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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Consolation Prizes
By
Rabbi Francis Nataf
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
While mourning is something that we seem to understand intuitively,
such is not the case with consolation. Even as our experience tells us
that we do get consoled after the loss of a loved one, it leaves us
with a sense of intellectual ambivalence. The concept of consolation
seems somewhat shallow. In thinking of human loss, there is nothing
that can take such loss away. Certainly, we are not expected to simply
forget what was important in our lives. Likewise, there is nothing
that can really mitigate the finality of our losses. In fact, mourning
is recognition of one's having forever missed an opportunity to
appreciate the full importance of what we once had.
Yet consolation is an important part of our personal life cycle as
well as the cycle of the national Jewish year. With Tisha b'Av
behind
us, we read haftaros (portions of the Prophets) that are chosen to console us. We are told that
things will work out in the end; that better days will return. A happy
historical ending, however, does not take away the pain of all those
that will have suffered until we reach those promised better times.
The nuance revealed by the Hebrew word "nachem" may help us better
understand what we are supposed to feel. When G-d decides to destroy
the world through the flood, the Biblical text tells us that he was
"yinachem" from having created man (Genesis 6:6). Here, the word can
clearly not be translated as being consoled. Rather, as in many other
places, the meaning seems to be to change one's mind, or to regret.
Analyzing the different uses of the word, one sees that the word
"nachem" indicates a change of orientation towards something. It can
indicate a negative reorientation just as easily as it can indicate a
positive one. As such, consolation seems to be the reorientation
needed by survivors to continue being productive in their lives.
Reorientation involves a reordering of that which is important in our
lives. Our lives are made up of so many subjective decisions regarding
what is important and what is not. The famed American educator, John
Dewey, gives an example of this when he writes about adapting to life
in a new city - at first many stores, streets, etc. seem equally
important, since we don't know what is most useful to us. After a
while we adapt to our surroundings by filtering out that which we
think is not useful to us.(1) To check the truth of this, imagine any
large shopping mall that one frequents. Even among the stores we do
not visit, some are quite familiar and others not at all — we have
assigned value to certain stores and not to others. When a new need
arises, we will familiarize ourselves with stores that we had never
noticed.
Loss necessarily creates a vacuum in our lives whereas consolation is
the process of reordering our focus in view of emerging new needs.
Consolation allows us to displace some of the importance once
attributed to what we've lost onto a new locus. So when Isaac
marries Rebecca, we are told (Genesis 24:67) that he is finally
consoled for his mother. He finally finds a new locus for his
appreciation of feminine compassion and care that was embodied by his
mother.
In the case of Isaac, someone new came into his life to enable him
to find what was taken away. Much more frequently, we must make do
with what was always in front of us, but remained overshadowed by
something greater.
In the case of the Holy Temple, one of the main foci of our
spirituality was taken away. Each year, we need to first internalize
that loss, realizing how great an opportunity the Holy Temple
represented. Once we have done that, we need to seek how to fill the
vacuum left in the wake of its destruction. How indeed? If the Holy Temple represented a clear channel for interaction with G-d, we are
obligated to seek other, if more indirect, channels that have
survived.
At least two such channels exist — prayer and appreciation of the
Divine imprint in nature. It may not be coincidental that Av is the
month where we traditionally take our vacations which allow for
greater exposure to nature, and Elul can be described as a month of
prayer. The complete dialogue between man and G-d that existed in the
Holy Temple can actually be divided into its component parts in the
next two months. In Av, we can allow G-d to speak to us. In Elul, we
can speak to G-d.
In Av, we can seek our inspiration in nature. We can admire a world
filled with tremendous beauty and harmony. I believe this to be one of
the greatest religious experiences available to us today.
The late great master of Mussar, Rabbi Shlomo
Wolbe (1914-2004) once spoke about the opportunity missed by those who find
grandiose views on their vacations, only to respond by snapping a
camera and moving on. When we see the waves on the seashore, majestic
valleys, sunsets, and the like, we have a tremendous religious
opportunity placed in front of us. Our sages formulated several blessings
to formalize these opportunities — the fact that these blessings have
fallen into disuse may represent a much greater tragedy than we
realize. Whether we make the blessings or not, let us not waste the few
chances we have to feel G-d's presence in our overly urbanized lives.
A month of Av filled with religious inspiration can allow us to
better exploit the second area of religious connection allowed to us —
the world of prayer. Our religious dedication in the month of Elul,
culminating in the High Holidays, naturally focuses on prayer. Just as
the first set of three blessings in the central Amidah prayer allow us to focus on
Whom we are addressing, the period of consolation that follows Tisha
b'Av can allow us to have greater appreciation and thus connection to
Whom we will be addressing in the month of Elul.
The various rituals of Av and Elul allow us to be more prepared for
Rosh Hashanah without a Holy Temple.
As stated above, we are moved
to reorient ourselves to the most productive spiritual channels that
we have without the Holy Temple. Like most ritual, however, it does
not work automatically. It is up to us to infuse the rituals of
mourning and consolation with the meaning implicit in them.
(1) John Dewey, Democracy and Education. p.49
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Comment by clicking here.Rabbi Francis Nataf is Educational Director of The David Cardozo Academy in Jerusalem.
© 2009, Rabbi Francis Nataf
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