Yahweh’s Loves The Children of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’akov.

The Children of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’akov by understanding that he is the Mighty one of Is’rayl, and that there is no one else beside him. My view is that those who worship Jesus Christ reject Yahweh and break his commands that we worship him only. As we do, we must reciprocate his love appropriately by loving him, and him only, with all our hearts and all our minds.

In the Tanakh, the wonderful characteristics of the Mighty One’s love were in a very clear way revealed to Isra’yl. This nation owes its entire existence to the love of Yahweh the Mighty One. However, it was always meant to be a reciprocating love in which the obligation rested on Isra’yl to respond to the Mighty One’s love by living in the right relationship with Him. Moshe said to his people:

“It was not because you were more in number than any other peoples that Yahweh was delighted in you and chose you for you were the fewest of all peoples; 8 But it was because Yahweh loved you, and because he would keep the oaths which he had sworn to your fathers, that Yahweh brought you out with a mighty hand, and delivered you out of the house of bondage from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, 9 That you may know therefore that Yahweh your Mighty One, he is the Mighty One, the faithful Mighty One, who keeps covenant and mercy with those that love him and keep his mitzvot to a thousand generations,  10 Repays those that hate him during their lifetime; he requites them that he may destroy them; he shall not be slack to those that hate him, but he repays them during their lifetime.” (D’varim. 7:7-10).

Every member of the Nation who did not love Yahweh and turn his back upon Him, would pierce himself through with many sorrows. He would be the sufferer. On the other hand, those who love Yahweh will be richly blessed:

“Now, Isra'yl, what does Yahweh your Mighty One require of you, but to revere Yahweh your Mighty One, to walk in his ways, to love him and to serve Yahweh your Mighty One with all your heart and with all your soul,  13 To keep the mitzvot of Yahweh your Mighty One and his statutes, which I command you this day for your good. 14 Look, the heaven and the heaven of heavens belongs to Yahweh your Mighty One, the earth also, with all that therein is.” (D’varim 7:12-14).

To qualify for these blessings, there is only the demand of true love which must also manifest in works of charity:

“And now, Isra’yl, what does Yahweh your Mighty One require of you, but to fear Yahweh your Mighty One, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve Yahweh your Mighty One with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of Yahweh and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” (D’varim 10:12-13).

Many good things would come over Isra’yl if they truly loved and served Yahweh. He would also protect them against the plots and attacks of their enemies, of which there were many. Balak, the king of Mo’av, hired Bil’am to curse Isra’yl:

“Nevertheless Yahweh your Mighty One would not listen to Bil’am, but Yahweh your Mighty One turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Yahweh your Mighty One loves you” (D’varim. 23:5).

Bil’am advised Balak not to curse Isra’yl or to fight against them because Yahweh fights for them. He counselled Balak to befriend himself with Isra’yl and invite them to the feasts of Mo’av’s elohim. Should Isra’yl agree to social and religious compromise with Mo’av they would become untrue to the Mighty One, despise His love and worship hinder elohim.

The doctrine of Bil’am is the doctrine of compromise with an apostate world, against the instruction of the Tanakh. This self-destructing compromise caused a big disaster in Isra’yl. They accepted an invitation to a Baal feast, participated in the sacrifices, and many men of Isra’yl also took heathen wives in Mo’av. In doing so, Isra’yl didn’t honor their relationship of love towards the Mighty One but instead committed treason against Him. As a result, the wrath of the Mighty One was kindled against Isra’yl and He sent a plague over them in which 24 000 people died (B’midbar. 25:1-3, 9).

In spite of incidents of this nature, in which Isra’yl often in their history invited the anger of the Mighty One, the love of the Mighty One for Isra’yl never changed. Many individuals died as a result of their sins and rebellion, but that did not destroy the Mighty One’s covenant with Isra’yl. His love for them is comprehensive and all-embracing. It doesn’t only include promises about their  revival and l restoration in their land, but also the promise of His daily care to save them from all dangers and anxieties:

“1 But now this is what Yahweh says, Who created you, O Ya'akov, and he who formed you, O Isra'yl: Do not fear; for I have saved you, I have called you by your name because you are mine. 2 When you shall pass through the sea, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burnt; neither shall the flame kindle upon you. 3 For I am Yahweh your Mighty One, the Kodesh One of Isra'yl, your Saviour; I gave Egypt for your sake and Ethiopia and S’va for you. 4 Because you are precious in my sight, you have been honorable and I have loved you; therefore I have given men for your sake and nations for your life.  5 Do not fear; for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west;  6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Do not keep back; bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;  7 Even everyone who is called by my name; for I have created him for my splendour, I have formed him and I have made him” (Yesha’yahu 43:1-7).

The question may be asked: Why does Yahweh have to gather this people from the four corners of the earth and bring the dispersed ones back to their land? Why did they become unfaithful to Yahweh and forfeited His blessings? It is because of the hardening of their hearts. Instead of worshipping the Mighty One of Isra’yl they were deceived by HaSatan (their own evil proclivities) to live a life of licentiousness in which they also worshipped the Ba’alim:

“But you have not called me, O Ya'akov; for I have called you, O Isra'yl.  23 You have not brought me lambs of your burnt offerings; neither have you honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with request offerings, nor wearied you with demands for incense.  24 You have bought me no sweet cane with money, neither have you filled me with the fat of your sacrifices; but you have burdened me with your sins, you have wearied me with your iniquities.” (Yesha’yahu 43:22-24).

To this licentiousness and lack of love Isra’yl often committed themselves. They were warned that it would ultimately lead to great calamities and disaster, including the international dispersion of the nation:

“If you will not observe and do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear the honorable and wonderful name of Yahweh your Mighty One; 59 Then Yahweh will send your plagues and the plagues of your descendants, even great plagues of long duration and sore sicknesses of long duration.  60 Moreover he will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid; they shall cleave to you.  61 Also all kinds of sickness and all plagues which are not written in this book of the law, then will Yahweh bring upon you, until you are destroyed.  62 You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of the heaven for multitude; because you would not obey the voice of Yahweh your Mighty One. 63 As Yahweh rejoiced over you to do you good and to multiply you; so Yahweh will rejoice over you to destroy you and exterminate you; you shall be carried away from the land which you are entering to possess.  64 Yahweh shall scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other; there you shall serve other elohim of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. 65 Among these nations you shall find no ease, neither shall the sole of your foot have rest; but Yahweh shall give you there a trembling heart and failing of eyes and sorrow of the soul;  66 Your life shall be uncertain before you; you shall fear day and night and shall have no assurance of your life;” (D’varim. 28:58-66).

Eventually Isra’yl also rejected and turned their backs upon Yahweh and were taken captive by the King of Ashur followed later by the captivity of Y’hudah by the King of Bavel.

The captivity of Isra’yl and Y’hudah was never due to their rightful rejection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the modern manifestation of Mithraism, and therefore people are badly deceived when they believe and worship Jesus Christ. It amounts to the violation of the first three commands of Yahweh as clearly highlighted the Tanakh:

The Mighty One spoke all these words, saying, 2 I am Yahweh your Mighty One, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 You shall have no elohim except me.

4 ¶ You shall not make for yourself any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth;  5 You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I Yahweh your Mighty One am a zealous Mighty One, visiting the offenses of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me;  6 Showing mercy to thousands of generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Sh’mot 20:1-6)

This is the danger of Christianity per se; it makes people believe in gods (elohim) which have been made to appear to have a link to Yahweh; but in reality it violates the commands of Yahweh

Although the diaspora of Isra’yl (740-722 BCE) and Y’hudah (597-582 BCE) constitutes divine judgments, it was never meant to be an absolute rejection of the Children of Ya’akov otherwise called Isra’yl  and the abrogation of Mighty One’s covenant with them. (See: http://jewsandjoes.com/history-and-timeline-of-israel-and-judah.html)

The Mighty One of Isra’yl says:

“Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies I will not abhor them, neither will I cast them away to destroy them utterly, nor have I nullified my covenant with them; for I am Yahweh their Mighty One.  45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations and I became their Mighty One; I am Yahweh.” (Wayikra 26:44-45).

What we see is that Isra’yl and Y’hudah are still very much living away from Yahweh, but modern and deceived Jews think erroneously that they should return to the Mighty One of their fathers through Jesus Christ. This is the danger. Jesus Christ is nothing but a manifestation of the Roman man-god Mithra. This will only keep modern Isra’yl and Y’hudah forever slaves of Ashtoret and Ba’alim worship, which was the very reason they were removed from Yahweh’s presence at the outset.

Yahweh’s love for Isra’yl is eternal and unchangeable. Isra’yl and Y’hudah must see it and turn back to Yahweh. Listen to what Yahweh says through the prophet Hoshea about this forsaken woman, Isra’yl and later Y’hudah committed the same mistake, who wandered away from Him:

“I will punish her for the evils of the days of Ba'alim, in which she burned incense to him and decked herself with her earrings and her pearls and went after her lovers and forgot me, says Yahweh.

14 ¶ Therefore, see, I will comfort her, and bring her into the wilderness and speak lovingly to her.  15 I will give her vineyards from then, and the valley of Akhor that it may open her understanding; and she shall be humbled there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. 16 It shall be on that day, says Yahweh, that you shall call me, my husband (Ishi), and shall call me no more Ba'ali (My Lord).  17 For I will take away the name of Ba'alim out of her mouth, and they shall not remember that name ever again.” (Hos. 2:13-17).

The prophets Yesha’yahu also confirms the restored relationship of love between Isra’yl and Mighty One:

“Do not fear, for you shall not be ashamed; neither shall you be rebuked, for you shall not be put to shame; you shall forget the shame of your youth and shall not remember the reproach of your widowhood any more.  5 For Yahweh shall do thus to you; Yahweh Tzva'ot is his name, and your Saviour the Kodesh One of Isra'yl; the Mighty One of the whole earth shall he be called.

6 ¶ For Yahweh has called you as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, as a wife forsaken from her youth, says your Mighty One.  7 For in a little anger I have forsaken you; but with my great mercies I will gather you.  8 In a raging wrath I hid my face from you; but with my everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you, says Yahweh, your Saviour.” (Yesha’yahu. 54:4-8).

To Hosea this wonderful prospect was also revealed, and he concludes his writings with a prophecy on the restored relationship between Isra’yl and their Mighty One:

“I will heal their backsliding, I will love their vows; and my anger shall turn away from them.  5 I will be as the dew to Isra'yl; he shall spring up as the lily and cast forth his roots as cedars of L'vanon.  6 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like that of L'vanon.  7 They shall return and dwell under his shadow; they shall flourish like grain, and grow as the vine; their scent shall be like the wine of L'vanon.” (Hoshea. 14:4-7)

The prophet Yirmeyahu emphases the eternal love that the Mighty One has for Isra’yl:

“Yahweh has appeared to me from afar, saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you.  4 Again I will build you and you shall be built, O virgin of Isra'yl; you shall again be adorned with your ornaments and shall go forth in the assembly of those who make merry.  5 You shall again plant vineyards on the mountain of Shomron. Yes, you will plant vines and sing.  6 For the day is coming when the watchmen on mount Efrayim shall cry, saying, Arise, and let us go up to Tziyon to Yahweh our Mighty One.  7 For this is what Yahweh says: Sing with gladness, O house of Ya'akov, rejoice among the chief of the nations; publish, give praise and say, O Yahweh, save your people, the remnant of Isra'yl. 8 Watch, I will bring them from the north land and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth and also the lame and the blind who are among them, the woman with child and her that is in travail together; a great company shall they return here. 9 They shall go with weeping but they shall return with fervent prayer; I will lead them by the paths that have water, in straight ways in which they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Isra'yl and Efrayim is my first-born.

10 ¶ Hear the word of Yahweh, O you his people and declare it in the isles afar off and say, He who scattered Isra'yl will gather him and shall keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.  11 Yahweh has saved his servant Ya'akov, and delivered him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.  12 Therefore they shall come and sing on the height of Tziyon, they shall be happy because of the goodness of Yahweh, for the wheat, for the wine, and for the oil, for the young of the flock and of the herd; their soul shall be like a watered garden; they shall not lack anymore.  13 Then shall the virgin rejoice and be glad, both young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy and will comfort them and make them rejoice from their sorrow.  14 I will satisfy the soul of the kohanim with fatness and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, says Yahweh.  15 This is what Yahweh says: A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping; Rachel is weeping for her children, and she refuses to be comforted because they are no more.  16 This is what Yahweh says: Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears; for there is a reward for your tears, says Yahweh; and the people shall return from the land of the enemy.  17 There is hope in your future, says Yahweh, the children shall come back to their own land.

18 ¶ I have surely heard Efrayim bemoaning and saying, O Yahweh, you have chastised me and I was chastened; I had become like a bullock which cannot be subdued; bring me back and I will repent; for you are Yahweh my Mighty One.  19 Surely after I had repented, I have been comforted; after I was instructed, I have found rest; I was ashamed, yes even reproved, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. 20 Efrayim is my dear son, a beloved child; for when I speak of him, I do earnestly still remember him; therefore I have my mercy upon him, I will surely have compassion on him, says Yahweh.“ (Yirmeyahu. 31:3-20).

It is evident from the Mighty One’s dealing with Isra’yl that His love has a clear element of chastening. This love is so pure that it can’t allow people who have accepted it to compromise with a sinful world, or to be licentious and permissive as is the case in the humanistic love of fallen man. A wayward child who persists with his uncharitable conduct must be reprimanded, disciplined, and chastised. However, these disciplinary actions are instituted with the best interests of the person(s) involved. The chastising of Isra’yl is an act of love as it is aimed at their conversion and return to Yahweh. Those who have sorrow over their sins and truly repent from it will be met by a forgiving Father. He will also completely restore a repentant Isra’yl:

“I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all the countries and bring you into your own land.

25 ¶ Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you and I shall purify you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.  26 I will give you a new heart, I will put a new breath within you; I will remove the heart of stone out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh.  27 I will put my breath within you and cause you to walk in my commandments, you shall keep my judgments to do them.  28 You shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers; you shall be my people and I will be your Mighty One.” (Yechezkiyl. 36:24-28).

The day of Isra’yl’s national conversion will be when Yahweh, sets feet on the Mount of Olives, when Isra’yl and Y’hudah will be under siege from the Nations and as I write this piece, the conflict in the lands of Isra’yl, is escalating, but the people of the Nations in the United Nations in their ignorance cannot see that the land dispute war prophesied clearly, that it will happen as Z’kharyah clearly articulated in Chapter 14: 1-2

 “Watch the day of Yahweh is coming and your spoil shall be divided in your midst.  2 For I will gather all nations against Yerushalayim to battle; the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women ravished; half of the city shall go into captivity, but half of the people shall not perish from the city.  3 Then Yahweh shall go forth and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle.  4 His feet shall stand upon the mount of Olives, which is opposite Yerushalayim on the east and the mount of Olives shall split in two, half toward the east and the other half toward the west and there shall be in it a great valley; half of the mountain shall be left toward the north, and half of it toward the south.  5 You shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach the place of disaster and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of 'Uziyah king of Y'hudah; Yahweh my Mighty One shall come in and all his saints with him:

The bond of love that was broken by Isra’yl (Y’hudah) because of their sins, will be fully restored:

“O ISRA’YL, return to Yahweh your Mighty One; for you have fallen by your iniquity.  2 Pledge loyalty, and turn to Yahweh your Mighty One; pray to him that he may forgive your iniquity and receive blessings; then he will recompense you for the prayer of your lips.  3 Say, Ashur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses; neither will we call any more the work of our hands, our Mighty Ones; for you will have mercy upon the fatherless.

 4 ¶ I will heal their backsliding, I will love their vows; and my anger shall turn away from them..” (Hoshea 14:1-4).

Isaiah says:

“In that day shall Yahweh Tzva'ot be for a crown of splendour and for a diadem of beauty to the remnant of his people,” (Yesha’yahu. 28:5).

All the nations will know about the spiritual revival of Isra’yl and gladly associate with them to share in the blessings:

“Yes, many people and strong nations shall come to seek Yahweh Tzva'ot in Yerushalayim and to pray before Yahweh. 23 Thus says Yahweh Tzva'ot: In those days ten men from the nations of every language shall take hold of the skirt of a Y’hudi, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that Yahweh is with you.” (Z’kharyah. 8:23).

The saved remnant of Isra’yl will be united in their love for Mighty One and serve Him with their whole heart. Mighty One says:

“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Isra'yl, after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law in the their midst, I will write it upon their hearts; I will be their Mighty One, they shall be my people.  34 They shall no longer teach every man his brother and every man his neighbor, saying, Know Yahweh; for they shall all know me, from the youngest of them to the eldest of them, says Yahweh; for I will forgive their iniquity, I will not remember their sins anymore.” (Yirmeyahu 31:33-34).

The dedication of Isra’yl as a people will then be like that small group of exemplary men of the Mighty One as told in the Tanakh. Yahweh will take pleasure in them like He took pleasure in Dawid, who was a man after Yahweh’s heart. Dawid declared his love for Mighty One by saying:

“I WILL love you, O Yahweh, my strength and my trust;  2 My refuge and my deliverer is the Mighty One in whom I trust; he is my helper and the horn of my salvation and my high refuge. 3 I will call upon Yahweh; so shall I be saved from my enemies.” (Tehellim 18:1).

Another psalmist expressed his love for the Word of Mighty One:

“Therefore I love your mitzvots above gold, yes, above precious stones”. (Psalms 119:127

“Your word is very pure; therefore your servant loves it.” (Psalms 119:140)

“Yahweh, I have hoped for your salvation and I obey your mitzvot.

167 ¶ My soul has kept your testimonies, and I love them exceedingly. 168 I have kept your commandments and your testimonies; for all my ways are before you. (Psalms 119:167)

Is your delight also in the word of the Mighty One and do you meditate on it day and night? Are your footsteps anchored in the word of the Mighty One, and have you hidden His words in your heart that you might not sin against Him? Then the blessings of Yahweh the Holy One of Isra’yl will surround you and will protect you. The Mighty One’s love for Isra’yl will also be poured out in your heart. You will pray for them and earnestly desire their salvation. Yahweh Mighty One says:

“For Tziyon’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest until her righteousness shall go forth as light and her salvation as a lamp that burns.  2 The nations shall see your righteousness, and all kings your honor; and you shall be called by a new name which the mouth of Yahweh shall bestow upon you.  3 You shall also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Yahweh and a royal diadem in the hand of your Mighty One.  4 You shall no longer be called Forsaken; neither shall your land no longer be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight, and your land shall be cultivated; for Yahweh delights in you, and your land shall have husbandmen.  5 For as a young man husbands a virgin, so shall your sons husband you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your Mighty One rejoice over you.

6 ¶ I have set watchmen upon your walls, O Yerushalayim, every day, who shall not hold their peace day or night continually; so that those who make mention of Yahweh may not keep silence nor be still,  7 And give you no rest, until I, Yahweh, establish you and until I make Yerushalayim a praise in the earth.” (Yesha’yahu. 62:1, 6-7).

Before this can happen, a passionate love must be awakened in the hearts of the Children of Isra’yl  for the land of their fathers and the city of Jerusalem. These convictions and feelings must induce them to return to Isra’yl, rebuild the land, and prepare Jerusalem and its inhabitants for the soon coming of Yahweh the great Creator of the Universe. But for this to happen the Children must reject Christinity and Jesus Christ as a fake and deceit, that is designed to keep them enslaved to their worship of Ashterot and Ba’alism, which is evident in Christian worships.

Reject Jesus Christ immediately and return to Yahweh, this should be your calling if you love Yahweh the Mighty one of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’akov.

I do, what about you?

Nitzevet, Mother of Dawid

The Bold Voice of Silence

By Chana Weisberg

Save me, O Yahweh, for the waters threaten to engulf me . . .

I am wearied by my calling out and my throat is dry. I’ve lost hope in waiting . . .

More numerous than the hairs on my head are those who hate me without reason . . .

Must I then repay what I have not stolen?

Mighty are those who would cut me down, who are my enemies without cause . . .

O Yahweh, You know my folly, and my unintended wrongs are not hidden from You . . .

It is for Your sake that I have borne disgrace, that humiliation covers my face.

I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons.

Out of envy for Your House, they ravaged me; the disgraces of those who revile You have fallen upon me . . .

Those who sit by the gate talk about me. I am the taunt of drunkards . . .

Disgrace breaks my heart and I am left deathly sick.

I hope for solace but there is none, and for someone to comfort me but I find no one.

They put gall into my meal and give me vinegar to quench my thirst . . . (Psalm 69)1

This psalm describes the life of a poor, despised and lowly individual, who lacks even a single friend to comfort him. It is the voice of a tormented soul who has experienced untold humiliation and disgrace. Through no apparent cause of his own, he is surrounded by enemies who wish to cut him down; even his own brothers are strangers to him, ravaging and reviling him.

Amazingly, this is the voice of the mighty King Dawid, righteous and beloved servant of the Mighty One, feared and awed by all.

King Dawid had many challenges throughout his life. But at what point did this great individual feel so alone, so disgraced, and so undeserving of love and friendship?

What caused King Dawid to face such an intense ignominy, to be shunned by his own brothers in his home (“I have become a stranger to my brothers”), by the Torah sages who sat in judgment at the gates (“those who sit by the gate talk about me”), and by the drunkards on the street corners (“I am the taunt of drunkards”)? What had King Dawid done to arouse such ire and contempt? And was there no one, at this time in his life, who would provide him with love, comfort and friendship?

This Psalm (Tehellim), in which King Dawid passionately gives voice to the heaviest burdens of his soul, refers to a period of twenty-eight years, from his earliest childhood until he was coronated as king of the people of Israel by the prophet Sh’mu’yl.

Dawid was born into the illustrious family of Yishai (Jesse), who served as the head of the Sanhedrin (supreme court of Torah law), and was one of the most distinguished leaders of his generation. Yishai was a man of such greatness that the Talmud (Shabbat 55b) observes that “Yishai was one of only four righteous individuals who died solely due to the instigation of the serpent”—i.e., only because death was decreed upon the human race when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge at the serpent’s instigation, not due to any sin or flaw of his own. Dawid was the youngest in his family, which included seven other illustrious and charismatic brothers.

Yet, when Dawid was born, this prominent family greeted his birth with utter derision and contempt. As Dawid describes quite literally in the Psalm, “I was a stranger to my brothers, a foreigner to my mother’s sons . . . they put gall in my meal and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.”

Dawid was not permitted to eat with the rest of his family, but was assigned to a separate table in the corner. He was given the task of shepherd because “they hoped that a wild beast would come and kill him while he was performing his duties”2 and for this reason was sent to pasture in dangerous areas full of lions and bears.3

Only one individual throughout Dawid’s youth was pained by his unjustified plight, and felt a deep, unconditional bond of love for the child whom she alone knew was undoubtedly pure.

This was King Dawid’s mother, Nitzevet bat Adael, who felt the intensity of her youngest child’s pain and rejection as her own.

Torn and anguished by Dawid’s unwarranted degradation, yet powerless to stop it, Nitzevet stood by the sidelines, in solidarity with him, shunned herself, as she too cried rivers of tears, awaiting the time when justice would be served.

It would take twenty-eight long years of assault and rejection, suffering and degradation until that justice would finally begin to materialize.

Dawid’s Birth

Why was the young Dawid so reviled by his brothers and people?

To understand the hatred directed toward Dawid, we need to investigate the inner workings behind the events, the secret episodes that aren’t recorded in the prophetic books but are alluded to in Midrashim.4

Dawid’s father, Yishai, was the grandson of Boaz and Ruth. After several years of marriage to his wife, Nitzevet, and after having raised several virtuous children, Yishai began to entertain personal doubts about his ancestry. True, he was the leading Torah authority in his day, but his grandmother Ruth was a convert from the nation of Moab, as related in the Book of Ruth.

During Ruth’s lifetime, many individuals were doubtful about the legitimacy of her marriage to Boaz. The Torah specifically forbids an Israelite to marry a Mo’avi convert, since this is the nation that cruelly refused the Jewish people passage through their land, or food and drink to purchase, when they wandered in the desert after being freed from Egypt.

Boaz and the sages understood this law—as per the classic interpretation transmitted in the “Oral Torah”—as forbidding the conversion of male Mo’avis (who were the ones responsible for the cruel conduct), while exempting female Mo’avi converts. With his marriage to Ruth, Boaz hoped to clarify and publicize this Torah law, which was still unknown to the masses.

Boaz died the night after his marriage with Ruth. Ruth had conceived and subsequently gave birth to their son Oved, the father of Yishai. Some rabble-rousers at the time claimed that Boaz’s death verified that his marriage to Ruth the Mo’avi had indeed been forbidden.

Time would prove differently. Once Oved (so called because he was a true oved, servant of Mighty One), and later Yishai and his offspring, were born, their righteous conduct and prestigious positions proved the legitimacy of their ancestry. It was unquestionable that men of such caliber could have descended from a forbidden union.

However, later in his life, doubt gripped at Yishai’s heart, gnawing away at the very foundation of his existence. Being the sincere individual that he was, his integrity compelled him to action.

If Yishai’s status was questionable, he was not permitted to remain married to his wife, a veritable Israyl woman. Disregarding the personal sacrifice, Yishai decided the only solution would be to separate from her, no longer engaging in marital relations. Yishai’s children were aware of this separation.

After a number of years had passed, Yishai longed for a child whose ancestry would be unquestionable. His plan was to engage in relations with his Kena’ani maidservant.

He said to her: “I will be freeing you conditionally. If my status as a Jew is legitimate, then you are freed as a proper Jewish convert to marry me. If, however, my status is blemished and I have the legal status of a Mo’avi convert forbidden to marry an Israel woman, I am not giving you your freedom; but as a shifchah k’naanit, a Kena’ani maidservant, you may marry a Mo’avi convert.”

The maidservant was aware of the anguish of her mistress, Nitzevet. She understood her pain in being separated from her husband for so many years. She knew, as well, of Nitzevet’s longing for more children.

The empathetic maidservant secretly approached Nitzevet and informed her of Yishai’s plan, suggesting a bold counterplan.

“Let us learn from your ancestresses and replicate their actions. Switch places with me tonight, just as Leah did with Rachel,” she advised.

With a prayer on her lips that her plan succeed, Nitzevet took the place of her maidservant. That night Nitzevet conceived. Yishai remained unaware of the switch.

After three months, Nitzevet’s pregnancy became obvious. Incensed, her sons wished to kill their apparently adulterous mother and the “illegitimate” fetus that she carried. Nitzevet, for her part, would not embarrass her husband by revealing the truth of what had occurred. Like her ancestress Tamar, who was prepared to be burned alive rather than embarrass Y’hudah,5 Nitzevet chose a vow of silence. And like Tamar, Nitzevet would be rewarded for her silence with a child of greatness who would be the forebear of the Moshiach.

Unaware of the truth behind his wife’s pregnancy, but having compassion on her, Yishai ordered his sons not to touch her. “Do not kill her! Instead, let the child that will be born be treated as a lowly and despised servant. In this way everyone will realize that his status is questionable and, as an illegitimate child, he will not marry an Israel woman.”

From the time of his birth onwards, then, Nitzevet’s son was treated by his brothers as an abominable outcast.6 Noting the conduct of his brothers, the rest of the community assumed that this youth was a treacherous sinner full of unspeakable guilt.

On the infrequent occasions that Nitzevet’s son would return from the pastures to his home in Beit Lechem (Bethlehem), he was shunned by the townspeople. If something was lost or stolen, he was accused as the natural culprit, and ordered, in the words of the psalm, to “repay what I have not stolen.”

Eventually, the entire lineage of Yishai was questioned, as well as the basis of the original law of the Mo’avi convert. People claimed that all the positive qualities of Boaz became manifest in Yishai and his illustrious seven sons, while all the negative character traits from Ruth the Mo’avi clung to this despicable youngest son.

Anointing King Dawid

We are first introduced to Dawid when the prophet Sh’mu’yl is commanded to go to Beit Lechem to anoint a new king, to replace the rejected King Saul.

Sh’mu’yl arrives in Beit Lechem, and the elders of the city come out to greet him, nervous at this unusual and unexpected visit, since the elderly prophet had stopped circulating throughout the land. The elders feared that Sh’mu’yl had heard about a grievous sin that was taking place in their city.7 Perhaps he had come to rebuke them over the behavior of Yishai’s despised shepherd boy, living in their midst.

Sh’mu’yl declared, however, that he had come in peace, and asked the elders, and Yishai and his sons, to join him for a sacrificial feast. As an elder, it was natural for Yishai to be invited; but when his sons were inexplicably also invited, they worried that perhaps the prophet had come to publicly reveal the embarrassing and illegitimate origins of their brother. Unbeknownst to them, Sh’mu’yl would anoint the new king of Isra’yl at this feast. All that had been revealed to the prophet at this point was that the new king would be a son of Yishai.

When they came, Sh’mu’yl saw Eliav (Yishai’s oldest son), and he thought, “Surely the Mighty One’s anointed stands before Him!”

But Mighty One said to Sh’mu’yl, “Don’t look at his appearance or his great height, for I have rejected him. The Mighty One does not see with mere eyes, like a man does. The Mighty One sees the heart!”

Then Yishai called Avinadav (his second son) and made him pass before Sh’mu’yl. He said: “The Mighty One did not choose this one either.”

Yishai made Shammah pass, and Sh’mu’yl said, “The Mighty One has not chosen this one either.”

Yishai had his seven sons pass before Sh’mu’yl. Sh’mu’yl said to Yishai, “The Mighty One has not chosen any of them.”

At last Sh’mu’yl said to Yishai, “Are there no lads remaining?”

He answered, “A small one is left; he is taking care of the sheep.”

So Sh’mu’yl said to him, “Send for him and have him brought; we will not stir until he comes here.”

So he sent for him and had him brought. He was of ruddy complexion with red hair, beautiful eyes, and handsome to look at.

The Mighty One said: “Rise up, anoint him, for this is the one!” (Sh’mu’yl Alef 16:6–12)

The Small One, Left Behind

As Sh’mu’yl laid his eyes on Yishai’s eldest son, Eliav, he was certain that this was the future king of Israel. Tall, handsome and distinguished, Sh’mu’yl was ready to anoint him, until Mighty One reprimanded him to look not at the outside but at the inside.8

No longer did Sh’mu’yl make any assumptions of his own, but he waited to be told who was to become the next king. All the seven sons of Yishai had passed before Sh’mu’yl, and none of them had been chosen.

“Are these all the lads?” Sh’mu’yl asked. Sh’mu’yl prophetically chose his words carefully. Had he asked if these were all Yishai’s sons, Yishai would have answered affirmatively, that there were no more of his sons, since Dawid was not given the status of a son.

Instead, Yishai answered, “A small one is left; he is taking care of the sheep.” Dawid’s status was small in Yishai’s eyes. He was hoping that Sh’mu’yl would allow Dawid to remain where he was, outside of trouble, tending to the sheep in the faraway pastures.

But Sh’mu’yl ordered that Dawid immediately be summoned to the feast. A messenger was dispatched to Dawid who, out of respect for the prophet, first went home to wash himself and change his clothes. Unaccustomed to seeing Dawid home at such a time, Nitzevet inquired, “Why did you come home in the middle of the day?”

Dawid explained the reason, and Nitzevet answered, “If so, I too am accompanying you.”

As Dawid arrived, Sh’mu’yl saw a man “of ruddy complexion, with red hair, beautiful eyes, and handsome to look at.” Dawid’s physical appearance alludes to the differing aspects of his personality. His ruddiness suggests a warlike nature, while his eyes and general appearance indicate kindness and gentility.9

At first Sh’mu’yl doubted whether Dawid could be the one worthy of the kingship, a forerunner of the dynasty that would lead the Jewish people to the end of time. He thought to himself, “This one will shed blood as did the red-headed Esau.”10

The Mighty One saw, however, that Dawid’s greatness was that he would direct his aggressiveness toward positive aims. The Mighty One commanded Sh’mu’yl, “My anointed one is standing before you, and you remain seated? Arise and anoint Dawid without delay! For he is the one I have chosen!”11

As Sh’mu’yl held the horn of oil, it bubbled, as if it could not wait to drop onto Dawid’s forehead. When Sh’mu’yl anointed him, the oil hardened and glistened like pearls and precious stones, and the horn remained full.

As Sh’mu’yl anointed Dawid, the sound of weeping could be heard from outside the great hall. It was the voice of Nitzevet, Dawid’s lone supporter and solitary source of comfort.

Her twenty-eight long years of silence in the face of humiliation were finally coming to a close. At last, all would see that the lineage of her youngest son was pure, undefiled by any blemish. Finally, the anguish and humiliation that she and her son had borne would come to an end.

Facing her other sons, Nitzevet exclaimed, “The stone that was reviled by the builders12 has now become the cornerstone!” (Psalms 118:22)

Humbled, they responded, “This has come from the Mighty One; it was hidden from our eyes” (ibid., verse 23).

Those in the hall cried out in unison, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” Within moments, the once reviled shepherd boy became the anointed future king of Israel.

Nitzevet’s Legacy

King Dawid would have many more trials to face until he was acknowledged by the entire nation as the new monarch to replace King Saul. During his kingship, and throughout his life, up until his old age, King Dawid faced many ordeals.

King Dawid possessed many great talents and qualities which would assist him in attaining the tremendous achievements of his lifetime. Many of these positive qualities were inherited from his illustrious father, Yishai, after whom he is fondly and respectfully called ben Yishai, the son of Yishai.

But it was undoubtedly from his mother that the young Dawid absorbed the fortitude and courage to face his adversaries. From the moment he was born, and during his most tender years, it was Nitzevet who, by example, taught him the essential lesson of valuing every individual’s dignity and refraining from embarrassing another, regardless of the personal consequences. It was she who displayed a silent but stoic bravery and dignity in the face of the gravest hardship.

It is from Nitzevet that King Dawid absorbed the strength, born from an inner confidence, to disregard the callous treatment of the world and find solace in the comfort of one’s Maker. It was this strength that would fortify King Dawid to defeat his staunchest antagonists and his most treacherous enemies, as he valiantly fought against the mightiest warriors on behalf of his people.

Nitzevet taught her young child to find strength in following the path of one’s inner convictions, irrespective of the cruelty that might be hurled at him. Her display of patient confidence in the Creator that justice would be served gave Dawid the inner peace and solace that he would need, over and over again, in confronting the formidable challenges in his life. Rather than succumb to his afflictions, rather than become the individual who was shunned by his tormentors, Dawid learned from his mother to stand proud and dignified, feeling consolation in communicating with his Maker in the open pastures.

She demonstrated to him, as well, the necessity of boldness while pursuing the right path. When the situation would call for it, personal risks must be taken. Without her bold action in taking the place of her maidservant that fateful night, the great soul of her youngest child, Dawid, the forebear of Moshiach, would never have descended to this world.

The soul-stirring psalms composed by King Dawid in his greatest hours of need eloquently describe his suffering and heartache, as well as his faith and conviction. The Book of Tehellim gives a voice to each of us, and has become the balm to soothe all of our wounds, as we too encounter the many personal and communal hardships of life in galut (exile).

As we say these verses, our voices mesh with Nitzevet’s, with King Dawid’s, and with all the voices of those past and present who have experienced unjustified pain, in beseeching our Maker for that time when the “son (descendant) of Dawid” will usher in the era of redemption, and true justice will suffuse creation.