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www.jewishnews.co.uk
Jewish News 19 March 2020
Progressive Judaism
The Bible Says What? Vashti appeared naked before her husband... except she didn’t! BY RABBI DEBBIE YOUNG-SOMERS I was told the story about Abraham smashing up his father’s idol shop so many times as a child that I was 23 before I realised this isn’t actually in the Genesis narrative. It’s Midrash. Aged 26, I was teaching Purim at a Christian centre in London, and mentioned that Vashti was invited to appear naked before her husband and his friends. One of the students disagreed with me; they’d never seen that before. So we went back to the text to prove I was right. I was wrong. The text doesn’t mention Vashti being naked – we just have our minds in the gutter! The Book of Esther says she was asked to appear wearing her royal crown, in order to show off her beauty. It doesn’t say she was supposed to wear only the crown. It is a Midrash found in the Talmud (Megillah 12b) that suggests she is in fact asked to appear naked. Since then, I have tried to comfort
myself by checking I wasn’t the only person who had learned Midrash, as if it were in the Tanach. In fact, many of us think that the text says something that it actually doesn’t, which fascinates me! In this column we often look at the weird, wonderful, and sometimes horrifying things embedded in our text. But sometimes, we discover that what we thought exists in the text is actually only in a commentary. Our stories as a people are complicated. We tell them through thousands of years of commentary, and we are still invited to contribute to that ongoing process today. There are times when I’m surprised by what the Bible says – and others by what it doesn’t say – but the Jewish story really continues by engaging with both ways and telling it anew.
◆ Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers is community educator at Reform Judaism
Progressively Speaking We must not lose sight of the importance of helping each other BY RABBI SANDRA KVIAT We are living in interesting times, as the saying goes. We are all grappling with what the coronavirus means for us, those we live with and those we care about. We all seem to feel the same overwhelming need to act. In our house, that meant the realisation that we (I) had inadvertently bought several kilos of parsnips and a lot of garlic, but no pasta. It was a hilarious and sobering discovery, and a reminder to keep calm. But the need to act, to feel that we are doing something, is important. For although we might have stocked up, or feel ready, ourselves, our focus should be on how we can also support others in the community; those who might have to selfisolate, those who might not have a large network, those who are vulnerable and/or those who may just appreciate a friendly phone call. Faith plays a key role. At times of anxiety, our Judaism can give us comfort. Our prayers take on extra meaning and the values of our reli-
gion come to the fore. The beauty of Judaism is the care we have for each other and how we value life. My colleague, Rabbi Jonathan Romain, flagged three Jewish principles for this time that I think worth sharing: 1. Dina malchuta dina (the law of the land is law); 2. Pikuach nefesh (saving of life); 3. Al tifros min hatzibur (never separate yourself from your community). In meeting the third, at our synagogue, we have developed a skills register – giving us an overview of members’ skills, qualifications and passions. It only takes a few minutes for people to fill in online, but it
means we can arrange phone tree, and food/medicine drop offs, if and when the need grows. A simple willingness to help is a skill. Streamed and online resources – such as those listed on the Liberal Judaism website – and Skype/FaceTime check-ins are a great way not to lose our sense of community, as we reach the point where we cannot physically get together. I also like the idea of WhatsApp groups – especially when tailored to common ground, so there are groups of parents with young children, or those with elderly parents – as a way to share information and support. This is a worrying time for many, especially as there is so much uncertainty, but we should not lose sight of the importance of helping each other, of being kind, and that coming together – whether in person or virtually – to celebrate and support each other is vital. ◆ Rabbi Sandra Kviat serves Crouch End Chavurah
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