{"id":64596,"date":"2019-10-22T17:34:54","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T14:34:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=64596"},"modified":"2023-05-17T07:17:20","modified_gmt":"2023-05-17T04:17:20","slug":"how-to-understand-it-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/how-to-understand-it-all\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Understand It All?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/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":[395,432,444,547,647],"acf":{"old_id":"64596","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33692,"related_cahpter":"2011","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"The explanation of our historic tragedy also articulates the roadmap to our collective return","content":"

After the greatest catastrophe to befall the Jewish nation \u2014 the Temple’s destruction, the loss of sovereignty, and national displacement from the covenantal land to foreign soil \u2014 the need for some understanding of the historic situation was urgent. Had God rejected His nation? Was this the end of God’s city, the Temple, the Jewish people?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Much like the theological questions raised in recent generations in the aftermath of the Holocaust, Jews in the post-Hurban era needed an explanation, a framework within which to understand the great calamity that had struck the Jewish people.<\/span><\/p>\n

The covenantal theme and language of Kings finds its origin in the Torah. There we read not merely of national ruin and dispersion but of a process of reversal and national rehabilitation. There, a compassionate God refuses to rescind the covenant even after it has been shunned by Israel (Deut. 4:23-31).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

God is “a consuming fire” when Israel sins, but in exile, when Israel seeks God “with all [their] heart and soul,” God is “compassionate” and will “not forget the covenant.” This is but one text among many that promises a reversal of fortunes after the exile. But a second passage, in the book of Kings itself, includes a segment that in retrospect anticipates this question. King Solomon dedicates the Temple with a remarkable prayer in which he lists an array of circumstances of distress, and in each difficult situation, he affirms that God will accept the prayers that are offered to Him. The final scenario is described as follows:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When they sin against You \u2014 for there is no man who does not sin \u2014 and You are angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and their captors carry them off to an enemy land… and they repent and make supplication to You in the land of their captors, saying: “We have sinned…,” and they turn back to You with all their heart and soul…. Grant them mercy in the sight of their captors that they may be merciful to them. For they are Your very own people that You freed from Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace. May Your eyes be open to the supplication of Your servant and the supplication of Your people Israel, and may You heed them whenever they call upon You. (I Kings 8:46-53)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This remarkable passage, situated at the very moment of the dedication of the Temple during the heyday of Solomon, when any hint of exile would seem an absurd notion, reaffirms the enduring bond, even in exile, between Israel and God.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In II Kings, we have encountered powerful kings, astounding prophets and disciples of prophets, priests, courtiers, foreign leaders, and mighty emperors. But the enduring message is the veracity of God’s covenant to Israel, both an unbreakable relationship imbued with much divine love for Israel, and a set of rules the denial of which will lead to national ruin. Ultimately, the explanation of our historic tragedy also articulates the roadmap to our collective return.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alex Israel, II Kings: In a Whirlwind<\/em>, Maggid Books, 2019, Conclusion<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":63123,"id":63123,"title":"2Kings1-Schachter-KingsPart2","filename":"2Kings1-Schachter-KingsPart2.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2Kings1-Schachter-KingsPart2.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/welcome-to-the-book-of-2-kings\/2kings1-schachter-kingspart2\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"2kings1-schachter-kingspart2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":63122,"date":"2019-09-18 13:09:59","modified":"2019-10-22 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