Readings for Saturday, July 27, 2024 and The 17th of Tammuz

Readings for Tuesday July 23, 2024(17^th of Tammuz, 5784)

Shiva Asar Be-Tammuz (Seventeenth of Tammuz) or Tzom Tammuz

This minor fast day commemorates the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. by the Babylonians and again in 70 C.E. by the Romans.  It marks the start of a three-week period of national tragedy that culminates with the destruction of the First and Second Temples on Tisha B'Av.  Since this is a minor fast, it is observed only during daylight hours.  This little known and little observed fast day carries a message for us in this summer when those whose self-proclaimed religious purity and zeal would pit Jew against Jew.    In the summer of 70 an earlier generation of Zealots was willing to kill their fellow Jews in Jerusalem as they bid to maintain control even as the Romans stood ready to storm the ancient capital.  According to some sages, the Second Temple fell because of the lack of love and community spirit among the Jewish people.  Even if we do not observe the Fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz, we would do well to heed the lessons of this memorial to a national tragedy that happened two thousand years ago.

Secular Seventeenth of Tammuz

In 1776, July 4, Independence Day, fell on the 17th of Tammuz, 5536.  For American Jews, this certainly is a day of celebration. The challenge is how to combine the combine the sorrow of 70 with the joy of 1776.  Is this a modern version of combining the bitterness of Maror with the sweetness of Charoset?

Torah

32:11-14; 34:1-10 Shemot (Exodus)

As part of the observance, the Torah is read at both the Morning and the Afternoon Service.  The Torah portion is the same for both services.  It is a short reading with only three aliyot i.e., only three people are called to the Torah.  In the Afternoon Service, the Torah reading is followed by a Haftarah chosen especially for this day.  The first part of the reading (chapter 32) portrays God’s anger at the Israelites for the Golden Calf.  The second and third parts of the reading (chapter 34) describe Moshe’s return to the mountaintop to receive the Ten Commandments for the second time.  As Rabbi Kolatch points out, this is a fitting reading for a minor fast day since it contains the reminder that “sin leads to tragedy and expressions of remorse lead to forgiveness.”

Haftarah

55:6-56-8 Isaiah

This is the same haftarah read with Vayeilech, the ninth sedrah in Devarim.  In the haftarah, Isaiah calls upon the people to “Maintain justice and do what is right.”  The term for “right” in Hebrew is Tzedakah.  On fast days, it is even more important than on other days, to provide contributions for the poor (Tzedakah).  Two reasons are given for reading the haftarah in the afternoon instead of the morning.  One is that by reading it in the afternoon, people will have had all morning to perform acts of Tzedakah.  A second reason is that on three of the more minor fast days, people are allowed to go to work.  Reading the haftarah in the morning would extend the service to the point where it could become burdensome.  Since Mincha is relatively short, it would be less burdensome on the community to read the haftarah at the Afternoon Service

Readings for Saturday, July 27, 2024

Pinchas

25:10-30:1 Bamidbar (Numbers)

Pinchas is the eighth sedrah in Bamidbar.  Pinchas takes its name from the first word of the second verse in the sedrah, “Pinchas son of Elazar son of Aaron the Kohein, turned back My wrath from upon the children of Israel.”  Since the word Pinchas is a proper noun, the name of the sedrah is the same in both Hebrew and English.  According to Plaut, Pinchas was a name of Egyptian origin meaning the “Nubian” or the “Negro.”  We have seen this before.  For example, there are those who contend that Moshe’s name was also of Egyptian origin.  Interestingly, in some English translations, the name of the sedrah is “Pinchas” but the name used in the text is “Phinehas.”  I have found no explanation for this apparent anomaly.  The sedrah may be viewed as a series of events and activities designed to prepare the new generation for entering into the Promised Land.  As such, it includes the following five parts:  Pinchas and the Priesthood, The Census, Inheritance Laws, Moshe’s Successor, and The Sacrificial Ordinances.

Pinchas and the Priesthood (25:10-18)

Last week’s sedrah ended with Pinchas stabbing an Israelite and his Midianite consort.  This week’s sedrah picks up where that narrative left off.  God rewards Pinchas’ zeal by announcing that he and his descendants will inherit the position of Kohein Gadol.  In an attempt to offer further justification for Pinchas’ action and God’s reward, the sedrah re-visits the crime, taking pains to identify the decedents.  The Israelite is Zimri, son of a chieftain of the tribe of Shimon.  Not only had Zimri flagrantly violated the commandments, but he had also betrayed his role as a leader.  As we have seen several times before, much is expected of leaders and their punishment exceeds that which would normally be meted out for a crime.  The Midianite is Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite chieftain.  The Midianites were so determined to conquer the Israelites that they would even go so far as to allow the daughters of their leaders to provide sexual favors to undermine the moral fabric of the nation.  In other words, the threat was great, which necessitated extreme action on the part of Pinchas.  The story of Pinchas is quite troubling for modern readers.  In a time when we have seen fanatics justifying mass murder by saying they are carrying out the will of God, we are more than just a little uncomfortable with this story.  This note of discomfort is not new.  According to one commentator, Talmudists in the Middle Ages are supposed to have said that if Pinchas had come to them as a Court and presented his evidence, they would not have enforced the death penalty.  At the same time, we know that there are times when killing is called for.  Anyone who remembers the events of the 1930’s must agree that a little steel and gunpowder instead of the soft words of Munich might have averted the firestorm of World War II.  And Jews still bridle at Ghandi’s suggestions that we should have passively accepted the Holocaust instead of rising up in armed rebellion whenever possible.

There are several other twists and turns in the story of Pinchas.  His willingness to take a life is reminiscent of Moshe and the killing of the taskmaster.  In the opening verses of the sedrah, the Torah takes pain to identify Pinchas as the son of Elazar and the grandson of Aaron.  This detail is necessary because some may consider Pinchas to have a stain on his family name.  Elazar, his father, had married one of Jethro’s daughters (Shemot 6: 25).  This means that the blood of the Midianite enemies flowed through the veins of Pinchas.  Also, this story hearkens back to the story of Dinah.  At that time, Shimon and Levi drew their swords and stabbed to death all those who had defiled their sister and all of their kinsmen as well.  Now we have another story of sexual defilement involving the descendants of Shimon and Levi.  But in this case the two are on opposite sides of this issue.  Possibly this moral slippage is what accounts for the declining fortunes of the tribe of Shimon that we read about later in the Torah.  Finally, the Torah has strict rules about keeping a Kohein away from a dead body.  Yet here Pinchas is in the tent with two dead bodies.  Regardless of how one interprets the story, the first part of the sedrah does settle the issue of who will be Kohein Gadol after the Israelites enter the Promised Land.

The Census (26:1-65)

Bamidbar began with a census and it ends with a census.  The headcount at the end of Bamidbar served two practical purposes.  First, it gave the Israelites an idea as to how many fighting men would be available in their upcoming battles.  Secondly, and possibly more accurately, the census was necessary to ensure the proper allotment of the parcels of land once the tribes entered Canaan.  The location of each tribe’s land was determined by lot.  Population determined the size of the tribal allotment (26:52-56).  The idea that the latter reason for this second census is the most important of the two is reinforced by the fact that the headcount of the Levites, the tribe that gets no land, comes after all of their other tribes are counted and the rules for allotting the land are stated.  For the bean counters among us, the Israelites decreased in number during their sojourn in the Wilderness.  The first count was 603,550 (2:32) while the second count was 601,730 (26:51), which means a net loss of 1,820.  At any rate, the second part of the sedrah has taken care of tribal allotments once the Israelites enter the Promised Land.  You might want to consult the notes in the Plaut Chumash for an alternative count that is more credible if less traditional.

Inheritance Laws (27:1-11)

Once again we come to one of those quaint interludes where we find out that God and Moshe had not thought of all of the laws we would need.  (Remember the story of Pesach Shenni.)  The five daughters of a man name Tzlaphchad came to Moshe and told him that their father had died and that he had had no sons.  Therefore, they wanted to inherit his portion.  Apparently God and Moshe had not considered the possibility of men dying without having sons so Moshe had to have a chat with God about this problem.  The law was expanded so that the daughters could inherit but they must marry within their tribe to ensure the tribal integrity of the land.  Furthermore, Moshe provided a list of alternative inheritance patterns designed to deal with a variety of family situations (27:8-11).  Having described how the land is to be initially divided the third part of the sedrah tells us what the laws of inheritance will be once the Israelites enter the Promised Land.

Moshe’s Successor (27:12-23)

Moshe knows that he is not going to lead the people into the Promised Land.  Being a responsible leader, he asks God to name a successor while he is alive to ensure the orderly transfer of power.  God tells Moshe that Joshua, the son of Nun, will be his successor.  In accordance with the ceremony commanded by God, Moshe goes before Elazar and lays his hands upon Joshua as a sign of the transfer of power.  Elazar will be the spiritual leader.  Joshua will be the political leader, acting in accord with rulings of the Kohein Gadol and the will of God.  So the fourth part of the sedrah has taken care of the leadership needs of the Israelites when they enter the Promised Land.

The Sacrificial Ordinances (28:1-30:1)

This is not the first time we have seen the holiday calendar nor is it the first time that we have seen lists of sacrifices.  According to traditional commentators, this list of sacrifices is a compilation of the Musaf or additional offerings for the different holidays.  Since the Musaf follows the tamid or daily offering, the Torah first addresses this most common of sacrifices before moving on to describing the various Musaf sacrifices.  Another thing that makes this holiday calendar and its attendant list of sacrifices unique is its placement in the narrative.  It is contained in a sedrah designed to prepare the new generation for its impending entrance into the Promised Land.  Observance of the holidays and the offering of sacrifices are not expressions of personal religious belief.  They are an expression of what is later called our sense of “peoplehood.”  The sacrifices are an expression of our relationship with God, but they are also an expression of our national identity.  The importance of Shabbat is reinforced since it is listed first.  In listing Rosh Chodesh second, we can see that the observance of the New Moon was much more important to our ancestors than it is to us.  The holiday schedule follows the familiar pattern, starting with Pesach and working its way through to Shemini Atzeres.  In terms of the sacrifices themselves, those listed for Sukkoth are the most fascinating.  They require a staggering total of 98 lambs and 70 bullocks.  The seventy bullocks represent thanksgiving offerings on behalf of the seventy nations of the world.  The number of bullocks offered each day decreases in number as a sign of their removal from closeness to God.  Also of note is the fact that the Musaf Offering for Shemini Atzeres is the same as the offering for Rosh Hashanah and is a reminder of the unique relationship that Israel enjoys with God.  This section of the Torah has provided the basis for many of our current religious practices.  With the destruction of the Temple, prayer has taken the place of the sacrificial system.  Various parts of the worship service are designed to stand in the place of these sacrifices (see Themes below).  There is a cyclical tone to the sedrah.  It begins with the selection of the lineage for the Kohein Gadol.  It ends by enumerating the sacrifices, the offering of which will become the main responsibility of this religious functionary.

Themes

Commandments

400.      The specification of the laws of inheritance when a man dies without a son (27:8-11).

401.      The requirement that a lamb should be offered as a burnt offering every morning and evening (28:30).

402.      The specification of an additional offering for Shabbat (28:9-11, 26-31).

403.      The specification of an additional offering for Rosh Chodesh (28:9-11, 26-31).

404.      The specification of an additional offering on Shavuot (28:9-11, 26-31).

405.      The commandment to blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah (29:1).

Biblical Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

Forbidden Marriage

In the section about the Census we are reminded that the marriage of Moshe’s parents was forbidden after Sinai.  According to Vayikra an aunt and a nephew may not marry.  Jochebed was Amram’s aunt.  This is not the first time we see the difference of world with and without Torah.

Women in the Torah

Except for the five daughters of Tzlaphchad, Serach is the only other woman mentioned in the national census.  She is identified as the daughter of Asher, which if true, would have made her a very old woman indeed.  She is probably mentioned because there was no male heir for her family so she too would be entitled to an inheritance under the laws as revised by Moshe with God’s approval.  As to Tzlaphchad, the father of the outspoken five, we know very little about him except that he died and that he was not one of those who rebelled against Moshe.  Some claim that he was the man stoned for gathering wood on Shabbat.  However, the rabbis take a dim view of making such a charge.  First, the Torah does not provide us with this information.  And even if it were true, how can we speak ill of a man whose sin the Torah will not mention?

The Levitical Census

In the separate counting of the Levites, The Torah mentions two more women:  Jochebed, Moshe’s mother, and Miriam, Moshe’s sister.  The Torah also lists all four of Aaron’s sons including the two who died and the reason for their ignominious passing.  But there is no mention of the sons of Moshe.  It is one thing not to give them any honors, but to not even mention them when taking a tally of the people seems to be an omission worthy of commentary, discussion or at least a fanciful mystical tale.  There is a message in the absence of the sons and some day we will find it.

The Shofar

While there are many Rabbinic tales about why we blow the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah, the real reason is found in this sedrah.  God commanded us to do it.  “In the seventh month, on the first day of the month…You shall observe it as a day when the horn is sounded.” (29:1).

The Daily Service

The tamid was the daily sacrifice offered in the morning and at twilight (28:4).  This gave rise to the Shacharit (morning) and Minchah (afternoon) services.  The Amidah (the Standing Prayer or the Eighteen Benedictions) is recited in place of the tamid.

Shabbat and Holiday Services

Since the Torah called for an additional or Musaf sacrifice on Shabbat and the Holidays; traditional Jewish services have a Musaf Service, which follows the Torah Service.  It is a variation on the basic Amidah and includes references to the sacrifices brought on the holiday being observed.

Torah Readings

During the course of the year, we have seen that there is a special second Torah reading on various festivals including Rosh Chodesh.  These special readings come from Pinchas, specifically chapters 28 and 29.

Rest

Rest is an integral part of observing Jewish holidays.  However there are different levels of rest, which means there are different levels of activities we can engage in on different holidays.  How do we know this?  On Shabbat and Yom Kippur we are told “You shall do no work” but on the other holidays we are told “You shall not work at your occupations.”  For the traditional Jew the variations in these commands make a significant different in their observances.

Updated Inheritance Laws

The Jewish view on the right of daughters to inherit has undergone considerable change over the centuries.  The Rabbis recognized that widows and daughters were entitled to a portion of the estate.  Finally, the chief rabbinate of what was then Palestine and now is Israel ruled that daughters had equal rights along with sons to any inheritance.

Separation of Powers

The American Founding Fathers were very conscious of the danger of giving one person or institution too much power.  In an attempt to avoid tyranny, they established a limited government with a written constitution that divided power between the central government and the state governments.  It also divided the power of the central government into three branches.  The Biblical model of government showed a predilection for some of these same concepts, even if they were not articulated in the language of modern political science.  This week’s sedrah opens with the establishment of the line of the religious leadership - the High Priest.  Later the sedrah deals with the issue of the civil leadership when it describes the ascension of Joshua.  This follows the pattern of the original divide where Aaron was the High Priest and Moshe was the “civil leader.”  Even Moshe was not allowed to hold both offices.

Serah Symmetry

There is supposed to be some inter-relationship between the seemingly disparate materials contained in the various weekly portions.  At least this week’s portion demonstrates one easy connection.  The reading begins with the establishment of the Priestly line.  It ends with a description of the sacrifices which are the raison d’etre for the existence of the Kohanim.

What’s In A Name Part II

Last week we noted that there were six weekly portions that contained the names of individuals.  The question was why these six?  Consider this as one possible explanation.  The Six are actually three pairs that get us to look at different facets of the same issue:

  1. Righteousness - Noah and the Life of Sarah; he was a “righteous man in his generation” while she was so righteous that God told Abraham to listen to her.

  2. Inter-faith relations - Yitro and Balak.  Both of these men were non-Jews.  They both treated the Jewish people differently and in turn were treated differently by the Jewish people.

  3. Leadership - Korach and Pinchas.  How do we know when a person is worthy of leadership?  When is it acceptable to rebel?  Is it ever appropriate to defy authority?  Is there something in the stories about these two men that might help us discern the difference between those who are pursuing “their own agenda” under the smoke screen of acting for the common good and those who really are acting for the common good?  Korach sought to overthrow the legitimate authority.  Pinchas acted to protect the legitimate authority.  The trick is to understand what makes authority legitimate and of that are Shabbat Kiddush discussions made.

 

Names III

The daughters of Tzelafchad came to Moses as a group to make their case.  But the Torah identifies them as individuals and gives us the names of these five women who were willing to challenge the system and speak up for their rights and the rights of all of the daughters of Israel.  One has to wonder why, in our own times when women are asserting their right to be full members of the Jewish community with no differentiation for gender we do not see more children named Machlah, No'ah, Chaglah, Milkah and Tirtzah.  Certainly each member of this quintet is worthy of being so honored.

 

Adding or Subtracting

When we celebrate Chanukah, we add a candle for each night of celebration.  This would seem to be the normal way of doing such things.  However, when it comes to offering the bullocks during Sukkoth, the Torah commands us to move in the opposite direction (19:12-35).  On the first day we are to offer thirteen bullocks, on the second day we are to offer twelve bullocks and so on in descending order until on the eighth day we are to offer only one bullock.  Surely there is a simple explanation for what appears to be “adding by decreasing” and I look forward to somebody providing it.

 

More Than Counting Heads

The census in this week’s reading is more than a simple head count.  There are side-comments that turn it into a message about the importance of obeying God’s law.  In counting the tribe of Reuben, Dathan and Abiram are mentioned by name and their rebellion is recalled (26: 9).  Korach is also mentioned but we are reminded that penitence can save the sinner which is why the sons of Korach did not suffer the fate of their father (26:9-11).  In counting the sons of Judah, Er and Onan are mentioned by name and reference is made to their deaths.  This would seem to be an oblique reminder of the story of Judah and Tamar; a subtle rebuke that would attach itself to the whole house of King David.  In counting the half-tribe of Manasseh, Zelophehad and all five his daughters are mentioned by name with no explanation.  Since the episode of the five daughters is not described until later in the reading, it would seem that by the time the Torah was canonized in its final form, the story was well-known and those who would hear the names of the five daughters would automatically know the importance of the reference.

 

Questions

What the Torah presents as a given can sometimes be more of a puzzle for the reader.  This sedrah raises a myriad of profound questions.  Is it ever acceptable to take a human life in the name of God?  What is the role of women?  If the role of women needs changing, how do we do this while maintaining Jewish tradition?  What is the purpose of the sacrifices?  These are but a few of the items we could discuss this year, or next year or for many years to come.  There is a lot to Pinchas and this guide is meant only to hit the highlights, to stimulate not to stifle.

 

Recurring Images

The last chapters of Bamidbar (Numbers) starting with “Pinchas” mark the end of a historic narrative that began with the first chapter of Shemot (Exodus).  In his commentary on “Pinchas” entitled “An Angry Young Man”, Gershom Gorenberg reminds of the images in this reading that we have already seen in the lifetime of Moses.  However, as Gorenberg points out, the images may be similar, but the outcomes are different.  For example both Moses and Zimri had taken Midianite women.  The former is remembered as Moshe Rabbenu, the latter as whoremaster.  Why?  Moses married Zipporah before there was Torah and she accepted the Law when it was given.  Zimri had taken Cozbi after the giving of the Torah and he was going to forsake the Law to follow her.

 

In another example, as young men Moses and Pinchas each killed a human being.  Moses killed an Egyptian task master who was beating a Jew to death.  He acted on his own in a place where there was no judicial system to protect the victim or punish the perpetrator.  Pinchas acted because his sense of morality was offended, not to save another life.  Also, he took the law into his own hands in a place where God, through Moses, had established a judicial system.  There is a time for quick action, especially when the legal system appears inoperative and the good order of society is threatened.  God’s response to the quick action of Pinchas contained a reward and punishment for his zealous act.  He and his descendants will serve as the High Priests.  The reward is obvious - Pinchas got one of the top two jobs in Israelite Hierarchy.  The punishment is a little more opaque.  By making Pinchas High Priest, God put a whole set of controls on his behavior.  The position of High Priest might be powerful, but the High Priest must behave in a very proscribed, moral manner.  Moreover, as powerful as he was, the High Priest was dependent upon the people for his physical existence.  If the people did not bring the sacrifices and pay the taxes, Pinchas and his descendants would literally not have survived.  The zealous man of action would now be bound by the velvet chord of official responsibility.  He could still be zealous, but only in a manner that conformed to God’s laws as given at Sinai.

 

Commentators agree that Pinchas was justified in acting because Zimri and the others were threatening the newly created rule of Torah law and morality.  Like any new creation, ethical monotheism was extremely fragile.  And that is the same reason that Pinchas was not justified in acting.  The newly created system revealed through Moses contained a legal and judicial system designed to deal with immorality and idolatry.  With this system in place, men were no longer free to dispense justice as they saw fit (i.e., the behavior of Dinah’s brothers).  When a grandson of Aaron took the law into his hands, no matter how justified he might have felt in doing so, the new order was threatened.  For those of you who are looking for some slick harmonizing conclusion - stop reading now.  There is none.  For this am Haaretz, these are puzzling issues to which I ultimately seek refuge in the famed line from Rashi, “of this I do not know.”

 

Haftarah

1:1-2:23 Jeremiah

 

The Man:  Since the Book of Jeremiah has provided us with six haftarot already this year, you probably feel like you know all there is to know about Jeremiah.  Therefore, this introduction will be comparatively short.  Jeremiah is considered one of the Three Major Prophets.  He lived during the last part of the seventh century and the first part of the sixth century B.C.E.  He preached for about forty years from 626 B.C.E. until 580 B.C.E.  This means he saw the destruction of the Northern Kingdom, the rise of the Babylonian Empire, the destruction of the Temple (586 B.C.E.) and the dispersal of the Jews to Babylonia and Egypt.  As we have said before, Jeremiah must have been the loneliest and unhappiest of men.  Nobody would heed his warnings.  He was an outcast, a pariah.  Worse yet, all the misery he predicted came to pass yet he took no pleasure in being right.  In the end he was carried off to the one place he did not want to go, Egypt.  The land that had enslaved his ancestors and that had betrayed his contemporaries became his graveyard.

 

The Message:  The haftarah comes from the opening verses of the Book of Jeremiah.  It starts with biographical data about the prophet.  Then there is a shift to God summoning Jeremiah to take up his prophetic mission.  In the tradition of Moshe, Jeremiah does not want to accept the charge.  But God is insistent.  He reassures Jeremiah that He, God, will be with Jeremiah no matter how the people respond.  The language here, like much that we find in Jeremiah, is too powerful to paraphrase.  To get its full effect, read it aloud.  God tells Jeremiah that He will destroy the people for their evil behavior and their idolatry.  And it is Jeremiah’s job to let them know what is about to happen.  In keeping with the tradition that a haftarah should not end on a negative note, the reading continues with three sentences from chapter two.  The prophet reminds the people that God will always love them and will destroy those who do evil to the House of Israel.

 

Theme-Link:  There is no link between the sedrah and the haftarah.  The connection is between the haftarah and the calendar.  Between the Seventeenth of Tammuz and the Ninth of Av we read “Telata D’puranuta” an Aramaic term referring to The Three (Haftarot) of Rebuke or Admonition, of which this is the first.  The texts of these three Haftarot all contain strong condemnations of the people’s behavior and warn of national destruction.  Appropriately enough, two of the three come from the Prophet Jeremiah who is traditionally credited with authoring the Book of Lamentations, which is read when we commemorate the destruction of the Temple.  The third comes from Isaiah.

 

Jeremiah Quotes:  As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days.  Jeremiah: 17. 11.

 

The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?  Jeremiah: 5. 31.

 

Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein.  Jeremiah: 6. 16.

 

Copyright; July, 2024; Mitchell A. Levin

7/4/18

 

Readings for Saturday, July 20, 2024

Readings for Saturday, July 20, 2024

Balak

22:2-25:9 Bamidbar (Numbers)

Balak is the seventh sedrah in Bamidbar.  It takes its name from the first word in the sedrah, “Balak, son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.” (22:2).  Balak is the name of the King of the Moabites.  Balak divides into two parts.  Most of the sedrah (22:2-24:25) is taken up with the Story of Balaam.  Some commentators contend that this section of Bamidbar was originally a separate book of the Torah, which would have meant that the Torah would have consisted of seven books.  The last nine verses of the sedrah start the story of Pinchas, the grandson of Aaron.

The Story of Balaam (22:2-24:25).  I have always found this story to be a mystery, especially when you get to the part about the talking ass.  There appear to be several differing views about its importance.  Plaut talks about this portion with almost reverential awe while the editors of Etz Hayim refer to it as containing “what may be the only comic passage in the Torah.”  In Torah Studies, a compilation of Rabbi Schneerson’s talks on the weekly readings, the editors do not mention the Story of Balaam, focusing instead on the episode involving Pinchas, which comes at the end of the sedrah.  I have relied heavily on the Plaut Chumash and the writings of Rabbi Telushkin in preparing this section.  The sedrah opens with the Israelites camped “on the steppes of Moab.”  Balak, the King of Moab, is frightened by this mass of intruders and sends for the prophet Balaam to help him fend off the invaders.  According to tradition, those who Balaam blesses remain blessed and those who he curses are cursed forever.  Balak does not ask Balaam to bless Moab.  Rather he wants him to come and curse the Israelites.  Balaam hears the voice of God, and turns down Balak’s first offer.  This is not the first time that we have seen God revealing himself to non-Jews.  After all, He is the God of the entire Universe.  But the second time, God relents and lets Balaam accept Balak’s offer.  Balak saddles his ass and heads for Moab.  But the donkey balks at her mission.  (Yes, this wise, talking animal is a female.  Is this a continuation of the feminist theme we saw when God told Abraham to listen to Sarah?)  The ass sees an armed angel standing in the road and tries to turn aside.  This angers Balaam who begins beating the animal.  Then the ass speaks, reminding Balaam of her loyalty, at which point God reveals the angel to Balaam.  The angel admonishes Balaam for beating his ass, telling him that if it had not been for her, Balaam would have been slain right there on the road.  For those of you who are bothered by super-natural events like this, relax.  According to Midrash, this talking ass was one of the things created on the evening of the Sixth Day of Creation.  In other words, the talking donkey does not violate the laws of nature; it was pre-programmed to appear at this moment.  Balaam arrives at Ir-Moab, the capital city of Balak’s kingdom.  Balak has to be one of the most disappointed employers in history.  He is paying for curses on his enemies and instead he hears blessings on the Israelites.  Balaam views the Israelite camp from three vantage points and each time he utters blessings upon them.  In his own defense, Balaam tells Balak that he can only utter the words that God puts in his mouth.  The angered Balak sends Balaam packing without paying him.  At this point, as if to add insult to injury, the departing Balaam speaks for a fourth and final time.  This time he predicts that Israel will eventually triumph over Moab.  There are obvious messages in the story.  In allowing Balaam to go to Balak when he is asked for a second time, God is allowing man to exercise free will.  The fact that God puts the blessings in Balaam’s mouth is a reminder that while men may speak words of blessing all blessings come from God.  Balaam’s willingness to sell his prophetic powers for material gain shows the difference between a real and false prophet.  To paraphrase the Mishnah, he who profits from the crown of the Torah shall surely perish.

Pinchas (25:1-9).  Pinchas is the name of next week’s sedrah.  However, we meet him for the first time at the end of Balak.  The events in these last nine sentences of the sedrah provide the antecedents to the events we will be reading about next week.  Having failed to defeat the Israelites with curses, the Moabites send their women to the Israelites in an attempt to seduce them.  God orders Moshe to have the “ringleaders impaled.”  Moshe then calls upon the leaders of the Israelites to carry out God’s command.  Just at this moment an unnamed Israelite (we will find out who he is next week) approaches Moshe with his “woman” and heads for his tent to enjoy her pleasures.  Pinchas, the son of Eleazar the Kohein Gadol and grandson of Aaron, is so outraged that he grabs a spear, enters the tent and stabs them both in the belly.  The sedrah ends by telling us that this stopped the plague that had broken out.  The plague had claimed the lives of 24,000 Israelites.  We must wait until we read Pinchas next week to fully understand the import of these events.

Themes

Commandments

There are none in this sedrah.

Prayer

As we have seen before, the Torah is a source for many of our prayers.  The Mah Tovu, the prayer recited when entering the synagogue for morning prayers, comes from the mouth of Balaam (24:5).  You may recognize the traditional English translation for its opening verse, “How goodly are your tents O Jacob, your dwelling places O House of Israel.”

Separate and Apart

One of the recurring themes of the Torah is the special role of the Jew in the world.  We are the people of the Covenant.  We are the people of whom God has said, I will make you a holy (separate) people.  I will make you a nation of priests.  Now the words of Balaam drive this point home again, “There is a people that dwells apart, not reckoned among the nations.”  There are those who seek the walls of the Ghetto to keep us apart from other nations because they are afraid that we will assimilate and lose our identity.  There are those who would place us behind Ghetto walls to keep us from “contaminating” other nations.  There are those Jews who bridle at this concept of separateness for a variety of reasons and reject this as anachronistic chauvinism.  And then there are those who would say that the challenge for modern Jews is to live in the world while maintaining a strong, positive sense of our own identity.

Genesis Connection

This sedrah contains at least two connections to Bereshit.  First, they both contain talking animals - the snake in Bereshit and the donkey in Balak.  Secondly, we see God asking questions for which He should have known the answer.  In Bereshit He asks Cain, “Where is your brother, Abel?”  In Balak He asks Balaam, “Who are the people who came to you?”  Since God obviously knew the answers, why ask the questions?  Because, according to some commentators, this is so we will know that confession is the beginning of repentance.

The Power of Words

Jews and Judaism are all about words and language.  After all, we are known as The People of the Book.  This sedrah is filled with reminders of the power of speech.  Balak knew that he could not defeat the Israelites with armed might so he tried to use the power of negative speech (curses) to destroy us.  The donkey spoke in an attempt to save her master.  This proves that we should listen even to the humblest of creatures because they might have a message worth hearing.

What’s in a Name?

Balak is one of only six weekly portions that takes its appellation from a person’s name.  The others are Noah, Cha’Yay Sarah, Yitro, Korach, and Pinchas.  What do “a righteous man in his time,” Abraham’s wife, Moses’ father-in-law, a rebel leader, the King of the Moabites and a killer turned High Priest have in common?  Why are these six people memorialized for all times?  Why do their names appear every year on Jewish calendars around the world?  Is this one of those questions that “Rashi’s five year old could answer” or one of those that would elicit commentary from those engaged in Torah study?  Since nothing is placed in the Torah for no reason, there must be one.  The question is what is the reason?

The Universal God

There are those who contend that the God of the Israelites was essentially a tribal or a national deity.  Many of them believe that the concept of the God of the Israelites as a Universal God is a later manifestation formulated in the time of the literary prophets and the Babylonian Exile.  The sedrah of Balak challenges that assumption.  The God of the Israelites speaks to both Balak, King of the Moabites and Balaam.  Balaam says, “What the Lord says, that I must say.”  Balak tells him, “I was going to reward you richly, but the Lord has denied you the reward.”  At the beginning of the Torah, God spoke with all people i.e., Adam, Eve, Cain, Noah.  As the tale progresses, He establishes a special relationship with the Israelites, but that does not mean He is not the God of all the World.  As the narrative of the Torah is coming to a close with these chapters of Bamidbar, it is almost as if the author, in this sedrah, is reminding us that God does indeed speak to all people, not just the Jewish people.

Haftarah

5:6-6:8 Micah

The Man:  The name Micah is actually an abbreviation of the name “Micaiah” which means “who is like unto God.”  Micah is one of the Twelve Minor Prophets.  While he may be minor in terms of length (fifteen pages in the Jewish Publication Society’s English translation, The Prophets) he is certainly a major figure when it comes to the complexity of his preachings, the boldness of his teachings and the majesty of his language.  Consider the following famous statements, all of which are found in this slender work.  “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (4:2).  “And they shall beat their swords in plowshares, And their spears into pruninghooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more” (4:3).  “They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; And none shall make them afraid”(4:4).  “It hath been told thee, O man what is good, And what the Lord doth require of thee:  Only to do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God” (6:8).

Based on information in the text, we know that Micah preached during the reign of three Judean Kings, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah.  This means he lived at the end of the eighth century B.C.E. and the beginning of the seventh century B.C.E.  He lived during the last days of the Northern Kingdom and a period in which the Southern Kingdom was threatened with foreign conquest.  He was a younger contemporary of Isaiah.  Some statements including one cited above are found in the writings of both men.  Nobody is sure if one is quoting the other or they are both referencing an even older source that has been lost to us.  Micah lived at a time of wealth and social upheaval.  Judean society was moving away from an agrarian egalitarianism model to a more urban model with increasing gaps between the rich and the poor.  He decried the abuse of power by the wealthy and their exploitation of the masses.  He warned the people that this behavior would bring exile and destruction.  He told them that possessing the holy city of Jerusalem would not protect them.  He mixed this harsh message of immediate punishment with a message of ultimate redemption.  God would not forget us.  He would forgive us and redeem us.  “Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth the iniquity, And passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?  He retaineth not His anger forever, Because He delighteth in mercy.  He will again have compassion upon his; He will subdue our iniquities; And Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.  Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, As Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old”(7:18-20).

The Message:  As Goldman points out in his commentary on this prophet, the Book of Micah can be divided into three parts.  Micah opens with a message devoted almost exclusively to denouncing sin and proclaiming impending punishment.  He then shifts to a message almost totally devoted to “words of hope and cheer.”  The haftarah is taken from the third section where he mixes the two elements.  He opens by addressing the “remnant of Jacob”, an obvious reference to punishment and exile.  But then he reminds the people of God’s past beneficence.  Surely, God who has been good to us in the past will be good to us in the future.  As the editors of Etz Hayim point out, this leads the people to ask in what manner they should approach the Lord.  Should they approach with mounds of sacrifices?  No, not with sacrifices alone should they approach God.  Instead the prophet tells them to approach Him in the way they already know is proper - with justice, mercy and humility (6:8).  The classical English version of verse eight loses some of its meaning in the translation.  As the notes in the Soncino edition point out, the prophet uses the word “justly” first because it is the lack of justice both in the legal and social sense of that term which will lead to the destruction of the nation.  But justice is not enough.  The people must love mercy.  In Hebrew the word used is “chesed” which actually means acts of loving-kindness.  “Chesed” is to be the basis of interaction with all human beings, regardless of their social station.  Finally, the English reads “walk humbly” but in Hebrew the word “v-hah-tznayah” which though translated here as humbly actually has the connotation of “modesty or decency.”  And of course modesty and decency have a multiplicity of meanings far beyond just being humble.  There are those who have praised Micah for reducing the commandments to three items.  But in following this list of three, the Israelites will be led to follow all 613 commandments.

Theme-Link:  There are at least two connections between the sedrah and the haftarah.  The sedrah tells the story of Balak and Balaam.  In reminding the people of “God’s gracious acts”, Micah reminds his contemporaries of this episode.  Furthermore, Balaam speaks the words “mah tovu” as in the famous “Goodly are your tents O Jacob?”  Micah uses the same term “mah tov” in the famous words of 6:8.

 

Readings for Saturday, July 13, 2024

Readings For Saturday, July 13, 2024

Chukat (Statute)

19:1-22:1 Bamidbar (Numbers)

Chukat is the sixth sedrah in Bamidbar.  The sedrah takes its name from the second Hebrew word in the second verse of the weekly reading, “This is the statute (Chukat) of the law, which the Lord hath commanded.”  For convenience, the sedrah can be divided into three major parts: Chukat - The Statute of the Red Heifer, The Changing Generations and The Conquests Begin.

Chukat or The Statute of the Red Heifer (19:1-22).  Although people may not know the specifics of the statute concerning the Red Heifer, it remains one of the best known and least understood commandments in the Torah.  Since the text is fairly straightforward in describing the ritual, there is no need to paraphrase it here.  The ritual was intended to purify one who had come in contact with a corpse or household items found at the scene of the death.  As strange as the ritual might sound, it becomes even stranger since the clean person who sprinkles the ashes on the unclean person then becomes unclean for a day.  In other words, the ritual results in cleansing the defiled, and defiling the cleansed.  Obeying the statute was obviously of great importance since the penalty for deliberate disobedience was “karet,” being cut-off.  Use of this term has come to mean a form of Divine punishment, which further underscores the importance of the statute.  As Rabbi Hertz points out, “The word ‘statute’ (or Chukat) is used in connection with all laws or ordinances whose reason is not disclosed to us.  In Bereshit 26:5 we saw three terms used to describe laws and ordinances.  Mitzvoth or commandments were laws dictated by a sense of morality such as prohibitions against robbery and bloodshed.  Chukim or statutes were laws ordained by God, which we are to observe although reason cannot assign an explanation such as the prohibition against eating swine’s flesh.  Toroth or laws are customs and traditional ordinances orally transmitted from generation to generation such as we find in Midrash.”  In his commentary on Chukat, Rabbi Schneerson cites Rashi who contends that even among Chukim, there are two categories:  “Those which could in principle be understood by human intelligence, but details of which are beyond comprehension” and “those which are entirely beyond the scope of human understanding.  The Statute of the Red Heifer is alone in belonging to the second category.”  More important than the legal term Chukat, is the spiritual concept of Chukat.  As the book of Job freely admits, there are things that happen in life that are beyond human comprehension.  We may make haphazard attempts to explain such events, but in the end the explanations are not very satisfying.  While such a concept of Chukat may seem like a cop out it may very well serve as a safety valve.  By admitting that there are things beyond our comprehension, we can then devote our energies to dealing with that which we do understand even if it is only a partial understanding.  For example, our inability to understand where God was during the Holocaust does not give us the right stop being Jewish.

The Generations Begin to Change (20:1-29).  According to some commentators, the events described in this chapter are out of sequence.  Chronologically, they follow after the events of Bamidbar 14, the chapter in which the Israelites are condemned to wander the Wilderness until the generation of the spies dies out.  This means that events described in this chapter occurred in the fortieth year of the wanderings.  In other words, the Torah is silent about the events of the thirty-eight years during which one generation gave way to another.  Be that as it may, the chapter begins without fanfare or comment announcing the death of Miriam, “…the people stayed at Kadesh.  Miriam died there and was buried there.”  This is how we are told of the death Miriam - the sister of Moshe, the singer of songs of victory, and the prophetess.  Fortunately, we have just read Chukat, so we know that those who tended to her corpse could be purified.  The narrative does not even pause to tell us if her passing was even mourned by the people.  It just picks up with the next event, another rebellion concerning a lack of water.  In yet another famous biblical tale, God tells Moshe to speak to the rock so that it will give water.  But Moshe in his anger strikes the rock twice, producing a gusher of water.  God then tells Moshe and Aaron that they will not enter the Promised Land.  Why such a harsh punishment?  Were the brothers to be denied the supreme moment of accomplishment just because Moshe hit the rock instead of speaking to it?  Isn’t God being a little extreme, especially when you consider all the great things Moshe had done?  The notes are rife with all kinds of speculation.  Maybe, by his statements and actions, Moshe had led the people to believe that he and not God was the source of the miracle.  Or, maybe, by losing his temper, Moshe had forfeited his role of prophet and had become just another member of the generation of spies that had already been condemned to perish in the Wilderness.  In the end, we really do not know and all of the explanations fall flat.  Fortunately, we have the concept of Chukat, which means that there are things we must accept even if we do not understand them.  Moshe and Aaron appear to have accepted the decree since neither of them offered any argument.  Instead, the text picks up with the travelogue.  Moshe attempts to pass through the land of Edom.  The Edomites refuse.  Moshe accepts the refusal and changes routes because God has already decreed that Edomites have their assigned piece of land and the Israelites are to take no action against them.  After journeying from Kadesh, the Israelites stop at Mount Hor.  God tells Moshe that Aaron is now to be “gathered unto his people.”  And just in case Moshe has forgotten why he is to die in the Wilderness, He tells Moshe that it was “because you rebelled again My word at the waters of Meribah.”  Apparently God was not confused about why the brothers were being punished.  Aaron does not die a mean death.  He gets to see his son Eleazar don the vestments of the Kohein Gadol.  He dies peacefully knowing that his son has succeeded him.

The Conquests Begin (21:1-22:1).  A new generation has grown up, a generation that is capable of fighting for the Promised Land.  The chapter begins with a victory over the King of Arad, a Canaananite Kingdom located in the Negev.  This new generation has learned its lesson.  Before going into battle, the warriors seek God’s support.  In this case, they promise to forgo the spoils of war if God will reward them with victory.  The Torah then describes the march of the Israelites through the region of the Transjordan i.e., the land across or east of the Jordan River.  The Israelites defeat Sichon, King of the Amorites and Og, King of Bashan.  According to the sedrah, some of our information about this comes from a text called “the Book of the Wars of the Lord.”  This may have been an actual text, written at the time of the Torah, which has been lost to us.  It should also be noted that verses 27 through 30 are a Song of Victory, similar in style to the Song at the Sea.  It is as if the Israelites began and ended their journey through the Wilderness with song.  One difference is that that here, Moshe does not lead the Song.  The great leader’s voice is soon to become silent.  The sedrah ends with the Israelites making camp across the Jordan from Jericho.  In the midst of all of this fighting and traveling, we do find one last rebellion over water.  When the first rebellion over water occurred in this sedrah, God did not punish the Israelites.  However, this time He sends serpents to attack the people.  Once again the people admit their sin and beg Moshe to intercede.  Once again Moshe intercedes and God relents.  As a result of this episode, Moshe fashions a copper serpent, which is placed on a pole and is kept as an item of veneration by the Israelites.  King Hezekiah will later destroy it because it became an object of idol worship.  For many of us, this copper serpent is more of a mystery than the Statute of the Red Heifer.  But then maybe the sedrah was meant to begin and end in the spirit of “Chukat.”

Themes

Commandments
The requirement that a ritually clean person shall sprinkle water and ashes of the Red Heifer to purify one who has become ritually unclean (19:19).

Biblical Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

As if to emphasize the uniqueness of this commandment, it is the only one listed in this sedrah.  Furthermore, the companion sedrah of Balak (during no-leap years) does not contain any commandments.  Therefore, regardless of the cycle, the Statute of the Red Heifer stands alone.

The Death of Miriam

According to some, the failure of the Israelites to properly mourn the death of Miriam led to the lack of water at Meribah.  Legend has it that Miriam’s virtue was the source of the magical Well that accompanied the Israelites.  By failing to properly mark her death, the water stopped.  This led to her brothers’ sin, which denied them entrance to the Promised Land.

The Death of Aaron

When the people saw that Aaron was dead, the whole House of Israel wept for thirty days (20:29).  This thirty day mourning period for Aaron is the source of the thirty day mourning period known by the Hebrew word for thirty - sh’loshim.  It follows the seven days known as Shiva.  During the Sh’loshim, the mourners avoid public displays of joy and happiness.  In the Synagogue, mourners may lead services but do not accept honors such as chanting the haftarah.

Hand Washing

When leaving the cemetery or entering the Shiva house, it is customary to wash ones’ hands.  There are those who will claim that this custom has to do with a superstitious attempt to wash demons from our hands.  Jewish tradition sees this custom is a reminder of the washing that took place according to Chukat.

The Punishment of Moshe and Aaron

There are numerous commentaries on this most of which revolve around explaining what the brothers did that was so bad that they were excluded from entering the Promised Land.  However a sage known as Ramav has a different spin on the statement “…you will not bring the congregation of Israel to the Holy Land.” (20:12).  He said that the Israelites were being punished for their lack of faith.  God was depriving them of their two greatest leaders.  Only once they had to face life without these brothers would the Israelites recognize their greatness of these men.

The Color Red

Red is the color of sin.  Hence the heifer must be red.  It can never have worn a yoke because it symbolizes “the sinner who casts off God’s Yoke.”

The Mystery of Chukat:  the sedrah not the ritual

This reading is filled with mystery in the truest sense of that term.  There is the mystery of the ritual of the Red Heifer.  There is the mystery of the lack of water following the death of Miriam.  There is the mystery of why Moses was really denied entry into the Promised Land.  And then there is the ultimate mystery itself - death; in this case the death of Miriam and the death of Aaron.  But the sedrah also provides us with the clue to understanding these mysteries as well as all the other issues that confront human beings.  In the opening section of the sedrah we find these stark “Zoht HaTorah,”  “This is the Torah” (19:14).  Even if we do not understand why we are to do something, we know what we are to do.  At the same time we are encouraged to delve into the Torah so that we can at least begin to understand the “why” of life as well as the “what” of it.  You can question, you can challenge, but you cannot ignore that stark reality of the life of the Jew - This is the Torah.

What Was Moses

Moses is variously referred to as Moses, our teacher, or as the first of the prophets.  This week we see another appellation applied to him.  In recounting the history of the Israelites to the King of Edom (20:14) the text said “We cried out to the Lord and He heard our voice; He sent a Malach (translated as emissary or messenger) and He took us out of Egypt” (20:16).  The Malach is Moses.  Malach can be translated as “angel” because, according to Rashi, the prophets are referred to as angels which Ibn Ezra construes to mean that an angel, Moses, accompanied the Israelites out of Egypt.  Considering the fact that this week’s portion includes the display of temper that kept Moses from entering the Promised Land, one must wonder how angelic he really was.  Or is this a reminder that we are all capable of a variety of behavior, some angelic and some, well let’s just say a little less than angelic.

No One Left Behind

The IDF prides itself on not leaving behind any of its men on the battlefield and of going to great lengths to rescue anybody who fails into enemy hands.  Similarly Jews in the Middle Ages went to great lengths to ransom any of their co-religionists who fell into the hands of marauders, thieves and pirates.  Communities actually had special funds for this purpose.  This week’s reading shows that this practice is deeply rooted in our people’s history.  When the King of Arad attacked the Israelites “he took some of them captive.” (21:1).  The Israelites then turned to God and asked Him to aid them in their fight.  They plainly stated that they would forgo the booty and loot that most armies fought for.  The implied deal is give us victory so that we might free the captive or captives taken by the Canaanite king.   While some commentators opine that there was really only one captive and it was a non-Jewish slave, others say that this does not matter - that one captive, one person denied their freedom, is one person too many.

Haftarah

11:1-33 Judges

The Man:  The Book of Judges covers the period between the death of Joshua and the birth of Samuel.  As we have seen from previous readings from the Book of Judges this was a period of semi-anarchy where “each man did what was good in his own eyes.”  It was a period where the Israelites failed to display a high level of spiritual and moral purity.  This week’s haftarah describes events in the life of Jephthah, the ninth of the thirteen (or fourteen) leaders who are active in the Book of Judges.  He was active for six years before his death.  Most of his life was spent on the east bank of the Jordan River in the land settled by the two and one half-tribes before the Israelites invaded Canaan.  After World War I, this land was part of the British Mandate of Palestine.  Today this is the Kingdom of Jordan.  Jephthah is connected with one of the greatest acts of folly and sin in the TaNaCh.  The haftarah only covers the first part of Jephthah’s life.  The rest of the story is covered in 11:34-12:7.

The Message:  Part of this haftarah reads like one of those romance novels complete with the illegitimate son who is forced to leave home and then returns to claim his patrimony.  According to the haftarah Jephthah of Gilead was born out of wedlock.  His father’s legitimate sons drove their half-brother away because they were afraid he would claim part of their father’s estate.  Jephthah joined a group of brigands and gained a reputation as a fighting man.  When the Ammonites threatened the people of Gilead the elders asked Jephthah to become their leader.  Jephthah agreed only if he would be the “commander and chief” once victory had been won and peace returned to the land.  The elders agreed and Jephthah set out to meet the enemy.  However, before the fighting began, Jephthah attempted to negotiate with the Ammonites.  He pointed out to them that they had no real claim to the land and that they had accepted this fact for an extended period of time.  But Ammonites refused to yield and in the end Jephthah defeated them in a series of battles in area around modern-day Amman, the capital of the Kingdom of Jordan.  Unfortunately, just before the battle, “Jephthah made this vow to the Eternal:  If you hand the people of Ammon over to me, Then I will offer to the Eternal as a burnt-offering whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I come home safe from the Ammonites.” (11:30-31).  The text, but not the haftarah continues, “And Jephthah came to…his house, and, behold, his daughter came to meet him…And when he saw her…he rent his clothes, and said:  ‘Alas, my daughter!  Thou hast brought me very low, and thou are become my troubler; for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.’” (11:34-35).  When he made the vow, he thought he would see an animal and would sacrifice it.  But he saw his daughter and two months later “she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow…” (11:39).  Various commentators have condemned him for this act of folly.  What makes it so bad is that he did not have to carry out the vow.  There were ways around it.  But because he was ignorant of Torah, he committed this vile act.  Unlike those popular romantic novels, Jewish heroes need to know Torah as well as martial skills.  In driving Jephthah away, his half-brothers might have helped to create a military leader but they denied him the teachings of Torah, which would have made a true leader.  Jephthah would add one more infamous deed to his record.  Before his death, angry members of the tribe of Ephraim confronted him.  Rather than try and find a peaceful solution to their claims, Jephthah fought them, killing 42,000 of his co-religionists.

Theme-Link:  There are at least two.  First, in negotiating with the Ammonites, Jephthah referred to events described in the sedrah.  In fact “verses 19-22 in the haftarah are a recitation of verses 21-25 in the sedrah.”  Secondly, both readings contain vows related to victory.  In the sedrah, the Israelites promised to forgo any booty from the towns they were about to attack.  We already know about the vow contained in the haftarah.

 

Copyright; July, 2024; Mitchell A. Levin