Elul; Preparing for a Virgin Birth

The heat finally broke here in the Seattle area and I am already looking for the fall. The month of Elul will soon lead us to not only cooler weather but our holiday season as well. The word אלול “elul” is Aramaic and means “search.” Betulah (virgo), the constellation associated with this month, moves along her heavenly course in search of her beloved. The words אני לדודי ודודי לי “Ani ledodi v’dodi li” (I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine) express the essence of this month. For this reason, “Elul” is often taken as an acrostic form of these words—א"ל"ו"ל.

As stated above the mazal (astrological sign) of Elul is Betulah, a virgin. When the prophet asked, “Can a nation be born at once?,” it was a reference to the immediate establishment of the eternal monarchy of Yisrael through the future advent of Mashiach. The breaking forth of this sudden kingdom is compared to birth from a virgin womb. The usual toil involved in the conception of a nation just isn’t present; Yisrael is born by Hashem’s will alone. With perfect emunah we await the coming of this messianic kingdom, an event which is rehearsed in early autumn. Betulah wails, we hear the cry of the shofar’s blast. Tishrei’s “Yamim Norim,” (days of awe) are birth pangs whose memory fades with the coming simcha of Sukkot, a chag expressing the realization of our nearing messianic kingdom. In the sukkah we dine with the patriarchs and are sheltered in a cloud—we receive a taste of the world to come.

Our Sukkot liturgy speaks of the re-established kingdom in more of this peculiar language; זרע עמוסי רחמו, נולדו כילד ממעיץ...חלה וילד מי זאת, מי שמע כזאת “The seed borne by Him [Hashem] from the womb, born like a child from its mother…She delivered and gave birth: ‘Who is this? Who has heard of the likes of this?’” The words chosen to describe the establishment of this sudden nation clearly reflect the mystical circumstance surrounding the birth of our King and help to further build the connection between the life of Mashiach and his nation.

The mother of Mashiach, who is herself traditionally referred to as The Virgin (Ha-betulah), traveled from the Galilee to Bethlehem. She followed her love. Yosef was a tzadik; he married his young bride before they journeyed to the suburb of Jerusalem. It may have been late in Elul, in some traditions this is the only time in which custom does not discourage a marriage late in the month. Certainly, by the time the holy couple entered the hill-country surrounding Jerusalem, the moon of Tishrei was nearly term—full.

The move from Elul to Tishrei, like other transitions during the year, is marked by a changing of the celestial guards. The month of Tishrei is associated with the constellation of Moznaim (scales). The new moon of this month, Rosh Hashanah, is called Yom Hadin—judgment day. Hashem holds the world in the scales of decision. On this day it is decided whom will be born and who will die during the coming year; the success or failure of every human being is measured out. When the parents of Mashiach entered the city of David, it had already been decreed that the child being carried by the young woman would live; he would be born and prosper. Yeshua entered this world, born from a virgin, under the branches of a sukkah—under the cover of stars. For this righteous couple, the shelter of the sukkah became a marriage tent. The relationship of Yosef and his bride was consummated not in the conception of a child, but in the birth of our King Mashiach. This virgin birth rehearses the creation of a nation and a salvation that will spring up from the ground, seemingly out of nowhere, at the returning of our King.

This messianic kingdom and the birth pangs signifying its arrival are written of in the twelfth chapter of the Revelation of Yochanan. His words continue in the tradition of our prophets and sages. Alone, far from home, in exile on the island of Patmos, Yochanan looked in to an autumn night’s sky. He watched as the stars came alive and recorded the vision in a book.

ואות גדול נראה אז בשמים אשה עטה מעטה שמש ולבנה תחת רגליה ועל-ראשה אשה יציץ נזר שנים עשר כוכבים: והיא הרע ללת התסעק בחבליה כי נהפכו עליה צריה.

“There was a great wonder in the sky; a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Being with child, she cried, travailing in birth, and pained to deliver.”

Here Yochanan’s vision is placed firmly within its High Holiday context. This heavenly drama is rehearsed by the stars each year at Rosh Hashanna. Certainly, the woman crowned with twelve stars is none other than the constellation Betulah, the virgin. The crown she wears is a star cluster called Coma Bernice. In Yochanan’s vision the virgin giving birth is the nation of Yisrael; she brings forth a child (the Mashiach) who is taken into heaven to be hidden from a dragon (a grouping of stars called Draco) who seeks his destruction. Yisrael finds refuge in the wilderness where she narrowly escapes a flood sent by the dragon. Again, the account is told in such a way as to blur the narrative line between the life of Yeshua and the history of his people.

Without thought, we often wish one another a Mazal Tov—a “good constellation.” Hashem created the stars for times and for seasons; our wish is that joyful events might inaugurate seasons of blessing for Yisrael. We hope that one simcha is a sign of more to come. Ultimately, our desire is to see the days of Mashiach. With each rotation of the moon, with every movement of the constellations, we await a holiday without end. From the first contractions felt by his mother during the awesome days between Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur and his miraculous birth at Sukkot, the life of Yeshua creates a pathway and foreshadows the sudden sprouting of a re-established nation, a messianic kingdom that will bring peace and joy to the entire world.

Av 1, Yahrtzeit of R' Paul Philip Levertoff OB"M

Tuesday night July 21, 2009 corresponds the 1st of the Hebrew month of Av. This date marks a yahrtzeit (anniversary of death) for R’ Paul Philip Levertoff (Feivel Levtov) OB”M. It is very important to observe the yahrtzeit of our Rabbi at this time in the lighting of a candle and in the learning of his work Love and the Messianic Age. This is a very meaningful time inasmuch as it not only marks the time of our Rabbi's passing but also that of Aharon HaKohen and begins our 9 day reflection approching the rememberance of the destruction of the Holy Temple. He was both a priest and a house for the divine presence. He remains an inspiration.

Tisha B'Av, For Malki

One of the darkest days of the year occurs in the heat of midsummer. Even before the fast of Tisha b’Av (the 9^th of Av) begins we take up the practices of mourners, ingesting an egg and bread dusted with ash alone in the corner of a room. We are exiles. The aron kodesh is empty; its scrolls have been removed. Candles are lit and passed through the synagogue so that by their light we might sing a dirge. The small flames look like stars in a summer night’s sky. But on this night of lamentation I have a secret, a spark of joy inside. Like the candle illuminating the kinah in front of me, holy lights shine within. They’re the words of Zechariah the prophet, who wrote, “The fast day of the fifth month (Tisha b’Av) will become for the house of Yisrael a day of rejoicing and of happiness (Zechariah 8:19).”Chazal interpret these words as a reference to the birth of Mashiach on the 9^th of Av.

On the surface this might seem to contradict the wide spread tradition that Yeshua was born during Chag Sukkot on the 15^th of Tishri. However, its my opinion that both dates are correct. There is a lesser known second occasion when Mashiach is said to have been born; it was at his immersion. A voice was heard saying, “You are my son. Today I have begotten you (Lk. 3:22 codex Bezae).”

That this event occurred on Tisha b’Av is clear from the context of the account given in our besorot. In the third chapter of Matthew, at the end of a passionate and rage filled speech just before the immersion of Mashiach, Yochanan Hamatbil responds vehemently to a group of Sadducees sent to interrogate him saying, “Now also the axe is laid at the root of the trees. Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.” This proclamation which was made in reference to the corruption filled second temple is specific in its imagery and helps to place Yeshua’s immersion within the context of Tisha b’Av.

With the words “Now also,” Yochanan is comparing the destruction of the second Beit Hamikdash to the first, both of which occurred on the ninth of Av. In Babylon the date of Tisha b’Av was observed as a pagan holiday. Trees were cut into logs to be burned in huge bonfires dedicated to the worship of the sun. When Shlomo Hamelech built the Beit Hamikdash he imported so many cedar trees from the Lebanon, the temple its self was often called “the cedars of Lebanon,” or simply “Lebanon.” In 586 BCE, Babylon chopped down the cedars of the Beit Hamikdash and created an enormous and horrible fire from the temple ruins before driving Judah into exile.

According to our tradition the destructive quality of Tisha b’Av and its relation to exile is a result of our desire to return to Egypt after having been freed from slavery there. Rather than enter into the Promised Land, Yisrael sought to turn back because of fear (Num. 14:34). As punishment for a lack of trust in G-d, Yisrael was cursed with a forty year exile into the wilderness which began on this day. Hashem decreed that Tisha b’Av would be a day of crying and misfortune. “G-d said, ‘”You wept in vain. I will establish this date for you as a time of real weeping for all generations (Ta’anit 29).’”

After his immersion, Mashiach was driven by G-d’s spirit into the wilderness. He remained in the desert for forty days, mimicking Yisrael’s wonderings begun on Tisha b’Av. During these days Mashiach ate nothing and performed corrections for the failings of our nation. As Yisrael erred three times in the wilderness, Mashiach was given three tests. The Satan appeared to Yeshua at the apex of his hunger and said, “If you are the son of G-d, command this stone to turn to bread.” Mashiach remembered the carnality of his people when they spoke against Moshe Rabeinu, saying, “You brought us out into this wilderness to kill us all with hunger (Shemot 16:3).” He refused to eat as an act of tikkun. Answering the Satan, he said, “It is written, man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from G-d’ (Mt. 4:3-4). Mashiach’s response to the tempter comes from Devarim, Parashah Ekev, one of the readings used during the seven weeks between Tisha b’Av and Rosh Hashanah.

After Hashem supplied our need for food in the wilderness we began to complain about water and put G-d to the test. The place where this occurred was named מסה (Massah) and means “test” (Shemot 17:3). Our besorah records that when the Satan attempted to persuade Mashiach to test Hashem he spoke out against the tempter saying, “You shall not put Hashem, your G-d, to the test!”

Before the end of this redemptive journey Mashiach performed one more corrective act on behalf of his people. It is written that “the devil led Yeshua up to a very high mountain, and showed him every kingdom of the world in their magnificence (Matt. 5:8).” The Satan told Mashiach that if he would only prostrate himself before the adversary he would be given “all these.” Again the account is clear in its imagery. It was at the foot of a mountain that Yisrael bowed before a golden calf. In his final act of correction, Mashiach commanded the Satan, “Away, Satan! It is written: ‘Hashem your G-d, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve!’”

It has been expected from ancient times that Mashiach would be born on Tisha b’Av, many have also held the belief that he would begin his redemptive mission on this day. It was anticipated that Mashiach would transform Tisha b’Av from a day of exile into one of redemption. Yeshua has fulfilled our expectations. His birth through immersion and redemptive forty day trek into the wilderness began on Tisha b’Av, the anniversary of G-d’s having decreed a forty year sentence of wondering upon his nation. It was at his immersion that Yeshua began to take students unto himself. He has been gathering the dispersed of Yisrael ever since. Today we continue to fast on Tisha b’Av knowing that Yisrael remains in partial exile. However, we also conceal a spark of joy, knowing that Mashiach has been born. He has begun to transform exile into redemption.

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Mary, Mary

Before the destruction of the second temple one out of every four women bore the name Miriam. Our besorot make it clear that this was a popular name, no where does it become more obvious than near Yeshua’s death. In his besorah, Yochanan ben Zavdai records the following:

"There stood by the cross of Yeshua, his mother [Miriam], his mother’s sister-in-law, Miriam of Chalfai, and Miriam Magdala." (Yo. 19:25)

Of the notable female followers who witnessed Yeshua’s hanging, all were named Miriam. So often is the name used throughout our text it is difficult to distinguish one Miriam from the next. Chagiga 4b records an important and rather humorous account of similar confusions:

"…The Angel of Death told his agent to bring him the soul of Miriam the hairdresser and instead was brought the soul of Miriam, the children’s teacher. The Angel of Death told his messenger: I told you to bring me Miriam the hairdresser. The messenger replied: If that’s the case, I will take her back. The Angel of Death said: Since you already brought her, then let her be included in the quota of the dead ."(Chagiga 4b)

The word hairdresser found in the quote above is a translation of the original megaddlela (one who elevates the hair); it’s a euphemism implying a prostitute or other woman of ill repute. Although Rabbeinu Tam, a medieval master of Jewish law, informs us that this is not a reference to the follower of Yeshua who would have lived 100 years earlier, commentary on the text nevertheless adds profound insight into our messianic story. It was Rabbeinu Tam’s grandfather Rashi who gave clarification on the word megaddlela establishing our current definition and understanding of the word.

For well over a thousand years there has been a debate regarding the identity of the woman who washed Yeshua’s feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. We’re given the name Miriam, but for generations it has been unclear whether or not this was the Miriam called Magdala. If we understand this name the way Rashi does. If we take the term to denote “one who elevates the hair” then perhaps the two characters are one and the same Miriam…it makes sense; we’re supposed to see the contrast. The story reads more beautifully this way. Miriam, the one who raised her hair above her convictions was transformed by the presence of the tzaddik Yeshua. Her hair, once treasured above all else, became like rags used to dry the feet of her master.

Blessing Over Bread

The Value of Bread-

There’s a verse, “He was known to them in the breaking of bread” (Lk. 24:35). As it stands alone the line is beautiful; it appears at the end of an amazing story about how Yeshua remained hidden while he spoke with two men on the road after his resurrection. They conversed and he expounded regarding the character of Mashiach and the necessity of his death. As they approached their destination the men invited this unknown chacham (sage) to their meal. He remained concealed to them until he took bread and broke it. At that very moment their eyes were opened and they realized who this tzaddik was and then he was gone, he disappeared.

This bread breaking is an interesting thing. In Jewish legal thought a dining experience is not considered a meal without bread. Any child of Avraham…who was known for his hospitality…should be prepared to share their meal; for this reason traditional texts use the term breaking bread to describe the mealtime activity. Sharing, breaking, dividing and connecting, this is the purpose of a meal…of bread.

Inasmuch as the Hebrew language has assigned numerical value to each of its letters, gematria is the practice of deriving connections in a text through those numerical relationships. A brief example of this kind of interpretation is given by the hand of the Apostle to the nations. He explains as follows:

"Again I will insist to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Torah." (Gal. 5:3)

Although it does not come across in any other language but Hebrew, Paul is using a bit of well known gematria in the statement above. On the eighth day a Jewish boy takes circumcision and enters the brit (ברית) of Avraham. The numerical value of ברית is 612. There are 613 commandments in the Torah, for this reason it is said that this mitzvah of circumcision is a permanent reminder of all the others.

In his Haggadah (108) Rabbi Marc-Alain Ouaknin includes some exceptional commentary regarding the shared meal which he derives in a similar way. He explains that if one takes the term breaking bread literally, we can divide the numerical value of the word לחם (bread) in to two and arrive at the number 39. Our "divided bread” is connected numerically to the Hebrew word for "dew." Isaiah explains:

"Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, For a dew of lights is your dew, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits." (26:19)

יחיו מתיך נבלתי יקומון הקיצו ורננו שכני עפר כי טל אורת טלך וארץ רפאים תפיל׃

Our commentary explains that to offer a portion of bread is to offer a few drops of dew…dew which brings forth more than plants from the earth…a dew of resurrection from the dead.

Shabbat Challah-

The meal of Shabbat begins with our making kiddush (sanctification) over a cup of wine, this however, poses a problem. For many reasons, some of which were explained above, bread holds a special place in Jewish law and the blessing of bread has preeminence over all other foods including wine. Because our Shabbat meal should begin with the blessing over the cup we must “hide” the challah while kiddush is made. Practically this is done by covering the challah above and below. Below the challahs are hidden by a table cloth or cutting board, and above the two loaves are masked with a challah cover, towel, or anything including a simple napkin.

Again, with this custom we must return to the unavoidable mystical depth of our tradition. On Shabbat we take two loaves because the children of Israel did not collect manna on Shabbat, but instead received twice the manna just before the holiday. Commenting on Exodus 16:13, Rashi explains that the manna which was collected after it appeared on the ground each morning was covered in multiple layers of dew, above and below. Our challah covers serve to reflect this arrangement and strengthen the connection previously suggested between the communal bread of Shabbat and the dew and resurrection of Isaiah.

Saying HaMotzi-

Although there are Jews in the East whose Shabbat challah appears as a circular cake, the common tradition is a braided loaf. The blessing made over bread is called HaMotzi, the word means “who brings out” and is a quote from the blessing itself. We bless our G-d “who brings out” bread from the earth. On the most basic level we are showing gratitude to HaShem for his provision of wheat which grows from the ground. For chasidei Yeshua however the phrase contains a deeper meaning; in a profound sense we are blessing our G-d who brought Yeshua up from the grave.

Mashiach said, “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever…” (Yo. 6: 48-51)

Blessing Over Challah How2

After rising from the table to wash our hands, the head of the table lifts the two challahs, wrapping them together in their hands with the top cover and says:

Baruch atah HaShem, Elokeinu, melech ha-olam ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.

Blessed are you, HaShem, our G-d, king of the universe who brings forth bread from the earth.

Making Kiddush

Kiddush Wine-
Almost all physical things share a similar quality in that they breakdown or deteriorate over time. The tread wears off of your sneakers, your hair gets split ends, and your phone needs an upgrade. Wine, however, breaks the rules. Wine seems to transcend physical limitations and actually improves with age. In this way wine acts more like a spiritual substance than a physical one. Shabbat is about transcending, going beyond our limitations, so we elevate the time with a cup of wine. This is called Kiddush.

Kiddush How2-

According to the Shulchan Aruch, a book which describes the proper conduct for a lifestyle of Torah, both men and women have an equal right and obligation to recite Kiddush (281). Although it’s really nice to learn the Hebrew, it’s perfectly acceptable to make Kiddush in English or any other language. We make the blessing while holding a full cup of wine in the palm of the right hand and say:

Vay’hi erev vay’hi voker yom ha-shishi
And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day

Vay’khulu ha-shamaim v’ha-aretz v’khol tzva’am
The heavens and the earth were finished, the whole host of them

Vay’khal Elokim ba-yom ha-shviyiy melakhto asher asah
And on the seventh day G-d ended his work which he had made

vayishbot ba-yom ha-shviyi mikhol melakhto asher asah
and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made

Vayivarekh Elokim et yom ha-shviyiy vayikadeish oto
And G-d blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it

ki vo shavat mikhol melakhto asher bara Elokim la’asot
because in it he had rested from all his work which G-d created and done

Baruch atah HaShem Elokeinu melekh ha-olam, borei p’ri ha-gafen. (Amein)
Blessed are You, HaShem, our G-d, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen)

Baruch atah HaShem Elokeinu melekh ha-olam
Blessed are You, HaShem, our G-d, King of the Universe

asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’ratzah vanu
who sanctifies us with his commandments, and has been pleased with us

v’shabat kadsho b’ahavah u’v’ratzon hinchilanu, zikaron l’ma’aseh v’reishit
You have lovingly and willingly given us Your holy shabbat as an inheritance, in memory of creation

Ki hu yom t’chilah l’mikra’ei kodesh, zeicher litziyat mitzrayim
The shabbat is the first among our holy days, and a remembrance of our exodus from Egypt

Ki vanu vacharta v’otanu kidashta mikol ha’amim
Indeed, You have chosen us and made us holy among all peoples

v’shabbat kadsh’cha b’ahavah u’v’ratzon hin’chal’tanu
and have willingly and lovingly given us Your holy shabbat for an inheritance

Baruch atah HaShem, m’kadesh ha-shabat. (Amein)
Blessed are You, HaShem who sanctifies the shabbat (Amen)