|
THE SHIRLEY AND JACOB
FUCHSBERG JERUSALEM CENTER of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism |
|
HOME
|
| |
CONTACT US
|
| | PICTURE GALLERY | | | PROJECT ODED CLASSES | | | OVERSEAS STUDENTS IN ISRAEL | | | E NEWS: YEAR IN REVIEW 2010 | | | AUDIO CLIPS | | | VISITORS | | | KOL HAOT PROG FOR SYN MISSIONS | | |
 |
Haftarah Parshat Vayera
This ending prompted two difficulties for the sages. The first relates to the meaning of the unusual expression "vayaamod hashemen" which literally means "and the oil stood" but which is understood to mean "and the oil stopped". (See Targum Yonathon.) The fact, however, that this condition was described in a curious way raised questions. In addition, the sages thought it unusual that someone who had already received a miraculous prophecy should have reason to report the results of the miracle to the prophet. The following midrash attempts to answer these discrepancies: Rabbi Yitchak and Rabbi Yochanon and Rabbi Yudan the Ger went to hear Torah from Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. When they were about to take leave from him, they went to ask him for permission to depart. Their departure was delayed a day, so they went again to depart from him… [One of the sages sought to support this behavior, namely, that it was for them an important practice to visit one's teacher as often as necessary if there was a good reason for doing so, from this drashah:] 'And the oil rose' – this means that the price of oil shot up and consequently the woman needed to return to the prophet for advice on whether to sell the oil or not. This blessing was greater than the first blessing [since the first blessing provided sufficient oil for her to prevent her children from being sold into slavery]. [From the prophet's second message:] 'and you and your children can live (tehyee) on the rest' [we learn that the oil would be sufficient to provide for the widow and her children] until the resurrection of the dead (tehiyat hameitim). (Adapted from Bereishit Rabbah 35:3) This colorful embellishment of the story illustrates how the sages attempted to contend with difficulties raised by the text. Once they reconciled what they thought were difficulties, they sought a message in this retelling. For them, the message in this particular case had to do with an issue of etiquette. They learned from this story [and other examples (See Moed Katan 9a) that when one takes leave of one's host and then is delayed, one should take leave a second time. This seems to us like a bizarre moral to the story but it reveals an important lesson about how the sages related to the sacred stories of our tradition. They viewed these stories as a prism for how they shaped their lives. For them this meant not just deriving their way of life from the stories but at times reflecting their own reality onto their precious stories and using these reinvented stories as a paradigm to legitimize who they were. This model allowed them and, in turn, allows us, to remain eternally authentic as Jews.
The United Synagogue Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem offers students of all backgrounds the skills for studying Jewish texts. We are a vibrant, open-minded egalitarian community of committed Jews who learn, practise and grow together. Our goal is to provide students the ability and desire to continue Jewish learning and practice throughout their lives. Rashei Yeshiva: Rabbi Richard Lewis, Rabbi Joel Roth and Rabbi Pesach Schindler.
8
Agron Street, Jerusalem |
This
study piece is offered as a service of the United Synagogue Conservative
Yeshiva. It is prepared by 
