MAASEI PARSHA
Masei מַסְעֵי (פָּרָשָׁה, Parashah)
This article is about Judaism's weekly Torah portion on the parashah of
"Masei". For the Apache warrior, see Massai. For the African tribe, see Maasai people. For the
surname and related terms, see Massé.
Encampment of Israelites, Mount Sinai (1836
intaglio print after J. M. W. Turner from Landscape
illustrations of the Bible)
Masei, Mas'ei, or Masse (מַסְעֵי — Hebrew for
"journeys,"[1] the second word, and the first distinctive
word, in the parashah) is the 43rd weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the
annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the
10th and last in the Book of Numbers. The parashah
comprises Numbers 33:1–36:13. The parashah
discusses the stations of the Israelites' journeys, instructions for taking the land of Israel, cities for
the Levites and refuge, and the daughters of Zelophehad.
It is made up of 5,773 Hebrew letters, 1,461
Hebrew words, 132 verses, and 189 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).[2] Jews generally read it in July or August.[3] The lunisolar Hebrew calendar contains
up to 55 Saturdays, the exact number varying between 50 in common years and 54
or 55 in leap years. In some leap years (for example, 2014), parashat Masei is
read separately. In most years (all coming years until 2035 in the Diaspora,
until 2022 in Israel), parashat Masei is combined with the previous
parashah, Matot, to help achieve the number of weekly
readings needed.[4]
Contents
o 1.1First reading — Numbers 33:1–10
o 1.2Second reading — Numbers
33:11–49
o 1.3Third reading — Numbers
33:50–34:15
o 1.4Fourth reading — Numbers
34:16–29
o 1.5Fifth reading — Numbers 35:1–8
o 1.6Sixth reading — Numbers 35:9–34
o 1.7Seventh reading — Numbers
36:1–13
o 1.8Readings according to the
triennial cycle
·
2In inner-biblical
interpretation
·
3In early nonrabbinic
interpretation
·
4In classical rabbinic
interpretation
·
5In medieval Jewish
interpretation
Readings[edit]
In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the
parashah is divided into seven readings, or עליות, aliyot.[5]
The Land of Israel as defined in Numbers 34:1–12
First reading —
Numbers 33:1–10[edit]
In the first reading (עליה, aliyah), Moses recorded the various journeys of
the Israelites from the land of Egypt as
directed by God as
follows: They journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth to Etham to Pi-hahiroth to Marah to Elim to
the Sea of Reeds.
Second reading —
Numbers 33:11–49[edit]
In the second reading (עליה, aliyah), the
Israelites journeyed from the Sea of Reeds to the wilderness
of Sin to Dophkah to Alush to Rephidim to the wilderness of Sinai to Kibroth-hattaavah to Hazeroth to Rithmah to Rimmon-perez to Libnah to Rissah to Kehelath to Mount Shepher Haradah to Makheloth to Tahath to Terah to Mithkah to Hashmonah to Moseroth to Bene-jaakan to Hor-haggidgad to Jotbath to Abronah to Ezion-geber to Kadesh to Mount Hor.[6] At God's
command, Aaron ascended Mount Hor and died there, at the
age of 123 years.[7] They journeyed from Mount Hor to Zalmonah to Punon to Oboth to Iye-abarim to Dibon-gad to Almon-diblathaim to the
hills of Abarim to the steppes of Moab.[8]
Third reading —
Numbers 33:50–34:15[edit]
In the third reading (עליה, aliyah), in the
steppes of Moab, God told Moses to direct the Israelites that when they crossed
the Jordan into Canaan, they were to dispossess all the inhabitants of
the land, destroy all their figured objects, molten images, and cult places, and take possession of and settle
in the land.[9] They were to apportion the land among
themselves by lot, clan by clan, with the share varying with the
size of the group.[10] But God warned that if the Israelites did
not dispossess the inhabitants of the land, those whom they allowed to remain
would become stings in
their eyes and thorns in their
sides, and would harass the Israelites in the land, so that God would do to the
Israelites what God had planned to do to the inhabitants of the land.[11] God then told Moses to instruct the
Israelites in the boundaries of the land, which included the Dead Sea, the wilderness of
Zin, the Wadi of Egypt, the Mediterranean
Sea, Mount Hor, the
eastern slopes of the Sea of Galilee, and the River
Jordan.[12] Moses informed the Israelites that
the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of
Manasseh had received their portions across the Jordan.[13]
Fourth reading — Numbers
34:16–29[edit]
In the fourth reading (עליה, aliyah), God told
Moses the names of the men through whom the Israelites were to apportioned the
land: Eleazar, Joshua, and a
chieftain named from each tribe.[14]
Cities of Refuge (illustration from a Bible card
published 1901 by the Providence Lithograph Company)
Fifth reading —
Numbers 35:1–8[edit]
In the fifth reading (עליה, aliyah), God told
Moses to instruct the Israelites to assign the Levites out of the other tribes'
holdings towns and pasture land for 2,000 cubits outside
the town wall in each direction.[15] The
Israelites were to assign the Levites 48 towns in all, of which 6 were to be
Cities of Refuge to which a manslayer could
flee.[16] The Israelites were to take more towns
from the larger tribes and fewer from the smaller.[17]
Sixth reading —
Numbers 35:9–34[edit]
In the sixth reading (עליה, aliyah), three of the
six Cities of Refuge were to be designated east of the Jordan, and the other
three were to be designated in the land of Canaan.[18] The Cities of Refuge were to
serve as places to which a slayer who had killed a person unintentionally could
flee from the avenger, so that the slayer might not die without a trial before the
assembly.[19] Anyone, however, who struck and killed
another with an iron object, stone tool, or wood tool was to be considered a
murderer, and was to be put to death.[20] The blood-avenger was to put the murderer
to death upon encounter.[21] Similarly, if the killer pushed or struck
the victim by hand in hate or hurled something at the victim on purpose and
death resulted, the assailant was to be put to death as a murderer.[22] But if the slayer pushed the victim
without malice aforethought, hurled an object at the victim unintentionally, or
inadvertently dropped on the victim any deadly object of stone, and death
resulted — without the victim being an enemy of the slayer and without the
slayer seeking the victim harm — then the assembly was to decide between the
slayer and the blood-avenger.[23] The
assembly was to protect the slayer from the blood-avenger, and the assembly was
to restore the slayer to the city of refuge to which the slayer fled, and there
the slayer was to remain until the death of the high priest.[24] But if the
slayer ever left the city of refuge, and the blood-avenger came upon the slayer
outside the city limits, then there would be no bloodguilt if the blood-avenger
killed the slayer.[25] The slayer was to remain inside the city
of refuge until the death of the high priest, after which the slayer could
return to his land.[26] A slayer could be executed only on the
evidence of more than one witness.[27] The
Israelites were not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer guilty of
a capital crime; the murderer was to be put to death.[28] Similarly, the Israelites were not to
accept ransom in lieu of flight to a city of refuge, enabling a slayer to
return to live on the slayer's land before the death of the high priest.[29] Bloodshed polluted the land, and only the
blood of the one who shed it could make expiation for the bloodshed.[30]
The Daughters of Zelophehad (illustration from
the 1908 Bible and Its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons)
Seventh reading —
Numbers 36:1–13[edit]
In the seventh reading (עליה, aliyah), kinsmen of
Zelophehad, a man of the tribe of Manasseh who had died without a son,[31] appealed to Moses and the chieftains
regarding Zelophehad's daughters, to whom God had commanded Moses to assign
land.[32] Zelophehad's kinsmen expressed the concern
that if Zelophehad's daughters married men from another Israelite tribe, their
land would be cut off from Manasseh's ancestral portion and be added to the
portion of the husbands' tribe.[33] At God's
bidding, Moses instructed the Israelites that the daughters of Zelophehad could
marry only men from their father's tribe, so that no inheritance would pass
from one tribe to another.[34] And Moses announced the general rule that
every daughter who inherited a share was required to marry someone from her
father's tribe, in order to preserve each tribe's ancestral share.[35] The daughters of Zelophehad did as God had
commanded Moses, and they married cousins, men of the
tribe of Manasseh.[36]
Readings according
to the triennial cycle[edit]
Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah
reading read the parashah according to a different schedule.[37]
In inner-biblical
interpretation
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in
these Biblical sources:[38]
Numbers chapter 35[edit]
The Torah addresses the need for corroborating
witnesses three times. Numbers 35:30 instructs that a manslayer may be executed
only on the evidence of two or more witnesses. Deuteronomy 17:6 states the same multiple witness
requirement for all capital cases. And Deuteronomy 19:15 applies
the rule to all criminal offenses.
Numbers chapter 36[edit]
The story of the daughters of Zelophehad
in Numbers 36 is a sequel of that in Numbers 27. And then Joshua 17:3–6 reports the awarding of lands to the
daughters of Zelophehad.
In early
nonrabbinic interpretation[edit]
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in
these early nonrabbinic sources:[39]
Aeschylus
Numbers chapter 35[edit]
With the Cities of Refuge in Numbers 35:6–34, Divine intervention replaces a system of
vengeance with a system of justice, much as in the play of the 5th century
BCE Greek playwright Aeschylus The
Eumenides, the third part of The Oresteia, the goddess Athena’s intervention helps to replace vengeance
with trial by jury.
Philo
Philo called the
rule of Numbers 35:30 that a judge should not receive the
testimony of a single witness "an excellent commandment." Philo
argued first that a person might inadvertently gain a false impression of a
thing or be careless about observing and therefore be deceived. Secondly, Philo
argued it unjust to trust to one witness against many persons, or indeed
against only one individual, for why should the judge trust a single witness
testifying against another, rather than the defendant pleading on the
defendant's own behalf? Where there is no preponderance of opinion for guilt,
Philo argued, it is best to suspend judgment.[40]
Similarly, Josephus reported
the rule of Numbers 35:30, writing that judges should not credit a single
witness, but rather should rely only on three, or two at the least, and only
those whose testimony was confirmed by their good lives.[41]
The March of the Israelites Through the
Wilderness (illustration from the 1897 Bible Pictures and What They
Teach Us by Charles Foster)
In classical
rabbinic interpretation[edit]
The parashah is discussed in these rabbinic sources from the era of the Mishnah and the Talmud:[42]
Numbers chapter 33[edit]
A Midrash taught
that God told the Israelites that during all the 40 years that they spent in
the wilderness, God did not make it necessary for them to flee. Rather, God
cast their enemies down before them. As Deuteronomy 8:15 reports, there were numerous snakes, fiery
serpents, and scorpions in the wilderness, but God did not allow them to harm
the Israelites. Thus, God told Moses to write down in Numbers 33 the stages by which Israel journeyed in
the wilderness, so that they would know the miracles that God had performed for
them.[43]
.jpg)
The Israelites journeyed in the wilderness.
(1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Sweet Publishing)
Noting that both Numbers 33:1 and Psalm 77:21 report that the Israelites travelled
"under the hand of Moses and Aaron," a Midrash taught that the
similarity served to confirm that God led the Israelites in the wilderness (in
the words of Psalm 77:21) "like a flock."[44]
A Midrash compared the listing of the
Israelites' journeys in Numbers 33 to a king
who had a sick son whom he took to a distant place to get cured. On the way
back, the king retraced all their previous journeys, noted where his son caught
cold and where his son's head ached.[45]
A Midrash used the report of Numbers 33:4 to explain why the Israelites had to leave
Egypt to conduct their sacrifices. The Midrash interpreted the words of Exodus 8:22, "Lo, if we sacrifice the abomination of
the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?" to teach that
the Egyptians saw the lamb as a god. Thus, when God told Moses to slay the
paschal lamb (as reflected in Exodus 12:21), Moses asked
God how he could possibly do so, when the lamb was as Egyptian god. God replied
that the Israelites would not depart from Egypt until they slaughtered the
Egyptian gods before the Egyptians' eyes, so that God might teach them that
their gods were really nothing at all. And thus God did so, for on the same night
that God slew the Egyptian firstborn, the Israelites slaughtered their paschal
lambs and ate them. When the Egyptians saw their firstborn slain and their gods
slaughtered, they could do nothing, as Numbers 33:4 reports, "While the Egyptians were
burying them whom the Lord had smitten among them, even all their firstborn;
upon their gods also the Lord executed judgment."[46]
Reading Numbers 33:4, "Upon their gods also the Lord executed
judgments," the Pirke De-Rabbi
Eliezer taught that when the Israelites left Egypt, God cast
down and broke all the Egyptians' idols.[47]
The Ark Passes
Over the Jordan (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)
The Gemara taught that while the Israelites
were in the Jordan River with the water standing up in a heap (as reported
in Joshua 3:14–17), Joshua told them that they were crossing the
Jordan on condition that they would disinherit the inhabitants of the land,
as Numbers 33:53 says: "Then you shall drive out all
the inhabitants of the land from before you." Joshua told them that if
they did this, it would be well and good; otherwise, the water would return and
drown them.[48]
Interpreting Numbers 26:53, 26:55, and 33:54, the Gemara noted a dispute over whether the
land of Israel was apportioned according to those who came out of Egypt or
according to those who went into the land of Israel. It was taught in a Baraita that Rabbi Josiah said that
the land of Israel was apportioned according to those who came out of Egypt,
as Numbers 26:55 says, "according to the names of the
tribes of their fathers they shall inherit." The Gemara
asked what then to make of Numbers 26:53, which says,
"Unto these the land shall be divided for an
inheritance." The Gemara proposed that "unto these" meant
adults, to the exclusion of minors. But Rabbi Jonathan taught
that the land was apportioned according to those who entered the land,
for Numbers 26:53 says, "Unto these the
land shall be divided for an inheritance." The Gemara posited that
according to this view, Numbers 26:55 taught
that the manner of inheritance of the land of Israel differed from all other
modes of inheritance in the world. For in all other modes of inheritance in the
world, the living inherit from the dead, but in this case, the dead inherited
from the living. Rabbi Simeon ben Eleazar taught a third view — that the land was divided both according to
those who left Egypt and also according to those who entered the land of
Israel, so as to carry out both verses. The Gemara explained that according to
this view, one among those who came out of Egypt received a share among those
who came out of Egypt, and one who entered the land of Israel received a share
among those who entered the land. And one who belonged to both categories
received a share among both categories.[49]
The City of Refuge (illustration from the
1897 Bible Pictures and What They Teach Us by Charles Foster)
Numbers chapter 35[edit]
Chapter 2 of tractate Makkot in the Mishnah, Tosefta, Jerusalem Talmud, and Babylonian
Talmud interpreted the laws of the Cities of Refuge in Exodus 21:12–14, Numbers 35:1–34, Deuteronomy 4:41–43, and 19:1–13.[50]
The Mishnah taught that those who killed in
error went into banishment. One would go into banishment if, for example, while
one was pushing a roller on a roof, the roller slipped over, fell, and killed
someone. One would go into banishment if while one was lowering a cask, it fell
down and killed someone. One would go into banishment if while coming down a
ladder, one fell and killed someone. But one would not go into
banishment if while pulling up the roller it fell back and
killed someone, or while raising a bucket the rope snapped and
the falling bucket killed someone, or while going up a ladder
one fell down and killed someone. The Mishnah's general principle was that
whenever the death occurred in the course of a downward movement, the culpable
person went into banishment, but if the death did not occur in the course of a
downward movement, the person did not go into banishment. If while chopping
wood, the iron slipped from the ax handle and killed someone, Rabbi taught
that the person did not go into banishment, but the sages said that the person
did go into banishment. If from the split log rebounding killed someone, Rabbi
said that the person went into banishment, but the sages said that the person
did not go into banishment.[51]
Rabbi Jose bar Judah taught that to begin with,
they sent a slayer to a city of refuge, whether the slayer killed intentionally
or not. Then the court sent and brought the slayer back from the city of
refuge. The Court executed whomever the court found guilty of a capital crime,
and the court acquitted whomever the court found not guilty of a capital crime.
The court restored to the city of refuge whomever the court found liable to
banishment, as Numbers 35:25 ordained, "And the congregation shall
restore him to the city of refuge from where he had fled."[52] Numbers 35:25 also says, "The manslayer ...
shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with
the holy oil," but the Mishnah taught that the death of a high priest who
had been anointed with the holy anointing oil, the death of a high priest who
had been consecrated by the many vestments, or the death of a high priest who
had retired from his office each equally made possible the return of the
slayer. Rabbi Judah said that the death of a priest who had been anointed for
war also permitted the return of the slayer. Because of these laws, mothers of
high priests would provide food and clothing for the slayers in Cities of
Refuge so that the slayers might not pray for the high priest's death.[53] If the high priest died at the conclusion
of the slayer's trial, the slayer did not go into banishment. If, however, the
high priests died before the trial was concluded and another high priest was
appointed in his stead and then the trial concluded, the slayer returned home
after the new high priest's death.[54]
A Baraita taught that a disciple in the name
of Rabbi Ishmael noted that
the words "in all your dwellings" (בְּכֹל מֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם, b'chol
moshvoteichem) appear both in
the phrase, "You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the
Sabbath day," in Exodus 35:3 and in the phrase, "these things
shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all
your dwellings," in Numbers 35:29. The Baraita
reasoned from this similar usage that just as the law prohibits kindling fire
at home, so the law also prohibits kindling fire in the furtherance of criminal
justice. And thus, since some executions require kindling a fire, the Baraita
taught that the law prohibits executions on the Sabbath.[55]
The Gemara read Numbers 35:24–25, “And the congregation shall judge . . . and
the congregation shall save,” to requires a court to search for grounds to
exonerate the defendant.[56]
The Jerusalem Talmud read the reference to
“congregation” in Numbers 35:24–25 to support the proposition that ten
comprise a congregation. Rabbi Abba and Rabbi Yasa said in the name of Rabbi Joḥanan that Scripture uses the word “congregation” in Numbers 35:24–25, “The congregation shall judge, and the
congregation shall rescue,” and also in Numbers 14:27, “How long shall this wicked congregation
murmur against me?” and argued that just as the word “congregation” in Numbers 14:27 refers to ten persons (the twelve spies
minus Joshua and Caleb), the word “congregation” in Numbers 35:24–25, must refer to ten persons, and thus judgments
needed to take place in the presence of ten.[57]
The Gemara read Numbers 35:30 to limit the participation of witnesses
and Rabbinical students in trials. The Mishnah taught that in monetary cases,
all may argue for or against the defendant, but in capital cases, all may argue
in favor of the defendant, but not against the defendant.[58] The Gemara asked whether the reference to
"all" in this Mishnah included even the witnesses. Rabbi Jose son of
Rabbi Judah and the Rabbis disagreed to some degree. The Gemara read the words
of Numbers 35:30, "But one witness shall not testify
against any person," to indicate that a witness cannot participate in a
trial — either for acquittal or condemnation — beyond providing testimony.
Rabbi Jose son of Rabbi Judah taught that a witness could argue for acquittal,
but not for condemnation. Rav Papa taught
that the word "all" means to include not the witnesses, but the
Rabbinical students who attended trials, and thus was not inconsistent with the
views of Rabbi Jose son of Rabbi Judah or of the Rabbis. The Gemara explained
the reasoning of Rabbi Jose son of Rabbi Judah for his view that witnesses may
argue in favor of the accused as follows: Numbers 35:30 says, "But one witness shall not
testify against any person that he die." Hence, according to the reasoning
of Rabbi Jose son of Rabbi Judah, only "so that he die" could the
witness not argue, but the witness could argue for acquittal. And Resh Lakish
explained the reasoning of the Rabbis forbidding a witness to argue in favor of
the accused as follows: The Rabbis reasoned that if a witness could argue the
case, then the witness might seem personally concerned in his testimony (for a
witness contradicted by subsequent witnesses could be subject to execution for
testifying falsely). The Gemara then asked how the Rabbis interpreted the
words, "so that he die" (which seems to indicate that the witness may
not argue only when it leads to death). The Gemara explained that the Rabbis
read those words to apply to the Rabbinical students (constraining the students
not to argue for condemnation). A Baraita taught that they did not listen to a
witnesses who asked to make a statement in the defendant's favor, because Numbers 35:30 says, "But one witness shall not
testify." And they did not listen to a Rabbinical student who asked to
argue a point to the defendant's disadvantage, because Numbers 35:30 says, "One shall not testify against
any person that he die" (but a student could do so for acquittal).[59]
The Gemara cited the Torah's requirement for
corroborating witnesses to support the Mishnah's prohibition of circumstantial
evidence in capital cases. The Mishnah reported that they admonished witnesses
in capital cases not to testify based on conjecture (that is, circumstantial
evidence) or hearsay, for the court would scrutinize the witnesses' evidence by
cross-examination and inquiry.[60] The Gemara
reported that the Rabbis taught that the words "based on conjecture"
in the Mishnah meant that the judge told the witness that if the witness saw
the defendant running after the victim into a ruin, and the witness pursued the
defendant and found the defendant with bloody sword in hand and the victim
writhing in agony, then the judge would tell the witness that the witness saw
nothing (and did not actually witness a murder). It was taught in a Baraita
that Rabbi Simeon ben Shetach said that he once did see a man pursuing his fellow into a ruin,
and when Rabbi Simeon ben Shetach ran after the man and saw him, bloody sword
in hand and the murdered man writhing, Rabbi Simeon ben Shetach exclaimed to
the man, "Wicked man, who slew this man? It is either you or I! But what
can I do, since your blood (that is, life) does not rest in my hands, for it is
written in the Torah (in Deuteronomy 17:6) 'At the mouth
of two witnesses ... shall he who is to die be put to death'? May He who
knows one's thoughts (that is, God) exact vengeance from him who slew his
fellow!" The Gemara reported that before they moved from the place, a
serpent bit the murderer and he died.[61]
In the Mishnah, Rabbi Jose said that
a malefactor was never put to death unless two witnesses had duly
pre-admonished the malefactor, as Deuteronomy 17:6 prescribes, "At the mouth of two
witnesses or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to
death." And the Mishnah reported another interpretation of the words,
"At the mouth of two witnesses," was that the Sanhedrin would not hear evidence from the mouth of
an interpreter.[62]
Rav Zutra bar Tobiah reported that Rav reasoned that Deuteronomy 17:6 disqualified isolated testimony when it
prescribes that "at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to
death." This special admonition against one witness would seem redundant
to the earlier context, "At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses
shall he that is worthy of death be put to death," so it was taken to mean
that individual witnesses who witnesses the crime, one by one, in isolation
from each other, were insufficient to convict. Similarly, a Baraita taught
that Deuteronomy 17:6 prescribes, "At the mouth of one
witness he shall not be put to death," to cover instances where two
persons see the wrongdoer, one from one window and the other from another
window, without seeing each other, in which case the evidence could not be
joined to form a set of witnesses sufficient to convict. Even if they both
witnessed the offence from the same window, one after the other, their
testimony could not be joined to form a set of witnesses sufficient to convict.[63]
Rabbi Ishmael
the son of Rabbi Jose commanded Rabbi Judah the Prince not to engage in a lawsuit against three parties, for one would be
an opponent and the other two would be witnesses for the other side.[64]
The Daughters of Zelophehad (illustration from
the 1897 Bible Pictures and What They Teach Us by Charles
Foster)
Rabbi Ishmael taught that the avoidance of
danger to one’s own life takes precedence over the prohibition of shedding
blood in Numbers 35:34. Rabbi Ishmael cited Exodus 22:1, in which the right to defend one’s home at
night takes precedence over the prohibition of killing, to support the proposition
that the avoidance of danger to human life takes precedence over the laws of
the Sabbath. For in Exodus 22:1, in spite of all the other considerations, it
is lawful to kill the thief. So even if in the case of the thief — where doubt
exists whether the thief came to take money or life, and even though Numbers 35:34 teaches that the shedding of blood
pollutes the land, so that the Divine Presence departs from Israel — yet it was
lawful to save oneself at the cost of the thief’s life, how much more may one
suspend the laws of the Sabbath to save human life.[65]
Numbers chapter 36[edit]
Chapter 8 of tractate Bava Batra in the Mishnah and Babylonian
Talmud and chapter 7 of tractate Bava Batra in the Tosefta interpreted the laws of
inheritance in Numbers 27:1–11 and 36:1–9.[66]
Rava interpreted
the words "This is the thing" in Numbers 36:6 to teach that the law prohibiting
intermarriage between the tribes held only for the generation of Zelophehad's
daughters.[67]
A Baraita taught that Zelophehad's daughters
were wise, Torah students, and righteous.[68] And a Baraita taught that Zelophehad's
daughters were equal in merit, and that is why the order of their names varies
between Numbers 27:1 and 36:11.[69] According
to the Gemara, Zelophehad's daughters demonstrated their righteousness in Numbers 36:10–11 by marrying men who were fitting for them.[70]
In medieval Jewish
interpretation[edit]
The parashah is discussed in these medieval Jewish
sources:[71]
Numbers chapter 35[edit]
In the Torah’s teaching (in Exodus 21:12–14, Numbers 35:10–29, and Deuteronomy 4:41–42 and 19:1–13) that one who killed another unintentionally
did not incur capital punishment, Baḥya
ibn Paquda found proof that an essential condition of liability
for punishment is the association of mind and body in a forbidden act — that
liability requires both intention and action.[72]
In modern
interpretation[edit]
The parashah is discussed in these modern
sources:
Numbers chapter 33[edit]
Finkelstein
Archeologists Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University and Neil Asher Silberman argued that the place Sukkot mentioned
in Exodus 12:37 and Numbers 33:5 is probably the Hebrew form of the
Egyptian Tjkw, a name referring to a place or an area in the
eastern Nile Delta that
appears in Egyptian texts from the time of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, the dynasty of Ramesses II. Finkelstein
and Silberman reported that a late thirteenth century BCE Egyptian papyrus recorded that the commanders of the forts
along the delta's eastern border closely monitored the movements of foreigners
there, saying: "We have completed the entry of the tribes of the Edomite
Shasu (that is, Bedouin) through the fortress of
Merneptah-Content-with-Truth, which is in Tjkw, to the pools of
Pr-Itm which (are) in Tjkw for the sustenance of their
flocks." And Finkelstein and Silberman reported that the abundant Egyptian
sources describing the time of the New Kingdom of Egypt in general and the thirteenth century in particular make no
reference to the Israelites. Finkelstein and Silberman also noted that
according to the Biblical narrative, the Israelites camped at Kadesh-barnea for 38 of
the 40 years of their wanderings. Numbers 34 makes clear Kadesh's general location from
its description of the southern border of the land of Israel, and
archaeologists have identified it with the large and well-watered oasis of Ein
el-Qudeirat in eastern Sinai, on the border between modern Israel and Egypt.
The name Kadesh was probably preserved over the centuries in the name of a
nearby smaller spring called Ein Qadis. A small mound with the remains of a
Late Iron Age fort stands at the center of this oasis.
Yet repeated excavations and surveys throughout the area have not provided even
the slightest evidence for activity in the Late Bronze Age, not even a
single sherd left by a tiny fleeing band of frightened refugees. Finkelstein
and Silberman concluded that based on the evidence at the specific sites
where Numbers 33 says that the Israelites camped for
extended periods during their wandering in the desert (and where some
archaeological indication — if present — would almost certainly be found), a
mass Exodus did not happen at the time and in the manner described in the
Bible.[73]
Numbers chapter 35[edit]
Professor Tamara Cohn Eskenazi of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of
Religion wrote that Biblical laws required Israelites to act as redeemers
for relatives in four situations: (1) redemption of land in Leviticus 25:25–34, (2) redemption
of persons from slavery, especially in Leviticus 25:47–50, (3) redemption
of objects dedicated to the sanctuary in Leviticus 27:9–28, and (4)
avenging the blood of a murdered relative in Numbers 35.[74]
Plaut
The 20th century Reform Rabbi Gunther Plaut argued
that the discussions of Cities of Refuge in Numbers 35:9–34 and Deuteronomy 4:41–43 and 19:1–13 were composed during a later, settled
period, in order to accommodate the disappearance of local altars that
previously served as places of refuge.[75] Noting that Numbers 35:25 provided that the person who had committed
manslaughter would remain in the city of refuge until the death of the high
priest, Plaut argued that only death could compensate for the loss of the
victim's life, and thus the death of the High Priest became the symbol of
communal expiation.[76]
Holmes
Explaining the origins of the law that one can
see in the Cities of Refuge, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. wrote that early forms of legal procedure
were grounded in vengeance. Roman law and German law started from the blood
feud, which led to the composition, at first optional, then compulsory, by
which the feud was bought off. Holmes reported that in Anglo-Saxon practice,
the feud was pretty well broken up by the time of William the Conqueror. The killings and house-burnings of an earlier day became the appeals
of mayhem and arson, and then the legal actions now familiar to lawyers.[77]
The 19th century American clergyman H. Clay Trumbull argued that the "redeemer" ( גֹּאֵל, goel) in Numbers 35:12 was responsible for securing for the
victim's family an equivalent of their loss of blood — the loss of life — by other
blood, or by an agreed-upon payment for its value. Trumbull taught that the
redeemer's mission was "not vengeance, but equity. He was not an avenger,
but a redeemer, a restorer, a balancer."[78]
Scene at the
Signing of the Constitution of the United States (1940
painting by Howard Chandler Christy)
In an echo of the requirement in Numbers 35:30 that the Israelites could execute a
manslayer only with the evidence of two or more witnesses, Article III, Section 3 of
the United States Constitution provides that the government may convict a
person of treason only with the testimony of two witnesses
to the same overt act or a confession in open court. A then-recent precursor of
the Constitution's provision appeared in 1776 in the Laws of Virginia, which
provided that defendants be "convicted of open deed by the evidence of two
sufficient and lawful witnesses, or their own voluntary confession."[79] At the Constitutional Convention, the
requirement for two witnesses first appeared in the first draft of the
Constitution presented on August 6, 1787. During debate on August 20,
1787, John Dickinson of Delaware questioned what was meant by the
"testimony of two witnesses" and whether they were to be witnesses to
the same overt act or to different overt acts. The Convention consequently
voted to insert the words "to the same overt act" after "two
witnesses." Benjamin
Franklin supported the amendment, arguing that prosecutions for treason
were virulent and perjury too easily made use of against innocent defendants.[80] In The Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton cited the requirement for two witnesses to establish treason as
one of several provisions in the Constitution that enumerate rights that, taken
together, amounted to a bill of rights.[81]
Moses Maimonides
According to Maimonides and Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are 2 positive and 4
negative commandments in the parashah:[82]
·
To give the Levites cities to inhabit and their surrounding fields[83]
·
Not to kill the murderer before he stands trial[84]
·
The court must send the accidental murderer to a city of refuge[85]
·
That a witness in a trial for a capital crime should not speak in
judgment[86]
·
Not to accept monetary restitution to atone for the murderer[87]
·
Not to accept monetary restitution instead of being sent to a city of
refuge[88]
Haftarah[edit]
The haftarah for the
parashah is:
·
for Ashkenazi Jews: Jeremiah 2:4–28 and 3:4.
·
for Sephardi Jews: Jeremiah 2:4–28 and 4:1–2.
When parashah Masei is combined with parashah
Matot (as it will be until 2035), the haftarah is the haftarah for parashah
Masei.
When the parashah coincides with Shabbat Rosh
Chodesh (as it did in 2008), Isaiah 66:1 and 66:23 are added to the haftarah.
Massei Roundup
The Parshah of Massei begins by listing all of the
42 stops that the Jews made on their travels through the desert. After that
long list, we read what the borders of Israel are
according to the Torah.
The Torah portion
discusses a very interesting mitzvah for
the people living in the Land of Israel (we do not fulfill this mitzvah nowadays). They are commanded to build six “cities of refuge” throughout the Land of Israel. The
cities served as a safe place for anyone who accidentally killed someone else.
For example if “Benny” was chopping down a tree and it fell on someone and
killed him, he would run to one of the cities of
refuge. Once there, none of the relatives of
the man who was killed were allowed to harm “Benny” in any way. There, he would
be safe.
This
is the last portion in the fourth book of the Torah. Next week we begin the
fifth and last book, Devarim.
Parshat
Massei In-Depth
Numbers
33:1-36:13
Parshah Summary:
“These are the journeys of the children of Israel, going out of the land
of Egypt with their hosts, under the hand of Moses and Aaron. Moses wrote
their goings
out according to their journeys, by
the commandment of G‑d; and these are their journeys according to their goings
out.”
The Torah goes on to recount the 42 stations from the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land:
1) “They journeyed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day
of the first month; on the morrow after the Passover . . . and
they camped in Sukkot”;
2) “They journeyed from Sukkot, and camped in Eitam, which is in the
edge of the wilderness”;
3) “They journeyed from Eitam, and turned back to Pi-Hachirot, which is
before Baal-Tzefon; and they camped before Migdol”;
4) “They passed through the midst of the sea into the desert, and went
three days’ journey in the wilderness of Eitam, and camped in Marah”;
5) Elim (“in Elim were twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees”);
6) The Red Sea; 7) the Sin Desert; 8) Dofkah; 9) Alush; 10) Rephidim (where they thirsted for water, had doubts about G‑d’s presence and fought Amalek);
11) The Sinai Desert (where they camped for eleven months and twenty
days, received the Torah and built the Sanctuary);
12) Kivrot HaTaavah (“Graves of Lust”); 13) Chatzeirot (where Miriam
spoke against Moses); 14) Ritmah (the incident of the spies); 15) Rimon Peretz;
16) Livnah; 17) Rissah; 18) Keheilatah; 19) Mount Shefer; 20) Charadah; 21)
Mak’heilot; 22) Tachat; 23) Tarach; 24) Mitkah; 25) Chashmonah; 26) Moseirot;
27) Bnei Yaakan; 28) Chor Hagidgad; 29) Yotvatah; 30) Avronah; 31) Etzyon
Gaver;
32) Kadesh (where Miriam died, and the incident of the “Waters of Strife”
took place); 33) Hor HaHar (where Aaron died, and the Israelites were attacked
by the Canaanite king of Arad); 34) Tzalmonah; 35) Punon; 36) Ovot; 37) Iyei
HaAvarim (“Desolate Mounds”), on the border of Moab; 38) Divon Gad; 39) Almon
Divlataimah; 40) “the Avarim Mountains before Nebo”;
41–42) “They journeyed from the Avarim Mountains, and camped in the
plains of Moab by the Jordan River across from Jericho; they camped by the Jordan, from Beit HaYeshimot to Avel HaShittim in the
plains of Moab.”
The Journeys of the Children of Israel
from the Exodus to the Promised Land (from The Living Torah,
published by Moznaim)
A Warning
“Speak to the children of Israel,” says G‑d to Moses, “and say to them:”
When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, you shall drive
out all the inhabitants of the land from before you; and you shall destroy all
their figured pavements, and destroy all their molten images, and devastate all
their high places.
You shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell in it; for I have given
you the land to possess it . . .
But if you will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before
you, then it shall come to pass that those whom you allow to remain of them
shall be as thorns in your eyes, and stings in your sides, and shall harass you
in the land wherein you dwell.
The Boundaries of the Land
This is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of
Canaan with its borders:
Your south border shall be the utmost coast of the Dead Sea
eastward . . . to Maaleh Akrabbim . . . to Kadesh
Barnea, and shall go on to Hazar Addar, and pass on to Atzmon; the border shall
turn about from Atzmon to the wadi of Egypt, and its limits shall be at the
Sea.
As for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea for a border;
this shall be your west border.
This shall be your north border: from the Great Sea you shall mark out
your frontier at Hor HaHar . . . to the entrance of
Hamat . . . to Zedad . . . to Zifron, and its
limits shall be at Hatzar Einan . . .
You shall point out your east border from Hatzar Einan to
Shefam . . . to Rivlah . . . and shall reach the
east coast of the Sea of Kinneret . . . down to the Jordan, and
its limits shall be at the Dead Sea.
This shall be your land with its borders round about.
The tribe of Levi, who will not be allotted a portion of the land,
should be given 48 cities in which to dwell.
Cities of Refuge
Six
cities—three on each side of the
Jordan—should be set aside as havens for “one
who slays a soul unawares.”
Anyone who causes the death of a fellow—intentionally or not—must find
his way immediately to one of the cities
of refuge, “so that the killer shall not die before he stands before the
congregation in judgment.” Only there is he safe from the “redeemer of the
blood”—the relative of the slain person who comes to avenge the death. For if
the avenging relative kills the killer outside of a city of refuge, “he shall
not be guilty of blood.”
The killer is then brought before the court. If he is convicted of
intentional murder, he is executed. “The redeemer of the blood himself shall
slay the murderer; where he meets him, he shall slay him.”
If he is found guilty only of causing a death through his negligence,
but without intent to kill,
The congregation [of
judges] shall save the slayer from the hand
of the redeemer of the blood; and the congregation shall send him back to the
city of his refuge . . . and he shall dwell in it until
the death of the high priest, who was
anointed with the holy oil.
Again, only there does the law protect him from the vengeance of the
slain man’s relatives.
These laws shall be for a statute of judgment to you throughout your
generations in all your dwellings:
Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the
testimony of [two] witnesses; but one witness shall not testify against any
person to cause him to die.
You shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of
death. . . . For blood pollutes the land; and the land cannot be
cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed
it.
You shall not defile the land which you shall inhabit, in which I dwell;
for I, G‑d, dwell among the children of Israel.
Marriage Restrictions
The five daughters of Tzelafchad, whose father had died without sons,
had petitioned for a share in the Land (as recounted above in the Parshah of Pinchas). Now, the leaders of their tribe, Manasseh, approached Moses with a
petition of their own. If any of these women will marry someone from another
tribe, they argued, this would mean that their sons, who will inherit their
land, will likewise be of another tribe. The result would be that “their
portion . . . shall be added to the inheritance of the tribe to
which they are joined, and the lot of our inheritance will be diminished.”
The following law is therefore decreed by Moses, in the name of G‑d:
Any daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children
of Israel, shall marry a man of the family of the tribe of her father . . .
So that the inheritance shall not remove from one tribe to another tribe; but
every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own
inheritance.
“These are the commandments and the judgments,” concludes the Parshah of
Massei and the Book of Numbers, “which G‑d commanded by the hand of Moses to
the children of Israel, in the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho.”
From Our Sages:
These are the journeys of the children of Israel . . .
(33:1)
The forty-two “stations” from Egypt to the Promised Land are replayed in
the life of every individual Jew, as his soul journeys from its descent to
earth at birth to its return to its Source.
(Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov)
These are the journeys of the children
of Israel going out of the land of Mitzrayim (Egypt) . . .
(33:1)
It would seem that there was only one journey which
took the Jewish nation out of Egypt—their journey from Rameses to Sukkot. The
other “journeys” listed in our Parshah were between points outside of the
geographical borders of Egypt. Why, then, does the Torah speak of “the
journeys”—in the plural—“of the children of Israel going out of the land of
Mitzrayim”?
Mitzrayim, the Hebrew word for “Egypt,” means
“borders” and “narrows.” On the spiritual level, the journey from Egypt is a
journey from the boundaries that limit us—an exodus from the narrow straits of
habit, convention and ego to the “good, broad land” of the infinite potential
of our G‑dly soul.
And the journey from Mitzrayim is a perpetual one: what is expansive and
uninhibited by yesterday’s standards, is narrow and confining in light of the
added wisdom and new possibilities of today’s station. Thus, each of life’s
“journeys” is an exodus from the land of Mitzrayim: having transcended
yesterday’s limitations, we must again journey from the Mitzrayim that our
present norm represents relative to our newly uncovered potential.
(Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi)
They journeyed
from . . . and they camped at . . . (33:3–49)
Our chapter opens, “These are the journeys of the children of Israel.”
However, it then proceeds to recount not the journeys, but the forty-two
encampments at which they stopped during their sojourn in the
Sinai Desert!
Yet these encampments were not ends unto themselves—only way-stations
and stepping-stones to advance the nation of Israel in their goal of attaining
the Promised Land. So the stops themselves are referred to as “journeys.”
The same is true of the journey of life. Pauses, interruptions and
setbacks are an inadvertent part of a person’s sojourn on earth. But when
everything a person does is toward the goal of attaining the “Holy Land”—the
sanctification of the material world—these, too, are “journeys.” Ultimately,
they are shown to have been the true motors of progression, each an impetus to
the realization of one’s mission and purpose in life.
(From the teachings of the Lubavitcher
Rebbe)
Moses wrote down their goings out to
their journeys, by the command of G‑d (33:2)
This is comparable to a king whose child was ill, and he took him to
another place to heal him. On their return
journey, the father recounted all their
stations: “Here we slept,” “here we caught cold,” “here your head hurt.” By the
same token, G‑d said to Moses: Recount for them all the places where it was
that they had angered Me.
(Midrash Tanchuma)
“Here we slept”—at Mount Sinai, when
Moses had to wake them to come receive the Torah. “Here we caught cold”—at
Rephidim, where the Amalekites “cooled (your faith in G‑d) on the road.” “Here
your head hurt”—when they doubted the return of their head and leader, Moses,
and made the Golden Calf.
(Rabbi Abraham Mordechai of Gur)
The journey from Egypt to the Holy Land
was a one-way journey: the Israelites did not physically revisit their
encampments in the desert. What, then, is the significance of the “return
journey” made by the king and his child in the above-cited parable by the
Midrash?
As the people of Israel traveled through the desert, they experienced
their forty-two encampments as interruptions, even setbacks, in their progress
towards the Promised Land. But on the eve of their entry into the Holy Land,
they were able to “return,” to look back upon these encampments and
re-experience them in a different light: not as a people venturing from slavery
toward an unknowable goal through a fearful wilderness, but as a people who,
having attained their goal, could now appreciate how each way station in their
journey had forged a particular part of their identity and had contributed to
what and where they were today.
The great desert we each must cross in
the journey of life is the product of what the Kabbalists call the tzimtzum (“constriction”):
G‑d’s creation of a so-called vacuum within His all-pervading immanence, a
bubble of darkness within His infinite light that allows man the choice between
good and evil. For in order that our acts of goodness should be meaningful,
there must also be the choice of evil.
Three conditions are necessary to create the possibility of free choice
in the heart of man:
a) There must be a withdrawal of the divine light and the creation of
the “vacuum” that allows the existence of evil.
b) It is not enough that evil exist; it must also be equipped with the
illusion of worthiness and desirability. If evil were readily perceived for
what it is—the suppression of light and life—there would be no true choice.
c) On the other hand, an absolute vacuum would shut out all possibility
for choosing life. Thus the tzimtzum must be mitigated with a
glow, however faint, of the divine light that empowers us to overcome darkness
and death.
Therein lies the deeper significance of the three stations in the
Midrash’s metaphor: “Here we slept,” “here we were cooled,” “here your head
hurt.”
“Here we slept” refers to the withdrawal of the divine vitality in order
to create the tzimtzum.
“Here we were cooled” refers to the mitigation of the tzimtzum with
a faint glow of divine light.
And “here your head hurt” is a reference to the many contortions that
cloud our minds and confuse our priorities, leading to a distorted vision of
reality and misguided decisions.
All these, however, serve a single purpose: to advance us along the
journey of life and to imbue the journey with meaning and worth. Today we can
only reiterate to ourselves our knowledge of this truth; on the “return
journey,” we shall revisit these stations and see and experience their true
import.
(From the teachings of the Lubavitcher
Rebbe)
They journeyed from Etzyon Gever, and
camped in the wilderness of Tzin, which is Kadesh (33:36)
Hence journeys 1 through 11 were in the first year following the Exodus,
and journeys 32–42 in the fortieth year, meaning that there were 19 journeys in
the intervening 38 years. According to the Midrash, 19 of these 38 years were
spent in Kadesh, and the other 19 wandering through the desert.
They camped by the Jordan, from Bet
HaYeshimot to Avel HaShittim in the plains of Moab (33:49)
(I.e., their camp extended from Bet HaYeshimot to Avel HaShittim.)
Rabbah bar Chana said: I have seen this place; it is three parasangs
(approx. 12 miles) in extension.
(Talmud, Yoma 75b; Rashi)
You shall dispossess the inhabitants of
the land, and dwell in it; for I have given you the land to possess it (33:53)
The Torah should have begun with the verse “This month shall be to you
the head of months . . .” (Exodus 12:2), which is the first mitzvah commanded to the Jewish people. Why does it
begin with “In the beginning G‑d created the heavens and the earth”?
So that if the nations of the world will say to the people of Israel,
“You are thieves, for you have conquered the lands of seven nations,” they will
reply to them: “The entire world is G‑d’s; He created it, and He gives it to
whomever he desires. It was His desire to first give it to them, and by His
desire it was taken from them and given to us.”
(Rashi, Genesis 1:1)
You shall appoint for you cities, to be
cities of refuge for you (35:11)
The court is obligated to straighten the roads to the cities of refuge,
to repair them and broaden them. They must remove all impediments and
obstacles. . . . Bridges should be built [over all natural
barriers], so as not to delay one who is fleeing to [the city of refuge]. The
width of a road to a city of refuge should not be less than thirty-two cubits.
“Refuge,” “Refuge” was written at all crossroads, so that the murderers
should recognize the way and turn there.
(Mishneh Torah, Laws Regarding Murder
and the Preservation of Life 8:5)
Six cities of refuge shall they be for
you (35:13)
The Torah includes six hundred and thirteen mitzvot
(commandments). . . . Of these, the mitzvot that can be observed
today [following the destruction of the Holy Temple and our exile from the Holy
Land] number, altogether, three hundred and thirty-nine. Among these are
mitzvot for which a person becomes obligated only under certain circumstances,
so that it is possible that never in his lifetime will these circumstances come
about and he will never have the opportunity to do them—e.g., the mitzvah to
pay an employee on time. . . . The number of mitzvot that every
Jew is obligated in is two hundred and seventy. . . . Many of
these, however, are binding only on certain days of the year, or at certain
times of the day.
There are six mitzvot whose obligation is constant, and does not depart
from the person for a single moment throughout his lifetime. These are: to
believe in G‑d, to avow His oneness, to renounce idolatry, to love G‑d, to fear
Him, and to avoid temptation to sin. They are symbolized by the verse, “Six
cities of refuge shall they be for you.”
(Sefer HaChinuch)
To flee there anyone who slays a soul
unawares (35:15)
Every transgression of the divine will is a subtle form of “inadvertent
murder.” “Murder,” because it disrupts the flow of vitality from the Source of
Life to the soul of the transgressor; “inadvertent,” because a sinful deed is
always contrary to the true will of the transgressor, who has been misled by
the distortions imposed by his animal self.
For the one who spiritually “slays a soul unawares,” there have been set
aside six spiritual “cities of refuge.” These are (as per the Sefer HaChinuch
cited above) the “six constant mitzvot” that apply to every Jew, at all times
and in all circumstances, so that they are readily accessible to one who seeks
refuge from his faults and failings, whomever he might be and wherever the
desire to rectify his life might strike him.
But a haven is of little use if it is inaccessible or its location is
unknown. As is the case with the physical cities of refuge, it is the
community’s responsibility to “straighten the roads . . . to
repair them and broaden them . . . remove all impediments and
obstacles” and post signs at all crossroads pointing the way to the haven of
Torah.
(From the teachings of the Lubavitcher
Rebbe)
The congregation shall
judge . . . and the congregation shall save . . .
(35:24–25)
The Great Sanhedrin (which served as the supreme court of Torah law)
consisted of seventy-one members; a minor Sanhedrin (authorized to try capital
crimes), of twenty-three. . . . From where do we know that a
minor Sanhedrin is of twenty-three? It is written, “And the congregation shall
judge . . . and the congregation shall save.” One congregation
condemns and the other congregation defends, hence we have twenty, as a
“congregation” (eidah) consists of not less than
ten. . . . And from where do we derive the additional three? By
the implication of the text (Exodus
23:2) . . . which says that
to acquit, a majority of one suffices, whereas to convict, a majority of two is
required. (Thus, if ten judges vote to acquit, it would require a tribunal of
22 to convict.) And since a court cannot be of an even number, we need
twenty-three.
(Talmud, Sanhedrin 2a)
He shall remain there until the death
of the high priest (35:25)
Therefore, mothers of high priests were wont to provide food and raiment
for them, that they should not pray for their son’s death.
Why is the high priest to blame? As they say here [in Babylon], “Toby
did the jobbing and Ziggud got the slogging?” or as they say there [in the Land
of Israel]: “Shechem got him a wife and Mabgai caught the knife?” Said a
venerable old scholar: I heard an explanation at one of the sessional lectures
of Rava, that they should have implored for divine grace for their generation,
which they failed to do.
As was the case of that fellow who was devoured by a lion some three
parasangs from the town where Rabbi Joshua ben Levi lived, and Elijah the
prophet would not commune with Rabbi Joshua on that account for three days.
(Talmud, Makkot 11a)
For blood pollutes the
land . . . in which I dwell; for I, G‑d, dwell among the
children of Israel (35:33–34)
How were the Ten Commandments given? Five on one tablet and five on the
second tablet. This means that “Do not murder” corresponds to “I am the L‑rd
your G‑d.” The Torah is telling us that one who sheds blood, it is as if he has
reduced the image of the King.
To what is this analogous? To a king of flesh and blood who entered a
country and put up portraits of himself, and made statues of himself, and
minted coins with his image. After a while, the people of the country
overturned his portraits, broke his statues and invalidated his coins, thereby
reducing the image of the king. So, too, one who sheds blood reduces the image
of the King, as it is written (Genesis
9:6): “One who spills a man’s
blood . . . for in the image of G‑d He made man.”
(Mechilta)
To one of the family of her father’s
tribe shall she be a wife (36:8)
Said Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel: “There never were in Israel greater days
of joy than the fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur.”
I can understand Yom Kippur, because it is a day of forgiveness and
pardon, and on it the second Tablets of the Law were given; but what happened
on the fifteenth of Av? Rav Judah said in the name of Shmuel: It is the day on
which permission was granted to the tribes to intermarry. For it is written:
“This is the thing which G‑d has commanded concerning the daughters of
Tzelafchad . . .”—meaning that this ordinance shall remain in
effect for this generation only.
(Talmud, Taanit 30b)
The Zohar
From the teachings
of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
Kabbalah
teaches that everything in the revealed world depends on the higher hidden
world, its source.
The Connector
Based
on Zohar Vayigash 209b
Translated and annotated by Rahmiel-Hayyim Drizin
from the Zohar selection in Hok L'Yisrael
The Connector: Based on Zohar Vayigash 209b
Prayer is the essence of unification
and thus must be whispered.
"...and the report (in Hebrew, 'kol', lit. ' voice') was heard in
Pharaoh's house." Rabbi Aba opened with: "My soul longs, indeed,
it faints for the courtyards of the L-rd; my heart and my flesh cry out to the
living G‑d." (Psalms 84:3) Come
and see: When a man prays before his Master, he should first recite his daily
blessings and say his prayers at the proper times.
Prayers and supplications are necessary...so as to be united with G‑d.
In the morning, he is to be united with
G‑d's right [related to chesed].
At Minchah he is to be united with the left [related
to gevura]. Prayers and supplications are necessary each and
every day, so as to be united with G‑d. And, as has already been explained,
when he prays before his Master, he must not speak out loud, for whoever speaks
out loud will find his prayer is not heard.
Why? Because the prayer is not an
audible voice, nor is audible voice a prayer.1 What then is a prayer? It is a different
voice that which depends on the voice that is heard. What is the voice that is
heard? It is kol spelled with the letter vav [Zeir Anpin], whereas the voice attached is kol without
the letter vav [referring to malchut].
Thus, a man should never speak out loud
when he prays, but pray in a whisper [related
to malchut]. This
prayer is always accepted. This is learned from the words, "and the
voice was heard", spelled without the letter vav, in which
it "is heard". This is a prayer said in a whisper, as is
written of Hannah, "but her voice was not heard." (I Samuel
1:13) This is the prayer that G‑d
accepts — a prayer that is made willingly and intentionally and is properly
performed by a man concerned with the unity of his Master every day in the
proper manner.
A hidden voice is the supernal voice from which all voices are derived.
Rabbi Elazar said: A hidden [i.e. quiet] voice is the supernal voice [in bina] from
which all voices [i.e. voices of the 6 extremities of Zeir Anpin] are
derived [for a quiet prayer has no accuser nor evil blemish]. But a
voice without the letter vav is the prayer Below, about to
rise and be elevated to the vav [Zeir Anpin] and
be joined with him [to receive the flow from bina and through
this fulfill one's requests in prayer].
Come and see: "and the voice
was heard." This is the "voice" without the letter vav [that of malchut], the voice that weeps for the
first Temple and the second Temple. It is "heard", as is
written, "A voice was heard in Rama." (Jeremiah
31:14) What is "in Rama (lit. 'on high')?" It is the
Supernal World, the world to come [bina]. This is
indicated by the term "between Rama [bina] and
Bet-el [malchut]" (Judges
4:5) which means, "for ever and
ever" [literally 'from world to world', i.e.
from the upper world of bina to the lower world of malchut].
"In Rama" refers to the Supernal World, for when it was heard
in Rama, then it is written, "And on that day did G‑d the L-rd of Hosts
call for weeping and for mourning" (Isaiah
22:12) (i.e. to arouse great distress concerning the destruction of the Temple
and the exile of Israel).
"...and the voice was heard
high" above in the highest [realms,
i.e. the Voice of malchut was heard high in bina] Why
so? Because the letter vav [of Zeir Anpin] distanced
itself and departed from it. Then it is written, "Rachel weeps for
her children [who are in exile]; she refused to be
comforted for her children because he is not." (Jeremiah
31:14) It is written "Because he
is not," instead of, 'they are not'. It is written "he is not",
as we explained, because her husband [Zeir
Anpin] is not with her [the Shechina]. If
her husband had been with her, she would have been comforted for her children,
and her children would not be in exile.2 But because "he is not"
with her, she is not comforted for her children, and they were removed from
her [and are in exile], because he [Zeir Anpin] was
not with her.
"in Pharaoh's house" alludes to the supernal realm...
Come and see: "in Pharaoh's
house" alludes to the supernal realm [i.e. in bina] which is the ‘house’ from which the
lights [chassadim] and candles [gevurot] are
‘revealed’ [rooted in the Hebrew ‘paru’a’, alluding to
‘Pharaoh’], alluding that all that was hidden is there revealed. ["In
Pharoah's house" hints to bina.] G‑d then brings out
all the lights and candles to shine upon that voice, the voice spelled without
the letter vav [i.e. to illuminate malchut].
Come and see: When G‑d raises this
voice from the dust, it will join the vav [joining Zeir Anpin and the Shechina,
as vav stands for Zeir Anpin, corresponding to the
letter vav of Havaya]. Then all that was
lost [the lights and the flow that should have been received by malchut] by
them [Israel] at the time of exile will be returned to them.
They will enjoy the supernal lights increased upon them from the Supernal
World, as it is written, "And it shall come to pass on that day, that a
great shofar [corresponding to bina] shall
be blown, and they who were lost in the land of Ashur, and the outcasts in
the land of Egypt (i.e. the place of kelipot) shall
come and worship G‑d in the holy mountain at Jerusalem" (Isaiah
27:13) [at the time of redemption].
BeRahamim LeHayyim:
The letter vav is a
hook, a connector. It can be used for the words: "and,"
"or," or "but." It can also change the past tense to
future, or the future tense to past. It thus brings together both time and
space. Accordingly the word voice in Hebrew is kol; spelled
fully kof-vav-lamed. A voice that connects will get results, as the
above Zohar says. This is a kol spelled with
the vav/connector. A voice that does not have the connector stays
below and the prayer does not rise on high.
We learn that when one prays for another,
he receives blessing first. Certainly ask for your own needs ["If I am not
for myself, who will be for me' (Avot 1:14)] but think also of
your Other, a dear fellow in need ["And if I am for myself only, what am
I" (Ibid.)]. Do this now ["If not now, when' (Ibid.)]
To solicit prayer for the entire Jewish
people is at the heart of many of the Lamentations we say while mourning our
collective loss of the sacred place of connection. But have no fear. For the
Holy Temple too is a place of higher consciousness, a spiritual vortex beyond
the strictures of any physical locale. It is to this place that prayers—when
filled with the vav of connection to the other—rise and are
received.
Hide &
Find
Based
on Zohar Shemot 46A
Translated and annotated by Rahmiel-Hayyim Drizin
from the Zohar selection in Hok L'Yisrael
Hide & Find: Based on Zohar Shemot 46A
During these Weeks of Mourning we need
to expand our consciousness, even if our physical world is constricted [no
dancing or live music, no new clothing].
"And G‑d went before
them by day" (Ex. 13:21). Rabbi Yosi
opened his discourse, saying: "To the Chief Musician upon the break of
dawn. A psalm of David". (Psalms 22:1) How
beloved is the Torah before G‑d [more than any service or praise] for
anyone who is occupied with Torah is beloved above and below. G‑d hearkens to his words, He does not
forsake him in this world and He does not forsake him in the World to
Come. [G‑d is truly with him and His light
sparkles in him always.]
A person should be occupied with the
Torah both day and night, as is written: " you shall meditate
therein day and night" (Joshua 1:8) and,
"If my Covenant be not day and night..." (Jeremiah
33:25)
It is easily understood [why one must study] by day [because most of
the mitzvot relate to the daytime] but during the night [when
people need to rest], why? So that a complete Holy Name will be present by
him [for the letters yud, hei and vav of
the Name relate to the day and Zeir Anpin, and the final hei relates to the
night and the sefira of malchut]. For as
there is no day without night, and it is only complete when one is with the
other, so is it necessary for the Torah to be present with the person day and
night. The completeness should be with the person day and night.[Thus a
person causes the union of Zeir Anpin and malchut by
learning Torah day and night.]
We have learned that the main part of
the night is from midnight on. Even though the first half of the night is part
of the night, G‑d enters the Garden of Eden at midnight to delight Himself with
the Righteous. Then a person should wake up and become occupied with Torah.
We have learned that G‑d hearkens to
the voices of all the Righteous in the Garden of Eden, as is written: "You
who dwell in the gardens, the companions hearken to your voice; cause me to
hear it" (Song of
Songs 8:13). They have
already explained it. "You who dwell in the gardens" is the
Congregation of Israel [Shechinah/malchut],
that praises G‑d with the praise of the Torah during the night. Blessed is the
portion of he who joins with them to praise G‑d with the praise of Torah.
When the morning arrives, the Shechinah comes and delights with G‑d. And He extends the scepter of
kindness not only to Her, but to all those who join Her. We have learned it is
written: "Yet G‑d will command His steadfast love in the daytime, and
in the night His song shall be with me" (Psalms 42:9).
She is called 'the break of dawn' [for G‑d loves her anew every dawn].
BeRahamim LeHayyim: Why did the Ari and Chida include this in Hok
LeYisrael?
Here in beautiful fashion is the secret
of midnight study. This is not done for one's own sake. Rather, it is to open
oneself up to the subtle and sublime supernal energies as discussed above.
"After midnight, we're gonna let it all...." happen in
complete unity. When we learn at that time, we are actually in spiritual
fashion playing with the righteous in higher worlds. And we bring together
sacred forces that cause extreme pleasure to G‑d, as we have learned.
In fact, the whole series of BeRahamim LeHayyim flows from a
series of recurring dreams of sitting at a table learning with the
Holy Arizal and Chida at their Midnight Yeshiva! Perhaps this is why
this Zohar is revealed to me now!
What does this mean to you, and why is
it revealed to you now?
Daily Zohar Study
Based on a yearly cycle of brief
daily Zohar study
The Zohar Yomi audio
series presents the daily Zohar portions from Hok L’Yisrael, translated and explained
by Rabbi Peretz Auerbach. Arranged by Rabbi Chaim Vital, Hok L’Yisrael is a compilation of Tanach, Mishnah, Gemara and Zohar divided into daily study
portions. It is customary to learn one portion each day.
In
the tradition of the Holy Ari, this
schedule enables one to fulfill the obligation of daily study of these topics
so that one's soul will not have to undergo reincarnation!
Daily Zohar -
Masei Day 1
Based
on Zohar Beshalach 58a
Translated and annotated by Rahmiel-Hayyim Drizin
from the Zohar selection in Hok L'Yisrael
Daily Zohar - Masei Day 1: Based on Zohar Beshalach 58a
Rabbi Hizkiyah opened [his discourse to explain the apparent contradiction between the verse:
"in the greatness of Your Majesty You destroyed Your
enemies" (Ex: 15.7) and the verse:] "Why do
stand You off far away, G‑d? Why do You hide Yourself in times of
trouble?" (Psalms 10:1) At the
time that the inequities of the world cause [a weakening of the manifestation of the powers of holiness], G‑d [the partzuf of Zeir Anpin] ascends
higher and higher [above Abba and Imma to Arich
Anpin] and people shed tears and cry [out in their
distress], yet there is no one to pay attention to them. What is the reason?
Because He has ascended higher and higher (than Imma where
repentance is received) and repentance is withheld from them, as it is
written: "And in the abundance of Your Majesty, You have overthrown
those that rose up against You." [The place of His Majesty
is Arich Anpin and this “far away” from you, not responding
when you call, and this causes “those that rose up against you” to be
“overthrown” by the forces of judgment because of the lack of sympathetic
supervision].
Rabbi Yitzhak [who disagrees, holding that “those that rose up against you” are the
nations of the world] said: This verse refers to the time when G‑d will
dress Himself with Majestic pride[at the end of days, please G‑d NOW!]over
the nations that shall gather against Him, as it is written: "[Why
do the nations rage...]...And the princes take counsel together,
against G‑d and against His anointed." (Psalms 2:1,2) As we have learned, in the future seventy generals of armies of
all the nations shall gather from every side at that time with the hosts of the
entire world to wage war against Jerusalem, the Holy City, and to plot
against G‑d. [They will complain against “unjust
favoritism” because G‑d will raise up Israel above the nations who
will see them as unworthy of this] What do they say? 'Let us take
vengeance against the Patron first, and then against His people and His
sanctuary'. [Interestingly, this implies that the Jews will reclaim
the Temple Mount and this may be the catalyst to make the nations
rage.]
Then G‑d will laugh at them, as is
written: "He who sits in the heavens laughs: G‑d mocks them." (Psalms
2:4) At that time, G‑d will don Majestic
pride against them and will destroy them from the world, as is written: "And
this shall be the plague with which G‑d will smite all the peoples that have
gathered in armies against Jerusalem; their flesh shall be consumed while they stand upon their feet." (Zachariah
14:12)
Rabbi Aba quoted Rabbi Yesa Saba the
elder and also Rabbi Shimon, said: G‑d shall resurrect all those kings
that distressed Israel and Jerusalem: Adrianus and Lupinus1 [Rome,
i.e. the West], Nebuchadnezzar (from Babylon - nowadays Iraq -
who destroyed the First Temple) and Sannecherib (from
Assur - nowadays Iraq, Syria, and Northwest Iran - who exiled the 10 tribes),
and all the other kings of the world that took part in the destruction of His
House. Then He will provide them with a governing dominion as before, and the
rest of the nations will gather with them. G‑d will take revenge on them openly
around Jerusalem. This is the meaning of: "And this shall be the plague
with which G‑d will smite all the peoples that have fought
against Jerusalem." It is not written, 'that will fight' but rather,
"that have fought". Then it is written: "And in the
abundance of Your pride You have overthrown them that rose up against You."
This is written about the time when Mashiach will come, and this song
is a never-ending song.
BeRahamim LeHayyim: What does this mean to you, and why is it revealed to you now?
In this time of exile, the pain of
which is felt most acutely during these three Weeks of Mourning, we are in a
back-to-back relationship with G‑d. This is a GOOD thing, for it means that our
delinquencies are judged less harshly. As any child knows, when Mom and Dad are
not looking, we can "get away" with more stuff.
But that is the sign of immaturity. We
need to grow during these 22 days, to mature, to raise our consciousness to
expanded mentality, even if our physical world is constricted [no dancing or
live music, no new clothing]. For the Mashiach's coming is inevitable, and we
are promised that all will have expanded consciousness, the Da'at/knowledge
of G‑d, as water covers the earth. It only appears on our earth plane during
these times of diaspora that G‑d is not here with us. IT ONLY APPEARS! The
Divine Presence, She is right here beside us, with every move we make, every
word we speak...
Daily Zohar -
Masei Day 2
Based
on Zohar Teruma 157a
Translated and annotated by Rahmiel-Hayyim Drizin
from the Zohar selection in Hok L'Yisrael
Daily Zohar - Masei Day 2: Based on Zohar Teruma 157a
It is written: "...who led you
through that great and terrible wilderness." (Deut.
8:16) The Other Side rules over that
wilderness and, against its will, the children of Israel walked on it
and smashed its strength over forty years. Had they been found to be righteous
during those forty years, they would have removed the Other Side from the
world. But, because they angered G‑d so many times, the Other Side
grow strong, and they all fell under its power there.
If you ask: Now regarding Moses,
who was elevated over all the people of the world - how did he die there [under the power of the Other Side]? It was not so, for Moses was not under its power, but rather [under the power] of Mount Avarim. What does Avarim mean?
Quarrels [from the Hebrew word 'evra']. The supernal
rulers Above quarreled over [sovereignty over it] but it was
handed not to any other ruler; and it remained so until Moses, the Faithful
Servant, came and ruled over it and was buried there, and no one took part in
his burial except G‑d alone, as it is written: "And He buried him in the valley." (Deut.
34:6)
"And He buried him..."
Who is this referring to? The one of whom it is written in a non-descriptive
way, "And He said to Moses" (Ex. 24:1) and similarly, "And He called to Moses." (Lev. 1:1) It did not write who He is. "And He
buried him": It is not written who he is. But
certainly this place [namely
the Shechina who is "the place of the world" was
engaged in the burial of Moses], as is known to the colleagues.
Therefore, no one dominated in this
mountain except Moses himself, and it was he who was buried there. He did it so
that all the generations of the world would know that those who died in the
wilderness will rise [in the
Resurrection of the Dead]. G‑d placed their shepherd among them, so that
they all will be present in the awakening of the establishment of the World to
Come.
If you ask: If that wilderness is the
strength of the Other Side, how could G‑d, command that that goat shall be sent1 to a different mountain, namely 'Azazel'?
They should have sent it to the mountain that Israel crossed over in the
wilderness, because that is the place of the strength of the Other Side. But,
since the children of Israel had already traversed there for forty years, its
power was broken. And its power grew strong in a place where nobody ever passed
before. That mountain [in the
Desert] was the dwelling place of Israel for forty years.
But that place that goat [is sent to] is a elevated strong rock, and beneath the base of
that rock, where no man can enter it [the Other Side] dominates
exceedingly to eat its prey. Then it (the sins of Israel) will
be removed from Israel and there will be no accuser against them in the
inhabited region (i.e. civilization).
The dominion of the secret of faith is
found in the central point of the whole Holy Land, in the Holy of Holies,
and even though it (i.e.
the Holy of Holies and
the Holy Temple) does not exist today, in its merit the whole
world is sustained. Sustenance and economic well-being emit from there to all,
in every place in civilization. Therefore, even though Israel are outside the
Holy Land, because of the strength and merit of the Land there is sustenance
and economic well-being in the world. Therefore, it is written: "And
you shall bless the L-rd your G‑d for the good land that He has given you,"
– for sure "the good land" (is mentioned), because there
is sustenance and economic well-being in the world because of Israel.
One who delights at his table and has
pleasure in foods should remember and be concerned for the holiness of the Holy
Land and the sanctuary of the King that has been destroyed. Because he is sad
at his table there, in the midst of joy and feasting, G‑d considers for him as
though he built His house, and built all those ruins of the Temple. Happy is
his portion!
BeRahamim LeHayyim: What does the above mean to you, and why is it revealed to you now?
What can we do to build the Holy Temple
Below? The Holy Zohar gives us great advice: during these 22 Days in
particular, make your table an altar. Three times a day, approach your daily
meals in holiness. Wash your hands to purify yourself physically and
spiritually. Before eating, center yourself, and reflect on the G‑dly sparks in
the food. Say blessings with intention, with a focus on Who is the Source of
the nourishment. Appreciate the food in your mouth, the energy it gives you to
learn Torah, do mitzvahs and good deeds. Learn a piece of Torah at the table out loud to elevate the Holy sparks. Say a concluding
blessing after you have eaten and are satisfied.
If you can mirror today the way
the Kohanim ate the sacrifices in times of old, you will have
done a tremendous tikkun, and will have helped pave the way for the
building of the Third Temple in Jerusalem, May it please come swiftly in
our time! Amen.
Daily Zohar -
Masei Day 3
Based
on Zohar Shemot 2b
Translated and annotated by Rahmiel-Hayyim Drizin
from the Zohar selection in Hok L'Yisrael
Daily Zohar - Masei Day 3: Based on Zohar Shemot 2b
As we learned,
Rabbi Yitzhak said: What is meant by the verse, "On the
mountains I will take up weeping and wailing"? (Jeremiah
9:9) These referred to are the
towering mountains of the worlds. And who are these lofty mountains? They are
"the precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold." And now
they are descending into exile with grindstones on their necks and their hands
tied behind them. And when they arrived in the exile of Babylon, they thought
that they would cease to exist because G‑d had forsaken them and
would no longer watch over them.
We learned: Rabbi Shimon said
that at that moment, G‑d summoned all His company, all the chariots and camps and His
officers and all the hosts of heaven and said to them: 'What are you doing
here? My beloved children are in the exile of Babylon and you are here! Arise,
all of you, descend to Babylon and I with you.' This is the meaning of: "Thus
says G‑d, 'For your sake I have sent to Babylon'" (Isaiah
43:14) refers to G‑d. "And will
bring down all of them as fugitives...": these are all the supernal
Chariots and Camps.
When they descended to Babylon, the
heavens opened, and the holy spirit of prophecy rested on Ezekiel. And he
saw whatever he saw and said to Israel: 'Behold your Master is here and
all the Hosts of heaven and the Chariots that have come to dwell with you.'
They did not believe him until he was obliged to reveal all that he saw - 'I
saw thus, and I saw thus...' and if he revealed more, whatever he revealed was
altogether necessary. As soon as Israel saw this, they rejoiced. And when they
heard the words from Ezekiel's mouth, they no longer feared their exile at all because they knew
that G‑d would not abandon them. And everything that he (Ezekiel) revealed, he revealed with permission (from
Heaven).
BeRahamim LeHayyim: What does this mean to you, and why is it revealed to you now?
Even during these darker days of
the 3 Weeks of Mourning we too can attain a glimpse of the
redemption. On Shabbat Chazon (July 28th, 2012), we are told that we
also can see and taste the soon-to come Mashiach! The joy for us during
this time where we are to reduce with joy is the knowledge that G‑d and His
Divine Presence are with us, always! We can take comfort in this knowledge. And
thus any mourning we feel can be with the concomitant understanding that those
who mourn the loss of the old will be present for the gain of the new.
Use this time to act in a Messianic
capacity: More love, More other, less self, less judgment. That is the way we
will build the Third Temple, speedily in our days, Amen!
Daily Zohar -
Masei Day 4
Based
on Zohar Vayigash 209b
Translated and annotated by Rahmiel-Hayyim Drizin
from the Zohar selection in Hok L'Yisrael
Daily Zohar - Masei Day 4: Based on Zohar Vayigash 209b
"...and the report (in Hebrew, 'kol', lit. ' voice') was heard in
Pharaoh's house." Rabbi Aba opened with: "My soul longs,
indeed, it faints for the courtyards of the L-rd; my heart and my flesh cry out
to the living G‑d." (Psalms 84:3) Come
and see: When a man prays before his Master, he should first recite his daily
blessings and say his prayers at the proper times.
In the morning, he is to be united
with G‑d's right [related to chesed].
At Minchah he is to be united with the left [related
to gevura]. Prayers and supplications are necessary each and
every day, so as to be united with G‑d. And, as has already been explained,
when he prays before his Master, he must not speak out loud, for whoever speaks
out loud will find his prayer is not heard.
Why? Because the prayer is not an audible
voice, nor is audible voice a prayer.1 What then is a prayer? It is a different
voice that which depends on the voice that is heard. What is the voice that is
heard? It is kol spelled with the letter vav [Zeir Anpin], whereas the voice attached is kol without
the letter vav [referring to malchut].
Thus, a man should never speak out loud
when he prays, but pray in a whisper [related
to malchut]. This
prayer is always accepted. This is learned from the words, "and the
voice was heard", spelled without the letter vav, in which
it "is heard". This is a prayer said in a whisper, as is
written of Hannah, "but her voice was not heard." (I Samuel
1:13) This is the prayer that G‑d
accepts — a prayer that is made willingly and intentionally and is properly
performed by a man concerned with the unity of his Master every day in the
proper manner.
Rabbi Elazar said: A hidden [i.e. quiet] voice is the supernal voice [in bina] from
which all voices [i.e. voices of the 6 extremities of Zeir Anpin] are
derived [for a quiet prayer has no accuser nor evil blemish]. But a
voice without the letter vav is the prayer Below, about to
rise and be elevated to the vav [Zeir Anpin] and
be joined with him [to receive the flow from bina and through
this fulfill one's requests in prayer].
Come and see: "and the voice
was heard." This is the "voice" without the letter vav [that of malchut], the voice that weeps for the
first Temple and the second Temple. It is "heard", as is
written, "A voice was heard in Rama." (Jeremiah
31:14) What is "in Rama (lit. 'on high')?" It is the
Supernal World, the world to come [bina]. This is
indicated by the term "between Rama [bina] and
Bet-el [malchut]" (Judges
4:5) which means, "for ever and
ever" [literally 'from world to world', i.e.
from the upper world of bina to the lower world of malchut].
"In Rama" refers to the Supernal World, for when it was heard
in Rama, then it is written, "And on that day did G‑d the L-rd of Hosts
call for weeping and for mourning" (Isaiah
22:12) (i.e. to arouse great distress concerning the destruction of the Temple
and the exile of Israel).
"...and the voice was heard
high" above in the highest [realms,
i.e. the Voice of malchut was heard high in bina] Why
so? Because the letter vav [of Zeir Anpin] distanced
itself and departed from it. Then it is written, "Rachel weeping
for her children [who are in exile]; she refused to be comforted
for her children because he is not." (Jeremiah
31:14) It is written "Because he is
not," instead of, 'they are not'. It is written "he is not",
as we explained, because her husband [Zeir
Anpin] is not with her [the Shechinah]. If
her husband had been with her, she would have been comforted for her children,
and her children would not be in exile.2 But because "he is not"
with her, she is not comforted for her children, and they were removed from
her [and are in exile], because he [Zeir Anpin] was
not with her.
Come and see: "in Pharaoh's
house" alludes to the supernal realm [i.e. in bina] which is the ‘house’ from which the
lights [chassadim] and candles [gevurot] are
‘revealed’ [rooted in the Hebrew ‘paru’a’, alluding to
‘Pharaoh’], alluding that all that was hidden is there revealed. ["In
Pharoah's house" hints to bina.] G‑d then brings out
all the lights and candles to shine upon that voice, the voice spelled without
the letter vav [i.e. to illuminate malchut].
Come and see: When G‑d raises this
voice from the dust, it will join the vav [joining Zeir Anpin and the Shechinah, as vav stands for Zeir Anpin,
corresponding to the letter vav of Havaya].
Then all that was lost [the lights and the flow that should have been
received by malchut] by them [Israel] at
the time of exile will be returned to them. They will enjoy the supernal lights
increased upon them from the Supernal World, as it is written, "And it
shall come to pass on that day, that a great shofar [corresponding
to bina] shall be blown, and they who were lost in the
land of Ashur, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt (i.e.
the place of kelipot) shall come and worship G‑d in the
holy mountain at Jerusalem" (Isaiah
27:13) [at the time of redemption].
BeRahamim LeHayyim:What does this mean to you, and why is
it being revealed to you now?
The letter vav is a
hook, a connector. It can be used for word "and," "or," or
"but." It can also change the past tense to future, or the future
tense to past. It thus brings together both time and space. Accordingly the
word voice in Hebrew is kol; spelled fully kof-vav-lamed.
A voice that connects will get results, as the above Zohar says. This
is a kol spelled with the vav/connector. A voice
that does not have the connector stays below and the prayer does not rise on
high.
We learn that when one prays for
another, he receives blessing first. Certainly ask for your own needs ["If
I am not for myself, who will be for me' (Avot 1:14)] but
think also of your Other, a dear fellow in need ["And if I am for myself
only, what am I" (Ibid.)]. Do this now ["If not now,
when' (Ibid.)]
To solicit prayer for the entire Jewish
people is at the heart of many of the Lamentations we say while mourning our
collective loss of the sacred place of connection. But have no fear. For the
Holy Temple too is a place of higher consciousness, a spiritual vortex beyond
the strictures of any physical locale. It is to this place that prayers—when
filled with the vav of connection to the other — rise and are
received.
Daily Zohar -
Masei Day 5
Based
on Zohar Beshalach 55b
Translated and annotated by Rahmiel-Hayyim Drizin
from the Zohar selection in Hok L'Yisrael
Daily Zohar - Masei Day 5: Based on Zohar Beshalach 55b
Rabbi Yaisa opened with saying: How
much must a person love G‑d for there is no service before G‑d except love. G‑d calls 'beloved' everyone who loves Him and serves
Him with love. If so, how is it possible to reconcile these two passages:
"Do not forsake your own friend (G‑d) and your father's friend," (Prov.
27:10) and, "Let your foot be
seldom in your friend's house (the
Holy Temple, i.e. not to bring too many sacrifices)." (Prov.
25:17)
But the colleagues have already
explained that this verse ["Do
not forsake your own friend and your father's friend"] is
written in reference to burnt offerings, but [the 2nd verse refers to
sin offerings, that one should not sin and thus not bring many chata'ot and ashamot].
Now, regarding "Do not forsake your own friend, and your father's
friend" - [Do not forsake] serving Him and cleaving
unto Him and performing His commandments. "Do not forsake," indeed.
And regarding "Let your foot be
seldom in your friend's house" - this means let your evil
inclination [called "foot"] be
seldom there, so that it would not provoke you or dominate you, and so that no
strange thought will rise "from your friend's house."
What is "your friend's house"? It is the holy soul that
your friend (i.e. G‑d) placed in you and put inside you.
Therefore, the service of G‑d is to
love Him in all [His dealings with you], as is
written: "And you shall love the L-rd your G‑d with all of your heart,
with all of your soul, and with all of your might." (Deut. 6:5) "This is my G‑d and I will glorify Him," for all
of Israel saw at the sea what Ezekiel the prophet did not
see (in his prophesy). Even embryos in their mothers' womb saw and praised G‑d
and they all said: "This is my G‑d and I will glorify Him, the L-rd of
my father and I will exalt Him." ["the L-rd of my father,"] is as is written: "the
L-rd of Abraham."
Rabbi Yosi said: If so, why does it
say, "And I will exalt Him," seeing that the L-rd of Abraham is [already] above [and
there's no need to exalt Him further]. He said to him: Even so, it is
needed [to exalt Him to elevate and connect him to Arich Anpin].
And it all pertains to the same issue [to connect all the partzufim to
the same supernal place]. "And I will exalt Him," over all [to
connect all to Abba, and from Abba to Arich
Anpin]. Also, this includes one who knows how to unite (and
thus connect all to) the Holy and Great Name (of Havayah),
for this is the loftiest of service to G‑d.
Rabbi Yehuda was sitting
before Rabbi Shimon and reading: it is written, "The voice of
your watchmen is heard, they lift up the voice, together shall they sing." (Isaiah
52:8) Who are the watchmen in the
phrase "The voice of your watchmen"? Those who anticipate the
time when G‑d will have the mercy to build His house. When the verse states,
"They lift up the voice", it should have said, 'They will lift
up the voice' (in the future tense); what is the
meaning of, "They lift up the voice" (in the present
tense)? Every person who weeps and raises his voice over the destruction of
G‑d's House will merit what is written afterwards: "Together shall they
sing," and will merit to see it restored in joy.
The verse states: "When G‑d
returns Zion;" should it not have said, 'When G‑d returns to Zion'?
What is the meaning of, "When G‑d returns Zion"? "When G‑d
returns Zion" is exact. Come and see: at the time that the
earthly Jerusalem was destroyed and the Congregation of Israel were
exiled, the Holy King [tiferet] ascended
to Zion [yesod of malchut], and groaned
over her, because of the Congregation of Israel [malchut] was
exiled [and separated from the yesod of
Zion]. When the Congregation of Israel [the Shechina] return
to her place [i.e. connect with yesod of malchut],
then the Holy King [tiferet] will
return to His place, Zion [yesod of malchut] to
unite one with the other. And that is the meaning of: "When G‑d returns
Zion" [not 'to Zion']. Then, in future times, Israel will
say: "This (in Hebrew, 'Zeh,' corresponding
with Yesod) is my G‑d, and I will glorify Him," and: "This
is Havayah [tiferet];
we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His
salvation." (Isaiah
25:9) [Tiferet, called Havayah, unites with malchut through yesod,
"Zeh/this"] - in His salvation,
truly [for it is necessary for His salvation to
return tiferet to Zion to its place to unite with malchut].
BeRahamim LeHayyim: What does the above mean to you, and why is it being revealed now?
Love, Love, Love, Love is all there is!
There is no service before G‑d save love, sayeth the Zohar. Love is part
and parcel of all of our prayers, Torah, and good deeds. The Third Temple
will be built by the power of Love. Believe it or not, the Temple was destroyed
because of G‑d's love for us. He could have taken his fury out on us, but
instead it was directed at a building of stone and wood. Now, especially during
these 3 Weeks of Mourning, the ball is in our court, to build in our
hearts a place for the love of our fellow, and for G‑d. What this means for the
individual is only personally known. Listen to the still silent voice within,
and find out how to make a difference. Today.
Daily Zohar -
Masei Day 6
Based
on Zohar Shemot 204b
Translated and annotated by Rahmiel-Hayyim Drizin
from the Zohar selection in Hok L'Yisrael
Daily Zohar - Masei Day 6: Based on Zohar Shemot 204b
Within that secret there is another
one: That ruach [that rests
in the body of a Jew on Shabbat] enjoys the pleasures
of Israel and their delights [on Shabbat]. It therefore
should be given pleasure in food and drink three times, in the three [Shabbat] meals
of the three levels of the faith [of the partzufim of Atzilut, Arich
Anpin, Zeir Anpin, and malchut] as was
explained [in Zohar Yitro 88b]. And it receives joy
and pleasure from these meals of Israel. Happy is he who gladdens and delights
it on that day.
All six (week)days, that ruach benefits from the
Supernal ruach of Atik (Ancient) of
all Atik's (Ancients1) On Shabbat day, after descending and
being cleansed in the Garden of Eden during the night, it takes pleasure in the
physical pleasure at the meal of faith, and this ruach is
crowned Above and Below. It is satiated from all sides, with the higher
crown [chesed] and the lower crown [chochma].
Since it (this additional spirit/ruach) is with man, it is necessary
that it be protected. Therefore it is written: "Wherefore the children of
Israel shall guard the Shabbat." Shabbat is the lower point [malchut]. "’Et’/the
Shabbat" refers to that ruach which is the expansion of
that point [of malchut].
BeRahamim LeHayyim: What does the above mean to you, and why is it being revealed to
you now?
Why are we commanded—yes commanded—to
eat 3 meals on Shabbat Night and Day and to have marital relations on Friday
Night and to have a nap on Shabbat Afternoon (a custom that has the force of a
law)? Simple: even our spiritual soul takes pleasure in these physical activities.
Which is why we are mandated to eat a Third Meal even if we are not
actually hungry.
All of the Shabbat strictures
concerning physical activity as well—like not exercising or doing weekday
work—are designed to benefit your higher Presence. Do you have a craving for
some special treat? Eat mein kinderlach, eat! Want to nap? Sleep
dear one, sleep.
Don't feel like studying or learning
Torah---ah, that's your physical soul deluding you. Because the study done on
Shabbat is bejillions more powerful than any on a weekday. Yes we should
pleasure our extra soul with gashmiyut/material pleasures,
but ruchniyut/spiritual stuff like meditation and deep learning
rise to the highest heights.
Mystical Classics
An anthology from the Shelah, the
Alshich, the Ohr Hachayim, and others
Releasing the
Captive Sparks
The
sanctity and unity of the Jewish Nation affected rectification for lost
holiness.
Intermediate
From
the Ohr HaChaim commentary by Rabbi Chaim (ben Moshe) ibn
Attar
"These are the journeys of the
children of Israel..." (Num. 33:1)
Our verse may be understood when we
consider what the Zohar (II:157) has to say about the purpose of
the Israelites' trek through the desert: It was meant to enable the
Israelites to seek out isolated sparks of sanctity and to release them from
captivity. These "sparks" had been taken captive by the spiritually
negative forces that have their home in the desert. G‑d made the
Israelites travel through such places in order that their sanctity would act as
a magnet and attract such "lost" sparks of sanctity.
The only way this could be accomplished
was by means of total sanctity, [i.e.] a
combination of the sanctity of Israel, the Shechinah and the
holy Torah. It required the presence of 600,000 souls which originated in
holy domains. Moses matched these 600,000 individually holy souls, as
he is perceived of as the tree from which all these are
branches (compare Isaiah 63:11). In a
combined effort, these forces of sanctity were able to overcome the forces of
impurity which kept many of these lost sparks of sanctity captive.
The Patriarchs…lacked this "completeness" which is predicated
on the presence of 600,000 souls….
According to the Zohar, then these "sparks" could be captured while the Israelites
were actively journeying and not while they were passively encamped; it is this
the Torah had in mind when writing "these are the journeys". The
word "these" [in Hebrew,
"eleh"] is indeed in sharp contrast to any other
journeys ever described anywhere, as never before had there been a journey
which was accompanied by so many elements of sanctity.
While it is true that the Patriarchs
have also been described as journeying, and they too rescued lost sparks of
sanctity during their journeys, there is no comparison between what these
individuals accomplished and what the Jewish nation as a whole accomplished in
this regard. The Torah itself describes the superior nature of these journeys
by stressing that they occurred as an aftermath of the Exodus from
Egypt, i.e. after the Israelites had been refined in the Exodus from Egypt - after the Israelites had been refined in the iron
crucible called Egypt. This enabled them to isolate sparks of sanctity wherever
they would encounter them.
Not only that, but the Torah describes
these journeys as haven taken place "letzivotam" (when they were a complete unit, the Shechinah resting on these 600,000 holy souls). We have described repeatedly
that the definition of wholeness, completeness, is not applicable to fewer than
600,000 such souls.
You find that the reason G‑d did not give the Torah to the Patriarchs was due to their being
too few in number. They lacked this "completeness" which is
predicated on the presence of 600,000 souls which originated in a holy
domain (compare Mechilta Yitro) so that they could
be described as "tzevaot", "G‑d's armies". Only once
the Israelites were in the desert did they comprise all the necessary
pre-conditions for fulfilling the task set for them by their journeys. The
Torah also added the phrase "under the guidance of Moses and Aaron", who were the "go-betweens" between
the Shechinah and all the other elements of sanctity needed to
fuse the nation into a single whole of sanctity.
Sinning
Against the Letter Vav
Your
inheritance shall not go round from tribe to tribe.
Translated and
annotated by Rahmiel-Hayyim Drizin from PaRDeS HaBahir
For an explanation of the methodology
of this series, see the introduction.
"Our father died in the desert,
but he was not in the assembly that banded together against the Lord in Korach's
assembly, but he died for his own sin, and he had no sons." (Num. 27:3)
Peshat (basic meaning):
Rashi: "but he was not"
He was among those who ascended [the
mountain] defiantly.Since they were going to say that "he
died for his own sin", they [Zelophehad 's daughters] had to say
that it was not for the sin of those who grumbled, and [that he was] not
in Korach’s
company who incited [the people] against G‑d, but he died for his own sin
alone, and he did not cause others to sin with him. R. Akiva says, He was the
wood gatherer, (see Num.
15:32) and R. Shimon says: He
was among those who ascended [the mountain] defiantly. (see Num.
14:44)
Derash (interpretive meaning):
Ramban: In my opinion, they [Zelophehad's
daughters] spoke this way because they thought that Moses hated the
company of Korach more than all the other sinners because they rebelled against
him and denied Divine approval of this deeds. The daughters told him that their
father was not one who died in the plagues, but that he died a natural death in
the wilderness in his bed, "in his sin" because he was not worthy to
enter the land as punishment for his sin.
They said "in the desert" to emphasize...that he was worthy of
redemption.
Ohr HaChayim: They said "in the desert" to
emphasize not in Egypt and that he was worthy of redemption. Also by using
"in the desert" they implied that he was amongst those whose death in
the desert had been decreed by G‑d as a result of the debacle of the spies. Moreover,
the Zohar holds that the desert is the domain of Satan and this was
the reason people committed sins were punished promptly. They indicated that
had their father done his sin in any other place, punishment would have been
delayed giving him a chance for teshuvah.
Mei HaShiloach: Why was the temporary situation of the daughters of
Zelophehad placed at the end of the Torah's narrative? Would not a
general story which is universally applicable be a better choice with which to
end this book of the Torah? The answer is that this is exactly our lesson: our task is to
understand the mitzvahs, the compelling force of the Torah in each time in
which we live. We have to ask ourselves at each moment, "What is G‑d's
will now?"
Hopefully the light of Torah will reach out and shine to us and enlighten our
questions. That is why this temporary situation was placed here—as an example
of Torah study which was to come. In post-Biblical time there will always be
temporary situations and we won't know how to handle them. The entire Torah
should be seen as advice and suggestions for each person to help him or her
understand what G‑d may want in each case.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe: According to Rashi,
the story of Zelophehad's daughters stress how women have many impressive
qualities superior to men. In our times too, the superior qualities of women
are crucial to the survival of the Jewish people. This fact comes to light when
one considers the long- reaching effects of the mitzvahs whose observance in entirely in their hands. The woman who is
practically responsible for the laws of family
purity and kashrut in the home has a major influence on the
destiny of the Jewish people. For by molding refined characteristics into her
children's nature, she paints a brighter future for the next generation. This
is a unique privilege which is entrusted in the hands of the Jewish woman.
Sod (esoteric, mystical meaning):
...his sentence was left unsaid and not explained...
Zohar Shelach:
Rabbi Hiya said that it is written: "They found a man gathering
sticks ['trees] upon the Shabbat day." (Num.
15:32) What are the trees involved here
and who is he? That must be Zelophehad, who was particular about these
trees—which of them was greater than the other. He did not care for the glory
of his Master and exchanged the Shabbat to the other Shabbat. This is what is
written: "But he died in his own sin [Het'o -spelled Het Tet Aleph Vav]" (Num. 27:3); in the sin [Het Tet Aleph] of the Vav, he died. Therefore, his sentence was left unsaid and not explained as
other sentences. Because this matter had to be in secrecy and veiled and not
made known. Therefore, it was not mentioned openly and G‑d glorified His own
glory.
Rabbi Yosi said: He [Zelophehad] was gathering other trees, together with the
Shabbat. He received his timely punishment and his iniquity was forgiven.
Therefore, Moses had difficulty in judging the sentence of his daughters, since he
was not sure if it was forgiven, and if his daughters would take their lot and
inheritance or not. As soon as G‑d mentioned his name, as is written: "The daughters
of Zelophehad speak
right" it became known that his sin
was forgiven.
BeRahamim LeHayyim:
Zelophehad sinned against the letter Vav, as the Zohar parses
"his own sin" into 'sin of the vav'. Perhaps this is why
this episode appears as if out of nowhere, and why his daughters reminded Moses
about it. For Zelophehad, in doing this work in public, exchanged the Shabbat
of holiness for a Shabbat done just for one's own pleasure, not for the glory
of G‑d.
Here's how we may have thought it can work.
Shabbat is a day of rest, right?
We say in kiddush on Friday night: It says that G‑d rested
from all of his work. So Shabbat is a day of rest, right?
And if it is restful for me to (1) work out, (2) paint, (3) garden, (4) cook,
(5) play a musical instrument, (6) go for a drive in the county, etc, aren't I
doing the spirit of Shabbat? I'm resting like G‑d, right?
Sorry, but Traditional Judaism answers with a resounding "no."
These weekday activities if done properly can all have tremendous spiritual
benefit. No denying that. But "ki bo shabat mikol melachto"
means that G‑d rested from all constructive activity, later
defined to be those labors used to built the Tabernacle. The Sages of
the Talmud expanded the definition of the 39 chief labors to also
include their derivative labors.
If we exchange the Shabbat of the Torah and the Sages for the Shabbat that we
want on our terms, perhaps we are doing what Zelophehad did. We are told that
Zelophehad did what he did for a sanctification of the Divine Name, namely he
gave up his life so that others—we included—could learn by his lesson.
Chasidic Masters
Inspirational insights from the
Baal Shem Tov and Hasidic leaders of succeeding generations
\Mystical
Forty-two Journeys
The
Jewish mystics teach that each one of us travels 42 journeys in our lives.
"These are the journeys of the
children of Israel, who had left Egypt by their hosts, under the
leadership of Moses and Aaron." (Num. 33:1)
There were forty-two journeys in all.
My grandfather [the Baal Shem Tov] explained
that they exist in the life of every human being, from the moment of birth
until the day of death.
When a person is born and leaves the womb, that corresponds to
the exodus from Egypt….
This can be understood as follows: When
a person is born and leaves the womb, that corresponds to the exodus from Egypt. Afterward, he journeys from one place to another,
until he reaches the Supernal Land of Life [the World
to Come, corresponding to the Land of Israel]. Thus it is written: "At
the word of G‑d they encamped and at the word of G‑d they traveled" (Num. 9:23), which
correspond to constricted consciousness and expanded consciousness.
I also heard from a certain individual
that the forty-two journeys correspond to the forty-two letter name of G‑d,
which is counted from the first night of Passover until the festival
of Shavuot, and is completed with the receiving of the Torah. And
although there are forty-nine days in all, each week is a complete unit, with
the root of them all being forty-two.
When a person attains the level…he loses all his material desires in his
great attachment to G‑d….
These journeys are recorded in
the Torah in order to teach us the right path to follow in our lives, and
that all of our journeys are holy and pure. Thus, I heard from my grandfather
in the name of the Brit Menucha, that [the place] Kivrot HaTa'avah [literally
"burials of lust"] (Num. 11:34) corresponds
to the sefira of chochma, for they buried there
the people who lusted. Meaning to say, when a person attains the level of chochma, he loses all
his [material] desires in his great attachment to G‑d.
Moses wrote down the supernal significance of each journey….
Now we can understand how all the
journeys were holy or contained aspects of holiness and exalted levels. Tav'erah [another place, literally "Burning"] was surely a
lofty aspect (Num. 11:3). However, the Israelites distorted the nature of these places
through their deeds, as it says about Kivrot HaTa'avah: "And [Moses] named the place Kivrot HaTa'avah, for they
buried there the people that craved" (Num.
11:34). This applies as well to the other
encampments, such as Tav'erah: And [Moses] named the place 'Tav'erah' ['Burning'],
for G‑d's fire had burned them. Yet, had they not distorted these
places, each one would have revealed its hidden light.
This is the meaning of "These
are the journeys of the children of Israel…. And Moses recorded their goings
forth, stage by stage, at G‑d's command; these are their journeys according to
their decampments" (Num. 33:1): Moses wrote down the supernal significance of each journey, from the
mother's womb until the Land of Life, so that each person should know the path
to follow according to G‑d's word. However, "…these are their journeys
according to their decampments." (Num. 33:1); that is,
this is how they themselves distorted those encampments with their actions, for
the end of the verse does not say: "at G‑d's command".
Understand this! And may G‑d teach us
His straight and true path. Amen!
42 Journeys
of the Soul
The
Messianic age will elevate the entire universe, including all the spiritual
realms.
Advanced
From
the teachings of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi; adapted by Yitzchak Wagshul
The Torah portion Masei (which
means "travels") derives its name from the fact that it details the
itinerary of the Jews during the forty years of their travel through the Sinai
Desert. The name of each of the 42 separate spots in which the Jews encamped in
the wilderness is recorded, sometimes along with the amount of time they stayed
there.
What is the difference where the Jews
made camp while struggling on toward the Promised Land? They left Egypt and set
out for the land of Canaan, eventually arriving there after passing
through the desert. Is there really some deeper significance to all those stops
along the way, so much so that we need to know exactly when and where they
occurred?
Since nothing in the Torah is superfluous, it is obvious that G‑d chose to recount
the 42 encampments for a reason. To understand this, let us first clarify the
spiritual distinction between the Land of Israel and the rest of the
world, as well as the teaching that "[In the Messianic Era] the Land of
Israel is destined to spread over the entire world" (see Yalkut
Shimoni on Isaiah, allusion 503).
In the Mashiach's time, the world...will attain the
spiritual standing that Israel enjoys today….
The meaning of this statement is that
in the Mashiach's time, the world in general will attain the
spiritual standing that Israel enjoys today; by the same token, Israel itself
will then rise to the superior level of the Holy City, Jerusalem, which
will in turn be elevated to an even higher spiritual level. The Messianic age
will, in fact, see an elevation of the entire universe, including all the
spiritual realms.
Jewish mysticism teaches that there are
four broad distinctions in the degree of G‑dly revelation manifest in the
universe, known as the spiritual realms of Atzilut, Beriya, Yetzira,
and, finally, the realm of Asiya, in which G‑d has so thoroughly concealed Himself from our perception that the
creatures of this physical world cannot perceive Him at all. Each of these four
"worlds" or "realms" contain ten gradations in the degree
of G‑dliness manifest within that particular realm, of which the highest is the
spiritual attribute we refer to by its analogy to chochma -
"wisdom", the highest attribute of humanity - and the lowest,
relatively speaking, is malchut - analogous to the attribute
of "sovereignty", which, unlike a human king's wisdom or other
personal characteristics, is not an integral part of the king himself but is
merely something that may be said "about" the king.
A person's inner attributes may be
inherent within the more external manifestations of that person: one's
deep-rooted tendency to kindness, for example, may express itself within that
person's thoughts of doing kindness to someone or other, which thoughts are
themselves "enclothed" within the person's statement or instruction that
kindness be bestowed upon the recipient. An actual act of kindness performed in
real life does not arise in a vacuum; it embodies the prior expressions of the
kindly impulse in the doer's speech, thought, emotional motivation and so on,
until ultimately, its root can be traced to the expression of the soul itself.
Similarly, G‑d has so structured the
universe that His transmission to us of His benevolence, of His G‑dly
life-force, does not reach us directly (we created beings would be simply
unable to withstand such holiness) but by investiture within the progressive
levels of the spiritual hierarchy described above. That is, the life-force of
our physical world comes from G‑d, of course, but only reaches us as it has
been "enclothed" within the high level of chochma of Atzilut, through
the succeeding levels until malchut of Atzilut, further
on through the levels of Beriya and Yetzira,
and finally, through the spiritual levels of the realm of Asiya until
the point of its transmission to us by malchut of Asiya. Nevertheless,
it is none other than the life-force from G‑d Himself that is bestowed upon us;
it is simply "compressed", or "distilled", as it were, into
a form we can withstand.
The Land of Israel receives its spiritual life-force…from the realm
of Yetzira….
In the present, pre-Messianic, order of
the universe, the foregoing applies to the life-force of the world at large,
but not entirely to the Land of Israel. The Land of Israel receives its
spiritual life-force more or less directly from the realm of Yetzira, resulting
in an unimaginably greater degree of holiness and spirituality being manifest
there. By contrast, the rest of the world receives its life-force, as explained
above, only after it has first been enclothed within the realm of Asiya, where
it is concealed by so many barriers to its open manifestation that our sages
found it necessary to declare the very air and earth which is not of the Land
of Israel ritually impure. (Shabbat 15a)
To be precise, the G‑dliness manifest
within the Land of Israel, too, must necessarily pass through the realm
of Asiya, but there is a fundamental difference between how it
passes through Asiya and how the life-force of the rest of the
world does so. The G‑dliness of the Land of Israel traverses Asiya in
a manner described as merely "passing through". This is like sunlight
which one views through a clear glass; although it is technically true that the
light passed through glass, there is no real change in the degree or quality of
the light. The world at large, however, only gets the "light" as it
has passed through Asiya in a manner known as actual
"enclothing" of the light in the form of Asiya. This may
be compared to an idea expressed through a parable or analogy: although one
ends up getting the basic idea, one only gets it in the form of the analogy and
not as it was in its original form. The G‑dliness of the rest of the world
therefore is fully enclothed within the concealments of Asiya, while
that of the Land of Israel is actually the same sublime revelation expressed
through the spiritual realm of Yetzira.
In the Messianic era, the world will be
cleansed of impurity, as it is written, "And I will remove the spirit
of impurity from the land". (Zachariah 13:2) Thus,
even the rest of the world - which now "conceals" G‑d's presence and
is therefore "impure" - will not present an impediment to the open
revelation of G‑dliness. The entire world, at that time, will enjoy a
manifestation of the spirituality of the realm of Yetzira as
transmitted via Asiya, as through a clear glass.
This is the manner in which G‑d is revealed even today in the Land of Israel;
that is the meaning of the teaching that in the age of Mashiach,
the Land of Israel - its spiritual status as we know it today - will spread
over the entire world. And Israel itself, along with the entire spiritual
hierarchy of Creation, will then rise to even higher spiritual levels, as
stated above.
...the desert is symbolic of spiritual desolation, the utter concealment
of G‑dliness...
This grand principle that the entire
universe, including all the spiritual realms, will be elevated to higher levels
in the Messianic era was made possible through the 42 stops the Jews made in
the desert. This is because the desert is symbolic of spiritual desolation, the
utter concealment of G‑dliness and the resultant existence of an environment
hospitable to impurity and evil. In order to pave the way for the spirit of
impurity to be removed from the land in the future, in order for the
possibility of evil resulting from the concealment of G‑dliness in the realm
of Asiya to be nullified, some "advance work" was
necessary. The spiritual purpose of the Jews' travel throughout the desert,
carrying the Ark of G‑d and the Ten Commandments it contained, was to bring
holiness even within the very source of impurity and evil, represented by the
desert.
This is alluded to by the verse: And
it came to pass, that when the Ark traveled on, Moses said,
"Rise up, O G‑d, and let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate
You flee before You." (Num. 10:35) The
"enemies" of G‑d, those who "hate Him", so to speak, are
the forces of spiritual darkness and evil. The travels of the Ark through their
domain - the desert - scattered them before G‑d. This left them in such a
weakened state that we Jews can now overcome them by our worship of G‑d and
adherence to His Torah, which will result in their permanent removal in the
Messianic era.
In the above verse "Rise up, O G‑d…"
the divine name Havayah is used. Inasmuch as this divine name
includes all other divine names and concepts, the use of this name intimates
that the Jews' encampments in the wilderness elevated not only this physical
world, but the entirety of Creation.
Let us now delve a little deeper and
examine how this actually worked, as well as why 42 encampments in particular
were required to accomplish the goal.
A person's actions embody within them
all the prior steps in speech, thought, emotions and intellect that motivated
those actions. The same is true spiritually: things in this physical world
implicitly "contain" all the preceding spiritual levels. What we do
on this world - particularly through Torah study and practical performance of mitzvot -
expresses the G‑dliness inherent throughout the spiritual hierarchy of the
universe.
However, there is an element of
"danger" to this. Since it is part of G‑d's plan that evil exist so
that we should have the opportunity to overcome it, He allows for its being;
but G‑d does not directly transmit His life-force to evil. Instead, the forces
of darkness are forced to derive their sustenance by usurping what they can of
the life-force flowing into the realms of good.
For example, if a person wants
something emotionally, say, to obtain a job, he or she must first know
intellectually that it is desirable to have a job. Although this sounds simple,
it is certainly a prerequisite for the particular desire or emotion we are
discussing. There is no emotion openly manifest at this purely intellectual
level, although, to be sure, the emotional wish to have a job may be thought of
as inherent in potential within the intellectual understanding. Expressed
another way, understanding of the everyday economics of life and how a job
facilitates one's practical existence carries with it automatically the
eventual desire of the person to have a job him/herself.
Once one's emotions have been aroused
(i.e. the person actively yearns for the job, fears the consequences of being
jobless, etc.), the possibility exists that they may be misdirected. Motivated
by their desire to attain the goal, or their fear of the consequences of
failure to attain it, the person might (innocently or deliberately) step over
the line of propriety and do something inappropriate in pursuit of that end.
This cannot happen on the purely intellectual level, however;
"understanding", by itself, would not motivate one to act, improperly
or otherwise. It requires the emotions born of understanding to motivate one's
actions. And these emotions must be full fledged - just because the emotion of
desire for a job is implicit within an understanding of economic reality does
not mean that, at that "potential" level, the emotion will be used to
motivate anything.
...human emotions can be misdirected if a person wants something
"too much"….
The same applies to the life force of
the universe. On the exalted spiritual level of bina, "understanding",
the ensuing emotional attributes exist only in potential. They do not really exist
yet in their own right. It is only after the G‑dly life-force has proceeded to
the level of Zeir Anpin, the six "emotional" attributes,
that these in turn acquire the ability to transmit the life-force further.
However, just as human emotions can be misdirected if a person wants something
"too much" or fears something "too much", the
"excess" of the spiritual life-force expressed through Zeir Anpin is
susceptible of being "pirated", usurped, used to animate evil instead
of good (G‑d forbid).
As the emotional sefirot are
contained in potential within the intellectual sefira of bina (a state in
which they are Kabbalistically likened to an embryo in the womb of their
"mother", bina) the sefira of malchut is not a factor in its own right. This
is because, as explained above, the function of malchut is to
bring into actual reality what had previously existed only in potential. But
within the "womb" of bina, the attributes of Zeir
Anpin themselves only exist in potential; they cannot themselves
motivate action, as though they existed in their own right and their potential
consequences could be made real by the sefira of malchut. Thus, malchut itself,
as a separate sefira, has no place within this scheme of things; it
has no function.
On the other hand, each sefira within Zeir
Anpin is a composite of all the other sefirot - including malchut. That is, the attribute
of chesed is actually comprised of the chesed aspect
of chesed, the gevura aspect of chesed, and
so on, even to the point of a malchut aspect of chesed. The
attribute of gevura, likewise,
contains the chesed aspect of gevura through
the malchut aspect of gevura, and the same
applies to the rest of the six attributes of Zeir Anpin. Malchut is
included within each sefira of Zeir Anpin because
at that level, it represents the capacity of the sefirot themselves
to make the transition from their potential state within the "womb"
of bina, as it were, to actual existence as sefirot in
their own right – in other words, to be "born". But a separate sefira of malchut -
that is, not as a component of the other sefirot but as
a sefira unto itself whose function is to actualize the
potential consequences of the "emotional" sefirot as
though those had already been "born" - has no place in the
"womb" of bina.
It develops, then, that, as the
"emotional" sefirot are contained in potential
within bina, they collectively contain 42 components: the six attributes
of Zeir Anpin, each comprised of seven aspects.
We are now in a position to understand
the role of those 42 stops in the wilderness. As explained, the general purpose
of the journey through the wilderness was to weaken the forces of spiritual
darkness, which, as we now know, derive their life-force by usurping whatever
is "left over" from the higher points in the spiritual hierarchy. But
they can only "pirate" spiritual energy from the attributes of Zeir
Anpin as they exist as separate "emotions" unto themselves,
much as a person must have an active emotion in the first place before it can
be misdirected into improper activities. The way the Jews' journey subdued the
forces of evil was by means of the elevation of all the spiritual realms we
discussed earlier, regarding the verse, "Rise up, O G‑d, and let Your
enemies be scattered…."
The...encampments in the desert...lift the forces of holiness out of the
reach...of the forces of evil
The 42 specific encampments in the
desert served to spiritually lift the forces of holiness out of the reach, so
to speak, of the forces of evil, by elevating the spiritual hierarchy back up
to its origins within the 42 components in the "womb" of bina, where
evil has no hold.
In light of the above, we can also
understand why we count the omer – the period between the
first day of Passover and the holiday of Shavuot - for 49
days, as opposed to the encampments of the desert, which were only 42. The
purpose of the mitzvah of counting the omer, as explained
elsewhere, is to draw down upon us an infusion of the spiritual life-force and
holiness of the higher realms into this physical world. Since this involves
transmission downward of influence from the sefirot, it
necessarily means that the sefirot are entities unto
themselves, capable of transmitting to others - that is in relation to
the sefirot after their "birth" from bina.
On that level, it is appropriate, and indeed necessary, that the separate sefira of malchut be
included in the process, for malchut is what does the
transmitting, the conversion of spiritual influence to us from potential to
actual. Malchut, like the other sefirot, is a
composite of all seven, so that the counting of the omer - by
including malchut, involves a bestowal upon us of the spirituality
of 49 separate levels. By contrast, what was accomplished through the
encampments of the desert was not transmission from above down, but elevation
from below up, to the sublime level of bina in which malchut is
not a separate factor, leaving 42 levels in all.
Improvement
Stations
Intermediate
"These are the stations of the
journeys of the Children of Israel, the ones who went out of Egypt under
the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Moses recorded the stations of their journeys along the way according
to G‑d; these are their journeys between the stations." (Num. 33:1-2)
The Torah goes out of its way
here to enumerate all of the 42 different stops that the Jewish People made
during their 40 year desert trek.At each
station the Jewish People had specific spiritual improvements to make…
The holy Ohr HaChayim explains
based on the Zohar, that the purpose of these journeys was to weaken the
power of those forces in the world which oppose holiness. Furthermore, at each
station the Jewish People had specific spiritual improvements to make until
they would become refined and prepared to enter into the Land. In each place
lost sparks of holiness were gathered up and returned to their source. That is
why in some places they camped for a year and in others for only 12 hours. They
stayed in each station according to the work to be done.
Each station along the way represented
a special quality or aspect of the evil inclination that had to be conquered.
As it says, Torah scholars have no rest - not in this world nor in the next
world (Berachot 64a) since they are constantly growing,
attaining one level after another.
The Sefas Emes writes
something remarkable. These 42 stations together with the 8 stations that they
backtracked on after the death of Aaron the Priest (Num 26:13 and Rashi's commentary
there) make a total of 50 desert stations. This corresponds to the 50
Gates of Bina, which are the opposite of the 50 gates of impurity
into which the Children of Israel nearly sunk in Egypt. When they came out of
Egypt they went up 49 levels during the 49 days of preparation which preceded
the giving of the Torah. Shavuot, the day of the giving of the
Torah, was the 50th day. These 50 journeys represent an attainment of perfection
similar to that which they attained at Mt. Sinai. At this point the Jewish
People could approach the Land of Israel.
Contemporary
Kabbalists
Penetrating
insights from leading Kabbalists & mystics of our times
From
the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; adapted by Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky
This Land is
Your Land
Our
existence here in this world is a tremendous opportunity.
From
the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; adapted by Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky
"This is the land which shall
fall to you as an inheritance." (Num. 34:2)
Allegorically, the Land
of Israel represents the physical world in general; the fact that we
are obligated to perform certain commandments only within its borders alludes
to the fact that we can only perform G‑d's commandments and elevate
material reality while our souls are in this world, that is, during our
physical lifetime. This opportunity does not exist before the soul descends
into the body and after it leaves it, even though the soul is alive before
birth and lives on after death.
By delineating the boundaries of the
Land of Israel - allegorically, demarcating the sphere within which we can perform G‑d's commandments and elevate the material world -
the Torah underscores the value we should attach to this opportunity,
which we are granted only during our lives on earth.
Relative to the beautiful existence the
soul enjoys in its celestial abode before birth, the difficult and challenging
life it must lead in this world seems indeed to be a "fall" from a
former height. But by utilizing all our powers to capitalize on the unique
opportunity that is ours only in This World, we not only help G‑d achieve His
purpose in Creation and fulfill the purpose of our existence, but also vastly
enhance our ability to absorb the divine revelations that await us in the afterlife.
The 42
Journeys of Our Lives
There
are forty-two spiritual journeys each of us makes throughout our life.
Beginner
From
the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; adapted by Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky
"These are the journeys…." (Num. 33:1)
The Baal Shem Tov taught that
these forty-two journeys are also the forty-two spiritual journeys we make
throughout our life. We begin from birth, and the
nation's exodus from Egypt is both its own birth as a nation and an
allegory for every individual birth, the liberation of the fetus from the
confines of the womb into the freedom of the outside world, where it can
develop and become independent. The final journey is to the spiritual Promised
Land, the afterlife that awaits us after death.
…they are all holy and positive.
Although some of the intervening
journeys in the Israelite's trek through the desert were accompanied by
setbacks, in their spiritual origin and in the way they are meant to be
reflected in our lives they are all holy and positive. If we choose properly
between good and evil, we will live out these phases of life in the way G‑d intended;
if, like the generation of the desert, we make some wrong choices, they will
have to be expressed as setbacks.
Even though we can always transform the
setbacks we have suffered in our lives into positive growth experiences, it is
still better not to have to fall back on this. With regard to our future
journeys, let us try to always choose to live them out in positive, holy ways.
Ascent Lights
Contemporary
illuminations from Ascent-of-Safed's director, Rabbi Shaul Leiter, staff &
guest teachers
All an
Accident
Exile
is a state of temporary penitence.
Beginner
The closing section of parashat Massai
and the entire book of Numbers deals with the "Cities of
Refuge" (Num.
35:11). If a person accidentally killed
someone else, he was given the opportunity to escape to the cities of
refuge where he was protected from the
revenge of the victim's family, until the court could judge and release him
from the death sentence.
The verse says, "A soul [in Hebrew
'nefesh'] that strikes by accident…." (Num.
35:11) The Lubavitcher
Rebbe teaches that the word "Nefesh", while being used
here to refer to a person, is also one of the words used to describe the G‑dly
soul. "a 'nefesh' that strikes" - can also be understood as a
state of sin which causes a spiritual outpouring of vitality to go from the
realm of purity to the realm of impurity (Likutei Torah,Bamidbar13:3).
The Torah teaches that a Jewish person's essential nature is to
oppose sin, so as not to become separated from G‑dliness. Therefore, the third
word, "unintentionally", tells us that any sin is really committed by
accident. The rectification and atonement for a serious, yet unintentional,
misdeed is to exile oneself to a City of Refuge.
The Jewish people were exiled because of accidental sins….
From this, we understand that exile is
analogous to a City of
Refuge. Just as the accidental sinner exiled
himself to a City of Refuge, so too, the Jewish people were exiled because of
accidental sins.
And, just as the Torah guarantees that the exiled person will be judged and released, so
too, the Almighty will vindicate us and redeem us from this exile with the
final and true redemption. This is especially so after so many heartbreaking
and difficult years of exile, all of the promises of redemption, and the
multitude of positive deeds and repentance performed by the Jewish people
during this exile.
The very last portion of the book
of Numbers is Massai, in which are listed all of the journeys of the Jewish
people in the desert. The journeys began with the exodus from Egypt (in
Hebrew, "Mitzrayim" - a hint to "Bein Hamaitzarim",
the Hebrew term for the Three Weeks). The last journey brought them to the Holy
Land, a hint to the Final Redemption.
We must rectify this behavior by creating true unity between Jews….
Upon completing the book of Numbers,
the congregation announces "Chazak, chazak, v'nitchazek!"
- 'Be strong, be strong and strengthen ourselves!" G‑d is
pumping even more energy into us at this critical time when we must be strong
even in the face of the apparent exile.
What can we do to bring the redemption?
The second Temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred, a drastic
lack of unity between Jews. Now, we must rectify this behavior by creating true
unity between Jews. This must begin with each and every one of us identifying
ourselves as an integral part of the Jewish people. May there be no
"unaffiliated" among us. If you do not already, join a Jewish
community or do something to identify yourself as a Jew. Do something nice for another
Jewish person - a nice word, some charity, a kindly or favorable thought. DO
SOMETHING! Through every Jewish person making an effort, we will shift the
balance of the entire world for good, and G‑d will have no choice but to bring the final and true redemption
now.
Soul Journeys
Each
person has his mission to accomplish on his life journey.
Intermediate
Parashat Masei begins with a listing of all of the 42 stops the Jewish
people made on their way from Egypt to Israel. Our mystical tradition
teaches that just as there were 42 journeys from Egypt to Israel, so each
person makes 42 primary life journeys. Every person also has 42 more subtle
journeys every year of his life; and 42 very subtle shifts every day, from
waking up (a type of leaving exile) to sleep (redemption). We are always on our
journey to fulfill our mission in life.
We have to…see
which mitzvahs we truly excel in using our unique individual
talents….
The Rebbe Rayatz writes
that when a soul descends to this corporeal plane to enclothe itself in a
physical body, it has its own unique mission to accomplish. He
warns us that we have to be careful not to be among those that intentionally or
unintentionally make a mistake.
To illustrate, he tells a story about a
wealthy man and his wagon driver: In those times a clever person could go to
the big city markets once, twice or three times a year, stock up on lucrative
merchandise, sell it with substantial profit, and still have most of the year
free to study Torah and fulfill the commandments with care. Just such
a wealthy person was making one of his annual business trips with his wagon
driver. On their way they stopped for Shabbat, rather late Friday
afternoon, in a certain town where they were not known. The wagon driver
dropped off his employer at the hotel and continued on to the stable to provide
for the horses and wagon. The wealthy man rented a room, went to
the mikveh, put on his Shabbat clothes, and set off relatively early to
the synagogue to study, say Psalms and prepare for Shabbat. On his
way, he passed another Jew whose wagon was stuck in the mud. Helping out a Jew
in such a situation is a big mitzvah, and, underestimating what was
involved, the wealthy businessman lent a hand. Within a very short time, not
being in very good shape, he was covered from head to toe in mud and, even
worse, had injured himself. With only a few minutes to spare he made it to
synagogue, filthy and in pain.
In the meantime, his wagon driver made
his arrangements, got dressed for Shabbat and came to synagogue. Getting there
a bit early, he began to say Psalms. He noticed the large number of poor guests there and invited them to
come with him for the Shabbat meal, gathering a quorum (10) of guests. When the
prayers began and the synagogue's sextant tried to find some guests for the wealthy
patron and the other townspeople, all the poor guests answered that they had
already been invited. After services, the wealthy man went back to his hotel
broken, physically and spiritually, while the wagon driver walked with his
guests to enjoy a festive meal resplendent in the fulfillment of the
commandment of taking in the needy.
After 120 years, when both were
standing in front of the heavenly court, it was decreed that the driver needed
to return to this world to fulfill the commandment of helping another Jew,
while the wealthy man had to return because he needed to fulfill one more time
the commandment of taking in needy guests. If the wealthy man had only asked
his wagon driver to help get the wagon out of the mud, the driver could have
done it better and they would have been saved having to return to this world.
Each person has his mission to
accomplish on his life journey. We just have to know what it is, stay focused
and not inappropriately exchange our mission for that of someone else. We have
to look at our lives and see which mitzvahs we truly excel in using our unique individual talents. This will
give us a clear direction as to what our mission is. May we merit to
distinguish our mission and to fulfill it in the best possible way.
Hard
Traveling
Our
life journeys demand that we be steadfast in our beliefs.
This coming week is Rosh
Chodesh Menachem Av. "Rosh Chodesh" means the
"head of the month". Just as the head controls the body, the head of
the month controls the month. Use the day wisely! This Rosh Chodesh is also the
first of the Nine Days, the most stringent mourning period of the Jewish year.
If you are not familiar with the laws and customs of the Nine Days but wish to
be, contact your local rabbi for details.
This week we read
two Torah portions; their names express their broad content. The word
"Mattot" actually means "staff", but in this case
refers to the tribes, connoting stability and constancy. This is similar to a
staff, that after being cut from a tree becomes hard and strong. The name of
the second portion, "Massai", means "journeys",
symbolizing a person who leaves his home and goes on the road. By combining the
two, we learn that even when on a journey, we still have to remain strong like
a staff and be strict in all Torah observances, just as when we are in the comfort of our own homes.
This is particularly relevant now, in the summer, when we do much of our
pleasure-traveling. We can also understand that it is specifically the strength
(Mattot) we show by not being embarrassed to openly express our Judaism that
makes our journeys (Massai) successful.The
journeys are a hint to the descent of the soul from the higher spiritual
worlds…
The first of the two portions, Mattot,
begins with Moses speaking to the heads of the tribes about making
"nedarim", oaths to refrain from certain activities. This
concept is hard to understand. "Aren't the prohibitions contained in the
Torah enough?" asks the Jerusalem Talmud (Nedarim 289).
There, it states of a person who although involved with the physical world
manages not to be overcome by it, that he doesn't need any extra protection of
the oath to keep from sinking into materiality.
On the other hand, it says in Pirkei
Avot (3:13), "Oaths assist 'separation', denoting some degree of
restraint and aloofness from the physical aspects of the world.
The Mishna, unlike the Jerusalem Talmud, is speaking about a person who suspects that his involvement with the
world will lead to his losing self-control. Such a person needs some added
restraint. Even though, after the destruction of the Holy Temple, we are
discouraged to make oaths, still this reminds us that sometimes in each of our
lives the technique of restraint is tantamount. Regarding the above,
the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe used to say: the world says,
"What is permissible is permissible, what is forbidden we have to look for
a leniency" - Chasidim say, "what is forbidden is forbidden. What is
permissible (but not required), who needs it!"
The second portion, Massai, begins with
a list of places the Jewish people stopped on their journey from Egypt to the
Holy Land of Israel. Chasidut explains that the journeys are a
hint to the descent of the soul from the higher spiritual worlds to this last
and lowest world. Rashi reminds us that this descent is for a
purpose. G‑d our King did send us on a long journey, but the purpose
of this journey is the elevation that will follow, including the end of the
exile and the rebuilding of the Third Temple.Each
Jewish person makes 42 subtle changes or transformations in his lifetime…
The Baal Shem Tov taught
that just as there are 42 different journeys from Egypt to the Holy Land
described in parashat Massai, and from exile to redemption, so
too each Jewish person makes 42 subtle changes or transformations in his
lifetime, from birth to his final resting place. One could argue that some of
the journeys were occasions where the Jewish people sinned, like Kevarot
Hataavah, and why impute such negativity on each Jew as he travels his
life's journey?
The answer is very simple. Each journey
of the Jews in the desert had great positive potential. Through bad judgment
and negative actions the Jewish people in the desert turned certain of those
events to bad. Do not think that we are justified in doing wrong by what
happened to our ancestors in the desert. Whether in previous generations or in
our own lives, the journeys that already occurred are a part of the past. Each
of us knows which were utilized for good and which were not. Our goal lies in
the journeys that we still have to experience, and it is in our power to use
them advantageously for good.
This week concludes the reading of the
book of Numbers. Each time we finish one of the books of the Torah we say
"Chazak, Chazak, V'Nitzchazek" - "Be
strong, be strong, and we will be strong". This demonstrates the growing strength
of the Jewish people that live in the Torah's way. This week is different from
the three previous times we completed books of the Torah, because there is a
distinction between the last and next book, Deuteronomy, and
the previous four books. It is also called the "Mishna Torah" - "repeated Torah" -
because it mostly reviews and concludes all that came before. Therefore, when
we complete Numbers, from a certain perspective we have virtually completed the Torah.
It is important to mention that the 5th
of Av (Thursday night and Friday of next week), is the anniversary of
the death of the renowned kabbalist of Safed, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria -
the "Arizal". One of his greatest innovations is the concept
that every physical thing has a spark of G‑dliness in it. When we use an object
properly, we redeem the spark and allow it to return to its source. Misuse of
something conceals the spark even deeper into physicality. This is to teach us
that every event, how even seemingly insignificant, has a redeeming value.
Mystic
Stories
Wonders
and Inspiration from Kabbalists, Chasidic Rebbes, remarkable Jews
Beginner
How to Act in
Exile
“If
you are hungry, ask no man for money or for food. But if people offer you
something out of compassion, you may accept it.”
Beginner
In a village near Sanz there lived a G‑d-fearing
Jew who owned a tavern and an inn. One day a wayfarer came by, dressed in rags
and tatters. The innkeeper gave him a square meal, and after the Grace
After Meals he offered him money. When the visitor declined the offer, the
host assumed that it was less than he expected to receive, so he prepared to
increase the amount. But the pauper said: “Please do not insist that I accept a
donation from you, for I am quite a rich man.”
The “Please do not insist that I accept a donation from you, for I am quite
a rich man.”innkeeper was stupefied to hear this
statement. He asked the stranger to explain why he wandered about in such a
disheveled state. And this is the story he was told.
“I live in the city of Pest, near which
I own several villages, fields and vineyards. Once a large sum of money was
stolen from me, and I did not know who the thief was. We had a maid—an
orphan—and since we suspected that this was her doing, we took her along to the
local authorities. The police there beat her in order to induce her to confess,
but she insisted she had stolen nothing, so they sent her home to us. But the
harsh treatment that she had endured left its mark. For some days she
languished in bed, and then died.
“Two weeks later the thief was found. I
was stricken by terror. I had suspected an innocent person, and through my
doing, this orphan had met her death!
“I set out to speak to Rabbi
Meir of Premishlan, hoping that he would teach me some way of
repenting and atoning for my sin.
“‘Choose one of these three,’ he said.
‘Either you die, though you will be granted a place in the world to come;
or you will be ill and bedridden for three years, while the suffering you
undergo will cleanse you of your sins; or for three years you will wander about
as a vagabond, as the law prescribes for an unwitting manslaughterer.’
“I couldn’t bring myself to agree to
any one of these three alternatives, and returned home. ‘The rebbe has evidently chosen death . . .
without waiting for my consent.’For several
days I suffered headaches, but mentioned this to no man. Pain gradually spread
over my whole body. I was confined to my bed, and the doctor who was summoned
by my family almost despaired of my life. ‘The rebbe,’ I told myself, ‘has
evidently chosen death as my means of expiation without waiting for my consent.’
I immediately sent off a telegram to Premishlan, accompanied by a pidyon contribution
for charity, asking him to pray that I be restored to health, and promising
that I would then call on him and accept upon myself whatever he would tell me
to do.
“And that is exactly what happened. He
prayed on my behalf; I recovered; and as soon as I was strong enough, I set out
for Premishlan.
“When I went in to speak to him he
said: ‘You still have ample time to die, and you have already been ill. So,
choose the exile of a vagabond.’
“As soon as I expressed my willingness
to proceed with my punishment, he said: ‘Let me teach you now how one goes
about living the life of an exile. First of all, leave everything you have with
you at the moment—nice clothes, money—with me, and leave my house wearing some
tattered old garment. Do not spend any day in the place where you found lodging
for the night. If you are hungry, ask no man for money or for food. But if
people offer you something out of compassion, you may accept it. Throughout the
three years, you are not to visit your home.’
“‘But what about my business
interests?” I asked, terrified.
“‘This alone I will permit you to do:
at the end of a year you may visit your hometown and stand outside the city
limits, while you send a messenger to your wife to bring you the account books
of your business. If you see that your business is running at a loss, I allow
you to return to your home—but I promise you that your business will not
flounder.
“Throughout these three years, you are
not to ride in a wagon, but rather make your way from place to place only on
foot. And when the three years have elapsed, you are to come to me. I will
return all your possessions to you, and teach you how to conduct your life
thereafter so that you will be able to set your soul aright.’
“I took my leave of the tzaddik,
and took to the road, exactly as he instructed me to do—a trek of two years so
far. Now I heard very recently that the rebbe of Premishlan had passed away,
and since he told me to come to speak with him when three years had elapsed, I
didn’t know what to do.
“But then I heard that in Sanz, not too
far from here, there lives a tzaddik known as the Divrei Chaim. In fact, I’m heading in that direction
now, in the hope that he will guide me. And that is why I will not accept your
donation, thank you, because at the moment I am not setting out on another leg
of my trek as an exile; I am on my way to visit Rabbi Chaim of Sanz.”
“. . . the rebbe of Sanz says that two years of exile are
enough for you . . .”
The innkeeper was so curious to know
what the end of the story would be that he set out with his ragged guest and
escorted him directly to the rebbe’s house in Sanz. The vagabond did not even
manage to put his question to Reb Chaim, when the tzaddik said:
“Return to your home, traveling by way of Premishlan. Find the grave of Reb
Meir, and tell him that the rebbe of Sanz says that two years of exile are
enough for you, for you observed them with true self-sacrifice.”
An
All-Purpose Kaddish
He
wrote an exceedingly generous check for 20,000 kroner, but who was he? How did
the gentile wife know more than the great rabbis?
Beginner
Pressburg was one of the most important
cities in the Austro-Hungarian empire, and its yeshivah was
among the largest and most respected in all of Europe.
In the mid-1800s, there lived a wealthy
merchant who had a large store in the center of the city. He was well-respected
and active in the Jewish community, and also known for his generosity. One
charitable custom of his was remarkable. Each day he would count the proceeds
of his business, calculate how much was profit, and from that separate 10%
for maaser (tithe), which he would deliver daily to the yeshivah.
. . . this outstanding man suddenly took ill and passed
away . . .
Tragically, this outstanding man
suddenly took ill and passed away at a relatively early age, leaving behind a
widow and five young daughters. His wife was a clever and energetic woman who
had always helped her husband in the business and knew it well. After his
death, she took it over and maintained its prosperity. She was also careful to
continue in her late husband’s generous ways, and each day would deliver
the maaser from the profits to the rosh yeshivah,
the illustrious Ketav Sofer.
Immediately upon her husband’s passing,
as she had no sons, she asked the rosh yeshivah to arrange
for Torah scholars to say kaddish for her husband
for the entire eleven months, and also each successive year on the yahrzeit.
She also requested that a second kaddish be said each day, having in mind all those souls who have no one
saying kaddish for them.
This went on for nearly ten years.
Sometimes the maaser would be as much as hundreds of kroner a
day. But however much it was, she would always inquire to make sure that
the yeshivah was keeping its side of the bargain.
But then the wheel turned. Instead of
daily profits, there began to be losses. Even so, the widow maintained her
schedule of appearing daily at the yeshivah, except that she would
inform the rosh yeshivah that today, unfortunately, she had
nothing to give. Still, she would persist to ask if they were still saying
the kaddishes even though she was no longer able to contribute
financial support. They would assure her that of course they were, and she
should not worry.
Day after day her situation got
progressively worse, until finally she had to start selling some of her jewelry
and other valuables in order to put food on the table for her daughters. No one
was aware of her deteriorating situation, except for the senior students and
staff of the yeshivah, who knew that her business was virtually
bankrupt.
“Just tell me how much dowry you are willing to provide for each one.”
One day a matchmaker came to her house
and, after some pleasantries, said, “My dear lady, your daughters have all
matured nicely and grown quite pretty. Perhaps because of your extensive
involvement in the business, you haven’t noticed that it is time for them to
get married. I am confident that I can find many outstanding yeshivah students
that would be interested in them for you to choose from; just tell me how much
dowry you are willing to provide for each one.”
She wisely decided not to admit her
true situation to him, and instead merely said that she would think it over and
then get back to him about his offer. He left, and she burst into tears.
Afterwards, she dressed and hurried to the yeshivah. She poured out
her misery to the rosh yeshivah. Sobbing, she said, “I just don’t
understand why my situation deteriorated so.” Again, she asked if the kaddishes
were still being said, and he comforted her that they were.
Suddenly the door opened. A
distinguished-looking older man entered, turned to the widow, and asked her why
she was crying. He told her that he knew of her desperate situation and that he
was prepared to help. He then requested of the rosh yeshivah that
they all go into his office, and that two scholars of the yeshivah join
them. The rosh yeshivah acceded, and summoned two of his five
great disciples present that year: his son, Rabbi Shimon Sofer, and Rabbi Yosef
Chaim Sonnenfeld.
When they were all assembled, the
mysterious guest said, “I know you have five daughters of marriageable age.
Let’s figure. Each one needs a thousand kroner for dowry money, and another
thousand kroner each for the expenses of the wedding and for buying furniture
and setting up a household. So, that is two thousand for each of the five, or
ten thousand altogether. Plus, to put your business back on its feet, you need
another ten thousand kroner, so that makes twenty thousand altogether.
“All right, then,” he said, “I’ll write
you a check.” Whereupon he took a checkbook out of his pocket, tore off a
check, wrote the woman’s name on it, inscribed it for twenty thousand kroner
and signed it! Before handing it to her, however, he asked the two young
scholars to sign on the back as witnesses to the transaction. He also asked
them to take out their personal notebooks so he could sign in each a sample of
his signature, in case the signature on the check would be challenged. Turning
back to the woman, he told her that she should present the check at the
government bank when it opened at nine o’clock, and they would honor it. Then
he left as suddenly as he had come.
All present were shocked still in
disbelief. It was as if they were sharing a dream. Then one of the young rabbis
jumped up. “A man like that could really help the yeshivah,” he
said excitedly. “Let’s go ask him.” The two ran out and searched, but they
couldn’t find him or anyone who had seen him.
At nine the next morning, the widow was
at the bank. The guard at the door directed her to one of the tellers, to whom
she showed the check. He looked up the records and told her there was
sufficient funds in the account to cover the check, but for such a huge sum he
has to first get permission from the manager. He asked her to wait, and went to
the administrative section. There he presented the check to the head of the
bank, who took one look at it and fainted!
The doctor that was summoned quickly revived the bank manager.
Pandemonium broke loose. People were
running this way and that. The police came, and after questioning a few employees,
confined the astonished businesswoman in a security room and locked the door,
pending further investigation.
The doctor that was summoned quickly
revived the bank manager. As soon as he gained consciousness, the manager asked
that the woman who had brought the check be shown in to him. When told she had
been locked up by security, he said that he must go to her; a great mistake had
been made, to lock up such a righteous woman. He went quickly and, after
apologizing, invited her to accompany her into his office.
“Tell me, please,” he opened, after
they were seated, “how did you get this check?”
She told him of her difficulties and
the sudden appearance of her unknown benefactor. She explained about her
deceased husband and his practice of daily maaser, and of the kaddishes
she had arranged through the yeshivah for him and for those
souls who had no one to say kaddish for them.
He asked her: if she would see her
benefactor again, or his picture, would she recognize him? She said yes. She
added that two rabbis from the yeshivah were official
witnesses to the whole episode, and that their signatures are on the back of
the check, and that the man had also signed in their personal notebooks. The
manager was excited to hear this, and after looking at their signatures,
contacted the yeshivah to ask that Rabbi Sonnenfeld and Rabbi
Shimon Sofer come to his office.
They came and confirmed all that the
woman had said. The bank manager then told the three of them that he would
personally honor the check, as it was drawn on his own family account, but that
his wife had to endorse it too. He then sent for his wife with the message that
she should come quickly, because people were waiting for her, but first she
should collect all the family photographs in the house and bring them with her.
Although the bank manager was a Jew,
his wife was not. When she arrived, he asked the widow and the two rabbis to
wait in a different room. He told his wife what was going on, and said, “Let’s
see if the woman can identify the man who signed the check from among these
photographs.” She declared that if it all turned out to be true, she would
convert to be Jewish.
The manager then spread out all of the
photos on his desk. He asked each of the three to enter separately and see if
the man who gave the check appeared in any of them. Each one confidently picked
out the same person.
The bank manager called everyone in.
“Do you know who is this man who gave the check?” he asked. “It is my father,
the manager of the bank before me. But he has been dead for ten years!
“I must confess,” he told them, “that I
never said kaddish for him. Last night he appeared to me in a
dream. He said that he had been saved from Gehinnom by the kaddishes
that she had arranged for the yeshivah scholars to say for
those souls for whom kaddish was not being said, and now that
she was in difficulty we must help her. He said that he would give her a check
for twenty thousand kroner, and that if I didn’t pay it, he would strangle me
in my sleep.
When the check was shown to me at the bank, I fainted.
“I woke up, frightened. In the morning
I told my wife the dream, and she was disturbed too. When the check was shown
to me at the bank, I fainted. I knew then that the dream was true.
“I will pay the twenty thousand my father
promised, for it is certainly a deserving cause. Not only that,” he added,
turning to the woman, “I will add another twenty thousand of my own, because
you fulfilled my obligation for me, and helped my deceased father’s soul with
the kaddish-saying you arranged.”
He addressed the three of them again.
“I fully regret my lapse from Judaism. I see now that our G‑d is the
one true G‑d, and He gives to all their just reward. I resolve that from now on I
will fulfill His commandments as revealed in our Torah. My wife, too, has reaffirmed her promise to convert and to live in
accordance with Jewish law. Please guide us to understand what we have to do.”
He instructed the teller to give the
woman forty thousand kroner. The first thing she did was to give ten percent of
it to the yeshivah. Soon thereafter, her business waxed prosperous
again, and her five daughters made good marriages with G‑d-fearing young Torah
scholars.
The Daughters
of Zelophehad
A group of five sisters boldly
approached Moses before the entire Jewish nation. These were
the daughters of Zelophehad, the women who were privileged to have a
chapter added to the Torah on their behalf: Machlah, Noa, Choglah, Milkah
and Tirtzah. Here is their story.
The Division of the Land
It was the fortieth year since
the exodus from Egypt, shortly before the Jewish people were to enter
the Promised Land. G‑d had informed Moses that
each tribe’s territory would be determined, among other things, by lottery.
Each man in the tribe would receive a parcel of land in his tribe’s territory.
Upon the man’s death, his sons would inherit his property, thus guaranteeing
that each plot would remain in the family to which it was originally assigned.
One man, Zelophehad, of the tribe
of Manasseh, had only daughters. Zelophehad himself died in the desert
(more on that soon), and his daughters were worried that they would not receive
a share in the land of Israel. They therefore turned to Moses and
requested that they be granted the land that would have gone to their father.
The Torah describes
the scene:
They stood before
Moses, Elazar the [high] priest, the leaders and the entire
congregation, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and said: “Our father
died in the desert. He was not among those who banded against G‑d among Korach’s
group; rather, he died due to his own sin—and he had no sons.
“Why should our father’s name be
eliminated from his family because he had no sons? Give us a landholding among
our father’s brothers!”
Moses brought their case before G‑d. G‑d
spoke to Moses as follows: “The daughters of Zelophehad have spoken correctly.
You shall certainly give them a landholding among their father’s brothers, and
transfer their father’s inheritance to them.” (Numbers
27:2–7)
In fact, in their merit, the laws of
inheritance follow this precedent. From then on, one who died without sons
would have his daughters inherit his estate.
Zelophehad's Sin
His daughters described Zelophehad as
having died “due to his own sin.” The Talmud1 cites two opinions as to what this sin was,
though both agree that it was done with good intentions.
One view is that Zelophehad was among
the ma’apilim, the Jews who attempted to storm the land of Israel.
After the sin of the spies,2 G‑d decreed that the Jews would wander in
the desert for 40 years, until that generation had died out. Seeing the
grievous consequences of their mistake, a group of Jews sought to rectify it.
Disregarding Moses’ warning that they would not succeed without G‑d’s blessing,
they tried to invade Israel via the mountains. They were driven back and
slaughtered by the Amalekites and Canaanites, but their intentions were good.
The second opinion is that Zelophehad
was the unnamed man executed for violating Shabbat by gathering wood.3 Here, too,
the Midrash4 attributes positive intentions to his act.
According to this Midrash, Zelophehad
overheard some Israelites saying that their sentence to wander in the
wilderness meant that they were no longer required to observe the commandments.
To prove them wrong, he deliberately violated Shabbat, providing an object
lesson at the cost of his own life.5
On a more literal level of
interpretation, Rashi notes that by pointing out that he was not part
of Korach’s revolt, Zelophehad’s
daughters wished to stress that their father had sinned alone and not led
others astray. Ramban, however, reads their words a little differently:
They believed that Moses detested Korach’s sin above all others, and so sought
to assure him that their father had not participated.6
Whatever Zelophehad’s sin, it was not
severe enough to require that his name be erased from the pages of Jewish
history. On the contrary, thanks to his daughters, the name has positive
connotations.
The Daughters of Zelophehad
Although few details are given about
the sisters themselves, a careful reading of the sources provides a portrait of
intelligent and pious women.
The sisters’ intelligence is evident
from their clear presentation of their case. Indeed, G‑d Himself endorsed their
arguments, saying, “The daughters of Zelophehad have spoken correctly.”
In the various places where the five
sisters’ names are listed, they appear in different orders. This is to
demonstrate that all five were equal in wisdom and righteousness.7
We are also told8 that although they
married late in life, the sisters were all blessed with children.
Most of all, though, Zelophehad’s
daughters represent the Jewish women’s love for the Land of Israel. Our sages
note the contrast between the men, who were afraid to enter the land and cried,
“Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt,”9 and the women, who were eager to possess the
land and even demanded a share in it.
The names of two of the sisters, Noa
and Tirtzah, have become popular Israeli names.
Later Developments
Some time after the events described
above, Zelophehad’s relatives approached Moses with another concern: Should
these women marry into another tribe, their landholdings would end up being
transferred into the possession of their sons (who would belong to that tribe),
and would be lost to the tribe of Manasseh. Moses
relayed G‑d’s response: indeed, Zelophehad’s daughters should marry only within
their own tribe. The five of them duly married their cousins.
For the next fourteen years, any woman
who inherited her father’s property could marry only someone from the same
tribe. After the land was conquered and divided, however, this law ceased to
operate; from then on, an heiress could wed any man she pleased. This was
officially declared law on the 15th of Av, and indeed it is one of the
reasons why we celebrate on this date.10
Matot-Masai
Matot-Masei – Tribes / Journeys
– To: The Twelve Tribes in the
Diaspora: Shalom!
– Listen! Heads of the tribes of the
sons of Israel, Gather Yourselves Together and Assemble Yourselves so that Most
High will make one nation in the Land.
– Lets bring burnt offering to
the House of Most High and fulfill your Vows
The name of the forty-second reading
from the Torah is Mattot (????), which means “tribes.” The name is derived from the words of Numbers 30:1,
which says, “Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel.” , And it describes about the discusses the laws
of vows and oaths. In the next chapter of Numbers tells the story of Israel’s
war with Midian, And followed by relates the story of how the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of
Mannaseh came to inherit the land east
of the Jordan River. The last reading from the book of Numbers is
called Massei (????), a word that means “journeys.” It
comes from the first verse of the reading, which begins with the words “These
are the journeys of the sons of Israel” -Numbers 33:1.
Last week, in Parasha Pinchas, we
read that G-d gave Pinchas (Phinehas) a pact of peace and everlasting
priesthood in response to his zeal for the Lord.In this week’s Parasha, Moses
speaks to the heads of the tribes
(matot) about the laws governing vows (neder) and oaths (shevua).
Moshe teaches the rules and
restrictions regarding the role of a father or a husband in the upholding or
nullification of their wives or daughters vows.
“Moses said to the heads of the
tribes ( matot ) of Israel: ‘This is what the Lord commands: When a man makes (
nadar ) a vow ( neder ) to
the Lord or takes an oath ( shevua ) to obligate ( asar ) himself by apledge
[issar], he must not break his word but must do everything he said.’” -Numbers 30:1–2
The three main sections of the first parasha of Matot are:
Laws regarding vows –
Specifically, we learn about who is responsible for the vows or oaths of a
woman, depending on her personal status (living in her father’s house, married,
divorced, widowed. A vow or oath is a powerful use of words, made binding by
the use of G-d’s name.
G-d asks one last thing of
Moses before his death –
to go to war against the Midianites. Balaam reappears here as the mastermind
behind that mass-seduction. Moses is unhappy when the Israelite armies only
kill the men and not the women. So he sends them back to slay all male children
and all women who have known men carnally.
The tribes of Reuben and Gad claim the
land on the East side of the Jordan -As their inheritance and want to settle it because
it is good cattle country. A compromise is reached in which the Reubenite and
Gadite men will serve as “shock-troops” and will conquer the land before
returning to their lands on the East side of the river.
Torah States about VOW:
Then Moshe spoke to the heads of the
tribes of the people of Isra’el. He said, “Here is what Adonai has ordered:
when a man makes
a vow to Adonai or
formally obligates himself by swearing an oath, he is not to break his word but
is to do everything he said he would do. – Numbers 30:2-3
To an outsider you may lend at
interest, but to your brother you are not to lend at interest, so that Adonai
your G-d will prosper you in everything you set out to do in the land you are
entering in order to take possession of it. “When you make a vow to Adonai your G-d, you are not to delay in
fulfilling it, for Adonai your G-d will certainly demand it of you, and your
failure to do so will be your sin. If you choose not to make a vow at all, that
will not be a sin for you; – Deuteronomy 23:21-23
A vow is a means by which a person
creates a personal obligation or restriction. One reason a person makes a vow
is to obligate oneself to offer a sacrifice. This person would verbalize a
commitment to bring an Olah
sacrifice. Once this commitment is verbalized
as a vow, the person is obligated to bring the offering. Failure to bring the offering is a violation of a
binding Torah obligation.
A neder, then, dedicates something or
someone to HaShem, such as a donation pledge, sacrificial offering or the
dedication of a child as in the case of Hannah and Samuel.
Then she took a vow; she
said, “Adonai-Tzva’ot, if you will notice how humiliated your servant is, if
you will remember me and not forget your servant but will give your servant a
male child, then I will give him toAdonai for as long as he lives; and no razor
will ever come on his head.” -1 Samuel 1:11
That dedicated object or person then
becomes holy: Throughout the time of his being a nazir he is holy for
Adonai. – Numbers 6:8
Jacob (Yaacov) made this kind of vow
in exchange for G-d’s provision and protection on his journey when he promised
to give back to God a tenth (tithe)of everything G-d gave to him.
Ya‘akov took this vow: “If G-d will be with me and will guard me on
this road that I am traveling, giving me bread to eat and clothes to wear, so
that I return to my father’s house in peace, then Adonai will be my G-d; and
this stone, which I have set up as a standing-stone, will be G-d’s house; and
of everything you give me, I will faithfully return one-tenth to you.” -Genesis
28:20–22
We see an example of such an
obligation in Genesis 47:31, when Jacob asked Joseph to make a shevua that he
would bury him in Canaan.
He said, “Swear it to me,” and he swore to him. Then Isra’el bowed down at
the head of his bed. -Genesis 47:31
Then Moshe spoke to the heads of the
tribes of the people of Isra’el. He said, “Here is what Adonai has ordered:
when a man makes a vow to Adonai or formally obligates himself by swearing an
oath, he is not to break his word but is to do everything he said he would
do. – Numbers 30:2-3
A man who shall vow a vow , Vows
are a means to asceticism.-Ethics of the Fathers 3:13
Asceticism leads to purity, purity
leads to holiness, holiness leads to humility, humility leads to fear of sin,
fear of sin leads to saintliness, saintliness leads to the [possession of] the
holy spirit, and the holy spirit leads to eternal life. -Talmud, Avodah
Zarah 20b
According to all that proceeds out of
his mouth shall he do – Numbers 30:3
Better that you not vow, than that you should vow and not fulfill. –Ecclesiastes
5:4
Making a vow is a serious matter as Yeshua Taught:
Again, you have heard that our
fathers were told, ‘Do not break your oath,’ and ‘Keep your vows to Adonai.’ But I tell you not to swear at all — not ‘by
heaven,’ because it is God’s throne; not ‘by the earth,’ because it is his
footstool;and not ‘by Yerushalayim,’ because it is the city of the Great King.
And don’t swear by your head, because you can’t make a single hair white or
black. Just let your ‘Yes’ be a simple ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ a simple ‘No’;
anything more than this has its origin in evil. -Matthew 5:33-37
Moreover, I tell you this: on the Day
of Judgement people will have to give account for every careless word they have spoken; for by your own words you will be acquitted, and
by your own words you will be condemned.” -Matthew 12:36-37
Ecclesiastes advises: “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty
in your heart to utter anything before God…. When you make [nadar] a vow
[neder]to G-d, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill
your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill
it.” -Ecclesiastes 5:2-5
It is a snare to dedicate a gift to
G-d rashly and reflect on
the vows only afterwards. -Proverbs
20:25
We see an example of an issar in the
life of the Apostle Rabbi Shaul , when he joined four men in taking a Nazarite vow to prove to the Jewish People that he
maintained an observant Jewish lifestyle and faithfully kept the Torah
So do what we tell you. We have four
men who are under a vow. Take them with you, be purified with them, and
pay the expenses connected with having their heads shaved. Then everyone will
know that there is nothing to these rumors which they have heard about you; but
that, on the contrary, you yourself stay in line and keep theTorah. –
Acts 21:23-24
Your vows are binding upon me, O G-d; I will render thank offerings
to You.– Psalm 56:12
Torah
——–
Numbers 30:2–36:13
Deuteronomy 23:21-23
Genesis 28:20–22
Genesis 47 : 31
Numbers 6 : 8
Haftarah Portion
————————
Jeremiah 2:4–28, 3:4, 4:1–2
1 Samuel 1:11
Ecclesiastes 5:2–5
Ha-Berit ha-Hadashah
——————————–
Matthew 23:1–25:46
Matthew 24:1–25:46
Matthew 5:33-37
Acts 21:23-24
Notes:
The portion is named ma-tot, because
it begins with a command passed on to the heads of the tribes (matot) of
Israel. In this week’s portion, the Israelites are taught the laws
relevant when women make vows: the right of the father or husband to cancel them
and how the process must be done. Following the giving of these laws, Moses is
commanded to lead
the Israelites in a war against the Mideanites before his death, as revenge for their
behavior when trying to seduce the Israelites into idolatry. The Israelites go
to war and are victorious, and are taught the rules of purifying their booty in
order to be allowed to use it.
Parshat Masei, opens by summarizing
the entire route travelled by the Jewish people over their forty years in the
desert, beginning with their exodus from Egypt and concluding with their
arrival at the banks of the Jordan River. After commanding the people to drive
out all of the Holy Land’s inhabitants, the Torah delineates the exact
boundaries of the land of Israel. Since the Levites would not be receiving a
regular portion, special cities were to be set aside for them, some of which
would also serve as cities of refuge for accidental murderers. In some cases,
somebody who unintentionally killed another person would flee to one of these
cities of refuge to seek sanctuary and avoid retribution from a close relative
of the victim, and he would be required to remain there until the death of
the present Kohen Gadol (High Priest). After setting the guidelines for the various
categories of murder, the book of Numbers concludes with further information
regarding the daughters of Tzlaphchad and the laws of inheritance.
At the end of the portion, the Reubenites and the Gadites, who were shepherds, request that their lot be
given to them on the recently conquered
fruitful east bank of the Jordan River.
Their wish is granted under the condition that the men of the tribes shall
participate in the fighting when the Israelites conquer the land of Canaan, and
shall not return to their homes until the mission is completed. As we near
the end of the Book of Numbers, we receive some additional laws, Moses receives
his last task from G-d, and we begin to focus on the settlement of the Promised
Land.
Listen! Heads of the tribes of the
sons of Israel- Prepare for Gathering together ourselves about the
redemption and conquering the holy land of Israel:
Beat your plowshares into swords, And
your pruning hooks into spears;
Let the weak say, “I am a mighty man.
……..The LORD roars from Zion,And utters His voice from Jerusalem, And the
heavens and the earth tremble. But the LORD is a refuge for His people
And a stronghold to the sons of Israel. – Joel 3 : 10, 16
Scriptures Information about gathering together ourselves:
AND HE SAID: GATHER YOURSELVES
TOGETHER (HE’ASEFU)… ASSEMBLE YOURSELVES, AND HEAR (XLIX, 1 f.). GATHER
YOURSELVES TOGETHER from the land of Egypt, and ASSEMBLE YOURSELVES into
Raameses; GATHER YOURSELVES TOGETHER from [the exile of] the ten tribes, and
ASSEMBLE YOURSELVES to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He thus commanded them
to show honour to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.1 R. Aha interpreted [the
word HE’ASEFU], ‘Purify yourselves,’ as in the verse, And they gathered
themselves together… and they purified themselves (Neh. XII, 28 ff.).2 The
Rabbis say: He warned them against dissension, bidding them, Be ye all one
assembly. Thus it says, And thou, son of man, take thee one stick, and write
upon it: For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions (Ezek.
XXXVII, 16). ‘ His companion ‘ is written: when the children of Israel unite in
one band, then they may prepare themselves for redemption. For what follows
this? And I will make them one nation in the land, etc. (ib. 22).(Gen. Rabbah
XCVIII:2)
The Midrash Rabbah here is making a
drash on the two phrases GATHER YOURSELVES TOGETHER and ASSEMBLE YOURSELVES,
applying this as a type of their future reunion and redemption (as seen in
Ezekiel 37) The Midrash Rabbah also teaches that the Gentile nations will be
blessed by the last days restoration of the Ten Tribes by virtue of their
having been scattered among them:
As it is written: Then Ya‘akov called
for his sons and said, “Gather
yourselves together, and I will tell you
what will happen to you in the LAST DAYS – Gen 49:1
And not for the nation alone, but so
that he might gather into one the scattered children of Most High –
John 11 : 52 – 53
I myself will gather the remnant of
my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them
back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in
number. -Jeremiah 23:3
So now Most High says —he formed me
in the womb to be his servant,to bring Ya‘akov back to him,to have Isra’el
gathered to him,so that I will be honored in the sight of Most High, my Elohim
having become my strength — he has said, “It is not enough that you are
merely my servant to raise up the tribes of
Ya‘akov and restore the offspring of Isra’el. I will also
make you a light to the nations,so my salvation can spread to the ends of the
earth. -Isaiah 49 : 5-6
In that day the Most High will reach
out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people
from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from
Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. —Isaiah 11:11
This amazing promise refers to the
Children of Abraham being banished to Africa, Asia, and the islands of the
sea—the Bible calls them the Outcasts of Israel.The tribes of Reuben, Simeon,
Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim, and Manasseh make up
what is now referred to as “The Lost Tribes of Israel.”
Rabbi Shaul (Acts 26:6) protests to
Agrippa that he is accused “for
the hope of the promise made unto our fathers, unto which promise our twelve
tribes, instantly serving Most High,
hope to come,” while James addresses his epistle to “the twelve tribes which
are scattered about” (1:1). The only opposing voice to this otherwise universal
view is found in the Mishnah. R. Eliezer expresses his view that they will
eventually return and “after darkness is fallen upon the ten tribes light shall thereafter dwell upon them,” The Messiah was referring to Isaiah 27:13;
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown,
and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the
outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Most High in the holy
mount at Jerusalem.”
The term “great trumpet” is mentioned: Isaiah 27:13 and Matthew
24:30-31 and both speak of the re-gathering
of Israel. And in that day a great trumpet
will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in
Egypt will come and worship the Most High on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
This is what the Messiah was speaking
of in Matthew 24:30-31 where he said; “And then shall appear the sign of the
Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and
they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory. And he [Most High Ancient one — see Isaiah 27:12-13] shall send his
angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Israelite’s go to war with the
Midianites:
B’nei Yisrael wages war against
Midian, kill Bilam, the five Midianite kings and all the men. Moshe is upset
that the women were taken captive since they were catalysts for the immoral
behavior of the Jewish people. Moshe therefore rebukes the officers. The spoils
of war are counted and apportioned. The commanding officers report to Moshe
that there was not one casualty among B’nei Yisrael. They bring an offering
that is taken by Moshe and Elazar and placed in the Ohel Mo’ed (Tent of
Meeting).
The Tribes of Gad and Reuven, who own
large quantities of livestock, petition Moshe to allow them to remain east of
the Jordan and not receive a portion of land west of the Jordan River. They
explain that the land east of the Jordan is quite suitable grazing land for
their livestock. Moshe’s initial response is that this request will discourage
the rest of B’nei Yisrael, and that it is akin to the sin of the spies. They
assure Moshe that they will first help conquer Israel, and only then will they
go back to their families and homes on the eastern side of the Jordan River.
Moshe grants their request on condition that they uphold their part of the deal
to fight with all of Israel until it is conquered.
G-d demands that the Israelites go to war with the Midianites on account of Baal Pe’or. God spoke to Moses,
saying: “Avenge the Israelite people on the Midianites; then you shall be
gathered to your kin” (Numbers 30:31). This is to be Moses’ last battle, a war
of vengeance. The war is a success. No Israelite soldiers dies. The Israelite
soldiers capture a bounty of spoils – cattle, herds of sheep and goats, human
captives and their possessions – yet Moses is not satisfied:
Moses became angry with the officers
of the army, the officers of thousands and the officers of hundreds, who had
come back from the military campaign. Moses said to them, “You have spared
every female! Yet they are the very ones who, at the bidding of Balaam, induced
the Israelites to trespass against G-d in the matter of Pe’or, so that G-d’s
community was struck by the plague. Now, therefore, slay every male among the
dependents, and slay also every woman who has known a man carnally; but spare
every female dependent who has not had carnal relations with a man. -Numbers
31:13-18
Avenge the vengeance of the children of Israel upon
the Midianites – Numbers 31:2
The Hebrew word midian means
“strife.” Midian is the essence of divisiveness, which is the root of all
evil. Thus our sages speak of “groundless hatred” as the greatest of
evils. In truth, all strife is groundless hatred: the so-called “grounds” that
people and nations have for hating and destroying each other.
Why only upon the Midianites, but not
the Moabites (who also sent their daughters to cause Israel to sin)? Because
the Moabites got involved because they feared Israel (cf. Numbers 22:2–6); but
the Midianites entered a fight that was not theirs.
Another explanation: G-d said to
spare the Moabites because of “two fine creatures which I shall extract from
them”—Ruth the Moabite and Naamah the Ammonite (wife of King Solomon). –Rashi
So before the people of Israel could
conquer the “seven nations” that inhabited the land of Canaan—which represent
the seven negative traits of the heart—they first had to destroy Midian, which is their source and cause. This is also
why the destruction of Midian could be achieved only under the leadership of
Moses, who embodied the traits of utter self-abnegation,harmony and
truth. –Maamar Heichaltzu 5659
Moses spoke to the people: “Arm
yourselves . . . to take G-d’s
vengeance on Midian” –
Numbers 31:3
G-d had said to Moses, “Avenge the
vengeance of the children of Israel upon the Midianites”; yet Moses said: “To
take G-d’s vengeance on Midian”!
G-d said to Israel: It is you who
have an account to settle with them, for they caused Me to harm you. But Moses
said: Master of the worlds! If we had been uncircumcised, or idol worshippers,
or had denied the mitzvot, the Midianites would not have hated us. They
persecute us only on account of the Torah and the precepts which You have given
us! Consequently the vengeance is Yours; and so I say: “To take G-d’s vengeance
on Midian.” –Midrash Tanchuma
“To take G-d’s vengeance on
Midian”—for whoever stands against Israel, stands against G-d. –Rashi
G-d sees the war on Midian as
avenging Israel, for G-d’s foremost concern is for His people; the people of
Israel see the war as avenging G-d, for they are concerned only with the honor
of G-d. –The Chassidic Masters
A thousand of every tribe, twelve
thousand armed for war -Numbers 31:5
Moses wanted to demonstrate to them
that it is not the number of troops or their arms that determines victory or
defeat, but their worthiness. For Zimri had caused the death of 24,000 without
a single sword or armament; while they, numbering only 12,000, would defeat the
far more numerous Midianites, “and not a single one of them was lost” -Numbers
31:49.
Moses sent them to the war . . . them
and Pinchas the son of Elazar the priest – Numbers 31:6
G-d charged Moses with the mission,
yet he sends others! But since Moses had grown up in the land of Midian, he
thought: It is not right that I should punish one who has done good to me. The
proverb says: “A well from which you drank, cast not a stone into it.” –Midrash
Rabbah
Moses sent . . . Pinchas the son of
Elazar the priest – Numbers 31:6
Why did he send Pinchas? He said:
“The one who began the mitzvah shall finish it.” It was Pinchas who turned away
G-d’s wrath from Israel and smote the Midianite woman; let him finish the
sacred task. –Midrash Rabbah; Rashi
They warred against Midian, as G-d
commanded Moses – Numbers 31:7
When laying siege on a city to
conquer it, we do not surround it from all four sides, but only from three
sides, leaving a way to escape for anyone who wishes to flee for his life. As
it is written: “They warred against Midian, as G-d commanded Moses”; it has
been handed down by tradition that this is what G-d had commanded him.(Mishneh
Torah, Laws of Kings and Their Wars 6:7)
Also Balaam the son of Beor they slew
with the sword – Numbers 31:8
What was Balaam doing in Midian?
Rabbi Jonathan said: He went to receive his reward for the twenty-four thousand
Israelites whose destruction he had caused [by his advice to entice them with
the daughters of Moab and Midian]. . . . This is what people say: “When the
camel went to demand horns, they cut off the ears he had.” –Talmud,
Sanhedrin 106a
If the children of Gad and the
children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan . . . – Numbers
32:29
Rabbi Meir said: Every stipulation
which is not like that of the children of Gad and the children of Reuben is not
legally binding. For it is written: “And Moses said unto them: If the children
of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, [. . .
you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession],” and it is also
written, “But if they will not pass over with you armed, then they shall have
possessions among you in the Land of Canaan.” (Thus, both sides of the
condition have to be spelled out: if the condition is fulfilled, then so-and-so
will be the case, but if the stipulation is not fulfilled, then so-and so will
be the case.) –(Talmud, Kiddushin 61a)
And half the tribe of Manasseh –
Numbers 32:33
Because Manasseh caused the sons of
Jacob to rend their clothes by hiding Joseph’s goblet in Benjamin’s sack
(Genesis 44:13), his tribe was rent in two, half receiving its portion in the
lands east of the Jordan, and half on the west.(Midrash Rabbah)
Moses gave the Gilead to Machir the
son of Manasseh. . . . And Yair the son of Manasseh went and conquered their
villages . . . – Numbers 32:40–41
We learned: Yair the son of Manasseh
and Machir the son of Manasseh were born in the days of Jacob, and did not die
before Israel entered the Land. (But does it not say, “And there was not left a
man of [the generation of the desert], save Caleb the son of Yefuneh and Joshua
the son of Nun”? Said Rav Acha bar Yaakov: The decree was directed neither
against those under twenty years of age, nor against those over sixty years of
age.) –Talmud, Bava Batra 121b
When Israel arrived by the Jordan at
Jericho, their wanderings had come to an end, so G-d gave Moses, regarding
their imminent entry into
the Promised Land.
The very first command was to “drive
out all the inhabitants of the land before you.… Take possession of the land
and settle it, for I have given you that land to possess.” -Numbers
33:52–53
“No longer will violence be heard in
your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation (Yeshuah) and
your gates Praise.” -Isaiah 60:18
MATOS – By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum
Torah Reading: MATOS: Numbers
30:2-32:42
This Shabbos we complete our annual
study of the book of BAMIDBAR (Numbers) by reading its two lengthy closing
parshiyos, MATOS and MAS’EY, together. In Israel this year (which is a leap
year) each of these two parshiyos is read on its own Shabbos, but in the
Diaspora the two parshiyos are being read on one Shabbos (as happens in most
years) in order to ensure that we begin reading the book of DEVARIM
(Deuteronomy), with its central theme of TESHUVAH — coming home to G-d — on the
last Shabbos prior to the fast of 9th Av commemorating the destruction of the
Holy Temple.
As discussed in earlier commentaries,
Genesis is the “head” of the Torah, Exodus the “arms” (the “outstretched arm”
of redemption), Leviticus the “heart”, Numbers the “legs” (journeying through
the wilderness to reach the Land) and Deuteronomy the “mouth”, trumpeting
forth: “Hear O Israel!” Coming at the end of the book of Numbers, these two
parshiyos show us the Children of Israel at the end of their journeying in the
wilderness, assembled in the plains of Moab, facing Jericho, poised to enter
the Land. It was here that Moses delivered his final discourses, which make up
the book of Deuteronomy. The various Messianic themes and allusions in this
week’s double parshah make them appropriate reading for the central Shabbos of
the Three Week period of mourning for the lost Temples, which is a preparation
for the Restoration quickly in our days. [KINOT, “lamentations” = TIKUN,
“rectification.]
PARSHAS MATOS
The uniqueness of the prophecy of
Moses is seen in the opening words of parshas MATOS introducing the laws of
vows. “And Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the Children of Israel
saying, THIS is the word that G-d has commanded.” (Numbers 30:2). There are
various levels of prophecy, which may come through “a clear glass” or through a
“dim glass”. The latter is the case in countless verses in the prophetic
literature where the prophet says “KO — So said HaShem”, indicating that the
words of the prophecy are LIKE — resemble — the actual Truth, yet they are
merely similar, an evocation of something that in itself is actually much
higher. Moses himself also prophesied using the comparative expression KO, as
in Exodus 11:4. However, as Rashi points out (in his comment on Numbers 30:2),
unique among all the prophets, Moses also used the expression ZEH HADAVAR —
“THIS is the word”, the actual word of G-d. For Moses revealed the very
P’NIMIUT, the “inner essence” of G-d, like no other prophet.
WORDS AND COMMITMENTS
An important theme in Parshas MATOS
is the care with which we must use words and language because of their very
great power — language is the “glass” that may either reflect or obscure the
truth. “When a man wants to make a vow to HaShem or to swear an oath placing a
prohibition upon himself, he must not profane his word. He must do according to
all that comes forth from his mouth.” (Numbers 30:3).
We live in an age when streams of
verbiage flow forth at us in such quantities from all directions — billboards,
papers, magazines, TV, radio, Internet and on and on — that we can easily
become almost completely desensitized to words, their meaning and importance.
We take it for granted that politicians make promises and undertakings which
they have no intention of keeping; that “experts” shoot forth with torrents of
instant comment which are as enduring as rotten fruit; that commercial
advertising has turned the destruction of language into an art-form; that the
media are filled with every kind of irreverence and unholiness.
As a medicine against this
desensitization, the Torah asks us to think hard about the words we bring forth
from our own mouths, and particularly the personal commitments we make. While
we often focus on language as the means of communication with each other, with
ourselves and with G-d, the concept of the vow is one where we use our
G-d-given gift of speech to elevate ourselves spiritually. One might take a vow
to dedicate something of worth to the Temple or charity, or to erect a personal
boundary and abstain from some undesirable behavior that has proved a pitfall for
oneself and others. The father of the vow was Jacob, when he came to Mount
Moriah and had his dream of the ladder. In the morning, he set up a stone, the
prototype Temple Altar, and vowed that if G-d would protect him and provide his
needs, he would make this the House of G-d and tithe all he received (Genesis
28:20). [David the Messiah also swore and vowed he would not rest until he
found a place and a dwelling-place for G-d, the Holy Temple — Psalms 132:1-5.]
Because of the extreme seriousness of
an oath or vow to G-d, the Torah Codes advise us not to take actual oaths or
vows unless we are thoroughly conversant with the intricacies of their laws.
Much of the discussion in the relevant Talmudic tractates of Nedarim, Nazir and
Shavuos is bound up with careful analyses of the meanings and implications of
different kinds of phraseology. The larger part of the section on vows in our
parshah is taken up with special laws that apply to vows made by an unmarried,
betrothed or married woman, which may be nullified by her father and/or
husband. This is because vows she may make even with the best intentions could
cause complications in her domestic life that might affect others (e.g. if she
were to vow to abstain from certain foods or not to use cosmetics, etc.). Her
freedom is circumscribed by her responsibilities to others, and the Torah gives
her father and/or husband the last word on whether to uphold her vows. Indeed
we should not make vows or commitments that can affect others detrimentally.
The point is not to deter us from making commitments, but rather to impress
upon us the care with which we should go about making them and the seriousness
with which we must uphold them.
THE WAR AGAINST MIDIAN
It is significant that the final war
fought by the Children of Israel prior to their entry into the land was the war
for sexual morality — to rectify the degradation of the sin of BAAL PE’OR as
described at the end of parshas BALAK. The crafty Bilaam knew that sexual sin
is the undoing of the holiness of Israel and the Midianites took his advice to
entice the Israelites to take the short road from immorality to idolatry. The
true holiness of the Land of Israel can be revealed only when the Land is
cleansed of sexual immorality and degradation. [Similarly, Jacob went back to
Beit El only after vengeance for the rape of Dinah and cleansing his house of
idolatry, Genesis ch. 34-5.] It was to bring moral cleansing that 1000 warriors
from each of the Twelve Tribes went out against the Midianites, together with
Pinchas, who was weighed against all of them. Pinchas was the hero of moral
cleansing ever since he killed the Prince of the Tribe of Shimon and his
Midianite woman.
The warriors return from this war
with war booty, which is documented in detail in our Parshah. When we overcome
the war against immorality, we can reclaim the lost booty — the energy that was
degraded to the level of the animal, and which can now be elevated and used in
pursuit of the holy. However, what Israel takes from the nations must be
purified. It was necessary to kill the Midianite males — the concept of the
active MASHPIAH (source of influence) — for the active immoral influence had to
be destroyed. However, those women who had not “known” a male could be saved:
that which is receptive to the Israelite influence can be reclaimed. The
material wealth taken from the Midianites also had to be purified. A percentage
had to be dedicated to the Temple, and even that which could be released for
personal use had to be purified.
Our parshah is thus an important
source for the laws of purification of vessels of metal, wood or other
materials that had previously been in the possession of and used by
non-Israelites (Numbers 31:21-4). “Every thing (literally, word) that can come
into fire you must pass through the fire and it will be pure, but it must be
purified with the waters of NIDAH, whileall that cannot come into fire you must
pass through the water.” From this are derived the laws of kashering utensils
that have absorbed forbidden substances, and the laws of immersing vessels in a
kosher mikveh. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (Likutey Moharan I:4) points to the
esoteric meaning of these laws, which teach how to repent for our sins. If we
sinfully took our holy powers and energies and burned them up in the fires of
animal lust, we must take “what came into fire” and “pass it through the fire”.
We must repent by confessing our sins with words of fire, burning them up with
holy intensity, the fire of our passion to now rectify and elevate our
energies. And so too, the pure waters of the Torah, the mikveh, purify the
vessel, the body.
THE SONS OF REUVEN AND GAD’S
CONDITION
Following the war with Midian, the
account of the request of the tribes of Reuven and Gad to take their share of
the Land in the conquered territories EAST of the River Jordan and Moses’
response is written Torah proof of the Children of Israel’s possession of these
territories in the true “final settlement”.
Were the Sons of Reuven and Gad
really more interested in pasture-lands for their cattle than having a share in
the Promised Land? The Aramaic Targum of Onkelos reveals what is concealed
beneath the Torah verse detailing the locations east of the Jordan upon which
the Sons of Reuven and Gad had set their eyes. These include MOUNT NEVO, which the
Targum informs us is the burial-place of Moses (Numbers 32:3). That was what
the sons of Reuven and Gad had set their eyes on. They already knew what
Breslovers know about the grave of Rabbi Nachman, what Lubavitchers have
learned about the Ohel of the Rebbe, what those who frequent Rabbi Shimon bar
Yochai’s gravesite in Meiron or the resting place of the Avot (Patriarchs) in
the holy city of Hevron know. The greatest true wealth is our connection with
the Tzaddikim who are the true Foundations of the Universe. The graves of the
true Tzaddikim are points where the physical interconnects with the spiritual,
and where we can make a connection with G-d’s truth.
Even so, Moses scolded the Sons of
Reuven and Gad for wanting to stay out of the Land, suggesting that they were
like the Spies whose perverted use of language led the hearts of the Israelites
astray. Coming after the laws of purified language — vows and oaths — at the
beginning of our parshah, Moses’ binding of the Sons of Reuven and Gad with a
detailed set of conditions is another lesson in the precision with which we
must use language. We have to make commitments, and we have to keep them. We
must take care with the way we formulate our commitments, and care to carry
them out.
The Sons of Reuven and Gad were
committed to supporting their brother Israelites in conquering the Land. This
should serve as a model for those who reside outside the Land, whose share in
the Land is strengthened by giving support to those who live in it and fight
the war there every day.
Parshas MATOS concludes with a
detailed account of the territories given by Moses to the tribes of Reuven, Gad
and half of Menasheh east of the River Jordan. These include all of the
mountain and valley areas from north of the River Arnon, which flows into Yam
HaMelach (the “Dead” Sea) up to Chavot Yair, which are the lands south east of
the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee).
TORAH: MAS’EI -By Rabbi Avraham
Greenbaum
Torah Reading: MAS’EI: Numbers
33:1-36:13.
Already in MATOS when Moses
castigated the Sons of Reuven and Gad with being like the Ten Spies, the theme
of Moses’ reproof enters the Torah, and it continues in MAS’EY and in the book
of Deuteronomy. After the events of the forty years wandering, which we have
studied in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, the time has come to begin to review
the lessons and reduce them to their essentials.
MAS’EY begins with a review of the
forty years wandering. On the surface, the list of encampments and journeyings
seems prosaic. However, the second Targum on the Torah, that of Rabbi Yonasan
ben Uziel, disciple of Hillel, fills in much of the moral significance of the
different staging posts in those difficult years, showing that the list itself
is a form of reproof. It teaches us that there are times when we must look
back, review and draw conclusions and lessons from the past. This is
particularly necessary when we stand on the brink of new challenges, as in the
case of the Children of Israel, who stood poised to conquer the Land.
Included in the account of the wanderings
is a reference to the death of Aaron the High Priest, specifying the date of
his ascent to the mountain to die — the first day of the fifth month, which is
the month of Av. This is a reminder to us that the present year is beginning to
draw to a close, with only two months to go before the Day of Judgment, Rosh
HaShanah, the New Year. As we proceed in the period of Repentance (the Three
Weeks, followed by Elul and Tishri) we should take time to review our lives and
reflect on where we are trying to go. This way we will be prepared for the
challenges of the coming year — the Conquest of the Land.
THE BOUNDARIES OF THE LAND AND ITS
CONQUEST
Parshas MAS’EY provides the detailed
topography of the boundaries of the Land of Israel, prefixed by G-d’s commandment
to the Children of Israel to destroy all the evil influences in the Land to
make it a place fit for the exalted mission instituted by the Fathers of the
World, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For Israel, with Jerusalem at its center and
its eternal capital, is to be the source of Torah and Light for all the
nations. “For the Torah will go forth from Zion and the Word of HaShem from
Yerushalayim”. The Torah warns clearly that unless all the evil influences are
removed from the Land, they will be “like pins in your eyes and thorns in your
sides, and they will persecute you over the land in which you are dwelling”
(Numbers 33:55).
The Boundaries of the Land are given
as a COMMANDMENT (Numbers 34:2). While nobody doubts that the true Land of
Israel includes all the territories west of the River Jordan, few are aware of
where the southern and northern borders of the biblical Promised Land actually
are.
The final settlement of Israel as
prophesied in Ezekiel 47:13-21. Any “settlement” that does not take this into
account is doomed to ultimate failure, for “the G-d’s counsel is what will
stand” (Proverbs 19:21).
Of course the Land will only become
Israel’s without contest when Israel will fulfill its part of the Conditions of
G-d’s Covenant to give them the Land. (The section in MATOS about the
Conditions with which Moses bound the Sons of Reuven and Gad is also a lesson
about Conditions, to which Moses returns again and again in his discourses in
Deuteronomy: “If you will do this. and if you will not.”)
THE LEVITICAL CITIES AND THE CITIES
OF REFUGE
Since the Levites did not have a
share in the Land, they were given forty-two cities of their own up and down
the Land together with all the necessary surrounding areas. The Levitical
Cities indicate the distinctive nature of the Land of Israel in contrast to all
other lands. It’s social geography is centered upon a network of cities where
people are free from the immediate requirement to make a living (the Levites
received tithes) in order to devote themselves to the study and teaching of
G-d’s Law. Thus everyone in the Land is always near a center of study and near
to someone they can ask for guidance.
The Torah’s abhorrence for killing
and murder is expressed in the portion that gives the laws of unintentional
manslaughter and deliberate murder (Numbers 35:9ff). Not only has our world
become desensitized to language, as discussed above. It has also been
desensitized to the evil of killing and murder, which are openly celebrated be
terrorists as “religious acts”, while the TV and movies provide an endless diet
of violence to the population.
The spilling of blood is a crime
against the Land, and the holiness of the Land of Israel will only shine again
when we can cleanse ourselves of this terrible scourge and re-establish the Law
of the Torah, which outshines and transcends all manmade laws. The Torah not
only teaches the evil of killing and murder but has no compunction about
imposing all necessary sanctions in order to eliminate them, including the
death penalty. Even one who had committed an unintentional manslaughter had to
hide himself away from the rest of society in a city of refuge, unlike today,
where killers with blood on their hands are released from jail and celebrated
as heroes.
“And you shall not pollute the Land
in which you dwell that I dwell in its midst, for I am HaSheM dwelling among
the Children of Israel” (Numbers 35:34). Speedily in our days. Amen.
Shabbat Shalom!!! -Avraham Yehoshua
Greenbaum
Haftarot Matot-Masei – Jeremiah
1:1-2:28; 4:1-2
This week’s haftarot are from
Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a prophet sent to declare the faithfulness of HaShem .
Jeremiah urged the people to listen to his message: “Hear the word of
the Lord (devar HaShem), O House of Jacob, every clan of the House of Israel.”
Jeremiah begins this week’s Haftorah
by telling Israel that they have abandoned Hashem. The prophet asks on behalf
of Hashem “What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they have abandoned
me?” The Jewish people didn’t say “Where is Hashem who took us out of the land
of Egypt, and brought us safely through the desert, into a country with
farmland that produced all the food and wealth we needed?” The Kohanim didn’t
say, “Where is your G-d?” The Prophets prophesied via Ba’al (a Cananite Pagan
deity) false information. Hashem is asking, “What is going on here? Did
everyone forget our agreement?” Hashem then continues and says “Go look around,
has any nation ever exchanged a living G-d for a false G-d?” Jeremiah warns the
Israelites that they have committed two great sins against Hashem. First they have abandoned Hashem and second they are
worshipping idols.
Jeremiah Warns the Jews that they will be severely punished. (2:14-19) He says
that it is their own fault that they are being punished. Instead of relying on
Hashem, you are relying on the Egyptians and the Assyrians for help. You will
be in for a big surprise when they don’t come and help you when you need them.
You Will Be Punished For Your Sins of Unfaithfulness. (2:19-28) Israel, you
told me that you would be faithful, but you’re not. You worship in the Valley
of Hinnom the G-d of Molech doing child sacrifices. Hashem says, “Stop looking
around for allies to save you. Jeremiah warns the house of Israel, their kings,
nobles, priests and prophets, that they will be ashamed like a thief that is
caught. They talk to the wooden idols as is if they can hear them and they
relate to stone as if they gave birth to them, while they turned their backs to
me. Yet in their hour of disaster they come to me and say “Save us.” Judah’s
Insincere Repentance (3:1-4) now where are your G-ds you made for yourself? Let
them now come and save you in a time of disaster. As always the Haftorah ends
on a happy note. Hashem’s Response (4:1) Hashem says “If you Israel, return to
me and remove your abominations from before me, and you do not waver, if you
swear “as Hashem lives in truth, justice and righteousness” the nations of the
world will bless themselves by you and praise themselves through you.
“[When] you will return, O Israel,”
says HaShem, “Return to Me; and [when] you will put away your abominations out
of My sight, then you shall not be moved. And you shall swear, ‘HaShem lives,’
in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; the nations shall bless themselves
in Him, and in Him they shall glory.”
-Jeremiah 4:1-2
Most Ancient Holy One of Israel,
declares a One Nation Solution -“THE GREATER ISRAEL” . Let us not forget
-With Ephraim/Multitude of Nations – Israel, Do Teshuva and
through the process of heart circumcision (renewed covenant) under the Divine
Mandate of Mashiach there can be Redemption for the house of Israel!
The purpose of our work in in
gathering the exiles is to set up people of Truth can take part in redemption
and will promote the unification of house of Israel and house of Judah in the
gates of Jerusalem under one prince, that is under son of David so that the
Shechina will return to the holy land of Israel and the lost tribes shall never
be driven out of their land.
Blessed art Thou, HaShem, Who brings
forth the Manifestation of Salvation. ( Baruch Atah HaShem, matzmiach
keren Yeshuah )
We will see that the children of
Israel return to Most High and Torah of Mashiach, And will hug in the Holy
Land, and by obeying and listening the “VOICE of Most Ancient Holy One of
Israel”, will bring offerings in a righteous way on the holy mountain and also
bring the Ark of the covenant with pure heart in the right place ( i.e In Har
HaBayit, on the foundation Stone) .
We will Welcome the son of David on
Mount Zion, Jerusalem.
Matot-Masei –Number 42
42 Letters
The first 42 letters in Torah is understood by the
Kabbalists as the 42 letters of God:
|
English |
Number
of letters |
Hebrew |
Gematria |
|
In
the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Gen 1:1) |
28 |
בְּרֵאשִׁית, בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים, אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ |
2701 |
|
Now
the earth was unformed and void…(Gen 1:2) |
14 |
וְהָאָרֶץ, הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹ |
1141 |
|
|
42 |
3842 |
The first verse conceals the secret of Mashiach who
is called the “power” of God and “wisdom” of God (1 Cor 1:24). This is because
“power” כֹחַ in gematria is 28, alluding to the
28 letters of the verse, and “wisdom” חָכְמָה
in gematria is 73, and the triangle number of 73 is 2701, exactly the gematria
of the 28 letters:
|
Power |
כֹחַ |
28 |
|
Wisdom |
חָכְמָה |
73 |
|
|
101 |
The name of God in creation is Elohim
אֱלֹהִים, the gematria is 86, the process of
creation can be understood as the triangle number of 86, i.e. the sum of all
integers from 1 to 86, as follows:
∆86 = 1 + 2 + 3 + … + 84 + 85 + 86 =
3741
Adding the “wisdom” and “power” of
God by which the world was created:
3741 + 101 = 3842
This is exactly the gematria of the
first 42 letters of Torah, the secret of creation.
42 Journeys
Parashat Masei is technically the last portion of
Torah (as Deuteronomy is the repetition of Torah) and concludes with the 42
places in the wilderness, connecting back to the 42 letters in the beginning of
Torah:
|
אֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם—לְצִבְאֹתָם |
These
are the stages of the children of Israel, by which they went forth out of the
land of Egypt by their hosts… (Num 33:1) |
Astonishingly, the gematria of above
37 letters (9 words) is also 2701, which is exactly the gematria of the first
verse of Torah, as above, that is, the end is wedged in the beginning.
The fact that there are 37 letters in
above verse means the average number of each letter is 2701 / 37 = 73, which is
the mirror image of 37.
37 is the gematria of Yechidah יְחִידָה, which is the secret of Mashiach, as discussed at
length before.
Focusing on the first four words:
|
אֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל |
These
are the stages of the children of Israel… (Num 33:1) |
The gematria is 819, which is the
same gematria of “Times of Mashiach” יְמוֹת
הַמָּשִׁיחַ, thus connecting the dimension of
space (42 places) with the dimension of time (times of Mashiach).
Abraham was born in Year 1948 from
Adam and King David was born in Year 2854 from Adam according to rabbinical
reckoning, the duration in time is 906 years.
906 years from the birth of King David is Hebrew
year 3760 which is year 1 CE, the year when Mashiach was born according to
tradition.
|
Year
1948 |
906
Years Interval |
Year
2854 |
906
Years Interval |
Year
3760 |
|
Birth
of Abraham |
Birth of King David |
Birth of Mashiach |
906 is the gematria of “YHVH has
established Zion” יְהוָה יִסַּד
צִיּוֹן (Isaiah 14:32) when the final Nun is elevated to 700 in gematria
instead of 50.
YHVH establishes Zion by the coming of Mashiach,
“establish” יִסַּד is the same root as Yesod יְסוֹד, and Zion צִיּוֹן
are Joseph יוֹסֵף are the same in gematria (156), the
secret of the 6th Sefirah, corresponding to
the 42nd day of counting the Omer, when “Malchut
within Yesod” מַלְכוּת שֶׁבִּיסוֹד is recited, meaning: the union of Bride within the
Bridegroom, the gematria is 828, which is exactly the gematria of Mashiach
spelled out, as follows:
|
Mashiach |
מָשִׁיחַ |
|
|
Mashiach
spelled out |
מם שין יוד חית |
878 |
42 Generations
There are exactly 42 generations from Abraham to
Mashiach, according to Mat 1:17, corresponding to the 42nd day of counting the Omer.
|
So
all the generations from Abraham unto David are fourteen generations; and
from David unto the carrying away (exile) to Babylon are fourteen
generations; and from the carrying away (exile) to Babylon unto the Mashiach
are fourteen generations (Mat 1:17) |
The formula is 3 x 14 = 42, and 14 is the gematria
of Yad יָּד, hand, i.e. the three hands of God
that redeemed the children of Israel from the bondage in Egypt, as follows:
|
Great
hand |
וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת-הַיָּד הַגְּדֹלָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה בְּמִצְרַיִם |
And
Israel saw the great hand which the LORD did upon the Egyptians (Ex 14:31) |
|
Mighty
hand |
וְהַיָּד הַחֲזָקָה וְהַזְּרֹעַ הַנְּטוּיָה, אֲשֶׁר הוֹצִאֲךָ, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ |
and the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, whereby the LORD thy
God brought thee out…(Deu 7:19) |
|
High
hand |
וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, יֹצְאִים בְּיָד רָמָה |
for the children of Israel went out with a high hand. (Ex 14:8) |
The “great hand” is the right hand,
which is Loving Kindness; the “mighty hand” is the left hand, which is
Judgment, and the “high hand” is Beauty, which the third hand, which is the
torso that balances the right hand with the left hand.
The extension of the torso is the
site of circumcision, the Sefirah of Yesod.
It is now clear that from Abraham to
David is the ascent to Loving Kindness (Chesed); and from David to the exile of
Babylon is the descent to Judgment (Gevurah); and finally, from the exile of
Babylon to the Mashiach is the unification of the dichotomy in Beauty
(Tiferet), manifested as Foundation (Yesod), i.e. Mashaich ben Yosef.
In the hand of YHVH בְּיַד-יְהוָה in gematria is 42, and the hand manifests as the
great hand, mighty hand, and high hand, corresponding to the 3 x 14
generations, as follows:
|
Great
hand |
יָּד הַגְּדֹלָה |
61 |
Abraham |
אַבְרָהָם |
248 |
|
Mighty
hand |
יָּד הַחֲזָקָה |
139 |
David |
דָּוִד |
14 |
|
High
hand |
יָד רָמָה |
259 |
Mashiach |
מָּשִׁיחַ |
358 |
|
|
459 |
620 |
459 + 620 = 1079, which is exactly the gematria of
the four key names in the genealogy:
|
Abraham |
אַבְרָהָם |
248 |
|
David |
דָּוִד |
14 |
|
Jeconiah
the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah |
יְכָנְיָהוּ בֶן-יְהוֹיָקִים מֶלֶךְ-יְהוּדָה |
454 |
|
The
Mashiach |
הַמָּשִׁיחַ |
363 |
|
|
1079 |
Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king
of Judah is the King at the time of exile to Babylon (Jeremiah 24:1), which is the 28th (14 x 2)
generation from Abraham according to Mat 1:17.
1079 is exactly the gematria of the
Hebrew phrase “forty-two” אַרְבָּעִים
וּשְׁתַּיִם, i.e. the forty-two generations of
the Mashiach.
Astonishingly, the first three key names for the 28
generations in gematria is 363, which is exactly the gematria of The Mashiach הַמָּשִׁיחַ, i.e. juxtaposing the Mashiach that is to come:
|
Abraham |
אַבְרָהָם |
248 |
|
David |
דָּוִד |
14 |
|
Jeconiah |
יְכָנְיָהוּ |
101 |
|
|
363 |
If we remove the prefix Hey from
Mashiach from the four key names of the genealogy, the gematria of 1079 is
reduced to 1074, which is 3 x 358, the gematria of Mashiach מָּשִׁיחַ.
The 42 places in the wilderness are each prefixed
with a Mem (from) and Beit (to), the gematria of מ”ב is 42, when this model is applied to the 42
generations of Mashiach:
|
Chesed |
14 |
From
Abraham To David |
מֵאַבְרָהָם בַדּוּד |
304 |
|
Gevurah |
14 |
From David To the Exile of Babylon |
מִדָּוִד בַּגָּלוּת בָּבֶל |
529 |
|
Tiferet |
14 |
From the Exile of Babylon To Mashiach |
מְגָּלוּת בָּבֶל בִּמְשִׁיחַ |
873 |
|
|
42 |
1706 |
1706 = 853 x 2, where 853 is the
mirror image of 358, which is the gematria of Mashiach מָּשִׁיחַ.
The 42 generations is the also the secret of
spelling out the name of YHVH, as follows:
|
|
Number
of letters |
Hebrew
letters |
|
The
name YHVH |
4 |
יהוה |
|
First
spelling out |
10 |
יוד הי ויו הי |
|
Second
spelling out |
28 |
יוד ויו דלת הי יוד ויו יוד ויו הי יוד |
|
|
42 |
Astonishingly, this model is exactly
how the genealogy of Yeshua was arranged, in that there are 14 generations from
Abraham to David, and 28 generations from David to Mashiach.
The initial letter of the three names spell the
name Adam אָדָם, for Mashiach is called the last
Adam.
|
Abraham |
אַבְרָהָם |
248 |
|
David |
דָּוִד |
14 |
|
Mashiach |
מָשִׁיחַ |
358 |
|
|
620 |
Now Abraham is the 20th generation from Adam, it follows that
Mashiach is the 62nd generation from Adam,
with 620 being 10 times 62, and 62 being the mirror image of 26, the gematria
of YHVH, fittingly.
Space, Time and Soul
The soul of a Hebrew letter is its
vowel.
According to the Kabbalists, there are 5 primary
vowel groups and their written forms in gematria add up to exactly 42, as
follows:
|
Name |
Vowel |
Written Form |
Gematria |
|
Cholam |
“o” |
אוֹ |
7 |
|
Chataf and Kamatz |
“a” |
אָה |
6 |
|
Tzeire and Segol |
“e” |
אֵי |
11 |
|
Chirik |
“i” |
אִי |
11 |
|
Shuruk |
“u” |
אוּ |
7 |
|
|
42 |
The secret of the vowels is that of
descending and ascending. Cholam in written form has the “dot” at the top, and
Chirik in written form has the “dot” at the bottom, and the intermediate Shuruk
in written form has the “dot” descending and ascending on the vertical Vav,
i.e. the ladder.
The redemption is that of the ascending,
and the birth of Mashiach is that of descending, all in accordance with the
number 42.
The 42 places in the wilderness is the start of the
first redemption in the dimension of space, and the 42 months in the wilderness
(Rev 11:2, 12:6, 13:5) is the completion of the final redemption in the
dimension of time, the intermediate is Mashiach descending through the 42
generations in the dimension of the soul:
|
42
journeys |
אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁנַיִם מַסָּעוֹת |
1305 |
|
42
generations |
אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁנַיִם דּׂרוֹת |
1339 |
|
42
months |
אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁנַיִם חֳדָשִׁים |
1091 |
|
|
3735 |
The average number is: 3735 / 3 = 1245, which is
exactly the gematria of: “these are the genealogy of the Mashiach” אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת
הַמָּשִׁיחַ.
Masei — Secret of the
Cities of Refuge and Tree of Life
The secret of the six Cities of
Refuge on both sides of the Jordan River is the secret of the Tree of Life.
The Ten Sefirot
Hermon is the highest mountain in
Israel which is covered with snow all winter. When the snow melts it becomes
the Jordan River that flows down into the Sea of Salt, which is the lowest
point in Israel.
Hermon represents the Sefirah of
Keter that follows into the Sefirah of Malchut, which is represented by the Sea
of Salt.
The Jordan River represents the
middle axle of the Tree of Life that consists of the Sefirah of Daat, Tiferet and
Yesod.
There are three crossings on Jordan: Sea of
Galilee, Jabbok, and Jericho, each corresponding to Daat, Tiferet and Yesod.
Their gematria is 474, exactly that of Daat, for the light of Daat flows down
to Tiferet before it reaches Yesod:
|
Sea
of Galilee, Jabbok, Jericho |
יַם הַגָּלִיל יַּבֹּק יְרִיחוֹ |
474 |
|
Daat
– Knowledge |
דַּעַת |
474 |
At the point of Daat where the Sea of
Galilee is, the city of refuge on the east (right) side of the sea is Golan,
corresponding to Chachmah; and the city of refuge on the west (left) side of
the sea is Kedesh, corresponding to Binah.
Sea of Galilee is where the secret of
Torah is revealed, from Wisdom to Understanding, as it were.
At the point of Tiferet, there are
two cities of refuge on each side of the Ford of Jabbok. The city on the east
(right) side is Ramoth, corresponding to Chesed, and the city on the west
(left) side is Shechem, corresponding to Gevurah.
At the point of Yesod, there are two
cities of refuge on each side of the river. The city on the east (right) side
is Bezer, corresponding to Netzach, and the city of the west (left) side is
Hebron, corresponding to Hod.
According to Aryeh Kaplan in his
commentary on Sefer Yetzirah, the entire array of the Sefirot is called the
“Tree of Life”, and the center line, from Keter to Malchut, when taken alone,
is called the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”. It is on this line that
good and evil come together, which is the mystery of the Tree of Knowledge.
Hermon is the Keter and the Sea of
Salt is the Malchut, and the center line is the Jordan River that flows from
Hermon into the Sea of Salt, this is the Tree of Knowledge. When the six cities
of refuges are added to each side of the river, the Tree of Knowledge is
transformed into the Tree of Life:
To illustrate:
|
|
Keter
at Hermon |
|
|
Kedesh
– Binah |
Daat at Sea of Galilee |
Golan – Chachmah |
|
Shechem
– Gevurah |
Tiferet at Jabbok |
Ramoth – Chesed |
|
Hebron
– Hod |
Yesod at Jericho |
Bezer – Netzach |
|
|
Malchut at Sea of Salt |
The Gematria:
|
Hermon |
חֶרְמוֹן |
304 |
|
Jordan
at Jericho |
הַיַּרְדֵּן בִירֵחוֹ |
495 |
|
Sea
of Salt |
יָם הַמֶּלַח |
133 |
|
|
932 |
Astonishingly, 932 is exactly the
gematria of “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” עֵץ
הַדַּעַת טוֹב
וָרָע.
The root of Hermon חֶרְמוֹן is חרם
which can permute to spell chomer חֹמֶר,
which means the raw material, the essence, being the source of all that
manifests in the physical world known as Form, trurah צוּרָה.
Jordan יַּרְדֵּן means to go down, i.e. the flow of energy from
Keter to Malchut.
The Malchut is bitter (cursed) at the
present time, but it will be healed in the Messianic age and the Tree of
Knowledge will be transformed to the Tree of Life (Ezekiel 47:8-12).
The Six Cities
The Hebrew names of the six cities were given in Deu 4:43 and Joshua 20:8, the gematria of the six cities is 2161:
|
Golan |
גּוֹלָן |
89 |
|
Ramoth
at Gilead |
רָאמֹת בַּגִּלְעָד |
750 |
|
Bezer |
בֶּצֶר |
292 |
|
Kedesh |
קֶדֶשׁ |
404 |
|
Shechem |
שְׁכֶם |
360 |
|
Hebron |
חֶבְרוֹן |
266 |
|
|
2161 |
The mid-point number of 2161 is 1081,
which is exactly the gematria of Tiferet תִּפְאֶרֶת, being the mid-point of the central axle of the
Tree of Life.
1081 is the triangle number of 46,
where 46 is the gematria of Levi לֵוִי,
as these cities are the inheritances of the Levites.
The mid-point of the three crossings
is Ford Jabbok יַבֹּק, which in gematria is 112, this is
where Jacob was renamed as Israel, which is Tiferet.
This mid-point is the unification of Keter and
Malchut at Tiferet, corresponding to the three names of God, the gematria is
also 112, as follows:
|
Keter |
Ehyeh |
אֶהְיֶה |
21 |
|
Tiferet |
YHVH |
יְהוָה |
26 |
|
Malchut |
Adonai |
אֲדֹנָי |
65 |
|
|
112 |
The Three Levels of Mashiach
The three pair of cities of refuge
represents the revelation of Mashiach at three levels.
At the level of Daat which is at the
Sea of Galilee, this is Mashiach revealed as Torah, the right side is the
concealed Torah known as Chachman and the left side is the revealed Torah known
as Binah.
The gematria of the two cities of refuge on each
site of Galilee is 568, which is exactly the gematria, the ordinal number and
the “atbash” of Yeshua:
|
Golan,
Kedesh in Galilee |
גּוֹלָן קֶדֶשׁ בַּגָּלִיל |
568 |
The name Yeshua:
|
Yeshua |
יֵשׁוּעַ |
386 |
|
Ordinal
number |
10 + 21 + 6 + 16 |
53 |
|
Atbash |
מבפ”ז |
129 |
|
|
568 |
The gematria of the “refuge” miklat מִּקְלָט is 176, which is the “albm” of Torah, as follows:
|
Torah |
תּוֹרָה |
|
|
Albm |
כפט”ע |
179 |
Yeshua crossed the Sea of Galilee on
water, symbolizing the revelation of the secret of Torah that was hidden under
the water.
At the level of Tiferet which is at
Ford Jabbok, this is Mashiach revealed as the man (Tiferet), the right side is
his first coming, and the left side is his second coming. The first coming is
loving kindness, Chesed; the second coming is judgment, Gevurah.
Two times 176 is 358, which is the
gematria of miklat מִּקְלָט. 358 is the gematria of Mashiach מָּשִׁיחַ as the son of man.
Jacob wrestled with Satan at Jabbok,
symbolizing Yeshua conquered Satan at his first coming.
Jacob crossed the river through the
water, this is the middle axle as the crossing above at Daat is above water,
the crossing below at Yesod is under the water.
At the level of Yesod which is at
Jericho crossing, this is where the Children of Israel crossed the river on dry
land, or under the water, to parallel Yeshua’s crossing at Daat (Galilee) above
the water.
This is also the same place where
Elijah ascended to heaven, and John the Baptist started his ministry, and
Yeshua was baptized.
This symbolizes Israel (believers) in
Mashiach in the image of Mashiach and in the likeness of Mashiach.
The right side of the river
represents the believer as the natural born person, of flesh and blood, the
first nature, this is Netzach, which means victory, that is, one is to overcome
the Yetzer Hara and be victorious.
The left side of the river represents
the believers as the born-again, of spirit and of water, the second nature,
this is Hod, which means praise, that is, the praise to God for the new life.
The three levels are one, as Torah is
the Word of God, and Mashiach is the Word in flesh, and Israel is the born
again new man, Torah in action.
The gematria of “beyond Jordan” עֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן
is 541, exactly the gematria of Israel יִשְׂרָאֵל, for Israel is that which has crossed over the
river, similar to Hebrew which also means he who crossed over the river.
Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge
The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge
is in fact one tree. Why?
In Gen 2:9, it is written that the Tree of Life is in the
midst of the garden בְּתוֹךְ הַגָּן,
and in Gen 3:3, it is written that the tree that is in the midst
of the garden בְּתוֹךְ הַגָּן
shall not be eaten, hence it is clear this is the same tree that is in the
midst of the garden.
At the deeper level, the Tree of Life
is that which is concealed inside, and the Tree of Knowledge is that which is
revealed on the outside.
The analogy would be man, revealed on
the outside as the body, but concealed on the inside as the soul.
The Tree of Life is the essence, the
fruit, the soul, and the Chomer חֹמֶר;
and the Tree of Knowledge is the manifestation of the essence, the shell, the
body and the Trurah צוּרָה.
You shall eat from the Tree of Life,
but not from the Tree of Knowledge, meaning, you shall remove the shell before
you eat the fruit, this is common sense.
God created Adam as both male and
female, male is the Chomer, the essence, also known as the truth, and female is
the Trurah, the manifestation of the essence, also known as the beauty.
The woman was separated from the man,
so the Tree of Knowledge was separated from the Tree of Life at the time when
Adam and Eve rebelled.
Woman is the Tree of Knowledge
relative to man as the Tree of Life, and they are meant to be united as one,
after their separation.
Man is the tree of the field, and
Mashiach is the tree of the garden. It follows that relative to Mashiach, man
is the Tree of Knowledge in the field, and Mashiach is the Tree of Life in the
garden.
God, Torah and Israel is one, the gematria is 1178,
which is the same exact gematria of “Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge of Good
and Evil is one”:
|
YHVH,
Torah, Israel |
יְהוָה תּוֹרָה יִשְׂרָאֵל |
1178 |
|
Tree
of Life and Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is One |
עֵץ הַחַיִּים עֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע אֶחָד |
1178 |
Astonishingly, the ordinal number of
“Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is One” is 233, exactly
the same gematria of “Tree of Life” עֵץ
הַחַיִּים.
The Tree of Life parallels Torah, and
the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil parallels Israel who must choose between
life and death, good and evil, and God is one אֶחָד.
At another level, Mashiach is the
Tree of Life, and Torah is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, for it
depends on how man uses the Torah knowledge to either do good, or to do evil.
Tree of Knowledge is the Tree of
Death עֵץ הַמָּוֶת, which in gematria is 611, exactly the same
gematria of Torah תּוֹרָה.
According to the Rabbis, the sin of
Adam and Eve is that they did not wait for three hours until Shabbat to eat
from the tree, which would be then permissible.
Hence in Lev 19:23 the Children of Israel was commanded to wait
for three years before they can eat the fruit from the tree.
The reason is because the fruit has
foreskin עָרְלָה in need of circumcision.
The foreskin of the Tree of Life is the Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil, for the gematria of the latter is 932, adding 1 as
kollel, 933 is exactly the gematria of the “foreskin of the Tree of Life”:
|
Tree
of Knowledge of Good and Evil |
עֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע |
932 |
|
Foreskin
of the Tree of Life |
עָרְלַת עֵץ הַחַיִּים |
933 |
The Secret of the Cross
The form of the cross has four heads,
to the direction of top and bottom, right and left.
“And a river went out of Eden to
water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.” (Gen 2:10)
From where? From Tiferet, the
mid-point of the river, which is the mid-point of the cross.
Keter is the Eden at the top, and
Malchut is the Garden at the bottom; Chesed is to the right and Gevurah is to
the left, these are the four heads of the river, and four heads of the cross.
Chachmah and Netzach are in Chesed,
and Binah and Hod are in Gevurah, the six Sefirot are two, one on the right
side and one on the left side, with Tiferet at the center, which is the
mid-point.
The sign of cross is represented by
the letter Tav.
There is a Tav ת in the middle of Keter כֶּתֶר, and there is a Tav at both ends of Tiferet תִּפְאֶרֶת, and there is a Tav at the end of Malchut מַלְכוּת.
The four Tavs are the four heads of
the river, the four directions of the cross.
Counting the midpoint, there are actually five
points in the cross, corresponding to the five points of the Sefirot, their
gematria is 2485：
|
North |
Head
– Keter |
כֶּתֶר |
620 |
|
East |
Right – Chesed |
חֶסֶד |
72 |
|
Center |
Midpoint – Tiferet |
תִּפְאֶרֶת |
1081 |
|
West |
Left – Gevurah |
גְּבוּרָה |
216 |
|
South |
Bottom – Malchut |
מַלְכוּת |
496 |
|
|
2485 |
2485 is the triangle number of 70,
representing the 70 nations who have accepted the message of the cross.
Astonishingly, 2485 is also the gematria of the
five books of Torah, as follows:
|
Bereshit,
Vayikra, Devarim |
בְּרֵאשִׁית וַיִּקְרָא הַדְּבָרִים |
1491 |
|
Shemot,
Bamidbar |
שְׁמוֹת בַּמִּדְבָּר |
994 |
|
|
2485 |
The average number of Bereshit,
Vayikra and Devarim is 497 (1491 / 3), corresponding to the three points on the
vertical line of the cross: Keter is Bereshit, Tiferet is Vayikra, and Malchut
is Devarim.
The average number of Shemot and
Bamidar is also 497 (994 / 2), corresponding to the two points on the
horizontal line of the cross: Chesed is Shemot, and Gevurah is Bamidbar.
497 is also the average number of the
five books: 2485 / 5 = 497, and 497 is exactly the gematria of “Joran (river)
is the Tree of Life” יַּרְדֵּן עֵץ
הַחַיִּים.
Mashiach is nailed to the cross, this
is Tree of Life nailed to the Tree of Knowledge in order to transform the curse
of the Tree of Knowledge into the blessing of the Tree of Life.
Torah is nailed to the cross, meaning
the curse of Torah is transformed to the blessing of Torah.
Israel is nailed to the cross,
meaning the believer dies to the sin and lives as a new creation.
The cross was erected at Gulgolet גֻּלְגֹּלֶת, i.e. the skull, and Mashiach worn a Crown of
Thorns כֶּתֶר קוֹצִים
on his head.
The skull is on the head, but it
descend into the ground on the scene, on the other hand the thorns are the
curse of the ground but here again they ascended to the head.
The Galgota symbolizes the descent of the Keter
(crown) to Malchut (kingdom), and the Crown of Thorns symbolizes the ascent of
Malchut to Keter. The difference in gematria is 400, which is exactly the
gematria of letter Tav, the symbol of the cross:
|
Crown
of Thorn |
כֶּתֶר קוֹצִים |
866 |
|
The
Skull (Golgotha) |
גֻּלְגֹּלֶת |
(466) |
|
|
400 |
The gematria of the Tree of Life עֵץ הַחַיִּים
is 233, and the gematria of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil עֵץ הַדַּעַת
טוֹב וָרָע
is 932, the ratio is 1:4, why?
For the Tree of Life is concealed as part of the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
manifests on the outside as the four directions and the four heads of the
cross.
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