Sorry, readers

I'm going to have to discontinue posting regularly for the foreseeable future. This semester is proving to be a heavy one and I just don't have time for the kind of research and work I like to put into this blog. I may start writing regularly again in December.

Render unto God

I’ve gotten into the habit of starting these halachic entries by quoting a verse. I have a difficulty with that, this week, though. The sages read the same verse in three different ways, and all are considered valid readings, because the grammar is ambiguous. In many cases the text is purposefully ambiguous to lead to multiple interpretations. I’m going to address as much of Exodus 20:20 as I can in this space, and we’ll see how far we get.

The most common reading of this verse is as follows, “You shall not make with Me gods of silver or gods of gold to worship them.” The word “images” is understood in this verse, making it “you shall not make with me images of gods…”

However, R. Huna explains that if we read the third word as “oti” (my sign/image) rather than “iti” (with me), it reads “You shall not make My image.” What, then, is God’s image? “And God created the man in his image, in the image of God He created him.”

From this reading we derrive the ruling that it is forbidden to make images of human beings, because we are made in the image of God. This is restricted to three-dimensional images like sculptures. If the image is flat or receeds (like an engraving), it does not violate this commandment (R. Israel Meir Kagan, SMK Negative commandment 144).

For this reason it is not permitted to make or to own a three dimensional image of a human being.

This commandment can inform our reading of Mark 12:14-17

And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?" But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why put me to the test? Bring me a coin, and let me look at it." And they brought one. And he said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said to him, "Caesar's." Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were amazed at him. (RSV)

The Kingdom of Heaven

Elections are in the news again and, like always, they sound like the rest of the soap operas. Will he? Won't he? Can you believe what she said? Who he texted? In the middle of all of this it's important for us to remember where our citizenship is.

With school keeping me busy I'm not able to produce two blog posts like I usually do the first week of the month, today I just want to remind my readers that our Kingdom is not of the world, that we ought to obey civil authorities, but we do not need to become overly involved in the political processes of this world, because our duty and our loyalty belong with our God and our family.

Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels, but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age.