Misrepresenting Deuteronomy 30:19

This is the face of God; as depicted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel. If he looks angry he has good reason. People are misrepresenting his words again. Bear in mind, this is not a post about abortion. Rather it is about the misrepresentation of the Holy Bible for political purposes. It is an issue I feel very strongly about and I hope that you will understand the point I am trying to make. That is; no matter what your views on the topic of abortion may be; it is never okay to misrepresent the Bible. It means too much to too many for it to be politicized by any group, for any reason. 

Sometimes politicians and political groups do us a favor when they send out their propaganda. Last week was one of those times. I got a big, over sized postcard type of advertisement about voting for Pro-Life candidates in the recent election. There’s nothing wrong with that; this is America. We encourage that sort of thing. It’s healthy.

The only thing I find objectionable about it is that they quote 2 words; completely out of context; from Deuteronomy 30:19. They have adopted these 2 words as their clarion call although they have nothing to do with abortion.

I call your attention to the use of these 2 words; “Choose Life”; as a false way to make a case concerning abortion; either for or against; with anyone who is familiar with Deuteronomy. Not only is it disrespecting of the Bible; but it also assumes a certain ignorance on the part of the reader. And, in this case, that reader is me.

So, I asked several different people with whom I interact in the course of the day where the quote “Choose Life” came from. I made sure to ask people that I know well enough to preface the question with “Do you go to church?” I also asked if they were Pro-Life. I asked people with these beliefs because it is their groups which have been using the quote. It would have been pointless to ask this question of people who do not believe in God, or are Pro-Choice.

It broke down to only 2 people; out of a total of 5; even knowing where the phrase “Choose Life” came from; other than a vague reference to “it’s in the Bible.” And of the entire group not one could tell me how it related to abortion at all beyond the obvious quotation. And there’s a good reason for that. It doesn't.

Deuteronomy 30:19 taken out of context is a nice slogan; period. It has no reference to abortion; either for or against. It is troubling to me on several levels that so many people have been using this slogan for so long without even questioning its context.

It’s kind of like when Obama was going to that church in Chicago with Jeremiah Wright and claimed not to have understood what Reverend Wright was saying when he dammed America. For years the President claims to have sat there without knowing; or apparently even listening. No one believed him, including me. But if this Deuteronomy thing is any indication of how people do not listen; but blindly follow religious leaders; then perhaps I was being too harsh on the President.

Deuteronomy 30:19 follows 30:17 and 30:18 in a very coherent manner. It talks about “choosing life” in 30:19 rather than accepting the alternative of death which is promised in 30:17 when it says; “...if your heart turns away and you worship other Gods and serve them. 30:18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish. You shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. #30:19 I call heaven and earth as witness against you- that I have set before you life and death. Therefore choose life, that you and your descendants might live.”

Deuteronomy 30:19 is the conclusion of the thoughts begun earlier in the chapter; particularly sections 30:17 and 30:18. Please grab your nearest Bible and read for yourselves. I have used a 1985 King James Version placed by the Gideon's; commonly called a Gideon's Bible. Technically this is a New King James Version Bible and the translation most commonly used by Christians worldwide.

I don’t mind differing political points of view. As I have said, I find that to be healthy. What does make me mad are the organizations who play upon the religious emotions of uninformed people like a harp. And it’s especially annoying to me when people misquote the Old Testament out of context to make their political point. Not only that; it actually serves to undermine the credibility of their point of view.

Purim

Purim is one of the happiest of all the Jewish holidays in that it is an observance of a victory, rather than one of sorrow. Basically, as I am no Biblical scholar, the story, as I understand it, celebrates the deliverance of the Jews from the wrath of Haman in the book of Esther. One of my friend’s mothers had that name, and she carried herself with all of the elegance one would associate with the good Queen, who helped the Jewish people in their time of need.

In the Book of Esther, in the so-called "Old" Testament, the story begins when King Ahasuerus tells his wife, Queen Vashti, to come to him and his friends at a party and display her charms; which she refuses to do, as she is not sure of his intentions. Accordingly, he finds a new Queen; they were apparently readily available in the old days; and he does this by holding a beauty contest. Think of it as the Miss America pageant, about 3,000 years removed. Esther, a Jewish girl; presumably from Brooklyn; is selected to be his wife. She does not tell him that she is Jewish; only that she is orphaned. In reality she lives with her cousin Mordechai, with the tribe of Benjamin in Persia. Back then they still had Jews there.

Soon after she becomes Queen, Esther's cousin Mordechai angers one of the King's friends, Grand Vizier Haman, by refusing to bow before him. Why, I do not know. But Haman was somewhat taken aback, and in an act of retribution decides to punish him by convincing the King to kill all of the Jews, who have clearly gotten out of hand. The King assents to this plan, ordering the destruction of the Jews, "young and old, women and children", on the 13th day of the month of Adar. See Esther 3:13.

When Mordechai hears of this monstrous punishment he rends his clothes in mourning and sits by the city gate, awaiting the inevitable. Esther, hearing of her cousin’s state of mind, sends her servants to find out what is bothering him so. When the servant returns with a copy of the King's edict she is horrified, and at a loss as to what she should do. The Queen only appeared before the King at his pleasure, and it had been some time since they had last met. To demand an audience with him was punishable by death. This is a woman who clearly needed a pre-nup!

Her cousin Mordechai convinces her that she was made Queen by God in order to be there and save His Chosen People. Esther reacts by demanding that all her fellow Jews fast while she decides what to do. After 3 days everybody got hungry, and Queen Esther had hatched a plan.

She gets all dressed up in her finest robes and goes to see the King. Surprisingly, he is happy to see her and asks what it is that she desires. She asks that the King allow her to attend a banquet with him and Haman.

Haman is furious, and his family urges him to kill Mordechai by impaling him on a pole. Haman sets the pole up but has to stop short of killing Mordechai because the King has heard that it was Mordechai who had stopped a rebellion some time earlier, thus saving the King's life. In a show of gratitude, the King places his own royal robes about Mordechai, and then has Haman lead him, by foot, through the city, astride the King's own horse. In addition he is instructed to call out as he walks, for all to hear, "This is what is done for the man the King delights to honor!" See Esther 6:11.

Later on, at the banquet, King Ahasuerus asks Esther once again, what is it that she desires? Her answer is one of the most plaintive, and beautiful, quotes from the Bible; "If I have found favor with you; Your Majesty; and if it pleases you, grant me my life. This is my petition. And spare my people. This is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated." See Esther 7.

The King, realizing that Haman has tricked him into ordering the death of his own wife, Queen Esther, is rightfully outraged. When he finds out; from the maid by the way, just like in an old movie; that Haman has erected a pole to impale Mordechai upon, he is apoplectic! He then orders that Haman be impaled instead. He also awards Mordechai all of Haman's lands, as well as the signet ring which he is wearing at the moment. The King strips it from him on the spot, awarding it to Mordechai right in front of the stricken Haman. In addition he gives Queen Esther the power to overturn his orders concerning the destruction of the Jews.

In addition, she gives the orders necessary for the Jews to congregate and arm themselves against their oppressors. On the 13th day of Adar they were attacked and defeated their foes. The next day was a day of rest, and became known as Purim due to the meaning of the word "pur", which means "the lot", as in “all of them”, against the Jews, who emerged as the victors. And that is the story of Purim as I remember it. But, as I was very young at the time, I may have gotten some of it wrong.

The painting above is "The Triumph of Mordechai", painted by Pieter Pietersz Lastman.

Is God Fair? A Question of Faith.

This is Michelangelo's beautiful work from the Sistine Chapel showing God Creating Adam. Whether or not you believe in Creationism, or even God, the works of Michelangelo are certainly evidence of the beauty we are capable of carrying within us.

Man has been arguing religion for so long now, thousands of years, with no progress having been made concerning the respect for different beliefs. At times it seems more like a war than a theological discussion. And, at times, it has been just that.

I really enjoy stories from the Talmud and the Mishna. They are the codifications of the events, and their meanings, in the Old Testament. The Talmud and Mishna are almost as old as the Bible itself, and though they are chiefly concerned with the teachings of the Old Testament, many lessons can be learned from these wonderful stories. From them have sprung up many Talmudic "type" of stories, which usually illustrate some principle which has already been expressed in either the Talmud or the Mishna. My favorite is the one about "Two Men Coming Down the Same Chimney", which I have posted here before. But there are so many more. Here is another of my favorites, illustrating a basic concept;

Once a man was visiting a small town for the weekend. He attended the local services at the synagouge. When it was time to honor some of the congregants with Torah blessings, he noticed that the Rabbi was calling random people to be blessed, without regard to name, age or community status. After the service he went to the Rabbi to complain about what he perceived to be an unfair practice. The Rabbi said, "You have been in this synagogue only one day, and yet you feel that there is no order here? I have a list, and I make sure that everything is in order. Remember, we are only on this earth for a short time, and that God has a list, too. Rest assured, verything is in order."

The point here is that we never get to see the whole, larger picture. So how can we judge what is fair, or not? Just a thought for the day...

Two Men Come Down the Same Chimney

The following story concerns the Talmud, the book that codifies the meaning of Judaic Law. They are somewhat akin to the Parables used in Christianity when explaining the meaning of some things in the New Testament. I first ran across this tale a few years ago while reading Rabbi Telushkin's "Jewish Humor." I hope you will enjoy the story, but more importantly, the meaning of the story. And the book is terrific, as are all of Rabbi Telushkin's writings.

Two men Come Down The Same Chimney

A young man in his mid-twenties knocks on the door of the noted scholar Rabbi Shwartz. “My name is Sean Goldstein,” he says. “I’ve come to you because I wish to study Talmud.”

“Do you know Aramaic?” the rabbi asks.

“No,” replies the young man.

“Hebrew?” asks the Rabbi.

“No,” replies the young man again.

“Have you studied Torah?” asks the Rabbi, growing a bit irritated.

“No, Rabbi. But don’t worry. I graduated Berkeley summa cum laude in philosophy, and just finished my doctoral dissertation at Harvard on Socratic logic. So now, I would just like to round out my education with a little study of the Talmud.”

“I seriously doubt,” the rabbi says, “that you are ready to study Talmud. It is the deepest book of our people. If you wish, however, I am willing to examine you in logic, and if you pass that test I will teach you Talmud.”

The young man agrees.

Rabbi Shwartz holds up two fingers. “Two men come down a chimney. One comes out with a clean face, the other comes out with a dirty face. Which one washes his face?”

The young man stares at the rabbi. “Is that the test in logic?”

The rabbi nods.

”The one with the dirty face washes his face,“ he answers wearily.

“Wrong. The one with the clean face washes his face. Examine the simple logic.The one with the dirty face looks at the one with the clean face and thinks his face is clean. The one with the clean face looks at the one with the dirty face and thinks his face is dirty. So the one with the clean face washes his face.”

“Very clever,” Goldstein says. “Give me another test.”

The rabbi again holds up two fingers. “Two men come down a chimney. One comes out with a clean face, the other comes out with a dirty face. Which one washes his face?”

“We have already established that. The one with the clean face washes his face.”

“Wrong. Each one washes his face. Examine the simple logic. The one with the dirty face looks at the one with the clean face and thinks his face is clean. The one with the clean face looks at the one with the dirty face and thinks his face is dirty. So the one with the clean face washes his face. When the one with the dirty face sees the one with the clean face wash his face, he also washes his face. So each one washes his face.”

“I didn’t think of that,” says Goldstein. It’s shocking to me that I could make an error in logic. Test me again.”

The rabbi holds up two fingers. “Two men come down a chimney. One comes out with a clean face, the other comes out with a dirty face. Which one washes his face?”

“Each one washes his face.”

“Wrong. Neither one washes his face. Examine the simple logic. The one with the dirty face looks at the one with the clean face and thinks his face is clean. The one with the clean face looks at the one with the dirty face and thinks his face is dirty. But when the one with the clean face sees the one with the dirty face doesn’t wash his face, he also doesn’t wash his face. So neither one washes his face.”

Goldstein is desperate. “I am qualified to study Talmud. Please give me one more test.”

He groans, though, when the rabbi lifts two fingers. “Two men come down a chimney. One comes out with a clean face, the other comes out with a dirty face. Which one washes his face?”

“Neither one washes his face.”

“Wrong. Do you now see, Sean, why Socratic logic is an insufficient basis for studying Talmud? Tell me, how is it possible for two men to come down the same chimney, and for one to come out with a clean face and the other with a dirty face? Don’t you see? The whole question is "narishkeit", foolishness, and if you spend your whole life trying to answer foolish questions, all your answers will be foolish, too.”