Genesis 48,20. “He blessed them on that day, saying: may G’d make you like Ephrayim and Menashe; he positioned Ephrayim (the younger) in front of Menashe.”Before commenting on this verse, let us first explain a puzzling passage in the Talmud Megillah, 15. The Talmud invites the reader to note that G’d’s way of doing (relating to) things is radically different from the way human beings do (relate to) things. A human being is in the habit of putting the pot on the stove before pouring water into it, whereas G’d first pours water into it before putting it on the stove to boil. The Talmud “illustrates” this by quoting Jeremiah 10,13 לקול תתו המון מים בשמים, “when He makes His voice heard there is rumbling of water in the heavens.” We have explained this in connection with Exodus 15,26 כל המחלה אשר שמתי במצרים לא אשים עליך כי אני ה' רופאך, “all the diseases that I brought upon Egypt I will not bring upon you, for I am the Lord your Healer.” We derive the rule that G’d arranges for the recovery before He brings on the plague from the above verse, where G’d describes Himself as our Healer prior to our having been smitten with any disease. When G’d brings on troubles to “good” Jews, the reason is only in order to make the victim aware of Who it is Who orchestrates his being saved from the consequences of disease or other troubles. Our author understands the word מחלה as an activity, not a state of being passively sick, as is the customary translation [The first letter מ is indicative of the person or cause who brings on the disease. Ed.] In other words, G’d is saying that the חולי, disease, that He brought upon the Egyptians, He will not bring upon the Israelites as even if the Israelites were to be struck by disease, the purpose would be a constructive one, namely to teach them Who will save them. In order for man, especially the Jewish man, to become a vessel fit to benefit fully from G’d’s kindness, largesse, etc., this vessel first has to undergo preparatory stages. Just as if one wants to convert a small vessel into a big vessel one first has to break up the small vessel, so G’d, in order to achieve the proper influence on the human being He desires to elevate, i.e. to make a “bigger” human being out of him, has to afflict him first with חולי, a disease, or its equivalent. In the above quoted parable with the pot and the water to be boiled in it, the disease is called “the pot,“ and the “water” represents the deeds of loving kindness bestowed on the individual or community by G’d. In other words, G’d first supplies the materials that will refine the human beings, and only then will He bestow the gifts testifying to His loving kindness, when the recipient will not let those gifts go to waste. The result will be a more mature and insightful personality.The foregoing introduction will help the reader understand that the Torah writing that Yaakov placed Ephrayim, although the younger brother, in front of his older brother Menashe, was not another example of Yaakov showing preference for one of his grandchildren at the expense of the other grandchild, as he had done once when he showed preference for his son Joseph with almost tragic and irreversible consequences. There was no need for the Torah to repeat this aspect, as it had already told us that Yaakov had been adamant in placing his right hand on Ephrayim, the younger of the brothers in verses 13-15. The Torah uses the “names” of the two sons of Joseph to illustrate the point made in the parable in the Talmud in Megillah 15. When Menashe was born, (Genesis 41,51) the Torah quotes Joseph as referring to the trials and tribulations he had undergone before becoming ruler in Egypt, i.e. כי נשני אלוקים, ”G’d has made me ‘pay my dues’”, a reference to the troubles he had endured, whereas when naming his second son, Joseph speaks only about the manifestly positive experiences that had followed his painful experiences, i.e. כי הפרני אלוקים, “for G’d has made me fruitful, etc.” When the Torah describes Yaakov as positioning Ephrayim ahead of Menashe, this reflects that both he and Joseph were aware by now that any trials and tribulations were meant to help bring about the ultimate good that is perceived as such. In other words, “G’d sends the cure before He inflicts the disease,” He does not have to search for it after the disease is already ravaging the patient. The experiences of both Yaakov and Joseph foreshadow the experiences of the Jewish people. Genesis 49,2. “gather around sons of Yaakov, and listen to Yisrael your father.” In order to understand why Yaakov appears to repeat himself, we must first turn to the Zohar III 196. With reference to Isaiah 50,10 מי בכם ירא ה' שומע בקול עבדו אשר הלך בחשכים ואין נגה לו יבטח בשם הה' וישען באלוקיו?, “Who amongst you that obeys the voice of His servant that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of Hashem and rely upon Elokim.” What is the meaning of the words: “that obeys the voice of His servant” in this verse? It has been explained that this is the tzaddik who offers prayers every day. He is therefore so familiar in those regions that if he fails to come to the synagogue for a single day, enquiries are made in heaven concerning why he has not appeared. Still, this does not explain the meaning of the words: “that obeys the voice of His servant?” Whose voice is that? If you were to say that “His servant” refers to a prophet or some other person, what is the relation between some other person and the prayer? G’d is perceived as listening, i.e. responding positively, to those who are truly His servants. When the Israelites are in a state of grace, זכאין, when they all gather together they can hear heavenly voices proclaiming that these are the sons of precious Yaakov and that therefore they deserve a hearing. When Yaakov appears to be repeating himself, this is not quite so; in effect he is encouraging his sons to not only be the sons of Yaakov, but to listen to him in his capacity of Yisrael, i.e. to rise to a higher spiritual level than that they had been on up until this moment. If they would be able to do this, they would indeed hear from his lips prophetic words concerning their future, words that would reveal to them some secrets about the prelude to the ultimate redemption of the Jewish people. Genesis 49,4. “unstable as water, you will not enjoy the additional portion due to the firstborn;” How could Yaakov deliberately ignore the commandment not to deprive even the son of a wife who was hated of the rights accruing to him as a firstborn? (Deut. 21,17) Nachmanides writes concerning this problem that Yaakov penalized Reuven in accordance with the nature of his sin. Personally, I believe that Yaakov saw in his prophetic vision of the future what the Torah calls גוי וקהל גויים, “a nation and a community of nations,” (Genesis 35,11) a promise made to him by G’d at a time when he personally had concluded siring children, that another two tribes would become part of the Jewish people, so that in order for the number of tribes not to exceed the number 12, “something had to give.” He had not been aware that these two “tribes” would not be sons, but grandsons of his. The only way he was able to explain G’d’s promise of two more tribes was by assuming that an existing one would prove unworthy. Genesis 49,8. “You, o Yehudah, your brothers shall praise;” The word אתה at the beginning of this verse poses a problem. Our author directs the reader to look at Kings I 18,36-37 where the prophet Elijah repeatedly prefaces part of his prayer by addressing G’d in direct speech, i.e. with the word אתה, “You.” The whole idea of a creature addressing the King of the universe with the word אתה “YOU,” as we do in our daily prayers, i.e. ברוך אתה ה' וגו', is hard to understand for us who would not dare to address a mortal king in such familiar, almost insulting language. Another way of understanding the word אתה, at the beginning of this blessing, is the fact that when a person approaches the King of the universe in prayer, (עמידה) before doing so he must overcome the trepidation felt by any creature at the very thought of facing his Creator. He must summon the unshakable faith that this Creator does not relate to him as someone irrelevant, deserving to be despised, as otherwise how can he hope that his prayer will be effective? This is especially so, as he himself immediately begins to extol the attributes of G’d, referring to Him as הגדול, הגבור, הנורא, וגו', “the great One, the Mighty One, the awesome One, etc;”- although all this praise is due to G’d and is expressed for Him by His people, the words uttered by His people are precious in His eyes, even the simplest and least educated of His people is granted this “familiarity” with his G’d of addressing Him as if He were his most intimate friend, by using the form of address one uses when speaking to one’s closest friends. It is appropriate that each one of us be aware before beginning to recite our prayers in what a privileged position G’d has placed us by being willing to listen to our prayers. A person must not be misled into thinking that if he is so dear to his G’d, why does he have to pray to Him at all? We should reflect on the millions of angels that G’d has at His beck and call. According to our sages each angel is equivalent to one third of the world, and yet they are like a single kernel of mustard before a single angel called אופן, a group of angels which in turn is very inferior to the Chayot, (a superior group of angels) all of whom do not even know where G’d has His locale, i.e. איה מקום כבודו).If only we would pay attention to what our lips recite daily! [in the yotzer or prayer before the kriyat sh’ma, when we recite how beloved these angels are of G’d. Ed.] Nonetheless, these angels are portrayed as being in a constant state of awe before the Lord, whereas we human beings adopt an almost irreverent attitude vis a vis the Creator although we are sinful, whereas our counter parts in heaven have not committed any sins for which to reproach themselves. We should be in a state of trembling at the mere thought of Him to Whom we direct our prayers. Even if we have done so during our prayers, we would be well advised to reflect on the enormity that we expect G’d in Heaven to listen to our prayers and to concern Himself with our individual problems. How can we arrogate to ourselves the right to engage in meaningless conversations, passing the time of day in chit chat, as if life did not present us with daunting challenges, the greatest of these being how to effectively serve our Creator! If we keep reflecting on all these points it becomes more realistic to hope that G’d will indeed accept not only our expressions of admiration and gratitude but also our requests, with favour. Thoughts such as the above are expressed in a liturgical poem recited on Yom Kippur beginning with the words אשר אומץ תהלתך,“ continuing in the second verse responsively with ורצית שבח. The thrust of the author’s poem is that although the greatness of G’d’s reputation is proclaimed ceaselessly by His angels, He nonetheless desires the praise offered by His creatures on earth. There is a similar poem also in the Mussaph service of Yom Kippur. The composers of these stanzas pay tribute to the great love G’d has for us, His people.Another example of this feeling of G’d for us is found in psalms 122,8 למען אחי ורעי אדברה נא שלום בך, “for the sake of My brothers and friends I pray for your well being;” in this hymn the holy spirit speaking as G’d’s voice refers to the Jewish people as G’d’s “brothers.” When such a relationship between G’d and His people has been documented, it is not surprising that we address Him in the otherwise overly familiar personal pronoun אתה. Turning our attention now to the words: יודוך אחיך, “your brothers will praise you,” in Yaakov’s blessing of Yehudah, what precisely did his brothers have to praise him for? We may use this line to explain a statement in the Talmud B’rachot 12 where we are told that a person reciting the amidah prayer is to bend his knee when reciting the word ברוך whereas he is to stand upright again by the time he reaches the name of G’d in the same benediction, seeing that he has performed two distinctly different forms of service of G’d by doing so. By standing upright when pronouncing the name of the Lord, he has implicitly acknowledged that it is G’d Who enables the ones who were doubled over to stand straight again, זוקף כפופים. By bending the knee when pronouncing the words ברוך אתה, the same worshipper alluded to the greatness of the Creator, His superior wisdom, etc., etc. According to our author, the symbolism represented by serving the Lord while bending one’s knee or while standing “at attention,” reflects different reasons of why a servant (who has not been compelled by external pressure) serves his master. The servant may see in his master a superior being from whom he daily learns more and more by merely remaining in his proximity, not receiving formal instructions. A servant motivated by such considerations will, of course, “stand at attention,” זוקף, to demonstrate his high regard for the moral and intellectual superiority of his master. Such a servant will be in a constant state of exhilaration that he has been fortunate to have found such a master, and he will consider himself lucky to be the beneficiary of having his master as a model to emulate. The second motivation for serving a master voluntarily, for an indefinite period of time, is a feeling of relative impotence, dependence on the master’s generosity and largesse; when serving one’s master because of these considerations, the servant bending his knee, indicates to his master that he is loyal and true. Every Torah-observant Jew combines in his service of the Lord both the considerations that we have outlined, hence it is not surprising that we combine both a posture of subservience and one of reflecting our admiration of the master, i.e. “standing at attention,” when reciting our major prayer three times daily. [I have used some of my own words in this section of the author’s commentary. Ed.]Going back to the author’s words, he sees in bending one’s knee a symbol of emanations from the higher to the lower regions, whereas he considers assuming an upright position as a symbol of the heavenly input the knee-bending worshipper has received, which now enables him to face the world around him encouraged by the fact that G’d has responded positively to his attempt to serve Him. This response from G’d confirms and strengthens the worshipper and enables him to serve the Lord with even greater enthusiasm than he had done previously. The השלכות, effects, of this kind of serving the Lord, range far and wide, like the ripples made on the surface of a lake when you throw a stone into it keep expanding ever further in all directions.There is still another method of serving the Lord, a spiritual level higher than the ones we discussed up to now. The two types of service of the Lord discussed, contained elements of the worshipper or servant respectively, expecting or at least hoping, to derive physical or spiritual benefit or both from his efforts. The latter type of serving the Lord, by contrast, is concerned exclusively with the “servant” aiming to please the Creator; he is completely oblivious to the possibility that as a result of his service he might personally derive some benefit, be it in the physical or the spiritual sphere. The basic difference between the former kind of “service” and the type mentioned last, is that the former aim at drawing G’d’s largesse, be it physical or spiritual in nature down into the worshipper’s region of the universe, bringing G’d into our domain. The latter type of worshipper aims exclusively at elevating himself, so that he will come closer to the celestial regions of the world. It is quite likely that the statement from the Talmud B’rachot about when to bend the knee and how soon to adopt an upright position was meant to teach us the difference between these two types of aims a worshipper should have in mind. Granted that being in our physical domain on earth, it is natural that we wish to draw down to our sphere some of the spiritual values apparently reserved only for residents in the celestial regions. Once we have done this, however, it is up to us to try and become ever closer to the beings that inhabit these celestial regions; by adopting an upright posture we are as it were pointing ourselves heavenward. According to our author this is what Yaakov hints at when he tells Yehudah: ידך בעורף אויביך ישתחוו לך בני אביך, “your hand is at the neck of your enemies, so that the sons of your father will gladly bow down before you.” The word “אביך,” in this line refers, of course, to “your Father in heaven.” Yehudah is to show the way in how to serve the Lord by aiming solely at elevating oneself to ever higher spiritual levels. Genesis 49,9., “Yehudah is like a lion’s whelp; you have grown from merely capturing prey, my son.” Rashi’s commentary on this verse draws attention to the fact that in the first half Yehudah is described as גור אריה, “an immature lion”, (as in Samuel II,5,2 describing David, while King Sha-ul was still alive, whereas later on when he was on the throne he is described as אריה, a fully mature lion). We have explained repeatedly, that the principal purpose of the Jewish people having been sent into exile is to “save” some of the “sparks” that had descended from the “Shechinah” so that they could return to their celestial habitat. [Compare reference to this concept on pages 21-22. Ed.] As soon as this purpose of the exile will have been accomplished, and, as a result, evil will have been expunged from our regions, seeing that had it not been for Adam’s sin, it would never have been possible to feel “at home” on earth, the final redemption will follow in its wake. An alternate explanation of the line commencing with: גור אריה יהודה מטרף בני עלית. We base this on a statement of our sages in Midot 4,7 where the Mishnah says: “just as a lion is broad in front and narrow in its rear, so the main structure of the Holy Temple, the one known as היכל, Sanctuary, was broad at its entrance, whereas the two Sanctuaries, including the קדשי קדשים at the rear of the structure, was narrow.” The symbolism derived from this appearance of the Temple is that when G’d appears to shower the gentile nations with all kinds of material blessings, the reason is that He wishes to reward them for whatever good they have done while on earth before they die, so that He does not have to recompense them in the Hereafter. The very opposite is the case in G’d’s relations with the Jewish people. G’d wishes to store up as much of the reward due to his faithful Jews for the Hereafter as is compatible with their lives on earth remaining tolerable. When Yaakov says to Yehudah that he had arisen, i.e. done repentance from his misguided treatment of his brother Joseph whom he had treated as if he were the loot captured in a hunt, this assured him of ample reward in the hereafter. We have confirmation of that concept when the Talmud in B’rachot 34 states that the ethical platform occupied by repentant sinners is far higher than the platform occupied by people who have never sinned, and who therefore never had to repent. Another approach to understanding Yaakov’s parable when blessing his son Yehudah: Proceeding from the premise of the Talmud Pessachim 87 that the purpose of the Israelites being exiled was to “save” the valuable gentiles from their impending fate, (no afterlife) through his descendants converting them to Judaism, Yaakov, in this unusually phrased blessing, alluded to the fact that his descendants’ exile to Egypt was intended to “rescue” the “sparks” that had descended [been exiled to earth, would be more appropriate] from the Shechinah, [a concept the author has discussed repeatedly. Ed.]. The redemption of the people under the leadership of Moses would be the catalyst bringing all this about.[If Rabbi Eleazar, the author of this statement in the Talmud, is correct, why did G’d blame Moses for converting the mixed multitude, by saying to him: שחת עמך, “your people have become corrupt?” Ed.]?Solomon’s period, when the Temple was built, was perceived as a period when all the “sparks” had returned to their rightful place in heaven and that is the reason why no more converts were accepted in his time. (Yevamot 24) [The statement there in the Talmud that in the days of the Messiah converts are not accepted, does not refer to the Messiah only, but means that when the fortunes of the Jewish people are on the rise, converts are not accepted as their motivations are suspect, i.e. they wish to share the good fortune in store for the Jews. Ed.] The words גור אריה יהודה מטרף בני עלית, would refer to the period of the expansion of the Jewish Kingdom under David and subsequently Solomon, when no converts would be accepted either. If one did not accept converts then, it is clear that when the final redemption comes one will not accept converts either. The word “Yehudah” in Yaakov’s blessing is therefore a reference to the entire Jewish people in their ascendancy. Genesis 49,12. “his eyes are darker red than wine; his teeth are whiter than milk.” [These words clearly are hyperbole, as Yaakov on his deathbed would not indulge in poetry for poetry’s sake. Ed.] It is an accepted principle that when a human being (Torah observant Jew) is desirous of obtaining the material blessings of this world, he is immediately overcome by the realization that in return for receiving such blessings he must intensify his attachment, דבקות, to his Creator Who has provided these blessings for him. Yaakov attempts to put the mind of such people at ease, basing himself on the statement in the Talmud Pessachim 112, that even though the calf is very anxious to drink from the milk of its mother, the mother cow is even more anxious to supply the calf with its milk. In this parable the “calf” is the Israelite, and the “mother cow” is the provider of the milk, i.e. G’d. Yaakov describes the overwhelming desire of G’d to bestow His largesse on His people. The satisfaction G’d derives from being able to do this for His “children,” exceeds even the joy of His children when receiving all these blessings. Genesis 49,14-15. “Issachar is a strong-boned donkey;” Yaakov sees in the name יששכר which contains the word שכר, “reward,” an allusion to the relationship between the body’s exertion in fulfilling the commandments on the one hand, and the spiritual reward resulting from this, on the other. The body pulls in one direction, earthward, whereas the reward compensates by pulling in the opposite direction, i.e. heaven-oriented. Another explanation of this blessing and the hyperbole employed by Yaakov looks at the entire blessing as a single message; יששכר חמר גרם רבץ בין המשפתים וירא מנוחה כי טוב ואת הארץ כי נעמה ויט שכמו לסבול ויהי למס עובד, ”Yissachar is a bony donkey crouching between sheepfolds, He saw that repose is good and that his land is pleasant, so he bent his shoulders to bear and became a toiling servant.When a person contemplates what is involved in serving Hashem, he is in a kind of mental turmoil as long as he has not formulated his thoughts into words. Once he has formulated his thoughts into words, he finds some “rest,” his mental turmoil subsides. The word יששכר in our verse alludes to the mental turmoil prior to the thoughts becoming organized into words, whereas the words רבץ בין המפתים, refer to the rest attained once these thoughts have been formulated to be contained within recognizable boundaries, words being the boundaries within which one’s thoughts are now contained, i.e. משפתים,”sheep-fold.” This latter word is similar to שפתים, “lips,” alluding to the spoken word so that what follows is a mind that is at rest, i.e. וירא מנוחה כי טוב, “he saw that ‘rest’ is a good feeling.” Another explanation of the simile חמור גרם; the principal reward that accrues to a person is due to the fact that since he had trained himself to give in to the physical demands made upon by his body [seeing that his evil urge was born with him, whereas the good urge only became part of him when he was thirteen years old, Ed.] from his earliest youth. He therefore had to overcome tremendous resistance by the evil urge once he started to resist these urges, and instead concentrated on serving G’d. This is hinted at in the very letters of the name יששכר, which may be read as יש שכר, “there is a reward (in store).” The word חמור is clearly reminding us of חומר i.e. חומריות, “preoccupation with purely physical concerns.” If man had not been exposed to the demands made upon him by physical greed and lust, how could he expect a reward for having overcome and abandoned those desires? Genesis 49,19. “Gad shall be raided by raiders, but he shall raid at their heels.” We can best understand this blessing by referring to the Talmud shabbat 151 where we are told that when human beings demonstrate that they are merciful to G’d’s creatures, G’d in turn will have mercy on them.” Man’s actions trigger responses in heaven; in this instance, positive responses. What possible example of Gad’s having preformed acts of mercy do we know of? We have learned on folio 104 of the tractate Shabbat that the very sequence of the letters ג and ד which make up Gad’s name are an acronym meaning גומל דלים, “relating with loving kindness to the poor.” When a person deals charitably with the poor and he expects that G’d will in turn reward him for this by causing him to forget about the impending reward at the time the charitable deed is performed, so that this person has attained an even higher spiritual level thereby. Yaakov alludes to this when saying words which at first glance sound as if he is repeating himself, whereas actually he hints that certain actions inspired by one consideration may prove to be even more profitable (spiritually) when carried out altogether altruistically. The word עקב in our verse may be understood as in Deut. 7,12 והיה עקב תשמעון, “it will be as a result (automatic) of your hearkening to G’ds laws, etc.” In that verse G’d promises that He will honour the terms of His covenant with the Jewish people. The word גוד may be related to Daniel 4,11 (Aramaic) גודו אילנא, “cut down the tree,” i.e. when the Jewish people perform deeds of loving kindness their enemies will be cut down by G’d. According to Targum Onkelos on Deut.7,12 who renders עקב תשמעון as חלף תקבלון, “what you will receive in exchange,” this is what is meant in our verse as יגוד, “as reward for forgetting about any reward”. Another approach to גד גדוד וגו': just as we are advised in Baba Batra 10 to give charity before commencing our prayers so that the effect of this good deed will help to open the gates of heaven to our prayers, i.e. to destroy the קליפות, kabbalistic term for “obstacles,” that are between us and our Father in heaven, so the quality of our prayers will improve and eliminate the basic division between us mortal beings and G’d’s immortality. The wordגד would symbolise the dispensing of charity, the words גדוד יגודנו, the effect this has in breaking down the barriers between man and G’d, and the words יגוד עקב, would describe this barrier being broken enabling the worshipper to attach himself more firmly to the אין סוף, the eternal aspect of G’d. Yet another interpretation of our verse proceeds from the premise that the donor benefits more from his generous deed than the recipient of the charity dispensed by him. (Based on Vayikra Rabbah 34,8) When reflecting on man’s condition vis a vis G’d, man, especially when presenting his requests to G’d in his prayers, is like the beggar asking the rich man for a handout. David described this in psalms 102,1 when he says: תפלה לעני כי-יעטוף ולפני ה' ישפוך שיחו, “a prayer of the lowly man when he is faint and pours out his plea before the Lord”. The psalmist’s message is that when man thinks of himself as important, this triggers Satan into presenting the heavenly tribunal with a list of his shortcomings, failings, etc. Not only that, his arrogance will prevent his prayers from being able to tear down the barriers between him and G’d, seeing G’d hates nothing more than arrogance. When he humbles himself however, considering himself as if he were a beggar, he will be able to ascend all the rungs of the spiritual ladder so that he can scale whatever wall separated him from His Father in heaven. In the words of Yaakov, when גד acts as a donor, גד גדוד יגודנו, he can conquer like a regiment, גדוד, any obstacles that would prevent his prayers from reaching G’d’s throne. He can reach the ultimate rung of that ladder, the one known as עקב. Genesis 49,20. “Asher’s bread shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.” [Our author sees in these banal sounding words of Yaakov an allusion to something on a far loftier level; Ed.] Looking forward to a state of the nation on a far higher spiritual level, Yaakov uses a simile familiar to earth-bound people in order to allude to loftier concepts. The greatest satisfaction, pleasure, a human being whose primary occupation is to serve his Creator can experience, is that his Creator is pleased by his efforts. Yaakov foresees that the tribe of Asher, collectively, will succeed in attaining such an objective. He expresses it by foreseeing Asher as “serving delicacies to the King of Kings.” A different explanation of Asher’s blessing; the highest achievement a G’d-serving person can look forward to is to be granted the privilege to contemplate G’d’s greatness visually, i.e. with his mind’s eye. [This editor is reminded of Exodus 24,11 where the spiritual nobility of the Jewish people are described as ויחזו את האלוקים, ‘they experienced as intense a revelation of G’d as if they had seen Him with their eyes.’” (my translation) Ed.] It is our experience in life that however powerful and overwhelming an experience we are privy to, this will gradually pale into relative insignificance when we experience that same phenomenon again and again. [The example I quoted illustrates this; according to our sages, seeing that Nadav and Avihu, based on the Torah’s description in Exodus 24, continued their “business as usual” daily routine in spite of having been privileged to witness such revelations. Ed.] A third approach to Asher‘s blessing: The author quotes his sainted teacher, Rabbi Dov Baer from Mezeritsch, as explaining to him Isaiah 61,10 שוש אשיש בה תגל נפשי באלוקי', normally translated as “I greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being exults in my G’d,” as meaning that the prophet proclaims that he rejoices over having been privileged to experience visions of Hashem, and to have been chosen to serve Him in a way that only few people have been privileged to do. Our author proceeds to apply this thought to Yaakov’s saying about Asher that מאשר שמנה לחמו, “Asher will be a terrestrial example of well being that will serve as inspiration for the well being expected to be experienced by people serving the Lord.” People will appreciate that the very fact that they are allowed to serve the Lord is reason to be filled with joy and ecstasy. Still another angle from which to view Yaakov’s blessing for Asher. The author, quoting the opening lines of Song of Songs, שיר השירים אשר לשלמה ישקני מנשיקות פיהו כי טובים דודיך מיין “The Song of Songs by Solomon; oh give me the kisses of your mouth, for your love is more delightful than wine.” Solomon juxtaposes two different types of service of G’d. There are people who serve the Lord from an innate feeling of love for G’d, Who, in His love for us has agreed to use us as His servants, (in spite of our many shortcomings). These people are overwhelmed by the fact that Hashem even rewards us generously for our service, far beyond anything we have a right to expect. (Compare B’rachot 34). While at first glance this type of service of the Lord is of the highest level, neither resulting from fear of punishment for transgressions, nor seeking reward, there is a level of serving G’d which is an even higher plane than the level based on love of Hashem. This is a level of serving G’d in which the servant is totally unaware, and therefore unappreciative of, any reward. This service of Hashem flows from sheer gratitude that Hashem has chosen us to be His special people, period. Yaakov alludes to this kind of service of the Lord when he formulated the blessing for his son Asher. Genesis 49,21. “Naftali is a hind let loose, which yields word of praise.” It is an accepted rule that When G’d displays that He has faith in one of His creatures, that creature responds by composing poetry extolling Him, thanking Him. It is also well known that the word רגלים also means אמונה, “faith,” as we know from the writings of the Ari’zal. When Yaakov describes Naftali as comparable to a hind let loose, i.e. let loose to use its legs to roam afar, this is also a sign of its confidence, faith. Confidence is invariably the result of profound faith in G’d. The results of this confidence/faith are the hymns of faith extolling G’d’s many attributes composed by such people. It is this that inspired the author of Targum Yonathan to inform us that the tribe of Naftali produced many poets who extolled Hashem in their poems and hymns. Genesis 49,22. “Joseph is a fruitful bough…….on the brow of the elect of his brothers.” The blessing of Joseph reflects that he is not exactly like any of the other tribes since his sons Menashe and Ephrayim were both counted as separate tribes. Joseph himself was described not as much as a son of Yaakov but as the father of Menashe and Ephrayim. This is why Yaakov adds as part of defining him the words נזיר אחיו, “the elect of his brothers.” His sons were included in the roster of the tribes in his place. Genesis 49:22 “maidens stepped atop the wall.” This is a veiled allusion to the tradition that Joseph was immune to the “evil eye,” the reason being that he himself never was guilty of using the evil eye against anyone. [I am not certain that I conveyed the words of the author correctly in this instance. Ed.] Genesis 49,27. “Binyamin is a wolf that tears his booty; in the morning he consumes his portion whereas by evening he will share out the loot.” We observe that as a rule persons who focus only on how to serve Hashem better will derive their principal pleasure/satisfaction from the very fact that they had succeeded in pleasing their Creator. If their concentration while serving G’d was not so single-minded that they could eliminate any other concerns, then they most likely think of G’d sharing out His bounty among all their peers in all directions of the globe. A single-minded focus on serving the Lord is called בוקר, “morning,” whereas a not so single-minded focus is described as ערב, “evening.” [The word ערב implies a mixture of light and darkness, so that it fits a person who divides his focus among different objectives. Ed.] The author sees in the word עד in our verse a reference to עדי, jewelry, as in Jeremiah 14,10, or בעדי עדיים, Ezekiel 16,7 where it traditionally applies to a woman’s budding breasts as her most appealing feature. At any rate the word applies to items causing pleasure in the onlooker. Undivided focus on serving the Lord i.e. בוקר, affords the worshipper greater pleasure than divided focus, ערב. In the portion of וזאת הברכה, where Moses bestows his final blessing on the people before his death, the blessing for Shimon is included in his blessing for Yehudah, seeing that Yaakov had not seen fit to bless him on account of his part in the sale of Joseph as mentioned in parshat Vayechi by Yaakov. The reason that Shimon and Levi were singled out for not receiving their share of the blessings was their share in the sale of Joseph. Actually they became involved in that unfortunate occurrence because Joseph had singled them out to tell them (boastfully) of his dreams, especially his aspirations to become king. Shimon and Levi had not opposed the idea of the tribes needing a king, but had preferred that the king should be Yehudah, i.e. a descendant of his. History proved them quite correct as the dynasty of David became the Royal dynasty, whereas kings from the tribe of Joseph ruled only in Egypt, over Egyptians primarily, and even King Sha’ul, though descended from Rachel, was not a descendant of Joseph. [The kingdom under Jerobam, a descendant of Joseph from Ephrayim, over the ten tribes does not count, as he had split the nation. Ed.]Considering this, Moses included the blessing of Shimon as a sub-heading under the general heading of Yehudah’s blessing. By doing so he enabled the descendants of Shimon not to feel embarrassed, as their purpose in selling Joseph had been to ensure that Yehudah would be able to assume the role G’d had intended for him, i.e. (his) and Levi’s actions had been well intentioned. Moses did bless the tribe of Levi independently, specifically, -although Yaakov had not blessed that tribe- on account of the characteristic described in Moses’ blessing of his not “recognizing his father or his mother or even his brothers.” (Deut. 33,9) This somewhat enigmatic statement referred to the tribe of Levi having demonstrated a superior loyalty to G’d during the episode of the golden calf, when, if even the closest family member would have been found guilty of worshipping that idol they would not have hesitated executing him. (Exodus 32,28 as interpreted in Sotah 8) We are told there that a person is accorded treatment commensurate with the treatment he meted out to others. This means that the tribe of Levi had to be given recognition for their loyalty to G’d by being blessed by Moses outright and not only indirectly as was his brother Shimon. [After all, had it not been for Moses’ having converted the mixed multitude without first obtaining G’d’s consent, the whole debacle of the golden calf might have been avoided. Ed.]At this point our author continues with Moses’ blessing of the tribes in Deut. 33, explaining the introductory word וזאת used by Moses in Deut. 33,7. [I do not understand why the publishers of these volumes have not seen fit to append what follows in its appropriate place, i.e. the commentary on וזאת הברכה. Perhaps the reason is that after the presentation of the author’s commentary on Parshat Nitzavim, no systematic commentary on the final 3 portions of the Torah follows; for reasons I am not familiar with; the publisher may therefore have decided to append these Deut. 33,7 וזאת, “and this, etc.” Ed.] In order to understand why Moses commences with the word וזאת, when commencing with Yehudah’s blessing, instead of simply commencing with: וליהודה, as he did when commencing the blessing of Levi or Joseph or Zevulun, etc., the author refers us to a verse in psalms 45,10 נצבה שגל לימינך בכתם אופיר, “the consort stands at your right hand, decked in gold of Ophir.”This verse, or section of it, is discussed at length in Rosh Hashanah 4. The Talmud says that - [after discussing the meaning of the word שגל, or משגל, usually an uncouth term used by common people when speaking of sexual intercourse, Ed.]- the psalmist does indeed refer to a description of carnality committed with an animal, (female). When the sages of the Talmud react to this by asking how these words of the psalmist could then be interpreted as a welcome message, the answer given is that the prophet is telling the Jewish people that as a reward for their intense love of Torah, a love which if expressed in physical terms would be as intense as that experienced when gentiles climax in the sexual act, they would merit a similar proximity to G’d and would be treasured by Him as a husband who treasures his wife.It is still difficult to understand why the Talmud chose precisely intensive Torah study as warranting this kind of reward, when there are many other cravings human beings experience that are as dear to them as indulging in the sexual act?The answer is that by loving Torah, i.e. serving the One and only Creator, the observant Jew has demonstrated that rather than to be become addicted to some other less dominating influence, he has been intelligent enough to choose to become “addicted” to the King of Kings, instead of settling for second or third best. All other “ideals,” “deities,” “powers,” are transient, bound to disappear sooner or later, whereas G’d is both the origin, the purpose, and the meaningful content of all existence. Moreover, assuming one has craved for some other thing that people develop a craving for, and one has achieved an outstanding record of achievement in one’s chosen field, in the end one has achieved mastery in only one isolated field of human endeavor. Becoming a Talmid Chacham by applying oneself with the same devotion and singularity of purpose to Torah, results in one’s having mastered every discipline, for of Torah it is said that הפוך בה והפוך בה כי כולה בה, “keep turning over its pages again and again for everything you search for is contained in it.” (Avot end chapter 5) Seeing that this is so, true Torah study, when it is the result of a craving for getting closer to G’d, is the high road to succeeding in subduing all one’s cravings, as they are all inspired by the evil urge.Although the path to G’d we have just described is a good path, it does not constitute the essence of true service of the Creator. The reason is that the person pursuing this path is still, in a manner of speaking, serving “himself,” i.e. with an ulterior motive, however noble that motive may be.The truest service of the Lord is when one is concerned not with deriving pleasure- even spiritual pleasure from having done one’s duty- but when one’s sole purpose is to provide pleasure or its equivalent in celestial terms, to the Creator. The Creator is to derive satisfaction from His creature’s free willed actions, or in the words of Solomon in Proverbs 23,15:בני אם חכם לבך ישמח לבי גם אני, “My son, if your heart is wise, My heart too will be gladdened;” or in the words of the psalmist 104,31 ישמח ה' במעשיו , “may the Lord rejoice in His creatures’ deeds.” As a result of the Creator being pleased with the person serving Him in such a fashion, He, in turn will “play” with him much as a father plays with his children. This is the meaning of the verses quoted from Proverbs and psalms.Indulging the various cravings available here on earth results in the person doing so receiving satisfaction, i.e. being turned into a recipient. At the same time man is aware that all such pleasures received on earth are transient in nature and will evaporate into nothingness, eventually.The same is not the case when one indulges in marital intercourse with a view to producing offspring, posterity, that will replace the party doing so on earth after he has died. The male impregnating the female with his semen has become a “donor” at the very moment when he experiences fulfillment of his own sexual craving. The recipient is the woman in whom his seed has been implanted. To a certain extent, the husband experiences what G’d experiences when He is being worshipped on the highest level, as he has the satisfaction of providing his mate with pleasure. This is what the Talmud had in mind when it compared the sexual act to the manner in which G’d craves the service of His creature, man, through Torah study. The Talmud wanted to stress the point that man, though merely a creature, is able to become a “donor,” when serving G’d. [This is a revolutionary concept, as we usually view ourselves as recipients of His largesse, especially so, as the relationship between us and our Creator is normally described as that of חתן andכלה , the creature being the כלה, the female of the “team,” i.e. at the receiving end. Ed.]The Talmud describes how it is possible for Jews to sublimate something that when done by the gentiles is merely something physical, though also the male pagan is a donor when he provides his wife with physical satisfaction; however, since the metaphysical element is completely lacking in what the pagans do, even their most well intentioned efforts to please their partners are ultimately doomed to become extinguished, [as our sages have stated so eloquently when they referred to the letters י and ה respectively in the definition of איש and אישה as being what separates a true Jewish individual, as opposed to males and females of the gentiles in whom carnal desire ends up as being destructive fire, אש. Ed.]This is also how the Talmud in Shabbat 140B in which Rav Chisda is reported as teaching his daughters ways of chastity is to be understood. He told his daughters to practice chastity even in their dealings with their husbands, such as not eating bread in front of their husbands, as they might be perceived as being too ravenous. This would revolt their husbands. Similarly, they were to be careful not to eat vegetables at night (evening) as this leaves an unpleasant odour coming from their mouths. Neither were they to eat dates or drink beer in the evening as this would lead to diarrhea. Also, when someone knocks on the door of their houses, asking to be allowed to enter, they should not ask מי הוא, “who is it?”, in the masculine mode but מי היא, “who is it,?” in the feminine mode. As a further illustration of the value of the virtue of chastity, Rav Chisda held up one hand displaying a pearl, while in the other fist he held up a clod of earth until his daughters could no longer conceal their curiosity as to what their father had concealed in the second hand (fist).When, to the dismay of his daughters, he displayed the clod of earth, he told them that their impatience to know what he had concealed in his fist was proof that people are drawn to worthless objects because they are concealed, whereas they look with disdain at precious objects, as these objects no longer arouse their curiosity. [What his daughters would conceal from their husbands for a while would intrigue their husbands, whereas what their husbands were familiar with about them would pale into insignificance. You, the reader, have no doubt noticed that Rav Chisda’s last example about “chastity” quoted in the Talmud is totally different from the previous ones, and this is what prompted our author to resort to an allegorical interpretation, as the Talmud was not meant to provide us with “tidbits” about the personal lives of our Torah scholars.Before presenting our author’s intriguing explanation, let me point out that the מאירי in his בית הבחירה on that folio in the Talmud offers a very good explanation without resorting to allegories. As his commentary had not been discovered until long after our author had died, he could not have been aware of it. Ed.] A woman is equipped with two distinct sources of providing life/nourishment. 1) The visible source, her breasts from which the infant receives its life support and which fulfils all its needs. The invisible source is her womb. Her breasts are used to dispense loving kindness, whereas her womb is the location where she receives loving kindness.If we substitute G’d as the speaker in the quotation from the Talmud of Rav Chisda to his daughters, and we see in the pearl Rav Chisda held in his hand, a simile for the manifest deeds of loving kindness performed by G’d for His creatures, this is an allusion to the first, and easy path for man to learn to serve his Creator. The impatience with which Rav Chisda’s daughters waited for their father to open his fist, represents man’s impatience for G’d to provide him with a “reason” to worship and serve Him by not merely being on the receiving end, but by being able to become “donors,” providing their Creator with satisfaction and pleasure. By providing Him with such pleasure, man also provides G’d’s celestial entourage with a measure of satisfaction.This idea has also been expressed by Hoseah 2,18 when he says concerning a time in the future: והיה ביום ההוא נאום ה' תקראי אישי ולא תקראי לי עוד בעלי, “when that day will arrive you will call Me ‘my husband,’ and you will no longer call me: ‘my Master.’” When one perceives of one’s husband as בעל, “master,” instead of as אישי, “my male counterpart,” my complement, then it is obvious that one does not perceive of oneself as a Donor, but only as a recipient. The vision of Hoseah in the verse quoted looks forward to the time when not only a few individuals are able to serve G’d in the manner described as the “second path,” i.e. unabashedly aware that they too are “donors” when serving the Lord, not only “recipients.” When we keep this point in mind we can understand the verse in Hoseah as not only referring to the relationship between husband and wife, but to the relationship between Creator and creature. The prophet implies that the “largesse” man receives from G’d is tailored to his ability to appreciate it, and to use it as a stepping-stone to improve his relationship with his Creator. [The exception, presumably, is when G’d is “forced” to recompense the wicked for the good they have done on earth, as they have no afterlife to look forward to where they can make use of their “reward.” Ed.]No two people are identical in their ability to “cope” successfully, i.e. in a manner that builds their character, with the same amount of G’d’s “largesse.” Just as a doctor does not prescribe the same dose of medicine for all of his patients, so G’d does not dispense the same amount of largesse to two people. Each one receives what G’d alone knows to be ideal for his condition. Nonetheless sometimes G’d dispenses His largesse to some people not based strictly on their deserts or ability to “digest” it constructively, but according to His independent wisdom, and the privilege He enjoys as being the creature’s “owner.” In other words, sometimes a person receives an “advance” on what he will be entitled to in the future, although he has not yet completed the preparatory steps for “deserving” what he is about to receive. This type of “advance payment” by G’d is dispensed only when the individual concerned is still on the level of serving the Lord according to what we have called “path one.” This level is known in kabbalistic parlance as עלמא דנוקבא, “the world in which the feminine element dominates,” i.e. a world dependent on external help, largesse from the Creator. Some people receive what the author calls “largesse” commensurate with the strength of a “wolf,” whereas others receive largesse according to the ability of a “lion” to make constructive use of it.Once the recipient of G’d’s largesse has “qualified” to serve the Lord according to what we called “path two,” he is not in need of further assistance. The level these people have attained is known in kabbalistic parlance as עלמא דדכורא, “the masculine domain of the world”. [Once these people have come to understand that it is possible to be a “donor” vis a vis the Creator, they would not even appreciate it if G’d would “assist” them in their quest, as they would see in such “assistance” proof of their own inadequacy. Donors, by definition, are self-propelled. The last 6 lines are not the author’s but mine. The author proceeds along a somewhat different path, as you will see forthwith. Ed.]This world of the masculine domain has been blessed by G’d with something known as כללות, a term that allows for the recipient of G’d’s largesse not to be restricted to his spiritual status. [The term כללות is not really appropriate as we no longer speak about domains in the terrestrial part of the universe. Ed.] It is a domain exclusively presided over by the אין סוף G’d in His capacity as the Eternal, unbounded by any limitations.. Seeing that this is so, anyone having secured access to this domain becomes privy to the רצון, the will of the אין סוף, a will that is not hindered from being executed by opposing forces, and he is able to achieve things in the spiritual domain that he was not able to achieve while bound by the limits of lower domains.[The author now speaks, or rather alludes, to a domain of אותיות and two tiers of domains known as אמונה which I am not familiar with. Ed.] Suffice it for the reader to remember that just as the physical universe of which the Torah speaks at the beginning of בראשית, consists of three layers, i.e. בריאה-יצירה עשיה, so the spiritual disembodied universe known as עולם האצילות, also consists of various layers, tiers. The author now reverts back to Yaakov’s blessing of Yehudah in Genesis 49,10 where Yaakov said: לא יסור שבט מיהודה ומחוקק מבין רגליו, commonly translated as: “the scepter shall not depart from Yehudah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet.” According to our author, if I understood him correctly, a King’s primary concern is the political freedom of the people under his rule and to ensure that they have adequate food supplies. Midrash Tehillim 80,2 alludes to this when it states that the provision of an adequate livelihood is more important than the provision of political freedom, גאולה, as the former is provided by G’d personally, whereas the latter has been entrusted to one of His angels. The author of the Midrash bases himself on Genesis 48,16 where Yaakov commands the “angel” who ensures political freedom, i.e. המלאך הגואל, whereas concerning the provision of adequate food supplies, i.e. livelihood, this is something that G’d personally is involved in, based on David in psalms 145,16 speaking of G’d opening His hand to all living creatures (to supply their needs). In Exodus 23,20 the Torah also writes of the angel that G’d will send ahead of the Jewish people,הנה אנכי שולח מלאך לפניך לשמרך בדרך וגו' , whereas when it came to supplying the manna, the Israelites’ food, no mention is made of an angel being involved. This is also how we must understand Song of Songs 8,10, “then I was in his eyes as someone who has found an abundance of peace.”אז הייתי בעיניו כמוצאת שלום רב. According to the Talmud Pessachim, 87 the composer, Solomon, compares the “bride,” simile for the people of Israel, as feeling secure in the house of her husband, i.e. G’d. In this verse Solomon also distinguishes between the “bride,” and her “breasts” as two different parts of herself, an allusion to the Jewish people either serving the Lord as “recipients,” or as having attained a level where they are entitled to also feel as “donors” vis a vis G’d as we have explained . The bride’s father in law’s house is a simile for the עלמא דנוקבא, whereas when mention is made by the composer of בית אביה, “her father’s house,” this is an allusion to the עלמא דדכורא, “the predominantly masculine domain in the celestial spheres.” When the “human donor” has succeeded to provide his Heavenly Father with joy through the manner in which he serves Him, then, in the words of Rav Chisda, his daughters would provide enduring joy to their husbands.Having appreciated this concept, we can also understand the verse in which גאולה, “political freedom”, as we termed it earlier, when discussing the comparison made between the relative worth of political freedom and an adequate livelihood in the two verses quoted in Midrash Tehillim, 80,2. This Midrash is based on Bereshit Rabbah 20,9 where two verses are cited, i.e. suggesting that גאולה “redemption” has to occur on two levels. Man has to be redeemed from the repercussions of Adam’s the first transgression, and we have to be redeemed collectively from the exile in which we have waited for the redeemer for 2000 years. In the book ראשית חכמה, by the famous Rabbi Eliyahu Vidash, the point is made that due to man’s original sin he had acquired (sustained) a blemish on his soul as an integral part of his being. Just as physical man consists of 248 limbs and 365 tendons, muscular tissue, a total of 613 parts corresponding to the 613 commandments in the written Torah, so there is a parallel division between 248 plus 365 parts in the spiritual part of man, his soul. The “damage” inflicted on our souls is known as חלל. In other words, any sin committed by one of these 613 parts of his body results in commensurate damage, or חלל in his soul. In order to cleanse the soul of these “holes,” it has to spend a period of time in gehinom, purgatory, until this damage has been repaired. This is man’s fate if he has not repented for his sins prior to his death, of course.When Moses, in Deut. 32,18 says צור ילדך תשי ותשכח אלמחוללך, where the name for G’d as both צור and א-ל is repeated, this is also an allusion to the two types of גאולה, redemption, we need in order to recapture the pure state in which original man had been created. When describing the impending redemption after the people have done teshuvah Moses says:, ושב ה' אלוקיך את שבותך ורחמך ושב וקבצך מכל העמים אשר הפיצך ה' אלוקיך שמה, “and the Lord your G’d will return with your captives and have mercy upon you; and He will return and gather you in from among all the nations that he had scattered you to.” (30,3) The word: ושב, appears to have been repeated twice for no good reason. Actually, this verse alludes to two separate “returns” from “exile,” the physical as well as spiritual exile suffered by the souls. We find that just as when it came to פרנסה, two verses describe that G’d looks after this directly, i.e. for the nourishment of the body as well as that for the soul, so when it comes to “redemption”, a prerequisite for our being able to serve the Lord with maximum devotion, both the body and the damaged soul will be redeemed separately. Alternately, the two verses allude to the concept that G’d is both dispenser of largesse and recipient of the joy and selflessness that some of His creatures display by serve Him.” Genesis 50,19. “Joseph said to them: ‘do not fear for I am in place of G’d.’” According to Onkelos the meaning of this line is: “since G’d when He performs an act that appears to us as evil, although He knows that it will turn out for our benefit, I, if I were to be instead of G’d, I would have to perform a similar act against you. Since it is not within man’s power to foresee how his actions will turn out in the end, I am obviously not entitled to do something that begins by being harmful.” Looking at the plain meaning of the text it is difficult to understand Onkelos.Perhaps we have to fall back on the principle that every human being, as part of his character, (virtues) must endeavour to maintain close relations with his Creator. This involves a degree of awe and reverence for the Creator to be present in his mind at all times. It also presumes that he is imbued with a degree of love for his Creator, as he contemplates the greatness of G’d. He is obligated to do this if for no other reason than G’d has performed so many more deeds of loving kindness for the Jewish people than He has performed for any other nation. The same is true for other attributes of G’d that have been of benefit to us on numerous occasions. The sum total of such a relationship between us, the creature, and the Creator, makes this an עולם האמת, a world in which truth is predominant. Once we appreciate this we can understand the Talmud in Megillah 18 in which the rhetorical question is posed of how we know that G’d had referred to Yaakov by the title א-ל, a name used for referring to Him on many occasions? The foregoing will also help us understand what the Talmud meant when it described G’d as having built and destroyed worlds on a regular basis before He commenced with the construction of the universe described in Bereshit. The Talmud in Baba Batra 75 tells us that just as G’d has been building worlds, so the righteous, in a future, refined world, will also “build worlds;” not only that but they will be given titles used by G’d to describe Himself. The ministering angels when meeting up with these righteous will address them as “your holiness.” Although such statements first strike us as bordering on blasphemy, when we consider that these “righteous people” have already acquired many of G’d’s own attributes, it is not difficult to understand the Talmudic references to the future better state of the world at all.If man has not attained the level of perfection described in the last few lines, then instead of being accorded titles that he can share with G’d, he remains below that spiritual level; this is why Joseph asks his brothers if they have such a low opinion of him that he is תחת אלוקים, “beneath the level of minimal perfection” described in the Talmud, so that he would be capable of dealing on a basis of revenge with them.If man has not attained the level of perfection described in the last few lines, then instead of being accorded titles that he can share with G’d, he remains below that spiritual level; this is why Joseph asks his brothers if they have such a low opinion of him that he is תחת אלוקים, “beneath the level of minimal perfection” described in the Talmud, so that he would be capable of dealing on a basis of revenge with them.
