[If you have followed this series on book III and IV of the Torah, chapter by chapter, you will have noticed that the format has turned into somewhat like the “notes of a student”. In books I and II, our commentary were mostly ours, Sinaite perspective, with a sprinkling of interpretations we have learned from Jewish sources. Here, we gather commentary from Jewish sources (not Christian sources) and if useful, we absorb; if not, we take it with a grain of salt. Always, the rule of thumb is: if the commentary goes outside of what is clearly stated in the text (like some rabbinic additions, or exclusive-for-Israel and Jews only), we think about it specially if it’s useful for application.
A note about the incident of stoning the sabbath-breaker: this extreme punishment as well as the upcoming feasts in this fall season {Vayyiqrah 23} made us revisit and rethink the sabbath law. There will be a series on it at this time since it is the season for introspection, individual and communal, to see how closely we have learned to obey and apply the Torah after more than a year of realigning our lives to it. We agree that nine out of the 10 commandments are not so difficult to observe, well maybe except for the ‘sins of the tongue’, but the sabbath continues to be lingering question: we know the ‘when’, but do we really know the ‘how’? Does the Lord of the Sabbath give instructions on how to celebrate the Sabbath? Please follow the series starting with Revisiting the 4th: “Sabbath”: Year II/ 5774.
Commentary from AST/ArtScroll Tanach; Seymour Rossel, Torah: Portion-by-Portion and Pentateuch & Haftorahs, ed. Dr. J.H.Hertz; translation by EF/Everett Fox The Five Books of Moses.—Admin1.]
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Seymour Rossel comments in The Torah: Portion by Portion:
A Cluster of Laws
Shelach-Lecha ends with a cluster of laws.
- One speaks of the challah offering—setting aside “the first yield of your baking” for Adonai.
- Another repeats the law of strangers: “You and the stranger shall be alike before Adonai—the same ritual and the same rule shall be for you and the newcomer who lives with you.” Some of these laws contradict laws in Leviticus—they probably came from a different time and place—and this may be why they were placed here. Suddenly, the midst of the laws, is a court case:
- Once, when the Israelites were int he wilderness, they came upon a man gathering wood on Shabbat. [They] brought him before Moses, Aaron, and the whole community. He was placed in custody, for [no one knew what should be his punishment]. Then Adonai said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death: the whole community shall pelt him with stones outside the camp.” So the whole community took him outside the camp and stoned him to death—as Adonai had commanded Moses.
Of course, breaking Adonai’s law of Shabbat was a serious issue. But up to this time it was not known how people should be punished for this. Would Adonai punish them? should the Israelites punish them? So Moses had the Israelites guard the guilty man while he asked for Adonai’s decision. Was the story meant to terrify us into keeping the Sabbath? Did the man deserve death just for gathering wood? Modern scholars believe that we have only part of the story here. Something is lost; something is missing. It is a mystery that we will probably never solve and even though the judgment came directly from Adonai, no punishment like this was ever again inflicted on an Israelite for breaking the law of Shabbat.
- Tzitzit
Today we think of the last law in Shelach-Lecha as the most important. Adonai told Moses:
Speak to the Israelites and instruct them to make for themselves fringes . . . etc.
Rashi says that this law is here because the scouts had followed their hearts and eyes to do evil. From now on Israelites would be reminded to do good by seeing the fringes on their garments.
Nowadays some Jews wear tzitzit all the time, but most Jews wear fringes only on a tallit. The blue thread, part of blue dye was made from the shells of a particular sea mollusk. But that mollusk became rare, almost extinct, and the special dye became too expensive for common folk, so the custom arose of making the tiztzit only of white cord.
Image from int.icej.org.
Later the idea of blue and white as a holy combination gave rise to making the tallit white with blue stripes. In turn this led to blue and white being considered “Jewish colors”. It also led to the colors and stripes on the flag of the modern State of Israel, which reminds us of a tallit.
Archeologists notice fringes in paintings of the costumes of many ancient peoples. Fringes were often worn by royal or wealthy folk. But the Torah connects the fringes to “all the commands” of Adonai. In the traditional prayer book this law became part of the Shema prayer. When it is recited, worshipers gather the tzitzit in their hand and gaze at them.
Numbers/Badmidbar 15
The priestly and ritual laws mentioned in this chapter seem to be supplementary to the sacrificial code of the Book of Leviticus. They were promulgated during the years of wandering in the desert.
1-16 MEAL OFFERINGS AND LIBATIONS
1 YHVH spoke to Moshe, saying:2 Speak to the Children of Israel
and say to them:
When you enter the land of your settlements that I am giving you,
when ye are come into the land. These instructions, coming as they did immediately after the doom pronounced upon the generation in the Wilderness, were a welcome intimation that their children should possess the Land of Promise.
ArtScroll note: 15:2-16 Though this passage would not apply until 39 years later, it was pronounced now to reassure the younger generation that God still intended to give them the Land (Ibn Ezra; Ramban).
3 and sacrifice a fire-offering to YHVH:an offering-up or a slaughter-offering,
to make a vow-offering, or in free-will,
or at your appointed-times,
to sacrifice a soothing savor for YHVH,
from the herd or from the flock,
offering by fire. The general term for every sacrifice consumed on the Altar; see Lev. I,0.
a sacrifice. Termed more fully in Lev. III,1, ‘a sacrifice of peace offerings.’
4 the one bringing-near his near-offering is to bring-near to YHVH as grain-gift:flour, a tenth-measure,
mixed with a fourth of a hin of oil,
then shall he that bringeth his offering. The following verses prescribe the quantities of flour and oil for the cereal offering, and wine for the drink offering, that must accompany the important sacrifices.
5 and wine for a poured-offering: a fourth of a hin;you are to sacrifice it with the offering-up or the slaughter-offering,
-for (each) one sheep,
6 or for the ram, you are to make as a grain-gift:
flour, two tenth-measures,
mixed with oil, a third of a hin,
for a ram. The meal and drink offerings were to be increased when the animal sacrificed was of a larger size.
7 and wine for a poured-offering, a third of a hin;you are to bring-near a soothing savor
8 And when you sacrifice the young of the herd as an offering-up or
as a slaughter-offering, to make a vow-offering or a shalom-offering to YHVH:
9 it is to be brought-near with the young of the herd as a grain-gift:
flour, three tenth-measures,
mixed with oil, half a hin,
10 and wine you are to bring-near as a poured-offering, half a hin
a fire-offering of soothing savor for YHVH.
11 Thus is to be sacrificed with (each) one ox or with (each) one ram or with (any) lamb among the sheep or among the goats,
12 according to the number that you sacrifice;
thus are you to sacrifice for (each) one,
according to their number.
13 Every native is to sacrifice these thus,
to bring-near a fire-offering of soothing savor for YHVH.
14 Now when there sojourns with you a sojourner,
or (one) that has been in your midst, throughout your generations,
and he sacrifices a fire-offering of soothing savor for YHVH; as you sacrifice (it),
thus is he to sacrifice (it). 15 Assembly!
One law for you and for the sojourner that takes-up-sojourn,
a law for the ages, throughout your generations:
as (it is for) you, so will it be (for) the sojourner before the presence of YHVH.
16 One instruction, one regulation shall there be for you and for the sojourner that takes-up-sojourn with you!
one law and one ordinance. Another assertion of the identity, in respect of civil, moral, and religious rights and duties, of the homeborn and stranger or proselyte.
17-21. CHALLAH
17 YHVH spoke to Moshe, saying:18 Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them:
When you enter the land that I am bringing you to,
when ye come into the land. ‘As soon as ye enter upon the soil of the Promised Land, even before ye have subjugated the enemy there, and settled down in comfort’ (Sifri).
19 it shall bethat when you eat of the bread of the land,
you are to set-aside a contribution to YHVH:
a portion for a gift. Or, ‘contribution’ or ‘selected portion’; Heb. terumah, see Exod. XXV,2. It is here used in a wide sense to mean a gift in general.
ArtScroll note; By making the servants of God dependent on the gifts of the nation, God connects those who give with those who devote themselves to matters of the spirit.
20 premier-product of your kneading-troughs,round-loaves you are to set-aside as a contribution;
like the contribution of the threshing-floor,
so you are to set-it-aside.
of the first of your dough. This offering is called Challah. The Rabbis, however, laid it down that the dough in order to become subject to the law of Challah must consist of at least one omer of flour (about 3 quarts). The portion for Challah must be 1/24th of the dough of a private householder, and 1/48th of that of a baker.
as . . . of the threshing floor. This offering of bread from the home is as obligatory as the offering of grain from the threshing-floor at the annual harvest.
21 From the premier-product of your kneading-troughs you are to give to YHVH a contribution, throughout your generations.unto the LORD., i.e. unto the priest; ‘ye shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, to cause a blessing to rest on thy house’ (Ezek.XLIV,30).
According to v. 18, the law of Challah applied only to Palestine. But in order that this institution should not be forgotten, the Rabbis ordained that it remain in force beyond Palestine and for all time. It is still kept in observant Jewish households where bread is baked.
22 Now if you should err,not doing any of these commandments
about which YHVH spoke to Moshe,
all these commandments. According to the Talmud, the reference in the present passage is to the sin of idolatry committed unintentionally. That sin, involving as it does apostasy from the fundamental doctrines of Judaism, is equivalent to breaking all the commandments of the Torah. Other commentators, like Nachmanides, are inclined to refer these words to any comprehensive breach of the ordinances of the Torah.
23 anything that YHVH has commanded you, through the hand of Moshe,from the day that YHVH commanded and forward, throughout your generations,
24 it shall be:
if (away) from the eyes of the community it was done, by error,
the entire community is to sacrifice one bull,
a young of the herd, as an offering-up, as a soothing savor for YHVH;
with its grain-gift and its poured-offering, according to regulation,
and one hairy goat, as a hattat-offering.
in error. Heb.; opposed to sins committed in wilful defiance of God’s commandments;
shall offer. The whole community is to bring a common sacrifice.
25 The priest is to effect-purgation for the entire community of the Children of Israel,that there may be granting-of-pardon for them,
for it was an error,
but they have brought their near-offering,
a fire-offering of soothing savor for YHVH,
and their hattat-offering before the presence of YHVH,
on account of their error.
26 So there shall be granting-of-pardon for the entire community of the Children of Israel,
and for the sojourner that sojourns in their midst,
for (it was done) by the entire people in error.
all the congregation shall be forgiven. This verse is solemnly recited thrice before the opening of the evening service on Kol Nidre night. And rightly so; because it may be said to be the keynote of the Day of Atonement and its message of forgiveness for all sins, and not only of involuntary transgressions. By the sincere repentance which Yom Kippur demands, the sinner shows that his wilful sins also were largely due to ignorance; and hence they are treated by God as if they were done ‘in error’.
27 Now if one person sins, in error,he is to bring-near a she-goat, in its (first) year, as a hattat- offering.
and if one person sin through error. According to the Talmud, this too refers to the sin of idolatry.
28 The priest is to effect-purgation for the person that errs,in sinning, in erring, before the presence of YHVH,
to effect-purgation for him, that he may be granted-pardon.
29 The native among the Children of Israel,
and for the sojourner that sojourns in your midst:
one instruction shall there be for you,
for him that does (anything) in error.
30 But the person that does (anything) with a high hand among the native-born or among the sojourners,
it is YHVH that he blasphemes;
cut off shall that person be from among his kinspeople,
with a high hand. lit. ‘with a hand raised’, as a sign of presumption, as a public defiance of His law.
the same blasphemeth the LORD. No sacrificial atonement is possible for a wilful offence.
31 for the word of YHVH he has despised, and his commandment he has violated;cut off, cut off shall that person be-
his iniquity is on him!
his iniquity shall be upon him. As long as he has not done repentance (Talmud).
32-36. The Sabbath-breaker. A concrete instance of intentional sin.
‘In the penal code of Israel, idolatry is regarded as a crime of high treason, as being a subversion of the constitution and a revolt against God. Herein the law exhibits all its rigour, extending to public blasphemy and public violation of the “Sabbath’ (Joseph Salvador).
32 Now when the Children of Israel were in the wilderness,they found a man picking wood on the Sabbath day.
33 They brought him near, those who found him picking wood,
to Moshe and to Aharon, and to the entire community;
unto all the congregation. To the Council of Elders, who were the congregation by representation.
34 they put him under guard,for it had not been clarified what should be done to him.
should be done to him. The law against Sabbath-breaking had been made known, but not the method of execution; Lev. XXIV,12, to which this is a parallel case.
ArtScroll note: The nature and procedure of the death penalty had not been clairfied, but they knew, as stated in Exodus 31:14 that Sabbath desecration incurs the death penalty (Rashi).
35 YHVH said to Moshe:The man is to be put-to-death,
yes, death, pelt him with stones, the entire community, outside the camp!
36 So they brought him, the entire community, outside the camp;
they pelted him with stones, so that he died,
as YHVH had commanded Moshe.
37-41. TZITZIS
37 YHVH said to Moshe, saying:38 Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them that they are to make themselves tassels on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations,
and are to put on the corner tassel a thread of blue-violet.
fringes. In Ezek. VIII,3 it denotes a lock of hair. By analogy, it is employed in the present instance to denote a fringe or tassel.
their garments. Only of the men; because of the general rule that women, whose duties are more absorbing in the home, are free from all precepts that have to be performed at a specified time.
a thread of blue. To be intertwined with the ‘tassel’ itself.
blue. The thread had to be dyed with the blood of a molusc found in the waters near the coast of Phoenicia. The dye was scarce even in Mishnaic times. Hence the authorities agreed that white wool-threads alone need be inserted.
39 It shall be for you a tassel,
that you may look at it and keep-in-mind all the commandments of YHVH and observe them, that you not go scouting-around after your heart, after your eyes which you go whoring after;
look upon it. The Rabbis translated see it, which was held to imply that the fringe was reserved for worship during daylight.
and remember. The Tzitzis are to be a constant reminder to the Israelite of all his duties to God, and of the special relationship in which the Israelite stands to God, whose ‘colours’ he wore. The blue thread in the Tzitzis, say the Rabbis, resembles the sea, the sea resembles the heavens, and the heavens resemble the Throne of Glory. Thus, the outward act of looking upon the Tzitzis was to the Israelite an inward act of spiritual conformity with the precepts of god. It was such fine spiritualization of ceremonial that led to the beautiful verses of Psalm XXXVI (‘How precious is Thy lovingkindness, O God, and the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings. For with Thee is the fountain of life; in Thy light do we see light’) being recited by the worshipper on putting on the Tallis.
after your own heart. The heart and the eyes are the agents of Sin—the eye seeth, the heart desireth, and the person executeth (Talmud). The true Israelite, however, arrayed in the sacred covering, reminding him of the Divine Presence, does not stray after the satisfaction of bodily pleasures; but is mindful that he is a member of a ‘holy’ People, dedicated unto God and holiness.
40 in order that you may keep-in-mind
and observe all my commandments,
and (so) be holy to your God!
and be holy unto your God. The aim of this precept is thus distinctly stated to be the furtherance of holiness in the life of the individual and the naiton.
In later generations, the law of the fringes was carried out by means of the Arba Kanfos and the Tallis. The former is an undergarment consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth, about 3 feet long and 1 foot wide, with an aperture in the centre sufficient to let it pass over the head. To its four corners are fastened the Tzitzis.
The Tallis is a woolen or silken mantle worn over the garments during worship by day (except on the eve of Atonement, when it is put on some minutes before nightfall).
‘By the 13th century it had become unusual for Jews to mark their ordinary outward garment by wearing fringes. But the fringed garment had become too deeply associated with Israel’s religious life to be discarded entirely at the dictate of fashion in dress. Pope Innocent III in 1215 compelled the Jew to wear a degrading badge; the fringed garment became all the more an honourable uniform, marking at once God’s love for Israel and Israel’s determination to “remember to do all God’s commandments and be holy unto his God”‘ (I. Abrahams).
41 I am YHVH your God,
who took you out of the land of Egypt, to be to you a God;
I am YHVH your God!
ArtScroll note: The Torah commands that we remember the Exodus every day (Deut. 16:3). The Sages instituted that it should be fulfilled through the recitation of this paragraph because, in addition to the mention of the Exodus, it contains several other basic precepts (Berachos 12b).