This is an outrage, a travesty and, once again, also a golden opportunity for me to cash in. I invite you to please join me in the great mitzvah of defending the indefensible, as described here. Please swap in the name of last years travesty, with this year's walking embarrassment.
Support the Pathetic Annual Telethon
Another Orthodox Jewish Ponzi Scheme
Monday, January 31, 2011
Labels: IsraelThis is an outrage, a travesty and, once again, also a golden opportunity for me to cash in. I invite you to please join me in the great mitzvah of defending the indefensible, as described here. Please swap in the name of last years travesty, with this year's walking embarrassment.
Great Moments in Geography
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Labels: Israel
WikiParshaNotes: Mishpatim
Labels: Israel, Parsha notes, Parsha notes (Exodus)
Sorry, true believers, but I haven't been able to finish the 5771 edition of Mishpatim ParshaNotes. Though I expect to post something soon, I thought it might be fun to create a community wiki-edition. Here's what I have in mind:
-DB
Search for more information about the sedra of the (last) week at 4torah.com.
- Post any thoughts you've had about the parsha to this post's thread. It doesn't have to be your original thought, but be sure to credit it.
- Keep it short. The ParshaNotes style is terse and brief. No more than two or three sentances, please. Links to longer discussions on your own blog, or elsewhere, are ok. In fact, I encourage it.
- If you don't have a blog, do your favorite blogger a favor and provide a one sentance summary of his or her awesome Mishpatim post, with a link.
- Today or perhaps tomorrow, I'll post my edition of ParshaNotes with your submissions included.
-DB
Search for more information about the sedra of the (last) week at 4torah.com.
Trembling Before Teddy Bears
Friday, January 28, 2011
Labels: IsraelA video depicting the Orthodox Jewish Teddy Bears discussing homosexuality was blogged recently by Andrew Sullivan at the Atlantic who adds: "To say I empathize would be an understatement. My own lengthy discussion of reparative therapy and the legacy of Freud with respect to homosexual orientation (I remain a fan of Freud's) is the second chapter of Love Undetectable."
See it after the jump.
See it after the jump.
Rabbi Dov Lior: Gentile sperm will produce barbarian kids
Labels: Israel
A Guest Post by Philo
This guy (the chief rabbi of Kiryat Arba) is an ignorant bigot. I’m resisting the temptation to use stronger terms.
During a recent women’s health conference, while deploring the practice of using non-Jewish sperm for infertile couples, he said:
"Sefer HaChinuch states that the character traits of the father pass on to the son. If the father in not Jewish, what character traits could he have? Traits of cruelty, of barbarism! These are not traits that characterize the people of Israel."
Right. All non-Jews are cruel barbarians. And all Jews are “merciful, shy and charitable”.
But I’m sure Rabbi Lior has at least formed this opinion based on years of personal observation:
"I even read in books that sometimes the crime, the difficult traits, the bitterness – a child that comes from these traits, it's no surprise that he won't have the qualities that characterize the people of Israel."
What else? Let’s see. Children of single mothers by choice become criminals. And it’s the fault of western influence that women are getting married late. They should be concentrating on their real role, that of child rearing.
According to Wikipedia:
“Lior is considered by many to be a leading scholar of the Religious Zionist camp”
Looks like Religious Zionism is in good (sexist and racist) hands.
Search for more information about Rabbi Dov Lior at 4torah.com.
Great moments in photojournalism
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Labels: Israel |
| An Israeli motorist runs down a masked Palestinian youth who was among a group of boys throwing stones at Israeli cars in the mostly Arab east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. The boy was injured but his condition was described as stable. |
Photographer: Ilia Yefimovich/AFP
Source the Guardian Eyewitness series
Important context provided here with this video
Source the Guardian Eyewitness series
Important context provided here with this video
Problems with Parshas Mishpatim
Labels: Israel, Parsha notes, Parsha notes (Exodus)
I dislike parshas Mishpatim. The legal discussions are at best mind numbingly boring, and the brief narrative at the end is confusing and theologically precarious. In fact, the parsha is impossible to study without encountering significant kfriah issues. A sampling after the jump:
Hilarious Typo
A Guest Post By E. Fink
HT: @elifrombrooklyn
Search for more information about Jew York at 4torah.com.
Are You Offended By This?
A Guest Post By E. Fink
Last week a 60 year old woman was arrested for trying to smuggle 44 iPhone 4s into Israel.
I'm not an alarmist when it comes to anti-Semitism. Nor do I look to be offended by any slight bias or ignorance from the media when it comes to frum Jews.
However, this photo on Gizmodo is borderline offensive:
See, the photo is a stock photo, it has nothing to do with the article. But it implies that the woman who was arrested was a charedi woman, dressed in Charedi garb. However, the article is about a woman dressed in traditional Georgian garb smuggling 44 iPhone 4s into Israel.
While I can see how traditional Georgian garb could be confused with traditional Polish garb such as the Charedi garb of 2011, the photo does more than illustrate traditional garb at Ben-Gurion, it subliminally suggests that the woman was Charedi.
For all we know, she could have been Charedi. But no news reports even hint that she was.
God's Hornet
Labels: Israel
In Exodus 23:28 the Lord promises to assist with the driving out of three Cannanite nations through the use of a tsir-aw צִּרְעָ֖ה, the definition of which is the stuff of a fascinating discussion.(summarized by Prof. Haim Genizi).
Here's how the ancient and medieval interpreters took it:
The modern interpreters have other ideas:
J. Garstang: The word bee is a metonym for Egypt, because it was used as a symbol for the country itself. The bee hieroglyph was first used to denote the king of Lower Egypt (the king of Upper Egypt was denoted with a reed), and is found on inscriptions from the First Dynasty down to the Roman period. Gerstrang reasons that the verse is promising that Egypt will help pave the way for conquest, and indeed letters and the like have been found suggesting that Egypt had dominion over the Canaanite people in ways that likely weakened their kings. For skeptics, this is a subtle example of vaticinium ex eventu.
Robert Alter: Observing the previous verse [Ex. 23:27] in which God promises to send his "terror" [ אֵֽימָתִי֙] Alter proposes that tsir'aw be emended ra'ats, which means Smash. (its a rearrangement of two letters) As he says, this change produces a parallel (much of the section seems to be written in verse) with "terror" suggesting that God will send his terror, and smash the opposition.
Search for more information about vaticinium ex eventu. at 4torah.com.
Here's how the ancient and medieval interpreters took it:
- Saadya Gaon: Sickness of some kind
- Rashi: Insect, presumably a hornet
- Ibn Ezra: A plague, connected to tzara'at [=leprosy]
- Ramban: A bee
The modern interpreters have other ideas:
J. Garstang: The word bee is a metonym for Egypt, because it was used as a symbol for the country itself. The bee hieroglyph was first used to denote the king of Lower Egypt (the king of Upper Egypt was denoted with a reed), and is found on inscriptions from the First Dynasty down to the Roman period. Gerstrang reasons that the verse is promising that Egypt will help pave the way for conquest, and indeed letters and the like have been found suggesting that Egypt had dominion over the Canaanite people in ways that likely weakened their kings. For skeptics, this is a subtle example of vaticinium ex eventu.
Robert Alter: Observing the previous verse [Ex. 23:27] in which God promises to send his "terror" [ אֵֽימָתִי֙] Alter proposes that tsir'aw be emended ra'ats, which means Smash. (its a rearrangement of two letters) As he says, this change produces a parallel (much of the section seems to be written in verse) with "terror" suggesting that God will send his terror, and smash the opposition.
Search for more information about vaticinium ex eventu. at 4torah.com.
NHL AntiSemitism
Labels: Israel
Report:
23-year-old Jason Bailey -- a 3rd round NHL pick in 2005 -- claims from the moment the Ducks assigned him to play for an affiliate team called the Bakersfield Condors ... his coaches unleashed a "barrage of anti-Semitic, offensive and degrading verbal attacks."
In the suit, filed today in Orange County Superior Court, Bailey claims the head coach of the Condors told him "[Jews] only care about money and who's who" and that he "never wanted his son to be raised Jewish or to wear a Yarmulke."
Bailey claims the assistant head coach would get in on the Jew-bashing too -- saying things like, "Oh, I just got a friend request from a dirty Jew."
Bailey says the coaches also forced him to travel apart from the team and he was "rarely given any ice time" in games because he's Jewish.
According to the documents, filed by Bailey's powerhouse lawyer Keith Fink, Bailey complained to the Ducks about the hostile work environment -- and the team reacted by instructing the coaches to pen apology letters to Bailey in which they both admitted to using hurtful language.
Bailey was eventually traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2009 -- and insists the Ducks were "happy to be rid of him."
Bailey is suing for unspecified damages.
Calls to the Ducks have not been returned.
Oldie/Goodie
Labels: Israel
Peek-a-Jew at the SOTU address
Labels: Israel
@nfessel spotted him first, and tweeted:
We recognize the tie (its very OJ) but not the face. As of this morning, we still have not identified the fellow. One of the Elders, I guess.
More Peek-a-Jew
Search for more information about #sotu at 4torah.com.
Who is the Frum guy with the yarmulka that entered the chamber last? #SOTU
We recognize the tie (its very OJ) but not the face. As of this morning, we still have not identified the fellow. One of the Elders, I guess.
More Peek-a-Jew
Search for more information about #sotu at 4torah.com.
Did Hosni Mubarak Flee the Country?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Labels: IsraelAmid unconfirmed rumors that Hosni Mubarak and his family have quit Egypt, we give you this remarkable video of protesters defacing his image. As Jeffery Goldberg said, "This is not something that usually happens in Egypt."
To say the least.
Search for more information about [topic] at 4torah.com.
To say the least.
Search for more information about [topic] at 4torah.com.
First impressions of the Palestinian Papers
Labels: Israel, Palestinian papers
A First Take On The Palestine Papers
by MATT DUSS
While the release by Al Jazeera on Sunday of over 1600 documents relating to a decades’ worth of U.S.-managed Palestinian-Israeli negotiations is certain to impact both the negotiations themselves and perceptions of those negotiations, because there’s so many of them, and because their veracity remains in question, it’s probably best for the moment to hold off on grand pronouncements about What They Mean.
But here are a few impressions.
We should never know from this
Monday, January 24, 2011
Labels: IsraelThe Times has an article today about one of the saddest ceremonies in our tradition: The circumcision of a deceased infant. Reading it, I could only think of that strange ungrammatical sentence my grand-mother would utter whenever she heard some terrible news: We should never know from this.
See the article after the jump:
See the article after the jump:
The disgusting things they put in grape juice
Labels: Israel
Benjamin of Tudela spots this:
Not sure what the problem is? Hmmm... Look at the second to last line, or visit Mostly Kosher. (and you're right; it would far worse is there WAS fear of shmitah and the other thing.)
Search for more information about ingredient labels at 4torah.com.
Not sure what the problem is? Hmmm... Look at the second to last line, or visit Mostly Kosher. (and you're right; it would far worse is there WAS fear of shmitah and the other thing.)
Search for more information about ingredient labels at 4torah.com.
Did the Covenant Code come out of a vacuum?
Labels: Israel
Any first year bible student knows that there are significant similarities between the Laws of Hammurabi and the Covenant Code [i.e. most of parshat Mishpatim]. These similarities include the topics discussed, the penalties imposed, and the way the laws are phrased. Significant differences between the two sets of laws have also been identified. These differences also relate to the topics discussed, the penalties imposed, and the way the laws are phrased.
However, what seems undisputed are the dates - Hammurabi's Law is older the Moses's - and the existence of certain correspondences, including the goring ox, and the mutilation of a slave's ear. [All 14 correspondences are provided after the jump]
In some instances even the wording of Hamurabbi's Code bears what Kugel calls a "striking resemblance" to the Bible. What explains this?
Suppose a new 21st century religious sect were to announce a divine revelation that corresponded in key ways with the Magna Carta. Though this would not be an argument against the revelation itself, it would be good grounds for saying that the new religious sect hadn't started with a completely clean slate.
Doesn't it follow that the Covenant Code likewise did not emerge from a vacuum? (yes) And does it matter? (no) As I say in comment #7:
(1) God might have given Moses a CC that shared aspects with the LH.There are any number of reasons why God might have done this.
(2) Even if CC was written by a human, its still OUR CC and it still has religious and historical significance, that can't casually be dismissed.
Fourteen correspondences between the Covenant Code and the Laws of Hammurabi after the jump
However, what seems undisputed are the dates - Hammurabi's Law is older the Moses's - and the existence of certain correspondences, including the goring ox, and the mutilation of a slave's ear. [All 14 correspondences are provided after the jump]
In some instances even the wording of Hamurabbi's Code bears what Kugel calls a "striking resemblance" to the Bible. What explains this?
Suppose a new 21st century religious sect were to announce a divine revelation that corresponded in key ways with the Magna Carta. Though this would not be an argument against the revelation itself, it would be good grounds for saying that the new religious sect hadn't started with a completely clean slate.
Doesn't it follow that the Covenant Code likewise did not emerge from a vacuum? (yes) And does it matter? (no) As I say in comment #7:
(1) God might have given Moses a CC that shared aspects with the LH.There are any number of reasons why God might have done this.
(2) Even if CC was written by a human, its still OUR CC and it still has religious and historical significance, that can't casually be dismissed.
Fourteen correspondences between the Covenant Code and the Laws of Hammurabi after the jump
Abortion in the Torah
Labels: Israel
From David Plotz's Blogging the Bible series:
The verse is question is actually one that is quite difficult to translate, and one that provides some interesting examples of ancient biblical interpretation. You can see my discussion here at Ancient Torah and non Torah True Views on Abortion
Search for more information about abortion at 4torah.com.
If a man pushes a pregnant woman and she miscarries, but is not otherwise hurt, then the offender pays only a fine to the victim's husband. This has interesting implications for how we think about abortion—in particular about the claim that killing a 17-week-old fetus is the same as killing a 17-year-old. According to Exodus, it's not. As [a reader] writes: "The text seems to clearly state that the destruction of a fetus is not a capital offense. It is a property crime for which monetary compensation is paid."If only it were so simple.
The verse is question is actually one that is quite difficult to translate, and one that provides some interesting examples of ancient biblical interpretation. You can see my discussion here at Ancient Torah and non Torah True Views on Abortion
Search for more information about abortion at 4torah.com.
Israel is too democratic?
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Labels: IsraelFrom Ynet: Poll: Religious sector thinks Knesset not Jewish enough
Survey reveals that most religious Israelis believe Knesset too democratic, but not Jewish enough, while seculars think opposite. All sectors consider human rights a Jewish value
What does it mean for a house of parliament to be too democratic? Is this a coded way of saying they wish a rabbi or committee of rabbis held sway?
Search for more information about [topic] at 4torah.com.
Each family is different
Labels: Israel
"Do you mind if I keep my hat on," I said to the neighbor as I entered her house. I was there to meet with her husband about a business matter, and was wearing a cap to protect against cold and wind. It had been on my head for hours, and I was now reluctant to remove it and expose a head of flat, sticky hair.
"Not at all," she replied, "Though if we were sitting down to a meal together, I'd take offense."
A short conversation ensured about family mores. In her house, the children all must ask to be excused before they're permitted to leave the table. In my house, no one eats until the cook sits down.
"Each family is different," she said by way of summing up, and of course she's right. Or, to go a step further, each family is different and that okay. We're not better people because we wait to eat until my wife is seated; the neighbors aren't our superiors simply because their children have been taught to utter a specific formula in a specific situation. A family isn't deemed a success by virtue of its embracing certain manners, or because it playacts certain rituals; rather, success is a measure of how happy and healthy the members of the family are. Certain rituals and manners might lead to health and happiness; likewise, the act of performing certain rituals might create happiness for those who perform it, but, for the most part, guaranteed outcomes are rare.
Many of the tensions in a new marriage are produced as husband and wife adjust to each other's idea of normal. The disagreements between Jewish neighborhoods and Jewish sects often result from something similar. If you've been raised to perceive a particular pronunciation of Hebrew, or a particular nusach or seating arrangement as "normal", someone elses perfectly good shul can seem foreign, and inauthentic. If the goal is serving the creator, or doing good int he world, or increasing health and happiness should artifacts, manners and styles matter? Yet they are often a subject of Jewish complaint. Perhaps, this is because the very act of complaining, and demeaning the styles and manner of others is itself often a source of happiness for the one who is doing the complaining.
Robert Bentley and the Jews of Alabama
Friday, January 21, 2011
Labels: IsraelIn a new feature we call Wednesday's News Today, we present Republican Robert Bently of Alabama:
Later he apologized, but I sort of think he meant what he said, when he sent it. I also think he was speaking about Muslims and atheists just as surely as he was speaking about Jews. Doesn't matter, though: I don't live in Alabama where his gentle bigotry might affect me, and honestly I'm pleased the dope doesn't consider me part of his family.
Search for more information about Jew-hating Christains such as this one at 4torah.com.
"There may be some people here today who do not have living within them the Holy Spirit," Bentley said. ''But if you have been adopted in God's family like I have, and like you have if you're a Christian and if you're saved, and the Holy Spirit lives within you just like the Holy Spirit lives within me, then you know what that makes? It makes you and me brothers. And it makes you and me brother and sister."Nice, right? Way to perpetuate the prejudices, Governor Bently.
Bentley added, ''Now I will have to say that, if we don't have the same daddy, we're not brothers and sisters. So anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, you're not my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother."
Later he apologized, but I sort of think he meant what he said, when he sent it. I also think he was speaking about Muslims and atheists just as surely as he was speaking about Jews. Doesn't matter, though: I don't live in Alabama where his gentle bigotry might affect me, and honestly I'm pleased the dope doesn't consider me part of his family.
Search for more information about Jew-hating Christains such as this one at 4torah.com.
ParshaNotes Yisro 5771
Labels: Israel, Parsha notes, Parsha notes (Exodus)
Welcome to another edition of ParshaNotes, this one sponsored in honor of all DovBear guest posters, past and present, by a generous, anonymous donor.
Antithesis
Jethro's arrival is set in thematic opposition to the arrival of Amelek in the preceding chapter. There are a network of parallels, and cross references. (Cassuto) [More] [And what is "Amelek" anyway?]
Moshe's display of leadership style is in many ways the antithesis of what we've seen from Pharaoh on the same score
Accurate idiom
18:18 נָבֹל תִּבֹּל גַּם־אַתָּה גַּם־הָעָם הַזֶּה You and your people will wear yourselves out
As Rashi says (following Onkelos) the verb here means "to wither." To an ancient, agricultural society, this means approximately what "burnout" might mean to a modern, technological society like ours. (Alter)
Common Error
Christians often forget that Jesus was not one of them, but one of us. They speak of Jesus teaching or arguing with "the Jews" forever oblivious to the fact that both Jesus and "the Jews" would have thought of each other as members of same religious and ethnic group. Jews are guilty of the opposite mistake, specifically toward Moshe's wife Tzipporah. Perhaps she converted (in whatever way that was done before the Torah was given) but she hadn't shared in the history or the burdens of her husband's nation. Their suffering was not her suffering. Her arrival with Jethro, after the Exodus has been executed, drives home the point that she was not one of us.
Biblical economy
18:4 Moshe calls his second son Elazar, because [Moses said,] "The God of my father came to my aid and rescued me from Pharaoh's sword." When? As the Midrash notes this must refer to an episode not depicted in the narrative. The story of Moshe's Magic Marble Neck is the (likely invented) solution.
Unnecessary comment
The verse [19:3] says "So shall you say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel" and Rashi, following mechilta, provides an explanation for the double language. This misses the point. It appears far more likely to me that God is speaking in verse to signify the grandeur and majesty of the moment. (The line's meaning and rhythm are both perfectly parallel.)
Upping the ante
God's original deal with Abraham was that we would practice justice and righteousness. Now [19:6] He says "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes."
Close Reading
Moshe demonstrates modesty when he speaks to his father-in-law. Though Yisro arrived after hearing of all "God had done for Moses and for Israel his people..."; Moshe, seven verses later "told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake..."
External Parallels
- לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה־לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל־תְּמוּנָה אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וַאֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת וַאֲשֶׁר בַּמַּיִם מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ׃
You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
Here, God is speaking of the three realms of creation, and seems to be replying to Canaanite theology, which had a separate god for each zone (Baal: Land; Yaam:Sea; Mot: Underworld)
- Ancient Hittite treaties contained six parts: a preamble (identifying the treaty’s initiator and attributes), a historical review (explaining the relationship between the parties and reminding the subordinate party of their dependance on the suzerain), the stipulations (what is expected of each party), a call for deposition (placing the treaty in a place of honor in the vassal’s city), a list of witnesses (usually gods), and finally a statement of curses and blessings (what will happen if the terms of the treaty are or are not followed. The stroy of the Ten Commandments follow this pattern (Nachun Sarna)
Irony Alert
The ban on taking God's name "in vain" may have originally had the sence of "making use of the name in a (false) spell or incantation", as opposed to using it in casual speech. (Alter) Nowadays, of course we're meticulous about not ever mentioning the name, but flock to clairvoyants who offer to work miracles, often through various uses of the name.
Midrashic meaning
Rashi on 19:17: at the bottom of the mountain According to its simple meaning, [DB: Which no Rabbi or preacher ever mentions.] at the foot of the mountain. Its midrashic interpretation is, however, that the mountain was uprooted from its place and turned over them like a vat. — [from Shab. 88a] I don't believe even the midrashic interp. here is meant to be taken literally. Rather, I believe the author of the midrash is saying that following the miracles the Israelites had seen, they were in no position to refuse God's invitation; thus it was as if the mountain was being held over the heads.
A better answer: The verses put God in two places at once: On the one hand, it says "And the Lord went down upon the mountain" and elsewhere reports that God "called to [Moses] from the mountain." Later, God says "You have seen for yourselves that I talked to you from heaven," and at the end of the story Moshe recalls, "Out of heaven He caused you to hear his voice." So which is it? Heaven or mountain? If the Mountain was lifted, the problem is solved as this allows God to be both on the mountain and in heaven simultaneously. See this and this.
Themes
After ordering us to eat a meal using archaic cooking (fire roasting) and archaic baking (unleavened bread) methods, the Lord seals the deal with a pact prepared using an archaic mode of communication (writing on stone.)
Mysteries
- Twice we're told the people heard (or will hear) the sound of a ram's horn, but no information is provided about who is blowing it. At the first mention, the horn is called a "yovel" prompting Rashi to say, "the ram’s horn Heb. הַיוֹבֵל. That is a shofar of a ram, for in Arabia, they call a ram “yuvla.” Do I misunderstand here, or is Rashi glossing a word based on how its used by non-Jews? If so, why?
Unresolved Questions about the Man Yisro
- How many names did our title character have? According to Shimon bar Yochai, he had two names, "Hobab" and "Jethro" (Sifre, Num. 78). Elsewhere, we're told he has 7 names "Reuel," "Jether," "Jethro," "Hobab," "Heber," "Keni" and "Putiel". Per the critics, the different names represent different people and/or different textual traditions.
- What was his occupation? One tanna says he was a priest of idolatry; another says he was a prince in Midian.
- What was his status? Exodus Raba says he gave up idolatry before he met Moshe (he was therefore ostracized, which is why his daughters were compelled to serve as his shepherd. This bit of back story is provided by the midrash to explain why a priest or prince didn't have professionals looking after his flocks.) Mechilta says he was still in the grips of idolatry when his first grandchild was born. (In general, Exodus Raba takes a positive view of Jethro, while the Mechilta views him more negatively)
- Did he have a role in Pharaoh's court? Exodus Raba says he was an advisor, together with Job and Ballam; other sources (Tanchuma, TPJ, BT Menachot, Gospel of Timothy) say Pharaoh's advisors were called Jannes and Jambres (joined, in some places, by a man called Micha)
Wrong Rashi
Rashi 19:4 on eagles’ wings Like an eagle, which carries its young on its wings, for all other birds place their young between their feet since they fear another bird flying above them. The eagle, however, fears only man, lest he shoot an arrow at it, because no other bird flies above it. Therefore, it places them [its young] on its wings. This is an excellent image, but the facts are false: Eagles don't actually carry their young on their wings.
Toss a tip in the hat, please, and buy my book. (thanks!)
Antithesis
Jethro's arrival is set in thematic opposition to the arrival of Amelek in the preceding chapter. There are a network of parallels, and cross references. (Cassuto) [More] [And what is "Amelek" anyway?]
Moshe's display of leadership style is in many ways the antithesis of what we've seen from Pharaoh on the same score
Accurate idiom
18:18 נָבֹל תִּבֹּל גַּם־אַתָּה גַּם־הָעָם הַזֶּה You and your people will wear yourselves out
As Rashi says (following Onkelos) the verb here means "to wither." To an ancient, agricultural society, this means approximately what "burnout" might mean to a modern, technological society like ours. (Alter)
Common Error
Christians often forget that Jesus was not one of them, but one of us. They speak of Jesus teaching or arguing with "the Jews" forever oblivious to the fact that both Jesus and "the Jews" would have thought of each other as members of same religious and ethnic group. Jews are guilty of the opposite mistake, specifically toward Moshe's wife Tzipporah. Perhaps she converted (in whatever way that was done before the Torah was given) but she hadn't shared in the history or the burdens of her husband's nation. Their suffering was not her suffering. Her arrival with Jethro, after the Exodus has been executed, drives home the point that she was not one of us.
Biblical economy
18:4 Moshe calls his second son Elazar, because [Moses said,] "The God of my father came to my aid and rescued me from Pharaoh's sword." When? As the Midrash notes this must refer to an episode not depicted in the narrative. The story of Moshe's Magic Marble Neck is the (likely invented) solution.
Unnecessary comment
The verse [19:3] says "So shall you say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel" and Rashi, following mechilta, provides an explanation for the double language. This misses the point. It appears far more likely to me that God is speaking in verse to signify the grandeur and majesty of the moment. (The line's meaning and rhythm are both perfectly parallel.)
Upping the ante
God's original deal with Abraham was that we would practice justice and righteousness. Now [19:6] He says "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes."
Close Reading
Moshe demonstrates modesty when he speaks to his father-in-law. Though Yisro arrived after hearing of all "God had done for Moses and for Israel his people..."; Moshe, seven verses later "told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake..."
External Parallels
- לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה־לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל־תְּמוּנָה אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וַאֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת וַאֲשֶׁר בַּמַּיִם מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ׃
You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
Here, God is speaking of the three realms of creation, and seems to be replying to Canaanite theology, which had a separate god for each zone (Baal: Land; Yaam:Sea; Mot: Underworld)
- Ancient Hittite treaties contained six parts: a preamble (identifying the treaty’s initiator and attributes), a historical review (explaining the relationship between the parties and reminding the subordinate party of their dependance on the suzerain), the stipulations (what is expected of each party), a call for deposition (placing the treaty in a place of honor in the vassal’s city), a list of witnesses (usually gods), and finally a statement of curses and blessings (what will happen if the terms of the treaty are or are not followed. The stroy of the Ten Commandments follow this pattern (Nachun Sarna)
Irony Alert
The ban on taking God's name "in vain" may have originally had the sence of "making use of the name in a (false) spell or incantation", as opposed to using it in casual speech. (Alter) Nowadays, of course we're meticulous about not ever mentioning the name, but flock to clairvoyants who offer to work miracles, often through various uses of the name.
Midrashic meaning
Rashi on 19:17: at the bottom of the mountain According to its simple meaning, [DB: Which no Rabbi or preacher ever mentions.] at the foot of the mountain. Its midrashic interpretation is, however, that the mountain was uprooted from its place and turned over them like a vat. — [from Shab. 88a] I don't believe even the midrashic interp. here is meant to be taken literally. Rather, I believe the author of the midrash is saying that following the miracles the Israelites had seen, they were in no position to refuse God's invitation; thus it was as if the mountain was being held over the heads.
A better answer: The verses put God in two places at once: On the one hand, it says "And the Lord went down upon the mountain" and elsewhere reports that God "called to [Moses] from the mountain." Later, God says "You have seen for yourselves that I talked to you from heaven," and at the end of the story Moshe recalls, "Out of heaven He caused you to hear his voice." So which is it? Heaven or mountain? If the Mountain was lifted, the problem is solved as this allows God to be both on the mountain and in heaven simultaneously. See this and this.
Themes
After ordering us to eat a meal using archaic cooking (fire roasting) and archaic baking (unleavened bread) methods, the Lord seals the deal with a pact prepared using an archaic mode of communication (writing on stone.)
Mysteries
- Twice we're told the people heard (or will hear) the sound of a ram's horn, but no information is provided about who is blowing it. At the first mention, the horn is called a "yovel" prompting Rashi to say, "the ram’s horn Heb. הַיוֹבֵל. That is a shofar of a ram, for in Arabia, they call a ram “yuvla.” Do I misunderstand here, or is Rashi glossing a word based on how its used by non-Jews? If so, why?
Unresolved Questions about the Man Yisro
- How many names did our title character have? According to Shimon bar Yochai, he had two names, "Hobab" and "Jethro" (Sifre, Num. 78). Elsewhere, we're told he has 7 names "Reuel," "Jether," "Jethro," "Hobab," "Heber," "Keni" and "Putiel". Per the critics, the different names represent different people and/or different textual traditions.
- What was his occupation? One tanna says he was a priest of idolatry; another says he was a prince in Midian.
- What was his status? Exodus Raba says he gave up idolatry before he met Moshe (he was therefore ostracized, which is why his daughters were compelled to serve as his shepherd. This bit of back story is provided by the midrash to explain why a priest or prince didn't have professionals looking after his flocks.) Mechilta says he was still in the grips of idolatry when his first grandchild was born. (In general, Exodus Raba takes a positive view of Jethro, while the Mechilta views him more negatively)
- Did he have a role in Pharaoh's court? Exodus Raba says he was an advisor, together with Job and Ballam; other sources (Tanchuma, TPJ, BT Menachot, Gospel of Timothy) say Pharaoh's advisors were called Jannes and Jambres (joined, in some places, by a man called Micha)
Wrong Rashi
Rashi 19:4 on eagles’ wings Like an eagle, which carries its young on its wings, for all other birds place their young between their feet since they fear another bird flying above them. The eagle, however, fears only man, lest he shoot an arrow at it, because no other bird flies above it. Therefore, it places them [its young] on its wings. This is an excellent image, but the facts are false: Eagles don't actually carry their young on their wings.
Toss a tip in the hat, please, and buy my book. (thanks!)
Google is pretty cool
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Labels: Israel |
| The Tu'Bshvat logo appearing on Israeli computers |
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Lessons in Leadership: Moses vs Pharaoh
Labels: Israel
Ever notice how Moses' earliest displays of leadership qualities are the exact antithesis of Pharaoh's?
For example:
- Pharaoh frequently consults with advisors and magicians and various court functionaries Moshe, famously, tries to do everything himself until his father-in-law suggests a better way.
- Pharaoh leads his troops into battle, and is prepared to face the Lord himself; Moshe sits at a distance, watching from a mountain, when the Israelites face-off against Amelek
- Pharaoh, in the Joseph story, is deeply concerned about feeding his people; in the Mechiltah's interpretation of the fleshpot verses he is said to have kept the slaves extremely well fed; under Moshe's leadership, on the other hand, the people frequently complain of hunger, and Moshe always meets their complaints with anxiety or rebuke, never with action.
- Pharaoh is described and represented as supremely arrogant; Moshe is called modest, and indeed behaves modestly when he describes his role in the Exodus to Yithro.
Any others?
Let's destroy an enduring frum legend about John F. Kennedy
Labels: Israel
According to frum legend, Kennedy was the first president to appear at an inauguration with no hat; magically the hat industry immediately went into a decline from which it still has not recovered. "Were it not for Kennedy," goes a mashgiach's rant I've twice heard with my own ears, "and his corrupt ideas about freedom, men would still dress modestly."
The flaw with this theory isn't merely the lousy logic; the facts are bad, too. So in honor of the big anniversary, let's set the record straight: Kennedy wore a hat to his inauguration.
Proof and more information after the jump
Great moments in Parliament
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Labels: IsraelMKs spray some kind of perfume inside the Knesset to protest, I don't know... foul smelling lunches? or something, while the presiding Speaker melts down
Related: Amnon Dehartuc slaps a Haredi MK
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Remember when Democratic politicians sounded like Haredi Rabbis? And other notes on feminism
Labels: Israel
The New Yorker provides this insight into an earlier, less exciting time, via a snippet from Adlai Stevenson's address to the women of the Smith Class of 1955 in which he sounds like most Haredi Rabbis I know:
You may be hitched to one of these creatures we call ‘Western man and I think part of your job is to keep him Western, to keep him truly purposeful, to keep him whole.” Stevenson had, he affably confessed, “very little experience as a wife or mother”; but he believed that the housewife’s task was a worthy one, since “we will defeat totalitarian, authoritarian ideas only by better ideas.The article's author, Louis Menand, continues:
The wife is there to implant those ideas in her working husband. It seems almost a kind of magical thinking that caused people to believe that keeping capable, highly educated people at home—actually de-incentivizing them from entering the workforce—was a good way to win the Cold War.Sounds familiar doesn't it? Swap the words "win the Cold War" for "defeat the yetzer hara" and the match is made.
Some points (and questions) after the jump:
Great moments in misogyny
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Labels: IsraelRabbi: Marry-off Girls at Age 15.
"The haredi press is also guilty," the source added, "Because it promotes an agenda that says women must be educated. This is very unfortunate and is promoted not by rabbis, but by businessmen that control the education apparatus.
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A tale of two Torah trips to two Torah cities
Labels: Israel
If you were a Martian arriving on earth, and had nothing to go on aside from the flyers contained in this post (after the jump), which community and institution would you decide was more serious about Torah?
Of course, no reasonable person would make such a decision on the basis of flyers alone; still, the fact that the flyer advertising a YU Shabbas lists speakers and lecture topics, while Lakewood's flyer merely lists opportunities to eat and sing must mean something.
See the flyers after the jump.
UPDATE
As I say in comment #27, I think the true explanation for how the events were structured and promoted is as follows: Lakewood is trying to make friends, and you make friends via social events where you can hang out, not via lectures, whereas YU is trying to seem scholarly both because its a university, and because it may not have the strongest Torah reputation in some quarters.
Feed the birds
Monday, January 17, 2011
Labels: IsraelDid your kids bring home bird feeders last Friday? Mine, too. Did you put them out? Me niether.
Some amature internet research reveals that there was once an actual custom in some European communities to put out food for the birds on Shabos Parshas Bshalach. In our day, the custom seems to be something else involving school crafts and good intentions.
The official reason for the custom is a Mechilta which describes an evil plot to embaress Moshe that was foiled by the birds. To say thank you, our ancestors put out crumbs. Though I rather doubt this is the true source of the custom I must admit that I have not been able to find a shred of evidence in support of my skeptism.
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Why my post about the Lakewood dog and pony show ruffled so many feathers
Labels: Israel
Tesya explains:
I think the reason Mike & others are pushing back on this one is that they don't see the irony in stating truth that the frum community is just like every community - a few people may be sincere and learned, but the vast majority are into food, sleep, and presumably other physical needs. [DB: And also they many aren't much interested in hearing a scholar deliver a serious Torah lecture and will only turn out in large numbers to greet someone they allegedy consider a demigod if plenty of good food will be served] That is not in itself surprising or bad - but it doesn't pass muster for a community that elevates itself as holy & special.In short, the emperor has no clothes.
Again, I say the Lakewood dog and pony show has no parralel in the secular world. Secular celebrities draw crowds without offering bribes in the form of food and personal access. In fact they charge admission. When great scholars visit academic communties serious lectures are desired and expected. In Monsey there were no serious lectures and the flyer suggests strongly that crowds could not be counted upon to materialize at free events starring the rock stars of the Yeshiva world without the promise of free food.
Doesn't this lead you to certain obvious conclusions?
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Flyer advertising "Shabbos of Chizuk" reveals unflattering truths about the Torah True community.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Labels: IsraelSummary: Read with an unjaundiced eye, I think a flyer advertising a recent Shabbos of Chizuk reveals some unflattering truths about the Torah True community.
Every so often the Lakewood Roshei Yeshivot attempt to colonize new areas by participating in what's called a "Shabbos of Chizuk" with each Rosh Yeshiva functioning as something like a scholar-in-residence at one, or more, of the neighbored shuls. Drashot are given, friends are won, and after shabbos, checks are written. Aside from the fact that Lakewood has yet to reciprocate by inviting the Y.U Roshei Yeshivot to their town for a "RIETS Shabbos" its all good fun. The Roshei Yeshivot get to enjoy the many pleasures of a business trip; their groupies get to collect autographs or blessings or whatever; those with an abiding wish to be separated from their money are provided with a comfortable bkovidik forum where this can occur as painlessly as possible.
Recently, the RYs were in Monsey for an event advertised with the flyer you see below.
Interpolation: Calling this dog and pony show a Shabbos of Chizuk is a masterstroke. In context, the word chizuk means "strengthening"; out of context it might mean "hardening." Hardening men up before asking them for money is an age old game, no? And, in that vein, calling this a masterstroke was also a masterstroke! Ad kan vulgar puns. End Interpolation.
Read with an unjaundiced eye, I think the flyer reveals several unflattering truths about the Torah True community. See them after the jump:
A Good Point in a Pathetic Article
A Guest Post By E. Fink
The evil bloggers have been attacked again in this week's Yated. Of course the bloggers are bad because they cause people to question the flaws in their community. Of course the bloggers are bad because they get in the way of the privieleged few who are permtted to have a voice. Of course the bloggers are bad because they portray all frum people as backward and evil.
Although the article is moronic for a million and one reasons, its author makes an important point that will unfortunately not get any attention becuase its container is so silly.
As part of the master plan to discredit the bloggers, the author simply says that frum Jews should prove the bloggers wrong:
Our response to those who seek to destroy our way of life must be to reaffirm our sacred values, to learn more Torah, and to learn with more hasmadah and fervency. Our response must be to be kind and considerate to our neighbors, Jew and gentile, and to make a kiddush Hashem by who we are and how we live.
We have to do more to prove that we are upright, upstanding and outstanding. That means rejecting double standards and shortcuts in integrity. We must take pains to be consistent, scrupulously honest, and fair in all our dealings. We must never skirt the law or act in a way which can be misinterpreted to our discredit.While I may not agree with everything quoted, the idea is a noble one. If frum Jews don't want to be smacked around by bloggers, stop giving them a reason to smack frum Jews around. The author is saying that frum Jews need to clean up their act. And he is right.
That's what the bloggers have been saying all along...
Not a great article overall but this is good advice and needed rebuke.
HT: @chaimshapiro
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Thoughts on Pharaoh's song
Labels: Israel
When he realizes the Israelites are gone and not coming back, Pharaoh bursts into song. Sort of. As recorded in the Bible, when Pharaoh tells his courtiers that the escaped slaves are pinned down, he is speaking in verse.
In English, Pharaoh words mean something like: "They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in."(NASB) or "They are confounded in the land, the wilderness has closed round them" (Alter).
In Hebrew the line is: נְבֻכִ֥ים הֵ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ סָגַ֥ר עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם הַמִּדְבָּֽר or nevukhim hem ba'arets, sagar 'aleihemn hamidbar.
As Alter points out these are "two semantically complementary clauses with three nicely scanning beats in each". Alter goes on to say, that this is evidence of the kings "regal confidence" but I think there may be something else to it.
Above, I wrote that Pharaoh spoke "to his courtiers" about the Israelites and this is based on Rashi and most of the English translations, of the full verse which reads: וְאָמַ֤ר פַּרְעֹה֙ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל נְבֻכִ֥ים הֵ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ סָגַ֥ר עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם הַמִּדְבָּֽר׃. At first glance, however, the verse itself seems to say something else, telling us that Pharaoh spoke לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל, which translates most obviously as "to the Israelites." As Rashi and the rest realize Pharaoh can't be speaking "to the Israelites" who are by now almost a week into their escape. Rashi's solution is that the lamid prefix [=לִ] also means "about", and though this is grammatically sound, I think it robs the verse, and indeed the whole story, of some literary grandeur.
Pharaoh's one line poem marks the beginning of the Exodus' final chapter, a chapter that ends with the Song of the Sea. As Pharaoh will soon discover, the Israelites are not wandering aimlessly, but are bait in a trap. Alter is right that given all he has experienced at the hands of God Pharaoh is foolishly overconfident. Though this fatal overconfidence is certainly indicated through his style of speech, a literary observation is that Pharaoh's song stands in opposition to the song the Israelites will sing after the king is vanquished. As the text tells us though its ambiguous use of the lamid prefix, Pharoh is singing TO the Israelites... only his song is cut short - its merely one verse - and it will soon be emphatically answered at the Sea, when the victorious Israelites answer Pharaoh's arrogance with a much longer song of their own, a song that even opens with a brilliant pun on the Hebrew word for arrogant.
** Interesting side note: Rashi solves the lamid prefix problem by translating the verse as "about the Israelites" TPJ reads it as most of us would, i.e., as "to the Israelites" and even supplies their names! According to TPJ, at this moment Pharaoh is speaking to none other but Datan and Aviram.
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Kylopod's post
Labels: Israel
Yesterday, I tried to link to Kylopod's post about the origin and uses of the words "blood libel" but blogger broke the URL.
Here is is again: http://kylopod.blogspot.com/2011/01/is-blood-libel-generic-expression.html
Go read it.
In which I continue to tweak those of my readers who are among Sarah Palin's most rabid, unreasonable defenders
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Labels: IsraelAs usual Colbert does it best:
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| The Word - Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Angriness | ||||
| ||||
Surveyor symbols!!
And as someone said on Twitter, claiming some press comments are a blood libel is like saying a bad day at work was a Holocaust.
Also see Klypod's: Is blood libel a generic expression?
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Bart Simpson and his Jewish Friend
Labels: Israel
Peek-a-Jew!
Who's the Jewish kid @21:04 of $pringfield (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)?
Anyone know who he is?
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What is the "Way of Philistines"
Labels: Israel
In Exodus 13:17, we're told:
It so happened that after Pharaoh released the people, God didn't lead them by the road through the land of the Philistines, which was the shortest route, for God thought, "If the people encounter war, they'll change their minds and go back to Egypt." [The Message]Writing thousands of years later, various interpreters including the Ramban, assume that God here is worried that His people might be attacked by Philistines. This is probably a mistake. As per Nahum Sarna, the Way of the Philistines [=דֶּ֚רֶךְ אֶ֣רֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים] was, in fact, a name for the Via Maris, an ancient trade route that linked Egypt with Mesopotamia. Later the same route was called (Issiah 9:1) the דֶּ֤רֶךְ הַיָּם֙ or Way of the Sea [= Via Maris]
 |
| The Via Maris is in purple. The King's Highway, mentioned in Numbers 20:17, is in red |
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Son in law gifts
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Labels: IsraelNowadays, you're considered a heel and a boor if you don't welcome your daughter's fiancee into the family with a complete set of the Talmud Bavli, Vilna edition. This can run several hundred dollars and as a gift its absurdly impractical. Your average twenty-something punk is usually not into learning and when he's ready to settle into a nice middle age Daf Yomi shiur to make friends and impress neighbors he'll probably use the Artscroll anyway. The rare son-in-law who actually does want to spend his time leaning over a Gemarah likely already has the books he needs or easy access to them and likely won't ever use most of the volumes in the complete set. I mean who learns Zevachim outside of a Daf Yomi aside from the rare scholar who, sorry, is probably not marrying your daughter. Besides, volumes from the fancy sets are much too heavy to shlep around and look best sitting on the shelf -which is of course the whole point of the exercise.
We Jews like to pretend we're scholars and we like to pretend our daughters are marrying scholars. It's why every ignoramus is supposed to give a learned sounding speech at his sheva brochos and why those same ignoramuses receive expensive books that ultimately end up as living room or study decorations that attempt to proclaim to all that their owner is a scholar, but in reality announce only that he has a father-in-law who follows convention.
When it's my turn, the son-in-law can have an IPad shas. It's lightweight, searchable, and costs about thirty bucks. Best of all it immediately let's the young man know that he shouldn't look to me for financial support. That, my friends, is called setting the tone from the outset. Try doing that with a leather bound shas.
Perhaps the Way Segulos Were Intended
A Guest Post By E. Fink
Typically, the segula debate is a polarizing venture, pitting (for lack of better terminology) rationalists against mysticists. The mysticists fully believe in the power of segulos. They think some may be more powerful than others, but in the end, they all work. On the other side of the ledger are the rationalists who are more skeptical of the power of segulos. I assume they don't believe in their efficacy and therefore do not participate in mass segula events like Parshas Ha'mon.
I think both of these approaches are wrong.
Unoriginal observations about Tucson I wish to share
Labels: Israel
I suppose it is true that some on the left used the Tucson massacre to bash Sarah Palin. Largely this bashing of Sara was committed by people who dislike her and regularly mock her. Whatever was said about her post-massacre was not opportunistic but business as usual.
We saw the exact same thing after a gunmen shot up Fort Hood. If its true that the left used Tucson to point out that Sara and her coevals have injected unprecedented toxicity into the political discourse, it doubly true that the right used Fort Hood to push for the acceptance of pet policies in the name of national security. For the right, every Fort Hood style attack is Christmas because until the dust clears the right gets to bash Arabs, push for further limits on personal freedom, denounce democrats as soft terror, and strut around like some martial peacock of old using get-tough rhetoric.
Sauce. Gander. Goose.
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The craziest Kugel I have ever seen (from 1998)
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Labels: IsraelWatch Jeff Kugel of the Windsor Spitfires get himself banned for life from the OHL
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Jon Stewart on the Arizona shooting
Labels: Israel
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Arizona Shootings Reaction | ||||
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If you were expecting partisan nonsense, let this be a lesson to you.
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Why can't we reinterpret verses to fit science? Rashi and Ramban did it.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Labels: IsraelThanks to Josh Waxman for calling my attention to yet another spot where great Rabbis are willing to re-interpret tradition to make it accord with scientific facts.
See it after the jump:
Battle of the Havdalahs
Labels: Israel
As mentioned earlier someone called Debbie Friedman the Reform Shlomo Carlbach. So how about a little head to head competition?
What follows are performances of the Carlbach and Friedman versions of Havdalah.
Which do you like best?
Gets going @1.18
Gets going @0.49
Bonus Carlbach after the jump:
Gets going @1.18
Gets going @0.49
Bonus Carlbach after the jump:
Debbie Friedman: The Reform Shlmo Carlbach?
Labels: Israel
An admission: Until Debbie Friedman died yesterday, I doubt that I ever heard her name. and I'm only now first learning about her work, and discovering her music. Though I was half-expecting to find a familiar melody in her oeuvre all of it, so far, is new to me. Am I unusual? Probably not. I'd bet that most people of my age and background are equally ignorant of her and her contribution to Jewish music.
A further admission: I was surprised to see obituaries and tributes to her memory in so many different places: NPR, the Wall Street Journal and several others covered her death. I can't imagine any of the Jewish music names I know receiving that sort of after-death recognition.
Here's something a few of the obituaries are calling her most famous composition:
And this is her version of Pslam 30 which is nice enough, I guess, but not really my thing.
Someone I know called her the Reform Shlmo Carlbach, which is high praise indeed.
(Was her passing noted on VIN or YWN? I don't know but would be surprised if either site picked it up.)
Search for more information about Debbie Friedman at 4torah.com.
Search for more information about Debbie Friedman at 4torah.com.
Disrespecting Rashi
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Labels: IsraelIn Parshas Bo, there is a famous Rashi that, like most famous Rashis, is only partially remembered and rarely taught in full. The verse on which the comment appears is Exodus 11:4
4 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה כֹּ֖ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה כַּחֲצֹ֣ת הַלַּ֔יְלָה אֲנִ֥י יֹוצֵ֖א בְּתֹ֥וךְ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
The bold words are strange. At first glance, they seem to mean "around midnight", but would God speak so inexactly?
The bold words are strange. At first glance, they seem to mean "around midnight", but would God speak so inexactly?
Parsha Notes Bo 5771
Friday, January 07, 2011
Labels: Israel, Parsha notes, Parsha notes (Exodus)Hey: Buy the book
Echos
Compare:
Exodus 10:3: Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? כה־אמר... העברים עד־מתי מאנת לענת מפני
with
Exodus 10:7: Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? ויאמרו עבדי פרעה אליו עד־מתי יהיה זה לנו למוקש
Parallels
Yosef in Meketz and Pharoah in Bo are virtually mirror images of each other, forming a neat envelope structure around the story of the Egyptian exile
Historicity
- Exodus 10:10 ויאמר אלהם יהי כן יהוה עםכם כאשר אשלח אתכם ואת־טפכם ראו כי רעה נגד פניכם׃
And he said unto them: 'So be the LORD with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones; see ye that evil [ra'ah] before your face.
Rashi takes the mention of Ra'ah as a reference to a particular star, but its seems more likely that Pharaoh is referring to Ra, the Egyptian sun God, and is saying, in essence, that his god stands against ours.
- Exodus 11:5: and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones;
According to Cassuito "slave girl who is behind the millstones" is an authentic Egyptian idiom for "lowest of the low"
Where was Pharoah on the night of the Exodus? Was he somehow in two places at once?
Idiom:
- Exodus 10:13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night
"East wind" is a Canaanite idiom for a hot wind, or a wind that brought locusts. In Egypt, locusts would typically come from the South. (Sarna)
What in the world does the verse intend when it promises "no dog's tongue will be sharpened" against us?
Fun fact to know and tell: The ibn Ezra says he experienced something much like the plague of Darkness during his sea journeys. (He mentions the Atlantic by name) He is referring to especially thick fogs.
Famous Questions
Why do we cook the Passover lamb with no pot, and serve it with flat breads? Possible answer. [Alter ads that we're enjoined not to break the bones of the lamb to preserve the idea of haste. People with time to spare, might break bones and suck marrow. This ties in with the supposed reason for unleavened bread.]
Was Pesach originally one holiday or two? The argument is that Chag Hapesach and Chag Hamatzos credibly seem to be treated by the psukim as two different holidays. The proper Jewish response should be: Who cares(!)
Why was the lamb taken on the tenth day, if it wasn't going to be used until the fourteenth day? Various answers found here.
Two way Torah
Why can't we break any of the Paschal Sacrifice's bones? Sefer Hachinuch: Because a royal person doesn't eat that way. Robert Alter: To preserve the idea of haste. We eat flatbreads to remind ourselves that we left Egypt in a rush; the bones are left unbroken for the same reason. If we had more time, we'd break bones and suck marrow, and get at the last bits of meat.
Contra midrash
Did the Isralites take on Egyptian names and fashions? We were all taught that the Jews didn't take Egyptian names or copy Egyptian clothing styles, yet: (Exodus 12:35) and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and cloaks. There are additional problems with this midrash, as well as a fortune of evidence that Israelites took Egyptians names.
How many Jews died during darkness? Two posts: 1 and 2 (As I hope to show, if you think its a certainty that many Jews died during darkness, you should think again.)
Musar:
Why do we keep mitzvos? The very famous Ramban in which he argues that we keep mitzvos only to glorify the name of God (but Ibn Ezra and Rashi disagree)
"Your character is created by your actions" is a famous lesson taught in the Sefer Hachinuch based on the quite precious thought that we became a royal people by eating the Paschal Sacrifice in the manner that a royal person eats. Several examples are given.
Questions about the Plagues
- Why did God harden Pharoh's heart? Machlokes Rishonim. At least five opinions.
- What does it mean to "harden" someone's heart. Machlokes Rishonim. At least five opinions.
- What underlying message or theme were the plagues meant convey? Is there some pattern? At least three opinions. Midrash: Order of an attacking army; Seforno: To teach three seperate lessons about the nature of God; Samson Raphael Hirsch: midah-kneged-midah for gerus, avdus and inuy.
- Did the plague affect Egyptians only? Midrash: Yes; Ibn Ezra: Only the last 7; Radvad: The Ibn Ezra is an ignoramus. Ignore him; Avi Ezer: The Ibn Ezra didn't write that; blame his "wayward student."
- Did the magicians have real powers? Midrash: Yes; Rashi: Yes; Ralbag: No; Abravanel: No; Samson Raphael Hirsch: No
- Why is the number and order on the plagues in Pslam different from what's recorded in the Torah? Psalms 78:43-51 lists seven plagues, and Psalms 105:27-36 refers to eight. Was Rabbi Judah's famous mnemonic device, detza"kh, ada"sh, be'aha"b, perhaps meant to reinforce the Torah's version, against the version recorded in Psalms?
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Judaism 2.0: A Return Volley
A Guest Post By E. Fink
Over on Matzav.com there is a post about a "revised" siddur being published by the RCA. The author of the post feels that this siddur places the RCA outside the camp of orthodox Judaism. The arguments are flimsy, erroneous and dishonest. I advise you to read the post on Matzav.com and see it for yourself. It won't take too much effort on your part to blast the post to smithereens. [It is posted after the jump]
Instead of countering his points I just want to point to a bit of hypocisy I noticed last week.
One of the themes of the post is that the siddur and Judaism don't change. Never.
Interestingly, if you look at the Stone Chumash on Parshas Va'era when the Chartumei Mitzrayim and their lahatim are introduced you will notice a little section on the Magic of the Egyptians. It says there that there is but one classic commentary that holds that the magic was not "real". As noted on this blog, the Rambam says that there is no such thing as magic and the magicians were not magicians, rather they were tricksters. Then the Stone Chumash goes on for a couple paragraphs about how ALL the other commentaries hold that the magic was real using the koach ha'tumah.
The thing is, the Ibn Ezra also holds that the magic was fake (achizas einayim). Additionally, Rav Hirsch explains that there is no such thing as magic and the magicians were good fakers.
The Stone ignores these classic commentators when it says that the Rambam is the only one who holds that the magicians were fake. And the Stone quotes the Ibn Ezra and Rav Hirsch all the time. It is in this case that they chose to ignore them in favor of an interpretation that they prefer.
THAT is revisionism. THAT is Judaism 2.0. THAT is changing the mesorah.
So, I am guessing we will see a post on Matzav.com about how Artscroll is chutz lamachaneh sometime soon.
See? Two can play this game...
How long did Moshe's mother carry him?
Labels: Israel
Not long ago, I ate with someone who mentioned Rashi on Exodus 2:3, which discusses the circumstances of Moshe's birth.
For those not in the know, here is the back story:
At around the time Moshe is conceived, Pharaoh decrees that all Israelite boy babies must be thrown into the river (1) Rather then risk losing a son, Moshe's parents initially separate, but reconsider and are reunited. (2) When Moshe is born, his mothers hides him for three months (3) after which, for some reason not supplied by the text, she is "no longer able to hide him" (4) Rashi suggests that Moshe was a seven-month baby (5) and because a seven-month baby can be born at six months and one day (6) gives the following gloss:
The dinner table argument about this was ugly, and had to do with two simple facts:
For those not in the know, here is the back story:
At around the time Moshe is conceived, Pharaoh decrees that all Israelite boy babies must be thrown into the river (1) Rather then risk losing a son, Moshe's parents initially separate, but reconsider and are reunited. (2) When Moshe is born, his mothers hides him for three months (3) after which, for some reason not supplied by the text, she is "no longer able to hide him" (4) Rashi suggests that Moshe was a seven-month baby (5) and because a seven-month baby can be born at six months and one day (6) gives the following gloss:
[When Moshe's mother] could no longer hide him: because the Egyptians counted her [pregnancy] from the day that [Amram] took her back. She bore him after [only] six months and one day for a woman who gives birth to a seven-month child may give birth after incomplete [months]. And they searched after her at the end of nine [months].The point being made here is that Moshe's mother was able to hide him for three months because he was born early. The Egyptians knew she was pregnant, and knew a baby would be arriving in, say, Adar; however because Moshe was born three months earlier in, say, Kislev, his mother was able to hold on to him for three months.
The dinner table argument about this was ugly, and had to do with two simple facts:
Haredi Rabbi wildly over-reacts to scholarly essay on hair covering
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Labels: IsraelI'm sorry that the title of this post sounds so rude, but I'm trying to make a point. See, there's a long, scholarly article out by Rabbi Micheal Broyde, in which he attempts to provide the halachic history of hair covering. The author goes through all the sources, examines what they said, and concludes (surprise) that different Rabbis in different times, and different places, had slightly different views on the subject. His stated purpose in publishing this research is to uncover a limud zchus, that is a way to judge favorably those married women who dress modestly, keep commandments, and live righteous lives without covering their hair. Along the way Rabbi Broyd says this:
Who wrote the Zohar? Not Rashby
Labels: Israel
An update of a post with 54 comments that first appeared on TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2005
There's a book we call the Zohar that is attributed to someone who lived long ago. For those unfamiliar with the background, the Zohar is a work of Jewish mysticism alleged to have been written in the second century by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (ie Rashby) and passed, teacher to student, until the 13th century when Moses de Leon published it.
From the very beginning, questions have been raised about the authorship of the Zohar. Yitzchak of Acco, a kabbalist and student of the Ramban, met de Leon's widow, reviewed the manuscript, and determined that the Zohar was, in fact, written by de Leon. (See Sefer HaYuchasin by Rabbi Avraham Zacuto 1425- c. 1515 CE in which Mrs. de Leon admits the fraud.)
Rabbi Yitzchak's conclusion was supported by later scholars, including Elijah Delmedigo, Yakov Emdem, and Gershom Scholem, the 20th century Hebraist. They observed that the Zohar:
Stuff to get your blood racing
Labels: Israel
NYC Sanit. dept. dumped tons of snow on Jewish cemetery
Know where snow goes after NYC plows and trucks take it away? Some of it gets dumped on Jewish cemeteries where at least 21 graves were broken. >> Read it
YU ethics expert censures rabbis over brain-stem death
Rabbi Moshe Tendler, son-in-law of Rav Moshe, says brain-stem death constitutes halachic death; "our rabbis don't have the necessary background to understand it" and "Removing an organ [from someone organismically dead] to enable another person to live is not desecrating; rather, [it is] honoring the dead,” and “when people die, they all become haredim.” >> Read it
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A reader asks: Are Jews white?
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Labels: IsraelDear DB:
The other day, I had the opportunity to visit the new museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. In addition to the informative and interesting exhibits, they had an interesting interactive activity that provided some information that you and your readers might want to comment about. The activity consisted of responding to a survey-type question by writing your response on a post-it note and sticking it to a wall. The questions were of the "yes," "no," "maybe" type, and the post-it notes were appropriately colored. There was also room on the note to write a more detailed explanation. However, the main effect of this was to get a rapid visual estimate of the statistical distribution of the answers. I didn't participate becuase, (1) my family was bugging me to move on, and (2) it reminded me too much of the way we decide stuff at work, and I was on vacation. But maybe if I go back, I'll try it again.
The non-barking dogs of Egypt
Labels: Israel
Here's the verse:
וּלְכֹ֣ל בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֹ֤א יֶֽחֱרַץ־ כֶּ֙לֶב֙ לְשֹׁנֹ֔ו לְמֵאִ֖ישׁ וְעַד־ בְּהֵמָ֑ה לְמַ֙עַן֙ תֵּֽדְע֔וּן אֲשֶׁר֙ יַפְלֶ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה בֵּ֥ין מִצְרַ֖יִם וּבֵ֥ין יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
which translates as:
But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move (= יֶֽחֱרַץ literally "sharpen") his tongue against man or beast so that you may know how that God has made a difference between the Egyptians and Israel
Let's look at what the bold face names do with this:
A brilliant skit about RW indoctrination
Monday, January 03, 2011
Labels: IsraelI'm not sure I can count the many different ways I love this parody. I hope the hasbraha bloggers think its funny too (though I expect that if they laught at all it will be for the wrong reasons)
HT http://mostlykosher.blogspot.com/
Search for more information about hasbarah at 4torah.com.
Catholics and the Holocaust Again
Labels: Israel
The discussion, or rather the denials found here and here about how the Catholic Church paved the road to the Holocaust sent me looking for a remembered quote from A Moral Reckoning: The Role of the Catholic Church in the Holocaust and Its Unfulfilled Duty of Repair by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen.
Found it:
You place the straw around the houses of one town, teach the people of the next town to hate and fear the inhabitants in the first town. An incendiary comes along to give your followers a match. Yout followers together with other light the flames that torch one building, then another, then another, systematically but slowly destroying them all. You save a few, though only a few, from the buildings that the killers have not yet reached. You do not warn the other intended victims. You do not urge all those who work for you to save as many as they can. You do not tell all those who support the incendiary or even help him light his fires that they are committing crimes and consigning themselves to hell. Indeed, a;; the while you continue to teach your followers to hate and fear the victims. After the flames die down and the incendiary is dead, you say that you never told him or your followers explicitly to kill, and indeed had as little to do with him as possible.... Would you believe that, under such a scenario, others would hold you innocent of all blame, all guilt, all culpability?The part that gets me every time is at the beginning: You place the straw around the houses of one town, teach the people of the next town to hate and fear the inhabitants in the first town.
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