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.

Week 20 (Book 5):Perez and Bursting Out of the Cold

SONG OF SONGS:

13. Your arid fields are as a pomegranate orchard with sweet fruit, henna and spikenard.

14. Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all frankincense trees, myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.

15. A garden fountain, a well of living waters and flowing streams from Lebanon."

SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Perez

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 20 – Oaths related to eating and pleasure.

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 20

Week 20 in the Jewish calendar is the week of Tu B’Shvat. Tu B’Shvat is the Rosh Hashanah of the trees. The verses of Shir HaShirim of this week again address the theme of nature, as well as pleasure. This week, however, fruit and trees are mentioned specifically.

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the twentieth mentioned is Perez. His name means to “burst forth.” Perez’s birth is described in quite detail, and how he burst forth to become the firstborn. It seems related to also how the flowers and fruits must “burst forth,” after the trees’ enduring the cold winter.

Daf Kaf (Folio 20) of Shvuot continues to discuss different laws related to oaths, most of which are also related to eating and pleasure.

Chapter 20 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to the above. The chapter speaks of pain endured by Jeremiah, but its most striking part is when he speaks of the day of his birth. It seems to relate back to the themes birth and conception related to this month:

14. Cursed be the day in which I was begotten; the day in which my mother bore me shall not be blessed.  

  

15. Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, saying, "A male child has been born to you," making him glad. 

16. And that man shall be like the cities that the Lord overturned and did not repent, and let him hear an outcry in the morning and a scream at noontime.

17. That he did not put me to death from the womb, that my mother should be my grave and her womb a perpetual pregnancy.

  

18. Why did I come forth out of the womb to see toil and grief, and my days end with shame?

Week 21 (Book 5): Celebrating "Sweet Fruit" in the Winter

SONG OF SONGS:

16. " Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out; let my beloved come to his garden and eat his sweet fruit."

1. "I have come to my garden, my sister, [my] bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my sugar cane with my sugar, I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, beloved ones."                        

2. "I sleep, but my heart is awake. Hark! My beloved is knocking: Open for me, my sister, my beloved, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is full of dew, my locks with the drops of the night."

SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Zerach

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: DAF 21 – Oaths and Eating

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 21

Week 21 in the Jewish calendar is the last week of Shevat. The verses of Shir HaShirim of this week again address the theme of nature, as well as pleasure. It speaks of eating sweet fruit of a garden, spices, sugar cane, wine and milk. Wine and "drinking abundantly" is also mentioned, perhaps a reference to the coming month of Adar. The last verse also contains a theme similar to that of Shevat: "I sleep, but my heart is awake..." We are still in the middle of winter, but it is past Tu B'Shvat and the sap inside the trees has begun to melt.   

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the twenty-first mentioned is Zerach. Zerach is Perez’s brother. His name means sunrise. During his birth, he was the first to stretch out his hand, although he ended up being born later, after Perez. Similarly, sunrise is the first moment in which the morning Shmoneh Esreh can be said and the day initially begins, although most people begin prayer much later. This is all related to Shevat, the first “appearance” of spring and the sun, although spring itself comes much later.

Daf Kaf Alef (Folio 21) of Shvuot continues to discuss different laws related to oaths, most of which are also related to eating.

Chapter 21 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to the above. The chapter has many references to nature: valleys, plains, fruit, and a forest:

The chapter speaks of pain endured by Jeremiah, but its most strking part is when he speaks of the day of his birth. It seems to relate back to the theme of “natural” birth related to this month:

13. Behold I am against you, O dweller of the valley, rock of the plain, says the Lord, those who say, "Who will encamp upon us, and who will come into our dwellings?"   

14. And I will visit upon you according to the fruit of your deeds, says the Lord, and I will ignite a fire in her forest, and it will consume all her surroundings. 

Week 22 (Book 5): Mordechai the Shepherd

SONG OF SONGS:

3. "I have taken off my tunic; how can I put it on? I have bathed my feet; how can I soil them?"

4. My beloved stretched forth his hand from the hole, and my insides stirred because of him.

5. I arose to open for my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, and my fingers with flowing myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

SOULS THAT DESCENDED TO EGYPT: Hezron

TALMUD SHEVUOTH: Daf 22 - Oaths and Drinking

BOOK OF JEREMIAH: Chapter 22

Week 22 in the Jewish calendar is the week of Rosh Chodesh Adar. The verses of Shir HaShirim of this week speak of removing one’s head garment and bathing one’s feet. Removing one’s head garment appears to be a reference to the notion of letting go of the intellect, related to this month, focusing on the feet. Similarly, the Rebbe’s Ma’amar Ve’Atah Tetzaveh speaks of Mordechai, the Moshe of the generation, being the head, and the Jewish people being the “feet.” (See also Book 3, on Yaakov and Yikveta de Meshicha, being on the "heels" of the Messianic age).

The second verse in the Song of Songs is extremely reminiscent of perhaps what are the two most crucial verses in all of Megillat Esther (5:2):

And it came to pass when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she won favor in his eyes, and the king extended to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand, and Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter. 

The third verse, makes reference to myrrh, Mor in Hebrew. The Talmud states that Mordechai is hinted in the Torah in Exodus 30:23, in the verse about “pure myrrh,” Mor Dror, which in Aramaic is Mara Dachia.[1] (Chullin 139b)

Of the seventy souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt, the twenty-second mentioned is Hezron. (Hezron, the descendant of Reuven, has already been discussed in Week 4). Interestingly, in Book 3, this Hezron, son of Perez, can be found in week 25, also in the month of Adar. There, it is written that Hezron comes from the word chatzer, which means courtyard, or enclosure. In order to be able to carry in a courtyard, two neighbors need to set up an eruv chatzeirot.[2] Interestingly, the word Eruv comes from the same root as Arev, which means sweet. When Jews come together, and their duality serves a positive function, there is sweetness. This is also one of the themes of the month of Adar.

Daf Kaf Beit (Folio 22) of Shvuot continues to discuss different laws related to oaths, related to eating. However, the main emphasis of this daf relates to the laws of speaking, and also whether drinking should be included in the category of eating. Clearly drinking is one of the main themes of Adar. Specifically, drinking to point of not being able to know the difference between “blessed in Mordechai and cursed is Haman.” This daf begins the discussion of speaking by mentioning how someone who curses (“blesses”) Hashem by mistake must bring a sacrifice.

Chapter 22 of the Book of Jeremiah contains a similar theme to the above. It speaks of a situation of the Jewish people being left leaderless, confused, as well as of eating and drinking.

15. Shall you reign, for you compete with the cedar? Your father-did he not eat and drink and perform justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.  (...)

22. All your shepherds shall be broken by the wind, and your lovers shall go into captivity, for then you shall be ashamed and confounded because of all your evil. (…)

29. O land, land, land, hearken to the word of the Lord. 

  

30. So said the Lord: Inscribe this man childless, a man who will not prosper in his days, for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting on the throne of David or ruling anymore in Judah.

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[1]http://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/380247/jewish/Purim-and-Providence.htm; http://www.aish.com/tp/i/pp/141352743.html

[2] http://www.dailyhalacha.com/Print.asp?ClipID=1079