Comentários de Citação sobre Isaías 28:16

A SABBATH UNTO THE ETERNAL, “[This means] in honor of the Eternal [and that it is not primarily intended for man’s benefit],³³In other words, we are to observe the Sabbatical year primarily as a mark of honor to G-d, and not for our benefit, in that by lying fallow for a year the land will improve. The same applies to the weekly Sabbath, which we celebrate in honor of the Creator of the world, and not primarily because we benefit physically from a day of rest. (Mizrachi). in the same sense as this expression is used in the case of the Sabbath of Creation” [i.e., the weekly Sabbath, of which it is also said, a Sabbath unto the Eternal].³⁴Exodus 20:10. See note above. This is the language of Rashi. But this was not the intention of the Rabbis in their interpretation,³⁵In other words, it is true that in the Torath Kohanim (Behar 1:2) there is such an interpretation of the Rabbis, likening the expression a Sabbath unto the Eternal stated here in the case of the Sabbatical year to that mentioned in the law of the weekly Sabbath. But the intent thereof is not as Rashi presented it, for etc. The full text of the Beraitha of the Torath Kohanim will be mentioned further on by Ramban. for all [weekly] Sabbaths, and also the festivals, are in honor of the Eternal, and yet in not one of them [i.e., the festivals] does Scripture say that they are “unto the Eternal.” Instead, it says it shall be a solemn rest unto you,³⁶Above, 23:24. and in the case of the Day of Atonement it states, It shall be unto you a Sabbath of solemn rest.³⁷Ibid., Verse 32. The text of the Beraitha in the Torah Kohanim [quoted by Rashi] is as follows:³⁸Torath Kohanim, Behar 1:2. “A Sabbath unto the Eternal. Just as it says with reference to the Sabbath of Creation, so is it said regarding the Sabbatical year, a Sabbath unto the Eternal.” But the meaning of a Sabbath unto the Eternal thy G-d³⁴Exodus 20:10. See note above. stated in connection with the Sabbath of Creation, is that on it He ceased from work and rested³⁹Exodus 31:17. and therefore thou shalt not do any manner of work.³⁴Exodus 20:10. See note above. It was with reference to that idea that the Sages, of blessed memory, said that the same expression is also stated in the case of the Sabbatical year, since it is the seventh in [the cycle of] the years [just as the weekly Sabbath is the seventh day in the cycle of days; and the meaning thereof here is that since the seventh year is a Sabbath to the Eternal, as will be explained, we are to desist from working the land].
Now here [in the Torath Kohanim mentioned above, the Rabbis] have roused our attention to one of the great secrets of the Torah.⁴⁰See in Exodus (Vol. II, p. 341, Note 23). Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra has already given us a hint of it when he wrote: “The meaning of a Sabbath unto the Eternal is like that of the Sabbath-day.⁴¹For just as the Sabbath was given for the purpose of contemplating G-d’s deeds and meditating upon His Torah, so also is the purport of the Sabbatical year, since it is the seventh of the years (Mekor Chayim in his commentary to Ibn Ezra). The secret of the years of the world is alluded to in this place.” [Thus far is Ibn Ezra’s comment.]
Bend now your ear to understand that which I am permitted to inform you about it in the words that I will cause you to hear, and if you will be worthy, you will contemplate them [and understand them]. I have already written in Seder Bereshith⁴²Genesis 2:3 (Vol. I, pp. 61-64). that the six days of creation represent [all] the days of the world, and the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Eternal thy G-d,³⁴Exodus 20:10. See note above. for on it will be the Sabbath to the Great Name, just as we have been taught [in a Mishnah]:⁴³Tamid 7:4. “On the seventh day what psalm did the Levites sing [in the Sanctuary? They sang] A Psalm, a Song. For the Sabbath-day⁴⁴Psalms 92:1. — [a song] for the World to Come, which will be wholly a Sabbath, and rest for life everlasting.” Thus the [seven] days [of the week] allude to that which He created in the process of creation, and the [seven] years [of the Sabbatical cycle] refer to that which will occur during the creation of all “the days” of the world. It is for this reason that Scripture was more stringent regarding [the transgression of the laws of] the Sabbatical year than with respect to those guilty of transgressing all other negative commandments, and made it punishable with exile, just as He was stringent with respect to forbidden sexual relations [for which the punishment of the people, as opposed to that of the individual, is also exile];⁴⁵Above, 18:28. as it is said, Then shall the Land be paid her Sabbaths,⁴⁶Further, 26:34. and He repeated this matter many times: As long as it lieth desolate it shall have rest,⁴⁷Ibid., Verse 35. and it is further said, And the Land shall lie forsaken without them, and shall be paid her Sabbaths.⁴⁸Ibid., Verse 43. “And so we have been taught [in a Mishnah]:⁴⁹Aboth 5:9. Our text of the Mishnah has a variant reading. See my Hebrew commentary p. 167, Note 55. “Exile comes for the delaying of justice, and for the perversion of justice, and for [the neglect of] the year of rest for the Land.” [This stringency of punishment is] because whoever denies it [i.e., the law of the Sabbatical year], does not acknowledge the work of creation and [life in] the World to Come. Similarly the prophet [Jeremiah] was stringent, and decreed exile for neglecting to send [Hebrew] servants to freedom in the seventh year [of their service], as it is said, I made a covenant with your fathers … At the beginning of seven years ye shall let go every man his brother etc.,⁵⁰Jeremiah 34:13-14. — The verse there reads ‘mikeitz sheva shanim’, which is normally translated as “at the end of seven years” (so also in the J.P.S. translation). Ramban in Deuteronomy 15:1, however, brings proofs that the correct meaning in this context is “at the end-year of the seven years”, i.e., at the beginning of seventh year, rather than “at the end of the seventh year.” Thus the Hebrew servant goes free at the beginning of the seventh year [the end-year of the cycle of seven years], and this is indeed the accepted law (Rambam, Hilchoth Avadim 2:1) that he serves for six years. See, however, Yonathan ben Uziel in Jeremiah. for in the case of a servant the seventh year is also like a [complete] Jubilee; and the Jubilee is known also [at the very beginning of the Torah] — from ‘Bereshith’ (In the beginning) to ‘Vayechulu’ (And there were finished)⁵¹In other words, in the Scriptural account of the creation — commencing with the verse, In the beginning … and concluding with ‘Vayechulu’ (And there were finished) (2:1) — the secret of the Jubilee is already hinted at, namely, “that all things, that came into existence in the beginning of time will be finished in the era of the Jubilee (Beiur Ha’lvush to Ricanti who quotes the language of Ramban). — intimating that in the Jubilee everything is to return [to its origin], every man unto his possession, and every man unto his family.⁵²Further, Verse 10. For it is a sure foundation, and he that believeth⁵³Isaiah 28:16. The verse reads: He that believeth will not ‘yachish’ (make haste). Ramban brings out ingeniously a different meaning by saying: he that believeth ‘yacharish’ (will keep silence), suggesting that the student of Cabala must be reticent and careful not to disclose the secrets he has learned. Cf. the phrase in Amos 5:13 — ‘Therefore ‘hamaskil yidom’. (he who understands will keep quiet)! shall keep silence. This is what is meant in saying, ‘v’shavtah ha’aretz shabbath’ (and ‘the land’ shall keep a Sabbath);⁵⁴In Verse 2 before us. The word ha’aretz is here understood as “the earth” in its entirety [not merely one particular part of it], the same interpretation applying to the next verses quoted. See further, Note 194. and ye shall proclaim liberty ‘ba’aretz’ (throughout ‘the land’),⁵⁵Further, Verse 10. for the reference here is to “the land of eternal life” which is alluded to in the first verse [of the Torah],⁵⁶In the beginning G-d created the heavens ‘v’eth ha’aretz’, which means “the land of eternal life.” and of which it is said, ‘v’ha’aretz ezkor’ (and I will remember ‘the land’).⁵⁷Further, 26:42. I have already mentioned this several times.⁵⁸See Vol. I, pp. 110, and 120. Perhaps it is to this that our Rabbis alluded in saying:⁵⁹Rosh Hashanah 21 b. See also Vol. I, pp. 9-10. “Fifty gates [degrees] of understanding were created in the world, and all were transmitted to Moses with one exception.” For each cycle of seven years constitutes “the gate of one house” [creation], and thus He informed him of all existence from beginning to end, with the exception of the holy Jubilee.

V. 4. וזה מעשה וגו׳. Wenn die an dieser Stelle wiederholte Anweisung Aharons zur Pflege der Menora nur in deren Beziehung zu den vorangehenden Chanuckaopfern der Fürsten und in der Stellung Aharons zu ihnen ihre Begründung hätte, schwerlich würde dann dabei mit diesem Verse auf die Konstruktion und die Konstruktionsarbeit der Menora hingewiesen und uns die Darstellungsart derselben vergegenwärtigt worden sein. Die ganze Konstruktion der Menora ist ja ausführlich im Buche Schmot gegeben. Allein wir glauben mit der Annahme nicht zu irren, daß diese erneute Hinweisung auf die Bedeutung und Aufgabe Aharons und des Stammes Levi an dem Eingange dieses Abschnittes gleichzeitig auch auf die in ihm beginnende Fortsetzung der Entwicklungsgeschichte Israels zu seiner großen Bestimmung vorbereiten soll. Wenn diese Geschichte ergibt, wie fernab Israels Anfang im Ganzen noch von der Höhe jener Hingebung und jenes Aufgehens in Gott und sein Gesetz war, die das Ideal seiner Aufgabe bilden, so war doch bereits ein ganzer Stamm in ihm, der schon seine Begeisterungstreue für Gott und sein Gesetz bewährt hatte und daher zu Dienern, Vertretern und Verfechtern dieses Ideals im Volke gewählt zu werden gewürdigt worden war, dem Gott das Ideal "seiner Sittenvollendung und Erleuchtung" überantworten und erwarten konnte, daß wie sie in der Vergangenheit שמרו אמרתו, so auch in Zukunft ינצרו בריתו und יורו משפטיו ליעקב ותורתו ישראל (Dewarim 33, 8-10); – so sollen wir nur vor allem auf die Menora hinblicken und uns ihre Konstruktion und Bedeutung gegenwärtig halten: מקשה זהב עד ירכה עד פרחה מקשה הוא! Ein durch Hammerschlag, durch wiederholte Hammerschläge vom Wurzelstock bis zur Blüte aus einem Stück vollendeter goldener Baum ist die מנורה, ist der Träger der zu Gott und seinem Gesetze aufblühenden Lichtfülle im Heiligtume! Durch und durch golden, in unveränderlicher, der Läuterung nicht bedürftiger Reinheit gegeben ist das Geistige, dessen Darstellung und Pflege das Heiligtum bestimmt ist. Allein sein Träger ist ein Baum, ein vom tiefsten Wurzelstock bis zur höchsten Blüte sich entfaltender Baum. Im Individuum – und so auch im Volke – erfordert die Entwicklung zur höchsten Geistesblüte: Zeit. Das Individuum zählt nach Jahren, nach Jahrhunderten das Volk. Aus einem Stück ist der Baum gebildet. In der Masse, aus welcher er gebildet wird, ist bereits der Stoff zu allem vorhanden, Stoff zum Wurzelstock und Stoff zur Blüte. מקשה, schwere Hammerschläge von Israels und der Welten Meister bildeten die rohe Masse zum Wurzelstock und haben noch einst die letzte Blüte am Lichtfruchtwipfel zu bilden, מקשה זהב עד ירכה ער פרחה מקשה היא; was Mosche fürs Heiligtum gestaltete, war Darstellung des Jisraels, das Gott ihm als den Baum der ganzen Zukunft Israels gezeigt hatte, המאמין לא יחיש — :כמראה אשר הראה ד׳ את משה כן עשה את המנורה (Jes.28, 16).

A Midrashic approach (Tanchuma Ki Tissa 16): The word two in “two Tablets of Testimony“ alludes to heaven and earth, bride and groom, the two friends assisting bride and groom each; the two worlds.” Rabbi Chanina said that the spelling of the plural לוחות without the letter ו in front of the letter ת at the end (which makes the uninitiated reader think the word is in the singular), is accounted for by the fact that both were of identical dimensions. The reason the raw material used for these Tablets was stone and not some more precious material was to hint at the fact that most serious sins carry with it the penalty of death through stoning.
Another explanation for the fact that these Tablets were made of stone is in Genesis 49,24 where Yaakov blessed Joseph. He referred to משם אבן ישראל, “from there he (the foundation stone) known as Israel acted as shepherd.” This teaches that Yaakov was also known as אבן, and is an allusion to the fact that it was his merit which was instrumental in Israel securing for themselves these Tablets.
Still another explanation: the Tablets were given to Israel through the merit of the Holy Temple. Isaiah described this Temple as אבן, stone, when he said הנני יסד בציון אבן, “Thus says the Lord G’d: ‘Behold I will found in Zion stone by stone a tower of precious cornerstones’” (Isaiah 28,16). Thus far Tanchuma.