I’m going to try to do a number of things in this post … they might seem random, but I’ll do my best to bring it together in the end.
First, a little personal background … I registered for this Substack newsletter more than two years ago, and announced it to the public more than nine months ago, when I was about to conclude my time as rabbi of Temple Beth Tzedek in Williamsville, New York. At that latter time, I didn’t exactly know how I would use the newsletter. (To be honest, I don’t fully know now — I figure it will evolve.) During the last nine months, I moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where I had lived previously from 2009-2020; found work in various rabbinic roles both locally and out of state; and, just recently, began to serve Heska Amuna Synagogue in Knoxville, Tennessee.
So … welcome to my first real post on here. In previous years, I wrote a blog on Wordpress, mainly to raise questions and illuminate teachings related to the weekly Torah portion. For now, I’m mainly going to use this newsletter for some different Jewish teachings, mainly for the purpose of educating the membership of Heska Amuna. Specifically, for the foreseeable future, I’m going to use these Thursday posts to go through the opening historical books of the prophets, starting with the book of Joshua, to uncover just a little bit of the strange and spectacular within the pages.
If you’re a member of Heska Amuna, I’ll be sending these posts to you each week, but if you would subscribe in addition (for free!), I’d appreciate it. If you subscribed to this newsletter months ago, thanks for your patience. And if you’re just wandering onto this post from some corner of the Internet, welcome and I hope you stick around.
Speaking of sticking around, there are few people (outside of England’s King Charles) who waited longer to lead a community than Joshua son of Nun, who was Moses’ loyal lieutenant for 40 years. But finally, Joshua’s time had arrived:
Joshua Chapter 1 — Vital Stats of the Strange and Spectacular:
Verses: 18
Is It Read At Synagogue?: Yes; every year at Simhat Torah, the celebration of the new cycle of reading the Torah, usually in October.
Famous Quotes/Phrases: Probably “חזק ואמץ” (chazak ve’eh’matz), “Be strong and resolute”. Joshua says it to the Israelites thrice over the course of his speech, and the Israelites say it to him at the end of the chapter.
Basic Plot: Moses has just died, and the Israelites are encamped next to the Jordan River, just east of the Promised Land. Joshua, who is appointed Moses’ successor in the book of Numbers, addresses the people to assure them that they would leave in three days to settle the land. He reminds them to follow God’s laws. He singles out the 2½ tribes that want to settle east of Canaan that they still can, as long as they fully assist their fellow tribes in the upcoming conquest. The Israelites reply, swearing their full devotion to God and to Joshua’s leadership.
What’s Strange: In Verse 17, the people tell Joshua that they would obey him “just as we obeyed Moses” … um, have they read the book of Numbers? Do they realize how big of a pain they (to be fair, mainly their parents) were to Moses? If I were Joshua, I don’t know how reassured I’d feel.
What’s Spectacular: To me, it’s how ready Joshua seems for prime time. He sounds utterly focused on continuing Moses’ legacy and fulfilling God’s promises.
In his book The Early Prophets, biblical scholar Everett Fox notes that “societal leadership” is what “stands at the center here,” not simply the appointment of a new general to lead the people into battle. Joshua seems to realize that he is to be a holistic leader, responsible for the heart and soul of a people that might otherwise have crumbled without the only human leader they had ever known.
But maybe this is what a 40-year apprenticeship brings. Joshua sits at Moses’ right hand for an entire generation of struggling through the wilderness, including many times when the future of the Israelites almost ends before it had started. And, in a handful of moments (most notably Numbers 13-14), he shows that he has the courage to take a stand in the face of peer pressure.
Compared to Moses’ appointment as leader of the Israelites, Joshua is well-prepared to meet the moment. In coming weeks, we’ll see just how he does it.
Shabbat Shalom!
Well done. I’m going to enjoy this blog. It’s a good way of maintaining your presence at Heska Amuna!
Very interesting and unique perspective, Rabbi Rosenbaum.