Parashat Vaeira - January 12, 2013

Last week we studied Parashat Vaeira in the Book of Exodus and focused on chapter 6 verses 2 and 3.  This is the time when Adonai appears with three “names” to Moses.  These two sentences sparked a discussion about the various names for Adonai and we recognized that there are more than 70 names for Adonai in the TANACH!  But are they really names

Underlying this profusion of divine names is the insight that as humans, our nomenclature can do no more than depict God's actions, that is, our experience of God and not anything resembling God's essence. When Moses presses God, the midrash has God say: "You wish to know My name. It is by my actions that I am called. Sometimes I am called El Shaddai or Zevaot or Elohim or Adonai. When I sit in judgment on humanity, I am called Elohim. When I war against the wicked, I am called Zevaot (the head of an army). When I refrain from punishing someone on the spot for his or her sin, I am known as El Shaddai, [I am not quite sure why!] And when I treat my world with compassion, I am known as Adonai" (Exodus Rabba 3:6).

Strikingly, the midrash proves its theological case from the enigmatic phrase used by God in the original dialogue with Moses: "I will be what I will be" (Exodus 3:14). God is not the same in each and every instance. The very vagueness of the formulation with two verbs of being allows for a variety of intersections with God.

The midrash captures the essence of monotheism. If pagan religion raised to the level of deity an assorted number of disparate natural phenomena, hence a pantheon of gods, the Bible insists on a single grand deity who encompassed the diversity of nature and human experience within itself. Existence emanates from but one source of being, refracted into a brilliant spectrum of emotions by human consciousness.

Against this backdrop, we can savor the fact that our parashah uses three distinct names of God in the space of its first two verses: Elohim, Adonai andEl Shaddai (Exodus 6:2-3). Given the meanings the Rabbis attributed to God's names, the midrash construes an exchange fraught with deep tension. The name Elohim (God as judge) suggests a moment of divine impatience: God (Elohim) spoke to Moses. What triggered the rebuke was Moses' preceding assault on God after his first setback: "O Lord, why did You bring harm on this people? Why did You select me?" (Exodus 5:22), a remark laden with disrespect and impudence. God laments the slippage in leadership.

What a pity that the patriarchs are gone! Several times did I appear to them in the guise of El Shaddai and it was sufficient. To Abraham I said: 'Up, walk about the land, through its length and its breadth, for I give it to you' (Genesis 13:17). And yet he found no place to bury Sarah until he bought a gravesite from Ephron for 400 shekels. Similarly with Isaac and Jacob and none of them ever questioned My word. In contrast, to you I revealed Myself as Adonai, and you turn on Me after the first bit of adversity. Accordingly, I shall redeem Israel with compassion (Adonai) but condemn you to die in trans-Jordan [Elohim with El Shaddai perhaps signifying the delay in punishment] (Genesis Rabba 6:4).

This Shabbat we study Parashat Bo, Exodus 10:1 – 13:6 and Jeremiah 46:13-28

Cantor Eichaker

Shemot - January 5, 2013

This past Shabbat we explored the first portion of the book of Exodus – Shemot.  Shemot is both the name of the Torah portion and the entire book, in Hebrew.  Shemot means “names”. 

During our exploration of the portion, we discussed the events surrounding the crowning of the new king, the decree to the midwives, and Moses’ birth and deposit in the river.  We discussed Moses’ life growing up as a Hebrew in the Pharoah’s palace, as Pharoah’s daughter’s son.  We read of the murder of the Egyptian at Moses’ hands, and the discovery that others knew about this crime.  Moses was a stranger in both lands – Egyptian and Hebrew, so he ran off to Midian.  There he found a home and a wife, until God heard the crying of the Children of Israel (literally, the descendants of Jacob/Israel) and requested of Moses that he be the one to lead the people out of Egypt.  Of course, God spoke to Moses out of a Burning Bush.

Our time was complete before we finished the portion, but there was still much to discuss.

A question that arose was:

In verse 1:22, could the “his” refer to God, as in “God’s people”.  I have not found any other references in this way to that, but if the Jewish tradition had that interpretation, they would have capitalized “his” in the English translation to refer to God. 

However, Rabbi Jose ben R. Hanina did comment that this “casting of the sons into the river” applied to all male children, Israelite and Egyptian, because Pharaoh was so concerned that his astrologers had predicted that “Israel’s savior” would be born, that he wanted to make sure that the prediction could not come true if all chances of a male child living were destroyed.  So the

There was also a question concerning a linkage to the experience of slavery with the sacrifice that was later required as a part of “worship” of God.  I am not finding any links in the commentaries I have explored, but will continue to look.  I welcome any of your own thoughts on this.

Enjoy your reading of Va-eira.  I hope it “appears” to be very interesting to you!

  

Rabbi Roxanne J.S. Shapiro, RJE

Vayigash - December 22, 2012

I apologize for this entry being so late.

We had a wonderful discussion last week about parashat Vayigash and also our Haftarah portion from Ezekiel.  In the portion Joseph and his brothers reunite, Jacob learns that Joseph is still alive, Jacob and Joseph are reunited, and we get a census of the household of Israel (Jacob) who go into Egypt.  It is there that they will remain until the exodus.

In Ezekiel we read also of the reunification of the Jewish people, specifically those tribes of the Southern kingdom, Judah, and the Northern Kingdom represented by Ephraim (one of the ½ tribes of Joseph).  In essence like our parashah, the brothers are reuniting.  Our Haftarah portion focused on the ingathering of the exiles (or diaspora), the return to Israel, under a Davidic monarchy when the Messiah or Messianic age will come.

There was a question as to whether or not this was the first reference to the ingathering at the “end of days.”    The first textual reference is actually from Deuteronomy.  Then according the historical timeline we would have Isaiah’s verses and then Ezekiel and Jeremiah are roughly during the same period.

Moses discusses this “ingathering of exiles” in Deuteronomy 30:1-5

30:1	There shall come a time when you shall experience all the words of blessing and curse that I have presented to you. There, among the nations where God will have banished you, you will reflect on the situation.
30:2	You will then return to God your Lord, and you will obey Him, doing everything that I am commanding you today. You and your children [will repent] with all your heart and with all your soul.
30:3	God will then bring back your remnants and have mercy on you. God your Lord will once again gather you from among all the nations where He scattered you.
30:4	Even if your diaspora is at the ends of the heavens, God your Lord will gather you up from there and He will take you back.
30:5	God your Lord will then bring you to the land that your ancestors occupied, and you too will occupy it. God will be good to you and make you flourish even more than your ancestors.

Isaiah 11:11-12

11 And it shall come to pass in That day, That the Lord will set His hand again the second time to Recover the Remnant of His people, That shall Remain from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

 12 And He will set up an Ensign for the nations in, and will assemble the Dispersed of Israel, and Gather together the Scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Jeremiah 29:14

And I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will return your captivity and gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will return you to the place whence I exiled you.

Shabbat Shalom!!

Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg

This week's Torah portion - Vayigash - December 22, 2012

This week’s Torah portion is Vayigash.

Parashat Vayigash, Genesis 44:18-47:27

This continues our journey through Joseph’s life.  In this parashah, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers.

What significant things happen in our parashah?

What does Joseph do?  What do his brothers do?

At the end of this parashah, who is in Egypt?

Haftarah, Ezekiel 37:15-28

What is going on in this Haftarah?

Are there images that connect it to the parashah?  How?

Rabbi Rosenberg

Parashat Mikeitz - December 15

So here we were last week in Parashat Mikeitz.  Joseph remains in the prison, in the bor, the pit. He has hit bottom. His situation is hopeless. He has trusted the Sar Ha-Mashkim, the butler, to recommend him to Pharaoh, that he might be released from his oppressive and unjust imprisonment. But what happens? The word "va-yishka-hehu" (Genesis 40:23) concludes last Parashat Vayeishev: the ungrateful butler has forgotten him. For this entire week we inhabit the space between the two parashot, living in this tension:

The whole history of the Jewish people hangs in the balance. Without Joseph as a power in Egypt, perhaps Jacob's family will not come to Egypt where they will become a great nation. Nor would they leave in the Exodus, receive the Torah and go on to the Promised Land, and more. Perhaps I would not be writing this note, and you would not be reading it.

Then come Pharaoh's dreams which none of his wise men can interpret. Shall the butler take the chance of reminding Pharoah of the transgressions for which he was originally sent to prison? He does come forward, saying    "Et hata-i ani mazkir ha-yom," (I make mention of my sins today) (Genesis 41:9) and goes on to tell Pharaoh about the young Hebrew that he met in the prison who knows how to interpret dreams and who may know how to interpret Pharoah's dreams too.

As they say, the rest is history. Joseph is rushed to Pharaoh's presence, interprets the dreams and becomes the instrument of Israel's redemption. The five words of the butler are the "cruse of oil" that lasts for eight days, maybe the most crucial words ever spoken by anyone in all Jewish history. And he's not even Jewish!

Five words that change history: Et hata-ai ani mazkir ha-yom. Why does the butler step forward now? He takes a great risk. Why? There is a deep mystery here. Does he really want to help Pharaoh? Does he feel guilty about forgetting Joseph? What if it doesn't work out? Then certainly he might be in real trouble again!

We will never know the reason for his stepping forward at that time and saying those words, but one thing we know: without them we are stuck in the pit, perhaps forever. It's not the only factor, of course. Much could have gone wrong even after the Sar ha-mashkim spoke out, just as the Maccabees could have lost their struggle. Maybe salvation could have come from elsewhere. Maybe, maybe not. But without them, in both cases, where are we? Without the Sar Ha-Mashkim, without Hanukkah, without the Maccabees, there might be no Judaism, no Jewish people. Five little words!

In the legend of Hana and seven sons, (another true myth whether it happened or not!) the mother is the hero who stands firm, disregarding personal suffering. Both stories are intergenerational. Each person can be the hero who finds a way to the small cruse of oil and steps up to light the light.

Five little words in Parashat Miketz which is almost always the Parashat Ha-Shavuah of the Shabbat of Hanukkah. The butler who risks, the Maccabees who undertake the impossible, are both instances of the cruse of oil that seems at first to have no staying power but which lasts and lights a flame that grows larger and larger.

We also looked into the relationship between Joseph, his appointed wife Asenat, and how their lives paralleled each other to the point of their coming together.  We also saw a parallel with Asenat’s history and a possible foreshadowing of Moses coming into the picture in Exodus.  The Torah contains so many intricate story lines that cross over each other and layer is such a way as to provide seemingly endless opportunities for interpretation.

This Shabbat we will look to resolve the story of Joseph and his brothers.  Just as Joseph put his brothers through some tests of loyalty, so did King Solomon in the related Haftarah from First Kings 3:15-4:2 and  in Zacharyiah2:14 – 4:7 when Joshua was tested by the dubious accusations of a namely Accuser this past week.  We had a lot to cover this past Shabbat.

Parashat Vayigash is taken from Genesis 44:18 – 47:27.  The Haftarah for this Shabbat is Ezekiel 37:15 – 28.

Cantor Eichaker

Upcoming study - Parashat Mikeitz

Parashat Mikeitz - Genesis/Bereishit  41-44:17

Haftarah I Kings 3:15-4:1

Shabbat During Chanukah Haftarah Zechariah 2:14-4:7

Torah study will focus on Zechariah, but we want to give you both Haftarah portions.  If you read through both, here are some questions to consider.  If you have other questions or would like to start the discussion, please start adding your thoughts and comments.  We will check them before Torah study and use them to guide our discussion.

 I Kings

How does this passage relate to the parashah?

What motifs, if any are repeated between the two?

 Zechariah

How does this passage relate to the holiday of Chanukah?

Are there Chanukah motifs that appear?

What familiar phrase appears in this Haftarah portion?

Parashat Vayeishev - December 8, 2012

Parashat Vayeishev

Genesis 37:1-40:21

Amos 2:6-3:8

To recap last week’s parashah and haftarah, Vayeishev begins the Joseph story.  In this parashah, we have three distinct narratives –

1.       The story of Joseph and his brothers.  We have the famous colored tunic which Jacob gives to his son.  The brothers do not appreciate their brother or their father’s favoritism and seek to do away with him.  They first speak of killing him, but Reuven talks them out of it and suggests throwing him into a pit, for which he will later come and rescue Joseph.  Meanwhile the brothers decide to sell Joseph to some Ishmaelites who take him to Egypt where he is sold into Potiphar’s household.  Reuven, returning and not finding Joseph, rents his clothes thinking he is dead, and asks the brothers what happened.  They say they sold him and then take the tunic, drench it in goat’s blood and give it to their father.  They simply ask, “is this your son’s tunic?”  From which Jacob infers that Joseph is dead and he, too, rents his clothes and mourns his beloved son.

2.       The story of Judah and Tamar.  Tamar is married to Judah’s son Er, but he dies because he did not fulfill his husbandly duties.  Tamar then marries Judah’s next son Onen, because of the laws of Levirite (technically this law has not yet been given in the Torah narrative, but it assumes and assures that a man who dies without an heir, will be granted one via his widow marry his next of kin.  The first child of their union, is an heir to the deceased husband and then any subsequent children are heirs to the second husband).  Onen dies for the same reason as his brother, he does not fulfill his husbandly duties (hence the sin of Onen- spilling/wasting the seed).  Judah does not want to marry his youngest son, Shelah, to Tamar, so he asks her to wait until Shelah is older.  Judah forgets or ignores his promise to marry Shelah to Tamar, so Tamar takes matters into her own hands.  She disguises herself as a prostitute, knowing that Judah will be on the road, and he comes upon her, does not recognize her, and they have relations.  Before doing so, she asks for payment, he says he will send her payment but in the meantime leaves with her his staff, cord, and seal.  He sends a servant with the payment but cannot find her.  Later, Judah hears that Tamar is pregnant and brings her to court on adultery charges.  Instead of revealing the name of the father she pulls out the staff, cord, and seal and says, “these belong to the father.”  Judah recognizes them and admits that he is the father and that he was in the wrong by not marrying Tamar and Shelah and that she was right.  Later Tamar gives birth to Perez and Zerach.  Zerach’s arm comes out first and a red cord is tied around it to mark him as the first born, but he pulls it back into the womb and his brother, Perez, is born first.  From Perez we have the lineage of King David. 

3.       We return to the story of Joseph.  Time has passed and Joseph has been in Potiphar’s household.  We are told that God has been with Joseph and he has found favor with him.  Joseph we are told is handsome.  Potiphar’s wife has taken a liking to Joseph and constantly asks him to “lie with her.”  Joseph repeatedly says no.  One day, she is a little more aggressive, as she takes hold of his clothing while being suggestive.  Joseph pulls away, his clothing still in her hand, and runs from her.  She then uses his clothing to accuse him of trying to “lie with her.”  Potiphar has Joseph thrown into jail.  It is hear that we learn more of Joseph’s God given ability to interpret dreams, and he interprets the dreams of Pharaoh’s cup bearer and baker.  Both interpretations come true – the baker is executed and the cup bearer returns to court.  Joseph asked the cup bearer to remember him and recall him to Pharaoh, but as the story ends the cup bearer does not remember this promise.

What do these three stories have in common?

There is deception that is going on.  We also see punishment for those who deceive – “what comes around goes around” – in that Judah was a ring leader in the deception over Joseph and then he himself is deceived by Tamar.  Is this punishment?

We also see the important motif of clothing.  Clothing is utilized in all three of these stories to “bear witness” to what happened or what one wants someone else to think happened, i.e. in the assumptions made over Joseph’s clothing.

In Torah study a question was asked about the renting of clothing upon thinking one dead, and this is where the tradition comes from of renting one’s clothing (or today utilizing a kriah ribbon) to mark/acknowledge the death of a loved one (child, parent, spouse, sibling).

The haftarah portion comes from Amos.

Amos was a prophet born in the Southern kingdom of Judah, but he spent most of his time in the Northern kingdom of Israel.  As with most prophets no one was really interested in hearing what he had to say.

His message is one about behavior and punishment.  In this particular section he is speaking out against the ills of society, mainly that Israel has become wealthy but is doing despicable things with that wealth.  They are not taking care of the poor, they are not listening to prophets, and are so debase that they are forcing Nazarites to drink wine.  (A Nazarite is one who takes an extra vow or oath, for a specific period of time, to God.  During this period he/she cannot cut his/her hair, go near a corpse, nor eat or drink anything from grapes.)

Amos tells the people that when bad things will befall them it is because God is punishing them for their behavior.  A difficult theological statement, as we question does God really punish in that way for our behavior?

One could say yes, based on the Torah portion.  It is God who causes Judah’s son’s to die because they are not fulfilling their duty of procreation with Tamar.  Judah could be said to have been punished for his earlier actions.  And, we also see that God is with Joseph, as Joseph continues to acknowledge his relationship with and devotion to God.  This is why he won’t “lie with” Potiphar’s wife, because it would not be good in God’s eyes, and he is always careful to acknowledge that his gift of dream interpretation comes from God.

Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg