The Grinch

It's been a while since I read Dr. Seuss's story "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." I hain't never seen the movies either. So, I'm going off of memory here.

So there was this miserable little creature known as the Grinch. Everybody in Who-ville (did I get that right?) celebrated Christmas every year and had a grand time. But the Grinch didn't like that. So one year he decided that he would steal Christmas. How? By hitching up a sled to his dog (?) and stealing all the presents and trees and lights and decorations in Whoville. Then he'd see how well they celebrated Christmas without the trees and lights and presents and so forth.

Christmas day he woke up to the sound of singing. He couldn't believe it. How could they be singing? They didn't have any toys! There was no tree! No lights! But as he listened to the singing something happened inside him and it is said that his heart grew three times its size that day. And he returned everything he had stolen and even cut the roast beast.

What's the point? Christmas is not about the toys and trees and lights and eggnog and cookies and roast beast and so on and so on. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth who came to save his people from their sins. The hymn "Joy to the World" expresses the idea very well. "Joy to the World, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room. And heaven and nature sing; and heaven and nature sing; and heaven and nature sing." How could those in Whoville sing without presents and trees and lights? They had joy. They were expressing their joy for the holiday. A mighty gift has been given to all the people. Should we not be grateful? Should we who have walked in darkness and now seen a great light not be happy? Let there be joy for all of us this holiday season.

Opposites contd

Now there is some question as to whether Isaac really knew which son he was blessing when Jacob came in pretending to be Esau. "Are you really my son Esau?" "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."

However, there is no question as to whom Isaac blesses the next two times.

What does Isaac say when he knows for sure it's Esau?

"Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above.
You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck." Gen 27:39-40

What kind of blessing is this? Away from the earth's richness and away from the dew of heaven above? It's the opposite of what he originally intended to give to Esau. Instead of blessing of the heavens and earth, he is away from them. Instead of ruling over his brother, he is servant to him.

Isaac had already blessed Jacob and Jacob had to remain blessed. Esau asked if Isaac had only one blessing. His pitiful cry "bless me too, father!" echos through the ages. And so Isaac answers his eldest son. Although if this is a blessing, I'm not sure what to make of it.

Esau is naturally upset at Jacob supplanting him two times (once with the birthright and now again with the blessing.) And Esau vows to kill Jacob once their father is dead. The rabbis say that Esau wished for his father's death so that he could kill Jacob sooner. There's nothing in the text to support this, but the rabbis go out of their way to villify Esau.

Rebekah, knowing of her son's murderous intent invents another story to have Jacob flee Canaan and go to Haran, to her brother Laban's house.

And so Rebekah blames Esau's wives for her misery and says that Jacob must not marry a Hittite woman. So Isaac sends Jacob away. And before Jacob goes, Isaac gives Jacob another blessing.

And this time, Isaac is sure that it is Jacob, and not Esau. And what does Isaac say?

"May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham." Gen 28:3-4

The blessing of children and the land. The same promise given to Abraham and to Isaac. This is the covenant. This is what Jacob was to get. Notice that when Isaac first gave the blessing to whom he thought was Esau, he didn't mention this at all.

Perhaps Isaac knew that Esau was not the one to inherit the covenant after all.

But oh what misfortune and heartache when parents are at opposite ends of the tent and don't communicate with one another.

Let there be shalom bayit (peace in the home) and blessings on all of us. Amen.

Opposites cont'd

Opposition between Isaac and Rebekah is perhaps best illustrated in the story of Jacob stealing the blessing. The story is recorded in Genesis chapter 27. I'm using the NKJV, but feel free to follow along in whatever version you like best. :) Genesis, chapter 27, starting at verse 1.



Now it came to pass when Isaac was old- How old? Good question. I don't know off the top of my head. I know that Isaac was 60 when his sons were born. (Gen 25:26) And Genesis 26 ends with Esau taking as wives daughters of the Hittites when he was 40, which would make Isaac 100 by that time. I just don't know how much time elapsed between the end of Genesis 26 and the beginning of Genesis 27. All we can say with certainty was that Isaac was at least 100 years old. Yeah, I'd say that qualifies as old.



and his eyes were so dim that he could not see-Isaac was blind. What caused this blindness? We are not told. When did he become blind? We don't know. The rabbis speculate that Isaac's blindness was caused by the incense that Esau's wives burned for their pagan gods and idols. Let me be clear, that's all speculation. But, be that as it may that's not all that important. Isaac's blindness is mentioned because of what follows.



Isaac then called his firstborn son, Esau. And he said, "my son." And Esau said, "here I am."
Hineni (in Hebrew). This is an appropriate response, but it's sometimes followed by a difficult test. Abraham said hineni and was told to sacrifice his son. Joseph said hineni and went to find his brothers and was thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery. If you say hineni, be ready to be tested.

Why did Isaac call Esau? “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. 4 And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” (Gen 27:2-4)

How old? Again, we don't know for certain. Isaac was at least 100. Perhaps we can narrow it down still further. I'm jumping ahead quite a bit here, but we know that Jacob spent twenty years in Laban's service after this incident and then returned home. And then he buried his father. And Isaac died at the age of 180. So, Isaac was somewhere between 100 and 160 years old at this time. None of us know the day of our death. But the older we get, the closer we feel it coming. Isaac wanted to bestow his blessing on Esau before Isaac died. Now, Isaac lived for another 80 years (at least), but he had no way of knowing that. Isaac loved the taste of meat. He may have been thinking of having a last meal before he passed on the blessing and died.

Notice that Isaac says "that my soul may bless you before I die." This is an important detail.

Where was Rebekah while this was going on? Where was Jacob? Isaac said, 'my son.' Didn't he have two sons? Wherever Jacob was, he didn't come when Isaac said, 'my son.' Rebekah heard the exchange between Isaac and Esau however.

And Rebekah went and spoke to Jacob. And listen carefully to what she says Isaac said.
“Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, 7 ‘Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.’ Gen 27:6-7

Is that what Isaac really said? Isaac told Esau to go hunt some game and make him some savory food such as he loves and bring it to him that his soul may bless Esau. What does Rebekah do? She adds that Isaac said "bless you in the presence of the Lord." Why? Didn't Isaac and Rebekah talk to each other? Rebekah knew that Jacob was the one to inherit the covenant, not Esau. Did she convey this to Isaac? Did she try and he not hearken? Did she think that Isaac was going to bestow the blessing of the covenant upon Esau? Is that why she added "in the presence of the Lord?" And what was Isaac's motivation? Did he intend to bestow the covenantal blessing on Esau? He never said as such. But see, this is where conflict arises. Without open communication, we have people working at cross purposes.

Rebekah, fearful that Esau would get the covenantal blessing and not Jacob, persuades Jacob to disguise himself as Esau and get the blessing from Isaac. Jacob protests but is finally convinced. And he goes before his blind father and in effect steals the blessing intended for Esau.

What was this blessing?

“ Surely, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
Which the LORD has blessed.
28 Therefore may God give you
Of the dew of heaven,
Of the fatness of the earth,
And plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!”
Gen 27:27-29

What is the blessing? Riches and power. "The dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine." The first part of the blessing intended for Esau was that he should never suffer want. He should always have plenty. The second part is political and military power. "Let peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren and let your mother's sons bow down to you." Isaac intends to give Esau power over his brothers. But didn't the prophecy from the Lord to Rebekah say that the older shall serve the younger? What's going on here? This appears to be opposite what God told Rebekah. Perhaps Rebekah knew Isaac would say something like this and thus urged Jacob to receive this blessing instead of Esau in order to fulfill the prophecy. And lastly, we have an echo of God's call to Abram in Genesis 12.

Interesting! Here we have Isaac intending to say to Esau what God said to Abram! Whoever blesses you will be blessed, whoever curses you will be cursed! Except this is not to Jacob but Esau! Be careful whom you bless and curse. Isaac is saying that whoever blesses Esau will be blessed and whoever curses Esau will be cursed. And yet throughout the centuries, Esau (aka Edom) has been cursed. Edom was synonymous with Rome during the Roman occupation of Canaan. All the horrible things that could be said about Rome, without actually using the word "Rome" were said about Edom. Wow. Has the curse been nullified because it was Jacob and not Esau who in fact who received the blessing? So when Isaac said whoever blesses you will be blessed and whoever curses you will be cursed transferred to Jacob instead of Esau? I don't know. It makes my head spin though. :)

To be continued...

Opposites

va'ye'itar yitzhak l'Adonai l'nochah ishto ki akarah hee And Isaac prayed to (entreated) the Lord opposite his wife for she was a barren woman. Gen 25:21 (Emphasis added)



This word, l'nochah, is usually translated as "for" or "on behalf of." Isaac prayed, certainly. Did not Rebekah pray? Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzhak) says the use of the word "opposite" means Isaac prayed in one corner and Rebekah prayed in another. I wonder, did they face each other? Did they pray together? Why use the word for opposite?



Is there a sense of conflict perhaps? Maybe things were not so good at home? Let's consider this word opposite.

When God decided to create woman, He said that he would make an ezer kenegdo (fitting helper) for man. ezer-help. kenegdo-fitting. But kenegdo also has another connotation, that of opposition. If a man is worthy, his wife will be a help to him (Proverbs 31). If a man his unworthy, his wife will be in opposition (kenegdo) to him. For Isaac to be opposite his wife suggests that the two were in opposition to one another. Was Isaac unworthy? We don't know. Did they talk to each other?



Isaac prays to God. God hearkens to Isaac's prayer. And Rebekah conceived. The children struggled in her womb and Rebekah went to inquire of the Lord. Did Isaac go with her? It is Rebekah who hears the Lord. Where was Isaac? Rebekah is given the prenatal vision that the older would serve the younger. 25:23. Did she convey this prophecy to Isaac? If so, why did she have Jacob go through the ruse of pretending to be Esau? If Rebekah knew that Jacob was the one to inherit the covenant and not Esau, wouldn't she have said as such to Isaac? Maybe she did and he didn't hearken unto her. Unlike his father Abraham, Isaac did not hearken unto the voice of his wife. This would make sense with the use of the word "opposite."



Yes, Isaac loved Rebekah. But how long did that love last? Twenty years is a long time to wait for children. And after the children were born, Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob. Did they not love both sons? Hard to say. But I think that preference for one over the other was clearly shown. Did they speak to each other about this?


To be continued...

The generations of Isaac

This is the account of Abraham's son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac. Genesis 25:19 (NIV-Nearly Infallible Version ;) )

In Hebrew, "V'eleh toledot Yitzhak ben Avraham. Avraham holid et-Yitzhak" And these are the generations of Isaac, son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac.

Well, this is one instance where the NIV is fallible. And the NIV is not alone in its interesting translation of the Hebrew. Some translations take the word 'toledot' to mean 'line' or 'account' or 'records' or 'history'. Go with 'generations.' This word is significant in Genesis. Ten times this word is used in Genesis. It would not be a bad idea to think of Genesis as a record of generations. The generations of heaven and earth (2:4). The generations of Adam (5:1). The generations of Noah (6:9). The generations of the sons of Noah (10:1). The generations of Shem (11:10). The generations of Terah (11:27). The generations of Ishmael (25:12). The generations of Isaac (25:19). The generations of Esau (36:1, 9). The generations of Jacob (37:2).

A generation links the present with the past and the future. More than an accounting of who fathered whom, a generation encompasses people's lives. Father to son, mother to daughter, grandparent to grandchild. You might expect the generations of Isaaac to be about Isaac. Yet Isaac is almost lost among the stories concerning his famous father and famous sons. Yet of the three Patriarchs, he lived the longest (180 years)remained monogamous his entire life, and did not go down to Egypt. Isaac stayed in the land. Isaac was blessed by God abundantly and God made a covenant with him as well. Be that as it may, Isaac's story cannot be separated from his father or his sons.

From the beginning of this parsha, we are reminded again of Abraham. Isaac is first identified as the son of Abraham. Why then say Abraham begat Isaac? Isn't that redundant or at least obvious?

Well, yes and no. If Isaac is the son of Abraham, it stands to reason that Abraham begat Isaac. The Bible is known for economy of language. So when a detail is repeated it is
important to note it and examine it. So let us examine the text closely, you and I.

Firstly, just because a man is someone's son, doesn't necessarily mean that he is the birth son of his father. I am adopted. My father is not my birth father, but my adoptive father. I will give you another example-spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham-those of faith-are not necessarily of Abraham's bloodline but he is still their father.

Secondly, like begets like. Humans beget human children. Cows beget cows. Horses beget horses. Sheep beget sheep. Apple trees beget apple trees. Sunflowers beget sunflowers. God made each species according to its kind. Gen 1:11, 12, 21, 24.

So, Abraham begat Isaac in Abraham's own image. Some of Abraham's character passed on to his son. Abraham dug wells; Isaac redug his father's wells. Abraham passed off his wife as his sister; Isaac passed off Rebekah as his sister. God talked to Abraham. God talked to Isaac. Both prayed to God. Now, Isaac was also his own person and did not do everything Abraham did. Isaac did not go down into Egypt. Isaac did not have sex with a concubine in order to give a child to his wife. Isaac did not banish one son and bind the other. Isaac remained monogamous his entire life. And Isaac lived the longest of the three patriarchs.

Isaac is an important link in the generations of Israel. More of Genesis is devoted to Abraham and to Jacob than to Isaac. Yet without Isaac, we don't get to Jacob. Isaac is like an anchor. He remains rooted in the land of Canaan. Abraham heard the call lech lecha and was on the more a great deal. Jacob moved a great deal as well. Jacob went from Canaan to Haran to Shechem to Egypt. Isaac remained grounded-literally and figuratively.

When life's ebbs and flows come our way and we feel pulled in several different directions at once, may we be blessed to remain grounded as Isaac was. May we be firm in our faith. Though we may tremble, so long as we stand on solid rock, whatever winds and rains may come our way, we shall not be moved.

Of all the women (cont'd)

And Sarah died in Kiriath Arba (Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Interesting that the portion known as Sarah's life starts with her death. And after her death, she is only briefly mentioned again.

When I think of a story about someone's life, I expect to find references to her birth, youth, adulthood, old age and finally death. I expect to learn who her parents were. Where did she live as a child? Did she move? Did she marry? Whom? When? Did she have any children? Did she have a happy marriage? What was it like to be a mother in those times? What were the surrounding peoples like? Did she have a career outside of the house? Did she stay at home? What work did she do? I can find out some of the answers to these questions from previous stories in Genesis, but not in this portion.

In this portion, we know that Abraham wept for Sarah and then bought a burial place from Efron the Hittite. Abraham then sent his trusted servant out on a mission to find a wife for his son Isaac. A wife from the land of his birth. Not a woman from the land where Abraham now resides. And the woman is to come back to Canaan. Isaac is not to go there. And the servant brings Rebekah back. And Abraham marries again and has more children and then Abraham dies.

This is Sarah's life? We know almost nothing about her from this portion. We know her age at death from the first verse of this portion. (See previous post). But that's about it.

So, why is this called "Sarah's life"?

Perhaps it would be better called Sarah's legacy. Or Sarah's obituary. The life of a person cannot be fully written until she has shuffled off her mortal coil and gone to that undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns.* While we still draw breath, we affect those around us for good or ill. Shakespeare wrote that the evil men do lives after them, the good is oft interred in their bones. (Julius Caesar). I think both live on.

Sarah is remembered for banishing Hagar and Ishmael. And she's remembered for laughing when God said that she would bear a child when she was well past the age of having her period. Is that all?

What do we learn from this portion? Abraham was promised the land of Canaan. For sixty two years, Abraham never had a piece of land to call his own. He told the Hittites that he was a stranger among them. Upon his beloved wife's death, he finally purchases a piece of land. Sarah, through her death, helped Abraham realize the fulfillment of God's promise to possess the land.

Abraham was told that he would be the father of many nations. That kings would come from him. That all nations of the earth would bless themselves through him. God established a covenant with Abraham and Abraham was to teach his children after him the way of the Lord by doing what is just and right. God also established the covenant of circumcision with Abraham for all future generations. But the only generation after Abraham that would inherit the covenant was Isaac. Hagar and Ishmael had been banished already, at Sarah's insistence. But Isaac was unmarried. Isaac had no children. How would the covenant continue? Isaac must needs be wed and father children. Sarah's great need to become a mother was finally realized when she gave birth to Isaac. The line, however, cannot end with Isaac. And so Abraham sends his servant to get a wife for Isaac. Marriage and parenthood is also part of Sarah's legacy.

And also notice that in this portion there are no conversations between God and Abraham. While Sarah was alive, Abraham could talk to and hear God. And God Himself told Abraham to hearken unto Sarah's voice. After Sarah's voice fell silent, so too did God's. Abraham had to figure things out on his own. I figure the same was true for Sarah in her life. We don't know if there were any conversations between the Lord and Sarah. I wonder if she was ever jealous of her husband's communing with the Almighty. Did she ever pray to God? Not hearing any answers from God, did she decide to take matters into her own hands? Is that why she told her husband to lie with Hagar? How hard it is to know what the right thing to do is when we don't hear God. And now Abraham knows this too and must do what he thinks is best for Isaac. And this too is part of Sarah's legacy. For as a mother, she wanted what was best for her son. And when she saw Ishmael laughing (playing, sporting) with Isaac, she decided that Ishmael could not share in the inheritance with Isaac.

What did Ishmael do? Many commentators have spouted many opinions on this question. Some say that based on the Hebrew, it refers to sexual abuse, others say idolatray, others say Ishmael was physically violent towards Isaac. Whatever it was, Sarah didn't like it. She did not have a vision from the Lord telling her what to do. She acted with her maternal instincts. Any danger to her son (perceived or real) would have to be removed.

Abraham's concern was with the covenant. And there was a real danger to the covenant dying with Isaac. And that danger had to be removed. And so Abraham sent off his servant to find a wife for Isaac. And after Rebekah is brought back, Isaac takes her as his wife.

And where did Isaac take Rebekah? To the tent of his mother Sarah. And Isaac found comfort after his mother's death.


*Shakespeare, Hamlet.

Of all the women

Of all the women in the Bible, only one has her age recorded at her death. And only one woman has the honor of having a Torah portion named after her.

It's not Eve, mother of all the living. It's not Miriam, sister of Aaron and Moses, and a prophetess. It's not Hannah, mother of Samuel. It's not Mary, mother of Jesus. It's not Elizabeth, wife of Zechariah, mother of John the Baptist, who was called upright in the sight of God, observing all of the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly.

No, this honor belongs to that first matriarch of the Jewish people. The woman who left her land and birthplace and father's house to go with her husband on a journey that only God knew where. The woman who gave her handmaiden to her husband in order to have a child. The woman who laughed when told she would bear a child in her old age, after she had long since stopped having the periods of women. The woman who finally became a mother at the age of 90 and then several years later, refused to allow the son of the handmaiden to share in the inheritance with her son. This princess among women, whose name was changed by adding a letter from the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) as her husband did, to indicate a new relationship with the Lord. Yea, the first woman named when parents bless their daughters on Sabbath Eve. Do you know yet? If not, open your Bibles to Genesis, chapter 23, and start at verse 1.

"And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and seven years and twenty years; these were the years of Sarah's life." Gen 23:1 Yes, it's Sarah. Mazel tov to all who knew the answer. :)

Now I want you to pay close attention to the wording in this verse. "One hundred years and seven years and twenty years." Why does the text count the years of Sarah's life this way? Why not say, as many English translations do, that Sarah's life was one hundred and twenty seven years?

One interpretation is that Sarah retained the innocence of a 7 year old at 20 and the beauty of a 20 year old at 100. Another is that by the end of her life, Sarah retained the youthful energy and joy of a seven year old, the beauty of a twenty year old and the wisdom of a 100 year old. Even so, why in this order of 100, then 7, then 20? Why not 100 years, and 20 years and 7 years? This order gives us wisdom, youth, and beauty. Which is most important? Wisdom. Age before beauty. Next comes youth and all the good things associated with it-innocence, exuberance, inquisitiveness, trust, playfulness, joy. And last, but certainly not least, beauty. I'm not talking merely about inward beauty. I mean that Sarah was physically beautiful on the outside as well. When Abraham went down to Egypt because of the famine in the land, he had already left Haran and he was 75 at that time. So he was at least that old. And Sarah was at least 65. And yet Abraham would say to his wife, "I know what a beautiful woman you are and that when the Egyptians see you they will kill me because of you. Please say that you are my sister." Was this merely a husband offering compliments to his wife? Not so, for when they came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman and praised her to Pharaoh. And she was taken into Pharaoh's house. Sarah retained her beauty even into old age. So we have wisdom, youth and beauty. And when daughters are blessed on Sabbath Eve with the words, may you be like Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel, these qualities of Sarah are hoped for for the daughter.


To be continued....

And Abram Left

4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. Gen 12:4-5

God told Abram to go and Abram went. We have obedience produced by faith. And Abram took his nephew Lot and his wife Sarai and all their possessions and people (literally, souls) they had acquired in Haran.

And Abram was seventy five years old when he left Haran. Seventy five! By the time I'm that old, God willing, I'm not going to want to pick myself up and leave my land and birthplace and father's house and go off to God knows where. I think I'll want to stay where I am, thank you very much. Seventy five. God willing, I'll have been retired for at least a few years by then. Seventy five. God willing, I'll have children and grandchildren. God willing, I'll have my health. I wonder what Abram's health was like. How long did it take him to get from Haran to Canaan? This is back when travel was much harder to do than it is today. A journey of a couple hundred miles (or however far it is from Haran to Canaan) would take weeks, maybe months, not hours. I wonder what Sarah thought of Abram's leaving Haran. Did they have any discussions? Did Sarah want to stay in Haran? I wonder why Lot went with them. These are questions the Bible leaves unanswered.

And yet despite all these real concerns that Abram may or may not have had, he left, just as God told him to do.

"And they set out for the land of Canaan." How did Abram know to go to Canaan? God had said, "go to the land that I will show you." God didn't specify Canaan. I wonder how Abram knew he should set out for Canaan.

"And they arrived there." God is faithful to keep His Word. It would be one thing to start out on a journey but never make it to your destination. Abram did his part by going forth. God fulfilled His promise by showing Abram the land.

PTL, Who in His holiness, gave us His Word. Amen.

Bless and Curse

"I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Gen 12:3

How do we bless or curse others? Usually it's by words. "God bless you." or "A pox on your firstborn! You ugly wart on a salamander's tongue!" * Be careful with your words. Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from deceit. See Psalm 34:13. When we speak, do we use our power of speech for good or for ill?

And we also bless or curse through our actions. To do a mitzvah (a commandment, a good deed) for another, is to bless that person. What mitzvot? To visit the sick, to console the bereaved, to rejoice with bride and groom, to practice kindness, to honor our parents, to show respect for the aged, to welcome the stranger, to help another raise his animal if it's fallen under its burden-even if that person is your enemy, to return lost property, to share your bread with the hungry, to give tzedakah, to make peace when there is strife. These are all examples of being a blessing. To do the opposite would be tantamount to cursing. Some say actions speak louder than words.

Do our actions comport with our words? Do we speak kind words but treat one another with contempt? Let it not be so, for the way we treat or talk to one another is they way God will deal with us. Measure for measure... whoever blesses you will be blessed. Whoever curses you will be cursed. And we will see throughout the Bible that the manner in which people abuse one another is the same manner in which they themselves are recompensed.

God bless all of you on your journeys, whever they may lead you.

* Courtesy of Opus the penguin from "Bloom County"

Be a blessing

2 "I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing." (Emphasis added)

Having told Abram to get up and go, God promises three things for Abram-to make him a great nation, to bless him and make his name great.

How did God do on these promises? Abram became Abraham, the father of many nations. His descendants cover the face of the earth. Abram was blessed by God in every way. Gen 24:1, 35. And God made Abram's name very great. He is the friend of God. He is the first of the patriarchs. All converts to Judaism are called binei Avraham (children of Abraham) and Christians are heirs of Abraham. Yea, he has a great name indeed.

What is Abram to do? Vihiyeh bracha "Be a blessing." The Hebrew of the Torah is written without punctuation. The phrase, "and you will be a blessing" can be read as a promise or as a command. The rabbi at shul reads it as a command. And it is the first positive command given to Jews (since Abraham is considered the first Jew).

This first covenant between God and Abraham puts obligations on both sides. God will give Abram children, bless him and make his name great. Abram has to do his part by being a blessing.

What does it mean to be a blessing? Have you ever met anyone or heard of anyone and thought, that person is a blessing? Would you like people to think of you as a blessing? What do you think that takes?

Ok, now go

Gen 12:1 "... and go to the land that I will show you."

Abram had to pull up his tent pegs and leave his native land behind. Fine. So, he's ready to go. Now what? Where does he go? al-ha'aretz asher ah-ri'echa To the land that God will let him see. The Hebrew root re'eh (see) is used.

This takes an incredible amount of trust in God. It's not like God said, "Go from Haran to Canaan." Abram would see the land when it was time. But he had no idea where he was going, only that God told him to go. And he was leaving all that was familiar behind. His land, his people and his father's house. Did Abram know that he was going to be a partner with the Almighty in a covenant to make 'a just, caring and compassionate society'? Nothing in the text suggests that this is the case. There are many midrashim that attest to Abram's faithfulness to God before this call. And in answer to why was Abrahm chosen, the rabbis postulate that just as a potter does not test weak jars but only strong ones, so too did the Almighty test Abram because He knew Abram was strong. Still, that's midrash. It's extra-Biblical. What we know of Abram up to this point from the Bible is very little. He's the son of Terah, brother of Nahor and Haran, uncle of Lot, and husband of Sarai. That's it. To pick up and leave and head out for, literally, God knows where, is an act of tremendous faith.

All Abram knew was that God would let him see the land. He didn't know what land or when he would get to see it. Did Abram ask God these questions? The Bible is silent on that. What we do know is that Abram went. The first step in this partnership was for Abram to trust God.

Faith and trust are closely linked. Faith in God is not merely believing that He exists. The Bible assumes God's existence. Faith in God is trusting that He will do what He says. If God says to go to a land that He will let you see, then you trust that He will let you see that land. You go on the belief that He will fulfill His word.

Get going, continued

Lech Lecha, "Go for you," or "go for yourself," or even, "go to yourself." Abram had to leave all that was familiar behind him and strike out on his own. If we are children of Abraham, we too, are called to go off on our own. Eventually, we will leave our home town, our family and our parents' house. And it is essential that we do so. In order to grow, to learn, to become who God calls us to be, we must do things for ourselves. Yes, we learn from environment, but eventually, we must leave the nest. Can we return? Of course. But to be truly independent, we must establish our own identity. We say, hineni (here I am). Here I stand. This is who I am. Forget that which is behind, reach for what is ahead, press on towards the goal. Phil. 3:13-14.

Get going

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

Leave- Hebrew: lech lecha (literally, "go for yourself", or "go for you"). Most English translations leave out "for you."

Abram is going to be the start of a new attempt by God to have humanity make a just, caring and compassionate society.* (See previous blog post). No longer will God wipe out humanity and destroy all flesh as He did with the flood. God will start with one man. One family. And through that man's family, have the entire world learn what it means to do the way of the Lord-tzedakah u'mishpat (justice and righteousness).

But Abram could not do that in Haran. Or among the people of Haran. Or in his father's house. There is a midrashic legend that Abram's father, Terah, was an idol maker. The people of Haran were probably idol worshippers, as were most people of that area at that time. And where in Haran could Abram develop his relationship with God?

Notice the word order in this verse. Your country, your people, your father's house.


To be continued...



*Term borrowed from my rabbi at shul.

Why wait till chapter 12?

If the Torah tells the story of the Jewish people and Abraham is regarded as the first Jew, why does the Torah not get to Abraham until the 12th chapter of a 50 chapter book?


Suppose you were making a movie that was 50 minutes long and you didn't show the main character until 12 minutes into the movie. 20 percent of the movie has already gone by and you haven't even shown the main character?



What do the first 11 chapters of Genesis teach us? My rabbi at shul has expounded that the first 11 chapters deal with 3 attempts by the Almighty to have humanity set up a just, caring and compassionate society. Abraham is the fourth attempt.



The first attempt: The garden of Eden. Ground rules: No birth. No death. Work the garden, have dominion over the animals. Don't eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The serpent tempted Eve and she ate (WHERE WAS ADAM?) of the forbidden fruit and she gave to Adam and he ate and God kicked them out. They disobeyed God. One Rule. I can imagine God saying, "You had ONE prohibition and you couldn't follow that."



Second attempt: Post Eden, pre flood. New rules. Birth, death, work for bread, pain in childbirth, husbands shall rule over their wives. And this generation did not do as God desired. The earth became filled with hamas (violence).* All flesh corrupted its way before God. And God destroyed the world in a great flood and all living things perished save for what Noah brought onto the ark.

Third attempt: Post flood. New rules. People are allowed to eat meat, but not allowed to eat blood nor to eat flesh taken from an animal while it is still alive. Murder is explicitly forbidden. God makes a covenant with Noah never again to destroy the earth. All generations since Noah are expected to refrain from idolatry, blasphemy, murder, sexual immorality, eating blood and theft. And they are to set up courts of law to enforce these laws. And this generation did not do as God desired but built up the Tower of Babel to reach the heavens. And confused their language so no one understood the other and scattered people over the face of the earth.

Now, God has a dilemma. God still cares. God still wants people to do the right thing. People refuse to obey. But God promised never to destroy the world again.

So, God starts over with one man (Abraham) and forms a partnership with him. And the idea as expressed in Gen 18:19 is what God wants from each of us: to follow the way of the Lord by doing what is just and right (tzedakah u'mishpat).


*Is it mere coincidence that the terrorist organization that wants to wipe Israel off the map is called Hamas? I think not!

When our best isn't good enough

What do we do when our best isn't good enough? The natural human reaction is to feel rejected. There may also be feelings of anger, jealousy, resentment and bitterness. Certainly this is what Cain felt when the Lord looked with favor on Abel's offering but had no regard for Cain's. See Genesis 4:6.

The question has been posed many times why did God accept Abel's offering and reject Cain's. And overwhelmingly the answer has been that Abel brought a better offering. After all, he brought the firstborn of his flock and the fat portions thereof. Cain must have brought the refuse of the field. Some dried out stalks. Certainly not the firstfruits or the best that he had. This is an answer that makes sense and appeals to our idea of a just and caring God. And this interpretation has persisted throughout the centuries. The author of Hebrews was influenced by this interpretation when he said that "by faith, Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings." Hebrews 11:4 (Emphasis added)

Notice the word "better." I would offer a different interpretation based on the original Hebrew of the text found in Genesis, chapter 4. I learned the following from the senior rabbi at shul.

But first, let us return to the text. Please open your Bibles up to Genesis, the fourth chapter. Genesis is literally the beginning. The beginning of creation. The beginning of humanity. The beginning of sin. We have the first people-Adam and Eve. They ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and God said, *whistle* "Allright! Everybody! Out of the pool!" (Props to Bill Cosby) Now they have to live outside of the garden and work for the food. And they will also begin to be fruitful and multiply, as God commanded. Let's read the whole story. It's a mere 16 verses.

1. Adam knew his wife Eve intimately, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have had a male child with the LORD's help." Then she also gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of a flock, but Cain cultivated the land. 3 In the course of time Cain presented some of the land's produce as an offering to the LORD. 4 And Abel also presented [an offering]—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you furious? And why are you downcast? 7 If you do right, won't you be accepted? But if you do not do right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must master it."
8 Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's guardian?"
10 Then He said, "What have you done? Your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground! 11 So now you are cursed [with alienation] from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood you have shed. 12 If you work the land, it will never again give you its yield. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." 13 But Cain answered the LORD, "My punishment is too great to bear! 14 Since You are banishing me today from the soil, and I must hide myself from Your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, whoever finds me will kill me."
15 Then the LORD replied to him, "In that case, whoever kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over." And He placed a mark on Cain so that whoever found him would not kill him. 16 Then Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

(I'm using the HCSB translation).

Cain and Abel, the first pair of brothers in the Bible. Cain was a farmer; Abel was a shepherd.

Whose idea was it to present an offering to God? Cain's. Cain had the initiative. Cain brought of his produce and made an offering to God. Nothing in the text up through this verse (3) suggests that Cain's offering was in any way sub standard. Now pay attention to verse 4. "And Abel also presented [an offering]." I emphasize the word 'also' as that is actually in the Hebrew. The word in Hebrew is 'gam.' 99 out of 100 speakers of Hebrew will tell you that the simple straightforward meaning of the word 'gam' is 'also.' The one out of 100 who wants to be different will tell you it means 'too.' ;)

And what did Abel present? "The firstborn of the flock and their fat portions." If Abel also presented the best he had, it stands to reason that Cain presented the best he had first. Both brothers made offerings to the Lord of the best of what they had.

And here we have a fundamental key to understanding this text. Our best is not always accepted. How many of us have tried and failed at something? Ever study hard for a test and still not do as well as you hoped? Ever compete for a spot on a sports team or a dance team or band or theater and not get that spot? Ever try to woo another and have your advances rejected? Ever apply to a college or for a job and not get accepted or hired? I'm sure there are dozens of other examples you can think of. There are times in our lives when we know we did our best and we still didn't succeed. And to make matters worse, sometimes those whom we thought were less deserving than we got accepted.

The question still stands, why did the Lord accept Abel's offering and reject Cain's? Short answer.... I don't know. His ways are not my ways. I don't understand God completely nor could I hope too. I would offer this for your consideration, however.

God was testing Cain. God took time out to speak with Cain. God took time out from what I presume was a very busy schedule and had a one-on-one with Cain. When God questions Cain-why are you upset? why is your face fallen?-God is not asking because He doesn't know. Of coures God knows why Cain is upset. Just like when God asked Adam "where are you?" after Adam ate of the forbidden fruit-God knew exactly where Adam was. God asks so that we find the answer ourselves. God wants us to answer Him. Seek understanding within. When things don't go our way even though we do our best. We should ask ourselves why are we upset? Rejection hurts. It's not easy to take. Yes, our face will fall. Yes, we will be upset. But knowing why we are upset is only half the battle.

God tells Cain-and us-how to deal with it. "If you do right, won't you be accepted? But if you do not do right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must master it." Some take the first hypothetical to mean that Cain did not do right. Because if he had done right, his offering would have been accepted. Not necessarily. I would see this as, if you don't do right, you certainly won't be accepted. Therefore, you must do right in order to be accepted. But, just because you do right doesn't mean you are automatically accepted. But keep trying anyway. Keep at it. I know it's hard. I know the way is difficult and narrow. There will be many times when you slip and fall. Get up, dust yourself off and press on. Forget that which is behind and reach for that which is ahead. There is uplift if you continue to do right. For the uplift is in the struggle. "According to the tsouris (trouble, struggle) is the reward." (Pirkei Avot). The harder the struggle, the greater the accomplishment.

Sin crouches at the door and it desires to have us, but we can master it. HCSB says 'must.' As if it's an imperative. The Hebrew is timshel, "you can." As in we have the ability to overcome sin. Yes, we should, but God won't do it for us. God won't make us overcome sin?

No. For after God talks with Cain, Cain goes to his brother and kills him. And God did not stop Cain from killing Abel.

How did this happen? Cain went to his brother and said... what? What he actually said to Abel is not mentioned in the Hebrew text. HCSB and other translations supply the missing words based on the context. Cain and Abel ended up in a field, so it is natural to assume Cain said to Abel, "let's go out to the field."

Cain attacked (lit. rose up against) Abel and killed him. And then, God speaks to Cain a second time. And again a rhetorical question since God really does know where Abel is. Again, God wants Cain to confess his crime. When God asks a question, we assume that God already knows the answer. The point is for the askee to come up with the answer. An answer we come up with on our own carries much more weight and meaning than an answer that is supplied to us. And it is more likely to stay with us.

Cain evades responsibility and says, "am I my brother's keeper?" I hope that the answer is obvious to us all. We are responsible for one another. We are to love one another as ourselves. We must not hate our brother in our heart. We must not take revenge or carry a grudge.

But Cain did not master sin. Cain let his feelings of anger and jealousy and bitterness take over him. Rather than continuing to cultivate the field and bring another offering, Cain killed Abel. And this is clearly the wrong thing to do.

God banished Cain and made him a ceaseless wanderer on the earth. But God also protected Cain. Here we see an example of God's justice and mercy working side by side. And Cain went out from the Lord's presence and settled in the land of Nod east of Eden.

I highlight the last three words as they form the title to one of John Steinbeck's major novels. It is a retelling of this 16 verse story in about 500 pages. Steinbeck called the story of Cain and Abel the symbol story of the human spirit. For it is everyone's story. We all have to deal with rejection and failure. And while we may at times feel as Cain did, we know the better way of dealing with those feelings.

Let us continue to press forward towards the goal despite the rejection of our best offerings and there will be uplift.

Amen.

Leo

Work and Rest

Six days we are to work and one day to rest. That's the ratio; 6 to 1. The model given in the Bible is that humanity must work. But work is not a curse or punishment placed on humanity for the sin of eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil.

God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to ... what? "to work it and take care of it." Gen 2:15. Work was ordained BEFORE Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. And the Sabbath was ordained before that sin as well.

Work is not a curse or a punishment-although many see it that way. Not everyone is blessed with attitude of looking foward to work. Not everyone likes their job. It's something we HAVE to do. I know that I don't look forward to Mondays. Oy, it's Monday. That means another work week about to begin. Grah. It's often hard to pull myself out of bed. But I go. And I suspect many others go because we don't like the alternative-not working. Not working means no money to pay bills or buy groceries or buy medicine or support your family. Not working means you're not a productive member of society. As much as we may not like our work (and God bless those who do) I think that we don't like the alternative more.

But thanks be to God that He gave us a respite from our busy work week. Six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Lord. Rest is meaningful and welcome after the six days of labor. If it were the other way around, how much would we appreciate the rest?

We celebrated Simhat Torah last night

at shul. This holiday falls on the 8th, or 9th day following Sukkot, depending on what tradition you follow. Or, if you're Reform like the shul I attend, you can celebrate it whenever the rabbi decides to celebrate it, even in the midst of sukkot! I really don't know why the rabbi chose last night for Simhat Torah, but it was a fun time nevertheless.

Simhat Torah (Joy of the Torah). We finish the annual cycle of reading the Torah and immediately go to the beginning and start over again with Genesis 1:1. The holiday of Simhat Torah is not prescribed in the Torah. But, we felt that God gave us a truly wonderful gift in the Torah that it is our duty to study it faithfully and thank Him for it.

Being in the klezmer band, I played with the band while congregants walked through the sanctuary holding the torah scrolls. Only adults (13 and older) get the privilege of processing through the sanctuary holding the Torah scroll. These processions are called hakafot.

It's a pretty neat thing to see people rejoicing in the Torah.

Happy Sukkot!

This past weekend, I went to six different sukkahs. Five on Saturday and one on Sunday. The Saturday excursion was called a 'sukkah hop' because we went from one sukkah to another throughout the area. Each family had decorated their sukkahs differently with corn stalks or branches or dried fruit or gourds or drawings or paintings on canvas walls or paper chains. Each was distinct and beautiful in its own way.

Sukkot is the festival harvest in the fall and is also the holiday that reminds us of the exodus from Egypt. A sukkah is a temporary dwelling place-also known as a booth or tabernacle. In Leviticus, God says that we are to dwell in sukkot (plural of sukkah) as a reminder that God made our ancestors dwell in sukkot during their journeys in the wilderness.

This is contrasted with the fact that sukkot occurs in the fall at the time of the harvest. The first Thanksgiving in America was probably modeled on the festival of sukkot. FYI, Thanksgiving Day in Canada was on October 13, the first day of Sukkot. In any event, we contrast bounty with desert. Even while we enjoy our harvest we must be mindful of those who are not as well off as we are. The sukkah, this temporary structure that is open at all sides and does not have a closed roof, calls to mind how exposed to the elements people who don't have houses to live in really are. We are reminded of the fragility of life.

The evening prayer hashkeevaynu l'shalom (cause us to lie down in peace) asks that God spread over us His sukkah (shelter) of peace. Peace, too, is fragile. Only by working at justice-sharing with the less fortunate-will we have peace.

I assume the existence of God

as does the Bible. The opening words of Scripture say 'beresheet bara Elohim' (in the beginning, God). Where God came from is not mentioned. The absolute sovereignty and holiness and awesomeness and power of God is taken for granted. The proof of the existence of God is not the Bible's aim. (But see Psalm 19:1) Rather, it is assumed that God exists, that He rules over us like a king and loves us like a father and asks that we take care of ourselves, of each other and the earth.

What proof, scientific or rational or logical can be proffered to eliminate doubt from the skeptic's mind? I doubt that any such proof can be had. For whatever we can point to as 'proof' of the existence of God can also be pointed to as proof of something else. The heavens declare the handiwork of God? No, they merely show that there are other stars and planets and galaxies in the universe. People are willing to die for their beliefs? That merely prooves they hold tightly to what they believe. For people of conflicting faiths will hold just as firmly to their own faith no matter the circumstance. The diversity of nature, the complexity of the human body, these are taken as proofs of evolution, not as proof of God. What about the miracles as recorded in the Bible with the sea splitting and the dead being resurrected and the bread and fish multiplying and the widow's oil supply not running out and the sun standing still? And again it will be argued that there is no extra Biblical evidence to support these claims. People have heard God speaking to them? Really? How do we know they weren't hallucinating? A person who spoke as the prophets did of old would probably be classified as mentally unstable.

And to all this, what can we say? I say, I don't have to prove the existence of God to you or anybody else. My belief in God rests not on scientific proof. It is not logical. The objection could be raised as to why don't I believe in any of the other gods that are worshipped? Or why not just bow down to the Flying Spaghetti Monster or believe in the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus? It would seem to make just as much sense to believe in any of those (for which we have no proof) as to believe in the LORD, maker of heaven and earth.

But there is a fundamental difference between all the other pagan gods and fairies and monsters and whatever else is worshipped as a god and the God of the Bible. For none of these other idols can be compared to the Great God, mighty and awesome Who demands justice and righteousness and love and mercy and is not moved by vain oblations and human sacrifice but asks that we love each other as ourselves.

The difference that my assumption of God makes for me is in how I view the world. The Bible makes clear that God created the heavens and the earth in an orderly way with purpose and meaning and created us in His image and therefore our lives have purpose and meaning. We are not here by accident. We are to walk in His ways. We are to revere Him because He is the Supreme Judge and King. We are to love Him because He showed us special love in creating us and redeemed us from bondage. This can be seen either in the physical sense of freedom from bondage to Pharaoh or in the spiritual sense of freedom from bondage to sin. In either case, we owe God a tremendous debt that cannot be fully repaid. He is infinte, we are finite. His glory and holiness and majest far transcends our puny existence. And yet, He deigned to create us and call us for His glory. We are to love each other as ourselves. We are all created betzelem elohim (in the image of God) and when we hurt one another, we tarnish that image. We are to take care of the earth and its inhabitants for so He commanded us.

What other entity worshipped as a god-pagan diety or idol or fairy or goddess or sun or moon or plant or animal or river-is like our God? As it is said, mi chamocha ba'alim Adonai (who is like You, among the gods, oh Lord?) Exodus 15:11

unetaneh tokef

"let us ascribe holiness to this day"

This piyyut (prayer-poem) is attributed to Rabbi Amnon of Mainz, Germany, a medieval sage, and Torah scholar. The Bishop of Mainz offered Rabbi Amnon a ministerial position on the condition that Rabbi Amnon convert to Christianity.

Rabbi Amnon initially refused. The Bishop continued to insist. Rabbi Amnon finally asked for three days to consider the Bishop's offer. Upon returning home, Rabbi Amnon was distraught over his seeming willingness to accept the Bishop's offer and what he felt was a betrayal of God. When Rabbi Amnon returned to the Bishop, he said that his tongue should be cut out for not having refused immediately. The Bishop did not take up Rabbi Amnon on this offer but did torture Rabbi Amnon horribly and sent him home.

A few days later, it was Rosh HaShannah. Rabbi Amon asked to be carried to shul. He wanted to say the kedushah and sanctify God's Name. With his dying breath, he uttered the words that we now know as the unetaneh tokef.

Let us now relate the power of this day's holiness, for it is awesome and frightening. On it Your Kingship will be exalted; Your throne will be firmed with kindness and You will sit upon it in truth. It is true that You alone are the One Who judges, proves, knows, and bears witness; Who writes and seats, (counts and calculates); Who remembers all that was forgotten. You will open the Book of Chronicles - it will read itself, and everyone's signature is in it. The great shofar will be sounded and a still, thin sound will be heard. Angels will hasten, a trembling and terror will seize them - and they will say, 'Behold, it is the Day of Judgment, to muster the heavenly host for judgment!'- for they cannot be vindicated in Your eyes in judgment.

All mankind will pass before You like members of the flock. Like a shepherd pasturing his flock, making sheep pass under his staff, so shall You cause to pass, count, calculate, and consider the soul of all the living; and You shall apportion the fixed needs of all Your creatures and inscribe their verdict.

On Rosh Hashanah will be inscribed and on Yom Kippur will be sealed how many will pass from the earth and how many will be created; who will live and who will die; who will die at his predestined time and who before his time; who by water and who by fire, who by sword, who by beast, who by famine, who by thirst, who by storm, who by plague, who by strangulation, and who by stoning. Who will rest and who will wander, who will live in harmony and who will be harried, who will enjoy tranquillity and who will suffer, who will be impoverished and who will be enriched, who will be degraded and who will be exalted.

But REPENTANCE, PRAYER and CHARITY Remove the Evil of the Decree!

For Your Name signifies Your praise: hard to anger and easy to appease, for You do not wish the death of one deserving death, but that he repent from his way and live. Until the day of his death You await him; if he repents You will accept him immediately.

It is true that You are their Creator and You know their inclination, for they are flesh and blood. A man's origin is from dust and his destiny is back to dust, at risk of his life he earns his bread; he is likened to a broken shard, withering grass, a fading flower, a passing shade, a dissipating cloud, a blowing wind, flying dust, and a fleeting dream.Congregation aloud, then chazzan:
But You are the King, the Living and Enduring G-d.

There is no set span to Your years and there is no end to the length of Your days. It is impossible to estimate the angelic chariots of Your glory and to elucidate Your Name's inscrutability. Your Name is worthy of You and You are worthy of Your Name, and You have included Your Name in our name.

As a Driven Leaf by Milton Steinberg

This is a fictionalized biography of the Talmudic sage Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah. He struggled mightily with reason and faith and ultimately turned apostate. There is some speculation that he also became an informer for the Romans against his own people and is called "the other" (acher) in the Talmud. The references to Elisha ben Abuyah are few and far between. And those that are there are cryptic with several different possible interpretations. Steinberg, a conservative rabbi, fashioned a remarkable work of fiction about this historical figure.

Steinberg freely admitted that he took liberties with the sources and did not strictly adhere to the information provided in the sources. Whereas it is documented that Elisha was born before the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, in "As a Driven Leaf", Elisha is born sometime after that. Whereas Elisha was survived by 2 daughters, in the book, he and his wife were unable to conceive children. Whereas Elisha's father did send him to learn Torah, in the book, Elisha's father was an unbelieving Jew who got a Greek tutor for his son.

Given my harsh reaction to "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant, I wonder why I am more willing to forgive Steinberg his liberties with the sources than Diamant. Curious....

In any event... the title for the book comes from Job 13:24-25 "Wherefore hidest thou thy face? Wilt thou harass a driven leaf?" Job was a man who also struggled with his faith and demanded of God to know why he was being afflicted even though he was righteous. Job's question is echoed by Elisha.

Elisha could not conceive of an almighty, all good, all knowing God who would allow the righteous to perish and the wicked to flourish. He wanted to reason his way to his faith rather than start with assumptions and try to bolster them. Given the circumstances of his life and the Jewish people at the time, his questioning God and faith and the Tradition was not tolerated. He was excommunicated. Forced to choose between unquestioning loyalty to a faith that no longer made sense to him and forbidden Greek wisdom in the hopes of establishing his faith as Euclid established the principles of geometry, Elisha chose the latter.

Faith vs. Reason is only one of the themes in this book. There is the struggle of the Jewish people against Rome in the 2nd century AD. Elisha feels that the cause of the Jewish people is hopeless and that the sooner they give up against Rome, the better, for everyone. Rabbi Akiba-of whom there is a tremendous amount of information and arguably the greatest sage of the Talmudic era-argued differently. Can any earthly power extinguish a people whose mission is to spread God's message of love, hope, mercy and justice to all humanity? Even all the nations united in unholy alliance have not the might to destroy this people. There were enemies before the Romans and there were enemies since. The threat of eliminating the Jewish people comes not from outside forces but from within. Before a people can be conquered, it must destroy itself first. Because of Elisha's supposed informant status with the Romans and helping the Romans to enact edicts designed to crush the Jewish people, he was seen as helping to destroy the Jewish people from within, and is therefore called acher (the other).

Elisha's homelife was not much better. He and his wife, Deborah were unable to conceive children. She had an aristocratic hauter even though her family had fallen on hard times recently. She was concerned with Elisha's doubts only to the extent that they threatened their financial security. She was constantly harping on the servants. Their marriage was not a happy one.

It is unknown whether Elisha repented of his actions. In the book, it is clear that Elisha felt remorse and guilt and felt that he had gone too far to be able to repent.

Despite his theological and marital troubles, Elisha was not entirely friendless. A pupil of his, Meir, who later became a renowned rabbi, remained loyal to him and did not let the ban of excommunication prevent him from learning from Elisha. Elisha moved to Antioch after he left Palestine and found his old childhood friend Papas, who introduced him to scholars and rhetoricians and plays and museums and libraries. In Antioch, Elisha found the freedom to pursue his intellectual quest and he delved into the Greek sciences and literature and philosophy, something that he could not do as a rabbi in Palestine.

"As a Driven Leaf" is a remarkable piece of fiction. It has some basis in recorded events but does not hold strictly to them. I recommend this work to all who are interested in the age of the Talmud, in the question of faith vs. reason, in the question of why bad things happen to good people, and in ancient Israel.

The Greatest Generation (?)

The rabbis of the Talmudic age called the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness a golden age in Israel's history. Look at the faith they had. Look at the miracles God did for them. Really? Weren't they called a stiff-necked people? Didn't they complain about lack of water, lack of food, boring manna, their inability to take the land? Didn't they worship the molten calf? This is a generation worth emulating?

Ah, how quick we are to point out their faults and not see our own. Sure, they had God's presence among them with the pillar cloud and fire. And yes, God provided them with their daily manna. Suppose you had to eat the same thing every day of the year not just for a week or a month but for forty years. I imagine it would get old very quick. When water is hard to come by, as it is in the wilderness, what else can we think about except water? When no water is in sight for miles and miles and our children look to us and ask for drink, what can we do? Who would not feel despair? When our leader is gone for forty days and we have no idea if he's coming back, what are we to do? Should we stay? Should we go? What's our sign?

The praise is due to the wilderness generation not because they failed. Every generation fails. Every generation could do better. The praise is due because they persevered. They kept going despite the hardships and doubt and fear. Because of that generation that came out of Egypt and received the Torah and taught it to their children, their children were blessed with being able to inherit the land. And each generation since owes a huge debt to those who stood at Sinai and experienced God's awesome power and glory.

Waiting for God

Waiting for God is a lot harder than it sounds. I'm reminded of Abraham and Sarah and Rebekah and Isaac. With Abraham and Sarah, God had promised that Abraham would be the father of many nations and that none but his own issue would be his heir. Yet Abraham had to wait till he was 100 before he became a father. In the meantime, his wife Sarah told him to have a son with her handmaid, Hagar. Look how that situation turned out.

And with Isaac and Rebekah, God had told Rebekah that two nations were in her womb and the older would serve the younger. Rebekah knew that Jacob had to get the blessing instead of Esau but she never discussed it with her husband and instead had Jacob lie to his father to get the blessing. I don't know if Rebekah ever saw her twin sons again after Jacob had to flee to Laban's house.

Throughout the Bible, people took matters into their own hands, despite the promises of God. We can sit here a few thousand years removed and say, "well, of course they should have just trusted in God and waited." Could you? Could I? I don't know. I'd like to think that I could, but I tell you, waiting for God is hard stuff. What else can we do but pray and ask for wisdom and patience.

If not higher

This is a story I heard at Shabbat services last Friday. It's the rabbi's favorite story of the month of Elul.*

*Elul is the last month of the Jewish calendar before the New Year (Rosh HaShannah) begins on the first of Tishrei. The 10th of the month is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The first ten days of Tishrei are called the Days of Awe. We are in awe of the Awesome Creator and Judge of the universe Who holds people to account for their sins the past year and pronounces judgment-who shall live, who shall die, who shall be well, who shall be ill, who rich, who poor, etc., etc. We pray that God act in accordance with His great mercy and forgive us our sins. Now, having the context for the month when this story takes place, I give you, "If Not Higher."

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Once upon a time, in an Eastern European village lived a rabbi. He had been the leader of the small Jewish community there for many years and people came to him with all sorts of problems and he always had time for them. They said he was a holy man and spoke with God regularly, as Moses had. Now, every year, during the month of Elul, the last month of the year, the rabbi would disappear on the Sabbath. The people would wonder where he went. And some would say that he went up to heaven to plead with the Almighty to forgive the sins of the people before the coming Days of Awe (The New Year and the Day of Atonement when even the hosts of heaven were judged). But, as there is in ever community, there was a skeptic. And this skeptic thought, bah! He doesn't go to heaven. Nobody goes up to heaven and comes back. So one year the skeptic decided that he would follow the rabbi and see where the rabbi went every Sabbath during Elul.

On the first Thursday of the month of Elul, the skeptic followed the rabbi back to the rabbi's house after evening services. He hid under the bed and waited to see what would happen. Early the next morning, the rabbi got up, washed his face and hands, said his morning prayers, and then got dressed. But not in his normal rabbi clothes. He put on overalls and a heavy flannel shirt and work boots and a knit cap and gloves and a heavy jacket. And he took an axe from the wall and a long piece of rope from the closet. And he went out. And the skeptic followed at a distance so as not to be noticed. The rabbi did not go towards the synagogue but into the woods. He began chopping down small trees and then sectioning the trees into logs. He gathered the wood into a bundle and tied it with the rope. He worked all through the morning and into the afternoon pausing briefly to drink water and eat a small lunch. Then, with a heave, he pulled the rope onto his shoulder and began walking back towards the town. By now the sun had begun its descent. But he did not go to the center of town but to the poorest section on the outskirts. He went to a small hovel and knocked on the door. A timid voice belonging to an old woman asked, 'who is it?' The rabbi disguised his voice and in a deep, gruff tone said, 'it is I, Vassal, I have some firewood to sell you. Winter is coming and it will be very cold.' The woman said, you may come in, but I'm afraid I don't have any money to buy firewood. The rabbi entered and said, that is ok, I will sell it to you on credit. He then deposited a bundle of wood by the fireplace. The woman said, I am unable to get out of bed to light the fire. So the rabbi put some logs in the fireplace and lit the wood. He stood up and said, I will return next week with some more wood. He then left the hovel, and went back to his home and bathed and went to bed. And the next day, he was back at the woods and chopping and off to another poor person’s house delivering firewood.

And so from then on, every Elul, when the townspeople would wonder, where did the rabbi go on the Sabbath, and some would answer “he goes up to heaven” the former skeptic would answer, ‘yes, to heaven, if not even higher than that.’

Why so angry?

Let us say that God created us. Let us also say that God knows us intimately. He knows our thoughts. He knows our habits. He knows our likes and dislikes. He knows how we will act in every situation. He knows that have a sinful nature and that we will not always abide by His commands. Let us also say that He fashions our hearts. He knows that we will stumble and fall short of His Glory. He knows that we are fallible. Why then is He wroth when we act as He made us? Why does He express outrage and pronounce horrible curses upon us for our failure to fulfill every particular of His decrees? Why so harsh?

And I answer: We ought to know better. We were given the rules and the consequences. We were called by God not because we are special or better than any other people. We were called to spread His message of justice and righteousness of love and mercy of forgiveness and compassion. We are to be a light unto the nations. If we do not uphold our end of the deal, why should we expect God to deal kindly with us? Is not sin to be punished? Do we not learn from being chastised? As a man disciplines his son, so does God discipline us. The same root of discipline is in the word disciple. Are we His disciples? Let us act like it. Praise God for the opportunity to spread His Word and to bring Him glory.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

So I finally have my new car (woo hoo), a 2002 Honda Civic. Well, it's new to me anyway. And it has a tape deck! So I went to the liberry the other day and I got "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant on Books on Tape. So I'm listening to this novel in the car as I drive from home to work and back and elsewhere.

"The Red Tent" is the story of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah. Gen 30:21 She gets very little mention in the book of Genesis and is best known for being abducted by Shechem. Was she raped? The Bible seems to indicate that Shechem lay forcefully with Dinah, but his actions afterwards are not consistent with a rapist. So, that's an ambiguity in the text. Anyway, when Dinah's brothers learn what happened to their sister, they lay siege to Shechem and take away their sister by force, thus avenging her honor. Gen. 34:1-31 After that, she disappears from the text, except for mention in a genealogy. Gen 46:15

What happened to her? What was her life like before she met Shechem? What is like being the only daughter among 11 brothers? Benjamin had not been born yet. What household duties did she have? What was her relationship with her mother and the other women in Jacob's family? What was her religion? "The Red Tent" attempts to answer this and many other questions.

So far I'm only on the 1st side of the 3rd cassette out of 8. So I'm not too far into the book (tapes). Diamant is an excellent story teller, no doubt. She has a wonderful way with words and brings each of her characters to life with stark clarity. The ancient pagan rituals and worship practices of the Canaanites are laid out in vivid detail.

One thing I noticed though is that Diamant takes certain liberties with the story from the Bible that don't jive with the Biblical account. For example, she says that the contract between Jacob and Laban for Rachel's hand is 7 months instead of 7 years. And she writes that Leah is the mother of seven sons and Bilhah the mother of only one. Actually, Leah bore six sons and Bilhah bore two. But, dont' take my word for it, look these facts up for yourself. Genesis 29:18-19; 30:20; 30:1-8.

I understand that the Bible can be frustratingly silent on certain details about people, especially women. But when information is given, why not use it? Those who advocate for women's commentaries and women's studies on the Bible and for novels about Biblical women (and I whole-heartedly agree with them) do themselves and other women a disservice when they do not accurately portray what is in the Bible. Who will take them seriously if they cannot get those details correct? Either it shows ignorance or lack of attention, and I'm not sure which is worse.

And this problem of not properly using what's in the Bible is not limited to stories written by and about women. I don't know if any of you are familiar with "Charlton Heston [may he rest in peace] Presents the Bible." His take on the stories in the Tanakh, or OT, weave a complicated mess not even Alexander the Great could have cut through.

But, I will continue to listen to the tapes because I find the story of Dinah interesting and also to find out (for my own perverse satisfaction-God forgive me) where else Diamant diverted from the Biblical text.

See

See, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse. Deut 11:26

In Hebrew, the word translated as "see" is "re-eh." It is in the second person singular. You, (singular) see. The phrase "before you", however, is in the second person plural. What does this teach us?

Individual and communal responsibility. A popular saying puts it this way: "All Israel is responsible for one another." Each person must do her part. Each person should feel as if the choice of blessing and curse was before her personally. And each person should also feel part of a larger whole. Any collective group-teams, armies, bands, communities-works best when all its separate parts are working together, each doing its part.

But how do we see an incorporeal thing? How do we see the choice of blessing or curse? How do we see what is promised but not yet come to pass? The curses are pronounced on Mount Ebal, the blessings on Mount Gerizim. The Israelites could see the mountains certainly, but not the actual words.

We hear words. Can we see words? And yet, how often do we say to one another, "I see what you're saying." Someone new to the English language might have a hard time understanding how we could say such a thing. You can't literally see the words that come out of a person's mouth.

What do we mean by see in this context then? Understanding, insight-notice the word 'sight'. When we see what someone says or means, we grasp what she is trying to convey.

We are to see (understand) that God has given us a choice. We can choose life and blessing or death and curse. It's up to us. Following the mitzvot (commandments) leads to life and blessing. Disobedience to God's laws leads to death and destruction. The choice seems obvious.

Yet, we all struggle daily with the choice of blessing and curse. Like Paul, and I daresay many others before and since, that which I desire to do, I don't and that which I don't want to do, I do. Would that I could see the right path and have the courage to follow it.

ekev continued

Deut 9

Moses tells the Israelites not to fear the people of the land that they're going to enter. Even though the people are giants and their cities are fortified to the heavens, God will destroy those people before the Israelites.

The beginning of verse 1 in the Hebrew is "Shema Yisrael". The more famous Shema Yisrael is from Deut 6:4 which says "the Lord our God, the Lord is One." Here, Moses tells the Israelites to listen up because they're about to cross the Jordan and take over from nations greater and stronger than they are.

Next time you're asked if you know the Shema, you might ask, which one? ;) (Deut 6:4 or Deut 9:1)

God is described as a consuming fire (verse 3). Only because of God's help will the Israelites be able to destroy their enemies.

But Israel has to remember that they are getting the land NOT because of her righteousness but because the nations that were there were so bad. The other nations were wicked and practiced all sorts of abominations including the horrific practice of human sacrifice.

Moses reminds the Israelites of their wickedness as well in recounting the incident of the golden calf (egel zahav).

Moses, the man of uncircumcised lips, who was heavy of speech and heavy of tongue, has managed to wax eloquent and even throw in some good old fashioned Jewish guilt into the narrative. Listen...

"When I ascended the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water" 9:9

Twice more, Moses will say that he ate no bread and drank no water for 40 days. Think he's trying to tell the Israelites something? One interpretation is that Moses was so focused on God that he didn't have these other human concerns.

Moses tells of the people's great sin with the golden calf, God's angry response and Moses' own plea before the Lord to forgive the people. And lo, God did not destroy the people and make of Moses a greater nation as He promised.

"The prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James 5:16

Thanks be to God, Who was pleased for the sake of His righteousness, to render His Law great and glorious. Isaiah 42:21.

ekev... continued

Duet 8

verse 1 You shall faithfully observe all the Instruction that I enjoin upon you today, that you may thrive and increase and be able to occupy the land which the Lord promised on oath to your fathers.

today-Everybody should feel as if the Torah was given anew every day. Observe the mitzvot today, as if you were hearing them for the first time. Act as if the flame of your desire to do God's will was as bright and hot as when it was first kindled.

Why are the commandments to be followed? So that Israel may live and mulitply and occupy the land.

The land was promised on oath to their fathers. God is faithful to keep His promises.

In verse 2, we learn that God made the Israelites travel through the wilderness for forty years in order to test them. He afflicted them with hardships. The word for 'afflict' (anot) is the same word used to describe the hardships imposed by the Egyptians. Exodus 1:11. In Egypt, the affliction was the work of an oppressor. In the wilderness, the affliction was the work of God to refine Israel.

Verse 3 says that God afflicted the Israelites with hunger and gave them manna, something neither they nor the fathers had ever experienced. Manna is portrayed as a supernatural gift. Why was it given? And then a very famous phrase: "in order to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but that man may live on anything that the Lord decrees." Many have taken this to mean that the Bible, that came from God's mouth, is our spiritual food.

In verse 4, there are two recorded instances of God's miraculous providence: The Israelites' clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell those 40 years. Imagine your clothes lasting 40 years. More than that, the rabbis took that to mean that God made the clothes of the children grow along with them.

Verse 5 gives another reason to keep God's commandments: God disciplines Israel just as a man disciplines his son. And Israel is God's firstborn son. Exodus 4:22.

Verse 6 emphasizes that Israel is to keep God's commandments, to walk in His ways and to revere Him.

Verses 7-9 describe the Promised Land. It is a good land. And the first feature is water. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and wondering where their next drink of water was going to come from, God alleviates that concern right off the bat. There are streams and springs and fountains. There's a continuous supply of water. And the water comes from plain and hill. Low and high places alike have water.

And because of the plentiful water, there's plentiful produce: wheat and barley, vines, figs and pomegranates, olive trees and honey. All good food. God promises that the food will be plentiful enough that the Israelites may 'eat food without stint.' They will lack nothing. The Israelites remembered sitting by the fleshpots of Egypt and having their fill of meat and being able to eat leeks and garlics and melons. In Eretz Yisrael, there will be no more fleshpots of Egypt. Everybody will have enough.

From food we move to industry. The land has rocks of iron and hills of copper.

Verse 10 is the prooftext for the birkat hamazon (blessing after the meal). When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

It would be easy to forget that the Lord provided all this sustenance when the Israelites are living in the land free from hunger and enemies. And thus verse 10 is to be a constant reminder that God gave them the land.

Verses 11-20 continue this theme of remembering God. This section starts with a stern warning: Take care lest you forget the Lord your God and fail to keep His commandments, His rules and His laws, which I enjoin upon you today.

What would cause the Israelites, and us, to forget the Lord our God? vv 12 and 13: When we have eaten our fill, and have built fine houses to live in, and our herds and flocks have multiplied, and our silver and gold have increased and everyting we own has prospered. Our present consumer society sees things as they are and asks for more. We have food and we gorge ourselves on more. We have places to live and think of getting bigger houses. Our businesses do well, and we think of ways to increase and maximize profit. We have money in our pockets, in our bank accounts, in stocks, in investments, in cd's and a myriad other ways. And the more we have the more concerned we are with keeping it and making even more. Even when everything we own has propsered we are still not satisfied. Maybe if I find a way to reduce costs, our profit margin can go up even more. It's the age old question. How much is enough? What do people need to live? We like to think of ourselves as somehow entitled. I worked hard. I earned it. I started at the bottom and worked my way to the top. I made sacrifices so that I and my family could have the kind of life we have today. We are wont to say, the gold is mine and the silver is mine. It's my house. My car. My clothes. My furniture. My jewelry. It's mine.

And because we feel like we earned it, our hearts are liable to grow haughty. That's the very thing God warns us against in verse 14. We forget that were it not for God freeing us from the land of Egypt, the beit avodim (house of bondage) we would not be where we are today. We'd be making bricks without straw for Pharaoh. But not only did God redeem us from slavery in Egypt, He led us through the great and terrible wilderness with its serpents and scorpions. A land with no water in it. But God brought forth water from the flinty rock. Back in Numbers Moses struck the rock and made it look like he brought water forth from the rock. Here, he gives God the credit. And God fed the Israelites with manna in the wilderness. Egypt was the house of slavery with all its attendant horrors. The wilderness was no picnic either. Don't forget where you came from. Don't forget that you were brought out from those terrible conditions by the hand of Almighty God.

And because of that, we owe God a debt we can never fully repay. God did not take us out of Egypt and lead us through the wilderness and give us the land of Israel in order for us to forget Him. On the contrary, He said that He will be our God and we will be His people. We are His people.

Why were we chosen? To walk in God's ways and to teach our children after us the way of the Lord by doing tzedekah u mishpat (justice and righteousness). God made a covenant with our ancestors and with us. A covenant is an agreement. Both parties have obligations. Our duty is to be a blessing, walk in God's ways, be tamim (worthy), practice justice, righteousness, kindness, love the stranger, love our neighbor and love God. And for God's part, He will bless us, give us children, give us the land of Israel, make us a permanent people and protect us.

We can only expect God to fulfill His end if we fulfill ours. And we cannot fulfill our end if we forget God. And how easy it is to forget God when we are surrounded by fine food and clothes and houses and gold and silver. And we say, (verse 17) "my own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me."

It is not so. Rather, we should "remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the power to get wealth, in fulfillment of the covenant that He made on oath with your fathers, as is still the case." Verse 18

Chapter 8 ends with the very real threat that if we do forget the Lord our God, we will certainly perish, just like the nations that God caused to perish before the Israelites when they came into the land. And they perished because of their wickedness. They were so bad that the land vomited them out. And the same will happen to Israel if they forget the Lord and don't keep His commandments.

And so today and everyday, we are to remind ourselves that is because of God that we are able to eat, breathe, sleep, wake, walk, talk, earn a living and do a host of other things we take for granted.

Blessed be God for His holy Word.

ekev "because" Deut 7:12-11:25

This is not a portion that typically gets a lot of air time. There are promises of blessing for obedience; warnings to keep God's law faithfully; a recounting of Israel's wanderings through the wilderness and the people's great sin with the golden calf; and exhortation to keep God's laws.

Throughout the portion we see "if... then." The Hebrew 'ekev' (because) is usually translated as "if" or "it will be". There's a causal link between obeying God and being blessed. See Deut 7:12-26. If the Israelites keep God's law, they will be blessed abundantly with fertile women and fertile land. They will be able to destroy their enemies who stand in their way and God will drive them out little by little lest the wild beasts multiply to their hurt.

The verses describing God's command to wipe out the peoples, showing them no pity, and God's promise to help the Israelites (7:16-26) is typically glossed over.

We like to think of God as a loving parent, or a benevolent king or a fair Judge. It is hard to reconcile these images with the verses that portray God as commanding the Israelites to destroy the peoples of the land that the Israelites are coming into. My rabbi calls these verses "anti-Semites' delight." That is to say, anti Semites look at these verses and say, the Jewish God commands genocide. Israel uses these verses as justification for its 'ethnic cleansing' of the native Palestinians. It's easy to see how that could be an interpretation.

I submit that the Canaanites and Perizites and Jebusites and Ammonites and Midianites and Moabites and Girgashites, et al, were not just going to welcome Israel back to the Promised Land after a 430 year hiatus on Israel's declaration that God promised the land to their fathers. If Israel wanted to inhabit the land, they would have to fight for it.

Couldn't the Israelites and Canaanites live together peacefully side by side? Why did God have to command Israel to utterly wipe out the people? History has shown that that is not feasible. Already in the wilderness, Israel had been seduced by Moab and God sent a plague throughout the camp and the plague was only checked when Phineas killed Cozbi and her lover with a spear. Who's to say that Israel would not have been led astray by the peoples living in Eretz Yisrael? And in fact that did happen, time and again. And time and again Israel had to fight many wars against Midian and Moab while Israel was in the land.

Still, this business of killing every body who stands in their way-what is that all about? I could understand smashing the pillars and destroying the high places and burning the idols. But wholesale slaughter? Listen to the verses:

You shall destroy all the peoples that the Lord your God delivers to you, showing them no pity. And you shall not worship their gods, for that would be a snare to you.....The Lord your God will deliver them up to you, throwing them into utter panic until they are wiped out. He will deliver their kings into your hand, and you shall obliterate their name from under the heavens; no man shall stand up to you, until you have wiped them out. Deut 7:16, 23, 24 Emphasis added

I cannot pretend to understand the mind of God. I don't know why God would say this. But I also know that these verses and others like them turn people off from the Bible. Because they cannot understand this passage, they reject it, and other parts of the Bible, and ultimately, God. They want no part of a God who commands genocide. Frankly, I cannot fault them.

But I'd like to somehow have people see this passage as only a small part of the Bible. The Bible contains many stories about God and His creation. And the stories show that God is complex. God is bigger than our understanding of Him. The Bible does not fully portray God, as no book possibly could. God is too big, too holy, too great to be confined to a book-holy as that book may be.

The Torah contains God's words to us. To gloss over or reject the parts that we don't like or don't understand is to reject part of God. I, for one, am grateful for these passages and others. Everything is not peaches and cream or roses or sunshine or rainbows or sugar and spice and everything nice.

If we view God and the Bible through rose-colored glasses, we do so at our peril. People are wont to forget that everything comes from God. Good AND evil. If God is One (Deut 6:4) and He is the Creator of all that is, seen and unseen, everything is attributable to Him. There isn't a good God and a bad God. There's just God. And as Job said, "shall we accept the good from God and not trouble?"

Blessed be God, to whom our thanks are due. Praise Him for His great and glorious law and for the knowledge that He cares for us even though we cannot always understand Him.

Three cencuses

There are three cencuses lilsted in the Torah. The first is at the end of Genesis when Jacob and his family go down to Egypt. The second is at the beginning of Numbers when the Israelites are ready to move on from Sinai. The third is towards the end of Numbers as the Children are preparing to enter the Promised Land.

One name is mentioned in all three of the cencuses. It's not Moses. It's not Aaron. It's not Joshua or Caleb. It's Serach bat Asher. (Serach, the daughter of Asher). Why is this significant?

When Joseph was about to die, he told his brothers that God would remember them and that when they returned to the Promised Land that they should take his bones up with them. And then Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died. And the Israelites were in Egypt 430 years. And then Moses came to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. But he had to get the bones of Joseph and bring them with him. Where was Joseph buried? Who knew where his bones were?

Answer-the only one who was still alive when Joseph exacted that oath from his brothers. That person was Serach, the daughter of Asher. And she is counted again at the beginning of Numbers and at the end of Numbers. There's a connection between past, present and future. And it is a woman who is the link.

Blessed be God for Serach bat Asher, the keeper of memory.

6 games behind

In the standings, the NY Yankees are six games in back of first place Boston and 5 and a half games behind Tampa Bay. As the second half of the MLB season gets underway, the Yankees will look to make up ground and try to make the playoffs for the 13th straight time and 1st for new manager Joe Girardi. The Yankees begin the second half against Oakland, Minnesota and Baltimore. Here's hoping the Bronx Bombers make a serious second half charge and end the final season at the House that Ruth Built on a high note*.



*That means a World Series Championship. :)