Week 15 (Book 5): Jerusalem and Motherhood

SONG OF SONGS:

9. King Solomon made himself a palanquin of the trees of Lebanon.

10. Its pillars he made of silver, its couch of gold, its curtain of purple, its interior inlaid with love, from the daughters of Jerusalem.

11. Go out, O daughters of Zion, and gaze upon King Solomon, upon the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his nuptials and on the day of the joy of his heart.

SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Kehath

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 15 - Adding to Jerusalem

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 15

Week 15 in the Jewish calendar is the week of the 10th of Teveth, which marks the Babylonian siege, which led to the destruction of the First Temple.

The section of Song of Songs for this week speaks of the Jewish people as a “mother,” and we are taught that “Solomon”in the Song of Songs is always a reference to G-d Himself. Rashi cites a Midrash explaining that G-d's calling the Jewish people His "mother" is the highest demonstration of his love. The positive and joyous image of the Jewish people as motherly stands in direct contrast to what took place during the siege of Jerusalem as reported by Jeremiah in the Book of Lamentations, Chapter 3:

9. Better off were the victims of the sword than the victims of hunger, for they ooze, pierced by the fruits of the field.

10. The hands of compassionate women boiled their own children; they have become their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

11. The Lord has spent His fury, He has poured out His fierce anger, and He has kindled a fire in Zion, which has consumed her foundations.

In the future, the 10th of Teveth will be a day of great joy. This section of Shir HaShirim appears relate to this future Messianic time, and is replete with references and descriptions of the Temple and the Tabernacle, as well as Jerusalem. It also makes reference to the giving of the Torah (the day of his nuptials) and the dedication of the Tabernacle (the day of the joy of his heart).

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the fifteenth mentioned is Kehath. Kehath is the grandfather of Moshe and Aharon, as well as their uncle, the brother of their mother, Yocheved.[1]The Rebbe explains that Kehoth comes from the word, “to gather.” Kehath’stask regarding the Tabernacle was the highest of all the Levites – to carry the Holy Ark and its equipment. At the same time, Kohath’s camp was that of Korach, which saw tremendous destruction due to his actions.[2]The destruction seems parallel to the one related to this week, while the highest Temple tasks appear related to future times, when the Temple will be rebuilt and this day will be one of great joy.

Daf Tet Vav (Folio 15) of Shvuot speaks of the sanctification of the Klei Sharet (the instruments used in the Temple service) and the concept of “adding on” to Jerusalem or the Azarah (the entranceway of the Temple). The ritual of “adding on” involves singing and carrying loaves of bread. It stands in stark contrast to the events of the 10th of Teveth when Jerusalem was not “added to,” but rather restricted under siege. Instead of singing there was mourning, and instead of bread there was famine. Again, this seems to be related more to Messianic times, when this date will be one of feasting instead of fasting.

Chapter 15 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to the above, although focusing on the negative aspects of this week, both related to the theme of motherhood and of Jerusalem. It also mentions the famine and distress that would come.

8. His widows are to Me more numerous than the sand of the seas; I have brought to them upon the mother a chosen one who will rob them at midday; I have cast upon her suddenly a city and terrors.

Rashi - upon a mother: Upon Jerusalem, which is a city (and a mother) in Israel.

9. She who bore seven has been cut off, her soul grieves, her sun sets when it is still day. She is ashamed and confounded. And her remnant I shall deliver to the sword before their enemies, says the Lord.

10. Woe is to me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of quarrel and a man of contention to the whole land.

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[1]http://m.chabad.org/m/article_cdo/aid/733394

[2]http://www.njop.org/html/printfiles/Bamidbar5771.html

Week 16 (Book 5): Being Wife and Midwife

SONG OF SONGS:

1. "Behold, you are fair, my beloved; behold, you are fair; your eyes are [like] doves, from within your kerchief; your hair is like a flock of goats that streamed down from Mount Gilead.

2. Your teeth are like a flock of uniformly shaped [ewes] that came up from the washing, all of whom are perfect, and there is no bereavement among them.

3. Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your speech is comely; your temple is like a split pomegranate from within your kerchief.

70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Merari

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 16 - Holiness of the First Temple

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 16

Week 16 in the Jewish calendar is the third week of Teveth. As mentioned previously, Teveth is known as the month in which “the body takes pleasure in the body,” a reference to how the essence of the Jewish People connects to the essence of Hashem. (See Book 1) The Song of Songs verses for this week and next, the first six of Chapter 4, are the ones that most openly use the metaphor of the female body as a reference to qualities of the Jewish People.

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the sixteenth mentioned is Merari. Merari family’s task regarding the Tabernacle was the least prestigious, and yet the hardest: carrying the beams, crossbars, pillars, and bases.[1] Merari comes from the word Mar, bitter, the same root of the name Miriam. The Rebbe’s father explains that of the three children of Yocheved, Miriam parallels Merari. These were the foundations of the Tabernacle, without which the other parts could not stand, similar to the discreet yet crucial role of Miriam as a midwife. Teveth is a cold and is some ways bitter month, yet it is also connected to strength/foundation and the capacity to multiply (characteristics of the Tribe of Dan).

Daf Tet Zayin (Folio 16) of Shevuoth discusses whether the holiness of the First Temple was temporary or permanent. It also discusses the case of someone who became impure when in the Temple, and the laws related to bowing in it. The fast of the tenth of Teveth is particularly linked to the destruction of the First Temple.

Chapter 16 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to the above, especially regarding marital relations and our ability to multiply:

1. And the word of the Lord came to me saying:  

2. You shall take no wife, and you shall have no sons or daughters in this place.  

3. For so said the Lord regarding the sons and the daughters born in this place and regarding their mothers who bear them and their fathers who beget them in this land. (…)

9. For so said the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cut off from this place in your presence and in your days a voice of mirth and a voice of gladness, a voice of a bridegroom, and a voice of a bride. (…)

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[1] http://en.yhb.org.il/2013/05/17/the-sweetness-of-bnei-merari/

Week 17 (Book 5): Our Intimate Connection with G-d

SONG OF SONGS:

4. Your neck is like the Tower of David, built as a model; a thousand shields hanging on it, all the quivers of the mighty men.

5. Your two breasts are like two fawns, the twins of a gazelle, who graze among the roses.

6. Until the sun spreads and the shadows flee, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.

70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Yocheved

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 17 – Sins of the Temple and Marital Relations

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 17

Week 17 in the Jewish calendar is the last week of Teveth, which includes the 24^th of Teveth, the yahrzeit of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe. As mentioned in the previous week, the verses from Song of Songs for this week has some of the most open uses of the metaphor of the female body as a reference to qualities of the Jewish People. 

One of the references made in Song of Songs is to “two breasts,” which is related to childbearing and procreation, themes of the month of Teveth. Rashi notes that this is a reference to Moshe and Aharon as well as to the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments. Rashi further explains how the laws on the first tablet (between man and G-d) correspond to those on the second one (between man and man). Similarly, the Alter Rebbe’s name, Shneur, means Shnei Or, two lights, and the Alter Rebbe fulfilled the potential of his name, revealing the light of Chassidus and the deep secrets of the Torah, which comprise the Tanya and other holy works, as well as a light in the revealed aspects of the Torah, which comprise his Shulchan Aruch, known as Shulchan Aruch HaRav, and other works as well.

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the seventeenth one, who is not explicitly mentioned, is Yocheved. Yocheved is the mother of Moshe and Aharon. She, like Miriam, was also involved in the discreet task of midwiving Jewish children.

Daf Yud Zayin (Folio 17) of Shvuot speaks of the prohibitions against not properly taking one’s time when leaving the Temple, as well as taking the shortest path out. It also discusses entering the Temple grounds in an abnormal manner. The daf then switches to a different Mishnah, which leads to a discussion of how to withdraw from a woman that becomes a Niddah (impure due to menstruation) at the time of intercourse. The daf appears related to two distinct themes of this month, sins related to the Temple, as well as marital relations.

Chapter 17 of the Book of Jeremiah contains one of the main themes of the month, multiplying after being very small in number. This theme is found in the song of the wild goose in Book 1, which is contained in this chapter (the wild goose is the Perek Shirah animal for Week 15, also in the month of Teveth):

5. So says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart turns away from the Lord.  

6. He shall be like a lone tree in the plain, and will not see when good comes, and will dwell on parched land in the desert, on salt-sodden soil that is not habitable.

   

7. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord; the Lord shall be his trust.

8. For he shall be like a tree planted by the water, and by a rivulet spreads its roots, and will not see when heat comes, and its leaves shall be green, and in the year of drought will not be anxious, neither shall it cease from bearing fruit.

It is also interesting that the chapter include references to nature and to trees, as the following week is that of Rosh Chodesh Shevat.

Week 18 (Book 5): Nature as a Metaphor and the Setting for Our Relationship with G-d

SONG OF SONGS:

7. You are all fair, my beloved, and there is no blemish in you.

8. With me from Lebanon, my bride, with me from Lebanon shall you come; you shall look from the peak of Amanah, from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from mountains of leopards.

9. You have captivated my heart, my sister, [my] bride; you have captivated my heart with one of your eyes, with one link of your necklaces.

70 SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Judah

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 18 –  Distancing oneself from forbidden pleasures and wrongful acts

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 18

Week 18 in the Jewish calendar is the week of Rosh Chodesh Shevat. Shevat connected to nature, as it celebrates the Rosh Hashanah of the trees. It is also connected to emunah (faith) and ta’anug (pleasure). It is also related to the Oral Torah.

The theme for this week, in particular the second verse (verse 8), is very much connected with nature. It speaks of the forest of Lebanon, of various mountains, of lions and of leopards. Rashi also relates that this verse to the fact that Hashem is with us in exile, and how He will return with us from it as well. The peak of Amanah has the same root as the word Emunah.

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the eighteenth mentioned is Judah. Of all the brothers, it is perhaps Judah that most represents the importance of the Oral Torah. It was Judah that was sent by Jacob to establish a yeshiva in Egypt, before the rest of the family came down. Judah also is very much connected to the concepts of pleasure and faith.We see how Judah often played the leading role among the brothers, and showed tremendous Emunah when confronting the viceroy of Egypt,  who turned out to be Joseph. We also see that his pleasure-seeking actions (such as those regarding Tamar) got him in trouble, but that he was not afraid to take responsibility for them, and repent. 

Daf Yud Cheit (Folio 18) of Shvuot comprises of a continuation of the discussion of withdrawing from a Niddah, how the main thing is to avoid pleasure. It also discusses separating from a Niddah before her predetermined period of impurity. Finally, it discusses whether one must know what made him impure before he forgot that he was impure – it discusses forbidden foods, forbidden relations with a Niddah, and actions that show lack of faith, such as work on Shabat and Yom Kippur. Some of the topics appear still related to the previous month, but are also connected to this month, such as faith and pleasure.

Chapter 18 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to the above. The chapter is about Hashem as the potter (we need Emunah that everything comes from Him). It is also about nature and our lack of Emunah, about inappropriate pleasures, and about “cold flowing water.” It is in Shevat, that the sap of the trees begin to flow, although we are still in the middle of the cold winter at this time.

9. And at one instant I may speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant,   (…)

14. Shall one abandon [water flowing] from rocks of the field [that comes from] the snow of Lebanon? Shall strange cold flowing water be abandoned?

The Levanon (Lebanon), which is a forest whose trees were used for the Temple, is mentioned also in the verses of the Song of Songs above. Levanon is often a reference to the Temple itself.

Week 19 (Book 5): Spiritual Pleasure

 

SONG OF SONGS:

10. How fair is your love, my sister, [my] bride; how much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than all spices!

11. Your lips drip flowing honey, O bride; honey and milk are under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

12. A locked up garden is my sister, [my] bride; a locked up spring, a sealed fountain.

SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Shelah

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 19 - Oaths against eating food

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 19

Week 19 in the Jewish calendar is the week of Yud Shevat. The verses of Shir HaShirim of this week again address the theme of nature, as well as Ta’anug, pleasure.

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the nineteenth mentioned is Shelah. Judah’s first two sons are skipped because they died childless due to their sins. Shelah’s brothers also represent the idea of inappropriately engaging in pleasure. Shelah was also supposed to marry Tamar, yet he was still young and later Yehudah thought of ways to prevent him to be given to her.

Daf Yud Tet (Folio 19) of Shvuot is primarily about discussing the law of someone who forgot both that he was impure and that he was in the Temple. It also discusses the two primary kinds of oaths, both of which are related to food. The first part appears to be associated with the Oral Law, the focus of the month of Shevat. The second part, regarding food, is related to Ta’anug, pleasure.

Chapter 19 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to the above. The chapter speaks about eating and pleasure, and how these concepts can be completely corrupted:

4. Because they forsook Me and they estranged this place and burnt incense therein to other gods, which they had not known, they, their forefathers, and the kings of Judah, and they filled this place with the blood of innocent people.

5. And they built the high places of Baal to burn their children with fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command, neither did I speak nor did it enter My mind. (…)

9. And I will feed them the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and each one will eat the flesh of his friend, in the siege and the straits that their enemies and those who seek their lives will inflict upon them.