, and they came to the land of Canaan.	5. And Abram took Sara his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all the substance which they had acquired, and the souls whom they had proselytized in Haran, and went forth to go to the land of Kenaan. And they came to the land of Kenaan.
6. And Abram passed through the land, until the place of Shechem, until the plain of Moreh, and the Canaanites were then in the land.	6. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shekem, unto the plain which had been showed. And the Kenaanites were then in the land; for the time had not yet come that the sons of Israel should possess it.
7. And the Lord appeared to Abram, and He said, "To your seed I will give this land," and there he built an altar to the Lord, Who had appeared to him.	7. And the LORD was revealed unto Abram, and said, To your sons will I give this land. And he built there an altar before the LORD, who was revealed to him.
8. And he moved from there to the mountain, east of Beth el, and he pitched his tent; Beth el was to the west and Ai was to the east, and there he built an altar to the Lord, and he called in the name of the Lord.	8. And he went up from thence to a mountain which was eastward of Bethel, and outspread his tent, having Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and he built there an altar before the LORD, and prayed in the Name of the LORD.
9. And Abram traveled, continually traveling southward.	9. And Abram migrated, going and migrating unto the south.
10. And there was a famine in the land, and Abram descended to Egypt to sojourn there because the famine was severe in the land.	10. And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down into Mizraim to be a dweller there, because the famine was strong in the land.
11. Now it came to pass when he drew near to come to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Behold now I know that you are a woman of fair appearance.	11. And it was, as he approached to enter the limit of Mizraim, and they had come to the river, and were uncovering their flesh to pass over, that Abram, said to Sara his wife, Behold, until this I have not beheld your flesh; but now I know that you are a woman of fair aspect.
12. And it will come to pass when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife,' and they will slay me and let you live.	12. It will be, therefore, when the Mizraee see you, and view your beauty, that they will say, This is his wife; and they will kill me, and you will keep alive.
13. Please say [that] you are my sister, in order that it go well with me because of you, and that my soul may live because of you."	13. Say, I pray, that you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my life may be spared on your account.
14. And it came to pass when Abram came to Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very pretty.	14. And it was when Abram had entered Mizraim, the Mizraee saw the woman to be very fair;
15. And Pharaoh's princes saw her, and they praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken to the house of Pharaoh.	15. and the princes of Pharoh beheld her, and praised her to Pharoh; and the woman was conducted to the royal house of Pharoh.
16. And he benefited Abram for her sake, and he had flocks and cattle and he donkeys and men servants and maid servants, and she donkeys and camels.	16. And Pharoh did good to Abram for her sake; and he had sheep, and oxen, and asses, and servants, and handmaids, and she-asses, and camels.
17. And the Lord plagued Pharaoh [with] great plagues as well as his household, on account of Sarai, Abram's wife.	17. And the Word of the LORD sent great plagues against Pharoh and the men of his house, on account of Sara, Abram's wife.
18. And Pharaoh summoned Abram, and he said, "What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?	18. And Pharoh called Abram, and said, What is this that you have done to me?
19. Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to myself for a wife? And now, here is your wife; take [her] and go."	19. Why did you say, She is my sister? When I would take her to me to wife, plagues were at once sent against me, and I went not unto her. And now behold your wife, take (her) and go.
20. And Pharaoh commanded men on his behalf, and they escorted him and his wife and all that was his.	20. And Pharoh commanded men concerning him, and they led him out, and his wife, and all that he had.
1. And Abram came up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that was his, and Lot with him, to the south.	1. And Abram went up from Mizraim, he and his wife (and) all that he had; and Lot with him, to go to the south.
2. And Abram was very heavy with cattle, with silver, and with gold.	2. And Abram had become very strong in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
3. And he went on his journeys, from the south and until Beth el, until the place where his tent had been previously, between Beth el and between Ai.	3. And he proceeded in his journeys from the south unto Bethel, and returned to the place where he had outspread his tabernacle at the first, between Bethel and Ai,
4. To the place of the altar that he had made at first, and Abram called there in the name of the Lord.	4. to the place of the altar which he had made there at the beginning; and Abram prayed there in the Name of the LORD.
5. And also Lot, who went with Abram, had flocks and cattle and tents.	5. And also unto Lot, who was remembered through the righteousness/generosity of Abram, there were sheep and oxen and tents.
6. And the land did not bear them to dwell together, for their possessions were many, and they could not dwell together.	6. And the land could not sustain them to dwell together, because their possessions were great, and they were not able to dwell together.
7. And there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and between the herdsmen of Lot's cattle, and the Canaanites and the Perizzites were then dwelling in the land.	7. And contentions arose between the shepherds of Abram's flock, and the shepherds of the flocks of Lot; for the shepherds of Abram had been instructed by him not to go among the Kenaanaee and the Pherizaee, who, as yet, had power in the land, and to restrain the cattle that they should make no depredation in going to the place of their pasture: but the shepherds of Lot would go and feed in the grounds of the Kenaanaee and Pherizaee who yet dwelt in the land.
8. And Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no quarrel between me and between you and between my herdsmen and between your herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.	8. And Abram said to Lot, Between me and you let there not now be controversy, nor between my shepherds and your shepherds; for we are brother-men. (Heb. אֲנָשִׁים אַחִים, אֲנָחְנוּ. – Anashim Achim Anachnu).
9. Is not all the land before you? Please part from me; if [you go] left, I will go right, and if [you go] right, I will go left."	9. Is not all the land before you? Separate then from me. If you go to the north, I will go to the south: if you go to the south, I go to the north.
10. And Lot raised his eyes, and he saw the entire plain of the Jordan, that it was entirely watered; before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as you come to Zoar.	10. And Lot uplifted his eyes towards (the place of) fornication; and beheld all the plain of the Jordan that it was altogether well watered, before the LORD in his wrath had destroyed Sedom and Amorah; a land admirable for trees, as the garden of the LORD, and for fruitage, as the land of Mizraim as you go up to Zoar.
11. And Lot chose for himself the entire plain of the Jordan, and Lot traveled from the east, and they parted from one another.	11. And Lot chose to him all the plain of the Jordan; and Lot journeyed from the east, and they separated the one man from his brother.
12. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and he pitched his tents until Sodom.	12. Abram dwelt in the land of Kenaan, and Lot dwelt in the towns of the plain, and spread his tabernacle towards Sedom.
13. And the people of Sodom were very evil and sinful against the Lord.	13. And the men of Sedom were depraved in their wealth one with another, and they sinned in their bodies; they sinned with open nakedness, and the shedding of innocent blood, and practiced strange worship, and rebelled greatly against the name of the LORD.
14. And the Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Please raise your eyes and see, from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward.	14. And the LORD said to Abram, after that Lot had separated from him, Lift up now your eyes, and look, from the place where you are, to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west:
15. For all the land that you see I will give to you and to your seed to eternity.	15. for all the land that you see will I give unto you, and to your sons, forever.
16. And I will make your seed like the dust of the earth, so that if a man will be able to count the dust of the earth, so will your seed be counted.	16. And I will make your sons manifold as the dust of the earth, as that, as it is impossible for a man to number the dust of the earth, so also it will be impossible to number your sons.
17. Rise, walk in the land, to its length and to its breadth, for I will give it to you."	17. Arise journey in the land, and make occupation of it in length and breadth; for to you will I give it.
18. And Abram pitched his tents, and he came, and he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.	18. And Abram stretched his tent (and made folds) for oxen and sheep, and came and dwelt in the vale of Mamre which is in Hebron, and built there an altar before the LORD.

 

Welcome to the World of P’shat Exegesis

 

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

 

The Seven Hermeneutic Laws of R. Hillel are as follows

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Reading Assignment:

 

The Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez - Vol II: The Patriarchs

By: Rabbi Yaaqov Culi, Translated by: Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

Published by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1988)

Vol. 2 – “The Patriarchs,” pp. 3-49.

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: ‎ B’resheet (Genesis) 12:1 – 13:18‎

 

1 Go forth Heb. לֶךְ לְךָ , lit. go to you, for your benefit and for your good, and there I will make you into a great nation, but here, you will not merit to have children. Moreover, I will make your character known in the world.-[from Rosh Hashanah 16b, Tan.]

 

2 And I will make you into a great nation Since traveling causes three things: 1) it diminishes procreation, 2) it diminishes money, and 3) it diminishes fame (lit. name), therefore, he required these three blessings, namely that He blessed him concerning children, concerning money, and concerning fame. (Other editions: And this is the meaning of and I will aggrandize your name. I will add a letter to your name, for until now, your name was אַבְרם From now on [your name will be] אַבְרהָם , and אַבְרהָם equals 148, corresponding to a person’s limbs. (Found in an old Rashi.-[from Gen. Rabbah 39:11; Tan. Buber, Chaye Sarah 6)

 

and I will bless you with money (Genesis Rabbah 39:11).

 

and [you shall] be a blessing The blessings are entrusted into your hand. Until now, they were in My hand; I blessed Adam and Noah. From now on, you may bless whomever you wish. (Gen. Rabbah) (ad loc.). Another explanation:

 

And I will make you into a great nation This is [the basis] of saying the God of Abraham.

 

and I will bless you This is [the basis] of saying the God of Isaac.

 

and I will aggrandize your name This is [the basis] of saying the God of Jacob [in the initial benediction of the Silent Prayer.] You might think that [the first benediction of the Silent Prayer] should be concluded [by mentioning] them all. Therefore, Scripture states: and [you shall] be a blessing with you they will conclude, and not with them. [i.e., The closing of the blessing is the shield of Abraham, and not the shield of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.] [from Pes. 117b]

 

from your land Now had he not already gone out of there with his father and come as far as Haran? Rather, thus did He say to him, “Distance yourself more from there and leave your father’s house.”

 

that I will show you He did not reveal the land to him immediately, in order to make it dear in his eyes and to give him reward for every command. Similarly (below 22:2): your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac. Similarly (ibid. 2): on one of the mountains that I will say to you. Similarly (Jonah 3:2): and proclaim upon it the proclamation that I will speak to you. [from Gen. Rabbah 39:9]

 

3 shall be blessed in you There are many aggadoth, but this is its simple meaning: A man says to his son, May you be like Abraham. And so is every instance of [the words] “shall be blessed with you” in Scripture. And the following [text] proves this (below 48:20): “With you, Israel shall bless, saying: May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.”-[from Sifrei, Naso 18]

 

5 and the souls they had acquired in Haran whom he had brought under the wings of the Shechinah. Abraham would convert the men, and Sarah would convert the women, and Scripture ascribes to them [a merit] as if they had made them (Gen. Rabbah 39:14). (Hence, the expression אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ , lit. that they made.) The simple meaning of the verse is: the slaves and maidservants that they had acquired for themselves, as in [the verse] (below 31:1): He acquired (עָשָׂה) all this wealth [an expression of acquisition]; (Num. 24:18): and Israel acquires an expression of acquiring and gathering.

 

6 And Abram passed through the land He entered therein.

 

until the place of Shechem to pray for Jacob’s sons when they would come to wage war in Shechem. [from unknown midrashic source, also quoted by Redak]

 

until the plain of Moreh That is Shechem. He showed him Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, where Israel accepted the oath of the Torah. [from aforementioned midrashic source]

 

and the Canaanites were then in the land He [the Canaanite] was gradually conquering the Land of Israel from the descendants of Shem, for it fell in Shem’s share when Noah apportioned the land to his sons, as it is said (below 14: 18): “And Malchizedek the king of Salem.” Therefore, (below verse 7): And the Lord said to Abram: To your seed will I give this land. I am destined to restore it to your children, who are of the descendants of Shem. [from Sifra, end of Kedoshim]

 

7 and there he built an altar [in thanksgiving] for the good tidings concerning his descendants and the good tidings concerning the Land of Israel. [from Gen. Rabbah 39:15-16]

 

8 And he moved from there his tent. east of Beth-el Heb. מִקֶדֶם , from the east of Beth-el. Hence, Beth-el was to his west. That is what the Torah means by “Beth-el was in the west.”

 

his tent According to the masoretic text, it is written אהלה , which can be read אָהֳלָה , her tent. First he pitched his wife’s tent and afterwards his own (Gen. Rabbah 39:15).

 

and there he built an altar He prophesied that his sons were destined to stumble there because of the iniquity of Achan, and he prayed there for them. [from Gen. Rabbah 39:16, Yelammedenu]

 

9 continually traveling lit. going and traveling. [He traveled] in intervals, staying here for a month or more, traveling from there, and pitching his tent elsewhere. And all his travels were southward, to go to the south of the Land of Israel, and that is to the direction of Jerusalem, (The meaning is that Jerusalem was in the middle of the world and the end of the Land of Israel. So it is explained in Isaiah.) which is in the territory of Judah, who took [his portion] in the south of the Land of Israel, to Mount Moriah, which was his [Judah’s] heritage. (Gen. Rabbah 39:16). [Note that the parenthetic addendum appears in several editions of Rashi, but its connection to this verse is obscure, because the location of Jerusalem in the middle of the world is irrelevant.]

 

10 a famine in the land in that land alone, to test him, whether he would think ill of the words of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who ordered him to go to the Land of Canaan, and now He was forcing him to leave it. [from Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 26]

 

11 Behold now I know The Midrash Aggadah (Tan. Lech Lecha 5) [states that] until now, he did not recognize her [beauty] because of the modesty of both of them, but now he recognized her [beauty] through an incident. Another explanation: It is customary that through the hardship of travel, a person becomes unattractive, but she remained with her beauty. The simple meaning of the verse is: Behold, now the time has arrived when we must be concerned about your beauty. I have known already for a long time that you are of fair appearance, but now we are coming among black and ugly people, the brothers of the Cushites, and they are not accustomed to a beautiful woman. Similar to this (below 19:2): “Behold now, my lords, please turn.”-[from Gen. Rabbah 40:4]

 

13 in order that it go well with me because of you They will give me gifts.

 

14 And it came to pass when Abram came to Egypt It should have said, when they came to Egypt, but it teaches us that he hid her in a trunk, and when they demanded the customs duty, they opened it and saw her. [from Gen. Rabbah 40:5]

 

15 and they praised her to Pharaoh They praised her among themselves, saying, “This [woman] is fit for the king.”-[from Targum Onkelos according to Ramban]

 

16 and he benefited Abram Pharaoh [benefited him]for her sake. [from Targum Jonathan]

 

17 And the Lord plagued Pharaoh [with] great plagues He was stricken with the plague of “ra’athan,” making intercourse harmful to him. Gen. Rabbah (41:2)

 

as well as his household lit. and his house. As the states: and upon the people of his house, (and its midrashic interpretation (Tan. Lech Lecha 8) is that this includes its walls, pillars, and utensils. In an old Rashi).

 

on account of Sarai [The words עַל דְבַר שָׂרַי mean literally] according to her words: she would say to the angel, “Strike,” and he would strike. [from Tan. Lech Lecha 5]

 

19 take [her] and go Not like Abimelech, who said to him (below 20:15): “Here is my land before you.” But he [Pharaoh] said to him, “Go and do not stay, because the Egyptians are lascivious,” as it is said (Ezek. 23:20): “and whose issue is the issue of horses.”- [from Tan. Lech Lecha]

 

20 And Pharaoh commanded men on his behalf - on his account, to escort him and to guard him.

 

and they escorted him Heb. וַיְשַׁלְחוּ , to be explained according to the Targum: and they escorted him.

 

Chapter 13

 

1 And Abram came up, etc., to the south To come to the south of the Land of Israel, as Scripture stated above (12: 9): continually traveling southward to Mount Moriah. And in every case when one goes from Egypt to the land of Canaan, he goes from south to north, for the land of Egypt is south of the Land of Israel, as is evidenced by the travels [of the Jews in the desert] and by the boundaries of the Land.

 

2 very heavy laden with burdens.

 

3 And he went on his journeys When he returned from Egypt to the land of Canaan, he went and lodged in the inns where he had lodged on his way to Egypt. This teaches you etiquette, that a person should not change his lodgings (Arachin 16b). Another explanation (Gen. Rabbah 41:3): On his return, he paid his debts.

 

from the south The land of Egypt is south of the land of Canaan.

 

4 that he had made at first, and Abram called there And where Abram had called in the name of the Lord. We may also say that it means: and now he called there in the name of the Lord.

 

5 who went with Abram What brought about that he had this [wealth]? His going with Abram. [from B.K. 93a]

 

6 And...did not bear It was unable to supply enough pasture for their cattle, and this is an abbreviated expression, and an additional word is needed. [It is to be explained] as: “And the pasture of the land could not bear them.” Therefore, וְלֽא נָשׂא is written in the masculine gender.

 

7 And there was a quarrel Since Lot’s herdsmen were wicked, and they pastured their animals in fields belonging to others, Abram’s herdsmen rebuked them for committing robbery, but they responded, “The land was given to Abram, who has no heir; so Lot will inherit him, and therefore this is not robbery.” But Scripture states: “And the Canaanites and the Perizzites were then dwelling in the land,” and Abram had not yet been awarded its possession. [from Gen. Rabbah 41:5]

 

8 kinsmen meaning relatives, and according to the Midrash Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 41:6), they resembled each other in their facial features.

 

9 if [you go] left, I will go right Wherever you dwell, I will not distance myself from you, and I will stand by you as a protector and a helper. And he ultimately needed him, as it is said (below 14:14): “And Abram heard that his kinsman had been captured, etc.”

 

I will go right [Grammatically, this means] “I will go towards the right,” like וְאַשְׂמְאִילָה , “and I will go towards the left.” Now if you say that it should have been vowelized וְאֲיְמִינָה , we find the same in another place, (viz. II Sam. 14:19): “if anyone can turn to the right (לַהֵמִין) ,” and it is not vowelized לְהַיְמִין

 

10 that it was entirely watered A land with streams of water.

 

before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah that plain was:

 

like the garden of the Lord for [growing] trees.

 

like the land of Egypt for [growing] seeds (Gen. Rabbah 41:7).

 

as you come to Zoar Until Zoar. And the Midrash Aggadah interprets it unfavorably: it was because they were lascivious that Lot chose their region for himself (Tractate Horioth 10b).

 

11 plain Heb. כִּכָּר , the plain, as the Targum renders it. Note that according to Rashi, כִּכָּר is not the generic term for a plain, but the proper name of the Plain of the Jordan. See below (14:5).

 

from the east He traveled from beside Abram and went away to the west of Abram; hence, he travelled from east to west (Targum Jonathan). According to the Midrash Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 41:7), he distanced himself from the Ancient One (מִקַדְמוֹנוֹ) of the world. He said, “I care neither for Abram nor for his God.”

 

12 and he pitched his tents He pitched tents for his herdsmen and his cattle until Sodom.

 

13 And the people of Sodom were...evil Nevertheless, Lot did not hesitate to sojourn with them. And our Rabbis (Yoma 38b) learned from here that (Prov. 10:7): “the name of the wicked shall rot.” [though they were evil, Lot did not hesitate to live with them.]

 

evil with their bodies.

 

and sinful with their money. [from Sanh. 109a]

 

very...against the Lord They recognized their Master and intended to rebel against Him. [from Sifra, Bechukkothai 2]

 

14 after Lot had parted As long as the wicked man was with him, the Divine speech withdrew from him (and above, when Lot was with him, and it is written (12: 7): “And the Lord appeared to Abram,” [we must assume that] at that time, he was righteous, and this is easy to understand). [from Tan. Vayeze 10]

 

16 that if a man will be able Just as it is impossible for the dust to be counted, so will your seed not be counted. [from Targum Onkelos]

 

18 Mamre the name of a man. [from Gen. Rabbah 42:8]

 

Ketubim: Psalms ‎10:1-18‎

 

Rashi’s Translation	Targum
1. O Lord, why do You stand from afar? [Why do] You hide in times of distress?	1. Why, O LORD, will You stand afar off, hide Yourself in the dwelling of the holy ones in the times of distress?
2. With the haughtiness of the wicked man, he pursues the poor man. They are caught in the plots that they have devised.	2. In brutality the wicked man will pursue the poor man; they will be caught in the scheme that they plotted to carry out.
3. For the wicked man boasts about the desire of his soul,and the robber congratulates himself for having blasphemed the Lord.	3. For the wicked man is praised for the craving of his soul; he who blesses the violent man abhors the word of the LORD.
4. A wicked man at the height of his anger; "He will not seek; there is no God," [say] all his thoughts.	4. The wicked man in the grossness of his spirit will not seek God, and he will say in his heart that his thoughts are not manifest in the presence of the LORD.
5. His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are far removed from him. All his adversaries-he blows at them.	5. His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are far from his sight; he will rebuke all his oppressors.
6. He says to himself, "I will not fall; for all generations I will not be in adversity."	6. He will say in his heart, "I will not be shaken from doing evil for all generations."
7. His mouth is full of oaths and deceits and guile; under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.	7. His mouth is curses, full of guile and deceit; under his tongue is misery and falsehood.
8. He sits in the lurking-places of the villages; in hidden places he slays the innocent; his eyes spy on Your army.	8. He will sit in the hiding places of the courtyards; in secret places he will kill the innocent; he will hide his eyes against the poor.
9. He lurks in a hidden place; like a lion in his den, he lurks to seize a poor man; he seizes a poor man when he draws his net.	9. He will lie in wait in secret places like a lion in his covert; he will lie in wait to seize the poor man; he will seize the poor man when he is drawn into his trap.
10. He crouches, he bows down, and an army of broken people shall fall by his signals.	10. The poor man will be crushed, and sink down, and he will fall into the power of his hiding places.
11. He says in his heart, "God has forgotten; He has hidden His face, He never sees."	11. He will say in his heart, "God has forgotten, He has hidden his face, He does not see forever."
12. Arise, O Lord God, lift up Your hand; do not forget the humble.	12. Arise, O LORD, fulfil the oath of Your hand, do not forget the humble.
13. Why did a wicked man blaspheme God? He said in his heart that You do not seek.	13. Why has the wicked man abhorred God? He will say in his heart, "It will not be sought after."
14. You saw, for You look at mischief and provocation to give with Your power; upon You Your army leaves [its burden]; You would help the orphan.	14. It is manifest in Your presence, because You will inflict misery and wrath upon the wicked man; look carefully to pay a good reward to the righteous/generous by your hand; the poor will place their hope on You; You have been a helper to the orphan.
15. Break the arm of the wicked, but as for the evil one-You will seek his wickedness and not find [it].	15. Break the arm of the wicked; and let the evil seek their wickedness, and not find it.
16. The Lord is King forever and ever; nations perish from His land.	16. The LORD is king forever and ever; the Gentiles have perished from His land.
17. You shall hear the desire of the humble, O Lord;may You prepare their heart, may Your ear hearken.	17. The desire of the humble is heard in Your presence, O LORD; strengthen their heart, incline Your ear.
18. To judge the orphan and the crushed one, that he no longer continue to break the weak from the earth.	18. To judge the orphan and poor man; may the sons of men not again be shattered before the wicked of the earth.

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Psalm ‎10:1-18

 

1 You hide in times of distress You hide Your eyes in times of distress.

 

2 he pursues Heb. ידלק , he pursues, as (in Gen. 31:36): “that you pursued (דלקת) me?”

 

they are caught The poor are caught in the plots that the wicked devise against them.

 

3 For the wicked man boasts This refers to “O Lord, why do You stand from afar,” for now the wicked man boasts that he achieves all the desire of his soul.

 

and the robber congratulates himself for having blasphemed the Lord And the robber praises himself, saying that he has blasphemed the Lord, yet he will have peace.

 

congratulates Heb. בֵּרֵך , like בֵּרַך , an expression of the past tense. You should know [that this is so,] for if it were a noun, the accent would be on the first letter and it would be vowelized with a “pattah” [meaning a “seggol” under the “resh”], but this one is vowelized with a small “kamatz” [i.e., with a “tzereh”] and it is accented below on the “resh.” Do not wonder about בֵּרֵך , that he did not say: בֵּרַך , because many words spelled with a “resh” are vowelized in this manner, e.g. (below 74:18), “an enemy blasphemed (חֵרֵף) the Lord,” and it does not say חֵרַף .

 

blasphemed Heb. נאץ , like חֵרֵף and Menachem interpreted every expression of נאוץ in this manner.

 

4 A wicked man at the height of his anger When he is haughty, and he lifts up and holds his face erect, and his anger is at its height.

 

He will not seek All his thoughts tell him, “The Holy One, blessed be He, will not seek anything that I may do because there is no judgment.”

 

there is no God There is no judgment, and there is no judge.

 

5 prosper Heb. יחילו , prosper, and similar to this is (in Job 20:21): “therefore shall his goods not prosper (יחיל) .” Others explain יחילו like (II Sam. 3:29): “May it rest (יחולו) upon the head of Joab.”

 

Your judgments are far removed from him Your judgments of pains and punishments are removed and distanced from him, for they do not come upon him.

 

All his adversaries he blows at them With a blowing of wind, he blows at them, and they fall before him.

 

6 “for all generations I will not be in adversity” Adversity will not befall me throughout my generations.

 

7 and guile Heb. ותך , an expression of an evil thought that lodges constantly in his midst.

 

8 his eyes spy on Your army The eyes of Esau lurk for Israel, who are Your army.

 

on Your army Heb. לחלכה ; (verse 14), “upon You Your army (חלכה) leaves.” Both of them are in the masorah as words spelled with כה instead of ך , like (Exod. 7:29), “upon you (ובכה) and upon your people”; (Prov. 2:11), “discretion shall guard you (תנצרכה) (Exod. 29:35), “I commanded you (אתכה) ”; (I Sam. 1:26), “who was standing with you (עמכה) . “ We learn from the masorah that חלכה is like חילך , Your army. But Menachem (p.89) interprets לחלכה יצפנו and so יעזב חלכה like (verse 10), “and helpless ones (חלכאים) shall fall into his power,” a word meaning humble and moaning. Accordingly, כה is [part of] the radical.

 

10 He crouches, he bows down So is the habit of the lurker; he crouches and lowers [himself] and makes himself small in order to be inconspicuous.

 

and an army of broken people fall by his signals Heb. חלכאם , an army of broken people. I saw in the great masorah that חלכאים is one of fifteen words that are written as one word and read as two words, as isבגד in the verse (Gen. 30:11) commencing “And Leah said.” Also (in Deut. 33:2), “a fiery Law (אשדת) is to them”; (Isa. 3:15), “What do you mean (מלכם) that you crush My people?” Also this word means כאים חל, an army of broken people. כאים is an expression of (below 109:16) “and a broken-hearted one (ונכאה לבב) to kill.” If you say that the “nun” is the radical, (Ezek. 13:22) “Because you have broken (הכאות) the heart of the righteous” will prove that [it is not]. We learn that the “nun” of נראה is like the “nun” of (I Sam. 15:9) נמבזה and the “nun” of (Jer. 6:14) נקלה , and so is its interpretation: and...fall by the signals of this wicked man, with his hints and his winks, an expression of (Isa. 41:21) “present your signals (עצמותיכם) .” and (ibid. 33:15) “and closes (ועצם) his eyes,” an army of poor people. Another explanation: בעצומיו , by his mighty men. Said Rabbi Simon: This wicked man puts into his “callirus,” meaning army, only mighty men like himself, as it is said (in Dan. 3:20): “And he commanded the mighty warriors who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego” (Mid. Ps. 10:5). However, Menachem, (p. 89) interprets חלכאים as “poor and weak (וחלך) ,” the “chaf” being a radical.

 

13 Why did a wicked man blaspheme the Holy One, blessed be He? Because he said in his heart that You do not seek.

 

14 You saw what he does, and You remain silent.

 

for You So is Your custom, that You look at mischief and provocation.

 

to give with Your power With Your power, You lend a hand to the wicked to prosper with their wickedness.

 

upon You Your army leaves Your people Israel, who are Your army, leave the burden upon You that You should execute justice upon the wicked. Menachem (p. 132) interprets יעזב as an expression of help, as (in Exod. 23:5): “you shall help (עזב תעזב) with him.” He interprets חלכה as an expression of “poor and weak (חלך) ,” the “chaf” being a radical.

 

You would help the orphan in the early days.

 

15 Break the arm of the wicked Esau.

 

but as for the evil one You will seek his wickedness and not find [it] As for the wicked of Israel, when they see the wicked [of the nations] prospering, their heart inspires them to deal wickedly, but when You break the arm of the wicked, if You were to come [then] to seek the wickedness of the wicked of Israel, You would not find it.

 

16 The Lord is King forever and ever after the nations perish from His land.

 

18 To judge the orphan To perform judgments for Israel, the orphans, and crushed people.

 

that he no longer continue Ishmael and Esau.

 

to break the weak To crush and break the weak and sick.

 

Meditation from the Psalms

Psalm 10:1-18 

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

 

This Psalm has no introductory superscription and may be considered a sequel to Psalm 9 in terms of content. Chida^[1] in Chomat Anach^[2] cites the opinion of Rashi^[3] that Psalm 9 and 10 are to be counted as one.^[4]

 

Hirsch^[5] points out that in Psalm 9, David tells of the tyranny and despotism which face Israel on a broad national scale which affects all of human history. However, Psalm 10 deals with everyday human relations with the degenerate man who has cast off the yoke of moral law and threatens to harm defenseless individuals.

 

Radak^[6] holds that David did not dedicate this Psalm to any one particular event; rather he composed it with the intention that it should be a prayer for any man who finds himself threatened by an enemy.

 

According to the Ashkenazic ritual recorded in Siddur Avodat Yisrael, it was customary to recite this psalm during עשירת ימי תשובה, ‘The Ten Days of Repentance.’ This practice may be explained in light of the Talmud^[7] which states that HaShem is very close to each individual during this ten day period and so it is the ideal season for sincere repentance, as the Prophet says, דרשו ה׳ בהמצאו, ‘Seek out HaShem while He may be found’.^[8] Thus the person who fails to feel HaShem’s proximity during these days cries out in anguish, ‘Why HaShem do You stand aloof? Hiding Yourself in times of torment?’^[9]

 

The Hebrew Leningrad Codex breaks Psalm 9 into two psalms while the Septuagint does not. The Hebrew stops at 9:21, and begins a new psalm at 9:22, while the Greek continues it as the same psalm.

 

There are a number of words in the Tanakh^[10] which are read differently from the way that they are spelled in the text. These words are called, in Aramaic - Keri uchetiv (Keri uchesiv^[11]), “kri - קְרִי” in their reading version and “ktiv - כְּתִיב” in their written version. This phenomenon occurs roughly thirteen hundred times in the Tanakh.  The traditional spellings used in Torah scrolls have been handed down through the generations all the way back to Sinai.  Likewise, the pronunciation of these unvowelized words has traveled the same route. Our psalm relates to the previous via the kri and ktiv. I would like to look at this Torah phenomenon in greater detail.

 

From the kri and ktiv for the word ‘humble vs. afflicted or poor’ we see that there is clearly a connection between the two psalms.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 9:13

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 9:19

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 10:12

 

The kri - קרי is the way the verse is chanted, or read. Such words are always read with the traditional pronunciation, whether during the public Torah reading, in private study sessions, or in the simple meaning of the verse, the pshat. The word קרי is often pointed קְרִי and pronounced “kri” or “keri”, reflecting the opinion that it is a passive participle rather than an imperative. The kri is usually denoted by enclosing the Hebrew word in brackets [],^[12] as you can see in the following graphic (from the Megilat Ruth):

 

 

The kri can also be depicted as in the Masoretic^[13] text of the Biblia Hebraica,^[14] by putting the kri in margin, as we can see in the following graphic:

 

 

Meam Loez^[15] represents the kri within parenthesis, as in the following example:

Finally, one of the more common methods of depicting the kri is with a small circle over the word, which directs your attention to a word in the margin, as we can see from the ArtScroll Rashi^[16] volume:

 

 

The ktiv - כתיב is the way it is written in the Torah scroll. The ktiv transcends conception and comprehension. That is, a particular word in its written form has no comprehensible “garment”, though as read aloud it does have such a “garment”, i.e., it is readily comprehensible. The exposition or exegesis of the verse may also follow the ktiv, often as an allusion - drash.

 

“kri-and-ktiv”, is a word, in the Tanakh, that is pronounced (kri) one way, but written (ktiv) in the scroll a different way. These two ways of reading the word also imply different shades of meaning. These dual word forms are Masoretic vehicles for passing down additional teachings, unavailable without the additional word form.

 

Both the kri and the ktiv are considered highly significant. When reading the Torah scroll in the synagogue, Jewish law stipulates that the kri is to be read and not the ktiv, to the extent that if the ktiv was read, it must be corrected and read according to the kri. The Shulchan Aruch, in a particularly fascinating passage,^[17] records an incident where a person read a word according to the “Ketiv,” the way it is written, which differed from the “Keri”, the proper way for it to be read. Some of the generation's leading Hakhamim were present at the synagogue and instructed the reader to read the word according to the “Keri,” as Halacha requires, but he refused. The Hakhamim consigned him to excommunication and forced him to step down from the Torah scroll. This incident demonstrates the importance afforded by our Hakhamim to reading the Torah in accordance with our tradition. In addition however, Jewish law requires the scroll to be written according to the ktiv, and this is so critical that substituting the kri for the ktiv invalidates the entire Torah scroll.^{[18] [19]} The Mishna Berurah^[20] notes that although the reader must not read any words of the Torah from memory, and must rather read it from the Torah scroll, he nevertheless reads the words according to the kri even if it differs from the Ktiv. Since this is how tradition teaches that we read the word, even though it is spelled differently in the written text, one must read in accordance with the kri. This applies even to the rare instances where an entirely different word is read in place of the word that appears in the written text.^[21]

 

Hakham David Yosef,^[22] in his work “Halacha Berurah”, writes that the reader should look at the written word as he reads, even in cases of a “Kri” and “Ktiv” where the pronunciation does not correspond to the spelling. Even though one does not read the word as it is written, he should nevertheless look at the written word in the Torah scroll as he reads the “Kri.” He draws proof to this ruling from the reading of HaShem’s Name, which is written “H-V-H-Y” yet pronounced “Adonai.” Halacha requires the reader to look at the written Name as He recites “Adonai,” even though he does not pronounce the word as it is written. Similarly, in all cases where there is a discrepancy between the pronunciation and spelling, the reader must look at the word as he reads it, even though he does not read according to the spelling.

 

In general, a kri is the logical meaning of the word, given its context. The meaning of the ktiv however, is often beyond logic,^[23] and may even seem to be out of context, yet it reveals unexpected mystical implications. When we encounter a kri-and-a-ktiv we are invited into contemplation: how can we embrace this duality in meaning?

 

ktiv always indicates the inner meaning, accessible only to those who can understand the deeper aspects of a word.

 

The ktiv represents the realm of Divine self-concealment; the kri represents the realm of Divine self-revelation. In the future, when the Name of HaShem will be read as it is written, these two realms will unite.

 

On Sinai, Moses received three things: the Torah Shebiktav (Written Law) and the Torah Shebaal Peh (Oral Law). The kri and ktiv cases were all handed down to Moses as part of the Oral Law, which is why it is stated so, specifically, in the Talmud, one part of the Oral Law. These were deliberate parts of the Tanakh, not mistakes by the scribes or copyists. These parts were given by HaShem. It is as the Rashba^[24] say, “the Kri/Ktiv is halachah l’Moshe mi’Sinai”. If this is true, how can it be that we have kri and ktiv in the Prophets?

 

The simple and most obvious explanation for kri and ktiv, in the Prophets, is that offered by the Maharal^[25] and Radbaz.^[26] The prophets who wrote their books included both kri and ktiv in them. Since, as some suggest, these books were revealed to Moshe at Sinai and then later to the prophets to say and write down, the kri and ktiv originate at Sinai. What this means is that the books were originally written with the kri and ktiv.

 

Malbim in his introduction to Jeremiah boldly claims that the ktiv represents the simple meaning - the pshat - and the kri represents the exegetical meaning - the drash. Malbim follows through with this in his commentary and demonstrates this difference between pshat and drash.

 

The oral law can be vocalized (with vowel points) and it has two important characteristics:

1. It is “un-writeable” and

2. It would explain itself.

 

The written Torah is consonantal only, it has no vowels. The kri and the ktiv form a bridge between these two parts of Torah in that the kri is vocalized and the ktiv is consonantal, and written, only.

 

Throughout the Tanakh we find instances of kri and ktiv. However, outside of the Torah we also find:  ktiv vilo kri (ktiv without kri) and kri vilo ktiv (kri without ktiv). The latter two phenomena only exist in the Neviim (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings), not the Torah.^[27] Both types can be found in Megillat Ruth.

 

Various traditional commentaries on the Torah illustrate the interplay of meaning between the kri and the ktiv, showing how each enhances the meaning of the other. Some examples of this include:

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 8:17 Take out (ktiv/written: Send out) all the living things that are with you, from all the flesh: the birds, the animals, all the creeping things that creep over the earth; they shall swarm in the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.

 

Rashi: It is written as “send out” and read as “take out.” [Noah] is to say to them, “Go out!” Thus, [the written form] “send out.” If they do not want to go out, you should take them out.

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 12:8 And he [Abram] moved from there to the mountain east of Beit-Eil and set up his tent (ktiv/written: her tent); Beit-El was in the west and Ai in the east. He built an altar there to the Lord and called in the name of the Lord.

 

Rashi, ibid.: It is written as “her tent”. First, he set up his wife's tent, and afterwards his own.^[28]

 

Siftei Chachamim:^[29] How does Rashi know that Abraham erected his wife's tent before his own; maybe he put up his own tent first? His words were based on the words of the Talmud that “one should honor his wife more than himself”.^[30]

 

Shemot (Exodus) 39:33 “And they brought the Mishkan to Moses: the tent and all its vessels; its hooks, its beams, its bars (ktiv/written: its bar), its pillars, and its sockets.”

 

Rashi, Exodus 26:26: The five [bars which supported the wall-planks and kept them straight] were [in] three [lines going horizontally through each plank of the three walls], but the top and bottom [bars in the three walls] were made of two parts, each extending through half of the wall. Each [bar] would enter a hole [in the wall] on opposite sides until they met each other. Thus we find that the top and bottom [bars] were [really] two [bars each], which were four [half-bars]. The middle bar, however, extended the entire length of the wall, going from end to end of the wall.

 

Mefane'ach Nelamim, cited in Eim LaMikra VeLaMasoret, Exodus 39:33: The Talmud^[31] understands “from end to end” as a miracle: after the planks were in place on the three sides of the Mishkan, a seventy-cubit-long bar would be inserted into the center of the first plank at the eastern end of either the northern or southern wall. When that bar reached the end of that wall, it would miraculously curve itself so that it continued within the western wall. At the end of that wall, it again turned to fill the space drilled through the planks of the third wall.... Thus the middle bar, which seemed to be three separate bars for the three walls, was really one long bar. The kri, “its bars” refers to the simple interpretation that there were three distinct middle-bars, one for each wall. But the ktiv, “its bar,” refers to the second interpretation, that the three middle bars were really only one bar that miraculously spanned all three walls.^[32]

 

A Side Note

 

Most English translations follow the kri in their translation. This means that the idea of “sola scriptura”^[33] is completely ignored in most Christian Bibles. While they profess to use this standard, in reality they follow Jewish oral law to obtain their translation, while completely ignoring what was written.

 

Ashlamatah: Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:2-10 + 14‎

 

Rashi’s Translation	Targum
1. ¶ And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and he called the elders of Israel, and their heads, and their judges, and their officers; and they presented themselves before God.	1. ‎1. And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and he called to the elders of Israel and to its heads and to its judges and to ‎its leaders, and they presented themselves before the LORD,
2. And Joshua said to the whole nation, "Thus said the Lord God of Israel, 'Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the river from earliest time, Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor; and they served other gods.	2. And Joshua said to all the people: Thus said the LORD the God of Israel: ‎‎Your fathers dwelt across the Euphrates- from of old - Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor; and they worshipped the ‎idols of the ‎ nations.
3. And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the river, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.	3. And I took your father Abraham from across the Jordan. and I led him into all the land of Canaan, and I multiplied his ‎sons and I gave to him Isaac.
4. And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau; and I gave to Esau Mount Seir to inherit it; and Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.	4. And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau, and I gave to Esau Mount Seir to inherit it, and Jacob and his ‎sons went down to Egypt.
5. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued the Egyptians, according to that which I did in their midst; and afterward I brought you out.	5. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck down the Egyptians as I did in their midst, and afterward I ‎brought you out.
6. And I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.	6. And I brought out your fathers from Egypt, and you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers ‎with chariots and with horsemen to the Red Sea.
7. And they cried to the Lord, and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon him, and it covered him. And your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt. And you sojourned in the wilderness many days.	7. And they cried out before the LORD, and He put darkness between you and between ‎the Egyptians, and He made the sea come over them and covered them. And your eyes saw what I did among the Egyptians, and you ‎dwelt in the wilderness for many days.
8. And I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they waged war with you; and I delivered them into your hand, and you inherited their land; and I destroyed them from before you.	8. And I brought you into the land of the Amorite who dwells across the Jordan, and they ‎waged battle with you, and I gave them in your hand, and you took possession of their land and finished them off from before you.
9. Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and he sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.	9. And Balak the son of Zippor the king of Moab arose and waged battle against Israel. And he sent and called to Balaam the son of ‎Beor to curse you.
10. And I did not want to hearken to Balaam, and he blessed you; so I delivered you out of his hand.	10. And I was not willing to listen to Balaam, and he blessed you with a blessing, and I saved you from his hand. ‎
11. And you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the inhabitants of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.	11. And you crossed the Jordan, and you came to Jericho, and they waged battle against you - the inhabitants of Jericho, the Amor‎ites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Girgashites, the Hivvites and the Jebusitest and I gave them into your ‎hand.
12. And I sent the hornet before you, and it drove them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; not with your sword, nor with your bow.	12. And I sent before you the hornet, and drove them out from before you - the two kings of the Amorites, not by your sword ‎and not by your bow.
13. And I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you have settled in them; of the vineyards and olive yards which you did not plant, you eat.	13. And I gave to you the land in which you did not toil; and the cities which you did not build, you dwell in ‎them; and the vineyards and the olive groves that you did not plant, you are eating.
14. And now fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; and remove the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.	14. And now fear from before the LORD and ‎worship before Him in integrity and in truth. And put away the idols that your fathers worshipped across the Euphrates and in ‎Egypt, and worship before the LORD:
15. And if it displeases you to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell, but as for me and my household, we shall serve the Lord." {P}	15. And if it is evil in your eyes to worship before the LORD choose for yourselves this day ‎before whom you will worship - if it be the idols which your fathers who were across the Euphrates worshipped, or the idols of‎the Amorites in whose land you are dwelling. But I and the men of my house - we will worship before the LORD.‎

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:3-10 + 14

 

3 and multiplied his seed Heb. וְאַרְבֶּה . defective הא (וְאַרְבּ) [from the root ריב , to quarrel] How many quarrels and tests did I cause him to endure before I gave him seed.

 

7 and brought the sea upon him i.e., upon each individual among them, for if one escaped entering into the sea, a wave of the sea would pursue him and overtake him.

 

11 and the inhabitants of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, etc. All seven nations are mentioned here, since Jericho is situated on the border, and it was the bolt and lock [i.e., the fortification] of Eretz Israel, and the heroic soldiers of all the seven nations assembled therein.

 

 

Verbal Tallies

By: H.Em. Hakham Dr, Hillel ben David &

& HH Giberet Dr. Elisheba bat Sarah

 

Beresheet (Genesis) 12:1 – 13:18

Tehillim (Psalms) 10

Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:3-10, 14

Mk 1:23-28, Lk 4:33-37, Acts 3:17-26

 

The verbal tallies between the Torah and the Psalm are:

LORD - יהוה, Strong’s number 03068.

Said - אמר, Strong’s number 0559.

Country / Land - ארץ, Strong’s number 0776.

Show / Seen / See - ראה, Strong’s number 07200.

 

The verbal tallies between the Torah and the Ashlamata are:

LORD - יהוה, Strong’s number 03068.

Get out / Led - ילך, Strong’s number 03212.

Country / Land - ארץ, Strong’s number 0776.

Father - אב, Strong’s number 01.

Show / Seen / See - ראה, Strong’s number 07200.

 

Beresheet (Genesis) 12:1 Now the LORD <03068> had said <0559> (8799) unto Abram, Get thee out <03212> (8798) of thy country <0776>, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s <01> house, unto a land <0776> that I will shew <07200> (8686) thee:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 10:1  Why standest thou afar off <07350>, O LORD <03068>? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

Tehillim (Psalms) 10:6  He hath said <0559> (8804) in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.

Tehillim (Psalms) 10:11  He hath said <0559> (8804) in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see <07200> (8804) it.

Tehillim (Psalms) 10:16  The LORD <03068> is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land <0776>.

 

Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:3  And I took your father <01> Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led <03212> (8686) him throughout all the land <0776> of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

Yehoshua (Joshua) 24:7  And when they cried unto the LORD <03068>, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen <07200> (8799) what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.

 

Hebrew:

 

 

 

Greek:

 

Greek	English	Torah Seder  Gen 12:1 – 13:18	Psalms Psa 9:1-20	Ashlamatah  Josh. 24:3-10, 14	Peshat Mk/Jude/Pet Mk 1:23-28	Remes 1 Luke Lk 4:33-37	Remes 2 Acts/Romans Acts 3:11-16
ἅγιον	holy				Mar 1:24	Luk 4:34	Act 3:14
ἀκάθαρτος	unclean				Mar 1:23  Mar 1:26  Mar 1:27	Luk 4:33  Luk 4:36
ἀνακράζω	aloud				Mar 1:23	Luk 4:33
ἀνήρ	men	Gen 12:20					Act 3:12  Act 3:14
ἄνθρωπος	men	Gen 13:8 Gen 13:13
ἀποκτείνω	killed	Gen 12:12					Act 3:15
ἀπόλλυμι	perish, destroy		Psa 9:3  Psa 9:5   Psa 9:6   Psa 9:18	Jos 24:10	Mar 1:24	Luk 4:34
διεγείρω	give, grant, put	Gen 12:7  Gen 13:15  Gen 13:17		Jos 24:4  Jos 24:7	Mar 1:24		Act 3:16
δύναμις	power					Luk 4:36	Act 3:12
εἴδω	beheld, see	Gen 12:12  Gen 12:14  Gen 12:15  Gen 13:14	Psa 9:13	Jos 24:7	Mar 1:24	Luk 4:34	Act 3:12  Act 3:16
ἐξέρχομαι	went forth	Gen 12:1  Gen 12:4  Gen 12:5			Mar 1:25  Mar 1:26  Mar 1:28	Luk 4:35  Luk 4:36
ἐξουσία	authority				Mar 1:27	Luk 4:36
ἐπιτάσσω	orders				Mar 1:27	Luk 4:36
ἐπιτιμάω	reproach		Psa 9:5		Mar 1:25	Luk 4:35
ἔρχομαι	come	Gen 13:3  Gen 13:10  Gen 13:18			Mar 1:24	Luk 4:34
ἦχος	sound, noise		Psa 9:6			Luk 4:37
θεός	GOD
καλέω	called	Gen 12:18		Jos 24:9			Act 3:11
κρίνω	adjudged, judge		Psa 9:4  Psa 9:8   Psa 9:19				Act 3:13
λαός	peoples		Psa 9:8				Act 3:11   Act 3:12
λέγω	speaking				Mar 1:24  Mar 1:25  Mar 1:27	Luk 4:34  Luk 4:35  Luk 4:36
μέγας	great	Gen 12:2  Gen 12:17			Mar 1:26	Luk 4:33
μετά	with, after, behind	Gen 12:4 Gen 12:20 Gen 13:1  Gen 13:5   Gen 13:14	Psa 9:6	Jos 24:6
ὅλος	all, entire		Psa 9:1		Mar 1:28
ὄνομα	name	Gen 12:2   Gen 12:8   Gen 13:4	Psa 9:2  Psa 9:5  Psa 9:10				Act 3:16
παῖς	servant,	Gen 12:16					Act 3:13
παραδίδωμι	delivering up			Jos 24:8  Jos 24:11			Act 3:13
πᾶς	every, all	Gen 12:3   Gen 12:5  Gen 12:20   Gen 13:1  Gen 13:9   Gen 13:10   Gen 13:11  Gen 13:15	Psa 9:1  Psa 9:14   Psa 9:17	Jos 24:3	Mar 1:27	Luk 4:36  Luk 4:37	Act 3:11   Act 3:16
πατήρ	father	Gen 12:1		Josh 24:3 Josh 24:6 Josh 24:14			Act 3:13
περί	around	Gen 12:17  Gen 12:20  Gen 13:18				Luk 4:37
περίχωρος	round about	Gen 13:10  Gen 13:11  Gen 13:12			Mar 1:28	Luk 4:37
pneuma	spirit				Mar 1:26   Mar 1:27	Luk 4:33  Luk 4:36
ποιέω	to make, made	Gen 12:2   Gen 12:18   Gen 13:4  Gen 13:16	Psa 9:4  Psa 9:15   Psa 9:16	Jos 24:5  Jos 24:7			Act 3:12
πρόσωπον	face, presence		Psa 9:3	Jos 24:8			Act 3:13
σφόδρα	greatly, exceedingly	Gen 12:14   Gen 13:2   Gen 13:13
συναγωγή	synagogue				Mar 1:23	Luk 4:33
τόπος	place	Gen 12:6   Gen 13:3   Gen 13:4   Gen 13:14				Luk 4:37
φιμόω	be halted				Mar 1:25	Luk 4:35
φωνή	voice				Mar 1:26	Luk 4:33

 

 

 

NAZAREAN TALMUD

Sidra Of B’resheet (Genesis) 12:1 - 13:18

“Lekh Lekha” “Get up and Get Out”

By: H. Em. Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

HAKHAM SHAUL’S SCHOOL OF Tosefta (Luke 4:33-43)	Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat (Mark 1:23-28)
And in the Synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out making loud noises.[34] “What have you to do with us Yeshua HaNotsri? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God (Heb.: Qedosh HaElohim)!” And Yeshua rebuked[35] him saying “be muzzled[36] and go out[37] of him!” When the demon had thrown him down towards those among them, he went out[38] of him doing no harm. And everyone was amazed and kept saying to each other, “what Oral Torah (word) is this? For in (Rabbinic) authority and expansive power he commends unclean spirits, and they go out”[39]. And his prominence spread to every corner (place) of region.	And immediately[40] there was a man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit Hebrew for a person under the control of a demon - shadé; and he cried out (with an loud voice),[41] saying “What have you to do with us Yeshua HaNotsri? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, you are the Holy One of God (Heb.: Qedosh HaElohim)!” And Yeshua rebuked[42] him saying “be muzzled[43] and go out[44] of him!” And the unclean spirit shook him violently,[45] making loud shrieking noises[46] and went out[47] of him. And everyone was amazed asking each other, “What is this? A refreshed teaching with authority? He commands and the unclean spirits obey him.” And immediately his prominence spread throughout the region surrounding the Galil.[48]
HAKHAM SHAUL’S SCHOOL OF Remes (2 Luqas (Acts). 7.1-22)
And the Kohen Gadol (of the Tz’dukim - Sadducees) said, "Are these things true?" And he (Stephen) said, "Hear me, men, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to Abraham Abinu (our father) when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, “Go out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house into a land that I will show you” (B’resheet 12:1).  "Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God removed him into this country in which you are now living. "And He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground as it is written, “Do not meddle with them, for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession (D’varim – Deut 2:1); and, even when he still had no child, He promised that He would give it to him as a possession and to his descendants after him, as it is written, And the Lord appeared to Abram and said, I will give this land to your seed. And he built an altar there to the Lord who appeared to him. "But, God spoke to this effect, And He said to Abram, You must surely know that your seed shall be a stranger in a land not theirs, and shall serve them. And they will afflict them four hundred years. And also I will judge that nation whom they will serve. And afterward they will come out with great substance, And you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. (B’resheet 15:13-16) "And He gave him the covenant of the b’rit milah (circumcision); and so Abraham became the father of Yitzchak, and did his b’rit milah on the eighth day; and Yitzchak became the father of Ya’aqob (Jacob), and Ya’aqob was the father of the Twelve Patriarchs.   And the Twelve Patriarchs became jealous of Yosef (Joseph) as it is written And his brothers were jealous of him. But his father observed the saying. And yet God was with him, and rescued him from all his trials, and granted him favor and Hokhmah (wisdom) in the sight of Paro (Pharaoh), king of Mitzrayim; as it is written And the thing was good in the eyes of Paro, and in the eyes of all his servants.  And Paro said to his servants, can we find any man like this, in whom the Spirit of God is? And Paro said to Yosef, Since God has shown you all this, no one is as discreet and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people will kiss the hand at your word. Only in the throne will I be greater than you. And Paro said to Yosef, See, I have set you over all the land of Mitzrayim. And Paro took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Yosef's hand. And he dressed him with fine linen robes, and put a gold chain around his neck. And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had, and they cried before him, Bow the knee! And he made him ruler over all the land of Mitzrayim. And Paro said to Yosef, I am Pharaoh, and without a word from you, no man will lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. (B’resheet 41:37-41)  And when Ya’aqob saw that there was grain in Mitzrayim, Ya’aqob said to his sons, Why do you look upon one another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Mitzrayim. Go down there and buy for us from there, so that we may live and not die. And Yosef's ten brothers went down to buy grain in Mitzrayim there the first time. "And on the second visit Yosef made himself known to his brothers, as it is written, And Yosef said to his brothers, I am Joseph. Is my father still alive? And his brothers could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence. (B’resheet 45:3) and Yosef's family was disclosed to Paro. "And Yosef sent word and invited Ya’aqob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all. "And Ya’aqob went down to Mitzrayim and there passed away, he and our fathers. "And from there they were removed to Shechem, and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.   "But as the time of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, But the children of Yisrael were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new king over Mitzrayim, who did not know Yosef. (Shemot 1:7-8) "It was he who took shrewd advantage of our race, and mistreated our fathers so that they would expose their infants and they would not survive. "And it was at this time that Moshe was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God; and he was nurtured three months in his father's home. "And after he had been exposed, Paro's daughter took him away, and nurtured him as her own son. "And Moshe was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. "But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Yisrael. "And when he saw one of them being treated cruelly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. "And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him; but they did not understand. "And on the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, 'Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?' Then he said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" So Moshe feared and said, "Surely this thing is known!"(Shemot 2:14) "And at this remark Moshe fled, and became an alien in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.   And after forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Har Sinai (Mt Sinai), in the flame of a burning thorn bush. "And when Moshe saw it, he was awed by the sight; and as he approached to examine more closely, there came the voice of the Lord: Moreover, He said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Yitzchak, and the God of Ya’aqob." And Moshe hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said: "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Mitzrayim, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. "So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. "Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. "Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Paro that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Mitzrayim."   "This Moshe whom they disowned, saying, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" So Moshe feared and said, "Surely this thing is known!"(Shemot 2:14) is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush.  "This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Mitzrayim and in the Yam Suf (Red Sea) and in the wilderness for forty years. "This is the Moses who said to the B’ne Yisrael, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. him you will hear, "according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, `Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.' "This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Har Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. "And our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Mitzrayim, now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." (Exodus 32:1) "And at that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. "But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, "Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O Bet Yisrael? You took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha, the images which you made to worship them and the star of your god Rompha, which you made for yourselves. Therefore, I will send you into captivity beyond Babylon," Says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.   "Our fathers had the Mishkan (tabernacle) of witness in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moshe directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. "And having received it in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Yehoshua upon dispossessing the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. "And David found favour in God's sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Ya’aqob. "But it was Shlomo who built a house for Him. Thus, says the Lord: "Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist," Says the Lord. "But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word. (Yesha’yahu - Isaiah 66:1)    "You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Oral Torah (Mesorah); you are doing just as your fathers did. "Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it."

 

 

Commentary to Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

 

Gen 12:1, 4 Now the LORD said unto Abram: “Get out of your (native) country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house, unto the land that I will show you.”

4 So Abram went, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him; and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

 

The present text of B’resheet shows that there is no delay between the command to leave and the act of leaving. Therefore, we deduce that Abram left “immediately.” And this “immediacy” is the quintessential quality of a faithful and genuine Talmid and servant of G-d, when instructed to do or perform any command by the Torah or his teacher.

The Markan text frequently gives way to the Greek expression, εὐθύς (euthus)^[49] usually translated “immediately” or “straightway.” This phrase is used forty-three times in this account of the Master’s Mesorah. Each use of this Greek expression εὐθύς (euthus) connotes a reflection on the opening words of the Prophetic refrain “make straight”^[50] His “ways” as found in Mark 1:3. In that pericope, Mark cites Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 40:3 in the following manner.

 

Mk 1:3 THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT (εὐθείας - euthusia).'"

 

Isa 40:3 φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν

 

Therefore, each use of εὐθύς (euthus) in the Markan text connotes reflection of its prophetic use as a moral imperative of urgency^[51]. Hakham Tsefet’s use of εὐθύς (euthus) in the opening chapters of the Markan text demonstrates events happening in accordance with the Divine will of G-d the Father.

 

In a manner of speaking, we can see that each use of the Greek expression εὐθύς (euthus) demonstrates a measure of tikun (restoration). Mark 1:12 “immediately” (straightway) drives Yeshua into the wilderness to be tested by the adversary for forty days^[52]. Herein is the tikun (restoration) for the testtings of the B’ne Yisrael in the wilderness.

 

Mark 1:18 states, And “immediately” they left their nets and followed after him. Yeshua’s talmidim, become “fishers of live men” lost in the Babylonian exile, also making tikun (reparation) for their sin of idolatry. In our present pericope we see the word “immediately” as it applies to the spirit (shad – demon) of uncleanness departing from the vessel it inhabited. The immediate exorcism of the unclean spirit makes tikun (reparation) for the spirit of idolatry, which had permeated the Galil in antiquity. Consequently, we see that εὐθύς (euthus) immediately – straightway is a moral imperative of urgency and tikun.

 

Note the Analytical lexicon of the Greek New Testament entry for εὐθύς (euthus) reads...

 

εὐθύς, εῖα, ύ, gen. έως straight; (1) literally, of a roadway straight (AC 9.11); metaphorically, of moral and spiritual preparation for Jesus’ appearing as Messiah εὐθείας τρίβους ποιεῖν literally make straight paths, i.e. change behavior (MT 3.3); substantially (LU 3.5); figuratively, of moral integrity upright, right, correct (AC 8.21); (2) idiomatically εὐθεῖα ὁδός literally straight road, i.e. correct behavior, right way (2P 2.15); (3) neuter singular εὐθύ (and masculine singular εὐθύς) as an adverb immediately, right away, at once (MT 3.16); inferentially, of the immediately following event in a sequence next (MK 1.21); right after that, then (MK 1.30).^[53]

 

By using εὐθύς (euthus) Hakham Tsefet is “signalling a larger irony by which, in spite of all appearances, God’s plan is going straight.” ^[54]

εὐθύς (euthus) is best translated by the Hebrew word ישר. This word is associated with the Hebrew title for Yisrael – Yeshurun (those who go straight). ישר and εὐθύς (euthus) captures the true character and nature of the Jewish people walking out the Torah.

 

Gen 15:4 And it happened that immediately – straightway the voice of the LORD spoke to him saying, “This one will not be your heir” …

The Psalmist captures the idea of the Markan use of εὐθύς (euthus).

 

Ps. 119:32 I will run the way of Your Commandments, when You shall enlarge my heart.

 

The Mishnah in Abot teaches us the importance of immediate moral conduct.

 

m. Aboth 2:1 I A Rabbi says, “What is the straight path which a person should choose for himself?  Whatever is an ornament to the one who follows it, and an ornament in the view of others. “Be meticulous in a small religious duty as in a large one, for you do not know what sort of reward is coming for any of the various religious duties. “And reckon with the loss [required] in carrying out a religious duty against the reward for doing it, “and the reward for committing a transgression against the loss for doing it. “And keep your eye on three things, so you will not come into the clutches of transgression: “Know what is above you: “(1) An eye which sees, and (2) an ear which hears, and (3) all your actions are written down in a book.”^[55]

 

m. Aboth 4:2 Ben Azzai says, “Run after the most minor religious duty as after the most important, and flee from transgression.” “For doing one religious duty draws in its wake doing yet another, and doing one transgression draws in its wake doing yet another. “For the reward of doing a religious duty is a religious duty, and the reward of doing a transgression is a transgression.”^[56]

 

εὐθύς (euthus) is a multifaceted word. As we have shown, it carries the connotation of being straight. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that it also carries a sense of immediacy and urgency. In brief, εὐθύς (euthus) bears the weight of moral urgency. This moral urgency is demonstrative of those who hear and obey. Acceptance of the Torah and Oral Torah is not conditional. When we hear we MUST obey with immediate moral acceptance and urgency.

 

 

 

Remes Commentary to Hakham Shaul

 

It is easily seen from the opening of our 2 Luqas pericope that Stephen is in concert with the reading schedule.

 

The God of glory appeared to Abraham Abinu (our father) when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, “Go out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house into a land that I will show you” (B’resheet 12:1).

 

Here we see a Paqid encountering the Kohen Gadol and other Kohanim and the Tzdukim (Sadducees).

 

Stephen responds to the verbal attack of 2 Luqas 6.11 that he has spoken blaspheme against G-d and Moshe Rabbenu. Here he intends to set the record straight speaking the words “The God of glory.” Thus, he cannot be blaspheming G-d. In one sense he speaks like Yeshua, as …

 

“A refreshed teaching with authority.”

 

Yet there are many things to say about Stephen. In short, we find Stephen as one who is without boundaries in his sermon. His office as a Paqid should be filtered through the message of both Din and Chesed. His message is like a loose cannon that is flaying in the dark. Stephen’s message is not like the message or ministry of the Master, i.e. A renewed teaching with authority.”

 

Stephen needs to follow the example of Yeshua. Thus, Hakham Shaul has a comparison in mind. The loose canon versus the skilled Hakham.

 

When we look at these texts, they often seem to be counter-intuitive. Yeshua as a fully ordained Hakham teaching in the Synagogue with the (Rabbinic) authority conferred upon him by the School of Hillel. It seems odd that the people of K’far Nachum note this refreshed authority and teaching. However, we will see in the coming pericopes Yeshua’s introduction of doctrine from the School of Hillel is often at odds with the mindset of some of his contemporaries in that region. The reason is that the Shammite School swayed the majority of the people of Yisrael and the Galil until Yeshua comes to teach from the authority of Hillel. When we look at Yeshua’s own brother Ya’akov, we see that he like Hakham Shaul (Paul) initially followed the School of Shammai.

 

And Yeshua rebuked^[57] him saying “be muzzled^[58] and go out^[59] of him!” And the unclean spirit shook (him) violently^[60] shrieking making loud noises^[61] went out^[62] of him.

 

Yeshua’s dealing with the demon [Heb. shade] matches linguistically the vocabulary of the LXX B’resheet 12:1 as shown in the footnotes. Hakham Tsefet notes Yeshua’s faithfulness (faithful/obedience) to his office and authority. Hakham Shaul notices this faithful obedience in his story of the people in Sh’lomo’s Portico.

 

And by faithful obedience to his authority (as Hakhamim) this man you see and know is made strong and faithful obedience through Yeshua has given him unimpaired health in your presence.

 

Therefore, the question is how do the materials of Hakham Shaul relate to the Torah Seder and the Peshat of Hakham Tsefet?

 

The mind is the “House of the LORD?” If G-d inhabits His Word (Torah), we must deduce that when we bring the Torah into our thoughts (minds) through study and research we are making ourselves the “House of the LORD.” Hakham Shaul presents a crippled man receiving his ability to walk. Again, this is allegory for teaching a man (talmid) to STAND.^[63] Hakham Shaul draws his cue from Hakham Tsefet’s man possessed with a shadé. Encyclopedia Judaica defines three classes of demons as harmful spirits, mazzikim (hamers), shedim or ruḥot.^[64]

 

While we will not offer a demonology class here, we will simply state that these harmful spirits occupy man’s mind as if it were a vessel or container. The present pericope of Mark uses a demon going out of a man as allegory for Abraham’s departure from Ur of Kasdim, a place of demons and idolatry. The demon – possessed man of our pericope found in the Synagogue, is evidence that he wants to be set free of his demon.

 

And you must not wonder that Moses has called speech in man the abode of the mind, for he also says, that the Mind of the Universe, that is to say, God, has for His abode His own Word (Torah). (Migration of Abraham 1:4) ^[65]

 

Gen 28:17 He (Ya’akov) was awestruck saying, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God Beth – El), and this is the gate of heaven."

 

Philo explains that Ya’akov realizes that the mind is “awesome place” where G-d and His Torah dwells. Herein Philo makes the mind the “gate of the Heavens” (G-d). The present pericope aligned with the present Torah Seder demonstrates through allegory that a man who is “wholly righteous/generous cannot be demon-possessed because his mind is filled with the Torah i.e. the “House of G-d.”

 

“Faithful obedient through Yeshua (through observance of Yeshua’s Mesorah) has given him unimpaired health in your presence.”

 

This Remes hint teaches us that through observance of the Mesorah and Torah Study we can be free of the possibility of damaging spirits, which would seek to enter the mind and take control. Those spirits, which would seek entry through the “Gate” of the mind, filled with the Mesorah and Torah will find the gate shut up tight.

 

Mark 1:11 And a [daughter of a voice] voice (bat kol) came from the heavens [saying], “You are my son, the beloved; with you I have delight.”

 

Php 2:5 for let this mind be in you, which was also in Yeshua HaMashiach.

 

Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Kerubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

 

In the Torah Seder “Tol’dot HaShamayim” we have discovered that the we receive a special soul for Shabbat. We have stated in the commentary to the Nazarean Codicil of that Torah portion, that the special soul is the “Mesorah.”

 

We stated in that commentary…

 

Adam and Havah received a daily Halakhic lesson by the breath (ruach) of the L-rd G-d. Hakham Tsefet opening his Mishnaic School of Messiah with the words, The chief part of the Masorah (Tradition/Oral Law) is Yeshuah ‎the Messiah, the Son of God (i.e. Ben Elohim = the King/Judge) conveys the primacy of the Mesorah in the life of man. Yeshua, Yehudah HaNasi^[66] and Hakham Tsefet realized the great importance that the Mesorah played in the daily life of the B’ne Yisrael. The Master’s restoration of the Mesorah depicts the restoration of Gan Eden on a Remes level. Only when we bask in the beauty of the Torah and its accompanying Mesorah do we feel the Delight of Gan Eden.

 

Yeshua has restored the Garden of Delight to humanity, through Nazarean Judaism.

 

The present pericope of Mark demonstrates a man whose mind is permeated with uncleanness. This mindset prevented this man the ability to enjoy or experience Shabbat in the Synagogue. With the Mesorah (spoken Torah) of the Master, this man is liberated and once again, he can enter the Garden of Delight on Shabbat. The mindset of Torah should be understood as allegory for the Garden of Delight. The Garden of Delight can only be experienced and accessed when the mind is filled with the Torah and Mesorah of the Master.

 

The Kerubim with flaming swords are Malakim, which guard the mind, “gate of the heavens” with the flaming swords of the Torah.

 

Heb 4:12 For the Word (Torah – Oral Torah) of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any double-edged sword, differentiating between the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a judge of the thoughts and intents of the mind.

 

The double-edged swords of the Kerubim guard the “Gate to the Heavens” (the mind) forbidding entry by the destructive and harmful spirits.

Our Peshat commentary demonstrates the vital importance of immediate moral excellence. The Allegory of Hakham Shaul furthers this idea by teaching us to guard the mind with the Oral Torah. Or, we might say that the mind is guarded by immediate moral excellence.

 

An underlying theme built upon in the readings is a name of integrity. This was promised to Abraham Avinu in our Torah Seder. The Nazarean Codicil promotes the positive name Yeshua builds by teaching Torah. These words remind us of Mishnah Aboth.

 

m. Aboth 4:13 R. Judah says, “Be meticulous about learning, “for error in learning leads to deliberate violation [of the Torah].” R. Simeon says, “There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of sovereignty. “But the crown of a good name is best of them all.” ^[67]

 

A crown is indicative of the person and office of its wearer. When we see a crown on the head of an individual, we are capable of discerning his charge. Therefore, if we were to see the Hakhamim as wearing crowns of Torah we would know their purpose is Torah Study and transmission. Both Yeshua and Abraham Avinu demonstrate this truth.

 

In the final pericope of 2 Luqas (Acts) of the present Torah Seder we see that the Paqid begins railing and not giving any true message. His place is verbose and not one of authority. He has failed the Master and his teachers.

 

אמן ואמן סלה

 

Questions for Understanding and Reflection

 

1. From all the readings for this week, which verse, or verses touched your heart and fired your imagination?
2. In your opinion what is the prophetic statement for this week?

 

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,

before His majesty, with joy, [namely,] the only one God, our Deliverer, by means of Yeshua the Messiah our Master, be praise, and dominion, and honor, and majesty, both now and in all ages. Amen!”

 

Shalom Shabbat!

 

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

 

 

Shabbat: “Vay’hi Bimei Amraphel” - “And in the days of Amraphel”