DOCSLIB.ORG

Parshat Naso

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Parshat Naso Parshat Naso A free excerpt from the Kehot Publication Society's Chumash Bemidbar/Book of Numbers with commentary based on the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, produced by Chabad of California. The full volume is available for purchase at www.kehot.com. For personal use only. All rights reserved. The right to reproduce this book or portions thereof, in any form, requires permission in writing from Chabad of California, Inc. THE TORAH - CHUMASH BEMIDBAR WITH AN INTERPOLATED ENGLISH TRANSLATION AND COMMENTARY BASED ON THE WORKS OF THE LUBAVITCHER REBBE Copyright © 2006-2009 by Chabad of California THE TORAHSecond,- revisedCHUMASH printingB 2009EMIDBAR WITH AN INTERPOLATED ENGLISH TRANSLATION AND COMMENTARYA BprojectASED ON of THE WORKS OF ChabadTHE LUBAVITCH of CaliforniaREBBE 741 Gayley Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024 310-208-7511Copyright / Fax © 310-208-58112004 by ChabadPublished of California, by Inc. Kehot Publication Society 770 Eastern Parkway,Published Brooklyn, by New York 11213 Kehot718-774-4000 Publication / Fax 718-774-2718 Society 770 Eastern Parkway,[email protected] Brooklyn, New York 11213 718-774-4000 / Fax 718-774-2718 Order Department: 291 KingstonOrder Avenue, Department: Brooklyn, New York 11213 291 Kingston718-778-0226 Avenue / /Brooklyn, Fax 718-778-4148 New York 11213 718-778-0226www.kehot.com / Fax 718-778-4148 www.kehotonline.com All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book All rightsor portions reserved, thereof, including in any the form, right without to reproduce permission, this book or portionsin writing, thereof, from in anyChabad form, of without California, permission, Inc. in writing, from Chabad of California, Inc. The Kehot logo is a trademark ofThe Merkos Kehot L’Inyonei logo is a Chinuch,trademark Inc. of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-8266-0193-3 ISBN:ISBN 978-0-8266-0195-2 0-8266-0193-6 (set) PublishedPublished in in the the United United States States of of America America The Book of Numbers Parshat Naso 5769/2009 ISBN 978-0-8266-0191-9 This book contains the Hebrew Text of the Torah, and therefore opens and is read GENESIS Bereishit Noach Lech Lecha Vayeira Chayei Sarah Toldot Vayeitzei Vayishlach Vayeishev Mikeitz Vayigash Vayechi EXODUS Shemot Vaeira Bo Beshalach Yitro Mishpatim Terumah Tetzaveh Tisa Vayakheil Pekudei LEVITICUS Vayikra Tzav Shemini Tazria Metzora Acharei Mot Kedoshim Emor Behar Bechukotai NUMBERS Bemidbar נשא Naso 35 Beha’alotecha Shelach Korach Chukat Balak Pinchas Matot Masei DEUTERONOMY Devarim Va’etchanan Eikev Re’eh Shoftim Teitzei Tavo Netzavim Vayeilech Ha’azinu Vezot Habrachah נָשֹׂא 35Naso Overview arashat Naso begins with the continuation of the narrative begun in the preceding parashah, Bemidbar. Parashat Bemidbar concluded with the conscription of the Levite clan of Kehat into the Temple service, and parashat Naso begins with Pthe conscription of the other two Levite clans, Gershon and Merari. This already seems strange: why do we break between the parashiot in the middle of the story of the Levites’ conscription? But this is only the beginning. Gershon was the oldest son of Levi, followed by Kehat and Merari. Why was the clan of Kehat plucked out of its natural place, following Gershon, and artificially grafted on to the end of the preceding parashah? Furthermore, if we look at the outline of parashat Naso, it appears to be a succession of seemingly unrelated topics: 1. the conscription of the Levite clans of Gershon and Merari into the Temple service, 2. the exclusion of defiled people from the camp, 3. details of the laws of theft, 4. the procedure for testing a suspected adulteress (sotah), 5. the laws of the Nazirite, 6. the priestly blessings, 7. the installation offerings of the leaders of the tribes, and 8. the manner in which God spoke with Moses in the Tabernacle. If we look at the dates of these events, the picture becomes even more confusing: 1. the continuation of the preceding parashah’s narration of the census, taken on the first of Iyar, 2449, 2. returning to the narration of the events of a month previous, the first of Nisan, 2449, 3-5. legal material (given between Sivan 2448 and Iyar 2449) 6-8. returning again to the narration of the events of the first of Nisan, 2449. Why does the parashah begin at one point in history—the eve of setting out into the desert—and then backtrack to the events of the preceding month (interrupting itself with legal material in the middle)? 25 OVERVIEW OF NASO Our first clue is the fact that the clan of Kehat, as we said, was drafted first. According to the Midrash,1 the Torah gives precedence to the clan of Kehat because they carried the Ark of the Covenant, which housed the tablets. Since they carried the Torah, the means through which the Jew binds himself to God, they are described first. Now, the idiom used for “taking a census” throughout these two parashiot is “lifting up the head.” As we have explained,2 counting the people summoned forth their otherwise latent capacities necessary for conscription into God’s “army” on the eve of their journey into the desert. It is this idiom of elevation that both begins parashat Naso and gives it its name—Naso means “lift up.” Since this is the name of the whole parashah, the whole parashah describes the uplift that preceded the journey into the wilderness. But the parashah begins: “Take a census of the clan of Gershon, too.” The fact that the clan of Gershon’s tally is presented as secondary to that of the clan of Kehat, almost as an after thought, indicates that the real tallying, the real “raising the head,” is that done to the clan of Kehat. This is because, as we said, the clan of Kehat carried the Ark of the Covenant, which housed the Torah. The Torah is the real means by which we “raise our heads,” that is, ascend to higher levels of Divine consciousness. It is for this reason that the clan of Kehat is counted first.3 When our mind is elevated, our whole life is elevated together with it, so, once the clan of Kehat have been “lifted up,” we can raise the clan of Gershon, too. In fact, the Torah’s power to raise us higher than the material world is manifest most fully not when it raises our consciousness but when it elevates our mundane, daily lives. This is why the parashiot of Bemidbar and Naso are split between the censuses of the clans of Kehat and Gershon: in this way, parashat Naso begins with the census of the clan of Gershon, teaching us that we achieve the real “lifting up the heads” when this affects our mundane lives, as well.4 Furthermore, placing the census of the clan of Gershon at the beginning of parashat Naso highlights the advantage of action over study. As we have seen previously, Torah study and the concrete performance of God’s commandments are superior to one another in different ways: Torah study unites us consciously with God, but only affects our intellect. In contrast, performing the commandments unites us with God only subliminally, but this union pervades the physical body. Recording the census of the clan of Kehat first emphasizes the superiority of Torah study; arranging the parashiot so the clan of Gershon’s census introduces parashat Naso emphasizes the superiority of performing the commandments. he journey into the desert actually began on Iyar 20, 2449, and this is recorded only half way through the next parashah, Beha’alotecha.5 Thus, all of Bemidbar, all of T Naso, and half of Beha’alotecha are concerned with the preparations for the journey; everything described in these parashiot is a prerequisite that we must complete before we venture into the spiritual desert in order to subdue it to holiness. Inasmuch as the theme of parashat Naso is how studying the Torah elevates us (particularly when it is consummated in the performance of God’s commandments), it follows that every thing recorded in this parashah illustrates a successive stage in this process of elevation. Once we have been conscripted into God’s army, the next phase of preparation is self purification. In order to emerge victorious from the battle against evil, we need first to rid 1. Bemidbar Rabbah where?. 2. Overview to Bemidbar and commentary to Numbers 1:2. 3. Sefer HaSichot 5750, vol. 2, p. 499. 4. Sefer HaSichot 5750, vol. 2, p. 499, n. 56; Sefer HaSichot 5751, vol. 2, p. 583. 5. Below, 11:10. 26 OVERVIEW OF NASO ourselves, as far as possible, of any trace of evil within, to rise above petty mundaneness. In this vein, the laws of banishing defilement from the camp, theft, the suspected adulteress, and the Nazirite all serve to inspire us to aspire to the highest levels of purity and holiness. Do we harbor any impure motives in our hearts? Have we misappropriated any of the means we intend to use in the fight? Are we truly loyal to our Divine Spouse? Have we renounced methodology that intoxicates us with false illusions about the reality we are about to engage? In particular, the institution of naziritehood teaches us that we can rise so high in sanctity that our physical bodies become holy objects.6 The crown of success placed on our strivings toward purification is the priestly blessing. By going beyond ourselves, “lifting our heads” beyond our normal way of living, we earn God’s response in kind: “May God lift up His face upon you,” favoring us beyond what we deserve. The following section of the parashah is the account of the installation offerings, in which the Torah details how each prince brought the same offering.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Spark, the Tribe Parasha Activity Sheet That Will Help You Bring Judaism to Life in a Varied and Exciting Way
    Welcome to Spark, the Tribe Parasha activity sheet that will help you bring Judaism to life in a varied and exciting way. I’d like these activities to enthuse the children and show them how the Torah given almost 3500 years ago is still as relevant and as exciting in our lives today. Thank you for offering to run a Children’s Service, for all the hard work you put into it and for making a real difference to so many young people. The US is very proud of the numerous Children’s Services that are run every week across the UK and this would not happen without you. Spark gives you an overview of the weekly Parasha, songs, an activity, discussion questions or D’var Torah linked to the Parasha or important event that week. Every Children’s Service will be different, in terms of how many participants there are, their age range, its length and the varying abilities of the children. Please read through the document and find the activities that will best suit the needs of your group. It is advisable to read it before Shabbat in case there is some preparation that may be needed in advance. I am sure the children at your shul will benefit from Spark. Please be in touch if you have any queries, feedback or if we can be of any help. Thank you again for the work you do in enabling so many young Jews to access their heritage and traditions in such an exciting way. All it takes is a small spark of interest, to ignite a flame of passion for Judaism.
    [Show full text]
  • Rebuke in Tanḥuma- Yelammedenu Literature
    chapter 8 An Inescapable Obligation: Rebuke in Tanḥuma- Yelammedenu Literature The final chapter of our exploration of early Jewish and Christian responses to Lev. 19:17 takes us to a late (or “post-classical”) midrashic text of ambigu- ous provenance: Midrash Tanḥuma. Like the term Midrash, Tanḥuma refers to both a process or genre of literature and an actual work.1 What I shall refer to as Tanḥuma Yelammedenu or simply Yelammedenu denotes a process or genre of Midrash that involves a particular set of features, especially a record of stu- dents requesting of a teacher that he teach them – yelammedenu rabbenu, the phrase from which this genre derives its name.2 Yelammedenu traditions ap- pear in a number of later midrashic texts including Shemot Rabbah, Bemidbar Rabbah, and Devarim Rabbah, as well as Pesiqta Rabbati. What I shall designate here as Midrash Tanḥuma or simply Tanḥuma is a collection of midrashim or- ganized according to a triennial cycle of Pentateuchal readings. This collec- tion, which will be our primary focus, appears in two main versions typically referred to as the “printed edition” and the “Buber edition,” the latter named for its editor Salomon Buber. Previous generations of scholars debated the existence of an “early Tanḥuma” that preserved more “original” versions of the traditions found in our extant collections.3 There has also been significant debate over the dating of the Tanḥuma collections more generally. Contemporary work on Tanḥuma Yelammedenu suggests that this genre “began to crystallize toward the end of the Byzantine period in Palestine (5–7th cen. CE), but continued to evolve and spread throughout the Diaspora well into the Middle Ages, sometimes devel- oping different recensions of a common text.”4 The major versions of Midrash Tanḥuma as we know them stem from the medieval period with the printed edition likely redacted in geonic Babylonia and the Buber edition redacted in 1 See Bregman, Sifrut Tanḥuma-Yelammedenu, chap.
    [Show full text]
  • Moses Hayim Luzzatto's Quest for Providence
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 10-2014 'Like Iron to a Magnet': Moses Hayim Luzzatto's Quest for Providence David Sclar Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/380 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] “Like Iron to a Magnet”: Moses Hayim Luzzatto’s Quest for Providence By David Sclar A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in History in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The City University of New York 2014 © 2014 David Sclar All Rights Reserved This Manuscript has been read and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in History in satisfaction of the Dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Prof. Jane S. Gerber _______________ ____________________________________ Date Chair of the Examining Committee Prof. Helena Rosenblatt _______________ ____________________________________ Date Executive Officer Prof. Francesca Bregoli _______________________________________ Prof. Elisheva Carlebach ________________________________________ Prof. Robert Seltzer ________________________________________ Prof. David Sorkin ________________________________________ Supervisory Committee iii Abstract “Like Iron to a Magnet”: Moses Hayim Luzzatto’s Quest for Providence by David Sclar Advisor: Prof. Jane S. Gerber This dissertation is a biographical study of Moses Hayim Luzzatto (1707–1746 or 1747). It presents the social and religious context in which Luzzatto was variously celebrated as the leader of a kabbalistic-messianic confraternity in Padua, condemned as a deviant threat by rabbis in Venice and central and eastern Europe, and accepted by the Portuguese Jewish community after relocating to Amsterdam.
    [Show full text]
  • June 10, 2016 Parsha Bemidbar 4 Sivan 5776 Light Candles 7:38 Pm
    Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School Paula Tannen Preschool June 10, 2016 Parsha Bemidbar 4 Sivan 5776 Light Candles 7:38 pm They’re Back! Welcome back 8th grade from Israel! The excitement was palpable in the halls of Hebrew Day on Thursday. At any moment the graduating class of 2016 would be arriving back from their trip to Israel. Along with their amazing chaperones, Morah Alysa Segal and Mr. Yisroel Weiser, they spent 10 glorious, jam packed days touring our homeland and forging a long lasting connection with each other and the land of Israel! As the bus pulled up, the students were greeted with cheers and a beautifully decorated banner by our Kindergarten class. There were hugs, screams of excitement, and a room full of students awaiting them inside. As they entered the common area all the students In This Issue: cheered and high fives were all around. Morah Weiser put together a slideshow of their adventure for them to relive those amazing moments they shared. The entire Calendar 2 school got to get a small glimpse into the amazing experience! Morah Weiser took a poll at the end and the response was unanimous, every student in Hebrew Day wants Parshat Bemidbar 3 to have the same opportunity when they graduate Hebrew Day! Perhaps the most beautiful part of the welcome was seeing the absolute pure joy of the students seeing 8th grade in Israel 4 their older peers back in the building. The 8th grade were touched by the welcome The Soille Scene 5 and left with a warm community feeling, as they headed home to get a good night’s Soille
    [Show full text]
  • Most Common Jewish First Names in Israel Edwin D
    Names 39.2 (June 1991) Most Common Jewish First Names in Israel Edwin D. Lawson1 Abstract Samples of men's and women's names drawn from English language editions of Israeli telephone directories identify the most common names in current usage. These names, categorized into Biblical, Traditional, Modern Hebrew, and Non-Hebrew groups, indicate that for both men and women over 90 percent come from Hebrew, with the Bible accounting for over 70 percent of the male names and about 40 percent of the female. Pronunciation, meaning, and Bible citation (where appropriate) are given for each name. ***** The State of Israel represents a tremendous opportunity for names research. Immigrants from traditions and cultures as diverse as those of Yemen, India, Russia, and the United States have added their onomastic contributions to the already existing Jewish culture. The observer accustomed to familiar first names of American Jews is initially puzzled by the first names of Israelis. Some of them appear to be biblical, albeit strangely spelled; others appear very different. What are these names and what are their origins? Benzion Kaganoffhas given part of the answer (1-85). He describes the evolution of modern Jewish naming practices and has dealt specifi- cally with the change of names of Israeli immigrants. Many, perhaps most, of the Jews who went to Israel changed or modified either personal or family name or both as part of the formation of a new identity. However, not all immigrants changed their names. Names such as David, Michael, or Jacob required no change since they were already Hebrew names.
    [Show full text]
  • TORAH SPARKS Meat with Milk - Like Blood, Another Symbol of Life
    ב׳׳ה (Dvar Torah continued from front page…) so bitterly about missing meat that God sent enough quail to kill them (Bemidbar 11:4-34). With the building of the Mishkan and institution of the sacrifices, the consumption of meat was both limited, and elevated, further. One could only eat the meat of certain kosher animals (see Vayikra 11 Parashat Shmini, and Devarim 14:3-21 in our parashah), and only then when bringing them as a korban shelamim (peace offering) - the main course of a shared holy meal with the priests and God. And to the prohibition of consuming blood, the Torah added the prohibition of eating TORAH SPARKS meat with milk - like blood, another symbol of life. With everything trending in that direction, it may seem odd that in our parashah Parashat Re’eh we find a verse that widens the consumption of meat. Deuteronomy 12:20 says “When the LORD your God expands your borders, as he has promised you, and Shabbat Rosh Hodesh you say, ‘I shall eat some meat’, because you long to eat meat; you may eat meat August 31, 2019 | 30 Av 5779 whenever you wish.” We might have expected this to mean that altars would be Annual (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17): Etz Hayim p. 1061-1084; Hertz p. 799-818 set up throughout Israelite territory so that one would not have to travel to bring Triennial (Deuteronomy 15:1-16:17): Etz Hayim p. 1076-1084; Hertz p. 811-818 and consume sacrificial meat. But with the Torah’s preference for a single Haftarah (Isaiah 66:1-24,23): Etz Hayim p.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Groningen Moses and His Parents Ruiten, J.T.A.G.M
    University of Groningen Moses and His Parents Ruiten, J.T.A.G.M. van Published in: EPRINTS-BOOK-TITLE IMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite from it. Please check the document version below. Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Publication date: 2006 Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database Citation for published version (APA): Ruiten, J. T. A. G. M. V. (2006). Moses and His Parents: The Intertextual Relationship between Exodus 1. In EPRINTS-BOOK-TITLE s.n.. Copyright Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Download date: 26-09-2021 Moses and His Parents: The Intertextual Relationship between Exodus 1:22-2:10 and Jubilees 47:1-9 J. T. A. G. M. van Ruiten 1. Introduction The book of Jubilees consists of a rewriting of the biblical narrative of the book of Genesis: the primeval history and the history of the patriarchs, with a special emphasis on Jacob.
    [Show full text]
  • Lesson 8.Key
    Revelation Chapter 7 Lesson 8 Revelation 7:1-2 1 After this I saw four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth, grasping the four winds of the earth in order that no wind might blow upon the earth, nor upon the sea, nor upon any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun having the seal of the living God, and he cried out with a great voice to the four angels who had been given permission to harm the earth and the sea, Revelation 7:3 3 saying do not harm the earth nor the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the slaves of our God upon their foreheads. Revelation 7:4-6 4 And I heard the number of the ones having been sealed, one hundred forty four thousand, being sealed out of all the tribes of the sons of Israel. 5 out of the tribe of Ruben, twelve thousand, out of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand, 6 out of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand, out of the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand, out of the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand, Revelation 7:7-8 7 out of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand, out of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand, out of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand, 8 out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand, out of the tribe Joseph, twelve thousand, out of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand, having been sealed. Genesis 49 Num.1:20-4312 Tribes Deut.
    [Show full text]
  • Manasseh: Reflections on Tribe, Territory and Text
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Vanderbilt Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Archive MANASSEH: REFLECTIONS ON TRIBE, TERRITORY AND TEXT By Ellen Renee Lerner Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Religion August, 2014 Nashville, Tennessee Approved: Professor Douglas A. Knight Professor Jack M. Sasson Professor Annalisa Azzoni Professor Herbert Marbury Professor Tom D. Dillehay Copyright © 2014 by Ellen Renee Lerner All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many people I would like to thank for their role in helping me complete this project. First and foremost I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the members of my dissertation committee: Professor Douglas A. Knight, Professor Jack M. Sasson, Professor Annalisa Azzoni, Professor Herbert Marbury, and Professor Tom Dillehay. It has been a true privilege to work with them and I hope to one day emulate their erudition and the kind, generous manner in which they support their students. I would especially like to thank Douglas Knight for his mentorship, encouragement and humor throughout this dissertation and my time at Vanderbilt, and Annalisa Azzoni for her incredible, fabulous kindness and for being a sounding board for so many things. I have been lucky to have had a number of smart, thoughtful colleagues in Vanderbilt’s greater Graduate Dept. of Religion but I must give an extra special thanks to Linzie Treadway and Daniel Fisher -- two people whose friendship and wit means more to me than they know.
    [Show full text]
  • Parsha Perspectives OZER ALPORT
    PARSHAS NASO SIVAN 5768 7 JUNE 2008 Parsha Perspectives OZER ALPORT asked him why he was willing to part with such an irreplaceable and holy והקטירם הכהן המזבחה לחם אשה ניחח כל חלב לד‘ (3:16) family heirloom when he could have “The Kohen shall cause them to go up in smoke on the Altar, the food of easily attained a simple set of kosher tefillin. Rabbi Alter responded by the fire for a satisfying aroma, all the choice parts of Hashem.” quoting the words of Maimonides, who teaches that we must be willing to ast week we ended the book of Exodus, which revolved around the Exodus give up our most precious possessions from Egypt, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and the construction for the sake of Hashem’s mitzvot. of the Tabernacle. This week, we begin the book of Leviticus, which deals L After studying the inspiring stories of largely with the laws pertaining to the Tabernacle and the Kohanim (Priests) who our forefathers in the book of Genesis served therein. and of their salvation from Egypt in the book of Exodus, many people find it Parshas Vayikra introduces us to a of the Gerrer Chassidim. He was once difficult to relate to the esoteric subjects number of the various Korbanos approached by one of his followers, discussed in the book of Leviticus. (sacrifices) which were offered in the who lamented that he had lost his Although Maimonides rules that Tabernacle and their pertinent laws. One tefillin. As tefillin are quite expensive, this concept of using our choicest of the sacrifices is the Korban Shelamim the man was also worried that it would possessions applies to all mitzvot, (Peace-Offering).
    [Show full text]
  • Reprinted for 20 Menachem-Av, 5775 , “And It Will Be, If You Will Diligently Obey...”}
    humt ktur kert, f"; nbjo-tc vw,ag"v nbjo-tc f"; kert, ktur humt Reprinted for 20 Menachem-Av, 5775 51 rntn iugna, ceg vwhvu Maamar VIHAYAH EIKEV TISHMAUN KUNTRES 2O MENACHEM AV, 5747 (Sefer HaMaamarim Meluket, Vol. II, p. 67ff.) By the Grace of G-d Shabbos Parshas Eikev 20 Menachem-Av, 5727 ohypanv ,t iugna, ceg vwhvu o,t o,hagu o,rnau vktv “And it shall come to pass that when (eikev) you heed these ordinances, and you observe and perform them.”1 he question regarding the wording of this verse is well Tknown:2 Since man is given free choice with regard to the observance of the Torah and its mitzvos, the verse should have said “...if you heed these ordinances,” {as it is written:3 ot ufk, h,ueujc “If you will walk in My statutes...” guna ot vhvu ugna,, “And it will be, if you will diligently obey...”}. Why is it written: “And it shall come to pass that when you heed...”, implying that the Jews’ observance is a definite certainty? 1. Devarim 7:12. 2. See Or HaTorah, Eikev, the maamar entitled Vihayah Eikev, p. 491; see also the maamarim of this title in the series of maamarim entitled BeShaah SheHikdimu, 5672, Vol. I, p. 365 (5673) and p. 580 (5674). See also the commentary of the Or HaChayim. Note also Rashi’s commentary to this verse which interprets the phrase as mean- ing: “If you will observe the light mitzvos....” See also the commentaries to Rashi. 3. Vayikra 26:13. 52 / ANTICIPATING THE REDEMPTION cx"s/ The Tzemach Tzedek interprets4 the word eikev as referring to scr p,j the time of ikvesa diMeshicha (the era in which Mashiach’s - - vhkukt ak vrv"d ak vhkukt vx,keu, huo tc' approaching footsteps can be heard).
    [Show full text]
  • King David's Double Recognition at Hebron According to Josephus
    RCatT XXXI/2 (2006) 269-281 © Facultat de Teologia de Catalunya KING DAVID’S DOUBLE RECOGNITION AT HEBRON ACCORDING TO JOSEPHUS Christopher BEGG 1. Introduction 2 Sam 5,1-3 and 1 Chr 11,1-3 tell a largely similar story of David’s recogni- tion as king by a group of Israelites at Hebron. Whereas this is the only such happening in Samuel, the Chronicler goes on, after an extended interlude (11,4– 12,22) dealing with other matters,1 to relate a similar such happening in 12,23- 40. Josephus too, in his Antiquitates judaicae (hereafter Ant. 7.53-60)2 narrates a two-stage pan-Israelite acclamation of David’s kingship at Hebron. In contrast to the Chronicler, however, the historian recounts the two moments of the king’s recognition back-to-back, just as his presentation of both moments evidences numerous differences vis-à-vis the biblical account(s). In this essay then I wish to focus on the Josephan version of David’s encounters with the Israelites who come to him at Hebron. More specifically, my study will address several wider questions: (1) In recounting the initial Hebron happening did Josephus draw on both (slightly different) accounts in 2 Sam 5,1-3 and 1 Chr 11,1-3 or rather did he limit himself to one of these to the exclusion of the other? (2) Can anything be ascertained about the text-form(s) of 2 Sam 5,1-3 and/or 1 Chr 11,1-3; 12,23- 40 used by Josephus? And (3) What sort of rewriting techniques has Josephus 1.
    [Show full text]