Haftara fo Par’sha Vayak’hel, I Kings 7:13-26 and 1 Kings 7:

[alon]

Haftara fo Par’sha Vayak’hel, I Kings 7:13-26 and 1 Kings 7:40-50

We go from information overload in last week’s par’sha to a true dearth of information here. So I have combined two different readings; the Ashkenazic customary reading I Kings 7:40-50 and the Sephardic customary reading I Kings 7:13-26. Parashat Vayakhel describes the construction of the Mishkan, and the haftarah continues in this theme in details of the construction of the Temple.

Ashkenazic custom focuses on the pieces Hiram King of Tyre, a talented bronze worker, made for the Temple. This includes two columns with two globes, 400 pomegranates, pails, scrapers, and sprinkling bowls. Next we read about the gold furnishings and fixtures Solomon had made for the Temple: altar, candelabra, basins, ladles, and doors. The use of bronze for the vessels and fixtures made to be used in the courtyard and entrance, and gold for those to be used inside represented a gradation of holiness.

1 Kings 7:45b (KJV) and all these vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon for the house of the Lord, were of bright brass.

1 Kings 7:48 (KJV) And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was,

The Sephardic haftarah is earlier in the same chapter. It gives an explanation of who Hiram was:

1 Kings 7:14 (KJV) He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.

The following verses tell of two tall columns and two capitals for the tops of these columns decorated with rows of pomegranates and lilies. These columns were named Jachin and Boaz. The meanings of these names is not clear, and their symbolism has long been a topic of exploration for scholars and mystics. Most scholars are of the opinion these were two freestanding pillars, one on each side of the entrance. Others say they were structural, supporting the roof. Few agree on their function or meaning.

In Hebrewthe letter J in English is pronounced as Y. Thus we have "Yachin." The word Yak signifies "one" and “Yah” is of course recognizable as a name for God; the ending "hin," in English is rendered "only." Thus "Jachin" could be rendered "the One and Only God."

Boaz is seen in the book of Ruth as the kinsman redeemer. The literal meaning is “by strength.” However we are told:

Zechariah 4:6 (KJV) Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

Therefore we could not be talking about our own strength, but that of El Gibor- The Mighty God Who is the object of worship in the Temple.

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

[Elizabeth]

The commentary in my Bible doesn't discuss any concerns or disagreements in the understanding of "Jachin" or "Boaz". I am glad to know there is some ambiguity and disagreement. Good to know to go to other sources to confirm or expand on the understanding of what Hebrew my commentary does give. 

[alon]

Mar 4, 2016 3:39:54 GMT -8 Elizabeth said:

The commentary in my Bible doesn't discuss any concerns or disagreements in the understanding of "Jachin" or "Boaz". I am glad to know there is some ambiguity and disagreement. Good to know to go to other sources to confirm or expand on the understanding of what Hebrew my commentary does give. 

Actually none of the traditional sources I typically use, including the JPS TNK, had anything to sayabout1 Kings 7:40-50. They had more to say on the two columns of I Kings 7:13-26, but they disagreed. So I went to the internet, where I found more disagreement on everything! Some of it got pretty wild too. The Christian commentators who were at times very quick to point out how wild the Rabbis were in places themselves looked up every instance in the New Testament that mentioned columns and proceeded to make some of the wildest and most unfounded claims themselves! So I just wrote up what I thought was most likely true (making this a short d'rash) and put it up, unsigned and with no source credits.

I suppose I should tell you that I put in one of my own insights which you can determine yourself how true it is. It seems wholy right to me, but here it is.

In Hebrew the letter J in English is pronounced as Y. Thus we have "Yachin." The word Yak signifies "one" and “Yah” is of course recognizable as a name for God; the ending "hin," in English is rendered "only." Thus "Jachin" could be rendered "the One and Only God."

That bolded wasn't in the source I found. However based on the fact "Yachin" is spelled with a chet instead of a kuf, The letter chet is pronounces as a hard h, somewhere between a k and an h, but far closer to the h. So I extrapolated from that you can find the word Yah as easy as yak in that name. They say it meant "The One" or the "Only." I say it means "The One and Only God."

Dan C

[Elizabeth]

Well I have no foundation in Hebrew so it will take me some time to catch up to the debate or the basis for it. I hesitated to share how my Bible translates the names because I don't want to encourage the same thoughtlessness I experienced. The way they present it seems so cut and dry, it never occurred to me to look into any more regarding it. Anyway, it's interesting to see the difference and to know how big a difference it can make, especially with the name "Jachin" so here we go.

According to the commentary in my NKJV "Jachin" means "He will Establish" and "Boaz" means "In Him is Strength". Again, I don't know what they base these translations on, but now knowing what you discovered, whatever it is may be rather flimsy. Nevertheless, even if the translation in my Bible is correct, I want to know there is question and debate. I would prefer no comment just so it encourages people to look on their own as it did you. Good reminder and realization for me. 

[garrett]

Mar 4, 2016 15:23:56 GMT -8 alon said:

Mar 4, 2016 3:39:54 GMT -8 Elizabeth said:

The commentary in my Bible doesn't discuss any concerns or disagreements in the understanding of "Jachin" or "Boaz". I am glad to know there is some ambiguity and disagreement. Good to know to go to other sources to confirm or expand on the understanding of what Hebrew my commentary does give. 

Actually none of the traditional sources I typically use, including the JPS TNK, had anything to sayabout1 Kings 7:40-50. They had more to say on the two columns of I Kings 7:13-26, but they disagreed. So I went to the internet, where I found more disagreement on everything! Some of it got pretty wild too. The Christian commentators who were at times very quick to point out how wild the Rabbis were in places themselves looked up every instance in the New Testament that mentioned columns and proceeded to make some of the wildest and most unfounded claims themselves! So I just wrote up what I thought was most likely true (making this a short d'rash) and put it up, unsigned and with no source credits.

I suppose I should tell you that I put in one of my own insights which you can determine yourself how true it is. It seems wholy right to me, but here it is.

In Hebrew the letter J in English is pronounced as Y. Thus we have "Yachin." The word Yak signifies "one" and “Yah” is of course recognizable as a name for God; the ending "hin," in English is rendered "only." Thus "Jachin" could be rendered "the One and Only God."

That bolded wasn't in the source I found. However based on the fact "Yachin" is spelled with a chet instead of a kuf, The letter chet is pronounces as a hard h, somewhere between a k and an h, but far closer to the h. So I extrapolated from that you can find the word Yah as easy as yak in that name. They say it meant "The One" or the "Only." I say it means "The One and Only God."

Dan C

Here is another weird curve ball.....

I read in one of my Pentateuch's (The Pentateuch and Haftorahs; edited by Dr. J.H. Hertz, late Chief Rabbi of the British Empire) a few different things:

As I looked through the Hebrew spelling of the words Jachin and Boaz I found something different in the Haftorah. The word Jachin IS spelled with a KUF in it and not a CHET in it. So in this case it would be pronounced Jachin with a "hard K." The letters in all were: yod, kuf, yod, nun.

And the rabbinical commentary on the meanings of the pillars:

21. the pillars. They stood in the porchway, not supporting but clear of it. Detached pillars of this kind were a feature of temples in the East.

     Jachin. That is, "He shall establish," i.e. the Temple , for ever.

     Boaz. A union of two words: bo and oz; that is, "In it is strength." Through the services of the Temple, strength should come to Israel (Rashi).

Now I have to go find my Stone Edition Chumash () and see what it says........

garrett

[alon]

OK, Windows messes up the Hebrew sentences but not the individual words, so it takes some getting used to. But here you go:

כא. וַיָּקֶם אֶת-הָעַמֻּדִים לְאֻלָם הַהֵיכָל וַיָּקֶם אֶת-הָעַמּוּד הַיְמָנִי וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמוֹ יָכִין
וַיָּקֶם אֶת-הָעַמּוּד הַשְּׂמָאלִי וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמוֹ בֹּעַז:
21. And he set up the pillars in the vestibule of the temple; and he set up the right
pillar, and called its name Jachin; and he set up the left pillar, and called its name
Boaz.

יָכִין Yakin- yud khaf yud nun sofit.  So you are correct. It appears I fell victim to the internet after all. You can look up Jachin, Jakhin, or Jakin and get pages of biblical references for each spelling. Look up Yakin and you get:

Urban Dictionary: yakin Doing a line of cocaine. We're yakin it up in the basement, … not the result I wanted ...

Yakhin is apparently a popular name in Israel, but not for our scriptural purposes. And there is a very popular entertainer named Yachhin Nget (two h's), but no Yachin as a pillar.

So even when I thought I’d found agreement, it was not to be. Is it too late to just say “Ya’ll just disregard the haftarah this week”?

Dan  C

[Elizabeth]

Haha; I love it. Alon, no worries. We have all arrived at the same point, but you took what our family refers to as the scenic route. I have been there many times.

[garrett]

That IS funny! No, no need to disregard the Haftarah at all. Think of it, everyone went digging for information and came up with something different. This is an ages old tradition! Perfect.

garrett