Lech-l’cha: Get to yourself… and the others
The reading portion of the week is "Lech lecha\לך לך - Go, march out, reach yourself". God said these words to Abram (Genesis/Bereishit 12:1-17:20). God insisted to make him leave his native land; go out from his father's house and homeland. The words clearly mean that Abram is called by God to "become a great nation, be blessed... and all the families of the earth (mishpechot haadamah\משפחות האדמה) shall bless themselves by you [in/through your name]”. This also implies that these humans, organized in families, were fashioned out of the earth - adamah\אדמה like the Adam haqadmon\אדם הקדמון, address themselves a blessing and not a cursing. They cannot restrict their benedictions to themselves but extend them to each other, nation to nation, family of the earth to any other nation of the earth.
"Lech lecha\לך לך" sounds beautiful and like a challenge in Hebrew. "Halach\הלך - to go, march in/out, go forth" has this short imperative form and the shortened "l-ל" from "el\אל, al\על, if not halach\הלך" shows something irrepressible. This is a major Shabbat and week in the Jewish cycle of the readings. In this portion, Abram accepts God's call to a move that, in his cultural and social environment could only appear to be as a frightful, dangerous, hopeless and meaningless goal.
Fear is worse than anxious ignorance. Fear that we may discover when life can be set in a series of dangers imperiling our freedom, freewill, change our points of views or, on the contrary, widen them unexpectedly. There is much courage in Abram's response to God. Indeed, he finally left his homeland and marched out. Did he come out as an adult? He did it twice because, when he firstly tried to leave his father's house, he got so scared according to the Tradition that he ran back or maybe did not even look too far.
Abram lived in a male civilization. We know nothing about his mom. Let's even think that the man is a character composed of different personalities that lived at a certain period in the same region of Sumer. By his time, Sumer was the cradle of reflection and self-conscience and culture. He is linked to a civilization that got aware that life is not vain. Life makes sense, comes from God and turns toward God. He had a mother like anyone of us. She might have been quite a character too! Abram does not leave his father's house, his homeland. We are told that he did leave his country and home. We know that he sent Eliezer to his father's home in order to find a suitable wife for his son Isaac. Isaac's son, Jacob did the same. The third and last patriarch of Israel always chose his home tribe and parentage to prolong and develop Abraham's call to be a great nation.
The point is that Abram left his mom when he understood that he had to break the ties that existed in his father's house. When he left Ur-Kasdim and the area of Haran, he combated and overcame idolatry, destroying the mother-like natural nourishing and nurturing idols whose natural flavor he had suckled from his mother’s breasts.
It is difficult to struggle and to go beyond the reach of this very gregarious experience. Abram has always been obedient to God… and to Sarai (Sarah) to some extent; safe when he was about to “give” her to Pharaoh. He was so afraid by Pharah that he introduced his wife as being his sister. This kind of problem of fear copes with some existential anxiety that she could resolve for a while. Sarah made Abram really quit his father’s house. Their family bond anticipated serfdom in Egypt when she proposed him to get a child with her maidservant Hagar, an Egyptian. From Mesopotamia to the Nile, Abraham and Sarah dug down to the heart of the Semitic and universal call:
“Vehifreti otcha bimeod meod\והפרתי אתך במאד מאד - I shall make you exceedingly fertile – unetatecha legoyim\ונתתיך לגוים and make nations of you” (Bereishit 17:6). This fertility is meant as “bimeod meod\במאד מאד – in the very too much = totally human as Adam, using the same consonants as when God saw that His creation was “tov meod\טוב מאד – very good” (Gen. 1:31).
We have to face in our daily life the same problem of faith: is the creation really so nice? Frankly, this is a pending cultural and environmental interrogation. The animal micro- and macro-cosmos consists in a constant fight for survival and not being swallowed, forced to be killed. On the second day of Rosh HaShanah, there is the seder tashlich\סדר תשליח : "Who is a God like You, Who pardon iniquity and forgive transgression for the remnant of His heritage? ... You will cast all their sins into the depths of sea\ותשליח במצולת ים כל חטאתם " (Micah 7:18-20). Still, the sea depths are definitely not a peaceful and magnificent place. Fish eat fish, beasts capture and capture the nicest colorful fish species. There is no harm. Ever since, the "seder Tashlich\ סדר תשליך" phrases correspond to the 13 Attributes of the Lord's loving-kindness (Exodus 34:6-7).
Bestiality shows everywhere in a world and human societies often based on hatred and swallowing processing dynamics. The prophetic vision of the bear living with lions, sheep and a small child is not a League of Nations dream after the collapse of the Austrian-Hungarian empire that gathered in so many Central and East European nations under the Habsburg while Kamal Atatürk took the lead of a new Turkish republic after the fall of the Ottoman empire 90 years ago. The Prophets did not envision peace amidst humans as being comparable with raw and wild animal instinct. The United Nations Organization remains a platform for some kind of strategical dialog and encounters.
The ancient ascetic [often monastic] way of living tries to match natural, ecological realm and respect environment and wildlife. The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomaios I of Constantinople repeatedly insists on the obligation for the faithful to respect the Earth and all plants, animals, the environment. It is and has always been a dynamic move in the Eastern Church.
Vegetarian food, avoid eating animal flesh and blood do correspond to the the Noahide Laws and St. James' decision at the Jerusalem synod (49-52?). The Eastern Orthodox tradition does focus on healthy food, recurrent fasting periods over the year. This is why the Christian Orthodox check the ingredients that are foun in oil, vegetables, products, beverages, meat and fish. These rules should positively be compared with the Laws governing Kosher food and cleansing methods because they are historically connected and reply upon the very similar fundamentals. We commemorate the memory of Isaac Bashevis Singer, the great Yiddish writer who, after World War II decided that he never will eat animal food. He became a vegetarian that seemingly was "contradictory" to his moral views as described in his books.
On the other hand, this does not mean at all that the creation is at peace. Ants eat termites and tigers eat eliphants! Animals are cruel: any veto makes this crude experience when trying to cure an injured or sick pet! Praying mantis are beautiful and swift: bees and praying mantis turn to man-eaters... the list is long but real. Now, human beings never really cared about how to protect their environment, except in the field of a respectful attitude taught by the Mitzvot. The Noahide law that prohibits to remove or break a limb from a living animal or the mitzvah/commandment not to kill the mother of fledglings introduce moral conscience and true ethics.
We have certainly reached a bottom line in the 20th century. Mass murders, genocides using gas that got more and more sophisticated systematized the fascination exercised upon human brains and masochist tendencies that always existed.
Abram left Ur-Kasdim and the house of his father and humbled himself with Sarai to go through the ten "nissayonot\נסיונות = tests'. The last one is the Akeidat Itzchak\עקדת יצחק - binding of Isaac" whose account is read every day during Shaharit\Morning prayer.
Abraham reached his "self-conscience point". This is very rare. It is a mental quest. It is even more difficult in our generation because we are hedonistic, very self-mirroring, individually self-centered. This often affects religious life: again, the faithful never compete. They are called to be one without judging the others. One of the big problems is that time passes, societies change but never repeat the same pattern. Development shows new situations and positioning. But we are slow to cope or accept that.
Nonetheless, on forthcoming Tuesday 11th of November 2011, the world will commemorate the end of the first world war. 1918 was a real deadline, an unimaginable turn in our civilization. It stopped a period of some sort of European connections, empire and conflicts, caused the fall of other grandiose leaderships.
In 1917, the Balfour Declaration confirmed His Majesty's positive views that backed the establishment of a Jewish home in Palestine... Russia, China, Japan, East Africa, Spain and Germany along with the raise of the American states or Canadian provinces, Argentina and Brazil, the French recovery of Alsace-Lorraine and cultural impact... Europe and the world will start its strong addiction to oil - petrol and gas.
Ur-Kasdim, the Near and Middle-East became with the Indian peninsula, Pakistan and the birthplaces for profitable actions. The area got the feedback or boomerang slap of spirituality that erased the first fundamentals born in the region. This paradox continues in the shape of a burning metamorphose.
The Eastern Orthodox Church proposes the reading of the "Jesus' priestly prayer" in St. John ch. 17: "Father, I have manifested Your Name unto the men that You gave me out of the world: Yours they were and You gave them me; and they have kept Your word... I pray not that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil... Sanctify them through Your truth: Your word is truth".
Go, march in, forward consists in reaching this Divine Truth, i.e. not only the heart of who we are but Who "Ehyeh Asher Eyeh\אהיה אשר אהיה - I am the One I am [become the One I am in the process of becoming constantly], the Living Lord.
Av Aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Do you have a "friend"?
Do you have a « friend »?
We have a real desire to socialize with others. Nothing pathetically or gorgeously new. Just humans trying to meet, talk, "paltalk", "messengerize"through wireless connections, online forums. This sounds highly computerized though our hearts and brains may prefer such a hype medium that may be "so very, so much" but not "that real". This kind of connections presupposes that there might be a huge loose pitch of loneliness to overcome and heal. Look, we were so close decades ago. Today, we can search the good old schoolmates we lost. Distance, life... what about friendship?
Totally sacred for the Russians: "druzhba/дружба" (friendship) includes amity between the nations of the world by the time of the communists. In the Slavic cultures, it flows as loving ties and enduring fully trusted fidelity. Very difficult to get to that kind of relationships, but once you're there, don't betray. Never. "Drug/друг" (pron. /droog/), male and "podruzhka\подружка" (female) come from "drugii\другий" (second, other, different and though similar). There is a deep longing for some double - sort of natural and intellectual clone that is so pregnant in the Jewish tradition to find one's " perfect double, alter ego" as the "achawah\אחווה-א" (loving friendship) mentioned in Talmud Sanhedrin 58b.
This question was raised in order to know if love exists or not. Is it physical, mechanical, technical, emotional, i.e. moving and thus to what extent? Are there limits or not? But the Russians do focus on friendship first. In English, "friend" is related and opposes "feud" (enemy) as in German: "Freund" vs. "Feind". In Icelandic "freyja" is a mixture of "friendly mate, love and flirty-wooing”. It gave the word "Friday", a day for zooing before "laudry-day, Laugardagur".
Drop the "r" (that deliciously sounds non-kosher and "oyster-eating month") and love rotates to hatred. Well, "guest" is the same in Germanic languages: to begin with, a foreign person - an adversary who becomes a host, exactly as a "password" originally allows to distinguish between a friend and a foe.
Now, in Hebrew, we have a commandment/mitzvah-מצוה: “You shall love your fellow (neighbor) as yourself - veahavta lere’akha kamokha\ואהבת לרעך כמוך”” (Leviticus/Vayikra 18:19): which means something else. a) Hebrew suggests a fellowman or some closeness, “re’a\רע” would be rooted in “foe” comes to be a friend and companion”. b) There is definitely no “love” as the root and the spelling shows rather that “evil, foreigners, enemies” may be approached, get acquainted, tamed and develop peaceful and even loving relationships without being cheerfully passionate… although this is the real goal: ahavat chinam\אהבת חינם – gratuitous love is possible without implying any “repayment”.
The commandment to “love as yourself” is wise and psychologically witty or insightful. If we don’t love ourselves, whom can we respect and appreciate till we reach full love toward someone else? It might be somehow narcissistic at the present on both sides and lead to split. Paul of Tarsus is right about marriage and love: “So husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it” (Ephesians 5:28-29).
“Friends” is undoubtedly one of the best top-notch terrific television series of the past century. Some more decades and they would really get engaged, but they would rather postpone any long-term bond. Always young and buzzing around, not that mature and grownup teens for ever, they were and remain “friends”. They had decided to live as mates in vicinity flats. In the Former Soviet Union, two or three generations of different families often lived in small flats that mainly caused divorces and family splits.
On the other hand, the Soviets were “comrades”, from French “camarades” (originally “room-mates”) that belongs to the ancient relationships of fraternity or brotherhood. The Quakers call themselves “Friends” and they love each other “more than brothers”, “compagnons = companions” who share bread (cum-, panis), or “sputniki\спутники” (who walk together on the same road).
Ulrich Honecker, the last East German communist leader, would have addressed his fellow people : “Brüder, Brüderinnen! Brothers, Brotheresses” in local speech. “Comrades” was firstly “chaver/chaverim-ot\חבר-חברים-ות” in Yiddish/Hebrew by the time of the Bund and the numerous kibbutzim developed after the fall of Tzarist Russia. The chaverte\חברתא (Yid.) was the brave strong Jewish girl who left university to grow grains in a kibbutz before settling in Palestine. The prestigious Ghetto Fighters’ kibbutz near Akko (Lochamey HaGetta’ot\לוחמי הגטאות) has a unique listing and map in Hebrew and Yiddish of all the first kibbutzim set up in the then Belorussia.
The word is very ancient in Semitic tongues and thus in Hebrew. The Tehillim say something simple: “You need no fear the terror by nigh, or the arrow that flies by day, the plague that stalks in the darkness/ or the scourge that ravages at noon… the Lord will order His angels to guard you wherever you go” (Psalm 91:5-6.11). The same as at the present: all local, wandering or settled tribes and the Children of Israel were and still are frightened by wild nature, earthquakes, animals, humans that can firstly be wild or weird and foes. It is difficult to feel self-confident and to trust anyone in such conditions. Harder to structure “chevrah\חברה – society” based on reliable relationships in view to achieve full co-working activities of “chaverim/ot”.
These “chaverim-ot” are aggregated as socially reliable friends who eventually become “friends, sweethearts, buddies”. English “buddy” refers to “work-mates”, originally a group of plunderers! In the desert, fears and visions, ghosts and dreams can be misleading. This is why the Hebrew language has a large lexicon of words expressing “unity, joint, clutch, gather”. Hebrew requires to violently make efforts in order to overcome individualism, loneliness, solitude and threats. Aramaic “chevra qaddisha,חברא קדישא” is the compassionate association of faithful Jews who would bury the departed. “Chevrah, chavurah\חברה-חברותה-א” is a business organization or a congregation.
But “chaver\חבר” was, in the old days, the first step in the process to becoming a rabbi as a student who was given a letter allowing him to more closely participate in holy Services (Talmud Shabbat 63a). It may be linked to “chabbar” (Parsee priest) as recorded in Talmud Shabbat 11a. This aspect of dedication to praying/learning/preaching activities was the main feature of the spiritual structure of the Jewish people.
Interestingly, Jesus might have used “chaver\חבר” as a certain of confirmation given to his disciples. He never performed any “semichah\סמיכה – ordination” that developed with his disciples in the Acts of the Apostles. On the other hand, he said to his disciples: “I no longer call you slaves (avadim\עבדים) because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I call you “friends (chevarim\חברים)” because I have told you everything I heard from my Father (God). It was not you who chose me, but I chose you and appointed you to bear fruit that will remain… love one another” (John 15:15-17).
It is quite possible that his disciples became “associates, friends, chaverim” in a spiritual sense that developed over two thousand years in various ways to define what grew until now into a very wide open range of possible connectedness.
Av Aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
We have a real desire to socialize with others. Nothing pathetically or gorgeously new. Just humans trying to meet, talk, "paltalk", "messengerize"through wireless connections, online forums. This sounds highly computerized though our hearts and brains may prefer such a hype medium that may be "so very, so much" but not "that real". This kind of connections presupposes that there might be a huge loose pitch of loneliness to overcome and heal. Look, we were so close decades ago. Today, we can search the good old schoolmates we lost. Distance, life... what about friendship?
Totally sacred for the Russians: "druzhba/дружба" (friendship) includes amity between the nations of the world by the time of the communists. In the Slavic cultures, it flows as loving ties and enduring fully trusted fidelity. Very difficult to get to that kind of relationships, but once you're there, don't betray. Never. "Drug/друг" (pron. /droog/), male and "podruzhka\подружка" (female) come from "drugii\другий" (second, other, different and though similar). There is a deep longing for some double - sort of natural and intellectual clone that is so pregnant in the Jewish tradition to find one's " perfect double, alter ego" as the "achawah\אחווה-א" (loving friendship) mentioned in Talmud Sanhedrin 58b.
This question was raised in order to know if love exists or not. Is it physical, mechanical, technical, emotional, i.e. moving and thus to what extent? Are there limits or not? But the Russians do focus on friendship first. In English, "friend" is related and opposes "feud" (enemy) as in German: "Freund" vs. "Feind". In Icelandic "freyja" is a mixture of "friendly mate, love and flirty-wooing”. It gave the word "Friday", a day for zooing before "laudry-day, Laugardagur".
Drop the "r" (that deliciously sounds non-kosher and "oyster-eating month") and love rotates to hatred. Well, "guest" is the same in Germanic languages: to begin with, a foreign person - an adversary who becomes a host, exactly as a "password" originally allows to distinguish between a friend and a foe.
Now, in Hebrew, we have a commandment/mitzvah-מצוה: “You shall love your fellow (neighbor) as yourself - veahavta lere’akha kamokha\ואהבת לרעך כמוך”” (Leviticus/Vayikra 18:19): which means something else. a) Hebrew suggests a fellowman or some closeness, “re’a\רע” would be rooted in “foe” comes to be a friend and companion”. b) There is definitely no “love” as the root and the spelling shows rather that “evil, foreigners, enemies” may be approached, get acquainted, tamed and develop peaceful and even loving relationships without being cheerfully passionate… although this is the real goal: ahavat chinam\אהבת חינם – gratuitous love is possible without implying any “repayment”.
The commandment to “love as yourself” is wise and psychologically witty or insightful. If we don’t love ourselves, whom can we respect and appreciate till we reach full love toward someone else? It might be somehow narcissistic at the present on both sides and lead to split. Paul of Tarsus is right about marriage and love: “So husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it” (Ephesians 5:28-29).
“Friends” is undoubtedly one of the best top-notch terrific television series of the past century. Some more decades and they would really get engaged, but they would rather postpone any long-term bond. Always young and buzzing around, not that mature and grownup teens for ever, they were and remain “friends”. They had decided to live as mates in vicinity flats. In the Former Soviet Union, two or three generations of different families often lived in small flats that mainly caused divorces and family splits.
On the other hand, the Soviets were “comrades”, from French “camarades” (originally “room-mates”) that belongs to the ancient relationships of fraternity or brotherhood. The Quakers call themselves “Friends” and they love each other “more than brothers”, “compagnons = companions” who share bread (cum-, panis), or “sputniki\спутники” (who walk together on the same road).
Ulrich Honecker, the last East German communist leader, would have addressed his fellow people : “Brüder, Brüderinnen! Brothers, Brotheresses” in local speech. “Comrades” was firstly “chaver/chaverim-ot\חבר-חברים-ות” in Yiddish/Hebrew by the time of the Bund and the numerous kibbutzim developed after the fall of Tzarist Russia. The chaverte\חברתא (Yid.) was the brave strong Jewish girl who left university to grow grains in a kibbutz before settling in Palestine. The prestigious Ghetto Fighters’ kibbutz near Akko (Lochamey HaGetta’ot\לוחמי הגטאות) has a unique listing and map in Hebrew and Yiddish of all the first kibbutzim set up in the then Belorussia.
The word is very ancient in Semitic tongues and thus in Hebrew. The Tehillim say something simple: “You need no fear the terror by nigh, or the arrow that flies by day, the plague that stalks in the darkness/ or the scourge that ravages at noon… the Lord will order His angels to guard you wherever you go” (Psalm 91:5-6.11). The same as at the present: all local, wandering or settled tribes and the Children of Israel were and still are frightened by wild nature, earthquakes, animals, humans that can firstly be wild or weird and foes. It is difficult to feel self-confident and to trust anyone in such conditions. Harder to structure “chevrah\חברה – society” based on reliable relationships in view to achieve full co-working activities of “chaverim/ot”.
These “chaverim-ot” are aggregated as socially reliable friends who eventually become “friends, sweethearts, buddies”. English “buddy” refers to “work-mates”, originally a group of plunderers! In the desert, fears and visions, ghosts and dreams can be misleading. This is why the Hebrew language has a large lexicon of words expressing “unity, joint, clutch, gather”. Hebrew requires to violently make efforts in order to overcome individualism, loneliness, solitude and threats. Aramaic “chevra qaddisha,חברא קדישא” is the compassionate association of faithful Jews who would bury the departed. “Chevrah, chavurah\חברה-חברותה-א” is a business organization or a congregation.
But “chaver\חבר” was, in the old days, the first step in the process to becoming a rabbi as a student who was given a letter allowing him to more closely participate in holy Services (Talmud Shabbat 63a). It may be linked to “chabbar” (Parsee priest) as recorded in Talmud Shabbat 11a. This aspect of dedication to praying/learning/preaching activities was the main feature of the spiritual structure of the Jewish people.
Interestingly, Jesus might have used “chaver\חבר” as a certain of confirmation given to his disciples. He never performed any “semichah\סמיכה – ordination” that developed with his disciples in the Acts of the Apostles. On the other hand, he said to his disciples: “I no longer call you slaves (avadim\עבדים) because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I call you “friends (chevarim\חברים)” because I have told you everything I heard from my Father (God). It was not you who chose me, but I chose you and appointed you to bear fruit that will remain… love one another” (John 15:15-17).
It is quite possible that his disciples became “associates, friends, chaverim” in a spiritual sense that developed over two thousand years in various ways to define what grew until now into a very wide open range of possible connectedness.
Av Aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
Thursday, October 27, 2011
New Article in TERRE SAINTE November 2011
November article in TERRE SAINTE is published here on October 27, 2011, the day of the Encounter at Assisi. Whether to really think and testify that we are all humans and all need to be fed. Right out of the blue Moon or the green cheese? The challenge of being credible.
"https://sites.google.com/site/hebrewinchurch/terre-sainte"
"https://sites.google.com/site/hebrewinchurch/terre-sainte"
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Who Is The Other?
Who is the Other ?
This is the text of the lecture that I gave at the Swedish Center at Jaffa Gate on October 22, 2009. It is a theological and open reflection about who is "the other, the neighbor", in particular how we can or need or may, must recognize Israelis as a part of the society we live in. The lecture included other words and lively expressions. You have here the framework or the pattern... I think it makes sense on the wake of the 25th anniversary of the Encounter at Assisi; when words turn to silence and territories are in the process of reshaping, just as minds do.
WHO IS THE OTHER?
THE TITLE OF TONIGHT's lecture evolved from "who is my neighbor" to "who is next" and now "who is the other?" We may see that the real subject may not really be included in those titles and thus encompass some of their realities.
As a matter of fact, when we speak of "neighbor", we systematically, or most often, switch to the core verse of the Bible "Love your neighbor as yourself/ואהבת לרעך כמוך" (Leviticus 19:18). To begin with, it should be noted that the Torah does not underscore any special meaning for this verse. But all Jewish and further on, the Christian traditions have seen a specific significance and place in God's commandments as shown in the verse. Thus, R. Akiva (2nd c.) said that the commandment of "love your neighbor" is the major principle of the Torah" (Nedarim 9:4).
One century earlier, Hillel presented the commandment in an interesting and reversed/negative way: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor”. He added - in a very similar way to Jesus' statements "This is the whole Torah, all the rest is commentary” (Shabbat 31a). The commandment sounds as the Golden Rule; many commentators declared that Hillel's words are more pragmatic and genuine, realistic because "And you shall love your neighbor" looks a bit vague and dreamy even if it seems positive. Medieval Tanna D'Bei Eliyahu shows that God proposes a request to the Jewish people and subsequently to all creatures: "The Holy One said: ‘Children, I only want that you love each other and treat one another with dignity’".
Let's be frank: these words are repeated the way parrots love to do it every day by very pious people and we are of course among those, here at Jaffa Gate and in the Holy City of Jerusalem, but at the same time we would easily admit that daily experience shows us the contrary of what God told the Jewish people and moreover all subsequent traditions.
Jesus Christ was indeed very close to Hillel. "If you then, being evil, know how to give good things to your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven give good things to them that ask Him? Therefore all things whatsoever you would like that men should do to you, do even so to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:11-12).
Jesus quotes the full commandment as stated in Leviticus 19:18 “And you shall love your neighbor as yourself\ואהבת לרעך כמוך" in the three synoptic Gospels: St. Matthew 19:19 - 22/39 = St. Mark 12:31 = St. Luke 10:27. The quotation is moreover to be found in Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14 and James 2:8. Intriguingly, Leviticus 19:34 states "You shall love the foreigner/stranger" as mentioned in Deuteronomy 10:19.
St. Mark includes a special logon: "To love God with all the heart, all the understanding and all the soul and with all the strength and to love his neighbor as himself is more than all whole-burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mark 12:33). Jesus’ answer is: "You are not far from the Kingdom of God = korbanקרבן, karov Matzdiki/קרוב מצדיקי = He is close to me the One who justifies me" (Isaiah).
And here we are tonight in the heart of the Old City of all sacrifices from the most ancient days and traditions, from the Temple Mount and Mount Moriah to the NAOS - the Temple par excellence or Church of the Holy Sepulcher = the Anastasis, the place of Resurrection from where all whole-burnt sacrifices were brought to redeem the entire creation...
We have to carefully note - though it has been noted throughout the ages - but still, we have to note the context in which Jesus Christ mentions the Rules of "to love your neighbor as yourself". It does not come out of a sudden, let's put that way that may keep us alerted. Jesus of Nazareth mentions the commandment in the three Synoptics as the natural connection with the "S'ma Isra'el- שמע ישראלl: Listen Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart (bechol levavcha- בכל לבבך), and all your soul (or life, being - uvchol nafshecha - ובכל נפשך) and all your strength (uvchol me'od'cha – ובכל מאדך= all that constitutes you as very good - tov me'od - me'od - טוב מאד מאוד\מאד\אדם = much living, Adam, a member of economic system as strength refer to "possessions, assets"; and non of us can escape from any economic system).
It should be noted with much attention that the commandment to "love the neighbor as yourself" is directly and solely connected in both the ancient Judaic and Christian traditions to the fundamental logon in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 : "Hear Israel". Jesus combines the greatest commandment that concludes Moses' life and became the proclamation of the Jewish faith with the "love of the neighbor as yourself" in St. Matthew 22:37 : "He said to a Pharisee: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind this is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40).
Another question that shows in such a context: When Jesus is put to the stake, it is traditionally accepted that his quoting of Psalm 21/22 "Eli, Eli lema sabachtani - Elohi, Elohi, lama azaftani – אלהי אלהי למה עזתני" - "Oh God, my God why have You forsaken me" which implies the full recitation and quoting of the whole psalm. It is also possible to ask ourselves how far the mention by Jesus of the great commandment in its first verse only, should not also imply and spiritually include the whole of the “Sh'ma Israel\שמע ישראל” as it is in Deuteronomy 6 (ss. 6-9): "And the words that I command to you today take them to heart, impress them upon your children, recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind then as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a frontlet (crowns) between your eyes; inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
This leads to consider different aspects: the commandment is not vague, or only directed towards God and the "personal self". It is trans-generational, it obliges to give instructions and to teach God's Reign from generation to generation. The commandments have to observed at home (a fixed place) and on the way (when going on a journey, a trip, a pilgrimage and we know that "regalim - רגלים" used to bring the Jewish people and the followers to Jerusalem, mainly to this City and not to some mere dreamy place located out there through the world. Of course we all know of New Jerusalem (Moscow) or numerous Bethlehem throughout the planet. Still, the places existed and remain consistent here, at least to begin with. The great commandment also requires to attach God' s Presence to our physical bodies and existence.
This is in such a spiritual stage of consciousness, awareness, conscience that indeed, it is possible to admit that reaching God's Image and Likeness allows us, as a consequence to be able to show some positive feelings toward our neighbor! It does not mean we can love, or even like our neighbor. It means that we can understand by God's great commandment confirmed by Jesus Christ how much we come near to ourselves, our inner individuality and identity and therefore look positively to the "neighbor".
At least, it is always dangerous to cite the two commandments outside of their full contexts because we may not understand that God spoke in a special place, to a special people and for a certain context that develops and includes more and more generations with exclusion.
Please note that in the Book of Leviticus the commandment to "love the neighbor" is directly preceded by strict prohibitions against taking revenge or bearing a grudge. It is more than important because, all things being equal - more or less let's say - we spend our time hurting the others, the neighbors, the parentage, the foreigners with the fervent hope that they will never take revenge against us. Interestingly, this also concerns the animal world. Rabbi Abraham Twerski said: "Carrying resentments is like letting someone whom you don't like live inside your head rent-free, without paying any rent". We all can behave like elephants at this point.
This is why the first path is to feel comfortable with who we are, on a personal and societal level. This is a very hard task. Still, if we cannot change people in order to make them as we are, we could accept the phrase: "I can't make people like me, but if I wasn't me, I would like me"...
We come here to the "virtual" part of the society we live in. At the present, we can be moved to tears by the terrible events that affect fictional characters in movies; we may not be able to react with any similar intensity when the same sort of horrible events hit the people we know or when we are a part of such dramas. We cry and we sob when the hero or heroine fall in love, not when our neighbors do.
The commandment to be good or to love the neighbor is expressed in most cultures and civilizations, in particular in the Greek culture, which is next door and always has been present in the area. The same is applicable with regards to the Hindu(ist) and Mazdean traditions. But let's focus on the Biblical background.
Now, the real problem is to understand the commandment correctly. VEAHAVTA LE'REACHA KAMOCHA – ואהבת לרעך כמוך, does it indeed mean: "an you shall love your neighbor as yourself"? I comment the verse in English right now. In Russian, for example, "vozliubish blizhnago kak i samogo sebia", can either refer to "neighbor as being very close to you or a person who is known as being closely (bliskii chelovek) "acquainted, provided, inter alia, that "close relationships are long to be fixed and defined in the Slavic and Russian society, this from ancient days.
"REA - רע" is a parodox in Hebrew as in most Semitic roots: they usually include both a positive and a negative aspect. Horayot 10b shows it: "Even the good which wicked men do is an evil with the righteous (= they can't enjoy it)"; The same in Berachot 1c: "Don't be like the fools who sin and offer a sacrifice, not knowing whether they offer it for the good they have done or for the evil".
The precise meaning of "re,acha - רעך" is thus "your fellow", which, like "your neighbor" suggests someone with whom we routinely have contact. This is the way it is understood in most cases. "Fellow" implies a person that accompanies, but the word is Old Norse = Félag = Verlag = laying money to join!!! Reah\רעה" is connected to Hebrew and Aramaic that means to join, welcome, gladden, rejoice. This is why the paradox is present: dark turns to light, what is bad or evil turns to good or goodness "joined efforts" - companionship = sharing bread along the way; sputnik = sharing the same direction. But it does include the mental attitude to turn from bas to good, to tame what is alien. Otherwise, it is evident that we could have "sheykhen - שכן" as it is the case in Aramaic.
But "neighbor" is not the person who is "close or near to us". Let's say that Scandinavian "När = close = Germ. Nah and Nächst = the thing or person that is most to the closest!! It does not mean the person or proximity: the thing is near! This is remarkably to be found in Yiddish: "no'ent \ נאענט= nah but it is not a NEAR OR CLOSE AT HAND THING OR PERSON. IT REQUIRES A MOVE TOWARD A PLACE OR INDIVIDUALS OR A PERSON. And interestingly "kroyv קרוב - = cousin = people who can be connected by some family or blood links, but not living closely to each other. The same is valid in Swedish: "att naa = to come near", which means a movement. To love a neighbor can never mean to remain/stay put. It obliges to a series of psychological and physical moves.
At this point, it is quite possible to consider that Hebrew: "veahavta lere'acha kamocha – ואהבת לרעך כמוך " implies the view to love the people who are next to us, but also those who can cause evil or bad things to us, and also our enemies. Even if Today's Judaism would reluctantly admit such a position as being self-evident, it would interrogate the tradition the same way "ger toshav – גר תושב" is either a resident and a part of the community or a idolater who is a full foreigner. To begin with, it was Abraham's status to be protected in all Middle-Eastern traditions.
Psalm 90/91 shows how demons can be overcome and how people in the desert or in situation of profound solitude could be afraid from other human beings. This fear is constant and taming is a great par of some form of healing or getting to be humans.
One constant rule is that, in principle, people would say they love humanity. And the more they would love humanity, the more they would serve humanity, but if we have to stand the same people in reality that has to meet in daily life, the more we share with them, the less we maybe able to simply stand them as appears in the monk's confession in Dostoyevsky's "the Brothers Karamazov".
In fact, "To love our neighbor as yourself" include a profound human balance of feelings and dignity.
The problem is not of "neighborhood" or vicinity. The problem is to get together as Saint Paul defined it, especially in the epistle to the Ephesians: "Now therefore, you are no more strangers or foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God (and you are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone) in whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto a holy Temple of God; in whom you are also built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit”. This is the real meaning of RE-ACHA = רעךjoined/built together. (Ephesians 2:19-22).
As a consequence, we must come to the fact that building together proceeds from a spiritual and full of faith because it is founded in the major verses of Ephesians: "That that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promises, having no hope and without God in this world: But now in Christ Jesus you who were sometimes far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
“For He is our peace, who has made both (Israel and the pagans) one and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us having abolished in his flesh the enmity (even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of two one new man, so making peace)" (Eph. 2:12-14).
Indeed, we slowly can come or reach to some meaningful understanding, something that may make sense if we consider that we are faithful and pious people, and we all are. You cannot avoid Divine matters in Jerusalem, but it depends how it works in our relationships.
In any way, and this can seem to be a bit "crazy" or "torn up side down", but "to love the neighbor as yourself" is just as impossible as to show any sort of evidence that God is real, alive, living, life-giving and the Sign of Resurrection. In that sense, LOVE = GOD'S LOVE THAT CALLS HUMAN BEINGS IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE OF LIFE. Love does not mean "cuddles, hugs and kisses". Why not? But when the bride calls "Yishakeni – ישקני - Kiss me" to the bridegroom in the Song of Songs (1:1), it should be noted that they never meet!!
Saint John's chapter 21 after the resurrection has it: Jesus speak of perfect love (Agapein) and Peter answer he likes Him (philein). In the same verse, Aramaic has "richam = like, love with our viscera, intestines, insides", but then it is a love of lovingkindness and not directly the love of all the Divine Attributes.
In the commandment, as following the “Shma Israel”, we are merely called to know or get aware of what those we like, dislike, have to stand, frequent, encounter, love or maybe hate NEED. WHAT THEIR NEED ARE. In that sense, love commences to get a bit consistent. Not when worstate that things were much better in the good old days. Psychology and attitudes, from pride to lack of self-esteem, shyness. We are then commanded to accept who is facing us and reciprocally.
IF WE CANNOT ACCEPT HELP, WE CANNOT GIVE ANYTHING EITHER.
This is also very useful in marital life: spouses need to be given what they need and not mere gifts. But in general the commandment goes far beyond anything that we can conceive or understand.
This is shown during the Byzantine Divine Liturgies of Saint John Chrysostomos and Basil the Great. The celebrant, having blessed the faithful with peace, opens the Royal Gates and says: Let's love each other in order to confess in one spirit/soul - neehuv ish et rehu uvlev echad n’hoodeh/ vozliubim drug druga da edinomysliem ispovedim
נאהוב איש את רעהו ובלב אחד נודה -
Возлюбим лруг друга да единомыслiем исповемы
and the celebrant goes out and bowing in front of Christ icon, saying: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We do not need to shake hands, or to kiss those we know and turn our backs to those we hardly can look at. This sort of "love" is "at-one-ment", makes and creates us ONE beyond what we can even understand and imagine when we share this peace. It is funny and strange how we always want to share and receive something and participate. Here, participation consists in receiving the One we cannot see and Who keeps us alive. Thus, it has nothing to do with shaking hands!
Now, we have to be frank, okay!!? I lecture tonight not because there are so wonderful and nice and cute ideas we could share a bout our spiritual backgrounds, future and cannot agree upon in our daily life here, in this city and country. We meet everyday, every week, every month, sometimes once a year. We would hardly frequent each other.
One of the best opening-up movie is certainly "Gaestebud" "Babette's banquet", a remarkable Danish film. A French woman is sheltered by the time of the Restauration in Jutland in Denmark, in a small village where nobody can talk and share. They meet just to face each other. The woman becomes a servant. One day, she wins a huge fortune at the French Lottery. She decides - she was a famous fine cook in Paris - to prepare a gaestebud, inviting everybody for a splendid banquet and she spent all her fortune. Joys and laughs, hospitality and conversations come out of this exceptional banquet which has been interpreted as a real theological reflection about Eucharist and the Presence of the Holy Spirit.
I came to lecture because I said - in between - that it was more than intriguing if not strange and bizarre that on a day dedicated to "Pilgrimages in Jerusalem" not a single word has been said - I repeat no a single word and I did pay attention with much care about the Jewish pilgrimages! Looking through the window, they were precisely coming up to Jerusalem and to the Kotel - כותל (Western Wall, among other places)!!! I thought it was a bit, just a bit too much! Hajj in the Muslim and Christian and Bulgarian and Orthodox traditions, please, no problem. But not a word about the very nature of the God-seeking attitude that abides the Jewish soul from Ur-Kasdim to Egypt, Beersheva and Mount Moriah over the past 3500 years if not more, because a positive and definitely not a judgmental question.
Israel does exist. Just you to know and you do know! All of you know about that. It may itch or be pleasant. This is not the problem. We cannot oblige anybody to accept the one or those who are in front or next or close to us. On the other hand, we can pray, reflect upon how we behave towards ourselves and our fellowmen/women. It does not mean the yare wrong and we are right. It means we can slightly open up our eyes and conscience.
Emotions exist, both positively and negatively. Rejecting of keeping silent about people, nations, humans is never neutral. It is a way to come closer to what is unbearable - sometimes to each other and most of the time for irrational reasons. The rest is a matter of needs as I mentioned: time overshadows an covers our needs and requirements and slowly joins those who can hardly cope together. This move is of great importance. It shows that the eschaton is moving ahead of us.
With regards to the faith of Israel, there was an interesting statement made in 1968 by some Rabbis: "It is precisely that that Christianity brought to the world that hid Israel to the Nations”. It continues to be the case. But when we come back to our own room, just inside, let's think of what we can positively share and do share without being able, for the moment, to speak too much of that.
Archpriest Alexander Winogradsky
October 22/9, 2009 – ג' דחשון תש"ע
"I am not a gigantic ashtray"...
(credit: M. Lipska)
This is the text of the lecture that I gave at the Swedish Center at Jaffa Gate on October 22, 2009. It is a theological and open reflection about who is "the other, the neighbor", in particular how we can or need or may, must recognize Israelis as a part of the society we live in. The lecture included other words and lively expressions. You have here the framework or the pattern... I think it makes sense on the wake of the 25th anniversary of the Encounter at Assisi; when words turn to silence and territories are in the process of reshaping, just as minds do.
WHO IS THE OTHER?
THE TITLE OF TONIGHT's lecture evolved from "who is my neighbor" to "who is next" and now "who is the other?" We may see that the real subject may not really be included in those titles and thus encompass some of their realities.
As a matter of fact, when we speak of "neighbor", we systematically, or most often, switch to the core verse of the Bible "Love your neighbor as yourself/ואהבת לרעך כמוך" (Leviticus 19:18). To begin with, it should be noted that the Torah does not underscore any special meaning for this verse. But all Jewish and further on, the Christian traditions have seen a specific significance and place in God's commandments as shown in the verse. Thus, R. Akiva (2nd c.) said that the commandment of "love your neighbor" is the major principle of the Torah" (Nedarim 9:4).
One century earlier, Hillel presented the commandment in an interesting and reversed/negative way: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor”. He added - in a very similar way to Jesus' statements "This is the whole Torah, all the rest is commentary” (Shabbat 31a). The commandment sounds as the Golden Rule; many commentators declared that Hillel's words are more pragmatic and genuine, realistic because "And you shall love your neighbor" looks a bit vague and dreamy even if it seems positive. Medieval Tanna D'Bei Eliyahu shows that God proposes a request to the Jewish people and subsequently to all creatures: "The Holy One said: ‘Children, I only want that you love each other and treat one another with dignity’".
Let's be frank: these words are repeated the way parrots love to do it every day by very pious people and we are of course among those, here at Jaffa Gate and in the Holy City of Jerusalem, but at the same time we would easily admit that daily experience shows us the contrary of what God told the Jewish people and moreover all subsequent traditions.
Jesus Christ was indeed very close to Hillel. "If you then, being evil, know how to give good things to your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven give good things to them that ask Him? Therefore all things whatsoever you would like that men should do to you, do even so to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:11-12).
Jesus quotes the full commandment as stated in Leviticus 19:18 “And you shall love your neighbor as yourself\ואהבת לרעך כמוך" in the three synoptic Gospels: St. Matthew 19:19 - 22/39 = St. Mark 12:31 = St. Luke 10:27. The quotation is moreover to be found in Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14 and James 2:8. Intriguingly, Leviticus 19:34 states "You shall love the foreigner/stranger" as mentioned in Deuteronomy 10:19.
St. Mark includes a special logon: "To love God with all the heart, all the understanding and all the soul and with all the strength and to love his neighbor as himself is more than all whole-burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mark 12:33). Jesus’ answer is: "You are not far from the Kingdom of God = korbanקרבן, karov Matzdiki/קרוב מצדיקי = He is close to me the One who justifies me" (Isaiah).
And here we are tonight in the heart of the Old City of all sacrifices from the most ancient days and traditions, from the Temple Mount and Mount Moriah to the NAOS - the Temple par excellence or Church of the Holy Sepulcher = the Anastasis, the place of Resurrection from where all whole-burnt sacrifices were brought to redeem the entire creation...
We have to carefully note - though it has been noted throughout the ages - but still, we have to note the context in which Jesus Christ mentions the Rules of "to love your neighbor as yourself". It does not come out of a sudden, let's put that way that may keep us alerted. Jesus of Nazareth mentions the commandment in the three Synoptics as the natural connection with the "S'ma Isra'el- שמע ישראלl: Listen Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart (bechol levavcha- בכל לבבך), and all your soul (or life, being - uvchol nafshecha - ובכל נפשך) and all your strength (uvchol me'od'cha – ובכל מאדך= all that constitutes you as very good - tov me'od - me'od - טוב מאד מאוד\מאד\אדם = much living, Adam, a member of economic system as strength refer to "possessions, assets"; and non of us can escape from any economic system).
It should be noted with much attention that the commandment to "love the neighbor as yourself" is directly and solely connected in both the ancient Judaic and Christian traditions to the fundamental logon in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 : "Hear Israel". Jesus combines the greatest commandment that concludes Moses' life and became the proclamation of the Jewish faith with the "love of the neighbor as yourself" in St. Matthew 22:37 : "He said to a Pharisee: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind this is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40).
Another question that shows in such a context: When Jesus is put to the stake, it is traditionally accepted that his quoting of Psalm 21/22 "Eli, Eli lema sabachtani - Elohi, Elohi, lama azaftani – אלהי אלהי למה עזתני" - "Oh God, my God why have You forsaken me" which implies the full recitation and quoting of the whole psalm. It is also possible to ask ourselves how far the mention by Jesus of the great commandment in its first verse only, should not also imply and spiritually include the whole of the “Sh'ma Israel\שמע ישראל” as it is in Deuteronomy 6 (ss. 6-9): "And the words that I command to you today take them to heart, impress them upon your children, recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind then as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a frontlet (crowns) between your eyes; inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
This leads to consider different aspects: the commandment is not vague, or only directed towards God and the "personal self". It is trans-generational, it obliges to give instructions and to teach God's Reign from generation to generation. The commandments have to observed at home (a fixed place) and on the way (when going on a journey, a trip, a pilgrimage and we know that "regalim - רגלים" used to bring the Jewish people and the followers to Jerusalem, mainly to this City and not to some mere dreamy place located out there through the world. Of course we all know of New Jerusalem (Moscow) or numerous Bethlehem throughout the planet. Still, the places existed and remain consistent here, at least to begin with. The great commandment also requires to attach God' s Presence to our physical bodies and existence.
This is in such a spiritual stage of consciousness, awareness, conscience that indeed, it is possible to admit that reaching God's Image and Likeness allows us, as a consequence to be able to show some positive feelings toward our neighbor! It does not mean we can love, or even like our neighbor. It means that we can understand by God's great commandment confirmed by Jesus Christ how much we come near to ourselves, our inner individuality and identity and therefore look positively to the "neighbor".
At least, it is always dangerous to cite the two commandments outside of their full contexts because we may not understand that God spoke in a special place, to a special people and for a certain context that develops and includes more and more generations with exclusion.
Please note that in the Book of Leviticus the commandment to "love the neighbor" is directly preceded by strict prohibitions against taking revenge or bearing a grudge. It is more than important because, all things being equal - more or less let's say - we spend our time hurting the others, the neighbors, the parentage, the foreigners with the fervent hope that they will never take revenge against us. Interestingly, this also concerns the animal world. Rabbi Abraham Twerski said: "Carrying resentments is like letting someone whom you don't like live inside your head rent-free, without paying any rent". We all can behave like elephants at this point.
This is why the first path is to feel comfortable with who we are, on a personal and societal level. This is a very hard task. Still, if we cannot change people in order to make them as we are, we could accept the phrase: "I can't make people like me, but if I wasn't me, I would like me"...
We come here to the "virtual" part of the society we live in. At the present, we can be moved to tears by the terrible events that affect fictional characters in movies; we may not be able to react with any similar intensity when the same sort of horrible events hit the people we know or when we are a part of such dramas. We cry and we sob when the hero or heroine fall in love, not when our neighbors do.
The commandment to be good or to love the neighbor is expressed in most cultures and civilizations, in particular in the Greek culture, which is next door and always has been present in the area. The same is applicable with regards to the Hindu(ist) and Mazdean traditions. But let's focus on the Biblical background.
Now, the real problem is to understand the commandment correctly. VEAHAVTA LE'REACHA KAMOCHA – ואהבת לרעך כמוך, does it indeed mean: "an you shall love your neighbor as yourself"? I comment the verse in English right now. In Russian, for example, "vozliubish blizhnago kak i samogo sebia", can either refer to "neighbor as being very close to you or a person who is known as being closely (bliskii chelovek) "acquainted, provided, inter alia, that "close relationships are long to be fixed and defined in the Slavic and Russian society, this from ancient days.
"REA - רע" is a parodox in Hebrew as in most Semitic roots: they usually include both a positive and a negative aspect. Horayot 10b shows it: "Even the good which wicked men do is an evil with the righteous (= they can't enjoy it)"; The same in Berachot 1c: "Don't be like the fools who sin and offer a sacrifice, not knowing whether they offer it for the good they have done or for the evil".
The precise meaning of "re,acha - רעך" is thus "your fellow", which, like "your neighbor" suggests someone with whom we routinely have contact. This is the way it is understood in most cases. "Fellow" implies a person that accompanies, but the word is Old Norse = Félag = Verlag = laying money to join!!! Reah\רעה" is connected to Hebrew and Aramaic that means to join, welcome, gladden, rejoice. This is why the paradox is present: dark turns to light, what is bad or evil turns to good or goodness "joined efforts" - companionship = sharing bread along the way; sputnik = sharing the same direction. But it does include the mental attitude to turn from bas to good, to tame what is alien. Otherwise, it is evident that we could have "sheykhen - שכן" as it is the case in Aramaic.
But "neighbor" is not the person who is "close or near to us". Let's say that Scandinavian "När = close = Germ. Nah and Nächst = the thing or person that is most to the closest!! It does not mean the person or proximity: the thing is near! This is remarkably to be found in Yiddish: "no'ent \ נאענט= nah but it is not a NEAR OR CLOSE AT HAND THING OR PERSON. IT REQUIRES A MOVE TOWARD A PLACE OR INDIVIDUALS OR A PERSON. And interestingly "kroyv קרוב - = cousin = people who can be connected by some family or blood links, but not living closely to each other. The same is valid in Swedish: "att naa = to come near", which means a movement. To love a neighbor can never mean to remain/stay put. It obliges to a series of psychological and physical moves.
At this point, it is quite possible to consider that Hebrew: "veahavta lere'acha kamocha – ואהבת לרעך כמוך " implies the view to love the people who are next to us, but also those who can cause evil or bad things to us, and also our enemies. Even if Today's Judaism would reluctantly admit such a position as being self-evident, it would interrogate the tradition the same way "ger toshav – גר תושב" is either a resident and a part of the community or a idolater who is a full foreigner. To begin with, it was Abraham's status to be protected in all Middle-Eastern traditions.
Psalm 90/91 shows how demons can be overcome and how people in the desert or in situation of profound solitude could be afraid from other human beings. This fear is constant and taming is a great par of some form of healing or getting to be humans.
One constant rule is that, in principle, people would say they love humanity. And the more they would love humanity, the more they would serve humanity, but if we have to stand the same people in reality that has to meet in daily life, the more we share with them, the less we maybe able to simply stand them as appears in the monk's confession in Dostoyevsky's "the Brothers Karamazov".
In fact, "To love our neighbor as yourself" include a profound human balance of feelings and dignity.
The problem is not of "neighborhood" or vicinity. The problem is to get together as Saint Paul defined it, especially in the epistle to the Ephesians: "Now therefore, you are no more strangers or foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God (and you are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone) in whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto a holy Temple of God; in whom you are also built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit”. This is the real meaning of RE-ACHA = רעךjoined/built together. (Ephesians 2:19-22).
As a consequence, we must come to the fact that building together proceeds from a spiritual and full of faith because it is founded in the major verses of Ephesians: "That that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promises, having no hope and without God in this world: But now in Christ Jesus you who were sometimes far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
“For He is our peace, who has made both (Israel and the pagans) one and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us having abolished in his flesh the enmity (even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of two one new man, so making peace)" (Eph. 2:12-14).
Indeed, we slowly can come or reach to some meaningful understanding, something that may make sense if we consider that we are faithful and pious people, and we all are. You cannot avoid Divine matters in Jerusalem, but it depends how it works in our relationships.
In any way, and this can seem to be a bit "crazy" or "torn up side down", but "to love the neighbor as yourself" is just as impossible as to show any sort of evidence that God is real, alive, living, life-giving and the Sign of Resurrection. In that sense, LOVE = GOD'S LOVE THAT CALLS HUMAN BEINGS IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE OF LIFE. Love does not mean "cuddles, hugs and kisses". Why not? But when the bride calls "Yishakeni – ישקני - Kiss me" to the bridegroom in the Song of Songs (1:1), it should be noted that they never meet!!
Saint John's chapter 21 after the resurrection has it: Jesus speak of perfect love (Agapein) and Peter answer he likes Him (philein). In the same verse, Aramaic has "richam = like, love with our viscera, intestines, insides", but then it is a love of lovingkindness and not directly the love of all the Divine Attributes.
In the commandment, as following the “Shma Israel”, we are merely called to know or get aware of what those we like, dislike, have to stand, frequent, encounter, love or maybe hate NEED. WHAT THEIR NEED ARE. In that sense, love commences to get a bit consistent. Not when worstate that things were much better in the good old days. Psychology and attitudes, from pride to lack of self-esteem, shyness. We are then commanded to accept who is facing us and reciprocally.
IF WE CANNOT ACCEPT HELP, WE CANNOT GIVE ANYTHING EITHER.
This is also very useful in marital life: spouses need to be given what they need and not mere gifts. But in general the commandment goes far beyond anything that we can conceive or understand.
This is shown during the Byzantine Divine Liturgies of Saint John Chrysostomos and Basil the Great. The celebrant, having blessed the faithful with peace, opens the Royal Gates and says: Let's love each other in order to confess in one spirit/soul - neehuv ish et rehu uvlev echad n’hoodeh/ vozliubim drug druga da edinomysliem ispovedim
נאהוב איש את רעהו ובלב אחד נודה -
Возлюбим лруг друга да единомыслiем исповемы
and the celebrant goes out and bowing in front of Christ icon, saying: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We do not need to shake hands, or to kiss those we know and turn our backs to those we hardly can look at. This sort of "love" is "at-one-ment", makes and creates us ONE beyond what we can even understand and imagine when we share this peace. It is funny and strange how we always want to share and receive something and participate. Here, participation consists in receiving the One we cannot see and Who keeps us alive. Thus, it has nothing to do with shaking hands!
Now, we have to be frank, okay!!? I lecture tonight not because there are so wonderful and nice and cute ideas we could share a bout our spiritual backgrounds, future and cannot agree upon in our daily life here, in this city and country. We meet everyday, every week, every month, sometimes once a year. We would hardly frequent each other.
One of the best opening-up movie is certainly "Gaestebud" "Babette's banquet", a remarkable Danish film. A French woman is sheltered by the time of the Restauration in Jutland in Denmark, in a small village where nobody can talk and share. They meet just to face each other. The woman becomes a servant. One day, she wins a huge fortune at the French Lottery. She decides - she was a famous fine cook in Paris - to prepare a gaestebud, inviting everybody for a splendid banquet and she spent all her fortune. Joys and laughs, hospitality and conversations come out of this exceptional banquet which has been interpreted as a real theological reflection about Eucharist and the Presence of the Holy Spirit.
I came to lecture because I said - in between - that it was more than intriguing if not strange and bizarre that on a day dedicated to "Pilgrimages in Jerusalem" not a single word has been said - I repeat no a single word and I did pay attention with much care about the Jewish pilgrimages! Looking through the window, they were precisely coming up to Jerusalem and to the Kotel - כותל (Western Wall, among other places)!!! I thought it was a bit, just a bit too much! Hajj in the Muslim and Christian and Bulgarian and Orthodox traditions, please, no problem. But not a word about the very nature of the God-seeking attitude that abides the Jewish soul from Ur-Kasdim to Egypt, Beersheva and Mount Moriah over the past 3500 years if not more, because a positive and definitely not a judgmental question.
Israel does exist. Just you to know and you do know! All of you know about that. It may itch or be pleasant. This is not the problem. We cannot oblige anybody to accept the one or those who are in front or next or close to us. On the other hand, we can pray, reflect upon how we behave towards ourselves and our fellowmen/women. It does not mean the yare wrong and we are right. It means we can slightly open up our eyes and conscience.
Emotions exist, both positively and negatively. Rejecting of keeping silent about people, nations, humans is never neutral. It is a way to come closer to what is unbearable - sometimes to each other and most of the time for irrational reasons. The rest is a matter of needs as I mentioned: time overshadows an covers our needs and requirements and slowly joins those who can hardly cope together. This move is of great importance. It shows that the eschaton is moving ahead of us.
With regards to the faith of Israel, there was an interesting statement made in 1968 by some Rabbis: "It is precisely that that Christianity brought to the world that hid Israel to the Nations”. It continues to be the case. But when we come back to our own room, just inside, let's think of what we can positively share and do share without being able, for the moment, to speak too much of that.
Archpriest Alexander Winogradsky
October 22/9, 2009 – ג' דחשון תש"ע
"I am not a gigantic ashtray"...
(credit: M. Lipska)
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Offerings For Newness
Offerings for newness
Special days in Israel. Special atmosphere that swindles from total joy and rejoicing to some sort of anxiety and distrust. It is not usual for the country to recover a prisoner by a deal that consists in releasing more than a thousand "enemies" kept in the Israeli jails for "life sentences". It is not that current in any other country. It causes full joys that the State could reach to some agreement in the way that involved a lot of people. It is definitely not the work of one or two, three or more people. It could be carried out with the substantial help and diversified assistance of many contacts and the steadfast, constant and obstinate struggle and support of the parents of the soldier Gilad Schalit.
The release of 1027 Palestinian prisoners is significant. It is a Jewish commandment to ransom by all possible means any Jew wherever a Jew is in jail or deprived of his/her rights. This is the theory, but this theory is applied and it is a requirement of faith, due to the Mitzvot. It is evident that many people have discussed and attacked the matter over the centuries. It is absolutely clear that the question whether and how to ransom persecuted Jews or not to intervene is a difficult subject but it is real. Different forms of Questions and Disputes were given by the rabbis throughout the ages.
Freedom is not a mere subject of reflection. Freedom is at the heart of the spiritual experience of the Jewish life. Let's start that way.
Abraham was freed from the Ten Temptations. It is more than intriguing to note that God redeems, frees, gives His own freedom to individuals not because they are "singletons" . They are a part of a Body and a specific Nation that is called Israel. Abraham had faith and trusted God. He did "sell" his wife as a faked "sister, but God continued to test him. Till Abraham accepted to offer his son. Isaac did not refuse, but walked along with his father in full trust, accompanied by the servants. - Incidentally, Isaac was 38 years-old according to the Tradition...
Jacob is in the same situation. Elected by the choice of a possessive, witty or cunning mother, he fought alone and got hurt for ever. Any Jew has this imprint of being a sign of plenitude and still, stumbling around with pains at the main nerve of the leg. Jacob is never alone: he has to take account of his "tribe"; he is still a man of the tribe system of "the Aramean people", the last one. His son Benjamin is the first who was conceived in Eretz Israel and born in the Land. Before that, Jacob had to deal with men and women who were part of the Nation.
Moshe/Moses is also special. He was born in the exile, saved and raised by the daughter of the local ruler in a civilization that was foreign to any sort of call given to Jacob-Israel. Yet Moses could not speak properly. This can be explained in different ways. Did he stutter? It is not that certain. Bayeh ben Asher, a famous commentator quotes the midrashim and concludes that the Egyptians wanted to kill Moses. He was adopted by the daughter of Pharao, could reach to become the leader of the nation and fight the Pharao's position. Thus, as a child, he was presented a vessel, sort of a bowl and drank some beverage with coals that burnt his palate and mouth. This is the real meaning of "heavy tongue/כבד פה- לשון ". He will require the help of his brother Aaron and trusted Jethro, the foreign priest; it should be noted that his "non-Jewish" wife Tziporah circumcised their son Gershom as a "chatan damim/חתן-דמים ", i.e. "a bridegroom in the blood(s)" (Exodus 4:25).
The Covenant is also a "brit, brit milah\ברית-ברית מילה" as the circumcision is indeed the "creation in the word = ברית מילה ". Words and sounds gave the Written and Oral Laws at the Sinai and therefore Moses could not claim any isolation; jis singularity is serving the whole of the nation. In his case, he was humble. The word is interesting in English because it refers to something like "down to earth" since the root is "humus = soil".
Christianity has always focused on "singularity" and the Body of the Resurrected as being the only way to humble oneself and take part in the blessings of the Kingdom. Wonderful words have been written on humility. A person cannot decide to be humble. In the many conferences that were given during the Saint Paul's or Paul of Tarsus' millenium, it has been underscored that the apostle did write what came to be at the core of the New Testmanet. But he had been forgotten over quite a long period of time.
His total dedication to Divine Providence is shown in the short epistle to Philemon. Short but quite on line with the Jewish tradition. The whole of his writings are deeply marked by Jewish reflection and expression, style and ways to addressing the peoples in general. With Philemon, he is in jail and writes to Philemon who has welcomed him and was a Christian "leader", also a wealthy man. He decides to send him back a man that he met in jail, Onesimus. Onesimus was imprisoned because he had robbed Philemon and he was a slave. Paul writes to Philemon to forgive the slave and not to consider him as a slave bu as a brother!!!
He also added that if there was anything to pay for Onesimus, he, Paul would do it and repay Philemon.
We do not pay much attention to the way Paul of Tarsus wrote and certainly acted for the sake of Onesimus and Philemon. Saint Paul often appears as a "singleton", a sport of "Einzelgänger" as people call the "lonely alone in loneliness" ones. Paul's acts were just the opposite. He acted for the sake of the Church. His writings constitute a "small" part of what we got from his heritage. Many letters weer not written directly by him but by some disciples, secretaries.
He never envisoned his actions as "lonely and singled out actions". On the contrary, he stressed how one should not only rely upon the "apostles" and that words, baptism do not depend on one person, but they are all linked in chains of freedom to witness to the Resurrection.
All desires to unite, pardon, heal wounds for the benefit of the greater number of people, in particular of the faithful, include some limits and fencing. They are not "individualistic, personal". If they are, they are born to disappear. They will never succeed to overcome the scars and wounds of history. Power and strict rules do not apply in ministrying for reconciliation. All of us are "overshadowed" by the Power of the Divine Presence and this is quite a different realm.
There are two good examples in the Roman Catholic Church. Saint Francis of Assisi, the Poverello (the Poor one) who chanted the praise of "Lady Poverty" and sang along the roads when attacked and plundered by "gangsters of the time" is a good and unique example. The young boy showed nude to the bishop of the town; quite a thing because he was the dear son of the wealthy tailor and fashion-maker of the city. Either the man was "nuts and shuks" or he was a bit sick mentally or an idiot.
For us, in Hebrew speech and linguistic tradition, "nude, naked, nakedness" have a very profound in-depth significance. "Arom\ערום" is not only "nude" but also means "intelligent, clever, cunning - as the snake in the Genesis. It means be capable to make a correct use of a "language of subtleties = leshon arumim\לשון ערומים ". Of course this can be related to the evident reality that we were born naked for the maternal womb and naked we shall return to it (Job 1:20).
There is a great intelligenceo f the faith to act the way Francis and others acted and also of course in the whole of the history of Redemption. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov is also a wonderful example. When building for a repair, for the sake of Communion and Unity, Oneness, there are no barriers. This is how the Sultan welcomed Francisco di Assisi and allowed the man to visit the Holy Sites. In other circumstances, any preacher of the same "pretence" to convert the heads of the Muslim world would have been assassinated.
Why this reflection? Israel is a new-old State. I reverse the usual proposition; yes, we consider that the "alt-neu - old-new" is the normal and standard way things should be approached.
Israel is new, fundamentally new. Israel as a Jewish State is definitely the kind of "exceptional one-shot example, "hapax>απαξ" in Greek or "chidush\חידוש " in Hebrew that interrogates and breaks through all standards of accepted rules.
In the past few days, this showed in a very special way. Beside all the quarrels, disputes, internal discussions on whether to help release the Israeli kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit or not and how, when, where and with the assistance of whom... there is more.
In 1947, the United Nations did not vote for the creation of a Jewish State on the "Jewish home" conceded by the British Crown and the Balfour Declaration of 1917. it took 40 years to get to the vote, after World War II. In between, the Jews were proposed to settle in Uganda, many preferred to go to the United States or any Commonwealth country. The French Jews were given the French citizenship as a twist against the North African Agerian nnatives and till now are at pains to immigrate to Israel.
The vote taken in 1947 by the United Nations did not recognized the State of Israel: it cut a region into two parts and allowed the Jews to remain and get to the structure of a possible state, if any. I would dare say that the "intimate conviction" - with a few exceptions - was that the Jews would be defeated and drown in the "final war" against the neighboring Arab countries.
Something happened: the Jews won. This could not be fathomed by most of the neighboring nations, the British, the Allied, the Russians. There was then much more: no Christian authority - but some exceptions - would look at the development of the Jews in the Holy Land as a fulfillment of the Prophets. Many Protestant movements - as today the Evangelicals and some Messianics - could support the Jews. They were mainly "self-supporting": the Jews return to the Holy Land, then we convert them and in fine the Reign of the Lord will redeem all the Nations of the world. This made no case of the Muslims.
The United Nations recognized the State of Israel, but did not pay much attention to the Declaration made by David Ben Gurion. This is roughly a sketch of assertions made in short to summarize the process. But there is no reason for the Jews to return to Zion and Jerusalem if this does not rely upon the Jewish Scriptures as a whole (Oral and Written Laws) and the daily prayers for the good of Jerusalem. When the Jews pray for the rain in Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, Moscow, Brisbane... they do not ask for rain to fall where they reside. They pray for rain in Eretz Israel. This "shapes" a very special cultural and religious conscience that the real identity of the Jew is not to be found anywhere else in the world, but in this tiny piece of land where the ancestors anchored a specific culture and trust in God.
Eretz is the "permanent 'lease'" given and entrusted by God to the Jews. This cannot be cancelled. I do no say that because I would be too supportive. It is the reality of the the Jewish faith. Intriguingly, it is also the creed of the true, authentic Catholic and Orthodox and Christian faith as far as they have full confidence in the words of Apostle Paul of Tarsus. Faith cannot be broken down or fragmented. We love to cut and separate. God covers time, space, ages, regions, personal, national, supra-national history in terms of Redemption that gathers in all of human beings from the beginning till the end. This does not depend on any human being, whoever we are. Redemption came and comes out form Jerusalem and calls to final ingathering in Jeruslaem, just as the Church is in extension from the Gates of Jerusalem.
Using the present tense, Saint Paul wrote the following: "They are the Israelites to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the service of God and the promises" (Romans 9:4).
This is why there is a "Jewish home and State of Israel". These new patterns are and remain totally unexpected for the International Community. The Jewish State - whether secular, pious or religious - firstly relies upon the Jewish faith and traditions. It strongly reconnects with the proclaiming of the Divine Providence and Redemption. This has nothing to do with the way the Christian and/or colonial Nations could ever envision "mission"! This is why it is impossible to compare the situation of any "Catholic", "Orthodox or "Protestant" country where, at the present, religion and State are separate. It is quite impossible to separate faith, tradition, habits, culture, prayers and daily life for the Jews, even when they claim to be "secular". The most "apikoros/doubtful" or atheistic Jews will in the end recall or be reminded their identity.
It is fascinating to see how most pious clergy and lay people in the Church can just ignore or consider this by twisting in all possible ways the meannig of the this verse. When an Orthodox and Catholic deacon or priest proclaims the Gospel or the New Testmaent in Church, they "update" the living and creating Word of the Lord. It means that the Words of the New Testament are actualized. They tell us what is real today, not only from old or ancient times. We are hearing the Living and life-changing Word of God. it is a historic evidence that life changes.
The Kingdom of God does not belong to anyone. It only belongs to God. In the case of Israel and the Land of Israel, God gave it as a permanent lease for the sake of Redemption and proclamation of the Reign of God over the whole Creation. It is not a possession, a property. It is a permanent lease; whether in Israel or "outside of the country", the Jews remain a part of this Land as they felt it was throughout the ages and wherever they dwell or settle for generations.
This is mainly foreign to the Churches as they are structured at the present and define themselves. There are tiny signs that things evolve. They should evolve and be handled with much patience, much humility. It requires a lot of wit, insights.
Some years ago, I faced a terrible pogrom, a real one. To be frank, the Rum Orthodox Church of Jerusalem is not prepared to share anything. it is not judgmental. I do not judge or condemn anyone. There are different layers in societies, cultures, religions, creeds and also... with regards to Faith. The Greek brought forth an immense part of our international civilization to the whole of the world, mainly the Western heritage. It seems to "cover" the Chinese, Hindu, Buddhist and all other civilizations that existed long before. Judaism came from the encounter between Sumerian and Egyptian weltanschauung.
During the "pogrom" that I could overcome but it always creeping up again somehow, one of the member of my community discussed with the Archbishop in charge of the Patriarchate. They had very nice talks. The young man was quite outspoken as many faithful. He once told the archbishop that "considering his views on Judaism and Jews" he simply never landed at Ben Gurion Airport nor crossed the Israeli border and still dreamt of some Byzantine reality". Incidentally, the bishop agreed that it maybe true. The discussion was rather friendly, by the way. Jews, Christians, Muslims are at pains in how to accept who they are and who we are here, in Israel; this applies to all of us. It is difficult to accept the fences and oversteep them and connect with a spirit of "universality".
They also shared something curious: the parishioner told the archbishop that I (av Aleksandr) am a Jew; ordained a priest in the Russian tradition, brought up in different traditions, but most of all in the strict Jewish Orthodox faith and cultures. The archbishop made then a statement: yes, we, in the Orthodox and Christian Churches, have a lot of converted Jews and have always had them. Usually they are secular Jews who had no Jewish clutch, cultural educational and family or linguistic links to living Jewishness. He said to the parioshioner that it was different with me because I remained fully a Jew in the Church and would never step down from this identity. It itches, can rebuke, but at least it is real.
The statement is true. At the cost of a self-offering. But who knows what every soul may offer in special circumstances?
This is why I am told all through the year that I am a full idiot... It is quite amusing at times. It often hides a lot of respect. Still, the Russians told me 15 years ago why in the world I wasliving in such a company as the Greeks in Jerusalem. The response is simple: I have been sent with a special task within the Israeli society and Church in order to link to two respectfully. The local Church is Rum, Greek Orthodox and it is also a "mitzvah" to act from within and with those who have kept the Holy Sites by their culture and heritage in the past 2 000 years.
The Jews - in the circles of spiritual life and administration - ask whether I speak of Israel or the Church when we discuss how to resolve some problems. The thing is not due to speaking Hebrew. Tons of people do speak Hebrew. When I got a slap by a Yiddishist who heard that I had become a Christian, he told me "Don't worry, the Christians will kill you and do everything so that you could fall and collapse". I also experienced that converted Jews can often be terrible wolves toward their brothers! Who can accept to share "the fulfillment of Redemption"!?? Quite intriguing, really at times!
The ego has nothing to do with it. And this is what is appealing these days with the release of Gilad Schalit.
This reflection on the process of his liberation and the attitude of Israeli society brought me me back to some ideas and experience in Israel.. Thus, I saw how Gershon Baskin was seemingly "krichtzing arain in di bayn" as we say in American Yiddish, i.e. trying to create some sort of a buzz about his own involvement in the release of Gilad Schalit and the agreement reached with the Hamas.
I am totally foreign to politics or political actions. it does not mean that I can escape the all-mighty system of "politics over the map" that ruins our local society.
Since the release of Gilad Schalit, Gershon Baskin is trying to get some articles published on his personal actions. I would say that I tend to trust the man. I do not know exactly what he did, I did not ask for more information, well not directly. Based at the Tantur Center, the Jewish American-born Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin carried out a huge work.
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information aims at paving the way to a real peace process between the Israeli and Arab peoples for the benefit of all parties concerned. Gershon Baskin is a benevolent article-writer at the Jerusalem Post. Subsequently, he wrote a lot of articles these days about his actions over the decade and the five past years. He described in detail his contacts with the Hamas and Palestinian leaders. He also explained how he tried and seemingly succeeded to connect the Jews/israelis with the Arabs/Palestinians. He always points out that he acts as an Israeli.
In the Jerusalem Post, the comments to the description he made of his interventions were clear: the man is a "treator (to Israel) and a full idiot" (sic). On Facebook and on the social networks, he is connected with thousands of "supporters" of all sides, and a lot of Israelis. At first, the readers could think that Gershon Baskin is alone in mentioning his participations in the release of the Israeli soldier. One speaks of the intervention of the Germans, the Egyptians, some French - though Gilad Schalit is not considered as a French citizen while serving in the Israeli Army. He was caught as an Israeli soldier.
Gershon Baskin's actions are remarkable. I never met him. But I would not cast doubt on his actions because if they are "not real", he would really be a total "fool". I think there is something more and the situation allows putting this into words.
As Professor Shved declared, Israel is "a country of anonymous people". Each individual would think they are at the core, the kernel and the heart of everything in the region. Israelis are like swarms and act in groups. In Israel, the most "exceptional" individual is obliged to finally accept that he basically is a full recognized member of a group. There are "singletons". There are lost people, youths, elderly. This is also due to history, not only because of the Holocaust period. The Jews from the Arab countries did not suffer from the Shoah (Iraq, Iran etc.) and constitute an immense part of the immigrants that arrived in 1947-48. We are normally and evidently "obsessed" by the Shoah for the best and the worst: the survivors that hardly get their money and lost everything in the catastrophe need to be treated as our real fathers and mothers. Nonetheless, Today's State of Israel is both a place of everlasting memory and a "creative laboratory for the future".
Israel is a "Body," a spiritual body too. This is why so many Christians from the Nations, mostly Protestants, join the eschatological Feast of Sukkot/Tents that envisions the full ingathering of all the humans.
Israel relies upon various "catastrophes" but rose from some incredible sort of death. It revives with a special spirit. This is why the Jewish Tradition considers that a Jew born in Eretz Israel is given "a spirit of prophecy". Israeli identity is far stronger than foreigners and many Jews think and can figure out. The society is embattled in bizarre and contradictory disputes. This is also due to the fact that the territory, the Jews themselves definitely understand that they have to cope with the "others". This includes the Churches and the various foreign States that still have large properties in the country.
On the other hand, there are individuals who can accept and take up the many challenges that are "proposed by our situation". There are numerous individuals who can dare make new actions because of the "stability of the State of Israel" that is rarely appreciated adequately.
This is why the actions conducted by Gershon Baskin make sense. It is evident that Israeli and/Jews who back the State and the country have to pave the way to a process of peace. It is a simple matter. It is evident. It has nothing to do with the requirements of foreign observers. When reporters dare ask on broadcasting programs what the Israeli government is ready to do now to end the war process, are they aware of how one single agreement could be reached, at what price? And that the released left saying they would consider to kill more Israelis and kidnap more soliders or individuals because it is the best way to get their people out of jail...
it is important that some individuals or groups come up from within the Israeli society to open new gates with the Arabs. This is not a problem of trust or confidence. It is a matter of "struggle for life" for all parties. We are born to work and live together. It will take a long, very long time to cancel mutual rejection, suspicion, ignorance, opacity and, hatred. Things have to be carried out with much patience. It is dangerous too. It may imperil one's life. It requires a correct intelligence of the Arab and Palestinian multi-faceted reality.
Whatever actions concerned, it is evident that they will raise disputes, quarrels, opposition and adversity. Jews cannot spontaneously admit that one soldier is released at the cost of more than thousand terror activists. Of course, the outside world would require more and, most of the time, would not say a word if the newly released bomb and murder Jews again. The Church uses to keep silent, but it may be because they face their own questioning about how they are dealing with the Resurrected in times of hardships.
For numerous people, indeed, it would be considered as the work of and for fools, idiots. But the task has to be implemented. No results to expect, no awards or merits as such. Israel humbles those who offer their life for the recognition of her existence, identity and future. It is quite striking in the history of the Church. It is written that the human being shall disappear "and his place will not know him... because the love of God is unto the ages of ages".
Duirng the Schalit episode, I saw many Israelis online and they shared a lot with me, quite increasingly in Hebrew. The Christians would put some "likes" on wonderful pictures or Christian news articles (with regards to Facebook). They would not contact me about the events. I know that they would suspect I am not a Christian or also some "idiot". I have been told that from my early days in the Church, we call that a "putz/פוץ " in Hebrew and Yiddish. People are afraid, if not more. There is a sort of silent "partisanship". Courage, go on, you maybe right and defend the great fraternity. On Facebook and the social networks it is easy not to pay a farthing or an agorah and still pretend to be fully involved in all world causes. I have the same in discussions and articles.
I noticed something: the absence of the so-called Israeli Orthodox and Catholics in the dialogue. The more I write in Hebrew, the less it sounds "culturally significant or connected to the Church". For instance, there are numerous Anglo groups of born-again believers who claimed to pray with the Jews for Sukkot; I had wonderful examples at many Orthodox Jewish conferences: there si a moment when these groups and/or individuals have to leave the Jews because they can twist and dance, they are not a part of the societal development. It is not sufficient to jerk in Hebrew waves; there is a special "cultural way", special language and behavior that makes people Israeli. It is not efficient to explain that in English or in Russian only. There is a point when people are in or out of the "chevra" - society" and show that they are also concerned. It requires the words, and I must say that my mother tongue Yiddish usually surprises at first but breaks through.
This is why I contact with the people in any place, discuss with men and women. I keep a bit astray, but the yfeel I will never run away or pass by and keep silent. It is also the challenge of some "idiot" for an Israeli priest to think that things will change. But indeed people are thirsty for real conversations. They are open to arguing in this country. There is an Israeli life-style and way to ask, require, say that we exist. The Church cannot only celebrate in dead languages or explain odd principles from remote times. Challenges need to be taken for what fences and distant attitudes really mean.
I was recently contacted by the Arab youths. They asked me to help them in re-considering Arab Christian development in Jerusalem. We have wonderful discussions, open and deeply rooted in the Scripture and daily life. I had told them that they see I am more Hebrew-speaking and more in contact with all kinds of pilgrims, visitors and so long. They had noticed that I do not make any difference between Jews and Arabs. They see I feel at home in Israeli society that also includes them, which is hardly taken into account at first glance. The Arab youths will be a part of the upcoming future "body, entity". But the connection is not easy. It require to live things and be a part of life, not to slice down segments of society and be judgmental.
This is why I feel somehow connected to Gershon Baskin's struggle. At least, it maybe possible these days to postively consider the actions of so many peoples in Israel. We do not work or act for ourselves. If we get involved as taking part in Israeli society and coherence, the whole matter becomes a sign of contradiction for other people. We call that "zeal" in the Church. Albert Einstein called that "Patience and tolerance" that became "Geduld und Weisheit" in German.
A long long way to go! It is only dawn and things are on a renewal.
av aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
October 22/9, 2011-7520 - Tishrei 24, 5772 - 24 Thul Qedah 1432
Special days in Israel. Special atmosphere that swindles from total joy and rejoicing to some sort of anxiety and distrust. It is not usual for the country to recover a prisoner by a deal that consists in releasing more than a thousand "enemies" kept in the Israeli jails for "life sentences". It is not that current in any other country. It causes full joys that the State could reach to some agreement in the way that involved a lot of people. It is definitely not the work of one or two, three or more people. It could be carried out with the substantial help and diversified assistance of many contacts and the steadfast, constant and obstinate struggle and support of the parents of the soldier Gilad Schalit.
The release of 1027 Palestinian prisoners is significant. It is a Jewish commandment to ransom by all possible means any Jew wherever a Jew is in jail or deprived of his/her rights. This is the theory, but this theory is applied and it is a requirement of faith, due to the Mitzvot. It is evident that many people have discussed and attacked the matter over the centuries. It is absolutely clear that the question whether and how to ransom persecuted Jews or not to intervene is a difficult subject but it is real. Different forms of Questions and Disputes were given by the rabbis throughout the ages.
Freedom is not a mere subject of reflection. Freedom is at the heart of the spiritual experience of the Jewish life. Let's start that way.
Abraham was freed from the Ten Temptations. It is more than intriguing to note that God redeems, frees, gives His own freedom to individuals not because they are "singletons" . They are a part of a Body and a specific Nation that is called Israel. Abraham had faith and trusted God. He did "sell" his wife as a faked "sister, but God continued to test him. Till Abraham accepted to offer his son. Isaac did not refuse, but walked along with his father in full trust, accompanied by the servants. - Incidentally, Isaac was 38 years-old according to the Tradition...
Jacob is in the same situation. Elected by the choice of a possessive, witty or cunning mother, he fought alone and got hurt for ever. Any Jew has this imprint of being a sign of plenitude and still, stumbling around with pains at the main nerve of the leg. Jacob is never alone: he has to take account of his "tribe"; he is still a man of the tribe system of "the Aramean people", the last one. His son Benjamin is the first who was conceived in Eretz Israel and born in the Land. Before that, Jacob had to deal with men and women who were part of the Nation.
Moshe/Moses is also special. He was born in the exile, saved and raised by the daughter of the local ruler in a civilization that was foreign to any sort of call given to Jacob-Israel. Yet Moses could not speak properly. This can be explained in different ways. Did he stutter? It is not that certain. Bayeh ben Asher, a famous commentator quotes the midrashim and concludes that the Egyptians wanted to kill Moses. He was adopted by the daughter of Pharao, could reach to become the leader of the nation and fight the Pharao's position. Thus, as a child, he was presented a vessel, sort of a bowl and drank some beverage with coals that burnt his palate and mouth. This is the real meaning of "heavy tongue/כבד פה- לשון ". He will require the help of his brother Aaron and trusted Jethro, the foreign priest; it should be noted that his "non-Jewish" wife Tziporah circumcised their son Gershom as a "chatan damim/חתן-דמים ", i.e. "a bridegroom in the blood(s)" (Exodus 4:25).
The Covenant is also a "brit, brit milah\ברית-ברית מילה" as the circumcision is indeed the "creation in the word = ברית מילה ". Words and sounds gave the Written and Oral Laws at the Sinai and therefore Moses could not claim any isolation; jis singularity is serving the whole of the nation. In his case, he was humble. The word is interesting in English because it refers to something like "down to earth" since the root is "humus = soil".
Christianity has always focused on "singularity" and the Body of the Resurrected as being the only way to humble oneself and take part in the blessings of the Kingdom. Wonderful words have been written on humility. A person cannot decide to be humble. In the many conferences that were given during the Saint Paul's or Paul of Tarsus' millenium, it has been underscored that the apostle did write what came to be at the core of the New Testmanet. But he had been forgotten over quite a long period of time.
His total dedication to Divine Providence is shown in the short epistle to Philemon. Short but quite on line with the Jewish tradition. The whole of his writings are deeply marked by Jewish reflection and expression, style and ways to addressing the peoples in general. With Philemon, he is in jail and writes to Philemon who has welcomed him and was a Christian "leader", also a wealthy man. He decides to send him back a man that he met in jail, Onesimus. Onesimus was imprisoned because he had robbed Philemon and he was a slave. Paul writes to Philemon to forgive the slave and not to consider him as a slave bu as a brother!!!
He also added that if there was anything to pay for Onesimus, he, Paul would do it and repay Philemon.
We do not pay much attention to the way Paul of Tarsus wrote and certainly acted for the sake of Onesimus and Philemon. Saint Paul often appears as a "singleton", a sport of "Einzelgänger" as people call the "lonely alone in loneliness" ones. Paul's acts were just the opposite. He acted for the sake of the Church. His writings constitute a "small" part of what we got from his heritage. Many letters weer not written directly by him but by some disciples, secretaries.
He never envisoned his actions as "lonely and singled out actions". On the contrary, he stressed how one should not only rely upon the "apostles" and that words, baptism do not depend on one person, but they are all linked in chains of freedom to witness to the Resurrection.
All desires to unite, pardon, heal wounds for the benefit of the greater number of people, in particular of the faithful, include some limits and fencing. They are not "individualistic, personal". If they are, they are born to disappear. They will never succeed to overcome the scars and wounds of history. Power and strict rules do not apply in ministrying for reconciliation. All of us are "overshadowed" by the Power of the Divine Presence and this is quite a different realm.
There are two good examples in the Roman Catholic Church. Saint Francis of Assisi, the Poverello (the Poor one) who chanted the praise of "Lady Poverty" and sang along the roads when attacked and plundered by "gangsters of the time" is a good and unique example. The young boy showed nude to the bishop of the town; quite a thing because he was the dear son of the wealthy tailor and fashion-maker of the city. Either the man was "nuts and shuks" or he was a bit sick mentally or an idiot.
For us, in Hebrew speech and linguistic tradition, "nude, naked, nakedness" have a very profound in-depth significance. "Arom\ערום" is not only "nude" but also means "intelligent, clever, cunning - as the snake in the Genesis. It means be capable to make a correct use of a "language of subtleties = leshon arumim\לשון ערומים ". Of course this can be related to the evident reality that we were born naked for the maternal womb and naked we shall return to it (Job 1:20).
There is a great intelligenceo f the faith to act the way Francis and others acted and also of course in the whole of the history of Redemption. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov is also a wonderful example. When building for a repair, for the sake of Communion and Unity, Oneness, there are no barriers. This is how the Sultan welcomed Francisco di Assisi and allowed the man to visit the Holy Sites. In other circumstances, any preacher of the same "pretence" to convert the heads of the Muslim world would have been assassinated.
Why this reflection? Israel is a new-old State. I reverse the usual proposition; yes, we consider that the "alt-neu - old-new" is the normal and standard way things should be approached.
Israel is new, fundamentally new. Israel as a Jewish State is definitely the kind of "exceptional one-shot example, "hapax>απαξ" in Greek or "chidush\חידוש " in Hebrew that interrogates and breaks through all standards of accepted rules.
In the past few days, this showed in a very special way. Beside all the quarrels, disputes, internal discussions on whether to help release the Israeli kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit or not and how, when, where and with the assistance of whom... there is more.
In 1947, the United Nations did not vote for the creation of a Jewish State on the "Jewish home" conceded by the British Crown and the Balfour Declaration of 1917. it took 40 years to get to the vote, after World War II. In between, the Jews were proposed to settle in Uganda, many preferred to go to the United States or any Commonwealth country. The French Jews were given the French citizenship as a twist against the North African Agerian nnatives and till now are at pains to immigrate to Israel.
The vote taken in 1947 by the United Nations did not recognized the State of Israel: it cut a region into two parts and allowed the Jews to remain and get to the structure of a possible state, if any. I would dare say that the "intimate conviction" - with a few exceptions - was that the Jews would be defeated and drown in the "final war" against the neighboring Arab countries.
Something happened: the Jews won. This could not be fathomed by most of the neighboring nations, the British, the Allied, the Russians. There was then much more: no Christian authority - but some exceptions - would look at the development of the Jews in the Holy Land as a fulfillment of the Prophets. Many Protestant movements - as today the Evangelicals and some Messianics - could support the Jews. They were mainly "self-supporting": the Jews return to the Holy Land, then we convert them and in fine the Reign of the Lord will redeem all the Nations of the world. This made no case of the Muslims.
The United Nations recognized the State of Israel, but did not pay much attention to the Declaration made by David Ben Gurion. This is roughly a sketch of assertions made in short to summarize the process. But there is no reason for the Jews to return to Zion and Jerusalem if this does not rely upon the Jewish Scriptures as a whole (Oral and Written Laws) and the daily prayers for the good of Jerusalem. When the Jews pray for the rain in Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, Moscow, Brisbane... they do not ask for rain to fall where they reside. They pray for rain in Eretz Israel. This "shapes" a very special cultural and religious conscience that the real identity of the Jew is not to be found anywhere else in the world, but in this tiny piece of land where the ancestors anchored a specific culture and trust in God.
Eretz is the "permanent 'lease'" given and entrusted by God to the Jews. This cannot be cancelled. I do no say that because I would be too supportive. It is the reality of the the Jewish faith. Intriguingly, it is also the creed of the true, authentic Catholic and Orthodox and Christian faith as far as they have full confidence in the words of Apostle Paul of Tarsus. Faith cannot be broken down or fragmented. We love to cut and separate. God covers time, space, ages, regions, personal, national, supra-national history in terms of Redemption that gathers in all of human beings from the beginning till the end. This does not depend on any human being, whoever we are. Redemption came and comes out form Jerusalem and calls to final ingathering in Jeruslaem, just as the Church is in extension from the Gates of Jerusalem.
Using the present tense, Saint Paul wrote the following: "They are the Israelites to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the service of God and the promises" (Romans 9:4).
This is why there is a "Jewish home and State of Israel". These new patterns are and remain totally unexpected for the International Community. The Jewish State - whether secular, pious or religious - firstly relies upon the Jewish faith and traditions. It strongly reconnects with the proclaiming of the Divine Providence and Redemption. This has nothing to do with the way the Christian and/or colonial Nations could ever envision "mission"! This is why it is impossible to compare the situation of any "Catholic", "Orthodox or "Protestant" country where, at the present, religion and State are separate. It is quite impossible to separate faith, tradition, habits, culture, prayers and daily life for the Jews, even when they claim to be "secular". The most "apikoros/doubtful" or atheistic Jews will in the end recall or be reminded their identity.
It is fascinating to see how most pious clergy and lay people in the Church can just ignore or consider this by twisting in all possible ways the meannig of the this verse. When an Orthodox and Catholic deacon or priest proclaims the Gospel or the New Testmaent in Church, they "update" the living and creating Word of the Lord. It means that the Words of the New Testament are actualized. They tell us what is real today, not only from old or ancient times. We are hearing the Living and life-changing Word of God. it is a historic evidence that life changes.
The Kingdom of God does not belong to anyone. It only belongs to God. In the case of Israel and the Land of Israel, God gave it as a permanent lease for the sake of Redemption and proclamation of the Reign of God over the whole Creation. It is not a possession, a property. It is a permanent lease; whether in Israel or "outside of the country", the Jews remain a part of this Land as they felt it was throughout the ages and wherever they dwell or settle for generations.
This is mainly foreign to the Churches as they are structured at the present and define themselves. There are tiny signs that things evolve. They should evolve and be handled with much patience, much humility. It requires a lot of wit, insights.
Some years ago, I faced a terrible pogrom, a real one. To be frank, the Rum Orthodox Church of Jerusalem is not prepared to share anything. it is not judgmental. I do not judge or condemn anyone. There are different layers in societies, cultures, religions, creeds and also... with regards to Faith. The Greek brought forth an immense part of our international civilization to the whole of the world, mainly the Western heritage. It seems to "cover" the Chinese, Hindu, Buddhist and all other civilizations that existed long before. Judaism came from the encounter between Sumerian and Egyptian weltanschauung.
During the "pogrom" that I could overcome but it always creeping up again somehow, one of the member of my community discussed with the Archbishop in charge of the Patriarchate. They had very nice talks. The young man was quite outspoken as many faithful. He once told the archbishop that "considering his views on Judaism and Jews" he simply never landed at Ben Gurion Airport nor crossed the Israeli border and still dreamt of some Byzantine reality". Incidentally, the bishop agreed that it maybe true. The discussion was rather friendly, by the way. Jews, Christians, Muslims are at pains in how to accept who they are and who we are here, in Israel; this applies to all of us. It is difficult to accept the fences and oversteep them and connect with a spirit of "universality".
They also shared something curious: the parishioner told the archbishop that I (av Aleksandr) am a Jew; ordained a priest in the Russian tradition, brought up in different traditions, but most of all in the strict Jewish Orthodox faith and cultures. The archbishop made then a statement: yes, we, in the Orthodox and Christian Churches, have a lot of converted Jews and have always had them. Usually they are secular Jews who had no Jewish clutch, cultural educational and family or linguistic links to living Jewishness. He said to the parioshioner that it was different with me because I remained fully a Jew in the Church and would never step down from this identity. It itches, can rebuke, but at least it is real.
The statement is true. At the cost of a self-offering. But who knows what every soul may offer in special circumstances?
This is why I am told all through the year that I am a full idiot... It is quite amusing at times. It often hides a lot of respect. Still, the Russians told me 15 years ago why in the world I wasliving in such a company as the Greeks in Jerusalem. The response is simple: I have been sent with a special task within the Israeli society and Church in order to link to two respectfully. The local Church is Rum, Greek Orthodox and it is also a "mitzvah" to act from within and with those who have kept the Holy Sites by their culture and heritage in the past 2 000 years.
The Jews - in the circles of spiritual life and administration - ask whether I speak of Israel or the Church when we discuss how to resolve some problems. The thing is not due to speaking Hebrew. Tons of people do speak Hebrew. When I got a slap by a Yiddishist who heard that I had become a Christian, he told me "Don't worry, the Christians will kill you and do everything so that you could fall and collapse". I also experienced that converted Jews can often be terrible wolves toward their brothers! Who can accept to share "the fulfillment of Redemption"!?? Quite intriguing, really at times!
The ego has nothing to do with it. And this is what is appealing these days with the release of Gilad Schalit.
This reflection on the process of his liberation and the attitude of Israeli society brought me me back to some ideas and experience in Israel.. Thus, I saw how Gershon Baskin was seemingly "krichtzing arain in di bayn" as we say in American Yiddish, i.e. trying to create some sort of a buzz about his own involvement in the release of Gilad Schalit and the agreement reached with the Hamas.
I am totally foreign to politics or political actions. it does not mean that I can escape the all-mighty system of "politics over the map" that ruins our local society.
Since the release of Gilad Schalit, Gershon Baskin is trying to get some articles published on his personal actions. I would say that I tend to trust the man. I do not know exactly what he did, I did not ask for more information, well not directly. Based at the Tantur Center, the Jewish American-born Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin carried out a huge work.
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information aims at paving the way to a real peace process between the Israeli and Arab peoples for the benefit of all parties concerned. Gershon Baskin is a benevolent article-writer at the Jerusalem Post. Subsequently, he wrote a lot of articles these days about his actions over the decade and the five past years. He described in detail his contacts with the Hamas and Palestinian leaders. He also explained how he tried and seemingly succeeded to connect the Jews/israelis with the Arabs/Palestinians. He always points out that he acts as an Israeli.
In the Jerusalem Post, the comments to the description he made of his interventions were clear: the man is a "treator (to Israel) and a full idiot" (sic). On Facebook and on the social networks, he is connected with thousands of "supporters" of all sides, and a lot of Israelis. At first, the readers could think that Gershon Baskin is alone in mentioning his participations in the release of the Israeli soldier. One speaks of the intervention of the Germans, the Egyptians, some French - though Gilad Schalit is not considered as a French citizen while serving in the Israeli Army. He was caught as an Israeli soldier.
Gershon Baskin's actions are remarkable. I never met him. But I would not cast doubt on his actions because if they are "not real", he would really be a total "fool". I think there is something more and the situation allows putting this into words.
As Professor Shved declared, Israel is "a country of anonymous people". Each individual would think they are at the core, the kernel and the heart of everything in the region. Israelis are like swarms and act in groups. In Israel, the most "exceptional" individual is obliged to finally accept that he basically is a full recognized member of a group. There are "singletons". There are lost people, youths, elderly. This is also due to history, not only because of the Holocaust period. The Jews from the Arab countries did not suffer from the Shoah (Iraq, Iran etc.) and constitute an immense part of the immigrants that arrived in 1947-48. We are normally and evidently "obsessed" by the Shoah for the best and the worst: the survivors that hardly get their money and lost everything in the catastrophe need to be treated as our real fathers and mothers. Nonetheless, Today's State of Israel is both a place of everlasting memory and a "creative laboratory for the future".
Israel is a "Body," a spiritual body too. This is why so many Christians from the Nations, mostly Protestants, join the eschatological Feast of Sukkot/Tents that envisions the full ingathering of all the humans.
Israel relies upon various "catastrophes" but rose from some incredible sort of death. It revives with a special spirit. This is why the Jewish Tradition considers that a Jew born in Eretz Israel is given "a spirit of prophecy". Israeli identity is far stronger than foreigners and many Jews think and can figure out. The society is embattled in bizarre and contradictory disputes. This is also due to the fact that the territory, the Jews themselves definitely understand that they have to cope with the "others". This includes the Churches and the various foreign States that still have large properties in the country.
On the other hand, there are individuals who can accept and take up the many challenges that are "proposed by our situation". There are numerous individuals who can dare make new actions because of the "stability of the State of Israel" that is rarely appreciated adequately.
This is why the actions conducted by Gershon Baskin make sense. It is evident that Israeli and/Jews who back the State and the country have to pave the way to a process of peace. It is a simple matter. It is evident. It has nothing to do with the requirements of foreign observers. When reporters dare ask on broadcasting programs what the Israeli government is ready to do now to end the war process, are they aware of how one single agreement could be reached, at what price? And that the released left saying they would consider to kill more Israelis and kidnap more soliders or individuals because it is the best way to get their people out of jail...
it is important that some individuals or groups come up from within the Israeli society to open new gates with the Arabs. This is not a problem of trust or confidence. It is a matter of "struggle for life" for all parties. We are born to work and live together. It will take a long, very long time to cancel mutual rejection, suspicion, ignorance, opacity and, hatred. Things have to be carried out with much patience. It is dangerous too. It may imperil one's life. It requires a correct intelligence of the Arab and Palestinian multi-faceted reality.
Whatever actions concerned, it is evident that they will raise disputes, quarrels, opposition and adversity. Jews cannot spontaneously admit that one soldier is released at the cost of more than thousand terror activists. Of course, the outside world would require more and, most of the time, would not say a word if the newly released bomb and murder Jews again. The Church uses to keep silent, but it may be because they face their own questioning about how they are dealing with the Resurrected in times of hardships.
For numerous people, indeed, it would be considered as the work of and for fools, idiots. But the task has to be implemented. No results to expect, no awards or merits as such. Israel humbles those who offer their life for the recognition of her existence, identity and future. It is quite striking in the history of the Church. It is written that the human being shall disappear "and his place will not know him... because the love of God is unto the ages of ages".
Duirng the Schalit episode, I saw many Israelis online and they shared a lot with me, quite increasingly in Hebrew. The Christians would put some "likes" on wonderful pictures or Christian news articles (with regards to Facebook). They would not contact me about the events. I know that they would suspect I am not a Christian or also some "idiot". I have been told that from my early days in the Church, we call that a "putz/פוץ " in Hebrew and Yiddish. People are afraid, if not more. There is a sort of silent "partisanship". Courage, go on, you maybe right and defend the great fraternity. On Facebook and the social networks it is easy not to pay a farthing or an agorah and still pretend to be fully involved in all world causes. I have the same in discussions and articles.
I noticed something: the absence of the so-called Israeli Orthodox and Catholics in the dialogue. The more I write in Hebrew, the less it sounds "culturally significant or connected to the Church". For instance, there are numerous Anglo groups of born-again believers who claimed to pray with the Jews for Sukkot; I had wonderful examples at many Orthodox Jewish conferences: there si a moment when these groups and/or individuals have to leave the Jews because they can twist and dance, they are not a part of the societal development. It is not sufficient to jerk in Hebrew waves; there is a special "cultural way", special language and behavior that makes people Israeli. It is not efficient to explain that in English or in Russian only. There is a point when people are in or out of the "chevra" - society" and show that they are also concerned. It requires the words, and I must say that my mother tongue Yiddish usually surprises at first but breaks through.
This is why I contact with the people in any place, discuss with men and women. I keep a bit astray, but the yfeel I will never run away or pass by and keep silent. It is also the challenge of some "idiot" for an Israeli priest to think that things will change. But indeed people are thirsty for real conversations. They are open to arguing in this country. There is an Israeli life-style and way to ask, require, say that we exist. The Church cannot only celebrate in dead languages or explain odd principles from remote times. Challenges need to be taken for what fences and distant attitudes really mean.
I was recently contacted by the Arab youths. They asked me to help them in re-considering Arab Christian development in Jerusalem. We have wonderful discussions, open and deeply rooted in the Scripture and daily life. I had told them that they see I am more Hebrew-speaking and more in contact with all kinds of pilgrims, visitors and so long. They had noticed that I do not make any difference between Jews and Arabs. They see I feel at home in Israeli society that also includes them, which is hardly taken into account at first glance. The Arab youths will be a part of the upcoming future "body, entity". But the connection is not easy. It require to live things and be a part of life, not to slice down segments of society and be judgmental.
This is why I feel somehow connected to Gershon Baskin's struggle. At least, it maybe possible these days to postively consider the actions of so many peoples in Israel. We do not work or act for ourselves. If we get involved as taking part in Israeli society and coherence, the whole matter becomes a sign of contradiction for other people. We call that "zeal" in the Church. Albert Einstein called that "Patience and tolerance" that became "Geduld und Weisheit" in German.
A long long way to go! It is only dawn and things are on a renewal.
av aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
October 22/9, 2011-7520 - Tishrei 24, 5772 - 24 Thul Qedah 1432
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Days, hours, minutes, seconds... Kohelet
Days, hours, minutes, seconds... Kohelet
Are we going to dwell in huts, booths, tents, tabernacles? or succot\סוגות? On Tishri 23, 5772 the Jewish Community celebrates the closure of the harvesting feast of the Booths. They are commended to gather and bring all samples of the numerous produce of the land before - slow-slowly the grounds may take a one-year leave wherever possible though it is a law of the shemittah, rest for the grounds.
A succah is and only can be a sicce and Succot can only be "Sicces\סיקעס" (Soviet revised script that aimed at wiping out the Hebrew memory of Yiddish). This Shabbat was the "Shabbat chol HaMoed Sukkot\שבת חול המועד - Shabbat of the (ordinary) weekdays of the Feast of Succot", intermediate days that may occur for Pesach and "Zeman Simchatenu\זמן שמחתנו - the time of our rejoicing", i.e. "the Feast of the Tabernacles\חג הסוכות".
As decades, years and shemittot\שמיטות (years of remittance) pass, this festival grows into a widely popular and rejoicing time, beside the fact that a lot of Israelis would then decide to travel abroad. The reading portion is taken from the Book of Vayikra-ויקרא / Leviticus 22:26-23:44 that recounts the time of "appointed festivals - moadim\מועדים - pl. of "moed\מועד" (Lev. 23:4).
This tracks back to the creation of the world: God had set up the "me'orot birkiyah hashamayim\מאורות ברקיע השמיים - lights in the dome of the sky" to distinguish as a sign "le'otot lemoadim\לאותות למועדים - for the appointed times of encounter" (Gen. 1:14). Days and years pass, "moed\מועד - moadimמוכדים" are appointed - invariant times of special encounter between God and the beings. Just as the Shabbat, Pesach\פסח - Shavuot\שבועות (Spring New Year and first harvest of Passover-Pentecost), Rosh HaShanah\ראש השנה-Yom HaKippurim\יום הכפורים (Autumnal New Year and Day of Atonement) and Succot (Feast of the Booths - Autumnal New Year Harvest).
On these Fall harvesting days that developed into the Canadian and then American Thanksgiving Days also related to the local late harvests, the Jews chose to reckon salvation. Judaism starts New Year in accordance with the Sumerian, Chaldean and Gilgamesh computing system based on return, pardon and assembling the whole Community of Israel. There was a time when New Year started with Pesach and the Law-giving Pentecostal harvest. Curiously, it makes more sense for the South hemispheric countries, from Argentina, South Africa to Australia as they reach Springtime…
Succot is a good period for reflecting with insights on Jews and Judaic, Judean and Jewishness. Succot is also the perfect seven-day period to allow speculating upon the non-Jews, the Gentiles, the Nations of the world, the others, “not us” indistinctively. The problem is that we still thoughtfully interrogate ourselves about who we are and not how we are linked to others and vice versa.
To begin with, we have very poor capacities to memorize the details of our soil produces. From the time of the exile in Babylon, we have been city-addicted or compelled to reside in towns. We know what “apartheid” means because like in the Cape of Good Hope, we were compulsorily fenced in townships (Afrikaans: pondokkies), our “shtetlech\שטעטלעך” and their ghettos. But “by the rivers of Babylon, (as) we were sitting and wept” (Tehillim 137:1; cf. Blessing after Meals\ברכת המזון), we apparently forgot about the feast of the Booths and progressively got astray from hut-building, even the limited three wall sample (Succa 3a).
No hut, no booth, maybe some tent in specific oriental areas and this absence of Succot celebrated lasted quite a long time. “Tabernacles” really sounds “Gentile” at the present because it means a place or ornamental box for the Divine Presence (Eucharist), especially in the Roman Catholic world while the Byzantine speak of a “Tsiyon\ציון – Zion” that is placed on the offering altar in the Eastern-Orthodox Churches.
The produce would rather be used in the synagogues and we do have a lot of accounts written by Christians comparing the lulav\לולב – palm branch with the palm branches waved during the Christian Holy Week. Still, in the long periods of dispersion, the Jews forgot the taste and flavor of the produce required in Eretz Israel - Holy Land : the lulav\לולב – palm branch (strictness / flexibility in faith), etrog\אתרוג – big lemon – citrus (big heart, love to every/anybody, gentleness and delicacy/good smell), hadas\הדס – myrtle (charm and seduction, sweet heartedness but no persistency) and aravah\ערבה – willow (thirst quenching and fear to get bone dried) that should be gathered together and waved in a special way (Succa 37b): toward the four winds, the heavens, the earth, symbolizing the overflowing wealth and prosperity, abundance of Divine love for each creature and human being as chanted during the Hallel (cf. Tehillim 118:2.3.25.29).
The Jews could hardly enjoy all these produces outside of Eretz Israel. And there is undoubtedly no need to build some succot during the Feast of Passover or even on Shavuot / Pentecost days.
It is interesting to note that the Feast of Succot does not exist per se in any Christian Church or denomination, contrary to all the other Jewish festivals that got included into the Christian festive calendar. The Christian scholars and traditions would show that all things got “accomplished” in Jesus of Nazareth. Both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic liturgies insist on the (Second) Coming of Jesus in glory, which corresponds to the two Messiahs: (the suffering) Ben Joseph and (glorious) Ben David of the Jewish tradition.
The Gospels recount the conception and birth of Jesus of Nazareth. They might also suggest that he was born during the Feast of Sukkot. This is simply based upon the calculation of time starting with Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, who accomplished his priestly service as a member of the Abijah order in the Temple (always in August), the visit paid by Mary to her cousin Elisabeth, Zechariah’s wife, at Eyn Karem.
She was pregnant for five months and, in the sixth month, Mary also became pregnant (Luke 1:1-33). This shows the delays and allows calculating the possible birth of Jesus in the time of Succot.
For the Jewish Community, Succot is not only the feast of some huts or booths. It is the festival that prolongs the journey throughout the wilderness of a world that may ignore God’s Presence. Strangely enough, it is appealing that some Christians would join Succot (as Shavuot) because of the strong impact of harvesting thanksgivings in the North American Christian culture. On the other hand, it includes the mitzvah of hospitality to all the ushpizin\אושפיזין (guests) from those who were the pioneers and paved the way for redemption and the end of ages (Yevamot 61b).
During the Transfiguration at Mount Tabor, Jesus was speaking to Moses and Elijah. Both disappeared while Shimon-Peter asked Jesus if he could not build three “dwellings – sukkot\סוכות”: “one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah” (Matthew 17.4); “not knowing what he said” adds the proselyte Evangelist (Luke 9:33).
Indeed, Succot is the “tsel tsila\צל צילה – overshadowing shade” feast of a trip trough eternity. Shades cover shades and “fencing or wall separations” are definitely not the point, in this festival. True, Jews can recall that they dwelt under tents in the desert. But is it credible to think backwards as we a new year starts and introduce humankind into brand new days, weeks and months?
The Jewish tradition usually adds a “megillah\מגילה – a scroll” reading to the major Festivals. These scrolls underline that Redemption and God’s reign concerns every nation. At Shavuot / Pentecost, Megillat Ruth explains how a Moabite woman and Noemi joined the community of Israel. At Kippur, the Book of Jonah described how the Ninivites turned to God and repented under ashes.
When there is a Shabbat between the beginning of the feast of Sukkot and its conclusion on Shemini Atseret\שמיני עצרת (Day of the joyous assembly), it became a custom (minhag) to read the Megillat Kohelet\מגילת קהלת, the Book of Ecclesiastes. It is considered as a scroll and it seemingly depicts a plain if not dubious attitude toward faith in God and the lack of hope in this world. Say it sounds a bit blasé. Just as some people would love to show off at times.
There were long disputes as whether to include or not this megillah-מגילה/scroll into the canonical Books of the Scriptures. Interestingly, Judaism and Christianity did not feel at ease with the Song of the Songs too. As if extreme love and doubt could defy God’s existence and presence. Is Kohelet a preacher, eventually the son of David (Eccl. 1:1, 2:7,9)? Or, is it the “gathering call, the one call that assembles the faithful”? Is “hevel – vanity – hevel havalim\הבל הבלים – vanity of vanities” a worldly nonchalant and disillusioned repeated motto for empty and futile senselessness?
This question is real and deeply affects a large part of Israeli society. “Absurd” is now a common word in English as it is also in Russian... and Hebrew! On the other hand, the Feast of Sukkot is a time of rejoicing. It is possible for some people to be caught up in the dizziness of festivities, food, pleasures even when joy can be felt in the study of the Scripture. “Hevel\הבל” also means “vapor”. Latin and Greek don’t presuppose a positive interpretation of the word. Hebrew could eventually be interpreted in the sense of “a light existing spirit” that can be sustained.
There is more: Succot means encountering, dating and freely sharing the treasure we receive and can share at any minute like glimpses compared to shades that do make sense. Just as we are normally called to pardon anybody on Yom Kippur, we can feel as a special gift to meet and welcome each other under a sukkah. Each of us embodies something of the time & space limited framework of palm roofs that meet with others.
“The end of the matter; all has been heard – sof davar hakol nishma\סוף דבר הכל נשמע’” (Eccl. 12:13) induces that every divine matter and parole can be heard and thus accomplished to the full. Fear God and keep His Mitzvot for this is the whole (duty of) man – ki zeh kol ha’adam\כי זה כל האדם” (Eccl. 12:13b).
“Mah yitron\מה יתרון – what advantage is there for man (Eccl. 3:9)?” is a general tempo that runs along the scroll. But the Mitzvot cannot be compared to any advantage. We have the task to question ourselves about who we are, where and with whom we go? And to put the question mark on who the other humans are. The response is – if we follow the Hebrew text of Kohelet – that all the Mitzvot embody the human beings.
The Commandments make sense and gather all humans without exclusion. And that! Wow! This is more than any dreams, fancies, free hugs and “make love not war”. Booths allow overshadowing branches to make bread and butter out of futile vapors and get hooked to unfailing hope.
Av Aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
Are we going to dwell in huts, booths, tents, tabernacles? or succot\סוגות? On Tishri 23, 5772 the Jewish Community celebrates the closure of the harvesting feast of the Booths. They are commended to gather and bring all samples of the numerous produce of the land before - slow-slowly the grounds may take a one-year leave wherever possible though it is a law of the shemittah, rest for the grounds.
A succah is and only can be a sicce and Succot can only be "Sicces\סיקעס" (Soviet revised script that aimed at wiping out the Hebrew memory of Yiddish). This Shabbat was the "Shabbat chol HaMoed Sukkot\שבת חול המועד - Shabbat of the (ordinary) weekdays of the Feast of Succot", intermediate days that may occur for Pesach and "Zeman Simchatenu\זמן שמחתנו - the time of our rejoicing", i.e. "the Feast of the Tabernacles\חג הסוכות".
As decades, years and shemittot\שמיטות (years of remittance) pass, this festival grows into a widely popular and rejoicing time, beside the fact that a lot of Israelis would then decide to travel abroad. The reading portion is taken from the Book of Vayikra-ויקרא / Leviticus 22:26-23:44 that recounts the time of "appointed festivals - moadim\מועדים - pl. of "moed\מועד" (Lev. 23:4).
This tracks back to the creation of the world: God had set up the "me'orot birkiyah hashamayim\מאורות ברקיע השמיים - lights in the dome of the sky" to distinguish as a sign "le'otot lemoadim\לאותות למועדים - for the appointed times of encounter" (Gen. 1:14). Days and years pass, "moed\מועד - moadimמוכדים" are appointed - invariant times of special encounter between God and the beings. Just as the Shabbat, Pesach\פסח - Shavuot\שבועות (Spring New Year and first harvest of Passover-Pentecost), Rosh HaShanah\ראש השנה-Yom HaKippurim\יום הכפורים (Autumnal New Year and Day of Atonement) and Succot (Feast of the Booths - Autumnal New Year Harvest).
On these Fall harvesting days that developed into the Canadian and then American Thanksgiving Days also related to the local late harvests, the Jews chose to reckon salvation. Judaism starts New Year in accordance with the Sumerian, Chaldean and Gilgamesh computing system based on return, pardon and assembling the whole Community of Israel. There was a time when New Year started with Pesach and the Law-giving Pentecostal harvest. Curiously, it makes more sense for the South hemispheric countries, from Argentina, South Africa to Australia as they reach Springtime…
Succot is a good period for reflecting with insights on Jews and Judaic, Judean and Jewishness. Succot is also the perfect seven-day period to allow speculating upon the non-Jews, the Gentiles, the Nations of the world, the others, “not us” indistinctively. The problem is that we still thoughtfully interrogate ourselves about who we are and not how we are linked to others and vice versa.
To begin with, we have very poor capacities to memorize the details of our soil produces. From the time of the exile in Babylon, we have been city-addicted or compelled to reside in towns. We know what “apartheid” means because like in the Cape of Good Hope, we were compulsorily fenced in townships (Afrikaans: pondokkies), our “shtetlech\שטעטלעך” and their ghettos. But “by the rivers of Babylon, (as) we were sitting and wept” (Tehillim 137:1; cf. Blessing after Meals\ברכת המזון), we apparently forgot about the feast of the Booths and progressively got astray from hut-building, even the limited three wall sample (Succa 3a).
No hut, no booth, maybe some tent in specific oriental areas and this absence of Succot celebrated lasted quite a long time. “Tabernacles” really sounds “Gentile” at the present because it means a place or ornamental box for the Divine Presence (Eucharist), especially in the Roman Catholic world while the Byzantine speak of a “Tsiyon\ציון – Zion” that is placed on the offering altar in the Eastern-Orthodox Churches.
The produce would rather be used in the synagogues and we do have a lot of accounts written by Christians comparing the lulav\לולב – palm branch with the palm branches waved during the Christian Holy Week. Still, in the long periods of dispersion, the Jews forgot the taste and flavor of the produce required in Eretz Israel - Holy Land : the lulav\לולב – palm branch (strictness / flexibility in faith), etrog\אתרוג – big lemon – citrus (big heart, love to every/anybody, gentleness and delicacy/good smell), hadas\הדס – myrtle (charm and seduction, sweet heartedness but no persistency) and aravah\ערבה – willow (thirst quenching and fear to get bone dried) that should be gathered together and waved in a special way (Succa 37b): toward the four winds, the heavens, the earth, symbolizing the overflowing wealth and prosperity, abundance of Divine love for each creature and human being as chanted during the Hallel (cf. Tehillim 118:2.3.25.29).
The Jews could hardly enjoy all these produces outside of Eretz Israel. And there is undoubtedly no need to build some succot during the Feast of Passover or even on Shavuot / Pentecost days.
It is interesting to note that the Feast of Succot does not exist per se in any Christian Church or denomination, contrary to all the other Jewish festivals that got included into the Christian festive calendar. The Christian scholars and traditions would show that all things got “accomplished” in Jesus of Nazareth. Both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic liturgies insist on the (Second) Coming of Jesus in glory, which corresponds to the two Messiahs: (the suffering) Ben Joseph and (glorious) Ben David of the Jewish tradition.
The Gospels recount the conception and birth of Jesus of Nazareth. They might also suggest that he was born during the Feast of Sukkot. This is simply based upon the calculation of time starting with Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, who accomplished his priestly service as a member of the Abijah order in the Temple (always in August), the visit paid by Mary to her cousin Elisabeth, Zechariah’s wife, at Eyn Karem.
She was pregnant for five months and, in the sixth month, Mary also became pregnant (Luke 1:1-33). This shows the delays and allows calculating the possible birth of Jesus in the time of Succot.
For the Jewish Community, Succot is not only the feast of some huts or booths. It is the festival that prolongs the journey throughout the wilderness of a world that may ignore God’s Presence. Strangely enough, it is appealing that some Christians would join Succot (as Shavuot) because of the strong impact of harvesting thanksgivings in the North American Christian culture. On the other hand, it includes the mitzvah of hospitality to all the ushpizin\אושפיזין (guests) from those who were the pioneers and paved the way for redemption and the end of ages (Yevamot 61b).
During the Transfiguration at Mount Tabor, Jesus was speaking to Moses and Elijah. Both disappeared while Shimon-Peter asked Jesus if he could not build three “dwellings – sukkot\סוכות”: “one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah” (Matthew 17.4); “not knowing what he said” adds the proselyte Evangelist (Luke 9:33).
Indeed, Succot is the “tsel tsila\צל צילה – overshadowing shade” feast of a trip trough eternity. Shades cover shades and “fencing or wall separations” are definitely not the point, in this festival. True, Jews can recall that they dwelt under tents in the desert. But is it credible to think backwards as we a new year starts and introduce humankind into brand new days, weeks and months?
The Jewish tradition usually adds a “megillah\מגילה – a scroll” reading to the major Festivals. These scrolls underline that Redemption and God’s reign concerns every nation. At Shavuot / Pentecost, Megillat Ruth explains how a Moabite woman and Noemi joined the community of Israel. At Kippur, the Book of Jonah described how the Ninivites turned to God and repented under ashes.
When there is a Shabbat between the beginning of the feast of Sukkot and its conclusion on Shemini Atseret\שמיני עצרת (Day of the joyous assembly), it became a custom (minhag) to read the Megillat Kohelet\מגילת קהלת, the Book of Ecclesiastes. It is considered as a scroll and it seemingly depicts a plain if not dubious attitude toward faith in God and the lack of hope in this world. Say it sounds a bit blasé. Just as some people would love to show off at times.
There were long disputes as whether to include or not this megillah-מגילה/scroll into the canonical Books of the Scriptures. Interestingly, Judaism and Christianity did not feel at ease with the Song of the Songs too. As if extreme love and doubt could defy God’s existence and presence. Is Kohelet a preacher, eventually the son of David (Eccl. 1:1, 2:7,9)? Or, is it the “gathering call, the one call that assembles the faithful”? Is “hevel – vanity – hevel havalim\הבל הבלים – vanity of vanities” a worldly nonchalant and disillusioned repeated motto for empty and futile senselessness?
This question is real and deeply affects a large part of Israeli society. “Absurd” is now a common word in English as it is also in Russian... and Hebrew! On the other hand, the Feast of Sukkot is a time of rejoicing. It is possible for some people to be caught up in the dizziness of festivities, food, pleasures even when joy can be felt in the study of the Scripture. “Hevel\הבל” also means “vapor”. Latin and Greek don’t presuppose a positive interpretation of the word. Hebrew could eventually be interpreted in the sense of “a light existing spirit” that can be sustained.
There is more: Succot means encountering, dating and freely sharing the treasure we receive and can share at any minute like glimpses compared to shades that do make sense. Just as we are normally called to pardon anybody on Yom Kippur, we can feel as a special gift to meet and welcome each other under a sukkah. Each of us embodies something of the time & space limited framework of palm roofs that meet with others.
“The end of the matter; all has been heard – sof davar hakol nishma\סוף דבר הכל נשמע’” (Eccl. 12:13) induces that every divine matter and parole can be heard and thus accomplished to the full. Fear God and keep His Mitzvot for this is the whole (duty of) man – ki zeh kol ha’adam\כי זה כל האדם” (Eccl. 12:13b).
“Mah yitron\מה יתרון – what advantage is there for man (Eccl. 3:9)?” is a general tempo that runs along the scroll. But the Mitzvot cannot be compared to any advantage. We have the task to question ourselves about who we are, where and with whom we go? And to put the question mark on who the other humans are. The response is – if we follow the Hebrew text of Kohelet – that all the Mitzvot embody the human beings.
The Commandments make sense and gather all humans without exclusion. And that! Wow! This is more than any dreams, fancies, free hugs and “make love not war”. Booths allow overshadowing branches to make bread and butter out of futile vapors and get hooked to unfailing hope.
Av Aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
Sunday, October 16, 2011
"Bereishit: new words, new times"
"Bereishit: new words, new times"
"Acharei hachagim\אחרי החגים": "when the feasts are over" is a popular saying and a refreshing song full of true spleen and a touch of shmaltz, sort of mixed excessive emotional mush combined with some banality. The other folk's best is then "geshem-גשם/rain", the yearly hit that "will enable us to continue to march on the way"... It is quite amusing how Israeli society that may be crafty suddenly falls into a state of pathetic need to be cuddled and pampered. A touch of childlike desires to be overprotected. Indeed, Fall is a time of transition. A bit red as some of our hair cuts of the Automnal leaves: "'s fal'n di bleter\ס'פאלן די בלעטער - leaves are falling" is also an after world war II hit firstly sung by Yves Montand in French, then in Yiddish... Yossi Banai made it in Hebrew... "Listopad\Листопад" means "November" in Ukrainian and Polish and means "leaf fall". The approaching month of Marcheshvan\מר חשון is thus a time of "sweeping away old stuff" and regular fasting days paving the way for the clarity of Kislev\כסלו and the Feast of the Lights (Chanukkah\חנוכה).
It is very trendy to feel down. Of course, e.g. we live in a society that is approximately contented. This was shown in most of the recent pol.l The Israelis are definitely optimistic compared to the way they are looked at from abroad as living in a stand of threat and dead-end situation. But with regards to privacy, we respond with constant equanimity that is on the verge of puzzling perplexity.
Just try the poll. It is very forward to play with insightful polls. Just ask: "How are you doing?" to some ordinary anonymous Israel inhabitants. Whatever tongue, the respond is: “Good - beseder - tayeb/kwayes (Arabic version = /to:yeb/ in Jerusalem) - sheyn". The Russian-speaking inmates would tend to say "normal'no\нормально (normal = seemingly good)" but if you continue the poll, Russian will turn to "bolee li menee\более ли менее = more or less (well), cf. "chetzi-chetzi\חצי חצי - fifty-firty". The same happens in English, Yinglish, Arabic. There is a Hebrew, Greek and Russian/all-Slavic hip-hop hit:"Baruch HaShem\ברוך ה' יום יום (yom-yom: day-to-day)! = Gr. Doksa tou Theou!\Δόξα του θεου = Slava Tebe, Gospodi-Слава Тебе, Господи! (glory to You, Lord - interfaith version)".
It does mean that things are going well at all. This is the plain answer of plain people who squelch spontaneous emotion to maximum private neutrality. We are kinds of firewalls. The problem is that it may kill because human beings are born to talk and need to speak out what they feel, from their insides to their brain and heart.
It is exact that social groups need having joyful relaxing times; once New Year 5772 started up, it seems the countdown switched on and we may scrap the plans and continue to go around without finding the true way-out. To be honest, what can be new? Fashion? we use 5th to 18th century clothes and hats to makes a distinction between our social and religious groups. Modern chardal\חרד'ל (modern ultra-Orthodox, maybe "spicy" as mustard/chardal-חרדל can be tasty) women covers and hats were created in Western Europe around 1920 and circulated to the America before showing up here again lately. Some track back to European and Middle-East, Oriental Middle Age.
The planet-wide jeans (even with holes and stigmas) appeared in Genova (= /jeans/), Italy, just before Christopher Colombus left for some Indian "not precised zone".
Things are new everyday though we grow old at the same time. So is it bad or good to march in the development of a New Year? Blasé apathetic characters would say - as for the daily "alright" - that Kohelet\קהלת, read at Sukkot is correct: "What has been, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun. Even the thing of which we say, "See, this is new!" has already existed (in the ages that) preceded us."(Kohelet 1:9-10).
This refers to the immensity, the width, depth, breadth, length and thus plenitude of God in His Written and Oral Law. Everything is present in the Talmud, i.e. not only morals, but materials and instruments that progressively seem to be created in our culture: e.g. micro-wavers, computers, fashion, nuclear skills or freezers... The problem is how to get to newness and its encoding.
Treaty Yevamot 62b states that God has a huge reserve of all the souls that have to be hosted in the bodies that show in the development of the human generations. As for the Christians: there is a great similarity between the Oral Law and what the Christian world receives through the Holy Spirit.
Thus, when Jews remove the Talmud studies as the Karaites (the Samaritans did the same as the Sadducees and the more recent Dönmeh's), they stop to truly believe in the World-to-Come. When the Christians cancel or lower the action of the Spirit, they ritualize and reduce the intensity of their faith and reject the resurrection.
Newness is inscribed in the soul of the Semitic speech. In Hebrew, two past tenses (more in Arabic) that seem to speak about what already was and indeed focus on the future. Active and passive mix together but all comes from God in the verbal forms. Monotheistic speech is prophetic, opens the way to any event or creation. "Asher asah la'asot\אשר עשה לעשות - that (God) has been making in order to (continue the action of) being creating” (Genesis 2:3). The Gospel shows the same: "The Father and I (Jesus) are always at work\ό πατηρ μου εως αρτι εργαζεται καγω εργαζομαι"(John 5:17).
In Hebrew "davar\דבר" is both "word, speech and object". We take a great responsibility in renewing the world with words of beauty and creativity. We are often hurt or injured and human speech can be terribly cruel. There is something we have in Hebrew: we always speak of the future, are obsessed by newness. God was also deceived when he looked at His creation and decided to wipe it out (Genesis 6:5-8). Thus, since we are survivors, we cannot even think of stopping the move toward future, betterment and being real "mentchen\מענטשען", humans with a tender and good heart.
In the Gospel it is said:"You, brood of vipers, how can you say good things when you are evil? For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. I (Jesus) tell you, on the day of judgment, people will render an account of every careless word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted and by your word you will be condemned” (Matthew 13:34-37).
It may sound a bit tough. But we are blessing-beggars… So if, in the end, we get a lot of flooding rain that renews the soil and the land, it means that we also can plant new good ideas, opinions, wit and insights when our mouth speaks heartfully. On air at the present: Lord full of mercy and tenderness, clean up our Word system and turn over a new leaf…
Av Aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
On October 16, 1978, Karol Wojtyla was elected bishop of Rome and Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, 34 years ago.
My grand-mother (mother of my mother) Bracha bat Chasid\ברכה בת חסיד was born in Cherson on October 16, 1878...!She was murdered in Majdanek in 1943
די מאמע פון מעען מאמע ברכה בת חסיד איז געבוירן גווארן אין כערסאן\כרסון שבאוקראינה ביום י''ט דתשרי תרל''ט און געהרגנט געווארן אין מאידאנעק אין 1943
"Acharei hachagim\אחרי החגים": "when the feasts are over" is a popular saying and a refreshing song full of true spleen and a touch of shmaltz, sort of mixed excessive emotional mush combined with some banality. The other folk's best is then "geshem-גשם/rain", the yearly hit that "will enable us to continue to march on the way"... It is quite amusing how Israeli society that may be crafty suddenly falls into a state of pathetic need to be cuddled and pampered. A touch of childlike desires to be overprotected. Indeed, Fall is a time of transition. A bit red as some of our hair cuts of the Automnal leaves: "'s fal'n di bleter\ס'פאלן די בלעטער - leaves are falling" is also an after world war II hit firstly sung by Yves Montand in French, then in Yiddish... Yossi Banai made it in Hebrew... "Listopad\Листопад" means "November" in Ukrainian and Polish and means "leaf fall". The approaching month of Marcheshvan\מר חשון is thus a time of "sweeping away old stuff" and regular fasting days paving the way for the clarity of Kislev\כסלו and the Feast of the Lights (Chanukkah\חנוכה).
It is very trendy to feel down. Of course, e.g. we live in a society that is approximately contented. This was shown in most of the recent pol.l The Israelis are definitely optimistic compared to the way they are looked at from abroad as living in a stand of threat and dead-end situation. But with regards to privacy, we respond with constant equanimity that is on the verge of puzzling perplexity.
Just try the poll. It is very forward to play with insightful polls. Just ask: "How are you doing?" to some ordinary anonymous Israel inhabitants. Whatever tongue, the respond is: “Good - beseder - tayeb/kwayes (Arabic version = /to:yeb/ in Jerusalem) - sheyn". The Russian-speaking inmates would tend to say "normal'no\нормально (normal = seemingly good)" but if you continue the poll, Russian will turn to "bolee li menee\более ли менее = more or less (well), cf. "chetzi-chetzi\חצי חצי - fifty-firty". The same happens in English, Yinglish, Arabic. There is a Hebrew, Greek and Russian/all-Slavic hip-hop hit:"Baruch HaShem\ברוך ה' יום יום (yom-yom: day-to-day)! = Gr. Doksa tou Theou!\Δόξα του θεου = Slava Tebe, Gospodi-Слава Тебе, Господи! (glory to You, Lord - interfaith version)".
It does mean that things are going well at all. This is the plain answer of plain people who squelch spontaneous emotion to maximum private neutrality. We are kinds of firewalls. The problem is that it may kill because human beings are born to talk and need to speak out what they feel, from their insides to their brain and heart.
It is exact that social groups need having joyful relaxing times; once New Year 5772 started up, it seems the countdown switched on and we may scrap the plans and continue to go around without finding the true way-out. To be honest, what can be new? Fashion? we use 5th to 18th century clothes and hats to makes a distinction between our social and religious groups. Modern chardal\חרד'ל (modern ultra-Orthodox, maybe "spicy" as mustard/chardal-חרדל can be tasty) women covers and hats were created in Western Europe around 1920 and circulated to the America before showing up here again lately. Some track back to European and Middle-East, Oriental Middle Age.
The planet-wide jeans (even with holes and stigmas) appeared in Genova (= /jeans/), Italy, just before Christopher Colombus left for some Indian "not precised zone".
Things are new everyday though we grow old at the same time. So is it bad or good to march in the development of a New Year? Blasé apathetic characters would say - as for the daily "alright" - that Kohelet\קהלת, read at Sukkot is correct: "What has been, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun. Even the thing of which we say, "See, this is new!" has already existed (in the ages that) preceded us."(Kohelet 1:9-10).
This refers to the immensity, the width, depth, breadth, length and thus plenitude of God in His Written and Oral Law. Everything is present in the Talmud, i.e. not only morals, but materials and instruments that progressively seem to be created in our culture: e.g. micro-wavers, computers, fashion, nuclear skills or freezers... The problem is how to get to newness and its encoding.
Treaty Yevamot 62b states that God has a huge reserve of all the souls that have to be hosted in the bodies that show in the development of the human generations. As for the Christians: there is a great similarity between the Oral Law and what the Christian world receives through the Holy Spirit.
Thus, when Jews remove the Talmud studies as the Karaites (the Samaritans did the same as the Sadducees and the more recent Dönmeh's), they stop to truly believe in the World-to-Come. When the Christians cancel or lower the action of the Spirit, they ritualize and reduce the intensity of their faith and reject the resurrection.
Newness is inscribed in the soul of the Semitic speech. In Hebrew, two past tenses (more in Arabic) that seem to speak about what already was and indeed focus on the future. Active and passive mix together but all comes from God in the verbal forms. Monotheistic speech is prophetic, opens the way to any event or creation. "Asher asah la'asot\אשר עשה לעשות - that (God) has been making in order to (continue the action of) being creating” (Genesis 2:3). The Gospel shows the same: "The Father and I (Jesus) are always at work\ό πατηρ μου εως αρτι εργαζεται καγω εργαζομαι"(John 5:17).
In Hebrew "davar\דבר" is both "word, speech and object". We take a great responsibility in renewing the world with words of beauty and creativity. We are often hurt or injured and human speech can be terribly cruel. There is something we have in Hebrew: we always speak of the future, are obsessed by newness. God was also deceived when he looked at His creation and decided to wipe it out (Genesis 6:5-8). Thus, since we are survivors, we cannot even think of stopping the move toward future, betterment and being real "mentchen\מענטשען", humans with a tender and good heart.
In the Gospel it is said:"You, brood of vipers, how can you say good things when you are evil? For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. I (Jesus) tell you, on the day of judgment, people will render an account of every careless word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted and by your word you will be condemned” (Matthew 13:34-37).
It may sound a bit tough. But we are blessing-beggars… So if, in the end, we get a lot of flooding rain that renews the soil and the land, it means that we also can plant new good ideas, opinions, wit and insights when our mouth speaks heartfully. On air at the present: Lord full of mercy and tenderness, clean up our Word system and turn over a new leaf…
Av Aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
On October 16, 1978, Karol Wojtyla was elected bishop of Rome and Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, 34 years ago.
My grand-mother (mother of my mother) Bracha bat Chasid\ברכה בת חסיד was born in Cherson on October 16, 1878...!She was murdered in Majdanek in 1943
די מאמע פון מעען מאמע ברכה בת חסיד איז געבוירן גווארן אין כערסאן\כרסון שבאוקראינה ביום י''ט דתשרי תרל''ט און געהרגנט געווארן אין מאידאנעק אין 1943
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Hoshana rabba - send me a good note!
Hoshana rabba - send me a good note!
We come close to the end of the New Year 5772 festival. A long series of days that focus on renewal and repentance, conversion and forgiveness, openness and oneness. Evenings, mornings, days and night long after the possible state of being glad and grateful for having reached this time and even more: we participate in the extension of time! Long nights and days in which we intrude upon our own privacy to bow down or swivel on some invisible chair in order to turn to God. This is the true meaning of “conversion - teshuvah\תשובה”.
There is a move: we started with the days of awe that reached their climax on Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement. Then, six days after Yom HaKippurim, we come to sit in our shelters covered with overshadowing branches to meet with historical and spiritual guests - the ushpizin\אושפיזין as with friends or strangers, share about the Scripture, history, future, present, past and envision our own swinging-back to God.
That’s quite something! Because on the 21st day of new year month Tishrei, there is the Hoshana Rabba\הושנא רבה, the last praying act to be performed under the sukkah-סוכה/booth and then the feast will soon be over with some divine judgment. We are quick to be judgmental. A few seconds, minutes, chik-chak, period. We make up our minds very speedily about the others; we may be slower as regards ourselves.
God waits... it takes Him so much time to write our names into the Book of the living. We are very good at rejecting promptly anybody, i.e. usually without knowing or trying to understand anything. God is not only patient: He appraises the price of our nights and days. Say that God is wise… Thus, in the end, He has to give some signs. The great blessing is to pour some rain. Wherever they reside, the Jews pray so that God pour His rain in Eretz Israel and not in any other place. This shows the long-term fidelity of the Jewish community with this Land. And from there, the blessings reach the ends of the world.
God seems very reluctant to curse. Of course, even the most pious believer would admit that he never got any written statement showing that he is blessed or cursed for the new year! The statement is included in the Scripture and the Talmud. The Hoshana Rabbah day is the 21st day of the new year and traces back to Abraham who got the blessings for all the generations.
According to the tradition, Abraham belonged to the 21st generation after the shaping of Adam. Then, on this day, we got to the high spot to make up our minds: rejoice - go through the pangs of birth and conversion and trust in God. Because God does trust in us. Just get to the news: killings, violence, fights in words, acts, rapes, lies, corruption and still God confides in us. Oh we would love to put God into a box. The great Megillot/Scrolls of the Torah that are lodged in the “aron haqodesh-הארון הקודש / holy ark” serve to release us as each letter aims to make us free.
The 21st and last day under the sukkah is called “Hoshana Rabbah” and is thus substantial and significant. It is also called in Yiddish “a git’n kvitl\א גוטן קוויטל - a good note” day. We are used to surf on the web. Jews write kvitlech or tzeltlech, “small posts/requests - קוויטלעך און צעטלעך” to their rabbis. Long lists of “notes” daily arrive at the Western Wall either by fax, emails or now mobiles (there are delightful pictures of Jews putting their mobile to the stones of the Wall allowing somebody to speak out his soul from afar. In return, God sends back the “gite kvitlech\גוטע קוויטלעך”, the good judgment from heaven for a blessed year.
As they hold the “arbaa minim\ארבעה מינים - four species” the Jews will, on that special day, cry out: “Ana HaShem Hoshiya na\אנא ה' הושיע נא = o Lord, be merciful and save us” (Psalm 118:25). To begin with, it recalls the “hakafot\הקפות – circular movements” around the town of Jericho (Joshuah 6:14-15) as well as the sprinkling of the waters in the Temple (Talmud Yoma 59a).
In the Mikdash-מקדש/Temple willow branches that require a lot of water, were put at the four corners of the altar. The seven circular goings around the altar, later , after the destruction of the Temple, the movement around the “bema or almenor” (lectern) are comparable to the shaving of the head (harvest) as in Talmud Nazir 29a or specific payment of debts in Sabbatical year (Sanhedrin 68b).
The people cry, shout and this is a “joyous moaning” combining happiness and anxious expectation of a good note well-sealed and duly sent by God. This comes out of the entrails: ”Please, save right now!” Targum Onkelos suggests that “Hoshiya-na” means “save Yourself right now!” This is an interesting matter. While they go around in circles, the Jews read a wonderful text for the Hoshana Rabbah and chant: “Ani VaHu Hoshiya-na\אני והוא הושיע נא - I and He save right now!” The jewish tradition considers that this links two verses of the TaNaKH, i.e. Ezekiel 1:1 “Ani (I) betoch hagolah\אני בתוך הגולה - I was amongst the exiled’ and Jeremiah 40:1: “VeHu (And He) was found in chains with all the other captives from Jerusalem and Judah who were being deported to Babylon\והוא אסור באזיקים בתוך כל-הגלות ירושלים ויהודה המגלים בבלה”.
In both verses the text refers to God, as first and third Person showing the deep connection in times of dispair as in times of hope. We may not be aware that this leads to a victory that saves God’s reign and His human creatures. As a result,we may grow: “He is my father’s God and I shall extol Him\אנוהו” (in Hebrew: “Anvehu”; Exodus/Shmot 15:2).
All through our existences, we are called to make savings. This banking word does not imply that we would be God’s odd soul savings or properties under strict and limited control. In our cultures, savings mean that we would not spend or make money, profits. But when God saves us with a good one-year ticket, it is our task to increase the fruit He shares with us. I have been constantly visiting the sick for now more than 35 years. It is very strange how baby children saved from death are “deathproof”, unassailable.
This is also our own historic experience.We are good at savings, it is far more difficult to agree that we are saved. In the Gospel it is accounted: “Aha , you (Jesus), save yourself and us as well” (Luke 23:39). In his “priestly prayer”, Jesus also says to God: “All I have is Yours and Yours is mine... May they all be one, just as, Father, You are in me and I am in You” (John 17:21).
We arrive to the last days that reckon with our sense of unity. If we move around the right way and joyously show we are real menchen (human beings of good heart), who said we should die or be rejected? Exclusion is one of the worse socio-cultural tendencies. Well, Hoshana Rabba sounds like the good old "Save Our Souls" that brings the lost ones back to society.
Av Aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
We come close to the end of the New Year 5772 festival. A long series of days that focus on renewal and repentance, conversion and forgiveness, openness and oneness. Evenings, mornings, days and night long after the possible state of being glad and grateful for having reached this time and even more: we participate in the extension of time! Long nights and days in which we intrude upon our own privacy to bow down or swivel on some invisible chair in order to turn to God. This is the true meaning of “conversion - teshuvah\תשובה”.
There is a move: we started with the days of awe that reached their climax on Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement. Then, six days after Yom HaKippurim, we come to sit in our shelters covered with overshadowing branches to meet with historical and spiritual guests - the ushpizin\אושפיזין as with friends or strangers, share about the Scripture, history, future, present, past and envision our own swinging-back to God.
That’s quite something! Because on the 21st day of new year month Tishrei, there is the Hoshana Rabba\הושנא רבה, the last praying act to be performed under the sukkah-סוכה/booth and then the feast will soon be over with some divine judgment. We are quick to be judgmental. A few seconds, minutes, chik-chak, period. We make up our minds very speedily about the others; we may be slower as regards ourselves.
God waits... it takes Him so much time to write our names into the Book of the living. We are very good at rejecting promptly anybody, i.e. usually without knowing or trying to understand anything. God is not only patient: He appraises the price of our nights and days. Say that God is wise… Thus, in the end, He has to give some signs. The great blessing is to pour some rain. Wherever they reside, the Jews pray so that God pour His rain in Eretz Israel and not in any other place. This shows the long-term fidelity of the Jewish community with this Land. And from there, the blessings reach the ends of the world.
God seems very reluctant to curse. Of course, even the most pious believer would admit that he never got any written statement showing that he is blessed or cursed for the new year! The statement is included in the Scripture and the Talmud. The Hoshana Rabbah day is the 21st day of the new year and traces back to Abraham who got the blessings for all the generations.
According to the tradition, Abraham belonged to the 21st generation after the shaping of Adam. Then, on this day, we got to the high spot to make up our minds: rejoice - go through the pangs of birth and conversion and trust in God. Because God does trust in us. Just get to the news: killings, violence, fights in words, acts, rapes, lies, corruption and still God confides in us. Oh we would love to put God into a box. The great Megillot/Scrolls of the Torah that are lodged in the “aron haqodesh-הארון הקודש / holy ark” serve to release us as each letter aims to make us free.
The 21st and last day under the sukkah is called “Hoshana Rabbah” and is thus substantial and significant. It is also called in Yiddish “a git’n kvitl\א גוטן קוויטל - a good note” day. We are used to surf on the web. Jews write kvitlech or tzeltlech, “small posts/requests - קוויטלעך און צעטלעך” to their rabbis. Long lists of “notes” daily arrive at the Western Wall either by fax, emails or now mobiles (there are delightful pictures of Jews putting their mobile to the stones of the Wall allowing somebody to speak out his soul from afar. In return, God sends back the “gite kvitlech\גוטע קוויטלעך”, the good judgment from heaven for a blessed year.
As they hold the “arbaa minim\ארבעה מינים - four species” the Jews will, on that special day, cry out: “Ana HaShem Hoshiya na\אנא ה' הושיע נא = o Lord, be merciful and save us” (Psalm 118:25). To begin with, it recalls the “hakafot\הקפות – circular movements” around the town of Jericho (Joshuah 6:14-15) as well as the sprinkling of the waters in the Temple (Talmud Yoma 59a).
In the Mikdash-מקדש/Temple willow branches that require a lot of water, were put at the four corners of the altar. The seven circular goings around the altar, later , after the destruction of the Temple, the movement around the “bema or almenor” (lectern) are comparable to the shaving of the head (harvest) as in Talmud Nazir 29a or specific payment of debts in Sabbatical year (Sanhedrin 68b).
The people cry, shout and this is a “joyous moaning” combining happiness and anxious expectation of a good note well-sealed and duly sent by God. This comes out of the entrails: ”Please, save right now!” Targum Onkelos suggests that “Hoshiya-na” means “save Yourself right now!” This is an interesting matter. While they go around in circles, the Jews read a wonderful text for the Hoshana Rabbah and chant: “Ani VaHu Hoshiya-na\אני והוא הושיע נא - I and He save right now!” The jewish tradition considers that this links two verses of the TaNaKH, i.e. Ezekiel 1:1 “Ani (I) betoch hagolah\אני בתוך הגולה - I was amongst the exiled’ and Jeremiah 40:1: “VeHu (And He) was found in chains with all the other captives from Jerusalem and Judah who were being deported to Babylon\והוא אסור באזיקים בתוך כל-הגלות ירושלים ויהודה המגלים בבלה”.
In both verses the text refers to God, as first and third Person showing the deep connection in times of dispair as in times of hope. We may not be aware that this leads to a victory that saves God’s reign and His human creatures. As a result,we may grow: “He is my father’s God and I shall extol Him\אנוהו” (in Hebrew: “Anvehu”; Exodus/Shmot 15:2).
All through our existences, we are called to make savings. This banking word does not imply that we would be God’s odd soul savings or properties under strict and limited control. In our cultures, savings mean that we would not spend or make money, profits. But when God saves us with a good one-year ticket, it is our task to increase the fruit He shares with us. I have been constantly visiting the sick for now more than 35 years. It is very strange how baby children saved from death are “deathproof”, unassailable.
This is also our own historic experience.We are good at savings, it is far more difficult to agree that we are saved. In the Gospel it is accounted: “Aha , you (Jesus), save yourself and us as well” (Luke 23:39). In his “priestly prayer”, Jesus also says to God: “All I have is Yours and Yours is mine... May they all be one, just as, Father, You are in me and I am in You” (John 17:21).
We arrive to the last days that reckon with our sense of unity. If we move around the right way and joyously show we are real menchen (human beings of good heart), who said we should die or be rejected? Exclusion is one of the worse socio-cultural tendencies. Well, Hoshana Rabba sounds like the good old "Save Our Souls" that brings the lost ones back to society.
Av Aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Sukkot and the taste of shacks
Sukkot and the taste of shacks
The Feast of the Booths - Sukkot\סוכות - will start on Wednesday night, i.e. six days after the Day of Atonement. It is a kind of "settling and in-between wandering” and similarly “some end-of-time" period of seven days that climax on the eightth and last day, Shemini Atzeret\שמיני עצרת, the day of the "full Assembly” joyously gathered together to praise the One God Who reigns over the entire creation.
Wandering times: our lives are a common human, animal and vegetal pilgrimage; it deals with a development on constant changes. Jews as humans have been drifted throughout history to reaching their homeland. Their fate has often caused the communities to implode or to be removed from the neighboring regions, everywhere in the world till the ends of the earth. The “sukkah\סוכה or booth/shack” is a special place overshadowed with branches and twigs that "enlighten - sakhakh\סכך" all the believers. Light is shining till dusk in order to spread enough shadow in daytime; normally, as the building of the booths is related to time commandments, it mainly concerns men. Say that women are not tied to comply with the commandment, though it is evident that everybody does meet in these simple shelters. It is maybe possible to say that women "symbolize" homes and shelters and a place for birthing and growth before delivery. These are the places in/under which the Jewish people firstly read the Scripture, manducate the Talmud words, discuss spiritual issues, eat, drink, sleep in a sort of good-natured and jovial atmosphere.
It is said that seven ushpizin\אושפיזין - special guests may show during this wandering period that recalls the time when the first crops of Nissan end and are simultaneously renewed by the time of the harvest Automnal crops in the Land of Israel. Sukkot\סוכות is the perfect feast for a full ingathering at different levels: Jews come together for moments of rejoicing. God sheltered His children under the sukkot and thus protected them. He gave them His assistance by providing food, nurturing them and making them thirsty for more understanding of His projects in the new year.New year is not "automatic"; we cannot understand the projects of Divine Providence in a glimpse. God is a pedagogue and tries to teach His people on a move.
The special ushpizin\אושפיזין (guests) are usually considered to be Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David. According to various traditions, other guests might be present as Prophet Elijah and some other famous rabbis. It is indeed significant that the visible and invisible world encounter in a temporary shelter overshadowed by God's Shechinah\שכינה, Divine Presence for a time of joy, to learn and have some keyf-fun in flimsy housings. During these very special days, we are joyfully invited to share all our human capacities: knowledge, food, friendliness, hospitality, good mood, pardon, patience, politeness and humor. We are asked to welcome anybody, in particular the needy. This aspect is very striking as a lot of people are impoverished and funds are collected to nourish individuals and families in need.
This is why the mitzvah/commandment to take the “arbaa minim\ארנעה מינים – Four Species” is so meaningful in the way we are able to enhance our relationships, our socializing abilities. Groups often fragment or split into small cells that can be very connected but may appear to be reluctant to agree upon this kind of ingathering for the sake of a project viewed as a year that mainly depends upon God’s will.
The Four Species are vegetals and thus belong to the basic realm of plants and seeds, crops and harvesting.
The lulav-לולב/palm is rigid and flexible, hadassim-הדסים/myrtle can be appealing as seductive eyes and the etrog/citrus is as big as a good heart full of love and knowledge while the aravot-ערבות/willow branches requires a lot of water to survive. Fragrances are very significant: the etrog-אתרוג/citrus is tasty, smells good and had a nice appearance.
Each man holds in his hands the "whole of the Community of Israel". The Talmudic Treaty Sanhedrin insists on the "oneness" of Jewish people and that each individual is responsible for the soul (life) of all the others. Then, the weaving of the Four Species to the East, South, West, North, up and down (one tradition) shows how everybody praises the Only-One God Who is present everywhere.
Over the past decades, some new habits appeared in Israel: Christian groups – mainly of Western and Protestant backgrounds – come up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Sukkot that does not exist in the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic or standard Christian traditions. Sukkot is indeed the Feast – Hechag-החג, par excellence also in the Gospel: “On the last day, the great day of the festival, Jesus stood and cried out: “… as Scripture says, “From His heart shall flow streams of living water.” (John 7:38).
The Feast of the booths is also clearly mentioned as Jesus’ transfiguration at Mount Tabor. He shone with a very white and unusual light and the disciple Shimon-Peter, seeing him discussing with Moses and Elijah in their tents, suggested to build him also a shelter (sukkah\סוכה) (Matthew 17:2). There is an interesting point that passes from a certain comparison between the Jewish shack hospitality and the Christian Eastern orthodox conception of “icon”.
An icon is a flat painting without depth (in order to comply with the commandment of "Not to do any pesl-פסל/sculpture"of reknown saints in different situations. Some of them can “host” many saints who lived in different centuries. This is somehow connected with the full ingathering celebrated during the Feast of the Tabernacles.
Sukkot is a "time-related" feast: Talmud Sukka 52a-b describes how, during the Feast, the Mashiah ben David should appear in glory. It is a "second coming" after the first coming of the Mashiach ben Yosef, the suffering Messiah. At the present, we may feel that our days are counted and though extend at the same time. Our hours, weeks, months and years expand and distend, dilate toward personal and civil, national and international developments.
We are often too much under pressure. We may also try to compact time as if the future and good things were out of hand. It is quite a real challenge to gather in for a special time that connects with God the whole of history and humankind. It allows us to be still alive in order to become, God willing, the tasty cream of the crops.
Av Aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
The Feast of the Booths - Sukkot\סוכות - will start on Wednesday night, i.e. six days after the Day of Atonement. It is a kind of "settling and in-between wandering” and similarly “some end-of-time" period of seven days that climax on the eightth and last day, Shemini Atzeret\שמיני עצרת, the day of the "full Assembly” joyously gathered together to praise the One God Who reigns over the entire creation.
Wandering times: our lives are a common human, animal and vegetal pilgrimage; it deals with a development on constant changes. Jews as humans have been drifted throughout history to reaching their homeland. Their fate has often caused the communities to implode or to be removed from the neighboring regions, everywhere in the world till the ends of the earth. The “sukkah\סוכה or booth/shack” is a special place overshadowed with branches and twigs that "enlighten - sakhakh\סכך" all the believers. Light is shining till dusk in order to spread enough shadow in daytime; normally, as the building of the booths is related to time commandments, it mainly concerns men. Say that women are not tied to comply with the commandment, though it is evident that everybody does meet in these simple shelters. It is maybe possible to say that women "symbolize" homes and shelters and a place for birthing and growth before delivery. These are the places in/under which the Jewish people firstly read the Scripture, manducate the Talmud words, discuss spiritual issues, eat, drink, sleep in a sort of good-natured and jovial atmosphere.
It is said that seven ushpizin\אושפיזין - special guests may show during this wandering period that recalls the time when the first crops of Nissan end and are simultaneously renewed by the time of the harvest Automnal crops in the Land of Israel. Sukkot\סוכות is the perfect feast for a full ingathering at different levels: Jews come together for moments of rejoicing. God sheltered His children under the sukkot and thus protected them. He gave them His assistance by providing food, nurturing them and making them thirsty for more understanding of His projects in the new year.New year is not "automatic"; we cannot understand the projects of Divine Providence in a glimpse. God is a pedagogue and tries to teach His people on a move.
The special ushpizin\אושפיזין (guests) are usually considered to be Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David. According to various traditions, other guests might be present as Prophet Elijah and some other famous rabbis. It is indeed significant that the visible and invisible world encounter in a temporary shelter overshadowed by God's Shechinah\שכינה, Divine Presence for a time of joy, to learn and have some keyf-fun in flimsy housings. During these very special days, we are joyfully invited to share all our human capacities: knowledge, food, friendliness, hospitality, good mood, pardon, patience, politeness and humor. We are asked to welcome anybody, in particular the needy. This aspect is very striking as a lot of people are impoverished and funds are collected to nourish individuals and families in need.
This is why the mitzvah/commandment to take the “arbaa minim\ארנעה מינים – Four Species” is so meaningful in the way we are able to enhance our relationships, our socializing abilities. Groups often fragment or split into small cells that can be very connected but may appear to be reluctant to agree upon this kind of ingathering for the sake of a project viewed as a year that mainly depends upon God’s will.
The Four Species are vegetals and thus belong to the basic realm of plants and seeds, crops and harvesting.
The lulav-לולב/palm is rigid and flexible, hadassim-הדסים/myrtle can be appealing as seductive eyes and the etrog/citrus is as big as a good heart full of love and knowledge while the aravot-ערבות/willow branches requires a lot of water to survive. Fragrances are very significant: the etrog-אתרוג/citrus is tasty, smells good and had a nice appearance.
Each man holds in his hands the "whole of the Community of Israel". The Talmudic Treaty Sanhedrin insists on the "oneness" of Jewish people and that each individual is responsible for the soul (life) of all the others. Then, the weaving of the Four Species to the East, South, West, North, up and down (one tradition) shows how everybody praises the Only-One God Who is present everywhere.
Over the past decades, some new habits appeared in Israel: Christian groups – mainly of Western and Protestant backgrounds – come up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Sukkot that does not exist in the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic or standard Christian traditions. Sukkot is indeed the Feast – Hechag-החג, par excellence also in the Gospel: “On the last day, the great day of the festival, Jesus stood and cried out: “… as Scripture says, “From His heart shall flow streams of living water.” (John 7:38).
The Feast of the booths is also clearly mentioned as Jesus’ transfiguration at Mount Tabor. He shone with a very white and unusual light and the disciple Shimon-Peter, seeing him discussing with Moses and Elijah in their tents, suggested to build him also a shelter (sukkah\סוכה) (Matthew 17:2). There is an interesting point that passes from a certain comparison between the Jewish shack hospitality and the Christian Eastern orthodox conception of “icon”.
An icon is a flat painting without depth (in order to comply with the commandment of "Not to do any pesl-פסל/sculpture"of reknown saints in different situations. Some of them can “host” many saints who lived in different centuries. This is somehow connected with the full ingathering celebrated during the Feast of the Tabernacles.
Sukkot is a "time-related" feast: Talmud Sukka 52a-b describes how, during the Feast, the Mashiah ben David should appear in glory. It is a "second coming" after the first coming of the Mashiach ben Yosef, the suffering Messiah. At the present, we may feel that our days are counted and though extend at the same time. Our hours, weeks, months and years expand and distend, dilate toward personal and civil, national and international developments.
We are often too much under pressure. We may also try to compact time as if the future and good things were out of hand. It is quite a real challenge to gather in for a special time that connects with God the whole of history and humankind. It allows us to be still alive in order to become, God willing, the tasty cream of the crops.
Av Aleksandr (Winogradsky Frenkel)
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