Chiaroscuro and the Bible

I heard a fabulous sermon at services last month, delivered by Rabbi Adir Posey. Rabbi Posey posed the following dilemma: as part of our Jewish heritage, we are told to be happiest, not during the month of our exodus from Egypt, not on the days designed for the coronation of God, but rather during the (Jewish) month of Adar. How is it that we are supposed to be happiest on a month during which so many afflictions and attacks have tormented the Jewish people? Just last year, the Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav was attacked during Adar, leaving five students and three teachers dead. In 1996, 13 were murdered when a suicide bomber detonated a bomb outside of the Dizingoff Center. In Adar, 2002, the bombing of a Jerusalem café left 11 people dead and 54 wounded; in Adar, 2003, another 17 people were murdered and 53 were injured as a result of a suicide bombing of a bus in Haifa. Just today, a terrorist rammed a construction vehicle into a police car and bus, injuring two police officers. How can we be happiest at a time when we have experienced so many horrors and have had so many reasons to grieve?

To resolve this dilemma, Posey, in typical Jewish fashion, asked another question: what was the catalyst for Jethro’s choosing to leave his position of esteem in the pagan world to join the wandering Israelites in the desert? Jethro did not ally himself with the Israelites following the miracles of the Exodus nor following the phenomenon of the splitting of the Red Sea. In fact, Jethro joined the Israelites only after their battle with Amalek. The Amalek militants attacked the Israelite women, children and elderly, and for the first time since their miraculous exodus from Egypt, the Israelites were seen as being vulnerable. In spite of their weakened image and great losses, following the battle with Amalek, the Israelites continued their journey to Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah. Posey argued that Jethro was inspired by the commitment of the Israelites to their religious destiny even when armies stronger than their threatened their survival.

Following the miracles of the Exodus story, the Israelites were in a state of complete invincibility. Much like a Monet, the entire future of the Israelites was bright, colorful, and easy to appreciate. In contrast, Posey compared the state of the Israelites after the attack of the Amalek people to a Rembrandt. The master of chiaroscuro, Rembrandt’s paintings were often dark, practically nocturnal. Inset into these dark paintings would be a single candle used to illuminate the entire scene. Even when facing the dangers of Amalek, the Israelites’ commitment to their objectives allowed them to continue pursuing their goals. Their flicker of hope and dedication lit their way and inspired Jethro to join them.

The contrast between light and dark is a theme carried out in all traditions. Literary analysis is replete with the juxtaposition of light and dark imagery. Even Disney films employ this technique to add to their films. Disney antagonists, such as Ursula, Snow White’s stepmother and Jafar, were all dressed in black. Conversely, the protagonists in Disney’s films were always dressed in light and bright colors. Like Disney films, the chiaroscuro technique in art enables the audience to appreciate the light because it is unique in its dark surroundings. Unlike a Monet where colors and brushstrokes are remembers, those who view a Rembrandt remember the light.

In the Jewish month of Adar, the Jewish people celebrate a single day of salvation on the holiday of Purim. On that day, the Jewish people were saved from immanent death and annihilation. Their salvation was not complete. But that single day, surrounded by many days of worry and suffering was all the more remarkable and worthy of celebration.

Today, with the constant threats of a crumbling economy and a strengthening military foe in Iran, it is important to look at the entire picture and recognize that we are living in a period of chiaroscuro. Surrounded by many troubling conditions, there are fragments of light. It is crucial that we recognize these rays of hope, possibility, and goodness in spite of the overall bleakness of today. These precious features will be what allows this period in time to be remembered not as the period of darkness, but as a period remembered for the glimmer of light.

Growing Pains

Even though science has never established evidence to support the correlation between pain and growth, there were many nights in my youth that I suffered from awful pain in my legs. Even if science does not acknowledge its existence, both of my parents did. Those nights during which the backs of my legs were tight and sore, I was experiencing growing pains. Growth, apparently, is sometime accompanied by pain. It makes complete sense to me that growing to the incredible height of 5’2” would be brutal. All great feats are achieved with some struggle and suffering, after all.

And so it is in my 20’s. I continue to experience growing pains. Only these pains no longer pull at the muscle tissue of my legs, rather at the muscle tissue of my heart. These are the growing pains of turning a 5’2” girl into an adult. Had I known that I would come to experience aches such as these, I probably would have resigned myself to stay a child forever. I guess that’s why life does not come with a warning label; it would discourage participation.

This last week has forced me to face truths in others and myself. Greed, insecurity, self-centeredness, untrustworthiness, indiscretion, while my companions and I are all recognized as being laudable people, we are not perfect. Although this conclusion would not surprise most, it does pain me. In spite of the worldly, erudite persona I project, I am naïve and foolish. I assume a level of infallibility in all of my friends. We are human and young and so imperfect, and yet, I have always clung to the belief that my friends are mostly without flaws. I have mistakenly always seen the goodness in my peers without seeing any of the attributes that make them more human, their flaws and weaknesses.

My growth this week has been twofold. Firstly, I have had to face the imperfections in my friends. Secondly, I have had to reevaluate myself and how I respond to their humanness. Instead of allowing errors to mar my vision of my friends, I am working on myself so that I can see both flaw and finery concurrently in the same individuals.

Growing hurts. But like stature, great relationships are borne out of struggles and suffering. And like height, maturation is worth the pain.

Dragons and Rainbows

Historians write that during medieval times, people looked at the world as though it had messages for them. Clinging to myths and legends, people faced the feared darkness of a confounding world, hoping that these myths and stories would shine a glimmer of light in the dark abyss of their world. Myths enabled people with a finite understanding of the world to find both a semblance of reason in a confusing world and sense of purpose. In fact, looking to find reason and purpose drew people to the idea of transcendence, most commonly referred to as spirituality and religion.

Joseph Campbell, renowned scholar and lecturer on mythology, explained that the quest for transcendence was the impetus for the creation of the dragon. According to Campbell, the dragon is the amalgamation of an eagle and serpent. Similar to the Chinese image of Tao, a yang and yin relationship of opposites fusing together to form a complete whole, the dragon is the synthesis of a boundless eagle, always soaring in the spiritual heights, and the serpent, always grounded and bound to the earth. The dragon is a serpent with wings; an earthly being that has transcended the confines of its carnal and temporal state. The dragon is revered because it is a metaphorical representation of the spiritual potentiality of humanity.

While not nearly as popular in mythology and poetry as dragons, the rainbow is an equally transcendent image. Like Campbell, scholar and Kabbalist, Rabbi Abraham Kook, believed in the metaphoric power of images. He wrote about the rainbow, first used as a symbol for God’s covenant with man in the Old Testament following the flood that destroyed the entire world. “I will make My covenant with you, and all flesh will never again be cut off by the waters of a flood. This the sign of the covenant that I am placing between Me, you, and ever living creature....I have set My rainbow in the clouds…The rainbow will be in the clouds, and I will see it to recall the eternal covenant” (Gen. 9:11-16). To Rabbi Kook, the rainbow in the Old Testament is a metaphor for the awareness of God. In response to mankind’s failed connection with spirituality and devoutness, God infused the world with His ethical guidance; the refraction of light in the rainbow representing the refraction of God’s light in the physical world. In his writing, Kook continues to explain that just as the light of the rainbow could be seen in the clouds, the light of the Divine could be seen in the material and corporal world.

William Wordsworth, in his poem “The Rainbow” also employs the rainbow as a metaphor for transcendence. “My heart leaps when I behold a rainbow in the sky: so was it when my life began…I could wish my days to be bound each to each by natural piety.” Wordsworth expresses that we are brought into this world with a reverence for God. When seeing a rainbow, that piety is rekindled. Wordsworth’s hope for himself and mankind is that each day should be infused with this same state of veneration.

Whether inclined to believe in God or a more Kantian transcendence of something beyond the earthly, the lesson of both dragons and rainbows is that humanity needs to strive toward a higher integrity. By attempting to infuse our lives with righteousness, we will be able to give our lives purpose in spite of circumstance-- meaning and worth in spite of situation.

May we be blessed to see many rainbows through the clouds, guiding our transcendental journey toward meaning.

Friends and Finance

My life has been blessed with a myriad of wonderful opportunities and experiences. At the core of many of these amazing encounters has been the presence of incredible people, people that I am lucky to call my friends. Most of my friends fall between the ages of 23 and 27. We are relatively new to the workforce or finishing up our education. We are optimists. Being raised in times of relative prosperity and comfort has made us soft and naïve and very unprepared for our current economic climate. We all assumed that upon entering the workforce we would be overnight successes. Armed with our often expensive, and equally often mediocre educations, we took on the job market and the world.

This last year, and last few months in particular, has been disarming for us all. This dose of reality, known in the media as the economic crisis, has changed our concept of reality. We are not nearly as assured in our ability to conquer the workforce as we had been. Instead, we consider ourselves lucky to be employed. A number of people in my group of friends are now unemployed. We have also learned that we cannot depend on the government. Because of the government, we will probably never see social security and we are becoming further entrenched in debt with every passing day. The one thing that has become apparent during this difficult period is that we can depend on each other.

I do not know if psychological or sociological studies exist studying the impact recessions have on social structures, but I speculate that any such study would reflect that during periods of recession, people become closer and more dependent. Merely as a means of developing connections and pursuing fiscal opportunities, networking becomes increasingly important during more challenging times. Having emotional support during these periods is also a necessity; people need each other. We bolster one another when the economy’s infrastructure bows under the weight of a strained market. In some ways, this is the silver thread that lines all periods of distress.

Especially of late, when so many of us are guilty of distancing ourselves from our surroundings through the use of i-pods and cell phones, the revival of human connection is powerful. When we are forced to cut back on our spending, we exchange new gadgets for picnics with friends, people over property.

Hopefully, as we rejoin humanity on a more personal level, we will exchange ideas, giving rise to a new generation of products and innovations that will generate a rebirth of our economy. Through conversations and relationships we will create a world rich in funds and equally rich in friends.

The Advancement of Anti-Semitism

I remember a debate I had about four years ago with a friend of mine. I saw anti-Israel sentiments as being akin to anti-Semitism. He challenged me saying anti-Israel inclinations are a response to political affiliations and opinions. Conversely, anti-Semitism is flagrant bigotry. I understood his slant, but could not get myself to agree with him that anti-Israel sentiments are valid. To me, anti-Israel persuasions would inevitably lead to anti-Semitism, so how could I sanction his belief?

Recently, anti-Semitism and religious intolerance have become increasingly pervasive across the globe, infiltrating societies in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. According to the Anti-Defamation League’s survey, released 2/10/2009, nearly a third of the European population blames Jews for the global economic crisis. Currently topping China’s best-seller list is The Currency War, a book describing how the Jews are planning to take over the world by controlling and manipulating the global financial system. In Argentina, anti-Semitic incidences have increased by over 35% since 2006. Even the world’s leaders are promoting intolerance. Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, in today’s Washington Post, is being accused of advancing anti-Semitism in Venezuela by continuously singling out the Jews. On a government website, Venezuelans are even told to boycott Jewish owned businesses and seize Jewish-owned property. Former Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamed has said, “The Jews rule the world by proxy.” And just today, UK foreign office diplomat, Rowan Laxton, was arrested for his public anti-Semitic tirade, during which he was heard shouting, “F-king Israelis, f-king Jews.” Some witnesses have claimed that Laxton also lashed out, saying that Israeli soldiers should be wiped off the face of the earth.

I did not want to be right; I wish had I been proved wrong. But now, four years following our friendly debate, the unfolding of history has validated my postulation. Hugo Chavez has incited anti-Semitism through his anti-Israel propaganda. Chavez has assaulted Israel’s reputation with a barrage of incendiary statements, forcing the Israeli ambassador to Venezuela out of the country. The 1/30/2009 attack on the Tiferet Israel Synagogue in Caracas, is said to be a result of Chavez’ anti-Israel doctrine. Similarly, UK diplomat Laxton was incited by his abhorrence of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Hate is festering and proliferating under the guise of anti-Israel, political affiliations. And for the first time in my life, I fear for the safety of Jews throughout the world. As a hub of tolerance and a pillar of humanitarian consciousness, I encourage Americans to get involved and help fight the brewing anti-Semitism. Encourage your friends to look beyond the political climate in the Middle East, and recognize the challenges facing the Jews throughout the world.

In our recent landslide presidential elections, the American people showed that we are ready for change. In that vein, let us work together to change the way that Jews are perceived and treated. Let us affect the world’s conscience because we can!