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Category: Jewish Holidays

Chanukah: the Holiness of the Doorway – the Mezuzah and the Chanukiya

Chanukah: the Holiness of the Doorway – the Mezuzah and the Chanukiya

There is a curious connection between the mezuzah and the lighting of the chanukiya. These two mitzvot are brought together in halakhic,  midrashic and mystical material. I would like to present two foundational texts that help prepare us for a new and exciting approach to Chanukah.

The Bavli

First, the gemara in Shabbat 22a, in describing where exactly to place the Chanukah lights, tells us that there is a mitzvah to place the chanukiya within a tefach (a hand’s breadth) of the doorway1. We then learn this debate:

שבת כ”ב.

וְהֵיכָא מַנַּח לֵיהּ? 

רַב אַחָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרָבָא אָמַר מִיָּמִין 

רַב שְׁמוּאֵל מִדִּפְתִּי אָמַר מִשְּׂמֹאל.

Bavli Shabbat 22a

And where [near the doorway] should it be placed?

Rav Acha the son of Rava said, “On the right.”

Rav Shmuel from Difti said, “On the left.” …

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Telling the Story of the Jewish People

Telling the Story of the Jewish People

Telling the Story of the Jewish People

The Rabbis describe the narrative arc of the seder as, “מַתְחִיל בִּגְנוּת וּמְסַיֵּם בְּשֶׁבַח – we begin [the telling of the story] with degradation and we conclude [the telling of the story] with praise” (Mishna, Pesachim 10:4)1 As any good storyteller knows, your opening line, or the hook, draw in the listener. What is the beginning of the story? What is the גנות – the low point – of Jewish history?

The Talmud (Bavli, Pesachim 116a) debates this very question:

מאי בגנות?
רב אמר: מתחלה עובדי עבודת גלולים היו אבותינו.
ושמואל אמר: עבדים היינו.

What is the shame?
Rav said, “Our ancestors were idolaters (Joshua 24).”
Shmuel said, “We were slaves to Pharaoh (Deut 6:21).”

This disagreement between Rav and Shmuel has practical implications for how we conduct the Seder every year. When telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt, do we start from the book of Shemot or from the book of Bereishit? While this debate might be read on its surface as simply about Seder night, I would like to argue that a much deeper debate occurs at the same time. At some level, Rav and Shmuel can be understood to debate where Jewish history “really” begins. Does our story begin as a nation in Egypt or as a family in Israel?

…

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Coercion, Choice, Power and Consent – Purim and Sexuality

Coercion, Choice, Power and Consent – Purim and Sexuality

Gerard Hoet (Dutch, 1648–1733 The Hague) Moses protects the Jewish People from God’s revelation on Sinai

Introduction:

There are certain foundational rabbinic texts and images that take on a new, and sometimes alarming, meaning when read with twenty-first century eyes. It is important to relate to the texts of the Rabbis with great respect and even reverence. However, we must also be able to be honest when the rabbinic idiom no longer resonates.We will begin with a key Midrash about the nature of revelation which is often read and re-read around Purim and Shavuot. We will then move to a text about appropriate (and inappropriate) physical relationships between husband and wife.

The classic rabbinic read of the Song of Songs presents the relationship between God and the Jewish People as lover and beloved. That imagery is laced through the Midrash and the liturgy. At one level, that metaphor is beautiful, moving and inspirational. However, given the reality of abuse in marital relationships and the dangers associated with human sexuality, a piece of those images can be scary. We sing every Friday night about the connection of the lover and their beloved – לכה דודי לקראת כלה – but what happens when the lived partnership breaks down into a relationship of anger or, God forbid, violence. How might those people experience Kabalat Shabbat? …

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