Yehudah says — There are five ambiguous verses in the Torah

Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Mekhilta Tractate Amalek 1:22

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 6, 2025

Issi b. Yehudah says: There are five ambiguous verses in the Torah: "se'eth," "arur," "machar," "meshukadim," and "vekam.": "se'eth"—(Genesis 4:7) "If you do well, you will be forgiven (se'eth)" or "You will bear your sin (se'eth), if you do not do well." "arur"—(Ibid. 49:7) "Arur (Cursed) is their wrath, for it is fierce" or (Ibid. 6) "for in their wrath they slew a man, and in their wilfulness they razed an ox. Arur ("they are cursed.") "machar" ("tomorrow")—(Exodus 17:9) "Machar I will stand on top of the hill" or "Go out and do battle with Amalek machar." "meshukadim" ("of beaten work")—(Exodus 25:34) "meshukadim its bulbs and its flowers" or "in the menorah, four bowls meshukadim." "vekam"—(Devarim 31:16) "Vekam ("and there will arise") this people and they will stray, etc." or "you shall lie down with your people vekam" ("and arise"). These are the five ambiguous verses in the Torah.

Themes

Torah Repentance Bible Judges Egypt

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Apocrypha Moses and Joseph of Passover to a fascinating, and sometimes surprising, peek into the origins of Passover and Shabbat, as seen through the lens of a... Book of Jasher Abraham and Creation of Moses The Book of Jasher, an ancient Hebrew text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8), fills in s... Book of Jasher The First Days of Freedom After Leaving Egypt We know the big story: the plagues, the Exodus, the parting of the Red Sea. But what about the nitty-gritty details of t... Book of Jasher Moses: Mount Sinai's Transgression We know about Mount Sinai, the thunder, the lightning, the booming voice... but what about the days that followed?Book o... Book of Jasher Korah Rebels and the Earth Swallows Him Alive The ancient Israelites certainly did! And this chapter of the Book of Jasher throws us right into the middle of their lo... Ginzberg Teachings of Naphtali "I give you no command concerning my silver, or my gold," Naphtali said to his sons. He wasn't concerned with material w... Ginzberg The New Pharaoh Was Worse Than the Old One They were enslaved, toiling under Pharaoh’s harsh rule. They’d hoped things would get better when he died, maybe his son... Ginzberg Marah's Prayer They did what any of us might do: they complained. Loudly. But Moses, ever the leader, knew what to do. Instead of joini... Ginzberg God Was Downcast at Sinai Knowing the Future Sin The moment at Mount Sinai. Imagine it: Revelation itself, unfolding before the eyes of all Israel. The Torah, the divine...