meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Commentary/Tzror HaMor on Torah/English/Sefaria Community Translation.txt"}
text: Tzror HaMor on Torah
  צרור המור על התורה
  Sefaria Community Translation
  
  
  Tzror HaMor on Torah
  
  Genesis
  
  
  
  Exodus
  
  
  
  Leviticus
  
  
  
  Numbers
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  Our sages of blessed memory gave a reason why it provides all the details of the place and date and context of the jewish people before they are counted - in the desert, in the tent of greeting, in the specific year and month.  They brought a parable of a king who married a woman and didn't give her a marraige document.  He divorced her and didn't tell her the date of the divorce.  He did this for the first and second woman when he married them as well. After a while he found a pauper who had worthy parents. He said "this one isn't like the previous women who I married.  He wrote her a marraige document and he put in the date of the marriage.   In the same vein in Megilat Esther we need precisely the date that Achashveirosh married her (to show us how qualitatively different Esther was from all the other women he had married in the past).  The parable can be explained in the following way.  When G-d created the world, the whole purpose was for the Jewish people.  All the nations meant nothing to him.  Therefore when it comes to the creation of the world, or the generation of the flood, or the generation of Babel there is no mention of date or time.  It just mentions that 'on this day' in relation to these subjects - they were simply not important to G-d. Again this is comparable to another parable - to a pearl that falls into the sand. We sift through the sand to find the pearl, not because of the sand that surrounds it.  Similarly, all the generations where only valuable in that they led to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and this is why Genesis spends so much time talking about their lives and what happened to them.  Thus, all the people who led up to the Jewish people are likened to the women who the king married without a marriage document.  However, G-d found a pauper - the Jewish people who were poor because they originated in Egypt without Torah and Mitzvot, but had good forbears - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  G-d therefore said it isn't fitting to make the Jewish nation like the others, but rather to write her a dowry, and to write her a marriage document - the Torah, and to write a date commemorating the event, as it says in the verse "the third month after the Jews had left Egypt"(Exodus 19:1).  For this reason our verse mentions time, date and place.  The whole purpose of the creation was for the Jewish people.  Even though all of this is clear, one needs to SEE and TASTE this statement.  It is known that with the giving of the Torah the Israelites achieved perfection, which was lacking to the other nations of the world who refused to receive the Torah.  Therefore after they received the Torah, G-d wrote them a marriage document, a date, a dowry, with the making of the tabernacle and an altar which allowed them to atone for their sins.  Why then does the Torah write this only now? However the will of G-d in this was even though he had given them the Torah, the Mitzvot and the Mishkan and its vessels, the Jews had not achieved their intended purpose.  The whole purpose of the Torah and the Mishkan is for the atonement of sins. However, when G-d gave the Torah he arrived with his heavenly entourage and the 4 encampments of the divine presence.  This is reflected in the Talmud where it states that the angels showed love and the encampment of angels camped like the order of the 4 flags which reflect the 4 angels Gabriel, Michael, Noriel and Refael.  When the Jewish people saw this, they wanted to cleave to G-d (in the same way as the angels) with these 4 flags, and 4 encampments.  In this way, they would achieve the complete connection to G-d and fulfillment of his desire and will.  The 4 flags represent the 4 camps of the divine presence and the 4 letters of G-d's name.  This is expressed in the verse: כאומרו נרננה בישועתך ובשם אלהינו נדגול ימלא ה' כל משאלותיך.  This hints to the notion that just as G-d fulfils the requests of the Jewish people by giving them the flags that they desired from the giving of the Torah, so too G-d will fulfill our desires to stand in times of trouble.
  This principle was revealed to us by the prince of secrets (Solomon) in the song of songs when he says הביאני המלך חדריו. הביאני אל בית היין ודגלו עלי אהבה.  This hints to the fact that G-d brings the Jewish people to the rooms of Torah and its secrets which are alluded to through the words בית היין (house of wine), as we say - when wine comes in, secrets come out -these are the secrets of G-d which he gives to those who fear Him.  In Deuteronomy, Mosh comments  ואתא מרבבות קדש which relates to G-d apprearing with his entourage, which aroused great love and unity for the Jewish people.... It was through these flags that the Jewish people merited to receive the image of G-d and to recognise him.  This is the meaning of the verse דודי צח ואדום דגול מרבבה - at Sinai, the Israelites recognised the level of His Purity....
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  Because Moshe saw the many favours that Chovav did with his advice and that he came to be ensconced under the divine presence, it wasn't fitting that the Jewish people should deny all his goodness after they were about to travel (into the promised land).  Therefore Moshe calls him Chovav (dear one) because on a personal level he was dear to him, and also because of his father Reuel.  How much so because he was the son in law of Moshe who was a king.  Jethro doesn't accept Moshe's invitation and said that he would return to his land.  He saw three reasons in Moshe's entreaty from which he intuited not to go.  The first is that Moshe said " we are traveling to the place that G-d has given to us".  He hinted that the land was given specifically to the Jewish people, and that converts have no part in the land of Israel.  Jethro's reply was that he already has his own homeland- I have a good land like your own.  The second reason was that he was told that the Jews would "be good to you" - a little bit of good, like a guest, and not like someone who is the father in law of the king.  He, therefore replied that he would return to his homeland where he had many people who would do good for him.  The third reason was that G-d did good things for the Jews - which would imply only for the Jews and not for anyone else.  To this Jethro replied that he could go back to his own land and birthplace, because he has much good there. It is also hinted to in the verses that he didn't want to go to Israel because they would do him favours there, but rather to connect to G-d because of his love for Him, not because of any reward he would receive.  It is for this reason that he said that he didn't need their favours, because in his own land there were many favours.  Moshe's entreats him not to leave - he understands Jethro's intent. He tells him that now is not the time to leave, as people will say that  he left because he didn't have a portion in the land of Israel, and where you came from is where you are caught.
  
  Deuteronomy
  
  