{"id":62499,"date":"2018-07-09T17:44:22","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T14:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-1061\/"},"modified":"2023-04-07T15:34:05","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T12:34:05","slug":"wall-1061","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-1061\/","title":{"rendered":"weekend-from-20230402-to-20230408"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"weekend","wall_id":"1061","date_from":"20230402","date_to":"20230408","book":"I Kings","books_group":"Prophets","posts":[{"order":1,"id":"95875","color":"#effaea","size":"1","name":"Shir ha-Shirim\/Song of Songs: God and Israel, Eros and Exodus ","post_title":"Shir ha-Shirim\/Song of Songs: God and Israel, Eros and Exodus","slug":"shir-ha-shirim-song-of-songs-god-and-israel-eros-and-exodus","old_id":"95875","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":38102,"post_title":"929-English","slug":"929-english","old_id":"38102","first_name":"","last_name":"929-English","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":38333,"alt":"","title":"\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5.png","width":1513,"height":860,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-300x171.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":171,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-768x437.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":437,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-1024x582.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":582,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5.png","1536x1536-width":1513,"1536x1536-height":860,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5.png","2048x2048-width":1513,"2048x2048-height":860,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-1200x682.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":682,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-739x420.png","home_baner-width":739,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"2030","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/lQNZMqX4amA","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"24 in 24: Video Series on the Books of Tanach","tile_main_caption":"Shir ha-Shirim\/Song of Songs: God and Israel, Eros and Exodus","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"with Ori Weisberg","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/lQNZMqX4amA","tile_external_link":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Writings","book":"Song of Songs","chapter":false,"chapter_main_number":false,"date":false,"wall_id":"2030"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"95622","color":"#effaea","size":"1","name":"A Paragon Of Pastoral Poetry ","post_title":"A Paragon Of Pastoral Poetry","slug":"a-paragon-of-pastoral-poetry","old_id":"95622","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":95599,"post_title":"Michael Fraade","slug":"michael-fraade","old_id":"95599","first_name":"Michael ","last_name":"Fraade ","description":"Michael Fraade is a rabbinical student at Hebrew College, a pluralistic institution in Newton Centre, MA. After earning a BA in history from Yale University, he spent five years in the south working as the Jewish Outdoor, Food, and Environmental Education Director at the Louisville, KY JCC and on a number of small farms. He has volunteered with or served in a leadership capacity for nonprofits focused on food justice, reproductive rights, and Jewish communal life. ","short_description":"Michael Fraade is a rabbinical student at Hebrew College. He has a BA in history from Yale University, and has worked with nonprofits focused on food justice, reproductive rights, and Jewish communal life. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":95601,"alt":"","title":"Emma & Jordan","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Michael-Fraade.jpg","width":1105,"height":1412,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Michael-Fraade-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Michael-Fraade-235x300.jpg","medium-width":235,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Michael-Fraade-768x981.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":981,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Michael-Fraade-801x1024.jpg","large-width":801,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Michael-Fraade.jpg","1536x1536-width":1105,"1536x1536-height":1412,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Michael-Fraade.jpg","2048x2048-width":1105,"2048x2048-height":1412,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Michael-Fraade-939x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":939,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Michael-Fraade-329x420.jpg","home_baner-width":329,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"791","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Love happens in the here and now, bound up with our experience of the earth and its bounty\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

The Song of Songs is not only the Bible\u2019s most extensive love poem, it is also the Bible\u2019s most extensive pastoral poem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Pastoral poetry praises the beauty of the natural world, often focusing especially on rural and agricultural settings. While the Song of Songs does not focus exclusively on nature, a deep love for the sights, sounds, and smells of the earth pervade the entire book. It was written by and for people who had a deep connection to the land, and who could use their experiences of that connection in order to evoke emotions of love and wonder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In the first chapter, the narrators swing back and forth between the royal court and the rural pasture. There are invocations of kings, royal palaces, and great wealth alongside allusions to shepherds, nomads, and vineyards. Oftentimes it is unclear when Song of Songs speaks about personal experience and when it talks about fantasies and daydreams; the persistent ambiguity about who the lovers are and what their life looks like is part of what makes it so enticing and universal.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Regardless of who wrote the Song of Songs, the majority of people who read it would not have been part of the royal court; it was far more likely to be read, recited, and sung by ancient Israelites who spent their days growing food and herding livestock on a small plot of ancestral land. Such readers would have had an instinctive, personal understanding of the feeling of the sun blazing down on the woman guarding her brothers\u2019 vineyards, or of following the sheep tracks to find the best pasture for their own flocks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Song insists that love happens not only in the realm of royal fantasy, but in the realm of the here and now, bound up with our experience of the earth and its bounty. As we continue to make our way through the Song of Songs, experiences that are accessible to anybody who is deeply in touch with the earth will continue to be mainstays of its poetic allusions, inviting us deeper into an exploration of the ways in which the natural world can be a window into our sense of wonder.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":95627,"alt":"","title":"The-Natural-World-fraade","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"The Natural World in Song of Songs","tile_main_caption":"A Paragon Of Pastoral Poetry","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Love happens in the here and now, bound up with our experience of the earth and its bounty","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":95627,"alt":"","title":"The-Natural-World-fraade","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/The-Natural-World-fraade-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Writings","book":"Song of Songs","chapter":"1","chapter_main_number":"791","date":"20280910","wall_id":"791"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":3,"id":"95630","color":"#effaea","size":"1","name":"(Re)Discovering The Feminine Author ","post_title":"(Re)Discovering The Feminine Author","slug":"rediscovering-the-feminine-author","old_id":"95630","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34011,"post_title":"Jeremy Benstein","slug":"dr-jeremy-benstein","old_id":"34011","first_name":"Jeremy","last_name":"Benstein","description":"Dr. Jeremy Benstein is the managing editor of 929-English. He is one of the founders of the Heschel Center for Sustainability. He writes the MiliMiliM - Hebrew Corner on the site, and is the author of a book about the Hebrew language, \"Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World\" (Behrman House, 2019). ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"short_description":"Dr. Jeremy Benstein is the managing editor of 929-English, and is the author of a book about the Hebrew language, \"Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World\" (Behrman House, 2019). ","link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34232,"alt":"","title":"Jeremy Benstein","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-300x169.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":169,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-768x432.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":432,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-1024x576.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":576,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1.jpg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":720,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-1200x675.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":675,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-747x420.jpg","home_baner-width":747,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"791","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"One little change - and it all falls into place\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

Reading chapter by chapter, book by book, as we do in 929, the transition from the book of Job to the Song of Songs is rather jarring. From tortured theodical grapplings to luxuriant love poetry, from the quest for existential meaning of an isolated individual to the dyadic search for requited love, from agony to ecstasy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Since we have been reading the Song for several millennia, we know what to expect. Or at least we think we do. Among traditional readers, this Song of Songs is of Solomon, and the main dilemma is between the literal\/contextual\/<\/span>p\u2019shat<\/span><\/em> reading of erotic love between people, as opposed to the allegorical\/theological reading that understands the Song as a dialogue of spiritual love and espousal between Israel and God, the divine beloved.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Yet while the language of love might have a certain glamour, it also needs grammar. And the grammar of the opening verses is perplexing:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cThe Song of Songs, that is Solomon\u2019s. Oh, let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, For your love is more delightful than wine. Your ointments yield a sweet fragrance, Your name is like finest oil\u2014 Therefore do maidens love you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The first verse seems to assign authorship - the aforementioned King Solomon. But it then\u00a0 continues with declarations clearly spoken by the female beloved: first to the third person (assuming a dramatic setting, perhaps to an audience), then in the direct second person, which in the Hebrew, addresses a masculine interlocutor. This continues, with the narrator speaking of the king having brought her to his chambers, and in verse 5 we get a full first person feminine narrator (\u201cI am black and comely\u201d), expanded on in 6 and 7.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

So who is singing this Song? Some scholars have proposed a slight textual emendation which makes so much grammatical and emotional sense, that it convincingly sets the whole book in a new light. The first four words in the Hebrew are \u05e9\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05dc\u05e9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4, <\/span>shir hashirim asher l\u2019shlomo<\/span><\/em>. If that third word had the little letter <\/span>yod<\/span><\/em>, i.e., not \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8, <\/span>asher<\/span><\/em>, but \u05d0\u05e9\u05d9\u05e8, <\/span>ashir<\/span><\/em>, <\/span><\/i>it would transform from the relative pronoun (\u201cthat is\u201d) to the verb form, \u201cI shall sing,\u201d making that first line: \u201cThe Song of Songs, I shall sing to Solomon.\u201d And then the feminine voice and her declarations of love flow quite naturally.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

So maybe the Song of Songs is Solomon\u2019s - not because he (or a male historical literary figure like him) wrote it - but because it was sung to him, as a declaration of love in the feminine, by a female author, hiding right there in the Garden, among the lilies, between the lines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

As Amos Oz, z\u201dl, and his daughter, Fania Oz-Salzberger write in their lovely little book <\/span>Jews and Words<\/span><\/i>, if a woman wrote:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u00a0...the Bible\u2019s most erotic tome, she should surely count as one of the great female poets of the Bible, alongside Miriam and Deborah, and of world literature in general, alongside Sappho and Emily Dickinson.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Note: I first encountered this suggestion in the Oz\u2019s book. They cite scholarly antecedents in\u00a0 S.D. Goitein, Y. N. Epstein and G Kuhn.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Image: Song of Songs (Cantique des Cantiques) by Gustave Moreau, 1893 \/ wikimedia<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":95631,"alt":"","title":"sos1-feminine - Gustave_Moreau_-_Song_of_Songs","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sos1-feminine-Gustave_Moreau_-_Song_of_Songs.jpg","width":319,"height":601,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sos1-feminine-Gustave_Moreau_-_Song_of_Songs-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sos1-feminine-Gustave_Moreau_-_Song_of_Songs-159x300.jpg","medium-width":159,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sos1-feminine-Gustave_Moreau_-_Song_of_Songs.jpg","medium_large-width":319,"medium_large-height":601,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sos1-feminine-Gustave_Moreau_-_Song_of_Songs.jpg","large-width":319,"large-height":601,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sos1-feminine-Gustave_Moreau_-_Song_of_Songs.jpg","1536x1536-width":319,"1536x1536-height":601,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sos1-feminine-Gustave_Moreau_-_Song_of_Songs.jpg","2048x2048-width":319,"2048x2048-height":601,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sos1-feminine-Gustave_Moreau_-_Song_of_Songs.jpg","post_full_size-width":319,"post_full_size-height":601,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sos1-feminine-Gustave_Moreau_-_Song_of_Songs-223x420.jpg","home_baner-width":223,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"(Re)Discovering The Feminine Author","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"One little change - 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BCE Egyptian victory stele","post_main_content_content":"

14:25-26: \u201cIn the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. He carried off the treasures of the temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

At Sheshoq\u2019s victory stele carved into a wall of the Temple of Amun, he boasts of 90 cities he conquers in Israel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Detail of the List of Shishak at Karnak, Showing Gibeon as Bound Captive:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

Source: Pritchard, James B. Gibeon: Where the Sun Stood Still, Princeton University Press, 1962<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"As documented in a 10th C. BCE Egyptian victory stele","tile_main_caption":"Pharaoh Shoshenq (Shishak) Takes Solomon\u2019s Gold","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"From the collection of George Blumenthal","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":62513,"alt":"","title":"1kings14-GB1","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-GB1.jpg","width":650,"height":807,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-GB1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-GB1-242x300.jpg","medium-width":242,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-GB1.jpg","medium_large-width":650,"medium_large-height":807,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-GB1.jpg","large-width":650,"large-height":807,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-GB1.jpg","1536x1536-width":650,"1536x1536-height":807,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-GB1.jpg","2048x2048-width":650,"2048x2048-height":807,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-GB1.jpg","post_full_size-width":650,"post_full_size-height":807,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-GB1-338x420.jpg","home_baner-width":338,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"301","date":"20261025","wall_id":"301"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"444","name":"History","old_id":"844"},{"term_id":"555","name":"Archaeology","old_id":"955"}]},{"order":5,"id":"62525","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"The Chronicles Of The Kings Of Judah And Israel ","post_title":"The Chronicles Of The Kings Of Judah And Israel","slug":"the-chronicles-of-the-kings-of-judah-and-israel","old_id":"62525","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33877,"post_title":"Marc Bregman","slug":"marc-bregman","old_id":"33877","first_name":"Marc","last_name":"Bregman","description":"Marc Bregman received his Ph.D. from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1991. He taught at the Hebrew Union College (Jerusalem), The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the Schechter Institute for Judaic Studies in Jerusalem, and at the Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheba, Israel. During 1993 he was Visiting Associate Professor at Yale University, and during 1996 he was the Stroum Professor of Jewish Studies and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Washington in Seattle. During 2005, Bregman served as the Harry Starr Fellow in Judaica at Harvard University and was awarded a Teaching Fellowship at the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He also has served as Forchheimer Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Humanities at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is the author of The Tanhuma-Yelammedenu Literature: Studies in the Evolution of the Versions (Gorgias Press, 2003). In 2006, Bregman was appointed the Herman and Zelda Bernard Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, where he also headed the program in Jewish Studies, until 2013. Bregman retired from UNCG as of July 31, 2017. He has now returned to Jerusalem where he is continuing his research and teaching activities.","credit":"","image_url":"","short_description":"Marc Bregman is the Herman and Zelda Bernard Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies emeritus, at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro.","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":33878,"alt":"Marc Bregman","title":"Marc Bregman","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman.jpg","width":361,"height":488,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman-222x300.jpg","medium-width":222,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman.jpg","medium_large-width":361,"medium_large-height":488,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman.jpg","large-width":361,"large-height":488,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman.jpg","1536x1536-width":361,"1536x1536-height":488,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman.jpg","2048x2048-width":361,"2048x2048-height":488,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman.jpg","post_full_size-width":361,"post_full_size-height":488,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman-311x420.jpg","home_baner-width":311,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"301","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"The selectivity of the Biblical record","post_main_content_content":"

Our chapter includes summaries of the reigns of both Jeroboam and Rehoboam, each of which is immediately preceded by similar bibliographical comments: \u201cThe other events of Jeroboam\u2019s reign, how he fought and how he ruled, are recorded in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel\u201d (verse 19) and \u201cThe other events of Rehoboam\u2019s reign, and all his actions, are recorded in the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah\u201d (verse 30).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Such \u201cChronicles\u201d (divrey ha-yamim<\/em>) are cited frequently in the Hebrew Bible -- the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel are mentioned 18 times and the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah are mentioned 15 times. While these literary records are not identical with the Biblical Books of Chronicles, they are referred to there, in I Chronicles 9:1, II Chronicles 20:34, and elsewhere. Significantly, a more extensive echo of the brief bibliographic comment at the end of our Chapter (verse 30), is found in II Chronicles 12:15: \u201cThe deeds of Rehoboam, early and late, are recorded in the Chronicles of the prophet Shemaiah and Iddo, the seer\u201d. Moreover, \u201cA Midrash of the Prophet Iddo\u201d is said to have recorded additional historical information (see II Chronicles 13:22). Contemporary Biblical scholars have suggested that these lost \u201cChronicles\u201d, which seem to have been recorded in some literary form, may have been similar to the royal annals of other ancient Near Eastern nations, preserved in inscriptions, such as the stele set up by King Mesha of Moab around 840 BCE.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Portuguese Jewish statesman, financer, philosopher and Bible commentator, Don Isaac Abarbanel (died 1508), raises the general question why Scripture seems not to have included all that was apparently recorded in the lost \u201cBooks of the Chronicles of the Kings\u201d (in his Introduction to the Book of Joshua, under the heading of his \u201cthird uncertainty \u2013 ha-safeq ha-shelishi\u201d). In the extensive process of answering this question, Abarbanel relates to our chapter in his specific comment on I Kings 14:29. He suggests that the Biblical narrative here chose to include only what it considered relevant to the specific history of Rehoboam\u2019s reign. However, additional events were recorded in one of the Chronicles of all the Kings of Judah, which included stories about Rehoboam.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Abarbanel goes on to suggest that among these no longer extant written records, an entire book was devoted to lauding Solomon (see I Kings 11:41), while just one other book was devoted to all the other kings of Judah, because they together were reckoned as historically important as Solomon alone. Whatever later biblical scholarship may make of Abarbanel\u2019s imaginative reconstruction of how the Scriptural record was committed to writing, it is worth noting that this historically important Jewish figure -- who almost succeeded in preventing the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 by offering an enormous sum to the Spanish monarchy -- suggests that the Biblical record selectively preserves primarily what was of lasting historical consequence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

image: Don Isaac Abarbanel, creator unknown, c. 1437.<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":62528,"alt":"","title":"1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","width":252,"height":374,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel-202x300.jpg","medium-width":202,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","medium_large-width":252,"medium_large-height":374,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","large-width":252,"large-height":374,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","1536x1536-width":252,"1536x1536-height":374,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","2048x2048-width":252,"2048x2048-height":374,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","post_full_size-width":252,"post_full_size-height":374,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","home_baner-width":252,"home_baner-height":374}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"The Chronicles Of The Kings Of Judah And Israel","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"The selectivity of the Biblical record \u00a0","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":62528,"alt":"","title":"1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","width":252,"height":374,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel-202x300.jpg","medium-width":202,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","medium_large-width":252,"medium_large-height":374,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","large-width":252,"large-height":374,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","1536x1536-width":252,"1536x1536-height":374,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","2048x2048-width":252,"2048x2048-height":374,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","post_full_size-width":252,"post_full_size-height":374,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings14-Isaac_Abrabanel.jpg","home_baner-width":252,"home_baner-height":374}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"301","date":"20261025","wall_id":"301"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"444","name":"History","old_id":"844"},{"term_id":"721","name":"Text","old_id":"1121"}]},{"order":6,"id":"62617","color":"#f6f5de","size":"1","name":"Ancestral Heritage And The Power To Choose ","post_title":"Ancestral Heritage And The Power To Choose","slug":"ancestral-heritage-and-the-power-to-choose","old_id":"62617","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34250,"post_title":"Sarah Rudolph","slug":"sarah-rudolph","old_id":"34250","first_name":"Sarah ","last_name":"Rudolph","description":"Sarah Rudolph is a freelance Jewish educator, writer, and editor. She has been sharing her passion for Jewish texts of all kinds for over 15 years, with students of all ages. Sarah\u2019s essays have been published in a variety of internet and print media, including Times of Israel, Kveller, Jewish Action, OU Life, The Lehrhaus, TorahMusings, and more. Sarah lives in Cleveland with her husband and four children, but is privileged to learn online with students all over the world through www.TorahTutors.org and www.WebYeshiva.org. \r\n\r\n","short_description":"Sarah Rudolph is a freelance Jewish educator, writer, and editor.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34251,"alt":"","title":"Sarah R","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R.jpg","width":2824,"height":4246,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-200x300.jpg","medium-width":200,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-681x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":681,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-681x1024.jpg","large-width":681,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R.jpg","1536x1536-width":1022,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R.jpg","2048x2048-width":1362,"2048x2048-height":2048,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-798x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":798,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-279x420.jpg","home_baner-width":279,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"302","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Allow entitlement to make you corrupt, or make the effort to live up to your birthright?","post_main_content_content":"

Throughout the books of Kings, the righteousness of the kings of Israel and Judah is assessed in terms of the precedents set by their predecessors. With regard to Judah, it all goes back to David: Will each king be good like David, or not?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Descending from David presents a particular challenge, as indicated in the very moment the people rebelled against his grandson, Rehoboam. When Rehoboam declared his intent to be a harsh, demanding king, they responded \u201cWe have no portion in David, no share in Jesse\u2019s son\u201d (12:16). Why mention David in that moment? Abarbanel suggests they realized why Rehoboam was so unwilling to work with them: because he came from David and thought he was guaranteed to rule.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Every descendent of David would have had to struggle against that sense of entitlement: will he relax into his throne, confident in God\u2019s promise of a Davidic dynasty, or will he put in the effort to live up to his birthright?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Abijam and his son Asa offer one study in contrasting choices within the same family heritage. Oddly, both are identified as having had a mother named Maacah: \u201cHis mother\u2019s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom\u201d (15:2, 10). The contradiction can be easily resolved by concluding that that Asa was raised by his grandmother, who remained as queen mother, but we still want to understand her role in the story. When we discover that Asa \u201cdeposed his mother Maacah from the rank of queen mother, because she had made an abominable thing for [the goddess] Asherah\u201d (v. 13), that role becomes more clear. Maacah fills the role of the \u201cbad guy\u201d here, the evil influence, and the two kings who came from her have to decide whether to be with her or against her. Abiham followed in his mother\u2019s footsteps; immediately after she is named as his mother, we are told that he \u201ccontinued in all the sins that his father before him had committed; he was not wholehearted with the LORD his God, like his father David\u201d (v. 3). But when it comes to Asa, though he too has grown up under Maacah, the next line is different: \u201cAsa did what was pleasing to the LORD, as his father David had done\u201d (v.11)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The contrast between Abijam and Asa, within their shared background, highlights each individual\u2019s power to choose. One rejects his ancestral father, emulating instead his immediate father and mother, while the other chooses to reject those influences and remains \u201cwholehearted with the Lord his God all his life\u201d (v. 14), like David before him.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Ultimately, there are no guarantees even within guarantees; Solomon\u2019s sins caused a disruption in the Davidic dynasty despite God\u2019s promise. With each generation, we are reminded that heritage can only take one so far: every individual will have his own influences, challenges, and personality; each is held accountable for his choices, to live up to ancestral precedent and promise \u2013 or not.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":62618,"alt":"","title":"1kings15-king","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king.jpg","width":1000,"height":523,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king-300x157.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":157,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king-768x402.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":402,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":523,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":523,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":523,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":523,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king-803x420.jpg","home_baner-width":803,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Ancestral Heritage And The Power To Choose","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Allow entitlement to make you corrupt, or make the effort to live up to your birthright?","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":62618,"alt":"","title":"1kings15-king","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king.jpg","width":1000,"height":523,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king-300x157.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":157,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king-768x402.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":402,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":523,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":523,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":523,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":523,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-king-803x420.jpg","home_baner-width":803,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"15","chapter_main_number":"302","date":"20261026","wall_id":"302"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"400","name":"Sin","old_id":"800"},{"term_id":"466","name":"Goodness","old_id":"866"},{"term_id":"547","name":"Punishment","old_id":"947"},{"term_id":"834","name":"David","old_id":"1234"}]},{"order":7,"id":"62605","color":"#efefef","size":"1","name":"Is War the Only Alternative to Unity? ","post_title":"Is War The Only Alternative To Unity?","slug":"is-war-the-only-alternative-to-unity","old_id":"62605","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33992,"post_title":"Bradley Shavit Artson","slug":"rabbi-dr-bradley-shavit-artson","old_id":"33992","first_name":"Bradley Shavit ","last_name":"Artson","description":"Rabbi Dr Bradley Shavit Artson holds the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean's Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and is Vice President of American Jewish University in Los Angeles, and is professor of philosophy there. Artson is married to Elana Shavit Artson, and they are the parents of twins, Shira and Jacob.\r\n","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"short_description":"Rabbi Dr Bradley Shavit Artson is the Dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and is Vice President of American Jewish University in Los Angeles.","link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":33993,"alt":"","title":"Rabbi Dr Bradley Shavit Artson","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","width":204,"height":199,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-256x300.png","medium-width":256,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","medium_large-width":204,"medium_large-height":199,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","large-width":204,"large-height":199,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","1536x1536-width":204,"1536x1536-height":199,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","2048x2048-width":204,"2048x2048-height":199,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","post_full_size-width":204,"post_full_size-height":199,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","home_baner-width":204,"home_baner-height":199}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"302","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Getting along is literally a matter of life and death - and a key test of democracy as an alternative to chaos and violence\u00a0\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

The unified Kingdom is shattered. While it had never been a wholehearted matter, the tribes had worked together under King David and King Solomon and had achieved great things. A nation unified, a temple constructed, city fortified and expanded, garrisons throughout the country, mining \u2026 even royal tourism with Sheba!<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In a blink, all that is lost as the two kingdoms go their own way. Israel in the north breaks away from Judah in the south, creating a separate and parallel monarchy, a separate and competing Temple, and wrestling on its own with the implications of serving the invisible God who brought us from Egyptian slavery to risk creating a nation of our own.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Perhaps most disheartening in this disintegration is that they don\u2019t merely agree to part and go their own separate ways. No, again and again we are told that their paths now erupt into full-blown warfare: \u201cThere was war between Abijam and Jeroboam all the days of his life (6).\u201d \u201cThere was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel all their days (16).\u201d \u201cThere was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel all their days (32).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Is there no midway point between complete unity and utter warfare? Are those our only two alternatives?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This history of Biblical Israel, and a scan of both anthropological data and biological information reveals a bleak reality. In most instances, unless there is a mingling of populations \u2013 shared intimacy and progeny \u2013 then the general result is violence and death. This is true for lion prides, for ape populations no less than for human communities.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Getting along is literally a matter of life and death. And the daring experiment of democracy is to institutionalize ways of disagreeing without erupting in chaos and murder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

How we rise to that challenge will make all the difference, and the stakes could not be higher. The track record so far leans heavily on the side of death and destruction as the likely outcome. All we have on the other side are hope, clear standards of what is demanded of us, faith, and the warning stories of our ancestors, whose disastrous failures make clear God\u2019s deepest imperative: choose life, that you may live!<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":62610,"alt":"","title":"1kings15-democracy","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy.png","width":1280,"height":911,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy-300x214.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":214,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy-768x547.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":547,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy-1024x729.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":729,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy.png","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":911,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy.png","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":911,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy-1200x854.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":854,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy-590x420.png","home_baner-width":590,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Is War The Only Alternative To Unity?","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Getting along is literally a matter of life and death - and a key test of democracy as an alternative to chaos and violence\u00a0","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":62610,"alt":"","title":"1kings15-democracy","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy.png","width":1280,"height":911,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy-300x214.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":214,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy-768x547.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":547,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy-1024x729.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":729,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy.png","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":911,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy.png","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":911,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy-1200x854.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":854,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings15-democracy-590x420.png","home_baner-width":590,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"15","chapter_main_number":"302","date":"20261026","wall_id":"302"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"383","name":"Death","old_id":"783"},{"term_id":"434","name":"War","old_id":"834"},{"term_id":"444","name":"History","old_id":"844"},{"term_id":"543","name":"Violence","old_id":"943"}]},{"order":8,"id":"62623","color":"#f2e9df","size":"1","name":"How Did King Zimri Die? ","post_title":"How Did King Zimri Die?","slug":"how-did-king-zimri-die","old_id":"62623","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":61002,"post_title":"Yogev Bar-Gad","slug":"yogev-bar-gad","old_id":"61002","first_name":"Yogev ","last_name":"Bar-Gad","description":"Yogev Bar-Gad is a lawyer and a Torah lecturer.","short_description":"Yogev Bar-Gad is a lawyer and a Torah lecturer.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":61003,"alt":"","title":"yogev bar gad","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/yogev-bar-gad.jpg","width":431,"height":582,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/yogev-bar-gad-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/yogev-bar-gad-222x300.jpg","medium-width":222,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/yogev-bar-gad.jpg","medium_large-width":431,"medium_large-height":582,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/yogev-bar-gad.jpg","large-width":431,"large-height":582,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/yogev-bar-gad.jpg","1536x1536-width":431,"1536x1536-height":582,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/yogev-bar-gad.jpg","2048x2048-width":431,"2048x2048-height":582,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/yogev-bar-gad.jpg","post_full_size-width":431,"post_full_size-height":582,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/yogev-bar-gad-311x420.jpg","home_baner-width":311,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"303","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Was it suicide - or regicide?","post_main_content_content":"

Translation is always an interpretation.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Verse 18 in our chapter is translated by JPS: \"When Zimri saw that the town was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and burned down the royal palace over himself. And so he died\".<\/span><\/p>\r\n

According to this\u00a0 translation and interpretation, King Zimri commited suicide. But it is not the only possible translation nor the only possible interpretation of this verse.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Verse 18 can be translated alternatively: \"When Zimri saw that the town was taken (by Omri), he (Zimri) went into the citadel of the royal palace. So he (Omri) burned down the royal palace over him (Zimri). And so he (Zimri) died\".<\/span><\/p>\r\n

According to the alternative interpretation, King Zimri tried to survive behind the walls of the most secure place in the capital \u2013 the citadel of the royal palace of Tirzah. Maybe Zimri hoped that Omri would not dare to ruin such a beauty (Song of Songs 6, 4) as the Germans in World War 2 hoped no one would bomb beautiful Dresden. Both of them failed to foresee the future.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":62631,"alt":"","title":"1Kings16-Zimri","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","width":400,"height":270,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri-300x203.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":203,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","medium_large-width":400,"medium_large-height":270,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","large-width":400,"large-height":270,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","1536x1536-width":400,"1536x1536-height":270,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","2048x2048-width":400,"2048x2048-height":270,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","post_full_size-width":400,"post_full_size-height":270,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","home_baner-width":400,"home_baner-height":270}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"How Did King Zimri Die?","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Was it suicide - or regicide?","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":62631,"alt":"","title":"1Kings16-Zimri","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","width":400,"height":270,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri-300x203.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":203,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","medium_large-width":400,"medium_large-height":270,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","large-width":400,"large-height":270,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","1536x1536-width":400,"1536x1536-height":270,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","2048x2048-width":400,"2048x2048-height":270,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","post_full_size-width":400,"post_full_size-height":270,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1Kings16-Zimri.jpg","home_baner-width":400,"home_baner-height":270}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"16","chapter_main_number":"303","date":"20261027","wall_id":"303"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"569","name":"Translation","old_id":"969"},{"term_id":"926","name":"Zimri","old_id":"1326"}]},{"order":9,"id":"62643","color":"#f6edf6","size":"1","name":"What Goes Around\u2026 ","post_title":"What Goes Around\u2026","slug":"what-goes-around-3","old_id":"62643","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34243,"post_title":"Moshe Sokolow","slug":"moshe-sokolow","old_id":"34243","first_name":"Moshe","last_name":"Sokolow","description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University, and teaches a weekly class in parashat hashavu`a at Lincoln Square Synagogue. 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We read at the close of the previous chapter that Jeroboam died and was succeeded by his son Nadav, who ruled for two years and followed in the evil footsteps of his father and grandfather (15: 25-26). He then became the victim of a conspiracy (<\/span>kesher<\/span><\/em>, see 15:27) that placed on the throne of the Northern Kingdom a \u201cman of Issachar\u201d named Baasha, who exacted from the House of Jeroboam the precise vengeance that had been foretold (in chapter 13) by the man of God and confirmed by Ahijah of Shiloh (chapter 14). In spite of that, \u201cHe did what was displeasing to the LORD; he followed the ways of Jeroboam and the sins which he caused Israel to commit\u201d (15:34).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

When our chapter opens, another prophet, Jehu ben Hanani, prophesied that Baasha is about to suffer the very same fate he meted out to Nadav and Jeroboam.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n

Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the town shall be devoured by dogs, and anyone who dies in the open country shall be eaten by the birds of the sky; for the LORD has spoken. (14:11)<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

\r\n

Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the town shall be devoured by dogs, and anyone belonging to him who dies in the open country shall be devoured by the birds of the sky. (16:4)<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n

Even conspiracy (<\/span>kesher<\/span><\/em>, see 16:9, 16, 20) struck again as Elah, Baasha\u2019s son, was slain by Zimri, one of his officers. Zimri, after exacting the prophesied vengeance on the House of Baasha, became the victim of a conspiracy himself as the people chose a general named Omri to ascend the throne. Omri besieged the royal palace at Tirzah and Zimri (to spite Omri?) burned it down about himself after ruling for just one week.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Omri eventually moved his capital to Samaria (Shomron), which became an epithet for the Northern Kingdom (and remains in use to this very day to designate Jewish-held territory within the northern West Bank), and established a new dynasty whose most famous (or infamous) member, Ahab, makes his appearance just as our chapter is about to close.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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Zuckerman Sivan, a sociologist, is deputy dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":62206,"alt":"","title":"ezra zuckerman","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/ezra-zuckerman.jpg","width":100,"height":100,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/ezra-zuckerman.jpg","thumbnail-width":100,"thumbnail-height":100,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/ezra-zuckerman.jpg","medium-width":100,"medium-height":100,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/ezra-zuckerman.jpg","medium_large-width":100,"medium_large-height":100,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/ezra-zuckerman.jpg","large-width":100,"large-height":100,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/ezra-zuckerman.jpg","1536x1536-width":100,"1536x1536-height":100,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/ezra-zuckerman.jpg","2048x2048-width":100,"2048x2048-height":100,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/ezra-zuckerman.jpg","post_full_size-width":100,"post_full_size-height":100,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/ezra-zuckerman.jpg","home_baner-width":100,"home_baner-height":100}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"304","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Why is it important to know she was gathering wood? A study in inner biblical allusions","post_main_content_content":"

The story of the \u201cwidow of Zarephath\u201d (I Kings 17:2-24) illustrates how \u201cinner-biblical allusions\u201d-- linguistic and thematic references to earlier texts-- can both amplify the message of the text at hand and provide insightful commentary on the earlier texts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

As an example of amplification, consider how our chapter\u2019s allusions to paradigmatic cases of kindness to strangers. By using the same language for \u201ctake a loaf of bread\u201d and \u201ctake a bit of water\u201d (as well as references to \u201cflour\u201d and \u201cbaked wafer\u201d), the widow\u2019s feeding of Elijah is linked to Abraham\u2019s feeding the visitors (Genesis 18). And several other key words (\u201ca bit of water;\u201d \u201cjug;\u201d and \u201cdrink\u201d) link the widow with Rebecca\u2019s generosity to Abraham\u2019s servant (Genesis 24). If we were not already amazed at how the widow selflessly shares food with Elijah when she and her son are dying of hunger, the references to Abraham and Rebecca clinch the fact that Elijah is in the presence of moral greatness.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Another example of amplification is the way the story of the widow evokes a paradigmatic example of faithfulness: Israel\u2019s experience of the manna (in Exodus 16 and Numbers 11). Thematically, it certainly seems manna-like how the widow\u2019s food is miraculously replenished, just as Elijah prophecies. There are tell-tale linguistic references here too (an unusual word for jar, as well as references to baked wafers and oil). The manna link serves to deepen our admiration for the widow\u2014in this case for her faith that Elijah\u2019s assurances that God will sustain them through the famine.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This link also affords insightful commentary on the manna episode itself. When we compare the manna and widow stories, we see that the widow does not complain until after her son dies of famine whereas Israel complains of famine when there was none (Exodus 16:3). We also see that she trusts that God will miraculously provide food whereas Israel worried at first that they needed to hoard the manna. The widow story thus shines a critical light on Israel\u2019s behavior during the exodus and a favorable light on God\u2019s generosity and patience.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Perhaps the deepest insights come from pondering how our chapter twice goes out of its way to describe the widow as gathering wood. The key word here, <\/span>lekoshesh<\/span><\/em>, is used in only three other occasions in the Hebrew Bible, and in only one other instance in reference to gathering wood: the case of the man who is put to death for gathering wood on the Sabbath (Numbers 15:32-36). This comparison illuminates the faithlessness of the wood gatherer: he should have assumed God would continue to provide wood. And it also points to his selfishness: if the widow can share her life-sustaining private property, he can refrain from \u201craiding the commons\u201d while everyone else is resting.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

By adding just a few additional words to link the two stories, we are led to marvel anew at the widow\u2019s virtuous character and to appreciate the fragility of the social cooperation that sustains the Shabbat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Image: Woman Carrying Twigs, Munkacsy, 19th C.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Elaboration on ideas in this essay may be found in the essays \u201cBetween Shabbat and Lynch Mobs\u201d; \u201cHow to Curtail Pernicious Social Competition: The Legacy of Zelophehad and his Daughters\u201d; and \u201cWhy Do We Deserve God\u2019s Favor?\u201d published<\/span> at the Lehrhaus online journal<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":62686,"alt":"","title":"1kings17-wood gatherer","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer.jpg","width":1000,"height":1277,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer-235x300.jpg","medium-width":235,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer-768x981.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":981,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer-802x1024.jpg","large-width":802,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1277,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1277,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer-940x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":940,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer-329x420.jpg","home_baner-width":329,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"The Wood-Gathering Woman","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Why is it important to know she was gathering wood? A study in inner biblical allusions","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":62686,"alt":"","title":"1kings17-wood gatherer","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer.jpg","width":1000,"height":1277,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer-235x300.jpg","medium-width":235,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer-768x981.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":981,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer-802x1024.jpg","large-width":802,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1277,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1277,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer-940x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":940,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-wood-gatherer-329x420.jpg","home_baner-width":329,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"17","chapter_main_number":"304","date":"20261028","wall_id":"304"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"375","name":"Faith","old_id":"775"},{"term_id":"542","name":"Generosity","old_id":"942"},{"term_id":"718","name":"Hospitality","old_id":"1118"},{"term_id":"721","name":"Text","old_id":"1121"}]},{"order":11,"id":"62703","color":"#faeed8","size":"1","name":"Elijah: He Can Do Rain, But He Can\u2019t Dew ","post_title":"Elijah: He Can Do Rain, But He Can\u2019t Dew","slug":"elijah-he-can-do-rain-but-he-cant-dew","old_id":"62703","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":36277,"post_title":"Yedidya Sinclair","slug":"yedidya-sinclair","old_id":"36277","first_name":"Yedidya","last_name":"Sinclair","description":"Rabbi Yedidya Sinclair serves as Senior Rabbinic Scholar at Hazon, the leading US Jewish environmental organization. From 2011-16 he was Vice President for Research and Senior Economist at Energiya Global, a Jerusalem-based solar energy company focused on the developing world and he continues to consult on renewable energy and climate change preparedness. In 2014 he published together with Hazon, a translation of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook's great work on shmitta, the Sabbatical year, \"Introduction to Shabbat Ha'aretz.\" Yedidya holds a BA from Oxford University, an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and lives with his family in Jerusalem.","short_description":"Yedidya Sinclair is a Jerusalem-based rabbi and economist, and is Senior Rabbinic Scholar at Hazon. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36278,"alt":"","title":"yedidya sinclair","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","width":200,"height":200,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","medium-width":200,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","medium_large-width":200,"medium_large-height":200,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","large-width":200,"large-height":200,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","1536x1536-width":200,"1536x1536-height":200,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","2048x2048-width":200,"2048x2048-height":200,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","post_full_size-width":200,"post_full_size-height":200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","home_baner-width":200,"home_baner-height":200}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"304","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Quiet and constant loving care is not what he\u2019s all about\u00a0","post_main_content_content":"

Elijah the prophet storms into the story today, bringing a devastating drought upon the land. Elijah declares: \u201cas the Lord lives, the God of Israel whom I serve, there will be no dew or rain, except at my bidding\u201d (I Kings, 17:1).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Did Elijah take this extreme step on his own initiative or was he told to do so by God? The commentaries are divided on this, but the plain sense of the text, as well as the Talmudic sources suggest that the drought was Elijah\u2019s idea.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

A Talmudic passage in tractate Sanhedrin (113a) suggests that it was Elijah\u2019s outrage that the rampant idolatry, murder and corruption in Israel was going unpunished that led him to try and wrest the \u201ckey of rain\u201d from God and take matters into his own hands. Elijah saw Ahab and Jezebel getting away with murder - and Ba\u2019al worship - and was seized with righteous indignation and zeal for God\u2019s honor. How could it be that biblical promises are ignored with impunity? God backed up Elijah\u2019s threat and gave him the power to bring or stop the rain at his word.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Yet only part of Elijah\u2019s promise is fulfilled. When the rain returns after three years, God tells Elijah, \u201cGo appear before Ahab, then I will send rain upon the earth\u201d (I Kings 18:1). As the Talmud (Ta\u2019anit 3a) points out, \u201cIn this later verse, dew is not mentioned! Why not? Because it never stopped.\u201d Despite Elijah\u2019s threat to stop the dew as well as the rain, in fact, according to the Talmud, the dew never ceased.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Why not? Elijah is a figure who sets great store by the power of withholding and returning the rain to prove that the Torah\u2019s promises are effective and thereby to bring the people back to serving God. His story teaches that dew does not cease, but we know that from experience too. Whereas rain in Israel in the winter is sporadic and unpredictable, dew is perennially and reliably present.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The constant care with which God relates to Israel in the mode of dew, with its almost imperceptible gentleness persists even through the most turbulent ups and downs of the relationship. As we will see in the coming chapters, the quiet and constant loving care symbolized by dew is just what Elijah finds hardest to understand.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Image:\u00a0 Amnon Beker, Elijah and Ahab, 1995 by courtesy of the artist.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":62704,"alt":"","title":"Amnon Beker, Elijah and Ahab","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115.jpg","width":931,"height":976,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115-286x300.jpg","medium-width":286,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115-768x805.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":805,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115.jpg","large-width":931,"large-height":976,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115.jpg","1536x1536-width":931,"1536x1536-height":976,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115.jpg","2048x2048-width":931,"2048x2048-height":976,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115.jpg","post_full_size-width":931,"post_full_size-height":976,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115-401x420.jpg","home_baner-width":401,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Elijah: He Can Do Rain, But He Can\u2019t Dew","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Quiet and constant loving care is not what he\u2019s all about\u00a0","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":62704,"alt":"","title":"Amnon Beker, Elijah and Ahab","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115.jpg","width":931,"height":976,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115-286x300.jpg","medium-width":286,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115-768x805.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":805,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115.jpg","large-width":931,"large-height":976,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115.jpg","1536x1536-width":931,"1536x1536-height":976,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115.jpg","2048x2048-width":931,"2048x2048-height":976,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115.jpg","post_full_size-width":931,"post_full_size-height":976,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/115-401x420.jpg","home_baner-width":401,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"17","chapter_main_number":"304","date":"20261028","wall_id":"304"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"627","name":"Talmud","old_id":"1027"},{"term_id":"780","name":"Rain","old_id":"1180"},{"term_id":"858","name":"Elijah","old_id":"1258"}]},{"order":12,"id":"62688","color":"#e6f5f3","size":"1","name":"Elijah v. Ahab: Round 1 ","post_title":"Elijah v. Ahab: Round 1","slug":"elijah-v-ahab-round-1","old_id":"62688","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":42746,"post_title":"Michal Kohane","slug":"michal-kohane","old_id":"42746","first_name":"Michal ","last_name":"Kohane ","description":"Currently based in Israel, Rabbanit Michal Kohane is a graduate of Yeshivat Maharat, a writer, community leader and teacher of Talmud & Torah. She holds degrees in Israel studies , education and psychology, and has been a leader and educator in Northern California for over 25 years. Her first novel, Hachug (\"Extracurricular\") was published in Israel in 2016 and her weekly blog can be found at http:\/\/www.miko284.com\r\n\r\n\r\n","short_description":"Currently based in Israel, Rabbanit Michal Kohane is a graduate of Yeshivat Maharat, a writer, community leader and teacher of Talmud & Torah. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":42747,"alt":"","title":"michal kohane","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","width":214,"height":226,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","medium-width":214,"medium-height":226,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","medium_large-width":214,"medium_large-height":226,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","large-width":214,"large-height":226,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","1536x1536-width":214,"1536x1536-height":226,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","2048x2048-width":214,"2048x2048-height":226,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","post_full_size-width":214,"post_full_size-height":226,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","home_baner-width":214,"home_baner-height":226}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"304","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"One of the greatest, strangest prophets","post_main_content_content":"

Of all Biblical characters, Elijah\u2019s is especially mysterious. We know him so well from our Passover <\/span>seders<\/span><\/em> and <\/span>brit <\/span>mila<\/span><\/em> celebrations, where his gentle grandfatherly personality accompanies us through various stories throughout the generations. And yet, the biblical Elijah is quite different and hard to figure out. Who is he?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Chapter 17 opens with his dramatic appearance: \"Elijah the Tishbite, an inhabitant of Gilead, said to Ahab, \u201cAs the LORD lives, the God of Israel whom I serve, there will be no dew or rain except at my bidding.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

He appears like someone jumping on a stage with a thumping \u201ctada!\u201d, which just adds to our confusion. Elijah is introduced as a \u201cTishbite\u201d, and a <\/span>toshav<\/span><\/em>,<\/span><\/i> resident of the Gilead, on the eastern side of the Jordan. The word \u201c<\/span>toshav<\/span><\/em>\u201d is usually reserved for non-Jews living in the Land (such as <\/span>ger-toshav<\/span><\/em>, an alien resident). We assume he\u2019s an Israelite although the text doesn\u2019t help us establish that. Which tribe does he belong to? We don\u2019t know. Commentators offer Gad, Benjamin or perhaps Levi and that he was a priest, but nothing\u2019s for sure. As a prophet, he has no book of his own, even though he is considered a major prophet. He is not connected to Jerusalem in any way, and prophecies in the Kingdom of Israel, outside the \u201cnormal\u201d boundaries of holiness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

He has no wife we know of, nor children, or parents. We hear he wears only his cloak, and eats what is served to him by others: a woman, crows, an angel of God. Later we\u2019ll learn he has no grave but rather, goes up to the heavens in a chariot.\u00a0 Everything about him conveys a sense of unusualness and even immortality.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Talmud tells us that, in the opening verse, Elijah and King Ahab are both paying a <\/span>shiv\u2019a<\/span><\/i> call to Chi\u2019el Beit Ha\u2019eli (Sanhedrin 113:a). Chi\u2019el is the one who opted to rebuild the city of Jericho against the curse Joshua put on it back at the time the Land was conquered (Joshua 6:26). With every step of the construction, one of his sons died, until the last one died when he put up the city\u2019s gates. It\u2019s possible that this was done under Ahab's instructions.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Either way, during the <\/span>shiv\u2019a<\/span><\/em>, they get into a debate. King Ahab asked, \"\u2018Who is greater, Moses or Joshua\u2019? Elijah said, \u2018of course, Moses who was the teacher\u2019. Asked Ahab, \u2018so how come the student\u2019s prophecy was fulfilled but not his teacher, referring to the fact that Joshua\u2019s curse over Jericho came true, while Moses who said, if you worship other gods, the sky will hold its rain back, did not\u2019?? Immediately Elijah jumped and said, \u201cthere will be no dew or rain\u201d\u2026\"<\/span><\/p>\r\n

By these words, he places himself above \u201cregular\u201d prophets: not only does he hold a key for rain, but for dew as well. As we\u2019ll see, this will lead to one of the greatest showdowns in the whole Tanach. More on that tomorrow.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Image: Elijah confronts Ahab and Jezebel, Sir Francis Dicksee, 1873.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":62694,"alt":"","title":"1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel.jpg","width":639,"height":424,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel-300x199.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":199,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel.jpg","medium_large-width":639,"medium_large-height":424,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel.jpg","large-width":639,"large-height":424,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel.jpg","1536x1536-width":639,"1536x1536-height":424,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel.jpg","2048x2048-width":639,"2048x2048-height":424,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel.jpg","post_full_size-width":639,"post_full_size-height":424,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel-633x420.jpg","home_baner-width":633,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Elijah v. Ahab: Round 1","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"One of the greatest, strangest prophets","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":62694,"alt":"","title":"1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel.jpg","width":639,"height":424,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel-300x199.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":199,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel.jpg","medium_large-width":639,"medium_large-height":424,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel.jpg","large-width":639,"large-height":424,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel.jpg","1536x1536-width":639,"1536x1536-height":424,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel.jpg","2048x2048-width":639,"2048x2048-height":424,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel.jpg","post_full_size-width":639,"post_full_size-height":424,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings17-elijah-ahab-jezebel-633x420.jpg","home_baner-width":633,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"17","chapter_main_number":"304","date":"20261028","wall_id":"304"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"363","name":"Midrash","old_id":"763"},{"term_id":"506","name":"Prophecy","old_id":"906"},{"term_id":"858","name":"Elijah","old_id":"1258"}]},{"order":13,"id":"62752","color":"#f7e9e9","size":"1","name":"Time For A Nation To Get Off The Fence ","post_title":"Time For A Nation To Get Off The Fence","slug":"time-for-a-nation-to-get-off-the-fence","old_id":"62752","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":46656,"post_title":"Molly Morris","slug":"molly-morris","old_id":"46656","first_name":"Molly ","last_name":"Morris ","description":"Molly Morris holds a Masters degree in Leadership and Community Engagement. Her particular area of interest is biblical leadership. Molly participates in the 929 initiative with a dedicated group from the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto congregation. \r\n\r\n","short_description":"Molly Morris holds a Masters degree in Leadership and Community Engagement. Molly participates in the 929 initiative with a dedicated group from the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto congregation. \r\n\r\n","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":92561,"alt":"","title":"molly morris","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/molly-morris.jpg","width":2192,"height":2488,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/molly-morris-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/molly-morris-264x300.jpg","medium-width":264,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/molly-morris-768x872.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":872,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/molly-morris-902x1024.jpg","large-width":902,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/molly-morris.jpg","1536x1536-width":1353,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/molly-morris.jpg","2048x2048-width":1804,"2048x2048-height":2048,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/molly-morris-1057x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":1057,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/molly-morris-370x420.jpg","home_baner-width":370,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"305","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Elijah\u2019s goal was not to prove the authenticity of a single God; his objective was to heal the nation","post_main_content_content":"

10 chapters ago, in chapter 8, King Solomon allowed his foreign wives to continue their practice of idol worship in his home, and he lost his kingdom for that lapse of judgement. Now a significant populace has embraced this practice, while at the same time pledging their allegiance to the one single God of the Jewish people. It takes a particular mental dexterity to have justified to themselves that there was no conflict in their dual loyalties.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In this chapter, Elijah the prophet gathers the people near and asks them \u201cHow long are you going to keep hopping between two ideas (or opinions, 18:21)?\u201d Elijah makes it clear that monotheism and idol worship are mutually exclusive and tells them it\u2019s time to get off the proverbial pot. What Elijah did not say is as important as what he did say: he did not tell the people which was the better choice, just simply that a choice had to be made.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The nation was stunned to be finally called to task and \u201cthe people said nothing (18:21).\u201d They couldn\u2019t comprehend a way forward. They had got themselves so entrenched in a mindset of dual loyalty they simply couldn\u2019t see a way out.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Of course, Elijah had a plan to help them solve this quandary without imposing a decision on them.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Elijah lets the prophets of Baal, the idol worshippers, make their case first. They spend all morning in a frenetic attempt to arouse their gods to accept their offering, but to no avail. Using the same language as v. 21 when the Jewish people had no response to Elijah\u2019s challenge, in v. 26 \u201cthere was no voice and no answer\u201d from Baal. By late afternoon, still nothing - \u201cno voice, no answer (from Baal) and no one (from the Jewish nation) was listening (v. 29). \u201c<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Elijah\u2019s goal was not merely to win a contest to prove the authenticity of a single God; his objective was to heal the nation. As he did at the beginning of the day, Elijah again invites the people to approach him. He doesn\u2019t go to them to gloat \u201cI told you so\u201d but instead invites the people to join him - to take the physical leap off the spiritual fence, because he knows they are now ready.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This time there is not silence; this time \"all the nation approached him (v.30)\u201d because they had made up their own minds.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":62754,"alt":"","title":"1kings18-fence","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence.jpg","width":424,"height":424,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence.jpg","medium_large-width":424,"medium_large-height":424,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence.jpg","large-width":424,"large-height":424,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence.jpg","1536x1536-width":424,"1536x1536-height":424,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence.jpg","2048x2048-width":424,"2048x2048-height":424,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence.jpg","post_full_size-width":424,"post_full_size-height":424,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Time For A Nation To Get Off The Fence","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Elijah\u2019s goal was not to prove the authenticity of a single God; his objective was to heal the nation","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":62754,"alt":"","title":"1kings18-fence","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence.jpg","width":424,"height":424,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence.jpg","medium_large-width":424,"medium_large-height":424,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence.jpg","large-width":424,"large-height":424,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence.jpg","1536x1536-width":424,"1536x1536-height":424,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence.jpg","2048x2048-width":424,"2048x2048-height":424,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence.jpg","post_full_size-width":424,"post_full_size-height":424,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/1kings18-fence-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"18","chapter_main_number":"305","date":"20261029","wall_id":"305"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"375","name":"Faith","old_id":"775"},{"term_id":"384","name":"God","old_id":"784"},{"term_id":"539","name":"Israel","old_id":"939"},{"term_id":"858","name":"Elijah","old_id":"1258"},{"term_id":"929","name":"Baal","old_id":"1329"}]},{"order":14,"id":"62748","color":"#f7f7f5","size":"1","name":"Elijah vs. Prophets Of Ba\u2019al On The Carmel ","post_title":"Elijah vs. Prophets Of Ba\u2019al On The Carmel","slug":"elijah-vs-prophets-of-baal-on-the-carmel","old_id":"62748","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":42746,"post_title":"Michal Kohane","slug":"michal-kohane","old_id":"42746","first_name":"Michal ","last_name":"Kohane ","description":"Currently based in Israel, Rabbanit Michal Kohane is a graduate of Yeshivat Maharat, a writer, community leader and teacher of Talmud & Torah. She holds degrees in Israel studies , education and psychology, and has been a leader and educator in Northern California for over 25 years. Her first novel, Hachug (\"Extracurricular\") was published in Israel in 2016 and her weekly blog can be found at http:\/\/www.miko284.com\r\n\r\n\r\n","short_description":"Currently based in Israel, Rabbanit Michal Kohane is a graduate of Yeshivat Maharat, a writer, community leader and teacher of Talmud & Torah. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":42747,"alt":"","title":"michal kohane","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","width":214,"height":226,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","medium-width":214,"medium-height":226,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","medium_large-width":214,"medium_large-height":226,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","large-width":214,"large-height":226,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","1536x1536-width":214,"1536x1536-height":226,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","2048x2048-width":214,"2048x2048-height":226,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","post_full_size-width":214,"post_full_size-height":226,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/michal-kohane-e1540448078529.jpg","home_baner-width":214,"home_baner-height":226}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"305","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"With a surprising cameo appearance...","post_main_content_content":"

I learned to walk on Mount Carmel, and right around where Elijah\u2019s statue is standing, waving his sword up high, is a favorite area.\u00a0 Elijah has always been associated with the mountain, so much so that one of its names is Jabal Mar Elyas, Mount Saint Elias, or Elijah. The place where the famous act is said to have taken place, is known today as <\/span>El-Muhraqa or Keren Carmel and sits off the winding road between the town of Yoqne\u2019am and the Druze village Dalyat El-Carmel at the very top of the mountain with a glorious view all around which is a must-see for tourists. El-Muhraqa means \u201cthe Sacrifice\u201d, and although there are no archeological findings to substantiate the story, in 1868, a monastery was built here to commemorate Elijah\u2019s miracle, described in Kings I, chapter 18.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

After three years without rain, Elijah invites 450 prophets of Baal, the Canaanite god of fertility and rain, to a challenge: whose god will be able to light a sacrifice by fire (18:19)? The Baal worshipers \u201ctook the bull that was given them; they prepared it, and invoked Baal by name from morning until noon, shouting, \u201cO Baal, answer us!\u201d But there was no sound, and none who responded\u2026\u201d (18:26). This went on with dancing around the altar, until by noon, Elijah mocked them saying, \u201cShout louder! After all, he is a god. But he may be in conversation, he may be detained, or he may be on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and will wake up\u201d (18:27).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

What happens next is what\u2019s so surprising: the Baal worshipers actually \u201cshout louder, and (even) gash themselves with knives and spears\u2026 (18:28). And the question is, why did they yell? Did they actually think that their god is asleep and they can wake him up? Rather, explains the midrash, they left someone under the altar to light the fire, and this person, indeed, feel asleep, or perhaps was bitten by a snake and died, \u201cfailing\u201d their plan. Who was that person?? Chi\u2019el Beit Ha\u2019eli, whom we met at the end of yesterday\u2019s chapter, when Ahab and Elijah went to visit him at his children\u2019s <\/span>shiv\u2019a<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Was Chi\u2019el one of Baal\u2019s followers? Not necessarily, but he was the greatest opposition to Elijah. Namely, it is more important to him to prove Joshua and later Elijah wrong than to save his children or his own life. This is a sort of scary fanaticism that is hard to bear. And yet, he is a fitting adversary to Elijah. Elijah too is a zealot. His view on the world is black and white: he is absolutely right and terribly wrong; he cannot find his place in the world. The Torah has a very cautious attitude towards zealots. They are like a strong spice: a tiny bit might be ok, but not too much. This is one reason to invite Elijah back to every Pesach seder and every bris so he can gain compassion and respect.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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