BS”D (B’Siyata D’Shamaya) Aramaic: With the help of Heaven NAZAREAN TALMUD Sidra Of B’resheet (Gen.) 31:3 – 32:3 By: H. Em. Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu ben Abraham SCHOOL OF HAKHAM SHAUL SCHOOL OF HAKHAM TSEFET Tosefta Peshat Luke Lk 6:27-42) Yehudah 4-5 "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those For certain men1 have subtly who hate you, bless those who mistreat you. If any man strikes you on entered2 in among you secretly3 who 4 the cheek, offer the other also, and if someone takes your coat, do not were from antiquity inscribed for hold back from giving him your shirt as well. Give to everyone who begs this judgment as evil ungodly persons, you, and if anyone takes away your things, do not ask for them back. changing the loving-kindness of our G-d into licentiousness5 and the only And do for others just as you would have them do for you.” LORD G-d and denying our only Master Yeshua HaMashiach. But I And if you love those who love you, what kind of loving-kindness is that will adjure you, to return to full for you? For even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good knowledge (Da’at through the Mesorah to those who do good to you, what kind of loving-kindness is that to – Oral Torah) ONCE, given to the you? Even the sinners do the same! And if you lend to those from whom Jewish Tsadiqim (saints), that the you expect to receive back, what kind of loving-kindness is that to you? LORD delivered a people out of the Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they may get back an equal land of Mitzrayim (Egypt), and amount! But love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting no afterwards destroyed those who were interest, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the unfaithful. Highest, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate! And do not judge, and you will not be judged negatively. And do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you, a good measure pressed down, shaken, overflowing will they pour out into your bosom. For midda kneged midda (measure for measure), it will be measured out to you in return." And he gave them an analogy: "Amen v’amen a blind person cannot lead the blind, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? A Talmid (disciple) is not superior to his Hakham, but everyone, when he is fully trained, will be like his Hakham. And why do you look for the sliver of wood that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the beam of wood that is in your own eye? How are you able to say to your brother, "Brother, allow me to remove the sliver of wood that is in your eye," while you yourself do not see the beam of wood in your own eye? You Painted ones (hypocrites)! First remove the beam of wood from your 1 “Certain Men” are juxtaposed against the 7 Men who strengthen and build the Congregation to perfection. The 7 men build and these “certain men” tear down and seek to destroy. 2 παρεισδύω – pareisduo, infiltrated, used only here. Yehudah does not bring charges against those “outside” the Esnoga – Synagogue. His charges are against those who have infiltrated or “crept in.” 3 Verbal and thematic connection to B’resheet 31:17-21 4 Appointed to judgment. 5 σέβομαι containing the idea of turning back into immorality. Page 1 of 11 BS”D (B’Siyata D’Shamaya) Aramaic: With the help of Heaven own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the sliver that is in your brother's eye!” HAKHAM SHAUL’S SCHOOL OF REMES II LUQAS – (ACTS) 18.12- 28 But, when Gallio6 was proconsul of Achaia,7 some of the Shammaite Jews made a united attack and revolted against Hakham Shaul and brought him to the place of judgment,8 saying, “This fellow persuades humanity to worship9 God contrary to the (our interpretation of the) law.” And just as Hakham Shaul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Shammaite Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. But if it is a question of words and names and your own interpretation of the law, look10 to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.” And he dismissed them from the place of judgment. Then all the Hellenists11 took Sosthenes, the ruler of the Synagogue, and beat him in front of the place of judgment. But, Gallio would not pay attention to these things. II LUQAS (ACTS) 18:18 - 23 So Hakham Shaul, after remaining in Achaia for a considerable time (three and one-half years), said goodbye to the brethren and sailed away to Syria, and he took Priscilla and Aquila with him. He dedicated himself to gathering the souls of the exiles12 at Cenchrea (Corinth), because he had taken a vow. So they arrived at Ephesus, and those he left behind there, but he himself entered into the Synagogue and discussed the Mesorah of the Master with the Jewish brethren. And when they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined, saying farewell and telling them, “I will return to you again if it is God’s will,” and he set sail from Ephesus. And when he arrived at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the congregation (at Yerushalayim), and went down to Antioch. And after spending some time (three and one-half years) there, he departed, traveling through one place after another in the Galatian region and Phrygia, making all his talmidim to stand. Now a certain Jewish Ish (Royal man) named Apollos, a native Alexandrian, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man who was well-versed13 in the written Torah. This Ish (man) had been instructed in the way of the LORD14 (God), and having a burning enthusiasm, he spoke and taught with accuracy the things concerning Yeshua, although he knew only the immersion of Yochanan. And he began to speak openly of his faithful obedience to Yeshua15 in the Synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained (Mesorah as handed down by the Master, the Oral Traditions) the way of God to him more accurately i.e. The most precise and rigorous interpretation of the Mosaic (Oral Torah) law, and observance of the more minute precepts of the law and tradition.16 And when he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brethren 6 “One who lives on milk” 7 “Trouble” 8 βῆμα – bema 9 Hakham Shaul’s choice of Greek words here shows that the view of WORSHIP – Service to G-d is a direct confrontation to Shammaite theology and the strict legalism of their teachings. 10 Here the vocabulary implies understanding, knowing or perceiving the intent is to handle these matters yourself or among yourselves. 11 NU-Text reads [they all]. 12 Lit. cut his hair (head). It may be that Shaul may have taken a Nazarite vow in this pericope. This may or may not be the “vow” that he took when he was arrested in Yerushalayim. We have translated here that he dedicated himself to searching out the lost souls of the exiles among the Gentiles. This aligns itself with the understanding that he was sent to the “Gentiles” and Hakham Tsefet was sent to the Jewish brethren to teach the Master’s Mesorah. Cf. Gal 2:7. 13 Full of virtuous authority in relation to the Written Torah 14 Code for the Mesorah (Oral Teachings) of the Master 15 Cf. TDNT 5:879 C. The New Testament 16Strong, J. (1996). The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship. G196 Page 2 of 11 BS”D (B’Siyata D’Shamaya) Aramaic: With the help of Heaven encouraged him and wrote to the talmidim to welcome him. When he arrived, he assisted greatly those who had faithfully obeyed through God’s loving-kindness (chesed). For he was vigorously refuting the Shammaite Jews in public, demonstrating through the Written and Oral Toroth that Yeshua is HaMashiach. Nazarean Codicil to be read in conjunction with the following Torah Sedarim, Gen 31:3 – 32:3 Psalm 26 Jer 30:10-18, 22 Jude 4-5 Lk 6:27-42 Acts 18.12- 28 COMMENTARY TO HAKHAM TSEFET’S SCHOOL OF PESHAT We have already stated that Yehudah is the amanuensis of Hakham Tsefet. Therefore, our reference to Hakham Tsefet or Yehudah should be understood as a joint effort between these two men in authoring this treatise. Yehudah is an integral part of this process. Therefore, we remind our readers that we may refer to Yehudah as the “author” of this document. However, we intend that Yehudah was the amanuensis of Hakham Tsefet. We also refer to Yehudah as Hakham Yehudah because he was a Hakham serving as a Paqid to the Bench as noted in our previous pericope. CATECHISTIC QUESTIONS PRESENTED BY HAKHAM YEHUDAH/HAKHAM TSEFET • How does changing the Chesed of G-d into licentiousness, relate to those who do not have a part in the Olam HaBa? • Why does Hakham Yehudah find his heterodox audience not believing that Yeshua is the Messiah? • How does the pericope of Hakham Yehudah relate to the Festival calendar? • How does denial of the Mesorah/Oral Torah deem one as heterodox? • How does the lie of “changing the loving-kindness of our G-d into licentiousness” makes a seedbed for modern religion, which focuses on misconstrued notions of sexuality? ADJUDICATION For certain men have subtly entered in among you secretly17 who were from antiquity inscribed for this judgment as evil ungodly persons! Yehudah’s adjudication is about those who have committed crimes heterodoxly.