The Hebrew Scriptures are not readily or easily understood by native English speakers, we post a weekly addition to regular Torah commentary. "Cutting to the Root" is intended to promote an understanding of the complexity of the Hebrew language and thereby gain a richer and deeper understanding of the Scriptures. It is our goal that these notes will teach tolerance and understanding.Please visit our web site at www.shefaisrael.com

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Parashat Chukat - the Haftara

Chukat - the Haftara
Judges 11:1-33
Reading date: 27th June 2009 – 5th Tammuz 5769


Our Highlighted Haftara Text

“Japheth swore an oath to YHVH: 'If You deliver the Ammonites into my hands, then whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from the Ammonites shall be YHVH's, and I shall offer it as a burnt offering.” (Judges 11:30-31)

Humility before YHVH must be the starting point.

For the last few weeks, we have been out of sync with the Diaspora but with this week's combined portion of Chukat-Balak, we are all now 'back on the same page,' so to speak. When these portions are combined, the haftara of Balak, a prophecy from Micah is read. We read the Haftara for Chukat this year- the story of Japheth “Yiftach”.

The introductory image of dew makes me feel like this would be a fitting haftara for Moses' final poem recorded in the portion Haazinu, which begins: May my discourse come down as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, Like showers on young growth, Like droplets on the grass (Deut. 32:2). But Micah's prophecy connects to our portion as well. Besides the explicit reference to Bilaam (or Balaam) and Balak, king of Moab (Micah 6:5), the haftarah ends with the answer to the question of 'what is good' ‘mah tov’, echoing Bilaam's famous speech: ‘mah tovu’. (which begins the morning prayer service).

Micah lived around the time of the prophet Isaiah (8th century BCE) in a small town of Judah. The northern kingdom of Israel had already been destroyed, and now the Assyrians threatened the southern kingdom of Judah. The prophets believed that social injustice was at the root cause of this political/ military calamity, and that ethical living could reverse the fortunes of the Israelites.

The earliest source for there being 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah is brought in the name of R. Simlai (Makkot 23b). There, the number seems to be derived from 365 negative commandments (don't do this...) corresponding to the days of the year, and 248 positive commandments (do this...) corresponding to the number of body parts (as counted by the rabbis). Rav Hamnuna explains that the number is derived from the gematria of the word Torah which is 611 (400+200+6+5) plus the first two (of the ten) commandments that were given directly by YHVH to the Israelites.

The whole concept is somewhat controversial, and although many Midrashim refer to this number, it is an 'aggadic' (ie. midrashic) device as opposed to a legal, halachic category (such as the 39 categories of work on Shabbat- see below). A number of different lists of the 613 mitzvot exist (Rambam, Ramban, etc.) which suggests that there actually are more than 613. Additionally, although we still refer to ‘Taryag mitzvot’ (in Hebrew gematria the number 613 is written as 'tuf-reish-yod-gimel'), today, many of the mitzvot are no longer in force since the Temple has been destroyed and sacrifices are no longer made. In addition, no one person could ever fulfill all the mitzvot, as some can only be performed by exclusive and incompatible categories, such as the Cohen Gadol or the king, priests or lay Israelites, men or women, etc.
On the other hand, even a fragment of the 613 balloons out to an enormous number of smaller rules and more specific prohibitions. So, for example, the one mitzvah of 'not working on Shabbat' is clarified in the Mishnah to refer to 39 types of 'work' (melachah) which are then further subdivided into a myriad of further restrictions. The Gaon of Vilna expresses this point of view:

“The mitzvot are thus multitudinous beyond enumeration, to the point that one
who has a discerning eye and an understanding heart can conduct every detail of
his behavior and affairs, both great and small, according to the Torah and the
mitzvot. One is then able to fulfill the mitzvot at every time and every moment
beyond enumeration. The 613 mitzvot mentioned are only roots, but they spread
forth into many branches. Which of them are roots and which of them are branches
is actually a matter that is concealed from us. However, there is no need to
know this because every mitzvah and every utterance of the Torah includes the
entire Torah and all the mitzvot, their principles, their details and their fine
points.”

At the same time, there exists an opposite trend in rabbinic thought, to try and reduce the number of rules. Instead of memorizing a page of physics' formulas, if you know the basic principles going into the exam, you can generate the whole page. Similarly, if we could reduce the 613, or thousands of rules into a few principles, wouldn't that be great?! And so in the passage of Makkot (24b), R. Simlai continues: King David reduced the number to 11 (Psalm 15), Isaiah condensed the number to six (Is. 33:15-17) and Micah, in probably one of the most famous and quotes verses from the prophets, compressed the number to three: "It has been told you O mortal, what is good, and what Adonai requires of you-- only this: to do justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." (6:8). (The passage continues, reducing the Torah to two and even one (Habakuk 2:4).

There is a tension between these two directions represented by the Vilna Gaon (every detail is a mitzvah) on the one hand, and R. Simlai's reduction of Torah to a single principle on the other. Many orthodox prefer the former approach while early reformers were attracted to the latter view. They agreed with the prophets' criticism of external observance accompanied by unethical behavior, and the emphasis on social justice over ritual. Micah's threefold summary emphasizes justice, loving-kindness and inward piety.

The usual translation of our haftara’s final verse reflects biblical poetry: 'It has been told you O mortal what is good' parallels the second phrase, 'and what Adonai requires of you.' But the subject of the first phrase is not clear. The verse could also be translated: Mortals have told you what is good, BUT what does Adonai require of you. The modern thinker Rosenzweig sees the first two (as yet, unaccomplished) goals of justice and goodness as 'works in progress.' We can't work for justice or be committed to acts of loving-kindness without walking humbly before YHVH.

In our society we may be constantly bombarded with messages of "what is good", but humility before YHVH must be the starting point.

Shabbat Shalom

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Parashat Korach - the Haftara

Korach - the Haftara
1 Samuel 11:14-12:22
Reading date: 20th June 2009 – 14th Sivan 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text
"Hineni [Here I am]! Testify against me, in the presence of Adonai and in the present of God's anointed one [Saul]: Whose ox have I taken, or whose as have I taken? Whom have I defrauded or whom have I robbed? From whom have I taken a bribe to look the other way? I will return it to you."I Samuel 12:3

Our answer to YHVH's call should be: 'Speak, for Your servant is listening.'

In many of the parashiyot that we have seen so far, the connections between Torah and haftara portions have been obvious. This week, the connections are much subtler. Our story from the book of Samuel, (Samuel's opposition to appointing a king over Israel) at first glance is quite dissimilar to the narrative of Korach's rebellion. True, the issues of leadership are a common motif. Korach challenges Moses' leadership and Samuel considers the Israelites' desire for a king to be challenging YHVH's leadership. By choosing a [mortal] king, he worries that they are betraying the Almighty. He warns them that they, together with their king, must continue to obey Him and follow in His ways.

There exists a clear linguistic link between the two selections. Samuel defends his honor and denies any wrongdoing of taking bribes: "whose ass have I taken" which echoes Moses' rebuttal to the rebels Datan and Aviram, "I have not taken the ass of any one of them..." (Num. 16:15).
The books of Samuel and Kings were originally all one continuous narrative, but because of their length, they were later divided into four volumes: I & II Samuel, and I & II Kings. The books of Samuel are part of the Early Prophets. Unlike the books of the Torah, the names of these books are taken from the [first] central character. The book of Samuel centers around three central characters: Samuel, Saul and David.

Samuel is a Nazerite from birth (like Samson, but we don't hear any stories of him having superhuman strength!). Samuel functioned as the last of the judges and the first of the prophets. Samuel (c. 1070 BCE) anoints Saul as the first king of Israel.

The book of Samuel describes the transition of the Israelites from a loose confederacy of tribes into a united monarchy. The book of Samuel concludes with the end of David's reign (961 BCE). Jewish tradition is ambivalent about the idea of a king; the books of Samuel and Kings reflect both pro- and anti-monarchy sentiments.

Possibly, the Rabbis choice of this haftara was to compare Samuel to Moses. Like Moses, Samuel is a major character of the Bible, and both these central figures function as in the dual roles of judge and prophet. Both are called 'ish ha-elohim' (Deut. 33:1; I Sam. 9:7). They are mentioned together in Psalms: Moses and Aaron among YHVH's priests, Samuel, among those who call on YHVH's name... (Ps. 99:6a). Moses appears in four of the five books of the Torah, like Samuel, who appears in the (now four) volumes of Samuel and Kings.

Adding Samuel to the Korach narrative, allows us to compare the leadership styles of three central characters: Moses, Korach, and Samuel. Korach is the self-appointed leader. He is described as challenging Moses and ultimately YHVH's authority. Clearly, Korach had too much ego. He thought he knew what the problem was and how to solve it, even if no one asked him. Like Korach, sometimes we are guilty of having too much ego.

Moses, on the other hand, almost refused to listen to YHVH's call. Moses is the reluctant leader. When Moses encounters God at the burning bush, he comes up with several excuses as to why he shouldn't be chosen. I am reminded of the shamash (beadle, or caretaker) who is moved during the penitential prayers of the High Holy Days, and says, 'Oh God, I am a gornisht, a nothing." At which point, the president of the shul elbows the rabbi, and in a sarcastic tone, asks, "'Look who's also a 'nothing'?!" Like the shamash, we are sometimes too humble. The danger of being too modest is that we don't have the courage to challenge injustice. Instead we believe that we are too weak to effect change, saying, 'Who are we to change...'

So how do we find a healthy balance between Moses and Korach? I think Samuel represents the middle ground. Unlike Korach he has no vested political interests; he does not support the monarchy, because he himself wants to be king. Although like Moses, Samuel prays on behalf of the Israelites, he is also prepared to chastise them. He threatens them with rain (rain during the wheat harvest would have destroyed the wheat crop). But most of all, the lesson he teaches us, is how to respond to YHVH's call.

Instead of the reluctance shown by Moses, when YHVH first calls, Samuel's answer (like Abraham), is Hineni, I am here/ [ready]. Samuel then continues, 'Speak, for Your servant is listening' (I Sam. 3:10). We should not be like Korach, who assumes that he has the authority of YHVH, nor like Moses, who believes that he is unworthy. We should be always open to listening so we will hear YHVH's voice. Then, our answer should be 'Speak, for Your servant is listening.''

Shabbat Shalom

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Parashat Shelach Lecha - the Haftara

Shelach Lecha - the Haftara
Joshua 2:1-24
Reading date: 13th June 2009 – 14th Sivan 5769


Our Highlighted Haftara text

"Now, since I have shown loyalty to you, swear to me by Adonai that you in turn will show loyalty to my family. Provide me with a reliable sign..."Joshua 2: 12

The signs to enter YHVH's Promised Land and see His Presence may be found in surprising places!

In this week's parasha, Shelach Lecha, we read of the disastrous episode of the spies sent to scout out the land of Israel. It is this lack of faith and gratitude that sentences the Israelites to wander in the desert for 38 [more] years. In a parallel account, (hence its choice by the Rabbis for this week) the haftara provides closure: Joshua similarly sends two spies, and this time the mission is successful.

Besides the obvious connection to the book of Numbers' spy story, the haftara has a number of parallels to other narratives in Torah. The crimson thread connects this narrative also to the birth of Perez and Zerach (Gen. 38), the sons of Tamar. Like Rahab, Tamar was a Canaanite woman who used sexual seduction to secure safety for her herself and her family. The crimson thread that identifies Rahab's house and protects her and her family is reminiscent of the blood on the doorposts that protected the Israelites in Egypt. (Parenthetically, the 'crimson thread' that identified the harlot's house is said to be the original 'red light' district.) Finally, Rahab's bravery lying to the king about the spies' whereabouts calls to mind the midwives who similarly risk their lives when confronted by Pharaoh. Interestingly, Rahab actually explicitly refers to the Exodus narrative as one of the things she knows about the Israelites' God.

The book of Joshua is the first book of the section of Prophets, and continues chronologically from the death of Moses. Joshua succeeds Moses and is the military leader who invades and conquers Canaan. Joshua lived around 1200 BCE (the beginning of the Iron Age).
Rahab is a fascinating character. The Hebrew root of her name: (resh, het, bet) means 'wide' or 'spacious'. The word frequently appears with the former meaning when dimensions such as 50 cubits wide are listed (Noah's Ark, and the Ark of the Covenant). The latter meaning is given as the etymology of the city Rehovot. After several disputes over wells between the herdsmen of Gerar and the herdsmen of Isaac, they dug another well that they didn't fight over, and they named the place Rehovot, for "now at last Adonai has granted us ample space to increase in the land." (Gen. 26:22). The Bible uses the phrase, rehov ha'ir, which probably refers to the centre, open area of the city (like the Roman forum). In Modern Hebrew, the word rehov means street. Appropriately enough, Rahab 'worked the street.'

Rahab is identified as a 'zonah - prostitute' which lends an almost comic quality to the story. One tradition recorded in the Babylonian Talmud goes even further, and describes her as the Marilyn Monroe of the Bible- just saying her name can make men go crazy (Megillah 15b). Generally, however, the Rabbis try to recast Rahab; (following Rashi) that ‘zonah’ refers to being an innkeeper, like 'birkat hamazon'- the grace after meals. Some midrashim go even further and make Rahab into a righteous convert like Ruth, since she says, "Adonai your God is God in heaven above and here on earth" (Josh. 2:12).

This is surprising, because in the Bible, prostitution is often paired with idolatry, which is described as literally, whoring after other gods. The remedy for such idolatrous prostitution is found at the conclusion of our parasha, where, instead of 'looking' after false gods, we are commanded to look at the tzitzit (blue threads): "You shall look at it and recall all the commandments of Adonai and observe them so that you do not follow your heart and eyes whoring after them" (Num. 15:39). The word to 'follow' is ‘taturu’, the same verb used to describe the 'spying' of the scouts: ‘latur et ha'aretz’ (it even sounds like the English: tour!). Rashi comments: the eyes and heart are the bodies' spies.

The lesson of the spies' mission gone horribly wrong is that they focused on the wrong things. Rabbi Lawrence Kushner (liberally adapting the midrash of Shmot Rabbah 24:1) describes the experience of two Israelites, Reuven and Shimon at the greatest miracle, the splitting of the sea:
"What is this muck?"Shimon scowled, "There's mud all over the place!""This is just like the slime pits of Egypt!" replied Reuven."What's the difference?" complained Shimon. "Mud here, mud there; it's all the same."... For Reuven and Shimon the miracle never happened.

In addition to this theme of prostitution / spying, the motif of looking at a particular colored thread also connects the Torah and haftara portions. In the haftara too, the spies are told to look for a red cord. The red string is a sign, 'ot' which serves as an ironic reminder that the Israelites disregarded the 'ot' the very signs that the Almighty had performed: "How long will this people spurn Me, and how long will they have no faith in Me despite all the signs ‘otot’ that I have performed in their midst? (Num. 14:22). In the Rahab narrative, the red thread becomes a sign of loyalty, the very opposite of prostitution.

It seems that even earth-shattering miracles are no guarantee that our lives will be filled with the Almighty’s presence. Perhaps we have to look for Hiss signs in more subtle ways. Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute is an unlikely hero. Yet it was Rahab who had the faith in the Almighty that the Israelites themselves hadn't demonstrated, and helped them keep their eyes open.
To enter the Promised Land, we have to be prepared to see the Almighty’s Presence, and the signs may be found in surprising places!

Shabbat Shalom

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Parashat Beha'alotcha - the Haftara

Beha’alotcha - the Haftara
Zechariah 2:14-4:7
Reading date: 6th June 2009 – 14th Sivan 5769

Our Highlighted Haftara Text
"He said to me: What do you see? I said: I see a lamp stand all of gold with a bowl on its top; there are seven lamps on it, and on its top there are seven pipes for the lamps. By it are two olive trees, one on the right of the bowl, and the other on its left.” Zechariah 4:2-3

The menorah is a symbol of the Jewish people's faith that has endured.

This is the only passage from the book of Zechariah chosen for the Haftarot. Zechariah's vision of the menorah connects the haftara to the Torah's description of the golden menorah. This passage was also chosen by the Rabbis to be read on the Shabbat of Chanukah as well. The Rabbis deliberately play down the Maccabees military victory by choosing Zechariah's vision: "Not by might, not by power, but by My spirit."

The prophet describes our restoration to the land, here described uniquely as ‘admat kodesh’, 'Holy Land.' The term “Holy Land”, is a Christian title for the Land of Israel but Israelis usually call it, ‘Ha'aretz’ (The Land). Zechariah's vision of peace (inviting each other to the "shade of grapevines and fig trees"), not only includes YHVH dwelling in our midst, but many nations recognizing YHVH and becoming one of His people.

In 586 BCE, the first Temple of Solomon was destroyed and the Jews had been exiled to Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzar. After his defeat at the hands of Cyrus (539 BCE) Cyrus allowed the exiled Jews to return. Although they encountered adverse economic and political conditions, construction was completed in four years. Zechariah lived during the reign of Cyrus's successor, Darius I. The 'Jewish province' of Babylonia (Yehud) was led by the governor Zerubavel (a descendant from the House of David) and the High Priest Joshua.

We know little about Zechariah's personal life, except for the name of his father Berachiah, and grandfather, Ido. The book is difficult, with a clear distinction between chapter 8 and 9, leading some scholars to suggest that it is the work of two individuals.

The Temple, Jerusalem, and the land of Israel were central to the ancient Israelites. The original exiles believed that they had been exiled from YHVH's presence. While the captors taunted the Israelites: "Sing us a song of Zion," their response was, "How can we sing Adonai's song on foreign soil?" Although later, the Rabbis indeed imagine that YHVH too was exiled along with the Jewish people, the original idea is that the Almighty was rooted to the land.

Zechariah's vision (and reassuring message to Zerubavel the appointed governor), not only promises that Adonai will restore the Jewish people back to the land, but that the Almighty will reside among them. The Hebrew (shachanti betocheich) echoes the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and Ex. 25:8. If we are not in the land, we are disconnected from YHVH. (Contrast this with the fact that although our connection to the land has remained central, much (most?) of the ‘Nation of Israel’ has developed on foreign soil: the Exodus, Sinai, and the development of the Talmud.)
Although Solomon builds the First Temple, the permanent replacement for the portable Mishkan, the Almighty’s love affair with Solomon is short-lived. Ultimately Solomon disappoints: he builds shrines to the gods of the two most hated enemies of Israel, the Moabites and the Ammonites (I Kings 11:7). The fragile united kingdom of Solomon's monarchy falls apart, and the long list of kings of Israel and kings of Judah are not favored by YHVH. How many kings (besides Saul, David and Solomon) can the average person name? Who knows Asa, Jehoshaphat, Ahaziah, Yoram? Instead of political authority, the central biblical figures in this era are the prophets. Contrast the little known kings with our familiarity with Elijah, Isaiah, Amos. YHVH's authority rests with those who speak with His voice. Kings, Temples, even the land do not guarantee fulfilling His destiny. The Bible focuses its attention from secular leaders and political power to a new kind of religious voice.

In the words of archaeologist, Avner Goren,
"God relates to us on two levels: the level of faith and belief, and the level of nationality and being a people. As a nation, you need land. But as a religion, you do not. ... Moses is the most central figure of the religion, even though he never sets foot on the land. David and Solomon are the greatest leaders of the nation, but they are moral degenerates and disappointments to the Almighty. The lesson of the second half of the Bible is that physical land, political power, even the Temple, are not the ends for YHVH's people. Following His Torah is the goal."
Israel Mattuck would agree: "In the ancient world a 'nation' comprised a religion, political unity and often common descent. For the Prophets, religion had the central place in the Hebrew nation. All their thought about Israel has to be understood in the light of their belief that it was a people of religion."


Although we mourn the destruction of the Temple, and our people's exile to Babylon, it was there, with the prophets, that the tribal and cultic practices of a small band of Israelites were transformed into the universal and ethical beliefs of the Jewish religion, and what we would call Judaism was born. Zechariah's final image is the menorah flanked by two olive trees (now Israel's official emblem). Like the eternal flame, it is a symbol of the Jewish people's faith that has endured.

Shabbat Shalom