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

 

 

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

 

Roll of Honor:

 

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

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

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

His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham

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

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

Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah & beloved family

His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann & beloved family

His Excellency Adon John Batchelor & beloved wife

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

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

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

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

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

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.

 

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!

 

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!

 

Shabbat: “VaSara Ashate” - “And Sara, Abram’s wife”

& Mevar’chim HaChodesh Tammuz –

Proclamation of the New Moon of Tammuz

(Monday Evening, June 15 – Tuesday Evening June 16, 2026)

 

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·        Hagar and Ishmael – Genesis 16:1-16

·        The Covenant of Abraham – Genesis 17:1-5

 

Reading Assignment:

 

The Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez – Vol I &2 By: Rabbi Ya’aqob Culi Translated by Aryeh Kaplan Published by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1989) Vol. 2 – “Genesis”, pp. 107 - 121

Ramban: Commentary on the Torah Translated and Annotated by Rabbi Dr. Charles Chavel Published by Shilo Publishing House, Inc. (New York, 1971)  pp. 211 - 218

 

 

JPS & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Bereshit (Genesis) 16:1-17:5

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for Bereshit (Genesis) 16:1 - 17:5‎

 

1 an Egyptian handmaid She was Pharaoh’s daughter. When he (Pharaoh) saw the miracles that were wrought for Sarah, he said, “It is better that my daughter be a handmaid in this household, than a mistress in another household.”- [from Gen. Rabbah 45:1]

 

2 perhaps I will be built up from her This teaches that whoever has no children is not built up but demolished. - [from Gen. Rabbah 45:2]

 

I will be built up from her in the merit that I will bring my rival into my house. - [from Gen. Rabbah 71:7, Aggadath Bereishith 52]

 

to Sarai’s voice to the Divine Spirit within her. - [from Gen. Rabbah 45:2]

 

3 So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took She took her with words, “You are fortunate that you have merited to cleave to a holy body such as this one.”- [from Gen. Rabbah 45:3]

 

at the end of ten years This is the allotted time for a woman who has lived ten years with her husband and has not borne children to him, when he is obligated to marry another. - [from Gen. Rabbah 45:3]

 

of Abram’s dwelling This tells us that the time they dwelled outside the Land does not count in the number [ten years], because it was not said to him, and I will make you into a great nation, [i.e., this promise would not be fulfilled] until he would come to the Land of Israel. - [from above source]

 

4 And he came to Hagar, and she conceived from the first union. - [from Gen. Rabbah 45:4]

 

and her mistress became unimportant in her eyes She said, “This Sarai her conduct in secret is not like her conduct in public. She shows herself as if she is a righteous woman, but she is not a righteous woman, for she did not merit to conceive all these years, whereas I have conceived from the first union.”- [from aforementioned source]

 

5 May my injustice be upon you [For] the injustice that has been done to me, I lay the punishment upon you. When you prayed to God, “What will You give me, since I am going childless?” you prayed only for yourself, whereas you should have prayed for both of us, and I would have been remembered with you. Moreover, you are stealing from me your [protective] words, for you hear my degradation, and you remain silent (i.e., you are depriving me of the words you should have spoken to Hagar to reprimand her on my behalf). - [from Gen. Rabbah 45:5]

 

I gave my handmaid, etc. between me and you Every בֵינֶיךָ in Scripture is spelled defectively (without the second yud), but this one is spelled plene. It may thus also be read וּבֵינַיִךְ (second person feminine), for she cast an evil eye on Hagar’s pregnancy, and she miscarried her fetus. That is why the angel said to Hagar, “Behold, you will conceive.” But was she not already pregnant? Yet he announces to her that she will conceive? But this teaches that she miscarried her first pregnancy. - [from Gen. Rabbah 45:5]

 

6 And Sarai afflicted her She enslaved her harshly. - [from Gen. Rabbah 45:6]

 

8 where are you coming from [meaning]: “Where have you come from?” He knew [where she was coming from] but he wished to give her an opening to commence speaking with her. Now the אֵי מִזֶה [lit. where from this] means: “Where is the place about which you can say, ‘From this place I have come.’”

 

9 And the angel of the Lord said to her, etc. For each statement, another angel was sent to her. Therefore, the word מַלְאָךְ , angel, is used with each statement. - [from Gen. Rabbah 45:7]

 

11 Behold, you will conceive When you return, you will conceive, like (Jud. 13:5): Behold you shall conceive, stated concerning the wife of Manoah.

 

and bear a son - וְיֽלַדְתְּ is וְיוֹלֶדֶת , and similar to this (Jer. 22:23): You, who abide (ישַׁבְתְּ) in the Lebanon, (יוֹשֶׁבֶת) who nest (מְקוּנַנְתְּ) in the cedars [like, מְקוֹנֶנֶת ].

 

and you shall name him This is the imperative [feminine], as the text states for the masculine: (below 17:19): “and you shall name him (וְקָראתָ אֶת שְׁמוֹ) Isaac.”

 

12 A wild donkey of a man who loves the wilderness to hunt beasts, as it is written (below 21:20f): “And he was an archer; and he dwelt in the desert of Paran.”

 

his hand will be upon all [He will be] a bandit. - [from Tan. Shemot]

 

and everyone’s hand upon him Everyone will hate him and attack him.

 

and before all his brothers he will dwell for his seed will be numerous.

 

13 You are the God of seeing - רֳאִי is vowelized with a “chataf kamatz” because it is a noun, i.e., the God of seeing, Who sees the humiliation of the humiliated. - [from Gen. Rabbah 45:10] (Other editions: Another explanation: “You are the God of seeing” meaning that He sees all, but no one sees Him. Targum Jonathan).

 

Have I seen here also - הֲגַם הֲלֽם is an expression of wonderment. Would I have thought that even here in the desert I would see the emissary of the Omnipresent after I had seen them in the house of Abraham, where I was accustomed to seeing angels? And you should know that she was accustomed to seeing them, because Manoah saw the angel once and said, “We will surely die,” and this one saw four, one after the other, and she was not frightened. - [from Gen. Rabbah 45:7]

 

14 Be’er Lachai Ro’i As the Targum renders: a well upon which the living angel appeared.

 

15 and Abram named, etc. Although Abram had not heard the words of the angel, who said, “And you shall name him Ishmael,” the Holy Spirit rested upon him, and he called him Ishmael. - [from Bereishith Rabbathi, also Mid. Aggadah]

 

16 And Abram was eighty-six years old, etc. This was written in praise of Ishmael, to let us know that he was thirteen years old when he was circumcised, and he did not object. - [Mid. Aggadah]

 

Chapter 17

 

1 I am the Almighty God Heb. שַׁדַי —I am He Whose Godliness suffices for every creature. [ שֶׁ that, דַי is sufficient]. Therefore, walk before Me, and I will be your God and your Protector, and wherever it (this name) appears in Scripture, it means “His sufficiency,” but each one is [to be interpreted] according to the context. - [from Gen. Rabbah 47:3]

 

walk before Me As the Targum renders: “Serve Me, cleave to My service.”

 

and be perfect This too is one command following another command: be perfect in all My trials (Mid. Ps. 119:3), i.e., “Walk before Me” with faith and honesty, and also be perfect in all My trials. [Mizrachi] According to its midrashic interpretation, walk before Me refers to the commandment of circumcision, and thereby, you will be perfect, for as long as the foreskin is upon you, I consider you imperfect (Gen. Rabbah 46:1). Another explanation: “and be perfect”- Now you are missing [control over] five organs: two eyes, two ears, and the male organ. I will add a letter to your name, and the numerical value of your letters [of your name] will be 248, corresponding to the number of your organs (Tan. Lech Lecha 16, Ned. 32b).

 

2 And I will place My covenant A covenant of love and the covenant of the land, to give it to you as a heritage through [your fulfillment of] this commandment. - [from Gen. Rabbah 46:9]

 

3 And Abram fell upon his face from fear of the Shechinah, for as long as he was uncircumcised, he did not have the strength to stand when the Divine Presence stood over him, and that is what is said concerning Balaam (Num. 24:4): “who falls and his eyes are open” (Num. Rabbah 12:8). I found this in the Baraitha of Rabbi Eliezer (Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer ch. 29).

 

5 the father of a multitude of nations - אַב הֲמוֹן is an acrostic of his name [i.e., - אברהם ]. (Gen. Rabbah 46:7). The “resh” that was in it [his name] originally, denoting that he was the father only of Aram, which was his native place, whereas now [he became] the father of the whole world (Ber. 13a): nevertheless the “resh” that was there originally was not moved from its place. For even the “yud” in Sarai’s name complained to the Shechinah until it was added to Joshua, as it is said: (Num. 13:16): “and Moses called Hosea [ הוֹשֵׁעַ ] the son of Nun, Joshua [ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ ].”- [from Gen. Rabbah 47:1]

 

 

Ketubim:  JPS & Targum Tehillim (Psalms) 12:1-9

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary on Tehillim (Psalms) 12:1-9

 

1 on the sheminith The eight stringed harp.

 

2 are gone Heb. גמר , lit. finished, destroyed.

 

have vanished Heb. פסו , faylirt in Old French, to lack, fail.

 

for the faithful have vanished from the sons of men Everyone betrays me and spies out the places where I hide, and tells Saul (54:2): “Is not David hiding with us?”

 

3 with a double heart Lit. with a heart and a heart; with two hearts. They feign friendliness, but there is hatred hidden in their heart.

 

5 With our tongue we will overpower With our tongue we will gain strength.

 

6 Because of the plunder of the poor Because of the plunder of the poor who are robbed by you for example, I myself and my men and the priests of Nob, and because of the cry of the needy, the Lord shall say, “Now I will rise to their help.”

 

I will grant them salvation, He shall speak I will grant them salvation, He will speak concerning them. יפיח is an expression of speech. There are many [examples] in the Book of Proverbs, and in Habakkuk (2:3): “and He shall speak (יפח) of the end, and it shall not fail.” However, Menachem (p. 141), interpreted it as an expression of a snare, as (below 124:7) “the snare (הפח) broke.”

 

7 The sayings of the Lord are pure sayings for He has the ability to fulfill them, but the sayings of the sons of men are not sayings when they die and are unable to fulfill [them].

 

pure Clear and permanent. Whatever He promises He does, for He promised me salvation and the throne.

 

silver refined They are like refined silver that is exposed to the entire land.

 

exposed Heb. בעליל , an expression of revealing; in the language of the Mishna (Rosh Hashanah 21b, see Gemara): “whether it was plainly (בעליל) visible or whether it was not plainly (בעליל) visible, etc.” Others explain בעליל as an expression of elevation, and this is its explanation: silver refined with the best earth. That is to say, like silver that is refined with the best earth and its upper layer, because a person makes a crucible to refine the silver from the best earth. Another explanation: בעליל is like בעלי , with a mortar (as in Prov. 27: 22): “among grain with a pestle,” which is the name of a utensil in which [grain] is crushed. Similarly, בעליל is the crucible in which gold and silver are smelted. However, this does not seem correct because he does not call עלי the mortar in which [the grain] is crushed, but the handle of the pestle with which they crush. This is called pilon in French, pestle. Another explanation: בעליל is an expression of the master of a hand, i.e., the master of the earth, and the praise of the word applies to God. Targum Jonathan, too, renders it as an expression of lordship. He says that His sayings are like silver, refined by the Lord of the earth, Who is God, for He refined and clarified them.

 

8 shall guard them Those poor and needy people being pursued by this generation, who are informers.

 

9 Wicked men walk on all sides to hide traps to cause me to stumble.

 

when the basest to the sons of men is elevated Heb. כרם זלות לבני אדם [They walk on all sides] because of their envy, for they are jealous of my greatness, that I was taken from behind the sheep to be a king. This is the interpretation of כרם זלות לבני אדם : when a man considered by the sons of men to be base is elevated. This is on the order of the passage elsewhere (below 118:22): “The stone that the builders rejected became a cornerstone.” The Midrash Aggadah interprets it concerning Israel in the future, when they will be elevated. [Unknown Midrashic source] Menachem interprets כרם זלות לבני אדם (pp. 78, 164): like a gluttonous wild ox to devour the sons of men. Accordingly, כרם is rendered: like a רים or ראם , and זלות is like (Deut. 21:20) זולל וסבא , “a glutton and a drunkard.” The following is its interpretation: The wicked walk on all sides around the poor man; the wicked walk to swallow him for naught, as a wild ox to swallow the sons of men.

 

 

Meditation on the Psalms

Psalm 12:1-9

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

 

Psalms chapter 12 was inspired by a prophetic message foretelling an era when the wicked would succeed in overcoming the poor and the helpless. The threat manifested itself when Saul seemed to be on the verge of subduing David and occurred again on a national scale when the entire House of David was threatened with extinction at the hands of the evil Israelite Queen Athaliah who annihilated the entire ‘royal seed’ [with the exception of the infant Yoash who was hidden^[1]].

 

Rashi^[2] writes: David dedicated this Psalm to Athaliah’s atrocity, which would occur in the eighth generation of His dynasty (beginning with Solomon), praying that a remnant of his family be spared, saying, ‘Save me, HaShem, for the devout are no more’.

 

However, the psalm ends on the confident note that HaShem will surely protect the helpless. The full realization of this wish will come to pass in Messianic times when evil will vanish in the face of the enlightenment gained through Torah study.^[3] Therefore, this psalm was accompanied by the שמינית, the eight-stringed instrument symbolizing that the forces set loose during the seven days of creation will finally be bridled and disciplined.^[4]

 

In this light, we understand why the Vilna Gaon prescribes this psalm as the שיר של יום, ‘The Song of the Day’, for Shemini Atzeret.^[5] This is the special psalm for Shemini Atzeret found in the Orot Sephardic Succoth Machzor.

 

On the seven days of the Succoth Festival, offerings were brought symbolizing the seventy nations who surround Israel. But on the eighth day, Shemini Atzeret, the offering symbolizes only Israel who will remain alone and exalted in Messianic times as HaShem’s chosen people. ^[6]

 

The structural and linguistic bridge connecting Psalms 12 and Genesis 16:1–17:5 relies heavily on the stark contrast between faulty human words (which generate division, strife, and doubt) and the pure, unyielding words of HaShem (which actively establish reality and destiny). When read side-by-side, Psalm 12 acts as a perfect poetic commentary on the exact narrative dynamics playing out in the lives of Abram, Sarai, and Hagar.

 

Psalms 12 contains a powerful divine pivot point where God declares He will physically arise to rescue the defenseless who are being mistreated by human systems.

 

Tehillim (Psalms) 12:6 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise,' saith the LORD; 'I will set him in safety...

 

This is the exact narrative arc of Hagar. When Sarai deals harshly with her, Hagar flees into the wilderness as a completely destitute, vulnerable, and pregnant runaway slave. She is the ultimate definition of the "sighing needy." HaShem directly answers this by dispatching the Angel of the Lord to find her by the fountain of water. He hears her affliction, sets her in a place of safety, and promises a massive multi-generational lineage for her son, leading her to name the well Beer-lahai-roi ("The Well of the Living One who sees me").

 

The following section is an excerpted, and edited, portion from “The Handbook of Jewish Thought, Vol. 2”, by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan.     

 

It is HaShem’s will that there exists a certain degree of uniformity in Jewish practices, as well as in the interpretation of the Law. It is thus written, “There shall be one Torah and one law for you”.^[7]

 

Therefore, even when no formal central authority, such as the Sanhedrin, exists, HaShem has provided guidelines to insure the continuance of Judaism as a unified way of life. These guidelines provide the basis for the system of Torah law known as Halacha.^[8]

 

Moreover, it was impossible to include every possible case in the Oral Torah. It would also be impossible for the Sanhedrin to decide in every possible case. Therefore, HaShem gave each qualified Torah scholar the right to decide questions of Torah law. Then, even if laws were forgotten, they could be restored through the halachic process.

 

It is a positive commandment for a duly qualified Torah scholar to render decisions in questions of Torah law when asked. It is thus written, “You shall teach the children of Israel all the decrees which HaShem told them through Moses” …^[9]

 

The unique relationship between HaShem and Israel guarantees that we will always be able to ascertain His will. It is thus written, “You will seek HaShem your Lord, and you will find Him, as long as you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul”…^[10]

 

HaShem therefore granted the Jewish people as a whole a sort of collective Divine Inspiration so that they would be able to recognize the correct opinion in questions of Torah law. Therefore, when there is any question, it is ultimately decided on the basis of what becomes common practice. Hence, when a decision is accepted as a general custom, it becomes universally binding.

 

Therefore, any practice, decision or code that is universally accepted by the Jewish people is assumed to represent HaShem’s will and is binding as such. Even when a decision is initially disputed, the commonly accepted opinion becomes binding as law.

 

Since the Talmud was accepted by all Israel, it is the final authority in all questions of Torah law. Since such universal acceptance is a manifestation of HaShem’s will, one who opposes the teachings of the Talmud is like one who opposes HaShem and His Torah. All later codes and decisions are binding only insofar as they are derived from the Talmud.

 

Other works, written prior or contemporary to the Babylonian Talmud are likewise very important for the understanding of laws, beliefs and history. However, since they were all known to the compilers of the Talmud, it is assumed that when the Talmud disputes these works, it does so for a reason. Therefore, whenever they disagree with the Talmud, decisions found in the Jerusalem Talmud, Midrash and Tosefta are ignored. There are, however, certain special cases, where, because of long established custom, the opinions of other early works are accepted, even when they disagree with the Talmud.

 

All the opinions found in the Talmud are equally sacred. Still, there is always one binding opinion whenever questions of actual practice are concerned. This is known either from the Talmudic discussions itself, or from later tradition.

 

However, when a dispute involves questions of opinion or history, and has no special consequences any opinion found in the Talmud is equally acceptable. Similarly, no final decision is normally rendered between conflicting Talmudical opinions in the case of laws that are no longer applicable.

 

Halacha teaches us how to behave with our families, relatives, and strangers as well as how to fulfill our religious requirements between ourselves and HaShem. To fulfill our role as a holy people, we imitate HaShem’s actions. Examples are visiting the sick, welcoming guests, giving charity, refraining from creative activity on Shabbat, and promoting peace between husband and wife.^[11] The true reason for following Halacha is because HaShem commanded us to do so.  We observe Halacha to please our Creator and to become spiritually close to Him by doing His will and imitating His actions. Like the word for the whole body of Jewish “laws,” each rule of how to act is called a Halacha.^[12]

 

The Shema is an affirmation of our covenantal relationship and a declaration of faith in one G-d. The obligation to recite the Shema is the beginning of the obligation to pray, yet separate from it. This means that we must also pray in addition to saying the Shema. Saying the Shema is the beginning of Torah study since the two commands are so closely related. A Jew is obligated to say Shema in the morning and at night, as we can see from the above passage.

 

The directives of the Shema, Debarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4ff, intimate two ways for Israel to express its love for HaShem: to do and to hear. Later Hakhamim will refer to these “ways” as “duties of the limbs” and “duties of the heart”, the “duties of the limbs” implying what the Hakhamim came to call halacha. Derived from the causative verb Halak (to walk, i.e., to make someone else walk, to lead, to guide), halacha is that component of Torah which provides guidance through definitive rulings or commandments (mitzvot^[13]). It answers the questions ‘what,’ ‘when,’ and ‘how’ in Israel’s call to holiness.

 

The Torah was HaShem’s plan holiness given to Adam^[14] and later to Israel through Moshe, at Mount Sinai, in the presence of all the people of Israel. This plan was written out in the Torah. We worship HaShem by studying this plan and putting it into practice, i.e. one must walk (Halak) out the Torah. Righteousness is, by definition, the state created by living according to the Torah, HaShem’s plan. Jewish life was defined by Torah regardless of where one lived.

 

The first place where “walk” is used, with people, is in:

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 13:14-18 And HaShem said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, [then] shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. Then Abram removed [his] tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which [is] in Hebron, and built there an altar unto HaShem.

 

In this first use of the word “walk”, with people, we find that it has the basic idea of performing the will of HaShem. HaShem is having Abram check out his inheritance, his land. Many of HaShem’s commands, such as the Sabbatical year and the Jubilee year, can ONLY be performed in the land. This walk establishes Abram’s continued obedience to the commands of HaShem.

 

One of the things we will notice in this study, is that most of the time that we see this word ‘walk’, it will be juxtaposed with the commands of HaShem.

 

Now, let’s see how this same word is used in other scriptures:

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 17:1-14 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, HaShem appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I [am] the Almighty HaShem; walk before me and become perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and HaShem talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant [is] with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a HaShem unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their HaShem. And HaShem said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This [is] my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which [is] not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

 

In this use, we see that walking is intimately connected with obedience to HaShem. The implied usage seems to indicate a lifestyle of obedience. There are some Mitzvot where the symbol and the meaning are explicit: Some are called ‘ot’, a sign: - Circumcision - mila - is described as a “Sign of the Covenant”, the meaning of which is contained in the phrase “Walk in front of Me and become perfect”.^[15] To “walk in HaShem’s ways”, which Chazal understand as mandating not just concrete actions but also the cultivation of virtuous character traits.^[16] Judaism requires halakhic observance, but it also asks for more than that, namely, a life of compassion for those who are vulnerable.

 

Torah asks us not just to perform our duties but also to cultivate ourselves. This pervades the whole history of Jewish religious writing. The Musar movement’s focus on character-building; the Rambam’s persistent concern with virtue;^[17] and R. Bachya’s preoccupation with the duties of the heart rather than (merely) those of the limbs.^[18]

 

Working to become a refined and holy person is the entire goal of the Torah. HaShem introduces His covenant with Abram by telling him to “walk yourself before Me and be whole”.^[19] Thus, perfecting one’s ability to relate to HaShem and to other people is the goal of the entire observance, not merely a means to fulfill other mitzvot and doing mitzvot themselves. This goal is to make manifest the Image of the Divine within each of us.

 

Vayikra (Leviticus) 18:1-5 And HaShem spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am HaShem your HaShem. After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I [am] HaShem your HaShem. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I [am] HaShem.

 

In this powerful passage, HaShem again indicates that the way to live, is in obedience to His Torah. Our walk, our obedience to the Torah and Chazal determines whether we are choosing death or life.

 

Vayikra (Leviticus) 26:2-12 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I [am] HaShem. If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make [you] afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new. And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.

 

In this passage, HaShem indicates that if we are to be His people, and He is to be our HaShem, then we MUST walk in His statutes. There is no other way.

 

Debarim (Deuteronomy) 5:31 - 6:2 But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do [them] in the land which I give them to possess it. Ye shall observe to do therefore as HaShem your HaShem hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. Ye shall walk in all the ways which HaShem your HaShem hath commanded you, that ye may live, and [that it may be] well with you, and [that] ye may prolong [your] days in the land which ye shall possess. Now these [are] the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which HaShem your HaShem commanded to teach you, that ye might do [them] in the land whither ye go to possess it: That thou mightest fear HaShem thy HaShem, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

 

In this passage, walking in His ways, means living a Torah observant life. The result of this walk is prolonged life on Earth.

 

Deuteronomy 30:10-20 if you obey the Lord your HaShem to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the Lord your HaShem with all your heart and soul. “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. “It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it. “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the Lord your HaShem, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your HaShem may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. “But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other G-ds and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You shall not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your HaShem, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. “

 

In this passage, the use of “walk” is used to graphically describe a life of absolute Torah obedience. This lifestyle is called “our life”!

 

Yehoshua (Joshua) 22:1-6 Then Yehoshua (Joshua) called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of HaShem commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you: Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of HaShem your HaShem. And now HaShem your HaShem hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, [and] unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of HaShem gave you on the other side Jordan. But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of HaShem charged you, to love HaShem your HaShem, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. So Yehoshua (Joshua) blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.

 

Here again, we have HaShem associating our walk with our obedience to His Torah. Yehoshua (Joshua) seems to be emphasizing how important it is to walk in His ways.

 

Zechariah 8:20-23 “Thus says HaShem of hosts, ‘{It will} yet {be} that peoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities. ‘And the inhabitants of one will go to another saying, “Let us go at once to entreat the favor of HaShem, and to seek HaShem of hosts; I will also go.” ‘So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek HaShem of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of HaShem.’ “Thus says HaShem of hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew saying,” Let us go with you, for we have heard that HaShem is with you.

 

In this passage, “go” literally means to “walk”. When we walk with the Jews, it means to live a lifestyle that they live. It means that we have embraced a Torah observant lifestyle, as they have. When we are Torah observant, we will find that HaShem is with us too!

 

In the Nazarean Codicil, we find this same theme regarding our walk:

 

II Luqas (Acts) 21:18-24 And now the following day Paul went in with us to Yaaqob (James), and all the elders were present. And after he had greeted them, he {began} to relate one by one the things which HaShem had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it they {began} glorifying HaShem; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. “What, then, is {to be done}? They will certainly hear that you have come. “Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses in order that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law.

 

Here, Paul demonstrates that he walks orderly by keeping the Torah. The Greek word for “walk”, in the above passage, is:

 

4748 stoicheo, stoy-kheh’-o; from a der. of steicho (to range in regular line); to march in (military) rank (keep step), i.e. (fig.) to conform to virtue and piety: - walk (orderly).

 

Romans 6:4-6 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Mashiach was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

 

We have already seen the close association between walking and life. The above passage reinforces this idea. Mashiach’s death was for the purpose of eliminating sin. Sin is the word that describes a lifestyle devoid of Torah:

 

1 Yochanan (John) 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

 

Romans 8:1-4 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Mashiach Yeshua, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Mashiach Yeshua hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, HaShem sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 

In this difficult passage, Paul is putting our walk together with life, and this is in opposition to the flesh and sin. Since Paul lived a Torah observant lifestyle, and was well versed in the Torah, it is clear that he is reiterating that we must walk in obedience to the Torah, which is the Spirit of life.

 

2 Yochanan (John) 1:4-6 I was very glad to find {some} of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment {to do} from the Father. And now I ask you, lady, not as writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

 

Here, at the end of the Nazarean Codicil, we still see that we are commanded to walk according to the Torah, which are His commandments.

 

His Eminence, Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai, has also taught me about another Greek word used in the Nazarean Codicil that refers to our walk, to reveal some amazing things. Strong’s defines this word as:

 

3598 hodos, hod-os’; appar. a prim. word; a road; by impl. a progress (the route, act or distance); fig. a mode or means: - journey, (high-) way.

 

As we follow the Hebrew word HALAK, we need to follow it into the Nazarean Codicil. The Greek word used to translate the Hebrew word HALAK is HODOS. HUDOS means HALAKHA, the way of walking. We have some very interesting passages that uses this word:

 

Matityahu 3:3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

 

Matityahu 5:25 {Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.}

 

Matityahu 7:13 {Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:}

 

Yochanan (John) 14:5-6 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Yeshua saith unto him, {I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.}

 

The Torah was HaShem’s plan for creation given to Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai in the presence of all the people of Israel. This plan was written out in the Five Books of Moses known collectively as the Torah. One worships HaShem by studying this plan and putting it into practice, i.e. one must walk (halak) in the Torah. Righteousness is, by definition, the state created by living according to the Torah, which is HaShem’s plan. Jewish life is / was defined by Torah regardless of where one lived.

 

By now we should understand why the wicked prosper, in this world. Their walk will determine their ultimate end in a place where they will encounter the torment that they have earned. Consider the following pasuk:

 

Hoshea (Hosea) 14:10 Whoso is wise, let him understand these things, whoso is prudent, let him know them. For the ways of HaShem are right, and the just do walk in them; but transgressors do stumble therein.

 

The Vilna Gaon,^[20] quoted in Even Sheleimah,^[21] teaches us the true meaning of the above pasuk.

 

The relationship of Torah to the soul: A comparison to rain for the ground, it causes what was planted there to grow, whether a sam hachaim or a sam hamaves, a poison. Similarly, Torah causes what is in his heart to grow. If what is in his heart is good, his yir’ah will grow; if what is in his heart is a “root sprouting poison weed and wormwood” then the bitterness that is in his head will grow. As it is written, “the righteous will walk in it, and sinners will stumble in it” (Hoshea 14:10, as explained by Chazal), and as it is written, “To those who go to the right side of it, it is a medicine of life; to those who go to its left, it is a deadly poison”).^[22]

 

The day when the wicked reap the consequence of their walk is The Eighth Day, which is alluded to in the opening of our psalm:

 

Tehillim (Psalm) 12:1 For the Leader; on the Sheminith.^[23] A Psalm of David.

 

The eight stringed harp speaks to The Eighth Day, the eighth millennium, when this eight-string harp will be used.

 

Ashlamatah: ‎ Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:1-10

 

 

Rashi’s Commentary for: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:1-10

 

1.  Sing, you barren woman Jerusalem, who was as though she had not borne.

 

you who have not experienced birth pangs Heb. חָלָה, an expression of childbirth, for the woman in confinement gives birth with pains and writhing.

 

for the children of the desolate one The daughter of Edom.

 

2. and let them stretch forth far off.

 

lengthen your cords These are thin ropes that hang at the bottom of tents, and that are tied to stakes called ‘chevills’ in French, which are thrust into the ground.

 

3. shall you prevail Heb. תִּפְרֹצִי, shall you prevail.

 

4. your youth Heb. עֲלוּמַיִךְ, your youth.

 

6. who was rejected When she is rejected at times that her husband is a little wroth with her.

 

8. With a little wrath Heb. שֶׁצֶף. Menahem (Machbereth p. 179) interprets this as, “with kindling of wrath,” and Dunash (Teshuvoth p. 20) states, “with a little wrath,” paralleling “For a small moment have I forsaken you,” and so did Jonathan render.

 

and with everlasting kindness that will exist forever.

 

9. For this is to Me [as] the waters of Noah [i.e.,] it is an oath in My hand, and He proceeds to explain His words, “as I swore that the waters of Noah shall never again pass over the earth, etc.”

 

10. For the mountains shall depart Even if the merit of the Patriarchs and the Matriarchs is depleted, My kindness shall not depart from you.

 

Commentary on the Ashlamatah of Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:1-10

By: H.Ex. Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

 

Our Ashlamatah starts with, Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! ^[24] The prophet Isaiah describes the song Israel will sing when HaShem brings the Jewish people back to Zion in the final Redemption from exile. We have reached a turning point in which Israel is told to begin to rejoice. Although you may be a barren woman, I beckon you to rejoice. Rejoice in your salvation despite your current situation. The city of Jerusalem, or Zion, is often portrayed as a woman, a woman who is childless, as a city without inhabitants. A city apparently that has been forsaken by her husband. Iben Ezra tells us that a land with a ruler is metaphorically described as one with a husband. God is reminding this woman to rejoice that he is still her husband, and he will protect her, and she soon will be abundant with children. The Psalms tell us he will make the barren woman abundant with children. (113:9) The Hebrew scriptures speak of five barren women, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Hannah, and the city of Zion, and in the Nazarene Codicil, Elizabeth and Mary are mentioned, two more for a total of eight. Again, Isaiah 49:21 says, “Rejoice, O Baron, one without children. For after the Lord will restore her children. He will say in your heart (or to oneself), Who has borne me these children?^[25] The Prophets often use the metaphor of a marriage to portray the relationship between God, the Husband, and Israel, the bride. (Hos.1-3, Jer. 2-3, Isa. 49-54, Zeph. 3:14-20, and Ezekiel 16)

 

The people of Israel are told:  Enlarge the place of your tent, (v.2), let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, your offspring will possess the nations and your people, the desolate cities. Radak and Abarbanel tell us we (the Jewish people) will need to make room for the multitudes that will flock to the homeland at the time of Redemption. The place of your tent is in Jerusalem, and your dwellings are in the rest of the country.  In Jeremiah 31:37, we see a hint and short description of this broadening, the heavens, which are unmeasurable, along with the foundations of the earth, are juxtaposed to show the ever-expanding of God's children, and in Zechariah 8:22, leading into 9:2,  the ever expanding of humanity and the rule of God, the prophets using examples in his day of great cities that come under the rulership of HaShem.

 

Continuing the imagery from 54:1, God gives another command. You had better lengthen your cords and increase your tents, an echo of Moses. Hear, O Israel: you are to cross over the Jordan today, to go in and dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified up to heaven. (Duet. 9:1) The Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours. Your territory shall be from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the river, the Euphrates, to the western sea. (Duet. 11:23-24)

 

Israel is told: “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; (v.4).  the command not to be afraid has occurred in (40:9; 41:10, 13,14; 43:1,5) humiliated word translated ‘ashamed’ appeared in (49:23) and (50:7), and the word translated ‘ humiliated’ is used as a synonym for ‘ashamed’ in (41:11; 45:16,17, 50:7). So, this verse serves as a summation of terms that express the reversal of past sins and their consequences.^[26] The crowds flocking to Jerusalem will overwhelm the cities of Israel and will flow out into other lands. Rashi said you will burst out, flowing out to the left and right. (v.3) Radak and Iben Ezra continue this understanding, sharing that Israel will burst out or flow out into other lands and countries due to such large numbers that come in the final redemption from our exile.^[27]

 

The first five verses of our passage leave us questioning, almost as if the listener has been caught off guard by the two commands. We have all experienced being in a conversation and, for whatever reason, completely caught off guard by what was said. Many times, when this happens, the conversation comes to a complete stop and begins again with lots of explanation in order to bring the listener up to some level of comprehension of the previously stated proposition. For your master is your maker, HaShem, Master of Legions, is his name: your Redeemer is the Holy one of Israel: God of all the world will he be called.^[28] The theme of Zion being abundantly repopulated also appears in (49:17-21). It seems Isaiah is drawing from (Jer. 10:17-25) where the Judeans are about to be exiled and lament the loss of their children and the destruction of their tent, which is symbolized by the temple.^[29] As the master of all earthly and heavenly legions, he can do whatever he wants, Radak reminds us. As we discussed earlier, the Torah will flow from Zion, and all nations will accept the Torah of HaShem as delivered by Moses; the nations will acknowledge HaShem as God, not just of Israel but of all the world. When he manifests Himself as God of Israel, then he shall be God of the whole earth (Ps. 102:13, 15, 16; Zech. 14:5, 9)

 

For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. For the Lord has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. For a brief moment, I deserted you, but with great compassion, I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment, I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer. (V.7-8)

 

God’s return to Zion (the return of a husband to a wife), after his period of estrangement. A picture is also given in (Hos 2:19): “And I will espouse you forever… with goodness and with love.” Our reading is also an echo of (Isa. 60:10): “For in anger I struck you down, but in favor I take you back in love.”  It is important to note that Hashem’s bringing together, restoring, and returning His people, Israel (wife), to their home is based not so much on their regret as on His promises, faithfulness, and steadfast love. Can we even imagine what will happen when our LORD and Master, the HaShem of all the earth, reveals his face to us, and he, in all his glory, is NOT hidden from Israel and mankind any longer? Israel need not fear, because her husband, the ‘God of the whole earth, has called her.’  He calls for her the way a wronged spouse calls out to his wife, pleading for repentance, faithfulness, commitment, and reconciliation. “He called,” like a husband, when his wife left, and grieved in spirit, like a wife of one’s youth when she was rejected. Although he turned away from her because of her sin and rejection of His love and faithfulness, that very same “love and faithfulness” to her allows him to not ‘forsake,’ or ‘abandon’ her. Although he has turned away from her because of her shameful past deeds, he has never divorced her. He understands a wife must choose to love her husband and, in contrition and repentance, decide to return to him. Israel cannot, has not, or will not remain defiant. As scriptures teach in so many places, “there is always a remnant.”  When she becomes grieved in spirit over the situation, Israel will come to the place where she wants the separation to end (49:14-21). This situation parallels Hosea 2–3, where HaShem wins Israel back, and she wants the joy of marriage and family restored to her.^[30]  Isaiah tells of the vast numbers of returning children. Look all around you and see they are all assembled, they are coming to you, as I live declares HaShem. (v.18) In conversation with a wise old man about the dynamics between a man and his wife, I, being a newlywed, not knowing my left from my right, was given advice, and I have only now begun to understand partly. The most dangerous place in the world is between a Husband and his wife! For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love (חֶסֶד ḥeseḏ) shall not depart from you. (Isa.54:19) The antisemites who attack the bride will not go unpunished. Those who hate Israel and the Jews, regardless of whether the attack takes the form of words or physical actions! They will not go unpunished, and in time humanity will see when God rises for his people and his city of Jerusalem.

 

Noah was the first man favored by HaShem, or one whom HaShem is said to have shown Grace toward. ^[31] Ibn Ezra on Genesis 6:8:1 says GRACE. (Chen) means mercy. From it we get the word techinnah (supplication). Chen follows the paradigm of ketz (end); both have roots whose second and third letters are the same. The meaning of found grace (mercy or pity) in the eyes of the Lord is like No eye pitied thee (Ezek. 16:5).  The Ramban says, when “NOAH FOUND GRACE IN THE EYES OF THE ETERNAL. The meaning thereof is that all his deeds were pleasing and sweet before Him. Similarly, Moses and the people of Israel were told of this Grace(favor), for thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name. (Exo.33:12-20) This is like the verses: And He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. (Gen 39:21) And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who looked upon her. (Esther 2:9-17) Scripture mentions this in contrast to what it said concerning his [Noah’s] generation, namely, that all their deeds brought grief before Him, blessed be He. But of Noah it says that he found grace in His eyes, and afterwards it tells why he was pleasing before G-d: because he was a perfectly righteous man.”^[32]

 

The day of wrath that is coming at God’s appearance, part of that wrath will be directed at those who so foolishly stand between the ‘Master of Legions,’ the God of the whole earth, and his bride. In verse eight, we see a contrast between the “slight wrath” experienced by Israel in the past and the “eternal kindness” they shall experience in the near future. For like the waters of Noah, this shall be to me. The Targum and Iben Ezra point out that this phrase should be rendered as Yeshua did in Luke 17:26ff, Matt. 24:37ff. “As in the days of Noah, ‘the waters of Noah’  מֵי־נֹ֛חַ. And in the latter day, the wicked will suddenly be swept away by judgment when God will set up His theocratic kingdom of blessing on the earth. (Matt. 24:36–39). When the time arrived to judge the earth, and the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,^[33] the flood came and removed the wicked, unrighteous man. The people in the day of Noah, as in the days of Yeshua and in our day, are invited to come into the ark: Metaphorically, our personal “arks” are our periods of Torah study and prayer. Just as Noah and his family were protected by the ark from the flood that raged outside it, we can “enter” the worlds of Torah study and prayer to be protected from the “flood” of worldly concerns that threatens to inundate us.^[34]

 

The Rabbis learn by implication that if Noah had prayed for the people of his day, the destruction would have been less, and they bring the example of Abraham praying for Sodom and Moses praying for Israel.^[35]  “When Moses, whose soul included the souls of all Jews, said that he wished to be erased from the Torah if the Jewish people were wiped out, he used the word  מְחֵ֣נִי ‘erase me’, which  contains the same letters as ‘waters of Noah’ (Exo.32:32). By offering his soul to save the Jewish people he rectified the soul of Noah, who did not pray for the people of his generation.”^[36] In 1 Peter 3:20ff, we see the same connection made in relation to Yeshua giving his life to save those who are unrighteous.  Peter used the same text as the Prophet Isaiah to support his teaching. Christ (Messiah) died for sins (cf.2:21-24). The phrase “for sins” (peri hamartiōn) is used in the Septuagint regarding the sin offering for atonement. The substitutionary nature of the Messiah’s death is indicated by the phrase the righteous for the unrighteous (1Pet.3:18) (dikaios hyper adikōn). Messiah the “righteous One” (dikaios), uniquely qualified to die as the substitute for (hyper, “for,” “in place of,” or “instead of”) the “unrighteous ones” (adikōn). The divine purpose for Christ’s (Messiah’s) sacrificial death was man’s reconciliation, to bring people back to God.^[37] As we have already seen, Israel had already received this divine favor (chen), and with Yeshua, all the nations are shown divine chen (favor) and given an opportunity to come into the ark.

 

Again, we see this same expression in Isaiah chapters 49 -53, in the servant passages, the general to the specific, from the whole community of servants to the particular individual servant. Just as we see in the reading of Joshua chapter 22. The one is responsible to, or responsible for the whole community. The individual and the community have a shared responsibility to each other; it is reciprocal. If one takes this idea and broadens it outward to the ends of the earth. The Messianic idea is that the Messiah (servant) has a responsibility to the whole community, and the whole community has a responsibility back to the Messiah servant. Specifically, this speaks of the community of the nation of Israel, but since Israel is a part of the whole community of mankind, they have a responsibility to their brothers, and this is the purpose of the exile to gather up the lost members(souls) of their nation and any others that wish to accept HaShem's grace (chen)toward them.  

 

HaShem swore not to cover the earth with water again as he did in Noah’s day (54:9), and through the Messiah, he made a way for those to escape the coming wrath if they so choose. Isaiah was speaking to the children of Israel in his day. Isaiah also knew that the children Israel would have to open up the tent and to broaden the house due to the influx of the children of Zion that was coming and in this “bursting forth”  it would flow out to ingulf the whole world one day with the knowledge of HaShem with its blessing and the wrath that comes with the blessing if one refuses or simply fails to uphold their responsibility. We could say there are two sides to a covenant, and both parties are responsible for the other per the terms of the agreement. Which seems to be just what Tzefet (Peter) is teaching. In the coming of the “son of man,” it will be as in the days of Noah, there will be those who do not come to HaShem in repentance and faith, Emunah (faithful obedience),^[38] And those who have lived lives of disobedience will receive destruction. But we are to remain steadfast, walking in God’s ways. When mankind acts in accordance with God's laws and imitates God's attribute of justice, this is our part in pursuing justice and helping to establish God's justice on earth.

 

The Rabbis expand on this principle in a detailed interpretation of a phrase in Deuteronomy 13:4, 'It is the Lord your God you must follow (halacha)'. They explain: What does 'It is the Lord your God you must follow' mean? Is it possible for a human to walk after (halacha) the Shechina (the feminine aspect of God); for has it not been said, 'for the Lord your God is a devouring fire'? (Deut 4:24). But the meaning is to walk after the attributes of the Holy One, Blessed be He. As He clothes the naked, for it is written 'And the Lord God made coats of skin for Adam and his wife' (Gen 3:21), so you should also clothe the naked. The Holy One, Blessed be He, visited the sick, for it is written 'And the Lord appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre' (Gen 18:1), and so you should visit the sick. The Holy One, Blessed be He, comforted the mourners, as it is written 'And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son' (Gen 25:11), so you should also comfort mourners. The Holy One, Blessed be He, buried the dead, for it is written, 'And He buried him in the valley' (Deut. 34:6), so you should also bury the dead. (Babylonian Talmud (BT) Sotah 14A)

 

The mountains may be moved, and the hills may falter (or fall, be shaken), but my loving kindness shall not be removed from you, and my covenant of peace shall not falter (or fall, be shaken), said the one who shows you mercy, HaShem. The conclusion of our Torah reading and the corresponding Ashlamatah give us our duties and responsibilities while we await the restoration of the Kingdom.  Just as the returning soldiers of Reuben and Gad also left with six solemn exhortations by Joshua ringing in their ears we are left with the same: (a) be very careful to keep the commandment and the Law, (b) love the Lord your God, (c) walk in all His ways, (d) obey His commands, (e) hold fast to Him, and (f) serve Him with all your heart and all your soul. . When in our darkest night, when it seems all has collapsed, and we seem to be all alone in our journey, our guarantee that God’s kindness has not been removed from us is to act like our Father in heaven and cleave to acts of kindness toward our fellow man.^[39]  Eph 5:1–2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ (Messiah) loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Rom 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 2 Cor 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. 1 John 3:1–3 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so, we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

 

Hakham’s note for Isaiah 54:1

 

Galatians 4:27 is a direct citation of Isaiah 54:1. The Apostle Paul quotes the Greek Septuagint (LXX) translation of the verse verbatim to construct a theological allegory.

 

Galatians 4:27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

 

Now compare that to our Ashlamata in:

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear, break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

 

Suggestion: Read Galatians chapter 4 and contemplate how Hakham Shaul is commenting on Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:1.

 

In Isaiah: The passage functions as a national consolation. The barren woman sings because her historic shame is erased, her physical exile is over, and her literal ruins will be filled with her own biological children.

 

In Galatians: Paul uses the text to solve a specific internal dispute regarding circumcision and the Law. He links the "barren woman" to Sarah (who bore Isaac by divine promise) and the "married wife" to Hagar (who bore Ishmael by natural human means). For Paul, the sudden influx of international Gentile believers fulfills Isaiah's prophecy of a "barren" movement suddenly outgrowing the established, earthly religious structure.

 

In Galatians 4, we find Paul using Sarah and Hagar’s story in his discussion, and then pulling in Isaiah 54 at the end. It is thought that he did this because these passages were already linked in people’s minds, having been read together regularly in the synagogue. In the Talmudic and Rabbinic tradition and among the classic medieval biblical commentators, Isaiah 54:1 is recognized as a foundational pillar of comfort. It is so vital that it forms the opening of the Haftarah read on one of the Seven Haftarot of Consolation leading up to Rosh Hashanah.

 

The most famous teaching on this verse is found in Talmud Bavli (Berakhot 10a) and centers on Beruriah, the brilliant wife of Rabbi Meir:

 

Sectarians (heretics) mocked Rabbi Meir by quoting Isaiah 54:1, asking: "Because she did not bear, should she rejoice?!"

Beruriah corrected them, telling them to look at the end of the verse: "For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife." She explained that the "barren woman" is a metaphor for the Congregation of Israel (Knesset Yisrael). Israel rejoices not because of historical barrenness, but because her spiritual children—who will ultimately inherit the future redemption, will far outnumber the children of the pagan empires (the "married wife") who seemed secure in history.

 

Rashi (Solomon ici)

Rashi focuses strictly on the historical-messianic metaphor. He notes that the "barren woman" who did not bear is Jerusalem, which was emptied of her inhabitants during the Babylonian and Roman exiles.

 

Rashi identifies the "Married Wife" as Rome (Edom) or Babylon, empires that enjoyed continuous populated prosperity, political sovereignty, and worldly success while Jerusalem sat desolate.

 

In the ultimate redemption, the sheer volume of Jewish exiles returning to Jerusalem will make the city swell far beyond its ancient boundaries, dwarfing the populations of the empires that oppressed her.

 

Ibn Ezra aligns closely with the literal sense (Pshat) but adds a demographic nuance. He notes that the phrase "thou that didst not travail with child" emphasizes that the final restoration will happen so rapidly and miraculously that it will feel as though the nation multiplied without the long, agonizing "labor pains" of typical geopolitical shifts.

 

The Radak analyzes the precise psychological mechanics of the text. He asks: why does the prophet tell her to "break forth into singing" if she hasn't given birth yet? Radak explains that the prophecy is stated with such absolute, immutable certainty that Israel is commanded to celebrate the future gathering as if it has already occurred. He explains that during the exile, Israel felt like a divorced or widowed woman. But HaShem never truly divorced her; the exile was merely a temporary separation. When she returns, her status will be elevated above any nation that ever held worldly power.

 

 

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

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Bereshit (Genesis) 16:1 - 17:5

Tehillim (Psalms) 12:1-9

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:1-10

 

Looking at the Hebrew of Bereshit (Genesis) 16:1 and Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 54:1, what is the verbal / lexical tally that connects these two passages?

 

The exact verbal tally that directly links Genesis 16:1 and Isaiah 54:1 in the Hebrew text centers on the verb יָלַד (yalad), meaning "to bear" or "to bring forth children," which corresponds to Strong's #H3205.

 

While Isaiah 54:1 opens by addressing the barren woman (connecting back to Sarai's description in Genesis 11:30), the strict textual and structural tally between these two exact verses is built on the shared root יָלַד inside the parallel phrases "bore him no children" and "thou that didst not bear."

 

Here are the JPS verses with the Hebrew words and Strong's numbers inserted:

 

Genesis 16:1 Now Sarai Abram’s wife לֹא יָלְדָה [did not bear / bore no children, #H3205] him; and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

 

Isaiah 54:1 Sing, O barren, לֹא יָלָדָה [thou that didst not bear, #H3205]; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

 

* * *

 

What is/are the thematic connection(s) between Bereshit (Genesis) 16:1 - 17:5, and Tehillim (Psalms) 12?

 

The thematic connections between Genesis 16:1–17:5 and Psalm 12 center on the tension between human speech, divine promises, and the ultimate vindication of the marginalized.

 

Here are the key parallel themes:

 

The Unfaithfulness of Human Speech vs. The Purity of Divine Speech:

 

In Genesis, human counsel fails. Sarai speaks out of desperation ("Go in unto my handmaid"), leading to domestic strife, and Abram laughs in disbelief at HaShem's promise (Genesis 17:17). In contrast, HaShem's speech is absolute; He renames Abram to Abraham, sealing a covenant that relies entirely on His word.

 

Psalms chapter 12 directly contrasts these two realities. It laments a world where "they speak vanity every one with his neighbor; with flattering lips, and with a double heart, do they speak" (v. 3). It contrasts this human deception with the absolute reliability of HaShem's voice: "The words of HaShem are pure words" (v. 7).

 

The Sighing of the Oppressed and Divine Intervention:

 

In Genesis 16, Hagar becomes vulnerable, is dealt with harshly by Sarai, and flees into the wilderness. God directly intervenes, hears her affliction, and provides a promise of multiplying her seed.

 

Psalms 12:6 mirrors this exact divine response to affliction: "'For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise', saith HaShem; 'I will set him in safety at whom they puff.'"

 

Generational Continuity and Cutting Off the Arrogant:

 

The Genesis narrative deals with the cutting off of human schemes and the establishment of a multi-generational legacy ("a father of a multitude of nations").

 

Psalm 12:4 asks HaShem to "cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaketh proud things," shifting the focus away from human pride to ensure that the righteous generation is preserved "from this generation for ever" (v. 8).

 

* * *

 

The connection between the Torah seder and the Ashlamata, though seemingly strictly verbal, is in addition eschatological.  The messianic kingdom, rather than the related contents of the Torah lesson, is the dominant theme of the Ashlamata.

 

In Jewish thought, the eschatological message of Isaiah 54:1–10 is one of ultimate, irreversible national restoration and the eternal comfort of Israel after the long night of exile (Galut). Classical commentators, including Rashi, Radak, and Ibn Ezra, interpret this passage not as a distant otherworldly reality, but as a historical-messianic redemption.

 

The core eschatological themes include:

 

The "barren woman" (representing Jerusalem and the Jewish people depleted by exile) will suddenly overflow with children. Rashi notes that the children of the rebuilt, once-desolate Jerusalem will vastly outnumber those present during her initial married state before the destruction.

 

The trauma, displacement, and "reproach of widowhood" suffered by Israel will be completely forgotten in the light of the final redemption. God reassures the nation that her abandonment was only a momentary flash of anger ("For a small moment have I forsaken thee"), whereas the gathering of her exiles will be driven by "immense compassion."

 

The defining eschatological guarantee in verses 9–10 is the Oath of Reassurance. The Radak highlights that just as HaShem swore an immutable oath to Noah that the waters of the Flood would never again destroy the Earth, He now swears that His wrath will never again come upon Israel. Even if mountains shake and hills move, His lovingkindness and His covenant of peace will never be removed.

 

 

Nazarean Talmud

Sidra Of Bereshit Gen. 16:1-17:21

“And when Abram was”

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

(Mark 1:35-37)

 

And early in the morning, long before daylight,[40] he (Yeshua) got up[41] and went out to an isolated place and prayed there. And Shim’on (Hakham Tsefet) and those (talmidim) who were with him (Hakham Tsefet) followed[42] him (Yeshua). And having discovered[43] from him the true halakhic practice concerning the recital of the morning Shema and Amidah, they said to him, “Everyone is searching[44] for you.”

 

Hakham Shaul’s School Of Tosefta

(Luke 4:42-43)

 

As the day was approaching, he (Yeshua) went out to an isolated place to recite the morning Shema.^[45] And the congregations searched for him; and when they came to him, they wanted to keep him from leaving. But he said to them, I must proclaim the Mesorah (Oral Torah) of the governance^[46] of G-d through the Hakhamim and Bate Din as opposed to human kings, to the other cities as well, because I was sent for this purpose (mission).

 

 

 

Commentary on Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

Connecting To The Torah Seder

 

ἐξέρχομαι – he (Yeshua) went out

 

 The LXX uses no less than 35 words to translate the Greek ἐξέρχομαι. However, this word immediately connects with the Torah Seder where Abraham is given an oral command (command from the Oral Torah) to “walk” before G-d. (Bereshit 17:1). The text in both cases is synonymous. Abraham is called to “come” and “walk” before Me. In Yeshua’s case he “went (came) out” to walk before G-d following the voice of the Oral Torah.

 

Shema Yisrael

In the beginning was the Torah (Word), and the Torah (Word) was with God, and the Torah (Word) was/is an Elohim (judge). He, [the Torah] was in the beginning with God. And we saw the glory of the Torah, glory as of the only begotten, Yisrael from the Father, full of chesed (loving-kindness) and Emet (truth).

 

The sublime words of the Kabbalist Hakham Yochanan picture Messiah as the “Word – Torah of G-d.” As Messiah Yeshua conducts himself as if an actor on the stage^[47] daily modelling how the Torah is to be “walked” in each circumstance of life. The scenario of our Mishnaic Markan pericope pictures Messiah rising a “long time before daylight” to find an isolated place in which to pray [far from distractions and interference].

 

The Vatiq

 

The discipline of the Vatiqin—the ancient group of pious, meticulous individuals who precisely synchronized their morning prayers with the cosmic alignment of dawn—stands as one of the most rigorous liturgical boundaries in the first-century Commonwealth. These individuals, known for their unwavering devotion, regulated their internal biological clocks to ensure that the recitation of the morning Shema was completed during the exact, fleeting moments of twilight, allowing them to initiate the Amidah (the standing prayer) precisely as the first crown of the sun crested the eastern horizon. This was not a casual morning routine, but a highly calculated, high-fidelity synchronization of human consciousness with the turning of the planetary gears. In the unyielding landscape of the Upper Galilee, where the high-ground altitudes of the Ir Tzofim perimeter caught the first rays of the dawn long before the lower valleys, this practice required a lifetime of institutionalized "seat time." To rise in the absolute blackness of the third night watch, ascend the cold basalt ledges overlooking the misty valleys, and hold the internal line until the sky transitioned from slate-gray to sapphire required an absolute mastery over the physical frame. Thus, in one sense, the Ir Tzofim were the "watchers of the dawn. And as those who were academic in nature, such as Yeshua and his family line Ir Tzofim were the guardians of sacred tradition.

 

For Yeshua, living under the strict, sovereign structural framework of Yosef’s household, the Vatiqin standard was not an optional ascetic exercise; it was the baseline operating frequency of his entire human existence. To view Yeshua through this specific historical lens places him firmly within the ranks of what modern minds would classify as an ultra-strict, meticulously observant Orthodox Jew, entirely equivalent in density and unyielding execution to a hardcore Shomer Shabbat. Long before he ever stood before the public assemblies or encountered the commercial systems of the Temple, his body and mind were conditioned by this daily, high-voltage discipline of light and time. Sitting on the dew-damp stone overlooking Birket Daltah, watching the cold wind ripple the water's surface as the otiot of the Shema vibrated in his throat, he was training his humanity to yield completely to the Father's cosmic checksum. The Vatiqin practice ensured that his very breath was tethered to the absolute sovereignty of creation’s clock, cementing a level of halakhic precision that would later shatter the loose, compromised traditions of the political ruling class down in Yerushalayim.

 

Hermeneutic Principle OF Rov

 

By the hermeneutic principle of Rov and Sevarah, we can determine that Yeshua recited the Morning Shema on the morning of our present pericope.

 

We are forced to use the principles of Rov, Ḳal va-ḥomer: "Argumentum a minori ad majus" or "a majori ad minus"; corresponding to the scholastic proof a fortiori and Gezerah shavah: Argument from the analogy, of Biblical passages containing synonyms or homonyms are subject, however much they differ in other respects, to identical definitions and applications.

 

1. The Jewish people are commanded to recite the Shema twice daily by the Torah itself (“when you lay down and when you rise up”).

 

2. The Jewish people are instructed in how and when to recite the Shema by the Mishnah, Tosefta and Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmud and this by Rabbinical dictum.

 

3. The Jerusalem Talmud states that it would be preferable for a person who studies without performing the mitzvoth never to have been created.^[48]

 

While there are some variants to the above-cited materials, the consensus is that we must recite the Shema twice daily. By the hermeneutic principle of Rov, we see that the greater community of the B’ne Yisrael recited the Shema twice daily. Therefore, “how much the more” we must conclude that the Messiah would have recited the Shema on this morning in accordance with the Torah, Mishnah, and both Talmud’s Jerusalem and Babylonian.

 

The Torah

Deut 6:4 Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.^b You will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ^Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. ^Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. ^Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol^c on your forehead;^d inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.^[49]

 

The Mishnah

m. Ber 1:2 From what time do they recite the Shema in the morning? From the hour that one can distinguish between [the colors] blue and white. R. Eliezer says, “Between blue and green.” And one must complete it before sunrise. R. Joshua says, “Before the third hour. “For it is the practice of royalty to rise [at] the third hour.  [Thus, we deem the third hour still to be ‘morning.’]” One who recites later than this [i.e., the third hour] has not transgressed [by reciting a blessing at the wrong time, for he is viewed simply] as one who recites from the Torah.^[50]

 

Mishnah Berakhot 1:1 juxtaposes the talmidim of Gamaliel having attended a wedding with the recital of the evening Shema. The present pericope of Mordechai juxtaposes the recital of the Morning Shema in very much the same way. Yeshua has completed the ministry of healing and exorcism and departs to recite the morning Shema according to the tradition of the “old-timers.”

 

The Talmud

b. Ber 2b It has been taught on Tannaite authority along these same lines:  The old-timers would complete the recitation of Shema exactly at dawn so as to place the prayer for redemption^[51] [with which the Shema closes] right next to the Prayer [of supplication], and one will turn out to say the Prayer in daylight.”^[52]

 

This Gemara teaches us to see the exact moments when Yeshua was reciting the Shema and Amidah. Herein we learn that the zemanim of the “old-timers” (Hakhamim).

 

Following Yeshua HaMashiach

And Shim'on (Hakham Tsefet) and those who were with him (Hakham Tsefet) followed him (Yeshua).

 

Most translations read this passage as if Yeshua’s talmidim are searching for him because they do not know where he was. The Greek word for “follow” καταδιώκω (katadioko) does not mean search or hunt, as many have translated. The Markan text demonstrates the talmidim mimicking Yeshua and his halakhic practices. They, with Yeshua, depart early in the morning to say the Morning Shema and Amidah.

 

Searching for Messiah

 

“Everyone is searching for you” indicates that people are looking for Yeshua. We have two things to note.

 

1. They must be looking for him “early in the morning.”

 

2. And, they must be looking for him to determine the true halakhic practice concerning recital of the morning Shema.

 

Peroration

Suffice it to say that the Markan pericope echoes the present Torah Seder. The Torah Seder (“Vay’hi Abram” - “And when Abram was”- Gen. 17:1-27) initiates the Mitzvah of Circumcision. This ritual practice is the physical Symbolic mark of a Covenantal Token, commemorating immediate halakhic obedience. Likewise, we see in the Pericope of Mordecai that Yeshua, followed by his talmidim, is teaching halakhic practice concerning the recital of the morning Shema and Amidah. As a result, Hakham Tsefet depicts Yeshua…

 

1. Observing a Torah mandate to pray as a mitzvah

 

2. Depicts Yeshua in agreement with Rabbinic, Mishnaic, and Talmudic practice

 

Some Questions to Ponder:

 

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

 

 

Blessing After Torah Study

 

Barúch Atáh Adonai, Elohénu Meléch HaOlám,

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

Barúch Atáh Adonái, Notén HaToráh. Amen!

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

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

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

“Now unto Him who is able to preserve you faultless, and spotless, and

to establish you without a blemish,

 

Next Sabbath: “Vay’hi Abram” “And when Abram was”

 

 

Contents of the Torah Seder

 

·        The Covenant of Abraham – Genesis 17:1-27

·        New names and new destiny – Genesis 17:5-14

·        The promise to Sarah – Genesis 17:15-16

Reading Assignment:

 

 

 

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

 

Edited by His Honor Paqid Adon Ezra ben Abraham

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