How do modern Jewish historical moments relate with their Bible portions?

According to the standard pattern that the Hebrew and Gregorian calendar dates roughly coincide every 19 years (rarely more than a day or half a day apart), and because 76 is a multiple of 19, Israel’s 76th Independence Day, 5 Iyar 5784, fell on May 12-13 this year, though it was observed one day later, on May 13-14, to allow space between the preceding Shabbat and the next holiday, Remembrance Day. This was also the date in 1948/5708, May 14, on which Israel's Declaration of Independence was signed and statehood proclaimed and the last day that the British mandate was in effect. The Declaration might have been signed the following day, May 15 (6 Iyar), but it was signed instead on May 14 (5 Iyar), as the following day was Shabbat. One could write a thoughtful essay on the way Jews have sought to avoid incipient conflicts over the centuries by making adjustments to the twin calendars we keep as examples.

Today, as in 1948, we are engaged in a fierce war, the outcome of which will profoundly affect our future. I find many apt connections between significant modern Jewish historical events and the Torah portions that are read during the week coinciding with their occurrence. Following are some examples that I have discovered.

The First Zionist Congress

Held in Basel, Switzerland, the First Zionist Congress took place August 29-31, 1897 (1-3 Elul, 5657), coinciding with the weekly Torah portion Shoftim (Judges).

“Appoint yourselves judges and police for your tribes in all your settlements that God your Lord is giving you, and make sure that they administer honest judgment for the people. Do not bend justice and do not give special consideration [to anyone]. Do not take bribes, since bribery makes the wise blind and perverts the words of the righteous. Pursue perfect justice, so that you will live and occupy the land that God your Lord is giving you” (Deuteronomy, 16:18-20).

The Balfour Declaration

Approved by the British on October 31, 1917 (15 Heshvan, 5678), the week of the Balfour Declaration, issued by Lord Balfour on November 2, 1917 (17 Heshvan, 5678) coincided with the Torah portion of Vayera (“and He appeared”). 

See Genesis 21:22-34 for Abraham’s treaty with Abimelech, the ruler of the Philistines. This brief section is located between the kidnapping and rescue of Sarah and the story of the binding of Isaac. 

After the declaration’s approval by the British cabinet, it was ratified by France, Italy, Japan, and the United States.

“Around that time, Abimelech and his general Phicol made a declaration to Abraham, saying, ‘God is with you in all that you do. Now swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my children, or with my grandchildren. Show to me and the land where you were an immigrant the same kindness that I have shown to you.’” (Genesis, 21:22-23)

The San Remo Conference

The assignment of the Palestine Mandate to Great Britain was confirmed at the San Remo Conference on April 25, 1920 (7 Iyar, 5680), a date connected to the double Torah portion of Acharei Mot-Kedoshim (“After death-holiness laws”). 

The first section of this portion corresponds to the description of the atonement ritual that Aaron, the high priest, conducted on behalf of himself, his family, and the Israelites. It is also part of the Torah reading for Yom Kippur. It coincided with the 22nd day of the Omer, Chesed sh’b’Netzach, (“Loving-kindness of Endurance”).

“With this he will make atonement for the Israelites’ defilement, as well as for their rebellious acts and all their inadvertent misdeeds” (Leviticus, 16:16).

The Council of the League of Nations

The decision was ratified by the Council of the League of Nations on July 24, 1922 (28 Tammuz, 5682), the week of Shabbat Hazon (“of vision”), during which we read the portion of Deuteronomy. “See! I have placed the land before you. Come, occupy the land that God swore He would give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.”

It also says, “I selected wise and well-known men from among your tribal leaders, and appointed them as your leaders – captains of thousands, captains of hundreds, captains of 50s, captains of 10s, and police for your tribes. 

“I then gave instructions to your judges, saying, ‘Listen to every dispute among your brethren, and judge honestly between each man and his brother, even when a proselyte is concerned. Do not give anyone special consideration when rendering judgment. Listen to the great and small alike, and do not be impressed by any man, since judgment belongs to God. If any case is too difficult, bring it to me, and I will hear it.’” (Deuteronomy, 1:15-17) 

“Head north and occupy it, as God, Lord of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid and do not be concerned.” (Deuteronomy, 1:21) This portion is always read shortly before Tisha b’Av. To my thinking, this placement suggests that after the pending disaster we will find the strength, vision, and inner resources to build a fair and just society.

Mandate for Palestine

The Mandate for Palestine was a League of Nations authorized mandate for British administration of the territories of Palestine and the emirate of Transjordan – which had been part of the Ottoman Empire for four centuries – following the defeat of the Empire and the other Central Powers in World War I. 

Date effective: September 29,1923, when the French mandate over Syria also commenced. 

The date, a Shabbat, coincided with Parshat v’Zot haBrachah, in the seventh aliya of which we find the last recorded words that God spoke directly to Moses: “This is the land regarding which I made an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross [the river] to enter it.” (Deuteronomy 38:4)

The liberation of Auschwitz 

On January 27, 1945 (13 Shevat, 5705), on Shabbat Shira (“of song”), the day we read the portion B’Shalach (“when Pharaoh released”), it coincided with the liberation of Auschwitz. The portion begins with the departure of our people from Egypt (Exodus, 13:17). The section corresponding to Shabbat includes the people’s thirst and dissatisfaction; Moshe’s plea to God for relief and God’s subsequent instruction to march to Horeb and strike the rock; the attack by Amalek and the battle with him and his tribe; the defeat of Amalek; and the commandment to wipe out the memory of Amalek.

“Joshua did as Moses had told him, engaging Amalek in battle. As long as Moses held his hands up, Israel would be winning, but as soon as he let his hands down, the battle would go in Amalek’s favor. When Moses’ hands became weary, they took a stone and placed it under him, so that he would be able to sit on it.

“Aaron and Hur then held his hands, one on each side, and his hands remained steady until sunset. Joshua was thus able to break the ranks of Amalek and his allies with the sword. God said to Moses, ‘Write this as a reminder in the Book and repeat it carefully to Joshua. I will totally obliterate the memory of Amalek from under the heaven. 

“Moses built an altar, and he named it ‘God is my miracle.’ He said, “The hand is on God’s throne. God shall be at war with Amalek for all generations.” (Deuteronomy, 17: 10-16)

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181

Approving the partition of Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state, UN General Assembly Resolution 181 passed by a vote of 33-13-10 on Shabbat, November 29, 1947 (16 Kislev, 5707), during the portion of Vayishlach (“and He sent”). The seventh aliyah is about the Horites, the original inhabitants of the land, and the Kings of Edom, “Who ruled in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites.” (Genesis 36:31).

The latter passage, and specifically the list of eight kings, seven of whom died and one, Hadar, whose wife is mentioned but whose death is not, are regarded by kabbalists to refer allegorically to Sh’virat Hakelim, the kabbalistic concept of the “Shattering of the Vessels.” (Inner Space by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, p.80-85)

The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel

Flashback to the San Remo Resolution of April 25, 1920 (7 Iyar, 5680) – Chesed sh’b’Netzach (“loving-kindness of victory”) and the San Remo Conference itself, April 20-26 (2-8 Iyar).

The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel was made 27 years later, almost exactly to the day. Declared on May 14 instead of May 15, 1948 (5 Iyar, 5708), due to that date falling on Shabbat.

The Declaration was made on the 20th Day of the Omer – Yesod sh’b’Tiferet (“foundation of harmony”). There was a huge dispute about including any references to God in the Declaration. The Mapam party was staunchly opposed and the religious parties insisted on it. The dispute seemed likely to derail the actual declaration of statehood. That’s how Tzur Yisrael (“rock of Israel”) got into the document. 

The gathering was called for 4 p.m. to avoid transgressing Shabbat. In a few hours, the permutation of sefirot (channels of divine creative force) would change from Yesod sh’b’Tiferet to Malchut sh’b’Tiferet (“kingdom of harmony”), as the date changed from the 5th to the 6th of Iyar. 

Both align with the middle column of the Tree of Life and correspond to the Jewish calendar in the Diaspora. The Torah portion for that Shabbat in the Diaspora was Kedoshim (“holiness laws”). 

“You must sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am God your Lord. Safeguard My decrees and keep them, since I am God [and] I am making you holy.” (Leviticus 20:2-3). 

“Safeguard all My decrees and laws and keep them, so that the land to which I am bringing you to settle will not vomit you out.” (Leviticus 20:27)

In the Land of Israel, however, the portion that was read that week was Emor (“speak”). The focus of Emor is on the priestly rules, sacrificial offerings, and the cycle of the holidays. The sixth aliyah is entirely devoted to the observance of Sukkot, the fall harvest festival, and Shemini Atzeret, the final day of the four holy days that fall in the month of Tishrei. 

The fragile sukkah is regarded as a place of safety and security, under divine protection, covered by the clouds of glory and the wings of the Shekhinah (the feminine side of God’s presence). “This is so that future generations will know that I had the Israelites live in huts when I brought them out of Egypt. I am God your Lord.” (Emor, 13:43) 

October 7, 2023

The fact that these holidays, the culmination of Sukkot, and collectively called zeman simchateinu (“the season of our rejoicing”) are now marked in infamy, presented a challenge to my attempt to link significant events in modern Jewish history to the Torah readings that accompany them.

The Torah readings that are paired up with that particular Shabbat, which in Israel includes Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, celebrate the fall harvest and the conclusion of the biblical lectionary cycle. 

The prophetic readings emphasize God’s defeat of Israel’s enemies, the triumphal accomplishments of Solomon’s reign, and the successful transfer of power from Moses to Joshua. 

Where is there room to reference Israel’s cataclysmic suffering at the hands of Hamas in our time?

Then I found it, in a Government Press Office (GPO) statement.

“The Government, today (Sunday, 17 March 2024), decided that a national remembrance day for the disaster that befell the State of Israel on October 7, and the Swords of Iron War (provisional name), will be marked annually on the 24th of the Hebrew month of Tishrei and that the day will be marked with two state ceremonies: A memorial ceremony at 11 a.m. for those who fell in the war, and a memorial ceremony at 1 p.m. for the civilians who were murdered in acts of terrorism.”

“This year,” it continued, “due to the fact that the 24th of the Hebrew month of Tishrei falls on Shabbat, the ceremonies will be held on Sunday, the 25th of Tishrei, as they will be every year when the 24th of Tishrei falls on Shabbat.

“In addition to the national remembrance day that will be marked annually on the Hebrew date, a state ceremony will also be held – on the first anniversary only – on October 7, the civil calendar date of the brutal terrorist assault, which has been etched in the consciousness of people in Israel and around the world. 

“In all subsequent years, the 24th of Tishrei will be marked in the State of Israel as the national remembrance day for the disaster of October 7, 2023.”

What is revealed here is the great desire for unification of the Jewish people after this calamity, through the creation of an addition to the calendar, a memorial day specifically devoted to the recollection of the events of October 7. 

And, indeed, the first day of commemoration will be sanctified by its observance on that Gregorian calendar day. But because the interactions between these two calendars, the Gregorian and the Hebrew, would lead the commemorative day to fall on a Shabbat or a holiday that already has rituals of its own, it was wisely decided to choose a day from the Hebrew calendar that wouldn’t create a conflict or an unnecessary overlapping of obligations. 

The day chosen was the first clear day after the High Holy Days. That day is the 24th of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which falls in the week of Genesis, the first portion in the Torah, which we read in its entirety on the first Shabbat after the High Holy Days. 

At the end of its final passage (the maftir, the last part of the seventh aliyah), despite the utter devastation and loss of life that accompanied the Flood, Noah and his family survived and began again: “But Noah found favor in God’s eyes” (Genesis, 6:8).

Yet the passage from Genesis in the section from Noah that is read in the Afternoon Service on Shabbat Beresheet serves to remind us of the so-to-speak “downside of creation,” the flaw that is often fatal and certainly self-destructive. The passage reads, “The world was corrupt before God, and the land was filled with Hamas; – usually translated as “violence” or “robbery.” Rabbi Kaplan, in his translation (The Living Torah), observes that the term also denotes: immorality, oppression, cruelty, and outrage. Examples of all these abounded on that fateful day.■

The writer can be contacted at poetsprogress@gmail.com