Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Story in Ivrit

I was thinking about my personal thoughts and reflections on פרק ב (when it's all angry and accusatory towards G-d), and it reminded me of a story I read in Ivrit (either this year or last year), and I wanted to see what other people thought about it.

It does make sense that once you snap out of the shock when something bad happens, that you go to anger and accusations. You’re confused and scared, and you have no idea what’s going on. I don’t think that it would be acceptable behavior under normal circumstances, but here, I think it’s justified, at least to a point.
It kind of reminds me of a story we read in Ivrit class (last year, I think) about a Rabbi telling his students to go see what the poor, simple tailor did to “celebrate” Yom Kippur. When they went, they saw the tailor taking out 2 books: one huge and one very small. He took the small book and said, “G-d, written here are all the things my family and I have done against you this year,” then he picked up the huge book, “and written here are all the things You have done against my family and me. If we want to weigh it out, really, You should owe me, but I’ll make a deal with You. If you forgive my family and me for what we have done against You, we will forgive You for what You have done against us.”
When we talked about the story in class, we decided that should any of us try something like that, it would be considered complete chutzpah. Because the tailor didn’t know any other way to connect to G-d, it was okay for him to do it that way, and even good enough that the Rabbi sent his students to see it. I’m basically trying to say that because this was the point that ירושלים was at, and because she didn’t know any different and/or had no other way to do so, I think that it was okay for her to act the way she did here at this point in her development.

1 comment:

  1. I remember the story a little bit differently -- I thought it was more that each person has their own way of connecting with G-d and we shouldn't judge another for the way they connect with G-d.
    But I guess the message is the same either way --- atleast she is communicating and trying to connect with G-d, even if it's angry and bitter.

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