Category Archives: Kings

Tzara’at (“leprosy”) and Salvation – Inside and Outside the Gates (June 24 2021)

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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
——>>>>>> Only recognized names will be admitted to Zoom meeting. Please be sure to RSVP

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***

Elijah in the Desert

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I visited the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to see the painting Elijah in the Desert  by Washington Allston.  http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/elijah-in-the-desert-30844

1200px-Washington_Allston_-_Elijah_in_the_Desert_-_Google_Art_Project_4A great deal of my time is spent viewing digital photos and images.  In fact, I found the image of this painting through a google image search for Elijah.  As a small jpg, the picture is stunning enough – a stark portrayal it seems, of Elijah in the throes of despair.  I used this image as a banner for a study session I’m leading called “Elijah the Prophet: Zealotry, Despair, and Hearing kol d’mama daka.”  By great coincidence, the original hangs in the MFA.  In fact, it was the first ever acquisition for the MFA. In 1870, Allston was such a highly regarded American painter that the donor of the painting suggested naming the museum after Allston.  I did not know this prior to seeing the painting.  I just thought it would be a good idea to see the original.

It’s so easy (for me at least) to forget how powerful a painting is in the original.  I sat in front of Elijah for maybe an hour, looking from all angles, up close, far away, to the right and to the left, sitting, standing, letting thoughts and feelings run through me.   People passed through the gallery, mostly cruising past the room full of paintings, only infrequently stopping for more than a couple of minutes for anything.  So the first observation was:  how easy it is for humans to walk without taking in impressions, without feeding on the painter’s laborious and careful work.  Similar to speed reading through novels, without enjoying the precise language crafted by the writer.

It was a treat for me to have the time to sit and absorb this one painting, and to have knowledge of the text behind it (1 Kgs 19) (17:1–7 according to MFA).  Here is what I saw.   The sunlight breaking through over the mountains is striking and brilliant.  It appears to highlight Mt Horeb (Sinai) in the distance.  It breaks through the clouds of despair.  It lands brightly on Elijah’s head as if to convey a message to him (from the divine) that all is not lost.  The raven, too, carrying food to Elijah, into the light, may be a beacon of hope and comfort.  Yet it’s not clear in the painting if Elijah can see the raven, or the light, any more than it’s clear in the text if Elijah can hear kol d’mama daka, that strange, stringent, quiet, ice-breaking voice of God.  The painting illuminates the central question of the text:  is Elijah grateful and learning, or is he unable to hear God’s voice?  I kept wanting to get my eyes right in front of Elijah’s face, but could not.  The painting was tantalizingly out of my reach, as is the meaning of the text.

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.

The Hannah Narrative: Listening to (my, your, their) Inner Voice (August 18, 2016)

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Ruach HaYam Workshop at Congregation Eitz Chayim, Cambridge, MA
August 18, 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.

The Hannah Narrative, 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10, is recited as the Haftarah every year at Rosh Hashanah. R Nahman of Breslev teaches that “During the Days of Awe it is a good thing when you can weep profusely like a child. Throw aside all your sophistication. Just cry before God; cry for the diseases of the heart, for the pains and sores you feel in your soul. Cry like a child before his father.” (From R Noson’s work, “Liketey Eitzot”). The Talmud presents Hannah as an example to all of how to pray. “R. Hamnuna said: How many most important laws can be learnt from these verses relating to Hannah! Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart: from this we learn that one who prays must direct his heart. Only her lips moved: from this we learn that he who prays must frame the words distinctly with his lips.” (B. Berachot 31a-b)

Through many years of reciting the Hannah Narrative at the High Holy Days, I have generally understood the Hannah Narrative to be an example of how one needs to dig into one’s soul and shout out one’s inner longings. In this class, I want to ask the question, what is our responsibility to really listen? Is there a problem in expecting the Other to dig into their soul and to reach out to Us? In the Hannah Narrative, only Penina really listens from her own empathetic soul.

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.

Majesty Thrown to the Dogs: Queen Jezebel and the Assault on Transgender Womanhood (July 7, 2016)

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Ruach HaYam Workshop at Congregation Eitz Chayim, Cambridge, MA
May 26, 2016.  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.

Ruach HaYam study sessions are open to any learning background and friendly to beginners. For those arriving by car, parking is allowed within 2 blocks on event nights.
We are proud to have the co-sponsorship of Keshet for this event!

This study will be co-led by Mischa Haider and Penina Weinberg. They have recently begun collaborating on articles drawing wisdom from ancient Hebrew texts and applying it to understanding and undermining the assault on transgender womanhood today. In this study, we will look closely at the story of Queen Jezebel in 1 and 2 Kings. As a Phoenician princess, she was educated in religion and governance, and well able to sustain 400 prophets and run the kingdom. Yet she was out of place in the Israelite kingdom, scorned for her prowess, feared, and ultimately thrown to the dogs. In seeking to understand the forces which drove the King of Israel to destroy her, we seek to understand two things about the modern assault on transgender womanhood. What are the forces that drive this assault, and how can we honor and foreground the majestic souls of our modern day Queen Jezebels?

Mischa Haider is a transgender activist and mother. She is an applied physicist at Harvard University who studies applications of mathematical and physical models to social networks. She has written in the Advocate and Tikkun, and her research has been published in Applied Physics Letters. She also has a blog on the Huffington Post and is on the Board of Trustees of Lambda Literary.

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.

Read Mischa and Penina’s article here: http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2016/05/13/unrighteous-anger-queen-vashti-and-the-erasure-of-transgender-women/

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

Jeroboam and the loss of inheritance [nachalah]

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In our class on Kings, we often read that such and such a king was as evil as Jeroboam son of Nebat, and/or will suffer his fate.   For example, after King Ahab’s wife Jezebel has Naboth killed, and Ahab takes possession of Naboth’s vineyard, the prophet Elijah says to Ahab:

Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away, and will cut off from Ahab every manchild, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel. And I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasa the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked Me, and hast made Israel to sin. [I Kgs 21:21-22].

In seeking to understand exactly what Jeroboam did that was so nefarious, one class member suggested that it might be related to the way in which King Ahab and Queen Jezebel tried to alienate Naboth from his vineyard, from the inheritance [nachalah] of his ancestors.  For in this matter, Jezebel and Ahab are subject to the same curse and manner of death as Jeroboam.

Jeroboam enters our narrative as he raises up his hand against King Solomon [I Kgs 11:26] and runs to Egypt to escape being killed by Solomon.  After Solomon’s death, Jeroboam is called back to be the leader of the opposition in the north to Solomon’s son and heir apparent, Rehoboam.

Rehoboam refuses to promise the northern tribes that he will remove from them the burden of taxation and forced labor imposed upon them by Solomon.  When the northern tribes (called Israel) see that Rehoboam will not harken to them, they say to King Rehoboam (who is the representative of the house of David, son of Jesse):

‘What portion  [chelek] have we in David? neither have we inheritance [nachalah] in the son of Jesse; to your tents, O Israel; now see to thine own house, David. [I Kgs 12:16]

And here we have the beginning of the division of the monarchy into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.  Certainly Jeroboam will be remembered for more than one nefarious deed – we have not even mentioned his encouraging the people to bring the golden calves into their worship (join us on March 25th as we study Jeroboam and the calf worship).  Yet it seems that there is a clear connection between Ahab who alienates Naboth from the inheritance [nachalah] of his ancestors, and Jeroboam whose leadership results in the northern tribes losing the inheritance [nachalah] of the house of David.  We understand why Ahab therefore will suffer the same fate as Jeroboam.

March Schedule

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Chaverim,

Here is our upcoming schedule
Weds Feb 25: Intensive on Jezebel – limited to regular class participants only
Weds Mar 04: NO CLASS – join us at EC for ~~~~PURIM!!!!!~~~~
Weds Mar 11: Intensive on Jeroboam and the division of the monarchy – limited to regular class participants only
Weds Mar 18: REGULAR CLASS continues – come one come all!!!!
Weds Mar 25: Intensive on TBD – limited to regular class participants only
Thereafter:
1st and 3rd Weds – continue REGULAR CLASSES as always
2nd and 4th Weds – Intensive study on varying topics open ONLY to regular class participants
I hope that anyone who has been holding back due to weather will make a special effort to come on March 18. Mark your calendars now. Let’s get SPRING in our minds.

Study 1 Kings with Penina on January 8, 2014

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We had an amazing discussion in our class on December 18, 2013, about the Presence, corporeal or otherwise, of the Divine in the Temple.   Who, or what exactly came into the Temple once Solomon built it?  And was Solomon sort of Moses-like, or was he trying to cloak himself in Moses’ mantle for political reasons?   On January 8, 2014, we will pick up the discussion at 1 Kings 8.43.

By Jan 15 we should be up to the Queen of Sheba.  I read the opening stanza from “The Visit of the Queen of Sheba” by Yehuda Amichai 12/18/13.  I must say it was variously received.  We’ll look at it again on January 15th.  Come hear it for yourself and express your own opinions!

As always, no Hebrew is required, learning is at all levels.  Feel free to bring wine or other beverage and snacks.    See you at 7:30pm at Congregation Eitz Chayim, 136 Magazine Street, Cambridge, MA.

Rosh Hashanah Speech 2013

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Speech I gave as President to Congregation Eitz Chayim, Fall 2013

Welcome

Thanks to Rabbi Stern, Cantor Debby Gelber, School Director Laurie Shapiro, Administrator Judy Lavine, Interim Adminstrator Dennis Friedler, the High Holy Day crew, represented by our venue coordinator, Armond Cohen, to the Board of Directors and the Committee Chairs, and many individuals whose hard work throughout the year has once again brought us to the space to celebrate the New Year together.   Welcome to members and visitors who are celebrating with us.

What I wanted to talk about today, is what it takes to build and sustain our remarkable Congregation. By way of preface, I remind us all that this year, like any other year, we celebrate victories in the public sphere, but we sometimes despair of completing our dreams.   Marriage equality moves forward, but trans folk still do not have the protection of law that guarantees free access in public accommodations; Egypt holds free elections, and the military deposes the president;  We celebrate 50 years since Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the 1963 March on Washington, with an African American President and Attorney General, while the Supreme Court overturns key provisions in the Voters Rights Act of 1965.

What we do here at Eitz Chayim is: we create a Jewish home, within which we can educate our children, study as adults, worship, support our members throughout the lifecycle and work on tikkun olam, repair of the world.

Our texts teach us what it takes to building the building.   In Exodus, the children of Israel built the Mishkan, the itinerant tabernacle. God gave them an exact blueprint in advance, and they followed that blueprint. They participated with from a willing heart, nediv lev – they willingly brought the fruits of their labors, their jewels and treasure, and they had the advantage of knowing exactly what to do.

Fast forward to Solomon, who built the Temple in Jerusalem. Those of you who study the book of Kings with me this year will go into this story in great detail, but I want to highlight a few things. Solomon did not have a divine blueprint; Solomon was immensely wealthy; amongst the laborers were courve, or forced laborers.   Solomon built the temple according to his plan, with his wealth, and not everyone came with a willing heart. Yet this was the temple that endured for over 1000 years, being rebuilt once. Because, look here, Solomon says in 1 Kings:

1 Kings Ch 8, [17] Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Eternal, the God of Israel. [18] But the Eternal said to David my father: Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart; [19] nevertheless you will not build the house; but your son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for My name.

Now, David had to be disappointed not to build that temple. One day while I was pondering my remarks for today, I was listening on the radio, and I head a very familiar voice talking about what God might have said to David:

“You had the desire to do it; you had the intention to do it; you tried to do it; you started to do it. And I bless you for having the desire and the intention in your heart. It is well that it was within thine heart.”

The speaker went on to say:

So many of us in life start out building temples: temples of character, temples of justice, temples of peace. And so often we don’t finish them. Because life is like Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony.” At so many points we start, we try, we set out to build our various temples. And I guess one of the great agonies of life is that we are constantly trying to finish that which is unfinishable…

And each of you this morning in some way is building some kind of temple. The struggle is always there. It gets discouraging sometimes. It gets very disenchanting sometimes. Some of us are trying to build a temple of peace. We speak out against war, we protest, but it seems that your head is going against a concrete wall. It seems to mean nothing. And so often as you set out to build the temple of peace you are left lonesome; you are left discouraged; you are left bewildered.

Well, that is the story of life. And the thing that makes me happy is that I can hear a voice crying through the vista of time, saying: “It may not come today or it may not come tomorrow, but it is well that it is within thine heart. It’s well that you are trying.”

Clipped on 26-August-2013, 11:02:27 PM from “Unfulfilled Dreams”**

That speaker was Dr Martin Luther King, 1968, in a sermon called Unfulfilled Dreams. Now, I say: This is a different kind of heart, David’s heart, what I call the prophetic heart, which he passed to Solomon, lev shomea, a heart of understanding, a seeing mind. David inherited that heart from his great grandmother, Ruth; he was anointed as king by the prophet Samuel, whose great heart came from his mother Hannah.

So what does that tell us?   We don’t have a perfect blueprint laid out for us to build our temple, our shul. Neither do we have the wealth of Solomon, although we have very generous members and friends. Still, there is a form of a blueprint on our hearts, on our lev shomea and there is strength in our hands and in our willingness of heart, nediv lev.

A President of Eitz Chayim, I urge you to bring your willing hearts, and your understanding hearts and to remember throughout the year, that in order for Eitz Chayim to continue to be a home for all of us, generous contributions of talent and financial support are needed.   Whether you are a member, or a visitor who counts on finding Eitz Chayim when you need us, please help out during out appeals, and don’t hesitate to phone the office if you have a special talent you would like to share.

We CAN build our shul, AND we need to give ourselves a break as we navigate the chasm between our dreams and our realities, as outlined by Dr Martin Luther King. In the well-known words of our own sage, Rabbi Tarfon: “It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to desist from it.

L’shanah tova