Article #369
Subject: Commentary on Rosh Hashanah Scriptures
Author: Andrew W. Harrell
Posted: 9/27/2014 12:58:42 PM

Some of the Torah and Haftarah readings for Rosh Hashanah morning service:
I Samuel, Chapter ii, 1-11, Isaiah chapters 1,5,6,42, 45, 61
We include here a discussion of the first one. Apologies for any mistakes in
the transliteration of the Hebrew. As I said in an earlier blog several years
ago, I believe and follow the key teaching in mathematical logic of one of
the definition’s of truth taught me in math graduate school forty years
ago, “Truth is invariance under change of notation.”

For some different translations see, ‘The Third Ode, a Prayer of Anna, the
Mother of Samuel the Prophet’ from ‘The Psalms, According to the Seventy’,
by Holy Transfiguation Monastery, Boston MA, 1974, also ‘The Amplified Bible’
Also, I refered to “Etz Hayim, Torah and Commentary” by JPS Jewish
Publication Society

Haftarah (prophetic) teaching for 1st day of Rosh Hashanah Hannah’s Song
1 Samuel 1:1-2:10


This portion from our Holy Scriptures (which starts the Old Testament story
of the Kings of Israel) is set aside for the reading of the morning service
of Rosh Hashanah. So, it must contain wondelful and important teachings. What
are these teachings? Because the Torah portion for Rosh Hashanah speaks of
how Abraham was required by God to offer up his son Isaac for possible
sacrifice to God it is possible that these prophetic verses were provided to
us to record how God can give help to those of us who have dedicated our
lives to God and are faced with the situation that, our prayers for the
salvation of our sons and daughters don’t seem to have been answered like
Abraham’s were. The portion speaks about the experiences of God’s maid
servant Hannah (somehow the name gets transferred to the term “hand servant”
in the New Testament when Saint Mary’s story is told). Hannah’s name means
the grace of God, the Love of God that gives. What are these experiences?
Like Sarah who bore Abraham children when he was 100 years old, and Mary(the
Mother of God) who bore God His Son Jesus, Hannah bore God inside of Elkanah
Son of ELIHU. His wife Peninah gave him Chafni and Phineas as sons but Hannah
gave her husband ten spiritual children(see * which correspond to the 10 uses
of the divine name YHWH in these passages. The divine names of these children
are contained in these verses as she calls upon the Lord of Hosts for help.
Firstly, according to Jewish tradition in one significant verse Hannah was
the first to call God the Lord of Hosts, “She made a vow and said, “ YHWH
Saboath, if You take of the suffering of Your maidservant, and You remember
and do not forget Your maidservant, and give Your maidservant a male
offspring, then I shall give him to YHWH all the days of his life, and a
razor will not come upon his head (she vowed that here Son would be a
Nazarine the Old Testament judge Samson and like Jesus Christ God’s only Son).
Also in this portion Hannah calls upon God’s name in the ways.” What are the
ways she prayed to fulfill this vow to God and the basis upon which she has a
right to expect a reply or answer to her prayers?:
Since Mary and Joseph were practicing Jews it is possible that both of them
had studied these prayers in this passage many times during New Year services
in those days, at those times. Mary’s song in passages familiar to us from
the Gospel of Luke contains similar expressions of petition and thankfulness
to God for answering her prayer to be given a Son to be called (named)
according to Isaiah’s prophecy Immanuel (Jesus Christ).


Kings 1

* as well as the five of her own human sons with him and the two of Peninah
that survived 1Samuel 2:21

Kings 1:15

(1) confession of previous mistakes and prayer for unmerited help…I have
poured out my soul before YHWH
( v’ ehsh’ph’ach et n’ph’shay l’ph’nay YHWH) (rf. Genesis 19:34 Amplified
Bible)

Kings 1:17

(2) prayer for overall awareness and individual in )becoming aware…YHWH
Remembered
(l’chay Shalom v’ELOHAY Israel y’tayn et shelteach or in English ELI
answered ‘Go towards peace. The God of Israel [El} will grant your request)…
V’yeezach’reeh YHWH)


Kings 1:19
“ Elkanah knew Hannah, his wife, and the Lord [YHWH} remembered her.”
Amplified Bible

(3) prayer for purposefulness…we shall appear before YHWH,
(l’ph’nayach YHWH) a


Kings 1:20

“named him Samuel [heard of God], because she said, I have asked him of the
Lord [YHWH]”
Amplified Bible
(4) prayer of petition…may YHWH fulfill His word
(af y’kam YHWH et dabaru or alternatively the phrase means---but, may YHWH
fulfill his word)

Because I have asked Him of YHWH
(Me’YHWH sh’altayav .. the name Samuel comes from a shorten version of the
Hebrew words Shaaol Me El.. requested of God)


Kings 2:1
“My heart is established in the Lord [YHWH], my horn is exalted in my God
[YHWH], my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies, I am glad in Thy salvation.
“my heart exults and triumphs in the Lord [YHWH]; my horn (my strength) is
lifted up in the Lord [YHWH}” Amplified Bible

Kings 2:2
“For there is none holy as the Lord, for there is none righteous as our God,
and there is none holy beside Thee.”
“there is no rock like our God” Amplified Bible

(5) prayer for integrity in all her actions and henceforth God’s actions….she
brought him to the house of YHWH (Beth YHWH)
YHWH is a God of knowledge (alternatively, of thoughts)
(v’lo neet’chanu ayleelot: kehshet geboraum chataym)
Deeds are counted by Him, the bow of the mighty is broken

Kings 2:3
“Boast ye not, and utter not high things unto excess, nor let boastful words
of pride come forth from your mouth.
“For the Lord [YHWH} is a God of knowledge, and a God that prepareth His own
ways” Psalms, according to the Seventy.

(El Daat YHWH)
(Ayn Kadosh chay YHWH chay ayn bhayaayn bheel’tehach v’ayn tzor chay Elohaynu)
(For there is none as Holy as the LORD and none beside YOU, and there is no
Rock life Our God)

(6) prayer for thankfulness….For this child did I pray; YHWH granted me my
request that I asked of Him

Kings 2:8
“For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s[YHWH’s]. He has set the world
upon them.”
Etz Hayim

( Khay l’YHWH m’tzaykay Eretz for the LORD YHWH’s are the pillars of the
earth…refers to two columns of righteousness that the archangels Gabriel and
Michael stand guard with flaming swords of Truth in front of the Northern and
Southern entrance to the garden of Eden and also the Ark of the Covenant
inside of the Holy temple in the Holy Land wherever God dwelss with us on
earth)

Kings 2;1
(7) prayer of thankfulness… my pride was raised through YHWH and my mouth
opened wide against my antagonists, for I rejoiced in Your salvation

Kings 2:3
(8) prayer for fulfillment of the prayer through understanding of the mind of
Christ….YHWH is the God of thoughts (El Daat YHWH)

Kings 2:6
“The Lord[YHWH] slayeth and engendereth life. He bringeth down to hades and
he bringeth up again.”
Psalms, according to the Seventy

“The Lord maketh poor and enricheth, He bringeth low and lifteth high again.”

“He raiseth the paupe4r from the erath, and from the dunghill doth He lift up
the poor man to seat him with the mighty of the people, and He maketh him
heir of their throne of glory.”

Psalm, according to the Seventh

“The Lord[YHWH] deals death and gives life, casts down to Sheol and raises
up.”
Etz Hayim


(9) prayer for expectation of an answer because God has a right to our
universal submission to His will and hence we have a right to expect each
other’s help in being His instruments of peace and fulfillment among us all …
YHWH brings death and gives life, lowers to the pit and elevates.
Impoverishes and makes rich, humbles and exalts, raise the needly from the
dust)

Kings 2:9
“ He will guard the feet of His
Godly ones” Amplified Bible

“He guards the steps of the His faithful, But the wicked shall perish in
darkness.”
Etz Hayim

Kings 2:10
“He granteth his prayer to him that prayeth, and hath blest the years of the
righteous man. For the Lord [YHWH] will weaken his adversary, the Lord [YHWH]
is holy.”
Psalms, according to the Seventy

He humbles and exalts.
(YHWH maymyt v’m’chyehh morayd Sh’aol vyayl: YHWH moraysh v’maashyr moshphyl
af moroman: maykym maafar dal mayash’pot yrym ehbyot )


“The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them will He
thunder in heaven. The Lord
Will judge all peoples to the end of the earth; and He will give strength to
His Kings and exalt the power of His anointed.” Amplified Bible [cf Luke 146]

Kings 2:10
“The Lord[YHWH] hath gone up into the heavens and hath thundered; He will
judge the ends of the earth, for He is righteous. And He will give strength
to our kings, and He will lift up the horn of His anointed One.” Psalms,
according to the Seventy

“The foes of the Lord shall be shattered; he will thunder against them in the
heavens, the lord will judge the ends of the earth, He will give power to His
king, and triumpth to his anointed One.”
Etz Hayim

(10) prayer for final judgement and justice for us all and removal of
obstacles and the neutralization and rendering ineffective of those who have
continually hurt (in ways that seems to be unrecoverable) or are contining
to hurt the fulfillment of our just aspirations in accord with God’s will….O
YHWH, may those that contend with Him be shattered,…and may YHWH judge to the
ends of the earth (y’din YHWH aph’may eretz
v’y’ten az l’malachu v’y’ram kdeem meshiach), may He give power to His king
and raise the pride of His anointed

Article #370
Subject: further thoughts
Author: Andrew W. Harrell
Posted: 9/27/2014 01:00:03 PM

Haftarah (prophetic) teaching for 1st day of Rosh Hashanah
Hannah’s Song
1 Samuel 1:1-2:10

This portion from our Holy Scriptures (which starts the Old Testament story
of the Kings of Israel) is set aside for the reading of the morning service
of Rosh Hashanah. So, it must contain wondelful and important teachings. What
are these teachings? Because the Torah portion for Rosh Hashanah speaks of
how Abraham was required by God to offer up his son Isaac for possible
sacrifice to God it is possible that these prophetic verses were provided to
us to record how God can give help to those of us who have dedicated our
lives to God and are faced with the situation that, our prayers for the
salvation of our sons and daughters don’t seem to have been answered like
Abraham’s were. The portion speaks about the experiences of God’s maid
servant Hannah (somehow the name gets transferred to the term “hand servant”
in the New Testament when Saint Mary’s story is told). Hannah’s name means
the grace of God, the Love of God that gives. What are these experiences?
Like Sarah who bore Abraham children when he was 100 years old, and Mary(the
Mother of God) who bore God His Son Jesus, Hannah bore God inside of Elkanah
Son of ELIHU. His wife Peninah gave him Chafni and Phineas as sons but Hannah
gave her husband ten spiritual children(see * which correspond to the 10 uses
of the divine name YHWH in these passages. The divine names of these children
are contained in these verses as she calls upon the Lord of Hosts for help.
Firstly, according to Jewish tradition in one significant verse Hannah was
the first to call God the Lord of Hosts, “She made a vow and said, “ YHWH
Saboath, if You take of the suffering of Your maidservant, and You remember
and do not forget Your maidservant, and give Your maidservant a male
offspring, then I shall give him to YHWH all the days of his life, and a
razor will not come upon his head (she vowed that here Son would be a
Nazarine the Old Testament judge Samson and like Jesus Christ God’s only
Son).
Also in this portion Hannah calls upon God’s name in the ways.” What are the
ways she prayed to fulfill this vow to God and the basis upon which she has a
right to expect a reply or answer to her prayers?:
Since Mary and Joseph were practicing Jews it is possible that both of them
had studied these prayers in this passage many times during New Year services
in those days, at those times. Mary’s song in passages familiar to us from
the Gospel of Luke contains similar expressions of petition and thankfulness
to God for answering her prayer to be given a Son to be called (named)
according to Isaiah’s prophecy Immanuel (Jesus Christ).


* as well as the five of her own human sons with him and the two of Peninah
that survived 1Samuel 2:21