The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 3

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter 3

Episode 33: If You Be Mine

Previously on the book of Shmuel (part Bet) we saw Avner emerge as a major character, being both a king maker and a king’s nephew slayer. The skill involved in his murder of Asa’el is not trifling and surprisingly redounds against him. We also saw that when kings are absent, the troops may decide to act brashly, with an outcome that, it seems nobody really wanted. As we move to chapter 3 Avner again takes center stage. Two wrongs perhaps lead to a third and David will once again have to account for events beyond his control.

David, ever the consummate politician, contends with yet another removal of his enemy against his will. Will he manage to unite the monarchy when members of his own army threaten to tear it asunder? Thanks for joining, I hope you enjoy and would be grateful if you could recommend this channel to a friend.

The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 2

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter 2

Episode 32: Who Rules Who

This week David becomes king yet again (this is his second inauguration). This time, his monarchy is over his tribe, Yehuda and is immediately tested as his troops come into conflict with those of his rival Ish-Boshet, the son of Shaul and the hereditary ruler of the Jewish people. What ensues is a battle that never should have happened as sparing gives way to warring.

Capped by the tragic death of David nephew Asa'el Avner is forced to retreat as Yoav and David's men claim victory. Next week we will see the repercussions of a battle that takes place in the strategic location of Give'on.

Thanks for joining, I hope you enjoy and would be grateful if you could recommend this channel to a friend.

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter 1

Episode 31: Lying and Dying

This week we transitioned from the death of Shaul to its immediate aftermath. We encounter a bizarre account of shaul's last moments told from the perspective of an outsider, an Amalekite

From a literary perspective the author wants us to recall the tragedy of the death of Eli and his sons from the beginning of Sefer shmuel. The context there is a failure of leadership which begets a national ruination. Such is there case again here where Shaul’s death precipitates a major military loss.

But somehow that loss is not truly our focus, because the paradigm has shifted to the role of the leader. There was no one to lament the death of Eli and his sons, but in our chapter that task falls to David who both acts decisively to show that he will brook no ill will towards his predecessor, as well as showing his compassion and admiration for his liege lord shaul and his dearest friend Yehonatan.

We end our chapter with some unanswered questions around the chronology from the combining of the Shaul and David narratives. Is it possible that David sent gifts from his spoils of war while the nation mourned the death of their king? It should go without saying that we cannot believe the Amalekite's account. He seems to be the first in a number of people who believe they can ingratiate themselves with David by being a part of the downfall of the king's perceived enemies, only to find that in doing so they themselves become David's enemy and are immediately vanquished.

Thanks for joining, I hope you enjoy and would be grateful if you could recommend this channel to a friend.

Welcome to part 2 of our series on the history of halacha entitled away, Apart, the Parting of the Ways Between Judaism and Christianity.

This week we look at a few interesting statements from Chazal regarding Christianity including the only time that the Christian testament is quoted verbatim in the gemarah, by a Taanah no less!

Then we explore whether or not a person or sects beliefs at at the end of Bayit Sheni could have put them beyond the pale. What we find is a Judaism which, while not being very easy to join, was nearly impossible to be cast out of. This to me is utterly remarkable. Pre-Rambam Pharasaic or Rabbinic Judaism was extremely tolerant of a wide range of beliefs, or put another way, once you're in, you're in.

That being the case we will spend next time looking into historical, rather than halachic factors that pushed Christianity out of Judaism

An exploration of the lesson of Tu b'Av as seen through 3 Hosheas

Away, Apart: The parting of the ways between Christianity and Judaism - Episode 1

As a preface to this series I highly recommend watching Monty Python's The Life of Brian or this clip (warning: potty language!)

In this mini-series we will seek to answer 1 question which drives our whole discussion; since Christianity sprouted from Judaism, how exactly did that work from a halachic perspective? To put it in extreme terms, was Sruly a good halachic Jew one day and then after he decides to believe in Christianity is he suddenly a goy the next day? If not, what happened and when?

This week we explore a bunch of background information before we can even attempt to answer that question. Things like who are the stakeholders during this time period? Can we halachically mention the name of the person around whom Christianity revolves? We talk about the texts that will be our sources for information from that time, like the Roman historian Tacitus, the Jewish historian Yosef ben Matisyahu - better known as Flavius Josephus and much more.

Lastly, a word of caution - my goal here is to explore the history of halacha and how it intersects with Christianity. I am 100% in no way advocating for any adoption of Christianity by Jews. In fact just the opposite, I want to state unequivocally that Christianity is not for Jews in any way, shape, or form.

If there are any Christians listening to this podcasts I encourage you to support Jews and Jewish causes whenever possible, and to adhere to the 7 Noahide laws.

Thanks for listening and I hope you will share this recording with others.

The Book of Samuel: chapter 31 + Siyum

Whither Malchut

Welcome to our thirtieth in a continuing series on the book of Shmuel or Samuel and the founding of Jewish monarchy.

Episode 30: Death of a Hero

This chapter concludes the tragic and heroic life of king Shaul. We touch on some of the halachic concepts around suicide, euthanasia, and notice how many elements in this chapter are reflective of earlier events in this book. We conclude with several excursions, including on the parallels between stories in Shmuel and those in Shoftim, a look at how elements of Shmuel Aleph lay the groundwork for the events in Megillat Ether and finally, we attempt to explain how Shaul’s end can be seen more as a triumphant act of heroism, rather than a sad coda to his life.

All this and more.

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