Ruach HaYam teaching presented by Penina Weinberg
June 24, 2021
In 2 Kings chapters 5-7 we find stories of three different types of men affiliated with tzara’at. Usually (mis)translated in the Bible as “leprosy,” it is an unsightly skin affliction which generally results in the sufferer being excluded from community until they can become cured and purified. In this cycle of stories, we have the non-Israelite King Naaman who is leprous; Gehazi, the servant of the prophet Elisha, who becomes leprous; and four lepers sitting outside the gates of Samaria waiting to die. We will read these stories for comic element, to learn about Elisha’s miracle working, and to ponder class differences in treatment of illness.
We will look especially at the story of the four lepers who build their own community outside the gates, and who “precisely because of their vantage point, outside of society, perceive God’s salvation, which would otherwise have been missed by the nation.” [Rav Alex Israel] I wish to think through some of the lessons of Liam Hooper’s book, “Trans-Forming Proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence,” which I feel teaches that the knowledge gained by those who are outside the gates is transformational – not in order to survive as outcasts but in order to repair the world. There is a positive energy that can radiate from those who have had to care for each other outside the gates, and who bring their knowledge to those in the city, in fact transforming those who othered them.
Banner shows Naaman the Syrian bathing in the waters of the Jordan River at the advice of the prophet Elisha and ridding himself of his leprosy (2 Kings 5). Woodcut from the Cologne Bible, 1478-80.
At 6:45pm ET, meeting will be open for logging in, schmoozing and solving any technical issues. [see below for details]
Study begins at 7:15 ET.
——>>>>>> Zoom login can be found in the Ruach HaYam study room
https://www.studywithpenina.com/ruach_hayam
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Penina Weinberg is an independent Hebrew bible scholar whose study and teaching focus on the intersection of power, politics and gender in the Hebrew Bible. She has run workshops for Nehirim and Keshet and has been teaching Hebrew bible for 10 years. She has written in Tikkun and HBI blog, and is the leader and founder of Ruach HaYam.
*** Ruach HaYam https://www.facebook.com/groups/Ruach.HaYam/ study sessions provide a queer Jewish look at text, and are welcoming to LGBTQ+ and allies, to any learning or faith background, to all bodies, and friendly to beginners***
