Musings on Parshat Korach

Overview

Rebellions of Korach, Dasan and Avihu…Moshe’s attempts at reconciliation…earth splits open and fire engulfs…Aharon saves all but 14,700 people from a plague…confirmation of Aharon’s position via a blossoming of Aharon’s staff…priestly gifts…gifts for the Levites…Levites’ gifts to priests

An epic production

The Torah provides us with a cast; a screenplay; a plot; cinematic-like techniques to hold our interest; use of recurring words and phrases to hint at the underlying theme; and a takeaway message for every reader in every generation.

The cast consists of

·       Korach , Moshe and Aaron’s first cousin, who is the personification of the demagogue rebelling against the authorities and seeking to replace them

·       Dasan and Aviram, sons on Reuven (and the ones who told Pharaoh in Egypt that it was Moshe who killed an Egyptian beating a Jew) and their followers

·       250 renowned, community chieftains who join Korach

·       The rest of Hebrew nation, who observe the goings on, then flee in fear, then complain to Moshe

The story-- which occurred after the Spies incident takes place at a time when the nation had become bitter and discouraged and began to question Moshe’s leadership-- is about sibling rivalry and jealousy. Two separate groups feel left out– 1) Korach who desires the priestly privileges and 2) members of the tribe of first-born Reuven who want desperately to recover their lost leadership and political power.

According to Malbim, Korach felt he deserved to be the High Priest, since his cousin Moshe, already had the firstborn’s share by being appointed leader of the nation. (Moshe’s father Amram was the older brother of Korach’s father Yitzhar.)

The tribe of Reuven had experienced the transfer of leadership roles to Joseph and Yehudah and the transfer of priesthood and Divine service to the tribe of Levi. They wanted their power back! 

Action takes place on different “sets”: Korach and his 250-person following of malcontents were at the Sanctuary; Dasan, Aviram and their followers were located at their headquarters near their tents. Korach capitalizes on this discontent as he silently (in the text, Korach does not utter a single word!) moves to and from each location, inciting each group and trying to create a combined political/religious coalition with him as its leader. In the words of Rabbi Menachem Leibtag, “Korach took two ostensibly ‘legitimate’ protest groups and joined them together to form his own political power base”. That the party headquarters of the Reubenites is called “Mishkan Korach Dasan v’Aviram” confirms Korach’s deep involvement in their cause.

The Levites die by an engulfing fire and the Reubenites are swallowed up by the earth.  Korach‘s fate is less clear. The wording of the text is that only his 250 followers died by fire. But in Sefer Bamidbar 26:10 the Torah states that Korach was swallowed up by the earth along with Dasan and Aviram. But the text in Sefer D’varim 11:6 seems to imply that Korach was NOT among those swallowed up by the earth.

The phraseology linking the stories includes the recurring  Hebrew root Karov which means “bringing offerings near”; Moshe and Aaron’s being near to God; “bringing-near” the Levites to perform their duties; “bringing near” the incense. The stories are about who is privileged to come near to God, to enter the Sanctuary—and who is not.

Eyda, meaning community, recurs sometimes meaning the entire nation and other times meaning the groups of rebels.

“Too much is yours” and “Is it too small an item” are charges and countercharges levied.

Some highlights of the script

The Parsha opens with “And Korach…took”. The ambiguity here is that the verb to take is transitive and should have a direct object, though none appears. Ibn Ezra says that he took men. Rashi and others think it means he took himself aside (i.e., separated himself to rebel) or that he “took them” (convinced them) with his words. In the Gutnick Edition of the Chumash, the translation is he took issue with the leadership.

The Korach entourage assembles against Moshe and Aharon, complaining “(Rav Lachem) –You take too much upon yourselves, considering that the entire nation is holy and God is among them. Why do you raise yourselves above the congregation of God.” Their words communicate their arrogant and unrealistic belief that they have the innate superiority and privilege and entitlement of Holiness. They refused to understand that one needs to demonstrate appropriate behavior to become “holy”.

The scene shifts when Moshe then sends for Dasan and Aviram. They respond “we shall not go up” and then accuse Moshe of having taken the nation out of Egypt, the land of abominations, that they now completely mischaracterize (ironically) as having been a “land flowing with milk and honey”. Furthermore, they add, Moshe cannot pull the wool over their eyes!

Moshe then turns his attention back to Korach and tells him to have his followers bring pans with smoking incense to the Sanctuary on the following day. Aharon will also bring his pan of smoking incense and God will decide.

Back to the tents of Dasan, Aviram and followers, where Moshe warns the surrounding crowds to leave and not touch anything. The people comply. Moshe warns Dasan, Aviram and families that the earth is about to swallow them up for their having scorned God. Almost immediately, the ground splits open and swallows them, their followers and their possessions and then closes up.

Back at the Sanctuary, where Korach and his followers are located, a fire engulfs the 250 people who brought the incense on pans. God commands that the pans be beaten and made into an overlay on the Altar as a reminder for all future generations to not follow in the footsteps of Korach and his group.

Despite the Divine actions against the rebellious groups, on the very next day the nation turns against Moshe and Aharon and blames them for the death of the people. This is a reminder to us all of the ineffectiveness of miracles as a way of creating faith.

The Midrash fills in the gaps regarding Korach’s behavior

Korach asserts that the laws instituted by Moshe are oppressive. A particular widow who owned a field was prohibited from plowing with an ox together; could not sow with differing seeds; was required to leave parts of her crop to the poor; and was obligated to give tithes to the priests and the poor. She despaired and decided to sell her field and buy two lambs for clothing and food. When they gave birth, she had to give the first born to the priest; when they grew she needed to give the first of her shearing to the priest. She finally slaughtered the lambs for food, only to find out that she was required to parts of the animals to the priest. “Such was the lot that befell this unfortunate woman! So much they do ‘in the name of God’!”

Such a tale of woe is certain to touch the heart of anyone. But, as Nechama Leibowitz notes, there is no constructive discussion of the reason for the law. Furthermore, Korach omits the many Torah laws that mandate special concern and provide protective legislation for widows and orphans. Furthermore, the demagogue Korach resorts to personal abuse and casting aspersions on the administrators of the Torah law, rather than the Torah law itself.

Korach purposely and publicly mocks Moshe

·       He presents his followers dressed in garments made of blue strands and asks Moshe whether these garments require Tzitzes.  When Moshe responds that they do, Korach scornfully asks how it is possible that only one blue strand of Tziztes is acceptable on a regular garment but a garment filled with blue strands is still unacceptable unless it has one additional blue strand of Tzitzes.

·       He asks Moshe whether a room filled with Torahs requires a mezuzah (with its four Torah sections) on its doorpost. When Moshe says that it does, Korach mocks the seemingly pointless need for four more on the doorpost when the room already is filled with Torah (sections)!

Rabbi H. L. Berenholz

 

Musings on Parshat Bemidbar Sinai

An overview of Sefer Bemidbar

We completed the reading of the first three books of the Torah, each containing its own unique themes and structure.

The first book, Bereshit, records the ancestry and origins of the children of Israel from the creation of the world until their settlement in the land of Egypt.

Shemot continues the narrative with the bondage in Egypt, the various stages of the Exodus from Egypt and then the spiritual emancipation as the nation gradually is weaned from its tenacious idolatrous beliefs. Subsequent religious experiences include the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the building of the Tabernacle to "house" the Divine Presence among the people.

Vayikra is a book of commandments for both priests and the people- a "how to" manual of daily living: avoiding the abominable and evil rites and acting in an appropriate manner in dietary, sexual, personal and business matters.

Bemidbar describes the life experiences of the Jewish people for what proved to be a forty year desert trek leading ultimately to the promised Land of Canaan. Stories of triumph and difficulty, of obedience and rebellion, of a recalcitrant donkey, of a revolting Korach and of a rock-hitting Moshe are balanced with disparate laws including tzitzit, red heifer, inheritance, the nazarite and the suspecting adulteress. Rules of organization for battle, for marching and for camping also fill this book.

Commentators search for structure. Don Isaac Abrabanel opines that the ten portions of Bemidbar can be divided equally into five portions based on historical background. The first  five take place from the time of the inauguration of the Sanctuary in the second year of the Exodus until the dispatch of spies [and the further stay in the desert for thirty eight years]. The second five portions describe the new generation forty years after the Exodus as the nation prepares for the initial conquest of the Promised Land. Above all, Sefer Bemidbar is distinguished as the book of the Torah that most clearly attests to Divine guidance.

The Sages divide Sefer Bemidbar into three sections. The Talmud (Shabbat 115b-116a) notes that the two inverted Hebrew letters, Nun, enclose a paragraph of two verses at Bemidbar 10:35-36: “Va’yhe b’nsoa haaron vayomer Moshe kumah Hashem v’yafutzu oyvecha mepanecha…”

On this point, the Talmud states: "Before and after this paragraph, the Holy One, Blessed be He, put special marks to point out that they are not in the original place; Rebbe [ Yehudah HaNasi] says: This paragraph is to be considered a book by itself."

 A number of scholars also divide Sefer Bemidbar into three parts based upon geographical considerations. The first part takes place in the wilderness of Sinai while the last part takes place in the plains of Moab. The middle section describes experiences, mishaps, revolts and ensuing punishments.

Professor Everett Fox describes Bemidbar as a book of transition -- death of the old and birth of the new-- as the generation of slaves gives way to a generation of free people born in the free air of the desert and prepared to conquer and then freely live a societal life in their own land.  He offers an intriguing three-part theoretical structure to help us navigate our way through Bemidbar.

In the first part, the Torah extends the nation-founding experiences of Shemot and Vayikra. HaShem's communication to Moshe from the Mishkan in the desert is a repetition of and surrogate for the experience on Mount Sinai. (Both Benno Jacob and Ramban view the Tabernacle as a "mobile Mount Sinai" enabling the Jewish people to re-experience that awesome and awe-inspiring event throughout their journeys.) Parashat Bemidbar gives detailed treatment to the camping arrangements and standards. The focal point was the Mishkan immediately around which was encamped the tribe of Levi, the servicing priests.

No sooner had the Israelites set out on their journey through the wilderness than the idealism and religious fervor of Sinai gave way to the harsh reality of life in the desert. The result was dissatisfaction, grumbling, rebellion, failure, punishment and death. These events, which comprise the second part of Sefer Bemidbar, also helped to transition the Israelites from a  rag tag  group of slaves to a holy nation prepared to live on its own land. This readying process is portrayed in the third part of Sefer Bemidbar and is embodied in inheritance laws, calendar (tied to the growing cycles of the land) and a laying out of future borders.

Sefer Bemidbar may thus be schematically seen as follows:

I. In the Wilderness of Sinai: The Camp

1. The census of the Israelites and the duties of the Levites

2. The ordering of the camp

3. The census of the Levites according to their duties

4 The tasks of the Levites

5. Threats to the ritual integrity of the camp

6. Procedure regarding the nazarite and the Priestly blessing

7 Gifts of the tribes to the Tabernacle

8. the Tabernacle lamps and purification of the Levites

9. Passover in the wilderness and HaShem's Presence with the Tabernacle

10. The journey to Canaan commences

II. The Rebellious Folk; Narratives of Challenge

A. Sealing the fate of the first generation

·       The first rebellion: food

·       The second rebellion: siblings

·       The spies' mission

·       The third rebellion: panic

·       INTERLUDE: Rules on sacrifices, Shabbat and tzitzit

B. Crisis of Leadership

·        The fourth rebellion: Korach  and the Levites

·       The fifth rebellion: after the purge

·       The Levites as guardians

·       Pollution by death and its removal

·       The sixth rebellion: the sin of Moshe and Aharon

C. Encountering the other

·       Encounters with various neighbors

·       The seventh rebellion: food and water

·       The Bil'am cycle

·       The final rebellion, apostasy

III. In the Plains of Moab: Preparations for the Conquest of Canaan

·       The second census

·       Inheritance: the daughters of Tzelofchad

·       Sacrifices for Holy Days

·       Rules concerning vows

·       First battle and aftermath

·       The two and one-half tribes and future conquest

·       Wilderness itinerary and warning

·       Future borders

·       The Levite towns of asylum

·       Inheritance; the daughters of Tzelofchad

The wanderings through the desert were filled with obstacles: lack of food and water and hostile nations along the way. Even more striking is the Israelites' lack of faith and courage.

A unique way of counting

The Parsha opens with the commandment to Moshe to take another census of the Jewish people , along with Aaron and twelve select people(one from each tribe).This census differs from the one that had been taken just a year earlier(prior to the building of the Mishkan) in that it was military in nature. Preparations needed to be made to do battle with the nations of the Land of Canaan that the Jews would encounter in the course of conquering the land of Israel.

The Ramban notes that the Torah does not want us to rely on divine miracles, but expects us to conduct our life in a normal way-- to be armed and prepared to do battle when the situation arises. At the same time, one needs to understand that we are constantly experiencing “hidden miracles” that we call Nature or normalcy.

The second census also draws our attention to the miracle of our existence and survival. The 70 people who went down to Egypt grew to a nation of 12 tribes with over 600,000 men aged twenty and over. The census took place after pestilence and plagues. Here is the lesson of Jewish history, says Ramban: God’s promise to us and His special relationship with us has enabled us to survive suffering, persecution, pogroms and Holocaust.

Taking a census is not just counting numbers, like an accountant taking inventory. The Hebrew root-word for counting is Lispor, as in S’feras H’omer. But here the Torah uses alternate words like s’oo (which also means to elevate) and tifkod (remember favorably). We subtly are being reminded that each individual person is unique and needs to be treated accordingly. Perhaps this idea explains the custom of when counting people for a Minyan, we don’t point and count.  1, 2. … but  do say “not -one, not- two…” We may be saying the person is “not (just a number) 1, 2...”He is a unique human being, not just a number.

Rabbi H. L. Berenholz

Musings on Parshat Naso

Following are some of the ideas, insights and interpretations that emerge from our weekly Chumash learning group at the Young Israel of Oceanside, Long Island. We cite sources when possible. Some of our interpretations derive from ideas we may have seen elsewhere, possibly without attribution. Or we may simply have forgotten the source. For this we apologize. We invite your comments, observations and participation.

Overview

Duties of descendants of Gershon and Merari (two of Aaron’s three sons)…Census of Levites…Those who are Tameh (ritually impure for having come into contact with Death) need to be sent outside the encampment…laws of Sotah (suspected adulteress)...Laws of Nazir…Priestly blessing…Nesseem (tribal leaders) donate wagons and oxen…Nesseem’s donations to the dedication of the Altar…Hashem’s communication with Moshe in the Ohel Moed.

The Sotah

If a husband suspects his wife of clandestine adultery, he has the right to bring her to the Temple where she undergoes a ritual consisting of drinking water mixed with earth from the Temple floor; bringing an offering of barley flour without oil and frankincense; undoing her hair (act of public shaming)and swearing her innocence. If she is guilty her genitals swell and she is shamed publicly. If innocent, no injuries result and she will conceive.

The ritual is puzzling. This is the only explicit example of trial by ordeal in the Torah. This is the only time that the water (which is taken  from the kiyor, the Laver) is referred to as “holy water”. The husband has the right to make his wife undergo this embarrassing ceremony even if there is no concrete evidence, only his suspicions! We don’t know how often this ceremony was performed. After the destruction of the Second Temple, this Ordeal of Jealousy was abolished by Rav Jochanan ben Zakkai.

Why might such an ordeal have been instituted by the Torah? Some think that because of the critical nature of marriage in Jewish life it was important to eliminate any doubt of infidelity. The Torah, which encourages marriage, wants the wife to have an opportunity to clear her name. Perhaps the public spectacle will serve as a deterrent for others. It is also possible that the ceremony provides a “cooling off “period for the husband lest he, in a jealous rage, harm or even murder his wife.

The Nazir…

…is one who takes a vow that requires him to observe three things during the period of his vow (usually 30 days): his hair must not be cut; he must abstain from any wine-based intoxicants; and he must avoid coming into contact with a dead body. His reason for becoming a Nazir may be(unconsciously) to seek  expiation for deep-seated guilt over something he has done; or as thanksgiving for recovery from illness or birth of a child. Public appearance with long hair is often a sign of holiness in many cultures. Alcohol (also called “spirits”) originally may have been believed to contain supernatural powers.

It is only during the era of the Judges that we encounter the only two people that were consecrated to be a Nazir, Samson and Shmuel the Prophet.  At the completion of the vow, the Nazir needs to perform various rituals including the bringing of a sin-offering and cutting his hair in the sanctuary and placing it on the fire that is burning the peace offering he also must bring.

Rabbi B.S. Jacobson notes that  the first time in the Torah that the word Nazir appears is when Yaakov blesses his son Yosef (“n’zir” echav) where it means “separate from his brothers.” The Torah introduces the Nazir with the statement: “Ish oh Esha ki yaflee lindor neder nazir” .The word yaflee can mean set apart/ distinguish( Baruch Levine) or doing an extraordinary act (Ibn Ezra).The translation is then “Man or woman who shall act exceptionally (or “set themselves apart”) to make a Nazarite vow…”

The Torah is unclear as to whether this is positive or undesirable behavior. Twice the text describes the Nazir as being holy, yet at the completion of the vow he must bring an offering for having sinned! In the Talmud we find opposing views. Rabbi Eliezer Hakappar reasons that his sin is for denying himself the pleasure of wine. Rabbi Elazar focuses on the Nazir’s being called holy. Perhaps the key is yaflee, in that the person considers himself separate and aloof--more religious than or better than his fellow Jew.

Nechama Leibowitz cites:

·       Rambam  who encourages a “middle of the road” approach to enjoying life and living amidst Society, and NOT leading an ascetic life in the desert and mountains.

·       Rambam considers the act of becoming a Nazir a sin; Ramban thinks the sin is in forsaking the Nazirite vow.

·       Solomon Astruc, in Midreshei Hatorah views the Nazir’s vow as a necessary, but extreme, remedy to deal with one’s inability to control one’s desires within the Torah framework. The sin is this inability to discipline oneself that gave rise to the need  to become a Nazir.

·       Rabbi Moses Isserlis (cited by Rav Jacobson) thinks that the holiness for the Nazir is in his future. After he  has gone to the extreme of self-denial to counter his extreme worldly indulgences, he arrives at the golden mean for living the rest of his life.

The Priestly Blessing

Three short, majestic and pity phrases consisting of  fifteen words in a three, five and seven phrase  crescendo containing material and spiritual blessings culminating in the gift of peace. In the Temple the blessing was chanted by the Kohanim on a special rostrum called a Duchan, thus giving rise to the current day referral to the blessing as duchaning.

There are different types of blessings. In one, we bless God in thanks or in preparation to perform a Mitzvah. Other blessings  emanate from God to the world  at large and to the individual. A third type is one that expresses one’s good feeling toward his fellowman and wishes him only good.  It is not the priests  who are  blessing us. Rather, their function is to invoke God to bless the Jewish people. Their presence is necessary to prepare the Jewish people to receive blessings. Here is another example of enlisting man to cooperate with God in order to build partnership and relationship with Him.

Nechama Leibowitz describes the structure of the blessing as three verses , each containing two verbs and the name of God in the middle:

·       Yevarechacha is the blessing for material wants, which requires the ending verb, veyishmarecha ( “and keep you”) to assure that you will not be robbed (Rashi) and that you will not use your resources for wrong purposes (Ha’amek Davar) and that you will not let the wealth go to your head.

·       Ya’ayr (“make His Face shine upon you”) is about God’s friendship ( the opposite of hester panim) and about knowledge and moral insight. Ve’chunecha(“be gracious to you”) is about the good will of your fellow men from observing your Torah study and how you live your life. It may also mean guarding one from the hubris of religiosity.

·       Yeesah (“lift His countenance”) is the climax, the achievement of material and physical blessings and crowning them with an aura of world peace and peace of mind.

Linkage of disparate topics

The explanation for proximity of Nazir and Sotah, according to Rashi, is that “whoever sees a faithless wife in her degradation shall separate himself from wine which brings one to adultery.”

Robert Alter  views the repetition of the phrase “to betray his trust” as the link between the Sotah and the immediately preceding topic. Also the “defiled” Sotah links to the defilement of the campsite  by contact with death or disease that was discussed earlier.

Part of the Sotah ritual requires the Kohen to “pharah es rosh h’aesha” (let the women’s hair go loose).The same root- word  pharah recurs in the Nazir, who is required to do the exact opposite and let his locks of hair grow long(“gadayl perah s’ar rosho").Once the Nazir’s purification ritual is complete, the Kohen can turn his attention to the Jewish people and bless them.

We think a common denominator in these laws is the isolation of an individual and the Kohen’s role as the teacher and facilitator who helps one re-join Society. The Sotah, who stands accused of a major crime of adultery, is no doubt the object of derision, suspicion and gossip, which isolate her from friends and acquaintances. The Nazir has separated himself by taking upon himself certain restrictions. During the inclusive Priestly Blessing, the Kohen assures each of us that we are all recipients of God’s goodness and blessing. The custom of reciting a prayer in the congregation for having a troubling dream  during the Priestly blessing underscores the Kohen’s additional role as therapist/counselor .

My father, Rabbi Moshe Berenholz, A”H, noted the recurrence of the root-word Naso in the Parsha. If one is stuck in the “desert” of life, one needs to do whatever it takes to lift oneself up (naso), “keep his shoulder to the wheel”, and  then seek guidance and help from the Priestly blessing of Yisah Hashem (God lifting up his countenance). Ultimately, he can develop his potential to attain the position of a Jewish leader (Nasi).

Rabbi H. L. Berenholz

Musings on Parshat Beha’aloscha

Overview

Lighting the Menorah… inauguration the Levites… Passover offering in the desert…Pesach Shani…Clouds’ protective and travel roles…Silver trumpets…Hovav(Yisro) declines to stay…Invoking God(“Vayehe B’nsoa Haaron…”)… Murmurings and rebellions… sharing leadership… Yehoshua’s jealousy…Aaron and Miriam malign Moshe…Moshe’s uniqueness

Sometimes there is more to a complaint than meets the eye. In this Parsha, the Jews arrive in the Paran desert from the Sinai desert on their way to the land of Canaan. Three unrelated incidents describe legitimate complaints that, upon further analysis, turn out to have deeper, unrelated roots.

·       “We Demand Meat” say the Jews……reminiscing how in Egypt “…they ate fish Chenam (for free)” and how tired they are of the same old Manna (food gift from Hashem). Nechama Leibowitz in her Studies cites the Ramban’s explanation that the Jews were given small fish caught in the nets that had no value; a kind of “freebie” for the King’s workers. Ibn Ezra says fish were plentiful and cheap, not free. Either way, the Jews’ selective memory made them forget the price they paid for this “wonderful” fish and vegetable treat: slavery, suffering, persecution. The Sages explained the word Chenam not as “free of charge” but “free from God’s commandments”. The Jews’ discontent was really about their wish to avoid the yoke of civilization and self-discipline demanded of them by the Torah. They wanted to return to their Egyptian lifestyle of unrestricted behavior.The food issue was a pretext.

·       Yehoshua Ben Nun exhorts Moshe to stop Eldad and Medad from continuing their prophetic pronouncements after God, in response to Moshe’s request for lightening his leadership burden, grants the gift of prophecy to 70 of the Elders including Eldad and Medad. Yehoshua seems to be trying to protect Moshe, fearing that his honor and authority would now be reduced. But Moshe’s noble response suggests that it was jealousy that drove Yehoshua not altruism “…Are you jealous for my sake?” says Moshe, “I wish all of Hashem’s people were Prophets and that Hashem would endow them with His Spirit.”

·       Miriam and Aaron speak out against their brother Moshe. Their complaint is that Moshe engaged in inappropriate behavior by  taking a Cushite woman for a wife (Tzipora) while they,who were also prophets of Hashem,  presumably always did the correct  and appropriate thing .They  were defending the honor of Tzipora from whom Moshe withdrew physically once he became a Prophet. (Others maintain that the Cushite woman was not Tzipora but an Ethiopian woman he took for a second wife.) The Torah tells us “Vayeshma Hashem… Vayered Hashem” i.e., God “heard” -- understood what was really going on -- and He descended. The term Vayered Hashem is used to mean an investigation into, a delving into, deep, underlying motives and their implications. This was about sibling rivalry and jealousy. For “blackening” Moshe’s name, Miriam (presumably the main culprit) was afflicted with the whiteness of Tzaraas. The ever- noble Moshe described as “Anav M’od”( very humble, unassuming), who uniquely is granted the ability to interact with God “Pe El Pe”(face to face), responds to his maligners’ begging for intervention to God with just five  poignant and elegant words: “Kayl R’fah Na LaH”—I beg of you God to heal her now.

The Torah records for us the history of our people and our unique relationship with God. We are given the opportunity to study human behavior and psychology and recognize the ways that our internal conflicts influence our behavior. Perhaps it is for us to take a mirror to ourselves and, now more cognizant of these inherent emotions, re-channel our energies towards living the Torah’s ethical and moral values.

On Prophecy

Rabbi B.S. Jacobson offers some insights into prophecy that emerge from incidents in the Parsha.

In describing the Holy Spirit that is partly shifted from Moshe onto the 70 Elders, the Torah employs the word hisnabbu. Rabbi S.R. Hirsch interprets this form of the root-word to mean a lower degree prophetic state that emanates from the superior prophetic state of Moshe, versus one that comes directly from God.

Although the 70 Elders were instructed to go to the Tent, Eldad and Medad performed their prophetic activities in the camp, a point repeated three times in the text. This behavior prompted Yehoshua to ask Moshe to “shut them in” for their apparent offense. In reality, according to the Talmud, the two felt they were unworthy of being a part of the chosen 70. Their humility prompted God to give them an even higher level of prophecy. Ramban opines that the two committed an act of insubordination by not joining the other Elders. Moshe’s response to Yehoshua’s request is “would that all God’s people were prophets, that God would put his Spirit upon them.” His wish is that all the people receive prophecy emanating directly from God (like Eldad and Medad) instead of receiving the one-step removed variety emanating from Moshe.

Joseph Albo thinks that the prophecy that emanates from a prophet (and not directly from God) can be experienced by a person not worthy of it or by one not prepared for it. After Miriam makes her derogatory comments about Moshe, she and both her brothers are summoned to the Tent where God descends in a pillar of cloud. Though both Miriam and Aaron were worthy, they needed Moshe’s presence to be prepared for the meeting with God.

With the exception of Moshe (who experienced God “Pe El Pe”—face to face) prophets experience their prophecy in a dream state. Abrabanel asks how one who is sleeping can distinguish between dreams that reflect his imagination, wishes and worries (often unconscious) and those that are prophetic in nature. His opinion is that the intensity of the sensation experienced in a prophetic dream is more distinct and clearer than the sensation of an ordinary dream.(Note: the painful sensation that Yaakov experienced after waking from a dream in which he wrestles with a  “Man” may suggest the prophetic nature of that dream.)

Rabbi H. L. Berenholz

Musings on Parshat Shlach

Following are some of the ideas, insights and interpretations that emerge from our weekly Chumash learning group at the Young Israel of Oceanside, Long Island. We cite sources when possible. Some of our interpretations may derive from ideas we may have seen elsewhere, possibly without attribution. Or we may simply have forgotten the source. For this we apologize. We invite your comments, observations and participation.

On Yehoshua’s name

“…and Moshe called Hoshaya  Ben Nun, Yehoshua.”

Some commentators maintain that the name change had been made earlier. Jonathan Elkoubi thinks that Moshe Rabbenu purposely changed the name  here  because Yehoshua was not among the prominent, wealthy Princes selected. By adding to his name with a letter that represents Hashem, Moshe enabled Yehoshua to be equal in stature with  the others.

On the sin of the Spies…

(…Commonly referred to as Meraglim, though that name never appears in the text).

R’ Isaac Arama, the fifteen century author of Akedat Yitzchak (cited by Nechama Leibowitz in her Studies) observes that instead of acting as neutral observers and just reporting the facts, they offered their (unsolicited) opinions.

Similarly, Rabbi Menachem Leibtag’s view is that the group was on a National Fact Finding mission to report back the facts regarding 1) the suitability of the Land as a Homeland and 2) the feasibility of conquering the Land. Instead, the majority, after first reporting some facts, launch into a harsh tirade about the impossibility of conquering the land because the people are fierce…the cities are fortified… the residents are giants …the land consumes its inhabitants…

The text says it all

After reporting how the land “flows with milk and honey”, ten of the Spies add  “EFES”-- a word meaning nevertheless, but, zero effectively negating everything the speaker just said. They then launch into a series of reasons why the Land could not be conquered. They opine that “chazak hu memenu” meaning “they (the inhabitants of the land) are stronger than us” but also translatable as “they are stronger than Him”. This Midrash cited by Rashi points to the Spies’ true agenda:  to rouse the people against God by insisting that the nations of the Land are stronger than Him!

What links the story of the Spies at the beginning of the Parsha to the Commandment of Tziztis at the end?

From Martin Buber and other commentaries we learn that proximity of topics has significance (Smechus Parshios) and repetition of certain words/phrases helps us identify the underlying theme. In the Spies saga the Hebrew root-word “tur”-- meaning travel, scout, explore, go after, follow -- appears often. And understandably so, since the Spies story concerns itself with travels.

At the end of the Parsha we read “v’lo sasuru achari levavchem vacharey eeyneychem”. Tzitzis can help us to “not follow our own hearts and our own eyes after which we may go astray”. The word sasuru links to the root-word sur at the beginning of the  Parsha.

The Spies allowed their eyes to misperceive and their hearts to misconceive. Perhaps by wearing Tzitzis and making a conscious effort to look at it (ur’esem oso) and thinking about its meaning and source (uz’charted) we will be able to avoid a repetition of the Spies’ wandering eyes and hearts.

Rabbi H. L. Berenholz



On understanding the Torah

 Introduction

Torah is a theological  document, not a history book and not a scientific treatise. Moral and religious lessons often are presented subtly rather than explicitly. It is a manual of ethical behavior to help us develop our potential and it records encounters between man and Hashem that define our relationship with Him.

Torah is Divine poetry –“a  verbal composition designed to convey experiences, ideas, or emotions in a vivid and imaginative way, characterized by the use of language chosen for its sound and suggestive power and by the use of literary techniques such as meter, metaphor, and rhyme” that evoke  ethereal and soaring imagery that touch our souls. It is the most condensed and concentrated form of literature, saying most in the fewest number of words.  Like poetry, Torah contains multiple meanings and can be understood on multiple levels. And like poetry it can be understood differently when read at different points in our lives and at different times in history. The Torah, like poetry, it is meant to be read aloud. Trup and grammar reinforce the rhythm and the phrasing of the unfolding drama.

Torah is an organic whole. There is an inherent unity that permits the understanding of words and phrases by reference to their meaning elsewhere. Thus, argues Benno Jacob, the phrase “Ayen Tachas Ayen”  must mean monetary compensation and cannot mean literally taking “an eye for an eye”(lex talionis --the law of revenge or retaliation ) because the Hebrew word Tachas always means “a substitute for” or “in place of” when it appears elsewhere in the Torah!

Torah law is progressive, and needs to be understood in the context of the time it was given. Having a day of rest was unheard of then. Slaves were considered chattel. Human sacrifice was rampant, as were primitive pagan religious rituals. Shabbos was a radical concept. The Torah treatment of slaves was a giant humanitarian step forward. Prohibition of idolatry and human sacrifice was legislated by Torah law (and manifest in the Akedah story).The existence of one God  of Goodness ran contrary to widespread belief in warring deities (among themselves and between Man) who resorted to trickery, murder and evil to succeed.

 Location, location, location

       The appearance of the same word (or same root-word) in different contexts offers the opportunity for understanding, similar to the Gezayra Shava, one of  Rabe Yishmael’s 13 rules  of logic for interpreting Torah law. Tamar’s confronting Yehudah with the words haker na (please recognize) echoes Yehudah’s urging his Father Yaakov to examine (haker na) the bloodied coat of Joseph’s to confirm that it belongs to Joseph, who has presumably has been attacked and torn apart by wild animals. What goes around comes around. Yehudah, who tricked his father, was in turn later tricked by his daughter-in-law Tamar.

     The proximity of topics (smieychus parshios) provides insight. The prohibition of priests entering the Mishkan drunk appearing after the death of Aaron’s sons Nadav and Aviehu leads some to believe that they were killed by God for entering the Mishkan intoxicated.

     Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig offered the idea that the repetition of a word or root-word in a particular section of the Torah suggests the underlying theme and concern. In the Korach story, for example, the word edah (group) appears numerous times referring to Korach’s followers as well as to the representatives of the entire community. Also recurring is Ohel Moed (tent of Meeting between God and his people). Korach’s false edah vies with the broader genuine edah of Jews for religious and political superiority. In the description of Bekurim at the beginning of Parshat Ki Savo,the text repeats variations of the Hebrew word for  “to give” seven times and variations of “coming/going” five times. Gifts and giving; coming to the land as if for the first time; demonstrating appreciation by bringing gifts of first fruit are the themes of this Mitzvah.

   

   

Recurring Macro Themes and Ideas

§       The critical importance in our national and personal lives of Mt Sinai experience (i.e., Mishkan as portable Sinai)

§       Always remembering the Exodus experience

§       Having a homeland in which to observe our religion

§       Mitzvos as educational tool

§       Mitzvos as embodiments of social ideals

§       Interrelationship between the multiple uses of the number seven:

Creation

Shabbos

Shmita

Festivals

Yovayl and Sfira (7 X 7)

Need for 1/7 of our lives to be spent in introspection and self- development

§       Desert wandering necessity to build independence and self-confidence

§       Jewish people’s rebellious nature in the desert as reflection of embedded slave mentality…Paradoxically leads to rebirth and morphing to goodness as a result of remembering the experience

§       Kedusha = holiness = separation= designation, being set aside for special purpose and how it manifests itself in our lives (in time:  Shabbos/Festivals; in place: Beit Hamikdash/ Eretz Yisroel; in person: behavior towards others/avoidance of dead)…Book of Vayikra as “how to” manual to live a life of Kedusha

§       Festivals as times of   Kedusha; as times of recognition of Hashem as the ultimate source of our prosperity; and as times of recognition of our common Jewish heritage

 Tools of Understanding

Etymology (the study of the meanings and the origin of a word), archaeology and psychology can help us.
In attempting to understand possible roots of the prohibition to “not boil a kid in its mother’s milk”, Rabbi Dr. Sid Leiman, Professor of Judaic Studies at Brooklyn College, cites archeological findings that describe a prevailing Canaanite sacrificial ritual describing the boiling of a kid seven times in milk and the boiling of a lamb in   butter. The law is to discourage idolatry, a view shared by Rambam.
Themes of guilt, sibling rivalry, evils of favoritism in childrearing that have become widely known and accepted in recent years  today, were embedded in the Torah thousands of years ago.

 Getting started

·       Read the text aloud, in any language

·       Read the Torah as if it’s the first time—even if you’ve heard and read it before

·       Focus on the words and phrases—their repetition, variation and location

·       Consider current concepts in translation. Cain experienced a “falling face” (literally); he fell into a depression, according to Aryeh Kaplan

·       Allow yourself to freely associate to words, even if you’ve not encountered the interpretation or the idea. Rachamim means mercy. Some have noted that the word is related to Rechem (womb),alluding to the profound mother-child love and caring

·       Every translation is, by definition, an interpretation. Compare different translations. Let your heart and mind lead you to your own understanding

Rabbi H. L. Berenholz