Week 29 (Book 3): Salmah and Leaving Our Own "Egypts"

BESHALACH: 5. And it shall be on the sixth day that when they prepare what they will bring, it will be double of what they gather every day. 6. [Thereupon,] Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, [In the] evening, you shall know that the Lord brought you out of the land of Egypt.

HAFTORAH:

The brook Kishon swept them away,

that ancient brook, the brook Kishon;

TALMUD SOTAH:  Daf 29 - Strictnesses related to eating Terumah and Sacrifices

GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO THE LAST KING OF JUDAH: Salmah

JOURNEYS IN THE DESERT: They journeyed from Benei jaakan and camped in Hor hagidgad

For Week 29, the week of Passover, the Torah portion section for this week continues to introduce the Mannah, and finishes by saying, “you shall know that the Lord brought you out of the land of Egypt.” The mannah, after all, serves as a great reinforcement of the concept of faith, emunah, a central theme of Passover. 

The Talmud (beginning of tractate Be'ah) also derives an important principle in Jewish law – the concept of preparing for a holiday: “when they prepare what they will bring,” is understood in the Talmud to mean that one have in mind from beforehand what one will be using (both physically and spiritually) during the holiday, and that a holiday cannot prepare for a normal day,  or even for the Sabbath, and the Sabbath as well cannot prepare for a normal day or a holiday.

The Haftorah’s verses for this week speak of how the “brook Kishon” swept them away. This parallels the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, celebrated this week, in which the Egyptians were swept away. Rashi states that the Kishon had been a guarantor for the Sea of Reeds, as stated in the Talmud. (Pessachim 118B).

Daf Kaf Tet (Folio 29) of Sotah discusses further how the Sotah is forbidden from eating Terumah. It also discusses other specific purity laws of Terumah and of sacrifices in general. As mentioned in the previous week, Passover was a time when the laws of ritual purity were particularly strict, given that the Passover sacrifice had to be brought and eaten in a state of purity. Furthermore, in Passover we are very strict regarding what we eat, and many have the custom of not eating anything at all except for the food in one’s own kitchen.

Salmah is the son of Nachshon and the father of Boaz. Salmah means a garment. He is also called Salmon, which means a small garment (“on” is a Hebrew suffix denoting small; Nachshon therefore means small snake). Psalm 104 states, “Oteh Ohr Ka’Salmah,”   G-d enwraps himself with light as a garment.[1] 

The Alter Rebbe explains in Tanya that the Torah itself is the intermediary that is able to bridge the gap between the infinite and the finite, the “light” and the “garment.”[2]  Similarly, Salmah is the intermediary between Nachshon and the generation of the exodus from Egypt, and Boaz, who marries Ruth and sets the stage for the birth of King David.  Salmah also comes from the word “Sulam” which means ladder, and the Midrash builds on the idea of Salmah being an intermediary: “Because until him they formed a ladder of princes; from him onwards they formed a ladder of kings.” [3] Passover itself is an intermediary stage, the “Holiday of Spring:” a first step towards freedom and the beginning of the summer months.

In the twenty-ninth week, the Jews journey from Benei Jaakan and camp in Hor hagidgad. Hor Hagidgad means a hole/crevice of Gidgad. Based on the Arizal’s writings, Rabbi Jacobson explains that Hor HaGidgad is related to the intellect, the head and its crevices. Chor HaGidgad also appears to be related to the Mannah, which was called “zerah gad,” a seed of “gad.” Talmud translates gad in a few different ways, one of which is that it would be “magid” it would tell/resolve doubts. Another related translation is that it came from the word “Haggadah,” the stories of the Talmud (from the same verb, “lehagid”) that draw the heart of the listener, just like the Mannah did.[4] Again, the Mannah is a key aspect of the Passover story. 

In order to accept the gift of the Mannah, we have to make a vessel for it, a crevice within our hearts, within our selves. The personal journey for this week is to internalize the concept of experiencing the narrowness of as well as the freedom from the first and the last of our exiles, and now focus on opening up our hearts, to the gift of the mannah, to the gift of emunah.

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[1] This is actually part of the preparatory prayers said before donning the Talit, the Jewish prayer shawl, as well as the Musaf prayers for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

[2] http://m.chabad.org/m/dailystudy/default.asp?tDate=9/6/2021&type=tanya

[3] The Aramaic Version of Ruth. Ethan Levine: http://books.google.com/books?id=0oARN-rwn-EC&pg=PA111&lpg=PA111&dq=Jesse+died+only+because+of+the+sin+of+the+snake&source=bl&ots=-HWK-HDiUs&sig=TzGoVLhfcG2EF13Gmah5smfLGAI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=akNsUa_iPMr4qAHp5YD4BA&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Jesse%20died%20only%20because%20of%20the%20sin%20of%20the%20snake&f=false

[4] Talmud, Yoma 75A.

Week 30 (Book 3): Destruction and Conquest

BESHALACH: 7. And [in the] morning, you shall see the glory of the Lord when He hears your complaints against the Lord but [of] what [significance] are we, that you make [the people] complain against us? 8. And Moses said, When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and bread in the morning [with which] to become sated, when the Lord hears your complaints, which you are making [the people] complain against Him, but [of] what [significance] are we? Not against us are your complaints, but against the Lord.

HAFTORAH: tread down, O my soul, (their) strength. Then were pounded the heels of the horses

TALMUD SOTAH: Daf 30 - Children, fetuses, and the Song of the Sea

GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO THE LAST KING OF JUDAH: Boaz

JOURNEYS IN THE DESERT: They journeyed from Hor hagidgad and camped in Jotbathah.

Week 30 is the week of Yom HaShoah, and the yahrzeit of Yehoshuah. The Torah portion section for this week speaks of how G-d heard the complaints of the Jewish people, and how Moshe saw himself and Aharon as nothing, Nachnu Mah. Yehoshuah shared this humble character trait of Moshe. The suffering the Jewish people underwent during the Holocaust is indescribable. Yet, we must always remember that G-d hears our complaints.

The Haftorah’s verses for this week speak of the Devorah’s soul treading down, “their” strength, and the pounding of horses. This could refer to Jewish suffering, such as the horrors of the Holocaust, and how the souls and the strength of the Jewish people treaded down to such horror. Yet, as Rashi explains, the simple meaning is that we treaded with our feet over the strength of our enemies, very much like Joshua put his feet on the neck of the Canaanite kings. The horse is a symbol of strength, the Perek Shirah animal of week 31 in Book 1. The pounding of the horses is reminiscent of how the “horse and its rider” were thrown into the sea, during the splitting of the sea in Nissan.

Daf Lamed (Folio 30) of Sotah discusses further certain purity laws regarding terumah and sacrifices. The daf ends by discussing in greater detail how it was that the Song of the Sea took place, how it was sung, and how even babies and unborn fetuses sung as well. What makes the Holocaust so tragic that it was a disaster that reached even infants, babies, and unborn fetuses. Again, we end the month of Nissan returning to the theme of the splitting of the sea.

Boaz, the son of Salmah, was the husband of Ruth. He also was the leader of the Jewish people at the time. Boaz contains the Hebrew word oz, which means strength, perhaps another reference to the strength of Yehoshua as well, and the salvation that came to Ruth after she had witnessed so much death and destruction in her life.

In the thirtieth week, the Jews journey from Hor hagidgad and camp in Jotbathah. Jotbathah means calm, peace and tranquility. The personal journey for this week is to internalize the concept of opening up our hearts to the gift of the mannah, the gift of emunah, and now focus on attaining the peace and tranquility that come with complete faith. Also, this is perhaps a reference to the relative tranquility we now experience as we return to our homeland, celebrated on Yom Ha’Atzmaut, in the coming week.

Week 31 (Book 3): Obed and Working Hard

BESHALACH: 9. And Moses said to Aaron, Say to the entire community of the children of Israel, Draw near before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.  10. And it came to pass when Aaron spoke to the entire community of the children of Israel, that they turned toward the desert, and behold! the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.  

HAFTORAH: by reason of the prancings, the prancings of their mighty ones. 'Curse you Meroz,' said the messenger of the Lord, 'curse you bitterly (you) inhabitants thereof,'

TALMUD SOTAH: Daf 31 - Job, serving G-d out of fear and out of love.

GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO THE LAST KING OF JUDAH: Obed

JOURNEYS IN THE DESERT: They journeyed from Jotbathah and camped in Abronah.

Week 31 is the week of Rosh Chodesh Iyar, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom Ha’Atzmaut. Iyar is about healing, “Ani Hashem Rofecha.” This month is represented by the tribe of Issachar. The Torah portion section for this week speaks of how the entire community of Israel drew near and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. This is reminiscent of the song of the horse in Book 1, which states that our eyes are like that of a servant to his Master, until he shows us mercy. Hashem saw everything we went through. He heard our complaints and brought us back to our Land.

The Haftorah verses for this week contain references to the horse, which, as mentioned above, is the animal of this week in Book 1. It also contains a curse against Meroz and its inhabitants, who failed to help the Jewish people in their war effort.

Daf Lamed Alef (Folio 31) of Sotah discusses serving G-d out of love and out of fear, as well as the number of witnesses that are needed to testify of a Sotah’s seclusion. Serving G-d out of love and fear again is reminiscent of the song of the horse in Book 1. The War of Independence certainly contained aspects of serving out of fear that were not present before. The war had an aspect of Ein Brera (there’s no other way out) related also to the destruction that took place during the Holocaust. The daf also specifically mentions Iyov, Job, who suffered so much in his lifetime, yet also served out of love, and ultimately saw his fortunes reversed for the better once again and his family, health and wealth reestablished.

Obed, the son of Boaz, was the father of Yishai. Obed means worker. It is also related to the word eved, servant, which again, is extremely reminiscent of the song of the horse in Book 1. Obed could also be reference to the Jewish army and the pioneering, hardworking generation of the time of Israel's independence.

In the thirty-first week, the Jews journey from Jotbathah and camp in Abronah. Abronah is a river crossing, a ford. Arguably the most important river-crossing in history was the crossing of the Jordan in order to conquer the Land of Israel. Another important crossing was that of the Jabok river, when Yaakov faced Eisav. The very name "Hebrew" comes from the word for crossing. Abraham was known has ha’Ivri. Crossing the river therefore also represents establishing, or re-establishing our identity and strength in our own eyes, and in the eyes of others.  The personal journey for this week is to internalize the concept of attaining the peace and tranquility that come with complete faith and in living in our homeland, and now focus on re-establishing our identity in connection with the land, in the famous phrase of the pioneers, "livnot v’lehibanot," to build and to be built.

Week 32 (Book 3): Battling for the Land, Laying the Foundations

BESHALACH: 11. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  12. I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, In the afternoon you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be sated with bread, and you shall know that I am the Lord, your G-d.

HAFTORAH: because they came not to the aid of the Lord, to the aid of the Lord against the mighty.

TALMUD SOTAH: Daf 32 – Entering the Land of Israel; importance of using Hebrew.

GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO THE LAST KING OF JUDAH: Yishai

JOURNEY IN THE DESERT:They journeyed from Abronah and camped in Etzion geber.

Like Week 31, Week 32 is also linked to Yom Ha’Atzmaut and the Land of Israel. (See explanation in Book 1) The Torah portion section for this week also speaks of how Hashem heard the complaints of the people of Israel, and how they were so mercifully and so miraculously answered.

The Haftorah mentions again those that did not aid Hashem in battle. Why would Hashem need any aid in battle? Rashi states that “those who aid Israel are as if they aid the Divine Presence.” In 1948, the nations of the world did not come to Israel's aid. (See Week 32, Book 1, the mule.) The Jewish people faced tremendous odds, yet they were successful through Divine mercy.

Daf Lamed Beit (Folio 32) of Sotah discusses invalid witnesses, and certain statements that must be said in Hebrew in order to be valid. The daf also discusses the blessings and curses that were said at Mount Grizim and Mount Eival when the Jewish people entered the Land of Israel. The daf is connected to the theme of entering the Land of Israel related to this week. It is also perhaps a reference to the renewal of the common use of the Hebrew language that took place as well.

Yishai, the son of Obed, is the father of King David. He was great in so many ways:

Ishai is one of the “eight princes of man” in Micha 5:4 according to Sukkah 52b. He went out at the head of a multitude of followers and returned with a multitude and he taught Torah to a multitude (Brochos 58a). Ishai inspired David to fight Goliath (Tanchuma Buber Vayigash 8). Four died solely because of the serpent’s advice to Eve, for they never sinned. Ishai was one of them (Shabbos 55b). “The Sages said: Ishai lived more than 400 years (Genesis Rabbah 96:4)."[1]

Yishai is identified (such as in Shemuel I 17:58) as "Beis haLachmi," which is usually rendered as "from Beis Lechem" (Bethlehem).[2]

It is worth noting that Radak quotes a Midrashic interpretation of this term. After David killed Goliath, King Saul asked (Shemuel I 17:55) who David was. This question is puzzling, for King Saul knew who David was, already. Some read the question as, "Is he a scion of a powerful line?" Thus David identified himself, in response (Shemuel I 17:58), as a son of Yishai "Beis haLachmi," meaning a person of war ("Milchamah"=war).[3]

This is week 32, which has the gematria of lev, heart. Yishai, spelled yud, shin, yud, has the gematria of 320, ten times Lev. His name appears to be Yesh Yud, “There is Yud,” perhaps a reference to the 32 paths of Chochmah, also connected to Lev. Yishai laid the foundations for his son, David, to become king. Similarly, the pioneering generation that made possible the return to the Land of Israel laid the foundations for the redemption that is still to come. As noted above, Yishai was called Beis HaLachmi. Like Israel's pioneers, he was a man of war.   

In the thirty-second week, the Jews journey from Abronah and camp in Etzion geber. Etzion geber means the crow of the rooster. It may also mean the wisdom of the rooster. The personal journey for this week is to internalize the concept of re-establishing our identity in connection with the land, and now focus on the spiritual awakening that is Lag Ba’omer, when we open ourselves up to the inner wisdom of the Kabbalah.

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[1] http://www.torah.org/learning/ruth/class46.html

[2] http://ohave.tripod.com/chumash/yishai.htm;

[3] Ibid.

Week 33 (Book 3): Blessed Above All Others

BESHALACH: 13. It came to pass in the evening that the quails went up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14. The layer of dew went up, and behold, on the surface of the desert, a fine, bare [substance] as fine as frost on the ground.  

HAFTORAH: Blessed above women shall Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, be;  above women in the tent shall she be blessed.

TALMUD SOTAH: Daf 33 - The Language of Angels, the Holy of Holies

GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO THE LAST KING OF JUDAH: David

JOURNEYS: They journeyed from Ezion geber and camped in the desert of Zin, which is Kadesh.

Week 33 is the week of Pessach Sheini and Lag Ba’Omer. The Torah portion section for this week first introduces the Mannah. It is “fine as frost” and compared to the dew (in contrast with the physicality of the quail). The contrast between Mannah and quail is also a contrast between the revealed Torah (nigleh) and the Kabbalah (nistar). While in the area of nigleh there is back and forth and room for “digestion,” setting aside certain opinions and coming to conclusions, when it comes to the Kabbalah there is no need for separating the “good” from the “bad.” (There's also an opinion that the Mannah began falling on Lag Ba'omer, and that this is the reason for its celebration)

The Haftorah verses speak of how Yael shall be blessed above “women in the tent,” a reference to the blessings given to the matriarchs (Talmud, Sanhedrin 105)). Similarly Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai is said to be praiseworthy above all of his colleagues. 

Daf Lamed Gimmel (Folio 33) of Sotah continues the discussion of certain statements that must be said in Hebrew in order to be valid, as well as those that can be said in any language, and the blessings and curses that were said at Mount Grizim and Mount Eival. The daf goes into detail about the language of angels and heavenly voices, and contains an entire story regarding what Shimon HaTzadik heard in the Kodesh HaKodashim, the Holy of Holies. Shimon HaTzadik and the heavenly experiences he had are deeply connected with Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. 

How appropriate it is that King David, G-d’s anointed, be the link in the chain of week 33, of Lag Ba’omer! King David had great closeness with Hashem and was given tremendous wisdom and prowess, yet also underwent enoemous suffering.  Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s life also reflected these qualities. David means beloved, and few tzadikim and few days are as beloved as Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and Lag Ba’Omer.  

In the thirty-third week, the Jews journey from Etzion geber and camp in the desert of Zin, which is Kadesh. Kadesh means "holy" or "sanctified." This was the place where Miriam passed away, and where Moshe struck the rock, which led to him not entering the Land of Israel, and G-d’s name being sanctified. There is an apparent contrast between this desert, the Desert of Zin, with the journey in Week 8, to the Desert of Sin. O.ne is spelled with a tzadi, the other with a samech. In the Desert of Sin is where the food supplies from Egypt ended, while in the Desert of Tzin, after Miriam died, there was no water. In both places, the people complained and showed lack of faith.

Kadesh also appears to be the same place as Kadesh Barnea/Rithmah, of week 15. This journey marks a return to the place of the sin of the spies 38 years prior. No wonder Moshe was upset when the people showed a lack of faith. After everything that had happened, after the entire journey of redemption from Egypt, how could people still complain? Yet, Moshe’s behavior towards the people apparently was not warranted, and for hitting the rock, and this appears to be part of the reason for his punishment. The rock is perhaps a metaphor for the stubbornness of the Jewish people – nevertheless, Moshe was supposed to speak to the rock, not hit it. This aspect of strictness and lack of patience for the spiritual shortcomings of the people parallels Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and his son’s reaction when first leaving the cave in which they learned Torah for 12 years. Similar to Moshe, Rabbi Shimon and his son were "banished" from the land and had to return to the cave for an additional year. 

The personal journey for this week is to internalize the concept of awakening and opening ourselves up to the inner wisdom of the Kabbalah, and now focus on being accepting of other people’s shortcomings and understanding that it is not always in our power to completely change all of those around us.