Monthly Archives: December 2020

by Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo

In memory of Steve Rosen z’l, Toronto

The Second Temple and “Pan Halacha”

In my last essay I tried to analyze the underlying reasons for an ongoing global crisis facing us, of which the COVID-19 is not the cause, but merely a powerful symptom.

It is now our task to see what can be done to rectify this situation. But first, we’ll need to identify some other major problems. Let us start by going back into history.

With the destruction of the second Temple, Judaism lost its direction and began to become artificial.[1] This was both a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because Judaism was able to disconnect itself from a priestly religion, symbolized by highly formalistic laws in with little spiritual content. These laws featured in the second Temple service, but their impact was felt far beyond the Temple itself.

However, the downside was that with the destruction of the second Temple, the last memory of the first Temple was lost. In contrast to the second Temple, the first had been highly spiritual (although even at the time, people were not free from occasional idol worship). As long as the second Temple was around, it still reminded people of the glorious days of the first Temple, and of a world that no longer existed.

The Judaism of the first Temple far surpassed the world of strict halachic conformity, obligation, and observance, which Abraham Joshua Heschel used to call “Pan Halachic Judaism,” i.e. a Judaism which consists of Halacha to the exclusion of all else.

In the first Temple, the rituals showed spiritual authenticity and a very strong awareness of God’s presence, the “hashra’at hashechina”. A deeply religious awesomeness was felt everywhere. This was embodied by the Ark of the Covenant, which was found in the Holy of Holies. Also placed in this holiest space were the Tablets of Stone, the vessel filled with mannah, and Aron’s staff. In addition, the “shemen hamischah”, anointing oil was still available, as was the “Choshen”, the breastplate of the High Priest, with its different prophetic stones (the Urim Ve Tumim). In this Temple the holy fire from heaven, which was never extinguished, could be seen by everybody. According to the Talmud, the first Temple included many daily miracles. When human beings entered the Temple they were lifted up and found themselves in another spiritual realm, in which the law of the Torah was pervasive, but not all-encompassing.

All these phenomena were absent from the second Temple. Above all the Ark of Covenant, the central focus of the Temple, seems to have been entirely missing.[2]

In fact, the observance of the Torah’s laws was always meant to increase the awareness of God’s presence in very real terms, and as such they reinforced the nearly tangible presence of God. But they could never replace Him. There was a careful balance between Law, ritual, and spirit. God’s presence was so overwhelming, and created such an outburst of authentic religiosity, that ritual behaviorism was nearly impossible.

Genuine religiosity was the very breath that people breathed in those days. God took up all of space. His existence was found and experienced everywhere—in the sun, the wind, in the growing flower, in the creeping insect, in the totality of nature, and in the universe at large.

With the destruction of the second Temple, even the memory of this worldview was lost. Not only were the Jews exiled when the second Temple was destroyed, but the very spirit of Judaism was severely compromised. It was also the very moment when the first signs of a process of secularization set in.

The Withdrawal of God

After the destruction of the second Temple and the exile of the Jews, God was no longer experienced as an “active” Participant as He had been in the earlier periods. It was as if He had withdrawn and grown silent. He was there, but only at a distance. His hand was no longer seen in real events.

To preserve Judaism under those circumstances became a major problem for the sages. They realized that something else had to take the place of God’s missing Presence, something that would remind people of His existence. What was left of the earlier days were the rituals, the laws and customs, and so the sages focused on all these, elaborating on them until all that was left were the “four amot”—the four cubits—of the Halacha” (Berachot 8a).

And so Judaism, out of sheer necessity, changed direction and became overwhelmingly halachic. This was really a rescue operation by the sages, and it worked to a great extent for the last two thousand years while the Jews were living in Galut. It succeeded in keeping Judaism alive among the gentile nations, but the price was high. With its lack of “active” participation by God, the deep, nearly tangible awareness of His overwhelming presence was absent—or at least diminished—and so it lost much of its grandeur. God no longer spoke to His people and open miracles ceased to take place.

This was a serious tear in the fabric of Judaism. And it is this “torn” Judaism that we know today. It is built on foundations which are really compromises of what was once a full and vibrantly spiritual Judaism—a Judaism in which God played an overwhelming role and in which His hand was seen everywhere, a Judaism in which the Halacha played an important but much humbler role. While in the earlier days, God stood at the center of Judaism, in later days it was the Halacha that served as the centerpiece.

And, as I mentioned, this withdrawal of God introduced the first signs of secularism. Why God “decided” to withdraw is a matter of crucial importance for any modern Jewish “theology”, which we need to discuss another time. It looks as if God wanted human beings to find Him on their own, not by offering them His presence, but by their search for Him. But for a great number of Jews, this Divine appeal was too much to handle, and the first signs of a decrease in religiosity slowly entered their lives.

Heilgeschichte and The Lack of Prophecy

But the biggest problem in all this was that Judaism lost one its most important components: Prophecy—and with it the teaching of the Nevi’im (prophets) and their message.

With the destruction of the Temple, the era of the prophets came to an end, and Judaism was robbed of one its most important voices. As long as the prophets were around, the word of God was heard at every street corner via the mouth of these unusual men and women. In the days of the first Temple and before, there were hundreds of prophets (only the most important ones are mentioned in Tanach). In nearly every city there were prophets, and they were the spokesmen/women of God. They placed God in the middle of history, they explained the meaning of what was happening, what God was trying to tell them, and what the future could bring. They made sure that God stayed the “God of History” as He always had been.

The prophets also showed the “Heilgeschichte” (salvation history), the redemptive role of God in the events of history—both Jewish and non-Jewish. They revealed how history would, despite its ups and downs, eventually bring humankind to a spiritual climax in the messianic age.

This was different from Halacha, which, at least as far as its foundations were concerned, was “constant” and could not be changed, and was therefore a-historical. This was its power, but also its weakness. Since Halacha had to remain eternal, it could never be really redemptive.

On the other hand, the concept of redemptive history needs to take place in history. Otherwise it cannot be redemptive. This teaching was the main concern of the prophets. This was important because the Jewish people were constantly confronted with new conditions for which guidance was needed. Halacha could not provide this guidance, since its eternity and constancy meant that it could not really adapt.

The destination may not change but the road to this destination constantly moved—and still moves—often setting up unexpected conditions. What this means in real terms is that there are crucial issues in this world which are not halachic, but concern the spirit, the grand view of Judaism, its inner workings, its universal mission, its raison d’etre. Not how to behave while traveling but what is the nature of the road itself upon which we travel toward our destination. It was the task of the prophets to make this known, both on a particularistic Jewish level and universal level for all of humanity.

No halachic work has ever dealt with this, and consequently there is no place in the Shulchan Aruch (the codex of Jewish law) that deals with any of these issues. There is not a word about the mission of the Jewish people, its dreams, its view of the future world, its wonderful spiritual music, its sense of Tikkun Olam (the mending the world), etc.

Ultimately, out of sheer necessity, also caused by the exile of the Jews, it led to the codification of Halacha which it made it even more static.

The Tragedy of An Amputated Judaism

The voice of the prophets, with their universal moral religious message, has been lost. What this means is that Judaism has undergone an amputation; instead of walking on two legs, Prophecy and Halacha, it now only walks on one leg, Halacha. This also meant that the Halacha itself was misunderstood, since, as we shall see later, it should heavily rely on the prophetic voice to give it its very spirit and motivation. Because of the absence of prophecy, this spiritual component is missing or overlooked in the day-to-day experience of the sages and halachists.

As such “prophetic Judaism” was pushed back and ceased to exist, and conventional Judaism became a standard and predictable religion. And so it lost its illustrious universal impact and could no longer play a role in the spiritual progress of all of humankind. It became a one-sided, amputated religion, which was only able to secure the survival of Judaism in a limited way, and only for Jews.

This lack of the prophetic voice has given rise to a global spiritual crisis. The reality of this crisis became evident with COVID-19 not only because of the resulting medical crisis, but because the world was turned on its head on all levels: economic, psychological, educational, political, and religious. The very foundations of our society have been challenged as never before. Our happiness, family life, the future of our children, and so much more have all been undermined. For years we’ve denied the effects of climate change, the obsession with meat consumption, over-expenditure, child-abuse, discrimination of women (in and outside Judaism), and now we find ourselves with nearly unsolvable problems on all fronts.

All this is due, we believe, to the lack of the prophetic dimension.

Those who believe that with the vaccination of all of humankind against the current pandemic, everything will be fine are, once again, making a huge mistake. The vaccinations—while necessary—will be in some sense treating the symptom rather than the cause.

What we need is a drastic and far reaching change of attitude towards life itself and its purpose. We need to learn what real happiness is really about, what genuine religion is trying to teach Jews and gentiles. We must find a way back to prophetic Judaism, even when there are (at least not yet) no prophets to be found.

This is far from an easy undertaking, especially while living in a secular world (which itself is the result of the lack of prophecy .) But we will have to see what our options are, a task that I will attempt to tackle in the next essay.

With thanks to Yael Shahar and Yehudah DovBer Zirkind for their editorial and informational comments.

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Notes:

[1] The truth is that some commentaries, such as Ovadya Sforno (Italy,1470-1550), are of the opinion that even the Tent of Meeting in the days of the Torah itself was already an artificial reflection of real Judaism. This would have been true of the first and, even more so, the Second Temple (See for example Sforno’s commentary on Vayikra: 11.2). See also my book, Jewish Law as Rebellion, A Plea for Religious Authenticity and Halachic Courage, Urim Publications, Jerusalem/New York, 2018, chapter 18.

[2] Not everything is clear concerning the exact details of both Temples and the differences between them. Here are some sources: Yoma, 21b, 52b, 53b ; 73b Yerushalmi, Taanit, second Perek; Pirke Avot, 5:5; Yerushalmi, Bava Batra 6:2; Tosefta, Sota 13:2, Rambam, Hilchot Kle HaMikdash, Chapter 10. Several commentaries are not in an agreement concerning the correct interpretation of these sources.

As taken from, Thought to Ponder: The Upcoming Post Corona Crisis – Part 3 (campaign-archive.com)

I never know what will happen in the future. Will I stay stable? Will I become manic?

by Elisheva Markovitz

For years, whenever I’d see people struggling with obvious mental illnesses, I couldn’t relate to their struggles. There was this huge line that divided me from them: I was normal and they weren’t.

Until I ended up on the other side of the line.

It started when I was 27, married with two kids. Life was busy but manageable. Then things started to change. I started having sleep problems, and I began feeling low, depressed. I tried to do everything I could to get myself back together, but nothing helped.

Then I found out about a workshop being given by an author I liked and decided I was going to attend, despite my struggles, despite the fact it was across the country in California. I barely slept over the course of the workshop. The kosher food was inedible, and I hardly ate. Yet by the end of the workshop, I was feeling happy and connected to others — which in retrospect, didn’t make any sense.

I’m usually very organized, but when I got to the airport, I went to the wrong gate and missed my flight. At the wrong gate, they were getting ready to board another flight to New York, so I spent $500 on a new flight, instead of going to the correct gate and waiting for another flight. I rationalized it by telling myself that I was going to be really successful and wealthy.

On the way home, I spent the entire five-hour flight writing in my diary, trying to process everything I’d learned. But when I later looked back in my diary, nothing I’d written made any sense.

When I got home, my mind was racing. I told my husband to drop off my kids at my in-laws — I intuitively knew it wasn’t a good idea for me to be around them. After a day or two, I started having chest pains. I thought I was having a heart attack and called 911. I’m naturally a quiet person, but when the police came, I started yelling because they weren’t taking me seriously. The police handcuffed me and brought me to a psych unit.

I looked around at the other patients in the ward. What am I doing here? I’m normal, they’re not.

I was very agitated and restless, and was having extremely unpleasant thoughts. I was injected with a strong medication called Haldol. I slept for 20 hours and woke up feeling more like myself.

They brought me to another psych unit where I stayed for the weekend. The nurses kept trying to convince me that I had bipolar disorder, but I didn’t believe them. I thought it was just sleep deprivation. I went home and back to my life.

After two weeks, I started having trouble sleeping again. I thought I had to go to a different state and nurse my newborn niece. I was brought to the hospital by Hatzalah. But at the hospital, I spent two weeks avoiding my meds, drinking nonstop, and showering endlessly. Some of the night staff at the hospital was mean, and it was difficult dealing with them, even when I felt better. I realized the only way I could get out of the hospital was by taking medication. The medication helped me, and after three-and-a-half weeks, I was discharged.

I went back to my normal life, but everything was different. My life now involved trips to the psychiatrist, medication, and a great need for sleep. I was embarrassed of what I’d done during my manic episode. I felt like I’d lost touch with who I was.

It took time for me to accept my diagnosis. Years.

Now, nine years later, I’ve not only accepted my condition, I’ve embraced it. I’ve come to realize that I received a special gift. The gift came unexpectedly. It wasn’t wrapped. As I got to know it better, I came to understand it.

True, my life is different now. I’ve been in and out of hospitals. I take medication three times a day and see my psychiatrist regularly. It’s hard. It’s hard knowing that I may not always be able to control myself. It’s hard knowing that some people wouldn’t accept me if they knew I had bipolar. It’s hard looking for a job in the mental health field when you have a mental illness.

I think back to the time when I didn’t know what depression felt like, when all I experienced was occasional sadness. I remember when I’d go to weddings and stay late dancing. Now I have to be so careful with my sleep that staying out late is unfathomable.

I used to worry about taking any pills, even Tylenol. Now I take nine pills a day. One of the pills I take causes acne, as well as liver, kidney, and thyroid problems. It also causes me to eat more than I want to. I used to be really creative, I wrote well, and could come up with creative ideas easily. Now I struggle to write occasionally. My memory and concentration used to be strong. Now I struggle to remember names, and sometimes have difficulty completing tasks.

But I’ve learned that everything in life is a gift. Hashem gives and takes away gifts at will. If I’m unable to be as creative as I used to be, then Hashem doesn’t need that. If I can’t concentrate on things, Hashem doesn’t expect more than that.

I’m grateful we’ve found a medication that has kept me stable. I’m grateful my husband has stood by me though everything — even when I was slightly manic and decided I wanted to get divorced. I’m grateful for the therapy that has helped my children process everything.

Bipolar has taught me how to live my life. I’ve become stronger and more understanding of others. Yes, it’s hard to struggle, but struggling gives me stamina. Living with bipolar has increased my bitachon. While I know that the medication I take comes with side effects, Hashem runs the world, and He’ll decide what will happen to me.

Bipolar has taught me to take care of myself: going to sleep early, taking my medication, trying to eat right. Those are great lessons for life, and we all learn them eventually. I just got to learn them faster than most people.

I never know what will happen in the future. Will I stay stable? Will I become manic? Every day is a new learning experience, every obstacle a lesson. I know there will be more challenges in the future. But I also know that — with G-d’s help — I can handle whatever comes up. I’ve learned to find serenity in the unknown.

Nine years ago, I received a gift. Sometimes I don’t want it. Sometimes I can almost forget I have it, but sometimes it’s raw and seems ugly. But it’s a gift, nonetheless.

Elisheva can be contacted through Family First.

Please don’t say

“I’m manic” when you’re describing yourself as hyper. Mania is not feeling hype; it’s out of a person’s control.

“I know exactly how you feel.” I appreciate that you’re trying to be understanding, but unless you have bipolar, you probably don’t know what it feels like.

“Snap out of it.” If I could, I would, but I can’t control my disorder. I’m trying my best to deal with it.

It helps if you say

“I’m happy to talk if you need someone to listen.”

“I’m amazed at your strength and how you deal with this nisayon.”

“I love and respect you just as much now that I know that you have bipolar.”

“Tell me more about what it’s like to have bipolar”

“How can I help?”

I wish people knew that

I can handle just as much as other people when my mood is stable.

Psych units are not bad. I’ve connected to wonderful people in hospitals, and met amazing nurses.

Some of my friends who have bipolar are the most “normal” people I know.

I don’t consider myself worse off than someone who doesn’t have bipolar disorder.

As taken from, Bipolar Disorder – Mishpacha Magazine

Una visión en profundidad del emperador greco-sirio en la historia de Hanukkah.

POR EL RABINO PAUL STEINBERG

En 175 a.e.c., en medio de un gran malestar sociopolítico un nuevo gobernante, Antíoco IV, ascendió al trono de Greco-Siria. Como lo hicieron muchos gobernantes, añadió el título Epífanes (“Dios Manifiesto”) a su nombre; pero mucha gente se refirió a él en cambio como Antiochus Epimames (“El loco”).

Inmediatamente después de asumir el poder, decidió perseguir la conquista de Egipto, que ningún otro rey seléucida había podido lograr. Los romanos avanzaban hacia el este expandiendo su imperio. Si Antíoco pudiera conquistar y anexar Egipto, el tamaño y el poder de su reino aumentaría considerablemente y los romanos podrían ser resistidos.

Pero antes de hacerlo, tendrá que estabilizar su propio país y consolidar el apoyo político uniendo los dispares elementos culturales, sociales y religiosos. Bajo Alejandro Magno, la helenización había sido un movimiento que todavía dejaba espacio para la diversidad cultural; bajo Antíoco, la helenización tenía la intención de dar un gran paso para convertirse en el agente del totalitarismo cultural.

La relación de Antíoco con los judíos

Los judíos observaban objetivamente la estrategia de la helenización de Antíoco. Éste comprendió que para finalmente tener éxito en Egipto, tendría que interrumpir la influencia de los judíos dentro de sus territorios. Decidió intervenir en el sacerdocio de Jerusalén reemplazando a Onías III, el último Kohen Gadol (sumo sacerdote), por el hermano de Onías, Joshua, quien era leal a los griegos. Joshua se convirtió en sumo sacerdote e inmediatamente cambió su nombre a Jason.

Hasta cierto punto, el plan de Antíoco funcionó. Jason se sometió a la voluntad del rey y ayudó a implementar la nueva doctrina totalitaria. Jerusalén se convirtió en una pequeña versión de Antioquía, repleta con un gimnasio donde los judíos Kohanim a menudo practicaban desnudos los deportes griegos. Mientras tanto, el rey Antíoco tuvo acceso al tesoro del templo para ayudarse a financiar la campaña militar con la intención de conquistar a Egipto.

Todas estas actividades alimentaron la incansable ira de los piadosos campesinos judíos, que se enfurecieron aún más cuando Antíoco permitió que Menelao, un tobiado, comprara el puesto de Kohen Gadol. Estaban indignados de que esta posición sagrada, por la que Menelao había superado a Jason, estuviera en venta. Pero para empeorar las cosas, los Tobiados ni siquiera eran descendientes de Aarón, el hermano de Moisés y el ancestro tradicional de todos los Cohanim.

Como condición para su nombramiento, Menelao había prometido que aumentaría los ingresos fiscales. Cuando no lo hizo, fue llamado a comparecer ante el rey. En su ausencia, Menalao dejó a su hermano Lisímaco como Sumo Sacerdote interino. Lisímaco aprovechó esta oportunidad para despojar al Templo de muchos de sus vasos sagrados, acción que provocó protestas y disturbios en las calles, durante los cuales los partidarios de Jasón (aun conociendo todas sus faltas) combatieron a los partidarios de Menelao.

Expansión en Oriente Medio

Mientras tanto, después de una decisiva batalla en 169-8 a.e.c., Antíoco estuvo a punto de anexar Egipto a Siria. Siin embargo, el ejército romano continuaba avanzando victorioso hacia el este. Con su mirada puesta en Egipto, Roma advirtió a Antíoco que no expandiera su reino en esa dirección. Antíoco no era lo suficiente-mente poderoso como para desafiar al poderoso Imperio Romano; y al ver frustradas sus ambiciones de conquista, se tornó más agresivo con las personas a las que ya gobernaba.

Mientras Antíoco estaba en una de sus campañas militares, Jasón había logrado recuperar Jerusalén de manos de Menelao, una victoria basada en el rumor de que Antíoco estaba muerto. Pero no pudo tomar el control del gobierno y se vio obligado a huir. Antíoco, furioso con la rebelión, regresó a Jerusalén, mató a miles de personas y reinstaló a Menelao. Una vez Antíoco partió escuchó que había estallado una segunda rebelión, entonces decidió prohibir el judaísmo. Entre las prácticas prohibidas estaban el rito de la circuncisión, el estudio de la Torá y el cumplimiento de kashrut (leyes dietéticas judías).

En el Templo Sagrado de los Judíos, colocó una estatua de Zeus, el dios que creía se manifestaba en él, y sacrificó cerdos en el altar. Despojó al templo de sus vasijas sagradas, incluyendo la menorá de oro de siete brazos, y robó las monedas de oro y plata.

Según tomado de, https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/antiochus-the-madman/?utm_source=mjl_maropost&utm_campaign=MJL&utm_medium=email

Traducido por drigs (CEJSPR)

Joseph saw his brothers and he recognized them, but he acted like a stranger toward them (42:7)

Jacob grieved relentlessly over the loss of his beloved son whom he assumed to be dead, and he refused to be consoled. “I will go down to the grave mourning for my son” (Genesis 37:35). Joseph knew what kind of agony his father was suffering. Even if he was not able to communicate to him when he was a slave of Potiphar or when he was in prison, he was certainly able to do so once he became viceroy of Egypt. Why did he not inform his father that he was alive and alleviate his profound grief?

Furthermore, Joseph is referred to in Torah writings as “Joseph the tzaddik.” Is it characteristic of a tzaddik to wreak vengeance and torment his brothers the way Joseph did? We would expect that as a tzaddik, he would not harbor a grudge and would forgive them.

The explanation I heard from my late brother, R’ Shlomo, addresses these questions and provides an answer that is both ethically and psychologically sound.

If Joseph had forgiven his brothers for their shameful act, he would have been the magnanimous person who, from the goodness of his heart, forgave his offenders. The brothers would have forever been the groveling penitents who would have to eternally bear the guilt of their behavior. There would be no opportunity for them to make any amends. They would never again be able to face Joseph or their father. Their spirits would have been totally crushed.

Joseph wished to avoid this. He wished to give his brothers an opportunity to redeem themselves and retain their self-esteem.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?guci=2.2.0.0.2.2.0.0&client=ca-pub-8573325940152694&output=html&h=90&slotname=9473233342%2F1978221825&adk=326744000&adf=3250706255&pi=t.ma~as.9473233342%2F19782218_&w=728&lmt=1608160548&rafmt=12&psa=1&format=728×90&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aish.com%2Ftp%2Fb%2Finsights-on-the-torah%2FJoseph-and-Preserving-Someones-Dignity.html&flash=0&wgl=1&tt_state=W3siaXNzdWVyT3JpZ2luIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hZHNlcnZpY2UuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbSIsInN0YXRlIjowfSx7Imlzc3Vlck9yaWdpbiI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXR0ZXN0YXRpb24uYW5kcm9pZC5jb20iLCJzdGF0ZSI6MH1d&dt=1608162237162&bpp=4&bdt=1280&idt=67&shv=r20201203&cbv=r20190131&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D8d24120faf7c97f8-22d7f392dec400eb%3AT%3D1605538238%3ART%3D1605538238%3AS%3DALNI_Mb3X4mOQgXU-gXPRRwprhSYWF3SEA&correlator=1316076493469&frm=20&pv=2&ga_vid=319720131.1602629192&ga_sid=1608162237&ga_hid=738581218&ga_fc=0&u_tz=-240&u_his=1&u_java=0&u_h=720&u_w=1280&u_ah=680&u_aw=1280&u_cd=24&u_nplug=3&u_nmime=4&adx=77&ady=1949&biw=1263&bih=610&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&oid=3&pvsid=1067505447868120&pem=404&wsm=1&rx=0&eae=0&fc=640&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C1280%2C0%2C1280%2C680%2C1280%2C610&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CpeEbr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=8448&bc=31&ifi=1&uci=a!1&btvi=1&fsb=1&xpc=i9gHgRr8YC&p=https%3A//www.aish.com&dtd=76

The Talmud says that true and effective teshuvah is achieved only if the person is placed in the same circumstances of his sin and under the same temptation. Joseph, therefore, designed it so that this would occur. After his absence, Benjamin, the youngest of Jacob’s sons and the only other child of his beloved Rachel, had now become Jacob’s favorite child. Joseph arranged to have Benjamin brought to him, and he singled out Benjamin for special treatment, giving him five times as much as he gave the brothers. He then engineered it so that Benjamin was suspected of thievery, and said that he was going to keep Benjamin as a slave. He had set the stage for the litmus test. Would the brothers act as they had toward him, saying, “Let Benjamin stay here. This is a good way for us to be free of his favoritism,” and again be indifferent to their father’s feelings as they were when they sold him into slavery? Or had they realized and repented their mistake, and were ready to sacrifice themselves to return Benjamin to their father?

When Judah said that he must return Benjamin to his father and offered to stay as a slave in his place, Joseph saw that the brothers had thereby corrected their behavior and had done proper teshuvah. They had redeemed themselves and would no longer have to bear the guilt and shame for their sin. Joseph was now prepared to reveal his identity to them. Far from being a vengeful torment, Joseph’s actions were in their interest, enabling them to redeem themselves and walk with their heads raised high.

What about Jacob’s agony? Joseph knew his father well. He knew that, painful as the ordeal was, Jacob would gladly accept years of suffering in order to provide his children with the opportunity to gain self-respect. This could not have been achieved in any other way, and Joseph was certain that he was doing what his father wished.

This interpretation shows us the overriding importance of self-esteem. One psychologist writes, “If you have given your child self-esteem, you have given him everything. If you have not given him self-esteem, then whatever else you gave him is of little value.” Self-esteem is the major component of a healthy personality.

We should be aware of this. Sometimes we say or do things to another person that may depress his self-esteem. We should be aware that this is a kind of psycho-logical homicide. The Torah repeatedly emphasizes the importance of upholding every person’s dignity. The saga of Joseph and his brothers teaches us to what extent we must go to preserve a person’s feelings of self-respect and dignity.

As taken from, Rabbi Avraham Twerski’s Insights on the Torah Parshat Mikeitz: Joseph and Preserving Someone’s Dignity (aish.com)

How much do you care about what other people think of you?

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On one level, it is natural and healthy to want the approval of others. If someone doesn’t care at all what others think of him, he may do things that are harmful or immoral to others and end up being isolated from social groups, which itself is not healthy. Yet, the desire to be liked by others can easily become unhealthy. People who have a high need to gain approval from others determinedly seek admiration, sometimes at a high cost to their own goals. They tend to have higher anxiety and depression, as well as lower self-esteem (that is contingent on how they think other people think of them).

The Talmud (Berachot 20a) relates that Yosef and his descendants are immune from the destructive power of the evil eye. Before we understand why they are immune, first we need to better understand this mysterious and controversial concept. Broadly speaking, as it is presented in the Talmud, when Person A looks upon Person B (or their material goods) with envy or jealousy, that act of looking can cause actual damage to Person B.

There have been several explanations of this concept throughout the ages, including (subsequently disproven) scientific explanations of the ability for the eye to emit a dangerous vapor or fire, and a theological proposal that the negative emotions provoke God to be extra meticulous towards Person B (which has its own set of controversial ramifications). Those who view the evil eye as a supernatural phenomenon either try not to draw too much attention to themselves or use various mystical procedures to try and counteract it.

Others, however, provide a more rationalist, psychological explanation of the concept. Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, for instance, understands the evil eye as general social influence. We can be easily swayed by other people’s beliefs, opinions and practices, and ayin hara (evil eye) is the term used to indicate being negatively impacted by others (see Ein Ayah on Berachot, p. 102). Someone who has self-confidence and is sure that they are doing what is right in the eyes of God won’t be swayed by the negative influence of others, and is therefore immune to the evil eye.

Similarly, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik assumes that ayin hara is representative of the negative social dynamics between two people. When Person A disagrees, criticizes, or opposes Person B, Person A is putting an ayin hara on Person B. If Person B’s sense of self is too intertwined with what other people think of him, then when Person A does anything to indicate that he doesn’t approve of Person B, Person B will be devastated. However, if Person B has a developed sense of self that is independent and does not desperately need the approval of others, then he would be immune to the ayin hara of others.

Taking a similar rational approach, Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein argues that the reason Yosef was immune to the evil eye was because he was self-confident and not swayed by the opinions or negative influences of others. For instance, he told his brothers about his dreams even though it would lead them to not liking him. He resists the solicitation from the wife of Potifar because it was morally and spiritually wrong. Additionally, when Pharaoh tells Yosef that he has heard that he can interpret dreams, Yosef brazenly corrects Pharaoh’s mistake in public, saying that it is God Who interprets the dreams. The running theme is that Yosef will say and do what he is sure God wants him to do, despite social pressure to do the opposite. This is what it means to be above the ayin hara.

From this perspective, we can all be immune to the evil eye. When others try to use peer pressure to sway us from doing what is right in the eyes of God, we can stay firm and strong, and confidently resist the strong pull to seek their approval.

As taken from, Ancient Wisdom & Modern Psychology Parshat Mikeitz: Immune to the Evil Eye (aish.com)

“Es Lilith.

¿Quién?

La primera esposa de Adam es ella.

Cuidado con el señuelo dentro de sus hermosos cabellos,

El espléndido y único adorno de su cabello;

Cuando con éxito a un joven logra atrapar,

No pronto ella lo libera de sus cadenas.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, en su obra de 1808 Fausto: la primera parte de la tragedia.

Goethe fue uno de los primeros importantes escritores en popularizar a Lilith. Desde el siglo XIX, Lilith se ha vuelto popular en todo el mundo occidental. Se la representa en libros, películas, programas de televisión, videojuegos, animaciones japonesas, cómics y música.

El movimiento feminista moderno encontró inspiración en la visión de Lilith como una mujer poderosa en el folclore judío, visualizándola como una mujer digna de emular. En 1972, la periodista y escritora israelí estadounidense, Lilly Rivlin, publicó un artículo sobre Lilith para la revista feminista Ms., con la aspiración de redimirla para las mujeres de su tiempo. La revista feminista judía Lilith, fundada en el otoño de 1976, seleccionó su nombre como propio, porque los editores estaban entusiasmados con su interpretación de la lucha de Lilith por la igualdad con Adam.

Desde entonces, el interés por Lilith entre las feministas judías y no judías ha crecido, así como entre las mujeres oyentes de música contemporánea, tal como se destaca en la Feria de Lilith. Como escribe Lilly Rivlin en el epílogo del libro Whose Lilith? (1998), “A finales del siglo XX, las mujeres autosuficientes, inspiradas por el movimiento, han adoptado el mito de Lilith como propio. La han transformado en un símbolo femenino de autonomía, elección sexual y control del propio destino “.

Si estás mirando, Lilith parece estar en todas partes de la cultura popular, y quizás asumirías que tiene un papel principal en la Biblia. Sin embargo, Lilith rara vez se menciona en los textos judíos clásicos.

Una fuente dudosa

El libro, en fuentes contemporáneas, más citado sobre Lilith es también el menos confiable. (i) Un libro medieval llamado El alfabeto de Ben Sira (este no debe confundirse con el libro apócrifo del siglo II a. C. La sabiduría de Ben Sira) afirma que Dios creó a Adán y Lilith al mismo tiempo del polvo de la tierra. Según este libro, Lilith se negó a subordinarse a Adam en su relación íntima, y ​​se escapó de él usando el Nombre Inefable. Los ángeles intentaron obligarla a regresar, y ella se defendió negándose a volver con Adam. La historia continúa indicando que Dios procedió a hacerle a Adán una segunda esposa, Eva, quien se contentó con permanecer con Adán.

Sin embargo, el libro El alfabeto de Ben Sira es en absoluto una fuente no autorizada en la literatura judía. Quizás porque lleva en su título el nombre familiar de Ben-Sira, algunos creen que tiene autoridad, pero aun una lectura superficial del libro por parte de alguien familiarizado con los textos judíos demostrará que este no es un clásico judío. Al contrario, es una obra llena de degradantes y lascivas variaciones sobre relatos bíblicos, así como representaciones satíricas de personajes bíblicos. El libro no es, y nunca fue, parte de la literatura judía dominante. (ii)

Referencias textuales a Lilith en fuentes judías

La única referencia de Lilith que podríamos considerer confinable está en Isaías 34:14. Se refiere a Lilith como una de las bestias de presa y espíritus que arrasarán la tierra en el día de la venganza. No hace referencia a Adán.

Lilith se menciona al menos cuatro veces en el Talmud de Babilonia. En ninguno de estos casos se la llama esposa de Adam. Los pasajes talmúdicos presentan a Lilith en términos de advertencia donde se indica que un hombre no debe dormir solo en una casa para que Lilith no venga sobre él mientras duerme, también habla sobre la influencia que ella podría tener en el producto de un embarazo; finalmente hace una descripción en cualto al  cómo puede manifestarse.

El texto en el que hay muchas referencias a Lilith es el Zohar. Al examinar algunas de las referencias, podemos comprender mejor qué, y quién es y no es Lilith.

En Medrash Haneelam, una sección del Zohar dice:

“Rav Yitzchok dijo en nombre de Rav: Adán fue creado junto con su pareja, como dice: “Varón y hembra los creó” (Génesis 5: 2), y Dios la separó de él y la trajo a Él, como dice, “Y tomó uno de sus lados (costillas)”.Rav Yehoshua dijo: Hubo una Eva antes de esto que fue quitada porque era un espíritu dañino, y se le dio otra en su lugar.Rava dijo: La segunda era físicoa, la primera no lo era, sino que estaba hecha de suciedad y sedimentos impuros.”

El Zohar es claro que este ser que precedió a Eva no era una persona sino más bien un espíritu, un espíritu impuro y dañino.

Otro pasaje en el Zohar, en Vayikra 19a, es aún más explícito sobre la creación de Lilith y su conexión con Adán:

 “Ven y mira: hay una mujer, el espíritu de todos los espíritus, y su nombre es Lilith, y al principio    estaba con Adam. Y en la hora en que Adán fue creado y cunado su cuerpo quedó completo, mil espíritus del lado izquierdo [malvado] se aferraron a ese cuerpo hasta que el Santo, Bendito sea, les gritó y los expulsó. Y Adán estaba acostado, un cuerpo sin espíritu, y su apariencia era verde, y todos  esos espíritus lo rodeaban. En esa hora descendió una nube y alejó a todos esos espíritus que le rodeaban. Y cuando Adán se puso de pie, su hembra estaba pegada a su costado. Y ese santo espíritu que estaba en él se extendió de un lado a otro, y creció aquí y allá, y así se completó. A partir de  entonces, el Santo, bendito sea, cortó a Adán en dos e hizo a la hembra. Y la trajo a Adán en su  perfección como una novia al dosel. Cuando Lilith vio esto, huyó.”

Aquí el Zohar dice, basado en los versículos del Génesis, que Adán fue creado hombre y mujer unidos por el costado/costilla, el lado femenino se conocerá como Eva. Lilith era un espíritu que estaba con Adán antes de que él y Eva fueran separados. Una vez las dos mitades de Adán y Eva se separaron, posterior a su casamiento, Lilith huyó. También en este pasaje, está claro que Lilith es un espíritu negativo y no una persona física real.

El gran cabalista Arizal (Rabino Isaac Luria, 1534-1572) escribe que Samael está a cargo de todos los demonios “masculinos”, llamados Mazikim, mientras que su “esposa” Lilith está a cargo de todos los demonios “femeninos”, llamados Shedim (Sha’ar HaPesukim sobre los Salmos). Además asocia a Lilith con la espada del Ángel de la Muerte. El Arizal entendió a Lilith como un espíritu de lujuria, que todavía existe y es peligroso.

Basándonos en la interpretación de Arizal, los dos pasajes del Zohar pueden entenderse. En el primer pasaje, se describe a Adán con un “espíritu dañino” que fue quitado cuando Eva fue creada. El “espíritu dañino” de la lujuria se eliminó cuando se casó y pudo dirigir su sexualidad de forma santa y adecuada a través de la conexión con su esposa. En el último pasaje, el entendimiento es el mismo. Lilith, que representa la lujuria y el deseo sexual que se dirige negativamente, “huyó” cuando Adán se unió en matrimonio a su esposa Eva.

El fin de Lililth

El Zohar (ibid) cita el versículo de Isaías 34:14 que habla de Lilith. y expone que cuando venga el Mesías, Lilith finalmente será expulsada para siempre:

“Cuando el Santo, bendito sea, lleve a cabo la destrucción de la malvada Roma y la convierta en una ruina por toda la eternidad, enviará a Lilith allí y la dejará morar en esa ruina, porque ella es la ruina del mundo. Y a esto se refiere el versículo, y allí se acostará Lilith y le encontrará un lugar de descanso.”  (Isaías 34:14).”

Basándonos en la explicación de Arizal de Lilith como la compañera femenina de Satanás, podemos entender que el Zohar la identifica como “la ruina del mundo”, ya que su función es traer inmoralidad a las mentes y acciones de los humanos. Por esta razón, cuando venga el Mesías y el mundo alcance su estado perfecto, tanto Lilith como Satanás serán completamente borrados.

Descansando en una interpretación de Lilith basada en fuentes clásicas auténticas, debería ser obvio lo desagradable que es hacer de Lilith un ícono del feminismo judío. Después de todo, ¿qué pensarías de un hombre que elige a Satanás como su modelo a seguir?

NOTAS

(i) Hay quienes asumen que la historia que se encuentra en el Alfabeto de Ben Sira se basa en el concepto de la “Primera Eva” que se encuentra en dos lugares en Génesis Rabá, una colección de midrashim sobre el libro de Génesis.

Según el rabino Chiya, esta Primera Eva “volvió al polvo” (Génesis Raba 22: 7, Zohar 34b), y Dios procedió a crear una segunda Eva para Adán (Génesis Raba 18.4). Los comentaristas señalan que estos Midrashim (como muchos otros Midrashim) pueden no ser literalmente verdaderos, sino que, más bien sirven para enseñar ideas cabalísticas. De cualquier manera, en ninguna parte el Midrash habla de Lililth ni nada parecido a la historia del Alfabeto de Ben Sira.

(ii) Algunos argumentan que la obra era simplemente un compendio impío de cuentos populares atrevidos o una sátira antirrabínica. Otras autoridades han sugerido que fue una polémica andanada dirigida contra los caraítas o algún otro movimiento disidente.

Según fue tomado de, https://www.aish.com/ci/w/Lilith-The-Real-Story.html?s=mm

Traducido por drigs, CEJSPR

Todos tenemos desafíos —algunos físicos, algunos emocionales, algunos psicológicos— y muchos de ellos están escondidos. Juzga a los demás acordemente.

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Siempre es un gran recordatorio mantener presente “ser cuidadosos en juzgar al prójimo” cuando eres tú el receptor (¡claramente injusto!) de percepciones negativas.

En este caso, fue una simple ida a la farmacia la que motivó la reflexión. Por supuesto, nada es tan simple en estos días. Era en realidad la primera vez que estaba conduciendo desde mi caída (no hubieran querido estar detrás de mi, especialmente si estaban apurados y tenía una gran compra que hacer. Todavía no puedo “levantar nada cuyo peso supere una taza de café” (citando al cirujano ortopédico) así que llevé a mi hijo para que me ayudara, siendo que estaba en casa por vacaciones de la universidad.

Él puso todas las cosas en el carro, especialmente los 10 kilos de harina de multiuso y la harina especial para el pan. La realidad es que no estaba siendo extra cuidadosa; me estaba limitando en seguir las órdenes del doctor al mínimo (¿sabían que el cumplimiento de ordenes por parte de los pacientes es el desafío más serio que enfrentan los doctores en tratar de curar a sus pacientes?). Además, no era tan terrible porque realmente nadie estaba mirando y no era tan antinatural que él levantara todas las cosas pesadas.

Llegamos a la cajera. Yo me detuve inmóvil mientras él descargaba todo el carro (de acuerdo, quizás puse unas cuantas cosas pequeñas). Y me quedé parada mientras él empacaba todas las bolsas (es una tienda sin personas que ayudan a empacar), cargaba el carro, lo llevaba hacia afuera y luego colocaba la compra en el maletero del auto.

Nadie nos siguió al estacionamiento, pero yo estaba consciente de los ojos críticos sobre nosotros mientras pagábamos. Quizás yo estaba muy sensible o fui egocéntrica (ambas cosas ciertamente reacciones producto de mi lesión) pero no podía evitar sentir que las personas estaban juzgando. ¿Por qué yo estaba como una estatua? ¿Por qué no movía ni un dedo? Por supuesto, es lindo que mi hijo me ayude, pero ¿era apropiado que yo estuviera ahí parada sin hacer algo? Quería que la gente supiera lo de mi clavícula.

Déjenme agregar aquí, que durante las primeras dos semanas después de mi caída usé un cabestrillo. Pero por razones que no comprendo, y a pesar de que la fractura no mostraba signos de recuperación, el doctor consideró que ya no era necesario. Así que, no había ningún signo externo de mi lesión. Asumí que el resto de los compradores estaban pensando que yo era floja, o que era una madre controladora, en fin, quién sabe qué pasaba por sus mentes…

Pero la verdad es que ellos probablemente no pensaban en mí para nada. La mayoría de las personas están demasiado ocupadas con su tema favorito —ellos mismos— como para desperdiciar su energía en los demás. Pero, yo estaba preocupada con la impresión que estaba dejando. Tenía miedo de ser juzgada. Pensé que mi conducta sería mal vista.

Y eso me hizo pensar sobre las veces en que yo pude haber sido la persona del otro lado, preguntándome por qué un invitado no ayudaba más durante la cena; porqué una amiga se quedaba parada ahí a un costado mientras yo apenas podía cargar con mis paquetes; porqué los amigos de mis hijos no hacían un mayor esfuerzo para dejar las cosas ordenadas después de visitar mi casa. Sí, podría ser solamente flojera o mal carácter —las mismas características que según yo me estaban imputando a mí— pero quizás ellos también tenían una buena razón. Quizás ellos también tuvieron una lesión que necesitaba sanar o una herida que yo no podía ver y, por lo tanto, asumí que no existía.

Tengo una amiga que pasó por un trasplante de corazón hace muchos años. Ella tiene una etiqueta de discapacitada en su auto. Ella no se ve discapacitada. Algunas personas externas pueden pensar que ella está intentando ganarle al sistema. Pero ella tiene un problema interno que requiere una ventaja cuando va a un estacionamiento. Nosotros solamente no lo podemos ver. Está oculto al ojo humano.

Todos tenemos desafíos —algunos físicos, algunos emocionales, algunos psicológicos— y muchos de ellos son privados. Antes de asumir, y particularmente antes de que juzguemos a otros como inadecuados o peor, debemos recordar que no sabemos la historia completa. Te doy permiso para usar mi clavícula fracturada como una posible explicación; sé que yo la voy a usar.

Según tomado de, Nunca sabemos la historia completa (aishlatino.com)

Why it’s a mistake to make Lilith an icon of Jewish feminism.

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“Tis Lilith.
Who?
Adam’s first wife is she.
Beware the lure within her lovely tresses,
The splendid sole adornment of her hair;
When she succeeds therewith a youth to snare,
Not soon again she frees him from her jesses”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, in his 1808 play Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy

Goethe was one of the early major writers to popularize Lilith. Since the 19th Century, Lilith has become popular across the Western world. She is portrayed in books, movies, television shows, video games, Japanese animes, comics, and music.

The modern feminist movement found inspiration in the vision of Lilith as a powerful female in Jewish folklore, visualizing her as a woman worthy of emulating. In 1972, Israeli American journalist and writer, Lilly Rivlin published an article on Lilith for the feminist magazine Ms., with the aim of redeeming her for contemporary women. The Jewish feminist magazine Lilith, founded in the fall of 1976, took her name as their own, because the editors were galvanized by their interpretation of Lilith’s struggle for equality with Adam.

Since then, interest in Lilith has grown among Jewish and non-Jewish feminists, as well as by listeners to contemporary music by women, as highlighted in the Lilith Fair. As Lilly Rivlin writes in her afterword to the book Whose Lilith? (1998), “In the late twentieth century, self-sufficient women, inspired by the women’s movement, have adopted the Lilith myth as their own. They have transformed her into a female symbol for autonomy, sexual choice, and control of one’s own destiny.”

If you’re looking, Lilith seems to be everywhere in popular culture, and perhaps you would assume she has a leading role in the Bible. Yet Lilith is in fact rarely mentioned in classic Jewish texts.

A Dubious Source

The most quoted book in contemporary sources about Lilith is also the least reliable.ⁱ A medieval book called The Alphabet of Ben Sira (not to be confused with the 2nd century BCE apocryphal book The Wisdom of Ben Sira) claims that God created Adam and Lilith at the same time from the dust of the earth. According to this book, Lilith refused to subordinate herself to Adam in their intimate relationship, and she ran away from him using the Ineffable Name. Angels tried to force her to return, and she fought back and refused to go to Adam. The story continues that God then made Adam a second wife, Eve, who was content to stay with Adam.

Lilith is mentioned at least four times in the Babylonian Talmud. In none of these cases is she referred to as Adam’s wife.

However, the book The Alphabet of Ben Sira is in fact not an authoritative source in Jewish literature at all. Perhaps because it bears in its title the familiar name of Ben-Sira some believe it to have authority, but even a cursory reading of the book by one familiar with Jewish texts will demonstrate that this is not a Jewish classic. On the contrary, it is a work filled with demeaning and lewd variations on Biblical accounts and satirical portrayals of Biblical characters. The book is not and never was part of mainstream Jewish literature.ⁱⁱ

Textual References to Lilith in Jewish Sources

The only actual scriptural reference to Lilith is in Isaiah 34:14. It refers to Lilith as being among the beasts of prey and spirits that will lay waste to the land on the day of vengeance. It makes no reference to Adam.

Lilith is mentioned at least four times in the Babylonian Talmud. In none of these cases is she referred to as Adam’s wife. The Talmudic passages discuss Lilith in terms of warning that a man should not sleep alone in a house lest Lilith fall upon him in his sleep, that she could influence the outcome of a pregnancy and describing how Lilith can appear.

The text in which there are many references to Lilith is in the Zohar. In examining some of the references, we can gain a further understanding of what and who Lilith is and is not.

In Medrash Haneelam, a section of Zohar it says:

Rav Yitzchok said in the name of Rav: Adam was created together with his mate, as it says, “Male and female He created them” (Gen. 5:2), and God separated her from him and brought her to Him, as it says, “And He took one of his sides (ribs)”.
Rav Yehoshua said: There was an Eve before this that was taken away because she was a harmful spirit, and another was given in her place.
Said Rava: The second one was physical, the first was not, but was rather made from filth and impure sediment.

The Zohar is clear that this being that preceded Eve was not a person but rather a spirit, a harmful spirit that was impure.

Another passage in the Zohar, on Vayikra 19a, is even more explicit on Lilith’s creation and her connection to Adam:

Come and see: There is a female, a spirit of all spirits, and her name is Lilith, and she was at first with Adam. And in the hour when Adam was created and his body became completed, a thousand spirits from the left [evil] side clung to that body until the Holy One, blessed be He, shouted at them and drove them away. And Adam was lying, a body without a spirit, and his appearance was green, and all those spirits surrounded him. In that hour a cloud descended and pushed away all those spirits. And when Adam stood up, his female was attached to his side. And that holy spirit which was in him spread out to this side and that side, and grew here and there, and thus became complete. Thereafter the Holy One, blessed be He, sawed Adam into two, and made the female. And He brought her to Adam in her perfection like a bride to the canopy. When Lilith saw this, she fled.

The Zohar here states, based on the verses in Genesis, that Adam was created as male and female joined at the side/rib, the female side to be known as Eve. Lilith was a spirit that was with Adam before he and Eve were separated. Once the two halves of Adam and Eve were separate and subsequently married, Lilith fled. In this passage as well, it is clear that Lilith is a negative spirit and not an actual physical person.

The great Kabbalist, the Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Luria, 1534-1572) writes that Samael is in charge of all the “male” demons, called Mazikim, while his “wife” Lilith is in charge of all the “female” demons, called Shedim (Sha’ar HaPesukim on Psalms). He further associates Lilith with the sword of the Angel of Death. The Arizal understood Lilith as a spirit of lust, that is still around and dangerous.

As the female partner of Satan, the Zohar identifies Lilith as “the ruination of the world,” for her role is to bring immorality into the minds and actions of humans.

Based on the Arizal’s understanding, the two above passages in the Zohar can be understood. In the first passage, it describes Adam as having a “harmful spirit” that was removed when Eve was created. The “harmful spirit” of lust was removed when he was married and able to direct his sexuality in a holy and proper manner through connection to his wife. In the latter passage, the understanding is the same. Lilith, representing lust and sexual desire that is directed negatively, “fled” when Adam was joined in marriage to his bride, Eve.

The End of Lililth

The Zohar (ibid) quotes the verse in Isaiah 34:14 that speaks of Lilith. and expounds that when Messiah comes, Lilith will finally be expelled forever:

When the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring about the destruction of the wicked Rome, and turn it into a ruin for all eternity, He will send Lilith there, and let her dwell in that ruin, for she is the ruination of the world. And to this refers the verse, and there shall lie down Lilith and find her a place of rest (Isaiah 34:14).

Based on the Arizal’s explanation of Lilith as the female partner of Satan, we can understand that the Zohar identifies her as “the ruination of the world,” for her role is to bring immorality into the minds and actions of humans. For this reason, when the Messiah comes and the world will reach its perfect state, Lilith, as well as Satan, will be completely obliterated.

With an understanding of Lilith based on authentic classic sources, it should be obvious how distasteful it is to make Lilith an icon of Jewish feminism. After all, what would you think of a man who chooses Satan as his role model?

1. There are those who assume that the story found in Alphabet of Ben Sira is based on the concept of the “First Eve” found in two places in Genesis Rabbah, a collection of midrashim about the book of Genesis.According to Rabbi Chiya, this First Eve “returned to dust” (Genesis Raba 22:7, Zohar 34b), and God proceeded to create a second Eve for Adam (Genesis Raba 18.4). The Commentators note that these Midrashim (like many other Midrashim) might not be literally true but rather serve to teach Kabbalistic ideas. Either way, nowhere does the Midrash talk about Lililth or anything like the story of the Alphabet of Ben Sira
2. Some argue that the work was merely as an impious digest of risqué folktales or an anti-rabbinic satire. Other authorities have suggested that it was a polemical broadside aimed at Karaites, or some other dissident movement.

As taken from, Lilith: The Real Story (aish.com)

Más de 60 años de trabajos arqueológicos para conocer mejor cómo fue la fortaleza que mandó enterrar, tras su muerte, el tiránico rey

En estas fechas muchos hogares, pueblos e instituciones lucen el clásico belén navideño. Figuras de pastores con sus rebaños, lavanderas y artesanos conviven durante unos días con los magos de Oriente, que se encaminan al pesebre donde le esperan el Niño Jesús, la Virgen María y San José, en una representación de lo que debió de ser Belén de Judea en tiempos del rey Herodes. Un pueblo imaginario en el que no faltan casitas, talleres, posadas, el portal y, cómo no, el castillo del rey Herodes. Pero ¿cómo era en realidad la morada del tiránico monarca?

Ubicado en una montaña en el desierto de Judea, a cinco kilómetros de Belén, en Cisjordania, se encuentra el sitio arqueológico y turístico de El Herodión, el verdadero palacio-fortaleza mandado construir por el rey Herodes el Grande entre los años 23 y 20 a. C.

Levantado en forma circular en la cima de un monte, que se eleva 60 metros por encima de sus alrededores, la fortaleza tenía originalmente unos 30 metros de altura, con siete pisos. Enormes torres emergían de los muros hacia el exterior por los cuatro lados. La oriental -la más alta- era una imponente torre redonda con varios pisos superiores que albergaba lujosas habitaciones, probablemente para el uso de la comitiva real. Las otras tres torres eran semicirculares, de 16 metros de diámetro, y sus pisos superiores servían como centros de almacenamiento y de áreas residenciales.

Para asegurarse el abastecimiento de agua construyeron cisternas debajo de la fortaleza que se llenaban con el agua de lluvia que era canalizada desde lo alto.

Las excavaciones del palacio-fortaleza de Herodes fueron iniciadas por monjes franciscanos a finales de la década de 1950 y continuaron desde 1972 por un equipo de arqueólogos israelíes dirigido por el profesor Ehud Netzer. En 2007, este profesor descubrió la tumba del rey debajo de los restos del palacio. Según los arqueólogos, el soberano había decidido al final de su vida enterrar su palacio con tierra extraída del pie del cerro, lo que tuvo el inesperado efecto de preservar su estructura.

Roi Porat, actualmente arqueólogo a cargo de las excavaciones, asegura que el sitio ilustra la mentalidad del rey Herodes, a quien «sólo le preocupaba una cosa: conservar su memoria para siempre».https://www.youtube.com/embed/FClIzTKLvmo

Nuevos descubrimientos

Tras años de excavaciones, el público podrá por primera vez subir a la amplia escalinata coronada por arcos que conduce al salón principal del palacio, cuyas paredes con frescos en tonos marrones, verdes y negros son representativas del estilo de la época. Los visitantes también podrán descubrir, al pie de las escaleras, un teatro de alrededor de 300 asientos, con su palco «VIP», donde Herodes una vez recibió al general romano Marco Agripa en el 15 a. C. Según narra Roi Porat a AFP, «fue una visita muy importante para Herodes» quien, en esta ocasión, hizo redecorar la logia pintando ventanas falsas y frescos que recuerdan la conquista de Egipto por Agripa». El palacio, cuya entrada principal da a Jerusalén, «es una cápsula romana en Judea», asegura el arqueólogo.

El rey, apodado por algunos «Herodes el Cruel» por su legendaria crueldad y su obsesión por las tramas, también era famoso por sus obras monumentales: amplió notablemente el segundo templo judío en Jerusalén, construyó la ciudad portuaria de Cesarea y los palacios de Masada y Jericho.

Israel, Aerial view of Herodium – YouTube

Según tomado de, Así es el verdadero palacio de Herodes en una montaña en el desierto de Judea (abc.es)

EN HOMENAJE A DOÑA GRACIA, «LA DAMA» – «LA REINA»

Texto de Jayme Fucs, guía de turismo cultural en Portugal e Israel.

Allí estaba yo en Tiberíades, frente al monumento en honor a Doña Gracia, de quien se celebraron, 500 años de su vida en 2010. Mirando el monumento, pensé: ¡Cómo puede ser que tan poca gente conozca a esta increíble portuguesa de origen judío! Por eso decidí redactar este breve texto, que puede ayudar a rescatar su legado y su memoria. ¿Quién fue Doña Gracia Mendes Hanasi? ¿Qué tiene ella que ver con la ciudad de Tiberíades?

Doña Gracia Mendes nació en Portugal, en Lisboa, en 1510, en el seno de una familia de recién conversos al cristianismo que fueron expulsados ​​de España a Portugal en 1492. Doña Gracia estaba casada con D. Franscisco Mendes, otro recién converso al cristianismo, dueño de una de las más grandes fortunas del mundo. Tras unos años de matrimonio, doña Gracia quedó viuda, adquiriendo toda la fortuna de D. Francisco Mendes. Los padres de doña Gracia (recién conversos al cristianismo), que como muchos otros, mantuvieron en secreto los principios judíos en sus hogares y, a pesar de todas las dificultades, lograron transmitir esos valores a sus hijos.

Con la muerte de su marido, doña Gracia tendrá una status de respeto y destaque en Portugal: la corte portuguesa depende mucho de sus favores y, con mucha sabiduría y cuidado, doña Gracia utiliza este poder como forma de enfrentarse a la Inquisición en Portugal, exigiendo cierta libertad y derechos para los recién conversos al cristianismo. Esta situación lleva a Doña Gracia a huir de Portugal y a trasladar toda su fortuna a Bélgica, donde, con la ayuda de su sobrino, D. Yosef Hanasi, gestionará sus negocios.

En Bélgica la situación también se vuelve muy difícil para Doña Gracia, porque los tentáculos de la inquisición amenazarán sus proyectos, por lo que tuvo que huir y trasladarse a Venecia, y de allí al Ducado de Ferrara (también en lo que hoy es Italia), que le da toda su protección. Esto permite que Doña Gracia volviera a practicar el judaísmo abiertamente, y convierte a Ferrara en un refugio para muchos recién conversos que regresan al judaísmo. Es en Ferrara donde Doña Gracia ayuda a traducir el famoso Tanaj de Ferrara al ladino, el idioma utilizado por los judíos de Portugal y España.

Pero la situación también es peligrosa en Ferarra, ya que el Ducado es amenazado directamente por el Papa Pablo IV, quien amenaza con llevar a cabo una intervención militar, lo que lleva a que Doña Gracia sea invitada por el Sultán Solimán «El Magnífico», en 1552, a transferir toda su fortuna y su vida al Imperio Otomano. El Sultán le ofrece a Doña Gracia garantías de poderes y privilegios. Doña Gracia acepta la invitación del sultán, pero pide que le sea otorgada la gobernatura de la ciudad de Jerusalén. El sultán niega el pedido de doña Gracia, pero le ofrece a cambio la ciudad de Tiberíades.

Ya viviendo en el Imperio Otomano, Doña Gracia organizará, en 1556, un boicot al puerto de Ancona, ubicado dentro del territorio del mismo Papa Pablo IV, como represalia por los sufrimientos y persecuciones que sufren los Bnei Anusim (cristianos nuevos). En Tiberíades, Doña Gracia construye las murallas de la ciudad, abre varios centros de estudios judíos, construye una fábrica de seda y lana y, lo más importante, transforma Tiberíades en un gran refugio para los judíos Bnei Anusim, que regresan al judaísmo bajo su protección, sin necesidad de conversión, sino de retorno, como lo definió el sabio Maimónides.

Doña Gracia murió en 1569. Para muchos judíos Bnei Anusim era considerada como «La Reina» o «La Señora». Doña Gracia no conocía el término moderno «sionismo», pero hoy día, con el descubrimiento de su fantástica historia, que está documentada, podemos decir que Doña Gracia fue la primera precursora del sionismo, ¡ncluso antes de Theodor Hertzl! Ella, en su época, ya decía que los judíos deberían dejar la diáspora y regresar a vivir en la Tierra de Israel. Finalmente, en 2010, Doña Gracia fue consagrada por el gobierno israelí por su contribución al estado judío moderno, y específicamente, al desarrollo de la ciudad de Tiberíades. Hay una reverencia que aún hoy cantan los Bnei Anusim en honor a Doña Gracia – «La Señora», o como a muchos les gusta llamarla, «La Reina». Dicen que cuando llegaba a las sinagogas de los judíos Bnei Anusim, la sentaban en una silla de honor y, con reverencia, le cantaban:

«Doña Gracia, Doña Gracia, Doña Gracia Nuestro Amor / Doña Gracia, Doña Gracia, Doña Gracia Por Favor»

Según tomado de, Shavei Israel | En homenaje a Doña Gracia, «La Dama» – «La Reina»