Va'etchanan (parsha) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Va'etchanan ( —
Va'etchanan ( — Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
for "and I pleaded," the first word in the parashah
The term ''parashah'' ( he, פָּרָשָׁה ''Pārāšâ'', "portion", Tiberian , Sephardi , plural: ''parashot'' or ''parashiyot'', also called ''parsha'') formally means a section of a biblical book in the Masoretic Text of the Tanakh (Heb ...
) is the 45th weekly Torah portion
It is a custom among religious Jewish communities for a weekly Torah portion to be read during Jewish prayer services on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. The full name, ''Parashat HaShavua'' ( he, פָּרָשַׁת הַשָּׁבוּעַ), is po ...
(, ''parashah'') in the annual Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
cycle of Torah reading
Torah reading (; ') is a Judaism, Jewish religion, religious tradition that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Sefer Torah, Torah scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the scroll (or scrolls) fro ...
and the second in the Book of Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy ( grc, Δευτερονόμιον, Deuteronómion, second law) is the fifth and last book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called (Hebrew: hbo, , Dəḇārīm, hewords Moses.html"_;"title="f_Moses">f_Moseslabel=none)_and_th ...
. It comprises . The parashah tells how Moses
Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
asked to see the Land of Israel
The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...
, made arguments to obey the law, recounted setting up the Cities of Refuge, recited the Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
and the ''Shema'', and gave instructions for the Israelites
The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan.
The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...
' conquest of the Land.
The parashah is made up of 7,343 Hebrew letters, 1,878 Hebrew words, 122 verses, and 249 lines in a Torah Scroll (''Sefer Torah
A ( he, סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה; "Book of Torah"; plural: ) or Torah scroll is a handwritten copy of the Torah, meaning the five books of Moses (the first books of the Hebrew Bible). The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Tora ...
''). Jews in the Diaspora
A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...
generally read it in late July or August.
It is always read on the special Sabbath ''Shabbat Nachamu
Special Shabbatot are Jewish Shabbat days on which special events are commemorated. Variations in the liturgy and special customs differentiate them from the regular Sabbaths and each one is referred to by a special name; many communities also ad ...
'', the Sabbath immediately after ''Tisha B'Av
Tisha B'Av ( he, תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב ''Tīšʿā Bəʾāv''; , ) is an annual fast day in Judaism, on which a number of disasters in Jewish history occurred, primarily the destruction of both Solomon's Temple by the Neo-Babylonian E ...
''. As the parashah describes how the Israelites would sin and be banished from the Land of Israel, Jews also read part of the parashah as the Torah reading for the morning (''Shacharit
''Shacharit'' ( he, שַחֲרִית ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning ''tefillah'' (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers.
Different traditions identify different primary components of ...
'') prayer service on ''Tisha B'Av'', which commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple
Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple (, , ), was the Temple in Jerusalem between the 10th century BC and . According to the Hebrew Bible, it was commissioned by Solomon in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited by th ...
and Second Temple
The Second Temple (, , ), later known as Herod's Temple, was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem between and 70 CE. It replaced Solomon's Temple, which had been built at the same location in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited ...
in Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
Readings
In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, theparashah
The term ''parashah'' ( he, פָּרָשָׁה ''Pārāšâ'', "portion", Tiberian , Sephardi , plural: ''parashot'' or ''parashiyot'', also called ''parsha'') formally means a section of a biblical book in the Masoretic Text of the Tanakh (Heb ...
is divided into seven readings, or , '' aliyot''. In the masoretic text
The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...
of the Tanakh
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''
Moses exhorted the Israelites to heed God's laws, not to add anything to them, and not to take anything away from them, so that they might live to enter and occupy the land that God was giving them. Moses noted that in the sin of Baal-peor, God wiped out every person who followed Baal-peor, while preserving alive those who held fast to God. The first reading ends here.
Because the Israelites saw no shape when God spoke to them out of the fire at Horeb, Moses warned them not to make for themselves a sculptured image in any likeness whatever — the form of a man, woman, beast, bird, creeping thing, or fish. And when they looked up and saw the sun, moon, stars, and heaven, they were not to be lured into bowing down to them or serving them, for God allotted those things to other peoples, but God took the Israelites and brought them out of
God said the Ten Commandments:
*"I the Lord am your God."
*"You shall have no other gods beside Me. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters below the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them." A closed portion ends with (5:10 in NJPS).See, e.g., ''The Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Devarim/Deuteronomy''. Edited by Menachem Davis, page 40.
*"You shall not swear falsely by the name of the Lord your God." A closed portion ends here.
*"Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy." A closed portion ends with (5:15 in NJPS).
*"Honor your father and your
Noting that
17
an
, an
and
an
an
describe the Land of Israel as a land flowing "with milk and honey." Similarly, the Middle Egyptian (early second millennium BCE) tale of Sinuhe Palestine described the Land of Israel or, as the Egyptian tale called it, the land of Yaa: "It was a good land called Yaa. Figs were in it and grapes. It had more wine than water. Abundant was its honey, plentiful its oil. All kind of fruit were on its trees. Barley was there and emmer, and no end of cattle of all kinds."
Echoing , "You shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left," the
Rabbi Levi taught that God told Moses "enough!" in to repay Moses measure for measure for when Moses told Korah "enough!" in . The Gemara provided another explanation of the word "enough! (, ''rav'')" in God was telling Moses that Moses had a master (, ''rav''), namely Joshua, waiting to assume authority to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, and thus Moses should not delay another master's reign by prolonging his own. The Gemara provided a third explanation of the word "enough!": God was telling Moses not to petition him anymore, so that people should not say: "How severe is the Master, and how persistent is the student." The Gemara explained why God was so hard on Moses with a Baraita taught in the School of Rabbi Ishmael: according to the camel is the burden; that is, a stronger, more righteous one must bear a greater burden.
The School of Rabbi Ishmael taught that whenever Scripture uses the word "command" (, ''tzav'') (as does), it denotes exhortation to obedience immediately and for all time. A Baraita deduced exhortation to immediate obedience from the use of the word "command" in , which says, "charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him." And the Baraita deduced exhortation to obedience for all time from the use of the word "command" in , which says, "even all that the Lord has commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the Lord gave the commandment, and onward throughout your generations."
Rabbi Joshua ben Levi taught that if a parent teaches a child (or some say a grandchild) Torah, Scripture accounts it as if the parent had received the Torah at Mount Sinai, as says, "And you shall make them known to your children and your children's children," and immediately thereafter, says, "The day that you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb." Rabbi
Rabbi Jonah taught in the name of Rabbi Levi that the world was created with a letter ''
Chapter 2 of tractate 
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 ordained, "And the congregation shall restore him to the city of refuge from where he had fled." 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. 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.
Because
Rabbi Ishmael interpreted (20:2–3 in NJPS) and (5:6–7 in NJPS) to be the first of the Ten Commandments. Rabbi Ishmael taught that Scripture speaks in particular of idolatry, for says, "Because he has despised the word of the Lord." Rabbi Ishmael interpreted this to mean that an idolater despises the first word among the Ten Words or Ten Commandments in (20:2–3 in NJPS) and (5:6–7 in NJPS), "I am the Lord your God . . . . You shall have no other gods before Me."
The
29
(20:8–11 in NJPS); ; ; ; ; ; ; and (5:12 in NJPS).
Noting that (20:8 in NJPS) says, "''Remember'' the Sabbath day," and (5:12 in NJPS) says, "''Observe'' the Sabbath day," the Gemara taught that God pronounced both "Remember" and "Observe" in a single utterance, an utterance that the mouth cannot utter, nor the ear hear. Rav Ada bar Ahabah taught that the Torah thus obligates women to sanctify the Sabbath (by reciting or hearing the 
The Gemara reports that on the eve of the Sabbath before sunset, Rabbi Simeon ben Yochai and his son saw an old man running with two bundles of myrtle and asked him what they were for. The old man explained that they were to bring a sweet smell to his house in honor of the Sabbath. Rabbi Simeon ben Yochai asked whether one bundle would not be enough. The old man replied that one bundle was for “Remember” in (20:8 in NJPS) and one was for “Observe” in (5:12 in NJPS). Rabbi Simeon ben Yochai told his son to mark how precious the commandments are to Israel.
A Midrash deduced from similarities in the language of the creation of humanity and the Sabbath commandment that God gave Adam the precept of the Sabbath. Reading the report of God's creating Adam in , “And He put him (, ''vayanihehu'') into the Garden of Eden,” the Midrash taught that “And He put him (, ''vayanihehu'')” means that God gave Adam the precept of the Sabbath, for the Sabbath commandment uses a similar word in (20:11 in the NJPS), “And rested (, ''vayanach'') on the seventh day.” continues, “to till it (, ''le’avedah''),” and the Sabbath commandment uses a similar word in (20:9 in the NJPS), “Six days shall you labor (, ''ta’avod'').” And continues, “And to keep it (, ''ule-shamerah''),” and the Sabbath commandment uses a similar word in (5:12 in the NJPS), “Keep (, ''shamor'') the Sabbath day.”
Rav Judah taught in Rav's name that the words of (5:12 in the NJPS), “Observe the Sabbath day . . . as the Lord your God ''commanded'' you” (in which Moses used the past tense for the word “commanded,” indicating that God had commanded the Israelites to observe the Sabbath before the revelation at 
The Mishnah taught that both men and women are obligated to carry out all commandments concerning their fathers. Rav Judah interpreted the Mishnah to mean that both men and women are bound to perform all precepts concerning a father that are incumbent upon a son to perform for his father.
A Midrash noted that almost everywhere, Scripture mentions a father's honor before the mother's honor. (See, for example, (5:16 in NJPS), , and (20:12 in NJSP).) But mentions the mother first to teach that one should honor both parents equally.
The Rabbis taught in a Baraita what it means to "honor" and "revere" one's parents within the meaning of (20:12 in NJSP) (honor), (revere), and (5:16 in NJPS) (honor). To "revere" means that the child must neither stand nor sit in the parent's place, nor contradict the parent's words, nor engage in a dispute to which the parent is a party. To "honor" means that the child must give the parent food and drink and clothes, and take the parent in and out.
Rabbi Tarfon taught that God came from Mount Sinai (or others say Mount Seir) and was revealed to the children of 
Rav Aha of Difti said to Ravina that one can transgress the commandment not to covet in (5:18 in NJPS) and (20:14 in NJSP) even in connection with something for which one is prepared to pay.
The Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael asked whether the commandment not to covet in (20:14 in NJSP) applied so far as to prohibit merely expressing one's desire for one's neighbor's things in words. But the Mekhilta noted that says, "You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourself." And the Mekhilta reasoned that just as in the word "covet" applies only to prohibit the carrying out of one's desire into practice, so also (20:14 in NJSP) prohibits only the carrying out of one's desire into practice.
The Mekhilta of Rabbi Simeon distinguished the prohibition of (20:14 in NJSP), "You shall not covet," from that of (5:18 in NJPS), "neither shall you desire." The Mekhilta of Rabbi Simeon taught that the differing terms mean that one can incur liability for desiring in and of itself and for coveting in and of itself.
Rabbi Isaac deduced from (5:19 in NJPS) and that all the Sages who arose in every generation after the Revelation at Sinai received their wisdom from that event. Rabbi Isaac read to teach that the prophets received from the Revelation at Sinai all the messages that they were to prophesy to subsequent generations. For does not say, "who are not here ''standing'' with us this day," but just "who are not with us this day." Rabbi Isaac taught that thus refers to the souls that were to be created thereafter; because these souls did not yet have any substance in them, they could not yet be "standing" at Sinai. But although these souls did not yet exist, they still received their share of the Torah that day. Similarly, Rabbi Isaac concluded that all the Sages who arose in every generation thereafter received their wisdom from the Revelation at Sinai, for (5:19 in NJPS) says, "These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly . . . with a great voice, and it went on no more," implying that God's Revelation went on no more thereafter.
Rabbi Tanchum ben Chanilai found in God's calling to Moses alone in proof that a burden that is too heavy for 600,000 — hearing the voice of God (see (5:22 in NJPS)) — can be light for one.
The Gemara cited (5:27–28 in NJPS) to support the proposition that God approved of the decision of Moses to abstain from marital relations so as to remain pure for his communication with God. A Baraita taught that Moses did three things of his own understanding, and God approved: (1) He added one day of abstinence of his own understanding; (2) he separated himself from his wife (entirely, after the Revelation); and (3) he broke the Tables (on which God had written the Ten Commandments). The Gemara explained that to reach his decision to separate himself from his wife, Moses applied an ''a fortiori'' (''kal va-chomer'') argument to himself. Moses noted that even though the 
17
, and , , and , and , , an
, and . Once when Rami bar Ezekiel visited
11–16
and and — invalidates the others, and indeed even one imperfect letter can invalidate the whole. Reading , "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One," the Rabbis taught that God told Israel that all that God had created, God created in pairs: heaven and earth, sun and moon, Adam and
The Gemara explained that when Jews recite the ''Shema'', they recite the words, "blessed be the name of God's glorious Kingdom for ever and ever," quietly between the words, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one," from , and the words, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might," from , for the reason that Rabbi
6:
"Hear, O Israel . . . I am the Lord your God," and the Israelites all answered with the words of "The Lord our God, the Lord is One." And Moses said, "Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever." The Rabbis told that when Moses ascended to heaven, he heard the ministering angels saying to God, "Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever." Moses brought this declaration down to Israel.
A Midrash warned that if one changed the Hebrew letter '' dalet'' () in the word , ''echad'' ("one") in into the letter '' resh'' () (changing the word from "one" to "strange") one could cause the destruction of the Universe.
A Midrash interpreted , "My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart; behold, he stands behind our wall," to apply to God's Presence in the synagogue. The Midrash read the words, "behold, He stands behind our wall," to allude to the occasion in when God came to visit Abraham on the third day after Abraham's circumcision. says, "And the Lord appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat (, ''yoshev'') . . . ." The word for "he sat" is in a form that can be read ''yashav'', the letter '' vav'' () being omitted, as though it read that Abraham was sitting before he saw God, but on seeing God, he wanted to stand up. But God told him to sit, as Abraham would serve as a symbol for his children, for when his children would come into their synagogues and houses of study and recite the ''Shema'', they would be sitting down and God's Glory would stand by. To support this reading, the Midrash cited , "God stands in the congregation of God."
A Midrash taught that when Jews rise from their sleep and quickly proceed to read the ''Shema'', thus proclaiming the sovereignty of God, they become like 
The Rabbis taught that once the 
Abaye interpreted the words "and you shall love the Lord your God" in to teach that one should strive through one's actions to cause others to love the Name of Heaven. So that if people see that those who study Torah and Mishnah are honest in business and speak pleasantly, then they will accord honor to the Name of God. But if people see that those who study Torah and Mishnah are dishonest in business and discourteous, then they will associate their shortcomings with their being Torah scholars.
In , the heart loves, and in , the heart takes in words. A Midrash catalogued the wide range of additional capabilities of the heart reported in the Hebrew Bible. The heart speaks,
Discussions of the laws of ''
Mishnah Menachot 3:7
an
Babylonian Talmud Zevachim 37b
an
Menachot 34b–37b
Discussions of the laws of the '' mezuzah'' in appear a
Babylonian Talmud Menachot 31b–34b
In , God announced that God would "put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession." Rabbi Hiyya asked: Was it then a piece of good news that plagues were to come upon them? Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai answered that when the
Interpreting the prohibition of coveting in (20:14 in NJSP) and desiring in (5:18 in NJPS),
The 20th century Reform Rabbi 
Explaining the origins of the law that one can see in the Cities of Refuge, Justice
17
an
, an
and
an
an
MacDonald wrote that the term for milk (, ''chalav'') could easily be the word for "fat" (, ''chelev''), and the word for honey (, ''devash'') could indicate not bees' honey but a sweet syrup made from fruit. The expression evoked a general sense of the bounty of the land and suggested an ecological richness exhibited in a number of ways, not just with milk and honey. MacDonald noted that the expression was always used to describe a land that the people of Israel had not yet experienced, and thus characterized it as always a future expectation. Plaut observed that the precise meaning of the six words of the ''Shema'' in is not at all clear. In the Hebrew, after the opening "Hear, O Israel," the affirmation itself states tersely: "Eternal our God Eternal ''echad''." Plaut wrote that the text can be understood to say: : is our God, and alone; : is our God, one indivisible ; : our God is a unique ; : is our God, is unique (in extraordinariness).
The early 20th century 
*Not to desire."
*To acknowledge God's Oneness.
*To love God
*To read the ''Shema'' twice daily.
*To learn Torah and teach it
*To bind ''tefillin'' on the head.
*To bind ''tefillin'' on the arm
*To fasten a ''mezuzah''
*To fear God; .
*To swear by God's Name
*Not to test the word of God.
*Not to make a covenant with the seven Canaanite nations.
*Not to have mercy on idolaters
*Not to intermarry with idolaters.
The verses of the ''Shema'' and ''V'ahavta'' in constitute a central prayer in Jewish prayer services. Jews combine along with , and to form the core of ''K'riat Shema'', recited in the evening (''Ma'ariv'') and morning (''Shacharit'') prayer services. A shorter version of the ''Shema'', composed of simply , appears in the Torah service (''Seder K'riat HaTorah'') and the ''Kedushah'' of the Musaf service for Shabbat. And the ''Shema'' and for some the ''V'ahavta'', , are among the first prayers said upon arising and form the central prayer of the bedtime ''Shema'', said just before retiring for sleep.
Reuven Hammer noted that Mishnah Tamid 5:1 recorded what was in effect the first siddur, as a part of which priests daily recited the Ten Commandments and .
The commandment to love God in is reflected in , which is in turn one of the six Psalms recited at the beginning of the Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service.
The "love" of God that urges finds reflection in the characterization of God as the "Beloved" in the Lekhah Dodi liturgical poem of the Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service.
And the ''leshem yihud'' prayer before putting on
Who has held the waters in hand, measured the heavens, comprehended the earth, and weighed mountains in the balance? Who has counseled or instructed God? Nations are like a drop in a bucket, like dust in the balance, as nothing before God. Can one compare God to anything, to an idol that a woodworker carved? God sits above the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. God brings princes to nothing, makes the judges of the earth like nothing; scarcely are they planted, but God blows upon them, and they wither and blow away.
To whom then to liken God? Lift up your eyes and see: The One who created the stars, called them by name, by the greatness of God's might and strong power each one appears..
9
complain that Jerusalem "has none to comfort her," "she has no comforter." In , the haftarah answers, "Comfort, comfort My people, says your God." complains that "the ways of Zion mourn." In , the haftarah answers, "Clear in the wilderness the way of the Lord, make plain in the desert a highway for our God." complains that Zion's princes "are gone without strength before the pursuer." In an
the haftarah answers, "lift up your voice with strength," God "is strong in power." hoped for Jerusalem that "the punishment of your iniquity is accomplished" and God "will no more carry you away into captivity." In , the haftarah affirms, "Bid Jerusalem take heart, and proclaim to her, that her time of service is accomplished, that her guilt is paid off." As well, the haftarah echoes the parashah. In the parashah in , Moses pleads, "Let me go over, I pray, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill-country, and Lebanon." As if in answer, the haftarah rejoins in , "the nations are as a drop of a bucket, . . . and Lebanon is not sufficient fuel, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for burnt-offerings."
4:8:2, 13
Circa 93–94. In, e.g., ''The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition''. Translated by William Whiston. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987.
Sotah 7:18
Kiddushin 1:7
Bava Kamma 5:7
Sanhedrin 2:4
9:1–6
Makkot 2:1–8; Avodah Zarah 1:1–5:12
Avot 3:8Zevachim 8:10Menachot 3:7
Tamid 5:1. Land of Israel, circa 200 CE. In, e.g., ''The Mishnah: A New Translation''. Translated by Jacob Neusner, pages 3–14, 160, 179–208, 457, 459, 488, 515, 586, 602–04, 612–16, 660–72, 679, 717, 739–40, 869. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. *7:28:1915:116:2–3520:721:135924:238:639:1144:9202355:3
68:12; 84:15. Land of Israel, 5th century. In, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbah: Genesis''. Translated by Harry Freedman and Maurice Simon, volume 1, pages 9, 50–51, 54–55, 60, 119, 125–27, 130, 166, 172, 174–75, 178, 199, 304–05, 319, 374–75, 377, 483–84; volume 2, pages 625, 739–40, 808, 893, 912, 1002. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
*Babylonian
Berakhot 2a–6aEruvin 13a, 22a, 48a, 92b, 95bPesachim 22b, 25a, 55a, 56aYoma 10a11a19b33b72b82a86aSukkah 3a–b, 10b, 25a–b, 41b–42a, 53bBeitzah 5aRosh Hashanah 18a–b27a28b32bTaanit 9aMegillah 9a–b, 11a, 17b, 20a, 21a, 24b, 31bMoed Katan 7b, 15a–b, 18b, 21bChagigah 3a9b11b–12aKiddushin 29a–30b34a39b–40a57a58a68bMakkot 7a–13a23b–24aShevuot 20b, 36aZevachim 19a, 37b, 80aMenachot 28a, 31b–37b, 42b, 43b–44a, 53b, 71a, 99bChullin 7b, 17a, 23a, 89a, 91b, 119b, 141a, 142aBekhorot 29a, 57aArakhin 3bTemurah 3b–4a, 28bTamid 32b
Babylonia, 6th century. In, e.g., ''Talmud Bavli''. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 volumes. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006. *
Deuteronomy 3–7
*
*
Spain, late 13th century. In, e.g., ''The Zohar''. Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 volumes. London: Soncino Press, 1934. *
* Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Venice, 1567. In, e.g., ''Sforno: Commentary on the Torah''. Translation and explanatory notes by Raphael Pelcovitz, pages 846–69. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997.
* Moshe Alshich. ''Commentary on the Torah''. 
*Avraham Yehoshua Heschel. ''Commentaries on the Torah''. Cracow, Poland, mid 17th century. Compiled as ''Chanukat HaTorah''. Edited by Chanoch Henoch Erzohn. Piotrkow, Poland, 1900. In Avraham Yehoshua Heschel. ''Chanukas HaTorah: Mystical Insights of Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel on Chumash''. Translated by Avraham Peretz Friedman, pages 297–303. 
*
* Emily Dickinson. ''Poem 112 (Where bells no more affright the morn —)''. Circa 1859. ''Poem 168 (If the foolish, call them "flowers" —)''. Circa 1860. ''Poem 564 (My period had come for Prayer —)''. Circa 1862. ''Poem 597 (It always felt to me — a wrong)''. Circa 1862. ''Poem 1260 (Because that you are going)''. Circa 1873. ''Poem 1591 (The Bobolink is gone —)''. Circa 1883. ''Poem 1719 (God is indeed a jealous God —)''. 19th century. ''Poem 1733 (No man saw awe, nor to his house)''. 19th century. In ''The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson''. Edited by Thomas H. Johnson, pages 53, 79–80, 274–75, 293–94, 551–52, 659, 698, 703. New York: Little, Brown & Co., 1960.
*David Clarkson. "Soul Idolatry Excludes Men from Heaven." In ''The Practical Works of David Clarkson, Volume II'', pages 299ff. Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1865. In David Clarkson. ''Soul Idolatry Excludes Men Out of Heaven''. Curiosmith, 2010.
*
''The Ten Commandments''
Chicago: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1901. Reprinted BiblioLife, 2009.
* Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter. ''Sefat Emet''. 
* Kaufmann Kohler
"Shema Yisroel: Origin and Purpose of its Daily Recital."
''Journal of Jewish Lore and Philosophy'', volume 1 (number 3/4) (July/October 1919): pages 255–64.
*Harold H. Rowley. ''Moses and the Decalogue''. George H. Doran Co., 1919.
*
*
* Abraham Joshua Heschel. ''The Sabbath''. New York: 
* Martin Buber. ''On the Bible: Eighteen studies'', pages 80–121. New York: Schocken Books, 1968.
*Anthony Phillips. ''Ancient Israel's Criminal Law: A New Approach to the Decalogue''. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1970.
*Eduard Nielsen. ''The Ten Commandments in New Perspective''. Alec R. Allenson, 1968. Reprinted by Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd, 2012.
*Anthony Phillips. ''Ancient Israel's Criminal Law: A New Approach to the Decalogue''. Basil Blackwell, 1970.
* Hermann Cohen. ''Religion of Reason: Out of the Sources of Judaism'', page 76. New York: F. Ungar Publishing Company, 1972.
*
"The Shema."
''Mississippi Review'', volume 2 (number 2) (1973): pages 60–65. *Harry M. Buck. “Worship, Idolatry, and God.” In ''A Light unto My Path: Old Testament Studies in Honor of Jacob M. Myers''. Edited by Howard N. Bream, Ralph D. Heim, and Carey A. Moore, pages 67–82. Philadelphia:
"On the Most Important Word in the Shema (Deuteronomy VI 4–5)."
'' Vetus Testamentum'', volume 37 (number 3) (July 1987): pages 280–300. * Pinchas H. Peli. ''Torah Today: A Renewed Encounter with Scripture'', pages 205–08. Washington, D.C.: B'nai B'rith Books, 1987. *Jerry W. Lee
"The Shema."
''Biblical Illustrator'' (winter 1988): pages 70–72. *Patrick D. Miller Jr. "The Many Faces of Moses: A Deuteronomic portrait." ''
"Political and Social Dimensions in the Formation of Early Jewish Prayer: The Case of the ''Shema''."
''Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies'', volume 1 (1989): pages 33–40. *
"The All Souls Deuteronomy and the Decalogue."
'' Journal of Biblical Literature'', volume 109 (number 2) (Summer 1990): pages 193–206. *
"Fiery Wisdom: Logos and Lexis in Deuteronomy 4."
'' Prooftexts'', volume 14 (number 2) (May 1994): pages 103–39. *Sandy Eisenberg Sasso. "In God's Name". Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, 1994. (calling God ''One''). *Ronald Youngblood. "Counting the Ten Commandments." ''Bible Review'', volume 10 (number 6) (December 1994). *Judith S. Antonelli. "The Prohibition of Imagery." In ''In the Image of God: A Feminist Commentary on the Torah'', pages 407–15.
"The Inclusio and Other Framing Devices in Deuteronomy I–XXVIII."
''Vetus Testamentum'', volume 46 (number 3) (July 1996): pages 296–315. *W. Gunther Plaut. ''The Haftarah Commentary'', pages 439–50. New York: UAHC Press, 1996. *Mark Dov Shapiro. ''Gates of Shabbat: A Guide for Observing Shabbat''. New York: CCAR Press, 1996. *Moshe Weinfeld. "Deuteronomy's Theological Revolution." ''Bible Review'', volume 12 (number 1) (February 1996). *Jeffrey H. Tigay. ''The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation'', pages 38–88, 432–44. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1996. *Robert Goodman. “Shabbat.” In ''Teaching Jewish Holidays: History, Values, and Activities'', pages 1–19.
6–9
. * R. Walter L. Moberly. "Toward an Interpretation of the Shema". In ''Theological Exegesis: Essays in Honor of Brevard S. Child''. Edited by Christopher Seitz and Kathryn Greene-McCreight, pages 124–44. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999. *David Noel Freedman. ''The Nine Commandments: Uncovering a Hidden Pattern of Crime and Punishment in the Hebrew Bible''. New York: Doubleday, 2000. *Richard D. Nelson. "Deuteronomy." In ''The HarperCollins Bible Commentary''. Edited by
"A Note on the Variant Form of the ''Shema'' in the Writings of Justin Martyr."
''
* Tikva Frymer-Kensky. "To the Barricades: Views against the Other." In ''Reading the Women of the Bible'', pages 199–208. New York: Schocken Books, 2002. (.).
*
“The Story of a Giant Story: The Winding Way of Og King of Bashan in the Jewish Haggadic Tradition.”
'' Hebrew Union College Annual'', volume 73 (2002): pages 157–90. *
"The Zeal of Phinehas: The Bible and the Legitimation of Violence."
'' Journal of Biblical Literature'', volume 122 (number 1) (Spring 2003): pages 3–21. (the ban in ). * Reuven Hammer. ''Or Hadash: A Commentary on
“Obeying the First Part of the Tenth Commandment: Applications from the Levirate Marriage Law.”
'' Journal for the Study of the Old Testament'', volume 31 (number 3) (March 2007): pages 295–310. *Adam Potkay. "Icons and Iconoclasm from Moses to Milton." Lecture 3 in ''The Modern Scholar: The Bible and the Roots of Western Literature''.
“A Note Pertaining to the Translation of Deut 6:4.”
'' Vetus Testamentum'', volume 59 (number 2) (2009): pages 320–22 *Eugene E. Carpenter. "Deuteronomy." In ''Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary''. Edited by
"Extramarital Affairs, Like Sanford's, Morally Taboo: Recent Confessions of Affairs by Elected Officials Fly in Face of Americans' Normative Standards"
Gallup Inc. June 25, 2009. *Julie Pelc. "Rethinking the Wicked 'Son': Parashat Vaetchanan (Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11)." In ''Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible''. Edited by Gregg Drinkwater, Joshua Lesser, and David Shneer; foreword by Judith Plaskow, pages 235–39. New York:
Joy
'. In ''Face to Face: A Poetry Collection''. DreamSeeker Books, 2010. ("land of milk and honey").
*Idan Dershowitz
“A Land Flowing with Fat and Honey.”
''Vetus Testamentum'', volume 60 (number 2) (2010): pages 172–76. * Ilan Stavans and Mordecai Drache
"Shema Ysrael!"
In ''With All Thine Heart: Love and the Bible'', pages 1–23. Rutgers University Press, 2010. *Joseph Telushkin. ''Hillel: If Not Now, When?'' pages 55–57. New York: Nextbook, Schocken, 2010. (honoring father and mother).
"Day of Rest: Judith Shulevitz's New Book Considers the Sabbath Throughout the Ages and in Her Own Life."
In ''
"Body Image: An Art Historian Tackles the Thorny Matter of Jews and Figurative Painting."
In ''Tablet Magazine''. (June 7, 2010). (the commandment not to make graven images and Jewish artists). *Bill T. Arnold
“The Love-Fear Antinomy in Deuteronomy 5–11.”
''Vetus Testamentum'', volume 61 (number 4) (2011): pages 551–69. *
*Judah Kraut
"Deciphering the Shema: Staircase Parallelism and the Syntax of Deuteronomy 6:4."
''Vetus Testamentum'', volume 61 (number 4) (2011): pages 582–602. * Joe Lieberman and
*
"The Use of Electrical and Electronic Devices on Shabbat."
New York: Rabbinical Assembly, 2012. *
"Ancient Laws for Modern Times: When is a tent just a tent and not like a bed or a hat? To update Jewish laws, the rabbis reasoned by analogy."
''
"Leave the Jewish People Alone: Rabbis left enforcement of their Talmudic decrees to communal standards and voluntary commitment."
''Tablet Magazine''. (March 5, 2013). (Shabbat). *Adam Kirsch
"Written in the Stars (Or Not): To overcome fated lives, the Talmud's rabbis argued, perform virtuous acts according to Torah."
''Tablet Magazine''. (March 12, 2013). (Shabbat). *Adam Kirsch
"Navigating the Talmud's Alleys: The range of problems and the variety of answers in the study of Oral Law lead to new pathways of reasoning."
''Tablet Magazine''. (March 18, 2013). (Shabbat).
*Noah Wiener
"The Shema‘ Yisrael: Monotheistic Jewish Amulet Discovered Near Carnuntum."
''Bible History Daily'' (blog of '' Biblical Archaeology Review''). (April 12, 2013). *
"The Ten Commandments: Why the Decalogue Matters."
''Mosaic Magazine''. (June 2013). *
"The Decalogue and Liberal Democracy: Response to: ‘The Ten Commandments.'"
''Mosaic Magazine''. (June 2013). *Haim O. Rechnitzer
"Unconditional Love: Distinguishing between the love of God and the love of country."
''
*Amiel Ungar
"Tel Aviv and the Sabbath."
''The Jerusalem Report'', volume 24 (number 8) (July 29, 2013): page 37. *
"No to the new idolatry of money."
In '' Evangelii gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel)''. Vatican City: The
Global Study on Homicide
Vienna, 2013. *Amanda Terkel
''
"The Crazy New App for Using Your iPhone on Shabbos."
''Jewniverse''. (October 1, 2014).
*Charles Kopel
"The Haftarah Reading That Inspired Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’: King’s speech draws on a part of Isaiah that Jews recite after Tisha B’Av — offering a model for revitalizing his mission."
''Tablet Magazine''. (January 13, 2014). * Shlomo Riskin. ''Torah Lights: Devarim: Moses Bequeaths Legacy, History, and Covenant'', pages 31–73.
"The Crazy New Invention for Using Electricity on Shabbat."
''Jewniverse''. (April 21, 2015).
*
Deuteronomy: translationNotes
'' Orlando, Florida: unfoldingWord, 2017. * John Barton. “The Ten Commandments.” In ''A History of the Bible'', pages 77–79. New York:
“The Third Commandment in Deuteronomy 14:1–21.”
*Julia Rhyder
"Sabbath and Sanctuary Cult in the Holiness Legislation: A Reassessment."
'' Journal of Biblical Literature'', volume 138, number 4 (2019): pages 721–40. *Cat Quine
"The Host of Heaven and the Divine Army: A Reassessment."
''Journal of Biblical Literature'', volume 138, number 4 (2019): pages 741–55. *Jonathan Sacks. ''Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible: Deuteronomy: Renewal of the Sinai Covenant'', pages 49–83. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2019.
Hear the parashah chanted
Academy for Jewish Religion, New YorkAkhlah: The Jewish Children's Learning NetworkAleph Beta AcademyAmerican Jewish University — Ziegler School of Rabbinic StudiesAscent of SafedBar-Ilan Universityeparsha.comG-dcastJewish Theological SeminaryMechon HadarMiriam AflaloMyJewishLearning.comOhr SameachOzTorah, Torah from AustraliaOz Ve Shalom — Netivot ShalomPardes from JerusalemProfessor James L. KugelProfessor Michael CarasikRabbi Jonathan SacksRabbiShimon.comRabbi Shmuel HerzfeldReconstructionist JudaismSephardic InstituteShiur.comTeach613.org, Torah Education at Cherry HillTheTorah.comTorah from DixieTorah.orgTorahVort.comUnion for Reform JudaismUnited Synagogue of Conservative JudaismYeshiva UniversityYeshivat Chovevei Torah
{{Weekly Torah Portions Weekly Torah readings in Av Weekly Torah readings from Deuteronomy
''
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...
), Parashah Va'etchanan has six "open portion" (, ''petuchah'') divisions (roughly equivalent to paragraphs, often abbreviated with the ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...
Hebrew letter
The Hebrew alphabet ( he, אָלֶף־בֵּית עִבְרִי, ), known variously by scholars as the Ktav Ashuri, Jewish script, square script and block script, is an abjad script used in the writing of the Hebrew language and other Jewis ...
('' peh'')). Parashah Va'etchanan has several further subdivisions, called "closed portions" (, ''setumah'') (abbreviated with the Hebrew letter (''samekh
Samekh (Phoenician ''sāmek'' ; Hebrew ''samekh'' , Syriac ''semkaṯ'') is the fifteenth letter of the Semitic abjads, including the Hebrew alphabet.
Samekh represents a voiceless alveolar fricative . Unlike most Semitic consonants, the pro ...
'')) within the open portion divisions. The first open portion divides the first reading. The second open portion goes from the middle of the first reading to the middle of the second reading. The third open portion concludes the second reading. The fourth open portion corresponds to the third reading. The fifth open portion spans the fourth and fifth readings. And the sixth open portion spans the sixth and seventh readings. Several closed portion divisions, notably one for every commandment, further divide the fourth and sixth readings.
First reading — Deuteronomy 3:23–4:4
In the first reading, Moses pleaded with God to let him cross over and see the other side of theJordan River
The Jordan River or River Jordan ( ar, نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn'', he, נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, ''Nəhar hayYardēn''; syc, ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ ''Nahrāʾ Yurdnan''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Shariea ...
. But God was wrathful with Moses and would not listen, telling Moses never to speak of the matter again, and Moses blamed his punishment on the Israelites. God directed Moses to climb the summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used ...
of Pisgah and look at the land. And God told Moses to give Joshua
Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
his instructions and imbue him with strength and courage
Courage (also called bravery or valor) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in battle.
Physical courage is bravery in the face of physical pain, h ...
, for Joshua was to lead the people and allot to them the land. The first open portion ends here with the end of the chapter.
Moses exhorted the Israelites to heed God's laws, not to add anything to them, and not to take anything away from them, so that they might live to enter and occupy the land that God was giving them. Moses noted that in the sin of Baal-peor, God wiped out every person who followed Baal-peor, while preserving alive those who held fast to God. The first reading ends here.
Second reading — Deuteronomy 4:5–40
In the second reading, Moses argued that observing the laws faithfully would prove to other peoples the Israelites'wisdom
Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to contemplate and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowledge, ...
and discernment, for no other great nation
A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by those ...
had a god so close at hand as God, and no other great nation had laws as perfect as God's.
Moses urged the Israelites to take utmost care not to forget the things that they saw, and to make them known to their child
A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...
ren and children's children: How they stood before God at Horeb, the mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...
was ablaze with flames, God spoke to them out of the fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
, and God declared to them the Ten Commandments. At the same time, God commanded Moses to impart to the Israelites laws for them to observe in the land that they were about to occupy.
Because the Israelites saw no shape when God spoke to them out of the fire at Horeb, Moses warned them not to make for themselves a sculptured image in any likeness whatever — the form of a man, woman, beast, bird, creeping thing, or fish. And when they looked up and saw the sun, moon, stars, and heaven, they were not to be lured into bowing down to them or serving them, for God allotted those things to other peoples, but God took the Israelites and brought them out of Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
to be God's very own people.
Moses said that God was angry with him on account of the Israelites, and God swore that Moses would not enter the land but would die in the land east of the Jordan. Moses cautioned the Israelites not to forget the covenant that God concluded with them, and not to make a sculptured image, for God is a consuming fire, an impassioned God. The second open portion ends here.
Moses called heaven and earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
to witness against the Israelites that should they make for themselves a sculptured image when they were in the land, then God would scatter them among the peoples, leaving only a scant few alive. There in exile
Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...
they would serve man-made gods of wood and stone, that would not be able to see, hear, eat, or smell. But when they were in distress and they searched for God with all their heart and soul, returned to God, and obeyed God, then they would find God, even there. For God is a compassionate God, Who would not fail them, let them perish, or forget the covenant that He made on oath with their fathers.
Moses invited the Israelites to consider whether any people had ever heard the voice of a god speaking out of a fire and survived, or any god had taken one nation from the midst of another by prodigious acts and awesome power as their God had done for them in Egypt before their very eyes. Moses said that it had been clearly demonstrated to them that the Lord alone is God and that there is none beside God. Moses thus admonished them to observe God's laws and commandments, which Moses enjoined upon them that day, that it might go well with them and their children, and that they might long remain in the land that God was assigning to them for all time. The second reading and the third open portion end here.
Third reading — Deuteronomy 4:41–49
In the third reading, Moses set aside three cities of refuge on the east side of the Jordan to which a manslayer who unwittingly slew a person without having been hostile to him in the past could escape and live: Bezer among theReubenites
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Reuben () was one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Unlike the majority of the tribes, the land of Reuben, along with that of Gad and half of Manasseh, was on the eastern side of the Jordan and shared a ...
, Ramoth in Gilead
Gilead or Gilad (; he, גִּלְעָד ''Gīləʿāḏ'', ar, جلعاد, Ǧalʻād, Jalaad) is the ancient, historic, biblical name of the mountainous northern part of the region of Transjordan.''Easton's Bible Dictionary'Galeed''/ref> Th ...
among the Gadites
According to the Bible, the Tribe of Gad () was one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel who, after the Exodus from Egypt, settled on the eastern side of the Jordan River. It is one of the ten lost tribes.Tribe still originated from the original Hebr ...
, and Golan
Golan ( he, גּוֹלָן ''Gōlān''; ar, جولان ' or ') is the name of a biblical town later known from the works of Josephus (first century CE) and Eusebius (''Onomasticon'', early 4th century CE). Archaeologists localize the biblical ci ...
in Bashan
Bashan (; he, הַבָּשָׁן, translit=ha-Bashan; la, Basan or ''Basanitis'') is the ancient, biblical name used for the northernmost region of the Transjordan during the Iron Age. It is situated in modern-day Syria. Its western part, now ...
among the Manassites. The third reading and the fourth open portion end with .See, e.g., ''The Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Devarim/Deuteronomy'' edited by Menachem Davis, page 39.
Fourth reading — Deuteronomy 5:1–18 (or 5:1–22)
In the fourth reading, Moses summoned the Israelites and called on them to hear the laws that he proclaimed that day, to study and observe them faithfully. At Horeb, God made a covenant with them — not with their fathers, but with them, the living, every one of them. God spoke to them face to face out of the fire on the mountain. Moses stood between God and them to convey God's words to them, for they were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain. A closed portion ends here.
God said the Ten Commandments:
*"I the Lord am your God."
*"You shall have no other gods beside Me. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters below the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them." A closed portion ends with (5:10 in NJPS).See, e.g., ''The Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Devarim/Deuteronomy''. Edited by Menachem Davis, page 40.
*"You shall not swear falsely by the name of the Lord your God." A closed portion ends here.
*"Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy." A closed portion ends with (5:15 in NJPS).
*"Honor your father and your mother
]
A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...
." A closed portion ends here.See, e.g., ''The Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Devarim/Deuteronomy''. Edited by Menachem Davis, page 42.
*"You shall not murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
." A closed portion ends here.
*"You shall not commit adultery
Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...
." A closed portion ends here.
*"You shall not steal." A closed portion ends here.
*"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." A closed portion ends here.
*"You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. A closed portion ends here. You shall not crave your neighbor's house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
, or his field
Field may refer to:
Expanses of open ground
* Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes
* Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport
* Battlefield
* Lawn, an area of mowed grass
* Meadow, a grass ...
, or his male or female slave
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
, or his ox, or his ass
Ass most commonly refers to:
* Buttocks (in informal American English)
* Donkey or ass, ''Equus africanus asinus''
**any other member of the subgenus ''Asinus''
Ass or ASS may also refer to:
Art and entertainment
* ''Ass'' (album), 1973 albu ...
, or anything that is your neighbor's."; 5:18 in NJPS The fourth reading and a closed portion ends here.
Fifth reading — Deuteronomy 5:19 (23)–6:3
In the fifth reading, God spoke these words to the whole congregation at the mountain, with a mighty voice out of the fire and the densecloud
In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may co ...
s, and God inscribed them on two stone tablets
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tablets of the Law (also Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, or Tablets of Testimony; Biblical Hebrew: לוּחֹת הַבְּרִית ''lûḥōt habbǝrît'' "tablets of the covenant", לֻחֹת הָאֶבֶן ' ...
, which God gave to Moses. When the Israelites heard the voice out of the darkness and saw the mountain ablaze with fire, the tribal heads and elders asked Moses to hear all that God had to say and then tell the people, and they would willingly obey. The fifth reading and the fifth open portion end with .
Sixth reading — Deuteronomy 6:4–25
In the sixth reading, Moses imparted God's instructions, the ''Shema
''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; he , שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ''Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl'', "Hear, O Israel") is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewis ...
'' and '' V'ahavta'', saying: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when thou rise up. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "h ...
, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house, and upon your gates." A closed portion ends here.
Moses exhorted the Israelites, when God brought them into the land and they ate their fill, not to forget the God who freed them from bondage in Egypt, to revere and worship only God, and to swear only by God's name. Moses warned the Israelites not to follow other gods, lest the anger of God wipe them off the face of the earth. A closed portion ends here.
Moses warned the Israelites not to try God, as they did at Massah
Massah ( he, מַסָּה) and Meribah ( he , מְרִיבָה, also spelled "Mirabah") are place names found in the Hebrew Bible. The Israelites are said to have travelled through Massah and Meribah during the Exodus, although the continuous l ...
, but to keep God's commandments and do what is right in God's sight, that it might go well with them, that they might be able to possess the land, and that all their enemies might be driven out before them. A closed portion ends here.
And when their children would ask the meaning of the commandments, they were to answer that they were slaves to Pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ''pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the an ...
in Egypt, and God produced marvelous and destructive signs and portents, freed them with a mighty hand to give them the land, and then commanded them to observe all these laws for their lasting good and survival. The sixth reading and a closed portion end with .
Seventh reading — Deuteronomy 7:1–11
In the seventh reading, Moses told the Israelites that when God brought them to the land and dislodged seven nations before them — theHittites
The Hittites () were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara (before 1750 BC), then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom (c. 1750–1650 BC), and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-centra ...
, Girgashites, Amorite
The Amorites (; sux, 𒈥𒌅, MAR.TU; Akkadian: 𒀀𒈬𒊒𒌝 or 𒋾𒀉𒉡𒌝/𒊎 ; he, אֱמוֹרִי, 'Ĕmōrī; grc, Ἀμορραῖοι) were an ancient Northwest Semitic-speaking people from the Levant who also occupied lar ...
s, Canaan
Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...
ites, Perizzites
The Perizzites ( ''Pərīzzī'') are a group of people mentioned many times in the Bible as having lived in the land of Canaan before the arrival of the Israelites. The name may be related to a Hebrew term meaning "rural person."For the etymology, ...
, Hivites
The Hivites ( he, ''Ḥiwwîm'') were one group of descendants of Canaan, son of Ham, according to the Table of Nations in (10:17). A variety of proposals have been made, but beyond the references in the Bible to Hivites in the land of Canaan, ...
, and Jebusite
The Jebusites (; ISO 259-3 ''Ybusi'') were, according to the books of Joshua and Samuel from the Tanakh, a Canaanite tribe that inhabited Jerusalem, then called Jebus (Hebrew: ''Yəḇūs'', "trampled place") prior to the conquest initiated by ...
s — the Israelites were to doom them to destruction, grant them no terms, and give them no quarter. The Israelites were not to intermarry with them, for they would turn the Israelites' children away from God to worship other gods, and God's anger would wipe the Israelites out. The Israelites were to tear down the nations' altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
s, smash their pillars, cut down their sacred posts, and consign their images to the fire.
The Israelites were a people consecrated to God, and God chose them from all the peoples on earth to be God's treasured people. God chose them not because they were the most numerous of peoples, but because God favored them and kept the oath God made with their fathers. Moses told them to note that only God is God, the steadfast God who keeps God's covenant faithfully to the thousandth generation of those who love God and keep God's commandments, but who instantly requites with destruction those who reject God. The maftir
Maftir ( he, מפטיר, , concluder) is the last person called up to the Torah on Shabbat and holiday mornings: this person also reads (or at least recites the blessings overs) the ''haftarah'' portion from a related section of the Nevi'im (pro ...
() reading concludes the parashah with , and concludes the sixth open portion.
Readings according to the triennial cycle
Jews who read the Torah according to thetriennial cycle
The Triennial cycle of Torah reading may refer to either
* The historical practice in ancient Israel by which the entire Torah was read in serial fashion over a three-year period, or
* The practice adopted by many Reform, Conservative, Reconstruct ...
of Torah reading read the parashah according to a different schedule.
In ancient parallels
The parashah has parallels in these ancient sources:Deuteronomy chapter 5
The early third millennium BCESumer
Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of c ...
ian wisdom text ''Instructions of Shuruppak
__NOTOC__
The Instructions of Shuruppak (or, ''Instructions of Šuruppak son of Ubara-tutu'') are a significant example of Sumerian wisdom literature. Wisdom literature, intended to teach proper piety, inculcate virtue, and preserve community ...
'' contains maxims that parallel the Ten Commandments, including:
:Don’t steal anything; don’t kill yourself! . . .
:My son, don’t commit murder . . .
:Don’t laugh with a girl if she is married; the slander (arising from it) is strong! . . .
:Don’t plan lies; it is discrediting . . .
:Don’t speak fraudulently; in the end it will bind you like a trap.
Noting that Sargon of Akkad
Sargon of Akkad (; akk, ''Šarrugi''), also known as Sargon the Great, was the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire, known for his conquests of the Sumerian city-states in the 24th to 23rd centuries BC.The date of the reign of Sargon is highl ...
was the first to use a seven-day week, Professor Gregory S. Aldrete of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay
The University of Wisconsin–Green Bay (UW-Green Bay, UWGB, or Green Bay) is a public university in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with regional campuses in Marinette, Wisconsin, Marinette, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Shebo ...
speculated that the Israelites may have adopted the idea from the Akkadian Empire
The Akkadian Empire () was the first ancient empire of Mesopotamia after the long-lived civilization of Sumer. It was centered in the city of Akkad (city), Akkad () and its surrounding region. The empire united Akkadian language, Akkadian and ...
.
Deuteronomy chapter 6
an17
an
, an
and
an
an
describe the Land of Israel as a land flowing "with milk and honey." Similarly, the Middle Egyptian (early second millennium BCE) tale of Sinuhe Palestine described the Land of Israel or, as the Egyptian tale called it, the land of Yaa: "It was a good land called Yaa. Figs were in it and grapes. It had more wine than water. Abundant was its honey, plentiful its oil. All kind of fruit were on its trees. Barley was there and emmer, and no end of cattle of all kinds."
In inner-Biblical interpretation
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:Deuteronomy chapter 4
and and refer to the Ten Commandments as the “ten words” (, ''aseret ha-devarim''). In , Egypt is described as an "iron furnace".Solomon
Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...
used the same image in his prayer
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...
at the dedication of the temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
he built in Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. ().
In , Moses called heaven and earth to serve as witnesses against Israel, and he did so again in , , and . Similarly, Psalm reports that God "summoned the heavens above, and the earth, for the trial of His people," saying "Bring in My devotees, who made a covenant with Me over sacrifice!" continues: "Then the heavens proclaimed His righteousness, for He is a God who judges."
Deuteronomy chapter 5
Many commentators have called the account in a fuller narrative of the events briefly described in .
The Sabbath
Deuteronomy 5:12–15 in the NJPS. refers to the Sabbath. Commentators note that the Hebrew Bible repeats the commandment to observe the Sabbath 12 times. reports that on the seventh day of Creation, God finished God's work, rested, and blessed and hallowed the seventh day. The Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments. commands that one remember the Sabbath day, keep it holy, and not do any manner of work or cause anyone under one's control to work, for in six days God made heaven and earth and rested on the seventh day, blessed the Sabbath, and hallowed it. commands that one observe the Sabbath day, keep it holy, and not do any manner of work or cause anyone under one's control to work — so that one's subordinates might also rest — and remember that the Israelites were servants in the land of Egypt, and God brought them out with a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. In the incident of themanna
Manna ( he, מָן, mān, ; ar, اَلْمَنُّ; sometimes or archaically spelled mana) is, according to the Bible, an edible substance which God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert during the 40-year period follow ...
in , Moses told the Israelites that the Sabbath is a solemn rest day; prior to the Sabbath one should cook what one would cook, and lay up food for the Sabbath. And God told Moses to let no one go out of one's place on the seventh day.
In , just before giving Moses the second Tablets of Stone
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tablets of the Law (also Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, or Tablets of Testimony; Biblical Hebrew: לוּחֹת הַבְּרִית ''lûḥōt habbǝrît'' "tablets of the covenant", לֻחֹת הָאֶבֶן ' ...
, God commanded that the Israelites keep and observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a sign between God and the children of Israel forever, for in six days God made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day God rested.
In , just before issuing the instructions for the Tabernacle
According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...
, Moses again told the Israelites that no one should work on the Sabbath, specifying that one must not kindle fire on the Sabbath.
In , God told Moses to repeat the Sabbath commandment to the people, calling the Sabbath a holy convocation.
The prophet
In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...
Isaiah
Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named.
Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...
taught in that iniquity is inconsistent with the Sabbath. In , the prophet taught that if people turn away from pursuing or speaking of business on the Sabbath and call the Sabbath a delight, then God will make themride upon the high places of the earth and will feed them with the heritage of Jacob. And in , the prophet taught that in times to come, from one Sabbath to another, all people will come to worship God.
The prophet Jeremiah
Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish ...
taught in that the fate of Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
depended on whether the people obstained from work on the Sabbath, refraining from carrying burdens outside their houses and through the city gates.
The prophet Ezekiel
Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible.
In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is acknow ...
told in how God gave the Israelites God's Sabbaths, to be a sign between God and them, but the Israelites rebelled against God by profaning the Sabbaths, provoking God to pour out God's fury upon them, but God stayed God's hand.
In , Nehemiah told how he saw some treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and others bringing all manner of burdens into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, so when it began to be dark before the Sabbath, he commanded that the city gates be shut and not opened till after the Sabbath and directed the Levites to keep the gates to sanctify the Sabbath.
To walk in God’s ways
The exhortation of (5:30 in the NJPS) to “walk in God’s ways” reflects a recurring theme also present in ; ; ; ; ; ; and .Deuteronomy chapter 6
echoes , "The Eternal is our God, the Eternal alone," when the prophet foretells, "The Lord shall be King over all the earth; in that day there shall be one Lord with one name." In , Joshua quoted to the Reubenites, Gadites, and Manassites, cautioning them to take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded. parallels . Both and admonish the audience to heed the commandments — characterizing the commandments as instructions that Moses charged the Israelites, and as "your father's commandment" and "your mother's teaching." Both and speak of the commandments' presence while sleeping, waking, and traveling — with the commandments in taking on the active roles of leading, watching over, and talking. Both and speak of binding the commandments to one's person — to hand and forehead, to heart and throat. In , Moses cautioned the Israelites not test God. Similarly, in , the prophetMalachi
Malachi (; ) is the traditional author of the Book of Malachi, the last book of the Nevi'im (Prophets) section of the Tanakh. According to the 1897 ''Easton's Bible Dictionary'', it is possible that Malachi is not a proper name, as it simply mean ...
criticized the people of his time who tempted God.
Deuteronomy chapter 7
ProfessorBenjamin Sommer
Benjamin D. Sommer (Hebrew: בנימין זומר; born July 6, 1964) is an American biblical scholar and Jewish theologian. He is a Professor of Bible at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America and a Senior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Instit ...
of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studie ...
read and to teach that God punishes children for their parents’ sins as a sign of mercy to the parents: When sinning parents repent, God defers their punishment to their offspring. Sommer argued that other Biblical writers, engaging in inner-Biblical interpretation, rejected that notion in , , and . Sommer argued that , for example, quoted , which was already an authoritative and holy text, but revised the morally troubling part: Where taught that God punishes sin for generations, maintained that God does not contend forever. Sommer argued that and similarly quoted with revision. Sommer asserted that , , and do not try to tell us how to read ; that is, they do not argue that somehow means something other than what it seems to say. Rather, they repeat while also disagreeing with part of it.
In early nonrabbinic interpretation
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these early nonrabbinic sources:
Deuteronomy chapter 4
With the Cities of Refuge in and and , Divine intervention replaces a system of vengeance with a system of justice, much as in the play of the 5th century BCE Greekplaywright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
Aeschylus
Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek ...
''The Eumenides'', the third part of ''The Oresteia'', Athena
Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...
’s intervention helps to replace vengeance with trial by jury
A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions.
Jury trials are used in a significant ...
.
Deuteronomy chapter 5
Clement of Alexandria
Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria ( grc , Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς; – ), was a Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen and ...
first used the Greek term that became the English word "Decalogue" to describe the Ten Commandments in about 200 C.E.W. Gunther Plaut
Wolf Gunther Plaut, (November 1, 1912 – February 8, 2012) was an American Reform rabbi and writer who was based in Canada. Plaut was the rabbi of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto for several decades and since 1978 was its senior scholar.
L ...
. ''The Torah: A Modern Commentary: Revised Edition''. Revised edition edited by David E.S. Stern, page 469. New York: Union for Reform Judaism
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established ...
, 2006.
told how in the 2nd century BCE, many followers of the pious Jewish priest Mattathias
Mattathias ben Johanan ( he, מַתִּתְיָהוּ הַכֹּהֵן בֶּן יוֹחָנָן, ''Mattīṯyāhū haKōhēn ben Yōḥānān''; died 166–165 BCE) was a Kohen (Jewish priest) who helped spark the Maccabean Revolt against t ...
rebelled against the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes
Antiochus IV Epiphanes (; grc, Ἀντίοχος ὁ Ἐπιφανής, ''Antíochos ho Epiphanḗs'', "God Manifest"; c. 215 BC – November/December 164 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king who ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his deat ...
. Antiochus's soldiers attacked a group of them on the Sabbath, and when the Pietists failed to defend themselves so as to honor the Sabbath (commanded in, among other places, ), a thousand died. reported that when Mattathias and his friends heard, they reasoned that if they did not fight on the Sabbath, they would soon be destroyed. So they decided that they would fight against anyone who attacked them on the Sabbath.
Echoing , "You shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left," the Community Rule
The Community Rule ( he, סרך היחד, ''Serekh haYahad''), which is designated 1QS and was previously referred to as the Manual of Discipline, is one of the first scrolls to be discovered near ''khirbet'' (ruin of) Qumran, the scrolls found in ...
of the Qumran sectarians provided, “They shall not depart from any command of God concerning their times; they shall be neither early nor late for any of their appointed times, they shall stray neither to the right nor to the left of any of His true precepts.”
Deuteronomy chapter 6
Yigael Yadin observed that Qumran sectarians used tefillin and mezuzot quite similar to those in use today.In classical rabbinic interpretation
The parashah is discussed in theserabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
nic sources from the era of the Mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...
and the Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
:
Deuteronomy chapter 3
Noting that and both use the same expression, "at that time," aMidrash
''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...
deduced that the events of the two verses took place at the same time. Thus Rav Huna taught that as soon as God told Moses to hand over his office to Joshua, Moses immediately began to pray to be permitted to enter the Promised land. The Midrash compared Moses to a governor who could be sure that the king would confirm whatever orders he gave so long as he retained his office. The governor redeemed whomever he desired and imprisoned whomever he desired. But as soon as the governor retired and another was appointed in his place, the gatekeeper would not let him enter the king's palace. Similarly, as long as Moses remained in office, he imprisoned whomever he desired and released whomever he desired, but when he was relieved of his office and Joshua was appointed in his stead, and he asked to be permitted to enter the Promised Land, God in denied his request.
The ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...
Gemara
The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemo(r)re; from Aramaic , from the Semitic root ג-מ-ר ''gamar'', to finish or complete) is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah w ...
deduced from Moses's example in that one should seek a suppliant frame of mind before praying. Rav Huna and Rav Hisda were discussing how long to wait between recitations of the ''Amidah
The ''Amidah Amuhduh'' ( he, תפילת העמידה, ''Tefilat HaAmidah'', 'The Standing Prayer'), also called the ''Shemoneh Esreh'' ( 'eighteen'), is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. Observant Jews recite the ''Amidah'' at each o ...
'' if one erred in the first reciting and needed to repeat the prayer. One said: long enough for the person praying to fall into a suppliant frame of mind, citing the words "And I supplicated the Lord" in . The other said: long enough to fall into an interceding frame of mind, citing the words "And Moses interceded" in .
Rabbi Simlai deduced from that one should always first praise God at the beginning of prayer, for Moses praised God in before he asked God in to let him see the good land. Rabbi Eleazar deduced from that God let Moses see the Promised Land only because Moses prayed, and thus Rabbi Eleazar concluded that prayer is more effective than good deeds, for no one was greater in good deeds than Moses, and yet God let Moses see the land only after Moses prayed.
Rabban Johanan ben Zakai
:''See Yohanan for more rabbis by this name''.
Yohanan ben Zakkai ( he, יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי, ''Yōḥānān ben Zakkaʾy''; 1st century CE), sometimes abbreviated as Ribaz () for Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, was one of the Tan ...
interpreted the word "Lebanon" in to refer to the Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusa ...
and "that goodly mountain" to refer to the Temple Mount. Thus one can interpret to say that Moses asked to see God's House. Similarly, a Midrash interpreted the word "Lebanon" in to refer to the altar. Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai
Shimon bar Yochai ( Zoharic Aramaic: שמעון בר יוחאי, ''Shim'on bar Yoḥai'') or Shimon ben Yochai (Mishnaic Hebrew: שמעון בן יוחאי, ''Shim'on ben Yoḥai''), also known by the acronym Rashbi, was a 2nd-century ''tannaiti ...
explained that the altar was called "Lebanon" because it made white (''malbin'') the sins of Israel, as indicated by the words of "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white (''yalbinu'') as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Rabbi Tabyomi said that the altar was called "Lebanon" because all hearts (''lebabot'') rejoice there, as indicated by the words of "Fair in situation, the joy of the whole earth, even Mount Zion." And the Rabbis said that the altar was called "Lebanon" because of the words of 1 Kings
The Book of Kings (, '' Sēfer Məlāḵīm'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Kings) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of Israel also including the books ...
, which says of God and the Temple: "My eyes and My heart (''libbi'') shall be there perpetually.
Another Midrash employed the understanding of "Lebanon" as the Temple to explain the role of gold in the world. Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish
Shim‘on ben Lakish ( he, שמעון בן לקיש; arc, שמעון בר לקיש ''Shim‘on bar Lakish'' or ''bar Lakisha''), better known by his nickname Reish Lakish (c. 200 — c. 275), was an amora who lived in the Roman province of Judae ...
taught that the world did not deserve to have the use of gold. But God created gold for the sake of the Temple. The Midrash deduced this from the use of the word "good" in both , where it says, "the gold of that land is good," and , where it says, "that goodly hill-country, and Lebanon."
Rabbi Levi taught that God told Moses "enough!" in to repay Moses measure for measure for when Moses told Korah "enough!" in . The Gemara provided another explanation of the word "enough! (, ''rav'')" in God was telling Moses that Moses had a master (, ''rav''), namely Joshua, waiting to assume authority to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, and thus Moses should not delay another master's reign by prolonging his own. The Gemara provided a third explanation of the word "enough!": God was telling Moses not to petition him anymore, so that people should not say: "How severe is the Master, and how persistent is the student." The Gemara explained why God was so hard on Moses with a Baraita taught in the School of Rabbi Ishmael: according to the camel is the burden; that is, a stronger, more righteous one must bear a greater burden.
The School of Rabbi Ishmael taught that whenever Scripture uses the word "command" (, ''tzav'') (as does), it denotes exhortation to obedience immediately and for all time. A Baraita deduced exhortation to immediate obedience from the use of the word "command" in , which says, "charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him." And the Baraita deduced exhortation to obedience for all time from the use of the word "command" in , which says, "even all that the Lord has commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the Lord gave the commandment, and onward throughout your generations."
Deuteronomy chapter 4
In , Moses calls on Israel to heed the "statutes" (''hukim'') and "ordinances" (''mishpatim''). The Rabbis in a Baraita taught that the "ordinances" (''mishpatim'') were commandments that logic would have dictated that we follow even had Scripture not commanded them, like the laws concerning idolatry, adultery, bloodshed, robbery, and blasphemy. And "statutes" (''hukim'') were commandments that the Adversary challenges us to violate as beyond reason, like those relating to ''shaatnez
''Shatnez'' (or ''shaatnez'', ; he, ) is cloth containing both wool and linen (linsey-woolsey), which Jewish law, derived from the Torah, prohibits wearing. The relevant biblical verses ( and ) prohibit wearing wool and linen fabrics in one ...
'' (in and ), ''halizah
''Halizah'' (or ''chalitzah''; he, חליצה) is, under the biblical system of levirate marriage known as ''yibbum'', the process by which a childless widow and a brother of her deceased husband may avoid the duty to marry.
The process involve ...
'' (in ), purification of the person with ''tzaraat
''Tzaraath'' (Hebrew צָרַעַת ''ṣāraʿaṯ''), variously transcribed into English and frequently mistranslated as leprosy, describes various ritually unclean disfigurative conditions of the skin, hair of the beard and head, clothing mad ...
'' (in ), and the scapegoat
In the Bible, a scapegoat is one of a pair of kid goats that is released into the wilderness, taking with it all sins and impurities, while the other is sacrificed. The concept first appears in the Book of Leviticus, in which a goat is designate ...
(in ). So that people do not think these "ordinances" (''mishpatim'') to be empty acts, , which speaks of the "statutes" (''hukim'') and "ordinances" (''mishpatim''), says "I am the Lord," indicating that the Lord made these statutes, and we have no right to question them.
The Gemara cited as an instance of where the Torah alludes to life after death. The Gemara related that sectarians asked Rabban Gamaliel where Scripture says that God will resurrect the dead. Rabban Gamaliel answered them from the Torah, the Prophets (''Nevi'im
Nevi'im (; he, נְבִיאִים ''Nəvīʾīm'', Tiberian: ''Năḇīʾīm,'' "Prophets", literally "spokespersons") is the second major division of the Hebrew Bible (the ''Tanakh''), lying between the Torah (instruction) and Ketuvim (wri ...
''), and the Writings (''Ketuvim
The Ketuvim (; hbo, , Modern: ''Kəṯūvīm'', Tiberian: ''Kăṯūḇīm'' "writings") is the third and final section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), after Torah (instruction) and Nevi'im (prophets). In English translations of the Hebrew Bi ...
''), yet the sectarians did not accept his proofs. From the Torah, Rabban Gamaliel cited , "And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers and rise up gain
Gain or GAIN may refer to:
Science and technology
* Gain (electronics), an electronics and signal processing term
* Antenna gain
* Gain (laser), the amplification involved in laser emission
* Gain (projection screens)
* Information gain in de ...
'" But the sectarians replied that perhaps reads, "and the people will rise up." From the Prophets, Rabban Gamaliel cited , "Your dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust: for your dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out its dead." But the sectarians rejoined that perhaps refers to the dead whom Ezekiel
Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible.
In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is acknow ...
resurrected in . From the Writings, Rabban Gamaliel cited Song of Songs , "And the roof of your mouth, like the best wine of my beloved, that goes down sweetly, causing the lips of those who are asleep to speak." (As the Rabbis interpreted Song of Songs as a dialogue between God and Israel, they understood to refer to the dead, whom God will cause to speak again.) But the sectarians rejoined that perhaps means merely that the lips of the departed will move. For Rabbi Johanan Yohanan, Yochanan and Johanan are various transliterations to the Latin alphabet of the Hebrew male given name ('), a shortened form of ('), meaning "YHWH is gracious".
The name is ancient, recorded as the name of Johanan, high priest of the Se ...
said that if a ''halachah
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
'' (legal ruling) is said in any person's name in this world, the person's lips speak in the grave, as says, "causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak." Thus Rabban Gamaliel did not satisfy the sectarians until he quoted , "which the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them." Rabban Gamaliel noted that God swore to give the land not "to you" (the Israelites whom Moses addressed) but "to them" (the Patriarchs, who had long since died). Others say that Rabban Gamaliel proved it from , "But you who did cleave to the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day." And (the superfluous use of "this day" implies that) just as you are all alive today, so shall you all live again in the World To Come
The world to come, age to come, heaven on Earth, and the Kingdom of God are eschatological phrases reflecting the belief that the current world or current age is flawed or cursed and will be replaced in the future by a better world, age, or par ...
.
A Midrash taught that , , and call the Euphrates
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...
"the Great River" because it encompasses the Land of Israel. The Midrash noted that at the creation of the world, the Euphrates was not designated "great." But it is called "great" because it encompasses the Land of Israel, which calls a "great nation." As a popular saying said, the king's servant is a king, and thus Scripture calls the Euphrates great because of its association with the great nation of Israel.
Bar Kappara interpreted , "Only take heed to yourself," together with , "For if you shall diligently keep all this commandment that I command you." Bar Kappara compared the soul and the Torah to a lamp, as says, "The soul of man is the lamp of the Lord," and says, "For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light." God told humanity that God's light — the Torah — is in their hands, and their light — their souls — are in God's hands. God said that if people guard God's light, then God will guard their lights, but if people extinguish God's light, then God will extinguish their lights. For says, "Only take heed to yourself," and then "Keep your soul diligently." This explains , "For if you shall diligently keep." The Midrash thus taught that "if you keep" (God's commandments), then "you shall be kept" (and your souls shall be guarded).Deuteronomy Rabbah 4:4. In, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbah: Deuteronomy''. Translated by Harry Freedman and Maurice Simon, volume 7, page 91. See also Babylonian Talmud Sotah 21a. In, e.g., ''Koren Talmud Bavli: Sota''. Commentary by Adin Even-Israel (Steinsaltz), volume 20. Jerusalem: Koren Publishers, 2015. (the commandment is a lamp and Torah is light).
A Baraita deduced from the words "you shall make them known to your children, and your children's children" in that if a parent teaches a child Torah, Scripture ascribes merit as though the parent had taught the child, the child's children, and so on, until the end of all time.Babylonian Talmud Kiddushin 30aRabbi Joshua ben Levi taught that if a parent teaches a child (or some say a grandchild) Torah, Scripture accounts it as if the parent had received the Torah at Mount Sinai, as says, "And you shall make them known to your children and your children's children," and immediately thereafter, says, "The day that you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb." Rabbi
Hiyya bar Abba
Ḥiyya bar Abba (Aramaic: רבי חייא בר אבא), Ḥiyya bar Ba (Aramaic: רבי חייא בר בא), or Ḥiyya bar Wa (Aramaic: רבי חייא בר ווא) was a third generation ''amoraic'' sage of the Land of Israel, of priestly des ...
once found Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, who had hurriedly thrown a cloth upon his head, taking his child (or some say grandchild) to the synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
to study. When Rabbi Hiyya asked Rabbi Joshua what was going on, Rabbi Joshua replied that it was no small thing that the words "you shall make them known to your children and your children's children" are immediately followed by the words "The day that you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb." From then on, Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba did not eat breakfast before revising the previous day's lesson with his child (or some say grandchild) and adding another verse. And Rabbah son of Rav Huna did not eat breakfast until he took his child (or some say grandchild) to school.
A Baraita deduced from the proximity of the words "And you shall make them known to your children and your children's children" in to the words "The day on which you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb" in that just as at Mount Sinai, the Israelites stood in dread, fear, trembling, and quaking, so when one teaches Torah to one's child, one should do so in dread, fear, trembling, and quaking.
The Rabbis related Jacob
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...
's dream in to Sinai. The "ladder" symbolizes Mount Sinai. That the ladder is "set upon (, ''mutzav'') the earth" recalls , which says, "And they stood (, ''vayityatzvu'') at the nether part of the mount." The words of , "and the top of it reached to heaven," echo those of , "And the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven." "And behold the angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
s of God" alludes to Moses and Aaron
According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...
. "Ascending" parallels "And Moses went up to God." "And descending" parallels "And Moses went down from the mount." And the words "and, behold, the Lord stood beside him" in parallel the words of "And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai."
Rabbi Johanan counted ten instances in which Scripture refers to the death of Moses (including one in the parashah), teaching that God did not finally seal the harsh decree until God declared it to Moses. Rabbi Johanan cited these ten references to the death of Moses: (1) "But I must die in this land; I shall not cross the Jordan"; (2) "The Lord said to Moses: ‘Behold, your days approach that you must die'"; (3) " en now, while I am still alive in your midst, you have been defiant toward the Lord; and how much more after my death"; (4) "For I know that after my death, you will act wickedly and turn away from the path that I enjoined upon you"; (5) "And die in the mount that you are about to ascend, and shall be gathered to your kin, as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his kin"; (6) "This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, bade the Israelites farewell before his death"; (7) "So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, at the command of the Lord"; (8) "Moses was 120 years old when he died"; (9) "Now it came to pass after the death of Moses"; and (10) "Moses My servant is dead." Rabbi Johanan taught that ten times it was decreed that Moses should not enter the Land of Israel, but the harsh decree was not finally sealed until God revealed it to him and declared (as reported in ): "It is My decree that you should not pass over."
Rabbi Jonah taught in the name of Rabbi Levi that the world was created with a letter ''bet
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...
'' (the first letter in , which begins, , ''Bereishit bara Elohim'', "In the beginning God created") because just as the letter ''bet'' is closed at the sides but open in front, so one is not permitted to investigate what is above and what is below, what is before and what is behind. Similarly, Bar Kappara
Bar Kappara ( he, בר קפרא) was a rabbi of the late 2nd and early 3rd century CE, during the period between the ''tannaim'' and ''amoraim''. He was active in Caesarea in the Land of Israel, from around 180 to 220 CE. His name, meaning "Son o ...
reinterpreted the words of to say, "ask ''not'' of the days past, which were before you, since the day that God created man upon the earth," teaching that one may speculate from the day that days were created, but one should not speculate on what was before that. And one may investigate from one end of heaven to the other, but one should not investigate what was before this world. Similarly, the Rabbis in a Baraita interpreted to forbid inquiry into the work of creation in the presence of two people, reading the words "for ask now of the days past" to indicate that ''one'' may inquire, but not ''two''. The Rabbis reasoned that the words "since the day that God created man upon the earth" in taught that one must not inquire concerning the time before creation. The Rabbis reasoned that the words "the days past that were before you" in taught that one may inquire about the six days of creation. The Rabbis further reasoned that the words "from the one end of heaven to the other" in taught that one must not inquire about what is beyond the universe, what is above and what is below, what is before and what is after.
Rabbi Eleazar read the words "since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven" in to read, "from the day that God created Adam
Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
on earth and to the end of heaven." Thus Rabbi Eleazar read to intimate that when God created Adam in , Adam extended from the earth to the firmament. But as soon as Adam sinned, God placed God's hand upon Adam and diminished him, as says: "You have fashioned me after and before, and laid Your hand upon me." Similarly, Rav Judah in the name of Rav
''Rav'' (or ''Rab,'' Modern Hebrew: ) is the Hebrew generic term for a person who teaches Torah; a Jewish spiritual guide; or a rabbi. For example, Pirkei Avot (1:6) states that:
The term ''rav'' is also Hebrew for ''rabbi''. (For a more nuan ...
taught that when God created Adam in , Adam extended from one end of the world to the other, reading to read, "Since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from one end of heaven to the other." (And Rav Judah in the name of Rav also taught that as soon as Adam sinned, God placed God's hand upon Adam and diminished him.) The Gemara reconciled the interpretations of Rabbi Eleazar and Rav Judah in the name of Rav by concluding that the distance from the earth to the firmament must equal the distance from one end of heaven to the other.
Rabbi Levi addressed the question that raises: "Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live?" (, in turn, refers back to the encounter at Sinai reported at , , and after.) Rabbi Levi taught that the world would not have been able to survive hearing the voice of God in God's power, but instead, as says, "The voice of the Lord is with power." That is, the voice of God came according to the power of each individual — young, old, or infant — to receive it.
The Gemara counted only three verses in the Torah that indisputably refer to God's Kingship, and thus are suitable for recitation on Rosh Hashanah
Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...
: , "The Lord his God is with him, and the shouting for the King is among them"; , "And He was King in Jeshurun"; and , "The Lord shall reign for ever and ever." Rabbi Jose also counted as Kingship verses , "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is One"; , "And you shall know on that day and lay it to your heart that the Lord is God, . . . there is none else"; and , "To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God, there is none else beside Him"; but Rabbi Judah said that none of these three is a Kingship verse. (The traditional Rosh Hashanah liturgy follows Rabbi Jose and recites , , and , and then concludes with .)
Rabbi Johanan taught that sorcerers are called , ''kashefim'', because they seek to contradict the power of Heaven. (Some read , ''kashefim'', as an acronym for , ''kachash pamalia'', "contradicting the legion f Heaven
F, or f, is the sixth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet#Let ...
") But the Gemara noted that says, "There is none else besides Him (God)." Rabbi Hanina interpreted to teach that even sorcerers have no power to oppose God's will. A woman once tried to take earth from under Rabbi Hanina's feet (so as to perform sorcery against him). Rabbi Hanina told her that if she could succeed in her attempts, she should go ahead, but (he was not concerned, for) says, "There is none else beside Him." But the Gemara asked whether Rabbi Johanan had not taught that sorcerers are called , ''kashefim'', because they (actually) contradict the power of Heaven. The Gemara answered that Rabbi Hanina was in a different category, owing to his abundant merit (and therefore Heaven protected him).
Chapter 2 of tractate Makkot
Makot (in Hebrew: מכות) (in English: "Lashes") is a tractate of the Mishnah and Talmud. It is the fifth volume of the order of Nezikin. Makkot deals primarily with laws of the Jewish courts (beis din) and the punishments which they may adminis ...
in the Mishnah, Tosefta
The Tosefta (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: תוספתא "supplement, addition") is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the late 2nd century, the period of the Mishnah.
Overview
In many ways, the Tosefta acts as a supplement to the Mishnah ( ...
, Jerusalem Talmud
The Jerusalem Talmud ( he, תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשַׁלְמִי, translit=Talmud Yerushalmi, often for short), also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century ...
, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of the cities of refuge in , , , and .
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
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
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.
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 ordained, "And the congregation shall restore him to the city of refuge from where he had fled." 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. 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.
Because Reuben
Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob.
Variants include Rúben in European Portuguese; Rubens in Brazilian Portugue ...
was the first to engage in saving the life of his brother Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
in , God decreed that the Cities of Refuge would be set up first within the borders of the Tribe of Reuben
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Reuben () was one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Unlike the majority of the tribes, the land of Reuben, along with that of Tribe of Gad, Gad and half of Manasseh (tribal patriarch), Manasseh, was on t ...
in .
The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer identified Og, king of Bashan, mentioned in , with Abraham
Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...
’s servant Eliezer
Eliezer (, "Help/Court of El") was the name of at least three different individuals in the Bible.
Eliezer of Damascus
Eliezer of Damascus () was, according to the Targums, the son of Nimrod. Eliezer was head of the patriarch Abraham's househo ...
introduced in and with the unnamed steward of Abraham’s household in . The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer told that when Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees
Ur Kasdim ( he, ''ʾūr Kaśdīm''), commonly translated as Ur of the Chaldeans, is a city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the birthplace of the Israelite and Ishmaelite patriarch Abraham. In 1862, Henry Rawlinson identified Ur Kaśdim with ...
, all the magnates of the kingdom gave him gifts, and Nimrod
Nimrod (; ; arc, ܢܡܪܘܕ; ar, نُمْرُود, Numrūd) is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush and therefore a great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of ...
gave Abraham Nimrod’s first-born son Eliezer as a perpetual slave. After Eliezer had dealt kindly with Isaac
Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the ...
by securing Rebekah
Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...
to be Isaac’s wife, he set Eliezer free, and God gave Eliezer his reward in this world by raising him up to become a king — Og, king of Bashan.
Deuteronomy chapter 5
Rabbi Azariah in the name of Rabbi Judah ben Rabbi Simon taught that the familiarity with which God spoke with the Israelites in befit the infancy of Israel's nationhood. Rabbi Azariah in the name of Rabbi Judah ben Rabbi Simon explained in a parable. A mortal king had a daughter whom he loved exceedingly. So long as his daughter was small, he would speak with her in public or in the courtyard. When she grew up and reached puberty, the king determined that it no longer befit his daughter's dignity for him to converse with her in public. So he directed that a pavilion be made for her so that he could speak with his daughter inside the pavilion. In the same way, when God saw the Israelites in Egypt, they were in the childhood of their nationhood, as says, "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son." When God saw the Israelites at Sinai, God spoke with them as says, "The Lord spoke with you face to face." As soon as they received the Torah, became God's nation, and said (as reported in ), "All that the Lord has spoken will we do, and obey," God observed that it was no longer in keeping with the dignity of God's children that God should converse with them in the open. So God instructed the Israelites to make a Tabernacle, and when God needed to communicate with the Israelites, God did so from the Tabernacle. And thus bears this out when it says, "And when Moses went into the tent of meeting that He might speak with him." Reading , “And God spoke all these words, saying,” the Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael taught that God spoke the ten commandments in one utterance, in a manner of speech of which human beings are incapable. The Mishnah taught that the priests recited the Ten Commandments daily. The Gemara, however, taught that although the Sages wanted to recite the Ten Commandments along with the ''Shema'' in precincts outside of the Temple, they soon abolished their recitation, because the Sages did not want to lend credence to the arguments of the heretics (who might argue that Jews honored only the Ten Commandments). Rabbi Tobiah bar Isaac read the words of and , "I am the Lord your God," to teach that it was on the condition that the Israelites acknowledged God as their God that God (in the continuation of and ) "brought you out of the land of Egypt." And a Midrash compared "I am the Lord your God" to a princess who having been taken captive by robbers, was rescued by a king, who subsequently asked her to marry him. Replying to his proposal, she asked what dowry the king would give her, to which the king replied that it was enough that he had rescued her from the robbers. (So God's delivery of the Israelites from Egypt was enough reason for the Israelites to obey God's commandments.) The Gemara taught that the Israelites heard the words of the first two commandments (in (20:2–3 in NJPS) and (5:7–8 in NJPS)) directly from God. Rabbi Simlai expounded that a total of 613 commandments were communicated to Moses — 365 negative commandments, corresponding to the number of days in the solar year, and 248 positive commandments, corresponding to the number of the parts in the human body. RavHamnuna
Hamnuna (Hebrew: המנונא) is the name of several rabbis from the period of the Talmud, among them:
* Hamnuna Saba ("the elder"). Second generation Babylonian amora (mid third century CE). A pupil of Rav. After Rav, he became the head of th ...
said that one may derive this from , "Moses commanded us Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob." The letters of the word "Torah" () have a numerical value of 611 (as equals 400, equals 6, equals 200, and equals 5). And the Gemara did not count among the commandments that the Israelites heard from Moses the commandments, "I am the Lord your God," and, "You shall have no other gods before Me," as the Israelites heard those commandments directly from God.
Rabbi Abbahu
Rabbi Abbahu ( he, אבהו) was a Jew and Talmudist of the Talmudic Academies in Syria Palaestina from about 279-320 and is counted a member of the third generation of Amoraim. He is sometimes cited as Rabbi Abbahu of Kisrin (Caesarea).
Biograph ...
said in the name of Rabbi Johanan that when God gave the Torah, no bird twittered, no fowl flew, no ox lowed, none of the Ophanim stirred a wing, the Seraphim did not say (in the words of ) "Holy, Holy," the sea did not roar, the creatures did not speak, the whole world was hushed into breathless silence and the voice went forth in the words of and "I am the Lord your God."
Rabbi Levi explained that God said the words of and , "I am the Lord your God," to reassure Israel that just because they heard many voices at Sinai, they should not believe that there are many deities in heaven, but rather they should know that God alone is God.
Rabbi Levi said that the section beginning at was spoken in the presence of the whole Israelite people, because it includes each of the Ten Commandments, noting that: (1) says, "I am the Lord your God," and says, "I am the Lord your God"; (2) (20:3 in NJPS) says, "You shall have no other gods," and says, "Nor make to yourselves molten gods"; (3) (20:7 in NJPS) says, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain," and says, "And you shall not swear by My name falsely"; (4) (20:8 in NJPS) says, "Remember the Sabbath day," and says, "And you shall keep My Sabbaths"; (5) (20:12 in NJPS) says, "Honor your father and your mother," and says, "You shall fear every man his mother, and his father"; (6) (20:13 in NJPS) says, "You shall not murder," and says, "Neither shall you stand idly by the blood of your neighbor"; (7) (20:13 in NJPS) says, "You shall not commit adultery," and says, "Both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death; (8) (20:13 in NJPS) says, "You shall not steal," and says, "You shall not steal"; (9) (20:13 in NJPS) says, "You shall not bear false witness," and says, "You shall not go up and down as a talebearer"; and (10) (20:14 in NJPS) says, "You shall not covet . . . anything that is your neighbor's," and says, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Rabbi Ishmael interpreted (20:2–3 in NJPS) and (5:6–7 in NJPS) to be the first of the Ten Commandments. Rabbi Ishmael taught that Scripture speaks in particular of idolatry, for says, "Because he has despised the word of the Lord." Rabbi Ishmael interpreted this to mean that an idolater despises the first word among the Ten Words or Ten Commandments in (20:2–3 in NJPS) and (5:6–7 in NJPS), "I am the Lord your God . . . . You shall have no other gods before Me."
The Sifre
Sifre ( he, סִפְרֵי; ''siphrēy'', ''Sifre, Sifrei'', also, ''Sifre debe Rab'' or ''Sifre Rabbah'') refers to either of two works of ''Midrash halakha'', or classical Jewish legal biblical exegesis, based on the biblical books of Numbers a ...
taught that to commit idolatry is to deny the entire Torah.
Tractate Avodah Zarah
''Avodah Zarah'' (Hebrew: , or "foreign worship", meaning " idolatry" or "strange service") is the name of a tractate of the Talmud, located in ''Nezikin'', the fourth Order of the Talmud dealing with damages. The main topic of the tractate is ...
in the Mishnah, Tosefta, Jerusalem Talmud, and Babylonian Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
interpreted the laws prohibiting idolatry in (20:3–6 in NJPS) and (5:7–10 in NJPS).
Tractate Shabbat
Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...
in the Mishnah, Tosefta, Jerusalem Talmud, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of the Sabbath in an29
(20:8–11 in NJPS); ; ; ; ; ; ; and (5:12 in NJPS).
Noting that (20:8 in NJPS) says, "''Remember'' the Sabbath day," and (5:12 in NJPS) says, "''Observe'' the Sabbath day," the Gemara taught that God pronounced both "Remember" and "Observe" in a single utterance, an utterance that the mouth cannot utter, nor the ear hear. Rav Ada bar Ahabah taught that the Torah thus obligates women to sanctify the Sabbath (by reciting or hearing the Kiddush
Kiddush (; he, קידוש ), literally, "sanctification", is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Shabbat and Jewish holidays. Additionally, the word refers to a small repast held on Shabbat or festival mornings after t ...
, even though women are generally not bound to observe such positive precepts that depend on specified times). For Scripture says both "Remember" and "Observe," and all who are included in the exhortation "Observe" are included in the exhortation "Remember." And women, since they are included in "Observe" (which the Rabbis interpret as a negative commandment that binds all Jews), are also included in "Remember."
The Gemara reports that on the eve of the Sabbath before sunset, Rabbi Simeon ben Yochai and his son saw an old man running with two bundles of myrtle and asked him what they were for. The old man explained that they were to bring a sweet smell to his house in honor of the Sabbath. Rabbi Simeon ben Yochai asked whether one bundle would not be enough. The old man replied that one bundle was for “Remember” in (20:8 in NJPS) and one was for “Observe” in (5:12 in NJPS). Rabbi Simeon ben Yochai told his son to mark how precious the commandments are to Israel.
A Midrash deduced from similarities in the language of the creation of humanity and the Sabbath commandment that God gave Adam the precept of the Sabbath. Reading the report of God's creating Adam in , “And He put him (, ''vayanihehu'') into the Garden of Eden,” the Midrash taught that “And He put him (, ''vayanihehu'')” means that God gave Adam the precept of the Sabbath, for the Sabbath commandment uses a similar word in (20:11 in the NJPS), “And rested (, ''vayanach'') on the seventh day.” continues, “to till it (, ''le’avedah''),” and the Sabbath commandment uses a similar word in (20:9 in the NJPS), “Six days shall you labor (, ''ta’avod'').” And continues, “And to keep it (, ''ule-shamerah''),” and the Sabbath commandment uses a similar word in (5:12 in the NJPS), “Keep (, ''shamor'') the Sabbath day.”
Rav Judah taught in Rav's name that the words of (5:12 in the NJPS), “Observe the Sabbath day . . . as the Lord your God ''commanded'' you” (in which Moses used the past tense for the word “commanded,” indicating that God had commanded the Israelites to observe the Sabbath before the revelation at Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai ( he , הר סיני ''Har Sinai''; Aramaic: ܛܘܪܐ ܕܣܝܢܝ ''Ṭūrāʾ Dsyny''), traditionally known as Jabal Musa ( ar, جَبَل مُوسَىٰ, translation: Mount Moses), is a mountain on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. It is ...
) indicate that God commanded the Israelites to observe the Sabbath when they were at Marah, about which reports, “There He made for them a statute and an ordinance.”
The Tanna Devei Eliyahu taught that if you live by the commandment establishing the Sabbath (in (20:8 in the NJPS) and (5:12 in the NJPS)), then (in the words of ) "The Lord has sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength: ‘Surely I will no more give your corn to be food for your enemies." If, however, you transgress the commandment, then it will be as in , when "the Lord’s anger was kindled in that day, and He swore, saying: ‘Surely none of the men . . . shall see the land.’"
A Midrash asked to which commandment refers when it says, "For if you shall diligently keep all ''this commandment'' that I command you, to do it, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him, then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves." Rabbi Levi said that "this commandment" refers to the recitation of the ''Shema'' (), but the Rabbis said that it refers to the Sabbath, which is equal to all the precepts of the Torah.
The Alphabet of Rabbi Akiva
Alphabet of Rabbi Akiva ( he, אלפא-ביתא דרבי עקיבא, ''Alpha-Beta de-Rabbi Akiva''), otherwise known as Letters of Rabbi Akiva ( he, אותיות דרבי עקיבא, ''Otiot de-Rabbi Akiva'') or simply Alphabet or Letters, is a mi ...
taught that when God was giving Israel the Torah, God told them that if they accepted the Torah and observed God's commandments, then God would give them for eternity a most precious thing that God possessed — the World To Come. When Israel asked to see in this world an example of the World To Come, God replied that the Sabbath is an example of the World To Come.
A Midrash cited the words of (5:14 in the NJPS), "And your stranger who is within your gates," to show God's injunction to welcome the stranger. The Midrash compared the admonition in , "Neither let the alien who has joined himself to the Lord speak, saying: ‘The Lord will surely separate me from his people.’" (Isaiah
Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named.
Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...
enjoined Israelites to treat the convert the same as a native Israelite.) Similarly, the Midrash quoted , in which Job
Work or labor (or labour in British English) is intentional activity people perform to support the needs and wants of themselves, others, or a wider community. In the context of economics, work can be viewed as the human activity that contr ...
said, "The stranger did not lodge in the street" (that is, none were denied hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, chevalier de J ...
), to show that God disqualifies no creature, but receives all; the city gates were open all the time and anyone could enter them. The Midrash equated , "The stranger did not lodge in the street," with the words of (20:10 in the NJPS), (5:14 in the NJPS), and , "And your stranger who is within your gates" (which implies that strangers were integrated into the midst of the community). Thus the Midrash taught that these verses reflect the Divine example of accepting all creatures.
The Mishnah taught that both men and women are obligated to carry out all commandments concerning their fathers. Rav Judah interpreted the Mishnah to mean that both men and women are bound to perform all precepts concerning a father that are incumbent upon a son to perform for his father.
A Midrash noted that almost everywhere, Scripture mentions a father's honor before the mother's honor. (See, for example, (5:16 in NJPS), , and (20:12 in NJSP).) But mentions the mother first to teach that one should honor both parents equally.
The Rabbis taught in a Baraita what it means to "honor" and "revere" one's parents within the meaning of (20:12 in NJSP) (honor), (revere), and (5:16 in NJPS) (honor). To "revere" means that the child must neither stand nor sit in the parent's place, nor contradict the parent's words, nor engage in a dispute to which the parent is a party. To "honor" means that the child must give the parent food and drink and clothes, and take the parent in and out.
Rabbi Tarfon taught that God came from Mount Sinai (or others say Mount Seir) and was revealed to the children of Esau
Esau ''Ēsaû''; la, Hesau, Esau; ar, عِيسَوْ ''‘Īsaw''; meaning "hairy"Easton, M. ''Illustrated Bible Dictionary'', (, , 2006, p. 236 or "rough".Mandel, D. ''The Ultimate Who's Who in the Bible'', (.), 2007, p. 175 is the elder son o ...
, as says, "The Lord came from Sinai, and rose from Seir to them," and "Seir" means the children of Esau, as says, "And Esau dwelt in Mount Seir." God asked them whether they would accept the Torah, and they asked what was written in it. God answered that it included (in (20:13 in the NJPS) and (5:17 in the NJPS)), "You shall do no murder." The children of Esau replied that they were unable to abandon the blessing with which Isaac blessed Esau in , "By your sword shall you live." From there, God turned and was revealed to the children of Ishmael
Ishmael ''Ismaḗl''; Classical/Qur'anic Arabic: إِسْمَٰعِيْل; Modern Standard Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيْل ''ʾIsmāʿīl''; la, Ismael was the first son of Abraham, the common patriarch of the Abrahamic religions; and is cons ...
, as says, "He shined forth from Mount Paran," and "Paran" means the children of Ishmael, as says of Ishmael, "And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran." God asked them whether they would accept the Torah, and they asked what was written in it. God answered that it included (in (20:13 in the NJPS) and (5:17 in the NJPS)), "You shall not steal." The children of Ishamel replied that they were unable to abandon their fathers’ custom, as Joseph said in (referring to the Ishamelites’ transaction reported in ), "For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews." From there, God sent messengers to all the nations of the world asking them whether they would accept the Torah, and they asked what was written in it. God answered that it included (in (20:3 in the NJPS) and (5:7 in the NJPS)), "You shall have no other gods before me." They replied that they had no delight in the Torah, therefore let God give it to God's people, as says, "The Lord will give strength dentified with the Torahto His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace
Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
." From there, God returned and was revealed to the children of Israel, as says, "And he came from the ten thousands of holy ones," and the expression "ten thousands" means the children of Israel, as says, "And when it rested, he said, ‘Return, O Lord, to the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel.’" With God were thousands of chariots and 20,000 angels, and God’s right hand held the Torah, as says, "At his right hand was a fiery law to them."
Chapter 9 of Tractate Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin (Hebrew and Aramaic: סַנְהֶדְרִין; Greek: , ''synedrion'', 'sitting together,' hence 'assembly' or 'council') was an assembly of either 23 or 71 elders (known as "rabbis" after the destruction of the Second Temple), ap ...
in the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of murder in (20:13 in the NJPS) and (5:17 in the NJPS). The Mishnah taught that one who intended to kill an animal but killed a person instead was not liable for murder. One was not liable for murder who intended to kill an unviable fetus and killed a viable child. One was not liable for murder who intended to strike the victim on the loins, where the blow was insufficient to kill, but struck the heart instead, where it was sufficient to kill, and the victim died. One was not liable for murder who intended to strike the victim on the heart, where it was enough to kill, but struck the victim on the loins, where it was not, and yet the victim died.
Interpreting the consequences of murder (prohibited in (5:17 in NJPS) and (20:13 in NJPS)), the Mishnah taught that God created the first human (Adam) alone to teach that Scripture imputes guilt to one who destroys a single soul of Israel as though that person had destroyed a complete world, and Scripture ascribes merit to one who preserves a single soul of Israel as though that person had preserved a complete world.
The Tanna Devei Eliyahu taught that if you live by the commandment prohibiting murder (in (20:13 in the NJPS) and (5:17 in the NJPS)), then (in the words of ) "the sword shall not go through your land." If, however, you transgress the commandment, then (in God's words in ) "I will draw out the sword after you."
Rav Aha of Difti said to Ravina that one can transgress the commandment not to covet in (5:18 in NJPS) and (20:14 in NJSP) even in connection with something for which one is prepared to pay.
The Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael asked whether the commandment not to covet in (20:14 in NJSP) applied so far as to prohibit merely expressing one's desire for one's neighbor's things in words. But the Mekhilta noted that says, "You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourself." And the Mekhilta reasoned that just as in the word "covet" applies only to prohibit the carrying out of one's desire into practice, so also (20:14 in NJSP) prohibits only the carrying out of one's desire into practice.
The Mekhilta of Rabbi Simeon distinguished the prohibition of (20:14 in NJSP), "You shall not covet," from that of (5:18 in NJPS), "neither shall you desire." The Mekhilta of Rabbi Simeon taught that the differing terms mean that one can incur liability for desiring in and of itself and for coveting in and of itself.
Rabbi Isaac deduced from (5:19 in NJPS) and that all the Sages who arose in every generation after the Revelation at Sinai received their wisdom from that event. Rabbi Isaac read to teach that the prophets received from the Revelation at Sinai all the messages that they were to prophesy to subsequent generations. For does not say, "who are not here ''standing'' with us this day," but just "who are not with us this day." Rabbi Isaac taught that thus refers to the souls that were to be created thereafter; because these souls did not yet have any substance in them, they could not yet be "standing" at Sinai. But although these souls did not yet exist, they still received their share of the Torah that day. Similarly, Rabbi Isaac concluded that all the Sages who arose in every generation thereafter received their wisdom from the Revelation at Sinai, for (5:19 in NJPS) says, "These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly . . . with a great voice, and it went on no more," implying that God's Revelation went on no more thereafter.
Rabbi Tanchum ben Chanilai found in God's calling to Moses alone in proof that a burden that is too heavy for 600,000 — hearing the voice of God (see (5:22 in NJPS)) — can be light for one.
The Gemara cited (5:27–28 in NJPS) to support the proposition that God approved of the decision of Moses to abstain from marital relations so as to remain pure for his communication with God. A Baraita taught that Moses did three things of his own understanding, and God approved: (1) He added one day of abstinence of his own understanding; (2) he separated himself from his wife (entirely, after the Revelation); and (3) he broke the Tables (on which God had written the Ten Commandments). The Gemara explained that to reach his decision to separate himself from his wife, Moses applied an ''a fortiori'' (''kal va-chomer'') argument to himself. Moses noted that even though the Shechinah
Shekhinah, also spelled Shechinah ( Hebrew: שְׁכִינָה ''Šəḵīnā'', Tiberian: ''Šăḵīnā'') is the English transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning "dwelling" or "settling" and denotes the presence of God, as it were, in a plac ...
spoke with the Israelites on only one definite, appointed time (at Mount Sinai), God nonetheless instructed in , "Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman." Moses reasoned that if he heard from the Shechinah at all times and not only at one appointed time, how much more so should he abstain from marital contact. And the Gemara taught that we know that God approved, because in (5:27 in NJPS), God instructed Moses (after the Revelation at Sinai), "Go say to them, 'Return to your tents'" (thus giving the Israelites permission to resume marital relations) and immediately thereafter in (5:28 in NJPS), God told Moses, "But as for you, stand here by me" (excluding him from the permission to return). And the Gemara taught that some cite as proof of God's approval God's statement in , "with him oseswill I speak mouth to mouth" (as God thus distinguished the level of communication God had with Moses, after Miriam and Aaron had raised the marriage of Moses and then questioned the distinctiveness of the prophecy of Moses).
The Sifre interpreted the “ways” of God referred to in (as well as ; ; ; ; ; ; and ) by making reference to , “The Lord, the Lord, God of mercy and grace, slow to wrath and abundant in mercy and truth, keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving transgression, offense, and sin, and cleansing . . . .” Thus the Sifre read , “All who will be called by the name of the Lord shall be delivered,” to teach that just as calls God “merciful and gracious,” we, too, should be merciful and gracious. And just as says, “The Lord is righteous,” we, too, should be righteous.
Deuteronomy chapter 6
The Gemara reported a number of Rabbis' reports of how the Land of Israel did indeed flow with "milk and honey," as described in an17
, and , , and , and , , an
, and . Once when Rami bar Ezekiel visited
Bnei Brak
Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an are ...
, he saw goats grazing under fig trees while honey was flowing from the figs, and milk dripped from the goats mingling with the fig honey, causing him to remark that it was indeed a land flowing with milk and honey. Rabbi Jacob ben Dostai said that it is about three miles from Lod
Lod ( he, לוד, or fully vocalized ; ar, اللد, al-Lidd or ), also known as Lydda ( grc, Λύδδα), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Shephe ...
to Ono
ONO, Ono or Ōno may refer to:
Places Fiji
* Ono Island (Fiji)
Israel
* Kiryat Ono
* Ono, Benjamin, ancient site
Italy
* Ono San Pietro
Ivory Coast
* Ono, Ivory Coast, a village in Comoé District
Japan
* Ōno Castle, Fukuoka
* Ō ...
, and once he rose up early in the morning and waded all that way up to his ankles in fig honey. Resh Lakish said that he saw the flow of the milk and honey of Sepphoris
Sepphoris (; grc, Σέπφωρις, Séphōris), called Tzipori in Hebrew ( he, צִפּוֹרִי, Tzipori),Palmer (1881), p115/ref> and known in Arabic as Saffuriya ( ar, صفورية, Ṣaffūriya) since the 7th century, is an archaeolog ...
extend over an area of sixteen miles by sixteen miles. Rabbah bar Bar Hana said that he saw the flow of the milk and honey in all the Land of Israel and the total area was equal to an area of twenty-two parasangs by six parasangs.
The first three chapters of tractate Berakhot in the Mishnah, Jerusalem Talmud, and Babylonian Talmud and the first two chapters of tractate Berakhot in the Tosefta interpreted the laws of the ''Shema'' in and .
Already at the time of the Mishnah, constituted the first part of a standard ''Shema'' prayer that the priests recited daily, followed by and .
The Rabbis taught that saying the words of , "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One," and no more, constituted Rabbi Judah the Prince's recital of the ''Shema''. Rav once told Rabbi Hiyya that he had not witnessed Rabbi Judah the Prince accept upon himself the yoke of the Heaven by reciting the ''Shema''. Rabbi Hiyya replied to Rav that in the moment that Rabbi Judah the Prince passed his hand to cover his eyes to recite, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One," he accepted upon himself the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven.
Rabbi Joshua ben Korhah taught that in the ''Shema'', Jews recite the words of ("Here, O Israel . . . ," ''Shema Yisrael . . .'') before those of ("And it shall come to pass . . . ," ''VeHaya im Shamoa . . .'') so that one first accepts the yoke of Heaven by proclaiming the Unity of God and then accepts the yoke of the commandments by saying the words, "If you shall diligently heed all My commandments." Jews recite the words of ("And it shall come to pass . . . ," ''VeHaya im Shamoa . . .'') before those of ("And the Lord said . . . ," ''VaYomer . . .'') because is applicable both in the day and the night (since it mentions all the commandments), whereas is applicable only in the day (since it mentions only the precept of fringes, ''tzitzit'', which is not obligatory by night).
The Mishnah taught that the absence of one of the two portions of scripture in the mezuzah — and — invalidates the other, and indeed even one imperfect letter can invalidates the whole.
The Mishnah taught that the absence of one of the four portions of scripture in the Tefillin — an11–16
and and — invalidates the others, and indeed even one imperfect letter can invalidate the whole. Reading , "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One," the Rabbis taught that God told Israel that all that God had created, God created in pairs: heaven and earth, sun and moon, Adam and
Eve
Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...
, this world and the World To Come. But God's Glory is One and Unique in the world.
Rabbi Isaac linked the words "the Lord our God" in with , "The Lord is my portion, says my soul." Rabbi Isaac compared this to a king who entered a province with his generals, officials, and governors. Some of the citizens of the province chose a general as their patron, others an official, and others a governor. But the one who was cleverer than the rest chose the king as his patron, as all the other officials were liable to be changed, but the king would remain the king. Likewise, when God came down on Sinai, there also came down with God many companies of angels, Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
and his company, and Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...
and his company. Some of the nations of the world chose Michael as their patron, and others chose Gabriel, but Israel chose God, exclaiming the words of , "The Lord is my portion, says my soul," and this is the force of the words "the Lord our God" in .
Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah read , "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One," to indicate that Israel has made God the sole object of Israel's love in the world. God, in turn, makes Israel the special object of God's love in the world, as 2 Samuel
The Book of Samuel (, ''Sefer Shmuel'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the narrative history of Ancient Israel called the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Book ...
and 1 Chronicles
The Book of Chronicles ( he, דִּבְרֵי־הַיָּמִים ) is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Chronicles) in the Christian Old Testament. Chronicles is the final book of the Hebrew Bible, concluding the third sect ...
say, "And who is like Your people, like Israel, a nation one in the earth."
The Gemara explained that when Jews recite the ''Shema'', they recite the words, "blessed be the name of God's glorious Kingdom for ever and ever," quietly between the words, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one," from , and the words, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might," from , for the reason that Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish
Shim‘on ben Lakish ( he, שמעון בן לקיש; arc, שמעון בר לקיש ''Shim‘on bar Lakish'' or ''bar Lakisha''), better known by his nickname Reish Lakish (c. 200 — c. 275), was an amora who lived in the Roman province of Judae ...
expounded when he explained what happened in . That verse reports, "And Jacob called to his sons, and said: ‘Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what will befall you in the end of days.'" According to Rabbi Simeon, Jacob wished to reveal to his sons what would happen in the end of the days, but just then, the Shechinah departed from him. So Jacob said that perhaps, Heaven forefend, he had fathered a son who was unworthy to hear the prophecy, just as Abraham had fathered Ishmael or Isaac had fathered Esau. But his sons answered him (in the words of ), "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One," explaining that just as there was only One in Jacob's heart, so there was only One in their hearts. And Jacob replied, "Blessed be the name of God's glorious Kingdom for ever and ever." The Rabbis considered that Jews might recite "Blessed be the name of God's glorious Kingdom for ever and ever" aloud, but rejected that option, as Moses did not say those words in . The Rabbis considered that Jews might not recite those words at all, but rejected that option, as Jacob did say the words. So the Rabbis ruled that Jews should recite the words quietly. Rabbi Isaac taught that the School of Rabbi Ammi
Rabbi Ammi, Aimi, Immi (Hebrew: רבי אמי) is the name of several Jewish Talmudists, known as amoraim, who lived in the Land of Israel and Babylonia. In the Babylonian Talmud the first form only is used; in the Jerusalem Talmud all three forms ...
said that one can compare this practice to that of a princess who smelled a spicy pudding. If she revealed her desire for the pudding, she would suffer disgrace; but if she concealed her desire, she would suffer deprivation. So her servants brought her pudding secretly. Rabbi Abbahu taught that the Sages ruled that Jews should recite the words aloud, so as not to allow heretics to claim that Jews were adding improper words to the ''Shema''. But in Nehardea, where there were no heretics so far, they recited the words quietly.
Rabbi Phinehas ben Hama taught that the Israelites merited to recite the ''Shema'' at the Revelation on Sinai, for it was with the word ''Shema'' that God first began to speak at Sinai when God said in 6:
"Hear, O Israel . . . I am the Lord your God," and the Israelites all answered with the words of "The Lord our God, the Lord is One." And Moses said, "Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever." The Rabbis told that when Moses ascended to heaven, he heard the ministering angels saying to God, "Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever." Moses brought this declaration down to Israel.
Rav Assi
Rav Assi ( he, רב אסי), or Assi (I), was a rabbi of Babylonia, of the first generation of the amoraim.
Identification
Rav Assi should not be confused with the Amora sage of the land of Israel, Rabbi Assi, who was of the third generation ...
explained why Jews do not make this declaration aloud, comparing this to a man who took jewelry from the royal palace and gave it to his wife, telling her not to wear it in public, but only in the house. But on the Day of Atonement, when Jews are as pure as the ministering angels, they do recite the declaration aloud.
Rabbi Johanan considered twice daily recitation of the ''Shema'' () to fulfill the commandment of that "this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night." Rabbi Jose interpreted the analogous term "continually" (, ''tamid'') in , which says "And on the table you shall set the bread of display, to be before odcontinually." Rabbi Jose taught that even if they took the old bread of display away in the morning and placed the new bread on the table only in the evening, they had honored the commandment to set the bread "continually." Rabbi Ammi analogized from this teaching of Rabbi Jose that people who learn only one chapter of Torah in the morning and one chapter in the evening have nonetheless fulfilled the precept of that "this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night." And thus Rabbi Johanan said in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai that even people who read just the ''Shema'' morning and evening thereby fulfill the precept of . Rabbi Johanan taught that it is forbidden, however, to teach this to people who through ignorance are careless in the observance of the laws (as it might deter them from further Torah study). But Rava taught that it is meritorious to say it in their presence (as they might think that if merely reciting the ''Shema'' twice daily earns reward, how great would the reward be for devoting more time to Torah study).
A Midrash warned that if one changed the Hebrew letter '' dalet'' () in the word , ''echad'' ("one") in into the letter '' resh'' () (changing the word from "one" to "strange") one could cause the destruction of the Universe.
A Midrash interpreted , "My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart; behold, he stands behind our wall," to apply to God's Presence in the synagogue. The Midrash read the words, "behold, He stands behind our wall," to allude to the occasion in when God came to visit Abraham on the third day after Abraham's circumcision. says, "And the Lord appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat (, ''yoshev'') . . . ." The word for "he sat" is in a form that can be read ''yashav'', the letter '' vav'' () being omitted, as though it read that Abraham was sitting before he saw God, but on seeing God, he wanted to stand up. But God told him to sit, as Abraham would serve as a symbol for his children, for when his children would come into their synagogues and houses of study and recite the ''Shema'', they would be sitting down and God's Glory would stand by. To support this reading, the Midrash cited , "God stands in the congregation of God."
A Midrash taught that when Jews rise from their sleep and quickly proceed to read the ''Shema'', thus proclaiming the sovereignty of God, they become like lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
s. Then as they set out on their worldly affairs, if they stumble over any sin, or if destroying demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...
s approach them, they proclaim the sovereignty of God. When they recite the words of , "The Lord is One," the destroying demons are consumed; they whisper, "Blessed be His Name whose glorious kingdom is for ever and ever" (conceding God's sovereignty); and they flee. By virtue of reading the ''Shema'', Jews are supported by angelic watchers of the day and entrusted to the watchers of the night. When, on awakening, they again proclaim the sovereignty of God, the watchers of the night hand them over to the watchers of the day, as can be read to say, "My soul is entrusted to the Lord; from the time of the watchers of the morning to that of the watchers of the following morning."
A Midrash taught that great is peace, for the world could not be maintained except by peace, and the Torah is wholly peace, as says, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." The reading of the ''Shema'' concludes (in the Evening, '' Maariv'', Prayer Service) with the words: "He spreads the tabernacle of peace over His people." The ''Amidah'' prayer concludes with peace. And the Priestly Blessing concludes with peace. Rabbi Simeon ben Halafta observed that there is no vessel that holds a blessing save peace, as says, "The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace."
A Midrash asked to which commandment refers when it says, "For if you shall diligently keep all ''this commandment'' that I command you, to do it, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him, then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves." Rabbi Levi said that "this commandment" refers to the recitation of the ''Shema'', but the Rabbis said that it refers to the Sabbath, which is equal to all the precepts of the Torah.
The Mishnah read the words "and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart" in to teach that one should love God with one's two impulses — the evil impulse and the good — and thus that a person should bless God for the evil in the world as well as the good. The Mishnah read the words "with all your soul" in to mean that one should love God even if it means God takes one's life. And the Mishnah read the words "with all your might" in to mean with all one's wealth. Alternatively, "with all your might (''me'odeka'')" means that one should love God whatever "measure" (''middah'', a play on ''me'odeka'') God metes out.
The Rabbis taught that once the Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
government forbade Jews to study the Torah. Pappus ben Judah found Rabbi Akiva publicly gathering people to study Torah and asked Akiva whether he did not fear the government. Akiva replied with a parable: A fox was once walking alongside of a river, and he saw fish swimming from one place to another. The fox asked the fish from what they fled. The fish replied that they fled from the nets cast by men. The fox invited the fish to come up onto the dry land, so that they could live together as the fox's ancestors had lived with the fish's ancestors. The fish replied that for an animal described as the cleverest of animals, the fox was rather foolish. For if the fish were afraid in the element in which they live, how much more would they fear in the element in which they would die. Akiva said that it was the same with Jews. If such was the Jews’ condition when they sat and studied Torah, of which says, "that is your life and the length of your days," how much worse off would Jews be if they neglected the Torah! Soon afterwards, the Romans arrested and imprisoned Rabbi Akiva, and the Romans arrested Pappus ben Judah and imprisoned him next to Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva asked Pappus who had brought him there. Pappus replied that Rabbi Akiva was happy that he had been seized for occupying himself with the Torah. Pappus regretted that he had been seized for occupying himself with idle things. When the Romans took Rabbi Akiva out for execution, it was the hour for the recital of the ''Shema'', and while they combed his flesh with iron combs, he was accepting upon himself the kingship of Heaven by reciting ("Here, O Israel . . . ," ''Shema Yisrael . . .''). His disciples asked him whether his devotion extended even to that point. He replied that all his days, he had been troubled by , "with all your soul," which he interpreted to mean, "even if God takes one's soul." Rabbi Akiva questioned when he would have the opportunity to fulfill this. Now that he had the opportunity, he asked his disciples, should he not fulfill it? He prolonged the word "One" (ehad) in until he expired while saying it. A Heavenly voice went forth and proclaimed: Happy are you, Akiva, that your soul has departed with the word "One"! The ministering angels asked God: Such devotion to Torah, and such a reward? The angels argued that he should have received the reward of , "from them that die by Your hand, O Lord." God replied to the angels (in the continuation of ), "Their portion is in life," and a Heavenly voice proclaimed that Rabbi Akiva was destined for the life of the World to Come.
Rabbi Johanan said in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Jehozadak that it was resolved by a majority vote in the upper chambers of the house of Nithza in Lydda that in every other law of the Torah, if a person is forced to choose between transgressing the commandment and death, he may transgress and not die, excepting idolatry, incest (including adultery), and murder. The Gemara questioned whether that would mean that one could practice idolatry to avoid being killed. Rabbi Ishmael taught that if a person is forced to choose between idolatry and death, the person should do so, and not be killed, for says, "You shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, which if a man does, he shall ''live in them''" — not die by them. The Gemara questioned whether one might think that idolatry may even be practiced openly, says, "Neither shall you profane My Holy Name; but I will be hallowed," and as the public violation of commandments profanes God's Name, one might think that one must die to avoid doing so. The Sages ruled with Rabbi Eliezer, who cited "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your might." Rabbi Eliezer taught that since says, "with all your soul," there must be a reason that also says, "with all your might hat is, worldly resources" and vice versa. stated? Rabbi Eliezer taught that says, "with all your soul" for the person to whom life is more precious than wealth, and says, "with all your soul" to teach that one must be prepared even to give one's life in God's service; while to one to whom wealth is more precious than life says, "with all your might" (that is, wealth). Thus the Sages decided that one must incur a martyr's death rather than practice idolatry, for , "and you shall love the Lord your God," means that one must not worship any other in God's place.
Abaye interpreted the words "and you shall love the Lord your God" in to teach that one should strive through one's actions to cause others to love the Name of Heaven. So that if people see that those who study Torah and Mishnah are honest in business and speak pleasantly, then they will accord honor to the Name of God. But if people see that those who study Torah and Mishnah are dishonest in business and discourteous, then they will associate their shortcomings with their being Torah scholars.
In , the heart loves, and in , the heart takes in words. A Midrash catalogued the wide range of additional capabilities of the heart reported in the Hebrew Bible. The heart speaks,Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes (; hbo, קֹהֶלֶת, Qōheleṯ, grc, Ἐκκλησιαστής, Ekklēsiastēs) is one of the Ketuvim ("Writings") of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament. The title commonly use ...
. sees, hears, walks, falls, stands, rejoices, cries, is comforted, is troubled, becomes hardened, grows faint, grieves, fears, can be broken, becomes proud, rebels, invents, cavils, overflows, devises, desires, goes astray, lusts, is refreshed, can be stolen, is humbled, is enticed, errs, trembles, is awakened, hates, envies, is searched, is rent, meditates, is like a fire, is like a stone, turns in repentance, becomes hot, dies, melts, is susceptible to fear, gives thanks, covets, becomes hard, makes merry, acts deceitfully, speaks from out of itself, loves bribes, writes words, plans, receives commandments, acts with pride, makes arrangements, and aggrandizes itself.
Discussions of the laws of ''tefillin
Tefillin (; Modern Hebrew language, Israeli Hebrew: / ; Ashkenazim, Ashkenazic pronunciation: ), or phylacteries, are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. Te ...
'' in appear aMishnah Menachot 3:7
an
Babylonian Talmud Zevachim 37b
an
Menachot 34b–37b
Discussions of the laws of the '' mezuzah'' in appear a
Babylonian Talmud Menachot 31b–34b
In , God announced that God would "put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession." Rabbi Hiyya asked: Was it then a piece of good news that plagues were to come upon them? Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai answered that when the
Canaan
Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...
ites heard that the Israelites were approaching, they hid their valuables in their houses. But God promised the Israelites' forbearers that God would bring the Israelites into a land full of good things, including, in the words of , "houses full of all good things." So God brought plagues upon a house of one of the Israelites so that when he would pull it down, he would find a treasure.
Noting that commands, "The Lord your God you shall fear and you shall serve," and commands, "You shall fear your father and mother," the Rabbis taught in a Baraita that Scripture likens the fear of parents to the fear of God. As (20:12 in NJSP) commands, "Honor your father and your mother," and directs, "Honor the Lord with your substance," Scripture likens the honor due to parents to that due to God. And as commands, "He that curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death," and commands, "Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin," Scripture likens cursing parents to cursing God. But the Baraita conceded that with respect to striking (which addresses with regard to parents), that it is certainly impossible (with respect to God). The Baraita concluded that these comparisons between parents and God are only logical, since the three (God, the mother, and the father) are partners in creation of the child. For the Rabbis taught in a Baraita that there are three partners in the creation of a person — God, the father, and the mother. When one honors one's father and mother, God considers it as if God had dwelt among them and they had honored God. And a Tanna taught before Rav Nachman
Rav Nachman bar Yaakov ( he, רב נחמן בר יעקב; died 320) was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an Amora of the third generation.
It is generally accepted that references to Rav Nachman in the Talmud refer to Rav Nach ...
that when one vexes one's father and mother, God considers it right not to dwell among them, for had God dwelt among them, they would have vexed God.
The Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael taught that there are four types of children (as evinced by the four times — in ; ; ; and — that Scripture reports telling a child) — the wise, the simple, the wicked, and the type who does not know how to ask. The wise child asks, in the words of “What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, that the Lord our God has commanded you?” The Mekhilta taught that we explain to this child all the laws of Passover. The simple child asks, in the words of “What is this?” The Mekhilta taught that we respond simply with the words of “By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage.” The wicked child asks, in the words of “What do ''you'' mean by this service?” The Mekhilta taught that because wicked children exclude themselves, we should also exclude this child in answering and say, in the words of “It is because of what the Lord did for ''me'' when I came forth out of Egypt” — for me but not for you; had you been there, you would not have been saved. As for the child who does not know how to ask, the Mekhilta taught that we take the initiative, as says (without having reported that the child asked), “You shall tell your child on that day.”
Deuteronomy chapter 7
A Midrash expounded on why Israel was, in the words of , like "a leafy olive tree." In one explanation, the Midrash taught that just as all liquids commingle one with the other, but oil refuses to do so, so Israel keeps itself distinct, as it is commanded in .In medieval Jewish interpretation
The parashah is discussed in thesemedieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
Jewish sources:
Deuteronomy chapter 4
Reading , "Observe therefore and do them, for this is your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the nations that, when they hear all these statutes, they shall say: 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people,'" Baḥya ibn Paquda taught that it is one's duty to study created things and to deduce from them the wisdom of the Creator. Baḥya ibn Paquda saw Moses warning against thinking that God has a form or likeness, when in , he said, "Take therefore good heed; for you saw no manner of form on the day that the Lord spoke to you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire," and in , he said, "And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire: you heard the voice of the words, but saw no form; only you heard a voice." Baḥya taught that by saying "take good heed," Moses was warning people in their minds and thoughts to not represent God in any form or to conceive God in the likeness of any thing or any comparison, since the Israelites’ eyes never perceived any form or likeness when God spoke to them. Baḥya ibn Paquda argued that the greatest benefit that God bestowed on humanity and the strongest proof of God's existence is the Torah that God gave humanity and God's manifestation of God's presence, as says, "Unto you it was shown, that you may know that the Lord, He is God; there is none else beside Him. Out of Heaven He made you to hear His voice, that He might instruct you; and upon earth He made you to see His great fire; and you did hear His words out of the midst of the fire." In the exhortation of , "know this day and consider within your heart, that the Lord is God in Heaven above and on the earth below," Baḥya ibn Paquda found a duty to investigate through rational inquiry the roots of the religion and the foundations of the Torah. Baḥya taught that one should exert one's mind until one knows God through the evidences of God's works but not strive to know God in God's glorious essence. For God is close to humanity from the perspective of God's deeds but infinitely remote in any representation of God's essence or comparison with it; one can never find God in that way. Baḥya contended that when one abandons trying to find God through one's conjectures and senses (because God cannot be grasped in that way), and instead finds God in the evidence of God's deeds, then one will have reached the pinnacle of knowledge of God to which Moses exhorted us in saying in , "Know therefore this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord He is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else." In the Torah's teaching (in , , and and ) 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.Deuteronomy chapter 5
Baḥya ibn Paquda argued that because the wholehearted acceptance of the unity of God is the root and foundation of Judaism, God's first words to the Israelites at Mount Sinai in (20:2–3 in NJPS) and (5:6–7 in NJPS) were: "I am the Lord your God . . . you shall not have other gods before Me," and then God exhorted the Israelites through Moses, saying in : "Hear O Israel the Lord, is our God, the Lord is One." Baḥya ibn Paquda read the words "You shall not murder" in (20:13 in NJPS) and (5:17 in NJPS) to prohibit suicide, as well as murdering any other human being. Baḥya reasoned that the closer the murdered is to the murderer, the more the punishment should be severe, and thus the punishment for those who kill themselves will undoubtedly be very great. Baḥya taught that for that reason, people should not recklessly endanger their lives. Citing (5:18 in NJPS), Baḥya ibn Paquda taught that not to covet is a leading example of an negative duty of the heart.
Interpreting the prohibition of coveting in (20:14 in NJSP) and desiring in (5:18 in NJPS), Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...
taught that any person who covets a servant, a maidservant, a house, or utensils that belong to a colleague, or any other article that the person can purchase from the colleague and pressures the colleague with friends and requests until the colleague agrees to sell, violates a negative commandment, even though the person pays much money for it, as (20:14 in NJSP) says, "Do not covet." Maimonides taught that the violation of this commandment was not punished by lashes, because it does not involve a deed. Maimonides taught that a person does not violate (20:14 in NJSP) until the person actually takes the article that the person covets, as reflected by "Do not covet the gold and silver on these statues and take it for yourself." Maimonides read the word for "covet" in both (20:14 in NJSP) and to refer to coveting accompanied by a deed. Maimonides taught that a person who desires a home, a spouse, utensil, or anything else belonging to a colleague that the person can acquire violates a negative commandment when the person thinks in the person's heart how it might be possible to acquire this thing from the colleague. Maimonides read (5:18 in NJPS), "Do not desire," to refer even to feelings in the heart alone. Thus, a person who desires another person's property violates one negative commandment. A person who purchases an object the person desires after pressuring the owners and repeatedly asking them, violates two negative commandments. For that reason, Maimonides concluded, the Torah prohibits both desiring in (5:18 in NJPS) and coveting in (20:14 in NJSP). And if the person takes the article by robbery, the person violates three negative commandments.
Isaac Abrabanel noted that the order of (20:14 in NJSP), "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife," differs from that in (5:18 in NJPS), "Neither shall you covet thy neighbor's wife; neither shall you desire your neighbor's house." Abrabanel deduced that (20:14 in NJSP) mentions the things that might be coveted in the order that a person has need of them, and what it behooves a person to try to acquire in this world. Therefore, the first coveted item mentioned is a person's house, then the person's spouse, then the person's servants, and lastly the person's animals that do not speak. (5:18 in NJPS), however, mentions them in the order of the gravity of the sin and evil. The most evil coveting is that of another person's spouse, as in David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
's coveting of Bathsheba
Bathsheba ( or ; he, בַּת־שֶׁבַע, ''Baṯ-šeḇaʿ'', Bat-Sheva or Batsheva, "daughter of Sheba" or "daughter of the oath") was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, according to the Hebrew Bible. She was the mother of ...
. Next in magnitude of evil comes coveting the house in which one's neighbor lives, lest the person evict the neighbor and take the neighbor's home. Next comes the neighbor's field, for although a person does not live there as in the house, it is the source of the neighbor's livelihood and inheritance, as in the affair of Ahab and the vineyard of Naboth
Naboth ( he, נבות) was a citizen of Jezreel. According to the Book of Kings in the Hebrew Bible, he was executed by Queen Jezebel so that her husband Ahab could possess his vineyard.
Narrative
1 Kings 21:1-16 states that Naboth owned a vine ...
the Jezreelite
Tel Jezreel ( he, יִזְרְעֶאל ''Yīzrə‘e’l'', "God will sow") is an archaeological site in the eastern Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. The city of Jezreel served as a main fortress of the Kingdom of Israel under king Ahab in t ...
. After the field (5:18 in NJPS) mentions servants, who Abrabanel valued of lesser importance than one's field. Next come the neighbor's animals, who do not have the faculty of speech, and lastly, to include the neighbor's inanimate moveable property, (5:18 in NJPS) says "and anything that is your neighbor's."
Deuteronomy chapter 6
Baḥya ibn Paquda argued that encompasses 10 matters, corresponding to the Ten Commandments. Five of these matters concern the spiritual (mind/heart): (1) That the Creator exists. (2) God is our God. (3) God is the true Unity. (4) That we love God with all our heart. (5) That we serve God wholeheartedly. And five of these matters concern the physical (the body): (1) You shall teach them to your children. (2) You shall speak in them. (3) You shall bind them as a sign on your hand. (4) They shall be as frontlet between your eyes. (5) You shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates. Baḥya interpreted the words of , "Hear O Israel the Lord," as a command to believe in the Creator. Baḥya read the word "hear" not to call for hearing of the ear, but for belief and acceptance of the heart, as in , "we will do and we will hear," and , "Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it." Citing , Baḥya taught that love for God is a leading example of an affirmative duty of the heart. Baḥya interpreted the words of , "And these words, which I command you this day, shall be on your heart," to mean that one should always keep them in one's heart and believe them in one's inner being. And Baḥya interpreted the words of , "and you shall speak in them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up," to teach that these duties of the heart are a constant duty. By keeping these words continually on one's lips, they will always be in one's consciousness, and one's thoughts will never be empty of God. Maimonides cited the words of , "And you shall love God, your Lord, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might," for the proposition that even when one's life is threatened, one should not commit one of the three sins of the worship of false gods, forbidden sexual relations, and murder. The words "with all your soul" in imply: even if it takes one's soul. Reading the words of , "You shall not try the Lord, your God," Baḥya ibn Paquda taught that people should thus not put themselves in danger while trusting on God's decree that they will live a set time, drinking poisonous drink or going to battle lions or other dangerous animals without necessity, or casting themselves into the sea or into fire, or other similar things that put their lives in danger.
Naḥmanides
Moses ben Nachman ( he, מֹשֶׁה בֶּן־נָחְמָן ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; el, Ναχμανίδης ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ra ...
read , "Do what is right and good in the sight of the Eternal," to reflect the intent that whereas previously, Moses stated that one is to keep the particular statutes that God commanded, here Moses is saying that even where God has not commanded, one should give thought to doing what is good and right in God's eyes, for God loves the good and the right. Naḥmanides considered this is a great principle, for it was impossible for the Torah to mention all aspects of people's conduct with their neighbors and friends, and all their various transactions, and the ordinances of all societies and countries. But since God mentioned many of them, Moses here stated in a general way that, in all matters, one should do what is good and right, including even compromise and going beyond the requirements of the law. Thus, Naḥmanides taught, people should seek to refine their behavior in every form of activity, until they are worthy of being called "good and upright."
Deuteronomy chapter 7
Baḥya ibn Paquda taught that whenever God singles out a person for special favor, that person is under an obligation of increased service as an expression of gratitude for that favor. Baḥya reasoned that because of this, when some good fortune happened to the righteous of ancient times, they were troubled for two reasons: First, that they should not fall short in the fulfillment of the service and gratitude that they owed for this good fortune and that it should not turn into misfortune for them, as Jacob said in , "I have diminished from all the mercies, and truth which You have shown to Your servant." And secondly, that this should not be God's reward for their service, at the expense of their reward in theWorld To Come
The world to come, age to come, heaven on Earth, and the Kingdom of God are eschatological phrases reflecting the belief that the current world or current age is flawed or cursed and will be replaced in the future by a better world, age, or par ...
, as the Sages explained , "And repays them that hate Him to their face (during this life) to destroy them (in the hereafter)." Similarly, Baḥya cited the words of , "And He repays those He hates to their face, to destroy them," to help explain why sometimes God sends good to the wicked because of previous good deed that they did, to pay them in this world.
In modern interpretation
The parashah is discussed in these modern sources:
Deuteronomy chapter 4
The 18th-centuryGerman Jew
The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...
ish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn
Moses Mendelssohn (6 September 1729 – 4 January 1786) was a German-Jewish philosopher and theologian. His writings and ideas on Jews and the Jewish religion and identity were a central element in the development of the ''Haskalah'', or 'Je ...
read the admonition of , "Therefore, know and take it to heart that the Lord alone is God, in heaven above and on the earth below, and there is none else," along with that of , "Hear, O Israel, the Eternal, our God, is a unique, eternal being!" to demonstrate that whenever it is a question of the eternal truths of reason, Scripture does not say "believe," but "understand" and "know," in order that we may know that the Eternal is the true God, and there is no other. Nowhere does Scripture say: "Believe, O Israel, and you will be blessed; do not doubt, O Israel, or this or that punishment will befall you." Thus Mendelssohn concluded that Scripture does not command faith, but accepts no other commands than those that come by way of conviction. Its propositions are presented to the understanding, submitted for consideration, without being forced upon our belief. Belief and doubt, assent and opposition, in Mendelssohn's view, are not determined by desire, wishes, longings, fear, or hope, but by knowledge of truth and untruth. Hence, Mendelssohn concluded, ancient Judaism has no articles of faith.
The 20th century Reform Rabbi Gunther Plaut
Wolf Gunther Plaut, (November 1, 1912 – February 8, 2012) was an American Reform rabbi and writer who was based in Canada. Plaut was the rabbi of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto for several decades and since 1978 was its senior scholar.
L ...
argued that the discussions of cities of refuge in and and were composed during a later, settled period, in order to accommodate the disappearance of local altars that previously served as places of refuge.
Explaining the origins of the law that one can see in the Cities of Refuge, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (March 8, 1841 – March 6, 1935) was an American jurist and legal scholar who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932.Holmes was Acting Chief Justice of the Un ...
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
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
practice, the feud was pretty well broken up by the time of William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
. 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.
Deuteronomy chapter 5
In 1980, in the case of '' Stone v. Graham'', theSupreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
held unconstitutional a Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
statute that required posting the Ten Commandments on the wall of each public classroom in the state. The Court noted that some of the Commandments apply to arguably secular matters, such those at and , on honoring one's parents, murder, adultery, stealing, false witness, and covetousness. But the Court also observed that the first part of the Commandments, in and , concerns the religious duties of believers: worshipping the Lord God alone, avoiding idolatry, not using the Lord's name in vain, and observing the Sabbath Day. Thus the Court concluded that the pre-eminent purpose for posting the Ten Commandments on schoolroom walls was plainly religious.
In 1950, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generatio ...
ruled: “Refraining from the use of a motor vehicle is an important aid in the maintenance of the Sabbath spirit of repose. Such restraint aids, moreover, in keeping the members of the family together on the Sabbath. However where a family resides beyond reasonable walking distance from the synagogue, the use of a motor vehicle for the purpose of synagogue attendance shall in no wise be construed as a violation of the Sabbath but, on the contrary, such attendance shall be deemed an expression of loyalty to our faith. . . . the spirit of a living and developing Halachah responsive to the changing needs of our people, we declare it to be permitted to use electric lights on the Sabbath for the purpose of enhancing the enjoyment of the Sabbath, or reducing personal discomfort in the performance of a mitzvah.”
Deuteronomy chapter 6
Dr.Nathan MacDonald
A British biblical scholar, Nathan MacDonald (born 1975) currently serves as Reader in the Interpretation of the Old Testament at Cambridge University as well as Fellow and College Lecturer in theology at St John's College, Cambridge. Much of his ...
of St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...
, reported some dispute over the exact meaning of the description of the Land of Israel as a "land flowing with milk and honey," as in an17
an
, an
and
an
an
MacDonald wrote that the term for milk (, ''chalav'') could easily be the word for "fat" (, ''chelev''), and the word for honey (, ''devash'') could indicate not bees' honey but a sweet syrup made from fruit. The expression evoked a general sense of the bounty of the land and suggested an ecological richness exhibited in a number of ways, not just with milk and honey. MacDonald noted that the expression was always used to describe a land that the people of Israel had not yet experienced, and thus characterized it as always a future expectation. Plaut observed that the precise meaning of the six words of the ''Shema'' in is not at all clear. In the Hebrew, after the opening "Hear, O Israel," the affirmation itself states tersely: "Eternal our God Eternal ''echad''." Plaut wrote that the text can be understood to say: : is our God, and alone; : is our God, one indivisible ; : our God is a unique ; : is our God, is unique (in extraordinariness).
The early 20th century Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
professor Samuel Rolles Driver taught that sets out the fundamental truth of Israel's religion, the uniqueness and unity of God, and the fundamental duty founded upon it of the devotion to God of the Israelite's entire being. Reading , Driver asked in what sense the word "One" is to be understood: Does it express the Unity of God, declaring that God is in God's essence indivisible, and cannot — like Ba'al and Ashtoret, for instance, who are often spoken of in the plural — assume different phases or attributes, as presiding over different localities, or different departments of nature, and cannot further be united syncretistically with other deities; but is only known under the one character by which God has revealed God's Self to Israel? Or does the word "One" denote the Uniqueness of God, representing God in a unique sense, as the God with whom no other god can be compared, as the only Deity to whom the true attributes of the Godhead really belong? Driver taught that the second interpretation gives the higher and fuller meaning to the term, and forms also a more adequate basis for the practical duty inculcated in , for a God, who was not unique might not necessarily be a worthy object of human love. Driver taught that the first interpretation, however, is not excluded by the second, for the unity of God is almost a necessary corollary of God's Uniqueness. Driver concluded that is thus a great declaration of Monotheism in the sense both that there is only one God, and also that the God who exists is truly One. Driver taught that the truth is one which in its full significance was only gradually brought home to the Israelites and was hardly explicitly enunciated much before the age of Deuteronomy and Jeremiah. Driver read verses like , , and to imply that God is superior to "other gods" or that "other gods" cannot be compared to God, but not to deny the real existence of "other gods." Driver argued that it was only gradually seen distinctly, and taught explicitly, not only that God is unique among "other gods," but that "other gods" have no real existence whatever beside God.
Baruch Spinoza
Baruch (de) Spinoza (born Bento de Espinosa; later as an author and a correspondent ''Benedictus de Spinoza'', anglicized to ''Benedict de Spinoza''; 24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin, b ...
listed the proposition in that God is One second among the doctrines of universal faith and the fundamental dogmas of Scripture that tend to the central doctrine that there exists a God, a Supreme Being, Who loves justice and charity, and Who must be obeyed by whoever would be saved, and that the worship of God consists in the practice of justice and love towards one's neighbor. Spinoza argued that no one could dispute that the doctrine that God is One is absolutely necessary for entire devotion, admiration, and love towards God, for devotion, admiration, and love spring from the superiority of one over all else.
Gerald Janzen, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Christian Theological Seminary
Christian Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It provides five degree-level education courses, three dual-degree programs, a Doctor of Ministry ...
, grouped interpretations of the word , ''echad'', in into two sorts: a word that says something about God (for example, "One" or "Unique") or a word that says something about God's claim on Israel (for example, "alone"). Concluding that one should read the word as "One," Jansen argued that the claim upon Israel to love God with all its heart and soul and strength in follows upon an affirmation that God is "One," and this affirmation is to identify in God the dependable ground upon which an exhortation to wholehearted loyalty may appropriately be made.
Interpreting , John Wesley
John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...
wrote that "Sinners, especially presumptuous sinners, are said to tempt God, that is, to make a trial of God, whether he be so wise as to see their sins, rso just and true and powerful as to take vengeance on them, concerning which they are very apt to doubt because of the present impunity and prosperity of many such persons."
Commandments
According to Maimonides
Maimonides cited verses in the parashah for 11 positive and 15 negativecommandments
Commandment may refer to:
* The Ten Commandments
* One of the 613 mitzvot of Judaism
* The Great Commandment
* The New Commandment
The New Commandment is a term used in Christianity to describe Jesus's commandment to "love one another" which, ac ...
:
*That warriors shall not fear their enemies nor be frightened of them in battle
*To know that there exists God; .
*Not to entertain the thought that there is any god but the Lord
*Not to make a graven image, neither to make oneself nor to have made for oneself by others
*Not to bow down to an object of idolatry, even if that is not its normal way of worship
*Not to worship an object of idolatry in its normal ways of worship
*Not to take an oath in vain
*Not to do work on the Sabbath
*To honor one's father and mother
*Not to kill an innocent person; .
*Not to kidnap any person of Israel; this is theft of a person.
*Not to covet
*Not to desire."
*To acknowledge God's Oneness.
*To love God
*To read the ''Shema'' twice daily.
*To learn Torah and teach it
*To bind ''tefillin'' on the head.
*To bind ''tefillin'' on the arm
*To fasten a ''mezuzah''
*To fear God; .
*To swear by God's Name
*Not to test the word of God.
*Not to make a covenant with the seven Canaanite nations.
*Not to have mercy on idolaters
*Not to intermarry with idolaters.
According to Sefer ha-Chinuch
According to Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are 8 positive and 4 negativecommandments
Commandment may refer to:
* The Ten Commandments
* One of the 613 mitzvot of Judaism
* The Great Commandment
* The New Commandment
The New Commandment is a term used in Christianity to describe Jesus's commandment to "love one another" which, ac ...
in the parashah.
*Not to desire another's possession
*To know that God is one
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
*To love God
*To study Torah
*To say the ''Shema'' twice daily
*To bind ''tefillin'' on the arm
*To wear ''tefillin'' on the head
*To put a ''mezuzah'' on each door post
*Not to test the prophet
In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...
unduly
*Not to make a covenant with idolaters
*Not to show favor to them
*Not to marry idolaters
In the liturgy
The Torah reader and the congregation recite immediately before the Torah reading, signifying how learning the Torah embodies remaining steadfast to God. ThePassover
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Ancient Egypt, Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar, He ...
Haggadah, in the ''magid'' section of the Seder, quotes to elucidate the term "great terribleness" in , interpreting the "great terribleness" to mean the revelation of the Shechinah or Divine Presence.
It is customary for listeners to stand while the reader chants the Ten Commandments in the synagogue, as if the listeners were themselves receiving the revelation at Sinai.
The Lekhah Dodi
Lekha Dodi ( he, לכה דודי) is a Hebrew-language Jewish liturgical song recited Friday at dusk, usually at sundown, in synagogue to welcome the Sabbath prior to the evening services. It is part of Kabbalat Shabbat.
The refrain of ''Lekha ...
liturgical poem of the Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service quotes both the commandment of to "remember" the Sabbath and the commandment of to "keep" or "observe" the Sabbath, saying that they "were uttered as one by our Creator."Reuven Hammer. ''Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals'', page 21.
The verses of the ''Shema'' and ''V'ahavta'' in constitute a central prayer in Jewish prayer services. Jews combine along with , and to form the core of ''K'riat Shema'', recited in the evening (''Ma'ariv'') and morning (''Shacharit'') prayer services. A shorter version of the ''Shema'', composed of simply , appears in the Torah service (''Seder K'riat HaTorah'') and the ''Kedushah'' of the Musaf service for Shabbat. And the ''Shema'' and for some the ''V'ahavta'', , are among the first prayers said upon arising and form the central prayer of the bedtime ''Shema'', said just before retiring for sleep.
Reuven Hammer noted that Mishnah Tamid 5:1 recorded what was in effect the first siddur, as a part of which priests daily recited the Ten Commandments and .
The commandment to love God in is reflected in , which is in turn one of the six Psalms recited at the beginning of the Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service.
The "love" of God that urges finds reflection in the characterization of God as the "Beloved" in the Lekhah Dodi liturgical poem of the Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service.
And the ''leshem yihud'' prayer before putting on tefillin
Tefillin (; Modern Hebrew language, Israeli Hebrew: / ; Ashkenazim, Ashkenazic pronunciation: ), or phylacteries, are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. Te ...
quotes the commandment of .
In the ''magid'' section, the Haggadah combines and in the first answer to the Four Questions (''Ma Nishtana
Ma Nishtana ( he, מה נשתנה) are the first two words in a phrase meaning "Why is tonight different from all other nights?" The phrase appears at the beginning of each line of The Four Questions, traditionally asked via song by the youngest ...
'') in the ''magid'' section of the Seder. And shortly thereafter, the Haggadah quotes to provide the question of the wise son, also in the ''magid'' section.
Also in the ''magid'' section, the Haggadah quotes — emphasizing the word "us" (''otanu'') — for the proposition that God did not redeem the ancestral Israelites alone, but also the current generation of Jews with them.
The Weekly Maqam
In theWeekly Maqam
In Mizrahi and Sephardic Middle Eastern Jewish prayer services, each Shabbat the congregation conducts services using a different maqam. A ''maqam'' (), which in Arabic literally means 'place', is a standard melody type and set of related tunes. T ...
, Sephardi Jews
Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefar ...
each week base the songs of the services on the content of that week's parashah. For Parashah Va'etchanan, Sephardi Jews apply Maqam Hoseni, the maqam that expresses beauty, because this is the parashah where Moses repeats to the Israelites their history of receiving the Ten Commandments.
Haftarah
The parashah is always read on the special Sabbath ''Shabbat Nachamu'', the Sabbath immediately after ''Tisha B'Av''. ''Shabbat Nachamu'' ("Sabbath of comfort") takes its name from the first word of the haftarah for the parashah, , which speaks of "comforting" the Jewish people for their suffering — , ''nachamu nachamu, ami'', "Be comforted, be comforted, My nation...." The haftarah is the first in the cycle of seven haftarot of consolation after ''Tisha B'Av'', leading up toRosh Hashanah
Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...
.
Summary
God told the prophet to comfort God's people and bid Jerusalem to take heart, as the city's guilt had been paid off. A voice in the wilderness called to clear the way and make a highway for God, for every valley will be lifted up, every mountain will be made low, and God's glory will be revealed to all. A voice proclaimed that all flesh is grass, its goodness like a flower of the field, which withers and fades; but God's word will stand forever. The herald of good tidings should go to the mountain and announce to the cities of Judah that God will come as a Mighty One to rule, as a shepherd that feeds the flock, gathers the lambs, carries them, and gently leads them.
Who has held the waters in hand, measured the heavens, comprehended the earth, and weighed mountains in the balance? Who has counseled or instructed God? Nations are like a drop in a bucket, like dust in the balance, as nothing before God. Can one compare God to anything, to an idol that a woodworker carved? God sits above the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. God brings princes to nothing, makes the judges of the earth like nothing; scarcely are they planted, but God blows upon them, and they wither and blow away.
To whom then to liken God? Lift up your eyes and see: The One who created the stars, called them by name, by the greatness of God's might and strong power each one appears..
Connection to the Special Sabbath
The haftarah answers laments read on Tisha B'Av from the book of Lamentations. an9
complain that Jerusalem "has none to comfort her," "she has no comforter." In , the haftarah answers, "Comfort, comfort My people, says your God." complains that "the ways of Zion mourn." In , the haftarah answers, "Clear in the wilderness the way of the Lord, make plain in the desert a highway for our God." complains that Zion's princes "are gone without strength before the pursuer." In an
the haftarah answers, "lift up your voice with strength," God "is strong in power." hoped for Jerusalem that "the punishment of your iniquity is accomplished" and God "will no more carry you away into captivity." In , the haftarah affirms, "Bid Jerusalem take heart, and proclaim to her, that her time of service is accomplished, that her guilt is paid off." As well, the haftarah echoes the parashah. In the parashah in , Moses pleads, "Let me go over, I pray, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill-country, and Lebanon." As if in answer, the haftarah rejoins in , "the nations are as a drop of a bucket, . . . and Lebanon is not sufficient fuel, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for burnt-offerings."
Notes
Further reading
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these sources:
Ancient
*''Instructions of Shuruppak
__NOTOC__
The Instructions of Shuruppak (or, ''Instructions of Šuruppak son of Ubara-tutu'') are a significant example of Sumerian wisdom literature. Wisdom literature, intended to teach proper piety, inculcate virtue, and preserve community ...
''. Sumer
Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of c ...
, early 3rd millennium BCE
The 3rd millennium BC spanned the years 3000 through 2001 BC. This period of time corresponds to the Early to Middle Bronze Age, characterized by the early empires in the Ancient Near East. In Ancient Egypt, the Early Dynastic Period is followe ...
. In, e.g., Bendt Alster. ''Wisdom of Ancient Sumer'', pages 60–69. Capital Decisions Ltd, 2005. (analog to Ten Commandments).
*Code of Hammurabi
The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian legal text composed 1755–1750 BC. It is the longest, best-organised, and best-preserved legal text from the ancient Near East. It is written in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian, purportedly by Hamm ...
Epilogue reverse 25, lines 60–73. Babylonia, Circa 1780 BCE. In, e.g., James B. Pritchard
James Bennett Pritchard (October 4, 1909 – January 1, 1997) was an American archeologist whose work explicated the interrelationships of the religions of ancient Palestine, Canaan, Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. Pritchard was honored with the Gol ...
. ''Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament'', page 178. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969. (not to change the law).
*''Book of the Dead
The ''Book of the Dead'' ( egy, 𓂋𓏤𓈒𓈒𓈒𓏌𓏤𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓉔𓂋𓅱𓇳𓏤, ''rw n(y)w prt m hrw(w)'') is an ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom ...
'', chapter 125. Ancient Egypt, 1500–1400 BCE. In, e.g., E. A. Wallis Budge
Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge (27 July 185723 November 1934) was an English Egyptologist, Orientalist, and philologist who worked for the British Museum and published numerous works on the ancient Near East. He made numerous trips ...
. ''The Egyptian Book of the Dead (The Papyrus of Ani) Egyptian Text, Transliteration and Translation'', pages 195–205. New York: Dover Publications, 1967. (analog to Ten Commandments).
Biblical
* (firstborn); (firstborn); ; 20:5 in NJPS (punishing children for fathers' sin); (Ten Commandments); (cities of refuge); (firstborn); (punishing children for fathers' sin). * (firstborn); (punishing children for fathers' sin); (firstborn); . * (worshipping sun, moon, stars); ; (''no'' capital punishment of children for fathers' sin). * (cities of refuge). * (keeping the Sabbath); (universally observed Sabbath). * (worshipping sun, moon, stars); , (31:29–30 in NJPS) (''not'' punishing children for fathers' sin). * (sun worship); (''not'' punishing children for fathers' sin); (the just one does not rob). * (value of God's law); (God's righteousness reaches to heaven); (none like God among the gods); (heavens praise God in the assembly of the holy ones); (fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom). * (worshipping sun, moon).Early nonrabbinic
*Galatians Galatians may refer to:
* Galatians (people)
* Epistle to the Galatians, a book of the New Testament
* English translation of the Greek ''Galatai'' or Latin ''Galatae'', ''Galli,'' or ''Gallograeci'' to refer to either the Galatians or the Gauls in ...
Circa 50–60 CE. (God is one.)
*Mark
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Fi ...
Circa 70 CE. (''Shema'').
*Matthew
Matthew may refer to:
* Matthew (given name)
* Matthew (surname)
* ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497
* ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith
* Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Ch ...
Circa 70–100 CE. (''Shema'').
*Luke
People
*Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...
Circa 80–150 CE. (''Shema'').
*Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...
, ''Antiquities of the Jews
''Antiquities of the Jews'' ( la, Antiquitates Iudaicae; el, Ἰουδαϊκὴ ἀρχαιολογία, ''Ioudaikē archaiologia'') is a 20-volume historiographical work, written in Greek, by historian Flavius Josephus in the 13th year of the re ...
'4:8:2, 13
Circa 93–94. In, e.g., ''The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition''. Translated by William Whiston. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987.
Classical rabbinic
*Mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...
: Berakhot 1:1–3:6; 9:5; Orlah 1:7; Shabbat 1:1–24:5Sotah 7:1
Kiddushin 1:7
Bava Kamma 5:7
Sanhedrin 2:4
9:1–6
Makkot 2:1–8; Avodah Zarah 1:1–5:12
Avot 3:8
Tamid 5:1. Land of Israel, circa 200 CE. In, e.g., ''The Mishnah: A New Translation''. Translated by Jacob Neusner, pages 3–14, 160, 179–208, 457, 459, 488, 515, 586, 602–04, 612–16, 660–72, 679, 717, 739–40, 869. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. *
Tosefta
The Tosefta (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: תוספתא "supplement, addition") is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the late 2nd century, the period of the Mishnah.
Overview
In many ways, the Tosefta acts as a supplement to the Mishnah ( ...
: Berakhot 1:1–3:1, 6:1; Maaser Sheni 5:28; Shekalim 2:2; Rosh Hashanah 2:13; Chagigah 2:7; Sotah 7:7, 17, 8:10; Bava Kamma 6:18, 7:9; Sanhedrin 4:7; Makkot 2:1–3:10; Avodah Zarah 1:16, 3:15; Zevachim 8:23. Land of Israel, circa 250 CE. In, e.g., ''The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction''. Translated by Jacob Neusner. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2002.
*Sifre
Sifre ( he, סִפְרֵי; ''siphrēy'', ''Sifre, Sifrei'', also, ''Sifre debe Rab'' or ''Sifre Rabbah'') refers to either of two works of ''Midrash halakha'', or classical Jewish legal biblical exegesis, based on the biblical books of Numbers a ...
to Deuteronomy 26:1–36:4. Land of Israel, circa 250–350 CE. In, e.g., ''Sifre to Deuteronomy: An Analytical Translation''. Translated by Jacob Neusner, volume 1, pages 67–104. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1987.
*Jerusalem Talmud
The Jerusalem Talmud ( he, תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשַׁלְמִי, translit=Talmud Yerushalmi, often for short), also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century ...
: Berakhot 1a–42b, 53a, 54a, 72b, 86b–88a, 92b, 93b; Peah 6b–7a; Sheviit 46b; Terumot 7a; Shabbat 1a–113b; Pesachim 84b; Yoma 5b, 9a; Rosh Hashanah 9b; Taanit 3a, 28b; Megillah 8a, 14a, 15b, 22a, 25a, 33b; Chagigah 1b, 10b–11a; Yevamot 12a; Nedarim 15a; Sotah 28a, 31b, 37a, 40a; Gittin 44b; Kiddushin 19b–20a, 21a–b; Makkot chapter 2; Avodah Zarah 1a–. Tiberias
Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Fo ...
, Land of Israel, circa 400 CE. In, e.g., ''Talmud Yerushalmi''. Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, volumes 1–3, 6b–7, 13–15, 19, 21, 24–27, 29, 33, 36–37, 39–40. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2005–2017. And In, e.g., ''The Jerusalem Talmud: A Translation and Commentary''. Edited by Jacob Neusner and translated by Jacob Neusner, Tzvee Zahavy, B. Barry Levy, and Edward Goldman. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009.
*Genesis Rabbah
Genesis Rabbah (Hebrew: , ''B'reshith Rabba'') is a religious text from Judaism's classical period, probably written between 300 and 500 CE with some later additions. It is a midrash comprising a collection of ancient rabbinical homiletical inter ...
br>1:1068:12; 84:15. Land of Israel, 5th century. In, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbah: Genesis''. Translated by Harry Freedman and Maurice Simon, volume 1, pages 9, 50–51, 54–55, 60, 119, 125–27, 130, 166, 172, 174–75, 178, 199, 304–05, 319, 374–75, 377, 483–84; volume 2, pages 625, 739–40, 808, 893, 912, 1002. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
*Babylonian Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
Berakhot 2a–6a
Babylonia, 6th century. In, e.g., ''Talmud Bavli''. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 volumes. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006. *
Midrash Proverbs
Midrash Proverbs (Hebrew: מדרש משלי, Midrash Mishlei) is the aggadic midrash to the Book of Proverbs.
Names
It is first mentioned under the title "Midrash Mishlei" by R. Hananeel b. Ḥushiel. Nathan of Rome called it "Aggadat Mishlei". ...
, chapters 6, 8, 11, 14, 23. 8th century. In, e.g., ''The Midrash on Proverbs''. Translated with an introduction and annotations by Burton L. Visotzky, pages 38, 47, 59, 64, 73, 76, 101, 129, 131, 141. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992.
*Deuteronomy Rabbah
Deuteronomy Rabbah ( he, ) is an aggadah or homiletic commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy.
It does not contain running commentaries on the entire book of Deuteronomy. Rather, it consists of 25 complete, independent homilies (and two fragmenta ...
2:1–37. Land of Israel, 9th century. In, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbah: Deuteronomy''. Translated by Harry Freedman and Maurice Simon. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
Medieval
*Solomon ibn Gabirol
Solomon ibn Gabirol or Solomon ben Judah ( he, ר׳ שְׁלֹמֹה בֶּן יְהוּדָה אִבְּן גָּבִּירוֹל, Shlomo Ben Yehuda ibn Gabirol, ; ar, أبو أيوب سليمان بن يحيى بن جبيرول, ’Abū ’Ayy ...
. ''A Crown for the King'', 2 ("You are one"). Spain, 11th century. Translated by David R. Slavitt, pages 4–6. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
*Rashi
Shlomo Yitzchaki ( he, רבי שלמה יצחקי; la, Salomon Isaacides; french: Salomon de Troyes, 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), today generally known by the acronym Rashi (see below), was a medieval French rabbi and author of a compre ...
. ''Commentary''Deuteronomy 3–7
Troyes
Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...
, France, late 11th century. In, e.g., Rashi. ''The Torah: With Rashi's Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated''. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, volume 5, pages 45–81. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997.
* Rashbam. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Troyes, early 12th century. In, e.g., ''Rashbam’s Commentary on Deuteronomy: An Annotated Translation''. Edited and translated by Martin I. Lockshin, pages 49–68. Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
: Brown Judaic Studies, 2004.
*Judah Halevi
Judah Halevi (also Yehuda Halevi or ha-Levi; he, יהודה הלוי and Judah ben Shmuel Halevi ; ar, يهوذا اللاوي ''Yahuḏa al-Lāwī''; 1075 – 1141) was a Spanish Jewish physician, poet and philosopher. He was born in Spain, ...
. '' Kuzari''. 1:87–91; 2:34, 50; 3:31, 35, 39–41; 4:3; 5:23 Toledo
Toledo most commonly refers to:
* Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain
* Province of Toledo, Spain
* Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States
Toledo may also refer to:
Places Belize
* Toledo District
* Toledo Settlement
Bolivia
* Toledo, Orur ...
, Spain, 1130–1140. In, e.g., Jehuda Halevi. ''Kuzari: An Argument for the Faith of Israel.'' Introduction by Henry Slonimsky, pages 21, 60–63, 108, 114, 165, 168, 172–73, 205, 293. New York: Schocken, 1964.
*Numbers Rabbah
Numbers Rabbah (or Bamidbar Rabbah in Hebrew) is a religious text holy to classical Judaism. It is a midrash comprising a collection of ancient rabbinical homiletic interpretations of the book of Numbers (''Bamidbar'' in Hebrew).
In the first prin ...
12:4; 23:13. 12th century. In, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbah: Numbers'', volume 5, pages 463–64; volume 6, pages 876–80. Translated by Judah J. Slotki. London: Soncino Press, 1939.
* Abraham ibn Ezra. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Mid-12th century. In, e.g., ''Ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch: Deuteronomy (Devarim)''. Translated and annotated by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver, volume 5, pages 19–54. New York: Menorah Publishing Company, 2001.
*Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...
. '' The Guide for the Perplexed'', Introduction
Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to:
General use
* Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music
* Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...
; part 1, chapters 3, 18, 30, 36– 37, 39, 42– 43; part 2, chapters 5, 11, 30– 31, 33, 39; part 3, chapters 9, 26– 27, 29, 31– 33, 39, 41, 48, 51– 53. Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
, Egypt, 1190. In, e.g., Moses Maimonides. ''The Guide for the Perplexed''. Translated by Michael Friedländer, pages 3, 16–17, 28, 40, 50–51, 53–55, 57, 159, 168, 213, 219, 221–22, 231–32, 265, 310, 313, 320–21, 323, 325, 327, 339, 341, 345, 379, 386–87, 392–93. New York: Dover Publications, 1956.
*Hezekiah ben Manoah Hezekiah ben Manoah, or Hezekiah bar Manoah, was a French rabbi and Bible commentator of the 13th century. He is generally known by the title of his commentary, Chizkuni ( he, חזקוני).
In memory of his father, who lost his right hand through ...
. ''Hizkuni''. France, circa 1240. In, e.g., Chizkiyahu ben Manoach. ''Chizkuni: Torah Commentary''. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 4, pages 1061–82. Jerusalem: Ktav Publishers, 2013.
*Nachmanides
Moses ben Nachman ( he, מֹשֶׁה בֶּן־נָחְמָן ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; el, Ναχμανίδης ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ra ...
. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Jerusalem, circa 1270. In, e.g., ''Ramban (Nachmanides): Commentary on the Torah: Deuteronomy.'' Translated by Charles B. Chavel, volume 5, pages 46–93. New York: Shilo Publishing House, 1976.
*Zohar
The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...
br>3:260a–270aSpain, late 13th century. In, e.g., ''The Zohar''. Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 volumes. London: Soncino Press, 1934. *
Bahya ben Asher
Bahya ben Asher ibn Halawa (, 1255–1340) was a rabbi and scholar of Judaism, best known as a commentator on the Hebrew Bible.
He is one of two scholars now referred to as Rabbeinu Behaye, the other being philosopher Bahya ibn Paquda.
Biogra ...
. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Spain, early 14th century. In, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbeinu Bachya: Torah Commentary by Rabbi Bachya ben Asher''. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 7, pages 2374–444. Jerusalem: Lambda Publishers, 2003.
*Meister Eckhart
Eckhart von Hochheim ( – ), commonly known as Meister Eckhart, Master EckhartIsaac ben Moses Arama Isaac ben Moses Arama ( 1420 – 1494) was a Spanish rabbi and author. He was at first principal of a rabbinical academy at Zamora (probably his birthplace); then he received a call as rabbi and preacher from the community at Tarragona, and later ...
. ''Akedat Yizhak (The Binding of Isaac)''. Late 15th century. In, e.g., Yitzchak Arama. ''Akeydat Yitzchak: Commentary of Rabbi Yitzchak Arama on the Torah''. Translated and condensed by Eliyahu Munk, volume 2, pages 801–21. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2001.
Modern
* Isaac Abravanel. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Italy, between 1492 and 1509. In, e.g., ''Abarbanel: Selected Commentaries on the Torah: Volume 5: Devarim/Deuteronomy''. Translated and annotated by Israel Lazar, pages 24–44. Brooklyn: CreateSpace, 2015.
* Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Venice, 1567. In, e.g., ''Sforno: Commentary on the Torah''. Translation and explanatory notes by Raphael Pelcovitz, pages 846–69. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997.
* Moshe Alshich. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Safed
Safed (known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as Tzfat; Sephardi Hebrew, Sephardic Hebrew & Modern Hebrew: צְפַת ''Tsfat'', Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation, Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Tzfas'', Biblical Hebrew: ''Ṣǝp̄aṯ''; ar, صفد, ''Ṣafad''), i ...
, circa 1593. In, e.g., Moshe Alshich. ''Midrash of Rabbi Moshe Alshich on the Torah''. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 3, pages 960–92. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2000.
* Saul Levi Morteira. "Do Not Add to His Words." Amsterdam, circa 1630. In Marc Saperstein. ''Exile in Amsterdam: Saul Levi Morteira’s Sermons to a Congregation of "New Jews,"'' pages 408–29. Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
: Hebrew Union College
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
Press, 2005.
*Avraham Yehoshua Heschel. ''Commentaries on the Torah''. Cracow, Poland, mid 17th century. Compiled as ''Chanukat HaTorah''. Edited by Chanoch Henoch Erzohn. Piotrkow, Poland, 1900. In Avraham Yehoshua Heschel. ''Chanukas HaTorah: Mystical Insights of Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel on Chumash''. Translated by Avraham Peretz Friedman, pages 297–303. Southfield, Michigan
Southfield is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the city had a population of 76,618.
As a northern suburb of Detroit, Southfield shares part of its ...
: Targum Press
Menucha Publishers is an Orthodox Jewish English-language publishing company based in Brooklyn, New York. Originally founded as a distributor for Targum Press, in 2011 after Targum's shutdown, Menucha established itself as an independent publish ...
/Feldheim Publishers
Feldheim Publishers (or Feldheim) is an American Orthodox Jewish publisher of Torah books and literature. Its extensive catalog of titles includes books on Jewish law, Torah, Talmud, Jewish lifestyle, Shabbat and Jewish holidays, Jewish history, b ...
, 2004.
*Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5/15 April 1588 – 4/14 December 1679) was an English philosopher, considered to be one of the founders of modern political philosophy. Hobbes is best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influent ...
. '' Leviathan'', 3:42; 4:45. England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. Macpherson
Crawford Brough Macpherson (1911–1987) was an influential Canadian political scientist who taught political theory at the University of Toronto.
Life
Macpherson was born on 18 November 1911 in Toronto, Ontario. After graduating from the Univ ...
, pages 545–47, 672, 676. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982.
*Chaim ibn Attar
Chaim ibn Attar or Ḥayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar ( ar, حاييم بن موشي بن عطار, he, חיים בן משה בן עטר; b. - 7 July 1743) also known as the Or ha-Ḥayyim after his popular commentary on the Torah, was a Talmudist ...
. ''Ohr ha-Chaim''. Venice, 1742. In Chayim ben Attar. ''Or Hachayim: Commentary on the Torah''. Translated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 5, pages 1775–817. Brooklyn: Lambda Publishers, 1999.
*Moses Mendelssohn
Moses Mendelssohn (6 September 1729 – 4 January 1786) was a German-Jewish philosopher and theologian. His writings and ideas on Jews and the Jewish religion and identity were a central element in the development of the ''Haskalah'', or 'Je ...
. ''Sefer Netivot Hashalom (The "Bi’ur," The Explanation)''. Berlin, 1780–1783. In ''Moses Mendelssohn: Writings on Judaism, Christianity, and the Bible''. Edited Michah Gottlieb, pages 226–28. Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, th ...
: Brandeis University Press
The University Press of New England (UPNE), located in Lebanon, New Hampshire and founded in 1970, was a university press
A university press is an academic publishing house specializing in monographs and scholarly journals. Most are nonprofit ...
, 2011.
*Moses Mendelssohn. ''Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
'', § 2. Berlin, 1783. In ''Jerusalem: Or on Religious Power and Judaism''. Translated by Allan Arkush; introduction and commentary by Alexander Altmann, pages 100, 119. Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of Eng ...
: Brandeis University Press, 1983.
*Samson Raphael Hirsch
Samson Raphael Hirsch (; June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was a German Orthodox rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism. Occasionally termed ''neo-Orthodoxy'', his ...
. ''Horeb: A Philosophy of Jewish Laws and Observances''. Translated by Isidore Grunfeld, pages 5–8, 12–13, 18–35, 43–46, 61–78, 102–09, 117–21, 175–80, 187–89, 217–22, 274, 298–302, 359–66, 369–74, 378–81, 406–16, 441–43, 448–52, 478, 514, 544, 565–68. London: Soncino Press, 1962. Reprinted 2002. Originally published as ''Horeb, Versuche über Jissroel's Pflichten in der Zerstreuung''. Germany, 1837.
*Samson Raphael Hirsch. ''The Jewish Sabbath''. Nabu Press, 2010. Originally published Germany, 19th Century.
* Emily Dickinson. ''Poem 112 (Where bells no more affright the morn —)''. Circa 1859. ''Poem 168 (If the foolish, call them "flowers" —)''. Circa 1860. ''Poem 564 (My period had come for Prayer —)''. Circa 1862. ''Poem 597 (It always felt to me — a wrong)''. Circa 1862. ''Poem 1260 (Because that you are going)''. Circa 1873. ''Poem 1591 (The Bobolink is gone —)''. Circa 1883. ''Poem 1719 (God is indeed a jealous God —)''. 19th century. ''Poem 1733 (No man saw awe, nor to his house)''. 19th century. In ''The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson''. Edited by Thomas H. Johnson, pages 53, 79–80, 274–75, 293–94, 551–52, 659, 698, 703. New York: Little, Brown & Co., 1960.
*David Clarkson. "Soul Idolatry Excludes Men from Heaven." In ''The Practical Works of David Clarkson, Volume II'', pages 299ff. Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1865. In David Clarkson. ''Soul Idolatry Excludes Men Out of Heaven''. Curiosmith, 2010.
*Samuel David Luzzatto
Samuel David Luzzatto ( he, שמואל דוד לוצאטו, ; 22 August 1800 – 30 September 1865), also known by the Hebrew acronym Shadal (), was an Italian Jewish scholar, poet, and a member of the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement.
Early ...
(Shadal). ''Commentary on the Torah.'' Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
, 1871. In, e.g., Samuel David Luzzatto. ''Torah Commentary''. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 4, pages 1160–73. New York: Lambda Publishers, 2012.
*Samson Raphael Hirsch. ''The Jewish Sabbath''. Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, before 1889. Translated by Ben Josephussoro. 1911. Reprinted Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014.
*G. Campbell Morgan
Reverend Doctor George Campbell Morgan D.D. (9 December 1863 – 16 May 1945) was a British evangelist, preacher, a leading Bible teacher, and a prolific author.
A contemporary of Rodney "Gipsy" Smith, Morgan preached his first sermon at ...
''The Ten Commandments''
Chicago: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1901. Reprinted BiblioLife, 2009.
* Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter. ''Sefat Emet''. Góra Kalwaria
Góra Kalwaria (; "Calvary Mountain", yi, גער, ''Ger'') is a town on the Vistula River in the Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is situated approximately southeast of Warsaw and has a population of around 12,109 (as of 2019). ...
(Ger), Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, before 1906. Excerpted in ''The Language of Truth: The Torah Commentary of Sefat Emet''. Translated and interpreted by Arthur Green
Arthur Green ( he, אברהם יצחק גרין, born March 21, 1941) is an American scholar of Jewish mysticism and Neo-Hasidic theologian. He was a founding dean of the non-denominational rabbinical program at Hebrew College in Boston, where he ...
, pages 289–93. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1998. Reprinted 2012.
* Hermann Cohen. ''Religion of Reason: Out of the Sources of Judaism''. Translated with an introduction by Simon Kaplan; introductory essays by Leo Strauss
Leo Strauss (, ; September 20, 1899 – October 18, 1973) was a German-American political philosopher who specialized in classical political philosophy. Born in Germany to Jewish parents, Strauss later emigrated from Germany to the United States. ...
, pages 74–79, 90, 156, 159, 163, 169, 220. New York: Ungar, 1972. Reprinted Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
: Scholars Press, 1995. Originally published as ''Religion der Vernunft aus den Quellen des Judentums''. Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
: Gustav Fock, 1919.
* Kaufmann Kohler"Shema Yisroel: Origin and Purpose of its Daily Recital."
''Journal of Jewish Lore and Philosophy'', volume 1 (number 3/4) (July/October 1919): pages 255–64.
*Harold H. Rowley. ''Moses and the Decalogue''. George H. Doran Co., 1919.
*Abraham Isaac Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as Rav Kook, and also known by the acronym HaRaAYaH (), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one ...
. ''The Moral Principles''. Early 20th century. In ''Abraham Isaac Kook: the Lights of Penitence, the Moral Principles, Lights of Holiness, Essays, Letters, and Poems''. Translated by Ben Zion Bokser
Ben-Zion Bokser (July 4, 1907 – January 30, 1984) was a major Conservative rabbi in the United States.
Biography
Bokser was born in Liuboml, then a part of Poland, and emigrated to the United States at the age of 13 in 1920. He attended City ...
, pages 156, 176. Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press 1978.
*Alexander Alan Steinbach. ''Sabbath Queen: Fifty-four Bible Talks to the Young Based on Each Portion of the Pentateuch'', pages 142–45. New York: Behrman's Jewish Book House, 1936.
*Joseph Reider. ''The Holy Scriptures: Deuteronomy with Commentary'', pages 44–84. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1937.
*Thomas Mann
Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...
. ''Joseph and His Brothers
''Joseph and His Brothers'' (''Joseph und seine Brüder'') is a four-part novel by Thomas Mann, written over the course of 16 years. Mann retells the familiar stories of Genesis, from Jacob to Joseph (chapters 27–50), setting it in the hi ...
''. Translated by John E. Woods, pages 325, 447, 612, 788. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. Originally published as ''Joseph und seine Brüder''. Stockholm: Bermann-Fischer Verlag, 1943.
*Thomas Mann, Rebecca West
Dame Cicily Isabel Fairfield (21 December 1892 – 15 March 1983), known as Rebecca West, or Dame Rebecca West, was a British author, journalist, literary critic and travel writer. An author who wrote in many genres, West reviewed books ...
, Franz Werfel
Franz Viktor Werfel (; 10 September 1890 – 26 August 1945) was an Austrian-Bohemian novelist, playwright, and Poetry, poet whose career spanned World War I, the Interwar period, and World War II. He is primarily known as the author of ''Th ...
, John Erskine, Bruno Frank
Bruno Frank (June 13, 1887 – June 20, 1945) was a German author, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and humanist.
Biography
Frank was born in Stuttgart. He studied law and philosophy in Munich, where he later worked as a dramatist and novelist ...
, Jules Romains
Jules Romains (born Louis Henri Jean Farigoule; 26 August 1885 – 14 August 1972) was a French poet and writer and the founder of the Unanimism literary movement. His works include the play '' Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecine'', and a cycle ...
, André Maurois
André Maurois (; born Émile Salomon Wilhelm Herzog; 26 July 1885 – 9 October 1967) was a French author.
Biography
Maurois was born on 26 July 1885 in Elbeuf and educated at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in Rouen, both in Normandy. A member of ...
, Sigrid Undset, Hendrik Willem van Loon
Hendrik Willem van Loon (January 14, 1882 – March 11, 1944) was a Dutch-American historian, journalist, and children's book author.
Life
He was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the son of Hendrik Willem van Loon and Elisabeth Johanna Hanken. ...
, Louis Bromfield
Louis Bromfield (December 27, 1896 – March 18, 1956) was an American writer and conservationist. A bestselling novelist in the 1920s, he reinvented himself as a farmer in the late 1930s and became one of the earliest proponents of sustainab ...
, Herman Rauchning. ''The Ten Commandments: Ten Short Novels of Hitler's War Against the Moral Code''. Edited by Armin L. Robinson. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1943.
*''The Sabbath Anthology.'' Edited by Abraham E. Millgram. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1944; reprinted 2018. ().
*Morris Adler, Jacob B. Agus Jacob B. Agus (November 8, 1911 – September 26, 1986) was a Polish-born American liberal Conservative Judaism, Conservative rabbi and theologian who played a key role in the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly.
Life
Jacob Agus was a leading think ...
, and Theodore Friedman. “Responsum on the Sabbath.” ''Proceedings of the Rabbinical Assembly'', volume 14 (1950), pages 112–88. New York: Rabbinical Assembly of America, 1951. In ''Proceedings of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement 1927–1970'', volume 3 (Responsa), pages 1109–34. Jerusalem: The Rabbinical Assembly and The Institute of Applied Hallakhah, 1997.
* Abraham Joshua Heschel. ''The Sabbath''. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...
, 1951. Reprinted 2005.
*Abraham Joshua Heschel. ''Man's Quest for God: Studies in Prayer and Symbolism'', pages 36, 120. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1954.
*Morris Adler. ''The World of the Talmud'', pages 26, 28–29, 76, 89–90. B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundations, 1958. Reprinted Kessinger Publishing, 2007.
*Johann J. Stamm and Maurice E. Andrew. ''The Ten Commandments in Recent Research''. Naperville, Illinois: Alec R. Allenson, 1967.
* Martin Buber. ''On the Bible: Eighteen studies'', pages 80–121. New York: Schocken Books, 1968.
*Anthony Phillips. ''Ancient Israel's Criminal Law: A New Approach to the Decalogue''. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1970.
*Eduard Nielsen. ''The Ten Commandments in New Perspective''. Alec R. Allenson, 1968. Reprinted by Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd, 2012.
*Anthony Phillips. ''Ancient Israel's Criminal Law: A New Approach to the Decalogue''. Basil Blackwell, 1970.
* Hermann Cohen. ''Religion of Reason: Out of the Sources of Judaism'', page 76. New York: F. Ungar Publishing Company, 1972.
*W. Gunther Plaut
Wolf Gunther Plaut, (November 1, 1912 – February 8, 2012) was an American Reform rabbi and writer who was based in Canada. Plaut was the rabbi of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto for several decades and since 1978 was its senior scholar.
L ...
. ''Shabbat Manual''. New York: CCAR, 1972.
*Michael Breslow"The Shema."
''Mississippi Review'', volume 2 (number 2) (1973): pages 60–65. *Harry M. Buck. “Worship, Idolatry, and God.” In ''A Light unto My Path: Old Testament Studies in Honor of Jacob M. Myers''. Edited by Howard N. Bream, Ralph D. Heim, and Carey A. Moore, pages 67–82. Philadelphia:
Temple University Press
Temple University Press is a university press founded in 1969 that is part of Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). It is one of thirteen publishers to participate in the Knowledge Unlatched pilot, a global library consortium approach t ...
, 1974.
* Peter C. Craigie. ''The Problem of War in the Old Testament'', pages 47, 55, 57. Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company is a religious publishing house based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1911 by Dutch American William B. Eerdmans (November 4, 1882 – April 1966) and still independently owned with William's daughte ...
, 1978.
*Walter J. Harrelson. ''The Ten Commandments and Human Rights''. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1980. Revised edition Mercer Univ. Press, 1997.
*Nehama Leibowitz
Nechama Leibowitz ( he, נחמה ליבוביץ׳; September 3, 1905 – April 12, 1997 ) was a noted Israeli Bible scholar and commentator who rekindled interest in Bible study.
Biography
Nechama Leibowitz was born to an Orthodox Jewish fami ...
. ''Studies in Devarim: Deuteronomy'', pages 44–84. Jerusalem: The World Zionist Organization
The World Zionist Organization ( he, הַהִסְתַּדְּרוּת הַצִּיּוֹנִית הָעוֹלָמִית; ''HaHistadrut HaTzionit Ha'Olamit''), or WZO, is a non-governmental organization that promotes Zionism. It was founded as the ...
, 1980.
*Patrick D. Miller
Patrick D. Miller, Jr. (24 October 1935 – 1 May 2020) was an American Old Testament scholar who served as Charles T. Haley Professor of Old Testament Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1984 to 2005. He was an ordained minister in t ...
. "The Most Important Word: The Yoke of the Kingdom". ''Iliff Review''. (1984): pages 17–29.
*J. Gerald Janzen"On the Most Important Word in the Shema (Deuteronomy VI 4–5)."
'' Vetus Testamentum'', volume 37 (number 3) (July 1987): pages 280–300. * Pinchas H. Peli. ''Torah Today: A Renewed Encounter with Scripture'', pages 205–08. Washington, D.C.: B'nai B'rith Books, 1987. *Jerry W. Lee
"The Shema."
''Biblical Illustrator'' (winter 1988): pages 70–72. *Patrick D. Miller Jr. "The Many Faces of Moses: A Deuteronomic portrait." ''
Bible Review
''Biblical Archaeology Review'' is a magazine appearing every three months and sometimes referred to as ''BAR'' that seeks to connect the academic study of archaeology to a broad general audience seeking to understand the world of the Bible, the ...
'', volume 4 (number 5) (October 1988).
* David Noel Freedman. "The Nine Commandments: The secret progress of Israel's sins." ''Bible Review'', volume 5 (number 6) (December 1989).
*J. Gerald Janzen. "An Echo of the Shema in Isaiah 51:1–3". '' Journal for the Study of the Old Testament'', volume 13 (number 43) (1989): pages 69–82.
* Krzysztof Kieślowski. ''The Decalogue
The Ten Commandments ( Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
''. Warsaw: Sender Freies Berlin (SFB), Telewizja Polska (TVP), and Zespol Filmowy "Tor," 1989.
*Tzvee Zahavy"Political and Social Dimensions in the Formation of Early Jewish Prayer: The Case of the ''Shema''."
''Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies'', volume 1 (1989): pages 33–40. *
Patrick D. Miller
Patrick D. Miller, Jr. (24 October 1935 – 1 May 2020) was an American Old Testament scholar who served as Charles T. Haley Professor of Old Testament Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1984 to 2005. He was an ordained minister in t ...
. ''Deuteronomy'', pages 42–110. Louisville: John Knox Press
Westminster John Knox Press is an American publisher of Christian books located in Louisville, Kentucky and is part of Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, the publishing arm of the Louisville, Kentucky-based Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The P ...
, 1990.
*Mark S. Smith
Mark Stratton John Matthew Smith (born December 6, 1956) is an American biblical scholar, anthropologist, and professor.
Early life and education
Born in Paris to Donald Eugene Smith and Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Reichert, Smith grew up in Washin ...
. ''The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel'', pages 23, 80, 101, 113, 125, 151, 166. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1990.
*Sidnie Ann White"The All Souls Deuteronomy and the Decalogue."
'' Journal of Biblical Literature'', volume 109 (number 2) (Summer 1990): pages 193–206. *
Pinchas Hacohen Peli
Pinchas Hacohen Peli ( he, פינחס פֶּלִאי הכהן,
6 May 1930 – 3 April 1989) was an Israeli modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi, essayist, poet, and scholar of Judaism and Jewish philosophy.
Early life
He was born in Jerusalem ...
. ''The Jewish Sabbath: A Renewed Encounter''. New York: Schocken, 1991.
*Philip D. Stern. ''The Biblical Herem: A Window on Israel's Religious Experience''. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1991.
*Moshe Weinfeld Moshe Weinfeld (also ''Weinfield'', Hebrew: משה ויינפלד) (August 27, 1925 - April 29, 2009), was a professor of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1994, he won the Israel Prize for Bible.
Biography
Moshe Weinfeld was born in ...
. ''Deuteronomy 1–11'', volume 5, pages 189–384. New York: Anchor Bible
The Anchor Bible Series, which consists of a commentary series, a Bible dictionary, and a reference library, is a scholarly and commercial co-venture which was begun in 1956, with the publication of individual volumes in the commentary series. Ove ...
, 1991.
*Moshe Weinfeld. "What Makes the Ten Commandments Different?" ''Bible Review'', volume 7 (number 2) (April 1991).
*Moshe Halbertal
Moshe Halbertal ( he, משה הלברטל; born Montevideo, Uruguay, 1958) is an Israeli philosopher, professor, and writer, a noted expert on Maimonides, and co-author of the Israeli Army Code of Ethics. He currently holds positions as the John an ...
and Avishai Margalit
Avishai Margalit ( he, אבישי מרגלית, born 1939) is an Israeli professor emeritus in philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. From 2006 to 2011, he served as the George F. Kennan Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in ...
. ''Idolatry''. Translated by Naomi Goldblum. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1992.
*Lawrence Kushner
Lawrence Kushner (born 1943) is a Reform rabbi and the scholar-in-residence at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco, California.
Biography
Born in Detroit in 1943, Kushner graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Cincinnati and went on ...
. ''God Was in This Place and I, I Did Not Know: Finding Self, Spirituality and Ultimate Meaning'', pages 39–40. Jewish Lights Publishing, 1993. (between God and you).
*''A Song of Power and the Power of Song: Essays on the Book of Deuteronomy''. Edited by Duane L. Christensen. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 1993.
*Aaron Wildavsky
Aaron Wildavsky (May 31, 1930 – September 4, 1993) was an American political scientist known for his pioneering work in public policy, government budgeting, and risk management.
Early years
A native of Brooklyn in New York, Wildavsky was th ...
. ''Assimilation versus Separation: Joseph the Administrator and the Politics of Religion in Biblical Israel'', page 3. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 1993.
*Stephen A. Geller"Fiery Wisdom: Logos and Lexis in Deuteronomy 4."
'' Prooftexts'', volume 14 (number 2) (May 1994): pages 103–39. *Sandy Eisenberg Sasso. "In God's Name". Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, 1994. (calling God ''One''). *Ronald Youngblood. "Counting the Ten Commandments." ''Bible Review'', volume 10 (number 6) (December 1994). *Judith S. Antonelli. "The Prohibition of Imagery." In ''In the Image of God: A Feminist Commentary on the Torah'', pages 407–15.
Northvale, New Jersey
Northvale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,640,Jason Aronson
Jason Aronson was an American publisher of books in the field of psychotherapy. Topics dealt with in these books include child therapy, family therapy, couple therapy, object relations therapy, play therapy, depression, eating disorders, persona ...
, 1995.
*Ellen Frankel Ellen Frankel (born 1951) was the Editor-in-Chief of the Jewish Publication Society (JPS) from 1991 until 2009, and also served as CEO of the JPS for 10 years. She retired in 2009 to pursue her own writing and scholarly projects, serving as JPS's f ...
. ''The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman’s Commentary on the Torah'', pages 251–57. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group.
History
The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 partnership between George Palmer Putnam and J ...
, 1996.
*Jack R. Lundbom"The Inclusio and Other Framing Devices in Deuteronomy I–XXVIII."
''Vetus Testamentum'', volume 46 (number 3) (July 1996): pages 296–315. *W. Gunther Plaut. ''The Haftarah Commentary'', pages 439–50. New York: UAHC Press, 1996. *Mark Dov Shapiro. ''Gates of Shabbat: A Guide for Observing Shabbat''. New York: CCAR Press, 1996. *Moshe Weinfeld. "Deuteronomy's Theological Revolution." ''Bible Review'', volume 12 (number 1) (February 1996). *Jeffrey H. Tigay. ''The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation'', pages 38–88, 432–44. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1996. *Robert Goodman. “Shabbat.” In ''Teaching Jewish Holidays: History, Values, and Activities'', pages 1–19.
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
: A.R.E. Publishing, 1997.
*Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden. ''Teaching Torah: A Treasury of Insights and Activities'', pages 299–303. Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
: A.R.E. Publishing, 1997.
*Baruch J. Schwartz. "What Really Happened at Mount Sinai? Four biblical answers to one question." ''Bible Review'', volume 13 (number 5) (October 1997).
*J. Gerald Janzen. "The Claim of the Shema". ''Encounter'', volume 59 (number 1–2) (1998): pages 243–57.
*William H.C. Propp. "Why Moses Could Not Enter The Promised Land." ''Bible Review'', volume 14 (number 3) (June 1998).
*Susan Freeman. ''Teaching Jewish Virtues: Sacred Sources and Arts Activities'', pages 6–7, 39–54, 179–94, 255–68. Springfield, New Jersey: A.R.E. Publishing, 1999. (; 6–9
. * R. Walter L. Moberly. "Toward an Interpretation of the Shema". In ''Theological Exegesis: Essays in Honor of Brevard S. Child''. Edited by Christopher Seitz and Kathryn Greene-McCreight, pages 124–44. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999. *David Noel Freedman. ''The Nine Commandments: Uncovering a Hidden Pattern of Crime and Punishment in the Hebrew Bible''. New York: Doubleday, 2000. *Richard D. Nelson. "Deuteronomy." In ''The HarperCollins Bible Commentary''. Edited by
James L. Mays
James Luther Mays (July 14, 1921 – October 29, 2015) was an American Old Testament scholar. He was Cyrus McCormick Professor of Hebrew and the Old Testament Emeritus at Union Presbyterian Seminary, Virginia. He served as president of the Society ...
, pages 191–92, 194–99. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, revised edition, 2000.
*Rochelle Robins. "‘A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey': Sexualizing the Land." In ''The Women's Torah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions''. Edited by Elyse Goldstein
Elyse Goldstein is a Canadian Reform rabbi. She is the first woman to be elected as president of the interdenominational Toronto Board of Rabbis and president of the Reform Rabbis of Greater Toronto.
Early life and education
Goldstein was born ...
, pages 338–44. Woodstock, Vermont
Woodstock is the shire town (county seat) of Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,005. It includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock, Taftsville, and West Woodstock.
History
Chart ...
: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2000.
*Robert F. Shedinger"A Note on the Variant Form of the ''Shema'' in the Writings of Justin Martyr."
''
Harvard Theological Review
The ''Harvard Theological Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1908 and published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Harvard Divinity School. It covers a wide spectrum of fields in theological and rel ...
'', volume 93 (number 2) (April 2000): pages 161–63.
*Lainie Blum Cogan and Judy Weiss. ''Teaching Haftarah: Background, Insights, and Strategies'', pages 253–62. Denver: A.R.E. Publishing, 2002.
*William J. Federer. ''The Ten Commandments & their Influence on American Law: A Study in History''. Amerisearch, 2002.
* Michael Fishbane. ''The JPS Bible Commentary: Haftarot'', pages 278–84. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2002.
* Tikva Frymer-Kensky. "To the Barricades: Views against the Other." In ''Reading the Women of the Bible'', pages 199–208. New York: Schocken Books, 2002. (.).
*Admiel Kosman
Admiel Kosman ( he, אדמיאל קוסמן; born in 1957) is an Israeli poet and professor of Talmud.
Biography
Admiel Kosman was born in Haifa, Israel to an Orthodox Jewish family. His father hailed from a German Jewish family living in France, ...
“The Story of a Giant Story: The Winding Way of Og King of Bashan in the Jewish Haggadic Tradition.”
'' Hebrew Union College Annual'', volume 73 (2002): pages 157–90. *
John J. Collins
John J. Collins (born 1946) is the Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School. He is noted for his research in the Hebrew Bible, as well as the apocryphal works of the Second Temple period including the ...
"The Zeal of Phinehas: The Bible and the Legitimation of Violence."
'' Journal of Biblical Literature'', volume 122 (number 1) (Spring 2003): pages 3–21. (the ban in ). * Reuven Hammer. ''Or Hadash: A Commentary on
Siddur Sim Shalom
Siddur Sim Shalom ( he, סדור שים שלום) refers to any siddur in a family of ''siddurim'', Jewish prayerbooks, and related commentaries, published by the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
There are fou ...
for Shabbat and Festivals'', page 30. New York: The Rabbinical Assembly, 2003. (mezuzah).
*Joseph Telushkin
Joseph Telushkin (born 1948) is an American rabbi, lecturer, and bestselling author of more than 15 books, including volumes about Jewish ethics, Jewish literacy, as well as the book '' Rebbe'', a ''New York Times'' bestseller released in Ju ...
. ''The Ten Commandments of Character: Essential Advice for Living an Honorable, Ethical, Honest Life'', pages 52–59, 61–65, 76–80, 129–32, 177–80, 189–90, 204–06, 275–78. New York: Bell Tower, 2003.
*Robert Alter
Robert Bernard Alter (born 1935) is an American professor of Hebrew and comparative literature at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has taught since 1967. He published his translation of the Hebrew Bible in 2018.
Biography
Rober ...
. ''The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary'', pages 895–918. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2004.
*Bernard M. Levinson
Bernard Malcolm Levinson serves as Professor of Classical and Near Eastern Studies and of Law at the University of Minnesota, where he holds the Berman Family Chair in Jewish Studies and Hebrew Bible. He is the author of ''Deuteronomy and the Herme ...
. "Deuteronomy." In ''The Jewish Study Bible''. Edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, pages 370–83. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
*Sheryl Nosan-Blank. "Haftarat Va’etchanan: Isaiah 40:1–26." In ''The Women's Haftarah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Haftarah Portions, the 5 Megillot & Special Shabbatot''. Edited by Elyse Goldstein, pages 216–20. Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2004.
*''The Ten Commandments: The Reciprocity of Faithfulness''. Edited by William P. Brown
William P. Brown is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA, author, biblical theologian, and the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary.
Education
Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts in ...
. Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004.
*Sidnie W. Crawford. "Reading Deuteronomy in the Second Temple Period." In ''Reading the Present in the Qumran Library: The Perception of the Contemporary by Means of Scriptural Interpretations." Edited by Kristin De Troyer and Armin Lange, pages 127–40. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2005.
*''Professors on the Parashah: Studies on the Weekly Torah Reading'' Edited by Leib Moscovitz, pages 304–10. Jerusalem: Urim Publications
Urim Publications, an independent publisher of Jewish interest books, is based in Jerusalem, with an outlet in Brooklyn, New York.
Established in 1997 by Tzvi Mauer, Urim publishes approximately fifteen books per year on various topics related to ...
, 2005.
* Gerald J. Blidstein. ''Honor Thy Father and Mother: Filial Responsibility in Jewish Law and Ethics: Augmented Edition''. New York: Ktav, 2006.
*Walter J. Harrelson. ''The Ten Commandments for Today''. Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006.
*W. Gunther Plaut. ''The Torah: A Modern Commentary: Revised Edition''. Revised edition edited by David E.S. Stern, pages 1184–225. New York: Union for Reform Judaism
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established ...
, 2006.
*Suzanne A. Brody. "Shabbat" and "Intermarriage." In ''Dancing in the White Spaces: The Yearly Torah Cycle and More Poems'', pages 51–57, 103. Shelbyville, Kentucky: Wasteland Press, 2007.
*Esther Jungreis
Esther Jungreis (April 27, 1936 – August 23, 2016, 19 Menachem Av, 5776) was a Jewish, Hungarian-born, American author, and public speaker. She was the founder of the international Hineni organization in the United States. A Holocaust survivor ...
. ''Life Is a Test'', pages 86–89, 116–19, 147–48, 154, 163, 166, 169, 219, 248–49, 257–58, 266. Brooklyn: Shaar Press, 2007.
*James L. Kugel
James L. Kugel (Hebrew: Yaakov Kaduri, יעקב כדורי; born August 22, 1945) is Professor Emeritus in the Bible Department at Bar Ilan University in Israel and the Harry M. Starr Professor Emeritus of Classical and Modern Hebrew Literature at ...
. ''How To Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now'', pages 32, 166, 245, 250–59, 291, 298, 308, 311–12, 319–20, 340–45, 348, 355, 357, 369, 371, 432, 579, 621, 647, 650, 684. New York: Free Press, 2007.
*Michael D. Matlock“Obeying the First Part of the Tenth Commandment: Applications from the Levirate Marriage Law.”
'' Journal for the Study of the Old Testament'', volume 31 (number 3) (March 2007): pages 295–310. *Adam Potkay. "Icons and Iconoclasm from Moses to Milton." Lecture 3 in ''The Modern Scholar: The Bible and the Roots of Western Literature''.
Prince Frederick, Maryland
Prince Frederick is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Calvert County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Prince Frederick was 3,226, up from 2,538 in 2010. It is the county seat of Cal ...
: Recorded Books, 2008.
*''The Torah: A Women's Commentary''. Edited by Tamara Cohn Eskenazi Tamara Cohn Eskenazi is The Effie Wise Ochs Professor of Biblical Literature and History at the Reform Jewish seminary Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles.
She was the first woman hired by the Hebrew Union College-Jewi ...
and Andrea L. Weiss, pages 1063–88. New York: URJ Press, 2008.
*Christopher R. Bruno“A Note Pertaining to the Translation of Deut 6:4.”
'' Vetus Testamentum'', volume 59 (number 2) (2009): pages 320–22 *Eugene E. Carpenter. "Deuteronomy." In ''Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary''. Edited by
John H. Walton
John H. Walton (born 1952) is an Old Testament scholar and Professor at Wheaton College. He was a professor at Moody Bible Institute for 20 years. He specializes in the Ancient Near Eastern backgrounds of the Old Testament, especially Genesis ...
, volume 1, pages 440–62. Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
: Zondervan, 2009.
*Reuven Hammer. ''Entering Torah: Prefaces to the Weekly Torah Portion'', pages 257–62. New York: Gefen Publishing House, 2009.
*Ziv Hellman. "And on the Seventh Day: Israelis ponder the public nature of the Shabbath in a state that seeks to be both Jewish and democratic." ''The Jerusalem Report
''The Jerusalem Report'' is a fortnightly print and online news magazine that covers political, security, economic, religious and cultural issues in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Founded as an independent weekly publication in 199 ...
'', volume 20 (number 19) (January 4, 2009): pages 26–30.
* Timothy Keller. ''Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters''. Dutton Adult, 2009. (What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.).
*Patrick D. Miller. ''The Ten Commandments: Interpretation: Resources for the Use of Scripture in the Church''. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.
*Frank Newport"Extramarital Affairs, Like Sanford's, Morally Taboo: Recent Confessions of Affairs by Elected Officials Fly in Face of Americans' Normative Standards"
Gallup Inc. June 25, 2009. *Julie Pelc. "Rethinking the Wicked 'Son': Parashat Vaetchanan (Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11)." In ''Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible''. Edited by Gregg Drinkwater, Joshua Lesser, and David Shneer; foreword by Judith Plaskow, pages 235–39. New York:
New York University Press
New York University Press (or NYU Press) is a university press that is part of New York University.
History
NYU Press was founded in 1916 by the then chancellor of NYU, Elmer Ellsworth Brown.
Directors
* Arthur Huntington Nason, 1916–1932 ...
, 2009.
*Julie Cadwallader-Staub. Joy
'. In ''Face to Face: A Poetry Collection''. DreamSeeker Books, 2010. ("land of milk and honey").
*Idan Dershowitz“A Land Flowing with Fat and Honey.”
''Vetus Testamentum'', volume 60 (number 2) (2010): pages 172–76. * Ilan Stavans and Mordecai Drache
"Shema Ysrael!"
In ''With All Thine Heart: Love and the Bible'', pages 1–23. Rutgers University Press, 2010. *Joseph Telushkin. ''Hillel: If Not Now, When?'' pages 55–57. New York: Nextbook, Schocken, 2010. (honoring father and mother).
"Day of Rest: Judith Shulevitz's New Book Considers the Sabbath Throughout the Ages and in Her Own Life."
In ''
Tablet Magazine
''Tablet'' is an online magazine focused on Jewish news and culture. The magazine was founded in 2009 and is supported by the Nextbook foundation. Its editor-in-chief is Alana Newhouse.
History
''Tablet'' was founded in 2009 with the suppor ...
''. (March 15, 2010)."Body Image: An Art Historian Tackles the Thorny Matter of Jews and Figurative Painting."
In ''Tablet Magazine''. (June 7, 2010). (the commandment not to make graven images and Jewish artists). *Bill T. Arnold
“The Love-Fear Antinomy in Deuteronomy 5–11.”
''Vetus Testamentum'', volume 61 (number 4) (2011): pages 551–69. *
James S. A. Corey
James S. A. Corey is the pen name used by collaborators Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, authors of the science fiction series ''The Expanse''. The first and last name are taken from Abraham's and Franck's middle names, respectively, and S. A. ar ...
. ''Leviathon Wakes'', chapter 44. Orbit, 2011. ("He knew the story of Moses seeing a promised land he would never enter. Miller wondered how the old prophet would've felt if he'd been ushered in for moment, a day, a week, a year, and then dropped back out into the desert. Kinder never to leave the wastelands. Safer.")
*Judah Kraut"Deciphering the Shema: Staircase Parallelism and the Syntax of Deuteronomy 6:4."
''Vetus Testamentum'', volume 61 (number 4) (2011): pages 582–602. * Joe Lieberman and
David Klinghoffer
David Klinghoffer is an Orthodox Jewish author and essayist, and a proponent of the pseudoscientific idea of intelligent design. He is a Senior Fellow of the Discovery Institute, the organization that is the driving force behind the intelligent des ...
. ''The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath''. New York: Howard Books, 2011.
*''The Decalogue through the Centuries: From the Hebrew Scriptures to Benedict XVI''. Edited by Jeffrey P. Greenman and Timothy Larsen. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012.
*William G. Dever
William Gwinn Dever (born November 27, 1933, Louisville, Kentucky) is an American archaeologist, Old Testament scholar, and historian, specialized in the history of the Ancient Near East and the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah in biblical ...
. ''The Lives of Ordinary People in Ancient Israel: When Archaeology and the Bible Intersect'', pages 43–44, 192, 290, 312. Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company is a religious publishing house based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1911 by Dutch American William B. Eerdmans (November 4, 1882 – April 1966) and still independently owned with William's daughte ...
, 2012.
*Jonathan Haidt
Jonathan David Haidt (; born October 19, 1963) is an American social psychologist and author. He is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University Stern School of Business. His main areas of study are the psychology of ...
. ''The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion'', page 256. New York: Pantheon, 2012. (prohibition of murder, adultery, false witness, and oath-breaking as an evolutionary advantage).
* Shmuel Herzfeld. "Did Moshe Sin?" In ''Fifty-Four Pick Up: Fifteen-Minute Inspirational Torah Lessons'', pages 257–61. Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing House
Gefen Publishing House (הוצאת גפן) is an English language publishing firm located in Jerusalem, which also has a department in New York City. History
Gefen was founded in 1981 by Murray and Hana Greenfield.
Its CEO is Ilan Greenfield, so ...
, 2012.
* Daniel S. Nevins"The Use of Electrical and Electronic Devices on Shabbat."
New York: Rabbinical Assembly, 2012. *
Adam Kirsch
Adam Kirsch (born 1976) is an American poet and literary critic. He is on the seminar faculty of Columbia University's Center for American Studies, and has taught at YIVO.
Life and career
Kirsch was born in Los Angeles in 1976. He is the son of ...
"Ancient Laws for Modern Times: When is a tent just a tent and not like a bed or a hat? To update Jewish laws, the rabbis reasoned by analogy."
''
Tablet Magazine
''Tablet'' is an online magazine focused on Jewish news and culture. The magazine was founded in 2009 and is supported by the Nextbook foundation. Its editor-in-chief is Alana Newhouse.
History
''Tablet'' was founded in 2009 with the suppor ...
''. (February 26, 2013). (Shabbat).
*Adam Kirsch"Leave the Jewish People Alone: Rabbis left enforcement of their Talmudic decrees to communal standards and voluntary commitment."
''Tablet Magazine''. (March 5, 2013). (Shabbat). *Adam Kirsch
"Written in the Stars (Or Not): To overcome fated lives, the Talmud's rabbis argued, perform virtuous acts according to Torah."
''Tablet Magazine''. (March 12, 2013). (Shabbat). *Adam Kirsch
"Navigating the Talmud's Alleys: The range of problems and the variety of answers in the study of Oral Law lead to new pathways of reasoning."
''Tablet Magazine''. (March 18, 2013). (Shabbat).
*Noah Wiener"The Shema‘ Yisrael: Monotheistic Jewish Amulet Discovered Near Carnuntum."
''Bible History Daily'' (blog of '' Biblical Archaeology Review''). (April 12, 2013). *
Leon R. Kass
Leon Richard Kass (born February 12, 1939) is an American physician, scientist, educator, and public intellectual. Kass is best known as a proponent of liberal arts education via the "Great Books," as a critic of human cloning, life extension, ...
"The Ten Commandments: Why the Decalogue Matters."
''Mosaic Magazine''. (June 2013). *
Peter Berkowitz
Peter Berkowitz (born 1959) is an American political scientist, former law professor, and United States Department of State employee, most recently serving as the Director of Policy Planning at the United States Department of State. He currently se ...
"The Decalogue and Liberal Democracy: Response to: ‘The Ten Commandments.'"
''Mosaic Magazine''. (June 2013). *Haim O. Rechnitzer
"Unconditional Love: Distinguishing between the love of God and the love of country."
''
The Jerusalem Report
''The Jerusalem Report'' is a fortnightly print and online news magazine that covers political, security, economic, religious and cultural issues in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Founded as an independent weekly publication in 199 ...
'', volume 24 (number 8) (July 10, 2013): page 47.
*Amiel Ungar"Tel Aviv and the Sabbath."
''The Jerusalem Report'', volume 24 (number 8) (July 29, 2013): page 37. *
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
"No to the new idolatry of money."
In '' Evangelii gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel)''. Vatican City: The
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
, 2013.
*United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC; French: ''Office des Nations unies contre la drogue et le crime'') is a United Nations office that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the ...
Global Study on Homicide
Vienna, 2013. *Amanda Terkel
''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''. (January 3, 2014, updated January 23, 2014). (Congressional candidate said, "Right now in Wisconsin, you're not supposed to work seven days in a row, which is a little ridiculous because all sorts of people want to work seven days a week.")
*Ester Bloom"The Crazy New App for Using Your iPhone on Shabbos."
''Jewniverse''. (October 1, 2014).
*Charles Kopel"The Haftarah Reading That Inspired Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’: King’s speech draws on a part of Isaiah that Jews recite after Tisha B’Av — offering a model for revitalizing his mission."
''Tablet Magazine''. (January 13, 2014). * Shlomo Riskin. ''Torah Lights: Devarim: Moses Bequeaths Legacy, History, and Covenant'', pages 31–73.
New Milford, Connecticut
New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is in western Connecticut, north of Danbury, on the banks of the Housatonic River, and it shares its border with the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. It is t ...
: Maggid Books, 2014.
*''The Commentators' Bible: The Rubin JPS Miqra'ot Gedolot: Deuteronomy.'' Edited, translated, and annotated by Michael Carasik, pages 26–55. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2015."The Crazy New Invention for Using Electricity on Shabbat."
''Jewniverse''. (April 21, 2015).
*Jonathan Sacks
Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks ( he, יונתן הנרי זקס, translit=Yona'tan Henry Zaks; 8 March 19487 November 2020) was an English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United He ...
. ''Lessons in Leadership: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible'', pages 247–50. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2015.
*"The Hittites: Between Tradition and History." ''Biblical Archaeology Review'', volume 42 (number 2) (March/April 2016): pages 28–40, 68.
*Jean-Pierre Isbouts
Jean-Pierre Isbouts (born 1954) is a professor in the Social Sciences PhD program of Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California, and an archaeologist, author, screenwriter, director, and producer of works addressing various histori ...
. ''Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries From Genesis to the Roman Era'', pages 114–20. Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
: National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
, 2016.
*Jonathan Sacks. ''Essays on Ethics: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible'', pages 281–85. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2016.
*Kenneth Seeskin. ''Thinking about the Torah: A Philosopher Reads the Bible'', pages 153–69. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 2016.
*Shai Held Shai Held (born July 2, 1971) is a rosh yeshiva (Rabbinic dean) and Chair in Jewish Thought at Mechon Hadar.
He founded Mechon Hadar in 2006 with Rabbis Elie Kaunfer and Ethan Tucker.
Education
Held attended Ramaz High School and studied ...
. ''The Heart of Torah, Volume 2: Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion: Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy'', pages 209–19. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017.
*Steven Levy and Sarah Levy. ''The JPS Rashi Discussion Torah Commentary'', pages 152–55. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017.
*Ernst Wendland. Deuteronomy: translationNotes
'' Orlando, Florida: unfoldingWord, 2017. * John Barton. “The Ten Commandments.” In ''A History of the Bible'', pages 77–79. New York:
Viking Press
Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquire ...
, 2019.
*Ralph Allan Smith“The Third Commandment in Deuteronomy 14:1–21.”
*Julia Rhyder
"Sabbath and Sanctuary Cult in the Holiness Legislation: A Reassessment."
'' Journal of Biblical Literature'', volume 138, number 4 (2019): pages 721–40. *Cat Quine
"The Host of Heaven and the Divine Army: A Reassessment."
''Journal of Biblical Literature'', volume 138, number 4 (2019): pages 741–55. *Jonathan Sacks. ''Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible: Deuteronomy: Renewal of the Sinai Covenant'', pages 49–83. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2019.
External links
Texts
Commentaries
Academy for Jewish Religion, New York
{{Weekly Torah Portions Weekly Torah readings in Av Weekly Torah readings from Deuteronomy