Daf Ditty Yoma 29: Ayelet Hashachar

Rembrandt - Haman Begging the Mercy of Esther

I. In March the earth remembers its own name. Everywhere the plates of snow are cracking. The rivers begin to sing. In the sky the winter stars are sliding away; new stars

1 appear as, later, small blades of grain will shine in the dark fields.

And the name of every place is joyful.

II. The season of curiosity is everlasting and the hour for adventure never ends, but tonight even the men who walked upon the moon are lying content by open windows where the winds are sweeping over the fields, over water, over the naked earth, into villages, and lonely country houses, and the vast cities

III. because it is spring; because once more the moon and the earth are eloping - a love match that will bring forth fantastic children who will learn to stand, walk, and finally run over the surface of earth; who will believe, for years, that everything is possible.

IV. Born of clay, how shall a man be holy; born of water, how shall a man visit the stars; born of the seasons, how shall a man live forever?

V. Soon the child of the red-spotted newt, the eft, will enter his life from the tiny egg. On his delicate legs

2 he will run through the valleys of moss down to the leaf mold by the streams, where lately white snow lay upon the earth like a deep and lustrous blanket of moon-fire,

VI. and probably everything is possible. Worm Moon, Mary Oliver

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§ The mishna asks: And why did they need to ascertain this? The mishna answered that there was an incident where they confused the light of the moon with the light of the rising sun and slaughtered the daily morning offering too early. The Gemara asks: And are sunlight and moonlight mistaken for one another? Wasn’t it taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: A column of the light of the moon is not similar to a column of the light of the sun; a column of the light of the moon rises like a staff in one column while a column of the light of the sun diffuses to here and to there? The Gemara answers that the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: It was a cloudy day, and then even the moonlight diffuses to here and to there, which caused them to err and believe that it was the rising sun. Rav Pappa said: Learn from this statement of Rabbi Yishmael that a cloudy day is similar to a completely sunny day because the sunlight is further diffused by the clouds.

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Apropos a cloudy day, the Gemara cites that Rav Naḥman said: The hazy light of the sun through the clouds is more damaging than the light of the sun itself. And your mnemonic is the cover of a jar of vinegar: As long as the jar is tightly closed, the odor of the vinegar does not spread and it intensifies. Even the slightest opening in the lid releases an odor more powerful than the odor generated by vinegar that was not sealed in a jar. The same is true with regard to the rays of the sun. With regard to sunlight that is obscured behind clouds, when it escapes through breaks in the clouds it is more powerful than direct sunlight. Dazzling sunlight, which shines through cracks in the clouds, is more harmful to the eyes than direct sunlight. And your mnemonic is a drip; water that drips on a person is more bothersome than water in which one completely immerses his body.

Jastrow

RASHI

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Thoughts of transgression are worse than transgression itself, and your mnemonic is the odor of meat. The smell of roasting meat is more appetizing than actually eating the meat. The heat of the end of summer is more oppressive than the heat of the summer itself, and your mnemonic is a heated oven. After an oven has been heated several times in the course of a day, lighting it again, even slightly, will produce powerful heat. So too, at the end of the summer, since everything is hot, the heat is more oppressive.

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A fever in the winter is more powerful than a fever in the summer, and your mnemonic is a cold oven. Heating a cold oven requires greater heat than heating a hot oven. A fever that succeeds in raising the body temperature in the winter must be more powerful than a fever that raises the body temperature in the summer. Relearning old material that was known and forgotten is more difficult than learning from new material. And your mnemonic is mixing mortar from mortar. It is harder to take hardened mortar, crush it, and mix new mortar than it is to simply mix new mortar.

Apropos moonlight and sunlight discussed previously, Rabbi Abbahu said: What is the rationale for the statement of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi that sunlight diffuses and in that sense is dissimilar to moonlight? It is as it is written: “For the leader, about the morning hind” (Psalms 22:1); just as the antlers of a hind branch out to here and to there, so too, the light of dawn diffuses to here and to there.

In tractate Megilla, the Gemara states that Queen Esther prophetically recited this Psalm in reference to her situation as she was about to come before King Ahasuerus without being summoned. Rabbi Zeira said: Why is Esther likened to a hind? It is to tell you: Just as in the

9 case of a hind its womb is narrow and it is desirable to its mate at each and every hour like it is at the first hour, so too, Esther was desirable to Ahasuerus at each and every hour like she was at the first hour. Rabbi Asi said: Why was Esther likened to the dawn? It is to tell you: Just as the dawn is the conclusion of the entire night, so too, Esther was the conclusion of all miracles performed for the entire Jewish people.

The Gemara asks: But isn’t there the miracle of Hanukkah, which was performed many years later? The Gemara answers: It is true that additional miracles were performed after the miracle of Purim; however, it is with regard to miracles for which permission was granted to write them in the Bible that we are saying that the miracle of Purim was the last one. The Gemara asks: That works out well according to the one who said: Permission was granted to write the Scroll of Esther in the Bible as a book whose sanctity equals that of the other books of the Bible. However, according to the one who said: Permission was not granted to write the Scroll of Esther in the Bible, and its sanctity does not reach the level of the other books of the Bible, what can be said?

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The Gemara answers: Actually, Purim was not the conclusion of all miracles performed for the entire Jewish people, and the one who holds that permission was not granted for the Scroll of Esther to be written establishes the analogy between Esther and the hind in accordance with the statement that Rabbi Binyamin bar Yefet said that Rabbi Elazar said; as Rabbi Binyamin bar Yefet said that Rabbi Elazar said: Why are the prayers of the righteous likened to a hind? It is to tell you: Just as with regard to a hind, as long as it grows its antlers they continue to branch out; so too, with regard to the righteous, as long as they engage more in prayer their prayer is heard.

Summary

What is more severe?

The Gemora continues with its list: 1. Thinking about sin is worse than sin, similar to roasting meat, whose odor is hard for someone to withstand.

11 2. The end of the summer is harsher than the summer itself, similar to a heated oven, whose coals were removed, which can cook more easily than an oven being heated by coals. 3. A fever in autumn is harsher than one in the summer, similar to a cold oven, which needs a lot of coals to heat it up. 4. Studying something one already learned is harder than studying something new, similar to earth from an old wall, which is harder to mold than fresh clay.

Ayeles hashachar

Rabbi Avahu explains that Rebbe’s source to say that the illumination of the sun spreads out is the verse which refers to the psalm on ayeles hashachar – the doe of the morning, teaching that the morning rays spread out, just like the doe's horns.

Rabbi Zeira says that this psalm, said by Esther, compares her to a doe, since Esther was always beloved to Ahashverosh each time he had relations with her, just as a doe is beloved to her mate, since her womb is narrow.

Rav Assi says the psalm compares her to the morning, since she was the end of miracles, just as the morning is at the end of the night. The Gemora challenges this, as the miracle of Chanukah was later, but answers that she was the last of miracles written down.

The Gemora says that this is valid only according to those who say that the megilla of Esther was written in Tanach, but those who say it wasn't written would explain that the verse is comparing a doe to shachar – prayer. Just as a doe's horns grow larger as she grows, so whenever the righteous pray, their prayers are answered.

Mistaken daybreak

The Mishna stated that when they mistook the moonlight for dawn, they slaughtered the tamid and then had to burn it.

The Gemora asks when this occurred. If it wasn't Yom Kippur, why does the Mishna continue by saying that the kohen gadol would immerse in the mikveh, as any kohen can perform the service? But if it was Yom Kippur, how could they make this mistake, as the moon doesn't shine at the end of the night at that time of the month?

The Gemora explains that the mistake was not on Yom Kippur, but the Mishna continues to discuss Yom Kippur, saying that once they determined that it was morning, the kohen gadol would immerse in the mikveh.

Pure Thoughts

The Gemara tells us that thoughts of sin are more destructive than sin itself.

12 The Anaf Yosef commentary on Ein Yaakov asks that although a person can control his actions to refrain from sin, how can he refrain his mind from even thinking about sin?

Who has such self-discipline that he can hinder stray thoughts from entering his mind?

To answer, he offers two suggestions. Firstly, a person is not held responsible for the thoughts that enter his mind unbidden. However, once the thought enters his mind, he must dismiss it immediately and not linger on it. Secondly, if a person’s mind is occupied with thoughts of Torah, the holiness of the Torah protects him from evil notions.

ESTHER AND THE DOE

Rav Mordechai Kornfeld writes:

The Gemara cites the verse in Tehilim (22:1), "la'Menatze'ach Al Ayeles ha'Shachar." The Gemara explains that David ha'Melech recited this psalm as a prayer for Esther.

Rebbi Zeira explains why David ha'Melech compares Esther to an Ayeles, a doe: just as an Ayeles is beloved to its mate at every moment just like the very first moment, so, too, Esther was beloved to Achashverosh at every moment just like the first moment that he met her.

Why is it important for David ha'Melech to mention this quality of Esther in his prayer and to relate Achashverosh's love for her?

The Gemara (Berachos 58a) teaches that "Malchusa d'Ar'a k'Ein Malchusa d'Raki'a" -- the qualities of an earthly, corporeal king reflect the qualities of the heavenly King. This theme is also expressed in the Midrash (Esther Rabah 3:15) when it says that every time the word "ha'Melech" ("the King") appears in Megilas Esther (and refers, in the simple sense, to King Achashverosh), it is an allusion to the King of Kings, Hashem.

When David ha'Melech relates the love that Achashverosh had for Esther, he alludes to the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people. As a result of the virtuous deeds of Esther during the time of Purim, the relationship of Hashem to the Jewish people changed. Hashem expressed His love for them in a way that showed that He loves them with the same love as when they first became His people at the time the Torah was given.

This love is mutual. The Jewish people are the "Ayeles Ahavim" of Hashem. The Gemara in Eruvin (54b) derives from the verse, "Ayeles Ahavim v'Ya'alas Chen" -- "a doe of love and a roe of grace" (Mishlei 5:19) -- that the words of Torah are compared to a doe: just as a doe is beloved to its mate as when they were first together, so, too, Divrei Torah are precious and beloved to the person who learns them as when he learned them for the first time.

This theme underlies the miracle of Purim. At that time of miraculous delivery from destruction, the Jewish people renewed their love for the Mitzvos, just as they felt when they received the

13 Torah and Mitzvos at Sinai. Hashem responded measure for measure and showed them that He loved them as much as when they first became His people.

The Jewish people's renewed love for Mitzvos, and Hashem's display of love for the Jewish people, has further implications. When Haman presented to Achashverosh his plan for the destruction of the Jews, he argued, "Yeshno Am Echad" -- "there exists a certain nation" (Esther 3:8). The Gemara (Megilah 13b) explains that Haman said, "There is a certain nation which is sleeping (Yeshno) from the Mitzvos." Haman reasoned that his attempts to destroy the Jewish people would be successful, because the Jews' fulfillment of the Mitzvos had become so heartless; their apathy towards the Mitzvos would forfeit any Divine protection they might otherwise have been entitled to receive. Hashem responded to their indolent performance of the Mitzvos measure for measure by acting as though He was sleeping, and He did not reveal His presence to them. Indeed, the Midrash relates that Haman claimed that Hashem was "sleeping from protecting His people," and it cites the verse (Tehilim 44:24), "Arouse! Why should You sleep, Hashem!" (See Esther Rabah 7:12, 10:1.)

The verse later in the Megilah says, "ba'Lailah ha'Hu Nadedah Shenas ha'Melech" -- "on that night, the king's sleep was disturbed" (Esther 6:1). The Midrash (Esther Rabah 10:1) comments that this verse refers to Hashem's sleep. When the Jews realized the imminent danger that faced them, they repented and turned to Hashem in fervent prayer and fasting. They aroused themselves from their slumber, and in return Hashem aroused Himself from His slumber, so to speak -- "va'Yikatz k'Yashen Hashem" -- "and Hashem woke up as one who sleeps" (Tehilim 78:65, Esther Rabah 7:12). When the Jews repented sincerely and accepted upon themselves to fulfill the Torah as though it was the first time they received it -- as the verse says, "Kiyemu v'Kiblu" (Esther 9:27; Shabbos 88a) -- Hashem responded accordingly and treated the Jews with a display of renewed love. David ha'Melech refers to Esther as an "Ayeles," a symbol of her role as the one who prompted the reconciliation in the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people, so that they were as beloved to each other as they were at the time the Torah was given.

This theme is reflected in other elements of Purim. The Gemara (Megilah 7b) states that a person should become inebriated on Purim "Ad d'Lo Yada Bein Baruch Mordechai l'Arur Haman," until he does not know the difference between "Blessed is Mordechai" and "Cursed is Haman."

The REMA (OC 695:2) rules that the Gemara does not mean that one should get drunk, but rather that one should drink a little more than usual and then go to sleep. Perhaps the reason why a person should fulfill the Halachah of "Ad d'Lo Yada" in this way is to commemorate the events of Purim. The Jews were "sleeping from the Mitzvos," and Hashem reacted as though He was asleep. Through the miraculous events of Purim, the Jews were inspired to do Teshuvah and to awaken themselves from their slumber, and they thereby became worthy of Hashem awaking from His slumber, so to speak.

In addition, the Gemara (Megilah 10b) says that the name "Mordechai" comes from the words "Mor Deror" (or "Mor Dachi" in Aramaic). "Mor Deror" was the first of the spices and herbs used in the Shemen ha'Mishchah and the Ketores (Shemos 30:23). Just as the aroma of the ingredients of the Ketores continually stimulated the senses and no one ever tired of the smell, so, too,

14 Mordechai aroused the people to renew their love for Hashem to such a degree that their love would never become dull.

The Mishnah earlier (26a) alludes to this quality of the Ketores when it says, "Chadashim la'Ketores" (only "new" Kohanim who had never before offered the Ketores were permitted to participate in the Payis for the Ketores). A characteristic of the aromatic Ketores is that its sweet smell arouses people to renew their love for Hashem. Perhaps this quality is reflected in the enactment that only "new" Kohanim ("Chadashim") may offer the Ketores. New Kohanim, who have never performed the Avodah of the Ketores, will perform the Mitzvah with great zeal and love.

Like Esther, who is compared to the Ayeles, Mordechai was able to bring his people to renew their love for Hashem and His Torah.

PURIM -- THE END OF THE NIGHT

Rav Kalman Weinreb said:

The Gemara cites the verse in Tehilim (22:1), "La'Menatze'ach Al Ayeles ha'Shachar." The Gemara explains that David ha'Melech recited this psalm as a prayer for Esther.

Rebbi Asi asks why David ha'Melech compares Esther to the "Shachar," the break of dawn. He answers that just as daybreak marks the end of the night, so, too, Esther marked the end of miracles.

Why does the Gemara compare the end of miracles to the beginning of the day? The occurrence of miracles grants man a glimpse of Hashem's omnipresent involvement in the events of history. As such, it would be far more appropriate to compare the end of miracles to the end of the day, when darkness descends upon the world and man no longer has a clear view of Hashem's direct involvement in the world.

MAHARSHA explains that the Gemara means that Purim is the end of the "miracles that occur in Galus." Such miracles are like flashes of light in the dark of night which encourage the Jew that Hashem has not forsaken him. The Gemara does not mean that the miracles themselves are like the nighttime; rather, it refers to "miracles of the nighttime," miracles that occur during times of Galus. At the time of Purim, the darkness of the night of Galus began to wane and give way to daybreak, rendering flashes of light, or open miracles, unnecessary.

The Maharsha bases this explanation on the Midrash which says that all of the miracles in this world occur at night, but when the final Ge'ulah comes the miracles will occur during the day. Purim is the last of the miracles to occur during the night of Galus.

"Esther marked the end of miracles" means that after the miracle of Purim, no more miracles were necessary to remind the Jew that Hashem is still with him, despite the apparent concealment of His presence. No "flashes of light" were necessary after the miracle of Purim, because it became clear at that time that Hashem would always be with the Jewish people and protect them. The miracles that happened before Purim showed only that Hashem was with the Jewish people when

15 they lived in Eretz Yisrael and merited to have open miracles. When they were sent into Galus, however, the fear arose that Hashem might not stay with them, as they did not have the merit to be worthy of open miracles outside of Eretz Yisrael. The miracle of Purim showed that Hashem remains with His people even when they are in Galus. Even though Hashem does not send open miracles like those that occurred when the Beis ha'Mikdash stood, He sends miracles disguised in natural occurrences in order to give the Jewish people the confidence that He will protect them through whatever they might endure until the final Ge'ulah.

The Gemara concludes that Purim was the last of the miracles that was "given over to be recorded in writing." There were other miracles after Purim (such as Chanukah), but those miracles did not have to be committed to writing. Only miracles that pertain to all future generations are formally committed to writing (Megilah 14a). It was not necessary to record the others, because the Jews already had the knowledge from the miracle of Purim that Hashem would be with them until the final Ge'ulah.

MESHECH CHOCHMAH (beginning of Parshas Bechukosai) explains that the entire process of nature itself is a miracle. However, a person becomes accustomed to it and fails to give adequate praise to Hashem. The open miracles that Hashem performs serve to remind man about the miracles constantly present and inherent in the natural order of the world.

Man's ideal state of awareness of Hashem is when he sees Hashem's involvement in the normal functioning of the world, without open miracles. Open miracles are a crutch that enable a person to recognize Hashem during a time when the darkness of night clouds his vision and blocks his view. A person, however, should ideally recognize Hashem in the world without open miracles. At the time of the final Ge'ulah, the world will reach a state in which the knowledge and awareness of Hashem in the natural course of the world will become evident to everyone, without open miracles. Purim initiated this state of awareness of Hashem's involvement in the natural course of the world. It is appropriate, therefore, for the Gemara to compare the end of open miracles to the beginning of the day.

Is the thought worse than the act?

Steinzaltz (OBM) writes:1

The Mishna (28a) taught that the kohanim were sent to search the skies on Yom Kippur morning in order to ascertain when the sun had risen and the Temple service could begin. The explanation for this procedure was that an error had once taken place and the light from the moon had been mistaken for the light of the sun. In the course of discussing how this error could have taken place, the Gemara explains the difference between how the light of the sun is perceived, in contrast with the light of the moon, and concludes that only on a cloudy day could such a mistake have been made. This discussion leads the Gemara to quote a list of comparisons made by Rav Nahman.

1 https://www.steinsaltz-center.org/home/doc.aspx?mCatID=68446

16 The hazy light of the sun through the clouds is more damaging than the light of the sun itself...Dazzling sunlight, which shines through cracks in the clouds, is more harmful to the eyes than direct sunlight...Thoughts of transgression are worse than transgression itself...

The sin that is usually referred to by the Gemara when it uses the term aveira is a sin of a sexual nature. Thus, it appears that Rav Nahman is saying that forbidden sexual thoughts are worse than forbidden sexual acts, a statement that demands explanation. Rashi explains that this does not refer to the severity of the sin, but to the lust that accompanies thinking about the sin, which is even greater than what exists during the sinful act itself.

Nevertheless, most commentaries understand the statement to be referring to the severity of the thought and the act. In the Moreh Nevuchim, the Rambam explains that the mind, the intellect, is on a much higher level than physical activities. Therefore, sinning in one’s thoughts creates greater damage to the person than does an act of sinning. The Ohr ha-Hayyim suggests that once someone has sinned, he has satisfied his inner need and is ready to begin a process of teshuvah – repentance – leading to atonement. Sinful thoughts which are never acted upon, however, never satisfy the person, and he will never try to undo or repent from them.

Mark Kerzner writes:2

Earlier we mentioned how the priests mistook the light of the moon for the light of the sun and slaughtered the morning sacrifice before its time. But how was it possible? The light of the moon shows in a column, and the light of the sun is spread out!? - It was a cloudy day. This teaches us an additional lessons: the sun behind the clouds diffuses its heat. Why is that important? - for example, this may affect the leavening of matzah.

Rav Nachman continued with teachings about the sun. The sun bursting through the cloud feels stronger than in the open sky, just as the smell of vinegar in a jar, when released, feels stronger. The thoughts of wrongdoing are more harmful to a man than an actual act, just as the smell of roasting meat is more pleasing than the meat itself. Relearning something once learned but forgotten is harder than acquiring knew knowledge, similar to making new cement from old cement.

The rising of the sun spread behind the clouds is compared to antlers of a morning hind . On that subject, why was Ester compared to hind? - Just as a hind has a narrow womb and is desirable to her mate every time as first one, so was Ester desirable to the king Ahasuerus. And so are the words of the Torah always beloved to those who learn them. And just as the antlers always grow, so too the prayers of the righteous become stronger as they persist in them.

2 http://talmudilluminated.com/yoma/yoma29.html

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Life lessons.

R. Heather Miller writes:3

Have you ever gotten a sunburn on a cloudy day? If so, it might be because sunlight that shines through clouds can be more harmful than direct sunlight.

This unlikely truth is one of a series related on our daf in a long list of associative teachings. Why are the rabbis discussing sunlight in the first place? Because they are trying to determine how to ascertain when the day begins. Apparently, one time the Temple priests got it wrong and accidentally made a sacrifice before it was time to do so. Later we learn that this happened on, of all days, the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur.

This happened because someone confused moon rays for sun rays. And the rabbis realized that the person who confused them might not have understood the way that moon rays and sun rays differed in quality. So, they decide to share all kinds of other life lessons that might also sound counterintuitive.

First, we learn that sun rays that are obscured by clouds are more powerful than direct sunlight. This is then compared to a partially sealed jar of vinegar which smells more odorous than vinegar that is left out, just as a drip of water is more of a nuisance than total immersion in water.

Then we learn that thoughts of transgression are actually worse than the transgression itself in the same way that the odor of meat sparks appetite stronger than consuming the meat itself.

From there, the rabbis tell us the end of summer is more oppressive than summer itself, just as an oven that is heated repeatedly is more intense than an oven that is heated once. And that a fever in winter is more intense than in summer just as heating a cold oven requires more intensity than heating a hot oven. Returning to forgotten material is more difficult than learning new material, just as crushing and mixing new mortar from old mortar is harder than making new mortar from scratch.

Why are all these lessons piled up on this page? The Talmud was not only a place for the rabbis to explore the finer details of the law, but also a place to contemplate how the law interacts with the natural world around them, a place to record life lessons with future generations that would endure throughout time.

We usually only learn unlikely truths through experience. But this page reads like a textbook of principles of the way the world works.

3 https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/yoma-29/

18 What truths might you like to pass on to the next generation? Maybe it’s to always have multiple backups of important data. Or to never back a car up more than absolutely necessary to reduce risk. Or that writing a sermon will take as much time as you give it because you only abandon your work and never actually complete it.

So cheers to the rabbis who shared the knowledge of their time with us. We are better for it.

Rabbi Johnny Solomon writes:4

Today’s daf is Yoma 29a, and today is also the 28th of Iyar - Yom Yerushalayim – when we celebrate the victory of the six-day-war and the reunification of Jerusalem. And ordinarily, there should be no obvious connection between these two. Yet while by no means the first time when this has occurred, when I came to study today’s daf, I encountered various references which reminded me of the summer of 1967 and the events of the Six Day War.

Specifically, much of our daf (Yoma 29a) focuses its attention on the words of Tehillim 22:1 although it should be noted that there is considerable debate within rabbinic , נמל חצ לע א י תל רחשה ת ע ח מ texts about the actual meaning of these words. For example, Rashi, in his commentary to Tehillim 22, seemingly offers three explanations of this phrase:

1) ‘For the conductor of the musical instrument called an ayelet hashachar’;

2) ‘For the conductor of the nation of Israel which is like a doe (‘ayelet’) of the dawn (‘shachar’)’,

3) ‘For the Eternal One whose strength (‘ayelet’) is evident in dawn (‘shachar’)’.

Still, when pondering each of these interpretations, they each recall an aspect of those incredibly difficult yet equally extraordinary six days in June 1967. And in particular, the reference to dawn in the verse reminds me of the early morning of June 7th when – despite what seemed to be impossible odds – the soldiers of the IDF entered the Old City of Jerusalem and arrived at the Kotel.

Interestingly, though written around a century before these events, the commentary of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on Tehillim 22 also seems to describe, in an almost prophetic tone, the events of those difficult days in 1967:

“[Psalm 22 describes how] the night of suffering enshrouds Israel in the deepest blackness of threatening destruction. Israel believes that the Lord has forsaken it, but yet it knows, somehow, that its relationship with Him has not been completed severed. Just as Israel remembers the aid which God had always given to its fathers in times of trouble, so, even while surrounded by its foes, Israel nurtures the memory of that past Divine support which always upheld it in all its fights. Thus Israel derives strength, and the confidence that the Lord will send His help once again… Then, Israel delights in the gladdening realization that it is this very experience of God’s hand amidst its sufferings that has enabled it to proclaim God’s might unto all its future generations as well as unto all the rest of mankind.”

4 www.rabbijohnnysolomon.com

19 However, the connection does not end there. For example, it is noteworthy that one of the most influential books describing the unfolding redemption of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel - תליא which was written in the aftermath of the Six Day War by Rabbi Yaakov Filber - is called And why? Because, to his mind, the events that he saw with his eyes were nothing less than . חשה ר ש a new dawn that was worthy of a new song for the Jewish people.

with miracles and especially the תליא רחשה Returning to our daf, while it associates the phrase as a form תליא miracle of Purim, one final explanation is given in the daf which translates the word of prayer and which emphasizes the importance and centrality of prayer for the Jewish people. And why is this relevant? Because while the Six-Day-War was a military victory, undoubtedly the most powerful moments of that time were expressed by the cries of the soldiers at the kotel, as Haim Hefer expressed in his beautiful poem:

This Kotel has heard many prayers,

This Kotel has seen many walls fall,

This Kotel has felt wailing women's hands and notes pressed between its stones,

This Kotel has seen Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi trampled in front of it,

This Kotel has seen Caesars rising and falling,

But this Kotel has never before seen paratroopers cry.

This Kotel has seen them tired and exhausted

This Kotel has seen them wounded and scratched-up

Running towards it with beating hearts, with cries and with silence

Pouncing out like predators from the alleyways of the Old City

And they're dust-covered and dry-lipped

And they're whispering: if I forget you, if I forget you, O Jerusalem

And they are lighter than eagles and more tenacious then lions

And their tanks are the fiery chariot of Elijah the Prophet

And they pass like lightning

And they pass in fury

And they remember the thousands of terrible years in which we didn't even have a Kotel in front of which we could cry.

And here they are standing in front of it and breathing deeply

20 And here they are looking at it with the sweet pain

And the tears fall and they look awkwardly at each other

How is it that paratroopers cry?

How is it that they touch the wall with feeling?

How is it that from crying they move to singing?

Maybe it's because these 19-year-olds were born with the birth of Israel

Carrying on their backs - 2000 years.

Sunrise over Ramot, Jerusalem (Nov. 19, 2020) Photo taken by Elana Kravitz

Here Comes the Sun…

21 Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein writes:5

Then Yaakov gained the upper hand in his struggle against Esav’s angel, the angel asked to be released, saying, “Send me away, ki alah hashachar — for the morning has arisen” (Gen. 32:27). Shachar lends its name to the daily morning prayers, shacharit. Shachar, in the sense of “morning,” appears some twenty times in the Bible, although this pales in comparison to boker (“morning”), which appears more than 200 times. In this essay we will shed light on the difference between the words shachar and boker, as well as their Aramaic counterparts.

The Malbim (1809-1879) and Rabbi Shlomo Aharon Wertheimer (1866-1935) explain that boker stretches from haneitz hachamah (“sunrise”), i.e. when the sun is visible on the horizon, until either four hours into the day or noon (see Berachot 27a). Essentially, the period of time to which boker refers begins at sunrise and refers to the entire morning. [However, Rabbi Wertheimer somewhat retracts his position, given that the Talmud (Pesachim 4a) highlights Avraham’s zeal in following G-d’s command to bind Yitzchak by noting that he woke up before sunrise. This is somewhat problematic because the Bible writes that Avraham rose in the boker (Gen. 22:3), which according to the above explanation starts only at sunrise.]

In contrast, the word shachar refers to a point in time earlier than boker. It refers to the crack of dawn, which is even before the sun rises. Indeed, Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz (1500-1580), the author of the famous song Lecha Dodi, writes that shachar is not just a synonym of boker. Rather, it refers to the first rays of light that break through the night’s darkness (hence, the English term daybreak). Rabbi Alkabetz further explains that Psalms 22:1 compares shachar to an ayalah (“doe,” a female deer) that jumps swiftly and unexpectedly, just as the first rays of light shine forth suddenly without warning (while, conversely, the onset of darkness in the evening is gradual and not as sudden).

Moreover, the planet Venus is called ayelet hashachar — “the morning star” — because it is often visible in the early morning before the sun rises.

Rashi (to Ps. 22:1) explains that shachar means “morning,” and then cites Menachem Ibn Saruk that the word’s primary meaning is “examining, investigating, discerning.” For example, shocher tov (Prov. 11:27) refers to somebody who “seeks out” good. The Malbim explains that the type of “searching” connoted by the term shachar is consistent and persistent, just like the sun rises consistently every morning.

Ibn Ezra (to Gen. 1:5) and Radak (to Gen. 1:5 and in Sefer HaShorashim) explain that the basic meaning of the BET-KUF-REISH root from which boker derives is “seeking out/discerning/investigating.”

Only in the light of day — which obviously begins in the morning — can one discern the difference between various objects. During the evening or at night, the lack of light makes everything appear mixed up and one cannot discern the differences between them. (This is why the evening is called erev, which also means “mixture.”) Thus, shachar and boker both mean “morning” as well as “investigating or probing” — a point made explicit by Ibn Ezra (to Ps. 63:2).

5 https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/here-comes-the-sun/

22 Other terms derived from the BET-KUF-REISH root include bikoret (“investigation/inspection”), bikkur cholim (where one “finds out” what state the ill person is in and what can be done to help him), bakar (“domesticated cattle,” which require attention and supervision), and boker (“cowboy” who attends to the cattle and “seeks out” greener pastures).

The root SHIN-CHET-REISH, which is at the core of the word shachar, is also used for other words. For example, the Bible uses the word shacharut (Eccl. 11:10) to refer to one’s “youthful years.” Radak in Sefer HaShorashim explains that just like the “morning” is the beginning of the day, so too one’s “youth” is the beginning of one’s lifetime. Alternatively, Rashi explains that shacharut is related to shachor (the color “black”) because one’s hair tends to be blacker/darker in youth than in old age. Additionally, the prophet Yeshayahu describes something inexplicable as something “that has no shachar” (Isa. 8:20) because metaphorically-speaking it has no light shed upon it.

The Talmud (Yoma 29a) assumes that shachar connotes morning as the end of the night. Rabbi Wolf Heidenheim (1757-1832) explains that shachar is a cognate of shachor, because the light of dawn banishes the darkness of night. Alternatively, yet along similar lines, Peirush HaRokeach explains that dawn is called shachar because the sky is still partially black/dark (especially on the western horizon).

But more esoteric sources intimate a deeper explanation. The Zohar (Beshalach 46a) reveals that immediately before dawn, the pitch-black night’s sky becomes especially overwhelming, and the sun’s light must penetrate that thick darkness.

The British writer Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) famously expressed this idea in English:

“It is always darkest just before the day dawneth.”

The Vilna Gaon (1720-1797) writes that the darkest part of the night is right before the crack of dawn, just like the exile will be most difficult immediately before the Final Redemption. According to this, shachar is related to shachor because the onset of morning breaks through the darkest or blackest point of the night.

The Zohar’s idea is quite empowering and inspirational, but how can we substantiate its claim from a phenomenological perspective?

Rabbi Moshe Shapiro (1935-2016) explains that the first ray of morning light overshadows the smallest stars and other weaker sources of light, making them no longer visible, as though they were “extinguished.” However, that first ray of light is so subtle that it does not provide any noticeable illumination by itself. Thus, right at dawn the sky appears to grow even darker — although, paradoxically, the increased darkness actually heralds the morning’s arrival. Others explain that the Zohar refers only to certain times of the month when the moon sets in the early morning before sunrise.

23 Rabbi Eliyahu HaBachur (1469-1549) points out that Targum Onkelos consistently, throughout the Pentateuch, translates both shachar and boker as tzafra. However, in the books of Job, Proverbs, and Psalms — which incidentally share a cantillation system that differs from the rest of the Bible — Targum translates boker as tzafra and shachar as kritzuta.

The word tzafra is the typical Aramaic word used in the Talmud for “morning” and, interestingly, Rashi’s way of saying “good morning” was tzafra de’mareh tav.

Nachmanides (to Lev. 14:4) explains that tzippor (“bird”) is derived from tzafra (“morning”)because birds wake up early in the morning to start chirping. Conversely, Rabbi Aharon Marcus (1843-1916) writes that tzafra is derived from tzippor, because birds tend to chirp in the morning.

Rabbi Yaakov Zev Lev (1946-2018) in Me’at Tzari points out an apparent contradiction in Peirush HaRokeach about this point. In one place, the Rokeach (to Gen. 1:5) writes that the Hebrew word tzafra is derived from tzippor. In doing so he writes that the Hebrew word for “morning” (shachar) is related to “black” (shachor), and since “black” is reminiscent of the “blackbird,” the Aramaic word for “morning” (tzafra) is related to the “blackbird.” Plus, he writes that tzafra is derived from tzippor because birds tend to fly about early in the morning. These two explanations posit that tzafra is derived from tzippor (like Rabbi Marcus).

Yet, elsewhere, the Rokeach (to Gen. 1:20) writes that the word tzippor is derived from tzafra (like Nachmanides),because birds tend to fly up high before sunup. In short, tzafra and tzippor are clearly linked, but it is hard to say which came first.

As opposed to Targum Onkelos, Targum Yonatan (to Gen. 19:15; 32:27) translates shachar as kritizin, while Targum Neofiti (there) simply Aramaicizes the Hebrew word shachar into shachara. Rabbi Moshe Kosover of Beit Chilkiyah suggests that the Aramaic word kritzuta/kritizin (“dawn/morning”)is related to the word kritzah, “winking”(Ps. 35:19, Prov. 6:13, and Yoma 19b). He explains that just as a wink is a small gesture that hints to something bigger, so too the dawn portends the imminent coming of daylight.

Psalm 22 - "My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me" Complaint, Supplication, and Thanksgiving Appendix: Psalm 22 and Purim

Rav Elchanan Samet writes:6

6 https://www.etzion.org.il/en/shiur-22-psalm-22-my-god-my-god-why-have-you-forsaken-me-complaint-supplication-and- thanksgiving

24 According to the different rites practiced in our time, Psalm 22 is recited at two different points in the Purim service:

1. The Sephardim and the Oriental communities open the evening service on the night of Purim with this psalm.

2. The Sephardim and the Oriental communities, as well as the Ashkenazim who follow the rite of the Vilna Gaon, recite Psalm 22 as the "Psalm of the Day" for Purim at the end of the Purim morning service.

In this study, we will attempt to reveal the sources of these two customs and to understand the rationales underlying them – the connection between Purim and the content of the psalm, according to its plain sense or its midrashic sense.

I. Reciting Psalm 22 Before the Evening Service on the Night of Purim

In his book, Tefilla U-Minhagei Tefilla Eretz-Yisraelim Be-Tekufat Ha-Geniza, Ezra Fleischer dedicates a long and detailed chapter to the ancient custom of the people of Eretz Yisrael to open the evening service of Shabbat and the Festivals with special psalms. These psalms marked, with a grand and festive flourish, the beginning of those days.[1] Within a more or less fixed framework of psalms, the main psalm would change from festival to festival in accordance with its content.[2] When this custom was fully developed, it was observed before the evening service of Shabbat, the Festivals, Chol Ha-Mo'ed, Rosh Chodesh, Chanuka, and Purim.

Fleischer follows the development of this ancient custom of Eretz Yisrael until several centuries ago in various machzorim that are no longer used in any active rites (see note 3). He concludes the chapter dealing with this custom as follows (p. 213):

The custom today to recite "Mizmor Shir Le-Yom Ha-Shabbat" and "Hashem Malakh Ge'ut Lavesh" before Barkhu on Friday night is but a remnant of the custom studied in this chapter… the very ancient practice in Eretz Yisrael, which has become completely forgotten from the heart.

In truth, however, the custom is observed even in our time, in a more modest manner than in the past and with changes, in the Sephardi communities. Before the evening service of Shabbat, the

25 Sephardim are accustomed to recite the psalms of Shabbat (Psalms 92-93, as is the custom today in all Jewish communities); in addition, "before the evening service of a Festival, they are accustomed to recite a chapter of Tehillim that is special for the day, it being called 'the psalm of the Festival.'"[3] They follow a similar practice before the evening service of Rosh Chodesh,[4] Tisha Be-Av,[5] and Purim.[6]

Comparison between the psalms recited today on each of these dates according to the Sephardic rite and those recited according to the early custom of Eretz Yisrael reveals only partial overlap.

What is the psalm that was recited according to the ancient custom in Eretz Yisrael prior to the evening service on Purim? Fleischer (p. 173) notes two Geniza fragments that document two different customs: One manuscript attests to the recitation of Psalm 7 ("Shigayon Le- David"),[7] whereas a second manuscript testifies to the recitation of Psalm 22.

The Sephardi custom of reciting Psalm 22 before the evening service on the night of Purim is thus documented in one of the Geniza manuscripts that reflect the early custom of the inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael.

2. Psalm 22 as the "Daily Psalm" of Purim

The Tosafot (Megilla 4a, s.v. pesak) record several laws regarding the prayers offered on Purim (unrelated to the Talmudic passage there). While describing the end of the morning service of Purim, the Tosafot write:

One says "Tehilla Le-David," "U-Va Le-Tzion," and one does not say "La- Menatze'ach" (Psalm 20)… and one says "La-Menatze'ach al Ayelet Ha-Shachar," because it mentions the downfall of the idol-worshippers. And similarly on the night of the fourteenth. And one says Pitom Ha-Ketoret, and the whole order, as on a weekday.

The Tosafot describe the prevailing custom in their time and place (13th century France). The place where our psalm was recited in the Purim liturgy indicates that our psalm served as the "daily psalm" of Purim.[8]

26 Testimony to a similar custom in Spain in that same period is found in the Sefer Ha-Manhig of R. Avraham ben R. Natan Ha-Yarchi:[9]

I saw a good custom in Toledo and its environs to recite after the prayer service psalms based on the content of the day… On Rosh Chodesh: "Borkhi Nafshi et Hashem" … And on Chanuka: "Mizmor Shir Chanukat Ha-Bayit Le-David" (Psalm 30)… And on Purim: "Al Ayelet Ha- Shachar," which speaks of Esther, as is stated in [chapter] Megilla Nikret: "Why is Esther likened to a hind?"[10] And so it is reasonable to do, and so it is fitting in my eyes.

The words of the Sefer Ha-Manhig seem to underlie what R. Yaakov bar Asher writes in his Tur (Orach Chayim 133, Hilkhot Nefilat Apayim):

And in Spain it is customary practice to recite a psalm every day after the Kaddish (that follows the Kedusha of "U-Va Le-Tzion")… And on each appointed time there is a different psalm in accordance with the essence [of the day]… And on Purim they recite "La- Menatze'ach al Ayelet Ha-Shachar," and this is a good custom.

In that same generation (middle of the 14th century) and in that same country (Spain), R. David Abudraham writes in his siddur, in the section dealing with the liturgy of Purim:

[After the Kedusha of "U-Va le-Tzion" and the return of the Torah scroll to its place], one says the full Kaddish, and he recites "La-Menatze'ach al Ayelet Ha-Shachar" which speaks of Esther, as is stated in Megilla [the reference is to Yoma 29a[11]): "Why is Esther likened to a hind? Because her womb is narrow like that of a hind, etc." And it also contains an allusion to the name of Haman…

Three of the four testimonies that we brought from the writings of the Rishonim to the recitation of our psalm as the "daily psalm" of Purim are associated with the custom in Spain, while one (the words of the Tosafot in tractate Megilla) originates in France. These "statistics" reflect the situation in our time. All of the Sefardim follow the practice described here,[12] while only a minority among the Ashkenazim, those who follow the rite of the Vilna Gaon, recite this psalm on Purim.[13]

3. Reasons for Reciting Psalm 22 on Purim

27 The Tosafot cited in the previous section, as well as the Acharonim, mention several reasons for the custom of reciting our psalm on Purim, as well as various connections between the content of the psalm and the content of the holiday:

a. Downfall of the idol worshippers

Tosafot (Megilla 4a, s.v. pesak) write: "Because it mentions the downfall of the idol worshippers."

Even if we understand that the "oxen," "dogs," and "the assembly of the wicked" who surround the petitioner in our psalm are non-Jews (a reasonable understanding), although our psalm indicates that God saved the petitioner from them ("and answer me from the horns of the wild oxen" [22]; "but when he cried to Him, He heard" [25]), nowhere does it say that God brought about their downfall.[14]

We must explain, then, that Tosafot mean to say that the very rescue of the petitioner from his enemies is their downfall.[15] This reason, however, is very general, and would have been equally appropriate for dozens of psalms in the book of Tehillim.

b. Esther is likened to a hind of the morning

Ravan Ha-Yarchi in his Sefer Ha-Manhig cites another reason for reciting our psalm on Purim: "As is stated in chapter Megilla Nikret: 'Why is Esther likened to a hind?'"

His words are taken from the gemara in Yoma 29a, which offers several explanations for the cryptic phrase appearing in the heading of our psalm, "Ayelet Ha-Shachar."[16] One of the explanations for this phrase is that of R. Zera, which is followed by that of R. Asi:

Why is Esther likened to a hind? To tell you that just as a hind has a narrow womb and is desirable to her mate at all times as at the first time, so was Esther precious to King Achashverosh at all times as at the first time.

R. Asi said: Why is Esther compared to the dawn? To tell you that just as the dawn is the end of the whole night, so is the story of Esther the end of all the miracles.

28 It is clear to these two Amora’im that the phrase "Ayelet Ha-shachar" in the heading to our psalm refers to Esther, each one offering a different connection between Esther and the phrase.

c. An allusion to the name of Haman

R. David Abudraham, after bringing the reason proposed in Sefer Ha-Manhig, adds another reason:

And it also has an allusion to the name of Haman, as it is stated (v. 21): "Deliver my life from the sword; my only one from the power of the dog" (Hatzila meicherev nafshi, miyad kelev yechidati). The initial letters: Haman maki.

d. Esther said this psalm

R. Akiva Eiger in his Gilyon ha-Shas (Megilla 4a) comments on the Tosafot cited in section 2 above, and refers us to two other Talmudic passages: "See below 15b and Yoma 29a. And the matter requires further study." These two references are to expositions in which the gemara expounds our psalm in connection to the book of Esther. When he says, "And the matter requires further study," he means to say that the reason proposed by the Tosafot – "Because it mentions the downfall of the idol worshippers" – is not the reason that arises from these two passages for the connection between the psalm and Purim.

This is what the gemara states in Megilla 15b:

"And she stood in the inner court of the king's house" (Esther 5:1). R. Levi said: When she reached the chamber of the idols, the Shekhina left her. She said: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me." Do You perchance punish the inadvertent offense like the presumptuous one, or one done under compulsion like one done willingly [Rashi: Even though I go to him, it is under circumstances beyond my control]? Or is it because I called him "dog," as it is stated: "Deliver my life from the sword; my only one from the power of the dog." She straightaway retracted and called him a "lion," as it is stated: "Save me from the lion's mouth."

29 It is clear to the Talmudic expounder that the speaker in our psalm is Esther, and the situation described in it is her going to Achashverosh and putting her life in jeopardy. Indeed, Rashi (Yoma 39b, s.v. lama nimshela Esther) explains the background of the connection between Esther and the phrase "ayelet ha-shachar" as follows: "In tractate Megilla (15b), we said that Esther said this psalm…"

e. "I cry in the daytime… and in the night season."

Here is another exposition brought in tractate Megilla 4a, connecting our psalm to the book of Esther:

R. Yehoshua ben Levi further said: A person is obligated to read the Megilla in the evening and to repeat it in the day, as it is written: "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You answer not; and in the night season, and I have no repose."

Rashi explains, based on this exposition, that the reading of the Megilla is "in commemoration of the miracle, for they would cry out in the days of their troubles by day and in the night." Therefore, this verse of complaint and supplication serves as a support for the law of reading the Megilla.

4. Psalm 22 in Midrash Tehillim

In the previous section, we noted three places in the Babylonian Talmud where various different Amora’im[17] expound our psalm in connection with Esther and the events described in the book of Esther.

In contrast to the paucity of expositions in the Babylonian Talmud that expound our psalm in reference to Esther and the events related in the book of Esther, in Midrash Tehillim we find a surprisingly large number of expositions that connect our psalm to the book of Esther.

Midrash Tehillim to Psalm 22 is very long (18 pages in the Buber edition), and the largest part of it, if not the majority, expounds our psalm in connection to the events described in the book of Esther. Anyone reading Midrash Tehillim to our psalm would think that he is reading not Midrash Tehillim, but one of the midrashim on the book of Esther! Indeed,

30 this midrash contains explanations and expositions of verses in the book of Esther that are not connected to our psalm.

Of course, we cannot bring in this framework all of the expositions in Midrash Tehillim that connect our psalm to the book of Esther, and therefore we will suffice with one or two for each third of the psalm.[18]

Here is an exposition on the first two sections of the psalm, sections I-II:[19]

"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me" – The first day [of the three days of fasting set by Esther] – "My God"; the second day – "my God"; the third day – "why have You forsaken me"…[20]

"O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You answer not." She said to the Holy One, blessed is He: Is this what You did to our forefathers in Egypt? Is it not that when they cried, You heard [them], as it is stated: "And I heard their cries" (Shemot 3:7)? Pharaoh said (Shemot 1:22): "Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive." And Haman said (Esther 3:13): "Both young and old, little children and women, in one day." Pharaoh said… He who completed his work, they would do nothing to him, but Haman decreed: "To destroy, to kill, and to annihilate, all Jews." Those who were in Egypt, when they cried out, You immediately heard them, but we have fasted these three days, and prayed, and cried out, and called, but You have not answered us.[21] If we have no good deeds, do for us for the sake of the sanctity of Your name – "But You are holy, O You that are enthroned upon the praises of Israel."

Here is an exposition on the second part of the psalm:[22]

"Many bulls have compassed me" – These are the troops of Achashverosh.

"Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round" – … R. Abba says: These are the sons of Haman, who are waiting for her to fall.

"They gape upon me with their mouths, like a ravening and a roaring lion" – Just as a lion sits over his prey and tears it, so to Achashverosh sits over me and tears me…

31 "For dogs have compassed me" – These are the sons of Haman.

"The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me" – These are the troops of Haman.

"They seize my hands and my feet like a lion" – R. Yehuda said: They cast a spell upon me, that my hand and feet would be repulsive to Achashverosh.

And elsewhere in the midrash:[23]

When [Esther] said, "And so I will go to the king" (Esther 4:16), the residents of the palace began to say: Now he is angry with her, and he has sentenced her to death. And each and every one of them would say: I will take her clothing. And this one would say: I will take her ornaments. And this one would day: I will take her rings. And this one would say: I will take her royal blue cloaks, as it is stated: "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture" (v. 19). And when she saw this, she prayed and said: "But You, O Lord, be not far from me. O my strength, haste You to help me" (v. 20). And when David saw with the holy spirit the term with which she would cry out to the Holy One, blessed be He – eyulati, "my strength" – he arranged for her this psalm: "La-Menatze'ach al Ayelet Ha- Shachar."

Here is an exposition on the third part of the psalm:[24]

"The meek shall eat and be satisfied" (v. 27) – This is Mordechai and Esther, who merited the table of kings. It is taught: Haman's money was divided into three parts. A third to Mordechai and Esther; a third to those toiling in Torah study; and a third toward the building of the Temple. And the three of them are mentioned in one verse: "They shall eat and be satisfied" – this is Mordechai and Esther; "Those who seek Him shall praise the Lord" – these are those who toil in Torah study; "May your heart forever revive" – this is the building of the Temple, as it is written: "And My eyes and My heart shall be there forever" (II Divrei Ha-Yamim 7:16).

As stated, we have brought here only a few of the many expositions, all of which read our psalm as having been said by Esther, in connection with events described in the book of Esther.

32 What then is the meaning of this phenomenon? Are these many expositions a result of the customary practice among the people living in Eretz Yisrael (as least in part) to designate our psalm for Purim? Or are these expositions the reason for the establishment of this practice? Perhaps both of these explanations are correct.

5. The Plain Meaning of our Psalm Vs. Its Exposition as the Psalm of Esther

Over the course of our study, we have explained the psalm throughout as the prayer of an individual petitioner. The complaint in section I of the psalm, "Why have You abandoned me," is the complaint of an individual; the trouble described in section 3, "But I am a worm, and no man," is the trouble of an individual; and even the contrasting background to the present situation of the petitioner, described in section IV, is the experience of an individual petitioner: "But You are He that took me out of the womb: You did make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts…"

Similarly, in the second third, the third of the supplication, the individual petitioner describes his dangers, troubles, and his loneliness – "Have compassed me… have beset me round… They gape upon me with their mouths" – and he puts forward his plea for rescue – "O my strength, to help me… Deliver my life from the sword; my only one from the power of the dog" – all in the singular and corresponding to the experiences of an individual. This is particularly striking in section VII, which describe personal physical and psychological reactions.

Similarly, in the third third it is an individual who is the speaker: "I will declare Your name to my brethren." But here a doubt arises. An individual who offers thanks to God for his rescue might do so in the midst of his relatives, friends, and acquaintances, but in our psalm we find general, collective phrases that are not typical of an individual's gratitude: the turn to "all the seed of Yaakov… all the seed of Israel" (verse 24); the address to "all the ends of the world… all the families of the nations"; and also the telling of the story to "their seed shall serve Him" and "to a people that shall be born" – that is, to the coming generations.

These expressions in the third bring us to reexamine the two previous thirds. Do these also contain such phrases? In section II in the first third, the speaker seems to be the people of Israel! This is not simply due to the fact that the speaker in this section uses the plural, which is appropriate for the people of Israel ("Our fathers trusted in You…"), but because the entire content of this section

33 attests to this. An individual who complains about God not answering his prayers (as in section I) would not cite as the antithetical background to his situation God's response to "our fathers," and the praise heaped upon Him when He saved them, to the point that He became "enthroned upon the praises of Israel."

Is it then possible that the entire psalm is the prayer not of an individual, but rather of "the people of Israel," who find themselves in critical danger and feel that God is not answering their prayers?

It is difficult to read our psalm as a communal psalm, because of sections IV, VI and VII, which describe the most personal experience of the petitioner. This would be difficult to attribute to the people of Israel as a whole, even as a metaphor.[25]

The midrashim of Chazal (both in the Babylonian Talmud and in Midrash Tehillim and in other places) identify the extreme situation described in our psalm with a historical situation in the annals of the Jewish population that fits perfectly that which is described in our psalm – the events described in the book of Esther. Attention should, however, be paid to the fact that according to the various midrashim, the speaker in our psalm is not the people of Israel as a collective speaking in first person singular. Rather, the speaker is indeed an individual person – Esther bat Avichayil – but she speaks both in her own name and in the name of all of the people of Israel.

According to this midrashic approach, there is no difficulty with the fact that Esther, who acts as Israel's representative in an effort to save them from Haman's decree to destroy the people, speaks both in the singular and in the plural.

According to the midrash, Esther argues in the name of all of Israel: "She said to the Holy One, blessed is He: Is this what You did to our forefathers in Egypt?"[26]

On the other hand, when the midrash comes to section IV, "But You are He that took me out of the womb; You did make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon You from the womb; You are my God from my mother's belly" – it explains it based on the personal biography of Esther, who was orphaned from her father and mother:[27]

Esther said: After my mother conceived, my father died; after my mother gave birth, she died. And You did make me hope, and you gave me breasts to replace the breasts of my

34 mother, as it is stated (Esther 2:7): "And he brought up Hadassa [for she had neither father nor mother]" – Mordechai's wife nursed Esther and Mordechai brought her up.

In this way, the midrash resolves the duality found in our psalm, in which, on the one hand, the individual of the speaker is evident, and from which, on the other hand, the voices of all of the people of Israel and of the historical events in their past echo.

In the end, we must remember that we are dealing here with derash, and derash can never substitute for the plain meaning of the text.7

[1] Fleischer describes this custom in the third chapter of his book, Mizmorei Chag Ve-Shabbat Be-Tefilatam shel Benei Eretz

Yisrael, pp. 161-213. He notes that "the custom was apparently established in Eretz Yisrael in a very early period, and was practiced throughout the period of the Geniza," but eventually was forgotten (p. 161). See, however, our remarks above, that a similar practice is found in Sephardi communities.

[2] It should be noted that in some early communities the recitation of these psalms was preceded by a blessing that included God's name and kingship, and also followed by such a blessing. See ibid., pp. 181-185.

[3] Madrikh Le-Hilkhot Tefila, at the end of Siddur Koren, Sephardi rite, edited by David Benayahu, law 396. There he explicitly connects this practice to the early practice in Eretz Yisrael.

[4] See ibid., law 374. It should be noted that the custom observed by Sephardim in our time to recite the pslam "Borkhi

Nafshi" (Psalm 104) is not in keeping with the early practice in Eretz Yisrael, according to which the Rosh Chodesh Psalm was Psalm 98 – "Mizmor Shiru La-Hashem Shir Chadash."

[5] See ibid., law 861, that we recite Psalm 137, and this was the practice documented also in Machzor Romania (in addition to other psalms and verses; see Fleischer, p. 211, and notes 250-251).

7 Translated by David Strauss

35 [6] See ibid., law 727.

[7] In, note 75, Fleischer notes that two siddurim that were profoundly influenced by the ancient custom of Eretz Yisrael, Machzor

Romania (Balkans) and Machzor Aram Tzova (Aleppo), also bring Psalm 7 as the psalm of Purim.

Similarly, tractate Soferim (chapter 18) establishes Psalm 7 as the psalm of Purim, but according to Soferim, it is recited on the day of Purim, and not before the evening service on the night of Purim. Soferim does not attest to a practice of reciting psalms before the evening service. See Fleischer, p. 188 and 199-202. It would appear that Psalm 7 was chosen as the psalm of Purim because of what is stated therein (verses 16-17): "He has made a pit, and has dug it out, and has fallen into the ditch which he made."

[8] What is the earliest source for this practice of reciting alternative psalms as the "daily psalm" on Festivals and other special days? The source appears to be tractate Soferim. The author of this work, who apparently lived in Eretz Yisrael during the Geonic period (circa the eighth century) was also familiar with the Babylonian customs, and sometimes tried to combine the different practices in the two countries.

According to the Babylonian custom, a different psalm is recited each day of the week at the end of the morning service, in commemoration of the Levitical singing in the Temple, as is spelled out in Tamid 7:4. The people of Eretz Yisrael were not familiar with this practice. In contrast, they were accustomed to open the evening service on Festivals and other special days with a special psalm, in accordance with the essence of each day. The people of Babylonia were not familiar with this practice.

The author of tractate Soferim (chapters 18-19) tried to combine these two customs, and he assigned them a common place – in Pesukei De-Zimra. This did not fully succeed: The Babylonian custom of reciting a fixed "daily psalm" continued at the end of the morning service. But over time, the alternative psalms for the festivals were appended to the end of the morning service as "the daily psalm."

Thus, it turned out that the Sephardi custom on Purim is to recite Psalm 22 twice: In accordance with the early practice in Eretz

Yisrael, before the evening service on the night of Purim, and in accordance with the custom that developed based on tractate Soferim, as the "daily psalm" as the end of the mornng service of Purim. (It should be noted that in tractate Soferim, the psalm for Purim is Psalm 7.)

This is all based on Ezra Fleischer's analysis of the words of tractate Soferim, pp. 161-164 and 199-202.

[9] Yitzchak Refael (ed.), Dinei Tefilla (Jerusalem, 5738), pp. 107-108. Ravan Ha-Yarchi (1155-1215) was born in Provence, but he served as a dayan in Toledo, Spain, and there he wrote his Sefer Ha-Manhig at the beginning of the 13th century.

36 [10] The gemara's exposition that connects the heading of our psalm, "La-Menatze'ach al Ayelet Ha-Shachar," to Esther, who was called Ayelet, does not appear in tractate Megilla, but rather in tractate Yoma 29a. It would appear that the author cited from memory, and that he thought that this gemara is found in tractate Megila based on its content.

[11] The mistake concerning the source of the talmudic statement was repeated here about a hundred and forty years after the appearance of Sefer Ha-Manhig. See previous note. It seems that R. David Abudraham used Sefer Ha-Manhig (as did the author of the Tur a short time before).

[12] The later Sephardic halakhic authorities disagree about whether the special psalm for the various holidays (or Rosh Chodesh) is recited in place of the "daily psalm" for the days of the week (the position of R. Yosef Chazan in his book, Chikrei Lev) or whether it is recited in addition to the "daily psalm" (the position of R. Chayim Benveniste in his book, Shayarei Kenesset Ha-

Gedola). There is also a difference in practice between the various communities. See Madrich Le-Hilkhot Tefila, in Siddur Koren, law 381. It should be noted that the words of the Rishonim brought above seem to support the Chikrei Lev. See also the next note.

[13] At the beginning of Siddur Ha-Gra, ed. R. N.H. Halevi (New York, 5714), in Tefillat Shacharit, there is a table of psalms which are to be recited on different occasions according to the Vilna Gaon. At the bottom it says that "we do not recite two psalms on one day," and it lists the rules of priority. He fundamentally accepts the view of the Chikrei Lev; see previous note.

[14] A marginal note in the gemara remarks about these words of Tosafot: "In that psalm (22) we do not find the downfall of any nation. But in Eliyahu Rabba 693, no. 9, it says: "And in Tosafot, Megilla 4, they write to say 'A poem, a psalm of Asaf' (Psalm

83), because it speaks of the downfall of Amalek." This must have been his reading of the Tosafot.

Indeed, Psalm 83 is very fitting for Purim for other reasons as well, but we do not find any evidence for such a custom anywhere else in the writings of the Rishonim.

[15] A description of the downfall of the enemies of Israel is found in Psalm 7, which, as we saw, was recited according to certain ancient rites on Purim. Verses 16-17 read: "He has made a pit, and has dug it out, and has fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own plate." This description aptly describes Haman's downfall, about which it is stated in the book of Esther (9:25): "That his wicked scheme, which he had devised agaisnt the Jews, should return upon his own head." Indeed, in Midrash Tehillim (ed. Buber, p. 35), this verse in Psalm 7 is expounded in reference to Haman: "'That his wicked scheme should return upon his own head' – this is Haman, for everything that he devised against Mordechai was returned upon his own head."

37 [16] The commentators who try to offer the plain meaning of the text have proposed widely-differing explanations of the phrase

"Ayelet Ha-Shachar": The name of a musical instrument (Rashi, Ibn Ezra); dawn (alot ha-shachar) (Ibn Ezra); a designation of the people of Israel (Rashi, Radak); and others. The truth is that we have no means to determine the meaning of this phrase, just as we do not have the means to understand the meaning of words in many of the headings to the psalms of Sefer Tehillim.

[17] It should be noted that R. Asi (Yoma 29a), R. Levi (Megilla 15b), and R. Yehoshua ben Levi (Megilla 4a) are all Amora’im of the first generation who lived in Eretz Yisrael.

[18] The greatest number of expositions about Esther in Midrash Tehillim revolve around the heading of our psalm, the words

"Ayelet Ha-Shachar." In this framework, we will not bring any of these expositions.

[19] Buber edition, pp. 183-184.

[20] Compare with R. Levi's exposition of the verse in Megilla 15b, cited at the end of the previous section, sub-section d.

[21] It is clear that this exposition also explains verses 5-6 in our psalm: "Our fathers trusted in You… They cried to You, and were delivered" – "Is this what You did to our forefathers in Egypt? Is it not that when they cried, You heard [them]," even though these verses are not mentioned here explicitly. The midrash reads section II as support for the complaint in section I, while identifying "our fathers" with those who were in Egypt.

[22] Buber ed., pp. 193-194.

[23] Ibid., p. 184.

[24] Ibid., p. 197.

[25] a. Some of the medieval commentators, although they did not always spell out the considerations as presented above, proposed several identifications of the speaker in the psalm (and thus they identify the situation described in the psalm). Their words give rise to the two possibilities that we have been discussing. For example, the Radak says: "Some explain it as referring to David while he was running away from Shaul. And what is correct is that 'Ayelet Ha-Shachar' refers to the people of Israel who are in this exile, and the end of the psalm proves this… They call out from their exile: 'My God, my God, why have You forsaken me' – in the singular in reference to all of the people of Israel, who are like one man in exile."

38 Although the Radak also mentions the midrash of Chazal – "And they said that it refers to Esther and to the people of Israel who were in exile at that time" – he prefers, in keeping with his general approach, to explain that the psalm was said not about a particular situation in the past, but rather about "Israel who are in this exile." We have already in the past explained the reason for this inclination.

b. The possibility of explaining the psalm as the psalm of an individual, as we have done throughout this study, and reconciling the places that pose a difficulty to this, is preferable to the reverse possibility, both from an exegetical perspective and because of the general impression that we get from the psalm as a whole.

[26] See the midrash in its entirety in the previous section.

[27] Midrash Tehillim (ed. Buber), pp. 192-193.

Psalm 22 and the Husband Stitch

Jeremy Brown writes:8

and it turns out to be rather difficult - ַחֵצַּנְמִל לַﬠ תֶלֶיַּא רַחַשַּׁה :Psalm 22 opens with the following phrase to translate. One translation is “To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar,” which is not really much of a translation. Another translation is “For the leader; according to “The deer of the dawn.””

8 https://www.talmudology.com/jeremybrownmdgmailcom/2021/5/5/yoma-29a-esther-does-and-the-husband-stitch

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The rabbis may have understood the words, but they found the meaning of this verse to be challenging. In today’s page of Talmud there are three explanations. The first comes from Rabbi Abahu:

אמוי א,טכ אמוי

. :ביִתְכִדּ ַחֵצַּנְמִל״ לַﬠ תֶלֶיַּא ,״רַחַשַּׁה הָמ הָלָיַּא וֹז ָהיֶנְרַק תוֹליִצְפַמ ןאָכְל ,ןאָכְלוּ ףַא רַחַשׁ הֶז ִצְפַמ ﬠי ַ ְ ל ָ כ ןא לוּ ְ ָ כ ןאָכְל אָכְל ַﬠ

It is as it is written: “For the leader, about the morning hind” (Psalms 22:1); just as the antlers of a hind branch out from here to there, so too, the light of dawn diffuses from here to there.

This explanation is an atmospheric one. Just as the antlers of a deer grow in several different ayelet hashahar” - is diffused in many“ תֶלֶיַּא רַחַשַּׁה directions, so to the light of the dawn, known as is “the morning star, “which is the תֶלֶיַּא רַחַשַּׁה directions.(One of the many meanings of the phrase name of the planet Venus.)

Another explanation comes from Rabbi Assi, who links Queen Esther to the appearance of the dawn:

רַמָא יִבַּר :יִסַּא הָמָּל הָלְשְׁמִנ רֵתְּסֶא רַחַשְׁל — מוֹל רַ :ָ ל הָ מ חַשׁ רַ ףוֹס לכ לַּ ה ַ לְ י ,הָ ףַ א סֶ א תְּ רֵ ףוֹס לכ ַ ה סִּ נּ םיִ ִנַּהל וֹ ֵתּ ֶאף ה ְיַלּ כףסר ַ ָמ:ָלר וֹ

Rabbi Assi said: Why was Esther likened to the dawn? It is to tell you: Just as the dawn is the conclusion of the entire night, so too, Esther was the conclusion of all miracles performed for the entire Jewish people.

That’s nice. But it is on the explanation of Rabbi Zeira that we will focus:

רַמָא יִבַּר :אָריֵז הָמָּל הָלְשְׁמִנ ֵתְּסֶא ר אְ ל ַ ָיּ הָל — מוֹל רַ :ָ ל הָ מ יַּ א לָ הָ חַ ר מְ הָּ רַ צ חַ ו בֲ ביִ הָ לַ ﬠ ﬠַ בּ לְ הָּ לכ ﬠָשׁ הָ ﬠָשְׁ ו הָ הָ ﬠָשְׁ ו הָ ﬠָשׁ לכ הָּ לְ ﬠַ בּ לַ ﬠ הָ ביִ בֲ חַ ו רַ צ הָּ מְ חַ ר הָ לָ יַּ א הָ מ :ָ ל רַ מוֹל הָﬠָשְׁכּ ,הָנוֹשׁאִר ףַא רֵתְּסֶא הָתְיָה הָביִבֲח לַﬠ שׁוֹרֵוְשַׁחֲא לכ הָﬠָשׁ הָﬠָשְׁו הָﬠָשְׁכּ ִר שׁא וֹ ָנ הָנוֹשׁ

Rabbi Zeira said: Why is Esther likened to a doe? It is to tell you: Just as in the case of a doe its womb is narrow and it is desirable to its mate at each and every hour like it is at the first hour, so too, Esther was desirable to Ahasuerus at each and every hour like she was at the first hour.

Rabbi Zeira here articulates a very surprising explanation, whose purpose was to praise Esther's anatomy. He claims that the vagina of the female deer (and not the uterus, even though that is the usual translation of the word rechem,) is especially “narrow” and so the male deer finds intercourse especially pleasurable. (A female deer is called called a doe or a hind, from where we get the Yiddish word for a deer - hinda.) So too, the wicked Persian King Ahasuerus longed for intercourse with Esther and found each time as pleasurable as the first.

So a couple of things. First, the vagina of a deer is not especially narrow. It is the perfect size for what it needs to do. It is no more comparatively narrow than that of a dog, a monkey, or a whale, and there no evidence whatsoever that male deer have a greater urge to mate than does the male of any other species. Indeed, it is the very presence of those other species on the planet that indicates

40 that the mating urge of the males of each of those species is perfect, thank you very much. Even that of the Black Widow spider, in whom the tiny male mates with the larger female, only to be eaten alive, in an example of what biologists call sexual cannibalism.

Second, Rabbi Zeira’s midrashic explanation in fact tells us about his mindset, rather than revealing any fact of the natural world. A man longs for intercourse with a woman who has a narrow, or tight vagina. That is what Rabbi Zeira is saying. But before you mutter something inappropriate under your breath, you should realize that this fantasy is still prevalent, and can be found in the medical literature.

THE HUSBAND STITCH

Here is a 2020 entry from Medical News Today about “the husband stitch.”

The “husband stitch” refers to an extra stitch that some women may have received after vaginal delivery led to their perineum becoming cut or torn.

This stitch extends beyond what is necessary to repair a natural tear during childbirth or a cut from an episiotomy. The supposed purpose of the husband stitch is to tighten the vagina to its predelivery state.

It is important to note that the husband stitch is neither an accepted practice nor an approved medical procedure. Researchers have gathered most of the evidence about the husband stitch from the testimony of women who have had it and from healthcare workers who have witnessed it.

The origin of the husband stitch, or vaginal tightening surgery, traces back to the mid- 1950s.

While repairing a vaginal delivery tear or episiotomy, a gynecologist would tighten the entrance of a woman’s vagina by adding an extra stitch.

Doctors stated that this procedure could improve a woman’s well-being by preserving the size and shape of the vagina, either to increase the frequency of her orgasms or to enhance a man’s pleasure in intercourse. At that time, it was also called the husband’s knot or a vaginal tuck.

Is the husband stitch an urban legend? No. Here is an excerpt from a peer-reviewed paper that appeared in Seminars in Plastic Surgery titled Aesthetic surgery of the female genitalia:

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Rabbi Ziera’s explanation of the first verse of Psalm 22 reflects this male fantasy, one which today, some women will accomodate by undergoing surgery. Rather than shy away from discussing these intimate and important areas of our life, the Talmud gives us an opportunity to explore them. It is up to us to do so with modesty, empathy and equity, while always giving the lead to women that for centuries, they were denied.

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43 Carmen Maria Machado, The Husband Stitch. Granta.9

9 https://granta.com/the-husband-stitch/

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