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The establishing of Rosh Chodesh, the New Moon, did not originally depend on the sighting of the moon, but completely on astronomical calculations. "What?!  But I thought ORIGINALLY the new moon had to be witnessed?" you probably said to yourself as you read this.

Consider this - during the forty years that the Benei Yisrael  were in the desert, they were covered by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, making it impossible for them to make any astronomical sightings.  Since both the sun and moon were invisible to them, it would have been impossible for them to construct a calendar based on actual observation.  This is clear evidence that calculation was the original means of determining the calendar.  Witnesses were not used.  This situation existed for 1100 years, from the time of Moshe until the time of Antignos of Socho in 3548 (213 b.c.e).

Following is further evidence...

Shemot 12:2 "This month shall be for you the beginning of months..."

It is significant that at this juncture G-d did not instruct Moshe and Aharon to relay the content of this message to the Benei Yisrael.  Surely the word לָכֶם "lachem" (for you), implied that the fixing of the new moon was a commandment applicable to each and every Jew!  Failure of G-d to issue the customary instruction: "say to all the Benei Yisrael, etc.," therefore indicated that the determining of the new moon was something reserved for the elders of the people, a court of experts, and was not something incumbent on the individual Jew.  This is why these instructions were address to both Moshe and Aharon in their capacity as the experts at the time.  The word lachem, in this instance means: "to the likes of you, to trained experts."

If proof were needed that we base our calendar on astronomical calculations rather than the sighting of the moon, consider the fact that during the wanderings of the Benei Yisrael in the Wilderness for 40 years when their encampment was totally enveloped by the Ananei HaKavod, G-d's "Clouds of Glory", neither the people nor their leaders were able to sight the moon.  They did not even see the sun by day either but depended totally on the pillar of cloud or fire to light the way for them.  This is confirmed by Nechemya 9:19 "You in Your abundant compassion did not abandon them in the Wilderness.  The pillar of cloud did not depart from them to lead them on the way by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to give them light in the way where to go."

How would the the Benei Yisrael have been able to fix the date of the new moon unless they had based themselves on their astronomical calculations?  Clearly, the principal method of determining the new moon is based on calculations.  We have an old-standing tradition that 5 of the 12 months of the year always have 30 days whereas 5 other months always have 29 days.  the remaining 2 months fluctuate between 29 and 30 days respectively.  In some years both of these months have 30 days.  In some years both have 29 days, and in some years one of them has 29 days whereas the other month has 30 days.  The two months which are subject to these variations are Cheshvan and Kislev.

We have another tradition that the first day of Tishrei is New Year's day (Rosh HaShanah), and that according to a ruling handed down by Moshe from Sinai each "month" (lunar orbit) consists of 29 days, 12 hours and 793 parts (chelakim - the hour is divided into 1080 equal parts - therefore the lunar month is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 3 seconds). (Rosh HaShanah 25)  All this is based on Divrei HaYamim Alef (1 Chronicles) 12:33 "Of the benei Yissachar, men who knew how to interpret the signs of the times to determining how Yisrael should act; their chiefs were two hundred, and all their kinsmen followed them."  No other matter requires as much knowledge and insight as determining the times of the calendar, the dates of the festivals based on comparison with the seasons determined by the solar calendar.

Of course, if the new moon has been sighted everybody knows that a new month has begun, etc.  It is easy then to calculate the tenth of the month to determine Yom Kippur and the 15th of the month to determine the first day of Sukkot, etc.  The Sages needed to know what calculations are required in order to inform the people ahead of time what to expect and in order to check whether sightings of the new moon which had been claimed were in fact possible according to their charts.  It is this aspect which the verse from Divrei HaYamim Alef dealing with the benei Yissachar deals with.

Note that during the time of David and Yonatan calculations formed the basis of the determination of the new moon as David said to Yonatan (Shmuel Alef 10:5) "Tomorrow, on the new moon I will sit beside the king..."  If the new moon had been determined merely by sighting, how did David know it would be observed on the morrow?  Perhaps there would not be a sighting of the new moon by then?  It is clear then that the date was determined by calculation if sightings failed to confirm these calculations.  In fact, from that episode in Shmuel Alef (Samuel 1) it is clear that already at that time the Sages arranged for two consecutive days of the new moon being observed seeing that we read in verses 24-27 of the same chapter, "The new moon came and the king sat down to partake of the meal...but David's place remained vacant.. That day however Shaul said nothing... But on the day after the new moon, the second day, David's place was vacant again..."  It is clearly impossible to say that the day described as "the second day" refers to another new moon the following month and that this is why they called it "hachodesh hasheni" (the new moon, the second day).

Shaul asked Yonatan (v27) "why did not the son of Yishai come to the meal yesterday or the day before?"  The story goes on, "Yonatan rose from his seat angrily and he did not eat on the second day of the new moon."  Clearly the date of the new moon was determined by means of calculations.  This system was in effect for 1100 years from the time of Moshe until the time of Antignos from Socho who, together with Shimon HaTzadik, was the leader of the Jewish people around the time Ezra and his colleagues came to Eretz Yisrael from Babylon.  (Moshe died in 2488 after the creation of Adam whereas Antignos lived around 3460 years after the creation of Adam.)  Two of Antignos' students, Tzadok and Beissus, were the ones who misunderstood their teacher's meaning when he exhorted his students not to serve G-d like servants who serves a human master for the sake of reward, feeling entitled to it.  Antignos urged his students to relate to the service of G-d as does a servant who volunteers to serve his master out of love and not out of a desire for reward.  These two students thought that there was no system of reward and punishment in Judaism as a result of which they forsook the path of Torah.  A by-product of their heresy was that they raised questions against the system of determining the time of the new moon, claiming that the principal mitzvah in observing the commandment of sanctifying the new moon was the sighting of it not the calculations on paper.  Such a new thesis forced leading rabbis of that time to respond and to prove to these heretics that their calculations were accurate and more reliable than sightings so that Rabban Gamliel came out publicly saying not to be too concerned about whether actual sighting had taken place.  He claimed to have had a tradition from his grandfather that the month (lunar orbit) is never shorter than 29 days 12 hours and 793 parts.  These words of Rabban Gamliel prove that he did not base his calendar on sightings but on astronomical calculations.

We have an explicit Mishnah (Rosh HaShanah 25) which states that "if both the elders of the court and the entire nation had clearly seen the new moon but it became night while the elders examined witnesses who testified to the sighting of the new before the elders were able to pronounce the new moon on the day just concluded, they would declare the month to have had 30 days."  This proves that the elders did not rely principally on the sighting.  Had they done so, how could they have added another day to the month seeing not only the witnesses but they themselves had sighted the new moon on the previous night?  Clearly, if they decided to make that month one of thirty days in spite of the sighting, they must have based themselves on their calculations.

There is even more compelling evidence...

The Mishnah at the end of the second chapter in Rosh HaShanah records that two witnesses appeared claiming to have sighted the new moon at its appropriate time, i.e. the night between the 29th and the 30th of the month.  They also claimed that on the following night, i.e. the night of the 31st, the moon had not appeared in the sky.  Rabban Gamliel accepted their testimony.  If Rabban Gamliel and his colleagues had been basing their declarations of the new moon only on sightings, how could he have accepted such testimony which contradicts all we know about the behavior of the moon?  Surely, the fact that the moon did not appear on the following night meant that the witnesses had lied in the first place!  Clearly, Rabban Gamliel relied on his calculations in the first instance and when these proved that the new moon had been due to appear when it did he accepted the visual evidence that it had indeed been sighted on the appropriate night.

As to the statement of the Sages (folio 24) that Rabban Gamliel had a reproduction of the sky on the wall of his study which he employed to instruct laymen, the meaning is that he wanted to convince the supporters of Tzadok and Beissus of his absolute competence in astronomical matters from month to month.  He wanted to show them beforehand in which manner and at what angle sightings of the moon after the end of the present month would occur.  When these students noticed that Rabban Gamliel had correctly predicted where and when in the sky sightings of the new moon would occur, he mananged to discredit Tzadok and Beissus who had tried to undermine the authority of the Jewish Supreme Court.  As a result, the allegations against the calendar calculations of the leading elders of the Jewish people ceased.  Nonetheless, the practice of encouraging people to come forward as witnesses to new-moon sightings continued but primarily as a reminder of an established custom, not as something of halachic necessity.

It is unanimously agreed that the authority to determine calendar adjustments is vested in the hands of the Jewish Supreme Court or its equivalent as something handed down from the time of Moshe, provided such court is composed of the most knowledgeable and G-d-fearing people of their generation.  This is the law which G-d commanded to Moshe in our verse here.  The words הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם (hachodesh hazeh lachem - This month shall be to you), may therefore be translated as "you have authority to delegate the adjustments which may have to be made to this month."

Thus far the commentary of Rabbeinu Chananel.

The authority delegated by G-d to the Rabbinical authorities is of such fundamental significance that we read in Sanhedrin 42 that if the Jewish people had not been granted the opportunity to perform any other commandment except to recite the benediction over the new moon once a month and to the thereby welcome the eternal presence of the Shechinah, this would be deemed sufficient for them.  They base this on the wording הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה (hachodesh hazeh - this month) here and זֶה אֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ (zeh Eli ve'anvehu - this is my G-d and I will exalt Him) in Shemot 15:2.  What this Midrash is trying to tell us is that the verse here is an explanation of the peculiarly worded text of the benediction recited when blessing the new moon.  It is an allusion to the Jewish people as a spiritual concept, so called as it is a crown, sanctified and the exclusive property of the people of Yisrael, who are referred to in Yeshayahu 46:3 as "transported by G-d on His arms ever since their inception" (in the house of Lavan).  Seeing that he who utters this benediction finds himself in the presence of the Shechinah, he must recite it while standing (not while seated).  This ensures that he is conscious of the necessary awe when in the Presence of G-d.

Reciting the benediction over the new moon is equivalent to testifying to the fact that G-d created the universe and all that is in it.  This is the principal pillar of our religious faith.  Seeing the moon renews itself month after month makes it easy to understand that G-d created one universe after another.  Some unidentified Sages have said that the black color we observe on part of the moon serves as a reminder of the Benei Yisrael who are in exile and who count their months based on the lunar orbits.  Concerning this phenomenon Shlomo said in Shir HaShirim 6:10 "beautiful as the moon, brilliant as the sun."  G-d granted beauty to the moon and brilliance to the sun.  The reason is that the moon resembles woman's lower physiognomy in that it is activated by the male.  The moon similarly receives its input from the sun.  This is also the meaning of the statement in Ketubot 59 "woman exists for the sake of beauty" (rather than for the performance of menial labor).  Speaking of the sun, however, Shlomo used the term בָּרָה (barah), as it is clear, distinct.  See that Shlomo used different adjectives in describing moon and sun it is clear that the moon lacks brilliance.  You need not be surprised at the choice of metaphors by Shlomo as the Shechinah which accompanies the Jewish people in their exile and which reflects the strength of the moon is also feeling the pain of the Jewish people in their troubles.  We know this from Yeshayahu 63:9, "In all their troubles He was troubled."


The Seven Cycles

There are seven astronomical bodies, and each has its particular cycle.  This is their order:

1. First sphere, closest to the earth, is the Yareach (Moon).  It shines with reflected light.
2. Second sphere is called Mercury.  In Hebrew it is called Kochav, which literally means "star."  Some say this is because it rules over the destiny of the stars.
3. Third sphere is called Nogah (Venus).
4. Fourth sphere is the Shemesh (sun), which makes a complete cycle every year.
5. Fifth sphere is called Maadim (Mars).
6. Sixth sphere is called Tzedek (Jupiter).
7. Seventh sphere is called Shabatai (Saturn).

- Bachya; MeAm Lo'ez

Yeshayahu 42:5 - 43:10
[Parashat Bereishit]

The Haftarah of Parashat Bereishit opens by declaring HaShem the Creator of heaven and earth. This echoes the recount of HaShem’s creating the world in six days, described in Parashat Bereishit.

42:5 Koh-amar ha'KEl HASHEM bore hashamayim venoteihem roka ha'aretz vetze'etza'eiha noten neshamah la'am aleiha veruach laholechim bah
Thus says the G-d, HASHEM, Who creates the heavens and stretches them forth; Who spreads out the earth and [brings out] its produce; Who gives a soul to the people upon it and a spirit to those who walk on it.

Because the miracles during the Messianic Era will be so astounding, only G-d the Creator can do them, G-d Who not only created the world, but creates it anew every moment.  A Divine promise of full and constant support to the servant of G-d in the accomplishment of the mission entrusted to him.   At that time, a new soul (neshama) will be granted to all people equally, but the holy spirit (ruach) only to those who truly walk before Him.

Alluded to in the verse, "[G-d] gives a soul to the people upon it [the land]" is that G-d will provide a soul for  the resurrected dead when they are in the Holy Land. (Ketubot 111a)

6 Ani HASHEM kraticha vetzedek ve'achzek beyadecha ve'etzorcha ve'etencha livrit am le'or goyim
"I am HASHEM, have called you in righteousness and will strengthen your hand.  I will watch over you, having appointed you over the Covenantal people and a light to the nations,
7 Lifkoach eynayim iverot lehotzi mimasger asir mibeit kele yoshvei choshech
to open blind eyes, to release prisoners from confinement and dwellers in darkness from the dungeon.

It is HaShem Who has called the Mashiach to his great mission of returning the Jewish people to the Covenant.  To this end, G-d will strengthen him, "strengthen  his hand," to give him power over all adversaries and watch over him from all harm.  But his mission is not just to the Jewish people, but also to all the nations - for them, too, will he serve as a light.  He will enlighten, "open the eyes of," those who previously could not see G-d's truth.

8 Ani HASHEM hu Shemi uchvodi le'acher lo-eten utehilati lapsilim
I am HASHEM, that is My Name and I shall not give My honor [glory] to another, nor My praise to idols.

Although the idols are called "gods" as I am called G-d, only I can be called HASHEM, because only I am the Master of the world.  Name signifies lordship and might.  So although during the exile, My Name was dishonored because the nations ruled over My people, when Redemption will come, all will then praise Me, and not the idols, as they had previously done.

9 Harishonot hineh va'u vachadashot ani magid beterem titzmachnah ashmia etchem
Behold, the first things [prophecies] have already come and now I shall tell you new things - I shall inform you before they happen."

Just as the "first" prophecies regarding Sancheriv came true to the detail, says Yeshayahu, so shall the "new" prophecies regarding Mashiach come true to the detail.

10 Shiru l'HASHEM shir chadash tehilato miketzeh ha'aretz yordei hayam umelo'o iyim veyoshveihem
Sing a new song to HASHEM, His praise from the end of the earth, those who go down to the sea and those that fill it, the islands and their inhabitants! 
11 Yis'u midbar ve'arav chatzerim teshev kedar yaronu yoshvei sela merosh harim yitzvachu
The wilderness and its cities will lift up [their voices], the open cities inhabited by Kedar; let the inhabitants of Sela exult, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12 Yasimu l'HASHEM kavod utehilato ba'iyim yagidu
Let them give glory to HASHEM and relate His praise in the islands.

Let all the nations sing to G-d for His opening their eyes, even those who had been farthest from Him - the island dwellers.  Let even animals sing "and those that fill it [the sea]," and even inanimate creatures - the very "islands" themselves.  Sela and Kedar - the primitive people who live in the deserts and mountains (Rashi: "the resurrected dead"; Kimchi: "rock dwellers - those who dwell in towers built on rocks and moutains") let them also praise and sing to Him.  Let His praise be said on the far islands and not just be sent to Yerushalayim from the end of the earth.

13 HASHEM kagibor yetze ke'ish milchamot ya'ir kin'ah yaria af-yatzriach al-oyvav yitgabar
HASHEM will come forth as a mighty one and arouse rage like a warrior.  He will shout triumphantly, even roar, He will overpower His enemies. 

G-d will reveal Himself like a mighty warrior to redeem His people and will act, as if, with rage to avenge their pain.  He will "cry out," so to speak, to confuse and intimidate His enemies and "shout" again upon victory.  But He will also make them shout cries of woe.  The idol worshipers, the enemies of G-d, must now recognize His greatness and join His people in the new song.

14 Hechesheiti me'olam acharish et'apak kayoledah ef'eh eshom ve'esh'af yachad
"I have kept quiet for a long time, silent and restraining Myself.   But I shall scream like a birthing woman, desolating them and swallowing them together.
15 Achariv harim ugeva'ot vechol-esbam ovish vesamti neharot la'iyim va'agamim ovish
I shall destroy mountains and hills, desiccating all their grass.  I shall turn their rivers into islands and desiccate their ponds.

I have kept quite throughout Jewish exile, the injustice done to Yisrael, says HaShem, and silently watched as My children suffered.  I silently heard how Pharaoh in Egypt blasphemed Me and quietly heard how Ravshakeh did the same, but I have seen and heard it all.

Certainly, this cannot continue forever and the time will come to redeem My people, just as the time comes for an expectant mother to give birth.  Just as she suffers in silence throughout pregnancy, only to scream during birth because she cannot control herself anymore, so shall I, so to speak, scream during the rebirth of My people, swallowing those who would have destroyed them.  I shall desolate their kingdoms, their "mountains and hills," and divest them all worldly goods, "desiccate their grass and ponds."  G-d will no longer tolerate the sufferings of His people and the continued ruin of their country.

16 Veholachti iverim bederech lo yada'u bintivot lo-yade'u adrichem asim machshach lifneihem la'or uma'akashim lemishor eleh hadevarim asitim velo azavtim
I shall guide the blind on a path they never knew and walk them along an unknown way.  I will turn darkness into light before them, and crooked paths into straight ways. These are the things I shall accomplish without fail."

Return of the exiles - I shall guide My people back to their Land, along paths they had not known.  I shall open their eyes to see the deeper meaning of My Torah, to which they had previously been blind.  I have done such things in the past and shall continue to do them in the future.

17 Nasogu achor yevoshu voshet habotechim bapasel ha'omerim lemasechah atem eloheinuThose who trust in idols and who say to the molten image, "You are our god," shall be turned back and put to shame.

Then, when G-d redeems His people and destroys those who would have destroyed them, they who trusted in their man made idols will be so ashamed that they will turn away to hide their faces.  They will be shamed because they trusted in such futility, because they believed in such an obvious falsehood.  But among the Jewish people, also, will bear their share of shame for having worshiped idols as the Gentiles do.

18 Hachershim shma'u veha'iverim habitu lir'ot
Deaf ones, hear!  Blind ones, look and see! 

 And why will G-d look on silently as the Jewish people suffer?  (v14) - because they have deafened their ears from hearing His prophets' rebuke and closed their eyes from seeing their own shortcomings.  Open your eyes and ears to see and hear these things now and cease being so self-righteous in your own eyes.  Open your eyes and ears now to listen to G-d's word and see the great things which He will now bring about for you.

19 Mi iver ki im-avdi vecheresh kemal'achi eshlach mi iver kimeshulam ve'iver ke'eved HASHEM
Who is as blind as My servant and as deaf as My sent messenger?  Who is as blind as the perfect one and as blind as the servant of HASHEM?

They, who have had been His servants and His messengers on earth had turned a blind eye to the will of G-d and deafened the voice of their own inner conscience, seeing themselves as spiritually "perfect."

20 Ra'ot rabot velo tishmor pakoach oznayim velo yishma
You see many things but pay no attention, your ears are open, but do not hear.

The people are blind because they pay no attention to themselves - they see no connection between their suffering and their inner lives.  They pay no attention to their behavior and deeds to correct what needs to be changed.  Even when G-d "opens their ears" to the rebuke of His prophets, they turn a deaf ear to their words.

21 HASHEM chafetz lema'an tzidko yagdil torah veyadir
HASHEM desired for the sake of [Yisrael's] righteousness that the Torah be made great and glorious.

But despite that G-d's people are presently blind, G-d will open their eyes in the Future.  This He will do not because of their merit, but because He desires to vindicate them.  And He will do it by magnifying His Teachings in their eyes, so that they serve Him out of love and not for ulterior motives.

22 Vehu am-bazuz veshasui hafe'ach bachurim kulam uvevatei khela'im hocheba'u hayu lavaz ve'eyn matzil meshisah ve'eyn-omer hashav
But they are a plundered and trampled people, all trapped in holes and hidden in prisons.  They are looted and no one comes to the rescue, trampled upon and on one to say, "Give it back!" 

And despite all their sufferings during exile, they did not search for the cause.  Why is it that one nation is so hounded by all nations and so helpless to help themselves?  Even when concealed in the holes of caves, the enemies would trap them and stow them away in prison.  It only the hand of G-d.

23 Mi vachem ya'azin zot yakshiv veyishma le'achor
Who among you will listen to this, who will pay attention and hear of the past?

So if you ask, "Why did G-d do this?" you must be ready to listen to the answer:  Pay attention to all the great things which G-d did for you in the past, things He did for no other nation.  Then you will know that the suffering which He gives you is the fruit of your own sinful deeds.  Listen now to the rebukes which He sent you in the past, so that at least from now on you will not be punished.

24 Mi-natan limeshisah Yaakov veYisrael levozezim halo HASHEM zu chatanu lo velo-avu vidrachav haloch velo shame'u betorato
Who gave Yaakov over to be trampled upon and Yisrael to plunderers, if not HASHEM?  This was our sinning against Him, not wanting to walk in His ways nor listen to His Torah.

This was what they did not hear, that to which they were blind:  All of their suffering was only G-d's doing and only because of their sins.  In fact, this very questioning, "Who gave Yaakov over to be trampled upon," was itself also a sin.

25 Vayishpoch alav chemah apo ve'ezuz milchamah vatelahatehu misaviv velo yada vativ'ar-bo velo-yasim al-lev
He poured out His wrath upon them with the fierceness of war, it raged around them, but they paid no attention.  It burned them, but they did not take it to heart.

G-d poured out His wrath and the fierceness of war upon the people of Yehudah (Judah) when Sancheriv captured Samaria, in order that they learn a lesson.  When they did not, Sancheriv went on to capture the Judean cities.  They still did not learn, so G-d then "burned" the people of Yerushalayim themselves - Sancheriv besieged the City.  But none of these things had any long-lasting effect because they paid no serious attention.

43:1 Ve'atah koh-amar HASHEM bora'acha Yaakov veyotzercha Yisrael al-tira ki ge'alticha karati veshimcha li-atah"But now, Yaakov," thus says HASHEM, your Creator, and your Maker, "Yisrael:  Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name - you are Mine!

 Despite G-d's reason for exiling the Jewish people, (ch.42), He now reassures them that they will be redeemed.  He reminds them how He redeemed them from Egypt and how He proclaimed to the world that they are His - He will redeem them again in the Future as He redeemed them in the past.  G-d also reassures them that He has not exchanged them for another people which will become the "new" Yisrael, for only they are the children of Yaakov-Yisrael, whom He has called His people by name.

2 Ki-ta'avor bamayim itcha ani uvaneharot lo yishtefucha ki-telech bemo-esh lo tikaveh velehavah lo tiv'ar-bach
When you pass through waters, I am with you; through rivers - they will not sweep you away.  When you walk through fire you shall not be scalded and flames will not kindle you.

G-d now reminds them how He took them on dry land across the Reed Sea and Yarden River, alluding that He will do the same once again.  He tells them how they will endure four different types of exiles - "waters, rivers, fire and flames" - and that throughout all they will remain faithful:  The nations will try to baptize you in their "holy waters," to wash you away from your faith in their "rivers."  They will burn you at the stake for not accepting their faith, but the flames will not touch your soul.  I am with you throughout your ordeals.

3 Ki ani HASHEM Elokeicha Kedosh Yisrael moshi'echa natati chofercha Mitzrayim Kush uSva tachteicha
For I am HASHEM, your G-d, the Holy One of Yisrael, your Savior.  I have given you ransom from Egypt and placed Kush and Sheva beneath you.

 G-d further reminds them how He saved their firstborn when all the Egyptian firstborn were killed.  The Egyptian firstborn were indeed their "ransom," because Jewish behavior was no better than theirs.  He also reminds them how Egypt's treasures, their "ransom," together with those of Kush and Seva, fell before them after the plague upon Sancheriv's troops (37:36)

4 Me'asher yakarta ve'einai nichbadeta va'ani ahavticha ve'eten adam tachteicha ule'umim tachat nafshecha
Because you are dear in My eyes, honored and I love you, I shall place mankind underneath you and nations beneath your soul.

 Because the Jewish people are the descendants of the holy forefathers, they are dear in G-d's eyes.  Because they are dear in G-d's eyes and because they accepted His Torah, they are honored more than any nation.  And because they loved Him throughout the exile and suffered for His Name, G-d loves them more than other nation.  They are dear to Him no only because of their small numbers, but also because of their honored essence.

5 Al-tira ki itecha ani mimizrach avi zar'echa umima'arav akabetzeka
Fear not, for I am with you - I shall bring your children from the East and gather you from the West.
6 Omar latzafon teni uleteiman al-tichlai havi'i vanai merachok uvenotai miketzeh ha'aretz 
I shall say to the North, "Give forth!" and to the south, "Hold not back!"  Bring back My children from afar, My daughters from the ends of the earth!

Fear not that you may lose your status due to the exile, for I shall gather you from all over the earth.  I shall bring back the lost Ten Tribes, exiled to the East, and the Judeans exiled to the West.  I will bring back not only those who are distant geographically, at the "ends of the earth," but also those who are distant spiritually, "from afar": Those who were forced to abandon Jewish practice but kept it secretly in their homes, and even those who had only kept the faith in their hearts.

7 Kol hanikra vishmi velichvodi berativ yetzartiv af-asitiv
All are called in My Name, I created them for My glory, I formed and made them.

All those who are called in G-d's Name, all those who call themselves "Jewish" - who proclaim the Almighty G-d with their very lives and proclaim Him the great Creator - they are the ones G-d will redeem and bring back to the Land in the Future.  Let not the nations come and complain why the Jewish people were chosen, for they had the choice to be just the same, for all were created for G-d's glory.

8 Hotzi am-iver ve'einayim yesh vechershim ve'oznayim lamo
To take out a blind people who have eyes and deaf ones who have ears.

And since the purpose of Creation is to manifest G-d, which is accomplished only through His chosen people, therefore, He must redeem them despite their being spiritually "blind and deaf" during exile.

9 Kol-hagoyim nikbetzu yachdav veye'asfu le'umim mi vahem yagid zot verishonot yashmi'unu yitnu edeihem veyitzdaku veyishme'u veyomeru emet
[If] all the nations would assemble together, all the nationalities congregate, who among them could predict such things, or tell us of things already come.  Let them bring forth their proofs and be justified, or let them hear and say, 'it is true.'"

Let all the nations come forth and claim, if they can, that their prophets can predict the future.  Let them come forth and say that the past was already predicted by their prophets.  But let them bring proof to their claims, or let them admit the truth when we tell them.

10 Atem edai ne'um-HASHEM ve'avdi asher bacharti lema'an ted'u veta'aminu li vetavinu ki-ani hu lefanai lo-notzar el ve'acharai lo yihyeh
"You are My witnesses," says HASHEM, "and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you should know and believe in Me, and understand that I am He.  Before Me was nothing created by any god and after Me shall not be."

But the Jewish people can attest to the Truth - I have made them My witnesses.  I had told them of Sancheriv's siege before it came about and the prophecies of the Future shall also come to be.  This I have done so that you will acknowledge Me, that there is no other power besides Me.  I am the sole Creator of all existing things - there was no one else who created anything.

Parashat Bereishit



- MeAm Lo'ez, Sefer Yeshayahu

O HaShem, my G-d and G-d of my fathers, great and mighty G-d, in whose hands are the souls and spirits of all creatures:  When, after many long years, the time comes for me to pass away, may it be Your will that my mind be clear when my soul leaves my body.  May my soul be at ease, and may my mind be healthy and alert.  Do not take away my love and fear for You, so that they may remain with me when my soul departs my body. 

And if, heaven forbid, it is fitting that I experience pain, suffering, confusion, or loss of my mental faculties at the time of my death, I acknowledge the righteousness of Your judgement. You are just in all that comes upon us, for You have done it, and we have been wicked.

I do not, heaven forbid, deny any commandment of the holy Torah.  I do not deny any detail of the rules of Judaism that our Sages have taught, and that we are obligated to keep.  I believe with perfect faith that G-d lives and exists for eternity.  Besides Him, there never was, and never will be, another.  He is trusted to give good reward to the righteous in the World to Come, and to punish the wicked.

I believe with perfect faith that the dead will be resurrected at the time that G-d so wills.  He has the power both to kill and to give life.  He will also send us the true Mashiach.

May it be Your will, O HaShem, my G-d, and G-d of my fathers, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, that You protect me from the Evil Inclination, and inscribe me in the book of good life.  Give me strength, fortitude and health to serve You, to study Your holy Torah, and to keep Your commandments.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to You, O HaShem, my Rock and Redeemer.