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We are a nation of many names: Israel, Jacob, Ephraim, to name a few. Why does it seem that the name "Jew" sticks the most? What does the name mean?
The words Jew (Yehudi in Hebrew) and Judaism (Yahadut) come from the name Judah, or Yehuda as it is pronounced in Hebrew. Yehuda was one the 12 tribes that descended from our forefather Yaakov. Understanding who Yehuda was and what he represented provides us with the key to comprehending the name Jew and understanding who we really are.
The word Yehuda comes from the Hebrew word lehodot, which means to thank. Indeed, upon his birth, Leah, Yehuda's mother, exclaimed "hapaam odeh et Hashem," this time I thank God. Feelings of gratitude characterized Yehuda's birth. The commonly used word todah, meaning "thank you," stems from the same root.
Our Sages taught that a person's name is given by his parents in a moment of Divinely inspired insight, and a name describes something about the person who bears it.
The Tribe of Yehuda
Yehuda was a unique tribe. Our forefather Yaakov, in his final blessings to the sons he knew would give rise to the entire Jewish nation, proclaimed that the monarchy within the Jewish people should remain in the tribe of Yehuda. Indeed, the entire Davidic line of Jewish kings descends directly from Yehuda and according to our tradition, the Messiah, the final leader of the Jewish people, will also come from that line.
Why was it specifically Yehuda who would lead the Jewish people and represent royalty? Wouldn't someone like Yosef, who symbolized holiness and the ability to resist temptation in his refusal to succumb to the advances of his Egyptian master's wife, be more fitting to lead the Jews throughout history? Yet Yehuda's name hints at his preparedness for royalty. A particular incident in the Torah illustrates the inner meaning of that name and how it relates to one's ability to lead.
Yehuda's son Er had been married to a woman named Tamar. Er died young, and his brother Onan married Tamar in his stead. Tamar soon found herself widowed again with Onan's untimely death, but remained determined to cling to the family of Yehuda. Her father in law promised her that when his younger son Sheila came of age, he too would marry Tamar. Yet as the years passed and Sheila matured, Tamar began to suspect that no wedding was planned. She tenaciously clung to her conviction to bear children to Yehuda's tribe, and had a prophetic inclination that someone great would descend from her.
Resorting to other means to attain her goals, she disguised herself, and met Yehuda at a crossroads while dressed as a woman of ill repute. She successfully tempted Yehuda, who did not recognize her. He soon discovered he had no money to pay her wages. Promising to return with payment, he gave her his signet ring and staff as collateral. Yet when he returned to pay her, the woman he sought was nowhere to be found, and nobody had heard of her.
Some time later, it became evident that Tamar, who was a member of his household, was pregnant. Yehuda was outraged at her obvious promiscuity and publicly challenged her. At that critical moment, Tamar could have in front of everyone accused Yehuda of fathering the child she carried. Instead, she let only him know, and offered him the choice as to whether he would admit his mistake. She declared that the owner of the staff and signet ring she held was the father -- a message only Yehuda could understand.
The sign of a true leader is his ability to admit he was wrong.
Shocked with the sudden revelation of the identity of the woman he had met, Yehuda could have let Tamar meet her demise, together with her secret. Instead, he chose to publicly admit that she was correct, and that he was the father, and that she was correct in so tempting him since he had refused to marry her to Sheila.
Hallmark of Royalty
One can only imagine the courage it must have taken to confess that mistake, and the embarrassment that ensued. Yehuda knew that as a leader, it was his only choice. His name also exemplified this trait. One who thanks another essentially admits that the other helped him or her in some way. Therefore, every conveyance of gratitude is really an admission of sorts. Not surprisingly, the Hebrew verb lehodot also means to admit. Yehuda's fitness for monarchy was not because he was perfect. He was not. Instead, Yehuda possessed a critical trait necessary to lead effectively -- the ability to admit his mistakes.
King David exhibited the same attribute. He made mistakes, but unlike his predecessor who was a great king but who justified his errors, King David responded to the prophet Nosson's admonition simply with acknowledgement of his mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. The sign of a true leader is his ability to admit he was wrong. The honesty and the courage to be modeh is the hallmark of a king.
On a deeper level, King David lived in a constant state of hodaa, thanksgiving and admission that whatever he had was not its own. Our Sages explain that Adam was slated to live for a thousand years, yet he died at the age of 930. Adam prophetically saw his descendent King David had not been allocated years of life, and gave 70 of his own. Adam, who introduced death to the world through his sin, saw it fit to give of his life to King David who would give rise to the Messiah who would begin the process that would banish death forever. David therefore admitted and knew that every second of his life was borrowed time, a gift from somewhere beyond himself, and lived his life with that consciousness.
Being a Jew
The word "Jew" is an anglicized version of yehudi. It is ironic that those who sought to destroy us just six decades ago forced us to brand ourselves with the word "Jude" or other variations of the word yehudi, the attribute which sets us apart. It is the very concept of being a yehudi who is modeh -- to thank and admit -- that preserves us.
The very appellation "Jew" reflects our acknowledgement and dependence on God.
The essence of our nation is to both thank and admit. The first words a Jew traditionally says every morning are modeh ani, I thank/admit (from the prayer mode ani etc, I thank (and admit) before you, God, living eternal king for returning my soul). Our national consciousness proclaims that we cannot accomplish anything on our own; we acknowledge our receipt of help from above, and are thankful for it. The very appellation "Jew" reflects our acknowledgement and dependence on God.
The story of Yehuda and Tamar is one replete with meaning for generations. Tamar was carrying Yehuda's twin sons, Peretz and Zerach, who were saved as a result of Yehuda's admission. King David and the Messiah are descended from Peretz. Yehuda's admission saved the future of the Jewish people. Our greatest hope as a people is to give thanks where it is due, and acknowledge in our hearts and our minds that if we amount to anything in life, we give credit to the One above who helped us every step of the way.
_(english).jpg "A Taste of Heaven")
(15) Deborah Betz , February 11, 2008
Shame on you
Mr. Peretz, the Torah has been interpreted over the last few thousand years by learned men who have disagreed with each other. I am not a Torah scholar, but I am a Jew who to my very fiber
believes in the truth of the Torah. You imply that by offering my interpretation I some how damage us, damage Israel. and I am offended by this. One of the reasons we are a great nation is that we are a dynamic questioning people. People who can look at the reality of the world and not turn away but embrace it and convert it. To bring heaven to earth. When I read the Torah I see truth unvarnish, I see real people,I see Sarah laughing when she is told she will finally have a child, Moses becoming mad and breaking the tablets, and David arranging for Bathsheba's husband to die.. Real people, people with problems. people who make mistakes. People who despite their problem and mistakes have a on going relationship with Hashem. I see the truth, not something sugar coated. Which is why I have always disliked this story of the Tamar and Yeduda s. One who lives in a household with some other would know the sound of their voice, how they walk, how they smell,how they laugh and how they cry. They would know the person..It does not have the ring of truth to me. So Mr. Peretz by saying that if I question how this story has been presented I some how call into question the holiness and truth of the Torah is outrageous. No one can do that. The Torah stands like a beacon. You imply that I am a bad Jew because I have problems with this story and this could cause the Torah to be destroyed. Shame on you. Shame on Mr. Peretz.
(14) David Y Peretz , December 16, 2007
Response to Deborah Betz
"How can a woman so disguise herself that a man does not recognize her while having a a sexual relationship with her?"
The answer is simple: by covering her face with a veil. As we all know, many Muslim women do it in public these days. Who says that some women in the times of Tamar and Yehuda did not do it when forced to practice prostitution due to financial need, but who were still ashamed of their actions?
Even though she was part of Yehuda's household, he had never seen the shape of her body since women in those times wrapped their entire bodies all the time in clothes. (No bikinis or lying topples at the beach in those times.) What he only knew of her physically was her face, hands and possibly her feet. It would not have been so difficult to trick him.
On the other hand, if Yehuda had forced Tamar into an affair, then he would never had publicly insulted her and so putting her in the immediate danger of not only loosing her life but the babies too, because he had known in advance that he was the father, and no man of his times was willing to let his descendants perish.
The attempt to vainly rationalize or psychoanalyze –– I call it "psycollogize" –– Torah is a very dangerous endeavor because its final product is to turn the holy account into anything but what it says, and consequently into something dubious and therefore not worthy of be paid attention to. Who would then live his life ruled by it, much less willing to give his live for it if necessary? The product of this nefarious practice is evident nowadays in Israel when we see with dismay faithless Jews government who having started to play "intelligent" with the Jewish Scriptures ended up ignoring the very Covenant of HaShem with our (and theirs) forefather. And so we see them how they are willing to exchange the infinite the Help of the Almighty for Am Yisrael, for the dubious one of GW Bush because –– for them –– the encounter of Abraham, Yitzhak, Ya'akov, Moshe, the Nevi'im, etc. with the Almighty was just mere moments of psychosis, which are worthless to be taken into account in the choices of their lives. Therefore they give away our beloved Land to our lethal enemies, thus eroding our national patrimony and putting us all in mortal danger.
With all respect, allow me to say that when Torah says something we do not understand, we should be careful of not trying to concoct some outlandish imagination that completely alters the character of those involved, or that practically destroy the intent and meaning of the sacred narrative. Whenever I do not understand something in Torah, I prefer to wait for the right moment –– in Elohim's preference –– to understand it ... if so He chooses. And if he does not, then I choose not to destroy Torah by having it say what it does not. But I also recognize the right of others to make different choices. Bu, remember, wrong choices always bring adverse results.
(13) Pepe , November 10, 2007
Yeah, I too thank the LRD.
Weeks before,probably moths ago.I had been wanting to know about the word Jew;Now,finally GOD decided to show me(reveal me)the meaning of this word.Not only the meaning but also to tell me that He loves me. Thank you.
(12) Rebecca , November 7, 2007
Thank God - also for the Holocaust!
The comment of Benno Woznica is very, very known to me; as my father who survived 5 (five!!) concentrationcamps and lost most of is family, will not stop to repeat also.
The Shoa has been a constant stressing factor also in my life ( I am 55) and even upon my sons life ( 24); as the damage (unconsciously and unpurposely!!!) done to me by my father does and did linger on.Which is natural, because a damaged and hurt parent-personality can hardly be asked to raise undamaged children - although there (fortunately!!) always will be exeptions.
After all this, how on earth could one claim that even the Shoah can be something to thank G'd for?!
Well; it is EXACTLY THE HORRIFYING LEVEL OF HUMAN EVIL THAT MADE THE HOLOCAUST AS EXTRAORDINARY AS IT IS!
If the Germans would not have misbehaved THAT much; if they would have acted within the "generally accepted"(!!) boundaries of war, no one would have given very much about it 50 years later.
But IT IS JUST THE VERY LEVEL OF EVIL THAT CAUSED THIS EVENT TO BE WRITTEN IN ALMOST EVERY TEXTBOOK; THAT MADE IT FIXED AS A EXPLICIT BORDER: SO FAR? NO MORE!!
It was directly the cause of the surrection of worldwide institutions like the VN and many others; it caused the installing of the International Court etc. etc.
The 6 million did not die for nothing: they died to make sure we would be able to handle our heritage, this earth, more efficient and justifiable.
(11) Doesn´t Matter. , November 7, 2007
What do you think
To Benno Woznica: In order that it could be given a very good and fair explanation about the "Churban Europe", or "Holocaust", like is usually known, it has to be sayed for Truth Sake, that what it really happened in the second world war, were ALL predicted, like all the prophecies that for almost 4,000 years were warning us, about the each impending history event, that cuold be averted and prevented, and HAPPENED because of "us", not for G-D failing in influencing. Even more, sadly,they could have been prevented.
How many, many times, "even" the "Chofetz Chaim" zt"l and many, many other Rabanim were telling the people what was comming, and like NOACH did to warn the entire world, and like in those days, very few poeple, have listen. Many upon many, many people, have failed to listen. There is an amazing and unbelievable book from Rabbi Yoel Schwartz From Artscroll Publishers Called "Shoah" that explains almost "all" this in detail. Incredible Book.
Talk to Rabbis Moshe Zelman, Doron Witztum, Motty Berger, Pr. Eliahu Rips, and many many others and they will show You that ALL was written, and than in the Torah, present, past and future co-exist altogether. It is up to "us" to find it out, to do our job, "Lech Lechah" like Abraham. We have to move and never be quiet trying to find out, the secrets of OUR history, what's comming up, what it's gonna be in the near future. Ask to the Rabbis, stick to them like glue.
Some people usually dedicate to many time thinking there were six million, instead of thanking God that there were no more. And today, Am Israel is "alive and kicking". We see us very soon, hopefully in Yerushalaim rebuilded.