Woodcut of Rashi WikipediaMESSIAH AT OUR WINDOW SERIESby Max Carl Kirk
Two Witnesses Study No. 2
Also view this posting in notebook form at http://bit.ly/rlTQyL. You can find the first study in this series there as well. Footnotes to the Rashi text have been removed here. You can find them in the notebook where they are linked to source pages.
In John 17:26, and in the complete prayer, Yehoshua is understood in this study as making reference to God's statement to Moshe in Exodus (Shemos) 6: verses 2 and 3.
Yehoshua's Prayer
John 17: 25-26 KJV
O righteous Father, the world has not known you: but I have known you, and these have known that you have sent me. And I have declared unto them your name, and will declare it: that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.
We will begin with Rashi's commentary to this section of Torah > Shemos / Exodus 6: verses 2 and 3.
Note: In the commentary by Rashi that follows to represent the name of God, Yod-He-Vav-He, from the Hebrew, the name, Ad-noy, is used.
Resource - Rashi on Exodus 6:2-3 and following.
Shemos / Exodus
VA'EIRA - RASHI COMMENTARY
Exodus Chapter 6 - Rashi
Verse 2: Elokim spoke to Moshe.
He (G-d) spoke to him with severity for he (Moshe) had spoken harshly, saying, "Why have you brought harm to this nation?"
And said to him, "I am Ad-noy."
(I.e.) "[I] can be trusted to properly reward those who walk before Me. And it is not in vain that I sent you but to keep My promise which I had made to the early Fathers." And it is in this sense that we find in many places: {Hebrew Ref} [denoting] that He may be relied upon to exact retribution, when it appears in the context of punishment, as in: "You shall be profaning your G-d's Name I am G-d. And when it appears in the context of the fulfillment of mitzvos as in: "And you shall keep My mitzvos and do them, I am G-d," [it means, "I may be] trusted to give reward."
Verse 3: I revealed Myself---
to the fathers---
as Almighty Sh-ddai.
[Meaning:] "I made promises to them always saying to them, 'I am El Sh-ddai.' "
[But,] My Name Ad-noy I did not make known to them.
{Hebrew Ref} is not written here (I did not make known), but, rather {Hebrew Ref} (I did not become known) [meaning:] "I was not recognized by them by My attribute of keeping trust, the reason for which My Name is called {Hebrew Ref} , [which denotes that] I may be trusted to keep My promises. For I made promises but have not [as yet] fulfilled them."
Verse 4: I also established My covenant, etc.
[Meaning:] Also when I revealed Myself to them as Almighty Sh-ddai, I established and set up My covenant between Myself and them.
To give them the Land of Canaan.
To Avraham, in the chapter concerning circumcision, it is said: "I am Almighty Sh-ddai, etc., and I will give to you and to your descendants who will follow you the land of your temporary residence." To Yitzchok: "For to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, I will [thus] keep the oath that I swore to Avraham," and that oath that I swore to Avraham was with [My Name] Almighty Sh-ddai. To Yaakov: "I am Almighty Sh-ddai be fruitful and multiply, etc. and the land that, etc. [I gave to Avraham and to Yitzchok I will give to you]."17 Thus, [you see] that I have made vows to them but have not [as yet] fulfilled [them].
Verse 5: I have also.
"Just as I established and set up the covenant so, too, must I fulfill it. Therefore, I heard the groaning of the B'nei Yisrael who groan: that the Egyptians are enslaving them and I remember that covenant, for at the covenant of 'Between the Pieces' I said to him (Avraham):19 'And also the nation whom they will serve I will judge.' "
Verse 6: Therefore.
[Meaning:] in accordance with that oath--- say to the B'nai Yisrael---"I am Ad-noy--- Who can be trusted to fulfill My promise."
I will bring you out.
For I so promised: 'And afterwards they will leave with great wealth.'
The burdens of Egypt.
[Meaning:] the trouble of the burden of Egypt.
Verse 8: I raised My hand.
[Meaning:] "I lifted it to swear by My Throne."
Verse 9: But they would not listen to Moshe.
[Meaning:] they did not accept [his] words of comfort.
Because of [their] distress.
If someone is in a distressed state he is short of breath and he cannot draw long breaths. I heard [an explanation] similar to this one in this Parsha from Rabbi Baruch b. Rabbi Eliezer and he brought me proof from the following verse: "This time I will make known to them My hand and My might so that they will know that My Name is Ad-noy." We learn [from this] that when G-d fulfills His words even where punishment is involved, He lets it be known that His Name is Ad-noy. This is all the more so when it is a fulfillment of reward [promised]. The Sages, however, explained it as referring to what is discussed earlier--- when Moshe said, "Why have You brought harm?" G-d said to him, "Woe for those who are gone and cannot be replaced!" I have reason to mourn the deaths of the Fathers [for] many times I revealed Myself to them with [the Name] El Sh-ddai and they [never] said, "What is Your Name?" But, you said, "['Should they ask] what is His Name, what shall I tell them?' " . . .
. . . I also established, etc. (v. 4) . . .
And when Avraham sought to bury Sarah, he could not find land until he had to buy it at great expense. Similarly, concerning Yitzchok, there was opposition to him on account of the wells that he dug. Similarly, concerning Yaakov, [it is written:] "He bought the part of the field" in order to pitch his tent, yet they did not question My attributes, but, you said, "Why did You bring harm?" However, this Midrash does not flow with the text for many reasons. First, because it does not state: "And they did not ask about My Name, Ad-noy." Should you say [in answer to this question (G.A.)] [that the intent of the verse is] He did not make known that that is His name, [I would answer:] But in the beginning when He appeared to Avraham [at the Covenant] 'Between the Pieces' it is said: "I am Ad-noy Who brought you out of Ur Kasdim." And, furthermore, how is there continuity of context with the statements which [the Torah] places immediately afterwards, [viz.,] "I have also heard, etc." (v. 5) [and:] "Therefore say to the B'nei Yisrael" (v. 6). Therefore, I say, let the verse be explained simply, each statement fitting its context, and let the exposition [by the Sages] be expounded, as it is said: "Is not My Word as fire, says G-d, and like a hammer that shatters stone," [so, too, does G-d's word] divide into many sparks.
Verse 12: How then will Pharaoh listen to me.
This is one of the ten a fortiori inferences in the Torah.
[Whose] lips are covered.
[Literally,] obstructed regarding the lips. Similarly, wherever a term [derived from] {Hebrew Ref} [appears] I say that it means obstructed [as in:] "Their ear is {Hebrew Ref} ,"39 [meaning:] obstructed from hearing. [or:] " {Hebrew Ref} of heart"40 [meaning:] obstructed of understanding, [or:] "You drink and {Hebrew Ref} "41 [meaning:] and become obstructed [of understanding] from intoxication caused by the cup of curse. The foreskin of the flesh [is so called] because the member is obstructed and covered by it. {Hebrew Ref} 42 [means:] make for it (the fruit) an obstruction and cover--- a prohibition that will prevent its being eaten. "For three years they shall be {Hebrew Ref} to you"43 [ {Hebrew Ref} meaning:] obstructed and covered and barred from eating.
Verse 13: Ad-noy [then] spoke to Moshe and Aharon.
Since Moshe had said, "And I have a speech defect," (v. 12) G-d had Aharon join him so that he would be his spokesman and interpreter.
Commanding them regarding the B'nei Yisrael.
He commanded them regarding them (the B'nei Yisrael) to lead them with gentleness and to be patient with them.
And Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
He commanded them regarding him (Pharaoh) to treat him with respect when speaking [to him]. This is its midrashic meaning. But, its simple meaning (of {Hebrew Ref} ) He commanded them regarding the matter of Yisrael and regarding His mission to Pharaoh. And as far as what the substance of the command was, it is explained in the next chapter after the order of the genealogy, but, having mentioned Moshe and Aharon, it (the Torah) interrupts the narrative with, "These are the heads of their paternal households" to teach us how they were born and to whom they trace their lineage.
Verse 14: These are the heads of their paternal households.
Since it was necessary to state the genealogy of the tribe of Levi down to Moshe and Aharon because of Moshe and Aharon, it (the Torah) begins to give their genealogy in the order of their births, [beginning] from Reuvain. But, in Pesikta Rabbasi (7, 12) I saw: Because our Father Yaakov criticized these three tribes at the time of his death, Scripture, here again traces only their genealogy thereby indicating that they were [nevertheless] worthy.
Verse 16: The years of Leivi's life were, etc.
Why are the years of Leivi's life specified [here]? To tell the length of time that the enslavement lasted, for as long as one of the Tribes (Yaakov's sons) remained alive there was no enslavement, as it is said "Yoseif and his brothers died," and afterwards: "A new king arose," and Leivi outlived all of them.
<> } NOTE: The Chumash text here corresponds to Revelation chapter 7 and the time when all the tribes will be numbered together. As Rashi says, the Chumash text on the instruction to Moshe resumes in the next chapter. There will be found there a correspondence to Isaiah 52:7.
End of Rashi's Commentary on Shemos / Exodus 6...
Begin Study Here On Yehoshua's Prayer In John 17
Introductory Note
The background for understanding the text here according to Rashi's commentary begins with Abraham's question to God, (Genesis 15:8) "How shall I know that I will inherit it?" In response God commands Abraham in the covenant of the parts. Rebbe Nachman teaches that this question represented Abraham's one error. The covenant of the parts not only repreresented the Egyptian captivity but also that of the Four Empires spoken of in the Book of Daniel.
Rashi brings out that knowing God as Yod-He-Vav-He means knowing Him as the one who fulfills the promises He made to the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is to answer Abraham's question. It is as if God said to Abraham, 'You can only know intellectually that you will inherit the land when your intellect is fully transformed into an intellect of faith through the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2. This is a process which can only come about through the death and resurrection of Adam. That death and resurrection of Adam could only occur through that singular seed who was promised to Abraham and Sarah.
The Rectification of Abraham's Faith - Romans Chaprter 9
The rectification of Abraham's faith began immediately with his experiences involved with the birth of Issac and the offering up of Isaac. The rectification continued in Isaac's own life with the shifting of his hope in the promised seed away from his older son to his younger son. The rectification then continued in the life of Jacob, his exile in the house of Laban and his 'redemption' to the land of promise.
The apostle Paul teaches in Romans chapter 9 that Isaac represented to Abraham the lesson that God will be known as Yod-He-Vav-He, (the one who is faithful to His promise, as Rashi says), not through our own natural or fleshly understanding, (to which Abraham gave expression in Ishmael through Hagar), but through the precise word of promise itself. God's word of promise did not need Abraham and Sarah's help in order to be fulfilled. Once this lesson was learned and understood, it was possible for the natural mind to imagine that it now knew how the promise of the seed should be kept and could hold God to this expectation. This thought was demonstrated in Isaac himself, who was inclined to imagine that the promise should be kept through Esau, who was his firstborn son by Rivkah, the wife whom God had given him. Instead, the promise would be kept through Jacob. Here Paul says that the lesson was that even when we know that God's promise can be fulfilled through God's word alone, we should not think that this will be done out of necessity, as if we had a right to expect it based on human merit or Adam's relationship to God or God's desire toward the world. It comes only on the basis of mercy.
God's gift to the world had no cause. The only cause of the gift of God is the gift itself.
The True Meaning of John 3:16
The true translation and meaning of John 3:16 does not teach us that God desired to restore His lost world so much that He gave his only son. John 3:16 teaches that God's gift of His only son was, is and always will be His way, His only way, of loving the world. This is the lesson that Isaac learned. It is the second step in the rectification of Abraham's faith. {This does not mean that God does not love the sinner but that He loves the sinner through the gift of His son. He no longer has a basis for loving sinful Adam as first created.}
Jacob Is The Remnant - John 1:13
John 1:12-13 KJV
To as many as received him, to them he gave the power to become the children of God, to them who believe on his name: who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of any human, but of God.
These three categories represent the lessons of the three fathers of Israel in the rectification of Abraham's faith. It was not enough that Ishmael was Abraham's blood. He did not represent the promise of God to Abraham. Although Esau, according to the natural will of Isaac's flesh, would have been the one chosen by Isaac to father the line through which the Messiah would come, it would not be. All human hope then fell upon Jacob, that he would become the Israel of God, the vessel, the instrument, of God bringing blessing to the world condemned through Adam. However, although salvation comes through faith and hope, it is not faith and hope that themselves produce salvation. It is the grace of God alone. This is the lesson, the third and final lesson of the rectification of Abraham's faith, that Jacob learned when he wrestled with the angel and was able to win only by the grace of God. It was because of this that Jacob could finally be called, Israel. And it will be because of this that the nation of Jacob, All-Israel, not just a small part of it, shall ultimately be, with Messiah as its head, God's remnant nation out of corporate Adam, like an ark of salvation for all Creation.
The Secret of Romans 11:26
After explaining at some length that we are to learn the lesson of Isaac, that God can be known in truth only through His mercy, Paul goes on to wrestle with the mystery of the lesson of Jacob. As it is only through mercy that God can be known as the Faithful One, so it is only through grace. Jacob learned this through failure. It is the way that we must all learn it. Jacob failed through the strength of his own faith in the promise of God that he would return to the land to defeat the angel and complete his return. He only succeeded when he acknowledged his failure by asking for grace. Today also, Israel must ask for grace in order to complete its return to the land.
Paul assures us that this will occur, for Yehoshua, Israel's Redeemer, is in the midst of her, having already purchased her salvation with his blood. While this remains a mystery to sight, Paul's teaching is to say that it does not have to be a secret to those minds that are fully transformed in the complete rectification of Abraham's faith. Even though they do not now see by natural sight that All-Israel is saved in Messiah, they see this glorious truth by faith. "Since, then, you have been raised with Mashiach, set your hearts on things above, where Mashiach is seated at the right hand of God," Colossians 3:1. It is there, above, where the fully transformed mind is given sight to see Israel in her eternal embrace with Mashiach.
When Jacob saw all the history of redemption by faith, he did so through discovering that Joseph was alive, that he was to "take" his nation out of the Holy Land down into Egypt, in order to share his lesson of the grace of God with them. Jacob knew that the process of their redemption was already present and assured in the first steps of their captivity, for it would be done by the word of the promise of God to Abraham. The covenant promise which began to be fulfilled through Joseph in Egypt would be completed through Mashiach in the Holy Land that was both Above and Below. This Paul also knew when he saw his beloved Israel descend into captivity to Rome, the last of the four Empires. He could say that All-Israel would be saved - manifestly, because he knew that All-Israel already was saved in Messiah. Their unbelief and captivity was only the first stage of the unfolding of that salvation, the necessary prerequisite of the nation's final experience in learning the lessons of the rectification of Abraham's faith, especially the lesson of Jacob, that Israel is saved by the grace of God.
Romans 11:26-27 KJV
All-Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Hosea 2:18 -
To Be Continued
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