Genesis Rabbah in Text and Context
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Parashat Chukat Sicha of Harav Aharon Lichtenstein
PARASHAT CHUKAT SICHA OF HARAV AHARON LICHTENSTEIN SHLIT"A The Sin of Moshe and Aharon Summarized by Matan Glidai Translated by Kaeren Fish "And God said to Moshe and Aharon: Because you did not believe in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of Bnei Yisrael, therefore you shall not bring this congregation to the land which I have given them." (20:12) This verse describes a great tragedy – Moshe and Aharon, who have been the leaders of Am Yisrael for a generation and a half, and who have done so much for the nation, will not be permitted to enter the land. This tragedy disturbed Chazal and the various commentators greatly, especially in light of the fact that the Torah does not state explicitly what they did wrong. Because their sin is not altogether clear, the commentators offer several different explanations. Rashi maintains that God had commanded them to speak to the rock (verse 8) and they sinned by striking it (verse 11). This, then, represented a deviation from the command that they were given, and Rashi explains that their action also diminished the scale of the kiddush Hashem (sanctification of the Divine Name): "For had you spoken to the rock and then it gave water, I would have been sanctified in the eyes of the nation. They would have said, 'This rock - which does not speak, nor does it hear, nor has it any need of sustenance – obeys the command of the Holy One; how much more so should we.'" (Rashi on verse 12) Briefly, the crux of the sin according to this view lies in the deviation from God's command. -
A Midrashic Reading of the Akedah
The Fruits of Dissent and the Operationalization of Faith: A Midrashic Reading of the Akedah Elliot Lyons 1 Introduction The Bible is a text fraught with ‘gaps’ – narrative silences, inconsistencies, and places where questions arise – and as such yearns to be interpreted. Genesis 22, Abraham’s intended sacrifice of Isaac, the Akedah (‘binding’) as it is known in Judaism, is nothing but exemplary in this regard. The biblical text main- tains two ‘gaps’1 where Midrash – biblical interpretation in the Jewish tradi- tion which juxtaposes biblical passages – places Satan into the narrative in a manner that emphasizes the fortification of faith through interrogating its very premises.2 The more questions put to Abraham, in other words, the deeper his faith becomes. Accordingly, this chapter will begin by locating the two main ‘gaps’ in the text: Genesis 22:1, where Abraham was tested “after these things/ words”, and the narratological gap between verses three and four. In presenting the textual gaps, I will use traditional historical-critical exegesis in order to juxtapose the radical potential and imagination present in Midrash to a method of interpre- tation that either entirely fails to answer the gaps, or only glimpses the tip of the theological iceberg that is the Akedah. Next I will discuss three Midrashim, from Genesis Rabbah (GR), from Midrash Tanhumah Yelammedenu (TY), and from the Babylonian Talmud (BT), which reconsider the gaps from the first half of the chapter in light of Satan questioning the ethics of a sacrifice-forged faith, and God pressing the grim task of filicide. 1 There is another ‘gap’ between the end of chapter 22 and the beginning of chapter 23, where Abraham returns and finds Sarah dead. -
Salvation and Redemption in the Judaic Tradition
Salvation and Redemption in the Judaic Tradition David Rosen In presenting Judaic perspectives on salvation and redemption, distinction must be made between the national dimensions on the one hand and the personal on the other, even though the latter is of course seen as related to the national whole, for better or worse (see TB Kiddushin 40b). Individual Salvation Biblical Teachings Redemption and salvation imply the need for deliverance from a particular situation, condition, or debt. The Hebrew word for redemption, gəʾullāh, implies “the prior existence of obligation.” This word is used in Leviticus to describe the nancial redemption of ancestral land from another to whom it has been sold (see Leviticus 25:25); the nancial redemption of a member of one family bound in servitude to another family because of debt (see Leviticus 25:48–49); and the redemption of a home, eld, ritually impure animal, or agricultural tithe that had been dedicated to the sanctuary by giving its nancial value plus one-fth in lieu thereof (see Leviticus 27). In the case of a male who died childless, his brothers assumed an obligation to “redeem” the name of the deceased —that is, to save it from extinction by ensuring the continuity of his seed, lands, and lial tribute (see Deuteronomy 25:5–10; Ruth 4:1–10). In a case of murder, the gôʾēl was the blood avenger who sought to requite the wrong by seeking blood for blood, redeeming thereby, if not the “wandering soul” of the deceased, certainly the honor that had been desecrated (see Numbers 35:12–29; cf. -
Talmud Tales Ruth Calderon Copyrighted Material Translated by Ilana Kurshan
A Bride for One Night Talmud Tales Ruth Calderon Copyrighted Material Translated by Ilana Kurshan CONTENTS INTRODUCTION xi THE IMAGINATIVE MAP xvii The Fishpond 1 Sisters 7 The Other Side 15 Beloved Rabbi 31 Libertina 39 Return 49 A Bride for One Night 57 Nazir 67 Lamp 75 The Matron 85 The Goblet 91 The Knife 99 He and His Son 105 Sorrow in the Cave 115 Elisha 123 The Beruria Incident 133 Yishmael, My Son, Bless Me 139 NOTES 145 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 159 Buy the book A Bride for One Night Talmud Tales Ruth Calderon Copyrighted Material Translated by Ilana Kurshan INTRODUCTION In this book I retell stories from the Talmud and midrash that are close to my heart, to introduce them to those who, like me, did not grow up with them. I do not cast these tales in an educational, religious, or aca- demic light but, rather, present them as texts that have the power to move people. That is, I present them as literature. The Talmud contains hundreds of stories about rabbinic sages and other historical fi gures who lived during the late Second Temple and rabbinic periods, which spanned the fi rst few centuries of the Common Era. The stories were recorded long after the events they recount, and thus they are literary rather than historical accounts. For generations these stories were neglected by literary audiences and were considered the province of rabbis and academics alone. But this is no longer the case. In the past decades readers of diverse backgrounds have devel- oped an openness and a willingness to engage this literature on their own terms. -
By Tamar Kadari* Abstract Julius Theodor (1849–1923)
By Tamar Kadari* Abstract This article is a biography of the prominent scholar of Aggadic literature, Rabbi Dr Julius Theodor (1849–1923). It describes Theodor’s childhood and family and his formative years spent studying at the Breslau Rabbinical Seminary. It explores the thirty one years he served as a rabbi in the town of Bojanowo, and his final years in Berlin. The article highlights The- odor’s research and includes a list of his publications. Specifically, it focuses on his monumental, pioneering work preparing a critical edition of Bereshit Rabbah (completed by Chanoch Albeck), a project which has left a deep imprint on Aggadic research to this day. Der folgende Artikel beinhaltet eine Biographie des bedeutenden Erforschers der aggadischen Literatur Rabbiner Dr. Julius Theodor (1849–1923). Er beschreibt Theodors Kindheit und Familie und die ihn prägenden Jahre des Studiums am Breslauer Rabbinerseminar. Er schil- dert die einunddreissig Jahre, die er als Rabbiner in der Stadt Bojanowo wirkte, und seine letzten Jahre in Berlin. Besonders eingegangen wird auf Theodors Forschungsleistung, die nicht zuletzt an der angefügten Liste seiner Veröffentlichungen ablesbar ist. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei seine präzedenzlose monumentale kritische Edition des Midrasch Bereshit Rabbah (die Chanoch Albeck weitergeführt und abgeschlossen hat), ein Werk, das in der Erforschung aggadischer Literatur bis heute nachwirkende Spuren hinterlassen hat. Julius Theodor (1849–1923) is one of the leading experts of the Aggadic literature. His major work, a scholarly edition of the Midrash Bereshit Rabbah (BerR), completed by Chanoch Albeck (1890–1972), is a milestone and foundation of Jewish studies research. His important articles deal with key topics still relevant to Midrashic research even today. -
Feminist Sexual Ethics Project
Feminist Sexual Ethics Project Same-Sex Marriage Gail Labovitz Senior Research Analyst, Feminist Sexual Ethics Project There are several rabbinic passages which take up, or very likely take up, the subject of same-sex marital unions – always negatively. In each case, homosexual marriage (particularly male homosexual marriage) is rhetorically stigmatized as the practice of non-Jewish (or pre-Israelite) societies, and is presented as an outstanding marker of the depravity of those societies; homosexual marriage is thus clearly associated with the Other. The first three of the four rabbinic texts presented here also associate homosexual marriage with bestiality. These texts also employ a rhetoric of fear: societal recognition of such homosexual relationships will bring upon that society extreme forms of Divine punishment – the destruction of the generation of the Flood, the utter defeat of the Egyptians at the Exodus, the wiping out of native Canaanite peoples in favor of the Israelites. The earliest source on this topic is in the tannaitic midrash to the book of Leviticus. Like a number of passages in Leviticus, including chapter 18 to which it is a commentary, the midrashic passage links sexual sin and idolatry to the Egyptians (whom the Israelites defeated in the Exodus) and the Canaanites (whom the Israelites will displace when they come into their land). The idea that among the sins of these peoples was the recognition of same-sex marriages is not found in the biblical text, but is read in by the rabbis: Sifra Acharei Mot, parashah 9:8 “According to the doings of the Land of Egypt…and the doings of the Land of Canaan…you shall not do” (Leviticus 18:3): Can it be (that it means) don’t build buildings, and don’t plant plantings? Thus it (the verse) teaches (further), “And you shall not walk in their statutes.” I say (that the prohibition of the verse applies) only to (their) statutes – the statutes which are theirs and their fathers and their fathers’ fathers. -
Speaker Materials
Speaker Materials Partnering organizations: The Akdamut – an Aramaic preface to our Torah Reading Rabbi Gesa S. Ederberg ([email protected]) ַאְקָדּמוּת ִמִלּין ְוָשָׁריוּת שׁוָּת א Before reciting the Ten Commandments, ַאְוָלא ָשֵׁקְלָא ַהְרָמןְוּרשׁוָּת א I first ask permission and approval ְבָּבֵבי ְתֵּרי וְּתַלת ְדֶאְפַתְּח בּ ַ ְקשׁוָּת א To start with two or three stanzas in fear ְבָּבֵרְי דָבֵרי ְוָטֵרי ֲעֵדי ְלַקִשּׁישׁוָּת א Of God who creates and ever sustains. ְגּבָוּרן ָעְלִמין ֵלהּ ְוָלא ְסֵפק ְפִּרישׁוָּת א He has endless might, not to be described ְגִּויל ִאְלּוּ רִקיֵעי ְק ֵ ָי כּל חְוּרָשָׁת א Were the skies parchment, were all the reeds quills, ְדּיוֹ ִאלּוּ ַיֵמּי ְוָכל ֵמיְכִישׁוָּת א Were the seas and all waters made of ink, ָדְּיֵרי ַאְרָעא ָסְפֵרי ְוָרְשֵׁמַי רְשָׁוָת א Were all the world’s inhabitants made scribes. Akdamut – R. Gesa Ederberg Tikkun Shavuot Page 1 of 7 From Shabbat Shacharit: ִאלּוּ פִ יוּ מָ לֵא ִשׁיָרה ַכָּיּ ם. וּלְשׁו ֵוּ ִרָנּה כַּהֲמון גַּלָּיו. ְושְפתוֵתיוּ ֶשַׁבח ְכֶּמְרֲחֵבי ָ רִקיַע . וְעֵיֵיוּ ְמִאירות ַכֶּשֶּׁמ שׁ ְוַכָיֵּרַח . וְ יָדֵ יוּ פְ רוּשות כְּ ִ ְשֵׁרי ָשָׁמִי ם. ְוַרְגֵליוּ ַקלּות ָכַּאָיּלות. ֵאין אֲ ַ ְחוּ ַמְסִפּיִקי ם לְהודות לְ ה' אֱ להֵ יוּ וֵאלהֵ י ֲאבוֵתיוּ. וְּלָבֵר ֶאת ְשֶׁמ עַל ַאַחת ֵמֶאֶלף ַאְלֵפי אֲלָ ִפי ם ְוִרֵבּי ְרָבבות ְפָּעִמי ם Were our mouths filled with song as the sea, our tongues to sing endlessly like countless waves, our lips to offer limitless praise like the sky…. We would still be unable to fully express our gratitude to You, ADONAI our God and God of our ancestors... Akdamut – R. Gesa Ederberg Tikkun Shavuot Page 2 of 7 Creation of the World ֲהַדר ָמֵרי ְשַׁמָיּא ְו ַ שׁ ִלְּיט בַּיֶבְּשָׁתּ א The glorious Lord of heaven and earth, ֲהֵקים ָעְלָמא ְיִחָידאי ְוַכְבֵּשְׁהּ בַּכְבּשׁוָּת א Alone, formed the world, veiled in mystery. -
Parsha Plug: Parshat Lech Lecha Bereshit 12:1-4, 15:1
בס׳׳ד Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn October 2018 Parsha Plug: Parshat Lech Lecha בראשית יב:א־ד, טו:א Bereshit 12:1-4, 15:1 א וַיּ֤ ֶֹאמר ה' א ְל־אַבר֔ם לך־לך֛ ֵמאַרְצך֥ And the Lord said to Avram, “Go forth from your land and from your 1 ֶ ָ ְֶ ְָ ֽ ְ ָ ִוּמֽמּ ַוֹלדתּך֖ ִוּמֵבּ֣ית ִאָב֑יך אל־האָ֖רץ א ֶשׁ֥ר birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. 2 ְ ְ ָ ָ ֶ ָ ֶ ֲ אַראךּ: ב ואע ְשׂך֙ לג֣וֹי גּד֔וֹל וַאָב֣רְכך֔ And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make ְֶֽ ָ ְֶֽ ֶ ָ ְ ָ ֲֽ ֶ ָ וַאגַדּל֖ה ְשֶׁמ֑ך והיֵ֖ה ְבּרָכה: ג וַאָברָכה֙ your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 And I will bless those who ֲֽ ְָ ָ ְֶֽ ָֽ ֲֽ ֽ ְ ְמָבֲ֣רֶכ֔ ָיך ְוּמַקֶלְּלָך֖ אָאֹ֑ר וְנְִבְרכ֣וּ ְבָך֔ כֹּ֖ל bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the ִמ ְשְׁפּחֹ֥ת האדָמה: ד וַיֵּ֣לך ְאַבר֗ם ַכּא ֶשׁ֨ר earth shall be blessed in you.” 4 And Avram went, as the Lord had spoken to ֲָֽ ָֽ ְֶ ָ ֲֽ ִדֶּבּ֤ר ֵאָליו֙ ה' וַיֵֶּ֥לְך ִאתּ֖וֹ ל֑וֹט וְ ְאַבָר֗ם him, and Lot went with him, and Avram was seventy five years old when he ֶבּ ָן־חֵמ֤שׁ ָשׁנִים֙ וְִשְׁבִע֣ים ָשׁנָ֔ה ְבֵּצאת֖וֹ ֵֽמָחָֽרן: .left Haran ר' חיים פלטיאל בראשית יב:ב Rav Chayim Paltiel on Bereshit 12:2 והיה ברכה. שהברכות נתונים בידך. וק' דהיינו ואברכה You will be a blessing’:...Some say this blessing is the blessing‘ מברכך. -
A Clergy Resource Guide
When Every Need is Special: NAVIGATING SPECIAL NEEDS IN A CONGREGATIONAL SETTING A Clergy Resource Guide For the best in child, family and senior services...Think JSSA Jewish Social Service Agency Rockville (Wood Hill Road), 301.838.4200 • Rockville (Montrose Road), 301.881.3700 • Fairfax, 703.204.9100 www.jssa.org - [email protected] WHEN EVERY NEED IS SPECIAL – NAVIGATING SPECIAL NEEDS IN A CONGREGATIONAL SETTING PREFACE This February, JSSA was privileged to welcome 17 rabbis and cantors to our Clergy Training Program – When Every Need is Special: Navigating Special Needs in the Synagogue Environment. Participants spanned the denominational spectrum, representing communities serving thousands throughout the Washington region. Recognizing that many area clergy who wished to attend were unable to do so, JSSA has made the accompanying Clergy Resource Guide available in a digital format. Inside you will find slides from the presentation made by JSSA social workers, lists of services and contacts selected for their relevance to local clergy, and tachlis items, like an ‘Inclusion Check‐list’, Jewish source material and divrei Torah on Special Needs and Disabilities. The feedback we have received indicates that this has been a valuable resource for all clergy. Please contact Rabbi James Kahn or Natalie Merkur Rose with any questions, comments or for additional resources. L’shalom, Rabbi James Q. Kahn, Director of Jewish Engagement & Chaplaincy Services Email [email protected]; Phone 301.610.8356 Natalie Merkur Rose, LCSW‐C, LICSW, Director of Jewish Community Outreach Email [email protected]; Phone 301.610.8319 WHEN EVERY NEED IS SPECIAL – NAVIGATING SPECIAL NEEDS IN A CONGREGATIONAL SETTING RESOURCE GUIDE: TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: SESSION MATERIALS FOR REVIEW PAGE Program Agenda ......................................................................................................... -
On Robert Alter's Bible
Barbara S. Burstin Pittsburgh's Jews and the Tree of Life JEWISH REVIEW OF BOOKS Volume 9, Number 4 Winter 2019 $10.45 On Robert Alter’s Bible Adele Berlin David Bentley Hart Shai Held Ronald Hendel Adam Kirsch Aviya Kushner Editor Abraham Socher BRANDEIS Senior Contributing Editor Allan Arkush UNIVERSITY PRESS Art Director Spinoza’s Challenge to Jewish Thought Betsy Klarfeld Writings on His Life, Philosophy, and Legacy Managing Editor Edited by Daniel B. Schwartz Amy Newman Smith “This collection of Jewish views on, and responses to, Spinoza over Web Editor the centuries is an extremely useful addition to the literature. That Rachel Scheinerman it has been edited by an expert on Spinoza’s legacy in the Jewish Editorial Assistant world only adds to its value.” Kate Elinsky Steven Nadler, University of Wisconsin March 2019 Editorial Board Robert Alter Shlomo Avineri Leora Batnitzky Ruth Gavison Moshe Halbertal Hillel Halkin Jon D. Levenson Anita Shapira Michael Walzer J. H.H. Weiler Ruth R. Wisse Steven J. Zipperstein Executive Director Eric Cohen Publisher Gil Press Chairman’s Council Blavatnik Family Foundation Publication Committee The Donigers of Not Bad for The Soul of the Stranger Marilyn and Michael Fedak Great Neck Delancey Street Reading God and Torah from A Mythologized Memoir The Rise of Billy Rose a Transgender Perspective Ahuva and Martin J. Gross Wendy Doniger Mark Cohen Joy Ladin Susan and Roger Hertog Roy J. Katzovicz “Walking through the snow to see “Comprehensive biography . “This heartfelt, difficult work will Wendy at the stately, gracious compelling story. Highly introduce Jews and other readers The Lauder Foundation– home of Rita and Lester Doniger recommended.” of the Torah to fresh, sensitive Leonard and Judy Lauder will forever remain in my memory.” Library Journal (starred review) approaches with room for broader Sandra Earl Mintz Francis Ford Coppola human dignity.” Tina and Steven Price Charitable Foundation Publishers Weekly (starred review) March 2019 Pamela and George Rohr Daniel Senor The Lost Library Jewish Legal Paul E. -
ESV - 1 - Trek 1: His Story Parent Guide Lesson 1.2: out of Nothing: Creation Week Scripture: Genesis 1:1-31
Trek 1: His Story Parent Guide Lesson 1.1: Before the Beginning Began Scripture: John 1:1-13 SUMMARY All physical things in the universe — even man-made objects — have a cause. God is the one and only creator of all things and without Him, nothing would exist. Jesus was called “the Word,” and was with God in the beginning when He created all things. Yet even though Jesus is the creator, when He came down to earth to live among us, people did not recognize Him. Just as Jesus is the source of all created matter, so He is also the source of all light. In fact, He is the light which shines in the darkness of the world. John the Baptist came before Jesus and served as a witness to Jesus. All Christians are invited to do likewise, and be a witness for Jesus — the creator of the universe. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. KEY VERSEs: (John 1:1-3) KEY THOUGHT: KEY WORD: In Lesson 1.1 we learned that the Word, Jesus, God, Genesis: beginnings, creation or generations is the unmade Maker. Discussion Questions • What is the one key thought that you learned tonight? • What is the difference between man-made things, and things which God Himself created? • Why do you think that in the Bible Jesus is also called “the Word”? (Hint: Remember how God created the universe.) • Why do you think the world did not recognize Jesus when He came down to earth? • How can someone become a child of God? • What did John the Baptist do? • How should Christians be similar to John the Baptist? • How does believing in Jesus as the sole creator of the universe change our lives and how we live? • What should you do with the lesson you learned tonight? What should we do? ESV - 1 - Trek 1: His Story Parent Guide Lesson 1.2: Out of Nothing: Creation Week Scripture: Genesis 1:1-31 SUMMARY All physical things in the universe — even man-made objects — have a cause. -
Humor in Torah and Talmud, Part 5
Sat 18 Aug 2018 – 7 Elul 5778 B”H Dr Maurice M. Mizrahi Congregation Adat Reyim Lunch and Learn Humor in Torah and Talmud, Part 5 Torah (Theme: God is angry at us) 1-God loses it [The Israelites repeatedly ask Moses for meat in the desert. God tells Moses:] And say to the people... you shall eat meat. You shall not eat it for one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days; but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and you become disgusted by it. [Numbers 11:18-20] 2-This, too, shall happen to you! The most dreaded Torah portion is Ki Tavo, where God lists all the curses that will befall those who do not follow His commandments: But it shall come to pass, if you will not listen to the voice of the Lord your God, to take care to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day, that all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. [Deut. 28:15] Follows a long string of dreaded curses, beginning with: Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field… [Deut. 28:16] And ending with: Also, every illness and every plague, that is not written in this Book of the Torah, the Lord will bring it upon you, until you are destroyed. [Deut 28:61] It’s not even exclusive: Whatever you dread most, whatever it is, shall happen to you! 3-Moses’ masterful plea The Israelites revert to idolatry by building and worshiping the Golden Calf.