Category Archives: Biblical Men

Elijah the Prophet: Zealotry, Despair, and Hearing kol d’mama daka (Sept 15, 2016)

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Ruach HaYam Workshop at Congregation Eitz Chayim, Cambridge, MA
September 15, 2016.  Ruach HaYam study sessions provide a queer Jewish look at text, but are open to any learning or faith background and friendly to beginners.

Study starts promptly at 7:15 pm. However we open the doors at 6:45 for schmoozing. Feel free to bring your own veggie snack for the early part. —- A parking consideration is in effect for the three blocks around EC during all regularly scheduled events.

Accessibility information: MBTA accessible, all gender/accessible bathrooms, entry ramp.

This study is led by Penina Weinberg.

We will do a close reading of 1 Kgs 19, Prophet Elijah’s flight to the desert, where he prepares himself to die. In what way are Elijah’s fear of Jezebel, his zealotry for God, and his despair, linked to each other? When God attempts to teach Elijah that the divine is to be found in kol d’mama daka, but not in the wind, not in the earthquake, and not in the fire, does Elijah get the message? Note: biblical scholar Athalya Brenner writes that translations for kol d’mama daka, “as various as the RSV’s ‘still small voice’, ‘roaring thunderous voice’, ‘the sound of utmost silence’ and ‘a thin petrifying sound’ are all equally plausible.” We will be assisted in the study of despair by Elizabeth Sweeny who will present some of her work on Elijah and depression. Thank you, Elizabeth!!! 1 K 18:46 – 19:21 is the haftarah for Num 25:10 – 30:1, (parashat Pinchas). We will compare Elijah’s zealotry to the of Pinchas. How does zealotry manifest? In what ways does the text approve and disapprove?

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, founded the group Ruach HaYam and is president emerita and chair of various committees in her synagogue. Penina is a mother and grandmother.

Rebecca, Isaac, Jacob and Esau: A Queer Look at Family, Love, Jealousy and Gender in the Hebrew Bible (February 25, 2016)

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Ruach HaYam Workshop at Congregation Eitz Chayim, Cambridge, MA
Join us for an interactive study of Rebecca, Isaac, Jacob and Esau. Study will be led by Penina Weinberg. 6:45 pm for schmooze. Bring veggie snacks if you wish.
Study will begin promptly at 7:15pm.
Congregation Eitz Chayim 136 Magazine Street, Cambridge, MA
February 25, 2016
RSVP here
 

We’ll do a close reading of the story of Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Esau. We’ll follow through on what we learned from Song of Songs 8:6

For love is as strong as death [“The love which Isaac bore to Esau” –from Song of Songs Rabbah]

Jealousy as harsh as Sheol [“The Jealousy which Esau bore against Jacob” –from Song of Songs Rabbah]We will study the way in which Rebecca may be seen to inherit the mantles of both Abraham and Sarah, and to occupy a gender space both male and female. We will consider whether Jacob can be read as transgender and/or as a person whose true voice is never heard.

Penina Weinberg has been teaching Hebrew Bible for over 10 years and is determined for people to claim and own the text for themselves. She holds a Masters Degree in Jewish Studies from Hebrew College. 

THE SOUL OF DAVID (December 17 2015)

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Ruach HaYam workshop at Congregation Eitz Chayim

Join Ruach HaYam for an interactive text study of the soul of David. Study will be led by Penina Weinberg on December 17, 2015 at Congregation Eitz Chayim, 136 Magazine Street, Cambridge, MA. Join us at 6:45 pm for shmooze. Bring veggie snacks if you wish. Study will begin promptly at 7:15pm.    Parking is allowed within a three block radius on event nights.

According to the Book of Samuel, “The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” (1 Sam 18:1). Our study will ask the question, who did David love and what was the nature of that love? We will study David’s speech upon the death of Jonathan (2 Samuel Chapter 2) along side David’s speech upon the death of his first son by Bathsheba (2 Samuel Chapter 12). We will consider the love which Michal expressed for David (1 Samuel Chapter 18) and, time permitting, the relationship between David and Bathsheba.
 Study is geared for learners at all levels. You will be guided through a careful look at many Hebrew words but neither a knowledge of Hebrew nor prior text study experience is required.

Penina Weinberg has been teaching Hebrew Bible for over 10 years and is determined for people to claim and own the text for themselves. She holds a Masters Degree in Jewish Studies from Hebrew College. 

MOTHERHOOD, MANHOOD AND WAR: A QUEER LOOK AT GENDER AND POWER IN THE SONG OF DEBORAH (November 12, 2015)

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Ruach HaYam Workshop at Congregation Eitz Chayim, Cambridge, MA

A close reading of Deborah, Jael, Sisera’s mother, Sisera, and Barak to see what we can learn about stereotypical gender roles, non-normative gender roles, and how power is wielded. We also consider the nature of war.

How Six Women gave Moses His Start in Life – January 6 at Eitz Chayim

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Marc Chagall, "Pharaoh's Daughter and Moses, from The Story of Exodus"Consider the six powerful women who midwifed, mothered, and sistered Moses and gave him his start in life. Despite contrary decrees by the powerful Pharaoh of Egypt, they used their wits to gain power when they lacked authority and launched Moses as a prophet and leader.
Eitz Chayim member Penina Weinberg, who is both student and teacher of Hebrew Bible, will guide us on reading selected passages from Exodus and entering a lively discussion relating our texts to current politics, philosophy, or challenges of life.

Marc Chagall, “Pharaoh’s Daughter and Moses
from The Story of Exodus

Study session is participatory and accessible to people with no experience studying biblical texts, while providing an intellectual challenge to those with a broad background. Everyone is an expert at something; we will combine our insights and knowledge to unpack the biblical texts and to wrestle with questions such as: what is the meaning of our texts? What is authority vs power? Is living by our wits relevant today?

Please join us for bagels and coffee at 10am. Study and discussion at 10:30am.
Congregation Eitz Chayim is at 136 Magazine Street in Cambridge, MA.

Study of II Samuel is Coming Oct 3

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Stay tuned as we pick up our study of King David and all the assorted siblings, soldiers, children, wives and mothers.  On October 3rd join us for II Samuel, Chapter 1 & 2.   Read David’s poignant lament over the deaths of Jonathan and Saul, and learn about his first days as King over Judah.

“David’s story has a way of shifting out from under us.  It is a story that refuses to be tamed, secured, or neatly ordered.”
-Gunn and Fewell: Narrative in the Hebrew Bible.

Wednesday, June 6, 7:30pm, 1 Samuel Chapter 31 and 2 Samuel Chapter 1

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——-Marc Chagall  The Death of Saul

Join us as we finish the first book of Samuel (it really finishes with 2 Samuel Ch 1).
Cry with us as we say goodbye to Saul whom we have come to know.
 As we study David’s famous elegy over the slain Saul and Jonathan, question with us, “Who is David?”

“Thy beauty, O Israel,
Upon thy high places is slain.
How the mighty are fallen.”
— 2 Samuel 1:19

 “David’s story has a way of shifting out from under us. 
It is a story that refuses to be tamed, secured, or neatly ordered.” 
 —David M. Gunn and Danna Nolan Fewell. Narrative in the Hebrew Bible. 

Wednesday, May 16, 7:30pm, 1 Samuel Chapters 28-29

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The Witch of Endor Raising the Spirit of Samuel, 1800, by William Blake
Clipped on 12-May-2012, from Drawing Life by Fred Hatt


Chapter 28 is the story of the ghost-wife, or necromancer, also called the Witch of Endor, who conjures Samuel up from the grave in response to Saul’s plea.   Some commentators feel this story is the basis for the witches in Macbeth.

“This woman has defied the decree against calling the dead [Lev 20-27;  Deut 18:10-11] and is still adept at her trade.  This story sets the stage for centuries of Jewish women’s spiritual arts that were banished underground but somehow managed to survive…Talking directly to God, the spirit world, the dead and angels bypasses the traditional authority structure.  It is a rebellious act. It circumvents the authority of the king, the priests, and the institutional prophets.” 

“How ironic that an unnamed woman, practicing an illegal craft, becomes advisor to the king!”  
—–Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael in The Women’s Haftarah Commentary

Wednesday, May 2, 1 Samuel Chapters 26-28

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The chief business of women in the reigns of Kings Saul and David seems to have been to rescue men from the craft and greed of each other.
——Elizabeth Cady Stanton The Woman’s Bible (1898)

David, as a man who is sincere but hardly a saint, has through the ages provided a powerful model for repentance…He emerges from Samuel as a humble and humbled king, who points the way to the possibilities of genuine change.”
——Everett Fox Give us a King

He is also, from the start, quite calculating, and it can scarcely be an accident that until the midpoint of his story every one of his utterances, without exception, is made on a public occasion and arguably is contrived to serve his political interests.”  He is “constantly prepared to do almost anything in order to survive.”
——Robert Alter The David Story

To seek clearly circumscribed definitions in this text is to be frustrated at every turn.  What is a king, a priest, a military leader, and what is the difference?  That question is the story of Samuel and Saul.  What is an assassin, what is a politician, and what is the difference?  That is the story of David.
——Regina Schwartz in “Not in Heaven”