PunkTorah

Independent Jewish Spirituality Online

Hatarah Vayakhel-Pekudei: Columns

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haftarah

I Kings 7:13-26.

This week we backtrack to the construction details for the first Holy Temple–reminding us that the haftorah portions were often chosen to parallel the accompanying parshot rather than progress sequentially.

Haftarah for Terumah.

While we’re in the midst of construction, King Solomon calls for an expert coppersmith, Hiram of Tyre, to create copper columns for the doorway to the Temple; these were to be capped with intricate carvings of pomegranates and palm leaves. The right column was named Jachin; the left Boaz. Hiram was also to build a giant copper basin, sanding on 12 oxen statuary, three pointed in each direction, to be used as a mikvah for the priests.

The size of these massive columns were about 6-feet thick by 27-feet tall, and hollow, (four “fingers” thick) with 8-foot capitals, featuring brass lilies. Interestingly, despite that these giant columns, which would have been very much a “big [Read more…]

Haftorah Ki Tisa: Some Jewish Grand Standing

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haftarah

I Kings 18:20-39

Elijah foresees a three-year drought—punishment for the worship of Ba’al, the local deity of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, rulers of the the Northern Kingdom of Israel who championed & encouraged various forms of idolatry. Ahab accuses Elijah of causing the hardship, at which point Elijah suggests a Battle of the Gods.

In this instance, Ba’al is the Northern Semetic title for “lord” used in many cases, both for local spirit deities, such as patron gods of cities, and sometimes for people, and attributed as a primary god of the Phoenicians. Not to be confused with Baal (or Bael) who appears in the 1600’s in some occult writings as a prince of Hell.

Elijah, the Ba’alists and assorted spectators gather on Mount Carmel and challenges the people: “How long will you hop between two ideas? If the L-rd is G-d, go after Him, and if the Baal, go after him.”

In the [Read more…]

Haftorah Yitro: Now This Means War!

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haftarah

Exodus 18:1-20:23

This week’s Haftora opens in the “year of the death of King Uzziah,” King of Judah, who had battled leprosy for the last decade or so of his life, dying in about 740 BCE. Isiah recounts a prophesy where G-d reveals himself sitting on an “exalted throne” with his feet in the temple.

Isaiah says the “doorposts quaked from the voice of Him.” Indeed they just may have. Geologic evidence suggests a massive 7.8-8.2 magnitude earthquake hits Israel, Jordan, Lebanon & Syria somewhere in this time period.

The message relayed to Isaiah, “go and say to these people, ‘indeed you hear but you do not understand, indeed you see, but you do not know. This people’s heart is becoming fat, and his ears are becoming heavy, and his eyes are becoming sealed, lest he see with his eyes, and hear with his ears, and his heart understand, and [Read more…]

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