The Tanakh Podcast

In this podcast we offer an introduction to the structure and themes of Divrei Hayamim.

Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem and finds that Toviah has a office in the Temple (- he throws him out -) , that Shabbat is being widely broken in Jerusalem, and that intermarriage continues among the elites of the city.We discuss the manner in which the rabbinic tradition took these areas of weakness and enacted new laws to bolster religious observance. It might be that Judaism has only survived due to these changes.

The walls of Jerusalem are dedicated with pomp and circumstance in a double procession, concluding with a feast at the Temple.Why are the walls not merely ...walls? Why do they have religious significance?

In this chapter, a lottery is made and one out of ten families are "volunteered" to live in Jerusalem!

At the end of the national "happening" in Jerusalem, Ezra and Nehemiah have the people sign a covenant committing themselves to Torah and religious observance.What are the implications of this moment?

Before the people disband, they dress in sackcloth and confess their sins before God.The Levites lead a heartfelt prayer reviewing Jewish history - the people's rebellious nature, and God's forbearance and mercy.

It is the 1st of Tishrei - what we call Rosh Hashannah.Ezra and Nehemiah join hands and arrange a huge gathering in which the Torah is brought out of the Temple and read and translated. The text emphasizes that Ezra took special measures to have the people understand the sacred text - he translated and explained it - and that the people did indeed comprehend. This is the beginning, the first step of Torah Study as a key tool of Jewish life and continuity.

The bulk of ch.7 is roster, a list of the community, which is essentially identical to Ezra ch.2. So we will take this opportunity to speak about the Samaritans and explain how they fit in to the world of Shivat Zion - the Return to Zion.

Sanvallat and Toviah and Geshem try to use everything in their power to frame Nehamiah, to defame him, possibly even to assassinate or physically attack him, as they engage in conspiracy and lies to see if they can deter the building of Jerusalem's walls.

The people cry out to Nehemiah because due to poverty and outstanding loans, their children and their farms are being siezed by lenders and loansharks. Nehemiah turns his attention to rectifying the situation.

The enemies of Judah see that the building of Jerusalem's city wall is progressing. They threaten military action. As a result, Nehemiah has to divide the human resources - half the people will be on guard duty and half will continue to build: "Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. "

Nehemiah divides the building of the wall between various villages, groups, families and guilds. In this way, each group works autonomously while everyone is coordinated into a national project. This is a great example of a successful collaboration.There is much that can be learned from this chapter. We will spend some time speaking about the location of King David's tomb.

Nehemiah receives a royal commission and is posted as governor of Yehud. As soon as he arrives, he goes out alone at night to survey the city walls, embarking on his most important project - rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

We jump 13 years forward and meet Nehemia, a devout Jews in Shushan who works for the king. He hears about the derelict state of Jerusalem and the low situation of the Jews living there, he prays and resolves to do something to rectify the situation.

Ezra is looking for a solution to the rampant intermarriage within the community.He calls the community to a summit in Jerusalem. But it all goes rather wrong when they gather in a winter rainstorm. They take some measures to resolve the issue, but the impression is that the response is merely cosmetic. We leave Ezra with the feeling that this challenge is far from resolved.

No sooner has Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, he is informed that the community is intermarrying at a rapid rate; the leaders are the greatest culprits. Ezra falls to his knees in prayer.In this podcast we will speak about the novel philosophical perception of intermarriage offered by Ezra, something quite different from that which we see in the Torah.

Ezra makes Aliyah with an entourage of approximately 10,00 people. This group consists of Kohanim (priests), Leviin, Israelites, and Netinim - a non-Jewish group who were adjunct to the Temple. Ezra brings teachers. He brings silver and gild and sacrifices. This is an Aliyah that seeks to boost Jerusalem's central institution, it seeks to bolster Jerusalem numerically, financially, spiritually and to raise the morale of the returnees.

This chapter introduces Ezra as a religious figure, recognized by Persian royalty and government, who sets his heart on boosting and rehabilitating religious life in Jerusalem.

In ch.6 we read Cyrus' original memorandum giving the Jews permission to build the Temple. We shall focus on some of the unique features of this document.The Temple is completed on the 3rd Adar in the 6th year of Darius. It took 4 years to complete.The Jews - who still describe themselves as the "Captives of Yehudah" or possibly the "Returnees of Yehudah " - engaged in a celebratory Pesach and dedicated the Temple in a 7-day celebration.

It is the 2nd year of Darius.After a 15 year hiatus, the prophets Hagai and Zecharia encourage the Jews to renew the building of the Temple.The Persan governor Tattenai hears of this and enquires whether they have a permit.Most of our chapter is a letter that Tetennai sends back to central government in Persia relaying what the Jews have told him, and asking that the facts be verified.Chapter 6 will bring the royal response.

The "Enemies of Yehuda and Binyamin" - the Samaritans, request to join the building of the Temple. When they are rebuffed by Yehoshua and Zeubavel, they turn against the Jews, appealing to central government - Persia - accusing the Jews of disloyalty. This leads to the Persians calling a halt to the Temple construction.The Temple is put on hold until further notice.

The people have returned.Now they set their attention to the Temple.First they begin offering the Tamid, the daily sacrifice, on an altar on the Temple Mount.Next they set the Foundation Stone of the Secodn Temple, amidst great fanfare.

42, 360 Jews return. This chapter gives a roster of sorts of all the returnees, according to their ancestral lineage and geographical origin.

Cyrus takes the reins of the Persian Empire.He allows the Jews, (and other nations) to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple. He even restores the original 1st Temple vessels to the Jewish emigrees. is exile over?

Today our chapter provides fertile ground for the ideas of resurrection of the dead, the final judgement, the book of life, and the notion of a "ketz" a pre-prescribed end-point of history. Here are the ingredients of Jewish eschatology, but as Daniel is told, the details are a riddle, a secret.

Daniel ch.11 gives us the history of the Greek Empire until the period of the Maccabees. What implications might we draw from this historical overview?

Ch.10 is the introduction to the final vision of the book.This chapter gives us a front-row seat as to the experience of prophecy, or at least, the encounter with a being - an angel - from the spiritual sphere.

Daniel sees that 70 years have past but the Exile is not over. He prays to God for mercy.One question raised by the Talmud is how a person's faith can remain intact after horrors like the Hurban (or the Holocaust) - and their meditation on our chapter offers some insight as to the changing nature of faith amid tragedy.

This chapter was used by many to try to calculate when the Redemption would arrive.

With ch.7 we begin the second segment of Sefer Daniel - Daniel's vision. We start with a vision of 4 terrifying beasts outlining the history of "Four Kingdoms" of which we have already learned in ch.2.We close this podcast with Meir Ariel's song The Iron BeastListen here. English lyrics here"The metal era, the iron ageReminds me of an animal in Daniel's visionThe metal animal, the iron beastThe similarity to these days is disturbing.."

Chapter 6 bears a startling similarity to ch.3.What are the unique lessons we can glean from this chapter? Why is the storyline repeated?

This chapter, immortalized in a historic painting by Rembrandt, tells how Belshazzar, drinking at a royal feast from the Temple vessels, is startled by the appearance of a hand, writing an indecipherable script on the wall of the banquet hall. Why could he not read it? What did it mean? And what is the meaning of this enigmatic story?

The king has a dreadful dream (- yet again!) Daniel interprets it. It is all about a tree being cut down. What does it mean?

In an exciting story of religious defiance, self-sacrifice, and miraculous salvation, Daniel's three friends prefer death rather than bow to the great statue in Dura, set up by Nebbuchadnezzar. They prefer martyrdom than renouncing their religious identities. This story has become a foundation for many Jewish acts of sacrifice, from the times of the Hasmoneans, to the Ten Martyr Rabbis, to the Crusades, Inquisitions and the Holocaust.

In a nail-biting chapter, the king threatens his "wise-men" if they fail to recall and interpret his dream. Daniel prays to God and succeeds.We discuss the comparisons and contrasts to the Joseph-Pharaoh episode, and we ask whether Daniel was indeed a prophet.

Today we introduce the book and figure of Daniel.Daniel is a personality who is very much in dialogue with other "Jews in a foreign court" - the Biblical Joseph and Mordechai and Esther (And Nehemiah) - but quite different. Daniel is a proud, open Jew, who observes his Jewish practices loudly and unashamedly even as he serves as an advisor to a world leader.

Who are Mordechai and Esther - Devout or Assimilated Jews?Why is the "beauty contest" of Achashverosh quite possibly the cruelest way to find a wife?And what de we learn from the Bigtan and Teresh story?

Chapter 1 takes places several years before Esther comes to power, and way before the decree against the Jews.Why is the story of Vashti relevant?We offer three central lessons that we can take from ch.1

How does Kohelet end?What is his conclusion?Does he concluded with a soliloquy about death, or a series of statements about guidance and life?

Practice kindness, diversify your investments, invest in life - even if you cannot fully understand it, and enjoy your youth! These are Kohelet's messages - a philosophy of humble pragmatism.

One act of foolishness can sully a sterling reputation.

Death might be the great equalizer, but in the meantime, there are better ways to live and worse ways.

How might we act in the face of temperamental but powerful figures of government?How do we navigate an unpredictable world in which good and bad are seldom evident?Do we just eat and drink and be happy? Or maybe we allow wisdom to make our face shine.

The word "tov -good" is the keyword of our chapter.Kohelet has been asking what the key to good is. In this chapter he offers a new pragmatic approach.

6:9: "Better what you can see than the wanderings of desire."Today we address the attractions and fantasies that make us not only dissatisfied with our worldly blessings but also sap our ability and focus to appreciate and be present in the good fortune that we experience.

Is there a value in visiting the Temple?Should an individual make a vow?The opening lines of chapter 5 speak about religious ritual, the power of speech and the manner in which a person approaches God. What is Kohelet's perspective?

This world can be tough. Kohelet suggests that many people might prefer never to have been born at all.And yet, with a little financial modesty and less comparison, with some simple companionship, we will see success and happiness.

A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot that which is planted... A time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.

Kohelet entertains three possibilities of what might make life meaningful: wisdom, pleasure and work. But the ultimate litmus test will be the death of a person; does anything valuable endure after we depart this work. Is everything ephemeral (hevel)?

What is the meaning of life? That is essentially the question that Kohelet seeks to address.Who is Kohelet?What does he mean when he says: "All the rivers flow into the sea but the sea is never full"?

Rather than a lament, Chapter 5 is a prayer. It begins by asking God to remember us and our humiliation, and it ends with a ple asking God to "Take us Back!"