For the two classes I taught today, I utilized the teachings of the innovative Tanakh scholar, Rabbi Mordechai Breuer. In Yeshivat Har Etzion (a.k.a. Gush), Rabbi Breuer taught a weekly class for many years - I attended for part of a year - until he died a couple of years ago.
The Gush students called his approach "Shitat ha'bechinot," the "Aspects approach."
Rabbi Breuer approached all Torah texts from a very critical view (perhaps inspired by Biblical criticism), but maintained his stance that the Torah is from God and Sinai, and that there is depth to the Torah beyond simplified and "write-off" answers that may or may not be on target, at times are just cute, or don't satisfy his questions.
He would often focus on the name of God, in the form of אלקים (Elokim), or in the form of יקוק (Shem havaya, a.k.a. the Tetragrammaton) to explain how some things are written invoking one name of God, and therefore one aspect of God's goodness, versus when the choice is made to use the other name of God.
The classic example cites the two accounts of creation, Genesis 1 (Elokim) and Genesis 2 (Shem havaya).
Noach
A simple glance through chapters 6 and 7 demonstrate a clear separation between Noach being instructed by Elokim and Noach being instructed by Shem Havaya. Many of the descriptions and instructions are repeated. For example: the sin of humanity and their punishment, that Noach was righteous, that all animals and humans not on the ark will die, that the animals on the ark will be saved, that the people and animals entered the ark, that all the people and animals in the world did, in fact, die during the flood, to leave the ark, the promise of the covenant.
The questions and contradictions can be resolved with an open heart, and an open mind to a new idea, that challenges the method of traditional thinking, but remains steadfastly loyal to the traditions, and mesorah.
Ultimately, God judged the world using both of his attributes: mercy/compassion and judgment.
The two interplay in the way the Noach story plays out, through the way the flood happened (rain or flooding of waters of the deep), the animals came to the ark (were they gathered by Noach or did they come 'on their own' at God's direction), and ultimately how God created the covenant he shares with humanity not to destroy the world through rain.
Dispersion
The episode of the dispersion, in light of Rabbi Breuer's teachings and method, is one of the most fascinating in all of the Torah. 9 verses long, it contains immeasurable depth, and a powerful, timeless message of Jewish survival.
He divides the beginning verses of chapter 11 into two depictions of attempts at creating a national unity.
* Natural - people who move together to establish an area they can call their own (like the Mormons did once upon a time, or like Indian tribes did when threatened, or when circumstances dictated the need to move - both my examples)
* Un-natural - people who by dint of living in one land, or under one rulership, and sharing a same language, are defined as being united. (Think of any civilization that tried to colonize the world, only to have the colony become its own country one day)
How he divides the terms in the verses is a subject of a longer study, but essentially he says the former group was determined by their concerns of being spread across the land, while the latter group was concerned with making themselves a name and building a city and tower because they were already one group who needed to assert themselves.
Ultimately, Rabbi Breuer is aware that the two accounts are intermixed and intermingled, which is why he does not say they were two groups. The Torah is giving us two accounts of people trying to achieve something in a manner which is unpleasing to God.
They are both punished measure for measure - the ones who thought they were united based on their common language had their languages changed. The ones who were attempting to affirm their unity lest they be spread across the world were spread across the world.
Rabbi Breuer's conclusion is solid gold.
The natural separation and division into nationalities and languages is the way of the world. You can't put people into a box and expect them to follow it. [This is one of the triumphant nods to liberty versus tyranny in the Bible.]
When you take people and separate them, they lose their original language, they lose their original nationality and they take on the traits of the places to where they move.
Unless there is something greater which binds them, which goes above simple geographical commonality.
In the case of Judaism, which has defied these rules at all odds, we have the Torah which binds us, and a national unity which forever yearns for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, no matter how far away we are and how comfortable we are in the places we live.
The Dispersion crowd wanted to build a tower to reach the heavens for whatever reason. The Jews build a Temple in Jerusalem as a "tower" but not to reach God, but for God to come down to us. It is not to make a name for ourselves, but to make a name for God.
That is the essence of that our experience. That is the essence of the brotherhood of the Jewish people.
p.s. For more on this subject, please see my article in the Jewish Star from last year
No comments:
Post a Comment