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purim PDF version More about Purim CHEERING ESTHER Reflections on the Jewish Festival of Purim ​ Learning about another’s religion is always enlightening. However, when it comes to Christians learning about Judaism, the blessings are magnified indeed, given the deep links between the two traditions. This certainly rings true in my own faith experience as a Catholic. Since I began paying attention to the Jewish liturgical calendar I have been led to parts of my Bible which previously escaped my attention. Take, for example, the celebration of the Jewish festival of Purim. Purim celebrates an event of deliverance-from-evil told in the Book of Esther. It is the melodramatic tale of how the beautiful Queen Esther, herself a Jew living in an ancient Persian empire, saved her people from a massacre at the hands of a villain named Haman. Purim today has the character of a fun-filled victory celebration. The rejoicing of Jewish communities has a carnival atmosphere: costumes, masquerades, plays, parodies and plenty of wine! Food baskets given as gifts for friends and for the poor are also part of Purim activities. However, the primary commandment related to Purim is to hear the reading of the Scroll of Esther (Megillat Esther). The reading calls for active participation. Engaging with the story, playfully (yet respectfully), it is customary to boo, hiss and make loud noises at the mention of Haman’s name. Of course, the Book of Esther is integral to my own Catholic faith tradition; I find it in my Bible* and hear it proclaimed as part of the lectionary. It has been preserved as a divinely inspired sacred text, the word of God. And yet, in my experience, this lively biblical story does not usually attract much attention in Catholic parishes or classrooms. In a spirit of learning from the Jewish people, Purim is a fitting time to discover, or rediscover, this part of our Scriptures (and to cheer the heroine Queen Esther!) as part of our own Catholic biblical formation. ​ Along with the joyful character of Purim, a sombre note also sounds. In the Jewish calendar the Sabbath prior to Purim is called Shabbat Zachor, ‘Sabbath of Remembrance.’ On this day an added reading from Exodus tells of Amalek, traditionally identified as a biblical character of cruelty and an ancestor of Haman. Thus, while Purim brings to mind a moment of salvation for the Jewish people, the ever-present reality of human suffering and the commitment to resist evil are also remembered on Shabbat Zachor. On the day (or a few days) prior to Purim observant Jews observe the Fast of Esther recalling Queen Esther’s personal fast and that of the Jewish community prior to Esther’s intervention on behalf of her people (Esther 4:16). Purim closes with friends and family gathering for a special afternoon meal. If you have Jewish friends, neighbours or colleagues, ask them to teach you more about Purim. Invite some conversation based on your reading of the Book of Esther. Allow this ancient story, packed with timeless meaning, to enliven your biblical and interfaith sensibilities. ​ ​ * Note: Catholic Bibles include certain textual differences and additions compared to the Jewish Bible, relating to use of the Septuagint, the early Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. ​ © Teresa Pirola, 2011. lightoftorah.net . Reproduction for non-commercial purposes permitted with acknowledgement of website. ​ ​

Back Torah Portion of the Week * By working your way through the TORAH menu of this website, you are able to read Torah reflections for every week of the year, following the Jewish liturgical cycle. ​ The Jewish calendar assigns a Torah portion (a section of the Bible) to each week of the year. Over the course of one year, all five books of the Torah (Pentateuch) are read: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Hebrew term Parashat Hashavuah means 'Torah portion of the Week'. ​ In Judaism, each weekly Torah portion has a Hebrew title which reflects the first significant word of that portion. E.g., the Torah portion Exodus 1:1 - 6:1 is titled Shemot (Names); since the opening words are ‘These are the names of the sons of Israel who came out of Egypt.’ Light of Torah encourages study-partners and study groups to read the assigned Torah portion each week, with the aid of a Light of Torah article. To find the Torah portion assigned to a particular week, consult the current calendar here (courtesy of Etz-Hayim - Tree of Life publishing ). Then select a Torah article corresponding to that Torah portion from the menu: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers or Deuteronomy. Each Light of Torah leaflet guides the reader through a small section of the Torah portion, often just one or two verses. The reflection follows the interpretative lead of Jewish Torah commentaries from ancient, medieval or contemporary sources. In this way, the biblical horizons of the Christian reader are expanded and enriched by Jewish insights. These Light of Torah leaflets have been authored by a Sydney-based Catholic educator, Teresa Pirola, with the guidance of a Jerusalem-based Orthodox rabbi/teacher, 2010-2013. The material is designed for grassroots audiences (e.g., parishioners, teachers, home-based learning) and may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes with acknowledgment of website: lightoftorah.net HAFTARAH * Haftarah (from the Hebrew root word; ‘to conclude’) is the name given to the reading which, in accordance with the Jewish lectionary, is read after the Torah portion of the day, at Shabbat and festival services. This biblical reading is normally a selection from Prophets. The Light of Torah website offers a page of notes on the Haftarah reading that accompanies each Torah portion. HAFTARAH * Haftarah (from the Hebrew root word; ‘to conclude’) is the name given to the reading which, in accordance with the Jewish lectionary, is read after the Torah portion of the day, at Shabbat and festival services. This biblical reading is normally a selection from Prophets. The Light of Torah website offers a page of notes on the Haftarah reading that accompanies each Torah portion.

Back Genesis 37.1 - 40.23 Vayishev

Back title PDF version More about Hanukkah HEADER Subheader ​ Body text . ​ © Teresa Pirola, 2013. lightoftorah.net . Reproduction for non-commercial purposes permitted with acknowledgement of website. ​ ​

SHABBAT & SUNDAY Back Introduction Read More Sabbath Rest Read More Home Rituals Read More Further reading Read More * Under construction * Under construction * Under construction * Under construction

Deuteronomy 3.23 - 7.11 Va-et'chanan Back

Back Leviticus 26.3 - 27.34 Behukotai

Back Genesis 41.1 - 44.17 Mikeitz

sabbath home ritual 2 PDF version More about Shabbat SABBATH REST A Reflection on Exodus 35:2-3 ​ Given the frenetic pace of the society in which we live, it might seem obvious to point out the importance of rest and ‘time-out’ for the refreshment of the human spirit. But it is interesting to visit this insight from the perspective of the ancient Hebrew Scriptures, or what we Christians usually call the ‘Old Testament.’ ​ Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy Sabbath of solemn rest to the Lord; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire in all your dwellings on the Sabbath day. (Exodus 35:2-3) ​ In the Exodus narrative, these verses appear as part of the Israelites’ struggles in the wilderness. Having just survived the crisis of the Golden Calf, the story returns to the construction of the Tabernacle. At God’s detailed direction through Moses, the people come together to build a portable shrine. Just before the building instructions commence, God reminds the people to keep holy the Sabbath in the words quoted above (35:2-3). ​ What is the significance of the placing of these verses? This question has intrigued the Jewish sages who have creatively interpreted this biblical text through the ages, down to our own day. Let’s listen to some of those voices here. ​ The sages note that the command to keep holy the Sabbath has already been given in the book of Exodus (20:10; 23:12; 31:15; 34:21). Why repeat it here? We know from the story so far that the people have sinned, repented and are ready to set themselves to the sacred work of building the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle signifies God’s presence among the people of Israel. One could be forgiven for thinking that a work of such sacred value would be more important than the inactivity of resting on the Sabbath. And this, say the rabbis, is exactly why the Sabbath commandment is repeated here: to insist that even the work of building the Tabernacle is not to interfere with the holiness of Sabbath rest.1 Why is the Sabbath so important? Says Abraham Heschel,2 one of the most distinguished words in the Bible is the Hebrew word kadosh (‘holy’). What was the first holy thing in the history of the world? A mountain? An altar? Rather, a day. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy (Genesis 2:3). In the Bible, holiness in time is what comes first, over places and objects. When we give this time to God, our priorities and lives find their proper order. Sabbath observance prevents us from becoming enslaved to the things and activities of this world. In one of the lovely storytelling traditions of Judaism (midrash), we hear the people of Israel say to God: ‘The kings of the pagans have their palaces and altars, candlesticks and other royal trappings. Should not You, our King, possess the same royal trappings?’ God answers: ‘Human beings require these trappings but I, who created and give light to the whole world, have no need. But, if you feel that you need them, by all means make them, but make them according to my designs...’ 3 In other words, there is a distinction in the biblical text: at Israel’s insistence holiness was applied to a place; but the holiness of time was pronounced by God at the beginning of the world. It was Moses who sanctified the Tabernacle when it was completed (see Numbers 7:1-2), but it was God who sanctified the Sabbath. ​ And what are we to make of this verse: Whoever does any work on [the Sabbath] shall be put to death (Exodus 35:2)? Speaking to us from an ancient culture, what sounds harsh to our ears begins to make sense when we recall the ‘deathly’ effects of not heeding Sabbath rest: burn-out, lack of energy, susceptibility to illness or accident, alienation from loved ones. We pass a ‘death sentence’ on our own divinely-imaged identity when we don’t imitate God’s example of sanctifying rest. Put another way, to live life to the full we need to work with, and not against, the rhythms of life and love as designed by our Creator God. This insight, handed down to us in the Hebrew Scriptures, finds marvelous and joyful witness in the Sabbath traditions of the Jewish people today. • ​ See Nehama Leibowitz, (New York, 1996). Abraham Heschel, (New York, 2007). Heschel was a leading Jewish scholar of the 20th century. A paraphrase of Midrash Aggada: Terumah. See Leibowitz, 658. Scripture: NRSV. ​ ​ © Teresa Pirola, 2013. lightoftorah.net . Reproduction for non-commercial purposes permitted with acknowledgement of website. ​ ​

Other Vatican II documents PDF version Read More A Brief Note on Dei Verbum and Lumen Gentium In light of Nostra Aetate ​ The 1965 Vatican II document Nostra Aetate is widely regarded as an historic ‘game-changer’ for the Catholic Church’s relationship with Judaism and the Jewish people (and with other religions as well). However, in terms of its authoritative weight, it is sometimes described as being “only” a declaration of the Second Vatican Council; it lacks the authority of a dogmatic constitution which is the highest level of Catholic teaching of such a council. It is sometimes argued that Nostra Aetate was “merely” a pastoral document, and therefore its teaching is not strictly theological and not binding on the faithful. Yet this ‘minimalist’ view is to overlook the fact that Nostra Aetate is not the only conciliar statement to address the Church’s links with the Jewish people. Walter Kasper—president of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, 2001-2010—citing the support of Pope Benedict XVI, describes the teaching as “irrevocable” and “irreversible”: On the Catholic side the declaration of Vatican II, Nostra Aetate, was the decisive turning point. It is ― as Benedict XVI made absolutely clear once again during his visit to the Roman synagogue on January 17, 2010 ― irrevocable. It is irreversible because of the plain fact that the decisive theological arguments of the declaration Nostra Aetate are firmly established in two higher-ranking conciliar constitutions, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Nos. 6, 9, 16) and the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Nos. 3, 14). [1] For example, in Dei Verbum , 14, the Council fathers taught: The plan of salvation foretold by the sacred authors, recounted and explained by them, is found as the true word of God in the books of the Old Testament: these books, therefore, written under divine inspiration, remain permanently valuable. And in Lumen Gentium , 16: There is, first, that people to whom the covenants and promises were made, and from whom Christ was born according to the flesh (cf. Rom. 9:4­5). ​ ************* The points above offer a starting point for reflection, however nothing replaces a reading of the texts themselves. Access them at the Dialogika online library (maintained by the Council of Centres on Jewish-Christian Relations and the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia). Quotations from Lumen Gentium and Dei Verbum are from the Dialogika website. ​ ​ ​ See Walter Kasper’s Foreword to Christ Jesus and the Jewish People Today: New Explorations of Theological Interrelationships , eds. Philip A. Cunningham et al. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011), xi. It can be accessed online at the Dialogika website. ​ ​ ​ © Teresa Pirola, 2021. lightoftorah.net . Reproduction for non-commercial purposes permitted with acknowledgement of website. ​ ​

Back advent & christmas | year b First Sunday of Advent Read More Second Sunday of Advent Read More Third Sunday of Advent Read More Fourth Sunday of Advent Read More Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Read More Holy Family More to come Mary Mother of God More to come Epiphany More to come Baptism of Jesus More to come

Back Genesis 18.1 - 22.24 Vayeira