#death in the talmud

[dadyomi]

Wednesday 3/15, Nazir 51: Two For One

The logic of the Talmud always has proofs, but sometimes it truly is just wild. One corpse imparts impurity, but two corpses mingled, because they are not one corpse, are just fine. 

Rabbi Natan, son of Rabbi Oshaya (not, I think, Rav Natan from the above) later flatly states that “Dust that comes from two corpses is impure” and while the Gemara doesn’t respond it does state that a related dilemma stands unresolved, so who knows, really. 

[judaismandsuch]

The Mourners Kaddish

It is (fairly) well known that after the death of a close relative, one recites the Mourners Kaddish for a period of a up to 11 months.

Now, I don't know if any of you have read the Mourners Kaddish in your venacular (it is in aramaic), but at first glance it is....odd.

It makes no mention of death, dying, the deceased, or really anything to do with mourning.

It is, in fact, a song of praise for HaShem, and nothing else.

So the question is....why?

Why isn't the prayer said by mourners a thing of mourning, why is it one of praise?

Now, there are many very beautiful commentaries that one can make connecting the two, but 1) they aren't the reason and 2) you can make your own.

As much as we don't like to talk about it, Judaism does believe in reward and punishment after Death. What form this takes is unclear, we have a common response, but by design we don't actually know. It could be Gan Eden and nothing, it could be reincarnation, it could be a classic heaven and hell. Who knows? We certainly don't. But we do know that there is some reward and some punishment.

And once you are dead, you are judged for your deeds and can't really change anything, right?

Well.... no. Anything good that happens as a result of you is counted to your merit, hence the Mourners Kaddish.

By praising HaShem in their honor, we lift up the souls of the deceased to some degree.

That is why it is also traditional to learn a tractate of Mishnah or give tzedakah after someone passes.

Because we can't do anything for their body, but who knows what we may do for there soul?

And to those in mourning we say:

"May the Almighty comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem."

Because when one of us is lost, the whole community feels the pain.

[aprettyjewishyear]

אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן: יוֹם שֶׁהוּתַּר שֵׁבֶט בִּנְיָמִין לָבוֹא בַּקָּהָל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל נִשְׁבַּע בַּמִּצְפָּה לֵאמֹר אִישׁ מִמֶּנּוּ לֹא יִתֵּן בִּתּוֹ לְבִנְיָמִן לְאִשָּׁה״. מַאי דְּרוּשׁ? אָמַר רַב: ״מִמֶּנּוּ״, וְלֹא מִבָּנֵינוּ.

Rav Yosef said that Rav Naḥman said: The fifteenth of Av was the day on which the tribe of Benjamin was permitted to enter the congregation of the Jewish people. After the tragic incident at Gibeah, for which the tribe of Benjamin was blamed, the other tribes ostracized them. They took an oath to prohibit themselves from marrying a member of the tribe of Benjamin, as it is stated: “And the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying: None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife” (Judges 21:1). The Gemara asks: What did they expound that enabled them to dissolve this oath? Rav said: They understood the verse literally, as it states: “None of us,” and not: None of our children, i.e., the oath applied only to the generation that took the oath, not their descendants.

translation courtesy of Sefaria, Koren-Steinsaltz. Taanit 30b:11.

Trigger warning: rape, gendered violence, kidnapping

The "tragic incident at Gibeah" referenced in this passage was thus: a Levite brought his concubine into the city of Gibeah and, when its citizens threatened to rape him, he offered up his concubine to be raped instead. She died of the brutality. The Levite desecrated her body and sent pieces of it to each tribe, inciting the war and the oath.

After this oath and after peace was made with the Benjaminites, but before the oath was annulled by time, the Levites kidnapped four hundred women who had not taken the oath and forced them to marry four hundred of the six hundred remaining Benjaminites. The remaining two hundred Benjaminites abducted their wives themselves.

The expiration of this oath is one of the many things celebrated on Tu b'Av, but the story is a difficult one to grapple with. When I celebrate Tu b'Av and I think of this story, I will celebrate not because the men of the tribe of Benjamin were once more free to marry outside of their tribe, but because all of them of the generation who participated in these horrific acts must have died. The end of the oath represents and necessitated an end to the violence, and the end of this violence feels like something worth celebrating.

Of course, no two people will interpret this story or this Talmud passage or this holiday the same; I put forth my thoughts not as an authority but as one of many voices.

art titled The Levite Carries the Woman's Body Away. by Gustave Doré, originally published in Doré's English Bible.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Caravaggio

* * * *

We Are Contextual Beings By Pir Aga Mir Here is one of my central inquiries: If our spiritual and religious practices are not expanding our circle of empathy, compassion, love and care, what is their purpose? If they are not preparing us for our physical deaths, what ends are they serving? Part of the reason that institutional religions have lost their way in this regard is that the praxis of a once-enlightened human cannot be calcified and universalized. As humans, we are contextual beings. The context of Jerusalem 2100 years ago or Mecca 1500 years ago or India 4,000 years ago, or even the Amazon 100 years ago, does not translate into a relevant code-of-ethic or moral philosophy in the messy, entangled world of modernity. In fact, the context of Jesus or Mohammed (may peace be upon them) could not translate from the moment they left the material realm. This is not to say that practices and traditions and aspects of culture should not be preserved and perpetuated. Rather, they should be openly shared and discussed with a contemporary critical lens and the loving embrace of the evolutionary impulse that lies within all of us. Does your spiritual practice make you a better student of the impoverishment of your time? Does it allow you to be in deeper service to the transformations that are happening now? Does it connect you more deeply to the body you inhabit? Does it root you more profoundly to this generous planet that serves as your home and your mother? We have all chosen to incarnate in troubled times. You may describe our context as the Anthropocene or the Kali Yuga (the dark ages in the Vedic cycle) -- a context that rewards short-termism, greed, extraction. We must all be good students of our culture in order to be conscientious objectors. This is the path of the mystic. [...] Some may call that heretical, I would describe it as being contextually relevant.

Part of our spiritual practice is to study our cultures in order to understand the antidote logic. In our culture of modernity, the antidote is to cultivate reciprocal relationships, to live in dialogue with a living planet, to act in solidarity with all Life, to build power and oppose oppression, and to live in the gift, without usury, speculation or accumulation. We know that our souls will continue coming back to this planet until we create heaven on Earth. Non-dualistically, we also understand that heaven on Earth is already here. We source our political power from the simultaneous truths of multiple realities. This is divine will.

I can do no better than to borrow from our siblings who wrote the Talmud:

Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, But neither are you free to abandon it.

(Ian Sanders)

[manwalksintobar]

“Real Estate” - Richard Siken, 2020

My mother married a man who divorced her for money. Phyllis, he would say, If you don’t stop buying jewelry, I will have to divorce you to keep us out of the poorhouse. When he said this, she would stub out a cigarette, mutter something under her breath. Eventually, he was forced to divorce her. Then, he died. Then she did. The man was not my father. My father was buried down the road, in a box his other son selected, the ashes of his third wife in a brass urn that he will hold in the crook of his arm forever. At the reception, after his funeral, I got mean on four cups of Lime Sherbet Punch. When the man who was not my father divorced my mother, I stopped being related to him. These things are complicated, says the Talmud. When he died, I couldn’t prove it. I couldn’t get a death certificate. These things are complicated, says the Health Department. Their names remain on the deed to the house. It isn’t haunted, it’s owned by ghosts. When I die, I will come in fast and low. I will stick the landing. There will be no confusion. The dead will make room for me.

[jdsquared]

Bava Metzia 36b

[bluemoonrabbit]

I just spent three hours in hell (a women's networking event that was 90% life/empowerment coaches, MLMs, and pseudoscientific nonsense.)

[kvothbloodless]

I feel that irs important to point out that after this happens, God begins to weep from joy in heaven and says "my children have surpassed me"

Four rabbis are debating scripture out in the garden, and one of them notices he's continuously outvoted by the other three even though he's absolutely certain he's right. At a certain point, his frustration gets the best of him and he stands up, raises his hands and and says "My Lord, you must know that this is the right way, gives us a sign to let us know!"

As soon as he has spoken, a cloud materializes out of nowhere, moves in front of the sun and dissolves again.

The other three look at him, at each other, go "Well... That was certainly unusual, but the weather's been acting up a bit lately, so this does not really mean anything", and just continue with the discussion unmoved.

The fourth rabbi, increasingly desperate, again stands up and calls out "My Lord, they continue to defy your word, please send another sign to help them see the error of their ways!"

This time, it's not just one cloud, but the entire sky darkens, a thunderclap sounds and a bolt of lightning hits just next to the other three rabbis. They're startled, but after catching their breath conclude that no, you don't see that every day, but it's late summer, thunderstorms can come in surprisingly quickly, we're out in an open garden, there's no lightning rod on top of the synagogue even though there really should be, etc. So this still doesn't mean anything, we'll stick with our viewpoints thank you very much.

Now absolutely livid and still outvoted, the fourth rabbi gets up one final time, stamps his feet, raises his hands and shouts "Oh Lord, you who created all, for the love of your people and the ways of the world, make your will known, so that it must be clear even to these stubborn mules!"

And a booming voice fills the sky, "HE IS CORRECT"

The other three rabbis look up, look down to their colleague, and finally one says:

"That's still three against two"

[preacherpollard]

The Power Of The Resurrection (Part 3)

Carl Pollard  Previously we have discussed the importance of knowing for certain that Jesus lived on this earth. The power of His resurrection begins with the hope of His birth. We are all in need of a Savior. Thankfully, 2,000 years ago God sent His Son to take on flesh. He willingly came and left an example for us to imitate. Secular historians all agree that Jesus of Nazareth really did…

[dadyomi]

Wednesday 4/12, Sotah 14: Mystery Spot

The fact that the grave of Moses is some kind of funhouse optical illusion that moves around based on where you are is, I have to say, pretty awesome. Also, normally I don’t much care for digressions in the tractate, but I have to say this extended digression about burial plots (among other things) has been thoroughly entertaining and I don’t really think we need to go back to The Punishment For Doing An Adultery. 

[workersolidarity]

[ 📹 Scenes of chaos and fear after the Israeli occupation forces bombed a school housing displaced Palestinian families opposite Nasser Medical Complex west of the city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, after displacing civilians from other areas of the enclave. 📈 Current death toll in Gaza exceeds 37'953 Palestinians killed, while another 87'266 others have been wounded since Oct. 7th. ]

🇮🇱⚔️🇵🇸 🚀🏘️💥🚑 🚨

GENOCIDE CONTINUES ON DAY 271: ISRAELI OCCUPATION REACHES OUT TO GAZA CLAN LEADERS, HAMAS WARNS OF RETALIATION FOR COLLABORATORS, ZIONIST COLONIAL SETTLERS CONTINUE RAIDING AL-AQSA MOSQUE, AL-QUDS BRIGADES SAY HOSTAGES ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AS THEIR TREATMENT BECOMES MORE SEVERE FOLLOWING REPORTS OF TORTURE IN ISRAELI PRISONS, SLAUGHTER OF CIVILIANS CONTINUES

On 271st day of the Israeli occupation's ongoing special genocide operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) committed a total of 3 new massacres of Palestinian families, resulting in the deaths of no less than 28 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, while another 125 others were wounded over the previous 24-hours.

It should be noted that as a result of the constant Israeli bombardment of Gaza's healthcare system, infrastructure, residential and commercial buildings, local paramedic and civil defense crews are unable to recover countless hundreds, even thousands, of victims who remain trapped under the rubble, or who's bodies remain strewn across the streets of Gaza.

This leaves the official death toll vastly undercounted as Gaza's healthcare officials are unable to accurately tally those killed and maimed in this genocide, which must be kept in mind when considering the scale of the mass murder.

A number of Israeli hostages have attempted suicide in the detention of the Palestinian resistance. This is according to the Al-Quds Brigades, belonging to the group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

In a statement, the Al-Quds Brigades said that several Israeli hostages in their care had attempted suicide due to the severe frustration they feel owing to their government's disinterest in recovering their detainees, and due to the deteriorating treatment they are receiving from their captors.

According to Al-Quds, as a result of the horrendous treatment of Palestinian prisoners at the hands of the Israeli occupation army in occupation prisons, including allegations of torture, rape, withholding of food and water, blindfolding, medical abuse and more, the Palestinian resistance group has taken a decision to treat their detainees harshly.

"Our decision in the Al-Quds Brigades to treat the occupation's prisoners in the same way as our prisoners inside the prisons, will remain in effect as long as the terrorist government continues its unjust measures against our people and prisoners. He who warns is excused," Al-Quds said in its statement.

In the meantime, one of the main reasons the Palestinian resistance factions cited for conducting Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7th, 2023, was the regular raids by Zionist colonial settlers of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Al-Quds (Jersusalem), one of the holiest sites in Islamic religion.

Those raids continue to occur, with groups of dozens of Zionist colonial settlers storming the compound on Wednesday, while under the protection of the Israeli occupation army.

Local eyewitnesses reported today that groups of dozens of Zionist colonial settlers raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, touring the Mosque's courtyard and performing provocative Talmudic rituals as the occupation army protected the settlers.

The report also added that the Occupation Shin Bet Police stormed the Old City of occupied Al-Quds, turning the area into a military barracks, while hundreds of police were deployed to secure the area, in particular near the gates of the Al-Aqsa compound.

The Shin Bet also tightened security measures at the gates of the Old City, as well as Al-Aqsa Mosque, while imposing restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshippers.

In other news on Wednesday, July 3rd, the London-based Reuters news-wire service is reporting that the Israeli entity has been reaching out to the leaders of major Gaza clans, looking to find Palestinians that are not associated with Hamas or other Palestinian resistance factions to oversee the final stages of the occupation's plans in the Gaza Strip, and to eventually replace the Hamas movement in governing the enclave.

Reuters says the Israeli occupation remains under heavy pressure from the United States to bring an end to the war in the Gaza Strip, but does not want Hamas to retain control over the Strip.

As a result, the Israeli occupation's leadership is forming plans for the "day after" the end of the war, including forming a governing structure parallel to the Hamas government that has led the Gaza Strip since 2007, hoping to shape an alternative civil administration involving Palestinians that are not associated with the Palestinian Resistance movement.

Unfortunately for the occupation, this leaves few plausible options, with the current focus being on the heads of powerful Palestinian clans in Gaza, which the Israeli entity has been attempting to woo in recent days.

Speaking with Reuters, Senior Palestine Analyst at the International Crises Group, a Brussels-based think-tank, Tahani Mustafa, says the Zionist entity has been "actively looking for local tribes and families on the ground to work with them."

According to Tahani Mustafa, the Gaza Clans "don’t want to get involved, in part because they fear retribution from Hamas."

The threat is a real one for Gaza's Clan leaders, who fear retribution from Hamas, who, despite the Israeli occupation's determination to destroy the Resistance group, retains its control over large sections of the Palestinian enclave.

Sure enough, a correspondant with Reuters asked the director of Gaza's media office, Ismail Thawabteh, what the consequences would be for those who cooperate with the Zionist regime, who responded by saying “I expect the response to be deadly for any clan or party that agrees to implement the occupation’s plans. I expect the response to be lethal from the resistance factions.”

Occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged the challenges he will face in instituting a new governing structure in the Gaza Strip, claiming his government has reached out to Gaza's clans, but that Hamas "eliminated" them, adding that his Defense Ministry had a new plan, but would not elaborate on it, stating only that he was not willing to bring in the Palestinian Authority to govern in Gaza.

The Palestinian clans are made up of powerful families in the Gaza Strip, ones which do not have formal connections with the Hamas resistance movement, with each clan having a leader known as a "mukhtar", which under British rule, prior to the creation of the Israeli entity in 1948, were heavily relied on to govern.

Following Hamas' rise to power, the clans powers were limited by the religious movement, but were still allowed a certain degree of autonomy, while clans remain influential and own a number of commercial businesses and facilities in the Palestinian enclave

The Israeli occupation already retains contact with Gaza's clans in order to coordinate commercial shipments and deliveries, among other practical issues.

According to Reuters, clan leaders are reluctant to disclose contacts with the Israeli occupation, while others said the mukhtars would not cooperate with the Zionist entity.

One of Gaza's clan leaders that spoke with Reuters said he knew of calls other mukhtars had had with the Israeli authorities, but that "I expect that mukhtars will not cooperate with these games," citing anger with the occupation over its genocide of Palestinians in the Strip, which has killed a number of clan members and destroyed much of their property.

Meanwhile, the slaughter of civilians, along with the destruction of housing and public infrastructure in Gaza, continues into its 10th month as the occupation army bombs and shells various areas of the enclave.

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued on Wednesday with its attacks on the Al-Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, bombing residential homes and causing the deaths of a number of Palestinian civilians, including women and children, while local rescue crews were unable to reach sites due to the continued bombardment and gunfire from occupation drones.

In a new atrocity, Zionist warplanes bombed a residential house belonging to the Maqat family in the vicinity of the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, north of Gaza City, after which, local paramedic crews managed to recover the bodies of 7 civilians killed in the strikes, along with 7 wounded victims from under the rubble. The casualties were transported to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the city.

Simultaneously, Zionist artillery shelling pummeled the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City, while gunfire from occupation armored vehicles targeted citizen's homes.

Similarly, Israeli quadcopter drones fired at civilians in various areas of Gaza City, in conjuction with the violent artillery shelling of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of the city.

An Israeli occupation fighter jet also fired a missile into the Al-Ghafri printing press on Jaffa Street, in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, while another Zionist aircraft fired a missile into a residential apartment complex in the Zarqa neighborhood of Gaza City, leaving rescue crews to search the rubble for the dead and wounded.

In the meantime, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) is reporting that two civilians were wounded as a result of an occupation airstrike on a residential house belonging to the Kurd family, in the Beit Lahiya Project in Gaza's north, while the wounded were transferred to Kamal Adwan Hospital near the Jabalia Camp.

The Israeli occupation army also shelled several areas of the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, in the central Gaza Strip, as well as in the Al-Zahra'a area, and the Al-Mughraqa area, coinciding with intense occupation gunfire.

IOF warplanes also continue their bombardment of residential homes and apartment complexes in central and western Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

The Zionist entity continued its war crimes when it bombed a gathering of civilians attempting to return to their homes in the Al-Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of four Palestinians and wounding more than 17 others.

In another atrocity, an Israeli drone bombed a civilian vehicle in the Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp, in central Gaza, killing three more civilians and wounding several others who were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah.

In the meantime, areas northeast of the Jabalia Camp sustained intermittent artillery shelling from the occupation army, wounding a number of Palestinian civilians.

The crimes of the Zionist occupation continued with an airstrike that targeted a residential apartment in the Nuseirat Camp, in central Gaza, killing two Palestinians and wounding several others who were transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

Local civil defense crews also managed to recover the bodies of 7 murdered Palestinians from the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, west of the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, including 5 completely charred bodies.

Later, on Wednesday afternoon, the Zionist army bombed a group of Palestinians in the Jahar al-Dik area near Al-Nuseirat, killing two and wounding others who were transferred to Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat Camp.

Due to the continued bombing of public infrastructure in the southern Gaza Strip, including water treatment plants, wells, and sewage systems, deep levels of sewage now run through the streets of Khan Yunis, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been forced to reside after being displaced from one area after another, now being ordered into the city by the Zionist occupation army.

As a result of the Israeli occupation's ongoing war of extermination in the Gaza Strip, the infinitely rising death toll now exceeds 37'953 Palestinians killed, including upwards of 10'000 women and well over 15'000 children, while another 87'266 others have been wounded since the start of the current round of Zionist aggression, beginning with the events of October 7th, 2023.

July 3rd, 2024.

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@WorkerSolidarityNews

[jewish-microwave-laser]

i talk about it a bit in this post, but i think the basis of our difference here is that i'm very much not a death penalty guy. even in a better situation where everybody killed in this operation was instead given a fair trial, and even if all those people were found guilty of personally carrying out attacks on civilians/taking hostages/etc with 100% malicious intent and with zero coercion, i still wouldn't think they deserved death. i find myself in the spirit of the midrash that makes the stoning of the rebellious son impossible

i feel like we can say both "i'm glad more hostages were brought home safely" and "i wish nobody got killed in the process of bringing those people home." it's not even self contradictory, it's saying "i don't like when people get hurt" yk

[is-the-thing-actually-jewish]

I don't think self-sacrifice and martyrdom are jewish values? especially the latter.

This guy was quoting Isaiah and something about rather sacrificing oneself rather than spilling blood

Answer: Not Jewish (except when it is, because we weren’t given much of a choice).

Without knowing what the quote from Isaiah was or what the guy’s actual point was, we cannot be certain, but in general, the Jewish attitude towards self-sacrifice and martyrdom is “we’d rather stay alive, please and thank you.” Unfortunately, because… gestures broadly at two millennia of violent antisemitism, enslavement, forced conversion, inquisition, pogroms, blood libels, genocide, etc. ... Jews have not been given that option.

Jewish law as far back as the Talmud has made it abundantly clear that the value of pikuach nefesh, the preserving of a human life, is so important that you are not merely allowed but actively required to break almost every other law if a life is at stake. The Talmud lists three exceptions to this rule:

You are not permitted to commit murder to save your own life. Note: This does NOT mean you cannot kill the person threatening you, which the Talmud would classify as killing but not murder. But if a sociopath says “I will kill you unless you kill that innocent dude over there,” Jewish law says you should let them kill you.

You are not permitted to commit sexual violence or otherwise break the laws of sexual morality (adultery, incest, bestiality, etc.)

You are not permitted to publicly renounce Judaism in such a way that it might a) encourage other Jews to convert and therefore b) encourage violent antisemites to continue threatening Jews to convert or die.

So, it is possible that the guy in question was referencing Point 1, but the particular phrasing does seem suspect. We do not valorize martyrdom, nor do we encourage self-sacrifice— overwhelmingly, throughout centuries where this was not remotely a theoretical question, Jews have come down on the side of “do what you must to live another day” (with some exceptions, such as at the Massacre of York). There have been far too many people eager to slaughter Jews that we do not feel any need to make it easier for them by not resisting. Given the prevalence of Christian missionaries misusing Isaiah in particular in their missionizing efforts combined with the stark contrast between Christian martyr-worship and Jewish life-preserving, it is reasonable to be highly suspicious of claims that guy was making about Jewish principles and values.

All that said, it doesn’t feel right to give an unqualified “martyrdom is not Jewish” answer because we do have martyrs (or, in the traditional Hebrew, those “murdered for the sake of the Holy Name,” those who chose death over renunciation as per point 3 above), and we would never dishonor their memories by disavowing them.

And so too do we have traditions about martyrs, since it has been a relevant topic throughout Jewish history as much as we would prefer things to be otherwise. Those traditions are about grief, anger, and memory, emphasizing the tragedy and horror of the events rather than presenting any kind of aspirational model. Arguably the clearest example of this is in the “Eleh Ezkerah” (“These I Remember”) section of the Yom Kippur liturgy, also known as “The Martyrology.” Traditionally, this text details the torture and death of ten rabbis at the hands of the Romans, interspersed with the refrain, “these I remember and my soul weeps in sorrow.” Over the centuries, this has also become a space on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, when the most Jews are gathered together in prayer, to memorialize and grieve for more recent events of Jews being murdered for being Jewish. Services I have attended have included references to or stories of the Inquisition, blood libel, pograms, and the Holocaust. The first Yom Kippur after the Tree of Life shooting, my synagogue read the names of all those murdered there with some information about their lives, which I found both devastating and powerful. Similarly, I am sure that as we approach the first Yom Kippur since October 7, many rabbis are preparing Eleh Ezkerah inserts in memory of the lives taken by Hamas. It is an intense part of an intense day.

Aside from Eleh Ezkerah, there are other ways in which martyrs are recognized and remembered in our liturgy and tradition. There is a version of the prayer for the dead (“E-l Maleh Rachamim/God Overflowing with Mercy”) recited at various points in the year, including at festivals, funerals, and on the anniversary of a death, specifically for remembering martyrs. (It’s actually more historically accurate to say that the E-l Maleh Rachamim for martyrs is the original, as it was written for the victims of the Crusades and the Chmielnicki massacres, and the more recognizable version used in Ashkenazi communities is derivative of that one, with the specific language about murder removed.) There is a long tradition of remembering all victims of antisemitic violence on Tisha b’Av, the anniversary of the destruction of the first and second temples as well as a date associated with many other devastating moments in Jewish history, including the defeat of the Jewish rebels against the Romans at Betar, the expulsion from Spain, and the start of the killing at the Treblinka death camp. We also have Yom HaShoa specifically for remembering and grieving those killed in the Holocaust. In the Middle Ages, there was a tradition of establishing a public fast following news of a blood libel or pogrom nearby as a ritual of communal grief. When we mention someone who has died, it’s traditional to add “may their memory be for a blessing” after their name, but when we’re mentioning a martyr, instead we say “may God avenge their blood.” In all these ways, we hold the memory of our martyrs close— not as a model or an ideal, but as an anchor for our most fervent prayer: Never again.

[sweetsynth]

I keep seeing people asking for “proof” of the slaughter in Israel. So a general reminder, you are not owed images of the brutality of war. You are not owed pictures of bodies of those whose families might not even know they are dead. You are not owed suffering.

In this case, different cultures have different death practices. Jews believe in a dignified death, and while modern practices vary across communities, the Talmud forbids gazing at the face of the dead.

Therefor, it is culturally abhorrent for you to request that the Jewish people exploit their dead just for you to express minimum empathy.

[tzipporahs-well]

Yeah I mean if we look at what the philistines do to their prisoners and “heroes of Israel” (see Shimson ie Samson) and what happens to Shaul and his sons’ bodies after their deaths (ie torture for the living and corpse desecration for the dead), can we honestly blame Shaul for coming to this conclusion? Burial is very important for Judaism and the Israelites. In fact one interpretation of the famine during David’s reign is because Shaul was buried outside the land of Israel and now the time has come for his body to return home (Bamidbar Rabbah 8:4). It’s only after Shaul and his sons are buried does the land respond.

Capturing the Israelite king alive would have been considered a great victory for the Philistines to hold over Israel. That is the thinking could be along the lines of the following: “Well I didn’t fall to the usual battlefield fatalities. I may or may not have been wounded however. Also three of my sons are dead. And I don’t think Hashem would be very pleased if I allowed myself to get captured. So this is what Hashem meant. If this be the way to restore honor to Him, so be it.”

If we look at Midrash Tachnuma Metzora 2:1, Rabbeinu Batya Vayikra 14:2:5, and Simchat HaRegel on Pesach Haggadah, Hallel, Second Half of Hallel 3:4, we see something along those lines: specifically painful death throes. However, there’s other interpretations that say the Amalekite is lying. Given how two sources from the original text (Samuel I and Chronicles I) said cause of death was falling on his own sword rather than by the Amalekite, this is how I interpret it:

My Interpetation

I see the death as not particularly quick with death throes and leaning on the spear seen by the Amalekite. However, the Amalekite’s lie comes from the “alleged mercy kill” part (that is agreeing to Sh’aul’s request). There was just grave robbing but he claimed to have been “the one to kill Shaul” because he thought it would curry favor with David.

This I say because Samuel I and Chronicles I of the Tanakh say that cause of death was “Shaul grasped his sword and fell on it.” In addition if the ultimate cause of death was mercy kill by Amalekite, then there would not need to have been a whole separate section of Halacha. Ultimately the mercy he showed backfires then to the Amalekites backfires on him massively in more ways one. Specifically many rabbis interpret Shaul as being very troubled by such a command objecting against the slaughter of women, children, and animals. Back then Hashem said, “Do not be overly righteous.” And then when Nob happened, Hashem said, “Do not be overly wicked.” (Yoma 22b:8). And so many the rabbis connect the two with, “one who is merciful to the cruel will end up being cruel to the merciful.” It definitely reminds me of a common Bronze Age/Iron Age Mediterranean and Mesopotamian mentality emphasizing strength and ruthlessness (“ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves”).

Additional Notes for My Own Interpretation: I also equate the sword that he fell upon as originally a gift from Hashem. That is there is Rabbinic commentary and midrash that says Hashem gave Shaul a sword because of Shaul’s zeal towards keeping the slaughtering knife in its original condition (Bamidbar Rabbah 10:1). Meteors served as the primary iron source before large scale iron smelting in Iron Age II, and I can see a meteoric iron sword interpreted as “a gift from the heavens.”

Moshe himself was said to weep at how Shaul died when being shown the future leaders of Israel asking, “Will the first king who will be established over your people be stabbed with a sword?” (Vayikra Rabbah 26:7).

Death and Atonement

However this death happens, this appeal to Hashem apparently works. Hashem and Sh’muel seem to have taken him back in favor since Shaul is later referred to as the “chosen one of Hashem” by a heavenly voice within rabbinic commentary (Rashi on Samuel II 21:6:3). Not to mention a bunch of records of Shaul in Talmud (oral Torah) are quite complimentary. According to one midrash, Hashem says this to David: “David, you sing before Me about the downfall of Saul; if you had been Saul and he had been David, I would have lost many Davids before him.” (Midrash Tehillim 7:15).

Shaul also gets a fun haunting story of his own. Not to mention there is an account of one rabbi who is super salty about Shaul. The disagreement comes from the interpretation and “Shaul was one year old when he became king” (note: the Masoretic text is corrupted at this point). The predominant rabbinic interpretation is that Shaul was as innocent as a one year old when he became king. This rabbi (Rav Nachman) was super salty and is like, “well he was like a one year old in that he was always filthy with mud and excremental plays in mud and excrement.” Neither Hashem (G-d) nor Shaul apparently like that and so Rav Nachman gets haunted by nightmares until he shows the proper respect. Not just “I humbly submit myself to you, O bones of Shaul, son of Kish, and beg your forgiveness” (still gets nightmares) but “I humbly submit myself to you, O bones of Shaul, son of Kish, king of Israel, and beg your forgiveness.” (Yoma 22b:18)

TW: Blood, Sword impalement, and G-d i guess

Saul’s peace (turmoil)

I have no idea why I made this after having a panic attack (it’s okay I’m fine- sort of… meh. I haven’t had one in years, and how ironic I wrote about Jonathan’s panic attack a week ago 😐) But I guess it’s the song I listened to right after. I really love this song. Especially the last chorus, toward the end, it always gives me Saul vibes, how he is dictated by those above him, left with little to no control even as a king. I don’t sympathize with Saul entirely, but from Saul’s pov, he’d see how Samuel and G-d gaslights him even when he tries to listen to every command, but they take advantage of the paranoia that he has always struggled with.

I’ve made that one of the main themes in the Book of Saul when I write how he explores the idea of control, because Saul throughout his life has hardly had a thought of his own. It seemed as though he gave his life at the fate of Samuel and the Lord.

Also, I attempted to draw G-d, as you can tell lmao. Ngl, I didn’t know how I wanted to depict Him, so I went with the generic biblically accurate angel route. Depicting G-d is going to be subjective, and so, I’ll just say this is how I imagine Him. He’s a big feathery thing to me, with lots of eyeballs, and arms.

I lowkey love it lol. Should I draw G-d more? Have Him bother Samuel and stuff while messing with Saul and forcing bro to dance lmao (I love those passages of Saul very entertaining, as in I like tormenting him because I love Saul angst)

But yeah, imma also start redrawing my David/Jonathan ref sheets so I can begin making something special for my anniversary in two months… oh boi 🥲

I think the cake this year is going to be very unserious lmao, deadass going to stick printed pics of David on the thing like a hear me out challenge.

Anyways… I still have yet to recover, my mental health is shit. Going to be less active, but I thought I was doing good lol.

Starting off 2025 strong 🎉🎉

[jdsquared]

Bava Kamma 36b