The Epiphany of the Lord (January 7, 2018)
Gospel (Mat 2:1-12)
The Magi Visit the Messiah
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
Gen 25:6
6 But to the sons of his concubine [Hagar], Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from his son Isaac while he Abraham was still living, eastward, to the land of the east.
Rashi’s Commentary
Concubine—The word is written deficient, (without the letter “yud”) because he had only one concubine, Hagar, who is identical with Keturah. Wives are those whom a man marries with a marriage contract, whereas concubines have no marriage contract, as we explain in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 21a) in reference to David’s wives and concubines.
Abraham gave gifts—Our Rabbis explained (Sanhedrin 91a) that he transmitted to them the names of impure things. Another explanation is: all that he had received as gifts because of Sarah—and other gifts that people had given him—all these he gave to them because he did not wish to derive any benefit from these.
Gen 49:10
The scepter will not depart from Judah [from David on, (an allusion to) the Chiefs of the Exile in Babylon, who rule with the scepter by royal edict],
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet [(an allusion to) the disciples, the Princes of the Land of Israel],
until Shiloh comes [the king, Messiah, sovereignty being his (Shiloh)]
and to him shall be the obedience of the nations.
Rashi’s Commentary
The scepter will not depart from Judah—Even after the house of David ceases to reign. For this refers to the Chiefs of the Exile in Babylon who ruled over the people with the rod having been appointed by the government (Horayot 11b; Sanhedrin 5a).
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet—This refers to the scholars of the Torah: the Princes of the Land of Israel (as Hillel and his descendants who were Heads of Schools only and had no political power) (Horayot 11b; Sanhedrin 5a).
2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
Num 24:17
I see him [the greatness of Jacob], but [it is] not now [but after a time];
I behold him, but [it is] not near.
A star [i.e., a king] will come out of Jacob;
a scepter [i.e., a ruling king] will rise out of Israel,
and he [David] will crush the foreheads of Moab [see 2Sa 8:2],
and dig through all the people of Sheth [i.e., the nations].
Rashi’s Commentary
I see him—I see the preeminence of Jacob and his greatness, but it is not now, but will be after some time.
A scepter will rise—A king who rules dominantly.
All the people of Sheth—i.e., all nations, because all of them issued from Sheth, the son of Adam, the first man (cf. Onkelos).
3 When Herod the king heard these things, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod secretly called the Magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child; and when you have found him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 When they had heard the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
praise rejoicing when it comes into existence (Genesis Rabbah 91:11).
נְכֹאת is wax (Genesis Rabbah 91:11; cf. 37:25).
Pistachio nuts—I do not know what these are but in the definitions given in the Dictionary of R. Machir I have read that they are pistachio nuts; I think that they are peaches.
Exo 30:23, 34
23 Take also for yourself fine spices: of liquid myrrh, five hundred shekels, of fragrant cinnamon—half of it (two hundred and fifty shekels) [it was weighed twice to amount to five hundred and a little more (a small amount being added each time to tip the scale above 250)], of fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty shekels,
Rashi’s Commentary
Fine spices—i. e. excellent ones.
Fragrant cinnamon—Because cinnamon is the bark of a tree there is some of good quality, having fragrance and a pleasant taste and there is some which is merely like wood; Scripture therefore felt itself compelled to state, “fragrant cinnamon,” meaning that the incense was to be made of the good species.
Half of it (two hundred and fifty shekels)—The half of what is to be brought shall be 250 shekels; consequently the whole weight of this species was 500 shekels exactly the same as that of the myrrh. But if this be so, why is it (the quantity to be brought) expressed in halves? It is the ordinance of Scripture that it should be brought in halves only, so that the quantity may be increased by two overweights, for there was no exact balancing of the scales in weighing the spices, but a little was always added. Thus it is stated in Keritot 5a.
Fragrant cane—i. e. cane of sweet spices. Because there are canes which do not bear sweet spices Scripture had to state (add the word) בֹשֶׂם
Two hundred and fifty shekels was the amount of its entire weight (not of the half of it as in the case of the preceding ingredient).
34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take for yourself [two] spices [and] balsam sap, onycha and galbanum [a foul-smelling spice, included in the incense to teach us not to belittle inclusion of sinners in our fasts and prayers], [and an additional five] spices, and pure frankincense. They [the gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense] shall be equal [in weight] to one another.
Rashi’s Commentary
נָטָף is balsam. Because it is merely the sap which drips from the wood of the balsam tree it is called נָטָף, “dripping” (Keritot 6a). In old French it is called gomme; English gum. The balm itself, however, is called triaca [in Old Provencal], theriac.
Onycha—This is a root of a fragrant herb, smooth and transparent like a fingernail, In the language of the Mishna it is called צִפֹּרֶן, a nail (cf. Keritot 6a). This is exactly how Onkelos renders it: וְטוּפְרָא. Both צִפֹּרֶן and טוּפְרָא mean “fingernail.”
11 After coming into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Gen 43:11
Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, [i.e., if I must send him with you] then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take a gift down to the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.
Rashi’s Commentary
Then—This is really a redundant word used in Hebrew for stylistic purposes. If it . . . be so that I am compelled to do this—that I must send him with you—I must endeavour to seek where is the place that we can say, “Here is (אַיֵּה פֹה) some measure and plan to propose to you and therefore, I say: ‘Do this.’ ”
Some of the best products of the land—This is rendered in the Targum by “Take of that which is praised in the land”—that about which people sing its
which, of the five kinds of grain offering], his offering [this one alone being called “a grain offering of flour,” because it is the only one of the five of which the fistful is taken before baking] shall be of fine [wheat] flour. And he [even a non-priest] shall pour oil on it [on all of it] and he shall put frankincense on it [on part of it].
And galbanum—A spice with a vile odor, called galbane [in Old French], galbanum. Scripture enumerates it among the spices of the incense to teach us that we should not regard as a light thing the duty of associating with ourselves when we band together for fasts and prayers Israelites who are transgressors—that they should be counted as ourselves (Keritot 6b).
סַמִּים means other spices also.
They shall be equal to one another—These four ingredients mentioned here shall be equal, weight for weight—as the weight of one so shall be the weight of another. Thus indeed we learn (Keritot 6a): the balsam, the onycha, the galbanum and the frankincense shall each have the weight of seventy manehs. The term בַּד seems to me to mean a single article; each one i. e., the weight shall be the one the same as the other.
Lev 2:1
“ ‘When a soul offers [the Holy One blessed be he says: “I shall account it to him as if he had offered his soul”] a grain offering to the Lord [and he does not specify
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And he shall pour oil on it—Upon the whole of it (of the flour).
Lev 6:8
Then one of them shall take from it [from the combined mixture (of flour, oil, and incense), that there be a full tenth at the time of the scooping] a fistful [that he not make a measure for the fistful] of the fine flour of the grain offering [it should not be mixed with another] and its oil [the fistful is taken from the place where the oil is thickest], and all the incense which is on the grain offering [he collects the incense after taking the fistful and smokes it], and he shall cause it to go up in smoke on the altar, a pleasing aroma, as its memorial portion to the Lord.
Rashi’s Commentary
Then one of them shall take from it—From it as a united mass—that there should be a full tenth part of an ephah at the same time in the vessel when he takes the fistful (Menachot 24a).
A fistful—This implies that he shall not make a measure for the fistful (he must not use a measure that holds as much as his fist and in that remove the flour) (Yoma 47a).
Of the fine flour of the grain-offering and its oil—From here we may derive that he takes the “fistful” from that spot where there is plenty of oil in it (Sotah 14b).
The grain-offering—This implies that it shall not be mixed up with another meal-offering.—Torath Kohanim 6:27
Rashi’s Commentary
When a soul offers—Nowhere is the word נֶפֶשׁ employed in connection with free-will offerings except in connection with the grain-offering. For who is it that usually brings a grain-offering? The poor man! The Holy One, blessed be he, says, as it were, I will regard it for him as though he brought his very soul as an offering (Menachot 104b).
His offering shall be from fine flour—i. e. if one says, “I take upon myself the obligation to bring a grain-offering,” without further defining it, he must bring that which is termed “the grain-offering of fine sifted flour” (מִנְחַת סֹלֶת) which is that mentioned first among the different grain-offerings since the קֹמֶץ is taken from it whilst it is yet flour (whilst in the case of other grain-offerings this is done after they have been baked), as is explained further on in this section (cf. Menachot 104b). Because there are five different grain-offerings enumerated here all of which had to be brought ready baked beforẹ the קְמִיצָה scooping took place, with the exception of this, therefore this alone is technically termed “a grain-offering of flour” (though the others too had to be made of sifted fine flour).
Sotah 14b:21
The baraita continues: And he gathers its incense and puts it on top of the fistful. The Gemara cites the source: As it is written: “Then one of them shall take from it a fistful of the fine flour of the grain offering and its oil, and all the incense which is on the grain offering” (Lev 6:8).
Num 7:14, 86
14 one gold dish [weighing] ten [shekels], filled with incense [this is the only instance of incense offered by an individual, and on the outer altar—a “one-time ruling”];
Rashi’s Commentary
Ten gold shekels—Understand this as the Targum does: there was in it (it contained) the weight of ten shekels of the sanctuary.
Filled with incense—We do not find incense prescribed as an offering for an individual, nor to have been offered on the outer altar except this one alone; this offering of incense by the leaders was therefore a temporary measure (Menachot 50b).
86 the twelve gold dishes, filled with incense, weighing ten [gold shekels] apiece, according to the sanctuary shekel. All the gold dishes weighed one hundred and twenty [shekels].
Rashi’s Commentary
Twelve gold dishes—Why is this stated at all, since we have been told that twelve leaders brought each one dish? But because it is stated in each instance: “one dish weighing ten gold shekels,” I might explain it either as meaning: it was of gold but its weight was ten shekels of silver, or, perhaps, not so, but it means: one dish of silver and the weight thereof ten gold-shekels—and the gold-shekels have not their weight equal to those of silver-shekels—Scripture therefore states
here, “gold dishes”—the dishes themselves were of gold (Sifrei Bamidbar 55).
12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another route.
This work is a derivative of "The Rashi Chumash" and "The Rashi Ketuvim" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein used under CC BY 3.0