{"id":98311,"date":"2018-07-09T18:02:12","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T15:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-860\/"},"modified":"2021-10-27T18:05:53","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T15:05:53","slug":"wall-860","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-860\/","title":{"rendered":"chapter-Writings-Nehemiah-9"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"chapter","wall_id":"860","date":"20281214","book":"Nehemiah","chapter":"9","chapter_main_number":"860","books_group":"Writings","posts":[{"order":1,"id":"98367","color":"#f8ebe3","size":"1","name":"JPS Audio Bible Nehemiah 9 ","post_title":"JPS Audio Bible Nehemiah 9","slug":"jps-audio-bible-nehemiah-9","old_id":"98367","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34686,"post_title":"Soundcloud","slug":"soundcloud","old_id":"34686","first_name":"","last_name":"","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34656,"alt":"","title":"491","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","width":300,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium_large-width":300,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","large-width":300,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","1536x1536-width":300,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":300,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","post_full_size-width":300,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","home_baner-width":300,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"860","type_929":"4","show_author_image":true,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"","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":"JPS Audio Bible","tile_main_caption":"Nehemiah 9","tile_main_caption_size":"2","tile_sub_caption":"Hear the daily chapter","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-753876298\/jps_audio_bible_Nehemiah_9","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":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","chapter_info":{"books_group":"Writings","book":"Nehemiah","chapter":"9","chapter_main_number":"860","date":"20281214","wall_id":"860"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"98609","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"When Praise Is Insulting ","post_title":"When Praise Is Insulting","slug":"when-praise-is-insulting","old_id":"98609","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. He is the author of TANAKH: An Owner\u2019s Manual (Jerusalem: Urim\/Ktav, 2015).\r\n\r\n","short_description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34244,"alt":"","title":"sokolow","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","width":302,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-300x298.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":298,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","medium_large-width":302,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","large-width":302,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","1536x1536-width":302,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","2048x2048-width":302,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","post_full_size-width":302,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","home_baner-width":302,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"860","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"And when saying too much is not enough...\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

In contrast to the convocation held between Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot that was marked by \u201cvery great rejoicing\u201d (8:17), the assembly detailed in this chapter was defined by solemnity, \u201cfasting, in sackcloth, and with earth upon them\u201d (1; compare Lamentations 2:10) due to their \u201cgreat distress\u201d (37). It was held on the 24<\/span>th<\/span> day of the seventh month (1), two days after the conclusion of Sukkot, since \u201con the 23<\/span>rd<\/span> it was impossible to fast because it is the day after Sukkot on which fasting is prohibited\u201d (Malbim).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The assembled confessed to their own sins, as well as to those of their ancestors (16 ff.), in implicit fulfillment of one of the stipulations of the \u201cchastisement\u201d (<\/span>tokhechah<\/span><\/em>) recorded in the Torah: \u201cAnd they shall confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, in that they trespassed against Me, yea, were hostile to Me\u201d (Lev. 26:40). Their accompanying prayer harks back to the patriarch Abraham (7 ff.), and hits some of the high and low points of early Israelite history in a manner reminiscent of Psalms 78 and 106. Verses 7-11 were even incorporated into the daily pre-Shacharit service known as <\/span>p\u2019sukei d\u2019zimra<\/span><\/em>, and the reference to \u201cthe covenant\u201d made with Abraham (8) yielded the custom for a <\/span>mohel<\/span><\/em> to recite them aloud during that service on a day on which he is to perform a <\/span>b\u2019rit<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Another liturgical echo in this chapter derives from the following portion of their prayer:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

And now, our God, great, mighty, and awesome God (<\/span>ha\u2019el hagadol hagibor v\u2019hanora<\/span><\/em>), who stays faithful to His covenant, do not treat lightly all the suffering that has overtaken us\u2014our kings, our officers, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all Your people\u2014from the time of the Assyrian kings to this day. Surely You are in the right (<\/span>tzaddik<\/span><\/em>) with respect to all that has come upon us, for You have acted faithfully, and we have been wicked. (32-33)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Talmud reports (B\u2019rakhot 33b):<\/span><\/p>\r\n

A certain [reader] went down in the presence of R. Hanina and said, \u201cO God, the great, mighty, awesome, majestic, powerful, awful, strong, fearless, sure and honored.\u201d He waited till he had finished, and when he had finished, he said to him: Have you concluded all the praise of your Master? Why do we want all this? Even with the three that we do say [i.e., great, mighty, awesome] had not Moses our Master mentioned them in the Law (Deut. 10:17) and had not the Men of the Great Synagogue come and inserted them in the Tefillah, we should not have been able to mention them, and you say all these and still go on! It is as if an earthly king had a million denarii of gold, and someone praised him as possessing silver ones. Would it not be an insult to him?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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","post_title":"Say Amen, Somebody!","slug":"say-amen-somebody","old_id":"98601","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":"860","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Or not...\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

Following the description of the celebration of Sukkot at the end of chapter 8,<\/span> Chapters 9-10<\/span><\/a> continue with an extensive description of reading from the Torah, prayer, confession and the signing of a new covenant led by the Levites. It is curious that here neither Ezra nor Nehemiah are mentioned as they are in the similar description of Ezra\u2019s confessional prayer at the end of the Book of Ezra. In our chapter, \u201cthe Israelites assembled, fasting, in sackcloth, and with earth upon them\u2026The Levites standing on a raised platform cried in a loud voice to the people \u2026 \u201cRise, bless the Lord your God who is from ever and ever: \u2018May Your glorious name be blessed, exalted though it is above every blessing and praise!\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Midrash Tanhuma<\/span><\/a> comments that a human king is praised as strong even though he may be weak, handsome though he may be ugly, and merciful though he may be cruel. But the Holy One, blessed be He, exceeds all possible praise of Him, for He is the great, the mighty, the awe-inspiring God. As David<\/span> exclaimed<\/span><\/a>: \u201cWho can tell the mighty acts of the Lord, proclaim all His praises?\u201d Later, the men of the Great Synagogue were wont to recite: \u201cMay Your glorious name be blessed, exalted though it is above every blessing and praise!\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Talmud Yerushalmi<\/span><\/a> and<\/span> Talmud Bavli<\/span><\/a> record that in the Temple the assembled Israelites did not respond \u201cAmen\u201d upon hearing a blessing recited, as would become the practice in the synagogue from Rabbinic times and on. This observation is based on the congregational response mentioned in our chapter. After hearing each blessing in the Temple the people would respond not \u201cAmen\u201d but they would bless God \u201cwho is from eternity to eternity: May Your glorious name be blessed, exalted though it is above every blessing and praise!\u201d This teaches that upon hearing a blessing one should give praise to God.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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curwin","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/david-curwin.png","width":427,"height":464,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/david-curwin-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/david-curwin-276x300.png","medium-width":276,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/david-curwin.png","medium_large-width":427,"medium_large-height":464,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/david-curwin.png","large-width":427,"large-height":464,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/david-curwin.png","1536x1536-width":427,"1536x1536-height":464,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/david-curwin.png","2048x2048-width":427,"2048x2048-height":464,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/david-curwin.png","post_full_size-width":427,"post_full_size-height":464,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/david-curwin-387x420.png","home_baner-width":387,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"860","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"How word choice reflects underlying theology\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

In chapter 9 of Nehemiah, the Levites sing a song of praise to God. They recall God\u2019s involvement in key events in history: the creation of the world, the selection of Abraham, the redemption from Egypt, the giving of the Torah, and more.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In one verse, they mention the miracle at the Sea of Reeds: \u201cYou split the sea before them; they passed through the sea on dry land, but You threw their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into the raging waters.\u201d (Nehemiah 9:11)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

They describe the miracle with the Hebrew verb <\/span>baka\u2019<\/span><\/em>\u00a0\u2013 \u201csplit.\u201d This same verb is used in the original story in Exodus (14:16 and 14:21), and in Psalms 78:13. In light of this verb, it is not surprising that in English, we refer to the event as \u201cthe splitting of the Sea.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

However, in Hebrew today, it is usually called <\/span>kri\u2019at yam suf<\/span><\/em>. That would be literally translated as \u201cthe tearing of the Sea of Reeds.\u201d We never find the verb <\/span>kara\u2019<\/span><\/em>\u00a0\u2013 \u201cto tear\u201d used to describe this miracle in the Bible. We do, however, see it in Rabbinic Hebrew, as in the \u201cDayenu<\/em>\u201d song recited at the Passover Seder. Why did the verb change during the transition from Biblical to Rabbinic Hebrew?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Scholars suggest two possible reasons. One might be from Aramaic influence, as is frequently found in words adopted in Rabbinic Hebrew. The Aramaic translations of the Bible use the root <\/span>baza<\/span><\/em>\u00a0to translate both <\/span>baka\u2019<\/span><\/em> and <\/span>kara\u2019<\/span><\/em>, which may have led to the shift of one usage to the other.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The other suggestion says this is due to a change in the perception of the nature of the event. While the Torah uses the word <\/span>baka\u2019<\/span><\/em>, that verb is generally applied to the splitting of a solid, hard object, like a rock or a block of wood. That type of splitting cannot be repaired or restored. The action of <\/span>kri\u2019ah<\/span><\/em>, however, is associated with the tearing of softer items like garments (as is practiced, for example, in Jewish mourning.) According to this theory, those who preferred to refer to <\/span>kri\u2019at yam suf<\/span><\/em>\u00a0visualized the sea closing up on itself after the split. The split was not permanent, just as clothing can be repaired, or a zipper can close the opening in a garment.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Bible chose to focus on the force of the miracle, which split the sea as one would break open a block of wood, while the Sages preferred the image of the water letting Israel pass through, only to close upon the pursuing Egyptians.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In the song of the Levites in Nehemiah, we see both aspects of the miracle \u2013 the splitting of the Sea, and the defeat of the Egyptians. Only later, however, would that second aspect be reflected with a different verb.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

image:\u00a0by Bracha Lavee, courtesy of the artist<\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":98605,"alt":"","title":"neh9-splitting of the sea - Lavee","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","width":1024,"height":833,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-300x244.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":244,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-768x625.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":625,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-1024x833.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":833,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":833,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","2048x2048-width":1024,"2048x2048-height":833,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","post_full_size-width":1024,"post_full_size-height":833,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-516x420.jpg","home_baner-width":516,"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":"Of Seas, Solid And Liquid","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"How word choice reflects underlying theology","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":98605,"alt":"","title":"neh9-splitting of the sea - Lavee","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","width":1024,"height":833,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-300x244.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":244,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-768x625.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":625,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-1024x833.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":833,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":833,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","2048x2048-width":1024,"2048x2048-height":833,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee.jpg","post_full_size-width":1024,"post_full_size-height":833,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-splitting-of-the-sea-Lavee-516x420.jpg","home_baner-width":516,"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":"Nehemiah","chapter":"9","chapter_main_number":"860","date":"20281214","wall_id":"860"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":5,"id":"98607","color":"#f2e9df","size":"1","name":"Taking The Message To Heart ","post_title":"Taking The Message To Heart","slug":"taking-the-message-to-heart","old_id":"98607","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":78133,"post_title":"Josh Blechner","slug":"josh-blechner","old_id":"78133","first_name":"Josh ","last_name":"Blechner ","description":"Josh first finished the Tanach during Yeshiva in Mevaseret Zion. He and his daughter studied the Tanach again for her bat mitzvah. Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group. When not studying for 929, Josh works as an in-house lawyer in New Jersey.","short_description":"Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group, and is an in-house attorney in New Jersey. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":78134,"alt":"","title":"josh blechner","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","width":276,"height":351,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-236x300.jpg","medium-width":236,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","medium_large-width":276,"medium_large-height":351,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","large-width":276,"large-height":351,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","1536x1536-width":276,"1536x1536-height":351,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","2048x2048-width":276,"2048x2048-height":351,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","post_full_size-width":276,"post_full_size-height":351,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","home_baner-width":276,"home_baner-height":351}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"860","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Nehemiah tries to succeed where Joshua failed\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

Continuing the theme of Nehemiah evoking past events, Chapter 9 recalls the final soliloquy of Joshua. In chapter 24 of Joshua, Moses\u2019s successor gathers the nation together to address them for the final time. He recalls the entire history of the Jewish people: from Abraham through slavery in Egypt, the Exodus and the trials of the wilderness. He speaks about the triumphs of God in the battles against the nations who sought to harm the Israelites in the wilderness and as they entered the Land of Canaan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Following the conquest of the land, Joshua admonishes the people \u201cif you are loath to serve the LORD, choose this day which ones you are going to serve\u2014the gods that your forefathers served beyond the Euphrates, or those of the Amorites in whose land you are settled; but I and my household will serve the LORD\u201d (Joshua 24:15).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The speech in Nehemiah 9 follows a similar historical review of the Israelites, with one notable difference. Nehemiah 9 includes many of the downfalls of the Israelites in the wilderness, including the Golden Calf (verse 18), followed by the sins of the people in the land itself (verse 26), and the years of the destruction of the temple (verse 32). Unlike Joshua, it ends on a down note: \u201cOn account of our sins it yields its abundant crops to kings whom You have set over us. They rule over our bodies and our beasts as they please, and we are in great distress\u201d (verse 37).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

It is no coincidence that Nehemiah includes a similar speech in his book. Joshua was the ruler who brought the people into the land and who tried to show them how to succeed. Joshua tried to point to God\u2019s wonders to invigorate the people and entice them to continue to follow God. He chose not to dwell on the negatives.\u00a0 Nehemiah knows that that approach ultimately did not work. As a leader of the people in their return to the land, Nehemiah sees that it is important that the people see both the good and the bad in their history. Failure to look at the mistakes made only leads to repeating those mistakes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The reason this chapter ends on a down note is precisely because the people did not heed the words of Joshua: \u201cif you are loath to serve the LORD, choose this day which ones you are going to serve\u2014the gods that your forefathers served beyond the Euphrates, or those of the Amorites in whose land you are settled; but I and my household will serve the LORD.\u201d By reminding the people of Joshua\u2019s soliloquy, Nehemiah hopes they will finally take this lesson to heart.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Image: E. M. Lilian, \u201cJoshua\u201d 1908 \/ wikimedia<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":53340,"alt":"","title":"jo5-joshua","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua.jpg","width":1200,"height":1358,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua-265x300.jpg","medium-width":265,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua-768x869.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":869,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua-905x1024.jpg","large-width":905,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua.jpg","1536x1536-width":1200,"1536x1536-height":1358,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua.jpg","2048x2048-width":1200,"2048x2048-height":1358,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua-1060x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":1060,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua-371x420.jpg","home_baner-width":371,"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":"Taking The Message To Heart","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Nehemiah tries to succeed where Joshua failed","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":53340,"alt":"","title":"jo5-joshua","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua.jpg","width":1200,"height":1358,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua-265x300.jpg","medium-width":265,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua-768x869.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":869,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua-905x1024.jpg","large-width":905,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua.jpg","1536x1536-width":1200,"1536x1536-height":1358,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua.jpg","2048x2048-width":1200,"2048x2048-height":1358,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua-1060x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":1060,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-joshua-371x420.jpg","home_baner-width":371,"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":"Nehemiah","chapter":"9","chapter_main_number":"860","date":"20281214","wall_id":"860"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":6,"id":"98598","color":"#f6edf6","size":"1","name":"The Shabbat Window ","post_title":"The Shabbat Window","slug":"the-shabbat-window","old_id":"98598","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":36669,"post_title":"Yakov Azriel","slug":"yakov-azriel","old_id":"36669","first_name":"Yakov ","last_name":"Azriel","description":"Yakov Azriel, who lives in Israel, has published five books of poetry in the USA and hundreds of poems in journals and magazines. His poems have won twenty-two prizes in international poetry competitions, and he has twice been awarded fellowships from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture.","short_description":"Yakov Azriel is an English language poet who lives in Israel","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36670,"alt":"","title":"Yakov.Azriel.Photo","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668.jpg","width":1099,"height":1519,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-217x300.jpg","medium-width":217,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-741x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":741,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-741x1024.jpg","large-width":741,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668.jpg","1536x1536-width":1099,"1536x1536-height":1519,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668.jpg","2048x2048-width":1099,"2048x2048-height":1519,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-868x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":868,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-304x420.jpg","home_baner-width":304,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"860","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"on the Shabbat window-sill \/ time rests \/ like a fat, purring cat\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

\u201cAnd Your holy Shabbat, You made known to them, and commanded them commandments, statutes and the Torah, by the hand of Moses Your servant.\"<\/em> (9:14)<\/p>\r\n

time,<\/p>\r\n

twisted and distorted by weekday storm,<\/p>\r\n

recuperates and calms down<\/p>\r\n

on Shabbat,<\/p>\r\n

giving birth to a window
\r\nthat expands and opens
\r\nas time, now a dark blue,<\/p>\r\n

closes.<\/p>\r\n

on the Shabbat window-sill<\/p>\r\n

time rests<\/p>\r\n

like a fat, purring cat.<\/p>\r\n

the cat watches
\r\nas outside the window
\r\nsanctity peeps out of a distant, hidden nest<\/p>\r\n

like a hungry fledgling
\r\nwhose mother is not a week-day.<\/p>\r\n

the cat looks up<\/p>\r\n

to peer<\/p>\r\n

outside the window
\r\nas sanctity flashes in the heavens<\/p>\r\n

like a sudden comet
\r\nwhose father is not a week-day.<\/p>\r\n

the cat looks down
\r\non her side of the window<\/p>\r\n

to gaze<\/p>\r\n

at two candles
\r\nthat burn like memorial flames<\/p>\r\n

for Jephthah\u2019s daughter,
\r\nlit by Dinah, returned from Shechem.<\/p>\r\n

the Shabbat window now becomes a wind;<\/p>\r\n

time rises like a butterfly,
\r\nuplifted and gliding<\/p>\r\n

like a little bird or a comet
\r\nhigher than a cloud,<\/p>\r\n

until it becomes a rainbow<\/p>\r\n

splashing the heavens<\/p>\r\n

with all the colors of sanctity.<\/p>\r\n

listen! the Shabbat,<\/p>\r\n

dressed in scarves and veils,<\/p>\r\n

has begun to sing.<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":98599,"alt":"","title":"neh9-cat window","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window.jpg","width":1358,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window-212x300.jpg","medium-width":212,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window-724x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":724,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window-724x1024.jpg","large-width":724,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window.jpg","1536x1536-width":1086,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window.jpg","2048x2048-width":1358,"2048x2048-height":1920,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window-849x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":849,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window-297x420.jpg","home_baner-width":297,"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":"929 Poetry Corner","tile_main_caption":"The Shabbat Window","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"on the Shabbat window-sill \/ time rests \/ like a fat, purring cat","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":98599,"alt":"","title":"neh9-cat window","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window.jpg","width":1358,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window-212x300.jpg","medium-width":212,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window-724x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":724,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window-724x1024.jpg","large-width":724,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window.jpg","1536x1536-width":1086,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window.jpg","2048x2048-width":1358,"2048x2048-height":1920,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window-849x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":849,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/neh9-cat-window-297x420.jpg","home_baner-width":297,"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":"Nehemiah","chapter":"9","chapter_main_number":"860","date":"20281214","wall_id":"860"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":7,"id":"98592","color":"#faeed8","size":"1","name":"A Biblical Prose Poem ","post_title":"A Biblical Prose Poem","slug":"a-biblical-prose-poem","old_id":"98592","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":54356,"post_title":"Robert Alter","slug":"robert-alter","old_id":"54356","first_name":"Robert ","last_name":"Alter","description":"Robert Alter is the Class of 1937 Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of California at Berkeley, where he has taught since 1967. He has written over twenty books, focusing on such topics as the European novel from the 18th century to the present, contemporary American fiction, and modern Hebrew literature. He has also written extensively on the literary aspects of the Bible. His most recent work is his monumental three volume translation of the entire Hebrew Bible - The Hebrew Bible, W. W. Norton & Co., 2019 - from which the selections in 929 are taken. ","short_description":"Robert Alter is the Class of 1937 Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of California at Berkeley, and author of the three-volume translation of the entire Hebrew Bible - The Hebrew Bible, W. W. Norton & Co., 2019.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":54357,"alt":"","title":"robert alter","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","width":184,"height":275,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","medium-width":184,"medium-height":275,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","medium_large-width":184,"medium_large-height":275,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","large-width":184,"large-height":275,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","1536x1536-width":184,"1536x1536-height":275,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","2048x2048-width":184,"2048x2048-height":275,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","post_full_size-width":184,"post_full_size-height":275,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/robert-alter.jpg","home_baner-width":184,"home_baner-height":275}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"860","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Celebrating God, heaven and earth\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

9:6 \u201cYou alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, the utmost heavens and all their array, the earth and all that is upon it, the seas and all that is in them, and You give life to them all, and the array of the heavens bows to You.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This address, a combination of the celebration of God, historical survey, and confession, is wrought in high rhetorical language. The editors of the <\/span>Biblia Hebraica<\/span><\/em> set it out as poetry, and it is certainly grandly rhythmic, as this translation tries to suggest, but only a few lines actually scan as poetry. It is better to regard this as rhythmic poetic prose. The language is replete with verbal formulas that occur in earlier biblical texts, especially in the Torah. The verbal closeness to many formulations in the Torah and the whole Deuteronomistic History suggest that this large body of narrative was virtually canonical at this moment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

From: Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible<\/em>, vol. 3: Writings, W. W. Norton & Co., 2019, ad loc. By permission of the author.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":54890,"alt":"","title":"Alter-Cover","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","width":1200,"height":693,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-300x173.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":173,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-768x444.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":444,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-1024x591.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":591,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","1536x1536-width":1200,"1536x1536-height":693,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","2048x2048-width":1200,"2048x2048-height":693,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-1200x693.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":693,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-727x420.jpg","home_baner-width":727,"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":"A Biblical Prose Poem","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Celebrating God, heaven and earth","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":54890,"alt":"","title":"Alter-Cover","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","width":1200,"height":693,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-300x173.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":173,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-768x444.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":444,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-1024x591.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":591,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","1536x1536-width":1200,"1536x1536-height":693,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","2048x2048-width":1200,"2048x2048-height":693,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-1200x693.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":693,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-727x420.jpg","home_baner-width":727,"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","chapter_info":{"books_group":"Writings","book":"Nehemiah","chapter":"9","chapter_main_number":"860","date":"20281214","wall_id":"860"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":8,"id":"98590","color":"#f7e9e9","size":"1","name":"Points to Ponder - 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    \r\n\t
  1. Great joy and great sorrow.<\/em> The previous chapter ended with great rejoicing (8:17). This chapter describes scenes of great sorrow, \u201cToday we are slaves, and the land that You gave our fathers to enjoy its fruit and bounty\u2014here we are slaves on it! ...and we are in great distress\u201d (verses 36-37). How do we account for this sudden transition? Commentators and scholars have a range of answers.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  2. What was the sin?<\/em> What was the sin of that generation? The chapter doesn\u2019t specify, but describes general feelings of guilt and punishment. Verse 2 suggests a possibility: \u201cThose of the stock of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins\u2026\u201d which is reminiscent of the dealing of Ezra with intermarriage with foreign women ten chapters ago (Ezra 9).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  3. Where have Ezra and Nehemiah gone?<\/em> Nehemiah reappears at the beginning of the next chapter, signed on an <\/span>amanah<\/span><\/em>, a written pledge, that is a sort of continuation of chapter 9. And Ezra? That\u2019s a good question - that\u2019s connected to questions about the nature of the leadership of the community in the beginning of the Second Temple period.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  4. Hints, and quotes<\/em>. The psalm-like hymn alludes both to stories of the Torah, and to the specific ways they were related in the language of the verses themselves (and it\u2019s no coincidence!). Compare, for instance, verse 9 with Ex. 3:7; or verse 21 with Deut 8:4. And there are many more examples. <\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>","post_main_content_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-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":"Nehemiah 9","tile_main_caption":"Points to Ponder ","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Insights and questions for personal reflection and group discussion","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-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","chapter_info":{"books_group":"Writings","book":"Nehemiah","chapter":"9","chapter_main_number":"860","date":"20281214","wall_id":"860"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":9,"id":"98345","color":"#effaea","size":"1","name":"Sefaria Source Sheets - Nehemiah 9 ","post_title":"Sefaria Source Sheets - Nehemiah 9","slug":"sefaria-source-sheets-nehemiah-9","old_id":"98345","type":"song","iframe":"","writer":{"id":42228,"post_title":"Sefaria","slug":"sefaria","old_id":"42228","first_name":"","last_name":"Sefaria","description":"Sefaria is a non-profit organization dedicated to building the future of Jewish learning in an open and participatory way. 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    \u201cVayeilech--Going Meta\u201d<\/a> by Qeren Weisser: How to return to the Torah when we stray.<\/p>\r\n

    \u201cAdvanced Talmud for Everyone: Praying in the Dark\u201d<\/a> by Noah Greenfield: Looking at the bigger idea behind praying in the light vs dark.<\/p>\r\n

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