Parshat Ki Tissa: Talmudic thoughts on Suffering

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How can we relate to unexplainable suffering? Like many of us, the Talmudic Sages grappled with this most difficult of theological questions and found insights in this week’s parsha.

Parshat Ki Tissa describes one of the greatest failings of Bnei Yisrael – the sin of the golden calf, followed by Moshe’s pleas and prayers, and God’s benevolent forgiveness. Within this narrative, the Torah describes Moshe’s unusual and surprising request of God in Exodus 33: “Let me know Your ways,” and, “Show me Your glory.” God gives Moshe a view of His “back” and His “glory.” However, even Moshe is not given the ability to fully see God’s “face” and comprehend God’s essence. What is Moshe asking of God exactly? The Sages interpret this scene as Moshe asking God how to understand the problem of theodicy in this world, of why the righteous suffer. For them, this was the most difficult and burning question. 

Talmud Berakhot contains various approaches to suffering. Some rabbis believed suffering should prompt introspection and welcomed suffering as a sign of God’s love. Yet, it also shares three stories about Rabbi Yochanan and his students discussing their suffering in which they clearly and repeatedly protest the notion of sufferings of love: “I do not welcome suffering nor its reward.” This was especially relevant to Rabbi Yochanan, who lost ten children. He and his students find some healing by lifting each other up and practicing compassion.  

In the biblical world, suffering was understood to be a direct result of transgression. Rabbinic theology however, provides various approaches to suffering with more resonance for our time. It encourages us to examine our actions for the better, yet, it also sees potential dangers and futility in attempting to understand or explain suffering. Just as Moshe could not fully know God, some suffering is truly beyond our comprehension and inexplicable. Rabbinic sources provide us with space to grapple with this challenge, and hopefully, steps toward some healing. Shabbat Shalom -Karen Miller Jackson

Shemot: Remembering Our Name

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What’s in a name? Parshat Shemot lists the names of Yaacov’s sons who went down to Egypt. Yet, it also refers without names, to “a man from the house of Levi,” “daughter of Levi,” “daughter of Pharaoh,” and others. Biblical interpreters view the names and namelessness as a reflection of the strengthening or weakening of Jewish identity, particularly in the diaspora.

Sforno comments that the children of Yaacov are named because they lived up to their “names” or good character and family values. However, the generation enslaved in Egypt were not worthy of mentioning by name, hence the anonymity. The midrash, in contrast, teaches that one of the reasons Bnei Yisrael were redeemed from Egypt was that they kept their Hebrew names while in exile. The midrash assumes the next generation carried on the traditions of Yaacov. Similarly, some commentaries say Moshe is an Egyptian name, given to him by the daughter of Pharaoh, yet in Hebrew it alludes to his future role as savior of Israel. Others insist that it is a Hebrew name which was given to him by his mother and kept by Pharaoh’s daughter. A Hebrew name symbolizes Moshe’s future embracing of his identity and traditions. 

When European Jews moved to Israel, some Hebraicized their names to break from their past diaspora identity and highlight their Israeli-ness. Dara Horn has written about the “Ellis Island myth.” She argues that Jewish immigrants to America changed their names to sound more “American” and claimed that they were forced to change their names by officials at Ellis Island. This too highlights the connection between names and retaining or losing one’s identity. 

The book in which the Jewish nation is born is appropriately called Shemot, names. This was a watershed moment for the generation in Egypt and at various times and places in Jewish history. Today too, Shemot is asking us to stand strong and answer to the name of our nation. Shabbat Shalom -Karen Miller Jackson

Parshat Shemot: On Crying and Redemption

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What prompted the redemption from Egypt? One significant word in parshat Shemot marks the turning point from enslavement to freedom.

After years of suffering, b’nei Yisrael cry out (“va-yiz’aku”) from the overwhelming burden of bondage and their cry rose up to God. Then God hears their groan and sees their suffering. What is the significance of this moment? Rashi interprets: God directed His heart to them and no longer remained hidden. Ramban highlights the role of Israel in prompting the ge’ula: Israel’s cry, meaning their prayers, stirred God’s mercy. This is similar to Ramban’s opinion elsewhere, that the epitome of prayer is when one calls out to God in time of distress. Ramban also teaches that the time of ge’ula (redemption) had already passed and the people were not worthy of being redeemed. Yet, their deeply emotive tefilla had the strength to start the redemption process. As Nechama Leibowitz writes, “The sudden and successive re-appearance of the Divine name in the text signaled the end of the period of [God’s] estrangement from the world.” 

This “crying out” recalls another story in Torah, also of nearly lost hope. In Sodom, an outcry – “tze’aka” – reaches God. The midrash teaches that this was the cry of a young maiden, one of Lot’s daughters, who had tried to help and feed a poor man. When the men of Sodom found out and wanted to burn her, her cry was so powerful that it reached God, who then descended to Sodom. God is especially responsive to the outcry of those who are suffering. 

The Torah also instructs us not to oppress the stranger, widow or orphan, because God will immediately hear their outcry. “Tze’aka” demonstrates the power of prayer, no matter how distant God seems. Redemption comes about through tefilla and by fostering the ability to hear the cry of the vulnerable and suffering around us. Shabbat Shalom -Karen Miller Jackson

What’s in a name?

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Parshat Shemot, literally “names,” contains a contrast between characters who are referred to by name alongside others who are unnamed. The parsha opens by listing the names of Yacov’s sons who went down to Egypt. Yet, the Torah then avoids using names when it refers to “a new king,” “a man from the house of Levi,” “daughter of Levi,” “daughter of Pharaoh,” and others. The midwives are referred to both by name (Shifra and Puah) and as “the midwives,” and Bat Pharaoh names the baby, Moshe. With this mixture of naming and anonymity, what can be learned about the value of using names in parshat Shemot?

Here are three approaches. Sforno teaches that the children of Yacov are named because they lived up to their “names” or good character and family values. However, the generation enslaved in Egypt were not worthy of mentioning by name, hence the anonymity. The midrash, in contrast, extracts the opposite message from the beginning of Shemot: one of the main reasons Bnei Yisrael were redeemed from Egypt was that they kept their Hebrew names in exile. The midrash assumes the next generation carried on at least some of the values of Yacov. Lastly, Rashi teaches that naming is an act of love: by listing the names of b’nei Yacov in Shemot, God conveys love for Israel and reassurance of redemption in the face of hardship.

Today, psychologists have shown that using names can be an effective tool for managing emotions. Dr. Daniel Siegel uses the phrase “name it to tame it” — by referring to emotions by name, one can better navigate stressful situations and create closer relationships. How appropriate that parshat Shemot emphasizes the power of naming in the midst of difficult times, as a reminder that referring to others or emotions by name can bring about redemption. Shabbat Shalom – Karen Miller Jackson