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February 10, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Interview with a Repentant Vampire
By Rabbi Yonason Goldson
Anne Rice's latest novel has given her the opportunity to bring many of Judaism's most compelling philosophical principles to light
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
With "New Moon" having recently broken box office records in its opening weekend, I feel compelled to make a confession: I have read two of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books. Well, one-and-a-half, actually, since I skipped over large sections of the second one (or maybe it was the third — I'm not sure whether I started with the first installment).
Perhaps I would be more prudent to avoid the topic altogether, rather than risking my credibility as social observer and cultural commentator. In my own defense, with two teenage daughters in the house, I seemed to be tripping over copies wherever I went and finally gave in to the temptation to see for myself whether the world had found its next Harry Potter phenomenon.
It hasn't, as most females over seventeen and virtually all males have already concluded.
In all fairness, the series does have its redeeming qualities. Insofar as it challenges stereotypes and presents the elemental human conflict between physical desire and moral conviction, it can claim sufficient thematic value to console parents that their daughters could be reading something worse.
Whatever its merits, however, the pop-romantic airiness of Twilight compares with the epic drama of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles only a little more substantially than "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" compares with the satanic majesty of Milton's Paradise Lost. Alongside the passion, intensity, and psychological torment that characterize the Vampire Lestat and the constellations of living dead that occupy his universe, the foibles of Twilight's characters seem vapid and two-dimensional. Ms. Rice's textured prose makes vampire fans work harder to sate their bloodlust, but leaves them more satisfied at the end of their grim repast.
Perhaps this willingness to explore the depths of vampiric ethos offers some insight into Ms. Rice's own transformation from peddler of macabre fantasy and religious skeptic to a devout Catholic. Although there are many roads that lead to personal revelation, none directs the seeker of truth toward recognizing his own humble place within the vastness of Creation more surely than the path of spiritual introspection. By peeling away the layers of superficiality that conceal the divine nature of the universe, one inevitably discovers the dazzling light of spiritual reality.
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And now Ms. Rice has taken yet another unexpected turn. After suspending her vampire sagas to write two books on Christian themes, the author is publishing Angel Time: The Songs of the Seraphim, a novel about an assassin recruited by the Almighty Himself to defend a Jewish family in the Middle Ages.
Whether consciously or not, the story that emerges from the plight of Jews in times long past has afforded Ms. Rice the opportunity to bring many of Judaism's most compelling philosophical principles to light.
Angle Time's hero, Toby O'Dare, is a repentant hired killer in search of personal and spiritual redemption. "Toby thinks of himself as utterly damned," explains Ms. Rice in an interview with Sue Nowicki of McClatchy Newspapers. But hope rises from the ashes when a divine emissary presents Toby with the unexpected alternative of using his unique talents to protect rather than harm, to serve the true Master of the Universe rather than selling his soul to the highest bidder.
Among the most famous insights from the classic commentary of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchoki is the articulation of the Torah's mandate to serve the Almighty "with two hearts — the inclination for good and the inclination for evil." Rather than suppress our unholy desires, the Torah requires us to search for ways to channel them for good. Consequently, an individual whose nature predisposes him toward violence might find his vocation as a surgeon, a butcher, or a soldier. In the novel, Toby becomes a soldier of G-d as an expression of his repentance.
The concept of repentance is itself a complicated one. "Toby [has] to accept that G-d can forgive any sin," explains Ms. Rice, "and I think most people have trouble accepting or believing this, too, especially people fighting very bad habits of what they consider to be sin. It can be hard to believe one is worthy of G-d's forgiveness." Indeed, the Jewish concept of repentance is expressed through the term teshuva, literally "return." In order to restore our relationship with the Almighty, we have to believe that He has the power to erase the past and reshape the future. Without that trust, true repentance is impossible.
Overcome by remorse for his misdeeds, Toby's grief opens his heart to the prospect of redemption. "I am heartily sorry," he proclaims to G-d. "For all my sins because of the fear of hell, but most of all, most of all, most of all because I have separated myself from You."
No words could more perfectly describe the Jewish ideal of repentance. Teshuva miYireh — repentance from fear — derives from anxiety over the direct consequences of our actions, that we may suffer punishment or forfeit reward. In contrast, teshuva meiAhavah — repentance from love — springs forth from the bitter realization that we have damaged our relationship with our Creator and caused Him anguish like a child who has rebelled against a parent. We give no thought to the punishment that may await us; just the opposite, we eagerly embrace whatever stripes we may deserve in order to clean the slate and again become close to G-d.
Ms. Rice even dabbles with the metaphysics of kabbalah by suggesting that the perception of divine beings encompasses every generation and all eternity in a single glance. "[I]n heaven, there is no time such as we experience on Earth," she says. "If G-d can see all things, His view of linear time must be almost inconceivable to us." Indeed, Talmudic mysticism teaches precisely that.
Of her transition from atheism to devotion, Ms. Rice makes no apologies. "I was never a real atheist and finally had to admit it," she says. "I had to surrender to the belief in G-d and the love for Him I had always felt."
For the vampiric faithful who worship at the altar of religious skepticism, such comments must surely make their blood run cold.
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Comment by clicking here. JWR contributor Rabbi Yonason Goldson teaches at Block Yeshiva High School in St. Louis, MO, where he also writes and lectures. Visit him at http://torahideals.wordpress.com .
© 2010, Rabbi Yonason Goldson
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