Readings for Saturday, March 2, 2024

Readings for Saturday, March 2, 2024

Ki Tissa (When you take)

30:11 - 34:35 Shemot

Ki Tissa is the ninth sedrah in the book of Shemot.  The sedrah takes the name Ki Tissa from the second sentence of the sedrah:  “When you take (Ki Tissa) a census of the children of Israel…” (30:12).  Ki Tissa can be divided into three main parts - Additional commands pertaining to the Sanctuary, the Golden Calf and Reconciliation and Reaffirmation.  We have only two more sidrot before finishing Shemot.

 

Additional Commands Pertaining to the Sanctuary (30:11-31:18)

The first portion of Ki Tissa picks up where last week’s reading left off; with more rules relating to the Sanctuary.  First is the command tying the taking of a census with the giving of a half-shekel.  All those counted are to give the same amount and the money collected is to be used to support the Sanctuary.  According to the commentators, the equal contribution is a guarantee that all, rich and poor alike, will have the same stake in the holy activities of the Priests.  No person can own the Tabernacle and no person can be dispossessed.  This is one more way of reinforcing the concept of the People of Israel or the Whole House of Israel.  Moshe is told to make utensils, which the Priests are to use for washing when entering the Tabernacle.  This is one of the many sources for the customs of ritual washing that we follow today, including washing with a blessing before starting the Morning Prayers and washing with a blessing before eating bread.  Next is the instruction concerning the Incense.  The severe penalty proscribed for misuse of the incense gives an idea of how important God (and our ancestors) considered this.  (See Themes for more.)

 

Moshe will not have to build all that God has commanded by himself.  Instead, God appoints two craftsmen, Bezalel and Oholiab, to lead the project.  Bezalel means “in the shadow of God.”  There are numerous legends about him.  The Torah does tell us that Bezalel is the grandson of Hur, one of the two leaders Moshe named to serve in his stead while he was on Mount Sinai.  While Bezalel was from the large tribe of Judah, Oholiab was from the small tribe of Dan.  Everybody is needed to help build the Tabernacle (and the House of Israel) from the least to the greatest.  This section continues with yet another recitation of rules pertaining to observing Shabbat.  These Shabbat rules are placed here to remind us that observance of Shabbat is of the greatest importance, greater even than building the Tabernacle.  The section concludes with a tantalizing literary bridge:  “When He finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moshe the two tables of the Pact, stone tablets inscribed with the finger of God.”

 

The Golden Calf (32:1-35)

Since this is only a summary, we can only hit the highlights of what is one of the most confusing episodes in Shemot.  There are numerous explanations for the events described.  A common one is that the people panicked and reverted to idolatry.  Others feel this is a misreading.  Yes, the people panicked when Moshe did not appear at the promised time, but this meant they had lost what they perceived as their intermediary with God not their God.  So they had Aaron build them another intermediary, this time in the form of a Golden Calf, which was a throwback to their Egyptian experience.  Regardless, God and Moshe are both upset about what they are hearing from the encampment at the foot of Mount Sinai.  In keeping with the tradition of Abraham at Sodom, Moshe argues with God to spare the Israelites.  But Moshe goes Abraham one better.  If God is going to blot out the Israelites, He might as well take Moshe with them.  Moshe shows one of the signs of a great leader.  He takes total responsibility for his people and identifies with them totally as well.  While God has promised not to destroy the Israelites, He has not said they will escape punishment.  Moshe hurries down the mountain to become the instrument of that punishment.  First he shatters the Tablets.  Then, in short order, the people are forced to drink of the ashes from the Golden Calf, the Levites put the apostates to the sword and finally a plague is visited on the Israelites.

 

The drinking of the liquefied ash is reminiscent of the rules pertaining to the unfaithful wife.  The image of Israel as the unfaithful bride of God is an oft-repeated theme, especially by the prophet Hosea.  The scene of the sword-swinging Levites should remind you of Levi avenging Dinah.  The same behavior that is wrong when used for personal vengeance can be rendered righteous when used for the service of God.  Hence Jacob curses Levi while the Levites gain their prominent role from this time forward for what appears to be the same sword-wielding behavior.

 

There are those who contend that the story of the Golden Calf was placed here by later writers.  It was part of a contest between the Northern Kingdom (Israel) that had golden bulls at its two sanctuaries and the Southern Kingdom (Judea) that had the Temple at Jerusalem.  It is also viewed as an attempt to discredit the House of Aaron, which supplied the priests for the Temple at Jerusalem.  I am not advocating this point of view, but want you to be aware of it as one non-traditional explanation of the events.  Certainly, Aaron does not come off as a stellar leader in the text.  According to Midrash and other commentaries, Aaron was stalling for time.  He really did not think the people would give up their valuables.  Also, Hur, the other leader named by Moshe to settle disputes while he was on the mountain, had been murdered by the people.  When Aaron saw how out of control they were, he sought to placate them to avoid adding to their sins with another murder.  Before we are too harsh in our judgment of Aaron, we should consider God’s view of it.  Like Moshe, Aaron will be punished by not entering the Promised Land.  But Moshe is punished for the sin at the rock, not the Golden Calf.

 

From the point of view of narrative, the Golden Calf episode is out of place.  It should have come after the end of Mishpatim (24:12-18) where Moshe ascends the mountain.  Then skip ahead to 31:18 where Moshe gets the stone tablets.  This is followed by the events of the Golden Calf and the second set of stone tablets.  With the Golden Calf, the Israelites had shown that they were not ready to deal with a totally spiritual concept of God.  They needed tangible signs of Him at all times.  It was this need that caused God to command the building of the Tabernacle and establish the sacrificial system.  Hopefully this interpretation will help make sense of the events covered over the last several weekly readings.  Please note; this is one interpretation, it is not the only one.

 

Reconciliation and Reaffirmation (33:1-34:35)

Like children who have angered their parent, the Israelites are waiting for “the other shoe to drop.”  Will God abandon them or will He accept their repentance and keep them as His people?  God repeats His promise to take the Israelites to the Promised Land.  But, like a very angry parent, God tells Moshe that it is better if He is not among the Israelites lest He forget His promise to spare the people.  Moshe communicates with God at the tent at the edge of the encampment.  (This is not to be confused with the previously mentioned Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting.)  Just as Moshe had tried to gain insight into God at the Burning Bush, so now once again he pleads to know more of God.  While God agrees to reveal more of Himself, not even Moshe can see God face to face.  While we all seek to draw near unto God and God seeks to draw us near unto Him, there is a limit between the human and the Divine, even when that human is Moshe.

 

As a sign that the Israelites are still the Chosen People, Moshe will again bring down two tablets.  But this time it will be different.  Moshe must carve the tablets and bring them up the mountain.  Here we see a repetition of the Garden of Eden theme.  God gave Adam and Eve everything in the Garden.  They rejected His gift by sinning.  They got a second chance but this time around they would have to work for what God had once given them freely.  The first set of tablets were hewn by God and waiting for Moshe.  This time he would have carry the stones up that mountain to receive the law.  Considering Moshe’s age, this was quite a task.  For the purists among you, this time the writings on the tablets are called the Ten Words (literally) or Ten Commandments (New Jewish Publication Society Translation) (34:28).  God repeats His covenant.  He reminds the Israelites that He will drive out the inhabitants of Canaan so that we will not follow their practices.  He then lists the practices we are to follow - the Festivals and Shabbat.  Moshe returns after forty days and forty nights.  But this time the people have learned their lesson.  There is no Golden Calf; just the people waiting patiently for Moshe to return.  How do we know if we have been forgiven for our sin?  One rabbinic response says that if, when given the chance to repeat the sin, we do not do so, then we know we have been forgiven.  Why?  Because by not repeating the sin, we have shown that we have truly repented.  This action packed sedrah ends on a spiritual note.  Moshe’s face is now bathed in a strange radiance that requires him to wear a veil when in the presence of the Israelites.

 

Themes:

 

Commandments

105. The requirement that every Israelite give a half-shekel annually to support the sanctuary (30:13).

106. The requirement that priests wash their hands and feet when ministering at the sanctuary (30:19-21).

107. The commandment to anoint the High Priest with specially prepared oil (30:25, 26, 30).

108. The prohibition against using the special anointing oil on someone other than a High Priest (30:32).

109. The stricture against replicating the anointing oil described in the Torah (30:32).

110. The prohibition against using for private purposes the formula described in the Torah to make ritual incense (30:37).

111. The stricture against eating or drinking food or liquor that had been offered before an idol (34:15).

112. The prohibition against laboring on Shabbat even during plowing and harvesting times (34:21).

113. The stricture against eating milk and meat together (34:26).

From Biblical Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

Using Telushkin as the source, there is only one more commandment in the book of Shemot.

 

Prayers

This week’s sedrah provides us with four readings for the Prayer Book:

30:17-21 The reading concerning washing with the copper laver opens the section called Korbanot (Sacrificial Offerings) found at the start of the Daily and Shabbat Morning services among traditional Jews.

30:34-36 The reading concerning the making of the Incense opens the section called Ketoret (Incense Offering) that follows the recitation of the Korbanot section.

31:16-17 These two verses are referred to as the Veshamru.  They are part of the Shemoneh Esrei (Eighteen Benedictions or Silent Devotion) for Shabbat and also recited as part of the Shabbat morning Kiddush.  Just as the Jewish people have kept Shabbat, so has Shabbat kept the Jewish people.

34:6-7 These verses are called the Thirteen Attributes of God.  They are chanted on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkoth after the Torah has been removed from the ark.  For those who have heard it, you know that the chant is a haunting one that is repeated three times in an increasingly beseeching tone.  According to Plaut, The Thirteen Attributes are as follow:

1 and 2. “Adonai, Adonai” The Lord, The Lord - Mercy twice over (repeating the name gave rise to the interpretation of it being “twice over” - God is merciful before man has sinned and after man has sinned and repented.

3. “El” (God) God is most high, the supreme ruler

4. “Rachum” Compassionate

5. “Chanun” Gracious

6. “Erech apayim” Slow to anger

7. “Rav Chesed” Abounding in kindness

8. “Emet” Truth

9. “Notzer chesed la-alafim” Extending kindness to the thousandth generation

10,11,12. “No-se avon vefesha ve-chata-ah” Forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin

13. “Ve-nakeh lo yenakeh” Yet He does not remit all punishment.

 

Nobility of Labor

Judaism does not take a dim view of the concept of those who work for a living.  The commandment concerning Shabbat tells us that we shall work for six days.  Furthermore, in naming the craftsmen who are to build the Tabernacle, the Torah is pointing out the value of all work, including what some call derisively, manual labor.

 

Leadership

The Torah has survived, in part, because it speaks to the human condition.  This week’s reading offers a textbook case in leadership.  Notice how Moshe identifies with the Israelites and how he takes responsibility for their behavior.  If they are to be punished, then he is to be punished in the same manner.  Compare this with the penchant for the double standard shown by our leaders (the Wall Street Bankers and so-called “Captains of Industry” are two modern examples) today and see if maybe the example of Moshe shouldn’t be the one taught at the Harvard and Kellogg schools of business.

 

Timing of the Tablets

Moshe went up to get the second set of Tablets on the twenty-ninth day of Av.  He actually received them on Yom Kippur.  According to some, the second set of Tablets is a sign of God’s forgiveness and His acceptance of our atonement for the Sin of the Golden Calf.

 

Levi, Dinah and the Golden Calf

In Bereshit, Levi drew his sword and killed those who had defiled his sister Dinah.  Levi had used a basic commandment from God, circumcision, as part of a plot to take the lives of others.  In other words, he had corrupted God’s word for his own purposes no matter how noble he may have thought they were.  As we can see from the blessing at the end of Bereshit, Jacob never forgave Levi for this.  In Shemot, the tribe of Levi draws its sword just as their progenitor had.  However, this time Levi drew its sword to defend the commandments of God.  According to some, it is because of this zeal for the Lord, that the tribe of Levi is accorded its special role as described in the Torah.  It is not always the deed that counts.  Sometimes it is the motive for performing the deed that counts the most.

 

The Sacred and the Profane

“You shall sanctify them (i.e., the utensils to be used on the altar) and they shall remain holy of holies; whatever touches them shall become holy.” (Shemot 30:29).  This is a thought provoking statement about the power of that which has been consecrated to the Lord.  And the statement is counter-intuitive.  Normally, one would assume that when something that is not holy comes in contact with something that is holy, the holy object becomes unholy.  Yet, here it is the other way around.  The holy object does not lose its holiness when it comes in contact with that which is not holy.  Could this be a ritualistic formulation of the concept we see later in this Sedrah?  The Children of Israel, the holy people, do not lose their holiness even though they have strayed and built the Golden Calf.  Once chosen by God, the Jewish People are always chosen.  The Jew may stray, but God is always there waiting for him or her to return to the path of righteousness.  It may not be Rashi, but it is something to think about.

 

Kashrut

This week we find a repetition of the injunction about milk and meat.  Echoing the words of Exodus 23:19 we read, “thou shalt not boil a kid in the milk of its mother” (Exodus 34:26).  There are several reasons given for this injunction.  Some contend that this was part of the recipe for a drink used by some pagans in the idol worshipping ceremonies.  So this would be another example of seeing to it that the Israelites did not engage in any activity that even approximated the behavior of those who bowed to graven images.  Another explanation is that this is part of the conditions that God placed on the Israelites for letting them eat meat.  According to this explanation, God had not intended people to be carnivores.  Once He realized that there was a propensity for eating meat, He allowed the Jews to do it but with restrictions.  Since all life was sacred, including the lives of animals, certain rules were imposed as part of the tradeoff for the pleasure of eating animal flesh.  One last explanation has to do with the concepts of mercy and human decency.  If you must eat meat, do not be so barbaric as to figuratively consume the child in a sauce made from the very liquid of the mother that gave that child life.  Like all dietary laws, in the end, this one too falls under the category of Chukat - a commandment whose real purpose we will only understand with the coming of the Moshiach or Messiah.  Regardless, for those who want to try keeping kosher a little bit, this provides an easy entrée point.  Order the hamburger instead of the cheeseburger.  Have chicken instead of chicken parmesan.  And if you are having ice cream for dessert, eat a tuna or grilled cheese sandwich instead of a hot dog or burger.

 

Yizkor

In speaking of how we should observe the three pilgrimage festivals - Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkoth - the Torah says “None shall appear before me empty-handed” (Exodus 34:19).  One of the reasons given for reciting Yizkor, the Memorial Service, on these three holidays is to fulfill this command.  Each of the formularies for remembering the departed contains a promise to give charity in the name of the deceased.  For example, “May God remember the soul of ….who has gone to his world, because I pledge (without vowing) to donate to charity for his sake.”  The idea is that if the person were still alive he or she would be the kind of righteous person who would be giving the charity.  At any rate, just as we do not come empty-handed to celebrate the three festivals, so do we not come empty-handed when we remember those who have gone before us.

 

Enjoy what I have or Have what I enjoy

Our tradition offers numerous lessons on this topic or its variants.  This week we read “And I will be gracious to whomever I will be gracious” (Exodus 33:19).  In the Talmud, the sages extended this to read “And I will be gracious to whomever I will be gracious:  Even to the undeserving” (Tractate Berachot).  To illuminate the point, the Chassidim tell the following tale.  A wealthy merchant would visit Reb Zusya (one of my favorite Chassidic characters)  and leave him gifts of food or wine or a bag of coins to help this wise but poor Rebbe.  One day he visited Zusya but Zusya was not at home.  When the merchant asked where Zusya was, he was told that Zusya was visiting his Rebbe.  The wealthy merchant pondered this matter.  If he had been blessed in his business dealings because he had been making donations to Zusya, just think how much more he would be blessed if he started making those donations to Zusya’s Rebbe (climbing the corporate ladder so to speak).  So the merchant stopped giving to Zusya and started giving to Zusya’s Rebbe, a man he assumed to be of greater merit than Zusya.  But lo and behold, instead of his business improving his business took a turn for the worse.  Realizing that he must have done something wrong by ignoring Zusya, the merchant went to visit the Rebbe.  “Why,” he asked,” is it when I used to visit you my business throve, but when I started visiting your Rebbe - who is presumably a greater Rebbe - success deserted me?”  Reb Zusya replied, “It is all very simple.  I am not a tzaddik at all and that is why when you used to give me money, even though I was unworthy of receiving it, the Heavenly Court was not particular with you, either, and you were granted prosperity even though you did not really deserve it.  But the moment you started being particular about evaluating people precisely, and decided to visited my Rebbe - who really is a Tzaddik - the Heavenly court decided to start being particular about evaluating you; and when they found that you weren’t in fact deserving of that prosperity, they withheld it.”

 

The Role of Aaron

If you are puzzled by the role of Aaron in the story of the Golden Calf, do not think you are the only one.  Abarbanel, the Sephardic sage, raises a number of questions on this matter.  “Why did Moses ask Aaron what the people had done to him to force him to make the calf?”  “In a case of idolatry,” isn’t one “supposed to die rather than let oneself be forced to sin?”  “Why are the people punished, and many of them killed, for making the calf that was actually made by Aaron?”  Why is it that Aaron, “is never punished for” making the calf “and is even made the High Priest, who will atone for the Israelites?”

 

Who Made the Calf?

God tells Moses, “Hurry down, for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have acted basely.  They have been quick to turn aside from the way that I enjoined upon them.  They have made themselves a molten calf and bowed low to it.”  The Torah is quite explicit about God being the one who brought the Israelites out Egypt.  So who are these people who Moses brought out of Egypt?  According to the commentators, they were “the mixed multitude,” non-Israelites whom Moses allowed to join the Jews on their way out of Egypt.  But if this were true, then why punish the Israelites for building the calf when it was non-Israelites who did the deed?  Could it be that God was so angry with the Israelites that he disassociated Himself from them and referred to them as the people of Moses?  Since we already know that God was angry enough with the Israelites to destroy them, it takes no great leap of logic to believe that He was angry enough to disown them and palm them off on Moses.  If we accept this explanation then punishing the Israelites makes sense since they were the ones who indeed built the calf.  (You see, there are a lot more than Four Questions when it comes to the whole Passover Story.)

 

Tablet Tantrum

“…and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mount.” (Exodus 32:19).  Moses came running down the mountain, saw the Israelites dancing around the Golden Calf and he smashed the tablets.  The tablets contained the words of God – words that God had intended for the children to hear and to obey.  God did not tell Moses to deny His words to the people.  Moses made that decision.  While Moses’ angry response is understandable, it might be seen as yet another example of his hot temper.  And while Moses gets high marks for interceding on behalf of the Israelites when He threatens to destroy, it would seem that his smashing of the tablets was an ultimate act of Chutzpah.  After all, who was he to deny the word of God to the Children of Israel?

 

 

Haftarah

I Kings 18:1-39 Ashekanzim (This is one of the longest of the year)

I Kings 18:20-39 Sephardim and Chabad Chassidim

 

The Book:  Originally Kings was one book.  The authors of the Septuagint divided it into First and Second Kings.  Kings covers the period of history from the death of King David through the destruction of the First Temple.  While it is presented as a history, the author of the Book of Kings reports on, and evaluates, the various monarchs and those who lived among them based on their faithfulness to God and His commandments.

 

The Man:  This week’s haftarah features three interesting figures.  First is the prophet Elijah.  Elijah appears earlier in the text without warning or fanfare “And Elijah the Tishbite who was of the settlers of Gilead said unto Ahab…” (17:1).  He is called a Tishbite because he was part of a family named Tishbi or because he was from a village called Tishbe.  Tishbe was probably a village in the region of Gilead.  Gilead was a region east of the Jordan River in what is today the Kingdom of Jordan.  It is a harsh, desert-like area.  Deserts have a way of producing harsh, fearsome prophets imbued with a sense of zeal.  Elijah traversed the countryside in his loincloth carrying a staff performing miracles and assailing the ruling class.  Think of John Brown dressed like Ghandi and you might get a picture in your mind of what I am trying to describe.  While Elijah is famous for his miracles, he is most famous for the way he died or should I say, did not die.  At the end of his life on earth, the text says, “And it came to pass as they still went on, and talked, that behold there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire which parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”  (Second Kings 2:11).

 

Ahab was King of Israel (The Northern Kingdom) from 871 through 852 B.C.E.  He was a prosperous Near Eastern potentate married to the foreign-born Jezebel.  While Ahab may have been a strong King, he was a weak man and a weak husband.  He allowed Jezebel to elevate the idolatrous worship of Baal and Asherah.  Among her crimes was the murder of the untold numbers of prophets who were faithful to Adonai.  In other words, she led a forcible campaign to replace the worship of God with the worship of idols in direct violation of the commandments.

 

The Message:  The most famous part of the haftarah describes a contest between the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal versus Elijah.  The confrontation takes place on Mt. Carmel in full view of a mass of Israelites.  The challenge is to see which sacrifice will be accepted - the one to god or the one to God.  At the outset Elijah hurls a challenge to the crowd.  “How long halt ye between two opinions?  If the Lord be God, follow Him; But if Baal, follow him.  And the people answer him not.” (18:21).  In other words, Elijah was not calling on them to repent and give up idolatry.  He was demanding that they make up their minds.  This is reminiscent of the message we found at the end of the book of Joshua, “Now therefore, revere the Lord and serve Him with undivided loyalty.  Or, if you are loath to serve the Lord, choose this day which you are going to serve - the gods that your forefathers served…or those of the Amorites in whose land you are settled; but I and my household will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15).  Obviously Elijah wanted them to choose the Lord.  The Rabbis teach us that thinking we can serve two masters is folly and folly leads to sin.  The people who cannot make up their minds are the ones who delude themselves into thinking that they can break one commandment without it affecting their observance of other commandments.  That is why it is so important to choose.  Making the choice will not keep one from sin.  But making the clear commitment to Adonai at least provides one with the blueprint and bulwark with which to fight off self-delusion and folly.  After uttering his challenge, Elijah had the prophets of Baal offer up their sacrifice.  They spent the day dancing about, uttering up incantations and slashing their bodies.  But the bull just sat on the altar, a hunk of flesh decaying in the noonday sun.  Finally, Elijah arose, prepared his bull and called upon the Lord to accept the offering.  The reading ends with the lightning of the Lord consuming the sacrifice and all that surrounded it.  This caused the awestruck Israelites to declare “Adonai who ho-Elohim, Adonai who ho-Elohim” or in English, “The Lord - only He is God, the Lord - only He is God.”  (The verse, “Adonai who ho-Elohim” is repeated seven times at the end of Neilah, the final service on Yom Kippur.)  The haftarah stops at this point, but the chapter continues.  Elijah had the prophets of Baal taken to the foot of the mountain where they were all killed.  And then, rain fell on the kingdom, ending the three-year draught that had plagued Israel.

 

Theme-link:  Both readings describe lone prophets of the Lord on mountaintops surrounded by those using bovines in their religious rituals.  In the case of the sedrah, it is Moshe dealing with the apostasy of the Golden Calf.  In the haftarah, it is the Israelites who have turned to Baal, offering bulls up to him on their altars.  In the haftarah, it is the lone figure of Elijah arrayed against the prophets of Baal and the power of the Queen who sets up the mountaintop confrontation that will bring the people back to the spiritual roots.  In both the sedrah and the haftarah, the people repent.  In the sedrah and the haftarah, the people are ultimately stricken with the realization of their sin and re-new their pledge of loyalty to Adonai.  In the sedrah and the haftarah one lone person makes the difference.  One person standing with God is stronger than the multitude clinging to their idol.

 

Elijah, From Man to Myth:  The figure of Elijah that has entered into Jewish tradition stands in stark contrast to the depiction found in Kings.  In Kings he is a tough, uncompromising zealot who is willing to kill multitudes and stand up against the monarchy in the name of God.  But for us he is this benign figure who will announce the coming of the Moshiach (Messiah).  He is the guest we invite into our homes each year at Pesach.  We have a special place for him at each brit.  And we sing his song every week at the conclusion of the Havdalah ceremony.  Why and how did this transformation take place?  We know that some time during the days of the Second Temple this transformation had occurred.  The prophet Malachi who lived around 450 B.C.E. recognized Elijah as the herald of the coming of the Moshiach.  “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” (Malachi 3: 23).  We know that by then he was to be the peacemaker resolving all disputes because the following verse states, “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers.”  Apparently Rabbi Telushkin heard the same reasons for Elijah’s transformation from his father and that I did as youngster at Adas Israel’s Hebrew School back in the 1950’s.  First, Elijah did not really die.  He ascended to heaven in a fiery chariot so he has always been around.  Second, he was a participant in some rather miraculous events.  Third, Elijah expressed the fear that the Jewish people were going to disappear.  After the episode described in the haftarah, he later declares, “…for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant…and I, even I only am left…” (I Kings 19:14).  Hence Elijah attends a myriad of Jewish events to reassure him that he was wrong and that the Jewish people live on - Am Yisrael Chai.

 

Jezebel:  Jezebel has come down to us as the embodiment of evil.  But from Jezebel’s point of view she is merely behaving in accord with the value system of her pagan society whose values were different from the values of the Israelites.  In the pagan world of Jezebel, kings were like gods.  They were above the law.  Hence, she could not understand why her husband the king should not have Navot’s vineyard.  She could not understand why it was wrong to take the land from its rightful owner since the king wanted it.  Her quarrel with Elijah was not over his belief in Adonai.  As a pagan she could allow for a multitude of gods.  Her quarrel with Elijah came from his insistence that the monarchy was subservient to the commandments of God.  Jezebel stands as a rebuke to the concept of moral relativism that is so popular today; that all cultures and beliefs have value and that we have no right to hold one to have more merit than the other.  Jezebel was true to her pagan concepts.  But it is obvious she was faithful to a system that was morally deficient when compared to the law Moshe brought down from Sinai.  In marrying Jezebel, Ahab committed a grievous sin.  This marriage gave her an opening to replace the teachings of Adonai with the practices of Baal.  By allowing her teachings “in,” Ahab violated the concept of holiness i.e., being separate.  (For more on this see “Jezebel, The Great Queen”, pg. 203-212, Biblical Images by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz.)  Lest you have any doubts about the evil of Jezebel, remember she was the mother of Athaliah, one of the bloodiest women in Jewish history.

 

Copyright; March 2024; Mitchell A. Levin

 

2/25/16

 

Readings for Saturday, February 24, 2024

Readings for Saturday, February 24, 2024

Tetzaveh (Command or Instruct)

27:20-30:10 Shemot (Exodus)

 

Tetzaveh is the eighth sedrah in the Book of Shemot (Exodus).  The sedrah takes its name from the second Hebrew word in the first verse of the reading.  “And you shall command (Tetzaveh) the children of Israel….”  Last week in Terumah we read the instructions for building the Tabernacle and the Ark.  This week we read about those who will be responsible for using and maintaining these holy precincts - the Priests or Kohanim.  Tetzaveh divides into four basic parts.  It opens with instructions concerning the Oil for Lighting (27:20-21).  It then shifts to The Clothing for the Priests (28:1-43) followed by The Ordination of the Priests (29:1-46).  The sedrah ends with instructions concerning The Altar for Burning Incense (30:1-10).  Some scholars contend that the material contained in this sedrah was inserted centuries after the events described were supposed to have occurred.  They contend that this was an attempt by the Priestly Class officiating at the Temple in Jerusalem to provide themselves with a lineage that would justify their position.  The pageantry of the Priesthood described in this sedrah is difficult for many modern Jewish readers to comprehend.  The garments, the bells, the incense, etc. are things that many of us relate to practices in Rome or Canterbury and not to Judaism.  While many of our customs and ceremonies are derived from those of the Priests, probably a majority of American Jews would have difficulty actually seeing them implemented in our time.  Fortunately several of the Chumahism in use today provide ample notes about the literal meaning of the text as well as graphics depicting the vestments of the Kohanim.  

 

Although God addresses Moshe in the sedrah, Tetzaveh is the only weekly portion from Shemot through Devarim that does not mention him by name.  Two reasons are offered.  One is that this omission is a tribute to Moshe’s humility.  Tetzaveh is devoted to the Kohanim and this is Aaron’s turn to be in the spotlight.  A second explanation has to do with the death of Moshe.  According to some, Moshe died on what is now the seventh of Adar.  This date always falls within the week when Tetzaveh is read; hence the absence of his name.

 

Oil For Lighting (27:20-21)

The sedrah begins with what appears to be a bit of unfinished business from last week.  Last week the Israelites were told about making the Menorah.  This week they are told about the kind of oil to be used and the instruction for kindling the lights.  From this source, among others, has come many customs about kindling lights that we follow today.  These include the “Ner Tamid” or Eternal Light that we find over the Ark, the candles we burn at the start of Shabbat, the Havdalah Candle, the candles lit at the start of each Festival, the Chanukah lights and the Yahrzeit Candle.  Light and fire have traditionally been connected with the presence of God.  Unfortunately, in the 20^th century light and fire have taken on another meaning for the Jew as well.  The haunting words of Eli Weisel’s The Night show that God can also be absent in the fire and the light it provides.

 

The Clothing for the Priests (28:1-43)

The entire chapter is devoted to describing the vestments of the Kohanim.  They include a Breastplate, an Ephod, a Robe, a Tunic, a Turban, a Sash, Breeches and a Headplate.  The Ephod was to be made of gold, blue, purple and scarlet threads.  These are popular colors for the various coverings later used in the synagogue or shul.  A bell was attached to the Robe so that people would know when the Kohan Gadol was moving in and out of a holy place.  A reminder of this bell can be seen in the bells that are attached to the crown or crowns on each Torah scroll.  The Breastplate contained two stones - The Urim and the Tumim.  They were used as a type of oracle.  How they functioned is not quite clear.  There are few references to their use in the TaNaCh.  From a modern point of view, the breastplate used in covering the Sefer Torah is a reminder of this priestly garb.  The Headplate is another example of wearing a reminder of God and his law on our forehead.  The Rosh (the tefillin worn on the forehead) is said by some to be a reminder of this piece of priestly garb.  The Breeches are worn as a sign of modesty.  Remember the earlier commandment about not exposing oneself when leaving an altar.  From a modern perspective, these special vestments may be seen as God’s way of telling us that performing His rituals is not a casual business and that casual dress is not appropriate.  Just as the Kohanim dressed in special attire when performing their duties in the Tabernacle and the Temple, so we wear special items such as the Tallit and dress in our best clothes for such events as Shabbat and Holiday services.  Before we carry this too far we should note that just because the Kohanim performed their rituals barefooted does not mean we should stop wearing shoes at Temple Judah.

 

The Ordination of the Kohanim (29:1-46)

The sedrah now describes the seven days of ceremonies and sacrifices that will comprise the ordination of the Kohanim.  Moshe is responsible for performing the various anointings and sacrifices.  Those being consecrated are Aaron and his four sons - Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.  While all of them will be Kohanim, only Aaron will be Kohan Gadol.  In a later reading Nadab and Abihu will be killed by God for taking “strange fire” into the Tabernacle.  Why is God commanding all of this?  As the text states, He is commanding all of this because “I the Lord am their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt.”  The description of these ceremonies concerning the Kohanim end with the same words that started the Sinaitic Revelation, also called the giving of the Ten Commandments.  This symmetry would indicate that regardless of how we might view all of this, the author(s) of the Torah, may have seen the Commandments, the Tabernacle, the Ark and the attendant rituals as vital parts of God’s plan to make the Israelites a holy nation, a nation of priests.

 

The Altar For Burning Incense (30:1-10)

The sedrah ends with the instructions for building one more altar.  Some commentators wonder why the instructions for building this altar were not included earlier with the other items that were in the Tabernacle.  Like the other items last week, this altar was portable complete with rings and poles.  The burning of incense must have been of great importance.  As proof of this, consider the following.  First, this particular altar was placed just outside the curtain in front of the Holy of Holies.  Secondly, traditional Jews recite these words (30:7-8) every day in a part of the Morning Service called Ketoret or Incense Offerings.

 

Themes:

 

Commandments

98.        The commandment to kindle a lamp (menorah) in the sanctuary (27:20-21).

99.        The specification of special garments to be worn by the priests (28:4-5).

100.        The commandment that the High Priest’s breast piece should not come loose from his ephod (28:28).

101.        The requirement to include a binding in the opening for the head of the High Priest’s robe to prevent tearing (28:32).

102.        The prohibition against others’ eating the special food set aside for the priests (29:32-33).

103.        The commandment that the priests burn aromatic incense at the sanctuary (30:7).

104.        The prohibition against offering sacrifices on the sanctuary’s altar of gold (30:3 and 30:9).

From Biblical Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

 

The Moral Message of the Two Altars

The sedrah of Terumah described the building of an altar of copper.  The sedrah of Tetzaveh concludes with the instructions for making the altar of gold on which incense was to be burned in the Sanctuary.  The Torah is relevant to all Jews and all times, but what is the contemporary application of this passage?  We have no Temple and no altar.  Seemingly these laws have nothing to tell us in the present.  But this is not so.  There are two kinds of Temple - one that can be destroyed and one kind that cannot be destroyed.  As we know from our history the Temple that can be destroyed refers to the brick and mortar constructed in Jerusalem.  The one that cannot be destroyed is the Temple within each Jew, where he or she still performs his or her service in an inward reflection of the service of the Sanctuary.  What follows is an explanation of how one of the laws about the altar can be translated into an important principle about the Jewish soul.

 

In the Mishnah, it states that the altar of gold and the altar of copper did not require ritual immersion because they could not become impure.  According to Rabbi Eliezer, this was because they were considered to be like the earth (which cannot become ritually unclean).  The other Sages held that it was because the altars were plated with metal.  The metal covering was considered subsidiary to the inner structure (which was made of shittim wood), and this could not become unclean.  Since the Torah can be interpreted on four levels, we know that the laws about these altars have more than just a literal significance.  Otherwise, they could not speak to the generations who live without the Temple and the altars.  There are amongst Jews, men of copper and men of gold.  Those who are rich in spiritual worth are like gold: their every act is like a precious coin.  The poor in spirit are the copper coins of the religious life.  But every Jew, however he behaves inwardly or outwardly, preserves intact at the heart of his being an essential desire to do G-d’s will - a spark of faith, sometimes hidden, sometimes fanned into flame.  The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe said:  “A Jew does not want, nor is he able, to be torn away from
G-dliness.”  This spark is where the altar of the Jew’s inner Temple is to be found.  On the altar, burnt offerings were brought.  They were animals, consumed by a fire from G-d.  And this happens within the Jew.  The sacrifice is of himself.  The animal is his “animal soul,” his egocentric desires.  And the fire which consumes him is the fire of the love of G-d Whose undying source is the spark of holiness at the essential core of his soul.  Whether a Jew belongs to the ”altars of gold” or is one of the “altars of copper,” as long as he reminds himself that essentially he is an altar where the fire of G-dly love consumes the “animal soul” of his self-centered passions, he cannot become impure.

Excerpted from Torah Studies (p.124-127), a compendium of talks by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson

 

The Role of Aaron

Aaron plays many roles throughout the saga of the Exodus and the Wandering in the Desert.  These roles, and the reasons for them, have been an on-going source of discussion for us since we began studying together.  This week’s sedrah raises the question as to why God commanded Moshe to transfer the position of Kohein Gadol to Aaron.  Some contend that the transfer was a form of punishment because Moshe had at first refused to return to Egypt as the messenger of God.  Others contend that it was not punishment at all but rather an acknowledgement of Moshe’s role in the divine plan.  Moshe was the intermediary between God and the Children of Israel.  As such he was on too high a plan of spirituality to deal with the more mundane matters of life, which is part of the role of the Kohein.  Furthermore, Moshe was too busy teaching the laws of God to the Children of Israel to have time to fill the role of Kohein.  So for both of these “practical reasons” Moshe had to relinquish the position.  Considering the role Aaron had played in confronting Pharaoh, he was the logical choice.  After all, when the text said, Moshe spoke to Pharaoh; it was actually Aaron who was doing the speaking.  However, Moshe had to proclaim that Aaron was to be Kohein Gadol or the people would not have accepted him in that role.  That is also the reason for the seven days of instruction.  It validated the proclamation in the eyes of the people.

 

Eating and the Jewish People

From the earliest days of the Jewish people to modern times, food and its consumption have been a recurring theme.  From Abraham feeding the three visitors on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah to the Broadway monologues of Jackie Mason, it is eat, eat and eat some more.  Tetzaveh provides food for thought on the subject of eating.  In this week’s portion we read, “And they (Aaron and his sons) shall eat those things with which atonement was made” (29:33).  According to the Talmud, this means that while the Priests eat the offerings, atonement is granted to those who brought the offering.  The Torah verse and the subsequent Talmudic commentary have given rise to a variety of tales on the subject of fasting and the importance of eating as enjoyable pleasure in which people indulge.  Here are a couple of examples which hopefully will provoke thought and commentary the next time you eat, or do not eat, a meal.

 

A famous sage asked his students, “How is it possible nowadays for a man to offer a sacrifice to a pagan god?”  When none answered, he continued.  “If a man withholds himself from eating because of anger; or if a man is commonly considered to be a scholar and a tzaddik, and though he is hungry he refrains from eating in order that those around him should consider him saintly and abstemious - then such a man is offering a sacrifice to a pagan god.”  In other words, eating is a good thing to do.  If you forgo a good thing for a bad reason, than you are acting in manner that is anathema to Judaism and the Lord.

 

A man complained to his Rabbi.  “We are told that if a man fasts for the requisite number of days, the Prophet Elijah will reveal himself in person to the person.  I have fasted for that many days and more and yet Elijah has not appeared.”  The Rabbi replied with a story.  The Baal Shem Tov got into his horse-drawn coach and began a long journey.  The horses were used to pulling the coach from town to town.  At each town, they would stop and they would be fed in the manner in which men feed their horses.  But this was one of those magical trips where the Baal Shem would seem to fly through the air defying the laws of time and space to reach the destination.  As they appeared to pass by town after town and nobody fed them, the horses began to wonder.  At first they thought they had become magical horses.  When they continued to pass through the air without feeling tired, they began to think that maybe they were not horses at all.  Instead they were angels.  But when they arrived at their destination, the horses were taken to the stable and given bags of feed.  The horses attacked the bags of feed in the manner of real horses.  “And so it is with a person who fasts, and already imagines himself to be an angel worthy of being visited by Elijah, the prophet.  What counts is that when he has completed his fasts, and is confronted by food, he should not attack it like a horse, because then he remains the same horse that he always was.”

 

During the week a man divided his time between earning a living, praying and studying the holy books.  He barely ate at all and he ate so quickly that he actually spent more time making the blessing over the bread and reciting the Grace After Meals than he did in eating.  But on Shabbat, each meal was a long, leisurely affair.  There was food and drink in abundance, but not one word of Torah was spoken.  One Shabbat, a visiting sage joined the man for the meal after the morning service.  When he saw all the others were busy eating, he saw what he thought was a golden opportunity to provide a discourse on the reading of the week.  As the sage opened his mouth to begin speaking, his host thrust a piece of challah into his mouth.  When the sage opened his mouth again to speak, his host thrust a piece of fish into his mouth.  Each time the sage opened his mouth, he found it filled with food.  Finally he gave up and ate his meal.  After Shabbat, the sage asked his host why he behaved as he did.  The man replied as follows, “We are taught that a man should fill his days with an occupation, prayer and study to avoid the evil inclination.  We are to do these things with total concentration.  But on Shabbat, we are told that we should enjoy the bounty of our table as well engage in prayer and study.  If we are to pray, study and work without distraction, should we not also enjoy the bounty of the table in the same manner?  So on Shabbat, we eat without speaking of Torah so that we will not be distracted.  For if we spoke of Torah during the meal, then surely we would stop eating and then we would not be observing the Shabbat in the prescribed manner.”

 

Environment Matters

This week’s reading reminds us again that there is a difference between liberation and The Exodus.  Liberation means being freed from bondage.  Exodus means leaving the place where you have been living.  So why didn’t God force the Pharaoh to free the Israelites and then let them stay in Goshen?  “And they shall know that I am the Lord and their God, who brought them out from the land of Egypt that I might abide among them” (29:46).  While God is everywhere, He knew that the Israelites were going to need a change of scenery if they were going to be able to learn to live according to his commandments.  He knew that the environment does have an impact on human behavior.  That has led to the admonitions about avoiding certain places lest you be tempted to follow the wrong path.  It also led to the tale of the sage who spurned an offer of great wealth if he would move to a new town because it was not a place where Torah was studied.

 

Showing Who’s Boss

In describing the attire of the Kohanim (Priests), this week’s portion says “You shall make them girdles” about which the Talmud says, “The girdle of the Kohanim atones for the sinful thoughts” (Tractate Arachim).  This interpretation has given rise to the following story.

 

“A man once came to Reb Dov Ber, the Maggid Mezritch with the complaint that he was unable to clear his mind of the sinful thought that bothered him constantly.  The Maggid told him to go to Zhithomer and visit with an innkeeper named Reb Ze’ev.  The man followed the Maggid’s command, but by the time he had arrived at the Reb Ze’ev’s inn, it was late at night and the building was locked.  The man knocked repeatedly but there was no answer.  As he stood outside freezing in the cold he called out, “How can you people have no pity on a fellow Jew who is stranded outside on this winter’s night?”  No word was heard from the inn.  No one came to unbolt the door.  At daybreak, the door opened as it always did.  The freezing visitor who had survived the night entered and stayed at the inn for a few days.  But Reb Z’ev did not ask him any questions, a fact that puzzled the man sent by the Maggid.  “Why,” he asked himself, “did the Maggid send me here?”  Finally, the man decided to leave for home.  Before departing he told Reb Z’ev, “The Maggid sent me to visit you - but I don’t know why.”  Reminding the visitor about the locked door that had kept him out of the inn, Reb Z’ev said, “I’ll tell you why the Maggid sent you here.  He wanted you to learn from me that a man is the master of his house, and whomever he does not want inside he simply does not admit.”  (Based on the writings of Rabbi Shlomo Yozef Zevin, of Blessed Memory.)

 

Rabbi Hirsh and Tetzaveh

On Saturday, February 13, 1897 Emil G. Hirsch who served as Rabbi at Temple Sinai in Chicago preached the sermon at Temple Beth-El in New York.  He based his talk on Chapter 28 of the Book of Exodus which was part of the Torah reading for that day.  Hirsch was considered a radical by some so this excerpt from his talk which appeared in the New York Times, provides a fascinating window into the mind of one of the leaders of the Reform Movement during the last decades of the 19^th century and the first decades of the 20^th century.

 

“What is the real function of religion in life? What is the real position we Jews should occupy with respect to our religion?

 

“The chapter read this morning flavors of archaeology, and has initiated us into the mysteries of priestly millinery, but we are to discover what the lessons therein mean.  Each chapter of the Bible has its significance.  The first injunction is to bring ‘pure and clean’ oil to light the lamp to the Lord.  In the Bible, oil, olive oil especially, is the great healing element.  To anoint with oil was to offer healing influences.  Religion is the conciliatory, the soothing element, and it is to soothe us and modify our pride.

 

“God has made humanity as He has made the world.  As there are all phases of nature, so there are all phases of society, and they are all bound together in the realization of the plan formed by the Almighty.

 

“In order to extract oil from the olive the fruit must be crushed, pressed, and lacerated.  As is the olive, so is Israel.  Destined to be prosecuted and placed over oil and the light, and must give to the world a religious conception of the universe.  If Israel had a religion only for itself, I would say that it is time it should disappear from the world.  But Israel has furnished the text which all preachers preach to-day.  All the ethics of to-day are flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone.  It is Israel who is lighting the lamp, for which he has furnished the oil, not for his own good alone, but for the good of the world.  The light of Israel’s ethical religion must shine forth from the cover, from the evening until the full dawn of morning.

 

“Oil does not mix with water.  The Gulf Stream in the ocean, whose waters are distinct from the waters of the sea, is a phenomenon, akin to Messianic Israel.  The one influences navigation, the other the world, yet they will not mix, but remain always distinct.  Israel is still the oil.  It cannot mix with the waters.  It must stand alone.

 

“Jewish Theology may be the theology of the world, but Jewish ethics are not entirely the ethics of the world, and we cannot yet lay down the burden which has been placed upon our shoulders.  So long as there is darkness on the earth, Israel will be the Messiah for the world - Israel, anointed with this oil to dispel the darkness and living the light.  Then, and not until then, will Israel’s mission on earth be completed.

 

“That is the Israelite’s conception of religion and that is the Israelite’s duty on earth.  He is the priest, the Messiah, and shall lead upward and onward.  That is what the Prophet had in mind when he exclaimed, ‘I, Jehovah, have not ceased to be, nor you, Israel, have not ceased to be.’”

 

 For more about Rabbi Hirsch see

http://americanjewisharchives.org/publications/journal/PDF/1952_04_02_00_martin.pdf

 

Priest: From Power to Pawn

In his commentary on Tetzaveh, Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi, points out that this week the Priests move from being marginal figures into a central role of leadership based on heredity.  The ancient Israelites had several different leaders, each with a unique function - Prophets, Kings, Priests - to name the three major ones.  The Kingship effectively ended with the Babylonian Exile.  Prophecy came to an end with Malachi sometime around 450 BCE.  The position of Priests is the only one to carry on into the Common Era.  Unfortunately, the position of High Priest became a political football as different leaders competed to use what, in the days following Judah Maccabee became a way for temporal leaders to rule the Jewish state.  Sometime during the last century before the Common Era the Priesthood ceased to be the institution described in this week’s portion.  The rituals performed by the High Priests which were supposed to reinforce right behavior and bring them closer to God became, from a theological point of view, a nullity.  In other words, all of those sacrifices, all of those priestly incantations, etc. had to have been rejected by HaShem since they did not conform to the rules states in the Torah nor were they offered by those designated by Him.  The Priesthood is gone - a distant memory brought to mind only when we are calling the first Aliyah to the Torah.  But the lesson of leaders who use religion for political purposes or religious leaders who use their position for political or personal gain are as valid today as they were when the Priests betrayed the Priesthood and the temporal leaders co-opted the role of High Priest in the days of the Second Commonwealth.

 

 

Haftarah

43:10-27 Ezekiel

 

The Man:  “Ezekiel lived during the last days of Jerusalem and received inspiration from the utterances of Jeremiah, his elder contemporary.  Ezekiel prophesied in Babylon for a period of twenty-two years, having been taken into captivity eleven years before the fall of Jerusalem.  Prior to the destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar in 586, Ezekiel’s prophecies were messages of doom; after it, they were messages of hope and assurances of restoration.  Ezekiel dwells on a prophet’s responsibility for the fate of his people.  He maintains that a prophet is a watchman, responsible for warning his people of the consequences of misdoings.  He tells us that each man possesses the power to be good or evil regardless of heredity and predisposition, and that the individual is master of his own destiny and responsible for his own deeds.  Ezekiel stresses the idea that everybody can turn over a new leaf and look hopefully toward the future.  His vision of the dry bones vividly illustrates the hope of restoration and revival of a nation that was given up as dead.  The book of Ezekiel is the third in the division of the Bible known as Latter Prophets, the first two books being those of Isaiah and Jeremiah.  Its forty-eight chapters are divided into two equal parts.  The first twenty-four chapters contain speeches uttered by Ezekiel prior to the national disaster of 586.  The last twenty-four chapters consist of visions that occurred after the destruction of Jerusalem.  The final chapters of Ezekiel concerning the glorious future of Israel have provided the Jewish people with a beacon of light through the lonely years of exile.”  A Treasury of Judaism by Philip Birnbaum.

 

The Message:  This week’s short haftarah comes from the second half of the book of Ezekiel.  These are the prophecies uttered to the exiles in Babylonia designed to give them the hope for the future.  For once, the text provides us with definitive information about the time of the events.  “In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, the fourteenth year after the city had fallen, at the beginning of the year, the tenth day of the month - on that very day of the month - the hand of the Lord came upon me and He brought me there.” (40:1).  In other words, he was speaking in 572 B.C.E.  The date of the utterances may be specific, but as we shall see the meaning of these verses remains opaque to say the least.  Ezekiel describes the construction of an Altar, which will be used in the re-built Temple.  He also describes the dedicatory ceremonies.  Finally, he informs us that in the Temple of the Future, the Kohanim will be “descended from Zadok.”  This is the group of Kohanim whose ancestors supported King David and sided with King Solomon when the latter’s brother sought to keep him from the throne.  The consecration sacrifices described by Ezekiel appear to be at odds with the Torah, specifically Shemot 29:37 and Vayikra 8:33, 35.  Also there is a difference between the measurements of Ezekiel’s Altar and the Altar in the Second Temple.  These were some of the discrepancies that almost led to the book of Ezekiel not being in the canon.  However, some fancy Rabbinic footwork saved the day.  One of the conclusions was that Ezekiel was really describing the Third Temple even though the Second Temple had not even been built yet let alone destroyed.  (For more on this, consult the writings of Radak or Rabbi David (Ben Joseph) Kimhi.  He was a noted Biblical commentator who lived in France during the latter half of the 12^th century and the beginning of the 13^th century.  This means he was born about a half a century after Rashi.).  Ezekiel uses the words altar and table interchangeably (43:13, 31:22 and 41:22).  These references have provided some of the underpinning for many Jewish customs and ceremonies.  With the destruction of the Temple the table took the place of the altar in a symbolic sense.  A myriad of blessings, customs and ceremonies developed around eating and drinking.  The activities of the table became holy as we can see when we chant the Kiddush, wash our hands before making Ha Motzi, dip our bread in salt or recite the Grace After Meals.

 

Theme-Link:  Both the sedrah and the haftarah deal with the construction of dwelling places for God.  One is the Mishkan and the other is the Temple.  They both specifically deal with the building of an altar and consecration ceremonies.  Both are dealing with future construction.  However, the sedrah is dealing with a contemporaneous event.  The Mishkan and all its parts will be built at Sinai.  The construction described by Ezekiel has become synonymous with a future event tied to the coming of the Moshiach.

 

Copyright; February, 2024; Mitchell A. Levin

 

2/18/16