Tafsiran yang Mengutip untuk Ulangan 33:12

The discourse of Abraham the author: Behold, I have endeavored to speak. The One, which precedes calculation, is, from one aspect, the cause of all calculation, and from another aspect, it is all the calculation – it neither adds nor subtracts, yet it is the cause of all addition and subtraction. It does not accept multiplication or division, yet it is the cause of both. And this One is the First World relative to the worlds that are after it. This world is not corporeal, and it is called the "likeness of the glory of the LORD" on high [cf. Ezekiel 1:28]. It does not change in essence or configuration, and it has no time or place, and the honored Name is within it. And the Second World, which is the Middle one – there reside souls/forms of truth without bodies [i.e., angels], and also souls in bodies [celestial intelligences?], and their number is beyond us, as are the bodies [celestial spheres/stars]. And all of them are honored [beings], for they have no opposite, or change, or alteration in their essence, but only incidentally in the configuration of their motion. And this world is called the Holy Temple/Palace (Heikhal Ha-Kodesh), and they are the Heavens of Heavens (Shmei Ha-Shamayim). And there is the Throne of Glory (Kissei Ha-Kavod), and there are Michael and Gabriel. Therefore, Jonathan ben Uzziel translated [Isaiah 6:3, “Holy, holy, holy...”] as “Holy in the highest heavens, the house of His Shekhinah...” [Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 6:3]. And this is what [Isaiah] mentioned first: “sitting upon a throne” [Isaiah 6:1], which is the Throne of Glory, “and His train” – meaning the train/hem of the Throne – “filled the Temple” [Isaiah 6:1]. And he said, “Holy upon the earth, the work of His might...” [Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 6:3]. And behold, the two [first declarations of 'Holy'] refer to the hidden [worlds], and afterwards he mentioned “Holy forever and ever” [Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 6:3]. Know that the attribute [of holiness] does not change relative to the places [worlds], therefore the secret of his words is [in the repetition] “And one called...” [Isaiah 6:3]. And behold, the bodies of the Middle World neither begin nor end. And concerning this world it is written: “Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts” [Psalms 148:2], also the ministers [planets] and the two luminaries [sun and moon]. And concerning all, it says: “For He commanded and they were created. And He established them forever and ever; He gave a decree, and it shall not pass away” [Psalms 148:5-6]. Yet there is opposition/variety in their movements: some go from east to west, and the opposite [west to east]; also northward and southward; also along the equator; some are direct in their course, some retrograde, some stationary; some swift, some slow; some ascending, some descending; some visible, some hidden; the ministers [planets] alone have 120 conjunctions, and the higher ones [fixed stars?] are countless. Sometimes [they are] in opposition, sometimes in aspects of love. And I say [despite] all this, there is no [conflict] among them, but rather thus are new events generated in the Lower World, on account of their movement and their changing configurations, sometimes for good, sometimes for ill. And these matters require a lengthy explanation, and one book cannot contain the knowledge of their secret and purpose. And the Third World is beneath the firmament, and it is entirely full of bodies, both subtle and dense. And there are bodies containing souls (neshamot), also spirits (ruchot), also life-forces (nefashot). And Man alone is the secret [centerpiece] of this Lower World, and for his sake it was created, and his soul is bound to the higher souls. And because the speaker is human, and the listener is human, therefore [Scripture speaks of] the higher [realities] and the lower [realities] in human terms. Behold, it attributes majesty to the higher and diminishes them [by using physical terms], for I cannot speak [of them] unless it is done thus, and it elevates the lower [by giving them human-like attributes]. Therefore, the Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The Torah speaks in the language of human beings.” They [Scripture] say: “the top of the earth's soil” [Proverbs 8:26], “covered the eye of the land” [Exodus 10:5], “Give ear, O earth” [Isaiah 1:2], “Incline your ear” [cf. Psalms 45:11], and concerning the stone, that it heard the word of the Lord [Joshua 24:27], “And the earth opened its mouth” [Numbers 16:32], “from the ends of the earth” [Isaiah 41:9], “in the heart of the seas” [Exodus 15:8], “on the lip of the river” [Exodus 2:3], “the hand [bank] of the Jordan” [II Kings 2:7], “a helmet of salvation on His head” [Isaiah 59:17], “eyes of the LORD” [Zechariah 4:10], “in the ears of the LORD” [Numbers 11:1], “for the mouth of the LORD has spoken” [Isaiah 1:20], “by the word of Your lips” [Psalms 17:4], “My own hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens” [Isaiah 48:13], “And the LORD said to His heart” [Genesis 8:21], “therefore My inner parts moan for him” [Jeremiah 31:19], “and under His feet” [Exodus 24:10]. And in this manner: “And the anger of the LORD burned” [Numbers 11:1], “the beloved of the LORD” [Deuteronomy 33:12], “And the LORD went” [Exodus 13:21], “The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood” [Psalms 29:10], “Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud” [Isaiah 19:1], “Awake! Why do You sleep?” [Psalms 44:24], “Then the Lord awoke as from sleep” [Psalms 78:65], “I have kept silent from of old, I have been still and restrained Myself” [Isaiah 42:14]. And behold, the Prince of Persia is the one appointed over the large or the middle company/grouping [perhaps referring to a level in the celestial/angelic hierarchy]. And behold, Daniel mentioned the appointed one [Prince of Persia] using the name "angel." And the matter of the additional [statement, Daniel 11:1] confirms this, as it stems from love [mutual support between angels]. And the meaning of the 21 days [of struggle, Daniel 10:13] corresponds to the appointee over Daniel himself, for just as there are appointees over every nation, so there is over every person. And the opposition between this [individual angel] and that [national angel] is the "war" [mentioned in Daniel 10:20]. And behold, this Lower World is the world of opposition and change, in essence, in configuration, and in motion. And the form that Daniel mentioned [the man clothed in linen, Daniel 10:5] appeared to him in prophetic visions. And I have already revealed to you the secret of the holy angels briefly through hints, and there is proof for all this from the words of the Prophets, and also proofs from the external wisdoms [philosophy/science]. And know that the decrees, past and future, come from the heavens, and they are the word of God, and it is written: “Forever, O LORD, Your word stands firm in the heavens” [Psalms 119:89]. And the secret of the configurations [of the heavens] from the beginning of their creation – upon all the configurations of the heavens are the Books [of decree]. Therefore, [this explains] the secret of dreams. And now I will return to explain the words of the angel.

The above will help you understand why the sages when formulating our benedictions and mentioning the attributes of Hashem and Elohim in the benedictions we recite have at the same time not employed the grammatical formula we would have expected such as אשר קדשתנו במצותיך וצויתנו, “You have sanctified us and You have commanded us,” but have insisted on the formula “who has sanctified us and who has commanded us” in the third person. The reason is that the words ברוך אתה, “blessed are You” at the beginning of the benediction refer to the words מלך העולם in a later part of the benediction. This is an attribute more familiar to us by the name תפארת. It is a reference to a certain emanation and it is this emanation (the attribute it represents) which “has sanctified us and commanded us.” It is this emanation which is the repository of G’d’s commandments to us. You will find what I have said confirmed in the Sefer Habahir item 184 who queries אשר קדשנו במצותיו instead of אשר קדשתנו וצויתנו? The answer given is that all the commandments are found in two worlds. In His great Mercy G’d has given them to us in order to sanctify us so that we will merit to establish a claim to the hereafter, the עולם גדול, in the here and now. Thus far the quote from the Sefer Habahir. From there you can conclude that the relationship between the Shechinah and the people of Israel is not one based merely on the need of the common Israelite, but that it is a reciprocal relationship also satisfying a need of the celestial forces represented by the Shechinah. Seeing that the glory of the tetragram and all it stands for is disseminated by the attribute כבוד, “glory, honour,” whenever this occurs an additional element of Holy Spirit is added to the Shechinah. This is why a prayer (Psalms 104,31) such as יהי כבוד ה’ לעולם ישמח ה‘ במעשיו, makes sense. The meaning of these words is: “the glory of G’d is enhanced to the emanation עולם when the attribute we know as the tetragram has occasion to rejoice in the deeds of its creatures.” This means that every Israelite has the potential to strengthen or, G’d forbid, to “weaken” certain attributes of G’d by his deeds or lack of them. This idea is expressed succinctly in Deut. 32,18 as צור ילדך תשי, literally: “You neglected the Rock that begot you;” according to Kabbalists this means: “when Israel neglects the Torah, it weakens the power of the Torah.” A verse conveying a similar sentiment is Psalms 60,14 באלו-הים נעשה חיל, “we can perform valiant deeds which enhance Elohim.”
The attribute of כבוד which we have spoken about is expressed in our verse by the words וידבר אלו-הים, “The One who spoke was the One who both writes and gives, i.e. hands over what He has written.” It is the same attribute we find referred to in Exodus 32,16 והמכתב מכתב אלו-הים הוא, “and the writing was the writing of Elohim.” When we read in Exodus 31,18 ויתן אל משה וגו’, the unnamed subject is the same Elohim who did the writing on the Tablets. The reference is to the word אלו-הים which appears at the very end of that verse. It was also this attribute of G’d which Moses (Deut. 33,12) referred to when he described Benjamin as ידיד ה’ ישכון לבטח עליו, describing that while this attribute rested on the Holy Temple, Benjamin and the entire Jewish people would dwell securely. Moses singled out Benjamin as the Holy Temple would be built on his tribal territory. This attribute was also referred to as פי י-ה-ו-ה, in Exodus 17,11 at al. This expression, i.e. “The mouth of the tetragram” means that the instructions emanated from an attribute outside the core of Hashem.
It was the attribute described as פי ה’ which Moses and Aaron sinned against in Numbers 20,12 when instead of having spoken to the rock Moses struck the rock. G’d spelled this out when He said לא האמנתם בי ...אשר מריתם את פי, “you did not believe in Me....you rebelled against פי. (Numbers 20,24) I shall explain this in greater detail when we discuss that event.
You will now be able to understand the meaning of the word צור when this word refers to an aspect of G’d. We have verses such as הצור תמים פעלו, “the Rock, His works are perfect” (Deut. 32,4). Another verse of that category is Deut. 33,12: צור ילדך תשי. A third word featuring the word צור occurred in Exodus 17,6 הנני עומד לפניך שם על הצור בחורב; I will explain the last verse in detail in connection with Numbers 20,8 [where only the word סלע is mentioned in contrast with the word צור in Exodus 17,6 Ed.].

EVERY MAN SHALL ENCAMP BY HIS OWN STANDARD, WITH THE SIGNS OF THEIR FATHER’S HOUSE. “Each standard was to have a colored cloth hanging on it, the color of one being unlike the color of another.¹⁰⁶There were thus twelve standards, one for each tribe (Maskil l’David in his commentary on Rashi). These twelve standards are not to be confused with the four main standards, around each of which three tribes rallied. The color of each standard corresponded to that of the stone fixed in the breastplate [of the High Priest, on which the name of that tribe was engraved], and by this method everyone would recognize his standard.” This is Rashi’s language. But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “There were signs on each of the [four main] standards. Thus the ancient Sages said that on Reuben’s standard there was a figure of a man decorated with mandrakes,¹⁰⁷See Genesis 30:14. and on Judah’s standard there was the form of a lion, to which Jacob had compared him,¹⁰⁸Ibid., 49:9. and on Ephraim’s standard was the figure of an ox, based upon [the expression that Moses used in speaking of that tribe], the firstborn of his ox,¹⁰⁹Deuteronomy 33:17. and on Dan’s standard was the figure of an eagle.¹¹⁰This was because of the expression, as an eagle stirreth up his nest (ibid., 32:11), and of Dan it is written that he was the rearward of all the camps (further, 10:25), who stirred the attention of all the camps to any lurking dangers (Tziyoni). Thus [the four signs on the four main standards] were similar to the four figures that the prophet Ezekiel saw [in the Divine Charriot].”¹¹¹Ezekiel Chapter 1. As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle (ibid., Verse 10). The Tent of Meeting was in the exact center, with the camps of the Levites surrounding it in the midst of the camps [of the other tribes], as is mentioned in Sefer Yetzirah:¹¹²I have not found it in our editions of the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation). On the book itself, see Vol. I, p. 24, Note 41. “And the Holy Temple is placed exactly in the middle.”
Now the directions [in which the standards were to be set up] begin with the east, like the movement of the sun [in its daily course], and afterwards the south, and then the west and finally the north. They put the [main] standard of Judah in the east because he was the first to start journeying as he was the prince,¹¹³I Chronicles 28:4. just as G-d commanded, Judah shall go up¹¹⁴Judges 1:2. first,¹¹⁵Ibid., 20:18. and Reuben was [set next to him] in the south to honor him as the firstborn. Thus these two neighboring standards consisted of [the children of] Leah [i.e., Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Reuben Shimon] together with the firstborn of her maidservant who was born upon her [Leah’s] knees [i.e., Gad the son of Zilpah.]. And there was one [main] standard for the children of Rachel [Ephraim, Menasheh, and Benjamin] in the west, and the standard of the [other] children of the maidservants [Dan, Asher, and Naphtali] was last, in the north.
I have furthermore seen in the Midrash [the following text]:¹¹⁶Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9. “And just as the Holy One, blessed be He, created four directions in the universe, so He surrounded His Throne with four ‘living creatures,’¹¹¹Ezekiel Chapter 1. As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle (ibid., Verse 10). and high above them all is the Throne of Glory. The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses to arrange the standards in a manner corresponding to these directions. Thus He said to him: In the east, whence comes light to the world, shall Judah the sovereign pitch his camp, and next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, who studies the Torah,¹¹⁷“For it is said, And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times (I Chronicles 12:32), and Torah is called ‘light,’ For the commandment is a lamp, and the Torah is light (Proverbs 6:23)” (Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9) — Thus, just as the royal House of David is referred to by Scripture in terms of light — as it is said, that David My servant may have ‘a lamp’ always before Me in Jerusalem (I Kings 11:36) — so also is Issachar, student of the Torah which is called light. The position of these two tribes is therefore rightfully in the east whence comes light to the world. And as for Zebulun (see further in text). and next to him the tribe of Zebulun, who is wealthy, just as it is written, Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea,¹¹⁸Genesis 49:13. and it is also said [of Zebulun], for they shall suck the abundance of the sea.¹¹⁹Deuteronomy 33:19. And riches are also referred to as “light” (Midrash Rabbah ibid.). Thus the three tribes that pitched on the east — Judah (sovereignty), Isaachar (knowledge), and Zebulun (wealth) — all represented aspects of “light” which originates in the east. They were to be the first to journey, just as it is said, And their king is passed on before them, and the Eternal at the head of them.¹²⁰Micah 2:13. From the south come the dews and the rains [which bring] blessing for the world, therefore shall Reuben pitch on that side, for he is the master of repentance,¹²¹See Sotah 7b and Rashi ibid., that Judah’s repentance in admitting his guilt in the case of Tamar (Genesis 38:26) was motivated by Reuben’s prior repentance in the case of Bilhah (ibid., 35:22). Reuben was also first of the brothers who tried to save Joseph in order to return him to his father (ibid., 37:22). According to a Midrash, G-d then said: “‘You [Reuben] were first in making an effort to bring back a beloved son to his father. By your life! A descendant of yours will be the first [of the prophets] to bring back Israel to their Father in heaven.’ And who was that? Hosea the son of Beeri, as it is written, When the Eternal spoke at first with Hosea (Hosea 1:2) [and it was that prophet who proclaimed: Return, O Israel, unto the Eternal thy G-d, for thou hast stumbled in thine iniquity” (ibid. 14: 2)] (Yalkut Shimoni, at the beginning of the Book of Hosea). That Hosea was of the tribe of Reuben is indicated in I Chronicles 5:6, where his father Beerah is counted among the descendants of Reuben. Beeri and Beerah, according to the Rabbis, refer to the same person. which is a good quality, and the mercies of the Holy One, blessed be He, come to the world when people repent [of their evil ways]. Next to Reuben is Gad, who has the quality of heroism.¹²²Genesis 49:19. In our Bamidbar Rabbah: “master of the troop,” as stated in Genesis ibid: Thus there were [in the south] Reuben with repentance, Gad with heroism, and in between them Shimon in order to atone [for his having caused anguish to his father Jacob].¹²³Ibid., Verses 5-7, and in Chapter 34:30. And they shall set forth second,¹²⁴Verse 16 here. because repentance is second to Torah [for by studying Torah one is coming to repent of evil ways]. In the west are the storehouses of snow, and the storehouses of hail, cold, and heat, and corresponding to them were [the tribes of] Ephraim, Menasheh and Benjamin, and the Divine Presence is always in the west within the border of Benjamin, as it is said, Of Benjamin he [Moses] said: The beloved of the Eternal shall dwell in safety by Him.¹²⁵Deuteronomy 33:12. This is an allusion to the fact that the Sanctuary proper, in which the Divine Presence resided, was in Benjamin’s territory. The eastern part of the Temple was in the territory of Judah. These three tribes of Ephraim, Menasheh and Benjamin, to whom G-d grants might (see Psalms 80: 3) are thus the most able to resist the destructive aspects of the natural elements (Eitz Yoseph on Bamidbar Rabbah). And they shall set forth third,¹²⁶Verse 24 here. for heroism is fitting to Torah and repentance, in order that a person may grow strong in Torah and overcome his [bad] inclinations. From the north comes darkness to the world, and corresponding to it was the tribe of Dan. For what reason? It is because the tribe of Dan darkened the world through the idols which Jeroboam made, as it is said, and the one idol he put in Dan.¹²⁷I Kings 12:29. Next to him was the tribe of Asher, to illuminate the darkness, as it is said [of Asher], and he shall dip his foot in oil,¹²⁸Deuteronomy 33:24. and next to him was the tribe of Naphtali who is full of blessings.¹²⁹As it is said of that tribe, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the Eternal (ibid., Verse 23). They shall set forth hindmost,¹³⁰Verse 31 here. for whoever worships idols goes backward and not forward. ”¹³¹Jeremiah 7:24.
There [in Bamidbar Rabbah]¹¹⁶Bamidbar Rabbah 2:9. the Rabbis also interpret [the division of the tribes of Israel according to four standards as] corresponding to the four groups of angels [surrounding the celestial Throne]. The Midrash also explains there that [the division of the tribes was not arbitrary but] it was all in wisdom, [showing] honor and greatness to Israel, and that therefore Scripture mentions everything in detail.

The boundary went up to the valley of Ben-hinom. It continued going up somewhat until it reached Ein-itim and from there on it descends. This is what our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said in the chapter of שְׁחִיטַת קָדְשִׁים:¹¹See Maseches Zevachem 54b. They considered building [the Beis Ha Mikdosh] in Ein-itim which is a bit higher than Yerushalayim.¹²Since the verse states, “וּבֵין כְּתֵפָיו שָׁכֵן, and He resides between his shoulders,” (Devorim 33:12), they remarked, “Let us descend a little, because the shoulders are below the head.” The verse states that the Almighty will reside between the shoulders of the boundary of Binyomin, i.e., that the Beis Ha Mikdosh which is the resting place of the Shechina, will be built in the area of the Tribe of Binyomin. King David thought it should be built at Ein-itim which is twenty-three amohs higher than Yerushalayim, but they said, “There is nothing more pleasing about the ox than his shoulders.

It extended— From its south-western corner to Kiryas-yearim which belonged to Yehudah. Thus the width of Binyomin’s boundary occupies the entire width of the land between Yehudah and Ephraim. His [Binyomin’s] southern boundary meets with the northern boundary of Yehudah, which was the location of Yerushalayim, as is said later in this chapter.⁹V. 28. Thus both tribes had a share in it.¹⁰The major portion of Yehudah’s territory was to the south, but there was one strip of land that extended north and bordered the portion of Binyomin. It extended to the city of the Yevusim which later became Yerushalayim. (See v. 28) The city and the Beis ha Mikdosh were situated right on the border of the two tribes. There are various opinions regarding the exact location of the Altar itself. Some say that it was in Binyomin’s portion, while others maintain that it was in the portion of Yehudah. The Northern boundary of Binyomin and the sourthern boundary of Ephraim meet, and Shiloh was located there in the portion of Ephraim, as it is said, ‘And He abandoned the Mishkan of Shiloh, etc., and He abhorred the tent of Yoseif, and the tribe of Ephraim He did not choose.’¹¹Tehillim 78:60,67. Binyomin too had a share in it [Shiloh], and so we learned in Maseches Zevachim, ‘In three places the Divine Presence rested in Eretz Yisroel: in Shiloh, in Nov and in the Beis ha Mikdosh; and of all of them, it rested only in the portion of Binyomin:¹²From the time the land was divided, the Divine Presence (שְׁכִינָה) rested within the portion of Binyomin. Initially the Divine Presence rested in the Mishkon at Shiloh. After its destruction, the Mishkon was established at Nov, which was also within Binyomin’s portion. It was moved from there to Givon and afterwards to Yerushalayim where the Beis ha Mikdosh was built. The reason for the pre-eminence of Binyomin in this respect, was the blessing Moshe gave to him, as it is said: “Adonoy’s friend, let him live secure with Him. He hovers protectively over him throughout the day, and He resides between his shoulders.” (Devorim 33:12) The Shechina, Divine Presence, resided in Shiloh for many years, and for a short time it hovered over Nov and Givon, and finally a permanent, eternal dwelling place for the Shechina was established in Yerushalayim. Thus in his blessing, Moshe alluded to the places within the territory of Binyomin in which the Divine Presence would reside. (See Rashi there).