Seeking God Through Jewish Biblical Interpretation

David Shasha, the director of the Center for Sephardic Heritage, wrote an excellent essay called "Understanding Midrash," referring to the rabbinic genre of literary commentary, which appeared in the Huffington Post. Here's the full article:

While the Halakhah, Jewish civil and ritual law, is the stern discipline of Jewish life, the Aggadic Midrash is its fountain of creativity. The word Midrash comes from the Hebrew root D-R-SH meaning "to inquire" or "to seek." The word Aggadah comes from the Hebrew root N-G-D meaning "to tell" or "to narrate." Midrash is the mechanism that permits Jews to generate new and multiple meanings from the Sacred Scriptures.

The tradition of Midrash as interpretation can be found in the strikingly odd tale of Ezra the Scribe in Nehemiah 8:8, where Ezra stood before a gathering of the people and presented to them the text of the Law, "translating it and giving the sense so they understood the reading." Ezra -- the "Bookman" -- transformed Judaism into a text-centered religion which promoted study and critical investigation of its traditions.

In the period of the classical Sages, Midrash became a discipline unto itself, and many collections of Rabbinical Midrashim, most prominently the canonical Midrash Rabbah, were generated and later collected into books.

In her classic 1981 study of Rabbinic interpretation in the context of contemporary thought, The Slayers of Moses: The Emergence of Rabbinic Interpretation in Modern Literary Theory, Susan Handelman contrasts Midrashic hermeneutics to the Greek philosophical tradition:

The infinity of meaning and plurality of interpretation are as much as the cardinal virtues, even divine imperatives, for Rabbinic thought as they are the cardinal sins for Greek thought. The movement of Rabbinic interpretation is not from one opposing sphere to another, from the sensible to the nonsensible, but rather from "sense to sense," a movement into the text, not out of it.

Rabbinic Midrash begins with the text of Scripture in order to spin out infinities of new meaning through the agency of stories, interpretations, and exegetical acts. While the ethical aims of both the Greeks and Jews sought an ideality, the methods that the two groups used were quite different.

The great scholar Max Kadushin, in his seminal 1952 work The Rabbinic Mind, sees the Midrashic method of narrative expansion that he views in "organic" terms:

The organismic principle of integration is an all-embracing principle, taking in all the value-concepts in the complex and relating every concept to every other concept in an identical manner. Within this general, all-inclusive type of integration or relationship, however, there is room also for additional forms of integration having to do not with the complex as a whole but with numerous specific concepts.

Kadushin illuminates for us the ethical elements that drive Rabbinic thinking, elements that emerge from a kaleidoscopic reading of Scripture.

In Medieval times Rabbinic sermons centered around the rhetorical aspect called Melitzah. Melitzah is the Hebrew term signifying rhetorical ornamentation and poetical values. The expert Derashah was one in which, as Jose Faur has written in an article on Rabbi Joseph Dana and Jewish oratory, the eloquence and erudition of the rabbi were central:

In our hands has been preserved a unique and quite singular art whose entire substance has been refined from a definitively Jewish source: the derasha or the "rabbinical oratorical art." It would be germane to mention here that the Tanakh functioned within the Sephardic rabbinical tradition as a fully formed model of "rhetoric." In this tradition, "rhetoric" is not considered an ornamental setting devoid of substance, but a Jewish aesthetic that shapes "truth/beauty" into a single unity: a truth that is inimitably beautiful is inimitably true, and the reverse [...]. From the aesthetic standpoint, the accomplished Darshan is no less an artist than the poet, painter or composer.

The art of Derashah thus comprises the scholarly-intellectual, the ethical, the exegetical, the aesthetic, and the poetical. Its aim is to expound Scripture by means of narrative expansion, thus allowing the Darshan, the one making the Derashah, to formulate new and often innovative ideas that can encapsulate cultural, historical, scientific, and philosophical values that are seen as "emerging" from the ancient Biblical texts.

As the scholar James Kugel states so eloquently in his landmark 1983 article "Two Introductions to Midrash":

Here then is the crucial factor in the mentality of all early exegesis: for when what then happened in Scripture happens again and again, unfolds over and over, it is because the Bible is not "the past" at all. For it to be the past, its sense of time would necessarily need to be continuous with our own, and we would have to live amid a series of similarly God-dominated events, so that the whole flow of time from Abraham to now could make for one simple, consequential, story. Once this is no longer the case, biblical time becomes "other," a world wholly apart from ours, yet one which is constantly intersecting our own.

In the end, Midrash is a means to affirm the sanctity of the Hebrew Bible as Scripture, yet it permits us to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the text in order to evolve as mature human beings. The Biblical text thus takes on a dual aspect: the ancient stories are told and retold while our current concerns are addressed.

The Midrashic method contrasts with static historicism, known alternatively as "originalism" or as "fundamentalism," in its ability to adopt multiple perspectives and a pluralistic stance towards meaning in our lives. Rather than assume that the truth is a singular, univocal idea, the attitude found in the Platonic philosophy and adopted by Western civilization, Jewish tradition leaves room for multiple truths and a seemingly infinite chain of meaning that is exemplified in the use of the Midrashic method.

Bibliographical note: For those wishing to learn more about Midrash, I would like to recommend the many books of James Kugel, particularly In Potiphar's House (1990), The Bible As It Was (1997), and The Ladder of Jacob (2006). Another wonderful writer on Midrash is Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg whose three books also make Midrash accessible to the general reader.

Derusha Update: "What Can We Learn From Esau?"

The Derusha Update 2.05

"WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM ESAU?"

21 November 2009

Toldoth

4 Kisleiw 5770

Please consider forwarding this newsletter to friends, family, and others whom you feel will enjoy reading it.

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"Every book shares with its readers a glimpse at what once was, what now is, and what - eventually - could be."

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Below are selected clippings from various sources that have been hand-picked to add some spice to your Shabbath reading. We hope you find these selections interesting and informative. Remember, there's always more to learn and another page to turn!

=== The Miseducation Of Esau (Hirsch)

=== He Sought The Solitude Of The Fields (de Leon)

=== The Man Who Killed The World's First Tyrant (Midrash)

=== "I Am Going To Die" (Leibtag)

=== Helping Esau To Realize Who He Is (Touger)

=== Empathy Without Approval Of Murder (Shamah)

=== Harnessing The Power Of Esau (Morrison)

=== This Week In The Derusha Notebook (Blog)

=== Looking For Something Good To Read? (Derusha)

=== Upcoming Derusha Events (Calendar)

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The Miseducation Of Esau

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We see, then, how our Sages interpret the implications of the Torah's words. They tell us that Jacob and Esau alike could have been preserved for their Divinely-ordained destiny as descendants of Abraham if their parents would have noticed the difference between them at an early age. They could then have reared and educated both lads for the same goal by following a different approach in each case, taking into account the fact that these two brothers were basically different from one another. Because, unfortunately, an identical approach was followed in the rearing and education of these two boys, even though they were two totally different personalities, Jacob and Esau in manhood developed attitudes toward life that were fundamentally opposed to one another. Had a different approach been adopted, with due consideration for the differences between them, the two contrasting personalities could both have been trained to develop the same loyalty to one and the same goal. But this is not what happened. As long as Jacob and Esau were lads, they were treated as twins. It did not occur to anyone that, even though they were twins, Jacbo and Esau might be completely different from one another in their inborn character traits. Both were sent to the same school, both received the same instruction, both were given the same course of studies to pursue. They were educated as if both of them possessed the same abilities and personalities. But, in fact, these two brothers were simply not suited for the same studies.

...Esau, already in early boyhood, was driven by the latent impulses of the one "who knows how to trap," the "man of the field," the future hunter who delighted in challenging the forces of nature, in confronting the perils and hazards of life, and in using his physical and mental skills to overcome anything or anyone that stood in his way. He had neither the taste nor the talent for making conquests in the realm of knowledge or in the quest for moral self-refinement; he had no appreciation for the joys or the problems of domestic life.

Unfortunately, the manner in which he was educated could only fill him with loathing for the Abrahamic tradition.

[From "Thoughts on Education III: Lessons from Jacob and Esau" by Samson Rephael Hirsch]

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He Sought The Solitude Of The Fields

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"And Yitzchak loved Esav, for he relished his venison" [Bereishith 24:28].

This verse has been explained, as it is written [about Esav]: "A man who knows entrapment, a man of the field," while elsewhere it is written [about Nimrod], "he was a mighty trapper, a man of the field" - to rob people and to kill them.

He said that he prayed [alone in the field] and [with this lie] he entrapped [others] - with his mouth.

"A man of the field" - because his lot was not in the settlement but in the ruins, in the wilderness, in the field; and it is for this [that he is called] "a man of the field."

[Adapted from "The Book of the Zohar: Toldot" 9:75 by Moshe de Leon]

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The Man Who Killed The World's First Tyrant

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Esau at that time (after the death of Abraham) frequently went in the field to hunt. Nimrod, king of Babel (the same as Amraphel), also frequently went with his mighty men to hunt in the field and to walk about with his men in the cool of the day.

Nimrod was observing Esau all the days, for a jealousy was formed in the heart of Nimrod against Esau all the days. On a certain day, Esau went in the field to hunt and he found Nimrod walking in the wilderness with his two men. All his mighty men and his people were with him in the wilderness, but they removed at a distance from him, and they went from him in different directions to hunt; Esau concealed himself from Nimrod and lurked for him in the wilderness.

Nimrod, and his men that were with him, did not know he was there; Nimrod and his men frequently walked about in the field at the cool of the day to know where his men were hunting in the field. Nimrod, and two of his men that were with him, came to the place where they were when Esau jumped suddenly from his lurking place and drew his sword; he hastened and ran to Nimrod and cut off his head. Esau fought a desperate fight with the two men that were with Nimrod, and when they called out to him, Esau turned to them and struck them to death with his sword.

All the mighty men of Nimrod, who had left him to go to the wilderness, heard the cry at a distance; they knew the voices of those two men, and they ran to know the cause of it - when they found their king, and the two men that were with him, lying dead in the wilderness. When Esau saw the mighty men of Nimrod coming at a distance he fled, and thereby escaped; Esau took the valuable garments of Nimrod (which Nimrod's father had bequeathed to Nimrod, and with which Nimrod prevailed over the whole land) and he ran and concealed them in his house.

Esau took those garments and ran into the city, on account of Nimrod's men, and he came to his father's house weary and exhausted from fighting; he was ready to die of grief when he approached his brother Jacob and sat before him. He said to his brother, Jacob, "Behold! I will die this very day - and why, then, do I want the birthright?" Jacob acted with wisdom with Esau in this matter and Esau sold his birthright to Jacob (for it was so brought about by the Lord); and Esau's portion in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth for the possession of a burial ground, Esau also sold to Jacob - and Jacob bought all this from his brother, Esau, for a given value. Jacob wrote the whole of this in a book and he testified the same with witnesses, and he sealed it; and the book remained in the hands of Jacob.

When Nimrod the son of Cush died, his men lifted him up and brought him in consternation and buried him in his city, and all the days that Nimrod lived were two hundred and fifteen years, and he died. The days that Nimrod reigned upon the people of the land were one hundred and eighty-five years; and Nimrod died by the sword of Esau in shame and contempt, and the seed of Abraham caused his death, as he had seen in his dream. At the death of Nimrod, his kingdom became divided into many divisions, and all those parts over which Nimrod had reigned were restored to the respective kings of the land, who recovered them after the death of Nimrod; and all the people of the house of Nimrod were for a long time enslaved to all the other kings of the land.

[From "The Book of the Yashar" 27:1-17]

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"I Am Going To Die"

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In your opinion, is Esav's health situation so deteriorated when he asks Yaakov for a bowl of soup - that he would have died had Yaakov refused to give him soup? In other words, is he simply tired & hungry (but not in any danger of dying), or is starving to death?

Based on either understanding, how can you explain Esav's statement of "hine anokhi holekh la-muth" ("behold I am going to die") in 25:32?

[From "PARSHAT TOLDOT: QUESTIONS FOR THE 'SHABBOS TABLE'" by Menachem Leibtag]

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Helping Esau To Realize Who He Is

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Isaac knew who Esau was; he wasn't fooled that easily, but Isaac was "digging wells."

As a father, he was involved in an ongoing endeavor to enable Esau to fulfill his spiritual potential. He knew that to get results in education, you have to invest and he thought that granting these blessings to Esau would help Esau realize who he really was.

Isaac, however, erred. He didn't appreciate that the blessings were destined for Jacob. Ultimately the descendants of Esau, the brother who is deeply involved in the material dimensions of worldly existence, will manifest their spiritual potential. But Esau will not do it on his own. Esau's refinement will come because of the arduous labor of Jacob's descendants who dedicate themselves to teaching spiritual truth and therefore, it is Jacob who deserved Isaac's blessings.

[From "Keeping In Touch: Torah Thoughts Inspired By The Works Of The Lubavitcher Rebbe" by Eliyahu Touger]

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Empathy, Without Approval Of Murder

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Esav's reaction upon discovering that Yaaqob had "stolen" his blessing was a sincere cry, which exhibits a degree of caring to stay connected. It stirs our sympathies on his behalf. However, his response to his victimization is not a sign of self-control or true respect for his father. He resolved: "Let the mourning days for my father draw near and I will kill Yaaqob my brother" (27:41). Although we appreciate the depth of anger and bitter feelings that one who was deceived by his brother may have and empathize with him, homicide is never an appropriate response.

[From "On Esav's Character" by Moshe Shamah]

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Harnessing The Power Of Esau

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Esau represents the raw, base forces in the world. His reddish complexion indicated the violent and brutal nature of his personality. Jacob did not prevent Esau from coming into the world; after all, the world needs Esau and his raw power. Rather, Jacob held on to Esau's heel, holding him back. The name Jacob refers to this aspect of restraint, reining in the fierce forces.

Ultimately, however, our goal is not to simply hold back these negative forces. We aspire to gain control over them and utilize them, like a hydroelectric dam that harnesses the vast energy of a raging waterfall for the production of electricity.

[From "Toldot: Harnessing the Power of Esau" Chanan Morrison]

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This Week In The Derusha Notebook

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* "American Wisdom: The Wisdom of Living - The Scope of Wisdom" [11/15]

* "Whole Foods and Health Care: A Battle for Our Health" [11/16]

* "Spirituality in Business: God Determines the Sale" [11/17]

[Read the latest posts @ "The Derusha Notebook" today!]

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Looking For Something Good To Read?

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"The Naked Crowd: The Jewish Alternative to Cunning Humanity"

by José Faur [ISBN 978-1-935104-02-5]

Thousands of years ago, the Jewish nation became what Nobel laureate Elias Canetti called a "naked crowd"; a society built on transparency and inclusiveness, impervious to the attempts of would-be tyrants to control the "crowd" through mind-games, linguistic manipulation, and mass hysteria. While the Jewish people have, over the course of history, occasionally lost touch with this foundation of their society, they have never lost the dream of a truly free society for all. In this book, José Faur articulates the essence of the Jewish alternative to the cunning societies of world history.

[Derusha's books and authors are changing our world]

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Upcoming Derusha Events

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Sunday, November 29 - Teaneck Holiday Boutique

(4:00 pm to 8:00 pm)

@ The Richard Rodda Community Center

(250 Colonial Court / Teaneck, NJ 07666)

[Entrance to parking lot is from Palisade Avenue, adjacent to Votee Park]

Come join our first annual inter-cultural Teaneck Holiday Boutique for a unique collection of beautiful (and affordable!) gifts for loved ones. Featuring artwork by Tintawi Charaka, Natalia Kadish, David Masters, and Ettie Sadek. Books published by Derusha Publishing will be available for purchase.

Sunday, December 13 - "Goy" Launch Party

(7:00 pm to 9:00 pm)

@ The 92 Street Y

(1395 Lexington Avenue / New York, NY 10128)

[Directions available at http://www.92y.org/content/directions.asp]

Celebrate the publishing of Ranjit Chatterjee's spellbinding spiritual autobiography "Goy" with us on Sunday, December 13, at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Author to speak, followed by a "question and answer" session and book signings. Refreshments will be served throughout.

Hope to see you there!

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Have a question? Contact us!

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As always, we are eager to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, comments, or suggestions.

Regards and best wishes for a meaningful week,

Gil Amminadav

gil.a@derushapublishing.com

Elana Amminadav

elana.a@derushapublishing.com

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About Derusha Publishing LLC

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Derusha Publishing is a dynamic and versatile company that prints poetry and philosophy, history books and prayerbooks, translations of traditional texts and post-modern commentaries on our common culture.

Derusha Publishing is working with readers everywhere to make the world a better place, one word at a time. Publishing is more than just our business - it's our vision.

Derusha Publishing LLC

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Thank you and Shabbath Shalom!

Derusha Update: "Who Was Sara?"

The Derusha Update 2.04

"WHO WAS SARA?"

14 November 2009

Hayyei Sara

27 Heshwan 5770

Please consider forwarding this newsletter to friends, family, and others whom you feel will enjoy reading it.

===============================================

"Every book shares with its readers a glimpse at what once was, what now is, and what - eventually - could be."

===============================================

Below are selected clippings from various sources that have been hand-picked to add some spice to your Shabbath reading. We hope you find these selections interesting and informative. Remember, there's always more to learn and another page to turn!

=== A Woman Of Valor (Midrash)

=== She Had Her own Unique Relationship With God (Goldman)

=== A Radical Socio-Religious Visionary (Antonelli)

=== She Stood By Her Husband (Ibn Kathir)

=== She Passed On In Ecstasy (Midrash)

=== This Week In The Derusha Notebook (Blog)

=== Looking For Something Good To Read? (Derusha)

=== Upcoming Derusha Events (Calendar)

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A Woman Of Valor

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Twenty-two biblical women are worthy of the term "woman of valor" [Mishlei 31:10]. Among them, Sara was the greatest, and therefore she is the only woman whose age is given in Scripture.

[From "Midrash Mishlei" 31]

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She Had Her Own Unique Relationship With God

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The Maharal of Prague (16th century Jewish philosopher) formulates an astounding question on the use of Sarah’s name in these two passages. He asks if it would not have made more sense for the name Yiscah, which implies prophecy, to have been used in the above passage rather than in the list of genealogies. Wouldn’t this have made more sense both in terms of giving a clearer understanding to the first sentence and also strengthening the prophetic stance of this sentence?

The Maharal resolves this issue with an amazing insight into the character of Sarah and the significance of her names. The Torah is actually giving us a very important message about our spiritual ancestors in choosing these names. By using the name Yiscah so early on in the genealogies while referring to her as the daughter of Haran - unrelated to her role as wife to Abraham - the Torah is telling us that Sarah had her own unique relationship with G-d independent of Abraham’s connection to the Almighty. She was a prophetess in her own right while still known simply as the daughter of Haran, before she was the wife of Abraham! Abraham (which means "father of a great nation") and Yiscah/Sarah ("Prophetic Princess") were two individual seekers of G-d in a world of idolaters. They met as equal spiritual powers who united in such a way as to cause a spiritual monotheistic revolution felt throughout the entire world and reaching countless generations of humankind.

[From "A Rose By Any Other Name" by Stacey Goldman on Chabad.org]

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A Radical Socio-Religious Visionary

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A symbolic reenactment of the incest between Baal and Asherah formed an essential part of Canaanite fertility rites. This is why the Hebrew Bible has such repugnance for it and commands the Jews to eliminate "the Baal and the Asherah" from their midst. Instead of applauding this, feminists have criticized it as "patriarchal."

In Egyptian mythology, creation of the universe was accomplished through an act of masturbation by the sun god Atum. When Isis' brother and husband Osiris was killed and dismembered, she recovered all his body parts except his penis; she therefore made an artificial one for him, which became a focus of Egyptian worship. At Osiris' bull festival, women carried a genitally explicit replica of him that they set in motion by means of strings.

In Babylonian mythology (the Enuma Elish), creation is described as occurring through the murder and dismemberment of the goddess Tiamat by the god Marduk...

In spite of "linguistic maleness," the God of the Hebrew Bible does not have a phallus, commit rape and incest, or create the universe through masturbation or the murder and mutilation of a female! Abraham and Sarah's radical vision of one genderless God must have been a welcome relief from these pagan gods made in the image of abusive men.

[From "Beyond Nostalgia: Rethinking the Goddess" by Judith S. Antonelli, in "On The Issues Magazine"]

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She Stood By Her Husband

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Sarah was the only woman of Ibrahim's people to believe in Allah. She afterwards became his wife. She stood by her husband all the time when calling his people to Allah. When Ibrahim realized that no other than his wife and his nephew, Lut, was going to believe in his call, he decided to immigrate to a city caller Ur and another called Haran and then departed for [Kana'an] with them. After [Kana'an], Ibrahim (peace be upon him) arrived in Egypt.

Abu Hurairah narrated that Ibrahim did not tell a lie except on three occasions: twice for the sake of Allah (Exalted and Almighty)...The third was while Ibrahim and Sarah were on a journey. They passed through the territory of a tyrant. Someone said to the tyrant: "This man Ibrahim is

accompanied by a very charming lady." So, he sent for Ibrahim and asked him about Sarah saying "Who is this lady?" Ibrahim said: "She is my sister." Ibrahim went to Sarah and said "Oh Sarah! There are no believers on the surface of the earth except you and me. This man asked me about you and I have told him that you are my sister. Do not contradict my statement. The tyrant then called Sarah, and when she went to him, he tried to take a hold of her with his hand, with evil intentions, but his hand got stiff and he was confounded. He asked Sarah: "Pray to Allah for me and I shall not harm you." So Sarah asked Allah to cure him and he was cured. He tried to take hold of her for the second time, but his hand got as stiff as or stiffer than before and he was more confounded. He again requested Sarah: "Pray to Allah for me, and I will not harm you." Sarah asked Allah to again, and he became all right. He then called one of his guards who had brought her and said: "You have not brought me a human being but have brought me a devil."

The tyrant then gave Hajar as a maid servant to Sarah. Ibrahim, gesturing with his hand, asked: "What has happened?" Sarah replied: "Allah spoiled the evil plot of the ingrate and gave me Hajar for service."

[Adapted from "Stories of the Prophets" by Al-Imam Ibn Kathir]

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She Passed On In Ecstasy

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Satan went to Sara and appeared to her in the figure of an old man, very humble and meek, while Avraham was still engaged in the burnt offering before his Lord. He said to her, "Don't you know all that Abraham has done with your only son this very day? For he took Yitshaq, built an altar, and killed him, and brought him up as a sacrifice upon the altar; and Yitshaq cried and wept before his father but he did not look at him and nor did he have compassion on him."

Satan repeated these words and went away from her, and Sara heard all the words of Satan; she imagined him to be an old man, from amongst the sons of men, who had been with her son and had come and told her these things. Sara lifted up her voice and wept and cried out bitterly, on account of her son; she threw herself upon the ground and cast dust upon her head. She said, "Oh my son, Yitshaq my son, oh that I had died this very day instead of you." She continued to weep and said, "It grieves me for you; oh my son, my son Yitshaq, oh that I had died this day in your stead." She still continued to weep, and said, "It grieves me for you, after I have reared you and have brought you up; now my joy is turned into mourning over you, I who had a longing for you, and cried and prayed to God until I bore you at ninety years old - and now you have served this very day with the knife and the fire, to be made an offering. But I console myself with you, my son, in its being the word of my Lord, for you fulfilled the instruction of your God; for who can transgress the word of our God, in whose hands is the soul of every living creature? You are just, my Lord, our God, for all your acts are good and righteous; for I am also made joyful with your word, which you instructed, and while my eye weeps bitterly my heart rejoices." Sara laid her head upon the chest of one of her handmaids and she became as still as stone.

She afterward arose and went about making inquiries, until she came to Hevron; and she inquired of all whom she met while walking on the road - and no one could tell her what had happened to her son. She came with her maid servants and men servants to Qiryath-Arba', which is Hevron, and she asked about her son; and she remained there while she sent some of her servants to seek where Avraham had gone with Yitshaq. They went to seek him in the house of Shem and 'Ever, and they could not find him; they sought throughout the land and he was not there.

And behold! Satan came to Sara [again] in the shape of an old man, and came and stood before her and he said to her, "I spoke falsely to you, for Avraham did not kill his son, and he is not dead." When she heard the thing, her joy was so exceedingly ecstatic on account of her son that her soul left through joy; she died and was gathered to her people.

When Avraham had finished his service, he returned with his son, Yitshaq, to his young men and they rose up and went together to Be'er-shev'a, and they came home. Avraham sought for Sara and could not find her; he made inquiries about her and they said to him, "She went as far as Hevron to seek you both, where you had gone, for such-and-such was she told."

Avraham and Yitshaq went to her, to Hevron, and when they discovered that she was dead, they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly over her. Yitshaq fell upon his mother's face and wept over her, and he said, "Oh, my mother, my mother, how have you left me, and where have you gone? Oh how, how you have left me!"

Avraham and Yitshaq wept greatly, and all their servants wept with them on account of Sara, and they mourned over her a great and heavy mourning.

[From "The Book of Yashar" 23:76-90]

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This Week In The Derusha Notebook

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• "American Wisdom: Preface on a Sunday Morning" [11/8]
• "Spirituality in Business: The Successful Businessperson" [11/9]
• "The Success and Failure of Ayn Rand: The Popular Appeal of Her Literature and Philosophy" [11/10]
• "Caring for Israel: Micha Kurz on Soldiers and Silence in Israel" [11/11]

[Read the latest posts @ "The Derusha Notebook" today!]

===============================================

Looking For Something Good To Read?

===============================================

"What Is the Meaning of Life" by Marino [ISBN 978-1-935104-00-1]

Evocative of the Beat generation's cry for the victims of an empty and self-destructive culture, the pages of this book deliver the next generation's answer to that howl. Combining breathtaking and provocative poetry with a piercing social commentary penned by a prodigal teenage artist, this book is a must-read for all who are troubled by the slow decay of American society. Features the acclaimed "Allen Ginsberg, Are You Lonely? / Where Have You Gone, Friedrich Nietzsche?"

[Derusha's books and authors are changing our world]

===============================================

Upcoming Derusha Events

===============================================

Sunday, November 29 - Teaneck Holiday Boutique

(4:00 pm to 8:00 pm)

@ The Richard Rodda Community Center

(250 Colonial Court / Teaneck, NJ 07666)

[Entrance to parking lot is from Palisade Avenue, adjacent to Votee Park]

Come join our first annual inter-cultural Teaneck Holiday Boutique for a unique collection of beautiful (and affordable!) gifts for loved ones. Featuring artwork by Tintawi Charaka, Natalia Kadish, David Masters, and Ettie Sadek. Books published by Derusha Publishing will be available for purchase.

Sunday, December 13 - "Goy" Launch Party

(7:00 pm to 9:00 pm)

@ The 92 Street Y

(1395 Lexington Avenue / New York, NY 10128)

[Directions available at http://www.92y.org/content/directions.asp]

Celebrate the publishing of Ranjit Chatterjee's spellbinding spiritual autobiography "Goy" with us on Sunday, December 13, at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Author to speak, followed by a "question and answer" session and book signings. Refreshments will be served throughout.

Hope to see you there!

===============================================

Have a question? Contact us!

===============================================

As always, we are eager to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, comments, or suggestions.

Regards and best wishes for a meaningful week,

Gil Amminadav

gil.a@derushapublishing.com

Elana Amminadav

elana.a@derushapublishing.com

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About Derusha Publishing LLC

===============================================

Derusha Publishing is a dynamic and versatile company that prints poetry and philosophy, history books and prayerbooks, translations of traditional texts and post-modern commentaries on our common culture.

Derusha Publishing is working with readers everywhere to make the world a better place, one word at a time. Publishing is more than just our business - it's our vision.

Derusha Publishing LLC

407 Jane St

2nd Floor

Fort Lee, NJ 07024

contact@derushapublishing.com

Please feel free to forward this newsletter in its entirety to friends, family, and others whom you feel it will benefit.

To sign up for this newsletter, please visit http://www.derushapublishing.com/signup1.shtml

Thank you and Shabbath Shalom!

Derusha Update: "Simplicity and Joy with God in Nature"

The Derusha Update 1.07

"SIMPLICITY AND JOY WITH GOD IN NATURE"

03 October 2009

Shabbath / Hagh Sukkoth

15 Tishri 5770

Please consider forwarding this newsletter to friends, family, and others whom you feel will enjoy reading it.

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"Every book shares with its readers a glimpse at what once was, what now is, and what - eventually - could be."

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Below are selected clippings from various sources that have been hand-picked to add some spice to your Shabbath reading. We hope you find these selections interesting and informative. Remember, there's always more to learn and another page to turn!

=== Looking for Something Good to Read?
=== Recalling the True Source of Nature's Bounty (RaShBaM)
=== Remembering Simplicity in Times of Plenty (RaMBaM)
=== "The Whole Man Moves Together" (Midrash)
=== The Joyful Circus of the Sages on Sukkoth (Talmud)
=== "Ima Ntu" - Celebrating Sukkoth Among Igbo Jews (Ilona)
=== Serving God with Joy (Law)

=== Living with Simplicity (Elgin)
=== Praying Through Nature (Breslov)


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Looking for Something Good to Read?
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* "The Naked Crowd: The Jewish Alternative To Cunning Humanity" [ISBN 978-1-935104-02-5]

by José Faur

Thousands of years ago, the Jewish nation became what Nobel laureate Elias Canetti called a "naked crowd"; a society built on transparency and inclusiveness, impervious to the attempts of would-be tyrants to control the "crowd" through mind-games, linguistic manipulation, and mass hysteria. While the Jewish people have, over the course of history, occasionally lost touch with this foundation of their society, they have never lost the dream of a truly free society for all. In this book, José Faur articulates the essence of the Jewish alternative to the cunning societies of world history.

TheNakedCrowd.com

* "What Is the Meaning of Life" [ISBN 978-1-935104-00-1]

by Marino

Evocative of the Beat generation's cry for the victims of an empty and self-destructive culture, the pages of this book deliver the next generation's answer to that howl. Combining breathtaking and provocative poetry with a piercing social commentary penned by a prodigal teenage artist, this book is a must-read for all who are troubled by the slow decay of American society. Features the acclaimed "Allen Ginsberg, Are You Lonely? / Where Have You Gone, Friedrich Nietzsche?"

ThisIsNotTheMeaningOfLife.com

* "We Are All God's Children" [ISBN 978-1-935104-01-8]

by Joseph Haddad

In a world riddled with xenophobia, materialism, and cynicism, many people are searching for the solution to the ills of modernity. This book proposes an "unorthodox" answer - a return to the ancient narratives and core values of the Jewish Bible may be the key to restoring harmony and fellowship to the human race. In this open and insightful introduction to the Hebrew Bible in its most universal aspects, the author uncovers the basic messages and themes that are truly relevant to all of humanity. *Featuring an epilogue on the current financial crisis*

WeAreAllGodsChildren.com

* "Goy" [forthcoming].

by Ranjit Chatterjee

This captivating autobiography explores one man's international search for a religious identity. Every step along this spiritual-cultural journey is redolent with existential metaphor and meaning; as the author is slowly drawn to the hidden Judaism of the post-modern philosophers and linguists, his relationship with God unfolds in an unexpected pattern.

GoyLikeMe.com

[Derusha's books and authors are changing our world]
DerushaPublishing.com/derusha-books.shtml


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Recalling the True Source of Nature's Bounty
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Jews should reflect at this time on [1] the history of the Israelite nation, that their ancestors lived in a state of impermanence without land for forty years, [2] that this is the harvest season when storehouses are filled, and [3] not think "my own power and the might of my own hand acquired these possesions for me" [Devarim 8:17], but [4] be humble and know that God is the source of bounty.

[Adapted from commentary of RaShBaM on Wayiqra 23:43]


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Remembering Simplicity in Times of Plenty
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The feast of Sukkoth, which is a feast of rejoicing and gladness, is kept seven days, in order that the idea of the festival may be more noticeable. The reason why it is kept in the autumn is stated in the Law, "When you have gathered in your labors from the field" [Shemoth 23:16] - that is, when you rest and are free from pressing tasks.

The feast of Sukkoth reminds us of the miracles wrought in the wilderness; a man ought to remember his poorer days in his days of prosperity. He will thereby be induced to thank God repeatedly, to lead a modest and simple life; we leave our homes and dwell in booths, as do inhabitants of the desert who are in want of comfort.

[Adapted from the words of RaMBaM in "More Nevukhim" III 43]


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"The Whole Man Moves Together"
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The Sages expounded:

The verse states: "All my bones shall declare: God, who is like You?" [Tehillim 35:10]

The verse is referring to the precept of taking the four species. The spine of the palm branch is like a man's spine, the leaves of the myrtle branch are like the eyes, the leaves of the willow branch are like the mouth, and the citron is like the heart. Dawid said: There are no more important parts of the body than these and they are equivalent to the entire body. Thus, when one takes the four species together, he is saying, "All my bones shall declare...".

[Adapted from "Wayiqra Rabba" 30]


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The Joyful Circus of the Sages on Sukkoth
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It was taught in a Baraitha:

They said about R. Shim'on b. Gamliel that when he rejoiced at the Simhath Beth ha-Shoeva, he used to take eight lit torches and throw them in the air, catching one and throwing one, and they did not touch one another.

At the Simhath Beth ha-Shoeva, Lewi used to juggle eight knives in the presence of Ribbi [Yehuda the Prince], Shemuel used to juggle eight glasses filled with wine before the king Shapur of Persia, and Abaye [used to juggle] eight eggs (some say four) before [his teacher] Rabba.

[Adapted from the Talmud Bavli, tractate "Sukka"]


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"Ima Ntu" - Celebrating Sukkoth Among Igbo Jews
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Ima Ntu is still practiced annually by very important Igbo clans, such as Umuoji. During this particular feast, the Igbos make small booths of palm fronds and straw and dwell in them for a number of days. Ntu means booth in the dialect of Umuoji, rendering Uno Ntu as "booth-house." After the construction of these booths, Igbos bring food out from the home for those dwelling in the Uno Ntus. On the last day of the feast, the people stage festive masquerade parties and, in play, destroy the booths. There is much eating, drinking, and - inevitably - dancing, much as there is on Emume Iri Ji (Shavu'oth).

[Adapted from "From Ibri to Igbo: The 40 Million Jews of West Africa" by Remy Ilona (forthcoming), co-founder of the Igbo-Israel Union in Igboland, Nigeria, an organization which is helping Igbo Jews return to Omenana and adopt the halakhic system that has developed in rabbinic Judaism over the past 2500 years]
IgboIsrael.com/remy-ilona.shtml


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Serving God with Joy
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The happiness with which a person should rejoice in the performance of the precepts, and in the love of the God who instructed them, is a great service. Whoever holds himself back from this rejoicing is worthy of retribution, as was said, "...because you did not serve the Lord, your God, with joy and a good heart." [Devarim 28:37] Whoever makes himself proud, apportioning honor to himself, honoring himself in his own eyes, in such situations is a failure and a fool. Shelomo warned concerning this, "Do not glorify yourself before a king." [Mishlei 28:10]

And anyone who lowers himself, thinking lightly of his physical self, in these situations is a great person, worthy of honor, who serves out of love. Therefore, Dawid, king of Yisrael, declares: "I will hold myself even more lightly esteemed than this and be humble in my eyes" [Shemuel II 6:22] because the only greatness and honor is in celebrating before the Lord, as was said, "King Dawid was dancing wildly and whistling before the Lord."

[From the Mishne Tora, "Laws of Shophar, Sukka, and Lulav" 8:15-16]


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Living with Simplicity
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To live with simplicity is to unburden our lives - to live more lightly, cleanly, aerodynamically. It means establishing a more direct, unpretentious, and unencumbered relationship with all aspects of our lives: consuming, working, learning, relating, and so on. Simplicity of living means meeting life face to face. It means confronting life clearly, without unnecessary distractions, without trying to soften the awesomeness of our existence or mask the deeper magnificence of life with pretentious, distracting, and unnecessary accumulations. It means being direct and honest in relationships of all kinds. It means taking life as it is - straight and unadulterated.

[From "Voluntary Simplicity" by Duane Elgin (New York: William Morrow & Company, 1981)]


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Praying Through Nature
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Master of the universe -

Grant me the ability to be alone.

May it be my custom to go outdoors each day,
Among the trees and grasses,
Among all growing things;
There, to be alone and enter into prayer.

There, may I express all that is in my heart,
Talking with God, to whom I belong.

May all the grasses, trees, and plants awaken at my coming.

Send the power of their life into my prayer,
Making my heart and my speech whole
Through the life and spirit of growing things,
Made whole by their transcendent Source.

Oh, that they would enter into my prayer!

Then I could fully open my heart
In prayer, supplication, and sacred speech;
Then, oh God, I could pour out the words of my heart
Before Your presence.

[Meditation of R. Nahman of Breslov]


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Have a question? Contact us!
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As always, we are eager to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, comments, or suggestions.

Regards and best wishes for a meaningful week,

Gil Amminadav
gil.a@derushapublishing.com

Elana Amminadav
elana.a@derushapublishing.com



=============================================
About Derusha Publishing LLC
=============================================

Derusha Publishing is a dynamic and versatile company that prints poetry and philosophy, history books and prayerbooks, translations of traditional texts and post-modern commentaries on our common culture.

Derusha Publishing is working with readers everywhere to make the world a better place, one word at a time. Publishing is more than just our business - it's our vision.

Derusha Publishing LLC
407 Jane St
2nd Floor
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
contact@derushapublishing.com

Please feel free to forward this newsletter in its entirety to friends, family, and others whom you feel it will benefit.

To sign up for this newsletter, please visit DerushaPublishing.com/signup1.shtml

Thank you and Shabbath Shalom!