Parshat Shavua Mishpatim, עבד "Evved," Slave or Just Employee?

 

פרשת משפטים Parshat Shavua Mishpatim

Shmot Chapter 21:1

"And these ae the laws..."

Parshat Shavua Mishpatim begins with laws about employment, the rights of the employee. OK, I know that everybody else translates עֶ֣בֶד as "slave." But last week as I read over the chapters before attending our local zoom parsha class, the meaning seemed very clear. The avaddim aren't slaves like the Africans who had been brought to America to work for the Europeans were until Abraham Lincoln had them freed. 

What's called the evved Ivri, Jewish/Hebrew slave wasn't a slave "imported" from another location bought at an auction or from some agent. He/She was someone who was poverty stricken and couldn't live off of his land. Remember that the Land of Israel had just been divided among the tribes, and each tribe had gotten its portion and each portion was to be divided among the clans. The laws here had been designed by Gd for the Jewish People in their Holy Land. I like to try to understand the Tanach and Hebrew according to how life was at the time.

Some of us have worked at jobs with difficult conditions. Many Sabbath observers who made it to America had to start new jobs every week, since they were automatically fired when they left early on Friday after announcing that they wouldn't be showing up on Saturday. I don't now about you, but employment conditions at some of my old jobs gave me a choice of very difficult hours/conditions or being fired. 

Few jobs allow employees to take vacation whenever they want and for however long they want. Keep that in your head when Moshe and Aharon demand that all the workers should leave at the same time.

And changing work conditions... I remember when the high school where I had been teaching English suddenly gave us fewer hours per week to teach the same material to the same number of students. After that they gave two double lessons on consecutive days instead of spreading out the teaching hours to give the students, especially my weak ones, a chance to really absorb the curriculum. Yes, that's like how Pharaoh told them to make bricks without providing the necessary straw.

Here Gd is demanding humane working conditions for employees. Proof that there's nothing slave-like in being an "evved" is that their employment contract is mandated by Gd to end after a maximum of six years. 

Think about it. That's not slavery!

Did Anyone Really Think Bibi Would Admit Guilt?

Just to make it very clear, I don't vote Likud, and I really felt that we needed a change in government. BUT the only moral turpitude I saw was the years long search for a crime to pin on then Prime Minister Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu.

Investigating a Prime Minister, or anyone, just to discover skeletons/crimes as a way to get him out of office is immoral.

In the Friday papers here in Israel there were articles claiming that the "plea deal" with Bibi to admit to some guilt and pledge to leave active politics for a set number of years was almost signed. A few hours ago I had wanted to write an article about the subject, but I couldn't find anything up-to-date. Then just a few minutes ago I did, Netanyahu rejects plea deal with clause that would ban him from politics.

I'm not surprised. I jut don't see much merit/justification in the cases against Netanyahu. I'm more bothered by how he and the chareidi parties had been manipulating the electoral system to stay in power perpetually sans coalition. That's neither democratic nor moral. But it's legal, technically at least. 

In the Jerusalem Post there's an opinion piece trying to guess why Prime Minister Naftali Bennett abstained on a vote about the investigation of Netanyahu, Why did Bennett avoid making a decision on Netanyahu probe? - analysis. I have a different read on Bennett's vote. Maybe he sees what I and others see, that targeted probes/investigations against government officials can be used against anyone when elections don't give the results certain powers want. The anti-Bibi faction failed at the ballots, so they tried a more devious method. Bibi's no Ehud Olmert, so things are far more complicated. 

I'm not going to try to predict what's going to happen. As far as I know, Binyamin Netanyahu isn't the type to cop a plea. He'll fight to the end.

MK Bibi Netanyahu in his previous time as Leader of the Opposition

COVID Corona Update-- Almost Two Years and...

The photo above shows people/cars gathered at the Shiloh COVID Corona testing site. 

getting COVID vaccine #4
aka booster #2

Numbers of "positives," whether with symptoms or asymptomatic are skyrocketing. I have my theories...

From what I understand most of the "positives" would never have gotten tested if the "law" hadn't demanded it. They had/have no symptoms. Here in Israel at least, many people need to be tested for work, studies, visiting the vulnerable, such as those in old age homes, or because they'd been identified as exposed to someone sick with COVID Corona.

This latest version of COVID Corona is much milder and less dangerous than the previous ones, otherwise the hospitals/healthcare system would have totally collapsed. I'm not surprised.

Epidemics like COVID Corona usually last about two years, and  it looks like the virus is getting less dangerous, though spreading easily.

IMHO we're getting to the time when the vaccine and booster will be recommended periodically, and COVID Corona will join the flu and common cold as part of life.

I also think that some of us will keep masking in public and closed places. It's a relatively easy precautionary measure against all air-borne viruses. 

What do you think?

Lighting Up The Nations, A Book Review

Lighting Up The Nations: Jewish Responsibility Towards the Nations Today and in the Messianic Era Edited by Rivkah Lambert Adler Ph.D is a fascinating and varied collection of essays about how Jews should react to Christian interest in the Jewish Bible and theology.

In the past half a century quite a number of Christians have begun to doubt their own theology. Careful reading of the Jewish Bible make it clear that their religion goes against basic principles, Saturday Sabbath and more. Even more confusing for them is the survival, growth and military victories of the State of Israel and the fact that the Jewish People have somehow gotten stronger after the Holocaust. Christian doctrine makes it clear that the Jewish People would cease to exist. But we haven't cooperated. Thank Gd we're thriving instead.

How are Jews supposed to react to Christians who want to ask us questions? The tradition response was that it's forbidden to enter such dialogues with Christians because they must certainly have an ulterior motive to convert us, Gd forbid. But now things are changing. There are rabbis and knowledgeable Jews willing to dialogue and even teach Noahide Laws and Jewish Thought to searching/curious Christians. This sometimes even results in Christians converting to Judaism.

As a forty year resident of Biblical Shiloh, I'd find it ironic that davka church groups from all over the world were enthusiastically flocking to Tel Shiloh, the site of the Biblical Tabernacle, when Jews were ignoring it. We used to host groups in our home and led them on tours of the ancient site. Every time I go for a swim in nearby Ariel I'm reminded of them,  because the swimming pool I go to in Ariel was funded by Christians in honor of Billye Brim, who had been a frequent guest of ours. 

The essays in Adler's Lighting Up The Nations were written by a number of people, not just Adler. I'm not listing my "favorites," because I highly recommend that one real all the chapters. Granted this isn't light reading, but each chapter contributes something important. Read at your own pace. 

Some chapters deal with Noahides, converts, Torah learning with Christians, and others correct the bad translations that Christians follow to reinforce their theology. Of course we shouldn't forget that quite a few Christians end up converting to Judaism as a result of their serious Bible studies.

I hope you get much out of Lighting Up The Nations, as I have.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Geula Watch Press (September 27, 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0999378937
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0999378939

Save The Date: Women's Rosh Chodesh Adar Alef Prayers

 

Since we're in the Jewish Month of Shvat, that means Adar is next. This year there will be two months of Adar, Alef and Bet. Adar is traditionally a month of joy, culminating in the Purim Holiday which will be in the middle of the second Adar.

Shiloh Hakeduma aka Tel Shiloh is the actual location of the Biblical Shiloh where the Tabernacle stood for almost four hundred 400 years predating Jerusalem as the Jewish Capital City. It was Shiloh where Jews came to pray, most notably Chana, who prayed for a son. Today Shiloh Hakeduma is a well-developed archeological site with activities suitable for all ages. You can easily spend the day there happily. For more information: call 02-5789122 Fax: 02-9948011 visit@telshilo.org.il

Join our Women's Rosh Chodesh Prayers. For more information shilohmuse@gmail.com. Subject: Rosh Chodesh

תפילת נשים

שילה הקדומה

ראש חודש אדר א

יום ג' 1\02\2022

ל' שבט תשפ"ב 

כולן מוזמנות

Scams...

There's no doubt that most of us would love to be lots more comfortable financially. And we'd love to do it without any effort. That's why so many people fall for scams which can cause them to lose money, or "just" infect their computers/smartphones with viruses. Before they check it out carefully or notice the damage, they've sent it to their groups and mailing lists. Sometimes, the virus even does that chore on its own.

Americans of my generation and older probably remember the very popular 1950s TV show "The Millionaire" which was about people who were suddenly given a million dollars, which bought a lot more than the sum would get you today, by an eccentric multi-millionaire who'd send his assistant off with a check... Not all of the recipients found their lives improved...

life-changing check- picture from Wikipedia

The Millionaire told the stories of Tipton's beneficiaries in flashback, as if from Anthony's case files. Each episode began with Anthony, behind his desk and looking directly into the camera, speaking one or another variation on this theme: 

My name is Michael Anthony, and until his death just a few years ago, I was the executive secretary to the late John Beresford Tipton. John Beresford Tipton, a fabulously wealthy and fascinating man, whose many hobbies included his habit of giving away one million dollars, tax free, each week—to persons he had never even met.  (read more in Wikipedia)

To prevent getting caught up in one of those scams, here are a few suggestions: 

1- businesses send legit messages/sales offers to members, so if you didn't get it directly from the business.... 

2- the first word in the code should be the name of the business and not "lottery," or something similar.

3- important motto: 

"If it sounds too good to be true... it's probably a scam."

Israel's Coalition: I See Good Things

To be very honest, nothing's perfect, and that includes politicians. Even though the Bennett-Lapid broad coalition doesn't have the exact policies I want, I still consider today's situation superior to the Bibi-chareidi mafia. 

Bibi and his cohorts were sure that they had found a way to stay in power forever. The Likud as the largest political party in the Knesset, along with the chareidim managed to prevent a coalition from wresting the rule from them. They had the country in a stranglehold for a few years. Since Bibi had led the last coalition as Prime Minister, he continued as caretaking or interim PM along with his mafia. Sorry, it may be legal but it's not the sign of a healthy democracy. I also opposed the massive street demonstrations against Bibi prior to the new coalition. That's mob rule, not law.

Then miraculously, Bennett, Lapid, Gantz, Saar and a few disparate parties pulled the rug out from under Bibi and his cronies. They decided to concentrate on what they agreed and formed a coalition. The foulmouthed sore-losers and the political pundits quickly predicted that the new government wouldn't last out the month, but half a year later they seem to be developing strong, stable sea legs...

One of the great standouts as a minister in the coalition is Matan Kahane, Minister of Religion. Way back when in the earlier decades of the State of Israel the NRP National Religious Party held that position. The religious establishment was more mamlachti, Zionist, Bnai Akiva, not chareidi. In more recent years as NRP's younger generation became more ideological and/or open to working with other groups, the party not only lost votes, but it lost its luster, attracting fewer and fewer potential leaders. Every few years the NRP hired a few "front man." Even Naftali Bennett played the role until he got tired of being a "figurehead," 

Today politically ambitious men in crocheted kippot and women in scarves and sleeves can be seen in almost all political parties.  As the NRP got weaker, it lost its leadership in the government's religious bodies, and the chareidim quickly stepped in. The NRP is no longer in the Knesset, and the rabbinate, kashrut and conversion are dominated by the chareidim. 

Matan Kahane in Shiloh, parlor meeting,
March, 2019

Back to Matan Kahane who was new to politics when I heard him at a parlor meeting here in Shiloh, March 2019. I was impressed then, and he hasn't disappointed me yet.

For decades I've been worried about the fact that the "national religious" Jews as a group have been considering themselves "second class," inferior Jews to the chareidim. I don't see chareidi lifestyle and religious "standards" as superior, more genuinely Jewish. And since the chareidim now control the Rabbanit it's only getting worse. 

Conversion to Judaism has become one of the more difficult issues, and I'm glad that Matan Kahane is working on that, plus kashrut.

For those who want to list the "bad" things the present government has done, it's just as easy to find examples of similar and worse done by Bibi. Do you really want Bibi and his mafia back in unlimited power?

Save The Date: Rosh Chodesh Shevat

Rain or shine we do our best to get to Shiloh Hakeduma Tel Shiloh for Women's Rosh Chodesh Prayers.

Shiloh is one of the rare Biblical sites which isn't debated. Today's Shiloh is the site location of the ancient one where the Holy Mishkan Tabernacle was located for almost four hundred years. The Mishkan predated the Holy Temple as the location for Jewish Prayer. And Shiloh predated Jerusalem as our holiest city as center for prayer. 

Chana's prayers for a son took place in Shiloh in the area where we pray. Her much awaited and prayed for son, Shmuel, was brought to Shiloh after being weaned. In Shiloh he was taught by the Priests and later became the transitional leader of the Jewish tribal nation.

Today the area of Ancient Biblical Shiloh is a wonderful archeological park with activities and exhibits for all ages. You can contact them for more information. 025789111, visit@telshilo.org.il Public transportation, any bus that stops at the Shiloh Junction and then a few minutes' walk.

Rosh Chodesh Shevat Women's Prayers

Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh

Monday 3/01/2022 8:30am, 1st of Shevat 5782

Everyone's Invited

Information: shilohmuse@gmail.com

ראש חודש שבט תפילת נשים

בשילה הקדומה

יום שני א' שבט תשפ"ב

3/01/2022 8:30 בבוקר

כולן מוזמנות

פרטים: shilohmuse@gmail.com

Parshat Shavua: Did Reuven Know What Happened to Yosef?

Last week after reading in Parshat Vayeshev I wondered if anyone ever told Reuven, Yaakov's first born son, what had happened to his young annoying brother Yosef. 

Yaakov, their father, had sent Yosef to visit with his older brothers, which didn't make them very happy. In reaction, Reuven tried to get him out of the way, to safety in his mind, by putting him in a waterless pit. Soon after Reuven had to leave the group for a short time. While he was away, at the instigation of Yehuda, they sold Yosef to passing merchants. When Reuven returned he was horrified to discover Yosef's disappearance, and then the other brothers quickly covered his special coat with blood to make it appear that he had been taken by a violent animal. Nothing is said to Reuven about what had really been done to Yosef. I began asking Tanach teachers if I had missed something. The only response:

 "Good question."

This Shabbat I very carefully read Parshat Mikeitz hoping for enlightenment. I found two verses in Chapter 42:

At this point, Yosef, disguised as an Egyptian, had insisted that if the brothers want to buy more necessary food in Egypt, they must return with their youngest brother, Binyamin. The brothers know that after the loss of Yosef, their father would never agree. In Bereishit 43:22 Reuven says that they're in this situation because of the blood of Yosef, whom he still thinks is dead: 

22: And Reuben answered them, saying, "Didn't I tell you, saying, 'Do not sin against the lad,' but you did not listen? Behold, his blood, too, is being demanded!" כב: וַיַּ֩עַן֩ רְאוּבֵ֨ן אֹתָ֜ם לֵאמֹ֗ר הֲלוֹא֩ אָמַ֨רְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶ֧ם | לֵאמֹ֛ר אַל־תֶּֽחֶטְא֥וּ בַיֶּ֖לֶד וְלֹ֣א שְׁמַעְתֶּ֑ם וְגַם־דָּמ֖וֹ הִנֵּ֥ה נִדְרָֽשׁ:

Reuven's conviction that Yosef had been killed is most probably behind his incomprehensible "pledge" to his father when trying to get permission to bring Binyamin to Egypt: 

37: And Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "You may put my two sons to death if I don't bring him (Benjamin) to you. Put him into my hand[s] and I will return him to you." לז: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר רְאוּבֵן֙ אֶל־אָבִ֣יו לֵאמֹ֔ר אֶת־שְׁנֵ֤י בָנַי֙ תָּמִ֔ית אִם־לֹ֥א אֲבִיאֶ֖נּוּ אֵלֶ֑יךָ תְּנָ֤ה אֹתוֹ֙ עַל־יָדִ֔י וַֽאֲנִ֖י אֲשִׁיבֶ֥נּוּ אֵלֶֽיךָ:

Reuven's offer to lose two sons was to parallel his father's loss. Obviously, Yaakov didn't accept the offer. What father/grandfather would. Afterwards he did accept Yehuda's pledge, though neither he nor Reuven had a clue that it was Yehuda who was the cause of Yosef's disappearance. 

Tom Hogan's "The Devil's Breath," A Real Cliffhanger

I read a lot of detective books, but I must admit that Tom Hogan's "The Devil's Breath" had me stumped. I hadn't a clue as to who the thief/murderer really was until it was revealed in the very last pages. Now if that isn't a recommendation, I don't know what is...

The Devil's Breath can be included in multiple genres, which is another great advantage of purchasing and reading it. As I said, it's a detective book, but it's also a noir thriller, historical fiction, most specifically Holocaust literature. It suits all ages, from teens to adults, including senior citizens like myself.

Someday you may see it as a movie, since The Devil's Breath was a finalist at the Napa Valley Film Festival and semi-finalist at the Austin Film Festival. Hogan did a good job trying to make Auschwitz realistic three generations removed from its horrors.

The mystery involves corruption among the Nazi administrators responsible for collecting gold from the Jewish victims of the gas chambers. Shimon and Perla Divko, an imprisoned Jewish couple, detective and investigator in their former lives, are reunited to discover who's been siphoning off some of the gold. They're given barely a week and no real tools to solve the mystery. Miraculously they succeed. The Devil's Breath's a great read.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tom Hogan (July 30, 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 274 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1736943618
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1736943618

November 2021 Jewish Book Carnival

Jewish Book Carnival Headquarters

I feel very privileged to be hosting this month's Jewish Book Carnival. I've received a great selection of links to blog posts about Jewish books. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since we're known as The People of The Book. 

The genre of Jewish Books has many subgenres fiction, biography, history, children's books and even poetry. Please click on the various reviews I've included to read them in their entirety and get to know the different contributing blogs. Contact carnival@jewishlibraries.org if you would like to host the Carnival on your blog. The December 2021 Jewish Book Carnival will be hosted by Mirta Ines Trupp . To participate, submit your blurb and link by December 11, 2021 to indieauthor4life@gmail.com and please include “Jewish Book Carnival” in the subject line. One link per participant is preferred.

Novelist Howard Jacobson is also quite the essayist; on My Machberet, Erika Dreifus spotlights his "Advice to a Jewish Freshman," recently published by Sapir Journal.

Chocolate and Talmud are featured in two new releases from Green Bean Books. Life Is Like a Library bakes boulou and reads the children's version of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza. 

This month on gilagreenwrites, author Evonne Marzouk talks "everyday" prophets, what it's like to be an outsider in Jewish life, and inspirational fiction. Marzouk's book is reviewed here.

Mirta Ines Trupp's latest novel, Celestial Persuasion, receives highly coveted praise from the Historical Fiction Company. Read the editorial review here.

On Mockdown Jersey, Guest Blogger Bubby relates how the race theory of the Nazis is recreated today in reverse. The blog post includes a Yiddish poem about a burning town. Bubby also quotes from the book The Trial of Adolf Hitler by David King.

The Book of Life Podcast interviews E. Lockhart about her graphic novel Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero, featuring a Jewish teen superhero with enhanced canine superpowers and a Great Dane sidekick named Lebowitz.

The brand new Nice Jewish Books podcast from the Association of Jewish Libraries, hosted by librarian Sheryl Stahl, has an interview with Mary Marks, author of a quilting mystery series featuring Jewish protagonist Martha Rose.

On her blog, Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, Deborah interviewed Moment magazine editor-in-chief Nadine Epstein about Epstein's new book, RBG's Brave and Brilliant Women: 33 Jewish Women to Inspire Everyone.

Tzivia in Adventures in MamaLand asks a good question: Are Jews an "underrepresented community" in children’s publishing?

The Association of Jewish Libraries blog announces that the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee is seeking new members.  

The Sydney Taylor Shmooze Mock Award Blog is happy to share November's posts, which include reviews of Jewish board books, picture books, middle grade books, and young adult books. 

Here on Shiloh Musings I reviewed Catherine Ehrlich's amazingly compelling biography about her grandmother, Irma's Passport: One Woman, Two World Wars, and a Legacy of Courage.

Last but not least, here's Ruti Eastman's Haikuchains That Kept Me Sane Through The Pandemic reviewed in haiku format on A Jewish Grandmother. 

Jewish Grandmothers
write haikus and shopping lists
gifts for the grandkids...