Echoes of Embarrassment Trivia Quiz

Answer:

The above narrative is a brief of the story, and there is much that is not shown between the lines, that adds clarity and additional weight to this tale.

Jewish law, at the time of this event, states that if a bride is left childless by the passing of her husband, then the unmarried younger brother must marry the widow and carry on the brother's seed. This is known as a levirate marriage, and it is designed to carry on the deceased brother's name and family line, and it also provides a means by which the widow could be provided for. To avoid this obligation, the widow and the younger brother would need to perform a ritual known as chalitzah. This would involve the younger brother being shamed in public by the widow. To do this, she would remove his sandal at the city gate, spit in his face and then berate him for failing to build the house of his brother. This is detailed in Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (NIV).

The inheritance customs were a factor in Onan's refusal to impregnate Tamar, especially if she produced a son. If Judah were to pass, then the practice dictated that half of his estate would pass to the eldest son (Er) and the rest divided equally among the remaining sons. In other words, Onan and Shelah would receive a quarter each. With Er out of the picture, Onan stood to inherit two thirds of the state and Shelah would receive the remaining one third. That would change if Tamar had a son. As Onan was merely a surrogate, the son would still be Er's line and he would become the eldest heir (claiming half), hence Onan's action and subsequent demise.

A key question that arises from the storyline is "why would Judah not give Shelah to Tamar to marry when he came of age?" Judah was not aware the lives of his two eldest sons had been taken by the Lord hence, in his eyes, Tamar was a poison apple. It's fair to say that this spooked him. However, as shown, his refusal to keep his vow with Tamar would come back to bite him.

Tamar proved to be a very clever woman. When she went back to live with her father, she dutifully donned her mourning clothing. She removed these when playing the part of the prostitute to set the trap for Judah and sat by a shrine outside the city gate. After her deed she discarded these and re-dressed in her mourning clothes. Consequently, when Judah sent a friend to deliver the goat to the "prostitute", she could not be found, nor could any of the townsfolk recall a "shrine prostitute" or there ever having been one.

Judah, who'd had the leadership conferred upon him by his father, Jacob, while the latter was on his deathbed, was another flawed biblical hero, however, a part of what made him great was his acceptance of his failings and the ownership of his own errors. He would have five sons, which includes the twins Perez and Zerah produced by Tamar. The twins and Shelah would form the Tribe of Judah, the most populous and prestigious of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.