ציטירנדיקער פּירוש אויף דניאל 7:13

AND G-D BLESSED THE SEVENTH DAY AND HE SANCTIFIED IT. He blessed it through the Manna. [On all other days of the week there fell one portion per person, whereas on the sixth day — the eve of the Sabbath — a double portion fell.] And He sanctified it through the Manna [by not having it fall on the Sabbath]. And the verse is written here with reference to the future. Thus are the words of Rabbeinu Shlomo [Rashi] as quoted from Bereshith Rabbah.²⁴¹11:2. In the name of the Gaon Rav Saadia²⁴²Mentioned in Ibn Ezra here. they have said that the blessing and sanctification refer to those who observe the Sabbath, meaning that they will be blessed and sanctified. However, from the intimation of the verse it does not appear that it refers to something which will happen in the future.
And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that the blessing signifies additional well-being, that on the seventh day there is a renewal of procreative strength in the body, and in the soul, a greater capacity in the functioning of the reasoning power. And He sanctified it by not working on it as He did on the other days. Now Ibn Ezra’s interpretation is correct to those who believe in it for this additional well-being he speaks of is not perceptible to human senses.
The truth is that the blessing on the Sabbath day is the fountain of blessings and constitutes the foundation of the world. And He sanctified it that it draw its sanctity from the Sanctuary on high. If you will understand this comment of mine you will grasp what the Rabbis have said in Bereshith Rabbah²⁴³11:9. concerning the Sabbath: [“Why did He bless the Sabbath? It is] because it has no partner,”²⁴⁴“Because it has no…” (l’phi sh’e) is a direct quote from the Midrash there. (See Theodore’s ed. of Bereshith Rabbah, p. 95, variants.) In the printed edition of the Midrash, the word l’phi (because) is missing. and that which they have further related [that G-d said to the Sabbath]: “The congregation of Israel will be thy partner.” And then you will comprehend that on the Sabbath there is truly an extra soul.

WHICH G-D IN CREATING HAD MADE. The work which should have been done on the Sabbath, He did in the double work which He executed on the sixth day, as it is explained in Bereshith Rabbah.²⁴⁵11:10. So says Rashi.
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, however, explained simply that His work refers to the roots of all species to which He gave the power to make [i.e., to produce] after their own kind. [Thus the verse would translate: which G-d had created in order to make it.]
To me, the explanation appears to be that He rested from all His work which He created out of nothing; to make from it all the works mentioned on the six days. Thus the verse is stating that G-d rested from creating and forming — from the creation He created on the first day, and from the formation He formed on the rest of the days. And it is possible that the word la’asoth (to make) is connected with the expression above in the verse, that in it He rested from all His work which He created from making, [thus making the word la’asoth to be understood as mila’asoth (from making)]. So also are the verses: Until he ceased ‘lispor’²⁴⁶Genesis 41:49. (to count), which means milispor (until he left off counting); And they ceased ‘livnoth’ (to build) the city,²⁴⁷Ibid., 11:8. which means milivnoth; Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount;²⁴⁸Exodus 19:12. Aloth (going up) should be understood as me’aloth (from going up). And they departed not ‘mitzvath’ (the commandment of the king,²⁴⁹II Chronicles 8:15. which should be understood as mimitzvath (from the commandment); and thus in many other cases.
Know that in the word la’asoth (to make, to do) is also included a hint that the six days of creation represent all the days of the world, i.e., that its existence will be six thousand years. For this reason the Rabbis have said:²⁵⁰Bereshith Rabbah 19:14. It is noteworthy here that Ramban’s explanation of the history of the world in terms of the six days of Creation was regarded with approval by many later authors. Bachya ben Asher (see my edition, I, pp. 54-6) and Menachem Ricanti copied it verbatim. Surprisingly it found its way into Egypt, and was wholly incorporated into the Midrash Rabbi David Hanagid, (Book of Exodus, pp. 201-2, ed. by A. Katz), grandson of Maimonides. “A day of the Holy One, blessed be He, is a thousand years.” Thus on the first two days the world was all water, and nothing was perfected during them. They allude to the first two thousand years when there was no one to call on the name of the Eternal. And so the Rabbis said:²⁵¹Avodah Zarah 9a. “The first two thousand years there was desolation.” However, there was the creation of light on the first day corresponding to the thousand years of Adam who was the light of the world²⁵²Yerushalmi Shabbath 2, 6: “The first man was the light [literally: the candle] of the world.” and who recognized his Creator. Perhaps Enosh did not worship idols²⁵³See further, 4:26, Rashi. until the death of the first man.
On the second day G-d said, ‘Let there be a firmament… and let it divide,’²⁵⁴Above, 1:6. for on that “day” [i.e., the second thousand-year period] Noah and his sons — the righteous ones —²⁵⁵See Note 225 above. were separated from the wicked, who were punished in water.
On the third day, the dry land appeared; plants and trees began growing, and fruits ripened. This corresponds to the third thousand-year period which begins when Abraham was forty-eight years old,²⁵⁶In Avodah Zarah 9a it appears that Abraham, at the end of the first 2000 years, was 52 years old. for then he began to call the name of the Eternal. A righteous shoot²⁵⁷Jeremiah 23:5. did then spring forth in the world for he attracted many people to know the Eternal, just as the Rabbis interpreted the verse: And the souls that they had gotten in Haran²⁵⁸Genesis 12:5. “These are the converts which they converted.” (Bereshith Rabbah 39:21.) — and he commanded his household and his children after him, and they shall keep the way of the Eternal, to do righteousness and judgment.²⁵⁹Ibid., 18:19. This course continued until his descendants received the Torah on Sinai and the House of G-d was also built on that “day,” and then all commandments — which are “the fruits” of the world — were affirmed.
Know that from the time twilight falls it is already considered as the following day. Therefore, the subject of every “day” begins somewhat before it, just as Abraham was born at the end of the second thousand years. And you will see similar examples for each and every day.
On the fourth day the luminaries — the large and the small and the stars — were created. Its “day,” in the fourth thousand-year period, began seventy-two years after the First Sanctuary was built and continued until one hundred seventy-two years after the destruction of the Second Sanctuary. Now on this “day,” the children of Israel had light,²⁶⁰Exodus 10:23. for the glory of the Eternal filled the house of the Eternal,²⁶¹I Kings 8:11. and the light of Israel became the fire upon the altar in the Sanctuary, resting there like a lion²⁶²So in Yoma 21b. Maharsha explains there the symbolism of the lion and the dog, that the first Sanctuary was built by King Solomon who was of the tribe of Judah, likened to a lion (see Genesis 49:9), while the second Sanctuary was built by the government of the Persians, symbolized by the dog (see Rosh Hashanah 4 a). consuming the offerings. Afterwards their light diminished and they were exiled to Babylon just as the light of the moon disappears before the birth of the new moon. Then the moon shone for them all the days of the Second Sanctuary, and the fire upon the altar rested on it like a dog.²⁶²So in Yoma 21b. Maharsha explains there the symbolism of the lion and the dog, that the first Sanctuary was built by King Solomon who was of the tribe of Judah, likened to a lion (see Genesis 49:9), while the second Sanctuary was built by the government of the Persians, symbolized by the dog (see Rosh Hashanah 4 a). And then the two luminaries disappeared towards eventide and the Sanctuary was destroyed.
On the fifth day the waters swarmed with living creatures and fowl flying above the earth. This was a reference to the fifth thousand-year period which began one hundred seventy-two years after the destruction of the Second Sanctuary since, during this millennium, the nations will have dominion, and man will be made as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them; they take up all of them with the angle, catch them in their net and gather in their drag,²⁶³Habakkuk 1:14-15. and no one seeks the Eternal.
On the sixth day in the morning, G-d said: ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind.’²⁶⁴Above 1:24. Their creation took place before sunrise, even as it is written, The sun ariseth, they withdraw, and crouch in their dens.²⁶⁵Psalms 104:22. Then man was created in the image of G-d, and this is the time of his dominion, as it is written, Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labor until the evening.²⁶⁶Ibid., Verse 23. All this is an indication of the sixth thousand-year period in the beginning of which the “beasts,” symbolizing the kingdoms that knew not the Eternal,²⁶⁷Judges 2:10. will rule, but after a tenth thereof — in the proportion of the time from the first sparklings of the sun to the beginning of the day²⁶⁸In Pesachim 94a it is so explained that the time from the beginning of the day to the first sparklings of the sun is one tenth of the day. — the redeemer will come, as it is said concerning him, And his throne is as the sun before Me.²⁶⁹Psalms 89:37. This is the son of David, who was formed in the image of G-d, as it is written, And behold, there came with the clouds of heaven, one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the Ancient One of days, and he was brought near before Him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom.²⁷⁰Daniel 7:13-14., This will take place one hundred eighteen years after the completion of five thousand years,²⁷¹This corresponds to the year 1358 C.E. See my biography of Ramban, p. 141, for further discussion of this matter. that the word of the Eternal by the mouth of Daniel might be accomplished:²⁷²See Ezra 1:1. And from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the detestable thing that causeth appalment set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.²⁷³Daniel 12:11. Yamim here means “years.” Thus 172 years after the destruction of the Second Temple, the fifth millennium began. Add this to the 118 years after the beginning of the sixth millennium, and you have 1290 years, as mentioned in the verse.
It would appear from the change of days — from the swarms of the waters and the fowl created on the fifth day to the beasts of the earth created on the sixth day — that in the beginning of the sixth thousand-year period a new ruling kingdom will arise, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly,²⁷⁴Ibid., 7:7. Ramban refers here to rise of Islam. and approaching the truth more than the preceding ones.
The seventh day which is the Sabbath alludes to the World to Come, “which will be wholly a Sabbath and will bring rest for life everlasting.”²⁷⁵Tamid VII, 4.
And may G-d guard us during all the days and set our portion with His servants, the blameless ones.

אשר ברא אלוקים לעשות, “which G’d had created to be developed further.” According to Rashi the meaning is that work (of a creative nature) originally intended to be carried out only on the seventh day, was moved forward so that G’d performed it already on the sixth day. According to Ibn Ezra the verse tells us that G’d enabled the various creatures, including plants, to be able to procreate and ensure their continued existence on earth Nachmanides holds that as of this day G’d desisted from any creative activity which was known as בריאה, i.e. creating matter out of no tangible raw material, יש מאין, “ex nihilo.” The meaning of the additional word לעשות, is that G’d did not even put finishing touches to phenomena He had already created in their primitive state. Nachmanides adds that we should know that the expression ששת ימים does not only refer to the six days of creation in a literal sense, but to the entire projected length of time this universe is to endure, i.e. 6000 years. This is why our sages described the length of a “day” in terms of G’d’s calendar as equivalent to 1000 years of our calendar. During the first two days the universe consisted completely of water. These “days” are an allusion to the 2000 years described by our sages a tohu, a degree of chaos, seeing that nothing had been completed during these two “days.” Seeing that during these 2000 years no one proclaimed the name of the Living G’d, our sages described this era as תהו. The first day during which light had been created is basically the period of close to 1000 years during which Adam lived, It is quite possible that even Enosh did not turn to idolatry until Adam had died. The second day which saw the creation of the heavens, etc. also produced a Noach who, with his sons, was righteous, whereas the rest of mankind was doomed to destruction during that millennium. Mankind was destroyed by water, another sign that this was the dominating influence during that era. The third day, i.e. also the third millennium, saw the emergence of an Avraham who was 48 years of age at the beginning of that millennium. Avraham was the first human being who succeeded in attracting many people to worship G’d as the only deity. He had begun converting people years before G’d told him to leave Charan and to move to what was then the land of Canaan. It was also the millennium during the middle of which Torah was revealed to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. It is important to remember that with the onset of dusk after sunset the following day has already begun. [Avraham’s being born in the year1952 after the creation of Adam is considered as if he had been born during dusk of the second “day,” a stage preparatory to the third day (millennium).] Observance of the commandments of the Torah is equivalent of “the World having produced its fruit.” The fourth day, (or millennium) during which the sun and moon were created also produced the first Temple which Solomon built in Jerusalem. (72 years into the third millennium). This millennium lasted until 172 years after the destruction of the first Temple. The day the Temple was consecrated was a day of light when heavenly fire descended to consume thousands of sacrifices. The glory of G’d filled the Temple and the heavenly fire was reposing on the altar as does a lion that has eaten his fill. In other words, Israel’s light shone forth at that time as did the sun when placed in orbit for the first time. From that time on Israel’s glory diminished fairly steadily culminating in exile of the people and the subsequent minor rally during which the second Temple was built, a period which can be best compared to the kind of night during which the moon is the only source of light available. The fifth day which produced most of the living creatures of the water and the birds of the sky, is symbolized by the fifth millennium, commencing 172 years after the destruction of the second Temple. This was an era to which the verse in Chabakuk 1,14-15 can be compared. The prophet there writes: ותעשה אדם כדגי הים כרמש לא מושל בו. כולה בחכה העלה יגורהו בחרמו ויאספהו במכמרתו עלכן ישמח ויגל. “You have made mankind like the fish of the sea, like creeping things that have no ruler. He has fished them all up with a line, pulled them up in his trawl and gathered them in his net. That is why he rejoices and is glad.” [The prophet complains about the apparent absence of G’d’s providence during this millennium when human beings were treated as if they were fish in the sea with no value to their lives. Ed.] This era did not produce men of caliber who sought the nearness of their Creator. (Isaiah 31,1) On the morning of the sixth day the earth produced various land-based mammals, all of this occurring prior to sunrise as alluded to in Psalms 104, 22 תזרח השמש יאספון ואל מעונתם ירבצון, “by the time the sun rises they came home and crouch in their dens.” Following this, man was created in the image of G’d on the sixth day (sixth millennium) Then commenced the period of man’s dominance as described in the subsequent verse in Psalms 104,23יצא אדם לפעלו ולעבודתו עדי ערב, “man then goes to his work, to his labour until the evening.” David describes the sixth millennium during the early part of which the “animals” roam the world more or less unimpeded. These “animals” are humans who do not know their Creator, and therefore are hardly better than animals. After man’s creation, described as part of sunrise, will come the redeemer, scion of the house of David, who has been made in the image of the Lord of whom it has been written: (Daniel 7,13) וארו עם ענני שמיא כבר אנש אתה הוא ועד עתיק יומיא מטה וקדמוהי הקרבוהי ולה יהיב שלטן ויקר ומלכו, “and behold with the clouds of heaven, one like a man came; he came up to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him before Him. He gave him dominion, glory and kingship, peoples nations and languages.” [although our author is quoting Nachmanides he has left out several sentences, perhaps he did not have the updated text that we have nowadays thanks to Rabbi Chavell.] It would seem from the Torah’s terminology which uses the same words to describe two different scenarios, i.e. days and millennia, that at the beginning of the sixth millennium an especially powerful and violent nation will emerge, a nation and religion which will be more monotheistic than previous ones. [reference to Islam. Ed.] The seventh day is the Sabbath, which in terms of millennia describes the future known as עולם הבא, an idyllic state involving מנוחה rest in a positive sense, something which the sages speak about. Some commentators see in the word לעשות the opposite of עשה, i.e. something G’d had done already, a reference to the spiritually negative forces in the universe, the מזיקים, the potential for which G’d had created. The phenomena have not been equipped with a body, hence the word לעשות describes them in their incomplete state. Still other commentators see in the word לעשות instructions to existing phenomena such as earth, water, etc., [in other words “nature” Ed.] to continue the process as it no longer involved anything basically new. From now on man would be the product of his parents, a reproduction of the ongoing process here called לעשות. In the Midrash the wordלעשות is understood to refer to something G’d had deliberately omitted to create at the time, i.e. the רוח צפוני the north wind. This wind would be put to use when it is time to judge the idolaters in the future. G’d will challenge them by saying to them that if there is any substance to their deities, He challenges them to produce the north wind which He had left in reserve for their expertise. If they would prove unable to produce this north wind, they would be convicted of having worshipped totally useless phenomena as deities. The reason why the Torah does not conclude with the words ויהי ערב ויהי בוקר יום שביעי, “it was evening and morning the seventh day,” is that the Jewish people would honour the Sabbath by commencing it before the end of the sixth day, thus lending it an extra measure of sanctity.

before You in Paradise. Our Rabbis, who interpreted it as referring to the King Messiah, brought proof on that matter (from Dan. 7: 13): “and came to the Ancient of days and brought him near before Him.” Scripture also states (in Jer. 30:21): “and I will bring him near, and he shall approach Me.”

Ahaziah his son, Joash From Solomon to Joash were eight generations, and since David foresaw that his seed would perish in the days of Joash through Athaliah, as is written in this Book (II Chron. 22:10): “... she arose and destroyed (וַתְּדַבֵּר),” (from the expression of דֶּבֶר pestilence, through poison), he stood in prayer and uttered a psalm (Ps. 12): “For the conductor on the sheminith,” [alluding to an] eight stringed [instrument] (other editions: in number) “for the eighth generation.” (v. 2): “Save, O Lord, for the pious are gone, etc.” And Joash escaped, and from Joash to Josiah are eight generations, for David foresaw that Josiah and his sons would all go to their doom: this one was slain [i.e., Josiah. Perhaps he means Jehoiakim and Zedekiah’s sons as well] and this one’s eyes were gouged out [Zedekiah]. And he [David] prayed again on the sheminith, for the eighth generation (Ps. 6:1f.): “O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,” and because of his prayer, the sons of Jehoiakim survived, and throughout the entire Book of Psalms, there are only these two mentions of the sheminith. And from Jeconiah (other editions: Jehoiakim) until (verse 24): “Anani seven,” which is [an allusion to] the King Messiah, as it is written: (Dan. 7:13): “... and behold, with the clouds of (עֲנָנֵי) the heavens,” are thirty eight sons, including both sons and generations of the sons. The Holy One, blessed be He, did this because he [David] recited thirty eight praises to Him, as it is written in the Book of Ezra (sic) (I Chron. 29:10 13). From “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, etc.” until “and to strengthen,” are thirty eight words.