AZAMRA UNIVERSAL TORAH: EMOR By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum

 AZAMRA UNIVERSAL TORAH: EMOR  By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum

UNIVERSAL TORAH: EMOR By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum Torah Reading: Parshas EMOR, Leviticus 21:1-24:23 SAY TO THE PRIESTS As discussed in Universal Torah #20 TETZAVEH, the Torah conception of the priests and their relationship with the people is radically different from the conception of the priesthood in other traditions. The Cohen of the Torah does not absolve the Israelite of his obligation to forge his own personal relationship with G-d. The Cohen is not an intermediary who performs mysterious rituals that magically guarantee that all will be well for the ignorant worshipper who stands by watching. In many religions, the priests held or hold a monopoly on religious knowledge, often actually discouraging the pursuit of such knowledge by the masses, whose very ignorance is necessary in order for the priest to maintain his position. By contrast, the Holy Torah was given as a fountain of truth and wisdom to Israel and to all others who want to drink its waters. The entire people of Israel is intended to be a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation: the goal is for each Israelite to develop, build and cultivate his or her own bond with G-d in every detail of life. How can we do this? We need to learn how to do it. For this reason, pride of place in the Torah tradition goes to the sage and teacher, because he is the one who can tell us how to do this. Even a MAMZER TALMID CHACHAM (an outstanding sage who is of illegitimate birth) takes precedence over the High Priest! In our present parshah of EMOR, which is largely taken up with laws specifically relating to the priests, we see that Moses was commanded to instruct not only the priests themselves in these laws but also the Children of Israel. The Children of Israel are not to be excluded from all knowledge and understanding of the priesthood. On the contrary, they too are to study the laws relating to the priests. This is because the Israelites, as a kingdom of priests, have to have a model to learn from. The Cohanim are a kingdom within a kingdom. The Cohanim are to be to the Israelite what the Israelites are to be to the world. The Temple is G-d's palace on earth: a center-point for all the world to see, in order to contemplate the profundity of the message it contains and thereby to draw closer to the King. Everything about the Temple is about coming closer to G-d, particularly the KORBAN ("sacrifice", from the Hebrew world KAROV, "close"). The entire Temple services center upon the sacrificial rites: the daily animal, grain, wine and incense offerings, the lighting of the Candelabrum, and so on. Like life in a royal court, life in the Temple was a spectacle. This was particularly so for the Israelite who brought a personal KORBAN, be it a SHLAMIM ("Peace") offering, or an OLAH and particularly a CHATAS - sin-offering. The animal is substituted for the person to undergo the slaughter, flaying, cutting and burning the sinner really deserves. (Those who worry about the alleged cruelty to the animal should first go and complain about the millions of animals daily slaughtered all over the world, often with great cruelty, as "sacrifices" for the gratification of men's selfish lusts. To understand the meaning of the KORBONOS, we must be willing to think of the Temple as it actually was and will be, not try to adapt it to man-made moral "standards".) The SEFER HACHINUCH (explaining the meaning of the 613 commandments) discusses the sacrificial rituals at length in Mitzvah #95: Building the Temple. The ceremony consisted of various stages: SEMICHAH (the penitent's laying on of hands on the animal's head), SHECHITAH, the slaughter of the animal, KABALAH, collecting of its blood and sprinkling it on the altar, the flaying and cutting of the carcass, salting of the meat, the burning of the altar portions and eating by the priests of their share. The SEFER HACHINUCH explains in detail how the different stages of this unsettling and even shocking ceremony all communicated an unforgettable lesson to the penitent about how man must bring his animal side under control. We are to learn how to "slaughter" and elevate our animality by devoting our energies to G-d's service and thereby burning our fat on His altar. (See also Nachmanides' commentary on Leviticus 1:8). The priests in the Temple, who conducted these ceremonies, were actors in a drama that was calculated to awaken people and induce them think and repent rather than to hypnotize them with hocus-pocus. The role of the priest was as a facilitator, enabling people to understand the lesson for themselves. Carrying the obligation to serve as ministers in the House and Court of G-d, the priests are a nation set apart, and are subject to an even more stringent code than the Israelites, as laid out in our parshah of EMOR. They are not allowed to defile themselves for the dead except in the case of their closest relatives. They are strictly forbidden to blemish their own bodies. They are not allowed to marry a divorcee or a woman who has been involved in a relationship tainted by immorality, etc. The Cohanim are to be a completely pure breed, fit to serve as G-d's ministers on earth. The true Cohen is to be an exemplar in his very life of the elevated purity to which every Israelite should aspire, each according to his or her level. The ultimate exemplar is to be the COHEN GADOL ("high priest"). Although the COHEN GADOL appears in costumes that are most gorgeous by the standares of this world, he must remain completely separated from this world. This is because his task is to keep our eyes focussed upon G-d's world. Thus the COHEN GADOL is not allowed to defile himself with the dead even in the case of his closest relatives. For in G-d's world, there is no death but only life. Everything about the Temple is designed to lift us up above the often tawdry world around us and to teach us how to draw closer to the underlying reality of G-d. For this reason, the Temple must be a place of the imposing splendor and beauty. Everything must be in the best repair. Not a flagstone must be loose nor an altar stone chipped. The vessels must be the finest gold and silver. And so too, the ministers themselves must be people of pleasing looks. Our parshah details the physical blemishes that disqualify a priest from participating in the Temple service itself (though not from eating sacrificial portions). The parshah also details the blemishes that disqualify an animal from being offered as a KORBAN. Everything offered to G-d has to be the very finest and most beautiful. So too, we must seek to beautify our offerings of prayers, our mitzvot and acts of kindness, and take care that they should not be blemished. * * * THE CYCLE OF THE YEAR The calling of the COHANIM was very exalted. The separation and purity demanded of them is not required of the Israelites, who on the contrary are required to be involved in the world -- farming, manufacturing, selling and buying, raising families, etc. As discussed in the commentary on the previous parshah, KEDOSHIM, it is precisely through bringing every area of our actual lives under the wing of the Torah that we attain holiness. Only the Cohen Gadol is to remain within the Temple precincts or in his nearby home in Jerusalem all the time. The people are to be throughout the country, going about their lives. For the Israelite, the relationship of G-d is one of "running and returning": "running" in the sense of regularly rising above the mundane to make a deeper connection with the underlying reality of G-d, but then "returning", in the sense of going back to grappling with everyday reality. The Torah appointed a rhythm of weekly, monthly and seasonal MO'ADIM, "appointed times", whereby the Israelites rise above the mundane and restore and strengthen their connection with the divine. Our parshah is one of several in the Torah (Ex. ch. 23; Numbers ch. 23; Deut. ch. 16) that set forth the cycle of festivals and their associated practices, each with its own particular focuses. In our parshah (Leviticus ch. 23) one of the main themes that runs through the account of the various festivals and their associated Temple practices is that of drawing ecological balance and agricultural blessing into the world. During the ALIYAH LE-REGEL -- the foot-pilgrimage to the Temple on Pesach, Shavuos and Succos -- the Israelites would leave the work of making a living and tilling the ground in order to participate in ceremonies whose purpose was to bless that work with G-dliness. Pesach, and Shavuos are particularly bound up with grain, which is man's staple food. The Matzahs eaten on Pesach may be made from one of the five kinds of grain. On the second day of Pesach, at the beginning of the grain harvesting season, an Omer measure is to be brought from the newly-ripened barley crop. During the coming weeks, while the wheat-harvesting is going on, the Sefirah count directs our minds forward to Shavuos, when a "new grain offering", the first wheat offering from the new crop -- two loaves of leavened bread -- was brought. The observances of Succos are particularly bound up with the water-cycle. The four species of Esrog (citron), Lulav (palm branch), Hadass (myrtle) and Arovos (willow branches) all require ample water. Succos comes after the hot, dry summer of Eretz Israel, prior to what should be the rainy season. We take these four species in our hands and pour out our hearts like water in thanks and praise, hinting to our heavenly Father how totally depend we are on His blessings and mercy. The chapter in our present parshah of EMOR relating to the festival cycle leads us in the direction of next week's parshah, BEHAR, which sets forth the commandments relating to the cycles of Sabbatical and Jubilee years, which are also bound up with agriculture, ecological balance and reverence for the earth. * * * HIDDEN CYCLES Besides the cycles of festivals and Sabbaticals that give time its rhythm, the world is also governed by cycles that are often not apparent, because one generation does not know what happened in previous generations and therefore cannot understand how what happens today is cyclically rooted in what happened earlier. To understand the incident of the MEGADEF ("blasphemer") in the closing section of our parshah (Leviticus 24:10ff), it is necessary to understand that "the son of the Israelite woman who was the son of an Egyptian man" was in fact the issue of an illicit relationship. Our rabbis teach that Shulamis Bas Divri was the wife of the Israelite whom Moses saw being beaten by an Egyptian the first time he went out to visit his brothers. The Egyptian would daily drive the Israelite out of his home and send him to his labors, thereafter going in to his wife. (See Rashi on Lev. 24:10 and on Exodus 2:11). There is a deep counterpoint in the positioning of this episode in parshas EMOR, which centers on the special purity demanded of the priests. Shulamis Bas Divri is the exemplar of the opposite: immorality. While the holiness of the priesthood requires separation and the making of distinctions between pure and impure, fine and blemished, she sought to erase distinctions, greeting everyone with a naive "Peace be upon you, peace be upon you". As if friendly chatter is enough to turn evil into good. It was Shulamis Bas Divri's endeavor to erase distinctions that laid her open to the immoral relationship which led to the birth of the blasphemer. The latter, however, discovered that, whether you like it or not, this IS a world of distinctions. While the blasphemer was an Israelite through his mother, he had no tribal affiliation, since this comes only through the father. Accordingly the blasphemer had no place in the Israelite camp. Contemporary political correctness will cry out in the voice of Shulamis Bas Divri that he should have been given a place -- isn't it unfair that he should be excluded because of a quirk of birth? Endless similar questions can be asked about other commandments in our parshah. Why should a blemished priest not be allowed to serve in the Temple? Why should a divorcee not be allowed to marry a priest? etc. etc. Rashi brings a midrash that the blasphemer "went out" (Lev. 24:10) in the sense that he departed from the Torah: he mocked the idea that the Sanctuary Show-Bread (subject of the preceding section), which was eaten by the priests when it was nine days old, was a fitting institution in the Sanctuary of the King (Rashi ad loc.). The blasphemer could not accept G-d's Torah the way it is. He wanted to adapt the Torah fit his own personal views. There was a way that even the blasphemer could have found his place. As quoted at the outset, even a MAMZER TALMID CHOCHOM has precedence over the High Priest. If the blasphemer had been willing to submit himself to G-d and accept the position G-d put him in, he could have been saved. But he was not willing to submit and instead he opened his mouth and poured out a torrent of abuse. Over sixty years previous to this, when Moses saw this man's father striking Shulamis Bas Divri's husband, Moses knew that there was no potential. "And he looked here and there and he saw that there was no man [that no man would come forth from him to convert, Rashi] and he struck the Egyptian" (Ex. 2:12). The rabbis taught that Moses "struck" him by invoking the Name of HaShem. It was precisely this name that the son of the Egyptian's illicit relationship blasphemed. Prior to the Giving of the Torah, Moses inflicted instant justice on the father. However, after the Giving of the Torah, Moses was subject to the Torah like everyone else and he had to wait to hear from G-d how to deal with the blaspheming son. The account of the punishment of the blasphemer includes related laws of punishments for killing and the damages that must be paid for inflicting injury to humans and animals. The cycles of crime and its penalties and payments revolve from generation to generation, but this is not apparent to the onlooker who sees only the here and now and does not understand what was before and what will come afterwards. * * * Shabbat Shalom!!! Avraham Yehoshua Greenbaum A complete archive of Rabbi Avraham ben Yaakov's UNIVERSAL TORAH commentaries on all the weekly Torah portions is available at http://www.azamra.org/spirit/parshah.php. You may subscribe to the UNIVERSAL TORAH email list at http://www.azamra.org/corp/subscribe.php.

AZAMRA INSTITUTE, PO Box 50037, 9150001 Jerusalem, Israel

Please Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Ben Gvir and Mr. Smotrich unite and bring Hashem’s Righteousness back to the Har HaBayit. Under HaShem’s Righteousness the Har HaBayit shall become a Prayer House for all peoples. Jews, Muslims, and Christians when they put away Avoda Zara and their false doctrines……   בבקשה מר נתניהו, מר בן גביר ומר סמוטריץ' מתאחדים ומחזירים את היושרה להר הבית.   תחת צדקת השם הר הבית יהפוך לבית תפילה לכל העמים, יהודים, מוסלמים ונוצרים כשהם מסירים עבודה זרה  ואת דוקטרינות השקר שלהם... Come let us Pray that Hashem's Righteousness shall 'return' to the Har haBayit and the whole of Eretz Israel. בוא נתפלל שצדקת ה' 'תשוב' להר הבית ולארץ ישראל כולה. Free to study all Jewish Scripture: חופשי ללמוד את כל כתבי הקודש היהודיים: Sefaria Calendar - לוח שנה ספריה Our Prayer and hope: All the gates to the Har haBayit have to be opened for Jews and non-Jews seven days in the week 24 hours a day. The Jews need to have the freedom to go with Tefillin, Tallit and Torah Scroll up on the Mountain to serve Hashem. And do קידה ('Kidah' prostate, laying down, before Hashem) Everyone showing his/her respect for the Jewish and all other religions. But NOT for the words/deeds/sins spoken against any word of the Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu and the 'real' teachings of the Jewish Rabbis. The Jews must be the guardians of the Har haBayit. תפילתנו ותקוותנו: כל שערי הר הבית צריכים להיפתח עבור יהודים ולא-יהודים שבעה ימים בשבוע 24 שעות ביממה. ליהודים צריך להיות חופש ללכת עם תפילין, טלית וספר תורה במעלה ההר כדי לשרת את ה' ולקוד קידה .מתוך הפגנת כבוד ליהודים ולכל הדתות האחרות, אבל לא למילים/למעשים/לחטאים הנאמרים נגד תורת משה רבנו. מלמודי רבנים, היהודים חייבים להיות שומרי הר הבית. Let's pray for a death sentence for the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Hezbollah and for the continuation of the Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria. The Palestinian Authority, Hamas and Hezbollah must disappear. Enough of the hatred from the world (the USA, the European Union, and the UN!) against the Jewish people.   בואו נתפלל לגזר דין מוות לרשות הפלסטינית, חמאס, חיזבאללה ולמען התיישבות יהודית ביהודה ושומרון. הרשות הפלסטינית, חמאס וחיזבאללה חייבים להעלם. די לשנאה מהעולם (ארה"ב, האיחוד האירופי והאו"ם!) נגד העם היהודי! The Jews have the mission to change the Har HaBayit, from her situation now, into a Prayer House for all peoples based on the Torah Law of Moshe Rabbeinu.   על היהודים מוטלת המשימה לשנות את הר הבית, ממצבו הקיים, לבית תפילה לכל העמים על פי חוק התורה של משה רבנו.   Ariel, hopefully your Representee אריאל, מקווה שהנציג שלך
Isa 11:9-16 They do no evil nor destroy in all My set-apart mountain, for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of יהוה as the waters cover the sea.	ט לֹֽא־יָרֵ֥עוּ וְלֹֽא־יַשְׁחִ֖יתוּ בְּכָל־הַ֣ר קָדְשִׁ֑י כִּֽי־מָֽלְאָ֣ה הָאָ֗רֶץ דֵּעָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה כַּמַּ֖יִם לַיָּ֥ם מְכַסִּֽים:
Rashi: knowledge of the Lord: [lit.] to know the Lord.	רשי": דעה את ה': לדעת את ה':
10  And in that day there shall be a Root of Yishai, standing as a banner to the people. Unto Him the nations shall seek, and His rest shall be esteem.	י וְהָיָה֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא שֹׁ֣רֶשׁ יִשַׁ֗י אֲשֶׁ֚ר עֹמֵד֙ לְנֵ֣ס עַמִּ֔ים אֵלָ֖יו גּוֹיִ֣ם יִדְרֹ֑שׁוּ וְהָֽיְתָ֥ה מְנֻחָת֖וֹ כָּבֽוֹד:
Rashi: as a banner for peoples: that peoples should raise a banner to gather to him.	רשי": לנס עמים: להיות עמים מרימים נס להקבץ אליו:
11  And it shall be in that day that יהוה sets His hand again a second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Ashshur and from Mitsrayim, from Pathros and from Kush, from Ěylam and from Shin‛ar, from Ḥamath and from the islands of the sea.	יא וְהָיָ֣ה | בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יוֹסִ֨יף אֲדֹנָ֚י | שֵׁנִית֙ יָד֔וֹ לִקְנ֖וֹת אֶת־שְׁאָ֣ר עַמּ֑וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִשָּׁאֵר֩ מֵֽאַשּׁ֨וּר וּמִמִּצְרַ֜יִם וּמִפַּתְר֣וֹס וּמִכּ֗וּשׁ וּמֵֽעֵילָ֚ם וּמִשִּׁנְעָר֙ וּמֵ֣חֲמָ֔ת וּמֵֽאִיֵּ֖י הַיָּֽם:
Rashi: a second time: Just as he acquired them from Egypt, when their redemption was absolute, without subjugation, but the redemption preceding the building of the Second Temple is not counted, since they were subjugated to Cyrus. and from the islands of the sea: the islands of the Kittim, the Romans, the descendants of Esau.	רשי": שנית: כמו שקנאם ממצרים שהיתה גאולתם ברורה מאין שיעבוד אבל גאולת בית שני אינה מן המניין שהרי משועבדים היו לכורש: ומאיי הים: הן איי כתים יונים:
12  And He shall raise a banner for the nations, and gather the outcasts of Yisra’ěl, and assemble the dispersed of Yehuḏah from the four corners of the earth.	יב וְנָשָֹ֤א נֵס֙ לַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְאָסַ֖ף נִדְחֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וּנְפֻצ֚וֹת יְהוּדָה֙ יְקַבֵּ֔ץ מֵֽאַרְבַּ֖ע כַּנְפ֥וֹת הָאָֽרֶץ:
Rashi: And he shall raise a banner: Perka, perche in O.F. [i.e., the verse is literally referring to the pole upon which the banner is attached.] And it shall be for a sign to gather to him and to bring the exiles of Israel to Him as a present.	רשי": נשא נס: פירקא בלע"ז והיה לאות לקבוץ אליו ולהביא את גליות ישראל מנחה לו:
13  And the envy of Ephrayim shall turn aside, and the adversaries of Yehuḏah be cut off. Ephrayim shall not envy Yehuḏah, and Yehuḏah not trouble Ephrayim.	יג וְסָ֙רָה֙ קִנְאַ֣ת אֶפְרַ֔יִם וְצֹֽרְרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה יִכָּרֵ֑תוּ אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ לֹֽא־יְקַנֵּ֣א אֶת־יְהוּדָ֔ה וִֽיהוּדָ֖ה לֹֽא־יָצֹ֥ר אֶת־אֶפְרָֽיִם:
Rashi: Ephraim shall not envy Judah: The Messiah, the son of David, and the Messiah, the son of Joseph, shall not envy each other.	רשי": אפרים לא יקנא את יהודה: משיח בן יוסף ומשיח בן דוד לא יקנאו זה בזה:
14  But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; together they plunder the people of the east, their hand stretching forth on Eḏom and Mo’aḇ, and the children of Ammon shall be subject to them.	יד וְעָפ֨וּ בְכָתֵ֚ף פְּלִשְׁתִּים֙ יָ֔מָּה יַחְדָּ֖ו יָבֹ֣זּוּ אֶת־בְּנֵי־קֶ֑דֶם אֱד֚וֹם וּמוֹאָב֙ מִשְׁל֣וֹחַ יָדָ֔ם וּבְנֵ֥י עַמּ֖וֹן מִשְׁמַעְתָּֽם:
Rashi: And they shall fly of one accord against the Philistines in the west: Heb. בְכָתֵף. Israel will fly and run of one accord against the Philistines who are in the west of Eretz Israel and conquer their land. [כָּתֵף, lit. a shoulder, is used in this case to denote unity. The word שֶׁכֶם, also lit. a shoulder, is used in a similar sense.] Comp. (Hoshea 6:9) “They murder on the way in unison (שֶׁכְמָה);” (Zeph. 3:9) “One accord (שְׁכֶם אֶחָד).” And so did Jonathan render it: And they shall join in one accord to smite the Philistines who are in the west. and the children of Ammon shall obey them: As the Targum states: Will hearken to them. They will accept their commandments over them.	רשי": ועפו בכתף פלשתים ימה: יעופו וירוצו ישראל שכם אחד על הפלשתים אשר הם במערבה של ארץ ישראל ויכבש את ארצם כמו דרך ירצחו שכמה (הושע ו׳:ט׳) שכם אחד (צפניה ג) וכן ת"י ויתחברון כתף חד למימחי פלישתאי די במערבא: ובני עמון משמעתם: כתרגומו ישתמעון להון, מקבלין מצותם עליהם:
15  And יהוה shall put under the ban the tongue of the Sea of Mitsrayim, and He shall wave His hand over the River with the might of His Spirit, and shall strike it in the seven streams, and shall cause men to tread it in sandals.	טו וְהֶֽחֱרִ֣ים יְהֹוָ֗ה אֵת לְשׁ֣וֹן יָם־מִצְרַ֔יִם וְהֵנִ֥יף יָד֛וֹ עַל־הַנָּהָ֖ר בַּעְיָ֣ם רוּח֑וֹ וְהִכָּ֙הוּ֙ לְשִׁבְעָ֣ה נְחָלִ֔ים וְהִדְרִ֖יךְ בַּנְּעָלִֽים:
Rashi: And… shall dry up: [lit. shall cut off] to dry it, so that the exiles of Israel will pass through it from Egypt. over the river: The Euphrates River, for the exiles from Assyria to cross. with the strength of His wind: Heb. בַּעְיָם. This is hapax legomenon in Scripture, and according to the context it can be interpreted as “with the strength of His wind.” into seven streams: into seven segments, for the aforementioned seven exiles: from Assyria and from Egypt, etc. Those from the islands of the sea are not from that side. and He shall lead: the exiles within it. with shoes: on dry land.	רשי": והחרים: ליבשו כדי שיעברו בו גליות ישראל ממצרים:   על הנהר: נהר פרת לעבור בו גליות אשור:   בעים רוחו: אין לו דמיון במקרא ולפי הענין יפתר בחוזק רוחו:   לשבעה נחלים: לשבע גזרים לעבור בו שבע גליות האמורות למעלה מאשור וממצרים וגו', ומאיי הים אינו מאותו צד: והדריך: בתוכו את הגליות: בנעלים: ביבשה:
16  And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people, those left from Ashshur, as it was for Yisra’ěl in the day when he came up from the land of Mitsrayim.	טז וְהָֽיְתָ֣ה מְסִלָּ֔ה לִשְׁאָ֣ר עַמּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִשָּׁאֵ֖ר מֵֽאַשּׁ֑וּר כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֚ר הָֽיְתָה֙ לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּי֥וֹם עֲלֹת֖וֹ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
Rashi: And there shall be a highway: in the midst of the water for the remnant of His people.	רשי": והיתה מסילה: בתוך המים לשאר עמו:
Hashem is bringing and restoring Yehuda first….. Ephraim you shall come to restoration when the Jews starting to build a House for Hashem when, They do no evil nor destroy in all My set-apart mountain, for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of יהוה as the waters cover the sea. Think about it? 'Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher (Chabad) Rabbi, made the following observations on the action of Judah (Genesis: VaYigash). Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson was considered inspired by his followers and by many others. The relevant verse says: [GENESIS 44:18] THEN JUDAH CAME NEAR UNTO HIM, AND SAID, OH MY LORD, LET THY SERVANT, I PRAY THEE, SPEAK A WORD IN MY LORD'S EARS, AND LET NOT THINE ANGER BURN AGAINST THY SERVANT: FOR THOU ART EVEN AS PHARAOH. Commentary: On the verse: “FOR THOU ART EVEN AS PHARAOH”: Rabbi Schneerson quotes the source saying that Judah meant to say that Joseph is as powerful as Pharaoh and that Judah acknowledges his authority. Judah acknowledged the authority of Joseph. Because of this Judah merited the Promise in Ezekiel 37, “MY SERVANT DAVID SHALL BE THEIR PRINCE FOR EVER”. The Rabbi says that in order for Judah to bring on the Messiah, to help the Messiah come, and realize the promise given to his seed (“MY SERVANT DAVID SHALL BE THEIR PRINCE FOR EVER) Judah must first do as the Patriarch Judah did when he CAME NEAR UNTO Joseph and he acknowledged the authority of Joseph and initially was influenced from Joseph.' (Yair Davidiy, Brit-Am)	ה' מביא ומשקם קודם את יהודה...   אפרים תבוא לשיקום כאשר היהודים יתחילו לבנות בית להשם כאשר,   לא עושים רע ולא משמידים בכל ההר המופרד שלי, כי תמלא הארץ ידיעת יהוה כמו המים מכסים את הים.  תחשוב על זה?   'רבי מנחם מנדל שניאורסון, הרבי מליובאוויטש (חב"ד), ערך את ההערות הבאות על פעולת יהודה (בראשית: ויגש). רבי מנחם מנדל שניאורסון נחשב בהשראת חסידיו ורבים אחרים. הפסוק הרלוונטי אומר: [בראשית 44:18] אז התקרב אליו יהודה, ואמר, הו אדוני, נא עבדך, דבר דבר באזני יהוה, ואל יבעור כעמך על עבדך: כמו פרעה.   פירוש: על הפסוק: "כי אתה אפילו פרעה": הרב שניאורסון מצטט את המקור שאומר שיהודה התכוון לומר שיוסף חזק כמו פרעה וכי יהודה מכיר בסמכותו. יהודה הכיר בסמכותו של יוסף. בגלל זה יהודה זכאי להבטחה ביחזקאל 37, "עבדי דוד יהיה הנסיך שלהם לעולמים". הרבי אומר שכדי שיהודה יביא את המשיח, יעזור למשיח לבוא ולממש את ההבטחה שניתנה לזרעו ("עבדי דוד יהיה הנסיך שלהם לנצח)   יהודה צריך לעשות תחילה כפי שעשה הפטריארך יהודה כאשר התקרב אל יוסף והוא הכיר בסמכותו של יוסף ובתחילה הושפע מיוסף.' (יאיר דוידי, ברית-עם)
Gen 49:10 “The sceptre shall not turn aside from Yehuḏah, nor an Inscriber from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to Him is the obedience of peoples.  Rashi: The scepter shall not depart from Judah: from David and thereafter. These (who bear the scepter after the termination of the kingdom) are the exilarchs (princes) in Babylon, who ruled over the people with a scepter, [and] who were appointed by royal mandate. — [From Sanh. 5a] nor the student of the law from between his feet: Students. These are the princes of the land of Israel. — [From Sanh. 5a] until Shiloh comes: [This refers to] the King Messiah, to whom the kingdom belongs (שֶׁלוֹ) , and so did Onkelos render it: [until the Messiah comes, to whom the kingdom belongs]. According to the Midrash Aggadah, [“Shiloh” is a combination of] שַׁי לוֹ, a gift to him, as it is said: “they will bring a gift to him who is to be feared” (Ps. 76:12). - [From Gen. Rabbah ed. Theodore-Albeck p. 1210 ] and to him will be a gathering of peoples: Heb. יִקְּהַת עַמִּים denoting a gathering of peoples, for the “yud” of (יִקְּהַת) is part of the root [and not a prefix], like “with your brightness (יִפְעָתֶךָ‏ֶ)” (Ezek. 28: 17), and sometimes [the “yud” is] omitted. Many letters are subject to this rule, and they are called defective roots, like the “nun” of נוֹגֵף (smite), נוֹשֵׁךְ (bite), and the “aleph” of “and my speech (אַחְוָתִי) in your ears” (Job 13:17); and [the “aleph”] of “the scream of (אִבְחַת) the sword” (Ezek. 21:20); and [the “aleph”] of “a jug (אָסוּ‏) of oil” (II Kings 4:2). This too, is [a noun meaning] a gathering of peoples, [meaning: a number of nations who unite to serve God and join under the banner of the King Messiah] as it is said: “to him shall the nations inquire” (Isa. 11:10). Similar to this is “The eye that mocks the father and despises the mother’s wrinkles (לְיִקְּהַת אֵם)” (Prov. 30:17), [i.e., meaning] the gathering of wrinkles in her face, due to her old age. And in the Talmud [we find]: “were sitting and gathering assemblies וּמַקְהוֹ אַקְהָתָא in the streets of Nehardea” [Pumbeditha] in Tractate Yebamtoh (110b). He (Jacob) could also have said: קְהִיּת עַמִּים [Since the “yud” of יִקְהַת is not a prefix denoting the third person masculine singular, but is a defective root, the form קְהִיּת עַמִּים would be just as appropriate.]- [From Gen. Rabbah 98:9]	י לֹֽא־יָס֥וּר שֵׁ֨בֶט֙ מִֽיהוּדָ֔ה וּמְחֹקֵ֖ק מִבֵּ֣ין רַגְלָ֑יו עַ֚ד כִּֽי־יָבֹ֣א שִׁילֹ֔ה וְל֖וֹ יִקְּהַ֥ת עַמִּֽים:      רש"י:לֹֽא־יָסוּר שֵׁבֶט מִֽיהוּדָה: מִדָּוִד וָאֵילָךְ, אֵלּוּ רָאשֵׁי גָּלֻיּוֹת שֶׁבְּבָבֶל, שֶׁרוֹדִים אֶת הָעָם בַּשֵּׁבֶט שֶׁמְּמֻנִּים עַל פִּי הַמַּלְכוּת (בראשית רבה): וּמְחֹקֵק מִבֵּין רַגְלָיו: הַתַּלְמִידִים, אֵלּוּ נְשִׂיאֵי אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל: עַד כִּֽי־יָבֹא שִׁילֹה: מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ שֶׁהַמְּלוּכָה שֶׁלּוֹ, וְכֵן תִּרְגְּמוֹ אֻנְקְלוֹס. וּמִדְרַשׁ אַגָּדָה שִׁילוֹ – שַׁי לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, יֹבִילוּ שַׁי לַמּוֹרָא (תהילים ע"ו):      וְלוֹ יִקְּהַת עַמִּֽים: אֲסֵפַת הָעַמִּים, שֶׁהַיּוֹ"ד עִקָּר הִיא בַּיְסוֹד, כְּמוֹ יִפְעָתֶךָ (יחזקאל כ"ח), וּפְעָמִים שֶׁנּוֹפֶלֶת מִמֶּנּוּ, וְכַמָּה אוֹתִיּוֹת מְשַׁמְּשׁוֹת בְּלָשׁוֹן זֶה, וְהֵם נִקְרָאִים עִקָּר נוֹפֵל; כְּגוֹן נוּ"ן שֶׁל נוֹגֵף וְשֶׁל נוֹשֵׁךְ, וְאָלֶ"ף שֶׁבִּוְאַחֲוָתִי בְּאָזְנֵיכֶם (איוב י"ג), וְשֶׁבְּאִבְחַת חָרֶב (יחזקאל כ"א), וְאָסוּךְ שָׁמֶן (מלכים ב ד'), אַף זֶה יִקְּהַת עַמִּים אֲסֵפַת עַמִּים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אֵלָיו גּוֹיִם יִדְרֹשׁוּ (ישעיהו י"א). וְדוֹמֶה לוֹ עַיִן תִּלְעַג לְאָב וְתָבֻז לִיקְּהַת אֵם (משלי ל'), לְקִבּוּץ קְמָטִים שֶׁבְּפָנֶיהָ מִפְּנֵי זִקְנָתָהּ; וּבַתַּלְמוּד דְּיָתְבֵי וּמַקְהוּ אַקְהָתָא בְּשׁוּקֵי דִּנְהַרְדְּעָא בְּמַסֶּכֶת יְבָמוֹת; וְיָכוֹל הָיָה לוֹמַר, קְהִיַּת עַמִּים:
The Kitzur Shulchan Arukh About This TextAuthor: Shlomo Ganzfried Composed: Uzhgorod, c.1844 - c.1864 CE The Kitzur Shulchan Arukh (“Abridged Shulchan Arukh”) is a simplified summary of the Shulchan Arukh, focusing on Orach Chayim and Yoreh De’ah, the sections most relevant to ordinary daily life. The work presents laws without listing differing views or providing reasoning, interspersing ethical maxims throughout. Immensely popular for its simplicity and clarity, it functions as a handbook for daily life for many Ashkenazi Jews and has been translated into five languages. It is known for its strict rulings. Read it, teach it as your heart 'feels' good about it. There are laws you cannot do..... It is the 'codex' until Shilo comes..... Always read it in Hebrew and English...... Don't worry went you don't understand the Hebrew so good..... It comes better by 'long-time' reading Hebrew-English...... It is our 'guiding' so it should be also for Ephraim, the non-Jews with a 'Jewish heart'........	השולחן ערוך קיצור על הטקסט הזה מחבר: שלמה גנזפריד לחן: אוז'גורוד, בערך 1844 - 1864 לספירה השולחן ערוך קיצור ("שולחן ערוך מקוצר") הוא סיכום פשטני של השולחן ערוך, המתמקד באורח חיים ויורה דעה, הסעיפים הרלוונטיים ביותר לחיי היום יום הרגילים. העבודה מציגה חוקים מבלי לפרט דעות שונות או לספק נימוקים, תוך שהיא משלבת כללים אתיים לכל אורכה. פופולרי מאוד בזכות הפשטות והבהירות שלו, הוא מתפקד כמדריך לחיי היומיום עבור יהודים אשכנזים רבים ותורגם לחמש שפות. היא ידועה בפסיקותיה הנוקשות. קרא את זה, למד את זה כי הלב שלך 'מרגיש' טוב עם זה. יש חוקים שאתה לא יכול לעשות..... זה ה'קודקס' עד שילה יבוא..... תמיד תקרא את זה בעברית ובאנגלית...... אל תדאג הלכתי אתה לא מבין את העברית כל כך טוב..... זה בא טוב יותר בקריאה 'מזמן' עברית-אנגלית..... .  זה ה'מנחה' שלנו אז זה צריך להיות גם לאפרים, הלא-יהודים עם 'לב יהודי'........
To develop your own identity as real Ephraimites, restoring your Kingdom...... Near (but outside), as a defensive shield in friendship and Love to the Jewish State of Israel. Filled with the CheSeD from HaShem streaming from Ephraim to Yehudah and from Yehudah to Ephraim until the end of the earth.	לפתח את הזהות שלך כאפרים אמיתיים, להחזיר את ממלכתך...... קרוב (אך בחוץ), כמגן הגנה בידידות ואהבה למדינת ישראל היהודית. מלא בחסד מהשם הזורם מאפרים ליהודה ומיהודה לאפרים עד סוף הארץ.
To develop your own identity as real Ephraimites, restoring your Kingdom...... Near (but outside Israel), as a defensive shield in friendship and Love to the Jewish State of Israel. Filled with the CheSeD from HaShem streaming from Ephraim to Yehudah and from Yehudah to Ephraim until the end of the earth. Developing, completely Independent, from Yehudah and the rest of the world 'restoring' the Ephraimite Kingdom. But in Love to Yehudah: The modern state of Israel.	לפתח את הזהות שלך כאפרים אמיתיים, להחזיר את ממלכתך...... קרוב (אך בחוץ), כמגן הגנה בידידות ואהבה למדינת ישראל היהודית. מלא בחסד מהשם הזורם מאפרים ליהודה ומיהודה לאפרים עד סוף הארץ. מתפתח, עצמאי לחלוטין, מיהודה ומשאר העולם 'שיקום' הממלכה האפרימית. אבל באהבה ליהודה: מדינת ישראל המודרנית.
To form a union like the United States, United States of Israel. Existing out of many different 'cultures' but al with her base: The Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu.
להקים איחוד כמו ארצות הברית, ארצות הברית של ישראל. קיימת מתוך הרבה 'תרבויות' שונות אבל על הבסיס שלה: תורת משה רבנו.