Shabbat Gathering: 8 Tevet: Bad News, Good News.

Dear Chevra, as is our custom, we will gather tonight at 5.45p ct to welcome Shabbat. These are the coordinates:

Zoom
Meeting ID: 963 5113 1550
Password: 1989
Phone: +1 312 626 6799

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Here we go.

Many ancient cultures — and modern ones for that matter — were/are interested in Judaism’s teachings. Think, for example, about how more and more Christians are “adopting” Passover as a ritual. Back in 246 bce, there was a drive to translate the Torah into Greek. Ptolemy, the Egyptian-Greek emperor decided to turn this desire into reality.

On 8 Tevet 3515, Ptolemy gathered 72 Torah sages and locked each one into a separate room with the command that they were to translate Torah into Greek. Miraculously, they produced 72 identical translations. This translation became known as the Septuagint.

According to legend, Moses translated Torah into 70 languages. But many orthodox Jews consider 8 Tevet (January 1, this year) one of the darkest days on the Jewish calendar and compare it to the building of the golden calf because this was a human project that was started by a mortal ruler. Instead of faithfully conforming to its sacred content, the translation might allow for distortion of the Torah’s original meaning. (And this is one of the reasons our Torah Study group uses different translations and is blessed with a couple of Hebrew speakers.)

Ptolemy’s translation turned Torah into just another book of wisdom in his library helped bring Greek culture into Jewish life. But on the other hand, the translation extended the reach and impact of Torah. Bad news, good news.

And may it be for all of us a blessing.

See you tonight!
Gut Shabbes!

All my love,
brian.

PS

I found this poem in one of the Yiddish-centric newsletters I subscribe to, Di Freyd fun Yidishn Vort/The Joy of the Yiddish Word. The poem is by Melech Ravitch and was written in July, 1963.

Let us Learn…

Let us learn from the creatures in the forest
to live with the course of the sun for as long as it shines.
To live like life itself: now, in this moment,
without knowing even that today is today.

Let us learn from the birds of the sky,
flight-singing, sing-flying; isn’t everything flight and song?
Let us learn to live with thin heads,
colorful, devoid of any thoughts.

Let us learn from the trees and the grasses
to release our roots into mud, into water, around stones.
Let us learn not to think, as absolutely as the plants.
On the whole, is there anything in this world to understand?

Let us learn from God, from God, if you will,
who withers life and grows it, demolishes things and builds them,
who is eternal because He knows the secret of secrets,
the simplicity of simplicities: no distinction exists between life and death.

And no distinction exists, all the more so, between death and life,
and no distinction between hiding and revealing.
Either way, all was and all will be—YHWH—
and no distinction, no border, separates humanity from God.

PPS

Can’t Stop Doomscrolling? Try Shabbat.

Now more than ever, I need a sanctuary that helps me let go of the insatiable urge to check my social feeds.

It’s always rough online, but especially of late, with one headline after another about all the brand new, ridiculous ways antisemitism is rearing its ugly head. Then I opened Instagram and the top photo on my feed proclaimed that Donald Trump is running for President again. Nope. I can already envision how all of the internet is about to explode in response. Time for a break.

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