Happy Hanukkah

"Miracles are the retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see." (C.S. Lewis)

           Hanukkah is the season of miracles. Every year, for as long as I can remember, the melodies of “Maoz Tzur” and “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah”, the smells of latkes and sufganyot, the sights of the lit hanukkiah in the window and falling snow, yes even gentile Christmas lights, have served to recall to mind miracles of the past. As we sit around the table and sing and light the hanukkiah with friends and family, we recount the great works of Hashem and the things He has wrought, not only in our lives, but in those of our ancient ancestors – the Maccabees, David, Moses, Abraham – in the life of every Jew throughout the ages. Moreover, we do not only reminisce about the past, but we pray for miracles to be wrought for us once again during this season.

            Meditating on miracles, have we ever asked ourselves what a miracle actually is? Have we contemplated the nature of what we deem “a miraculous act”, an “act of God”,  etc.? Do miracles consist of small things that are initiated by God, such as a sunrise or a rainbow, or are they only apparent in the big things, the out-of-the-ordinary events, the unexplainable occurrences, like the splitting of the Red Sea? Is the ebb and flow of the ocean’s tide miraculous, or can we only call an amazing feat such as David’s felling of Goliath, a miracle? Are some miracles more miraculous than others, i.e., are there “levels” of miracles? Do miracles consist of interruptions in God’s laws of nature?

            To answer these questions, we must define what a miracle is. To do this, I will rely mainly upon C.S. Lewis’ book “Miracles”, his classic work in defense of miraculous happenings. Without going into the heavily sophisticated philosophical thought into which Lewis delves (which includes the ideas of Plato, Aristotle, and Augustine,) I will attempt to outline his definition of the events which we call “miracles”. (Lewis goes on to argue that miracles prove the existence of God, but there’s no need to discuss that aspect of his argument.)

            Lewis begins his discussion of miracles by first stating what a miracle is, what it isn’t, and why. The most comprehensive passage answering these questions is the one in which he states, “I use the word Miracle to mean an interference with Nature by supernatural power…It is therefore inaccurate to define a miracle as something that breaks the laws of Nature. It doesn't. ... If God creates a miraculous spermatozoon in the body of a virgin, it does not proceed to break any laws. The laws at once take it over. Nature is ready. Pregnancy follows, according to all the normal laws, and nine months later a child is born. ... The divine art of miracle is not an art of suspending the pattern. ... The great complex event called Nature, and the new particular event introduced into it by the miracle, are related by their common origin in God, and doubtless, if we knew enough, most intricately related in his purpose and design, so that a Nature which had had a different history, and therefore been a different Nature, would have been invaded by different miracles or by none at all. In that way the miracles and the previous course of Nature are as well interlocked as any other two realities, but you must go back as far as their common Creator to find the interlocking…The rightful demand that all reality should be consistent and systematic does not therefore exclude miracles: but it has a very valuable contribution to make to our conception of them. It reminds us that miracles, if they occur, must, like all events, be revelations of that total harmony of all that exists. Nothing arbitrary, nothing simply “stuck on” and left un-reconciled with the texture of total reality, can be admitted. By definition, miracles must of course interrupt the usual course of Nature; but if they are real they must, in the very act of so doing, assert all the more the unity and self-consistency of total reality at some deeper level. ... In calling them miracles we do not mean that they are contradictions or outrages; we mean that, left to her [Nature] own resources, she could never produce them.”

            In other words, Lewis is rejecting the idea that supernatural intervention disrupts God’s creation.  He states there are “rules behind the rules” – instead of portraying a God who must mess with His Creation in order to correct its mistakes, miracles reveal a God who can basically do what He wants with His Nature because, while miracles to us seem to be an interruption of the “Laws of Nature”, they are not interruptions but rather intricate and vital pieces of God’s bigger plan. In fact, it is rather arrogant of us to assume that we know so much about the flow of God’s system that we view anything out-of-the-ordinary as a snag in a fabric that is not our own.

            In the latter part of this passage – which can be a little difficult to follow – Lewis is arguing that if a miracle were an invasion from a hostile outside source, Nature would not be as accommodating as it is. Using his example of the virgin birth, in which the “Laws” of Nature immediately take over once the miracle has occurred, we see that Nature is, as he puts it, “an accomplished hostess.” Does this accommodation thus point towards a hostile invasion? No, I believe it implies the opposite; “If God annihilates or creates or deflects a unit of matter He has created a new situation at that point. Immediately all Nature domiciles this new situation, makes it at home in her realm, adapts all other events to it.”

In a chapter on “Natural Laws” Lewis again addresses this issue – whether or not miracles are incompatible with the “Laws of Nature”. If they are incompatible, then God would not allow them to happen, because that would be a disturbance of the systems He has set in place. But if they are compatible, then miracles are definite "interventions" that go beyond natural laws. Thus miracles are consistent with nature, but beyond natural law. Ergo, they point to a new law, a different law, one that transcends the laws of Newton and science's fundamental absolutes. This Higher Law is revealed through miracles. In a miracle such as the splitting of the Red Sea, (an occurrence that is definitely impossible when we take into account the “laws” of water molecules, hydrogen bonding, and gravity,) we see a greater Power at work than that with which we are commonly familiar. As Lewis stated in the passage above, “left to her [Nature] own resources, she could never produce them.”

So back to my initial question – is a sunrise a miracle? According to this definition, that miracles are interventions in the commonly accepted Laws of Nature, I would say not. Is the splitting of the Red Sea a miracle? As it goes against the known Laws of Nature, yes, it is one of the most obvious exemplifications of a miracle. But with this definition, we must not see miracles as God’s abeyances or interferences with the day-to-day occurrences of His Creation. Exceptions, yes – disruptions, no. Even these exceptions are not God saying, “Well I suppose I can change My Law of gravity for you this one time…” Rather He is communicating to us; “These are My Laws – this is My Creation and I can do with it as I wish, and so doing, reveal My immeasurable power.” As the book of Job queries: “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea…” (Job 11: 7, 9)

Much of society has ceased to believe in miracles, because they have ceased believing in God. They do not understand how the laws of science can be “broken” by the Being who set them in place. As C.S. Lewis said, “Belief in miracles, far from depending on an ignorance of the laws of nature, is only possible in so far as those laws are known. We have already seen that if you begin ruling out the supernatural you will perceive no miracles. We must now add that you will equally perceive no miracles until you believe that nature works according to regular laws. If you have not yet noticed that the sun always rises in the East you will see nothing miraculous about his rising one morning in the West.” The atheists have observed these natural laws but have failed to recognize the Prime Mover.

But as us Jews meditate on the mighty deeds of Hashem in our people’s past and present, we can’t help but see the God who has done so much for us throughout the ages – we can’t help but see the bigger Picture behind these events – and we can’t help but recount His acts with wonder and gratitude. This definition of miracles, which reveals the large and powerful God running our world, gives an even deeper meaning to the awesome deeds He has performed.

Happy Hanukkah.

Five Fabulous Jewish Videos

Feeling a little bored?

Here are my top five favorite videos made by some talented Jews..  Enjoy!! :)  (Best is last.)

The Purim Song

Kosher Plate Medley (A Capella)

Candlelight by the Maccabeats

Hanukkah Rock of Ages

Rosh Hashanah Rock - Jewish Party Anthem!!! 

An Argument for the Awesomeness of Tennyson

                                                                            

                    “I hold it true, whate'er befall;

                    “I feel it when I sorrow most;

                  “ ‘Tis better to have loved and lost

                    "Than never to have loved at all."

Everyone has heard the latter part of this stanza at least once in their lifetime, but not everyone knows who penned these famous words about love and loss. The author was Alfred “Eccentric” Lord Tennyson, one of the greatest poets who ever lived, and certainly the greatest poet of his time.

Alfred was born in England, the fourth of twelve children, in 1809, the same year in which Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were also born. When he was eighteen in 1827 he left to study at Cambridge, where he became part of a literary group called the “Apostles”. He toured Europe with his best friend Hallam, who later became engaged to Alfred’s sister Emily. In 1833 Alfred went back home, no longer able to afford college tuition, and it was there that he learned that Hallam had died suddenly of fever while travelling abroad. His terrible grief at his friend’s death influenced much of his later poetry, especially the great elegy “In Memoriam.”

In 1850 William Wordsworth, Britain’s Poet Laureate, died, and Tennyson was named to take his place. He married Emily Sellwood, whom he had loved since 1836, and they moved in 1853 to a country house on the Isle of Wight where they raised two sons named Hallam and Lionel. Later in life Tennyson continued to write and gain popularity, and his poetry began to follow a narrative style. In 1884 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert granted Alfred a baronetcy. In 1892 he died at the age of 83 from heart failure and was buried in Westminster Abby. 

Although Tennyson was popular in his own day, his successors the Edwardians and Georgians of the early 1900s often mocked and ridiculed him, accusing him of escapism in his themes of knights, Camelot, and chivalry. Today, however, many critics consider him the greatest poet of the Victorian age. From Milton to Tennyson there was no poet combining in his person all the skills of expressing detail, love and reverence for God, optimism, and penetrating introspection with uniqueness, nor has there been one since Tennyson. To the critics, four predominant poetic traits make Alfred Lord Tennyson the greatest poet of the Victorians – to me, they make him one of the greatest poets in the history of language. These are: his skill in portraying details such as color, how he stands out from the other Romantic poets such as Wordsworth and Keats, the method by which his poems culminate in optimism and hope in God, and, most importantly, his belief in and reverence for God.

 One of Tennyson’s most prevailing characteristics is his ability to convey color to the mind’s eye of the reader. For example, in “The Lady of Shalott”, Sir Lancelot’s attire is described in rich detail: “All in the blue unclouded weather / Thick-jewell’d shone the saddle-leather / The helmet and the helmet-feather / Burn’d like one burning flame together / As he rode down to Camelot. / As often thro’ the purple night / Below the starry clusters bright / Some bearded meteor, trailing light / Moves over still Shalott. / His broad clear brow in sunlight glow’d / On burnish’d hooves his war-horse trode / From underneath his helmet flow’d / His coal-black curls as on he rode / As he rode down to Camelot.”

Tennyson learned much of this sense of imagery from Keats, but his portrayals are vivid rather than vague, his colors brilliant in imagination rather than soft and fanciful. In “Morte d’Arthur”, Excalibur's hilt "twinkled with diamond sparks, / Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth-work / Of subtlest jewelry.” Tennyson was famous for these passages of sparkling color and poetic artistry and it is one of the strongest points of his poetry. As an early twentieth century critic praises this ability; “His appreciation for sensuous beauty, especially color, is acute…his descriptions are magnificently beautiful, often with much detail…Add the truth and tenderness of his emotion, and it results that he is one of the finest and most moving of lyric poets.” (Alfred Tennyson from A History of English Literature, by Robert Huntington Fletcher, 1918)

Another one of Tennyson’s greatest assets was his singularity among all of the other Romantic poets, including Keats, Coleridge, and Wordsworth. He stands alone in many of his themes, motifs, and symbols, as well as his modes of expression and ideals. Unlike the other Romantics, who viewed nature as a sort of thing to be worshipped, Tennyson put nature into its proper perspective as a medium expressing and pointing the way towards the higher Creator Being. Some of his predominant themes are, the reconciliation of religion and science, the virtues of perseverance and optimism, and the glory of England, while some of Keats’ prevailing themes consist of the inevitability of death and the worship of beauty in nature, (“Beauty is truth, and truth, beauty.”) Wordsworth mourned the passing of England’s glory and Coleridge is notorious for a certain bizarre use of language and remoteness from reality –these characteristically Romantic traits contrast Tennyson’s reverence for England and for the importance of accurate scientific detail in his poetry. Undoubtedly Tennyson was influenced by his Romantic predecessors, but he veered from their path in numerous ways, and became the father of Victorian poetry in so doing.

   Out of Tennyson’s poetic themes, extolling the virtues of optimism is one of the greatest and most unique – after his best friend’s death he struggled through a time of intense despair, which he eventually overcame. Many of his poems exemplify this struggle with despair and hope, culminating in the ultimate victory of optimism over depression, and the realization of the need to carry on trusting in God. This need for perseverance is best expressed in the works “Ulysses” and “In Memoriam,” but it also appears in “The Lotos Eaters”, “The Lady of Shalott”, and “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” The latter two glorify characters who embrace their destinies in the face of death.

The ideas of Tennyson’s poetry are noble, yet conservative, expressing the Victorian ideals of his time. Instead of becoming confused and straying from religion because of the scientific discoveries of his time, as so many Christians did, he used his poetry to reconcile this newly discovered science with God.

God is essentially the optimism of Tennyson’s poetry. It is best expressed in his long “In Memoriam”, a series of short poems woven together to create an elegy to his dead friend, Arthur Hallam. It begins as a tribute to the “Strong Son of God”, and folds out into the argument that, though man, never having seen God’s face, has no proof of His existence, he can still reach God through faith. Tennyson attributes the sun and moon to God, acknowledging Him as the creator of life and death. The Son of God Tennyson portrays as both human and divine – man controls his own will, but the Son of God has also predestined each man for a purpose. The speaker in “In Memoriam” expresses the hope that “knowledge [of God will] grow from more to more” though this knowledge should be combined with a reverence for God’s incalculable wisdom. The speaker also repeatedly asks that God would forgive him for his grief for “Thy creature, whom I found so fair.” Yet Tennyson concludes the poem with the hope that his best friend lives on in a better and higher World.

 “In Memoriam” is seen as the ultimate expression of Tennyson’s belief in God; “In religion, his inherited belief, rooted in his deepest fibers, early found itself confronted by the discoveries of modern science, which at first seemed to him to proclaim that the universe is much what it seemed to the young Carlyle, a remorseless monster, 'red in tooth and claw,' scarcely thinkable as the work of a Christian God who cares for man. Tennyson was too sincere to evade the issue, and after years of inner struggle he arrived at a positive faith in the central principles of Christianity.” (Alfred Tennyson from A History of English Literature, by Robert Huntington Fletcher, 1918

Thus Tennyson stands alone on a pedestal of greatness, for though the Romantic Keats and Wordsworth had genius, they did not have belief in God, and their genius was misplaced worshipping ideas such as Nature and Innocence. Though many more modern poets following Tennyson have used their poetry and genius to glorify God, they have not expressed their ideals as exquisitely, nor with as much skill, as Tennyson has done. His vivid and beautiful use of the English language combined with the wide variety of  poetic forms he mastered, such as lyrics, ballads, “descriptive poems, sentimental reveries, and idyls; long narratives, in which he displays perfect narrative skill; delightfully realistic character-sketches, some of them in dialect; dramas; and meditative poems, long and short, on religious, ethical, and social questions”, (Alfred Tennyson from A History of English Literature, by Robert Huntington Fletcher, 1918) place him among the great geniuses of literature. Alternatively, his departure from the accepted and usual themes and ideals of these geniuses set him apart into his own category of greatness, reserved only for those masters who gave glory to their Giver for their mastery.

Reflections On Turning Eighteen

Eighteen is a landmark age. It seems so… old!! 

If I so desired, I could smoke cigarettes, have an unrestricted driver’s license, and join the military without my parents’ permission! Such exciting times.

            Unlike most teenagers however, I find myself looking at my birthday with a little sadness and apprehension. So much is expected of us eighteen year-olds in the adult world… So many standards have been set for the things I am supposed to have accomplished, the challenges I am supposed to have faced, the degrees and accreditation I am supposed to have earned. Why so much pressure on living? Why does everyone I meet find it imperative to know where I’m going to college, if I am driving, if I am working, when I finish high school, if I have a boyfriend; what exactly the blueprint for my future looks like? I don’t understand why They feel like They have a right to critique my choices as a neo-adult, just because I seem to have survived another 365 days on this planet we call Earth. From whence springs this attitude?

            Funnily enough, I display the same attitude towards other eighteen-year olds… “What are you going to do with your life? That? Oh, that’s… interesting…” - while the script in my thought bubble is running something like this… “What an idiot. He/she will never get anywhere in life.” Then again, where exactly are all us teens supposed to be “going” in life anyway? The Ivies?

       
 This mentality, this emphasis on SAT scores and diplomas and degrees and GPAs and titles, is undoubtedly not an exclusively American attitude, but it seems to seriously pervade American culture and living more than any other nation’s. I never noticed it before high school, but as soon as my freshman year began, I started to hear and perceive this attitude everywhere, even, eventually, in myself. Americans really are obsessed with the idea of legitimacy – whether you can prove “it” by official-looking papers or sheets of numbers doesn’t matter, as long as you can prove “it.” One of my favorite movies, Catch Me If You Can, makes much fun of this attitude – its famous and appropriate phrase is, “looking at the pinstripes”… Do we not all look at the pinstripes, the letters after the name, the biographies, the test results, the uniform… just a little too hard, while excluding the important things - the conversation, the personality, the good deeds, the speech…? As I reflect on turning eighteen, I become conscious of this exclusion more than ever.

            These pinstripers believe, not so much that you are what you have done, but that you are the hoop through which you have jumped, like a circus dog or something.  These pinstripers can be partially excused for this mentality for two reasons – a), in some cases, there really is no way of measuring a person’s ability and intelligence from a distance unless they pass a certain standardized test that will give the tester some idea as to what the testee is capable of: and b) because, to a certain extent, tests such as the SAT, or college degrees such as the master’s, do prove that you have worked hard to do well and obtain a certain legitimacy. But in many ways They have taken this rationale too far… as have many of us. I believe firmly that institutions such as public school have only exacerbated the shallowness and rigidity of this approach.

           It isn’t only outside pressure that causes me apprehension about my maturing age… It is the realization of how time marches on and we are powerless to stop, or to even slow, its winding course. I realize of course that I have my entire life in front of me and that it’s pointless to moan about having one foot in the grave when I’m only eighteen. But it is good for us, whether we are eight years old or eighty, to occasionally stop and contemplate the futility and terminality of this play we call Life, on this stage we call World, in which, as Shakespeare famously put it, we are but actors. Looking back upon my first act, I realize that I have some regrets, along with a bit of wistfulness – after all, I can never get that time back, and that is somewhat a depressing thought.

            When I think about being older, sometimes it frightens me. This is because it seems as though an older “me” won’t really be “me” at all – that in reality I am who I am now, and when I become an old woman, it will be like I am disguised as someone I’m not. This idea of course, like all fear, is illogical. Though I was Anna when I was eight, I am still Anna ten years later, and I will still be Anna when I am twenty-eight, no matter how much my persona has altered. If our powerlessness to halt Time is a problem, the solution is to make the most of the Time we do have, and to “let the great world spin for ever down the ringing grooves of change.” Is that not all we can do?

            So, I conclude these musings with excitement, for eighteen is an exciting age, on the brink of the real adult world, full of promise and uncertainties and hopeful dreams. My personality is virtually formed. Hopefully I possess that common sense which is, according the Einstein, “the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
And to put this excitement into yet another quote, this one by my favorite poet….

 “So many worlds, so much to do, so little done, such things to be!” 

A Post for Thanksgiving

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you make look back and realize they were the big things.” ~Robert Brault

                                                            

As we meditate on our deepest and most miraculous blessings, we shouldn't forget the common everyday things that we must also be thankful for... Sometimes it is those things that make who we are and how we view our days. Here is a list of 50 little things for which I am grateful.....

1. Cinnamon in my coffee.

2. A smile and friendly “hi!” from a stranger.

3. When my inbox is full.

4. Buzz.

5. A good book on a rainy day.

6. Quoting movie lines.

7. An extra-long hug from a friend.

8. Being able to concentrate in prayer.

9. Whoever invented Fig Newtons.

10. Funny chat statuses.

11. The smell of toast.

12. Laughing out loud at my friends’ witty emails.

13. Slippers.

14. Coming into a warm room from the cold outdoors.

15. Taking off a pair of socks or stockings I’ve worn all day.

16. Writing with a good, inky pen.

17. Scarves :)

18. Dessert my sister made.

19. Snow falling at night.

20. When my current favorite song is playing on the radio.

21. Computer backgrounds and ipod wallpapers

22. Ankle-deep leaves on the street.

23. When people laugh at my jokes.

24. Crawling into clean sheets.

25. Waking up with a song in my head.

26. Mascara.

27. Guests at the Shabbat table.

28. Challah.

29. Birthday surprises.

30. Previews.

31. When my friends think I composed a saying by my favorite author.

32. Inside jokes.

33. Soundtracks.

34. Latin quotes.

35. “How It Should Have Ended” videos.

36. Unique words.

37. Sunsets.

38. Reading old stories I forgot I wrote.

39. Mozart symphonies.

40. Watching three (or four….) movies in a row at night.

41. Smiling in bed when remembering funny memories.

42. Dancing when no one is looking.

43. Bossing adults around at cycling class :)

44. Understanding something when everyone else is confused.

45. Laughing at The People of WalMart

46. Good poetry.

47. Hardback books.

48. Writing the “pi” symbol.

49.  Sand between my toes.

50. When Scarlett falls asleep purring in my lap. 

Senior Thesis - Proof Three, Parts One & Two

The Right of the Jews to the Land of Israel, Proof III

Meritorious Right

The Jewish nation not only possesses the right of military conquest and historical ownership, but the right of merit as well. Under the hands of the Jews the land of Israel has blossomed from a bare desert to a prosperous nation in a short 64 years. Since 1948 Israel has developed into a country with more companies in NASDAQ than all of Europe combined, ranking third after the U.S. and China; in 2008, it had more than twice the global venture capital of the U.S., 30 times that of Europe and 80 times that of China. (Student Life, Dan Senor Speaks About Israel’s Economic Success by Becky Prager.) This is merely one of many statistics proving, in simple black-and-white fact, that the Jews have earned their right to possess Israel.

Merit, according to definition, is “the quality or actions that constitute the basis of one’s rewards or punishments.” Our fundamental sense of justice, an innate part of every human being’s consciousness, creates an awareness of what we and others deserve for our actions. The idea of justice is also an important concept in the history of human rights, something for which wars have been fought, laws have been passed, violence has been perpetrated, and philosophies have been formed. I don’t attempt to argue that, because the Jews suffered the horrors of the Holocaust in the mid-twentieth century, they deserve a land of their own, though it certainly should be compensation. Rather, the fact that Israel’s economy has flourished since 1948 proves that they are amply capable of its care, representing the only democracy in the tempestuous Mideast.

1.) Economic History of prosperity

Economically Israel’s recent history has been characterized by growth and prosperity. During the British Mandate as Britain was preparing to hand Israel over to the Jews, their economical and political systems developed separately from those of the Palestinians’; Israel experienced rapid growth during this era due to the influx of both immigrants and capital. After this, in spite of the financial challenges it faced with immediate wars, new settlements, and adjustment to new government, its transition from British territory to Jewish state went relatively smoothly. Israel introduced a New Economic Policy in 1952 and achieved an especially high growth rate from 1950 to 1965 – real GNP increased by 11% while GDP per capita grew by 6%. “Following independence, the new state’s economy was structured around three basic elements: high defense costs, mass immigration absorption, and the building of new institutions such as banks, a national insurance institute, and government agencies, all of which necessitated massive infusions of public money into the economy.” (MERIA, Middle Eastern Journal of International Affairs, Journal, Volume 6, No. 3 - September 2002, Israel’s Economic Growth; Success Without Security, by Linda Sharby.)

2.) Success Against All Odds

As demonstrated by this brief summary of Israel’s economic history, the Jews faced and overcame numerous challenges at the inception of their new state. A mere few of the numerous odds against them were; a wasteland left by centuries of foreign misrule, six wars, enemies on all sides, an economic boycott by the disgruntled Arabs, an isolated diplomacy, and monumental task of creating a new nation from scratch. “Nonetheless, Israel has a strong, modern, and diversified economy that in 2000 posted an annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $104.1 billion, 40% of which consisted of exports of goods and services. Growth for 2000 reached six percent. Israel’s per capita Gross National Income (GNI) for 2000, at almost $17,000, placed the state ahead of Spain, Portugal, Greece, and New Zealand… 64-year-old Israel now ranks as a high-income economy and was identified as one of the most global emerging markets by Foreign Policy magazine’s Globalization Index. Over the past decade, Israel’s high-technology industry, second only to California’s Silicon Valley in concentration of firms, powered economic growth and attracted massive Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the country, a figure that reached $4.4 billion in 2000.” (MERIA, Middle Eastern Journal of International Affairs, Journal, Volume 6, No. 3 - September 2002, Israel’s Economic Growth; Success Without Security, by Linda Sharby.)

As Mr. Wohstetter of the American Spectator points out in his article Israeli Exceptionalism, the United States at its inception was faced with none of Israel’s challenges – America was a land rich in natural resources, protected by two oceans, and populated by a few primitive Indian tribes, yet it took a full century to progress from George Washington’s inauguration to the “final frontier.” “Along the way, America had time to develop and prosper, shielded from the destructive wars of monarchical Europe, until in 1917 it came to the rescue of a Europe attempting to commit suicide.

“Israel had no such luxury. Shooting started the very night that news of the November 29, 1947 UN partition resolution reached the Mideast, and continued through Israel's May 14, 1948 proclamation of statehood. Sixty-three years of unremitting Arab hostility have followed. Israel is a tiny island surrounded by more than one-quarter of a billion Arabs, virtually none of whom think there should be a single Jew in the Mideast.” (The American Spectator, Israeli Exceptionalism, by John D. Wohlstetter.)  

 In 1867, 81 years before the Jews took possession, American author Mark Twain described the Holy Land, outside of Jewish settlements: “There is not a solitary village throughout its whole extent--not for thirty miles in either direction. There are two or three small clusters of Bedouin tents, but not a single permanent habitation. One may ride ten miles hereabouts and not see ten human beings...” Yet in less than a century, under the care of the Jews, Israel became one of the most prosperous nations in the world, surpassing even highly developed countries such as the U.S. in high-tech developments, exports, sales profits, etc., especially since it shifted its economic policy from socialistic to capitalistic during the past twenty years. She ranks third in the world in the number of university graduates per capita, possesses the highest per capita number of scientists in the world, publishes the largest amount of scientific papers per capita in the world, possesses one of the lowest inflation rates during the global economic crisis (2.3 %,) and the 24^th largest economy in the world, (in spite of being the 81^st smallest country.) Israel’s economy is based on significant resources such as copper, sulfur, citrus, dairy, vegetables, poultry and beef while the industry is primarily composed of high-tech projects, along with chemical and plastic productions. This makes for a highly diversified economy, a prerequisite to political and national financial stability.

 In 64 years Israel has been forced to fight 6 full-scale defensive wars to maintain her place in the nucleus of the Middle East. Yet she has developed into one of the most industrious and fertile nations in the world. How did this happen?

“Against the backdrop of the events that typically cause Israel to be in the news …people often forget that there are normal things happening in Israel. And in many cases, extraordinary things, like the amazing performance of the Israeli economy over the past decade. Haaretz reports that the TA-25, the flagship index of the Israeli stock market, has increased forty percent in the last year. A period that has included a month of warfare, massive public discontent with the Israeli political echelon, and the takeover of Gaza by Hamas. …What accounts for this growth? A vital factor is of course the Israeli culture, which embraces entrepreneurship, risk-taking, and ingenuity… (Michael J. Totten, Middle East Journal, July 13, 2007, The Israeli Economic Miracle, by Noah Pollak)

Aside from supernatural factors, which are clearly the key to the Jews’ success, several Jewish characteristics help explain how they overcame the monumental challenges facing their new country to meet with such results. For one thing, their enemies have been predominantly external, excepting the violent pockets of Palestinians throughout the country. Israel has never experienced a civil war, nor does it appear that she will anytime in the near future. Moreover, her military is one of the best in the world – out of necessity Israel has invested significant amounts of time, money and resources into defending her borders. “National military service is mandatory for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18, although Arab citizens are exempted if they so please and other exceptions may be made on religious, physical or psychological grounds.  Men serve three years in the IDF, while women serve two.” (Wikipedia, Israel Defense Force, Service) In 2010 Israel’s money supply decreased which could lead to stability in the long term – flooding a country with excess cash can lead to inflation, but Israel should be able to keep their inflation low. (MoneyNews.com, Israel: A Safe Haven of Economic Prosperity by Jacob Wolinsky) 

All of these practical factors contributed to Israel’s unexpected economical success. From a pragmatic point of view, the Jews overcame impossible odds by mustering their available resources and indefatigable Jewish ingenuity to make their nation one of the most prosperous leaders in the world today. Contrast their country to Cyprus, which was likewise ruined by Turkish rule, yet stands far beneath Israel in terms of financial success. Cyprus’ climate and agriculture are very similar to Israel’s. Perhaps the different nationalities occupying these territories have something to do with this contrast.  

To Autumn

This ode was written by John Keats, an English romantic poet. "Ode to Autumn" is known as the most simple of Keats' odes, depicting the features of fall in quiet, poetic terms. 
Keats was born in 1795 and died young from tuberculosis in 1821. He was only twenty-six years old. 

                          SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.
2. Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.
3. Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Fashion For Fall

Wondering which styles will make the top 10 list for autumn? Interestingly enough, vintage trends such as velvet and peplum seem to dominate 2011's fall runways - so do weird things like polka dots and graphic design! (Who gets to decide what's "in" anyway??!? I often wonder...) Sometimes it's interesting to see how intertwined are society and fashion. So if you're planning on going shopping anytime soon ladies, here are a few things to keep your eyes open for... 

 1. BIG Number One.... Back to the 18th Century - LACE                           

Lace reminds me of a lot of things.... ancient wedding dresses, old-fashioned frilly baby caps, grandmothers crocheting, petticoats... but it has never called New York's catwalk to mind - until 2011. Lace is definitely in - hence its place of honor on my list! Lace cardigans, lace skirts, lace tights, long lace undershirts, lace-covered shoes, black lace, pink lace, gray lace, tan lace, white lace.... I've even seen jewelry covered in lace. It really isn't a bad idea, and when compared to all the other bizarre fabrics on the runways, it certainly seems like the fashionists and fashionistas might be onto something, and, what's more, have displayed good taste for once. So keep a close lookout for lace!

2. Back to the 80's - LEATHER

                In contrast to old-fashioned feminine lace, leather-everything also made a significant appearance on autumn's runways. Lace vs. leather... an interesting contrast. I wonder if women's struggle for dominance over men in our society has anything to do with this masculine trend. 

                Everyone could use at least one leather jacket in their closets - at the very minimum, a leather handbag! You don't need to go for this biker leather-beserk look, but one or two leather pieces wouldn't be a bad idea for this fall. Believe it or not, even leather skirts are in... 

3. Back to the Future.... Those Colors?????

Lace and leather are not so radical... but how about mustard yellow and Yves Klein blue? It's then that things start to get a little weird...
           But they may not be as avant-garde as you think. Take mustard yellow, for example. When put together just the right way, it can be an awesome shade... and so fallish! If it's a good color on you, go with a trendy cardigan in that color. (Hey, if Miss-40s on the left there can look that good in one, why can't I??) If not, a pair of trendy heels! And if it you are a non-mustard and a non-heel person, try mustard flats.
           And for the ultra mustardaphobes, (and yes, I did just make that word up,) go with a mustard scarf peeping out from under your jacket. The point is, something mustard must (haha, get it??) find its way into your wardrobe for fall. (Plus, it sort of matches all those pretty leaves!)

      So must jade green. Now that is a color that pretty much looks good on everybody. Try a maxi sweater in this color, (maxi sweaters are also in) or a choker dress (so are these) for fancy occasions. And then there's the jade-green scarf. That always works.
 

Last rad color - (and probably my fav) - Yves Klein blue! And you always have to say it or write it with an exclamation mark! Because it's just that kind of color!
           Yves Klein was a modern French artist who liked to paint with this shade of blue for some reason. Shoes in the Yves Klein shade ROCK. They really do. But you should wear this blue paired with minimal shades, such as a black skirt, (with those shoes,) or a tan outfit, if you opt for Yves Klein jewelry/accessories. Yves Klein blue provides a perfect pop of color for a dull day (and for a dull look.)
           Then of course, there's always the Yves Klein blue scarf... (for the YvesKleinblueaphobes.)

4. PATTERNS Till You Puke (Not Really)

Patterns have always dominated the runway... but it's the type of patterns that make the era unique. This season's top two: polka dots (yuk!) and black-on-white blocking (yay!)

        Okay, I guess polka dots can be cute... in small doses, though,  please. Frilly polka dotted shirts are good, especially under trendy fall cardigans/jackets. (Think denim or lace.) Polka dotted hair accessories, such as headbands, are cute. So are those scarves. (Obviously.)

Black blocking white (or vice versa)... Now we're talking. This is the classiest of classy looks ever invented. Black is in perpetual style, as is white, and when you put them together... it looks good on pretty much anyone pretty much anywhere. It's formal, ultrakool, mature, and very modern. Always.

So try this look - it's not too hard. All you need is a white piece of clothing, and a piece of black clothing. Try a black cardigan over a white blouse, with black boots and white lace tights. Or a white flowing skirt with black turtleneck and black pumps. Or a dress with Cruella DeVille style color blocking and a lacy white cardigan... the choices are endless. And if you need a bloop of color, there's always that mustard... or Yves Klein blue!... or jade green, all in accessories such as jewelry, hats, head scarves, neck scarves, and handbags. Black-on-white is just too awesome not to do at least once this autumn.

5. A Fantastic and Fabulous Fall Fashion - FEDORAS

A fedora automatically screams out, "Trendy!" It can't help it, it's part of the fedora's nature. It adds class and fashion to any outfit. If you're feeling drab, slap on a fedora and you'll be transformed from ordinary drab to rockstar. Sound almost too good to be true?

Gray, black, beige and tan are the safe colors that go with anything. If you need a splash of color, try a fedora in lilac purple, navy blue, or soft pink. You really can't go wrong with this fantastic hat. Trust me.

  And finally....                  
              6. The Awesomest Trend of the Millennium - LONG SKIRTS

It honestly doesn't get any better than this. Modesty is in style, can you believe it?!? This year, hemlines have gone south to mid-calf and floor-sweeping looks. Pull out every swinging flowing skirt you own - and keep your eyes open, because they might be more available than previously. The length is perfect because it can easily be paired with boots, flats, or heels. Maxi skirts are especially in.

In cold weather you want to pair these skirts with duster coats, trendy scarves, leather boots, cardigans/turtlenecks/maxi sweater or leather jackets, and perhaps a fedora. With warmer weather, a light blouse with a lace cardigan would look good paired with flats - or high heeled, close-toed, pumps. Like black-on-white, long skirts are timeless...but take advantage of them while they're walking the runways in the high-class fashion world and wear them to death!
           So this might not have been the deepest post in the world, but fashion is one of my passions - and even though I may not own a scrap of Yves Klein blue clothing, it's fun and interesting for me to stay updated on what society's trends are with regard to dress.
           Time to go shopping!!!!!!

Getting to Know Milton and His Times

           Thousands of poets have come and gone throughout the ages; only a few bask in the light of distinction. Several names everyone knows are: Shakespeare, Dante, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Homer, Edgar Allan Poe - and John Milton. You have probably heard of all of these men, whether or not you are acquainted with their works and context. And yet Milton's "Paradise Lost" was written about four hundred years ago, in a style unfamiliar and awkward to our modern ears, concerning an archaic tale filled with classical mythology and midrash - how did such a poet "irrelevant" to our modern age create such a timeless pedestal for himself?
           For one thing, Milton's poetry is timeless. For another, he was a truly great man, one of the geniuses of his age and perhaps the most educated poet to ever pick up a pen. "Paradise Lost," for instance, he wrote as an old blind man in prison - he would create the verses in his head at night, and then dictate them to his three daughters in the morning. I myself doubt that I'd be able to read the poem aloud without stumbling, much less compose it and recite it from memory hours later!
          He was born in London on December 9^th, 1608, son of a composer and legal secretary. In those days wealth guaranteed a good education and Milton's family was very well-to-do. (One wonders what the Poets' Hall of Fame would be missing had he been born a pauper.) When he was twelve years old he went to St. Paul’s school in London. Here he began to study Latin and Greek – eventually he would become fluent in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, Spanish, Dutch and Old English! No doubt his profuse knowledge of eight languages contributed to the diversity of language in his writing. According to his younger brother, John would study very hard, often sitting up until one in the morning with a candle. His early classical foundations combined with his self-discipline and innate genius are key factors in his fame and greatness later in life. 

            In the seventeenth century, college took the place of high school, so at seventeen years old John Milton enrolled at Christ’s College in Cambridge. He was hardworking, yet argumentative, which led to his suspension in 1626 after a dispute with his tutor. This was a foreshadowing of the stormy part he would play in politics in the future - Milton always felt he was entitled to his own strong opinions, and had been classically trained to think critically and express himself forcefully. He was eventually assigned a new teacher and graduated with a B.A. in 1629, ranking fourth out of twenty-four honors students. However, he always felt out of place at Cambridge; contradictory to his strong-minded nature, he held a reputation as a sissy, nicknamed "the Lady" for his long curls, scholarly disposition, and effeminate features. Hoping to become an Anglican priest, he stayed to obtain his Master of Arts degree on July 3^rd, 1632. He had made a few good friends, among them Edward King, for whose death he would compose “Lycidas” – and the theologian Roger Williams who tutored Milton in Dutch in exchange for lessons in Hebrew.

           The next six years John "took off" - he moved to the country and spent these days in isolation, studying and reading theology, philosophy, history, politics, and science. This would be deemed a colossal waste of time by our modern views - according to our standards, he was obligated at that point in his life to get a job, to work, to utilize his college degrees. Yet he knew he needed this time alone to continue to deepen his learning, to grow more, to "find himself", so to speak. The results were his well-earned reputation as the most educated English poet of all time, a thorough knowledge of the classics, and a well-trained mind. He continued to write poetry during this time.

            In May 1638 John went on a tour of France and Italy, meeting famous intellectuals such as Galileo, displaying his poetical skills and experiencing new ideas and traditions. News of civil war in England recalled him home in July of 1639. Back in England he began writing prose tracts against episcopacy and became a private tutor. In the spring of 1642, Milton married seventeen-year-old Mary Powell. Unfortunately, it was not a happy marriage and matters were made worse when the English Civil War broke out in August and his wife’s family sided with the king while Milton sided with Parliament. Around this time Milton wrote the “Divorce Tracts,” which advocated divorce and earned him the new nickname “Milton the Divorcer.” 

            In March 1649, the Cromwellian government appointed Milton Secretary of Foreign Tongues. 1652 was a difficult year for Milton – in February he became blind, in May his wife died giving birth to daughter Deborah who later also died, and one-year-old son John died in June. Three years later he remarried, but then his new wife and daughter both died in 1658. Experiencing traumas such as he did in 1652 perhaps created a more mature and stronger Milton - he had come a long ways from near college expulsion over a tiff with a tutor in 1626. 

            Oliver Cromwell also died that October and Cromwellian government came to an end. The period of the Restoration began and Milton was forced into hiding because of his propaganda writings and association with Cromwell. King Charles II was restored to the throne on May 30^th, 1661. In 1663, Milton remarried yet again and spent his time tutoring and writing “Paradise Lost”, which was published in 1667 and received immediate acclaim, admiration, and popularity. Seven years later the poet died of kidney failure on November 8^th. He was buried in the Church of St. Giles Cripplegate.

            John Milton lived during stormy times in England. Charles I and Parliament had been at constant odds for a long time, and in 1642, when Charles raised his royal standard in Nottingham, the break was final. Then three major battles were fought by Charles’ supporters against the supporters of Oliver Cromwell. Charles was defeated for the last time in 1646 at the Battle of Naseby, and he surrendered to the Scots rather than to Parliament. But the Scots broke their promise and sold Charles to Parliament in January of 1647 for £600, 000. Charles then escaped in November to the Isle of Wright and the last battle of the English Civil War was fought at Preston. The supporters of the King were defeated – Charles I was tried at Westminster Hall in January 1649, found guilty, and executed on January 30^th.

            For the next eleven years Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth was the government of England. In theory Parliament was in control, but in reality, it was Cromwell and the army who held the real power. Eventually Cromwell established the Protectorate, effectively making him monarch. This was the government of which Milton was Secretary of Foreign Tongues, and one of which he approved and supported. He wrote many tracts in support of the Commonwealth and its theories. At Cromwell’s death in October of 1658 the Protectorate was at an end and Parliament made the son of Charles I king in 1600.
        These were the tempestuous times in which the great poet lived. They were days well suited to a man such as John Milton, and he played an important role in the drama of England's political turmoil. Amidst the darkness of regicide, harsh Cromwellian government, and general uncertainty and disorder, Milton's epic "Paradise Lost" glimmers as a small point of bright light - the light of the most important tale of redemption in the English language. Milton had been steeped in Christianity since childhood, yet he also unconsciously portrayed the Jewish message of repentance alongside the Christian Messiah's sacrifice in a chaotic chapter of English history. For this he was immortalized in English literature and in the minds and hearts of those touched by salvation in "Paradise Lost" , which has become, for us, "Paradise Regained." 

            

An Introduction to Classical Music - 5 Favorite Pieces

If you think classical music is boring, maybe you've been listening to the wrong pieces.

Sometimes it's difficult to dig through all the works written throughout history, from Handel to Debussy, to find music relating to modern life. However, some pieces are absolutely timeless. Here are five of my favorite classical works to add to your new autumn playlist. Enjoy!


1.The Sunset Piece (Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major by Bach)
This is not this cello suite's official nickname, but it reminds me so much of a sunset every time I hear it that I can't help but call it the Sunset Piece in my own mind. You decide what time of the day it feels like to you. Its rich cello sounds are warm and comforting, in spite of the conflict towards the middle when the key changes to a stormy minor. In the end the conflict is resolved and the notes are back to themes of warm orange sunshine characteristic of a setting sun.  watch Yo Yo Ma play this piece


2. A Snowy Moonlit Garden (Claude Debussy - Clair De Lune)
Inspired and named for moonlight, this nostalgic piece is one of Impressionism's most famous masterpieces. It begins tentatively, then morphs into aggressiveness with its chords, flows into a lovely stream of broken chords and crossovers, and ends on the same shy theme. Written by French genius and pioneer of Impressionist music Claude Debussy, it recalls more than moonlight - it evokes a whole era of music, art and culture during the early twentieth century. Listen to Clair de Lune


3. Passionate Storm (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Symphony No. 25 in G Minor)
The full spectrum of human emotions expressed through Mozart's musical genius are covered in this single movement. The opening bars are undoubtedly angry, perhaps disappointed, and undeniably stirring. Components of the piece reflect passionate happiness which ultimately fades back into the initial passionate hatred. It personally reminds me of Mozart struggling with his genius in an age which did not quite understand him, as he did not quite understand himself. He was perhaps one of the greatest composers who ever lived, and yet he died young and was buried in an unmarked grave, his greatness undiscovered by his own time.
Listen to Mozart's symphony


4. Dreams of Love (Franz Lizst - Liebestraum)

The German Liebestraum is translated "Love Dream," a more than fitting title for this romantic piano piece expressing all the ups and downs, sadnesses and joys, excitement and melancholy of love. It is a very graceful work, calling to mind images of hearts, rainbows, swans, butterflies, etc. :)

Listen to Liebestraum

5. The Music of Israel (Bedrich Smetana: -The Moldau Symphonic Poem)


About one minute into this work, this seemingly Tchaikovsky-sounding symphony starts pouring out the soulful melodies of Israel's national anthem "Hatikvah." I firmly believe this is the only way Hatikvah is meant to be heard and played. The Jewish composer Smetana did a fabulous job with this nineteenth century symphony, and moreover he is to be applauded for his courage to write and perform this work in an era not so favorable to Judaism. Like Mozart, it is a stirring work, yet not in the same passionate manner - the emotion is expressed in a Jewish way through minor keys and graceful melodies. It is a song for the patriotic, dramatic, soulful and/or melancholy mood.
The Poem

A Greek Rhetorician and an American Pastor

I wrote this essay last year for my rhetoric class. It's intriguing to see the influence that Greek rhetoricians still have on modern thought and speech, though they have been dead for centuries. Thanks to classical tradition, this speech made history when it was given by black civil rights idealist, Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963. In this essay I attempted to pinpoint just a few of Aristotle's ancient yet effective rhetorical techniques employed by King in this speech. 

            “One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity…still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition”…

            This famous speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28^th, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial five years before his assassination, utilizes many human emotions and numerous methods of persuasion. One of the most dominant emotions evoked by King’s words is pity – pity for the plight of the black man and for social inequality in our country. Another is indignation – still others are anger, sadness, shame… emotions all analyzed by Aristotle in his The Art of Rhetoric. The Greek philosopher, nearly two thousand years before Dr. King’s time, outlined specific methods for provoking these emotions, methods put here into practice by King. His use of pathos is the decisive element in the effectiveness of this speech – it is what stirred so many American spirits and became the defining moment in the black race’s struggle for equality.

            The two main emotions to which King appeals in this speech are pity and indignation. Moreover it is not so much an appeal directed towards the oppressed as to the oppressors of America, designed to compel them to feel ashamed, drive them to action, and open their eyes to the harsh reality around them. No one, whether white or black, young or old, has heard this speech and remained unmoved by the preacher’s powerful words, crafted with these emotions in mind. They are effective because of the skill of a very persuasive orator, one who would have made Aristotle proud.

            The first and perhaps the most dominant emotion provoked is pity… “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality…We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only".”… Americans who are blind to the situation of inequality among blacks and whites are made acutely aware of its injustice as King portrays our racist society of 1963. Those who are aware and have done nothing are provoked to guilt by these scenarios. Those who are the victims of the injustice are moved from apathy to action. For all, pity is an emotion very powerful and important in regards to King’s aim, which is to peacefully end the social injustices suffered by the Negroes.      

            Aristotle states in his guide to persuasion that the key to stirring up any emotion is to know the states of men’s minds when they are full of this emotion, to know what causes them to feel the emotion, and to know what kinds of men feel the emotion. He must also be aware of how to take advantage of this knowledge. Dr. King utilizes this knowledge of the state of men’s minds when they feel pity, what causes them to feel pity and what kinds of men feel pity. Aristotle’s definition of pity is “a feeling of pain caused by the sight of some evil thing, destructive or painful which befalls one who does not deserve it.” King demonstrates to us that we should pity the oppressed Negro – “We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied...” 

         At the opposite end of the spectrum are the people who cannot feel pity – those who think it impossible for similar evils to befall them and who think they possess all the good things of life. These are the people such as the opponents of and passive bystanders to, the Negros’ fight for freedom… the “vicious racists,… [Alabama’s] governor having his lips dripping with the words ‘interposition’ and ‘nullification’..” of the “dark and desolate valley of segregation.” 

         King also employs the technique of repetition to pound home the message of  social racism’s injustice with phrases such as “now is the time,” we must/cannot”, “let freedom ring,” and, his most famous phrase, “I have a dream.” Those who are not suffering under these conditions are moved to pity for those who are, and the oppressed are likewise moved to pity each other and themselves. Perhaps some blacks standing in Washington that day had previously shut their eyes to their position, felt apathetic, or accepted the situation as their only known mode of life. But on August 28^th of 1963 they could not help being moved to realization and action. Blacks and whites everywhere, across time and land, were captivated by the power of King’s words. “Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.”

            The second primary emotion evoked by this speech is indignation; “…we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient find s in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.” Indignation became a major drive for blacks and whites alike in the civil rights struggle of the 60's - it expressed itself in indigation towards racist whites, towards Southerners in general, towards the laws and government of the nation which had caused so much stifling of equality,  and towards America as a whole. 

         Thus Luther addresses two domininant emotions which played powerful roles in this historic struggle. These emotions, indignation and pity, are ones which Aristotle defined thousands of years ago, ones common to mankind throughout the ages, ones as powerful in modern America as in ancient Greece. Human pathos existed then as it exists now, and Aristotle's pathetic appeal is still capable of stirring men to action - to speak out, to make new laws, to address corruption and oppression, and to try their best to change the world. 

Reflections on a New Year...

Rosh Hashanah is just around the corner and this always prompts an overflow of reflection and thought upon the past months than any other time of year... at least for Jews! We are preparing to head into a new cycle of holidays, prayer, Shabbats, worship, avodas Hashem, mitzvot, etc... These thoughts seem, in their turn, to prompt three things - regret, satisfaction, and gratitude.
      Contemplation upon the past twelve months mainly brings forth regrets for me... .There are so many areas in which I could have done better, so many things I wish I could go back and change. If I had only spent that one hour doing something productive instead of something social - or if I had spent that other hour taking the time to pour into someone who needed help rather than retreating into my own priorities - then perhaps neither of those hours would be bemoaned as "time I can never get back." Time is a funny thing that way - as my Abba put it, there is never going to be another "now" like this "now." Every "now" is its own separate entity, unlike every other "now" that will ever exist. So how do we make each of those "nows" count? Make time to study Torah, and to pour into other people when they ask for it... and don't say "when I have time I will study; for perhaps you will never have time." That is to say, perhaps you will have time, but the time you will have in the future is not going to be the same time you have now. This is time you may be wasting, and later regretting next Rosh Hashanah.
      But contemplation also prompts satisfaction - and not only personal pride, but satisfaction in Hashem, that we have tried our hardest this year to please Him, and that perhaps we have even succeeded in a few areas. As we throw our stones into the river at Tashlich, maybe there are a few less in our hand - or maybe the sins we cast into its depths are not the same ones we cast last year. Have we won any small battles against Goliath this year? I have a paltry few to my credit, though when aligned against my regrets they seem too insignificant to matter. At least I tried. Even if I get discouraged with how futile my efforts at pleasing Him seem to be, even when keeping Torah seems like a waste of time... "should we sin all the more so that grace may abound? Certainly not!" We may think that if we have salvation, it shouldn't matter if we keep the Torah or not... yet... if you were walking along the seashore and suddenly saw that jewels were coming in with the waves and lapping up against your feet... would the knowledge that you couldn't gather them all stop you from attempting to pick up as many as you could???? Mitzvot are jewels.... and though they alone can not save us from the destruction we deserve, why shouldn't we try to be perfect as He is perfect and holy as He is holy?
      Lastly I feel an overflow of gratitude to Hashem this time of year when I reflect upon how gracious He has been to us, in keeping us alive, sustaining us, and privileging us to reach this season. As stated above, we don't deserve that we should be living comfortably in this community, nor that we should be living peacefully as Jews in this world, nor even that we should exist. We do not deserve to be here. But we are..and when I realize this, I also realize how grateful I am. Gratitude is a combination of the above two emotions - regret of our mistakes and shortcomings, and satisfaction in our salvation through the Torah. As I come into Rosh Hashanah and the beginning of our new year, I'm not going to forget what I've done this past year - nor what He has done for me.
     To life! To fewer regrets the coming year! Shana Tova!
   

 

Proof 2 - Right of Conquest, Part One

     This is the first part of my senior thesis' second proof concerning the right of military conquest. Enjoy and leave your comments below, critical or otherwise!


          “In international law, the Right of Conquest is defined as ‘the purported right of a conqueror to territory which he has taken by force of arms.’ This theory is based on the proposition that a state which emerges victorious in war is entitled to claim ownership of the land of which it has taken possession during a war.” (Right of Conquest, Real Property, Real Properties Information) This Right of Conquest, however, was gradually modified after World War Two when aggression was made an official crime codified in the Nuremburg Principles and passed in 1974 as United Nations resolution 3314:  “The completion of colonial conquest of much of the world… the devastation of World Wars I and II, and the alignment of both the United States and the Soviet Union with the principle of self-determination led to the abandonment of the right of conquest in formal international law. The 1928 Kellog-Bridan Pact, the post-1945 Nuremburg  Trials, the UN charter, and the UN role in decolonization saw the progressive dismantling of this principle.” (Right of Conquest, Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia)

            However, in Joshua’s day, conquest was certainly a legal right in formal international law. (Some may argue that the right of conquest is also still legitimate today in spite of the United Nations, based on the assumption that the conquering force is more capable of securing peace and stability to the territory than the lawfully entitled governance of which it has taken over.) But whether or not a modern country currently has the right to invade and conquer territory is irrelevant, for when Joshua dispossessed the Canaan approximately three thousand years ago, he was entitled to do so by the authority of God and the authority of the sword; that is, the right of conquest. No American has ever suggested, during the short two hundred years or so that this country has existed, that we should return the United States to the Native American tribes, its original owners. So why should Israel return land (which they owned for seven hundred years until the Babylonian captivity) to ancient peoples such as the Canaanites and the Jebusites? Land in which they maintained a continuous presence until they were granted its legal rights in 1948? Every nation that has possessed Israel throughout history has won it by the sword, yet strangely, it is only when the Jews defeat aggressive Arab invaders and claim land historically their own that dissenting voices arise.

            The first step in Joshua’s conquest of Canaan was the destruction of Jericho. In the Torah, Joshua sent two spies from their encampment at Shittim across the Jordan into the city to explore, where they stayed with Rahab the harlot. After they returned to Joshua’s camp the Israelites set out to march around Jericho every day for six days.  On the seventh day, Hashem commanded them to march around the city seven times and conclude by blowing their shofars and giving a loud shout. As they did this, the walls of the great city miraculously disintegrated and the Israelites took Jericho. They went on to conquer Ai, accept the surrender of the Gibeonites, kill the king of Bethel, gain control of Shechem, (completing the conquest of northern Canaan,) and decisively defeat southern Canaan as well. The land was then partitioned according to Hashem’s commands, each tribe receiving their allotted portion of land.

            Thus Israel belonged to the Jews hundreds of years before ancient empires such as Rome and Greece even existed – through military strength they conquered Canaan’s inhabitants and maintained their presence in Israel until the Babylonian exile. After they returned from Babylon they also continued to live in the land until a portion of it became legally their own once more in 1948. In spite of being surrounded on all sides by hostile Arab nations who opposed their state status when the United Nations’ resolution was passed, they have remained a strong State of Israel for sixty-four years.