חכמות בנתה ביתה חצבה עמודיה שבעה. טבחה טבחה מסכה יינה אף ערכה שלחנה. שלחה נערותיה תקרא, על גפי מרמי קרת., “Wisdom has built her house, when she has hewn seven pillars. She has slaughtered the meat, mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her maids, she cries out from the highest places in the town.” (Proverbs 9,1-3).

In these verses Solomon draws a comparison between our faith and that of the idolaters. He compares our faith to a wise woman, whereas he compares the idolaters to a foolish woman (verse 4 and onward). The words חכמות בנתה ביתה, are a reference to the wisdom contained in the Torah. The reason that the word appears in the plural is to remind us that all manner of wisdom extant are contained in the Torah. This is why he describes the house built by such a woman (faith) as based on seven different pillars. The number seven is a simile for "many pillars.” Any structure built on numerous pillars, foundations, is bound to endure. The number “seven” is not to be considered as literally seven, just as in Proverbs 24,16 the word “seven” in the line: “for the righteous will rise even if he falls seven times,” is not to be taken literally. The wise woman endeavours to prepare the food herself, mix the wine herself, and set the table herself instead of relying on others to do all this for her. This is implied in the words אף ערכה, i.e. she also does this herself. The wise woman, i.e. the Torah, also calls out to the women of her age, the foolish ones, trying to convince them that our faith is the only one which has substance. [This is the meaning of “she sends out her maids” Ed.] The paragraph is a parable describing the perfection of Torah in all its aspects, the Torah of which it is written לא תחסר כל בו, “it does not lack anything at all” (Deut. 8,9).Torah is a guide for the individual leading him to His Creator. Anyone who immerses himself in Torah thoroughly will find answers to all its detractors, i.e. to people who believe in the Trinity (the Catholics) or those who believe in other power-sharing by G’d and other deities. When he has studied Torah thoroughly he will feel that the table is set for him and all the food and drink has been served ready to eat. Torah can fill the needs of the mind of the foolish just as food and drink can serve the needs of our stomachs. This is what David had in mind when he wrote in Psalms 19,8 “The teaching of the Lord is perfect, renewing life; the decrees of the Lord are enduring, making the simple wise.” Solomon warns all people to preoccupy themselves with Torah and to abandon their previous foolish pursuits. This is the meaning of Proverbs 9,4: ”Who is a fool let him enter here; to the person who is devoid of sense she says.” What does Torah (the wise woman) have to say to such people devoid of sense? “Come and eat my bread, drink the wine which I have mixed, Forsake foolishness and live!, Walk in the way of understanding.” As a result (verse 11) “your days will be multiplied; you will experience added years of life.” Solomon compares the belief in idolatry to a foolish woman who offers the kind of advice which makes the multitude stumble and fall; she strengthens those who indulge in a sinful life style; she praises the foolish practices perpetrated by the sinners, the wicked deeds performed by them. This is the meaning of Proverbs 9,13-14: “a foolish woman makes a lot of noise, she is full of foolishness, knows nothing. For she sits at the entrance of her house or on a chair in the highest place in town.” The meaning of this verse is that the woman described here is the reverse of the one described in verses 3-4 of the same chapter. The meaning of the verse is that the woman mentioned made herself the foremost, the highest in rank. Normally, the highest ranking position is accorded to wisdom; in this instance the woman occupying pride of place is a foolish woman. The truly foremost woman, the one mentioned in verses 3-4 built her house with wisdom, while preparing everything in her household she kept silent. The foolish woman, who is unable to do what the wise woman has done, substitutes for her failure with noise. This is the meaning of the words: “she does not know anything.” To the degree that the woman in verses 3-4 is accomplished with all degrees of perfections, the one mentioned in verses 13-14 is without any of these accomplishments. All she knows how to do is “sit in the entrance of her house.” This expression is a simile for the way such a woman, i.e. philosophy, is unproductive and a waste of time. The “woman” sitting perennially at the entrance to her house indicates by her conduct that there is nothing worthwhile inside her house. The idolaters are in a similar position. Although totally devoid of accomplishments they can point to, they are unwilling to enter the shadow of G’d’s House, or the protection of his wings, preferring to remain on the “outside.” Rabbi Joshua ben Chananyah answered the Roman Emperor in a similar vein when he said to him that whereas he and his colleagues were at liberty to worship any philosophy they desired, they would forever remain outside the fold, (Judaism) even if they wanted to. Our verse points out the audacity of idolaters who, though not able to boast of any true accomplishments, boast of the efficacy of their faith, extolling their evil deeds. This is what Solomon meant here with the words על כסא מרומי קרת, as opposed to על גפי מרומי קרת in verse 3. The difference is that the maids of the wise woman call to people warning them not to enter the house of the foolish woman, the foolish woman by way of contrast praises “the sweetness of stolen waters, and the tastiness of bread eaten in secret” (verse 17 there). This is an example of how the foolish woman (philosophy) entices her followers to become enmeshed in further sin. The former woman gives advice which results in added years of life, whereas the foolish woman’s advice hastens the onset of decay and death. (compare verse 18 at the end of that chapter).

A Midrashic approach to the verses in question: The words “she built her house with multiple wisdom” refer to the Torah which was the blueprint with which all the various worlds were built. The words חצבה עמודיה שבעה, mean that the world is hewn out of seven heavens, רקיעים. If man accumulates merits by busying himself with Torah he will inherit seven different “earths.” If not, he will be expelled from seven earths, i.e. worlds. The expression שבעה ארצות, “seven earths,” refers to our terrestrial world which consists of seven regions each with a different climate. Promising us “seven earths” is equivalent to promising us that we will inherit this earth, whereas the people ignoring Torah are told that they will lose their life in the hereafter, the region of seven heavens.

This Midrash (Midrash Mishley chapter 9) interpreted the word שבעה, “seven,” which Solomon mentioned in verse one literally. The reason is that the number seven has equal significance in the celestial regions and the terrestrial regions. There are many commandments in the Torah where the number “seven” plays a significant role. The Sabbath is the seventh day; the Jubilee year is the conclusion of seven cycles of seven years, שמטה. Both the festival of Passover and Tabernacles consist of seven days. The components of the four species of plants used on the festival of Sukkot total seven, (1 lulav, 1 etrog, 2 willow-branches, and 3 branches of the myrtle). We observe a period of seven days of mourning for close relatives who have died; we observe seven days of celebration when a couple get married. The common denominator of all these commandments or practices involving the number seven is that they somehow symbolise the seven days in which G’d created and completed the universe. Even a Gentile prophet such as Bileam built seven altars for G’d before embarking on his nefarious scheme of cursing the Jewish people (which was thwarted by G’d). He told G’d specifically that he had erected seven altars (Numbers 23,4). It is not surprising therefore that there were seven days of inauguration for the Tabernacle. G’d Himself referred to them as such (Leviticus 8,33). The spiritual origin of these rites involving the number seven is one and the same. If Aaron did not get consecrated on the seventh day itself but only on the morrow, the eighth day, this was because of the special nature of performing service in the Sanctuary of the Lord. Seeing G’d is essentially “One,” this is symbolized by the fact that Aaron did not commence his duties until the “first” day after the seven days of his consecration, i.e. the day of the “One.”

ויהי ביום השמיני קרא משה לאהרן ולבניו ולזקני ישראל , “It was on the eighth day; Moses called upon Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel.” The reason that the office of the High Priest began functioning on the eighth day was due to yet another cause in addition to what we have mentioned. We observe that in connection with the Tabernacle and the Temple the number eight plays a very significant role. The High Priest wore eight garments. The number of fragrances consisting of anointing oil, and incense was eight. The anointing oil contained four such fragrances, i.e. מר, קנמון, קנה, קדה, (Exodus 30,23-24) whereas there were four additional fragrances which made up the incense. They were נטף, שחלת, חלבנה, לבונה (30,34). The number of staves used to carry the furnishings of the Tabernacle also amounted to eight; 2 each for the Holy Ark, 2 for the golden Altar, 2 for the table, and two for transporting the copper Altar. Animals which were basically fit as sacrifices on the Altar had to be at least eight days old (Leviticus 22,27). The musical instruments used when the Levites sang the daily hymn during the service numbered eight as we know from Psalms 4,1 and others. In this instance the eighth day was the first day of Nissan, a day when the Tabernacle was not only erected but remained standing. The day was distinguished with “ten crowns” in the language of our sages (Rashi). In other words, it was distinguished, honored in ten different ways. 1) It was the beginning of the second year since the Exodus. 2) It was the first day on which Aaron functioned as High Priest. 3) It was the first day on which sacrifices were offered in the Tabernacle. 4) It was the first time the people of Israel received the priestly blessings. 5) It was the first day on which heavenly fire descended onto the copper altar. 6) It was the first time the male goat of the New Moon offering was ever offered. 7) It was the first time that animals which had been slaughtered without previously having been designated as a sacrifice were no longer permitted to be eaten. 8) It was the first day when the Shechinah took up residence on earth. 9) It was the first of the twelve days on which the princes offered their respective offerings. Nachshon ben Aminadav, prince of the tribe of Yehudah, was the first to offer same. 10) It was the first day on which people who had contracted certain types of ritual impurity had to leave the camp, i.e. a testimony to the sanctity of the encampment of the whole people. We find a similar description in Torat Kohanim describing the day as “taking” ten crowns, i.e. it was first in order of the creation. [There are two views as to whether the world was created (completed) on the first of Tishrey or the first of Nissan; this is the latter view. Ed.]. It was the first day of the offerings by the princes; the first day when the institution of the Priesthood began to function; the first day that service on the Altar in the Tabernacle was performed; the first day on which heavenly fire descended; the first day when sacrificial meat could be eaten; [incompatible with the view that Yitro arrived before then. Ed.] the first of the first of the months. It was the first day on which the Shechinah rested over the Jewish people on a permanent basis. It was the first day on which the Israelites received the priestly blessings.

A Midrashic approach to the words: “it was on the eighth day” (based on Tanchuma Shemini 2) David says in Psalms 75,5: אמרתי להוללים אל תהולו, “I said to the frivolous men: ‘do not be frivolous!’” Instead of reading אל תהולו, read אל תחולו, “do not break out in dance.” The reason is that true joy does not linger with man in this world but only in the world to come. Many people who rejoice and are happy today may find that on the morrow they have no such cause for happiness and exuberance. This is why Solomon, [using the same expression as David, מהולל, Ed.] said: (Kohelet 2,2) לשחוק אמרתי מהולל, “of revelry I said: ‘it is mad!’” If you require proof of the truth of both statements take a look at what happened at the creation. When G’d completed His handiwork at the end of 6 days and He reviewed it (Genesis 1,31) He was very pleased as we know from Psalms 104,31: “may the glory of the Lord endure forever, may the Lord rejoice in His works!” In the verse from Genesis we are told that “G’d looked at His entire handiwork and behold, it was very good!” Only a few chapters later (Genesis 6,6) the Torah reports וינחם ה' כי עשה את האדם בארץ ויתעצב אל לבו, “Hashem had to comfort Himself that He had made man on earth, and it caused Him sadness in His heart.” Keeping this verse in mind, Assaph said in Psalms 75,5 not to indulge in frivolous merriment. If even G’d’s joy did not endure, how much less is the chance that man’s joy on earth will endure! Avraham progressed in his life and became exceedingly great and wealthy killing the most powerful kings on earth in the process. In his old age G’d gave him a son from Sarah. His joy was unbounded. A few years later G’d commanded him to take his son and to offer him up as a sacrifice. Even after having mastered that trial and being commended by G’d (Genesis 22,16-17), he went back from Moriah and had to bury his beloved wife Sarah. His joy had been short-lived. He even had trouble being given a suitable plot where to bury Sarah. In the end, he was literally fleeced, having to pay an astronomical sum of 400 shekel for a hole in the ground. Yitzchak who enjoyed phenomenal success in Gerar, seeing his investment returned one hundred-fold, (Genesis 26,12) faced expulsion shortly thereafter as the Philistines became jealous of his wealth. His joy had been very short-lived. After Avimelech realized that he had wronged him and apologized and made a treaty with him (Genesis 26,28) and he surely thought that “he had it made,” we read that his eyesight failed him and that he almost made a fatal error bestowing the blessing on a son whom he had considered worthy but who in the event had been unworthy all along. His joy had proven to be short-lived. If a Yitzchak who had been a living example of what it means to be a “total-offering, i.e. burnt-offering,” was not allowed permanent joy on earth, i.e. the fruits of his total dedication to G’d’s command, how much less may we ordinary mortals expect joy on earth to be enduring. Yaakov experienced great joy when he had the dream with the ladder, seeing angels ascending and descending, a promise from G’d that He would be with him, etc. (Genesis 28, 12-13). Not long afterwards he experienced a whole string of misfortunes, beginning with being tricked out of his chosen wife Rachel, the rape of Dinah, and concluding with the disappearance of Joseph. If Yaakov the righteous, of whom G’d had said that He would boast of such a man (Isaiah 49,3), could not hold on to his joy in this life, what can we lesser individuals expect in the way of enduring joy on earth? Joshua experienced great joy in his time, he settled the Jewish people on their land, killed 31 Kings, was promised by G’d that no one would rise against him successfully, and enjoyed unchallenged authority by his people (compare Joshua 1,18) but died without leaving behind any children. Surely, this must have dimmed his joy on earth. If this was his lot, how much less joy can the righteous in our time expect to enjoy while on earth! The High Priest Eli who did have sons had to experience the loss of the Holy Ark, the curse on his children who had disgraced him. When he died at a ripe old age the immediate cause of his death was the news that both his sons had been killed in battle (compare Samuel I 1,9; 1,10). If this happened to a righteous person such as the High Priest Eli, what sort of joy can there be in store in this world for the wicked? Consider the fact that on this day, Elisheva, daughter of Aminadav experienced greater joy than any man or woman before her. She saw her husband begin his career as High Priest; Her brother-in-law, Moses, became king of Israel. Two of her sons became deputy High Priests. Her brother Nachshon became the first of the princes to be honoured with bringing the sacrifices by laymen. Even she did not long remain in such a blissful state of joy seeing that two of her sons, Nadav and Avihu, died on the very same day at the hands of G’d. Considering all these examples we need not be surprised at Solomon’s warning not to be frivolous, not to dance with joy, as such joy is apt to be all too brief.

קרא משה לאהרן ולבניו, “Moses called out to Aaron and his sons.” Our sages (Tanchuma Shemini 3) comment that the word קרא ל.. means that Moses called upon Aaron to wear the mantle of the position of High Priest. When told that he was to be the High Priest, Aaron said to his brother: “seeing you have worked tirelessly to make the Tabernacle a reality, it does not seem fair that I should be the High Priest.” Moses answered him that although Aaron had been appointed to this position by G’d, He, Moses, was as happy for him as if he himself had been appointed to that position. He added that just as Aaron had rejoiced at the time when Moses was appointed the leader of the people, although he was the older of the two, now it was his turn to rejoice in Aaron’s promotion. The occasion when Aaron had rejoiced at Moses’ appointment is recorded in Exodus 4,14 where G’d told Moses that his brother Aaron would rejoice in his appointment. One of the reasons Moses had not wanted to accept the position was that he was afraid that Aaron who had been the people’s spokesman up until then would be offended. This is what Moses had meant when he said to G’d: “appoint (send) the one whom You are in the habit of sending on such missions” (Exodus 4,13). Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said that the heart which had been able to sincerely rejoice at the promotion of his younger brother was the most suitable one to wear the urim vetumim, as is written “he shall carry the judgment of the Children of Israel on his heart” (Exodus 25,30). This is why during the seven days that Moses performed the sprinkling of the blood on the Altar, offering incense, etc., G’d said to him: “Moses in case you think that you are going to be the High Priest, call in Aaron and appoint him to the position.” Why did Moses also have to call in the elders of the people? G’d told him to appoint Aaron in their presence in order that later on no one could claim that Aaron had appointed himself to this position.

ויאמר אל אהרן: קח לך עגל בן בקר לחטאת, “He said to Aaron: “take yourself a young bull for a sin-offering, etc.” This was intended to atone for the affair of the golden calf, of which the Torah had written that Aaron had made it (Exodus 32,35).

A Midrashic approach to these words (Tanchuma Shemini 4): “the reason Moses diod not simply say: “take a bull,” but “take yourself a calf, etc,.” is to remind him that whereas on account of the golden calf he had almost lost his claim to the position of the High Priesthood, he now would re-establish his claim to it by offering a calf as sin-offering.

קחו שעיר עזים לחטאת ועגל וכבש בני שנה תמימה לעולה, “take a he-goat for a sin-offering and a calf as well as an unblemished sheep in its first year for a burnt-offering.” In Sifra Shemini 3 the question is posed why the Israelites had to offer more sacrifices than Aaron, i.e. both a he-goat, a calf and a sheep. The answer given is that the Israelites had sinned with a he-goat when they had drenched Joseph’s coat in its blood at the time; now they had been guilty of committing a sin using a calf. It was appropriate therefore that they receive expiation for both of these sins. Each of these two sin-offerings was to atone for the sin committed with its counterpart.

I believe that the fact that the calf offered by the people was a burnt-offering whereas Aaron’s calf was a sin-offering was to demonstrate that although Aaron had committed the sin of the golden calf with his hands, his heart had not had any part in the sin at all. This is why the calf could be his sin-offering. [I believe the author tries to explain why the principle of אין קטגור נעשה סנגור, “that the prosecutor cannot change his garments and suddenly appear in the guise of the counsel for defense,” has not been violated here, as the sin-offering was of a technical nature only. Ed.] Furthermore, the author believes that the very words: “which Aaron had made,” referring to the golden calf Aaron had made, are superfluous, and are to be read as limiting Aaron’s guilt, i.e. though he had “made” it, he had had no emotional or intellectual part in that whole episode. The Torah had described how Aaron had made the calf in Exodus 32,4, so there was certainly no need to tell us in 32,35 that he had made it. Aaron had to bring the calf as a sin-offering precisely because the sin-offering atones for a deed not for a thought. The Israelites, on the other hand, whose sin had consisted of their sinful thoughts connected to the golden calf had to offer it as a burnt-offering, to atone for their thoughts. [The Israelites who had sinned in deed on that occasion had long since been executed or died at the hand of G’d. Ed.] Those who had been guilty of auxiliary deeds required the sin-offering to atone for that part of their sin.

ושור ואיל לשלמים, “and an ox and a ram as peace-offering.” Our sages in Torat Kohanim Sifra Shemini 4 comment on this: “why did the Israelites have to bring two animals, i.e. a calf as well as a fully grown bull?” The answer is that the Torah had described what came out of the crucible into which Aaron threw the gold both as “calf” and as “bull,” on separate occasions. In Exodus 32,8 it was described as a calf, whereas in Psalms 106,20 it was described as a bull when David said: “they exchanged their glory for the image of a bull that feeds on grass.” It was appropriate then that the bull would atone for a deed that was as animal-like as that of a bull, whereas the calf was to expiate for a deed comparable to that of a calf. The proof that G’d was willing to relate to the people again with His goodwill is found in the words לזבוח לפני ה' “to slaughter in the presence of the Lord,” meaning that the (symbol of) sin the people were afraid of had already been slaughtered in the presence of the Lord. We would have expected the Torah to write that these animals be slaughtered as “peace-offerings,” rather than as “in the presence of the Lord.” Moreover, atonement is accomplished through the sprinkling of blood not through slaughtering, a merely preparatory act. According to Torat Kohanim then these words indicated that the very act of slaughtering these animals already resulted in atonement for the people on that occasion.

כי היום ה' נראה אליכם, “for this day the Lord has appeared to you.” Actually Moses should have said “nireh” with the vowel segol under the letter aleph instead of the vowel kametz that we find here. [Seeing that the word refers to Hashem, who is certainly masculine]. The variation in the regular use of the vowel may be an allusion to the feminine attribute of Justice which would also manifest itself on that day killing Nadav and Avihu. We find something parallel to this in Psalms 130,3 אם עונות תשמר י-ה אדוני, מי יעמוד?, “if You G’d were to keep account of sins, O G’d, who will survive?” The name used for G’d is the attribute of Justice. In our chapter we encounter a verse (23) describing the manifestation of G’d which is described as כבוד ה', an attribute below that of the tetragram without moderating adjective.

קרב אל המזבח, “approach the Altar!” According to the plain meaning of the text these words mean that Aaron is to approach the northern side of the Altar, the area where the slaughtering of the animals took place.

According to a view in the Midrash Sifra Shemini Miluim 8, the Altar appeared to Aaron as looking similar to the shape of a bull and he was afraid of approaching it. Moses approached him saying to him that he should not be afraid but should approach it without worry. This is why we find these instructions here which we do not find anywhere else.

According to Nachmanides we must not misunderstand this Midrash as meaning that Aaron saw (a non-existent) figure of a bull on the Altar. The Midrash means that the only sin which Aaron had been guilty of was the making of the golden calf (bull). This is why the sin was constantly in his thoughts. It was just like when David said in Psalms 51,5 concerning his own sin: “my sin is constantly present in my mind.” Aaron looked at the Altar as if it were the personification of his sin, reminding him of it even more visibly. He was afraid that such thoughts would interfere with his ability to offer sacrifices from here on in. This is why Moses had to put his mind at rest telling him that he did not have anything to worry about as his part in that sin had already been forgiven.

וכפר בעדך ובעד העם, ועשה את קרבנך ואת קרבן העם, “and make atonement for yourself and for the people, and prepare your offering and that on behalf of the people.” The sequence of the words may mean that Aaron was first to initiate atonement for his own sin before bringing about atonement for the people, or it might mean that the words “and for the people,” are a reference to his immediate family, i.e. the members of the house of Levi. In that event the words קרבן העם, “the offering for the people,” would refer to the people at large.

ואת הדם יצק אל יסוד המזבח, “and he poured the blood upon the foundation of the Altar.” He did this in order to achieve atonement for man whose existence is dependent on blood. This is the meaning of Leviticus 17,14: “for the life-force of all flesh resides within its blood.” It is also written (Leviticus 17,11) “for he atones for the blood which resides in the נפש, ‘life-force.’” This then was the reason that the High Priest was burning up the following three items, “the fat parts, the kidneys, and the tissue attached to the liver.” All of these parts of man had to partake in order for the sin to be carried out (golden calf) and they were instrumental in turning the people away from the path of goodness to the path of evil. This is the deeper meaning of “and the fat-parts, the kidneys and the tissue adjoining the liver of the animal which was the sin-offering he made go up in smoke on the Altar” (verse 10). The part called חלב is the fat which causes man to become gross, arrogant; it is responsible for man’s inherent pride and arrogance. Moses alluded to this when he said (Deuteronomy 32,15) “Yeshurun grew fat and kicked, you became fat and gross and coarse;” we also have a verse in Job 15,27 depicting something similar: ”his face is covered with fat and his loins with blubber.” [The speaker refers to a king rebelling against the Lord. Ed.] The kidneys are the source of what is called עצה, “counsel,” in the language of our sages (Berachot 61); they base this on Psalms 26,2 “ונסני צרופה כליותי ולבי, “and try me, test my heart and kidneys (mind).” Another verse (Psalms 16,7) carries a similar message, i.e. אף לילות יסרוני כליותי, “my kidneys (conscience) admonish me at night.” The reason the tissue adjoining the liver had to be burned up is that desire, carnal and other kinds of greed which permeate man, have their origin in that region of the body. It is also the region which is the (physical) cause of anger and rage. All the negative virtues in man are connected to the liver. All of these parts the Priest burned up in the northern part of the Altar as the north is the region from where all evil originates, (compare Jeremiah 1,14). In other words, evil is consigned back to where it originated (symbolically speaking). All these procedures have one purpose, to achieve atonement for man’s sins which originate in the fatness of his heart and the planning of his ego which originates in the liver.

וישא אהרן את ידיו אל העם ויברכם, “Aaron raised his hands in the direction of the people and he blessed them.” The meaning of the words אל העם, normally translated as “in the direction of the people,” should here be translated as: “for the sake of the people, i.e. to meet their needs.” The commentators who disagree with us and dress themselves up in fancy garments to lend weight to their words, are wrong when they said that the meaning of these words is that Aaron lifted his hand in order to indicate to the people that they should raise their right hand as affirmation. These commentators [Christian theologians, compare St. James version of the Bible, Ed.] quote a Midrash (see gloss of Maimoniot on Maimonides Hilchot Tefillah 14,3) that the word ידו with the vowels of the plural, is spelled without the letter י indicating that it is really a singular, i.e. “his hand.” Our answer to them is simply that traditionally we read the word as if it had been spelled with the letter י, i.e. that Aaron raised both his hands. Their argument that Aaron only raised his right hand is null and void. The reason that we encounter this unusual spelling is to indicate that the right hand is more important than the left hand concerning mystical matters which are revealed only to select individuals. This is why the Kabbalists have said that the word is spelled ידו in the singular to allude to the select individuals who are recipients of deeper insights from the “right” side of G’d. In this way justice is done both to the spelling and the traditional reading. When you compare the prayer Moses uttered when he prayed for the victory of the Israelites against the attack by Amalek in Exodus 17,11 you will also find this dual spelling of the word ידו, i.e. והיה כאשר ירים משה ידו וגבר ישראל. “Whenever Moses raised his hand (s) Israel would prevail.” In the following two verses the word is spelled as ידיו in the normal way. Had Moses used only one hand at a time, it is hard to understand why he needed two men to support his hands as is evident from verses 12 and 13 in that chapter. If the people who understood our verse as Aaron raising his hands towards the people (instead of towards G’d) would be correct, the Torah should have written instead of וישא אהרן את ידיו אל העם, the formula וישלח אהרן את ידיו אל העם. It is the custom for a father who prepares to bless his son to put his hand on his head, just as Yaakov did when he prepared to bless the two sons of Joseph. In that instance the Torah wrote וישלח ישראל את ימינו, “Israel extended his right hand.” In our verse the Torah employs the verb וישא to show that Aaron’s hands were stretched upwards (towards heaven). We have a parallel example in Kings I 8, 54-55 ויהי ככלות שלמה להתפלל אל ה' את כל התפלה והתחנה הזאת וכפיו פרושות השמים ויעמוד ויברך את כל קהל ישראל, “it was when Solomon had completed this entire prayer and entreaty with his palms outstretched heavenwards, he stood and blessed the entire congregation of Israel.” It is clear that the meaning of the verse is that Solomon’s hands were in an upright position aimed towards heaven.

ויבא משה ואהרן אל אהל מועד ויצאו ויברכו את העם, “Moses and Aaron entered the Tent of Meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people.” They both had to enter to enable Moses to teach Aaron the details of the incense offering. Aaron had not been allowed to enter beyond the entrance of the Tabernacle during the seven days of inauguration as we have read in 8,38 that Aaron and his sons were to remain at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting during this entire period. Now, on the eighth day, permission had been given for him to enter. Moses accompanied him in order to teach him the procedure. Moses had already acquired expertise in this procedure having performed it for the last seven days. You know that Moses had performed all the various procedures connected with the service in the Tabernacle from 8,19-21 “Moses sprinkled the blood, Moses slaughtered. Moses cut up the animal into pieces, he burned up the ram, etc. etc.” Up until the eighth day Moses had performed all these procedures. This is why Psalms 99,6 describes both Moses and Aaron as “His Priests.” When the Torah describes both Moses and Aaron as emerging from the Tabernacle and blessing the people, this means that they did so immediately after having offered up the incense. The reason is that at that moment prayer is accepted by G’d with a minimum of delay. It became the custom for the High Priest on the Day of Atonement to offer the incense and even to leave his pan inside the Temple in order to immediately leave the Sanctuary and offer his (famous) prayer for the economic welfare of the Jewish people in the coming year; at the same time he requested from G’d that all the various needs of the Jewish people be met (Yuma 53). This is also what prompted David to say in Psalms 141,2: ”Take my prayer as an offering of incense, my upraised hands as an evening sacrifice.” David singled out the incense offering by name from amongst all the others, because it is the most beloved. Hence prayer offered at the time of day when the incense would be offered is most effective.

ותצא אש מלפני ה' ותאכל על המזבח את העולה, “Fire emanated from heaven and consumed the burnt-offering on the Altar, etc.” Now, on the eighth day of the Tabernacle being inaugurated with various animal sacrifices all of which had been offered in order to atone for the sin of the golden calf, heavenly fire descended to accept these offerings. This fire remained a constant phenomenon until the generation of Solomon when he built the Holy Temple. (Zevachim 61). In fact it did not cease until that Temple was destroyed. According to our tradition King Menashe had extinguished it personally (about 100 years prior to the destruction of the Temple). We find an allusion to this in Leviticus 6,6: “the fire on the Altar will remain constant, it shall not be extinguished.” We find that during various times in our history there have been twelve recorded occasions when fire descended from heaven (to accomplish a specific task). Six of these occasions were for the sake of accepting sacrificial offerings; the other six occasions were demonstrations of Divine displeasure and anger. The first of these twelve occasions was the instance recorded here, where the fire which descended indicated G’d’s pleasure and acceptance of the sacrifices offered. The second such occasion occurred in the days of Gideon who had asked for a sign from the angel that he had not fantasized but that G’d really wanted him to become the leader of the nation in order deliver the people from the yoke of Midian. The wording there (Judges 6,17-18) is: ”If I have gained your favour, give me a sign that it is You who are speaking to me; do not leave this place until I come back to You and bring out my offering and place it before You.” He answered: “I will stay until you return.” In verse 21 of that chapter we read that Gideon’s offering was consumed by supernatural fire. Seeing that the angel had requested that Gideon perform five tasks, Gideon in turn requested a sign to be certain in his heart that the matter would come true. The angel had requested (Judges 6,25) that Gideon take the ox belonging to his father (and destroy it) as well as “a second” seven-year old bull and offer it as a sacrifice to G’d after he had first torn down the altar of the Baal which belonged to Gideon’s father. He asked him to cut down a sacred post, to build an altar for the Lord, on level ground on top of this stronghold. He was to take the other bull and offer it as a burnt-offering on that newly erected altar. The meaning of the word “second” when the prophet spoke about a second seven year old bull was the “second of the womb of its mother.” The angel went on to say to Gideon: “destroy the altar of the Baal belonging to your father as well as the sacred post which is upon it you shall cut down.” He then instructed him to build an altar for the Lord on a fortified place on a specified site on that fortress and to offer a burnt-offering consisting of this second bull, using the wood from the sacred post as firewood. The expression מעוז which we translated as “a fortified place,” refers to a protruding rock and was supposed to symbolise the Azzazel. Seeing that these instructions sounded very strange, Gideon requested a sign from G’d that this was indeed what G’d wanted. The fire which consumed his offering on that altar was that sign. The third time we find heavenly fire as demonstrating G’d’s approval, was when Manoach had offered a thanksgiving offering after his wife and he had been told that they would have a son who was to be raised as a Nazir and who would begin to redeem the Israelites fom the stranglehold exerted on them by the Philistines. [Israel only defeated the Philistines finally in the days of Chizkiyahu, Kings II 18,8, some 400 years after Shimshon. Ed.] We are told in Judges 13,16 that the angel told Manoach that there was no point in delaying him as he would not eat from the gift Manoach had in mind to prepare. He told him to prepare an offering to the Lord instead. When Manoach did so and the smoke from the flame and fat rose heavenward, the angel rose to heaven within that flame. According to Rabbeinu Saadyah gaon, Manoach had first (verse 19) referred to the slab of stone where he prepared the offering as צור, “a rock.” When he observed what happened he suddenly called this rock “altar,” (verse 20). Once there was evidence that their offering had been accepted by G’d, Manoach knew that the prophecy would be fulfilled. The fourth time heavenly fire represented G’d’s pleasure occurred in the time of David after pestilence had struck the people (as a punishment for the head count) and David purchased the threshing-ground of Arona the Jebusite as the site for the Temple to be. We are told in Chronicles I 21,26 that “David built there an altar to the Lord and he sacrificed burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. He invoked the Lord who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offerings. Thereupon the Lord ordered the angel to “return his sword to his sheath” (the pestilence would cease). The fifth occurrence of heavenly fire signaling G’d’s approval occurred in the days of King Solomon when the Temple had been completed. When Solomon had completed the inaugural prayer and had blessed the people, heavenly fire descended on the altar and consumed the offering, and the attribute of כבוד filled the Sanctuary (Chronicles II 7,1). If you were to ask why there was a need for this demonstration and renewal of heavenly fire seeing that we said previously that it continued unceasingly ever since the inauguration of the Tabernacle in our chapter, the answer is simply that Moses’ copper altar was far too small to accommodate all the offerings presented by Solomon on that occasion (compare Zevachim 59). As a result, the Priests were forced to utilize the entire courtyard and convert it into a temporary altar (compare Kings I 8,64). It was forbidden to introduce alien fire into the courtyard as it would be classified as “alien fire.” It was also forbidden to take from the fire on the altar and use it to burn the meat and fat of the offerings in the courtyard. Transferring such fire from a site of intense sanctity to one of lesser sanctity runs counter to the general principle מעלין בקודש ואין מורידין, “one may add to levels of sanctity but not diminish it.” As a result of these problems there was a need for heavenly fire to become manifest in that courtyard for Solomon and the people to know that what they had done had met with G’d’s approval. The sixth time heavenly fire descended to demonstrate G’d’s approval was on Mount Carmel when Elijah had his famous confrontation with the prophets and priests of the Baal (Kings I 18,38) Elijah pleaded with G’d to respond to what he had undertaken without consulting G’d. This is why he had to plead twice, saying ענני ה' ענני, “answer me O Lord, answer me!” G’d responded positively in stages. The first response was when heavenly fire consumed Elijah’s offerings as well as the moat of water surrounding it. The second response by G’d was the rain which materialized seemingly out of nowhere, just as Elijah had predicted (verse 44-46).

Rabbi Ami (Berachot 9), commenting on the repeated words ענני, claims that Elijah asked for two responses. He wanted a demonstration of heavenly fire which should consume the prophets of the Baal together with the offerings. His second request was that the people watching should not consider what was going to happen as a form of witchcraft. Now to the six occasions when heavenly fire represented signs of G’d’s anger or displeasure: The first such instance occurred here when Nadav and Avihu were killed by heavenly fire as we read in 10,2. The second incident occurred in Numbers 11,1 when the Israelites complained for no apparent reason. The destructive fire on that occasion stopped only in response to Moses’ prayer. The third instance occurred during the uprising of Korach and Datan and Aviram. We are told in Numbers 16,35 that “fire came forth from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who had offered incense” which had been rejected. The fourth such incident is reported in Job 1,16 where heavenly fire falling down and killing boys and sheep is mentioned. Both the fifth and sixth incidents occurred in connection with Elijah who called down such fire to burn the detachment of a captain and 50 soldiers whose task it was to capture him (Kings II 1,10 and 10,12). The reason that these people were punished was the arrogance they displayed vis-a-vis the accredited prophet of G’d. [The third detachment was spared as the captain related to Elijah with deference. Ed.]