Lady Israelite: April 2015

Hello all! I have something interesting to share with you today.

I've been working on/sitting on a post about the Song of Solomon and marriage for some time now. While I was studying, I came across an interesting note in my Bible, "The Song is read annually at the Feast of the Passover, as Ruth is read at Pentecost; Lamentations on the 9th of Ab; Ecclesiastes at the Feast of Tabernacles; and Esther at the Feast of Purim." It struck me as odd. What could a story about love and kidnapping have to do with the Passover? It took me a bit, but the answer came--when viewed in its proper context, The Song of Solomon is the exact same story.

Pictured: This is where love begins. When you look after someone's sheep.

"Proper Context"
It is my personal opinion the Song of Solomon is one of the most misunderstood and under-appreciated books in the entire Bible. Most of the problems come from misinterpretation of the story of the book. I cannot begin to count how many times I've heard "It's about King Solomon and his lady love!". From that interpretation comes a slew of other (equally wrong) morals. To begin comparing the SoS to the Passover, we have to establish the actual story. To begin, the story is a lot less "Solomon in love!" and a lot more like this:

Source

The fact is, the Song of Solomon has little to do with Solomon; he plays the role of villain and is a supporting character at best. Indeed, the story is about the woman in the tale--the Shulamite vineyard worker. She loves a shepherd, but her family does not approve. One day, King Solomon is travelling by and sees her. Twirling his lusty, villainous mustache, he takes her from his home and puts her in his harem. While there, the woman laments her separation from her beloved shepherd. Eventually, once Solomon realizes the woman will not fall for his wiles, he lets her go home to her shepherd love.
I'll go more into detail of the hows and whys of the story in the upcoming marriage post. For now, I'll just another quote from my Bible that sums it up quite neatly,

"...It is a poem based on the true facts of a story which unfolds itself as it proceeds. Various interpretations have been given of it: the literal, the allegorical, and the typical. The allegorical embrace Jehovah and Israel (which was the view of the Jewish commentators); the Roman Catholic views it of "Christ and the Church"; the typical view regards it as a type of Solomon's nuptials, or as that of Christ and the Gentiles. The allegorical view puts the coarse flatteries and language of a seducer in the lips of "Christ", which is inconsistent with His dignity and holiness. it is the language of seduction put into the mouth of Him "Who never spake as man spake". The number of speakers forbids all the interpretations which depend on their only being two. There are seven in all, and they can be easily distinguished by the Structures: (1) The Shulamite; (2) the daughters of Jerusalem; (3) Solomon; (4) the shepherd lover of the Shulamite; (5) the brothers of the Shulamite; (6) the companions of the shepherd; (7) the inhabitants of Jerusalem."

The Connection to Passover
The story of Passover, or, really, the story of Exodus, is a long one, fraught with miracles, belief, and drama. To sum it up: after the time of Joseph and the famine his family suffered, the Israelites relocated to Egypt. Things went well at first, but then, there was a new Pharaoh who did not respect or trust them. He instituted more laws, and as time went on, the Israelites found themselves slaves to the Egyptians. Much time passed. The Israelites lamented their captivity, and, finally, a way out was provided. Moses, the son of Amram and Yoshabed, was, by a fluke of destiny, raised in the household of the family of the Pharaoh. After seeing the oppression of his people, Moses, with the help of God, manned up and led them out of there after a series of 10 awful plagues. The Israelite people went into the wilderness to found their own land where they will be established as a people, protected by God.
The connection between the Song of Solomon and the story of the Exodus is simple. The Shulamite parallels the Israelite people. Solomon represents Egypt, and the shepherd lover and God play the same role. In the beginning of the stories, the Shulamite/Israelite people are living freely, beloved of their shepherd/God. Things are grand. But then, a richer, more powerful, and corrupting force appears on the stage--Solomon/Egypt. The Shulamite/Israelites are taken from their home. They are pressured to change their ways and submit the the power of Solomon/Egypt, but the Shulamite/Israelites just want to go home to their shepherd/God who truly loves them. Time passes, and the pressure is great, but the Shulamite/Israelites hold out. They will not lose faith in their shepherd/God. Finally, a miracle! Solomon/Egypt, under some duress, realize the futility of their mission and allows the Shulamite/Israelite to go home. The Shulamite/Israelites, now free, rejoice, and rush back to their true home with their shepherd/God.

Free, at last.

Both stories emphasize the importance of faith, perseverance, faithfulness, and love. The Shulamite is only able to hold out against Solomon's seductions because she has faith in her love for the shepherd. She knows what a good life looks like, and she refuses to be tricked. The Israelites only made it out of Egypt because they kept their faith through their long bondage, and God heard their cry and helped them. If the Israelites had given in and conformed to the Egyptians, they never would have gotten free. Both stories encourage bravery, honesty, and holding out against oppression, even when you're outnumbered and unsure of yourself.

Conclusion

The story of the Exodus is not a one-trick pony. It's not just an ancient history adventure--it's a tale of freedom and redemption. Similarly, the Song of Solomon is not just a love story; it's a morality tale that encourages us to show integrity and strength in our everyday lives. They both show the rewards of sticking to your guns, and put together, the two teach the same lesson, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32).

Hello again, all!

If the picture didn't tip you off, I'm writing in the honor of Passover--today! Now, I don't plan on writing a long post on this; there are many great posts and videos explaining the spring holidays/how to do them/why to do them, etc. Rather, I'd just like to give you some tips for making your Passover and spring feasts easy and fun.

Passover/Unleavened Bread/First Fruits Sources
Passover is the first of the spring feasts--its name comes from when God passed over the Israelites during the last plague of Exodus. If you're unfamiliar with the story, I'd highly suggest you check it out; it has everything--family drama, marriage, love, strife, death, betrayal.
If you're interested in just the specifics of the Feasts, the rules for this day are given in a couple places in the Bible. Firstly, in Exodus 12. This section focuses on the food prep and rules and story of the first Passover. Secondly, Leviticus 23 gives the timeline of all the holidays and the Sabbath rules of each. Numbers 9 gives greater detail on who can and can't celebrate Passover. The story of Yeshua's last days (which took place during the time of the spring feasts--lots of parallels there) is told in the New Testament, in the Gospels.
I'll provide a link at the bottom to a very detailed video explaining the spring holidays.

Always practice proper fire safety, kids, no matter how small your grill!

Tips
In short, for we modern Israelites, the time of the spring feasts is about remembrance and appreciation. We remember how our people were rescued from the Egyptians and how Yeshua rescued us from punishment. For me, it's a bit like Thanksgiving. There's something about it that makes one appreciate just how good things are for us. With that in mind, here are some tips for having a great spring holiday:

Know your sources for lamb and do your research. Where we live is a rather small and country-fied place--any meat other than beef, pork, and chicken is rare and far between. However, every once in awhile, one of the local stores will sell lamb for a limited time and (rather) exorbitant price. The key is pouncing when the right opportunity arises. And if it doesn't? Never fear! You can also order the meat off the internet! That's what we had to do last year. The shipping was very high, but the meat arrived promptly and still chilled. Depending on where you live, you may also be able to call in an order with a local butcher/farmer ahead of time.
Make your own unleavened bread! Many people buy it in boxes for Passover/Unleavened bread, and it tends to be dry and tasteless. I suggest looking up a simple recipe. Many of them only have 3 or so ingredients, and the result will taste fresher than anything from a box. If you're going to be eating it for a week, it should taste good.
Know about the sneaky sources of yeast in your house: part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is removing all yeast-containing things from your home to avoid accidentally eating them. Now, "bread" is what most people think about when yeast is brought up, but many surprising foods contain yeast or yeast extract! Make sure you check all your food labels, especially the foods listed below:

Soups--many soups contain yeast extracts, especially your heartier stews-in-a-can.
Tortillas--though a flour tortilla is a flatbread, most of them have yeast! The same goes for pita, naan bread, and other flat breads you'd buy in the store. Corn tortillas, however, are usually yeastless.
Instant noodles--instant noodles like ramen, cup o' noodle, and microwave noodles may contain yeast extract in the flavor packets.
Bullion cubes--bullion cubes are used to add some zazz to broths and rice dishes, but the cubes often have yeast or yeast extracts included.
Flavored spreads/cheese dips--even though it is surprising, foods like chive-sour cream sometimes have yeast in them.

Be creative with your side dishes and desserts! Vegetable side dishes and sauces are easy to make and hardly ever require yeast. For desserts, cakes, brownies and cookies may be out, but pies, ice cream, and fruit dishes are in! This is a great time to test out Greek and Middle-Eastern style dishes.

I hope these tips help you in celebrating your spring feasts!

Homemade flour tortillas, grilled corn, salsa, and tzatziki sauce all make delicious sides during the spring feasts!

Additional Resources for Curious Minds

Lady Israelite

Friday, April 3, 2015

Song of Solomon and Passover--Sayeth What?

The Spring Holidays!!