Spiritual and
Ethical Issues in the Historical Books of Tanach;
JOSHUA, JUDGES, SAMUEL, KINGS (Nevi’im Rishonim) These four books ostensibly are merely the history of Israel from the entry into the Promised Land until the destruction of the Temple and the temporary loss of independent statehood. In fact they are actually, in a specifically Jewish sense, the most deeply religious and spiritual books of the Bible. One does not have to be specifically Jewish to see or feel the religion and spirituality in the revelations of the prophetic writings or in the words of the Tehillim. They speak to all people, as evidenced by the fact that the Bible is still the world's bestseller and there are millions of non-Jews who regularly recite the Psalms. However, it is specifically and intrinsically Jewish to understand that G-d is revealed in the prosaic material, in the political, social and military events in the lives of ordinary men and women, kings and leaders that are described in the Nevim Rishonim. Here are described the ideology and religious thoughts in Judaism, while in Chronicles we have the purely historical. Take my soul - On being a Jewish
Prophet, part 7 The commentaries of our Sages follow three main trends. It is possible to see these prayers as a result of disappointment and despair. Moshe was faced with a mournful nation bitterly complaining about only having Manna in the desert, whereas they claimed to have eaten plentiful real food in Egypt. The only way that they as slaves could have eaten free food, was either through theft, or being allowed to eat next to the fleshpots of their masters, or perhaps free of the mitzvot that now had to be observed. Such public claims by a whole people who had witnessed great miracles in their redemption, benefited from G-d’s mercy and received His Torah; how could he not despair and be disappointed with them? Even if at first their demand seemed spiritual. “This is because the food of each land has spiritual forces of its own and the eating of the foods of two lands together, was a preparation for the spiritual challenges awaiting them in their new surroundings. When they left Egypt they had eaten matza together with manna - bread of affliction together with holy food - in preparation for holiness in the desert, now three days before entering the Promised Land, they wanted to eat this holy food together with the food of the Land, to prepare themselves for the natural life that awaited them, with its special spiritual challenges” (Shem Mi Shmuel). However when Moshe saw that the desire for meat became simply a physical lust, he despaired. Eliyau had dramatically shown Israel the falsehood of Baal and killed the priests of the idols, only to see them returning to idolatry, now he had to flee to the desert; his whole mission had ended in failure. Yonah seeing the people of Nineveh repenting and therefore being forgiven by G-d, could only cry out in despair that was exactly why he had fled. Regarding Moshe and Eliyahu, we can add the weariness of old age devoted to their missions; Moshe was over 80 and Eliyahu ageless, being Pinchas who had been in the desert with Israel, over 400 years previously. They simply claimed that the natural order meant that their long lives should end; just like all the generations since Adam’s sin that brought the inevitability of death instead of eternal life. The Malbim and Abarbanel in the case of Moshe and Eliyahu, have a different perspective, seeing in their behavior a mystical yearning. They saw in both of them no thought, not even a hint, of despair or depression. On the contrary, the utterances of both Moshe and Eliyahu, are expressions of deep spiritual yearning, even if they are difficult to understand. Ordinary people like us, may not grasp the idea of a love for G-d that is so great that it supersedes our natural will to live. However, do we not sing, “My soul is in deep thirst for Elohim (Tzama Nafshi)” and “ My soul is sick with love for You” (Yedid Nefesh) on Shabbat? Having devoted their lives to doing the will of G-d, each one of them thought that the time had come that they could unite their souls with the Eternal. Moshe, being the great lover of Israel that he was, preferred death to seeing Israel degenerate from high spirituality of Matan Torah to gross materialism [Malbim]. Alternatively, he saw the complaints as being against him. That is how we can explain his prayer to G-d, “Wherefore have You afflicted Your servant.... that You have laid this burden on them?” Moshe had neither the flocks from which to feed them nor had he given birth to them, so as to be responsible for them. After all, at the beginning he had said that he wasn’t fit to take Israel out of Egypt and G-d should send somebody more worthy than him. Now surely, since he was no longer able to serve Israel, was an appropriate time for Moshe to go [Abarbanel]? Eliyahu, having spent a long life guiding Israel and sanctifying Hashem’s name, similarly wished to leave the material world having, in his opinion, completed his mission. Yonah, in his zealousness for the honor of Israel, was distraught at seeing the forgiveness of Assyria, the immanent destroyers of the 10 tribes of Israel. Surely if the merit of mercy was to dominate justice, then why should mercy be extended to them while it was denied to Israel and should the full measure of justice predominate only against Israel? Since that is what he had said to G-d when receiving the mission by fleeing to Tarshish, surely it was better for him to die? Perhaps the whole issue of mercy versus justice can be better seen in the following story concerning the Admor Menachem Mendel of Kotsk, who is the epitome of truth and justice. Once when a terrible decree against the Jews threatened them, Rabbi Menachem Mendel who was determined to change the decree, called on his two teachers, HaYehudi HaKadosh and Simcha Bunim of Pshischa to come to assist him. When they did not appear, he ascended to heaven to get their help in averting the decree. He found them in Gan Eiden but a deep ravine between him and them. To his request for mercy for Israel shouted to them across the ravine, they answered, “Since you have shed no tears for the sorrows of Israel citing always the merit of justice, how can you now expect to obtain for them the merit of mercy”; indeed a lesson for any leader in Israel? This is the 37th installment in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and its messages for our times” [The
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