Watch+Read: The Two Exiles

Judaism: Born Divided? Monthly LIVE Learning Vid + Source Sheet #7

Friends,

Today is the 10th of Av on the Jewish calendar - and we rise from the rubble of the 9th of Av, remembering destructions past and present, as we begin the journey towards a new year of responsible repair and renewed resolve to rebuild - better.

It’s an astonishing annual cycle that helps each of us reflect on what’s broken or not working well in our personal and public realities, so that we can be part of the hopeful and honest healing, again and again.

On our journey to explore the original split between Judah and Israel, these days of rising from the rubble offer a reminder of what happens when discord dismantles society, and how, with resilience, we can overcome divisions, face reality and forge new paths ahead.

This is what our ancestors did when they faced the horrors we remember during these days of lament. They didn’t just weep. They crafted a canon out of their calamity - and for better or worse, with agendas that we must decipher - gave us the bible.

Jacob L. Wright reminds us that this is the entire project of the bible - and of Jewish history:

"The true genius of the biblical project is that it is a literature of defeat. While other ancient empires vanished when their capitals were razed and their peoples exiled, the scribes of Israel and Judah did something unprecedented: they institutionalized their geopolitical failure. By constructing a narrative of collective guilt and divine purpose around their destructions, they created a portable identity that could survive without a state, a temple, or a king."

What are we to do with these legacies today - as so many of the Jewish people are back on the land, with a state? While some clamor for temple and king, most of us simply want a just and moral sovereign state, with equal rights for all and a horizon of hope and peace. Will we get there? Or will the old fault lines of Judah vs. Israel prevail again and become a civil war that rips us apart?

We won’t know until we do. But in the meanwhile - it’s on to learn from our past, make better decisions based on informed literacy, and help the future blossom with more love and less fear. From the failures of the past - the flourishing of the future is in our hands.

I am cautiously optimistic. Join me.

I invite you to watch the hour long recording and to read the source sheet - both linked below.

🚩 In our recent LIVE LEARNING session we explored the stories of the two exiles - Samaria and Jerusalem.

READ: Tale of Two Exiles: Source Sheet

Watch:

Our next LIVE LEARNING online session is on

August 23 at 2pm ET.

We’ll talk about the surprising stories of the two great queens who ruled this region - with not much credit by the creators of the biblical canon.

Queen Jezebel & the Prophet Elijah: Sex, Power, and North/South Spin

The most maligned queen and most misunderstood prophet were not friendly. But did they share similar goals? Jezebel and Elijah face off as embodiments of northern pluralism vs. Judahite zeal and we will unpack how gender, foreignness, and religious difference get weaponized—and how Jezebel’s “bad press” reveals whose story has been telling Judaism’s story.

You are all invited to join me.

Scroll down for details on joining the live conversation on August 23rd or watching it later.

This LIVE LEARNING session welcomes Paid Subscribers - as one way of thanking you, generous supporters, for enabling me to do this research and work with tech support to deliver this blog series.

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You’ll get the recording and resources within the week of each LIVE LEARNING session.

More info on the course:

Judaism: Born Divided Landing Page

Shabbat of Peace שלום سلام

May peace prevail.

Amichai