12
1 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach began to speak to them in meshalim (parables). A man, a Baal Bayit, planted a kerem (vineyard), and he put around [it] a fence and dug a pit for the yekev (winepress) and built a migdal (tower), and he leased it to koremim (vine keepers) and then the man went on a journey.* 2 And the Baal Bayit sent an eved to the tenants, the koremim, in the season [of katzir (harvest)] in order that from the koremim he might receive from the perot (fruit) of the kerem (vineyard). 3 But they seized the eved and they beat him and sent him away empty. 4 And again the Baal Bayit sent to the tenants, the koremim, another eved; and that one they struck on the rosh and insulted. 5 And the Baal Bayit sent another; and that one they killed, and many others, some beating, and others killing. 6 Still he had one BEN AHUV.† Lemaskana (finally), the Baal Bayit sent him to them saying, They will respect BENI. 7 But those koremim said to themselves, This one is the Yoresh (Heir) the Bechor. Come, let us kill him, and the nachalah, the bechorah, will be ours. 8 And having seized [him], they killed him and threw him out of the kerem. 9 What then will the Baal Bayit of the kerem do? He will come and destroy the koremim and will give the kerem to others. 10 Have you not read the Kitvei Hakodesh? EVEN MAASU HABONIM HAYTAH LEROSH PINAH (The stone which the ones building rejected, this one has come to be for [the] chief cornerstone). 11 MEIET HASHEM HAYTAH ZOT, HI NIFLAT BEINEINU (From Adonoi this came to be and it is wonderful in our eyes).‡
12 And they were seeking to seize him, and they were afraid of the multitude, for they knew that against them he told the mashal. And leaving him, they went away.
13 And they send to him some of the Perushim (Pharisees) and the Herodians in order that they might catch him in a dvar. 14 And having come, they say to him: Rabbi, we have daas that you are an ish Emes and you do not show deference toward anyone. Ki ein masso panim (For there is no partiality) with you but rather on the Derech Hashem you give Divrei Torah in Emes. Is it mutar to give a poll tax to Caesar or not? Should we give or should we not give? 15 But Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, having seen their tzeviut (hypocrisy), said to them, Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius that I may look [at it]. 16 And they brought [one]. And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to them, Whose demut is this and whose inscription? And they said to him, Caesarʼs. 17 And he said to them, The things of Caesar, give to Caesar, and the things of Hashem [give] to Hashem. And they were amazed at Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach.
18 And [the] Tzedukim come to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, the ones who say that there is not to be a Techiyas HaMesim, and they were questioning him, saying, 19 Rabbi, Moshe (Rabbeinu) wrote to us that if an ACH of someone should die and leave behind an isha UVEN EIN LO (and there is no son to him) YEVAMAH YAVO ALEIHA ULEKAKHAH LO LISHA VHAYAH HABECHOR ASHER TELED YAKUM AL SHEM ACHIV HAMET§(the brother of her husband must come to her and he must take her to him as wife and the Bechor she bears shall raise up the name of the dead brother). 20 Now there were shiva achim. And the first took a wife and, dying, did not leave a descendant. 21 And the second took her and he died, not having left behind a descendant. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven did not leave a descendant. 23 In the Techiyas HaMesim, when they are made to stand up alive, of which of them will she be [the] isha? For seven had her as wife.
24 Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, said to them, Is not this the reason you are in error, having daas neither of the Kitvei Hakodesh nor of the gevurat Hashem? 25 But concerning the Mesim that are made to stand up alive, they do not marry nor are they given in nisuim, but are like the malachim in Shomayim. 26 But concerning the Mesim, that they are made to stand up alive, have you not read in the sefer Moshe at the bush, how Hashem spoke to him, saying, ANOCHI ELOHEI AVRAHAM ELOHEI YITZCHAK VELOHEI Ya'akov, (Ex 3:6). 27 Hashem is not the G-d of the Mesim (Dead ones) but of the Chayyim (Living ones). You are greatly mistaken.
28 And one of the Sofrim approached and heard them debating, and seeing that Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach answered them well, asked him, Which mitzvah is rishonah of all the mitzvot? 29 Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach answered, SHEMA YISROEL ADONOI ELOHEINU ADONOI ECHAD is harishonah. 30 V'AHAVTA ES ADONOI ELOHEICHA B'CHOL LEVAVCHA UVECHOL NAFSHECHA UVECHOL MODECHA.* 31 And the shneyah is this, VAHAVTA LREACHA KAMOCHA.† There is not another mitzvah greater than these. 32 And the Baal Torah said to him, Well spoken, Rabbi, beemes you have said that Hashem is ECHAD‡(one), and EIN OD and there is no other§ except him.* 33 and to have ahavah for him B'CHOL LEVAVCHA (with all your heart) and with all your binah UVECHOL MODECHA†(with all your strength) and L'REACHA KAMOCHA‡(your neighbor as yourself) is greater [than] all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices.§ 34 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, when he saw that this torah teacher answered with chochmah (wisdom), said to him, You are not far from the Malchut Hashem. And no one was daring to put a she'elah (question) in front of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach again.
35 While Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was saying shiurim (Torah talks) in the Beis Hamikdash, he was saying: How is it that the Sofrim say that Moshiach is [merely] ben Dovid? 36 Dovid himself said by the Ruach Hakodesh, NEUM HASHEM LADONI: SHEV LIMINI, AD ASHIT OYVECHA HADOM LRAGLECHA.* 37 Dovid himself calls Moshiach Adon; how then is Moshiach [merely] ben Dovid? And the large multitude found it a huge oneg (pleasure) to listen to him.
38 And in his torah, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was saying, Beware of the Sofrim (Scribes, Torah teachers, rabbonim), the ones enamored of strutting about in extremely long kaftans and with equally lengthy Birkat Shalom greetings in the marketplaces, 39 And places of honor in the shuls and places of honor at the seudot (banquet dinners). 40 Beware particularly of the ones devouring the batim (houses) of the almanot (widows) and making a grand show of davening long tefillos. Mishpat (Judgment) will fall more heavily on these.
41 And having sat [down] opposite the Beis Hamikdash Otzar (Treasury), Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was observing how the multitude throws copper [coins] into the Otzar. And many ashirim (rich people) were throwing [in] much.† 42 And a poor almanah (widow) came and threw [in] two leptas, which is a kodrantes.‡ 43 And having summoned his talmidim, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them: Omein, I say to you that this poor almanah has put in more tzedakah (charity contribution) than all those contributing to the Otzar, 44 For everyone threw in from their abundance, but this almanah from her need has put in everything she had, all her michyah (subsistence).
* 12:1 Isa 5:1-7 † 12:6 T.N. see 9:7 ‡ 12:11 Ps 118:22,23 § 12:19 Dt 25:5 * 12:30 Dt 6:4,5 † 12:31 Lv 19:18 ‡ 12:32 Dt 6:4 § 12:32 Isa 45:18 * 12:32 Dt 4:35,39; Isa 45:6,14; 46:9 † 12:33 Dt 6:5 ‡ 12:33 Lv 19:18 § 12:33 1Sm 15:22; Hos 6:6; Mic 6:6-8 * 12:36 2Sm 23:2; Ps 110:1 † 12:41 2Kgs 12:9 ‡ 12:42 These two coins were next to nothing in value, just a few cents.