Josh Greenberger
Brooklyn, NY
Ruminations On ‘Shalshelet’
Rabbi Avi Weiss, in his Nov. 14 Shabbat Forshpeis column, presents an insightful analysis of the shalshelet, a trop that appears but four times in the Torah. Rabbi Weiss, building upon the suggestion that the shalshelet represents a feeling of hesitation, explains the first three instances of the shalshelet along these lines.
Regarding Lot, the shalshelet appears on the word vayitmahmah, “He delayed.” Says Rabbi Weiss: “Lot and his family were leaving their home. This could not have been easy.”
I think the connotation is even more clearly found in Rashi’s comment that Lot did not want to leave his possessions behind.
Next is the shalshelet on the word vayomar, when Eliezer prayed that Hashem guide him properly in finding a wife for Yitzchak. Eliezer hesitated because, as Rashi states, he actually wanted Avraham to choose Eliezer’s own daughter for Yitzchak.
Third is Yosef, who refused (vayemaen) to have relations with Potiphar’s wife. While Rabbi Weiss does not elaborate, it is likely that this shalshelet hints at Rashi’s comment that Yosef envisioned his father’s image before him, and this vision caused Yosef’s vacillation.
Left unexplained is the fourth occurrence of the shalshelet, during the invocation ceremony for the kohanim (Vayikra 8:23). Moshe Rabbeinu, who is conducting the ceremony, brings the final sacrifice, the ram of consecration. The Torah states vayishchat – “He slaughtered,” and there is a shalshelet on this word. What hesitation could there possibly be here?
Permit me to suggest as follows: When Hashem tried to convince Moshe to lead the Jewish people, Moshe kept refusing, to the point that Hashem became angry with him (Shemos 4:14). Rashi records the opinion of Rabbi Yosi that Hashem’s anger resulted in a punishment: Moshe, who had been destined to be the kohen gadol, instead remained a Levite, while his brother Aharon became kohen gadol. Perhaps at the moment that Moshe brought the ram that installed Aharon as the kohen gadol, Moshe felt a twinge of hesitation, knowing that with this act, his hopes of becoming kohen gadol were forever dashed.
Avi Goldstein
Far Rockaway, NY
Learning From The Kedoshim
My husband and I are taking an ulpan to improve our conversational and modern Hebrew. Last week the teacher brought in an article in which the head of ISIS called on his supporters “to create a ‘har ga’ash’ of jihad.” Our teacher defined har ga’ash as a volcano, which would pour its deadly contents out with massive destruction.
Har Ga’ash is mentioned in the book of Joshua, and it reminded me of a talk my daughter-in-law’s father, Rav Yehonason Tendler, gave in memory of his father, Rabbi Yosef Tendler, principal of the Ner Israel High School in Baltimore and a powerful influence on thousands of young men over the years.
Rav Yehonason noted that Joshua’s burial place is described (Joshua 24:30) as “…in Timnas Serach which is on Har Efraim, north of Har Ga’ash.” Rashi says concerning Timnas Serach that serach, or cheres, refers to the sun. A picture of the sun was affixed over Joshua’s grave, “to indicate that it was he who made the sun stand still, and everyone passing it would say chaval on this person who did such a great thing and died.”
Rashi then noted that “we learn the mountain raged (ra’ash, related to ga’ash) against the people to kill them because they had not mourned Joshua properly’.
These two Rashis seem to contradict one another. People who pass Joshua’s grave are reminded of his great deed of stopping the sun; how can this be considered not mourning properly?