Jewish Odysseus: WORDS TO LIVE BY (II)--FROM ERIC HOFFER, THE LONGSHOREMAN-PHILOSOPHER

Saturday, July 12, 2008

WORDS TO LIVE BY (II)--FROM ERIC HOFFER, THE LONGSHOREMAN-PHILOSOPHER

"If Israel fails, then history can have no meaning."

Oh, man.

If Israel fails, then history can have no meaning.

There is a lot of dreadful and undeniable weight in those 9 little words.

And by complete coincidence, I read today this other great Hoffer quote:

"The ability to get along without an exceptional leader is the mark of social vigor."

...just a few hours before I read the following beautiful words from Jerusalem writer Moshe Kempinski at Israel National News:

"I made the serious mistake of listening to all the noise and confusion coming out of our government's cabinet meetings relating to the situation in the north and south. The words and ideas being expressed reeked of selfish motives and small-minded vision. The burden it put on my heart was overwhelming, so I walked out of my shop in the middle of the central square of the Jewish quarter in Jerusalem's Old City to get some air.

Suddenly, to my right, a large procession of French-speaking Jews walked by singing and dancing with young bar mitzvah boys on their shoulders. They streamed into the square, dancing with Israeli flags and musical instruments. I watched, entranced. At that point, a group of young soldiers who were having a break at the side of the square got up and formed another dancing circle in the middle of the square. Next to me, a young girl turned to her grandmother and spoke in what was obviously a British accent and said, "Bubbie, are you okay?" The grandmother just nodded and watched, with tears streaming down her face.

I wasn't simply watching a scene unfold before my eyes; I was listening to a Divine message. In order to understand the Divine plan being unfolded in our days, we must truly develop the ability to hear with our eyes.

G-d is speaking with pictures."

I see some social vigor there, in the face of exceptionally BAD leadership...The longshoreman-philosopher would agree.

2 comments:

Nancy Coppock said...: "If Israel fail, then history can have no meaning" Oh wow!

G-d is speaking volumes, if we only had ears to hear and eyes to see. G-d has made a compact with Israel. He will defend His name, because He can not lie. In G-d there is no shadow, no darkness.

"The ability to get along without an exceptional leader is the mark of social vigor."

We must all return to He who knew us in the womb. Neither Israel, nor America, should put our trust in mere men, but in G-d. Our leaders have become wearied by the endless barrage of the world. The world does not wish us to live in peace. It is not in their nature.

Isaiah tells us to eat what is good and drink from our own cistern the water that gives life. We all must return to the words of our living G-d that feed the soul.

We must look for the signs like the blessing of the joyful procession described in this post. G-d is speaking volumes. He will defend His name. Will we return to the victorious side and put our full trust in Him?

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man, who seeing a costly pearl, sells all that he owns so that he may purchase it. I may be a little unclean gentile pearl, but what I repeat is true and good.

Great to hear from you my mighty Jewish Odysseus!; July 13, 2008 at 7:10:00 AM PDT
Jewish Odysseus said...: I thought you'd like that one, Nancy!

I remembered it by heart since I read it in the American Spectator 26 years ago (of course, it ain't that hard to remember 9 words).

As for us in our Promised Land, it looks like McLame, Pelosi and Hussein Obama are our crosses to bear... Yet like these Jerusalemites, we shall push on in spite of their worst efforts.; July 13, 2008 at 1:38:00 PM PDT

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The Odyssey by Homer, Chapter 21:

For long Odysseus stood with the bow in his hands, handling it as a minstrel handles a lyre when he stretches a cord or tightens a peg. Then he bent the great bow; he bent it without an effort, and at his touch the bow-string made a sound that was like the cry of a swallow. The wooers seeing him bend that mighty bow felt, every man of them, a sharp pain at the heart. They saw Odysseus take up an arrow and fit it to the string. He held the notch, and he drew the string, and he shot the bronze-weighted arrow straight through the holes in the back of the axe-heads. Then as Eumæus took up the axes, and brought them outside, he said, ‘Thou seest, lord Telemachus, that thy guest does not shame thee through foolish boasting. I have bent the bow of Odysseus, and I have shot the arrow aright. But now it is time to provide the feast for the lords who woo thy lady mother. While it is yet light, the feast must be served to them, and with the feast they must have music and the dance.’ Saying this he nodded to Telemachus, bending his terrible brows. Telemachus instantly girt his sword upon him and took his spear in his hand. Outside was heard the thunder of Zeus. And now Odysseus had stripped his rags from him and was standing upright, looking a master of men. The mighty bow was in his hands, and at his feet were scattered many bronze-weighted arrows.