Rabbi Ron Shulman
Ask the Rabbi
One of my favorite hours of the year comes on Yom Kippur afternoon. We meet in the sanctuary for a question and answer session. Congregants ask about theology, Jewish tradition and customs, current events, and any other pertinent questions they want to ask the rabbi. For some it's try to stump the rabbi! I have to think "standing on one foot." The questions are always better than the answers, but I have the most fun.
Though I always try to anticipate the questions, the ones I don't expect produce the most interesting discussion. In my former congregation we did this most weeks. During the Torah reading we paused to see if anyone had a question about the weekly portion, or another curiosity appropriate to discuss for a few minutes. I wonder if we should try that here at Chizuk Amuno, or even on this blog. I'd be happy to receive your questions. Maybe I'll answer some of them.
In the meantime, I'd sure like to know what you are going to ask this week! Hope to see you on Yom Kippur afternoon at 4:15 p.m. Have a meaningful fast. G'mar Tov.
Posted in: Holidays, Spirituality, Learning
4 Comments
Rabbi Ron Shulman
Daniel, thanks for asking. The precise meaning of Azazel is unclear. The usual view is that Azazel is a place in the wilderness to which the scapegoat is sent. The Talmud understands it as “a fierce, difficult land.” In other words, the people’s sins are carried away to a place more fitting for sins, outside of a community striving for repentance. It may also be the Hebrew word is a contraction for “goat that goes away.” Finally, in late antiquity there was mythology suggesting Azazel was a “demonic ruler of the wilderness.” Many ancient societies ritually transferred sins to an animal by a procedure designed to prevent the return of those sins. The Torah’s text may reflect this background adapted for the High Priest. Shanah Tovah!
Linda Goldberg
Rabbi - I'm still a bit muddled about the discussion you gave about the Binding of Isaac. In determining the turning point, you said (or I understood you to say) that Isaac was actually sacrificed by Abraham. However, to make the story more consistent with ethical teachings, Abraham - at the urging of the Angel - sacrificed the goat. If, historically, Isaac had been sacrificed, what are we to understand about the continuity of the generations? Would it mean that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were not necessarily direct descendants by blood but, rather, symbolic representatives of the people of the b'rit? Linda
Rabbi Ron Shulman
Linda, I thank you for your important question. The Biblical stories we read about Abraham, Sarah, and our other patriarchs and matriarchs began as oral tales, traditions passed down through the ages. As written in the Torah, they accurately reflect the time and place of our ancestors’ lives. But as these core memories of what actually took place were passed down, it became harder for us to know what was original, and what was embellished when the story was finally written. Biblical scholarship believes that the Torah as we have it was redacted from various sources reflecting different locations and versions of the core memories that form the Jewish people. This historical insight, along with traditional Jewish interpretations, forms our understanding of Torah, or at least mine, as a religious Conservative Jew. During our study session on the “binding of Isaac,” I quoted from both an ancient Torah source document that does portray Isaac’s death and from traditional Midrash that imagines Isaac died. In the Midrash, the rabbis teach he was resurrected to life. (Of course, other interpretations aren’t as drastic, and most view him as safe.) I presented these texts because I’m intrigued by the verse that makes clear only Abraham returns home following this incident, though everywhere else in the narrative Isaac’s presence is clearly important. I do not personally believe that Isaac was sacrificed. But I also don’t read the Torah for facts, but rather for religious inspiration and wisdom. (As I taught that same morning, faith is not fact.) From both history and tradition, we discover that one of the purposes of this story is to teach religious ethics. God demands trust, but not the sacrifice of children, as some ancient cults practiced. For me, the story’s power is in the faith it portrays and the moral questions it raises – especially about the continuity of the generations. I wish you a healthy and good New Year, and look forward to more Torah study!
Dan
What about trying in the blog? For example, I was wondering after reading the translation of this morning's Yom Kippur Torah reading, "Who is Azazel"?