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You're listening to Tim Bulkeley's 5 minute Bible
Humour in the Bible: Book 5: Deuteronomy
after the
harsh sarcasm we found in Leviticus
it's rather nice that the first example of humour in Deuteronomy
is much gentler
a wry smile
and i have to give credit to Rabbi Michael Shekel
who pointed this out to me
because, as it begins
the book
the hebrew scriptures know as Devarim 'words'
and the greek bible as Derteronomy or 'second law'
whose names themselves suggest that this is a book of reminder nudges
Rabbi Shekel says:
"Sometimes that extra little push is needed to accomplish something.
Is this the tap of encouragement or a slap at procrastination?
This question comes to mind as we begin to read this fifth and last book of the Torah.
First of all to recap:
We come now to the end of forty years of wandering in the wilderness
on the other side of the Jordan, Moses is addressing the children of Israel
he will spend most of Deuteronomy
reviewing what has taken place since the Exodus
and so he begins
The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb saying
you have stayed long enough at this mountain."
Deuteronomy 1:6
then the rabbi asks
Could it be possible to stay too long at the site of revelation?
The wording that suggests humour here
is again in a play with words, because,
as Jeffrey Tiday in the
JPS Torah Commentary notes
"God's first words in Deuteronomy express impatience
indicating that he was eager for Israel to enter the land immediately.
The nearly forty-year delay was not God's intention
but the result of Israel's failure to trust and obey him"
Deuteronomy 1 the end of verse 6 and beginning of 7
You have stayed on this mountain resume your journey
it's quite clear that God is just a touch impatient
and is nudging Israel
But the attentive
and smart Jewish medieval reader Rashi
spotted a pun here
rabbi explains, but first of all he takes the text at it's plain meaning
you have stayed long enough, time to move on,
secondly
Rashi draws on the Midrash Siphre freight
which sees the long stay in a very positive light
here's where the pun comes in
the Hebrew for 'long enough' is rab which also means abundant
the phrase 'you've stayed long enough' can be rendered as 'you've received abundantly...
for being there
Then he quotes Rashi
"You have received abundant greatness and reward for having stayed at this mountain
you have made the tabernacle, menorah
and the ritual utensils
you received the Torah
you appointed a sanhedrin for yourselves, and commanders over thousands
and commanders over hundreds."
let's look at that! God's first words in Deuteronomy
lrav lahem shevet bahar hazeh
literally
something like: big for you camping here on this mountain!
Which can mean: you've been camping on this mountain long enough
and in view of God's next words: Resume your journey.
Clearly it does mean that
but it could also
in another context
mean as Rashi noticed:
It's been a big deal for you camping here on this mountain.
And, it has been!
for there they have met God
made a covenant with the almighty
and received instruction in how to live
as Rabbi Michael Shekel asks: Why would we want to leave the mountain?
Then like Peter on the mount of transfiguration in Mark 9:5
after a while listening in as Jesus chatted with Moses and Elijah
the Israelites might well have said: Rabbi it's good for us to be here
Let's make three dwellings one for you one for Moses and one for Elijah
God's answer to Peter was to remove the attraction
Moses and Elijah return to heaven
And Jesus and his disciples
descended to earth
God's response to the Israelites after forty years
was just a gentle if perhaps exasperated pun
"Big for you camping here on this mountain.
Resume your journey!"
Yep, Deuteronomy's first humour
is
a wry smile
but that does make a nice change after the
cutting sarcasm
in Leviticus
it takes all sorts of humor to make a Bible.
See you next time
God bless.
and as he does may he
move you on
when necessary
and me
God bless.
Sorry ending repeats