faith

Measuring Midrash

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By Ariella Golani

When a Biblical commentator or modern prophet writes about his understanding of the Bible, is it possible to evaluate what he/she says? And by what means? What are we to tie to as an unmovable anchor?

Originally the Bible was the measure of truth. (Still is IMHO). 

Specifically the Torah. There are several laws in the Torah itself as well as verses in the Tanakh that claim that all truth must be founded first of all on the principles of Torah–That we must not add to nor take from. So how can that be applied in light of an Oral Torah? 

So the big question that puts things in focus is whether or not those who came after Moses and the prophets were/are allowed to write stories about the meaning of what is recorded in the sacred writings of the Tanakh. And if we answer yes, then how will those stories be measured as to what is truth? Is it by a qualifying credential from a school of higher learning, be it a yeshiva, or a university? Or do we boil it down the the same thing–Torah as the only Anchor? Basically, does a rabbinic degree allow departure from the written Torah? And how is Oral Torah measured? Midrash? If there is no basic guide other than being an esteemed sage or rabbi, then public reverence is all that is needed to establish truth and if this is the case then we might as well follow the majority, be it in religious matters or politics. And what was that verse that is so badly taken out of context about following the majority? Hey let me get back to that!

I would not argue that scholars from these institutions have nothing to teach us. But what I take exception to is the often clear stepping aside to redefine the laws of the Torah of Moses–Adding to or taking from as is clearly forbidden by the text of Torah itself. Here is what the Bible says it:

Deu 4: “2 Ye shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall ye take from it, that ye may keep the commandments of YHVH your God which I command you.”

Deu 12:”32 Everything that I command you, ye shall take heed to do it; thou shalt not add thereto, nor take from it.”

Jos 1: “7 Only be strong and very courageous, that thou mayest take heed to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.”

Pro 30:”6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”

Let’s take as an example, a well-known midrash. It is about Joshua the high priest who was to officiate in the second temple. The story is found in Zechariah 3:1-7:

Zec 3:”1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of YHVH, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2 And YHVH said unto Satan, YHVH rebuke thee, O Satan! Yea, YHVH that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee! Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 3 And Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Angel. 4 And he spoke and said unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from off him. And unto him he said, See, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I clothe thee with festival-robes. 5 And I said, Let them set a pure turban upon his head. And they set the pure turban upon his head, and clothed him with garments; and the Angel of YHVH stood by. 6 And the Angel of YHVH protested unto Joshua, saying, 7 Thus saith YHVH of hosts: If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts; and I will give thee a place to walk among these that stand by.”

So what were the filthy garments that the attendants that stood by removed? Here is something from the internet:

“Intermarriage of Sons: The most prominent Midrashic explanation (found in Talmud Sanhedrin 93b and cited by Rashi) is that Joshua’s sons had married foreign women who were forbidden to the priesthood. The garments were “filthy” because Joshua did not protest or prevent these marriages.” Link

The filthy garments, according to midrash had to be removed, meaning the sons had to divorce their wives and abandon their children. In the story, the sons actually did this and then Joshua was acquitted (the filthy garments removed). 

What the Torah says: a father is not held accountable for the sins of his sons. (this would of course be after the age of accountability).

Deu 24:”16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, neither shall the sons be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.”

So according to Torah, this midrash does not line up. The filthy garments were Joshua’s own sins and his own defilement, apparently things that he absorbed from the exile in Babylon. Now to be cleansed of these things it took the work of divine beings, (those who stood by were commanded to remove the filthy garments from Joshua) perhaps giving him enlightenment.  It was like a day of atonement. Yom Kippur?

If we are looking for another example from the Bible, let us look at the law about the rebellious son and what the parents were to do.

Deu 21: “18 If a man have an unmanageable and rebellious son, who hearkeneth not unto the voice of his father, nor unto the voice of his mother, and they have chastened him, but he hearkeneth not unto them; 19 then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 and they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is unmanageable and rebellious, he hearkeneth not unto our voice; he is a profligate and a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die. And thou shalt put evil away from thy midst; and all Israel shall hear and fear.”

If parents are ultimately responsible for the sins of their children, then the parents would have also been stoned in this example. 

The prophet Ezekiel speaks to this principle: 

Eze 18: “20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”

Since the prophet goes along with the commandment in Deuteronomy, we can include it. What happens if a prophet does not speak according to the commandment?

Deu 13: “4 Ye shall walk after YHVH your God, and ye shall fear him, and his commandments shall ye keep, and his voice shall ye hear; and ye shall serve him, and unto him shall ye cleave. 5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; for he hath spoken revolt against YHVH your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, — to draw thee out of the way that YHVH thy God commanded thee to walk in; and thou shalt put evil away from thy midst.”

So if the things a prophet says do not align with what God commanded us in the Torah, then we are not to listen to him. Actually in the instructions for Israel, that prophet was to be  put to death. 

Isa 8:”20 To Torah and testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because light has not dawned in them.”

  לְתוֹרָה וְלִתְעוּדָה אִם־לֹא יֹאמְרוּ כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אֵין־לוֹ שָׁחַר׃

What we need to ask is what was the influence of the Exile in Babylon that brought about the condition of “filthy garments” ? And what was the remedy? What will happen today when Jews return from the exile? From what do they need to be cleansed? Is the story of Joshua the high priest actually a prophecy for end time return from the exile? I believe it is!

So what about following the majority? 

Orthodox Judaism claims that Jews must follow the majority of the collected rabbinic views on Halakhah. There is very little individual freedom to decide what a text means. 

Where did this idea of following the majority come from? Only one verse in the Torah!

Exodus 23:”2 Thou shalt not follow the multitude for evil; neither shalt thou answer in a cause, to go after the multitude to pervert judgment.”

This verse has been expanded by Oral Torah scholars to mean the following: (And I clearly do not see how this can be accepted by any thinking mind! )

Jewish Virtual Library:

“MAJORITY RULE, deciding a matter according to the majority opinion. In the field of the halakhah this rule is applied in three principal instances:

(a) determination of the binding law according to (the view of) the majority of halakhic scholars;

(b) adjudication of dispute by the majority decision of the courts’ judges; and

(c) imposition by majority decision of the community, or its representatives, of a communal enactment (see *Takkanot ha-Kahal), binding on all members of the community. The basis for the majority rule is to be found in the exegesis of the scriptural phrase, aḥarei rabbim le-hattot (to “follow a multitude…” Ex. 23:2).” Link. 

So what this does is to negate individual understanding of the Torah and place it outside in a rabbinic courtroom. Now the Torah becomes complicated and the individual becomes subservient to the leadership. Makes me think of some Catholics I knew in Mexico. They claimed they needed a priest to explain the Bible because it wasn’t written for the common man or woman!

But the Torah was given in simple form so that each person can understand it without scholastic interpretation:

Deu 30:”11 For this commandment which I command thee this day is not too wonderful for thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in the heavens, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to the heavens, and bring it to us, that we should hear it and do it? 13 And it is not beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we should hear it and do it? 14 For the word is very near to thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.”

And what about needing numerous fences around the Torah? This is often used to justify why there are so many Halakhic rules for Torah commandments. Do we really believe that God will punish us for somehow not understanding the simple words of the commandments? After all, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bow to an image, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not make God’s name of none effect…all these as well as the rest need no elaboration. 

So how about we just keep it simple!

Abraham’s Walk of Faith…Learned from Whom?

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Let’s take a deep dive into the lives of Abraham vs Noah. In case you did not see the first article about Noah, check it out (here).

To quote from that article...“The Bible does not say that Abraham walked with the Eternal, but rather that he was told to walk…”

“And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, YHVH appeared to Abram, and said to him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be perfect.” Genesis 17:1

The Bible mentions that Adam, Noah and Enoch walked with God, but note that in the description of the beginning of Abraham’s life God told him to walk before Him. Is there a difference? There is no record of God instructing Noah or Enoch to walk with Him. Some Jewish sages elevate Abraham as more righteous than Noah. But how so, if Abraham was commanded to walk but of Noah it is stated that he “walked with God?”  Maybe this is a very small point but as mankind descended from the original created “Image of God man.” 

How would Abraham know what it means to walk with God? Was anyone alive to instruct him? Adam died before the flood-actually from the Biblical timeline, 126 years before Noah was born!

All the righteous lineage of the family of Adam, from Seth down, died before the flood, EXCEPT Noah and his three sons and their wives. And  Noah died in the year 2006 from Creation– which was 350 years after the flood (1656) which is 58 years after Abram is born. 

 Genealogy of Abram/Abraham

How many of the descendants of Adam knew Noah? According to the biblical timeline of the years counted to the birth and death of Methuselah, Adam was still alive during Methusaleh’s life. Methuselah was born 687 years after creation and died the year of the flood (1656) Though Noah did not know Adam, Methuselah did– for Adam was alive for 247 years of Methuselah’s life. Adam’s influence must have affected him. Methuselah also knew Enoch, though Enoch was “taken” some 69 years before Noah was born, so Methuselah served as a bridge between Adam, Enoch and Noah, who all are reported in the Torah as having walked with YHVH. Adam and Noah both were coexistent with Methuselah. And then Noah lived until Abram was 58 years old. But Shem was alive during the entire life of Abram/Abraham. So we see Adam, Methuselah, Noah, Shem, Abram– A short father to son line to pass on the word of mouth story of the creation, the temptation in the garden, Adam’s, Methuselah’s, and Noah’s walk with God–all this before God commanded Abram to walk with Him. So maybe Abram knew a little already of the walk that his ancestors had lived out?! Now Shem, born 98 years before the flood (see Genesis 11:10 where it states that Shem was 100 years old two years after the flood) and lived another 500 years after the birth of Arphaxad places his death from the year of creation (hereafter referred to as anno mundo, a.m.) at 2158 a.m. 

For calculating the birth of Abraham (70 years into Terah’s life—Genesis 11:26, Terah being born 1878 a.m.) would make the birth of Abram to be in the year 1948 if, indeed he was the son born in Terah’s 70th year; This is based on:

1). Abram is mentioned first in the verse recording the births of the three sons of Terah 

2). Abram was the only notable spiritual character in the story. See Gen 12:4. From a clear stating of Terah’s birth in 1878 plus 70 years for the birth of Abram would give us the year 1948. Check out this chart:

There is a common teaching that Abram stayed in Haran until his father’s death, but the timing does not line up with future events. Terah died at 205 years of age. Abram was born in Terah’s 70th year but left Haran when he was 75. Let’s see more on this:

In Genesis 12:1 Abraham is told by YHVH:

“Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee;”

Did Abram tarry long after the call for his father to die?  He obviously would not have waited many years to leave. Why does the text mention his father’s house if his father had passed away? If his father was dead, then it would not have been a test for Abram to leave–his father would no longer have been there to detain him. And why, later, in sending his servant to seek a wife for Isaac, did Abraham mention that he had left his father’s house and his kindred as God had instructed him? Since he left both his father’s house and kindred, neither his father nor his kindred were dead at that time. Later, when Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac he tells him:

Gen 24:7 “The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.”

And when we think of why Abraham did not go back himself to find a wife for Isaac, we remember that he had been told to leave that land, his father’s house AND his kindred. So he did not return there in obedience to YHVH’s original command, and now, he could only send his servant there, and under strict orders to not take Isaac to Haran. His descendants were not to return to the place where he had been told to leave.

Gen 24:6 “And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.”

So, to restate what we have found so far:  Abram was born when Terah was 70 and he was 75 when he left Haran; we find that Noah and Shem were both still alive. Abram being born in 1948 a.m. indicates that Noah died 58 years later in 2006 a.m. while Abram is still in Haran and before the call of YHVH to leave. Abraham dies in 2123. Shem dies in 2158 outliving Abraham by 34 years! So he had a lot of time to teach him about the Creator, 175 years of his life and 105 years after he left his father’s house and kindred. Does the Bible refer to Shem anywhere in relation to Abraham? Whether Noah and Shem lived near Abram in his journeyings we have little to go on, but later we see Shem appear in Abram’s life.

Shem was Melchizedek. How so?

1) Shem was the only one left of the royal line from Adam and then Seth, 2) Noah placed a special spiritual blessing on Shem at the time he and Japheth walked backwards to cover Noah’s nakedness (Genesis 9:26:27). He was exalted above both Japheth and Ham at this time.

3). Melchizedek was king of Salem, which seems to be Jerusalem–Salem being the place God chose to place His name. 

4). Melchizedek was a righteous king according to the Hebrew meaning of his name, and 4) is declared “priest of the Most High God”.

5). Abram paid tithes to him after the battle of the kings. (When the Bible uses, El Elyon (Most High God), it is not talking of just any god that is worshiped. Elyon is used here for the One and only God. Check out my other article on Abraham and Melchizedek here.

So as I stated at the beginning, Abram, later called Abraham, had to learn to walk with YHVH: (We remember that Noah is mentioned as having walked with God and likely taught Abram a thing or two, which would mean that Abram had an idea of what YHVH meant when he was commanded to walk before God and be perfect.)

“And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, YHVH appeared to Abram, and said to him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be perfect.” Genesis 17:1

And this is fitting for the father of all those who are sons of Abraham–The walk has to be learned! Since Noah and Shem were still alive during the life of Abram, he would have learned from them even before God spoke to him and guided him directly.

As I said in my first article: (see here):, the obedience levels of Noah and Abraham were different. By no means did Noah cause the flood as some commentators suggest, (because he did not wrestle with God for the salvation of the wicked preflood world.) On the other hand, Abraham clearly had trouble believing the Eternal’s promises several times in his walk with YHVH. He gave his wife away twice out of fear, he took Hagar at Sarah’s suggestion to create a son. Which even today haunts the People of the Book! Even so, his walk in Emunah was growing, as the Torah records:

“And he believed in YHVH; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Gen 15:6

Still later, he argued with God about the destruction of Sodom. Yes it was noble that Abraham tried to intercede for Sodom, but perhaps he still lacked trust that God knew what He was doing. Perhaps he had heard the horror stories of the flood and didn’t want this to happen to anyone ever! But ultimately the Almighty taught Abraham to trust, and the rest is history!

For the sake of Torah,

Ariella

Yahweh? Yehovah? Or something else?

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There is much discussion among those who take the Bible as the only valid Word of God.

Nobody really knows the pronunciation of the NAME, even when they claim to know it. I believe it will one day be revealed, not by some erudite scholar but by the ONE who owns that name. And is it really a name, or is it a description of who He is? I believe the latter, but that’s me.

I don’t believe either of the forms written above are correct. Let me tell you why.
Yahweh is missing the O and Yehovah uses the “e”instead of the “a” of Yah which we know is used in other places in the Bible. 

Why does it need the O?
Because the present tense category of Hebrew is “Hoveh” 

“In Hebrew, the term for “present tense” (grammar) is הוֹוֶה (pronounced hove), which literally means “present time” or “now”. Link

So what would it mean that God is in the present? 

Most Jews know the song Adon Olam which expresses the eternal nature of God. 

Here are the Lyrics, transliterated from Hebrew for you:

V’acharei kichlot hakol,

l’vado yimloch nora.

V’hu hayah, v’hu hoveh,

v’hu yihyeh, b’tifarah.

And in Hebrew: 

וְאַחֲרֵי כִּכְלוֹת הַכֹּל,

לְבַדּוֹ יִמְלוֹךְ נוֹרָא.

וְהוּא הָיָה, וְהוּא הֹוֶה,

וְהוּא יִהְיֶה, בְּתִפְאָרָה

In English, the highlighted words mean, he was and he is and he will be. 

So if we put them all together, we get something like Yahoveh. 

Two examples from the Bible that show the hove  part of the name:

Num 13:16: “These are the names of the men who Moshe sent to spy out the land. Moshe called Hoshea the son of Nun Yehoshua.” 

Why was it important to change his name before he went to spy out the land of Canaan?

Hoshea (Hôshēaʿ) means “salvation”, and it was changed to Joshua (Yehôshuaʿ) which means “Yahoveh is salvation.”

“By inserting the divine element “Yah,” Moses shifted the focus: Joshua’s victories would not be self-wrought but God-wrought.” Link

The Name Jehosaphat (a king of Judah). He is found in the book of Kings (chapter 22).

As Hebrew speakers know, there is no J in Hebrew. (יְהוֹשָׁפָט) 

His name takes part of the name of YHVH and signifies YHVH has judged. Here is a Link for the etymology. 

Let’s take a look:יְהוֹשָׁפָט

Y-ho-shaphat. The first part is part of the name of YHVH. The second part Shafat is:

“The past tense masculine form for the verb “to judge” (לִשְׁפּוֹט, lishpot) in the third-person singular (he/it) is שָׁפַט (shafat).” Link

So dear readers, in our ongoing quest for the name, all I can say is we are not quite there yet, though this little study should open some doors to rethinking what has been thought of how to pronounce the name. Unfortunately, or not the name was lost for thousands of years to most students of the Bible. Perhaps it was lost because it was not to be used lightly, and much of what is done in the supposed name of YHVH actually profanes that name. 

What does the Commandment say?

Exodus 20:7 “Thou shalt not take the name of  YHVH thy God in vain; for YHVH will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.”  Here is the Brown Driver Briggs etymology for this verse.Link and Here.

Summing up what is said in these links: it is not to be used lightly to take a frivolous oath, and it must not be made “empty” or vain by idly taking it upon one’s lips. But should it never be used?

Deu 6:13: “You shall fear YHVH your God; and him shall you serve, and shall swear by his name.” See also Deu. 10:20.

Happy searching!

Ariella

Going up to the Mountain

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My Journey to the Temple Mount

by Ariella Golani

I have had what I refer to as “lock-down syndrome” over the last five years. It all started with the physical lock-downs forced by the governments during the time of the Corona Virus and then from the October 7 massacre and onward in Israel, we had the constant pressure to stay near home just in case bombs should target our town. My friend, Judy in Tzfat  invited me dozens of times to meet her in Jerusalem and go together to Har HaBeit (the Temple Mount) to make our presence felt and to pray for the restoration of the Temple and the land of Israel. I had not been to Jerusalem for 5 years when I visited the Kotel (Western Wall).. It was 35 years before that when I actually went up to the Mountain. And at that time, the presence of Jews on the site was not welcome. With the continual insistence of Jews with the Temple in heart and mind, the place has begun to allow prostration in at least one place and prayers, though no siddurim (prayer books) are allowed. 

The appeals from several sick friends and relatives kick started my journey! I got myself out of bed at 4:30 in the morning to meet the 6 a.m Jerusalem bus. The case of my Hispanic friends in Central and South America has been heavy on my heart for some time. Many of these descended from diaspora Jewish “conversos” (people who became Catholic to save their lives). After the inquisition in Spain and Portugal found many of these fleeing to the Americas and other places. I know some who have personally left Christianity, which was passed down to them by their ancestors, who were threatened with torture and death by these countries. Alas, many of their descendants don’t have paperwork to show who they are. All they have is the knowledge that something inside them is crying out to return to the land and people of Israel. This unspoken cry, unfortunately, is not heard by political governments, nor the state of Israel. For these conversos to come to Israel they have to do the impossible: convert to an accepted form of Judaism, which is extremely expensive, costing thousands of dollars and then there is little assurance that the Israeli rabbinate will accept them. 

Countries such as Cuba have no Israeli embassy to appeal to and the people live from bread crust to bread crust barely surviving, thus the idea of conversion or even a visitor’s visa for 3 months to Israel is completely out of the question. So one of my prayers which I bore on my heart and wrote on a scrap of paper which I tucked into the Western Wall (Kotel) was for an open door to the Hispanic diaspora “Conversos”–those who truly desire to return to the land of our ancestors. 

It was a long bus ride. Highway 90 traverses Judea and Samaria (known by the world as the West Bank). The bus moved down the dry hills until we saw a glimpse of the Dead Sea and then turned West towards Ma’ale Adumim, the last town before the barrier between the embattled area and Jewish domain. At the barrier (like a border crossing) two soldiers entered the bus. One stood in front by the driver, in case trouble broke out, as the other walked down the aisle inspecting the rows of passengers for anything that might raise suspicion. As we forged on through the gate to climb the hill up to Jerusalem, the traffic got more and more heavy. The bus was delayed almost an hour, but fortunately, Judy was willing to come meet me at the exit of the light rail which runs from the Central station to many parts of Jerusalem. 

We boarded a #38 bus which took us close to the Kotel from where the boarded tunnel passage climbs up to the top of Har HaBeit. Because Judy goes nearly every week, the guards know her so that we were not scrutinized beyond the first metal detector. 

It is disheartening to realize how much the Mount itself has been desecrated by those who do not respect the place that HaShem (YHVH) chose to place his name and which has been the holiest place on earth, having housed two of our Holy Temples which were destroyed by Israel’s enemies: Babylon and then Rome. According to history, the Holy Presence of our God had left the first temple because of the disobedience of our forefathers. In Ezekiel 7:20-25 the prophet described the departure of the Divine Presence from the first Temple (Go to verses.)

When Jonathan’s wife gave birth after he was killed along with King Saul, she exclaimed: This was about the Mishkan in Shilo, before the building of the first Temple, but shows that the ark of God must be present in the Temple.

“The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.” 1Sa 4:22

There was never a resurgence of the Divine Presence in the second temple after the exile. Why?

“The Jewish historian Josephus records that when the Roman general Pompey entered the Holy of Holies in 63 BCE, he found an empty room, as the Ark of the Covenant was long gone. This absence of the Ark, the physical manifestation of God’s presence in the First Temple, is often interpreted to mean the divine presence was no longer there in the same way.” Ai Google.

The hope of many in Israel is that soon, God will return to this Place and we will see the end of war and the hatred that has so long dogged the path of the Jewish people. That Jews will become the promised Light to the nations, prophesied by the prophet Isaiah:

“I, YHVH, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;” Isa 42:6

As we entered the boarded up tunnel walkway, we were accompanied by policemen in black uniforms, some Arabs, some Jews. Our instruction was that there were to be no prayer books and there were only certain places we could incline and pray. Other places were considered as offensive to the Muslims if Jews were allowed. We saw ancient pillars and steps and remnants of what once was, but for the most part the solid golden dome over the mosque was at the center of everything and which can be seen from almost everywhere in or around Jerusalem. 

My heartfelt cry for the restoration of this place brought about  another prayer–that the Eternal forgiving God of our ancestors would remember His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and return to comfort His people Israel and once again make His Presence known, and to dwell in this Holy Mountain which has been desecrated through the last nearly 2.5 millennia. Again, we ask, why? Why did the Divine Presence not return to the Second Temple? Had something been lost in the exile to Babylon? Had a new religion taken the place of the one taught on Sinai? And did this religion in some way create customs and tradions of its own so that the Jews did not need the Eternal to rule them? 

As we neared the end of our circuit around the top of the mountain, we saw steps that had remained from times of the Second Temple. I stepped up on one where I was able to say the Oseh Shalom prayer quietly. 

“Oseh shalom bimromav”: May He who makes peace in high places.
 “Hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu”: Make peace for us
“V’al kol Yisrael”: And for all Israel
“V’imru: amen”: And let us say, amen
עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו, הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵיֽנוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאִמְרוּ : אָמֵן.

At one point the men and women on the tour separated and some of us lay flat on the ground face down with our heads and hands stretched out toward where the Most Holy Place would have stood. There was an amazing feeling of light and peace there. It was almost as if the Divine Presence  was hovering somewhere near. It is a place every Jew with a heart to be One with our People and One with God should be. It is the true home of the Jewish people and the ten tribes of Israel.  I truly believe it is the presence and prayers of the humble and contrite, who seek their God, that will bring back the Holy Fire to the Temple Mountain. 

I was loath to leave, but the tour was over and the policemen urged us towards the exit. I think we were there only 30 minutes. We then descended to the Kotel below and there I  placed my scraps of paper with prayers written for different people and causes. 

I bade goodbye to Judy and awaited another friend, Miriam who soon came to accompany me as I sat before the wall. After she prayed, we washed our hands in the fountain at the exit, and headed to find a bus to the terminal so that we might return to our homes in the Golan Heights. 

This will not be the last time I make this journey. It was a day of remembrance, and tired as I was on the journey of three buses and two trains, it well worth it. Gone is the locked-down feeling that has kept me stuck for so long!

“If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.”  Psa 137:5 

Parashat Chaya Sarah (The Life of Sarah)

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Genesis 23 – 25:13

The Parsha for this week begins with the words “And the life of Sarah came to be one hundred and 27 years” Genesis 23:1: She, Sarah died and Abraham mourned.

Abraham Grieves and Bargains:

We see Abraham deeply grieved over the loss of his wife, Sarah who had been his companion ever since they left Ur of the Chaldees where he took her as wife before they traveled with Terah and Lot towards the land of Canaan. They stopped at Haran which was a city in what is modern Turkey. This is a trip of around 950 kilometers. They lived there until Abraham’s father Terah died. Gen. 11:30-31. And then the call of Abraham began his journey with his wife, lot and their servants towards Canaan.

We know from the Biblical account of the birth of Isaac that Sarah was 9 years younger than Abraham. She was, as it is stated 127 years old when she died leaving Abraham at 136 years of his life and her son Isaac at 36 years of age. 

Courtesy of Aish.com

Abraham, in the midst of mourning, realized that he had no permanent place to bury Sarah and got up from beside his loved one and went to bargain with the Hittites for the burial cave of Machpelah which is in Hebron, the area in which Abraham lived at the time. 

He approached the leaders of the Hittites and asked to buy from them a burial site. They offered to give him a place among the choices of sites, but he refused saying he wanted to buy it. It is clear that Abraham at this time knew the devious mind of the Canaanites and needed a guarantee that they would not reassume this land as theirs after his death. At this point he asked to have them intercede with the owner of the cave of Machpelah to sell it to him. He also offered it for free, but after arguing for the purchase, Ephron, son of Zohar, agreed upon 400 shekels of silver and the deal was done. 

The question arises to those of us who look back upon the history of Israel and the problems that have always existed with those who claim to own the land, “why would he buy it if it was already promised to him.” 

From history, we know that it took many years after Abraham to fully conquer the land of Canaan. After the time in Egypt, 400 years, and 40 years in the wilderness under the leadership of Moses, the beginning of the conquest of the promised land began with the crossing of the Jordan and the fall of Jericho. Previously the tribes of Gad, Reuben and the half tribe of Manassah had requested the fertile land east of the Jordan, the Bashan and conquered it from King Og of that area. But this was given to them based on their commitment to fight for the rest of Canaan until it was subdued. 

Abraham, had to live with the promise of the land, even though he himself could only trust this promise. This was similar to God’s promise of descendants that would be a great nation, and for which he waited for 25 years for the birth of Isaac. Then with the call to Mt. Moriah where he was told to offer up Isaac, his faith was tested almost to the edge of his endurance. 

Abraham knew well the mind of the residents of the land at that time, which by the way have not changed a lot even in modern times. The past few years of our life in Israel has showed us the mind of the Middle East like we would have never imagined it. Israel fights with subtlety. Sometimes it is not apparent why the nation of Israel does what it does. There have been peace agreements and land even given to keep peace, but it never works. Maybe if the government of Israel studied the life of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joshua and the conquest of the land, we might get it. The sad thing is that many of those who lay claim to the land are actual descendants of Abraham through Ishmael or Esau or any of Abraham’s other sons whom were born to him by Keturah.

Gen 25:1-4 speaks of the offspring of Keturah:

“1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.”

Trouble in the Middle East:

If Abraham had foreseen the trouble that would exist throughout History through his descendants, maybe he would not have taken another wife! It might be easy to justify that they were all descendants of Abraham and therefore had a right to the land. Yet, Isaac was specified inheritor of the land which was promised to Abraham. The promise of land, and the promise of a son, both went hand in hand. That which Abraham created on his own impulse became a curse to his descendants. 

Gen 25:5-6:

 “5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. 6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.”

Now today, when the true descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have lived in exile for 2500+ years, owing to their own disobedience, the challenge to take what is rightfully ours facing the odds of the many nations that would deprive us of this inheritance, is overwhelming to most. Even our supposed allies see in our extremity an opportunity to usurp power over parts of the land. Gaza, though much of it is destroyed, has become a coveted bargaining tool for the United States. We must not succumb to this manipulation! 

Where is the promise of the God of Abraham? Where is the faith of Abraham? How can we sit on our hands, so to speak, and back off from the victories we have made, trusting the “chariot and horses” of the nations that boast more power than Israel? Where is the God of Israel?

Psa 20:

“7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of YHVH, our God.”

Isa 31:

 “1 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek YHVH!”