Mishpatim 7th Portion

Join as we learn together for Shabis the seventh Torah reading of Parish Mishbatim chapter 23 verse 26. Yesterday in the Torah reading we learned about the promise that Hashem tells them when they come to the land of Israel when they follow what God tells them he will remove all illness amongst them and give them the greatest blessings. in contrast should they and he's sending the angel before them to protect them. Today we continue with the promises and the blessings that God tells us that will happen when we come to the land of Israel. Verse 26. No woman will in your land miscarry or be barren in your land. I will grant the full count of your days. What does the word mean? One who miscarries one who buries his her children is called a person who doesn't have something or lost as we see the same word was used by uh Rifka says why should I lose both of you verse 27 I will send forth my dread before me before you and I will then confuse among I will throw confusion amongst all the people that you will be coming amongst them and I will make all your enemies flee from you. What does the word mean in this case? mean comes from the word bewildered. Make them confused. Says I will make them confused. Any word that has its verb is duplicated at the last letter. So for example uh where this last word last letter is double in the verb then it turns it turns to become a word of not a verb of the future but a verb of the past sometimes sometimes that they'll take the double letter and they'll put the vowel of a underneath like in our case Here Rashi gift us a four a few different examples. We are for example in our case comes the word I will confuse them from the word also again these different words showing us and here it continues with other ones which comes from the word from the word. However, one can mistakenly translate the word instead of confusion and he will kill from the word mal to kill is making a mistake because if the word was coming from the same root word of death which means then the would not be with and it wouldn't be the wouldn't have as we see it would be And I will then kill because then the t is stressed because it has two ts with that it comes at the letter at the end one is from the root word. You can't say the word death without having the letter ten it and then you have a servant word for servant letter as well. He gives examples that comes in the place of two technically three two for the root word taste because the word taste is two tubs and the third one should be there to tell me if it's an action word or not. So what we see over here that Rashi is proving his point that doesn't come from the word of death comes from the word to confuse confuse what does it mean that they will flee from you where do I see this because the word that they're going to run away from you and therefore you'll see me near their neck because they'll turn away to run away from you. Verse 28. How am I going to do this? I will send the hornets ahead of you ahead of you and it will drive out the what is this? What is this hornet? So Rashi explains it's a type of bird or type of creature which is also that flies. So therefore it's similar to a bee. It's a and that's why we give it the name hornet and it would it would hit them in their eyes. It would blind them in their eyes and they would put poison in their eyes and they would die being that the hornets did not cross the Jordan together with the Jewish people. It would stand on the other side. So who's referring to theites and the it would kill? These are the nations of which were on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Therefore, therefore, not unlike in other places we enumerates all the different seven nations, but over here he only mentions the even though the uh even though these nations are also that the hornets hit were also on the other side of the Jordan, meaning on the western side of the Jordan. The rabbis have explained the track that how did it do it? It would stand actually the hornets would not be in the land of Israel but they would spray their their poison onto the other side and this way it would hit them and blind them. So it would go for a very far distance to be able to hit these uh these nations that were on the other side of the Jordan. But being that the other five nations, it doesn't mention because they were more inland and therefore it didn't affect them. The Torah now continues to tell us of how the conquest of the land of Israel continues. Verse 29, I will not drive them out before you from the land of Israel in one single year. So that the land should not become desolate and the wild animals will then outnumber you. Meaning that there should not be any empty homes empty. Explains empty of people. So you're only a few people. You don't have the ability to fill the entire land. So therefore, slowly but surely, you will eradicate the evil that's there. and they'll be more than you and you'll have animals overtaking those homes. Then the Torah continues verse 30. I will drive them out before you little by little from before you until you will increase and occupy the land explains until you have more like you'll multiply. Over here we see also the concept of when one has to eradicate evil. It is a slow process but that slow process is able to eradicate it. Therefore that there shouldn't be left as a vacuum of some other things to come in. Verse 31. And I will then set the borders of your borders from the sea of reeds until the from the border and from the desert until the until the Euphrates River. I will deliver to you. It's the inhabitants of the land. will drive them out before you what does the word mean what I will give the word and the word is has a dot in it because it's coming under the word because it's the second under two meaning the the basic word should have been read it's instead of two tves so instead of putting two tves he puts a dot in the t so therefore you have vishi Because the word shisa setting is really with a one is to tell me what it's telling me about they tell me if it's a past present or future and therefore he puts over here instead of placing two ss until the river which river are we referring to plus this is the Euphrates river as we see this is mentioned already in the book of Genesis telling us the borders the means and you will uh chase them away drive them out verse 32. You shall not make a covenant with them or with their gods. Verse 33, you shall not dwell in your land. They shall not let I'm sorry. They shall not dwell in your land because they are going to make you sin against me because you might serve their gods and they will be as a stumbling block for you, a snear to you. when if you had come to serve them will be for you as this key in this case means because then that if so too we find in many different places this is as we mentioned many times that the word key has four different ways how it can be interpreted and explained to ashare. So to the word if can also be ashair that when when you will bring the uh theurim offering that it is an obligation. It's not if a person decides he wants to bring it. So it's when you will bring it. So the word im can also be when and as we see over here as when it's talking about when they because they will cause you the word key and im as he shows the trans uh the how the translation of those words are interchangeable many different places chapter 24 verse one now that he finished about the account of the rational side of the laws of the Torah over here going back to on the fourth of Sivan goddess told Moses about the giving of the Torah. He says, "Go up to God, the 70 of the elders of the Jewish people, and you will bow from a distance. When is this talking about?" So, as we mentioned, according to Rash's opinion, the Torah is not in chronological order. So this Torah reading was said before the ten commandments that we learned in the previous Torah reading in par. And what date was it? On the fourth of God told him to come up. Verse two, Moses alone will be the one who will come close to God. But they should not draw on earth. That means the other people that he said can go up the mountain should not. And the people themselves should not even go up to the mountain at all with him to that dark cloud. Moshe was the only one that was going to go there. Everybody else will stand back. Verse three and Moshe came and he told the people everything that God had commanded and all the laws and all the commandments and all the people respond the entire people responded in one voice with one voice and they said all the words that God has spoken to us we will says that exact day when Moshe came down to from the mountain everything that God said which was the mitzvah that they have to separate from their wives and they have to consider being holy and staying away from the mountain. What are all the commandments that he said the seven commandments as well as those commandments that were given to them already in which were shabas the shabas and honoring your parents and the laws of the red heer and the laws of monetary obligations. These were already given to them in prior to the giving of the Torah. Verse four and Moshe then wrote down all the words of God and he got up early in the morning and he built an altar at the bottom of the mountain at the foot of the mountain and he then made 12 different monuments for the 12 tribes of Israel. What does it mean that he's talking about that he wrote? What did he write if the Torah hasn't yet been given from the beginning of the book of Genesis until the giving of the Torah and those commandments that were already given in Mora and that's what Moshe continues later and he calls it the book of the covenant it's up early in the morning what day are we on now this is the fifth of the day before the giving of the Torah I'm sorry verse And he then dispatched the young men of the Jewish people and they brought off they offered offerings and they sacrificed uh bulls as peace offerings. They brought as bulls peace offerings to Hashem. Who are these youngsters? These are the firstborn that they were going to be the ones to work in the holy temple until the sin of the golden calf. Verse six. And Moshe then took half of the blood that was there. And he then put it into two large bowl and put it into two large bowls and half of the blood he threw against the altar. This was part of him doing as we're soon going to see the different sacrificial rights that were done. Rashi explains what does it mean that why doesn't it say that he just split it into half? Who is the one that split it for him? An angel came and split it for him. So he just took the half of blood. However, an angel was the one that split it for him. What are two bowls that would hold the blood? One blood was one bowl was for the blood of the ascent offering and one was for the peace offering that he was going to eventually sprinkle it on the people. From here our rabbis have learned that with this the Jewish people have entered the covenant in three things. the with the circumcision the immersion dim and the sprinkling of blood even though it doesn't say clearly about the sprinkling and the circumcision but later on by Joshua we know that they said that they were circumcised at the time of the exodus of Egypt in order for them to enjoy part of the um of the pascal offering they had to have be circumcised as well we don't know it doesn't say clearly but we know that they have immersed as well And the reason is because one cannot be sprinkled with the blood if from a sacrifice if he has not first immersed. So it must be that Moshe brought them into the covenant through the actual sprinkling of the blood and they must have immersed in a mikvah beforehand. We continue verse seven. And he took the book of the covenant and he read it to the people in the ears that they should all hear it. And they said and they responded whatever God said we will do and we will listen and we will learn everything that God told us. Say for what does it mean in the book of the covenant? Rashi explains from as we mentioned before from the book of beginning of book of Genesis until the giving of the Torah and the mitzvah that they were told in verse eight then took the blood and he sprinkled it on the people and he said he made behold this is the blood of the covenant that God is making with you regarding all these words that I teach you today with the ten commandments What does it mean that he threw means that he sprinkled as it says with the explains? He sprinkled it on the altar to atone for the Jewish people. Verse 10. Verse 9. And at that point Moshe Aaron ascended and went up and a view of and a view of Mik is and the 70 elders of the Jewish people as we mentioned before that they were going to go up in a distance of where Moshe is to bow to Hashem. Verse 10. As Moshe entered a cloud, then the Jewish people then they had a vision of God and beneath his feet was there like the likeness of a brick of sapphire and the appearance like the clearness of the heaven. What does this mean? Rashi explains. Rashi says as follows. Israel. This is going back on and the elders that he spoke about in the previous verse. They looked and they were able to get a glance into the cloud of where Moshe went. And because of this, they were liable of the capital punishment. God did not want to ruin the joy of accepting the Torah. He waited until the day that they were celebrating the tabernacle and that's when died and they brought then a um incense and a sacrifice which they were not meant to and at that point they were killed as well and when it came to the elders they died at the time with the sin of the complainers because it says that as the Jewish were people were complaining God's wrath came amongst the people in the camp and it consumed the people at the edge of the camp. What does it mean the edge? The word can also mean like elders like the generals that were in the camp. What did they envision? They saw a vision that was beneath like the likeness of a brick of sapphire. So Rashi explains what does this mean? This type of uh as white this type of sapphire would look like a brick. This was by God during the time of when the Jewish people were enslaved with backbreaking labor in Egypt. This was because to remember and to always be conscious of the pain and suffering the Jewish people were going through that they were working with backbreaking labor with making bricks. And that's why God had this brick of sapphire by his throne. And this is now the stone is showing. The next thing was once the Jewish people were able to be released from Egypt, redeemed from Egypt was light and joy before God like the clearness of the sky of the heavens of the cloudness of the heavens. What does it mean? Like the vision that they saw the word doesn't necessarily mean pure but like pure gold. One would say it's clear. You can see it. It was clear. You were able to see what it was and it was clear. The the appearance was how clear it was verse 11. Is yet Hashem did not raise his hands against the nobles of the Jewish people. He did not raise his hands and he didn't punish them at the moment even though they were technically liable of capital punishment as we just mentioned in Rashi they saw they gazed upon the divine they ate and they drank what is the mean to these individuals who were they and the 70 elders who were they were considered the greatest of the Jewish people he didn't punish From here we learn they should have been worthy of being a punished but God did not and he waited as we mentioned earlier they saw God and they ate and they drank. that there was a lack of respect that while they were eating and drinking they were washing watching a movie of what God was all about and the lack of respect that's the way the medish explains it but does not explain it this way and he says as follows the word and explains it a different way talking about that god is coming to tell us his praise rashi adds when you look at the word it means great six of the greatness meaning big ones. So the word refers to big great noble. Verse 12 and God said to Moshe, this is on the seventh of following the giving of the Torah. Now God tells Moses to go down the mountain, I'm sorry, God tells him, God says to Moses, come up to me, come up to me on the mountain and remain there for 40 days. I will give to you these tablets of stone and the Torah and the commandments that I have written down for the people instruction explains this is after God gave the commandments after the giving of the Torah. God tells Moshe, you come up and stay there for how long? For 40 days. What does this mean? That God is telling him, he's going to give him the tablets. Meaning, I'm now going to give you the 613 commandments which within the ten commandments saying we're part of the ten commandments. One of the great scholars when he made his commandments, he made a book of the 613 commandments. He was able to find and connect he was able to connect the 613 commandments to every single one of the cardinal or original uh ten commandments. Meaning when God gave motion the ten commandments within it were the 613 and for the next 40 days he was going to study with him what those commandments are. Verse 13. Moshe and Moshe then arose and Yeshua's attendant and Moshe ascended to the mountain of God says I don't know Yeshua. Where does Yeshua show up here? How is it because how did Yeshua come here? Because if God only told Mosh himself to come up to the mountain, we don't find anywhere else that Yeshua was told. So therefore, Rashi says that a student with escort was there as a assistant and therefore he walked with them until he was allowed to go until the perimeter of the mountain. He was not allowed to go anywhere afterwards. And then from there went up himself came to the mountain of God. Yeshua not Yeshua situated himself right at the foot of the mountain. You waited there call all the 40 days because we find Mosha came down the mountain later on when we learn and he sees what's happening with the golden calf and Yeshua is the one that hears the Jewish people what they're doing what Yeshua wasn't with them because Yeshua stayed by the mountain the Jewish people moved away already and all the 40 days he stayed there at the foot of the mountain in his tent verse 14 and to the elders Omar You wait for us here until we return to you. And behold will be with you are here with you. And who has a lawsuit should approach meaning if you cannot decide you should approach them. What does this mean? He says as follows. Rashi says he told them when he comes out of the camp that Yeshua himself was the one that escorted Moshe till the mountain. Everybody else wait. You stay with everybody else in the camp. You stay with them. Don't worry about us where we're going to be. Why do you have to stay with the people? Because you have to be there. Let's say if people have questions, you have to judge them. You have to help them out. And that's why you got to be there. Who's this fellow? Miriam, this was the son of Miriam, the sister of Moshe. However, his father was who married Miriam. It says Ephas Miriam that it says that Khif married a woman by the name of Ephas. Who was Ephes? That was Miriam. As it's explained in the track of they had a a son by the name of Hur was Mosha's nephew from his sister's son Malvar. What does this mean? who has words meaning if somebody has a lawsuit, he has a problem, he has issues that they got to talk to somebody that's going to help them out to be able to tell them what should be done. That would be why the elders have to then go and be back with the people in the camp. Verse 15, and Moshe then ascended up up to the mountain. and the cloud covered the mountain. Verse 16, the glory of God rested on Mount Si and the cloud cover which the cloud covered for it six days called to Moshe on the seventh day from the midst of the clouds. These what we're referring to here is the first seven days of the 40-day period that Moshe was on the on the mountain. Our rabbis have a dispute about what's going on over here. Which six days are we referring to? Some of them say some say this is the first six days from the first of until this until the day of the Torah which then it says that the cloud covered the mountain. There are others that say that this is the other six days the days the first six of the 40 days. And he called Moshe on the seventh day to tell him the ten commandments. All Mosha and all the according to the opinion that we said before that all the Jewish people that the Torah was given on the seventh of all the Jewish people and Moshe were standing there to receive the Torah. The Torah gives honor and respect to Moshe and therefore only Mosha mentions Mosha's name. Now to the second opinion that we mentioned before which six days are we referring to? shamed him. Some people say on when was the cloud covered six days after the ten commandments were given. This was done in the first 40 days of Moshe going up to the mountain is to accept the ten commandments and it's coming to teach us any person would go into the camp of the divine presence. For example, like the high priest who would go into the holy temple on Yamkipur torish needed six days of separation before you can go into the holy place. That's why the high priest on Yamiper also a week before Yamiper was separated. So to over here Moshe for six days prior going into the cloud and where the cloud covered was for six days and only then did he continue on and did God call him. Verse 17. And the eyes of what the Jewish people saw, what they v what they envisioned was as follows. The appearance of the glory of God was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain. That's what the Jewish people saw from the bottom of the mountain. Rashim and Moshe then entered into the cloud into the small cloud and he ascended to the top of the mountain was on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. This cloud was like a cloud of smoke. God did this. God made a path that he should be able to walk through without being hurt or affected by the smoke and the cloud that was there. This concludes the seventh Torah reading of