Eros, Creation and Holiness - Tazriah - Mythic Torah

Welcome back to Mythic Torah, my regular article investigating monsters, heroes and gods in the weekly Torah reading. This week's reading is Tazriah, the 4th reading of the book of Leviticus, that deals with purity/impurity laws surrounding birth and leprosy.

If you had to write a creation myth, what would be your basic image? How would the world come into being?

When Tolkien answered this question, writing the Ainulindalë that begins his most mythic work of fiction, the Silmarillion, he had the world created out of music and song. Illuvatar, the chief of the Ainur, the gods of Middle Earth, has all the ainur join in a song before presenting them with the work of their artistry:

"But when they were come into the Void, Ilúvatar said to them: ‘Behold your Music!’ And he showed to them a vision, giving to them sight where before was only hearing; and they saw a new World made visible before them, and it was globed amid the Void, and it was sustained therein, but was not of it. And as they looked and wondered this World began to unfold its history, and it seemed to them that it lived and grew. And when the Ainur had gazed for a while and were silent, Ilúvatar said again: ‘Behold your Music! This is your minstrelsy; and each of you shall find contained herein, amid the design that I set before you, all those things which it may seem that he himself devised or added."
-The Silmarillion

Tolkien's vision of creation through singing is a powerful statement of creation through art, and art as creation. It is an abstract kind of creating, that arises from the mind and soul before being expressed through vocal chords and sounds.

But almost all mythologies of the ancient near east went in very different directions, choosing instead one (or both) of two basic motifs - sex and combat.

I've spoken a fair amount about the combat motif of creation, in which the earth is carved from the carcass of a slain monster such as Tiamat (in Babylonian myth). But with our parasha's interest in the process of procreation, Tazriah seems a good time to look at the other kind of creation.

Priests vs Clerics - Tzav - Mythic Torah

http://patrickmcevoy.deviantart.com/

"Magic User, Fighter, Thief, Ranger, Bard or Cleric?"

I may have let the cat out of the bag in the last few weeks about some of my geekier interests and hobbies, but for parashat Tzav it's time to delve into another - Dungeons and Dragons (and other tabletop role-playing games).

D&D is a fantasy role-playing game in which each player creates a character to be their avatar in the game world, each character is defined by statistics, abilities, level, alignment and, most crucially for our discussion today, a class. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses - a fighter would be good at hand to hand combat but not best at sneaking past foes unseen, while a Magic User could draw on a potent range of spells but were weak if caught in combat.

Clerics were an interesting bunch. They had combat potential and could wear armour, they could call on their deities to banish the undead, and most importantly, they could always be relied on for healing spells. As long as a cleric was true to the strictures of their god (whichever god that might be), their powers were essential for keeping the party alive and in one piece, while a party without a cleric might struggle to make it to the final encounters with only a few hit points to spare.

And of all the stats that a D&D character has, it was Wisdom that was the Clerics most important characteristic.

As a student Rabbi, I like the idea that a cleric's main role is in wisdom (though I suspect Intelligence, Charisma and Constitution are also pretty important). A rabbis role is to learn our sacred texts and bring them to the people so they are accessible, meaningful and transformative.

But what about the Cohanim?

From the Deep - Monstrous Pride - Leviathan in Ezekiel 32

Ezekiel 32:2-6

^2]‘Son of man, take up a lament concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:

‘“You are like a lion among the nations; you are like a monster (tanim) in the seas, thrashing about in your streams, churning the water with your feet and muddying the streams.

^3] ‘“This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

‘“With a great throng of people I will cast my net over you, and they will haul you up in my net.
^4] I will throw you on the land and hurl you on the open field. I will let all the birds of the sky settle on you and all the wild animals gorge themselves on you.
^5] I will spread your flesh on the mountains and fill the valleys with your remains.
^6] I will drench the land with your flowing blood all the way to the mountains, and the ravines will be filled with your flesh.

ב בֶּן-אָדָם שָׂא קִינָה עַל-פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ-מִצְרַיִם וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו כְּפִיר גּוֹיִם נִדְמֵיתָ וְאַתָּה כַּתַּנִּים בַּיַּמִּים וַתָּגַח בְּנַהֲרוֹתֶיךָ וַתִּדְלַח-מַיִם בְּרַגְלֶיךָ וַתִּרְפֹּס נַהֲרֹתָם:
ג כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה וּפָרַשְׂתִּי עָלֶיךָ אֶת-רִשְׁתִּי בִּקְהַל עַמִּים רַבִּים וְהֶעֱלוּךָ בְּחֶרְמִי:
ד וּנְטַשְׁתִּיךָ בָאָרֶץ עַל-פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה אֲטִילֶךָ וְהִשְׁכַּנְתִּי עָלֶיךָ כָּל-עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהִשְׂבַּעְתִּי מִמְּךָ חַיַּת כָּל-הָאָרֶץ:
ה וְנָתַתִּי אֶת-בְּשָׂרְךָ עַל-הֶהָרִים וּמִלֵּאתִי הַגֵּאָיוֹת רָמוּתֶךָ:
ו וְהִשְׁקֵיתִי אֶרֶץ צָפָתְךָ מִדָּמְךָ אֶל-הֶהָרִים וַאֲפִקִים יִמָּלְאוּן מִמֶּךָּ:

Last week on 'From the Deep' we looked at Ezekiel's first prophecy against Egypt (Ez 29) in which he calls Pharaoh the sea monster lying amidst the streams. Just 3 chapters later, Ezekiel is repeating a similar idea, only this time even more epic in scale.

Now Pharaoh is not just among the streams but in the seas, God will not just fish the monster out of the water and leave him in the desert but fill the mountains and valleys with Pharaoh's remains - the blood will drench the land.

Pharaoh thought he was a kefir, a young fierce lion, roaming over land in command of everything. But God says that he is wrong, Pharaoh is nothing other than a big fish - monstrous, certainly, but when plucked from the water, his natural habitat, he will be nothing more than food for the beasts.

Rashi (the classic 11th C commentator) writes: "You should have lain in your streams like the law of fish, and not come out to dry land. But you were haughty in your heart and compared yourself to a young lion that rules over the land and tears prey."

What does this text have to teach us about pride?

From the Deep - Human Monsters - Leviathan in Ezekiel 29

Ezekiel 29:2-5
2] 'Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. 3] Speak to him and say: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

"I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
    you great sea monster (Tanim) lying among your streams.
You say, ‘The Nile belongs to me;
    I made it for myself.

4] But I will put hooks in your jaws
    and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales.
I will pull you out from among your streams,
    with all the fish sticking to your scales. 

5] I will leave you in the desert,
    you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open field
    and not be gathered or picked up.
I will give you as food
    to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky."

ב בֶּן-אָדָם שִׂים פָּנֶיךָ עַל-פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרָיִם וְהִנָּבֵא עָלָיו וְעַל-מִצְרַיִם כֻּלָּהּ: 

ג דַּבֵּר וְאָמַרְתָּ כֹּה-אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה הִנְנִי עָלֶיךָ פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ-מִצְרַיִם הַתַּנִּים הַגָּדוֹל הָרֹבֵץ בְּתוֹךְ יְאֹרָיו אֲשֶׁר אָמַר לִי יְאֹרִי וַאֲנִי עֲשִׂיתִנִי:
ד וְנָתַתִּי (חַחִיים) [חַחִים] בִּלְחָיֶיךָ וְהִדְבַּקְתִּי דְגַת-יְאֹרֶיךָ בְּקַשְׂקְשֹׂתֶיךָ וְהַעֲלִיתִיךָ מִתּוֹךְ יְאֹרֶיךָ וְאֵת כָּל-דְּגַת יְאֹרֶיךָ בְּקַשְׂקְשֹׂתֶיךָ תִּדְבָּק:
ה וּנְטַשְׁתִּיךָ הַמִּדְבָּרָה אוֹתְךָ וְאֵת כָּל-דְּגַת יְאֹרֶיךָ עַל-פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה תִּפּוֹל לֹא תֵאָסֵף וְלֹא תִקָּבֵץ לְחַיַּת הָאָרֶץ וּלְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם נְתַתִּיךָ לְאָכְלָה: 

What does it mean to call someone a monster?

In our society, we throw the word around easily but with certain common targets - child molesters, serial killers, terrorists, dictators. To call someone a monster is to deny humanity to them, to say that we cannot begin to understand their abhorrent actions because they are not like us, they are something alien and terrifying. Calling anyone a monster works as a societal defence mechanism, forming a strong boundary between us and them, putting them on the other side, beyond the pale and beyond the point where they can be understood.

In Ezekiel 29 (and 32 that we will look at next week) the prophet calls Pharaoh a monster.

From the Deep - God Fights! - Psalm 74

John Singer Sargent, 'Hercules', 1921

Psalm 74:11-15
11] Why do you withdraw Your hand, Your right hand? Take it out of your bosom! 12] For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13] You parted the sea (Yam) by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea monsters (Taninim) on the water. 14] You crushed the heads of Leviathan, and gave him for food to the people inhabiting the wilderness (or: to sea-faring people). 15] You cleaved open springs and torrents; You dried up ever-flowing streams.

יא לָ֤מָּה תָשִׁ֣יב יָ֭דְךָ וִֽימִינֶ֑ךָ מִקֶּ֖רֶב חוקך [חֵֽיקְךָ֣] כַלֵּֽה: יב וֵ֭אלֹקים מַלְכִּ֣י מִקֶּ֑דֶם פֹּ֘עֵ֥ל יְ֝שׁוּע֗וֹת בְּקֶ֣רֶב הָאָֽרֶץ: יג אַתָּ֤ה פוֹרַ֣רְתָּ בְעָזְּךָ֣ יָ֑ם שִׁבַּ֖רְתָּ רָאשֵׁ֥י תַ֝נִּינִ֗ים עַל־הַמָּֽיִם: יד אַתָּ֣ה רִ֭צַּצְתָּ רָאשֵׁ֣י לִוְיָתָ֑ן תִּתְּנֶ֥נּוּ מַֽ֝אֲכָ֗ל לְעַ֣ם לְצִיִּֽים: טו אַתָּ֣ה בָ֭קַעְתָּ מַעְיָ֣ן וָנָ֑חַל אַתָּ֥ה ה֝וֹבַ֗שְׁתָּ נַֽ֘הֲר֥וֹת אֵיתָֽן:

I've already looked at Psalm 74 here, in which I compared it to Psalm 104 for two different perspectives on the nature of Leviathan, and by extension chaos itself, in the universe. But for today's From the Deep I wanted to take a deeper look at the psalm itself.

In it we shall have our first vision of ancient combat between God and the primordial forces of chaos, the primary biblical motif of the relationship between the divine and the monstrous.

What does it mean for us that Judaism's most central texts portray God with such a violent image?