Weekly Torah Reading / Weekly Torah Portion

Torah Readings for Saturday, February 18, 2012 Shabbat Shekalim Mishpatim Shemot

2012-02-12T20:08:00.000-06:00

TorahReadings for Saturday, February 18, 2012

Today is Shabbat Shekalim which means we read from twoscrolls. The first scroll is for theregualar Shabbat portion. The secondscroll is the special reading for Shabbat Shekalim (see notes below for furtherexplanation.

FirstScroll

Mishpatim(Variously: Judgments, Ordinances orRules)
21:1-24:18Shemot (Exodus)

Mishpatim is the sixth sedrah in Shemot (Exodus). It takes its name from the second Hebrew word in the opening verse“These are the ordinances (Mishpatim) that you shall set before them.” Mishpatimmarks a shift in the style of the Torah. Up until now, the Torah has primarily been a narrative with a smatteringof laws mixed in with the text. Startingwith Mishpatim, the Torah shifts toa compilation of laws with a smattering of narrative mixed in with thetext. Mishpatim lives up to its namesince it contains fifty-three separate rules. Different commentators use different methods for dividing this sedrah,none of which are totally satisfactory. The Plaut Chumash uses the following: Laws about Slavery and Injuries (21:1-21:37); Laws on Property and MoralBehavior (22:1-23:9); Laws on Cultic Ordinances and the Affirmation of theCovenant. On the other hand, thecommentators in Etz Hayim take a more traditional approach. They point out that the chapters that make upMishpatim are called Sefer Ha-Brit or the Book of the Covenant. The name comes from two verses in Chapter24. Verse 4 reads: “Moshe then wrote down all the commands ofthe Lord.” Verse 7 reads, “Then he tookthe record of the covenant and read it aloud to the people. And they said, ‘All that the Lord has spokenwe will faithfully do.’” Thesecommentators divide the sedrah as follows: Civil and Criminal Matters; A Variety ofTopics with Special Emphasis on Humanitarian Consideration; Affirmation of theDivine Promises to Israel and Warnings Against the Dangers of Assimilation toPaganism; Conclusion of the Sefer Ha-Brit (including the ratification ofthe document and Moshe’s ascent to receive the tablets containing theDecalogue). A third, and simpler, way ofdividing the sedrah is: Laws, Ordinancesand Commands (21:2-23:30); Ratification (24:1-12); Moshe’s Ascent of theMountain and the Stone Tablets (24:13-24:17).

Laws, Ordinances and Commands (21:2-23:30) There is far too much material for inclusion in this guide. In keeping with our custom, the commandmentscontained in this sedrah are listed below. All Chumashim including Etz Hayim, the Stone and those edited byRabbi Hertz or Rabbi Plaut, have copious notes on the commandments and how theyshould be categorized. You may want tomake special note of the comments concerning the famous section calling for “aneye for an eye,” etc. In reading thecommandments, we should try and understand what they meant to the ancientIsraelites. At the same time, we shouldconsider how we can carry out the commandments in our own lives, even when itmeans we are only able to obey the spirit of the law because the actual wordsdo not apply to our times. Here are afew items of interest. The first seriesof commands has to do with the treatment of slaves. Slavery was a fact of life in the days of theancient Israelites. However, thecondition and treatment of slavery described here stands in stark contrast tothe condition of servitude that the Israelites had just experienced in Egypt.

The theme ofpersonal responsibility and the obligation to make financial restitution whenone fails to act in a responsible manner runs throughout the list. Whether tending your livestock, digging a pitor burning off vegetation, avoiding harm to others is a criticalconsideration. The commandmentsconcerning widows, orphans, strangers and the impoverished show God’s specialconcern for the weak and powerless. Theyhave given rise to what some call the “Social Action” aspect of Judaism. Failure to follow these commandments is thesource of much of the material contained in the message of the Prophets. The detailed list of commands concerningjudges, judicial proceedings and capital cases provides the cornerstone formuch of the Oral Law to follow. InJudaism, justice is even-handed. We donot kow-tow to the rich. Nor do weassume that the poor are naturally virtuous.

Ratification (24:1-12) Somecommentators think that all of Chapter 24 is out of sync from a narrative pointof view. Regardless, this chapter beginswith a unique acceptance process. TheTorah is not accepted by just Moshe, or just by the leaders of theIsraelites. It is accepted by all thepeople in “one voice.” In describing theacceptances the Torah speaks of “devarim” (Commands) and “mishpatim”(Judgements or Ordinances). God enforcescommands. Law courts enforceordinances. This explains the heavyemphasis on the role of judges and the judicial process in Mishpatim.

Moshe’s Ascent of the Mountain and the StoneTablets (24:13-17) The sedrah ends with Moshe going up to thetop of Mount Sinai alone to receive the stone tablets on which God will engravethe “teachings and commandments.” Moshetells the elders that he is leaving Aaron and Hur behind to serve in his placewhile he is gone. Remember this when weread the story of the Golden Calf. In asubsequent sedrah, Moshe will show the Stone Tablets to all of the people. According to some commentators, the peoplecould see the same thing no matter where they were standing. What kind of stone might have made thispossible? The answer is found inMishpatim. “And under His feet thelikeness of sapphire brickwork, and it was like the essence of the heaven inits purity” (24:10). In his history ofthe Jews called Wanderings, Chaim Potok raises the question of who sawwhat at Sinai. He contends that what wemay be reading is an amalgamation of many versions of the same event. But whoever compiled Shemot did not try andedit the various versions. Instead he orthey presented them all to us and left it to the commentators to sift throughto the ultimate reality. This in no waydenigrates the reality of Sinai. On theother hand, it does provide at least one explanation for the apparentchronological inconsistency that we find in the sidrot, which tell the tale ofthe Sinaitic Revelation.

Themes for Mishaptim

Commandments

42. The obligation of an owner of a Hebrewslave to free the slave after a maximum of six years (21:2).

43. A master’s obligation to provisionallydesignate a female Hebrew slave as his bride (21:8).
44. A master’s obligation to let a femaleHebrew slave be redeemed if she is not pleasing to him (21:8).
45.  Theprohibition against a master selling a female Hebrew slave whom he decides notto marry (21:8).
46.  Thespecified rights of a wife (21:9).
47.  Theobligation to execute a murder (21:12).
48.  Theprohibition against hitting one’s parents (21:15).
49.  Thespecification of fines for those who physically harm others (21:18).
50.  Themandating of capital punishment for those who murder slaves (21:20).
51.  Theaction to be taken when one’s animal kills a person (21:18).
52.  Theprohibition against eating the meat of an ox executed for killing a person (21:18).
53.  Theobligation of one who dug or uncovered a pit and left it uncovered to paydamages for any ensuring injuries (21:33-34).
54.  Themandating of a special onerous fine on thieves who steal oxen or sheep (21:37).
55.  Thecommandment to hold a person financially responsible for the damage caused byhis or her livestock (22:4).
56.  Thecommandment to hold a person financially responsible for the damage caused by afire he or she has started (22:5).
57.  Thespecifying of responsibilities for one who is the guardian of another’sproperty (22:6).
58.  Theobligation of judges to adjudicate cases between plaintiffs and defendants(22:8).
59.  Thespecification of damages against one who is entrusted with guarding an animaland is unable, or fails, to do so (22:9-12).
60.  Theobligations devolving on one who borrows an animal from another (22:13).
61.  Thepunishment imposed on one who seduces a virgin (22:15-16).
62.  Theprohibition of witchcraft (22:17).
63.  Theprohibition against wronging a stranger (22:20).
64.  Theprohibition against oppressing a stranger (22:20).
65.  Theprohibition against oppressing a widow or orphan (22:21).
66.  Theobligation to lend money interest-free to those in need (22:24).
67.  Theprohibition against dunning a poor person unable to repay his or her debt (22:24-26).
68.  Theprohibition against helping a borrower or a lender transact an interest-bearingloan (22:24).
69.  Theprohibition against cursing God (22:27).
70.  Theprohibition against cursing a judge. (22:27).
71.  Theprohibition against cursing the leader of one’s nation (22:27).
72.  Theobligation to make proper payment of tithes and other dues (22:28).
73.  Theprohibition against eating the meat of an animal killed by other animals (22:30).
74.  Thecommandment not to spread false rumors (23:1).
75.  Theprohibition against helping a guilty man gain acquittal (23:1).
76.  Thestricture against joining with a majority to do wrong (23:2).
77.  Theprohibition against perverting testimony (23:2).
78.  Thecommandment to follow the majority decision in legal cases (23:2).
79.  Therequirement that a judge not permit pity for a poor man to affect his rulings(23:3).
80.  Theobligation to help another person, including one’s enemy, to unload a burdenfrom her or her animal (23:5).
81.  Aprohibition forbidding judges to discriminate again a poor person in judicialproceeding (23:6).
82.  Theobligation to take particular care in capital cases not to execute an innocentperson (23:7).
83.  Theprohibition against judges taking bribes (23:8).
84.  Thecommandment to let the land lie fallow every seventh year (23:10-11).
85.  Themandate to rest on the Sabbath and to allow both people and animals who workfor you to do so as well (23:12).
86.  Theprohibition against mentioning or invoking false gods (23:13).
87.  Theprohibition against leading Israelites into idolatry (23:13).
88.  Thecommandment to celebrate the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot andSukkoth (23:14).
89.  Theprohibition against slaughtering the Paschal lamb Erev Pesach while one stillhas chametz in one’s possession (23:18).
90.  Theprohibition against waiting until morning to offer parts of the Paschal lamb thatare to be sacrificed on the altar (23:18).
91.  Thecommandment to bring the harvest’s first fruits to the sanctuary (23:19).
92.  Theprohibition against cooking meat with milk (23:19).
93.  Thestricture against making a treaty with the seven idolatrous nations resident inCanaan (23:32).
94.  Thecommandment against allowing idolaters to settle in Israel (23:33).
BiblicalLiteracy   by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

Commandments

Thereare three types of commandments: Judgementsor (Mishpatim), Testimonies (Edut) and Statutes (Chukim). “Judgements (Mishpatim) is a technical term inthe Torah, referring in general to social legislation of the kind which, had itnot been given by God, man could have devised for himself on rational grounds. It is to be contrasted with Testimonies (Edut)such as the Shabbat and festivals, which though they are rationallycomprehensible, could not have been invented by man; and Statutes (Chukim)which are laws whose purpose lies altogether beyond our understanding…. We obey them simply because they are the wordof G-d.” Chukim include things like theRed Heifer and Kashrut. However, we mustobserve Mishpatim and Edut in the same way we that observe Chukim, because theyare commanded by God. If we observeMishpatim because they make sense to us instead of because God commanded us todo these things, then we might decide that since some Judgements do not makesense to our intellect, we can ignore them. This will lead us to replace the Will of God with our intellect, which willeventually lead us to disregard the Chukim because to rational man they appearirrational. This does not mean we shouldblindly follow the commandments. We needto know them. We need to understandthem. And even when we miss the mark andviolate them, we should not decide that we can dismiss them as irrelevant ormeaningless.

Commentary and the OralLaw

Thelaws of Mishpatim drive home the point of how important the Oral Law and othercommentaries are in understanding and giving meaning to the words of theTorah. For example the laws pertainingto cursing one's parents and hitting one’s parents need a great deal ofexplication. Another example would bethe directive about not cooking a kid in its mother’s milk. The trick is to constantly re-evaluate thecommentary to make sure it is still valid and meaningful. At the same time, new commentary must bethoroughly grounded on a full understanding of what has gone before. This is the delicate balancing act of realTorah Study.

The Message of Mishpatim

Thisis a sedrah thick with laws. It is veryeasy to get caught up in the minutia of each command. I would suggest that to truly understand thefull import of the sedrah, we should step back and look at it in its totality. As they would say in the world of art, do notget lost in the color and shape of each tile. Step back and look at the mosaic the tiles create. Mishpatim presents the picture of a JustSociety. It is a society based on law,justice and mercy. Poverty is not avirtue (23:3). But it is a society whereamassing wealth for its own sake is also not a virtue. Squeezing every penny out life is notacceptable (21:2 and 23:10-13). We acquire material goods to take care ofbasic needs and so that we can better perform the mitzvoth (23:14-19). We are to help the less fortunate and we areto do it in a way that does not demean them (22:24-26). Based onwhat we read, at practical level, God is commanding us to develop a societywithout great income disparity, where we truly are our brother’s keeper andwhere doing the right thing and the legal thing are synonymous.

The Power of “Vav”

TheHebrew word for “these” is ay-leh. Ifthe sedrah had begun with the word ay-leh, it would read “These are theordinances….” Instead the letter Vav wasput in front of the word ay-leh. Theletter Vav in this case means “and.” Sothe verse begins, “V’ay-leh ha-Mishpatim…” or “And these are the ordinances.…” By putting the letter Vav at the beginning, weare tying the laws of Mishpatim with the Ten Commandments given in the previoussedrah. In other words the civil lawwhich is embodied in Mishpatim is inseparable from the Decalogue. All laws come from God and we must strive toobey all of them. Ah what a differenceone little letter can make.

The Mosaic Difference

Manycommentators love to point out the similarities between the laws in the Torahand other Near Eastern law codes. However, there are major differences. The one that is most glaring is the relationship between human life andproperty rights. Under Torah law theillegal taking of property is not to be punished by death. At the same time, murder is not a crime forwhich one can escape punishment by making restitution to the victim’sfamily. Under other law codes, thievesgot the death penalty and the wealthy could buy their way out of a murderconviction.

The Fetus

Isthe fetus a person? Based on what weread in Shemot (21:22) theanswer is no. Under biblical law,“taking of life cannot be made up for by any amount of property.” The family of a one who has been murdered isforbidden from accepting a monetary settlement from the murderer. In the case of a miscarriage, the offender isallowed to make monetary restitution. Allowing this form of compensation is proof that while protecting thepregnant woman is of paramount importance, the fetus, whatever else it may be,is not a person; it is not a life.

Thiefand Robber

Thesedrah talks about the punishment for a thief. In Jewish law there is a difference between a thief and a robber. They both steal. The robber steals out in the open. He shows equal contempt for man and God. But a thief steals by stealth. He steals in secret. By stealing in this manner he is saying thathe is afraid of people, but he is not afraid of God. In fact he is denying the essence of God. By his action, he is denying that God iseverywhere, seeing all that we do. Therefore the thief was always punished more harshly than therobber. He was punished for the takingand he was punished for the blasphemy.

Holidays

Thissedrah includes laws concerning the timing and observance of the ThreePilgrimage Festivals - Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkoth. The command here is for all “men” to appearwhile in Devarim, the same command is not sex specific. The sedrah also includes rules for observingShabbat. Even before the development ofthe Oral Law, it was obvious that the “Fourth Commandment” alone would notsuffice in telling the people how to observe the seventh day. While the commands to observe Shabbat inYitro and Mishpatim are universal (not just for the ruling class or aprivileged few) the reasons given are different. In Yitro Shabbat is tied to Creation. In Mishpatim, Shabbat is to be observed sothat we may be refreshed. The curse ofthe twentieth-first century is the complaints about stress, being over-worked,not being able to sleep. Yet, if wewould just follow the commandments, all of our needs would be met including theone to relax, change pace and rest.

Kashrut
Thissedrah marks the first of three times that we are enjoined from cooking meatwith milk. This particular reference mayhave to do with the fact that pagans did this when worshipping idols and Godwants us to differentiate our customs from theirs. Regardless, this repeated injunction hasgiven rise to the body of law regarding the separation of meat and dairy whencooking and eating.

Quick Quiz

1.According to Chapters 21 and 22 which transgression could result in the deathpenalty?

Striking and killing another (21:12);
Cursing one’s father and mother (21:17);
Owning a bull that gores a human to death if the bull is known to be a killer and is not properly penned (21:29);
Being a sorceress (22:18).

2.Which four men went up the mountain along with the seventy elders? (24:9)

Moses;
Aaron;
Nabib;
Abihu.

3.How long did Moses stay on Mount Sinai?(24:18)

Forty Days and Forty Nights.

Basedon Nelson’s Amazing Bible Trivia

Forty Days and FortyNights

“And Moses remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.” Thus ends the weekly portion. According to at least one commentator, when the Bible talks about “forty days”, it is conveying the idea of a long time. For people who live in a lunar cycle, a period beyond a month would be a long time indeed. But even if one accepts this explanation, it still does not answer why the text says “Forty Days and Forty Nights” instead of just “forty days.”

Where does the Bible use the term“forty days?”

It takes a full forty days to embalm the body of Jacob, according to Egyptian practice (Gen 50:3).

The Israelite spies scout out the Promised Land for forty days (Num 13:25, 34).

The Philistine Goliath taunts the Israelite army for forty days before David fights him (1 Sam 17:16).

The prophet Ezekiel lies on his right side for forty days to symbolize the sins of the people of Judah (Ezek 4:6).

The prophet Jonah preaches in the Assyrian capital, "Forty days more, and Ninevah shall be overthrown" (Jonah 3:4).

Where does the Bible usethe term “forty days and forty nights?”

In the story of Noah and the Great Flood, it rains for "forty days and forty nights" (Gen 7:4, 12, 17; 8:6).

The prophet Elijah travels “forty days and forty nights” to Mount Horeb to encounter God (1 Kings 19:8).

Moses spends "forty days and forty nights" on Mount Sinai when receiving the Law from God (Exodus 24:18; cf. Deut 9:9-25).

Moses spends another "forty days and forty nights" on the mountain, encountering God a second time (Exodus 34:28; cf. Deut 10:10).

Theterm “forty days” is used when the matter is temporal or a man - manrelationship. The term forty days andnights is used when the matter is spiritual or involves a God-manrelationship. In other words, in mattersconcerning the Divine, the matter calls for total involvement; for totalcommitment. Is this the last answer onthe topic? No. Is it the best answer? Certainly it is not. But at least it provides a point of departurefor better minds than the author of this guide.

Questionsabout Slavery (in case you run out of topics at your next Seder)

Since slavery has been outlawed in the United States, why should we read the laws about slavery?
Why were Southern slave owners and their Northern apologists wrong to cite the rules about slavery in Exodus as proof that “their peculiar institution” was Biblically and therefore divinely acceptable?
What does the text mean when it says “If you buy a Hebrew servant” (Shemot 21:2)?
When the Torah says “And then the servant shall serve his master forever” (Shemot 21:6), what length of time is “forever?”
According to Shemot, when can a servant be set free?
What does The Talmud (as cited by Rabbi Weisblum) mean when it says, “Whoever buys a Hebrew servant, buys himself a master?”

Howdo Jews Exercise Power?
In readingNachum Rabinovitch’s commentary on Mishpatim one is reminded that for centuriesJews read Mishpatim in a vacuum. In mostplaces, in most times, we were a downtrodden, marginalized people. Even in places where some Jews attained ameasure of prominence, the fall from grace could come quickly, withoutwarning. This is not the case in Israelor, it would appear, in the United States. In both places Jews have enough power and authority to affect the natureof the government and the society. It iseasy to demand a just society when you cannot make it happen because of a lackof power. The question is how Jewsbehave when they have the power. Arethey constructing a society where caring for the widow, orphan and the strangerin your midst are driving forces and where justice is dispensed in an evenhanded manner? Or are they constructinga society where they build mikvahs that look like ritzy health spas whileothers go hungry, where corner-cutting business men are lionized as pillars ofthe community and where the strong prey on the weak? In which case this reading should be calledHitpatlut which is the Hebrew word for Meanderings for as we Meander fromMishpatim so do we Meander from God which means we continue to Meander in theWilderness of Spiritual Exile.

Interest

After providingcommentary about the rules pertaining to lending and interest (22:24) Rashiprovides an interesting warning about the dangers of interest. The Hebrew word for interest “is from the sameword that means ‘bite.’ For interest islike the bite of a snake which makes a little wound on someone’s foot, which hedoes not even feel, and suddenly the swelling goes up to the top of hishead. Interest is the same - he does notfeel it or even notice it until it mounts up and costs him a huge amount ofmoney.” (The Commentators’ Bibleedited by Michael Carasik)

This is anotherexample of how the Torah speaks to modern man. If people had read this and taken it to heart, how many would haveavoided the trap of credit card abuse? How many of them would have supported government policies of fiscalresponsibility that would have kept the United States from drowning in theinterest on the National Debt? Rashi’scomments show a very practical bent. Could this insight about the dangers of interest come from hisexperience as a wine merchant? Is thisanother example of why we are told that a man should combine the study of Torahwith an occupation? To paraphraseHillel, the more answers, the more questions.

Slavery

This year marksthe 150^th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. In the course of the next five years, we willbe reminded of the pro-Slavery argument that this “peculiar institution” wasacceptable because it was sanctioned in the Bible. As we can see in Mishpatim, this argument isbogus on many counts. Among them is thebasic fact that in the Bible the slave was first and foremost a human being,one of God’s creations. In the 19^thcentury, the slave was chattel i.e., property. Obviously the two institutions shared nothing in common except the samename.

Shabbos Goy

There is apractice among some Jews of hiring gentiles to perform work on Shabbat that isforbidden under halachah. Regardless ofwhatever “fictions” have been created to allow this practice, it is a clearviolation of the spirit of the command “ “Six days thou shalt do thy work, buton the seventh day thou shalt rest; that thine ox and thine ass may have rest,and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.” (23:16) Shabbat is a day of rest so that all workers“may be refreshed” including the stranger, not just Jewish workers. Instead of finding ways around thefulfillment of the commandment, it would seem that we should be finding ways tosee to it that all enjoy real rest, especially in the hustle and bustle of thenightmarish 24/7 world that we have created.

Enemies and Anger
“When youencounter your enemy’s ox or ass wandering, you must take it back to him. When you see the ass of your enemy lyingunder its burden and would refrain from raising it, you must nevertheless raiseit with him.” (23: 4&5) In the firstinstance, the Jewish command about returning property to its rightful owner isnot abrogated by human enmity. We do itbecause it is the right thing to do. Inthe second instance, human enmity does not abrogate our responsible to care forthe weak; in this, case animals. TheTorah commands us to love our neighbor. It does not command us to love our enemy. But it does teach us not to be consumed withthe anger even when that anger comes from dealing with an enemy. These two commands are a reminder that thereshould be a limit to our anger and that we cannot blame our anger on ourenemy. After all, if your enemy isreally your enemy, do you want to give him or her control over your behavior?

Second Scroll

Shabbat Shekalim
Shemot (Exodus) 30:11-16

Shabbat Shekalim or the Sabbath of the Shekel is the firstof four Shabbatot that comes before the holiday of Pesach. The other three are Shabbat Zachor, ShabbatParah, and Shabbat Ha-Chodesh. Theactual timing of Shabbat Shekalim may vary from year to year. You can find all of the variations for thetiming of these special Shabbatot in the Mishnah. Usually Shabbat Shekalim comes on the lastShabbat before Rosh Chodesh for the month of Adar or Adar II in the case ofleap year. Shabbat Shekalim may also beobserved when Rosh Chodesh Adar actually falls on Rosh Chodesh Adar. On Shabbat Shekalim we read from two scrollsbecause there is a special portion read on that day in addition to the regular weeklyportion. This Maftir portion comes fromShemot 30:11-16. In this reading Godcommands Moshe to take a census of all males twenty and above by having themeach pay a half-shekel. By counting themoney, Moshe will know how many men are available for military service. The half-shekel was to be used for buildingthe Tabernacle. Later, the half-shekelwill become a tax used to maintain the Temple. Why did God command that each man should givea half-shekel instead of a whole shekel? According to some, it is to remind us that a Jew by himself is only halfa person. We only become complete whenwe unite with other Jews to serve God’s will. (For more on this subject, read the weeklyportion Ki Tissa where this material is found during the annual cycle of theweekly Torah portions.) Some times, inthe days of the Temple,the half-shekel was used to pay for the animals brought for sacrifices. Therefore, this reading came approximately amonth before the month of Nissan to ensure that the populace knew it was timeto provide the half-shekel thus ensuring that they would have new animals tosacrifice for Pesach.

Themes II

Shekel

“Seven weights related to metal (thus creating"coins") are mentioned in the Bible: talent, mina, shekel, beka, gerah, pim, andkesitah. A scale of the relationshipsbetween the first five weights mentioned can be established on the basis of theBible and other sources; the absolute and relative value of the pim can bedetermined from archaeological finds. The seventh weight, the kesitah seems to be anarchaic weight and the origin of its name and its metrological value are notknown. The major weight of metalmentioned in the Bible is the shekel, as its name, which means simply"weight," testifies. Since theshekel was the definite weight, an expression such as "1,000 silver"(Genesis 20:16) can beexplained as 1,000 shekels of silver, and the name of the weight is omittedsince it is self-explanatory. Abbreviationslike these are also found in other Semitic languages. The fundamental nature of the shekel can alsobe seen in the fact that all weights which the Bible explains are explainedonly in terms of the shekel.

The shekel was used as a bartering material, not a mintedcoin. Jeremiah bought a plot of land andweighed his payment (silver) on scales (Jeremiah 32:9). Subdivisions of the shekel were the beka orhalf-shekel (Genesis 24:22; Exodus 38:26) and the gerah, a 20th of the shekel(Exodus 30:13). The gerah is known inAkkadian as gir-. The basic meaning ofthe Akkadian word is a grain of carob seed. The shekel, in turn, was a 50th part of themaneh, and the maneh was a 60th part of the talent. The talent was, of course, equal to 3,000shekels. The maneh and the talent,however, were only units of account and remained so during the Second Templeperiod when the shekel became a coin denomination. Scales and weights of the shekel unit havebeen found in excavations as have gold, silver, and bronze ingots.

A Simple Table:

1 talent = 60 maneh = 3,000 shekels
1 maneh = 50 shekels = 100 beka = 1,000 gerahs
1 Shekel = 9, 11, 14 or 17 grams*
1 Ounce = 30 grams*
* The value of the shekel vairies depending on the timeplace and region in which it was used. Varous weights of the shekel include 9, 11, 14 and 17 grams. It also refers to a gold or silver coin ofequivalent weight. Since the term gramcan refer to different units of measure, use a conversion factor of 30 grams =one ounce when trying to comprehend the Biblical based measurement tables.

Shekalim

This is the name of the Fourth Tractate of the Order “Moe”in the Mishnah. The tractate is eightchapters long and all eight chapters deal with ”the subject of the half-shekelthat every male over 20 years of age was obligated to give yearly for themaintenance of the Temple.” The factthat such a large portion of the Talmud is devoted to this topic should give usan idea of how important this topic was to forefathers.

Shekel in Modern Times

In the early days of the modern Zionist movement, those whopaid their dues to join the Zionist Congress received a membership documentreferred to as a Zionist Shekel. TheShekel is a basic unit of Israeli currency. The term shekel or shekels is also an English slang term for money inall forms.

CountingEvery Jew/Every Jew Counts

The reading describes the method of taking a census; of countingJews. It should as a reminder that everyJew counts. It should remind us thateach of our co-religionist is an important member of the community no matterwhat their socio-economic standing, “yichus,” etc. We cannot afford to “lose” any Jew. We can all work at making sure that the Houseof Israel is a Home for all Jews.

Haftarah

II Kings 12:1-17 (Ashkenazim)
II Kings 11:17-12:17(Sephardim and Chabad Chassidim)

TheBook: (Briefly) I Kingsand II Kings or the Book of Kings covers the period from the Death of Davidthrough the Destruction of the First Temple. The emphasis is on the behavior of the monarchs in terms of theirrelationship to obeying Jewish law and observing the commandments of the Lord.

TheMessage: The events describedin the Haftarah take place in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The opening verses deal with the final daysof Queen Athaliah (842-836 B.C.E.) and events that occurred during the reign ofher successor, her grandson Jehoash (836-798 B.C.E.). Athaliah is the daughter of Ahab andJezebel. She married Jeroham, King ofJudah. He died and was followed tothrone by his son Ahaziah. But whenAhaziah was murdered, Athaliah assumed the throne and killed off the royalfamily except for her grandson Jehoash. Likeher mother Jezebel, Athaliah was a follower of Ba’al and had instituted herreligious pagan practices in Jerusalem. The haftarah begins by describing the revolt against the followers ofBa’al, the killing of Athaliah and Jehoash’s ascension to the throne. During his reign, Jehoash finds out that thePriests have not been using the money given them to maintain the Temple. He institutes a system to see to it that themoney is collected in a proper manner and is used to maintain theSanctuary. Both the Torah and Haftarahremind us of the need for all of us to support the House of the Lord. By the same token, we are reminded by themisuse of the funds by the Priests, that leaders have a responsibility to makesure that the House is in fact a House worthy of the Lord and the support ofthe Jewish people.

Theme-Link:The special Torah reading for Shabbat Shekalim deals with a tax imposed whilein the Wilderness that would eventually be used to support the Temple. The haftarah describes how that taxwas actually used during the days of the First Temple. On this particular Shabbat there were threepotential choices for a reading from the Prophets. First was the one for the portion of theweek. Second was the one that is read onRosh Chodesh. Third was the specialreading for Shabbat Shekalim. In suchcases, the Prophetic portion chosen is based on uniqueness. Since Shabbat Shekalim only comes once ayear, it is the reading that is chanted.

Torah Readings for Saturday, February 11, 2012 Yitro

2012-02-07T19:26:00.000-06:00

TorahReadings for Saturday, February 11, 2012

Yitro (Jethro)

18:1-20:23 Shemot (Exodus)

Yitro is the fifth sedrah in the Book of Shemotor Exodus. The sedrah takes itsname from the second Hebrew word in the first sentence of the reading. “And (there) heard Jethro (Yitro), the priestof Midian, the father-in-law of Moshe.” The sedrah divides into two parts - the Visit from Yitro (or Jethro inEnglish) and the Revelation at Mount Sinai. The centerpiece of the Revelation at Sinai is the giving of the TenCommandments. To ensure a common pointof departure, please note that the term “Ten Commandments” does not appear inthe sedrah. The Hebrew term is “AseretHa-Dibrot” or “Aseret Ha-d’varim” which may be translated variously as the TenWords, Statements or Pronouncements. Thismakes the English term, Decalogue, more accurate. However, we shall stick to the term TenCommandments because of its universality and ease of linguistic usage.

TheVisit From Yitro (18:1-27)

The sedrahopens with arrival of Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law, in the Israelite camp. He brings with him Moshe’s wife, Zipporah andhis two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. Theyhad disappeared from the Torah after the quickie circumcision that saved Moshefrom death. Here the text says, “aftershe had been sent home.” But there is noprevious mention in the Torah as to how or why she and the boy(s) were senthome. All we know for sure is that theywere with Yitro while Moshe was on his mission to free the Israelites. There are some commentators who contend thatthis re-union actually took place after the Revelation at Sinai and that it isput here to contrast the behavior of the non-Jews towards the Jews i.e., theevil of Amalek versus the virtue of Yitro. In other words, being non-Jewish is not synonymous with beinganti-Jewish. In his commentaries, Rashipresents both views without comment. Onereason to accept the text as written is that accepting the alternative viewwould mean that the family of Moshe would have missed out on the most importantevent in Jewish History - the Sinaitic Revelation. There may have been a reason to keep Moshe’sfamily out his way while he was working in Egypt. But it strains credulity that he would havewanted them to miss the events at Sinai, either in his role as a father or asthe leader of the Israelites. Regardlessof your view about the timing, Moshe greets Yitro warmly. In fact, he spends more time with him than hedoes with his family. Yitro marvels atthe greatness of God and all that has happened. In what can only be described as a textbook dissertation on delegation,Yitro tells Moshe that he is being overworked. He then helps Moshe set up a “court system” where lesser judges willhear most of the cases and Moshe will only have to deal with the reallydifficult ones. He also tells Moshe thethree characteristics he should look for in these judges. Through the example of the decent and wiseYitro, the Rabbis want us to learn that Jews do not have a monopoly on virtueor wisdom. Yitro’s departure is shroudedin as almost as much textural turmoil as his arrival. For while the Torah describes Yitro’sdeparture at this point in the text, there are further details of his leavetaking in Bamidbar (Numbers), the fourth book in the Torah. Yitro must have been a truly uncommon personsince the sedrah that describes the giving of the Ten Commandments bears hisname.

The Revelation at Sinai (19:1-20:23)

Approximatelyseven weeks after the Exodus from Egypt and six weeks after the Miracle at theSea, the Israelites are encamped at Mount Sinai, the site of the Theophany, theappearance of God. Which mountain in theSinai Peninsula is the real Mount Sinai? We do not know. While the Biblecan be very specific in its geographic description of some events (at leastfrom the point of view of the authors), the Torah provides little informationas to the location of this most famous piece of real estate. There are numerous commentaries as towhy. Some say it has to do with a fearthat the site would become a place of veneration that might eclipse Jerusalem. Some say it is because we should focus onSinai as state of mind and not as hunk of rock. (For an interesting look at the question of Biblical real estate, youmight want to read Walking the Bible by Feiler.)

Thedescription of the events leading to the giving of the Decalogue is not a cleannarrative. It will take us severalsidrot to get Moshe up and down the mountain. God and Moshe work to prepare the people for the Revelation atSinai. God gives His reasons for what Heis doing. But before going forward,Moshe must get the agreement of the elders. While God may have the power to make us do anything, He will only revealHimself to the Israelites if they are willing participants. Not for the last time, the Israelites promiseto obey even before they know what is required of them. Such is their faith in God. Once commitment has been reached, Moshe, atGod’s direction, sets the physical parameters for the meeting with God. God will “come down” into their midst. But the Israelites are limited as to howclose they may come to the mountain. Toparaphrase the Psalmist, we come near unto God, but there is a limit as to howmuch of the Divine we may absorb. Like afather, God can draw us close to him in love while still being able to keep thedistance necessary to judge us. TheIsraelites are told to wash their clothes (cleanliness is next to Godliness)and to remain pure during the three day waiting period. At the end of three days, “Moshe led thepeople out of camp toward God, and they took their places at the foot of themountain.”

In this versewe see a major part of what makes the Revelation at Sinai unique. All of the people are present. God does not reveal himself to one person orto some small elite. He reveals himselfand his laws to the entire nation. Andthe entire nation accepts the Revelation. How we as individuals understand what theauthors are describing will determine, in no small measure, how we view what iscontained in the Torah. “And God spokeall these words, saying” introduces us to the Ten Commandments. There will be no attempt to explicate themsince the information is overwhelming. But here is a list that will at least provide us with some commonalitywith a couple of comments:

1. I am the Lord your God who brought youout of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage (20:2).

2. You shall have no other Gods beside me(20:3-6).

The first twocommandments are given in the first person singular. The other eight are given in the third personsingular. This has led some commentatorsto speculate that the Israelites actually only heard the first two commandmentsfrom God. Overwhelmed by the experience,they then heard the other eight from Moshe as God gave them to him.

3. You shall not take God’s name in vain(20:7). This is not about cussing. Also, it is the only one of the ten thatcarries an implication of punishment.

4.     Remember the Sabbath Day (20:8-11). Compare this to the version in Devarim.
5.     Honor your father and your mother(20:12). Why “honor” and not “love”?
6.     You shall not murder (20:13). This is not an argument against capitalpunishment or for pacifism.
7.     You shall not commit adultery(20:13). The Biblical definition isdifferent from the one we use now.
8.     You shall not steal (20:13). Some contend that the real issue hereoriginally was kidnapping.
9.     You shall not bear false witness(20:13). Perjury would undermine asociety based on the rule of law.
10. You shall not covet (20:14). This is the only one of the ten that dealswith thoughts instead of behavior.

The notes inyour Chumashim will provide copious commentaries on the deeper meanings of eachof these commandments. Furthermore, theOral Law is an attempt to give further definition to the Biblical commandmentsincluding the ten listed above.

After hearingthe commandments, the text says the Israelites “saw” the thunder and the blareof the horn. By saying that the people“saw” what we would normally describe as “hearing,” some commentators say weare being given a picture of the Israelites’ total involvement in theRevelation at Sinai. The people tellMoshe that they are afraid that they will die because of the encounter, butMoshe reassures them that God has revealed His laws to them so that they willlive by them, not so they will die.

Havingpresented the Decalogue, God continues his dialogue with Moshe. The sedrah ends with three more commandments,all of which relate to the sacrificial rites. They read like a prelude to next week’s portion, which is a lengthycompendium of rules and regulations. Thefinal verse has come to be interpreted as a command for modesty and appropriateattire when worshipping God, which stands in stark contrast to our modernconcepts of taste and fashion.

Themes:

Commandments:

25. Thecommandment that one believe in God (20:2).

26. Theprohibition against worshiping as divine anything other than God (20:5).
27. The strictureagainst making a graven image (20:4).
28. Theprohibition against bowing down to worship an idol (20:5).
29. Thestricture against bowing down to worship an idol in the usual ways itsadherents do (20:5).
30. Theprohibition against uttering God’s name for a vain or immoral purpose (20:7).
31. Theobligation to hallow the Sabbath by maintaining its holiness (20:8).
32. Theprohibition against working on the Sabbath (20:8).
33. Theobligation to honor ones’ parents (20:12).
34. Theprohibition against murder (20:13).
35. Thestricture against adultery (20:13).
36. Theprohibition against theft (20:13).
37. Theprohibition against giving false testimony (20:13).
38. Theprohibition against coveting a neighbor’s property or spouse (20:14).
39. Theprohibition against making idolatrous images (20:20).
40. Theprohibition against constructing an altar of hewn stones (20:22).
41. Theobligation to approach God’s altar with small dignified steps, lest one’sgenitals be exposed (20:23).
From BiblicalLiteracy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin.

The breakdownshown above varies from the Ten Commandments concept that most people equatewith the experience at Mount Sinai. Inthe popular counting method the commandments shown above, 26 through 32 areincluded in commandments 2, 3 and 4 in the Decalogue.

Reciting the Ten Commandments:

During thedays of the Temple, the Ten Commandments were recited as part of the morningservice. When Christianity wasattempting to establish its own identity, its leaders rejected the commandmentsexcept for the Ten Commandments. One oftheir reasons was that these ten must be the only important ones since theywere the ones recited as part of the service. In an attempt to combat this misconception and to emphasize theimportance of all the mitzvoth, the Rabbis banned the recitation of the TenCommandments as part of the service. Theyare only read as part of the service when they appear in Shemot andDevarim. The Ten Commandments may befound in the supplementary readings of the prayerbook (Siddur) and may be recitedindividually.

Tanyaon the Ten Commandments:

Interestinglyenough, one of the daily selections from the Tanya that is read at this timeaddresses the issue of what commandments were uttered directly by God to theIsraelites and which were uttered by God to Moshe who then presented them tothe Israelites. The author contends thatthe first two commandments were those given directly by God and that theyencapsulate the entire Torah as well as the 613 commandments. To paraphrase the argument would do it aninjustice. By quoting this section inits entirety, I hope you will get a sense of what scholarly, traditionalRabbinic commentary sounds like.

“It is wellknown that the positive commandment to believe in G-d’s unity, and theadmonition concerning idolatry, which form the first two commandments in theDecalogue: ‘I am G-d…’ ‘You shall have no other gods…’ comprise the entireTorah. For the commandment ‘I am G-d’contains all the 248 positive precepts, while the commandment ‘You shall haveno other gods’ contains all the 365 prohibitive commandments. That is why we heard only those twocommandments…directly from G-d, while the other eight commandments weretransmitted by Moses, as our Sages have said, for they are the sum total of thewhole Torah. Thus, we actually heard theentire Torah from G-d Himself; for all the commandments are contained withinthese two, as are particulars within a generalization. Therefore just as one’s love of G-d motiveshim to obey these two commandments even at the expense of his life, it may alsoserve to motivate him to observe all the commandments. The Mechilta* illustrates this idea by theparable of a king who entered a land, and was requested by the populace toprovide them with a system of laws. Tothis the king replied: ‘first accept me as your king; afterwards I will issuemy decrees.’ In the same way, belief inthe One G-d constitutes the foundation upon which all the other commandmentsare built. But why should the twocommandments regarding G-d’s unity be considered the sum total of the entireTorah, all the other commandments being merely an extension of them? The explanation is based on a deeperunderstanding of the concept of the unity of G-d. G-d’s unity means not only that there is butone creator, but that G-d is the only existing being. All of existence is absolutely nullifiedbefore Him, and completely one with Him. Therefore when one acts in defiance of G-d’s Will as expressed in thecommandments, he sets himself apart from G-d as though he were a separate andindependent entity. This constitutes adenial of G-d’s unity, and the transgressor is therefore considered anidolater.”

*Mechilta(Tractate) is a Midrash to Shemot (Exodus).

Why Five and Five?

Why doesMoses come down from the mountain holding two stone tablets, each containingfive commandments? Nobody knows, whichmeans we can speculate to our heart’s content. The most popular view is that the first five govern the relationsbetween God and man; the second five govern the relations between man andman. However, the plain reading of thetext of the commandments would indicate that, based on this concept,commandments one through four should have been on the first tablet andcommandments five through ten should have been on the second tablet since thefifth commandment talks about honoring thy father and thy mother. The five and five division would indicatethat the Author of the commandments intended to shroud the parent-childrelation with the cloak of divinity. Father and mother are embodiments of the Divine One. Traditionalists who have invoked this imagelay great stress on the level of fealty that children owe their parents. What they miss is the duty that this imageplaces on the parents. If parenting is,in effect, an act imbued with Divine power, then parents have an obligation toshow the wisdom, patience and loving kindness that we expect from God.

Why Ten?

Why did Mosesonly bring two tablets with the Ten Commandments down from Mount Sinai sinceGod had actually given him so many more? According to Professor James Kugel, the ten may be a form of a mnemonicwith each of the ten serving as a reminder for a whole category of laws. For example, the fourth commandmentconcerning the observance of the Sabbath served as a reminder for all thecommandments concerning holy days and festivals “and the prohibition of falseoaths might bring to mind all other commandments concerning courts andcourtroom behavior.” Another explanationis that God and Moses knew that the Israelites would have been overwhelmed ifMoses had brought down an armload of tablets containing over 600 rules andregulations. The first ten were merelythe first lesson in a long series of “classes” that would occur over the nextfour decades as Moses unveiled the laws of God during the wanderings throughthe wilderness.

Shavuot:

The holidayof Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks, is connected with the giving of the TenCommandments. The “third new moon”mentioned at the start of chapter 19 refers to the month of Sivan. The “third day” mentioned in 19:11corresponds to the sixth of Sivan which is the date given for observingShavuot. We count the Omer for sevenweeks starting from the second night of Pesach. So on the fifty-first day after the Exodus, wecommemorate the Sinaitic Revelation. This corresponds to the timeline we have followed in the Torah. The Decalogue is recited on the holiday. The actual commands about observing Shavuotactually will come in subsequent chapters.

The Sixth Remembrance:

There are sixevents that the Torah commands us to remember (in Hebrew, Zachor). Collectively these are known as the SixRemembrances (Shaysh Zechriot). They arefound in the prayer book (Siddur) after the Shacharit (Morning Service) and arerecited daily after the conclusion of the service itself. The first five remembrances come fromDevarim. The sixth remembrance is adirect quote from this sedrah. “Rememberthe Sabbath Day and keep it holy” (20:8). There are many Rabbinic commentaries about the central role that Shabbatplays in the Jewish existence. We are toremember Shabbat throughout the week and not just on the seventh day. According to the Rambam, “by rememberingShabbat every day of the week we are constantly affirming our belief that Godcreated the world in six days, that He rested on the seventh day, and that Hecontinues to direct and monitor all events.” According to the Talmud, desecrating Shabbat is equivalent to idolworship while “the observance of Shabbat is equivalent to the observance of theentire Torah.” In the days before BigBox Chain Stores, small town merchants would go home at lunchtime. They would put a sign on the door saying thatthey would be back in an hour. In thatway passers-by would know that even if they were gone, the merchant was stillin business. So it is with the Jew. Even if he is not able to honor all of thecommandments, when he remembers the Sabbath he is saying that he is a faithfulservant to the Lord; he is putting up his sign saying that he is still in business. One way of Remembering the Sabbath during theweek is to take care of your mundane affairs in an orderly efficient way sothat they do not intrude on your thoughts during Shabbat. The second part of the commandment does say,“Six days you shall labor and do all your work.…”

Why?

People arealways asking why things happen. Toparaphrase Victor Frankel, if people know the “why” of it they can survive the“what” of it. Yitro is one of those rareinstances where God does tell us why things happen. Why did he deliver us from Bondage? Why did He rescue us at the sea? Why is giving us the Torah? “Indeed, all the earth is Mine, but you be toMe a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (19:5-6). God has done all that He has so that we can bea nation of priests, a holy nation. Orto put it in other words, we exist to teach the world God’s law through theexample of our lives. The laws of theTorah are the guidebook for that teaching. Being Jewish becomes an awesome responsibility since when we stumble wenot only stub our own toe but we shake the body of all mankind.

The Exodus - The Jewish Twist:

The Exodusfrom Egypt has become a popular motif for different liberation movements. These have included everything from theAmerican Revolution to the Abolition Movement to the Civil Rights Campaigns ofthe 1960’s. But for the Jews, the Exodus(the release from bondage) was not an end in and of itself. Rather, for the Jews, the whole purpose ofthe Exodus was to be able to go to Sinai. In other words, we traded the heavy yoke of human bondage for thelighter “yoke of the Torah.” The Jewishconcept of freedom is a strange one. Forour freedom is found in accepting the mitzvoth and trying to live our liveswithin their framework.

Yitro:

Who wasYitro? Why is the sedrah that describesthe seminal event in the history of the Jewish People named for him? We know a lot about him, yet we know only alittle about him. We know that Yitro wasthe father-in-law of Moshe and the father of Tziporah. He was Midianite. But we are not sure where Midian was. The Midianites may have lived on the SinaiPeninsula or somewhere in the area that today compromises Jordan and Saudi Arabia. He may have been a chieftain or highpriest. In fact, Jonathan Kirsch, in hisbook called Moses: A Life,contends that Moses got his religious training from Yitro while he lived withMidianites after fleeing Egypt. Yitro isactually known by six other names in the TaNaCh including Yeter (addition),Hovav (to love), Ruel (friend to God), Chever (friend), Kaynee (zealous) andPutiel (“the name that tells the world that he had given up hisidol-worshipping). There is a great dealof controversy over when Yitro actually came and found Moshe. There is also some dispute as to when he leftthe Israelites. Apparently he did notstay with them. He went back to his ownpeople; some say to preach the word of God. He obviously was a man of merit. He took Moshe in when he was a pathetic fugitive fleeing Pharaoh. He took care of Moshe’s family when Moshereturned to Egypt. This enabled Moshe toconcentrate on his mission without having to worry about domestic matters. He brought the family to Moshe once it wassafe. And Moshe, the great lawgiver,listened to Yitro. If Moshe Rabbeanucould listen to Yitro, Yitro must have been a man with sage advice togive. We could all learn from thisexample. For if a man as wise as Moshecould take advice from others, none of us should think we know it all or shouldignore the words of others.

The HumanView versus the Divine View:

In the famousopening scene of the sedrah, we see the overworked Moshe wearing himself outanswering the people’s questions and resolving their disputes. Yitro’s solution is to set up a series oflesser courts to hear simpler questions and resolve elementary disputes. Moshe would only have to resolve the disputesthat nobody else could settle. God musthave seen the same problem - an overworked Moshe having to answer all of thequestions and solve all of the disputes. But He came up with a different solution. He gave the people the Law at Sinai. In other words, God gave the Israelites therules of the game. Since God hadprovided the rules to the people Moshe would only have to teach them themeaning. But for the most part, theywould be able to solve their problems. In modern parlance, Yitro’s solution was to create a bureaucracy tocontrol people’s behavior. God’ssolution empowered the people so that they would know how to behave withouthaving to ask. In other words, Godcreated a system where the people would study and use the knowledge to act inthe proper manner. The people would beindependent, not leader dependent. Thisview would be consistent with the Jewish emphasis on study, Torah and teachers.

Distractions:

Two young mencame to the house of a famous sage. Theyasked if they might join his circle of students and study with him. The sage considered the request, and afterquestioning them about the knowledge of Torah, Talmud and other texts, hedeemed them as worthy of joining his group. “Of course,” the sage said, “you will eat at my table while you arehere.” The first student was overjoyedat the prospect of taking his meals with such a renowned scholar that he couldnot say “yes” fast enough. The secondstudent stood silent and after a few minutes said that he would need to ponderthis condition. He would, he said, comeback with an answer in the morning. Thatnight, while the first student slept soundly anticipating his first meal andstudy session with the sage, the second student poured over the Torah lookingfor an answer. In the morning, he packedhis bag, went down to the Sage’s study and said that he would have to declinethe offer since he could not eat his meals with the sage. The Sage was dumbfounded. How could the young man turn down thisgenerous offer? The young man opened aChumash to “Yitro” and read out thelines “and Aaron come, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with thefather-in-law of Moshe before God” (Ex.18:12). Why, the young student asked, doesn’t the Torah say they ate in thepresence of Moses? After all, they wereeating the food with Moses. Besideswhich all things that men do is before God, so why mention God and notMoses? Drawing on the commentaries ofothers, the young man provided the answer. The priests and Aaron were probably impressed with the fact that theywere eating in the presence of such a Tzaddik - Moses. Those eating with Moses could see him. He was real i.e., before their eyes. It would be only natural that they wouldbecome impressed with the fact that they were eating with such a greatpersonage and lose some of the consciousness that no matter where or with whomthey ate, they were always eating in the presence of God. By not mentioning Moses but by mentioning God,the authors of the Torah were reminding us that while Moses may have been theleader during the Exodus, he was but a temporal tool fulfilling the will ofGod. God, not Moses, is the benefactorand source of all gifts, something which it is easy to lose sight of especiallyin situations like the one described in the eating scene in this Torahportion. The young man was rejecting theoffer because he was afraid that eating with the Sage would give him a falsesense of self-importance and distract him from seeking the presence of theAlmighty. The Sage smiled, impressedwith the student’s sensitive nature and academic acumen. He bid the lad stay and study but he promisedhim that he could dine with whomever he wished. The young man stayed, studied and when the Sage passed on he became hisdesignated replacement. As they say backhome, just because you dine with a big-dawg, don’t forget The Big-Dawg.

Deliver a Clear, Unambiguous Message:

Beforerendering a decision, a certain judge would always ask the person seekingrelief if he had delivered a clear, unambiguous message to the accused. If the answer was in the affirmative (and thejudge was sure that such a message had been delivered) he always found for theperson seeking relief. If the answer wasin the negative (well I sort of said, or maybe I told him) then the judgealways denied the prayer for relief. Afriend asked the judge why the outcome of the case always hinged on thisparticular issue. “Because,” the judgereplied, “in Yitro we are told ‘andthou shalt make known to them the way in which they should walk, and the workwhich they should do’ (Ex.18:20).” Thejudge illustrated his point with a well-known story. Two friends, both of outstanding character,were preparing for a journey. The firstannounced that he would be traveling in his fine coach pulled by four stronghorses. Why did he need fourhorses? If his coach got stuck in themud, he would need the strength of four horses to pull him out so that he couldbe on his way to perform acts of righteousness. The second man said he would be traveling in cart pulled by onehorse. His friend was shocked. “If you only have the one horse, what willyou do if you get stuck in the mud? Howwill you get out?” The second travelerreplied. “You are right, if I get stuckin the mud with one horse I will not be able to get out. Therefore, my task is to see to it that thehorse knows exactly where to go so that we will not get stuck in the mud in thefirst place.” As a Sage once said, somepeople are experts at asking for forgiveness. Others are experts at looking for the right path so that they can avoidthe need to ask forgiveness.

Success in Business:

Two friendsannounced to their Rebbe that they were going into business together. The Rebbe asked if they had drawn up apartnership contract. No, theyreplied. They were lifelongfriends. They trusted each other. Besides which, they were men of the Torah andknew the words “Lo Teg-nohv, Thou shalt not steal.” But the Rebbe knew that nothing could ruin afriendship faster than two friends going into business together, especially ifthe business did not do well. So heconvinced them to let him draw up articles of partnership. The friends agreed as long as the agreementwas simple and did not contain a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo. The Rebbe took out a pen and paper and wroteout the letters Aleph, Bet, Gimel and Dalet. He passed the paper and pen two the two friends for theirsignature. The two laughed. How could they sing a partnership agreementthat was nothing but the first four letters of the alphabet? The Rebbe explained. The Aleph was the first letter in the Hebrewword “Eh-moo-nah - Above-board.” The Betis the first letter in the Hebrew word “Bra-chah - Blessing.” The Gimel is the first letter in the word“G’nay-vah - Cheat. The Dalet is thefirst letter in the Hebrew word “Da-loot - Destitute.” So the A-B-C’s of success are “If yourtransactions are Above-board - the Blessings will come to you; if you Cheat - then you may expect to be Destitute.” The two men cheerfully signed. The sign on their store read, “The A-B-CCompany.” They prospered in business andin their friendship.

Who Blew the Horn?

The sound ofthe Ram’s Horn or Shofar played a critical role in the people’s preparation forthe revelation at Sinai. “When the ram’shorn sounds a long blast, they may go up on the mountain” (19:13). “On the third day, as morning dawned, therewas thunder, and lighting, and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loudblast of the horn” (19:16). “The soundof the horn grew louder and louder. AsMoses spoke, God answered him in thunder “(19:19). No man could make thunder and lighting anddense clouds. Only God could make themand certainly only God could use them as communication tools. But the sounding of the Shofar is a humanactivity. Yes, God could sound aShofar. After all, God is God and He cando anything. So why would He choose touse an instrument that a man might use as part of announcing the impending dramaon the mountain? Could this be a way ofsaying that God can only give the Commandments, but man must accept them andperform if they are to have ultimate meaning? When you sit in the services next year andhear the sound of the Shofar, ask yourself, who is really sounding theShofar. Is it the person on thebimah? Is it God? Or is it the two of them acting in some sortof joint venture?

Tenth Commandment: A Lubavitch viewcourtesy of Rabbi Pinchas Ciment:

Commandmentnumber ten teaches us "You shall not covet your friend's house; or hiswife, servant, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your friend." Or in simple English, don't desire hisbeautiful home, wife, dream job, nifty sports car or anything else that is his.

It's onething not to steal the stuff; but not even to desire it? Is G-d perhaps being somewhat unreasonablewith this one? Is He being realistic? Surely He doesn't think we're angels - Hecreated us!

Come to thinkof it, why does the text of this commandment first list a variety of specifics -house, wife, servant, etc., and then still find it necessary to add thegeneralization, "and all that belongs to your friend"?

Oneexplanation offered by the rabbis is that this comes to teach us a veryimportant lesson for life - a lesson which actually makes this difficultcommandment much easier to carry out. Whatthe Torah is saying is that if you should happen to cast your envious eye overyour neighbor's fence, don't only look at the specifics. Remember to also look at the overall picture.

Most of ustend to assume that the grass is greener on the other side. But we don't always consider the full picture,the whole package. So he's got a greatbusiness and a very healthy balance sheet. But is he healthy? Is his family healthy? His wife looks great at his side when they'reout together, but is she such a pleasure to live with at home? And if he should have health and wealth, doeshe have nachas from his children? Is there anybody who has it all?

As theYiddish proverb goes, everybody has his own pekkel. We each carry a backpack through life, aparcel of problems, our own little bundle of tzorris. When we are young, we think that difficultiesare for "other people." Whenwe get older we realize that no one is immune. Nobody has it all.

So if youfind yourself coveting your fellow's whatever, stop for a minute to considerwhether you really want "all that is your fellow's." When we actually see with our own eyes whatthe other fellow's life is all about behind closed doors, what's really insidehis backpack, we will feel grateful for our own lot in life and happily chooseour very own pekkel, with all its inherent problems.

Commandmentnumber 10 is a piece of good advice as well. Be wise enough to realize that you've got tolook at the whole picture. When we do,this difficult commandment becomes more easily observable. Not only is it sinful to envy what other peoplehave; it's foolish. Because life is apackage deal.

Abarbanel’sQuestions:

MichaelCarasik, the author/translator of The Commentator's Bible includes “Abarbanel’sQuestions” in his commentaries on the weekly Torah readings. According to Rabbi Dr. Meir Tamari thesequestions provide the basis for the Socratic Method that this famous SephardicJew used to develop his commentaries on the TaNaCh. A few of his questions are included here fortwo reasons. First, they lead us to“understand the kinds of questions that commentators think need answering aboutthe text.” Second, they are thoughtprovoking and should provide stimulation for the novice as well as for those whohave read these portions several times. There are too many to include them all but here a few to get youstarted.

“Why was theTorah given only now, and not to Adam or Noah, Abraham or Jacob?” “Why was the Torah given in the wildernessrather than in Egypt, when He took the people for His service and began to givethem the commandments?” “Why do thepeople agree to do ‘all that the Lord has spoken’ when He has not yet spokenit?” “Why was the Torah given with‘thunder and lightning’ and not in the ‘still small voice’ that Elijah heard inKings 19:12?” “Why do some of the firstfive commandments mention ‘the Lord’ and some ‘the Lord your God’ while none ofthe last five mention God at all?” “Howcan a just God ‘visit the guilt of the parents upon the children’?”

TheObservant and Observing the Fourth Commandment

"Rememberthe Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all yourwork; but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Lord your God.” The fourthcommandment is a two-edged sword. It is a command to rest, but one is to workfor the rest of the week. According tothe sages earning a livelihood, along with family, study and prayer are the wayto keep a person from evil. Among theObservant are those who do work. Theyspend their time in study while be supporting by others. Some contend that their study is the mostimportant form of work. But this claimis inconsistent with the text and tradition. We are forbidden to work on Shabbat. But study is such a critical part of Shabbat observance that we read theTorah in public and the Dvar Torah is as essential to a Kiddush as are cholentor challah. So study and work are not synonymous which means that the Observantneed to either get a job or realize that they are neither fulfilling the letteror the spirit of the 4^th commandment.

TenCommandments in Public Places

A few yearsago, a judge in Alabama wanted to hang a copy of the 10 Commandments in hiscourtroom. This was only one of theperiodic attempts to place the Decalogue in public places. Setting aside the question of separation ofchurch and state one wonders what version these people want to use. We all know that there is a variation betweenthe versions in Exodus and Deuteronomy. But there are also differences between the versions used in Jewish,Protestant and Catholic scriptures. These variations are more than just a matter of linguistics. They point to a different view of the world,history and the role of the Jewish people.
http://www.biblicalheritage.org/Bible%20Studies/10%20Commandments.htm

Haftarah

Isaiah: 6:1-7:6 and 9:5-6 (Ashkenazim)
Isaiah: 6:1-6:11 (Sephardim and Chabad Chassidim)

The Book: Isaiah is one of the Three MajorProphets. The other two are Jeremiah andEzekiel. The term major refers to thefact that their books are longer than those of the other prophets. Isaiah is also the first of the LaterProphets, those coming after the books that start with Joshua and end withSecond Kings. The book of Isaiah isattributed to at least two and possibly three authors. Traditionally, the fist thirty-nine chaptersare attributed to a historic figure described in the beginning of thebook. Chapters forty through sixty-sixare attributed to a second, anonymous author. Isaiah’s name in Hebrew is Yeshayahu, which is a form of a word meaninghelp or deliverance. The name iscertainly consistent with the teachings of this prophet. The historic or First Isaiah lived during theeighth century, B.C.E. He beganpreaching around 740 B.C.E. His publiccareer lasted for some forty to sixty years spanning the reign of four Kings ofJudah beginning with Uzziah and ending with Hezekiah. He was married to a woman he refers to as“the prophetess” and he had two sons. Apparently he was related to the royal family which meant he couldaddress his teachings directly to those in power. According to tradition, Manasseh, whose reignwas both long and wicked, murdered Isaiah.

Isaiahlived in a time of great political turmoil. Assyria was the leading power of the day. He witnessed the destruction of the Kingdomof Israel and the exile of the ten tribes. He encouraged the Judeans not to make a military alliance with theEgyptians who were the enemies of the Assyrians. Rather, he urged the Judeans to trust in theLord for their deliverance. Isaiah livedin a time of affluence and economic inequality. He chastised the people for failing to care for the disadvantaged. God would punish them for this as well astheir other moral shortcomings. TheIsaiah of the Exile or the Second Isaiah is thought to have lived during thesixth century B.C.E. during the period of the Babylonian Captivity. His message was one of comfort, hope and avision of universal peace.

The bookof Isaiah describes a unique relationship between God and the children ofIsrael. They are to carry His message tothe people of the world. By followingthe teachings of Torah, they will show the world what God means byholiness. At the same time, Isaiahprovides a picture of God as the God of all mankind. Isaiah transforms Him from the deity of theIsraelites to the Supreme Being for all the people of the world. Isaiah provides us with the Messianic Visioni.e., the Coming of the Moshiach. Andlast but not least, Isaiah is the prophet of world peace. It is the words of Isaiah that we read in theprayer book each week, “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall men learn war any more.” The teachings of Isaiah, regardless of howmany of them you think there are, are rich and textured. The book of Isaiah provides us with moreHaftarot than any other prophet so we will have ample opportunity to explorehis teachings as the year goes by.

The Message: This is a richly textured reading with toomany messages for this brief guide. Thatis one of the beauties of the prophets. They are able to load so much into so fewwords. The reading opens with historicreferences to the beginning of Isaiah’s active prophecy. There are those who contend that theinformation in chapter six should have come at the start of the Book of Isaiah. For us, the most striking part of thehaftarah comes in 6:1-3 with a description of the “heavenly court where theangels pay homage to God.”

“Kadosh,Kadosh, Kadosh, “Holy,Holy, Holy

Adonaitz’vah-ot Isthe Lord Master of Legions
M’lo chalha-aretz k’vodo” Thewhole world is filled with his glory” (Isaiah (6:3)

This angelicdeclaration is part of the daily prayer service. It can be found in the section just beforethe recitation of the Shema. It can alsobe found in the section of the Amidah called the Kedushah. When we recite these words we actually riseon our toes to emulate the angels. The wordholy is repeated three times because God is holy in heaven, holy on earth andholy for all times. The concept of beingholy is a central point in Judaism. Wefind variants of the three letters that are its root in other words includingKiddush, Kedushah and Kaddish. The ideaof being holy has to do with being separate. In following the laws of the Torah we separate ourselves fromothers. Yet in being separate we providean example for the behavior that God expects of all mankind. The haftarah concludes with a coda fromchapter 9. The portion from chapters sixand seven includes a message of impending doom. To soften the blow and provide hope for the future, the Rabbis chose tohave the reading end with the message of the Messianic Vision.

Theme-Link: The Torah portion describes thecollective revelation at Sinai. Thehaftarah describes Isaiah’s personal revelation as he begins his role as aprophet. The sedrah (19:5-6) and thehaftarah (6:3) reinforce the importance of being “holy.”

Torah Readings for Saturday, February 4, 2012 Shabbat Shirah, the Sabbath of the Song Beshalach

2012-01-30T19:17:00.000-06:00

TorahReadings for Saturday, February 4, 2012

ShabbatShirah, the Sabbath of the Song

Beshalach (When he hadsent away)

13:17-17:16 Shemot(Exodus)

Beshalach is the fourth sedrah in the book ofShemot (Exodus). Beshalachtakes its name from the second Hebrew word in the first sentence of thesedrah. “And it came to pass whenPharaoh had sent away (Beshalach) the people.…” Beshalach can be divided into five basic parts- The Parting of the Sea, the Song at the Sea, The Grumblings, The Giving ofManna and The Battle with Amalek. Beshalach is primarily a straightforwardnarrative. Unlike last week’s sedrah andnext week’s sedrah, Beshalach is almost devoid of formal commandments,containing but one.

TheParting of the Sea (13:17-14:30)

As theIsraelites begin their departure from Egypt, God sends them on acircuitous route rather than the direct route to Canaan. There are numerous commentaries now andin subsequent weeks about this choice of routes. Here are a couple of others you might want toconsider. First, at the end of theBurning Bush sequence, God tells Moshe that once the people are freed he is tobring them to “this mountain” for what will be the giving of the Commandments(Shemot 3:12). Although nobody knows forsure which mountain is “the mountain” as in Mount Sinai, none of the candidatesusually offered would have been reached by following the direct route toCanaan. Second, the Israelites werereturning to the land of the Patriarchs and this would be the land of theJudean hills and the northern Negev. Thedirect route would have taken them to the coast not the land of theirforefathers. Regardless of the routebeing taken, the Egyptians realize that the Israelites are gone and are notcoming back. Behaving as if the TenPlagues had not occurred, Pharaoh leads his willing army in pursuit of theIsraelites. In what will be a recurringbehavior pattern, the Israelites cry out against Moshe asking why he hasbrought them out here to die instead of letting them stay in Egypt.

What followsis the oft-told tale of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds. The Israelites pass through in safety. The Egyptians pursue and are trapped by theraging waters of the sea. The Midrashand Rabbinic commentaries on this miracle are too numerous to review here. The Miracle at the Sea eclipses all of theTen Plagues. It is God’s ultimatevictory over Pharaoh. Once and for all,the newly freed Israelites are to be impressed with the power of Adonai, theGod of their liberation from bondage. The crossing of the sea presents a lesson in the responsibilities ofboth God and man for what goes on in the world. On the one hand, Moses reassures the people that “The Lord will battlefor you.” On the other hand, “the Lordsaid to Moshe, ‘Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.’” In other words, God has a role in the world, but so does man. We must pray to him for salvation, but wemust also act to save ourselves. Thereis an interesting Midrash about a man named Nahshon. From a Biblical perspective, Nahshon is a realperson; he is mentioned twice in the TaNaCh. He is the brother-in-law of Aaron (Shemot 6:23). He is alsoan ancestor of King David (Ruth 4:20-22). But Nahshon’s real claim to fame comes fromthe Midrash in which he is described as being the first Israelite to actuallystart across the Sea. While Moshe wasbusy waving his rod and God was turning back the waters, it still took theaction of one ordinary person to make the miracle happen. If Nahshon had not had the faith and thecourage to enter, the Egyptians would have overtaken the Israelites. This Midrash reinforces one of the themes ofJudaism - individual responsibility for what goes on in the world. In the end, the Israelites see the reality ofGod’s power as the Egyptian corpses wash up on the shore. This section of the sedrah ends with astatement that the people have trust in God and his servant Moshe. As we will see, that trust is only of amomentary nature.

The Songat the Sea (15:1-21)

TheSong at the Sea is a poetic rendering of the events previously described. For those of us with limited or non-existentHebraic skills, it is difficult to appreciate the full majesty of thepoem. But even in English, the Song is apowerful rendering of the deliverance from Pharaoh. If you read the Song as being sung at thetime of the deliverance, the last portion starting with verse 14 carries a noteof prophecy. Here, the author tells ofthe fear that the Canaanites will feel when they hear about this miracle. He also describes the future settlement of Jerusalem and thebuilding of the Temple. The song actually ends with verse 19. The last two verses of this section are takenup with a brief mention of Miriam and the women dancing and chanting in praiseof God’s victory over Pharaoh. Threepoints of interest about Miriam’s song. First, she is referred to as a “prophetess.” Secondly, she is identified as “Aaron’ssister” not Moshe’s sister. The firstreference should give us some idea of the Biblical importance of Miriam. The second reference should give us some ideaof the importance of Aaron. In otherwords, Moshe is important, but he is not the only figure of import. Third, from a literary point of view, theSong of Miriam may actually predate the Song of Moses.

The Grumblings (16:1-3 & 17:1-7)

Sixweeks after the Exodus from Egypt,with all of its miracles and wonders, and the Israelites are moaning andgroaning. They are sure they are goingto die of starvation and of thirst. Notfor the first time, nor for the last time, will they tell Moshe that they wouldhave better been off if they had been left in Egypt. In both of these episodes, God provides fortheir needs. In the first instance, Godacts to provide food with no direct request from Moshe. In the second instance, Moshe must ask Godfor intervention before water is provided. Note that in this case Moshe is told to strike the rock. In a later water story, Moshe will lose his passageinto the Promised Land because he strikes the rock instead of speaking to it.

The Giving of Manna (16:4-36)

Godhears the cry for food. His firstresponse is to send a flight of quail to meet the need for meat. His second response is to send Manna to meetthe need for bread. While the quail comebut once, the Manna will come daily except for Shabbat for forty years. There have been attempts to explain thismiracle food in temporal terms. Like allsuch attempts, they fall short of the mark. We do not know what manna was other than what is described. We may assume that the authors put in theStory of Manna to reassure us that God will provide for our needs. In the giving of manna, we find rules aboutthe observance of Shabbat. The seventhday is described as “a day of rest, holy Shabbat of the Lord.” In other words, even before the giving of theCommandments at Sinai, Shabbat, as a day of rest, was part of the Israelites’observances. The section ends with oneof those "timing” problems since it tells of the placing of a jarcontaining an omer of manna in front of the Ark before the Israelites knew about the Ark.

TheBattle withAmalek (17:8-16)

Noreason is given for the attack by the Amalekites. However, the event must have been of greatimportance since it is described for a second time in Devarim 25:17-19 and it isone of “The Six Remembrances” that are recited every morning. The victory over the Amalekites requiresmilitary action on the part of the Israelites as well as divine inspiration asevidenced by the raised hands of Moshe. This is the first mention of Joshua, Moshe’s loyal lieutenant andsuccessor. The sedrah tells us that Godwill “blot out the memory of Amalek.” Further, that unlike with the Egyptians, “The Lord will be at war withAmalek throughout the ages.” Regardlessof the historic origins of this tribe, the Amalekites have become synonymouswith evil and those who would destroy us such as Haman in the Purim story.

Themes:

Commandments- (Just one this week, the torrent comes next week.)
24. “The prohibition against walking beyond permitted limits on the Sabbath(16:29). From this has come the Rabbinic law forbiddingwalking more than about a half-mile outside city limits on Shabbat.” Biblical Literacy by Rabbi JosephTelushkin

Shabbat Shirah - This Shabbat is calledShabbat Shirah. Shirah is the Hebrew word for “song.” So ShabbatShirah means The Sabbath of the Song. The song in this case refers to the Song sung at the sea after thedeliverance. This Song is also sung onthe seventh day of Pesach. Differentcommunities have special tunes for chanting the Song. In Israel, on the seventh day ofPesach, “communal chanting of ‘the Song’ forms part of the ceremonies held bythe shores of the Mediterranean and Red Sea at Eilat.”

Daily Prayer -The Song at the Sea is part of the Shacharit or Morning Prayer Service. It comes in a section concentrating on “God’srevelation in nature and history.” (Seepages 58 and 78-81 of The Complete Artscroll Siddur.) The familiar chant of Me Chomocho (Who islike You) which we sing just before the start of the Amidah is verse taken fromthe Song at the Sea. The dailyrepetition of the Song of the Sea should give us some idea of how importantthis event was in our history.

Shabbat - TheIsraelites were commanded to take a double portion of manna on the sixth day ofthe week. It is customary to have twoChallot on the table for the Shabbat evening meal and the meal eaten afterShabbat morning services. This is areminder of the double portion of God’s beneficence to our ancestors.

Pesach -The parting of the sea is part of the Haggadah narrative. According to some, the drowning of theEgyptians is symbolized by two of our practices at the Seder; the spilling ofwine and the egg on the Seder Plate. Also, the Song at the Sea is part of the Torah reading on the SeventhDay of Pesach. The congregation alwaysrises when this portion is read. Theonly other time the congregation rises in this manner is for the reading of theTen Commandments.

Observing the Dietary Laws -In discussing the laws of Kashrut, some wonder why chicken, and for that matterall fowl, are treated as meat when it comes to the prohibition about not mixingmeat with milk. Read 16:11-14 and consider the following. God tells Moshe “By evening you shall eatflesh…” “In the evening quail appearedand covered the camp.” In other wordswhen God promised flesh he sent quail. The Hebrew word translated as flesh is “bahsahr” which also can betranslated as “meat” as in “meat and milk.” In other words, when God promised meat he sent fowl. If God treats fowl as meat, I think it is asafe interpretation for us to treat it in the same manner.

Joseph’s Bones -Promises made, promises kept. At the endof Bereshit, Joseph makes the children of Israel promise that when Goddelivers them from Egypt,they will take his bones with them. Thisis one of those many reminders that both God and man have a responsibility forwhat happens in the world. The Exodusmay have been God’s responsibility but it was the Jewish people who were goingto have to redeem the individual Jew; in this case, Joseph son of Jacob. “And Moshe took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had made the children of Israel swear,saying God will surely visit you, and you shall bring up my bones from herewith you” (13:19). Please note, for all of those higher criticsof the Torah; check out the similarity of the language here and at the end ofBereshit (50:25). How did Moshe knowwhere Joseph’s bones were buried? According to a Midrash, Serach, the daughter of Asher and granddaughterof Jacob told him. Remember that she isone of the few women mentioned in the listing of those who came down into Egypt. Her merit, for which she was granted extralong life, came from the fact that she was the first one who told Jacob thatJoseph was alive. Supposedly this veryold woman told Moshe that that the Egyptians had placed Joseph’s bones in ametal casket that they had then hidden in the Nile. By hiding the bones in the Nile,the Pharaoh had thought the Israelites would never leave since they hadpromised to take Joseph’s bones with them. The Midrash continues with Moshe calling out to Joseph from theriverbank, that it is time to go and either his bones should appear or they arereleased from the oath. At that pointthe casket bobbed up to the surface and the rest is “history.” There are those that say this story points tothe great merit of Moshe. For he wasbusy redeeming the promise of the Israelites while everybody else was busygathering the booty from the Egyptians.

First Things First- One day a desperatewoman came to see her Rebbe. Her familyhad fallen ill and she wished him to utter the benedictions for theirrecovery. The Rebbe said he would, butfirst things first. The women must havefaith in the Lord. And why, she asked,should her faith have to be any stronger than our ancestors who left Egypt. For doesn’t it say in recounting the eventsat the Splitting of the Sea, “Thus the Lord saved in that day Israel of out ofthe hand of the Egyptians” (14:30) “And Israel saw the great power which thelord had shown…and the people believed in the Lord.” (14:31) Ifthe Lord could act first and then the Children of Israel believed in Him,surely the Rebbe could pray on behalf of her family and trust that her faithwould follow. The Rebbe laughed,realizing that the woman was right. Heprayed. She believed. The family’s health was restored.

The Power of Song- In the days whenJews lived in the Austrian Empire, an evil decree was pronounced against theJews of Nikolsburg. Despite the factthat it was winter time, the leader of the Jewish community decided that hewould go to Viennaand asked the Emperor to reverse the ruling against the Jews. When he got to the Danube,he found blocks of ice floating in the river. No boat man would cross for fear that the ice would sink the frailcraft. Finally, one brave sole said hewould take the Rabbi across, if he would leave enough money to take care of hiswife and child whom he was sure were about to become a widow and anorphan. The Rabbi agreed, but assuredthe reluctant sailor that he had nothing to fear. The two men pushed off into the ice chokedriver. As the boat man rowed, the Rabbibegan chanting “Ahz Yashir Moshe,” (Then sang Moses) and proceeded to singMoses’ “Song at the Sea” (15:1-18). People on both banks of the river watched in amazement as the boatmiraculously crossed the river, successfully dodging the giant chunks ofice. As the boat drew up to the dock onthe far side of the river, the crowd began cheering. A minister of the Emperor was riding past andasked what was causing all of the cheering. One of the on-lookers told him the amazing tale about the chantingRabbi’s crossing of the ice choked Danube. When the Emperor heard the story, he was soimpressed by the Rabbi’s courage and the power of this “Hebrew Song” that helifted the decree and the Jews of Nikolsburg were permitted to live on in peacewith the permanent protection of the Austrian government.

Fathers and Sons; Sons and Fathers- Traditionally sonsdefer to the wishes of their fathers but not always. A successful American Jewish businessman senthis son to Israelfor the summer. The son was expected toreturn home, go to college and join in the family’s commercial endeavors. Instead, at the end of the summer, the soncalled the father and informed him that he was staying in Israelpermanently. He was making Aliyah. The distraught father caught the first planeto Tel Aviv where his son met him at the airport. “How,” the father asked, “can you turn yourback on all that I have taught you?” “Iam not turning my back on what you have taught me. Instead, I am doing that which is best forme. In the Torah first it says ‘This ismy God and I will glorify Him’ (15:2) and only later does it say ‘my father’sGod and I will exalt Him.’” Understanding that his son was now his own person and that he was hisown person in a manner consistent with the teachings of the Jewish religionthat he revered, the father embraced the son and the two returned to theamicable relation that they had enjoyed in the past.

A Person of Importance- In the land beyondthe Carpathian Mountains, a famous sage was always being invited to spendShabbat with his co-religionists in the various towns throughout theregion. So each Shabbat the sage and hissecretary would visit another town. Theywould Welcome the Sabbath Queen, say Kiddush and eat. In the morning he would rise, recite themorning service complete with the weekly reading and sit down for a sumptuousKiddush lunch. Following the meal therewould be a discussion of Torah followed by the afternoon service, followed bythe Third Meal and Havdalah. As thenight would fall, the sage and his secretary would mount their horses for theride home. But before going, the sagewould always ask to meet the person responsible for preparing the food. The Rabbi would profusely thank him or herand ride off in the night. One night, asthey were riding away the secretary asked the sage about this strangeritual. You never ask to meet the personwho led the service. You never ask tomeet the person who chanted the Torah portion. You never ask to meet any of the town’s dignitaries. You only ask to meet the cook. Why? Because, explained the sage, it is the cook who keeps us from sin. In the Torah when reading about the manna itstates, “And Moshe said, ‘Eat it today for it is Shabbat.’” (16:25) Food that is prepared for Shabbat must beeaten on Shabbat, not after Shabbat. Ifthe food were poorly prepared it would go uneaten and we would have violatedthe injunction of Moses. A chazzan witha weak voice can be overlooked. Mistakesin Torah reading can be corrected. But abad meal will not be eaten. Hence, Ialways thank the cook for keeping us from sin.”

Short Memory - In talking about the 15^thday of the first month of the year, last week’s reading says “Remember thisday, on which you went free from Egypt, the house of bondage, how the Lordfreed you from it with a mighty hand…”(13:4). This week we read, “on the fifteenth day of the second month after theirdeparture from the land of Egypt…the whole Israelite community grumbled againstMoses and Aaron… ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land ofEgypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, when we ate our fill of bread…for you havebrought us out into this wilderness to starve…’”(16:1-3). Exactly one month to the day after theExodus, the Israelites apparently were violating the commandment to rememberthe event and had forgotten the impressiveness of the event itself. How many of us are like our forefathers;quick to forget the good things and equally quick to grumble about what doesnot seem to be going our way? How manytimes do we show ingratitude and how many times do we show a lack offaith? It is a shortcoming that is partof the human condition, one which seems to have afflicted us from the verybeginning and one from which we all seem to suffer. (In an era when authors are required to makefull disclosure, this passage resonates with me because I am the guiltiest oneof all when it comes to this.) Maybe“wandering in the wilderness” or “wandering through life” is the opportunitythat God gives us to rectify this fault, at least in some small manner.

Nelson’s Amazing Bible Trivia:

1. What didMoses take with him when he left Egypt? (13:19)
2. What didGod do to the Egyptians just prior to drowning them? (14:25)
3. What didMoses do to the water at Marah in order to make the bitter water sweet? (15:25)
4. How doesthe Tanach describe the taste of manna? (16:31)
5. What wasthe secret to the Israelite victory over the Amalekites at Rephidim? (17:11)

Why Not Fight? - When the Israelites foundthemselves trapped between the Egyptians and the Sea of Reeds, they beganberating Moses, seemingly preparing themselves for death or capture. Why didn’t they make any plans to fight? We know they had weapons: “Now the Israelites went up armed out of theland of Egypt” (13:18). So what held them back? Maybe the answer can be found in thestatement, “And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph” (13:19) which immediately follows the statementabout the Israelites being armed. Thiswas the generation that carried bones. What do we know about bones? FromEzekiel’s Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones we know thatbones without the spirit of the Lord in them are just that, inert calcium. It takes the breath of the Lord, an infusionof the Spirit, to give the Jewish people life. This generation, this generation of slaves had weapons, but they werelike the bones of Joseph - lifeless. Only after they had crossed the Sea of Reedsand left Egyptbehind would they begin to be infused with the Spirit of the Lord as we seewhen these same Israelites take up arms against the Amalakites at Rephidim andwith the Lord’s help gain military victory.

FarewellPharaoh - This week marks the end the contactwith Pharaoh. As soon the Israelitescross the sea, he is gone from the narrative. One week he is this seemingly all powerful being who threatens the veryexistence of the Hebrews and then, like the wind, he is gone. Many people are bothered by the fact that inthe story of the plagues, the text tells us that God hardens Pharaoh’sheart. Under these circumstances,Pharaoh does not seem to be a free agent making his own choices but merely apuppet that God uses to show off His divine power. This week shows that such was not really thecase. “When the king of Egypt was toldthat the people had fled, the Pharaoh and his courtiers had a change ofheart…He ordered his chariot and took his men with him…”(14:5-6). Only then does the text say “The Lordstiffened the heart of Pharaoh…and he gave chase to the Israelites.” (14:8) In other words, Pharaoh made the decision togo out and recapture his slaves before God intervened. He could have left well enough alone, but likeany despot, he had no intention of giving up his human property. If there was ever any doubt as to the natureof Pharaoh, if there ever was any question that somehow God was the one whomade Pharaoh behave in an evil manner just to show off His power, thisinterplay should put the claim to rest.

Boundaries - The movement to free the slaves in the United Statesdrew on the stories from Exodus for much of its morality and many of itsliterary motifs. One cannot help but bestruck by the role of water in the two tales of liberation. For the Israelites, the crossing of the Seaof Reeds marked their entrance into a world where they were no longerslaves. For African-Americans, crossingthe Ohio River meant the same thing. Personal note: The first time Ijogged across a bridge that crossed the Ohio between Kentucky and Indiana, itstruck me as so strange. At one end ofthe bridge, a person was a slave; at the other end the person was a free humanbeing. Gives a whole new meaning to“Life is a narrow bridge. Do not beafraid to cross.”

Haftarah

Judges4:4-5:31 (Ashkenazim)
Judges5:1-5:31 (Sephardim)

The Book: Judges or Shoftim is the second book in the sectionof the TaNaCh called Prophets or Neviim. It is preceded by the Book of Joshua and followed by the Books ofSamuel. This is appropriate since thebook covers the two to three hundred year interval between the death of Joshuaand the birth of Samuel. This is hardlya time of glory for the Children of Israel. You might think of it as a period like the Dark Ages, that period ofhistory between the end of the Roman Empireand the beginning of the Renaissance. There was no national government. Each tribe existed in its own little world. As the text says, “In those days there was noking in Israel;every man did that which was right in his eyes.” Furthermore, the Israelites had lost thereligious purity with which they had entered the Promised Land. They fell victim to the temptations of thelocal deities and began to worship them. As the text says on more than one occasion, “And the Children of Israeldid that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.” Finally, this was a period of intermittentwarfare. The different Israelite tribesfound themselves under attack from a variety of enemies including thePhilistines. In other words we have aperiod of religious and political chaos where there was little in the way oflaw and order either in the realm of spiritual or temporal affairs. During this time of anarchy, individualswould arise to provide leadership to some or all of the tribes in the face ofvarious calamities. It is these figuresincluding Deborah, Samson, and Gideon, to name three of the more famousShoftim, who provide the literary structure and historic content for the Bookof Judges. The Hebrew term used forJudge is Shofet. This does not refer toa judge in the sense of a judicial official or an officer of the court. Shoftim did settle disputes but they alsoserved as administrators, political leaders and military chieftains. They were “defenders, deliverers and avengingpunishers.”

The Message: The haftarah focuses on one of the most famousJudges of all, Deborah. First in proseand then in poetry, it tells how she rallied a portion of the tribes under themilitary leadership of Barak and defeated the army led by Sisera. It also tells of how a woman named Jaelkilled Sisera. After his army had beendefeated, the general sought refuge in her tent. To make a long story short, she ended upkilling him by driving a tent pin through his temple. The haftarah definitely reinforces the notionthat in Judaism women play key, active roles.

Theme-Link: The sedrah contains the Song at the Sea. It includes the famous songs of victory byMoshe and Miriam that celebrated the deliverance at the Sea of Reeds. The haftarah includes the Song ofDeborah. This is her famous hymn ofvictory that describes the deliverance from the armies of Sisera. Both deliverances are credited to God. Interestingly enough, both enemy armiesrelied on chariots. In both cases theiradvantage comes to naught when their vehicles become mired in mud. Of course the mud is a gift from God.

TheSephardim only read chapter five, which is the poetic version of thestory. Why do the Sephardim opt for ashorter version of the haftarah? According to one source, the practice of translating the Torah portionduring the service lasted longer with the Sephardim than it did with theAshkenazim. They opted for shorterprophetic portions so as not to make the services overly long.

Torah Readings for the Week of January 22 through 28, 2012 Rosh Chodesh Shevat and Bo

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Torah Readingsfor Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Rosh Chodesh Shevat

28:1-15 Bamidbar (Numbers)

Rosh Chodesh is the name of the minor holiday that marksthe start of each month. The term RoshChodesh is translated as New Moon. Thefirst day of the month is referred to as Rosh Chodesh because the months arelunar and the first day of each month comes with the start of the newmoon. In the days of the Temple specialsacrifices were brought in honor of the new moon. With the destruction of the Temple, the sacrificial system ended. In place of the sacrifices, Jews read adescription of the sacrificial offerings, which is described in the firstfifteen verses of chapter 28 in the book of Numbers. The Torah reading takes place during thedaily morning service. There are manyJews who have no desire to return to the sacrificial system. They use these readings as a way of providinga connection with the past which is one of the keys to our futurepreservation. Because of its connectionwith the moon, Rosh Chodesh is thought to have special meaning for women. There are some sages who suggest that wivesand mothers should be presented with gifts on this, their holiday. In lieu of gifts, others suggest givingTzdekah in their honor. Ironically, thecommand to observe Rosh Chodesh appears in the upcoming weekly reading,entitled “Bo.”

Shevat is the eleventh month counting from Pesach and the fifth month countingfrom Rosh Hashanah. Shevat has only one holiday.On the 15^th of Shevat, Jews observe a minor festival called Tubi-Shevat also known as the New Year of the Trees. Many observe it with a special Seder thatincludes foods from Eretz Israel. Forseveral decades it was the focal point for the annual JNF tree drive completewith its ubiquitous Tree Certificate. Shevatis mentioned by name only once in the Bible - in Chapter 1, verse 7 of the Bookof Zechariah, “Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which isShevat.” This is the beginning ofZechariah’s prophecy about the rebuilding of the Temple in the days of thePersian Empire. According to the Torah,Moses began the discourses known as Devarim (Deuteronomy) on thefirst day of Shevat. “And it came topass in the fortieth year in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month,that Moses spoke unto the children of Israel…” (Deut.1:3). For Lubvaitchers, Shevat is a month of mixedmessages. The Tenth of Shevat is theYahrzeit of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, the Rebbe who passed away in 1950. The Tenth of Shevat (1951) marks theassumption of leadership by his son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson asthe 7^th Rebbe. From apersonal note, the 2^nd of Shevat is the Yahrzeit of Reb Zusha, a gentle kindly soul about whom wonderfulstories are told.

Torah Readings forSaturday, January 28, 2012

Bo (Go)

10:1 - 13:16 Shemot (Exodus)

Bo is the third sedrah in the Book of Shemot (Exodus). The Hebrew word “Bo” means “Go.” The sedrah takes its name from the fifthHebrew word in the first verse, “And the Lord said unto Moshe: Go (Bo) in unto Pharaoh.” Bo includes a description of the last threeplagues, the Deliverance from Egypt,a series of laws including those relating to observing Pesach, Rosh Chodesh(the New Moon) and the Redemption of the First Born. Summarizing this sedrah is difficult becausethe material, as just described, does not always follow in a smooth narrative. Rather, these items are dispersed throughoutthe text. Also, the amount of materialpresented in the sedrah and its significance is almost overwhelming. Bo marks the beginning of the significantrollout of the 613 Commandments. Theentire Book of Bereshit contains three commandments. The sedrah of Bo, alone, contains 20commandments. The list of thesecommandments is at the end of this and subsequent weekly guides. Biblical Literacy by Rabbi JosephTelushkin is the source for the wording and numbering.

The Plagues:

Even though somecommentators have divided the plagues into 3-3-3-1, the Torah readings dividethem into seven (Shemot) and three (Bo). As we continue to see in our studies, the combinations of three, sevenand ten are quite common, reinforcing the belief that these numbers havecertain mystical “powers.”

Eighth Plague(10:1-20) - The Plague of Locusts follows the previous pattern with Pharaohpromising to obey God if the plague is lifted and then going back on hispromise.

Ninth Plague (10:21-29) - The Plague of Darknessdeviates from the pattern of the first eight. The other plagues supposedly each lasted a week. Darkness only lasts six days. According to some the seventh day of darknesswill come later at the Sea of Reeds. The narrative of the ninth plague ends withPharaoh threatening Moshe’s life. Hestill stands haughty in the face of the Almighty.

Tenth Plague(11:1-9, 12:29-30) - TheDeath of the First Born is divided into two parts. First comes the promise of the plague. Then comes a description of the plagueitself. However, these two parts areseparated by 25 verses pertaining to the observance of Pesach.

Rosh Chodesh (12:1-2) The Commandment to Observe the New Moon is the second law given to theHebrews. It is the first commandmentgiven to the entire Israelite nation. This position of narrative primacy is probably an indicator of theimportance of this commandment. Additionally,since the Jews have spent most of their time living without a land, thecalendar is of supreme importance because we have spent so much of ourexistence dwelling in the fourth dimension - the dimension of time.

The Deliverance From Egypt (12:31-42) Pharaoh finally gives in. Heorders Moshe and Aaron to take the Israelites and leave. In the sparest possible language the textdescribes the hurried departure of the Israelites carrying their unleaveneddough and the wealth of Egypt. Tradition states that 600,000 men plus theirfamilies departed Egypt. Others have translated the word “elef”differently so that the number leaving is more like 6000 men plus theirfamilies. Additionally, the Torah tellsus that a mixed multitude departed with the Israelites. These were probably non-Israelite slaves whotook advantage of the chaos to leave Egypt. According to some, this mixed multitude willstay with the Israelites until Sinai and the Golden Calf. Regardless, their departure at the time ofthe Exodus can be interpreted as proofthat freedom is for all people.

The Laws of Pesach (12:3-28) (12:43-51) (13:3-10) Thelaws themselves are listed below in the section entitled “Commandments.” The laws of Pesach can be divided into twoparts. The first set of laws addressesthe behavior of the Israelites at the time of the first Pesach, the actualdeliverance from Egypt. Here we find the commands concerning thesacrifice of the lamb and dabbing the doorpost with blood. The second set of laws covers additionalrequirements for observing Pesach for all time. The laws are not mutually exclusive and are actually supportive.

Redemption of the First Born (13:1-2,11-15) Since God spared the first born males of the Israelites, they now belongto Him. Hence the law comes to usrequiring their redemption. This hasgiven rise to the ceremony known as “Pidyon Ha Ben” or Redemption of the FirstBorn.

Tefillin (13:16) The Sedrah ends with one of those strange sentences that seem to have noconnection with what has gone before or what is about to happen. “And it shall be a sign upon your arm andornament between your eyes, for with a strong hand Hashem removed us from Egypt.” This statement will give rise to the wearingof the Tefillin. In other words, whenone dons the Tefillin each morning he is performing another ritual that remindsus of the Exodus.

Themes:

Commandments

4.    The obligation to bless the new moon eachmonth. 12:2
5.    The slaughtering and preparing of thePaschal lamb. 12:6
6.    The obligation to participate in the eatingof the Paschal lamb. 12:6
7.    The prohibition against eating the Passoverlamb raw or boiled; it must be roasted. 12:9
8.     Theprohibition against leaving remains from the Paschal lamb. 12:10
9.     Therequirement to remove chametz from one’s possession before the beginning ofPesach. 12:15
10. The obligation to eat matzah duringPesach. 12:18
11. The prohibition against having any chametzin one’s possession throughout Pesach. 12:19
12. The prohibition against eating any foodcontaining chametz during Pesach. 12:20
13 -14. The forbidding of certain individuals to eatthe Paschal lamb. 12:44
15.   The prohibition against removing any part ofthe Paschal lam from the house in which it was first eaten. 12:46
16.   The prohibition against breaking any of thePaschal sacrifice’s bones. 12:46
17.   The stricture against an uncircumcised maneating the Paschal lamb. 12:48
18.   The command to redeem the first born. 13:2.
19.   The prohibition against eating any chametzduring Pesach. 13:3
20.   The stricture against chametz being seen inany Israelite dwelling during Pesach. 13:7
21.   The obligation to tell one’s child the storyof the liberation from Egypt. 13:8
22.   The requirement to redeem a firstborndonkey. 13:13
23.   The obligation to break the neck of a firstborndonkey that is not redeemed. 13:13

Pesach

The term itself canbe translated as pass over and has given rise to the English name for theholiday. It is also the name of thesacrifice offered in observance of the holiday. In reading the laws of Pesach, one can see the outline of the Seder andhear words found in the Haggadah. Someof the practices that come from the laws found Bo include:

· Theobservance of Pesach on the 14^th of Nissan in the evening for sevendays;

·        TheSeder as a way of telling your children of the Exodus in a family environment;
·        Theeating of bitter herbs and Matzah;
·        Theplacing of the Shank Bone on the Seder Plate;
·        Theremoval of chametz from our homes;
·        Theeating of only Kosher for Pesach foods during the holiday; and
·        TheFast of the First Born.
(There may be more,but there are space limitations).

Creation and the Exodus

These are the twoseminal events in the Torah. One marksthe beginning of mankind; the other the beginning of the Jewish people. We are reminded of this in the Shabbat Kiddushwhen we invoke the commemoration “of the work of creation” and thecommemoration “of the exodus from Egypt.” Also this explains how we can have more than one “new year.” Rosh Hashanah comes in the seventh month butis the New Year. It is the New Yearmarking the start of creation. The monthwhen Pesach is observed is the “beginning of the months…the first of the monthsfor you” (12:2). This is the “New Year”of the Jewish people. The Exodus marksthe beginning of the Jewish people as a unique nation.

Tefillin

The actualcommandment concerning the wearing of Tefillin will come later in theTorah. But in this sedrah we read “Andthis shall serve you as a sign on your hand and as reminder on your foreheadthat with a mighty hand the Lord freed you from Egypt” (13:9). This is an obvious reference to donningTefillin. We are being told that when wewear them we are doing so to remember the Exodus from Egypt. Since donning Tefillin is one of the firstthings a Jew does every weekday morning, we can see that remembering the Exodusis a conscious act that should infuse our thoughts and behavior on a dailybasis.

Pidyon Ha Ben

The ceremony forthe Redemption of the First Born finds its origins in this sedrah(13:1-2). The ceremony is really a rareone. It must only be observed when awoman’s first born is a male. If a daughterwas born first or if there has been a miscarriage the ceremony is notperformed. Also, in the event of acesarean birth, the ceremony is not performed because the commandment has to dowith “the first issue of the womb.” Finally, the ceremony is not performed when the first male issue is ofthe tribe of Levi. The ceremony cannottake place until the youngster is at least thirty days old. Usually the ceremonial table is set withChallah and a Kiddush cup. The motherbrings the youngster to the father and the Kohein, to whom the father has givenfive silver coins. A highly stylized dialoguetakes places between the father and the Kohein that includes a special Blessingof Redemption and a Shehecheyanu. Thereis a legend I heard as youngster. Because of the Exile, there was a sage who was not quite sure if thosewho claimed to be Kohanim really were in the purest sense of that term. So every time he met a Kohein, he would gothrough the ceremony for his son just to ensure that at least one time it hadbeen done right.

Rosh Chodesh

The obligation tobless this New Moon creates a monthly mini-holiday. Every month on the first day of the month(and some months we observe this for two days), Hallel is recited. An extra section is added to the Amidah. The Torah is read and Musaf is recited. On the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh, there isa special Blessing of the New Month, when the leader announces the exact timewhen the upcoming month will begin. There are no prohibitions against work on Rosh Chodesh. According to some traditional sages (and theybase this on Rashi) Rosh Chodesh should be regarded as a “mini-mother’s dayhonoring women for their superior piety by which the Jewish people is eternallyrecreated.”

The Tenth Plague

The Tenth Plaguesis different in many ways from the other nine. While the other nine are considered educational, the tenth is forpunishment. The tenth is to come at astated time, around Midnight. And the tenth requires active behavioron the part of the Israelites. They mustput blood on their doorposts and they must stay indoors. The tenth plague also required an act ofphysical courage on the part of the Israelites. They must take lambs ahead of time, days before the actual exodus. But the lamb was sacred to theEgyptians. By taking the lamb in thisway, the Israelites were being asked to risk death at the hands of theEgyptians so that they could be part of the Exodus. It is one thing to have faith. It is quite another thing to lay it all onthe line including risking your own life.

The Coming of theMessiah

The Exodus from Egypt is aharbinger for the ultimate redemption. In the words of the prophet Micah, “Like the days of your exodus fromthe land of Egypt, I will demonstrate wonders.” As Rabbi Schneerson points out, “the deliverance from Egypt was areward for the faith, which was…internalized by the Israelites.” “So, too, will the future redemption be areward for faith - the faith which disregards the great concealments of Godthat our exile brings, and which still holds firm to the belief in the Messiah. A faith which does not hover at theouter edges of our minds but which constitutes our most inward certainty andextends to every facet of our being.”

Punishment

The Tenth Plaguetroubles many people. “Every firstbornin the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn ofPharaoh…to the firstborn of the maidservant who is behind the millstone…” seemsto be a very harsh punishment. To themodern eye this seems to be punishing children for the sins of the parents,something later prohibited by Jewish law. Also, it seems to punish the powerless along with the powerful. This could spark a lively discussion should yourSeder become routine or boring.

Visualizations
In her commentaryon “Bo” entitled Sign on the Door,Fredelle Z. Spiegel points out the role that visualizations play in the finalact leading up to the Exodus. TheIsraelites were not just commanded to slaughter and eat the lamb, they werecommanded to “take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and thelintel of the houses in which they are to eat it (the paschal lamb).” Why were the Israelites to do this? The popular answer is found in the secondhalf of verse 13, “when I see the blood I will pass over you, so that no plaguewill destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” In other words, the Israelites needed to putthe blood on so that God would know that they had identified themselves as HisChosen People. But there is a secondreason for this visualization, a reason that should affect our behaviortoday. In the first half of verse 13 itsays, “And the blood on the houses in which you dwell shall be as sign foryou.…” What does this mean that theblood will be a sign for you i.e., the Israelites? By marking the doorposts, the Israelites wereletting God know that these were Jewish homes. They were letting the Egyptians know these were Jewish homes. But most important they were remindingthemselves that they were Jews living in Jewish homes. Today we put a mezuzah on our doorposts. The mezuzah does let the world know that Jewslive in the house. But more importantly,it reminds the Jews, as they kiss it on the way in and out of the house, thatthis is a Jewish home and that they are Jews. When parents adorn their homes with Jewish objects - Kiddush cups, sederplates, Chanukah menorahs and Jewish books - they are reminding their childrenthat this is a Jewish home. At the Seder,it is the visuals, the items on the table, that trigger the Children’sQuestions that lead to the entire recitation of the Haggadah. In the home, it is the visuals that triggerthe children’s curiosity about their Jewish heritage. Just as the Blood on the Doorposts remindedthe ancient Israelites that, despite all the privations of slavery, they werestill Jewish, so it is that when we enter our homes, touching the mezuzah withour fingertips, we are reminded that, regardless of what we have experiencedthat day in the secular world, we are still Jews tied to the Promise of Sinaiand the ultimate Redemption.

PromisesMade/Promises Kept

In Bereshit(Genesis), God told Abraham that his descendants would be slaves for 400years before He would punish their masters and free them from bondage. “Know well that your offspring shall bestrangers in a land not theirs, and they shall be enslaved and oppressed fourhundred years; but I will execute judgment on the nation they shall serve andin the end they shall go free with great wealth.” (15: 13, 14). The book of Shemot (Exodus) opens with adescription of the first part of the promise. In this week’s portion we read the description of the second part of thepromise including going free with great wealth. “Tell the people to borrow, each man from his neighbor and each womanfrom hers, objects of silver and gold. The Lord disposed the Egyptians favorablytoward the people.” (11: 2, 3) “TheIsraelite had done Moses’ bidding and borrowed from the Egyptians objects ofsilver and gold, and clothing. And theLord had disposed the Egyptians favorably toward the people…” (12:35) The message to the our forbearers, andhopefully for us and our descendants, is that God makes promises and God keepshis word.

Passover Customs

For those of youwho are looking for new ways to enliven your Passover celebration you mightwant to follow the custom of some Jewish communities in which the people wouldcreate dramatizations of the Exodus based on this week’s Torah portion, as partof their Pesach observance. “So thepeople took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls wrapped intheir cloaks upon their shoulders.” (12:34). After their Seder, the Moroccan Jewish men would “rush out of the houseand run up and down the street shouting, “In this manner our forefathers wentout of Egypt, their kneading-troughs bound up in their clothes upon theirshoulders.’” As part of theirdramatization, Jews living in the region of the Caucasus Mountains would dress“in their festive best” for the Seder and the women would “adorn themselveswith jewelry of all kinds” possibly as visual reminder of the gold, silver andclothing that the Egyptians had given the departing Israelites.

The Haggadah andShemot

As we saw lastweek, the creators of the Haggadah relied heavily on the Torah as a source forthe actual text. “Maggid” - the lengthyportion that retells the story of the Exodus - includes several lines from“Bo.” In explaining the reason for thePesach sacrifice, the text says, “You shall say, it is a Pesach sacrifice forthe Lord, because he passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt,when He struck the Egyptians and He saved our houses; and the people bowed downand prostrated themselves.” (12:27) Inexplaining the reason for eating Matzah, the text says, “And they bakedunleavened bread from the dough which they had taken with them from Egypt, forit was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not delaythere; nor had they prepared for themselves any provisions for the way.”(12:39) As the Seder moves forwardtoward the first Hallel, the Haggadah again uses the words of “Bo” to explainwhy “in every generation” each of usshould feel that we individually werefreed from the Egyptian bondage. “Youshall tell your son on that day saying: forthe sake of this, the Lord did for me when I went out from Egypt.” (13:8) And for those of you who are looking for“extra credit,” read the section of the Four Sons and see how much of thatinterplay comes from this week’s Torah portion.

Haftarah

46:13-28 Jeremiah

With so much tocover in the sedrah, we will keep this brief. As one of three Major Prophets, Jeremiah is worthy of a lot oftime. He provides three of the haftarotfor sidrot from the book of Vayikra (Leviticus), so we will have plenty of timeto give him his just deserts later on.

The Man: Jeremiah lived at a time ofgreat political and social turmoil during the 7^th and 6^thcenturies B.C.E. He was active duringthe last days of the Southern Kingdom and lived through destruction of the Temple and the early daysof the Exile. He was born about 645B.C.E. in small town outside of Jerusalemcalled Anatoth in the lands of the tribe of Benjamin. He was part of a priestly family that hadfound favor with King David but was subsequently banished from Jerusalem by King Solomon. So from his birth, Jeremiah appeared to bedestined to play the role of the quintessential outsider. The Jews of Jeremiah’s time were confrontedwith the challenge of Babylonia. Jeremiah’s advice was to make peace with theBabylonians. His advice was repeatedlyignored. He was branded a traitor andimprisoned. His life was threatened onmore than one occasion and he suffered the indignity of having his writingsburned before his eyes. Jeremiah toldthe first exiles sent to Babylonia (pre-586)to become good citizens of their new home. After the destruction of Jerusalem,Jeremiah was taken to Egyptagainst his will. According to some hedied there under questionable circumstances.

The Message: Itis complex, multi-faceted and beyond what we can cover this week. He is the reluctant prophet who chastises thepeople. Some see him as the embodimentof harsh meanness and his name has come into the language in the word“jeremiad.” But he was also a man whoput a premium on social justice and ethical behavior. He provided guidelines for identifying falseprophets and is the prototype for those who are willing to challenge themilitary and foreign policy actions of their government while remaining a loyalcitizen. Considering events in theUnited States, this is an excellent example of the timelessness of theteachings of the TaNaCh. Last, but notleast, Jeremiah provided a message of hope when all that was going around himshould have led to despair and hopelessness. If you want to swim against the stream, Jeremiah will show you how. More importantly, he will tell you when andwhy you should make the effort.

Theme-Link: Thesedrah tells of the humiliation of Pharaoh and the redemption of the Israelitesfrom bondage. In the haftarah, Jeremiahtells of the humiliation of a contemporary Pharaoh. He is relating his message to the battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C.E.when the Egyptians were defeated by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar. This is the same Nebuchadnezzar who willbecome King of the Babylonians and destroy Jerusalem and the Temple in 586B.C.E. This brief haftarah then endswith a message of restoration for the Israelites. It predicts a future redemption that will beeven greater than the redemption from Egyptian bondage.

Torah Readings for Saturday, January 21, 2012 Va-ayrah

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TorahReadings for Saturday, January 21, 2012

Va-ayrah (And I appeared)

6:2-9:35 Shemot (Exodus)

Va-ayrah is the second sedrah of the eleventhat make up the book of Shemot (Exodus). The sedrah takes its name from the first wordof the second sentence of the weekly reading, “Va-ayrah” - “And I appeared” asin I (God) appeared. The sedrah dividesinto two basic parts. The first part(6:2-7:13) has been described as a “Divine Reaffirmation” or restatement by Godgiving the reasons for Moshe’s mission and the conditions under which it willbe carried out. The second part(7:14-9:35) describes the first seven of the Ten Plagues. You may detect a note of hesitancy in thisguide. It is only fair to warn you thatI find this a most difficult sedrah and I may leave you with more questionsthan commentary.

“Divine Reaffirmation” (6:2-7:13)

Etz Hayim, the Conservative Chumash, uses thisterm to describe the first part of the reading and it is as good a descriptionas any other. In part, the openingverses are an answer to Moshe’s question at the end of the last sedrah, “Lord,why hast thou done evil to this people? Why then hast thou sent me?” Va-ayrahactually begins with the statement “And God spoke to Moses.” According to some commentators, the root ofthe Hebrew word for “spoke” carries with it the connotation of a rebuke. In other words, in providing Moses with arepetition of the information presented in Shemot, He is rebuking Moshe for hislack apparent lack of faith. At thestart of this sedrah, God (Elohim) tells Moses that his name is now Adonaior the Lord (Yud-Hay-Vav-Hay or YHVH). From now on, YHVH will be the divine name that speaks toMoshe. God tells Moshe that he is thesame God who had appeared to the Patriarchs, but that they did know Him by thename YHVH. But we saw YHVH usedin Bereshit so how do we explain this apparent contradiction? (Andnow you begin to see why I have so much difficulty with this sedrah.) The Patriarchs may have known of the name butthey did not know its full meaning. Onlywith the Plagues, the Exodus and the giving of the Torah do we finally see thefull might and meaning of the name YHVH. The text repeats God’s instructions to Mosesand Aaron about approaching Pharaoh. There is one of those periodic genealogies (6:14 - 6:30), although thisone only contains a partial listing of the tribes including just the firstthree, Rueben, Simeon and Levi. The liststops at this point because the whole point of the genealogy is establishingthe connection of Moses and Aaron with the house of Jacob.

The First Seven of the Ten Plagues(7:14-9:35)

There areonly two groups of people for whom the Plagues do not present a problem - thosewho accept the Bibleliterally and those who dismiss it as book of tales on par with the legends ofKing Arthur or Robin Hood. For the restof us there are lots of questions with only partial answers. What really did happen in Egypt? What were the authors trying to tell ushappened? What message is there for usat the dawn of the 21^st century in these Plagues? The easy answer is that God sent the Plaguesto establish His power and might, to prove that He was Master of the Universe. This may be an easy answer, but hardly asatisfying one. I do not intend todiscuss each of the seven plagues since that would make the Guide longer thanthe Sedrah. What follows are some randomcomments that might prove useful. Commentators have provided structure to thePlagues. They divide them as3-3-3-1. “The first three proved theexistence of God; the next three proved that His providence extends to earthlyaffairs and that He is not oblivious to material matters and the next threeproved that God is unmatched by any power.” In each of the groups of three, the first two plagues are preceded by awarning and the third plague comes without warning. It is as if the third plague is a punishmentfor not “heeding the message” in the first two plagues. Also, the first warning comes to Pharaoh bythe Nile and the second comes in his Palace. At the end of each of the first five plagues,the commentators say that Pharaoh hardened his heart. It is only with the subsequent plagues thatGod hardens Pharaoh’s heart. (Yes, it is the plagues and the questions offree will that make this an even more difficult sedrah for me.) I would suggest that you read the textclosely to see that different words are used to describe Pharaoh’s specificresponse to each of the plagues. TheFirst Plague is the boldest of all, save for the Tenth. By attacking the Nile, God attacks the verysource of all Egyptian society. The endof the plague and Pharaoh’s response are also not stated in the same way asthey are with subsequent plagues. At anyrate, the sedrah ends with the seventh plague and Pharaoh as unyielding asever.

Themes:

Women: In the genealogy in chapter six we see therare mention of wives. In verses 20, 23and 25 we read that Amram married Jochebed, Aaron married Elisheba and Elazarmarried a daughter of Putiel. Each ofthese women had an honored lineage of her own. By mentioning them, it would appear that the Torah is trying to conferextra merit on at least one of their offspring. Only those who have not read the text would claim that women are absentfrom our tradition.

Pesach: Threeaspects of the Seder have their origins in this sedrah. The first is the recitation of thePlagues. The second is the Four Cups ofWine. In 6:6-7, there are four promisesof redemption. “I shall take you out. I shall rescue you. I shall redeem you. I shall take you.” The Four Cups of Wine commemorate these fourpromises. The third aspect is Elijah’sCup. In 6:8, the text reads “I shall bringyou to the land.” Some felt that thiswas a fifth promise so there should be five cups of wine. Others said no, there were only fourpromises. As an act of compromise, andsince all such disputes will be settled with the coming of the Messiah whichwill be announced by the prophet Elijah, it was decided to put a fifth cup onthe table, but not to drink it. Insteadit would be left for the prophet Elijah. There may be other explanations for these customs but at least thisprovides a common point of departure for future discussion at your Seder or atShabbat Torah study.

Marriage: According to the Talmud, when contemplating marriage one should considerthe family of the future spouse. Forwhen you marry, you are not just joining your life with anotherindividual. You are becoming a part ofthat person’s family as well. This isone of those many timeless teachings found in the Torah that speak across theages to all generations. According toRashi, the origins for that teaching are found in this week’s sedrah (6:23). The reading tells us the name of Aaron’s wifeas well as the name of her father and brother.

Punishment: In Judaism, we believe that a warning should alwaysprecede punishment. This view has beenadopted in the world of modern employee relations. We derive this concept from this week’ssedrah when Moshe, at God’s behest, warns Pharaoh about the plagues he willsuffer if he does not free the Israelites. Ezekiel, the prophet from whom we take this week’s haftarah, also has aninteresting lesson on the subject of punishment. If a person sees another doing the wrongthing and does not warn him, two things will happen. God will punish the evildoer. But He will also punish the person who failedto deliver the warning (3:16-18). Inmodern times the entire concept of what is called progressive disciplinecenters around the questions, “Did you tell the person clearly andunequivocally what was expected?” Afterall, how can you except the person to perform if he or she does not know whatis expected of him/herself? Also, didthe person know the consequences, both negative and positive, of his or herbehavior?

Free Will: According to Judaism, we all have it. But our past behavior inclines us toward ourfuture behavior. In responding to thefirst five plagues, Pharaoh chooses to do evil each time, so that with thesubsequent plagues, his response is almost predictable. His inclination to do evil is “second nature”to him now. And in that sense, somecommentators say, we find the meaning of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. Another view on this is the belief that allmen have the free will to pursue their destiny. This is an issue of major concern among the Phariseeswho had a great deal to say on the topic. In speaking of the Pharisaic view of this, thehistorian Josephus said, "They ascribe everything to fate withoutdepriving man of his freedom of action." This idea was expressed by Rabbi Akiba:"Everything is foreseen (that is, predestined); but at the same timefreedom is given." Akiba, however,declared, "The world is judged by grace (neither by blind fate nor by thePauline law), and everything is determined by man's actions (not by blindacceptance of certain creeds)." Twoother Rabbinic comments on the tension between free will and predestinationare, "All is decreed by God except fear of God" and "Man may acteither virtuously or viciously, and his rewards or punishments in the futureshall be accordingly."

Name of the Divine: The shifting appellations for the name of Godincluding Elohim, El Shaddai, and YHVH (6:3), require us to pay attention tohow the terms are used in Hebrew. Thedifferent names provide the basis for a significant school of Biblicalinterpretation known as “Higher Criticism.” Simply put, these critics believe the different names for Ha-Shem areproof of multiple authors of the Torah; that they are proof that the Torah iscompilation of legends from several different strains of forefathers that weresmoothed into their current form by later editors sometimes referred to asredactors. I suggest you read “DoesExodus VI,3, Support the Higher Critical Theory?” on pages 397 through 399 ofthe Hertz Chumash for a concise, highly literate treatment of this topic. In talking of these critics, Hertz writes,“…all this wanton tampering with the text leads nowhere…. All suggestions of contradictions are merelydue to an insufficient insight into the spirit and intent of Scripture on thepart of the Higher Critics.” In point offact, the various appellations may be seen as God’s way of communicatingdifferent aspects of His divine presence to us. Whatever your belief, when it comes to understanding the Bible, thequestion “What’s in a name?” is very significant indeed. We will talk more about the “Yud Hay Vav Hay”format as we wend our way through the Torah. The name of Divine Being is theword we could not say and now we cannot pronounce. Some say the essence of the name was abreath. Could this be a way of tellingus that the essence of divinity is silence?

Measuring Greatness: How does one measure one’s accomplishments? What is the importance of lineage? A line from this sedrah has given rise tonumerous stories that provide illumination on this topic. “These are the heads of their houses…” (6:14)introduces a description of the lineage of Aaron and Moses. Among Jews the term for this kind of pedigreeis Yichus. Unfortunately, some peoplewho come from a long line of scholars or rabbis, etc. become overly impressedwith their own accomplishments and fail to appreciate the accomplishments oftheir fellow Jews who come from humbler beginnings. The gist of a whole raft of those folk talesis that a Jew with Yichus should be humble in assessing his or heraccomplishments because until their deeds and learning surpass that of theirillustrious ancestors they really have nothing to brag about. However, there is a countervailing notion. Just because a person is born with Yichusdoes not mean he will accomplish anything. If a person is not supposed to blame his parents for his shortcomings,then he should not have to give them credit for his accomplishments. For example, both Absalom and Solomon sharedthe same Yichus. They were the sons ofKing David. But one is remembered as avain, selfish rebel while the other is remembered as the ruler who built theTemple and helped enrich our religious literature.

Whose Counting Counts: In this week’s reading, Va-ayrah, we read about the seven plagues. In next week’s reading, Bo, we read aboutthree more plagues. This makes for tenplagues. The sages seemed to haveaccepted this count. In the Haggadah,Rabbi Jose, the Galilean, uses the ten plagues in Egypt as proof that therewere fifty plagues at the Red Sea. TheEgyptians said that the ten plagues were the “finger of God.” God showed “His Hand” at the Red Sea. If a finger is worth ten, then a hand (fivefingers) is worth fifty plagues. However, the Bible offers different counts. While the book of Shemot (Exodus)says there were ten plagues, the Book of Psalms offers two other counts. The author of Psalm 78 refers to the plaguesin recalling the “past mercies” that God has shown His people (78:43-51). However, his plague count is seven, notten. Also, the order in the two versionsis different although both start with Blood and end with The Death of the FirstBorn. The author of Psalm 105, who wasprobably writing for the remnant of Jews who had returned from the Babylonianexile, uses the plagues as one example of how God has (and therefore willagain) help a small group to overcome adversity (105:27-36). This author uses eight plagues, not ten. While he ends with the Death of the FirstBorn, he begins with Darkness and then lists Blood. What is the significance of thesediscrepancies? It is not the first timedifferent books of the Bible have offered different information. Consider how differently the anointing ofSolomon is described in Samuel and Kings, on the one hand, and inChronicles, on the other hand. Arethe versions in Psalms an example of poetic license? The references in Psalms demonstrate onething - the Story of the Plagues and therefore of the Exodus - were well knownto the Israelites from a very early date in Jewish history. This would seem to strengthen the argumentthat regardless of the historical accuracy of the actual events described inthe opening chapters of Shemot (Exodus) a departure from Egypt byour ancestors is grounded in some level of reality.

Stopping at Seven: Whydoes the portion end with the seventh plague? Is there something magical about the number “Seven,” as in the SevenDays tied to Creation? Commentators likeIbn Ezra and Rashbam find the answer in the words of the last two verses of thereading. After the rain, hail andthunder stopped, Pharaoh “sinned yet more and hardened his heart. Pharaoh’s heart stiffened and he would notlet the Israelites go” (9:34-35). Unlikethe previous plagues, there is no admission of guilt by Pharaoh with thisplague. Instead he increased his sinwhile stiffening his resolve against the Israelites, which the commentators saymeans that after the seventh plague Pharaoh was not just sinning, he was“enjoying his sin.”

Accuracy and Honesty: These continue to be troubling issues as we go through the second bookof the Torah. In Chapter 9, verse 3,Pharaoh is told that the Egyptian livestock will be struck “with a very severepestilence” (NJPS) or “a very grievous murrain” (OJPS) if he does let Hebrewsgo to worship God. Pharaoh did notcomply and, “all the livestock of the Egyptians died.” Then comes the plague of Hail in which theEgyptians are told to shelter their livestock unless they want them to die. “Those among Pharaoh’s courtiers who fearedthe Lord’s word…brought their livestock indoors to safety” (9:19). If “all the livestock” was destroyed in thefifth plague where did the livestock come for the seventh plague? One said that the term “all’ was really anexaggeration and the author meant “most” or some such other great measure. Another commentator indicates that “all”means “all” and that the cattle in the seventh plague were ones that the Egyptiansbought from “foreigners in the land.” Both of these answers seem to beg the question. One possible explanation is that there was agreat deal of time between each of the plagues, but the text does not say that. As to the Honesty, Moses keeps asking Pharaohto give the Israelites time off from work to go pray to their God. But God has already told Moses that He planson freeing the Israelites. How do weexplain this disconnect? If we don’t,there are those who will say that Pharaoh was right to deny Moses’ requestbecause he sensed that he was not telling the truth. Of course Pharaoh would not have acquiescedto a request to free the Israelites, but that is another matter. Why then didn’t Moses just tell the EgyptianKing what he wanted from the start? I amsure that “Rashi’s proverbial 5 year old daughter” knows the answer so I hopeshe will share it.

Reassurance from thePlagues: According to a Rabbinic tale, much to the consternationof the local peasants a Jew had acquired several head of cattle. As was the custom of the place, the Jew tookhis cattle to the common green so that they could graze. The peasants drove his stock off declaringthat no Jewish cattle would feed on the common in their village. The Jew was forced to drive his little herdup into the hills where they could forage for food. One day bandits attacked the town. In the course of their looting and pillaging,they slaughtered the cattle, butchered the beef and took it with them. The peasants were beside themselves withgrief. What would they do for milk,cheese and butter? How would they everhave meat to eat again? At that verymoment, the Jew came down the road into the town square driving his cattle,which had been in the hills before him. The town was saved because as it says in this week’s sedrah about theplague of cattle disease, “But of the cattle of the Children of Israel, not onedied” (9:6).

Moses in Egypt and the IDF in Gaza: As theymoved into Gaza during Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defense Forces warnedthe Arabs that they were coming. In someinstances they reportedly placed phone calls telling the people to evacuatebecause the area in which they living would be coming under attack. They urged those who were innocent civiliansto move away from the Hamas fighters so that they would not wounded or killedin the upcoming attacks. A precursor ofthis strange behavior, willingness to sacrifice the element of surprise to savelives, can be found in this week’s Torah portion. In chapter 9, before the Plague of Hail, Godinstructs Moses to warn the Egyptians in the following words:

“18 Behold, tomorrow about this time Iwill cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egyptsince the day it was founded even until now. 19 Now therefore send, hasten in thy cattleand all that thou hast in the field; for every man and beast that shall befound in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come downupon them, and they shall die.' 20 He that feared the word of the LORDamong the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into thehouses; 21 and he that regarded notthe word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.”

The death anddestruction of war, like the death and destruction that came with the plagues,are horrible things to behold. Neitherthe IDF nor God is looking for corpses. God is saying “let my people go” while the IDF is saying “let my peoplelive.”

A Deepening Relationship: The relationship between God and Moses istested for the first time. Moses hasfailed in his initial attempt to negotiate with Pharaoh. Not only has he not gained freedom for theIsraelites, he actually has worsened their condition. Moses does not throw in the towel. More importantly, God does not respond withthe kind of anger we will see with the episode of the Golden Calf. Instead, he provides Moses with re-assuranceand helps to reinvigorate the great Prophet for the work that lies ahead. It would appear that the Torah is providingus with paradigm for teaching and for comforting those who are weighed down bythe challenges of life.

Haftarah

28:25-29:21 Ezekiel

The Man: Ezekiel is one of the Three MajorProphets. The other two are Isaiah andJeremiah. This grouping comes from thesize of their books, not just the quality of their teachings andpreachings. Ezekiel lived at the time ofthe destruction of the Temple and the Babylonian Exile (586 B.C.E.). He is a younger contemporary of Jeremiah. He was born about 620 B.C.E. and died about570 B.C.E. We know little about hispersonal life from the text. He isdescribed as the son of Buzi and is a member of the priestly family ofZadok. He was married and his wife diedsuddenly. He was carried into captivityby the Babylonians and lived in a place called Tel-abib (Hill of Corn Ears) onthe banks of the Chebar River. Apparently this was one of the sections set aside for the exiles. According to legend, Ezekiel died of unknowncauses during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar and was buried in a town lyingbetween the Euphrates and the Chebar rivers. A synagogue was built on that site and as late as the twelfth centurypilgrims came there to read from a Sefer Torah supposedly written by Ezekiel’sown hand.

The Message: According to some commentators, the materialcontained in this week’s haftarah was delivered about ten years before theBabylonian Exile. There was a divisionamong the leaders of Judah (the Southern Kingdom). Some wanted to make peace with theBabylonians even if it meant becoming a vassal state. Others sought to join an alliance led byEgypt that would resist the Babylonians with the intent of preserving theindependence of the kingdom. Based onthese writings, Ezekiel opposed alliance with Egypt. He likened her to a reed, which wouldsplinter causing the destruction of the kingdom. The prophets played many roles. In this case Ezekiel was supplying verypractical advice to deal with a very political problem. This haftarah does raise the question of theaccuracy of prophecy. The Egyptians didlose to the Babylonians. But Egypt wasnot devastated in the manner described by Ezekiel. Her loss of power came through a slowdownward spiral that did not reach its low point until the days of the RomanEmpire. But the Egyptians were neverexiled and when the Israelites returned from exile, it was as a tiny remnant, notas a mighty host. It would seem thatEzekiel got it right on the big stuff, but sort of missed on the details.

The Hebrewword “navee” is translated as “prophet.” This is one of those times when we are dealingwith the limits of translation since the term “navee” carries a differentconnotation than its English counterpart. This is one of those issues that we will notresolve here. One of the reasons forreturning to these texts on a regular basis is because of these complex, seeminglyirreconcilable issues.

Theme-Link: In the sedrah we read of the arrogant Pharaohwho will not release the Israelites even when confronted with the reality ofGod’s might as evidenced by the plagues. The haftarah describes an arrogant Pharaoh who fails to come to the aidof the Southern Kingdom and thus hastens the fall of Jerusalem. Just as God punished the Pharaoh of Moshe’stime, He will punish this Pharaoh and his arrogant people.

Torah Readings for Saturday, January 14, 2012 Shemot

2012-01-09T17:50:00.000-06:00

Torah Readings for Saturday, January 14, 2012

Shemot (“Names”)

1:1 - 6:1 Shemot (Exodus)

Shemot (Exodus) is the second book in the Torah. It consists of eleven weekly readings. During non-leap years, the tenth and elevenportions are read on the same Shabbat. Shemot (both the book and the first sedrah) literally means “Names” asin “These are names (Shemot) of thesons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob.” Different commentators have divided the book in various ways. For some, Shemot divides as follows:

·        A description of the enslavement of the Israelites;
·        Events leading up to, and including, the redemptionfrom bondage;
·        Events leading up to and following the revelationat Sinai;
·        Presentation of a significant number ofcommandments (numbers 4 through 114 to be exact);
·        The building of the Tabernacle.

Shemot is known as the Book of Exodus in English. The name comes from one of the most dramaticevents in our history, the Exodus from Egypt. The book of Shemot and the weekly reading of the same name each coverfar too much material for this guide to deal with in depth. You are urged to read the text and thevoluminous notes in the various commentaries to capture the full impact of theevents and their deeper meaning for the development of the Jewish people. One question that comes up time and timeagain relates to the historic authenticity of the events described inShemot. Generally speaking, Jews viewthese events as part of our history. “Whether or not the events happened exactly as described is in the finalinstance less important than the way in which they were experienced andcomprehended. Whether or not Godobjectively rescued Israel from Egypt is a question to which no historian canprovide an answer. But Exodus, therepository of Israel’s experience, says that He did and on this basis historyand faith together have shaped the minds and hearts of Israel.” This quote is from Plaut’s Commentaries, theChumash of choice of the Reform Movement. If the Reform Movement can accept the historicity of Shemot, I think wecan set the question aside and move on to this text that describes some of theseminal events of our national existence.

Shemot, the weekly reading, describes the enslavement of the Israelites,the emergence of Moses and the first confrontation of between Moses andPharaoh. This confrontation withPharaoh, as with all subsequent confrontations, is really a confrontationbetween God and Pharaoh. Much of thenarrative for this week’s sedrah, like much of the first part of Shemot, includestales many of you know from your days as Religious School students so I mayskip over some of text just to save time.

Enslavement of the Israelites 1:1-1:22

The sedrah opens by listing the names of the sons of Israel. This provides a connection with theconcluding portion of Bereshit and provides the glue that binds our historicand spiritual heritage.

“And a new king arose who knew not Joseph.” Thus begins the tale of our enslavement, theoutlines of which are repeated over and over again throughout our history asformer allies and friends turn on us. Did this new king not know of Joseph because he had served anotherdynasty such as the Hyksos? Or did henot know of Joseph because he had decided to do evil to Joseph’sdescendants? The text is silent. But the outcome is the same. Having decided, for no apparent reason, thatthe Israelites pose a threat, the king now can justify enslaving them andtrying to murder the male children. ThisPharaoh is often cited as history’s first anti-Semite. The Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, whorefused to murder the infant boys, should qualify as the first practitioners ofcivil disobedience. They acted as theydid because they feared God. This term,“fear of God,” appears repeatedly throughout our text and is tied to theconcept of the highest level of moral behavior. The Pharaoh is not impressed by their rectitude, which should give ussome idea about Egyptian morality. Ifthe midwives will not participate in infanticide, the Pharaoh has no choice butto order the drowning of all male babies in the Nile. This decree sets the stage for ourintroduction to the central temporal figure in the last four books of the Torahand one of our tradition’s central figures - Moses or Moshe.

The Emergence of Moshe 2:1-4:28

First we are introduced to Moses’ parents, although not by name butmerely by tribe. There is nothingmiraculous about the birth of Moses. Heis the product of a normal, married couple having their third child. In order to save him, his mother puts him inbasket and hides him among the reeds under his sister’s watchful eye. Please note, the word used for basket is“tevah” the same term used for the ark in which Noah sails. If you believe nothing happens bycoincidence, what connections do you think the author(s) were drawing betweenthe story of the Flood and Moses? Thedaughter of Pharaoh finds the baby and in one of history's great ironies savesthe great liberator from the death planned by her father. Thanks to Miriam and the Egyptian Princess,the mother of Moses becomes his nurse. According to some commentators, Moses’ mother provided him with hisIsraelite identification during this formative period of his life. At the end of this sojourn, the baby is givento the princess who names him Moses: “Idrew him out of the water.” Does theEgyptian Princess know Hebrew? IfPresident Bush’s wife can be bilingual, why can’t the daughter of the Pharaohdemonstrate the same skill?

The text is silent about the years Moses spent growing up in Pharaoh’shousehold. The next time we meet him heis a grown man and his experiences at this time will pre-sage the events of hisfuture life. He kills an Egyptian whowas “beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen.” This tells us two things about Moses. First, he knows who his people really are. Secondly, he has a strong sense ofjustice. Moses is forced to flee Egyptwhen one of his fellow Hebrews implies that he will expose Moses for killingthe Egyptian. This will not be the lasttime that his fellow Israelites will cause Moses pain and suffering. Moses flees to Midian (an ill-defined regioneast of Egypt possibly in the Arabian Peninsula) where he encounters his soonto be wife, Zipporah and his future father-in-law, now called Reuel, but latercalled Jethro and Hobab. Once again,Moses’ sense of justice comes into play as he defends the right of Reuel’sseven daughters to water their flocks at the well. (Yes, we have seen others at the well. What is the significance of the repetitivethemes?) Moses marries, has a son namedGershom (“I am stranger in a strange land” ties perfectly with “There came aking who knew not Joseph.”) and settles down to the life of a shepherd. Meanwhile, back in Egypt, the king dies, butthe enslavement continues. Note thelanguage in 2:24 and 2:25. On the onehand it says “God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” whichmay contain the lesson that even when man forgets God, He remembers us. On the other hand, what does it say about Godwhen the text continues, “God took notice of them?” Does this mean that God is not always payingattention to His Chosen People? If not,what happened to catch His divine attention? (These would seem to qualify as “Saturday Kiddush Questions.”)

The narrative now switches back to Moses and his first meeting with Godat the Burning Bush on a site that will later be known as Sinai. Moses is the reluctant prophet giving God allsorts of reasons why he is the wrong person for the task. This modesty is another of Moses’ greattraits. In the course of theirconversations, God reveals the future to Moses including the reason for theExodus. “And when you have freed thepeople from Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.” In other words, Moses knows from the start thatthe deliverance from Egypt is a prelude to something even more glorious. Unlike the Patriarchs, Moses wants to knowGod’s name. In 3:14 God provides theenigmatic answer that has puzzled commentators ever since. Interestingly enough, Moses never shares thisname with Israelites. Of furtherinterest is that God tells Moses to invoke the names of the Patriarchs (3:15)when appearing before the Israelites. Once again, we see the theme of historic continuity arise depending uponhow one reads the text. At the end ofthe conversation, God tells Moses that his brother Aaron will speak forhim. In subsequent verses, the textplainly states that Aaron spoke the words of Moses. But in ensuing chapters, when the Torah says,“Moses spoke” should it really say, “Aaron spoke?” Furthermore, when and why does Moses lose thespeech impediment and no longer have need of Aaron’s tongue?

As Moses leaves Midian to return to Egypt with his wife and family, wefind one of those strange interludes (4:24-4:26). Is it a nighttime encounter reminiscent ofJacob wrestling with the angel? Apparently somebody has not been circumcised. Is it Moses? Is it his son?

Apparently it is the younger son of Moses who has not beencircumcised. Moses, for someinexplicable reason, has failed to perform the primary ritual and it is onlythrough the intervention of Moses’ wife that all are saved. Some commentators contend that Moses now goeson to Egypt alone. His wife and sonsturn back and will not re-join him until Jethro brings them to him after theExodus.

The First Confrontations with Pharaoh 4:29-6:2

While the elders of Israel are impressed with Moses’ presentation, thePharaoh is not. He scoffs at them and hescoffs at God. After throwing thebrothers out, Pharaoh decides to make things even worse for theIsraelites. Now they must provide thestraw for the bricks as well as make the bricks and build the cities ofPharaoh. By making their lives evenharder, the Pharaoh figures he can discredit the brothers and bring an end totheir meddling. In point of fact, heseemed to have succeeded. First theIsraelites turn their wrath against Moses for making their lot worse. Then Moses seems to lose faith with hisquestions (5:22-23). But of course, Godis God and neither Pharaoh nor the Israelites understand the true nature of thecontest.

Themes:

Women - Shemot providesmore evidence of the central role women play in the story of the Jewishpeople. The midwives, Yocheved, Miriam,Zipporah and Pharaoh’s daughter all play pivotal roles in the sedrah. We do not need to re-write our history tocreate great women. Only those who havenot studied Torah are unaware of these realities and therefore feel compelledto invent an unnecessary mythology.

The Midwives - The Babylonian Talmudprovides this additional information about these brave women. One was named Shiphrah, which meansfertile. She was so named because sheensured that the babies were born healthy. The other was named Puah which means “open-mouthed.” This appellation alluded to the soothing,calming effect her voice had upon the infants in her care. Some contend that Shiphrah was Yocheved,Moshe’s mother and that Puah was Miriam, Moshe’s sister.

Two Sons - Moshe has twosons. The elder is Gershom. The name takes it root from the Hebrew word“ger” meaning stranger. Moshe felt thathe was a stranger in a strange land. Theyounger is name Eliezer, which means “with God’s help.” He was so named as a sign of Moshe’sgratitude for God having helped him escape from the wrath of Pharaoh. Their fate is fascinating. See if you can track it as we move forward.

Abraham and Moshe - Both are greatmen. Both are prototypes of Jewishleaders. Yet one was basically compliantand accepting. The other was challengingand impatient. According to the greatcommentator Rashi, “Moshe talked out of turn, Abraham did not.” Abraham never complained even at the time ofthe Akedah Yitzchak. On the other hand,Moshe repeatedly refused to accept God’s command that he return to Egypt andlead the Israelites. Abraham was patientand accepting as can be seen in his willingness to wait for the birth ofIsaac. Moshe wanted a fast resolution(he hit the rock) and had a tendency to challenge God (do not destroy theIsraelites and let me enter the Promised Land).

Pesach - The holidaywill be upon us in a few months. As youread Shemot, you should see elements of the Haggadah and the Seder. Hopefully reading the source material willmake celebrating the holiday a more meaningful experience.

Continuity - This isobviously important to the author(s) as well as being a basic concept inJudaism. We see repeated invocation ofthe Patriarchs. We see re-working ofmotifs from Bereshit. And last, but notleast, God reminds us that unfolding events are merely the realization of thatwhich had been foretold to Abraham.

Defining a RealJew- There have been many sectarian quarrels among various Jewish groups over themillennia. In these conflicts, there arethose who are always quick to declare that those who do not see things theirway are not “real” Jews. At the sametime, there are the sons of Aaron who seek ways to find peace in thehouse. A quote from this week’s portionprovides the springboard for a tale about two approaches to the issue of “realJews.” When confronted by Moshe’sdemands, the King of Egypt responds, “And Pharaoh said: ‘Who (is) the Lord, that I should hearken tohis voice…’” (5:2).

A Chassidic Rebbe and his son were visiting a Jewish community. On Shabbat afternoon, following the meal, aswas the custom among the Chassidim, the Rebbe began a d’var Torah on theportion of the week. The German Jewswere not used to such a discourse and began mocking the Rebbe. The son was infuriated. “How,” he asked his father, “can you wasteyour words on Epikoros?” The Rebbe wasshocked that his son would refer to the German Jews as Epikoros, a term used tocharacterize people who are lax in the observances and/or non-believers. The father agreed with his son that it wouldbe wrong to speak Torah in front of Epikoros. However, the father confessed a weakness - on Shabbat he felt the needto converse about the Holy Books. It wasagreed that on the following Shabbat, if the Rebbe felt the urge to speak, hisson would remind him of the waste of speaking Torah to Epikoros by waving hishand. Sure enough, on the followingShabbat, the Rebbe and his son sat down for Kiddush and the afternoonmeal. The Rebbe started to “talkTorah.” The son immediately began makinggestures to remind the father of his promise not to speak. But the Rebbe ignored him and gave abrilliant talk that completely captivated those at the table. After Shabbat, the son asked his father whyhe ignored his gestures and spoke Torah to the Epikoros. “How can you call these German JewsEpikoros? Pharaoh was the only Epikorosfor he is the only one who questioned the existence of God when he said, ‘Whois the Lord that I should hearken to his voice?’ But these German Jews cannot be calledEpikoros. After all, at the first signof trouble they cry out Shema Yisrael, Hear O Israel the Lord is One.” And the son learned from the father that itis easy to strike a quarrel with another Jew. But the merit is finding the common ground to unite the whole house ofIsrael.

Circumcision inShemot - “So Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin”(4:25). The circumcision ceremonydescribed in Shemot is a puzzler. First,who is the son? Is it Gershom the sonwhose birth is described in 2:21-22? Isit Eliezer whose name we discover much later (18:2-4) when Jethro reunitesMoses with his family after the Exodus has taken place? Regardless of which son it was, why didn’tMoses perform this fatherly duty? Somesay it was because the baby was a newborn (thus it would be Eliezer) and he wasafraid it would threaten the child’s health to circumcise him before atrip. But if that is so, why would Godthreaten the life of Moses since laws may be abrogated over matters of health? Zipporah’s assumption of the responsibilityfor the brit is a reminder that although it is the father’s primaryresponsibility to ensure that the brit takes place, the members of thecommunity or in this case the wife, can act in his stead if he is unable toensure the child’s circumcision. Notethat Zipporah uses a flint (stone knife) to perform the ceremony even thoughshe is living in the Bronze Age when metal utensils have supplanted the cruderstone items. The use of the flintreminds us of the antiquity of the Brit and the need to maintain closeconnections with the origin of our customs if they are to retain their originalmeaning. (For example, Electric Chanukahmenorahs just don’t cut it.) Last butnot least, this strange interlude might be there to remind of us the need totake care of the basics before going off on grand missions. Could Moses have been so caught up in his newmission that he forgot to take care of one of the first commands; in this casethe command that symbolized the connection between those whom he was about tohelp free with their ancestral patrimony?

What is the“Thing” - In chapter 2, verses 14 and 15 we read about the Israelitesthreatening to expose Moses and Moses subsequent decision to flee becausePharaohs wants to kill him. “And Mosesfeared and he said: Surely the thing(ha-davar) is known. And Pharaoh heardthis thing (ha-davar) and he sought to kill Moses.” Modern translators have Moses saying “TheMatter is known” and Pharaoh learning of “The Matter”). The question is what was the thing that Mosesfeared Pharaoh finding out about and what was the thing for which Pharaohwanted to kill Moses? Were the “things”the same “things?” Was Moses afraid thatPharaoh would be angry because he had killed somebody or was he afraid thatPharaoh would be angry because he would find out the Moses was a Jew? Moses was troubled by the fact that he takenanother life. In fact, there arecommentators who say that this is the real reason he did not get to enter thePromised Land. But Moses knew thatPharaoh would not be troubled by this. After all, Moses was a Prince in a land where life was cheap. When Moses says “the thing is known” does hemeans that it is known that he is a Jew? Pharaoh would not have threatened the life of a member of court fortaking the life of commoner. But hewould have killed Moses for being a Jew since the destruction of the Jewishpeople was his goal. What kind ofsociety would not punish a murder but would punish a Jew for being a Jew? The Egyptians may have been the first to havethis moral value, but as we know now, they were far from the last.

Who was in Egypt - There is agreat deal of controversy among some commentators as to who the enslaved peoplewere. This controversy extends itselfinto the story of the Exodus and the settling of the land by subsequentgenerations as described in Joshua and Judges. In the opening chapters of the book of Shemot, we find the enslavedpeople described over and over again as “Hebrews.” Professor Kugel points out that of thethirty-four times that the appellation “Hebrew” is used, twenty of those timesare found in the narrative about Joseph or in the introductory chapters of thesecond book of the Torah. Pharaoh callsthe midwives “Hebrew midwives.” Pharaoh’s daughter describes the baby she finds floating in the Nile as“one of those Hebrew children.” WhenMoses intervenes in the fight, it is not between two slaves fighting, or twomen fighting, but “two Hebrew men fighting.” And in the first confrontation between Moses and the King of Egypt, hetells Pharaoh, “the God of the Hebrews” appeared to us. We have gone from Abraham’s description ofhimself as being an “Ivri” (Hebrew) in Bereshit (Genesis) to being the Sons ofIsrael and now back to being Hebrews. Are these all the same people? Isthis evidence of a text that brings together the traditions of several tribesand groupings who co-mingled in Canaan and created a common ancestry through aliterary convention? Or is this reallythe same people who are variously named depending upon the circumstances andwho is describing them. Consider thenames applied to the people of the United States. We have been called Americans, Yankees by 18^thcentury Europeans and Asiatics (not to be confused with the name given to theNortherners during the Civil War), Rebels by the English (not to be confusedwith the name given to Southerners during the Civil War) to name butthree. Yet all of the appellations applyto the same people. This is one of thosequestions that get chewed over with a bowl of Cholent.

YHWH Again - Each year, itseems that another author or commentator takes another crack at deciding whoMoses talked with at the burning bush; what is the name; what does itmean? It is obviously an importantissue, the comprehension of which is well beyond me. You might want to look at How To Read theBible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now by James Kugel for another twiston this. At the same time, you might behearing some of an older theory that says the God of the Exodus has His originin Midianite culture and that Jethro is the one who taught Moses about God, notthe other way around.

Telling Lies - Is it ever acceptable totell a lie? Based on Shemot, the answeris “it depends.” This sedrah containsthree separate instances of people telling lies. The portion begins with a lie when thePharaoh declares, “And he said unto hispeople: 'Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and toomighty for us; come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and itcome to pass, that, when there befalleth us any war, they also join themselvesunto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land.'”(1:9, 1:10). Then when the Pharaoh asksthe midwives why they are not killing the Hebrew male babies (1:18) they replywith a lie: “And the midwives said unto Pharaoh: 'Because the Hebrew women are not as theEgyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife comeunto them.'” (1:19). And last but not least, God tells Moses thathe should tell the Pharaoh that the Israelites only want “to go … three daysjourney into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God” (3:18)when God knows that they want to leave and not come back. Everybody agrees that the Pharaoh’s lie isunacceptable. But at least onecommentator, Abarbanel, the 15^th century Sephardic sage, is botheredabout the other two episodes. He asks,“How could the Hebrew midwives, who feared God and were rewarded by Him, tellthe obvious lie that ‘Before the midwife can come to them, they have givenbirth’”? “Why did God tell Moses todeceitfully request in His name a ‘three days journey’ into the wildernessrather than demanding ‘Let My people go’”? The lie of the midwives may be acceptable on many different levels. First, if they had told me the truth, theywould have been signing their own death warrants. There is a difference between “KiddushHashem” and suicide. Secondly, theconcepts of truth and lies are predicated on a Just Society. Obviously Pharaoh’s Egypt was not a JustSociety. But as to God’s deception;suffice it to say that the Sephardic Sage is not the only one who is baffled bythis seemingly un-God-like behavior and will continue to look for an answer.

Aaron and God versus Moses and God - “The Lordsaid to Aaron, ‘go to meet Moses in the wilderness.’ He went and met him at the mountain of God,and he kissed me” (4:27). This onesimple sentence describes Aaron’s first meeting with God. No burning bushes; no mysterious voice; nodramatic dialogue between man the Divine. God tells Aaron what to and Aaron doesit. I am not sure what is more puzzling: the difference between the firstinteraction between the brothers and God or the lack of commentary on thesubject. But then I must confess thatAaron often puzzles me. He fails theleadership test three times - twice at the time of the Golden Calf and oncewhen he joins Miriam in the rebellion against Moses. Yet he is rewarded with the role of HighPriest. He is rewarded again by seeinghis son also assume the position thus knowing that his family will hold theposition in perpetuity. And he isrewarded with a peaceful death, mourned by the whole house of Israel. Are these seemingly disproportionate rewardssomehow tied to the ease with which he accepted the Lord’s instruction and hiswillingness to play second-fiddle to his younger brother? Who knows? But it does give us something to think about the next time we demandmore of an explanation from God than He appears to be willing to give. As to the mountain where they met, some saythat it is the same mountain where Moses had his first encounter with God andthe same mountain on which Moses will stand when he receives the TenCommandments.

The Haggadah andthe Sedrah

This year the reading of the Book of Shemot parallels the run-up toPesach. We will finish Shemot, the bookthat provides the historic basis for Pesach, just two weeks before we sit downfor the first Seder. So this yearprovides us with an excellent opportunity to see how much of the actual text ofthe Haggadah comes from each of the weekly readings. This week we find:

"Great,mighty," as it is said: And thechildren of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, and multiplied andbecame very, very mighty, and the land became filled with them. - 1:7

"TheEgyptians treated us badly," as it is said: Come, let us act cunningly with (the people)lest they multiply and, if there should be a war against us, they will join ourenemies, fight against us and leave the land." - 1:10

"And theymade us suffer," as it is said: "They set taskmasters over (the people of Israel) to make themsuffer with their burdens, and they built storage cities for Pharaoh, Pitom andRamses." - 1:11

"And they puthard work upon us," as it is said: "The Egyptians made the children ofIsrael work with rigor. - 1:13

"And we criedout to the Lord, the God of our fathers," as it is said: "During that long period, the king ofEgypt died; and the children of Israel groaned because of the servitude, and theycried out. And their cry for help fromtheir servitude rose up to G-d." - 2:23

"And the Lordheard our voice" as it said: "And God heard their groaning, and G-dremembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." - 2:24

"And he sawour suffering," this refers to the separation of husband and wife,as it is said: "God saw thechildren of Israel and God took note." - 2:25

"Ourlabor," this refers to the "children," as it is said: "Every boy that is born, you shall throwinto the river and every girl you shall keep alive." - 1:22

"And ouroppression," this refers to the pressure, as it is said: "I have seen theoppression with which the Egyptians oppress them." - 3:9

(Translation - Chabad; Torah Citations - ArtScroll)

For those who think they know all there is to know about the holiday, itmight be interesting to compare the explanations for these verses found in thecommentaries in various Haggadot versus the explanations provided in variousTorah commentaries.

Torah Timeline

How long does the Exodus narrative last? How long does it take to go from Moses’ encounter at the Burning Bush tothe Crossing at Sea? There is no gap inthe text. A simple reading makes itseems like the events happened one after another, but logic would seem to say otherwise. We know that Moses died at the age of120. We know that the Israeliteswondered in the Wilderness for 40 years. This would mean that Moses was 80 at the time of the deliverance fromEgypt. Logic would dictate that Moseswas in his 20’s when he slew the Egyptian and fled to Midian. There would appear to be a parallel betweenthe two most famous Shepherds who worked for their fathers-in-law - Jacob andMoses - so for the sake of argument we can say that Moses worked for Yitro fortwenty years meaning that he was in his forties when he headed back toEgypt. This would mean that the eventsleading of the Exodus starting with Moses and Aaron’s first meeting withPharaoh and the escape across the Sea of Reeds took place over a period of 40years. Viewing events as having takenplace over a forty year period gives it an entirely different texture than doestreating as something that happened over a matter of weeks which is thesuperficial sense one gets from reading them back to back in the weekly Torahreadings. Also, when we participate inthe Seder, we are supposed to “experience” the deliverance from slavery. If the events covered forty years, then a“short” Seder would seem to fly in the face of a meaningful observance.

Haftarah

Isaiah 27:6-28:13; 29:22-23 (Ashkenazim)
Jeremiah 1:1-2:3 (Sephardim)

This is one of those weeks where the haftarah you hear chanted willdepend upon what synagogue you are attending. The vast majority of congregations in the United States follow thereadings of the Ashkenazim.

Isaiah

The Man and the Message: The ProphetIsaiah is one of the Three Major Prophets. The other two are Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The term major refers to the fact that their books are longer than thoseof the other prophets. Isaiah is also thefirst of the Later Prophets, those coming after the books that start withJoshua and end with Second Kings. Thebook of Isaiah is attributed to at least two and possibly three authors. Traditionally, the fist thirty-nine chaptersare attributed to a historic figure described in the beginning of thebook. Chapters forty through sixty-sixare attributed to a second, anonymous author. Isaiah’s name in Hebrew is Yeshayahu, which is a form of a word meaninghelp or deliverance. The name iscertainly consistent with the teachings of this prophet. The historic or First Isaiah lived during theeighth century B.C.E. He began preachingaround 740 B.C.E. His public careerlasted for some forty to sixty years spanning the reign of four Kings of Judahbeginning with Uzziah and ending with Hezekiah. He was married to a woman he refers to as “the prophetess” and he hadtwo sons. Apparently he was related tothe royal family which meant he could address his teachings directly to thosein power.

According to tradition, Manasseh, whose reign was both long and wicked,murdered Isaiah. Isaiah lived in a timeof great political turmoil. Assyria wasthe leading power of the day. Hewitnessed the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel and the exile of the tentribes. He encouraged the Judeans not tomake a military alliance with the Egyptians who were the enemies of theAssyrians. Rather, he urged the Judeansto trust in the Lord for their deliverance. Isaiah lived in a time of affluence and economic inequality. He chastised the people for failing to carefor the disadvantaged. God would punishthem for this as well as their other moral shortcomings. The Isaiah of the Exile or the Second Isaiahis thought to have lived during the sixth century B.C.E. during the period ofthe Babylonian Captivity. His messagewas one of comfort, hope and a vision of universal peace. The book of Isaiah describes a uniquerelationship between God and the children of Israel. They are to carry His message to the peopleof the world. By following the teachingsof Torah, they will show the world what God means by holiness. At the same time, Isaiah provides a pictureof God as the God of all mankind. Isaiahtransforms Him from the deity of the Israelites to the Supreme Being for all thepeople of the world. Isaiah provides us with the Messianic Vision i.e., theComing of the Moshiach. And last but notleast, Isaiah is the prophet of world peace.

It is the words of Isaiah that we read in the prayer book each week,“Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall men learn war anymore.” The teachings of Isaiah, regardless of how many of them you think thereare, are rich and textured. The book ofIsaiah provides us with more Haftarot than any other prophet so we will haveample opportunity to explore his teachings as the year goes by.

Theme-Link: The link between the sedrah andthe haftarah is little bit less obvious than that which we have seen in recentweeks. Isaiah describes a time when theJews are suffering at the hands of the Assyrian Empire. And just as God delivered the Israelites fromthe Egyptian Empire in Moshe’s time, so he will deliver them from theAssyrians. The Torah portion begins byinvoking the names of Jacob and Israel, whose descendants will see the ultimatetriumph of God in the Exodus and at Sinai. The haftarah begins by invoking by invoking the names of Jacob andIsrael. Jacob is seen as the root of theultimate triumph of the will of God, which will come through the redemption ofthe Jewish people. Both text start outusing the Hebrew word “ha-ba-im” which is a form of the word “to come.” In the Torah portion the word is used todescribing the coming of the Israelites into Egypt. In the haftarah it is used in the sense of“the days to come” i.e., the future when the children of Jacob will ultimatelybe redeemed. There are really two verypowerful sections of the haftarah. Thefirst is the section where he condemns the drunken behavior of Ephraim. (Ephraim stands for the Northern Kingdom.) The prophet is speaking out against more thanjust over-imbibing. He is speaking outagainst gluttony and condemning a society that tolerated great disparitybetween the ruling class and the general population. His criticism of the Southern Kingdom isaimed more at their general level of ignorance of the commandments. They do not understand. They have to be spoken to slowly, in simplelanguage (28:10-11). Their inability tocomprehend will lead to their downfall. Traditionally, the prophetic reading isnot to end on a negative note. So thosewho created this tradition skipped to the next chapter of Isaiah to insure thatthe text would end on a message of comfort and consolation.

Jeremiah

The Man and the Message: (This willbe brief because we have already covered one haftarah. We will have chance to study Jeremiah incouple of weeks with the Sedrah of Bo.) Jeremiah lived a century after Isaiah. He lived during the 7^th and 6^th centuriesB.C.E. He was active during the time ofthe destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E. and died shortlythereafter. Jeremiah warned the Kingthat his policies were folly. He alsowarned the King that the immoral practices especially the mistreatment of thepoor by the wealthy would lead to the country’s destruction. Needless to say this made him quiteunpopular. His writings were destroyedand he was imprisoned. This briefnarrative should give you some idea of the unhappy lot of this saddest ofprophets.

Theme-Link: The sedrah describes Mosheassuming the mantle of leader of the Israelites. The haftarah comes from the opening chaptersof the book of Jeremiah. Like Moshe,Jeremiah is a reluctant leader. Godtells Jeremiah that He had selected him for the job while he was still in thewomb. Jeremiah tells God he does notwant the job, resorting to Moshe’s excuse about not knowing how to speak(1:6). Only in Jeremiah’s case, he useshis young age and not a speech impediment as an excuse. But God will have none of his excuses. He reassures him in the same way He did Moshesaying, “Have no fear…for I am with you” (1:8). Jeremiah accepted the challenge and like Moshe he would be a prophet forforty years. But from the start, Godlets him know that his mission will not be like Moshe’s. He must deliver “bad news” to the people andif he fails to do so he will suffer accordingly. “Do not break down before them, lest I breakyou before them.”

Personally, I find an interesting message in the fact that we arelooking at readings from both Isaiah and Jeremiah in the same week. Isaiah is such a popular prophet. He has all of those great quotes. “Holy, holy, holy, The Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His Glory.” “Nation shall not lift sword against nation,neither shall they know war anymore.” “The wolf will lie down with the lamb and the leopard will lie down withthe kid…and a little boy will lead them.” He has all that good stuff about the Messiah. And then the Second Isaiah provides all ofthe Haftarot of Consolation that we read after Tisha B’Av. Even when he is criticizing the people he isdoing it in such a magnificent way. Andthe original Isaiah was a bit of an insider. According to the Talmud his father was the uncle of King Uzziah andIsaiah lived in Jerusalem. Compare thiswith Jeremiah whom several have described as the quintessential outsider. He came from a small town called Anatoth inthe land of the lowly tribe of Benjamin. The priestly family he belonged to had somehow become disassociated withthose officiating at the Temple in Jerusalem. He would be denied a family - no wife, no children, nobody with whom toshare his burden. He preached a messagenobody wanted to hear. His writings wereburned before his eyes. And he sufferedthe ultimate curse - he got to see the reality of the destruction he hadpredicted and had fought so long and hard to prevent. He must have felt like an utter failure. How would he react if he knew that hisdescendants revere the words of the “ultimate outsider,” reading them year inand year out? Would he smile orgrumble? Or would he hope that we wouldlearn from his experience? The Jewscannot hide from the role God has given us. And while some times it may cause us great difficulty, in the end it isthe only thing that is eternal and worthwhile. (For more on this see the writings of Elie Wiesel, Rabbi JosephTelushkin and Rabbi Abraham Heschel. With your indulgence, we will return to this topic again.)