KING DAVID AND THE RABBIS

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

In the Hebrew Bible, King David is portrayed as a military man, a national hero who killed the giant Goliath and went from being a simple shepherd to becoming the second king of Israel (10^th cent. BCE), but suffered personal tragedies and had a few moral failings.

In contrast, the ancient Rabbis had an idealized view of King David that was unrealistic. For example, we are told that a harp hung above David’s couch. When midnight arrived, it would swing. David would then rise and occupy himself with Torah study until dawn  (Ber. 3h). David was very modest. He would say, “I seek the honor of heaven and put aside my own honor” (Num R. 4:20). Absalom, David’s son, fell into evil ways, because his father refrained from chastising him for his disobedience (Ex. R. 1:1). Another Rabbi stated that in his army, David had 400 young squires who rode on golden chariots (Kid. 76b). God actually forgave David after he committed adultery with Batsheba (Shab.30a). King David is considered to be the author of the book of Psalms (BB 14b). In the distant future, say the rabbis , when the Messiah arrives to redeem all Jews, he will be a descendent of king David. Orthodox Jews still wait for the Messiah. Reform Jews do not, and use the term “messianic age,” to indicate a hope for an idealized society where true justice and peace will finally reign. 

 New Testament claims that Jesus was a descendent of David by adoption through Joseph and by blood through Mary (Rom. 1:3). In the Quran, David is considered a prophet ,a  messenger of Allah and the divinely anointed king of Israel as well as the author of the Zabur (Psalms). 

In reality, we have no archeological or textual proof that King David ever existed. However, given his prominence in the Bible, it is highly unlikely that he was only a literary figure. The only text we have that could possibly refer to  David as a person is the Tel Dan Stele, an Aramaic inscription written in the 9^th cent. BCE.  It mentions BTDVD, namely, Bet David, meaning, “the house of David.” Now, if there was a “house of David” it is assumed that there must have been a David at the beginning of the line. That’s all we have. 

 

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MUSIC IN JUDAISM

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D.

In the Ancient Near East, music played a major role in the religious and secular life of the individuals. In fact, in Egypt and Babylonia, the leader was expected to master it. Israel, being part of the same milieu, gave music a great prominence in many life settings.

According to the Bible, Jubal was “the father of all who play the lyre and pipe” (Gen.4:21). Moses sang ( or, better, a song was attributed to Moses) at  the parting of the legendary sea (Ex.15) .  Miriam, Moses’ sister, led the Israelite women in singing “with tambourines and dancing” (Ex. 15: 20-21). A song was attributed to Deborah and Barak (Judg.5). When Jephthah returned  from battle, his daughter met him with  timbrel and dance (Judg. 11:34). David was considered to be “the sweet psalmist of Israel” (II Sam. 23:1) and credited with writing about half of the 150 Psalms in the Bible. Many of the individual psalms are directed to someone called menatseah, probably ,a choir master. Several psalms are  called “songs” (shir) (for ex. Ps. 108). Ps. 150 mentions the horn, harp and lyre, timbrel, lute and pipe and cymbals. 

During the temple period there were a number of musical guilds , such as ”the sons of Asaf” or “the sons of Korah” that functioned during sacred occasions. Music was used during coronations (I K 1:39), events at the royal court (II Sam.19: 36), and feasts (Isa. 5:12). Priests and prophets often used music in their respective work. An entire book called The Song of Songs, attributed to King Solomon, was included in the Hebrew Bible. Even though they are beautiful secular love songs, the ancient Rabbis considered them as an allegory of the love between God and the people of Israel. 

After the destruction of the second temple of Jerusalem in 70 CE, the Rabbis forbade listening to music as a sign of mourning (Git. 7a) but they allowed and even encouraged  it during festive occasions such as during Purim and other happy events like weddings. It is customary for the Torah to be chanted in the synagogue, either following the Ashkenazic or Sefardic style of singing. 

In more recent years, most liberal synagogues , like many churches, featured an organ that was played during religious services. In the early 60’s at the chapel of the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, my alma mater, there was an organ in the balcony. Nowadays, it is the cantor or the guitar playing song leader that plays a major role in the religious services of the synagogue as well as during weddings and funerals.

I am very impressed by congregational singing and maintain that the congregation that sings together stays together. 

 

 

 

SHOULD ONE HONOR AN ABUSIVE PARENT

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

I could not believe my eyes when I recently read in the local papers that Travis Decker was being sought for the murder of his three daughters, ages, 9,8 and 5. What kind of a monster does that, I asked myself .Similarly, In early March, the Boston Globe reported that a Connecticut woman was accused of holding her step son captive for two decades. As a norm, parents love their children  and cherish them. But there are some bad apples there too.

The question is what is the obligation of a child vi-a-vis an abusive parent in Jewish law?

Rabbinic literature does recognize that some parents can be abusive and condemns it. According to the Talmud (Moed Katan 17a), if you see a man beating up his grown-up son, that parent should be placed under a ban, because he transgressed the admonition of the Torah that states, “Before the blind, you shall not place a stumbling block” (Lev. 19:16).

A few years ago, when I was active in my congregation, in the greater Boston area, I once met with a congregant who had a dilemma. She told me that her father was severely ill and wanted to know what her obligation towards him was. That is not difficult,  I said. You have to take care of him. But, Rabbi, she replied, that man was an abusing parent! Well, I said, the Decalogue tells us to “honor” our parents, not necessarily to “love” them. If you cannot do that yourself, pay someone else to do it, I concluded. Jewish law is on my side. According to the Shulhan Arukh, the Code of Jewish law, “Even if one’s parent is an evil-doer and a violator of the law, one must honor and show reverence for that parent” (Yore Dea, 240:18).

That is not easy to do, I agree. The Bible has few examples of how to honor our parents. The Rabbinic literature has a long list in Kid. 31b, such as feeding them and taking them out for all the household needs.

In our time, honoring an older parent should include making sure their bills are paid on time, that they are taken to doctors’ appointments, that they live in a safe and secure place, that there is good communication between them and the children and grandchildren. If there is love between them, that is even better.  

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SONSINO'S BLOG: A beautiful Sabbath song by Itay Benda

SONSINO'S BLOG: A beautiful Sabbath song by Itay Benda:  

A beautiful Sabbath song by Itay Benda

 

CAN YOU ERASE GOD'S NAME FROM A TATOO?

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

In Jewish tradition, God’s name, YHVH, is considered sacred and cannot be erased (Deut. 12: 3-4). What about erasing it from a human body?

Modern tattooing began in 1891 with the invention of the electric tattoo machine. It is extremely popular in our time. According to one poll, 41 per cent of the millennials, born between 1981-1966, have at least one tattoo. And the trend continues to grow.

In the past, there are some hints that tattooing was accepted among the Israelites. The prophet (second) Isaiah, 6 cent. BCE,  writes, “I have engraved you ( God) upon the palm of My hands (49:16), and “Another person shall mark his arm “of the Lord” and adopt the name Israel” (44:5). On the other hand, the Book of Leviticus seems to have a negative opinion about the practice, when it states, “You shall not …incise any marks  (ketovet kaaka) on yourselves; I am the Lord” (19: 28). The correct meaning of the word kaaka is not known, because it occurs only in this passage. It is often taken to refer to tattooing, as clarified by J.H. Hertz, “What is forbidden is the custom of tattooing some part of the body.” In its time, it may have referred to an idolatrous practice which the Bible abhors.

In the Rabbinic literature, this Leviticus verse is taken to prohibit the inscription of God’s name permanently ( Mak 3:6, Mal 21a). And , during the medieval times, Maimonides approved it as a general principle ( Mishneh Torah, Idolatry 12: 11).

What about now? Should God’s name appearing in a tattoo be allowed to be erased? On this subject there is no unanimity among Jewish thinkers. On the one hand, using the sacredness of God’s name, some commentators argue that the tattoo should not be erased, whereas others, based on the temporary and secular nature of most tattoos, maintain that it could be (See, Rabbi Bakshi-Doron, Teshuvot Havvot Yair, 16).

I am not fond of tattooing, as I consider the human body as a sacred vessel. It reminds me of the Nazi’s practice of branding Jews during the period of the Holocaust with certain numbers on their arms. I also remember that in the past many slave owners tattooed their slaves as a sign of ownership. For me, erasing the name of God would be tantamount to misusing God’s name as indicated in the Ten Commandments.  Just, don’t do it!