Mida K'Neged Mida

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1. Suddenly - Sinister Sales and Societal Values

   Chazal's Preambles to Megillat Esther: Part 4

   Rabbi Moshe Taragin | 18 minutes

   Why do Chazal characterize Achashverosh as "the first of the sellers" and Haman as "the first of the purchasers"? How is this reflective of Haman's evil displayed in the megilla? Market forces are used by Haman and Achashverosh to sell the Jewish people to their death. A deeper message that emerges is that Jews must be indignant when injustice takes place, and must not be part of a value system which idolizes wealth.

2. I am Esau Your Firstborn - And Now, My Son, Listen to My Voice

   Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | 35 minutes

   Rivka is often viewed as the heroine in the story of the blessings: she disguises Yaakov as Esav so that her younger son will receive Yitzchak's blessing. The problematic deception, and the ensuing separation, exile, and suffering point to another perspective in the story. Does Rivka's daring plan exemplify the importance of human initiative alongside Divine Providence, or is it a tragic mistake?

3. Of Bags and Brothers (Audio)

   Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | 24 minutes

   The brothers’ sacks should contain grain, or cash, but not both. When they find their money (which Yosef had slipped into the sacks) along with the grain in their sacks, they worry. What is Yosef doing? Does he wish to harshly punish, or to kindly provide a way to achieve atonement? Yosef ultimately demonstrates that pursuing morality trumps realizing dreams.

4. The Testimony of Ha'azinu

   Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | 31 minutes

   What is the purpose of the text of Haazinu and the "heavens and earth" serving in a witnessing capacity? Haazinu presents divine justice - and reminds Bnei Yisrael that the "measure for measure" horrors during a time of "Hester Panim" - times when God hides His Face - are still bracketed by past and future Divine healing. Haazinu, juxtaposed with the "Luchot Ha-Edut" (Tablets of Testimony) is a testament to the eternal and lasting covenantal connection between God and Israel.

5. Confrontation, Punishment, Submission

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   There are two dimensions to Ahav's demise. On a personal level, Ahav is worse than all of his predecessors. However, the House of Omri, Ahav's royal lineage, is just another chapter in the dismal succession of kings of the Northern kingdom. 

   One might argue that the most severe of Ahav's crimes was idolatry, a sin on a national scale, whereas the murder of Navot was a personal crime, which didn't affect the national temper and did not influence wider ethical norms in ancient Israel. The Rambam insists, however, that murder is at the top of the pyramid, as it causes “the destruction of civilization,” the disintegration of society, undermining its cohesion and trust.

   On this backdrop, Ahav's sudden teshuva is disconcerting, arousing a sense of astonishment. Can one make amends so easily? Both in the subsequent texts and in the Midrash the degree and depth of Ahav's teshuva remains an open topic.

    

6. Healing, Death and Immortality

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   Elisha heals the water of Jericho after crossing the Jordan, reminscent of the healing of the waters of Mara after the splitting of the Red Sea. Elisha's first act - healing the water - sharply contrasts Eliyahu's first act of decreeing a draught. Elisha's harsh reaction to the youth who taunted him reflects the message that was said to Elisha regarding his master Eliyahu. The question of Eliyahu's immortatlity is evaluated within the corpus of Tanakh and in the sources of the Sages.  

7. Yoash's Reversal

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   Melakhim describes Yoash as a good king. A different story is described in great detail in Divrei Hayamim. After Yehoyada's death, Yoash abandons the guidance of the Kohanim, turns to idolatry and murders the prophet Zekharya in the courtyard of the Beit HaMikdash - the son of the man who saved him and made him king. Just as he betrays, his servants betray him and kill him after he is injured in a battle against Hazael - King of Aram who despite being outnumbered defeats Yoash and walks away with great spoils. Different theories are suggested as how to reconcile the two accounts but it remains unclear why this episode is hardly even alluded to in Melakhim.

8. In the Garden

   Rabbi Yaakov Beasley

   To understand properly how Adam and Chava erred and the purpose of narrating this failure for eternity, we cannot begin with the dialogue between the serpent and Chava in Chapter 3. We must also include what occurs in Chapter 2, from the creation of the Garden and the rivers within it, the placing of man in the Garden and his charge, the naming of the animals, and the creation of woman. 

   Chapter 2 plays an important role in understanding the penalties that Hashem metes out to the participants of the sin.  Each punishment reflects the reversal of the idyllic situation that previously existed. In unlocking the meaning of our narrative, we must play close attention to this structure.