DOCSLIB.ORG

Parshat Lech-Lecha

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Parshat Lech-Lecha ב ס ״ ד Torah Our Lot in Life population. After 12 years of let him live with the It seems like the ultimate subjugation, the five kings consequences? Why did Weekly codependent relationship. In rebel. War breaks out, and Lot Abraham not make a clean this week’s Torah portion we is taken prisoner. When break from Lot? Why did he Abraham hears the news, he keep swooping in to save Lot 3-9 November, 2019 are introduced to a shadowy 5-11 Cheshvan, 5780 character named immediately swings into action from himself? Was it classic Torah: Genesis 12:1-17:27.8 Lot, Abraham’s nephew. and personally goes into battle codependency, or was there Haftorah: Isaiah 40:27-41:16 Through his relationship with to rescue Lot. At this point, another dynamic at play? PARSHAT LECH- Abraham, Lot grows wealthy does Lot gratefully, meekly Perhaps Abraham saw potential LECHA and powerful, but that’s what return to Abraham’s court? He in Lot and kept trying to bring it does not. He continues living to the fore. Chassidic teachings We have Jewish starts the rift between them. Abraham is always careful to with the corrupt Sodomites and explain that Lot represents the Calendars. If you muzzle his cattle when passing even becomes a leader among part of the mind that is uncouth, would like one, them. Eventually, matters come unrefined. (Torah Ohr, Lech please send us a through the fields of others. Lot’s shepherds let his animals to a head, and the evil of Sodom Lecha 22b.) It’s the part that letter and we will reaches the heavens. G-d behaves unpredictably, send you one, or graze wherever they please. Their argument is that G-d has comes to a verdict: The city of sometimes shamefully; the part Calendars ask the promised to give the land Sodom must be destroyed. G-d that gets us into scrapes time Rabbi/Chaplain to of Canaan to Abraham, and shares the news with his trusted and again; the part that can drag contact us. Abraham has no children, so it servant Abraham, who us to the most desolate, proceeds to pray on behalf of degraded places—our personal Do you have family will all go to Lot. Therefore, they feel they are justified in the people of Sodom. He is Sodom. We try to distance on the outside letting Lot’s animals loose in unable to find a quorum of ourselves, but can never quite struggling? anyone’s field. To Abraham, righteous people in whose escape from our Lot. And Please contact or this is utterly unacceptable. merit the city should be saved. perhaps, on some level, we have them contact Although G-d has promised the But Lot, at least, is spared the don’t want to. And this is our office to learn land to his descendants, he has calamity. When the angels something that Abraham more about our not yet taken possession, and appear to rescue Lot, though, he bequeathed to us, his family programs. thus has no rights to his is none too eager to join them. descendants: We will never You and they are neighbors’ fields. In any case, The angels drag him away, and give up on our Lot, whether it’s Family Programs not alone, we are Lot is not the ultimate heir. To he escapes with his life only a wayward child, an annoying here to help. make matters worse, Lot moments before the city is neighbor—or ourselves. We resembles Abraham physically, destroyed. The final straw is don’t give up because even the (Rashi on Genesis 13:8; when Lot’s daughters awaken most unrefined and We offer free Grape to the destruction around them embarrassing person has Juice and Matzoh Bereishit Rabbah 41:6). so his behavior reflects negatively on and assume that they are the potential waiting to be for you to be able to Abraham as well. Finally, only ones left. They get their discovered. Lot’s two make the blessings Abraham issues an ultimatum: father drunk and become daughters produced two sons, every Shabbos. “Please, let us go our separate pregnant from him. News soon who grew into two mighty Please have your ways. If you go to the left, I will spreads of Lot’s incestuous nations, Moab and Ammon. chaplain / Rabbi go to the right. If you go to the relationship with his daughters, From Moab descended Ruth, contact us to enroll right, I will go to the left.” and Abraham is forced to move the famous convert who (available to all (Genesis 13:9.) For Lot, this away in shame. (Genesis 20:1; became the great-grandmother Grape Juice & Matzah prisons). should have been an see Rashi’s commentary.) The of King David. From Ammon opportunity for self- common thread in this saga is descended Naamah, wife of Hyman & Martha Rogal Center reflection—to improve his that Abraham is repeatedly King Solomon, and mother of 5804 Beacon Street ways and not lose his disappointed and humiliated by his firstborn son and Pittsburgh, PA 15217 the behavior of his nephew, yet heir, Rehoboam. Thus, the 412-421-0111 relationship with his revered Uncle Abraham. Instead, Lot he bails him out time and again lineage of the dynasty of David, Fax: 412-521-5948 Abraham was a leader—a and by extension Moshiach, www.alephne.org agrees to part and sets up house comes through Lot. Abraham [email protected] among the most depraved highly motivational person— people then in existence—the and it must have pained him foresaw that Lot would be a residents of Sodom. Not long greatly not to be able to exert forebear of King David and afterward, four strong kings more influence on his nephew. Moshiach. On the verse pick a battle with five weak But Lot was his own person in Psalms, “I have found my kings, including the king of who made his own decisions. servant David,” (Psalms Sodom, and subdue the Why did Abraham not simply 89:21.) the Midrash comments, IN JEWISH HISTORY November 4, 2019- 6 Cheshvan, 5780 “Where did He find him? In Maimonides Visits Jerusalem ((1165)) Sodom!” (Bereishit Rabbah 41:4.) The legacy of Lot is After leaving Morocco and before settling in that no circumstance in life is so low or so depraved that Egypt, Maimonides visited Jerusalem and prayed at the site of the Holy no good can come from it. Abraham’s rescue of Lot Temple. Three days later, on 9 MarCheshvan, he visited Hebron and empowers us to rescue ourselves and each other from the prayed at the Cave of Machpelah. Maimonides resolved to keep these pits of Sodom—as many times as it takes—until we’ve two days—6 and 9 MarCheshvan—as a personal holiday (Charedim ch. refined our Lot to the utmost, and the world is finally ready 65 [5744 ed.). for Moshiach. By Chaya Shochet November 5, 2019- 7 Cheshvan, 5780 Go Ahead, Ask for a Miracle! Dear reader, Are you ever Last Jew comes home (2nd Temple Era) During the Second Temple Era (circa 230 BCE), Cheshvan 7 was the filled with such despair that you feel like your life is date on which the Jew most distant from the Holy Temple -- who resided hopeless? In such moments, prayer is the opportunity on the banks of the Euphrates River, a 15-day journey's distance from that G-d offers us to communicate with Him, to turn to our Jerusalem -- arrived at his homestead upon returning from the Sukkot Creator for comfort and salvation. And yet, during such pilgrimage. All Jews would wait for this before beginning to pray for challenging times, as you pray, do you ever hear yourself rain. Cheshvan 7 thus marked the return to everyday activities following thinking: “Now, hold on, this is too much to be asking. the spirituality of the festival-rich month of Tishrei. There’s just no way that G-d is going to move heaven and November 5, 2019- 7 Cheshvan, 5780 earth to grant me this request. Maybe I should ask for Passing of R. Meir Shapiro (1933) something a little bit more realistic, a tad more practical.” Passing of Rabbi Meir Shapiro of Lublin, founder of the daily "page a In the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, G-d day" regimen of Talmudic study known as Daf Yomi. promises Abraham to make him “into a great nation.” November 8, 2019- 10 Cheshvan, 5780 Years later, after undergoing trials and tribulations, G-d Birth of Gad reassures Abraham and tells him, “Fear not, Abram; I am Gad, the son of Jacob and Zilpah, seventh of the Twelve Tribes, was your shield; your reward is exceedingly great.” Abraham born on the 10th of MarCheshvan. He lived to be 125 years old. (Yalkut responds, “Behold, You have given me no seed.” Of what Shimoni, Shemot, remez 162) purpose is all that You are blessing me with if I cannot have November 8, 2019- 10 Cheshvan, 5780 a child of my own to continue after me? At this point, “G-d Passing of R. Jonah of Gerona (1263) took him outside and said, ‘Gaze now toward the heavens R. Jonah was a thirteenth-century scholar who lived in Spain. Although and count the stars, if you are able to count them!’ And G-d originally opposed to Maimonides’ philosophical works (most notably, said to him, ‘So shall be your offspring!’” (Genesis 15:5) his Guide for the Perplexed), he later changed his views, and even vowed Rashi questions the need for bringing Abraham outdoors.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ten Ordinary People with an Extraordinary Story A
    TEN ORDINARY PEOPLE WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY When you read Genesis 18, you’re actually picking up the story of how God is continually orchestrating His plan to make Israel a great nation. It’s the story of how one nation, born of an ordinary man and an ordinary woman with more than their share of problems changed the history of the world—for eternity. So if that sounds like you and you wonder how you could be of any significant value to the Kingdom of God—then listen up this morning, because this story is for you. Read Genesis 14; 18-19 Lot was Abraham’s nephew. In Genesis 14, Lot is given a chance to choose which part of the Promised Land he wants for his own. He selects an area known as Sodom – which bears the namesake for the word sodomy—which seems like a questionable decision about where to relocate your family—but like I said, the Bible isn’t afraid to take us places where ordinary people make messy decisions. This whole enterprise is based on a promise from God to Abraham, that he would have a son; and his children’s children would eventually grow into a vast nation of God-fearing people. But that takes a few hundred years, so in the meanwhile, Lot and Abraham are doing OK. Lot raises a family in the land of the Sodomites and gets himself elected as a judge. Then he finds himself in the middle of a war between two tribal groups and Uncle Abraham has to gather his 318 Navy Seals of the day to rescue Lot.
    [Show full text]
  • The Wives of Solomon
    THE WIVES OF SOLOMON. BY MONCURE D. CONWAY. " CCORDING to the first book of Kings, Solomon's half-brother, ft Adonijah, after the defeat of an alleged (perhaps mythical) effort to recover the throne of which he had been defrauded, sub­ mitted himself to Solomon. He had become enamored of the vir­ gin who had been brought to the aged King David to try to revive some vitality in him; and he came to Bathsheba asking her to re­ quest her son the king to give him this damsel as his wife. Bath­ sheba proffered this "small petition" for Adonijah, but Solomon was enraged, and ironically suggested that she should ask the king­ dom itself for Adonijah, whom he straightway ordered to execu­ tion. The immediate context indicates that Solomon suspected in this petition a plot against his throne. A royal father's harem was inherited by a royal son, and its possession is supposed to have in­ volved certain rights of succession: this is the only interpretation I have ever heard of the extreme violence of Solomon. But I have never been satisfied with this explanation. Would Adonijah have requested, or Bathsheba asked as a "small" thing, a favor touch­ ing the king's tenure? The story as told in the Book of Kings appears diplomatic, and several details suggest that in some earlier legend the strife between the half- brothers had a more romantic relation to "Abishag the Shunammite," who is described as "very fair." Abishag is interpreted as meaning "father of error," and though that translation is of doubtful accuracy, its persistence in­ dicates the place occupied by her in early tradition.
    [Show full text]
  • Noah's Wife and Heterosexual Incestuous
    Judaica Ukrainica I (2012), 29–46 No Name WomaN: Noah’s Wife aNd heterosexual iNcestuous relatioNs iN GeNesis 9:18–29 corinne e. Blackmer Southern Connecticut State University [email protected] [Noah’s wife] was a nameless woman, and so at home among all those who were never found and never missed, who were uncommemorated, whose deaths were not remarked, nor their begettings1. I. The terse language and riddling innuendo of Gen 9:18–29, which narrates how Noah comes to curse Canaan, the son of Ham, has engaged the inter­ pretive energies of readers since the rabbis of the Babylonian Talmud spe­ culated that Ham had castrated his father2. The language of this narrative, bristling with obscure phrases, loud hints of dreadful sexual transgression, and pious cover ups, has often left subsequent interpreters sensing that the story has meanings that the narrator declines to delineate. Indeed, the only thing that remains clear is that Gen 9:18–29 functions as an etiological myth to justify the permanent subordination of the tribes of Canaan. Canaan commits an un­ speakable sexual crime against Noah’s family that results in the subsequent physical displacement and sweeping rejection of the customs of the Canaanite peoples. Indeed, Israel’s secure possession of the Promised Land is predicated on repudiating the cultural institutions of the preceding Canaanites. Whatever the larger and associated issues, however, interpretive positions have gener­ 30 Corinne E. BLACKMER ally revolved around two broad questions. What was the nature of Ham’s of­ fense, such that when he “saw his father’s nakedness” and told his brothers, Shem and Japheth, it merited the terrible curse of permanent servitude Noah pronounced over him3? Second, what was the rationale for the punishment of Canaan and why, if Ham committed the crime, would his son Canaan suffer the penalty instead? Exegetical traditions have identified the deed for which Noah curses Ca­ naan either as voyeurism, castration, or homosexual paternal incest.
    [Show full text]
  • Hebrew Names and Name Authority in Library Catalogs by Daniel D
    Hebrew Names and Name Authority in Library Catalogs by Daniel D. Stuhlman BHL, BA, MS LS, MHL In support of the Doctor of Hebrew Literature degree Jewish University of America Skokie, IL 2004 Page 1 Abstract Hebrew Names and Name Authority in Library Catalogs By Daniel D. Stuhlman, BA, BHL, MS LS, MHL Because of the differences in alphabets, entering Hebrew names and words in English works has always been a challenge. The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) is the source for many names both in American, Jewish and European society. This work examines given names, starting with theophoric names in the Bible, then continues with other names from the Bible and contemporary sources. The list of theophoric names is comprehensive. The other names are chosen from library catalogs and the personal records of the author. Hebrew names present challenges because of the variety of pronunciations. The same name is transliterated differently for a writer in Yiddish and Hebrew, but Yiddish names are not covered in this document. Family names are included only as they relate to the study of given names. One chapter deals with why Jacob and Joseph start with “J.” Transliteration tables from many sources are included for comparison purposes. Because parents may give any name they desire, there can be no absolute rules for using Hebrew names in English (or Latin character) library catalogs. When the cataloger can not find the Latin letter version of a name that the author prefers, the cataloger uses the rules for systematic Romanization. Through the use of rules and the understanding of the history of orthography, a library research can find the materials needed.
    [Show full text]
  • Idol Threats Cornerstone Connections
    real.solid.stories CORNERSTONECONNECTIONS FEBRUARYFEBRUARY06062016 Scripture Story: 1 Kings 11:14-43; 12:1-24; 2 Chronicles 9:29–12:16. Commentary: Prophets and Kings (or Royalty in Ruins), chapter 6. idol threats cornerstone connections 25 keytext Photo by Bill Wolf “After sheRehoboam’s had given positionhim a drink, as flashlight kingshe said,was established‘I’ll draw water and forhe yourhad camels too, until they have fin- “The twelve tribes of Israel were divided, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin composing the become strong, he and all Israel ished drinking’” lower or southern kingdom of Judah, under the rulership of Rehoboam; while the ten north- with him abandoned the law of the ern tribes formed and maintained a separate government, known as the kingdom of Israel, (Genesis 24:19, NIV). with Jeroboam as their ruler. Thus was fulfilled the prediction of the prophet concerning Lord.” the rending of the kingdom. ‘The cause was from the Lord’” (Prophets and Kings, p. 91). (2 Chronicles 12:1, NIV) “But as time passed, the king put his trust in the power of position and in the strongholds he had fortified. Little by little he gave way to inherited weakness, until he threw his influence wholly on the side of idolatry” (Prophets and Kings, p. 93). www.cornerstoneconnections.net heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will what scourge you with scorpions.’” do you think? “So all the Israelites went home. But as Rank the following items below in order of importance to the for the Israelites who were living in the average teenager (1 is most important, 10 is least important).
    [Show full text]
  • The Real “Love Story” Song of Solomon 1:1 Song 1:1 the Song of Songs, Which Is Solomon's
    The Real “Love Story” Song of Solomon 1:1 Song 1:1 The song of songs, which is Solomon's. Review Tonight, we continue our new journey into a book that I have never taught, only studied. As I mentioned last week, the book known as “Song of Solomon,” is a very complicated and controversial book. For about the last 3,000 years, scholars have debated its contents, how to interpret it, and whether or not it should be included in the canon of Scripture. TITLE In the Hebrew Bible the title of this book is "The Song of Songs of Solomon." It comes from 1:1. WRITER AND DATE Many references to Solomon throughout the book confirm the claim of 1:1 that Solomon wrote this book (cf. 1:4-5, 12; 3:7, 9, 11; 6:12; 7:5; 8:11- 12; 1 Kings 4:33). He reigned between 971 and 931 B.C. GENRE AND INTERPRETATION Personally, I believe the characters are Solomon and a “Shulamite” woman, perhaps Rehoboam’s mother, Naamah, whose name means “loveliness.” 2 Chron. 9:30 And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years . 2 Chron. 12:13 So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam wa s one and forty years old when he began to reign , and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess . The Song of Songs appears to be words to music that would have been sung by professionals [i.e., lyric poetry]—individuals who were skilled enough to master a work of this complexity.
    [Show full text]
  • Queen Mothers of Judah and the Religious Trends That Develop During Their Sons' Reign
    Olivet Nazarene University Digital Commons @ Olivet Honors Program Projects Honors Program 5-2021 Mothers and Sons: Queen Mothers of Judah and the Religious Trends that Develop During Their Sons' Reign Brian Bowen Olivet Nazarene University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/honr_proj Part of the Biblical Studies Commons Recommended Citation Bowen, Brian, "Mothers and Sons: Queen Mothers of Judah and the Religious Trends that Develop During Their Sons' Reign" (2021). Honors Program Projects. 120. https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/honr_proj/120 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors Program at Digital Commons @ Olivet. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Program Projects by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Olivet. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A huge special thanks to my advisor, Kevin Mellish, Ph.D. for working with me through the whole research process from the seed of an idea to the final polished draft. Without his guidance, this project would not exist. Thank you to Pam Greenlee, Sandy Harris, and the Interlibrary Loan Department for helping me to get access to resources that would not have been available to me otherwise. Thank you to Elizabeth Schurman, Ph.D., and Dan Sharda, Ph.D. for assisting with the submission process to the Honors Council for the annotated bibliography, proposal, and thesis. Also, thanks to Elizabeth Schurman, Ph.D., Eddie Ellis, Ph.D., and Larry Murphy, Ph.D. for support with the editing and polishing of my thesis. Thanks to the Olivet Nazarene University Honors Council for giving me the opportunity and means to do this research project.
    [Show full text]
  • The Causes of the Division of Israel's Kingdom
    Scholars Crossing SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations 7-1984 The Causes of the Division of Israel's Kingdom Wayne Brindle Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/sor_fac_pubs Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Brindle, Wayne, "The Causes of the Division of Israel's Kingdom" (1984). SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations. 76. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/sor_fac_pubs/76 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Causes of the Division of Israel's Kingdom Wayne A. Brinale Solomon's kingdom was undoubtedly the Golden Age of Israel. The accomplishments of Solomon and the highlights of his reign include those things which all kings and empires sought, and most did not obtain. A prominent feature of Solomon's rule was his preparation for defense. He fortified the key cities which ringed Israel's cen­ ter: Hazor, Megiddo, Gezer, Beth-horon, and Baalath ( 1 Kings 9:15-19). He assembled as many as 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and maintained 4,000 stables in which to house the horses (1 Kings 10:26; 2 Chron. 9:25). And he kept a large standing army, which required enormous amounts of food and other provisions. * Solomon also had a much larger court than David's. He appointed 12 district supervisors ( 1 Kings 4) and as many as 550 supervisors of labor ( 1 Kings 9:23), who were in turn supervised by an overseer of district officers and a prime minister.2 He had 1,000 wives or concubines, and probably had a large number of children.
    [Show full text]
  • Ammon in the Hebrew Bible: a Textual Analysis and Archaeological Context of Selected References to the Ammonites of Transjordan
    Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertations Graduate Research 1998 Ammon in the Hebrew Bible: a Textual Analysis and Archaeological Context of Selected References to the Ammonites of Transjordan James Roger Fisher Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, and the Near Eastern Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation Fisher, James Roger, "Ammon in the Hebrew Bible: a Textual Analysis and Archaeological Context of Selected References to the Ammonites of Transjordan" (1998). Dissertations. 50. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/50 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in the Andrews University Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses. Please honor the copyright of this document by not duplicating or distributing additional copies in any form without the author’s express written permission. Thanks for your cooperation. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely afreet reproduction.
    [Show full text]
  • A Queen Comes to Jerusalem
    LESSON SIXTEEN 9-1 1 A QUEEN COMES TO JERUSALEM. REHOBOAM AND THE KINGDOM. 6. THE QUEEN OF SHEBA AND SOLOMON’S GREATNESS (Chapter 9) INTRODUCTION The wisdom of Solomon brought the queen of Sheba to Jerusalem. Solomon’s wealth could not be counted. His last years were filled with shame as he turned away from God. Rehoboam came to the throne in Judah and saw the kingdom divided. TEXT Chapter 9:l. And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great train, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. 2. And Solomon told her all her questions; and there was not anything hid from Solomon which he told her not. 3. And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, 4. and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attend- ance of his ministers, and their apparel, his cupbearers also, and their apparel, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of Jehovah; there was no more spirit in her. 5. And she said to the king, “It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom. 6. “Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me; thou exceedest the fame that I heard.
    [Show full text]
  • The Book of Mormon Claims an Ancient Israelite Heritage For
    Swimming in the Gene Pool: Israelite Kinship Relations, Genes, and Genealogy Matthew Roper he Book of Mormon claims an ancient Israelite heritage for the TAmerican Indian, and since identifiable genetic evidence that might connect contemporary Native Americans with modern Jews is lacking, critics of the Book of Mormon assert that this contradicts the revelations of Joseph Smith and long-held traditional views about the Book of Mormon. Further, the critics suggest Latter-day Saints should abandon their belief that the Book of Mormon is an authen- tic account of an ancient American people and concede it to be an anachronistic specimen of nineteenth-century racist ideology.1 Several assumptions underlie these arguments against the Book of Mormon, and these are not always made clear. For example, what do we really know about the hereditary background of Israel and the ancient Near East? Were they a uniform genetic group? What genetic characteristics would distinguish an ancient Israelite population from other Asiatic groups of the same era? Are modern Jewish populations hereditarily the same as ancient Israelite populations? Are modern Asiatic populations hereditarily the same as ancient Asiatic popula- tions? Those who wish to demonstrate on the basis of DNA studies that Native American populations do not have Israelite roots should first establish what an ancient Israelite source population should be like. When one examines the biblical account and later Jewish his- tory, however, it becomes clear that Israel was never a genetically homogeneous entity. Further, examination of the nature of ancient Israel raises similar questions about the genetic heritage of the “peo- ple of Lehi” (3 Nephi 4:11) as described in the Book of Mormon.
    [Show full text]
  • Parashat Lech Lecha 5777 Rabbi Michael Safra
    Let Us Not Separate – Parashat Lech Lecha 5777 Rabbi Michael Safra I once heard of a man who was lying in bed on a Saturday morning. His wife nudged him: “Get out of bed already and go to “shul”. “But I don’t want to go to shul”, he said, “and I have my reasons. First, I am tired. Second, I don’t like the service and I really dislike the sermons. Third, the congregation doesn’t like me.” But his wife responded, “Those excuses are no good. I have my own reasons why you need to get out of bed and go to shul. First, a decent Jewish family goes to services together. Second, God will never forgive you, if you don’t go to shul. And third, you are the rabbi.” I want to acknowledge the anxieties of this moment. There is anxiety in our country, not just over the highly charged question of whether or not Donald Trump will become a good president, but also born of the surprise, even shock – by detractors and supporters alike – over the results; and that doesn’t just go away. I think also that, for some, there is a certain anxiety over this sermon. This is one of those mornings where much of the congregation comes in knowing the broad topic, and undoubtedly some are a little anxious about what I might say. “Is he going to bash Trump? Is he going to complain about wild protestors?” Or perhaps the more standard, “Is he going to blabber on and on and on?” And so I can begin by assuring you that even though Parashat Lech Lecha describes how Abram and Sarai left their birthplace in Mesopotamia to create their new life in Canaan, I am not going to talk about the value of Aliyah or even immigration to Canada.
    [Show full text]