This week's Torah portion features the final episode in the departure from Egypt: the crossing of the Red Sea. It also includes the many fascinating stories that follow -- the manna from Heaven, for example, and the people's first war.
The additional reading, from the Book of Prophets, tells the story of Deborah, the judge and prophetess who ruled Israel for a time in the period before the monarchy was established. The connection: Miriam leads the people in song at the Red Sea, and Deborah leads the people into battle against evil Sisera.
Sisera, in turn, meets his end at the hands of Yael, who tempts him into her tent and kills him while he is asleep. The Bible hints that she actually seduced him.
The Talmud wrestles with this episode. Several years ago, I wrote to a friend:
"The relevant passage is from the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Horayot (Horayos), page 10b.
"The Talmud engages in a lengthy digression, which occurs in the midst of a discussion about the appropriate sacrifice to be offered by a leader of the nation to atone for certain kinds of sins. After wrestling with the fact that some righteous people suffer ill fortune and some wicked people enjoy good fortune, the Talmud eventually turns to the question of sins that are performed for noble purposes (i.e. the ends seem to justify the means).
"'Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: A transgression committed for the sake [of Heaven] is of greater merit than a mitzvah performed for ulterior motives.'
"The example they consider is that of Yael, whose story is told in Judges 4:17-22. According to the Biblical text, she entices the wicked general Sisera by offering him milk, then kills him while he is sleeping. But the Talmud suggests that Yael goes much further than that, suggesting that she has sex with Sisera seven times. The Talmud says that her transgression -- adultery -- is for the sake of Heaven and had a good result, and therefore is permissible. As to the question of whether she derives pleasure from her transgression, the Talmud decides that any pleasure she enjoys is incidental and not related to her actual motive. The Talmud concludes, carefully, that people should prefer doing good deeds even for ulterior motives; because eventually their motives will be correct. But it does excuse the rare example of Yael, among others."
An interesting thought contemplate -- though not, perhaps, to emulate!
This week’s portion launches the great story of Abraham, who is told to leave everything of his life behind — except his immediate family — and to leave for “the Land that I shall show you.”
There’s something interesting in the fact that Abraham is told to leave his father’s house, as if breaking away from his father’s life — but his father, in fact, began the journey, moving from Ur to Haran (in last week’s portion). His father set a positive example — why should Abraham leave him?
Some obvious answers suggest themselves — adulthood, needing to make one’s own choices, his father not going far enough, etc.
But I think there is another answer. Abraham (known for the moment as Abram) needs to establish his own household. This is not just about making one’s own choice, but really about choosing one’s own starting point. It’s starting over.
Sometimes we start over in fundamental ways even if much that surrounds us remains the same. Sometimes the journey we have to ...
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
