Daily Archives: September 24, 2021

The Ten Days of Repentance/Return are bookended by Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and so we easily connect them. They are even referred to as the Days of Awe.

But there are two other holidays paired in the month of Tishrei: Yom Kippur and Sukkot. In many ways, Sukkot is the other half of Yom Kippur.

cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); });

Individuals who observe Yom Kippur without Sukkot are getting only half the message.

There is another connection between Yom Kippur and Sukkot. While we end Yom Kippur with the Neila service, which speaks of the symbolic closing of the gates of heaven to our prayers of repentance and return, there is a tradition that says the period is extended through Sukkot.

Talmud professor Joseph Tabory writes: Hoshana Raba, the last day of the festival of Sukkot, is considered a day of judgment. According to the Zohar, although one is judged on the Day of Atonement, that verdict is not delivered until the last day of Sukkot, and until then a person may still repent (Zohar, Vayehi, 120a; Truma 142a).

However, according to the Zohar, the day on which the verdict is delivered is actually Shmini Atzeret, the final day of the festival, and not Hoshana Raba (the day before).

Hesed leAvraham explains the contradiction as follows: The last chance to change ones judgment is actually Hoshana Raba; whoever has not yet repented by then has his verdict handed down on Shmini Atzeret....

While we have examined the connection of Sukkot to Yom Kippur, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, aka Reb Zalman, makes a connection between Sukkot and Passover. He teaches that on Sukkot we go into the mitzvah (the sukkah), while on Passover the mitzvah (matzah) goes into us.

Another connection between Sukkot and Passover: on both we invite guests. Each night on Sukkot we invite real guests, as well as symbolic guests from our biblical past Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah, Moses and Hannah, Miriam and Aaron, Esther and Joseph, Rachel and David.

Author Lesli Koppelman Ross writes, Maimonides admonished that anyone who sits comfortably with his family within his own walls and does not share with the poor is performing a mitzvah not for joy but for the stomach. In addition to extending personal invitations to the needy (in former times it was customary to have at least one poor person at a Sukkot meal; today donation of funds often is a substitute), we open our homes symbolically.

Relatedly, at the beginning of the Seder we say, Let all who are hungry come and eat.

This all points to the great concern Judaism has for the most vulnerable in society. In Leviticus (19:9-10) we are told:

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not pick your vineyard bare or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger; I am the Lord your God.

We also read, Give to the needy readily and have no regrets when you do so, for in return the Eternal your God will bless you in all your efforts and in all your undertakings (Deuteronomy 15:10).

When you are asked in the world to come, What was your work? and you answer: I fed the hungry, you will be told: This is the gate of the Lord, enter into it, you who have fed the hungry (Midrash Psalms 118:17).

As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks summarizes, [A] free society is a moral achievement. The paradoxical truth is that a society is strong when it cares for the weak, rich when it cares for the poor, and invulnerable when it takes care of the vulnerable.

ON SUKKOT we build a sukkah, a vulnerable structure that we are told to live in during the weeklong festival.

We do so to remind ourselves that any structure no matter how strong and, we assume, permanent (even our homes) can be vulnerable.

We extend the penitential period beyond Yom Kippur and into Sukkot to remind ourselves that sometimes the task is so great we need more time.

As we each sit in our sukkah this year, knowing that most of us will be able to return to stable homes, let us not only think of those less fortunate when it comes to a permanent, safe roof over their heads. Let us also develop and act in tangible ways so that we, as individuals and societies, can address this worldwide scourge.

The open-air sukkah invokes Sarah and Abraham, who, we are told, opened their tent on all sides during the day so they could see and welcome those on the move. The Talmud (Shabbat 127a) tells us, in the context of Abraham and Sarah welcoming those individuals, that receiving guests is greater than greeting the Divine Presence.

As we sit in the shade of our sukkah, let us remember that our response to refugees and the homeless is holy work.

The writer is rabbi emeritus of the Israel Congregation, Manchester Center, Vermont, and a faculty member of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and Bennington College.

The rest is here:

Sukkot, and the lesson of reaching out to help others - The Jerusalem Post

According to the text of Vayikra 23:43, the commandment to dwell in sukkot (booths/shelters) is observed:

In order that future generations will know that I made the children of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.

In the Exodus narrative itself, these booths are not mentioned. This gave rise to a Talmudic dispute in which R. Akivas claim (that the festival of Sukkot refers to physical booths built in the desert) is contested by R. Eliezar, who suggests that the shelter referred to is none other than that of the annanei kavodthe Divine clouds of The Glory which protected Israel in the desert. (Midrash Sifra 17, Talmud Bavli, Sukkah 11b).

There is a sense in which both opinions are correct.

The hut (sukkah) which is built during the festival of Sukkot is a reminder of our reliance on Divine Providence and Protection. For some the emphasis is on the idea that it is we ourselves who build it-literally by our labour and creativity and figuratively by our attempt to live according to the Torah. For others it is a reminder that ultimately we are totally reliant on the Protection of God, and that He will be gracious to whomsoever He chooses. Both ideas are part of the liturgy of this festival, and both ideas can be a fruitful source of inspiration for our meditation, prayers, and other acts of gemilut chasadim.

Though the nature and symbolism of the Shelter/shelter under which we celebrate generated much creative argument one opinion on the festival of Sukkot which was always universally agreed upon is that Sukkot is the Season of our Joy.

The Joy which characterises this season celebrates a time in the desert which was no Nature Ramble or jolly summer-camp vacation. As Rabbi Irving Greenberg wrote in 1988:

In the desert, the people of Israel met their God, ate the bread of heaven, and followed the pillar of fire. In that same desert, The Amalekites attacked, the water springs were bitter, the Israelites lusted after meat, the flocks were thirsty.

The Joy of Sukkot is the joy of optimism in all circumstances-those we perceive as good and those we perceive as bad- and it is the fruit of authentic and expansive gratitude for whatever we are provided with daily. But, how can we feel joy at ANY time when we are aware that there is so much poverty, suffering and cruelty in our broken world?

The sukkah in the photo above (one I built in 1994 when I lived in Indonesia) would be a palace to millions of people in our world right now and at any time of year. Sometimes G-ds reality seems to be more cruel than we humans can perceive or even begin to understand.How can we experience joy when so many of our Nation (and of the entire Human Race worldwide) are suffering and dying in the current viral plague?

Those fulfilling the commandment to build and dwell in a sukkah during Sukkot are challenged to cope with the mix of Chesed and Gevurah in Creation and find the balance of Tiferet: ways to make their reliance on the Providence of G-d and their attempt to generate equanimity overflow to all worlds.

Even if we begin small: Sitting in the Sukkah, we are given a choice: We can moan and grumble when the roof leaks,or we can try to keep our spirits up and focus on the beauty of the stars we can see through the hole. We can give up the task of re-building when the winds blow the makeshift walls down or we can be optimistic and remember that all we have is temporary anyway, and just plod on with hope.

It is by reflecting on such common aspects of life in a modern sukkah when we are safe and in good circumstances that we can generate the sort of positive outlook that stands people in good stead in times of crisis. And with the viral pandemic, the intensifying threat of war and terrorism, and the expansion of antisemitic and anti Israel prejudice. we are certainly in the midst of such a time right now.

The Festival of Sukkot has always been one of our most Universalist festivals. It is a time when the Priestly Nation of Israel turns its thoughts to the well being of all Nations, and offers its sacrifices for a global cause. We are no longer worshipping in a Temple and our sacrifices are now made through acts of tzedakah and especially through our prayers.

The contemplative Jew believes that prayer has a role to play in this situation of global crisis, even though it may not be so readily measured. Relying on Divine Providence does not mean that we expect magic to be performed on our behalf. Our prayers for the victims of natural disasters, for those trying to repair the damage done to our broken planet, and for those politicians, volunteers, and caring professionals who work to raise up the bodies and souls of the afflicted and persecuted are not an attempt to overturn the laws of nature. They are an attempt to generate positive thought and energy, and to make a plea for inspiration and comfort to descend into the hearts of those in the midst of difficult times, and to those In Power and those with influence to make positive and compassionate changes.

In this way, we are imploring HaShem to make his Compassion overcome His Strict Justice.

Our faith in Divine Providence is not quietism. Our belief that our prayers make a difference is part of our active community service. Our prayer is meant to encourage and to generate positive and creative events in ourselves and in other people. As the Yom Kippur prayer book has recently reminded us : Our prayer may not avert the harsh decree but it can transform it. It may actually give hope to those who have no hope. It may be one of the ways which the sukkah of G-ds Presence is extended over His wild and broken earth.

All of this is above national and partisan politics. All this is above vitriolic fighting over vaccination policy or quarantine regulations. All of this is above the criticism of governments or leading political personalities who we may have made into scapegoats for our our own failings or who we use to bolster up our escapism in the face of genuine anxiety and pain. All this is above the seeking of modern age conspiracy theory scapegoats to send to Azazel. There is no person or event or situation that cannot somehow be an agent of G-ds Providence, for all is in Him, both the light and the dark.

But, when all is said and done, and despite our attempts to develop our spiritual equanimity.. it is better to light a candle than to rant and rave at the dark, to be grateful for the Sukkah and its apparently flimsy protection. And to try to see its hidden beauty even in a storm.

Most of all, in Israel, our beleaguered and threatened country, may our prayers avert harsh decrees of disease and war, and protect us against the hatred of those who would destroy us.

May He shelter us all in the Sukkah of His Peace.

Nachman Davies is an author, copy editor, and Jewish Contemplative. After a lifetime working as a composer and school music teacher in UK, Jakarta, and Singapore: he became totally deaf, bought a cave house in Spain, and began a twelve year experiment in living an observant yet solitary life as a full time contemplative practitioner. He made aliyah in 2019 and now lives in Tsfat in Northern Israel. (His personal website "Jewish Contemplatives" can be viewed at https://jewishcontemplatives.blogspot.com )

View post:

Sukkot in a Time of Crisis | Nachman Davies | The Blogs - The Times of Israel

Why are shrews always so vicious? How did the ancient world view the male/female body? And what possessed Yalta to smash 400 bottles of her husbands wine? Join us as scholar Gila Fine guides us through an exploration of the comic tale of Yalta, read through Aristotle and Euripides, William Shakespeare and William Congreve, Charlotte Bront and Jean Rhys, Adrienne Rich and R. Kook.

Gila Fine is editor-in-chief of Maggid Books (Koren). She also teaches Aggada at Pardes, exploring the stories of the Talmud through philosophy, literary criticism, psychoanalysis and pop culture. Fine has previously taught at Hebrew University, TAU and LSJS. Haaretz has called her a young woman who is on her way to becoming one of the more outstanding Jewish thinkers of the next generation.

Fact Sheet

When

Sunday, October 31, 2021, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

CJP provides the above links concerning third-party events for your convenience only. CJP has no control over the content of the linked-to websites or events they describe, and accepts no responsibility for the websites, including any advertising or products or services on or available from such sites, or for any loss or damage that may arise from your attending, or registering to attend, the described events. If you decide to access any of the third-party websites linked to below, you do so entirely at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of use for such websites and event attendance. CJP is not responsible or liable to you or any third party for the content or accuracy of any materials provided by any third parties. All statements and/or opinions expressed in the linked-to materials or at the described events, and all commentary, articles and other content provided at the third-party websites or at the events, are solely the opinions and the responsibility of the persons or entities operating the linked-to websites and events. The inclusion of any link on this website does not imply that CJP endorses the described event, or the linked-to website or its operator.MORE

Read the original post:

The Madwoman in the Rabbi's Attic: The Tale of Yalta the Shrew - jewishboston.com

I have learned over the years that my High Holy Days experience was different from many Jews Id later meet. Growing up in my Orthodox bubble of New York and then Cleveland Heights, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were mainly about the prayers.

Where are you going to daven (pray) was a far more likely question than, Whos coming over for Rosh Hashanah dinner? In fact, we usually did not have any guests for Rosh Hashanah dinner. The solemnity of the day didnt feel compatible with the celebratory atmosphere of guests. Yom Kippur break-fast was a small and unimpressive affair.

And then came Sukkot.

Sukkot was the moment to celebrate, to travel to New York to be with our grandparents, aunts and uncles, or to have them come to Cleveland to be with us. To cook and enjoy big, festive meals. To walk from shul to shul on Simchat Torah, reveling in the spirit of the day and enjoying all the festivities. Sukkot was the relief after the intensity, the calm after the storm.

On Rosh Hashanah, Judaism teaches us to rejoice with trembling. But on Sukkot, it tells us to only be joyous. How should we be joyous, the Talmud asks? Here are some guidelines from thousands of years ago: For men, enjoy meat and wine. For women, new clothing and jewelry. For children, treats and sweets. In other words, find things that make you happy physically to enhance and awaken your inner joy.

Whats the inner joy about? Its exactly about the calm after the storm.

For 10 days, from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur inclusive, weve been under a cloud of seriousness. The Book of Life is open; are we going to be written in it? Have we successfully repented for our mistakes? Have we apologized and cleared our slate toward others weve harmed? Not gonna lie, its a lot of pressure. And its supposed to be. Yom Kippur is really hard. Introspection and transformation are not for the faint of heart.

And fasting well, lets just say Id rather be eating. But when that shofar sounds at night, when all the prayers and tears are over, when we draw a collective ragged breath, smile and hug each other, whispering, Next year in Jerusalem! well, theres no relief like that. Theres no joy like a hard job well done.

The joy comes from the deep sense of satisfaction and love in the air that weve humbled ourselves and hopefully been forgiven. That weve done the grueling task of the annual audit and come out in the clear. That weve had the tough conversations and theyve ended well. Nothing feels better than doing something hard, and amazing.

So, Sukkot.

Try to find a Sukkah to visit if you dont have one of your own. Try to find a lulav to shake. Breathe in the clean air, drink in the sunshine. Celebrate this beautiful, underserved holiday with family and friends. Inhale the collective sense of relief, the relief of the family of Israel. Were in it together. Chag Sameach.

Read Ruchi Koval online at cjn.org/ruchikoval. Connect with her on Facebook at ruchi.koval and on Instagram @ruchi.koval.

The Cleveland Jewish News does not make endorsements of political candidates and/or political or other ballot issues on any level. Letters, commentaries, opinions, advertisements and online posts appearing in the Cleveland Jewish News, on cjn.org or our social media pages do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company, its board, officers or staff.

View post:

Only be joyous - Cleveland Jewish News

Before last summer, I could have readily given you the names of three death camps. I could not, however, have given you the names of three Yiddish authors, masters of the Yiddish language, speakers of which constituted more than 80 percent of those who perished in said death camps. Dara Horn ponders this discrepancy of knowledge in her latest book People Love Dead Jews, asking What was the point of caring so much about how people died, if one cared so little about how they lived?

Horns point is an uncomfortable one, as its an indictment of the Jewish institutions and organizations that seek to serve as the glue of our community. In the reform Jewish world in which I grew up, many young Jews are secularizing, and by recognizing how many of them know the words Auschwitz, Treblinka and Sobibor, instead of, rather than in addition to, Aleichem, I.L. Peretz, and Mokher Seforim, clearly the ways in which our Jewish education has been constructed to emphasize victimhood over peoplehood have not been productive.

To illustrate this problem, this summer I picked up a copy of Call It Sleep by Henry Roth, a 1934 novel that tells the story of David, an eight-year-old Jewish boy living in the immigrant slums of the Lower East Side at the turn of the twentieth century. Throughout the novel, David is forced to contend with a variety of challenges: an abusive father, a secretive mother, a strict rabbi at his local cheder, and the general rough and tumble of early Jewish life in New York tenements. And yet still, I put down Roths book unsatisfied, a tad disappointed that this particular work of fiction did not bring the bravado and profound meaning that the Jewish books Im comfortable with are notorious for providing. The book has anything but a Hollywood style beginning, middle, and endDavids life is told more in the form of episodes or snapshots, without any clear universalist message to offer readers. Little did I know, this was far from abnormal in Jewish literature.

One of the sections of Horns book that struck me as most interesting is her analysis of the separation of norms between Jewish authors and Christian authors. Whereas writers in the Christian world are more focused on crafting their tales with coherence and meaning, Jewish authors have often tended away from providing fully-realized endings or redemptive storylines, opting instead to paint the world as it truly is: nuanced and complex. Much of Jewish literature, including works such as Sholom Aleichems Tevye and the Dairy Man stories, have to be dramatized into separate scripts such as Fiddler on the Roof simply because, for those of used to a more contemporary mode of storytelling, the characters do not offer us satisfying moments of grace and instead live their lives as any normal Jew would: trying to stay out of trouble.

As I read Call it Sleep, I expected David to encounter antisemitism and prejudice in New York, to find a grand connection between Talmud and his family, or for his life to be revealed as a fantastic metaphor. But Roth offers none of this. The novel is less about being a Jewish immigrant than it is about simply being an immigrant: a stranger in a strange land. A New York Times review of Call It Sleep from 1964 notes that the books critics must have felt that the severe detachment with which Roth presented the inner life of a Jewish immigrant boy between the ages of 6 and 8 was an evasion of the social needs of the moment, later adding that the novel ends without any explicit moral statement one has lived through a completeness of rendered life, and all one need do is silently to acknowledge its truth.

Our greatest literary writers, instead of polishing their tales with life lessons and conclusive endings, have historically preserved Jewish life in its truest sense.

Our greatest literary writers, instead of polishing their tales with life lessons and conclusive endings, have historically preserved Jewish life in its truest sense. They offer us a yiddishkeit that portrays Jews, rather than what happened to Jews. A great deal of our understanding of Jewish culture comes from what happened to the Jews, abandoning the most important aspect of our faiththe ritual, day-to-day life of our ancestors who sustained our traditions for millennia.

Many of us have been conditioned to perceive this as boring and meaningless, as I did reading Roth, and many of our teachers have decided that reading Dershowitz and watching Schindlers List is more constructive to forming a Jewish identity than discussing the Mishnah or the meaning of Chagalls paintings. This is a mistake, for a sense of identity solely built upon conflict, tragedy and politics cannot withstand.

Perhaps this is the genesis of the rising anti-Zionist and even anti-Jewish attitudes among young Jews today, a backlash against the lack of cultural literacy that come with the American Diaspora experience. If we perceive ourselves as victims first, Israel as only a resolution to the Holocaust, Shabbat prayers as only an exercise in muscle memory without any historical knowledge of the weight of the words, the once thought to be everlasting light of Jewish life in America will dim.

Blake Flayton is New Media Director and columnist at the Jewish Journal.

Read more:

On Living and Dead Jews - Jewish Journal

A conspiracy theorist has been found guilty of stirring up racial hatred through a campaign of antisemitic graffiti, thanks in part to Jewish News.

Nicholas Lalchan, 49, used a black marker pen to deface 17 bus stops and the window of an accountancy firm in north-west London between February and July 2019.

The cost of the damage to Transport for London was said to be 100 for each bus stop.

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFree Sign Up

Lalchan had admitted criminal damage and having black marker pens to use in the offence.

Following a two-day trial, he was also found guilty of stirring up racial hatred, which he had denied.

A jury at a Nightingale court near the Barbican in central London could not decide on other charges alleging that the criminal damage was racially and religiously aggravated.

Prosecutor David Patience had told the court how Jewish and non-Jewish people alike had been upset at seeing the graffiti and reported it to police.

The graffiti called Jewish and gay people gray aliens, made reference to a new world order and encouraged searches of YouTube and Google for various conspiracy theories, jurors heard.

It appeared in areas including Edgware, Hendon and Finchley with large Jewish communities.

In March 2019 graffiti was reported to police by a Jewish News journalist. The daubing at a bus stop in Edgware, encouraging people to watch clipsincluding:Talmud quotes + (about goyim), which when searched leads to antisemitic videos calling Judaism an evil tradition which promotes paedophilia and that hates non-Jews.

Other videos listed for people to search includeRothschild Trillions quantified and New World Order Agenda, which brings up antisemitic conspiracy theories, with clips about the Rothschilds banking family running the world, and controlling governments and the financial systems.

The graffiti also tells people to search about Kabalah (Jewish mysticism) as well as clips about aliens and an arrest warrant for the Queen and the Pope.

Graffiti at a bus stop in Edgware reported by Jewish News

Other incidents were reported on by Jewish News later in March 2019.

Lalchan was caught after a community support officer recognised him from a still image of the culprit.

When police went to arrest him at his home in Edmonton, north London, he was carrying a backpack containing black marker pens and leaflets saying similar things to the graffiti.

A search of his home produced more leaflets and pens and a USB stick containing material making reference to Jewish people and conspiracy theories.

Lalchan was also incriminated when his handwriting was compared to the graffiti.

The court heard that on being being charged, he said: New world order. The fourth Reich. We will see.

Jurors were told that the defendant accepted it was him that daubed the graffiti on the bus stops but denied it was motivated by religious or racial hostility.

Following the verdicts on Thursday, Judge Judge Gerard Pounder adjourned sentencing until December 1 at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

The outstanding charges will not be proceeded with and the defendant was granted continued bail.

The rest is here:

Conspiracy theorist guilty of stirring up racial hatred with antisemitic graffiti - Jewish News

All carnivores eat their food raw; with one exception. Out of several million species alive today on this planet, Homo Sapiens is the only one that self-consciously (with mixed feelings) kills and prepares (cooks) its daily diet of food.

In the past Homo Neanderthals and Homo Denisovans also cooked their food; but they are now long gone. Robots can be programed to cook food now; but they do not prepare food with conscious feelings or thoughts about the amount of sugar or salt in the recipe. Only humans worry if the food is: Halal or Kosher or vegetarian.

This is because only humans use both feelings developed over millions of years, and thoughts developed over the last few thousand years, to guide their selection, preparation and consumption of food, drink, sex and everything else we do in our daily life.

Only humans have what the Jewish tradition calls a Yetzer: and the human yetzer always develops into two aspects: one is raw and wild; the other is cooked and tamed. The untamed Yetzer is called by the rabbis the yetzer hara (the bad or wild yetzer). It is greatly lacking in the attitudes, values and self-discipline that could domesticate it. The well domesticated Yetzer, much better endowed with these good qualities, is called the yetzer hatov (the good yetzer)..

Personal feelings and impulses of anger, hate, jealousy, greed, envy, arrogance, and selfishness incline us toward bad behaviorthe yetzer hara. Personal feelings and impulses of empathy, kindness, friendship, love, loyalty, patiences and joyfulness incline us to good behaviorthe yetzer hatov.

Personality traits like competitiveness, steadfastness, aggressiveness, stubbornness, adaptability, ambition and charm also need to be channeled through self-awareness toward good personal values and social goals. This is the function of the moral and religious education of our religious attitudes, social values, and personal desires. For Jews this education is based on Torah and Halakah, just as for Muslims it is based on Quran and Shaaria.

The following rabbinic statements from Jewish traditional literature exemplify various aspects of the Yetzer, both wild and tamed. Rabbi Samuel said, good refers to the inclination toward good, and very good refers to the inclination toward evil. Can the inclination toward evil be good? Yes! If not for the inclination toward evil no man would build a house, marry, or beget children as it says, excelling in work is due to a mans rivalry with his neighbor. (Ecclesiastes. 4:4) The rest of this essay explains this startling statement.

Since it takes years of education and self-discipline to learn to live a good and holy life, the Yetzer haTov (the tamed impulse) isnt there at birth, even though the soul is pure at birth. As the Torah teaches in the Book of Genesis: The devisings of mans mind are evil from his youth (8:21).

Bereshit Rabbah 34:12 comments, From the moment he awakes to go forth from his mothers womb, the Yetzer hara (untamed/wild impulse) is in him and the sages say, The Yetzer hara is 13 years older than the Yetzer hatov. It begins growing with the fetus in the mothers womb and comes out with him. (Avot of Rabbi Nathan). The reference to 13 years is related to the age when children are considered by Jewish law to be responsible for their own actions. It takes this long to train children to consciously control their wild urges and to consciously direct them to moral and holy purposes.

While impulses like anger, jealousy, greed, selfishness, stubbornness, rivalry, status, attention and thrill seeking, can be found in most young children, Mitsvot (good deeds) and Torah study can tame those urges. The Holy One did create the Yetzer hara, but He also created Torah as an antidote. (Talmud Baba Batra 16a).

Other natural impulses like approval seeking, conflict avoidance, caution, friendship, group loyalty, patience, sharing, sympathy, trust and peacemaking can be strengthened and consciously directed to moral goals by doing Mitsvot (good deeds) and Torah study. But without Torah and Mitsvot to control them even positive traits can contribute to evil deeds. For example, loyalty and friendship can lead one to cover up the misdeeds of another person. And patience and conflict avoidance can delay one from reacting against observed injustice and oppression. Sometimes, the untamed Yetzer needs to encourage independent thought and action.

In the east, the goal of most religious teachers was not to curb human lusts and passions, or to redirect them into something positive. Instead most, but not all, eastern religious teachers sought to extinguish natural passions and emotions entirely, and leave them behind permanently.

Jewish teachers did not believe this is possible or desirable. It is not desirable because if we slay the untamed impulse the entire civilized world will be destroyed (by asceticism and celibacy). So they shaded its eyes (weakened it by harnessing it) and let it go (Talmud Yoma 69b). It is not possible or desirable to eliminate natural feelings in this world even though they may often lead to bad behavior because the Yetzer hara will only be absent in the non-natural world to come (Genesis Rabbah 48:11).

Indeed, Rabbi Judah taught, This world is based on three things: rivalry, lust and mercy. (Avot of Rabbi Nathan) Rabbi Judahs statement clearly refers to the emotional forces that motivate so much of human activity both positively and negatively. Our goal should be to harness our natural wild impulses and our natural empathetic, compassionate impulses and direct them to the service of our fellow creatures and the God who made us all.

Even great sages like Abbaye find themselves struggling to control their natural impulses, and as he learned the greater the man, the greater his natural impulses. (Sukah 52b)

The challenge of taming our Yetzer is also a continual one. The sages say, A persons yetzer grows daily. (Sukkah 52b) and thats one important reason to engage in daily ritual and ethical Mitsvot as well as daily Torah study.

But if the study of Torah and doing Mitsvot are necessary to enable people to civilize their Yetzer, how do non-Jews, who do not do either of these, become righteous? If the question was asked in the past it was rarely answered directly. There is one anonymous Rabbinic teaching that declares that both the wild impulse and the empathetic tamed impulse are rooted in the human gut (i.e. natural or biological). One Yetzer in each kidney.

This implies that every human also has a natural Yetzer hatov and that each religion can strengthens this natural-biological good impulse with its own explicit guidelines. (Berachot 61a).

There was also a 13th century Kabbalist mystic, Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob ha-Kohen, who explained why God destroyed the worlds created prior to this one. At first God thought: If I create a world without any Yetzer hara there will be no amazement if the creatures are as good as angels. But if I put a strong Yetzer hara into them; they might be unable to overcome it. Still, I might find among them a couple of righteous people like King David (who had a very strong Yetzer hara The greater the man the greater the Yetzer); so God created worlds (where people had a very strong Yetzer) and then destroyed them not finding any righteous people in them Then God said, I created it (the Yetzer) to powerful, so there is no good in them (at all); I will now create human beings with an (potential) additional Yetzer, the Yetzer hatov.

Since Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob Ha-Cohen doesnt mention that these other worlds received Torah he must have thought that pre humans should have been able to achieve goodness just with their natural impulses to co-operate alone. But they couldnt; and their world was destroyed.

Now, with a potentially tamed Yetzer hatov, both Jews and non-Jews are adequately able to nourished their own Yetzer with their own religions moral teachings. This is why our sages declared that there were righteous people in every nation; and thus say that the righteous of all nations have a place in the world to come.

The Rabbis did not want to say much that was positive about untamed natural impulses that could lead people to do good outside the realm of Torah and Mitsvot (Jewish Civilization) or even outside the seven commandments of Noahs descendants (Gentile Civilization). They said even less about the possibility that the Yetzer hatov might under some circumstances be counterproductive.

There is one story told about Rabbi Hiyya bar Ashi, who continually worried about his sexual impulses. His wife, after years of sexual neglect, disguised herself and flirted with Rabbi Hiyya. He came home and told his wife that he was depressed because he had flirted with a woman. She told him it was no big deal because she was the woman. He replied that even if nothing occurred and no one was hurt, his sin was in his desires and intention.

Rabbi Hiyya should have learned from this experience that sexual neglect of his wife was his sin. Instead, the Talmud relates, Rabbi Hiyya blamed himself and started fasting. He fasted so much that he died from his fasting. (Kiddushin 81b)

This narrative teaches us that Rabbi Hiyya was an extremest idealistic perfectionist; and it killed him. As the Hebrew Bible states: Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? (Ecclesiastes 7:16)

In the late 18th and 19th centuries there were a few Hassidic Rabbis who argued that overly strict Halakic (legal) control could interfere with natural spiritual emotions (in prayer for example) and excessive Kabbalistic (mystical) practices (multiple days of fasting or rolling naked in the snow) could depress or even extinguish the feeling of joy that Hassidism deemed necessary for true worship of God.

In todays word we are all aware that too much of a good thing can become a bad thing. Too much love can become possessiveness. Too much idealism can become perfectionism.

And too much zeal can become extremism. As Rabbi Mikhal of Zlotchov said: When the Yetzer hara (or Satan) tries to tempt people to sin, it tempts them to become super righteous.

The pious goals do not justify every kind of action. In todays world we need to strengthen both our spiritually tamed compassionate yetzer; and our untamed critical independent yetzer, if we are to live up to our ideals.

Also Rabbi Eliezer said : I heard with my ear the Lord of hosts speaking. What did He say? He said: See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil (Deuteronomy 30:15). The Holy One said : Behold, these two ways have I given to Israel, one is good, the other is evil. The one which is good, is of life ; and the one which is evil, is of death.

The good way has two byways, one of righteousness and the other of love, and Elijah, is placed exactly between these two ways. When a man comes to enter (one of these ways), Elijah, cries aloud concerning him, saying, Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps truth may enter in (Isaiah 26:2). And Samuel the prophet places himself between these two by-ways. He says : On which of these (two byways) shall I go ? If I go on the way of righteousness, then (the path) of love is better than the former; if I go on the way of love, (the way) of righteousness is better : but I call heaven and earth to be my witnesses that I will not give up either of them. (Pirke de Rabbi Elizer English chapter 15 Page 102-3; Hebrew 17a)

The Holy One said to him : Samuel ! Thou hast placed thyself between these two good byways. By thy life! I will give to thee three good gifts. This teaches thee that everyone who does righteousness and shows the service of love, shall inherit three good gifts, and they are: life, righteousness, and glory, as it is said, He that follows after righteousness and love, finds life, righteousness, and glory (Proverbs 21:21). It is only written here (in the text) : He finds life, righteousness, and glory. (Pirke de Rabbi Elizer English chapter 15 Page 102-3; Hebrew 17a)

Read more here:

Judaism's Teachings On The Human Sources Of Good And Evil OpEd - Eurasia Review

Jewish Statement // Kinehora. In 2004, the stoic, cowboy-esque Clint Eastwood by chance demonstrated on his own even more Tevye the Dairyman than dusty Harry.Whos Fearful Of the Wicked Eyes?

In response to a reporters problem towards possibilities of his flick, Mystic River, being victorious the absolute best pic Oscar, Eastwood cried, Kinehora! The guy described that it was a Jewish concept utilized to reduce the chances of a jinx, certainly one of countless protective folk behavior designed to abstain from, trick or hit evil tones.

Kinehora are a spasm of three Yiddish terminology: kayn ayin hara, practically not (kayn) the bad (hara) eyes (ayin). The kayn originates from the German for no while the ayin hara from Hebrew. The wicked vision is amongst the worlds oldest and the most widely kept superstitions. Their placed in Jewish lore try rooted in ancient Judaism and Jewish people religion going out with towards handbook, the Talmud and rabbinic Midrash. Theres a fun history, particularly from the dark ages forward, of commonly strange and intricate folk practicesinvocations including kinehora becoming a fairly subdued caseaimed at thwarting the destructive purpose or aftereffect of the bad eyes.

The wicked vision comes from the Greek idea which eyes can capture radiation that attack with hazardous or deadly force. In Greek star, as an example, the creature Medusa are able to turn a man into rock with a single view, claims Richard G. Coss, author of Reflections the Evil eyes. This capability is called jettatura, a https://datingmentor.org/kyrgyzstan-dating/ Latin label for a malevolent look utilizing the power to problems, as indicated by Alan Dundes, the later part of the folklorist through the school of California, Berkeley, in an essay, Wet and Dry: The Evil Eye.

The bad attention may have been presented into Jewish believe by Talmudic regulators encountered with Babylonian heritage, as mentioned in Joshua Trachtenberg, the later part of the author of Jewish wonders and Superstition: a survey in Folk Religion. The Babylonian Talmud reported there had been rabbis who had the energy to make a man or woman into a heap of rocks in just a glance. Sefer Hasidim (The Book of Pious), a 12th-13th hundred years advice on Germanic Jewish religious rehearse, likewise cautions, angry glances of mans perspective contact into are an evil angel who easily normally takes revenge throughout the reason behind his own wrath. Dundes also links jettatura to liquids, such as h2o, champagne, spittle and even semen, that have been thought to secure (either as a weapon or a shield) against the evil eyes. (This could be an origin the practise of spitting three timesor claiming ptoo, ptoo, ptooin a reaction to expression for example kinehora.)

The power of beverages is mirrored from inside the Talmudic interpretation of Jacobs biblical benefit of Joseph: like the fishes into the beach happen to be protected by h2o and the bad eyes lacks electric power over them, therefore, the bad vision doesnt have energy on the source of Joseph. The persistent usage of seafood image and amulets in between East and North Africa can be connected to this and similar resources.

Worries of being the thing of different peoples envy are the typical social root of fear of the bad eye across diverse cultures, says Boris Gershman, mentor of economic science at American college. This worry, which Trachtenberg telephone calls the moral type of the wicked vision, can end up being followed to the pagan belief that gods become in essence mans adversaries, they crave him his or her joys and his triumphs, and spitefully harry him or her for felicities they do not discuss.

This notion is usually popular in Jewish texts. Its present in Midrashic tales such Sarah casting the wicked vision on Hagar, and Jacob covering up Dinah in a package to shield this model from Esaus wicked attention. Its furthermore in rabbinic books: Johanan ben Zakkai, inside integrity associated with Fathers, questions his disciples which character attribute customers should more shun. Rabbi Eliezer responds that an evil, or jealous, eyes may be the worst type of standard; Rabbi Joshua says about the evil eye will result in a persons early dying. The Babylonian Talmud alerts the master of a lovely jacket to keep they concealed from your potentially jealous vision of a visitor, and warnings against extremely appreciating anothers plants lest the bad vision problems these people. In these instances, actions and traitsnot sayings or talismansare seen as optimal defense against the wicked perspective.

Since understanding of the bad eyes is ancient, the expression kinehora arrived after. It has been probable earliest used in medieval Germany, as an interpretation through the Hebrew bli ayin hara, as mentioned in Rivka Ulmer, teacher of Jewish reports at Bucknell institution and writer of The Evil perspective into the scripture and Rabbinic Literature. German Jews encountered it in many spiritual pamphlets of Psalms because prayer products created for females in Yiddish. Their utilize was actually thus popular that German neighborhood launched utilizing equivalents of kinehora, like unbeschrieen (this isnt as mentioned), and unberufen (we dont call up the wicked eye), which youll find are continue to utilized right now. Through the seventeenth century onward, in accordance with Trachtenberg, no evil eye expressions experienced become automated accompaniments on Jewish mouth from the smallest accompany.

In our contemporary world, says Sarah Bunin Benor, professor of Jewish research at Hebrew Union College and writer of the Jewish french Lexicon, kinehora and bli ayin hara utilized usually by Orthodox Jews across the nation and Israel.

Right now, opinions into the bad eyes can be quite lowaccording around the Pew Research heart, only about 16 per cent of North americans do the advice to cardiovascular system. Continue to, using protective amulets and talismans, shielding construction for instance knock on material, earnings of hamsas (probably accompanied by a complementary red kabbalah string) and eyes jewelry please do not seem to be lowering. Because Sefer Hasidim would say: One shouldnt rely on superstitions, yet it is better to generally be attentive of these.

Read the original:

Jewish Statement // Kinehora. In 2004, the stoic, cowboy-esque Clint Eastwood by chance demonstrated on his own even more Tevye the Dairyman than...

Nonfiction

Oct. 1

Seriously, God? Making Sense of Life Not Making Sense (Ave Maria, $16.95, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-64680-084-1). Michael White and Tom Corcoran explore the denial, doubt, and betrayal felt when facing hardship, pain, and grief. They suggest every circumstance is a chance to learn more about God.

A Short History of Islamic Thought (Oxford Univ., $21.95, ISBN 978-0-19-752201-1). Fitzroy Morrissey explores the people and ideas that have defined Islamic theology, philosophy, and law since the 7th century, drawing on Arabic and Persian primary texts, as well as the latest scholarship.

Oct. 5

Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us into the Sacred (Broadleaf, $17.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-5064-6964-5). Victoria Loorz, cofounder of the Wild Church Network and Seminary of the Wild, makes the case for deepening our commitment to a suffering earth, falling in love with nature and calling the wild world a church in communion with all creatures

Were All Freaking Out (and Why We Dont Need To): Finding Freedom from Your Anxious Thoughts and Feelings (WaterBrook, $16, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-593-19363-1).Pastor and podcaster David Marvin offers young adults biblical teaching and hard-won advice for confronting debilitating anxiety and fear with six tools God offers to give them a roadmap to peace.

Where Do We Go from Here? Strategic Living for Stressful Times (Thomas Nelson, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-7852-2419-8). Bible teacher and pastor, David Jeremiah shares how biblical prophecies and wisdom from centuries ago still speak the truth today and point the way forward.

Reading Evangelicals: How Christian Fiction Shaped a Culture and a Faith (Eerdmans, $27.99, ISBN 978-0-8028-7935-6). Journalist and historian Daniel Silliman looks at five best-selling novels beloved by evangelicals, their impact on Christian culture and on the bookstores that supported them.

Made to Worship: Empty Idols and the Fullness of God (Focus on the Family, $16.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-58997-709-9). Phil Staceys experience appearing on American Idol in 2007 nearly derailed his life until he turned that fame into opportunities to spread the Gospel.

Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet (HarperOne, $27.99, ISBN 978-0-06-295479-4). Revered Buddhist spiritual leader Thich Nhat Han shares his wisdom, parables, and meditations on how people can contribute to the collective awakening and environmental revolution desperately needed in this fractured world.

God in the Modern Wing: Viewing Art with Eyes of Faith (IVP Academic, $30, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8308-5069-3). Coeditors Cameron J. Anderson and G. Walter Hansen offer the reflections of artists, art historians, and theologians who collectively offer a complex narrative of the history of modern art and its place in the Christian life.

Power Women: Stories of Motherhood, Faith, and the Academy (IVP Academic, $28, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8308-5306-9). Coeditors Nancy Wang Yuen and Deshonna Collier-Goubil offer a collection of essays on how Christian women navigate the complex pressures of combining academic careers with family life and church, and how they find many paths to thrive.

Jesus Followers: Real-Life Lessons for Igniting Faith in the Next Generation (Multnomah, $24, ISBN 978-0-525-65120-8). Evangelist Billy Grahams daughter Anne Graham Lotz and her daughter, Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright team up to offer stories of their family life and share spiritual wisdom and practical insight for raising the next generation of Christians.

When the Universe Cracks: Living as Gods People in Times of Crisis (NavPress, $16.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-64158-409-8). Angie Ward offers a collection of wisdom from Christian thought leaders, pastors, and scholars on how God can be trusted when the world is ripe with strife, and we face personal crises

A Book Called You: Understanding the Enneagram from a Grace-Filled, Biblical Perspective (Thomas Nelson, $18.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-7852-4085-3). Matthew Stephen Brown looks at the Enneagram personality test and aligns its nine types of people with people in the Bible to help people better understand themselves and their relationships.

Oct. 12

Wanderlost: Falling from Grace and Finding Mercy in All the Wrong Places (Paraclete, $18, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-64060-674-6). Natalie Toon Pattons coming-of-age travel memoir probes thorny spiritual questions while taking the reader on a wild ride across the U.S. and around the world.

Is Atheism Dead? (Salem, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-68451-173-0). Conservative radio host Eric Metaxas argues against the idea of a creatorless universe, setting out to show atheism to be implausible, intellectually sloppy, even demonstrably ridiculous.

Pray Confidently and Consistently: Finally Let Go of the Things Holding You Back from Your Most Important Conversation (Tyndale Momentum, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-4964-5199-6). Valerie Woerner, popular author of prayer journals, advises on how to ditch the burdens that are suffocating your prayer life.

The Little Book of Tibetan Rites and Rituals: Simple Practices for Rejuvenating the Mind, Body and Spirit (Ulysses, $17.95, ISBN 978-1-64604-252-4). Author and yoga teacher Judy Tsuei offers exercises, Buddhist wisdom and life advice from Lamas on integrating ancient practices with modern life.

Words from the Window Seat: The Everyday Magic of Kindness, Courage, and Being Your True Self (Thomas Nelson, $18.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-4002-2537-8).Flight attendant and blogger Taylor Tippett, who became known in 2015 for leaving upbeat notes for passengers, shares how readers can find encouragement and meaning in a dark and broken world.

When Strivings Cease: Replacing the Gospel of Self-improvement with the Gospel of Life-Transforming Grace (Thomas Nelson, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-4002-2499-9). Bestselling author, artist and speaker Ruth Chou Simons (Beholding and Becoming: The Art of Everyday Worship) calls women to discover how Gods profound gift of grace gives them freedom from the never-ending quest for approval and affirmation.

You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World (IVP, $22, ISBN 978-0-8308-4782-2). Alan Noble, co-founder and editor of christandpopculture.com and author (Disruptive Witness), explores how recognizing that we belong body and soul to Jesus Christ reframes the way we understand ourselves, our families, our society, and God.

Muhammad, the World-Changer: An Intimate Portrait (St. Martins Essentials, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-250-23964-8). Mohamad Jebaras biography places the prophet of Islams life in a broader historical context, evoking the Meccan society he was born into and arguing that his innovative vision helped shape our modern world.

Oct. 14

At the Blue Hole: Elegy for a Church on the Edge (Eerdmans, $21.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8028-7952-3). Minister Jack R. Reese sounds the alarm for Churches of Christ in America, which are rapidly losing members, and points toward a hidden spring of hope, like the blue hole," that flows into the San Antonio River near his church.

Oct. 19

Xuanzang: Chinas Legendary Pilgrim and Translator (Shambhala, 19, $24.95, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-61180-722-6). Benjamin Brose follows the 7th century monks 16-year travels through China and India to locate and study authentic Buddhist teachings, and his immense influence on Chinese Buddhism.

Redeeming Your time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present, and Wildly Productive (WaterBrook, $24, ISBN 978-0-593-19307-5). Entrepreneur and author Jordan Raynor integrates life management practices and Jesuss teachings to equip readers to do their most exceptional work for the glory of God and the good of others.

Repurposed: How God Turns Your Mess into His Message (B&H, $17.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-0877-4049-2). Pastor Noe Garcia shares how God redeemed him from a life of abuse, depression, and overwhelming hopelessness and reminds readers that God will use their own broken lives for their good.

Forty Days on Being an Eight (IVP, $15, ISBN 978-0-8308-4756-3). Pastor, activist, and worship leader, Sandra Maria Van Opstal, describes her experience as an Enneagram Number Eight, a fiery personality in the tests numerology, and how she learned to find her strengths in this volume edited by Enneagram master Suzanne Stabile.

The Guide to Enlightenment: Why the Teacher Still Matters in Buddhism Today (Shambhala, $17.95, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-61180-853-7). Carolyn Kanjuro and Allison Choying Zangmo discuss the benefits of having a teacher, how to find one and how to resolve issues of miscommunication and confrontation.

Oct. 26

Come and Hear: What I Saw in My Seven-and-a-Half-Year Journey through the Talmud (Brandeis Univ., $27.95, ISBN 978-1-68458-067-5). Literary critic Adam Kirsch shares what he learned when he read one page of the Talmud, the collection of ancient Jewish rabbinical wisdom and commentary on the Hebrew Bible, every day for 2,711 days.

Why Cant Church Be More Like an AA Meeting? And Other Questions Christians Ask About Recovery (Eerdmans, $19.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8028-7885-4). Stephen R. Haynes (The Battle for Bonhoeffer) explores the history of Alcoholics Anonymous, which emerged from the Christian parachurch movement.

Good News about Injustice: A Witness of Courage in a Hurting World (IVP, $20 paper, ISBN 978-0-8308-4867-6). Gary A. Haugen offers stories of Christians who have stood up for justice in the face of human trafficking, forced prostitution, racial and religious persecution, and torture. This is one of the special editions marking the 75th anniversary of IVP.

With Fresh Eyes: 60 Insights into the Miraculously Ordinary from a Woman Born Blind (Kregel, $18.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8254-4681-8). When surgery gave Karen Wingate the ability as an adult to see things she never saw before, she saw God in every new discovery and shares these in 60 meditations.

The Power of Place: Choosing Stability in a Rootless Age (Thomas Nelson, $22.99, ISBN 978-1-4002-1253-8). Teaching pastor Daniel Grothe speaks to the sense of loneliness that many feel in todays age of hypermobility and noncommittal wandering, reminding us of the ancient vow of stability, and teaching us how we can lead a richer life of friendship, community, and purpose.

God is a Grunt: And More Good News for GIs (Worthy, $26, ISBN 978-1-5460-0050-1). Logan M. Isaac offers a well-researched, Biblically-based meditative guide for Christian soldiers returning from war, providing resources to discern a better way of discipleship for GIs.

Fiction

Oct.1

The Librarians Journey: 4 Historical Romances (Barbour, $14.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-63609-025-2). Four authorsPatty Smith Hall, Cynthia Hickey, Marilyn Turk, and Kathleen YBarbospin stories inspired by the women who went on horseback through remote communities bringing books and encouraging literacy during the Great Depression.

Oct. 5

Labyrinth of Lies (Revell, $16.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8007-3618-7). In romantic suspense specialist Irene Hannons latest novel, a student disappears from an exclusive girls boarding school and police detective Cate Reilly takes on the dangerous undercover assignment to find her.

All that is Secret (Tyndale Fiction, $25.99, ISBN 978-1-4964-5837-7) Patricia Raybons new historical mystery series offers a riveting puzzle confronting the hidden secrets of class, race, family, and love.

Oct. 12

Every Knee Shall Bow (Revell, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-8007-3818-1). Bryan Litfin sets his novel in 316 AD with a tale of courage, defiance, and humble submission to God in the age of imperial Christianity.

Oct. 19

Freedoms Song (WaterBrook, $16, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-525-65370-7). Kim Vogel Sawyers tale features a runaway indentured servant, a group of enslaved people fleeing for their liberty, and an overwhelmed widower struggle to find delivery physical, emotional, or spiritual.

Oct. 26

An Unexpected Amish Christmas (Zebra, $8.99, mass market, ISBN 978-1-4201-5040-7). In Rachel J. Goods new "Surprised By Love" Amish romance series, two lonely pen palsa grieving woman with too many responsibilities and a shy man paralyzed in the buggy accident that killed his familyfall in love through their letters.

Continued here:

Religion and Spirituality Books Preview: October 2021 - Publishers Weekly

Ecclesiastes is a book of doom. In twelve undramatic chapters, King Solomon seems even more stubbornly disconsolate than Job. Empire, wealth, wisdom, virtue, and still all is futility and chasing wind. We will die, suddenly and without notice, and what was ours will decay or pass to others.

By all means, Solomon urges, all that your hand finds to do, do, but the undoing impendsfor there is no action or reason or thought or wisdom in the pit, where you go. The sensual pleasures are tolerable, but only because man will not remember the days of his life, for the Lord busies him with enjoyment. Even nuptial love is praised only in resignation: See life with the woman you love all the fading days of your life that have been granted to you under the sunall your fading days.

Things are all at once banal, transient, monotonous, and random. There is nothing new under the sun.The world neither much notes nor long remembers the work of any generation, but instead stands forever. And each thing anticipates its reversal. All rivers flow to the sea, but the sea is never fullfrom whence the rivers flow, thence theyll flow again. Life itself announces death. Better to go to a house of mourning than a house of feasting, for there is mans end, and the living should take heart. And every day an imprisoned sun rises and sets, and the seasons subside one to the next. Somehow both finite and endless, adrift yet without a home port, the cosmos mocks us into melancholy.

But a simple hope concludes this book: The sum of things, when all is heard: fear the Lord and keep His law, for this is the whole of man. The whole of manGod invites us into a joint venture. Heaven gives its will, the only part of the Infinite that man can know. And man responds with fealty, the only thing heaven cannot produce. Without Gods generous offer, we might as well return to dust on our own initiative.

What does the end of Ecclesiastes say about the rest of the book? There is a manichean reading: Nature is the ugly foil for a purely spiritual destiny. The worlds afflictions remind us that our true home is elsewhere. Matters temptations and matters disappointments both reflect the same gray misery.

The Talmudic Sages saw things differently. The rabbis were disturbed by Ecclesiastes, but canonized it for its start and for its finish. Its start: What is the advantage to man of his toil under the sun? The House of Rav Yanai reads this verse as endorsing labor before the sun rises, when the righteous would study the words of God. Its finish: the above-quoted hope for human beings. What does Solomon mean by the whole of man? Several rabbis propose variations on the thought that mans sacred mission on earth saves all life and nature from a dreary dolor.

Once weve finished Ecclesiastes, were ready to read it properly. In light of faith, whats ancient isnt banal, but tracks Gods constant devotion to his creatures. Whats fleeting or random isnt futile, but an imitation of Gods free grace. And the seasons form not a circle but a rhythm. Creation images its Creator, and images are not duplicates. God is of course timeless and not just ancient, his grace is more unmerited than any quantum event, and we can safely say his nature is more euphonious than any adagio. Creation discloses God in fragments. God reveals to us, as much as such a thing can be revealed in the language of men, that the fragments arent isolated atoms, but point to a single source beyond them all.

King Solomon couldnt have written a sharper address to our own America if hed read todays New York Times. Working-class people now have more comfortable lives than royals did a hundred years ago, never mind three thousand. The cosmos is more and more intelligible. Weve mastered and commanded much of nature, and look sure to continue. But men have perhaps never been so anxious. We seem unable to rest. What would we rest in? So we move. Toward what?

Sukkot, the holiday on which Jews readEcclesiastes in synagogues, tempers and reorients prosperous men. The harvest is done. Were as comfortable and self-assured as well be all year. So for a week we relocate to huts roofed with branches and leaves, and look at the stars, and recall that love that made and moves them.

Cole S. Aronson studies at Yeshivat Har Etzion in the Judean hills.

First Thingsdepends on its subscribers and supporters. Join the conversation and make a contribution today.

Clickhereto make a donation.

Clickhereto subscribe toFirst Things.

Continue reading here:

How to Read Ecclesiastes | Cole S. Aronson - First Things