Archives

1st Kings Chapter 9

God’s covenant with Solomon
Hiram’s disappointment
Solomon’s new cities
Solomon brings gold from Ophir

Proselytes

The Second Temple era was a time when many people converted to Judaism as noted in the Encyclopaedia Judacia 13:1182. It is interesting to know that during this period, the term “ger,” which means stranger or alien, became associated with proselyte. The book of Matthew in the New Testament mentions Pharisees who “compassed sea and land to make one proselyte” in Matthew 23:15. However, it is possible this might have been an exaggeration by the rabbis. They took this claim as an opportunity to assert that their most prominent figures were descended from proselytes. What is particularly fascinating is the differing approaches of Hillel and Shammai to teaching potential proselytes the principles of Judaism. We can see this in various incidents such as in Shabb.31a. These incidents highlight the fact that religious conversion was a crucial and prevalent topic during the era of the Second Temple, making it a fascinating time to study.

Shalom Bayit

From the Jewish Marriage page 41 – 44 Shalomשָׁלוֹם‎Transliteration šālôm Pronunciation shaw-lome’ shalom – completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, well being, wholeness, prosperity For more info click here, as the word which is used to describe “peace”, relates in a fundamental sense to the word shlemut, or “completeness.” Shalomשָׁלוֹם‎Transliteration šālôm Pronunciation shaw-lome’ shalom – completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, well being, wholeness, prosperity For more info click here disconnected from shlemut  peace disconnected from “completeness” is a peace which manifest itself as mutual nonaggression, peace as the absence of war. Shalomשָׁלוֹם‎Transliteration šālôm Pronunciation shaw-lome’ shalom – completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, well being, wholeness, prosperity For more info click here with shlemut is peace with harmony, peace with cooperativeness, peaces which moves toward completeness. It is this higher level of peace which is so exalted, and should be the ever present goal of our personal and communal strivings. The ultimate goal The ultimate goal, of course, is true peace which permeates the entire world, but that is too massive a task to be thrust any single individual. However, each individual  can make a contribution toward this all encompassing goal by working to create peace in his or her immediate environment. Having done all that is within one’s power to effect peace is thus seen to have much more than local implications. Primary focus The home is the primary focus where one’s obligation to effect peace unfolds. Here is where one is able to have a significant input if not control, over peace of the world, the world of one’s home, in its true sense as desired in marriage, is best translated as “domestic bliss”, Shalom Bayit is not the peace of sameness or absence of conflict. It is the completeness of opposites, the translation of differences into more effective action and greater love, incorporating the wisdom gained from shared opinions and give-and-take. To be conversant kənˈvərsənt –adjective–familiar with or knowledgeable about something — Middle English: from Old French, present participle of converser (see converse). The original sense was ‘habitually spending time in a particular place or with a particular person’. in the ways of shalom bayit is to be conversant in the ways of local-cum-global peace. It is to have an exemplary home which is a model for other homes, eventually all homes. It is lamentable that not enough attention is given to the mastery of shalom bayit formulations upon entry into marriage. Whose is the obligation Whose is the obligation to create shalom bayit, domestic bliss? Simply stated , it is the obligation of both husband and wife. That the home should be fortunate enough to enjoy such tranquility and harmony is ultimately a Godly blessing, but it is a blessing and harmony which comes only after the couple work to be eligible for and worthy of that blessing. To be worthy, each of the couple must see shalom bayit as an obligation directed not at the other but at the self. Shalom Bayit is a personal responsibility that beckons each of the partners to make demands on their own selves toward improving the home atmosphere. It is generally a good practice, in areas related to living a life of responsibility, to be very demanding on one’s self. It is a practice which makes for better marriages. Rather than waiting for the other to change, or make a move, one should take the initiative; the other will likely follow. Waiting for the other is stand offish, leads to frustration, and can build up abundant hostility. It can ruin what could have been blissful. This is the active side of shalom bayit. There is another side to shalom bayit, the preventive side. In this, the most appropriate advice is: do not provoke, do not become provoked. Do not provoke, do not introduce strife or contentiousness into the home vocabulary, and go out of your way to prevent strife situations from developing. Do not become provoked Do not become provoked if situations arise in which expectations have not been realized, request have not been heeded, or the normal household has been upset; do not react with anger to your spouse, to whom you may attribute this unwarranted situation. Instead, assume that understandable circumstances have caused the problem, rather than bad intentions. Again, one should not stand on one’s rights or be touchy concerning the honor that is due. Rather than demand what you are convinced belongs to you by right, be flexible and forgiving, not ridged and unforgiving.. …Great sages allowed themselves to be humiliated if that humiliation preserved the peacefulness of a home. This was reason enough to forgo accepted protocols, even to turn a blind eye to obviously contemptible disrespect. These sages did not want to be associated, however with marriage break down. They saw each union as personally and communally significant, and were perhaps fearful that one marriage collapse would pave the way for more, making it acceptable, then maybe event trendy. The sages were working in the background of event more astounding precedent. Manipulating the truth to preserve peace is permitted. In order to preserve the shalom bayit of Abraham and Sarah, God personally manipulated the truth. Even that however, is not the astounding precedent. The astounding precedent relates to the very severe transgression of erasing God’s name. If such erasure could possibly restore the shalom bayit of an estranged husband and wife the erasure is mandated.     *The Talmud, Megillah 27a (see also Yoreh De’ah 270:1 and Hilkhot SeferTorah 10:2) allows for the sale a Torah scroll to marry, one of the rare instances such a sale is permitted. The Torah is the basis of community, but it is through marriage that community itself becomes a reality. The ancient sages were not only committed to the sanctity of marriage, but they recognized its profound significance both for individuals and their communities. They believed that the preservation of marriage was of utmost importance, as even one broken relationship could have far-reaching consequences that could lead to a dangerous