Musar su Amos 9:78

The paragraph then tells us that the camp of the Israelites had become purified of the remnants of the sin of the golden calf and was now a holy camp. There follows the paragraph dealing with details of the observance of a פסח שני, a "second Passover," i.e. a Passover for those who had been genuinely unable to observe the Passover on the original date due to no fault of their own. When Israel served the golden calf, they in effect exchanged their zodiac sign of the ram for the zodiac sign of the bull. This was due to the mixed multitude of Egyptians who had accompanied them out of Egypt and had seduced them. Those people had originally served the sign of Aries (ram), but due to the defeat of the Egyptian nation who had up to then worshiped that sign, they now chose the next constellation, i.e. Taurus, the bull. This is why the פסח שני, second Passover, has to be observed in the month of lyar, which is the month of the sign Taurus. By observing the Passover in that month they declared that they had abandoned any vestige of worshiping that sign. In fact it demonstrated that the whole idea of worshiping zodiac signs was bankrupt, and that they had been weaned from it. This is what Amos 9,1 may have referred to when he said: הך הכפתור וירעשו הסיפים וכו', "Smite the lintel so that the posts may shake, etc." These wicked opportunists, the ערב אב that Moses allowed to join the Jewish people, were not only wicked but also very foolish. They should have realized that if their time honored horoscope had been discredited, any new horoscopic constellation they would adopt as their celestial protector would be even less effective.

The paragraph then tells us that the camp of the Israelites had become purified of the remnants of the sin of the golden calf and was now a holy camp. There follows the paragraph dealing with details of the observance of a פסח שני, a "second Passover," i.e. a Passover for those who had been genuinely unable to observe the Passover on the original date due to no fault of their own. When Israel served the golden calf, they in effect exchanged their zodiac sign of the ram for the zodiac sign of the bull. This was due to the mixed multitude of Egyptians who had accompanied them out of Egypt and had seduced them. Those people had originally served the sign of Aries (ram), but due to the defeat of the Egyptian nation who had up to then worshiped that sign, they now chose the next constellation, i.e. Taurus, the bull. This is why the פסח שני, second Passover, has to be observed in the month of lyar, which is the month of the sign Taurus. By observing the Passover in that month they declared that they had abandoned any vestige of worshiping that sign. In fact it demonstrated that the whole idea of worshiping zodiac signs was bankrupt, and that they had been weaned from it. This is what Amos 9,1 may have referred to when he said: הך הכפתור וירעשו הסיפים וכו', "Smite the lintel so that the posts may shake, etc." These wicked opportunists, the ערב אב that Moses allowed to join the Jewish people, were not only wicked but also very foolish. They should have realized that if their time honored horoscope had been discredited, any new horoscopic constellation they would adopt as their celestial protector would be even less effective.

And our sages have said (Derech Eretz Zuta 9): "If there is machloketh in a household, in the end it will be destroyed. If there is machloketh in a synagogue, in the end it will be disbanded. What is more, in the end it will be laid waste. If there is machloketh in the city, there is bloodshed in the city. Two Torah scholars who live in the same city and, similarly, two courts in the same city, if there is machloketh among them, they are destined to expire. Furthermore, a contentious court is the destruction of the world. Know this to be so, for so long as there is peace in the lower tribunal, there is peace in the higher tribunal, as it is written (Amos 9:6): 'He builds His chambers in the heavens.' When? (Ibid.): 'when His bond is founded upon the earth." That is, when Israel are united in one bond and live in peace with one another.

Another puzzling statement is the reference to "Jacob the small one," "Samuel the small one", "David the small one," in that order. We are forced to assume that the prophet Samuel is meant here so as to justify the order in which the names are listed. Some people say that the reason Samuel is referred to as the "small" one is, because his mother made a "small" robe for him when he was a little boy (Samuel I 2,19). This surely is a very forced explanation.

The center of the world, the Holy Temple, is also alluded to here: Bereshit Rabbah states that the ladder is hyperbole for the כבש, ramp of the altar, the words מוצב ארצה, being understood as a reference to the "earthen altar" G–d wished the Jewish people to build (Exodus 20,21). The words וראשו מגיע השמימה, its top reaches Heaven, is understood by the same Midrash as referring to the fragrance of the sacrifices offered on the altar. The מלאכים described as ascending and descending are the High Priests ascending and descending the ramp of the altar when performing the service in the Temple. The words: והנה ה' נצב עליו, are compared to: ראיתי את ה' ניצב על המזבח, "I had a vision of seeing G–d standing on top of the altar" (Amos 9,1). Thus far the Midrash. At the end of Jacob's dream we also find an allusion to the building of the Temple, its destruction, and the eventual rebuilding of it, as will be demonstrated later.

When the Midrash describes G–d as saying: "You are the vineyard and I am the watchman," this is a reference to the crown of monarchy as I have explained above. It is a reference to the gift of the World to Come, as I have already mentioned. Our sages are on record as saying: "All the prophets have prophesied only about the days of the Messiah (in this world); only G–d Himself has an idea of what the World to Come will be like" (Berachot 34). What has been reserved for revelation at that future time is called the יין המשומר, the wine which has been preserved (within its grapes) since the days before Adam was expelled from גן עדן. It is concerning this wine that G–d is portrayed as saying: "You are the vineyard and I am the keeper." The word שומר, refers to the wine which was preserved since the idyllic times when man was still at home in Gan Eden. When the time comes to partake from this wine, ביום ההוא אקים את סוכת דוד הנופלת, "On that day I will re-establish the broken down hut of David" (Amos 9,11). This is why G–d is quoted in the Midrash as asking Israel to build a hut for Him. When Israel erects a hut in our domain, the hut of David which has collapsed can be rebuilt in the corresponding Celestial Regions. It will then advance spiritually ever higher until the mystical level of the emanation בינה, the root of עולם הבא, the World to Come, where the יין המשומר is carefully stored to prevent any Gentile touching it. The Gentiles' claim, if at all, to this עולם הבא does not extend beyond the domain of בנין, i.e. the emanations below בינה. The Gentiles' claim to any share in עולם הבא is based on Ishmael's descent from Abraham, whose outstanding characteristic was חסד, loving kindness. Esau's claim to any share in עולם הבא is similarly based only on the fact that he was the issue of patriarch Isaac. The reason that the Midrash did not bother to quote a verse confirming its claim is that the subject matter is עולם הבא, a subject scriptures have nothing to say about.