Class Notes From 5/19/11

Perek ב

--> Quick overview: In class yesterday, we started Perek ב. We split it up into three parts. In the first part, passukim 1-3, Hashem remembers the past; the early stages of their relationship when there was love, trust, kindness and willingness to follow H' anywhere. We then began the second part, passukim 4-28. Yesterday we got three points from this part. Here is a brief sypnosi:

1. You left Hashem. You didn't seem to leave H' because you felt H' left you. But rather to embrace הבל, which represents a lack of values. Instead, the Kohanim and Navi'im left Hasshem and followed ba'al.

2. H': Despite the fact that you left me fore no reason, I am still pleading with you to return.

3. Go look throughout history if anything so foolish has ever occurred. They exchanged me for a lesser god, mkur chayim, for a vessel. 

Today we continued...

(Section 4-28)
Section 4-28: Hashem describes his relationship with the people as a husband and wife- wife abandoned husband. 

4. The third thing they did wrong was go to Egypt and Assyria for protection. 

5. You have forsaken me, you are acting like a harlot, זונה. --> I wanted you to become a choice vineyard but because of your sins, you are like a withered plant.

• You sins have stained you, and you can't get the stain out. You're saying you didn't do anything wrong, but I know what you did; you can't hide. You are so filled with desire, you can't stop yourself from sinning. Bnai Yisroel, "I can't help myself, I love these strangers." Hashem, "You should be so ashamed of yourself. All these people are misleading you and causing you to do the wrong thing. You say to a tree 'you're my father' to a stone 'you're my father' and turn your back to me, but in times of trouble you say to me 'save me' but where are those gods that made you? Why don't they come and save you?"

6. Parable of a relationship between man and a woman. Woman leaves and turns to many other men, but then when she's in trouble, she comes back to her husband. Kids don't know their father as a result. 

Saying => Hashem is the husband. Bnai Yisroel is the wife. Jealous husband. In perek bet, though, the husband will still take her back.

29-37

1. Why are you fighting with me and sinning against me?

2. What was the point in punishing your children if  you didn't change?

• Oh, nation; have I abandoned you? Have I done anything to drive you away?

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Things to Ponder:

1. Is Hashem a jealous G-d? Is this even an option? If so, how is it justifiable? 
2. Do you think that Bnai Yisroel is being judged too harshly for things that they do politically? 
3. What do you think of Hashem being compared to the husband of B'nai Yisroel? Do you agree with this kind of parable? 

This Year

This year in Yeshayahu and now in Yirmiyahu, we have focused on the action/reaction standpoint rather than the geopolitical on the events that happened. We spoke about how, for example, everything each king did had repercussions, whether they be rewards for doing something good, or punishments for something bad. However, I think it is possible that it is a little of both. If we have free will, why is it not possible that Assyria attacked us and Shomron fell because of completely natural political reasons, and the people sinning is merely a reason given for the punishments? What if everything we've ever learned about Hashem punishing us for our misdeeds is just a ploy used to deceive us? Why would Hashem continue to protect us, even though He knows we will only do the wrong thing?

Sorry it's kind of random.

Symbolic Acts of Yirmiyahu

Time is running out for our navi class and for the people of Yehuda in Yirmiyahu, the sefer we are racing to cover before the school year ends.

Starting in Perek Yud Gimel of Sefer Yirmiyahu, Yirmiyahu starts doing symbolic acts to get the peoples attention.

1. Dressing in linen clothes and not washing --> the people get worse and worse until they are dirty with sin.
2. Throwing jars of wine down on the ground, smashing and spilling everywhere --> their sins pour out and they will be completely destroyed.

Perek Tet Zein, Yirmiyahu cannot have children because the nation is so bad and will be destroyed.

The story of a potter. There is a man with clay that he shapes into beautiful pottery. Without him, the clay would have been nothing. And if the man so chooses, he can break the pottery and still the clay will be nothing. This is really talking about the Jews and how G-d took them and made them into a great nation and without G-d they would be nowhere, so they should repent and realize this.

QUESTIONS-
Which do you think is more effective? Yirmiyahu's story of the potter, or Yishayahu's story about the man who planted a vineyard, but the grapes were sour and the vineyard was overrun with weeds?
Why do you think it is better?

Class notes- 5.9.11: Yirmiyahu Perek 1

 א

Introduction: Passukim 1-4

- Yirmiyahu- from the Kohanim and lived in ענתת which was near Yirushalayim but far enough in order for him to escape sometimes. (He wasn't close [in the palace] like Yishayahu was.)

   -Prophesied from the 13th year of Yoshiyahu until the galut- the destruction of the Temple/ until the 11th year of Tzedkiyahu/ 586BCE

Passuk 5: Hashem says to Yirmiyahu, "Before you were created, I knew you in the womb. Before you were born, you were sanctified for the nations." Hashem is telling Yirmiyahu that he was destined to be a prophet.

Passuk 6: Yirmiyahu's response was,  "But I'm only a נער " - I am still being trained. You're telling me that I'm gonna be the main navi? I'm a נער, inexperienced and untrained right now... I'm not ready yet.  (Objection #1 )

Hashem's Argument #1 (Passuk 7): Don't say you're inexperienced, I'm gonna be your guide

Hashem's Argument #2 (Passuk 8): Don't be scared of them because I will save you

Sign/אות (Passuk 9): Touches his lip- Behold, I'm giving you words into your mouth.

       Sign of the first two arguments-- resolve the issue

Mission (Passuk 10): To uproot, destroy, to build and to plant

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Things to Consider: (so you guys will be able to post a comment)

-How does this Hakdasha compare with Yishayahu's (if it was a Hakdasha..) thus-far? Moshe's?

-What does Hashem mean in Passuk 5? Does this conflict with free will?

- Why do you think that Yirmiyahu chooses to identify himself as a נער? What is the significance in that?

King Yoshiyahu

After King Menashe comes Yoshiyahu ben Amon. He was 8 years old when he became king and ruled for 31 years (640-609 BCE)

King Yoshiyahu did a lot to help make the nation stronger religiously/spiritually. He refurbished the Beis HaMikdash, putting a lot of time, effort, and money into it. According to the Radak, during the reign of Menashe, the torah had been neglected and abused. During the restoration of the Beis HaMikdash, A sefer torah was found between two stones open to a pasuk in Devarim that said that there would be a time that the King and the nation would both do Avodah Zarah. Yoshiyahu went to Chulda (the prophetess before Yirmiyahu came) to ask her what it meant. When Chulda the prophetess told him that everything would be destroyed if the people don't repent, he made a covenant like the one at Har Sinai. All of the Avodah Zarah and the Kohanim that were a part of it, were removed from the Beis HaMikdash.

Even though Yoshiyahu was doing so much to try to make the nation repent, the people still followed in the evil ways of Menashe. HaShem said that even with all that Yoshiyahu had done, it was still not enough to remove the decree. This must have been like a last chance. HaShem pushed off the decree for Menashe, but the people continued to do bad so they blew their final chance.

At the very end, Assyria is attacked. Babylonia is to the north of Assyria and Egypt is to the south. Egypt is afraid of Assyria and so they try to defend it against Babylonia instead of making it their enemy. Egypt has to go through Israel to get to Babylonia, though, and Yoshiyahu takez his army to go fight in Meggido. He gets killed fighting there. It says in Divrei HaYamim that Yoshiyahu was able to be killed because he did not believe a message that HaShem sent him through Paro Neco. Therefore, he died.

King Minasheh

We are officially done learning about Yeshayahu's prophecies. Pressed for time and hoping to cover all aspects of what led to the Beit Hamikdash's destruction, we are beginning to learn  Yirmiyahu!
We went over a few things before we started the actual sefer though. We went through the kings from after Chezkiyahu, after having had learned quite a bit about whether he was good or bad. Decide for yourself from these facts: During his reign the people brought korbanot but there was no tzedek+mishpat (social justice). We didnt focus for to long on the next king, but I have some interesting questions about him that I would like to post. After Chizkiyahu, dis son Minasheh then ruled. He was not a good king. He did molech!
He was so bad, that it was because of him that it was decreed that the beit hamikdash would be destroyed! In Divrei Hayamim we hear he was imprisoned and there did teshuva, so Hashem didnt destroy the Beit Hamikdash right away.
For those of you who will want to respond to this post, here are QUESTIONS TO RESPOND TO:
1. If he did teshuva, do you think Hashem should have removed the decree? why or why not?
2. do you think his teshuva was real? meaning, if he had not been imprisoned would he have done teshuva?
3. do you think that because of one mans actions the beit hamikdash should be destroyed?

Moving on: We think that if Menashe can repent, who had been an evil person, maybe the whole nation can.
ANOTHER QUESTION: 1. What does it mean when the kings are described to be evil? Evil like those crazy evil characters in movies and books, or evil just religiously. did he kill people for fun? what is evil...?

I hope that you find this stimulating! I have left the other kings open in case someone else would like to post about the rest of the kings...
hint hint, it is during the time of the next king that yirmiyahu starts to prophecize!