Cytowanie Komentarza do Psalmów 48:13

רעו Break.¹⁷A.V., Associate yourselves.—According to I.E. the meaning of the verse is: Prepare yourselves to destroy nations; the next verse continues: It will all be in vain. Comp. תרועם thou shalt break them (Ps. 2:9.) רׂעוּ as well as חׂתּוּ are imperatives; like סׂבּוּ surround (Ps. 48:13).

The Torah’s report of how the camp of the Israelites was positioned is very important even though it was altogether something which existed only for a very limited period. Even though we do not have a Temple nowadays, study of and familiarity with all these numbers and measurements is mandatory and people who take the trouble to familiarize themselves with these numbers are certain to receive a great reward. There is nothing in the Torah which is not worth studying regardless of whether one can appreciate the practical value of such knowledge (Berachot 62). The same applies to study of all the various animal offerings and the rules about who may eat what and where and when. Every person who makes study of these subjects his personal priority will be given credit as if he had personally offered the sacrifices whose laws he had studied. This is what the sages meant when they said in Menachot 110 that whoever busies himself with the rules of the burnt-offering is considered as if he personally had offered same, etc. [The actual wording in the Talmud is in regard to sin offerings. Ed.] This is also what the prophet Isaiah 40,10 had in mind when he said: “see, his reward is with Him, his recompense before Him.” The same applies to people who tell of the details of the Tabernacle, the Temple, etc. It is incumbent upon us to understand both the revealed and the hidden aspects of the details the Torah has revealed about all these materials and measurements of the Tabernacle. King David already mentioned this when he said (Psalms 48,13-14) ”walk around Zion, circle it, count its towers, take note of its ramparts; go through its citadels, that you may recount it to a future age.” The merit of doing what David suggested will help restore the Shechinah to our midst as we know from verse 15 immediately after the verses just quoted. David concludes by saying: “for G’d, He is our G’d forever, He will lead us evermore.”

The Torah’s report of how the camp of the Israelites was positioned is very important even though it was altogether something which existed only for a very limited period. Even though we do not have a Temple nowadays, study of and familiarity with all these numbers and measurements is mandatory and people who take the trouble to familiarize themselves with these numbers are certain to receive a great reward. There is nothing in the Torah which is not worth studying regardless of whether one can appreciate the practical value of such knowledge (Berachot 62). The same applies to study of all the various animal offerings and the rules about who may eat what and where and when. Every person who makes study of these subjects his personal priority will be given credit as if he had personally offered the sacrifices whose laws he had studied. This is what the sages meant when they said in Menachot 110 that whoever busies himself with the rules of the burnt-offering is considered as if he personally had offered same, etc. [The actual wording in the Talmud is in regard to sin offerings. Ed.] This is also what the prophet Isaiah 40,10 had in mind when he said: “see, his reward is with Him, his recompense before Him.” The same applies to people who tell of the details of the Tabernacle, the Temple, etc. It is incumbent upon us to understand both the revealed and the hidden aspects of the details the Torah has revealed about all these materials and measurements of the Tabernacle. King David already mentioned this when he said (Psalms 48,13-14) ”walk around Zion, circle it, count its towers, take note of its ramparts; go through its citadels, that you may recount it to a future age.” The merit of doing what David suggested will help restore the Shechinah to our midst as we know from verse 15 immediately after the verses just quoted. David concludes by saying: “for G’d, He is our G’d forever, He will lead us evermore.”

Where is he who counts the towers This too is a matter of the kingdom. He is appointed over the houses of the kingdom, how many they are, and how many towers a certain city requires. Comp. (Ps. 48:13) “Encircle Zion and surround it, count its towers,” how many towers it requires.