{"id":61775,"date":"2019-08-23T01:05:04","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T22:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=61775"},"modified":"2023-03-19T23:35:22","modified_gmt":"2023-03-19T21:35:22","slug":"a-judaism-expansive-and-gazing-outward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-judaism-expansive-and-gazing-outward\/","title":{"rendered":"A Judaism Expansive And Gazing Outward"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[374,838,778,610],"acf":{"old_id":"61775","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33992,"related_cahpter":"292","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Biblical oneness is a unity of inclusion, a vessel containing real diversity, and their sacrifices have the same savor as do our own","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having secured his kingdom, vanquished Israel\u2019s enemies, and brought a measure of peace and prosperity at home, King Solomon now turns to the unfinished task left him by his father, to build a House in Jerusalem for the worship of the One.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After lengthy descriptions of Solomon as the wisest of all people, of an understanding so vast that it incorporates plants, animals, and all living things, Scripture shares with us that Solomon\u2019s first step in building this Holy Temple is to turn to a foreign king, a pagan one at that. Lest you think that involving an idolater in the construction of Israel\u2019s holiest site might be a mistake, the Bible goes out of its way to lavish praise on the unparalleled wisdom of Solomon. \u201cGod endowed Solomon with wisdom and discernment in great measure, with breadth of heart as vast as the sands on the seashore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such wisdom, such expansiveness of heart, precludes the possibility that his reaching out was a thoughtless mistake. We can only surmise that he meant it. If so, why does King Solomon involve a pagan king, an idolatrous source, in the very beginnings of our Holy Temple?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps the answer is found in Solomon\u2019s invitation. At present, he says, there are no adversaries. And this is to be a house for God\u2019s Name. Hiram\u2019s response to this invitation is to recognize Solomon\u2019s greatness: \u201cPraised be the Lord this day for granting David a wise son to govern this great people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Solomon\u2019s ecumenical wisdom results in a pagan who appreciates the true greatness of Israel\u2019s faith. We are great not when we define ourselves in isolation, not when we seek to compare Israel\u2019s best to the rest of humanity\u2019s worst. Indeed, such unfair contrasts discredit ourselves and reveal a lack of faith in Judaism\u2019s worth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only when we have the strength to actually converse with others, to encounter those who are unlike ourselves, only then does Israel\u2019s monotheism reflect the kind of all-inclusive breadth that is worthy of God\u2019s name. Biblical oneness is a unity of inclusion, a vessel containing real diversity, the embrace of opposites. The only way to fashion a home for Israel\u2019s God is to include everyone in its construction, and to then provide a courtyard for such Gentiles as wish to participate and to offer sacrifice, to do so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their sacrifices have the same savor as do our own. Their devotion is as pleasing before God as is ours. Solomon, in his wisdom, could speak not only the language of trees and beasts. Above all, he spoke the language of all humankind.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":61778,"id":61778,"title":"1kings5-unity","filename":"1kings5-unity.png","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-unity.png","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-judaism-expansive-and-gazing-outward\/1kings5-unity\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"1kings5-unity","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":61775,"date":"2019-08-22 22:04:52","modified":"2022-08-30 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