The Worth of a Man Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) notes at the beginning of the Book that God counted the nation at every significant turn because he loves it. So too, the fact that the people were counted as individuals proves the infinite worth of every Jew, and sets the precedent for God’s undying love to see every one of his created subjects return to a loving relationship with him through his Unique and Only Son. Certainly it would have been easier and quicker to count the people en masse, and that would have been the proper course if all that mattered were sheer numbers. But that would have caused the individual to be an insignificant member of the total community and it would have obscured his personal responsibility to grow and contribute. Each tribe had its own uniqueness to contribute to the national well-being and each individual was precious in his own right. So it remains true today, as has been demonstrated by Yeshua’s obedience even unto death! “For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life instead of being utterly destroyed.” (John 3:16, emphasis mine) Also, “For the passage quoted says that everyone who rests his trust on him will not be humiliated. That means that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—ADONAI is the same for everyone, rich toward everyone who calls on him, since everyone who calls on the name of ADONAI will be delivered.” (Rom. 10:11-13, emphasis his) And again in another place, “…for it is not his purpose that anyone should be destroyed, but that everyone should turn from his sins.” (2 Pet. 3:9c) So we see that God is interested in each individual—not just whole tribes! True, this book tells how the nation slid and an entire generation had to remain in the Wilderness and expire. But their children emerged strong and courageous, still gathered around the Mishkan and ready to claim its destiny as the heirs to the blessings of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’akov.

I personally believe that our sages had some wise things to say about the Torah, considering the fact that they lived in an era when the knowledge of the Messiah was either suppressed or rejected. However, we who know the Blessed Name of the Messiah Yeshua, and the power of his fellowship, can add further insight to this ancient benediction. 'Y’varekh’kha ADONAI v’yishmerekha. [May ADONAI bless you and keep you.]’ Before you found the Messiah, God sought for you! He sought to bless you, by bringing you into the fellowship of his beloved Son! When the time was right, and your heart was tender, he lovingly reached out to you and saved you from the death-grip that sin had you in! Once your tender heart accepted his covenant relationship, based on trusting faithfulness to his Only, Unique Son, his covenant love for you secured a place for you in his Kingdom to come! You were his for the keeping! ‘Ya’er ADONAI panav eleikha vichunekka. [May ADONAI make his face shine on you and show you his favor.]’ The Torah teaches us the wonderful, yet mysterious truth that the “saving” Name of ADONAI is Yeshua! The Mighty Name of Yeshua is the power of Salvation from the Father himself! When Yah’s Salvation walked the earth in bodily form, we beheld his k’vod (glory), and it was full of Grace and Truth! To attempt to look at the Eternal YHVH was to invite instantaneous death! To be sure, the Torah teaches us that no man has seen God and lived! Yet, Yeshua informed us that to look upon his face is to behold the face of the Father! The gracious expression of the Father’s favor was demonstrated most fully in his Son’s bloody sacrificial death, burial and miraculous resurrection! Through the sacrifice of the Son, the Father’s face shines down upon us! ‘Yissa ADONAI panav eleikha v’yasem l’kha shalom. [May ADONAI lift up his face toward you and give you peace.]’ The Torah says, ‘yissa ADONAI’. What is the meaning of ‘yissa’? The root word is ‘naw-sah’, which means to ‘lift, raise up, furnish, magnify, pardon.’ We gain the Hebrew word ‘nasi”, which means ‘prince, exalted one, chief’ from this same root word. But we also get a little-known, more specialized meaning from the word ‘nasi’; this Hebrew word also means ‘rising wind, vapor’. Who is the magnificent Rising Wind which uplifts the Face of ADONAI? Who is that Exalted Vapor who testifies of all that Yeshua was and is and is to come, whose filling ushers in everlasting Shalom? Who is the Power of God to stand us on our feet and put a new song in our mouths? The Ruach HaKodesh is this person! He is the lifter of our souls! His miracle-working indwelling is the Power of God to lift up our countenance and usher in the genuine shalom that only comes from knowing the Messiah Yeshua in the pardon of our sins!

In Yesha'yahu 11:1-5, we are given a vivid description of the coming Messiah. All rabbinical sources, as well as Christian scholars agree that this passage is a prophecy concerning the long-awaited Savior. The "Branch of Yishai" is a reference to his bloodline. Yishai (Jesse) was the father of Dah-vid the King. It was a well-known fact that the Messiah was to be born from Dah-vid's loins. The Torah describes him this way: "The Spirit of ADONAI will rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and power, the Spirit of knowledge and fearing ADONAI—he will be inspired by fearing ADONAI" (11:2). As can be observed by my emphasis, the Spirit is referred to SEVEN times, and in an orderly fashion: (1) - the Spirit of ADONAI; (2) and (3) – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding; (4) and (5) – the Spirit of counsel and power; (6) and (7) – the Spirit of knowledge and fearing ADONAI. This is not an arbitrary use of words coined by the naviy (prophet). Yesha'yahu was writing under the direct inspiration of the very Spirit that he was speaking about! The Torah frequently employs the use of "word pictures". These are phrases and words coined for the explicit purpose of calling the reader's attention to a certain Truth of the understanding of HaShem and his purposes among mankind. When the Torah uses the word "anoint" for example, the "picture" that is painted is one of a horn of oil (presumably olive) being poured out and down upon an individual. In the case of the High Priest Aharon, the Torah describes the oil as being poured upon his head as an anointing (Sh'mot 29:7). In our haftarah to B’ha’alotkha (see Z’kharyah 2:14-4:7) we will again read of this anointing property of oil and the Spirit. I can almost imagine seeing the oil as it runs down Aharon’s head, down his face, into his beard, and down his shoulders, as Moshe makes sure of the God-given instructions. The oil is a representation of the Spirit of ADONAI! The Torah is explicitly teaching us that the office of Cohen HaGadol (High Priest) cannot function properly without the supernatural anointing from the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit)!

In the opening few verses of our current parashah, we learn that the actual, removable lamps, which rest upon each branch, “face” inward towards the central shaft, and consequently towards the center lamp as well (picture an “Aladdin’s type” lamp with a handle on one end and a spout at the opposite end where the wick protrudes). Rashi confirms this in his commentary to these p’sukim: Our Sages further expounded from here that there was a step in front of the menorah, on which the kohen stood to prepare [the lamps]. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 3] toward the face of the menorah. Toward the middle lamp, which is not on [one of] the branches, but on the menorah itself. — [Men. 98b] shall cast their light. The six on the six branches; the three eastern ones-that is their wicks-facing towards the center one, and likewise, the three western ones, the tops of their wicks facing toward the center one. Why [were the wicks facing inwards, thus giving off so little light]? So that [people] should not say that He [God] needs the light. — [Tanchuma Beha’alothecha 5] Rashi’s opinion, however, is not universally shared. The JPS commentary to Numbers 8:2, 3 suggests other possible ways in which to understand how the lamps themselves were positioned: at the front Hebrew ‘el-mul penei. If the intent is that the light should be thrown toward the central lampstand (2 Sam. 11:15), then the pinched lips or nozzles of the lamps atop the six branches would face the lampstand. However, one would expect the text to read “six” not “seven” lamps. Perhaps, then, the light is thrown forward (i.e., northward) toward the table, an interpretation supported by Exodus 25:37, where the synonymous expression ‘al ‘ever penei clearly means “forward.” 3. at the front The fact that the idiom ‘el-mul penei is repeated indicates that the purpose of this passage is to stress the positioning of the lamps. I personally believe that Rashi’s description is correct here. However, no matter which opinion we take, surely there were “six plus one” lamps for us to see. The focal point of the menorah is easily assumed to be the central, supporting shaft. This central shaft and light are known in Judaism as the “Shamash”, coming from the Hebrew word which means “servant.”

In Genesis chapter one, verses 1-5, the Hebrew word “Torah” can be found if we count every 50th letter. Now, we must remember that Hebrew reads right-to-left, so our Hebrew word “Torah”, consisting of the four letters “Tav”, “Vav”, “Resh”, and “Heh” (T-V-R-H) would look like this in our text (beginning with the first “Tav” that we find: H-(49 spaces)-R-(49 spaces)-V-(49 spaces)-T In Exodus chapter one, verses 1-7, the exact same phenomenon occurs! Beginning with the first “Tav” that we find, the pattern is this: H-(49 spaces)-R-(49 spaces)-V-(49 spaces)-T In our “shammash” book of Leviticus, we find something very special! Instead of the Hebrew word “Torah” at every 50th letter, we instead find in the very first verse the Tetragrammaton Name (“Yod”, Heh”, Vav”, “Heh”, e.g., YHVH) of HaShem at every 8th letter! Beginning with the first “Yod” that we find, this is the pattern: H-(7 spaces)-V-(7 spaces)-H-(7 spaces)-Y The name of God is indeed the proper “central shaft” of our hidden Menorah! But let's move onto Numbers. In Numbers chapter one, verses 1-3, we find the familiar Hebrew word “Torah” again—as should be expected, at 50 letter intervals. But this time, since the pattern is symmetrical—as should be expected, the letters are backwards: T-(49 spaces)-V-(49 spaces)-R-(49 spaces)-H Finally, we come to Deuteronomy and the last branch in our Menorah. In this 5th book of Moshe we shall find something very special. The Hebrew word “Torah” is surely to be found in the first chapter, but this time, a few minor changes take place. Instead of starting with the first chapter and verse one, we start this time with chapter one, verses 5-8. Starting with the first “Heh” of verse 8, we count not every 50th letter, but instead every 49th letter—to reveal the word “Torah”! Our pattern will look like this: T-(48 spaces)-V-(48 spaces)-R-(48 spaces)-H

Shabbat Violation The Torah helps to paint a picture of work and rest, slavery and freedom, which spiritually amounts to life and death. How so? In the Renewed Covenant book of Galatians, Rabbi Sha’ul tell us: "Don’t delude yourselves: no one makes a fool of God! A person reaps what he sows. Those who keep sowing in the field of their old nature, in order to meet its demands, will eventually reap ruin; but those who keep sowing in the field of the Spirit will reap from the Spirit everlasting life. So let us not grow weary of doing what is good; for if we don’t give up, we will in due time reap the harvest. Therefore, as the opportunity arises, let us do what is good to everyone, and especially to the family of those who are trustingly faithful." (6:7-10) The better first half of Leviticus chapter 25 uses harvest language, sowing and reaping, working and resting according to faith. To leave the ground unplowed for an entire year requires faith indeed—especially living in an agricultural land such as Isra'el! The guilty man was found gathering wood on the “day meant for resting”. Today, our faith lies in the fact that we have rested from our labors of self-righteousness. Before our faith in Messiah, we worked year after year to meet our own needs. Our harvest was the product of our own hands. Consequently, it was a harvest of death. Our “working” to be accepted by God, outside of genuine, Biblical trust in Messiah, could only result in death. But to place one’s trusting faithfulness in the atoning work of the Messiah Yeshua is to rest from one’s own labors! To be sure, without the faith of Messiah at work in our lives, we truly do not have a proper concept of Shabbat! To rest (the Sabbath) is to cease working in our own fields, and to begin "resting" in the fields of the Master! When we were in the world, we were "slaves" to sin! But now in Messiah Yeshua, we have experienced our spiritual Jubilee—our year of release from debt! We are no longer slaves to sin, and our wages are no longer death! We have been set free by the power of his Sabbath rest! What does the Torah say? "What the Messiah has freed us for is freedom! Therefore, stand firm, and don’t let yourselves be tied up again to a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1) And again in another place, "So there remains a Shabbat-keeping for God’s people. For the one who has entered God’s rest has also rested from his own works, as God did from his. Therefore, let us do our best to enter that rest; so that no one will fall short because of the same kind of disobedience." (Hebrews 4:9-11) And finally, "Keep my Shabbats, and revere my sanctuary; I am ADONAI." (Leviticus 26:20)

Garment of Praise The portion this week contains Judaism’s first mitzvah (commandment) concerning the tzitzit, that is, the tassel that adorns a modern observant Jewish person’s clothing. Chapter 15:37-41 clearly teaches the offspring of Avraham to attach a “ribbon of blue” to the extremity or “wing” (Heb: kanaf) of their garments. It is easy to assume that these p’sukim (verses) are meant to be actualized by the males of the community, but a difference of opinion has arisen concerning whether or not women can also wear the tassel of blue (Heb: techelet). While the literal text reads “sons” in verse 38, I believe the following paragraph may shed some light on the subject. I must state up front that traditionally women have not worn the fringes. And reasons as to why are varied. But in my line of work many readers frequently ask me about this unique and exciting mitzvah. Here is some of what I have had to say: (Borrowing material from my short series called “Shomer Mitzvot”) "Rabbi Ariel [sic], can a woman wear a tallit?" Let us first define what a tallit is, and its function. A tallit (say "tall-eat"), also known as a "prayer shawl", is a four-cornered, rectangular-shaped garment, containing ritual fringes on each of its four corners, worn for the express purpose of fulfilling the following mitzvah (command). These tassels are called tzitzit (say "seat-seat"). The prayer shawl is usually adorned with colorful stripes and a special Hebrew-lettered neckband to identify the top edge. Before I provide a possibly controversial answer, I want to draw your attention to the specific Torah passage that addresses the topic of the fringes. Version: NAS Numbers 15:37-40 37. The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying, 38. "Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue. 39. "And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot, 40. in order that you may remember to do all My commandments, and be holy to your God. (Vayomer ADONAI el-Moshe leymor. Daber el-b’ney Yisra’el ve'amarta aleihem v'asu lahem tzitzit al-kan’fey vig’deyhem l’dorotam v’nat’nu al-tzitzit ha-kanaf p’til t’cheilet. V’hayah lachem l’tzitzit ur'item oto uz’chartem et-kol-mitzvot ADONAI va'asitem otam v’lo-taturu acharei l’vav’chem v'acharei eyneychem asher-atem zonim achareihem. L’ma'an tiz’k’ru va'asitem et-kol-mitzvotai vi-hyitem k’doshim le-Eloheichem. Ani ADONAI Eloheichem asher hotzeiti etchem mey'erets Mitzrayim li’hyot lachem le-Elohim ani ADONAI Eloheichem.) Here in Numbers 15:37-41, we find a series of verses specifically aimed at teaching ‘Am Yisra'el (the people of Isra'el) how to revere HaShem and his Torah. According to the Talmudic rabbis, one of the possible incidents that "sparked" the giving of the tallit mitzvah in the first place was the violation of the Shabbat (see 15:32-36); another might be the upcoming rebellion involving Korach and his bunch of rebels (see next parashah). These are inferred by the immediate context of the chapters. However, the mitzvah of wearing the fringes spans the entire context of Torah observance, in that, placing ritual fringes on the corners of the garment (see 15:39-39) was to serve as a visual reminder that HaShem was serious when he told them to "keep the commandments", not just the Shabbat.

Traditions play an important part of our daily walk as new creations in Messiah Yeshua. In my opinion, some traditions enhance that walk, while other traditions hinder it. Logic dictates that if a tradition comes directly from the Torah, then HaShem designed it to enhance our walk. According to Jewish tradition, men wear a tallit to signify obedience to the above-mentioned mitzvah, to signify the desire to engage in public prayer and Torah exposition, or in special cases, depending on the length of the tallit, it can signify a position of leadership (rabbi, deacon, prayer-chanter, etc). We know from the Torah itself, the New Covenant part, that Rabbi Yeshua ben-Yosef, as a Torah observant Jewish man, wore the fringes on his garment (see Matthew 9:20). Now to address the question head on: "Can a woman wear a tallit?" According to the Biblical injunction to perform the mitzvah of the tzitzit, a woman these days should wear some sort of prayer shawl, adorned with fringes. The above-mentioned passage is addressed to the "Children of Isra'el", which translates the Hebrew phrase "B'ney Yisra'el". This familiar phrase, used throughout the TaNaKH quite frequently, normally includes all of Isra'el, and not just the men or (literally) "sons". What this means is that historically, we should have seen the women joining in on this mitzvah. After all, doesn't it stand to reason, therefore, that HaShem wants the females to be Torah-observant also? In the Talmudic tractate Menachot 43a we read that everyone is obligated to perform the mitzvah of tzitzit, however the comment that follows exempts women: “Rabbi Simon exempted women because this was a positive mitzvah limited by time and from all positive, time bound mitzvot women are exempt”. Being exempt from something does not mean one is not allowed to; just because you don’t have to fulfill an obligation, doesn’t exclude you from participating. Commentators, such as Moses Isserles argued that women shouldn’t try and fulfill this mitzvah, as it would constitute an excessive demonstration of pride in their own piety. However nearly all other commentators, with the exception of Maimonides and Epstein, permit women to wear a tallit, and to recite the blessings over it. We Jews do just love to debate! A garment that has four or more square corners on opposite sides (10:1-3,5-9,12) requires fringes (TZITZIS), provided it is big enough to cover most of the body (see 16:1), is primarily used for that purpose (10:10-11;19:1-2), and is owned by Jews (see 14:3,5). TZITZIS are required when the garment is worn during the day, or when it is worn at night if it is normally worn during the day; see 18:1-2. The requirement of TZITZIS applies only to garments made of cloth (see 10:4), and is only rabbinical unless they are made of linen or sheep's wool (9:1); according to some opinions, the garment or the TZITZIS should not be of linen (9:2,6). The TZITZIS may be made either of wool or of the same material as the garment (9:2-4); they may be white or of the same color as the garment (9:5). The TZITZIS are passed through holes near the four corners of the garment (see 11:9-11,15) that are farthest apart (10:1). Four TZITZIS are passed through each hole (11:12-13), and the two groups of four ends are double-knotted to each other at the edge of the garment near the hole (11:14,15). One of the TZITZIS is made longer than the others (11:4); the long end of that one is wound around the other seven ends and double- knotted; this is done repeatedly so as to make a total of five double knots separated by four sections of winding, with a total length of at least four inches, leaving free-hanging ends that are twice that long (11:14).

Menachot 42b And for what purpose do the Rabbis use the expression ‘That ye may look upon it’? — They require it for the following teaching: ‘That ye may look upon it, and remember’, that is, look upon this precept and remember another precept that is dependent upon it, namely, the reading of the Shema’. As we have learnt: From what time in the morning may the Shema’ be read? From the time that one can distinguish between blue and white. Another [Baraitha] taught: ‘That ye may look upon it, and remember’, that is, look upon this precept, and remember another precept that is next to it, namely, ‘the law concerning mingled stuffs, for it is written, Thou shalt not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together’. Thou shalt make thee twisted cords. And another [Baraitha] taught: That ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord: as soon as a person is bound to observe this precept he must observe all the precepts. This is in accordance with R. Simeon's view that [the tzitzith] is a precept dependent on time. And another [Baraitha] taught: ‘That ye may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord’: this precept is equal to all the precepts together. And another [Baraitha] taught: ‘That ye may look upon it and remember . . . and do them’: looking [upon it] leads to remembering [the commandments], and remembering leads to doing them. R. Simeon b. Yohai says, Whosoever is scrupulous in the observance of this precept is worthy to receive the Divine presence, for it is written here, ‘That ye may look upon it’, and there it is written, Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and Him shalt thou serve. So we seem to have plenty of justification, both from Torah and Talmud for wearing the tallit and the fringes, but can a woman wear one? A recent invention called a Gitah Zahav Tallit was created to allow the women to fulfill the mitzvah of wrapping herself in tzitzit. Again, it is recognized that traditionally women were not obligated to fulfill this mitzvah. This was due to the fact that tzitzit are worn during daylight hours (with the exception of the High Holidays) when women were occupied with many other duties. Throughout time women have taken on this mitzvah and it is interesting to note that Rabbi Judah the Prince, who was the editor of the Mishna tied tzitzit onto his wife’s apron! Can a woman wear a tallit? As long as it doesn't send the wrong signal to the other male members, I don't see why not. As previously mentioned, my first choice would be a feminine (versus the traditional male-oriented) styled one. If you cannot purchase a feminine shawl (and there's really no reason why a standard, lady’s shawl cannot be found somewhere for purchase), then why not make your own. Purchase a traditional small tallit, and sew laces onto it, tailoring it to look like a female version of the male one. All of these suggestions need to take into account the various sensitivities that many congregations (or churches for that matter) currently have. You married women, consult the opinion of your husband; you single women, ask your rabbi or pastor. Approach the concept with a sensible amount of caution, and by all means, bathe it in prayer! If HaShem doesn't want you to cause unnecessary strife in the public gatherings, then I suggest that you practice your tzitzit-mitzvah keeping in the privacy of your own home. We should not seek to intentionally offend the conscience of another believer, for the sake of our own personal interpretation of the Torah, especially if the other believer might be weaker. This does not please the Holy One! Much more can be said concerning the blue threads, the mixtures of the threads, and whether or not one should wear them outwardly or tucked into one’s “pants” but those discussions are reserved for the men. My commentary called “Kippah and Tallit Pt. 2” will take up that midrash so read it there.

Conclusions If you are still not sure you understand the true intent behind Torah observance (which includes the command to wear fringes), I suggest reading my introductory teachings in this series. They are available at this web site, or you may write to me personally. As you seek to become more obedient to HaShem's Torah, by adding the mitzvah of the tzitzit, here is the traditional blessing by which Jews adorn themselves with the tallit: “Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher kid-shanu b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu l'hit-ateyf ba-tzitzit" (Blessed are you, O’ LORD, our God, King of the Universe, for you have sanctified us through thy commandments, and have commanded us to sew [wear] the fringes) It is also customary to recite Psalms 36:5-9. The reason for this choice of passages is that verse seven contains the Hebrew word "kanaf", usually translated "wing", or "extremity". A tallit contains four "wings" or "extremities", upon which the tzitzit are attached. To strengthen the connection between this use of the word kanaf, the prophet Malachi 4:2 predicted that when the Sun of Righteousness (another name for the expected Messiah) would arise, he would have "healing in his wings"! When the woman with the issue of blood reached out to touch Yeshua (Matt. 9:20-21), she was placing her trust in the miraculous healing contained within the extremity of his garment! She reached for the tassels of the long-awaited Savior! I encourage you to continue to study the Torah to discover the rich traditions that HaShem has lovingly placed there. To be sure, HaShem had us in mind when he created them. The portion ends with the promising phrase, “I am ADONAI your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt in order to be your God. I am ADONAI your God.” We’ve seen this phrase/title before. The Torah seems to want us not to forget it! Why was this title important? HaShem has revealed an aspect of his character that would later play a very important role in the identity of the Jewish People as a Nation. This title would also serve as a reminder to the surrounding nations that "with a great out-stretched arm, ADONAI Almighty delivered his beloved people!" (see Moshe’s argument to HaShem in 14:13-16) To be sure, the reference of HaShem as the "God who delivered [them] from the bondage of Egypt" would become a "household" name of sorts. Looking back in the book of Sh’mot to the "Ten Commandments" (Sh'mot 20:1, 2) you can also find this phrase used to identify HaShem. Thumb through the rest of your TaNaKH (Old Testament) and you will find that this phrase is also used numerous times. As believers in Messiah Yeshua, we know that this is one of the primary character traits of HaShem, which unifies the Messiah and the Godhead as an "echad", that is as "one". The name of the Messiah comes from the Hebrew name "Y'hoshua", which itself stems from the Hebrew name "Hoshea". Both of these names are composites of the two Hebrew words for "God" and "will save", respectively. When we combine this knowledge with the fact that it is "YHVH" who offers us salvation from sin THROUGH Yeshua the Messiah, then we can begin to understand the significance of the type and shadow that the Torah teaches using the Exodus from Egypt and how it personally impacts our lives as new creations. The closing blessing is as follows: “Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam nata-b’tochenu. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.” (Blessed are you O’ LORD, our God, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of truth, and have planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you, LORD, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.) “Shabbat Shalom!”