Pisqa’ 62³⁵

1. “Rather, seek out (tidrosh) the place which HASHEM your God will choose, from all your tribes, to make His Name dwell; there shall you come” (Dt. 12:5)— that is, seek it out (derosh) with the guidance (al pi*³⁶) of a prophet. Is it possible to say: delay seeking until a prophet tells you [where to seek]? The Teaching prescribes a sequence to the search: “*Seek out* . . . to *make* His Name dwell . . . *there shall you* come” (Dt. 12:5)— first, *seek it* out and *find it*; *afterward*, a prophet will confirm it for you. And so do you find with David, for it is stated: “I will give *neither sleep* to my eyes, *nor rest* to my eyelids, until I *find* a place for HASHEM, *a dwelling* for the Mighty One of Jacob” (Ps. 132:4-5). On what basis do I know that David acted solely under the guidance (*al pi) of a prophet? For it is said: “And Gad came to David on that day, and told him: Go up and erect for HASHEM an altar on the threshing floor of Aronah³⁷ Cf. 2Chron. 3:1 below. the Jebusite” (2Sam. 24:18). And He says: “Then Solomon began to build an abode for HASHEM in Jerusalem— on Mt. Moriah, which had appeared to David, his father— and which David had prepared on the threshing floor of Arnon the Jebusite” (2Chron. 3:1).

footnotes: ³⁵ H:117-118; JN1:191-193. ³⁶ Literally, “by the mouth/declaration.” ³⁷ The MT prefers the vocalization as “’arawnh.”

2. One verse states: “From one of your tribes” (Dt. 12:14),

“From all your tribes” (Dt. 12:5)— how can the two usages be reconciled? They all knew that the Chosen Abode would in the future be built in the tribal share of Judah and Benjamin. Therefore, they set aside the rich pasturage of Jericho. Now, who ate from it all those years? The descendants of [Jethro] the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, ate from it,

“And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up from the city of date-palms” (Jud. 1:16).

words of R. Shimon.

They traveled to Yavetz to study Torah,

the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Sucathites; these are the Kenites” ³⁸ 352.8. F:128, n.7 lists several other early and late parallels to 62.2 . (1Chron 2:55).

footnotes: ³⁸ //Sifre Nu.,78 and Pisqa’

Another word:

“From one of your tribes” (Dt. 12:14),

“From all your tribes” (Dt. 12:5)— the funding must come from all your tribes, but the land for the Chosen Abode will come from one³⁹ **tribe.**⁴⁰ 70.2. See the rendering of ARNA.35 in H:422, n.6 Another word: “From one of your tribes” (Dt. 12:14)— this refers to the Dwelling at Shiloh (e.g., 1Sam3:19-4:1); “From all your tribes” (Dt. 12:5)— this refers to the Chosen Abode in Jerusalem.3. Indeed, He says: “And David acquired the threshing floor and the cattle For fifty silver sheqels” (2Sam. 24:24).

“And, for the place, David gave to Arnon a six-hundred weight of gold sheqels” (1Chron. 21:25)— how can the two usages be reconciled? They were twelve tribes— so David took fifty sheqels from each and every tribe. This yields a total of six hundred sheqels from all the tribes! ⁴¹

footnotes: ³⁹ I.e,, Benjamin (Jer. 1:1-3; Jud. 21:15-25). ⁴⁰ //ARNA:35. Cf. Pisqa’ ⁴¹ //Sifre Nu., 42.

4. “To make His Name dwell” (Dt. 12:5). Here it is stated: His Name,

“They will link My Name to the children of Israel, and I will bless them” (Nu. 6:27)— just as His Name stated here (Dt. 12:5) is the Name uttered in the Chosen Abode, so, too, My Name stated elsewhere (Nu. 6:27) is the Name uttered in the Chosen Abode. Just as My Name stated elsewhere (Dt. 6:27) is the Name uttered in the Priestly Blessing, so, too, His Name stated here is the Name uttered in the Priestly Blessing. I might infer that utterance of the Name is appropriate only to the Holy Shrine [in Jerusalem]. On what basis do I know that it is appropriate in the outskirts [such as Shiloh] as well?

“In every place in which I cause My Name to be mentioned” (Ex. 20:24).

“To make His Name dwell” (Dt. 12:5)? In the Holy Shrine they utter the Name as it is spelled out, but in the provinces, His Name is rendered with euphemisms.⁴²

footnotes: ⁴² //Sifre Nu. 43. // M. Sot.7:6. Perhaps, “the All-Present” or “the blessed Holy One” is meant..