Summer Tanach Studies Monday, August 2, 2010, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eitz Chayim Community RoomTopic “The Cushite Woman”Zipporah, the Cushite Woman, Miriam and MosesReview Zipporah (previous blog)Num 11:35-12:9 and Related Texts Bring wine and food as desired.Bring your own Tanach if possible

It may be useful to look over the notes prior to the class on Cushite woman.   In the discussion, some suggested that since God had decreed circumcision with Abraham, Moses was not in compliance and therefore Zipporah needed to circumcise  Moses.  In this view, it was not Gershom who was circumcised.   My notes  contain an alternate view. Keturah and Midian Ø      Gen 25:1-2  After death of Sarah, and Rebekkah moves into Isaac’s tent – Moses takes Keturah for wife– one son is Midian.  (nomadic desert tribes) – Ø      Gen 25:6 sons of Abraham’s concubine (pilagesh) are sent eastward.  (Perhaps Keturah’s…

Summer Tanach Studies  Monday, July 19, 2010, 7:30 pm – 8:45 pm  Eitz Chayim LibraryNOTE NEW TIME AND PLACE Topic is   The Midianites: Priests?  Monotheists?  Zipporah, the Cushite Woman, Miriam and Moses Ex 4:24-26 “The Bridegroom of Blood” Num 11:35-12:9 “The Cushite Woman”  And Related Texts  Please do not bring food as this is the beginning of the fast of Tisha B’av.  If anyone would like to stay after class and read Eicha (Lamentations) together, we can do so 

To those who were in the Canaanite class, thanks for sending me back to check on my comments about the Iron Age being responsible for cisterns and creating terraces.  Although a huge number of cisterns were required, along with clearing the wilderness and creating the terraces in the settlement in the hills of Palestine in the time of Joshua (about 1200 BCE), the evidence that iron tools made this possible is thin.   What is certain that there was a huge amount of physical labor involved in the settlement, in creating the irrigation systems and the vineyards etc.  Carol Meyers says…

Topic Text Notes Appearance in Text Gen 9:20-27 Curse of Canaan by Noah – Ham saw father’s nakedness = ervah ערה implies shameful exposure – BdB 788 rainbow right before this in text Adam & Eve nakedness = arumim – Gen 2:25, 3:7,10 – not ashamed ערמ Who “they” are exposed – bare Gen 10:15-10 List of Canaan’s descendents – Jebusites, Amorites, Gergishites, etc Ex 3:8,17, 34 List of tribes, Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites What is wrong with them? Lev 18:3,6,7 Do not be like Canaanites – do not uncover ervah – implies act of rape ערה Lev…

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MONDAY, June 21 – Canaanites – from Curse to ConquestTUESDAY, July 6 – topic tbdMONDAY, July 19 – topic tbdMONDAY, August 2 – topic tbd7:00 pm to 8:30 pm in the Eitz Chayim Community Room136 Magazine Street, CambridgeFeel free to bring brown bag dinner and/or wine Through a close and intertextual reading of selected Biblical texts, we will explore the intersection of gender and politics in the ancient Israelite love/hate relationship with the outsider/other. Each session will be completely stand-alone. Come to any or all. Neither prior text study nor knowledge of Hebrew is required. Penina will supply the text…