Look who came back!

     When Rut returns you would think that everyone would acknowledge her presence and would be happy to see her. Instead everyone ignores her and seems to act as of they could care less. Naomi does not welcome her and acts very rude about the situation. After telling Rut to leave you would at least think she would welcome her back.
     This reminds me of the time in Diary of a Wimpy kid when all the kids act as if their friend Chirag is not there.
     

Thoughts on stuff

So it seems as though we've run out of time. Ruth will have to hold out for a little while until we can revisit her again. But what I've learned the from the two (two?) classes we've dedicated to Megillat Rut is worth blogging about (because I want to blog, obvs, not because I have a missing blog to make up. Psshhhh.)

Naomi has had a pretty awful life, that's for sure. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose your entire family over a span of a few years. Understanding her situation, we can feel sympathetic towards her. However, it is pretty difficult to feel this way when she is just so rude and bitter. After Rut proclaims her loyalty to Naomi and essentially binds herself to her for the rest of her life, Naomi responds in the exact opposite way that we'd expect: she doesn't. She goes silent, and stays that way for a while. It's crazy-- if someone were to make such a huge sacrifice for her, wouldn't she at least say thank you?

While Naomi was angry and depressed over the loss of her family, maybe there was something more here that made her give Rut the silent treatment. In the pessukim before, Naomi tries to send Rut and Orpah away. It wasn't until after multiple requests for them to go that Orpah listened. Maybe Naomi just really didn't want Rut to come with her. Maybe it was painful for Naomi to be around her. After all, she is her dead son's wife. Or maybe she didn't want to deal with the embarrassment of bringing a foreign woman back to Israel. Whatever it was, Rut treats Naomi pretty terribly. However Rut doesn't seem to care. She continues to stick with Naomi, refusing to leave her side. This is an incredible insight into just how wonderful Rut was as a person.

Ruth Redeemed

Ah, the story of Ruth... I know that many of you had already heard of this story prior to our Megillot class; well, I hadn't. It just wasn't one of those things that we learned in school ever, and I never bothered to look at it on my own. Therefore, when we started chavruta on Ruth a couple of weeks ago, I was entirely shocked at what I was reading. As many of you who were in the classroom with me at the time can remember, I was pretty outraged while reading the story. The first half of the Megillah seemed like a big blur about some unfortunate family moving from place to place. Next, I was also pretty amused when, in perek 3, I read what seemed to be Boaz advising Ruth against the "walk of shame". In perek 4 it seemed like Boaz was making a deal with a bunch of old people over who was going to keep Ruth. Needless to say, I was not impressed with Ruth in the least. Naomi was a "madam", Ruth was a stale wanton, and Boaz was some gross old guy who I guess was nice to tell his workers not to rape Ruth.

Quite an impression. It's a good thing Mrs. Perl swooped in,re-wrote the Megillah, and saved the story for me. Now, Baruch Hashem, after learning it in class, things make a lot more sense to me. Now I appreciate the story as a whole and think it's really lovely that we read it on Shavuot. Let me explain. 

Because who needs a picture of real Ruth when we
can have a picture of Babe Ruth? Am I right?

First off, who woulda thunk the setting would have been so important? I mean, sure, the fact that the Sefer starts off with "וַיְהִי, בִּימֵי שְׁפֹט הַשֹּׁפְטִים" should have been a hint, but for some reason I ignored it on my first go-around. In class, when we looked into sources from this time, the story was already starting to make more sense. The situation at this time was horrible: people were disgusting to one another, there was no social order, and, though people always had the word of God on their mouths, they weren't exactly 'religious' people. During this time period, there was no king and each man (or woman) did what was good in his (or her) own eyes. People were committing rape and idolatry all over the place. It was not a pretty scene. Enter: the story of Ruth. For the sake of time and interest, I am not going to go over the whole story. Rather, I'm just going to talk about the three main characters and what I think about their progressions throughout the sefer.

Ruth: Ruth gets to go first because she's the best. She is one of the most- if not the most- selfless person I have ever read or heard about. This Moavite woman (yes, Ruth) marries this guy (who cares about his name) who is originally from Chevron. When he, his dad, and his brother all die and Ruth's mother in law, Naomi wants to go back to Chevron, and doesn't invite her to go with. Actually, Naomi explicitly tells Ruth not to go. But Ruth, looking out for her mother-in-law, and the overall name of her husband's family, insists on going back with Naomi. Though Naomi ignores her, she never ceases to be right there by her side, supporting her through all their financial woes. She gives up her home, her youth, her life, really, all to make sure that Elimelech's family's name wasn't forgotten. She never stops to think "What about me?"-she's always thinking of the bigger picture. I can't stress this enough. Also, just a little bit more into the 'not-Jewish' thing: Ruth wasn't just a non-Jew, she was a Moavite. Jewish people actively rejected the Moavites from their society. Somehow, through all of that, she decided that she wanted to become one of them, and she wanted to help them. I can think of no woman other than Ruth who is more deserving to be the mother the malchut. Ruth doesn't go through much of a transformation, I think that's safe to say, in this sefer. I do not mean to imply that she is a static character, I only wish to convey that Ruth has been awesome since the first time we hear her speak. From the very beginning she is the "Avraham" of the story who leaves her homeland without a second thought. She gets more righteous and more selfless in her actions as the Sefer goes on, but something tells me she had it in her from the beginning. Ruth is "the woman". Can you even imagine making the kind of sacrifices Ruth made? I know I can't.. 

Boaz: He's good guy by the end of the sefer, but at the beginning of Ruth he seemed only slightly different from the regular people at the time. When we are first introduced to Boaz, we are told that he is related to Elimelech and we know that he is a prominent, land owning man of the town. Yet, when Ruth and Naomi come in town- and he knows he is in town- he does not extend a hand to their aid. Why not, Boaz? Huh? Too cool for fam? Later, when he is introduced to Ruth, he doesn't inform her of their relation. Sure, he tells his worker-men not to molest her, which is sweet, and he also lets her pick food there, which is also nice, he never actively does anything to help Ruth and Naomi out. Holding him to our ethical standards, he really fails. Holding him to the standards at the time, he'd rank above the average man, but not very much higher. Later, when Ruth visits him in the middle of the night (surprise!), she reminds him of his duties as a redeemer. Something about Ruth's message (Ruth is awesome. See above) suddenly awakens this moral part in him, and he becomes a changed man. He realizes that he is the redeemer with certain obligations. He actively sends things back with Ruth for Naomi. In the next perek he comes up with this brilliant plan to see whether the other redeemer (who is first in line to redeem) is a good guy (spoiler alert: he's not!). At the end of the sefer, I feel good about Boaz. Does Ruth deserve better? Of course. But, at least by the end of it he understands and appreciates her mission (plus he can support her financially which was very important). Thoughts on Boaz? Yay or nay? 

Naomi: Naomi goes from being a terrible wench to an okay human being. Let's face it, folks: Naomi is an opportunist. She follows the bread. There's a famine- she leaves. Famine is over- she goes back. Her daughter-in-law is following her and potentially useless baggage- she doesn't speak to her. Her daughter-in-law can bring in the dough- she's all of a sudden "my daughter". Naomi is not consistent and shows no real growth that one can prove as genuine. I don't buy that Naomi is a good person because at the end, once Ruth redeems the family for her, Naomi takes care of her grandchild. Sorry- not impressed. Naomi may not be the owner of a brothel that I once thought she was, but she's not much better now that I know the real her. Yes, this sounds harsh. It's true- she was not worse than any of the other people at her time. At least she didn't commit any crimes! While this is correct, let's not forget that Naomi is the melodramatic old lady who told her old gossip buddies to call her "Bitter" because God has ruined her life. Eyeroll. Oh, Naomi. What about that wonderful Ruth girl who you have been so lucky to have for company all this way? Are your thoughts on Naomi as harsh as mine? 

The Stereotypical Jewish Mother

In honor of our last week of Megillot classes, I decided to do something a bit more lighthearted than usual. My topic for today: how the lessons we learn from the book of Rut enumerate those of the "stereotypical Jewish mother." 

The first quality is "being a reminder of responsibility." Rut cleverly reminded Boaz of what his job was, and that it had not yet been completed. He had a duty to her, and by all means he needed to complete the task. Well, a Jewish mom works the same way. Imagine the scene: the trash in our stereotypical Jewish household has not been taken out, and guess whose turn it is to take care of it? the child of the family, conveniently hiding out in his/ her room. As a grand reminder of responsibility, it's a Jewish motherly trait to muster all available lung power and cry "TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE! NOW, OR YOU'RE NOT GETTING 2nd PORTIONS AT DINNER!" As you can see, there is still an obvious care and concern for the child involved, same as how Rut brought up this topic to Boaz in a way that wasn't full of blame. Jewish mothers will pull you by your ears to get something done, but in the end they have a heart of gold. 

The next quality is "looking out for the benefit of others above oneself." Rut worked for a greater purpose- the continuation of her deceased husband's name. She had nothing to gain from this viewpoint. Jewish mothers are also often pretty selfless. If a Jewish mom can see that you really want the cookie she's holding, she will give it to you with a smile on her face. Jewish moms really want their kids to be happy and successful, regardless of how much nudging and assistance their kids require to get to that point. 

Lastly, Jewish moms (typically) work hard to instill a set of strong moral and ethical values into their kids. Rut also adhered to her own set of ingrained morals and ethics. She did what was right because she felt that it was the correct thing to do. Jewish moms try to do the same, and teach their kids to do so as well. I have heard stories of little kids who go grocery shopping with their moms, and happen to nab some candy while no one is looking. The good Jewish mom involved in this story yelled at the poor three year old and made him march back to the manager of the store, return the candy he grabbed, and apologize. That mortifying episode probably stuck in his head forever, and taught him early on that stealing is wrong. Clearly, Jewish moms want this lesson to be taught loud and clear, especially since we're the nation that is supposed to uphold Torah values. The least we can do is act like it.

Persistence

Today began those last two, dreadful weeks of the school year. It is time for exams, all other schools are out, and we just want to be done already. We need to get through these last 2 weeks without falling asleep, getting too stressed, and still doing a good job on finals. We must persist.

Just like we must persist in these last two weeks of school, Ruth, in Megillat Ruth, persisted when she begged Naomi to let her return with her to Bet Lechem. Whereas Orpah gave up and went back to Moav, Ruth persisted and finally pushed Naomi to let her go to Bet Lechem and live with her. It took her a while, but she did it. We must do the same. We have to persist through these last two weeks of school. We need to study for our finals and kick tushie on them! WOO! If our teachers make us really hard finals, we must persist because we only have like 12 more days of school! Ruth has inspired me to push through and do well to finish the year of strong!!

Who is Ruth?

The time has come: we are finally learning Ruth! We started off reading through the beginning of Ruth last class, and even at the very beginning, one thing became crystal clear; Ruth is not your average person. First of all, she was a Moabite, and she married a Jewish man. That's unusual, but not exceptional. (It is forbidden  for Jews to marry Moabite men, but not Moabite women, by the way.) Anyway, this was a big deal for her. She left her people and went to live with this small Jewish family. Apparently, they were a powerful and well known Jewish family, but that didn't change anything for her, because it is said that Ruth was from Moabite royalty. Clearly, she saw something very special in these Jews to want to live with them, follow their strange traditions, and abandon her own. She is also on very good terms with her mother in law, Naomi. As weird as that sounds, she is very attached to her in a special way. After Ruth's husband dies and Ruth no longer has a connection to Naomi, she still wants to stay with her and look out for her. Ruth is also drawn to her former husband's family's traditions. She wants to live like Naomi, and become one of her people. She insists multiple times that she will leave Moav with Naomi. She keeps her word, and they both arrive back in the promised land, to Naomi's home town of Beit-Lechem. Ruth had to have an incredible amount of courage and perseverance to go through with this move. This was a totally new land, culture, people, religion, and perhaps language to her, and yet she seems in control and put together throughout this whole ordeal. She is also perfectly willing to work for and take care of Naomi, as well as acting like Naomi is her superior. She makes sure Naomi is taken care of and gets her whatever she needs, even though that is not Ruth's responsibility. She even asks for Naomi's permission to gather grain! From the looks of it, it seems like we are dealing with a very unique and special person here, and I am interested in how things will progress further. Until next time, everyone.

A deep perspective of Rav grossman's article

Rav Grossman literally analysis from the megillah intentionally crafted to have a surface and dep meaning. 

In the Rav groomsman article, they were based on deeper ideas and themes of Megillat ehster, that Rav Grossman came up with, which were: 

1. The attitude towards monarchy: surface is achsevarsosh is so powerful that everyone follows by him, he's in control. The depth is "dat"- the reality  is that the king had no real power and needed to rely on his advisors for everything. G-d's in control as opposed to the human king.

2. Attitude towards women: surface is that women are lower class citizens who are possessions and are controlled by men. The depth is that women are the protagonists in the story and the catalysts for action. 

3. Attitude towards honor: surface everyone's seeking honor because with honor comes power. But the depth is if you look deeper the honor brings that it's not real power comes from the external honor of rank your given. 

4. Attitude towards fate: surface is this happens by chance and reaction. And the depth is that"coincidences" can be explained by with G-d "pulling the strings." 

5. Attitude towards G-d: surface he's not their- there's nothing Bout G-d. most secular people no mention of G-d. We appreciate the miracles that G-d does for us. The depth is that everything is controlled by G-d we have to seek him.

Worldmask/ Rav Dessler's idea: Is that G-d's name is intentionally left out of the megillah to teach us that we have to seek him out even when he is "hiding." The "coincidences" are written in such a way that we dont actually see them as coincidences but rather as the hand of G-d. So too, in our own life, when we no longer have revealed miracles (Har sinai) We have to reveal the mask ad find G-d. 

The Ultimate Showdown: Purim vs. Chanukah

         We've managed to find time to squeeze in one last blog before we start a new Megillah. When finishing up the conclusion of Esther, we discovered that it may be more relatable than we thought. Though we've looked at many different sources already, this past week we looked into an article by Rav Grossman and compared his ideas to the previous ones.

         Rav Grossman's article seems to focus on the idea that within each theme of the Megillah there is a surface meaning and a deeper meaning. He has a take on 6 different themes of Esther:
1. Attitude towards the monarchy
         - Surface: Achaverosh seems to have all the power and control in his kingdom. He seems to be wealthy, as he has many lavish parties, and he has strict laws set up to control the people.
         - Depth: The king had no real power and relied on his advisers for everything. G-d is in control, not human kings.
2. Attitude towards women
         - Surface: Women are lower-class citizens who are possessions and controlled by men.
         - Depth: Women are the protagonists of the story and the catalysts for action.
3. Attitude towards the honor
         - Surface: Everyone was seeking power, because with power comes from honor.
         - Depth: Real power doesn't come from the external honor or rank you are given.
4. Attitude towards exile
         - Surface: Mordechai being 2nd in command is amazing. Even in the Diaspora, Jews can succeed and have power.
         - Depth: Mordechai still didn't bring the Jews back to Israel. The Jews were dispersed throughout the empire, though they should have been in Israel.
5. Attitude towards fate
         - Surface: Things happen by chance/random- the philosophy of Amalek.
         - Depth: "Coincidences" can only be explained as G-d pulling the strings.
6. Attitude towards G-d
         - Surface: The Jews were a secular, irreligious people (no mention of G-d).
         - Depth: Everything is controlled by G-d and we have to seek Him out.

         After reviewing Rav Grossman's ideas on Esther, we compared his view to the other four we saw. Hazony held up Mordechai, as well as Yosef, as a model for leadership in the Diaspora. He claims that we can be powerful in a secular world. We can find G-d and be religious, but the avenue shifts to man while in the Diaspora. Zachariah believed that the exile was over and the people should have returned to Israel and the Beis Hamikdash. The story is a punishment for the fact that they didn't go back. The Rav Dessler/Worldmask view is that G-d's name was intentionally left out of the megillah to teach us that we have to seek Him out even when He is "hiding". The coincidences are written in such a way that we don't actually see them as coincidences, but rather as the hand of G-d. So too, in our own life, when we no longer have revealed miracles, we have to reveal the mask and find G-d.

         The last concept from Worldmask can make us think differently about Purim itself. When taking Rav Dessler's ideas into account, we would see the "world" as a mask. Our job, therefore, is to uncover the mask and see G-d. On Purim, we aren't supposed to wear costumes because it's fun. We wear masks to convey the idea that our job on Purim, and really during the rest of the year, is to see G-d in our world.

         After finishing Esther, I felt like it would be appropriate to discuss Purim and Chanukah. As everyone knows, Purim and Chanukah are the two major holidays that are not explicitly written in the Torah. When reviewing the similarities and differences between the two stories, I realized that they couldn't be more different. Purim never even mentions G-d's name, while one of the most famous lines of the Chanukah story, yelled by Matisyahu, is "מי לה' אלי". In the Chanukah story, G-d is performing outright miracles that are impossible to miss, while in the Purim story, G-d is acting behind the scenes. It seems strange that the only two holidays that happen to not be mentioned in the Torah both have G-d's presence as a major theme. In the Purim story, it is the absence of G-d's presence that underlies the plot.

         I think this could be showing us something important. While one holiday effectively reflects on G-d's ability to perform outright miracles to protect the Jewish nation, like in the Chanukah story, we still need reassurance that G-d is protecting us even when His miracles aren't apparent. From the Purim story we can learn that G-d still watches over us and protects us even when we can't see him.

Esther could have been written in 2014

   As I sit down writing my weekly blog post, I wanted to discuss how amazing I think it is that Megillat Esther is so relevant to today.
   To start off, although I hate to say it but the Megillah was so in to materialism, just like society is today. Achashverosh lived in a HUGE palace full of various riches.
    Second, they all lived such hedonistic lifestyles. ( Thank you Kohelet for teaching me that word.) In the Megillah we see various parties taking place. To combine the hedonism and the materialism into two, the Megillagoes in depth about all the riches at the party. It talks about the goblets that they used. It also continues to explain in the Megillah that Acheshverosh con tinued to offer Esther up to half of his kingdom. Let's just leave it at the point that he was very, very, very, wealthy. In 2014 it just seems like people just live to party and care about the materialistic aspect of life.
   Third, kind of a combination of one and two but the girls in the Megillah prepared so long and hard just for one night with the king. All that preparation and spicing ( whatever that may mean) just for one night?? It sounds ridiculouis, but today girls focus so much on their appearance and will invest in so much just so they look good for one night. Living proof is any female celebrity the night of an awards show.
  Fourth, we assimilate with other cultures. We also pick up on secular names. It is not common that in every Megillah you see the assimilation and the combination of different cultures. In the Megillah they had secular names and they assimilated, picking up on different aspects of different cultures.
    Fifth, I just thought that the theory that the Megillah teaches us how to live in the diaspora was so interesting. Esther and Mordechai, along with the other Jews, should have been in Israel. Why weren't they?? We look at it like it is such a big disgrace that they were not in Israel but any Jew in any other country besides Israel is at fault, myself included.
  Although I talked about many of these things in previous blogposts, I just wanted to recap and share how interesting I thought it was that the Megillah seems so relevant. I have been in a Jewish school ever since I was three years old and I have learned plenty of stories, but there is something so different and so special about Esther. The way it relates to the modern reader and society is truly amazing.

As we finished Megillat Ester, we found that there were many things that would not seem strange at first glance. But when you take a deeper look, you really see how different those things are. When talking about Achashvarosh, you think of him as a wealthy and powerful king, but in reality he is insecure and relies on his advisers for everything. You also would think that the women are in a lowers class and looked down upon, but throughout the story it shows the progression of women. You may also think that everything is happening by chance, ut Hashem is really pulling the strings behind everything.

The Times, Oh, They Haven't Changed

In this week's Megillot class, we discussed the final details in the deeper meaning of Megillat Esther. Beginning with Rav Grossman's articles and concluding with a comparison and summary of each approach, we completed our full picture of what the megillah "is all about." 

Rav Grossman looks at certain sections or themes in the megillah and presents the idea that there is a surface and a deeper meaning to each idea. The surface acts as a facade, while the deeper ideas present the true aspects of Megillat Esther. The first section, attitude towards the monarchy's, surface is that Achashverosh seems to have all the power and is in complete control, as a wealthy and powerful king. The deeper meaning lies in the fact that the power/monarchy is scorned. The reality is that the king had no power and had to rely on his advisors for each decision. Moreover, G-d is in control as opposed to the human king. The next idea, attitude towards the women, looks be degrading and demeaning towards women. However, when delving into the megillah more, women are the protagonists, and the megillah manifests the progressive rise of women. 

The third section, attitude towards honor, examines the idea that everyone was seeking honor, because with honor, came power. However, real power doesn't come from the external honor or rank you are given. The fourth section, attitude towards exile, presents ideas that each of the approaches we studied seem to grapple with. On surface level, Mordechai being second in command is an incredible feat, and shows that Jews can succeed in the Diaspora. However, on a deeper level, the reality was, that Mordechai didn't bring the Jews to Israel. Rather, the Jews were dispersed throughout the land. 

The fifth section, attitude towards faith, seems to view, on a surface level, that events occur by chance and are random (the Amalek philosophy). However, the series of "coincidences" that are spread throughout the megillah can be explained with G-d pulling the strings so intricately. The last section, attitude towards G-d, evaluates, on a surface level, as the people of the megillah being secular, irreligious, who do not even mention G-d. However, everything is controlled by G-d, and we have to seek Him out. 

So, now, let's summarize. Hazony holds Mordechai, as well as Yosef, as a model for leadership in the Diaspora. We CAN be powerful in a secular world. We CAN find G-d and be religious but the avenue shifts to man while in the Diaspora. Zecharia suggests that the exile was over and the people should have returned to Israel and the Beit Hamikdash. As a result, the story is a punishment for the fact that the people didn't go back. The Worldmask/Rav Dessler approach claims that G-d name is intentionally left out of the Megillah to teach us that we have to seek Him out even if He is "hiding." The "coincidences" are written in such a way that we don't actually see them as merely coincidences, but rather as the hand of G-d. We have to reveal the mask and find G-d. Finally, Rav Grossman says that the literary analysis shows us that the megillah is crafted to have a surface meaning and a deeper meaning. 

After discussing this, we each wrote down what the megillah means to us (i.e. what themes resonate with each of us). As I thought about it, I realized that Megillat Esther pertains to our lives in immeasurable ways, especially in the Diaspora. We struggle with the same aspects and challenges that our ancestors faced thousands of years ago, ranging from culture to recognizing G-d's control. I think that by examining the story, or even any piece of Tanach, and realizing the lessons, we can learn a lot from them and apply them to our daily lives. 

As a concluding question, what does Megillat Esther mean to you?