Inheritance

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1. Navot's Vineyard (Part 3)

   Navot's Refusal and its Motives

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   Despite Ahav’s generous offer, Navot refuses to sell his vineyard. The narrative describes Ahav’s attempt to ignore the real reason behind Navot’s refusal and Izevel describes it as petty. In fact, Navot’s refusal is based on the value of preserving the patriarchal inheritance which was viewed not as an asset with monetary value, but rather as part of a social structure in which the individual was connected to his family.

2. The Storm (Part 8)

   The Dialogue on the Other Side of the Jordan (I)

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   Elisha requests "Pi-Shnayim" - a double portion of Eliyahu's spirit. Four interpretations of this request are raised: Double of what Eliyahu himself had; Elisha is requesting to preform double the miracles that Eliyahu preformed; Double the portion of the other Bnei Ha’Nevi’im; two parts of Eliyahu’s whole spirit thus receiving Eliyahu's recognition of Elisha as his successor and the continuer of his path amongst Am Yisrael.

3. The Storm (Part 9)

   The Dialogue on the Other Side of the Jordan (II)

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   Elisha requests Eliyahu's recognition of him as his successor, although it is clear to both of them that Elisha is different from his master, and is not prepared to negate himself. What he wants is for Eliyahu's spirit to rest upon him in addition to his own, independent spirit. If God opens Elisha's eyes and shows him the vision of Eliyahu's ascent to heaven, alive, with the understanding that Eliyahu's mission is not yet complete, and that his path in this world must be continued, with a softening of the way – then he will be Eliyahu's heir and successor. If Elisha does not merit this, then it will be clear that God does not desire for Elisha to be Eliyahu's successor. It will be clear that the special attributes of this disciple are independent and not a continuation of those of his master. 

4. A Perfect Murder: Navot's Vineyard

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   Though it is completely clear from the beginning of the storyline that Ahav is legally powerless to commandeer Navot's vineyard - a significant statement regarding the autonomy of the common citizen in ancient Israel - the outcome after Izevel's ruthless plan displays the helplessness and vulnerability of the simple Jewish farmer. While the story describes Ahav as passive and ignorant of Izevel's plan and Izevel as the mastermind, Eliyahu makes it clear that Ahav is fully implicated in the murder. Ahav succeeds in taking Navot's ethical stand and grotesquely twisting it into an egotistical gesture of greed and as king he cannot absolve himself by claiming ignorance, all the more so when the pointers were rather obvious.

5. The Concluding Chapters of Yehezkel

   Dr. Tova Ganzel

   The first part of Chapter 45 deals with the division of the land among the tribes of Israel. But the division here is fundamentally different to that familiar to us: the one dating to the period when the land was originally settled. This new division apparently serves two different purposes. First, the placement of the Levite inheritance between the inheritance of the other tribes and the Temple is meant to prevent the Temple from being defiled. In addition, this new arrangement will prevent the office-bearers from being dependent, to some extent, on the people – a situation which in the past had led to the misuse of the leaders’ power.

   There are some significant discrepancies between the laws that Yehezkel sets down and the laws of the Torah, specifically in the area of Korbanot. It is difficult to characterize all the differences between the sacrifices set down in the Torah and those we encounter in Yechezkel’s prophecy. However, the changes to the sacrifices listed in Yechezkel should be viewed as part of a broader totality of change, including a new order of leadership with the aim of preventing a repetition of the catastrophe of the departure of the Divine Presence and the subsequent destruction of the Temple.

   The changes extend from the Temple itself to Jerusalem and to the other parts of the country: the city becomes shared by all the tribes of Israel, and the land is divided among the tribes in an egalitarian manner. This redivision of the inheritances will help to reduce antagonism among the tribes, and perhaps help to prevent oppression and theft, since these, too, were among the reasons for God’s departure from the Temple in the past.

   Chapter 47 offers a surprising turning-point in the vision of the future Temple. The prophet speaks here neither of the structure nor of the order of service, but rather describes a wondrous stream that emerges from the entrance to God’s House and flows all the way to the Arava. Although Yechezkel has distanced the people from anything connected to the Temple, now he is also creating a Divine connection with the people that has never existed before.

   The wondrous river that appears at the end of the Sefer seems to be a way of bringing the Sanctuary into the very midst of the people more than ever before: through connecting with the miraculous abundance and healing forces of the river, powers not found in the usual course of nature.

   It turns out that in order to heal the people, the prophet foresees a fissure in the regular order of nature. Beyond purification - a  necessary condition for the revival of the people in the future - there will also be possible forms of healing that pass through the Sanctuary, but that do not require the people to approach.

   Now we see that the healing properties of the river in fact have the wondrous ability to repair the flaws that caused the Destruction. The distancing of the people from the Temple turns out to be a physical measure that does not reflect any spiritual distancing: God connects the people to the Temple by means of the river that flows from the very midst of the House, notwithstanding the geographical distance.

   So it turns out that ultimately the bond between God and His people is not only renewed unilaterally by God; but the entire nation is part of the process as they are nourished, by the river from the Temple, more directly than ever before.

6. Yishmael: Son of the Handmaiden or Son of Avraham?

   Rabbi Moshe Cohen

7. Peshat and Midrash Halakha

   Part 1 - Introduction

   Rabbi Amnon Bazak

   The conventional approach among the commentators is thus that all of Chazal's interpretations are halakhically binding, but they do not void the validity of the peshat reading of the text.

   However, the Ibn Ezra is of the belief that when the midrash halakha contradicts the plain meaning of the verse, it should not be regarded as an interpretation of the verse, but rather as an already-known law relying upon the verse only as asmakhta. In the realm of exegesis, the peshat is the only way of understanding the text, but when it comes to halakha, the Oral Law is binding – even where it does match the plain meaning. The source and authority of the halakha do not arise from the verse, but rather from the oral tradition.

8. The Daughters of Tzelofhad

   Rabbanit Dr. Michal Tikochinsky

9. The Significance of Tzelofhad not Joining Korach

   Rabbi David Silverberg