These are the final passages of Deuteronomy, and the entire Torah. Moses completes his long valedictory speech, and God shows him the Promised Land before he dies on Mount Nebo, across the Jordan.
I've wondered where Mount Nebo is -- as many others have done -- and the Bible tells us that it was intended to be a secret. But it had to be somewhere opposite Jericho. And, indeed, when I flew over the Dead Sea last month, I noticed that the mountains of Jordan did seem to be have some rivers flowing through them at that point.
This concludes the Torah cycle... to be started again tomorrow!
That's right -- this is the weekend of Simchat Torah, the holiday on which the Torah is completed and started now. Saturday marks the holiday of Shemini Atzeret, a special rest day for the Jewish people; and Sunday (in the Diaspora) marks Simchat Torah itself.
I've been looking forward to Shemini Atzeret in particular, because I have been very busy with creative projects that I managed to finish.
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!
