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Scroll to Scroll:

Todays Parsha #1: Bereshit (In the Beginning)

1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents:

Bereshit means in the beginning of course. We start with the 6 days of creation
with Abba YHWH resting on the Shabbat day. Man, or Adam, was made on day 6
and Eve was made later. After their expulsion from paradise, Adam and Eve have two
sons, Cain and Abel and of course the former kills the latter. Afterwards, Cain flees
Abba YHWHs presence, first to Nod and then he goes build a city. As the human
race begins to spread throughout the earth, the first ten generations are recounted and
the life of righteous Noah is introduced.

Bonus Materials!

Expanded NotesMore material than even I talked about, expanded studies to
clarify the videos.
Background Notes on the Targums and special readings from the Targums
throughout the Genesis linguistics.
Genesis Decoded: The Movie3-part video Powerpoint presentation with
voiceover commentary and cursor pointings on key words for emphasis.
155 page book: Ten Top Biblical Archaeological Discoveries, from the
Biblical Archaeology Society.
11 page study: House of David Restored in Moabite Inscription, also from the
Biblical Archaeology Society.

2) Parsha (English-Genesis 1:1-6:8). This week we will read the entire portion.

3) Play by Play commentary where appropriate.

4) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:

Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve'et ha'arets.

Veha'arets hayetah tohu vavohu vechoshech al-peney tehom veruach
Elohim merachefet al-peney hamayim.

Vayomer Elohim yehi-or vayehi-or.

Vayar Elohim et-ha'or ki-tov vayavdel Elohim beyn ha'or uveyn
hachoshech.

Notes on the Special Use of Targums for this Parsha:

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To celebrate recycling back to Genesis, I am adding notes from the Targum studies of
this Torah portion. Targums are translations with some commentary done on the Hebrew
Tanakh in the Aramaic language. These Targums are NOT the same sources as the
Aramaic (Peshitta) Tanakh which is complete, whereas these Targums come from
different periods of time and different people and are fragmentary.

The need for Targums arose after the Captivity in Babylon as the Jews became more
fluent in Aramaic as an everyday language. Hebrew more and more became a liturgical
language that had to be translated into their dialects. The Targums used here are known
as Onkelos, Jonathan (not the same Jonathan ben Uzziel who did the Prophets) and
Jerusalem. Also the Septuagint, the Dead Sea Scrolls and other sources were consulted
and compared. Here is some more background on this literature. This material is
excerpted from my personal Genesis translation also.

Meet the Scholars at the Round Table

One image that I have often conjured up in my imagination while working on a long and
painstaking project like this one is being seated at a table with the greatest linguistic
minds that the world has ever produced. For the AENT, my imagination driftedand still
doesto the luminaries in that area: William Norton, John Gwynn, CF Burney, CC
Torrey, and so on. Since I cannot resurrect the dead, the next best thing is to meet
these men through their writings and then see how those sources would speak to both us
today and to each other. Also, because I would be more than content to just be the
proverbial fly on the wall and learn from them, my commentary is often secondary to
theirs. What I mean is, they are the ones commenting on the Tanakh whereas I view my
primary task as to comment on their commentary. So who are the mighty Targumists
whose work has been so influential for so long? Lets meet our round table of guests
that have come from the mists of time to sit with us:

Onkelos:

This man, also known by the Greek name Aquila (ca. 35-120 CE), is held in extremely
high esteem by traditional Judaism. It is interesting to note that the man who is held to
have written not just this Targum on the Torah that is of the highest quality but also a
Greek translation of the Torah that many think superseded the Septuagint, was born into
Roman royalty. The Talmud tractate Gittin 56b states that Onkelos was a nephew of the
Emperor Titus, the very man who destroyed Jerusalem and her Temple in 70 CE.
Onkelos had turned his back on his noble roots and rejected all paganism, becoming one
of the most successful proselytes of all time. His Targum is highly prized as being very
literal and faithful to the Hebrew.

It is also said in the Talmud, in Avodah Zara 11a, that the Roman Emperor became
enraged when he heard his own nephew had converted. According to the story, two
legions of Roman soldiers were sent to arrest Onkelos, only to have those legions
themselves convert to Judaism after Onkelos taught them Torah, though presumably in
the Greek or Latin languages that he and they shared.
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As a result the Talmud in Mesachet Berachot 8a also commands that where the Mikra
(Torah) is read twice, the Targum (Onkelos) should be read once.

Jonathan ben Uzziel:

Onkelos counterpart in many ways is Jonathan ben Uzziel, who wrote the authoritative
Targum on the Major Prophets. The great rabbi Hillel the First is said to have trained up
eighty disciples just before the Common Era. Jonathan was considered the greatest of
these disciples.
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To put a more familiar analogy into play here, if Hillel were the
Mashiyach, Jonathan would be considered his Peter, or chief successor. Incidentally, it is
worth noting that the smallest disciple on Hillels list was Yochanan ben Zakkai, who
is the man most responsible for reconstituting Judaism into its current Rabbinic form
after it almost went extinct after the First Jewish Revolt. If thats the exploits of the least
of Hillels group, one can only imagine what the greatest of them was like. The Talmud
even goes so far as to have Hillels greatest student praised by Rabbi Shammai, who was
the fiercest critic of Hillels school that ever existed.

Jonathan ha Qaton (Pseudo-Jonathan) & The Jerusalem Targum:

It is a very common practice in Jewish literature for a writer to compose in the name of a
great past master. Such is what happened with the man most scholars call Pseudo
Jonathan, author of the other complete ancient paraphrase of Five Books of Moses.
Whether it was simply the case of a man having two very common names or if he
deliberately called himself Jonathan ben Uzziel after the previous one is a matter of
debate.
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However, even the traditional sources are very clear he is not the same man who
did the authoritative Targum on the Prophets. I have therefore dubbed him ha Qaton,
meaning, the Small. Such a designation is not meant to demean his work, only to be
used in comparison with the greater Elder whose name he bears. I think, personally, that
it is preferable to calling him Fake Jonathan, because he might have really had that
name and his work is meritorious in its own right.

Jonathan ha Qatons Targum, also known in previous times as the Palestinian Targum, is
much freer in style than either Onkelos or Jonathan ben Uzziels work. It also has a

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I quote from Chabad.org: The great and famous sage Hillel had eighty most distinguished disciples; thirty
of them were said to be worthy to enjoy the Divine Presence as Moses did; another thirty were said to be
great enough to have stopped the sun in its path as Yehoshua did; the remaining twenty were "in the
middle" Our Sages relate that when Rabbi Jonathan ben Uzziel wrote his commentary on the books of
the Prophets, the Holy Land trembled and a heavenly voice; called out: "Who has dared to reveal My
secrets to mortal men?" Rabbi Jonathan ben Uzziel then arose and declared: "I am the one responsible for
revealing Your holy secrets to mankind. But not to do myself honor, nor for the glory of my ancestors did I
do this, but solely so that the Jews may understand what the Prophets have told them."When he intended
writing an interpretation of the Kethuvim (Holy Writings; the third part of T'NaCh - Torah, Neviim,
Ketuvim), he was forbidden to do so, because they reveal secrets which must not be revealed till Moshiach
(The Mashiyach) comes.

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Just as many scholars believe Onkelos and Aquila are one and the same person, so too do a significant
number also think that Jonathan ha Qaton is the same person as Theodotion, who did a Greek version of the
major prophets. Theodotion and Jonathan both mean the same thing in their respective languages.
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much greater propensity to go off on tangents and insert legendary material.
Nevertheless, it also shows us how some ancients interpreted and expanded on the Holy
Writ while never suggesting that said exercises were meant to replace it. I leave it
therefore to the readers good judgment to decide what areas of the Targum are to be
embraced and to what degree, knowing of course they are not Scripture itself. The so-
called Jerusalem Targum, a.k.a. the Fragmentary Targum of the Pentateuch, is also
referenced here. It seems to be largely derived from Jonathan ha Qatons work,
sometimes citing Jonathan verbatim, while also retaining some of its own distinctiveness
in other places.

Joseph The Blind/One-Eyed:
Very little is known about this man. Legend says he did the Targum for the Megillot
(Ecclesiastes, Esther, Lamentations, Ruth and the Song of Songs) and was the head of
Sora, a very influential Torah academy in the fourth century. There are also two other
anonymous targums of Esther that have come down to us.
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Samaritan Pentateuch (author unknown):

A very important and ancient witness to the Hebrew text, but with an obvious slant away
from Rabbinic Judaism. Samaritan Theology, while no longer possessing pagan belief as
it once did, nevertheless has a great emphasis on astrology, omens and angels than the
other targums do. There are clear later interpolations, such as declaring their Mount
Gerizim as the correct place for veneration over that of Sinai, and this is no small point of
Yshuas to these people in the 4
th
chapter of the Gospel of John. For this version
however, I have stuck just to the SP proper and avoided for the most part the later
commentaries (Pitron) and Samaritan Midrashim (Asatir). I also very much favor JW
Etheridges approach of using it as a minor witness to augment the other main Torah
versions.

Peshitta Tanakh (author unknown):

JW Etheridge also rightly calls the Peshitta Tanakh beyond all price for it is the only
complete and thoroughly ancient Aramaic version that has survived. Often it is not
thought of as a Targum in the strict sense but it really should be. The Peshitta Tanakh
was composed in Babylon approximately between 50 BCE and 150 CE by an extremely
gifted and scholarly Jewish community who would later do the Talmud. There has been
increased attention given to it in more recent years with the ongoing work of the Peshitta
Institute of Leiden, who have been preparing a critical edition since 1966. Since the
Peshitta Tanakh is complete as stated, its readings can supplement where the other

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Joseph the Blind is kind of the Jewish equivalent of Homer in that the earliest versions of his work are
from many centuries after his death, casting doubt on what, if anything, was originally from his pen.
Because of this, and owing to the fact that there is no authorized or definitive version of the Writings
section, Peshitta Tanakh and Dead Sea Scrolls sources will become more prominently used here. As most
though are well aware, the Dead Sea Scrolls do not have any extant copies of Esther, so the Peshitta and
anonymous targums of that book will be used there. The targum for 1 and 2 Chronicles, also ascribed to
Joseph the Blind, is without a doubt the most recent targum of them all, perhaps only 300 years old, so I
will not be using that source at all in this diglot.
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Targums have not covered. The books of Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah have no other
Aramaic witnesses that have come down to us. The reason usually given for this in the
Rabbinic tradition is more of an apology than an explanation, in that they suggest these
books were so heavily influenced by Aramaic anyway that a full Aramaic paraphrase was
not needed. Another legend, already footnoted, was that Jonathan ben Uzziel was
prevented from doing a Targum of the Writings section which would have covered these
as well.

Prior to this publication, the only English translation of the entire Peshitta Tanakh had
been done by Dr. George Lamsa, who went from the Ambrosian Codex of 464 CE as his
main resource. It has long been my view that the Peshitta Tanakh, and not his more
famous Peshitta NT translation, is Dr. Lamsas finest work and most enduring legacy. I
have also consulted on the Aramaic side The Aramaic Old Testament Commonly Known
as the Peshitta Tanakh, (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1954).

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint (LXX) are both sufficiently well known as to
not require extensive introduction. Suffice to say that both sources will be used to show
the full breadth of interpretive discussion that relates to the full Tanakh text.
Some very helpful resources here though include The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible (Abegg,
Flint and Ulrich, Harper Collins, 1999) and The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English
(Geza Vermes, Penguin Books, 1997). For the Septuagint text I have utilized chiefly
references made in the already mentioned sources above but occasionally also cross-
checked with The Septuagint with Apocrypha Greek and English, (Lance Brenton,
Samuel Bagster Publishers of London, 1851, re-printed by Hendrickson Publishers,
1997).

Now lets go forward to the parsha!


BERESHIT (1:1) = in the beginning. Onkelos Targum says BKADMIN (in the
eternities/beginnings) indicating ancient understanding of more than one creation event
happening at the same time. Within the word BERESHIT is also the first Messianic
prophecy:

BAR = son (Aramaic)
BARA = created
RESH = head/chief/beginning
SHET = (the) six (Aramaic)

So the Son is created BEFORE the 6 days of creation!

Jonathan Targum on Genesis 1:2: And the Spirit of Mercies from before YHWH
breathed upon the face of the waters!

VAYOMER ELOHIM YEHI RAKIA (1:5) = and said Elohim: Let there be a SKY. This
sky (rakia) is usually translated as firmament but literally means expanse,
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indicating a separation between SHMAYIM (heavens) and the waters. It is a different
kind of sky from SHMAYIM, or the universe. In other places, RAKIA can also denote
matter.

Jonathan Targum on Genesis 1:14: And for making sacred the beginnings of months and
years, the passing away of months and years, the revolutions of the sun, the birth of the
moon and the cycling of the seasons.

VAYAAS ELOHIM (1:16) = and made Elohim. Tense indicates these luminaries were
made on a fourth day, meaning neither the sun nor the moon can be used to count days
for the 7 day Shabbat cycle. YHWH didnt count from day 4 for Creation week and
therefore neither should we. The 7 day count is independent of the sun, moon and stars.
Chronologically speaking, this is the second day. For more information, see Genesis
Decoded.

Jonathan Targum on Genesis 1:18: Afterwards the moon recited a triple (false) report
against the sun and she (the moon) was demoted, and the sun was given the rank of the
greater light to rule the day; and the moon to be the lesser light to rule the night, and the
stars. And YHWH ordained them to their tasks in the greatest reaches of the heavens, to
produce light upon the earth, and to minister by day and by night, to discern properly
between the light of the day and the darkness by night. And YHWH saw that it was good.

VAYIVRA ELOHIM ET-HA-TANANIM HA-GEDOLIM (1:21) = and Elohim created
the great Tananim. The word TANANIM can be alternatively translated as dragons or
sea-monsters or perhaps whales, according to some authorities. Others think these
are the Leviathan and their mates.

VA REMES VE-CHAYETO (1:24) = creeping thingsor perhaps land animals.

VAYOMER ELOHIM HA ADAM BETZALMANU (1:26) = and said Elohim, Let US
make man in OUR image. Recalling the fact that multiple creations happened and that
within BERESHIT is proof that the Son/Word was the first thing Abba YHWH created,
we need to further confirm this through Psalm 33:6 and Yochanan 1:1-5. Abba YHWH
sent the Word out of His Mouth and the Word created the heavens and the earth, by him,
for him and through his hands as the Aramaic of Yochanan reads. Since it is Yshua
who made these things as the Word, the US and OUR are Abba YHWH talking with His
Son whom He loved from when time began (Yochanan 17) since the Messiah has
goings forth that have been from the eternities (Micah 5) from which a throne in
heaven was set up for him to have eternal and universal dominion (Daniel 7).

Jerusalem Targum: And the Memra (Word) of YHWH created man in His likeness,
in the resemblance of the Presence of YHWH he created them, both the man and his
helper.

Jonathan Targum: In the image of YHWH He created him with 248 bones and with
365 nerves, and draped over them skin, and filled it with flesh and blood. This is an
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obvious riff on Talmudic commentaries that emphasized the positive
commandments of YHWH at 248 and the negative as 365, the latter of course
referring to the days of the year. It also relates to the original solar calendar.

UMILU ET-HAARETS VECHIVESHUHA (1:28) = fill the earth up and conquer it. In
order to do this command, man must endeavor to understand the inner workings of the
earth, which he can only do through disciplined observation of the planet. The method of
this observation is given in 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, test everything, hold on to the good
and avoid all evil.

SHAVAT (2:3) = rested, but not because Abba YHWH was tired because He never tires.
Rather YHWH completed His work and stopped doing it. This is confirmed in 2:4 with
ASAH (made) in past tense, denoting completion. Later Jewish sources though will
speculate that certain events, like the building of the Temple, also in their way complete
creation.

In 2:3, Onkelos Targum says beine shimsetha, a metaphor meaning, from evening
to evening. See Shemot / Exodus 3:6. This is also a confirmation of the day
beginning at sunset.

ASOT (2:4) = made. However, this word connotes a stronger sense of completeness than
BARA and other similar words in Hebrew.

In 2:4, Onkelos Targum uses a word for generations that can, as Etheridge points
out, also mean these are the recitals/oral histories of Adam, thus showing some of
the sources behind the Written Torah.

VEADAM AYIN LAAVOD HAADAMAH (2:5) = and there was no man to work the
ground. However, there seems a word play and hint with the use of ADAM for man as
opposed to other Hebrew terms, indicating that there was no ADAM to work the
ground. Please see The Three Uses of Adam later in these notes for detailed
translation issues with respect to this word and to the other word for man, Ish.

ADAMAHADAM (2:7) = both the words for Adam (man) and adamah (ground) are
also cognates and directly related to the word ADOM, which can mean red and
blood.

NEFESH CHAYA (2:7) = Adam BECOMES a living soul. In other words, Adam
doesnt HAVE a soul but instead Adam IS A SOUL. His NEFESH contains his
emotions, memory and life forceall the things that make Adam unique to him. He only
needs YHWHs spirit to make that nefesh live.

EDEN (2:8) = literally means delight or pleasant in Hebrew. So the word may be an
adjective rather than a place name as if to say YHWH planted trees in a delightful place
or YHWH created a pleasant area to plant. It seems it becomes a formal place name or
geographical marker AFTER Adam and Eve are expelled in 3:24.
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PISHONHAVILAH (2:11) = Some commentators think the Pishon is the Nile but
Josephus and others believe it is the Ganges or Indus river. Between Kashmir and
Pakistan, on the upper Indus river, there is a very ancient town that has been known as
HAVELIAN for more than 5,000 years. The Gihon river though is more likely to be the
Nile, also according to Josephus and others. The courses of these rivers must have
shifted, either due to tributaries drying up and re-establishing themselves (we can track
this back to the time with satellites) or because of the Flood. It is also possible that there
are two places named Havilah, one which is east of Egypt as India is (Genesis 25:18)
and the other more familiar one mentioned here, which is south of Egypt.

Jonathan says that when YHWH creates Eden (2:15) He: took the man
from the mountain of worship, where he had been created, and made him to
dwell in the garden of Eden, to do service in the Torah, and to keep its
commandments. This idea again comes from the covenant (breet) that is from in the
beginning (bereshit).

Jerusalem Targum concludes the chapter (2:25) by saying that not only were Adam
and Eve not ashamed at being naked but, they didnt know what shame was.

EZER KENEGDO (2:20) = the helper who stands in front of you. So the woman is meant
to complement the man and stand in front of him, eye to eye and not head down like a
servant.

ETSEM MEATSAMAY UVESAR MIBESARI (2:23) = bone of my bones and flesh of
my flesh. This is both literalEve came out of Adams riband figurative, to express
how deeply intimate he felt connected to his wife.

Genesis 3 Targum notes:

NACHASH (3:1) = serpent. However, the same word means divination, hinting that
such practices come from Satan.

KI YODEA ELOHIM (3:5) = like Elohim knowing. The word Elohim can refer to
YHWH or to other mighty ones like angels. So it is possible the serpent was saying
they could be like the angels. Ironically of course some of these same angels would
become envious of them!

VAYISHMEU ET-KOL YAHWEH MITHALECH BAGAN (3:8) = and they heard the
SOUND (?) of YHWH moving through the garden (?) The issue here has to do with
whether Adam and Eve heard the voice (kol) of YHWH moving through the garden or
whether they heard sound (also kol) of Abba YHWH moving, as if physically, through
the garden. This comes down to the issue of anthropomorphism of YHWH, or ascribing
to Him physical characteristics. If Abba YHWH had some form of physicality or
presence, then they heard that moving through the garden as if they could expect to see
Him. But if it is just His Voice, then there is nothing attached to it.
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Jonathan then says Eve got a warning before she sinned

And the woman beheld Sammael, the angel of death, and was afraid; yet she knew
the tree was good to eat, and that it was medicine for the enlightenment of the eyes
and a desirable tree by which to understand.

This is simply a little midrash because YHWH had literally sent a message of death
in His warning. The targumist simply personified the message and gave him a name.

Jerusalem Targum adds this information regarding the curse:

And it shall be that when the sons of the woman keep the commandments of the Torah,
they will be prepared to strike you upon the head; but then they forsake the
commandments of the Torah, you will be ready to wound them in the heel. Nevertheless
for them there shall be a medicine but for you there shall not be a medicine, and they
shall make a remedy for the (poison in) the heel in the days of King Mashiyach. for from
the dust it is that you are to rise up and render judgment and reckoning for all that you
have done, in the day of the great judgment!

CHAVAHADAM (3:20 and elsewhere) = Chavah means living and Adam means
man or blood or earth. Together they are the living blood of man [on] earth.

KOTNOT OR VAYALBISHEM (3:21) = leather garments and He clothed them. Or, as
some others translate, shrouds of skin perhaps referring to the male foreskin and female
hymen.

Onkelos then reads in 3:22: And YHWH Elohim said, Behold, the man has become
singular/alone in the world by himself.

Jonathan: And YHWH Elohim said to the angels, who ministered before him, Behold,
Adam is utterly unique on earth even as I am utterly unique in the heavens above; and it
will be that they will arise from him who will know to discern between good and evil.

Jonathan continues: Had he kept the commandments which I appointed to him, he
would have lived and subsisted as the tree of life forever. But now, because he did not
keep what I had prescribed, it is decreed against him that we keep him from the Garden
of Eden.

Jerusalem: For the Torah is the tree of life, and whoever keeps it in this life lives and
sustains (himself) as the tree of life. The Torah is good to keep in this world as the fruit of
the tree of life in the world that is coming.

CHERUVIM (3:24) = cherubim, or angels. The following is from bible.ort.org:

Rashi notes that they are angels of destruction. Man is told that he must
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eventually die and is banished from paradise. He can only return to paradise after
death, and before doing so, he must pass by these angels of purgatory (Bachya).
The prophet must also pass these angels to approach the Tree of Life and obtain a
vision. This is the significance of the cherubim on the Ark (Exodus 25:18), and
those seen in Ezekiel's vision (Ezekiel 1:5, 10:15). (Rambam on Exodus 25:18).

Genesis 4 Targum notes

VATELED ET-KAYIN VATOMER KANITI ISH-ET YAHWEH (4:1) = and (Eve)
brought forth Cain, saying, I have gained (kaniti) a man from Yahweh. Cain means
possession or to gain/get and as such there is no hint of morality of righteousness
inherent in the meaning of his name.

VAYEHI MIKETS YAMIM (4:3) = Literally: and the days ended or and it was the
end of days. More idiomatically (and easier) it means and an era came to an end or
the age ended. This is because Cain was the first human being to be born without direct
intervention from Abba YHWH to make him. In other words, Abba YHWH formed
Adam from the dust and He formed Eve out of Adams rib, but Cain came about through
the same natural reproduction as the rest of the human race. (No, this does not impact on
our previous discussion of pre-Adamic races possibly being around and that is a separate
topic for another time.)

Jonathan and Jerusalem explain the phrase, sin crouches at your door (4:7):

If you do not do your work in this world well, your sin is held over until the great day of
judgment, and at the doors of your heart lay your sin. And into your hand I have
delivered the power to overcome evil passion, and to you will be the desire, so that you
will have the authority over it to become righteous and not sin.

Cain in Jerusalem Targum is more respectful, saying, Nevertheless there is power
before you (YHWH) to absolve and forgive me.

Then Onkelos, which is normally extremely literal, gives more insight on Cains mark:
And YHWH appointed a sign for Cain, sealed upon Cains face the mark of the Great
Name and honorable, unless anyone finding him should strike him down.

Septuagint and Targum Jonathan record Cains utterance to his brother: Let us go out
into the field. The omission is very obvious and the Masoretic does not make sense
without it or some other phrase in the text.

But Jonathan Targum really expands this discussion excessively and concludes: And
because of these words they had contention on the face of the field, and Cain rose up
against his brother Abel and drove a stone into his forehead and killed him.

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VANAD TIHYEH VAARETS (4:12) = and separated you will on the earth. NAD
(separate) may be related to NIDDAH (separation) rules that are given to men and
women later on. It is our sin that separates us from Abba YHWH.

VAACHOT TUVAL KAYIN NAAMAH (4:21) = and the sister of Tuval Cain was
Naamah. Some sources say this lady would become Noahs wife, perhaps due to the
similar sound and meaning of their names, both meaning comfort.

NOTE FOR 4:23: Some traditions state that Lamech has already killed Cain and Tuval
Cain in spite of the mark and warning on Cain. If so, this would mean the first person to
have more than one wife is also the first serial killer! But this would be true in any case,
because Lamech has already admitted to killing two people of some sort. Others think
Cain died much later, with his city walls falling over top of him.

Finally, when 4:26 says, at that time, men began to call on the Name of YHWH,
Jerusalem ironically points out: That was the generation in whose days they began to
err, and to make themselves idols, and gave to their idols the name of the Word of
YHWH.

Onkelos: In his days men ceased from praying in the name of YHWH.

This was obviously an attempt to support the rabbinic ban on the name which had been in
effect for centuries prior to this Targum but was not when the Torah was originally
written!

Genesis 5 Targum notes

Genesis 5:5

Jerusalem: for before Eve had given birth to Cain, who was not like (Seth), and Abel
was killed by (Cains) hand. And Cain was cast out, neither is his seed recorded in the
Book of the Lineage of Adam. But afterwards was born one like (Abel), and he called his
name Seth.

When it comes to more info on Enoch (5:26), the Samaritan version says an angel took
him, rather than YHWH directly. Jonathan, affirming mystical traditions, says:

Enoch worshipped (or served) in truth before YHWH after he had fathered Methuselah
three hundred years, and fathered other sons and daughters. And Enoch served in truth
before YHWH; and behold, he was not with the sojourners of the earth; for he was
withdrawn, and he ascended into the firmament of the Word before YHWH, and his
name was called Metatron the Great Seraph.

Other testimonies on Enoch:

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Onkelos: and Enoch pleased YHWH, because to do YHWHs will is literally the way
to walk (halakh) with him.

Jerusalem: For he was withdrawn by the Word from before YHWH.

Peshitta Tanakh: For YHWH had not made him to die.

Genesis 6 Targum notes

The only divergence in the rest of the parsha is with some copies of Onkelos 6:7-8: And
he said, I have created (them) to be good that they might be perfect upon the earth; but
they have not been perfect in their outspreading, and YHWH said, I will blot them out.
But Noah found favor in the eyes of YHWH.

VAYIRU BENEY HA ELOHIM (6:2) = and saw the sons of Elohim. It is possible that
Elohim is referring to earthly powers, or mighty ones and so some translate as sons
of rulers. Others of course maintain these are angelswe have explored that before.

NEPHILIM (6:4) = Literally, fallen ones, leading some to propose they are the sons of
fallen angels but fallen can also relate to the fallen or immoral state of humanity at this
time, this is actually given because in 120 years Abba YHWH plans to destroy all
mankind in the Flood, not because of any age limitations on man. After all, Abraham
lived 175 years, Isaac 180, Jacob 147 and even Aaron lived 123 years.
VAYINACHAM (6:6) = and He (YHWH) regretted. Some translations say repented
but this implies that YHWH did wrong by making man. Instead, Abba YHWH had
REGRET that man had become so wicked.

13


Special Bonus! Spotlight on the Three Uses of Adam


Adam as
Humans,
Humanity,
Mankind or the
Human Race
Adam as man, a
man, or the man
Adam as in a man
whose name is Adam
Hebrew
Terms/Comments
Chronological
Analysis
(read this all the
way through in
isolation to the
others first)!
Note: These
references in
Genesis 1:26-27
are meant as
collective
descriptors. In 1:26
the first use of
Mankind denotes
both the first man
Zakar and all his
male descendants
that come after him,
including the man
Adam later on. The
rulership language
suggests also that
1:26 is referencing
the males who are
put in charge of the
earth. But in 1:27
Mankind or
humanity is
classified into male
and female
varieties, and the
first people were
called Zakar and
Niqevah, from
which the

Note: The first
reference to Adam
here is in
anticipation of his
creation which is
about to happen. In
this case it is a
descriptor of a
species, an Adamic
type of human that
is being referenced.
2:5 And no plant of
the field was yet in
the earth, and no
herb of the field
had yet sprung up;
for YHWH Elohim
had not caused it to
rain upon the earth:
and there was no
Adam (Man) to till
the ground; 6 but
there went up a
mist
11
from the
earth, and watered
the whole face of
the ground.
12
7 And
YHWH Elohim
Note: In these
references there is no
the. It is just to
Adam, indicating a
proper name.
3:17 And to [he who
was named] Adam
23
he
said, Because you have
listened to the voice of
your wife, and have
eaten of the tree, of
which I commanded
you, saying, You will
not eat of it: cursed is
the ground for your
sake; in toil you shall
eat of it all the days of
your life; 18 thorns also
and thistles shall it
bring forth to you; and
you will eat the herb of
the field; 19 in the
sweat of your face you
will eat bread, till you
return to the ground;
for out of it you were
taken: for dust you are,
and to dust you will
return.



(Gen 1:26 WTT)



(Gen 1:27 WTT)

The only real
difference between
1:26 and 1:27 is a
slightly different
grammatical
construction.
Naaseh adam
betzalmanu ki-
damota (let us
create Adam [as
mankind] in our
image, after our
likeness) in 1:26,
is in 1:27 used
with the direct
object in Vayivara
Elohim et-ha-
Adam betzelmo

11
Or possibly, as Etheridge notes in Onkelos, a cloud.
12
Jonathan: But a cloud of glory descended from the throne of glory and was filled with the waters of the
ocean, and then went up from the earth and gave rain to come down and water all the face of the ground.
14


adjectives male
and female are
derived.
1:26 And Elohim
said: Let us make
Mankind in our
image, after our
likeness; and let
them have
dominion over the
fish of the sea, and
over the fowl of the
air, and over the
cattle, and over all
the earth, and over
every creeping
thing that creeps
upon the earth.

27 And Elohim
created Mankind
4

in His own image
5
,
in the image of
Elohim created He
him
6
; male and
female
7
[or as
formed Adam
(Man
13
) of the dust
of the ground, and
breathed into his
nostrils the breath
14

of life; and the
Adam (Man)
became a living
soul
15
. 8 And
YHWH Elohim
planted a garden
eastward, in Eden;
and there he put the
Adam (Man)
whom he had
formed.

15 And YHWH
Elohim took the
Adam (Man), and
put him into the
garden of Eden to
care for it and to
keep it
16
. 16 And
YHWH Elohim

21 And YHWH Elohim
made for [the man who
was named] Adam and
for his wife coats of
skins, and clothed
them.

Note: Genesis 5:1-2 is
using the generic
Mankind/humanity to
describe the creation of
the children of Elohim
in Genesis 1. By
contrast5:3 is talking
about the lineage of the
man named Adam.

5:3 But (the man
named) Adam
24
lived a
hundred and thirty
years, and gave birth to
a son in his own
likeness, after his
image; and called his
(And Elohim
created THE
Adam in His
Image. The use
of the ET demands
the HA or the
definite article and
the conjugation
switches from us
to his image, but
the concepts are
the same in both
passages.





(Gen 1:27 WTT)


7



23
Here the Hebrew says ulAdam without a definite article of ha/the. This is the moment that the Man gets
his proper name of Adam.

4
In this case adam is broad classification designating the human race, of which the specific types of
male and female are given. It is also possible to look male and female as names, Zakar and Niqevah.
Zakar means remembrance
5
Jerusalem: And the Memra (Word) of YHWH created man in His likeness, in the resemblance of the
Presence of YHWH he created them, both the man and his helper.
Jonathan: In the image of YHWH He created him with two hundred and forty-eight bones and with three
hundred and sixty-five nerves, and draped over them skin, and filled it with flesh and blood.
An obvious riff on Talmudic commentaries that emphasized the positive commandments of YHWH at
248 and the negative as 365, the latter of course referring to the days of the year. This Targum is also a
witness to some of the assertions I made in Wheel of Stars regarding the original solar calendar.
6
The people in Genesis 1, the male and the female are only made in Elohims image but not breathed
into by Elohim as Adam and Eve are. As a result, the people in Genesis 1 are best referred to as
sons/children of Elohim as opposed to sons/children of Adam. In Genesis 6, the sons of Elohimthe
Genesis 1 peoplewill mate with the daughters of Adam who spread upon adamah, the land, and the
result will be the Nephilim.
7
Male (zakhar, which also means remembrance) and female (niqevah) are never used as titles for Adam
and Eve who clearly are formed after Abba YHWH rested on the Shabbat in Genesis 2:1-4. This pair of
humans are made at the same time, whereas Adam is made first and then Eve. Also the first people here are
said to have been createdthe Hebrew word bara denotes a creation from nothingness, although these
first people were conformed to the image of Elohim, whereas Adam and Eve were not created but
15


proper names,
Zakar and Niqevah]
created He them.

5:1 This is the book
of the generations
of the species of
human beings in
the time He created
Mankind. He made
him
8
in the image
of Elohim, 2a male
and female [beings
named Zakar and
Niqevah]
9
. 2b He
created them and
commanded the
Adam (Man),
saying, Of every
tree of the garden
17

you may freely eat:
17 but of the tree of
the knowledge of
good and evil, you
shall not eat of it:
for in the day that
that you eat of it
you shall surely
die. 18 And YHWH
Elohim said, It is
not good that the
Adam (Man)
name Seth: 4 and the
days of Adam after he
gave birth to Seth were
eight hundred years
25
:
and he gave birth to
sons and daughters. 5
And all the days that
Adam lived were nine
hundred and thirty
years: and he died.

6:1 And it came to pass,
when the Adamites
began to multiply on
the face of (their
ancestral) ground
26
,






(Gen 1:27 WTT)

The context here
requires
Mankind or
humanity here
as a broad

formed, which means a re-manipulation of existing elements and not from nothing. Elohim breathes into
them which He does not do for the people in Genesis 1, though both the people in Genesis 1 and 2 are made
in His image.
13
The Hebrew here reads: ha-adam or the Man. Previously in Genesis 1 the two references in verse 26
and 27 referred to the humans and humanity respectively. Now in Genesis 2, starting with a fresh new
race of humans, the first person is simply called the Man both by the word adam and another word ish
which is more like husband. It will only be in Genesis 3 that the Man will get the term Adam as a
proper name. Until then, the phrase of ha-Adam is used throughout chapter 2 and well into chapter 3.
14
Jonathan: Neshama, or inspiration of life as Etheridge renders it, though neshama has other meanings as
well.
15
Etheridge on Onkelos, became a Discoursing spirit, or a thinking-speaking person.
16
If Adam (or the Man as he is called at this moment) is charged with guarding and caring for Eden, he
cannot do that and simultaneously be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it which was the
charge laid on the first male and female in Genesis 1.
24
Now the Adamite line is given. Perhaps the reason why the lineage of previous race is not given is
because Moshe knows the people in Genesis 1, as well as the wicked unnamed sons and daughters of Adam
on forward and the line of Cain, all perish in the flood. Moshe seems determined to not glorify three wicked
lineages of people by either naming them or their descendants.
8
Made him (masculine singular) actually can include the female as well because they are both named Adam
(Mankind), The use of a term like Mankind is a compound singularity in Hebrew and English (much like
how the one true El is called Elohim, the plural form, and yet the pronouns and verbs around the plural
word are always singular. It is an iron clad rule: Nouns and verbs in Hebrew must match both gender and
number, singular to singular and plural to plural. Deuteronomy 6:4 proves that Elohim IS ONE, that is,
singular.
9
Because both the male and the female are named Mankind/humanity, it is reasonable to posit the idea
that such a term was their collective name; therefore Zakar and Niqevah in this same context are their
individual names and not merely adjectives. The names give birth to the adjectives.
17
Samaritan: Paradise.
25
Onkelos: after he had brought forth his substitute.
26
These are literally the daughters of Adam who are mentioned but not named in Genesis 5:4, which
probably means they are wicked and the same holds true for all the other unnamed sons and daughters
attached to everyone from Seth all the way through to Lamech, Noahs father. The reason we can call them
Adamites is because they multiply across the face of the ground (adamah) as opposed to the face of the
earth (eretz) which is what the people in Genesis 1 are said to have done (1:26). This distinction between
ground (adamah) and earth (eretz) is very striking and deliberate. Only the descendants of Adam had
16


blessed them and
named them (all)
Mankind.

See the note in the
third column about
how 5:1-2 is about
the Genesis 1
people but 5:3 is
about the man
named Adam!

6:3 And YHWH
said, My spirit shall
not strive with
Mankind forever,
for that he also is
flesh: yet shall his
days be a hundred
and twenty years.
Note: In this case
both groups of
human races are
intended, the
people in Genesis 1
and the people in
Genesis 2.

6:5 And YHWH
saw that the
wickedness of
Mankind was great
in the earth, and
that every
imagination of the
thoughts of their
hearts was only evil
continually. 6 And
YHWH repented
should be alone; I
will make for him a
helpful partner,
19 And out of the
ground YHWH
Elohim formed
every beast of the
field and every bird
of the heavens; and
brought them to the
Adam (Man) to see
what he would call
them: and whatever
the Adam (Man)
called every living
creature that was
the name of it. 20
And the Adam
(Man) gave names
to all the cattle, and
to the birds of the
heavens, and to
every beast of the
field.
However, for the
Adam (Man) there
was no helpful
partner to be found
for him, to stand in
front with him
18
. 21
And YHWH
Elohim caused a
deep sleep to fall
upon the Adam
(Man), and he
slept; and he took
one of his ribs, and
closed up the flesh
there:
and daughters were
born to them, 2 that the
sons of Elohim saw the
daughters of (the man
named) Adam were
very beautiful; and they
took them as wives of
all that they chose.

Note: Footnote 26
explains how these are
Adamites are the
lineal descendants of
the man named Adam.
First it talks about how
both genders multiplied
from their ancestor
Adam, but then it
switches to talking
about just the
daughters (or
granddaughters, great-
grand-daughters, etc.)
of the man Adam
interbreeding as wives
of the children of
Elohim. As far as I
know, 6:1 is the only
place that specifically
refers to the Adamites
as a people or
individual race.

6:4 The Nephilim were
in the earth in those
days, and also after
that, when the sons of
Elohim came to the
daughters of (the man
category in the
singular masculine
(one synagogue,
many members
inside it), from
which the types of
humansmale
and femaleare
given to describe it
better. However,
these are proper
names as well as
adjectives.



(Gen 2:5 WTT)

ve'adam ayin
la'avod et-
ha'adamah.

A linkage between
Adam and
adamah
(ground) because
the man came
from this ground
in this place
whereas the man
in Gen 1 was not
formed by
breathing into the
dust of the ground.
Verse 2:6 is
foreshadowing
what is about to
happen in 2:7.

the dust of the ground breathed into them by Elohim. The older race did not. Therefore the Adamites are
linked linguistically and thematically to their own native soil.
18
The Hebrew term Ezer-Kenegdo literally means the helper who stands in front, which means that
woman was meant to complement man eye to eye, as someone who is equally important yet not identical to
man. To stand in front is revealing as a way of showing woman in covenantal relationship, whereas a slave
would bow down to man or a servant walk behind him. But it is equally important to note that the same
word does not allow for woman to be above man either. A good discussion of genders sharing power is
given in Proverbs 31 and Ephesians 4-5.
17


that he had made
Mankind on the
earth, and it grieved
him at his heart. 7
And YHWH said, I
will destroy
Mankind whom I
have created from
the face of the
ground; both man,
and beast, and
creeping things,
and birds of the
heavens; for it
repents me that I
have made them.
10


22 And the rib,
which YHWH
Elohim had taken
from the Adam
(Man), made he a
Woman, and
brought her to the
Adam (Man). 23
And the Adam
(Man) said, This is
now bone of my
bones, and flesh of
my flesh: she shall
be called Woman,
because she was
taken out of the Ish
(Man). 24
Therefore shall an
Ish [a man
19
] leave
his father and his
mother, and shall
cleave to his wife:
and they shall be
one flesh. 25 And
they were both
naked, the Adam
(Man) and his
wife, and were not
ashamed.

.
20
:3:8 And they
heard the voice of
named) Adam, and
they gave birth to
children to them: the
same were the mighty
men that were of old,
the men of renown.
27


7







(Gen 2:-7 WTT)

8





(Gen 2:8 WTT)

This line is 2:8 is
very important.
Vayita Yahweh
Elohim gan-
be'Eden mikedem
vayasem sham et-
ha'adam asher
yatsar.
Yatzar (formed, or

10
Although in Genesis 6:5-7 the text consistently renders man in singular form and with matching
singular verbs, it is equally clear that man is meant as a plurality of human beings under a single class
of man that includes both Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 people except for Noah and his family. So when we
are told man and beast will be destroyed, it is not just one man and one beast done in by the flood but
many of each group under the singular heading of each species.
19
This is ish which can mean either man or husband rather than adam.
20
Jerusalem: and they made them into vestments.
27
Certainly these Nephilim were not giants. The word Nephilim means fallen ones in Hebrew and
many legends attempted to supply the reason for their fall by suggesting angels procreated with women and
created a hybrid race of giants. In addition to the references in Enochian literature, both Philo and Josephus
also subscribed to this theory. However, Messiah Yshua said, In the resurrection people will not marry
nor be given in marriage but will be like the angels of heavenmeaning angels cannot marry human
females as the sons of Elohimthe people in Genesis 1clearly did on this occasion. Instead, I believe
the reason they fell was much less exciting: By direct mention, the children of Elohim married the
daughters of Adam and then inherited Adams sin through marriage and procreation, since all die through
Adam (1 Corinthians 15:22). As for them being men of renown, this manifests in two ways. First, they
18


YHWH Elohim
walking in the
garden in the cool
of the day and the
Adam (Man) and
his wife hid
themselves from
the presence of
YHWH Elohim
amongst the trees
of the garden. 9
And YHWH
Elohim called to
the Adam (Man),
and said to him,
Where are you?

10 And he said, I
heard your voice in
the garden, and I
was afraid, because
I was naked; and I
hid myself. 11 And
he said, Who told
you that you were
naked? Have you
eaten of the tree,
which I
commanded you
that you should not
eat from? 12 And
the Adam (Man)
said, The Woman
whom you gave to
be with me, she
gave me of the tree,
and I did eat. 13
And YHWH
Elohim said to the
more precisely,
sculpted) refers to
making something
from already pre-
existing
materials
different from
baracreating out
of nothing.
Et-ha-adam here
also is because
Eve is not yet
madethis is just
referring to the
singular man made
in Genesis 2. Same
thing in 2:15,
16,18, 19,20,21,22
and 23. In 2:24,
once Eve is taken
from Adams rib,
the man is called
ISH rather ADAM
as a general
descriptor, but the
use of ADAM as
man is not
discontinued;
rather ISH is
added to this
group because
their ancestor had
his wife (ISHAH)
come out of him.
By contrast ISH is
not used for the
man in Genesis 1.
ADAM returns as
man in Genesis

are descendants from the first male (Zakhar) whose name means remembrance and second they probably
built up all the civilizations that Cain was terrified he would run into when he ran from his family
inheritance and decided to build a city in Genesis 4. Finally, the Nephilim that are alleged to have been
around in Numbers 13 were the product of exaggeration or deception on the part of the evil spies who are
said to have brought a false report back on the land of Canaan. The two parts of the report were that the
land was fruitful, which was true as evidenced by the grapes they brought back. Therefore, only the part
about their being giants of Anak, allegedly descended from the Nephilim could be false. Goliath was a
giant and not part of the Nephilim as were several others.
19


Woman, What is
this you have
done?

20 And the Adam
(Man) called his
wife's name Eve;
because she was
the mother of all
living
21
.

22 And YHWH
Elohim said,
Behold, the Adam
(Man, but may
include Eve as well
here, see notes last
column for this
verse) is become as
one of us, knowing
good and evil 23
therefore YHWH
Elohim sent him
forth from the
Garden of Eden, to
till the ground from
where he was
taken.
24 So he drove out
the Adam (Man);
and he placed at
the east of the
Garden of Eden the
Cherubim, and the
flame of a sword
which turned every
way, to keep the
way of the tree of
life.

4:1 And the Adam
(Man) knew Eve
his wife; and she
conceived, and
3:8-9 AFTER
Adam sins and
eats the fruit. It is
almost a kind of
demotion for him
after being
elevated to ISH or
husband, and so
it is also the case
in 3:12.
But in 3:16, Adam
returns as ISH
because Abba
YHWH is
reminding Eve that
her HUSBAND
rules over her. To
show that, the fact
is brought up that
she came from his
rib. This was not
because Adam
himself was
immediately
restored or
forgiven, but
rather to explain
the point of his
status to his wife.
17

(Gen 3:17 WTT)

Here however,
another change.
The phrase above
Ule-Adam amar,
the grammar
indicates this is
being address to a
NAMED person as
ADAM has now
become the
official PROPER

21
This is not a contradiction or in conflict with the other evidence of pre-Adamic peoples upon the earth.
There are two possibilities
20


gave birth to Cain,
and said, I have
gotten an Ish (man)
with the help of
YHWH.

6:1And it came to
pass, when the
Adamites began to
multiply on the
face of the
ground
22
, and
daughters were
born to them, 2 that
the sons of Elohim
saw the daughters
of the Adam
(human) were very
beautiful; and they
took them as wives
of all that they
chose.







NAME of the
man (ha-adam).

However, in 3:20
it shifts back to
Vayikra ha-adam
shem ishto
Chavah, or THE
ADAMas
opposed to the
man named
Adamnamed
his wife Eve

3:21 though we
are back to the
man named
Adam as it reads:
Vayaas Yahweh
Elohim LE-ADAM
ule-ishto kotnot,
or Yahweh
Elohim made
coverings for
Adam and his
wife. This
construction is
once more for a
proper name.
22




(Gen 3:22 WTT)

And said Yahweh,

22
These are literally the daughters of Adam who are mentioned but not named in Genesis 5:4, which
probably means they are wicked and the same holds true for all the other unnamed sons and daughters
attached to everyone from Seth all the way through to Lamech, Noahs father. The reason we can call them
Adamites is because they multiply across the face of the ground (adamah) as opposed to the face of the
earth (eretz) which is what the people in Genesis 1 are said to have done (1:26). This distinction between
ground (adamah) and earth (eretz) is very striking and deliberate. Only the descendants of Adam had
the dust of the ground breathed into them by Elohim. The older race did not. Therefore the Adamites are
linked linguistically and thematically to their own native soil.
21


Man has become
like one of us,
knowing good and
evil. Since BOTH
Adam and Eve
know good and
evil, the phrase
ADAM must
apply to both of
them! It is with a
THE so you could
say the humans.
Same with 3:24, as
BOTH Adam and
Eve were driven
out of Eden, but it
only says HA
ADAM.

Man is not
mentioned in 3:23
directly but it is
implied.
In 4:1 it is simply
the man knew his
wife, not
referring to his
name, but his
category.

4:25 however,
reads Vayeda
Adam od et ishto,
And knew again
Adam his wife, or
Adam knew his
wife once more, so
here it is a proper
name again.

Like the 4:25
reference, both the
male and the
female (of Gen 1)
are referred to here
in 5:1 under
Adam as an
22


umbrella term.
This is confirmed
in 5:2He blessed
THEM and named
THEM Adam, so
it cant just be
man singular,
but Mankind for
both of them
collectively.
Individually then
they are called
Zakar and
Niqevah, male and
female. Lets
reproduce 5:1 and
5:2 for that
purpose:

5:1 This is the
book of the
generations of the
species of human
beings in the time
He created
Mankind. He
made him in the
image of Elohim,
2a male and female
[beings named
Zakar and
Niqevah]. 2b He
created them and
blessed them and
named them (all)
Mankind.

By contrast, 5:3 is
I believe clearly
switching focus,
referring now just
to the man named
Adam as only he
has turned 130
years old, had
Seth, etc.
23


In other words
5:1-2 uses Adam
in a collective
PLURAL sense
for the male and
female; 5:3
switches to a
singular NAMED
Adam exclusively.

Please see Column
#3 about Genesis
6:1-2 and Column
#1 for 6:3-8.







Torah Question of the Week:
The Nephilim are also called men of renownwhat are they famous for?

END PART 1

24


PART 2: THE HAFTORAH

Torah Question of the Week:
The Nephilim are also called men of renownwhat are they famous for?

No one really knows, but my best guess is, creating the civilization that may have existed
up until that time. I am however open to other suggestions.


1) Haftorah portion: (English- Isaiah 42:5-43:10) and discuss common themes with the
Torah portion. Read entire portion first.

2) Our linguistic commentary

Koh-amar ha'El Yahweh bore hashamayim venoteyhem roka ha'arets
vetse'etsa'eyha noten neshamah la'am aleyha veruach laholechim bah.

Ani Yahweh kraticha vetsedek ve'achzek beyadecha ve'etsorcha
ve'etencha livrit am le'or goyim.

Lifkoach eynayim iverot lehotsi mimasger asir mibeyt kele yoshvey
choshech.

BORE HASHAMAYIM VENOTEYCHEM ROKA HAARETS (42:5) = made the
heavens and stretched them out and (Who) spread out the earth. RAKIA and
NATAH both mean to incline, stretch out in the sense of sculpting Creation. In a
bad sense, perversion happens when what is made perfect is stretched out beyond
its original shape and this is true physically as well as morally.

VEETENCHA LIVRIT AM LEOR GOYIM (42:6) = and fashioned you into a
covenant for the people and a light for the nations. Covenant (breet) is in Creation
(Bereshit) and light (AUR) is in the Aramaic word for the Torah (AURAYTA).
These concepts are all connected at the most base level.

ANI YAHWEH HU SHEMI UCHVODI LEACHER LO ETEN UTEHALITI
LAPSIIM (42:8) = I am Yahweh. I will not give My Name to another or My Praise
to carved images. One of the clearest statements in all Tanakh that we are not to
substitute YHWHs Name for other gods or titles that He did not sanction. It is
interesting that the same Rabbis who perpetuated the ban on His Name marry this
Haftorah with Bereshit, since 4:26 clearly says, At that time, men began to call on
the name of Yahweh!

HARISHONOT HINEH VAU VECHADASHOT ANI MAGID BETEREM
TITSMACHAH ASHMIA ETCHEM (42:9) = Behold, the previous things have come
to pass and I am declaring NEW (chadash) things and I am telling you of them
25


BEFORE they spring forth. This is a key clue about how to determine the New
Moon. CHADASH is the same word as CHODESH, the word which means new
moon. As we see here, the NEW things that are declared are BEFORE they spring
forth. The waxing crescent of the new moon has SPRUNG forth alreadypossibly
for as much as 2 days since it was born so that cannot be NEW!

SHIRU LYAHWEH SHIR CHADASH (42:11) = Sing to Yahweh a new song.
Again, following the same theme above, this NEW song has NEVER gone forth
but just was bornlike the new moon.

Classic Torah Thought for the Week:
The Adventures of Rabbi Adam

Throughout this past year we have seen on many occasions both lofty insights and
seismic pitfalls of what we call the Oral Law of the Rabbis. Very often the claim is made
that when the Written Torah was given on Mount Sinai to Moshe, a secret Oral Torah
was passed on to the elders who would eventually become the Great Assembly, then the
Sanhedrin and finally Orthodox Judaism in its current form. These are the actual words of
the Sayings of the Fathers, or Pirkei Avot:

Moses received the Law on Sinai and delivered it to Joshua; Joshua in turn handed it
down to the Elders; from the Elders it descended to the prophets and each of them
delivered it to his successors until it reached the men of the Great Assembly. The last,
named originated three maxims: "Be not hasty in judgment; Bring up many disciples;
and, Erect safe guards for the Law." (Rodkinson Mishnah, Sayings of the Fathers,
1:1)

These safeguards for the Law that Rodkinson mentions we would call FENCES today,
or syag in the Aramaic dialect of the Mishnah (yes the Talmud was done in Aramaic, not
Hebrew).

Now, even though the Talmud itself continuously admits that the Rabbis are debating one
another and in effect making new rulings throughout the Middle Ages and even into the
Renaissance, they hold to the idea that the core of their rulings come from this Oral Law
and to be sure, that core was around in the time of Yshua as well which is why he said

Mat 15:1 Then the scribes and the Pharisees who were from Urishlim drew near
to Y'shua and said, Mat 15:2 "Why do your disciples transgress against the
traditions of the elders and do not wash their hands when they eat bread?" Mat
15:3 Then Y'shua answered and said to them, "Why also do you transgress
against the Commandments of Elohim because of your traditions? Mat 15:4
For Elohim said, 'Honor your father and mother, and anyone who reviles his
father and his mother let him be put to death.'" Mat 15:5 "But you say anyone
who says to a father or to a mother, 'My offering is whatever you have gained by
me,' then he does not need to honor his father or mother. Mat 15:6 And you
nullify the Word of Elohim because of your tradition.
26



Now though I want to throw in my surprise for this week. While I cannot possibly
sanction Rabbinic Oral Law going all the way back to MosheI can in this instance
support the core of Oral Law going back to Adam!

Why would I do this? Because, as we are about to see, having that core go back to Adam
is not necessarily a good thing! Let me explain. First, Adam gets a job to do that would
be the envy of any rabbi.

19
So from the soil Yahweh God fashioned all the wild animals and all the birds of
heaven. These he brought to the man to see what he would call them; each one was to
bear the name the man would give it.
20
The man gave names to all the cattle, all the
birds of heaven and all the wild animals. (Genesis 2:19-20 NJB)

The concept of naming the essence of things goes back to the very beginnings of our
race. As believers, it is a core tenet of our faith to assert that monotheismYHWH
walking in the gardenwas the original faith and paganism came later only to have
monotheism return with greater force later.

And so in the early forms of pagan-corrupted belief, Adam naming all the creatures gets
perverted into the story of a god-hero named Bel or Marduk. He is said to have
combatted the evil serpent Tiamat (perhaps from Hebrew TANIYN Genesis 1:25?) with
100 sacred words or names that cast a magic spell over the beast-serpent and from its
carcass the earth was said to be made.

However, this idea surprisingly also survived into the Rabbinic period. The founder of
Hasidim, a form of Orthodoxy that is akin to what Pentecostalism is in Christianity, took
the title of Baal Shem Tov which translates as Master of the Good Name in English,
so here again the Rabbis love to name things and then they love to classify and codify
that which they have named.

And all this at last brings us back to Adam the Rabbi. Abba YHWH gave Adam only two
commandments to worry about. First, be fruitful and multiplyno problem there. But
the second command created the first rabbinic fence or Oral Law within the Torah

16
Then Yahweh God gave the man this command, 'You are free to eat of all the trees
in the garden.
17
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you are not to eat;
for, the day you eat of that, you are doomed to die.' (Genesis 2:16-17 NJB)

In other words, that Tree of Knowledge is not kosher. Dont eat from it! Simple right?
Clear as day right? No fruit from that tree! And if Adam just teaches that precept to Eve
and ONLY that precept, all will be well, not just for them, but for the human race.

But that doesnt happenand the question is, why? Its tempting to blame the serpent.
He was, after all, the craftiest of all the animals. He knew how to flatter, persuade and
cajole. But, at the end of the day, if the ORIGINAL instructions and ONLY the original
27


instructions are followed, if nothing is added to nor taken away from that instruction, the
serpent is powerless to deceive anyone. He can lie and pontificate all day long and it
wont matter one bit. So thats why I say that the culprit to all our problems was nothing
less than the first bit of Oral Law in history. Adam has two commandments to keep and
teach and 1 talmid (student) to teach in the form of Eve. And yet, Adam just couldnt
help building the first Rabbinic fence which he passed down to Eve

2
The woman answered the snake, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden.
3

But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, "You must not eat it,
nor touch it, under pain of death." (Genesis 3:2-3 NJB)

Now lets wait a minute here! Where did YHWH say not to TOUCH the tree or its fruit?
He never did! He said dont EAT the fruitnothing about touching it.

But some might argue: So what? Its a sensible precaution. If I dont TOUCH the fruit,
I cant eat it! Well heres why we should never go beyond what YHWH has told us,
because all the serpent has to do is challenge the Oral Law

4
Then the snake said to the woman, 'No! You will not die!
5
God knows in fact that
the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good
from evil.'
6
The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye and
that it was enticing for the wisdom that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and
ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis
3:4-6 NJB)

So Eve takes the fruit and TOUCHES it then smells it. Nothing bad happens, because
YHWH did not connect touching or smelling the fruit with death. But for Eve, this is
evidence that it MUST be okay to eat the fruit and that is what brings about her death, her
husbands death and by the way, the death of the entire human race before Yshua!!! So
much for Oral Law!

From there the serpent puts on his little teacher hat and gives a MIDRASH on the
commands and says several true statements, but cleverly arranges them in a fashion as to
tell an overall lie. It is true, for example, that

1) YHWH knows good and evil.
2) The day they eat of the Tree of Knowledge they will be like YHWH, knowing good
and evil.
3) YHWH, the one True Elohim, does not die.

But heres the lie. The lie is to tacitly suggest that YHWH has denied Adam and Eve this
fruit because He fears they will become His competition. This then leads to the even
greater lie that once they have this knowledge and are like Elohim in that regard, they
will also be like Him and have eternal life! Instead, they already HAD eternal life and
they LOST it because they disobeyed Him! This is what going beyond the
28


Commandment does. Keeping it brings life and expanding or clarifying from the
mans point of view brings death!

And finally, in years past I sort of opened myself up to trouble on this teaching by
suggesting that Eve was the first Rabbi because she is the first one to TEACH A FENCE,
which she does to the serpent.

However, I got pushback on that idea from some very determined ladies who pointed out
the command was given to Adam and it was Adams responsibility to teach it to Eve. If
Eve got the commandment wrong or didnt get it at all, is that her fault? Wasnt she just
being submissive to her husband?

Well, yes and no, because technically speaking the phrase your yearning shall be for
your husband and he shall rule over you only comes AFTER the Fall. Prior to that, Eve
is called EZER-KENEGDO, or the helper who stands in front, meaning she is eye to
eye with Adam and may not at that point be under him per se. And is it necessarily the
fault of a rabbi if his student fails after being diligently taught or rebels later, when Adam
was not present at the time the serpent came to Eve?

Because of the vagueness on this point, it is hard to be certain, but it is that precise lack
of certainty that is my overriding pointthat IS the problem! Once the bad teaching gets
out and spreads and keeps getting passed down as Gospel (forgive the pun), the line
between the teacher and the student being at fault blurs to a great extent.

That is why, at this Set-Apart time of year when everything re-sets, even the Torah
readings back to Genesis 1, we should re-set ourselves and re-dedicate ourselves to the
Written Torah of Moshe as kept by our Mashiyach, Maran Yshua, because we should
not ever fall under this rebuke of his

Joh 5:37 And the Father who sent me testifies concerning me. You have never heard His
voice, nor have you seen His appearance. Joh 5:38 And His Word does not dwell in you
because you do not believe in him whom He sent. Joh 5:39 Search the Scriptures,
because in them you think you have that life that is eternal, and they testify concerning
me. Joh 5:40 And you do not desire to come to me, that you may have that life that is
eternal.

May we then all take careful thought at this time and cling to the Word and who through
eternal life comes!

3) Renewed Covenant portion: (English). Yochanan 1:1-18 (all the way through with
applicable footnotes.)

John 1:1

1) The phrase B'resheet aytohi hwa miltha breaks a most basic rule of Aramaic grammar
by combining a feminine noun (miltha) with two masculine verbs for "to be" (aytohi,
29


hwa). This is unheard of in Aramaic literature other than right here in this passage and in
1 John. This shows YHWH has male and female "images/spirits" even though YHWH
remains a He. It may also be a midrash on Isa_11:1-2, which describes the Spirit of
YHWH descending on Mashiyach using both masculine and feminine suffixes. This is
not something easily translated, let alone when it occurs within the first four words. See
Feminine Attributes in Appendix.

2) Miltha has no direct English equivalent. It can mean 'Word', 'Manifestation',
'Instance' or 'Substance' among other things. In this context, it may best be left
untranslated. (PY)

John 1:2

3) Fulfilling Messianic prophecy: Mashiyach (ruler of Israel) to have origins of the
ancient past Mic_5:2; Isa_48:16. Bear in mind that Micah is referring to the spiritual
Israel of Elohim, those of the Kingdom of Heaven according to the circumcision of
heart.

John 1:3

4) Literal Aramaic reading; "through his hands" indicates the Word as a creative force,
like a sculptor working under the orders of a king. See Psa_33:6; Isa_44:24; Isa_66:1-2.
Please see Alef Tav in Appendix.

John 1:4

5) While Abba YHWH is in sole command of the creation process, the his hands refers
to the Word from His mouth and that Word will become flesh as His Son. Since this is a
form of Yshua the him is in small letters. The same is done for Joh_1:10-12.
Although in another sense it is also accurate to say that Yshua is YHWH. See Luk_2:11
and 1Co_12:3.

John 1:5

6) Aramaic wordplay. Nohra bchashokha menhar (light in the darkness that shines) is a
deliberate mirror-reversal of menhar-nohra (menorah), which marks the conception of
the light of the world at Hanukkah. This puts the birth of Mashiyach nine months from
Hanukkah, during the fall feasts; many point to the first day of Feast of Tabernacles for
the date of Yshuas birth.

Extra note: This happens because first we take the phrase in darkness (bchashokha)
and literally put it into darkness by making it disappear. This leaves behind Nohra
menhar or light from the mountain, a reference to Mount Sinai and the Burning Bush.
When the mountain has thus informed us and done its job we fade it out too, leaving
behind Nohra men, the reverse of which is Menorah.

30


John 1:11

7) Fulfilling the Messianic prophecy: his own did not receive him Psa_69:9; Isa_53:3;
Dan_9:24-26.

John 1:14

8) Miltha refers to the "Manifestation" of the Ruach haKodesh within Mashiyach. The
physical body of Mashiyach is not the Word of YHWH, but his words and actions
demonstrate the Will and Word of YHWH, which upholds observance of Torah.
However, Christo-Pagans like Marcion and Constantine taught that Y'shua's body and
spirit manifest a different "word" that did away with Torah. The Word of YHWH was
substituted with dispensational and replacement "theologies," which are more popular
among Christians.

9) Isa_42:8; Isa_48:11

10) Ekhadaya is a beautiful term used among Eastern theologians and poets; it literally
means "THE ONE" (PY).

John 1:17

11) Shemot/Exo_34:5-6; D'varim/Deu_32:4; Psa_25:10; Psa_31:5; Psa_119:142;
Psa_119:151; Psa_146:5-6; Isa_65:16; Jer_4:1-2; Joh_17:17.

12) Gen_6:8; Shemot/Exo_33:12-17; Psa_84:11; Jer_31:1-3; see footnote 1Pe_5:10.

13) The Torah of Moshe is the Word of YHWH, but grace and truth revealed in Y'shua
are the impelling forces that uphold all righteousness and keep the Word of YHWH
(Torah) positioned in our hearts; these are complimentary, not opposites. It is according
to the Grace of the Father YHWH that Mashiyach is revealed in a person's heart; see
Joh_17:9-10. See Eighteen New Testament Misconceptions #12: Grace and Torah in
Appendix.
John 1:18

14) A wordplay exists between "b'Awba" (in the bosom) and "d'Abuhi" (of His Father)
(PY).


4) Highlight common themes in Aramaic (terms in footnotes which I will read):

5) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (We must know
where we came from to know where we are going. This time of the year is all about
renewal and repentance, progressing into a new and more righteous life and deeper
relationship with Abba YHWH. We do this is the SEVENTH month which, like the
seventh day or Shabbat is a process of perfecting and re-setting.)
31



6) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion (18
NT Misconceptions: #1 Fulfilling the Torah and #2 Destroying the Torah).

STUDY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NEXT WEEK

1) How does one word in Genesis 1:1 that cannot normally be translated become
part of what we are told about Yshua in the book of Revelation?

2) There is something very odd going on with the way the 6 creation days are
referred to, what is it?

3) What does the phrase greater light to rule the day and lesser night to rule the
night prove about the original Biblical calendar?

4) How does the image of Noah in the ark hint at our future destinymore than one
answer is possible.

5) Inherent in the curse YHWH gives Adam there is a clue about our future glory.
What is that clue? (There may be more than one correct answer here too but I
have only one in mind.)

Torah Thought for the Week:
Documenting a Failed Hypothesis and its Sequel


As this is the time of year that we begin reading Genesis all over again, it seemed a good
idea for me to try to dispel some of the popular myths about it. No dont worry. Im not
saying that Genesis itself is full of myths but that many secular-liberal scholars have
resorted to telling lots of myths about Genesis in order to get their doctorates, tenure or
any other mark in academia that proves they have officially arrived.

We need to face some very hard facts here. Most of the people whose job it is to be
professional Bible experts are themselves hostile to the historicity and authenticity of
the Bible. They range from the majority view in archaeology called Biblical
minimalism where the Bible is viewed as completely inaccurate, with everyone from
Adam to Solomon probably never having existed at all, to textual critics that think they
can prove our beloved Torah text is the product of the 7
th
or 6
th
centuries BCEa fable
told to people in exile. There are many such excesses in these fieldsdozens in fact that
have dismayed me over the yearsbut this week I am only focusing on two of them: The
so-called Documentary Hypothesis applied to the Torah and its just as evil but younger
brother, the Q Hypothesis for the Gospels.

These alleged theories are dangerous to all Biblical believers of any denomination,
because they either deny the history of the Tanakh by reducing Moshe to a legend or they
deny the clear testimony of Yshua HaMashiyachas if the Son of Yah who is also the
32


Word made flesh never knew where that same Word came from. Yshua and his apostles
tell us Moshe wrote all five Torah books; the liberal scholars say instead there was no
Moses and the text has come down to us from four distinct sources separated many
centuries from the events it is supposed to portray. Yshua and his apostles firmly
believe in the entire genealogy given from Adam to Abraham and Isaac to Solomon; the
liberal scholars say they dont know what they are talking aboutalmost all of these
people never existed. Yshua and his apostles affirm the integrity and historicity of all the
great prophets, including Isaiah and Daniel; but the liberal scholars think that at least two
and as many as four people wrote Isaiah and that Daniel is too accurate in prophecies
about Antiochus Epiphanes to have been written three centuries earlier, since everyone of
course knowsthey saythat prophecy is impossible. Never mind that Daniel, even if
their radical late date of his book is accepted, still accurately predicted the death of
Messiah Yshua to the very day from at least 200 years out.

If all this sounds a bit annoyingtrust metheres a lot more where they came from,
and I have not scratched the surface of even the really bad things these so-called experts
have been preaching over the last two centuries. Over and over again, they make
assertions with conviction but never retract themselves when the evidence for their ideas
literally crumbles at their feet. I have many examples of that phenomenon too, but again
thats not my focus.

So without further fanfare let me progress please to my actual point, starting with the so-
called Documentary Hypothesis. This theory was developed by German scholars in the
middle of the 19
th
century, at a time when Biblical skepticism was nearly at an all-time
high, that is to say, almost as bad as it is now.

In a nutshell, the Documentary Hypothesis alleges that instead of the Torah being written
by Moshethe solid position again of Messiah Yshuathat what we have is a highly
edited text weaved together many centuries later by four sources:

1) The J source, so named because it uses the Name Yahweh (German: Jahweh) in
its accounts.
2) The E source, so named because it uses the divine title of Elohim in its
accounts. These scholars then say, without any proof on their side whatsoever,
that the J source are stories derived from the Kingdom of Judah and the E
source are stories derived from the Kingdom of Israel.
3) The D source, for Deuteronomy, indicating that the 5
th
book of Moshe came
from a separate and very late editor.
4) The P source, another late editor, who is particularly concerned with the priestly
code, P being for priest.

Then at some even later time, another guy who is never named weaved these sources
together, allegedly resulting in the text we have now.

33


Heres the thing though: If thats true, then it should ALWAYS be the case that complete
original Judah stories only contain J (Yahweh) and complete original Israel stories
only contain E (Elohim), so lets put this idea to the test with Noah!

Noah Story According to J Noah Story According to E
7 And YHWH said to Noah, You and
your entire house come into the ark; for I
have seen you as righteous before me in
this generation. 2 Of every clean beast you
will take to yourself seven and seven, the
male and his female; and of the beasts that
are not clean two, the male and his female:
3 of the birds also of the heavens, seven
and seven, male and female, to keep seed
alive upon the face of all the earth.
4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to
rain upon the earth forty days and forty
nights; and every living thing that I have
made will I destroy from off the face of
the ground. 5 And Noah did according to
all that YHWH commanded him.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty
days and forty nights. 13 In the selfsame
day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham,
and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's
wife, and the three wives of his sons with
them, into the ark; 14 they, and every beast
after its kind, and all the cattle after their
kind, and every creeping thing that creep
upon the earth after its kind, and every
bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.
15 And they went in to Noah into the ark,
two and two of all flesh wherein is the
breath of life.

17 And the flood was forty days upon the
earth; and the waters increased, and bore
up the ark, and it was lifted up above the
earth. 18 And the waters prevailed, and
increased greatly upon the earth; and the
ark went upon the face of the waters. 19
And the waters prevailed exceedingly
upon the earth; and all the high mountains
that were under the whole heaven were
9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah
was a righteous man, and perfect in his
generations: Noah walked with Elohim. 10
And Noah fathered three sons, Shem, Ham,
and Japheth.

11 And the earth was corrupt before Elohim,
and the earth was filled with violence. 12
And Elohim saw the earth, and, behold, it
was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their
way upon the earth, 13 And Elohim said to
Noah, The end of all flesh is come before
me; for the earth is filled with violence
36

through them; and, behold, I will destroy
them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark
of gopher wood; rooms you will make in the
ark, and you will pitch it within and without
with pitch. 15 And this is how you will make
it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits,
the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height
of it thirty cubits. 16 A light you will make
to the ark, and to a cubit you will finish it
upward; and the door of the ark you will set
into the side; with lower, second, and third
stories you will make it. 17 And I, behold, I
do bring the flood of waters upon this earth,
to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of
life, from under heaven; everything that is in
the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish my
covenant with you; and you will come into
the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife,
and your sons' wives with you. 19 And of
every living thing of all flesh, two of every
sort you will bring into the ark, to keep them
alive with you; they shall be male and
female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, and
of the cattle after their kind, of every
creeping thing of the ground after its kind,
two of every sort shall come to you, to keep

36
Onkelos and Jonathan: rapines. Samaritan: oppressions. Jerusalem: (acts of) violence and frauds.
34


covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the
waters prevail; and the mountains were
covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved
upon the earth, both birds, and cattle, and
beasts, and every creeping thing that
creeps upon the earth, and every man: 22
all in whose nostrils was the breath of the
spirit of life, of all that was on the dry
land, died. 23 And every living thing was
destroyed that was upon the face of the
ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping
things, and birds of the heavens; and they
were destroyed from the earth: and Noah
only was left, and they that were with him
in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed
upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.

[Note: For this above text, 17-24, NO
references to either YHWH or Elohim
are present! How do the scholars know
which document source this part is
from??? I just made a guess, so I am
sure they did too! The only clue I had
was that quite a few of these details
were in the E account so I gave credit
to J. ]

20 And Noah built an altar to YHWH,
and took of every clean beast, and of
every clean bird, and offered burnt-
offerings on the altar. 21 And YHWH
smelled the sweet savor; and YHWH said
in his heart
28
, I will not again curse the
ground any more for man's sake, for that
the imagination of man's heart
29
is evil
from his youth
30
; neither will I again strike
at any more all that is living, as I have
done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime
them alive. 21 And take to yourself of all
food that is eaten, and gather it to you; and it
shall be for food for you, and for them. 22
Thus did Noah; according to all that Elohim
commanded him, so did he. 6 And Noah was
six hundred years old when the flood of
waters was upon the earth. 7 And Noah went
in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons'
wives with him, into the ark, because of the
waters of the flood. 8 Of clean beasts, and of
beasts that are not clean, and of birds, and of
everything that creeps upon the ground, 9
there went in two and two to Noah into the
ark, male and female, as Elohim
commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass
after the seven days, that the waters of the
flood were upon the earth. 11 In the six
hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second
month, on the seventeenth day of the month,
on the same day were all the fountains of the
great deep broken up, and the windows of
heaven were opened. 16 And they that went
in, went in male and female of all flesh, as
Elohim commanded him.

[Hardly any mention of the actual flood
from Elohim. We are only told the
windows of heaven were opened above
and then below, almost instantly, the
windows of heaven were stopped (8:2). I
guess the flood itself was not an
important detail for the Elohim
account!]
8 And Elohim
37
remembered Noah, and all
the beasts, and all the cattle that were with
him in the ark: and Elohim made a wind to
pass over the earth
38
, and the waters
assuaged; 2 the fountains also of the deep

28
Onkelos and Jonathan: in his Word.
29
Onkelos: the secret of the heart of man.
30
Onkelos: from his seirea (smallness/infancy).
35


and harvest, and cold and heat, and
summer and winter
31
, and day and night
shall not cease.
32


[Logic check! Where is Noah told by
J to get off of the ark. WHEN does
Noah get off the ark as J doesnt tell us,
or does he just build the altar inside?
Oh, I forgot, it was ELOHIM who told
Noah to get off the ark! Silly me! ]

20 And Noah began to be a husbandman
33
,
and planted a vineyard. 21 And he drank of
the wine
34
, and was intoxicated. And he
was naked within his tent. 22 And Ham,
the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of
his father, and told his two brethren
without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a
garment, and laid it upon both their
shoulders, and went backward, and
covered the nakedness of their father. And
their faces were backward, and they saw
not their father's nakedness. 24 And Noah
awoke from his wine, and knew
35
what his
youngest son had done to him. 25 And he
and the windows of heaven were stopped,
and the rain from heaven was restrained; 3
and the waters returned from off the earth
continually: and after the end of a hundred
and fifty days the waters decreased. 4 And
the ark rested in the seventh month
39
, on the
seventeenth day of the month, upon the
mountains of Ararat.
40


[Too bad the J source has NO IDEA
where Noah landed! Only E knows!]

5 And the waters decreased continually until
the tenth month
41
: in the tenth month, on the
first day of the month, were the tops of the
mountains seen.
6 And it came to pass at the end of forty
days, that Noah opened the window of the
ark which he had made: 7 and he sent forth a
raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the
waters were dried up from off the earth. 8
And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if
the waters were abated from off the face of
the ground; 9 but the dove found no rest for
the sole of her foot, and she returned to him

37
Jonathan: And YHWH in his Word remembered Noah.
38
Jonathan: YHWH made the wind (ruach) of mercies (rachamim) to pass over the earth and the waters
dried up. Jerusalem: And YHWH remembered in his mercies the good that was with Noah, and YHWH
caused the wind of mercies.
31
Jonathan here uses the word tequfa here, meaning season, course, cycle of nature, revolution of the
sun. The importance of this word in terms of the original heavenly calendar was discussed at length in the
AENT essay Wheel of Stars.
32
Jonathan: sowing in the season of Tishri and harvest in the season of Nisan and coldness in the season
of Tebeth, and warmth in the season of Tammuz, summer and winter, days and nights, shall not fail.
Jerusalem reads verbatim to the Masoretic Text here.
33
Jerusalem has a very questionable reading here: and Noah began to be a righteous man. The line is
perhaps misplaced because prior to this chapter Noah was long considered righteous in his generation and
the only sin he could have made was getting drunk and naked which had not happened yet.
34
Onkelos and Jonathan specifically say red wine, and it is nearly universally accepted that no other type
of wine is ever mentioned in Scripture.
35
Jonathan: and knew through a dream.
39
Jonathan: Which is Nisan, also known as Abib. This was before YHWH commanded Moses to make
Nisan/Abib the first month of the year as a commemoration of the Exodus.
40
Peshitta Tanakh and Onkelos clarify with: on the mountains of Kardu. Samaritan reads on the
mountains of Sarnedib. Jerusalem: upon the mountains of Qadron, and the name of the one mountain is
Qadrania. All are references to the ancient Armenian portion of Turkey. Jerusalem even adds this
reinforcing text: and the name of the other mountain is Irmenia, and it was there in the eastern land that
the city of Armenia was built.
41
Jonathan: in the tenth month of Tammuz.
36


said, Cursed be Canaan. A servant of
servants shall he be to his brethren. 26 And
he said, Blessed be YHWH, the Elohim
of Shem. And let Canaan be his servant.

[And who gets the credit for this line? J
(YHWH) or E (the Elohim of Shem)?
Also the J account ends here,
apparently not needing to know how old
Noah was when either the Flood started
or when he died. Oh well, whats 950
years between friends?]





to the ark; for the waters were on the face of
the whole earth: and he put forth his hand,
and took her, and brought her in to him into
the ark. 10 And he stayed yet other seven
days
42
; and again he sent forth the dove out
of the ark; 11 and the dove came in to him at
eventide; and, lo, in her mouth an olive-leaf
plucked off, so Noah knew that the waters
were abated from off the earth. 12 And he
stayed yet other seven days, and sent forth
the dove; and she returned not again to him
anymore.
13 And it came to pass in the six hundred
and first year, in the first month
43
, the first
day of the month, the waters were dried up
from off the earth: and Noah removed the
covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold,
the face of the ground was dried. 14 And in
the second month
44
, on the seven and
twentieth day of the month, was the earth
dry.
15 And Elohim spoke to Noah, saying, 16
Go forth from the ark, you, and your
wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives
with you. 17 Bring forth with you every
living thing that is with you of all flesh,
both birds, and cattle, and every creeping
thing that creeps upon the earth; that
they may breed abundantly in the earth,
and be fruitful, and multiply upon the
earth. 18 And Noah went forth, and his
sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives
with him: 19 every beast, every creeping
thing, and every bird, whatsoever moves
upon the earth, after their families, went
forth out of the ark.

9 And Elohim blessed Noah and his sons,
and said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply,
and replenish the earth. 2 And the fear of
you and the dread of you shall be upon

42
Onkelos: and he prolonged. Samaritan: and he expected/believed. Jerusalem: and he began to
number, i.e. to count the days.
43
Jonathan: first month of Tishri.
44
Jonathan: second month of Marchesvan.
37


every beast of the earth, and upon every bird
of the heavens; with all in which the ground
teems, and all the fishes of the sea, into your
hand are they delivered. 3 Every moving
thing that lives shall be food for you; as the
green herb have I given you all. 4 But flesh
with the life, which is of the blood, you will
not eat.
45
5 And surely your blood, the blood
of your lives, will I require; at the hand of
every beast will I require it
46
; and at the
hand of man, even at the hand of every
man's brother, will I require the life of man.
6 Whoever sheds man's blood, by man shall
his blood be shed
47
: for in the image of
Elohim he was created.
8 And Elohim spoke to Noah, and to his
sons with him, saying, 9 And I, behold, I
establish my covenant with you, and with
your seed after you; 10 and with every living
creature that is with you, the birds, the
cattle, and every beast of the earth with you;
of all that go out of the ark, even every beast
of the earth. 11 And I will establish my
covenant with you. Neither shall all flesh be
cut off any more by the waters of the flood.
Neither shall there anymore be a flood to
destroy the earth. 12 And Elohim said, This
is the token of the covenant which I make
between me
48
and you and every living
creature that is with you, for perpetual
generations. 13 I do set my bow in the cloud,
and it shall be for a token of a covenant
between me and the earth. 14 And it shall
come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the
earth, that the bow shall be seen in the
cloud, 15 And I will remember my covenant,
which is between me and you and every

45
This is the beginning of kashrut, or kosher dietary laws. The diet in Eden was simply to avoid the fruit of
one tree. Now, here for the first time, we are told that animals are to be slaughtered with the blood fully
drained. This does not mean that Noah and Family can do this with pigs and shellfish. If we recall that
Moses wrote both Genesis and Exodus we can defer to the great master to get more specific as he continues
on with his narrative and explains that the banned animals never counted as food per se anyway.
46
Jonathan: Or, demand retribution/reciprocity for.
47
Jonathan: Whoever sheds the blood of man the judges, by witnesses, will condemn him to death. Bur for
he who sheds the blood of man without witnesses, the Master of the World will bring punishment on him in
the great day of judgment, because in the image of YHWH he made man.
48
Onkelos and Jonathan: between my Word, also in verse 17.
38


living creature of all flesh. And the waters
shall no more become a flood to destroy all
flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud.
And I will look upon it, that I may
remember the everlasting covenant between
Elohim and every living creature of all flesh
that is upon the earth. 17 And Elohim said to
Noah, This is the token of the covenant
which I have established between me and all
flesh that is upon the earth. 18 And the sons
of Noah, that went forth from the ark, were
Shem, and Ham, and Japheth. And Ham is
the father of Canaan. 19 These three were
the sons of Noah. And of these was the
whole earth overspread.

27 Elohim enlarge Japheth,
49
And let him
dwell in the tents of Shem.
50
And let Canaan
be his servant. 28 And Noah lived after
the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29
And all the days of Noah were nine hundred
and fifty years. And he died.









I think it is pretty clear neither the alleged J or E account can stand on its own. Just read
the story, one column at a time and the sham of this idea should be very clear indeed.

And as for Q, that so-called NT theory tells us that Mark supposedly wrote first, and then
his account was independently adopted by Matthew and Luke in separate times and
places. When these same scholars took a closer look however, they found out that there
was a significant amount of material that was in both Matthew and Luke that wasnt in
Mark, and so they dubbed this material Q, from the German word quelle meaning
source.

49
An obvious wordplay, since Yapheth means enlarge just as the once numerous offspring of Ephraim
means fruitful. Onkelos even plays on the root directly as yaphti iaea lYepheth.
50
Onkelos appears to be suggesting simultaneously a spiritual component with the physical dwelling with,
and he (YHWH) will make his Shekinah to dwell in the tabernacles of Shem. In other words, as Yshua
said in John 4, the presence of YHWH, or salvation, is from the Jews. Also the words shekinah,
tabernacles and dwell are meanings from the same root or similar meanings from related roots.
39



However, I think Q really means Questionable because not a single shred of any Q
document or part of one has ever been found anywhere, and I wouldnt hold my breath
for waiting for that to change. And, unlike the character from Star Trek: The Next
Generation that bears his same name, this Q has hardly any power at all. No magic can
save this theory.

And besides all this, these scholars have no clue about certain details that are only just in
Matthew (star of Bethlehem, Magi come) or only just in Luke (shepherds at Nativity,
widows gift at the Temple), so who is this mysterious author that did NOT draw from
either Mark or Q? Maybe we should call him Rfor rip off.

Then theres John, who apparently stands alone with no relationship to Matthew, Mark,
Luke or Q and with tons of stuff all his own that no one in this theory accounts for. If Q
was the source then for Matthew and Luke, who was the source for John? And if John is
his own source, why not have this be the case for Matthew, Mark and Luke? And there
are other things in this theory that are simply not explained, such as

All four Gospels give accounts of the Feeding of the 5,000 which cant be linked
to any common Passion or Resurrection Day commonality. Where did John get
his info on that? John himself claims it was from the other apostles who chime in
at the end: WE know HIS testimony is true. No Q needed.
Twice in Matthew and once in Mark the accusation is given without proof of
Yshua saying he would rebuild the Temple in three days, but only in John 2 is
the actual incident recorded. But since Matthew and Mark wrote first, how did
John have more details and where is Q with the explanation for such a thing when
you need him?
Does Q explain why one Lazarus is simply the subject of a parable whereas
another is the subject of a resurrection miracle in John? Why wouldnt Luke
mention the resurrection Lazarus first?

And, as hard as it is for me to admit it, many years back I spent too much time trying to
track down the Q source and thought it might have been Peter, putting that conclusion in
my first book Signs of the Cross. Since then, thankfully, I learned my lesson. The
Gospels are in the same order they have been in for at least 1800 years for a reason,
because Matthew wrote first, then Mark, then Luke and then John. Whats more it is John
(in 5:1-2) that has details about Jerusalem IN THE PRESENT TENSE that were
destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, and yet most scholars say he wrote decades after this
instead of seeing that all four Gospels circulated before that date.

Such a chronology is evident as with statements in Luke 1:1-5 where he mentions
eyewitness accounts in his introduction, which would certainly include the apostle
Matthew and possibly Mark, who has strong tradition east and west of being dictated by
Peter.

40


Whatever the case may be I say we need to stop listening to the critics and start listening
to what the actual Biblical writers themselves say about their own history. If not, we are
doomed only to repeat a bad history of bad Scripture interpretation.

Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week!

Next week we will be exploring Noach or Genesis 6:9-11:32. Our Haftorah portion will
be Isaiah 54:1-55:5 and our Renewed Covenant reading will be from Matthew 24:36-44.
Torah 101 will return with the Noach portion also next week. Stay tuned!

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