FROM THE TORAH
Exodus 27:20-30:10
On Mount Sinai, in last week’s Sedra Terumah, Moses received divine guidance regarding the materials and components of the Mikdash (Sanctuary), which would be a place of the Eternal’s Presence and the repository of His Testimony. This week in Sedra Tetzaveh, attention is expanded to the Priestly presence in this unique edifice.
The Tent of Meeting and Its Priests
NER TAMID
27:20-21
Command (Tetzaveh) the Children of Israel to provide you with pure beaten olive oil for lighting, to kindle a Lamp Continually (Ner Tamid). Aaron and his sons shall set it up in the Tent of Meeting (Ohel Moed) outside of the Dividing Curtain (Parochet) which is over the Testimony (Edut) (cf. Exodus 26:31-35). It shall serve from evening until morning before the Eternal from the Children of Israel, an everlasting statute throughout their generations.
PRIESTLY GARMENTS
28:1-5
Bring near to you, from the Children of Israel, Aaron your brother—and his sons Nadav, Avihu, Elazar and Ithamar—to make him My priest. Provide for Aaron sacred garments for dignity and for beauty made by those whom I have endowed with inspired skill in order to sanctify Aaron for this service. They shall receive the gold, the yarns of blue, purple and crimson, and the fine linen (cf. Exodus 25:3-4). The garments shall be a Breastplate (Choshen), a Mantle (Ephod), a Robe (Me’il), a Plaited Tunic (Ketonet Tashbetz), a Headdress (Mitznefet), and a Sash (Avnet).
EPHOD
28:6-12
They shall use the materials to make the Mantle (Ephod). The fine linen shall be twisted. It shall be the work of a designer. Two shoulder pieces shall be attached to the body of the Ephod at its two ends, and the shoulder pieces themselves shall be attached. The designed band upon it shall be as one with the rest of the Ephod. Upon two shoham stones engrave the names of the sons of Israel in the order of their birth, six on each of the two stones, resting in settings of plaited gold. Attach them to the two shoulder pieces so that Aaron will wear them on his shoulders for a remembrance of the sons of Israel before the Eternal.
CHOSHEN
28:13-30
You shall make the Breastplate (Choshen) of Judgment, the work of a designer, like the work of the Ephod, made from the same materials. It shall be a handbreadth square and folded. Set in it four rows of different specified stones, three stones in each row. The stones shall be mounted in gold. Engrave the names of the sons of Israel, each one upon one of the stones, for the twelve tribes.
Make two rings of gold and put them upon the two ends of the Choshen. Make for the Choshen two braided, interwoven chains of pure gold and attach them to the rings. Make two frames of gold and attach the other ends of the two braided, interwoven chains of pure gold to the gold frames. Attach the gold frames to the front of the shoulder pieces of the Ephod.
Make another two rings of gold and attach them to the edges of the inner side of the two respective ends of the Choshen, facing the Ephod. Make another two rings of gold and fasten them to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the Ephod yet above the design work upon it. Through these two sets of rings, the Choshen shall be attached to the Ephod by blue thread so that the Choshen rests upon the design work of the Ephod and is not displaced.
Aaron will thereby carry the names of the sons of Israel upon the Choshen of Judgment over his heart regularly, for a remembrance before the Eternal when he enters the Sanctuary. You shall also place, as part of the Choshen of Judgment, the Urim and the Tummim, so that they may be upon Aaron’s heart when he enters before the Eternal, thereby bearing the Judgment of the Children of Israel upon his heart whenever he comes before the Eternal.
ME’IL
28:31-35
You shall make the Robe (Me’il) of the Ephod entirely of blue. In the middle there shall be an opening for the head with the work of a weaver around it so that it does not tear. Around its hem you shall make ornamentation resembling pomegranates of blue, purple and crimson, alternating with actual bells of gold. Aaron shall wear the Me’il when he officiates, so that the sound may be heard when he enters the Sanctuary before the Eternal and when he leaves it. Then he shall not die.
“HOLY TO THE ETERNAL”
28:36-38
You shall make a plate (tzeetz) of pure gold and engrave upon it, in the manner of seal engravings, “Holy to the Eternal.” Suspend it on a blue thread (peteel techeylet) and let it be on the front of the Headdress (Mitznefet). It shall be on Aaron’s forehead continually, so as he carries away the sin of the holy things that the Children of Israel consecrate with all of their various sacred donations, it may continually gain favor for them before the Eternal.
GARMENTS FOR AARON AND HIS SONS
28:39-43
You shall make the Plaited Tunic (Ketonet Tashbetz) of fine linen, a Headdress (Mitznefet) of fine linen, and a Sash (Avnet) of a weaver’s work. You shall make garments for Aaron’s sons: Tunics, Sashes, and Turbans (Migbaot), for dignity and for beauty. Thus shall you clothe Aaron and his sons and anoint them and consecrate them and sanctify them to be My priests. Make for them linen underpants to cover their nakedness, so that when they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the Altar to serve in the Sanctuary, they do not sin and die—this an everlasting statute for Aaron and his offspring after him.
SANCTIFICATION OF AARON AND HIS SONS
29:1-36
This is the thing that you shall do for them to sanctify them to serve as My priests: Bring for an offering unleavened bread, unleavened loaves mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers covered with oil—all of fine wheat flour—in a single basket, along with one young bull and two unblemished rams. Bring as an offering Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and wash them with water.
Clothe Aaron with the Tunic (Ketonet), the Me’il of the Ephod, the Ephod, the Choshen, and gird him with the Designed Band (Cheshev) of the Ephod. Put the Mitznefet on his head and the Holy Crown (Nezer Hakodesh) upon the Mitznefet, and anoint him by pouring the Anointing Oil (Shemen Hamishchah) over his head.
Clothe Aaron’s sons with Tunics, gird them with the Sash of Aaron and his sons, and place Turbans upon their heads. Thus shall the Priesthood (Kehunah) be theirs, for an everlasting statute.
You shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
Bull
Offer the bull before the Tent of Meeting, and let Aaron and his sons place their hands upon the head of the bull. Slaughter the bull there before the Eternal. With your finger put some of the blood of the bull upon the Horns of the Altar, and pour the rest of the blood upon the Base of the Altar. Make the Altar smoke with the fat covering the entrails, the lobe over the liver, the two kidneys, and the fat (chelev) over them. Burn its flesh, its skin, and its fecal matter, in fire outside of the camp—it is a sin offering.
First Ram
On the head of one of the rams shall Aaron and his sons place their hands. Slaughter the ram and dash its blood around the Altar. Cut the ram into pieces, wash its entrails and its legs, and put them on the ram’s pieces and on its head, and make all of the ram smoke on the Altar—it is a burnt offering for the Eternal, a sweet savor, a fire offering to the Eternal.
Second Ram
On the head of the other ram shall Aaron and his sons place their hands. Slaughter the ram and place some of its blood upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and dash the rest of the blood around the Altar. Sprinkle some of the blood which is upon the Altar and some of the Anointing Oil upon Aaron and his garments and upon his sons and their garments. Thereby shall Aaron and his sons and their garments become sanctified.
As this is the ram of consecration, place its fat, fat tail, the fat that covers its entrails, the lobe of its liver, its two kidneys and the fat which is upon them, and its right thigh, together with a single loaf of bread, a single loaf of oiled bread, and a single wafer, from the basket of unleavened bread, which are before the Eternal, upon the hands of Aaron and upon the hands of his sons, and you shall wave them as a wave offering before the Eternal. Then take the items from their hands and make them smoke upon the Altar on top of the burnt offering, for a sweet savor before the Eternal, a fire offering to the Eternal.
Wave the breast of the ram of consecration, which is Aaron’s, as a wave offering before the Eternal, and it shall become your portion. You shall sanctify the breast of the wave offering and the thigh gift which was waved and which was dedicated, from the ram of consecration, from that which belongs to Aaron and his sons. It shall be Aaron’s and his sons’ from the Children of Israel to the Eternal for an everlasting statute: terumah (a dedicated gift) from their offerings of well-being (cf. Leviticus 7:31-34).
Succession
Aaron’s sacred garments shall become his sons’ after him to be anointed in them and to be consecrated in them. The priestly son who succeeds him, who would enter the Tent of Meeting to serve in the Sanctuary, shall wear them for seven days.
Sacred Foods
You shall cook the meat of the ram of consecration in a holy place. At the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, Aaron and his sons shall eat it together with the bread that is in the basket, that through which atonement was made and they were consecrated to become sanctified. No outsider may eat them, for they are holy. If any of the meat of consecration or the bread should be left over by the morning, burn what is left over, for it is holy. You shall do all that I have commanded you for their consecration for seven days as well as for the bull of sin offering for each day.
Two Altars and Their Offerings
THE ALTAR
29:37-46
For seven days you shall make atonement for the Altar (Mizbeach) and sanctify it. The Altar shall become Most Holy (Kodesh Kodashim), so that whatever touches the Altar becomes holy.
And this is what you shall do upon the Altar: Each day you shall offer two year-old lambs, one in the morning and one at dusk, regularly (tamid). The offerings shall be accompanied by a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with a quarter of a hin of beaten oil, and a drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine, for a sweet savor, a fire offering (isheh) to the Eternal. The burnt offering (olah) shall be for your generations at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, before the Eternal, “where I will meet with you, to speak with you there” (Exodus 29:42). My Profound Presence (Kavod) shall sanctify that place. I shall sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the Altar, and I shall sanctify Aaron and his sons to serve as My priests. I shall be present in the midst of the Children of Israel to be their God, for it is I, the Eternal, who brought them out from the land of Egypt in order to establish My Presence in their midst.
THE INCENSE ALTAR
30:1-10
You shall make an Altar for the burning of Incense (Ketoret) out of acacia wood. It shall be one cubit square and two cubits in height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. Overlay all of it with pure gold, and make around it a border of gold. Make for it two rings of gold under the border on two of its sides to house the poles by which it is carried. The poles shall be of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Put the Altar in front of the Dividing Curtain which is over the Ark of the Testimony, before the Propitiatory covering the Testimony where I shall meet with you. Aaron shall burn the incense of spices upon it every morning when he trims the lamps and every day at dusk when he kindles the lamps, before the Eternal, throughout your generations. Do not offer upon it unauthorized incense or a burnt offering (olah) or a meal offering (mincha), and do not pour a drink offering (nesech) upon it. Once in the year, throughout your generations, Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns from the blood of the sin offering (chatat) of atonement (kippurim). It is Most Holy (Kodesh Kodashim) to the Eternal.
Maftir for Shabbat Zachor
Second of the Four Special Parashiyot
Deuteronomy 25:17-19
Amalek
Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you went out of Egypt (cf. Exodus 17:8), how he came upon you on the way and struck all of your weak ones at the rear of your march while you were weary, and did not fear God. When the Eternal your God has relieved you of all of your enemies who will surround you in the Land that the Eternal your God is giving you as a possession to inherit, you should blot out any remembrance of Amalek from under heaven (cf. Exodus 17:14-16). Do not forget!
FROM THE PROPHETS
Haftarah for Shabbat Zachor
I Samuel 15:2-34
Saul had been anointed the first King of Israel
by Samuel the Prophet at the behest of the Eternal.
Now Samuel delivers to Saul
the Eternal’s stern message.
The Remembrance of Amalek
Thus says the Eternal of Hosts: I have taken note of what Amalek did to Israel during its journey out of Egypt (cf. Exodus 17:8-13). Now you must strike Amalek and utterly destroy all of its people of all ages, and its animals must you destroy as well (cf. Exodus 17:14-16).
So Saul summons his people and takes a census of them at Telaim: 200,000 footmen and 10,000 men of Judah. Before striking Amalek, Saul removes the Kenites from among them “because you showed kindness to the Children of Israel when they came up from Egypt” (I Samuel 15:6). Then Saul strikes Amalek from Havilah as you enter Shur, which is before Egypt. He destroys by the sword all of the people of Amalek except for Agag, the king of Amalek. Saul and his people spare Agag and also the best of the flocks and herds of Amalek. The lesser of the animals they destroy.
Then the word of the Eternal comes to Samuel: I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from Me and My words. Samuel is distraught, and he cries out to the Eternal all that night. But Samuel rises early the next morning to meet Saul at Carmel. He is told that Saul has set up a monument and moved on to Gilgal. When Samuel catches up with Saul, Saul declares, “Blessed are You of the Eternal: I have fulfilled the word of the Eternal” (I Samuel 15:13)! Samuel replies, “But what is this sound of the flock in my ears, and the sound of the herd that I hear” (I Samuel 15:14)! Saul responds that the people has spared the best of the flock and the herd “in order to sacrifice to the Eternal your God, but the rest we have executed” (I Samuel 15:15).
Says Samuel to Saul: Let me tell you what the Eternal said to me last night. With Saul’s permission, he continues: Though you may see yourself as small in your own eyes, the Eternal anointed you to be chief and king over the Tribes of Israel. Moreover, He gave you the mission of utterly destroying sinful Amalek. So why do you not heed Him and instead grab the animals as your spoil, doing evil thereby in the sight of the Eternal? Saul protests: The people took the best of the spoil to sacrifice to the Eternal your God in Gilgal! Samuel replies: “Do you think that the Eternal prefers burnt offerings and sacrifices over heeding Him? Obeying the Eternal is better than sacrifices; attending to His word, than the fat of rams! For rebellion is as bad as the sin of sorcery, and like idolatry and idols, is arrogance! Because you have spurned the word of the Eternal, He spurns you from being king” (I Samuel 15:22-23).
Saul then acknowledges that he did wrong by surrendering to the desire of the people. He begs Samuel to return with him, that he might worship the Eternal. But Samuel refuses for the finality of the Eternal’s word. As Samuel turns to leave, he tears off the corner of Saul’s robe and declares, “The Eternal has torn the kingship of Israel from you this day and has given it instead to another better than you, for the Glory of Israel does not act falsely and does not repent, as He is not a man to change His course” (I Samuel 15:29). However, Samuel does agree to return with Saul, in sight of the Elders and of Israel, to thus maintain Saul’s honor as he bows before the Eternal.
Samuel then has Agag brought before him in chains. Agag realizes that the bitterness of death is at hand. “Samuel says to him, ‘As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women,’ and Samuel hews Agag in pieces before the Eternal at Gilgal” (I Samuel 15:33).
Samuel goes to Ramah, and Saul goes up to his house at Givat Shaul. Samuel never again sees Saul to the day of his death, wherein he mourned for him, and the Eternal regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
FROM TALMUD AND MIDRASH
Exodus Rabbah 36:2
The Ner Tamid: Israel’s Response to Divine Light
“Command the Children of Israel
to provide you with pure beaten olive oil for lighting,
to kindle a lamp continually.”
(Exodus 27:20)
Not because I need the lights,
rather that you should cast light for Me
as I have cast light for you.
Why? In order to raise you before all of the nations, so that they should say: Israel casts light for the One who casts light for all!
To what may this be compared? To two who walk together: one can see and one cannot. The seeing one says to the non-seeing one: Come, let me guide you home, and so does the seeing one guide him. When they come to the non-seeing one’s unlit house, the seeing one says to him: Please light a candle for me to provide me light, so that you should not feel that I did you a favor to guide you home! (Let one favor annul the other!)
The seeing one is the Holy One, blessed be He, of whom it was said, “These seven, the eyes of the Eternal (cf. Zechariah 3:9), they go about over the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:10). The non-seeing one is Israel, as was said, “We grope for the wall like those with no vision…like those with no eyes, we stumble at noon as in the night…” (Isaiah 59:10). The Holy One, blessed be He, guided Israel on the way and gave them light, as was said, “The Eternal goes before them by day…to guide them…and by night…to give them light…” (Exodus 13:21).
Rabbi David Luria (19th cent. Russia): “Even when they made for themselves a molten calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up from Egypt,’ and committed great blasphemies, You in Your great mercy did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud did not depart from them by day to guide them on the way, nor the pillar of fire at night, to illumine the path for them to follow.” (Nehemiah 9:18-19)
Then, when they arrived “home” to build the Tabernacle, He called to Moses and said to him, “Let them provide you with pure beaten olive oil for lighting, to kindle a lamp….” Israel responded: “But You will light my candle!” (Psalms 18:29) yet You say that we should light for You?! Thus He explains to them: In order to set you up, so that you can cast light for Me as I cast light for you! (Let one favor annul the other!) Thus, one of the beautiful trees by which He named Israel: “Verdant olive tree, lovely, full of beautiful fruit” (Jeremiah 11:16)!
Exodus Rabbah 36:4
Tanchuma Pinchas 12
God’s Yearning for His Works
“Call, and I will answer You,
when You yearn for the work of Your hands!”
(Job 14:15)
Job spoke sarcastically to God there,
but here the Darshan (Author of the Midrash) interprets:
The Holy One, blessed be He,
in commanding the Ner Tamid,
has shown His intense desire for His creatures, “the work of His hands,”
to do for Him
what He can surely do for Himself:
“Call us, we will obey You,
as You yearn for the work of Your hands!”
There were actually four instances of such a yearning by the Holy One, blessed be He, for the work of His hands, that He asked His creatures to do for Him what He could do for Himself:
1
“I shall carry you;
as I have made you, I shall bear you;
I shall carry you and deliver you.”
(Isaiah 46:4)
Yet He commanded the sons of Kehath to carry Him:
“But He provided no wagons to the sons of Kehath,
because they were charged to carry the service of the Sanctuary
upon their shoulders!”
(Numbers 7:9)
Then: “When they came to the Jordan,
the feet of the Kohanim who bore the Ark
sank in the overflowing water” (Joshua 3:15),
and the Holy One, blessed be He,
“separated the waters of the Jordan” (ibid. 13)
“long enough for the Kohanim
to pass over to dry land” (ibid. 4:18).
Rabbi Berechia interpreted,
“The soles of the feet of the Kohanim were lifted up” (ibid.):
The Ark bore its bearers;
the Kohanim did not bear it,
but He bore it!
2
“He neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the Guardian of Israel;
the Eternal is your Guardian!”
(Psalms 121: 4-5)
Yet He commanded Moses and Aaron and his sons
“to encamp in front of the Tabernacle on the east,
before the Tent of Meeting eastward,
to guard the security of the Sanctuary,
for the sake of the Children of Israel!”
(Numbers 3:38)
3
“Every beast of the forest is Mine,
and the cattle upon a thousand mountains.
I could not tell you that I were hungry,
for all the world and its fullness is Mine!”
(Psalms 50: 10,12)
Yet there is nothing more beloved
than the sacrifices!
4
“The Presence of the God of Israel
comes from the east,
His voice is like the sound of many waters,
and the earth is illumined by His Glory!”
(Ezekiel 43:2)
Yet He bids Israel:
“Provide for Moses and Aaron
pure beaten olive oil for lighting,
to kindle a Ner Tamid!”
(Exodus 27:20)
All of this because:
“You yearn for the work of Your hands!”
(Job 14:15)
Tanchuma Tetzaveh 7
Our Merit is Our Light
“Aaron and his sons shall set up the Ner Tamid
in the Tent of Meeting (Ohel Moed)
outside of the Dividing Curtain (Parochet)
which is over the Testimony (Edut).”
(Exodus 27:21)
“Outside of the Parochet” so that you should not be misled into thinking that He needs the light of the Ner Tamid if the Menorah (cf. Exodus 25:31-40) itself were placed on the inner side of the Parochet near the Ark (Aron) (cf. Exodus 25:10-16). (In the Aron was the Edut, cf. Exodus 25:16, thus determining the divine orientation, as it were.) So it was placed outside of the Parochet in order to show you that He does not need the light of flesh and blood!
Moreover, it is common practice for a human king lying on his bed to have a table (shulchan) (cf. Exodus 25:23-30) at his right hand and a lamp (menorah) (cf. Exodus 25:31-40) at his left (presumably to allow him to comfortably extend his right hand to the table and possibly because most human kings are righthanded). But, as we read, in the Temple the Menorah was placed to the right of the Shulchan: “Locate both the Table and the Menorah outside of the Dividing Curtain, the Table on the north side (from the divine perspective inside the Parochet, on His left side, as it were) and the Menorah opposite the Table on the south side of the Tabernacle (on His right side, as it were)” (Exodus 26:35).
These placements teach you that He does not need your light. But what is needed is your merit: to cast light upon you for the world to come, when darkness comes to the nations of the world, as was said, “For darkness shall cover the earth and a heavy cloud, the nations, but let the Eternal shine upon you, and upon you let His glory appear” (Isaiah 60:2)!
Exodus Rabbah 37:1,4
Aaron, not Moses, shall be the High Priest
When the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to appoint a supervisor over the work of the Tabernacle, He had already made Moses the chief of the judges (cf. Exodus 18:13-26) and the rest of the operation. So when He was considering the appointment of a High Priest, Moses thought that he would be made High Priest, too. When the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses to appoint a High Priest, Moses asked, “Master of the Universe, from which tribe should I appoint the High Priest?” “From the tribe of Levi,” He said. Moses was thrilled: “That is my tribe!”
But then the Holy One, blessed be He, said:
“Bring near to you, from the Children of Israel,
Aaron your brother…to make Aaron My Priest.”
(Exodus 28:1)
When the Holy One, blessed be He, said those words to Moses, Moses took them as a rejection. But God reassured him, “The Torah belonged to Me, and I gave it to you, for if it were not for the Torah, I would have destroyed My world!”
Compare this to a sage who was married to his wife for ten years without her bearing a child. It was his wish to find a second wife who would bear him a child. He did this by asking his current wife, whom he loved and respected, to bring in the second wife: “Although, under the circumstances of infertility, I am permitted to marry another without your permission, I would take an additional wife only if you would show her your own humility while, at the same time, it is your choice to make!”
Thus spoke the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses: I could choose your brother as High Priest without your permission, but I want him to observe your humility even as you are superior to him!
Mirkin Commentary: How can God say to Moses, “If it were not for the Torah, I would have destroyed My world!?” This is an independent derash on Psalms 119:92, “If Your Torah had not been my delight, I would have perished in my exertion!” Instead of the psalmist, the speaker is God: If not for the Torah, which is My delight, I would have made perish that which I created in My exertion! See Genesis 31:42, where Jacob, in speaking to Laban, equates “my exertion” with “the labor of my hands.” See also Proverbs 8:30, where “wisdom” (Torah) is called God’s “delight.”
Tanchuma Tetzaveh 10
Aaron’s Fear
“This is what you shall do for them
to sanctify them to serve as My Priests…”
(Exodus 29:1a)
What did He see to advance Aaron and his sons
to be so sanctified?
When Moses ascended the Mountain of God to receive the stone Tablets with the Torah and the Mitzvot, he left Aaron and Hur in charge (cf. Exodus 24:12-14). Said Rabbi Mani of Sha’av and Rabbi Joshua of Sichnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: When Israel sought to commit idolatry, they demanded of Aaron, “Get up and make for us a god…!” (Exodus 32:1b). But it was Hur son of Caleb who got up and rebuked them, whereupon they immediately killed him. Evidence: When Moses returned, he made no mention of Hur, except to ask Aaron, “What did this people do to you to make you bring such transgression upon them!”
“Aaron saw [vayar] and built an altar…”
(Exodus 32:5a)
When he saw what the people did to Hur,
Aaron feared [vayeerah] for his own life!
So he built an altar, took their gold and threw it into the fire,
and the calf emerged (ibid. 24)!
Moreover Aaron was in fear of what the Holy One, blessed be He, might think of him. Therefore He instructed Moses, “This is what you shall do for them to sanctify them to serve as My Priests…” (Exodus 29:1a), in order to qualify Aaron and his sons for the High Priesthood, as it was clear to Him that Aaron had acted out of fear, “…take one bull…” (ibid. 1b) to atone for the golden calf, which was a bull, “…and two rams” (ibid. 1c) for the two sons of Aaron who would be killed (cf. Leviticus 10:1-2).
Later, when Moses reviewed these events, he said, “I was terrified of the wrath which the Eternal displayed over you…” (Deuteronomy 9:19a) and in particular that “the Eternal was very angry with Aaron and wanted to destroy him…” (Deuteronomy 9:20a). “Destroy” applies to both root and branch, father and children, as the Prophet made clear when he related God’s words against Israel’s adversaries: “I destroyed their fruit above as well as their roots beneath” (Amos 2:9b)! It follows, then, that all of Aaron’s sons deserved to be killed. But since, as Moses continued, “…I prayed for Aaron at that time” (Deuteronomy 9:20b), only two of his sons (Nadav and Avihu) were killed while the other two (Elazar and Ithamar) survived (cf. Leviticus 10:12a).
Exodus Rabbah 33:2; 37:2
Aaron’s Moment
“Bring near to you, from the Children of Israel,
Aaron your brother…to make Aaron My Priest.”
(Exodus 28:1)
“Aaron accepted the gold from them,
and he formed it with a graving tool,
making of it a molten calf…”
(Exodus 32:4a)
When Moses came down from Sinai and saw Israel worshipping the golden calf (cf. Exodus 32:19ff.), he glanced at Aaron, who appeared to be sculpting it with his hammer. But Aaron was going through the motions, only to hold the people back until Moses returned. Yet Moses believed, from what he observed, that Aaron was cooperating with the people and that he shared their motive in worshipping the calf!
So the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Moses, I know that Aaron’s intention is for good.” Aaron was acting like the preceptor of a prince, teaching him and protecting him. One day the prince gets it into his head to invade his father’s exclusive domain and take it over for himself. But his preceptor stops him and says to him: Don’t wear yourself out, allow me to break in for you! The prince’s father, the king, observes the preceptor breaking in and says to him: I understand your intention, I know what you are doing, and you can be sure that I shall trust no one to oversee my palace from now on, but you!
So it was, at the moment when Israel said to Aaron, “Get up and make for us a god…!” (Exodus 32:1b) that he replied, “Alright, remove the gold rings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons and your daughters, and bring them to me” (ibid. 2): I am a priest, I shall make it and sacrifice before it! All of this Aaron did for the sole purpose of keeping the people at bay until Moses should return. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Aaron: I understand your intention, I know what you are doing, and you can be sure that I shall trust no one to oversee the offerings of My children, but you! Thus did God command Moses, “Bring near to you, from the Children of Israel, Aaron your brother…to make Aaron My Priest” (Exodus 28:1), and it was in the Tabernacle following the incident of the golden calf:
“You, O Eternal God,
who have triumphed over all [aleetah lamarom]
and taken Your captives [shaveetah shehvee],
You have accepted the gifts of men ,
even the idolatrous nations [v’af sorereem],
to settle in Your Temple [lishkon]!”
(Psalms 68:19)
You who went up to the Heights [aleetah lamarom]
and returned to captivity [shaveetah shehvee],
taking the Gift for man—
it was specifically for your idolatrous [v’af sorereem]
that the Eternal God
would settle in the Tabernacle [lishkon]!
Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses: When the other nations premonish you that I will not return with you because “your people have rebelled [saru]” (Exodus 32:7-8), I assure you that even when they are rebellious, I shall not abandon them, “but even with the rebellious [v’af sorereem] shall the Eternal God dwell [lishkon]!”
Leviticus Rabbah 10:1,3
Aaron’s Righteous Love
“The Eternal speaks to Moses, saying:
Take Aaron and his sons…”
(Leviticus 8:1-2)
Out of all the tribe of Levi,
why Aaron for the High Priesthood?
“Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever;
your royal sceptre is the emblem of truth.
You have loved righteousness,
and you have hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness above your fellows.”
(Psalms 45:7-8)
Rabbi Berechia in the name of Rabbi Abba bar Kahana interpreted the Davidic verses in reference to Aaron. When Moses ascended the Mountain of God to receive the stone Tablets with the Torah and the Mitzvot, he left Aaron and Hur in charge (cf. Exodus 24:12-14). Then, when Israel sought to build the golden calf, they went first to Hur (cf. Exodus 24:14) and demanded, “Get up, make for us a god” (Exodus 32:1)! When he refused, they killed him. Then they turned to Aaron with the same demand. When Aaron heard their demand of him, he was afraid:
“Aaron saw [vayar] and built [vayiven] an altar [mizbeach] before it [lefanav]…”
(Exodus 32:5a)
What did Aaron “see” that would cause him to build an altar “before it?”
He had already taken their gold and knowingly formed it into a molten calf (ibid. 4a)!
Rather, interpret the verse:
Aaron feared [vayeerah] from discerning [vayaven]
a slaughtered man [mizavuach] before him [lefanav]!
Now what shall I do? thought Aaron. They have already killed Hur, who was a Prophet; now, if they kill me, a Kohen, they would have committed the unthinkable, “Shall both Kohen and Prophet be slain in the Sanctuary of the Lord” (Lamentations 2:20)? If that were the case, they would be culpable for exile centuries before the verse originally applied!
Alternatively, what did Aaron “see?”
He “saw” alternative outcomes. He realized that if they built it, they would work together to complete it quickly. But if he built it, he could delay its completion until Moses came down from the mountain and rejected the work in progress as idolatry.
Also he thought: If I build the altar, I can build it in the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, as was said: “…Aaron built the altar and announced, ‘Tomorrow is a Festival to the Eternal’” (Exodus 32:5b)!
He also realized that if they built it, then the offense would be attributed to them: Better that the offense be attributed to me, he thought, and not to Israel!
“I address my verses to the king…
You love righteousness and you hate wickedness;
rightly has God, your God, chosen to anoint you
with oil of gladness over all of your peers!”
(Psalms 45:2,8)
Rabbi Berechia in the name of Rabbi Abba bar Kahana
interpreted these verses as associated with Aaron:
“You love righteousness” in that you love to defend and justify My children, “and you hate wickedness” in that you hate to see them condemned. “Rightly has God, your God, chosen to anoint you with oil of gladness over all of your peers”: therefore has God chosen to anoint you as Kohen Gadol over all of Israel out of all of the tribe of Levi!
Exodus Rabbah 38:4
Atonement through Words
“You shall cook the meat of the ram…in a holy place…
Aaron and his sons shall eat it
together with the bread that is in the basket,
at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,
that through which atonement was made
and they were consecrated to become sanctified,
and no outsider may eat them, for they are holy.”
(Exodus 29:31-33)
Israel asks: Master of the Universe, when the priests sin, they bring an offering, and atonement is granted them; when the anointed one sins, he brings an offering and atonement is granted him. But what of us?
“If all the congregation of Israel sins…
then the congregation shall offer
a young bull for the sin…
and a priest shall make atonement for them…”
(Leviticus 4:13-20)
But we are poor and therefore are unable to bring an offering!
“I wash my hands in innocence;
so will I go around Your Altar, O Eternal,
to sound the voice…”
(Psalms 26:6-7)
One might have expected,
“to offer bulls and rams,”
but instead it teaches us,
“to sound the voice!”
This is what the Prophet meant:
“Take with you words
and return to the Eternal;
say to Him:
forgive all iniquity
and take what is good;
so will we offer
the words of our lips
instead of bulls!”
(Hosea 14:3)
Words are what I seek,
says the Eternal,
and I will pardon all of your sins!
“Words” are words of Torah,
as was said:
“These are the words which Moses spoke…”
(Deuteronomy 1:1)
But we don’t know the words of Torah!
Then weep and pray before Me,
and I will accept it.
When your ancestors were enslaved in Egypt
and had not yet heard the words of Torah,
did I not redeem them through their prayer:
“The Children of Israel sighed from oppression,
and they cried out!”
(Exodus 2:23)
And such is the meaning of God’s instruction to Moses
concerning the sanctification of the priests:
“This is the thing [davar] that you shall do for them
to sanctify them to serve as My priests.”
(Exodus 29:1)
Literally:
“This is the word [davar] which you shall provide for them…!”
Exodus Rabbah 38:8
Leviticus Rabbah 21:4,6
Aaron’s Access
“This is the thing that you shall do for them
to sanctify them to serve as My priests…”
(Exodus 29:1)
By what merit would Aaron enter
the chamber of The Holy of Holies?
(On Yom Kippur, cf. Leviticus 16)
Y’feh Toar (Rabbi Samuel ben Isaac Yafeh Ashkenazi, Turkey 16th cent.): By what merit would Aaron be able to secure atonement for the sins of all of Israel? Especially considering that Israel would act corruptly, why should the Service of the Day of Atonement and the Prayer of the High Priest make any difference?
Rabbi Chaninah son of Rabbi Yishmael: The merit of circumcision would enter with him, as was said, “By this [zot] may Aaron enter the holy place…” (Leviticus 16:3), “this” [zot] being how God denoted the covenant of circumcision to Abraham: “This [zot] is My covenant which you shall observe, between Me and you and your offspring after you; circumcise of yours every male” (Genesis 17:10)—and the Prophet associated the commandment and its sanction with the priests: “And now, O priests, this [zot] commandment is for you; I have conveyed to you this [zot] commandment to be My covenant with Levi…My covenant with him for life and for peace…” (Malachi 2:1,4-5)!
Y’feh Toar: Rabbi Chaninah son of Rabbi Yishmael argues that because of the merit of circumcision, which is a covenant between the Eternal and His people collectively, the Service of the Day will benefit them and overcome the accusations of their respective sins that would be lodged against them by Satan (the supernal prosecutor). Rabbi Isaac (below) cites a different merit for the effectiveness of Atonement: the effect upon the Eternal of the priestly vestments as prescribed in the Torah and ultimately the respective virtues of the tribes.
Rabbi Isaac: The merit of the tribes would enter with him, as was said, “This [zeh] is what you shall do for them to sanctify them to serve as My priests…” (Exodus 39:1), the word “this” [zeh] having the value of the number twelve (12) [zayin=7 + hey=5], referring to the twelve stones that were arranged over the heart of Aaron with the names of the tribes inscribed upon them (cf. Exodus 28:15-21) in this order: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issaschar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Joseph, Benjamin. What was the reason? That the Holy One, blessed be He, should look upon them and upon the priest’s vestments when he enters on Yom Kippur and be reminded of the merit of the tribes.
“Of David:
The Eternal is my light and my salvation…”
(Psalms 27:1)
The Rabbis interpreted the psalm as Aaron’s prayer upon entering the Holy of Holies: “The Eternal is my light on Rosh Hashanah and my salvation on Yom Kippur.”
“When evildoers approached me
to consume my flesh,
my enemies and my adversaries,
they stumbled and fell.”
(Ibid. 2)
“When evildoers,” these the angels of other nations, also called ministering angels, “approach me,” it is “to consume my flesh” by accusing Israel before the Holy One, blessed be He: These “enemies” are idolators and those “adversaries” are idolators, these are adulterers and those are adulterers, these are murderers and those are murderers, so why do only these “stumble and fall” down in punishment to Gehinnom while those do not?
Rabbi Joshua of Sichnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: Aaron’s role may be compared to the mentor of a prince who wishes to approach the king in defense of the king’s son, but he hesitates to enter, fearing that certain courtiers surrounding the king are bent to do him harm. In order to provide fair access, the king provides his son’s mentor with a royal vestment to wear when he wishes to approach the king, thereby deterring his courtiers from antagonizing the prince’s defender. Thus would Aaron enter The Holy of Holies every year, with the purpose of defending Israel but faced with accusations by the angels of other nations. What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He provides Aaron with priestly garments (cf. Exodus 28:1-5) that are the image of His Own as described by the Prophet: “The Eternal wears righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on His head; He puts on garments of vengeance for clothing and is clad in zeal like a mantle” (Isaiah 59:17)!
Alternatively:
“By this [b’zot] may Aaron enter the holy place…”
(Leviticus 16:3)
Rabbi Yudan interpreted the verse: Aaron entered by virtue of “this” [zot] in large quantities; he had a large quantity of “this” [zot] mitzvot in his hand:
By virtue of Torah:
“And this [zot] is the Torah that Moses placed before the Children of Israel.”
(Deuteronomy 4:44)
By virtue of Circumcision:
“This [zot] is My covenant which you shall observe,
between Me and you and your offspring after you;
circumcise of yours every male.”
(Genesis 17:10)
By virtue of Shabbat:
“Happy is the one who does this [zot],
and the son of man who takes hold of it,
keeping the Sabbath, not profaning it,
and keeping his hand from doing any wrong.”
(Isaiah 56:2)
By virtue of Jerusalem:
“Thus says the Lord God:
This [zot] is Jerusalem—
In the midst of the nations have I set it,
and of countries around it.”
(Ezekiel 5:5)
By virtue of Judah:
“And this [zot] is a blessing for Judah—
He said:
Hear, O Eternal, the voice of Judah,
and bring him to his people;
may his hands be sufficient for him,
and be you a help from his enemies.”
(Deuteronomy 33:7)
By virtue of Israel:
“This [zot] your stature is like a palm tree,
your breasts like clusters.”
(Song of Songs 7:8)
By virtue of Terumah:
“And this [zot] is the Terumah gift
which you shall take from them—
gold and silver and bronze.”
(Exodus 25:3)
By virtue of Tithes:
“Bring all of the Tithe to the storehouse,
that there may be food in My house,
and test Me now with this [zot]—
says the Eternal of Hosts—
if I shall not open for you the gates of heaven
and pour out for you blessing never ending.”
(Malachi 3:10)
By virtue of Offerings:
“By this [zot] may Aaron enter the holy place,
with a young bull for a sin offering
and a ram for a burnt offering.”
(Leviticus 16:3)
Were it not for these many virtues entering with him and thereby supporting him, he would not have been able to enter.
Tanchuma Tetzaveh 9
The Honor of “My priests”
“This is the thing [davar] that you shall do for them
to sanctify them to serve as My priests.”
(Exodus 29:1)
This is what was written elsewhere:
“The sages shall inherit honor…”
(Proverbs 3:35a)
What is “the thing [davar]” referred to here? He could just as well have said, “This is what you shall do…” without reference to “the thing [davar]” as you find later in this section regarding the daily sacrifices (cf. Exodus 29:38). “The thing [davar]” referred to here is suggestive of “the word [davar],” upon which the Psalmist relies: “For ever, O Eternal, Your word [devahr’cha] stands firm in the heavens” (Psalms 119:89)! (Suggested in Etz Yosef commentary, by Chanoch Zundel ben Yosef, 19th cent. Poland) Then read our verse:
“This is the word [davar] (that is to say, Your word),
which You (O Eternal) shall do for them (Aaron and his descendants)
to sanctify them for the honor to serve as priests of the Eternal.”
Highly desired is the honor of sages who labor in the Torah, as it is the Torah (cf. Proverbs 8:1ff.) who says, “Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness” (Proverbs 8:18)! From Adam to Jabetz, thirty-six generations were mentioned (cf. I Chronicles 1:1-4:10), but honor was attributed to none but Jabetz, of whom was written, “Jabetz was more honorable than his brethren [mey-echav]” (I Chronicles 4:9a), which we interpret, “Jabetz was honorable in contradistinction to his brethren [mey-echav]!” What earned him that honor? He was a Torah scholar who convened public assemblies for the purpose of teaching the principles of Torah, as we infer from his association with the Soferim (scribes or scholars, predating the Sages, who disseminated Torah in public): “The families of Soferim dwelled with Jabetz…” (I Chronicles 2:55a).
Thus we learn from our verse that Aaron and his descendants shall be honored to serve as priests of the Eternal as long as they honor the word of the Eternal by teaching it in public (cf. Ezra 7:21).
Pesikta Rabbati Zachor 12
Remember the Wicked for their Evil
“At Rephidim, Amalek attacks Israel…
The Eternal says to Moses:
‘Write this [zot] as a remembrance in the record…’”
(Exodus 17:8,14)
“Remember what Amalek did to you…
how he struck all of your weak ones
at the rear of your march while you were weary…
Blot out any remembrance of Amalek from under heaven…”
(Deuteronomy 25:17-19)
When the Holy One, blessed be He, is cited by the Prophet, Moses is remembered: “Then one recalled the days of old, of Moses, and His people, saying, ‘Where is He who brought them up out of the Sea with the shepherd of His flock? Where is He who put His holy spirit in him’” (Isaiah 63:11)?
Moses is remembered for good, but He also remembers the wicked, Amalek. For at the time when Amalek attacked Israel, what did the Holy One, blessed be He, say to Moses? “Write this one [zot] as a remembrance in the record…” (Exodus 17:14)! Indeed Moses protested: Master of the Universe, it should be the righteous, not the wicked, who are remembered! The Holy One, blessed be He, answered him: By your life both are to be remembered, remembrance of the righteous to provide their reward in the world to come, and remembrance of the wicked to blot out their name (in the world to come!), as is found in this portion, “Remember what Amalek did to you…,” and by so doing, “you should blot out any remembrance of Amalek from under heaven” (Deuteronomy 25:17-19)!
Pesikta Rabbati Zachor 12
Amalek compared to a Dog
“Remember what Amalek did to you…”
(Deuteronomy 25:17-19)
Said Rabbi Berechya of the School of Rabbi: To what may this be compared? To a king who owned an orchard and kept a dog who sat and guarded it. The son of one of the king’s friends tried to steal from the king’s orchard and was bitten by the dog. The king did not want to let it be known that his friend’s son had tried to steal from him, so he asked his own son not to mention it to the would-be thief. The king’s son came up with the following code to avoid mentioning the crime directly: “Remember what that dog did to you!”
Thus Israel sinned at Rephidim, in complaining about the lack of water, by saying, “Is the Eternal in our midst or not” (Exodus 17:7)? Immediately thereafter, the “dog” came and bit them. That was Amalek, as was said, “And Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim” (ibid. 8). So when the Holy One, blessed be He, wished to remind Israel of the sin that they committed at Rephidim, He would say, “Remember what Amalek did to you…” (Deuteronomy 25:17-19).
Talmud Yoma 22b
Measure of Man and Thing
“Saul summons his people and takes a census of them at Telaim…”
(I Samuel 15:4)
“I shall make your offspring
as numerous and uncountable
as the sands of the sea.”
(Genesis 32:13)
“The number of the Children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea,
which cannot be measured or counted…”
(Hosea 2:1)
According to Rabbi Samuel bar Nachmani, Rabbi Jonathan found the Prophetic verse to appear contradictory: If “the number of the Children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea,” then they would still be numerable, as numerable as the grains of sand of the sea, however many they may be; therefore, it does not follow that “they cannot be measured or counted!” But there is no contradiction: As long as Israel does the will of God, they “cannot be measured or counted,” but “the number of the Children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea,” that is, countable by a finite number, when they fail to do the will of God!
Rabbi taught in the name of Abba Yosi ben Dostai: The reason why there is no contradiction within the verse is that the first part, “The number of the Children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea…,” that is, countable, applies to the unlimited capacity of divine counting, whereas the second part, “…which cannot be measured or counted,” that is, as it were, innumerable, refers to the limitation of human counting!
Rabbi Elazar inferred from the verse a commandment: Whoever counts Israel transgresses a negative commandment, as the Prophet said, “The number of the Children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which should not be measured…” (Hosea 2:1). Rav Nachman bar Isaac said: He actually transgresses two negative commandments, as was said (more fully), “…which should not be measured and which should not be counted” (ibid.)!
Indeed:
“David commanded that a census be taken of the people…
The Eternal sent a pestilence upon Israel…”
(II Samuel 24:1ff.)
“The Eternal instructs Moses:
When you take the sum of the Children of Israel,
let each one tender a kofer (expiation) for himself to the Eternal
for being counted,
so that no harm will result for counting them…”
(Exodus 30:11-12)
Thus did Saul to prepare for war against Nachash the Ammonite:
“He counted the Children of Israel at Bezek…”
(I Samuel 11:8)
And thus did Saul to prepare for war against Amalek:
“He counted the people at Telaim…”
(I Samuel 15:4)
Rav Nehilai bar Idi reported that Samuel explained: These countings by Saul reflect a progression, such that when one becomes leader over the congregation, he grows wealthy. Thus we learn first, before Saul became king, “he counted the Children of Israel with bezek” (I Samuel 11:8): Instead of the place-name “Bezek,” the common noun bezek denotes a common shard or pebble which Saul took from each man as his kofer, which he would count instead of counting the man. Then, when Saul had become king, we learn that “he counted the people with telaim” (I Samuel 15:4): Instead of the place-name “Telaim,” the common noun telaim denotes lambs which Saul provided to each man from his own royal flock for the same purpose, to count the lambs instead of counting the men directly. Thus the progression of verses reflects the enriching of Saul when he became leader over the congregation.
But how do I know that the lambs Saul used for kofer to count the men here were not the men’s own lambs, not provided by Saul, and therefore no indication of the leader’s wealth? Then why would Scripture make a point of disclosing the particular instruments of kofer and especially the contrast between common pebbles before he became king and precious lambs when he was king?
Talmud Bava Metziah 42a: When one is about to measure his store of grain, he should pray, “May it be Your will, O Eternal our God, to send blessing upon the work of our hands.” If he has already commenced the measuring of his grain, then in that case he should pray, “Praised be the One who sends blessing upon this much grain.” If he has already completed the measuring of his grain and then says the blessing, he has prayed a blessing in vain, because blessing is not found in something weighed, in something measured, or in something counted, but only in something that is hidden from the eye, as was said: “May the Eternal command blessing upon you in your storehouses…” (Deuteronomy 28:8). (Rashi: This is a midrash on the word “storehouses,” which can be construed as something which is hidden from your eyes.)
Esther Rabbah Proem 7
Prophecy of Samuel
Rabbi Levi began his discourse on the Megillah of Esther
by considering this verse:
“If you do not dispossess the current inhabitants
of the Land from before you,
then those whom you leave
will become barbs in your eyes
and thorns in your sides,
and they will vex you upon the Land
in which you dwell.”
(Numbers 33:55)
It applies to King Saul, after the Prophet Samuel had charged him, “Now go and attack Amalek, destroy completely all that they have, show no mercy, slay both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and ass” (I Samuel 15:3)! But upon his return: You went out innocent, but you brought back a sinner whom you treated with mercy—as was said, “Saul and the people spared Agag king of Amalek and the best of the animals, destroying only the least desirable” (ibid. 9). Now a growth will spring forth from him to “become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides” (Numbers 33:55a), and who is that? It is “Haman son of Hamdatha the Agagite,” who intended “to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all of the Jews, both young and old, both women and children” (Esther 3:13 et al.)!
With this realization in mind, the first word of Megillat Esther, Vahyehee, “Now it was…,” can be heard as Vahye-hee, “Woe that it was”: Woe that the Prophecy of Samuel came to pass in the days of Ahashuerus!
Talmud Yoma 22b
Midrash Shmuel 18:4
Talmud Megillah 12b-13a
The Predicament of Saul
“Samuel delivers to Saul the Eternal’s stern message…:
‘Now you must strike Amalek and utterly destroy
all of its people—men and women, children and infants—
and all of its animals—ox and sheep, camel and ass.’”
(I Samuel 15:1-3)
“Then Saul comes to the city of Amalek,
and he engages in battle [vayarev] at the wadi [banachal].”
(I Samuel 15:5)
Then Saul “engages in battle at the wadi?” These words seem out of place since in the very next verse he releases the Kenites from among the Amalekites “lest I destroy you with them” (ibid. 6)! Instead Rabbi Mani reads: “Then Saul…engages in disputation [vayarev] in the matter of the wadi [banachal], where expiation was commanded for the death of a single soul (cf. Deuteronomy 21:1-9). Thus, when the Holy One, blessed be He, told Saul to strike Amalek, Saul disputed: If for the death of one person expiation is required, then how much moreso for the deaths of all of these people! Moreover, while a human has sinned, how have these animals sinned? And while the adults have sinned, how have the children sinned? A Divine Voice was then heard by him, saying, “Be not overly righteous” (cf. Ecclesiastes 7:15-18)!
When Saul suspected Achimelech the Kohen
of conspiring with David against him,
he had Doeg the Edomite slay Achimelech
and the other Kohanim of the city of Nov,
“And he slew the rest of the city of Nov—
man and woman, child and infant—
ox and ass and sheep.”
(I Samuel 22:19)
So, when Saul commanded Doeg to slay all of the Kohanim of Nov, a Divine Voice was then heard by him, saying, “Be not overly wicked” (cf. Ecclesiastes 7:15-18)! Rabbi Shimon ben Levi reflected: Whoever is cruel to the innocent will in the end be lenient in his treatment of the cruel, and whoever is lenient in his treatment of the cruel will in the end fall by the sword (cf. I Samuel 31:4).
“Saul and his people spare Agag, king of Amalek…
Then the word of the Eternal comes to Samuel:
‘I regret that I have made Saul King,
for he has turned away from Me and My words.’”
(I Samuel 15:9-11)
“There was a Judean man in the fortress of Shushan,
and his name was Mordechai,
son of Yair, son of Shimei, son of Keesh,
a Benjaminite.”
(Esther 2:5)
Rabbah bar bar Chana said that Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: His father was from the tribe of Benjamin, and his mother was from the tribe of Judah.
The Rabbis say that the families are competing with each other for credit: The family of Judah is saying that because our David refrained from killing Shimei (cf. II Samuel 19:24), Mordechai, Shimei’s descendant, could be born; and Benjamin is simply saying that Mordechai descends from me.
According to Rava, the Israelite community is explaining the names as a poor reflection upon both Judah and Benjamin: See what a Judean did to me, as David (a Judean, cf. II Samuel 2:4) failed to kill Shimei, thus allowing for his descendant Mordechai, by whom Haman was provoked to plot the destruction of the Jews; and see how a Benjaminite, viz. Saul (cf. I Samuel 9:1ff.), repaid me by refraining from killing Agag, from whom was descended Haman.
SHABBAT SHALOM!
Sedra Summary 