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

Three- and 1/2-year Lectionary Readings	First Year of the Triennial Reading Cycle
Tammuz 5, 5786 - June 19/20, 2026	Fourth Year of the Shmita 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.

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

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 the Iranian people. May the Holy One guard the innocent who are in danger, and all who have been placed in harm's way. May our people and all peoples be held in life. And may the day come soon when the work of human hands is no longer to destroy, but to heal, to build, and to make peace.

"Avinu Malkeinu... withhold plague, sword, and famine from the children of Your covenant, and remove pestilence, destruction, and hunger from all the inhabitants of the world."

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: “Vay’hi Abram” “And when Abram was”

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
וַיְהִי אַבְרָם
“Vayihi Abram”	Reader 1 – Bereshit 17:1-6	Reader 1 – Bereshit 18:1-3
“And when Abram was”	Reader 2 – Bereshit 17:7-9	Reader 2 – Bereshit 18:4-6
“Y cuando Abram tenía”	Reader 3 – Bereshit 17:10-14	Reader 3 – Bereshit 18:7-9
Bereshit (Genesis) 17:1-27	Reader 4 – Bereshit 17:15-17
Tehillim (Psalms) 13:1-6	Reader 5 – Bereshit 17:18-20	Monday and Thursday
Ashlamatah:  Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 33:25 – 34:5, 12-13	Reader 6 – Bereshit 17:21-23	Reader 1 – Bereshit 18:1-3
	Reader 7 – Bereshit 17:24-27	Reader 2 – Bereshit 18:4-6
N.C.: Mark 1:38-39, Luke 4:44	Maftir – Bereshit 17:24-27	Reader 3 – Bereshit 18:7-9

Reading Assignment:

The Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez – Vol 2 By: Rabbi Ya’aqob Culi Translated by Aryeh Kaplan Published by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1989) Vol. 2 – “Genesis”, pp. 116 - 153

Ramban: Commentary on the Torah Translated and Annotated by Rabbi Dr. Charles Chavel Published by Shilo Publishing House, Inc. (New York, 1971)  pp. 214 - 225

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

JPS & Targum Pseudo Jonathan for: Bereshit (Genesis) 17:1-27

JPS	Targum Pseudo Jonathan
1. And Abram was ninety-nine years old, and God appeared to Abram, and He said to him, "I am the Almighty God; walk before Me and be perfect.	1. And Abram was the son of ninety and nine years, and the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, I am El Shadai; serve before Me and be perfect (shelim) in your flesh.
2. And I will place My covenant between Me and between you, and I will multiply you very greatly."	2. And I will set My covenant between My Word and you, and will multiply you very greatly.
3. And Abram fell upon his face, and God spoke with him, saying,	3. And because Abram was not circumcised, he was not able to stand, but he bowed himself upon his face; and the LORD spoke with him, saying,
4. "As for Me, behold My covenant is with you, and you shall become the father of a multitude of nations.	4. Behold, I have confirmed (or divided) My covenant with you; and you will be the father of many peoples.
5. And your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.	5. And your name will be no more called Abram, but Abraham will be your name, because to be the father of a great multitude of peoples have I appointed you.
6. And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings will emerge from you.	6. And I will make you exceeding fruitful, and will set you for congregations; and kings ruling over peoples will come forth from you.
7. And I will establish My covenant between Me and between you and between your seed after you throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant, to be to you for a God and to your seed after you.	7. And I have established My covenant between My Word and you, and your sons after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your sons after you.
8. And I will give you and your seed after you the land of your sojournings, the entire land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, and I will be to them for a God."	8. And I will give to you and to your sons after you the land of your habitation, all the land of Kenaan, for an everlasting possession: and I will be to them Elohim.
9. And God said to Abraham, "And you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations.	9. And the LORD said to Abraham, And you will observe My covenant, you and your sons after you in their generations.
10. This is My covenant, which you shall observe between Me and between you and between your seed after you, that every male among you be circumcised.	10. This is My covenant, that you will observe between My Word and you, and your sons after you: -- Every male of you being circumcised, though he have not a father to circumcise him.
11. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be as the sign of a covenant between Me and between you.	11. And you will circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, as a sign of the covenant between My Word and you.
12. And at the age of eight days, every male shall be circumcised to you throughout your generations, one that is born in the house, or one that is purchased with money, from any foreigner, who is not of your seed.	12. And the son of eight days will be circumcised among you, every male in your generations; from him who is brought up in your house, or bought with your silver, unto every son of the peoples who is not of you.
13. Those born in the house and those purchased for money shall be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant.	13. He who is circumcised will circumcise him who is brought up among you, or bought with your silver; and it will be My covenant in your flesh for a covenant forever.
14. And an uncircumcised male, who will not circumcise the flesh of his foreskin-that soul will be cut off from its people; he has broken My covenant."	14. And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, unless he have someone to circumcise him, that man will be cut off from his people; he has made My covenant to pass away.
15. And God said to Abraham, "Your wife Sarai-you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah is her name.	15. And the LORD said to Abraham, The name of Sara your wife will be no more called Sara; for Sarah will be her name.
16. And I will bless her, and I will give you a son from her, and I will bless her, and she will become [a mother of] nations; kings of nations will be from her."	16. And I will bless in her body, and will also give from her a son to you, and I will bless, him, and he will be for assemblies, and kings ruling over nations will be from her.
17. And Abraham fell on his face and rejoiced, and he said to himself, "Will [a child]be born to one who is a hundred years old, and will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?"	17. And Abraham fell on his face, and wondered, and said in his heart, Will the son of a hundred years have progeny, and Sarah, the daughter of ninety years, bear a child?
18. And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael will live before You!"	18. And Abraham said before the LORD, May not Ishmael be established, and serve before You?
19. And God said, "Indeed, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac, and I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.	19. And the LORD said, In truth Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you will call his name Izhak; and with him I will confirm My covenant for an everlasting covenant to his sons after him.
20. And regarding Ishmael, I have heard you; behold I have blessed him, and I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him exceedingly; he will beget twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.	20. And concerning Ishmael I have heard your prayer. Behold, I have blessed him; and I will spread him abroad, and multiply him very greatly. Twelve princes will he beget, and I will give him to be a great people.
21. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year."	21. But My covenant will I establish with Izhak, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time in the year after.
22. And He finished speaking with him, and God went up from above Abraham.	22. And He ceased speaking with him; and the Glory of the LORD ascended from Abraham.
23. And Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house and all those purchased with his money, every male of the people of Abraham's household, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, as God had spoken with him.	23. And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all brought up in his house, and all bought with money, every male among the household people of Abraham, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the same day in which the LORD spoke with him.
24. And Abraham was ninety-nine years old, when he was circumcised of the flesh of his foreskin.	24. And Abraham was the son of ninety and nine years when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin.
25. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised of the flesh of his foreskin.	25. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he circumcised the foreskin of his flesh.
26. On that very day, Abraham was circumcised, and [so was] Ishmael his son.	26. In the same day, in the fourteenth year, was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
27. And all the people of his household, those born in his house and those bought with money from foreigners, were circumcised with him.	27. And every man of his house, the house-trained, and the purchased with money of the sons of the people, was circumcised with him.

Rashi’s Commentary for Bereshit (Genesis) 17:1-27

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., - אב ר הם ]. (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]

6 and I will make you into nations [This refers to] Israel and Edom, for he already had Ishmael, and He would therefore not be informing him about him.

7 And I will establish My covenant And what is that covenant? To be to you for a God.

8 for an everlasting possession And there I will be to you for a God (Gen. Rabbah 46:9), but if one dwells outside the Holy Land, it is as though he has no God (Keth. 110b).

9 And you Heb. וְאַתָּה . This “vav” connects [this verse] to the preceding matter. “As for Me, behold My covenant is with you,” and you must be careful to observe it. Now what does its observance entail? “This is My covenant, which you shall observe...that every male among you be circumcised.”

10 between Me and you those living now.

and between your seed who are destined to be born.

be circumcised Heb. הִמוֹל , is like לְהִמוֹל , to circumcise [the infinitive], as you might עֲשוֹת in place לַעֲשוֹת , to do.

11 And you shall circumcise - וּנְמַלְתֶּם is like וּמַלְתֶּם , and the “nun” is superfluous, a radical that sometimes appears in it, like the “nun” of נוֹשֵׁךְ and the “nun” of נוֹשֵׂא וּנְמַלְתֶּם has the same form as וּנְשָׂאתֶם , (i.e., the Kal form). But יִמוֹל is in the passive form (the Nifal), like יֵעָשֶׂה (it will be done) יֵאָכֵל (it will be eaten).

12 one that is born in the house whom the maidservant bore in the house.

one that is purchased with money whom he bought after he was born.

13 Those born in the house... shall be circumcised Here Scripture repeated it [the commandment to circumcise a slave born in the house;] but did not state [that it is to be] on the eighth day, to teach you that there is a slave born in the house who is circumcised after eight days [other editions: at the age of one day], as is delineated in Tractate Shabbath (135b).

14 And an uncircumcised male Here Scripture teaches that circumcision is in that place that distinguishes between male and female.

who will not circumcise When he reaches the age when he becomes liable for punishment, then [his soul] will be cut off (Shab. 133b), but his father [who does not circumcise him] is not punishable by “kareth” (spiritual excision), but is guilty of transgressing a positive commandment (Yeb. 70b).

that soul will be cut off He goes childless (Yeb. 55a) and dies prematurely (Moed Katan 28a).

15 you shall not call her name Sarai which means “my princess,” for me, but not for others. But Sarah, in an unqualified sense, shall be her name, that she will be a princess over all. - [from Ber. 13a]

16 And I will bless her And what is the blessing? That she returned to her youth, as it is said (below 18:12): “My skin has become smooth.”- [from B.M. 87a]

and I will bless her with breast feeding, when she required it, on the day of Isaac’s feast, for people were murmuring against them, that they had brought a foundling from the street and were saying, “He is our son.” So each one brought her child with her, but not her wet nurse, and she (Sarah) nursed them all. That is what is said: (below 21:7): “Sarah has nursed children.” Gen. Rabbah (47:2) alludes slightly to this. - [from B.M. 87a]

17 And Abraham fell on his face and rejoiced Heb. וַיִצְחָק Onkelos renders this as an expression of joy, וַחֲדִי “and he rejoiced,” but the one [ וַתִצְחָק ] in the case of Sarah (below 18:12) [he renders] as an expression of laughter. You learn that Abraham believed and rejoiced, but Sarah did not believe and ridiculed, and for this reason, the Holy One, blessed be He, was angry with Sarah, but was not angry with Abraham.

Will [a child] be born to on, etc. There are questions which are positive assertions, like (I Sam. 2:27): הֲנִגְלה נִגְלֵיתִי , “Did I appear?” [meaning: “of course I appeared!”]; (II Sam. 15:27): הֲרֽאֶה אַתָּה , “Do you see?” [meaning: “of course you see!”] This too is a positive assertion, and so did he say to himself, “Was such kindness done to anyone else, that the Holy One, blessed be He, is doing for me?”

and will Sarah, who is ninety years old Shall she be worthy of giving birth? Now although the first generations begot children at the age of five hundred, in Abraham’s time, the years were already lessened, and weakness had come to the world. Go out and learn this from the ten generations from Noah to Abraham, who hastened to beget children at the age of sixty and seventy.

18 If only Ishmael will live If only Ishmael will live! I do not deserve to receive such a reward as this.

will live before You [This means]: [“Let him] live in fear of You,” as in (verse 1): “Walk before Me,” [which Onkelos renders:] “Serve Me.” [following Targum Jonathan]

19 Indeed - אֲבָל is an expression of a confirmation of a statement, and likewise (below 42:21): “Indeed (אַבָל) , we are guilty;” (II Kings 4:14): “Indeed (אַבָל) , she has no son.”- [from Targumim]

and you shall name him Isaac Heb. יִצְחָק , because of the rejoicing (צְחוֹק) (Mid. Chaseroth v’Yetheroth. And some say: because of the ten (י) trials, and Sarah’s ninety (צ) years, and the eighth (ח) day on which he was circumcised, and Abraham’s hundred (ק) years. (Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 32). (Other editions: “And My covenant.” Why is this written? Is it not already written (verse 9): “And you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed, etc.?” But because He said (verse 7): “And I will establish, etc.,” one might think that the sons of Ishmael and the sons of Keturah are included in the establishment [of the covenant]. Therefore, Scripture states: “And I will establish My covenant with him,” and not with others. Now, why does it say [again in verse 21]: “But My covenant I will establish with Isaac?” This teaches us that he was holy from the womb. Another explanation [for the repetition of verse 19]: Said Rabbi Abba: Scripture here derives an a fortiori conclusion regarding the son of the mistress from [what is written regarding] the son of the handmaid. It is written here: “Behold I have blessed him, and I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him.” This refers to Ishmael. How much more so, “But My covenant I will establish with Isaac!” (Gen. Rabbah 47:5).

My covenant The covenant of circumcision shall be given over [only] to the seed of Isaac. See Sanh. 59.

20 twelve princes Heb. נְשִׂיאִים . They will disappear like clouds, as (Prov. 25:14): Clouds (נְשִׂיאִים) and wind. - [from Gen. Rabbah 47:5]

22 from above Abraham This is a euphemism used in reference to the Shechinah, and we learn that the righteous are the chariot of the Omnipresent. - [from Gen. Rabbah 47:6, 82:6]

23 on that very day On the very day that he was commanded (Mid. Ps. 112:2), during the day and not at night. He was afraid neither of the heathens nor of the scorners. [He circumcised in the light of day] so that his enemies and his contemporaries would not say, “Had we seen him, we would not have allowed him to circumcise and to fulfill the commandment of the Omnipresent” (Gen. Rabbah 47:9).

and he circumcised Heb. וַיָמָל , an expression in the וַיִפְעַל form, (the active [kal] form.)

24 when he was circumcised Heb. בְּהִמֽלוֹ , when it was done to him, like (above 2:4): “when they were created (בְּהִבָּרְאָם) .”

25 when he was circumcised of the flesh of his foreskin Concerning Abraham, it does not say אֵת , because he was lacking only the severing of the flesh, because it had already been flattened out by intercourse, but Ishmael, who was a youth, required that the foreskin be severed and the corona be uncovered. Therefore, in his case, it is אֵת . Gen. Rabbah (47:8).

26 On that very day when Abraham reached the age of ninety-nine and Ishmael [reached the age of] thirteen, “Abraham was circumcised, and [so was] Ishmael his son.”

Hakham’s Torah Connection

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

As the U.S.-brokered Memorandum of Understanding on Iran is implemented, reopening shipping lanes and establishing a fragile 60-day diplomatic runway, Genesis 17 serves as the explicit root text for this exact geographical dynamic.

When Abraham pleads for his eldest son, God gives a highly specific prophecy regarding the lineage that historically populated the Persian and Arab regions:

"And as for Ishmael, I have heard you... He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation." (Genesis 17:20)

This week, as global superpowers navigate an historic treaty with Iran, the text being read worldwide is the very chapter where God assigns geopolitical greatness, sovereign leadership ("princes"), and territorial power to that exact branch of the family tree. The MoU isn't just a modern transaction; it is a manifestation of the enduring regional stewardship established in Genesis 17.

* * *

Donald Trump’s 80th birthday fell exactly on Sunday, June 14, 2026. On the Hebrew calendar, this was precisely the 29th of Sivan.

According to the Talmud (Tractate Taanit 29a) and the chronological baseline of Seder Olam Rabbah (Chapter 8), the 29th of Sivan is an historic and highly consequential day in Jewish destiny:

This is the exact day Moses dispatched the 12 Spies (Meraglim) from the wilderness of Paran to spy out the Promised Land (Numbers 13). The mission of the spies was fundamentally an intelligence-gathering and threat-assessment mission aimed at determining whether the land could be conquered.

A leader heavily defined by national border rhetoric and highly transactional intelligence strategy celebrating an 80th milestone on the exact anniversary of the Bible's most famous geopolitical reconnaissance mission provides a striking parallel in leadership paradigms.

Sivan 29 is also Yehuda ben Yaakov’s birthday.

* * *

America’s 250th Birthday & the Shattering of the Calf (Tammuz 17)

The United States will celebrate its monumental 250th Semiquincentennial birthday on July 4, 2026. On the Hebrew calendar, this milestone falls exactly on Saturday night/Sunday, the 18th of Tammuz.

Because the 17th of Tammuz falls on Shabbat (July 3), the major communal obligations of this period shift directly into America's birthday on July 4th. According to the foundational Mishnah (Taanit 4:6), the 17th/18th of Tammuz is the anniversary of the shattering of the Golden Calf:

The Event: Moses descended Mount Sinai holding the ultimate legal framework (the Tablets). Upon seeing the people worshiping an idol of gold, he threw the tablets down, shattering them at the base of the mountain.

The worship of the Golden Calf represents the dangerous temptation of a society prioritizing rapid material wealth, physical luxury, and instant gratification over a stable, foundational moral creed.

As America turns 250 on this exact calendar marker, the convergence serves as a profound classical warning. The text reminds a great superpower that the endurance of a nation depends entirely on upholding its original, core foundational principles, rather than succumbing to the worship of transient material dominance.

Ketubim:  JPS & Targum Tehillim (Psalms) 13:1-6

JPS	Targum
1. To the conductor, a song of David.	1. For praise, a hymn of David.
2. How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?	2. How long, O Lord, will You neglect me forever? How long will You hide the splendour of Your face from me?
3. How long will I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart by day; how long will my enemy have the upper hand over me?	3. How long will I put warnings in my soul, suffering in my heart daily? How long will my enemy vaunt himself over me?
4. Look and answer me, O Lord my God; enlighten my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death.	4. Pay heed and receive my prayer, O Lord my God; illumine my eyes by Your Torah, lest I sin and sleep with those who deserve death.
5. Lest my enemy say, "I have overwhelmed him"; my adversaries will rejoice when I totter.	5. Lest the evil impulse should say, “I have taken control of him,” [lest] my oppressors rejoice because I stray from Your paths.
6. But I trusted in Your loving-kindness, my heart will rejoice in Your salvation; I will sing to the Lord for He has bestowed [it] upon me.	6. But I have placed my trust in Your goodness, my heart will rejoice in Your redemption; I will give praise in the Lord’s presence because He rewards me with good things.

Rashi’s Commentary on Tehillim (Psalms) 13:1-6

1 How long Four times, corresponding to the four kingdoms [Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Edom] and it is stated concerning all Israel.

4 lest I sleep the sleep of death For death is called sleep, (as in Jer. 51:39): “and sleep a perpetual sleep.”

Meditation on the Psalms

Psalm 13:1-6

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Of all the suffering endured by Israel during its history, the one that stands the longest is גלות, Exile. In exile, Israel is prey to the dominant evil forces which subject their helpless victims to an infinite variety of torments.

The agony of exile penetrates yet deeper. If there is hope in a man’s heart, then his tenacity and endurance are unlimited. As long as, man can dream and pray for HaShem’s assistance, then his powers have no end.

But the depressing gloom of exile seems like a long, dark night with no hope for a dawn. Israel appears abandoned for all time, as if HaShem has forsaken it forever.

As the exhausted nation feels its energy ebbing, and it sinks into despair, it summons its last traces of strength and cries out again and again, עד אנה, how long?^[1]

Such fervent pleading does not go unheeded. Thus, the psalm concludes on a confident note, showing that HaShem responds to those who truly seek Him, even in exile, causing the Psalmist to exclaim, my heart will exult in Your salvation, I will sing to HaShem for He dealt kindly with me.^[2]

The superscription of this psalm attributes it to David. Both Rashi and Radak maintain that this psalm is dedicated to the future misery of the entire Jewish people when they are sent into exile.^[3] In contrast to most of our earlier psalms,^[4] this psalm does not speak of any musical instrument, nor does it make any connection to some personal event in David’s life.^[5]

Chazal explicitly connect Psalms 13 with Bereshit (Genesis) 17. Their formal connection is preserved in the Midrash Tehillim (Midrash Shocher Tov) on Psalm 13. To fully appreciate how Chazal (the Sages) weave the text of Tehillim 13 into the fabric of Bereshit 17, we must look directly at the mechanics of the Midrashic method. Chazal read David’s fourfold cry of “How long?” not merely as personal grief, but as a prophetic playback of Abraham’s decades-long silence.

In classical rabbinic literature, Chazal do not treat the Book of Psalms as mere poetry; they view it as David speaking prophetically on behalf of the historical building blocks of the Jewish nation, most notably the Patriarchs. Chazal link Psalm 13 to Genesis 17 through two specific textual and conceptual steps.

The Midrash (Midrash Tehillim 13:1) details that David’s soul was tracking four distinct epochs of existential dread that Abraham endured while waiting for the fulfillment of the promise made in Genesis 12 ("I will make of thee a great nation"). Chazal align the four expressions of “How long?” (Ad-Anah) with the chronological progression of Abraham's life leading up to the covenant of circumcision at age 99:

The First Cry

“How long, O LORD, wilt Thou forget me forever?” (Ps. 13:2)

The Abrahamic reality corresponds to the Ur Kasdim (Ur of the Chaldeans) crisis. According to Jewish tradition, Abraham was cast into Nimrod's fiery furnace for rejecting idolatry. Chazal describe Abraham waiting inside the flames, looking upward and asking if his recognition of the one true God would simply be forgotten and consumed by history before it even began.

The Second Cry

“How long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me?” (Ps. 13:2)

The Abrahamic reality, aligns with the aftermath of the Battle of the Kings (Gen. 14). After winning a miraculous war against global superpowers to rescue Lot, Abraham returned to an empty tent. The Midrash notes he fell into a deep spiritual melancholy, fearing that he had "consumed his reward" in this world through physical victories, while the ultimate promise of a spiritual lineage remained completely hidden.

The Third Cry

“How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart by day?” (Ps. 13:3)

The Abrahamic reality, maps to the years following the Covenant between the Pieces (Gen. 15). God promised Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars, but immediately followed it with a terrifying vision of darkness—revealing that his children would be enslaved and oppressed in a foreign land for 400 years. Chazal note that this threw Abraham into daily "sorrow of the heart," constantly calculating and taking counsel in his soul trying to reconcile the promise of greatness with the reality of incoming slavery.

The Fourth Cry

“How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?” (Ps. 13:3)

The Abrahamic reality, this is the precise climax that lands on Genesis 17. Abraham is ninety-nine years old, and Sarah is ninety. For nearly a quarter of a century in the Land of Israel, they have remained completely barren. Meanwhile, Hagar has borne Ishmael, and the local Canaanite chieftains mock the aging, childless couple who claim they will inherit the land. The "enemy" here, in the eyes of the Midrash, is the mocking voice of nature and the surrounding culture that declares Abraham's mission a biological dead end.

Chazal build a direct legal and metaphysical link between the concepts of Hester Panim (the Hiding of the Face) in Psalm 13 and the specific language God uses to initiate the covenant in Genesis 17:1.

Tehillim (Psalms) 13:2 How long wilt Thou hide Your face from me?

Bereshit (Genesis) 17:1 ...the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him... walk before Me and be thou wholehearted.

In the Talmud,[6] Chazal note that before the commandment of circumcision (Brit Milah), there was a structural barrier embedded in human nature. The Orlah (the physical and spiritual uncircumcised state) acts like a cosmic veil. Because of this veil, even when God spoke to Abraham, it was always through a secondary medium, a vision, or a dream, God's ultimate "face" was hidden, forcing Abraham to fall on his face in a state of unrefined overwhelm. By commanding Abraham to remove the Orlah, God is essentially answering the fourth “How long?” of Psalm 13. The removal of the flesh is the tearing of the veil. God tells him, “Walk before Me”—meaning, “You no longer need to cower from a hidden face; the barrier is gone, and the relationship is now direct, face-to-face, and unmediated.”

The ultimate synthesis Chazal highlight is the absolute precision of the ending of both texts. Psalm 13 does not end in despair; it shifts instantly into validation: “But I trust in Your faithfulness; my heart will exult in Your deliverance. I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me.” (Ps. 13:6)

Chazal look at Genesis 17:17, where God delivers the punchline of history, that Sarah will bear a son at ninety: "Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed." The Midrash emphasizes that this laughter (va-yitzchak) was the physical eruption of the exact state David describes: the heart exulting in deliverance. The name given to the child, Isaac (Yitzchak), becomes the eternal monument to this transition. Every time the name Isaac is spoken across history, it serves as Chazal’s definitive proof that the fourfold darkness of “How long?” is structurally designed to give birth to a level of joy that completely transcends the natural order.

------------------------

The Meforshim and the Midrash (Midrash Tehillim 13) anchor the emotional heart of Psalms 13 directly to a poignant historical narrative surrounding Abraham at ninety-nine years old in Genesis 17. They tell the story of a hidden, internal crisis of prayer, mapping David's poetic cries directly to Abraham's final moments before the birth of Isaac.

In Psalms 13, David famously uses the desperate exclamation "How long?" (Ad-Anah) exactly four times ("How long, O Lord, wilt Thou forget me... How long wilt Thou hide Thy face..."). The commentators link this fourfold repetition to a Midrashic tradition concerning the four distinct, agonizing periods when Abraham believed he or his line had been utterly forgotten by God before reaching Genesis 17:

The commentators tell that when God finally broke His long silence in Genesis 17:1, appearing to the 99-year-old patriarch to demand the circumcision, Abraham experienced the exact psychological pivot found at the end of Psalm 13. - David transitions abruptly from sorrow to joy: "But I trust in Your faithfulness; my heart will exult in Your deliverance."

The Meforshim explain that when Genesis 17:17 states that Abraham "fell upon his face and laughed," it was not a laugh of disbelief. According to the Targum and Radak, it was the exact moment Abraham’s heart exulted in the deliverance. He realized that the four distinct "How longs" of his life were not periods of abandonment, but the precise, necessary birth pangs required to bring about a supernatural child (Isaac / Yitzchak — literally meaning "He will laugh"). The narrative link demonstrates that the four-fold darkness of waiting is always answered by a fifth, final stage: the eternal laughter of the covenant fulfilled.

Beyond the structural and narrative links, several classical and Chassidic Meforshim focus heavily on the psychological and physical mechanics that tie these two passages together. Three specific commentaries illuminate the deeper layers of this connection:

The Sforno (Rabbi Ovadia Sforno) builds a profound bridge between the opening cry of Psalm 13 and the command of circumcision in Genesis 17.

in Psalm 13: David cries out, "How long will You hide Your face from me?" (v. 2). In Jewish theology, God does not randomly hide; rather, something blocks the human capacity to receive His light.

Sforno notes that before Genesis 17, Abraham was spiritually hindered by the Orlah (the physical and spiritual foreskin/barrier). When God tells him to “walk before Me and be perfect,” it means the physical removal of this blockage is what allows the "Hiding of the Face" to end. The Sforno connects the two by showing that circumcision is the physical antidote to Psalm 13. By cutting away the physical barrier, a person creates the ultimate open conduit, transforming a reality where God "hides His face" into one where man can actively "walk before His face."

The Malbim (Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel) analyzes the specific wording in Psalm 13:3: "How long shall I have anxiety in my soul, sorrow in my heart all day?" He notes a precise distinction between the soul (intellect/faith) and the heart (physical emotions). A person can logically know that God will fulfill His promise (the soul is quiet), but their physical reality and emotions are still wracked with pain (the heart is in sorrow). The Malbim applies this exact dynamic to Abraham in Genesis 17. Intellectually, Abraham had absolute faith in God’s promises. But physically, at 99 years old, looking at his aged body and Sarah’s barrenness, his physical "heart" experienced daily sorrow as the decades ticked away.

The command to seal the covenant directly in the reproductive flesh resolves this exact tension. God places the sign of the promise in the very organ of physical nature. By doing so, He elevates the physical body to match the intellect, completely erasing the "sorrow of the heart" through a tangible, bodily guarantee.

Chassidic commentators (such as the Sfat Emet) look at the transition at the end of Psalm 13: "My heart will exult in Your deliverance. I will sing to the LORD..." (v. 6). They note that the ultimate purpose of prolonged suffering and waiting is to create a specific type of joy that cannot exist under ordinary circumstances.

In Kabbalistic thought, Abraham represents Chesed (lovingkindness), while his son Isaac (Yitzchak) represents Gevurah (strict judgment, restriction, and boundaries). The decades of waiting, barrenness, and the pain of circumcision itself were all expressions of Gevurah, the constricting, agonizing "How long?" of Psalm 13. However, when that constriction is finally broken by divine salvation, the strict judgment is overturned and transformed into pure laughter (Yitzchak). The Meforshim explain that you cannot have the ecstatic, singing resolution of Psalm 13:6 without the profound, testing silence that precedes Genesis 17.

When the Meforshem (commentators) link Psalms 13 to Jeremiah 33–34, they draw directly from the foundational narrative framework found in Midrash Tehillim 13. Instead of treating the fourfold cry of "How long?" as an abstract theological complaint, the Sages frame it through a historicized, generational narrative: The Story of the Four Exiles. Jeremiah's lifetime serves as the explosive first chapter of this multi-millennial historical narrative. The Midrash explains that when David prophetically penned the four agonizing repetitions of "How long?" in Psalm 13, his soul was projecting forward to the four great imperial exiles that would scatter the Jewish people across history: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome (Edom). The story the commentators tell places Jeremiah 34 at the exact tipping point where the first "How long" begins. Nebuchadnezzar’s armies are actively battering the walls of Jerusalem (Jer. 34:1). King Zedekiah is warned he will be captured and watch his city burn. The people have just betrayed the covenant of freedom by recapturing their freed Hebrew slaves (Jer. 34:11). The Meforshem explain that as the chains were placed on the exiles marching toward Babylon, the first line of Psalm 13 echoed through the dust: “How long, O LORD, wilt Thou forget me forever?” This was the official birth of the Babylonian exile.

To prevent this historical tragedy from spinning into absolute despair, the Meforshem interlock the narrative of the city's destruction with the profound oath found just moments earlier in Jeremiah 33:25. The commentators tell a story of a God who balances the scales of judgment with a permanent cosmic contract: "Thus saith the LORD: If My covenant be not with day and night, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth..."

The Malbim explains that while the historical events of Jeremiah 34 represent the ultimate "Hiding of the Face" described in Psalm 13:2 ("How long wilt Thou hide Your face from me?"), Jeremiah 33:25 functions as the anchor preventing total oblivion. The story highlights that even as the Temple burns (Jeremiah 34), the laws of physics, the sun rising, the night falling, the stars keeping their courses, are physical, daily testimonies that the Davidic line and the Jewish nation cannot be permanently cast off. The physical universe itself becomes the legal guarantor of the exile's end.

The ultimate narrative bridge built by the commentators is the transition from night to day that defines the conclusion of both texts.

In Psalms 13:4 & 6, David begs God to "enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death," and finishes with a burst of confidence: "I will sing to the LORD, because He hath dealt bountifully with me."

The Radak notes that Jeremiah uses the language of "day and night" (Jer. 33:25) as a deliberate metaphor for history. The Babylonian destruction (Jeremiah 34) is the onset of the deep "night" of exile where Israel sleeps the sleep of apparent death. But because God's covenant is explicitly bound to the morning, the story cannot end in the dark. The Meforshem show that just as surely as the dawn breaks the night shift of the physical world, the "Righteous Branch of David" promised in Jeremiah 33:15 will inevitably rise, transforming the weeping eyes of Jeremiah’s generation into the singing, exultant heart of David’s psalm.

Ashlamatah: Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 33:25 – 34:5, 12-13

JPS	Targum
23. And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying:	23. And the  word of prophecy from before the LORD was with Jeremiah, saying:
24. Have you not seen what this people has spoken saying: The two families that God chose, He has rejected, and they make My people despise being a nation any longer before them. {S}	24. "Have you not seen what this people is speaking, saying: 'The two seeds in which the LORD has taken pleasure - he has loathed them'? And they provoke My people to anger, so as not to be a people any more ministering before Me, as before them.”  {S}
25. So said the Lord: If not My covenant with the day and the night, that the statutes of heaven and earth I did not place,	25. Thus says the LORD: “Just as it is not possible that My covenant which I swore with the day and with the night should cease, so is the covenant of the heavens and the earth: I have not made them that they should pass away.
26. Also will I reject the seed of Jacob and David, My servant, not to take from his seed rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when I bring back their captivity and have mercy upon them. {P}	26. Also the seed of Jacob and David My servant I will not remove from bringing near some of their sons who exercise rulership over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I will restore their exiles and will have mercy upon them.” {P}
1. ¶ The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord-when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms of the land of his rule and all the peoples were waging war against Jerusalem and against all its cities- saying:	1. ¶ The word of prophecy which was with Jeremiah from before the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar'' the king of Babylon and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth under the dominion of his hand, and all the nations, were waging war against Jerusalem and against all her cities, saying:
2. So said the Lord God of Israel, Go and say to Zedekiah king of Judah, and you shall say to him: So said the Lord: Behold I deliver this city into the hand[s] of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.	2. “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Go and say to Zedekiah, the king of the tribe of the house of Judah, and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am handing over this city into the power of' the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.
3. And you shall not escape from his hand[s], for you shall surely be seized, and you shall be delivered into his hand[s], and your eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and his mouth shall speak with your mouth, and you shall come to Babylon.	3. And you will not be rescued from his  hand, but you will certainly be captured and handed over into his power; and your eyes will see the king of Babylon's eyes, and his mouth will speak with your mouth, and you will be carried' to Babylon.
4. But hearken to the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah. So said the Lord concerning you; You shall not die by the sword.	4. But listen to the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah, the king of the tribe of the house of Judah. Thus says the LORD concerning you: 'You will not be killed with sword.
5. You shall die in peace, and with the burnings of your forefathers, the first kings, who were before you, they shall burn for you, and "Ah lord" shall they lament you, for I have spoken a word, says the Lord. {S}	5. You will die in peace; and as they burned incense for your fathers, the former kings who were before you! So will they burn incense over you; and they will lament over you, "Woe for the king!" For I have spoken the word, says the LORD."  {S}
6. And Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem.	6. And Jeremiah the prophet spoke with Zedekiah the king of the tribe of the house of Judah all these words in Jerusalem.
7. And the army of the king of Babylon was waging war against Jerusalem and against all the remaining cities of Judah, against Lachish and against Azekah, because they were the fortified cities left among the cities of Judah. {P}	7. And the troops of the king of Babylon were waging war against Jerusalem and against all the cities of the house of Judah which were left; against Lachish and against Azekah, for they were left among the cities of the house of Judah as fortified cities.  {P}
8. The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem, to proclaim freedom to them;	8. The word of prophecy which was with Jeremiah from before the LORD after king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim freedoms for them,
9. That every man should let his manservant and every man his maidservant, a Jew and a Jewess go free, that none should hold his Jewish brother as a slave.	9. that each man should send away his slaves both male and female, Israelite and Israelitess" as free persons, so that they should not be enslaved to them, any person to his Jewish brother.
10. Now all the princes and all the people who had entered into the covenant hearkened that every one should let his manservant and everyone his maidservant go free, no longer holding them in slavery; then they obeyed and let them go.	10. And all the princes and all the people who entered into the covenant that each man should send out his slaves both male and female as free persons, so that they should not be enslaved to them anymore, heard it, and heeded it, and they sent them away.
11. But afterwards they turned and brought back the manservants and the maidservants whom they had let free, and forcibly made them into manservants and maidservants. {P}	11. But afterwards they turned around, and brought back the slaves, male and female, whom they had let go as free persons, and brought them into subjection as male and female slaves.  {P}
12. Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:	12. And the word of prophecy from before the LORD was with Jeremiah from before the LORD/ saying:
13. So says the Lord God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers on the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves, saying:	13. "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I made a covenant with your fathers on the day that I brought them out from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery, saying:
14. "At the end of seven years you shall let go every man his brother Jew who has been sold to you, and when he has served you for six years you shall let him go free from you"; but your forefathers did not obey Me, nor did they incline their ear[s].	14. 'At the end of seven years you will each send away his Israelite brother who was sold to you; so he will serve you for six years. Then you will let him go from you as a free man. But your fathers did not listen to My Memra, and did not incline their ear.
15. And now this day you turned and did what was right in My sight by proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before Me in the House upon which My Name is called.	15. And you yourselves had repented this day, and had done what was right before Me, in each man proclaiming freedom for his colleague; and you made a covenant before Me in the house upon which My Name is called.
16. But then you turned and profaned My Name, and you took back, each man his manservant and each man his maidservant, whom you had let free to themselves, and forced them to be manservants and maidservants to you. {S}	16. But you have turned around and profaned My Name, and each man has brought back his slaves, both male and female, whom you had let go as free persons in respect of their lives; and you have subjected them into becoming male and female slaves for you.  {S}
17. Therefore, so says the Lord: You have not hearkened to Me to proclaim freedom, every one to his brother and every one to his neighbor; behold I proclaim freedom to you, says the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine, and I will make you an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.	17. Therefore thus says the LORD: You yourselves have not heeded My Memra, that each man should proclaim freedom for his brother, and each man for his colleague; behold, I am summoning freedom for you, says the LORD, from the sword, from pestilence. and from famine; and I will make you into an object of trembling for all the kingdoms of the earth.
18. And I will deliver the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not kept the words of the covenant which they made before Me when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts.	18. And I will give the men who transgressed My covenant, - who did not confirm the words of the covenant which they made before Me, (like) the calf which they divided into two, and passed between its halves -
19. The princes of Judah and the princes of Jerusalem, the officers and the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf.	19. the princes of Judah and the princes of Jerusalem, the princes and the priests and all the people of the land who passed between the halves of the calf, -
20. I will deliver them into the hand[s] of their enemies and into the hand[s] of those who seek their lives, and their dead bodies shall become food for the birds of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth.	20. I will hand them over into the power of their enemies, and into the power of those who seek to kill them; and their corpses will be scattered as food for the birds of heaven and for the beasts of the earth.
21. And Zedekiah, king of Judah, and his princes I will deliver into the hand[s] of their enemies and into the hand[s] of those who seek their lives, and into the hand[s] of the army of the king of Babylon who have gone up away from you.	21. And I will hand over Zedekiah, the king of the tribe of' the house of Judah and his princes into the power of their enemies, and into the power of those who seek to kill them, and into the power of the troops of the king of Babylon which have been taken up from you.
22. Behold I command, says the Lord, and I will return them to this city, and they shall fight against it and capture it, and burn it with fire, and the cities of Judah I will make desolate without an inhabitant. {P}	22. Behold, says the LORD, I am commanding, and will make them return against this city; and they will wage war against it, and conquer it, and burn it with fire; and the cities of the house of Judah I will make into desolation, without inhabitant."  {P}

Rashi’s Commentary for Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 33:25 – 34:5, 12-13

20 If you break My covenant with the day If you can break My covenant that I formed with the day and with the night to be in their time, which I formed with Noah and his sons, “And day and night shall not cease” (Gen. 8:22).

24 The two families Viz. royalty and the priesthood.

and they make My people despise And with these words, they cause My people to despise being a nation to Me.

before them According to these words of theirs, that they teach them to say that the Holy One, blessed be He, will no longer return from His anger, and repentance will not avail them.

25 If not My covenant, etc. If it is possible that the covenant that I formed with day and night to be in their time should be abolished, and if it is possible for the statutes of heaven and earth to be abolished as though I had not placed them, also the seed of Jacob, etc. Our Sages, however, expounded it in regard to the covenant of the Torah and circumcision, to derive from here that because of them heaven and earth were created. But this Midrash does not fit the sequence of the verses.

Chapter 34

5 You shall die in peace Our Sages stated that Nebuchadnezzar died during his lifetime (Moed Katan 28b), for all the days of Nebuchadnezzar his prisoners were not freed from their imprisonment, and when Nebuchadnezzar died, Zedekiah emerged from the prison. He died the next day and was buried with pomp.

and with the burnings of your forefathers So was their custom, to burn for the kings their bier and the utensils they used.

8 after King Zedekiah had made a covenant In the seventh year of his reign. So we learned it in Seder Olam (ch. 26): “And it came to pass in the seventh year...men came of the elders of Judah (sic) to inquire of the Lord” (Ezekiel 20:1). They said to Ezekiel, ‘The slave of a priest whom his owner sold what is the ruling regarding whether he may eat of the priest’s due?’ That is to say, because they wanted to say that they should not be punished for infracting the commandment by returning the slaves.

17 behold I proclaim freedom to you from Me, that I am not your master to save you, and you shall be free to the sword and to the famine.

18 when they cut the calf in two Whey they returned and forced them to be slaves, they all made a covenant to rebel against the Omnipresent and cut a calf in two and passed between its parts to rebel against Him, and that was a strong covenant and a final one, saying, So shall the one who transgresses be cut and divided.

21 who have gone up away from you because of the army of Pharaoh that came out of Egypt, as is explained in this Book (37:5).

22 Behold I command that Pharaoh’s army return to his land, and the Chaldeans return upon you.

Commentary on the Ashlamatah of Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 33:25 – 34:5, 12-13

By: Adon Shlomoh Ben Abraham

Our Ashlamatah spans two chapters and two different prophetic moments. Jeremiah 33:20–26 speaks of — The Unbreakable Covenant and Jeremiah 34:5–22 — The Broken Covenant of Zedekiah’s Generation. One speaks of an unbreakable covenant, and the other of a broken covenant; these two are contrasted to teach us that God keeps His covenant even when Israel breaks theirs. As we learned in our reading of the Covenant between the pieces in Genesis 15, the surety of the covenant God made with Abraham is not dependent on our righteousness, but because of the righteousness of HaShem, all the promises to Abraham's children will be fulfilled. Our core or foundational text is Jeremiah 33:20–26, which speaks of the Unbreakable Covenant. God says: “If you can break My covenant with day and night… then also My covenant with David and with the Levites can be broken.” - “I will never reject the seed of Jacob… I will restore their fortunes.”  These three covenants are interdependent: If creation stands, Israel stands; if Israel stands, David and Levi stand, and thus Israel is the spiritual backbone of all creation. Our Ashlamatah refutes the falsifiers who have endeavored to create a new world order on the grounds that God has “abandoned” the Jewish nation in favor of others.^[7]

This is one of the strongest covenantal declarations in all of the Tanakh. Yet hidden in this declaration is not just David and his royal line, nor just Aaron and his priestly line, but also the seed line of Jacob. Jacob, as you remember, fathered the twelve tribes of Israel, which includes the Royal and Priestly lines. If we ask the question which of these three is of the most importance, I would think the seed of the line of Jacob, for without it, first and foremost, there will not exist the other two lines, and without the twelve tribes, there would be no need for the other two seed lines. The seed of Jacob (the people of Israel) is the foundational covenant; everything hinges on and is built on God’s promises to Abraham. The priestly line and the Davidic line are covenantal structures built upon that foundation. If there is no “seed of Jacob,” there can be no Davidic king and no need for a Levitical priesthood.

To help us understand this properly, we need to see how the Tanakh, Midrash, Talmud, and Rishonim describe the hierarchy of these covenants. Rashi, Radak, and Malbim all agree: “The seed of Jacob” is speaking of the entire people of Israel. This is the covenant of peoplehood, the nation, and it is unconditional and eternal, tied to and juxtaposed to the cycle of day and night. Abrabanel says the nation will not be able to change this fixed order in the future as they did under Jeroboam. (1 Kings 12) Just as after the flood, God told Noah he would never disrupt the course of day and night.^[8]  A covenant unites different people or entities. Day symbolizes light, the sacred, and night symbolizes the mundane or the forces opposed to the spiritual. The Jews' goal is to unite all the forces of life and existence in the service of HaShem.^[9] Malbim points out two things on (v20) and says this speaks of both annulment and delay, and says man can't annul these two covenants, and it is not possible to delay their reemergence when the time of the final redemption arrives.^[10]

The context of our passage is that the people thought maybe HaShem had forsaken these two families. The people had witnessed a decline in the house of David and surely thought with the capture of King Zedekiah and the execution of his sons that the Kingdom dynasty had run its course and was finished. Additionally, the Levitical line would lose 80,000 priests as a result of the destruction of the first temple, and thus, many of the people would have begun to question and conclude that God had abandoned the house of David and the house of Levi. The people listened to their eyes to deceive them and convince them that God had forsaken his people, instead of believing the word of HaShem. Scholars say these people who question if God had rejected the families of David and Levi are not specified as to whether they are Israelites or their Gentile neighbors. Although it is believed to be the Israelites. By claiming that God had abandoned the two families of David and Levi, the deniers encourage their fellow Jews not to submit to the leadership of these two families.^[11] God responded to this argument by reaffirming His commitment to His covenant promises. The covenants with Abraham and David and with the Levitical Priests were not conditioned on the people’s obedience but on God’s character.

In our present-day reality, the known nation of Israel, the Jews have overcome this very issue to some extent, yet there is a rather large internal struggle over being a secular nation or one that is built and run on Torah principles. Israel believes in the messiah and follows the rabbis somewhat, and to some degree has accepted the guidance of these two families. Yet they are far from achieving the goal that HaShem has desired for them. The nations of the world look to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob somewhat, yet they still create their god after their own image and mix Torah ideals with pagan and gentile viewpoints, which distorts the message of the Hebrew scriptures. Both groups must move closer and come to obedience in following the Torah path.

For those of the seed of Jacob lost among the nations and for those of the nations with an affinity for the God of the Jews, they each have quite a ways to go. These lost ones have not found their way back completely, although they have accepted the House of David through the teaching of the first-century disciples of Yeshua; they have not accepted the authority given to the Levites to be priests and teachers, and they have not turned an ear to hear their words. The acceptance and reverence of the Torah in our modern day is increasing, and those willing to hear the modern-day Levites teach the oral Torah are also on the rise. The majority of people are still not recognizing the torah teachers of Israel. We are witnessing this change in the last thirty years, and I believe we will see it even more in the future as all the nations look toward Jerusalem for understanding and the light of the Torah. But the majority of people have not come to recognize Israel's place as the center of the world, nor have the majority of Israel submitted to the teaching of HaShem.

These three Covenants are bound up in one; Jeremiah 33:17–26 speaks of: “The men of David's line who sit upon the throne of the House of Israel,” The seed of Jacob. Next, we have “there will never be an end to the line of Levitical priests before me,” and then these families are all bound up in the covenant with day and night. In other words, all three are eternal, and without one, you do not have the other two. As I write, I see that the cycle of night is ending and the cycle of day is just beginning as the sun ever so slowly breaks the eastern skyline. The Davidic line of leadership never disappears. ^[12]  And Radak states that even without a king on the throne, the dynasty continues. David’s covenant is eternal, and it presupposes the existence of the people of Israel - the seed of Jacob. As the Rabbis have taught, when asked where Messiah the King is at, “He sits at the gates of Rome,’ ever working behind the scenes to bring the Father's will to completion. ^[13]

HaShem mentions in (v.18) the seed of Levi (the priests). The commentators explain that these are three distinct but interlocking covenants. With Levi, this is the covenant of holiness and service. In Numbers 25:12–13, it is the Covenant of eternal priesthood with Pinchas. The priesthood is hereditary and eternal.^[14] Rashi tells us (Jer. 33:18): The priests will always exist as a family, and Malbim says, The priesthood is the covenant of sanctity, parallel to kingship, and the priesthood is eternal, but it serves the people of Israel—the family of David, the Davidic dynasty. Rashi states that this ‘line of David’ refers to the royal house of David, whom the nations claim God has rejected. God answers that the Davidic covenant is eternal and promised David an everlasting dynasty (2 Samuel 7). Even without a king on the throne, the dynasty continues. David’s covenant is as firm as the heavens and the cycle of day and night. The permanence of the Davidic covenant is linked to the permanence of the cosmos. ^[15]

Which Covenant Is Foundational? In Malbim’s Hierarchy (Jer. 33:20–26), he ranks the covenants in the following order: 1.) Covenant of Jacob — the nation, the second (2) in order is the Covenant of Levi — the priesthood, and 3.) The Covenant of David — the Kingship. He explains: The nation is the root, and everything flows out from the root. Priesthood sanctifies the nation through its instruction, and the Kingship leads and governs the nation. Without the nation, the other two covenants have no meaning. This order is also the order HaShem revealed these three in time. Malbim goes on to say that the seed of Jacob(Yaakov) is foundational, and that the seed of David will rule over the seed of Yaakov, and the seed of Yaakov will rule over the sons of Yishmael and Esau.^[16] The mention of David's line first is thought to guarantee the nation's eternal rightful heir to the throne, and David’s line provides the God-appointed leadership that ensures Israel's eternal stability. It speaks directly to the ultimate “Branch of Righteousness” (the Messiah) that comes from the seed of David to one day rule over the seed of Jacob and all the nations.

The Midrash teaches us that Israel precedes all else, and from this we learn “Israel came first in God’s thought.” We are even told in Exodus 4:22 that Israel is HaShem's “firstborn son”. Meaning: The people of Israel are the primary covenantal entity. All other institutions or entities “exist for their sake.”^[17] The Rambam builds upon this and brings down that the Patriarchal Covenant is the foundation, as expressed in (Genesis 17; Leviticus 26), which teaches: The covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the root covenant, and the Davidic and priestly covenants are branches of it. This makes one think that Rabbi Saul, A.K.A Apostle Paul, and the Rambam were reading and studying the same ancient texts. If we look at the order in which these covenants were given, we could draw a conclusion that in the restoration process, they will come to be revealed in the same exact order. That order is the “seed of Jacob” is restored, then the service and teaching of Levi, and lastly the anointed leader, King Messiah.^[18]

The sages of Israel teach in the Midrash: The Covenant is as Fixed as Creation, i.e., the laws of nature (day/night, seasons), and the law of Israel’s being chosen out of and above all peoples and nations. Just as the world cannot exist without the laws of day and night. Israel cannot cease to be God’s people. ^[19] Therefore, the people of Israel are as permanent as day and night. One of our current-day issues is how to determine who is and where is modern-day Israel, the seed of Jacob? Many quasi-groups claim to be the true Israel, yet they receive little to no physical persecution.

God knows every one of the twelve tribes, and the evil forces of the world know also. They are not attacking the wrong people; it would be ludicrous to think Amalek, in all its forms, has wasted time trying to destroy the people of God, and all that time they persecuted the wrong group of people. Israel's covenant is solely dependent on HaShem, not the people of Israel. HaShem will protect and guide Israel till they return to the land. Man tries to undermine God's plan, but until man changes the order of day and night, God's plan stands. The Talmud teaches us that the Davidic Line cannot be extinguished, even if the Davidic dynasty may be hidden; it cannot be erased. It would therefore seem that the Messianic hope is built into creation. And as Malbim has taught and echoed the prophets, both Levi’s descendants and the “seed of David” continue even while in exile. ^[20]

Here is the interesting part,(v.22) Abarbanel tells us, “Although the nations (Israel) sins had caused both houses to shrink, I (HaShem) will cause them to multiply exponentially.”^[21] Malbim said HaShem’s servants on earth will multiply as His servants in heaven, until the upper and lower systems will limit each other, so that the lower one will have an existing nature like the upper one, and it will also be as numerous in quantity as it is. ^[22] Even Targum Jonathan^[23] renders the verse, affirming the eternity and expansion of the Davidic line (kingship) and the Levitical line (priesthood). In Bereshit (Gen.28:14ff), while at Bethel, behold, the Lord stood beside him, (Jacab) and said: ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee.^[24]

As the dust, you will be scattered to the four corners of the earth, but I will gather you. When Jacob is afraid of meeting his brother Esau, he prays and recounts the earlier promises God had made to him. Jacob says, I will surely do thee good and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. ^[25] Why the difference in wording? Why did Jacob not include ‘as the stars of heaven’? The Hebrew idiom “sand of the sea” is a well‑known image for vastness and permanence, used also with Abraham (Gen 22:17). In (28:13f) Jacob says, your seed as the dust of the earth, which cannot be numbered for multitude” (KJV). The “dust of the earth” and the “sand of the sea are different words in Hebrew. Both “sand of the sea” and “dust of the earth” are ancient Near Eastern metaphors for innumerable “descendants”.

The “sand” image is more common in prophetic and covenantal contexts (Gen 22:17, Isa 55:10), both references the idea that everything comes from the heavens to the earth, while “dust” appears in other poetic and prophetic passages (Isa 40:12, Hos 2:1ff). I would suggest that the “dust” is a reference back to Adam (Gen.2:7) and the “sand of the sea” is a reference to the physical earth where they are coming from. The passage in (Gen. 22:15ff) where HaShem first said ‘he will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand of the sea’, and included that ‘your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.’ The question is HaShem declaring the end result and the completion of what he is going to do for Abraham and his descendants, who are as “the dust” of Adam?

In Isaiah 40:12, Isaiah turns to the nations of the world and tells them not to be surprised that there is no entity above HaShem; therefore, he cannot be prevented from acting and fulfilling his promises of restoration and gathering his people, Israel, the “seed of Jacob,” back to their land.  In Hosea 2, ArtScroll translates, the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be assembled-together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head, and they shall ascend from the land. Whereas another translates “they will rise from the ground.”^[26]

In Isaiah (48:19ff), the children of Israel are told that if they obey my commands, their offspring will be as the sand of the sea, and the writer of Hebrews (11:12) references from the dead body of Abraham descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.  This metaphor of ‘sand of the sea’ and ‘stars of heaven’ it is used of the enemies of Israel (Josh. 11:4; Jud. 7:12; 1 S 13:5; Rev. 20:8). Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea (Gen 41:49); God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding and largeness of heart as the sand that is on the seashore (1 K 4:29);  the multitude of quails provided for the Israelites in the desert is compared to the sand (Ps 78:27); the Psalmist says of the thoughts of God, “They are more in number than the sand” (Ps 139:18)^[27]   Rashi and the Targum equate the ‘sand of the sea’ as referring to those in exile of the ten tribes. Both metaphors convey the same core idea: the number is so great it defies human counting, the same is understood for the ‘number of stars in the heavens.’ The children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be assembled together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head, and they shall ascend from the land. (Hos.2:2) They will follow the leadership of the Davidic Messiah when they ascend from the land in which they lived during exile.^[28]

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah,  Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying: ‘At the end of seven years ye shall let go every man his brother that is a Hebrew, that hath been sold unto thee, and hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee’; but your fathers hearkened not unto Me, neither inclined their ear.^[29] We know the punishment and chastisement Israel received because of their lack of obedience. I must accept that HaShem asks nothing of his children that he does not also require of himself. If he requires this of his children, surely, he requires it of himself, and this sums up the covenant promise that was originally made to Abraham, and at the end (bad translation), at the outset of seven years, you shall let every man go that is a Hebrew. The Torah teaches that at the end (קֵץ qēṣ) of six years every slave is to go free.^[30]  We currently stand at 5786 counting from creation, and the sixth day of Jewish reckoning is at the door, and we are standing at the threshold of being set free from our toil of bondage and slavery to this world and all its elements. The sin of Adam and Eve is soon to be reversed, for how many and how fast that reversal takes place only HaShem knows, but with all our hearts and minds we seek after HaShem that we might be found worthy on that day.

Verbal Tallies

Hakham Dr. Hillel ben David

Bereshit (Genesis) 17:1-27

Tehillin (Psalms) 13:1-6

Ashlamatah: Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 33:25 – 34:5, 12-13

Looking at the Hebrew of Bereshit (Genesis) 17:2 and Jeremiah 33:25, what is the verbal / lexical tally that connects these two passages? 

The lexical tally contained precisely within the Hebrew text of these two specific verses is the word בְּרִיתִי (Beriti), meaning "My covenant". It links Genesis 17:2 (the continuation of the opening utterance of Gen 17:1) directly to Jeremiah 33:25.

Bereshit (Genesis) 17:2 And I will make My covenant [בְּרִיתִי / Strong's #H1285] between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly."

Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 33:25 Thus saith the LORD: If My covenant [בְּרִיתִי / Strong's #H1285] be not with day and night, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;"

This exact verbal match is the textual basis for the famous Talmudic deduction (Shabbat 137b) that just as the laws of nature ("day and night") are permanent and unalterable, so too is HaShem's physical covenant with the descendants of Abraham.

* * *

What is/are the thematic connection(s) between Bereshit (Genesis) 17:1-27, and Tehillim (Psalms) 13?

The core thematic connections between Genesis 17:1-27 and Psalms 13 center on the agonizing tension between protracted human waiting and the unshakeable certainty of Divine promise.

Tehillim (Psalms) 13:2-3: David cries out four times in desperation: "How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?" It represents the psychological breaking point of waiting for a salvation that seems physically impossible or indefinitely delayed.

Bereshit (Genesis) 17:1-17: This passage opens when Abraham is ninety-nine years old. For twenty-four years since leaving Haran, he has waited in a state of unfulfilled promise for a legitimate heir. When God finally declares that ninety-year-old Sarah will give birth, Abraham falls on his face and laughs (v. 17), asking in wonderment if a child can be born to a centenarian. Both texts capture the absolute limits of human patience before divine intervention.

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Tehillim (Psalms) 13:6: The psalm pivots sharply from existential grief to ecstatic praise: "But I trust in Your faithfulness; my heart will exult in Your deliverance. I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me".

Bereshit (Genesis) 17:19: God commands that the child of this long-delayed promise be named Isaac (Yitzchak), which literally means "He will laugh". The deep, internal groaning of the decades of barrenness is transformed in a single moment into eternal, generational joy.

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Tehillim (Psalms) 13:6: David anchors his survival on בְּחַסְדְּךָ (B'chasdecha - "in Your steadfast love/mercy"), recognizing that salvation will not come through natural means, but through HaShem's covenantal loyalty.

Bereshit (Genesis) 17:7: God establishes the circumcision as an עוֹלָם בְּרִית (Berit olam - "an everlasting covenant"). The physical sign in the flesh acts as the ultimate anchor of Chesed, guaranteeing that God’s commitment to Abraham’s line is unconditional and immutable, completely transcending the limitations of human age and natural law.

* * *

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.

What is the eschatological message of Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 33:25 – 34:5, 12-13?

The eschatological (End of Days) message woven through these specific selections from Jeremiah centers on the absolute permanence of the Davidic dynasty and the cosmic necessity of Israel's ultimate redemption, contrasted against the temporary collapse of historical empires.

Using the insights of the Malbim, Radak, and the Talmud, the message breaks down into three concise points:

HaShem anchors the return of the exiles to the fixed laws of "day and night" and the "ordinances of heaven and earth". The Malbim explains that just as the physical laws of nature cannot be repealed, the choice of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is a fundamental law of the universe. The ultimate return from the final exile (Galut) is not a historical probability; it is a cosmic certainty.

HaShem promises to take rulers from the seed of David to govern the house of Jacob. The Radak notes that this explicitly refers to the King Messiah. Jeremiah guarantees that no matter how long the throne of David sits vacant in history, the line remains spiritually intact. The ultimate purpose of history is the restoration of this monarchy, which will rule with absolute justice, reversing the subversion of divine order.

These verses describe the imminent fall of King Zedekiah and Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar, framed around the violation of the Shmitah (the covenant to release Hebrew slaves). In Jewish eschatology, Babylon is the archetype for the final oppressive empire (Edom/Rome). Jeremiah highlights that Jerusalem fell because the people refused to grant freedom to their servants (34:13).

The Maharal of Prague explains the eschatological mirror image of the final redemption will only manifest when Israel achieves true spiritual freedom from the mindsets of exile. Just as Babylon fell after executing temporary divine judgment on Zedekiah, the global empires holding Israel back will collapse in the Messianic era, giving way to the ultimate, eternal "release" of the Jewish people under God’s direct sovereignty.

Nazarean Talmud

Sidra Of Bereshit (Genesis) 17:1–27

“And when Abram was”

Hakham Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham

Hakham Tsefet’s School Of Peshat

(Mark 1:38-39)

And he (Yeshua) responded, “let us go to the neighboring towns, so I can teach this halakhic practice^[31] to them as well, because this is what I came to do.”^[32] And he went through the entire region of the Galil proclaiming this halakhic message (the Mesorah) in the Synagogues and driving out shedim – demons.

Hakham Shaul’s School Of Tosefta

(Luke 4:44)

And he heralded the Mesorah in the Synagogues of Y’hudah.^[33]

Commentary on Hakham Tsefet’s School of Peshat

Covenantal Continuity and Covenantal Transmission

The strongest thematic thread uniting Bereshit 17:1–27, Yermi’yahu 33:25–34:5 and 34:8–13, Tehillim 13:1–6, Mark 1:38–39, and Luke 4:44 is the relationship between covenantal continuity and covenantal transmission. Each passage is occupied with something that must endure beyond the immediate moment. In Bereshit, the covenant is established for the generations yet to come. In Yermi’yahu, it is defended against the twin threats of national collapse and covenantal disobedience. In Tehillim, faith endures the silence of Divine hiddenness. In Mark and Luke, the Mesorah is carried from synagogue to synagogue through active proclamation. The passages thus share a single governing concern: how that which G-d establishes continues despite circumstances that appear hostile to its continuation.

In Bereshit 17, the recurring word is covenant. The chapter returns again and again to the Divine declaration that the covenant shall stand between G-d, Avraham, his seed, and their descendants throughout their generations. Significantly, the covenant is reaffirmed at the very moment when its fulfillment appears least likely. Avraham is ninety-nine years old. Sarah has not borne the promised son. The future exists only as a Divine promise. Yet rather than weakening that promise, G-d strengthens it. The covenant is enlarged, names are changed, and the certainty of the coming son is pressed home. The first major theme of the reading, therefore, emerges with clarity: Divine purpose is not governed by visible probability.

This same principle surfaces at once in Yermi’yahu 33. The prophet speaks in a period when national circumstances appear to contradict every covenantal promise. Yet HaShem appeals to the most stable reality available to human observation: the fixed regularity of day and night. The argument that “If My covenant is not with day and night…” becomes the very ground of assurance. The connection to Bereshit is profound. In both passages, covenantal certainty stands opposite human observation. Avraham sees barrenness; Y’hudah sees judgment; G-d points instead to covenantal reality. The verbal repetition of covenant language binds the passages together, yet the thematic bond is stronger still: what G-d establishes remains established regardless of present appearance.

The reference to day and night in Yermi’yahu also sounds a subtle echo of creation itself. The fixed order that governs creation testifies to Divine reliability, for the same G-d who orders the cosmos orders the covenant. This relationship between creation and covenant recurs throughout Scripture, but it carries particular weight here, since it supplies the foundation of hope. If creation continues according to Divine decree, the covenant continues according to Divine decree.

The reading then moves into Yermi’yahu 34, where the focus shifts decisively from Divine faithfulness to human faithfulness. The leaders of Y’hudah enter a covenant to release their Hebrew slaves. At first, they obey; afterward, they reverse themselves and reclaim those whom they had freed. This act is more than social injustice. It is covenantal amnesia. The identity of Israel is rooted in redemption from slavery, and to return fellow Israelites to bondage is, symbolically, to repudiate one of the defining acts of G-d in the nation’s history.

This produces one of the most significant thematic contrasts in the whole Torah Seder. In Bereshit, the covenant is embodied through circumcision; it is carried, literally, within the flesh of the covenant community. In Yermi’yahu 34, the covenant is known and yet ignored. The one text presents a covenant remembered, the other a covenant forgotten. Together they disclose a recurring biblical concern: the gravest danger to covenantal life is not external opposition but internal forgetfulness.

The theme of remembrance connects naturally to Mark 1:38–39 and Luke 4:44. In the received text, Yeshua travels through the Galil and Y’hudah proclaiming the Mesorah within the synagogues. The weight of the term Mesorah cannot be overstated. The Mesorah is that which is handed down, transmitted, preserved, and taught. The mission described in these passages is therefore, at its foundation, an act of covenantal continuity: what was received must now be transmitted.

This establishes a direct conceptual bridge to Bereshit 17. The covenant given to Avraham was never intended to terminate with Avraham; it was designed to pass from generation to generation. The same concern animates the proclamation of the Mesorah. The message must move outward. It must be taught. It must be preserved. It must reach the neighboring towns and synagogues. The concern throughout the readings is therefore not merely covenant, but covenantal transmission.

A particularly striking connection appears in this movement outward. In Mark, Yeshua declares that he must go to the neighboring towns, for this is the very purpose for which he came. In Luke, he heralds the Mesorah throughout the synagogues of Y’hudah. This outward movement parallels the covenantal expansion promised to Avraham. The covenant was never meant to remain confined to a single individual; it was directed from the first toward multiplication, continuation, and transmission. The mission of proclamation thus mirrors the very pattern inscribed in the covenant itself.

The mention of shedim in Mark introduces a further theme shared across the readings. Throughout the passages, G-d is portrayed as restoring order where disorder threatens to prevail. In Bereshit, He establishes a covenantal order where barrenness appears to reign. In Yermi’yahu, He affirms covenantal order amid national crisis. In Yermi’yahu 34, He confronts the covenantal disorder created by human disobedience. In Mark, spiritual disorder is challenged through the expulsion of shedim. The movement from disorder toward Divine order forms a consistent pattern across the whole sequence.

Tehillim 13 contributes the emotional dimension of this larger theological pattern. The repeated cry, “How long?”, voices the tension between Divine promise and human experience. The psalmist knows the faithfulness of G-d, yet wrestles with His hiddenness. This tension is present in every reading. Avraham waits; Y’hudah waits; the prophet waits; the worshipper waits. The covenant remains intact, but its fulfillment is not yet visible.

The repeated questions of Tehillim, therefore, function as the inward voice of the covenant community. What Bereshit presents historically, and what Yermi’yahu presents prophetically, Tehillim presents experientially. The psalm reveals what covenantal waiting feels like from within. The covenant has not failed, yet its fulfillment seems delayed; the promises remain true, yet the circumstances breed anxiety and uncertainty.

Equally important is the movement of the Psalm from lament to trust. Its closing declaration of confidence mirrors the larger trajectory of all the readings. In every passage, the visible circumstance is overruled by a deeper reality. Avraham trusts despite barrenness. The prophet trusts despite judgment. The psalmist trusts despite Divine hiddenness. The herald of the Mesorah continues to proclaim despite spiritual opposition. Faithfulness, therefore, emerges as one of the dominant themes binding the texts together.

A further verbal connection appears in the repeated emphasis upon speech and proclamation. G-d speaks a covenantal promise to Avraham. HaShem speaks covenantal assurance through Yermi’yahu. The psalmist speaks of lament and trust before G-d. Yeshua proclaims the Mesorah in the synagogues. The passages move, again and again, through acts of speech. Divine words establish reality; human words respond to it. Covenantal life, therefore, unfolds through revelation, proclamation, prayer, and transmission.

Taken together, these readings form a unified portrait of covenantal endurance. Divine promise survives barrenness, judgment, covenant violation, hiddenness, and spiritual opposition. The covenant community is called to remember what G-d has established, to trust what G-d has spoken, to embody covenantal faithfulness in action, and to transmit the Mesorah to the generations that follow. The covenant established with Avraham, defended by Yermi’yaahu, wrestled with in Tehillim, and proclaimed in the synagogues by Yeshua stands forth throughout these readings as a continuing reality whose ultimate security rests not in human strength but in Divine faithfulness.

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?

2. In your opinion, and taking into consideration all of the above readings for this Sabbath, what is the prophetic message (the idea that encapsulates all the Scripture passages read) for this week

Blessing After Torah Study

Barúch Atáh Adonai, Elohénu Meléch HaOlám,

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

Barúch Atáh Adonái, Notén HaToráh. Amen!

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

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

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

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

to establish you without a blemish,

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

Next Sabbath: “Vayera” “And appeared”

Shabbat	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
וַיֵּרָא
“Vayera”	Reader 1 – Bereshit 18:1-5	Reader 1 – Bereshit 19:1-3
“And appeared”	Reader 2 – Bereshit 18:6-8	Reader 2 – Bereshit 19:4-7
“Y se le apareció”	Reader 3 – Bereshit 18:9-14	Reader 3 – Bereshit 19:8-10
Bereshit (Genesis) 18:1-33	Reader 4 – Bereshit 18:15-19
Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 33:17-24 + 35:10	Reader 5 – Bereshit 18:20-22	Monday and Thursday
	Reader 6 – Bereshit 18:23-25	Reader 1 – Bereshit 19:1-3
Tehillim (Psalms) 14:1-7	Reader 7 – Bereshit 18:26-33	Reader 2 – Bereshit 19:4-7
N.C.: Mark 1:40-45, Luke 5:12-15	Maftir – Bereshit 18:31-33	Reader 3 – Bereshit 19:8-10

Contents of the Torah Seder

· Visiting the sick and hospitality to strangers 18:1-9

· The promise of a son is revealed to Sarah 18:10-16

· God’s love for Abraham 18:17-21

· Abraham intercedes for Sodom 18:22-27

Reading Assignment

The Torah Anthology: Yalkut Me’Am Lo’Ez – Vol 2 By: Rabbi Ya’aqob Culi Translated by Aryeh Kaplan Published by: Moznaim Publishing Corp. (New York, 1989) Vol. 2 – “Genesis”, pp. 157 - 219

Ramban: Commentary on the Torah Translated and Annotated by Rabbi Dr. Charles Chavel Published by Shilo Publishing House, Inc. (New York, 1971)  pp. 226 - 249

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

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[1] The musical note on two of the repetitions of this plaint is the שלעזלת (lit. long chain), a drawn out sound suggesting an action which continues for an extended period of time. See Genesis 19:10 מתמהמה; Genesis 39:8 וימאן.

[2] v. 6 - This introduction was edited from: The ArtScroll Tanach Series, Tehillim, A new translation with a commentary anthologized from Talmudic, Midrashic, and rabbinic sources. Commentary by Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer, Translation by Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer in collaboration with Rabbi Nosson Scherman.

[3] The ArtScroll Tanach Series, Tehillim, A new translation with a commentary anthologized from Talmudic, Midrashic, and rabbinic sources. Commentary by Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer, Translation by Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer in collaboration with Rabbi Nosson Scherman.

[4] Note that we see musical instruments in 3:1, 4:1, 5:1, 6:1, 8:1, and 9:1.

[5] Da’ath Sofrim, Commentary to the book of Psalms, by Rabbi Chaim Dov Rabinowitz, translated from Hebrew by Rabbi Y.Starrett, edited by Shalom Kaplan.

[6] Shabbat 137b

[7] The prophets, Milstein Edition, Jeremiah 33:25-26, Pg. 299.

[8] Rashi, Genesis 18:22

[9] The prophets, Milstein Edition, Jeremiah 33, Pg. 300.

[10] The prophets, Milstein Edition, Jeremiah 33, Pg. 299.

[11] Ibid. Pg. 298 -299

[12] Sanhedrin 98b.

[13] Ibid. Sanhedrin 98a.

[14] Rambam, Hilkhot Klei HaMikdash 4:3.

[15] Midrash Tehillim 89.

[16] www.Sefaria.org. Jeremiah 33.

[17] Vayikra Rabbah 36:4.

[18] At the turn of the 20^th century, Israel did not exist as a nation of people. The Jews were a scattered people located all over the world. Since 1947, they have existed as a nation in their land. Since the late 1980’s and early 1990s, God began to prepare hearts to receive the teaching of the Levitical priest. In 2026, Torah is being broadcast through the internet to every nation on earth. Anyone seeking Torah wisdom and knowledge, seeking a relationship with the God of Abraham, now has 24/7 access.

[19] Midrash Tehillim 148; Bereshit Rabbah 6:3

[20] Sanhedrin 98b; Pesikta Rabbati 36.

[21] The Prophets Milstein Edition V.22, Pg. 299.

[22] Sefaria.org.

[23] Targum Jonathan was composed in classical antiquity, with oral traditions dating to the Second Temple period and a standardized written form emerging between the 2nd and 7th centuries CE. It is the Aramaic translation and interpretive rendering of the Nevi'im (Prophets) section of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally attributed to Jonathan ben Uzziel, a disciple of Hillel the Elder mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud (Megillah 3a:4).

^[24] Jewish Publication Society of America, Torah Nevi’im U-Khetuvim. The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text. (Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1917), Ge 28:13–15.

^[25] Ibid. Ge 32:13.

[26] Jewish Study Bible, Hosea 2:2. Pg. 1146.

^[27] Alfred Ely Day, “Sand,” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr et al. (Chicago: The Howard-Severance Company, 1915), 2688.

[28] ArtScroll Tanach Series, The Twelve Prophets, Vol. 1, Hosea 2. Pg. 11-12.

^[29] Jewish Publication Society of America, Torah Nevi’im U-Khetuvim. The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text. (Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1917), Je 34:12–14.

[30] Exodus 21:1 and Deuteronomy 15:12. - 7093. קֵץ qēṣ: A masculine noun indicating an end of time or space. It refers to the finish, a final point, a goal of time, a space, or a purpose: It indicates a certain point reached in time (Gen. 4:3); the finish or demise of something, e.g., the human race (Gen. 6:13); the conclusion of a set period of time. See Ramban's discussion of “the end of a thing” in his commentary, Deut. 15. Pg. 176 – 184, translated by Charles B. Chavel

[31] “The Gospel (Mesorah) is not revealed in a vacuum, nor is ecstatic and voluntary movements, which there were not a few in first-century Palestine. Jesus directs his ministry to practicing communities of faith (faithful obedience) in Judaism, fulfillment of an earlier history of revelation (1:2-3).” Edwards, J. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark. Grand Rapids Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Apollos. p. 68

[32] This passage and its Lukan Tosefta teach us concerning the “Messianic Mission.” In other words, the “Messianic Mission” is the proclamation of the Mesorah – Oral Torah and the governance of G-d [through the Hakhamim and Bate Din as opposed to human kings].

[33] The Lukan text includes Y’hudah, whereas the Markan text says “the entire region of the Galil.” This may imply that Y’hudah was considered a part of the Galil or that the northern parts of Y’hudah were considered the Galil. Or Hakham Shaul may only extend the public ministry of the Master to these regions.