As we explained last time, the Mashiaḥ will be a Jewish King, descendent of the house of King David. According to Maimonides (MT, Kings 11:4) “We may assume that an individual is the Messiah if he fulfills the following conditions. (1) He must be a King, from the house of David, (2) immersed in the Tora and its commandments like David his ancestor. He must also follow both, the written and the Oral Tora, lead all Jews back to the Tora, strengthening the observance of its laws and (3) fight God’s battles.”

“God’s battles” are not meant here in a figurative sense like a salvation army. “HaShem battles” are the military wars and battles that the Jewish people wages against its enemies. The sort of battles that the IDF fights every single day. The Mashiaḥtherefore will be a man of wisdom, a leader and role model in Tora, and also a military man who fights against Israel’s enemies.

Where does Maimonides take these ideas from?

In MT, Kings, 11:3 he writes : “Do not think that the Mashiaḥ will have to perform signs and miracles. He will not necessarily change the course of nature or bring the dead back to life [= teḥyiat hametim might not happen at this particular stage. Y.B.], or anything else like that. We thus find that Rabbi Akiba, the greatest sage of the Mishna, was willing to accept Bar Koziba (Bar Kokhba, the leader of the Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire in 132 CE) as the Messiah until he was killed… it was only when he died that they realized …that he was not the true Messiah”

It is through an analysis of the characteristics of Bar Kokhba that Maimonides describes the prerequisites of the Mashiaḥ: what rabbi Akiba saw in Bar Kokhba, we should expect to find in the potential Mashiaḥ.

Rabbi Shemtob Gaguin(e) was born in Jerusalem in 1884.  Rabbi Gaguin was a British Sephardic Rabbi and a descendent of a famous Moroccan Rabbinical dynasty which emigrated to Israel from Spain at the time of the Inquisition. He was the great-grandson of R. Hayim Gaguin, the first Chief rabbi (Chakham Bashi) of the Israel during the Ottoman Empire.

He studied at the “Doresh Zion” school in Jerusalem and was a pupil of the celebrated Rabbi Jacob Alfiye. At an early age, he contributed articles to the Palestinian Hebrew Press (“HaChabbazelet”) on aspects of Jewish traditional observances, as well as on biblical and philological matters. He was awarded rabbinical diplomas by numerous authorities, including Rabbi Chayim Berlin (the son of the Natzi”b) and Chief Rabbis of Israel Ya’aqob Meir and Abraham Kook

In 1920 he accepted a position of Rabbi of the Sephardic community of Manchester and at the same time he was a Dayan (Rabbinical Judge) in the Manchester Rabbinical court (Bet Din).

From 1921 he was the head of the Sephardic communities of London. Rabbi Gaguin died in Manchester, 1953.

Rabbi Shemtob Gaguin

Among his works we find:

√ A study on origin and history of the Jews of Cochin (India)

√ Shulchan Arukh, a critical study of the Jewish Codex based on several old editions and unpublished manuscripts.

√ Commentaries on Midrash Rabba and Midrash Tanchuma

His most famous book is  Keter Shem Tob, an encyclopedic treatise which examines and compares the Tefilot and traditions of the Eastern (Turkey, Israel, Egypt Syria) and the Western (Amsterdam, London, NY ) Sephardim, paying particular attention to the customs of Spanish and Portuguese Jews. The first two volumes were published in 1934. The final work comprised a total of 7 volumes, the last 3 of which were published posthumously with the help of his son, Rabbi Dr. Maurice Gaguine.

Click HERE to download  Keter Shem Tob

The Twelfth principle involves our belief in the coming of the Messiah and the Messianic age. The Messianic age will take place when the Jews will regain their independence and all return to the land of Israel.

According to Maimonides in his commentary to the Mishna “We should not set a time for his coming, not try to calculate when he will come from Scriptural passages. Our sages thus teach us “May the sprit of those who try to calculate the time of the end [i.e., the time of the coming of the Mashiach] rot”. Many times in the history of the Jewish people there were those who disregarded this warning and endeavored to set a time for the coming of the Messiah.  In many occasions those attempts brought terrible consequences.  In the times of the false Messiah, Shabetay Tzebi (1665-1666 CE), many Jews lost all their properties and put themselves in danger, following false hopes.  We should simply believe that the Mashiach will come, “if not today, B’H, tomorrow”.

The word “Messiah” (Mashiach in Hebrew) does not mean “savior” but “anointed”. In ancient Israel, when a King was appointed by the court and a prophet (see Mishne Tora, Kings, 1:3) he was anointed with a special oil (shemen hamishcha). When the prophet Shemuel appointed Shaul, the first King, the Scripture says: “And Shemuel took the jar of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him” (I Samuel, 10:1).   The Mashiach, therefore, will be a King, a political leader like Shaul, David or Solomon. He will be a leader who will be known by his “wisdom and understanding, his counsel and power, his knowledge of  HaShem, and his reverence for Him.”

The Mashiach will be a descendent of the house of King David. God promised King David that every King in Israel will come from him.

(to be continued)

Hurricane “Sandy” and Abraham Abinu

The Eleventh principle of Judaism asserts that God is Just. He rewards those who keep His commandments and punishes those who transgress them.

In the words of Rabbi Hayim Pereira-Mendes, God does not punish in the sense of vengeance but only for correction, in order that we shall forsake our sins and lead better lives.  We don’t always see with our own eyes the punishment of the wicked man and the reward of the righteous.  Our rabbis assert that God rewards and corrects sometimes in this life and sometimes in future life.  There is no necessarily and immediate external reward for an act of kindness, no automatic punishment for a transgression. Moreover, suffering is not sent to us only for punishment of a sin. It is often sent to motivate or train us to live better and nobler lives, to educate us to higher ideals, to lead us nearer to God.

The main assumption of this principle, the reason for the existence of divine reward and punishment, is that God has given us free-will to choose between good and evil, right and wrong.  We Jews do not believe in Predestination. If we were destined to do right or wrong and did not have the power to choose, there would be no merit in doing the right, and we could not be justly punished for doing the wrong. Only by repentance, sorrow for our sin, and by amendment of our conduct, we can be spared from the penalty of our transgressions.  Our rabbis explain that “the very remorse is itself a pain and part of our punishment. The loss of our own self-respect, the loss of the respect of others; the shame which our sin causes our families; the consciousness that we have offended God who loves us, all these are some of the penalties or punishments for sins committed.”

  Do you have Free-will?

His knowledge, obviously, is completely unlike our knowledge. We acquire knowledge while “His knowledge is not something that can be separated from His esence…He and His knowledge and existence are One… This concept is beyond the power of speech to express, and beyond the power of the ear to hear. There is no way the human mind can comprehend it” (Maimonides  MT, Yesode haTora 2:10).

What we do understand about God’s knowledge, and which concerns us the most, is that God knows us intimately. The Creator knows all the thoughts and actions of man, as it is said, “He Who created all their hearts, knows all their deeds.” (Psalm 33:15.)

In the words of Rabbi Hayim Pereira-Mendes : “Whatever we do or say or think, God knows.   It is useless for us to try and deceive God by false excuses. God knows our thoughts. God knows what conduct should be expected of us by reason of our intelligence or education or environment. The greater our intelligence, the better our education, the more enlightened our environment, the higher are the ideals of conduct expected from us by God and by man. God has given us the power of discerning between right and wrong. He knows that we possess that power. Therefore we must use it rightly and wisely.”

Beyond its philosophical value this principle signals primarily our ethical responsibility: we must live a life with the consciousness that God knows our thoughts, actions and intentions. We might easily deceive other human beings.  Hide our negative intentions or plans behind words or rhetoric.   But when it comes to God,  there are no lies, excuses or pretensions.  The more we become alert of God’s omniscience, the easiest to live a life of righteousness. And vice-versa.

Rabbi Moshe ben Gershom (1663-1711) known as Rabbi Moshe Chefetz (of Hefes)  was a rabbinic scholar from Italy. Born in Trieste, raised in Venice, he lived as a private tutor teaching Talmud and Midrash. He wrote poetry, and dealt with philosophy, math, and natural sciences.

A member of the prominent Chefetz family (or Gentili, in Italian) of Northern Italy, he was considered a child prodigy and studied under the renowned R. Solomon Nizza. One of his poetic works written at age 13, appeared in the famous Venice edition of the Bible (1675-78).

Among the writings of Rabbi Chefetz we could mention:

At the bottom of the portrait it says: “ben me-a shana… anokhi hayom”, which literally means: “I’m one today hundred years old”. When you see the portrait you notice that rabbi Chefetz was obviously younger. The numerical value of the Hebrew wordme-a (=40, 1, 5)) is 46, i.e., the real age of rabbi Moshe Cheftez in this portrait.

A philosophical study on the five books of the Torah, by Rabbi Moshe Chefetz. Impressive complete copy containing a detailed copper engraving frontispiece, a leaf with the portrait of the author, clean-shaven and ministerial, and a leaf with geometric sketches. Another sketch on leaf 57.
Moses b. Chefetz (1663-1711) was born in Trieste and raised in Venice. Considered to be a child prodigy, he studied under the renowned R. Solomon Nizza, and developed into a fine rabbinic decisor as well as a scholar familiar with the disciplines of mathematics and the sciences. His best-known for this philosophical commentary.
His age at the time of printing is written in a colophon under his portrait, “ben me’ah shana” (literally 100 years old) the gematriya value of me’ah being 46. Many misunderstood that this was a gematriya and thought that he was 100 years old at the time he wrote the book. Unfortnaltelly, rabbi Mishe passed away when he was just 48 years old

In 1550 Alvise Bragadin established a Hebrew press in Venice, thus ending a brief monopoly in Hebrew printing in Venice enjoyed by Guistiani (after the closing of the Bomberg press). This press continued as one of Venice’s leading Hebrew print-shops, issuing Hebrew titles in the 18th C under several generations of Bragadins (the last of whom was Alvise III). Throughout the years, the output of the Bragadini press was considerable, and covered the gamut of Hebrew works. The press was somewhat unusual, however, in that the Bragadins themselves did not always take an active role in their printing-house, leaving its operation to other printers, and lending their name to other presses.
[8], 98 leaves three illustration plates.
Melechet Machshevet, on the Five Books of the Torah, based upon natural sciences and philosophy, by R. Moshe Chefetz. Venice: Bragadin, [1710]. First edition. Complete wide-margined copy on high-quality paper. Includes an engraved frontispiece, a leaf with an engraved portrait of the author, and a leaf with geometric diagrams. Another diagram on leaf 57. The following caption appears beneath the portrait, alluding to the age of the author at the time of the printing: “Moshe Chefetz here in the picture, in 1710, at the age of me’ah” – at the age of 46 (numeric value of me’ah), though some misunderstood it to mean one hundred years of age (see below). R. Moshe Chefetz (1664-1711, Otzar HaRabbanim 14709), Italian rabbi, researcher and philosopher. Born in Trieste, he was raised in Venice, where he later disseminated Torah. He possessed wide ranging knowledge of Torah, G-d and nature, as is portrayed in this book – Melechet Machshevet. He composed this book to find solace for the untimely passing of his son R. Gershom, author of Yad Charuzim. R. Moshe died at the young age of 48 on 30th Cheshvan 1711 (R. Chananel Nepi in his book, printed as part of Toldot Gedolei Yisrael of R. M.Sh. Ghirondi, Trieste 1853, p. 239). Samuel David Luzzatto (Shadal) quotes a tradition transmitted by Italian Torah scholars, which maintains that the sages of his generation, upon hearing of the text of the caption R. Moshe intended to place beneath his portrait in his book, tried to dissuade him from doing so, warning him that it is not something one can make jest of. He did not heed their warning, and passed away within that year (Igrot Shadal, VII, p. 1013).

With numerous illustrations of the Temple’s structure and its vessels and a large folding map of the Temple’s structure. Chacham Moshe Chefetz was born in 1663 in Trieste, Italy. He studied under the sages of Venice, including Chacham Shlomo ben Yeshaya Nitza. Was a Talmid Chacham who was proficient in philosophy and nature as well as music. In 1678, the Bible was printed in Venice. Printed on its first page was a poem by Chacham Moshe Chefetz. The book Machbarot Emanuel by Chacham Emanuel ben Shlomo of Rome, which was hand-copied in the same time in Venice, included a short commentary by Chacham Moshe Chefetz on the poem ‘לשוד ולרש ילעג ישחק’. In (1699) he published his book Chanukat HaBayit – the form of the Temple, in Venice. In (1699) his son, Gershom, passed away during a plague. In that year, Chacham Moshe Chefetz published his son’s book Yad Charuzim which inlcuded a eulogy by his Rav, Chacham Shlomo NItza, for his son, Gershom Chefetz. In (1710) he published in Venice his book Melechet Machshevet – on the Torah, which had many following editions. Chacham Moshe Chefetz passed away in 1711, when he was only 48 years old. The book was printed in two stages. Initially, the text of the book was printed with blank pages left for the illustrations. These were later added by embossing.

el rabino Moshé Jefetz sobre la creación del “segundo día”

En su comprensión de la creación, el rabino Moshé Jefetz ofrece una de las explicaciones más lúcidas y cercanas a lo que hoy denominamos ciclo del agua. Basado en el Midrash, en la Guía de Perplejos de Maimónides y en los Sabios del Talmud, Jefetz afirma que la separación entre “aguas superiores” y “aguas inferiores” no describe una división mística en planos cósmicos, sino la diferenciación entre el agua en estado líquido y el agua en estado gaseoso. Esa separación —dice— es la creación del ciclo natural del agua.

Maimónides ya había señalado que, en el segundo día, Dios estableció las leyes físicas que gobiernan el comportamiento del agua. En Guía de Perplejos 2:30 explica que el rakia fue creado a partir del agua, y que parte de esa agua “se separó, de algún modo, y quedó sobre el aire” (חלקם הובדל בצורה כלשהי מעל האויר). De acuerdo con esto, los “cielos” del segundo día no son los shamaim de Génesis 1:1 —que alude al universo entero— sino el cielo visible, la zona atmosférica donde se forman nubes y vapores.

El rabino Jefetz desarrolla este concepto en su obra Melejet Majashebet (Venecia, 1710; Varsovia, 1914, pp. 10-11). Identifica las “aguas superiores” con vapores y nubes, surgidos por la evaporación del agua terrestre. Siguiendo la etimología talmúdica, señala que la palabra shamaim es la unión de esh (fuego o calor) y maim (agua). Para Jefetz, el cielo es literalmente el producto del calor que actúa sobre el agua.

Explica así el versículo “Que haya un rakia en medio de las aguas” (Gn 1:6). Según su lectura, la orden divina puede parafrasearse como: “Que haya dentro del agua (betoj hamaim) un cuerpo sutil, móvil y expansivo, que ascienda por su liviandad” —es decir, vapor. Este es su texto original:
“…יהי בתוך המים אויר וגוף מתנועע דק ומתפשט”.

Para Jefetz, rakia no significa la expansión del espacio, sino la expansión del agua convertida en vapor. “Así como el agua puesta sobre fuego se transforma fácilmente en vapor —escribe— ese vapor, al encontrar frío, vuelve a convertirse en agua”:
“כאשר יעשו המים על האש בנקל יתהפכו לאויר והאויר ההוא הנהפך אם ימצא קור בנקל ישוב למים כבראשונה”.

De este modo, Jefetz interpreta que en el segundo día fueron puestas en funcionamiento las leyes físicas que permiten que el agua exista simultáneamente como líquido y como gas. La “separación entre las aguas” es, para él, la primera descripción bíblica de la evaporación y la condensación. Allí comienza el ciclo del agua: las aguas inferiores (océanos) liberan vapor; ese vapor asciende y forma las aguas superiores (nubes); luego, al enfriarse, retorna a la tierra en forma de lluvia.

Esta identificación fue compartida por otros sabios. Ribbí Itzjak Samuel Reggio escribió: “Parte de las aguas se congregó arriba y se convirtieron en nubes” (Torat haElohim, Viena, 1821, p. 4). Ribbí Menashé ben Israel explicó que la división del segundo día condujo directamente a la formación de la lluvia (El Conciliador, p. 3).

La ciencia moderna confirma esta lectura: las nubes son “masas visibles de gotas de agua o cristales de hielo suspendidos en el aire”. El geógrafo John Lynch lo expresó de manera sorprendentemente acorde con la Torá: “Vivimos en un planeta de agua… existe un océano alrededor nuestro y otro sobre nosotros”. Difícil encontrar una formulación más precisa de las “aguas inferiores” y “aguas superiores”.

Así, según Jefetz, el segundo día no describe solamente una división metafísica, sino la creación del mecanismo esencial que hace posible la vida en la tierra: el ciclo del agua.

https://works.hcommons.org/records/z7w6w-09k12?utm_source=chatgpt.com#description-heading

See  HERE  the book Chanukkat haBayit