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Nisan: The Lesson of Judah

March 22, 2011 By punktorah

Lions Gate, Old City Jerusalem by Anne Marie Angelo - CCa — Photo by Anne Marie Angelo, used by Creative Commons Permission.

~Excerpt from Nisan Guide – Subscribe for Free and Receive the Complete Guide Each Month
(Cross Posted from PeelAPom.com) ~

Nisan – נִיסָן – begins at sundown on April 4th, 2011 and ends at sundown on May 4th, 2011.

Judah (יְהוּדָה), associated with the month of Nisan (נִיסָן), is the fourth son of Leah and Jacob. In Judaism the number four, the letter Dalet (ד), represents doorways. There are also four new years in Judaism, and the Nisan is the first — the doorway (הדלת) to the year. Considering the number of fours found in the Passover Seder, is it any wonder that Judah is the fourth son?

Judah takes a very human journey of learning what it means to be a decent man, in the Torah. He starts out as a very unlikeable character, as he is the one who suggests selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites (Gen 37:26). As others were calling for Joseph’s death, I suppose this could be seen as a moderate position — if you really wanted to try. Just after this, there is an odd interlude in the story of Joseph that focuses on Judah (Gen 38). In this story we still see him acting less than an honorable man, until his daughter-in-law, Tamar, teaches him a valuable lesson. It’s probably not just coincidence that Tamar means “date palm” and dates are considered to be psychically cleansing. The next time we see Judah, he promises his life for Benjamin and then gives a moving speech (Gen 44:18-34) to save Benjamin that show us, and Joseph, that Judah is truly a changed man. It is this change that seems to merit his incredible blessing from Jacob in Genesis 49:8-12, and his preeminence among the tribes.

Nisan is also the new year of kings, which is appropriate with Judah because it is the tribe of Kings. Judah is the forebear of David, the first king of Israel. It’s important to note, though, that David is descended from Judah and Tamar, whose story we read in Genesis 38. The children born of this union do not seem to have an auspicious start, but this may be a clue to the lesson of Judah.

Judah’s name, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia, is interpreted as YHVH with a dalet in the middle. I think here may be another clue to the lesson of Judah. If the letter dalet is a doorway, then does Judah become our doorway to G!d(dess)? Does his journey of growth and change show us what we must do? I think it does. Judah is not born a perfect human, as few of us are. We make mistakes and we have to learn. All through the Torah we see the struggle that is being human. It’s not about starting perfect, but rather perfecting yourself throughout your life.

In this month of beginnings, let us follow the example of Judah and learn from our past mistakes and grow into the best examples of humanity we can be.

Want more insights into Nisan?

~Excerpt from Nisan Guide – Subscribe for Free and Receive the Complete Guide Each Month
(Cross Posted from PeelAPom.com) ~

Adar II – The Lesson of Naphtali

February 20, 2011 By punktorah

1392765266_d73e713bdb — Photo by Don DeBold. Used by Creative Commons Attribution Copyright.

Adar II (אֲדָר א) begins at sundown on March 6th, 2011 and ends sundown on April 4th, 2011

~Excerpt from Adar II Guide – Subscribe for Free and Receive the Complete Guide Each Month ~

(Originally posted at PeelAPom.com~Thanks Ketzirah!)

Naphtali is the second son of Jacob and Bilah, a handmaiden of Rachel. His name, as relayed in Genesis 30:8 means, “ And Rachel said: ‘With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed.’ And she called his name Naphtali.” When I read this, I immediately went to check and see if this was the same word used in Genesis 32:25 to describe Jacob wrestling with the angel, and it is not. That word seems to be translated “struggled” (יֵּאָבֵק) where as the root of Naphtali’s name (נַפְתּוּלֵי) seems to translate more truly as wrestling, or “twists.” I find the translation of “twists” to be fascinating. It seems lighter and less ominous than struggling.

Naphtali is traditionally symbolized by a leaping dear. This is from Jacob’s blessing in Genesis 49:21, “Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.” According to some commentaries, this refers to how quickly the fruit in the tribal district of Naphtali ripened, which gave cause for blessings. In Moses’ blessing, Deuteronomy 33:23, Naphtali is describe as, “O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the sea and the south.” If nothing else we can see from these blessings that Naphtali was favored, and I think good with words.

Let us imagine that the message of Naphtali is that of the poet or minstrel. If this were not a leap year, the Netivah, face of Shekhinah, associated with the month would be the Fool. I can easily see Naphtali as the poet-jester, entertaining us by leaping, dancing and reciting poetry and songs. So what does that mean in a leap year? What happens to Naphtali when the Weaver (אורגת) is our Netivah of the month? In this case, Naphtali uses his poetic gifts to weave a beautiful tapestry to help us find all the meaning hidden away in the Book of Esther.

The lesson of Naphtali is to use all the powers of dance and verse to uncover the mysteries of the Book of Esther, to weave our world into a better place. If G!d(dess) created the world with words, then maybe we affect Tikkun Olam, repairing of the world, or at least Tikkun haNefesh, repairing of the soul, through the power of art, verse, music, and dance.

~Excerpt from Adar II Guide – Subscribe for Free and Receive the Complete Guide Each Month ~

PunkTorah Radio: Alternative Judaism

January 30, 2011 By punktorah

Shalom chaverim!

This week we talk about mainstream movements vs. alternative Judaism (do we really wanna go to their party?), and Michael has the first (of many) conversations with our good friend Ketzirah from Peeling A Pomegranate. Check it out!

PunkTorah Radio: Alternative Judaism

Also, click here to subscribe on iTunes!

Adar I: The Lesson of Dinah

January 23, 2011 By punktorah

Liminal Space - Photo by MSimonLevin, used by Creative Commons Attribution Permissions

~Excerpt from Adar 1 Guide – Subscribe for Free and Receive the Complete Guide Each Month ~

(From Ketzirah at PeelAPom.com)

Adar I (אֲדָר א) is Dinah’s (דִּינָה) month, at least as far as I’m concerned. Rabbinical tradition equates Naphtali with both Adar I & Adar II in a leap year, but many modern feminists have argued well that the extra month should belong to Jacob’s daughter, the 13th tribe. Next month, we’ll talk about Naphtali. This month, we talk about Dinah. To be honest, I’ve really struggled with whether or not Dinah should be Adar I or Adar II. I’ve gone back and forth dozens of times. Even while writing this, I struggled. Right or wrong, I needed to choose.

Dinah is the seventh child of Leah and Jacob, and the only named daughter, although Genesis 37:35 indicates there were others. Dinah’s name means judgement, but I’ve also seen it as “vindicated.” Her story is one that few women like to read, at least as it is traditionally interpreted. In Genesis 34, we read of the “rape” of Dinah. It’s an ugly story with very little redeeming value anywhere.

But what if we look at this through another lens? The ancient rabbis were famous for finding ways to turn stories to meet their needs. The interpretations of the stories never seem to let the women be seen in a good light. Sorry, but it’s true for the most part. Deborah and Hulda are called “conceited and overbearing” and we’re told they are cursed with ugly names. Really? Bee and Cat are ugly names? What about the tradition of giving children “ugly” names to protect them from the evil eye? But, I digress a touch…

Adar (both I & II) are months of the moon and lunacy. Adar I is the month of the Kesilah (כְּסִילה), the clown or trickster, who in leap years steals all our holidays away and hides them in Adar II. The letter of the month is Kuf (ק), which can be a symbol of and literally means monkey (קוף) — the foolishness we generally associate with Purim. But in this month, the monkey has hidden our holidays and left us standing in a void. What if the monkey, the trickster, is asking us stand in the center and take a second look at the story of Dinah?

An amazing article in the Jewish Women Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia points out that the language of rape does not fit the original Hebrew in the story. As we stand in the void of Adar I in this leap year, I believe the lesson of Dinah is to teach us to read the words anew and look at how those who came before us — and ourselves are influenced by others to interpret situations. Dinah challenges us to vindicate the women of the Torah by reading their stories with fresh eyes and not layering ancient ideas of women on them. Dinah challenges to allow the people of Shechem to be the wronged victims here. Is Dinah a victim by just about any reading? Probably. But was she a victim of rape or over-zealous violent brothers who did not like the man she chose to marry?

Dinah reminds us that there are at least two sides to every story, and two-thousand interpretations. She challenges us to stand in the void and center ourselves, and not just take the trickster at her word.

What do you think?

~Excerpt from Adar 1 Guide – Subscribe for Free and Receive the Complete Guide Each Month ~

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