SAN DIEGO (SDJW)– We don’t know who Tamara5 is and even if we did, it is not the policy of San Diego Jewish World to identify the drivers of cars whose license plates intrigue us. But we do know that Tamara is a name derived from “Tamar” which in Hebrew means date palm tree. In the Bible, Tamar is a controversial figure. Her first husband, a son of Judah, died; and then her second husband, another of Judah’s sons, who avoided making her pregnant, died as well.
Although Judah knew that under the law of Levirate marriage, he should arrange for Tamar to marry his third son, he stalled doing so, fearing that the third son would die too. That was when Tamar took matters in her own hands, posing as a prostitute and seducing Judah. Instead of money, Tamar asked for personal items in payment. When Tamar’s pregnancy showed, Judah ordered her to be killed, in line with the commandments in Leviticus.
However, Tamar told Judah that the man who made her pregnant was the possessor of certain items. When she showed them those items to him, Judah realized that he, himself, was the father and that Tamar had selflessly continued his family line. Judah cancelled the decree and married Tamar. One of the twin children she bore was an ancestor of King David.
Our thanks go to Melanie Rubin, the license plate maven, who spotted this Jewish-interest license plate.
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Preceding was a San Diego Jewish World staff report