Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Deuteronomy Haazinu

Haazinu
Deuteronomy 32:1 – 52

I. Summary

A. Haazinu – “Hear” or “Give ear” (O heavens, let me speak).

B. Moses recites poem that praises God (32:4 - “all God’s ways are just”), recounts history (32:7 = “remember the days of old …”), and notes how 1) God protected Israelites (32:10 – “God … watched over them”), 2) Israelites sinned (32:15 – “They forsook … God”), 3) God punished sinners (32:23 – “sweep misfortunes on them”), 4) God had a choice (32:26 – “I might have reduced them to naught”) and 5) God has ability to punish yet be merciful (32:39 - “I wounded and I will heal”). (32:1-43)

C. Moses urges Israelites to take his words very seriously (32:46-47 - “Take to heart all the words … it is your very life”). (32:44-47)

D. God tells Moses to climb Mount Nebo where he will die while being able to see the Promised Land from a distance but will not be allowed to enter it. (32:48-52)

II. Commentary (Plaut, various websites and prior Hevreh discussions)

A. Shabbat Shuva - The Shabbat between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is called is Shabbat Shuva (the Shabbat of Return). This is a time when we need to realize that humanity is intrinsically good and that if we stray from the path of God’s laws, we are not wicked or evil. Rather, we should simply acknowledge our failings, gathering our bearings and “return” to the right path. This ties into Torah portion since one theme of poem in Haazinu is God’s willingness to punish us for our sin’s being tempered by God’s readiness to take us back (allowing us to “return”).

B. Why the poetic form? - There is powerful emotional force to this song-poem. Arranged not in the Torah's typical textual format, Haazinu's verses instead are presented in columns … the better, one can imagine, to see their words quiver. Even our scrolls seem to acknowledge that Ha'azinu's power is drawn not only from the narrative substance of its verses, but also from their form (each line of poem contains two phrase parts separated by central space = basis for poem being written in two columns in Torah manuscripts). The poem holds its audience in thrall through its couplets and cadences, its lurid imagery and outlandish metaphor. Perhaps the poetic form was intended to present the words of God in a unique fashion so as to make the substantive content more memorable than prose ... another way to reach out to the Israelites.

C. Two songs frame wilderness experience - The Israelites’ wilderness experience is framed by two songs of Moses: Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:1-21 … thanksgiving after Israel’s rescue from Sea of Reeds and the beginning of wilderness trek) and Song of Moses (Deut. 32:1-43 … giving hope to the future at end of trek).

D. Emotional contrasts evoked in poem – Contrasts include 1) Israelite fear v. praise/awe, 2) Israelite despair v. hope, 3) Israelite faithfulness v. sinning, 4) God’s anger v. God’s love 5) God’s punishment v. protection/mercifulness and 6) Israelite triumph v. despair.

E. Contrast between poem and Moses’ fate – Two elements of this portion are 1) Moses' concluding poem to Israelites and 2) God's injunction to Moses not to enter the Promised Land. The two are tied together. The poem describes the rewarding relationship with God that the Jewish people will have as a result of their faith and observance, as well as the dire consequences they would suffer for their lack of involvement. The story of Moses' inability to enter the Promised Land illustrates the consequences of not listening to God.

F. Parental characterizations of God - Poem’s parental metaphors (God as father in 32:6,11,18 and mother in 32:11,13,18) drive home Israelite’s total reliance on God.

G. Ambivalence(?) of God – Israelites are both at risk from God (32:26 - “I might have reduced them to naught”) and protected by God (32:36 – “the Eternal will vindicate God’s people”). This suggests that conflicting mandates guide God’s actions … if Israelites do not follow God’s words, Israelites will suffer; however, God’s covenant with Israelites requires God to forgive and protect Israelites.

H. Hearing v. more difficult listening - Moses calls the heavens to "give ear" or "hear" (haazinu) and then calls upon the earth (per URJ commentary interpreting 32:1 - “Let the earth hear the words I utter”) to "listen" (tishma). These separate verbs in Hebrew, haazinu and tishma, are synonyms on the surface, but reflect nuances in their different definitions. To truly hear means taking time to listen and then to reflect. On a spiritual level, the heavens may just be asked collectively to hear (haazinu), but we on earth are challenged to hear with understanding (tishma).

I. Israelite control of their own destiny - Poem’s basic message is that the longevity of the Jewish people depends on how they act in the Land of Israel. This organizing principle is the last real advice the Israelites receive from Moses.

(revised 9/23/09)

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Deuteronomy Nitzavim and Vayeilech (Double Portion)

Nitzavim and Vayeilech (Double Portion)
Deuteronomy 29:9 – 30:20 and 31:1 – 31:30

I. Summary: Nitzavim

A. Nitzavim = (You) “stand” (this day, all of you …)

B. Moses tells the assembled people that God’s covenant speaks to them and to all of the generations who will follow. (29:9–14)

C. Moses warns Israelites that God will punish them if they act idolatrously and all peoples will be told why Israelites were being punished. Israelites acknowledge warning. (29:15–28)

D. Moses reassures the people that God will not forsake them and that they can regain God’s protection (and blessings) after sinning by then following God’s commandments. Moses emphasizes accessability of Torah teachings and fact that it is up to Israelites as to whether they receive God’s blessings or curses. (30:1–20)

II. Summary:Vayeilech

A. Vayeilech = (Moses) “went” (and spoke these things to all Israel)

B. Moses resigns his responsibilities (at 120 years of age), tells Israelites that he will not accompany them into Promised Land, announces that Joshua will succeed him and tells Israelites that they should not fear occupants of Promised Land since God will wipe those people out. Finally, Moses calls on Joshua to be “strong and resolute.” (31:1–8)

C. Moses gives written Teaching to Levite priests and instructs priests and the elders regarding the importance of reading the Torah to the people every seven years during Feast of the Booths … Sukkot. (31:9–13)

D. God informs Moses (in presence of Joshua) that upon death of Moses, the people will commit idolatry and “many evils and troubles shall befall them.” God tells Moses to teach the people a poem that will “be My witness”, i.e. so that Israelites will know God warned them. God tells Joshua to be “strong and resolute.” Moses recites the poem (set out in next parasha) to Israelites. (31:14–30)

III. Commentary on Nitzvaim (Plaut, various websites and prior Hevreh discussions)

A. Responsibilities of inclusiveness – Intended audience for God’s covenantal words is very broad … “all of you”, “not with you alone, but both with those who are standing here with us this day before the Eternal our God and with those who are not with us here this day” and even those whose “heart is even now turning away from … God.” (Deut 29:9-17); however, extending the boundaries of covenant for the sake of inclusion and universalism entails demands as well as social rewards, i.e. everyone who is referenced in Deuteronomy 29 is also called to account for how we uphold our obligations to God and to our fellow human beings.

B. Accessability of Torah - “Surely, this instruction … is not to baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach.” (Deut 30:11) Brings Torah (and God) to every person. Torah is more accessible than we may think. This gives us the tool for personal choice (see next comment).

C. Mitzvot = personal choice – Personal choice is the fruit of easy access to Torah. The revelation at Sinai itself is understood in Jewish tradition to include the written and oral law (Torah and Rabbinic tradition); however, mitzvot (“Instruction” in Deut 30:11) “is not in heaven or beyond the sea” but rather "in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it." (Deut 30:14). It are faced with a choice and we must make the right choice (“See, I set before you this day life and prosperity, death and adversity . . . I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life … by loving the Eternal your God, heeding God's commands, and holding fast to God.” (Deuteronomy 30:15–20). The mitzvot to choose life is grounded in the belief that we can make personal moral choices.

D. Free will reconciles God and tragedy – Personal moral choices do not guarantee that our experience is limited to God’s blessings. How can God permit terrible things to happen? Explanation is free will, i.e. God has knowledge of man’s future decisions but cannot control them or their consequences. In the days of the prophets, such a calamity would have been viewed as God’s punishment for our sins and our leaders would have urged us to pray, fast, and repent in order to encourage God to return to us. Modern theologians, however, reject the notion of God turning away from us. Rather, they argue, it is we who turn away from God. Plaut says “God is hidden as long as the world chooses to be alienated from Him”.

E. How to choose a blessing (rather than a curse) - How do we choose to be a blessing? 1) Stand up straight (Deuteronomy 29:9 - “you stand this day, all of you”) and take responsibility for our behavior, admit our past transgressions but not become mired in them … know that change is possible and the past is not a determinant of the future. 2) Be open to the possibility of change at any moment. The word hayom, “this day” (Deuteronomy 30:11) teaches us that we should not put off the possibility of change for some distant messianic time. Rather, we can and should bring about change in our lives!

F. Turning and returning – Returning to God (Deut 30:2) is basis for fundamental idea … if Israelites turn (“shuv” cited seven times) back to God after sinning, God will take them back.

G. Goal for Holidays - This parashah gives us a goal for the coming Days of Awe to demonstrate in our actions that we have changed. “The thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart to observe it” (Deuteronomy 30:14). The Hebrew for “observe,” laasot, also means “to do.” We are changed merely by saying the proper prayers or asking for forgiveness. Ultimately, how we or others act, i.e. what we do in our lives, is the measure of true repentance.

H. God’s expectation of Israelites – “Perchance, there is among you some man …whose heart is even now turning away from God.” (Deut 29:17) Even as Israelites are on the doorstep of Promised Land, God is confident that some Israelites will not accept the covenant. Will/Should God always have that expectation? Will that expectation always exist? Is expectation simply God’s acknowledgment of human frailty?

IV. Commentary on Vayeilech (Plaut, various websites and prior Hevreh discussions)

A. Stand and then go forth - That Vayelech (“go forth”) comes right after Nitzavim (“stand”) teaches us that it is only after we have learned how to stand still that we can "go forth.

B. Lessons from requirement to write a Torah scroll - It is a commandment for every Jew to write a Torah scroll for himself … “So now, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the Children of Israel.” (31:19)Interpretations: 1) No two written letters in Torah scroll can touch another one. On the other hand, the law also requires that the letters which comprise a word must be placed close enough to each other so that they do not appear as individual letters and not part of a word. This suggests that every Jew stand on his own two feet and observe the Torah and its precepts but also that each Jew should stand immediately alongside the other and be very close to him, to the extent that they appear as one collective body and not as egotistical individuals. 2) The validity of the Torah scroll is dependent on all the letters together. The lack or incompleteness of even one single letter affects the validity of the entire scroll. This suggests that every Jew is an essential component of the entire nation of Israel. 3) A Torah scroll must be written with ink and the only acceptable color is deep black which is a color that is extremely difficult to change This suggests that a Jew should not permit the influence of society or the vagaries of life to undermine or dilute his true "color" and to follow the correct path. 4) The ink must stick firmly to the parchment, and, if it "jumps off," i.e. becomes detached, the Torah scroll is disqualified. This suggests that each Jew should adhere to the Torah and never become detached from it.

C. Rewritten history - Arguably, Deuteronomy reflects history that preceded its writing (proof text = “So the Lord was incensed at that land and brought upon it all the curses recorded in this book” - Deut 29:26). Suggests that repetition of scenes in Deut. reflects attitudes of later post-exilic writers/editors who incorporated later versions by patterning them after earlier versions, e.g. succession of leadership (34:1-12 v. earlier 31.1-8 and 32:48-52), and creation of Torah as a book (31:24-27 v. earlier 31.9-13).

D. God’s knowledge of future v. free will - In telling Moses that Israelites will rebel against God suggests that God knows everything that will happen. Is this in conflict with free will? Reconciled with God’s ability to know what Israelites will decide … this is different than God making things happen. Deuteronomic view is that national transgression and its consequences already happened.

E. Rationales for Joshua as successor to Moses – Joshua was 1) one of only two only optimistic scout (along with Caleb) from among those twelve who checked out Promised Land, 2) Moses’ personal attendant (and accompanied Moses up Mt. Sinai so giving Joshua unique credential), 3) guardian of the tent and 4) military commander (making him natural person to lead Israelites in conquering Canaan).

(Revised 9/9/09)

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Deuteronomy Ki Tavo

Ki Tavo
Deuteronomy 26:1 – 29:8

I. Summary

A. Ki Tavo = “when you enter” (the land …).

B. Moses describes rituals for first fruits and tithing. Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (Deut 26:1-19)

C. Moses outlines ceremony for when Israelites arrive in Promised Land … a) inscribe laws on stone and display them on Mount Ebal, b) erect an altar, c) sacrifice and meal of rejoicing and d) pronouncement of listed curses by Levites. (Deut 27:1-26)

D. Moses tells the Israelites that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive all blessings imaginable. They are also told that if do not fulfill their b’rit with God, many curses (which Jewish tradition holds were all fulfilled) will descend upon them. List of curses much larger than preceding list of blessings. (Deut 28:1-69)

E. Moses opens his final address and reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. Moses notes future generations to be bound by covenant and covenant is not hidden document but rather is accessible to all (Deut 29:1-8)

II. Commentary (Plaut, various websites, Jewish Study Bible and prior Hevreh discussions)

A. Unconditionality of curses - Curses describe cataclysmic events that will befall the Jewish people as a public entity. They are addressed to the Jewish public rather than to individuals; according to Nachmanides they are firm prophecies that describe real future events; they were never intended to be regarded as contingent possibilities. His basic thesis: the curses of Parshat Bechukotai (prior recitation of curses) foreshadow the destruction of the First Temple and its aftermath, while the curses of Ki Tavo describe events that occurred during the destruction of the Second Temple and its aftermath. Issues: 1) philosophical problem of predestination versus free will; 2) Given that public tragedies are the consequences of public transgressions, our sense of justice is outraged by the thought of the entire Jewish people having to suffer for the actions of individuals, i.e. note issue of how it is possible for a people to transgress as a people; 3) Contra, curses are conditional (more appealing interpretation), i.e. an implied threat that God will no longer view Israelites as “chosen” people if they sin (Deut 28:1 says “ … if you obey … divine commandments … God will set you high above all nations …”).

B. Blessings from curses – Consider good that comes from bad, i.e. learn and evolve as result of going through difficult experiences. Similarly, do not let possibility of falling to temptation of bad behavior (and being “cursed”) prevent you from striving for good behavior (and being “blessed”), i.e. accept that we must live life fully as long as we are blessed with it. “It is not up to you to finish the work, yet you are not free to avoid it” (Pirkei Avot, 2:15–16).

C. Using curses to reconcile “Chosenness” with historical tragedies of Jews - There must be some way that Jews are identifiably different from the people who have acted against them in history. There has to be some apparently threatening factor that triggers oppressive acts against Jews. Only if we assume that Jews have a distinct quality of soul that sets them apart from the rest of humanity, a spiritual essence that other human beings are sensitive to can we come up with a trigger for anti-Semitism. The existence of this unique spiritual quality makes us “chosen.” It is essential that all Jews recognize and understand this unique spiritual quality inherent in themselves. All the suffering predicted in the curses, most of which we have already endured, was inflicted to drive home this one single message. The curses are not to be understood as punishments. They reflect the fact that we Jews differ spiritually from the rest of mankind; the sort of life-style that is appropriate for other people is so inappropriate for us. We are primarily spiritual; we need a Torah life style not only to earn our reward but because it is the only sort of life that suits us. We inevitably suffer when we attempt to live as others do.

D. Don’t take God for granted and be humble - Deut 26:7-10 describes how God responded to our pleas by bringing us from Egypt to the Promised Land. Reminds us to thank God for those things that we seem to have accomplished ourselves and not succumb to idolatry of the self. In a critical evaluation of our accomplishments in life, we must never see ourselves alone: We must also see the hand of God and remain humble.

E. Heart and soul - God dictates not only that we celebrate our observance of these commandments but that we "observe them faithfully with all our heart and with all our soul." (Deut 26:16) Can the Torah impose attitude? Two possible answers … 1) ceremonies are necessary to communicate a feeling about a particular moment in order to facilitate learning and connectedness and 2) the gratitude inherent in overcoming hardship increases the joy of the celebration inherent in bringing in a successful harvest. Either brings "heart and soul" to the rejoicing.

F. Displaying God’s commandments – Not clear what Deut 27:3 (“inscribe … all the words of this Teaching”) required Israelites to display. Joshua 8:32 suggests this means the entire book of Deuteronomy (Moses’ summary of all of God’s words intended for Israelites). Mishnah suggests it means the whole Torah (God’s words themselves). Josephus suggests it means only the blessings and curses (motivation to follow God’s words).

G. Stones making threshold - Laws inscribed on stones coated with plaster set upon Mt. Ebal (Deut 26:2-4) represent a threshold experience in the life of our ancestors … think of the great stone pillars on the border of the ancient Land of Israel as a national mezuzah, marking a threshold in the historical and spiritual experience of our people, impressing upon them the lasting significance of the boundary they were crossing.

H. “My ancestor was a fugitive Aramean”– Required use of these words in prayer to God (Deut 26:5) upon entering Promised Land is an expression of thanksgiving for successfully overcoming dangers to survival. In stating that our father was an Aramean who was lost, we remember that each parent must let the next generation search. Possible references: 1) Abraham (issue = Abraham not a fugitive), 2) Jacob (issue = Jacob not an Aramean) and 3) using translation of “The Aramean caused my father to be lost”, Laban is “Aramean” and Jacob is “father.”


(Revised 9/6/09)