June 21, 2014

THESE NOTES SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH PLAUT, REVISED EDITION. UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED THE SPEAKER IS RABBI PAUL GOLOMB. ALL ERRORS ARE MINE AND CORRECTIONS ARE WELCOME.

Korach – . 1002 The people are in the wilderness with no particular goal or destination. In the last Book of Numbers there is description of the random wanderings. LL: One would think there would be a focus on the location of wells. Also, the wilderness is an incubator of sorts wherein the people grow in number and become hardier. The Haftarah for Korach is First Samuel, Ch. 11, verse 14 to chapter 12, verse 22. There is a significant difference in that here Moses appeals to God whereas Samuel appeals to the people.

16:1 “You have gone too far!” The people remonstrate with Moses and Aaron. What gives them the authority to be the leaders? “…for all the community are holy…” “Why do you raise yourselves above the Eternal’s congregation?”

16:4 Why does Koresh want leadership? Note the problematic translation of the phrase “he took.” Here Moses appears to humble himself (but “falls upon his face” is a colloquialism and we are not sure of its exact meaning.) and sets a test for selection by the Eternal. Bringing fire pans is part of the ordination ceremony that has been described previously in the ordination of Aaron and his ill-fated sons.

16:8 “…do you seek the priesthood too?” From a literary point of view it may be that several Koresh stories have been drawn together to produce this text – possibly from a variety of sources. Note that Koresh is a descendant of Reuben – the eldest of the twelve brother sons of Jacob. His challenge may be an aspect of primogeniture. This is clearly a question of “apostolic authority” – who has God chosen. But it is also a question of waning effectiveness as a leader.

16:12  “ Pay no regard to their oblation. I have not taken the ass of any one of them…” Moses appears to be concerned as to why this particular challenge by a second group has occurred. This is not a priestly Levitical challenge. CL There are usually two conditions for uprisings – that people feel that they are oppressed but also have the ability to express their will. Here, the rebels are confident enough to express their displeasure.

16:16 Everyone lays their fire pans before the tent of meeting. For the purposes of making the story work everyone, from both rebelling groups, is made a Cohan. Note that to be chosen by God is transformative. What is central in Christian thought is God’s grace – the transformation occurs when you are  baptized or born again. But what is the discernible difference between being chosen and thinking that you are chosen – self righteousness? In Judaism you are deemed chosen because you have inherent qualities of leadership.

16:16 continued – the Eternal appears to the whole community and threatens to annihilate them. Previously the appearance has been in the form of a pillar of fire. But God again seems to be speaking only to Moses and Aaron. They need to convince themselves as to what they wish to happen. Compare the decision in Iraq to eliminate the entire Baathist leadership after the fall of Saddam.

16:25 Moses tells the people to leave the tents of Dathan and Abiram who have challenged his leadership. This is an ongoing political drama. Here the people in general are given an opportunity to support Moses.

16:27 Dathan and Abiram and all of their people are swallowed up by the ground. Then a fire went forth from the Eternal and consumed the 250 men offering the incense. Again, this appears to be a blending of two story traditions. This is confusing because there is no reference here to Koresh and his supporters. Compare to the ending of Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark. The evildoers are punished. Or is this a question of “burn out” among those whose passions rose to a self-destructive level? What does religious passion lead to? Burning up? Excessive behavior? Here the destruction is metaphoric as a lesson to succeeding generations. No one is killed except in a literary sense. We are instructed by entertaining hyperbole. Also, this sequence suggest punishment for more than rebellion against Moses and Aaron. It is punishment for apostasy – a rebellion against God.

17:1  The burned fire pans become a warning for those who might challenge apostolic authority in the future. In many respects Torah is Greek tragedy or vice versa. Almost everyone dies but there is always someone left to carry on – and presumably to tell the tale. A mode preserved by Shakespeare.     

June 14, 2014
p. 979 Sh’lach L’cha
13:1 to 34 Notables scout the land of Canaan. PG: Examination of the exegesis in the Talmud is another way of studying these passages. See:http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/talmud.htm

See hand-out from the tractate Sotah “Promised Land or Permitted Land.” The Rabbi’s suggest that the scouts went with trepidation and low expectations. The aftermath of their observations of the land is the wandering in the dessert. Note the change of name from Hosea to Joshua. There is also a powerful notion of representation of each tribe – effectively a tribal council for decision making. PG: This is a constructed narrative which does not even attempt to be a presentation of historical facts. It is recognition that they needed to have a generation born in freedom before establishing a society. We see these problems today in Iraq and Syria. Transitions from one form of government or way of life to another are always problematic. The spies had to fail in order to give this amalgam of former slaves an opportunity to develop their own culture. The scouts had to be individuals who returned with a negative report. Compare verse 22 in the text. They traveled north through the Negev. See p. 997 for map of travels. Caleb and Joshua are distinguished from the others. Joshua has been previously mentioned as the person who started to accompany Moses up Sinai. Caleb went to Hebron – which was to become the capital of Judah.
Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai are mentioned as influential individuals to give support to the scouts report.
“Hebron was founded seven years before Zoan.” This emphasizes the fertility of the land by comparing it to a very fertile place in Egypt. Yet Hebron is very rocky which is why the dead were buried there. The suggestion of the Rabbi’s is that each of the scouts saw what they wanted to see. Rather than a conspiracy they all saw the same thing and came to the same conclusion. It was too risky to enter the Promised Land at this time.
“Caleb calmed the people about Moses” The people begin to question the leadership of Moses. They look upon Caleb as a “yes man” and ignore him.
“He is stronger than we are.” The response to the question whether God has the power to deliver on his promise.
“It is a land that uses up its inhabitants.” See p. 981 verse 30. “Devours it settlers…” means that they will not be able to retain their own identity. RL: What was the justification for the indigenous people losing their land? PG: They were no longer worthy – which is also the argument as to why the Israelites would eventually lose their land. Martin Buber has noted that there is always a previous indigenous people. The passage of time makes the inhabitants “indigenous” but it is God’s land and He decides who will settle there.
The notes on page 977 state “The story exhibits a number of internal difficulties and contradictions. Biblical critics see two different accounts: one from the P tradition which has the scouts exploring the whole land, and another from the J/E tradition that relates a somewhat simpler expedition.”

June 7, 2014
Prologue by PG: The Israelites are about to begin wandering in the desert. A close reading of each section here doesn’t entirely make sense – but it does from the perspective of an overview,
p. 952
8:1 The making of the lamp stand – a menorah. LL: This works well from the perspective of metaphor. The lamp stand is the basis of the “light” of understanding and knowledge. PG: If you are starting on a journey you want to make sure the lights will be working. Note that the author here is interested in origins. At the time of writing the lamp stand existed and the people are here being told this is how God wanted it. The menorah is hung by the tabernacle – also a symbolic location.
8:5 The purification of the Levites. A complex procedure. See footnote 6 on page 952 – The Levites were only purified, not consecrated like the priests. Recall that the Levites have been mentioned previously – why is this introduced? It was not previously about purgation and purification it was genealogy. Note the important role of Aaron. Rather than a specific clan it is suggested that any Israelite may step into the position – just by volunteering. There is a strong tension between priestly leadership via genealogy and volunteerism. See Richard Elliot Friedman on this subject. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Elliott_Friedman
In the Middle Ages the priesthood was hereditary until about the year 1000 when priests were forbidden to marry and were required to remain celibate. Typically the second son of the noble would become the priest. The designation of “Cohan” was post-exilic where claim was made of descent from Aaron. The nobility always had last names. Jews did not until the time of Napoleon when it was mandated. See The Cohanim Project at the University of Arizona. http://www.cohen-levi.org/jewish_genes_and_genealogy/the_dna_chain_of_tradition.htm
8:13 A reference to the experience in Egypt. The Israelites were enabled to leave by a slaughter of the Egyptian first born – here the first born are taken by God as Levites into his service. Throughout most of the previous Torah the second or younger child has been chosen for special favor. There is a story about Emmanuel Kant, who was very ethical and never lied, he is said to have responded to the question “May I ask you a question?” with the answer “No.” One must be pragmatic and recognize that the ideal cannot be attained. AF: What is the purpose of all this detail? PG: In most ancient societies sacrifice was intended to propitiate the gods. The first principal is Buddhism is “All life is suffering.” And life was very difficult for most people in ancient times. ShF – this was also part of establishing a community by bringing everyone together through ritual. SN: This process also establishes a class of people who do not work. Further, we are haunted by the slaughter of the first born of the Egyptians to this day. PG: The text here has set up extreme situations in order to clarify what is being discussed. The situation of slavery in Egypt was radical and therefore demanded a radical solution. PG: We now sacrifice as a way of thanksgiving – all life is a blessing – turning the older axiom on its head. This is one answer to the question “How do I go about thanking God.” The arc of Torah is the movement from being the property of Pharaoh to being the property of God to being truly free within a covenanted society. LL: Is the translation of the word “Mine” proper here in the sense of the word today? Does it mean owned by me or a part of me. The latter is suggested in the New Testament. PG: That would have to be studied by a philologist but the translation appears to be accurate in the modern sense of the Hebrew. The notion of a covenant with God is so radical that it becomes a challenge for the people to fulfill their role. SN: The emergence of nation states was similarly radical in that it moved populations away from the divine right of kings.
8:20 et sec. Retirement at the age of 50. Note the range of 25 to 50 for service as a Levite instead of 30 to 50 as mentioned previously. This suggests two different traditions being amalgamated here.
LL/