Here is the third of the parasha poems. I’m trying to write one each week, based on the Torah portion of the previous Saturday. The portion this past week introduced Joseph; but the character who interested me the most was Judah. If you read the portion, you’ll see there’s this long digression about Judah, his sons, and his failure to arrange a proper second marriage for his daughter-in-law Tamara after her first husband dies. One of the more touching incidentals in the passage is Judah’s friendship with Hirah, the Adullamite. It’s especially interesting because it’s a cross-ethnic friendship, which the text neither approves nor condemns. Anyhow, this poem is trying to find a modern voice for Judah… |inline
Archive for December, 2005
A bit late in the day, sorry, but here’s this week’s Torah portion. Last week Joseph was attacked by his brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt. He became the manager of a rich man’s house, but was then betrayed by his master’s wife, and thrown in jail. There, he developed a reputation as an interpreter of dreams, a person who could accurately predict the future. Here, he predicts a famine in Egypt in time for Pharoah to prepare stores of food. His wisdom persuades Pharoah to set Joseph over the empire, second in command to Pharoah himself. During the famine, Joseph’s brothers come into Egypt seeking stores. Joseph recognizes them and forgives them - though only after bullying them a bit, to demonstrate his power.
We are near the end of the Book of Genesis. Joseph’s influence and favorable position in Egypt trigger the immigration of the Israelites, which sets the stage for their enslavement and their escape, in Exodus.
Prior Torah portions are here. You can subscribe to the rss feed here. The translation is courtesy of the Jewish Publications Society. Feel free to comment on the portion, using the comments section below.
I posted a few weeks ago on Hillary Clinton’s trip to Israel. She was too busy to meet with any Palestinians, but she did broadcast her committment to Israel’s security and her support for the separation barrier. On her return to New York, she was toasted by the most right-wing of the Jewish pro-Israel activists - many of whom are big political donors and made it clear that the trip had won their support for her re-election campaign (”I was quite critical when she ran last time,” disengagement opponent Mandy Ganchrow declared. “Since that time … she has become a leader who understands the nuances.”).
Today, the New York Times ran an article on how Senator Clinton has angered the left with her support for the Iraq war. It’s a reminder of the political realities that shape candidates’ positions in the Democratic party. |inline
Here we go again. This morning I woke up to hear on NPR news that Ariel Sharon has announced he is willing to give up more territory to bring peace with the Palestinians. First story after the Tsunami anniversary. Hm. It’s not exactly news… his plan all along was to dismantle a few Jewish settlements in outlying areas of the West Bank that Israel doesn’t want. The real issues are around East Jerusalem and the huge settlement blocks that project from around Jerusalem almost to the Jordan River… |inline
Here is this week’s Torah portion. Jacob is old - but not too old to have one last trick played on him. His older sons gang up on Joseph, the youngest and the favorite. They throw him in a pit and tell Jacob that he is dead. But Joseph is rescued and makes his way to Egypt, where he becomes a sort of consiglieri for a wealthy landowner. Joseph is rewarded, tempted, betrayed and imprisoned - unbeknownst to his father, who is in mourning in Canaan.
There is also an interesting interlude involving Judah, another of Jacob’s sons. He fails in his duty to arrange a levirate marriage for his daughter-in-law Tamar; so she takes matters into her own hands and, impersonating a harlot, deceives Judah himself into conceiving two sons with her.
Rachel has already posted some good comments on this portion. She’s right, it’s quite a soap opera. Readers’ own commentary is welcome in the comments section, below…
Here’s the second of the Parasha poems. The portion last Friday had Jacob re-uniting with his brother Esau. Jacob feared retribution for tricking Esau when they were younger; so when he heard Esau was coming, he sent ahead a long train of offerings, hoping to pacify him. When Esau arrives, instead of descending on Jacob with his men, he embraces him.
And (Esau) lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said: ‘Who are these with thee?’ And (Jacob) said: ‘The children whom God hath graciously given thy servant.’
That’s been on my mind all week, along with the ice in my driveway and the winter solstice - so I wrote this…
|inline
