Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Turn, Turn

In Torah Group we have taken a break from reading the Torah proper, and are reading the book of Ecclesiastes. It is the proper season for reading this book because it is generally supposed to be read during harvest time, the holiday of Sukkot, which was a couple of weeks ago.
This book, as everyone knows, is famous for its mature wisdom and philosophical take on life. However, it seems that when studies it, it sort of unravels into a grab-bag of contradictions, as critical theorists of yore would have had it.
The book is part of an ancient tradition parallel to the philosophy of Greece that was sort of opposed to rabbinical Judaism. So by subsuming selected pieces of this tradition into the canon, the rabbinical tradition was declaring its victory, just as when one ancient civilization conquered another, it would build its temple upon the ruins of the old culture's place of worship.
In small pieces, the mellow perspective of the aging philosopher seems comfortable, but up close, it is pinched and blinkered. Others exist only for the pleasure or profit of this individual, as far as he is concerned. Women are beneath contempt. Even study and wisdom are mere wind. One grows tired of this persona and longs to throw open the windows. Perhaps that was what the rabbis hoped for when they put this book into the tradition?

1 comment:

liz said...

my gosh Robbi it is a testament
to you as a poet scholar to be able to weave this together in a way that I, a complete heathen, fallen catholic (pick one) can appreciate and written at six o'clock in the frickin' morning no less. facinating.