THE TORAH PORTION FOR THIS SHABBAT 4 Av 5780 and 7 PM ONLINE EREV SHABBAT SERVICE July 24, 2020
THOUGHTS
“It is very strange to get out these days. It is sad because now we really are only looking out for ourselves. If we run into a store it is to get what we need, go in and out and don’t really SEE people because we are so focused on getting back home.”
– Volunteer Coordinator, Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum
“…According to the manner in which you expect your reality to behave, in that manner shall it be.”
– Jane Roberts and Robert Butts, “The Early Sessions: Book 4 of the Seth Material”
SHABBAT CHAZON (Sabbath of Vision aka Black Sabbath)
See below for a fuller explanation. The name is based on the Haftarah read on the Shabbat immediately before Tisha B’Av, which this year begins the evening of Wednesday, July 29, 2020.
PARSHA
From ReformJudaism.org
D’varim (דְּבָרִים – Hebrew for “things”, “speech” or “words”)
Deuteronomy 1:1−3:22
These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan. – Deuteronomy 1:1
SUMMARY:
- Moses begins his final words of instruction to the Children of Israel, focusing first on recounting their physical journey. (1:1–21)
- Moses reviews the people’s reactions to the negative reports of the spies and the appointment of Joshua to succeed him. (1:22–45)
- Moses recounts that all of the Israelite warriors who left Egypt died, as God had intended, and the people continued their wanderings and defeated their enemies. (2:14–3:11)
- Moses reiterates that the Land of Israel was allocated to the Israelite tribes. (3:12–22)
The Haftarah is Isaiah 1:1-27
From Hebcal.com
Shabbat Chazon (“Sabbath [of] vision” שבת חזון) takes its name from the Haftarah that is read on the Shabbat immediately prior to the mournful fast of Tisha B’Av, from the words of rebuke and doom coming from Isaiah in the Book of Isaiah 1:1-27. It is also referred to as the Black Sabbath due to its status as the saddest Shabbat of the year (as opposed to the White Sabbath, Shabbat Shuvah, immediately [preceding] Yom Kippur). https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/shabbat-chazon
STRUGGLING WITH TORAH
DEVARIM – THE BOOK
The title of the fifth and last book of Torah is D’varim in Hebrew and Deuteronomy in English – literally “second law” from Greek deuteros + nomos. This is believed to be the scroll that was discovered during the restoration of the Temple under King Josiah and affirmed as authentic by the Prophetess Huldah. Who is Huldah?
From Jewish Virtual Library.org
HULDAH (Heb. חֻלְדָּה; “weasel”), wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the “wardrobe keeper” of the king; one of the five women in the Bible referred to as nevi’ah, “female prophet”) and the only woman prophet in the book of Kings (II Kings 22:14–20). She was consulted by *Josiah when he sent to “inquire of the Lord” concerning the Book of the Law discovered during the restoration of the Temple. She prophesied God’s ultimate judgment upon the nation. However, this judgment was to be postponed until after Josiah’s peaceful death because of the king’s acts of repentance. Inasmuch as Josiah’s death was not peaceful hers may be a genuine predictive prophecy. Most of her prophecy is molded by the authors of the Book of Kings in Deuteronomistic style. It is of interest that women prophets are well-attested in roughly contemporary Neo-Assyrian sources. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/huldah
The name “Huldah” and it’s meaning remind me that in Spanish, a ferret, which is a subspecies of the weasel family, is called a “Hurón”.
From Sefaria.org
Devarim (Deuteronomy) consists of three sermons by Moses delivered shortly before entering the Promised Land [Chapters 1-30]. The first sermon recalls the period of forty years of wondering in the wilderness and concludes with an exhortation to observe the Torah’s commandments. The second reminds the Israelites to remain loyal to God and not to follow strange gods. To observe the laws He has given them, on which possession of the Promised Land is dependent. The third provides comfort that even if Israel is unfaithful and exiled from the land, through repentance a return is possible.
From Wikipedia
The final four chapters (31–34) contain the Song of Moses, the Blessing of Moses, and narratives recounting the passing of the mantle of leadership from Moses to Joshua and, finally, the death of Moses on Mount Nebo.
Virtually all secular scholars reject its attribution to Moses and date the book much later, between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE. Chapters 12–26, containing the Deuteronomic Code, are the earliest section, followed by the second prologue (Ch. 5-11), and then the first prologue (Ch. 1-4); the chapters following 26 are similarly layered. Most scholars believe that the Deuteronomic Code was composed during the late monarchic period, around the time of King Josiah (late 7th century BCE), although some scholars have argued for a later date, either during the Babylonian captivity (597-539 BCE) or during the Persian period (539-332 BCE). Many scholars see the book as reflecting the economic needs and social status of the Levite caste, who are believed to have provided its authors; those likely authors are collectively referred to as the Deuteronomist.
One of its most significant verses is Deuteronomy 6:4, the Shema Yisrael, which has become the definitive statement of Jewish identity: “Hear, O Israel: the [Eternal] our God, the [Eternal] is one.”
DEVARIM – THE PARSHA
The Parsha for this Shabbat recounts episodes from the 40 years in the wilderness including how Moses appointed chiefs, the episode of the twelve scouts, encounters with the Edomites and Ammonites, the conquest of Sihon and Og, and the assignment of land for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. Moses encourages our ancestors in their upcoming conquest of Canaan. The chapters that make up this Parsha are part of the “first prologue” which ends with chapter 4.
Earlier this week for the Temple Sinai Tuesday Morning Minyan, Ret. Family Law Court Commissioner Glenn Oleon gave the D’var Torah on Devarim. He called his D’rash “Israel’s Greatest Hits”. His overarching theme was that “We learn from the past and apply the lessons to the present to achieve a better future.”
Based on my quick notes, following are some key ideas taken from his D’rash:
- In this portion there is a different order of events, different place names and different recounting of the events.
- Moses is no longer presented as unable to speak clearly as earlier in Torah and has now become a “master speaker”.
- The language referring to Moses changes from “he” as in other the books of Torah to “I” and “you” in this one.
- A lesson to be drawn is that the Israelites won battles when they obeyed and were faithful to God and lost them when not.
- Moses advises the Israelites to treat with respect their kinsmen, i.e., those tribes descended from Esau (Edom) and Lot (Moab and Ammon), paying for whatever they acquire as they pass through their lands.
From my perspective, it is perhaps because of these differences from other books of Torah, some of them rather significant, that scholars have raised questions about its authorship and age. Of course, we all remember things differently as we move away from the incidents in question – we sometimes embellish them and sometimes we revise them to make ourselves look better – and we always edit them, removing any extraneous details and/or adding explanatory asides. Perhaps that is what is happening here. Moses is at the end of his life and retelling what has happened over the expanse of 40 years, including some things from the 38 years “missing” in the Book of Numbers.
So that again raises the questions: What are we to make of all this? What is this Torah portion teaching us? Torah is both the teaching story and foundation of our people. The ethics, values and ideas contained therein are our legacy.
I agree with Ret. Commissioner Oleon’s overarching theme with a twist. While we may agree or disagree on its details, practices, and historical veracity, whether we accept or reject it, its influence on our lives, our people and our world is clearly evident. Sorting out and dealing with all of this in order to get to the deeper meaning and truths Torah teaches, and lifting our expectations is part and parcel of “Struggling with Torah”.
TISHA B’AV
In some traditions, the first nine days of the Jewish Month of Av are an intense period of mourning. The destruction of the first and second temples, the expulsion from Spain in 1492, and several other tragic and disastrous events in Jewish history are recalled. This period of mourning culminates with a full fast day and reading the Book of Lamentations on the 9 of Av (Tisha B’Av).
At least two other noteworthy observances take place during Av. The date of Aaron’s death, which is explicitly stated in Torah (Numbers 33:38), is commemorated on the first of Av. The 15 of Av (Tu B’Av) is a minor holiday celebrating love similar to Valentine’s Day and is considered a great day for weddings.
PRAYERS
We recite MI SHEBËRACH for the victims of brutality, abuse, fear, natural disasters, pandemics, violence, and war; for all those in need of physical, emotional, and mental healing. “R’fuah sh’lëmah” – a complete recovery!
We say KADDISH YATOM for those of our friends and families who have died and been buried this last week; those in the period of Sh’loshim (30 days since burial); those who have died in the last year; and those whose Yahrzeits/Anyos occur at this time; as well as the victims of brutality, disease, natural disasters, war and violence. We remember, too, those victims of the Shoah (Holocaust) who died at this time of year and have us to say “Kaddish” for them. “Zichronam liv’rachah” – May their memories be for blessing.
ONLINE SERVICES – 7 PM
Making sure you have the latest version of Zoom, please join us online this evening:
Topic: Erev Shabbat Service
Time: Jul 24, 2020 07:00 PM Arizona
To join Zoom Meeting click on the following link [you may need to copy it into your browser]:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/72510500854?pwd=Z3VQZWF4U1BBZytNYmh3aHFTWkFDZz09
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Meeting ID: 725 1050 0854
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Or, you may also access Erev Shabbat Services directly through the Temple Kol Hamidbar website at https://templekol.com/live
Shabbat Shalom – Buen Shabbat!
-Ruben