ChaBaD: Did Joseph Really Have a Magic Goblet?
ChaBaD: Did Joseph Really Have a Magic Goblet?
HarHaBayit:
'We failed! We didn't throw of the Mountain: Amalek's descendants and their Israeli friends! The Erev Rav! We must be at war until all terrorists are dead! In and around Eretz Yisrael. The day after, we need to vote for an Elohim fearing Government. Then let us start to Pray and to talk about a new government. Every Jew and non-Jew must accept and respect Jewish Law. Voting's yes, but a new high Court system Jewish Law in all Eretz Yisrael: Including Aza, Yudea and Samaria. So that we may become a real blessing for the whole world as it was in the time of the Kingdom of HaMeleg David. Yes, real Teshuva and Study our Source: The Torah. The Sifri (a treatise on the derivation of Torah law from the exegesis of the verses of Numbers and Deuteronomy, written during the time of the Mishnah by Rav) says, "The Jewish people were commanded three mitzvos upon entering Israel: appointing for them-selves a king, building themselves a Sanctuary and wiping out the descendants of Amalek."
Look Click: https://fb.watch/r0HhSftzj1/
Shemot (Exodus) - Chapter 25
8And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst חוְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָֽׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם: And they shall make Me a sanctuary: And they shall make in My name a house of sanctity. וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ: וְעָשׂוּ לִשְׁמִי בֵּית קְדֻשָּׁה: 9according to all that I show you, the pattern of the Mishkan and the pattern of all its vessels; and so shall you do. טכְּכֹ֗ל אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֲנִי֙ מַרְאֶ֣ה אֽוֹתְךָ֔ אֵ֚ת תַּבְנִ֣ית הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן וְאֵ֖ת תַּבְנִ֣ית כָּל־כֵּלָ֑יו וְכֵ֖ן תַּֽעֲשֽׂוּ: according to all that I show you: here, the pattern of the Mishkan. This verse is connected to the verse above it: “And they shall make Me a sanctuary…” according to all that I show you. כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מַרְאֶה אֽוֹתְךָ: כָּאן את תבנית המשכן, הַמִּקְרָא הַזֶּה מְחֻבָּר לַמִּקְרָא שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה הֵימֶנּוּ וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מַרְאֶה אוֹתְךָ:
Eretz Yisrael in Jewish Scriptures Click: 
אבינו בשמים,
מבצר סלע וגואל ישראל -
לברך את מדינת ישראל,
הנבטה הראשונית של גאולתנו.
Our father in Shamayim (Heaven),
Rock-fortress and redeemer of Yisra’el —
bless the State of Israel,
the initial sprouting of our redemption.
Source (Hebrew) Translation (English)
The Tefilah l’Shalom Medinat Yisra’el (“Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel”) was composed by Rabbi Yitsḥak haLevi Hertzog (1888-1959), edited by Shmuel Yosef (S.Y.) Agnon (1888-1970), and first published in the newspaper Ha-Tsofeh on 20 September 1948.
This prayer was instituted at the time by the Chief Rabbis of Israel, Rabbi Hertzog and Rabbi Ben Tsiyon Meir Ḥai Uziel. According to the custom of the Ashkenazic communities, the time for reciting the prayer was set between the end of the Torah reading and the haftara for the return of the Torah scroll to its place in the Holy Ark. In Sephardic communities, it is customary to recite the prayer at the time of the removal of the Torah scroll from the Holy Ark. (At this point in prayer, it was customary the prayer “Hanoten Tshuah”, blessing the ruler of the state and their immediate family.)
Because the State of Israel is referred to as “the beginning of the sprouting/growth of our redemption,” the prayer was not universally accepted. This expression, and the reservations about the state in general, are some of the reasons why non-Zionist and anti-Zionist Jews do not recite it in their synagogues. In fact, the recitation of this prayer and, to a lesser extent, the prayer for the safety of IDF soldiers, became one of the main differences between prayer in Ḥaredi synagogues and prayers in National Religious Zionist synagogues in Israel and in the Diaspora.
מי שברך לחיילי צה״ל | Mi sheBerakh for the Welfare of Israel Defense Forces Soldiers, by Rabbi Shlomo Goren (1956); amended by Dr. Alex Sinclair (2012)
| 8And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst | חוְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָֽׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם: | |
| And they shall make Me a sanctuary: And they shall make in My name a house of sanctity. | וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ: וְעָשׂוּ לִשְׁמִי בֵּית קְדֻשָּׁה: | |
| 9according to all that I show you, the pattern of the Mishkan and the pattern of all its vessels; and so shall you do. | טכְּכֹ֗ל אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֲנִי֙ מַרְאֶ֣ה אֽוֹתְךָ֔ אֵ֚ת תַּבְנִ֣ית הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן וְאֵ֖ת תַּבְנִ֣ית כָּל־כֵּלָ֑יו וְכֵ֖ן תַּֽעֲשֽׂוּ: | |
| according to all that I show you: here, the pattern of the Mishkan. This verse is connected to the verse above it: “And they shall make Me a sanctuary…” according to all that I show you. | כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מַרְאֶה אֽוֹתְךָ: כָּאן את תבנית המשכן, הַמִּקְרָא הַזֶּה מְחֻבָּר לַמִּקְרָא שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה הֵימֶנּוּ וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מַרְאֶה אוֹתְךָ: |
אבינו בשמים, מבצר סלע וגואל ישראל - לברך את מדינת ישראל, הנבטה הראשונית של גאולתנו. | Our father in Shamayim (Heaven), Rock-fortress and redeemer of Yisra’el — bless the State of Israel, the initial sprouting of our redemption. |
| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|
The Tefilah l’Shalom Medinat Yisra’el (“Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel”) was composed by Rabbi Yitsḥak haLevi Hertzog (1888-1959), edited by Shmuel Yosef (S.Y.) Agnon (1888-1970), and first published in the newspaper Ha-Tsofeh on 20 September 1948.
This prayer was instituted at the time by the Chief Rabbis of Israel, Rabbi Hertzog and Rabbi Ben Tsiyon Meir Ḥai Uziel. According to the custom of the Ashkenazic communities, the time for reciting the prayer was set between the end of the Torah reading and the haftara for the return of the Torah scroll to its place in the Holy Ark. In Sephardic communities, it is customary to recite the prayer at the time of the removal of the Torah scroll from the Holy Ark. (At this point in prayer, it was customary the prayer “Hanoten Tshuah”, blessing the ruler of the state and their immediate family.)
Because the State of Israel is referred to as “the beginning of the sprouting/growth of our redemption,” the prayer was not universally accepted. This expression, and the reservations about the state in general, are some of the reasons why non-Zionist and anti-Zionist Jews do not recite it in their synagogues. In fact, the recitation of this prayer and, to a lesser extent, the prayer for the safety of IDF soldiers, became one of the main differences between prayer in Ḥaredi synagogues and prayers in National Religious Zionist synagogues in Israel and in the Diaspora.
Source (Hebrew) Translation (English)
In recent months, thanks to the combination of cell phone cameras and YouTube, we’ve witnessed Israel Defense Force soldiers acting in deeply troubling ways. We’ve seen soldiers standing by while a civilian shoots live ammunition at Palestinian protesters, we saw Lt. Col. Shaul Eisner assault an unarmed Danish civilian with the butt of a rifle, and, before that, the killing at close range of Mustafa Tamimi, a protester in the Palestinian village Nebi Saleh. Many of these occurrences are regularly reported in Haaretz, but they don’t find their way as often, or as prominently, into other media outlets.
The most generous explanation for this phenomenon is that individuals, in a series of isolated incidents, fail to uphold the IDF code of conduct. More sobering explanations point to a widespread culture in the IDF whereby such conduct is tolerated and routine. Indeed, when the Eisner case was reported, the most shocking aspect of the YouTube video was the utter indifference to Eisner’s act by the six or seven other soldiers milling around. What we saw as a horrific, unforgiveable, outrage, they saw as boring and un-noteworthy.
I was on the receiving end of such an incident last year, while I was observing a non-violent demonstration against the occupation in the West Bank, and got caught up in tear gas that was fired indiscriminately at women, children, and observers. Since then, I’ve found it hard to say the prayer for the IDF that appears in all Israeli prayer books, and which my community, like most synagogues in Israel, reads aloud every Shabbat.
The prayer, written by Rabbi Shlomo Goren in the early years of the state, does not, to my mind, adequately respond to the ethical challenges that IDF soldiers face in exercising power over civilian communities, where things are much more complicated than state-against-state war.
But our response to troubling issues cannot simply to be cease from engagement with the issue. That’s true if the troubling issue is, say, Eishet Ḥayil (the poem traditionally sung by a husband to a wife on Friday night; while parts of it are beautiful, parts of it are also rather sexist); and it is also true if the troubling issue is inappropriate use of force by the IDF.
As engaged Jews who love the Jewish tradition but are troubled by particular aspects of it, my wife and I sing an amended version of Eishet Ḥayil on Friday nights. In doing this, we join countless other Jews who try to develop an active relationship with liturgy that more closely reflects their values.
As engaged Jewish Zionists, the time has come to do the same with the prayer for the IDF. Above is my suggested amendation. The text is the regular version of the prayer as found in the popular Rinat Israel siddur. The middle section is my suggested addition.
The Biblical verse quoted is from the story of Sodom and Gemorrah, where Abraham berates God for seeking to harm innocent people along with the wicked. To my mind, it’s an extremely appropriate analogy to much of what goes on today: there are wicked people out there who seek to harm us, and it’s good that the army protects us from them. But all too often, some soldiers (and some Israelis in general) don’t do enough to distinguish between those who are genuinely evil, and innocent people (including Palestinians, left-wing Israelis, and internationals) who are legitimately protesting the occupation. Amending the prayer for the IDF is one way to raise awareness about that uncomfortable fact, and begin a public, Jewish, Zionist conversation about it.
| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
In recent months, thanks to the combination of cell phone cameras and YouTube, we’ve witnessed Israel Defense Force soldiers acting in deeply troubling ways. We’ve seen soldiers standing by while a civilian shoots live ammunition at Palestinian protesters, we saw Lt. Col. Shaul Eisner assault an unarmed Danish civilian with the butt of a rifle, and, before that, the killing at close range of Mustafa Tamimi, a protester in the Palestinian village Nebi Saleh. Many of these occurrences are regularly reported in Haaretz, but they don’t find their way as often, or as prominently, into other media outlets.
The most generous explanation for this phenomenon is that individuals, in a series of isolated incidents, fail to uphold the IDF code of conduct. More sobering explanations point to a widespread culture in the IDF whereby such conduct is tolerated and routine. Indeed, when the Eisner case was reported, the most shocking aspect of the YouTube video was the utter indifference to Eisner’s act by the six or seven other soldiers milling around. What we saw as a horrific, unforgiveable, outrage, they saw as boring and un-noteworthy.
I was on the receiving end of such an incident last year, while I was observing a non-violent demonstration against the occupation in the West Bank, and got caught up in tear gas that was fired indiscriminately at women, children, and observers. Since then, I’ve found it hard to say the prayer for the IDF that appears in all Israeli prayer books, and which my community, like most synagogues in Israel, reads aloud every Shabbat.
The prayer, written by Rabbi Shlomo Goren in the early years of the state, does not, to my mind, adequately respond to the ethical challenges that IDF soldiers face in exercising power over civilian communities, where things are much more complicated than state-against-state war.
But our response to troubling issues cannot simply to be cease from engagement with the issue. That’s true if the troubling issue is, say, Eishet Ḥayil (the poem traditionally sung by a husband to a wife on Friday night; while parts of it are beautiful, parts of it are also rather sexist); and it is also true if the troubling issue is inappropriate use of force by the IDF.
As engaged Jews who love the Jewish tradition but are troubled by particular aspects of it, my wife and I sing an amended version of Eishet Ḥayil on Friday nights. In doing this, we join countless other Jews who try to develop an active relationship with liturgy that more closely reflects their values.
As engaged Jewish Zionists, the time has come to do the same with the prayer for the IDF. Above is my suggested amendation. The text is the regular version of the prayer as found in the popular Rinat Israel siddur. The middle section is my suggested addition.
The Biblical verse quoted is from the story of Sodom and Gemorrah, where Abraham berates God for seeking to harm innocent people along with the wicked. To my mind, it’s an extremely appropriate analogy to much of what goes on today: there are wicked people out there who seek to harm us, and it’s good that the army protects us from them. But all too often, some soldiers (and some Israelis in general) don’t do enough to distinguish between those who are genuinely evil, and innocent people (including Palestinians, left-wing Israelis, and internationals) who are legitimately protesting the occupation. Amending the prayer for the IDF is one way to raise awareness about that uncomfortable fact, and begin a public, Jewish, Zionist conversation about it.
תְּפִלָּה לְפִדְיוֹן שְׁבוּיִם | Prayer for the Redemption of Israelis Taken Captive [during the war begun on Shemini Atseret 5784], by Rabbi Ofer Sabath Beit Halachmi (2023)
Source (Hebrew) Translation (English)
| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
This prayer for the liberation of abducted Israeli citizens and military personnel was offered by Rabbi Ofer Sabath Beit Halachmi in response to the war initiated by Hamas from Gaza on Shemini Atseret 5784. The English translation was prepared by Rabbi Dr. Rachel Sabath Beit Halachmi.
Did Joseph Really Have a Magic Goblet?
The Torah portion of Miketz opens with Pharaoh's cryptic dreams, which Joseph interprets as foretelling seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. When the famine begins, Joseph's brothers are forced to travel to Egypt to purchase food. Recognizing them but concealing his own identity, Joseph demands they return with their youngest brother, Benjamin, who had stayed behind with their father, Jacob.
After much persuasion, Jacob agrees, and the brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin. Upon their arrival, they acquire the necessary provisions, but Joseph sets a trap: he has the money they paid for the food secretly placed back in their sacks, and his silver goblet hidden in Benjamin’s pack. As they begin their journey home, the brothers are intercepted and accused of theft.
In the confrontation, Joseph's steward declares:
“Is this [goblet] not the one my master drinks from? Why, he even divines with it! You have done evil by the way you have acted.”1
The word we translated as “divination” is נחש, which can refer to being sly or clever,2 and apparently in this case, through magic.
This raises fascinating questions: Did Joseph practice divination? What was the significance of this mysterious goblet? And why did he plant it in Benjamin’s pack?
1. He Used Some Kind of Magical Power
Earlier, when the verse describes how Joseph seated his brothers in age order, Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki 1040 – 1105) comments, “He knocked his goblet and announced, ‘Reuben, Simeon, etc.’”3 While it is not clear if Rashi believed that Joseph actually used divination, he indicates that Joseph at least made a show of using some kind of magical power, (see below).
Regarding the specific episode under discussion, Rashi simply comments: “A tall cup, called ‘maderine’ in old French.”4
Others take the verse at face value and explain that this cup was actually used for divination.5
2. It Was Not Divination; the Goblet Was Simply a Ruse
Ralbag (Gersonides, Levi ben Gershon, 1288 – 1344) understands the word נחש to mean trickery rather than magic. In his understanding, Joseph would leave the goblet seemingly unattended to determine whether the people who came before him were honest.
When he confronts his brothers, he asks, “Did you not know that a man such as I is indeed cunning?”6 In other words, “Did you really think someone with my wealth and power, who has strangers regularly passing through his house, wouldn’t create some sort of test to identify any thieves and alert my household to keep watch around them?”7
This also seems to be how Onkelos renders the verse.8
2. He Consulted Diviners
According to Chizkuni (Rabbi Hezekiah ben Manoach 1250 - 1310), the goblet was indeed used for drinking, not divination. So what was the reference to magic? Simple! Joseph consulted with diviners to uncover acts of theft. In his understanding, when the verse states “he divines with it,” it is to be interpreted as “on his (Joseph’s) behalf.”9
3. He Pretended to Divine
Rashbam (Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir, 1085 – 1158) suggests that in order to convince his brothers that he was who he claimed to be—a high-ranking Egyptian—he had to play the part and make believe that he divined. It is possible this was the goblet he used for his pretence, Rashbam adds.10
This idea is further developed by Rabbi Abraham the son of Maimonides,11 who explains that even though the goblet had no particular value to Joseph, the steward assumed that the brothers thought it was of great value to him—due to its divining power—and surely they’d expect him to pursue them to retrieve it.12
Bechor Shor (Rabbi Joseph ben Isaac Bechor Shor, 12th century) explains that the steward was expressing surprise that the brothers would even attempt to steal the goblet, since they believed Joseph was indeed able to perceive things through divination.13
4. It Was Used as a Tool
Rabbi Samuel ben Hofni (10th century gaon) offers two unique interpretations:
1. The goblet was used for mixing and measuring.
2. Alternatively, it was some kind of water clock used to determine time. Water would flow into the cup at a steady rate and each time the water reached a marker in the cup, it indicated that a specific amount of time had passed.14
5. Its Loss Was a Bad Omen
Radak (Rabbi David Kimchi 1160–1235) interprets this phrase to mean that the loss of such a valuable item—the silver goblet from which he drank—was an ominous sign for Joseph.15
6. It was a Tool for Spiritual Refinement
Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, the second Chabad Rebbe, connects the phrase “he even divines with it” (נחש ינחש) to the Hebrew word for snake (נחש), symbolizing slyness. Egypt, a land of magicians and concealment, is epitomized by Pharaoh, who Ezekiel envisioned as “a great serpent.”16 Through his “goblet,” a metaphor for his spiritual power, Joseph neutralized Egypt's ability to obscure G‑dliness. By “out-snaking the snake,” Joseph overcame the concealment of divinity in Egypt, asserting the truth of G‑d and preparing the way for the ultimate Redemption.17
7. It Represents a Yearning for G‑d
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Chabad Rebbe, views Joseph’s silver goblet as a symbol of subconscious love and yearning for G‑d. The Hebrew word for “silver” (כסף) can also mean “yearning” (כיסופים), alluding to a deep desire and love for G‑d. The goblet, associated with wine, represents a love filled with joy.18 By hiding his silver goblet in Benjamin’s pack, Joseph imbued his own level of love for G‑d into his younger brother.19
See Genesis 30:27.
See Bechor Shor, Sechel Tov, and Hadar Zekenim, Genesis 44:5.
Ralbag, Genesis 44:5.
Onkelos ibid.
Chizkuni ibid.
Rashbam ibid.
Rabbi Abraham provides a helpful description of Joseph’s goblet: “[it was] similar to those glass cups from the eastern countries, which have a beautiful round base upon which they rest. As they rise in height, they widen, so that their top forms a large circle, bigger than the circle of their base.”
Rabbi Abraham ben Harambam ibid.
Bechor Shor ibid.
Rabbi Samuel ben Hofni ibid.
Radak ibid.
Ma'amarei Admor HaEmtza'i, Bereishit, p. 297.
Likutei Torah Parshat Masei p 90.
Comments
Post a Comment