Month: April 2018

April 30, 2018 Sunday Commentary Post a Comment

The Sixth Sunday of Easter

Sunday Gospel Reading

6th Sunday of Easter May 6, 2018

Readings: Acts. 10 :25–26 ;34–35 ; 4 –48 ; Ps. 98:1–4; 1 John. 4:7–10; John 15, 9–17.

 

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This week’ Gospel reading reminds us of the most important commandment of the whole Law: love [cf. Mt. 22:39–40]. In the Gospel of John this commandment is expressed in universal categories as a way of existence, style of life, credo of a truly disciple of Christ. Its origins have to be found in the Heavenly life of the Holy Trinity. As the same evangelist declares, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). The heavenly example of a sacrificial love: this is the meaning of the Greek verb agapao used throughout the whole Gospel. Another meaningful marker of this portion is the verb abide, dwell, remain: altogether rendered by the Greek term meno. His Hebrew equivalent, vb. shakhan, provides us with an image mostly reiterated by the Rabbis: Shekina, the Presence of God, Our Beloved. In this sense, God renders Himself present in our lives when we follow His example of love and “lay down our life for our friends” (Jn 15:13). That is the second great feeling of God towards us which we are told to imitate: fili,a (friendship). Cf. Jam. 4:4. So, Jesus Himself can testify that “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (Jn 15:14). In the Hebrew Bible “to be a friend of God” (rea) becomes a brilliant metaphor of a righteous, pious and devoted man or woman who is enabled speak with the Lord “face to face”: cf. Ex. 33:11.

 

This intimacy and closeness to the Lord grant us a privilege to dwell in His love, to stay in front of Him, to be His friends, yet not servants. In fact, the Apostle exemplifies that principle – the “law of love” – in the following sentence: “So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family” (Eph. 2:19). Nevertheless in the inter-testamental period the precept of love was a subject of hot discussions between the Rabbis. For example, questioning who must be neighbor to love (cf. Lv. 19:18), R. Hillel who elaborated a general principle: “You shall love peace and research peace, you shall love the creatures and make them approach the Torah” (cf. Abot 1:12; 1:2; b.Sota 14a). On the contrary, the Pharisaic leaders used to consider the word “neighbor” in a restrictive way on the basis of Lv. 19:34=Dt 10:19; i.e., this term referred exclusively to a fellow citizen or a stranger who decided to establish his or her dwelling in Israel. Finally, in the Post-talmudic exegesis a fellow man or woman was simply reduced to an observant Jew [Neudecker, 499–501].

 

This short picture of different opinions shows how challenging is the commandment of love that urges us to go out of limits and false stereotypes of this world. In the First Letter of John (1 Jn. 4:7–10) there is a summary concerning such strategic topics as “to be born from God”, “to know God”, “Jesus as an atoning sacrifice (hilasmos) for our sins”. The knowing of God represents an ontological summit for a human being, a new step of existence as well as a great responsibility to be inserted in the continuum of loving kindness of Merciful God, misericordia Dei. Like in the Garden of Eden, once Adam started to experience the presence of a fellow woman, he became aware of a dialogic nature of love. Thus, the famous sentence “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8) can be adequately understood only in the context of “being in front of” somebody. That is what the Book of Genesis stresses out (Gn. 2:20): “for Adam there was not found a help like to himself [lit. “in front of him”: kenegdo. This dialogical unity of love – relationship “face to face” – is revealed by God Himself as the Psalm says: “The King is mighty, he loves justice – you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right” (Ps. 98:4). In fact, God’s justice is unthinkable without mercy, from the Rabbinic point of view. Finally, only love can make known to today’s world a Holy Name of the Lord Who truly loves His creation by judging and forgiving it at the same time.

 

For Reflection and Discussion: 1. How do I experience love of God & love to God in my daily life? 2. What is my understanding of a neighborhood regarding the precept of love? Is it possible nowadays to love everyone? 3. Which way or ways of existence, teaching and studying the Torah opens to me spiritually the Gospel motto “God is love”?

 

Bibliography: Artyushin, Colui che fa misericordia. Lc 10,25–37 in chiave comunicativa (Roma, 2009); Grilli, Quale rapporto tra i due Testamenti? Riflessione critica sui modelli ermeneutici classici concernenti l’unità delle Scritture (Bologna, 2007); Neudecker, «“And You Shall Love Your Neighbor as Yourself – I Am the Lord” (Lev 19,18) in Jewish Interpretation» (Biblica 73 (1992) 496-517).

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Philotheus Artyushin, Moscow Theol. Academy, Doctorate in Biblical Theology.

Bat Kol alumnus 2011  email:  artyushins@yandex.ru

[Copyright © 2018]

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

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Bat Kol Institute, Jerusalem

~~1983–2018~~

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

gill@batkol.info Website: www.batkol.info

Parashah Commentary Post a Comment

Parashat Emor

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Emor – Erev Shabbat 04 May 2018

Week of 29 April -05 May 2018

Torah portion: Leviticus 21:1-24:23 Haftarah: Ezek. 44:15-31

Theme: A YES for HOLINESS

 

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The invitation to holiness rings all the louder in the texts of this week’s Parashat Emor. As Leviticus 21-24 details the guidelines on the holiness of priests and sacrifices and the prohibitions to avoid defilement and desecration of sacred space, we hear “G-d speaks and G-d’s intention is to make holy”. What does a yes for Holiness ask of us? This week’s parashat gives us the clues.

 

Obedient LISTENING

 

The parashat opens with G-d commanding Moses to “speak and say”, repeated around 17 times, this command becomes “antiphon” to each section of the texts. This repetition is intentional. Obedience (Latin “ab audire”, to listen) is central to the chosen people’s relationship with G-d, as had been shown in the lives of the Patriarchs, Judges, Prophets, Kings and Priests. Listening to the voice of the One who created us is good for us. The triumph of holiness in us begins from this stance of listening.

 

 

FINDING G-D in the rhythm of our life

 

Leviticus 23 beautifully fixes the times for G-d, and measures time as  “mo’adim”, times of meeting God, or as Rabbi Sachs puts it  seeing time as the “arena of the Divine-human encounter”1.

 

G-d entered human history through the Chosen People and since then, our life has been so suffused with this Divine nearness. The Jews witness to and celebrate this truth each week in their Shabbat and in fixing times in their faith calendar, as “set times for the Lord” (Leviticus 23:44). 

 

Hallowing time however, may prove to be a challenge for today’s generation. The tendency to hoard the 525,600 minutes of a year and the irreverent stance of “time is gold and it is mine” block the joyful discovery of G-d speaking to us G-d’s faithful love in the surface rush of things and in the tensions of everyday life. Our Yes to holiness sets  us on the road of discovering  G-d, who not only moves in the rhythm of our lives – in all its twists and turns, griefs and sorrows, and everything in-between- but as the Lord of  Time and Seasons.

 

Easing Out the Ego

 

Emor ends with the curious story of the blasphemer who was sentenced to death.  Interestingly, as one commentary pointed out, the Hebrew word used in the verse for “you shall not desecrate” (תְּחַלְלוּ ) the name of God stems from the verb that also means “a vacuum” (חָלַָל ). Blasphemy, whose root is קלל was meant to make a vacuum (root is חלל).2 From this we can glean that when one blasphemes or desecrates G-d’s Name, one eases G-d out. Maimonides explains that if a Jew, particularly a highly regarded Jew, behaves in an apparently inappropriate manner he has desecrated G-d, as G-d is absent in that reality.3 The psychotherapist Wayne Dyer defines EGO as Easing God Out.  G-d no longer occupies space, G-d no longer matters. Consequently, a person’s action then is devoid of G-d, of love, goodness, compassion, forgiveness, dialogue, tolerance for diversity. I believe much of the world’s woes and problems stem from our egos going berserk!

 

Parasha Emor urges us to concentrate on easing out our ego so that G-d can take G-d’s rightful place in our hearts, in our families, in our communities, in our world.

 

For Reflection and Discussion: In this week’s parashat:  Where am I saying Yes? Where Am I struggling?  What are the subtle ways in which we ease G-d out in our lives?

 

Bibliography: David L. Lieber, et al Etz Hayim Torah and Commentary , The Rabbinical Assembly, 2001

1Rabbi Jonathan, Covenant and Conversation, May 7, 2011

Rabbi David Lipper , Just a Little Time , May 3, 2007

Dr. Wayne Dyer, The Shift (YouTube link)

2 Parashat Emor: Do our Hearts Have Room for God? (link)

3 ibid

This week’s teaching commentary is by

Shela Mae D. Jaso, Davao City, Philippines.  Bat Kol Alumna 2017
Email address:smcjaso@addu.edu.ph

[Copyright © 2018]

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Parashah commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.   The commentaries, along with all materials published on the Bat Kol website, are copyrighted by the writers, and are made available for personal and group study, and local church purposes. Permission needed for other purposes.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

………………………………………………

 

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

~~1983–2018~~

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

Website: www.batkol.info;   Parashat Admin: gill@batkol.info

April 26, 2018 Sunday Commentary Post a Comment

The Fifth Sunday of Easter

The Sunday Liturgy Commentary

The 5th Sunday of Easter – 29th April 2018

Lectionary readings: Acts 9:26-31; Ps. 22:26-28, 30-32; 1 John. 3:18-24; John 15:1-8

Theme:  Abiding in Jesus, abiding in love

 

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The Gospel for this Sunday provides us with an image-metaphor of the vine and the branches, an image used in the Hebrew Scriptures. We can find the image of the vineyard in the Hebrew Scriptures like in Isaiah 5:1-7 and Psalm 80 which appeals to God to save the “vine which Your right hand has planted.” Taken together, this image paints the intimacy between the vine grower, God and his people despite the difficulty. We can notice that with the image of the vine, the text shifts into the word “remain” or “abide” which appears seven times. Jesus might be stating a simple truth: that not to abide in him means to wither and not bear fruit. To abide in Jesus is a matter of life and death, bearing fruit or not at all. What does it mean to abide?

 

Here it is curious that the reading does not proceed with verse nine until 10 which might be the key to understanding what does it mean to abide in Jesus? In verse nine it says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love” (Jn 15:9). To abide in Jesus, is to love. In love we find life. Love allows us, creatures which should not be and yet are, to exist, to love and bear fruit. This energy from God who out of his gratuitous and relentless love makes those who abide in him bear much fruit.

 

This reminds us of the Shema, when we hear the words “v’ahavta et Adonai Elohecha b’chol l’vav’cha uv’chol nafsh’cha uv’chol m’odecha” (You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.) Rabbi Jonathan Sacks also mentions that Torah reveals to us this abiding love of God when he said, “Something implicit in the Torah from the very beginning becomes explicit in the book of Devarim. God is the God of love. More than we love Him, He loves us. ‘If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love [et ha-brit ve-et ha-chessed] with you, as he swore to your ancestors. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers (Deut 7: 12-13)’.” Torah is about love and this love abides in us if keep the Torah. In the beautiful book of Psalms, we find God’s abiding love when the Psalmist proclaims, “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his chesed steadfast love endures forever” (Ps 136:1). His love forever abides in us. His love abides in us, then we bear fruit. It is not that we first bear fruit for his love to abide in us. His love is a first love, as Henri Nouwen says. His is a love that abides even before the bearing of fruit. It is because of that abiding that we are able to bear fruit.

 

 It is no wonder to see this passage in our celebration of Easter. In our celebration Easter we celebrate the love that abides with us even beyond death. A love that abides that defeats sin. Our world is now radically shifting. We notice a radical disillusionment to stay, to remain, to abide especially in our human relationships, more so when our relationships do not seem to “bear fruit.” We have become too impatient to abide and remain in love with persons who are particularly difficult to love. Jesus gives us a sure sign that to flourish, we must abide in him. Because he abides in us. This Love which abides, is the love that bears fruit. If we abide in Jesus, we are not only abiding in him and he in us, we are now empowered to also love and abide in others, with others, especially our neighbors who are in need, the poor, the needy, the stranger.

 

For Reflection and Discussion: [1] How do we feel God’s constant abiding presence in our lives?  [2] What makes it difficult for us to stay and abide in and with others?

 

Bibliography: Jonathan Sacks, “The Morality of Love” August 6, 2012 http://rabbisacks.org/covenant-conversation-5772-ekev-the-morality-of-love/ (Accessed April 19, 2018).

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

John Paul A. Bolano, MA, Philippines, Bat Kol 2017

Email address: jbolano@ateneo.edu

 [Copyright © 2018]

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

…………………………………………………………

 

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

1983-2018

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

Mail to: gill@batkol.info; Website: www.batkol.info

Parashah Commentary Post a Comment

Parashat Acharei

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Acharei Mot/Kedoshim – Erev Shabbat 27th April 2018

Week of 22nd – 28th April 2018

Torah portion: Lev 16:1-20:27 / Haftarah: Ezek 22:1-19

 

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“Because I said so!” We all have heard, and often declared, such a minimally robust statement in regards to a forbidden behavior. This double Torah portion includes the source of the levitical “Holiness Code.” It is not uncommon to question and even reject these laws, seen as legalistic, outdated, or just weird! Yet God’s repeated, injunction “Be holy as I am holy,” demands we engage the Holiness Code which spans ten chapters (Lev 17-26).

 

The instructions, grounded in God’s expectation of his image-bearing people who are called and set-apart to shine his light to the nations, do more than restrict behavior. They form a people group, establish their identity and, quite significant, give insight into God himself. “Be holy as I am holy,” requires not legalistic responses, for God is not a legalist. Rather, it demands all people be respected and valued. Parents are to be honored (Lev 19:3), and the reversal of the order given in the Ten Commandments (“Honor your father and mother…” Exod 20:12), suggests “an equitable estimation of both parents” (Etz Hayim, 694). The poor and the strangers shall be provided for (Lev 19:9-10). The deaf shall not be insulted, the blind threatened with stumbling blocks (Lev 19:11). Holiness establishes equality, regardless of gender, economic status, nationality or disability. As we struggle today to embrace such bold proclamations, we must emulate a holy God who repeatedly invites, “Do as I do. Be who I am.”

 

The God who challenges, “Be holy as I am holy,” demands more than holy actions; he commands holy moral interiors. Like him, our word ought to matter, be trustworthy, and righteous (Lev 19:12). Our interactions with others are to be characterized by honesty (Lev 19:11, 13), love, and forbearance (Lev 19:17-18). We again hear guidelines for our lives, but also glimpse the God’s very character. These people- and character-forming laws strike the reader as logical, albeit challenging. But then the Holiness Code continues and enters into what appears to be inexplicable or supra-rational laws (Lev 19:19). The chukkim create opportunities for God’s people to extend themselves beyond doing what makes sense, into “opportunities to do God’s will” (Etz Hayim, 697). We might be tempted to say such declarations are God’s version of, “Because I said so.” Or we might recall the Lord’s words to Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…” (Isa 55:8ff).

 

In such seemingly strange laws, we also might discern God’s concerted efforts at forming a distinctive people group, bound together by traditions, guidelines, even obscurities. Like our family, comprised of Ukrainians, Americans, Canadians, Irish, English, Russians and Haitians, who steadfastly continues my great-grandparents’ “Polish Easter egg fights” tradition, the chukkim of the Holiness Code also builds identity. Richard Sosis, an anthropologist at the University of Connecticut explains, “Rituals deal with identity, the context in which intellect functions. Identity in turn is the glue by which a tribe is held together.” Sosis’ conclusions build on Emile Durkheim’s 1897 monograph on suicide in which he “coined the term anomie, which means a state of society where nobody knows who they are, what they have to do with one another, or what on earth they’re doing here” (Freeman, chabad.org). God’s injunctions throughout the Holiness Code – both the rational and supra-rational – clearly establish identity. As long as Israel strove to be holy as the Lord is holy and to follow his guidelines, they would never suffer from anomie.

 

For Reflection and Discussion: 1. How have your faith communities tended to read and interpret the Holiness Code? 2. Etz Hayim suggests that the Torah’s reversal of revere/honor your Mother/Father in Exodus and Leviticus suggests equity among males/females. Do you agree? How else would you explain this reversal? 3. God’s “Be Holy as I am holy,” does more than instruct God’s people – it gives us insight into God’s character. What can we discern about God’s character from the Holiness Code that may be overlooked or less commonly discussed? 4. How do you see anomie in today’s society? What are the rituals in your life that build identity? What rituals or practices might you begin or re-embrace to address anomie?

Bibliography: Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary. The Jewish Publication Society, 2001. Freeman, Tzvi. “Why Does Judaism Make No Sense?” www.chabad.org.

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Rev. Dr. Kristen Bennett Marble, Bat Kol Alumni 2013

Senior Pastor, West Morris Street Free Methodist Church, Indianapolis IN
Email address: kristen@kristenmarble.com

[Copyright © 2018]

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Parashah commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.   The commentaries, along with all materials published on the Bat Kol website, are copyrighted by the writers, and are made available for personal and group study, and local church purposes. Permission needed for other purposes.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

………………………………………………………………

 

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem 1983-2018

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

Website: www.batkol.info   Parashat Admin: gill@batkol.info

April 16, 2018 Messages Post a Comment

INTERNATIONAL TORAH STUDY PARTNERS PROPOSAL

BAT KOL INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH STUDIES, JERUSALEM

INTERNATIONAL TORAH STUDY PARTNERS PROPOSAL

 

16 April 2018

 

We are aware that many Bat Kol alums lack Torah study partners.   In response to this, Bat Kol has an exciting new proposal which offers a golden opportunity for international study together. 

 

Would you like to meet with a study partner/group

ON SKYPE, WHATSAPP, FACETIME, etc.?

Now this can happen! And this is how it will work:

 

Bat Kol will assist with matching study partners, or small groups of, say, two, three or four maximum. To be part of this new project, will you please:

 

  1. Email Gill Putnam gill@batkol.info and Sandra Clark sandra@bearwickhouse.on.ca to let us know that you want to join, and suggest a partner/group if you know already who you would like to study with;
  2. If you don’t have names to suggest then contact Gill and Sandra, and we will pair/group you;
  3. Tell us which you want to use – Skype, WhatsApp, Facetime, etc. – and where you live so that we can match you according to media and time zones.

 

Our suggestion is that pairs/groups meet twice a month for six months, and then could change partners if the current pair/group has not meshed.

 

If you have any questions, please email Gill and Sandra;

 

As soon as we have enough names, we will be in touch with some suggestions, hints and tips on how this can work to bring you the joy of shared Torah study.

 

Dr Marcie Lenk, Bat Kol’s Academic Director, has met weekly with a study partner in the USA for several years and thoroughly recommends it.

 

We look forward to your response.

 

Shavua Tov!

 

Gill

Revd Gill Putnam

Executive Secretary

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies

Jerusalem

972 (0)54 7342227

Sunday Commentary Post a Comment

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Sunday Gospel and Readings Commentary

4th Sunday of Easter (22 April 2018)

Lectionary Readings: Acts 4:8-12; Ps 118:1,8-9,21-23,26,29; 1 John 3:1-2; John 10:11-18

 Theme: What is our relationship with Jesus and with the Christian and other communities?

 

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In the New Testament, Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd. In the epistles the notion of good shepherding is extended to those who would lead in the church. The idea of shepherding, especially the idea of God acting as the Shepherd of His people, is a motif found throughout the Bible. Summarizing his life on his deathbed, Jacob declared that God had been his “shepherd all of his life to this day” (Gen. 48.24). In Rev. 7:17, when the saints who come out of the tribulation are brought before God, John brings together two of the most striking images of the scripture by stating, “for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd and shall guide them to springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes.”

 

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.  I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (Jn.10.11-18)

 

The sheep in the fold has intimate relationship with the shepherd. But there are too many sheep outside the fold, marginalized and oppressed. The true shepherd loves them, ready even to die for them. They, too, must be brought in, no matter the cost. They, too, must feel secure and loved. He offers them abundant life (Ps. 23).

 

Are we aware of the great privilege that we are children of God (1Jn. 3.1-2)? This is our most radical and satisfying identity – in this world of wealth and vainglory.   

 

Ezekiel 34:15,16 speaks of self-indulgent leaders who took advantage of the sheep. In contrast, Christ is giving up his life totally and willingly, as the Father wants him to, for the sheep. His is a servant leadership, a model for each one of us. We are invited to follow Jesus by our daily loving service of others. What we are to others is what we are to God. Loving God means loving others, and vice versa.

 

Ps. 118 is a psalm of thanksgiving for the love that we have received from God.  In Christ we have found our redemption, as the words in v.22 say, ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone’.  Acts 4:8-12, is an invitation to pray and depend on Christ who is the savior of the world and each one’s personal savior.  Sin is having more attachment to anything other than God.  The sum and substance of the Gospel is that we are loved by God as we are. We have the choice to respond to this awareness during the Easter season as we celebrate the resurrection, that is our own HOPE of continuing life in another form together with Christ.

 

For Reflection and Discussion: [1] Are we aware that we are children of God? Do we respond to situations as beloved children of God with love and dignity?  [2] Are we grateful and secure in our faith by being in Jesus, our shepherd, who has laid down his life for us in order to raise us fully to divine life?  Discuss: [3] How is our relationship with God and with our Christian Community and others? Bibliography: (1) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc  (2)  Sermon by Rev. Adrian Dieleman (3) New Loyola Press; www.loyolapress.com.

 

This week’s Sunday Gospel Commentary was prepared by

Dr. Joan Chunkapura, Ph.D., MMS, TRADA, Kerala, India. Bat Kol alumna, 2006.

Email: joanc.mms@gmail.com

[Copyright © 2018]

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

……………..……………………………………………………

 

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

1983-2018

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

gill@batkol.info Website: www.batkol.info

Parashah Commentary Post a Comment

Parashat Tazria – Metzorah

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Tazria – Metzorah   Erev Shabbat 20 April 2018

Week of 15-21 April

Torah portion:  Leviticus 12:1-15:33      Haftarah:  2 Kings 7:3-20

 

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In this week’s parashat we are asked to consider some elaborate rituals associated with uncleanness and impurity and the means by which those affected can regain their rightful place within the community. 

 

To modern sensibilities, while we can accept precautions and isolation in cases of distressing and infectious illness, it is difficult to understand the need for such elaborate prohibitions surrounding the natural functions of a woman’s body or the blessings of childbirth.  It would be a mistake however to totally separate the two or summarily dismiss the original motivation without delving into it a little more deeply.  What we have here is not a judgment on the moral state of the person but one of a lack of wholeness.  In such a state it was considered impossible for that individual to stand before the LORD.

 

 There is no room here to examine in detail the various rituals or the categories to which they apply; yet some random musings might lead us into further considerations. A woman who had given birth was considered temayah [one who is impure] so needed to regain the status of tehorah [ritually fit]. Until this is rectified wholeness cannot be restored, the means so precisely described here testify to the fact that it can be.  Once it is, she is able to take up her former duties — but far from simply excluding her, these restrictions allow her some much needed “time out”.  Rabbi Ettinger notes that the Yiddish Torah Commentary draws a parallel between this postnatal period and the time following a death.  She suggests that in both intense episodes in a person’s life there is a need to be freed “from other personal and communal obligations” to deal with the events that have occurred (WTC 205).  The fact that one is primarily physical and the other emotional makes little difference.

 

When we turn to those suffering from tzara’at, a word denoting a variety of skin aliments but most commonly called ‘leprosy,’ we see clearly that the priest’s function is in no way medical but simply ritualistic.  We gain nothing in trying to find in these verses any primitive treatments for such illnesses nor, according to Plaut (p.840) should we look for the meanings behind the ritual:  “Customs often survive after their original motives are forgotten” and were therefore not included in the text.  One thing we might consider is that “the ceremonies were designed to remove a defilement that was a threat to the entire community.” Are we so different in the present time as we grapple with the horror, fear and pain of health crises?  In such uncertainty we turn to God with our rituals and prayers to find an answer.

 

After the destruction of the Second Temple the detailed procedures outlined in these chapters lapsed even though the study of their meaning and significance continues to the present day.  Orthodox Judaism retains many rituals associated with personal purification. In one form it continued in some Christian denominations with “the churching of women” after childbirth. I was made aware of this practice many years ago from the memories of older women, one who recalled her personal involvement in it as a joyful recognition of her motherhood.

 

We should ponder this ancient text without trying to justify or empathize too closely with a people whose ways are so far removed from ours. Many of us might feel on more “comfortable” ground with this week’s haftarah. And yet why?  It contains disease, discrimination, starvation, death and destruction. Surely however some of the scenes it describes come closer to our experiences than those in the parashat.  Global communications mean that we can all see aspects of a broken world dominated by many of these conditions. Reflection and Discussion: Metaphorically speaking who do we leave at the city gates because of illness or other circumstances? What are we doing to bring others/ourselves back to wholeness, regain our rightful place in the community and the presence of God?

 

Bibliography: Goldstein ed. The Woman’s Torah Commentary (Vermont, 2000); Plaut, The Torah: A Modern Commentary (NY 1981); The Chumash Stone Edition (New York, 2000)

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Jean Kelly, B.Ed. M.A. Watford, England

Bat Kol alum 2001. E-mail: kellyjean55@hotmail.com

 [Copyright © 2018]

 

PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Parashah commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol. The commentaries, along with all materials published on the Bat Kol website, are copyrighted by the writers, and are made available for personal and group study, and local church purposes. Permission needed for other purposes. Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

                         

~~1983–2018~~

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

 “Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

Website: www.batkol.info;  Parashat Admin: gill@batkol.info

April 11, 2018 Hebrew Songs Post a Comment

April Song

Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) is commemorated in Israel and by Jews worldwide in the month of April, on the 28 Nissan in the Jewish calendar, the anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising in 1943.  For more on Yom Ha’Shoah, click here.

We share this video of Holocaust survivors and their families singing Ofra Hazza’s “Hai” to honor the victims and survivors of the Shoah.

 

The chorus:

Alive, alive, alive

Yes I am alive

This is the song that grandfather

Sang yesterday to father

And today it is me.

 

I am still alive, alive, alive,

The people of Israel is alive.

This is the song that grandfather

Sang yesterday to father

And today it is me.

Hai, hai, hai

Ken ani od hai.

Ze ha’shir she’sabba

 

Shar etmol le’abba

Ve’hayom ani.

 

Ani od hai, hai, hai

Am Yisrael hai.

Ze ha’sher she’sabba

Shar etmol le’abba

Ve’hayom ani.

חַי, חַי, חַי

כֵן, אֲנִי עוֹד חַי

זֶה הַשִׁיר שְׁסַבָא

 

שַׁר אֶתְמוֹל לְאַבָא

וְהַיוֹם אֲנֹי

 

אֲנִי עוֹד חַי, חַי, חַי

עַם יִשׂרָאֵל חַי

זֶה הַשׁיר שֶׁסַבָא

שַׁר אֶתְמוֹל לְאַבָא

וְהַיוֹם אֲנִי

April 10, 2018 Sunday Commentary Post a Comment

Third Sunday of Easter

Sunday Gospel and Readings Commentary

The 3rd  Sunday of Easter

15th April, 2018

Lectionary readings:  Acts 3:13-19, Ps.4:2-9, 1John 2:1-5, Luke 24:35-48

 

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It was the first day of the week and Jesus was raised from the dead! His disciples however, knew only of his death. To them everything had ended.  Jesus, knowing his disciples’ disappointment and uncertainty appeared to them that day in a variety of ways. The women who hurried to the tomb very early that morning to anoint the body of Jesus were amazed that the stone had been rolled away and that the tomb was empty. When they heard the words, “Why do you search for the living among the dead?” they were ecstatic with joy and ran to tell the disciples.

 

So too Peter, on hearing the news ran to the tomb and was astounded at seeing only the linen cloths lying there. It was a similar experience for the two disciples traveling to Emmaus. They were downcast and viewed the whole thing as a failure. The man who had joined them began opening the scriptures for them. Reaching Emmaus, they recognized Jesus only in the breaking of the bread. They were overwhelmed with joy and with their hearts on fire they returned to Jerusalem to tell the others. In each case, the person underwent a change and as a result saw things differently, even felt differently.

 

What happens when we are overcome with surprise, with joy, with what we never dreamed could ever happen, or even thought was possible? I am sure that it is this same awesome, overwhelming feeling as new parents see their newborn child for the first time! One realizes that it is beyond us – it is a pure gift of God!

 

In the final appearance that evening, the two disciples were telling the others of their experience in Emmaus when suddenly Jesus stood among them and greeted them “Peace be to you.”  They were frightened, even thinking it was a ghost but slowly as Jesus spoke they gained understanding. He meets people where they are!  This peace of which he spoke is what restores relationships between God and the people and people among themselves.  

 

“Jesus is filled with God’s life; and he gives God’s life to others so that they can grow strong on it. As bread nourishes the physical level, Jesus nourishes the spiritual level.” (Shea, 118)  This is what Jesus offers to these individuals who after his death were trying to put it all together and make some sense of it. Jesus now opened their minds to the fuller meaning of the words he had spoken in his lifetime. He gave them the assurance they needed.

 

There is great similarity in the narratives of these two last appearances – that of the journey to Emmaus and in the upper room. In both instances they do not recognize Jesus and he questions their failure to recognize him. At Emmaus, Jesus blessed and broke the bread while in Jerusalem he ate in their presence. In both accounts Jesus opened the scriptures to them which led to their understanding. It seems that an encounter with the Risen Christ and an explanation of the scriptures were necessary before there was enlightenment for his followers. Once they understood, they could do nothing but proclaim the good news.  As we read in today’s Psalm (4:7), “You have put gladness in my heart,” the disciples felt compelled to go out and to announce the message. They were commissioned to “preach repentance for the forgiveness of sin to all nations and to be witnesses. (24:47-48) 

 

“Encounters with the Risen One convinced the disciples that God, in fact, decisively made good on his promise of fidelity through the death and resurrection of Jesus. But the Easter Hallelujah did not come easily for the disciples. The Easter story describes in a particularly impressive way the path of faith that the first disciples had to travel.” (Kasper 126)

 

For Reflection and Discussion: [1.] Can you understand and share in the disciples’ joy on hearing of Christ’s resurrection?  [ 2.] Recall a time when you were completely surprised by God’s ways.

 

Bibliography: Walter Kasper, Mercy, The Essence of the Gospel and the Key to Christian Life, (Paulist Press, 2014), John Shea, The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers, (Collegeville, 2005)

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Rita Kammermayer, nds, BA, B.Ed, Masters of Pastoral Studies, Jerusalem, Israel

Bat Kol alumni 2001

Email: ritakammermayer@netscape.net

[Copyright © 2018]


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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

……………………………………………………

 

~~1983–2018~~

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

Website: www.batkol.info; Administration: gill@batkol.info

Parashah Commentary Post a Comment

Parashat Sh'mini

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Sh’mini,   Erev Shabbat  13th April, 2018

Week of 8th – 14th April 2018

        Torah portion: Leviticus 9:1 -11:47         Haftarah  2 Sam. 6:1-7:17

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Parashat Sh’mini  includes the first celebration of sacrifice in the Tabernacle by Aaron and it contains the instructions on distinguishing the living creatures that may be eaten from those that are forbidden.

 

The parashah begins on the 8th day, after the completion of the seven-day ordination of Aaron and his sons. Why would it be necessary to begin with an emphasis of it being the 8th day? As the parashah commences, what echoes do we hear? The Talmud compares the first seven days of celebrating the construction of the tabernacle to the seven days of creation. (Etz, p.630) The eight day, then, brings into focus the day after God had rested in creating and it is the first day when the whole of creation begins learning to live as one and whole.

 

 Moses’ first instruction is for Aaron to prepare for himself a calf of the herd for purification and an unblemished ram for burnt offering, at the same time asking also Aaron to call on the Israelites to separate sacrificial offerings for themselves. (Lev 9:2-4). It would seem that Aaron’s first act of sacrifice and purification expiates the memory of his first act of being a leader (in the absence of Moses), to the then wandering nation in the wilderness, where he assisted in the creation of the Golden Calf.

 

While all who witnessed the appearance of the God’s presence cried out and fell on their faces, tragedy followed suit. “Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pans, put fire in it and laid incense on it; and they offered before the Lord alien fire, which He had not enjoined upon them. Fire came forth from the Lord and consumed them; thus they died at the instance of the Lord.”(Lev 10:1-2) Why was it that when all were in awe and wonder of what had just happened, Aaron’s sons were doing something different and seemingly out of the flow of what was going on? Why would it be necessary to mar the occasion with the deaths of two who were already ordained to be God’s priests for the Tabernacle? Could it be understood that our commitments come with grave responsibility to attune our life and our ways to movement of the Divine in and around us, causing dilemmas, to the point of death to anything that separates us from being whole and one?

 

Repeated twice in chapter 9, once in verse 4 and again in verse 6, it appears to be the central message of the parashah. Amidst all the preparations and instructions of what and how it is do what is commanded, all is simply secondary to the real purpose of why it is to be done, and that is to welcome the presence of God in the midst of all.  

 

Parashat Sh’mini seems to remind us that each day is likened to an 8th day experience, where creation awaits on us to rediscover that the whole is one and that amidst all the busyness of living, we are to keep alive the understanding that the real purpose of what we do and how we live our lives, is to simply awaken us to the revelation of the Divine Presence in and around us.

 

Reflection and Discussion: 1. How different would we live our life everyday if we get a glimpse of and remember that it is endowed with God’s presence? 2. How do we live out our commitments and responsibilities differently, if we understand it to be one and the same as contemplating the Divine in all?

 

Bibliography: Lieber ed. Etz Hayim Torah and Commentary, Travel ed. (JPS New York 2004);   

 

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This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Sr. Weeyaa Villanueva, RNDM.

Senegal, West Africa  Bat Kol Alumna 2010.

  Email: weeyaavillanueva@gmail.com

 [Copyright © 2018]

 

………………………………………………………………………

PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Parashah commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.   The commentaries, along with all materials published on the Bat Kol website, are copyrighted by the writers, and are made available for personal and group study, and local church purposes. Permission needed for other purposes.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

…………………………………………………………………….

 

1983-2018

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

 “Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

Website: www.batkol.info; Commentary admin: gill@batkol.info