The Jewish Holiday You Never Heard About (but it's a day off in Israel)

            

            

    Hal’banat Panim: Making Another’s Face Whiten with Shame

A) The one teaching before Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak taught: “Anyone who humiliates another in public, it is as though they committed murder.” Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said to him: “You have spoken well, as we see that after the humiliated person blushes, the red leaves their face and they become pale,  which is tantamount to spilling their blood.” Abaye said to Rav Dimi: “In Eretz Yisrael, with regard to what mitzva are they particularly careful?” Rav Dimi said to him: “They are supremely careful in not humiliating others.” – from Talmud Bavli, Baba Metzia 58b

 B) Those who embarrass others  may accept God created the universe, but they  refuse to believe that humanity was created in the image of God.  That is why they think nothing of embarrassing another human being.  The entire concept of human dignity is predicated on the belief that our being created Betzelem Elohim. - from The Tiferet Yisrael (Avot 3:15)  

 

 C) An act which resembles murder is shaming one's fellow and whitening his face, for when the red color leaves, it resembles a fatal injury. The Sages have also said this (Bava Metzia 58b).  Secondly, the pain of embarrassment is bitterer than that of death, as the Talmud says, “It is preferable for an individual to throw themselves into a burning furnace rather than publicly mortify one’s fellow human being.”  The Sages did not make such statements in connection with other severe sins.  Indeed, this is the only sin in the entire Talmud they compare to actual murder…. -from the Shaarei Teshuva (3:139)

 

 

 

 

Radak on Genesis 33:1:1

וישא יעקב...ויחץ, he divided them between their respective mothers. Each mother would naturally have stronger concern for her own children and if it came to interceding for her own children would do so with more heart-rending pleas than she would for the children of someone else.

 

Sforno on Genesis 33:1:1

ועמו ארבע מרות איש. To tell us that he had not been appeased even by the substantial gift Yaakov had sent him.

Radak on Genesis 33:2:1

וישם, the most beloved he placed last, hoping that Esau’s anger had been blunted by the time he met them.

 

 

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 33:2:1

[AND RACHEL AND JOSEPH HINDERMOST.] He placed Rachel and Joseph last so that they might possibly escape. Jacob did this because of his great love for them.

 

Rabbeinu Bahya, Bereshit 33:3:1

וישתחו ארצה שבע פעמים “he bowed earthwards seven times.” The Torah could have written “three times,” as we find in connection with David and Yonathan (Samuel I 20,41) where we are told: ויפול לאפיו ארצה וישתחו שלש פעמים, that David bowed his face to the ground and prostrated himself three times before Yonathan (the crown prince). The reason the Torah here mentions the number seven is to remind us that when a righteous person falls down even seven times, he will rise again and regain his composure (compare Proverbs 24,16).

 

Radak on Genesis 33:3:1

והוא עבר לפניהם, as a father who has compassion on his children. He offered himself as the butt of Esau’s anger hoping thereby to save the lives of his children. Either Esau would agree not to harm the children or he would engage Esau in battle to try and save his children if Esau refused his offer of reconciliation.

 

Rashi on Genesis 33:3:1

עבר לפניהם [AND HE HIMSELF] PASSED BEFORE THEM — He thought: if that wicked man comes to fight let him fight me first (Genesis Rabbah 78:8).

 

Haamek Davar on Genesis 33:4:1

They wept. At that moment love for Eisov awakened in Yaakov as well. Similarly, whenever Eisov’s descendants genuinely acknowledge Yisrael’s greatness, Yisrael reciprocates with feelings of brotherhood.

 

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 33:4:1

[AND KISSED HIM.] It is obvious from the plain meaning of the text that Esau did not intend to harm Jacob, the proof being and they wept, as Joseph did with his brethren.

 

Rabbeinu Bahya, Bereshit 33:4:1

וישקהו, “and he kissed him.” The word is written with dots on top of the letters. We know that whenever the sages of the massorah have seen fit to place these dots on top of a word or a letter they did so in order to attract our attention. Here the reason they placed these dots was to let us know that this kiss was not whole-hearted. It was a kiss which originated in anger. We find a similarly motivated kiss in Proverbs 27,6 ונעתרות נשיקות שונא, “the kisses of an enemy are profuse.” Amos 1,11 explains the matter when he writes: ויטרוף לעד אפו ועברתו שמרה נצח, “because his anger raged unavailing, and his fury stormed forever. “

 

Radak on Genesis 33:4:1

וירץ, when Esau saw that Yaakov had humbled himself so much before him, he forgave what he had done to him and his sense of compassion was stirred.

 

Shadal on Genesis 33:4:1

The truth is that most of the time, "falling one another's neck" only is mentioned when there is a kiss, and therefore the text could have mentioned this, along with the weeping, without explicitly mentioning that they kissed; the kiss would have been understood implicitly like Ya'akov and Yosef in Gen. 46:29 ("And Yosef...went up to meet his father...and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while"). In the latter case, Yosef clearly kissed him without it having to be mentioned in the text. It's also possible that in a state of great emotional excitement one would be too wonderstruck and stunned to kiss the other person; perhaps this was the case with Yosef and Ya'akov. However, regarding Ya'akov and Esav there's no doubt that there was no great affection between them, certainly not the type of excitement that would lead to being wonderstruck and stunned.

  

 

Which is the name by which the Ethiopian Community calls themselves?

 

1)     Beit Keneset

2)     Beit Itiopi

3)     Beta Yisrael

4)     Yehudim

5)     Sufganiot

 

 

2.     What did Ethiopian Jews have in the past 2000 years that no other Jews had until the 20^th century?

1)     A separate kingdom with an army and king or queen

2)     A goal to return to the land of Israel

3)     Copies of the works of King Solomon

4)     Copies of the words of King David

5)     The location of the lost ark of the covenant

 

 

3.     What is an Ethiopian Jewish religious leader’s title?

1)     Gabbi

2)     Chazzan

3)     Kes

4)     Rav

5)     Ombudsman

 

4.     Which Jewish Holiday did Ethiopian Jews not celebrate until they came to the state of Israel?

1)     Hannukah

2)     Purim

3)     Shavuot

4)     Yom Kippur

5)     All of them

 

5.     Which of the following is not one of the theories about how the Ethiopian Jewish community came to be?

1)     The Beta Israel may be the lost Israelite tribe of Dan fleeing the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel in 762.

2)     They were Ethiopain Christians who converted after meeting the great scholar and wandering poet Yehudah Halevi

3)     They may be descendants of Menelik I, son of King Solomon and Queen Sheba.

4) They may be descendants of Jews who fled Israel for Egypt after the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE and settled in Ethiopia.

 

 

 

 

 

6.     Operation Solomon was a massive Airlift of Ethopian Jews from to Israel.  How many Jews were rescued?  Over…

1)     1,400

2)     5,400

3)     7400

4)     14,000

 

7.     Which language was the native language of Ethiopian Jews?

1)     Amharic

2)     Arabic

3)     Aramaic

4)     Swahili

 

8.     It’s not all good news for Ethiopian Jews living in Israel, who face racism and the challenges of coming from the world of rural Africa.  What percentage of Ethiopian Israelis live below the poverty line?

1)     6%

2)     12%

3)     42%

4)     72%

 

9.      Not all Israelis welcomed the Ethiopian Immigrants.  To make matters worse, many rabbis said the Ethiopians were not really Jews, and had to convert if they wanted to be part of the Jewish people. Which rabbi  and his followers said that the Ethiopian Jews were already Jewish? 

1)     Rabbi Moshe Feinstien-- US Ashkenazi Jews

2)     Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef-- Sephardic Jews in Israel

3)     The Lubavitcher Rebbe -- Chabbad Chasidim worldwide

4)     Rabbi Shalom Elyahshiv and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel

 

 

 

10.  Yityish Aynaw (26), a former officer in the Israel Defense Forces, became the first Ethiopian-Israeli to do what?

1)     Rise to the rank of Major

2)     Become elected to the Kenesset

3)     Become the winner of Israel’s version of “the voice”

4)     Win the Miss Israel beauty pageant

 

11.  How many Ethiopian Jews live in Israel today?

1)     15,000

2)     50,000

3)     125,000

4)     375,000

There is a Jewish holiday that is an official holiday in Israel, yet remains widely unknown to most American Jews. Unless you already  have a connection to the Ethiopian Jewish Community,  you have likely never heard of Sig'd (סיגד‎).  Ethiopian Jews have different customs, foods,  dress, and other treasures,  but they are as Jewish as you- and many have suffered and endured much to remain Jewish. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvy0Wb5m2z8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCYia7Pegaw

Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom:

It's one thing to make aliyah to Israel, but it's another thing to do so on foot. Rabbi Dr. Shalom, an Ethiopian refugee and Rabbi ordained in Israel, is a masterful speaker with a powerful personal story  to tell. We watched this  video as a class,  and here is a more in depth essay he wrote about his life for the Brandeis Center for Israeli Studies.

Who are they?

The Jewish Virtual Library, a terrific source for all things Jewish, has an amazing article on the
Ethiopian Jews (found here),  the Beta Israel. For those who don't have time at the moment,  the TL;DR  is that the People of Beta Israel are one of the oldest Diaspora community of Jews who developed a distinct Jewish culture outside the influence of either Ashkenazic or  Sephardic Rabbinic Judaism.

Sig'd???

 

Sigd is an Amharic word meaning "prostration" or "worship" and is the commonly used name for a holiday celebrated by the Ethiopian Jewish community on the 29th of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan. This date is exactly 50 days after Yom Kippur, usually falling out in late October or November, and according to Ethiopian Jewish tradition is also the date that God first revealed himself to Moses.

 

Traditionally on Sigd, members of the Ethiopian Jewish community would fast for a day during which they would meet in the morning and walk together to the highest point on a mountain. The “Kessim," spritual leaders of the community, would carry the “Orit,” the Ethiopian Torah, which is written in the ancient Ge’ez language and comprised of the Five Books of Moses, the Prophetic writings, and other writings such as Song of Songs and Psalms. The Kessim recited parts of the Orit, including the Book of Nehemiah. On that day, members of the community recited Psalms and remembered the Torah, its traditions, and their desire to return to Jerusalem. In the afternoon they would descend back to the village and break their fast, dance and rejoice in a sort of seder reminiscent of Passover.

 

The holiday symbolizes the Jewish covenant in receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai in addition to the re-acceptance of the Torah that was led by Ezra the Scribe before the construction of the Second Temple. Its date is similar to the 50 days which are counted between Passover and Shavuot when the Torah was given on Mount Sinai.

 

The Ethiopian community in Israel has been celebrating the holiday by holding a mass ceremony on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, topped with a procession to the Western Wall. Recently, the ceremony has been held in Jerusalem's Armon Hanatziv Promenade. Israel’s President and many other politicians usually make a formal appearance at the ceremony.

 

In February 2008, MK Uri Ariel submitted legislation to the Knesset that would see Sigd established as an Israeli national holiday. In July of that year the Knesset followed Ariel's suggestion and added Sigd to the list of State holidays. The law states that in addition to being a state holiday, Sigd would also be marked in a special assembly organized by the Ministry of Education. The holiday's history, traditions and ceremonies will be included in the educational system's curriculum and going to work during the holiday will be optional

Ruby Rivlin, President of Israel, greets the
Kesim (traditional clergy) of the
Ethiopian community at Sigd in 2018.

Racism:

Israel is a complex state, with a complex social structure, facing the same problems many democracies face.  It is important to understand that Ethiopian Jews face racial and religious discrimination in the State of Israel. Many Ashkenazi Relgious leaders across the globe rejected the Beta Israel's claim of being Jews.  In some cases these leaders demanded that the Beta Yisrael "convert" to Judaism, complete with repeating Brit Milah!    That said, most Israelis see the Ethiopian Jewish community as another "tribe" among many in Israeli Jewish life.

Continue the Conversation at Home: 

What we did not get to explore is how Ethiopians are making serious inroads into Israeli society, however slowly.  Yityish Aynaw was Israel's first Ethiopian "Miss Israel" pageant winner in 2013, and spent the year representing Israel in a number of ways (like meeting a certain President of the US) . 

And while we here in America are barely aware of the Eurovision world song contest, Israel competes every year.  Just before the pandemic arrived,  Ethio-Israel superstar Eden Alene's song "Feker Libi"  won the chance to represent Israel at the international competition.  The song is  in  Amharic, Hebrew, English and Arabic, representing many of Israel's  cultures and peoples.  

And then here Eden Alene's performance of a very different song which you all know.