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CHUMASH CANDESCENCE
SPECIAL SHAVUOT TORAH READINGS
EXODUS 19:01-20:23
NUMBERS 28:26-31
DEUTERONOMY 14:22-16:17
EZEKIEL 1:1-28,3:12
HABBAKKUK 2:20-3:19
BOOK OF RUTH
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL
"Kosher X-Files with Jewish Men in Black"
"Ezekiel saw da wheel" is how the African American spiritual begins.
Moses saw the Burning Bush. The Children of Israel saw Mt. Sinai "smoke"
and "shudder" amidst "thunder and lightning" and "powerful shofar blasts"
(Deut. 19:16-18). The themes of the above portions of the Tanach (Holy
Scriptures), which make up this Shavuot's and Shabbat's Torah and
Haftorah readings deal with revelation and theophany. Theophany is the appearance
of God to man. Shavuot is the holiday that celebrates God's revealing the
Torah to Moses on Mt. Sinai.
Ezekiel was a Kohan priest in Judeah who was taken into captivity by the
Babylonians in 597 BCE. He was the first prophet to preach and write
while in exile. While sitting by the river Chebar ( the canal that
joined the Tigris to the Euphrates Rivers) in the town of Tel Abib in
Babylon, Ezekiel had a vision of theophany. His fellow captives thought
that he was insane and bound him in ropes for 430 days. As we have seen
many times before, Haftarahs tend to follow themes developed in the
Torah portion. Moses had his theophany, and Ezekiel tells us about his.
While Moses's experiences have been studied openly and publicly in-depth,
Ezekiel's traditionally have not been studied. Ezekiel's vision is of the
Divine Throne and of the Holy Chariot. In Hebrew this is "Ma'ateh Merkabah" (the
work of the chariot). Its study was reserved for men of "the highest
degree of mental and moral perfection" according to Rabbi
J. Hertz.
The Talmud in Tractate Chagigah 14B tells of what happened
when Rabbi Elazer ben Arach expounded upon this text. A fire descended
from heaven and singed all of the trees near him. Traditionally the sages
did not permit this chapter to be studied publicly. It could only be
studied individually by the most highly qualified people. When I almost
completed my d'var Torah this afternoon, my computer crashed for the
first time, losing my essay. So beware of this caveat--if you wish to
protect your soul or your laptop, do not read further.
Five years had passed since Ezekiel was taken into custody. While sitting
by the river's edge he saw in the sky a wheel within a wheel. The clouds
opened, and the wheel had a great brightness around it. It had the color
of electrum. The Hebrew for this is "chashmal," which denotes a bright
metal-like polished bronze. Four creatures came out of this bright
light. They each had four faces and four wings. The had jointless legs
and feet like calves. The four faces were of man, eagle, bull and lion.
Their bodies were humanoid. They could move in any direction without
turning. They appeared like burning coals with lightning coming from
them. They traveled in wheels within wheels. They had many eyes. When
they moved, their wings made a terrible noise like the roar of the
ocean. When the creature spoke to Ezekiel, he was certain it was God. He
felt himself being lifted up and carried away. This was Ezekiel's
theophany. Is your computer still working? Is your eternal soul still
intact?
Do we need to call Special Agent Fox Mulder to check on your landscaping?
If all is A-OK, please continue.
The figures who appeared to Ezekiel had four faces. The humanoid creature
turned of its own volition without moving. Dr. Jo Milgrom, an expert in
Near East mythology and art, writes that these faces are also apparent on
the sphinx in Egypt. They are also on the Israelite version of the
sphinx, which we call the keruvim. The keruvim guard the Holy of Holies and face
each other.
While Ezekiel was having his vision, the keruvim were still
in the Temple in Jerusalem as it had not yet been destroyed. The
destruction took place in 586 BCE, eleven years after some Jews, like
Ezekiel, were carried away. Was this a dream with the chariot that moved
without moving and turned without turning being a symbol for the
changing yet unchanging Infinite God, who could appear in the new home of
the Jews without "moving"?
Do the four faces represent Zodiac signs? Does the human face represent
Gemini? We could say easily that the lion is Leo and the bull is Taurus.
Is the eagle a taloned higher version of the earthly clawed Scorpio? The
sign of Gemini in Hebrew is called "teumim" or twins. This is the sign
under which Torah was given. Shavuot happened on the sixth of the month
of Sivan. It is fitting that Torah was given in this month, the sages teach,
because Torah helps humankind achieve full human potential. We are to be
raised above the level of animals represented by most other
constellations.
Rabbi M. Glazerson writes that "when the Jewish people camped at the foot
of Sinai in preparation to receive the Torah they achieved a harmony and
unity which was unparalleled before or since." The scholar known as the
Or Ha Chaim, Rabbi Chaim ben Attar of eighteenth-century Livorno, Italy,
taught that Israel was united in heart and mind like a single person. "The
entire people responded together" (Ex .19:08) and agreed that "we will do
and we will listen" (Ex. 24:07). It was only in this state of unity, of
being one, that they could receive the Torah--which is from the One.
The Midrash teaches that all Jews on this day saw the Divine Chariot appear
at Sinai. Rabbi Glazerson writes that the symbol of the Twins is an
expression of oneness. Jews were all different people that day at Sinai,
each physically separate, but joined in a "spiritual kinship" that made
them resemble each other to the point that they were identical to one
another.
Ezekiel is not the only person in our Jewish literature that reports
seeing odd creatures or heavenly bodies descend to earth. Elisha saw
Elijah get taken away to the heavens in a "chariot of fire" (2 Kings
2:11). Zechariah (Zech. 5:1-2) saw a "flying roll" in the shape of what
today we would call a rocket. Isaiah (27:01) tells us of three large
creatures called Leviathan, Nehash and Bariah. Job (40:15-24) tells us
about the Behemoth. We all know of the man-angels (cherubim) that
appeared to Abraham and Lot in Genesis. Daniel's beasts seem to be
hybrids of other animals (Dan. 7:1-8). And Deuteronomy (3:11) writes to
us about giants and people with six-fingered hands.
The Pseudapocrypha's book of 3 Baruch 6:1-13 tells us of a live sphinx
and 2 Enoch's chapter six is full of tales of giant animals and other
hybrids. The Septuagint translation of the Tanach into Greek speaks of
dragons in the book of Daniel.
The Talmudic rabbis discuss two giant birds called Ziz and Bar-Yohani.
They further tell tales of seeing giant sea-dragons, giant buffalo and
unicorns in their travels. The sages also speak of a special hybrid
called a Koy or Kewi, as well as Capricorns and centaurs. The latter two
appear on walls of ancient synagogues. The rabbis also tell us of a
siren's heavenly voice whispering to them to help them reach halachic
decisions involving Jewish law.
Ezekiel and Moses were not the only biblical figures to have theophanies.
We read of many of them in Jeremiah, Zechariah, Daniel, Job, Jonah and
throughout the Chumash with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses.
All were talking to and hearing God. Even Cain, after he killed Abel,
had a theophany.
Can any of us today in this post-biblical era receive a theophany? We are
told that God speaks to each of us in our hearts. Certainly Ruth had this
type of revelation. Theophanies do not have to be theatrical. John's
vision in his book of Revelations is another example of an almost
Broadway-like produced theophany, which, if read, parallels Ezekiel's.
Ruth's theophany is much more subtle and even more wondrous in ways than
Moses, Ezekiel and others experienced. Moses, Abraham and the prophets
were hand-picked by God. Ruth arrived to love God in a different manner.
Ruth was a Moabite princess who married a Jew (Machlon) who had come to
Moab with his father and mother (Elimelech and Naomi) and then died
leaving Ruth a widow. The story of Ruth is important for Shavuot as she
was the model of Torah acceptance. Without her, Jewish history would not
continue as we have come to know it.
Judaism is not a racial trait. In a sense we were all converts at Sinai,
and we must remind ourselves everyday, and especially at Shavuot, to
re-experience the revelation. The Talmud teaches that Ruth's name
gamatrially has a numerical value of 606. Since all humans have an
obligation to observe the seven Noahide laws, Ruth as a Moabite was
responsible for them. Add these seven laws to her name's numerical value
and one arrives at 613, the number of mitzvoth in the entire Torah.
The Vilna Gaon says that Ruth sought out Torah to complete what she was missing
spiritually. Ruth's conversion to the faith of her mother-in-law seems
simplistic enough in the book of Ruth (1:16-17). Ruth pledges, after
being rebuked by Naomi three times, to go where she goes, lodge where she
lodges, adopt her people and her God, and be buried where Naomi is
buried. She further swears that God should punish her if anything but
death separates Ruth from Naomi. The Talmud in Tractate Yevomot 47B,
however, extracts its many complex laws of conversion from these two
simple verses in the Book of Ruth.
"How does love for one's mother-in-law make a person a
good Jew?" the sages ask in the Talmud. The rabbis in Tractate Ketubot 111B posit that one
cannot love another without knowing details about the person. Therefore
one cannot love God, which is one of the greatest of all mitzvoth, if one
has not studied God in what we call now conversion classes. However, the
rabbis posit that if one knows a Torah scholar or a righteous individual
and loves that person, one therefore can feel attached to God as well.
So Ruth cleaved herself to Naomi, who was already attached to God. Since
pure people like Naomi were rare by the time of the Talmud's writing, the
sages developed many rules for conversion to Judaism. Cleaving to another
Jew was no longer sufficient, they decided.
From reading the last few verses in the Book of Ruth we know that Ruth
was to become the grandmother of King David through marriage to her
kinsman Boaz. But let us not forget that Ruth's ancestor was Lot, who was
seduced by his own daughter. That incestuous union produced Mo-av, which
means "from my father." The Moabites are descended from this child. Lot
was Haran's son. Haran was Abraham's brother. Haran was the father of
Sarah and Milka (Gen. 11:27-28). Rebecca was Milka's granddaughter. All
of Jacob's wives were Milka's great-granddaughters. Therefore, Ruth was a
multiple great-granddaughter of Haran as well, since she was descended
from Lot, Abraham's cousin.
Now the sages teach that while Abraham may have "discovered God," it was
the Jewish women, our matriarchs that had the "binah" (wisdom) to
translate God's ideals into everyday living. Since our matriarchal line
comes from Haran, a Moabite--like Ruth--is perfectly suited to be the
grandmother of David.
This bit of genealogy steals from the beauty that we derive from the Book
of Ruth. That beauty is that anyone can be come a Jew regardless of their
bloodline. Anyone can reach his or her fullest potential. We do not need
a genealogical litmus test to determine if we, our children or our
grandchildren will do well in this world. Judaism is not based on racial
lines. It is a way of living. It is open to all who wish to follow it
sincerely.
Ruth is the epitome of a good Jewish convert not because she cleaved to
Naomi to learn Torah but because she already acted within the essence and
framework of Judaism. Her grandson King David wrote in Psalm 89:3 that
"kindness builds the world." Ruth's acts of kindness (chesed) to Naomi
and her sacrifice of her wealthy "princess way of life" in Moab were the
ultimate tests of a good Jewess. The rest of the Book of Ruth shows Ruth
doing multiple acts of loving kindness. We do not need pages of Talmud on
the proper ways of doing tevila (ritual mikva immersion) to understand
that when Ruth said she wanted Naomi's people to be her people, she
immediately became a Jew. God definitely appeared in Ruth's heart and
soul. Ruth too had her own theophany.
When Naomi first tells her two widowed daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah
to go back to Moab, she kisses them. When Orpah kisses Naomi, but decides
to return home, her kiss was no more than a gesture of affection. When
Ruth kisses Naomi her neshemah (soul) made an eternal connection with
Naomi's soul. Their two souls became bound up as one. They too became
joined teumim (twins). It is interesting to note that it is taught
traditionally that King David was not only born, but also died on Shavuo
under the Gemini zodiac sign.
In traditional congregations the Akadamus poem is read before the Shavuot
Torah reading. Every line ends with the syllable "ta," which is written
with the last and the first letters of the Aleph-Bait. This alludes to
the endlessness of the Torah and the Infinity and Oneness of God.
The Hebrew word for truth, emet, is written with the first (aleph), middle
(mem) and last (tav) letters of the Hebrew alphabet. When we reach the
final letter tav in the order of the letters, we immediately start to
dwell on the first letter aleph.
Part of this prayer is as follows:
"If all the heavens were parchment,
if all the trees of the forest were pens,
if all the waters of the sea were ink,
and if every creature was a scribe,
they would not suffice to expound the greatness of The Creator,
and the reflection of His Majesty in Heaven and on Earth,
effortlessly created with the breath of the letter Heh."
This poem was written by Rabbi Meir ben Yitchak of eleventh-century
Worms,Germany. It has ninety verses and is one of Judaism's most beloved
liturgical poem (piyut). It is written in Aramaic, not Hebrew. The first forty-four
verses form a double acrostic of the Aleph-Bait and the remaining verses spell
out the author's name and a blessing.
Within this prayer we return to
Ezekiel's vision of strange beings. Rabbi Meir's Akadamus tells about the
Talmudic and Midrashic Leviathan and Behemoth. He writes how they will do
battle with each other (the first is a sea monster, and the second is a
land monster). Then, when the Messiah comes, God will clothe the
righteous with the skin of the Leviathan and make tents for shelter from
it as well. From both the Behemoth and the Leviathan, God will prepare a
big banquet for the righteous, who will eat "amid great joy and
merriment." Perhaps Rabbi Meir had a small theophany as well.
Do we need to call on the Jewish "Men in Black" to help us with our own
revelations? Who would play the Tommy Lee Jones and the Will Smith roles?
Perhaps when we read the above Torah and Haftorah portions this week in
our temples and synagogues we can try really hard to talk with God and
see if God answers. Perhaps we can even try to achieve this at home, or
at the beach, or in a park or by our own river. Mediation and three way prayer, which I do daily, and which I teach, has always been a part of Judaism, and during the Talmudic age, there were 100s of schools in Judea that taught mediation techniques.
Crypto-Jews, who had to hide
their Judaism under penalty of death, pretended to play card games on
Shabbat while secretly discussing Torah. These card games were called
"barajas" from the Hebrew word for blessings (Barachas). One never really
knows when God will speak. "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
and to all who call upon Him in truth" we read on page 4 of our Gates of
Prayer. "Where is God? Wherever you let him in" (p. 8). "To truly love
God, one must first love people. If anyone tells you that he loves God
and does not love his fellow humans, you will know that he is lying"
(p. 9). Worship should not be like going to the gas station where we
get tanked up spiritually for the week. It is an ongoing process of
spiritual growth.
I would like to leave you with a psalm by one of my favorite Jewish
poets, Bob Dylan. It is entitled "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie."
"Where do you find the hope that yer seekin'?
You can either go to the church of your choice,
or you can go to the Brooklyn State Hospital.
You'll find God in the church of your choice.
You'll find Woody Guthrie in the Brooklyn State Hospital.
And although it's my opinion. I may be right or wrong.
You'll find them both in the Grand Canyon at sundown."
Shabbat Shalom and Chag So-may-ach!!
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL
Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. Watch the video on AOL Living.
