Babylonian Exile

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1. Multiple Reflections Upon the Fast of Tammuz

   Rabbi Dr. Aharon Adler

   תאריך פרסום: תשע"ג | |

   Turning to the book of Zekharya, we begin with a question posed to the prophet: are the fast days still to be in place after the exile? An ambiguous and lengthy answer ends with the response that they will be transformed into days of joy. Conspicuously absent in the answer is a time frame. To better understand what is going on, we explore what happened on the day commemorated by the “fast of the fourth month.” Excerpts from poetry of Ibn Gabirol, among other sources, contribute to a richer picture of what the fast day is about.

2. Historical and Prophetic Setting

   Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

   After the seventy years of the Babylonian exile come to an end with the Cyrus declaration, a small number of Jews decide to return to Eretz Yisrael while the majority of Jews choose to stay in Babylon and Persia. The story of the Megillat Esther in Shushan takes place after Cyrus's declaration with those Jews who did not return. 

3. By the Waters of Babylon: Analyzing Mizmor 137

   Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom

   תאריך פרסום: תש"ע | |

   Traditionally, mizmor Tehillim 137 of "Al neharot bavel" is known to be about mourning for the Beit Hamikdash while in exile. However, by analyzing this mizmor within the context of the purpose of Tehillim as a whole, we can uncover an alternative understanding - that this mizmor is actually a joyous reflective song about survival and triumph in the face of destruction.

4. The Decline towards Hurban

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   The last four kings of Yehuda struggle under the crippling hegemony first of Egypt and then of Babylon, suffering military defeat, vassalage, humiliation, deportation, siege and torture. The sun is setting on the First Temple period and it will swiftly end in the conquest of Jerusalem and the exile of its people.

   Soon after Yehoahaz becomes king, Pharaoh Nekho makes his brother Yehoyakim the king placing on him a heavy tax. Yehoyakim and the higher strata of society lead a lavish lifestyle oppressing the regular people to pay the tax and for their lifestyles - something that the prophet Yirmiyahu fights against. Despite the growing power of Babylon and despite Yirmiyahu's prophecies, the people remain indifferent and believe the Beit HaMikdash to be invicible. Yehoyakim is removed by the Babylonian king and the child king Yehoyakhin rules for a mere three months. He, the skilled laborers and the vessels of the Beit HaMikdash are taken to Babylon beginning the exile of Yehuda and creating two centers - in Jerusalem with Tzidkiyahu and in Babylon with Yehoyakhin.

5. The End

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   Sefer Melakhim has little to say about the life of the last king of Yehuda, Tzidkiyahu. No specific happening or event that occurred during the first nine years of his eleven year rule are recorded. It is as if his reign was almost inconsequential and the Hurban just happens to transpire on his watch.

   From the book of Yirmiyahu, King Tzidkiyahu emerges as a weak leader, a spineless and fickle character. On the one hand, he seeks Yirmiyahu's advice and assistance, and then, when intimidated by his own officials, he submits to their demands that Yirmiyahu be imprisoned as a traitor. When conditions get dire, Tzidkiyahu tries to escape Jerusalem, saving his own life but abandoning his nation still entrapped within. Tzidkiyahu conspires with other kings to rebel against Babylon, supported by local false prophets, but Yirmiyahu continues to prophesy the imminent destruction of the Beit HaMikdash.

   In the aftermath of the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, Gedaliah is murdered, sealing the fate on any chance of continued Jewish life in Israel. Yehoyakhin's reprive at the end of Sefer Melakhim gives a glimmer hope for a better future for the Jewish people.

6. The Exiles In Babylon

   Rabbi David Sabato

   In the interim period between the exile of Yekhonya and the exile of Yehuda in the days of Tzidkiyahu, a complex situation was created in which there were two Jewish centers: one in Bavel, which included the elite of Jerusalem, and one in Jerusalem, where the poorest of the people of the land remained. There is a king in both centers: Yehoyakhin in Bavel and Tzidkiyahu in Jerusalem. This complex situation raised the question of the status of each center and the relationship between them.

   One perception arises in Bavel among the elders of Israel who come to Yehezkel thinking that the covenant between God and Israel has been annulled and that they should now integrate themselves among the nations.

   In contrast stands the opposite position, expressed primarily in the words of the false prophets, which views the exile as a temporary and fleeting event that will come to a close in the near future.

   Yirmiyahu proposes a third possibility, one that is different and more complex. Yirmiyahu argues that the exile is not a passing event, but rather a significant one. It is a long and extended process for which preparation is necessary. The people must settle into it and build upon it, while knowing that its goal is the return to Eretz Yisrael. Exile is a necessary condition for redemption. However, for the first time, Yirmiyahu also expresses the idea that will accompany exiled Jews for thousands of years – identification with the country in which they are found.

   Historically, the complex picture that Yirmiyahu tried to fix in the nation's consciousness in the exile was not always successfully absorbed. Sometimes, Jews became overly settled in their lands and over-emphasized seeking the peace of exile; occasionally, they strongly opposed their country and preached rebellion. 

7. Foreign Kings and Empires during the Destruction of the Beit Hamikdash

   HaTanakh.com Staff

8. Babylonian Exile: Fleeting or Enduring?

   Rabbi David Sabato

9. Al Naharot Bavel

   Atara Snowbell | 46 minutes

   Psalms chapter 137 known as "Al Neharot Bavel" is commonly recited during the Nine Days - the period of mourning leading to Tisha B'Av. What are the main messages that lie within this chapter? By closely examining the words and imagery, we can learn about the danger in the comforts of exile, as well as the important role that the Land of Israel and, more specifically, Jerusalem, play in the poet's relationship with God. 

10. Isaiah Chapter 62 - Relationship with God

    Rabbi Moshe Cohen

11. Gedalya ben Ahikam and the Return to Zion

    Rabbi Yaakov Medan

12. He Who Answered Hananya, Mishael and Azarya - He Who Answered Daniel

    HaTanakh.com Staff

13. The Idea of Shabbat in the Book of Yechezkel

    Dr. Tova Ganzel | Hour and 8 minutes

    What is the status of Shabbat observance during the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash and the Babylonian exile? This shiur traces the records of Shabbat observance in the Tanakh, and particularly in the book of Yechezkel, and highlights the crucial nature of Shabbat - its desecration ultimately lead to the destruction, and its observance signifies the eternal relationship between God and Israel. 

14. Sefer Yirmiyahu - When Politics and Religion Clash

    Rabbi Menachem Leibtag | Hour and 3 minutes

    What is the role of prophecy? Typically the role of a prophet is to share a religious message. This shiur illustrates what happens when politics and religion clash- when religious status is used to promote political opinion. By differentiating between politics and religion, the nation during the time of Yirmiyahu could have prevented the destruction of the Temple. Analyzing Yirmiyahu's prophecies leads us to an understanding of the false messages of the political and religious leaders of the time, and about how to act as a nation representing God.

15. On The Waters of Babel: A Celebratory Psalm (Tehillim 137)

    Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom | 51 minutes

    Although traditionally Psalm 137 is seen as a sad and mournful psalm, through a close examination of the psalm we can view it in a completely different light. Rather than describing the mourning in exile, the psalm may be expressing the mourning as the cause for celebration- by refusing to forget about our status in exile we merited our return to the land of Israel. 

    Courtesy of www.tanachstudy.com

16. Historical Introduction, Part III - Josiah’s Death

    Shiur #04

    Dr. Yael Ziegler

    תאריך פרסום: 5778 |

    The reign of Ashurbanipal, the last powerful king of the mighty Assyrian Empire, marked both the pinnacle of the Assyrian Empire’s power and the beginning of its decline. Josiah reigned as king of Judah during the period of Assyria’s deterioration and downfall. Significantly, biblical accounts describing Josiah’s reign focus primarily on his personal religious transformation and the way in which it affected his national policies. The nation likely concluded that the two were connected. To understand the repercussions of this, we will examine Josiah’s life and reign.

    Rabbinic sources suggest that the kernel of the book of Eikha begins to emerge in the aftermath of Josiah’s death, which is devastating to the nation. Various ways of dealing with the problem of theodicy ensue, and some different approaches can be found in the book of Eikha. Josiah’s death marks the beginning of the theological crisis and the first attempts to struggle with the complex questions that arise in the wake of unexplained human suffering. 

17. Ramban on Bo: HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem - This Month is for You

    Rabbi Ezra Bick | 36 minutes

    Parashat Bo features the first mitzvah given to the Nation of Israel: that of sanctifying the months. Ramban explains that the Torah is teaching us that the Jewish people should count the months from this month of redemption in order to remember God’s miracles for us, and that the Torah purposely does not use names for months or days – so that as we count, we remember God’s wonders.  Why, then, do we use the Babylonian month names for the “Jewish calendar” today?

    Ramban points us to a verse from Yirmiahu, which seems to suggest that the redemption from Babylonia will surpass that of the Exodus from Egypt. Is that really a justification for changing the calendar? And how can we say that anything erases the Exodus?

    The exodus from the Babylonian exile does not negate the Exodus from Egypt – it extends it with the amazing realization that God, after exiling Israel, is willing to redeem us again. 

18. By the Rivers of Babylon: Survival and Resilience

    The Structure & Story of Book V (107-150)

    Dr. Beni Gesundheit | Hour and 12 minutes

    Mizmor 137 and the Last David Collection (138-145): Unit II of Book V

    How does the wish for punishing the Babylonians and the last David collection complete the picture for Jewish survival? What are the connections between this mizmor, the previous units of Book V and the last David collection which envision the restoration of the Davidic kingdom and hope for world-wide redemption?

    Mizmor 137 describes the sad state of the Jews in exile by the rivers of Babylon, their eternal allegiance to Jerusalem and calls for revenge on the enemies responsible for the destruction. The complex inter-connections between this and the eight mizmorim in the last David collection may be elucidated by contextual interpretation which reveals the flow of the narrative of Book V and its role in the entire Book of Tehillim.

19. Yetziat Mitzrayim in Isaiah: A New Redemption

    Dr. Yael Ziegler

    תאריך פרסום: 2023 | | Hour and 5 minutes

    The story of the Exodus from Egypt is woven into the prophecies of consolation in the Book of Isaiah, both as a way of comparing and contrasting between them. To understand the nature of these linguistic and thematic allusions and their theological message, we will explore the historical context of Isaiah's prophecies of consolation and compare it to the foundational story of Israel leaving Egypt.

     

     

    Dedicated in memory of Tom Weisz, z'l, Moshe Meir ben Avraham haKohen v'Rivka Rachel by his wife, Shelli and family. His dedication to Torah learning remains our inspiration