Monday, December 12, 2011

The Plishti Blockade - Revisited

I wanted to add to the thoughts I shared last week on the symbolism of the Plishtim in Judiasm.

We find that when Avimelech took Sarah, the punishment God brought on his household was that everyone in his palace had had their wombs stopped up. Our Sages tell us that it was not only their wombs that were stopped up, but every body cavity. With our understanding that the Orlah is the symbol of the Plishtim, namely blocking the Jewish Nation from achieving its potential, it makes sense why this was the punishment given to Avimelech's household.

I will add as an aside that thinking about this made me wonder about some of the similarities between the two stories where Sarah was taken by a king. First off, why did it happen twice? Why in one case does Avraham ask Sarah to say she is his sister, in the second case he just says it. Why in one case was she taken immediately to Paroh's house, whereas in the second she was sent for later by Avimelech? There are more... for another time.

No comments: