
Adina Ellisis a graduate of the Matan Bellows Eshkolot Educators Institute. She has been teaching Tanakh and machshava over the last two decades, initially on college campuses and in Hebrew Schools in the New Jersey area. Since making aliyah in 2005, she has given weekly shiurim in Hebrew and English to women in her community. Adina has taught in the ALIT program and Rosh Chodesh seminars run by the OU Women's Initiative as well as in the mother-daughter "learn and art" program of OU Israel. She is known for her unique ability to facilitate in-depth textual learning along with engaging and relevant discussions. Adina lives with her husband and children in Yad Binyamin.
The Sara Litton z”l Monthly Emunah Essay | Tevet
Our Story Matters
Sharing personal stories of our past struggles and successes guides us and our families at different times. Retelling these stories builds resilience. Tanakh is our collective story. Having just completed the book of Bereishit, we are familiar with the repeated motif of tension between siblings. From the first brothers in history, Kayin and Hevel, to the 12 sons of Yaakov, the struggle for harmony amidst disagreement and jealousy is palpable and potentially deadly. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it (George Santayana) and we are meant to learn our lesson as we live as a nation of siblings today.
When we are told of the siege around Jerusalem on the 10th day of the 10th month (in the 9th year of Tzidkiyahu’s reign) (Melachim II 25:1-2), we already know how the story will end. It’s where the churban (destruction) began but not where our disturbing behaviors started.
Yechezkel prophesied on the same date, the tenth of Tevet, and shares an allegory involving pieces of meat placed in a filthy cauldron which are subsequently removed piece by piece — לִנְתָחֶיהָ לִנְתָחֶיהָ הוֹצִיאָהּ — in no particular order (Yechezkel 24:4,6). While the removal of the meat in chunks may reflect the historical reality of exile in stages (see Metzudat David on Yechezkel 24:6), it also represents the fragmentation of the Jewish community.
The punishment fits the crime.
A Fractured People
Tanakh narratives are meant to shape and guide us. When combined with literary analysis of the text, we can peel back deeper layers of meaning. The word נְתָחֶיהָ in Yechezkel’s prophecy recalls the gruesome tale of Pilegesh b’Givah (Shoftim chapter 19) where an innocent Jewish woman is brutally raped and left to die. With our moral compass disturbingly askew, the man meant to be responsible for her cuts up her corpse and sends it off throughout Israel’s territoryוַיַּחֲזֵק בְּפִילַגְשׁוֹ וַיְנַתְּחֶהָ לַעֲצָמֶיהָ לִשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר נְתָחִים (Shoftim 19:29).
The same word is used: נתחים or pieces. Ironically, in the aftermath of this act we unite as a nation (see Shoftim 20: 1,8,11), repeated three times – כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד – as one. But our unity is misdirected to fight a perceived internal enemy (the tribe of Binyamin) and almost annihilate the entire tribe. We essentially came incredibly close to killing a sibling on a national level. Kayin and Hevel all over again. We hadn’t internalized our lesson.
We have opportunities to speak and forge connection and understanding. Kayin approached Hevel in the field as if to speak (see Bereishit 4:8), but in lieu of talking, struck him with a deadly blow. We too, have an option to unite in love for our siblings through open empathetic communication if we choose to learn from our mistakes in the stories of Bereishit. If we don’t, we will have the opposite experience: instead of seeing each other, speaking, connecting and uniting, we will be unable to communicate in a meaningful way.
Speak with Love
On Asara b’Tevet, Hashem continues to tell us through Yechezkel’s prophecy (24:20-24) that the Mikdash will be destroyed and the people will not be allowed to mourn but will moan to one another – וּנְהַמְתֶּם אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו as animals roar, in distress for the state they are in (see Radak on Yechezkel 24:23), essentially unable to communicate in a meaningful way. Once again, this is directly correlated with our behavior. While the fragmentation of the nation is reflected in לִנְתָחֶיהָ לִנְתָחֶיהָ הוֹצִיאָהּ – piece by piece the meat is removed, the disconnect, and poor communication between us is reflected in the moaning וּנְהַמְתֶּם אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו from one person to another.
Unity Within
Shaul HaMelech (himself from the almost annihilated tribe of Binyamin) takes an opportunity to correct the atrocities of Pilegesh b’Givah, and in Shmuel I chapter 11 he dismembers a pair of oxen, וַיִּקַּח צֶמֶד בָּקָר וַיְנַתְּחֵהוּ, sends them throughout the territory of Israel, and rallies the nation in unity, וַיֵּצְאוּ כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד, against an external enemy: (Shmuel I, 11:7). The elements of cut flesh sent out to Israel territory, leading to unity and subsequently engaging in war, all echo the perverse story in Shoftim (see linguistic parallels to Shoftim 19:29). But here the first Jewish monarch creates a tikun, a repairing action, as he successfully fights the external threat with a unified nation and Hashem’s help.
Winston Churchill said “When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.” When our enemies surround us, as they did on the 10th of Tevet in the time of Tzidkiyahu and continue to do in our days, we need to acknowledge that we still have enemies within. The siege on Asara B’Tevet created a wall of enemies around us as a reminder of the internal walls and divisions we have built within us.
Sibling Harmony
There is no doubt that Hashem wants us to love and support one another. The very structure of the mishkan, the forerunner of the Beit Hamikdash, was literally built upon the concept of unity between siblings. The phrase referring to the connecting of the Tabernacle cloths is uniquely expressed as joining אִשָּׁה אֶל אֲחֹתָהּ (Shemot 26: 3, 3 5, 6) woman to her sister. So too the mishkan’s very infrastructure was based on such an attachment with the beams (Shemot 26:17).
Perhaps with all the sibling rivalry between brothers in Bereishit and beyond, there is a lesson in strengthening the bond of sisterhood. This love between siblings is somehow reflecting some angelic perfection as seen in Yechezkel’s vision (Yechezkel 1:9, 23, 3:13) and similarly portrayed in the image of the keruvim on top of the holy ark, with their faces- אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו – one brother facing another (Shemot 25:20, 37:30).
Siblings getting along brings great nachat to their parents. So too, Hashem, our Heavenly Father, wants to see us all getting along. We can respect each other’s differences and find paths to peacefulness and cooperation.
In one of our last books of prophecy, Zecharia is asked about observing the fast days (including the 10th of Tevet) during times of return to Eretz Yisrael after exile. The reprimand in the word of God to Zechariah (7:8-10) is clear:
כֹּה אָמַר ה’ צְבָאוֹת לֵאמֹר מִשְׁפַּט אֱמֶת שְׁפֹטוּ וְחֶסֶד וְרַחֲמִים עֲשׂוּ אִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו
Thus said God of Hosts: Execute true justice; deal loyally and compassionately with one another, as man to his brother. Once again, words that conjure up sibling harmony are utilized (in verse 9 cited here and again in verse 10). This is the path to redemption and earning the third and final Mikdash. The fast of the tenth (along with other fasts associated with destruction) will become days of joy, if we can love truth and peace (Zechariah 8:18-19).
The truth is that we all are siblings. While we see ourselves as a nation, (Bnei Yisrael), we began as a family, Bnei Yaakov. It’s time we truly pay attention as we listen to Tanakh stories of our ancestors and internalize the message, for we have yet to learn from the error of their ways. We are brothers and sisters with One God above. When we unite with peace and compassion and are no longer disparate pieces (נְתָחִים), then with God’s help, we can defeat our external enemies once and for all.
And what a wonderful new chapter of our collective story that will be!