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July 17, 2017 news Post a Comment

News from the Exodus 2017 Program: Moses, Prophet and Servant.

The Exodus Program

The Exodus program began on 6th July, with participants from Australia, Brasil, Canada, Israel, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, USA, and UK.  The picture shows the group gathered for the  opening ceremony held on 7th July. Almost half the students will be taking the program for academic credit.  Lectures are given mostly by Rabbis and Jewish Professors and are augmented by synagogue worship, erev shabbat suppers, and visits to a variety of holy sites. 

 

The July 2018 Program will be the Book of Leviticus: The basis for holiness, 4-25 July.  To apply, click here

 

Hebrew Songs Post a Comment

Hebrew Song of the Month – July

We brought peace on you (to you).

This is a very old song, (over  70 years),  which is very popular today in Israel, especially on trips while going by bus and the whole group is singing together in public.  Its origin is probably German and Turkish.

Sarah Israeli

 

הֵבֵאנוּ שָלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם,

הֵבֵאנוּ שָלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם,

הֵבֵאנוּ שָלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם,

הֵבֵאנוּ שָלוֹם,

שָלוֹם, שָלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם.

 

Hevenu shalom aleichem,

hevenu shalom aleichem,

hevenu shalom aleichem,

hevenu shalom,

shalom, shalom aleichem

 

July 11, 2017 Sunday Commentary Post a Comment

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A (16 July 2017)

Isaiah 55:10-11; Ps. 65:10-14; Rom. 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23.

Theme: A Hundredfold!

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Chapter 13 of Matthew is a collection of parables attributed to Jesus, seven in all. Today’s Gospel reading deals with the first and longest of these, the parable of the sower. The remaining six will be offered for our reflection over the next two Sundays.

 

 The Hebrew term mashal (translated parabolé in Greek, e.g. in Psalm 78:2 in LXX, hence parable in English) has a wide range of meanings: proverb, wisdom saying, riddle, parable, allegory etc. Amy-Jill Levine refers to the parables as ‘Jesus’ provocative stories’ [Levine 1] and this is in line with John Dominic Crossan’s convincing argument that Jesus’ parables were meant to shock his listeners into a new way of seeing things [Crossan 90-93]. To read them as moral stories or to allegorize them is to rob them of much of their power to transform our minds and hearts. Many scholars think that the process of domesticating them began in the early church as witnessed by the fact that a few of them, and the parable of the sower is one, are accompanied by allegorical explanations. Other scholars however, Raymond Brown among them, think that the allegorical explanations in the Gospels (there are three of them in Matthew 13) might well go back to Jesus, who would not have made the sharp distinction between parable and allegory that we now make.

 

An allegory, in which each element represents something in real life, appeals to our reason and intelligence, the right side of our brains. A parable on the other hand is a left-brain story that tries to engage our imagination with exaggeration and a totally unexpected outcome. Kenneth Bailey describes a parable as a house in which we are invited to dwell, and through whose windows we are invited to see the world differently [Bailey 280-281].

 

In any case the surprise ending of today’s parable, the ‘Wow!’ factor, lies in the ridiculously large yields from the seed sown in good soil – up to a hundredfold! The only verse in the Hebrew Bible that mentions a hundredfold yield of grain is Genesis 26.12 where it describes YHWH”s bounteous blessing bestowed on Isaac. Seth Schwarz, historian and researcher at the Jewish Theological Seminary NY, estimates that crop yields for wheat in ancient Palestine ranged from four to eight-fold, with  the yields for barley somewhat higher [Schwartz 41]. From the Mishnah we learn that in a poor year the yield might be equivalent only to what had been sown [Baba Metzi‘a 9.5; Hamel 147]. This grain would be kept for sowing the following year, so no net return. Imagine the shock value then of a thirty or sixty-fold yield, let alone a hundred! What kind of seed could possibly produce that, and what kind of soil? What does it all mean? Jesus’ listeners, and ourselves in turn, are invited to wrestle with these questions, and to ponder on what the parable could possibly mean for our own lives and for our world.

 

For Reflection and Discussion: 1. Reflect on ways in which you have experienced the hundredfold return on the seed planted in the good soil of your own heart. 2. In what ways could you see this parable as relevant to our world today?

 

Bibliography: Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (London, 2008); Brown, New Testament Essays (London, 1965); Crossan, The Dark Interval: towards a theology of story (Allen TX 1975); Hamel, Poverty and Charity in Roman Palestine (Berkerley CA, 1990); Levine, Short Stories by Jesus (New York NY, 2014); Schwartz, ‘Political, Social and Economic Life in the Land of Israel 66-c.235’ in Katz, (ed.), The Cambridge History of Judaism Volume 4 (Cambridge UK, 2006).

 

This week’s Sunday Gospel Commentary was prepared by

Br Kevin McDonnell cfc, PhD., Australia,  Bat Kol Alumnus, 2003, 2004, 2005.
Email address: klmcdonnell@edmundrice.org

[Copyright © 2017]

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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

1983-2017

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

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

Parashah Commentary Post a Comment

Parashat Pinchas

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Pinchas – Erev Shabbat 14 July 2017

Week of 9-15 July 2017

Torah portion: Numbers 25:10-30:1 Haftarah: Jer.1:1-2:3

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How the Land is to be apportioned and how the Lord is to be worshipped are major concerns of this parashat. And women involve themselves with both land and worship by standing up and speaking out for what they believe to be right.  

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July 3, 2017 Sunday Commentary Post a Comment

14th sunday of the year 2017

14th Sunday of the Year (9 July 2017)

Lectionary readings

Zec 9:9-10; Ps 145; Rom 8:9.11-13; Mt 11:25-30

Theme: Spreading Shalom

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After church on Father’s Day, our family visited the local zoo. Even though we now have teenagers and pre-teens in tow, the animals still capture their attention and interest, and a zoo visit always is a great way to spend an afternoon together. On this particular day, we spent extra time watching the ostriches, and began discussing whether they actually stick their heads in the ground to “hide”. While we determined that ostrich myth wasn’t actually true, when faced with today’s political headlines and frustrating realities, we thought the response does seem tempting. But, the more I thought about sticking one’s head in the sand, the more I realized this ostrich-response to pain, calamity and problems reminds me of the false prophets in Jeremiah 6:14 who cry, “Peace, peace” even when there is no peace.

 

But such is not the response of God in this week’s passages in Zechariah 9 and Psalm 145. While the Zechariah passage is more commonly read on Palm Sunday, it’s interesting to read it within its original context. As warring countries surround and threaten Jerusalem, God promises a coming king who will remove the chariots, warhorses, and battle bows. This humble, righteous and victorious king will announce peace – shalom – to all the nations. A shalom that spreads across the entire earth.

 

Toward that day – when shalom is spread across the earth – we long and pray. This is a promise we still anticipate, and have no doubt whether it has yet been achieved. But as we await and imagine that promised shalom, may we read Psalm 145 as a beautiful illustration of what will be. In Psalm 145 we read the realities of shalom spread across the earth.

 

The starting place of this shalom is God’s very own character – a character of goodness, mercy, compassion, patience, majesty, power, love, justice and might. Shalom is greater than ignoring problems or falsely proclaiming manufactured peace; it is built upon the foundation of God. As God’s people recognize, proclaim, worship and embody these qualities, shalom is further spread. And shalom becomes contagious as God provides, fills, loves, draws near, satisfies, hears, delivers and protects (Ps 145:15-21).

 

But what shall we do in the interim, as we await that day when we shall finally, fully see shalom across the earth? This week’s New Testament readings provide encouragement. When we feel weary, burdened, and tired by the strife, heartache and pain, Jesus invites us to come unto him, to find rest in him, and to take upon his yoke – and in that – God will be revealed unto us – the very same God whose character is the foundation of shalom (Mt 11:25-30). And Romans 8:11 reminds us that none of this is done in our own power, but in the power of God – the very same life-giving, death-overcoming power – which raised Jesus from the dead.

 

Let us be those who boldly embrace such life-giving power, eagerly take Jesus’ yoke and rest upon us, and actively become shalom spreaders.

 

For Reflection and Discussion: In what ways do you understand Psalm 145 illustrating shalom? How does this Psalm expand your understanding of shalom in today’s world? What areas in your life, work, or home need to experience Jesus’ promised rest? What would it look like to take upon his yoke? Where do you need his life-giving, death-overcoming power?

 

This week’s Sunday Gospel Commentary was prepared by

Rev. Kristen B Marble, MDiv, MEd, Bat Kol Alumni 2013

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

 

[Copyright © 2017]

…………………………………………………………………………………

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

1983-2017

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

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

Parashah Commentary Post a Comment

parashat balak

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Balak – Erev Shabbat 7 July 2017

Week of 2-8 July 2017

Torah portion: Numbers 22:2-25:9 Haftarah: Micah 5:6-6:8

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In my commentary on Bamidbar, I referred to Fox’s theoretical structure of the Book of Numbers. According to this structure the present parashah is found in the second part:The Rebellious Folk: Narratives of Challenge, section C: Encountering the Other (c.22-24) and Final Rebellion: Apostasy (c.25). In that same commentary I wrote about the significance of names, numbers (counting) and wilderness which continue in this parashah.The name of Balak, King of Moab, sounds like the word to destroy while Bil’aam, the sorcerer, suggests swallower (destroying). Beor, Bil’aam’s father, also suggests destroying. So we see two camps – that of the destroyers and that of the Israelites, separated and powerful with YHWH, their God as the one who blesses and does not allow the sorcerer to curse them.

 

To further summarise this parashah, I suggest a division of five scenarios. 1) Balak sends two sets of messengers to engage Bil’aam’s powers. 2) After the second time, Bil’aam accompanies the messengers on his she-ass. The she-ass sees a vision of a messenger from God which Bil’aam does not see. Bil’aam grows angry and beats the ass because she is hindering his journey to Balak and causing him discomfort. The she-ass speaks to Bil’aam who then sees the messenger and is willing to return home. 3) Bil‘aam reaches Balak who takes him to three vantage points to look at the numerous and powerful Israelites in order to curse them more effectively. Each time (3 times) the curse turns out to be a blessing from YHWH, the God of the Israelites. God’s original blessing cannot be reversed. 4) Bil’aam is ready to return to his own home but before he goes he utters a fourth oracle for Balak as a final warning concerning the impenetrable power of God surrounding the Israelites: the same power that controlled Bil’aam to bless rather than curse the Israelites.5) In the camp of the Israelites (in stark contrast to what Balak fears) the wilderness experience of dissatisfaction,complaints and rebellion continues: Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor (25:3a). Israel, blessed by YHWH, is still unfaithful to the Lord their God.

 

As an example of the faithfulness of God we look at Bil’aam’s first oracle (23:7-10). In this he describes how Balak asked him to curse Yaakov. Bil’aam asks how it was possible to curse what God has not cursed and how to destroy from the face of the earth what YHWH loves, guides and protects. As Bil’aam stands on the heights of Baal (the place of worship of Baal) he sees Yaakov: a people apart but secure – separated from other nations. Deuteronomy (33:28-29) describes how Israel has dwelt securely and is more fortunate than other nations because it is victorious in the Lord: your enemies fawn upon you as you stride upon the heights and You are a people sacred to the Lord your God (Dt 7:6-11).Then Bil’aam speaks about measuring/counting the dust of Yaakov. We recall what God said to Abram in Gn 13:16 and we remember that numbering or counting a people is to have power over them. Balak and no other nation will have power over Yaakov as long as YHWH is their God, shield and protector.

 

Twice Bil’aam compares the Israelites to a lion the king of the beasts (23:24; 24:9). Genesis (49:9) describes Israel’s blessing for his son Judah: he crouches like a lion recumbent, the king of the beasts – who would dare rouse him? Out of Judah, God’s people will survive through the line of King David and the Messiah.

 

Reflection: 1) What are your experiences of seeming curses turning into blessings because you have obeyed and trusted the Lord our God?

Bibliography: Fox, Everett. The Five Books of Moses (New York: 1997); African Bible (Nairobi: 2004).

 

This week’s teaching commentary is by

Bernadette Chellew, Durban, South Africa

Bat Kol alum 2008

Email: btrnchellew@gmail.com

[Copyright © 2017]

 

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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

~~1983-2017~~

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

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

June 27, 2017 Sunday Commentary, weekly commentaries Post a Comment

13th sunday of the year

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 02, 2017)

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

Acts 12:1-11; Psalm 34:2-9; 2 Tim 4:6-8, 17-18; Matt 16:13-19

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Theme: “I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me. . .”

The thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time gives way this year to the feast of Saints Peter and Paul with a set of readings geared to help us reflect on the significance of these two central figures from the Christian story. In the first reading we are treated to the delightful story of Peter’s miraculous release from prison; while the reading from the pseudonymous Second Letter to Timothy (probably written by a member of the Pauline community some time after Paul’s death) presents Paul speaking of his impending death: “I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come” (2 Tim. 4:6).

 

Both readings speak of the protagonist being “rescued”. In Acts, Peter “came to himself and said, ‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me. . . .’” (Acts 12:11). Second Timothy presents Paul as if anticipating his second trial in Rome after having been “rescued from the lion’s mouth” (2 Tim 4:17) at his first defense. Paul now understands his ‘rescue’ to be his being taken up into God’s heavenly kingdom, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom” (v 18; see Fiore).

 

Both Peter and Paul could surely join the psalmist’s joyful proclamation in today’s Responsorial Psalm: “I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. . . . This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble” (Psalm 34:4, 6).

 

We presume that, as observant Jews, both Peter and Paul knew the Torah story by heart and, therefore, in response to the question of the Gospel “Who do you say I am?” would be able to situate Christ Jesus within the continuity of that story. James Sanders says it well: “It was Paul’s conviction that if one read the Torah story, emphasizing it as a story of God’s works of salvation and righteousness for ancient Israel, then one could not escape seeing that God had wrought another salvation, and committed another righteousness, in Christ just like the ones of old. . . . If you really know the Torah and know what righteousness of God is, then you know that Christ is precisely that kind of act of God” (Sanders 48, 51).

 

For Reflection and Discussion: Read Pierre Lenhardt’s comment: “Jesus Christ is the unlimited Word which, out of love, limited or ‘abbreviated’ itself. According to all the pharisaic masters, God limited Himself in giving His Torah to Israel ‘in human language’. . . . God went even further, God limited Himself in speaking, in the Torah, ‘according to human language’” along with the following comment of James A. Sanders: “For Judaism, Torah became the living Talmud; for Christianity, Torah became the living Christ (Rom 10:4). But Torah can finally never be lost or absorbed in the one or the other. Whatever else Christ was for the early church he was the Torah incarnate (Jer 31:31-34; Rom 10:4). . . . And Torah, in that basic sense, is the single foundation of both church and synagogue, two denominations in one Israel of God (Gal 6:15). . . . The Bible, of whichever canon, has as its basic core a Torah, a paradigm on how to affirm the oneness and integrity of God in ever-challenging circumstances, to view humanity whole and God as One, to learn, tough as it may be, that God is not Christian, God is not Jewish, God is not Muslim. God is God” (Sanders, 2005, 140-41).

 

Do these comments of Pierre Lenhardt and James Sanders inspire you to increase your efforts as a Bat Kol alum to take even more seriously the task to reflect on and to foster the notion of “two denominations in one Israel of God?”

 

Bibliography: B. Fiore, S.J., The Pastoral Epistles (Liturgical Press, 2007); D. J. Harrington, The Gospel of Matthew (Liturgical Press, 1991); P. Lenhardt, “The Importance of Jewish Sources for a Christian” (Bat Kol, 2007); J. A. Sanders, From Sacred Story to Sacred Text (Fortress Press, 1987); idem, Torah and Canon. Second Edition (Cascade Books, 2005).

 

 

 

This week’s Sunday Gospel Commentary was prepared by

Helen R. Graham, M.M., PhD. Bat Kol Alumna 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009.
Email address: helengraham522@gmail.com

[Copyright © 2017]

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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

1983-2017

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

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

 

Parashah Commentary, weekly commentaries Post a Comment

Parashat Chukat

Parashat Chukat

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Chukat– Erev Shabbat 30 June 2017

Week of 25 June – 01 July

Torah portion: Numbers 19:1- 22:1 Haftarah: Judges 11:1-33

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It is now the 40th year of wandering in the desert and the generation that left Egypt has died out. The people are again murmuring at Meribah (20:1-29), the first occasion was reported in Exodus 17:1-7. It could be two versions of the same story, but it could also be a renewed complaint against the leaders who seemed to keep Israel forever in the wilderness. The focus in this account is more on the failure of leadership. The brevity of this version raises serious questions about the sin Moses committed.

 

The Israelites, journeying in the desert, thirsting for water, blame Moses and Aaron for their predicament. God instructs Moses to take his staff, speak to the rock and draw water from it. Moses strikes the rock and water flows. He and Aaron are then informed that because they did not “trust and sanctify” God (20:12), they will not lead the people into the Promised Land. What precisely did they do to merit so harsh a punishment? This question has troubled commentators over the centuries. Leibowitz cites many different explanations of Moses’ sin (see pgs 236-247).

 

Ibn Ezra sees Moses’ fault not in his actions at the rock nor any deviation from the Divine instruction, but in his undignified reaction to the people’s grumblings (Leibowitz 242). God responds with compassion to the Israelites’ complaints that both they and their cattle will die of thirst. God’s instruction to Moses reveals that dual concern, Moses is to bring forth water from the rock and provide for “the community and their cattle” (v.8), The Torah makes the point of recounting that both “the community and their cattle drank” (v.11). At the conclusion of the account the Israelites ‘contended with God’ (v.13). God heard their quarrel in the context of their fear of dying of thirst and responded accordingly. Moses, however, lost sight of what the people needed and why they were complaining and addressed them as “rebels.”

 

According to many commentators, including Maimonides (Introduction to Pirke Avot, Chap.4), Moses’ sin was his outburst of anger in front of the whole assembly berating the people and calling them “rebels” (v.10) that is both disrespectful and demeaning. The Psalmist states, “They so embittered his spirit that rash words crossed his lips” (Ps 106:33). This is also the explanation given by the Sages in the Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 19:10; Devarim Rabbah 2:2, 2:8). “Because of one utterance that Moses made he was unable to enter the Land.” Anger was considered to be self-indulgent and was strongly condemned by the rabbis of the Talmud and major Jewish thinkers (Ben David p.274).

 

What likely made this situation even more difficult for Moses is that he suddenly had less support. The narrative opens with the death of Miriam (20:1) Moses’ relative and partner in leading the people out of Egypt. “I sent before you, Moses, Aaron and Miriam” (Micah 6:4). Miriam was the feminine voice in the leadership and now she is no longer there to nurture Moses in times of difficulty. What is telling is that the word Moses uses when he calls the people ‘rebels’ (”morim”) is spelt the same way as Miriam. Perhaps the Torah is hinting at Moses’ distress at the death of his sister.

 

Reflection and Discussion: 1. Why do you think that the Torah never disclosed the actual reason for Moses’ punishment? 2.The Mishnah of Pirke Avot (5:11) cites four types of personalities, i. Easy to become angry and easy to be pacified. ii. Hard to become angry and hard to be pacified. iii. Hard to become angry and easy to be pacified. iv. Easy to become angry and hard to be pacified. Which type are you? Do you know anyone who fits the third category?

 

Bibliography: Ben David, Around the Shabbat Table (New Jersey 2000); Leibowitz Studies in Bamidbar/Numbers (Maor Wallach Press, Israel); Plaut, The Torah, Modern Commentary (UAHC New York 1981); Rabbi Uziel Weingarten 2002; The African Bible (Paulines Pub. Kenya)

 

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This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Marie André Mitchell BA. MTh Johannesburg, South Africa

Bat Kol Alum 2001-2, 04, 06, 08, 09, 10, 11, 15

Email: marieandre@telkomsa.net

[Copyright © 2017]

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

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, Jerusalem

1983-2017

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

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

June 20, 2017 Sunday Commentary, weekly commentaries Post a Comment

12th Sunday of the Year

12th Sunday of the Year

12th Sunday of the Year – A (25 June 2017)

Jeremiah 20:10-13, Psalm 68, Romans 5:12-15, Matthew 10:26-33

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Theme: ‘The Lord listens’ … ‘in your great love, answer me, O God.’ (Ps. 68)

In our first reading, Jeremiah is having a hard time. His message, which challenges his listeners to ‘change your lives and stop doing evil’ (25:5-6), doesn’t go down well. Not surprising when others tell a soothing message that all will be well, shades of the struggle between ‘fake news’ and truth that we experience today. One of those voices that Jeremiah rails against is that of the priest, Pashur, to whom Jeremiah said in 20:3, ‘The Lord has named you not Pashur but “Terror-all-around”. In our reading, in 20:10 we have a play on this new name as, despite Pashur’s soothing message, terror is being acted out at many levels. Jerusalem is under threat from outside forces, an undermining threat comes from those who give a ‘false’ message that all will be well (Jer. 20:6), and the people reinforce the intensity of the threat by listening to the false messages even to the point of threatening Jeremiah who is warning them of the dangers involved.

 

Jeremiah knows that, as inadequate as he feels to speak out against all this ‘terror’ that he is noticing and experiencing, his voice is not his own, it comes from God (Jer. 1:4-10). Our reading shows his clarity that in expressing God’s voice, he must also root himself in its source, for it is God who ‘has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers’ (20:13), it is God who sees ‘the heart and the mind’ (20:12).

 

In the Gospel reading the theme of threat continues. Jesus says, ‘do not be afraid’. His attention is on the inner world of the ‘soul’ and he provides ‘a warning to be faithful despite persecution’ (The Jewish Annotated New Testament).

 

‘Terror’ is familiar in our world today too. It can be difficult to hear our own inner voice or God’s. In difficult times, when we experience ‘terror’ at the various levels highlighted above, it can force us to stop and listen in a new way. A difficult task perhaps when the ‘terrors all around’ potentially present us with a mirror in which we might see our own inner world and the terrors which may lurk therein. Terror ‘uncovers’ something ‘hidden’ and ‘proclaims’ something ‘dark’. ‘Do not be afraid’, however, for we are told that there will be movement and what is covered now will be uncovered, what is hidden will become clear, what is whispered in the dark will be proclaimed in the daylight. Jesus’ message, just like Jeremiah’s, contains within itself the movement it anticipates. Where we move to, however, depends on our willingness to be aware of ‘terror’, at all its levels, and whose voice we choose to listen to in response to it.

 

These external and internal ‘terrors’ and the shadows they caste, remind me of Proverbs 20:27, ‘The human soul is the lamp of the Lord, searching every inmost part.’ To ensure the light of this lamp remains kindled, for ourselves and others, requires a capacity to hear and remain faithful to God as Jeremiah did and to believe Jesus’ words, ‘no need to be afraid’. Their words invite us to face the ‘terror all around’ and the terror within ourselves. They support us to ‘uncover’ what is ‘hidden’, to ‘proclaim’ in the ‘light’ rather than ‘whisper’ in the ‘dark.’ They move us from ‘fake news’ to truth and through the darkness that has been uncovered, sometimes by terror, further into our identity as ‘the lamp of the Lord.’

 

For Reflection and Discussion: 1 To whom do I listen and how does this influence my choices? 2 Where is the source of my own voice? 3 What stops me from listening and remaining faithful to the voice of God in my life at all times?

 

Bibliography: The Jewish Annotated NT by Amy-Jill Levine & Marc Zvi Brettler (eds)

 

This week’s Sunday Gospel Commentary was prepared by

Thérèse Fitzgerald nds, Bat Kol Alumni 2015
Email address: theresefitzgerald7@gmail.com

[Copyright © 2017]

…………………………………………………………………

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

1983-2017

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

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

Parashah Commentary, weekly commentaries Post a Comment

Parashat Korach

Parashat Korach

Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Korach – Erev Shabbat June 23, 2017

Week of June 18-24

Torah portion: Num. 16:1-18:32 Haftarah: I Sam. 11:14-12:22

Moses continues to lead the people bamidbar (in the desert) between Egypt and the Promised Land. He has already endured a series of revolts, first by Miriam and Aaron, then the “scouts,” then an attack on the Amalakites not sanctioned by God. Now he and Aaron face another revolt, this one instigated by their cousin, Korah, a Levite, and by Dathan and Abiram, sons of Reuben. In his accusations against Moses and Aaron, Korah has enlisted the support of two hundred and fifty prominent leaders of the community.

 

What to make of this most serious of all revolts? For this I draw on a workshop given in 2004 in Winnipeg by Brother Jack Driscoll, much loved director of Bat Kol, entitled Israelites in the Wilderness: Revolt and Reform. Br. Jack opened by pointing us towards identifying the characters. “Remember…names can be one of the narrator’s clues. Who are these people?” So we focused on the geneaology of Korah and found that Korah’s father Izhar was the second son of Kohath after Amram, Moses and Aaron’s father. Yet it was Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel, Kohath’s fourth son, who was named prince of the family (Num 18:2). This perceived injustice embittered Korah and led him to confront and challenge Moses as God’s chosen leader and Aaron’s position as priest, as opposed to his lesser position as Levite. At this point, Korah along with Dathan and Abiram “took” two hundred and fifty chieftains of the community to confront Moses and Aaron. Using other scriptural references to “took,” Br. Jack expanded this to mean, “He drew their hearts with persuasive words.”

 

Here then is their accusation against Moses and Aaron: “Too much is yours! Indeed, the entire community, the entirety of them, are holy, and in their midst is YHWH. Why then do you exalt yourselves over the assembly of YHWH?” (Num.16: 3). This is a rather compelling argument, something that resonates into today! After all, are we not all “a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (Ex.19: 6)? Anyone familiar with Br. Jack’s passion for archaeology of the Word would recognize his next instruction: Find out where this intersects with your own life!

 

In the Women’s Commentary, R. Frishman raises the question: Is this merely a power struggle? Or is this also a struggle with personal worth, with understanding one’s role and purpose in life…How easily Korah twists and challenges the reputation of Moses and Aaron, ascribing his own ambition to them. How easily the people listen and are fooled. How little Korah understands the true responsibility and burden of authority and power that rest on Moses and Aaron.

 

Turning to Fox (p. 734) we read: “Martin Buber points out that the rebels’ contention that “the entire community are holy” is in reality a most dangerous claim. Holiness in the Bible is a trait that can be acquired, even transmitted to an extent, but it is not absolutely innate, except in the case of God; and the Torah sees as one of its major goals developing the means whereby people can, with holy intent and preparation, properly serve the Holy. The fate of the rebels therefore bespeaks the seriousness of the threat they pose, and is unique in the Bible.”

 

We return to the workshop and Br. Jack. There is a great controversy at stake here and Br. Jack introduces a portion from Mishnah Avot 5:17 to expand on it. The Mishnah reads: “Every controversy which is for the sake of heaven will in the end endure; but one which is not for the sake of heaven will not endure in the end. A controversy for the sake of heaven? Such was the controversy of Hillel and Shammai and one, which was not for the sake of heaven? Such was the controversy of Korah and all his company.” (Hillel and Shammai were founders of two different schools of Phariseeism; the first accepted the oral tradition, the other only the written tradition.) The Mishnah continues: “For the sake of heaven: that is, to establish truth…and not out of a passion for lording it over others or building up a reputation or self-glorification at the expense of others Rabbi Jonah adds: “But controversy “which is not for the sake of Heaven, will not endure in the end”; on the contrary, the disputants will perish in the very first controversy, as in the instance of Korah.” And such is indeed what happened, as God put to death over fourteen thousand Israelites to end the revolt and restore Moses and Aaron’s standing as his chosen leaders in the eyes of the whole community.

 

Question and Discussion: How aware am I of debate/ controversy for the sake of heaven and not for the sake of heaven, both within myself and in the world in which I am involved?

 

Bibliography: Fox Five Books of the Bible (Schocken Press NY 1995; The Torah, A Modern Commentary; Modern Commentary (UAHC New York 1981); Frishman, Women’s Torah Commentary; Jack Driscoll. Israelites in the Wilderness:

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Winn Leslie, Winnipeg, Canada, Bat Kol Alumna 2001, 2007 and 2015

E-mail: w.leslie@shaw.ca

[Copyright © 2017]

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