SONG OF SONGS:
6. Who is this coming up from the desert, like columns
of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, of all the powder of the
peddler?
7. Behold the litter of Solomon; sixty mighty men are
around it, of the mighty men of Israel.
8. They all hold the sword, skilled in warfare; each
one with his sword on his thigh because of fear at night.
70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Gershon
TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 14 - Forgetting the Laws of Impurity
Book of Jeremiah: Chapter 14
Week 14 in the Jewish calendar is the
continuation of Chanukah, and also
includes Rosh Chodesh Teveth. The verses from Song of Songs for this week are very
upbeat: they are said by the Jewish people and describe its state of
closeness with G-d. The first verse speaks of traveling through the desert with G-d miraculously protecting them with the Clouds of Glory. Chanukah is also about Divine protection during exile and is eight days long in order to
parallel Sukkot, which commemorates our protection under the Clouds of Glory while in the desert.
Rashi notes that the verses relate to the Mishkan, the moveable Temple, and to the "the
war of Torah, and similarly, the priests who surround it, who camp around the
Mishkan, skilled in the order of their service." There’s a
clear relation to Chanukah.
There is
also an interesting parallel with Rosh
Chodesh Teveth, in that Rashi describes
that not only is the Mishkan being guarded, but the Torah itself, both Written and
Oral. It is well known that the destruction of the First Temple, which began
with the siege of Jerusalem on the 10th of Teveth was due to the lack of proper (spiritual) importance given
to the Torah. Here are Rashi's comments:
each one with his sword: his weapons. These are the
Masorah and the mnemonics, by which they preserve the correct version [of the
Oral Law] and the masorah (the traditional spelling and reading of the
Scriptures), lest it be forgotten.
because of fear at night: lest they forget it, and
troubles will befall them, and so Scripture says (Ps. 2:12): “Arm yourselves
with the grain [of Torah] lest He become angry and you perish on the way.”
Night appears to be a reference to the darkness of Greece. It is incredible how Rashi also explains that the weapons
used are for preserving the correct written and oral traditions, not only in
line with the struggle of the Maccabees against Greek perversion of the law,
but also a reference to giving the proper spiritual importance of the Torah,
one of the main themes of this month, the lack of which caused the destruction
of the First Temple, as explained in the previous books.
Of the
seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the fourteenth
mentioned is Gershon. Gershon is the name of one of Levi’s sons as well as one
of Moshe’s. It is a name connected to being in exile, and the fight to maintain
one’s identity in the face of foreign influences. In fact, Moshe’s son Gershon was brought up by both Yitro and Moshe, and Yitro’s influence had long term negative
effects. As also explained previously, Chanukah
connected to the word Chinuch,
education, and is related to the fight against assimilation and idolatry. Gershon
and his family also played an important role in the upkeep of the Mishkan.
Daf Yud Dalet (Folio 14) of Shvuot comprises of a continuation of
the discussion of the atonement of Kohanim,
separate from the rest of the people. It also begins a new chapter that
introduces the concept of awareness of impurity and what happens when one
forgets the laws of impurity. The continuation of the laws of the atonement of
the Kohanim parallel the continuation
of Chanukah this week. Impurity versus purity is a general theme of Chanukah.
Impurity and ignorance of the Law (lack of education) are ideas also connected
to Chanukah and the 10th of Teveth.
Chapter 14 of the Book of Jeremiah
contains a similar theme to the above. The entire chapter is about a drought,
generally associated with G-d’s displeasure with the Jewish people prior to the destruction of the Temple.
Furthermore, a well known concept is that “Ayn
Mayim Elah Torah,” every Biblical reference to water is a reference to the
Torah itself.. At the end there is also a clear connection to themes of Chanukah, the Temple and the Brit (mepher brit means annulling the covenant of circumcision, prevalent among some Hellenized Jews at the time of Chanukah)
21. Do not condemn us for Your name's sake, do not
disgrace the throne of Your glory. Remember, do not break Your
covenant with us.
for Your name’s sake: that you are called merciful.
the throne of Your glory: The Temple. And according to Midrash Aggadah, Israel
who is engraved on the throne of Your glory.
