Readings for Saturday, August 10, 2024
Shabbat Chazon
Devarim (Words)
1:1-3:22 Devarim (Deuteronomy)
Devarim (Deuteronomy) is the name of the fifth book of the Torah. It is also the name of the first sedrah or weekly reading. The Hebrew word Devarim means “words.” Devarim takes its name from the first significant word in the reading, “These are the words (Devarim) that Moshe spoke to all Israel.” Deuteronomy, the English name for this book, is a term meaning “the second telling or repetition of the law.” This English name is actually consistent with an older Hebrew name for this book - Mishneh Torah or a “Recapitulation of the Torah.” Traditionally, Devarim is viewed as Moshe’s last will and testament to the Jewish People. Picture the aged leader, with only five weeks to live, standing on the plains of Moab reviewing the past forty years in the Wilderness. He has so much to tell these people. He has new laws for them to follow once they cross the Jordan River. Plus which, he is afraid they are going to louse things up. After all, he knows how badly they behaved when he was alive. What are they going to do once they get to Canaan, with all of its additional temptations and he is not around to lead them? As has been said before, he probably had the same panic that parents do when their children leave home for the first time. So you sit them down the night before they leave for college, or whatever, and you just tell them everything that they need to know that you are sure that you have not told them and that they will not figure out on their own. If you have ever been through that, you can probably appreciate what Moshe was going through at a human level.
From a presentation point of view, Devarim can be divided into five parts - Three Discourses by Moshe, followed by a Song, and then, the Final Blessings of the Israelites. The book actually ends with the death of Moshe. According to Telushkin’s listing, two hundred of the six hundred thirteen commandments are found in this book. Other commentators point out that these commandments are not all repetitions of previous themes since there are at least seventy that are “completely new.” There is an undercurrent of rebuke in much that Moshe has to say. The Israelites need to be reminded of their transgressions, not so that they can be ashamed, but so that they will understand how they got to where they are and so that they will not commit these transgressions again. Devarim is unique among the books of the Torah because Moshe is speaking directly to the people. It does not say, God spoke these words to Moshe saying speak to the Israelites. Rather the text says, “These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Israel.” This is a unique shift worthy of discussion at a Shabbat Kiddush.
The Book of Devarim plays a unique role in the history of the Jewish people. Chapters 22 and 23 of the Second Book of Kings (one of the books in the second section of the TaNaCh) describe a religious reformation that took place under King Josiah. Josiah was King of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, from 640 B.C.E. until his death in 608 B.C.E. Workmen repairing the Temple found a book referred to as the Sefer Ha-Torah or The Book of the Teaching. When Josiah read this book, he undertook sweeping religious reforms that brought the errant nation back to the path of God. For a variety of reasons, including the nature of the some of the reforms he instituted, the Sefer Ha-Torah is assumed to be an early version of Devarim. This story leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions, not the least of which was how the book came to be lost in the first place. As you will see, the teachings in the Book of Devarim are the source for many customs and beliefs practiced, in whole or in part, by most Jews today. According to the editors of Etz Hayim, these include the Shema which is the statement of the core belief in the Oneness of God; the weekly reading of the Torah; the recitation of the Grace After Meals; the chanting of Kiddush on Shabbat; the placement of the mezuzah on the doorpost; wearing tzitzit (and by extension the talit); laying tefillin and giving charity to the poor. Additionally, Devarim provides us with five of the “Six Remembrances.” We will discuss these in more detail as we encounter them in upcoming weekly readings.
Devarim is the sedrah that is always read on the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av. The sedrah is basically a recapitulation of the events that occurred from the time the Israelites were at Mt. Sinai until they arrived at the Plains of Moab where Moshe agreed to let the two and one half tribes settle on the east bank of the Jordan. Having just finished reading Bamidbar, you might find it interesting to compare that version of the story with Moshe’s summary. There will be no attempt here to summarize a text that is already a summary. However, there are a few salient points that are worth noting.
Criticism
Commentators view the opening verses (1:1-5) as Moshe chastising the Israelites. The references are oblique. This is in keeping with the practice of not shaming people when mentioning what they have done wrong.
Divine Purpose
Moshe clearly states the reason why they have made the journey. God told the Israelites it was time to leave Mt. Sinai and take possession of the land He had promised to the Patriarchs (1:6-8). In other words, they are not just a bunch of wandering nomads; they have a divine mission to perform. At the same time, they cannot perform it by hanging around Mt. Sinai. They must leave that holy place and take the Torah into the world.
Denial
Moshe is told in Bamidbar that he will not be entering the Promised Land. At that time, he accepted God’s judgment without comment. But in a recurring theme of the book of Devarim, Moshe expresses his displeasure with this divine decision. “With me, as well, the Lord became angry because of you, saying: ‘You, too, shall not come there.’” In other words, Moshe is blaming the Israelites for fact that he is not going to cross the Jordan. Those who view Moshe as this mythic figure may find these words troubling. But if you remember that Moshe is a human being, capable of expressing anger and disappointment, then you may find poignancy and a richer meaning to these angry words.
Leadership
Moshe is vitally concerned about the orderly transfer of power. He is constantly promoting Joshua as his successor. But he also takes care to remind Joshua that his success will be tied to the Lord. Moshe reminds Joshua that he does not have to base this trust on blind faith, but rather on the deeds he has already seen performed (3:21-22).
Themes
Commandments
414.
The injunction to appoint competent judges (1:17).
415.
The judge’s obligation to act fairly and without fear of the litigants
(1:17).
Biblical Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
Words
and Things
“Devarim” is usually translated to mean “words.” “Devarim” may also be translated as “things,” “incidents,” or “occurrences.” The opening line of the sedrah could then be translated as “These are the things (incidents or occurrences) that Moshe spoke about.” The listing of the places in the next verse is a form of shorthand referring to episodes where the Israelites showed a lack of faith in God or otherwise did not measure up to the task at hand. In other words, as Weisblum puts it, the opening verse should read, “These are things that you have done wrong.”
The
Mouth of Moshe
When God called to Moshe at the Burning Bush, Moshe told God that he could not accept the job because he was not a man of words, “Ish Devarim.” After all, he had a speech impediment. Yet here we are, forty years later and Moshe’s book is called Devarim, words. In fact, he has enough words in him that he will talk to the people for the last five weeks of his life. What happened to our tongue-tied shepherd? Could it be that the zeal for the Lord and knowledge of Torah overcame his speech impediment? That is one question that I will leave to each of you to answer.
The
Sedrah and the Calendar
This sedrah is always read on the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av. Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word “Aycha” is used for the first time in the TaNaCh in this sedrah (1:12). “Aycha” is translated variously as “Alas” or “How.” “Aycha” appears for the third time as the first word in the Book of Lamentations, which is read on Tisha B’Av. The Hebrew name for the Book of Lamentations is Aycha. You will have to read the rest of this Guide to find when the word “Aycha” appears for the second time in the TaNaCh.
Judges
and Justices
Judaism is a religion thick with laws. The concepts of justice and a just society are themes that recur throughout Jewish writings. Devarim places a special emphasis on this concept. We see it for the first time in 1:13-15 when Moshe provides us with the characteristics of a good judge and the manner in which a case should be adjudicated.
Delegation
of Authority
Moshe reminds the people of how he chose judges to hear their cases while they were still camped at Mt. Sinai. Commentators usually hail this delegation of authority as a stroke of administrative genius. Here in Devarim, Moshe may be seen to be rebuking the people for accepting the decision so willingly. When he told them of the decision, “You answered me and said, ‘What you propose to do is good.’” (1:14) Maybe he was hoping that the people would have expressed displeasure at losing their contact with Moshe, of not getting their Torah straight from the horse’s mouth so to speak. In what might be seen as a chapter from a book on modern management techniques, Moshe saw the positives and pitfalls of delegation.
Minyan
There are numerous explanations as to why ten is the minimum number of Jews for a quorum for public, communal worship. This sedrah provides another. In Devarim 1:15, ten is the smallest number over which a chieftain presided. If Moshe stopped with ten, then it is assumed ten is the smallest number for communal prayer. Moshe also references the ten spies who did not want to go into the land. They were an “edah” or a congregation. If ten could work for an evil purpose - thwarting God’s plan to go into the Promised Land - then in typical Jewish fashion, ten could also be an “edah” for good - communal prayer including the reading of the Torah.
Love
and the Law
As Blu Greenberg points out in “Challenge to Convention,” her commentary on this week’s portion, Devarim is thick with laws. According to her, the book contains 200 of the 613 mitzvoth. At one point, the Talmud divides these laws into two categories: laws that govern relations between humans and God and laws that govern relations between one person and another. For those in need of a visual, think of the two tablets of the Ten Commandments. On one side are the laws that begin “I am the Lord thy God” and on the other side are the laws that start, “Thou shalt not murder.” But then the Rabbis double back on themselves by saying that violating laws that govern relationships between people really violate the covenant with God. For example, we are told not to keep a false set of weights. This sounds like one of those human to human laws. But the text tells us not to do this because it offends God. In other words, the line of demarcation is not clear. Since each person is God’s creation, hurting that person is really a manifestation of “hurting” God. How do we show our love for God? By treating each person with love. How do we know what it means to love God? He has given us the law so that, among other things, we can manifest that love. Love does not replace the law. Love is a feeling, an emotion. The challenge is to find a venue for demonstrating that love. In Judaism, “observance of the law is linked to love. ‘And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only this, to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.’”(10:12).
The
Antiquity of Devarim
A whole body of literature has developed over the last two centuries attacking the antiquity of the Book of Devarim. I have neither the time, nor the space nor the expertise to do justice to this topic. Some critics claim that the priests wrote Devarim during the reign of King Josiah, just before the workmen repairing the Temple miraculously found the supposedly ancient scroll. According to this line of reasoning, Devarim was a power grab. It was written to provide a theological and historic basis for centralizing the cult of the sacrifice in Jerusalem. In other words, Devarim is not revelation. It is a pious fraud. It is the word of men, not God. This line of reasoning would have been popular with those who were looking at the Bible as literature, not revealed teaching. By accepting the view of Higher Biblical Criticism, they could then just discard any parts of the Torah that they found inoperative. While nobody can provide a date certain for the writing of Devarim, there is a great deal of evidence for rejecting the revisionist view. For example, why would a book that was written to ensure the centralization of sacrifice in Jerusalem not mention that city once by name? Why would a book written after the split into two kingdoms contain references only to one Jewish nation? Why would the Prophets who lived before the priests supposedly wrote the Book of Devarim make reference to laws and customs that are part of Devarim? The Hertz Chumash has a brief, but very informative article on this topic starting on Page 937. This is a topic which should hold your attention as we read this book over the next couple of months.
Echoes of Egypt
The description of the encounter with King Sihon of Heshbon (2:26- 2:35) raises the question of free will versus predestination that we dealt with in the story of the Exodus. When Moses dealt with Pharaoh, God would “harden his heart.” When Moses asked King Sihon for the right to pass through his land, the king “refused to let us pass through, because the Lord had stiffened his will and hardened his heart in order to deliver him in your power.…” Reading the text as written, God deliberately intervened to affect the course of history. So, why does God intervene here and remain the absent bystander in other episodes? If God could intervene with the King of Heshbon, why didn’t he intervene (I will leave it to supply the event which will finish the question)? And now you have another item to discuss when you sit down to Shabbat Kiddush for which I do not have an answer.
Devarim
Quiz Time
1. What analogy
did Moshe use to describe the current population of Israel? (1:2)
2. How did Moshe
describe God’s advice about passing through the hill country of Esau? (1:14)
3. According to
Moshe, who died in the 38 years from the time the Israelites left Kadesh Barnea
until they crossed the Zared Valley? (2:1)
4. What
possession that belonged to Og, King of Bashan, did Moshe find worthy of
mention? (2:18)
5. According to
Moshe, what was he not going to be allowed to do because God was angry with
him? (3:4)
(Source: Nelson’s Amazing Bible Trivia)
Haftarah
1:1-27 Isaiah
The Man and The Book: This is not the first time we have read about Isaiah, nor will it be the last. Fifteen of the fifty-four haftarot read on Saturday mornings come from the Book of Isaiah. In fact we will be reading about Isaiah for eight straight weeks, since the seven haftarot all come from the Book of Isaiah. After a while, the challenge will be to tell you something you do not already know. Therefore, I am going to deviate from the normal practice, and just provide you with direct material from various sites over the next several weeks. By drawing directly on authors, you will not feel like you are getting nothing more than a re-hash of material you have already received.
Isaiah was a paramount shaper of the prophetic vision. He was active over an extraordinarily lengthy period of time: "The prophecies of Isaiah son of Amoz, who prophesied concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah" (Isaiah 1:1). Isaiah was the most "political" of the prophets. In the face of Assyrian expansionism he counseled a passive political and military approach. He put his faith in divine salvation, which would certainly follow from a necessary change in the moral leadership and in the people's spiritual tenacity. Every "earthly" attempt to alter the course of events was foredoomed, since the mighty Assyria was no more than a "rod" in God's hands with which to punish the sins of Jerusalem: "Again the Lord spoke to me, thus: 'Because that people has spurned the gently flowing waters of Siloam assuredly, my Lord will bring up against them the mighty, massive waters of the Euphrates, the king of Assyria and all his multitude’" (8:6-7). When the comprehensive religious reforms introduced by King Hezekiah seemed, at first, to justify the hopes held out for him by Isaiah, the prophet supported him in the difficult moments of the Assyrian siege: "Assuredly, thus said the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not enter this city; he shall not shoot an arrow at it, or advance upon it with a shield, or pile up a siege mound against us. He shall go back by the way he came, he shall not enter this city declares the Lord" (37:33-34). However, Isaiah took an unwaveringly dim view of Hezekiah’s attempts to forge alliances with Egypt and with the envoys of the Babylonian king Merodach-baladan, as a wedge against Assyrian expansionism. Such efforts, he said, attested to insufficient faith in the Lord. Isaiah is also considered the most universal of the prophets: "In the days to come, the Mount of the Lord's House shall stand firm above the mountains.... And the many peoples shall go and shall say: Come; let us go up to the Mount of the Lord..."(2:2-3).
From the “New Jerusalem Mosaic” Website sponsored by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Message: The haftarah comes from the first 27 verses of the Book of Isaiah. The prophet opens by declaring that this is his “Chazon” or in English, his “Vision.” In other words, what we are about to “hear” is prophecy in the truest sense of the word. Please note, I said “hear.” The language is majestic and must be read aloud if it is to be fully appreciated.
There is a three-part indictment. The people have broken the covenant by turning their back on God. “Children I have reared and brought up, And they have rebelled against me” (1:2). The people have turned the religious practices into meaningless sham. “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me?” (1:11). “Bring no more vain oblations” (1:13). Finally, they have perverted the very system of justice ordained by God. “Everyone loves bribes, and follows after reward; They judge not the fatherless, Neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them” (1:23). For this land will be laid waste and the transgressing Israelites will be punished. “And the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard” (1:8). “Therefore saith the Lord…I will ease Me of Mine adversaries, And avenge Me of Mine enemies” (1:24). But as is always the case, the haftarah ends on a positive note. “Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and they that return with righteousness” (1:27).
Theme-Link: According to tradition, the link here is not with the content of the sedrah but with the calendar. This is the third of three Haftarot of Rebuke read after the Seventeenth of Tammuz and before Tisha B’Av. The Shabbat prior to Tisha B’Av is called Shabbat Chazon. It takes its name from the first word of the haftarah. Chazon literally means vision as in, “The vision (Chazon) of Isaiah son of Amoz which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem” (1:1). The Vision is the vision of the destruction of the land and exile. This is certainly an appropriate theme for the last Shabbat before commemorating the destruction of Temple and the exile from the Promised Land. Modern translations such as Etz Hayim and Plaut translate Chazon to mean “prophecies.” They may have the better of the linguistic case although the word “Chazon” does mean “vision.” More to the point, their translation betrays the majesty of the sentence and the sense of the special Shabbat, which is the Sabbath of the Vision. A second reason for reading this haftarah is that it uses the Hebrew word “Aycha” (1:21). This word is translated as “how” or “alas.” As we already know, the word “Aycha” appears only four times in the TaNaCh and it is the Hebrew name for the Book of Lamentations which is read on Tisha B’Av. It may not be intentional, but there does appear to be a thematic link between the sedrah and the haftarah. In the sedrah, Moshe sets out the requirements for justice including impartiality, hearing all cases, and avoiding bribes. In the haftarah, Isaiah tells the people that violating these very admonitions about judicial fairness will lead to exile and destruction.
Lyndon
Johnson and Isaiah: As
Senator or President, when Lyndon Johnson sought to reach a compromise on some
thorny issue, he would open with “Come now, let us reason together”
(1:18). Johnson knew the words came from
Isaiah; he often gave the prophet credit for the line. But I wonder if Johnson knew the context in
which they were uttered. They certainly
were not intended to be the opening gambit in political wheeling and dealing,
no matter how noble the cause. Instead,
as Dr. I.W. Slotki points out, in verses 18 - 20 (which are quoted in their
entirety) God is reasoning with His people, offering pardon and prosperity to
the pertinent and death and destruction to the rebellious: “18 Come now, and let us reason together,
saith the LORD; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall
eat the good of the land; 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured
with the sword; for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken.” Actually, this is a pretty unique concept of
the God-Man relationship. God is not
commanding, He is not threatening with divine thunderbolts. God is “reasoning” with Man to get him to
follow in His path.
Tisha B’Av Fast begins at Sundown, Monday, August 12, 2024
Recite Aycha (Lamentations)
Torah Readings for Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Tisha B’Av (The Ninth Day of Av)
Tisha B’Av is a fast day that falls on the ninth day of Av. In other words the observance takes its name literally from the day of the month on which it occurs. Tisha B’Av commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples as well as other calamities that befell our people. Bethar fell to the Romans on Tisha B’Av in 135 A.D. Bethar was the stronghold of Bar Kochba. The fall of Bethar marked the end of the third of the major rebellion against the Romans. The edict banishing the Jews from England was signed on Tisha B’Av 1290. The final expulsion of the Jews from Spain took place on Tisha B’Av 1492. Several commentators also cite the fact the Talmud ties the Episode of the Spies to Tisha B’Av. According to this, God delivered the statement of punishment (Bamidbar 14:29) on the ninth day of the fifth month. There seems to be some question about The First Temple actually having been destroyed on the ninth day of Av. According to Second Kings (25:18-19) the burning occurred “on the seventh day of the fifth month.” Jeremiah reports it has having taken place “on the tenth day of the fifth month” (52:12-13). According to Josephus, the historian who was alive at the time (and other contemporaries), the Second Temple was destroyed on the tenth of Av. Apparently the Talmud resolves the conflict as follows.
The Babylonians entered the Temple grounds on the seventh, attacked the Temple on the eighth, started the fire on the ninth and watched it finally burn to the ground on the tenth. Since the fire was started on the ninth, that became the day of fasting and mourning. There are those who feel that Tisha B’Av should no longer be observed, especially with the founding of the modern state of Israel and the re-unification of Jerusalem. In an earlier period the Reform Movement wanted to drop the observance since it was “an anachronism.” Interestingly enough, Rabbi David Einhorn, a Reform Rabbi living in Baltimore in the 19th century, sought to maintain the observance of Tisha B’Av but with a different twist. He saw the exile as a positive thing because it provided the impetus for the Jews to share the teachings of God with people throughout the world. Regardless, Tisha B’Av has survived on our calendar. In Israel, restaurants and places of public amusement are closed and Tisha B’Av is observed as a national day of mourning. Years ago, a youngster attended Jacobs Camp, a camp run by the Reform Movement in Utica, Mississippi. When he came home, he told how wonderful it had been - the Bible stories, Shabbat, singing Hebrew songs and of course all of the physical fun of summer camp. He only had a problem with one day at camp. Remember, this is an eight year old telling the story. In the midst of all of this fun, one day they were told they had to be sad. They had to think about the all the things that made them said. He wasn’t sure why they had to do this. And it was the hardest thing to do all summer because it is hard to be sad when you are having a good time. Most of us do not see any reason to observe Tisha B’Av. But maybe an eight-year-old has given us a reason. Compared to others, Jews in America do live the good life. It is hard to remember this. Maybe a little such contemplation on Tisha B’Av would help us avoid “the spiritual sloth” described in the sedrah and the special Torah reading for Tisha B’Av; which leads to both physical and spiritual exile.
Customs and Ceremonies
On Tisha B’Av, traditional Jews follow the same rules of abstinence that are connected with Yom Kippur. For twenty-four hours, they do not eat, drink, bath or engage in sexual relations. The mourning motif begins with the Evening Service. The Ark is draped with a black cloth. The cover is removed from the bimah. The lights are turned low and those attending the service refrain from greeting each other in the normal manner. Many people refrain from wearing leather shoes and, like mourners, they sit on low stools or the floor. Following the evening service, congregants chant the entire Book of Lamentations (Aycha) and poems of lament called Kinnot. The tallit and tefillin are not worn in the morning service, but are worn in the afternoon service instead. There are special Torah and Haftarah readings for the morning and afternoon services.
Memory versus History I
There are several different “versions” of the Destruction of the First Temple. Beside the versions and references in Jeremiah and Lamentations, you might want to look at Chapter 36 in Chronicles II and http://judaism.about.com/od/jewishhistory/a/greatrevolt.htm for more information.
Memory versus History II
For centuries we have “remembered” the destruction of the Second Temple. But memory is not the same as history. Memory can be mushy, hazy; history, good history is more rigorous, hard edged and balanced. It provides us with the information that will help us to understand our past and how to apply our past to the present and future. We would all do well to go back and study the history of the period that marked the final decades of the Second Commonwealth that climaxed with the Great Revolt against Rome. The Jewish War by Josephus is the most famous history covering these events. Josephus was a Jewish general who participated in the revolt. The work has two drawbacks. First, it is long and difficult to read. Secondly, it is tainted by the fact that he defected to the Romans which means the book is self-serving to say the least. In some respects, his work is as reliable as a history of the American Revolution written by Benedict Arnold would be. You can find brief articles about the event at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/revolt.html; http://judaism.about.com/od/jewishhistory/a/greatrevolt.htm; http://www.josephus.org/causesOfWar.htm.
Rome and Jerusalem by Martin Goodman and The Ruling Class of Judaea by Martin Goodman provide interesting and unusual views of these events. For those of you who read history for the lessons it can teach us, you might want to consider the impact on a Jewish commonwealth when political leaders fail to understand the behavior of the leading super-power of the day, when religious leaders become corrupt, when groups vie for power for the sake of power and forget the reasons for the existence of the Jewish people, as exemplified by Micah, “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.” After you read Lamentations and remember the event, why not begin this year to read history, and understand what really happened. Trust me, it is a real eye-opener. Speaking for myself, the more I read about it, the less I really know and the more I realize that I need to know.
Memory versus History III
Betar fell almost two thousand years ago. Thanks to recent archaeological discoveries we now know a lot more about this final of the three major rebellions against Roman rule. You can find brief articles about this event at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/revolt1.html and http://www.historyorb.com/religion/judaism. Or, you might want to read Bar Kochba: The rediscovery of the legendary hero of the second Jewish Revolt against Rome by Yigael Yadin. When reading about the revolt and looking for lessons for modern times, you might consider the role of Rabbi Akiva and how he was able to see Bar Kochba as the Messiah.
Shacharit (Morning Service) Tisha B’Av Readings
Torah
4:25-40 Devarim (Deuteronomy)
This section is actually read twice in one week since it is part the sedrah of Va-etchanan. The reading contains Moshe’s prophecy of the future exile and redemption of the Jewish people. The specific cause of the exile will be idol worship. Eventually, God will redeem the Israelites because of the Covenant and the people will follow the commandments that they had been given at Sinai.
Haftarah
8:13-9-23 Jeremiah
Jeremiah was the prophet who lived through the destruction of the Temple. According to some, these verses are a prophecy written after the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem but before the actual destruction of the Temple in 586 B.C.E. Jeremiah alludes to a variety of social evils prevalent at the time. “Their tongues are deadly arrows, speaking deceitfully through their mouths; they speak cordially to their friends, while inwardly setting traps for them” (9:7). But the ultimate reason for the exile is consistent with the words from Devarim. “For what reason did the land perish…? Because they forsook my Torah…They followed…after the Baal-idols as their fathers taught them” (9:11-13). In other words, the sin of idol worship caused the exile. Of course idol worship leads to turning ones back on all of the Torah. According to some commentators God expressed a wish that the Israelites had turned their backs on Him but not on His Torah because the observing the teachings Torah would have brought them back to Him.
Mincha (Afternoon Service) Tisha B’Av Readings
Torah
32:11-14; 34:1-10 Shemot (Exodus)
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 all four minor fast days including Tisha B’Av since it contains the reminder that “sin leads to tragedy and expressions of remorse lead to forgiveness.”
Haftarah (Ashkenazim)
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). In the waning hours of this Fast Day, when much of the readings have been about despair and punishment, the haftarah begins a shift towards the message of hope and redemption that will dominant the prophetic readings over the next seven weeks. Not only will God redeem the Israelites, but He will redeem the “alien” who “observes My Sabbaths” and grasps “My covenant tightly.”
Haftarah (Sephardim)
Hosea 14:2-10 Micah 7:18-20
After almost twenty-fours of affliction come words of hope. First comes the acknowledgement of the Israelites guilt followed by the way of redemption. “Return O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have fallen because of your sin….Say to Him: ‘Forgive all guilt…Instead of bulls we will pay the offering of our lips’ (this is one of the origins of substituting prayer for the sacrifices)…never ‘again will we call our handiwork our god…’” (Hosea 2-4). “He will take us back in Love; He will cover up our iniquities…” (Micah 7:19) because of the covenant He made with our forefathers. The prophet is invoking the Sinaitic experience mentioned in the Torah reading.
Aycha (Lamentations)
Aycha or The Book of Lamentations, which
is one of the Five Scrolls found in the third section of the TaNaCh called
Kethuvim, is read on this fast. In
Hebrew, this book is called Aycha, which means “how” and is the first
word of the scroll. Aycha is a
series of five dirges or laments supposedly authored by Jeremiah, the last
prophet to preach in Jerusalem before the destruction of the First Temple and
the prophet who actually witnessed the destruction of the Temple. Aycha is first read at the end of the Ma’ariv
(Evening Service) and then again during Shacharit. The melody is mournful in keeping with the
image of the weeping prophet. Amidst all
of the imagery of destruction and devastation, some sages find a message of
hope. God is punishing the Children of
Israel for their evil behavior. In other
words, how the Israelites act matters to God.
History is not a random crapshoot.
If He is mindful of our sins, He will be mindful of good deeds. This means there is hope for tomorrow and an
ultimate redemption. To underscore this,
the reading ends not with verse 22 of Chapter Five, but with a repetition of
verse 21.
Copyright;
August, 2024; Mitchell A. Levin
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