THE LORD SPOKE TO MOSHE SAYING: COMMAND THE ISRAELITE PEOPLE AND SAY TO THEM: BE PUNCTILIOUS IN PRESENTING TO ME AT STATED TIMES THE OFFERINGS OF FOOD DUE ME, AS OFFERINGS BY FIRE OF PLEASING ODOR TO ME. SAY TO THEM: THESE ARE THE OFFERINGS BY FIRE THAT YOU ARE TO PRESENT TO THE LORD: AS A REGULAR BURNT OFFERING EVERY DAY, TWO YEARLING LAMBS WITHOUT BLEMISH. YOU SHALL OFFER ONE LAMB IN THE MORNING, AND THE OTHER LAMB YOU SHALL OFFER AT TWILIGHT. AND AS A MEAL OFFERING, THERE SHALL BE A TENTH OF AN EPHAH OF CHOICE FLOUR WITH A QUARTER OF A HIN OF BEATEN OIL MIXED IN - THE REGULAR BURNT OFFERING INSTITUTED AT MOUNT SINAI - AN OFFERING BY FIRE OF PLEASING ODOR TO THE LORD.

(B'midbar 28:2-6)

 

PLEASING ODOR, NACHAT RUACH, THE WILL OF THE LORD

"A pleasing odor" - Nachat ruach (Nachat Ruach can be translated as 'satisfaction', 'gratification', 'tranquillity', 'serene spirit', 'pleasure') - pleasure - for me, for I spoke and my will was executed.

(Rashi, Bemidbar 28:8)

 

"Then Noach built an altar to the Lord and, taking of every clean animal and of every clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelled the reyach nichoach [pleasing odor] , and the Lord said to Himself: Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the devisings of man's mind are evil from his youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living being, as I have done.

 (Bereishit 8:20-21)

 

'Reyach nichoach' does not mean "pleasant odor" but rather: the satisfaction of the request and aspirations of the other.

(Rabbi S. R. Hirsch, Bereishit 8:21)

 

"What need have I of all your sacrifices? says the Lord. I am sated with burnt offerings of rams and suet of fatlings, and blood of bulls; I have no delight in lambs and he-goats. That you come to appear before Me - who asked that of you? Trample My courts no more; Bringing oblations is futile, incense is offensive to Me. New moon and Sabbath, proclaiming of solemnities, assemblies with iniquity, I cannot abide."

(Isaiah 1:11-13)

 

"What need have I of all your sacrifices" - Said Rabbi Elazar: Prayer is superior to all offerings, for it is written "What need have I of all your sacrifices" and it is written, "And when you lift up your hands... Though you pray at length, I will not listen." Said Rabbi Yochanan: Any cohen who has killed someone shall not lift his arms [to bless], as is written, " Your hands are stained with blood."

 (Yalkut Shimoni, Isaiah 247:387)

 

Five events occurred to our ancestors on the 17^th of Tammuz and five on the 9^th of Ab - on the 17^th of Tammuz the tablets were smashed and the regular tammid offering was cancelled and the city was invaded and Apostomos burnt the Torah and stood an idol in the sanctuary.

(Mishna, Taanit 4:1)

 

 

THE HEIGHTS OF AVARIM

Devorah Greniman

 

"THE LORD SAID TO MOSHE, "ASCEND THESE HEIGHTS OF AVARIM AND VIEW THE LAND THAT I HAVE GIVEN TO THE ISRAELITE PEOPLE. WHEN YOU HAVE SEEN IT, YOU TOO SHALL BE GATHERED TO YOUR KIN, JUST AS YOUR BROTHER AHARON WAS. FOR, IN THE WILDERNESS OF ZIN, WHEN THE COMMUNITY WAS CONTENTIOUS, YOU DISOBEYED MY COMMAND TO UPHOLD MY SANCTITY IN THEIR SIGHT BY MEANS OF THE WATER." THOSE ARE THE WATERS OF MERIBATH-KADESH, IN THE WILDERNESS OF ZIN."

(B'midbar 27:12-14)

 

Moshe would seem to have been the only person in the Torah to die 'by fiat', by divine command. The formulation in Parashat Haazinu is even more blunt, almost cruel: "Die on the mountain which you are ascending" (Devarim 32:50). True, Moshe is ordered to die "as your brother Aharon died" (as per the text in "Haazinu"), but Aharon's death, as described in Parashat Hukkat, is an event which is to occur according to a divine plan; it is not an act in which Aharon is to play an active role. It seems to me that it is not a case of suicide, but a revelation of a unique spiritual power, one which permits a person to determine the moment of his death when his time arrives. Yet more: Moshe succeeds in this supreme mission which is recorded in detail in the Midrash, even though he was still fit, as is described in "V'zot haberacha": "His eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated." He succeeded, even though the timing of his demise was not at all to his liking, as we learn from the opening of the Parashat Va'etchanan:

I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, "O Lord God, You who let Your servant see the first works of Your greatness and Your mighty hand, You whose powerful deeds no god in heaven or on earth can equal! Let me, I pray, cross over and see the good land on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country, and the Lebanon." But the Lord was wrathful with me on your account and would not listen to me. The Lord said to me, "Enough! Never speak to Me of this matter again. Go up to the summit of Pisgah and gaze about, to the west, the north, the south, and the east. Look at it well, for you shall not go across yonder Jordan. (Devarim 3;23-27)

I note a paradox: The site which is chosen for Moshe's expiration, the Height of Avarim, - the Heights of Passages - is the "Do not pass here!" point for Moshe! It is called by this name expressly for Moshe; for it has another name, Mt. Nevo, which is familiar to other inhabitants of the region and to those who read the narrative until this day. Why does it receive another name at this crucial time, when Moshe is about to depart this world, and the Children of Israel are about to inherit their land?

Ramban, explaining our parasha, is of the opinion that the site was called Har HaAvarim "because it was above the passages over the Jordan ("maabarot haYarden), leading into the Land of Canaan". From this it follows that it was called by this name because it was the place where the Ivrim (Hebrews) will pass into their inheritance. It is also possible to derive two additional possible reasons from the immediate context in which the name appears in our parasha: The parasha of the daughters of Tselophehad, on the one hand, and the appointment of Yehosha to be the new national leader, on the other. This mountain serves as a point of passage from many aspects: this is the place where the passage of patrimonies in the Land of Israel from generation to generation to the sons of Israel and to its daughters is arranged; so is the passage of authority and leadership of Israel from Moshe to Yehoshua organized; not to speak of the passage of Moshe himself from this world onto the next.

Incidentally, in Parashat "Va'etchanan" there is a description of Moshe's flinching from his death before passing over into the promised land; here we are witness to his disquietude at transfer of authority. "May God appoint... a man over the congregation", he pleads, "and let not the congregation of the Lord be as sheep without a shepherd." It appears that he fears a situation in which a replacement for him, in his image, may not be found; he does not see a suitable candidate for the task. However, what is needed at this point of passage is not a clone of Moshe, but a strong and loyal military leader. "Take Yehoshua", answers God - and Yehoshua is none other than the person closest to him! It was difficult for Moshe to give up the image of the prophet/leader who led his flock in the desert, and therefore he could not see that the very person who served him so devotedly is destined to be the new leader.

The Netziv, author of "Haamek Davar", suggests an additional explanation for the nomenclature of the mountain in his explication of Parashat Haazinu:

It has two sides (avarim). The eastern slope belonged to Moav, and the western slope belonged to the patrimony of the sons of Gad. Clarification continues: "which is in the land of Moav", the eastern side still belongs to the land of Moav; "which faces Jericho", this is the western side, and belongs to Israel. God mentions all this because the two sides of the of the mountain were differentiated in the matter of Moshe's ascent to his demise, as is clarified: "And see the Land of Canaan, etc." - there, on the side facing Jericho, stand and behold. "You shall die on the mountain you are about to ascend" - on that mountain - but not at that same location and side from which you view [the land of Canaan], but on the other side, that of the land of Moav.

In other words, the significance of the mountain's two sides for Moshe is that he must die on the desert side, that side which is - from his point of view - the undesirable one. He must move from one slope to the other in other to follow the order. But, as is stressed by the author of the "Hizkuni" commentary on Va'etchanan, Moshe belongs to the generation condemned to die in the desert. This provides yet another explanation for both the rejection of Moshe's plea to cross over into the promised land together with the new generation, and for the appellation given the mountain:

But the Lord was wrathful with me on your account - Said The Holy One, Blessed Be He, to Moshe: If you cross over into the land, they will say: The reason for the decree that the generation of the desert not enter the Land, is because they have no portion in the world to come; but if you enter by virtue of your prayer, they will say: Moshe worries only about himself. Therefore, you will be buried with them, and you shall bring the nation in the future, as is written, "He approached with the heads of the people."

This is to say that the reason for God's wrath which prevented Moshe from crossing over was God's compassion for the generation of the desert; had he been permitted to cross, Moshe would have abandoned them. Perhaps there was yet another basis for God's anger: God himself does not mention the reason suggested by the Hizkuni as a factor in His denying passage of Moshe into Eretz Yisrael. On three occasions - the parasha of Mei-merivah itself, in our parasha, and in "Va'etchanan" - He emphasizes that the cause is none other than Moshe's failure, his refrain from performing an act of Kiddush Hashem - Sanctification of the Name - as he was asked to do at Mei-merivah. It is as though The Holy One, Blessed Be He, had said to Moshe: "The problem is not external; it is internal, in your behavior." As Rashi explains in his commentary to Parashat Hukkat, the extraction of water from the rock should have been an educational matter, a lesson in God's power and His willingness to perform miracles for the Israelite nation. It was not supposed to emulate magic performed by flesh and blood, even if the flesh and blood belonged to Moshe our teacher and Aharon the priest. The educational failure caused spiritual damage which even Moshe could not fully rectify. Therefore, as with cases in which God's forgiving the people did not prevent their punishment, so Moshe's stature as a prophet - and Aharon's greatness as a priest - could not rescue them from the consequences of their action, despite God's love for them. Consequently, Moshe was forced to cease his entreaties, to refrain from crossing. Instead he is instructed to transfer his authority to Yehoshua at the foot of the mountain.

But let us not forget that the mountain had two names. The Height of Avarim - a name which reminds us of the past (Avar), all the passages of the Israelite nation until that day, prior to their passage into Eretz Yisrael; passages which were transcribed by Moshe into this Book of the Torah and were part of Moshe's remembered past, even though he had grown up in an Egyptian household, without ever having heard the tales of the Patriarchs on his parents' knees. But the second name, mentioned in "Va'etchanan and "V'zot Haberacha", Mt. Nevo reminds us of that which is yet to come: that future which he anticipated for the people, and which Moshe himself experienced in his visions and in his last prophecies. There, from his high vantage point on the mountain, he is privileged to view the land of the future in all its beauty and glory. The Height of Avarim, which is Mt. Nevo, is the point of passage between past and future.

As I read of Moshe's death, I am reminded of the death of our father Avraham, "old and contented". Moshe was old, but after all his contentions with God which blocked his passage into the land towards which he had led the people for 40 years, was he content? On the one hand, he takes on a tragic aspect, like a very human person who, at life's end, suffers great disappointment as a result of his actions. On the other hand, when he climbs Mt. Nevo and sees with his own eyes the breathtaking land of the future - and dies "with a kiss", "by the mouth of the Lord", before being forced to experience with the people the wars of conquest and the shameful acts which accompany them - perhaps with this final gift of grace he achieves contentment? This question must remain unanswered; perhaps both answers are correct, like the two slopes of the mountain.

Devorah Greineman edits the magazine "Nashim" for the Study of Women and Gender in Judaism. She edits for the National Academy of Sciences and engages in translation and writing

 

 

 

"A NEW VESSEL FULL OF OLD WINE" AND GREAT HOPE

Upon the publication of Prof. Uriel Simon's new book "Seek Peace and Pursue It" (Sifrei Hemed - Published by Yedioth Acharonot - "Judaism Here and Now" series, edited by Yochi Brandes)

 

As this is being written, the Week of the Hebrew Book is being celebrated - although on a small scale and under heavy security. Some stores extended the event to a full month. The more poetic name is: The Festival of the Hebrew Book. It can be said without hesitation that the existence of well-publicized event based on the appearance of new books in a time when the "sword" rules in our region, is a cause for special joy and infuses hope in our hearts. If this be the case with regard to any book which is published these days, how much more so with regard to Prof. Uriel Simon's new book, which promises refreshing and challenging readings in the Book of Books.

The book's preface was published as a monograph in the "Yeriot" series in memory of Yitzchak Hess in 5759 (a review of this wonderful pamphlet appeared in "Shabbat Shalom", Issue 75). In this article, Prof. Simon coined the term "existential pshat" as an alternative for once again making the Bible a culturally relevant basis for Israeli society.

Prof. Simon echoes a statement often made by his late father, Prof. Ernest Simon, z"l, who complained that "With the people with whom he prays, he cannot talk; and the people with whom he talks, do not pray". Prof. Simon points out the difficulty prevalent in Israeli society regarding the Bible: a great percentage - if not the majority - of the religious community does not believe in compromise as a basis for resolution of the conflict, and finds Biblical support for their combative world outlook. Most of the secular community hopes to settle the territorial and political conflict peacefully, but concurs with the religious public regarding the martial and nationalistic character of the Bible; therefore it is to a great degree alienated from it, not considering it a cultural possession relevant to the shaping of its spiritual and conceptual world.

Uriel Simon, pursuer of peace and a man of faith, feels the pain of the Bible and the pain of divided Israeli society and attempts in his volume to suggest new insights into the Bible.

At an evening in honor of the book's publication which was held in Israel Academy of Sciences, Yochi Brandes, editor of the series, presented - through the prophet Jeremiah - the problematics of a prophet who has lost the connection with his people. She emphasized the importance of examining the need for finding a common language with the public who is willing to create a dialogue with him. The discussion illustrated the problematics with which Uriel Simon tries to cope in his book.

Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Haifa - while heaping praises upon the book - denies (without reference to the book itself) the author's portrayal of the religious public. He sees the Religious-National community, from the Beth Midrash of Rabbi Kook, as a community which seeks peace no less than others, and therefore disputes the problematics which engendered the book. In contrast to Rabbi Cohen, Prof. Yaira Amit confirms Uriel Simon's claim regarding the way which the secular Israeli reads the Bible - even if he be a Bibliophile.

Prof. Moshe Halbertal accurately defined the root of the controversy between the community which sees peace and morality as religious value, without connection to this or that political reality, and the community which considers the wholeness of the Land to be a supreme or exclusive religious value. Both in his book and in the evening's discussion, Uriel Simon examines the complex Israeli reality as a believer, by means of the Bible and tradition. For Uriel Simon, "there can be no religious position which not moral; it is unthinkable that the temple be built "with blood and fire"; the Biblical paradigm of King David who is not permitted to built the temple because: "Much blood have you shed, and many wars have you waged. You shall not erect a house to my name, for much blood have you spilled on the land before me" has become very real. Uriel Simon's greatness lies in his transformation of the Biblical narrative into a relevant Torah of life and in presenting an alternative spiritual challenge to messianic, combative religious Zionism.

Pinchas Leiser -editor

 

 

 

 

Editorial Board: Pinchas Leiser (Editor), Miriam Fine (Coordinator), Itzhak Frankenthal and Dr. Menachem Klein

Translation: Kadish Goldberg

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