Circumspect Mordechai

 

For if you persist in keeping quiet at a time like this, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place, while you and your father’s house will perish; and who knows whether it was for such a time that you attained the royal position? Esther 4:14

Undoubtedly, when we read (or hear) Megilat Esther, it is clear to us that indeed it was for such a time that Esther attained the royal position, and it is reasonable to assume that Mordechai, as well, believed that Esther was chosen queen of Persia and Media through the hand of God. Yet, Mordechai does not pretend to understand the ways of God, and he therefore takes great care in wording his comment. Despite his personal belief, Mordechai will not state as a categorical that he understands God’s secrets, and therefore merely suggests the possibility that it is God’s providence which brought Esther to the throne of Persia in order to save His chosen nation.

In his careful and circumspect choice of words, Mordechai teaches us a valuable lesson. In our times, there is no shortage of those who “know” that the scourge of traffic accidents is the result of desecrating Shabbat, and that rockets were fired into southern Israel because of breaches of modesty. Mordechai’s approach is restrained, and follows the statement of the Sage (quoted in Sefer Ikkarim by Rabbi Yosef Albo [1380–1444], and attributed by some to Maimonides) concerning the nature of God: “were I to understand Him, I would be Him.”

 

           

Nation Land and Creator

They will know that I, the Lord, am their God, Who brought them out of the land of Egypt in order that I may dwell in their midst; I am the Lord, their God.                                                Exodus 29:46

                Among our classical commentators, Naḥmanides, and following him, Rabbeinu Beḥayye, note that the implication of the verse is that having the Shechina manifest within the Nation of Israel serves not only the nation’s need, but that of God as well!

                One of the verses which Naḥmanides cites in support of his contention, contains the words of Joshua in the aftermath of the failed attempt to capture Ai:

When the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the Land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out and cut off our name from the earth; and what will You do for Your great Name?        Joshua 7:9

                Indeed, the connection among the Nation of Israel, its Land and the Creator is so strong that the very presence of Israel outside its Land constitutes a desecration of God’s name. Ezekiel delivered God’s words:

But then when they entered the other nations, they defiled My holy name because it was said of them, "These are the Lord’s people, yet they left his Land."                                                36:20

While the simple meaning of the verse seems to be that it was the Israelites’ behavior in the diaspora which defiled God’s name, according to Midrash Eicha Rabba, the nations asked in astonishment “If you are indeed the Lord’s people, why have you left His Land?” It is possible to understand this comment to mean that God’s name was defiled by the very fact that His nation is to be found outside the Land.

                This being the case, the corollary is that Israel’s return to its Land rectifies the desecration of God’s name caused by their having left the Land. Indeed, Rabbi J. B. Soloveitchik wrote “You have no idea how the Name of the Almighty was glorified and extolled, and His kingdom reestablished, by the establishment of the State of Israel.”

Tabernacle Sinai and Eden

            Yehuda Kiehl, in the introduction to his commentary on Genesis [Da’at Mikra] presents a most insightful analysis which sees the concept of the Tabernacle as if a golden thread which is woven into the fabric of Israel’s history, and even earlier, to Man’s first domicile on earth, the Garden of Eden.

            Kiehl quotes Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch’s comment that the Tabernacle is “a mobile Sinai.” Just as at Mount Sinai there were two distinct areas of sanctity, and the second more stringent than the first (only Moses was permitted to ascend the heights of Mount Sinai), so too the Tabernacle/Temple was divided into the holy and holy of holies. Additionally, just as Moses ascended into the “thick cloud” [Exodus 19:9] which enveloped Mount Sinai, so too the high priest entered the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur in the “cloud of incense” [Leviticus 16:13].

            Yet the ideal of the Tabernacle/Temple is much more ancient than the revelation at Sinai, and it is inherent within the creation of the world, since the very existence of the world is dependent upon this ideal.

            Our Sages [Babylonian Talmud, Pesaḥim 54a, Nedarim 39b, as well as a number of Midrashim] count the Temple and the Garden of Eden among seven things created prior to the creation of the world. The Talmudic sage Reish Lakish [Midrash Tanḥuma, Pekudei 40] notes that the Tabernacle is also called a garden, yet it is dearer to the Almighty than is the Garden of Eden, since the Tabernacle is called “My garden” [Song of Songs 5:1].

            Just as the cherubim guarded the “path to the tree of life” within the Garden of Eden [Genesis 3:24], so too the cherubim protected the Ark of Covenant within the Holy of Holies. Professor U. Cassuto suggested that the cherubim of the Tabernacle served as a reminder of mankind’s home within the Garden of Eden prior to his sin.

            Kiehl quotes our Sages’ understanding of the verse: “God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it (the Hebrew can also be translated “to serve it”) and watch it” [Genesis 2:15] as referring to Divine service, the service of sacrifices, a service which was transferred to the Tabernacle/Temple.

            Rabbi Yitzḥak Levi notes that there are two approaches. The first approach sees the Tabernacle/Temple as a continuation of the existence of the Garden of Eden within the world. Just as the Garden of Eden brought blessing to the world, so to the Temple is intended to bring physical and spiritual blessing to the entire world, and in this sense, the Temple indeed perpetuates the Garden of Eden for the People of Israel and the entire world. The second approach sees the Temple as the rectification of the sin of Eve and Adam within Eden.  A number of contrasts between the Garden of Eden and the Temple demonstrate this point: the mission of the cherubim when God stationed them “east of Eden” [Genesis 3:24] was to prevent man from inappropriate closeness to God, while in the Temple they represent the greatest closeness to Him; Adam was clothed for the first time following his sin , while the clothes of the High Priest are intended to convey “dignity and beauty” [Exodus 28:2,40]; after sinning, Adam was unable to stand before the Divine voice [Genesis 3:10], while in contrast, Moses entered the Tabernacle to hear the call of the Divine voice.

            There is no contradiction between the two approaches, rather they are complementary. The Temple indeed carries with it both the aspects of continuity of Eden and of rectification of man’s sin. Ultimately, the parallel between the Temple and the Garden of Eden conveys hope and optimism for the world’s return to its pristine state of purity and completeness, with direct and unmediated closeness between Israel and God, and a renewal of direct dialogue between man and his Creator.

            Based upon the above comments, Rabbi Hirsch’s comment that the Tabernacle is a “rejuvenated temporary Eden” is easily understood.

 

 

 

Abraham Isaac and Israel

The haftara of Parshat Ki Tissa relates the dramatic confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Ba’al [I Kings 18:19-39], and includes details of Elijah’s repair of the altar of God:

And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of God came, saying: “Israel shall be your name.” [I Kings 18:31]

Radak (Rabbi David Kimchi [1160-1235]) comments that Elijah’s choosing twelve stones teaches that all twelve tribes must be united. Based upon Radak’s comment, we can assume that the words “according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob” were spoken by Elijah himself.

The final phrase of the verse (which, apparently is a parenthetic comment, added by the prophet Jeremiah, who authored the Books of Kings, [Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b]) mentioning that God changed Jacob’s name to Israel, seems superfluous. Our Sages [Breishit Rabba 35:10] understood that this phrase conveys God’s approval of Elijah’s actions on Mount Carmel, despite the fact that once the Temple was dedicated by King Solomon, sacrifices may not be brought on any altar, save that of the Temple. (See Rashi on the verse.)

Perhaps the phrase also hints that the Kingdom of Israel will be reunited with the Kingdom of Judah, and implies that once again, all twelve tribes will offer their sacrifices upon the altar of the temple in Jerusalem.

It is clearly not by chance that Elijah himself referred to Israel rather than Jacob:

And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening offering, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said: “O God, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel, and that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word.” [I Kings 18:36]

As Yehuda Kiehl noted in Da’at Mikra on the verse, this is one of only four times in the entire Bible in which the names of the Forefathers include “Israel” rather than “Jacob.” Significantly, the first instance is in the parasha, when Moses completed his plea to God to save the Israelites after the sin of the golden calf:

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them: “I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.” [Exodus 32:13]

Our classical commentators (see, for example, Radak quoted above) note that the name Israel implies a higher level of power and authority than the name “Jacob,” since the Holy Land was conveyed to the nation in perpetuity in the name of Israel. Thus, echoing Moses, Elijah invoked the name “Israel” to imply to all the assembled citizens of the Kingdom of Israel that it is only through devotion to their own traditions and rejecting the false gods imposed upon them by the evil queen Jezebel that they can truly realize their national potential. [I Kings 18:21]

 

 

 

 

Purim and Napoleon

Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai was asked by his disciples, “Why were the enemies of Israel (a euphemism for Israel itself) in that generation deserving of extermination?” He said to them: “You yourselves provide the answer.” They said: “Because they enjoyed the feast of that wicked one.”                                Babylonian Talmud, Megilla 12a

            According to Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai, the retribution of Haman resulted from the fact that the Jews benefitted from Ahasuerus’ feast.

            Pirḥei Levanon (quoted in MeOtzareinu haYashan) notes that bar Yoḥai did not attribute the retribution to the Jews having eaten at the feast, since they could have excused that due to having been forced to participate (others suggest that since, at the feast, “No one was forced,” [Esther 1:8] the Jews violated no halachot in participating in the feast), but attributes it to the fact that the Jews enjoyed the feast. Our Sages taught that at his feast Ahasuerus used vessels which had been taken from the Temple. [Babylonian Talmud, Megilla 11b] A nation which enjoys a feast whose host celebrates their national disaster and the destruction of their Temple, is worthy of annihilation.

            None other than Napoleon Bonaparte presented the opposite side:

            The story is told that one summer day, Napoleon, while walking through the streets of Paris, passed a synagogue and heard the sound of people praying and weeping inside. Turning to one of his aides, a Jewish officer, the emperor asked, “What is going on in there?” “Today is Tisha B’Av,” came the reply, “and the Jews are mourning the destruction of their holy Temple.” Napoleon asked “When was this temple destroyed?” and upon hearing the response “Over seventeen hundred years ago,” Napoleon commented “If the Jews are still crying after so many years, then I am certain their Temple will one day be rebuilt!”

 

 

Running a Marathon or an Even haEzer?

I recently took one of my grandsons on a tour of Tel Shiloh, the archeological mound which holds the remains of the Biblical town which hosted the Tabernacle for a period of three-hundred and sixty-nine years. [Maimonides Laws of the Temple 1:2, based upon Tosefta Zevaḥim 13:6]

The final mention of Shiloh in First Samuel is in the aftermath of the disastrous Battle of Even haEzer, where the Israelites battled their arch-enemies, the Philistines. The first day of the battle favored the Philistines, with the Israelite army suffering approximately four-thousand casualties. [I Samuel 4:2] In response, the elders of Israel decided to bring the Holy Ark from Shiloh to the battleground. Not only were the Israelites convinced that the presence of the ark would guarantee their victory, but the Philistines themselves quaked in fear, as we read:

And the Philistines feared, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe is unto us, for there was nothing like this yesterday and before yesterday!” “Woe is unto us! Who will save us from the hand of this mighty God? This is the God who smote the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness.” [ibid. 7-8]

The second and final day of the battle was even more disastrous, resulting in a total rout of the Israelite army:

So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was severe - 30,000 of the Israelite foot soldiers fell. The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died. [ibid. 10-11]

Following the defeat, “A Benjamite man,” whom our Sages identify as Saul ben Kish, who would later become the first king of Israel [Midrash Shemuel 11:1], ran from Even haEzer to Shiloh to deliver the bad tidings.

The distance of a Marathon race is 42 kilometers, 195 meters. The reason the distance is not a round number is that the race parallels the distance between the battleground of Marathon and the gates of Athens. An Athenian soldier, named Pheidippides ran from the battleground of Marathon to Athens to announce the Athenians’ victory over the Persians. Upon delivering his message, Pheidippides fell dead.

Given the accepted location of Even haEzer, not far from modern Rosh haAyin, the distance between the battleground and Shiloh is approximately thirty-five kilometers as the crow flies. Since the Benjamite man, be he Saul or someone else, could not have run in a direct line, but had to follow the topography, it is reasonable to assume that the actual distance covered was close to the distance of a Marathon.

Given that the Battle of Even haEzer preceded the Battle of Marathon by at least three-hundred thirty-nine years, perhaps it would be more appropriate for the long-distance race to be called an Even haEzer, rather than a Marathon.

We may note that Midrash Shemuel has the Benjamite man running sixty mil, a distance between 57.6 (according to the system of Rabbi Ḥayyim Naeh) and 69.12 kilometers (according to the system of Ḥazon Ish); so it is good news for the runners that the race is a Marathon and not an Even haEzer.

Both the run from Marathon to Athens and that from Even haEzer to Shiloh ended with a death, but there is an interesting contrast. It was Pheidippides, the runner from Marathon,  who died after delivering his message to the Athenians, while at Shiloh the Benjamite man survived, but the main recipient of the message, Eli the high priest died upon delivery of the message. [I Samuel 4:18] 

Jacob's Ladder and Sinai

And he dreamed, and behold; a ladder set up on the earth, and its top reached heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.                              Genesis 28:12

            Midrash Aggada elucidates Jacob’s dream of the ladder in connection with Mount Sinai and giving the Torah:

“Sulam” (ladder) – is the gematriya of Sinai; “Set up on the earth” – corresponds to “The foot of the mountain;” [Exodus 19:17] “Its top reached heaven” – as Scripture states “The mountain burned with fire up to the midst of the heavens;” [Deuteronomy 4:11] “And behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it” – these are Moses and Aaron.

            Da’at Zekeinim of the Tosafists applies the approach of Midrash Aggada to the following verse as well and understands it as well as dealing with the revelation at Sinai:

“And behold God stood above it” – this is what is stated “And God came down to Mount Sinai;” [Exodus 19:20] “And He said, "I am the Lord’” - this is what is stated “I am the Lord your God.” [Exodus 20:2]

            The simple meaning of the verses indicates that the vision of the ladder is related to the Land of Israel, as God declared to Jacob: “The land upon which you are lying I will give to you  and to your descendants.” [v.13] Thus, it seems surprising that the Midrash and the Tosafists elucidate the verses in connection with Mount Sinai.

            We may suggest that the Midrash hints at the connection between Mount Sinai and Mount Moriah, which Midrash Aggada sees as the venue for Jacob’s prophetic dream.

            Thus Midrash Tehilim elucidates the verse “His foundation is in the holy mountains.” [Psalms 87:1]:

The foundation of the world is Jerusalem, by virtue of two holy mountains: Sinai and Moriah.

Based upon this, the connection between the two mountains is in the fact that it is through their merit that the world was created.

            Yet, Midrash Tehilim [68:9] asks “From where did Sinai come?” and presents Rabbi Yose’s answer:

It was torn off from Mount Moriah, as ḥalla from dough, from the spot upon which our father Isaac was bound…

Our Sages expounded:

From Zion was the world created, as the verse says [Psalms 50:1-2]: “out of Zion the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth;” from there was the beauty of the world perfected.

                                 Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 54b

Combining the two comments of Midrash Tehilim teaches that not only was the world created from Mount Moriah but it was created because of Mount Moriah.

            Rabbi Yitzḥak Levi comments on Midrash Tehilim which we quoted:

The Midrash describes in picturesque language the internal relationship between the two mountains, Sinai and Moriah; giving the Torah, which commenced on Mount Sinai, was continued at Mount Moriah.

            The true significance of the greatest Divine revelation in history, giving Torah at Mount Sinai, is dependent upon the Land of Israel and Mount Moriah. Torah was given to Israel as its national constitution, to be applied in practice in sanctity and within its Land and the highest level of sanctity in the world is the site of the Holy of Holies on Mount Moriah

            Expounding Jacob’s vision of the ladder in the context of Mount Sinai hints as well that the Nation of Israel’s ability to hold its Land is dependent upon fulfilling the mitzvot given at Sinai.