Readings for Thursday, March 13, 2025 (13th of Adar)
Fast of Esther - Shacharit
(Morning Service)
32:11-14; 34:1-10 Shemot (Exodus)
This is the standard reading for minor fast days. During the year, this material is part of the weekly portion called Ki Tissa. The reading from chapter 32, which is the first of the three aliyot, relates to the Sin of the Golden Calf - specifically the plea of Moses that the Lord not destroy the Israelites. “Turn from Your blazing anger, and renounce the plan to punish Your people…And the Lord renounced the punishment he planned to bring upon His people.” The readings from chapter 34, which comprise the other two aliyot, describe the creation of the second set of stone tablets which replace the first set - the ones Moses shattered against the Golden Calf. The reading actually ends with a statement by the Lord renewing the Covenant, “He said, ‘I hereby make a covenant.…’” This is an appropriate reading for a fast day. It concerns itself with the worst sin of the Israelites - the episode of the Golden Calf. The first reading shows that God does hear us when we repent and is willing to “avert the evil decree.” The second two readings are a reminder that from something bad - the Golden Calf - something good - the renewal of the Covenant and the second set of tablets - can come.
Fast of Esther - Mincha
(Afternoon Service)
32:11-14; 34:1-10 Shemot (Exodus)
These are the same readings and reasons as the morning service.
Fast of Esther - Mincha (Afternoon Service)
Haftarah
55:6-56:8 Isaiah
The
reading is from the Second Isaiah, the Isaiah of the Exile. In moving, poetic terms, the prophet offers a
vision of forgiveness for the truly penitent.
First the penitent person must accept that the Lord is calling the
shots, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,
saith the Lord.” And then the penitent
person must change behavior, “Keep ye justice, and do righteousness…Happy is
the man that does this…that keepeth the Sabbath from profaning it, and keepeth
his hand from doing any evil.
The Fast of Esther normally falls on the 13th of Adar and is observed in memory of the fast mentioned in the Megillah Esther. Their fast was a three day fast. Ours is only a one-day affair. This fast also reminds us of a theme that runs throughout Judaism - the bitter and the sweet or darkness always gives way to light. The Fast of the 13th gives way to the Feast of the 14th. In other words, we should not be too disheartened by moments of defeat because, with the help of God, they are merely the prelude to an even greater joy.
Readings for Purim, Thursday Night, March 13, 2025
Purim
Megillah Esther
This reading fulfills the first half of the rule that “Each person, man and woman alike is obligated to hear the reading of the Megillah at night and during the day.” This is the “central observance” of Purim. While laws pertaining to the holiday may be found in the Talmudic Tractate known as “Megillah,” the simplest compendium of the rules is in Chapter 141 of the Kitzur Shulchon Oruch, copies of which are available in very readable English translation.
Readings for Friday, March 14, 2025 (14th of Adar)
Purim - Shacharit (Morning
Service)
17:8-16 Shemot (Exodus)
The Torah portion describes the battle between that Amalekites and the Israelites that took place in the Wilderness after the Exodus. According to tradition, Haman is a descendant of the Amalekites, specifically Agag, who was an Amalekite King. The reading is one verse short of the standard ten usually required, so the last verse is repeated.
Megillah Esther
The Megillah is read after the Torah has been returned to the ark and half-kaddish has been chanted. This reading fulfills the second half of the rule that “Each person, man and woman alike is obligated to hear the reading of the Megillah at night and during the day.”
Purim
Purim is celebrated on the 14th of Adar. In preparation, here are a few customs and ceremonies related to the holiday. The emphasis is on the word few. This is not intended to be a complete compendium of the customs, ceremonies or the reasons for the observances. I will leave that to the professionals in the community. The rules concerning Purim cover nine pages in Volume II of the Kitzur Shulchon Oruch (a code of Jewish ritual law). The material is found in two chapters called respectively, “The Reading of the Magillah” and “Sending Presents of Food, Giving Gifts to the Poor, and the Purim Feast.” These chapter headings should give you an idea as to the thrust of the holiday observances.
The
Half-Shekel
We always remember the poor at Purim. It became a custom to give three half-shekels or in our case three half-dollars to the poor so that they could enjoy the holiday as well.
Shalach
Monos (Yiddish)
Purim is a time for giving gifts. Traditionally the gifts consist of two consumable items that do not require further preparation. These may include hamantaschen, other kinds of cookies, cakes or candy as well as grape juice or wine. In some communities the making and delivery of Shalach Monos baskets has become a Sisterhood fundraising activity. At any rate, these treats are delivered by a third party. Frequently children get to play the part of gift deliverers.
Reading
the Megillah
Everybody, regardless of sex, is to hear the reading both in the evening and again in the morning. There are numerous rules about the proper way the reading is to take place. Interestingly, the name of G-d does not appear in the Megillah.
Eating
and Drinking
Purim is a holiday of great joy. Traditionally a festive meal, including meat, is to be consumed during the day of Purim.
Two
Scrolls - Two Women - Two Outcomes
Two of the five
scrolls are named for women - The Scroll of Esther and The Scroll of
Ruth. Ruth tells the story of
a convert who chooses to move to Eretz Israel, who observes the commandments
including caring for the widow, gleaning and chalitzah. Her merit is such that she becomes the
Matriarch for the House of David which includes David, Solomon and ultimately
the Moshiach. Esther tells the
story of a Jewess who marries a non-Jew.
Yes, she does it as part of the Divine Plan and yes she does save her people.
Of course she does this by using the
skills of the courtesan and the harem girl.
Furthermore, according to tradition, her son is King Darius of Persia
and Darius is no Jew. In other words,
the line of the born Jew - Esther - disappears from view. The line of the Jew by choice - Ruth - is
with us to this day. In the 21st
century, questions have been raised about the on-going viability of the
American Jewish community. According to
some, it would behoove us to look at the lives of these two great women for a
clue as to what action steps need to be taken.
First, they would say, we must tap into the zeal of the Jews by choice,
embracing them, educating them in the ways of our people while acknowledging
their worth and contributions At the
same time, we must reach out and hold on to those who feel themselves to be at
the outer rim of house of Israel. We
must provide them the education that goes with being an Ashish Chayil in the
truest sense of the word. We must draw them
back so that Darius will join David as Jews ensuring the future of our people.
Readings for Saturday, March 15, 2025
Ki Tissa (When you take)
30:11 - 34:35 Shemot
Ki Tissa is the ninth sedrah in the book of Shemot. The sedrah takes the name Ki Tissa from the second sentence of the sedrah: “When you take (Ki Tissa) a census of the children of Israel…” (30:12). Ki Tissa can be divided into three main parts - Additional commands pertaining to the Sanctuary, the Golden Calf and Reconciliation and Reaffirmation. We have only two more sidrot before finishing Shemot.
Additional Commands Pertaining to the
Sanctuary (30:11-31:18)
The first portion of Ki Tissa picks up where last week’s reading left off; with more rules relating to the Sanctuary. First is the command tying the taking of a census with the giving of a half-shekel. All those counted are to give the same amount and the money collected is to be used to support the Sanctuary. According to the commentators, the equal contribution is a guarantee that all, rich and poor alike, will have the same stake in the holy activities of the Priests. No person can own the Tabernacle and no person can be dispossessed. This is one more way of reinforcing the concept of the People of Israel or the Whole House of Israel. Moshe is told to make utensils, which the Priests are to use for washing when entering the Tabernacle. This is one of the many sources for the customs of ritual washing that we follow today, including washing with a blessing before starting the Morning Prayers and washing with a blessing before eating bread. Next is the instruction concerning the Incense. The severe penalty proscribed for misuse of the incense gives an idea of how important God (and our ancestors) considered this. (See Themes for more.)
Moshe will not
have to build all that God has commanded by himself. Instead, God appoints two craftsmen, Bezalel
and Oholiab, to lead the project.
Bezalel means “in the shadow of God.”
There are numerous legends about him. The Torah does tell us that Bezalel is the
grandson of Hur, one of the two leaders Moshe named to serve in his stead while
he was on
The Golden Calf (32:1-35)
Since this is
only a summary, we can only hit the highlights of what is one of the most
confusing episodes in Shemot. There are
numerous explanations for the events described.
A common one is that the people panicked and reverted to idolatry. Others feel this is a misreading. Yes, the people panicked when Moshe did not
appear at the promised time, but this meant they had lost what they perceived
as their intermediary with God not their God.
So they had Aaron build them another intermediary, this time in the form
of a Golden Calf, which was a throwback to their Egyptian experience. Regardless, God and Moshe are both upset
about what they are hearing from the encampment at the foot of
The drinking of
the liquefied ash is reminiscent of the rules pertaining to the unfaithful
wife. The image of
There are those
who contend that the story of the Golden Calf was placed here by later
writers. It was part of a contest
between the
From the point of view of narrative, the Golden Calf episode is out of place. It should have come after the end of Mishpatim (24:12-18) where Moshe ascends the mountain. Then skip ahead to 31:18 where Moshe gets the stone tablets. This is followed by the events of the Golden Calf and the second set of stone tablets. With the Golden Calf, the Israelites had shown that they were not ready to deal with a totally spiritual concept of God. They needed tangible signs of Him at all times. It was this need that caused God to command the building of the Tabernacle and establish the sacrificial system. Hopefully this interpretation will help make sense of the events covered over the last several weekly readings. Please note; this is one interpretation, it is not the only one.
Reconciliation and Reaffirmation
(33:1-34:35)
Like children who have angered their parent, the Israelites are waiting for “the other shoe to drop.” Will God abandon them or will He accept their repentance and keep them as His people? God repeats His promise to take the Israelites to the Promised Land. But, like a very angry parent, God tells Moshe that it is better if He is not among the Israelites lest He forget His promise to spare the people. Moshe communicates with God at the tent at the edge of the encampment. (This is not to be confused with the previously mentioned Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting.) Just as Moshe had tried to gain insight into God at the Burning Bush, so now once again he pleads to know more of God. While God agrees to reveal more of Himself, not even Moshe can see God face to face. While we all seek to draw near unto God and God seeks to draw us near unto Him, there is a limit between the human and the Divine, even when that human is Moshe.
As a sign that
the Israelites are still the Chosen People, Moshe will again bring down two
tablets. But this time it will be
different. Moshe must carve the tablets
and bring them up the mountain. Here we
see a repetition of the Garden of Eden theme.
God gave Adam and Eve everything in the Garden. They rejected His gift by sinning. They got a second chance but this time around
they would have to work for what God had once given them freely. The first set of tablets were hewn by God and
waiting for Moshe. This time he would
have carry the stones up that mountain to receive the law. Considering Moshe’s age, this was quite a
task. For the purists among you, this
time the writings on the tablets are called the Ten Words (literally) or Ten
Commandments (New Jewish Publication Society Translation) (34:28). God repeats His covenant. He reminds the Israelites that He will drive
out the inhabitants of
Themes:
Commandments
105. The
requirement that every Israelite give a half-shekel annually to support the
sanctuary (30:13).
106. The
requirement that priests wash their hands and feet when ministering at the
sanctuary (30:19-21).
107. The
commandment to anoint the High Priest with specially prepared oil (30:25, 26,
30).
108. The
prohibition against using the special anointing oil on someone other than a
High Priest (30:32).
109. The
stricture against replicating the anointing oil described in the Torah (30:32).
110. The
prohibition against using for private purposes the formula described in the
Torah to make ritual incense (30:37).
111. The
stricture against eating or drinking food or liquor that had been offered
before an idol (34:15).
112. The
prohibition against laboring on Shabbat even during plowing and harvesting
times (34:21).
113. The
stricture against eating milk and meat together (34:26).
From Biblical
Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
Using Telushkin as the source, there is only one more commandment in the book of Shemot.
Prayers
This week’s
sedrah provides us with four readings for the Prayer Book:
30:17-21 The reading concerning washing with the
copper laver opens the section called Korbanot (Sacrificial Offerings) found at
the start of the Daily and Shabbat Morning services among traditional Jews.
30:34-36 The reading concerning the making of
the Incense opens the section called Ketoret (Incense Offering) that follows
the recitation of the Korbanot section.
31:16-17 These two verses are referred to as the
Veshamru. They are part of the Shemoneh
Esrei (Eighteen Benedictions or Silent Devotion) for Shabbat and also recited
as part of the Shabbat morning Kiddush. Just
as the Jewish people have kept Shabbat, so has Shabbat kept the Jewish people.
34:6-7 These verses are called the Thirteen Attributes of
God. They are chanted on Rosh Hashanah,
Yom Kippur, Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkoth after the Torah has been removed from
the ark. For those who have heard it,
you know that the chant is a haunting one that is repeated three times in an
increasingly beseeching tone. According
to Plaut, The Thirteen Attributes are as follow:
1 and 2. “Adonai,
Adonai” The Lord, The Lord - Mercy twice over (repeating the name gave rise to
the interpretation of it being “twice over” - God is merciful before man has
sinned and after man has sinned and repented.
3. “El” (God)
God is most high, the supreme ruler
4. “Rachum”
Compassionate
5. “Chanun”
Gracious
6. “Erech
apayim” Slow to anger
7. “Rav Chesed”
Abounding in kindness
8. “Emet” Truth
9. “Notzer
chesed la-alafim” Extending kindness to the thousandth generation
10,11,12.
“No-se avon vefesha ve-chata-ah” Forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin
13. “Ve-nakeh lo yenakeh” Yet He does not remit all punishment.
Nobility of Labor
Judaism does
not take a dim view of the concept of those who work for a living. The commandment concerning Shabbat tells us
that we shall work for six days. Furthermore,
in naming the craftsmen who are to build the Tabernacle, the Torah is pointing
out the value of all work, including what some call derisively, manual labor.
Leadership
The Torah has
survived, in part, because it speaks to the human condition. This week’s reading offers a textbook case in
leadership. Notice how Moshe identifies
with the Israelites and how he takes responsibility for their behavior. If they are to be punished, then he is to be
punished in the same manner. Compare
this with the penchant for the double standard shown by our leaders (the Wall
Street Bankers and so-called “Captains of Industry” are two modern examples)
today and see if maybe the example of Moshe shouldn’t be the one taught at the
Harvard and Kellogg schools of business.
Timing of the Tablets
Moshe went up to get the second set of Tablets on the twenty-ninth day of Av. He actually received them on Yom Kippur. According to some, the second set of Tablets is a sign of God’s forgiveness and His acceptance of our atonement for the Sin of the Golden Calf.
Levi, Dinah and the Golden
Calf
In Bereshit, Levi drew his sword and killed those who had defiled his sister Dinah. Levi had used a basic commandment from God, circumcision, as part of a plot to take the lives of others. In other words, he had corrupted God’s word for his own purposes no matter how noble he may have thought they were. As we can see from the blessing at the end of Bereshit, Jacob never forgave Levi for this. In Shemot, the tribe of Levi draws its sword just as their progenitor had. However, this time Levi drew its sword to defend the commandments of God. According to some, it is because of this zeal for the Lord, that the tribe of Levi is accorded its special role as described in the Torah. It is not always the deed that counts. Sometimes it is the motive for performing the deed that counts the most.
The Sacred and the Profane
“You shall sanctify them (i.e., the utensils to be used on the altar) and they shall remain holy of holies; whatever touches them shall become holy.” (Shemot 30:29). This is a thought provoking statement about the power of that which has been consecrated to the Lord. And the statement is counter-intuitive. Normally, one would assume that when something that is not holy comes in contact with something that is holy, the holy object becomes unholy. Yet, here it is the other way around. The holy object does not lose its holiness when it comes in contact with that which is not holy. Could this be a ritualistic formulation of the concept we see later in this Sedrah? The Children of Israel, the holy people, do not lose their holiness even though they have strayed and built the Golden Calf. Once chosen by God, the Jewish People are always chosen. The Jew may stray, but God is always there waiting for him or her to return to the path of righteousness. It may not be Rashi, but it is something to think about.
Kashrut
This week we find a repetition of the injunction about milk and meat. Echoing the words of Exodus 23:19 we read, “thou shalt not boil a kid in the milk of its mother” (Exodus 34:26). There are several reasons given for this injunction. Some contend that this was part of the recipe for a drink used by some pagans in the idol worshipping ceremonies. So this would be another example of seeing to it that the Israelites did not engage in any activity that even approximated the behavior of those who bowed to graven images. Another explanation is that this is part of the conditions that God placed on the Israelites for letting them eat meat. According to this explanation, God had not intended people to be carnivores. Once He realized that there was a propensity for eating meat, He allowed the Jews to do it but with restrictions. Since all life was sacred, including the lives of animals, certain rules were imposed as part of the tradeoff for the pleasure of eating animal flesh. One last explanation has to do with the concepts of mercy and human decency. If you must eat meat, do not be so barbaric as to figuratively consume the child in a sauce made from the very liquid of the mother that gave that child life. Like all dietary laws, in the end, this one too falls under the category of Chukat - a commandment whose real purpose we will only understand with the coming of the Moshiach or Messiah. Regardless, for those who want to try keeping kosher a little bit, this provides an easy entrée point. Order the hamburger instead of the cheeseburger. Have chicken instead of chicken parmesan. And if you are having ice cream for dessert, eat a tuna or grilled cheese sandwich instead of a hot dog or burger.
Yizkor
In speaking of how we should observe the three pilgrimage festivals - Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkoth - the Torah says “None shall appear before me empty-handed” (Exodus 34:19). One of the reasons given for reciting Yizkor, the Memorial Service, on these three holidays is to fulfill this command. Each of the formularies for remembering the departed contains a promise to give charity in the name of the deceased. For example, “May God remember the soul of … who has gone to his world, because I pledge (without vowing) to donate to charity for his sake.” The idea is that if the person were still alive he or she would be the kind of righteous person who would be giving the charity. At any rate, just as we do not come empty-handed to celebrate the three festivals, so do we not come empty-handed when we remember those who have gone before us.
Enjoy what I have or Have
what I enjoy
Our tradition offers numerous lessons on this topic or its variants. This week we read “And I will be gracious to whomever I will be gracious” (Exodus 33:19). In the Talmud, the sages extended this to read “And I will be gracious to whomever I will be gracious: Even to the undeserving” (Tractate Berachot). To illuminate the point, the Chassidim tell the following tale. A wealthy merchant would visit Reb Zusya (one of my favorite Chassidic characters) and leave him gifts of food or wine or a bag of coins to help this wise but poor Rebbe. One day he visited Zusya but Zusya was not at home. When the merchant asked where Zusya was, he was told that Zusya was visiting his Rebbe. The wealthy merchant pondered this matter. If he had been blessed in his business dealings because he had been making donations to Zusya, just think how much more he would be blessed if he started making those donations to Zusya’s Rebbe (climbing the corporate ladder so to speak). So the merchant stopped giving to Zusya and started giving to Zusya’s Rebbe, a man he assumed to be of greater merit than Zusya. But lo and behold, instead of his business improving his business took a turn for the worse. Realizing that he must have done something wrong by ignoring Zusya, the merchant went to visit the Rebbe. “Why,” he asked,” is it when I used to visit you my business throve, but when I started visiting your Rebbe - who is presumably a greater Rebbe - success deserted me?” Reb Zusya replied, “It is all very simple. I am not a tzaddik at all and that is why when you used to give me money, even though I was unworthy of receiving it, the Heavenly Court was not particular with you, either, and you were granted prosperity even though you did not really deserve it. But the moment you started being particular about evaluating people precisely, and decided to visited my Rebbe - who really is a Tzaddik - the Heavenly court decided to start being particular about evaluating you; and when they found that you weren’t in fact deserving of that prosperity, they withheld it.”
The Role of Aaron
If you are puzzled by the role of Aaron in the story of the Golden Calf, do not think you are the only one. Abarbanel, the Sephardic sage, raises a number of questions on this matter. “Why did Moses ask Aaron what the people had done to him to force him to make the calf?” “In a case of idolatry,” isn’t one “supposed to die rather than let oneself be forced to sin?” “Why are the people punished, and many of them killed, for making the calf that was actually made by Aaron?” Why is it that Aaron, “is never punished for” making the calf “and is even made the High Priest, who will atone for the Israelites?”
Who Made the Calf?
God tells Moses, “Hurry down, for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have acted basely. They have been quick to turn aside from the way that I enjoined upon them. They have made themselves a molten calf and bowed low to it.” The Torah is quite explicit about God being the one who brought the Israelites out Egypt. So who are these people who Moses brought out of Egypt? According to the commentators, they were “the mixed multitude,” non-Israelites whom Moses allowed to join the Jews on their way out of Egypt. But if this were true, then why punish the Israelites for building the calf when it was non-Israelites who did the deed? Could it be that God was so angry with the Israelites that he disassociated Himself from them and referred to them as the people of Moses? Since we already know that God was angry enough with the Israelites to destroy them, it takes no great leap of logic to believe that He was angry enough to disown them and palm them off on Moses. If we accept this explanation then punishing the Israelites makes sense since they were the ones who indeed built the calf. (You see, there are a lot more than Four Questions when it comes to the whole Passover Story.)
Tablet Tantrum
“…and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mount.” (Exodus 32:19). Moses came running down the mountain, saw the Israelites dancing around the Golden Calf and he smashed the tablets. The tablets contained the words of God - words that God had intended for the children to hear and to obey. God did not tell Moses to deny His words to the people. Moses made that decision. While Moses’ angry response is understandable, it might be seen as yet another example of his hot temper. And while Moses gets high marks for interceding on behalf of the Israelites when He threatens to destroy them, it would seem that his smashing of the tablets was an ultimate act of Chutzpah. After all, who was he to deny the word of God to the Children of Israel?
Haftarah
I Kings 18:1-39 Ashekanzim
(This is one of the longest of the year)
I Kings
The Book: Originally
Kings was one book. The authors
of the Septuagint divided it into First and Second Kings. Kings covers the period of history from the
death of King David through the destruction of the
The Man: This
week’s haftarah features three interesting figures. First is the prophet Elijah. Elijah appears earlier in the text without
warning or fanfare “And Elijah the Tishbite who was of the settlers of
Ahab was King of Israel (The Northern Kingdom) from 871 through 852 B.C.E. He was a prosperous Near Eastern potentate married to the foreign-born Jezebel. While Ahab may have been a strong King, he was a weak man and a weak husband. He allowed Jezebel to elevate the idolatrous worship of Baal and Asherah. Among her crimes was the murder of the untold numbers of prophets who were faithful to Adonai. In other words, she led a forcible campaign to replace the worship of God with the worship of idols in direct violation of the commandments.
The Message: The
most famous part of the haftarah describes a contest between the four hundred
fifty prophets of Baal versus Elijah.
The confrontation takes place on
Theme-link: Both readings describe lone prophets of the Lord on mountaintops surrounded by those using bovines in their religious rituals. In the case of the sedrah, it is Moshe dealing with the apostasy of the Golden Calf. In the haftarah, it is the Israelites who have turned to Baal, offering bulls up to him on their altars. In the haftarah, it is the lone figure of Elijah arrayed against the prophets of Baal and the power of the Queen who sets up the mountaintop confrontation that will bring the people back to the spiritual roots. In both the sedrah and the haftarah, the people repent. In the sedrah and the haftarah, the people are ultimately stricken with the realization of their sin and re-new their pledge of loyalty to Adonai. In the sedrah and the haftarah one lone person makes the difference. One person standing with God is stronger than the multitude clinging to their idol.
Elijah, From Man to Myth: The figure of Elijah that has entered into
Jewish tradition stands in stark contrast to the depiction found in Kings. In Kings he is a tough, uncompromising zealot
who is willing to kill multitudes and stand up against the monarchy in the name
of God. But for us he is this benign
figure who will announce the coming of the Moshiach (Messiah). He is the guest we invite into our homes each
year at Pesach. We have a special place
for him at each brit. And we sing his
song every week at the conclusion of the Havdalah ceremony. Why and how did this transformation take
place? We know that some time during the
days of the
Jezebel:
Jezebel has come down to us as the embodiment of evil. But from Jezebel’s point of view she is
merely behaving in accord with the value system of her pagan society whose
values were different from the values of the Israelites. In the pagan world of Jezebel, kings were
like gods. They were above the law. Hence, she could not understand why her
husband the king should not have Navot’s vineyard. She could not understand why it was wrong to
take the land from its rightful owner since the king wanted it. Her quarrel with Elijah was not over his
belief in Adonai. As a pagan she could
allow for a multitude of gods. Her
quarrel with Elijah came from his insistence that the monarchy was subservient
to the commandments of God. Jezebel
stands as a rebuke to the concept of moral relativism that is so popular today;
that all cultures and beliefs have value and that we have no right to hold one
to have more merit than the other.
Jezebel was true to her pagan concepts.
But it is obvious she was faithful to a system that was morally
deficient when compared to the law Moshe brought down from Sinai. In marrying Jezebel, Ahab committed a
grievous sin. This marriage gave her an
opening to replace the teachings of Adonai with the practices of Baal. By allowing her teachings “in,” Ahab violated
the concept of holiness i.e., being separate. (For more on this see “Jezebel, The Great
Queen”, pg. 203-212, Biblical Images by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz.) Lest you have any doubts about the evil of
Jezebel, remember she was the mother of Athaliah, one of the bloodiest women in
Jewish history.
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