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[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

Resources for Times of Distress: Sefaria Announcement

October 11, 2023 | 26 Tishrei, 5784

The last few days have been immensely painful for the global Jewish community. At Sefaria, an organization with staff in both Israel and the United States, we are heartbroken and concerned for our family, friends, colleagues, and all those whose lives are impacted by the current violence in Israel.

In the face of loss, Jews over the generations have often found solace and spiritual power in prayer and study. The Sefaria library is here for you, and we hope it can be a source of connection and meaning amid the shock, fear, and uncertainty so many of us are feeling.

Below are some resources that may be particularly useful during this time.

One version of the prayers for Israel, Israeli soldiers, and those in captivity can be found in the Siddur Ashkenaz.

Psalms are a significant source of Jewish liturgy and are frequently recited during times of distress. Some Psalms traditionally recited for peace in the land of Israel include Psalms 20, 120, 121, and 125.

Our new Weekly Parashah Study Companion is a way to connect to the weekly Torah cycle with insights and study prompts for all levels.

Together, we dedicate our learning in memory of the lives lost, and with prayers for the safe return of those held captive and for everyone affected by the ongoing violence in Israel.

[resplendent-ragamuffin]

Six Months Since

By Shoshana bat-Yehonatan

A poem for the six (Hebrew) month anniversary of the Simchat Torah Massacre. With thanks to the JPS, Koren, Metsudah, and other translations on Sefaria.org. Footnotes link to sources of quotes. Footnotes connect to sources which will be in reblog, because otherwise it's too long to post.

TW: RAPE

Six months has it been

Since the fields turned red without flowers

Now calaniot bloom where once my darlings danced

But still, my precious ones are gone.

I have no prophets to comfort me

No visions from God [1]

My king remains in exile [2]

How can I sing a song of God on alien soil [3]

In an alien tongue?

Yet I have been too long a stranger in a land not mine[4]—

Two thousand years, to a paltry hundred and twenty—

And I forgotten even how to speak the Holy Tongue

Let alone write in it.

I have neither wit nor words to sing my grief.

And so I turn to those before me

As they turned to those before them

And say,

“God, open my lips, and let my mouth declare my grief.” [5]

Oholiva cries [6]

And Ohola wails [7]

This year was pregnant[8] with a second month of joy

Instead she wails in travails unending

“When will my children return?” [9]

Oh wall of Fair Zion [10]

Shed tears like a river [11]

Cry out in the night and pour your heart out like water [12]

Rachel’s eyes are red as her sister’s [13]

As she weeps over the fate of her children [14]

Six months it has been

Since they ravaged women in Zion [15]

Maidens in the towns of Judea [16]

Since their hands tore my princes apart

No deference shown to elders [17]

On this day six months ago

My infants were taken captive before the enemy [18]

The joy of our hearts was seized

And our dancing turned to mourning [19]

For the youths are gone from their music [20].

Now my eyes shed rivers of water [21]

Over the ruin of my people’s daughter [22]

Bitterly I weep in the night [23]

My cheeks wet with tears [24]

There is none to comfort me: my friends have betrayed me [25]

I cry:

Behold my agony! [26]

My priests and my elders have perished in the city [27]

The elders strewn like dust on the ground [28]

Those whom I dandled and reared my foe has consumed [29]

“This is the day we hoped for! We have found it, we have seen it!” [30]

My maidens and youths have gone into captivity! [31]

“It is your doing.” [32]

Blood on her legs, her nakedness seen, [33]

Zion reaches out for comfort [34]--

“Away! Unclean!” [35]

She can only shrink back and sigh [36]

“May it never befall you.” [37]

The nations have resolved “They shall stay here no longer” [38]

We wander and wander [39]

But where are we to go?

How can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred? [40]

“My life as my wish, my people as my request,” [41]

I begged my Husband [42]

“For we have been targeted, my people and I, to be destroyed, massacred, and exterminated.” [43]

But the King turned His face from me.

My dear ones were purer than snow [44]

Ruddier than rubies or coral [45]

Their bodies lovely as sapphire [46]

Now their faces are darkened with ash [47]

Unrecognizable amid the ruin of the streets [48]

See, God, and behold to whom You have done this! [49]

Look at me, answer me, Oh God! [50]

How long will You hide Your face from me? [51]

I have no prophets now to comfort me

And must take my comfort from those before:

You promised “God will restore your captives.” [52]

Return them, God, and let them come back [53]

Renew our days as of old. [54]

[eretzyisrael]

YOU CAN DO THIS!

“For this commandment that I command you today, it is not hidden from you and it is not distant. It is not in the heavens, so you could say ‘Who can possibly go up to the heavens for us and take it for us, then we’ll hear and perform it!?’ Nor is it across the sea, so you could say 'Who can cross to the other side of the sea for us and take it for us, and then we’ll hear it, and perform it!?' Rather, the Torah is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to perform it.” (Deut. 30:11-1)

Before Moses dies, he exhorts the Jewish people to follow God’s laws and assures them that the task is not too difficult for them to accomplish. Huh?? Living a Torah life requires extensive knowledge as well as significant sacrifice. Especially for those of us who did not grow up religious, the task is indeed difficult! How can Moses say that it’s “not hidden from you and it is not distant” when it often feels impenetrable and beyond our reach?

Rabbi Israel Salanter (1810-1883), the influential founder of the Mussar movement of Torah-based self-improvement, says that we’re looking at teshuva (repentance) the wrong way. We want God to bless us so we try to make big changes. However, when we bite off more than we can chew, we often wind up chewing nothing. Rav Salanter tells us to focus on small things, things that we know we can achieve. Don’t try to undertake the entirety of spiritual transformation all at once. Instead, take one manageable step after another. 

Last year at this time, we followed the advice of Rabbi Avigdor Miller (1908-2001) and started learning Mussar five minutes a day. This is a manageable step that you can do, whatever your schedule or observance level. We recommend Duties of the Heart (Chovos HaLevavos) by Rabbi Bahya ibn Paquda (c. 1050-1100), or The Path of the Just (Mesillas Yesharim) by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707-1746). Both books are available for purchase at Jewish bookstores and Amazon, or read for free at Sefaria.org!

Image: Sunrise at the Kineret (Sea of Galilee)

[kanda-franca]

Here's the other part of my web weaves for @mcytblraufest! Specifically for my anonymous writer! There are some out of context spoilers so I highly recommend reading their fic, the kudos and comment on it then look at the web weave. Or do whatever you like<3

Blood in the Water

“Do you understand, Etho?” Joel repeated. “This is a now or later situation. You picked later. That means,” Joel sped up again. “You stay out of my way. We’re going to get on a boat, and you’re going to let me do my job. You can booze it up, you can do whatever the fuck you want as long as you remember to keep clear. And after everything is finished,” Etho felt his gut clench up at the smile that grew on Joel’s face. “You take your bullet silently.” Now or later. Etho swallowed hard. “Won’t your agency be upset that your guide…” His voice was already weak before it faded out, but god was it pathetic. Joel’s smile edged on the side of unhinged. “Oh, Etho,” Joel practically purred out. “I’m not the replaceable one in this car right now.” Right. Or, Joel is a trained spy, Etho's just trying to wash his clothes, and the supercomputers in their ears just want them to kiss.

Credits below the cut!

Volta - The Crane Wives | Fly of the handle origin | Black pistol png on freepik | Mercedes-Benz EQS | Tony Stark and Friday from The Invincible Iron Man Vol. 3 | "I'm tough." - Chloe Liese | Do not put me in situations - @adjpngs | Sculpture by Glen Martin - @snailspng | Loo Light - Sylvia van Opstall | Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) | The Sentinel, S1 Ep 7 via http://www.kelesa.net/transcripts/trans-ep07.htm

whore outfit - girard | Ideas for you on pinterest | drinks - @glittertits | Nightclub Red Sweden | actually no, we're not dating @midnightcrisisstuff | Cruise ship photo on r/Cruise | Ice pick on pngwing | Blood drop png on pngtree | "Look how we bleed from all this wanting" Woman, Eat Me Whole - Ama Asantewa Diaka | The Tempest - Ivan Aivazovsky | Esther 3.3 on sefaria.org | Double Life Ep. 2 - Smallishbeans | Love Run (Intro) - The Amazing Devil

[gatorskulls]

"Your arid fields are a pomegranate orchard with luscious fruits; henna with spikenard." - Song of Songs 4:13

Translation from Sefaria.org

[traumaticemphaticfantastic]

[Reposting this because I realized I got the formatting all wrong last time, much apologies I have been going through some stuff lately]

Back in March of 2023 and into earlier this year I was working on my character-design skills and decided to do (And continue my journey in now) a little sketching project wherein I draw various Jewish characters and creatures from Jewish folklore and biblical stories, I wanted to design them in the context of a cartoon or comic book (As that's the sort of style I obviously specialize in) with simpler less complicated designs. I'm going to be sharing here what I have so far and what I continue to make into the future, but I will be doing it in batches as to not overwhelm anybody.

Now, the characters I have today are part of a more traditional Judaism's biggest (Non-human) baddies, Lilith and her husband, Ashmedai, as well as two sketches of just regular demons. Lilith and Ashmedai are the king and queen of all demons in Jewish tradition, though "Demons" is probably not the best way to put it because Jewish demons are incredibly, *incredibly* different than they are in Christianity (Don't know enough about Islam or Jinn to have a take on their differences tho sry). In Judaism demons are usually written about as annoying little "Mazziks" or "Shedim" (They have lots of terms for them from what I understand), these little guys are invisible and have a tendency to cause you harm in various mischievous ways, they can purportedly also shapeshift into tangible mimics of humans and animals, this they will also use to cause you harm.

Demons are described as similar to angels but different in many other ways, they are not fallen angels and are in-fact their own class of similar entities which G-d intended to create (Though may have got too tired by Shabbat and left them unfinished without bodies).

The crazy thing about them too is that apparently they're *everywhere* like in the tens of thousands just in your immediate vicinity, so many that apparently a Rav by the name of Beivai bar Abaye managed to see the demons in their true form and quantity after performing a ritual involving rubbing the ashes of a black cat's afterbirth in his eyes and as a result he "Was harmed" (Don't worry though he was saved by The Sages through prayers for mercy). But don't worry! if you want an easier and less harmful way to see the demons all you have to do is spread regular old ashes around your bed and (Apparently) when you wake up you will see the demons' footprints which happen to look like those of a chickens.

There's a lot more about general demons that I won't get into here for your sake (For instance their strange affinity for bathrooms), but if you're interested in learning more I highly recommend Sefaria.org for further reading on subject, they provide very nice translations of very old and great Jewish texts and they're quite the read and not just concerning demonology!

Now as for Ashmedai and Lilith: Lilith was once Adam's first wife, but when she wanted to top Adam during sexual intercourse he basically said

"No Lilith, I'm the man I need to top you!" to which Lilith said "Forget this!" And said the divine name which granted her the ability to fly and flew all the way to a cave near the sea. Adam was mad about this so he asked G-d to retrieve his wife to which G-d sent three angels "Sanoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof" (Which as an aside, as hard as I try I CANNOT think about these names without thinking about them being spoken in the Doodlebob voice) who go to Lilith's cave and basically say "Go back to Eden girl" and Lilith's like "Naw, and just cause you said that I'm gonna start strangling human babies as their mothers give birth to them!" And the angels are like "Oh alright, BUT on one condition: If humans make amulets with our names inscribed on them, you won't be allowed to kill their babies" and Lilith basically says

"Cool." And so she was replaced with Eve, she became the queen of demons, and to this day she's been doing sinful stuff and giving birth to thousands of demon babies and killing human babies as well (She's also responsible for wet dreams cause she can enter your dreams apparently but don’t worry, there's an amulet for that too).

A little tidbit: the reason my version of Lilith is depicted as nude is because if she was the first woman before Eve and dipped before the eating of the fruit incident, logically she would know no shame and would have no need to clothe herself, it's why I draw all my demons as naked actually!

Ashmedal is Lilith's husband and the king of demons, he is said to have been enslaved by the great King Solomon and made to help build the First Temple of Israel after having his location doxxed via Solomon capturing and tormenting a pair of male and female demons into confession, all this to find a kind of stone-cutting masonry worm called a "Shamir" because Solomon was told the Temple should not be built with any tool. Within the same story it's also revealed that even the king of demons studies Torah both in heaven and on earth (As I said Jewish demon lore isn't at all like Christianity's) and in a lot of ways Ashmedai is actually a really good guy, he helps people onto the literal right path as to assure their place in the world to come, he cries at a wedding because he knows the bridegroom won't be alive much longer, surprisingly chill king of demons. Also King Solomon loves to get drunk and one of his men throw a clod of dirt at a rooster to get to the Shamir which is in its nest, this causes the rooster to strangle itself to death because it was just borrowing the Shamir from the angelic minister of the sea and felt immense shame in not being able to return it. But, this post is getting longgg and frankly the story of King Solomon of Ashmedai is absolutely BONKERS in the best kind of way, I cannot do it justice here PLEASE read the full thing on Sefaria I am begging you it is a masterpiece in Jewish writing.

Whew! That was quite fun to type out, and that's not even the half of it! Jewish demonology may not be as present within the modern world as it was in the ancient one, but it's certainly very amazing mythology and I absolutely love learning and reading about it because of how truly unique it is! Anyways, that will be all for today, may all of you who see this be well and may you avoid the demons’ mischief!

[kijew]

Thoughts on Fasting

So I read the weekly Torah and Haftarah on Sefaria.org

It feels very odd to be reading these from a different angle. I read the Bible as a Christian kid/teen/young adult and now going back to it to read it as an adult with an intended Jewish focus is very different.

I've been reading various articles online and in books about the meaning of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur over the last few weeks. It's made this particular passage...more meaningful? Than it was as a Christian. So much of the "old testament" was skimmed over as "historic but not important."

I felt a very different impact reading Isaiah 58:6-10.

No, this is the fast I desire: To unlock fetters of wickedness, And untie the cords of the yoke To let the oppressed go free; To break off every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry, And to take the wretched poor into your home; When you see the naked, to clothe them, And not to ignore your own kin. Then shall your light burst through like the dawn And your healing spring up quickly; Your Vindicator shall march before you, The Presence of GOD shall be your rear guard. Then, when you call, GOD will answer; When you cry, [God] will say: Here I am. If you banish the yoke from your midst, The menacing hand, and evil speech, And you offer your compassion to the hungry And satisfy the famished creature— Then shall your light shine in darkness, And your gloom shall be like noonday.

I feel personally called all over again. Free the oppressed. Clothe the naked. Feed the hungry. Do it not because you've been told to but do it because it's right. That's the command and it's deeper than just fasting from food. "In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall practice self-denial," says Leviticus 16:29.

So for Yom Kippur, denying the self food is one aspect of fasting. It's also denying yourself food and pleasure in favor of helping others. Feed someone who's hungry. Don't buy new clothes for yourself, give someone who needs a jacket yours.

We're sharing this world with so many other people and that's the part I need to remember. To share it.

[mosrambles]

can we take a second to talk about celestial beings

(from a jewish lens)

Angels/celestials are incomprehensible in thought but since they are based in religon it only makes sense that we as humans all have different perceptions of them. This also varies based on religon, culture, etc. What I find cool about the jewish perspective of angels and celestial bodies is that it varies depending on the prophet, specifically Daniel and Ezekiel.

Every year on the first day of shavuot I find myself reading over the same few pasukim in the haftarah. I cant help but be enraptured by the description of gods chariots as god appears before Ezekiel in a vision. The juxtaposition between the children of Israel coming close to catching a glimpse of the divine at Sinai and Ezekiel coming close to seeing god is iconic and i cant not mention it. anywho back to the perek, ill put the english below the break if youd like to hear more :3

Ezekiel 1:1 (sefaria.org)

...a huge cloud and flashing fire, surrounded by a radiance; and in the center of it, in the center of the fire, a gleam as of amber. In the center of it were also the figures of four creatures. And this was their appearance: They had the figures of human beings. However, each had four faces, and each of them had four wings; the legs of each were [fused into] a single rigid leg, and the feet of each were like a single calf’s hoof; and their sparkle was like the luster of burnished bronze. They had human hands below their wings. The four of them had their faces and their wings on their four sides. Each one’s wings touched those of the other. They did not turn when they moved; each could move in the direction of any of its faces. Each of them had a human face [at the front]; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right; each of the four had the face of an ox on the left; and each of the four had the face of an eagle [at the back]...

Theres more detail outlining the movement of the wings and the wheels of the chariots covered with eyes.

"When those moved, these moved; and when those stood still, these stood still; and when those were borne above the earth, the wheels were borne alongside them—for the spirit of the creatures was in the wheels."

I dont know about anyone else but ive seen my fair share of angel imagery regarding the three faces and/or multiple wings. However the combination of all these different depictions in one moment is indescribable. I can think of many words (divine, defying, awe, terror) but none will be able to describe the visceral image of the throne above the chariot, the semblance of the Presence of god. Just as Ezekiel did, I too would have "flung myself down on my face". What i find particularly captivating is the following interaction. Yes of course god came to speak and deliver a message to Ezekiel, but the thing about judaism is that god doesnt speak AT the children of Israel. He speaks through them, within them. In the second pasuk it describes it as a "spirit enter[ing] into [him]". Only once hashem was speaking through him did he hear what was being spoken to him.

On the contrary, Daniel had a much different experience regarding his vision.

Daniel 10:5 (sefaria.org)

Prior to the vision Im gonna talk about, the angel Gabriel spoke with daniel and delivered a message. He was given 7 weeks to rebuild jerusalem and to usher in eternal righteousness, ratifying the prophetic vision. Daniel kept 3 weeks of mourning before seeing

"a man dressed in linen, his loins girt in fine gold. His body was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and legs had the color of burnished bronze, and the sound of his speech was like the noise of a multitude."

Daniel was with others, but only he could see it. Despite this the other men were seized with a great terror, akin to the sense of dread you can get even when youre seemingly alone. The figure delivers a message and daniel was drained of strength and vigor, overcome by a deep sleep.

Beryl is an interesting descriptor because, well, its a mineral. They can be found in morganite, aquamarine, and emerald. The key fact about beryl is that they can be up to several meters in their naturally occurring state. This implies the "man" was tall, his face bright and hard to look at with the naked eye. Lightning brings the idea of something almost acrid, sharp and bitter, the torches a contrasting yet accompanying warmth. You wouldnt expect gold and bronze to be put together, yet its combined with linen. It makes me think of the contrast between portrayal verses being. The man is dressed in linens yet hes girded in gold, described by these biotic features that usually arent attributed to humans. The best part is it describes his skin to be the COLOR of burnished bronze.

What striked me the most was the description of his speech. "the noise of a multitude". that phrasing in of itself just sounds ethereal. There isnt a voice mentioned, its speech. Speech, unlike a voice, is an abiotic way of looking at things. Speech is something a computer can do, not just a human. This implies that while man is used to describe the figure, there is obviously an otherworldly aspect to him.

Then theres the multitude part. Kind of like how chariots have multitudes of eyes, i love the idea of this figure having multitudes of speech. I imagine hundreds upon thousands of voices, overlapping and piling on top of eachother. They vary in pitch, tone, language, forming a distorted union around a central idea. The concept of a multitude is vague and relative, but thats the point when it comes to these types of ideas. its up for interpretation

Anywho its 3am thus ends this ramble, ignore the grammar mistakes :3

[sapropel]

CONTENT PURIST: As long as it contains the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, it is Torah.

CONTENT NEUTRAL: As long as it contains Jewish wisdom, it is Torah.

CONTENT REBEL: As long as it contains information of some kind, it is Torah.

FORM PURIST: Torah must take the form of a scroll.

FORM NEUTRAL: Torah must be in print in some way.

FORM REBEL: Torah can take any form.

..............

Hardline Traditionalist: Only a Torah scroll is Torah.

Form Purist, Content Neutral: The Megillah is Torah.

Form Purist, Content Rebel: A pirate's treasure map is Torah.

Form Neutral, Content Purist: The first five books of a printed Tanakh is Torah.

True Neutral: "The Sabbath" by Abraham Joshua Heschel z"l is Torah.

Form Neutral, Content Rebel: A physics textbook is Torah.

Form Rebel, Content Purist: The first five books of the Hebrew Bible on Sefaria.org is Torah.

Form Rebel, Content Neutral: A nigun is Torah.

Definitional Radical: The human genome is Torah.

[awkwardpenguinproductions]

In the tradition of Jewish nerdery observed on Shavuot, we're going to be doing a bit of compare and contrast between the 1999 Dreamworks masterpiece The Prince of Egypt and the text that it's based on. I've timestamped each post to correspond with the relevant point in the movie, so you can follow along if you want to!

If you're interested in the sources I used for this, I'll have a few posts with links to click, but otherwise I used Sefaria.org for my biblical citations.

Also, if you want to avoid PoEA spam, block the tag "prince of egypt annotated".

Chag Sameach Shavuot, y'all! Let's get nerdy!

[geostatonary]

tonight in torah study, we talked about blessings and curses, unexpected songs and poems, and have a surprise guest appearance by Genesis 4:15

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

תהילים צ"ד

אֵל־נְקָמ֥וֹת יְהֹוָ֑ה אֵ֖ל נְקָמ֣וֹת הוֹפִֽיעַ׃ הִ֭נָּשֵׂא שֹׁפֵ֣ט הָאָ֑רֶץ הָשֵׁ֥ב גְּ֝מ֗וּל עַל־גֵּאִֽים׃ עַד־מָתַ֖י רְשָׁעִ֥ים ׀ יְהֹוָ֑ה עַד־מָ֝תַ֗י רְשָׁעִ֥ים יַעֲלֹֽזוּ׃ יַבִּ֣יעוּ יְדַבְּר֣וּ עָתָ֑ק יִ֝תְאַמְּר֗וּ כׇּל־פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃ עַמְּךָ֣ יְהֹוָ֣ה יְדַכְּא֑וּ וְֽנַחֲלָתְךָ֥ יְעַנּֽוּ׃ אַלְמָנָ֣ה וְגֵ֣ר יַהֲרֹ֑גוּ וִ֖יתוֹמִ֣ים יְרַצֵּֽחוּ׃ וַ֭יֹּ֣אמְרוּ לֹ֣א יִרְאֶה־יָּ֑הּ וְלֹא־יָ֝בִ֗ין אֱלֹהֵ֥י יַעֲקֹֽב׃ בִּ֭ינוּ בֹּעֲרִ֣ים בָּעָ֑ם וּ֝כְסִילִ֗ים מָתַ֥י תַּשְׂכִּֽילוּ׃ הֲנֹ֣טַֽע אֹ֭זֶן הֲלֹ֣א יִשְׁמָ֑ע אִֽם־יֹ֥צֵֽר עַ֝֗יִן הֲלֹ֣א יַבִּֽיט׃ הֲיֹסֵ֣ר גּ֭וֹיִם הֲלֹ֣א יוֹכִ֑יחַ הַֽמְלַמֵּ֖ד אָדָ֣ם דָּֽעַת׃ יְֽהֹוָ֗ה יֹ֭דֵעַ מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת אָדָ֑ם כִּי־הֵ֥מָּה הָֽבֶל׃ אַשְׁרֵ֤י ׀ הַגֶּ֣בֶר אֲשֶׁר־תְּיַסְּרֶ֣נּוּ יָּ֑הּ וּֽמִתּוֹרָתְךָ֥ תְלַמְּדֶֽנּוּ׃ לְהַשְׁקִ֣יט ל֭וֹ מִ֣ימֵי רָ֑ע עַ֤ד יִכָּרֶ֖ה לָרָשָׁ֣ע שָֽׁחַת׃ כִּ֤י ׀ לֹא־יִטֹּ֣שׁ יְהֹוָ֣ה עַמּ֑וֹ וְ֝נַחֲלָת֗וֹ לֹ֣א יַעֲזֹֽב׃ כִּֽי־עַד־צֶ֭דֶק יָשׁ֣וּב מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וְ֝אַחֲרָ֗יו כׇּל־יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃ מִֽי־יָק֣וּם לִ֭י עִם־מְרֵעִ֑ים מִי־יִתְיַצֵּ֥ב לִ֝֗י עִם־פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃ לוּלֵ֣י יְ֭הֹוָה עֶזְרָ֣תָה לִּ֑י כִּמְעַ֓ט ׀ שָׁכְנָ֖ה דוּמָ֣ה נַפְשִֽׁי׃ אִם־אָ֭מַרְתִּי מָ֣טָה רַגְלִ֑י חַסְדְּךָ֥ יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה יִסְעָדֵֽנִי׃ בְּרֹ֣ב שַׂרְעַפַּ֣י בְּקִרְבִּ֑י תַּ֝נְחוּמֶ֗יךָ יְֽשַׁעַשְׁע֥וּ נַפְשִֽׁי׃ הַֽ֭יְחׇבְרְךָ כִּסֵּ֣א הַוּ֑וֹת יֹצֵ֖ר עָמָ֣ל עֲלֵי־חֹֽק׃ יָ֭גוֹדּוּ עַל־נֶ֣פֶשׁ צַדִּ֑יק וְדָ֖ם נָקִ֣י יַרְשִֽׁיעוּ׃ וַיְהִ֬י יְהֹוָ֣ה לִ֣י לְמִשְׂגָּ֑ב וֵ֝אלֹה��֗י לְצ֣וּר מַחְסִֽי׃ וַיָּ֤שֶׁב עֲלֵיהֶ֨ם ׀ אֶת־אוֹנָ֗ם וּבְרָעָתָ֥ם יַצְמִיתֵ֑ם יַ֝צְמִיתֵ֗ם יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃

[death-shuttle]

הֲלֹ֣א כֶ֭חָלָב תַּתִּיכֵ֑נִי וְ֝כַגְּבִנָּ֗ה תַּקְפִּיאֵֽנִי׃

You poured me out like milk,

Congealed me like cheese;

JOB 10:10 from sefaria.org

“God poured me out like milk and curdled me like cheese” sounds like a post you’d find on tumblr dot com, but it is in fact Job 10:10

[highpriestofptah]

The Prince of Egypt is the Most Zionist Film

There's no way around it.

It's hard to miss when the prologue that starts right after the DreamWorks logo was written to make that point very clear in the most theatrically obvious way possible with the opening banger, Deliver Us, whose lyrics are:

Deliver us. Hear our call, deliver us. Lord of all, remember us. Lord of all, remember us. Here in this burning sand Deliver us. There's a land You promised us. Deliver us to the Promised Land. ~ ♫ [source]

The entire film is based on a story in the Book of Shemot/Exodus, which is all about the Hebrew people escaping hostile conditions in the Land of Egypt and Goshen for freedom in a Promise Land that G-d has promised the Hebrew people.

The main plot of this film from a secular lens is the retelling or a story from the Torah about how the Hebrew people underwent an arduous journey from slavery in a foreign land, to an organised tribe of people with its own set of rules and laws when Moses brings down the tablets symbolising the Ten Commandments from Mt. Sinaï at the end of the film. The Prince of Egypt is about the Hebrew people's unified desire for safety from religious persecution, infanticide, and deliverance from bondage.

If someone is unapologetically anti-Zionist and strongly opposes Zionism, or anything resembling an idea of the Hebrew people being allowed to prosper and practise their own religious beliefs and and cultural values within a land of their own where they can be free to live as they choose, the Prince of Egypt is not for them.

I don't care if it was a "childhood favourite," or if the soundtrack slaps (it does, especially trap remixes of it!) If you oppose Zionism, you're gonna hate the story the Prince of Egypt is going out of its way to tell.

The Prince of Egypt had a direct-to-VHS "prequel," Joseph and the King of Memes Dreams. This "prequel" is based on another Biblical story that came generations before the one being told in the Prince of Egypt; this film shows important Biblical figures like Yaakov/Jacob, the patriarch who eventually became known by another name, Israel (which means "struggle with G-d").

If anyone wants to say "the Hebrew people of the Bible and the stories therein are not the same as the Jewish people of the modern day, they would be wrong; the prequel for the Prince of Egypt features characters meant to reference the men who became the famed "12 tribes of Israel," one of them being the tribe of a man named Yehuda/Judah; the Hebrew word Yehudi means "of Judah," referencing that tribe of Judah. That word eventually gave way to the modern English word "Jew," which is now used to refer to the broader group of Israelites, regardless of tribal identity.

If someone is strongly opposed to Zionism for any reason: viewing, supporting, or enjoying a Zionist film like the Prince of Egypt is out of the question. Drawing artwork of characters from this film, listening to the soundtrack, and consuming merch related to it should be theoretically off-limits to anyone who has a strong opposition to the message of the film, or anything the film explicitly advocates for throughout it's 1 hour and 39 minutes of Zionist messaging.

References

Chabad.org for the historical usage of the word "Jew"

IMDb.com for film synopses

Genius.com for a breakdown of the meaning behind each verse in Deliver Us. Every other song from the Prince of Egypt OST can be found there for reference

JewishVirtualLibrary.org for definitions of modern concepts

Sefaria.org for all relevant verses from the Tanakh

[steal-horses]

bible ephesians weave

1000 tongues -- vertical worship // sefaria.org // jurgen lorenzen // national science foundation // rob hoskins // raina ong // we are one -- the city harmonic // ephesians 2:14-18 -- erv-zh //

[schoolcontainer]

1000 tongues -- vertical worship // sefaria.org // jurgen lorenzen // national science foundation // rob hoskins // raina ong // we are one -- the city harmonic // ephesians 2:14-18 -- erv-zh //