This week in Navi we began to learn about the actual sins of Bnei Yisrael. Before it merely mentioned that Hashem was not accepting their Korbanot or Tefillot because they were sinning against each other, however it failed to mention the actual sins. In פרק ב, we began to learn the basis of their sins. It highlights three major sins that were corrupting Bnei Yisrael: 1) They are seeking to have control over their own lives (instead of recognizing the true control of Hashem) 2) Their king is disobeying the laws and guidelines set aside specifically for the king, and 3) The people of Bnei Yisrael were becoming haughty. In seeking control over their own lives, they sought out fortune tellers and "soothsayers" (which is just a weird word for a fortune teller), because they wanted to know what their lives were to become. It was not really that they were trying to control every aspect of their lives, they wanted to control the future of it.
The king explicitly disobeyed the laws of the king in every aspect. In דברים we learned that the king must not have too many wives, horses, or money. This is EXACTLY what the king does. Even besides that, he began to worship idols AND he became exceedingly haughty; he thinks he is the cause of his own success. This is what leads all of Bnei Yisrael to haughtiness, as it naturally should. If a nation is being led by an inadequate leader, the nation is obviously going to become inadequate as well. The basis of their haughtiness is also that they think they are the causes of their own success.
Right after this is stated, Hashem immediately tells us that all the haughty will be humbled, and they will be put back in their place. With exceedingly interesting משלים, Hashem begins to tell us all of the wondrous things He is in control of, to show us that not only are we not in control, but He is the one who has control over everything, even the most amazing and beautiful things in the world. The punishment will be that all the idols and corruption and misleading and lies that the nation has been following will be struck down and destroyed.
I didn't have time to write this before Rosh Hashanah, so I am writing it after, but this can still be applied to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and the עשרת ימי תשובה. Our own lives today have been taken over by the cultures and traditions of this country. We are no longer as strongly tied to the Torah and the mitzvot as we were three thousand years ago, because there is so much to get in the way. We might not always remember that Hashem is still the one controlling everything that goes on in our lives. Rabbi Feigenbaum's speech on Rosh Hashanah was based on the fact that nowadays people are so consumed with technology that we don't pay attention to each other as much anymore. Rosh Hashanah is about asking Hashem for what we want and for forgiveness in the coming year, and we should all be asking for a way to make it easier to become connected more strongly to the mitzvot and to Hashem.
This is a little late, but שנה טובה ומטוקה!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Historical Rosh Hashanah: Opportunity of Teshuva
This week in Navi we learned about the major sins that B'nei Yisrael committed in the time of Yishiyahu. There were 3 major sins. One, B'nei Yisrael wanted control over their own lives; two, their leader is disobeying the rules; and three, they are becoming haughty. They were told that they had a chance to repent but they turned it down. Imagine how much better their lives would have been after that is they had chosen to repent. Later on in the Perek we learn their punishments for the sins.
In response to B'nei Yisrael not doing teshuvah, Hashem will appoint them a leader that will lead them astray from him. The weight of the sins were too heavy to even try to do teshuva for. At this point there was a fine line between good and bad. They were most definitely on the bad side. The women were walking around in an immoral way, meaning their clothing wasn't very modest and they were acting terribly. They were believing that they were the source of their own success. Haughtiness was all around them.
I think that us learning this this week was very relevant because it is Rosh Hashanah. During Rosh Hashanah we are asked by Hashem to do teshuva and throw away all of our sins from the past year. I always think that it is a good way to start, but I guess B'nei Yisrael thought something very different. We still have to believe that Hashem is the source of our success and we are not. I would take on the opportunity to repent any day because Hashem forgives more easily than anyone. He chose us as his people but lost hope after this whole mess.
In response to B'nei Yisrael not doing teshuvah, Hashem will appoint them a leader that will lead them astray from him. The weight of the sins were too heavy to even try to do teshuva for. At this point there was a fine line between good and bad. They were most definitely on the bad side. The women were walking around in an immoral way, meaning their clothing wasn't very modest and they were acting terribly. They were believing that they were the source of their own success. Haughtiness was all around them.
I think that us learning this this week was very relevant because it is Rosh Hashanah. During Rosh Hashanah we are asked by Hashem to do teshuva and throw away all of our sins from the past year. I always think that it is a good way to start, but I guess B'nei Yisrael thought something very different. We still have to believe that Hashem is the source of our success and we are not. I would take on the opportunity to repent any day because Hashem forgives more easily than anyone. He chose us as his people but lost hope after this whole mess.
Reflection and Repentance
In this week's Navi class, we discussed the main ideas of Parashot Ki Tezeh, Kedoshim, and Mishpatim. We concluded that the major themes are creating an ethical and moral society where you care for all people and create systems to help all members of society, including the downtrodden or unfortunate (poor, Ger, Yatom, and Almana).
The directives in the pesukim of Yeshayahu tell us to seek justice and to act on behalf of those who cannot represent themselves. When we learned last week that Hashem was rejecting Bnei Yisrael's Korbanot, Hashem didn't wish for them to not bring Korbanot, he just didn't want them to be useless. We then learned the ideal Teshuvah for sins regarding Mitzvot Ben Adam Lemakom, which leaves a repentance described as pristine as snow. The next Teshuvah is then mentioned, concerning Mitzvot Ben Adam Lechaveiro. However, this Teshuva is not as forgiving as the former. It is depicted as wool. Wool is naturally gray and when sinning against a fellow man, there will always be a mark, the "wool" will never be as pure as snow.
Yeshayhu then proceeds to tell Bnei Yisrael that if they repent and listen, they will receive reward. If they continue to stray, they will be attacked and destroyed. The analogies of a withered garden and dry elm and their revivals are used to convey Hashem's message. The people didn't listen to Yeshayahu and became unethical in business, on a quest for their own honor and taking bribes, even after being commanded to pursue righteousness and justice.
Perakim Bet through Hay portray the sins of Bnei Yisrael. Perek Bet describes the people not recognizing Hashem's power and on a quest for control over their own lives, the leaders and kings becoming corrupt, and the people acting exceedingly haughty, after being given a chance to repent. Perek Gimel describes the sins of the aristocracy and the women's immodesty and the elaboration of their punishment. Perek Hay depicts the haughtiness of the people and their search for pleasure, their rejection of Hashem's ways, and their refusal to heed to the messages of the Navi in relation to them.
These Perakim all relate to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur perfectly. During the Yamim Noraim we must focus on our actions and admit our sins. We cannot stand before Hashem without us realizing what we have done and how we will improve. Bnei Yisrael may have admitted their sins, but they chose not to repent. This is not the right way to improve. We must take these two components and channel them together in order to become better people. This Rosh Hashana, we must reflect on ourselves and then take the necessary steps to change for the better.
Shana Tova and may we all be inscribed in the Book of Life!
The directives in the pesukim of Yeshayahu tell us to seek justice and to act on behalf of those who cannot represent themselves. When we learned last week that Hashem was rejecting Bnei Yisrael's Korbanot, Hashem didn't wish for them to not bring Korbanot, he just didn't want them to be useless. We then learned the ideal Teshuvah for sins regarding Mitzvot Ben Adam Lemakom, which leaves a repentance described as pristine as snow. The next Teshuvah is then mentioned, concerning Mitzvot Ben Adam Lechaveiro. However, this Teshuva is not as forgiving as the former. It is depicted as wool. Wool is naturally gray and when sinning against a fellow man, there will always be a mark, the "wool" will never be as pure as snow.
Yeshayhu then proceeds to tell Bnei Yisrael that if they repent and listen, they will receive reward. If they continue to stray, they will be attacked and destroyed. The analogies of a withered garden and dry elm and their revivals are used to convey Hashem's message. The people didn't listen to Yeshayahu and became unethical in business, on a quest for their own honor and taking bribes, even after being commanded to pursue righteousness and justice.
Perakim Bet through Hay portray the sins of Bnei Yisrael. Perek Bet describes the people not recognizing Hashem's power and on a quest for control over their own lives, the leaders and kings becoming corrupt, and the people acting exceedingly haughty, after being given a chance to repent. Perek Gimel describes the sins of the aristocracy and the women's immodesty and the elaboration of their punishment. Perek Hay depicts the haughtiness of the people and their search for pleasure, their rejection of Hashem's ways, and their refusal to heed to the messages of the Navi in relation to them.
These Perakim all relate to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur perfectly. During the Yamim Noraim we must focus on our actions and admit our sins. We cannot stand before Hashem without us realizing what we have done and how we will improve. Bnei Yisrael may have admitted their sins, but they chose not to repent. This is not the right way to improve. We must take these two components and channel them together in order to become better people. This Rosh Hashana, we must reflect on ourselves and then take the necessary steps to change for the better.
Shana Tova and may we all be inscribed in the Book of Life!
The result of no faith in G-d
In Perakim 2,3 and 5 we learn how immoral the nation had become. Perek 2 starts of saying that if the nation were to repent we would have an ideal world with no wars and everyone would accept G-d. Then the Perek continues highlighting Bnei Yisrael's sins. It tells us that that they were not seeking control over their own lives-they were not recognizing Hashem. The leader of the nation is disobeying the rules set aside for the king of Israel-the king has become corrupt. The people have become haughty and have completely forgotten Hashem. The main theme of Perke 2 is the contrast between the idea that the generation had the idea that they were in control and the reality that Hashem is in control.
In Perek 3 it highlights the leaders and the women of Bnei Yisrael. Hashem tells the people that unskilled people will become their leaders and women will rule as the leasers of the government. The perek tells us that the women of Bnei Yisrael had become so haughty. They would walk around with their head held high as if to show off themselves and to get everyone to look at them. They had outstretched necks to show that they were looking down at everyone and thye thought they were better than everyone else. They wouldn't wear modest clothing and they would wear bells on their feet so everyone could know when they were coming and they would wear much perfume, and they covered their face with make-up. Hashem punished them with a midah kneged midah-for the perfume they wore, they decayed, for their immodest clothing they had wounds, and in place of their actions they got woulds that caused them to be bald. In the end of 3 and the beginning of 4 Hashem declares one last thing-all the men will die in war and Israel will be in mourning.
Perek 5 highlights Yishayahu. The people of Bnei Yisrael were so obsessed with pleasuring themselves that they failed to recognize that G-d was the source of all of their pleasure. Yishayahu tries to tell Bnei Yisrael to change their ways bu they tell him off that they don't believe anything will happen and they are not going to change their ways. Bnei Yisrael has skewed values. Yishayahu again tries to tell them to change, but they still won't change their ways. The leaders are criticized. The leaders could have used their power for good but they chose not to and they use it for evil. The judges could have also used their power for good but they also chose not to and used it for evil. The punishment for this is that their land will be destroyed. In the end of perek 5 Hashem will be angry with the people and he will punish them by using their foreign enemies to smite the nation. Hashem will cause another nation to come and destroy Israel and no one will be able to save them.
I think learning these pesukim at this time is perfect with Rosh Hashana beginning tonight. Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur is the main time for us to repent for all the sins we had done this past year. If Bnei Yisrael had take time out of their day to repent for all the sins that they had done, the world may have been so different today and so much more unified than it is now. A chance for Hashem to clean it your slate is such a great chance that a person should take because we have seen what happens when our nation does not ask Hashem for forgiveness. This time of the year is a time where we have a chance to rekindle our unity as a nation and for the world to truly become and ideal world.
In Perek 3 it highlights the leaders and the women of Bnei Yisrael. Hashem tells the people that unskilled people will become their leaders and women will rule as the leasers of the government. The perek tells us that the women of Bnei Yisrael had become so haughty. They would walk around with their head held high as if to show off themselves and to get everyone to look at them. They had outstretched necks to show that they were looking down at everyone and thye thought they were better than everyone else. They wouldn't wear modest clothing and they would wear bells on their feet so everyone could know when they were coming and they would wear much perfume, and they covered their face with make-up. Hashem punished them with a midah kneged midah-for the perfume they wore, they decayed, for their immodest clothing they had wounds, and in place of their actions they got woulds that caused them to be bald. In the end of 3 and the beginning of 4 Hashem declares one last thing-all the men will die in war and Israel will be in mourning.
Perek 5 highlights Yishayahu. The people of Bnei Yisrael were so obsessed with pleasuring themselves that they failed to recognize that G-d was the source of all of their pleasure. Yishayahu tries to tell Bnei Yisrael to change their ways bu they tell him off that they don't believe anything will happen and they are not going to change their ways. Bnei Yisrael has skewed values. Yishayahu again tries to tell them to change, but they still won't change their ways. The leaders are criticized. The leaders could have used their power for good but they chose not to and they use it for evil. The judges could have also used their power for good but they also chose not to and used it for evil. The punishment for this is that their land will be destroyed. In the end of perek 5 Hashem will be angry with the people and he will punish them by using their foreign enemies to smite the nation. Hashem will cause another nation to come and destroy Israel and no one will be able to save them.
I think learning these pesukim at this time is perfect with Rosh Hashana beginning tonight. Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur is the main time for us to repent for all the sins we had done this past year. If Bnei Yisrael had take time out of their day to repent for all the sins that they had done, the world may have been so different today and so much more unified than it is now. A chance for Hashem to clean it your slate is such a great chance that a person should take because we have seen what happens when our nation does not ask Hashem for forgiveness. This time of the year is a time where we have a chance to rekindle our unity as a nation and for the world to truly become and ideal world.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
The Vineyard and the Farmer
This week in class, we learned a lot about the imagery Yishayahu used to convey his message to the people of Bnei Yisrael. Several times throughout his speech, Yishayahu mentioned a vineyard and the farmer that tends the vineyard. He said that the farmer puts everything he has into the vineyard, lovingly tending the grapes and making sure that they are provided for. The farmer will provide for the grapes throughout the growing season of one year and then pick the grapes and makes wine out of them. When the farmer finally gets to drink the wine, he is filled with a sense of pride in his own work and love for his "children." After all of that work, the farmer starts again with a fresh batch of vines and grapes the next season and goes through this whole process again.
This analogy, obviously, is talking about the relationship between Bnei Yisrael and G-d. G-d has been there for Bnei Yisrael from the beginning. Hashem wanted to create a people that would be created in His image and that would act morally and ethically. This nation became Bnei Yisrael. Hashem provided for Bnei Yisrael from the time of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov to the time their descendants spent in Egypt to the time of the Exodus, when the descendants of the Forefathers became a proper nation. Naturally, G-d wanted to see his efforts pay off in the end; He wanted to see the people acting in the moral and ethical way that he wanted them to according to the Torah. The reason this analogy is so relevant is because G-d is clearly the parent of this nation. In addition, He wanted these ideas and the religion to pass on to the next generations.
How can a child rebel against a parent after all the things the parent has done for them? More specifically, how can people not see all of the "work" G-d has put in to shape them as a nation?
At the time of Yishayahu, the people were in a really bad place spiritually. Their values were completely skewed and they were not fulfilling the Mitzvot between man and man as G-d had intended them to. This disobedience on the part of Bnei Yisrael led to the worst punishment of all: exile and utter destruction in the land.
Seeing as we are living in the "exile," I find this topic most relevant, especially because we are approaching Rosh Hashanah. A new year is like a clean slate. I know that some people, me included, forget that G-d has the power to send us punishments for our sins because we don't have a Navi coming to tell us when we need to repent and we don't always see what the punishment is in this world. As the grapes in the vineyard, it is our job as people to create the best wine we can... also known as acting in the most moral and ethical manner that we can. Only when we do this will G-d be satisfied with our behavior. Actually, we need to take it one step further if we want to be redeemed from our current exile. We all need to follow all of G-d's commandments, especially those commandments between people. When that happens, Mashiach will come.
Shana Tova! :)
This analogy, obviously, is talking about the relationship between Bnei Yisrael and G-d. G-d has been there for Bnei Yisrael from the beginning. Hashem wanted to create a people that would be created in His image and that would act morally and ethically. This nation became Bnei Yisrael. Hashem provided for Bnei Yisrael from the time of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov to the time their descendants spent in Egypt to the time of the Exodus, when the descendants of the Forefathers became a proper nation. Naturally, G-d wanted to see his efforts pay off in the end; He wanted to see the people acting in the moral and ethical way that he wanted them to according to the Torah. The reason this analogy is so relevant is because G-d is clearly the parent of this nation. In addition, He wanted these ideas and the religion to pass on to the next generations.
How can a child rebel against a parent after all the things the parent has done for them? More specifically, how can people not see all of the "work" G-d has put in to shape them as a nation?
At the time of Yishayahu, the people were in a really bad place spiritually. Their values were completely skewed and they were not fulfilling the Mitzvot between man and man as G-d had intended them to. This disobedience on the part of Bnei Yisrael led to the worst punishment of all: exile and utter destruction in the land.
Seeing as we are living in the "exile," I find this topic most relevant, especially because we are approaching Rosh Hashanah. A new year is like a clean slate. I know that some people, me included, forget that G-d has the power to send us punishments for our sins because we don't have a Navi coming to tell us when we need to repent and we don't always see what the punishment is in this world. As the grapes in the vineyard, it is our job as people to create the best wine we can... also known as acting in the most moral and ethical manner that we can. Only when we do this will G-d be satisfied with our behavior. Actually, we need to take it one step further if we want to be redeemed from our current exile. We all need to follow all of G-d's commandments, especially those commandments between people. When that happens, Mashiach will come.
Shana Tova! :)
Friday, September 14, 2012
The Sinning Has Not Ended
This week we learned about Bnei Yisrael's sins in Perakim Bet-Hay. First, the pesukim describe the ideal world in which all the people accept Hashem as G-d and as a result, there is no war. All the people have to do is repent and recognize Hashem as their one and only G-d. Of course, it can't be that easy. Man at this time was not able to recognize G-d's superiority. Man believed that he was the source of his own success. Man is haughty. The king disobeys the rules G-d set for him by owning too much money and too many horses. He also praises his own glory and doesn't realize that G-d is over him. The people try to control their own futures by seeking out fortune tellers and soothsayers. The people don't realize that only G-d has control over their lives and no human can predict their futures. The leaders of Bnei Yisrael were corrupt. They were leading the people astray. They sinned with words and actions and did not repent. G-d reminds the people that their leaders are the ones causing them to sin. As Bnei Yisrael is sinning excessively, they still are not aware of their leaders' corruption. The women dressed immodestly and were desperate for attention. They would wear bells on their shoes just to attract some men. They walked with outstretched necks as if they were superior to everyone else. The peoples' values were skewed. They were obsessed with pleasuring themselves and had no desire to change their ways.
As a punishment, the land will be destroyed. G-d will cause other nations to come and destroy Israel and no one will be able to save them.
Call me crazy, but everything written above seems to be happening in our world now as well. The people don't recognize G-d's superiority? That is a major issue for the secular people and the Jews as well, especially in this generation. I know from speaking to many Jews from all over that young Jews are having faith issues. They are not able to connect with G-d and recognize that He is omnipotent as well as past generations have. Many Jews are no longer observant due to their lack of faith. It is becoming a real problem in the Jewish community. This lack of faith and recognition of G-d is causing the people to do things that are not accepted within our religion.
Ok, so I guess the haughtiness of the king thing might not be happening now. I doubt Obama (not a king, but still our leader) is swimming in cash right now due to some other issues and as far as I know his horse count is pretty low. Of course, there have been revolutions in other foreign countries because the people are sick of their dictators and rulers taking all of their money for themselves.
The women are desperate for attention and are dressing immodestly. That sounds about right. Women all over in this generation feel the need to dress skimpily in order to get the attention they desire whether the attention is positive or negative. They might not be putting bells on their shoes but they have definitely found some other fun ways to get themselves the attention they want from the men.
I'm not making generalizations but they are definitely many people people these days with skewed values. Only a couple days ago the American ambassador and two of his security guards were killed in Libya. We just commemorated 9/11, a day in which 11 years ago terrorists flew planes into the Twin Towers killing thousands of innocent people. There are shows dedicated to investigating crimes and finding psychotic serial killers which aren't far from reality. Although the majority of the population are not insane killers, a great number of people still do not have the correct morals and values.
The truth is we are still living in a time when the people are sinning. We look back onto the time of Yishayahu when all the people had to do was repent and recognize that Hashem is the G-d and there would be peace. There would be no wars and maybe even the ideal world that G-d had planned before Adam and Chava. If we all repented now and served G-d then maybe we could have that ideal world. It's an interesting thought. It's unfortunate to think that our world is so far from ever being the type of world that G-d had envisioned. Corruption is spreading, people are being killed in cold blood, and Hashem is not acknowledged as the universal G-d. We can only hope that G-d has mercy on us and does not punish us too severely. We are already in exile and waiting for Mashiach. If we have to convince the rest of the world that G-d is omnipotent then we might be waiting for a long time. The people did not listen to Yishayahu then when they needed to; if only the people would listen to us now.
As a punishment, the land will be destroyed. G-d will cause other nations to come and destroy Israel and no one will be able to save them.
Call me crazy, but everything written above seems to be happening in our world now as well. The people don't recognize G-d's superiority? That is a major issue for the secular people and the Jews as well, especially in this generation. I know from speaking to many Jews from all over that young Jews are having faith issues. They are not able to connect with G-d and recognize that He is omnipotent as well as past generations have. Many Jews are no longer observant due to their lack of faith. It is becoming a real problem in the Jewish community. This lack of faith and recognition of G-d is causing the people to do things that are not accepted within our religion.
Ok, so I guess the haughtiness of the king thing might not be happening now. I doubt Obama (not a king, but still our leader) is swimming in cash right now due to some other issues and as far as I know his horse count is pretty low. Of course, there have been revolutions in other foreign countries because the people are sick of their dictators and rulers taking all of their money for themselves.
The women are desperate for attention and are dressing immodestly. That sounds about right. Women all over in this generation feel the need to dress skimpily in order to get the attention they desire whether the attention is positive or negative. They might not be putting bells on their shoes but they have definitely found some other fun ways to get themselves the attention they want from the men.
I'm not making generalizations but they are definitely many people people these days with skewed values. Only a couple days ago the American ambassador and two of his security guards were killed in Libya. We just commemorated 9/11, a day in which 11 years ago terrorists flew planes into the Twin Towers killing thousands of innocent people. There are shows dedicated to investigating crimes and finding psychotic serial killers which aren't far from reality. Although the majority of the population are not insane killers, a great number of people still do not have the correct morals and values.
The truth is we are still living in a time when the people are sinning. We look back onto the time of Yishayahu when all the people had to do was repent and recognize that Hashem is the G-d and there would be peace. There would be no wars and maybe even the ideal world that G-d had planned before Adam and Chava. If we all repented now and served G-d then maybe we could have that ideal world. It's an interesting thought. It's unfortunate to think that our world is so far from ever being the type of world that G-d had envisioned. Corruption is spreading, people are being killed in cold blood, and Hashem is not acknowledged as the universal G-d. We can only hope that G-d has mercy on us and does not punish us too severely. We are already in exile and waiting for Mashiach. If we have to convince the rest of the world that G-d is omnipotent then we might be waiting for a long time. The people did not listen to Yishayahu then when they needed to; if only the people would listen to us now.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
The power of Hashem
In class we discussed the three main themes in the first perek of Yishayahu. The first theme is that Hashem is all powerful and is in control. If you follow Hashem's ways you will be rewarded-a physical reward and military success. If you do not follow the ways of Hashem then you will be punished by "enemies"-agents of G-d. The second theme is that you must follow Hashem's Mitzvot. You must follow the Mitzvot between man and man and the Mitzvot between man and G-d. The third theme is that you will follow Avodah Zara and stray from G-d if you believe that you are the source of success.
I think that this is a great time to be talking about these themes. I think that this time of year has a connection to what we are learning in class. At this time of the year the presidential candidates are beginning to fight to become president. I see this connection because the high power of America is the president and the decisions that he makes are the ones that will be a determinant for the future. Yes, the presidents are not on the same level as Hashem in any way, but have a decision to make. There is two people to choose from either Obama or Romney. Which ever president we choose will be the decision of our future.
I connect this to the things that we have recently been studying in Navi class because the Jews had a decision to make. They had two paths to choose from-follow Hashem or don't. If they don't bad things will happen and their enemies will attack. But if they do listen to Hashem good things will come and Hashem will lead them through their ways. Just like the presidents that if the wrong president is chosen it could cause war between our country and another. But if we choose the right president then it could lead us to a great future.
I think that this is a great time to be talking about these themes. I think that this time of year has a connection to what we are learning in class. At this time of the year the presidential candidates are beginning to fight to become president. I see this connection because the high power of America is the president and the decisions that he makes are the ones that will be a determinant for the future. Yes, the presidents are not on the same level as Hashem in any way, but have a decision to make. There is two people to choose from either Obama or Romney. Which ever president we choose will be the decision of our future.
I connect this to the things that we have recently been studying in Navi class because the Jews had a decision to make. They had two paths to choose from-follow Hashem or don't. If they don't bad things will happen and their enemies will attack. But if they do listen to Hashem good things will come and Hashem will lead them through their ways. Just like the presidents that if the wrong president is chosen it could cause war between our country and another. But if we choose the right president then it could lead us to a great future.
Haughtiness Then and Now
This week in class, we looked at a few perakim in Devarim as a sort of foreshadowing to the events and themes in Sefer Yishayahu. There are four major themes that we got out of our reading of segments in Devarim. One theme is that if you follow Hashem, you will be rewarded and if you don't, you will be punished. The second is that you should follow all of Hashem's mitzvot, both between man and man and man and G-d. The third theme is that Hashem is in control of everything. The fourth theme is that you will be more inclined to follow other gods if you believe that you alone are the source of your success. This fourth theme is also known as haughtiness.
When I looked through the first perek in Devarim, I found many parallels to religious life today. The concept of reward and punishment may seem extremely foreign to people today because we do not have many outright miracles. Even if we do, people are more inclined to blame anomalies in day-to-day life on science or luck or chance. For now, we can imagine that our reward and punishment for our actions in this world will be in the world to come. This leads into the next theme: following all of G-d's commandments. I personally believe that respecting and treating people with "Tzedek U'Mishpat" is a precursor to building a good relationship with G-d. You have to understand morality before you can understand the forces that drive the world. Also, G-d wouldn't want to have anything to do with barbaric people, as we saw with Noach's generation and the people of Sedom and Amorah. This leads to the third theme: G-d is in control of everything. Little more needs to be added to this statement. This is the basis of all religious belief. This leads into theme four: you will be more likely to follow other gods (apart from Hashem) if you believe that you are the source of your own success. As I said above, this is haughtiness in its most basic form. People often have a hard time being humble and understanding that there is someone greater than them directing their lives. One final statement: G-d put us in exile after the destruction of both Batei Mikdash because the people neglected respecting each other because they were too concerned with their relationships with G-d. Clearly, G-d wants us to be moral people as well.
Incidentally, G-d also gives us a solution to the problems in Yishayahu Perek 1 Pessukim 16-17. G-d tells the people to remove the bad and do the good: learn what the good is and act on it. They should seek out justice, protect the weak, do what's right for the orphan, and argue on behalf of the widow. The Malbim tells us that there are many levels to fulfill complete atonement for the lack of morality that Bnei Yisrael had at the time of Yishayahu. Regret is not enough repentance for a sin between man and man; it is enough for a sin between man and G-d because it is literally the thought that counts. In order to receive forgiveness from people, you have to take action to rectify the wrong. This is what Yishayahu wanted the people to do. On top of that, they had to stop sinning and never relapse. If all of these steps were followed, Bnei Yisrael would have lived in an ideal society. We can take note of this and try to apply it to society today. There are many people out there who believe absolutely that they are the source of their own success and will step on as many people as they have to in order to achieve the ultimate success. We should all take a minute, realize that G-d is in control and respect our fellow people.
When I looked through the first perek in Devarim, I found many parallels to religious life today. The concept of reward and punishment may seem extremely foreign to people today because we do not have many outright miracles. Even if we do, people are more inclined to blame anomalies in day-to-day life on science or luck or chance. For now, we can imagine that our reward and punishment for our actions in this world will be in the world to come. This leads into the next theme: following all of G-d's commandments. I personally believe that respecting and treating people with "Tzedek U'Mishpat" is a precursor to building a good relationship with G-d. You have to understand morality before you can understand the forces that drive the world. Also, G-d wouldn't want to have anything to do with barbaric people, as we saw with Noach's generation and the people of Sedom and Amorah. This leads to the third theme: G-d is in control of everything. Little more needs to be added to this statement. This is the basis of all religious belief. This leads into theme four: you will be more likely to follow other gods (apart from Hashem) if you believe that you are the source of your own success. As I said above, this is haughtiness in its most basic form. People often have a hard time being humble and understanding that there is someone greater than them directing their lives. One final statement: G-d put us in exile after the destruction of both Batei Mikdash because the people neglected respecting each other because they were too concerned with their relationships with G-d. Clearly, G-d wants us to be moral people as well.
Incidentally, G-d also gives us a solution to the problems in Yishayahu Perek 1 Pessukim 16-17. G-d tells the people to remove the bad and do the good: learn what the good is and act on it. They should seek out justice, protect the weak, do what's right for the orphan, and argue on behalf of the widow. The Malbim tells us that there are many levels to fulfill complete atonement for the lack of morality that Bnei Yisrael had at the time of Yishayahu. Regret is not enough repentance for a sin between man and man; it is enough for a sin between man and G-d because it is literally the thought that counts. In order to receive forgiveness from people, you have to take action to rectify the wrong. This is what Yishayahu wanted the people to do. On top of that, they had to stop sinning and never relapse. If all of these steps were followed, Bnei Yisrael would have lived in an ideal society. We can take note of this and try to apply it to society today. There are many people out there who believe absolutely that they are the source of their own success and will step on as many people as they have to in order to achieve the ultimate success. We should all take a minute, realize that G-d is in control and respect our fellow people.
Sefer Yishayahu: Sins and Consequences
This week we began Sefer Yishayahu. Many points in this Perek are based around the fact that Hashem is in control of everything and that if we follow in His ways we will be rewarded and if we don't, we will be punished. This seems to reiterate through out most of the beginning of the Perek. The Perek starts off with Yishayahu set with a difficult task. He must tell Bnei Yisrael that if they don't stop sinning, Hashem will abandon them and punish them. Bnei Yisrael were probably very confused, because as we discussed, they were in the middle of sort of a "Golden Age". Everything was going great for them; they had very little problems. So naturally when Yishayahu came along telling them to stop sinning, they thought he was a nut-job. He compares Bnei Yisrael to the nations of סדום and עמורה, because they were acting like them through the sins that they did.
In the middle of this Perek, Hashem tells Bnei Yisrael that He doesn't want their Korbanot or prayers any more. This in it self is strange, because at first it doesn't give a reason as to why this is. However, as we continued going through the Pasukim, we saw that it might be because Bnei Yisrael were giving the Korbanot for all the wrong reasons and they were just doing it for the sake of giving Korbanot. Instead of giving Korbanot as thanks or a gifts to Hashem, they were merely giving them to say they gave Korbanot. They don't seem to think that what they are doing is wrong; they thought that what they were doing would bring them closer to Hashem.
Yishayahu tells them after to stop giving Korbanot and to purify themselves; scrub themselves clean from their sins. He tells them to do the good, (learn, seek justice, protect the weak, help the orphan, and argue for the widow) and stop the bad. However the מלבים tells us that it might be saying that they need to take action for their sins instead of just regretting it, which brings in בין אדם למקום and בין אדם לחבירו. Regretting is enough for בין אדם למקום but you must "scrub"for בין אדם לחבירו. This could also be a reason why Hashem refusing their Korbanot; the people need to start doing more mitzvot בין אדם לחבירו.
I found this interesting because I thought that mitzvot בין אדם למקום are more important than mitzvot בין אדם לחבירו. So why do we need to worry more about mitzvot בין אדם לחבירו? The answer could be that nowadays and then reaching out to each other had a lot of influence on reaching out to Hashem. If we can communicate well and discuss well with each other it will help us all communicate better with Hashem.
In the middle of this Perek, Hashem tells Bnei Yisrael that He doesn't want their Korbanot or prayers any more. This in it self is strange, because at first it doesn't give a reason as to why this is. However, as we continued going through the Pasukim, we saw that it might be because Bnei Yisrael were giving the Korbanot for all the wrong reasons and they were just doing it for the sake of giving Korbanot. Instead of giving Korbanot as thanks or a gifts to Hashem, they were merely giving them to say they gave Korbanot. They don't seem to think that what they are doing is wrong; they thought that what they were doing would bring them closer to Hashem.
Yishayahu tells them after to stop giving Korbanot and to purify themselves; scrub themselves clean from their sins. He tells them to do the good, (learn, seek justice, protect the weak, help the orphan, and argue for the widow) and stop the bad. However the מלבים tells us that it might be saying that they need to take action for their sins instead of just regretting it, which brings in בין אדם למקום and בין אדם לחבירו. Regretting is enough for בין אדם למקום but you must "scrub"for בין אדם לחבירו. This could also be a reason why Hashem refusing their Korbanot; the people need to start doing more mitzvot בין אדם לחבירו.
I found this interesting because I thought that mitzvot בין אדם למקום are more important than mitzvot בין אדם לחבירו. So why do we need to worry more about mitzvot בין אדם לחבירו? The answer could be that nowadays and then reaching out to each other had a lot of influence on reaching out to Hashem. If we can communicate well and discuss well with each other it will help us all communicate better with Hashem.
The Importance of Every Mitzvah
In this week's Navi class, we delved deeper into the events in Sefer Yeshayhu. Yeshayhu referenced to ideas and concepts in the Chumash in order to convey messages to Bnei Yisrael. The three major themes that he conveyed were: 1) Hashem is all powerful and is in control and If Bnei Yisrael follow Hashem, they will receive reward. If Bnei Yisrael stray from Hashem, they will be punished by enemies who were agents of Hashem. 2) Bnei Yisrael must follow all of Hashem's mitzvot, both Ben Adam Lamakom and Ben Adam Lechaveiro. 3) Bnei Yisrael are guaranteed to worship Avodah Zarah and stray from Hashem if they believe that they are the source of their success.
Yeshayhu's era as a Navi was especially difficult because Bnei Yisrael were living in a time of prosperity with the Beit Hamikdash, political, economic, and military success, and didn't believe his words. Yeshayhu attempted to relay his messages to Malchei Yisrael, Uziyahu, Yotam, Achaz, and Yichizkiyahu.
In the first Pesukim of Sefer Yishayhu, Shamyaim Vaaretz are portrayed as witnesses in Devarim to the brit between Hashem and man. Afterwards, messages of despair tell of corruption and abandonment. There is also a reference to the destruction of Sodom and Amorah and if it were not for the mercy of Hashem who promised to leave a remnant, we would be destroyed completely like Sodom and Amorah who lacked Tzedek and Mishpat.
Bnei Yisrael, convinced that they are serving Hashem completely, bring Hashem useless korbanot that he rejects. He refers to the people and officials as those of Sodom and Amorah and tells Bnei Yisrael that their hands are filled with blood. Immediately following this, Bnei Yisrael are given instructions on how to atone for their sins, do the good, and dispose of the evil. The Malbim describes the steps to Teshuvah and how each word has omni-significance.
Bnei Yisrael weren't acting with proper Kavod towards their fellow Jews, to the point where Hashem rejected their offerings. This stresses the importance to Hashem of Mitzvot Ben Adam Lachaveiro. If we cannot respect each other and treat others civilly, how will we be able to respect and honor Hashem? This comes into relevance for the next few weeks. The days of judgement are approaching. Our fates will be decided and our previous year's actions taken into mind. We must ask for forgiveness from not only Hashem, but from those around us. "Derech Eretz Kadmah Latorah." "Vahavta Leracha Kamocha." These are all concepts we must use to improve ourselves so we will be able to stand and revere Hashem in the most respectable and honorable way we can.
Yeshayhu's era as a Navi was especially difficult because Bnei Yisrael were living in a time of prosperity with the Beit Hamikdash, political, economic, and military success, and didn't believe his words. Yeshayhu attempted to relay his messages to Malchei Yisrael, Uziyahu, Yotam, Achaz, and Yichizkiyahu.
In the first Pesukim of Sefer Yishayhu, Shamyaim Vaaretz are portrayed as witnesses in Devarim to the brit between Hashem and man. Afterwards, messages of despair tell of corruption and abandonment. There is also a reference to the destruction of Sodom and Amorah and if it were not for the mercy of Hashem who promised to leave a remnant, we would be destroyed completely like Sodom and Amorah who lacked Tzedek and Mishpat.
Bnei Yisrael, convinced that they are serving Hashem completely, bring Hashem useless korbanot that he rejects. He refers to the people and officials as those of Sodom and Amorah and tells Bnei Yisrael that their hands are filled with blood. Immediately following this, Bnei Yisrael are given instructions on how to atone for their sins, do the good, and dispose of the evil. The Malbim describes the steps to Teshuvah and how each word has omni-significance.
Bnei Yisrael weren't acting with proper Kavod towards their fellow Jews, to the point where Hashem rejected their offerings. This stresses the importance to Hashem of Mitzvot Ben Adam Lachaveiro. If we cannot respect each other and treat others civilly, how will we be able to respect and honor Hashem? This comes into relevance for the next few weeks. The days of judgement are approaching. Our fates will be decided and our previous year's actions taken into mind. We must ask for forgiveness from not only Hashem, but from those around us. "Derech Eretz Kadmah Latorah." "Vahavta Leracha Kamocha." These are all concepts we must use to improve ourselves so we will be able to stand and revere Hashem in the most respectable and honorable way we can.
Beyond the Korbanot
G-d is usually instructing the people on how to give the proper korbanot to Him. People since the time of Avraham till today have had trouble connecting or becoming closer to G-d. Korbanot has always been a way for them to build a close relationship with G-d. At the time Shlomo built the Beit Hamikdash, the people were as close as ever. They would being the Korban Tamid (the daily sacrifice) and all the others for different reasons. This was the peak of Shlomo's rule. He had a close, spiritual connection with G-d and so did his people. As soon as Shlomo began getting influenced by his many foreign wives and building Bamot for making sacrifices to other gods is when the chaos and sinning began. All members of Bnei Yisrael would come from all over to the Beit Hamikdash on the Shalosh HaRegalim in order to pray, bring sacrifices, and celebrate together. Yiruvum, in order to maintain his leadership, built temples in Beit El and Dan for his people to go to on this holidays so they would not go to the Beit Hamikdash and potentially stay there and join the other kingdom. This prevented the people from having a close connection to G-d and led to the sins they would eventually commit. From then on, all of the kings of Yisrael would be compared to him (in a negative way). All of this just proves how powerful korbanot can be. They can create a close relationship between G-d and the people or in the wrong situation, they can destroy a nation.
When Yishayahu went to tell the nation that G-d was not happy with them, they didn't believe him at all. They even had reasons not to believe them. Everything was going so well. They were bringing Korbanot and were leading successful lives. Nevertheless, Yishayahu the Navi was telling them that G-d was angry with them and He plans on punishing them through destruction like Sedom and Emora. Why did G-d destroy those two cities? They both lacked Tzedeck and Mishpat. Then, G-d said that Bnei Yisrael's hands are full of blood and they are performing an abomination. He says that all of the Korbanot they are bringing are an abomination and He doesn't want them. G-d even says that they are trampling His courtyard with their presence. He has also stopped accepting their prayers. G-d has shut down every way Bnei Yisrael has of connecting with Him. And why? Because they have disregarded the Mitvot Bein Adam VChavero. The Korbanot are now useless and they must focus on their relationships with each other before G-d can forgive them.
Where else have we heard of people being punished because they have only followed the Mitzvot between man and G-d and disregarded the Mitzvot between man and man? Every year we count Sefirat HaOmer and follow the customs meant to make this a sad time in order to remember and mourn Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 students who perished during this time due to their lack of respect for each other. These two stories prove how crucial our relationships with each other truly are. We might even be getting the benefit of the doubt today since we don't have the Beit Hamikdash because our relationships with each other aren't exactly stellar. Most people think the most significant part of our religion is having the closest relationship possible with G-d and doing whatever we can to get there, and yes, that is a major component to Judaism, but having the best possible relationships with each other are just as important if not more.
What was B'nei Yisrael Thinking?
This week in navi we started to learn about Yishiahu and his first prophecy. Before the time of Yishiahu, B'nei Yisrael was under the rule of the great king Shlomo. Some may argue Shlomo was a great king, but others might oppose. Personally, I think he had all the right intentions throughout his rule as king, but near the end of his kingship he took advantage of the things that were given to him and completely changed his and his kingdom's ways. He taught his kingdom that it was okay to worship idols and others gods besides Hashem. He was the role model for his kingdom and he failed to put up a good influence on them. This caused the kingship to end in the land of Israel.
A Navi, Yishiahu, then came down from G-d. He was sent to deliver a very important an life changing message to B'nei Yisrael. Because of King Shlomo, B'nei Yisrael was accustomed to sinning, but they didn't know they were sinning. It was how there were taught and influenced by Shlomo their whole lives. Yishiahu came down to deliver a prophecy telling B'nei Yisrael that they were doing everything wrong. Yishiahu encountered a problem. He knew that B'nei Yisrael thought they were doing everything right, without any problem, so how could he tell them they were doing everything wrong. Why would they believe an ordinary looking man, telling them they are sinning towards G-d when they don't even believe in the G-d Yishiahu is talking about anymore?
Personally, if a random man came up to me and told me I was doing everything wrong in my religion I would ignore him, because that's just stupid. B'nei Yisrael didn't know any better at the turn. They were taught in that way. There was almost no hope in telling B'nei Yisrael they were doing everything wrong unless they saw the actual existence of G-d. Would it be worth it to even try? It might be good to try but changing the way someone worships is hard. Who would have guessed that yishiahu's main challenge would be the point of his job?
A Navi, Yishiahu, then came down from G-d. He was sent to deliver a very important an life changing message to B'nei Yisrael. Because of King Shlomo, B'nei Yisrael was accustomed to sinning, but they didn't know they were sinning. It was how there were taught and influenced by Shlomo their whole lives. Yishiahu came down to deliver a prophecy telling B'nei Yisrael that they were doing everything wrong. Yishiahu encountered a problem. He knew that B'nei Yisrael thought they were doing everything right, without any problem, so how could he tell them they were doing everything wrong. Why would they believe an ordinary looking man, telling them they are sinning towards G-d when they don't even believe in the G-d Yishiahu is talking about anymore?
Personally, if a random man came up to me and told me I was doing everything wrong in my religion I would ignore him, because that's just stupid. B'nei Yisrael didn't know any better at the turn. They were taught in that way. There was almost no hope in telling B'nei Yisrael they were doing everything wrong unless they saw the actual existence of G-d. Would it be worth it to even try? It might be good to try but changing the way someone worships is hard. Who would have guessed that yishiahu's main challenge would be the point of his job?
Monday, September 3, 2012
Shlomo's ups and downs
In class this week we talked about Shlomo and his Shlomo starts off with so much wisdom. He starts off by marrying Paroah's daughter and making an alliance with Egypt. In the Pesukim it even says that Shlomo loved Hashem. It says that Shlomo had the potential to be the ideal king. Everyone knew about Shlomo's wisdom and people came to him for a wise judgment. Shlomo collected taxes from the city mainly in order to build that Bait Hamikdash. Shlomo builds the Bait Hamikdash and a house for him with the money collected for the taxes. Hashem made a promise to Shlomo-if you walk in my was your kingdom will continue forever, but if you don't keep my ways then I will destroy the people and the Bait Hamikdash. Shlomo started to collect taxes from the people surrounding Israel. Malcat Sheva comes to check out Shlomo's wisdom. She mentioned that Shlomo should continue let G-d continue to allow him to do Tzedek Umishpat. Here it is mentioned the words לשם ה. If you rearrange the letters you get שלמה. I see this as a lesson. Here it is showing that Shlomo is still with Hashem and is still following his laws. This phrase is not shown again with Shlomo ruling as king-showing that Shlomo lost his connection with Hashem.
Then Shlomo starts to change, he begins to collect money, he started to marry wives from other nations, and he had too many horses-all the items you are not allowed to have as a Jewish king. Shlomo collected taxes and most of the tax money that he collected he took for his own use. Shlomo started to make alliances with other nations-he started to cling to his foreign wives rather than to Hashem. His heart was not with Hashem anymore. Shlomo started to build bamot for his foreign wives for Avodah Zarah. Hashem became furious with Shlomo. Then there is an explaination of why the kingdom gets split-Shlomo did not keep his half of the promise. He betrayed Hashem and therefore Hashem doesn't have to keep is side of the promise. He tells Shlomo that He will tear the kingdom away from him and leave him with only one tribe left but it won't be in his lifetime.
Then Shlomo starts to change, he begins to collect money, he started to marry wives from other nations, and he had too many horses-all the items you are not allowed to have as a Jewish king. Shlomo collected taxes and most of the tax money that he collected he took for his own use. Shlomo started to make alliances with other nations-he started to cling to his foreign wives rather than to Hashem. His heart was not with Hashem anymore. Shlomo started to build bamot for his foreign wives for Avodah Zarah. Hashem became furious with Shlomo. Then there is an explaination of why the kingdom gets split-Shlomo did not keep his half of the promise. He betrayed Hashem and therefore Hashem doesn't have to keep is side of the promise. He tells Shlomo that He will tear the kingdom away from him and leave him with only one tribe left but it won't be in his lifetime.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Arrogance Killed the Cat
In this week's Navi class, we explored Shlomo's reign and the implications of his actions. We realized that as Shlomo reigned longer, he became more corrupted, whereas when he was just beginning his Malchut, he deeply loved Hashem and dedicated much of this time to building Hashem's home, the Beit Hamikdash. As his reign progressed, he became more pretentious, haughty, and concerned with his own reputation and welfare. As punishment for his actions, the kingdom was set to be split after his death. After Shlomo's death, Yerovam ruled over Israel. Yerovam sinned by erecting Bamot in Dan and Beit-El and appointing Kohanim that were not Leviim, therefore preventing Bnei Yisrael from going to Yerushalyim to offer Korbanot in the Beit Hamikdash during the Shalosh Regalim. He even created an imaginary holiday exactly a month after the holiday of Sukkot.
We then explored how the kings are introduced in Melachim Bet and learned about Uziyah and his sins. Uziyah was a relatively good king until he sinned and was plagued with Tzarrat. We compared and contrasted the altered stories in Melachim Bet and Divrei Hayamim. Divrei Hayamim explains how Uziyah was plagued with Tzarrat. Uziyah was a man of valor and conquered many lands. As a result, he wanted to bring Korbanot to the Mizbeach, even though he was not a Kohen. The Kohanim banished him from the Beit Hamikdash, but he continued to sacrifice. As a punishment, he became a Metzorah all the days of his life. Uziyah was arrogant and his arrogance led him to his punishment.
This seems to be a recurring theme in the kings' rule, arrogance. Arrogance is something that prevails in the world today. People feel they are more superior to others and turn into vain and conceited human beings. I believe that Yirmiyahu and the other Neviim were trying to convey the impact of arrogance to us. We must take this message and channel it positively. One must not be completely hide his talents but realize the right time to use them. We need to recognize our strengths and special abilities to a certain extent and work together to utilize these talents in order to make the world a better place.
Shlomo's Reign: From Good to Bad
This week in Navi we delved deeper into what might have caused the kingdom of Bnei Yisrael to split into two. We began by discussing Shlomo's reign and all of the components that might have caused this to happen. As it starts out, it portrays Shlomo as a wonderful king who loved and feared Hashem and respected and followed of the laws of a king and the mitzvot. As we looked deeper into the Pasukim, we found that this didn't turn out to be true in the end. Sure, Shlomo might have loved and feared Hashem and followed the mitzvot in the beginning, but temptations soon led him astray. We saw that it the downward spiral began, coincidentally, right after the Queen of Sheba decides to pay Shlomo a visit. The visit itself might have had good intentions, as we learned that she wanted to see if Shlomo really was as wise as everyone said and she blessed him for it, but she also gave him a LOT of money. Shlomo puts have of it away for the Beis Hamikdash and that is wonderful, but it seems like he took the rest for himself, which is not so great.
We learned how Shlomo took taxes from the people to pay for the necessities for the Beit Hamikdash and how he made alliances with foreign countries and had strong ties to his father, but he seems to be getting a little haughty.He was known around the world just for his wisdom and his wealth. Doesn't it tell us that Shlomo was the wealthiest of the kings? Maybe not, but even so he had a lot of gold. As he begins getting richer and marrying more wives and he becomes more famous, it all starts to go to his head. He starts taking all of his gold and building up his army and makes a tremendous golden throne. These were seen as status symbols and signs of power. That is what Shlomo really wants to show; his power.
All of his wives are another factor in the downhill slide from greatness. It says that Shlomo had 700 wives and 300 concubines and almost none of them were even remotely Jewish. This was a very big problem, as they were the ones who convince Shlomo to build במות for them to do עבודה זרה. This is not as bad as it would be if HE were the one doing עבודה זרה but it still shows that he gave in to them and allowed them to do עבודה זרה anyway.
All of these ideas really make us think about what kinds of people are good leaders and bad leaders. Shlomo did wonderful and amazing things that helped Bnei Yisrael grow and thrive as a nation but he also set a bad example for them by showing that he really did whatever he wanted and he didn't have to listen to Hashem to gain what he wanted. This is an important concept to think about now that Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kippur are approaching. The idea of listening to Hashem and following the mitzvot and asking for what we want in return are all part of the ideas we discussed this week. If Shlomo were alive today and Rosh Hoshana came around, what do you think he would have asked Hashem? We all can learn from Shlomo's mistakes and use it to continue to grow our love for Hashem and the mitzvot.
We learned how Shlomo took taxes from the people to pay for the necessities for the Beit Hamikdash and how he made alliances with foreign countries and had strong ties to his father, but he seems to be getting a little haughty.He was known around the world just for his wisdom and his wealth. Doesn't it tell us that Shlomo was the wealthiest of the kings? Maybe not, but even so he had a lot of gold. As he begins getting richer and marrying more wives and he becomes more famous, it all starts to go to his head. He starts taking all of his gold and building up his army and makes a tremendous golden throne. These were seen as status symbols and signs of power. That is what Shlomo really wants to show; his power.
All of his wives are another factor in the downhill slide from greatness. It says that Shlomo had 700 wives and 300 concubines and almost none of them were even remotely Jewish. This was a very big problem, as they were the ones who convince Shlomo to build במות for them to do עבודה זרה. This is not as bad as it would be if HE were the one doing עבודה זרה but it still shows that he gave in to them and allowed them to do עבודה זרה anyway.
All of these ideas really make us think about what kinds of people are good leaders and bad leaders. Shlomo did wonderful and amazing things that helped Bnei Yisrael grow and thrive as a nation but he also set a bad example for them by showing that he really did whatever he wanted and he didn't have to listen to Hashem to gain what he wanted. This is an important concept to think about now that Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kippur are approaching. The idea of listening to Hashem and following the mitzvot and asking for what we want in return are all part of the ideas we discussed this week. If Shlomo were alive today and Rosh Hoshana came around, what do you think he would have asked Hashem? We all can learn from Shlomo's mistakes and use it to continue to grow our love for Hashem and the mitzvot.
A Great Leader?
If you ask any educated Jewish kid if Shlomo HaMelech was a good king, they would all respond unequivocally, yes. Even if you were to ask an educated adult, they still might respond yes but if you look at the facts, you might be torn as to whether Shlomo was actually as great as we make him out to be. Yes, he is Shlomo HaMelech, builder of the holy Beit Hamikdash and wise author of Mishlei, but he also made many mistakes.
It can not be said that Shlomo was not a good king. He definitely did some incredible things as king for Bnei Yisrael. Yet, as soon as his reign ends, chaos begins and his kingdom splits. After this, corruption and sins were widespread. Shlomo had numerous alliances with foreign nations causing him to gain immense power. He had been granted wisdom from G-d along with wealth, wisdom, and and length of days. He had a great reputation and was known to people all over the world. He created a centralized government which made people want to follow G-d. He built up a great military, expanded the borders, and gained tremendous wealth for the nation. His greatest achievement came when he built the Beit HaMikdash. He taxed the people in order to obtain the money necessary to build. The Beit Hamikdash served as a place for the people to connect to G-d, pray, ask for forgiveness, and was meant to be a universal home for Jews and non-Jews unlike. At this point, Bnei Yisrael was closer to G-d than ever. Shlomo was a perfect role model and inspiring ruler for the people. Then, that very same wise and spiritual king began breaking rules.
He began to gain more wealth and horses than G-d would allow him to. He also began marrying multiple foreign women. These women influenced Shlomo to serve their own gods. He even built a Bamah for the purpose of worshipping these other gods. I can only assume that these actions were a great disappointment to the people. How could their spiritual, G-d fearing, wise king worship Avodah Zara? It is quite ironic that the one who built the Beit Hamkidash, a place to make jews closer to G-d was the one who strayed from G-d the most. His role model status went down the drains and the people were probably more let down than ever.
Learning about this during this time of year is very appropriate. Everyone is talking about the elections. People are worried that Obama will ruin the country while many are terrified that Romney will not be able to run the country. Whatever happens, there will be people left disappointed; the Republicans if Obama is elected President or the Democrats if Romney wins. You know there are serious problems when the Democrats are disappointed in Obama or the Republicans are disappointed in Romney but this is exactly what happened in Shlomo's days. Bnei Yisrael, who at first had looked up to Shlomo as the great, powerful, religious leader now see him as an idol worshipping, power hungry trader.
The people want to see their leaders thrive but remain humble and in control. They don't want to them struggling to maintain their power or have to go to great lengths to maintain their leadership position. For example, Yeruvum builds temples in Dan and Beit El to prevent his people from going to the Beit Hamikdash for the Shalosh Regalim in fear that they will join the other kingdom. This ended up preventing the people from getting closer to G-d and caused them to sin.
So yes, Shlomo was a great king. He did many things politically that made his nation thrive. He will forever be known as the great, wise, powerful Shlomo HaMelech but we cannot forget that what he did. We must learn from his mistakes. There are numerous lessons we can derive from this story. Of course, the clear messege is 'listen to G-d' but we also must realize that one mistake can cause a chain reaction. Shlomo strayed from G-d and because of his actions, regardless of his prior incredible achievements/accomplishments, he caused an entire nation to stray from G-d's path and commit more sins than Shlomo could ever have imagined.
It can not be said that Shlomo was not a good king. He definitely did some incredible things as king for Bnei Yisrael. Yet, as soon as his reign ends, chaos begins and his kingdom splits. After this, corruption and sins were widespread. Shlomo had numerous alliances with foreign nations causing him to gain immense power. He had been granted wisdom from G-d along with wealth, wisdom, and and length of days. He had a great reputation and was known to people all over the world. He created a centralized government which made people want to follow G-d. He built up a great military, expanded the borders, and gained tremendous wealth for the nation. His greatest achievement came when he built the Beit HaMikdash. He taxed the people in order to obtain the money necessary to build. The Beit Hamikdash served as a place for the people to connect to G-d, pray, ask for forgiveness, and was meant to be a universal home for Jews and non-Jews unlike. At this point, Bnei Yisrael was closer to G-d than ever. Shlomo was a perfect role model and inspiring ruler for the people. Then, that very same wise and spiritual king began breaking rules.
He began to gain more wealth and horses than G-d would allow him to. He also began marrying multiple foreign women. These women influenced Shlomo to serve their own gods. He even built a Bamah for the purpose of worshipping these other gods. I can only assume that these actions were a great disappointment to the people. How could their spiritual, G-d fearing, wise king worship Avodah Zara? It is quite ironic that the one who built the Beit Hamkidash, a place to make jews closer to G-d was the one who strayed from G-d the most. His role model status went down the drains and the people were probably more let down than ever.
Learning about this during this time of year is very appropriate. Everyone is talking about the elections. People are worried that Obama will ruin the country while many are terrified that Romney will not be able to run the country. Whatever happens, there will be people left disappointed; the Republicans if Obama is elected President or the Democrats if Romney wins. You know there are serious problems when the Democrats are disappointed in Obama or the Republicans are disappointed in Romney but this is exactly what happened in Shlomo's days. Bnei Yisrael, who at first had looked up to Shlomo as the great, powerful, religious leader now see him as an idol worshipping, power hungry trader.
The people want to see their leaders thrive but remain humble and in control. They don't want to them struggling to maintain their power or have to go to great lengths to maintain their leadership position. For example, Yeruvum builds temples in Dan and Beit El to prevent his people from going to the Beit Hamikdash for the Shalosh Regalim in fear that they will join the other kingdom. This ended up preventing the people from getting closer to G-d and caused them to sin.
So yes, Shlomo was a great king. He did many things politically that made his nation thrive. He will forever be known as the great, wise, powerful Shlomo HaMelech but we cannot forget that what he did. We must learn from his mistakes. There are numerous lessons we can derive from this story. Of course, the clear messege is 'listen to G-d' but we also must realize that one mistake can cause a chain reaction. Shlomo strayed from G-d and because of his actions, regardless of his prior incredible achievements/accomplishments, he caused an entire nation to stray from G-d's path and commit more sins than Shlomo could ever have imagined.
From Allies to במות
What is the exact definition of a במה? Google translate defines it as stage, as it is. I think it is much more than just a stage. A במה is Hashem's stage. We, as Hashem's chosen nation, stand on the במה to worship and express our love for Hashem. Every nation has their form of a במה and we learn about this from מלכים א when King Shlomo marries woman from many different nations to create allies, but also ends up letting his wives build their own forms of "במות" in his home.
Shlomo became very well know by other nations. His way of making allies with those nations was to marry the princesses and queens of the nations. Hashem warned Shlomo that by marrying these women his heart would turn away from G-d. " מִן-הַגּוֹיִם, אֲשֶׁר אָמַר-יְהוָה אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא-תָבֹאוּ בָהֶם וְהֵם לֹא-יָבֹאוּ בָכֶם, אָכֵן יַטּוּ אֶת-לְבַבְכֶם, אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶם--בָּהֶם דָּבַק שְׁלֹמֹה, לְאַהֲבָה." And so it did. Shlomo had 700 wives and 300 concubines. The Navi states that they turned his whole heart away from Hashem. "נָשָׁיו הִטּוּ אֶת-לְבָבוֹ, אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים; וְלֹא-הָיָה לְבָבוֹ שָׁלֵם עִם-יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו, כִּלְבַב דָּוִיד אָבִיו." Shlomo let his wives build their own במות just to have political allies and keep his ties with his father David's allies. Shlomo was warned about letting his wives turn him away from Hashem and now he has to live with the punishment of his kingdom being split after his reign was over.
Was what Shlomo did right at all? I think that it was far from right. There are other ways to make allies than being influenced by the allies. I think the only reason that Shlomo let his wives build their במות in his home was because of his emotional attachment to them because they were married. One of the ways he could have made allies, without turning against G-d, could have been to not marry, rather to trade. At the end of everything his allies weren't necessarily political because of his emotional attachment to them, they were more personal. The בית המקדש was supposed to be the only stage or במה in his life but because of his political ego the במה made him turn away from Hashem.
Shlomo became very well know by other nations. His way of making allies with those nations was to marry the princesses and queens of the nations. Hashem warned Shlomo that by marrying these women his heart would turn away from G-d. " מִן-הַגּוֹיִם, אֲשֶׁר אָמַר-יְהוָה אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא-תָבֹאוּ בָהֶם וְהֵם לֹא-יָבֹאוּ בָכֶם, אָכֵן יַטּוּ אֶת-לְבַבְכֶם, אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶם--בָּהֶם דָּבַק שְׁלֹמֹה, לְאַהֲבָה." And so it did. Shlomo had 700 wives and 300 concubines. The Navi states that they turned his whole heart away from Hashem. "נָשָׁיו הִטּוּ אֶת-לְבָבוֹ, אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים; וְלֹא-הָיָה לְבָבוֹ שָׁלֵם עִם-יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו, כִּלְבַב דָּוִיד אָבִיו." Shlomo let his wives build their own במות just to have political allies and keep his ties with his father David's allies. Shlomo was warned about letting his wives turn him away from Hashem and now he has to live with the punishment of his kingdom being split after his reign was over.
Was what Shlomo did right at all? I think that it was far from right. There are other ways to make allies than being influenced by the allies. I think the only reason that Shlomo let his wives build their במות in his home was because of his emotional attachment to them because they were married. One of the ways he could have made allies, without turning against G-d, could have been to not marry, rather to trade. At the end of everything his allies weren't necessarily political because of his emotional attachment to them, they were more personal. The בית המקדש was supposed to be the only stage or במה in his life but because of his political ego the במה made him turn away from Hashem.
Yiravam
This week in class, we learned about the consequences of Shlomo's haughtiness. After his death (due to David's merit), the kingdom was split between Yiravam ben Nevat from Ephraim and Rechavan ben Shlomo. Yiravam led and uprising and managed to secure the loyalty of ten out of twelve tribes. (Flashback to last week's post: this happened because G-d was delivering Shlomo's punishment by removing part of the kingdom and kingship from his family.) As the king of Yisrael, Yiravam had to make sure that the people remained loyal. So what did he do? He decided that having the people go back to Jerusalem three times a year to give Korbanot would convince then to rejoin the kingdom of Yehuda and he would lose his kingdom. In response, Yiravam built two temples in Beit E-l and Dan with golden statues in them. In addition, the "Kohanim" were not from the tribe of Levi. He also created a harvest holiday in the 8th month instead of the 7th. It is extremely important to note that all of this was to worship G-d, not idols or other gods.
What were the consequences of Yiravam's actions? The kingdoms remained split and the people sinned greatly. Yiravam's political motives were simply that he wanted to keep the people loyal and retain control of the kingdom. The religious result of building the two temples and allowing the people to worship idols in the name of G-d was that all of the future kings of Israel were evaluated based on Yiravam's sins. In the Navi, he is known as "Yiravam ben Nevat who caused the people to sin." His sin was really that he was having the people worship G-d, but not at the Beit Hamikdash. As we said in class, the point of going to the Beit Hamikdash was to experience a connection with G-d. Because the people didn't experience this, they were more easily led to worship other gods later on.
What can we learn from this whole ordeal? Yiravam's sins really give us an insight into the uses and misuses of power. I personally believe that G-d has given every person free will and they can choose whether to do right of wrong. Of course, G-d can pull some strings, but in the end, the choice is the person's. I absolutely believe that Yiravam made the wrong choice. He should have understood the importance of the Beit Hamikdash and the connection with G-d that the people who went there had. Because he failed to grasp this concept, the ten tribes sinned and were eventually exiled. This can be taken as a lesson for current world leaders and even celebrities: be careful with what you do and how you influence people because you may be leading them to do things that go against their individual or religious moral code.
What were the consequences of Yiravam's actions? The kingdoms remained split and the people sinned greatly. Yiravam's political motives were simply that he wanted to keep the people loyal and retain control of the kingdom. The religious result of building the two temples and allowing the people to worship idols in the name of G-d was that all of the future kings of Israel were evaluated based on Yiravam's sins. In the Navi, he is known as "Yiravam ben Nevat who caused the people to sin." His sin was really that he was having the people worship G-d, but not at the Beit Hamikdash. As we said in class, the point of going to the Beit Hamikdash was to experience a connection with G-d. Because the people didn't experience this, they were more easily led to worship other gods later on.
What can we learn from this whole ordeal? Yiravam's sins really give us an insight into the uses and misuses of power. I personally believe that G-d has given every person free will and they can choose whether to do right of wrong. Of course, G-d can pull some strings, but in the end, the choice is the person's. I absolutely believe that Yiravam made the wrong choice. He should have understood the importance of the Beit Hamikdash and the connection with G-d that the people who went there had. Because he failed to grasp this concept, the ten tribes sinned and were eventually exiled. This can be taken as a lesson for current world leaders and even celebrities: be careful with what you do and how you influence people because you may be leading them to do things that go against their individual or religious moral code.
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