This week's Torah Gems were prepared by
Anochi Atoncha
Shabbat Parshat Va'etchanan
Shabbat Nachamu
Guard (Shamor) the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as Hashem, your God, commanded you (Devarim 5:12).
Rashi: Guard - But in the first version of the commandments it says 'remember (zachor).' Both words were said in the same utterance and as a single word, and they were heard as a single hearing.
Some earlier editions of Rashi read "Both words were said in the same utterance, and written as the same word"; that is, they miraculously appeared as a single word on the stone tablets (Artscroll Rashi)
Although there are other discrepancies between the wordings of the two versions of the Ten Commandments, they do not affect the plain meaning of the commandments. Rashi deals only with this one because it changes the entire nature of the commandment. For zachor (remember) implies a positive commandment, while shamor (guard) implies a negative one (Mizrachi.)
As we discussed in last week's Torah Gems, the words of a text possess no intrinsic meaning. Rather, they carry meaning as a boxcar carries cargo. The Rashi to our verse implies that whatever word Hashem actually spoke on Sinai, this word delivered (at least) two meanings: remember and guard.
Whereas we are able to hear and understand two meanings at once, most notation systems offer no way to describe the phenomenon in writing. Musical notation is the prominent exception. Indeed lyrics sung in a duet can provide shades of meaning as well as pitch.
Perhaps we may imagine that the commandments were sung in harmony by Hashem in multiple voices. Israel heard all the parts, but could only transcribe one set at a time. The rest of the meanings were transmitted orally down the chain of tradition to us today.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Shabbat Parshat Daevarim Shabbat Hazon
This week's Torah Gems were prepared by
Anochi Atoncha
Shabbat Parshat Daevarim
Shabbat Hazon
Eileh ha-DEVARIM asher diber Moshe el-kol-Yisroel
These are the WORDS which Moshe spoke to all Israel...
Polonius: ...What do you read, my lord?
Hamlet: Words, words, words (Act II, sc ii)
The underlying meaning of the root dalet-bet-resh (d-b-r) is uncertain, but probably means "go away" (Brown-Driver-Briggs). Gesenius suggests d-b-r means "range in order". A composite definition renders d-b-r as "go away in a particular direction."
Graphically, d-b-r may be represented as follows:
Fig. 1 (origin) (end point)
The arrow represents the root d-b-r itself. The arrow takes off from an origin, or starting point. The starting point may be God, a person's mouth, a corral, or a hive, as we will see shortly. The end point may be our ears, a patch of grass, or even the oblivion of death.
The arrow itself, the root d-b-r, branches in four directions in biblical Hebrew. Here are three of them:
1.
To go away into oblivion, to perish: This branch gives dever, pestilence, as in the fifth plague on Egypt (Shemot 9:1-7.)
2.
To lead away, to guide: This gives midbar and dover, the wilderness into which a shepherd leads cattle to graze; devorah, a swarm of bees that fly in a (bee) line; and dovrot, rafts that float away (Mlachim 5:23).
3.
To speak, to go away from the mouth in a sequence of words, as in l'dabber.
Branch number three gives us the title of our book. Devarim are words, things, and matters about which one speaks. They possess no intrinsic meaning, but they carry meaning as a boxcar carries cargo. Mathematicians may recognize devarim as vectors, constructs that possess only direction and magnitude. I prefer the biologists' definition of vector, i.e. a creature that carries a disease-causing agent on its back. For example, the deer tick itself doesn't carry Lyme disease: the tick is a vector that carries the germ that causes Lyme disease! L'havdil, devarim are vectors that transport meaning.
A useful analogy is the relationship of lock to key. A key may fit into many locks, but only certain pairs will fit correctly. Devarim may be thought of as keys that may fit into several locks, or meanings, but only certain key-lock pairs will convey meaning. A shared feature of devarim and keys is that both allow the existence of a master key: one key opens all members of a lock set; one devar unlocks a group of meanings.
We find the master key to understanding d-b-r in the fourth branch of meaning:
4.
Devir (dalet-vet-yud-resh) is a synonym for Kodesh Kodashim, the holy of holies, or the innermost chamber of the Beit HaMikdash. In the Shemona Esrei, the "avodah" prayer includes the words "v'hashayv et ha avodah li'devir baytecha" (restore the service to the holy of holies in Your house). The closest relation to devir is an Arabic word meaning "hindmost portion". Unlike the first three branches, devir refers to the origin of the vector, rather than to the end point.
The vector's origin is essential to understanding the meaning of d-b-r. Thus dever, pestilence, is judgment sent out by God. You send out your cattle from your corral/home to graze in the midbar. Devorah fly away from their hive/home led by their queen. And devarim are exquisitely sensitive to their speaker, or Speaker. The root d-b-r invites us to trace the arrow backwards to the origin where fuller understanding may be found.
Sefer Devarim is an invitation to trace words of Torah back to the Origin, where you may locate their essential meanings.
Ki mi-Tzion teitze torah, oo-DEVAR Hashem mYrushalim
For Torah goes forth from Zion, and the WORD of God from Jerusalem
Anochi Atoncha
Shabbat Parshat Daevarim
Shabbat Hazon
Eileh ha-DEVARIM asher diber Moshe el-kol-Yisroel
These are the WORDS which Moshe spoke to all Israel...
Polonius: ...What do you read, my lord?
Hamlet: Words, words, words (Act II, sc ii)
The underlying meaning of the root dalet-bet-resh (d-b-r) is uncertain, but probably means "go away" (Brown-Driver-Briggs). Gesenius suggests d-b-r means "range in order". A composite definition renders d-b-r as "go away in a particular direction."
Graphically, d-b-r may be represented as follows:
Fig. 1 (origin) (end point)
The arrow represents the root d-b-r itself. The arrow takes off from an origin, or starting point. The starting point may be God, a person's mouth, a corral, or a hive, as we will see shortly. The end point may be our ears, a patch of grass, or even the oblivion of death.
The arrow itself, the root d-b-r, branches in four directions in biblical Hebrew. Here are three of them:
1.
To go away into oblivion, to perish: This branch gives dever, pestilence, as in the fifth plague on Egypt (Shemot 9:1-7.)
2.
To lead away, to guide: This gives midbar and dover, the wilderness into which a shepherd leads cattle to graze; devorah, a swarm of bees that fly in a (bee) line; and dovrot, rafts that float away (Mlachim 5:23).
3.
To speak, to go away from the mouth in a sequence of words, as in l'dabber.
Branch number three gives us the title of our book. Devarim are words, things, and matters about which one speaks. They possess no intrinsic meaning, but they carry meaning as a boxcar carries cargo. Mathematicians may recognize devarim as vectors, constructs that possess only direction and magnitude. I prefer the biologists' definition of vector, i.e. a creature that carries a disease-causing agent on its back. For example, the deer tick itself doesn't carry Lyme disease: the tick is a vector that carries the germ that causes Lyme disease! L'havdil, devarim are vectors that transport meaning.
A useful analogy is the relationship of lock to key. A key may fit into many locks, but only certain pairs will fit correctly. Devarim may be thought of as keys that may fit into several locks, or meanings, but only certain key-lock pairs will convey meaning. A shared feature of devarim and keys is that both allow the existence of a master key: one key opens all members of a lock set; one devar unlocks a group of meanings.
We find the master key to understanding d-b-r in the fourth branch of meaning:
4.
Devir (dalet-vet-yud-resh) is a synonym for Kodesh Kodashim, the holy of holies, or the innermost chamber of the Beit HaMikdash. In the Shemona Esrei, the "avodah" prayer includes the words "v'hashayv et ha avodah li'devir baytecha" (restore the service to the holy of holies in Your house). The closest relation to devir is an Arabic word meaning "hindmost portion". Unlike the first three branches, devir refers to the origin of the vector, rather than to the end point.
The vector's origin is essential to understanding the meaning of d-b-r. Thus dever, pestilence, is judgment sent out by God. You send out your cattle from your corral/home to graze in the midbar. Devorah fly away from their hive/home led by their queen. And devarim are exquisitely sensitive to their speaker, or Speaker. The root d-b-r invites us to trace the arrow backwards to the origin where fuller understanding may be found.
Sefer Devarim is an invitation to trace words of Torah back to the Origin, where you may locate their essential meanings.
Ki mi-Tzion teitze torah, oo-DEVAR Hashem mYrushalim
For Torah goes forth from Zion, and the WORD of God from Jerusalem
Shabbat Parshat Pinchas
This week's Torah Gems were prepared by
Adam Solomon
Shabbat Parshat Pinchas
This week's parasha, Pinchas, is greatly concerned with the issue of leadership and the need to prepare for a transfer of power from one generation to another. This is in preparation for entering Eretz Israel. The tititular Pinchas and his descendants are awarded with the permanent status of kohen as a reward for his zealous actions in last week's parasha. According to the prolific French Medieval commentator Rashi, this was made explicit since Pinchas' birth preceded Aharon and his sons being anointed and as a result Pinchas and his offspring would not otherwise have been kohenim.
HaShem tells Moshe that he will not be entering Eretz Israel and that he needs to designate Joshua as a successor. In this instance, Moshe displays the humility for which he is so well known in our tradition and doesn't argue that he should be allowed to enter the land.
In preparation for a generational transfer and the subsequent conquest of Eretz Israel, another census is taken, inheritances among the tribes are designated. We also have the famous incident with Zelophehad's daughter's in which the initial laws of inheritance are amended to allow daughters to inherit if they have no brothers. To a modern eye this patriarchal bias is troubling, though we can take some comfort in realizing that even as Jewish law was being formulated, it was open to amendment and interpretation.
The parasha finishes with a description of some of the sacrifices to be offered on the festivals, going into some detail for the Sukkot sacrifices. Rashi notes that through the whole holiday of Sukkot sacrifices are made for the benefit of all the nations of the world, but on the last day only one is made, being for Israel alone. This last day (Shemini Atzeret) is a day for Jews and HaShem only -- making Shemini Atzeret into Sukkot's "after party", if you will.
"one bull, one ram". These correspond to Israel. [God said,] "Remain with Me a little longer." It expresses [His] affection [for Israel]. It is like children taking leave of their father, who says to them, "It is difficult for me to part with you; stay one more day." It is analogous to a king who made a banquet, etc. [and on the last day, his closest friend makes a small banquet for the king] as is stated in Tractate Sukkah [55b]. In the Midrash of R. Tanchuma (Pinchas 16) [it says]: The Torah teaches common courtesy. Someone who has a guest, [and wants him to feel at home,] on the first day, he should serve him fattened poultry, on the following day he should serve him fish, on the following day beef, on the following day pulses, and on the following day vegetables, progressively diminishing, as in the case of the festival bulls. - from Rashi's commentary on Pinchas
Former chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Ismar Schorsch noted that Rashi departed from previous interpretations of Sukkot that were universalist in nature. It was traditionally thought that Sukkot was the time when HaShem decided how much rain the entire world would receive and the sacrifice of 70 bulls was on behalf of all the nations of the world. (see http://www.jtsa.edu/PreBuilt/ParashahArchives/5755/pinhas.shtml). I find the idea that we're in that select group that gets to hang out after the party for one more drink with the host captivating. I just hope that I remember this on Shemini Atzeret after a week of sukkah- hopping.
The Jewish values illustrated by this parasha are invaluable - humility in leadership, preparation for handing off responsibilities to the next generation, the importance of hospitality. These are values that I hope we can carry out of this Shabbat and into the rest of the week.
Shabbat Shalom,
Adam
Adam Solomon
Shabbat Parshat Pinchas
This week's parasha, Pinchas, is greatly concerned with the issue of leadership and the need to prepare for a transfer of power from one generation to another. This is in preparation for entering Eretz Israel. The tititular Pinchas and his descendants are awarded with the permanent status of kohen as a reward for his zealous actions in last week's parasha. According to the prolific French Medieval commentator Rashi, this was made explicit since Pinchas' birth preceded Aharon and his sons being anointed and as a result Pinchas and his offspring would not otherwise have been kohenim.
HaShem tells Moshe that he will not be entering Eretz Israel and that he needs to designate Joshua as a successor. In this instance, Moshe displays the humility for which he is so well known in our tradition and doesn't argue that he should be allowed to enter the land.
In preparation for a generational transfer and the subsequent conquest of Eretz Israel, another census is taken, inheritances among the tribes are designated. We also have the famous incident with Zelophehad's daughter's in which the initial laws of inheritance are amended to allow daughters to inherit if they have no brothers. To a modern eye this patriarchal bias is troubling, though we can take some comfort in realizing that even as Jewish law was being formulated, it was open to amendment and interpretation.
The parasha finishes with a description of some of the sacrifices to be offered on the festivals, going into some detail for the Sukkot sacrifices. Rashi notes that through the whole holiday of Sukkot sacrifices are made for the benefit of all the nations of the world, but on the last day only one is made, being for Israel alone. This last day (Shemini Atzeret) is a day for Jews and HaShem only -- making Shemini Atzeret into Sukkot's "after party", if you will.
"one bull, one ram". These correspond to Israel. [God said,] "Remain with Me a little longer." It expresses [His] affection [for Israel]. It is like children taking leave of their father, who says to them, "It is difficult for me to part with you; stay one more day." It is analogous to a king who made a banquet, etc. [and on the last day, his closest friend makes a small banquet for the king] as is stated in Tractate Sukkah [55b]. In the Midrash of R. Tanchuma (Pinchas 16) [it says]: The Torah teaches common courtesy. Someone who has a guest, [and wants him to feel at home,] on the first day, he should serve him fattened poultry, on the following day he should serve him fish, on the following day beef, on the following day pulses, and on the following day vegetables, progressively diminishing, as in the case of the festival bulls. - from Rashi's commentary on Pinchas
Former chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Ismar Schorsch noted that Rashi departed from previous interpretations of Sukkot that were universalist in nature. It was traditionally thought that Sukkot was the time when HaShem decided how much rain the entire world would receive and the sacrifice of 70 bulls was on behalf of all the nations of the world. (see http://www.jtsa.edu/PreBuilt/ParashahArchives/5755/pinhas.shtml). I find the idea that we're in that select group that gets to hang out after the party for one more drink with the host captivating. I just hope that I remember this on Shemini Atzeret after a week of sukkah- hopping.
The Jewish values illustrated by this parasha are invaluable - humility in leadership, preparation for handing off responsibilities to the next generation, the importance of hospitality. These are values that I hope we can carry out of this Shabbat and into the rest of the week.
Shabbat Shalom,
Adam
Shabbat Parshat Chukat-Balak
This week's Torah Gems were prepared by
Anochi Atoncha
Shabbat Parshat Chukat-Balak
Hukkat-Balak
Angelology - Part IV
The angel of Hashem said to Balaam, 'Go with the men, but only the word that I shall speak to you, that shall you speak.' (Bamidbar 22:35)
Rashi: But only - this means against your will...
Our verse occurs at the end of what is perhaps the strangest angel narrative in Tanakh. Balaam wakes early in the morning and saddles his donkey. Rashi explains that Balaam's hatred of Israel was so great that he couldn't wait for his servants to saddle the donkey, so that he could get on with the business of cursing Israel.
Hashem sends an angel to intercept Balaam, presumably to stop him from delivering a curse that might bring about Israel's destruction. But first the angel appears only to Balaam's donkey, blocking her path. After receiving a savage beating at the hands of her master, the donkey speaks:
"What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?"
Balaam registers not even a hint of surprise that his donkey speaks! Instead, he answers her as though speaking to a servant.
"Because you have mocked me! If there were a sword in my hand I would now have killed you!"
The donkey said to Balaam, "is it not that I am your donkey, that you have ridden upon me from your inception until this day? Have I been accustomed to do such a thing to you?"
He said, "No."
Let us review the principles of angelology in the Tanakh and test them against the Balaam narrative.
1.
An angel's message changes the course of history.
King Balak had been gearing up to demolish Israel. Had Hashem not sent an angel to intercept Balaam, Balak may have succeeded.
2.
An angel's message compels Biblical characters to do things they wouldn't otherwise do.
If Balaam had meant to bless Israel rather than curse her, there would have been no need for an angel! Rather, Balaam was in such a hurry to curse Israel that he woke up early and saddled his talking donkey! Clearly, he needed to be stopped.
3.
An angel delivers one message, and then disappears.
Indeed, verse quoted at the top comprises the last words we hear from the angel. What distinguish this angel narrative are the angel's actions before he delivers his message to Balaam.
Why does the angel appear at first only to the donkey? Perhaps he hoped to carry out his mission by misdirecting donkey so that Balaam would never arrive at his destination. Why then does the angel cause the donkey to speak? Perhaps he hoped to scare Balaam into turning back. When this strategy fails, he finally appears to Balaam and speaks to him directly.
From this we may derive a fourth principle of angelology: If the angel doesn't deliver his message on the first try, he keeps at it until he succeeds. Another example of a persistent angel is found at Shoftim chapter 13 (the narrative of Manoach and his wife. Pay particular attention to the difficulty Manoach has understanding the angel's message. Also note the angel's dramatic exit strategy!)
Anochi Atoncha
Shabbat Parshat Chukat-Balak
Hukkat-Balak
Angelology - Part IV
The angel of Hashem said to Balaam, 'Go with the men, but only the word that I shall speak to you, that shall you speak.' (Bamidbar 22:35)
Rashi: But only - this means against your will...
Our verse occurs at the end of what is perhaps the strangest angel narrative in Tanakh. Balaam wakes early in the morning and saddles his donkey. Rashi explains that Balaam's hatred of Israel was so great that he couldn't wait for his servants to saddle the donkey, so that he could get on with the business of cursing Israel.
Hashem sends an angel to intercept Balaam, presumably to stop him from delivering a curse that might bring about Israel's destruction. But first the angel appears only to Balaam's donkey, blocking her path. After receiving a savage beating at the hands of her master, the donkey speaks:
"What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?"
Balaam registers not even a hint of surprise that his donkey speaks! Instead, he answers her as though speaking to a servant.
"Because you have mocked me! If there were a sword in my hand I would now have killed you!"
The donkey said to Balaam, "is it not that I am your donkey, that you have ridden upon me from your inception until this day? Have I been accustomed to do such a thing to you?"
He said, "No."
Let us review the principles of angelology in the Tanakh and test them against the Balaam narrative.
1.
An angel's message changes the course of history.
King Balak had been gearing up to demolish Israel. Had Hashem not sent an angel to intercept Balaam, Balak may have succeeded.
2.
An angel's message compels Biblical characters to do things they wouldn't otherwise do.
If Balaam had meant to bless Israel rather than curse her, there would have been no need for an angel! Rather, Balaam was in such a hurry to curse Israel that he woke up early and saddled his talking donkey! Clearly, he needed to be stopped.
3.
An angel delivers one message, and then disappears.
Indeed, verse quoted at the top comprises the last words we hear from the angel. What distinguish this angel narrative are the angel's actions before he delivers his message to Balaam.
Why does the angel appear at first only to the donkey? Perhaps he hoped to carry out his mission by misdirecting donkey so that Balaam would never arrive at his destination. Why then does the angel cause the donkey to speak? Perhaps he hoped to scare Balaam into turning back. When this strategy fails, he finally appears to Balaam and speaks to him directly.
From this we may derive a fourth principle of angelology: If the angel doesn't deliver his message on the first try, he keeps at it until he succeeds. Another example of a persistent angel is found at Shoftim chapter 13 (the narrative of Manoach and his wife. Pay particular attention to the difficulty Manoach has understanding the angel's message. Also note the angel's dramatic exit strategy!)
Shabbat Parshat Korach
This week's Torah Gems were prepared by
Anochi Atoncha
Shabbat Parshat Korach
"If Hashem will create a creation, and the ground will open its mouth and swallow them and all that is theirs, and they will descend alive to the pit, then you shall know that these men have provoked Hashem!" (Bemidbar 16:30)
Rashi: If Hashem will create a creation - ...to put them to death through a death through which no person has died up to this point.
Associated Press - Tue Jun 23, 2009; EIN GEDI, Israel - Eli Raz was peering into a narrow hole in the Dead Sea shore when the earth opened up and swallowed him.
Clearly, a hole in the earth that swallows humans is not a new creation. To the contrary, in this part of the world this odd phenomenon happens all the time... most recently last Tuesday.
So what does the Torah mean when it says "b'riah yivra Hashem", Hashem will create a creation? Rashi, who appears to have known about Middle Eastern sink hole hazards, explains that it is not the hole itself that is the creation, rather it is the manner of death of Korach and his gang. In fact, verse 29 suggests that the rebels will die no matter what the outcome of Moses' challenge.
"If these men die like the death of all men, and the destiny of all men is visited upon them, it is not Hashem Who has sent me."
What kind of death is this? The Torah does not say. In fact, we are told twice that the men are swallowed alive by the earth! So it could be the case that punishment visited on the rebels is a kind of suspended death, in which they are forced to spend eternity in a hole, not dead, and yet not really alive.
But the punishment is worse even than this. Pirkei Avot teaches that "an argument for the sake of Heaven will endure; an argument not for the sake of Heaven will not endure." Korach's rebellion is then offered as the paradigm of the argument not for the sake for Heaven.
So Korach's punishment is that he and his co-conspirators must spend eternity bearing witness to the death of their argument with Moses.
Anochi Atoncha
Shabbat Parshat Korach
"If Hashem will create a creation, and the ground will open its mouth and swallow them and all that is theirs, and they will descend alive to the pit, then you shall know that these men have provoked Hashem!" (Bemidbar 16:30)
Rashi: If Hashem will create a creation - ...to put them to death through a death through which no person has died up to this point.
Associated Press - Tue Jun 23, 2009; EIN GEDI, Israel - Eli Raz was peering into a narrow hole in the Dead Sea shore when the earth opened up and swallowed him.
Clearly, a hole in the earth that swallows humans is not a new creation. To the contrary, in this part of the world this odd phenomenon happens all the time... most recently last Tuesday.
So what does the Torah mean when it says "b'riah yivra Hashem", Hashem will create a creation? Rashi, who appears to have known about Middle Eastern sink hole hazards, explains that it is not the hole itself that is the creation, rather it is the manner of death of Korach and his gang. In fact, verse 29 suggests that the rebels will die no matter what the outcome of Moses' challenge.
"If these men die like the death of all men, and the destiny of all men is visited upon them, it is not Hashem Who has sent me."
What kind of death is this? The Torah does not say. In fact, we are told twice that the men are swallowed alive by the earth! So it could be the case that punishment visited on the rebels is a kind of suspended death, in which they are forced to spend eternity in a hole, not dead, and yet not really alive.
But the punishment is worse even than this. Pirkei Avot teaches that "an argument for the sake of Heaven will endure; an argument not for the sake of Heaven will not endure." Korach's rebellion is then offered as the paradigm of the argument not for the sake for Heaven.
So Korach's punishment is that he and his co-conspirators must spend eternity bearing witness to the death of their argument with Moses.
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