(ד) נְאֻ֕ם שֹׁמֵ֖עַ אִמְרֵי־אֵ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר מַחֲזֵ֤ה שַׁדַּי֙ יֶֽחֱזֶ֔ה נֹפֵ֖ל וּגְל֥וּי עֵינָֽיִם׃ (ה) מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
(4) The saying of the one who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of Shaddai, fallen down and with opened eyes: (5) How good are your tents, Jacob, your dwellings, Israel!
מה טובו אוהליך יעקב וגו'. מה טובו אהליך יעקב, זה אוהל מועד, שבמדבר, ושבשילה, ובנוב, וגבעון. משכנותיך ישראל, אל תהי קורא מִשְׁכְּנותֶיךָ, אלא מַשְׁכְּנותֶיךָ ישראל, שהמשכן ומקדש יתמשכנו ע"י ישראל בעת שחטאו.
How good are your tents, Jacob, your dwellings, Israel! "How good are your tents, Jacob." This is the Tent of Meeting in the wilderness, and at Shiloh, and at Nov, and Giv'on. "Your dwellings, Israel." Read "mishkenotekha/your dwelling placces" as "mashkenotekha /your continuations," because the Mishkan and Mikdash will keep us going, by means of the times when Yisrael sins.
(ח) הִגִּ֥יד לְךָ֛ אָדָ֖ם מַה־טּ֑וֹב וּמָֽה־ה' דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ מִמְּךָ֗ כִּ֣י אִם־עֲשׂ֤וֹת מִשְׁפָּט֙ וְאַ֣הֲבַת חֶ֔סֶד וְהַצְנֵ֥עַ לֶ֖כֶת עִם־אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ (פ)
(8) He has told you, human, what is good, and/but what does the Eternal require of you: only to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk modestly with your God.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
- How do the ultimate American and Jewish visions of society differ based on these texts?
- What are the implications of establishing a society based on rights versus obligations for a person's ultimate purpose?
- How do these Jewish and American platforms for society compliment on another?