\t\t<\/p>\n
In this week’s reading from Parashat Massei (Bamidbar \/ Numbers 33:1-36:13<\/em>)<\/span>, the final chapters of sefer Bamidbar<\/em>, Moshe is instructing the people on how the land of Canaan is to be divided amongst the people and the priests. In 33:55<\/em>, the Lord God gives a warning:\u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b4\u05dd-\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05d9\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05d1\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05de\u05b4\u05e4\u05bc\u05b0\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9\u05db\u05b6\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05e8 \u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc \u05de\u05b5\u05d4\u05b6\u05dd <\/em>\u05dc\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05b9\u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9\u05db\u05b6\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05e6\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b4\u05dd \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e6\u05b4\u05d3\u05bc\u05b5\u05d9\u05db\u05b6\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05e6\u05b8\u05e8\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05b0\u05db\u05b6\u05dd \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05e8 \u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05bc\u05b6\u05dd \u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4\u05bc<\/em><\/span> saying “if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.”<\/em> <\/span> The Lord is warning the children of Yisrael to remain focused and to remove those things that will distract them. The principle object that distracted Yisrael was bad and sinful people. They are commanded to drive them out or the people will become a thorn in their side \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05e6\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b4\u05dd \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e6\u05b4\u05d3\u05bc\u05b5\u05d9\u05db\u05b6\u05dd<\/em>.<\/span> The NASB says that the phrase \u05dc\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05b9\u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9\u05db\u05b6\u05dd<\/em><\/span> means “pricks in your eyes.” It is interesting that the word \u05dc\u05e9\u05db\u05d9\u05dd is not found in Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon. Strong’s concordance says \u05dc\u05e9\u05db\u05d9\u05dd is from the word \u05e9\u05db\u05da (to appease, placate) in the sense of the word \u05e9\u05d5\u05da. From what I can understand, the translators looked at \u05dc\u05e9\u05db\u05d9\u05dd and in an attempt to determine the root and morphology of the word conclude that \u05e9\u05d5\u05da ß \u05e9\u05db\u05da ß \u05dc\u05e9\u05db\u05d9\u05dd. This morphology for the word \u05dc\u05e9\u05db\u05d9\u05dd does not seem to fit for its definition as “pricks.” \u05dc\u05e9\u05db\u05d9\u05dd may also be formed by \u05dc.\u05e9.\u05db\u05d5\u05e0\u05d4 where\u05db\u05d5\u05e0\u05d4 a feminine noun meaning “intention, purpose, aim, spirit.”<\/em> Regardless of its translation, \u05dc\u05e9\u05db\u05d9\u05dd suggests that the people of Canaan will affect the “aim,” “intent,” or “spirit” of the eye. Do these scriptures suggest the people we choose as friends can affect our walk and the intent of our heart before God? Read More here. <\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In this week’s reading from Parashat Massei (Bamidbar \/ Numbers 33:1-36:13), the final chapters of sefer Bamidbar, Moshe is instructing the people on how the land of Canaan is to be divided amongst the people and the priests.&nbs…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1119","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-weekly-parashah"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1119\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}