RABBINIC GEMS

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino. Ph.D

I belong to a unique rabbinic study group that meets online in the greater Boston area, religiously, every Monday morning, 10 am to 11.30 am. We have been doing this for a few decades. To my knowledge, there is nothing like this in the States. We rarely take a vacation. We are 11 retired Reform Rabbis, and  consider this endeavor as a sacred commitment. We are now studying Ruth Rabba, a 6th century CE rabbinic Midrash that comments line by line on the biblical book of Ruth. It was composed in Israel and written in mishnaic Hebrew as well as in Galilean Aramaic, and contains many Greek words.

 There are great gems in the text. Here are three examples:

1. Knowing how important it is to preserve a good reputation in life, the ancient Rabbis taught: “Praiseworthy is the person who has departed from this world with a good name.” (RR 2:7) After all, after we die that is all that matters.

2. Teaching appropriate behavior, they also stressed that “One engages in sexual  relations at night, not during the day.”(RR 2:16) Many would probably take exception to this teaching. I guess the Rabbis were concerned about issues of privacy.
3. Commenting on the biblical teaching that gives priority to a worthy life here on earth, as stated in Eccl. 9:14, “A live dog is better than a dead lion,” the ancient sages maintained that in this world one can, and should,  improve his/her lot but not after death, for it would be too late: They say, “in this world one who is a dog can become (as strong) as a lion, but in the world to come (namely, at the end of time after death), one who is a lion cannot become a dog, and anyone who is a dog cannot  become a lion.” (RR 3:2)

 These are sound teachings that are worth pondering.

 SSONSINO’S BLOG, rsonsino.blogspot.com

 

BIBLICAL HEROES: LEGENDS OR HISTORY?

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

 The Hebrew Bible mentions a number of people who led the Israelites during their peregrinations in the ancient Middle East. However, very few of these leaders are mentioned in other ancient Near Eastern texts. For example, no contemporary source, outside of the Bible, mentions Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, not even Moses or Solomon. These individuals appear as great heroes in the biblical narrative to whom miraculous feats were attributed. We can assume that they actually lived, even if we are left only with a biblical testimony. How reliable is this? Not much!

 On the other hand, we do have a few texts that come from the Hebrew Bible as well as other sources in the ancient Near East. Based on this duplication, we can convincingly maintain that these leaders did in fact existed. For example, the Mesha Stone (II K 3:4, 9^th cent. BCE), discovered in 1868 by F.A. Klein, a German missionary, and written in Moabite, clearly mentions king Omri of Israel (I K, 16:15-28, c.876-869 BCE) and the Israelite tribe of Gad. Similarly, the Annals of Shalmaneser III of Assyria (858-824 BCE), written in Akkadian, know of “Ahab, king of  Israel” (I K 16: 29-22:40; 869-850 BCE) as well as “Jehu, son of Omri” of Israel (843/2-815 BCE)  even though Jehu was not the son of Omri, nor his descendant. He was the son of Jehoshaphat (II K 9: 2) and a military commander who took over the kingdom in Israel.  We also have the Annals of Sennacherib (7^th cent. BCE), written in Akkadian, that refer to king “Hezekiah of Judah,” (II K 18: 1-20:21; 715-687/6 BCE). It is also most likely that “(Jeho)ram son of (Ahab), king of Israel”(II K 8: 25; c.849-842 BCE) and “(Ahaz)iahu, son of (Jehoram)” of Judah (II K 8: 16; c.843/2 BCE) are mentioned in Tel Dan Inscription- the text is however corrupt.  This monument was discovered by Avraham Biran in 1993, and written in Aramaic, probably by Hazael, ruler of Syria (842-800 BCE). Preserved in 13 lines, it celebrates his military victory over Israel and Judah. 

 What about King David? Well, Tel Dan inscription, in line 9, does mention BYTDVD, namely, “the house of David.” The implication is that if there was a “house of David,” there must have been a David as well. This is as far as we can go.

Up until now, it was claimed that even the Mesha Stone makes reference to  “the house of David” in line 31. However, in a recent article in the Biblical Archaeology Review of Spring 2023, the authors M. Richelle and A. Burlingame have raised serious objections to this identification. They say that “while the reading b(td)wd is not impossible, it remains purely hypothetical” (p. 570). The original text is not clear.

 Our biblical text contains much legendary material that was transmitted orally for many years before they were written down. Some of it is historical. Others are not but we continue to be inspired by their message, most of it positive, even if it is not always based on verifiable data.

 SONSINO’S BLOG, rsonsino.blogspot.com

 

 

A LIVING FUNERAL

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

 Now, that is an intriguing idea!

          Recently, a prominent Rabbi in Massachusetts died. His name was Harold Kushner. He was the author of a very popular book called, When Bad Things Happen to Good People (1981), which he wrote after the death of his son from progeria.  Agonizing over this tragedy, the author concluded that there is some randomness in the universe, which even God cannot control. Rabbi Kushner was eulogized by many people during his funeral. Obviously, he heard none of this.

          His death triggered an idea. Why wait until you pass on? Why not have a living funeral during which people can express their feelings and appreciations for you while you are around? The concept is not totally new: In a well-known book by Mitch Album, called Tuesdays with Morrie (1997), the protagonist, having attended a colleague’s funeral, feels depressed thinking that the deceased never get the opportunity to hear the good things said about them during funeral services. So, Morrie decides to have a “living funeral” which ends up being a great success. A woman even reads a poem about him that moves him to tears.

          Doing a bit of research on the subject, I discovered that the Japanese already have such a ceremony. It is called Seizenso, and is gaining great popularity. The first ceremony of this kind was held by the Japanese singer and actress Takiko Mizunoe in 1992 and was broadcast on TV to great fanfare. Similar practices are now found in South Korea and other places, even in Scotland.

          Would you hold a living funeral for yourself? Some people would say, it is selfish and reeks of self-aggrandizement. On the contrary, I would argue that this may be a great opportunity for the celebrant to read his will, both financial or ethical, and share it with all the attendees.

          If you feel this does not ring right for you, then, may I suggest that, while you are alive and well, you should thank people who have influenced you and sustained you in good times and bad. Albert Schweitzer once said: “Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within is.”  You will feel good about it, and your mentor will smile and feel appreciated.

 SONSINO’S BLOG, rsonsino.blogspot.com

SPINOZA AND GOD

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

Recently I have been re-reading Spinoza’s Ethics. The more I read it, the more I like it.

          Baruh Spinoza was a Dutch Jew, born in Amsterdam in 1632. He was a philosopher who read Scriptures critically, and got into trouble with the Jewish community, which actually banned him from the synagogue.

          I consider Spinoza to be a God-intoxicated person. He did not believe in a theistically defined God as a Person who created the universe and humanity. In his book, Ethics, written in Latin between 1661 and 1675, and published posthumously in 1677, he defines God as “an absolute infinite being of whom no attribute expressing the essence of substance can be denied” (Proof to Proposition 14). God “necessarily exists”, and “there is no other substance but God.” Very often, Spinoza equates God with Nature. This God “ acts solely from the laws of its own nature,” (Prop. 1/17) “Whose existence and essence are one and the same.” (Prop. 1/ 20). God is not the “creator” of the universe because God and the universe are one and the same thing.

          According to Spinoza, God acts by necessity and not with free will. God does not “hear” our prayers or respond to them. God does not reward or punish individuals. He would say, God was not responsible for the Holocaust or other calamities that befell humanity. God simply is. The laws of nature are an expression of God. I love that. It is so rational. And it resolves the age old problem of evil. (If God is all-powerful and all-good, why is there evil in the world?)

          It is not very clear why the leaders of the Jewish community of Amsterdam excommunicated him, at the age of 23, on July 27,1656, on account of his “wicked ways, “abominable heresies” and “monstrous deeds.” (Quotes from the Edict of Excommunication). At the time, he was only a small businessman. True, he did not believe in a theistically defined God or that the soul is immortal. The harshness of the decree is still puzzling.

          Attempts to rescind the edict has failed. In fact, recently in Nov. 2021, Yitzhak Melamed, a Spinoza scholar and a Prof. of philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, who wanted to create a film about Spinoza, was denied entry into the Amsterdam synagogue attended by Spinoza in the past, on the basis that “the ban (against Spinoza) remains in force for all time and cannot be rescinded.”(Quote from a letter written by Rabbi Joseph Serfaty, on behalf of the Jewish community in Amsterdam).

          This is sad and unacceptable. Spinoza’s work will continue to influence many, as it did in my case. My religious philosophy is in line with his thinking. (See, my new book, co-edited with R. Agler, A God We Can Believe In). Spinoza died in 1677 at the age of 44. May his memory be a blessing.

SONSINO’S BLOG, rsonsino.blogspot.com

 

 

 

ANOTHER BIBLE TRANSLATION: THE LATIN VULGATE

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D.

 The term Vulgate, often abbreviated as Vg, comes from the Latin, vulgatus, meaning “commonly known.” It is the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church.

 In 382 CE, Pope Damasus I , commissioned Jerome (born as Eusebius Sophronius Hieronimus, in Dalmatia, Croatia, 340 or 342 CE), his secretary, to produce an authoritative version of the Bible in Latin. Jerome did this in stages. After he moved to Bethlehem, he first translated the New Testament, using the Septuagint, namely, the Greek version of the Bible,  and then, having studied with many Hebrew tutors, he translated many books of the Hebrew Bible from the Hebrew original.  At the beginning, his renditions were not universally accepted but in 1546, the Council of Trent, the ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, declared the Vg to be the exclusive Latin text of the Bible for the Catholic Church. In 1965 a commission was established  by the Vatican Council to revise the Vg, and the new version was published in 1979, called Nova Vulgata.

 The Vg contains the Hebrew Bible , the New Testament and the Apocrypha. It has been very influential in the history of Bible translations. Like other versions, however, it reflects the thinking and style of its time.

For example, when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai holding the two tablets of the Law, the Hebrew Bible reads, “the skin of his face shone (Ex 34: 29).” The Hebrew is, QARAN  OR PANAV. When Jerome translated this verse, he used the expression, cornuta esset facies, literally, “his face was horned.” Based on this rendering, the famous Italian sculptor and painter, Michelangelo (1475-15640, placed two horns on Moses’ face, in his famous sculpture found in the Church of St. Peter- in- Chains of Rome. Many readers, even today, think that Moses had horns! In our time, some anti-Semites even believe that Jews have horns. But, as Lee M. Jefferson, in his recent article in the Biblical Archaeology Review  (Spring 2023, p. 59)  stated that , “It is debatable whether Jerome had any malicious intent in using the word cornuta (“horned”), but it seems unlikely.” He probably used the best Latin word of his time to indicate that Moses was glorified after meeting God.

 The Italians have an expression, traduttore, traditore, meaning, that every translator is like a traitor who does not reflect the real meaning of the original text. The same applies to contemporary readers. If they have a negative view of the Jews, they see horns; if they have a positive attitude toward Jews, they see glory!

 SONSINO’S BLOG, rsonsino.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Co[author, available for lectures and presentations. 

PASSOVER; THEN AND NOW

 

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

This year, on Wednesday night, April 5, 2023, Jews all over the world will begin to celebrate the festival of Passover with a ritualized meal called Seder, a Hebrew word meaning “order” that refers to the order of the prayers that are recited and the symbolic foods that are eaten prior to a fancy meal. The purpose of the Seder is to tell the story of the liberation of the Israelites from the Egyptian slavery in biblical times.

Passover is a popular family holiday, primarily observed in the home. Its history, however, is complicated and its celebration varies around the Jewish world.

Here are some facts about Passover:

1.The festival appears to be a combination of two different holidays: Hag ha-Pesah (“Pascal Offering” Ex.34:25), reflecting a nomadic life-style, and Hag Ha-Matzot (“The Festival of Unleavened Bread” Lev. 23:5), representing a sedentary society. After these two were combined, it was historicized and celebrated as the exodus from ancient Egypt. In Biblical times, Passover was one of the three pilgrimage festivals (to Jerusalem); after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, it became a home festival.

2. Jewish lore also reflects two different traditions, one that knows of Egypt as a place where Israelites were mainly “sojourners” (gerim, in Hebrew, Ex.22:20), living the good life, and another that stresses the liberation from the Egyptian slavery (Ex.20:2).

3. It is not clear how the Israelites got out of Egypt. Some say all Israelites left as a group, others say that the exodus took place over a long period of time. Furthermore, it is impossible that a group of 70 individuals who entered Egypt with the patriarch Jacob (Gen.46:27), would end up , in about four generations, as a group numbering millions (Ex.12:37).

4. During the recitation of the story at home (Hagaddah), Moses, the great liberator, is mentioned only once.  Maybe because of the fear that Moses could be given all the glory, and even deified, whereas in Jewish tradition only God is viewed as being responsible for the redemption of the people.

5. One of the prohibitions during Passover is not to eat hametz (“leaven”) for seven days . Instead, one must consume Matzah, unleavened bread. The biblical rationale is that the Israelites left Egypt in haste and prepared unleavened cakes instead (Ex. 12: 19). In reality, this type of unleavened bread was consumed by the farmers who are in the field during the spring harvest.

In addition to this prohibition, there is the custom among many eastern European Jews not to eat rice or eat different types of legumes (kitniyot), or grains that can ferment ,such as wheat, oats, rye, barley or spelt. On the other hand, Sefardic Jews, like me,  have no problem eating these food items during Passover. Now, there are a number of rabbinic responsa that allow Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist Jews to eat all types of legumes.

6. In Israel, Passover is celebrated, as the Bible commands, for seven days (Ex. 23:14); outside of Israel, following the rabbinic teaching, it is kept for eight days. In Reform Judaism, however, the practice is to follow Israeli custom and keep Passover for seven days

7. Finally, it must be stressed that the “last supper” of Jesus (Mark, 14:25), though taking place during Passover, was not a Passover Seder, because the Seder, as it is celebrated today, is a Rabbinic creation that did not exist during the life of Jesus.

Have a great Passover

SONSINO’S BLOG rsonsino.blogspot.com