Welcome to the What’s Up Hebrews; B’nei Mitzvah Torah Study
Project 5773. We will be embarking on a one year journey to plumb
deeply into weekly Torah readings in partnership with my temple’s Torah study
group. This is how I began my quest.
After my son’s Bar Mitzvah, after the glow and the mania had
faded, I asked him what his intentions were towards continuing his formal
Jewish education. Leaving nothing to chance, I had prepared a speech that emphasized
our responsibility to learn Torah and to maintain community ties. He listened
patiently then asked, “When are you going to become a Bat Mitzvah?” This was
not an anticipated outcome of my strategy! Upon reflection I had to admit that
I was a Jewish- cultural loiterer and it was time to pony-up. September,
2012/5773 marks my second year of study in preparation to become a Bat Mitzvah.
I have undertaken this challenge in order to delve deeper into Torah and share
the weekly readings of my Synagogue Torah study group with you. I have set a
goal to provide relevant commentary and to share the wisdom and good nature of
my fellow group participants extending our connections to Jewish life.
Knowledge of Torah is not a prerequisite to participate in this blog; novices
like myself to learned zaddiks are all welcome.
At this point you may
be asking, “Why study Torah?” Glad you asked!
At the risk of sounding melodramatic I can say with absolute authority
that Torah study will change your life. You may not experience tectonic shifts
in consciousness each week, but you are guaranteed incremental epiphanies and “Ah-ha”
moments. I realize this is quite a claim but follow this simple equation; engage
deeply and you will receive much. Here’s why. Despite one’s philosophical
orientation the devout believer, the agnostic and the atheist can all come
together in fellowship as devotees of a shared history. The Hebrew Bible is a
catalogue of our cultural legacy that is replete with universal themes and applicable
wisdom. These ancient stories read like current events where only the names of
people and places have been changed. Many of these stories are harsh and raw. They
fascinate us and resonate deeply because they are truthful about human nature.
In the European folk tale, The Old Lady in the Cave, a
successful but unhappy man sets out on a journey to find “Truth”. He leaves his
worldly possessions and begins his quest as a beggar. After many months he
finds Truth in a small cave. She is an old and wizened “hag” (their term, not mine). She has been
twisted and hunched over by time. Her hair is thin and stingy; her skin is dry
and she has one lone tooth left in her mouth, but when she speaks to the man
her voice is youthful and full of truth that can be effortlessly grasped. The
man remains, but after one year’s time he is ready to leave. He is humbled and
so very grateful. He asks Truth how he can repay her and she replies, “When you
speak of me, tell them that I am young and beautiful.” Whether you believe that
the Torah was divinely dictated to Moses, a holy text supposing God as its
center, or a series of morality tales and poetic collage structured to catalyze
debate regarding ethical issues; it is irrelevant because Torah is truthful,
young and beautiful.
My shule’s Torah Study group was formed
15 years ago. I was not there at its inception, but the original participants
were studying the 5 books of Moses which they cycled through many times. At the
suggestion of our Rabbi we have continued on to the books of the Prophets,
currently the book of Isaiah. Prior to our summer hiatus we left off on Isaiah,
chapter 46. So Hebrews, let’s talk Isaiah.
Isaiah is a book with strong messianic
leanings. It contains hypnotic shifts in time which occur through prophetic
visions via moving poetic prose. It foresees an extended era of purging
punishment which will eventually lead into a time of redemption and
restoration. Scholars agree that Isaiah
was written during 3 distinct times: Chapters 1-39 during the latter half of
the 8-7th Century BCE, Chapters 40-55 during the 6th
Century BCE and Chapters 56-66 from the 5th Century BCE with time
warps and various narrators interspersed throughout. Who is the “real”
Isaiah? “First Isaiah” is believed to
have lived in Jerusalem, the capital of Judah in the late Eighth to Seventh
century BCE. Chapters 40-66 are ascribed
to “Second Isaiah” who must have lived 150-200 years later during the
Babylonian Exile. The third time period in question relates to the possibility
of a “School of Isaiah”. It is certainly probable that there were many of the
prophet’s followers whose time traveling narrations make exact authentications difficult
to pin down.
There is a
clear thematic trope throughout Isaiah. God asserts his preeminence as the
beginning, middle and end of all things. God is fed-up by the Hebrew people’s :
faithlessness, social injustice towards the poor, idolatry and hubris. God uses
the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires (among others) as pawns to punish the
Hebrews. No amount of human ingenuity can divert this divine historical
trajectory. Isaiah is fascinating because he demands we now internalize the morality
of the covenant. Empty ritual without social justice will not be tolerated. I
believe this to mean that by engaging in this process we edge closer to realizing
our God gifted potential, thus bringing us closer to God’s promise of an idyllic
messianic future.
The power and influence of the prose is
evidenced by the many “Isaiah”isms that are routinely referenced in pop-culture
and the arts. For example, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb…”, “They
shall beat their swords into plow shares and their spears into pruning hooks…”,
“Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…” This is great stuff with lots of gnarly
descriptions of the searing punishments and rewards that are to occur. The book
of Isaiah has also made a tremendous impact on our Christian brothers and
sisters. They see Isaiah’s visions as a portent to the coming of their messiah,
Jesus of Nazareth.
I’m psyched! Get ready to ramp-up your Jewish
mojo and revitalize your passion for learning about our amazing history and by
extension, ourselves. I look forward to
our fellowship and hope that you will make this journey with me. I make no
claims at being a scholar, so feel free to respectfully point out any blatant
errors, tangents and diversions that I may make along my impulsive and
enthusiastic way. Torah study resumes this Saturday, September 1, 2012. I
promise to post no less than 2 entries per month so keep checking in and be
ready for lots of Isaiah and beyond.
P.S.
– The J.P.S. (Jewish Publication Society) Tanakh is a good choice if you decide
to purchase one for your
own use. The Tanakh is a collection of the Torah, (The Five Books of Moses) the
books of the Prophets (Nevi’m) and the Writings and Megillot (Kethuvim).
I wish to thank in advance my fellow Torah
study participants of Beth Haverim Shir Shalom, our beautiful Rabbi, Joel
Mossbacher and the wonderful educators and students at the Florence Melton
Adult Mini- School of Bergen County.
Despite my reluctance I have been strongly
encouraged to add a disclaimer. I will now point out that the opinions
expressed here are my own and those of other individuals whom I have met. They
are not meant to defame, injure or insult anyone, nor do they represent the
opinions, mission statement, position or attitudes of any religious schools or
institutions. I, the author of this site cannot be held legally responsible for
its contents, or the comments left here by participants, or by blog commenters.
This website cannot control any information one may access via outbound links,
nor do I endorse any. It is my wish that participants communicate with one
another respectfully and in a spirit of good will.
