The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas—December 25, 2017)
At the Vigil Mass
Gospel (Mat 1:18-25)
Mass During the Night
Gospel (Luk 2:1-14)
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The Birth of Jesus
1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census be taken of all the world.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3 And everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the town of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and line of David,
Gen 48:7
[And though I tax you to carry me for burial to the land of Canaan though I did not exert myself similarly for your mother], for when I came from Paddan, Rachel died, to my sorrow, in the land of Canaan on the road, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath. And I buried her there on the road to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem) [without even taking her into Bethlehem—bear no rancor against me for this, for I did so by the command of God, that Rachel might implore mercy for her children when they passed that way in the exile of Nebuzaradan (see Jer 31)].
Rashi’s Commentary
For when I came from Paddan, etc.—“And although I trouble you to take me for burial into the land of Canaan and I did not do this for your mother (i.e., I did not take the trouble to bury her in a place other than that in which she died, which was by the road-side) which I might easily have done since she died quite close to Bethlehem.”
A little distance is a measure of land equal to 2000 cubits which is the extent of a Sabbath day’s journey. This is according to the statement of R. Moses the Expositor.—“Do not imagine that it was the rains which prevented me from bringing her to Hebron for burial. It was the dry season when the ground is riddled and full of holes like a sieve (כְּבָרָה).
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5 to register with Mary, who was engaged to him and was with child.
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6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth,
7 and she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Gen 42:27
As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the lodging place, he saw his silver; and behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.
Rashi’s Commentary
As one of them opened—This was Levi who remained alone (one) being without Simeon his companion (cf Targum Jonathan).
At the lodging place means the place where they stayed over night.
His sack is the sack just mentioned.
Exo 4:24
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At a lodging place on the way, [an angel of] the Lord met him [Moses] and sought to kill him [because
he had not circumcised his son].
Rashi’s Commentary
At a lodging place on the way and sought to kill him—The angel sought etc., because he had not circumcised his son Eliezer; and because he had showed himself remiss in this, he brought upon himself the punishment of death. It has been taught in a Boraitha (Nedarim 31b): Rabbi José said: God forbid that this was so; Moses had not been remiss in this duty; but he thought, “If I circumcise him and immediately proceed on the journey, the child’s life will be in danger for three days. If, on the other hand, I circumcise him and wait three days—the Holy One, blessed be he, has commanded me, “Go return to Egypt!” Consequently, he obeyed his command, intending to circumcise the child as soon as the opportunity presented itself. There was therefore no remissness on his part; why, then, was he threatened with punishment? Because he busied himself with the affairs of the lodging place first, (i. e. because when he arrived at the inn he troubled himself first about eating and drinking. He should first have circumcised his son. Being now so much nearer Egypt, the danger that follows upon the circumcision was not so great, since the interval of time between the operation and his arrival in Egypt was now shorter than if he had circumcised him before he set out on the journey). See this in Treatise Nedarim.—The angel became a kind of serpent and swallowed him (Moses) from his head to his thigh, spit him out and then again swallowed him from his legs to that place (the membrum). Zipporah thus understood that this had happened on account of the delay in the circumcision of her son (Nedarim 32a; cf. Exodus Rabbah 5:8).
8 And in the same region there were some shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terribly frightened.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, who is Christ the Lord.
12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
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13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
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14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peaceamong those with whom he is pleased.”
Mass at Dawn
Gospel (Luk 2:15-20)
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 So they came in a hurry and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they made known the word which had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
Mass During the Day
Gospel (Joh 1:1-5, 9-14)
The Word Became Flesh
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1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
9 That was the true light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, even to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we have seen his glory, the glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This work, "The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)" is a derivative of "The Rashi Chumash" and "The Rashi Ketuvim" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein used under CC BY 3.0
The Word Became Flesh by Good News Productions International and College Press Publishing is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
The Birth of Jesus by the LumoProject