Akedah

 

 

Binding of Isaac, from Gershonides’ Commentary on the Pentateuch (1429)
 

 

וַיִּקְרְב֥וּ יְמֵֽי־דָוִ֖ד לָמ֑וּת וַיְצַ֛ו אֶת־שְׁלֹמֹ֥ה בְנ֖וֹ לֵאמֹֽר

When David’s life was drawing to a close, he instructed his son Solomon as follows:

אָנֹכִ֣י הֹלֵ֔ךְ בְּדֶ֖רֶךְ כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וְחָזַקְתָּ֖ וְהָיִ֥יתָֽ לְאִֽישׁ

“I am going the way of all the earth; be strong and show yourself a man. 

1 Kings 2:1-2

 

Jacob

 

 

"Joseph and his brothers carry Jacob's body back to the land of Canaan" (1897)

1948

 

 "A New Look at the 1948 War", Benny Morris
 

 

“Turn into yourself, return home to your innermost self and to your innermost life.”

Franz Rosenzweig

 

"Heimat is a Space in Time" de Thomas Heise

 

 

Trailer
 

Bob Dylan

 

"Desolation Row"

 

 "They're selling postcards of the hanging
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad they're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight
From Desolation Row.

Cinderella, she seems so easy
"It takes one to know one," she smiles
And puts her hands in her back pockets
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning,
"You belong to Me I Believe."
And someone says, "You're in the wrong place, my friend
You'd better leave."
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row.

Now the moon is almost hidden
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortune-telling lady
Has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody is making love
Or else expecting rain
And the Good Samaritan, he's dressing
He's getting ready for the show
He's going to the carnival tonight
On Desolation Row.

Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her twenty-second birthday
She already is an old maid
To her, death is quite romantic
She wears an iron vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking
Into Desolation Row.

Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
NOW, he looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
You would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row.

Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They ARE trying to blow it up
Now his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps the cards that read
"Have Mercy on His Soul"
They all play on the penny whistle
You can hear them blow
If you lean your head out far enough

From Desolation Row.
Across the street they've nailed the curtains
They're getting ready for the feast
The Phantom of the Opera
In a perfect image of a priest
They are spoon-feeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
After poisoning him with words
And the Phantom's shouting to skinny girls
"Get outta here if you don't know"
Casanova is just being punished for going
To Desolation Row.

At midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
Then they bring them to the factory
Where the heart-attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see that nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row.

Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
Everybody's shouting
"Which side are you on?"
And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row.

Yes, I received your letter yesterday
About the time the door knob broke
When you asked me how I was doing
Or was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mention
Yes, I know them, they're quite lame
I had to rearrange their faces
And give them all another name
Right now I can't read too good
Don't send me no more letters no
Not unless you mail them
From Desolation Row"

Vida

 

Ocellaris clownfish swimming on an anenome near Koh Lipe island, Tailand  

 

 

וַיֵּ֥רַע אֶל־יוֹנָ֖ה רָעָ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֑ה וַיִּ֖חַר לֽוֹ

This displeased Jonah greatly, and he was grieved.

וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֨ל אֶל־יְהוָ֜ה וַיֹּאמַ֗ר אָנָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ הֲלוֹא־זֶ֣ה דְבָרִ֗י עַד־הֱיוֹתִי֙ עַל־אַדְמָתִ֔י עַל־כֵּ֥ן קִדַּ֖מְתִּי לִבְרֹ֣חַ תַּרְשִׁ֑ישָׁה כִּ֣י יָדַ֗עְתִּי כִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ אֵֽל־חַנּ֣וּן וְרַח֔וּם אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֙יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד וְנִחָ֖ם עַל־הָרָעָֽה

He prayed to the LORD, saying, “O LORD! Isn’t this just what I said when I was still in my own country? That is why I fled beforehand to Tarshish. For I know that You are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, renouncing punishment.

וְעַתָּ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה קַח־נָ֥א אֶת־נַפְשִׁ֖י מִמֶּ֑נִּי כִּ֛י ט֥וֹב מוֹתִ֖י מֵחַיָּֽי

Please, LORD, take my life, for I would rather die than live.”

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה הַהֵיטֵ֖ב חָ֥רָה לָֽךְ

The LORD replied, “Are you that deeply grieved?” 

 

Jonah 4:1-4

Akedah

 

"The Akedah in Jewish Liturgy", Reuven Kimelman
 

Erich Fromm

 

On Happy Normal People (1977)
 

Kafka

 

 

"Kafka's Place After the Tel Aviv Trial", with Mark Anderson & Mark Gelber
 

Nova Iorque

 

 

New Amsterdam, now called "New York" (from a print dated 1667)
 

Sefarad

 

 

 "Family Papers, a Sephardic Journey Through the Twentieth Century", Sarah Stein
 

Vida

 

 

Colobus monkeys eat the flowers of a flamboyant tree, also known as Royal Poinciana, Kenya

 

לָכֵ֗ן כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ אַשּׁ֔וּר לֹ֤א יָבוֹא֙ אֶל־הָעִ֣יר הַזֹּ֔את וְלֹֽא־יוֹרֶ֥ה שָׁ֖ם חֵ֑ץ וְלֹֽא־יְקַדְּמֶ֣נָּה מָגֵ֔ן וְלֹֽא־יִשְׁפֹּ֥ךְ עֳלֶ֖יהָ סֹלְלָֽה

“Assuredly, thus said the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not enter this city; He shall not shoot an arrow at it, Or advance upon it with a shield, Or pile up a siegemound against it.

בַּדֶּ֥רֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֖א בָּ֣הּ יָשׁ֑וּב וְאֶל־הָעִ֥יר הַזֹּ֛את לֹ֥א יָב֖וֹא נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃

He shall go back By the way he came, He shall not enter this city —declares the LORD;

וְגַנּוֹתִ֛י עַל־הָעִ֥יר הַזֹּ֖את לְהֽוֹשִׁיעָ֑הּ לְמַֽעֲנִ֔י וּלְמַ֖עַן דָּוִ֥ד עַבְדִּֽי

I will protect and save this city for My sake And for the sake of My servant David.”

וַיֵּצֵ֣א ׀ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֗ה וַיַּכֶּה֙ בְּמַחֲנֵ֣ה אַשּׁ֔וּר מֵאָ֛ה וּשְׁמֹנִ֥ים וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה אָ֑לֶף וַיַּשְׁכִּ֣ימוּ בַבֹּ֔קֶר וְהִנֵּ֥ה כֻלָּ֖ם פְּגָרִ֥ים מֵתִֽים

[That night] an angel of the LORD went out and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp, and the following morning they were all dead corpses.

וַיִּסַּ֣ע וַיֵּ֔לֶךְ וַיָּ֖שָׁב סַנְחֵרִ֣יב מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֑וּר וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב בְּנִֽינְוֵֽה

So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and retreated, and stayed in Nineveh.

Isaiah 37:33-37

 

Mulher Maravilha

 

 

Won­der Wom­an’s debut in All Star Comics #8 (Decem­ber 1941-Jan­u­ary 1942)

 

Rabbi Meir Soloveichik

 

"The Miraculous Case for God: A View from Jewish History"

 

Akedah

 

 "Hasidic Views of the Akedah", Shaul Magid

 

Judah

 

עַתָּ֗ה יֵֽשֶׁב־נָ֤א עַבְדְּךָ֙ תַּ֣חַת הַנַּ֔עַר עֶ֖בֶד לַֽאדֹנִ֑י וְהַנַּ֖עַר יַ֥עַל עִם־אֶחָֽיו

Therefore, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord instead of the boy, and let the boy go back with his brothers.

כִּי־אֵיךְ֙ אֶֽעֱלֶ֣ה אֶל־אָבִ֔י וְהַנַּ֖עַר אֵינֶ֣נּוּ אִתִּ֑י פֶּ֚ן אֶרְאֶ֣ה בָרָ֔ע אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִמְצָ֖א אֶת־אָבִֽי

For how can I go back to my father unless the boy is with me? Let me not be witness to the woe that would overtake my father!”

Genesis 44:33-34

 

Miri­am Michel­son

 

Vida

 

 

Egrets fly before taking up a position for fishing in a waterhole in the Barpeta district of Assam, India
 

Índia

 

The 452-year-old Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi
 

Ben Hecht

 

 

 

 "Ben Hecht: Fighting Words, Moving Pictures", Adina Hoffman (2019)
 

 

Dovid Bashevkin

 

"The Story of Dovid Bashevkin"
 

H. G. Adler

 

"The City Without Jews" de H.K. Breslauer

"The City Without Jews" (1924) - Trailer

Vida

 

Bats flying in the city of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
 

 

 

"The Story of Hannukah", Ori Sherman (1985)
 

 

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I put you in charge of all the land of Egypt.”

Genesis 41:41 

 

 

וַֽיַּאֲמִ֛ינוּ אַנְשֵׁ֥י נִֽינְוֵ֖ה בֵּֽאלֹהִ֑ים וַיִּקְרְאוּ־צוֹם֙ וַיִּלְבְּשׁ֣וּ שַׂקִּ֔ים מִגְּדוֹלָ֖ם וְעַד־קְטַנָּֽם

The people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast, and great and small alike put on sackcloth.

וַיִּגַּ֤ע הַדָּבָר֙ אֶל־מֶ֣לֶך נִֽינְוֵ֔ה וַיָּ֙קָם֙ מִכִּסְא֔וֹ וַיַּעֲבֵ֥ר אַדַּרְתּ֖וֹ מֵֽעָלָ֑יו וַיְכַ֣ס שַׂ֔ק וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב עַל־הָאֵֽפֶר

When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

וַיַּזְעֵ֗ק וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ בְּנִֽינְוֵ֔ה מִטַּ֧עַם הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ וּגְדֹלָ֖יו לֵאמֹ֑ר הָאָדָ֨ם וְהַבְּהֵמָ֜ה הַבָּקָ֣ר וְהַצֹּ֗אן אַֽל־יִטְעֲמוּ֙ מְא֔וּמָה אַ֨ל־יִרְע֔וּ וּמַ֖יִם אַל־יִשְׁתּֽוּ

And he had the word cried through Nineveh: “By decree of the king and his nobles: No man or beast—of flock or herd—shall taste anything! They shall not graze, and they shall not drink water!

וְיִתְכַּסּ֣וּ שַׂקִּ֗ים הָֽאָדָם֙ וְהַבְּהֵמָ֔ה וְיִקְרְא֥וּ אֶל־אֱלֹהִ֖ים בְּחָזְקָ֑ה וְיָשֻׁ֗בוּ אִ֚ישׁ מִדַּרְכּ֣וֹ הָֽרָעָ֔ה וּמִן־הֶחָמָ֖ס אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּכַפֵּיהֶֽם

They shall be covered with sackcloth—man and beast—and shall cry mightily to God. Let everyone turn back from his evil ways and from the injustice of which he is guilty.

מִֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יָשׁ֔וּב וְנִחַ֖ם הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וְשָׁ֛ב מֵחֲר֥וֹן אַפּ֖וֹ וְלֹ֥א נֹאבֵֽד

Who knows but that God may turn and relent? He may turn back from His wrath, so that we do not perish.”

וַיַּ֤רְא הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶֽת־מַ֣עֲשֵׂיהֶ֔ם כִּי־שָׁ֖בוּ מִדַּרְכָּ֣ם הָרָעָ֑ה וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים עַל־הָרָעָ֛ה אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר לַעֲשׂוֹת־לָהֶ֖ם וְלֹ֥א עָשָֽׂה

God saw what they did, how they were turning back from their evil ways. And God renounced the punishment He had planned to bring upon them, and did not carry it out.

 

Jonah 4:5-10

Gal Gadot

 

"Wonder Woman 1984": Trailer
 

 

Vida

 

 

A Morus bassanus, known as a northern gannet, dives to fish off the coast of northern France
 

Israel

 

 

"The Wrestle", Stainless steel sculpture, Grisha Bruskin (1996)
 

 

José

 

 

 "Joseph Explaining His Dream to His Brothers", Antonio Tempesta (ca. 1600)
 

Marrocos

 

 Buying pastries at the kosher bakery *Madame Khal', in the Moroccan city of Casablanca (December, 2020) 

 

 

Vida

 

 

 A wooly monkey (Lagothrix lagotricha), Colombia

 

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

 

 

"Book of Numbers" 

Hanukkah!

 

וַיְהִ֧י דְבַר־יְהוָ֛ה אֶל־יוֹנָ֖ה שֵׁנִ֥ית לֵאמֹֽר

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:

ק֛וּם לֵ֥ךְ אֶל־נִֽינְוֵ֖ה הָעִ֣יר הַגְּדוֹלָ֑ה וִּקְרָ֤א אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ אֶת־הַקְּרִיאָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י דֹּבֵ֥ר אֵלֶֽיךָ

“Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it what I tell you.”

וַיָּ֣קָם יוֹנָ֗ה וַיֵּ֛לֶךְ אֶל־נִֽינְוֶ֖ה כִּדְבַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה וְנִֽינְוֵ֗ה הָיְתָ֤ה עִיר־גְּדוֹלָה֙ לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים מַהֲלַ֖ךְ שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת יָמִֽים

Jonah went at once to Nineveh in accordance with the LORD’s command. Nineveh was an enormously large city a three days’ walk across.

וַיָּ֤חֶל יוֹנָה֙ לָב֣וֹא בָעִ֔יר מַהֲלַ֖ךְ י֣וֹם אֶחָ֑ד וַיִּקְרָא֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר ע֚וֹד אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְנִֽינְוֵ֖ה נֶהְפָּֽכֶת

Jonah started out and made his way into the city the distance of one day’s walk, and proclaimed: “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 

 

Jonah 3:1-4

Rússia

 

 "Catherine II and the Jews: The Origins of the Pale Settlement", Prof. Richard Pipes (2012) 

 

Philip Guston (Phillip Goldstein)

 

"The Studio" (1969)
 

Shloshim

 

 Tribute to mark the completion of Shloshim for Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l 

Vida

 

 

A murmuration fills the sky as the sun sets in Rome. 

Ornithologists estimate that up to 5m starlings descend on the Italian city each winter

América

 

 

"Embarkation of the Pilgrims", Robert Walter Weir (1857) 

depicting English Puritans with William Bradford departing their temporary home in Holland

 

 

 

וַיִּוָּתֵ֥ר יַעֲקֹ֖ב לְבַדּ֑וֹ וַיֵּאָבֵ֥ק אִישׁ֙ עִמּ֔וֹ עַ֖ד עֲל֥וֹת הַשָּֽׁחַר

Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.

וַיַּ֗רְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָכֹל֙ ל֔וֹ וַיִּגַּ֖ע בְּכַף־יְרֵכ֑וֹ וַתֵּ֙קַע֙ כַּף־יֶ֣רֶךְ יַעֲקֹ֔ב בְּהֵֽאָבְק֖וֹ עִמּֽוֹ

When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he wrenched Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the socket of his hip was strained as he wrestled with him.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שַׁלְּחֵ֔נִי כִּ֥י עָלָ֖ה הַשָּׁ֑חַר וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אֲשַֽׁלֵּחֲךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־בֵּרַכְתָּֽנִי

Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.”

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו מַה־שְּׁמֶ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר יַעֲקֹֽב

Said the other, “What is your name?” He replied, “Jacob.”

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לֹ֤א יַעֲקֹב֙ יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל

Said he, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed.”

וַיִּשְׁאַ֣ל יַעֲקֹ֗ב וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַגִּֽידָה־נָּ֣א שְׁמֶ֔ךָ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה תִּשְׁאַ֣ל לִשְׁמִ֑י וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֹת֖וֹ שָֽׁם

Jacob asked, “Pray tell me your name.” But he said, “You must not ask my name!” And he took leave of him there.

וַיִּקְרָ֧א יַעֲקֹ֛ב שֵׁ֥ם הַמָּק֖וֹם פְּנִיאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־רָאִ֤יתִי אֱלֹהִים֙ פָּנִ֣ים אֶל־פָּנִ֔ים וַתִּנָּצֵ֖ל נַפְשִֽׁי

So Jacob named the place Peniel, meaning, “I have seen a divine being face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”

וַיִּֽזְרַֽח־ל֣וֹ הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָבַ֖ר אֶת־פְּנוּאֵ֑ל וְה֥וּא צֹלֵ֖עַ עַל־יְרֵכֽוֹ

The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping on his hip.

עַל־כֵּ֡ן לֹֽא־יֹאכְל֨וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־גִּ֣יד הַנָּשֶׁ֗ה אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־כַּ֣ף הַיָּרֵ֔ךְ עַ֖ד הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה כִּ֤י נָגַע֙ בְּכַף־יֶ֣רֶךְ יַעֲקֹ֔ב בְּגִ֖יד הַנָּשֶֽׁה

That is why the children of Israel to this day do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the socket of the hip, since Jacob’s hip socket was wrenched at the thigh muscle. 

 

Genesis 32:25-33

Harvard

 "Jews without Apology: Some Lessons from my years at Harvard", Ruth Wisse

Ishmael

 

 

"Hagar and Ishmael in the Desert", Emanuel Krescenc Liška

 

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

 

 

"Lavan and Tekheles, Confronting the world when it becomes perplexing"

 

Vida

 

A Dalmatian Pelican, Lake Kerkini in Greece
 

 

"Crossing the Sea", Yoram Raanan
 

Akedah

 

"The Akedah in the Work of S.Y. Agnon", Jeffrey Saks
 

Leonard Cohen

 

"It's Torn"

 "I see you in windows that open so wide
There's nothing beyond them and no one inside
You kick off your sandals and shake out your hair
The salt on your shoulders like sparks in the air
There's silt on your ankles and sand on your feet
The river too shallow, the ocean too deep
You smile at your suffering, the sweetest reprieve
Why did you leave us, why did you leave

You kick off your sandals and shake out your hair
It's torn where you're dancing, it's torn everywhere
It's torn on the right andit's torn on the left
It's torn in the center which few can accept

It's torn where there's beauty, it's torn where there's death
It's torn where there's mercy but torn somewhat less
It's torn in the highest from kingdom to crown
The messages fly but the network is down
Bruised at the shoulder and cut at the wrist
The sea rushes home to its thimble of mist
The opposites falter, the spirals reverse
And Eve must re-enter the sleep of her birth
And up through the system the worlds are withdrawn
From every dominion the mind stood upon
And now that it's over and now that it's done
The name has no number, not even the one

Come gather the pieces all scattered and lost
The lie in what's holy, the light in what's not
The story's been written the letter's been sealed
You gave me a lily but now it's a field

You kick off your sandals and shake out your hair
It's torn where you're dancing, it's torn everywhere"  

 

 

וַיְמַ֤ן יְהוָה֙ דָּ֣ג גָּד֔וֹל לִבְלֹ֖עַ אֶת־יוֹנָ֑ה וַיְהִ֤י יוֹנָה֙ בִּמְעֵ֣י הַדָּ֔ג שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה יָמִ֖ים וּשְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה לֵילֽוֹת

The LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah; and Jonah remained in the fish’s belly three days and three nights.

וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֣ל יוֹנָ֔ה אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו מִמְּעֵ֖י הַדָּגָֽה

Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish.

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר קָ֠רָאתִי מִצָּ֥רָה לִ֛י אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה וַֽיַּעֲנֵ֑נִי מִבֶּ֧טֶן שְׁא֛וֹל שִׁוַּ֖עְתִּי שָׁמַ֥עְתָּ קוֹלִֽי

He said: In my trouble I called to the LORD, And He answered me; From the belly of Sheol I cried out, And You heard my voice.

וַתַּשְׁלִיכֵ֤נִי מְצוּלָה֙ בִּלְבַ֣ב יַמִּ֔ים וְנָהָ֖ר יְסֹבְבֵ֑נִי כָּל־מִשְׁבָּרֶ֥יךָ וְגַלֶּ֖יךָ עָלַ֥י עָבָֽרוּ

You cast me into the depths, Into the heart of the sea, The floods engulfed me; All Your breakers and billows Swept over me.

וַאֲנִ֣י אָמַ֔רְתִּי נִגְרַ֖שְׁתִּי מִנֶּ֣גֶד עֵינֶ֑יךָ אַ֚ךְ אוֹסִ֣יף לְהַבִּ֔יט אֶל־הֵיכַ֖ל קָדְשֶֽׁךָ

I thought I was driven away Out of Your sight: Would I ever gaze again Upon Your holy Temple?

אֲפָפ֤וּנִי מַ֙יִם֙ עַד־נֶ֔פֶשׁ תְּה֖וֹם יְסֹבְבֵ֑נִי ס֖וּף חָב֥וּשׁ לְרֹאשִֽׁי

The waters closed in over me, The deep engulfed me. Weeds twined around my head.

לְקִצְבֵ֤י הָרִים֙ יָרַ֔דְתִּי הָאָ֛רֶץ בְּרִחֶ֥יהָ בַעֲדִ֖י לְעוֹלָ֑ם וַתַּ֧עַל מִשַּׁ֛חַת חַיַּ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָֽי

I sank to the base of the mountains; The bars of the earth closed upon me forever. Yet You brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God!

בְּהִתְעַטֵּ֤ף עָלַי֙ נַפְשִׁ֔י אֶת־יְהוָ֖ה זָכָ֑רְתִּי וַתָּב֤וֹא אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ תְּפִלָּתִ֔י אֶל־הֵיכַ֖ל קָדְשֶֽׁךָ

When my life was ebbing away, I called the LORD to mind; And my prayer came before You, Into Your holy Temple.

מְשַׁמְּרִ֖ים הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא חַסְדָּ֖ם יַעֲזֹֽבוּ

They who cling to empty folly Forsake their own welfare,

וַאֲנִ֗י בְּק֤וֹל תּוֹדָה֙ אֶזְבְּחָה־לָּ֔ךְ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָדַ֖רְתִּי אֲשַׁלֵּ֑מָה יְשׁוּעָ֖תָה לַיהוָֽה

But I, with loud thanksgiving, Will sacrifice to You; What I have vowed I will perform. Deliverance is the LORD’s!

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוָ֖ה לַדָּ֑ג וַיָּקֵ֥א אֶת־יוֹנָ֖ה אֶל־הַיַּבָּשָֽׁה)

The LORD commanded the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon dry land. 

 

Jonah 2

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

 

"Pursuing Happiness with the Dalai Lama"
 

William Bradford

 

 

Vida

 

Common cranes fly at sunset, east of Budapest, Hungary
 

Amor

 

 

 "Does God Love the Jews?", Meir Soloveichik & Shai Held (2016)
 

Akedah

 

 

"What the Akedah Can Tell Us About Leadership", Erica Brown

Sarajevo

 

Sephardi Jewish couple from Sarajevo in traditional clothing (1900) 

 

 

וְהָֽעֹלָה֙ עַל־ר֣וּחֲכֶ֔ם הָי֖וֹ לֹ֣א תִֽהְיֶ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר ׀ אַתֶּ֣ם אֹמְרִ֗ים נִֽהְיֶ֤ה כַגּוֹיִם֙ כְּמִשְׁפְּח֣וֹת הָאֲרָצ֔וֹת לְשָׁרֵ֖ת עֵ֥ץ וָאָֽבֶן

And what you have in mind shall never come to pass—when you say, “We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, worshiping wood and stone.”

חַי־אָ֕נִי נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֑ה אִם־לֹ֠א בְּיָ֨ד חֲזָקָ֜ה וּבִזְר֧וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֛ה וּבְחֵמָ֥ה שְׁפוּכָ֖ה אֶמְל֥וֹךְ עֲלֵיכֶֽם

As I live—declares the Lord GOD—I will reign over you with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with overflowing fury.

וְהוֹצֵאתִ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ מִן־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים וְקִבַּצְתִּ֣י אֶתְכֶ֔ם מִן־הָ֣אֲרָצ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר נְפוֹצֹתֶ֖ם בָּ֑ם בְּיָ֤ד חֲזָקָה֙ וּבִזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבְחֵמָ֖ה שְׁפוּכָֽה

With a strong hand and an outstretched arm and overflowing fury I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered,

וְהֵבֵאתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֔ם אֶל־מִדְבַּ֖ר הָֽעַמִּ֑ים וְנִשְׁפַּטְתִּ֤י אִתְּכֶם֙ שָׁ֔ם פָּנִ֖ים אֶל־פָּנִֽים

and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples; and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 

 

Ezekiel 20:32-35

Leonard Cohen

 

"The Hills"
 

 

"I can make the hills
The system is shot
I'm living on pills
For which I thank G-d
My animal howls
My angel's upset
But I'm not allowed
A trace of regret
For someone will use
The thing I could not be
My heart will be hurt impersonally
She'll step on the path
She'll see what I mean
My will cut in half
And freedom between
For less than a second
Our lives will collide
The endless suspended
The door open wide
And she will be born
To someone like you
What I left undone
She will certainly do
I know she is coming
And I know she will look
And that is the longing
And this is the hook
I can't make the hills
The system is shot
I'm living on pills
For which I thank G-d
My page was too white
My ink was too thin
The day wouldn't write
What the night penciled in
But I know she is coming
And I know she will look
And that is the longing
And this is the hook
(I know she is coming)
And I know she will look
(That is the longing)
And this is the hook
I can make the hills
The system is shot
I'm living on pills
For which I thank G-d
I sailed like a swan
I sank like a rock
But time is long gone
Past my laughingstock
And I can make the hills
The system is shot
I'm living on pills
For which I thank God" 

Mikhail Zhvanetsky

 

"To become younger"
 

Vida

 

 Cranes fly above a lake during the migration season on a foggy morning at the Hula Nature Reserve in northern Israel 

 

Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits

 

Akedah

 

  "God commands Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice", Domenichino (1628)

Leonard Cohen

 

"Thanks for the Dance"
 

"Thanks for the dance
I'm sorry you're tired
The evening has hardly begun
Thanks for the dance
Try to look inspired
One two three, one two three one

There's a rose in your hair
Your shoulders are bare
You've been wearing this costume forever

So turn up the music
Pour out the wine
Stop at the surface
The surface is fine
We don't need to go any deeper
Thanks for the dance
I hear that we're married
One two three, one two three one
Thanks for the dance
And the baby you carried
It was almost a daughter or a son

And there's nothing to do
But to wonder if you
Are as hopeless as me
And as decent

We're joined in the spirit
Joined at the hip
Joined in the panic
Wondering if
We've come to some sort
Of agreement

It was fine it was fast
We were first we were last
In line at the Temple of Pleasure
But the green was so green
And the blue was so blue
I was so I
And you were so you
The crisis was light
As a feather

Thanks for the dance
It was hell, it was swell
It was fun
Thanks for all the dances
One two three, one two three one" 

Roma

 

The casts of what are believed to have been a rich man and his male slave fleeing the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago (79 C.E.)    

 

 

"Bamidbar", Yoram Raanan
 

 

וַיִּֽירְא֤וּ הָֽאֲנָשִׁים֙ יִרְאָ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֔ה וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ אֵלָ֖יו מַה־זֹּ֣את עָשִׂ֑יתָ כִּֽי־יָדְע֣וּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים כִּֽי־מִלִּפְנֵ֤י יְהוָה֙ ה֣וּא בֹרֵ֔חַ כִּ֥י הִגִּ֖יד לָהֶֽם

The men were greatly terrified, and they asked him, “What have you done?” And when the men learned that he was fleeing from the service of the LORD—for so he told them—

וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ מַה־נַּ֣עֲשֶׂה לָּ֔ךְ וְיִשְׁתֹּ֥ק הַיָּ֖ם מֵֽעָלֵ֑ינוּ כִּ֥י הַיָּ֖ם הוֹלֵ֥ךְ וְסֹעֵֽר

they said to him, “What must we do to you to make the sea calm around us?” For the sea was growing more and more stormy.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם שָׂא֙וּנִי֙ וַהֲטִילֻ֣נִי אֶל־הַיָּ֔ם וְיִשְׁתֹּ֥ק הַיָּ֖ם מֵֽעֲלֵיכֶ֑ם כִּ֚י יוֹדֵ֣עַ אָ֔נִי כִּ֣י בְשֶׁלִּ֔י הַסַּ֧עַר הַגָּד֛וֹל הַזֶּ֖ה עֲלֵיכֶֽם

He answered, “Heave me overboard, and the sea will calm down for you; for I know that this terrible storm came upon you on my account.”

וַיַּחְתְּר֣וּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים לְהָשִׁ֛יב אֶל־הַיַּבָּשָׁ֖ה וְלֹ֣א יָכֹ֑לוּ כִּ֣י הַיָּ֔ם הוֹלֵ֥ךְ וְסֹעֵ֖ר עֲלֵיהֶֽם

Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to regain the shore, but they could not, for the sea was growing more and more stormy about them.

וַיִּקְרְא֨וּ אֶל־יְהוָ֜ה וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ אָנָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ אַל־נָ֣א נֹאבְדָ֗ה בְּנֶ֙פֶשׁ֙ הָאִ֣ישׁ הַזֶּ֔ה וְאַל־תִּתֵּ֥ן עָלֵ֖ינוּ דָּ֣ם נָקִ֑יא כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר חָפַ֖צְתָּ עָשִֽׂיתָ

Then they cried out to the LORD: “Oh, please, LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life. Do not hold us guilty of killing an innocent person! For You, O LORD, by Your will, have brought this about.”

וַיִּשְׂאוּ֙ אֶת־יוֹנָ֔ה וַיְטִלֻ֖הוּ אֶל־הַיָּ֑ם וַיַּעֲמֹ֥ד הַיָּ֖ם מִזַּעְפּֽוֹ

And they heaved Jonah overboard, and the sea stopped raging.

וַיִּֽירְא֧וּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֛ים יִרְאָ֥ה גְדוֹלָ֖ה אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה וַיִּֽזְבְּחוּ־זֶ֙בַח֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וַֽיִּדְּר֖וּ נְדָרִֽים

The men feared the LORD greatly; they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and they made vows. 

 

Jonah 1:10-16

Vida

 

 

A tiny northern saw-whet owl, named Rockefeller, who was found in the Christmas tree 

transported from Oneonta, New York state, to the Rockefeller Center in New York City, 170 miles away

 

Rebeca

 

"Isaac Blesses Jacob", Gustave Doré (1866)
 

Heinrich Heine

 

 

 (1829)

 

Leonard Cohen

 

"Moving On"
 

 

"I loved your face I loved your hair
Your t-shirts and your evening-wear
As for the world the job the war
I ditched them all to love you more

And now you're gone, now you're gone
As if there ever was a you
Who broke the heart and made it new?
Who's moving on, who's kiddin' who?

I loved your moods I love the way
They threaten every single day
Your beauty ruled me though I knew
Twas more hormonal than the view

Now you're gone, now you're gone
As if there ever was a you
Queen of lilac, queen of blue
Who's moving on, who's kiddin' who?

I loved your face I loved your hair
Your t-shirts and your evening-wear
As for the world the job the war
I ditched them all to love you more

And now you're gone, now you're gone
As if there ever was a you
Who held me dyin' pulled me through
Who's moving on, who's kiddin' who?

Who's moving on, who's kiddin' who?"

Jean Améry

 

 (Hanns Chaim Mayer)

 

 

"Adam and Eve. Downfall", Andrey Mironov (2012)
 

 

וַיֶּעְתַּ֨ר יִצְחָ֤ק לַֽיהוָה֙ לְנֹ֣כַח אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ כִּ֥י עֲקָרָ֖ה הִ֑וא וַיֵּעָ֤תֶר לוֹ֙ יְהוָ֔ה וַתַּ֖הַר רִבְקָ֥ה אִשְׁתּֽוֹ

Isaac pleaded with the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD responded to his plea, and his wife Rebekah conceived.

וַיִּתְרֹֽצֲצ֤וּ הַבָּנִים֙ בְּקִרְבָּ֔הּ וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אִם־כֵּ֔ן לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה אָנֹ֑כִי וַתֵּ֖לֶךְ לִדְרֹ֥שׁ אֶת־יְהוָֽה

But the children struggled in her womb, and she said, “If so, why do I exist?” She went to inquire of the LORD,

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה לָ֗הּ שְׁנֵ֤י גיים [גוֹיִם֙] בְּבִטְנֵ֔ךְ וּשְׁנֵ֣י לְאֻמִּ֔ים מִמֵּעַ֖יִךְ יִפָּרֵ֑דוּ וּלְאֹם֙ מִלְאֹ֣ם יֶֽאֱמָ֔ץ וְרַ֖ב יַעֲבֹ֥ד צָעִֽיר

and the LORD answered her, “Two nations are in your womb, Two separate peoples shall issue from your body; One people shall be mightier than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.”

וַיִּמְלְא֥וּ יָמֶ֖יהָ לָלֶ֑דֶת וְהִנֵּ֥ה תוֹמִ֖ם בְּבִטְנָֽהּ

When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb.

וַיֵּצֵ֤א הָרִאשׁוֹן֙ אַדְמוֹנִ֔י כֻּלּ֖וֹ כְּאַדֶּ֣רֶת שֵׂעָ֑ר וַיִּקְרְא֥וּ שְׁמ֖וֹ עֵשָֽׂו

The first one emerged red, like a hairy mantle all over; so they named him Esau.

וְאַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֞ן יָצָ֣א אָחִ֗יו וְיָד֤וֹ אֹחֶ֙זֶת֙ בַּעֲקֵ֣ב עֵשָׂ֔ו וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ יַעֲקֹ֑ב וְיִצְחָ֛ק בֶּן־שִׁשִּׁ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה בְּלֶ֥דֶת אֹתָֽם

Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.

וַֽיִּגְדְּלוּ֙ הַנְּעָרִ֔ים וַיְהִ֣י עֵשָׂ֗ו אִ֛ישׁ יֹדֵ֥עַ צַ֖יִד אִ֣ישׁ שָׂדֶ֑ה וְיַעֲקֹב֙ אִ֣ישׁ תָּ֔ם יֹשֵׁ֖ב אֹהָלִֽים

When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the outdoors; but Jacob was a mild man who stayed in camp. 

 

Genesis 25:21-27

Vida

 

 

A crown-of-thorns starfish at Swains reef, part of the Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia 

 

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

 

 

"The Way of Responsibility: The Jewish Future"  

 

Armistício

"The Memorial Board Up Close", Bevis Marks Synagogue
 

Akedah

 

 "The Challenge of the Akedah", Jon Levenson
 

Leonard Cohen

 

"Happens to the Heart"
 

"I was always working steady
But I never called it art
I got my shit together
Meeting Christ and reading Marx
It failed my little fire
But it's bright the dying spark
Go tell the young messiah
What happens to the heart

There's a mist of summer kisses
Where I tried to double-park
The rivalry was vicious
The women were in charge
It was nothing, it was business
But it left an ugly mark
I've come here to revisit
What happens to the heart

I was selling holy trinkets
I was dressing kind of sharp
Had a pussy in the kitchen
And a panther in the yard

In the prison of the gifted
I was friendly with the guards
So I never had to witness
What happens to the heart

I should have seen it coming
After all I knew the chart
Just to look at her was trouble
It was trouble from the start
Sure we played a stunning couple
But I never liked the part
It ain't pretty, it ain't subtle
What happens to the heart

Now the angel's got a fiddle
The devil's got a harp
Every soul is like a minnow
Every mind is like a shark
I've broken every window
But the house, the house is dark
I care but very little
What happens to the heart

Then I studied with this beggar
He was filthy, he was scarred
By the claws of many women
He had failed to disregard
No fable here no lesson
No singing meadowlark
Just a filthy beggar guessing
What happens to the heart

I was always working steady
But I never called it art
It was just some old convention
Like the horse before the cart
I had no trouble betting
On the flood, against the ark
You see, I knew about the ending
What happens to the heart

I was handy with a rifle
My father's .303
I fought for something final
Not the right to disagree"