Elevated Writings

We note that the structure of this text plus this text, is well known, of Sefer Devarim, Deuteronomy. It is an introduction to the Torah, followed by a declaration of faith, followed by a law code, ending in a hortatory section, a Tochachah. We postulate that Sefer Devarim came to replace this, with, at first, the declaration of Sh'ma Yisrael, an attempt to do away with the decalogue, the ten commandments.

When Sefer Devarim succeeded, wiping out all the secrets of Torah, in the days of king Yoshiyahu, its predecessor fell into the hands of competing priests, an underground of kinds. After the return from Bavel, it had become part of the P scroll.

The secrets of Hashem were sacred in the conservative hands of P, which only added and did not subtract. Though D survived, through similarly conservative hands of R, it became subjugated to P, Midah K'Neged Midah. And the reason lies in the elevated nature of these writings, way above the level of D, or P, or E, or J. It is above the level of EJ, which I said belongs to the world of Yetsira. This scroll, though, is a representation of the Torah in the world of Beriah, the world that allows almost no evil.

The writers of D did not recognize the true nature of the scroll that they replaced. It was, no doubt, too secular in their perception. It is therefore striking that it survived in the priestly P scroll. About the P scroll it says in Yirmyahu 8:8:

אֵיכָה תֹאמְרוּ חֲכָמִים אֲנַחְנוּ, וְתוֹרַת יְהוָה אִתָּנוּ; אָכֵן הִנֵּה לַשֶּׁקֶר עָשָׂה, עֵט שֶׁקֶר סֹפְרִים

"How can you say, 'We are wise and the law of Hashem is with us?' But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie."

See, they have the Torah of Hashem, but they had made it virtually unrecognizable, with lies of scribes. This was already so in the days of Yirmyahu, the prophet of D. How many must be the additional lies of the P-scribes! And what does the above say about D?

The above is a postulate; the result of a deep and honest look into the Torah. It is a vision, my vision. It is a narrative, my narrative. This is my way, where is yours?

סְ֭בָבוּנִי פָּרִ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים
  אַבִּירֵ֖י בָשָׁ֣ן כִּתְּרֽוּנִי׃

- תם הבלוג -

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Another Story Fixed, and Another, and Another

Look at Bamidbar 25:1-5:

וַיֵּשֶׁב יִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּשִּׁטִּים; וַיָּחֶל הָעָם, לִזְנוֹת אֶל-בְּנוֹת מוֹאָב. וַתִּקְרֶאןָ לָעָם, לְזִבְחֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶן; וַיֹּאכַל הָעָם, וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לֵאלֹהֵיהֶן. וַיִּצָּמֶד יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְבַעַל פְּעוֹר; וַיִּחַר-אַף יְהוָה, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, קַח אֶת-כָּל-רָאשֵׁי הָעָם, וְהוֹקַע אוֹתָם לַיהוָה, נֶגֶד הַשָּׁמֶשׁ; וְיָשֹׁב חֲרוֹן אַף-יְהוָה, מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל. וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה, אֶל-שֹׁפְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: הִרְגוּ אִישׁ אֲנָשָׁיו, הַנִּצְמָדִים לְבַעַל פְּעוֹר

In translation:

And Israel lived in Shittim, and the people began to prostitute themselves to the daughters of Moav. And they attracted the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed to their gods, and Israel was associated with Baal Peor. And Hashem's anger flared at Israel. And Hashem said to Moshe, "Take all the leaders of the people and hang them in front of the Sun, so that Hashem's burning anger may go back from Israel." And Moshe said to Israel's judges, " Each of you, kill those of his people who are associated with Baal Peor."

This J story misses an end. Probably this is done on purpose to allow the P story that follows deliver the punch line. Both stories are presumably about the same matter, the matter of (Ba'al) Peor. The stories are not exactly in line, the J story is about women from Moav, whereas the P story is about Midianite women. Nevertheless, leaving out the punchline of the J story creates the suggestion that the two stories are one story.

The above story can be reshuffled to read, with the same words:

וַיֵּשֶׁב יִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּשִּׁטִּים; וַיָּחֶל הָעָם, לִזְנוֹת אֶל-בְּנוֹת מוֹאָב. וַתִּקְרֶאןָ לָעָם, לְזִבְחֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶן; וַיֹּאכַל הָעָם, וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לֵאלֹהֵיהֶן. וַיִּצָּמֶד יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְבַעַל פְּעוֹר; וַיִּחַר-אַף יְהוָה, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, קַח אֶת-כָּל-רָאשֵׁי הָעָם, וְהוֹקַע אוֹתָם לַיהוָה, נֶגֶד הַשָּׁמֶשׁ;מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל. וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה, אֶל-שֹׁפְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: הָרְגוּ אִישׁ אֲנָשָׁיו, הַנִּצְמָדִים לְבַעַל פְּעוֹר. וְיָשֹׁב חֲרוֹן אַף-יְהוָה

Notice the change of pronunciation, from הִרְגוּ to הָרְגוּ. The translation of the new passage would be:

And Israel lived in Shittim, and the people began to prostitute themselves to the daughters of Moav. And they attracted the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed to their gods, and Israel was associated with Baal Peor. And Hashem's anger flared at Israel. And Hashem said to Moshe, "Take all the leaders of the people and hang them in front of the Sun." And Moshe said it to Israel's judges. Each of them killed those of his people who were associated with Baal Peor. And Hashem's flaring anger went back from Israel.

In other words, the punch lines are found inside the story itself. The name of the god of Moav, Chemosh, is also called Baal-peor (and also Baal-maon (Moabite Stone, line 30)), and it is about associating with Chemosh that the Torah fulminates. Probably, he was referred to as Baal by the Caananites. Another broken story was fixed.

But closing the J story breaks the other story, the story of P. Bamidbar 25:6-9 reads:

וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּא, וַיַּקְרֵב אֶל-אֶחָיו אֶת-הַמִּדְיָנִית, לְעֵינֵי מֹשֶׁה, וּלְעֵינֵי כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל; וְהֵמָּה בֹכִים, פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד. וַיַּרְא, פִּינְחָס בֶּן-אֶלְעָזָר, בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן, הַכֹּהֵן; וַיָּקָם מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה, וַיִּקַּח רֹמַח בְּיָדוֹ. וַיָּבֹא אַחַר אִישׁ-יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל-הַקֻּבָּה, וַיִּדְקֹר אֶת-שְׁנֵיהֶם--אֵת אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאֶת-הָאִשָּׁה אֶל-קֳבָתָהּ; וַתֵּעָצַר, הַמַּגֵּפָה, מֵעַל, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וַיִּהְיוּ, הַמֵּתִים בַּמַּגֵּפָה--אַרְבָּעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים, אָלֶף

The burning anger, חֲרוֹן, cam no longer be an antecedent for the plague, הַמַּגֵּפָה. Where now does it say that there was a plague? The end of the story, Bamidbar 25:19 or Bamidbar 26:1, has a superfluous וַיְהִי, אַחֲרֵי הַמַּגֵּפָה. We propose to insert the words וַיְהִי מַּגֵּפָה, אַחֲרֵיָה, in translation, and see, there was a plague after her, after the first verse. This has the exact same letters as וַיְהִי, אַחֲרֵי הַמַּגֵּפָה, and means to say that there was a plague after what the man did what he did, bringing a woman into the Tent of Meeting.

וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּא, וַיַּקְרֵב אֶל-אֶחָיו אֶת-הַמִּדְיָנִית, לְעֵינֵי מֹשֶׁה, וּלְעֵינֵי כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל; וְהֵמָּה בֹכִים, פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד. וַיְהִי מַּגֵּפָה, אַחֲרֵיָה. וַיַּרְא, פִּינְחָס בֶּן-אֶלְעָזָר, בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן, הַכֹּהֵן; וַיָּקָם מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה, וַיִּקַּח רֹמַח בְּיָדוֹ. וַיָּבֹא אַחַר אִישׁ-יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל-הַקֻּבָּה, וַיִּדְקֹר אֶת-שְׁנֵיהֶם--אֵת אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאֶת-הָאִשָּׁה אֶל-קֳבָתָהּ; וַתֵּעָצַר, הַמַּגֵּפָה, מֵעַל, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וַיִּהְיוּ, הַמֵּתִים בַּמַּגֵּפָה--אַרְבָּעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים, אָלֶף

If this is accepted as a Tikkun, we have a fix for another broken story, the follow-up story of the story of the death of Aharon.

The above is reminiscent of the treatment of the E passage of Manna. For reasons of completeness, here is the passage as we have it (Bamidbar 11:7-9):

וְהַמָּן, כִּזְרַע-גַּד הוּא; וְעֵינוֹ, כְּעֵין הַבְּדֹלַח. שָׁטוּ הָעָם וְלָקְטוּ וְטָחֲנוּ בָרֵחַיִם, אוֹ דָכוּ בַּמְּדֹכָה, וּבִשְּׁלוּ בַּפָּרוּר, וְעָשׂוּ אֹתוֹ עֻגוֹת; וְהָיָה טַעְמוֹ, כְּטַעַם לְשַׁד הַשָּׁמֶן. וּבְרֶדֶת הַטַּל עַל-הַמַּחֲנֶה, לָיְלָה, יֵרֵד הַמָּן, עָלָיו

In translation:

And the manna: it was like a seed of coriander, and its appearance was like the appearance of B'dolach. The people went around and collected and ground it in mills or pounded it in a mortar and cooked it in a pot and made it into cakes. And its taste was like the taste of something creamy made with oil. And when the dew descended on the camp at night, the manna would descend on it.

We have posited that the passage is possibly the result of transforming an original E passage:

וּבְרֶדֶת הַטַּל עַל-הַמַּחֲנֶה, לָיְלָה, יֵרֵד הַמָּן, עָלָיו. וְהַמָּן, כִּזְרַע-גַּד הוּא; וְעֵינוֹ, כְּעֵין הַבְּדֹלַח; וְהָיָה טַעְמוֹ, כְּטַעַם לְשַׁד הַשָּׁמֶן. שָׁטוּ הָעָם וְלָקְטוּ וְטָחֲנוּ בָרֵחַיִם, אוֹ דָכוּ בַּמְּדֹכָה, וּבִשְּׁלוּ בַּפָּרוּר, וְעָשׂוּ אֹתוֹ עֻגוֹת

In translation:

And when the dew descended on the camp at night, the manna would descend on it. And the manna was like seed of coriander, and its appearance was like the appearance of B'dolach. And its taste was like the taste of something creamy made with oil. The people went around and collected and ground it in mills or pounded it in a mortar and cooked it in a pot and made it into cakes.

When the story became obsolete, it was changed while keeping all of the original words. This is similar to what I think happened to Bamidbar 25:1-5. Possibly, it was the same redactor R who was responsible for the reordering of Bamidbar 11:7-9, as well as for the reordering of Bamidbar 25:1-5 and the issue of וַיְהִי, אַחֲרֵי הַמַּגֵּפָה (Bamidbar 25:19 or Bamidbar 26:1). Possibly, the reordering of Bamidbar 11:7-9 was done by RJE.

אַל־תִּרְחַ֣ק מִ֭מֶּנִּי כִּי־צָרָ֣ה קְרוֹבָ֑ה
  כִּי־אֵ֥ין עוֹזֵֽר׃

(Tehilim 22)