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

 

 

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

 

Roll of Honor:

 

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

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

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His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham

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

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

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His Excellency Adon Shlomoh ben Abraham

His Excellency Adon Ya’aqob ben David

His Excellency Adon Bill Haynes and beloved wife HE Giberet Diane Haynes

Her Excellency Giberet Krysta Wallrauch & beloved family

 

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

 

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

 

 

A Prayer for Israel

 

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

 

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

 

We pray for his Honor Adon Tzuriel ben Avraham. Mi Sheberach…He who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, may He bless and heal His Honor Paqid Tzuriel ben Avraham, 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!

 

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!

 

Shabbat: Iyar 29, 5786

“Vayihyu B’ne Noach” - “And were the sons of Noach”

Shabbat Mevar’chin HaChodesh Sivan Announcing of the New Moon for the Month of Sivan

Evening Saturday 16th of May – Sunday 17th

 

 

Contents of Week’s Torah Seder

 

·        Planting a Vineyard – Genesis 9:18-29

·        The Family of Nations – Genesis 10:1-32

 

Reading Assignment:

 

 

 

Rashi & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Bereshit (Genesis) 9:18 – 10:32

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: Bereshit (Genesis) 9:18 – 10:32

 

18 and Ham-he was the father of Canaan Why was it necessary to say this here? Because the chapter proceeds to deal with Noah’s drunkenness, in which Ham sinned, and because of him Canaan was cursed, and since the generations of Ham were not yet written, and we do not know that Canaan was his son, it was necessary to say here, “and Ham-he was the father of Canaan.”

 

20 [And Noah] began Heb. וַיָחֶל [This can be understood as] he made himself profane, for he should have first engaged in planting something different. - [Gen. Rabbah 36:3] [i.e., He should not have planted a vineyard, from which wine is produced, but other trees.]

 

a master of the soil - אִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה, the master of the earth, like (Ruth 1:3): “Naomi’s husband (אִישׁ) .” Rashi explains that Elimelech was called אִישׁ נָעָמִי because of his mastery over her. Cf. Commentary Digest ad loc.

 

and he planted a vineyard When he entered the ark, he brought with him vine branches and shoots of fig trees. - [from Gen. Rabbah 36:3]

 

21 his tent it is written אָהֳלֹה [and not the usual אָהֳלוֹ ]. This alludes to the Ten Tribes, who were referred to by the name of Samaria, which was called Oholah [ אָהֳלָה ] (Ez. 23:4), who were exiled on account of wine, as is written: (Amos 6:6): “who drink from basins of wine.”- [from Tan. Buber, Noach 21]

 

and he uncovered himself Heb. וַיִתְגַָּל , the הִתְפָעֵל conjugation, [the reflexive].

 

22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw - (Gen. Rabbah 36:7) Some of our Sages say: Canaan saw and told his father; therefore, he was mentioned regarding the matter, and he was cursed.

 

saw his father’s nakedness Some say that he castrated him, and some say that he sodomized him. - [from Sanh. 70a]

 

23 And Shem and Japheth took Heb. וַיִקַח It does not say וַיִקְחוּ , (the plural form), but וַיִקַח , the singular form. This teaches us about Shem, that he exerted himself to fulfill the commandment more than Japheth. Therefore, his sons merited a tallith with fringes, and Japheth merited burial for his sons, as it is said: (Ezek. 39:11): “I will give Gog a place there as a grave in Israel.” But Ham, who disgraced his father-it is stated about his seed (Isa. 20:4): “So shall the king of Assyria lead the captivity of Egypt and the exile of Cush, youths and old men, naked and barefoot, with bare buttocks, etc.”- [from Tan Buber Noach 16, Gen. Rabbah 36:6]

 

and their faces were turned backwards Why is this stated a second time? This teaches that when they drew near to him and they had to turn around to cover him, they turned their faces backwards.

 

24 his small son The worthless and despicable one, like (Jer. 49:15): “Behold I have made you small among the nations; despised among men.”- [from Gen. Rabbah 16:7]

 

25 Cursed be Canaan You have caused me to be incapable of begetting another fourth son (Gen. Rabbah, manuscripts, and early editions read: a fourth son) to serve me. Cursed be your fourth son, that he should minister to the children of these older ones [Shem and Japhet], upon whom the burden of serving me has been placed from now on (Gen. Rabbah 36:7). Now what did Ham see (what reason did he have) that he castrated him? He said to his brothers, “The first man [Adam] had two sons, and one killed the other so as to inherit the world, and our father has three sons, and he still desires a fourth son!”- [from Gen. Rabbah ibid. 5, 22:7]

 

26 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem Who is destined to keep His promise to his seed to give them the land of Canaan. be [and let] Canaan be to them a vassal paying tribute.

 

27 May God expand Japheth Translated by the Targum as יַפְתֵּי , meaning: He will widen [or expand]. Cf. Targum Onkelos, Deut. 12:20,19:8.

 

and may He dwell in the tents of Shem May He cause His Presence to rest in Israel. The interpretation of the Sages, however is: Although God will beautify Japheth, insofar as Cyrus, who was of the sons of Japheth, built the Second Temple, the Shechinah did not rest therein. But where did it rest? In the First Temple, built by Solomon, who was of the sons of Shem. - [from Yoma 9b, 10a]

 

and may Canaan be a slave Even after the descendants of Shem are exiled, some of the descendants of Canaan will be sold to them as slaves.

 

Chapter 10

 

2 Tiras This is Persia. - [from Gen. Rabbah (ad loc., Yoma]

 

8 he began to be a mighty man to cause the entire world to rebel against the Holy One, blessed be He, with the plan of the Generation of the Dispersion. - [from Eruv. 53a, Chul. 89a]

 

9 a mighty hunter He ensnared people’s minds with his speech and misled them to rebel against the Omnipresent. - [from Gen. Rabbah 37:2]

 

before the Lord He intended to provoke Him to His face. - [from Sifra Bechukkothai 2:2]

 

therefore, it is said About any man who is brazenly wicked, who recognizes his Master and intends to rebel [ לִמְרֽד ] against Him, it is said, “This one is like Nimrod [ נִמְרֽד ], a mighty hunter.”

 

11 From that land Since Asshur saw his sons obeying Nimrod and rebelling against the Omnipresent by building the tower, he departed from their midst. - [from Gen. Rabbah 37:4]

 

12 the great city This is Nineveh, as it is said (Jonah 3:3): “Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city to God.”-[from Gen. Rabbah 37:4, Yoma 10a] [i.e., Scripture is referring to Nineveh, not to Resen or Calah.]

 

13 Lehabim Heb. לְהָבִים [people] whose faces were like flames (לַהַב) .

 

14 And the Pathrusim and the Casluhim, from whom the Philistines emerged They [the Philistines] descended from them both, for the Pathrusim and the Casluhim exchanged the intimacy of their wives with each other, and the Philistines descended from them. - [from Gen. Rabbah 37:5]

 

18 and afterwards...were scattered From these were scattered many families.

 

19 the border of the Canaanites Heb. גְּבוּל , the end of his land. Every mention of גְּבוּל denotes an end and an edge.

 

as you come Heb. בָּֽאֲכָה is a noun [i.e., the approach to]. And it appears to me that [it is an expression] as when a person says to his friend, “This border extends until you come to such and such a border.”

 

20 according to...their tongues, in their lands Although they were divided into tongues and lands, they are all the sons of Ham.

 

21 the father of all the people of the other side of the river was Shem. See below 14:13.

 

the brother of Japheth, the elder I do not know [from the wording of the verse] whether Japheth is the elder or Shem. [The verse may be rendered: the elder brother of Japheth.] When Scripture says (11:10): “Shem was a hundred years old, etc.” two years after the Flood, you must say that Japheth was the elder, because Noah was five hundred years old when he first had children, and the Flood came to pass in the six hundredth year. Consequently, the eldest of his sons was a hundred years old [at the time of the Flood], and Shem did not reach [the age of] a hundred until two years after the Flood. - [from Gen. Rabbah 37:7]

 

the brother of Japheth But not the brother of Ham, for these two honored their father, and that one [Ham] disgraced him. [See Targum Jonathan, which renders: the brother of Japheth, who was great in the fear of the Lord. Perhaps this was Rashi’s source, but it is unlikely.]

 

25 was divided The tongues became confused, and they were scattered from the valley and were dispersed throughout the entire world. We learn that Eber was a prophet, since he named his son for a future event [i.e. פֶּלֶג resembles the word נִפְלְגָה meaning “dispersed.”]. And we learned in Seder Olam (ch. 1) that at the end of his [Peleg’s] days, they were dispersed. For if you say that [they were dispersed] at the beginning of his days, behold his brother Joktan was his junior, and he begot many families before that, as it is said (verse 26): “And Joktan begot, etc.,” and [only] afterwards, [is it written] (11:1): “And the whole earth was one language.” Now if you say [that they were dispersed] in the middle of his [Peleg’s] days, [this is not so, because] Scripture does not come to make things obscure but to explain. Hence, you learn that in the year of Peleg’s death, they were dispersed.

 

Joktan Because he was humble and considered himself small (קָטָן) . Therefore, he merited to raise all these families. - [from Gen. Rabbah 37:7]

 

26 Hazarmaveth lit. yard of death, graveyard. He was so called because of his place. [These are] the words of the Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 37:7).

 

Ketubim: Tehillim (Psalms) ‎7:1-18‎

 

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Tehillim (Psalms) 7:1-18

 

 1 A shiggayon of David Menachem says (p. 170) that this, too, is one of the names of a melody named for the instrument, and so he explained “on shigyonoth,” [in Habakkuk 3:1]. But our Sages (Mid. Ps. 7:18) explained it as an expression of error, that he confessed and prayed about the error that he had [committed by] reciting a song upon Saul’s downfall, as it is stated (in II Sam. 22:1): “And David spoke to the Lord, etc.” The contents of the psalm, however, do not indicate this, because it speaks of the nations (in verse 9): “May the Lord judge the peoples.” I, therefore, say that he recited it concerning Ishbi in Nob (II Sam. 21:16), who came upon him as a punishment for Saul; as our Rabbis explained, that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Through you, Doeg the Edomite was banished; through you, Saul and his sons were slain, etc.” as is stated in “Chelek” (Sanh. 95a). The errors that David asked of the Holy One, blessed be He, [were] that he [himself] be delivered into the hands of his enemies and that his descendants should not be destroyed. (The last sentence does not appear in all editions.) [Therefore, because his life was endangered,] David reversed his prayer and prayed that he should not fall into the hands of his enemies. Now this is its meaning: An error that David sang to the Lord because he had erred in saying to the Holy One, blessed be He, to deliver him into the hands of his enemies on account of Saul, who was slain because of him. Another explanation: Concerning the error of the skirt of Saul’s coat, which he had severed.

 

Cush Just as a Cushite has unusual skin, so did Saul have unusual deeds.

 

3 rending it to pieces Heb. פרק, an expression of (Exod. 32:2): “Break off (פרקו) the golden rings.”

 

4 if I have done this What is delineated after it.

 

5 if I repaid the one who did evil to me If I repaid him according to his deeds.

 

and I stripped my adversary into emptiness I destroyed his garment when I severed the skirt of his coat. Did I do it to destroy and to strip him and cause him to stand empty, and [was it done] with hatred? Only to let him know that he was delivered into my hand to kill him, and I did not kill him. [The word] חלצה is an expression of stripping off clothing.

 

7 Arise, O Lord, with Your wrath against my enemies, such as Ishbi and his brothers and the Philistines, that I should not be delivered into their hands.

 

exalt Yourself boast, to show me the revenge of Your anger when You become angry with them.

 

and awaken for me that I should be able to execute upon them the judgment of revenge that You commanded. Now where did You command [it]? “You shall break them with an iron rod” (above 2:9). “Then I will be an enemy to your enemies” (Exod. 23:22). I found this in the Midrash (Mid. Ps. 7:6; Tan. Ki Thissa 20, Buber 13 with variations).

 

8 And [if] a congregation of kingdoms surrounds You If troops of nations follow You to save them, do not hearken to their voice. Distance Yourself from them and go back to sit in Your place on high; repoxa in Old French, repose. Another interpretation: Return on high to show them that You have the upper hand.

 

9 May the Lord judge the peoples Reverse the sentence from upon us and place it upon the nations.

 

judge An expression of chastisements.

 

judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness But judge Israel according to the good deeds they have done and not according to the sins.

 

10 destroy Heb. יגמר, lit. finish. An expression of destruction, and so did Menachem (p. 57) interpret: (77:9), “destroyed (גמר) His word”; (12:2), “a pious man has perished (גמר),” and so all of them. (This does not appear in certain editions.)

 

and may You establish the righteous...tests the hearts You know who is the righteous/generous man that You may establish him.

 

the righteous God That is Your name.

 

12 a righteous judge are You to judge with righteousness/generosity.

 

is incensed every day when He sees the deed of the wicked.

 

13 If he does not repent [i.e., if] the wicked [does not repent] of his wickedness.

 

He will whet His sword The Holy One, blessed be He, [will whet His sword] for him. ילטוש means forbira in Old French, to polish, furbish; and He will tread His bow.

 

14 And... for him And for the wicked man, the Holy One, blessed be He, has prepared deadly weapons.

 

for pursuers Heb. לדלקים, for pursuers, as (in Gen. 31: 36): “that you pursued (דלקת) me.” And this is its meaning: His arrows to slay the wicked who pursue the righteous, the Holy One, blessed be He, will make and prepare them to slay them. Every [instance of] דליקה is an expression of pursuit.

 

15 Behold, he travails Heb. יחבל an expression of conception and birth, as (in Song 8:5): “there your mother was in travail with you (חבלתך).”

 

he conceives mischief and gives birth to lies Whatever he begets and toils, everything betrays him. The adage says: Whatever lies beget, diminution takes.

 

18 I will thank the Lord according to His righteousness When He executes strict justice with righteousness, to judge the wicked according to their wickedness.

 

Meditation from the Psalms

Tehillim (Psalms) 7:1-18

By H. Em. Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David

 

This Psalm is dedicated to King Saul,^[1] whom David considered his most difficult enemy.^[2] For, unlike the rest of his foes, Saul was a truly great and righteous man. In many ways, his excellence even surpassed that of David. Moreover, although Saul relentlessly pursued David with large armies, David could not strike back, for he, more than anyone, appreciated Saul’s exalted and privileged status as ‘The Anointed of HaShem’. Although constantly in mortal danger, David never compromised his firm conviction that harming Saul would be the equivalent of defying HaShem Himself, for HaShem had chosen Saul to be His first king.

 

Twice Saul unwittingly fell into David’s hands. Once, while pursuing him, Saul entered a cave not knowing that the fugitive and his men were hiding in the depths of that very cavern. David could have slain Saul easily; instead, unbeknown to Saul, he merely cut off the corner of the royal robe as evidence of the opportunity he forfeited.^[3]

 

Another time David stood over the slumbering, helpless Saul but instead of slaying him, he took the king’s spear as a token of what he could have done.^[4]

 

In both cases, Saul, overwhelmed by David’s generosity, solemnly swore never to harm him again. But he did not keep his word, for God punished him with a spiritual malady, a dark, jealous depression. ‘An evil spirit from G-d descended upon Saul and he raved madly in the palace’.^[5] Saul himself admitted that he was inconsistent and untrustworthy in his dealings with David. ‘And Saul said: I have sinned . . . behold I have acted like a fool and erred very much’.^[6]

 

In this psalm, David proclaims that he has been completely upright and just in all of his dealings with Saul. Through it all, he has made but one minor ‘error’. Although he mourned Saul’s death bitterly and eloquently eulogized him, he also sang in gladness over his personal salvation from mortal danger with the death of his pursuer.^[7] David fears now that this was wrong for it displayed a lack of total grief over the demise of one as great as King Saul.

 

The Sages taught that this psalm was the ‘Song of the day’ for Purim.^[8]

 

Yaavetz^[9] tells us, as the reason why this psalm is the psalm of Purim, that Mordecai was a descendant of Saul. Furthermore, the verse ‘He digs a pit, digs it deep, only to fall into his own trap’^[10] describes Haman who was hung on the very gallows which he prepared for Mordecai.^[11]

 

Midrash Rabbah - Esther X:2 TO HANG MORDECAI ON THE GALLOWS THAT HE HAD PREPARED FOR HIM. A teacher commented: He prepared for himself; and to him can be applied the verse, He hath also prepared for himself^[12] the weapons of death, yea, his arrows which he made sharp... he hath digged a pit, and hollowed it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.^[13]

 

I would like to examine the background story which links Mordechai and King Saul. Let us take a brief look at Haman's ancestry:

 

King Saul receives instructions, G-d, to eradicate the entire nation of Amalek. He is not to spare one of them. Such is the message that Saul receives from the Prophet Samuel. But Saul, in his mercy, takes pity on Agag King of Amalek. Although Agag is ultimately put to death, he succeeds during his captivity to father a child, and so the Amalek dynasty continues. Ultimately, Haman descends from Agag’s son. We can see that Megillat Esther makes this connection for us by explicitly linking Agag and Haman:

 

Esther 3:1 After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.

 

Saul is heavily criticized for sparing Agag.^[14] At first glance this harsh criticism seems a little misplaced. Surely it was due to Saul's commendable traits of kindness and mercy that Agag was spared. Never the less, so serious is Saul’s transgression, at Saul’s immense spiritual level, that he loses the kingship.^[15]

 

It is worth noting that our Torah portion and Psalms chapter both speak about exceedingly great men who had minor ‘imperfections’. Our psalm speaks of King Saul and our Torah portion speaks of Noach. The Gemara tells us of King Saul’s greatness:

 

Yoma 22b R. Huna said: How little does he whom the Lord supports need to grieve or trouble himself! Saul sinned once and it brought [calamity] upon him, David sinned twice and it did not bring evil upon him — What was the one sin of Saul? The affair with Agag.^[16] But there was also the matter with Nob,^[17] the city of the priests? — [Still] it was because of what happened with Agag that Scripture says: It repenteth Me that I have set up Saul to be king.^[18] What were the two sins of David? — The sin against Uriah^[19] and that [of counting the people to which] he was enticed.^[20]

 

A number of years later finds David, Saul's successor, as King. David has a long-standing dispute with Shimi ben Gera.

 

II Shmuel (Samuel) 16:5 And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimi Es 2:5 Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite; the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came. 6 And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7 And thus said Shimi when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial: 8 HaShem hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and HaShem hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man. 9 Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. 10 And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because HaShem hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so? 11 And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for HaShem hath bidden him. 12 It may be that HaShem will look on mine affliction, and that HaShem will requite me good for his cursing this day.

 

It seems that David would have been well within his rights to have Shimi put to death; challenging the monarchy is a capital offense. However, David in an apparent display of sympathy spares Shimi. And who is descended from Shimi? The hero of the Purim story -- Mordechai!^[21]

 

Esther 2:5 Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimi, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;

 

Here are two stories, which seem remarkably similar. But the results could not be more different. Why did David's noble act of mercy produce Mordechai, whereas Saul's benevolent sympathy resulted in the wicked Haman?

 

Saul's fault was in not adhering to G-d's command. G-d had sent instructions to Saul via Samuel's prophecy. The message was clear: Do not leave even one. From that one individual would ultimately sprout all those Hamans and Hitlers who have tormented and killed Jews for so many generations. There is a time for mercy and there is a time for might.

 

David, however, with his mercy, was observing the Torah precept of not taking revenge. It may be true that according to the letter of the law David could have had Shimi put to death, but revenge, although sweet, is certainly not advocated by the Torah.

 

These two stories contain a powerful message. Only HaShem can look into the distant future; only HaShem can know of the suffering that can be caused by a seemingly harmless act. Similarly, when we follow HaShem’s will, we need not worry about the potential side effects.

 

There is an additional allusion to Purim in:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 7:4 HaShem my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands; 5 If I have requited him that did evil unto me, or spoiled mine adversary unto emptiness; 6 Let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it, and tread my life down to the earth; yea, let him lay my glory in the dust. Selah

 

The most powerful lesson in our Psalm is that David was not afraid to admit that he made a mistake^[22] and to print it in writing and publicize it. David’s mission in life was to bring out the Honor of HaShem and to teach the world how to properly repent.^[23] The verse^[24] states, “when the king will sin….” and goes on to describe the sacrifice that he must bring. The verse does not state, “if the king sins,” it is not only a possibility, rather it states, “when the king sins,” it is inevitable! As King David’s son Shlomo states,^[25] “there is no one in the world who is free from sin.” Everyone makes mistakes, but only a real man can admit a mistake! Rashi^[26] states, “Praiseworthy is a nation whose leader was willing to contemplate bringing a sacrifice on account of his sin”. One of David’s greatest messages was the power of repentance and being honest with oneself. David took full responsibility for his actions. This way he was able to apologize, rectify the situation and charge forward with growth. This was the exact theme of Purim. The Jews admitted that they had gone against the advice of their sages and had turned their backs on HaShem and were thus deserving of death. When they repented and admitted their sins, they were saved miraculously and gained a most amazing day of celebration for eternity.

 

Now that we have explored this background story, let’s return to our chapter of Psalms.

 

Psalms chapter seven precedes Psalms chapter six chronologically. The verbal tallies between the Torah and Psalm seven are son and God. The ‘son’ applies to King Saul and ‘God’ refers to the Judge: judge King Saul and King David, the composer of this psalm, if HaShem gives him over to his enemies. This psalm was inspired mainly by King Saul’s downfall. David recognizes his rejoicing at the downfall of King Saul as an error^[27] on his part.^[28] The Gemara gives us some insight on this issue:

 

Mo’ed Katan 16b And David spoke unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies and out of the hand of Saul.^[29] The Holy One, blessed ‘be He, said to David, David do you compose a song on the downfall of Saul? Had you been Saul and he David, I would have annihilated many a David out of regard for him. Hence it is written, ‘Shiggaion^[30] of David, which he said unto the Lord, concerning Cush a Benjamite.^[31] Was Cush that Benjamite’s name? And was not his name Saul? — But, just as a Cushite [Ethiopian]^[32] is distinguishable by his skin, so was Saul distinguished by his deeds.

 

The first pasuk of our psalm uses an interesting Hebrew word which elicits comments from many commentators:

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 7:1 Shiggaion^[33] of David, which he sang unto HaShem, concerning Cush a Benjamite.

 

Our psalm uses this word to introduce the content of this psalm. Let’s explore David’s background for this word.

 

David restrained himself from taking vengeance upon Shaul. However, Chazal teach that HaShem did hold David accountable for cursing him.^[34] HaShem said to David, “Why do you curse my anointed one? You said,^[35] ‘Let all my foes be shamed and utterly confounded, they will regret and be shamed in an instant.’ Who are your enemies? Surely King Saul, about whom you said,^[36] ‘On the day that HaShem delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Shaul.’ But one may not curse the king, as it says,^[37] ‘Even in your thoughts do not curse a king.’” David replied, “Master of the Universe! You are accusing me of willfully sinning! But that was not my intention, for “who can discern mistakes – מי שגיאות יבין?”.^[38] David expressed his regret by saying,^[39] “… לדוד שגיון – A [song of the] Shiggaion, by David.” The word שגיון (a type of musical instrument) is similar to the word שגיות (mistakes).

 

This accords well with what the Midrash tells us:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus XXXII:2 Who was your enemy? Was it not Saul? Is it not in fact written, In the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, to wit,^[40] from the hand of Saul?^[41] Thereupon David said to the Holy One, blessed be He: ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Account it not unto me as presumptuous sin but as error!’ Hence it is written,^[42] An error^[43] of David.^[44]

 

As we have seen, Shaul HaMelech and David HaMelech were both very righteous individuals and should be judged only at their level. Their level is so far beyond this generation that it is hard for us to even fathom their sins. Our chapter of psalms speaks of these righteous men while our Torah portion speaks of the righteous/generous Noach and his progeny. Both speak of subtle sins that are difficult for this generation to relate to. When we turn on the television, we see more nakedness than Ham saw, yet we think nothing of it. This speaks to the descent of our generation.^[45]

 

Man should keep himself from sinning, since he knows not the time when judgment will rest upon him. He sits at home and judgment rests upon him, he goes outside his house [and is therefore in a more dangerous place] and he is even more susceptible to judgment, and he cannot know whether he shall return [safely] home or not. And when traveling, all the more so, since then judgment [surely] goes out before him, as written: "judgment goes before him."^[46] Man should therefore anticipate this and ask for mercy before the King, to be saved from the judgment at the time it dwells upon the world. For each and every day, judgment dwells in the world, as it says: "And God is indignant [i.e. vengeful] every day".^{[47] [48]}

 

Ashlamata: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 49:9-17 + 23

 

JPS	Targum
1. ¶ Hearken, you islands, to me, and listen closely, you nations, from afar; the Lord called me from the womb, from the innards of my mother He mentioned my name.	1. Attend to My Memra, O islands, and hearken, you kingdoms from afar. The LORD appointed me before I was, from the body of my ‎mother He made mention of my name.
2. And He made my mouth like a sharp sword, He concealed me in the shadow of His hand; and He made me into a polished arrow, He hid me in His quiver.	2. He placed His words in my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of His might He ‎protected me; He made me like a select arrow which in a quiver is hidden.
3. And He said to me, "You are My servant, Israel, about whom I will boast."	3. And he said to me, "You are My servant, Israel, in‎ whom I will be glorified."
4. And I said, "I toiled in vain, I consumed my strength for nought and vanity." Yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my deed is with my God. {S}	4. But I said, "I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my ‎judgment is disclosed before the LORD, and the recompense of deeds before my God."
5. And now, the Lord, Who formed me from the womb as a servant to Him, said to bring Jacob back to Him, and Israel shall be gathered to Him, and I will be honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God was my strength.	5. And now the LORD speaks, who prepared ‎me from the womb to be a servant serving before Him, to bring those of the house of Jacob back to His service, and that Israel might be ‎brought near to His fear, for I am honoured before the LORD, and the Memra of my God has become my help-
6. And He said, "It is too light for you to be My servant, to establish the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the besieged of Israel, but I will make you a light of nations, so that My salvation shall be until the end of the earth." {S}	6. He says: "Is it a ‎small thing to you that you are called My servants to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the exiles of Israel? I will give you as ‎a light to peoples, that My salvation may be to the ends of the earth."
7. So said the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, about him who is despised of men, about him whom the nation abhors, about a slave of rulers, "Kings shall see and rise, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, for the sake of the Lord Who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, and He chose you." {S}	7. Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and His Holy ‎One, to those despised among the Gentiles, to those cast out among the kingdoms, to those who are servants to rulers: "Kings will look ‎to them and princes arise; and they will worship; because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who is pleased with ‎you."
8. So said the Lord, "In a time of favor I answered you, and on a day of salvation I helped you; and I will watch you, and I will make you for a people of a covenant, to establish a land, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages.	8. Thus says the LORD, "In a time that you do my pleasure I accept your prayer, in a day of distress I raise up salvation and ‎help you: I will prepare you and give you as a covenant of people, to raise up the righteous/ generous who lie in the dust, to apportion desolate ‎heritages;
9. To say to the prisoners, "Go out!" and to the darkness, "Show yourselves!" By the roads they shall graze, and by all rivers is their pasture.	9. saying to the prisoners among the Gentiles, 'Come forth,' and to those who are jailed among the kingdoms as in the ‎ darkness, 'Be revealed to light.' They will lie down along the ways, in all bare heights will be their place of staying;
10. They shall neither hunger nor thirst, nor shall the heat and the sun smite them, for He Who has mercy on them shall lead them, and by the springs of water He shall guide them.	10. they will not ‎hunger or thirst, neither heat nor the sun will smite them, for He who is about to have pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will ‎make them lie down.
11. And I will make all My mountains into a road, and My highways shall be raised.	11. And I will make the mountains level before them. as a way, and the highways will be raised up.
12. Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim.	12. Lo, these ‎will come from afar, and lo, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of the south."
13. Sing, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, and mountains burst out in song, for the Lord has consoled His people, and He shall have mercy on His poor. {S}	13. Sing for joy, O heavens, ‎and rejoice, O earth; exult, O mountains, in singing! For the LORD is about to comfort His people and will have compassion on His poor. ‎‎
14. And Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me."	14. Because Zion said, "The LORD has taken up His Shekhinah from me, the LORD has rejected me."
15. Shall a woman forget her sucking child, from having mercy on the child of her womb? These too shall forget, but I will not forget you.	15. "Is it possible that a woman ‎can forget her son, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even all these may forget, but My Memra will not reject you.
16. Behold on [My] hands have I engraved you; your walls are before Me always.	16. Behold, as on hands you are portrayed before me; your walls are continually before me.
17. Your sons have hastened; those who destroy you and those who lay you waste shall go forth from you.	17. They hasten, they build your ruins, ‎those who razed you and those who laid you waste go away from you into exile." ‎
18. Lift your eyes around and see, all of them have gathered, have come to you; as I live, says the Lord, that you shall wear all of them as jewelry, and you shall tie them as a bride.	18. ‎"Lift up your eyes roundabout, O Jerusalem, and see all the sons of the people of your exiles; they gather, they come into your midst. As ‎I live, says the LORD, all of them will be to you as a garment of glory, their deeds in your midst will be as the bride’s ornament.
19. For your ruins and your desolate places and your land that has been destroyed, for now you shall be crowded by the inhabitants, and those who would destroy you shall be far away.	19. Surely your waste and desolate places and your devastated land - surely now you will be too pressed for inhabitants, and those who annihilated ‎you will be rejected.
20. Your children of whom you were bereaved shall yet say in your ears, "The place is too narrow for me; move over for me so that I will dwell."	20. From now on the sons of the people of your exiles will say, each one in your midst, 'The place is too narrow for‎ me; make room for me to dwell in.'
21. And you shall say to yourself, "Who begot these for me, seeing that I am bereaved and solitary, exiled and rejected, and who raised these? Behold I was left alone; these-[from] where are they?" {P}	21. Then you will say in your heart: 'Who has brought me up these? I was bereaved and alone, exiled ‎and cast out, but who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; whence are these?'"
22. So said the Lord God, "Behold I will raise My hand to the nations, and to the peoples will I raise My standard, and they shall bring your sons in their armpits, and your daughters shall be borne on their shoulder[s].	22. Thus says the LORD God: "Behold, I will ‎disclose My might among the peoples, and raise My signal over the kingdoms; and your sons will come in litters and your daughters will ‎be carried on couches.
23. And kings shall be your nursing fathers and their princesses your wet nurses; they shall prostrate themselves to you with their face on the ground, and they shall lick the dust of your feet, and you shall know that I am the Lord, for those who wait for Me shall not be ashamed. {S}	23. Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens will minister to you. Upon their faces, upon the ground ‎they will spread out to beseech from you and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; the righteous who waits ‎for My salvation will not be put to shame."‎

 

Rashi’s Commentary for Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 49:9-17 + 23‎‎‎

 

1 called me from the womb When I was still in the womb, the thought came before Him that my name should be Isaiah (יְשַׁעְיָה) to prophesy salvations (יְשׁוּעוֹת) and consolations.

 

2 And He made my mouth like a sharp sword to castigate the wicked and to prophesy retribution upon them.

 

He concealed me in the shadow of His hand that they be unable to harm me.

 

into a polished arrow Heb. בָּרוּר , [lit. clear,] polished, kler in O.F.

 

in His quiver A receptacle used as a case for arrows, called koujjbre in O.F.

 

4 And I said, I toiled in vain when I saw that I admonish them, and they do not obey.

 

Yet surely my right is with the Lord He knows that it is not from me but from them [i.e., He knows that their failure to obey is not due to my laziness, but to their obstinacy].

 

5 shall be gathered to Him To Him they shall return in repentance.

 

6 And He said, “It is too light for you to be, etc.” In My eyes, it is too small a gift that you should have this alone, that you be My servant to establish Jacob and to bring back to Me the besieged of Israel, and behold I add more to you, “And I will make you a light for the nations,” to prophesy concerning the downfall of Babylon, which will be a joy for the whole world.

 

and the besieged of Israel Heb. וּנְצוּרֵי . Comp. (Prov. 7:10) “With a heart surrounded by evil thoughts (וּנְצֻרַת) ,” that their heart is surrounded by the inclination of sinful thoughts, like a city besieged by a bulwark of those who besiege it.

 

7 about him who is despised of men Heb. נֶפֶשׁ לִבְזֽה , a despised soul, about Israel, who are despised.

 

about him whom the nation abhors About him whom the nation abhors, and he is a slave to those who rule over him.

 

Kings shall see him and rise.

 

Who is faithful to keep His promise that He promised Abraham concerning the kingdoms, as the matter is stated (Gen. 15:17): “And behold a smoking stove, etc.”

 

the Holy One of Israel is He, and He chose you.

 

8 In a time of favor In the time of prayer, when you seek My favor and appease Me.

 

and on a day of salvation When you need salvation.

 

and I will watch you Heb. וְאֶצָּרְךָ , and I will watch you.

 

for a people of a covenant to be a people of a covenant to Me.

 

to establish a land The land of Israel, chosen by Me from all lands.

 

9 To say to the prisoners, “Go out!” At the time I will say to the prisoners of the exile, “Go out!”

 

rivers Jonathan renders: נַגְדִּין , streams of water.

 

10 heat Heb. שָׁרָב , heat.

 

11 And I will make all My mountains into a road In contrast to what he said concerning the days of its ruin (supra 33:8) “The wayfarer has stopped,” now the wayfarers shall return and go therein.

 

and My highways shall be raised In contrast to what he said (ibid.): “Highways have become desolate,” deteriorated with no one to repair them, now My highways shall be raised, they shall repair the deterioration of the roads and raise them as is customary, with smooth pebbles and earth.

 

12 from the land of Sinim [Jonathan renders:] from the southland.

(Hakham’s note: the “land of the South” is called in Latin: “Terra Australis,” and therefore “the land of Sinim” is what today is called Australia and New Zealand).

 

13 for the Lord has consoled His people.

 

14 And Zion said She thought that I had forgotten her.

 

15 Shall a woman forget her sucking child Heb. עוּלָהּ , similar to עוֹלֵל .

 

from having mercy on the child of her womb Heb. מֵרֶחֶם בֶּן־בִּטְנָהּ .

 

These too shall forget Even if these forget, I will not forget you.

 

16 Behold on [My] hands Heb. עַל־כַּפַּיִם [lit. on hands]. I see you as though you are engraved on My hands, to see you and always to remember you. Another explanation is: כַּפַּיִם עַל־ “from upon the clouds of glory.” Comp. (Job 36:32) “On the clouds (כַּפַּיִם) He covered the rain.”

 

17 Your sons have hastened to return.

 

19 you shall be crowded by the inhabitants You shall be crowded by the multitude of inhabitants that shall come into your midst. The place shall be too narrow for them to build houses for themselves.

 

20 Your children of whom you were bereaved [lit. the children of your bereavements.] The children of whom you were bereaved.

 

move over for me [lit. approach for me.] Draw closer to another side for me, and I will dwell.

 

21 and solitary solede in O.F.

 

rejected Rejected by everyone. All say about me, “Turn away from her.”

 

22 My hand...My standard A signal to bring the exiles.

 

a standard Perka in O.F., [perche in modern French,] a pole. Comp. (supra 30:17) “And like a flagpole (וְכַנֵּס) on a hill.” It is a signal for gathering, and they place a cloth [a flag] on the end of it.

 

in their armpits Ajjsela [aisela] in O.F., [aisselle in modern French]. Comp. Ezra (Neh. 5:13): “Also I shook out my armpit (חָצְנִי) .”

 

 

Commentary on the Ashlamatah of Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 49:9-17 & 23

By: H.Ex. Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

 

The setting of this parsha is the recalling and the reversal of the children of Israel from their exile, and with this return comes the restoration of the relationship between Hashem and his people. The Prophet Isaiah encourages the people and assures them that the restoration is not far off.^[49] The children of Jacob have been given a mission, and it is the mission of both the prophet and of the nation as a whole. Isaiah speaks in the first person and by doing so, the prophet sets a model that the nation as a whole will follow, since the whole nation has a prophetic role to the world at large. The prophet is a disciple of older prophets, constantly borrowing their words and noting how their predictions proved true. This exemplar^[50] prophet, who, like all Israelites, suffered in exile. But Isaiah knows the punishment meted out to the exiles was just, accepts it, and awaits the vindication that surely follows. (50:10-11)

 

What was Israel’s response? Some of Isaiah’s listeners will accept both divine punishment and divine reward, and work to correct their behavior, but others will continue to reject God’s word, to their own detriment.^[51] The servant Prophet Isaiah is given a mission and he shares and includes the nation of Israel into that mission, this is given as a double task relating to Israel and to the world (49:5–6), and when he has performed the great work of sin-bearing (52:13–53:12) the call goes out to Zion (54:1ff.) and the world (55:1ff.) to enter gladly and freely into what he has done.^[52]

 

Isaiah begins this chapter (v.1) calling for the nations to listen and give heed. Previously, Isaiah spoke of liberation from the Babylonian exile, and now turns his attention to the future and final redemption and restoration. As a servant, like all of HaShem's servants, his name has been known from his mother's womb, and in (v.3) he moves from himself to all Israel as God's servant, and in your exile, I will take glory. Rabbi Yaakov Emden wrote that the survival of Israel among so many hostile nations is a greater miracle than the Exodus from Egypt.^[53] Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen. (44:1-2, 43:10, 45:4) Even way back in Moses' day, the children of Israel were told, because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power, driving out before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance.^[54] In using the metaphor of a mother and child, HaShem said that the children have been engraved on the palms of his hands, and, just as a nursing mother never forgets, he would continually have compassion on his Son. (v.14-16) Zion serves as a metaphor for the nation of Israel as a whole, and just as Isaiah says he was named in his mother’s womb, so Israel was known in the womb. Israel, whom I have chosen! Isaiah now begins to describe the miraculous return of the people of Israel to Zion.

 

HaShem told the nation of Israel, “I created you and appointed you a covenant people - restoring the land.” (49:8) This same ideal is discussed in Isaiah 42:6. Israel is a covenant people that continues to exist because of the covenant made between them (their ancestors) and HaShem. Israel will be the tool that God uses to make Himself known to all the nations. So, as Saul alluded to, all Israel shall be saved, because their sponsor is their creator. (Rom. 11:26, Isa. 45:17)

 

The prophet tells the people to tell their builders to make haste. Lift your eyes and see them all gather. The children will say, there is no room for us, make room for us to settle. And at the same time, in (v.17), we are told the destroyers of Israel will begin to move out, and ever so slowly, your children will return. In Isaiah 5:26, HaShem raised a signal or whistle for the nations, and they came to punish Israel for its sin. Now HaShem reassured his people that he will raise his hand to the nations, and they will bring your sons, carrying them in their bosom and your daughters on their backs; they will bow to the children of Israel, and you will know that I am the LORD and those who have trusted in me will not be ashamed. (V.22-23). Before, the signal or sign was for judgment, but now, it’s for the restoration of the exiles to their land.

 

HaShem now assures Zion that He is her beloved and that her restoration is certain; her scattered people will be restored to her. Although Zion is currently in exile in Babylonia, she is assured that she is not forgotten and is the favored one. In (v.21), this woman, spoken of as Zion, is surprised by the number of children she has acquired and says, " Who bore these for me when I was bereaved and barren, while I was exiled, by whom were these reared, and while I was all alone, where have they been? Israel, now taking on the role of a mother, asked some very good questions: Who bore these for me? By whom were they reared? Where have these been?

 

The text gives us our first question: Who bore these for me? (v.21) The verb here translated as bore (יָלַד yālaḏ) ^[55] It is commonly used to describe a woman bearing children. It is used in a figurative expression of evil people bringing forth iniquity. (Job 15:35) Even the prophet Moses is said to beget, bear, and conceive the people of Israel (Num. 11:12); God begets Israel (Deut. 32:18); a day brings forth many things (Prov. 27:1). ^[56] The bearing of children is connected here to Moses in that Moses the prophet, figuratively conceived ( הָרָה hārāh)^[57] Israel and the Tanakh have several figurative or metaphorical uses of this language: of Israel’s failed pregnancy (Isa. 26:18); of Assyria’s conception of chaff (Isa. 33:11); of the godless who become pregnant with trouble and evil (Job 15:35; Ps. 7:14[15]; Isa. 59:4).^[58] Me’am Lo’ez says Moses was given the responsibility to carry the children of Israel in his bosom as if he had conceived them and to nurse them.

 

When Moses asked, "Did I conceive of this whole people?" ‘The reason that Moses made such a clear comparison is based on Sanhedrin 19, where we are told that whoever teaches the son of his friend Torah is considered as if he had given birth to him. There is also a comment in Tikkuney Hazohar 70 that all the souls of the people who marched through the desert were "branches" of Moses' own soul and that he was considered the father of all those souls.^[59] Rashi comments that when Moses saw the future and what was to come on the people because of their sin, Moses proclaimed, “If so, kill me first,” and “let me not see my evil.’ Rashi says Scripture used a euphemistic expression referring to the evil as himself instead of to the whole congregation of the people.^[60]

 

The second question is “Where are these from,” and its second part ‘where have these been’. Iben Ezra said this is a compound of two words, and asks the question, where and how? The ‘where’ is in exile, from where these children are to come, and the ‘how’ is more difficult. Could the answer be that Moses is a type or prototype of the Messiah, and points to the aspect of the workings of the Messiah, as the one who begets these children and nurses them in his bosom while the people (children of Israel) are in exile? ^[61] The prophet Isaiah in (53:10) said, it pleased the Lord to crush him by disease; to see if his soul would offer itself in restitution, that he might see his seed, prolong his days, and that the purpose of the Lord might prosper by his hand: Of the travail of his soul he shall see to the full, even My servant, who by his knowledge did justify the Righteous One to the many, and their iniquities he did bear. Therefore, I will divide him a portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the mighty; because he bared his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.^[62] In my mind, regardless if you read this as referring to the servant nation (the many) or to the anointed servant Messiah (the One), both have the same results; if it were exclusive, then it would only require one, not two aspects of the servant of HaShem.

 

 Even Rashi asks, how is it possible for an exile to have given birth to so many children?^[63] The idea here, it would seem, is that the increase would be from among other nations. It will not be the natural increase of Zion or Jerusalem (women bearing children), but they will come in from abroad. As if we are seeing a family that has been bereaved, the mother is alone and has no husband. The increase of her children will be those of the nation’s surrounding her, becoming her newfound children from other families. Those who have joined themselves to Israel, the servant.^[64]

 

The three questions point back to (49:11-13), that in this great return, it is manifested, it will have such an effect on both the heavens and the earth. The Talmud teaches that when Israel and the nations sinned, not only did the people become diminished, but the world itself was negatively affected. Therefore, when redemption occurs, even the earth and the heavens will be more productive, and they too will celebrate.^[65] Rabbi Saul (Paul) in Romans 8 speaks of the groaning of both our souls and the creation for the redemption that is coming. Isaiah addresses these three questions throughout his book up to this point: 2:1–5; 11:11–12; 14:1–2; 19:18–25; 42:6, 10–11; 43:6–7; 45:14–25 and 49:22–26; all these passages indicate that Isaiah understood that the future inhabitants of Zion would include both Hebrews and people from all the nations of the earth.^[66] And all mankind shall know that I, the LORD, am your savior, the Mighty One of Jacob, your redeemer. (49:26)

 

The Israelites viewed themselves metaphorically as God’s wife and also as God’s children. If the former, they worry that God has divorced them and therefore cannot take them back (Jer. 3:1; Deut. 24:1–4). If the latter, then God has sold them away (Exod. 21:7–11; 2 Kings 4:1). But God insists that no divorce has taken place, and that the children are still God’s property. Behind God’s frustrated words may lie the failure of those exiled to accept the message of consolation. Only a small number of exiles took the opportunity to return to Zion after Cyrus (the Persian king who conquered Babylonia) allowed them to do so.^[67] God responded to the people’s complaint by asking where their bill of divorcement was, which they were unable to produce. God then asked, where are my creditors, to whom I sold you off? Again, they were unable to produce any creditors. Isaiah 50.10 says, “Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD (Hashem) and rely on his (Elohim) God.^[68] These are good words of exhortation: fear me, obey my voice, as you walk in darkness, trust in my Name! Following this sound advice, it will carry each of us to the very end of our days.

 

Isaiah tells of the return of the children of Israel from every direction and every land. Malbim says not to worry about space for the returning exiles; the land will be adorned with its returning children.^[69] Those who have put their hope in me said, HaShem shall not be ashamed. Rashi applies this prophecy to the Babylonians after seventy years of exile. But Abarbanel says this metaphor is for all time and the great battle which will take place at the time of Redemption. His point is that only a small number of Jews returned to Israel at that time, and thus this scripture must refer to the future redemption and the resurrection of the dead.^[70] Isaiah brings this chapter to a close with the assurance that the captives and the loot taken will be restored to Israel. The reversal of Israel's exile from Zion and Jerusalem will bring the New Exodus, which will bring change to this world unlike anything man has ever experienced before. What a wonderful and amazing future lies just ahead of us.

 

Today, everyone is a theologian; they all say they believe in God, and they all think they know God. When asked, almost everyone believes there's a God. But how many serve Him with total devotion, with all their heart, soul, and strength?^[71] When HaShem delivers his children from exile, the world will take notice, and the false ideals of religion will fade away when HaShem is revealed in all His glory. Just like the first time with Moses at Mt. Sinai. Our text tells us when Israel is redeemed from its current exile from their oppressors. The oppressors will eat their own children and drink their own blood, and all of mankind shall know that I, the LORD, am your savior, Mighty one of Jacob, your Redeemer. (49:25f) One translation says, I will feed your tormentors their own flesh, and they will become drunk on their own blood as on sweet wine. Another says wild beasts will eat their flesh and birds will drink their blood.

 

When we look at the lunacy of people today, it seems like it is not one nation but a phenomenon around the world: people are eating their “own flesh and drinking their blood” by taking positions and putting ideology forth that is self-destructive and life-destroying, not only to themselves but also to their children. The position they take and the ideals they espouse cannot bring peace, health, and happiness into the world, and in a sense, they, the tormentors, are eating their own flesh; they are self-destructing right before our eyes. It seems as if a spirit has come from HaShem into the world that has caused some people to lose their minds and thereby release their grip on reality. It could be said they are suffering from a mental disorder. As we watch the events in the world at large, sane, rational people are confounded as to how humans can follow the path they have chosen. In any case, it is a metaphor for the great battles that will take place at the time of the redemption. With Israel's redemption and restoration to the land comes the knowledge of the one God to the nations. Many will stand against Israel, and some will attach themselves to her. There will be a remnant from among the nations who trust in the one God and turn with awe and adoration toward Israel and Jerusalem. With Israel's redemption and restoration to the land comes the knowledge of the one God to all of humanity.^[72]

 

The victorious will be the righteous, and regardless of whether this is understood in a literal or metaphorical fashion, the gentile nations will be in disarray as they try to understand what is happening. The Prophet is repeating the prophetic word from an earlier text in (v.22). On that day, the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.^[73]

 

The nations that have oppressed Israel will restore the land HaShem promised to the children of Israel. In Israel's redemption, this salvation and knowledge of HaShem will bring salvation to all humanity. The more I learn, the bigger and clearer the picture becomes. It’s all about Israel, and as Israel is lifted and restored, so shall the Temple come into clearer focus for those who wait on HaShem. The children of Israel thought that HaShem had divorced his people. In the days of Cyrus the Persian, only a small number of exiles took an opportunity to return to Zion, but now all the exiled children of Israel will be called home. Radak says that the Messianic King will instruct all nations to go in HaShem's way. Rashi tells us this light and peace of the Messiah will come to all nations that choose to walk by the light of God’s Judgements. Mahari Kara^[74] brings the point that, regardless of the use of the plural term peoples, the intention and the message are addressed to Israel first, and it then flows out to the nation’s second.

 

In verse 23, it is the kings that we see as the nurturers and their queens as the wet nurses for the people. The word Melek, in its simplest form, just means an individual with power and authority and is conceptually related to other Hebrew words which are translated as Lord, captain, prince, chief, or ruler.^[75] Those in authority are to become Zion's protector, and they will nurture the children until they bring the sons back home in their arms and carry the daughters on their shoulders. They will come with their faces toward the ground and with humility and respect for the people of God. At this time, you (Zion) will know that I am the LORD (HaShem) and those who have put their hope in me will not be ashamed. (V.22-23)^[76] As Isaiah 40:27ff says, why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel: ‘My way is hid from the Lord, and my right is passed over from my God’? Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faintest not, neither is weary? His discernment is past searching out. He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; But they that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.

 

Isaiah concludes with a question which God answers. Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of the victorious be delivered? But thus saith the Lord: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; and I will contend with him that contended with thee, and I will save thy children.^[77] (v.24-25) Do you think it is impossible to retrieve loot that Esau, a warrior, captured from the righteous Jacob? R. Hirsch states it differently: if it were not the work of God, could it be that the loot could be retrieved from a warrior? Should the people taken prisoner be allowed to escape?^[78] This same idea is also found in Isaiah 53:11-13, where the Talmud (Sotah 14a) relates that this verse homiletically refers to Moses when he beseeched God to be permitted to enter Eretz Yisrael, so that he could perform the commandments of the land. God told him not to be concerned that he would lose the reward for performing those commandments for I will assign him (Moses) a portion among the multitudes entering the land unless you think that he would share only in the portion of those entering the land the verse says and he will divide spoils with the mighty referring to Abraham Isaac and Jacob who were mighty in Torah and in good deeds. Why did he earn this? In return, having poured out his soul for death, i.e., Moses was willing to die for the sake of Israel, as he said in Exodus 32:32, “And now if you would but forgive their sin, but if not, erase me now from the book that you have written. Our verse continues, and being counted among the wicked, for Moses died in the wilderness like the sinners of his time. For he bore the multitudes, i.e., he atoned for those who made the golden calf, and he prayed for the wicked that they repent.^[79]

 

It has been said that chapter 49 of Isaiah is the crossing of a great divide in the prophet's teaching, and Isaiah is focused on two great themes: the suffering servant and the future glory / glorious future of Israel. The servant of the Lord is a personification first of the ideal Israel whose duty it is to unite the rest of Israel and carry all forward in prosperity and peace; and not stopping there, but to be the agent of HaShem and bring the knowledge of him to all peoples, and to all nations of the world.^[80] If one were to reread the first servant passage in Isaiah 42:1-4 you will see there the beginning of this most noble and inspiring message of the servant and thus be better prepared to understand the forty-ninth chapter that now begins with this message of the servant. The prophet describes some of the characteristics of this ideal servant and how his quiet and unobtrusive spiritual influence would spread throughout the world. My servant is Israel. The Septuagint (LXX) renders this as “Jacob is My servant”. Others think this is an allusion to Cyrus (Saadya as quoted by Iben Ezra). Most Jewish commentators are divided between Israel, the King Messiah, or even the Prophet Isaiah himself.^[81] The servant in most other passages in Isaiah 40 – 66 clearly refers to the nation of Israel and the faithful who are within Israel.

 

In (50:1), Hashem’s last words of encouragement, listen to me, you who pursue justice… (Deut. 16:20), you who seek the LORD… (Zeph 2:3) Look to the rock from which you came… Look to Abraham, your father, and Sarah, your mother. Trust in me and in my Name, and truly, the LORD has comforted Zion. When God called Abraham, he was one, and a promise was given that all nations would be blessed in him. HaShem will make the wilderness and desert of Israel like the Garden of Eden. (v.3) With the final redemption, the world will have achieved its purpose, and mankind will return to the pure status of its creation in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden because of their sin, but redemption will usher in an era in which mankind, led by Israel, will come full circle and return to the original state. The future redemption will be just as the redemption from Egypt, although Israel was lacking in merit; God redeemed them and will redeem us in the future.^[82]

 

Special Ashlamatah for Shabbat Mevarchim

JPS & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Shmuel alef (I Samuel) 20:18-42

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for Shmuel alef (I Samuel) 20:18-42

 

18 Tomorrow is the new moon: and it is the custom of all those who eat at the king’s table to come on the festive day to the table.

 

and you will be remembered: My father will remember you, and ask where you are.

 

for your seat will be vacant: for your seat in which you sit, will be vacant, and so did Jonathan render: and you will be sought, for your seat will be vacant.

 

and you will be remembered: [ונפקדת is] an expression of remembering.

 

will be vacant: [יפקד is] an expression of lacking.

 

19 And for three days you shall hide very well: And you shall triple the days, and then you shall descend very much, i.e., when the third day arrives, you shall descend into a secret place, and hide very well, for then they will seek you. And you shall come to this secret place, wherein you are hiding today, which is a workday. And so did Jonathan render: on the weekday, for he hid on that day, as it is stated: (infra v. 24) “And David hid in the field;” immediately, “and it was the new moon” on the morrow.

 

the travelers’ stone: (Heb. ‘even-ha azel,’ lit., the going stone, i.e.) a stone which was a sign (a landmark) for travelers.

 

Ha-azel: those who go on the road. And so did Jonathan render: even atha, the stone which was a sign.

 

20 to the side, I shall shoot: This is not a ‘mappiq-heh’ (aspirate ‘heh’).צדה is to be interpreted like לצד, to a side, for every word which requires a ‘lamed’ as a prefix, the Scripture gives a ‘he’ as a suffix. (Jeb. 13b) At the side of that stone, I shall shoot arrows to a mark, so that the youth will not understand, and this sign shall be for you to divine whether you must flee.

 

21 And behold, I shall send, etc.: And it is customary for one who seeks an arrow which has been shot, to go to the place where he sees the arrow flying, but he cannot ascertain exactly. Sometimes he searches for it, and the arrow is beyond him, and sometimes he goes beyond the arrow and searches for it, and you shall have this sign.

 

If I say to the youth… take it and come: you yourself emerge from your hiding place, and take it, and come to me, for you have not to fear, for it is well with you. The Holy One Blessed be He, desires that you be here, and even if I have heard evil from Father.

 

22 But, if I say thus… Go! For the Lord has sent you away: The Holy One Blessed be He tells you to flee and escape.

 

23 And concerning the matter which we have spoken: the covenant which we made together.

 

behold, the Lord is between me and you: as Witness concerning that matter.

 

25 the seat by the wall: at the head of the couch beside the wall.

 

and Jonathan arose: He got up from his place, since it is not proper for a son to recline beside his father. Since their custom was to eat reclining on couches and David would recline between Jonathan and Saul, now that David did not come, Jonathan did not recline until Abner sat down beside Saul, and afterwards, Jonathan sat beside Abner. And if you say that he did not sit at all, the Scripture states: (infra v. 34) “And Jonathan arose from the table,” implying that he had been sitting.

 

26 It is an incident: He has experienced a seminal emission.

 

he is not clean: and he has not yet immersed himself, for had he immersed himself for the uncleanness of his emission, he would not have to wait until sunset in order to eat ordinary food.

 

for he is not clean: This clause gives the reason for the matter; i.e., since he is not clean, he, therefore, did not come, lest he contaminate the feast.

 

27 on the morrow of the new moon: on the morrow of the renewal of the moon.

 

the second: on the second day of the month.

 

29 and he, my brother, commanded me: The eldest of the house, commanded me that I be there. And he is my brother Eliab.

 

let me slip away: ‘Escamoter’ in French. I shall go away for one day and come back.

 

30 a straying woman, deserving of punishment: (בן נעות המרדות) An expression of straying and wandering, נע ונד, a gadding woman. Just as you say זעוה from זע, and the ‘tav’ is for the construct state, for it is connected to the word המרדות.

 

deserving of punishment: (Heb. המרדות), who deserves to be chastised and disciplined. Another explanation is as follows: When the men of Benjamin grabbed the girls of Shiloh, who came out to dance in the vineyards (Jud. 21:21), Saul was bashful, and did not want to grab [a girl], until she came herself, behaving insolently, and pursued him.

 

straying woman: because of the vineyards. And that is a winepress, like (the Talmudical passage): Purge the winepress (which was used for forbidden wine) (Ab. Zarah 74b); His winepresses will drip with wine (Targum Onkelos, Gen. 40:12) …. (The last three words of Rashi are incomprehensible, and are probably erroneous. The correct version is unknown to us.)

 

34 he was grieved (lit.) to David: concerning David.

 

for his father had put him to shame: concerning David.

 

35 at David’s appointed time: at the time which David had set for him.

 

36 to cause it to go beyond him.: The arrow went beyond the boy.

 

41 from a place toward the south: (lit., from by the south. Jonathan renders:) from the side of the travelers’ (or sign) stone which was toward the south.

 

until David exceeded: He cried more.

 

42 Go in peace: And the oath which we have sworn, may the Lord be witness thereon forever.

 

Verbal Tallies

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

Bereshit (Genesis) 9:18 – 10:32

Tehillim (Psalms) 7:1-18

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 49:9-17, 23

 

Looking at the Hebrew of Bereshit (Genesis) 9:18 and Isaiah 49:9, what is the verbal / lexical tally that connects these two passages?

 

The verbal and lexical tally connecting Genesis 9:18 and Isaiah 49:9 is the root יצא (yatsa), meaning to go out, come forth, or emerge.

 

The Lexical Tally

Hebrew Word: הַיֹּצְאִים (ha-yotze’im) / צֵאוּ (tze’u) - Root: יָצָא (יצא) - Strong’s Number: H3318

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 9:18 The sons of Noah who came forth (הַיֹּצְאִים — H3318) from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; Ham was the father of Canaan.

 

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 49:9 Saying to the prisoners, 'Go forth' (צֵאוּ — H3318); To those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' They shall pasture along the roads, and on every bare height shall be their pasture.

 

In the analytical framework of the Meforshem, this tally links the physical emergence of Noah’s sons into a renewed world with the spiritual and national "emergence" of the exiled from captivity. Just as the sons of Noah came forth to repopulate and stabilize a world after judgment, the "prisoners" in Isaiah are commanded to go forth to restore the Land and experience the "Full Restoration".

 

* * *

 

What is/are the thematic connection(s) between Bereshit (Genesis) 9:18 – 10:32, and Tehillim (Psalms) 7?

 

Thematic connections between Genesis 9:18 – 10:32 (the emergence of the nations from Noah) and Psalm 7 (David’s plea against the slanderer) center on the transition from judgment to the establishment of a just order.

 

1. The Division of the Just and the Wicked

Genesis: The passage begins with the division of Noah's sons, highlighting the contrast between the cursed line of Canaan (9:25) and the blessed line of Shem. It concludes with the "Table of Nations," the structural order of the world.

 

Psalm 7: David appeals to the "Judge of the peoples" to distinguish between his righteousness and the "evil of the wicked" (v. 9-10). It reflects a world where God must separate the "nations" based on their integrity.

 

2. The Return of Malice (The "Pit" Metaphor)

Genesis: Ham/Canaan’s act of "seeing the nakedness" is viewed by the Meforshem as a breach of boundary and an act of malice that brings a curse back into a restored world.

 

Psalm 7: David describes the wicked man who "digs a pit" and "falls into the hole he has made" (v. 16). The thematic link is the rebound of sin: the malice intended for the father (Noah) or the righteous (David) ultimately results in the perpetrator's own subjugation or downfall.

 

3. The Bow of Judgment and Peace

Genesis: This section immediately follows the establishment of the Rainbow (the Keshet). God has hung up His bow as a sign that the "waters of Noah" will no longer destroy.

 

Psalm 7: David warns that if the wicked do not repent, God "will whet His sword; He has bent His bow (Kashto) and made it ready" (v. 13).

 

While the Noahide covenant promises no global flood, Psalm 7 clarifies that Divine justice remains active on an individual and national level. The "bent bow" of Psalm 7 is the enforcement mechanism of the order established in the Table of Nations.

 

4. Sovereignty Over the "Congregation of Nations"

Genesis 10: This chapter is the definitive "Congregation of Nations," listing the seventy roots of humanity and their territories.

 

Psalm 7:8: David cries, "Let the congregation of the peoples surround You; and over them return on high."

 

Both texts acknowledge God as the ultimate Sovereign over the global distribution of humanity. Genesis 10 provides the map of the nations; Psalm 7 provides the courtroom where those nations are held accountable to the Creator.

 

* * *

 

What is the eschatological message of Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 49:9-17, 23?

 

The eschatological message of Isaiah 49:9–17, 23 in Jewish thought is the Final Restoration, a transition from the "Darkness" of exile to the "Light" of the Messianic era, characterized by the physical and spiritual homecoming of the Jewish people.

 

According to the Radak, the call to "Go forth" is the definitive command ending the subjection to foreign powers. The Malbim explains that "those in darkness" refers to the lost tribes and those hidden in the "shadow" of the exile who will suddenly be revealed to the world.

 

The passage (v. 10) promises an environment where "neither heat nor sun shall smite them". Rashi interprets this as a restoration of the Edenic climate. Eschatologically, the "heat" of Divine judgment is replaced by the "springs of water" (Divine Wisdom), signifying that the "Toil" of the earth's curse is fully abrogated for the redeemed.

 

In v. 11-13, Isaiah describes mountains becoming "ways" and "highways" being lifted up. The Sforno notes that this represents the removal of all physical and spiritual barriers to redemption. The heavens and earth "sing" because the original harmony between the upper and lower worlds—broken since the days of Adam and Noah is finally reinstated.

 

In v. 14-17, Zion fears she is forgotten, but God promises that a mother is more likely to forget her child than He is to forget Jerusalem. Verse 17 states, "Your builders make haste; your destroyers... shall go forth from you". The Metzudat David explains that in the end-of-days, the very process of restoration will be accelerated (Achishenah), and the forces of destruction will be physically expelled from the Land.

 

Verse 23 describes kings as "foster-fathers" and queens as "nursing mothers" to Israel. The Ramban and Abarbanel teach that the nations of the world will recognize the Divine Presence within Israel. Their service to the Jewish people is the "Full Restoration" of the world's social order, where all humanity finally acknowledges the sovereignty of the God of Israel.

 

 

 

Nazarean Talmud

Sidra Of B’resheet (Genesis) 9:18 – 10:32

“Vayihyu B’ne Noach” “And were the sons of Noach.”

By: Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

 

Commentary to Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

 

 

The Gathering of Souls: Nets, Waters, and the Covenant of Human Return

Within the symbolic imagination of the ancient world, fishing never functioned merely as labor. Water concealed life beneath visible surfaces, obscuring movement, habitation, and hidden abundance from ordinary sight. The fisherman, therefore, occupied a unique relationship to concealment, patience, discernment, timing, and retrieval. He stood upon unstable ground—often literally between land and sea—participating in a labor that required trust in realities hidden beneath the visible horizon. Such imagery becomes profoundly significant when the language of “catching people” emerges within the Nazarean Codicil, particularly when read through Jewish covenantal categories rather than later theological systems foreign to the symbolic environment of the text itself.

In the account preserved within the translation of Luke, the command given to Shimon emerges only after failure. “We have worked all night and caught nothing,” Shimon says, revealing not merely exhaustion but vocational disappointment, experienced skill brought suddenly into confrontation with emptiness. Yet the command that follows redirects neither occupation nor identity away from fishing. Instead, the event transforms fishing into a symbolic vocation. The movement is not from ordinary labor to spiritual abstraction, but from visible occupation toward covenantal administration of human return. Fishing remains the language. Nets remain the instrument. Waters remain in the field. The difference concerns what—or more precisely whom—is being gathered.

This shift becomes profoundly intelligible when read alongside the movement of Yeshaya'hú – Isa 49. “To say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’” Here, redemption is framed not as private spirituality but as retrieval. The scattered are gathered. The hidden are called into visibility. Those trapped within fragmentation become objects of covenantal restoration. Such imagery parallels the symbolic function of fishing in remarkable ways. Fish exist beneath the visible plane, concealed in depths inaccessible to ordinary perception. The labor of the fisherman concerns retrieval from concealment. Within Jewish symbolic reasoning, this naturally lends itself to covenantal anthropology. Human beings exist scattered among the nations, submerged beneath distraction, exile, suffering, forgetfulness, or estrangement from lawful identity. To become “fishers of people” is therefore not recruitment into religious membership but participation in covenantal gathering.

This reading becomes especially significant against the backdrop of B’resheet – Gen 9:18–10:32, the unfolding genealogies following the flood. The generations of Noah establish one of the foundational themes of covenantal civilization: humanity scatters. Nations emerge. Languages diversify. Families separate geographically, politically, and symbolically. What begins through unity gradually unfolds into dispersal. Yet Jewish covenantal thought repeatedly views history through the tension between scattering and gathering. Exile and return become structural realities of human existence. The genealogies in B’resheet do not merely list descendants; they describe the fragmentation of humanity into peoples and territories, each inhabiting distinct symbolic worlds while nevertheless emerging from shared origins.

Against this background, the imagery of fishing acquires extraordinary theological resonance. A fisherman gathers what has become dispersed beneath the waters of concealment. The net functions as an instrument of restoration rather than conquest. One does not force fish into existence; one retrieves what already lives beneath obscurity. Thus, when Yeshua says to Shimon, “from now on you will be catching people,” the language may be understood covenantally as participation in the retrieval of dispersed souls, fractured identities, and forgotten covenantal possibilities. The metaphor concerns restoration rather than domination, return rather than conquest.

The details of the narrative deepen this interpretation. The extraordinary catch occurs only after human exhaustion has reached its limit. Shimon and his partners have labored through the night and achieved nothing. Failure becomes the condition through which receptivity emerges. Such symbolism resonates profoundly with Jewish patterns of divine-human interaction throughout the Tanákh. Human certainty repeatedly collapses before revelation appears. Moshéh encounters vocation after exile. Yosef descends into imprisonment before elevation. David flees before the kingship stabilizes. Hiddenness often precedes unveiling. Emptiness frequently precedes abundance.

The waters themselves demand attention. Throughout Jewish symbolism, waters frequently represent chaos, nations, concealment, instability, and unformed possibility. The flood waters of Noah erase corruption while simultaneously preserving continuity through covenantal remnant. The crossing of the Yardén marks the transition into inheritance. The sea crossing at Mitzra'yim transforms slavery into freedom. Water repeatedly functions as a liminal domain separating one condition of existence from another. Within this symbolic world, the fisherman becomes one capable of navigating instability without surrendering to it.

To gather people from waters, therefore, suggests something far more profound than persuasion. It implies entering unstable spaces where identity fragments, meaning dissolves, and covenantal memory weakens. Human beings submerged beneath despair, exile, moral confusion, social alienation, or spiritual forgetfulness require retrieval. Such work resembles fishing precisely because the hidden cannot simply be commanded into visibility. Patience becomes necessary. Discernment becomes necessary. Timing becomes necessary. Nets become necessary.

The net itself deserves symbolic attention. Nets gather collectively. They do not isolate individuals as disconnected units. Fish emerge together, carried through relational structure rather than solitary extraction. This detail harmonizes naturally with Jewish covenantal anthropology, which consistently privileges communal identity over isolated individualism. Yisra'él receives the covenant collectively. Toráh is transmitted communally. Worship unfolds communally. Even repentance frequently carries national dimensions. Thus, the imagery of fishing resists modern hyper-individualized readings. “Catching people” concerns participation in covenantal communities capable of preserving memory, law, ritual, and moral imagination.

This symbolism becomes even more compelling alongside Shmuel Alef – Samuel 20:18–42, where Yehonatan and David navigate loyalty amid instability. Their relationship embodies covenantal faithfulness within political fragmentation. Saul’s court becomes a dangerous symbolic environment in which identity, legitimacy, and trust remain unstable. David stands between hidden kingship and public rejection. Here again emerges the theme of concealed identity awaiting lawful revelation. David already bears covenantal election, yet much of the surrounding world cannot perceive it. Retrieval precedes recognition.

One might therefore ask whether “fishing for people” concerns recognizing hidden covenantal possibility where others perceive only ordinary existence. The fisherman looks beneath surfaces. He trusts unseen movement beneath opaque waters. Likewise, covenantal labor requires perceiving hidden hunger, forgotten dignity, and obscured purpose within human beings submerged beneath suffering or estrangement. To gather souls requires seeing what remains concealed beneath visible instability.

Even the presence of hired men in the Mark narrative introduces symbolic tension. Ya’akov and Yochanan leave their father in the boat with hired workers. The text subtly distinguishes between labor that sustains economy and labor that serves covenantal calling. Fishing remains honorable work; yet another form of gathering now emerges, one oriented toward human continuity itself. Civilization survives not merely through commerce but through transmission. Someone must gather people into meaning, memory, covenant, and lawful order or societies eventually fragment beyond recovery.

This concern resonates strongly with Bamidbar 28:9–15 and the rhythm of sacred offerings associated with Shabbat and the mo'éd (appointed time). Covenant survives through repetition. Sacred time interrupts fragmentation. Humanity scattered among labor, anxiety, and worldly demands requires periodic reorientation toward memory and order. The offerings stabilize identity through recurring participation. In this sense, “fishing for people” may also signify gathering individuals back into sacred rhythms capable of preserving covenantal consciousness against forgetfulness. The gathered soul does not merely believe differently; it lives differently through lawful participation in sacred structure.

The miracle of abundance also matters profoundly. The nets begin breaking. The boats nearly sink. Such imagery communicates overwhelming surplus, suggesting that beneath apparent emptiness there existed unseen abundance all along. Human perception failed to perceive what covenantal vision could reveal. This dynamic mirrors Yeshaya'hú – Isaiah 49, where apparent abandonment gives way to divine remembrance: “Can a woman forget her nursing child?” Yisra'él feels forgotten, scattered, concealed beneath exile, yet the prophetic vision insists that remembrance remains active beneath visible despair. What appears empty may conceal extraordinary abundance awaiting lawful retrieval.

The symbolic relationship between concealment and retrieval deepens considerably when one observes that fishing depends upon discernment rather than coercion. The fisherman cannot command the waters to surrender their contents through force of will alone. He must understand patterns invisible to outsiders—depth, season, timing, movement, patience, weather, and hidden abundance beneath unstable surfaces. Within Jewish interpretive reasoning, this resembles the labor of covenantal transmission itself. Souls are not manufactured. Identity is not imposed externally. Human beings are gathered through recognition, instruction, memory, and lawful participation within inherited structures capable of restoring coherence. To become “fishers of people,” therefore, suggests participation in the difficult work of locating dispersed human beings within the waters of instability and patiently drawing them toward continuity.

This symbolism becomes striking when considered alongside the aftermath of the flood narrative in B’resheet. Following destruction, humanity begins again through the house of Noaḥ, yet renewal immediately unfolds into dispersion. Nations arise, territories form, identities differentiate, and humanity gradually distances itself from primordial unity. The genealogies of chapter ten function as more than historical records; they map the fragmentation of human civilization into peoples, languages, and symbolic worlds. Such fragmentation remains unavoidable within human history, yet Jewish covenantal imagination consistently seeks mechanisms through which scattered humanity may remain tethered to moral order, lawful identity, and sacred memory. Fishing, within this symbolic environment, becomes a fitting metaphor for covenantal restoration precisely because the dispersed exist beneath surfaces difficult to penetrate.

The language of “deeper waters” in the Luke account intensifies this symbolism. Yeshua does not instruct Shimon to remain within the familiar shallows. The command requires movement into greater depth. Such imagery resonates profoundly with the Jewish understanding of covenantal responsibility. Surface realities rarely reveal the truth of the human condition. Exile exists beneath prosperity. Loneliness hides beneath activity. Spiritual estrangement conceals itself beneath outward success. Communities fracture internally while appearing externally stable. The work of gathering people into covenantal continuity, therefore, requires descent beneath surfaces. Shallow observation proves insufficient. One must venture into depths where concealment operates most powerfully.

The phrase “we worked all night and caught nothing” also acquires symbolic significance when viewed through the broader context of the Tanákh. Night frequently represents concealment, uncertainty, exile, and diminished perception. Jacob wrestles through darkness. Egypt experiences plague-darkness before liberation. The night watch becomes associated with longing and anticipation. Human labor performed in darkness often appears fruitless because discernment remains limited. Yet dawn repeatedly accompanies unveiling. The miraculous catch occurs only after exhaustion, after failure, and after acknowledgment of limitation. Such movement parallels prophetic patterns throughout Jewish literature, wherein apparent emptiness becomes the very condition through which covenantal redirection emerges.

The reaction of Shimon deserves particular attention. Overwhelmed by abundance, he falls before Yeshua, declaring himself sinful. Modern readers frequently approach this moment through later theological assumptions foreign to the symbolic atmosphere of the text, yet within Jewish reasoning, the response may be understood differently. Encounters with overwhelming manifestations of hidden reality frequently produce humility because human limitation becomes suddenly visible. Yeshaya'hú experiences unworthiness before divine vision. Yirmiya'hú hesitates before prophetic vocation. Moshéh protests inadequacy before calling. The issue concerns not moral collapse alone but existential recognition: one suddenly perceives that reality exceeds previous understanding. Shimon’s humility emerges because hidden abundance has shattered ordinary assumptions regarding labor, certainty, and perception.

This dynamic bears remarkable affinity to Yeshaya'hú 49, particularly the cry of apparent abandonment: “But Zion said, ‘HaShem has forsaken me.’” The prophet answers not with denial of suffering but with insistence upon remembered covenant. Hiddenness does not equal abandonment. Concealment does not signify absence. Beneath visible fragmentation, divine remembrance persists. Such prophetic logic aligns naturally with fishing imagery. The unseen beneath the waters remains alive despite invisibility. What appears absent may simply remain concealed. To gather people requires confidence that a hidden covenantal possibility survives even when ordinary perception sees only emptiness.

One may therefore understand “fishers of people” not as recruiters into ideological conformity but as gatherers of hidden human possibility. The fisherman assumes life exists beneath concealment. Likewise, covenantal labor assumes that even fragmented human beings retain the capacity for restoration, memory, and lawful participation. This reading preserves deeply Jewish categories because it prioritizes communal continuity, covenantal inheritance, and moral restoration rather than individualized conversion frameworks foreign to the symbolic environment of the narrative.

The partnership between Shimon, Ya’akov, and Yochanan further reinforces this communal orientation. Fishing occurs cooperatively. The nets strain beneath the abundance to the point of breaking, requiring assistance from others. One boat proves insufficient. Such details matter profoundly because the Jewish covenant never unfolds through isolated individuals functioning independently of communal responsibility. The preservation of the Toráh, ritual memory, and ethical imagination depends upon networks of transmission. Fathers teach sons. Hakhamím preserve interpretation. Communities sustain sacred rhythm. Thus, the narrative subtly resists heroic individualism. The gathering of souls exceeds solitary capacity.

Here Shmuel Alef becomes newly relevant. Yehonatan risks himself for David not because of private preference but because covenantal loyalty transcends political instability. Their relationship models relational faithfulness amid fragmentation. Covenant survives because individuals willingly preserve continuity despite surrounding collapse. Likewise, those who gather people into lawful identity participate in preserving civilization itself. Human beings do not drift naturally toward covenantal coherence. Fragmentation proves easier. Forgetfulness proves easier. Assimilation into surrounding instability proves easier. Someone must labor patiently within unstable waters to preserve continuity.

The inclusion of hired men within the Mark account subtly sharpens this distinction between ordinary continuity and covenantal vocation. The family fishing enterprise continues. Economic necessity remains legitimate. Yet Ya’akov and Yochanan leave behind inherited labor for another form of inheritance work—human gathering. The movement symbolizes transition from sustaining physical livelihood toward sustaining communal continuity itself. Civilization depends not merely upon workers, merchants, and craftsmen but upon gatherers of people—those capable of preserving memory, transmitting law, restoring belonging, and cultivating covenantal consciousness across generations.

The connection to Bamidbar becomes increasingly apparent here. The recurring offerings of Shabbat and the new moon rhythms stabilize communal life through repetition. Sacred rhythm protects identity against erosion. Human beings naturally scatter into competing obligations, anxieties, and distractions. Covenant interrupts fragmentation through recurring return. To gather people resembles fishing because both activities require bringing dispersed realities into ordered relationships. Nets gather fish. Sacred rhythm gathers communities. Toráh gathers memory. Ritual gathers identity. The deeper principle concerns preservation of coherence within environments constantly tending toward fragmentation.

Even the image of overflowing abundance challenges assumptions regarding scarcity. The fishermen believed the waters were empty because previous labor had failed. Yet hidden abundance remained present beneath perception. This symbolism resonates powerfully with covenantal anthropology. Human communities frequently assume moral exhaustion, spiritual emptiness, or cultural decline beyond repair. Yet hidden reserves of memory, longing, and covenantal possibility often remain concealed beneath surfaces. The gatherer of souls trusts that what appears lost may yet be retrieved.

This trust becomes particularly significant within periods of civilizational instability. The world described in B’resheet, after the flood, experiences reorganization amid fragmentation. The world of David and Yehonatan trembles beneath political uncertainty. The prophetic horizon of Yeshaya'hú addresses exilic despair. Across these readings emerges a consistent tension between concealment and retrieval, fragmentation and restoration, dispersal and gathering. The Nazarean Codicil passages participate naturally within this larger Jewish symbolic field when understood covenantally. Fishing becomes an image of human gathering precisely because civilization survives through transmission. Communities endure because someone enters unstable waters and patiently retrieves what fragmentation threatens to conceal.

One therefore arrives at a profound possibility regarding the phrase “catching people.” Perhaps the deeper labor concerns helping human beings remember who they are. The scattered must be gathered. The forgotten must be remembered. Those submerged beneath instability require restoration into covenantal continuity. Such work cannot proceed through coercion because identity cannot be imposed mechanically. Fishing requires patience because hidden life emerges gradually. The fisherman trusts what he cannot yet see. Likewise, covenantal labor requires confidence that beneath confusion, exile, suffering, or estrangement, there yet remains the capacity for memory, lawful order, and return. The imagery of boats nearly sinking beneath an abundance of leaves the reader suspended in tension. Too much hidden life suddenly becomes visible. What had appeared empty reveals itself overwhelmingly full. Such moments expose the limitations of ordinary perception and remind the covenantal community that reality often conceals possibilities inaccessible to exhausted human vision. Beneath the waters, life remains moving. Beneath fragmentation, memory survives. Beneath exile, covenant waits. The labor of gathering people, therefore, belongs not to conquest but to retrieval, not to domination but to restoration, not to institutional expansion but to the patient and difficult work of helping scattered human beings find lawful place within the living continuity of Yisra'él and the enduring memory of HaShem.

 

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!”

 

Upcoming Festival - Shavuot

Sivan 6-7, 5786 / June 22-23, 2026

Thursday Evening – Saturday Evening

 

Chag Shabuoth 5786

Festival of Weeks / Pentecost 2026

 

For more information on this festival, please read the following studies:

https://www.betemunah.org/shavuot.html; & https://www.betemunah.org/freedom.html

 

 

 

 

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