Food for thought: Optimism as an Antidote for Determinism

 There is a short story that I've been reading these past few weeks with my 12th grade students, the "Monkey's Paw:" Monkey's Paw Full Text

For me, the story seems to put into stark contrast the oriental idea of determinism and perhaps more Western conception of choice and personal direction. 

The story speaks of destiny being irreversible, wedded and interwoven in our experience of life. 

It would seem to me that one of the words in this past week's parsha, vayashkef, resonates Judaism's message that we do have control over our destiny. 

Vayashkef, or to look deeply from above, usually strikes a harsher cord. God, it says in Parshat Vayeira, engaged in that very activity when looking down on the people of Sodom, before judging them and eradicating them: va'yashkef al pnei S'dom. 

This word, which again, signifies a probing look, is then used to describe how Avimelech spied on Isaac and Rivka, who acted playfully, as husband and wife: Vayashkef Avimelech melech Plishtim be'ad hachalon, "Avimelech, the king of the Philistines, looked through the window..." Thereafter, Avimelech accuses Isaac of lying to him, and potentially bringing sin unto his people. 

And then in Tehillim, 53:3-4: God looks down (Vayashkef) from heaven on mankind to find a man of understanding, a man mindful of God.Everyone is dross, altogether foul; there is none who does good, not even one.

In this week's Torah portion, though, the word carries promise. We tell God: Look down - hashkifa - from your holy sanctuary, from the heavens, and bless our people.

It would seem to me that there is a message here, that one can choose how he or she views the world, the one difference in our past Torah portion being that when we call on God to look favorably on our people, we ask Him to remember our past, our promise, our goodness, and the journey on which he accompanied us on each and every step - and thus, the underlying meaning being, when one sees how far he's come, the obstacles he's overcome, the faith s/he brought to the fore, a look that usually is an ominous one, can be one that bodes great promise, and hope, a harbinger of better things to come. 


Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 31, 2021 at 10:27 AM

    Very inspiring piece!
    Thanks Yoav!
    Hope you'll pump out another one before Rosh Hashanah!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yoav Gedalia BarthSeptember 1, 2021 at 10:46 AM

    That's very nice of you, please God. That made my day!

    ReplyDelete

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