In today’s Torah portion, Vayechi, we read the beginning of the blessings from Jacob (Israel) to his sons. In particular this year the blessing of Judah stood out to me. “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you. The…
Tag: dalet
Parashah 17: Yitro (Jethro)
Family terminology designating male in-laws are not specific in Middle Eastern culture. Terms for a woman’s male relatives are the same for her father, brother or even grandfather. The ending ‘-el’ in Reu-el is Hebrew for ‘God’ suggesting he has a relationship with Elohim while Yitro is called a priest. In a patriarchal society, the men were the spiritual leaders of the family and it appears both Reu’el and Yitro have that position either with the title of el or the name Yitro.
Psalm 119:25-32 (Dalet)
Psalm 119 is about loving God’s Torah, His statutes, commands and precepts. It is broken up into sections with strange looking words or letters which are the Hebrew alphabet. In the Hebrew Scriptures, each line of each section starts with a word beginning with this letter. This is called an acrostic poem. Each Hebrew letter also has a word picture associated with it giving greater meaning and symbolism to each line of the specific letter-ed section.
My People Called By My Name
The letter ‘dalet’ in Hebrew means ‘door’. In the name of Y’hudah, the dalet or door is central to knowing God. It is through ‘a door’ in Judah that יהוה would reveal Himself.