Torah Portion and Spotlight on Nature: Yitro

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A Griffon Vulture at the Hai Bar Nature Reserve near Haifa

 

“I Lifted you up on the Wings of the Nesher and brought you to me.” (Exodus 19:4)

In this week’s Torah Portion we discuss Moses going up Mount Sinai where the Eternal tells Moses to tell the Jewish People their divine purpose; to be a holy nation. He tells Moses to tell the Jewish people that he carried them on the wings of a bird called, in Hebrew, the Nesher.

Why I have n’t translated ‘Nesher’

The King James Bible translates ‘Nesher’ as eagle. This is mostly based in a European tradition identifying the Eagle as ‘The King of Birds’, the Eagle was the symbol of the Roman Empire and the Russian Empire. There is some zoological evidence to suggest that members of the Eagle family carry their children, though generally birds do not do this. However this identification does not fit other Biblical requirements. For instance, the Nesher, according to Micah 1:16 is supposed to be bald. Eagles (except for the American Bald Eagle which is not native to Israel an is not technically bald) do not tend to be bald, Vultures are. Vultures in Ancient Near Eastern folk tradition were associated with kingship. Vultures are also far larger than Eagles and have a larger ability to ‘pick stuff up’. One species, the Lammergeier or ‘Lamb Carrier’ in German, was even rumoured to carry away children.

Symbolism

The Symbolism of the Nesher is that its large wings are supposed to symbolise the eternal protection of the Eternal, know in Hebrew as the Shechinah.

For a more extensive explanation I encourage you to read Rabbi Natan Slifkin’s article on the subject.

 

Torah Portion / Spotlight on Nature and an Interesting Announcement

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“You Shall take a bunch of Hyssop dip it in the blood in the basket and put it on the Doorpost”

(Shmot / Exodus 12:22)

 This Weeks Torah Portion discusses the last of the ten plagues sent against Pharaoh so that the Jewish People could be saved from bondage. The commandment above was set in the context of the plague of the killing of the first born. The Israelites were to smear blood in this manner so that the Angel of Death would pass over their houses.

Why Hyssop ?

According to the description of the purity ritual used to resolve Zara’at (translated by the King James incorrectly as leprosy) hyssop was also used. According to Rashi (see just about every post that I’ve made before to find out who he is), Hyssop is the lowliest of plants. So Hyssop is both a symbol of lowliness and purity.

The merit with which the Israelites were saved

The Rabbis tell us that the Israelites were submerged in 49 levels of ritual impurity when they were saved from Egypt. They also tell us that it was in the merit of their forefathers that they were rescued from slavery. The hyssop warns the Israelites not to think that it is by their own merit that they are being saved but by that of their forefathers. Hyssop is also a symbol of the new status of purity which they will aquire.

Other News….

I have not written for a while because I became engaged.

The Torah taught in this post is for the Health of Zlata bat Sima

 

Torah Portion: Vayeshev, Descent of Judah

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“It happened at that time that Judah descended from his brothers…” (38 :1)

Judah had been working with his brothers on the sheep before he ‘went down’ to become part of another story which eventually ends in him accusing his sister in law of  being a prostitute after unknowingly sleeping with her himself. His ‘going down’ is both a spiritual descent and a literal one as the Mountains of Shechem where he was shepherding his sheep are in quite a high mountain range.

Correlation to Samson

This descent is similar to Samson’s descent to Timna (Judges 14:1), both in terms that it was a spiritual descent to marry a philistine woman and an actual descent (Timna is a valley). Also both descents are a necessary descent for some gain. Samson was a ‘thorn in the side’ of the Phillistines, even though he seemed to be involved in their activities, he did this to help the Israelites by causing chaos in the Philistine ranks. Judah’s actions also bore good fruit as the  descendent of his actions with his daughter in law was King David, who is seen as a symbol of the Messiah.

Descent that creates an Ascent

This teaches us the concept of: “ירידה לצורך עליה” (Yeridah letsorech aliyah) or a descent that creates an ascent. In Hassidic thought, in particular in the works of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, eighteenth century Hassidic Master, this is when a person goes through a low spiritual time which ends in a rise and elevation in the person’s spiritual status. Sometimes a person feels far from their spiritual potential, but they must know that a change is coming soon.

Torah Portion: Vayetse – The Place of Jacob’s Ladder

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William Blake's painting of Jacob's Ladder

“Jacob went out of Beer Sheba and went towards Haran. He touched the Place and went to sleep for the sun was going down…”

(Genesis (Bereishit) 28:10 -11)

In this week’s Torah portion, when Jacob leaves his parents to escape from his brother’s wrath and find a wife there is a very bizarre episode. He arrived at some un-named place which the hebrew text says he ‘touched’, he then went to sleep and had a fantastical dream where God appears to him promising him saftey and he sees Angels ascending and descending on a ladder to heaven. If this was n’t bizarre enough Rashi the 10th century scholar’s explanation of the text is even more wondrous.

Which Place?

Rashi locates the place as Mount Moriah, the place where Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac and where the Temple of Solomon was built. This fits in  thematically  as the Binding of Isaac concerned God’s protection of Abraham and his progeny and the Temple of Solomon was a conduit to heaven as symbolised by the dream.

Hang on, does n’t Jacob Give the place a name?

When Jacob woke up from his dream he says:

‘this is the House of God (or Beit El) and this is the gate of heaven”

(Genesis 28 : 17)

He calls it Beit El, not Mount Moriah, and as we can see on this map, they are at two entirely different places.

The position of Beit El in comparison to Jerusalem

Rashi and ‘Warpspace’

There are many explanations, some say Beit El is just meant figuratively, the ‘House of God’ means the Temple, not a place called ‘Beit El’ (not likely as the scripture goes to some lengths to tell us its former name; Luz).  Possibly it refers to the position of the temporary Temple that existed before the Temple of Solomon or the Tabernacle. This was placed for a long period in Shiloh, just North of Beit El. My favourite explanation is Rashi’s, that the land (and some Rashi scholars say the fabric of the Universe itself) folded or ‘warped’ so that Jerusalem was the same place as Beit El.

The Place

In any case in hebrew the word place; ‘HaMakom’ is one of the names of God and reminds us that in every place, no matter how far we may feel we are from God, God is there.

Torah Portion: Toldot

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Flash Flood in the Negev Region in Nahal Geled

“May God Give you the Dew of Heaven and the fat of the land….”(Genesis 27:28)

In this weeks Torah Portion Isaac blesses Jacob with ‘the dew of heaven’. But why did n’t he bless him with the rain of heaven. The 12th and 13th century scholar Nahmanides gives us a clue to our answer.

Dew as opposed to rain.

Nahmanides, in his commentary on the Bible, wrote that dew is more useful because it falls in every place. Dew is condensation caused by a change in temperature causing moisture in the air to precipitate. It happens in both summer and winter and in many different terrains and climates.

Would n’t rain be more useful.

Rain is not always as welcome as dew. Recently it rained very heavily in Jerusalem and  the Judean hills causing flash floods and much destruction. The picture above is a flash flood in the Negev desert, flash floods have been known to carry away bridges, trees and top soil. In the winter, before the farmer has sown his seeds, the flash flood is welcome, it waters the ground, fills up cisterns and water reserves and prepares the agricultural community for the season for sowing seeds. In the spring or summer it is a nightmare where the farmer loses his topsoil and the wandering hunter is caught unawares in a dangerous situation.

A Symbol of Universal protection.

The blessing of dew is a symbol of God’s protection in any situation and it forms a covering, just as in the morning the dew covers everything, God is everywhere watching out for us.

 

Torah Portion: Chayei Sarah: the Caves of the Patriarchs

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The Cave of Machpelah, burial site of the Patriarchs at Night

“Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham in the Cave of Machpelah in the Field of Ephron the Hittite” (Genesis: 25:9)

This appearance of both Isaac and Ishmael at the funeral of Abraham is seen expressive of a situation where both Isaac and Ishmael were living in peace with one another. It is interesting to note that after burying Abraham in the place where Abraham buried his wife Sarah, Isaac then goes and lives in ‘Be’er Lehai Ro’i’ (The Well where Ishmael was saved by an angel). Seemingly Isaac actually dwelt with his brother and they operated with as a family unit (possibly including Hagar).

If one were to visit the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, commonly identified as Machpelah. One would also see Jews and Muslims (traditionally thought of as the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael respectively) sharing the same building for prayer.

Torah Portion: Vayera ‘The Terebinths of Mamre’

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“God appeared to Abraham at the Terebinths of Mamre“

(Genesis 18:23)

What’s a Terebinth?

The word in Hebrew here is ‘Alon’ which refers to Oak rather than Terebinth, which is a different kind of tree. The Picture above is of a ‘Quercus Calliprinos’ or ‘Palestine Oak’, which can be seen all over Israel.

 

Focus on Nature / Weekly Torah Portion Bereshit

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Fig tree“…They realized they were naked and they sewed together a fig leaf and made clothes” (Genesis  / Bereshit 1:7)

The picture above is a fig tree, it is very common in Israel and has the merit of being the first species of tree mentioned by name in the Bible.

 

 

 

Succot in the Sun

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My Succah

 On any tour of Jerusalem for the next week, the week of Succot / Tabernacles (for instance if you were to book a Chol HaMoed Tour here) you will see many interesting little booths topped with leaves or bamboo canes and decorated with streamers and pictures (such as the one above). This custom derives from a commandment in the Bible (Leviticus 23: 42 – 43) that the Israelites should live in booths (Succot) for seven days. There is a deeper Kabbalistic reason for the custom which is apparent when one asks the question, why also on Succot do Jews read Kohelet / Ecclesiates?

A Book Focused on the Sun

One of the first verses in Kohelet says:

‘The Sun rises and the Sun sets  – then to its place it is pulled and it shines again ‘ (Kohelet 1: 4)

In fact the book seems to have a pre – occupation with the Sun, it mentions the Sun many times.  The Sun is a representation of Din; divine law and propriety. It fits a set programme which does not later at all, commanded by God to do what it does and not alter a tiny bit. Compared to rain, which seems fickle (and is a representation of Chesed, loving kindness), the Sun is a fixed thing.

A Protection against Din / Judgement

A Succah is a protection against the Sun, it shields the dweller from the Sun’s harmful rays, any Succah that fails to do so is not Kosher. Succot is supposed to be a time where we are protected from harsh divine Judegment, from Din. There is a phrase in Jewish liturgy;

‘On Rosh Hashanah (New Year) we consider how Judgement is made, on Yom Kippur it is sealed’

A Further Chasidic idea suggests that the final judgment is served on the last day of Succot and all the time from Yom Kippur to this day the judgement is suspended so as to give the person who was sentenced time to appeal. We have just finnished being judged a week ago on Yom Kippur  being judged and the whole period of Succot is a period of being protected from Din, from harsh judgement.

The Succah is a representation of divine Chesed (loving kindness); protection against the harsh divine judgement made on Yom Kippur.

 

Dedicated to the health of Zlata bat Sima

To Learn more about Succot, join Yossi on a Chol HaMoed Tour