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Shabbat: “VaYetse Ya’aqob” “And left Jacob”

 

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

· Jacob’s Dream – Genesis 28:10-22

· Jacob & Laban – Genesis 29:1-30

 

A Prayer for Israel

 

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

 

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

 

We pray for his Eminence Hillel ben David. Mi Sheberach…He who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, may He bless and heal his Eminence Hillel ben David, 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, swiftly and soon, and we will say amen ve amen!

 

 

Reading Assignment:

 

 

Blessings Before Torah Study

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

JPS & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Bereshit (Genesis) 28:10 - 29:30

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: Bereshit (Genesis) ‎‎‎‎‎‎28:10 – 29:30

 

10 And Jacob left Because, it was due to the fact that the daughters of Canaan were displeasing in the eyes of his father Isaac, that Esau went to Ishmael, Scripture interrupted the account dealing with Jacob and it is written (above verse 6): “When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed [Jacob], etc.” And as soon as Scripture finished [the account of Esau’s marriage], it returned to the previous topic.

 

And Jacob left-Scripture had only to write: “And Jacob went to Haran.” Why did it mention his departure? But this tells [us] that the departure of a righteous man from a place makes an impression, for while the righteous/generous man is in the city, he is its beauty, he is its splendor, he is its majesty. When he departs from there, its beauty has departed, its splendor has departed, its majesty has departed. And likewise (Ruth 1:7): “And she went forth from the place,” stated in reference to Naomi and Ruth. - [From Gen. Rabbah 68:6]

 

and he went to Haran He left in order to go to Haran. - [From Gen. Rabbah 68:8,]

 

11 And he arrived at the place Scripture does not mention which place, but [it means] the place mentioned elsewhere, which is Mount Moriah, concerning which it is said (Gen. 22:4): “And he saw the place from afar.” [From Pes. 88a]

 

And he arrived Heb. וַיִפְגַע , as in (Josh. 16:7): “and it reached (וּפָגַע) Jericho”; (ibid. 19:11): “and it reached (וּפָגַע) Dabbesheth.” Our Rabbis (Gen. Rabbah 88:9, Ber. 26b) interpreted it [the word וַיִפְגַע ] as an expression of prayer, as in (Jer. 7:16): “And do not entreat (תִּפְגַּע) me,” and this teaches us that he [Jacob] instituted the evening prayer. [Scripture] did not write וַיִתְפַּלֵּל , [the usual expression for prayer], to teach that the earth sprang toward him [i.e. the mountain moved toward him], as is explained in the chapter entitled הַנָּשֶׁה גִיד (Chullin 91b).

 

because the sun had set Heb. כִּי בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ [Scripture] should have written [in reverse order]: “And the sun set (וַיָּבֽא), and he stayed there overnight.” [The expression] כִּי בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ implies that the sun set suddenly for him, not at its usual time, so that he would have to stay there overnight. [From Gen. Rabbah 68:10, Chullin 91b]

 

and placed [them] at his head He arranged them in the form of a drainpipe around his head because he feared the wild beasts. They [the stones] started quarreling with one another. One said, “Let the righteous/generous man lay his head on me,” and another one said, “Let him lay [his head] on me.” Immediately, the Holy One, blessed be He, made them into one stone. This is why it is stated (verse 18): “and he took the stone [in the singular] that he had placed at his head.” [From Chullin 91b]

 

and he lay down in that place [The word הַהוּא ] is a restrictive expression, meaning that [only] in that place did he lie down, but during the fourteen years that he served in the house of Eber, he did not lie down at night, because he was engaged in Torah study. [From Gen. Rabbah 68:11]

 

12 ascending and descending Ascending first and afterwards descending. The angels who escorted him in the [Holy] Land do not go outside the Land, and they ascended to heaven, and the angels of outside the Holy Land descended to escort him. [From Gen. Rabbah 68:12]

 

13 And behold, the Lord was standing over him to guard him.

 

and the God of Isaac Although we do not find in Scripture that the Holy One, blessed be He, associates His name with that of the righteous during their lifetimes by writing “the God of so-and-so,” for it is said (Job 15:15): “Lo! He does not believe in His holy ones,” [i.e., God does not consider even His holy ones as righteous/generous until after their deaths, when they are no longer subject to the evil inclination,] nevertheless, here He associated His name with Isaac because his eyes had become dim, and he was confined in the house, and he was like a dead person, the evil inclination having ceased from him (Tanchuma Toledoth 7).

 

upon which you are lying - (Chullin ad loc.) The Holy One, blessed be He, folded the entire Land of Israel under him. He hinted to him that it would be as easily conquered by his children (as four cubits, which represent the area a person takes up [when lying down]). [From Chullin 91b]

 

14 and you shall gain strength Heb. וּפָרַצְ תָּ , as in וְכֵן יִפְרֽץ , “and so did they gain strength” (Exod. 1:12). [after targumim]

 

15 And behold, I am with you [God promised Jacob this] because he was afraid of Esau and Laban.

 

until I have done - אִם is used in the sense of כִּי , [meaning that].

 

I have spoken concerning you Heb. לָךְ , for your benefit and concerning you. What I promised to Abraham concerning his seed, I promised in reference to you and not in reference to Esau, for I did not say to him, “for Isaac will be called your seed,” [which would signify that all of Isaac’s descendants would be regarded as Abraham’s] but “for in Isaac,” [meaning part of Isaac’s descendants] but not all [the descendants] of Isaac (Nedarim 31a). Likewise, wherever לִי , לוֹ , לָךְ and לָהֶם are used in conjunction with a form of the verb “speaking” (דִּבּוּר) they are used in the sense of “concerning.” This [verse] proves it, because heretofore, He had not spoken to Jacob.

 

16 and I did not know [it] For had I known, I would not have slept in such a holy place. [from Beresheet Rabbathi, attributed to Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan]

 

17 than the house of God Said Rabbi Eleazar in the name of Rabbi Jose ben Zimra: This ladder stood in Beer-sheba and the middle of its incline reached opposite the Temple, for Beer-sheba is situated in the south of Judah, and Jerusalem [is situated] in its north, on the boundary between Judah and Benjamin, and Beth-el was in the north of the territory of Benjamin, on the boundary between Benjamin and the sons of Joseph. Consequently, a ladder whose foot is in Beer-sheba and whose top is in Beth-el-the middle of its slant is opposite Jerusalem. This accords with what our Sages said, that the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “This righteous/generous man has come to My lodging place [i.e., the Temple Mount]. Shall he leave without lodging?” And furthermore, they said: Jacob called Jerusalem Beth-el. But this place [which he called Beth-el] was Luz, and not Jerusalem. So, from where did they learn to say this? [i.e., that Luz was Jerusalem.] I believe that Mount Moriah was uprooted from its place, and it came here, [to Luz, i.e., at that time, Luz, Jerusalem and Beth-el were all in the same place], and this is the “springing of the earth” mentioned in Tractate Chullin, i.e., that the [site of the] Temple came towards him until Beth-el. This is the meaning of ויפגע במקום “And he met the place.” Now if you ask, “When Jacob passed by the Temple, why did He not detain him there?” [The answer is:] If he did not put his mind to pray in the place where his forefathers had prayed, should they detain him from heaven? He went as far as Haran, as it is stated in the chapter entitled, “Gid HaNasheh” (Hullin 91b), and the text, “and he went to Haran” (verse 10) supports this. When he arrived in Haran, he said, “Is it possible that I have passed the place where my forefathers prayed, and I did not pray there?” He decided to return, and he went back as far as Beth-El, and the earth “sprang toward him.” [This Beth-El is not the one near Ai, but the one near Jerusalem, and because it was the city of God, he called it Beth-El, the house of God, and that is Mount Moriah where Abraham prayed, and that is the field where Isaac prayed, and so did they say in Sotah (sic.) (Pes.88a) [concerning the verse] (Micah 4:2): “Come, let us go up to the Mount of the Lord, to the House of God of Jacob.” [It is] not [called] as did Abraham, who called it a mountain, and not as did Isaac, who called it a field, but as did Jacob, who called it the House of God. An exact edition of Rashi.

 

How awesome The Targum renders: How awesome (דְְּחִילוּ) is this place! דְּחִילוּ is a noun, as in (Targum Exodus 31: 3): “understanding” סוּכְלָתָנוּ ; (below verse 20): “a garment (וּכְסוּ) to wear.”

 

and this is the gate of heaven A place of prayer, where their prayers ascend to heaven (Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 35). And its midrashic interpretation is that the Heavenly Temple is directed exactly towards the earthly Temple. [From Gen. Rabbah 69:7]

 

20 If God will be with me If He keeps these promises that he promised me to be with me, as He said to me, “And behold, I am with you.” [from Gen. Rabbah 70:4]

 

and He will guard me As He said to me, “and I will guard you wherever you go.”

 

and He will give me bread to eat As He said, “for I will not forsake you,” for if one must seek bread, he is called “forsaken,” as it is said, (Ps. 37:25): “and I have not seen a righteous/generous man forsaken and his seed seeking bread.” [from Gen. Rabbah 69:6]

 

21 And if I return As He said to me, “and I will restore you to this land.”

 

in peace Perfect from sin, that I will not learn from the ways of Laban.

 

and the Lord will be my God that His name will rest upon me from beginning to end, that no disqualification should be found among my seed, as it is written: “[I will do] that which I have spoken concerning you.” And this promise He promised to Abraham, as it is said (17:7): “to be a God to you and to your seed after you.” (“Your seed” [means that they should be] of pure lineage, that no disqualification should be found in him.) [from Sifrei Va-etchanan 31]

 

22 Then this stone Heb. וְהָאֶבֶן הַזּֽאת , lit., and this stone. This “vav” of וְהָאֶבֶן is to be explained as follows: If You will do these things for me, I too will do this: “And this stone, which I have placed as a monument, etc.” As the Targum paraphrases: “I will worship upon it before the Lord.” And so he did when he returned from Padan-aram, when He said to him, (35:1): “Arise, go up to Beth-el.” What is stated there? (ibid. verse 14): “And Jacob erected a monument, etc., and he poured a libation upon it.” [from Mishnath Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 14]

 

Chapter 29

 

1 Now Jacob lifted his feet As soon as he was given the good tidings that he was assured protection, his heart lifted his feet, and he became fleet-footed. So it is explained in Gen. Rabbah (70:8).

 

2 they would water the flocks The shepherds would water the flocks. The verse is elliptical.

 

3 would gather there They were accustomed to gather because the rock was huge.

 

and they would roll Heb. וְגָלְלוּ [like] וְגוֹלְלִין . The Targum renders: וּמְגַנְדְרִין , and they would roll. Every present tense [i.e. every verb expressing continuous action] changes to speak [sometimes] in the future tense and [sometimes] in the past tense, because everything that occurs constantly has already transpired and is destined to transpire [again].

 

and [then] they would return Heb. וְהֵשִׁיבוּ , which the Targum renders: וּמְתִיבִין , and they would return.

 

6 is coming with the sheep Heb. בָָּאָה . The accent is on the “aleph,” and the Targum renders אַתְיָא . [In verse 9,] “and Rachel came בָּאָה ,” the accent is on the first syllable, on the “beth,” and the Targum renders. The former is in the present tense, whereas the latter is in the past tense.

 

7 The day is yet long Since he saw them lying down, he thought that they wished to gather the livestock to return home and that they would no longer graze. So he said to them, “The day is yet long,” i.e., if you have been hired for the day, you have not completed the day’s work, and if the animals are yours, it is, nevertheless, not the time to take in the livestock, etc. (Gen. Rabbah 70:11).

 

8 We cannot water [them] because the stone is huge.

 

and they will roll Heb. וְגָלְלוּ . This is translated וִיגַנְדְרוּן , and they will roll, because it is the future tense.

 

10 that Jacob drew near and rolled As one who removes the stopper from a bottle, to let you know that he possessed great strength (Gen. Rabbah 70:12).

 

11 and wept Since he foresaw with the holy spirit that she (Rachel) would not enter the grave with him. Another explanation: Since he came empty- handed, he said, “Eliezer, my grandfather’s servant, had nose rings, and bracelets and sweet fruits in his possession, and I am coming with nothing in my hands. [He had nothing] because Eliphaz the son of Esau had pursued him to kill him at his father’s orders; he (Eliphaz) overtook him, but since he had grown up in Isaac’s lap, he held back his hand. He said to him (Jacob), “What shall I do about my father’s orders?” Jacob replied, “Take what I have, for a poor man is counted as dead.”- [from Bereishit Rabbathi by Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan]

 

12 that he was her father’s kinsman Heb. אֲחִי אָבִיהָ , lit., her father’s brother. Related to her father, as (above 13:8): “we are kinsmen (אַחִים) ” (Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 36). Its midrashic interpretation is: If he (Laban) comes to deceive me, I, too, am his brother in deception, and if he is an honest man, I, too, am the son of his honest sister Rebecca. [from Gen. Rabbah 70:13]

 

and told her father Since her mother was dead, she had no one to tell but him. [from Gen. Rabbah 70:13]

 

13 that he ran towards him He thought that he (Jacob) was laden with money, for the servant of the household (Eliezer) had come here with ten laden camels. [from Gen. Rabbah 70:13]

 

and he embraced When he (Laban) did not see anything with him (Jacob), he said, “Perhaps he has brought golden coins, and they are in his bosom.” [from Gen. Rabbah 70:13]

 

and he kissed him He said, “Perhaps he has brought pearls, and they are in his mouth.” [from Gen. Rabbah 70:13]

 

He told Laban that he had come only because he was compelled to do so because of his brother (Esau), and that they had taken his money from him. - [from Gen. Rabbah 70:13]

 

14 Indeed, you are my bone and my flesh - “In view of this, I have no reason to take you into the house, because you have nothing. Because of kinship, however, I will put up with you for a month’s time.” And so he did, but this too was not gratis, for he (Jacob) pastured his sheep. - [from Gen. Rabbah 70:14]

 

15 Because you are my kinsman Heb. הֲכִי , an interrogative expression: Because you are my kinsman, should you work for me gratis? - [from Targum Onkelos]

 

should you work for me Heb. וַעֲבַדְתַּנִי like וְתַעַבְדֵנִי , and likewise, any word that is in the past tense, [Scripture] prefixes to it a “vav,” which converts the word to the future tense.

 

17 tender Because she expected to fall into Esau’s lot, and she wept, because everyone was saying, “Rebecca has two sons, and Laban has two daughters. The older [daughter] for the older [son], and the younger [daughter] for the younger [son]" (B.B. 123a).

 

features Heb. תּֽאַר . That is the form of the countenance, an expression similar to (Isa. 44:13) “he fixes it (יְתָאֲרֵהוּ) with planes (בַשֶׂרֶד) ,” conpas in Old French, outline, shape.

 

complexion That is the shine of the countenance.

 

18 I will work for you seven years -(Gen. Rabbah 67:10, 70:17) They are the few days of which his mother said, “And you shall dwell with him for a few days.” (27:44 above) You should know that this is so, because it is written: “and they appeared to him like a few days.” (verse 20)

 

for Rachel, your younger daughter Why were all these signs necessary? Since he (Jacob) knew that he (Laban) was a deceiver, he said to him, “I will work for you for Rachel,” and lest you say [that I meant] another Rachel from the street, Scripture states: “Your daughter.” Now, lest you say, “I will change her name to Leah, and I will name her (Leah) Rachel,” Scripture states: “[your] younger [daughter].” Nevertheless, it did not avail him, for he (Laban) deceived him. - [from Gen. Rabbah 70:17]

 

21 for my days are completed [The days] of which my mother told me. Moreover, my days are completed, for I am already eighty-four years old. When will I raise up twelve tribes? This is what he [meant when he] said, “that I may come to her.” Now, isn’t it true that even the most degenerate person would not say this? But he (Jacob) meant [that he intended] to beget generations. -[from Gen. Rabbah 70:18]

 

25 And it came to pass in the morning, and behold she was Leah But at night, she was not Leah, because Jacob had given signs to Rachel, but when she saw that they were bringing Leah, she (Rachel) said, “Now, my sister will be put to shame. So she readily transmitted those signs to her.”- [from Meg. 13b]

 

27 Complete the [wedding] week of this one Heb. שְׁבֻעַ . This is the construct state, because it is vocalized with a chataf (a sheva), [and means] the week of this one, which are the seven days of feasting [celebrated by a newly wedded couple]. [This appears in the] Talmud Yerushalmi, Mo’ed Katan (1:7). It is impossible to say [that it means] really a week [in the absolute state and should be rendered: this week,] because, if so, the “shin” would have to be vowelized with a “patach,” (he means to say a “kamatz” שָׁבֻעַ ). Furthermore, שָׁבֻעַ is in the masculine gender, for it is written: (Deut. 16:9) ”You shall count seven weeks (שִׁבְעָה שָׁבֻעֽת) .” Therefore, it does not signify a week but seven [days], septaine in Old French.

 

and we will give to you [This is] a plural expression, similar to (above 11;3,7), “Let us descend and confuse”; “and let us fire them.” This, too, is an expression of giving.

 

this one too immediately after the seven days of feasting, and you will work after her marriage. - [from Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 36]

 

30 yet another seven years -(Gen. Rabbah 70:20) Scripture compares the other ones to the first ones. Just as [he worked for him during] the first ones faithfully, so [did he work for him during] the other ones faithfully, although he (Laban) had dealt with him deceitfully.

 

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) 24:1 – 10

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Psalms 24:1 - 10

 

1 The land...are the Lord’s The land of Israel.

 

the world The other lands.

 

2 founded it upon seas Seven seas surrounded Eretz Yisroel and four rivers: the Jordan, Yarmuk, Karmion, and Pigah.

 

3 Who will ascend upon the Lord’s mount Although all the inhabitants of the world are His, not everyone deserves to come near to Him, except these: he who has clean hands, etc.

 

4 who has not taken My name in vain Who has not sworn with My name and My soul in vain. We find an expression of an oath used with the soul, as it is stated (in Amos 6:8): “The Lord God swore by Himself.”

 

6 This [generation,] whose deeds are such - this is the generation of those who seek him.

 

7 [You] gates, lift your heads In the days of Solomon his son, when he comes to bring the Ark into the Holy of Holies and the gates cling to each other, he [Solomon] recited twenty-four praises, but he was not answered until he said (II Chron. 6:42): “Do not turn back the face of Your anointed; remember the kind deeds of David, Your servant.”

 

9 everlasting portals Portals whose sanctity is everlasting.

 

Meditation from the Psalms

Tehillim (Psalms) ‎‎24:1-10

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

 

David dedicated his entire life to the goal of bringing mankind back to the purity of Adam before the Sin. For this reason, God commanded him to prepare for the construction of the Temple on Mount Moriah, the place from which Adam was created. This location was intended to serve as an inspiration for humanity to emulate the spotless virtue of the first man at the time of his creation.

 

In this psalm, David sings, ‘Who can ascend the mountain O HaShem, and who can stand in His holy place? He whose hands are clean, and whose heart is pure’.^[1] So basic and profound is the message of this psalm, that it was chosen to be the שיר של יום ‘Song of the Day’ for the first day of the week.

 

Midrash Shocher Tov comments: Rav Shmuel said, David composed four psalms which were truly worthy of being written by Adam himself. One of them is Psalm 24, ‘The earth is HaShem’s’.

 

King David brought a terrible plague, lasting three days, on Israel by counting his soldiers.^[2] The plague, from HaShem, was halted with a sacrifice on the threshing floor^[3] that would become the Temple.^[4] At that time, David erected a temporary altar upon which he offered sacrifices of thanksgiving.^[5] The Temple mount was purchased, from the king of the Yevusi,^[6] by King David, for six hundred gold shekels,^[7] to stay the judgment of his census. David composed this psalm on the day that he purchased the land of the Temple site from Aravna, the king of the Yevusi.^[8] At that time, David erected a temporary altar upon which he offered sacrifices of thanksgiving.

 

2 Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the temple of HaShem in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where HaShem had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David.

 

David’s intention was that this psalm should be recited on the day of the inauguration of the Temple. HaShem’s Presence, which is spread throughout the entire world, would then be concentrated in the holiest of places, to dwell upon the Holy Ark in permanent repose.^[9] For this reason, this psalm is recited by the congregation as they accompany the Torah scroll back to the synagogue Ark following the reading of the portion (on all occasions except for Sabbath morning when Psalm 29 is recited).

 

2 Shmuel (Samuel) 24:14-25 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of HaShem, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.” So HaShem sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, HaShem was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of HaShem was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to HaShem, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family.” On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to HaShem on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So David went up, as HaShem had commanded through Gad. When Araunah looked and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” “To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to HaShem, that the plague on the people may be stopped.” Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. O king, Araunah gives all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May HaShem your God accept you.” But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to HaShem my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. David built an altar to HaShem there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then HaShem answered prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

 

The threshing floor is an apt description of the Temple.^[10] It was the threshing floor of Araunah that King David purchased as the place for the Temple, in Jerusalem.^[11] This threshing floor (the Holy of Holies) is the place of intimacy between HaShem and His bride. It is the place of atonement (Yom HaKippurim). This atonement is achieved within the intimacy between HaShem and His people.

 

Note in the following Midrash how the threshing floor was associated with harlotry, which is intimacy with the wrong person:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Ruth V:15 AND WHEN BOAZ HAD EATEN AND DRUNK, AND HIS HEART WAS GOOD (III, 7). Why was his heart good? Because he recited the grace after meals. Another interpretation: AND HIS HEART WAS GOOD: he ate different kinds of sweet things after his meal, as they accustom the tongue to the Torah. Another interpretation of AND HIS HEART WAS GOOD: he occupied himself with the words of the Torah, as it is said, The law of thy mouth is good to me (Ps. CXIX, 72). Another interpretation: AND HIS HEART WAS GOOD: he sought a wife, as it is said, Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing (Prov. XVIII, 22). HE WENT TO LIE DOWN AT THE END OF THE HEAP OF CORN. R. Judah Nesiah inquired of R. Phinehas b. Hama: Boaz was one of the notables of his generation, and yet it says that HE WENT TO LIE DOWN AT THE END OF THE HEAP OF CORN: He answered him: That generation was steeped in immorality, and they used to pay harlots from the threshing-floors, as it is said, Rejoice not, O Israel, unto exaltation, like the peoples... Thou hast loved a harlot’s hire upon every threshing-floor (Hoshea 9:1). And righteous men do not act so. Moreover, because the righteous spurn ill-gotten gain, their possessions are precious to them’.

 

It is also worthy of note that when Ruth went to the threshing floor^[12] where Boaz was sleeping, her desire was for marital intimacy.^[13]

 

Ruth 3:6-9 And she went down unto the threshing floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her. 7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. 8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. 9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.

 

In our Torah portion, Yaakov saw “a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of HaShem ascending and descending on it”.^[14] And at the threshing floor of Aravna the Yevusi, David sees “the angel of the Lord standing between the earth and the heaven, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem”.^[15] The connection between earth and heaven which is mentioned in both places is part of the essence of the Temple, the Bet HaMikdash. In both places, there is a revelation of HaShem^[16] and of an angel, the revelation of a place, fear of HaShem, and calling the place by a name.

 

The Rambam tells us that, “It is a well-known tradition that the place where David and Solomon built the altar in the threshing floor of Aravna is the place where Avraham built the altar and bound Yitzchak. The book of Shmuel alludes to a connection between Aravna’s threshing floor and Mount Moriya. There are many connections between this chapter (and the parallel chapter in Divrei HaYamim) and the story of Akeidat Yitzchak:

 

1. In both stories, someone builds an altar and sacrifices a burnt-offering:

 

And Avraham built the altar there…

Bereshit (Genesis) 22:9, 13 And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son.

 

II Shmuel (Samuel) 24:25 And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings.

 

2. In both stories, it is HaShem who chooses the site of the altar: HaShem sends Avraham to the land of Moriya, and David to the threshing floor of Aravna.

 

3. In both stories, emphasis is placed on early rising in the morning:

Bereshit (Genesis) 22:3 And Avraham rose early in the morning.

 

II Shmuel (Samuel) 24:11 And when David rose up in the morning.

 

4. In both stories, an angel of HaShem is involved in preventing the expected continuation. At Akeidat Yitzchak, it is the angel himself who stops Avraham:

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 22:11-12 And the angel of the Lord called to him out of heaven, and said, “Avraham, Avraham.” And he said, “Here am I.” And he said, “Lay not your hand upon the lad, neither do you any thing unto him…”

 

In the book of II Samuel, it is HaShem who stops the angel, using similar wording:

 

II Shmuel (Samuel) 22:16 And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented Him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand”.

 

5. More similar wording:

Bereshit (Genesis) 22:13 And Avraham lifted up his eyes, and looked.

I Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 21:16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw.

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 22:4 On the third day…

II Shmuel (Samuel) 24:13 Three days…

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 22:7 Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?

II Shmuel (Samuel) 24:22 Behold the oxen for the burnt-offering, and the threshing-instruments and the furniture of the oxen for the wood.

 

6. In both stories, a certain person wishes to purchase land from a non-Jew.

 

7. In both stories, the seller proposes to transfer the property for nothing in return.

 

8. In both stories, the buyer refuses this offer and insists on paying for the land in full.

 

9. In both sales, mention is made of the precise amount of money that was paid.^[17]

 

The threshing floor of Aravna is also the place where Noach built an altar when he went forth from the ark. It is the place where Cain and Abel sacrificed, and it is the place where Adam offered a sacrifice when he was created and from that very place he was created. Our sages said, ‘From that place where he was created, there he will obtain forgiveness of his sin’.^[18]

 

David’s intention was that this psalm should be recited on the day of the inauguration of the Temple. For this reason, this psalm is recited by Ashkenazi congregations as they accompany the Torah scroll back to the synagogue Ark following the reading of the portion.^[19] So basic and profound is the message of this psalm, that it was chosen for all congregations to read this psalm as the ‘Song of the Day’ for the first day of the week. This psalm was selected to be read on the first day of the week on account of verses one and two:

 

Tehillim (Psalm) 24:1-2 A Psalm of David. {N} The earth is HaShem’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

 

This formulation is similar to the Torah’s description of the first day of creation. The verses “Lift up your heads … so that the King of Glory may come in”, are included among the verses of Malchuyot recited in the Musaf Amida on Rosh HaShanah. In addition, the beginning of the psalm alludes to the creation of the world, as was mentioned above, so that the entire psalm relates to the themes of Rosh HaShanah. ^[20]

 

Finally, this psalm commemorates one of the most significant events in history! As we said earlier, this psalm was composed on the occasion of the purchase of the Temple site. However, when viewed from a mystical and historical perspective, this event is monumental!

 

There were three places which the Patriarchs and King David purchased with money. They were:

1. The Cave of Machpelah near Hebron where the Patriarchs and their wives are buried. This site was purchased by Avraham Avinu.
2. The field near Shechem where Yosef HaTsadiq is buried. This site was purchased by Yaaqov Avinu.
3. Har HaBayit, the Temple mount, in Jerusalem. This site was purchased by David HaMelech.

 

To understand the significance of these three places it is necessary to ask a question: Why is “First” more important than the “Best”? (Read that question again! Ponder it for a moment. If you do not appreciate the question, then you will never appreciate the answer.)

 

Bikkurim [first fruits], Bechor [the first born], the separation of the Priestly gift of challah, the first shearings of the wool, the first of the dough, the firstborn of man and animal, all have something in common. They all represent beginnings; they are all “Firsts”.

 

The Torah asks us to bring the first fruits to the Beit HaMikdash, the Temple. The Torah does not specify that we should “bring the best”; rather the Torah specifies that we should “bring the first”. Likewise, we are not commanded to pick the best or the brightest son to be dedicated to the Divine Service in the Beit HaMikdash. We are commanded to devote the first son to that Service.

 

Why does the Torah insist on “first” and not “best”? The reason for the preference for “firsts” is because the “first” sets the tone. “First” is the beginning, the foundation. It might not be so bad if a building has a flaw on the fourth or fifth floor, but a flaw in the foundation is very serious. The foundation sets the tone.

 

Each of these three cities is notable as a “First”. This suggests that they are foundational to the use of the land.^[21]

 

The Torah documents the purchase of the land for the tombs of the Patriarchs and the land that contains the tomb of Yosef HaTzadiq. The only other parcel whose purchase is documented, in perpetuity, by Scripture itself is the site of the Beit HaMikdash, the Temple, in Jerusalem. These three special places, in Eretz Israel, are mentioned explicitly in the Midrash:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis LXXIX:7 AND HE BOUGHT THE PARCEL OF GROUND, etc. (XXXIII, 19). R. Judan b. R. Simon said: This is one of the three places regarding which the nations of the world cannot taunt Israel and say, ‘Ye have stolen them.’ These are they: The cave of Machpelah, the [site of the] Temple, and the sepulcher of Yosef HaTsadiq. The cave of Machpelah: And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver (Gen. XXIII, 16). The Temple: So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold (I Chron. XXI, 25). And Yosef HaTzadiq’s sepulcher: AND HE BOUGHT THE PARCEL OF GROUND.

 

R. Aharon Soloveitchik^[22] calls this kind of acquisition “chazakah”, holding. It comes from HaShem’s commandment to Adam “to guard the garden and keep it”. (Bereshit 2:13) This is the gift of reaching unto things through cultivation, work and dedication.

 

How tragically ironic it is that it is in regard to these very areas: Hebron, Shechem, and the Temple Mount, we are forced to stand up against the world to defend our rights of ownership.

 

“The entire war is based on who’s in charge of the holy sites. The Arabs sense that their life force comes from the Jews’ holy sites. That’s why their battles have always been focused on the tombs of the righteous, because these places nourish their life force. It’s no wonder that they hold fast to Kever (the tomb of) Yosef, Kever Rachel Imeinu, Machpelah, and most importantly, The Temple mount.”^[23]

 

Now these three cities Shechem, Hebron, and Jerusalem all share certain common features:

 

1. The three cities are located in the hill country.
2. The three cities lie in the center (east to west) of Israel. Additionally, Jerusalem lies in the center, north to south, of Eretz Israel
3. The three cities are situated in places of high temperature.
4. Each is associated with a “double”. Shechem is also called Dothan which means “dual wells”, Machpelah is a double cave, and Jerusalem is the double of the heavenly Jerusalem.
5. They are all related to the Levites as two were cities of refuge and the Beit HaMikdash was built in the third city.
6. They are border cities between adjacent tribes. Shechem is between Menashe and Ephraim, Hebron is between Judah and Dan, and the Beit HaMikdash is between Benjamin and Judah.
7. They were the only cities purchased for money.
8. All three had something precious from Mitzrayim (Egypt): Jerusalem had the Ark, Hebron had Yaaqov Avinu, and Shechem had Yosef HaTsadiq.
9. All three cities were on the same trade route. “The Way of the Patriarchs” also called the “Ridge Route”
10. Each of these cities is distinctly associated with Avraham Avinu: Moriah with the Akeida,^[24] Shechem with his entrance to Eretz Israel, and Machpelah with his burial.
11. Each of these cities is distinctly associated with Yaaqov Avinu: Shechem is where Yaaqov entered the land when returning from Lavan and where he purchased the area of Yosef’s tomb, Jerusalem AKA Beit El with the ladder vision, and Machpelah as his burial place.
12. Each of these is the city of a king. Shechem from whence Avraham Avinu defeated the kings of the world and where Rehoboam was crowned king, Hebron where David HaMelech was crowned King, and Jerusalem where David reigned as king over all Israel.
13. Each of these cities is associated with redemption because each was purchased, for money, after they were promised to Avraham and after Avraham defeated the five kings.
14. Each of these places is associated with an altar. This indicates that each of these places was a place of worship and a place where our fathers expressed their gratefulness to HaShem. Curiously, each of these three is also associated with an altar built by Avraham.

 

As Jews, we believe that legally and morally according to our laws and history these places are part of our Jewish nation. However, this is not just an historical and religious claim, it also represents a value of “the connection to the Land of Israel”.

 

It appears that Avraham went first to Shechem, then to Jerusalem, and finally he went south to the area of Hevron. These three places seem to contain the essence of the land as promised to Avraham.

 

The three cities were purchased with money and provide a proof that they belong to the Jewish people. The purchase of land by Jeremiah,^[25] serves as a proof that the purchase of the land is inviolate and constitutes a firm link to the land for the purchaser and his offspring. Never the less, our ownership is based on the Torah. Our purchase of these properties is found only in the Torah.

 

Each of these cities also symbolizes an eternal contact point that must be maintained or else we will have problems! Rabbi Saadya Gaon stated that “our nationhood is based solely on the Torah”. Without the Torah there can be no land ownership.

 

Now let’s look at Mashiach ben Yosef as He went to the Galil and to Shechem:

 

Zohar, VaYakhel 220a Rebbi Shimon said ... The land of Galil is where Melech Mashiach will be revealed, because it is in the territory of Yosef. It was destroyed first, and it is the place where he will first be revealed from all the places, before spreading to the nations ... as it says:

 

Yehoshua 24:32 “And the bones of Yosef which they brought up from Egypt for burial in Shechem.”

 

The Zohar indicates that the meaning of the pasuk in sefer Yehoshua pertains to Mashiach. So when we see the sod level (the same as the Zohar) gospel showing His Majesty in the Galil, it is what we would expect:

 

Yochanan (John) 4:5-7 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Yaaqov gave to his son Yosef HaTsadiq. Now Yaaqov’s well was there. Yeshua therefore, being wearied with [his] journey, sat thus on the well: [and] it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Yeshua saith unto her, Give me to drink.

 

Because, when you think about it, all that Mashiach boils down to, in the end, is helping Yaaqov leave behind all connections to Esav once and for all, so that he can finally take his right place in history as Israel. Obliteration of evil, identified only with the Days of Mashiach is synonymous with the cleansing of all traces of Esav within the heart of every Jew. It is also what the Talmud refers to as the “slaughtering of the yetzer hara” in Mashiach’s day.^[26]

 

There is so much more to this story, but in the interest of brevity, I will leave it here.

 

We can see by the verbal tally of “The Place”,^[27] that David composed this chapter of psalms with a clear intent to connect “The Place” of our Psalm with “The Place” where Yaaqob slept – The Place called the Temple. We began by examining the threshing floor that David purchased for the site of the Temple. Let us conclude this study by noting that our Torah portion speaks of the ladder set between heaven and earth. What is the connection between these two events (the threshing floor and the ladder)? The threshing floor was a place of connection and the ladder made the connection between heaven and earth.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 24:3 Who shall ascend into the mountain of HaShem? and who shall stand in His holy place?

 

Ashlamatah: Hoshea (Hosea) 12:13 – 13:5 + 14:9-10

 

JPS	Targum
1. Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit, but Judah still rules with God, and with the Holy One he is faithful.	1. ‎1. The house of Ephraim have multiplied lies before Me, and the house of Israel, deceit. But the people of the house of Judah ‎were fervent in worship until the people of God were exiled from their land, and they who worshipped before Me in the Sanctuary were ‎called a holy people. Thus were they established.
2. Ephraim joins the wind and chases the east wind; all day he increases deceit and plunder, and they make a treaty with Assyria, and oil is brought to Egypt.	2. The house of Israel is like one who sows the wind and reaps the whirlwind. They ‎multiply lies and violence all day long. They make a covenant with Assyria and carry tribute to Egypt.
3. Now the Lord has a contention with Judah, and to visit upon Jacob according to his ways; according to his deeds He shall recompense him.	3. There is an indictment before the ‎LORD against the people of the house of Judah, to punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his good deeds He will reward him.
4. In the womb, he seized his brother's heel, and with his strength he strove with an angel.	4. O prophet say to them: Was it not said of Jacob even before he was born, that he would be greater than his brother? And by his might ‎he contended with the angel?
5. He strove with an angel and prevailed; he wept and beseeched him; In Bethel he shall find Him, and there He shall speak with us.	5. Thus he contended with the angel and prevailed, he wept and pleaded with him. In Bethel He was revealed ‎to him and there He would speak with us.
6. And the Lord is the God of the hosts; the Lord is His Name.	6. He is the LORD, the God of hosts, who was revealed to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And as was ‎said through Moses, "The LORD" is His memorial to every generation.
7. And you shall return by your God: keep loving-kindness and justice, and hope to your God always.	7. And as for you, be strong in the worship of your God. Hold fast ‎to kindness and justice, and hope constantly for the deliverance of your God.
8. A trafficker who has deceitful scales in his hand; he loves to oppress.	8. Be not like traders in whose hands there are‎ false scales; they love to oppress..
9. And Ephraim said: Surely I have become rich; I have found power for myself; all my toils shall not suffice for my iniquity which is sin.	9. And the people of the house of Ephraim said, "But we have become rich, we have acquired power." O ‎prophet. say to them. 'Look! None of your wealth will remain for you on the day of punishment for sins.
10. And I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; I will yet make you dwell in tents as in the days of the [early] times.	10. I am the LORD your God ‎who brought you out of the land of Egypt. I will again let you dwell in tents as in the days of old.
11. And I spoke to the prophets, and I increased their visions; and to the prophets I assumed likenesses.	11. I spoke with the prophets; and I ‎multiplied prophecies. and sent word through My servants the prophets.
12. If there is violence in Gilead, it is because they were but vanity; in Gilgal they sacrificed oxen; also their altars were like heaps on the furrows of the field.	12. If in Gilead there were oppressors, truly in the house of‎Gilgal they have sacrificed bullocks to idols; their heathen altars also they have multiplied like stone heaps on the boundaries of the ‎fields.
13. And Jacob fled to the field of Aram; and Israel worked for a wife, and for a wife he guarded.	13. O prophet. say to them. "Did not Jacob your father go to the fields of Aram? And Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he ‎guarded sheep?
14. And, through a prophet, the Lord brought up Israel from Egypt, and through a prophet they were guarded.	14. Indeed. when your forefathers went down to Egypt, the LORD sent a prophet and brought Israel up from Egypt,‎ and through a prophet they were guarded.
15. Ephraim provoked, yea bitterness; therefore his blood shall be cast upon him, and his disgrace his Lord shall requite upon him.	15. The people of the house of Ephraim provoke to anger. they continue to sin. And the guilt ‎of innocent blood which is shed will turn upon them. and their LORD will turn back on them their shame.
1. When Ephraim spoke with trembling, he became exalted in Israel; when he became guilty through Baal, he died.	1. When one of the people of the house of Ephraim spoke, trembling gripped the nations. They were exalted in Israel; but when they ‎incurred guilt through worshipping idols, they were killed.
2. And now, they continue to sin, and they have made for themselves a molten image from their silver according to their pattern, deities, all of it the work of craftsmen; to them say, "Those who sacrifice man may kiss the calves."	2. And now they continue to sin; they have made for themselves a molten image ‎from their silver, idols in their own image, all the work of craftsmen. The false prophets lead them astray; they sacrifice to the work of ‎man's hands, they slaughter bullocks for calves,
3. Therefore, they shall be like a morning cloud, and like dew that passes away early, like chaff that is driven with the wind out of the threshing floor, and like smoke out of a chimney.	3. Therefore they will be like the morning clouds and like the dew that vanishes quickly; ‎like the chaff which the wind blows from the threshing-floor, and like the smoke which passes from the smoke-hole.'
4. And I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt, and gods besides Me you should not know, and there is no savior but Me.	4. And I am the LORD ‎your God who brought you up from the land of Egypt; you know no God but Me, and there is no other saviour than Me.
5. I knew you in the desert, in a land of deprivation.	5. I supplied your ‎need in the wilderness, in the land where you were in need of everything.
6. When they grazed and were sated, they were sated and their heart became haughty; therefore, they forgot Me.	6. When I fed ‎ them, they were filled. They were filled and their hearts grew proud, therefore they abandoned My worship.
7. And I was to them as a lion, as a leopard by the way I will lurk.	7. So My Memra became like ‎a lion to them, like a leopard lurking by the way.
8. I will meet them as a bereaving bear, and I will rend the enclosure of their heart, and I will devour them as a lion, the beast of the field shall rend them asunder.	8. My Memra comes on them like a bear robbed of her cubs; I have smashed the ‎wickedness of their hearts, and have killed them there like young lions. like a beast of the crag that rends I have destroyed them.
9. You have destroyed yourself, O Israel, for [you have rebelled] against Me, against your help.	9. When you corrupt your deeds. O house of Israel, the Gentiles rule over you, but when you return to My Law. My Memra is your support.
10. I will be, where is your king? Now let him save you in all your cities, and your judges, concerning whom you said, "Give me a king and princes."	10. Where now is your king, that he may save you in all your cities? And your judges, of whom you said, "Appoint over me a king and ‎rulers"?
11. I gave you a king with My wrath and I took [him] away with My fury. {P}	11. I have appointed a king over you in my anger, and I have removed him in my wrath. {P}
12. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is laid away.	12. The iniquities of the house ‎‎of Ephraim are stored up. all their sins are collected for punishment.
13. Pangs of a woman in confinement shall come to him: he is an unwise son, for it is a time that he shall not stand in the birthstool of the children.	13. Distress and agitation like the pangs of a woman giving birth will ‎come upon him. He is a son who has grown up but has not learned to know the fear of Me, Now I will bring upon him distress like that ‎of a woman who sits on the birth-stool but has no strength to give birth,
14. From the clutches of the grave I would ransom them, from death I would redeem them; I will be your words of death; I will decree the grave upon you. Remorse shall be hidden from My eyes.	14. I have delivered the house ‎ of Israel from the power of death and rescued them from the destroyer. But now My Memra will be against them to kill. and My decree ‎will be to destroy. Because they have transgressed My Law. I will remove My Shekinah from them, ‎
15. For though he flourish among the marshes, an east wind shall come, a wind of the Lord, ascending from the desert, and his spring shall dry up, and his fountain shall be parched; he shall plunder the treasure of all coveted vessels.	15. For they are called sons. but they ‎have multiplied corrupt deeds. Now I will bring against them a king strong as the east wind. by the Memra of the LORD. He will come up by ‎way of the desert and destroy their treasure-house and lay waste their royal city. He will plunder the treasures, every precious object.
1. Samaria shall be accounted guilty, for she has rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword, their infants shall be dashed, and their pregnant women shall be ripped up. {P}	1. Samaria is guilty, for she has rebelled against the Memra of her God. They will be killed' by the ‎sword, their youths' will be dashed in pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open. {P}
2. Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity.	2. Return, O Israel, to the fear ‎of the LORD your God, for you have fallen because of your sin.
3. Take words with yourselves and return to the Lord. Say, "You shall forgive all iniquity and teach us [the] good [way], and let us render [for] bulls [the offering of] our lips.	3. Bring with you words of confession and return to ‎the worship of the LORD. Say before Him, "It is near before You to forgive iniquities: then we will be accepted as ‎good. Let the words of our lips be accepted before You with favour like bullocks on your altar. ‎
4. Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses, nor will we say any longer, our gods, to the work of our hands, for in You, by Whom the orphan is granted mercy."	4. The kings of Assyria will not save us. We will not put our trust in horsemen, and ‎no more will we say "Our god" to the works of our hands. For it was from before You that mercy was shown to our forefathers when they were ‎like orphans in Egypt.
5. I will remedy their backsliding; I will love them freely, for My wrath has turned away from them.	5. I will accept them in their repentance, I will forgive their sins, I will have compassion on them when they freely ‎repent. for My anger has turned away from them.
6. I will be like dew to Israel, they shall blossom like a rose, and it shall strike its roots like the Lebanon.	6. My Memra will be like dew to Israel; they will bloom like the lily, and they will dwell ‎in their fortified land like the tree of Lebanon which puts forth its branches.
7. Its branches shall go forth, and its beauty shall be like the olive tree, and its fragrance like the Lebanon.	7. Sons and daughters will multiply, and their light ‎will be like the light of the holy candelabrum, and their fragrance like the fragrance of incense.
8. Those who dwelt in its shade shall return; they shall revive [like] corn and blossom like the vine; its fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.	8. They will be gathered from ‎among their exiles, they will dwell in the shade of their Anointed One (Messiah). The dead will be resurrected and goodness will increase‎ in the land, The mention of their goodness will go in and not cease, like the memorial of the blast of the trumpets made over the ‎ matured wine when it was poured out in the Sanctuary.
9. Ephraim; What more do I need the images? I will answer him and I will look upon him: I am like a leafy cypress tree; from Me your fruit is found.	9. The house of Israel will say, "Why should we worship idols anymore?" I, ‎by My Memra, will hear the prayer of ‘Israel and have compassion on them, I, by My Memra, will make them like a beautiful cypress ‎tree. Because forgiveness for their waywardness is found before Me.
10. Who is wise and will understand these, discerning and will know them; for the ways of the Lord are straight, and the righteous/generous shall walk in them, and the rebellious shall stumble on them. {P}	10. Who is wise and will consider these things? Who is prudent and will ‎take note of them? For the ways of the LORD are right; and the righteous/generous who walk in them will live in everlasting life through them. but‎ the wicked will be delivered to Gehinnam because they have not walked in them. {P}

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Hoshea (Hosea) 12:13 – 13:5 + 14:9-10

 

Chapter 12

 

1 has surrounded Me Ephraim and the house of Israel have already surrounded Me with lies and deceit, i.e., the kings of the Ten Tribes and all the people, but Judah still...

 

rules with God Still rules with fear of God.

 

rules Heb. רָד . Comp. (Num. 24:19) “And there shall rule (וְיֵרְדְּ) out of Jacob.” Their kings are still with the Holy One, blessed be He.

 

2 joins the wind Heb. רֽעֵה . An expression of רֵעַ , a friend. He joins words of the wind, viz. idolatry.

 

and oil Their oil they carry to Egypt to give a bribe to Egypt to aid them.

 

3 Now the Lord has a contention with Judah He relates to them the matters of His contention which their brethren, the house of Israel, have done to Him, so that they should not wonder when He visits retribution on Jacob according to his ways.

 

4 In the womb, he seized his brother’s heel All this I did for him, he held him by the heel, as a sign that he would be a master over him.

 

5 he wept i.e., the angel wept. [from Chullin 92a]

 

and beseeched him When he said to him, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Gen. 32:26), and the angel was begging him, “Let me go now. Eventually, the Holy One, blessed be He, will reveal Himself to you in Bethel, and there you will find Him, and there He will speak with us, and He and I will agree with you concerning the blessings that Isaac blessed you.” Now that angel was Esau’s genius, and he was contesting the blessings.

 

6 And the Lord is the God of the hosts Just as I was then, so am I now, and had you walked with Me wholeheartedly, like Jacob your father, I would have acted toward you as I acted toward him.

 

7 And you shall return by your God On His promise and His support, which He promises you, you can rely, and return to Him. Only...

 

keep loving-kindness and justice and you may be assured to hope for His salvation always.

 

8 A trafficker who has deceitful scales in his hand You rely on your gain, for you are traffickers and deceivers, and concerning your wealth you say...

 

9 Surely I have become rich Now why should I worship the Holy One, blessed be He?

 

I have found power for myself Heb. אוֹן , meaning strength. Rabbi Simon, however, explained it homiletically as follows: I found אוֹן for myself: I found a deed of indebtedness for myself, that I possess kingship over Israel. (Gen. 50:18) “And his brothers too wept and fell etc. ‘Behold we are slaves to you etc.’” אוֹן means the laws of a deed. Comp. (Gittin 43b) “They may write his deed (אוֹנוֹ) for it.” Comp. (Gittin 43b) “They may write his deed אוֹנוֹ for it.” Comp. also (Gen. Rabbah 2:2) With one deed (אוֹנוֹ) and with one price. “And this is its explanation:

 

“And Ephraim said: Surely I have become rich; I have found a deed for myself.” Jeroboam son of Nebat, who was of the tribe of Ephraim, boasts and declares: Surely I have become rich, I have found a deed for myself, one deed, that all Israel are my slaves, for my father acquired them, as it is written: And his brothers too went and fell before him, and said: Behold we are your slaves. And whatever a slave acquires belongs to his master. Hence, all their property is mine. Therefore, I have no sin if I take all that is theirs, for they are my slaves. What is written after this? And I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt. The greatness that came to your father in Egypt was from Me. Said the Holy One, blessed be He. ‘Behold we are your slaves,’ you have not forgotten, but ‘I am the Lord your God,’ which was stated in the Decalogue, you have forgotten, for you have erected two calves, one in Bethel and one in Dan. And according to the simple meaning of the verse, you say, “I have found power for myself through oppression and deceitful scales.” And I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt. There I distinguished between a droplet [of seed] of a firstborn and a droplet which was not of a firstborn. I also know and exact retribution from deceitful scales made without understanding and from one who hides his weights in salt in order to deceive.

 

all my toils shall not suffice for my etc. It would have been better for you had you said to yourself: All my money shall not suffice to atone for my iniquity which I have sinned. In this manner Jonathan renders it: The prophet said to them: All your wealth will not remain with you on the day of the retribution of your sins.

 

shall not suffice Heb. לֹא יִמְצְאוּ , usually translated ‘shall not find.’ They shall not suffice. Comp. (Num. 11:22) “and suffice (וּמָצָא) for them.” But it cannot be explained: יְגִיעַי כָּֽל- , all those who toil to seek my iniquity shall not find any iniquity with me, for, were that the case, it should be spelled יְגֵעַי without a “yud,” and it should be vowelized with a “tseireh,” but now it is not an expression of one who toils but an expression of toil.

 

10 I will yet make you dwell in tents I will cut off from your midst deceitful traffickers, and I will cause you to dwell in tents. I will set up from among you students engaging in the Torah.

 

as in the days of the [early] times As in the days of the early times, when Jacob, the unpretentious man, was sitting in tents.

 

11 And I spoke to the prophets to admonish you and to bring you back to do good.

 

and to the prophets I assumed likenesses I appeared to them in many likenesses. Another explanation. I gave My words likenesses to them through allegories in order to make them comprehensible to their listeners.

 

12 If there is violence in Gilead If they suffered from destruction and violence, they caused it to themselves, for they were but vanity in Gilgal, and they sacrificed oxen to pagan deities.

 

also their altars were as numerous as heaps which are on the furrows of the field.

 

the furrows of the field The furrow made by the plowshare is called תֶלֶם .

 

13 And Jacob fled to the field of Aram etc. Like a person who says, “Let us return to the previous topic,” for we spoke above (verse 5): And he strove with an angel, and moreover, I did this for him; when he was forced to flee to the field of Aram, you know how I guarded him.

 

and for a wife he guarded the flocks.

 

14 And, through a prophet, the Lord brought up etc. And, insofar as you disgrace the prophets and mock their words, is it not so that through a prophet God brought us etc.?

 

15 Ephraim provoked his Creator by despising His prophets and betraying Him.

 

yea, bitterness (Heb. תַּמְרוּרִים ,) they are to him for his blood which he shed by causing Israel to sin by clinging to idolatry and one who causes a person to sin is worse to him than one who kills him, as we learn from Ammon and Moab, who misled Israel to cling to Baal-Peor, and Scripture punished them more severely than an Egyptian and an Edomite, who drowned them in the river and went forth toward them with the sword...

 

shall be cast upon him The Holy One, blessed be He, shall cast it upon him.

 

and his disgrace which he disgraced Solomon, as the matter is stated: (I Kings 11:26) “He raised his hand against the king,” that he rebuked him in public because Solomon had built up the Millo, as is explained in [the chapter entitled] Chelek (San. 101b).

 

his Lord shall requite upon him I.e., the Holy One, blessed be He, since he surpassed him in his evil deeds.

 

Chapter 13

 

1 When Ephraim spoke with trembling When Jeroboam showed zeal for the Omnipresent and spoke harshly against Solomon, and tremblingly, for Solomon was a great king.

 

he became exalted in Israel Thence he merited to be elevated to the king over Israel.

 

when he became guilty through Baal As soon as he assumed greatness and became guilty with Baal.

 

he died i.e., Jeroboam’s dynasty was terminated, and so was Ahab’s dynasty. Jonathan renders: When one of the house of Ephraim would speak, fear would seize the nations. They were great among Israel, but when they sinned by worshipping idols, they were slain.

 

2 And now Jehu’s dynasty, who saw all this, continue to sin.

 

according to their pattern Heb. כִּתְבוּנָם .

 

Those who sacrifice man may kiss the calves The priests of Molech say to Israel, “Whoever sacrifices his son to the idol is worthy of kissing the calf” for he has offered him a precious gift. So did our Sages explain this in Sanhedrin (63b), and it fits the wording of the verse better than Jonathan’s translation.

 

3 and like dew that passes away early Jonathan renders: And like dew, the water of which evaporates.

 

like chaff that is driven with the wind out of the threshing floor Jonathan renders: Like chaff which the wind blows from the threshing floor. e wind lifts up.

 

4 And I am the Lord your God and you should not have rebelled against Me

 

5 I knew you I set My heart to know your necessity, and I provided you.

 

deprivation Heb. תַלְאוּבֽת . There is no similarity to this in Scripture, and its interpretation is, according to the context, תֵּל , a heap, שֶאוֹבִין , where they long for all good and do not find it.

 

6 When they grazed When they entered the land of their pasture and they were sated, then...

 

they were sated and their heart became haughty (Ex. 7:20) “And he lifted (וַיָרֶם) the staff,” is an expression of lifting something else. “Became haughty (וַיָרָם) ” here means that he himself was lifted.

 

7 by the way I will lurk Heb. אָשּׁוּר . Every instance of אָשּׁוּר in Scripture is punctuated with a “dagesh,” but this one is “weak,” since it is not a place name but it means, “I will lurk and ambush.” Comp. (Num. 24:17) “I see him (אֲשּׁוּרֶנוּ) but not near.”

 

8 as a bereaving bear Heb. שַׁכּוּל . Like שּׁוֹכֵל , as you say חָנּוּן , gracious, and רַחוּם , merciful, so שַּׁכּוּל , i.e., entirely attired with bereavements and ready to bereave people.

 

and I will rend the enclosure of their heart like the habit of the bear, which holds its nails on the chest and rends until the heart. Another explanation:

 

the enclosure of the heart Their heart which is closed from understanding to return to Me.

 

9 You have destroyed yourself, O Israel Heb. שִּׁחֶתְךָ .

 

for against Me you have rebelled: you have rebelled against your help. This is an ellipsis, but [to] one who understands the language of the Scriptures, it makes sense. For against Me was the rebellion which you rebelled, and if you ask, “What does it mean to You?” Against your help you rebelled when you rebelled against Me.

 

10 I will be, where is your king? Heb. אֱהִי מַלְכְּךָ אֵפוֹא. Jonathan renders: Where is your king? But I say that it is unnecessary to interpret it other than its apparent meaning. I will be standing from afar to see where your king is, for I will make Myself see what your end will be, where your savior is.

 

12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up I did not overlook it; it is laid up with Me.

 

13 for [it is] a time For a time of trouble has come upon him, from which he will not be able to stand and endure.

 

in the birthstool of the children upon which the woman in confinement sits to give birth. And in Old French they call a birthstool sele.

 

in the birthstool of the children i.e., in the birthstool made for the birth of children.

 

14 From the clutches of the grave I would ransom them I am He Who would ransom them from the clutches of the grave and redeem them from death, but now...

 

I will be your words of death Heb. אֱהִי דְבָרֶיךָ . I will place Myself to speak of you words of death.

 

I will decree...upon you Heb. קָטָבְךָ . I will decree upon you the decree of the grave.

 

Remorse shall be hidden from My eyes Heb. נֽחַם . I will not regret this evil. נֽחֵם is an expression of regret (נִחוּם) , and the “mem” is a radical like the “mem” of נֽעַם , pleasantness, for the accent is on the first syllable, and the “heth” is vowelized with a “pattah.” Were it an expression of resting (נָח) , with the “mem” serving as a suffix denoting the plural, the accent would be under the “heth,” and it would be vowelized with a “kamatz” [like כּֽחָם their strength; רוּחָם , their spirit.]

 

15 For though he flourish among the marshes Heb. כִּי הוּא בֵּין אַחִים יַפְרִיא . Jonathan renders: For they are called sons, but they increased corrupt deeds. אַחִים An expression of an evil thing. Comp. (Ezekiel 21:20) “Woe! (אָח) It is made for a blade.” Also (ibid. 6:11) “And say, ‘Woe!’ (אָח) to all the... abominations.” יַפְרִיא An expression similar to (Deut. 29:17) פּֽרֶה רֽאשׁ וְלַעֲנָה , that hears (פּֽרַה) hemlock and wormwood.” But I say that אַחִים is an expression similar to (Gen. 41:2) “And they grazed in the marsh (בָּאָחוּ) .”

 

For though he flourish among the marshes Heb. יַפְרִיא . Blossoms and grows in the marsh. Among the marshes, among those growing in the marshes, which always flourish. And, since He compares him to a marsh, He says: An east wind shall come... and his spring shall dry up. Another explanation: For he decreased among the brothers, i.e., Jeroboam. He was a son who decreased the brotherhood [other versions: the heritage] of Israel. Through him, they were divided into two kingdoms. Decreased יַפְרִיע . An expression similar to (Gen. 16:12) “One who decreases men (פֶּרֶא אָדָם) .”

 

an east wind shall come A king, strong as the east wind, shall come up by the word of the Lord from the way of the desert.

 

he shall plunder That king shall plunder the treasures of all coveted vessels.

 

Chapter 14

 

1 Samaria shall be accounted guilty From now on, her guilt will be revealed.

 

and their pregnant women Heb. וְהָריּוֹתָיו . The pregnant women in its midst.

 

2 Return, O Israel You, who are in the land of Judah, lest what happens to Samaria happens to you. Therefore, the topics are juxtaposed. This can be compared to a king against whom a province rebelled. The king sent a general and commanded him to destroy it. That general was expert and deliberate. He said to them, “Take for yourselves days (sic); otherwise, I will do to you as I have done to such-and-such a province and to its allies, and to such-and-such a prefecture and to its allies.” Therefore it says, “Samaria shall be accounted guilty,” and then Scripture says: “Return, O Israel.” As is found in Sifrei in the section commencing. (Num. 25:1), “And Israel abode in Shittim.”

 

to the Lord your God One taught in the name of Rabbi Meir: Return, O Israel, while He is still יהוה , with the Divine Attribute of Mercy; otherwise, He is אֶלֹהֶיךָ with the Divine Attribute of Justice, before the defense becomes the prosecution. [from Pesikta d’Rav Kahana, p. 164a]

 

for you have stumbled in your iniquity Obstacles have come to you because of your iniquity.

 

3 You shall forgive all iniquity Heb. עָוֹן כָּל-תִּשָׂא . Forgive all our iniquities.

 

and teach [us the] good [way] Heb. וְקַח-טוֹב . And teach us the good way. Another explanation: The few good deeds in our hands take in Your hand and judge us accordingly. And so does David say (Psalms 17:2): “Let my sentence come forth from before You, may Your eyes behold the right.” Another explanation: And accept good And accept confession from us, as it is said (Psalms 92:2): “It is good to confess to the Lord.”

 

and let us render [for] bulls that we should have sacrificed before you, let us render them with the placation of the words of our lips.

 

4 Assyria shall not save us Say this also before Him, “We no longer seek the aid of man, neither from Assyria nor from Egypt.”

 

we will not ride on horses This is the aid from Egypt, who would send them horses, as they said to Isaiah (30:16), “No, but on horses will we flee... And on swift steeds will we ride.”

 

nor will we say any longer to the work of our hands that they are our gods.

 

for in You alone shall our hope be, You Who grant mercy to the orphans.

 

5 I will remedy their backsliding Said the prophet: So has the Holy Spirit said to me. After they say this before Me, I will remedy their backsliding, and I will love them with My charitable spirit. Although they do not deserve the love, I will love them charitably since My wrath has turned away from them.

 

6 and it shall strike I. e. the dew shall strike its roots and cause them to prosper.

 

like the Lebanon like the roots of the trees of the Lebanon, which are large.

 

7 Its branches shall go forth Sons and daughters shall increase.

 

and it shall be Their beauty shall be like the beauty of the menorah of the Temple, and their fragrance like the fragrance of the incense.

 

like the Lebanon Like the Temple.

 

8 Those who dwelt in its shade shall return Those who already dwelt in the shade of the Lebanon, to which He compared Israel and the Temple, and now were exiled there from, shall return to it.

 

its fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon Jonathan renders: Like the remembrance of the blasts of the trumpets over the old wine poured for libations in the Temple. For they would blow the trumpets over the libations when the Levites would recite the song.

 

9 Ephraim will say, “What more do I need to follow the images?” And they will turn away from idolatry.

 

I will answer him I will answer him from his trouble.

 

and I will look upon him I will look upon his affliction.

 

I am like a leafy cypress tree I will bend down for him to hold his hand on Me as the leafy cypress, which is bent down to the ground, which a man holds by its branches; i.e., I will be accessible to him.

 

from Me your fruit is found Am I not He? For all your good emanates from Me.

 

10 Who is wise and will understand these Who among you is wise and will ponder to put his heart to all these and return to Me?

 

and the rebellious shall stumble on them i.e., because of them, because they did not walk in them. Jonathan renders in this manner.

 

Commentary and Ashlamatah of Hoshea (Hosea)12:13 – 13:5 + 14:9-10

By: H.Ex. Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

 

This Ashlamatah is somewhat of a continuation of the previous one of Hosea chapter fourteen. We learned in the previous reading that Jacob had fled from Esau and went to Paddan-Aram, the field and Land of Aram (12:12), in search of a wife, where Jacob/Israel served and guarded sheep. One question comes to mind: why does Hosea bring up this historical fact, and what point does he hope to stress to his listeners? In our Torah reading, the story is told of Jacob fleeing from his home and going into exile. He becomes a shepherd in the field where he is placed to work. There, he serves and guards a wife.[28] At Bethel, Jacob encounters HaShem and is given the promise: "I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."^[29]

 

Interestingly, although there are angels in Jacob's dream, they do not speak, and Jacob encounters HaShem alone. Later, after about twenty years of service (31:38), the angel of God appeared in a dream and told him he was the God of Bethel, and it was time to arise and return to the land of his kindred. On the return trip, while Jacob is in exile (out of the land), Jacob's encounter is only with an angel of God.[30] (32:1) Then, when faced with Esau and unsure of how the reunion will go, Jacob prays and refers to the angel as HaShem, who had earlier told him to return home to his kindred. Later, Jacob wrestles with the angel whom Hosea describes as a divine being sent from God.[31] Menachem ben Saruk describes him as a man covered with dust, ‘he attached himself to’.[32]

 

When questioning who Hosea is speaking to, according to Jewish sources and classical Jewish interpretation, Hosea is speaking to the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim). “Hosea was a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.” [33] This is not a metaphor or later interpretation—this is the historical setting accepted in Jewish tradition. “The word of GOD that came to Hosea… in the reign of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel.” (Hosea 1:1) Jeroboam II ruled the Northern Kingdom, not Judah. This therefore anchors the entire book geographically and politically. Jewish midrash and commentary repeatedly emphasize that Hosea’s rebukes were aimed at the ten tribes. For example, Pesikta Rabbati (quoted in Sefaria) shows God speaking to Israel through Hosea: “Thus God said: ‘I will be like dew to Israel’ (Hosea 14:6).” The writings found at Qumran in the Dead Sea caves are reports from the Jewish Second Temple period, dated about 250 BCE – 50 CE. supports the interpretation that reads Hosea as addressing Israel [the ten tribes]. The Qumran pesharim (Pesher Hosea) consistently interpret Hosea’s words as directed toward: “the house of Israel” Or “the festivals of the Gentiles” (i.e., Israel’s assimilation). This supports and confirms that even in Second Temple Judaism, Hosea was understood as speaking to the ten northern tribes.[34]

 

Both Jewish and Christian scholars place strong emphasis on 8th‑century Israel’s idolatry, exile, and eventual restoration of the Ten Tribes. We see the prototype of this in Jacob's journey, as we saw last week in Jacob seeking a wife. The pattern is set: exile, divine encounter, discipline, and then restoration. Ephraim is understood as a collective symbol of the northern tribes. Ephraim compassed me about with falsehood, and the house of Israel with deceit; but Judah yet ruleth with God and is faithful with the Holy One.^[35] In (12:1-3), God is said to have an indictment against Judah, and Judah is singled out. “They surround me: Ephraim with falsehood, the house of Israel with deceit. But Judah still governs with God and is faithful to the Holy one.” [36] A distinction is made between the two families which grow into two nations in their own right. HaShem as judge has a contention with both, yet the emphasis is placed on Israel, Ephraim, the ten northern tribes, and it is looking with a prophetic eye toward the future. Jacob / Israel will be dealt with according to their deeds, their ways, the ‘derek’ they walk.

 

Chapter twelve is written as a chiasm,[37] and at the center of the chiasmus structure is Jacob wrestling with God. In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood, he strove with God. He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor.^[38] This is the pivot on which the whole story turns. The traditions of ancestral recollections (v.13) and in (Gen.25:22-26,27:36, 32:23-33) the encounters with God, ‘HaShem or his messenger, the angel of God, mark the turning points of Jacob’s life and are brought together here as one conversion experience. These are rare in prophetic discourse.

 

As the sons of Jacob, this, I believe, is the one thing that separates them from all the other people on earth. They look toward HaShem and his ministering angel, and they spend their lives wrestling with both. This pattern of Jacob is again set for his sons: to encounter God and to wrestle with God and angels, prevailing with weeping and seeking for God's favor. Hosea’s version of Jacob's story tells us that Hosea read Genesis to mean that Jacob, the struggling conniver, became Israel, the recipient of grace. ^[39] This cosmic struggle began in Rachel's womb. Rashi said this act in the womb by Jacob shows the superhuman strength which was bestowed on Jacob by HaShem for the work he was to accomplish. A fetus in the womb has no power or control over its limbs and is not capable of piercing its amniotic sac as well as that of its twin and grasping the latter's heel. Ibn Ezra and Radak conclude this is obviously a sign from Heaven that in the end of days, the descendants of Jacob will conquer and subjugate those of Esau.[40] And if Jacob did not have to pierce the amniotic sac to grasp his brother's heel, this has even more far-reaching implications.[41]

 

It is interesting to note that in Hosea 12:4-6, it says, He [Jacob] strove with the angel and prevailed; he [Jacob] wept and sought his favor. He [Jacob] met God at Bethel, and their God spoke with us— [God spoke to us is not a misprint; ‘us’ plural is in the text] the LORD, the God of hosts; LORD is his memorial name:[42] “So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.”^[43] The text tells us that the angel Jacob wrestled with was God and that this angel “spoke with us”. The text then makes the point that God is to be remembered by his Memorial name, HaShem [YHVH]. This angel is not God per se but is a mediator or representative of God, and Jacob refers to this angel as his redeemer. Some interpreters have identified this angel with the angel of Esau,[44] and others cite the Sages as identifying this angel as Michael. Jacob states, " He is the angel who redeemed me”, (Gen 48:16). But regardless, Jacob has power over this angel, and the angel has to plead with Jacob to release him so he can return to heaven. This very place of Jacob's encounter with the divine being becomes a place of idols due to the creation of an image of this incident, which is made and worshiped by the children of Ephraim / Israel. Israel is to relinquish and put away their idols and golden calves they have acquired at both Dan and Bethel. If we don’t understand this relationship between HaShem and his angel, we create an image and worship God in idol form as the children of Israel did at Dan and Bethel and as the gentile nations have done throughout time. All Israel must flee this idolatry and return to a right understanding of who God is and who he is not.

 

Hosea, speaking as the prophet of God, calls for three things from his people: repentance, justice, and faith. (12:7) “You must return to your God” uses the familiar word šûb, a word that here implies abandonment of the fertility cults and all that went with them and seeking grace and mercy from HaShem. “Maintain love and justice” is shorthand for doing all that God requires while giving greatest emphasis to the more important parts of the Torah (Matt 23:23). “Wait for your God always” implies an attitude of faith that seeks security in God rather than in wealth or position and that perseveres in faith even when circumstances are difficult.^[45] ----- The verb קוה, [wait], usually in the piel stem, is a favorite of Isaiah, where it means to wait patiently for some good thing, and it is almost always used of the faithful waiting on God’s salvation. In Isaiah, the texts include 5:2, 4, 7; 8:17; 25:9; 26:8; 33:2; 40:31; 49:23; 51:5; 59:9, 11; 60:9; 64:2. It appears in a smattering of other texts, such as Psa. 25:3, 5, 21.^[46]

 

While you're waiting, Hosea speaks of a return to the wilderness rather than a return to slavery. In declaring himself to be their Savior-God, HaShem asserts his sovereignty over them. The one who came to their aid when they were slaves in Egypt. In (12:9/10), the ESV says, “I will let you dwell in your tents again,” whereas the LEB says, ‘I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed feast. The NIV translation is somewhat misleading at the end of the verse: “as in the days of your appointed feasts.” The word translated “appointed feasts” is actually singular and refers to only one feast, the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths.[47] This was the annual holy week in which Israel memorialized the wilderness wandering by leaving their homes and spending a week in tents or in hastily constructed, temporary lean-to shelters (Lev 23:33–44). The prophets employ the image of the succah to describe the ultimate, end-of-days emergence of the Jewish people and all of humanity from the global exile. The succah and all it points to is about the future, although it is anchored in the past. It is a time and a situational place, in the tent, in the sukkah, where every person is to fix his vision not on this temporary life and reality, this physical world, but to gaze upon the underlying spiritual reality the prophets pointed to in all their parables and metaphors.[48]

 

Hosea uses this as a specific appointed time, usually for a sacred feast or festival (Hos. 9:5; 12:9[10]), and at the time of wine (Hos. 2:9/11). In (9:5) Hosea refers to this as a “feast of HaShem”; the feast may also have been a variant of the Festival of Booths (Lev 23:39–43, where it is twice called a “feast of HaShem”), which was supposed to be observed on the fifteenth day of the seventh month.^[49] In Hosea 2, we see Israel and Judah coming to the place of seeking her husband; they appoint one head and ascend from the land of their exile back to the land of promise. The haftorah we read during Sukkot is Zechariah 14:1-21 and Ezekiel 38:18-39:16. These are among the most messianic and eschatological readings in the entire prophetic cycle. They point us toward a future day of that final conflict, the universal gathering of God's children, and the day of restoration of his divine glory. The day of Jezreel is great (2:2) and is understood as the time when the kingdom of Israel will be destroyed, which leads them to exile, and Hosea speaks of how, after their atonement for their many sins, they return to the land.[50] It is during this extended exile that they repeat the pattern set in Jacob's life. They are to live in their tents, sukkah, in exile and wait for the appointed time of restoration to the land.

 

Hosea continues his pattern of alternating between rebuke and encouragement (12:8-10), reverting to castigation of the children of Israel for their corruption and dishonesty. Ephraim says, "I have become rich and exalted; I have found power from myself." HaShem proceeds to inform Ephraim that he is “Hashem your God from the land of Egypt. And I will settle you in tents like in earlier times”. They came out of Egypt and lived in tents in the wilderness; again, Israel was told they were going into the wilderness and living in tents until they are returned to the land. We are living at the end of those many centuries of exile. Artscroll understands these tent dwellers will be students involved in Torah study just as in ancient times when their forefather Jacob dwelt in tents.[51]

 

It is argued that the מוֹעֵד [feast] here is not the Feast of Booths, per se, but refers to the actual time of wandering in the desert when HaShem was among them in the tent of meeting (אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד). But כִּימֵי מוֹעֵד [the appointed feasts] would be a peculiar way to refer to the wilderness period, and the shrine of HaShem continued to occupy the tent of meeting long after the conquest.^[52] At any rate, it would seem HaShem’s point is that the discomfort of the booths would become a permanent condition. They would become, like their ancestors, homeless wanderers, waiting in the wilderness until they are returned to their promised land. The verse looks ahead to Israel’s Diaspora.^[53]

 

The prophet Hosea continues and tells the people that HaShem has sent the prophets to plead with the people and has multiplied the visions and spoken through many parables, trying to reach his children. In Gilead and in Gilgal they continued to sacrifice bulls, and they heap up their altars like stone heaps on the furrows of every field. (v.10-11) This sounds similar to how, in the West, in both Europe and in America, there is an altar of sacrifice on almost every corner. In the last twenty years, the world has been watching those altars being torn down and repurposed. Churches in both Europe and in America are closing at an alarming rate, and people are beginning to take notice that the face of religion is changing; we should note that nothing operates in a vacuum; something always fills that space. Just as God sent King Jehu to destroy the idols and idolatry of his day (2 Kings 9 & 10f), he will send Elijah before that great day at the end of exile. (Mal.3:1-4, 23-24)

 

When the time was ripe for HaShem to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, he did so by a prophet—Moses, the highest of prophets (Num. 12:6–8; Deut. 18:15, 18). The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved. Moses said that HaShem would raise a prophet like him as he looked toward the end of exile and the wilderness experience. (Deut. 18:15, Acts 3:22, 7:37) In the translation of ‘kept’: there is an allusion to the same Hebrew word [שָׂמַר] in v. 12, “kept sheep”; Israel was kept by God as His flock, even as Jacob kept sheep (Ps. 80:1, “Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, thou that lead Joseph like a flock;” (Isa. 63:11). “When Yaakov fled from Laban’s exile, he spent his first night at Succoth. Classical commentators and Rabbinic tradition explicitly view Jacob’s journey from Laban’s house to Succoth as a foundational prophetic archetype, Ma'aseh Avot Siman LaBanim, "The actions of the fathers are a sign for the children", for the ultimate end of the exile.”[54] When Jacob arrived at Succoth, he had reached the end of his personal exile, and this is a picture that looks forward to the end of our current wilderness exile.

 

Jacob fled to the country of Aram; Israel served to get a wife, and to pay for her he tended sheep, alludes to Gen 27:43–29:30. Here, however, Hosea takes the parallel in an altogether new direction: he compares Jacob’s experience to the exodus and to the ministry of the prophets, two comparisons suggested in HaShem's complaint (12:9–10)^[55] The Sages in the Midrash note that Jacob’s journey prefigures the destiny of his descendants. Just as Jacob leaves exile under Laban, survives the threat of Esau, and constructs succoth before entering the land, so too the Jewish nation builds succoth upon escaping Egyptian bondage and future exiles.[56]

 

In both Hosea 12:10 and 13:4, HaShem reminds the people that it is he who saved and redeemed them from Egypt and that there is no other salvation than him, and it will be he who saves them from their current exile and causes them to return to the land of their fathers. Therefore, Israel has the greater obligation to follow his way since it is they that HaShem has redeemed. That is, without HaShem's direct favor in their lives, they are nothing, a NO people. They have forsaken the divine promises—promises that Jacob received at Bethel—the very basis of their national identity. As such, they have no reason to continue as a nation if they are not following HaShem’s way. Each of us must have our own personal meeting of God at Bethel. In an eschatological reading, this foreshadows a future sanctuary where heaven and earth meet – the temple, and beyond that, the messianic presence where God dwells among his people. As Jacob stated, ‘this is the house of God, the gate of Heaven.’ (Gen.28:17-19)

 

The name “Lord God Almighty” (or “Lord God of Hosts”) does not occur in Genesis. It appears prominently in Amos, a prophet who seems to have had a great influence on Hosea, and in a few other texts from the monarchy period.[57] In the book of Amos, the name describes the God of all the earth who judges the nations, especially Israel (3:13; 5:16; 6:14; 9:5), but who also calls upon the people to repent in order that they may live (5:14–15). It is the great name that calls to mind all the majesty and power of God, and it here contrasts with the minimal and generic name ʾēl, “deity,” that the Israelites used in their cult (Hos 11:7, 12). This memorial name was the name of the real God of Israel, the God who found Jacob and transformed him, and it is the name by which this God should always be remembered.

 

The Israelites’ confidence that Egypt was a place of safety for them was shattered when a pharaoh who did not know Joseph turned against them and enslaved them. Hos 12:12-13 and Jacob’s complaint in Gen 29:25 both use the verb עבד (a term that connotes either service or slavery) to describe his work for Rachel. Exodus repeatedly uses the root עבד to describe the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt, as at (Exo.1:13), “And the Egyptians ruthlessly enslaved [עבד] the Israelites.” God thus created a situation in which Laban was eager to have Jacob leave (Gen 31:1–14). In this, HaShem delivered Jacob from the machinations of Laban just as he would later deliver Israel from the Egyptians, who were also more than ready to be rid of them after God afflicted Egypt with the plagues. In both cases, moreover, the Israelites departed with the wealth of their hosts. Hosea creates another parallel with wordplay: Jacob “tended” (šāmar) sheep to get a wife (v. 12), and in the Exodus HaShem “tended” (šāmar) Israel through his prophet. (v. 13). Here I think we see a similar pattern play out.

 

There is a parallel in that Jacob served “for a wife” (בְּאִשָּׁ֔ה), and HaShem delivered Israel “by a prophet” (וּבֲנָבִיא). Hosea 12:14 tells us that in this hint of exile, just like in Egypt, by a Prophet the Lord brought us up out of Egypt, and by a prophet were they ‘kept” or ‘guarded’. This points to two stages: redemption and preservation. Eschatologically, God will again use a prophetic voice or a messianic figure to bring Israel up from spiritual Egypt and keep them in covenant. The prophet is a channel of divine light; ‘bring up from Egypt’ and being ‘kept by a prophet’ suggest that ongoing spiritual guidance is necessary for the soul’s protection until our final reunion with HaShem. The single thing which is attributed to Ephraim’s fall is the cult of Baal. For Hosea, this apostasy, crime, and immorality of the people stemmed from this one fundamental deviation from God’s Torah. “Ephraim is oppressed; he is broken and crushed by [divine] judgment, because he was content to walk after idols (images) and man’s [evil] command [58](vanities and filth).^[59]

 

Ephraim, who once spoke with trembling (13:1), incurred guilt in his worship of Baal and died. Their sin increased, and they made idols and moved toward human sacrifice (v.2). They shall be like the morning mist, like dew that goes away early. Ephraim once had authority and fearsome influence. But “he died” (v.1). The idolatry of Ephraim killed his influence, and his spiritual authority and eschatological destiny. In the United States of America, we abort (murder, sacrifice) over a million babies a year.[60] The judgment of God will make these idolaters vanish (v. 3). Each of the four descriptors (mist … dew…. chaff … smoke) emphasizes the extreme transitory nature and condition of these idolaters.

 

Once more, HaShem reminded Israel of His gracious deeds at the beginning of their history (12:9a, 10, 12–13). He led them from Egypt (11:1; 12:9, 13), cared for (lit., “knew”) them in the wilderness (13:5), and allowed them to enter and feed in the Promised Land (v. 6). When I fed them is understood as literally “when they pastured.” It is a description of sheep or cattle grazing peacefully. In return for such blessings, they should have acknowledged HaShem as their God and Savior (v. 4). Instead, they became proud and forgot Him. This reproof is taken almost word for word from (Deut. 8:11ff.) (cf. 31:20; 32:15ff.). The very thing which Moses warned the people in (Deut. 8:11) has come to pass. God uses the circumstances of life to set up a perfect situation or test for each of us. We then have the free-will choice to conform our lives and walk in HaShem's ways or not. Once we have expressed our free will and made that choice, then we can receive the blessing of God or the curse and discipline of HaShem. “Therefore, the threats of the law against the rebellious have been fulfilled upon them.”^[61]

 

“So, you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.” Hold fast [שָׁמַר šāmar][62] to love, and justice [מִשְׁפָּט mišpāṭ],[63] and wait [קָוָה qāwā][64] continually [תָּמִיד tāmiyḏ].[65] This is what happened to Jacob, and it was retold to his children by Hosea as their future, and it is being played out in the earth today for all to see: the exodus from the wilderness back to the land of Israel. (Hosea 12:4-6) Hosea, speaking as the prophet of God, calls for three things from his people: repentance, justice, and faith. (12:4-6) “You must return to your God” uses the familiar word šûb, (H7725), a word that here implies abandonment of the fertility cults and all that went with them, and seeking grace and mercy from HaShem. “Maintain love and justice”; this is shorthand for doing all that God requires of us while giving greatest emphasis to the more important parts of the Torah (Matt 23:23). “Wait for your God always” as we sit in the sukkah and dwell in tents as we look for the day of redemption. This ‘waiting and sitting’ implies an attitude of faith that seeks security in HaShem rather than in wealth or position and that perseveres in faith even when personal circumstances are difficult. 59:15–21). HaShem will give strength to those who hope in Him, wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Ps. 27:14) They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isa. 40:31). Because HaShem is all-powerful and will bring His promises to pass. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly. (Lam. 3:25f) These promises include the establishing of His kingdom on earth and the return of the righteous to Him and the land and the cutting off of the evildoers. (Ps. 37:9, 34; Isa. 25:9)

 

The prophetic core of this reading in Hosea informs of Israel's healing and returning to the land. All idolatry is renounced, and God is recognized as the sole source of its fruit and all blessings. It was reported in 5787 that almost 8,700 people ascended the temple mount this Succoth as part of keeping the feast. Prophecy is rooted in concrete history and lineage and literally plays out on the world's stage. Israel's return also brings blessings to others, those who chose to live in the shade of Israel's tree. Ephraim rejects her idols and returns to her God. In this test of history, those who read God's dealings rightly will align with his ways, and those who embrace God’s ways and his people Israel will share in his restored Kingdom. (14:9-10) This pattern of judgment and mercy in the history of Torah and the people of Israel is leading us and teaching us to build a spiritual memory that binds each generation into one collective soul before God. (1:1-3)

 

Whoever is wise, let him understand these things and consider them; whoever is discerning and prudent, let him take note, let him know them; for the ways and paths of the Lord are right and smooth, and the upright and righteous walk in them, but transgressors and sinners stumble in them. (14:10)

 

Verbal Tallies

H.H. Ezra ben Abraham/SI

Bereshit (Genesis) 28:10-29:30

Tehillim (Psalms) 24:1-10

Ashlamatah: Hos 12:13 – 13:5 + 14:9-10

 

The Rabbinic & Traditional Jewish Framework of Textual Linkages

In Jewish hermeneutics and liturgical tradition, connecting a Seder (Torah reading) with an Ashlamatah (Haftarah/prophetic portion) and Tehillim (Psalm) relies on classical interpretive methods:

• Gezerah Shavah (גְּזֵרָה שָׁוָה): Connecting passages based on identical or near-identical Hebrew roots and key phrases.
• Midrashic Framing (מִדְרָשׁ): Connecting the historical narrative of the patriarchs to the moral, spiritual, and national destiny of Israel.
• Paideia of the Temple/Liturgy: Linking Jacob’s encounter with God at Bethel (Beit Elohim) to the ascent to the Holy Sanctuary on Mount Zion.

1. Verbal & Textual Tallies (Gezerah Shavah)

A. Fleeing and Servitude: Genesis & Hosea

Classical Rabbinic literature (Pesikta de-Rav Kahana, Bereshit Rabbah) emphasizes that Hosea explicitly retells Jacob’s exile in Aram to rebuke Israel for abandoning their covenant while elevating Jacob’s righteousness.

Genesis 28:10 / 27:43 Hosea 12:13 (12:12 in HB)

וַיִּבְרַח יַעֲקֹב... וַיִּבְרַח יַעֲקֹב שְׂדֵה אֲרָם

"And Jacob fled [to Haran] ..." --> “Jacob fled into the field of Aram..."

 

• The Verbal Tally (Barach - בָּרַח): The exact phrase וַיִּבְרַח יַעֲקֹב (Vayivrach Ya'akov - "And Jacob fled") links the historical flight from Esau directly to Hosea's prophetic reflection.
• The Tally of Servitude (Avad - עָבַד & Shamar - שָׁמַר):
• Genesis 29:20: "And Jacob served (וַיַּעֲבֹד) seven years for Rachel..."
• Genesis 28:15: God promises: "And behold, I am with you and will keep/guard you (וּשְׁמַרְתִּיךָ) wherever you go."
• Hosea 12:13: "Israel served (וַיַּעֲבֹד) for a wife, and for a wife he kept/guarded (שָׁמָר) sheep."
• Midrashic Connection: Hosea pairs Jacob’s human labor (shamar) with HaShem’s divine watchfulness (shamar) over Jacob during his wandering.

B. Ascending the Mount & Seeking the Gate: Genesis & Psalm 24

In Chazal (the Sages), Bethel ("House of God") where Jacob dreamt of the ladder is identified with Mount Moriah—the site of the Temple in Jerusalem (Bereshit Rabbah 69:7, BT Pesachim 88a).

Genesis 28:12, 17 Psalm 24:3, 6

מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים עֹלִים... מִי-יַעֲלֶה בְהַר-ה'

"Angels of God ascending..." --> "Who shall ascend the mountain of HaShem?"

 

• The Verbal Tally of Ascent (Alah - עָלָה):
• The angels ascend (עֹלִים, olim) the ladder whose top reaches heaven in Genesis 28:12.
• Psalm 24:3 asks: "Who shall ascend (יַעֲלֶה, ya'aleh) the mountain of HaShem?"
• Rabbinic Interpretation: Jacob is the prototype of the human who ascends the holy mountain, bringing heaven down to earth through purity of heart.
• The Gate of Heaven vs. The Ancient Gates:
• Genesis 28:17: "This is none other than the house of God (בֵּית אֱלֹהִים), and this is the gate of heaven (שַׁעַר הַשָּׁמָיִם)."
• Psalm 24:7, 9: "Lift up your heads, O gates (שְׁעָרִים)... that the King of glory may come in."
• The Tally of the Name "Jacob" (Ya'akov - יַעֲקֹב):
• Psalm 24:6: "This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, [O God of] Jacob (דּוֹר דֹּרְשָׁיו, מְבַקְשֵׁי פָנֶיךָ יַעֲקֹב)."
• Midrashic Connection: According to Rashi and Ibn Ezra, Ya'akov in Psalm 24:6 refers to Israel seeking the God who revealed Himself to Jacob when he slept at the site of the Sanctuary.

2. Comparative Thematic Analysis

Conceptual Axis	Torah Seder (Gen 28:10–29:30)	Ashlamatah (Hos 12:13–13:5; 14:9–10)	Tehillim (Ps 24:1–10)
Locational Focal Point	Bethel / Haran: Jacob leaves Beer-sheba, encounters the Makom (Holy Place), and goes into exile.	Aram / Gilead: Hosea invokes Jacob's exile in Aram to contrast Jacob's humility with Ephraim's idolatry.	Mount Zion / Sanctuary: The dwelling of HaShem’s presence (Kavod) where the righteous ascend.
Spiritual Archetype	Jacob the Servant: Relies entirely on HaShem's promise of protection (Shemirah).	Return & Repentance (Teshuvah): Hosea calls Israel to return to the integrity of their ancestor Jacob.	Clean Hands & Pure Heart: “He who has not lifted up his soul to vanity” (refers to avoiding Laban’s deceit).
Divine Covenantal Mark	The Blessing (Berakah): Abraham’s blessing passed to Jacob ("All families of the earth shall be blessed").	The True Prophet / Fruitfulness: God redeemed Israel from exile via a prophet (Hos 12:14); Israel flourishes in God (14:9).	Blessing from HaShem: “He shall receive a blessing (בְּרָכָה) from HaShem and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

 

3. Thematic Synthesis from a Traditional Rabbinic View

1. Exile and Divine Watchfulness (Hashgachah Pratit):

Jacob enters exile penniless and fleeing for his life, yet God promises to keep watch over him (Shamar). Hosea highlights that despite Jacob’s hardship—having to work as a shepherd for a wife—his faith sustained him.

2. Ascending from Lower Realm to Upper Realm:

Jacob's dream reveals that the earthly sanctuary aligns directly with the heavenly throne. Psalm 24 asks who is worthy to stand in that holy sanctuary: only one like Jacob, who resisted the fraudulence of Laban (clean hands and a pure heart) and sought the face of God.

3. The Ultimate Promise of Restoration (Teshuvah):

Hosea 14:9–10 concludes with the ultimate resolution of Israel’s journey: "Who is wise, let him understand these things... for the ways of HaShem are right, and the righteous shall walk in them." Just as Jacob’s journey through distress led to the building of the twelve tribes of Israel, so Israel’s repentance through exile leads to their ultimate restoration on Mount Zion.

 

 

Nazarean Talmud

Sidra Of Bereshit (Genesis) 28:10 – 29:30

“VaYetse Ya’aqob” “And left Jacob”

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Avraham

 

Hakham Tsefet’s School Of Peshat

(Mark 3:13-19)

Yeshua left and he went up into the mountain and appointed (Yif’qod) those whom he would have near him. And they turned towards him as their Hakham and source of Wisdom. And he appointed twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them out as emissaries^[66] to herald (the Mesorah), and to have the authority to heal sicknesses, and to cast out shedim (demons). And as the chief^[67] he appointed Shim’on bar Yonah whom he surnamed^[68] Tsefet (Peter). And he appointed Ya’aqov ben Zabdeyel, and Yochannan ben Zabdeyel the brother of Ya’aqov, he surnamed both B'ne Rogaz which is sons of short temper. And he appointed Adam (Andrew) bar Yonah, and Peresh (Philip),^[69] and Bar-Telem (Bartholomew),^[70] and Matityahu (Matthew) ben Chalfai HaLevi, and T’om (Thomas) ben Chalfai HaLevi, and Ya’aqov ben Chafai HaLevi, and Yehudah (Thaddeus) ben Ya’aqob, and Shim’on HaK’na’ani (Simon the Cananite),^[71] And Y’hudah Ish Q’riyot, who also betrayed him.

 Hakham Shaul’ School of Tosefta

(Luke 6:12-16)

And it happened in those days that he left and went out into the mountain to pray, and he was spending the night in prayer to G-d. And when it was day, he called his talmidim. And he appointed twelve of them, who he also named his emissaries: Shim’on, whom he also surnamed Tsefet, and Adam his brother; Ya’aqov and Yochanan; Peresh and Bar-Telem; Matityahu and T’om; Ya’aqov ben Chalfai, and Shim’on who was called HaK’na’ani; Y’hudah the brother of Ya’aqov, and Y’hudah Ish Q’riyot who also became the betrayer.

 

Commentary to Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

 

Concurring with Mann, the Greek text of the present pericope is confusing^[72] and strained. What is evident from the text is that Yeshua selects and appoints those who will be essential for the dissemination and proclamation of the Mesorah. Their occupation is superficially stated as those who would proclaim the Mesorah with authority over sickness and shedim (demons). However, the chief thing is the proclamation of the Mesorah. The declaration of the Mesorah is an essential way of life. All who are sick and controlled by shedim (demons) are not able to conduct themselves according to the Mesorah. Therefore, Yeshua authorizes his talmidim with the appropriate tools for this proclamation. What scholars fail to understand is that these men are all essential to the master plan of Yeshua. Their inability to find these names in other places does not minimize anyone on the list of appointments.^[73] Each Talmid was significant to the overarching plan of the Master.

 

The Chief of the Nazarean Movement

Concurring with Taylor^[74] We find the text should read “And as the chief he appointed Shim’on bar Yonah whom he surnamed Tsefet (Peter).” This is attested to in various manuscripts and, most importantly, in the order of selection and appointment.

 

Gal 2:8—9 For he who worked in Tsefet (Peter) in that he was sent of the Jews also worked in me and sent me to the Gentiles. And when they knew of the mercy that was given to me, Ya’aqov and Tsefet and Yochanan, those who were considered to be pillars, gave to me and to Bar-Nabbi the right hand of fellowship that we [should work] among the Gentiles and they among the circumcision.

 

Throughout the Greek Nazarean Codicil, Hakham Tsefet is called by three titles. Simon, Peter and Cephas. When we look at the Peshitta, Hakham Tsefet is NEVER called Cephas but an Aramaic translation of the Greek/Latin word “Petros” – i.e. Kepha. We will not, at present, deal with the arguments concerning the possibility of the two names referring to two individuals. However, we will rest on the fact that the Peshitta never calls Hakham Tsefet “Cephas” as evidence of the singularity of person. And it is not the focus of this document to argue these points at the present time. Our question is what does the name “Tsefet” mean, and how does this relate to his being the Chief of the Nazarean Jews of his time?

 

Yeshua makes the following statement about Hakham Tsefet.

 

Yochanan (Jn) 1:42 And he brought him (Shim’on, Bar Yona) to Yeshua. And Yeshua looked at him and said, "You are Shim’on, Bar Yona. You will be called Tsefet (Peter)."^[75]

 

That Hakham Tsefet must have been “Shim’on” is clear, but Yeshua says that he would be called Tsefet (Peter). Why does Yeshua call Shim’on “Tsefet”? And why is the name not found in Scripture for any other individual? While the name “Tsefet” does not appear as a proper name, it does appear in the Tanakh.

 

2Ch 3:15 Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter (v’ha’tzephet) that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.^[76]

 

We will include the Hebrew text of the cited passage for clarification.

 

¹⁵ וַיַּ֜עַשׂ לִפְנֵ֤י הַבַּ֙יִת֙ עַמּוּדִ֣ים שְׁנַ֔יִם אַמּ֕וֹת שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים וְחָמֵ֖שׁ אֹ֑רֶךְ וְהַצֶּ֥פֶת אֲשֶׁר־עַל־רֹאשׁ֖וֹ אַמּ֥וֹת חָמֵֽשׁ׃ ס

 

The highlighted Hebrew text reads v’ha’tzephet. The phrase v’ha’tsefet would read “and the chapiter.” The word chapiter is translated as “tsefet,” which is not the pillar itself. The “tsefet” is the cap or head (chief) of the pillar. Therefore, Hakham Tsefet is not only seen as a “pillar” himself, but also as the cap or head (chief) of the pillar. The “tsefet” is the upper portion of the pillar, which supports the edifice. Consequently, Hakham Tsefet is not only one of the “pillars” of the Nazarean Community; he is also the primary support for the whole community.

 

Tsefet is also the name of a Biblical and modern city in Eretz Yisrael.

 

Jud. 1:17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Tz’fat (צְפַת Tz’phath – watchman or watch-tower), and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.

 

Tz’fat is so titled because it is one of the highest “mountains” within Eretz Yisrael. Please note that I said “within” Eretz Yisrael. We realize that Mount Hermon is higher than Tz’fat.

 

Holy Mountains

There are “mountains” in the northern part of Yisrael. However, we are concerned with only those places which we would deem “Holy.” The three names which serve as the most prominent in terms of “holiness” are Har Sinai (Mount Sinai), which is not located in Eretz Yisrael. The Har HaBayit (Mountain of the House) is where the Temple is located, and finally Har Tz’fat is situated in the Northern part of the Galil. Each mountain bears significance, and from each we have received spiritual instruction. From Har Sinai we received the gift of the Torah. From Har HaBayit we received instruction on how to conduct ourselves and Kohanim (Priests). From Har Tz’fat we received the fullness of the Oral Torah. Therefore, we find strong evidence for the setting of the present pericope. It is from this mountain that the River that parted and became four “Heads,” PaRDes, flows into Eretz Yisrael (Gan Eden) and thereby the entire world.

 

Gen. 2:10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.

 

Structured Nomos of the Esnoga (Synagogue)

The Nazarean Codicil gives us a peek into the structure of the Esnoga (Synagogue) in various passages. While there is a specific need for understanding the structured universe as a Nomos – Torah, there is a greater need to understand the Esnoga as a microcosm of that structure. The seven officers are superficially alluded to in Remes of 2 Luqas.

 

• Masoret –                       Catechist (father and president of the Congregation)
• Sheliach –                       Chazan/Bishop (Hazan, disciplinarian of the Congregation)
• Darshan –                       Magid Prophet (Angel of the Congregation)
• Parnas –                         Pastor I (Bitahon Confidence)
• Parnas –                         Pastor II (Temimut Sincerity)
• Parnas –                         Pastor III (Emet Truth/Honesty)
• Meturgeman –               Moreh/Zaqen (Teacher/Elder)

 

We will not endeavor to delve into legitimate ecclesiology at this present juncture. Suffice it to say that the Master believed in corporate structure. These Rabbinic qualities may be seen as mimicry of G-d’s character demonstrated in the ordered creation of the universe. As it is our duty to study the Nomos – Torah to be best educated in how to conduct ourselves within that structured nomos, we need to understand with clarity the structure of the Esnoga.

 

Peroration

The selection of the Nazarean Paqidim is very intentional. It is also the infrastructure for the Nazarean community that will soon be birthed. The Torah Seder tells us that Ya’aqob “went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.” This is preparatory activity for becoming the nation of Israel. In similar fashion, Yeshua’s appointment of Nazarean Paqidim is preparatory to the Nazarean community, which would disseminate the Master's Mesorah. Just as Ya’aqob’s sons became the Nation of Priests, the Nazarean Paqidim became the heralds of the Mesorah on a global level. The importance of proclaiming the Mesorah has been stated in the previous commentary. Nevertheless, we will reiterate the point for further clarification. The Mesorah is the Nomos - Torah for the perfected community. It has been the salvation of Judaism in the diaspora to this present day. In the future, it will be the infrastructure for the community of Messiah and the eventual structure for the Olam HaBa. If we are to be principal agents of those communities, we need to begin study, implementation, and practice now. This means that Messiah needs what he established in this pericope to be re-established and fully developed now in the present preparatory age. We need Paqidim, Rabbis, and Esnoga in every place. This process may begin in strategic areas of the globe. Nevertheless, we need to begin NOW!

 

Some Questions to Ponder:

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

 

Blessing After Torah Study

 

Barúch Atáh Adonai, Elohénu Meléch HaOlám,

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

Barúch Atáh Adonái, Notén HaToráh. Amen!

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

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

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

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

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!”

 

Next Shabbat: “VaYar’ Adonai” “And saw HaShem”

 

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

· The birth of eleven of Jacob’s children – Gen. 29:31 – 30:21

 

Reading Assignment:

 

 

 

 

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

Edited by His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham

A special thank you to HH Giberet Giborah bat Sarah and Giberet Sarai bat Sarah for their diligence in proof-reading