| Bible, Interrupted |
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| Friday, 01 October 2010 05:00 |
5 principles for successful transmission of sacred legacies in the modern marketplace of ideas
StoryNations and peoples are largely the stories they feed themselves. If they tell themselves stories that are lies, they will suffer the future consequences of those lies. If they tell themselves stories that face their own truths, they will free their histories for future flowerings. —Ben Okri TorahThe Bible is not an end but a beginning: a precedent, not a story. It is not an epic about the life of heroes but the story of every man in all climates and all ages. Its topic is the world, the whole of history, containing the pattern of a constitution of a united mankind as well as guidance towards establishing such a union. It shows the way to nations as well as to individuals. It continues to scatter seeds of justice and compassion, to echo God’s cry to the world and to pierce man’s armor of callousness. —A.J. Heschel RitualIndeed, the Torah became the bedrock of Judaism not so much by assertion as by ritual… The synagogue developed into the national theater in which Scripture and liturgy converged to reenact weekly the awesome transmission of Torah at Sinai. Every aspect of the ritual was meant to convey the numinous quality of the original drama. The diffusion of theology requires ritual. Modern Jews are at risk not because they have lost their faith, but because they have lost their appreciation for ritual. —Ismar Schorsch TranslationMavens are Information specialists…To be a maven is to be a teacher. But it is also, even more emphatically, to be a student. Mavens are really information brokers, sharing and trading what they know…There is something about the personal expert opinion of a Maven that makes us all sit up and listen. —Malcolm Gladwell
JERUSALEM: 458 BCE All the people gathered themselves together as one into the open place that was before the water gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the Torah of Moses, which God had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the congregation, both men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it in front of the open place that was before the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the Torah. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people--for he was above all the people--and when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed Adonai, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands; and they bowed their heads, and worshipped God with their faces to the ground. And Jesuah, and Vani, Sheravia, Yamin, Akuv, Shabtai, Hodiya, Maasiya, Klita, Azariah, Yozavad, Chanan, Pelaya, And the Levites enabled the people to understand the Torah; while the people stood in their places. So they read in the book in the Torah of God clearly, and gave the interpretation, so that they understood the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the Governor, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, This is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Torah. Then he said to them, Go your way, eat fat foods, and drink sweet beverages, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our God; do not grieve, for the joy of God is your strength. And the people went on to eat and drink and send gifts and rejoice greatly for they had understood the teachings that had been told to them. —Nehemiah 8: 1-12 א וַיֵּאָֽסְפוּ כָל-הָעָם כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד אֶל-הָרְחוֹב אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי שַֽׁעַר-הַמָּיִם וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ לְעֶזְרָא הַסֹּפֵר לְהָבִיא אֶת-סֵפֶר תּוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר-צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת-יִשְׂרָאֵֽל: ב וַיָּבִיא עֶזְרָא הַכֹּהֵן אֶֽת-הַתּוֹרָה לִפְנֵי הַקָּהָל מֵאִישׁ וְעַד-אִשָּׁה וְכֹל מֵבִין לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּיוֹם אֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי: ג וַיִּקְרָא-בוֹ לִפְנֵי הָרְחוֹב אֲשֶׁר | לִפְנֵי שַֽׁעַר-הַמַּיִם מִן-הָאוֹר עַד-מַֽחֲצִית הַיּוֹם נֶגֶד הָֽאֲנָשִׁים וְהַנָּשִׁים וְהַמְּבִינִים וְאָזְנֵי כָל-הָעָם אֶל-סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָֽה: ד וַיַּֽעֲמֹד עֶזְרָא הַסֹּפֵר עַל-מִגְדַּל-עֵץ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לַדָּבָר וַיַּֽעֲמֹד אֶצְלוֹ מַתִּתְיָה וְשֶׁמַע וַֽעֲנָיָה וְאֽוּרִיָּה וְחִלְקִיָּה וּמַֽעֲשֵׂיָה עַל-יְמִינוֹ וּמִשְּׂמֹאלוֹ פְּדָיָה וּמִֽישָׁאֵל וּמַלְכִּיָּה וְחָשֻׁם וְחַשְׁבַּדָּנָה זְכַרְיָה מְשֻׁלָּֽם: ה וַיִּפְתַּח עֶזְרָא הַסֵּפֶר לְעֵינֵי כָל-הָעָם כִּֽי-מֵעַל כָּל-הָעָם הָיָה וּכְפִתְחוֹ עָֽמְדוּ כָל-הָעָֽם: ו וַיְבָרֶךְ עֶזְרָא אֶת-יְהֹוָה הָאֱלֹהִים הַגָּדוֹל וַיַּֽעֲנוּ כָל-הָעָם אָמֵן | אָמֵן בְּמֹעַל יְדֵיהֶם וַיִּקְּדוּ וַיִּשְׁתַּֽחֲווּ לַיהֹוָה אַפַּיִם אָֽרְצָה: ז וְיֵשׁוּעַ וּבָנִי וְשֵׁרֵֽבְיָה | יָמִין עַקּוּב שַׁבְּתַי | הֽוֹדִיָּה מַֽעֲשֵׂיָה קְלִיטָא עֲזַרְיָה יֽוֹזָבָד חָנָן פְּלָאיָה וְהַלְוִיִּם מְבִינִים אֶת-הָעָם לַתּוֹרָה וְהָעָם עַל-עָמְדָֽם: ח וַיִּקְרְאוּ בַסֵּפֶר בְּתוֹרַת הָֽאֱלֹהִים מְפֹרָשׁ וְשׂוֹם שֶׂכֶל וַיָּבִינוּ בַּמִּקְרָֽא: ט וַיֹּאמֶר נְחֶמְיָה הוּא הַתִּרְשָׁתָא וְעֶזְרָא הַכֹּהֵן | הַסֹּפֵר וְהַלְוִיִּם הַמְּבִינִים אֶת-הָעָם לְכָל-הָעָם הַיּוֹם קָדֹֽשׁ-הוּא לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם אַל-תִּֽתְאַבְּלוּ וְאַל-תִּבְכּוּ כִּי בוֹכִים כָּל-הָעָם כְּשָׁמְעָם אֶת-דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָֽה: י וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם לְכוּ אִכְלוּ מַשְׁמַנִּים וּשְׁתוּ מַמְתַּקִּים וְשִׁלְחוּ מָנוֹת לְאֵין נָכוֹן לוֹ כִּֽי-קָדוֹשׁ הַיּוֹם לַֽאֲדֹנֵינוּ וְאַל-תֵּעָצֵבוּ כִּֽי-חֶדְוַת יְהֹוָה הִיא מָֽעֻזְּכֶֽם: יא וְהַֽלְוִיִּם מַחְשִׁים לְכָל-הָעָם לֵאמֹר הַסּוּ כִּֽי-הַיּוֹם קָדֹשׁ וְאַל-תֵּֽעָצֵֽבוּ: יב וַיֵּֽלְכוּ כָל-הָעָם לֶֽאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וּלְשַׁלַּח מָנוֹת וְלַֽעֲשׂוֹת שִׂמְחָה גְדוֹלָה כִּי הֵבִינוּ בַּדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר הוֹדִיעוּ לָהֶֽם: נחמיה ח': א'- י"ב
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