Week 2 (Book 5): Yom Kippur - Entering the Inner Chamber, Enoch, Remembering the Love of Our Youth

SONG OF SONGS: 4. Draw me, we will run after you; the king brought me to his chambers. We will rejoice and be glad in you. We will recall your love more fragrant than wine; they have loved you sincerely.

5. I am black but comely, O daughters of Jerusalem! Like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.

6. Do not look upon me [disdainfully] because I am swarthy, for the sun has gazed upon me; my mother's sons were incensed against me; they made me a keeper of the vineyards; my own vineyard I did not keep.

70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Enoch

TALMUD SHEVUOUTH -  Daf 2

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 2

Week 2 in the Jewish calendar is the week of Yom Kippur. In the Song of Songs, the Jewish people sing about how, after getting a glimpse of G-d drawing us near, we now run after Him. On Yom Kippur is also the only time of the year when the Kohen Gadol, the high priest enters the Temple’s inner chamber, the Holy of Holies. The Talmud states that Yom Kippur, along with Tu B’Av, is the happiest day of the year. That is a remarkable statement, given that it is a purely spiritual day, with know festivity or wine (See Rashi who explains that “wine” in the above verse is a reference to all physical festivities).

Furthermore, the Jewish people sing of how they have sinned, but are beautiful in their essence – they can still do teshuvah. Rashi again comes to explain the verse in this manner: “and if I am black as the tents of Kedar, which are blackened by the rain, for they are constantly spread out in the deserts, I am easily cleansed to be like the curtains of Solomon.” (Verse 5, Rashi) The Jewish people exclaim that the exile has caused them to be unable to properly keep the commandments.We were meant to be a light unto the nations, help them guard their moral principles, yet our own morals we have not been able to uphold.

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the second mentioned is Reuven’s firstborn, Enoch. Enoch has the same name as one of the first descendants of Adam, who was so righteous that Hashem took him alive, and he became an angel. That is the idea of Yom Kippur, to be like angels.

The tractate of Shvuot begins with the statement of the Torah that describes certain elements in Jewish law that “are two that are [really] four.” This points to the duality related to Week 2. Daf Beit (Folio 2) also spends a significant portion, perhaps the majority of its content on the ritual sacrifices of Yom Kippur!

Chapter 2 of the Book of Jeremiah begins with the exact quote used by Rashi to describe how the Jewish people felt in the verses of the Song of Songs above:

2. Go and call out in the ears of Jerusalem, saying: so said the Lord: I remember to you the lovingkindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, your following Me in the desert, in a land not sown.

3. Israel is holy to the Lord, the first of His grain; all who eat him shall be guilty, evil shall befall them, says the Lord. 

Rashi again, links the verse to Yom Kippur, and the themes explored above, such as the nuptial room, and return to G-d. Shavuot is a marriage, and Yom Kippur, a second one (when the second set of Tablets were given):

I remember to you: Were you to return to Me, I would desire to have mercy on you for I remember the loving kindness of your youth and the love of the nuptials of your wedding canopy, when I brought you into the wedding canopy, and this (כלולתיך) is an expression of bringing in. Your nuptials (Noces in O.F.). Now what was the loving kindness of your youth? Your following My messengers, Moses and Aaron, from an inhabited land to the desert without provisions for the way since you believed in Me.   

Week 3 (Book 5): Shepherds' Dwellings

SONG OF SONGS:

7. Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where do you feed, where do you rest [the flocks] at noon, for why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions?"

8. "If you do not know, O fairest of women, go your way in the footsteps of the flocks and pasture your kids beside the shepherds' dwellings.

9. At the gathering of the steeds of Pharaoh's chariots have I silenced you, my beloved.

SEVENTY SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Pallu

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 3

BOOK OF JEREMIAH:   Chapter 3

Week 3 in the Jewish calendar is the week of Sukkot. In the Song of Songs, the Jewish people ask  Hashem where He feeds His flock, the Jewish people. This is a reference to the Sukkah, where we eat and rest during this holiday. The Sukkah is a reference to Divine protection in the desert and in all exiles. This reference again becomes much more clear in light of Rashi’s comment: “Tell me, You Whom my soul loves, where do You feed Your flock among these wolves in whose midst they are, and where do You rest them at noon, in this exile, which is a distressful time for them, like noon, which is a distressful time for the flock?” In the Sukkah, we are exposed to the elements, and feel the heat of the sun at noon. The “companions” is a reference to the other nations, for whom we also bring sacrifices on Sukkot.

In the second verse, it is G-d’s turn to speak to the Jewish people. Because we have been judged and have repented, He now call us the “fairest of women.” G-d also speaks of the “shepherds dwellings,” perhaps a reference to the seven shepherds that visit the Sukkah during Sukkot. The Sukkot are also built as a remembrance of the redemption from Egypt, and the third verse of this week is a reference to that, to how Pharaoh’s chariots were thrown in the sea. All we needed to do at that time was be silent and have faith. This is connected to the faith we demonstrate on Sukkot as well, remembering how we were kept safe for 40 years and rejoicing in the holiday.

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the third mentioned is Pallu. Pallu is related to the word peleh, miracle. This is perhaps a reference to the miracles experienced by the Jews during their forty years in the desert: the clouds of glory, the mannah, etc.

Daf gimmel (Folio 3) of Shvuot discusses primarily oaths relating to eating, as well as the laws of bringing things in an out of a home, a primary domain. These are clearly related to eating in the sukkah, and making the sukkah a home. The daf also discusses laws of lashes for inactions. This is similar to the sukkah, in which even if we do not do anything, just stay inside a sukkah, we are fulfilling a mitzvah.

Chapter 3 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme as the above ones in Shir HaShirim:

14. Return, backsliding children, says the Lord, for I possessed you, and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.  

backsliding children: (Envasec in O.F.) That you perverted your way because of much good, that you enjoyed tranquility and pleasure, as Scripture states: They hum snatches of song to the tune of the lute (Amos 6:5), those who drink from bowls of wine (v. 6).   

for I possessed you: and you are called by My name, that I am your Master, and it is not honorable for Me to leave you in the hands of My enemies.   

15. And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, and they will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

The verse speaks of tranquility, as well as of shepherds.

Another verse of this chapter speaks of how the Jews are mingled among the nations:

19. And I said: How shall I place you among the sons? But I will give you a desirable land, an inheritance of the beauty of hosts of nations, and I said: Call Me 'my Father,' and do not turn away from following Me.  

How shall I place you among the sons?: i.e., how shall I place you, my congregation and My nation, among the other sons, mingled with the heathens. I, therefore, selected a handsome portion, and I gave you a desirable land.   

Here we see that all nations are called sons – we bring sacrifices for all of them as well.

Week 4 (Book 5): The Crown of the Angel Metat

SONG OF SONGS:

10. Your cheeks are comely with rows, your neck with necklaces.       

11. We will make you rows of gold with studs of silver."     

12. "While the king was still at his table, my spikenard gave forth its fragrance.

70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Hezron

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 4

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 4

Week 4 in the Jewish calendar is the week of the final days of Sukkot, Hoshanah Rabbah, Shmini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah. The verses for this week from the Song of Songs speaks of a tremendous closeness to Hashem.

The first two verses are said by Hashem to us. The plain meaning of the words reflect the elevation of the material. Rashi explains them as a reference to the spoils from the Song of the Sea, when Israel “emptied out Egypt” physically and spiritually, elevating its sparks. Regarding Simchas Torah, The Ba’al Shem Tov teaches, "The archangel Metat," boasted Michoel, referring to the most prestigious angel in the heavenly court, "ties crowns for G-d out of Israel's prayers. Today, I shall fashion an even more glorious crown for the Almighty out of these torn shoes."

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2569/jewish/A-Crown-of-Slippers.htm

Rashi explains that the rows also include a forehead plate. Hashem adorns us and we adorn Him on this day. The words of these first verses for the week also seem to allude to singing and dancing. Torim means rows, lines, and may be a reference to lines of people dancing, or lines from a song. Charuzim are beads, studs, but also rhymes, like the piyyutim such as those in the Hakkafot, Tefilat Geshem, and Mi Piel. Silver, as Chassidus explains, comes from Kissufim, desire, the desire to cling to G-d during these days.

Yet, perhaps the greatest of all indication of the meaning behind this verse, is the first one: Lehi, usually translated as cheek, but which also means jawbone, the crucial element one of the Tanach’s recorded stories of Samson defeating the Philistines. It was with a jawbone of a donkey (Chamor, material, a word repeated so many times in the story) that Shimshon struck a thousand Philistines, and from that bone water issued forth. One of the main dancing during Sukkot is with water, from which there would come Ruach HaKodesh, just like Hashem rested on Samson himself during that fight.

The third verse is also deeply related to this week, as it is well known that Sukkot is considered a festivitiy for all nations, but then, on the last day, Hashem has a private audience for the Jewish People alone. This is the idea of being at Hashem’s table just ourselves. There is some disagreement in the commentators over whether the spikenard fragrance is a good smell or otherwise. Either way, it represents our closeness to G-d, and even a certain sense of inadequacy, as we begin again the cycle of reading the Torah.

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the fourth mentioned is Hezron. Hezron is also one of the descendants of Judah, the father of Caleb. As explained in Book 3, chatzer means courtyard, or enclosure. Here is seems to be a reference to the courtyard of the Temple (in which the dancing would take place). About the festivities of the day it is said that, “So abundant was the light that there was no courtyard in Jerusalem that was not illumined by the light coming from the place of the water-drawing.” (Mishnah, Sukkah 5:2)

Daf dalet (Folio 4) of Shevuoth discusses primarily punishments for inaction. In these days of Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, actual deeds are required to perform the mitzvoth of the day.

The beginning of Chapter 4 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to that of the above ones in Shir HaShirim:

1. If you return, O Israel, says the Lord, to Me, you shall return, and if you remove your detestable things from My Presence, you shall not wander.  

2. And you will swear, "As the Lord lives," in truth and in justice and in righteousness, nations will bless themselves with him and boast about him.

The verses speak of being in G-d’s presence, but having detestable things that need removing. They also speak of how the nations will see the special quality of the Jewish people. The verses speak of justice and righteousness, while the rest of the chapter mentions quite a few times about the need to heed the voice of the shofar, a reference to the period of judgment of Rosh Hashanah coming to a close. 

Week 5 (Book 5): The Temple and the World, the Field and the Flood (again)

SONG OF SONGS:

13. A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me; between my breasts he shall lie.         

14. A cluster of henna-flowers is my beloved to me, in the vineyards of Ein-Gedi."          

15. "Behold, you are comely, my beloved; behold, you are comely; your eyes are like doves."    

70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Carmi

TALMUD SHEVUOTH Daf 5: Getting involved in the world

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 5

Week 5 in the Jewish calendar is the week of Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan. Cheshvan is the month of the Flood as well as of the construction of the Third Temple. It is also connected to involvement in the world. The verses for this week appear connected to boh these themes.

The first two verses are said by the Jewish people, and they speak of Hashem resting in our midst. This is the idea of the Temple, the very reason for Creation. Rashi’s comments also reference Hashem’s resting among us, as he connects it to Hashem forgiving us and dwelling in the Mishkan. Kofer (a reference to henna-flowers in the Song of Songs, although it can also mean "pitch") is also used in the description of how Noah was to build the Ark: (Genesis, 6:14)

Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with compartments, and you shall caulk it both inside and outside with pitch.

עֲשֵׂה לְךָ תֵּבַת עֲצֵי גֹפֶר קִנִּים תַּעֲשֶׂה אֶת הַתֵּבָה וְכָפַרְתָּ אֹתָהּ מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ בַּכֹּפֶר:

The third verse also speaks of forgiveness and cleansing, yet this time appears more related to the Flood. It is the dove that announces that there is dry land, that the Flood itself is over. (Kofer and Gofer of the Ark may be connected; Noah also planted vineyards)

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the fifth mentioned is Carmi. Kerem means vineyard in Hebrew, as in the above verse of the Song of Songs. Carmi can be understood as Kerem-Yud, the vineyard of Hashem, a reference to the Temple. Cheshvan is also the time to get involved in the world, and cultivate our fields and vineyards. One of the first actions performed by Noah is to plant a vineyard. (Genesis 9:20)

Daf Heh (Folio 5) of Shvuot discusses various technical issues and interpretive methodology, such as deriving laws from general statements followed by particular ones. It discusses the idea of “forgetting after knowing” when it comes to Temple sacrifices, the two primary legal examples of taking things out of a private domain into a public one, and the signs of the appearance of the spiritual impurity known as Tzara’as. Overall, although there are also several referecences to the Temple, the main theme appears to be similar to what takes place once we re-enter the world of the physical, leaving our “private domain,” and risking “forgetting after knowing” about spirituality and sacrifice, and getting involved in the technicalities and minutiae of behaving ethically in a world still suffering of impurity. 

The beginning of Chapter 5 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to that of the above ones in Shir HaShirim:

1. Stroll in the streets of Jerusalem, and see now and know, and seek in its squares, whether you will find a man, whether there is one who performs justice, who seeks faith, and I will forgive her. 

2. And if they say, "As the Lord lives," they, nevertheless, will swear falsely.

The verses speak of impurity of the public domain, even in Jerusalem, the place of the Temple. Hashem wants to forgive, and He searches for someone within whom He can dwell. Someone that performs justice and seeks faith, like Noah at the time of the Flood. The entire theme of the chapter also relates to the great destruction to come, also like that of the Flood. 

Week 6 (Book 5): the Temple, Shimon and Hamas

SONG OF SONGS:

16. "Behold, you are comely, my beloved, yea pleasant; also our couch is leafy.

17. The beams of our houses are cedars; our corridors are cypresses."

1. "I am a rose of Sharon, a rose of the valleys."

70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Shimon

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 6 - the Metzorah

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 6

Week 6 in the Jewish calendar is the second week of Cheshvan. The Song of Songs verses for this week again appear connected to boh main themes of Cheshvan: the Temple and the Flood.

The first two verses again are said by the Jewish people, and again they speak of Hashem resting in our midst. Below are Rashi’s comments regarding the first two verses:

yea pleasant: For You overlooked my transgression and caused Your Shechinah to rest in our midst, and this is the praise of the descent of the fire (Lev. 9:24): “and all the people saw and shouted for joy.”

also our couch is leafy: Through your pleasantness, behold our couch is leafy with our sons and with our daughters, all of whom gather to You here, as it is said (ibid. 8: 4): “and the congregation gathered [to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting].” The Tabernacle is called a bed, as it is said (below 3: 7): “Behold, the litter of Solomon,” and the Temple is called a bed, as it is said concerning Joash (II Chron. 22:11, II Kings 11:2): “in the bed chamber” which was in the “House of the Lord” (ibid. 3), because they [the Sanctuaries] are the source of Israel’s fruitfulness and procreation.

The beams of our houses are cedars: This is the praise of the Tabernacle.

The second verse also mentions structures made of cypresses, like the cypress wood used in the construction of the Ark.

The third verse, which begins a new chapter in Shir HaShirim, speaks of the rose of the valleys, Chavatzelet HaSharon. Our sages note that Chavatzelet(rose) stands for Chav Tzel, the “shade of love” constructed byBetzalel, the Temple itself.

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the sixth mentioned is Shimon. Of all of Jacob’s sons, he is the one most associated with violence, such as what caused the Flood (literally, Chamas). Jacob states that the weapons of Shimon and Levi are those of “Chamas.” The name Shimon comes from Shmiah, hearing.

Daf Vav(Folio 6) of Shvuot discusses primarily the afflictions of the Metzorah; there is a debate about its color. The Metzorah represents a high degree of guilt and negative social behavior, such as Lashon Harah, evil speech (and also hearing such speech).

Chapter 6 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to the above:

6. For so says the Lord of Hosts: Cut the trees and cast on Jerusalem a siege mound; that is the city whose sins have been visited upon her, everywhere there is oppression in its midst.		ו. כִּי כֹה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת כִּרְתוּ עֵצָה וְשִׁפְכוּ עַל יְרוּשָׁלִַם סֹלְלָה הִיא הָעִיר הָפְקַד כֻּלָּהּ עֹשֶׁק בְּקִרְבָּהּ:
7. As a well lets its water flow, so has she let her evil flow; violence and spoil is heard therein before Me continually; sickness and wounds.		ז. כְּהָקִיר בַּיִר מֵימֶיהָ כֵּן הֵקֵרָה רָעָתָהּ חָמָס וָשֹׁד יִשָּׁמַע בָּהּ עַל פָּנַי תָּמִיד חֳלִי וּמַכָּה:
8. Be corrected, O Jerusalem, lest My soul be alienated from you; lest I make you a desolation, a land uninhabited.		ח. הִוָּסְרִי יְרוּשָׁלִַם פֶּן תֵּקַע נַפְשִׁי מִמֵּךְ פֶּן אֲשִׂימֵךְ שְׁמָמָה אֶרֶץ לוֹא נוֹשָׁבָה:

Beyond the connection made here between Jerusalem and trees, there is also a connection between water and punishment for evil and the hearing of Hamas (violence and spoil). Repentance can save the land from desolation. In fact, the entire chapter focuses greatly on complete desolation, completely uninhabited, similar to the world after the Flood.

Week 7 (Book 5): Love and the Temple

SONG OF SONGS: 

2. "As a rose among the thorns, so is my beloved among the daughters."

3. "As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the sons; in his shade I delighted and sat, and his fruit was sweet to my palate.                                          

4. He brought me to the banquet hall, and his attraction to me [was symbolic of his] love.        

               

70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Jemuel

TALMUD SHEVUOTH DAF: 7

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 7

Week 7 in the Jewish calendar is the third week of Cheshvan, and (almost always) includes Rachel Immeinu’s yahrzeit, on the 11th of the month. The Song of Songs verses for this week include a verse by G-d to the People of Israel, followed by two verses from Israel to G-d.

The first verse is a characteristic of Rachel, who, like her mother and sister, was like a rose plucked from among the thorns of the house of Lavan and Bethuel. The Zohar begins by comparing Israel to a Thirteen-Petaled Rose based on this very verse, and explains that Israel is surrounded by thirteen petals of Rachami, mercy. Rachel was also known for her Rachamim, and the Rachamim that Jacob showed towards her. In all three verses for this week, the love expressed so strongly between G-d and Israel was also expressed in the love of Jacob and Rachel.

As previously explained, Cheshvan is very muched connected to the Third Temple, and Rashi explains that the banquet hall mentioned in the third verse is a reference to the tent of meeting.

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the seventh mentioned is Jemuel. Jemuel may mean “Yamoh-el” – his sea is G-d. This appears to be appropriate for Cheshvan, the month of the Flood. Yam (Mutzak) is also the name of washbasin which Solomon built for the First Temple. Perhaps this is another interpretation of the name.

Daf Zayin (Folio 7) of Shvuot discusses primarily the transgression of eating a holy sacrifice while impure, comparing it with entering the Temple when impure. The daf also discusses the atonement of the goat offering, whose blood was sacrificed in the Holy of Holies. There seems to be a connection here to the Temple, and its power in cleansing away sin. The Talmud concludes, however, a sacrifice cannot be brought to pardon an intentional sin.

Chapter 7 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to the above. The chapter is about the importance of the Temple and G-d’s mercy. However, the prophet warns against committing willful sins and thinking that everything will be fine because of the Temple.

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:

Stand in the gate of the house of the Lord, and proclaim there this word, and say; Hearken to the word of the Lord, all Judah who come into these gates to prostrate yourselves before the Lord. 

So said the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel; Improve your ways and your deeds, I will allow you to dwell in this place.

Do not rely on false words, saying: The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord are they.

Week 8 (Book 5): Lovesick

SONG OF SONGS:

5. Sustain me with flagons of wine, spread my bed with apples, for I am lovesick.

6. His left hand was under my head, and his right hand would embrace me.

7. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the hinds of the field, that you neither awaken nor arouse the love while it is desirous.

                       

70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Jamin

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 8 – atonement for grave sins and abominations

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 8

Week 8 in the Jewish calendar is the nearing the last week of Cheshvan. The Song of Songs verses for this week include two verses from the People of Israel to G-d, and one verse in which the Jewish people address the other nations.

As explained in Book 1, as we go deeper into the month of Cheshvan, deeper into the year, we feel ourselves getting more entrenched in our daily affairs, and we become “sick,” yearning for spirituality, and fighting not to lose our connection with Hashem. This attitude, again is expressed in Rashi’s comments to the first verse:

Sustain me: now as is the manner of the sick, with flagons of grape wine or with cakes of pure white flour.   

spread my bed: Spread my bed around me with apples for a good fragrance, in the manner of the sick, for I am sick for his love, for I thirst for Him here in my exile.

The second verse reminisces of a time when G-d’s kindness towards us as we fight to make a living, was even more evident. Here’s Rashi again:

His left hand was under my head: in the desert.   

and his right hand would embrace me: He traveled a three-days’ journey; to search out a rest for them [as in Num. 10: 33], and in the place of the rest, He brought down manna and quails for them. All this I remember now in my exile, and I am sick for His love.

G-d’s left hand represents his attribute of discipline (under our head, perhaps to mean that he was keeping us in line), while his right hand symbolizes kindness, in an embrace. In Book 1, this is the week of Chesed shebeGevurah, kindness within the context of discipline and severity, marking the beginning of the cycle of seven weeks connected to Gevurah.

The third verse also points to a more confrontational attitude towards the other nations. As we feel perhaps the greater weight of the physical world, we make clear that we are not willing to give up our special relationship with Hashem.

The above verses also appear to hint to the events of the Flood. For example, when Noah leaves the Ark and “re-enters” the world, he is overwhelmed. He plants a vineyard, and falls in a similar manner as Adam. In the Talmud, one of the major opinions is that the grape (wine) was in fact the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the eighth mentioned is Jamin. Jamin in Hebrew is “Yemin” – right, or right hand, representing kindness as mentioned above. As also mentioned above, this is a time of the year where we feel that we must rely more and more on his kindness.

Daf Chet (Folio 8) of Shvuot continues to discuss the atonement of the goat offering, whose blood was sacrificed in the Holy of Holies. The sins mentioned in this daf are much more serious, and include the greatest sins of all: idolatry, certain sexual sins (such as incest) and murder, although the Talmud clarifies that it is discussing when these sins were committed unwittingly. It also mentions atonement for certain impurities, as well as the atonement of the goat offered outside the Temple. As Israel is more steeped in exile, it requires more atonements.

Chapter 8 of the Book of Jeremiah contains similar themes to the above. The chapter shows how, when steeped into exile, the sins begin to mount, even greater abominations, but we start to fail to see the severity of the sins we commit. They become second nature and even acceptable in our eyes. We even come to believe that we are doing G-d’s will. It is interesting that this chapter includes references to various birds that sing around this time of the year in Perek Shirah (See Book 1). The crane and the swallow both sing in the month of Cheshvan.

7. Even the stork in the heaven knows her seasons, and the turtledoves and the crane and the swallow await the time of their coming, but My people do not know the ordinance of the Lord.

8. How do you say, "We are wise, and the Law of the Lord is with us"? Verily, behold it is in vain, he made a false scribes' pen.  

9. Wise men were ashamed, they were broken and caught; behold they rejected the word of the Lord, now what wisdom have they?

10. Therefore, I will give their wives to others, their fields to those who possess them for from the smallest to the greatest, they all commit robbery, from prophet to priest, they all deal falsely. 

11. And they healed the breach of My people easily, saying, "Peace, peace," but there is no peace. 

12. They shall be put to shame since they have committed abomination. Neither are they ashamed nor do they know to feel disgrace. They will, therefore, fall among the slain; at the time I have visited upon them, they will stumble, says the Lord.

Week 9 (Book 5): Beloved

SONG OF SONGS:

8. The sound of my beloved! Behold, he is coming, skipping over the mountains, jumping over the hills.

9. My beloved resembles a gazelle or a fawn of the hinds; behold, he is standing behind our wall, looking from the windows, peering from the lattices.

10. My beloved raised his voice and said to me, 'Arise, my beloved, my fair one, and come away.

                       

70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Ohad

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: DAF 9 - Atonement and Rosh Chodesh

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 9

Week 9 in the Jewish calendar is either the last week of Cheshvan or already includes Rosh Chodesh Kislev. The Song of Songs verses for this week are all from the Jewish people, singing of Hashem, and they all share the same second word, Dodi, my Beloved. The theme of the verses is G-d’s salvation in a way that was above nature (skipping over mountains, jumping over hills). That is the theme of the Maccabees and Kislev, G-d saves us in miraculous ways. The verses also point to the difference in the Jewish a Greek belief systems. While Jews strive for a close relationship with G-d, seeing Him as their Beloved, the Greeks at the time only believed in the cosmos, and the laws of nature, not in a Divine Judge.

The later part of the second verse, “standing behind our wall, looking from the windows, peering from the lattices,” is also a known reference to Birkat Kohanim, the blessing of the high priest. As mentioned previously, Kislev and Chanukah are particularly associated with the Kohanim.

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the ninth mentioned is Ohad. Ohad, spelled Aleph Heh Dalet, appears related to the word “Echad,” Alef Chet Dalet, which means, “One.” Again, one of the main distinctions between Jewish and Greek cultures was monotheism itself. It is also remarkable that Rashi specifically notes that the Ohad family was one of the few families that were wiped out altogether, when, along with other clans, they attempted to return to Egypt and were chased back and militarily confronted by a grew of zealous Levites (similar to the Chanukah story, which also had aspects of a Jewish civil war between those that wanted to remain true to Judaism against Helenist assimilationists). Regarding the Ohad family, Rashi states as follows:

However, the family of Ohad [mentioned in Exodus] died out… I found [the reason for this] in the Talmud Yerushalmi [Sotah 1:1]. When Aaron died, the clouds of glory withdrew, and the Canaanites came to fight against Israel. They [the Israelites] set their hearts on returning to Egypt, and they went back eight stages of their journey… However, they turned back, and the Levites pursued them to bring them back, killing seven of their families. The Levites lost four families [in the battle]… R. Tanchuma expounds that they [the seven Israelite families] fell in the plague in connection with Balaam [see 25:9] (Mid. Tanchuma Pinchas 5), but [this cannot be, for] according to the number missing from the tribe of Simeon in this census compared with the first census [which took place] in the Sinai desert, it would appear that all twenty-four thousand who fell [in the plague] were from the tribe of Simeon. - [Mid. Tanchuma Vayechi 10][1]

Even according to the opinion of the Midrash Tanchuma, that the family was lost during the plague in connection with Bilaam, the parallel with Chanukah and Kislev still holds. The plague of Ba’al Peor, associated with Bilaam, was one in which the men were assimilating and behaving immodestly with Midianite women. Pinchas, a Levite, and later made a Kohen, zealously kills a prince of the Tribe of Shimon (related to Ohad’s family), stops the plague and brings the Jews back to the path of proper behavior.

Daf Tet (Folio 9) of Shvuot continues to discuss the atonement of the goat offered outside the Temple. It also speaks of the goats offered on Rosh Chodesh and festivals. Rosh Chodesh, along with Shabat and circumcision, was also a main contentions between the Jews and the Greeks, and one of the practices the Greeks tried to prohibit altogether.

Rosh Chodesh symbolizes God's never-ending role in the lives we lead as Jews.  Although we now use a fixed calendar, the Jewish ideal of how to mark the passage of time is epitomized by the manner in which we once determined the day of Rosh Chodesh: we looked heavenward for the first appearance of the New Moon, the first tiny hint that the moon's natural cycle of renewal had begun. Rosh Chodesh is a constant reminder that the rhythm of our lives -- even that part which is tied to the cycles of nature -- is in God's hands.[2]

Chapter 9 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to the above. After continuing the description of the desolation mentioned last week (still related to Cheshvan), Jeremiah turns to a what are today very famous lines, which contain a theme very much related to Kislev and Chanukah:

22. Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, nor the strong man boast of his strength, nor the rich man boast of his riches.  

23. But let him that boasts exult in this, that he understands and knows me, for I am the Lord Who practices kindness, justice and righteousness on the earth; for in these things I delight, says the Lord.  

24. Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will punish every circumcised one with his uncircumcision.  

  

25. Egypt, Judah, Edom, the children of Ammon, Moab, and all those cast off to the corners, who dwell in the desert, for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are of uncircumcised hearts.

The Greeks were well known for their wisdom, and in fact inextricably related to it. However, it was a kind of wisdom devoid of G-dliness. Also, at the time of Chanukah, the Greeks were quite strong and rich, and yet, as we state during the Shemoneh Esreh prayer, G-d delivered "the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the provokers into the hands of those who involve themselves with Your Torah."[3] The verses speak of the importance of circumcision (mentioned above), the difference between those that are circumcised and those that are not, as well as the need for the circumcision of the heart.

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[1] http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9954/showrashi/true/jewish/Chapter-26.htm

[2] http://www.jewishphoenix.org/page.aspx?id=53568

[3] http://torah.org/learning/lifeline/5760/chanukah.html

Week 10 (Book 5): Connecting to Holiness

SONG OF SONGS:

11. For behold, the winter has passed; the rain is over and gone.  

12. The blossoms have appeared in the land, the time of singing has arrived, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.   

13. The fig tree has put forth its green figs, and the vines with their tiny grapes have given forth their fragrance; arise, my beloved, my fair one, and come away.

                       

70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Jachin

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 10 - Holiness

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 10

Week 10 in the Jewish calendar is more definitively related to Kislev, sometimes including Rosh Chodesh Kislev. The Song of Songs verses for this week are still all from the perspective of the Jewish people. The theme of the verses is also G-d’s salvation, from spiritual “winter,” to spiritual “spring.” Rashi draws a greater parallel between the exile of Egypt and the Passover redemption – the redemption of Chanukah has many parallels with that initial redemption as well.

The opening verse states that the rain has passed (Cheshvan again being related to the Flood). The second verse describes how it is now the time of pure devoted singing (like that of the turtledove) associated with the singing and praise of the pure Kohanim, and the Maccabees. The third verse is associated with a certain cleansing and defeat of those that wished to assimilate, associated with “darkness” (one of the names of the exile of Greece). Rashi states:

Another explanation: “The fig tree has put forth its green figs” -These are the transgressors of Israel, who perished during the three days of darkness.   

and the vines with their tiny grapes gave forth their fragrance: Those who remained of them repented and were accepted. So it is interpreted in Pesikta (Rabbathi 15:11, 12; Pesikta d’Rav Kahana, p. 50).

Figs and grapes are two fruits for which the Land of Israel is praised. After our salvation and the defeat of the Greeks, life and in the Land of Israel started to return to normal.

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the tenth mentioned is Jachin. Jachin means “to establish,” or “to prepare,” a verb which is actually part of our prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem.

This idea is expressed in our daily prayers. In the [blessing] of rebuilding of Yerushalayim, we petition God "return and dwell in Yerushalayim" and then we add "ve'chise David meheira le'tocha tachin" - “and install within it soon the throne of David”. Though there is a separate beracha which pertains to the reestablishment of the kingdom of David, we mention it alongside the return of God in the petition to rebuild Jerusalem. The Mikdash and the throne of David mutually make up the ideal Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a city united by worship of God and governance of Am Yisrael.[1]

Jachin was also the name of one of the pillars of Solomon’s Temple. The other pillar’s name was Boaz.[2]

Daf Yud (Folio 10) of Shvuot continues to discuss the atonement of the goat offered during festivals, as well as Rosh Chodesh and Yom Kippur. The daf also includes a discussion of whether the holiness of certain items of the Temple can vanish. These discussions are all connected to Kislev as already discussed above.

Chapter 10 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to the above. It continues to draw a distinction between the idolatrous ways of the nations and Israel’s portion in G-d. It also describes G-d’s vengeance for the desecration of His Temple:

16. Not like these is Jacob's portion, for He is the One Who formed everything, and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; the Lord of Hosts is His name."

(…)

25. Pour out Your wrath upon the nations that do not know You and upon the families that have not called in Your name, for they have devoured Jacob and consumed him and destroyed him, and have wasted his dwelling.

These last verses of this chapter are also quite famous, verses we state during the reading  of the Passover Hagaddah.

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[1] https://torahmitzion.org/pub/parsha/5773/behar-bechukotay-5773.pdf

[2] http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0011_0_09825.html