Perek Yomi - Micah

by Rabbi Robert Layman

The opening verse of Micah informs us that the Prophet preached during the time of three kings of Judah who, we know, reigned during the Eighth Century B. C. E. His name in Hebrew is Mikhah, a diminutive of Mikha'yah, meaning " who is like the Lord". His best known and oft-quoted pronouncements include the statement that Torah will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem and the promise of an era of peace when swords will be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks (Chapter 4). These are verbatim quotations from Chapter 2 of Isaiah, suggesting that Micah may have been a disciple of Isaiah or that both drew upon popular sayings and expectations.

Another oft-quoted citation from Micah is his teaching that The Lord requires three basic actions of His people: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God (Chapter 6). In contrast to these exalted preachments, Micah condemns in harsh language both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah for a multitude of political, moral, and ritual transgressions. He repeats the familiar Prophetic theme of the futility of sacrifices that are not accompanied by sincerity and ethical behavior.

The book concludes with a passage that is part of the Haftarah of Shabbat Shuvah, along with selections from Hosea and Joel, stressing God's capacity for forgiveness and exhorting the people to cast their sins into the depths of the sea, thus providing the inspiration for the Tashlikh ritual on Rosh Hashanah.

Chapter 1

Micah in Hebrew is "Mika-Yahu" (who is like God?) -- with what connotation?
How does Jeremiah 26:18 confirm the biographical data for this prophet?
Micah's prophesies (verse 1) were directed to Israel, Judea or both?
Where is "God's place" that God is to leave -- and to what end?
What is the shared transgression of Israel and Judea (verses 5-6)?
Why is Shomron compared to a prostitute?
And where has Shomron's (Israel's) infection spread (verse 9)?
And, consequently what is to become of Jerusalem (verse 12)?
Why the mourning symbolism of verse 16?

Chapter 2

What does verse 1 indicate as to the prevalence of "plotting" among the powerful?
Who are the victims of this plotting?
Is economic acquisition as such condemned or that which is acquired improperly?
What will become of the "pride" and of the property (verses 3-4)?
Is God's judgment capricious or the result of action by those to be judged (verse 7)?
What will become of the families of the transgressors (verse 9)?
Will the "gathering of Jacob" (verse 12) be a "saving" or destruction?

Chapter 3

The leaders are expected to be fully conversant with? (verse 1)
But, in practice what do these leaders do?
Would verse 3 imply competition or exploitation?
When the leaders, facing trouble, will call upon God, what response can be expected (verse 4)?
What is the result of "God's face is hidden"?
To which (type of) prophets does verse 5 refer?
What will become of this genre of prophet (verse 6)?
Based on verse 7, is Micah one of these prophets?
Who is the "I" in verse 8?
Is expansion/growth/power evaluated as progress irrespective of the means (verse 10)?
Specifically -- of what are the judges accused? The Kohanim? The "prophets"?
And do those accused nevertheless assert that God is their mentor and "with them"?
The final result of this travesty will be? (verse 12)

Chapter 4

In what other prophet does one encounter (virtually) the precise text of verses 1-3?
Is the parallel prophecy (a) indicative of quoting or (b) both utilizing a common source -- or coincidence?
What is "the end of days" (verse 1)?
Why would the nations/people "flow" to God's house?
What will be the result of judging all peoples (verse 3)?
Peace, then, will be the consequence of what prior development?
The traditional description of "security and well being" is cited in verse 4; and it is?
But -- will this mean that all peoples will come to share one (the Jewish) faith (verse 5)?
Does the prophet assert, then, that peace and security mandate monolithic belief or, rather, common adherence to a universal ethic/morality (or neither)?
The era of peace will witness what political development for (Israel) Judea?
Will that era be for a time or for all time (verse 7)?
Historically, would verses 9-10 indicate prophecy pre 722 B.C.E. (the end of Israel) or even later -- with reference to Babylonia?
Is verse 13 a prediction of Israel's coming military power -- or its security as a result of God's action?
Should this chapter be considered one of promise -- unlike chapters 1-3?

Chapter 5

Bethlehem was the home of Jesse and his son, David; is it for this reason that the prophet refers to this city as the site from which a ruler in Israel will derive?
What will be the nature of the "rulership" (verse 3)?
And, should there be an attack from Assyria what measures will thwart this aggression (verses 4 and 5)?
Verses 6 through 8 predict a "new relationship" between Jacob and those who seek to attack Israel; what is that "new relationship"?
If (verse 9) the horses and the chariots and the fortifications are to be eliminated (verse 9 and 10) is this a threat or a promise (of a peaceful era which will not require those elements)?
Verse 11 indicates the elimination of certain other elements as do verses 12 and 13 -- does this refer to the "material" to the "religious/ethical"?

Chapter 6

With whom is God to "debate"?
What is the "argument" advanced in verse 3?
Would verses 4 and 5 indicate a firm familiarity by the prophet with the wilderness experience following the exodus from Egypt?
Does verse 6, referring to Karbanot and confessionals actually inquire or is it a rhetorical statement?
To what might the second part of verse 7 refer in terms of the "first born"?
In essence, then (according to verse 8) what is it that God would want of the faith adherents?
What might be meant by the phrase "walking modestly with your God"?
In the criticizing verses 9 through 12 -- what is the essential transgression that is condemned: improper observances or, rather, economic malpractice?
As a result, what is predicted for this type of conduct (verses 14, 15)?
The reference is to Omri and Ahab in verse 16; what were their "practices" which lead to this comparison?

Chapter 7

The prophet mourns in the first verse -- why?
What type of interpersonal relationship obtains, according to the prophet, as common practice among the Israelites?
According to verse 3, what are the practices of the judges, the leaders and those in authority?
Can there be any confidence, then, in a close friend -- in an officer, in one's wife (verse 5)?
How does verse6 describe family relationships?
Is it the prophet who is speaking in verses 7 and 8 and/or is it the prophet speaking as "representative" of that (minority) which does not conduct himself in accordance with the prior descriptions?
What, then, will become of the nation (verses 11, 12 and 13)?
The prophet then indicates what should be done, instead of what is being done in verses 14 and 15 -- and what is that?
When this proper conduct obtains, what will be the result (verses 15, 16 and 17)?
In verse 18 the prophet cites his firm conviction of a basic theological principle -- what is one of the most significant attributes of the Divine?
And, as a result of that attribute, what is predicted (finally) for the House of Jacob (verses 19 and 20)?
Would the conclusion of the prophet's "book" then,end on a note of hope in spite of the repeated castigations, or on one of despair?