ASSIMILATION: A CONSEQUENCE OF EXILE

 

ASSIMILATION: A CONSEQUENCE OF EXILE

This week we began the month of Tammuz, a month named for a Babylonian deity.  It is an example of how assimilated we became when we were exiled to Babylon in the late 6^th century BCE.  It happened then; it is happening today.

 Psalm 137 tells of our profound sadness and longing for Jerusalem at that time.

I like Boney M's rendition:

https://youtu.be/vz6LRBLPKSM

Tammuz is the god of the harvest; he was loved by the goddess Ishtar.  She was known as the goddess of prostitutes, and her alternate names of Har and Hora gave rise to the terms “harlot” and “whore”.

Tammuz was killed by a boar.  Ishtar was devastated by his death.  When Tammuz died, all vegetation died.  Humans animals would no longer mate, and the Earth, herself, was dying.  Ishtar journeys to the netherworld and revives Tammuz  saying: "Great Tammuz is reborn, the fruits of the Earth are ours once more. Bring them forth, let us enjoy them!"

 

 You can see the inroads of assimilation in our texts at least as far back as the prophet Ezekiel.  In the Book of Ezekiel at 8:14 consider this verse:

וַיָּבֵא אֹתִי, אֶל-פֶּתַח שַׁעַר בֵּית-יְהוָה, אֲשֶׁר, אֶל-הַצָּפוֹנָה; וְהִנֵּה-שָׁם הַנָּשִׁים יֹשְׁבוֹת, מְבַכּוֹת אֶת-הַתַּמּוּז 

Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz."

At that time Jewish women were ceremoniously mourning for  pagan god, Tammuz..shame on us.