Haazinu , Ha'azinu , or Ha'Azinu ( הַאֲזִינוּ — Hebrew for "listen" when directed to more than one person, the first word in the parashah) is the 53rd weekly Torah portion ( פָּרָשָׁה , parashah ) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the 10th in the Book of Deuteronomy . It constitutes Deuteronomy 32:1–52. The parashah sets out the Song of Moses —an indictment of the Israelites ' sins, a prophecy of their punishment, and a promise of God's ultimate redemption of them.
164-520: The parashah is made up of 2,326 Hebrew letters, 614 Hebrew words, 52 verses , and 92 lines in a Torah Scroll ( סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה , Sefer Torah ). Jews read it on a Shabbat between the holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot , generally in September or October. The bulk of the parashah, the song of Deuteronomy 32:1–43, appears in the Torah scroll in a distinctive two-column format, reflecting
328-474: A Zionist , decided that the Hebrew transliteration should be used, followed always by the two initial letters of "Eretz Yisrael", א״י Aleph-Yod : He was aware that there was no other name in the Hebrew language for this land except 'Eretz-Israel'. At the same time he thought that if 'Eretz-Israel' only were used, it might not be regarded by the outside world as a correct rendering of the word 'Palestine', and in
492-578: A census of Israel and Judah, travelling in an anti-clockwise direction from Gad to Gilead to Dan , then west to Sidon and Tyre , south to the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites , to southern Judah and then returning to Jerusalem. Biblical commentator Alexander Kirkpatrick notes that the cities of Tyre and Sidon were "never occupied by the Israelites, and we must suppose either that
656-753: A "Rock." Isaiah did so, as well, in Isaiah 17:10, 26:4, and 30:29; Habakkuk in Habakkuk 1:12; and the Psalmist in Psalms 19:15, 23:3, 28:1, and 95:1. Psalm 18:3 analogizes God's role as a Rock to a "fortress" and a "high tower." Deuteronomy compares God's relationship with Israel to that of a parent and child in Deuteronomy 1:31, 8:5, and 32:5. For similar comparisons, see Exodus 4:22–23, Isaiah 1:2, and Hosea 11:1. In Deuteronomy 32:10, God finds Israel in
820-470: A biblical text involves a degree of subjectivity on the part of the reader. This subjective element may help explain differences amongst the various masoretic codices in some details of the section divisions (though their degree of conformity is high). It may also explain why certain verses which might seem like introductions to a new topic lack a section division, or why such divisions sometimes appear in places where no new topic seems indicated. For this reason,
984-443: A blank line for an open parashah . The gaps in the middle of lines are not considered parashah divisions, and each scribe formatted the verses as he saw fit for aesthetic and practical reasons. An exception to this rule, however, is for the introductory titles of many individual psalms which are followed by formal parashah breaks, often by continuing the text at the beginning of the next line. These formal breaks will be indicated in
1148-455: A continuous yet small Jewish presence in the land, a strong sense of bondedness exists throughout this tradition, expressed in terms of people-hood; from the very beginning, this concept was identified with that ancestral biblical land or, to use the traditional religious and modern Hebrew term, Eretz Yisrael . Religiously and culturally the area was seen broadly as a land of destiny, and always with hope for some form of redemption and return. It
1312-469: A corollary to this, there is a specific rule regarding parashot : One may not leave off reading less than three verses before the end of a parashah , nor may one end off reading by starting a new parashah but leaving off less than three verses from its beginning. When a Torah portion is read in public from a scroll as part of the synagogue service, it is divided into smaller sections among several people (for instance, 3 short sections on weekdays or 7 on
1476-418: A day with rain is as great as the day on which God gave the Torah. Rava argued that rainfall is even greater than the day on which God gave the Torah, as Deuteronomy 32:2 says, "My doctrine shall drop as the rain," and when one makes a comparison, one compares a lesser thing to a greater thing. Thus, Rava argued, if Deuteronomy 32:2 compares Torah to rain, rain must be greater than Torah. Rava also inferred from
1640-435: A general who held office in two provinces and was about to hold a feast. He needed to invite people from both provinces, so that neither would feel offended for having been overlooked. Moses was born on earth, but became great in heaven. Rabbi Jeremiah ben Eleazar taught that after Moses called upon the heavens to "give ear" in Deuteronomy 32:1, the heavens silenced according to God's decree. Rabbi Joḥanan taught that God made
1804-587: A geographical location. Nur Masalha argues that the biblical boundaries are "entirely fictitious", and bore simply religious connotations in Diaspora Judaism, with the term only coming into ascendency with the rise of Zionism . The Hebrew Bible provides three specific sets of borders for the " Promised Land ", each with a different purpose. Neither of the terms "Promised Land" (Ha'Aretz HaMuvtahat) or "Land of Israel" are used in these passages: Genesis 15:13–21 , Genesis 17:8 and Ezekiel 47:13–20 use
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#17327976036071968-399: A king's son who went into the marketplace and struck people but was not struck in return (because of his being the king's son). He insulted but was not insulted. He went up to his father arrogantly. But the father asked the son whether he thought that he was respected on his own account, when the son was respected only on account of the respect that was due to the father. So the father renounced
2132-447: A new heaven and a new earth." Israel would say to God that her bad name endured, but God would say that God would remove her bad name as well, as Isaiah 62:2 reports that Israel "shall be called by a new name." Israel would ask God whether God had not prohibited her reconciliation with God when Jeremiah 3:1 says, "If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return to her again?" But God would reply in
2296-573: A plan for development together with a map of the proposed homeland. The statement noted the Jewish historical connection with " Palestine ". It also declared the Zionists' proposed borders and resources "essential for the necessary economic foundation of the country" including "the control of its rivers and their headwaters". These borders included present day Israel and the occupied territories , western Jordan, southwestern Syria and southern Lebanon "in
2460-727: A precisely defined eastern border which included the Arabah and Jordan. Numbers 34:1–15 describes the land allocated to the Israelite tribes after the Exodus. The tribes of Reuben , Gad and half of Manasseh received land east of the Jordan as explained in Numbers 34:14–15 . Numbers 34:1–13 provides a detailed description of the borders of the land to be conquered west of the Jordan for
2624-790: A river or stream, as opposed to a wadi . A slightly more detailed definition is given in Exodus 23:31 , which describes the borders as "from the sea of reeds (Red Sea) to the Sea of the Philistines (Mediterranean sea) and from the desert to the Euphrates River", although the Hebrew text of the Bible uses the name, "the River", to refer to the Euphrates. Only the "Red Sea" (Exodus 23:31) and
2788-401: A scroll containing parashot based on alternative scribal traditions that disagree with Maimonides' list of parashot is nevertheless a valid scroll. However, even according to the lenient opinion, a blatant error with no source in any scribal tradition invalidates a Torah scroll. One basic halakhic rule for public reading of the Torah is that no fewer than three verses at a time be read. As
2952-636: A section of a biblical book in the Masoretic Text of the Tanakh ( Hebrew Bible ). In common usage today the word often refers to the weekly Torah portion (a shortened form of Parashat HaShavua ). This article deals with the first, formal meaning of the word. In the Masoretic Text, parashah sections are designated by various types of spacing between them, as found in Torah scrolls , scrolls of
3116-434: A stipulation with the sea that it should divide before the Israelites in Exodus 14:21; thus Exodus 14:27 says, "And the sea returned ( לְאֵיתָנוֹ , le-etano )," that is, in accordance with its agreement ( לתנאו , li-tenao ). Rabbi Jeremiah ben Eleazar taught that God made such a stipulation with everything that was created in the six days of creation, as Isaiah 45:12 says, "I, even My hands, have stretched out
3280-400: A thousand unless God had given them over. They were like Sodom and Gomorrah and their wine was the venom of asps . God stored it away to be the basis for God's vengeance and recompense when they should trip, for their day of disaster was near. God would vindicate God's people and take revenge for God's servants, when their might was gone. God would ask where the enemies' gods were—they who ate
3444-432: A very contrary ( tahpukot ) generation," since when they were selected, they were righteous and then they changed ( nitapeku ). Accordingly, Numbers 13:2 says, "Send you men ," and afterwards Numbers 13:16 says, "These are the names of the men ." Reading Deuteronomy 32:20, "children in whom is no faithfulness," Rabbi Meir noted that even when people are faithless, God still considers them God’s children. The Gemara read
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#17327976036073608-568: A very contrary generation, children in whom is no faithfulness." For the Midrash taught that the spies had been chosen out of all Israel by the command of both God and Moses; as Moses said in Deuteronomy 1:23, "And the thing pleased me well; and I took twelve men of you," implying that they were righteous in the opinion of both Israel and in Moses. Yet Moses did not want to send them on his own responsibility, so he consulted God about everyone, mentioning
3772-557: Is His work," the Sifre noted that the word "The rock" ( הַצּוּר , ha-tzur ) is similar to the word for "the artist" ( הצייר , ha-tzayar ), for God designed the world and formed humanity in it, as Genesis 2:7 says, "the Lord God formed the man." And the Sifre read the words of Deuteronomy 32:4, "a faithful God," to teach that God believed in the world and created it. Citing the words of Deuteronomy 32:4, "The Rock, His work
3936-696: Is a direct translation of the Hebrew phrase ארץ ישראל ( Eretz Yisrael ), which occasionally occurs in the Bible , and is first mentioned in the Tanakh in 1 Samuel 13:19 , following the Exodus , when the Israelite tribes were already in the Land of Canaan . The words are used sparsely in the Bible: King David is ordered to gather 'strangers to the land of Israel' ( hag-gêrîm 'ăšer, bə'ereṣ yiśrā'êl ) for building purposes ( 1 Chronicles 22:2 ), and
4100-414: Is absent) will fall immediately. Rav Judah also read Deuteronomy 32:2 to compare Torah to the four winds. Rav Judah read "My doctrine shall drop ( יַעֲרֹף , ya'arof ) as the rain" to refer to the west wind, which comes from the back of ( מֵעׇרְפּוֹ , me'orpo ) the world, as the west was also referred to as the back. Rav Judah read "My speech shall distill ( תִּזַּל , tizzal ) as
4264-488: Is also missing two folios which included about 10 psalms (15:1–25:1). Parashot listed here from its missing parts are according to the notes taken by Joshua Kimhi, who recorded the parashot of the Aleppo codex for Rabbi Shalom Shachna Yellin in the nineteenth century. These are indicated by an asterisk. For some of the books that are largely or completely missing, charts have been provided below to allow for easy comparison of
4428-523: Is constructed as follows: Symbols: Total: Petuchot (Open): 43, Setumot (Closed): 48, Combined: 91. Variants: Variants: Variants: Variants: The Aleppo Codex is intact starting at Deuteronomy 28:17 (משארתך). Parashot from the extant parts are in bold, as are the parashot shown in the Segall photograph (image at right). Variants: Parashot in Nevi'im are listed here according to
4592-561: Is defined in detail in the exilic Book of Ezekiel as a land where both the twelve tribes and the "strangers in (their) midst", can claim inheritance. The name "Israel" first appears in the Hebrew Bible as the name given by God to the patriarch Jacob ( Genesis 32:28 ). Deriving from the name "Israel", other designations that came to be associated with the Jewish people have included the " Children of Israel " or "Israelite". The term 'Land of Israel' (γῆ Ἰσραήλ) occurs in one episode in
4756-480: Is less clear, as he states that the covenant is through Isaac, but also notes that Ishmael 's descendants, generally the Arabs , have held much of that land through time. Rabbinic literature portrays the Land of Israel as the "navel of the world": As the navel is in the middle of a human being, the Land of Israel is the navel of the world, as it is written: "dwellers of the navel of the earth". Just as Eretz Israel
4920-541: Is located in the centre of the world so is Jerusalem in the centre of Eretz Israel, the temple in the centre of Jerusalem, the holy of holies in the centre of the temple, the ark at the centre of the holy of holies, and right in front is the Foundation Stone of the whole of the universe. The Land of Israel concept has been evoked by the founders of the State of Israel . It often surfaces in political debates on
5084-459: Is missing three folios from II Kings that included 14:21 (את עזריה) to 18:13 (שנה). Parashot listed from the missing section are based upon Kimhi's notes on the codex and marked with an asterisk (*). Jeremiah is divided into distinct prophecies, each of which begins with an announcement of "the word of the Lord to Jeremiah" or a similar phrase. Each such prophecy begins a new open parashah {P} in
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5248-475: Is no transgression,' is the companion of a destroyer," and Deuteronomy 32:6 says of God, "Is not He your father Who has gotten you?" The Sifre read the words of Deuteronomy 32:7, "Ask your father and he will tell you," to refer to the prophets, as 2 Kings 2:12 says, "And Elisha saw [Elijah the prophet] and cried 'My father! My father!'" Rabbi Simeon taught that Deuteronomy 32:8, "When the Most High gave to
5412-463: Is nonetheless stretched over us to protect us, as Isaiah 51:16 says, "And I have covered you in the shadow of My hand." Rabbi Joshua ben Hanania was once at the Roman emperor Hadrian 's court, when an unbeliever gestured to Rabbi Joshua in sign language that the Jewish people was a people from whom their God had turned His face. Rabbi Joshua ben Hanania gestured in reply that God's hand was stretched over
5576-585: Is not one of the Children of Israel, and to whomever "they shall be devoured" does not apply is also not one of them. The Rabbis confronted Rava, saying "hiding of the face" and "they shall be devoured" did not apply to Rava. Rava asked the Rabbis whether they knew how much he was forced to send secretly to the Court of King Shapur of Persia . Even so, the Rabbis directed their eyes upon Rava in suspicion. Meanwhile,
5740-466: Is not shared by most adherents of replacement theology (or supersessionism ), who hold the view that the Old Testament prophecies were superseded by the coming of Jesus, a view often repudiated by Christian Zionists as a theological error. Evangelical Zionists variously claim that Israel has title to the land by divine right, or by a theological, historical and moral grounding of attachment to
5904-518: Is perfect; for all His ways are Justice," God raised up kings, sages, and prophets for both Israel and nonbelievers alike. Just as God raised up Moses for Israel, God raised up Balaam for the nonbelievers. But whereas the prophets of Israel cautioned Israel against transgressions, as in Ezekiel 3:17, Balaam sought to breach the moral order by encouraging the sin of Baal-Peor in Numbers 25:1–13. And while
6068-494: Is perfect; for all His ways are judgment," Rabbi Ḥanina taught that those who say that God is lax in the execution of justice shall have their lives disregarded. The Gemara tells that when Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradion , his wife, and his daughter left a Roman tribunal that sentenced him and his wife to death for studying the Torah, they declared their submission to God's judgment by quoting Deuteronomy 32:4. Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradion quoted Deuteronomy 32:4 to say, "The Rock, His work
6232-692: Is perfect; for all his ways are justice." His wife continued quoting Deuteronomy 32:4 to say, "A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is He." And his daughter quoted Jeremiah 32:19: "Great in counsel and mighty in work, whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doing." Judah the Prince remarked on how great these righteous ones were, for three Scriptural passages expressing submission to Divine justice readily occurred to them just in time for their declaration of faith. A Midrash read Deuteronomy 32:4 to help understand
6396-478: Is situated in the Land of Israel ... and speaks the Holy Tongue, and recites the shema in the morning and in the evening, is promised life in the world to come ." According to some Jewish religious authorities , every Jew has an obligation to dwell in the Land of Israel and may not leave except for specifically permitted reasons (e.g., to get married). There are also many laws dealing with how to treat
6560-762: Is the Name of the Glory of His Kingdom forever and ever"; and that when people say, "May His great name be blessed," one must answer, "Forever and ever and ever." Similarly, the Talmud reports that a Baraita taught that Rabbi Judah the Prince read Deuteronomy 32:3, "When I proclaim the name of the Lord, ascribe greatness to our God," to teach that Moses told the Jewish people: "When I mention the name of God, you give God glory and recite praises in God’s honor." Reading words of Deuteronomy 32:4, "The rock ( הַצּוּר , ha-tzur ), perfect
6724-456: Is the wilderness rather than the Jordan . Paul R. Williamson notes that a "close examination of the relevant promissory texts" supports a "wider interpretation of the promised land" in which it is not "restricted absolutely to one geographical locale". He argues that "the map of the promised land was never seen permanently fixed, but was subject to at least some degree of expansion and redefinition". On David 's instructions, Joab undertakes
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6888-505: Is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes. 32 But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. 33 I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of
7052-501: The Aleppo codex , with variants from other masoretic traditions noted at the end of each book's section. The Aleppo codex is intact for the bulk of Nevi'im. The few parashot noted here from its missing parts are listed according to the notes taken by Joshua Kimhi, who recorded the parashot of the Aleppo codex in the nineteenth century in the bible of Rabbi Shalom Shachna Yellin. These are indicated by an asterisk. The Aleppo codex
7216-462: The Arabah , are considered by some religious authorities to be outside the Land of Israel for purposes of Jewish law. According to these authorities, the religious laws do not apply there. Traditional religious Jewish interpretation, and that of most Christian commentators, define Abraham's descendants only as Abraham's seed through his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob . Johann Friedrich Karl Keil
7380-551: The Book of Jubilees . Jewish tradition thus refers to the region as Canaan during the period between the Flood and the Israelite settlement. Eliezer Schweid sees Canaan as a geographical name, and Israel the spiritual name of the land. He writes: "The uniqueness of the Land of Israel is thus "geo-theological" and not merely climatic. This is the land which faces the entrance of the spiritual world, that sphere of existence that lies beyond
7544-770: The Brook of Egypt (see debate below) to the Mediterranean Sea. The territory defined by these borders is divided into twelve strips, one for each of the twelve tribes. Hence, Numbers 34 and Ezekiel 47 define different but similar borders which include the whole of contemporary Lebanon , both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and Israel , except for the South Negev and Eilat . Small parts of Syria are also included. The common biblical phrase used to refer to
7708-685: The Euphrates are mentioned to define the southern and eastern borders of the full land promised to the Israelites. The "Red Sea" corresponding to Hebrew Yam Suf was understood in ancient times to be the Erythraean Sea , as reflected in the Septuagint translation. Although the English name "Red Sea" is derived from this name ("Erythraean" derives from the Greek for red), the term denoted all
7872-700: The Land of Canaan , the Promised Land , the Holy Land , and Palestine . The definitions of the limits of this territory vary between passages in the Hebrew Bible , with specific mentions in Genesis 15 , Exodus 23 , Numbers 34 and Ezekiel 47 . Nine times elsewhere in the Bible, the settled land is referred as " from Dan to Beersheba ", and three times it is referred as "from the entrance of Hamath unto
8036-727: The Mishnah and the Talmud : The Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael counted 10 songs in the Hebrew Bible: (1) the song that the Israelites recited at the first Passover in Egypt , as Isaiah 30:29 says, "You shall have a song as in the night when a feast is hallowed"; (2) the Song of the Sea in Exodus 15 (3) the song that the Israelites sang at the well in the wilderness, as Numbers 21:17 reports, "Then sang Israel this song: 'Spring up, O well'"; (4)
8200-552: The New Testament ( Matthew 2:20–21 ), where, according to Shlomo Sand , it bears the unusual sense of 'the area surrounding Jerusalem'. The section in which it appears was written as a parallel to the earlier Book of Exodus . Genesis 15:18–21 describes what are known as "Borders of the Land" ( Gevulot Ha-aretz ), which in Jewish tradition defines the extent of the land promised to the descendants of Abraham, through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob. The passage describes
8364-510: The Rabbi Abin's name) that no hour is as grievous as that in which God hides God's face (as foretold in Deuteronomy 31:17–18 and 32:20). Rabbi Jacob taught that since that hour, he had hoped for God, for God said in Deuteronomy 31:21, "For it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed." Rav Bardela bar Tabyumi taught in Rav's name that to whomever "hiding of the face" does not apply
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#17327976036078528-557: The Shmita (Sabbatical year); tithing laws such as the Maaser Rishon ( Levite Tithe ), Maaser sheni , and Maaser ani (poor tithe); charitable practices during farming, such as pe'ah ; and laws regarding taxation. One popular source lists 26 of the 613 mitzvot as contingent upon the Land of Israel. According to Menachem Lorberbaum , the consecrated borders of the Land of Israel understood by returning exiles differed from both
8692-652: The brook of Egypt " ( 1 Kings 8:65 , 1 Chronicles 13:5 and 2 Chronicles 7:8 ). These biblical limits for the land differ from the borders of established historical Israelite and later Jewish kingdoms , including the United Kingdom of Israel , the two kingdoms of Israel (Samaria) and Judah , the Hasmonean kingdom , and the Herodian kingdom . At their heights, these realms ruled lands with similar but not identical boundaries. Jewish religious belief defines
8856-473: The parashah divisions may at times contribute to biblical exegesis . Parashot appear in manuscripts as early as the Dead Sea Scrolls , in which the division is generally similar to that found in the masoretic text. The idea of spacing between portions, including the idea of "open" and "closed" portions, is mentioned in early midrashic literature and the Talmud. Early masoretic lists detailing
9020-538: The parashot using the more limited techniques found in typical modern Torah scrolls: A space in the middle of a line for a closed portion, and beginning at the start of the next line for an open portion (not a blank line). A notable exception is The Jerusalem Crown (The Bible of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2000), whose typography and layout is fashioned after the Aleppo Codex , and follows
9184-580: The wilderness of Zin , failing to uphold God's sanctity among the Israelite people. The seventh reading, the second open portion, and the parashah end here. Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah reading nonetheless read the entire parashah of Haazinu every year according to the schedule of readings above. The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources: Moses calls heaven and earth to serve as witnesses against Israel in Deuteronomy 4:26, 30:19, 31:28, and 32:1. Similarly, Psalm 50:4–5 reports that God "summoned
9348-523: The Aleppo Codex) the order is as follows: Chronicles, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Esther, Daniel, Ezra–Nehemiah. The Aleppo codex is largely intact until the word ציון ("Zion") in Song of Songs 3:11. It is missing the rest of Song of Songs, as well as the final books of Ketuvim in their entirety: Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Esther, Daniel and Ezra–Nehemiah. It
9512-478: The Aleppo Codex, with the single exception of the sixth prophecy (14:1) that begins with a closed parashah {S}. The Aleppo codex is missing two folios from Jeremiah, and the folio following them is also partly torn. The missing text included parts of chapters 29–32. Parashot listed from the missing parts are based upon Kimhi's notes on the codex and marked with an asterisk (*). Prophecies of Destruction (1–25): Prophecies interwoven with narratives about
9676-408: The Aramaic Targums ) understand this as referring to the Nile ; more precisely the Pelusian branch of the Nile Delta according to Halevi—a view supported by Egyptian and Assyrian texts. Saadia Gaon identified it as the "Wadi of El-Arish", referring to the biblical Sukkot near Faiyum . Kaftor Vaferech placed it in the same region, which approximates the location of the former Pelusian branch of
9840-401: The Babylonian tradition include systematic and detailed discussion of exactly where portions begin and which type they are. As a group, Tiberian Masoretic codices share similar but not identical parashah divisions throughout the Bible. Unlike the Babylonian mesorah , however, Tiberian masoretic notes never mention the parashah divisions or attempt to systematize them. This is related to
10004-416: The Bible, there are two types of parashot , an "open portion" ( parashah petuhah ) and a "closed portion" ( parashah setumah ). An "open portion" is roughly similar to a modern paragraph: The text of the previous portion ends before the end of the column (leaving a space at the end of the line), and the new "open" portion starts at the beginning of the next line (but with no indentation). A "closed portion", on
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#173279760360710168-417: The Book of Genesis, the land was first promised by God to Abram 's descendants; the text is explicit that this is a covenant between God and Abram for his descendants ( Gen 15:18–21 (NIV) : "On that day the LORD made a covenant"). Abram's name was later changed to Abraham, with the promise refined to pass through his son Isaac and to the Israelites , descendants of Jacob , Abraham's grandson. This belief
10332-418: The Court of King Shapur sent men who seized Rava's property. Rava then said that this bore out what Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel taught, that wherever the Rabbis direct their eyes in suspicion, either death or poverty follows. Interpreting "I will hide My face," Rava taught that God said although God would hide God's face from them, God would nonetheless speak to them in a dream. Rav Joseph taught that God's hand
10496-435: The Gemara taught that from Deuteronomy 32:3, "When I proclaim the name of the Lord, ascribe greatness to our God," one may derive the commandment to recite a blessing over the Torah before it is read, reading Deuteronomy 32:3 to teach that before one proclaims God's name by reading the Torah, one should give glory to God. In the Sifre, Rabbi Jose found support in the words "ascribe greatness to our God" in Deuteronomy 32:3 for
10660-416: The Hebrew transliteration of the word "Palestine" פלשתינה (Palestina) followed always by the two initial letters of "Eretz Yisrael", א״י Aleph-Yod. The Land of Israel concept has been evoked by the founders of the State of Israel . It often surfaces in political debates on the status of the West Bank , referred to in official Israeli discourse as the Judea and Samaria Area . The term "Land of Israel"
10824-521: The Hebrew letter פ ( peh )). The first open portion spans nearly the entire parashah, except for the concluding maftir ( מפטיר ) reading. The second open portion is coincident with the maftir ( מפטיר ) reading. Parashat Haazinu has no "closed portion" ( סתומה , setumah ) subdivisions (abbreviated with the Hebrew letter ס ( samekh )). In the first reading, Moses called on heaven and earth to hear his words, and asked that his speech be like rain and dew for
10988-602: The Israelites in the desert, watched over them, guarded them, like an eagle who rouses his nestlings, gliding down to his young, God spread God's wings and took Israel, bearing Israel along on God's pinions , God alone guided Israel. The second reading ends here. In the third reading, God set the Israelites atop the highlands to feast on the yield of the earth and fed them honey , oil , curds , milk , lamb , wheat , and wine . So Israel grew fat and kicked and forsook God, incensed God with alien things, and sacrificed to demons and no-gods. The third reading ends here. In
11152-439: The Jewish people. Emperor Hadrian asked Rabbi Joshua what unbeliever had said. Rabbi Joshua told the emperor what unbeliever had said and what Rabbi Joshua had replied. They then asked the unbeliever what he had said, and he told them. And then they asked what Rabbi Joshua had replied, and the unbeliever did not know. They decreed that a man who does not understand what he is being shown by gesture should hold converse in signs before
11316-483: The Land of Israel, but the harsh decree was not finally sealed until God revealed it to him and declared (as reported in Deuteronomy 3:27): "It is My decree that you should not pass over." The Sifre taught that God told Moses in Deuteronomy 32:50 that Moses would die "as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people," because when Moses saw the merciful manner of Aaron's death, as reported in Numbers 20:23–28, Moses concluded that he would want to die
11480-416: The Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance." God said that God's soul lives by the portion and lot that fell to God, as Psalm 16:6 says, "The lots have fallen to me in pleasures; yea, I have a goodly heritage." God then descended with the 70 angels who surround the throne of God's glory and they confused the speech of humankind into 70 nations and 70 languages. The Sifre expanded on
11644-404: The Lord, that I will make for the house of Israel, and for the house of Judah, a new testament: not according to the testament that I settled for their fathers in the day when I laid hold of their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my testament, and I regarded them not, says the Lord." Augustine concludes that this other promise, revealed in the New Testament,
11808-419: The Lord; and how much more after my death"; (4) Deuteronomy 31:29: "For I know that after my death, you will act wickedly and turn away from the path that I enjoined upon you"; (5) Deuteronomy 32:50: "And die in the mount that you are about to ascend, and shall be gathered to your kin, as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his kin"; (6) Deuteronomy 33:1: "This is the blessing with which Moses,
11972-519: The Moabites, and Molek the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in obedience to me, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my decrees and laws as David, Solomon's father, did. 34 "'But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees. 35 I will take
12136-567: The Nile. 19th century Bible commentaries understood the identification as a reference to the Wadi of the coastal locality called El-Arish . Easton's, however, notes a local tradition that the course of the river had changed and there was once a branch of the Nile where today there is a wadi. Biblical minimalists have suggested that the Besor is intended. Deuteronomy 19:8 indicates a certain fluidity of
12300-479: The Sabbath). The points at which the portion is subdivided often take the parashot into account, but there is no hard and fast rule for this. The selections from Nevi'im that are read as haftarot are based on custom. At times, some of these customs choose the exact beginning or end of a haftarah because it coincides with a parashah division. Due to the influence of Maimonides , parashah divisions in
12464-479: The Shema who comes upon a dirty alleyway should stop reciting. Of one who would not stop reciting, Rav Adda bar Ahavah quoted Numbers 15:31 to say: "he has despised the word of the Lord." And of one who does stop reciting, Rabbi Abbahu taught that Deuteronomy 32:47 says: "through this word you shall prolong your days." Rabbi Joḥanan counted ten instances in which Scripture refers to the death of Moses (including one in
12628-654: The South, heard tell that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against Israel." God told the Israelites that they had no genuine faith, as Deuteronomy 32:20 says, "they are a very disobedient generation, children in whom is no faith." God concluded that the Israelites were rebellious, but to destroy them was impossible, to take them back to Egypt was impossible, and God could not change them for another people. So God concluded to chastise and try them with suffering. Rabbi Jacob taught in Rabbi Aha 's name (or others say in
12792-417: The Torah and do not do so with ugly and painful sufferings which stir them up. For Psalm 39:3 says, "I was dumb with silence, I kept silence from the good thing, and my pain was stirred up." "The good thing" refers only to the Torah, as Proverbs 4:2 says, "For I give you good doctrine; forsake not My teaching." Rav Hisda taught that one walking in a dirty alleyway should not recite the Shema, and one reciting
12956-546: The Torah have become highly standardized, and there is close to exact agreement among Torah scrolls, printed Jewish bibles, and similar online texts. The following list thus presents the parashah divisions as found in (a) modern Torah scrolls , (b) Maimonides ' Mishneh Torah , and (c) the Aleppo Codex (based on several witnesses besides Maimonides to the parashot in its missing parts). Rare inconsistencies between these three sources are explained in footnotes. The list
13120-589: The Torah protects against painful disease. For Exodus 15:26 says, "And He said: 'If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do that which is right in His eyes, and will give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon you that I have put upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord Who heals you." Rather one should say that God visits those who can study
13284-619: The area as the land of the ten named ancient peoples then living there. More precise geographical borders are given in Exodus 23:31 , which describes borders as marked by the Red Sea (see debate below), the "Sea of the Philistines" i.e. , the Mediterranean , and the "River", the Euphrates ), the traditional furthest extent of the Kingdom of David . Genesis gives the border with Egypt as Nahar Mitzrayim – nahar in Hebrew denotes
13448-444: The area which the Israelite tribes had their settlements". According to Anita Shapira , the term "Eretz Yisrael" was a holy term, vague as far as the exact boundaries of the territories are concerned but clearly defining ownership. The sanctity of the land ( kedushat ha-aretz ) developed rich associations in rabbinical thought, where it assumes a highly symbolic and mythological status infused with promise, although always connected to
13612-658: The article on Ketuvim ). These three books share a unique system of cantillation unlike that of the other 21 books in Tanakh , a system designed to highlight the parallelisms in their verses. In the Tiberian masoretic codices, the unique system of cantillation for Sifrei Emet is complemented by a scribal layout unlike that of the rest of the Bible: Instead of the three narrow columns per page typical of these codices, Sifrei Emet are written in two wide columns per page. In each line of these wide columns text begins on
13776-446: The assembly of the saints." The Gemara instructs that when writing a Torah scroll, a scribe needs to write the song of Deuteronomy 32:1–43 in a special two-column form, with extra spaces. (See the image at the top of this article.) If a scribe writes the song as plain text, then the scroll is invalid. Rabbi Samuel ben Nahman asked why Moses called upon both the heavens and the earth in Deuteronomy 32:1. Rabbi Samuel compared Moses to
13940-437: The biblical and pre-exilic borders. By mapping the land in accordance with biblical traditions while simultaneously reflecting the extent of Jewish settlement in the region during their time, rabbinic literature not only sanctified the territory but also established a symbolic continuity that linked contemporary Jewish communities to their ancestors in biblical times. The Jerusalem Talmud, in tractate Shabbat, states: "Whoever
14104-521: The books of Nevi'im or Ketuvim (especially the Megillot ), masoretic codices from the Middle Ages and printed editions of the masoretic text. The division of the text into parashot for the biblical books is independent of chapter and verse numbers , which are not part of the masoretic tradition. Parashot are not numbered, but some have special names. The division of parashot found in
14268-407: The borders of the promised land when it refers to the possibility that God would "enlarge your borders". This expansion of territory means that Israel would receive "all the land he promised to give to your fathers", which implies that the settlement actually fell short of what was promised. According to Jacob Milgrom , Deuteronomy refers to a more utopian map of the promised land, whose eastern border
14432-467: The case of passports or certificates of nationality, it might perhaps give rise to difficulties, so it was decided to print 'Palestine' in Hebrew letters and to add after it the letters 'Aleph' 'Yod', which constitute a recognised abbreviation of the Hebrew name. His Excellency still thought that this was a good compromise. Dr. Salem wanted to omit 'Aleph' 'Yod' and Mr. Yellin wanted to omit 'Palestine'. The right solution would be to retain both. —Minutes of
14596-405: The comparison in Deuteronomy 32:2 of Torah to both rain and dew that Torah can affect a worthy scholar as beneficially as dew, and an unworthy one like a crushing rainstorm. Rabbi Berekhiah read Deuteronomy 32:2, "My doctrine shall drop ( יַעֲרֹף , ya'arof ) as the rain," to teach that if we bow our necks ( עוֹרֶף , oref ) in repentance, then the rain (for which we pray when it
14760-416: The dew" to refer to the north wind, which brings dry air that reduces the rain and grain and thereby devalues ( מַּזֶּלֶת , mazzelet ) gold (for when grain becomes scarce, its price rises, and the relative value of gold declines). Rav Judah read "As the small rain ( כִּשְׂעִירִם , kisirim ) upon the tender growth" to refer to the east wind that rages through ( מַּסְעֶרֶת , maseret )
14924-456: The earthly beings remained silent and listened. And the Midrash taught that we know this from the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:1, "Give ear, you heavens, and I will speak." The Sifre taught that Israel would come before God and acknowledge that heaven and earth, the witnesses that God designated in Deuteronomy 32:1, were present to testify against her, but God would say that God would remove them, as Isaiah 65:17 reports that God would "create
15088-399: The emperor, and they led him forth and executed him for his disrespect to the emperor. A Midrash taught that Deuteronomy 32:20, "For they are a very contrary ( tahpukot ) generation," applied to the spies. The Midrash contrasted Numbers 13:2, "Send you men ," with Proverbs 26:6, "He that sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet, and drinks damage." The Midrash asked whether
15252-544: The entire land of the Israelites. The English expression " Promised Land " can denote either the land promised to Abraham in Genesis or the land of Canaan, although the latter meaning is more common. The border with Egypt is given as the Nachal Mitzrayim ( Brook of Egypt ) in Numbers, as well as in Deuteronomy and Ezekiel. Jewish tradition (as expressed in the commentaries of Rashi and Yehuda Halevi , as well as
15416-454: The entire world like a demon ( שָׂעִיר , sa'ir ) when it blows strongly. And Rav Judah read "And as the showers upon the herb" to refer to the south wind, which raises showers and causes herbs to grow. The Sifre read Deuteronomy 32:2, "like showers on young growths," to teach that just as showers fall on grass and make it grow and develop, so words of Torah make people grow and develop. Rabbi Abbahu cited Deuteronomy 32:3 to support
15580-620: The fact that the Babylonian lists are independent compositions, while the Tiberian notes are in the margins of the biblical text itself, which shows the parashot in a highly visible way. In the centuries following the Tiberian Masoretic Text, there were ever-increasing efforts to document and standardize the details of the parashah divisions, especially for the Torah, and even for Nevi'im and Ketuvim as time went on. In most modern Torah scrolls and Jewish editions of
15744-425: The fat of their offerings and drank their libation wine—let them rise up to help! There was no god beside God, who dealt death and gave life, wounded and healed. The fifth reading ends here. In the sixth reading, God swore that when God would whet God's flashing blade, and lay hand on judgment, God would wreak vengeance on God's foes. God would make God's arrows drunk with blood, as God's sword devoured flesh, blood of
15908-512: The fish to vomit forth Jonah in Jonah 2:11. Similarly, a Midrash taught that God said that if you incline your ear to the Torah, then when you begin speaking the Words of the Torah, all will remain silent before you and listen. The Midrash taught that we learn this from Moses, for because he inclined his ear to the Torah, when he came to begin speaking the words of the Torah, both the heavenly and
16072-494: The fourth reading, God saw, was vexed, and hid God's countenance from them, to see how they would fare. For they were a treacherous breed, children with no loyalty, who incensed God with no-gods, vexed God with their idols ; thus God would incense them with a no-folk and vex them with a nation of fools. A fire flared in God's wrath and burned down to the base of the hills. God would sweep misfortunes on them, use God's arrows on them—famine, plague, pestilence, and fanged beasts—and with
16236-828: The future government of Palestine, of the Plan of Partition with Economic Union". The Resolution contained a plan to partition Palestine into "Independent Arab and Jewish States and the Special International Regime for the City of Jerusalem". On 14 May 1948, the day the British Mandate over Palestine expired, the Jewish People's Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum, and approved a proclamation , in which it declared "the establishment of
16400-472: The grass. Moses proclaimed that God was perfect in deed, just, faithful, true, and upright. God's children were unworthy, a crooked generation that played God false, ill requiting the Creator . The first reading ends here. In the second reading, Moses exhorted the Israelites to remember that in ages past, God assigned the nations their homes and their due, but chose the Israelites as God's own people. God found
16564-528: The heavens above, and the earth, for the trial of His people," saying "Bring in My devotees, who made a covenant with Me over sacrifice!" Psalm 50:6 continues: "Then the heavens proclaimed His righteousness, for He is a God who judges." And in Isaiah 1:2, the prophet similarly begins his vision, "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord has spoken." In Deuteronomy 32:4, 15, 18, 30, and 31, Moses called God
16728-668: The heavens, and all their host have I commanded." God thus commanded the sea to divide in Exodus 14:21, the heavens to be silent before Moses in Deuteronomy 32:1, the sun and the moon to stand still before Joshua in Joshua 10:12, the ravens to feed Elijah in 1 Kings 17:6, the fire to do no harm to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in Daniel 3, the lions not to harm Daniel in Daniel 6, the heavens to open before Ezekiel in Ezekiel 1:1; and
16892-510: The historical entitlement that Jews have to the whole Land of Israel. Ginsburgh's ideas about the need for Jewish control over the land has some popularity within contemporary West Bank settlements. However, there are also strong backlashes from the Jewish community regarding these ideas. The Satmar Hasidic community in particular denounces any geographic or political establishment of Israel, deeming this establishment as directly interfering with God's plan for Jewish redemption. Joel Teitelbaum
17056-509: The kingdom from his son's hands and give you ten tribes. 36 I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. According to Jewish religious law ( halakha ), some laws only apply to Jews living in the Land of Israel and some areas in Jordan , Lebanon, and Syria (which are thought to be part of biblical Israel). These include agricultural laws such as
17220-505: The land as where Jewish religious law prevailed and excludes territory where it was not applied. It holds that the area is a God-given inheritance of the Jewish people based on the Torah , particularly the books of Genesis , Exodus , Numbers and Deuteronomy , as well as Joshua and the later Prophets ( Exodus 6:4 : "I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners"). According to
17384-493: The land unique to Jews ( Parkes, James ). The idea that ancient religious texts can be warrant or divine right for a modern claim has often been challenged, and Israeli courts have rejected land claims based on religious motivations. During the League of Nations mandate period (1920–1948 ) the term "Eretz Yisrael" or the "Land of Israel" was part of the official Hebrew name of Mandatory Palestine . Official Hebrew documents used
17548-414: The land. The laws apply to all Jews, and the giving of the land itself in the covenant, applies to all Jews, including converts. Many of the religious laws which applied in ancient times are applied in the modern State of Israel; others have not been revived, since the State of Israel does not adhere to traditional Jewish law . However, certain parts of the current territory of the State of Israel, such as
17712-550: The list of parashot for Psalms. The special poetic cantillation and layout are not implemented for the narrative opening and conclusion of the book of Job (1:1-3:1 and 42:7-17). Parashot in Ketuvim are listed here according to the Aleppo codex , with variants from other masoretic traditions noted at the end of each book's section. The books of Ketuvim are presented in the order they appear in most printed Hebrew bibles. In Tiberian and early Sephardic masoretic codices (such as
17876-434: The man of God, bade the Israelites farewell before his death"; (7) Deuteronomy 34:5: "So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, at the command of the Lord"; (8) Deuteronomy 34:7: "Moses was 120 years old when he died"; (9) Joshua 1:1: "Now it came to pass after the death of Moses"; and (10) Joshua 1:2: "Moses My servant is dead." Rabbi Joḥanan taught that ten times it was decreed that Moses should not enter
18040-473: The medieval spacing techniques for parashah divisions by leaving an empty line for {P} and starts {S} on a new line with an indentation. Medieval Ashkenazic sources beginning with the Mahzor Vitry also refer to a third spacing technique called a parashah sedurah . This involved starting a new parashah at the same point in the line where the previous parashah ended on the line above. According to
18204-620: The meeting on November 9, 1920. The compromise was later noted as among Arab grievances before the League's Permanent Mandate Commission. During the Mandate, the name Eretz Yisrael (abbreviated א״י Aleph-Yod ), was part of the official name for the territory, when written in Hebrew . These official names for Palestine were minted on the Mandate coins and early stamps (pictured) in English, Hebrew "(פלשתינה (א״י" ( Palestina E"Y ) and Arabic ("فلسطين"). Consequently, in 20th-century political usage,
18368-505: The metaphor of God as an eagle in Deuteronomy 32:11, teaching that just as an eagle enters her nest only after shaking her chicks with her wings, fluttering from tree to tree to wake them up, so that they will have the strength to receive her, so when God revealed God's self to give the Torah to Israel, God did not appear from just a single direction, but from all four directions, as Deuteronomy 33:2 says, "The Lord came from Sinai, and rose from Seir to them," and Habakkuk 3:3 says, "God comes from
18532-428: The missing sections are based upon Kimhi's notes on the codex and marked with an asterisk (*). The two sections are: (a) three missing folios that included Amos 8:13 to the end, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah until 5:1 (מקדם); (b) four missing folios that included Zephaniah 3:10 (הארץ) to the end, Haggai, Zechariah until 9:17 (דגן). The three poetic books of Psalms, Proverbs and Job are collectively known as Sifrei Emet (see
18696-591: The modern-day Torah scrolls of all Jewish communities is based upon the systematic list provided by Maimonides in Mishneh Torah , Laws of Tefillin, Mezuzah and Torah Scrolls , chapter 8. Maimonides based his division of the parashot for the Torah on the Aleppo Codex . The division of parashot for the books of Nevi'im and Ketuvim was never completely standardized in printed Hebrew bibles and handwritten scrolls, though important attempts were made to document it and create fixed rules. Incorrect division of
18860-434: The name and tribe of each, and God told Moses that each was worthy. The Midrash explained that one can infer that God told Moses that they were worthy, because Numbers 13:3 reports, "And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of the Lord ." Afterwards, at the end of 40 days, they changed and made all the trouble, causing that generation to be punished; thus Deuteronomy 32:20 says, "For they are
19024-661: The nations their inheritance," describes events that took place when God confused the languages of humankind at the Tower of Babel . Rabbi Simeon told that God called to the 70 angels who surround the throne of God 's glory and said, "Let us descend and let us confuse the 70 nations (that made up the world) and the 70 languages." Rabbi Simeon deduced this from Genesis 11:7, where God said, "Let us go down," not " I will go down." Rabbi Simeon taught that Deuteronomy 32:8 reports that they cast lots among them. God's lot fell upon Abraham and his descendants, as Deuteronomy 32:9 reports, "For
19188-493: The non-Jewish prophet Balaam . The Midrash explained that the Torah records Balaam's story to make known that because the nonbeliever prophet Balaam did what he did, God removed prophecy and the Holy Spirit from nonbelievers. The Midrash taught that God originally wished to deprive nonbelievers of the opportunity to argue that God had estranged them. So in an application of the principle of Deuteronomy 32:4, "The Rock, His work
19352-735: The northern border of modern Lebanon , eastwards (the way of Hethlon) to Zedad and Hazar-enan in modern Syria ; south by southwest to the area of Busra on the Syrian border (area of Hauran in Ezekiel); follows the Jordan River between the West Bank and the land of Gilead to Tamar ( Ein Gedi ) on the western shore of the Dead Sea; From Tamar to Meribah Kadesh ( Kadesh Barnea ), then along
19516-417: The other hand, leaves a space in the middle of the line of text, where the previous portion ends before the space, and the next portion starts after it, towards the end of the line of text. In some manuscripts and in many printed editions, an "open portion" ( petuhah ) is abbreviated with the Hebrew letter "פ" ( peh ), and a "closed portion" ( setumah ) with the Hebrew letter "ס" ( samekh ), often in place of
19680-479: The parallel data found in the masoretic manuscripts. Land of Israel Canaan State of Israel (1948–present) The Land of Israel ( Hebrew : אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל , Modern : ʾEreṣ Yīsraʾel , Tiberian : ʾEreṣ Yīsrāʾēl ) is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant . Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include
19844-449: The parashah), teaching that God did not finally seal the harsh decree until God declared it to Moses. Rabbi Joḥanan cited these ten references to the death of Moses: (1) Deuteronomy 4:22: "But I must die in this land; I shall not cross the Jordan"; (2) Deuteronomy 31:14: "The Lord said to Moses: 'Behold, your days approach that you must die'"; (3) Deuteronomy 31:27: "[E]ven now, while I am still alive in your midst, you have been defiant toward
20008-421: The people, he appointed them that should sing to the Lord, and praise in the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and say, 'Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy endures forever'"; and (10) the song that will be sung in the time to come, as Isaiah 42:10 says, "Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise from the end of the earth," and Psalm 149:1 says, "Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in
20172-418: The physical world known to us through our senses. This is the key to the land's unique status with regard to prophecy and prayer, and also with regard to the commandments." Thus, the renaming of this landmarks a change in religious status, the origin of the Holy Land concept. Numbers 34:1–13 uses the term Canaan strictly for the land west of the Jordan, but Land of Israel is used in Jewish tradition to denote
20336-434: The poetic structure of the text, where in each line, an opening colon is matched by a second, parallel thought unit. In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or עליות , aliyot . In the Masoretic Text of the Tanakh ( Hebrew Bible ), Parashat Haazinu has two "open portion" ( פתוחה , petuchah ) divisions (roughly equivalent to paragraphs, often abbreviated with
20500-579: The prophet's life (26–45): Prophecies against the nations (46–51): Narrative (52): The Aleppo Codex leaves four empty lines between each of the books of the Twelve Minor Prophets . The Leningrad Codex leaves three lines. Parashot within each of the twelve individual books are listed below. The Aleppo Codex is missing seven folios from two different sections of the Twelve Minor Prophets. Parashot listed from
20664-496: The prophets of Israel retained compassion towards both Israel and nonbelievers alike, as reflected in Jeremiah 48:36 and Ezekiel 27:2, Balaam sought to uproot the whole nation of Israel for no crime. Thus God removed prophecy from nonbelievers. Rabbi Ḥanina bar Papa taught that to enjoy this world without reciting a blessing is tantamount to robbing God, as Proverbs 28:24 says, "Whoever robs his father or his mother and says, 'It
20828-539: The proposition of Mishnah Berakhot 7:1 that three who have eaten together publicly should say the Grace after Meals ( ברכת המזון , Birkat Hamazon ) together as well. In Deuteronomy 32:3, Moses says, "When I (who am one) proclaim the name of the Lord, you (in the plural, who are thus at least two more) ascribe greatness to our God." Thus by using the plural to for "you," Moses implies that at least three are present, and they should ascribe greatness to God. Similarly,
20992-412: The proposition that when standing in the house of assembly saying, "Blessed is the Lord who is to be blessed," people are to respond, "Blessed is the Lord who is to be blessed forever and ever." Rabbi Jose also found support in those words for the proposition that Grace after Meals is said only when three are present; that one must say " Amen " after the one who says the blessing; that one must say, "Blessed
21156-425: The region traversed by the enumerators is defined as reaching up to though not including [them], or that these cities were actually visited in order to take a census of Israelites resident in them". Ezekiel 47:13–20 provides a definition of borders of land in which the twelve tribes of Israel will live during the final redemption, at the end of days. The borders of the land described by the text in Ezekiel include
21320-487: The remaining tribes. The region is called "the Land of Canaan " ( Eretz Kna'an ) in Numbers 34:2 and the borders are known in Jewish tradition as the "borders for those coming out of Egypt". These borders are again mentioned in Deuteronomy 1:6–8 , 11:24 and Joshua 1:4 . According to the Hebrew Bible, Canaan was the son of Ham who with his descendants had seized the land from the descendants of Shem according to
21484-543: The right, followed by a gap, and then continued by further text until the left margin of the column. Although there is ample evidence that the scribes attempted to place the gaps in the middle of the lines at the points where the cantillation divides the verses, they often did not succeed in doing so because of space limitations. Modern editions based upon the Aleppo Codex have implemented the idea fully by allowing wide full-page columns for Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. In poetic layout, parashah divisions are typically indicated by
21648-405: The ruling of Maimonides, any error regarding a parashah completely invalidates a Torah scroll. This includes a parashah in the wrong place, of the wrong type, or a missing parashah . However, there is also a responsum by Maimonides in which he ruled that one may recite a blessing over reading from an invalid scroll, based on the reasoning that the commandment is in the reading itself, not in
21812-518: The same phrasing is used in reference to King Solomon 's census of all of the 'strangers in the Land of Israel' ( 2 Chronicles 2:17 ). Ezekiel , although generally preferring the phrase 'soil of Israel' ( ' admat yiśrā'êl ), employs eretz Israel twice, respectively at Ezekiel 40:2 and Ezekiel 47:18 . According to Martin Noth , the term is not an "authentic and original name for this land", but instead serves as "a somewhat flexible description of
21976-513: The same way. The Sifre taught that God told Aaron to go in a cave, to climb onto a bier, to spread his hands, to spread his legs, to close his mouth, and to close his eyes, and then Aaron died. And at that moment, Moses concluded that one would be happy to die that way. Parashah The term parashah , parasha or parashat ( Hebrew : פָּרָשָׁה Pārāšâ , "portion", Tiberian /pɔrɔˈʃɔ/ , Sephardi /paraˈʃa/ , plural: parashot or parashiyot , also called parsha ) formally means
22140-533: The secular Jewish political movement of Zionism to adopt at the turn of the 20th century; it was used to refer to their proposed national homeland in the area then controlled by the Ottoman Empire . As originally stated, "The aim of Zionism is to create for the Jewish people a home in Palestine secured by law." The Biblical concept of Eretz Israel, and its re-establishment as a state in the modern era,
22304-432: The slain and the captive from the long-haired enemy chiefs. God would avenge the blood of God's servants, wreak vengeance on God's foes, and cleanse the land of God's people. The sixth reading ends here. In the seventh reading, Moses came, together with Joshua , and recited all this poem to the people. And when Moses finished reciting, he told them to take his warnings to heart and enjoin them upon their children, for it
22468-566: The son of Abinoam "; (7) the song that David spoke, as 2 Samuel 22:1 reports, "David spoke to the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul "; (8) the song that Solomon recited, as Psalm 30:1 reports, "a song at the Dedication of the House of David "; (9) the song that Jehoshaphat recited, as 2 Chronicles 20:21 reports: "when he had taken counsel with
22632-521: The son, and as a result, no one took any notice of him. So when Israel went out of Egypt, the fear of them fell upon all the nations, as Exodus 15:14–16 reported, "The peoples have heard, they tremble; pangs have taken hold on the inhabitants of Philistia. Then were the chiefs of Edom frightened; the mighty men of Moab, trembling takes hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan are melted away. Terror and dread falls upon them." But when Israel transgressed and sinned, God asked Israel whether it thought that it
22796-455: The song that Moses spoke in his last days, as Deuteronomy 31:30 reports, "Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song"; (5) the song that Joshua recited, as Joshua 10:12 reports, "Then spoke Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites "; (6) the song that Deborah and Barak sang, as Judges 5:1 reports, "Then sang Deborah and Barak
22960-544: The south." The Gemara read the word "Rock" in Deuteronomy 32:18 to refer to God, and the Gemara employed that interpretation with others to support Abba Benjamin's assertion that when two people enter a synagogue to pray, and one of them finishes first and leaves without waiting for the other, God disregards the prayer of the one who left. Rabbi Judah ben Simon expounded on God's words in Deuteronomy 32:20, "I will hide My face from them." Rabbi Judah ben Simon compared Israel to
23124-486: The spies were men or fools. The Midrash noted that Numbers 13:2 says, "Send you men ," and wherever Scripture uses the word "men," Scripture implies righteous people, as in Exodus 17:9, "And Moses said to Joshua: 'Choose us out men' "; in 1 Samuel 17:12, "And the man was an old man (and thus wise) in the days of Saul, coming among men (who would naturally be like him)"; and in 1 Samuel 1:11, "But will give to Your handmaid seed who are men ." If Numbers 13:2 thus implies that
23288-419: The spies were righteous people, could they still have been fools? The Midrash explained that they were fools because they spread an evil report about the land, and Proverbs 10:18 says, "He that utters a slander is a fool." The Midrash reconciled the two characterizations by telling that the spies were great men who then made fools of themselves. It was concerning them that Moses said in Deuteronomy 32:20, "They are
23452-521: The status of the West Bank , which is referred to in official Israeli discourse as Judea and Samaria , from the names of the two historical Israelite and Judean kingdoms . These debates frequently invoke religious principles, despite the little weight these principles typically carry in Israeli secular politics. Ideas about the need for Jewish control of the land of Israel have been propounded by figures such as Yitzhak Ginsburg , who has written about
23616-549: The sword would deal death and terror to young and old alike. God might have reduced them to nothing, made their memory cease among men, except for fear of the taunts of their enemies, who might misjudge and conclude that their own hand had prevailed and not God's. For Israel's enemies were a folk void of sense, lacking in discernment. The fourth reading ends here. In the fifth reading, God wished that they were wise, then they would think about this, and gain insight into their future, for they would recognize that one could not have routed
23780-686: The term "Land of Israel" usually denotes only those parts of the land which came under the British mandate. On 29 November 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution ( United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (II)) recommending "to the United Kingdom, as the mandatory Power for Palestine, and to all other Members of the United Nations the adoption and implementation, with regard to
23944-406: The term "the land" (ha'aretz), as does Deuteronomy 1:8 in which it is promised explicitly to "Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... and to their descendants after them", whilst Numbers 34:1–15 describes the "Land of Canaan" (Eretz Kna'an) which is allocated to nine and half of the twelve Israelite tribes after the Exodus . The expression "Land of Israel" is first used in a later book, 1 Samuel 13:19 . It
24108-506: The territories actually settled by the Israelites (as opposed to military conquests) is "from Dan to Beersheba " (or its variant "from Beersheba to Dan"), which occurs many times in the Bible. The 12 tribes of Israel are divided in 1 Kings 11. In the chapter, King Solomon 's sins lead to Israelites forfeiting 10 of the 12 tribes: 30 and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 Then he said to Jeroboam , "Take ten pieces for yourself, for this
24272-453: The terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day." Deuteronomy 32:13 told how God "set him atop the highlands ( עַל-במותי (בָּמֳתֵי) , al-bamatei )." And in Amos 4:13, the 8th century BCE prophet Amos speaks of God "Who . . . treads upon the high places ( עַל-בָּמֳתֵי , al-bamatei ) of the earth." The parashah is discussed in these rabbinic sources from the era of
24436-401: The text being read from. Maimonides' strict ruling that any error in the parashot completely invalidates a Torah scroll led to a major halakhic debate that continues to this day. Among those who ruled against Maimonides' stricture in practice were his son, Abraham Maimonides , Menachem Meiri , Moshe Chalava , Judah Minz , and Ovadia Yosef . All of the above authorities rule that
24600-404: The text into parashot , either by indicating a parashah in the wrong place or by using the wrong spacing technique, halakhically invalidates a Torah scroll according to Maimonides. A parashah break creates a textual pause, roughly analogous to a modern paragraph break. Such a pause usually has one of the following purposes: To decide exactly where a new topic or thought begins within
24764-481: The vicinity south of Sidon". In 1920, the Jewish members of the first High Commissioner 's advisory council objected to the Hebrew transliteration of the word "Palestine" פלשתינה ( Palestina ) on the ground that the traditional name was ארץ ישראל ( Eretz Yisrael ), but the Arab members would not agree to this designation, which in their view, had political significance. The High Commissioner, Sir Herbert Samuel , himself
24928-436: The visual gap in the line. Rough English equivalents are "P" and "S" respectively. In masoretic codices and in medieval scrolls, these two spacing techniques allowed for a larger range of options: Open portions often seem to reflect the beginning of a new topic or a major subdivision within a biblical book, while closed portions seem to reflect smaller units or minor subdivisions. Most printed Hebrew bibles today represent
25092-537: The waters surrounding Arabia—including the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf , not merely the sea lying to the west of Arabia bearing this name in modern English. Thus, the entire Arabian peninsula lies within the borders described. Modern maps depicting the region take a reticent view and often leave the southern and eastern borders vaguely defined. The borders of the land to be conquered given in Numbers have
25256-590: The wilderness, much as in Hosea 9:10, God says, "I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first-ripe in the fig tree at her first season." Like Deuteronomy 32:11, God compares God’s self to an eagle in Exodus 19:4, saying "I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself." Psalm 91 interprets the role of God as an eagle in Deuteronomy 32:11. Psalm 91:4 explains, "He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you take refuge," and Psalm 91:5 explains, "You shall not be afraid of
25420-490: The word עוּף , uf , refers only to the Torah, as Proverbs 23:5 says, "Will you close ( הֲתָעִיף , hataif ) your eyes to it (the Torah)? It is gone." And רֶשֶׁף , reshef , refers only to painful sufferings, as Deuteronomy 32:24 says, "The wasting of hunger, and the devouring of the fiery bolt ( רֶשֶׁף , reshef ). Rabbi Joḥanan said to Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish that even school children know that
25584-512: The word רֶשֶׁף , reshef ("fiery bolt") in Deuteronomy 32:24 to refer to demons , and the Gemara employed that interpretation with others to support Rabbi Isaac's assertion that reciting the Shema in bed keeps demons away. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish reasoned from Deuteronomy 32:24 that Torah study keeps away painful sufferings. For Job 5:7 says, "And the sons of רֶשֶׁף , reshef , fly upward ( עוּף , uf )." He argued that
25748-436: The words of Hosea 11:9, "I am God, and not man." (And thus God would forgive Israel and restore her original relationship with God.) In Deuteronomy 32:2, "My doctrine ( לִקְחִי , likḥi ) shall drop as the rain," Rav Judah read "doctrine" ( לֶקַח , lekaḥ ) to mean Torah, as Proverbs 4:2 states, "For I give you good doctrine ( לֶקַח , lekaḥ ); do not forsake My Torah." Rav Judah thus concluded that
25912-583: Was a basic tenet of the original Zionist program. This program however, saw little success until the British commitment to "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people" in the Balfour Declaration . Chaim Weizmann , as leader of the Zionist delegation, at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference presented a Zionist Statement on 3 February. Among other things, he presented
26076-403: Was a foremost figure in this denouncement, calling the Land and State of Israel a vehicle for idol worship, as well as a smokescreen for Satan's workings. During the early 5th century, Augustine of Hippo argued in his City of God that the earthly or "carnal" kingdom of Israel achieved its peak during the reigns of David and his son Solomon. He goes on to say however, that this possession
26240-814: Was about to be fulfilled through the incarnation of Christ: "I will give my laws in their mind, and will write them upon their hearts, and I will see to them; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people." Notwithstanding this doctrine stated by Augustine and also by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (Ch. 11), the phenomenon of Christian Zionism is widely noted today, especially among evangelical Protestants. Other Protestant groups and churches reject Christian Zionism on various grounds . Jewish religious tradition does not distinguish clearly between religious, national, racial, or ethnic identities. Nonetheless, during two millennia of exile and with
26404-411: Was conditional: "...the Hebrew nation should remain in the same land by the succession of posterity in an unshaken state even to the end of this mortal age, if it obeyed the laws of the Lord its God." He goes on to say that the failure of the Hebrew nation to adhere to this condition resulted in its revocation and the making of a second covenant and cites Jeremiah 31:31–32 : "Behold, the days come, says
26568-429: Was later seen as a national home and refuge, intimately related to that traditional sense of people-hood, and meant to show continuity that this land was always seen as central to Jewish life, in theory if not in practice. Having already used another religious term of great importance, Zion (Jerusalem), to coin the name of their movement, being associated with the return to Zion. The term was considered appropriate for
26732-417: Was not a trifling thing but their very life at stake. The first open portion ends here. In the maftir ( מפטיר ) reading of Deuteronomy 32:48–52 that concludes the parashah, God told Moses to ascend Mount Nebo and view the land of Canaan , for he was to die on the mountain, as his brother Aaron had died on Mount Hor , for they both broke faith with God when they struck the rock to produce water in
26896-577: Was respected on its own account, when it was respected only on account of the respect that was due to God. So God turned away from them a little, and the Amalekites came and attacked Israel, as Exodus 17:8 reports, "Then Amalek came, and fought with Israel in Rephidim," and then the Canaanites came and fought with Israel, as Numbers 21:1 reports, "And the Canaanite, the king of Arad , who dwelt in
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