Category: Parashah Commentary

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Tsav, Shabbat HaGadol, Erev Shabbat 23 March, 2018

Week of 18 0 24 March

 

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Torah Portion: Lev. 6:1-8:36 Haftarah: Mal 3:4-24

 

Theme: Bring Out My Deshen(s)

 

Tzav is a mandatory command of the L-rd to Moshe, that of Shabbat and Pesach. Today is the great Shabbat because a few days from now is the Pesach. Shabbat is rest, while Pesach relives the great freedom. What is the connection of today’s readings that points to different offerings? If we look closely, there is a command of the L-rd that many of us overlooked, – 6:4-6, “He (priest) shall…carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. The fire on the altar shall be kept burning, not to go out: every morning the priest shall feed wood to it, lay out the burnt offering on it…A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, not to go out.” The דשך (deshen: ashes of the fats) are considered a trash that must be יצא (yatza: carry[ied]) outside, or dispose. These fats turned into דשך (deshen: ashes) because of אש(esh: fire). In these three verses, fire and all synonymous to it are redundant, such us: יקד(yaqad: burning) and בער(ba’ar: burn); and the one burned, that is בער(ba’ar) must be disposed.

 

The Hebrew word ba’ar can also mean, “consumed,” “dull-hearted,” “brutish,” “barbarous,” “unreceptive,” or “destroyed;” these can symbolize unpleasant experiences that happened to us, such as: wrong decisions, short-comings, difficulty to forgive (self or others), painful memories, and so on that consumed us. Looking back, these negativities have turned us “brutish”, and therefore destroyed our being, our humanness. Such ashes in our life (deshen) must be להט(lahat: burned) and disposed, because they are אפר(epher: worthless; in Mal. 3.19)

 

It is worthless to dwell on the “dirt” in our life, yet we need to learn from the worthless things, so as to make our life new and worthwhile. Let us not keep residues of these ashes in our life. Do not let the negative past – the ashes, define or configure who you are or who you ought to be. As Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch once said, “in order to fully appreciate something new…it is necessary to ‘bring out the garbage’ and make room for what will be newly created!” Therefore, let us יצא (yatza: clear out) the trashes, release oneself and start anew. The L-rd, through today’s readings is inviting you to a new beginning, that is, a life worthwhile and to its wholeness.

 

Today, a new אש (esh: fire) is being יקד(yaqad: kindled), one that will not be כבה (kabah: extinguished) because the L-rd will keep it in אש (esh: flames). Yet, are you willing to be בער (ba’ar: consumed) by this Divine love that its only desire is to lead you out to authentic freedom?

 

Reflection and Discussion: 1. Is it difficult for me to release the deshen in my life? What prevents me from bringing my deshen out? 2. What has been the effect of the deshen to my relationship to others and to myself? 3. What do I truly desire or what positively consumes me that keeps my life worthwhile?

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Kristine Meneses, Ph.D., Philippines; Bat Kol Alumna 2016

Email address: krstn.rw@gmail.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

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Vayikra, Erev Shabbat 16 March 2018

Week of 11-17 March

Torah portion: Lev.1:1-5:26 Haftarah: Ezek.45:16-46:18

 

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This week’s Torah portion covers the first five chapters of the Book of Leviticus, and presents various types of sacrifice to be offered to God in the sanctuary. To an unfamiliar reader, the details may seem antiquated or gruesome, given the references to slaughter, entrails and blood, more akin to a butchery, than to a sacred space. Navigating the text with the expertise of biblical commentators, however, the details begin to take on a cogent shape. As Levine explains, “Chapters 1–5 are addressed to the general populace—to individual Israelites and to their leaders, to all who wished to worship God or who were required by circumstances to offer a particular sacrifice. They tell what may be offered—animals, birds, grain, and so forth—and they lay down the proper procedures for presenting the different sacrifices” (Levine 3). The preliminary rites with the sacrificial animal are performed by the lay offeror: hand-leaning, slaughtering, flaying, quartering, and washing. The priest takes over at the altar and continues the sacrificial ritual (Milgrom 55-56). There are five key types of sacrifice: the burnt offering (ʿolah), the grain offering (minhah), and the sacred gift of greeting (zevaḥ ha-shelamim), sin/reparation offering (hattaʾt) and guilt offering (ʾasham). These offerings served a multiplicity of functions, depending on the type and occasion, including expiation of sins, completion of purification rites, thanksgiving, entreaty, vow fulfillment or spontaneous free-will.

 

We may consider the relevance of these chapters for us today. As Wenham asks, “What do we learn from a study of [Hebrew Bible] ritual?” For me, these chapters convey the importance of ritual as a way of connecting with God. The ancient Israelites – the kohanim (priests) and the lay people – understood that their sacrificial actions were not empty gestures, but were a means to communicate with God and to meet their need for forgiveness and healing, expressing joy and gratitude, and paying homage.

 

These chapters also remind us about ethical values. We may note that the sacrificial laws make special concessions for the underprivileged. As Milgrom comments, “A leitmotif of the sacrificial texts is their concern for the poor: everyone, regardless of means, should be able to bring an acceptable offering to the Lord. Thus, birds were added to the roster of burnt offerings and the pericope on the cereal offering (chap. 2) was deliberately inserted after the burnt offering, implying that if a person could not afford birds he could bring a cereal offering” (51).

 

Finally, these passages are valuable as they offer us rich sacrificial images and terms that resonate throughout the Hebrew Bible. In Isaiah 53, the servant is compared to “a lamb led to slaughter” (Is 53:7) while Jeremiah compares himself to “a gentle lamb led to the slaughter” (11:19). The New Testament too follows this tradition in referring to Jesus as the Lamb of God (John 1:29).

 

The offering of animal sacrifice as a formal act of worship may be inconceivable today. However, these Levitical chapters continue to hold validity and meaning for us by reinforcing the importance of connecting with God, upholding ethical values and providing us with a visual vocabulary of sacrifice.

 

For Reflection and Discussion: Do you agree that ritual and ethics are linked in the Hebrew Bible?

 

Bibliography: Jacob Milgrom, Anchor Bible (NY 1998); Baruch Levine, JPS Torah Commentary (Philadelphia, 2003); Gordon Wenham, “The Perplexing Pentateuch,” Vox Evangelica 17 (1987)

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Nidhani De Andrado, Boston, USA, Bat Kol alum 2002/2003

(Email: pdeandrado@yahoo.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; Parashah Admin.: gill@batkol.info

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Vayak’hel-Pekudei – Erev Shabbat 9 March 2018

Week of 4 to 10 March 2018

Torah portion: Exodus 35:1-40:38 Haftarah: Ezekiel 36:16-38

 

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The celebration of Sabbath this week at sundown of Friday is called Shabbat Parah or the “Sabbath of the Red Heifer” in preparation for the Pesach (Passover). The reference for this is Numbers 19:1-22 which describes the red heifer, or parah adumah as part of the purification ritual for the priests and the people. This reading, from the Book of Numbers, is the Torah portion assigned to be read. (www.jewfaq.org)

 

In this commentary, however, I am going to write about Parashat Vayak’hel-Pekudei according to the chronological order of the Torah portions. The general content of Vayak’hel is the recapitulations of the building of the Tabernacle which has already been described in details in the preceding parashiyot. Pekudei contains the inventory of the materials used in the Tabernacle building project. The parashah ends the Book of Exodus. It is a tradition to end the reading with, “Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek!” (Be strong, be strong and may we be strengthened!)

 

The descriptions in the parashah are quite thorough and detailed. So, in order to imbibe the spirit of the parashah, I would like to use the observations of Rashi, who is known in the Jewish Biblical Studies for his elucidation of the Torah at the level of peshat or the plain meaning of the text. The other author or teacher whom I wish to use is Nehama Leibowitz, a Torah teacher, whose work is equally meticulous.

 

Rashi observed that there is a difference in the sequence of God’s command regarding the Sabbath in Exodus 31:12-17. It began with the command to keep the Sabbath holy, then proceeded to verse 15 saying, “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day…” In the parashah that we are reading, it is the reverse. (Herczeg, 488) What does this tell us? The reversal of order is an emphasis given that even creative work as important as the construction of the Mishkan or the Tabernacle cannot overturn the Sabbath commandments.

 

Leibowitz, in the study that she prepared for this parashah, noticed that the recapitulations, when the artists and workers began to report what they had done, were a repetition of the ones already stated previously. While the text could easily say, “it was done as per instruction of Moses,” or something similar, it chose to restate the details again. Using different rabbinic commentaries, the following reasons were posited: it may be because the instructions had to be continually repeated for them to be followed accurately or that it may be the narrative convention of the literature of the time. The latter was the most accepted. Similar to the offering of first fruits and first born, the repetition stressed the symbolic significance of each detail and the dedication of the fruit of each worker’s labors in preparation for life in the Promised Land.

 

The above examples are the works of these admirable scholars whose attention to details led to significant insights. Their dedication to Torah Study can be likened to the dedication of the artisans, like Bezalel and Oholiab, whose work produced a beautiful Tabernacle in the wilderness! Indeed, “God is in the detail.”

 

Reflection and Discussion: 1) How can I develop my attentiveness to the Scriptures? 2) As a Christian, how can the Jewish way of reading the Torah enhance the way I read the Gospel? 3) After finishing each Book of the Torah, we pray, “Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek!” (Be strong, be strong, may we be strengthened!). What does it mean for you?

 

Bibliography: Herczeg, Rashi: Shemos/ Exodus (Mesorah Publications, New York, 1995); Leibowitz, New Studies in Shemot (Haomanim Press, Jerusalem, 1995)

 

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This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Sr. Petite Lao, RNDM, Bat Kol Alum 2010, 2014

e-mail address: petitelao@gmail.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; Parashah Admin: gill@batkol.info

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashah Ki Tisa —Erev Shabbat March 2, 2018

Week of February 25–March 3, 2018

Torah portion: Ex. 30:11–34:35 Haftarah: 1 Kgs. 18 :1–39

 

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This week’s reading is one of the most dramatic in the whole Hebrew Bible. The opening conserves an idyllic tonality putting us rather backwards, to the previous section, with the detailed explanations concerning ritual laws and norms providing purity of person and that of the future Temple. Thus the goal of these meticulous prescriptions is to enable the sons of Israel (בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל), i.e. the sanctified people of God, to be testimonies of the Almighty’s self-opening for His holy ones’ sake [cf. Ex. 30:6]. In this sense both the numbering and a ransom for the soul of every man make it clear what kind of relationship binds The Holy One and his servants. The two beautiful metaphors of this complex and profound intimacy are to be found further: 1) the mixed fragrant ointment (שֶׁ֚מֶן) used to consecrate both the sanctuary and the sons of Aaron, and 2) the incense, a sort of the high-qualified, tempered together, pure and holy confected perfume (‎קְטֹ֔רֶת). The variety of those symbolic names and images renders with an excellent brightness how the extreme exclusiveness of the being apart from (it is the principal meaning of the term קֹ֖דֶשׁ) delimits the Revelation of the Lord and his perception from the point of view of His people. However this ideal picture tout court fails from the very beginning without even being performed in the mind of the attentive reader of the Biblical narrative.

 

The Golden Calf story strikes us by its hardness and unexpectedness. Its central place in this section is striking too, as if there were a counterpart of the giving of the tablets of Decalogue. In fact, we have to do with an agile narrative construction that puts forward the salvific dynamism of God’s Self-Revealing on Mount Sinai by using an antithetical language: first, Moses receives the tablets of Divine origin, then comes the tragedy of idolatry and finally, he makes by himself the new tablets after having destroyed the former ones. This intense antithetical polarity intertwined in itself – ad intra [the drama of Israel] & ad extra [the drama of the whole universe inscribed in the Divine Law as Rashi says] –, in the history of Christianity, was practically used and overused in order to discredit validity and distinctiveness of the First Testament. Especially in the Epistle of Barnabas this antagonistic attitude is exalted to an extreme point, so that his author may affirm: “when they turned to idols, they lost it (the covenant)” [Barn. 4:6c-7]. Similarly, in the Second Epistle to Corinthians [3:12–18] St. Paul seems to present rather a conflicting model of the relationship between the two Testaments and two nations: the veil of Moses is regarded as an obstacle for Israelites to see the divine glory. The coming of Christ removes it from the panorama of salvation, making of Christians a new Israel, the truly one who substitutes the ancient people of the ancient Covenant now completely broken.

 

The answer to such a challenging quest can be deduced from the biblical story itself. At the very end of the Parashah we are taught a lot of significant details that shed a light on the issue. The shining brilliance of the Moses’ face (as well as the veil!) focuses one’s attention on the divine dialectic or dialogical unity of the revelation and hiding, mercy and punishment, immanence and transcendence. Consequently, the turning point of the whole narrative lays on this divine choice, election that cannot all of a sudden be reduced or diminished by human will. Hence it is comprehensible why the mediation of Moses as a redeemer reached so quickly the Divine hesed (חסד), why Moses himself revives – in an impressive manner in this story – a partnership of a mystical betrothal that still binds people of Israel as Sion, Daughter of a Voice, to His Beloved Bridegroom [cf. Hos. 2:19].

 

The second reading with another impressive narrative profile of Elijah, irreprehensible in his prophetic zeal, functions as a perfect conclusion to the majestic story of the renewal of the unique Covenant pulsing in the heart of the whole of humanity. The triumph of the Lord over the false gods symbolized by two calves in the present Torah portion has to be proclaimed as the Prophet does (1 Kgs. 18:36ss.) inviting to this outstanding prayer heaven and earth [cf. Ps. 148]. From the point of view of pragmatics this final “The Eternal alone is God!” proclaimed twice echoes to a large extent in the previous and following sections stressing such a great need of dialogue in a modern time: a dialectics that opens mind and heart of everyone but mostly manifests a Divine Imperative to be attentive to a Voice that surrounds us, to hear It, to transmit It, to revive continually Its fullness and surprising presence.

 

For Reflection and Discussion: 1. What kind of spiritual experience may suppose the shining face of Moses? Which other biblical texts revive these prominent “light” metaphors? 2. What are my real challenges and successes in this Lent’ season to keep unbroken a Covenant with God? 3. How are tensions of Divine Revelation realized in my life?

 

Bibliography: Plaut, ed., The Torah, A Modern Commentary (New York, 1981); Grilli, Quale rapporto tra i due Testamenti? Riflessione critica sui modelli ermeneutici classici concernenti l’unità delle Scritture (Bologna, 2007); Fritz, “Sabbath Rest and Sunday Worship: We Are Entitled to Both”. P. 38–52 Available on this link.

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

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

Bat Kol alumnus 2011 artyushins@yandex.ru [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

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashah Tetzaveh, Erev Shabbat 23rd February 2018

Week of 18th – 24th February 2018

Torah portion: Exodus 27:20 – 30:10 Haftarah 1Sam. 15:1-34

 

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Parashah Tetzaveh (and you shall further instruct…) continues from Parashat Trumah, with Moshe receiving more commands from God on furnishing the tabernacle including the preparation of vestments and ordination of the ministering priests in it.

 

The parashah opens with the Israelites being commanded to continuously bring crushed or beaten, clear olive oil for kindling the light of the lamps, in the Tabernacle, which Aaron and his sons are to keep burning from evening to morning.

 

It is fascinating to note that keeping a constant light burning in the tabernacle becomes the first instruction that God asks of Moshe to command the people. It seems to resonate with “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3). Moshe and the people seemingly are invited into participating in the Divine mission of creating God’s sanctuary in the midst of them: Moshe delivering the instructions through God’s guidance, God’s people themselves contributing by bringing continuously that which is essential in making light come into existence, and the priests participating by attentively keeping the light burning throughout. All coming and working together for one purpose.

 

A whole section follows with detailed instructions on making vestments of finest materials, stones and gems, prepared by the skilful, translated as “wise of heart”, (Etz, p.505) for Aaron and his lineage serving as priests for God in the Tabernacle. Again another parallel is seen between the creation of the world and fashioning of the tabernacle. (Etz, p.504)

 

It is delightful to read how in fashioning vestments of priests that calls forth holiness, for the priest, somehow involves the gathering of the people who have been gifted by God with wisdom to create balance and harmony with the best of what the created world can offer, making everything come together as one and whole.

 

Central though it seems to the instructions given in the whole parashah is found in reading Ex 29:42-45. God’s instructions lead to simply preparing a place where the Divine Presence can rest in the midst of the chosen people. God prepares God’s own for a deepening of a relationship where one is found abiding with the other.

 

As the parashah closes, instructions for an altar for regular incense offering to God throughout the ages is given. The aroma of a burning incense cannot be contained, it spreads farther than where it is burnt. Could it be, then, a witnessing to the rest of the world of the uncontainable growing relationship between God and God’s own?

 

Reflection and Discussion: 1. How have you created a place for God in your life? 2. How have you grown daily in becoming attuned to God’s presence in and around you? 3. How has your growing relationship become a witnessing to all who come to know you?

 

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]

 

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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.

………………………………………………………………….

 

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

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashah Terumah Erev Shabbat, 17th February 2018

Week of 10th -18th February

Torah portion: Exodus 25:1-27:19 Haftarah: 1Kgs 5:26-6:13

 

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I was reminded of Harambee days in Kenya as I read the Torah portion for this week. Harambee means “all pulling together” in Swahili and it encompasses two activities; donations – both animals and money, channeled towards a building project. The energy generated by the act of freely given donations and the purpose wherein those were used on behalf of the community, was very palpable. A glimpse of the energy released to build a visible structure to house the Divine presence can be glimpsed in the fact that a halt had to be put on the flow of gifts that flowed so generously from the people. “The people are bringing more than is needed for the work G-d has ordered to be done” (Ex.36:5). Donations, sanctuary and tabernacle (mishkan) – are at the heart of parashah Terumah. “The Eternal One spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts, you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart is so moved….and let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them’ (Ex 25:1, 8). The stress is on G-d’s dwelling among the people not on the building. The Terumah Commentary 177, reads not “I will dwell in it”, but rather, “I will dwell in them”. Terumah can be translated as ‘a contribution’ but Rabbi Jonathan Sacks points out that it has a subtly different meaning for which there is no English equivalent. It means ‘something you lift up’ by dedicating it to a sacred cause. I glimpsed a moment like that at a Harambee day for building a church, when a young boy came up with his contribution, which was one copper coin. He lifted it up in front of the crowd and announced that this was for God. His statement met with awed silence by those present.

 

The description of the building of Solomon’s Temple in the Haftarah brings out the contrast between what is freely given from the heart and what is coerced. “King Solomon raised a levy throughout Israel for forced labor: the levy numbered thirty thousand men. He sent these to Lebanon in relays, ten thousand a month; they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home”(1Kgs 5:27-28). In an unnerving way the building smacks something of the tyranny of the building programs of Egypt during the exile there.

 

The gifts necessary for the building are named beginning with gold, silver and copper. It is interesting that the copper is given the name “snake metal” from the Hebrew nachash. It “is a substance that recalls the stubborn impudence of the primordial snake’s denial of God.” (181) Is there a hint there that what we resist in our contributions can through integration into the fabric and structure of the sanctuary be open to transformation, not by exclusion but by inclusion into the whole?

 

Reflection: “The very act of giving flows from, or leads to, the understanding that what we give is part of what we were given. It is a way of giving thanks, an act of gratitude” (Rabbi Sacks). How is gratitude built into our lives? How do we ‘each build a tabernacle in our own hearts for G-d to dwell in’? (Malbim in Plaut, 557)

 

Bibliography: Commentary on Terumah, www.chabad.org.media; Fox, The Five Books of Moses (New York, 1995); Plaut (ed), The Torah, A Modern Commentary (New York, 1981); http://rabbisacks.org/parsha/Terumah – The Gift of Giving (Terumah 5776) 8th Feb 2016.

 

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This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Moya Hegarty osu; moyaosu@eircom.net, Sligo, Ireland.

Bat Kol Alum, 2007/2015

[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; Parashah Admin: gill@batkol.info

 

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashah Mishpatim  Erev Shabbat, 9th of February, 2018

Week of 4th- 10th February

Torah portion:  Ex.21:1-24:18 Haftarah: 2 Kings 11:17-12:1

 

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God instructed Moses to inform the Israelites, “These are the laws you are to set before them.” (21:1) This is the first body of legislation in the Torah dealing in great detail with the civil, moral and religious laws with the intention of establishing a just society. When Moses had explained all of this to the people they answered in one voice saying, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do!” (24:3) Such a confident and total commitment showed the great love of the people for God and of their trust in his servant, Moses.

 

Slavery which dates back to ancient times had become a way of life. Wherever there are wealthy and powerful while others are poor, the wealthy will hire the poor to do labor and will in effect control them. This servitude can easily evolve into slavery. In the Torah, we find great concern for the treatment of slaves. The question arises as to why the Torah allowed slavery when the basic premise is that all human beings are created in God’s image and therefore need to be treated with dignity and respect. The Torah did not resolve this issue but saw it as an institution that needed healing. Legislated laws were needed to protect the person from abuse and mistreatment. Initially, it probably began as an arrangement to repay stolen items and to provide a home situation for the destitute and the homeless.

 

The Israelites were always reminded not to oppress the stranger for they were once strangers in Egypt. (23:9) According to Nahmanides the stranger is powerless, they are not surrounded by family, friends, neighbors nor a community ready to come to their defense. Therefore, the Torah warns against any ill treatment of the slaves because God has made Himself their protector.” (Sacks 182)

 

There are other issues dealt within this parashah that are part of everyday living and are frequently misunderstood. First of all that of gossip, the spreading of falsehood by one’s speech (23:1). For the sages gossip meant killing three – the teller, the listener and the subject. A midrash prohibits both the listening and the spreading of these rumors because he/she has already participated in the gossip just by listening and receiving it. (Etz Hayim 470)

 

Secondly, “The penalty shall be life for life, eye for eye,” (21:24) This expression of course cannot be taken literally. Rather it was considered as a guiding principle for lawgivers and judges. The original meaning was that one paid to the injured party the value of that eye in monetary compensation. In this graphic manner it was stressed that the punishment must fit the crime and circumstances ensuring that the punishment was not either too lenient or too harsh.

 

Thirdly, the whole understanding of keeping kosher (meaning suitable, proper, pure) stems from the statement which prohibits preparing, serving or eating meat and dairy products together. (23:19) The Torah does not specify a reason for these laws but their observance shows the person’s belief and obedience to God.

 

Fourthly, that of offering a blessing over food before eating. The Israelites were called to be a holy people (19:6) and thus prayer was an integral part of everyday life. When a blessing was said, it served as a reminder of God’s presence and their relationship with God. The sages condemned a person who while enjoying the goods of God’s creation yet failed to acknowledge and thank God. Such a person was seen as a thief. (Etz Hayim 475)

 

For Reflection and Discussion: [1.] If in our daily practices there is no conscious intention, what value is there in doing them? [2.] God’s command to Abraham to be a blessing seems to conclude that a conscious and intentional effort is necessary.

 

Bibliography: Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation, (London, 2010), Etz Hayim, Torah and Commentary (New York, 2001);

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Rita Kammermayer, nds, BA, B.Ed, Masters of Pastoral Studies, Jerusalem, Bat Kol alumni 2001

ritakammermayer@netscape.net

[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

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Yitro – Erev Shabbat 02 February 2018

Week of 28 January-03 February 2018

Torah portion: Exodus 18:1-20:23 Haftarah: Isaiah 6:1-7:6, 9:5-6

 

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Yitro (Jethro), the father of Zipporah, Midian priest, encourages Moses to set up a judiciary system; Jethro listens to Moses’ account of the deliverance of the Hebrew people from Egypt; we read the preparations for the Theophany and the details of the Decalogue. The commentators in Etz Hayim refer to this parashah as “the hinge of the Torah” (Lieber p.432). The hinge image needed to open or close the door, vividly pictures humanity’s access to critical revelation.

 

a. Torah given to Israel, intended for all humanity

a. Transformation of freed slaves to nation covenanted to God

b. God reached down to reveal Torah to humanity

 

b. Jethro …. heard (18:1) Jethro as righteous gentile; very human reasons for Jethro’s association with people Israel include (Lieber p.432)

a. Feeling of pity and compassion upon hearing the suffering of Hebrew people in Egypt

b. Desire to be part of a victorious people

c. Realization of the destiny of Israelites and desire to join them

 

c. G-d is aloof and unapproachable as well as immediate and full of love/concern/protection

a. The mountain covered with fire and thunder, need for purification, danger of approaching God (Exod. 20:16; Exod. 28:35; Lev. 10:2)

b. “How I bore you aloft on eagles’ wings” Exod. 19:4, Rashi says, it expresses the intimate relationship between the bearer and those borne, the concern and love of the benefactor for the beneficiary (Leibowitz, p293)

c. God will come down, Ex 19:1 (Etz Chayim p.439) expresses God’s infinite transcendence and personal, intimate involvement with humanity

 

d. How we treat one another is of concern to God

a. Other nations had laws that stated “If you do this…, then ….”. The Decalogue opens the door to the new understanding that certain acts are not only against the law, they are wrong in an absolute sense. “You shall not…” (Lieber p. 441)

 

e. The singularity of God’s relationship with each one of us

a. “I the Lord am your God” (20:2) The Hebrew word for “your” is singular, for God is revealed to each one of us according to our own capacity to respond (Lieber p.442)

 

Bibliography: Leibowitz, Nehama, New Studies in Shemot, Jerusalem, 1976; Lieber, Etz Hayim, Torah and Commentary, New York, 2001

 

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

MariAnn (Marjan) Saenen, B.A. M.A. Michigan State University,

Lay Minister, Diocese of Saginaw, MI

Bat Kol alum 1999-2000, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2016

Email: marjansaenen@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.

…………………………………………………

 

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

 

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat B’Shallah – Erev Shabbat 26 January 2018

Week of 21-27 January 2018

Torah portion: Exodus 13:17-17:16   Haftarah: Judges 4:4-5:31

 

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 This parashat, along with an accompanying legend, presents us with two different attitudes towards the path on which we all walk—the path of yesterday, today and tomorrow.  One attitude is shown by the Israelites, who are leaving Egypt and a life of slavery.  The other is shown by Joseph, who arrived in Egypt as a slave and rose to a position of power thanks to his ability to predict the future by interpreting dreams. The Israelites complain to Moses: “Was it for want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? …. it would have been better for us to serve Egypt than that we should die in the wilderness.  (Ex 14:11-12) As we read in Leibowitz (245): “Egypt is an eternal refrain in their mouths…They yearned for Egypt as a babe for its mother’s breasts…. better to serve the Egyptians than to live in a strange clime…They looked to the future with trepidation.  The future was epitomized in a four-letter Hebrew word: midbar (wilderness).” For years of servitude had made the Israelites at home with a life in which today is like yesterday and tomorrow will be like today.  The thought of tomorrow being different from today, no matter whether that difference might be better or worse, is terrifying to them—the future is wilderness.  And what they fear—death in the wilderness—is exactly what will come to them. (Num 26:63-65)  

 

In contrast, Joseph, on his deathbed, looked to the future and said to his brothers: “God will surely take notice of you and bring you up from this land to the land that He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. So Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “When God has taken notice of you, you shall carry up my bones from here.” (Gen 50:24-25) At the beginning of this week’s parashat we read: “And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph…” (Ex 13:19) The bones of Joseph are finally interred in land that his father Jacob had bought at Shechem. (Josh 24:32)   Joseph did not dread the future as if it were a wilderness.  Instead, with the eyes of faith, he saw it as the domain in which God will make good on the promise.  To Joseph the past—when the promise was made, the present—in which he looks forward to the fulfillment of the promise, and the future—when his bones will be carried into the land that was promised, all make up a living whole.

 

Joseph trusted that the sons of Israel would remember what they had sworn to do. According to legend, while others were busy “gathering in the treasures of the Egyptians,” it was Moses who went to the royal mausoleum to retrieve Joseph’s bones. But so many had been interred there over the centuries that he had no idea where Joseph was.  His mother, Jochebed, came to his rescue and “led him to the very spot.” Presumably the knowledge of Joseph’s burial place had been passed down the generations so that memory could make possible action in the future.) Moses then spoke to Joseph, telling him that the time of the fulfillment of the promise had come at last.   The future had arrived; tomorrow had become today.  At once “the coffin stirred and rose to the surface.” (Ginzberg, 346) The people fear the journey into the wilderness; the dead bones of Joseph are eager to start on their way. 

 

Bibliography:  Ginsburg, Legends of the Bible (Philadelphia, 1956); Leibowitz, New Studies in Shemot (Exodus) Part 1 (Jerusalem, 1976)

For Reflection and Discussion:  1: What has been your experience of clinging to the way things are and fearing the future? 2.  What has been your experience of facing the future with a trust in God that overcame your fear? 3. Has a memory of the past ever helped you or prepared you for the future? 

 

This week’s teaching commentary is by

Anne Morton, BA, MA, MA (Theology). Winnipeg, Canada; Bat Kol Alumna 2010
Email address: anmorton@mymts.net

[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

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Bo –Erev Shabbat, January 19, 2018

Week of 14 -20 January

Torah portion: Exodus 10:1-13:16                          Haftarah Jeremiah 46: 13-28

 

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This week the struggle between Moses and Pharaoh continues.  Do we GO (Bo) or not?  Moses and Aaron return again after 7 plagues have struck the Egyptians and warn Pharaoh to let the Israelites go or suffer the 8th plague of locusts.  “Who are the ones to go” asks Pharaoh? (Ex.10:8)  Moses insists “with our young ones, with our elders we will go, with our sons and with our daughters, with our sheep and with our oxen we will go- for it is YHWH’s pilgrimage-festival for us. (10:9) ALL would go.  As with each of the other plagues, Pharaoh asks forgiveness, but his “plea” continues to quickly become meaningless and with his hardened heart he refuses to let the people go.

 

And so, with the 9th plague darkness covers the land.  The 10th and final plague follows. With this YHWH is seen as the “executioner” in the middle of the night, descending into Egypt to redeem the 1st born of the Israelites by the killing of the 1st born male of all families and beasts including the son of Pharaoh.  Moses in the meantime is instructed to mark this as the 1st month of the year and to prepare to leave Egypt. (Ex. 12:1)  With Chapter 12 the narrative leaves the realm of story telling and enters that of ritual.   The Passover event follows with the elders killing lambs and using the blood to paint the door lintels.  The people are told to stay inside until morning.  Cries and wailing break the silence of the night.  This story and ritual have become part of both Jewish and Christian tradition.

 

In this parashat we also witness dramatic changes between master and slaves.  It takes 8 plagues for Pharaoh to recognize that his authority is meaningless.  The Israelites long for freedom from their lives as slaves. By this point their people had been in Egypt for 430 years.  It is thus hard for them to appreciate their new reality as they leave this land.  They will need to recognize more clearly with their journey to freedom that they are dearly loved by God.  It will take time for the people to truly live into this reality and learn to return this great love.

 

The Haftarah of Jeremiah reminds their ancestor, “Have no fear Jacob, my servant: do not despair.  I will save you.  I am with you says the Eternal One.  That promise and covenant is renewed over and over throughout the history of the “chosen ones.”

 

 For Reflection and Discussion: Today we reach the key moment in Exodus with the Passover event.  It is a reminder that “remembering makes the past present again”.  As 2018 begins, the country of Egypt is an important player on the world stage.  Rights and freedom continue to be openly sought for everywhere we look.  The #MeToo and LGBTQ movements are calling for each person to be treated with dignity and respect – as we all share in the divinity of our Creator.    What can we learn from past struggles between the powerless and those in Power? How do we respond to the “cries” of sisters and brothers to be free of oppression, isolation, and shame?  Will this open us to renewed compassion seeking justice for all?

 

Bibliography:    Shekel (The Women’s Torah Commentary – Vermont, 2000); Leibowitz (New Studies in Bereshit (Genesis) – Israel ) ;  Fox ( The Five Books of Moses – New York, 1995) ; Plaut (The Haftarah Commentary, New York, 1996)

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Mary Louise Chesley-Cora,  M.A.T. Religious Studies

Bat Kol Alumna, 2001

Email:  chezcor@msn.com

Copyright c 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    Parashah Admin. gill@batkol.info