Intelligence Design and Judaism: When Modern Philosophy meets Ancient Faith

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Intelligent Design, otherwise known as ID in common circles, presents a more scientific view on the origins of the universe, of life and the creation of man.  As man has become more adept in discovering the past and understanding many origins, a relatively new approach called Intelligent Design was formed.

Judaism, as most people know, is an organized religion and one of the oldest forms of organized religions of man.  Based on the Old Testament, Judaism is universally considered the first monotheistic religion. Monotheistic is the belief in one God.  Both Christianity and Islam share this monotheistic view of one God. All three religions recognize the one God approach and the general moral teachings of a common book. To the followers of Judaism, this book is known as the Hebrew bible, also acknowledged as the Torah.  In comparison, the same book is called the Holy Bible in Christianity or the Koran in Islam.  Judaism however only recognizes the first part of the book, called the Old Testament or the time of Moses.

In order to understand if there is a possibility of coexistence between the two schools of thought, it is obvious that an establishment of definitions must be in place to lay the groundwork for comparison and exploration.

What is Intelligent Design?

Intelligent Design (ID) refers to the agenda of structured scientific research that seeks evidence of design in nature.   This program includes an exclusive community of specialists, philosophers and scholars who study to achieve this goal. This theory was around for many centuries. The original concept behind the main ideas comprising intelligent design, called the teleological argument, is one of the three basic religious arguments for the existence of God which have been advanced for centuries. The other two religious arguments are the cosmological argument and the ontological argument. In the thirteenth century it was hypothesized that natural things will naturally act in order to achieve the best result, and this is not attainable without intrinsic intelligence, an external intelligent being must exist, setting the purpose and providing direction. This being can then be referred to as a god.

The intelligent design movement itself only became popular a few centuries later in 1984 with the publication of “Ethics of The Mystery of Life’s Origin” by chemist and creationist Charles B. Thaxton and the “Foundation for Thought” by Jon A. Buell.

The assumption of ID is based that definite features of living things and the universe in general are founded by an intelligent cause, or for a more common understanding, it was created by a higher being of intelligence, and not by the evolutionary process known as natural selection. By properly studying and analyzing a system’s components, an ID theorist is able to conclude if a variety of natural combined elements are the product of random chance, natural evolutionary law, an intelligent design or perhaps a combination of all three.  Such research is conducted by observing the types of information created when intelligent agents act.

Ardent believers in the theory of ID think that life did not evolve by natural selection. Creationists use intelligent design as an explanation of how life was formed.  Many contemporary scientists think ID is not real science because it has inconclusive evidence to support its theory.  They believe it is an attempt to mesh science and theology and should not be categorized as scientific.

Darwinism and the Theory of Evolution

The Theory of Evolution is the antithesis of almost every organized religion that is based on a supernatural or higher being. According to the Charles Darwin, who was an English naturalist in 1809, all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors.  He then went on to propose the scientific theory of a branching pattern of evolution that resulted in the process the he called natural selection.

So how does the Chachameinu Zichronam Liv’racha of Hebrew teachings view this theory of Intellectual Design?

Since the proponents for ID claim that an intelligent creator is responsible for the origin of life and of mankind, this challenges the Darwinian view of evolution and its modern day amalgamation. Jewish Chazal have maintained that ID is not a valid science but is also a religious concept, albeit a contemporary day concept.  Although certain individuals and institutions have their positive view of a theistic construal of evolution, they still have, by and large, rejected the doctrines of the intelligent design movement itself. Even though movement itself is rejected by these institutions, they still see the similarities between the ID and the concept of creation, of a higher being (for the Hebrew believers, they refer to this being as God) that sets the tone for life and humankind or in holistic view, the universe itself. For as long as ID does not become scientism for this to become such a basis will mean the severance of Judaism.

In recent years, Judaism has argued the inclusion of ID teaching in school curriculum under the biology context. This once again refers to the basis that ID is not science but a religious theory based on the search for answers using scientific methods. This goes against the governing rules of subliminally promoting a certain religion or belief over others in a neutral arena of academic discourse.  In other words, there is the break of separation of church and state.

Author: This is a guest post written by Stephanie Bentson, a mother of two and she also loves to write product reviews such as the best vacuum cleaner. While she’s being religious, she does what mothers do most and that’s doing house hold chores. She hopes she reaches the audience with informational articles in order to share her knowledge and experiences.

Explaining the Torah

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The word Torah is an ambiguous Hebrew word that when directly translated could mean “instructions”. However it can also refer to the Five Books of Moses.  Also, it has also been used to refer to the entire Jewish Bible or the Tanakh. In a holistic sense, the Torah defines the whole Body of Jewish law and teachings.

The five books that the Tanakh can be referred to are the first five books of both the Jewish and Christian holy writings.  These are:

1.  Bereishit or Genesis

2.  Shemot or Exodus

3.  Vayikra or Leviticus

4.  Bemidbar or Numbers

5.  Devarim or Deuteronomy

When grouped together these books are also referred to as “The Five Books of Moses” or “Pentateuch” which is an original Greek word.

Each of the books within the Torah is separated into parts called “Parshivot” or “Parsha.” This is a Hebrew word meaning “portion.”  During the Shabbat, one parsha and sometime two are read in the Synagogue.  It is the common practice that the parshiyot are finished every year, ending on the holy day of Simchat Torah.

Torah

Written Torah

In Jewish culture, there is no “Old Testament” unlike the Christian version. Furthermore, what the Christians refer to as the New Testament is not part of Jewish teachings. The Old Testament is known among the Jews as the Written Torah or Tanakh.

Compiled and in the order in which they appear are books which form the Written Torah. This includes the name of the book in Hebrew, a translation to the English name if it is not similar in Hebrew.  Generally, the writings of each book are similar whether they are in the Jewish translations or as in many Christian bibles, although there are some slight, occasional, differences in the numbering of verses and other noteworthy differences in translations.

TORAH (The Law):

Hebrew Name

Hebrew Meaning

English Meaning

Devarim

“The words…”

Deuteronomy

Shemot

“The names”

Exodus

Bereishit

“In the beginning…”

Genesis

Bamidbar

“In the wilderness…”

Numbers

Vayiqra

“And He called”

Leviticus

 

NEVI’IM (The Prophets):

Hebrew Name

English Meaning

Yeshayah

Isaiah

Shoftim

Judges

Yirmyah

Jeremiah

Shmuel

I &II Samuel

Yechezqel

Ezekiel

Melakhim

I & II Kings

 

The Twelve listed below are applied as one book:

Hebrew Name

English Meaning

Malakhi

Malakhi

Hoshea

Hosea

Zekharyah

Zechariah

Yonah

Jonah

Mikhah

Micah

Nachum

Nachum

Chavaqquq

Habbakkuk

Amos

Amos

Yoel

Joel

Ovadyah

Obadiah

Tzefanyah

Zephaniah

Chaggai

Chaggai

 

KETHUVIM or also known in the English context “The Writings”

Hebrew Name

English Meaning

Esther

Esther

Tehillim

Psalms

Mishlei

Proverbs

Ruth

Ruth

Eikhah

Lamentations

Qoheleth

Ecclesiastes

Daniel

Daniel

Shir Ha-Shirim

Song of Songs

Ezra & Nechemyah are treated as one book

Nehemiah

Iyov

Job

Divrei Ha-Yamim

Chronicles

 

Other versions of the Torah are the Oral Torah or The Talmud.  The Oral Torah was the traditional way of elucidating the scriptures, its meanings and how it should be interpret and applied to Jewish Law.  Orthodox Jews believe God taught Moses the Oral Torah and then on Moses taught it to others and thus it was passed down until present day.  This tradition was maintained in oral form until about 2nd century C.E. After that, the oral law was gathered and written down in a document called the Mishnah.

The Practice of Shabbat

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Shabbat is the practice of avoiding certain physical duties on the seventh day of the Jewish week or the Day of Rest. The origin of the word Shabbat is Shavat which translates to “rest” or “ceasing from work”.

On Shabbat, Jews remember the Biblical Creation written in the book of Genesis in which God created the Heaven and Earth and everything else in six days but on the seventh day he rests.

Traditionally, Shabbat is a day of celebration when Jews are taught not supposed to do labors and chores of everyday life. It allows an opportunity for reflection and contemplation of the spiritual aspects of life and to spend time with family. Traditional Shabbat was very constrictive and entailed a large range of activities that were prohibited such as lighting a fire and cooking.

Girl Relaxing on the Beach

The traditional Jewish law otherwise known as Halakha restricts Jews from doing any work or melakhah or Shabbat. The term Melakhah can be loosely translated into English which translates it as “work” however it can be better defined as “deliberate activity” or craftsmanship or skill.”

There are 39 categories of prohibited activities that are observed during the practice of Shabbat.  Although modern times has seen a relaxation of some of the prohibited activities, many Observant Orthodox and Conservative Jews still admonish these modifications as  corruption of the teachings of the Torah. The thirty nine categories or Melakhot that are prohibited during Shabbat are

1.  Planting

2.  Harvesting

3.  Binding Sheaves

4.  Winnowing

5.  Selecting

6.  Grinding

7.  Threshing

8.  Sifting

9.   Kneading

10.  Baking

11.  Ploughing the Earth

12.  washing wool

13.  Beating wool

14.  Shearing wool

15.  Dyeing wool

16.  spinning

17.  Weaving

18.  Making two loops

19.  tying

20.  untying

21.  sewing

22.  weaving two threads

23.  separating two threads

24.  Stitches

25.  Tearing

26.  Trapping

27.  Flaying

28.  Slaughtering

29.  tanning

30.  Scrapping hide

31.  Cutting hides into shape

32.  Marking hides

33.  Building

34.  Demolishing

35.  Erasing two or more letters

36.  Writing two or more letters

37.  extinguishing a fire

38.  putting the finishing touches on an object and transporting that object between a private domain and a public area.

39.  kindling a fire

Each melakhah has derived additional limitations of various kinds. Thus, in reality, there are additional prohibited activities on the Shabbat; all can find its origin to one of the 39 principal melakhot.

One of the most concerned arguments was the act of saving a life. In such cases where a human life mortal peril, a practitioner of Shabbat is not only permitted but obligated to breach any Shabbat law that prevents him from saving that person’s life.  The concept of life being in danger is maintained a broad interpretation. An example is mandated that one can violate the rule of Shabbat to take a woman who is giving birth to the hospital.

The Shabbat’s set of laws have come under intense scrutiny because they have on rare occasions been interpreted to mean that Jews are prohibited from violating the Shabbat in order to save non-Jews that are injured or in mortal danger. Many discussions have been ongoing regarding this from the beginning until recently.  This topic of discussion and debate continued until 1966, when the subject and all its arguments were presented before Israel’s Chief Rabbi Untermann for ruling.

Although after thorough deliberation the Rabbinical council agreed that it was acceptable for a Jew to violate the Shabbat to save the life of a non-Jew, conservative critics maintain that the bases for this exclusion to the rule by the Orthodox Religious authorities was not set on democratic ideals, but instilled to protect the Jewish religion and possibly the potential life-saver from retaliation by relatives of the victim.

The Song that Transformed Amalek

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The Song of Amalek is about a boy named Shaul who during the Purim in Mezhibuzh was asked by the Baal Shem Tov to sing for the audience.

Baal Shem Tov just finished his teaching of Amalek in which he warned his followers that Amalek still lives.  Baal Shem Tov taught the gathering that whenever doubt or despair enters their heart, then that is Amalek trying to destroy your relation and faith in God.  They must fight back and destroy Amalek so that you can serve God completely and with joy.

He then called for Shaul, who was a little boy to show how he best served God.  Shaul sang the Shoshanat Yaakov which celebrates Gods salvation and joy. Shaul sang in such a beautiful voice that afterwards he was invited by Baal Shem Tov to study the Torah with him.

After the Shabbat, Baal Shem Tov, along with two other students, offered to personally escort Shaul to his home town. On the way they came across an inn full of noisy, singing drunk patrons.  While being accompanied and asked by the Baal Shem Tov sang the Shoshanat Yaakov in front of the crowd of drunks at the wayside inn. Among those at the inn who heard Shaul sing were three little boys around the same age as Shaul.

Years later Shaul would once again encounter those three little boys. By this time Shaul was a young businessman rushing to get home to his family to join them in celebration but was waylaid by 3 bandits who were going to kill him and take his money.  Knowing that he was going to die soon he begged the bandits to allow him to let him say the Vidui prayer, or final confession, so that he could return his soul to his Maker in peace.  With his imminent death fast approaching, Shaul decided to sing the Shoshanat Yaakov one more time. Once again he sang with the same joy and happiness he recalled when he sang for Baal Shem Tov and the multitude of followers when he was a little boy.

After singing the three bandits were awed into silence and surprise. They had heard that song before. Shaul also at that moment realized that he had met the three bandits before. They were the three young boys at the inn way back when he sang for them at the request of Baal Shem Tov. After realizing who Shaul was the three bandits asked for forgiveness and returned the money. They also agreed to turn away from banditry and live honest lives.

You might also like: Understanding the Song That Transformed Amalek

Dana International – Shoshanat Ya’akov (Music Video)

Visitors Response:

“Wow, it’s a brief story but with full of meaning. A song could really help change the world, from small things to bigger impact. Thanks for sharing”

From: Catherine

“I think I know the song. My jewish friend sang that a long time ago. I’ve just remember him after reading this story as I could not forget about that I’ve gave him an electric razor as a present which he gave it to another friend of ours as I think he doesn’t like to use it. He said even it is the best electric shaver in the world, I would not use it, but thank you.

From: Herman

“A short but very inspiring story. It is a nice read”

From: Hannah

“I think this is the song Shoshanat Yaakov , Shoshanah means rose can be reference to Shushan. It recalls the verse (Esther 8:15) ‘City of Shushan Celebrated & Rejoiced’.

From: Talek

Comments Closed

Some Noted Sages and Scholars

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The Chazal (Chachameinu Zichronam Liv’racha)

When discussing traditional Jewish Law, there will always be individuals seeking the opinions of a Chazal regarding the matter.   First of all, Chazal is not a single person.  The term Chazal refers to the collective consensus of opinion of an authoritative group. This would be similar to that of congress or a traditional government committee.

Chazal is the ellipses of the Hebrew‘s “Chachameinu Zichronam Liv’racha” meaning “our sages of blessed memory.”  Or “our sages, their memory are a blessing.” In the most direct sense, Chazal refers to the final opinion conveyed in the Talmud, but the term is sometimes more loosely referred to the generally accepted opinion of any of the wise or learned scholars who have contributed to Jewish law.  In some context, Rabbi can also mean Chazal and vice versa.

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai

According to traditional legend, ben Zakkai was a pacifist in Jerusalem in 68 C.E. when the city was under siege by the Roman General Vespasian. At the time Jerusalem was under the administration of Zealots, who would rather die fighting than surrender Jerusalem to the Roman Empire. Ben Zakkai tried to convince them to surrender, but the Zealots would not listen, so ben Zakkai had his disciples fake his death so that he may be taken out of Jerusalem in a coffin to be buried. However, the disciples brought the coffin to the tent of the roman general at the time Vespasian, where ben Zakkai came out of hiding. He told shared with general Vespasian that he had a vision (although some critics viewed this as a political move to insure his continued school) in which Vespasian would soon become emperor of Rome, and that he asked the general to reserve a place in Yavneh where he could relocate his yeshivah (school) and to continue to study Torah in peace. Vespasian vowed that if this prophecy should materialize, he would provide ben Zakkai’s demands. Vespasian did become Emperor and remained true his word, allowing the school to be established after the war was over. The yeshiva remained as a primary Jewish education for centuries.

Baal Shem Tov (the Besht, Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer) (1700-1760 C.E.)

Baal Shem Tov was the pioneer of Chasidic Judaism. Although there a numerous books based on his teachings that exist, the Baal Shem Tov himself did not write any of them. This is based on the belief that his teachings highlights that a commoner, uneducated or illiterate individual could still approach God (major idea at the time since Judaism still emphasized that the way to approach God was through study). He espoused prayer, the adherence to the ecstatic personal mystical experiences and commandments.

Rabbi Akiba ben Joseph from 15-135 C.E.

Though born poor shepherd with very little ability to read or write, Rabbi Akiba was to become one of the greatest scholars of Judaism. He is credited with the development of the exegetical approach to the Mishnah, which is akin to connecting a traditional practice to a basis in the biblical text.  He also and organized the materials that later became the Mishnah.

The Calendar of the Jews

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The Hebrew calendar (which is also referred to as the Calendar of the Jews or Jewish calendar) is actually based on three certain astronomical phenomena. The astronomical phenomena in particular are the Earth revolving around the sun which constitutes a year. This is the same basis as the solar calendar.  The second phenomenon is the revolution of the moon about the Earth which constitutes a month. Also known as a lunar cycle that constitutes a lunar month, this phenomenon plays predominately throughout the Hebrew calendar.  It serves as the basis for many of the celebrations and festivities in Jewish culture. Finally, the third phenomenon is the rotation of the Earth about its axis. In layman’s terms this is called a day. A day is achieved when the earth completes a full rotation on its axis.

Strangely enough all three phenomena are independent of each other. The time it takes the moon to revolve around the Earth is roughly twenty nine and a half days. The Earth then takes roughly three hundred sixty five and one fourth days to revolve around the sun.  This is approximately twelve plus lunar months.

The civil calendar that most people are probably more familiar with and what most of the world uses, has discarded any correlation between the cycles of the moon and what constitutes a month. It sets the length of months to either twenty eight, thirty or thirty one days.

The Hebrew calendar, on the other hand still coordinates all three of the astronomical phenomena.  The months are either twenty nine or thirty days. This corresponds to twenty nine and a half day lunar cycle. A year in the Hebrew calendar is composed either twelve or thirteen months. Again this is in accordance to the 12.4 solar months or one solar cycle.

A lunar month on the Hebrew calendar is based on the different phases of the moon. When the first crescent or sliver of the moon becomes visible after a dark of the moon phase, a lunar month has begun.  In early Hebrew, determining the new months was based on pure observation of the lunar phases. When people observed a new moon, they would notify the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the highest judicial and ecclesiastical or religious council of the Jewish nation in ancient times. They are composed of from 70 to 72 members. When the Sanhedrin heard the statement from two independent, reliable individuals who witnessed the creation of the new moon its occurrence on a certain date, they would then declare that date the rosh chodesh. This is what they referred to as the first of the month. Messengers would be sent out to the passes informing them of the rosh chodesh and when it occurred.

The main problem with a lunar calendar, to which the Jewish Calendar is based heavily upon, is that there are 12.4 lunar months in every solar year. So, a twelve month lunar calendar is actually eleven days shorter than a solar year while a thirteen month lunar calendar is roughly nineteen days longer than a solar year.  The months thus tend to drift around the seasons on such a calendar.  An example of this would be in a 12 month lunar calendar, the month of Aviv or known as Nissan which “spring” in Hebrew would occur earlier in the season than usual each year.  It would go on like this until eventually; it would have the start of the “spring” month occurring during winter.  The reverse would happen if it occurred during a 13 month lunar calendar.  To compensate for this gradual shift, the Hebrew calendar uses a 12 month calendar with an extra month added every two or three years.  Case in point, the month of Aviv occurs eleven days earlier each year for two to three years, and then jumps forward by thirty days, once again realigning the entire calendar with the planetary seasons.

In the earlier days of the Jewish people this additional month composed of thirty days was also based on observation. The Sanhedrin observed the conditions of the weather, the current condition of crops and livestock cycles and if they were not suitably ready to be considered “spring” then the council would insert another month into the calendar to guarantee that that the religious celebration of Pesach which is known in the Christian realm as the Passover would occur in the spring.  In the Hebrew book the Torah, the Pesach is referred to as the Chag he – Aviv, or commonly known as the festival of spring.

On the other end, a thirteen month Hebrew calendar would be considered a leap year in a Western Calendar. Unlike the Western calendar where a leap year only calls for an additional day in the month of February, the Shanah Me’uberet (which literally translates to: a pregnant year) is composed of an additional month. This additional month, Adar Rishon was named Adar I or the first Adar, or Adar Alef (In Hebrew letter Alef would represent the numerical “1”). The added month of Adar I is declared prior to the standard month of Adar, known during the leap years, Adar Beit or Adar Sheini as Adar II. For those who are not familiar with the Jewish calendar, during the Shanah Me’uberet Adar II is the “real” Adar or the Adar during normal years. Adar I is the additional Adar and ONLY appears during the Shanah Me’uberet.

By the fourth century, Hillel II a Jewish communal and religious entity around 330-336 CE established a fixed calendar based on the on a combination of mathematical and astronomical calculations.  This calendar, which is still recognized and applied today, standardized the length of months and the addition of months over the course of a 19 year cycle or Metonic cycle which is 235 lunar months. This allows for the lunar calendar to realign itself with the solar calendar in years. Adar I is added in the third, sixth, eighth, eleventh, fourteenth, seventeenth and the nineteenth year of the cycle. Today, the current cycle began in the year 5758 which when converted into the Western calendar or Gregorian calendar was October 2, 1997.

The Months of the Jewish Year

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Israel 60 YearsThere are twelve calendar months in the normal Jewish year and thirteen months during the year of Shanah Me’uberet or the pregnant year. The first month of the Hebrew Calendar is the month of Nissan. This month occurs during the Passover or in a global context, what is considered spring time. Although this is the first month of the Jewish Year this is not recognized as the start of the Jewish New Year.  The Jewish New Year starts on the seventh month or the Month of Tishri. This is where the year number is increased. The notion of various starting points for a year may seem confusing and strange but is actually not uncommon. To compare such instances we look at other calendar years such as the Gregorian calendar which has January as the first of the month and the start of a new year but in North American culture the start of the School Year begins in September or the ninth month of the Gregorian calendar.  The most obvious examples are those of business establishments that have various dates to start their “fiscal year” based on certain criteria. So, in similar fashion, the Jewish calendar has various starting points for different reasons.

The first month of the Jewish calendar is referred to as Nissan. This month is 30 days long and comparing it to the Gregorian calendar, falls within the months of March to April. Followed is the month of Iyar which is 29 days and runs from April to May. Sivan is 30 days and is the third month running from May to June in the Gregorian calendar. Following Sivan is Tammuz (29 days) which is comparatively June to July, Av (30 days) from July to August and Elul (29 days) from August to September.

Tishri is the seventh month in the Jewish calendar and also the start of the New Year. Tishri falls in September to October of the Gregorian calendar. This is also the month in which Yom Kippur, also famous as the Day of Atonement and the most sacred day of the Jewish calendar, takes place. It is celebrated on the 10th day of Tishri.

Following Tishri is Cheshvan (the eighth month), which can be either 29 or 30 days and runs from October to November. Similar to Cheshvan is Kislev with for 29 or 30 days as well.  It is the ninth month of the Jewish calendar but runs from November to December if based on the Gregorian calendar. Tevet is the tenth month and has 29 days. December to January would be the counterpart to Tevet in the Gregorian calendar.  Shevat is the eleventh month according to the Jewish calendar and runs for 30 days.  Many non- Jewish people originally believed that Shevat was the start of the Hebrew year as its counterpart in the Gregorian calendar is January to February.

Finally the twelfth month of the Jewish calendar is Adar which has twenty nine days and runs from February to March.  The special case of the Month of Adar is that during the Shanah Me’uberet or the leap year, the name Adar becomes Adar Beit and the leap month that is included before Adar is referred to as Adar I, Adar Rishon or Adar Alef. This only happens every two to three years or on the third, sixth, eighth, eleventh, fourteenth, seventeenth and the nineteenth year of the Metonic cycle.

The months of Cheshvan and Kislev are the only two months of the entire year that do not have a set number of days in the month. This is to allow for minor adjustments in the calendar. The length of the months of Cheshvan and Kislev are calculated by a complex set of formula which includes the time of the day when the full moon of the following year’s Tishri shall come and the day of the week that Tishri would occur during the preceding year.

Also to be noted is that the days between Nissan and Tishri shall always remain constant. Based on this consistency, the day of the first major festival, which is the Passover celebrated during the month of Nissan to the last major festival which is the Sukkot that is celebrated in Tishri will always remain the same.

Understanding the Song That Transformed Amalek

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The story of the Song that Transformed Amalek can be understood as not allowing opportunities to express your love and devotion to God to slip by.  It is one of symbolism mixed with the firm belief that God works in mysterious ways.

The story starts off during the celebration Purim by the Jewish people.  Purim is Jewish festival during which the Jews remember and celebrate their freedom from destruction from the olden Persian Empire following the scheme of Haman. It is a story that has been written down in the biblical book of Ester. Haman’s ancestors are the Amalek. The Amaleks were part of a large, primordial nomadic tribe or that some historians believe are a compilation of tribes that are recorded in the Old Testament as persistent adversaries of Israel. The link between the Hebrew people and the Amalekite tribes based on the Jewish bible was that the Amalekite tribes without cause attacked the Hebrews when they were weak. The Amalekites thus became the symbol of ruthlessness, trickery and tyranny. They were vilified even more than the Pharaohs or the Philistines.

Baal Shem Tov uses the Amaleks in the story as a symbolic representation. “Every time you experience a worry or doubt about how God cares for you or the world – that’s Amalek launching an attack against your soul.” He also strives to remind his listeners that they must remove the Amaleks in their soul in order to serve God with complete joy and conviction. This is to serve as a basis and guide for future personal struggles.

Shaul can be viewed as the representation of a follower of God. As a young boy he celebrates and worship’s God through his singing. With the guidance of Baal Shem Tov he is given the chance to show his devotion to a group of individuals that are depicted in the story as noisy singing drunks. Those individuals could represent a society indifferent to God.  Baal Shem Tov is able to silence this noisy group to allow Shaul to sing.  Baal Shem Tov’s actions can also be interpreted as allowing something sudden and shocking to happen that the mundane everyday cycle of life (which is symbolized as noisy drinking and talking) is temporarily suspended and what remains is an opportunity to hear God’s voice.  Shaul becomes the messenger to deliver God’s message.  By showing his dedication they become aware of the power and celebration of God’s greatness.  Years later, three young boys who were present when Shaul sang Shoshanot Yaakov to the drunken patrons in the inn on the wayside tried o rob and were going to kill Shaul not realizing who Shaul was.  It was only after Shaul was given the chance to show his dedication and love to God by once again singing the Shoshanot Yaakov and just before he was going to be killed that the three bandits realized that this was the young little boy they heard sing and met so many years ago in that inn.

Considering the concurrence of factors that led to this moment the possible message of the story is to never shy away from the chance to show your dedication and love to God to others. While many individual wrestle with personal struggles or “Amaleks” it is about not allowing yourself to be conquered by your struggles but by being able to destroy the “Amalek” or doubt within so that serving and celebrating God will be pure and full of joy.