Musar su Salmi 89:78

After explaining by the way of reason that the Creator created His world only that it might worship Him and not through necessity, we shall (now) explain this matter by the way of Scripture. And we have advanced the rational arguments prior to the Scriptural arguments because the mind is more likely to accept them rather than the Scriptural arguments; they are more likely to become settled convictions in the mind of whoever attends to them because they are accompanied by (probable) arguments and demonstrations. I can therefore maintain that we have Scriptural warrant for the world’s creation, not by necessity, but as an act of grace and kindness¹⁶The word "Hesed" has several meanings in Biblical Hebrew. Louis Jacobs "The Concept of Hasid in the Biblical and Rabbinic Literatures" (Journal of Jewish Studies, Vol. VIII, numbers 3 and 4, pp. 20 ff) writes that the word "Hesed" means "mercy, loving kindness, loyalty, grace or charm, according to the context in which it occurs." See Nelson Glueck Das Wort Hesed im Alttestamentlichen Sprachge-brauche; English edition, Hesed in the Bible, Cincinnati, 1967.. As it is said (Psalms 89:3), “For I have said that the world is created through kindness.” We have discovered that every good done by the Creator, (may He be praised), for the sake of His creatures is implemented for His own sake rather than out of necessity or obligation. As it is said (Isaiah 48:11), “For mine own sake will I do it.” Further it is said (Hosea 14:5), “I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely.” It is said (Deuteronomy 4:30), “Know this day and lay it to Thy heart, that the Lord, He is God.” And even before this, reason has already taught us that the Creator, may He be praised, did not create His world by necessity, but only so that it might worship Him. Hence, we have explained the mystery of the world’s creation by the way of Scripture and that of reason.

I have already explained at length in Parshat Terumah how the Tabernacle was a re-enactment of the work of creation, i.e. a microcosm, and that it served as man's rehabilitation for the damage to G–d's universe brought about by Adam's sin. We have also explained that there was a parallel Tabernacle in the Celestial Regions. Aaron, as High Priest, symbolised the rehabilitation of man who had become distant from G–d as a result of Adam's sin. Concerning Aaron, the Torah writes: ואתה הקרב אליך את אהרון אחיך, "As for you (Moses), bring close Aaron your brother etc." (28,1) Here the Torah expresses a mystical dimension of the verse in Leviticus 16,17: וכל אדם לא יהיה באהל, "No man shall be inside the tent." This is a reference to original Adam. The universe was created under the aegis of חסד, loving-kindness, as we know from עולם חסד יבנה, "The universe was built with loving-kindness" (Psalms 89,3). The בנין של מעלה, "The structure corresponding to the physical universe in the Celestial Regions," contains the secret of the seven days of creation and commences with the emanation חסד down to the emanation מלכות, i.e. seven emanations. We find that in connection with Aaron, the Torah (Deut. 33,8) speaks about תומיך ואוריך לאיש חסידך, that Aaron represented the attribute of חסד. We have explained that the three groups of Israelites, i.e. the כהנים, לוים, ישראלים, corresponded to the three emanations חסד, גבורה, תפארת, respectively.

A pious man is so called because he has a sense of shame, for the word 'hassid' or 'pious' means 'white', for the translation of 'stork' (Hassidah) in Aramaic is "hawaeita" meaning "the white one", as you note in Leviticus 11:19, and similarly in Isaiah 29:22: "Neither shall his face now become white" (with shame), and the Aramaic translation of "herpah" (shame) is hisda (same as Hassid), as you will note in Genesis 34:14. And all of this for what reason? That the Hassid or pious person must bear shame in order to fulfill the Torah, and he must remove shame from his face at performing any precept. Then he is called a Hassid or "pious one", and thus he attains to prophecy as it is written: "Then didst Thou speak in vision to Thy pious ones" (Ps. 89:20). And through his sense of shame he will attain to true reverence of God, as it is written: "In order that His awe be upon your faces and you do not sin" (Exod. 20:20). What kind of awe or fear of God can be seen in a person's face? You must surely say, "A sense of shame" (which causes the face to change color) (Nedarim 20a).

And behold that the principle behind all of the punishments mentioned in this level is because of profaning the Torah. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yerushalmi Nedarim 3:14), that the sin of profanation is bigger than all of the transgressions. And it is not possible to atone [for it] with repentance and afflictions, as will be explained in the Gate of the Parts of Atonement (no longer extant). And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Kiddushin 40a), “There is no [deferral] with [the punishment] for profaning [God’s] name - whether one is inadvertent or volitional.” And now stand and reflect upon our great obligation to sanctify His name: As the essence of that which God, may He be blessed, sanctified us with His Torah and His commandments and separated us to be [a people] for Him was to sanctify Him and to fear Him. [Hence] it is fit from the ones he sanctified to be holy - in that even the vessels [used to] serve in front of God, may He be blessed, need to be sanctified; as it is stated (Leviticus 22:32), “You shall not profane My holy name, that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Israelite people; I am the Lord who sanctified you,” Note and understand that the matter that we said can be found explicitly in this verse: It is stated (Psalms 111:9), “He ordered His covenant for all time; His name is holy and awesome.” Its explanation is, because “His name is holy and awesome,” “He ordered His Covenant for all time” and commanded us with His commandments - to sanctify Him and to fear Him. Hence, it is written after it (Psalms 111:10), “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; sound understanding, etc.” And through the holiness of the commandments - when we sanctify God, may He be blessed, we are associated with the supernal holy ones that sanctify and venerate Him, as it is stated (Psalms 89:8), “A God venerated in the great council of holy beings, etc.”

And now we will explain the matter of the punishment of those that separate from the ways of the community, and that he is included in the punishments of the groups that we mentioned above: When the heads of the people and the holy communities gather to serve God, may He be blessed, and make agreements to place commandments upon themselves - they are surely sanctifying God, may He be magnified and sanctified, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 33:5), “Then He became King in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people assembled, the tribes of Israel together.” And it is [also] stated (Psalms 47:10), “The great of the peoples are gathered together, the people of Abraham’s God; for the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.” Israel is called, “peoples,” because they are twelve tribes, like the matter that is stated (Deuteronomy 33:19), “They invite the peoples to the mountain.” But they are one people to serve God; therefore is it stated, “the people of Abraham’s God.” And the kings and the officers are called, “shields,” from the usage (Isaiah 21:5), “grease the shields.” The explanation of [Psalms 47:10] is, the great of the peoples gathered together to serve God, may He be exalted, because their kings and their officers are for God - as they are His servants and His faithful, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 89:19), “Truly our shield is of the Lord, our King, of the Holy One of Israel.” “He is greatly exalted,” since the Holy One, blessed be He, is exalted and glorified in His world in their gathering together and in their service. And the man that separates from the ways of the community is like an opponent of the agreement about the service of God; and like one who exits from the aggregate that is sanctifying God. So he shows himself to not want to be in their council, nor be written in their writings. Behold he is [thus] among those that profane the service and is included in the groups that we mentioned - that are scorning the word of God, and do not have a share in the world to come. And secondly, they dissuade the heart of the weak-minded by their separating from the ways of the community, and so are among those that cause the many to sin.

Hospitality is a practical expression of the virtue of חסד, a virtue that Abraham excelled in. We have explained repeatedly that the world is based on חסד, and the world in turn was created only for the sake of Abraham (and his descendants), as we showed based on the spelling of the word בהבראם in Genesis 2,4. The characteristic of חסד is one in which a person's inner love for G–d is expressed, and this is why G–d refers to Abraham in Isaiah 41,8 as אברהם אוהבי, "Abraham who loves Me." The Zohar Mishpatim 114 (Warsaw) defines חסיד, a pious, loving person, as someone who is on intimate terms with his Creator, as we shall explain in detail. Here too Abraham displayed such loving concern for his Maker, as we shall demonstrate. We will explain more about this when we shall discuss the banquet Abraham gave celebrating Isaac's birth.

And it [gemiluth chasadim] is one of the three things on which the world stands, as we find in Avoth, Chapter 1: "The world stands on three things: on Torah, on Avodah (the sacrificial service), and on gemiluth chasadim." And it is equivalent to sacrifices. As stated in Avoth d'R. Nathan (4:4): "Whence do we derive this for gemiluth chasadim? It is written (Hoshea 6:6): 'For I desired chesed and not sacrifice.' The world, ab initio, was created only with chesed, as it is written (Psalms 893): "For I said: 'The world will be built through chesed.'" Once, R. Yochanan b. Zakkai went out of Jerusalem and R. Yehoshua went after him and saw the Temple in ruins, at which he said: "Woe unto us, the place where our sins were atoned is in ruins!," at which R. Yochanan responded: "My son, do not despond. We have an atonement equivalent to it. Which? Gemiluth chasadim, as it is written: 'For I desired chesed and not sacrifice!'" (See Succah 49b, to the effect that [according to R. Elazar) charity is greater than sacrifices; how much more so, gemiluth chasadim!) It [gemiluth chasadim] is greater than the mitzvah of tzedakah [charity], as R. Elazar said (Succah 49b): "Greater is lovingkindness than charity, as it is written (Hoshea 10:12): 'Sow for yourselves by charity; reap by lovingkindness.' If one sows, it is not certain whether or not he will eat; but if he reaps, he will assuredly eat." "The Rabbis taught: 'In three respects, lovingkindess is greater than charity: Charity [is conferred] with one's wealth; lovingkindness — both with one's wealth and one's body. Charity — to the poor; lovingkindness — both to the rich and the poor. Charity — to the living; lovingkindness — both to the living and the dead.'" And it is one of the things, the fruit of which one eats in this world, with the principal remaining for the world to come, as we find in Peah I.

The purpose of the Passover sacrifice is first and foremost to demonstrate G–d's superiority over all other deities both in Heaven and on earth. This is important; G–d had endowed many agents with different powers, and the impression that there were a number of primary sources of power in the universe had to be refuted. The discrediting of the strongest of these forces, the שר של מצרים, automatically brought about the discrediting of all other deities.

Therein lies the secret of why the Priest must not perform the duties of the Levite, or vice versa. The Priests are the more important ones, their position vis-a-vis the Levites is like that of the firstborn in an ordinary family. The word בכור, firstborn, carries the connotation of גדולה, greatness, distinction, as we know from "אף אני בכור אתהו," "I too will appoint him as firstborn, highest of the kings of the earth" (Psalms 89,28). To signify that they occupied this position, they were awarded the firstborn of the pure animals born to the other tribes. This is also why the silver for redeeming the firstborn sons was awarded to them. The Levites were the "redemption" for the firstborn Israelites in accordance with their number.

I shall now proceed to explain the subject of blessing and Priest, Levite and Israelite respectively. It is accepted that the attributes represented by כהן, לוי, ישראל respectively, are the attributes חסד, גבורה, תפארת. These in turn are the mystical dimensions of our patriarchs. Abraham symbolizes חסד; Isaac symbolizes גבורה; Jacob symbolizes אמת, which we have repeatedly explained as corresponding to תפארת. Jacob is described as איש תם, a man of perfection, התם ומתמם, "someone who is perfect and kind to the blameless," a יושב אהלים, "dweller of tents," i.e. the median between the tent of Abraham and the tent of Isaac, embodying within himself the respective outstanding characteristics of both his father and grandfather. I have already explained at length in פרשת חיי שרה how all the patriarchs served as a force furthering G–d's objective to make this world perfect. True, the world had been created by the attribute of חסד, as we know from עולם חסד יבנה, in Psalms 89,3. It had always been G–d's intention to eventually base the world on the attribute of דין, Justice, so that man could experience a system of לתת לאיש כדרכיו וכפרי מעלליו, "to repay each man in accordance with his ways and with the fruit of his deeds" (Jeremiah 32,19). Isaac represented this latter ideal, and he was the first human being to whom G–d could successfully apply that yardstick. Since the world as a whole could not measure up to such a demanding standard, Jacob combined within his person a blend of both attributes to serve as a role model for future generations of mankind. There is a slight tilt towards the attribute of חסד, Justice and Mercy are not evenly balanced.

Nachmanides has this to say on the expression of לכבוד ולתפארת, in 28,2: "As far as the mystical dimension of these instructions, i. e. ועל דרך האמת, is concerned: They should make prestigious garments for Aaron so that he could perform service in them to the G–d who represents true glory and splendour and who dwells amongst the Israelites. The might and glory of the Jewish people is their G–d, as we know from Psalms 89,18: כי תפארת עוזמו אתה, "For You are their strength in which they glory." We also know this from Isaiah 64,10 בית קדשנו ותפארתנו אשר הללוך אבותינו, "Our Holy Temple and the site of our glory where our forefathers praised You." The word קדשנו refers to our כבוד, honour, the word תפארתנו to the glory of Israel. We also have a verse in Psalms 96,6: עוז ותפארת במקדשו, "Strength and glory in His Sanctuary." Isaiah 60,13 speaks of לפאר מקום מקדשי ומקום רגלי אכבד, "To glorify the site of My Sanctuary and the place where My feet rest." The prophet evidently describes that the site of the Temple is to reflect G–d's splendour and honour. G–d is glorified through Israel viz: Isaiah 49,3: ישראל אשר בך אתפאר, "I glory in you Israel."

When Jacob is described as יושב אהלים, "a dweller of tents," this refers to his being the link between two tents, i.e. the tent of Abraham who personified the attribute of חסד, and the tent of Isaac who personified the attribute of דין, Justice, as we have explained repeatedly. Jacob achieved a perfect blend between these two attributes. We have previously described that G–d, when He created the universe, decided to co-opt the attribute of Mercy to the attribute of Justice. Jacob reflected G–d's decision. When our sages always speak of the "love" of Abraham, the "fear" of Isaac, and the "truth" of Jacob this is the combination of Mercy and Justice. Jacob represented the emanation תפארת.

Great is charity — it is this quality for which the Holy One, Blessed be He, will be praised when he brings salvation to Israel, as it is said, "I that speak in victory, mighty to save" (Is. 63:1). Great is charity — it brings honor and life to those who practice it, as it is said "He that followeth after righteousness and mercy, findeth life, prosperity and honour" (Prov. 21:21). Great is charity — with this quality, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will redeem Israel, as it is said, "Zion shall be redeemed with justice and they that return of her with righteousness" (Is. 1:27). Great is charity — with this quality Abraham, our father, was praised, as it is said, "And he trusted in God and He reckoned it to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:6), and it is said further, "For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice" (Gen. 18:19). Great is charity — with this quality, David, King of Israel, was praised, as it is said, "And David executed justice and righteousness unto all his people" (II Sam. 8:15). Great is charity — with this quality King Solomon was praised, as it is said. "Blessed be the Lord thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made He thee king, to do justice and righteousness" (I Kings 10:9). Great is charity — it reaches up to the very Throne of Glory, as it is said, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne" (Ps. 89:15). Great is charity — through it Israel was praised, as it is said, "And it shall be righteousness unto us" (Deut. 6:25). Great is charity — with it, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will in future be praised on the Day of Judgment, as it is said, "But the Lord of hosts is exalted through justice, and God the Holy One, is sanctified through righteousness" (Is. 5:16). Great is charity — it accompanies those who practice it at the hour of their departure from the world, as it is said, "And thy righteousness shall go before thee, the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward" (Is. 58:8). Great is kindness — with it the world was built, as it is said, "The world on mercy is built" (Ps. 89:3). Wherefore a man should cleave to the quality of generosity which brings about all these good things (Mekhilta on Ex. 15:13).

Great is charity — it is this quality for which the Holy One, Blessed be He, will be praised when he brings salvation to Israel, as it is said, "I that speak in victory, mighty to save" (Is. 63:1). Great is charity — it brings honor and life to those who practice it, as it is said "He that followeth after righteousness and mercy, findeth life, prosperity and honour" (Prov. 21:21). Great is charity — with this quality, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will redeem Israel, as it is said, "Zion shall be redeemed with justice and they that return of her with righteousness" (Is. 1:27). Great is charity — with this quality Abraham, our father, was praised, as it is said, "And he trusted in God and He reckoned it to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:6), and it is said further, "For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice" (Gen. 18:19). Great is charity — with this quality, David, King of Israel, was praised, as it is said, "And David executed justice and righteousness unto all his people" (II Sam. 8:15). Great is charity — with this quality King Solomon was praised, as it is said. "Blessed be the Lord thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made He thee king, to do justice and righteousness" (I Kings 10:9). Great is charity — it reaches up to the very Throne of Glory, as it is said, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne" (Ps. 89:15). Great is charity — through it Israel was praised, as it is said, "And it shall be righteousness unto us" (Deut. 6:25). Great is charity — with it, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will in future be praised on the Day of Judgment, as it is said, "But the Lord of hosts is exalted through justice, and God the Holy One, is sanctified through righteousness" (Is. 5:16). Great is charity — it accompanies those who practice it at the hour of their departure from the world, as it is said, "And thy righteousness shall go before thee, the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward" (Is. 58:8). Great is kindness — with it the world was built, as it is said, "The world on mercy is built" (Ps. 89:3). Wherefore a man should cleave to the quality of generosity which brings about all these good things (Mekhilta on Ex. 15:13).

When he contemplates all of this, it will be impossible for his heart to not fear and for him to not quiver while he speaks his words before Him, blessed be He, and utters His Name, and strives to find His favor. This is what scripture says: "Serve G-d with fear, and rejoice in trembling" (Tehilim 2:11), and "G-d is revered in the great council of the holy ones and feared by all around Him"(Tehilim 89:8).

Likewise our sages, of blessed memory, said regarding the Levites: "because they knew that whoever carries the Ark merits great reward, they abandoned the Shulchan, Menorah and Altars, and all ran to the Ark to gain reward. Then, this person argued saying 'I will carry it from here' and that person argued saying 'I will carry it from here' until they came to lightheadedness and the Divine presence would hit them..." (Midrash Raba 5:1).

"With three crowns was Israel crowned : the crown of the Torah, the crown of the Priesthood and the crown of Kingdom" (Aboth 4:17, Yoma 72b, Eccl. Rabbah 7:1). Aaron merited the crown of the Priesthood, as it is said, "And it shall be unto him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood" (Num. 25:13). David merited the crown of Kingdom, as it is said, "His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before Me" (Ps. 89:37). As for the crown of the Torah — it lies there waiting for all Israel, as it is said, "Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob" (Deut. 33:4) : anyone who wants the crown of Torah can come and take it. And should you say that the other crowns are greater than the crown of Torah, then behold he says, "By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth" (Prov. 8:15—16). From this you learn that the crown of the Torah is greater than the crown of Priesthood, and greater than the crown of Sovereignty. And the Sages said, "A bastard who is a scholar takes precedence over a High Priest who is ignorant" (Horayoth 13a). As it is said, "She (wisdom) is more precious than rubies" (Prov. 3:15). The Hebrew word "peninah" means both "ruby" and "inside", and the verse can therefore be interpreted as meaning : More precious is the Torah and he who studies it than the High Priest who enters the very inside of the Temple — into the Holy of Holies.

To come back to the statement that all the souls are the root of Torah. There are two תורות. One Torah which was revealed to us from the "two-faced" region (emanation) of תפארת and מלכות, is both the written and the oral Torah. We find an allusion to these two תורות in Deut. 4,36: מן השמים השמיעך את קלו ליסרך ועל הארץ הראך את אשו הגדולה ודבריו שמעת מתוך האש, "From the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; on earth He let you see His great fire; and from amidst the fire you heard His words." Heaven and Earth in this verse are the reference to the "two faces" of Torah [the written and the oral]. There exists, however, an "earlier" Torah which our sages alluded to when they told us that Torah had been created two thousand years prior to Creation. This Torah was "hidden" together with the original light. Kabbalists have explained that each emanation, ספירה, is equated with the number one thousand, [based on multiplying ten by ten by ten, at which point we return to the original number 1, i.e. אלף, representing G–d's unity, seeing that the letter אלף is identical with the word for one thousand, i.e. Eleph. Ed.] Construction of the material world began with the emanation חסד, in descending order. This is the reason why our sages always say עולם חסד יבנה, "the universe is built on חסד.” (Psalms 89,3) If this is so, we understand the two thousand (years) that the "higher" Torah preceded our universe as referring to the emanations חכמה and בינה which preceded the emanation of חסד [in the process of צמצום, the self-imposed limitations, which the Essence of G–d, אין סוף, imposed upon Himself in order to create the universe and for His creations in that universe to be able to relate to Him Ed.].

Now we can also understand Midrash Rabbah Vayikra in section 35, concerning Leviticus 26,3: "If you observe My commandments and carry them out;" Rabbi Chama said in the name of Rabbi Chanina that the meaning is that if you observe the Torah laws, I, (G–d) will consider this for you as if you had carried them out, the word אותם meaning the same as אתם, you." Rabbi Chaninah son of Pappa said that you will be considered as though you had created them yourselves, and, by extension, have created yourselves. Rabbi Chiyah taught: "He who studies to perform, not he who studies in order not to perform- for in such an instance it were better he had never been created. Rabbi Yochanan says that if someone studies with the intention of not performing, he should have had the afterbirth flung in his face so that he would not have been born alive. Rabbi Acha says that he who studies in order to perform (the commandments) will have the merit of welcoming the Holy Spirit. How do we know this? It is written in Joshua 1,8: למען תשמור לעשות ככל הכתוב בו, כי אז תצליח את דרכך ואז תשכיל. "So that you may observe faithfully all that is written therein (the Torah). Only then will you prosper in your undertakings and only then will you be successful." The expression תשכיל means that one is granted Holy Spirit as we know from Psalms 89,1: משכיל לאיתן האזרחי "An inspired statement by Eytan the Ezrahite." Thus far the Midrash in Vayikra.

Before revealing the reasons for all this we must still refer to Bereshit Rabbah 29,3, and we shall then see that all these statements are in accordance with what we have written above. The Midrash in question states: Rabbi Simon states that G–d made three "discoveries." He "found" Abraham, as we know from Nechemiah 9,8: "You found his (Abraham's) heart trustworthy before You." He "found" David since we read in Psalms 89,21: "I have found My servant David." He also "found" Israel as we know from Hoseah 9,10: "I found Israel like grapes in the desert." When his colleagues asked him why he did not include Noach in G–d's "discoveries," seeing the Torah says "Noach found favor in the eyes of G–d," Rabbi Simon responded that Noach did indeed "find," whereas G–d did not "find." There are several difficulties here. Why does Rabbi Simon not list G–d's "discoveries" in their chronological order, i.e. Abraham, Israel, David?

On 13,5: וגם ללוט ההולך את אברם היו צאן ובקר ואהלים "Also Lot who went with Abram possessed sheep, cattle, and tents." In Bereshit Rabbah 41,4 Rabbi Tuviah comments that the tents mentioned refer to Ruth the Moabite and Naomi the Ammonite. This is also why later on in Genesis 19, 15 the angels urge Lot to take "your wife and your two daughters הנמצאות, i.e. "who will have an enduring existence, i.e. they will be two tents." Rabbi Yossi says the word הנמצאות, is equivalent to מציאות, finds. The two finds are Ruth and Naomi. Rabbi Yitzchak portrays G–d as saying "I have found My servant David." Where did G–d find him? In Sodom.

The paragraph commencing with וכי יגור אתכם גר, "When a stranger (convert) resides amongst you, etc" (19,33), contains an allusion to Abraham, the first convert to Judaism. He also became the first אזרח, natural born citizen, as we know from Psalms 89,1, which, according to all our sources, is a reference to Abraham. The reason the Torah alludes to Abraham as the first convert is to teach us not to accuse others of shortcomings when we ourselves suffer from the same type of shortcoming. To denigrate a stranger is to forget that we ourselves started our career as a nation as strangers. In the words of Baba Metzia 59b: "If one's family tree contains the name of someone who has been legally hanged, he should not even say to a fellow "hang this fish up for me," for the very mention of hanging is a reminder of a blemish in his own family." The Israelites were guilty of idol worship while in Egypt as well as of many abominable practices. How then could they dare remind a convert of his pagan past? Abraham himself chose exile (Shemot Rabbah 59) for his descendants in preference to their having to linger in purgatory. Purgatory comprises both the dimension of dryness and wetness. The dryness expresses itself in the fire, the wetness in a form of snow. As an allusion to this, the Torah here continues with the prohibition to sacrifice to the fire-god Moloch (20,2-5) a warning of what is in store for Esau and his followers. The Torah speaks only of people who sacrifice some of their offspring to Moloch. The author of Semag writes an explanation as a reply to the heretics; however, the true reason for this is analogous to the statement of our sages on Genesis 21,12 where Abraham did not want to expel Hagar and Ishmael. G–d told him there that his principal heirs would be "part of Isaac." Just as the Torah referred in that case to "part of Isaac," so here too the syntax of the Torah speaks of the likely event, i.e. that someone offers some of his offspring as a sacrifice to that deity. Just as only part of Isaac's descendants turned away from the Abrahamitic tradition, i.e. Esau, so the Torah, by speaking of "some offspring being offered to the Moloch," reassures us that it is inconceivable that a descendant of Isaac would sacrifice all of his offspring to such a deity. The Torah continues in 20,7: והתקדשתם. This is a reference to Jacob. He had succeeded in attaining sanctity of his body.

Summing up, we find that the paragraph dealing with circumcision contains three great gifts 1) The kingdom of David will endure forever. 2) The gift of the land of Israel to the Jewish people will be a permanent possession of the people. 3) The Presence of G–d will rest visibly over the people and the land of Israel. Concerning the first promise Abraham is told ומלכים ממך יצאו והקמותי את בריתי, "kings will come forth from you; and I will maintain My covenant" (17,5). Correspondingly, we find in connection with the dynasty of David: כרתי ברית לבחירי, נשבעתי לדוד עבדי, עד עולם אכין, זרעך ובניתי לדור ודור כסאך סלה, "I have made a covenant with My chosen one; I have sworn to My servant David. I will establish your offspring forever, I will confirm your throne for all generations selah” (Psalms 89 4/5). Concerning giving the land of Israel to Abraham's descendants, G–d said: ונתתי לך ולזרעך אחריך את ארץ מגורך … לאחוזת עולם, "I will give to you and to your descendants after you the whole land of Canaan the land you sojourn in, as an eternal possession" (17,8). This means that even while we are in exile, the land will never be an inheritance of our enemies, but they will only be there on a temporary basis since it will be desolate while they occupy it. Once we shall return to it as an eternal possession the Presence of the שכינה will become manifest, and there will be fulfilled the last line of G–d's promise to Abraham "I shall be their G–d."

We have now explored three ways in which the meal Abraham offered the angels can be tied in with the עקדה, something still almost 40 years in the future. The paragraph dealing with Lot's flight from Sodom also contains allusions to the עקדה, as mentioned in Bereshit Rabbah 50,10 on the verse ואת שתי בנותיו הנמצאות (Genesis 19,15). Rabbi Tuviah says that these two daughters are Ruth the Moabite and Naami the Ammonite. Rabbi Yitzchak says that G–d said "I have found My servant David. Where did I find him? In Sodom."

One must also distribute generous portions to the poor. You should be aware of what I have found written in the Zohar (Introduction 10b): Rabbi Shimon said: Whoever rejoices on the festivals and does not give a portion to the Holy One, Blessed is He, is called “evil-eyed,” and he is hated by the Satan, who immediately comes to accuse him and remove him from the world. How many troubles upon troubles does he cause him! This is because the poor are the portion of the Holy One Blessed is He, who wishes them to rejoice. During these days the Holy One Blessed is He goes up to look in on His shattered vessels. And if He sees that the poor person has nothing with which to rejoice, then the Holy One Blessed is He weeps and desires to destroy the world. At that time all the Heavenly Hosts come before Him, saying, “Master of the Universe! You are called merciful and gracious, so let Your mercies be poured out upon Your children!” The Holy One Blessed is He responds: “Did I not establish the world upon lovingkindness, as it states, ‘A world of lovingkindness You did build’ (Tehillim 89:3)? Yet I do not see any lovingkindness being performed in the world!” Then the ministering angels say: “It is true that So- and-so is eating and drinking and while he was capable of doing lovingkindness towards the poor, he did not, in fact, give them anything.” Instantly the accuser comes and asks for permission to pursue the man. The accuser comes to observe every meal that the person enjoys. If the man is quick to do loving- kindness towards the poor or if there are poor people in the house, the accuser goes away and does not enter. But if not, then he enters and if he sees a tumult of rejoicing without the poor, he ascends On High and indicts him.